Mom and son makeout

I (27F) have been married to my husband (48M) for two years. I have a son, Zul (10M), and a step-daughter, Lana (13F). Before our wedding, my husband and Lana won a "teacup" Pomeranian puppy at an auction. Lana was thrilled, but I have a phobia of dogs, which my husband knew about. He believed a very small dog would be a good compromise, and wanting to please him, I agreed.
Lana named the puppy Pipi. Pipi was truly an awful dog. He constantly bit my ankles, and being home all day, I suffered greatly. I cried everyday due to fear and stress caused by it. Concerned for my well-being, my husband decided Pipi should stay in Lana and Zul's room. Lana was disappointed but complied.
My mom came to see me after a long time and brought Zul a present. It was a beautiful parrolet who is trained to sing pretty songs and talk. She said her spirit is in the bird, and it made Zul feel closer to his grandmother so yes we needed to keep it.
My husband is not fond of the noise it makes. We said we would keep it in the kids room. My son named him Pear.
Pear's presence upset Pipi, who growled and tried to jump on Pear's cage, terrifying the bird and causing him to lose feathers. Zul was distraught, fearing for Pear's life, as he learned birds can die from stress-induced heart attacks. I assured Zul that I would protect Pear from that nasty dog.
Realizing Pipi was a problem, my husband and I agreed that Pipi could not stay. Lana was devastated, claiming she disliked Pear and that he upset Pipi. I was unsympathetic, insisting that Pipi was nasty and a mean dog who didn’t belong in the home. I told Lana my sister's husband, an animal trainer, could take Pipi and train him to be a better dog, and she could get Pipi back when she was 18 and moved out. I told her she could have a nice and cuter animal like a hamster or fish.
When Lana was at school, we took Pipi to my sister's. Lana was heartbroken and furious when she found out, stating she hated me and refusing to speak to me. We grounded her for speaking that way, but now I wonder if I'm being too harsh.
AITA?

Am I the only one that has a very disconnected MIL? She seems to only reach out to me personally if there’s an issue or topic to talk about. My son has a bad diaper rash, my husband told her about it and she randomly texted me saying “I’ve been worried! How’s he doing?” And when I responded, she didn’t reply and then the next morning sends another text saying “how’s my baby doing today?”
Am I the only that cannot stand when someone, especially a MIL, says "MY baby" like no thats your grandson. Is it out of line to ask her to stop referring him as “my baby?”
i also feel really annoyed to never be asked how I am personally doing, or greeted in a text saying hi, how are you etc… and in this example recently, to not respond and then text again the next day saying "hows my baby doing" is on my nerves!
I’ve also noticed how she doesn’t ever interact with photos I post on Facebook, and only comments on my husbands photos. If I’m in the photo, doesn’t comment or like it. It’s super apparent that even my own mom is noticing.
And also seems like a competition between love for her son? He received an award at work and she asked if I cried at the ceremony banquet, because she cried on the phone when he told her the news a few weeks later… saying “how could you just NOT cry at that”
Also asks me to send her videos and photos of my son because she wants to see it and show everyone she knows on how smart he is…
This is a woman that lives in another state and barely calls/never FaceTimes. Makes zero effort it seems but wants a ton of credit.
How should I address this? Or am I just overreacting here lol
More historical context: to add…. I have always had a problem with her since my son was born. To give more context… she has gossiped about my mom and dads personal health to my sister in law, she’s made comments about the skin tone of my son when I am half Filipino and she is white, and once questioned how my son has blue eyes when no one in the family on her side has blue eyes — just to give more glimpse of her past behavior. Additionally, this prior December - my husband and I experienced a miscarriage. We told her not to tell anyone. But got on the phone with me one night and started talking about how she told her neighbors about the loss. Because she was hurting just as bad as the kids grandma. Then the next day, told my brother in law that she prefers — she — not to tell her sisters and brothers etc, the news until after the holidays because she doesn’t want to make them sad. When that isn’t news to make a decision of telling on mine and my husbands behalf. Not only this, but has made comments to me about her coworkers… one about how an autistic coworker got on her nerves when her grand daughter from her other son’s family is actually autistic.

I (27F) am currently in a relationship with my BF (30M) for more than a year now and we've been sailing smoothly so far. He's a green flag in all aspects but sometimes, I can't help thinking about the one that got away.
Let's call Chip. Chip and I first met in church wayback 2017. He was introduced to me by our church mates and we clicked. Every youth program we had, Chip and I are constantly partners. He never wanted to be partnered with other woman than me. I was in my early twenties and heartbroken and he was in his late 20s and ready to mingle during those times. He knew my past and I knew his too and we're okay with it. There were no verbal confirmation that we were a thing but everyone in church sees us a couple.
FF on December 2018, I started working while I'm in school. Chip asked why I got a job instead of staying in school and I told him about the family feud I had with my dad. It was still 2 years after my mom's death and I still cannot accept my dad is dating another woman and spends time with her son instead of me. For context, I'm the youngest and the only one in school now cause all my three elder siblings are married. My judgement were so cloudy because of the feud I had with my dad. Since then, Chip and I barely talk to each other. Even in church we barely spoke. I also noticed there's this new girl and he seemed to have bonded with her like how he used to with me. Then I realize he's no longer into me and I felt like he is not ready to take that version of me - a young lady, still grieving and about to take poor life decisions yet.
Career took off well and earning comfortably and I dated few men but never in a relationship with them. I kinda conpared them to ChIp and if they were not behaving like a gentleman like Chip was to me, I dump them.
FF Around September 2022, I met some of my church friends and bonded with them. It was in a different church and suddenly, he came. He tapped me and greeted me joyfully. I reciprocated his greetings to kill the awkwardness and those faces my friends made when they saw us talking after all these years. I jokingly asked him if he's married since I haven't seen him in a while. He told me he's not married cause he's waiting for me. I don't know if he's being shady or what but it definitely caused intense awkwardness. So I flipped the subject and asked them what they'd be doing after lunch. He said he was there to attend a meeting for the next youth activity and he asked me if I'm free for an afternoon coffee. I don't know what to say so I was like "yeah sure". But I left and had some coffee with my friends and never came back to see him.
On December that same year, I was so torn about being single for 6 years so I asked God if he prepared someone for me and behold, I met my boyfriend. We clicked instantly like how Chip and I were but this time, my BF expressed his intention to be with me because he sees me as the one he's gonna spend the rest of his life with. I was so happy because God did answer my prayer... Or so I thought.
My BF is from a different Christian denomination so he wanted to know more about my faith. I brought him with me around March 2023 and introduced him to my friends and they all welcomed him wholeheartedly. That very same day, my BF and I decided to spenda our afternoon with our friends at church... And Chip was there. You can see it in his eyes how happy he was to see me, in the same church we met. He sat next to me cheerfulyl but before anything else, I introduced him to my BF. They shook hands and still talked to me but that awful awkwardness started to come around that he left and sat in a different row. My BF didn't know the history I had with Chip but he asked why he transferred to a different seat. I calmly told him "those are his closest friends". Gladly he bought it.
Every time Chip and I meet in church after that incident, he avoids me. He still greets me but doesn't look me in my eyes. He deactivated his social media. I don't know what I did wrong. There was never an "US" but the pain I see in him and what I felt, it's like we're meant to stay apart.
I just can't help thinking what if I said yes to that coffee date? What if I didn't let the issues of my family affect me and never took the job? What if I just stayed in school til I finished my degree? What if me staying in school is all that it takes so we can start over?
Am I being ungrateful for having my BF in my life and still longed for Chip? Please.. any advice would be helpful at this point

I’m looking for some support/advice for my brother who is going through a tough divorce. I keep trying to connect with him but he rightfully says I can’t truly understand because I’m not going through what he is, so maybe this community can offer some advice for him.
Long story short, my brother has been in a terrible marriage with a woman, who is a police officer, for 9 years. They have two young kids together. He was hesitant to file for divorce because how much it would cost, she makes significantly more than him, she bought the home before they were married, and he is afraid of how she would react. He finally filed a month ago, with the message of “I want this to be civil for the children”. Her response was “This is going to be ugly”.
An aside to give context how terrible this woman is. Her own brother no longer talks to her because she was caught berating and bullying his autistic 10 yo son for playing a little too rough with my brothers son. Like swearing at him to the point he had a panic attack. My entire family will not go over to his house for the holidays because she demands we do what she wants when she wants and it is always so tense. She once told my brothers 16 yo son from another relationship who lives with them to consider killing himself. And one of her positions as a cop is the juvenile officer who specializes in dealing with juveniles. It’s sickening.
Last week he came home from his shift at the fire house to find his clothes thrown in the bath tub. He starts to put them back into his closet, which door is on a sliding track, she tries to get into her side of the closet and closes it on him. He pushes it back and she yells “Ow my arm”. He said he knew what she was trying to do and walked away. Sure enough 6 hours later the police show up and are there to investigate a domestic battery. They leave after saying it was unfounded (can’t be sure what they officially said until we see the report). There has been zero incidents of domestic battery by my brother in their 9 years of marriage or threatening behavior.
3 days later he is served an emergency order of protection (OOP) and told to grab a bag and leave the home. He never got a chance to tell his side of the story. The two children they share, boy 7 and girl 4, are included in the order and he is told to not contact them. There is another hearing on June 18 for the judge to consider extending the OOP that my brother has retained an attorney for besides his normal divorce attorney.
Yesterday, his divorce attorney receives a letter from his wife’s attorney saying she will not pursue extending the OOP on the 18th as long as he agrees to her demands. The most egregious one is he would have only limited time to see his children under very specific conditions, as well as other things that should be negotiated on in a divorce proceeding regarding marital assets.
My brother is the most amazing father. Everyone that knows him calls him Mr. Mom because he does everything for the kids. He is their main care giver because her 5 day a week police shift is from 3-11 PM and she can’t be bothered to parent before work because she needs to get ready. They are his world. He is devastated and considering accepting the offer just so he can see his children on Father’s Day. He is sleeping on our younger brothers couch while his 16 year old son stays with my sister. He wasnt included on the OOP but it was decided he should not be alone with that woman who once told him he should consider killing himself. This has upended the 16 yo’s life as well.
My brother thinks his world has fallen apart and he now thinks it might have been better to stay married so he wouldn’t be going through all this. I told him to be patient and we will fight this, but his response is “you don’t know how a hard this is”. Can any one relate, have advice, or offer words of encouragement?
This ended up being not short. Thank you to everyone who read the entire thing. I will be sharing all responses with my brother.

In the past two years, I've noticed several students in my classes (literature) come to conclusions about fiction or film that really surprise me. It's this tendency to read even small issues as really major ones. I mean small issues like a mom telling her son to stop watching TV and go play outside being interpreted as "child abuse" or a woman slamming a table in frustration as "self-harm." Even small arguments reveal "a toxic relationship."
It's happening a fair amount, but I can't figure out if it's students going over the top to be provocative or because they feel it'll be rewarded by the prof, or if it's students actually confusing "doing stuff you don't wanna do" with "trauma."
Anyone have any insight into this?

It had been yet another day on Lantica beach for the Crimson Paragons, not too long after the hard fought victory in the unexpected alien invasion. But something just kept nagging at Talios... A strange emotion that just wouldn't leave. A... Yearning. For something. For... Someone. Someone had been at the back of his mind ever since he had returned from that trip. When that Lamia had hugged him, tail and all, Talios felt strange. He felt something he had never felt before. A new emotion... And unbeknownst to him, this emotion would spark something even he'd think unfathomable. All it'd take... Is one, relatively innocent question. When everyone was chowing down on some delicious food Nhak had made at the beach party, and Kyouko, one of Max's comrades had showed up. A Jorõgumo. A yokai with a ravenous appetite, essentially.
Kyouko showed up, by... Crawling down a banana tree. There were no longer any bananas in that tree. Not even peels...
"A large fish skewer? Sounds nice."
Talios gives a simple response, not entirely paying attention. Something else is bugging him.
"Hi Kyouko."
Nhak, on the other hand, gives her a proper response.
"Yes Kyouko, a whole fish, just for you! Made with love! Aoi Helped!”
But just then... Talios gets a brilliant idea. And... He can finally try and get her out of his head.
"Say... Kyouko. Do you... Know where Nagisa is?"
Nagisa. Another of Max's crew, practically a daughter to him. A rather bubbly Lamia, though her words can pack quite the venom when she's teasing someone. Talios, unfortunately. Is not aware of this yet.
"Nagisa should be in the lodge still. Rachnia is helping her fix her swimsuit."
Damn it. He was hoping for her to be alone, so they could speak in private. Looks like I'll have to abort, Talios thinks to himself...
But he's practically wearing his heart on his sleeve. Everybody can tell what's happening, he's a... Terrible liar.
"Ah, I see. Alright then."
Talios gives another simple response, hoping for the topic to just be dropped. But everybody else can tell how... Unusual, he's acting after mentioning Nagisa's name.
"Something up, boss man?"
Ember. A small dragon, ethereal in nature... Most of the time. In this instance, it appears she's in fact, solid. It's a part of Ejders soul network going on in his body. Talios had completely forgotten Ember was on his shoulder...
"...What are you talking about Ember. I'm fine."
Talios... Is a really bad liar. It is quickly becoming apparent just how bad he is.
"I doubt that. You're just randomly asking about the tail meatbag? For no reason?"
Then Aoi the Oni speaks up.
"Talios yer startin' ta sound like Max askin where Rachnia is. Ya doin alright?"
"I am... Perfectly fine. Just wanted to make sure everybody is accounted for. Bounty hunter instincts, can't help it."
A slightly better lie. Still obvious. But a slightly better lie.
"Come on! I'm your second in command! You can tell me these things!"
It's impossible to tell how Ember got the notion of being second in command.
Now it's Sarah who speaks up, yet another comrade of Max. A cyclops.
"if ya had a face I'd tell ya your pokerface blows. But uh... Yer pokerhelmet blows."
"I do have a face."
Talios takes off his helmet. His pokerface does, in fact blow. He looks... Ever so slightly flustered, even. In expression, more than anything. He can't blush, since he has no blood.
"Your pokerface is even worse than your pokerhelmet."
This time it's Safi, a dragon of the stars. Although, currently, they're in a human form.
Talios: "I could kick all of your asses at poker."
Ejder: "Remove the last two words, and I could believe it."
Sarah: "Did that Lamia hug from yesterday awaken somethin in ya? Awww."
Talios: "The tight and scaly Lamia hug awoke absolutely nothing in me."
Safi: "I've never heard a more blatant lie than that."
Talios: "Yes you have. Because it isn't a lie."
Sarah: "Talios. I have to deal with Max tryin to bluff his way through shit. Your pokerface ain't cuttin it."
Talios: "I am the best liar to ever live across the damn centuries. You're all simply fools who mistake complete truth for mere lies."
Suddenly, Nhak appears to phase behind Talios. He places a ghostly hand on his shoulder.
"From one armored giant to another..."
"Your pokerhelm really is terrible."
And Nhak lets out a laugh, Talios feeling more defeated by the second.
"Oh not you too Nhak..."
"Talios do I reaaaaaally have to use my strings to make ya tell the truth?"
This voice came from Rachnia, Max's Fiancé. She came out of the water, having been taking a walk...
Talios jumps at Rachnia's presence.
"WHERE IN THE BLAZING blue hells did you come from."
His voice changes from loud to quiet on a dime, oddly enough. And it was at this moment...
That a devilish look came across Ember's face.
"Hey, Talios, since you wanted to make sure everyone's accounted for, why don't you go check in on the Tail-Meatbag personally?"
"...I- Well... You see..."
Talios falls silent, having been defeated at his own game by Ember. Finally though, Kyouko asks the question that had been plaguing Talios since Rachnia's arrival.
"weren't you helping Nagisa with her swimsuit, Rachnia?"
"got that done earlier. She's helping Cerne tie her swimsuit now."
Perfect! Talios had his out, with Rachnia confirming that they can account for Nagisa.
"Ah. See, she's with Cerne! Rachnia can account for it. No need to go looking. No reason... At all..."
And Talios thought he was safe... Until the sight of Cerne casually strolling along the beach enters his view.
Talios: "...Wait why are you here Cerne?"
Rachnia: "Hey, Cerne, I thought Nagisa was with you!"
"Guess she might be in the lodge with Lala or Eliza."
Ember: "C'mon, Boss Man! Everyone has given a different response as to where Snake is! You gotta figure out which one is true!"
Talios: "...Surely Cerne is right."
She was not, as Lala happens to walk out of the water with perfect timing. One by one, each of Max's companions says another is with Nagisa... And every time, the companion mentioned shows up... Until there are no more companions to show up.
Meaning, Nagisa is in fact. Unaccounted for. Talios lets out a defeated sigh, picking Ember off of his shoulder and placing her down.
"I... Will go make sure Nagisa is accounted for..."
Feeling utterly defeated, Talios trudges to the lodges in search of Nagisa. Seph, a multiversal god, and known as the Paragon of Freedom... Only has a few words to say.
”Godspeed, funny chaos man.”
Eventually, Talios reaches the fifth lodge. Each one before, held no answer. He expected nothing different from this one. Three firm knocks on the door...
"Yeees? Who is it?"
Ah shit. So Nagisa was here... Talios was kind of hoping she wasn't so he wouldn't have to go through this.
"Damn..."
"AHEM. Uh. I was told to make sure everybody was accounted for. So... Yeah. You weren't at the beach, so I came to check the lodges."
A few moments of awkward silence.
"WELL! Since you're here, I can return to the group and inform them of you being accounted for."
Talios immediately turns and starts walking away, satisfied with his totally foolproof lie.
It was... Absolutely terrible. Obviously.
But before he could leave. A behemoth of a man stands in his way. Gonkgar. He himself is walking to the lodges.
"Where Nagisa?"
"Talios... you're not just here to check on me, are you? You lie terribly."
Nagisa's voice is... Frankly, beautiful to Talios's ears. But damn it... Why did Gonkgar have to intercept him...
"I don't even need to see your face to know. Come on in, the door's unlocked."
Gonkgar pushes Talios toward the door and turns around.
"...Shit."
"Alright fine..."
Talios pops open the door a crack, peeking in. He hits his helmet on the door frame.
"hey, no need to be shy!"
"...I am never shy. A bounty hunter is not shy."
He has not moved from his peeking position in the door. Nagisa giggles in response to Talios's very, very poor lies.
"Actions speak louder than words ever could. Now head inside before I have to pull you inside myself."
"I- ...Okay. Fine."
Talios, begrudgingly, enters the lodge. He's... Fidgeting. He has his hands hidden behind his back, but it's obvious just from the movement of his arms in general.
Not even Talios is sure what he's feeling... Or how.
Gonkgar stands nearby Nagisa’s lodge with his arms crossed, defending his bro’s chance at makin’ a move.
"Oooh you don't even have to tell me. someone's in loooove?"
"Did Max send you to me for advice?"
Talios seems... Genuinely startled by Nagisa's question.
"...Love? I... Am not sure... I don't think Chaos gave me such capabilities... Nor was I sent by Max specifically..."
"Then why are you fidgeting like a schoolgirl about to confess?"
Ouch. There's the venomous teasing Talios was unaware about. And it certainly stings a tad.
"Body language says alot. Maybe Chaos did give you those capabilities already."
"...But why would she... Ugh... No, I could see it."
Gonkgar is still standing stock-still like a statue, arms crossed and giving dagger eyes to anything that comes near, even animals. A rat looks mortified and leaves.
"So... You want to know how to deal with what you're feeling, or... Don't tell me, you have a crush on lil ol me?"
It is immediately obvious that Nagisa hit the bullseye with that one. Talios falls silent for... A solid half a minute, at least.
"...I suppose I should get going for the uh. The feast. Yeah. Man, I'm hungry..."
Okay, now he's just getting desperate with subject changes like that.
"Man, you're terrible at this. Want some advice on how to properly confess?"
"...I feel like... Getting help on this matter, from you... Would be nigh insulting. But fine. I guess..?"
Talios is apprehensive. He still isn't fully processing these emotions he's having... But. Well. He finds it hard to say no to Nagisa.
"So lets start at the basics. When you look at me, what do you feel?"
"Perfectly fi-"
Talios stops himself.
"...Very. Very strange. Like... Fuzzy, I think it would be described."
"Strange and fuzzy inside. Alright. So, when you look at me, what do you want to do? Do you think of someone or something else?"
She's fishing for a particular answer it seems. But Talios, oh poor Talios... Is so, so very dense. Perhaps, denser than a neutron star.
Talios seems to stumble over his words, trying to find the necessary ones to articulate what he wants.
"I... Do not want to do anything to you. Obviously."
Easily a lie.
"Uh... When I look at you, I suppose I think about... You. When I look at most people I'm thinking of them."
Dense motherfucker...
"Aww, I thought those guts of yours would carry over into social skills. What a pity.
"Now, when you look at Max and Rachnia together, do you think of me?"
The verbal jab seems to strike a nerve with Talios for a moment... But yet again, it also seems you've hit the bullseye.
"Well... Yes... Kind of. Occasionally."
"Awww. How sweet. They're joined at the hip. Do you want that too?
Talios feels her tail slowly coiling around his legs.
And it was at this moment, that Maximillian, who had delivered nachos to the beach party felt something very wrong...
Max: "I feel like something is going... Wrong."
Ember: "What? What do ya mean, lucky man?"
Max starts checking his revolver, to make sure it's locked and loaded.
"No real idea... Just... feeling like I'll need to be prepared soon."
Nhak: "On the contrary, I feel like something is going right..."
Safi: "What do you mean, Max?"
Max: "Call it... Parental instinct."
Gonkgar knows what Talios wants, even if Talios doesn’t. It seems Nagisa does too.
Gonkgar begins to think about all the times he and Talios hung out together, his true bro. All the times they fought for fun, and destroyed wizard tarrasques together. He thinks of the time Gonkgar wanted to ask that one girl out to the prom, and Talios totally encouraged him to press his luck. When Gonkgar’s mom was sick in the hospital, Talios made sure to take care of his dogs. If Gonkgar can be here for his bro now, that is precisely what he’ll do.
90% of that might not have ever happened in the real world, but Gonkgar likes to think it did… Somewhere.
Safi: "Do you feel that parental instinct because Talios went to see Nagisa?"
Max: "He did?!"
Safi: "It was pretty obvious he had a crush on her."
Max: "Wait he has a crush on her?!"
Nhak: "Well, someone brought up Nagisa... And he went melon."
Rachnia pulls a quick purple string and hooks it onto Max. Just one command is spoken. "Give him a chance."
He holsters his pistol.
"Fine."
Back in Nagisa's lodge... Talios is stiller than a statue as the Lamia's tail grows closer to his leg. He feels a chill down his non-existant spine... It's probably just a draft... But wait. He doesn't feel cold, generally. Or any temperature. How strange...
"Well... Isn't there like... A process..."
Talios is getting more and more flustered by the minute, something not even HE thought was possible! He's been getting an awful lot of new emotions lately...
"Well there's nothing wrong with a big hug, is there? I'm not easily impressed, so you'll have to do your best."
Talios seems to... Loosen up, slightly?
"Oh. Yes. Hug. Of course. Uh... Sure..."
she taps Talios' nose with the tip of her tail.
"I'll be waiting for a black knight on a noble steed. Impress me."
Aha. Talios understands perfectly now... Is what he thought. But he doesn't. He's so, unbelievably dense... And perhaps, takes thing a little too literally.
”He cooked.”
Gonkgar says to the rat. How foolish he was... Talios was fumbling hard.
"I guess... That's my cue to leave... Ha."
Talios is getting ready to leave... But why?
"Are you sure running away now is very knightly? Wouldn't want to run with your tail between your legs when it matters most."
she's just brushing her hair again, her eyes closed, back turned to Talios.
”Man, she not make it easy for bro. It like bro just discover pools exist, and get thrown in deep end right away.”
Gonkgar says to the rat.
Talios freezes. The sharp words of Nagisa shock him to his very core... Because he thought she wanted a horse.
"But. I was going to go get a horse... You said I needed a noble steed... And all..."
Max is looking at the lodges, arms on his hips.
He sees Gonkgar standing guard. Gonkgar gives a slow nod.
“Let he cook.” He mouths at Max.
Max: "I have to give THIS a chance?"
He's tapped into the security footage.
"He can't even pick up on the noble steed hint! How can you fumble THIS hard?!"
She chuckles.
"I don't need an actual horse. We already have Cerne."
Ah. Now Talios gets it. At least, he thinks he does.
"Oooh! ...Why would I need to get Cerne? Can she help with this?"
"I gotta say, at least you're funny... You know what? I'll give you a few dates. See where it leads... If you can convince Max."
Gonkgar silently launches 30 feet in the air and fist bumps before landing in front of the door again.
"A black knight against a white knight, just like the fairytales. If nothing else, it'll be a fairytale made true."
Gonkgar is silent screaming in front of the door.
”Let GOOOOOOOO!”
Max: "Alright then, hon. If that's the criteria ya want, I'll oblige."
He starts loading his revolver with explosive rounds.
Talios, on the other hand, seems to immediately lighten up. He seems... Happy?
"Really? Wow. Uh... Thank you, Nagisa. I promise to not disappoint. And uh... Maybe... Grow less dense. I guess. Ha."
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch. I have a feeling that you're going to have a much tougher time convincing Max, than convincing me."
Talios's entire mood shifts on a dime. Grim.
"Ah. Yes. Maximillian... Oh dear."
Talios walks out of the lodge, immediately greeted by Gonkgar's back.
"...I won, Gonkgar. I won."
Gonkgar turns around and immediately gives him a giant bear hug. It is pretty tight, but Talios can take it.
"TALIOS WIN."
"Thank you, Gonkgar... For stopping me from leaving that door."
”Gonkgar know what it like. Me have experience with ladies.” He fist bumps Talios’s shoulder. “Okay, you hide now?”
"...Hide? I know Maximillian needs convincing, but... It can't be that bad. Right?"
Talios walks past Gonkgar to the rest of the group once more, unaware of his possibly impending doom.
"He have weapon out. Take Gonkgar second favorite weapon, it maybe help."
Gonkgar holds out a strange... Fish... Spear? To Talios.
"I'll be fine. Although I appreciate the thought, Gonkgar."
And Talios continues walking back to the beach party. And he arrives with a pep in his step never seen before...
"Hello, everybody. Nagisa is perfectly accounted for."
Talios gives a big thumbs up as he delivers the message.
Max: "Yeah. We know. Sooooo. dating sweet little Nagisa, huh."
He's seated, ominously tapping the blue and silver alchemy revolver on his leg.
"Uh... I'm not sure if it's... Considered offically dating. Yet. Just uh... Testing the waters, one may say...You know, I'll admit I'm pretty dense but uh. You seem a tad angry, Maximillian."
"I'm not mad... Just protective."
"Uh... Yeaaah..."
Ahem.
"I think I'll go talk with... Nagisa a bit more. Let you... Cool off."
This. Was a very... VERY poor choice of words.
Maximillian shoots the floor behind Talios, where he would have stepped if he were to walk to the lodges. Talios turns stone cold and still as a statue.
Talios: "Got it."
Max: "We're havin a chat. Ain't nice to walk out during that."
Max: "I'll be honest with ya, Talios. Had it not been you, I'd have put you in the dirt already. Nagisa gave ya a chance, and said if you can beat me, she'll give you a few dates.... so..."
He slowly walks up to Talios.
"When's the duel, friend?"
"Ha... Saturday. High noon. And let it be known..."
"I won't lose, Maximillian Ironstout. That is a promise."
"...Just like I promised Nagisa I'll impress her on those dates."
Now he's trying to egg Max on.
"Ironstout, huh. Didn't even know you knew that raggedy old name of mine. Alright then. We'll see if you're worthy enough to be a son in law, shall we, Chaos Spawn?"
He laughs, no longer being able to keep up the charade.
"Man I suck at intimidation. Hope ya don't mind the hard time, Talios."
"Meh. If it was anyone else, it could've worked. But you've seen how I am, ha! Thinking I could take on Seph."
So he IS self conscious somewhat.
"The hard time only makes things more fun."
And so, it had been decided. Talios now has to fight... For love? Something Talios thought impossible. Strange how things work out like that.
And unbeknownst to all... Chaos is deeply amused by this turn of events.

I'm wanting others' outside opinions. Sometimes I go back and forth between whether my parents are narcissists are if I'm actually the bad guy. For context, I was the golden child and my older sister was the scapegoat. Over the last 2-3 years I've realized how their raising of me (and infantilizing of me) has affected me to now I just feel like I was only ever a 'project' to them, not an actual person, and that they still and will always see me that way. Here are some reasons I think they may be narcissists:

• I didn't know until I was 16 that my dad was married before and had a son (my half-brother). He got divorced and gave up custody of his son around 4-5 years of age because he "didn't want him to be used by his mother against me." He essentially refuses to have anything to do with him even though I think my half-brother has tried to reach out to him.
• He is completely heartless with his dog and prior dogs. They are hunting dogs (retrievers) and want attention but he keeps them in a kennel except when he feeds them in the evening or takes them hunting (during the winter). They whine and cry for his attention but it doesn't affect him at all. I suspect my mom is also complicit in not wanting them in the house.
• Neither really gives a real apology, especially my dad. I've never heard him utter an unprompted, condition-less, heartfelt sorry to us.
• A few years ago I tried to tell him as tactfully and non-critically that he never ever says good job to me. This is despite me being a great student and a pretty good athlete in school. He got visibly mad at me, said "well I guess I'm just a bad dad? You got way better than what I had!" He is always always wanting praise but is basically incapable of giving it back. At best, he almost acts surprised when I do well.
• Gifts from my dad are never what I want or ask for, it's about what he wants me to have. He collects shotguns and for me 30th birthday gave me a shotgun I didn't want or have any use for. He will also buy me hunting clothes I don't want them act sort of offended if I don't wear them. I feel creeped out my dad essentially tries to dress me and I'm early 30's.
• He has never driven any of my vehicles. I've had some fun cars/trucks but he has never test driven them even when I ask if he wants to. He shows basically no interest in them at all.
• My wife and I have a very well followed instagram based on a hobby he and I both share. He shows zero interest in our business or the products we make...he will buy similar products but from other companies, never ever ours and when I gift him stuff he still doesn't really want to use it.
• I can never talk to my mom about just me, it always ends up being about her. An hour phone call is probably 50 minutes of her talking about her problems or who did what and what it means or how she feels, et cetera. I have to literally ask her if we can talk about me.
• This is a crazy one: my mom texts me A LOT, I used the search feature on my texts and in a year she has never, not once asked "how are you?" or "how do you feel?" or "how are you doing," even when she knows I'm going through horrible mental health crises and my world is crashing. She asks me 'what are y'all doing?' almost every day but never asks about me.

This is a lot but is by no means all. I've read how, in the long run, the golden child is often the most damaged. I can see that now in my life, how I was never allowed to mature or given real emotional support, my usefulness to them extends only insofar as I reflect positively on them. As far as my being a real person with scars and issues and needs, they basically left me to myself. As my dad literally told me, "you were just so smart I thought you didn't need any advice or help. I thought you could just do it on your own."

I'm wanting others' outside opinions. Sometimes I go back and forth between whether my parents are narcissists are if I'm actually the bad guy. For context, I was the golden child and my older sister was the scapegoat. Over the last 2-3 years I've realized how their raising of me (and infantilizing of me) has affected me to now I just feel like I was only ever a 'project' to them, not an actual person, and that they still and will always see me that way. Here are some reasons I think they may be narcissists:

• I didn't know until I was 16 that my dad was married before and had a son (my half-brother). He got divorced and gave up custody of his son around 4-5 years of age because he "didn't want him to be used by his mother against me." He essentially refuses to have anything to do with him even though I think my half-brother has tried to reach out to him.
• He is completely heartless with his dog and prior dogs. They are hunting dogs (retrievers) and want attention but he keeps them in a kennel except when he feeds them in the evening or takes them hunting (during the winter). They whine and cry for his attention but it doesn't affect him at all. I suspect my mom is also complicit in not wanting them in the house.
• Neither really gives a real apology, especially my dad. I've never heard him utter an unprompted, condition-less, heartfelt sorry to us.
• A few years ago I tried to tell him as tactfully and non-critically that he never ever says good job to me. This is despite me being a great student and a pretty good athlete in school. He got visibly mad at me, said "well I guess I'm just a bad dad? You got way better than what I had!" He is always always wanting praise but is basically incapable of giving it back. At best, he almost acts surprised when I do well.
• Gifts from my dad are never what I want or ask for, it's about what he wants me to have. He collects shotguns and for my 30th birthday gave me a shotgun I didn't want or have any use for. He will also buy me hunting clothes I don't want then act sort of offended if I don't wear them. I feel creeped out my dad essentially tries to dress me and I'm early 30's.
• He has never driven any of my vehicles. I've had some fun cars/trucks but he has never test driven them even when I ask if he wants to. He shows basically no interest in them at all.
• My wife and I have a very well followed instagram based on a hobby he and I both share. He shows zero interest in our business or the products we make...he will buy similar products but from other companies, never ever ours and when I gift him stuff he still doesn't really want to use it.
• I can never talk to my mom about just me, it always ends up being about her. An hour phone call is probably 50 minutes of her talking about her problems or who did what and what it means or how she feels, et cetera. I have to literally ask her if we can talk about me.
• This is a crazy one: my mom texts me A LOT, I used the search feature on my texts and in a year she has never, not once asked "how are you?" or "how do you feel?" or "how are you doing," even when she knows I'm going through horrible mental health crises and my world is crashing. She asks me 'what are y'all doing?' almost every day but never asks about me. She will have deep conversations with her sister about health and feelings and fears, etc, and will listen to her, but I don't even get a 'how are you?'

This is a lot but is by no means all. I've read how, in the long run, the golden child is often the most damaged. I can see that now in my life, how I was never allowed to mature or given real emotional support, my usefulness to them extends only insofar as I reflect positively on them. As far as my being a real person with scars and issues and needs, they basically left me to myself. As my dad literally told me, "you were just so smart I thought you didn't need any advice or help. I thought you could just do it on your own."

If I remember correctly it was some early 2000s US talk show hosted by a woman (maybe Jewish). Dad was trying to reform his son (he was bald and was wearing overalls I think). Jewish mom and daughter were telling some touching story (about Holocaust I think) when he started pretending to play worlds smallest violin. If you need more info, just ask, but this is all I remember at the moment.

I'm going to try really hard to keep this concise. There's a lot of info and I tend to ramble.
My mother is a Cuban immigrant. My father is a rock'n'roller and has always been in a band of some sort. They also smoked pot through my entire existence. I grew up with a love of music and an incredible work ethic that would elevate me quickly through my career. But I also grew up with physical, emotional, and verbal abuse from my mother and a father who was too afraid of her to step in and stop it or help us and parents who were never consistent in their responses. I have an older brother who experienced all of the same, but doesn't talk about it and *seems* to not phase him the way it does me.
I told my partner even before we got pregnant that if my parents watch our children, as the children get older and are able to dissent and have their own opinions, we'd need to keep an eye on how my parents are treating them. I've always maintained that my mom is great with babies, and terrible with children. So when I had my son seven years ago, they were our primary caregivers while we worked full time. It was my responsibility to pick him up after work from their house. After a while of this arrangement, I started indulging in a large glass of wine because I had to wait until rush hour died off before I could get on the road (stuck in traffic with a screaming baby is not fun). It felt out of necessity due to the constant judgment, critiques, and questioning that my mother would do to me about anything I mentioned- work, the baby, my partner, anything. It came to the point that my partner and I switched "shifts" and I started dropping my son off in the morning so that I would stop this behavior (which was also dangerous for everyone involved) and not give my mother the opportunity to critique because I had to turn around and leave for work right away. It's worth noting that I've been sober for two years (an intiative neither of my parents supported- "you just need to control yourself more, you don't have a problem").
My son grew older and has a close relationship with my parents and my brother. But my mom couldn't stop telling me he was too skinny, telling me she's concerned about him getting colds, telling me we're doing too much with him and need to slow down (referring to going to playgrounds...), and doing what I told her NOT to do with him. She wouldn't stop spoon-feeding him at three years old, and we had to have a blow out about it for her to listen to me after nicely asking her to stop and explaining why a billion times.
December of 2023 she was over for a little pizza party with us and my in-laws. My (now six year old) son took his shirt off and started dancing to some music (lol) and my mom exclaimed about "how skinny" he is because "you can see his ribcage". Which you can see most people's ribcages when their arms are in the air and they've taken a deep breath in... She turned to my mother-in-law (MIL) and said they needed to fatten him up. My MIL is a NICU nurse and her and her son (my husband) were both very skinny growing up. She confirmed for my mom that "no, we don't, he's a perfect weight for his height". I have also confirmed this for my mother countless times and ask about his weight at every pediatrician appointment. Because he's in the 99th percentile for height, he's just lanky. Medical professionals assure us it is fine and normal. THEN she turned to my son and told him to his face "You are too skinny and you need to eat more." Thankfully I wasn't there to hear it or it would've been a scene, but I was told about it after the fact. After confronting her she confirmed she did say that and she wouldn't take it back. I lost my shit about how disrespectful and untrusting it is of your own daughter to do something like that and she FINALLY realized the severity of it.
But at that point it was the last straw for me. I told my mother that if we were going to continue to have a relationship, that we needed to go to therapy. And that I thought it would be beneficial for ALL OF US to go (meaning my immediate, childhood family) but really I was mostly concerned with her and my relationship. After a few months of hoping it would blow over and it didn't, she finally made the appointment.
We did family therapy (with the whole family) for a few weeks. It was exhausting and eye-opening. It was primarily focused on my parents' marriage and the issues my family was having at home (my mother, father, and adult brother who still lives with them all coexisting in the house). So very little to do with me. Which was the whole reason we were supposed to be there.
Ultimately we discovered how insane my mother's anxiety is, she screamed at the therapist twice, kept validating her abuse, and couldn't list off more than two things she loved about me before getting to a critique. They also started going to marriage counseling at the suggestion of our family therapist, and things there started to get really bad. It became clear that a lot of my mom's anxiety around us came from her dissatisfaction with her marriage and feeling like she always had to be the disciplinarian. The family therapist watched me pop a pill as my mom laid in to me in one of our sessions about how unclean my house is and it's why my son (who is in public school) gets so many colds. After that, the therapist did some serious consideration and decided to pause our family therapy, citing that my mom wasn't ready and needs to do a lot of work on her own with her personal therapist, and I wasn't ready because every time I'm in there it's like I'm reliving it all. I agree with her wholeheartedly. I want to say here that our therapist was INCREDIBLY validating for me, and really drove home for me that this was NOT a me problem (which my parents had always led me to believe).
But now I don't know where to go from here. My therapist told me to stop reaching out- that I've been trying to fix the relationship my whole life (which isn't my responsibility), and they know now what the problem is so they need to try to fix it this time. Also both my individual and family therapist said going to their house is a non-starter and any time we spend together in the next few months needs to be in a public place with a structured activity to reduce the possibility of it being a negative experience. That was four weeks ago. We've seen each other once since then and my mom only texts to tell me about family-related things "so and so broke their ankle, it's your grandma's birthday, yada yada" and my dad doesn't text.
I worked through all the terrible feelings of being responsible for breaking up my parents' marriage and making things more difficult for him and my brother living in that house by forcing this. I know that isn't my fault. But I can't stop thinking about my parents, specifically my mom. It's clear my mother has her own abusive past that she's never processed, and it was the only parenting method she knew. And I'm sympathetic to that and have given her grace for the last few decades because of that. But it can't be this way for my whole life. I can't live my whole life feeling like my worth is based on how much I get done, how materially successful I am, stuffing my emotions down so I'm not "so dramatic" and feeling unlovable. As an adult I felt like my life was supposed to be a gift to them for raising me... like if it wasn't exactly what they wanted for me, then it was wrong. Since having my own child I've seriously reflected on all of that, and I don't want to raise my son the way I was raised and I don't think of him as "mine" as much as his own person with his own world and life. I don't see him as a reflection of me and my parenting- it isn't personal when he gets into trouble or says something mean like it was for my mom when I was a kid.
My brain just won't stop thinking of ways to make things "better". I keep trying to come up with an activity to do in a public place so they can see their grandkid but that's the thing- that's the only reason. I don't want to see them. I don't think my son really even wants to see them (he wants to see my brother- his Tio- because they're besties but not necessarily my parents who do very little with him- they just "want him around".) But then I realize that if I don't want to, then maybe I shouldn't. And then I think about how depressed my parents are sitting at home and I feel awful. They don't have friends or much of a life (besides dad's band), and were both depressed before this even started. I can't stop thinking about why she couldn't love me. How she told me she was the only one who would told me the truth, and then told me how horrible I am. And I still believe those things despite having all the evidence that they aren't true.
Ugh anyway I know I have a lot more to do to get through this. But has anyone else experienced this kinda constant distraction of thinking through it all but not really getting much of anywhere? Idk if it's emotional flashbacks that I'm feeling or what. I just don't really know where to go from here, so any advice is appreciated.
Also omg this wasn't concise at all I'm sorry <3

Always thought I’d have kids growing up. I thought it was just part of life. I got married about 10 years ago, got divorced about 2 years ago. My ex and I never planned to have kids, but it would have happened eventually - if she could have them. We found out about a year before we divorced that she had endometriosis and it was almost impossible for her to get pregnant. We divorced for other reasons, and I don’t ever want to get married again.
However, when I first got divorced, I still thought I wanted to have a family with someone new. I put off dating, focused on myself, and started realizing I never wanted to give up my freedom again. I planned on having a vasectomy but freezing my sperm as a backup. Seemed like a good plan, until…
I celebrated my 44th birthday last month. Aside from making a bunch of goals to accomplish before my 45th, I reflected on my life and how I want to enjoy the rest of it. I realized, even if I had kids next year, at 45, I’d be 65 by the time they’re 20. I’d not only be like their grandpa, but their childhood would be so different from mine that I don’t think I could relate to them. My dad had me at 24, we liked a lot of the same movies, music, and at least I could understand his generation somewhat. I’d be like a time traveler to my kids if I had them.
Thinking about it more, I put so many of my personal goals and interests on hold while I was married that I don’t want to do that again, even for the purpose of being a dad. I don’t want toys all over my apartment, I don’t want to watch kids shows and I don’t want to have to be friends with the parents of my kids friends. I see no benefit. I just don’t want that.
I’m going to be that eternal bachelor, cool uncle guy, and that’s fine. It’s just kind of weird because I thought I’d have a family my whole life. I’m the only son in my family, and I’m pretty sure my sister isn’t having kids either (she has a bf, but she’s 42). My mom is Latina, so of course every time I used to hint at not having kids, she’d get visibly angry and call me selfish, etc. But I don’t care anymore. Made an appointment for the snip in a couple months. Not freezing any swimmers.
Really want a dog though. THAT I’m excited about.

Will probably delete this soon because I’m so paranoid about people I know personally finding this.
Hi all, I have one FS who is 8 and bio girls who are 7 and 5. All three kids are Taylor obsessed (courtesy of my eldest girl). My husband got us Taylor tickets at Christmas time with the intention of me, him and our two girls going (this was pre-placement). However, since having our FS and seeing how Taylor obsessed he is (again, all due to my eldest daughter) my husband has decided to step aside and let our FS go, which he is over the moon about.
Unfortunately issue arose when FS excitedly told his mom about the concert. She was very upset and expressed to social worker that she would never have been able to afford the tickets the way our family could. I felt crushed, it was never my intention to make her feel inferior as she is a great mother, and we have done everything in our power to 100% ensure reunification. I explained to her that the ticket wasn’t originally meant for her son, that my husband didn’t want him to feel left out when the girls would go and he’d have to hear all about it. I assured her that I didn’t mean to step on her toes or anything and that he has liked her music lately and that it would be a nice outing for him (plus my husband isn’t a huge Swiftie). She didn’t seem to be pleased and expressed that she doesn’t want him to go.
Foster son will be CRUSHED if I tell him he can’t go (I would never say his mother said no). He has made friendship bracelets, picked out an outfit and has been counting down on his calendar. He has told all his friends in school and has learned off the soundtrack. I’m not sure if I could break his heart like that considering how much his life has been upended lately. Therapist said to me last week that all he has talked about in recent sessions has been the concert, and that it’s a huge motivation for him in school to ‘be good.’ But I can also see his mother’s POV. What do I do? I’m genuinely lost. My husband is insisting he still goes and we just don’t tell FS about his mom’s wishes but I want to respect her. I’m lost. I can completely see where she’s coming from.
Just so everyone knows: I’ve tried and failed to get a fifth ticket so his mom can join. Tickets are like gold dust and we’re sitting, quite impossible.

So I've noticed everytime im around my inlaws my mother inlaw no matter if I am busy or not always say "mom someone needs a butt change" even though my husband will be right next to her and he doesn't mind changing our son, but I've noticed this more often that she instantly tells and not my husband. Has anyone else dealt with this?

Instead of dealing, I think I have been accepting the fact that my mom loves my brothers more than me.
I am 21F. For the last 10+ years, it’s always been my brothers and worse during my secondary school to even now.
she treats me bad, but expects me to be more filial than my brothers just because I’m a female. (I should do this this this).
There was once, she mentioned she’s gonna leave the house asset solely to my brothers. (💀🙂) (Am I adopted?)
I earn more than my brothers. When I was working part time earning a few hundred, she takes a few hundred from me but never from my brothers. There was once I caught her giving a few hundred to both of them each, but she expects me to pay the bills.
I was heart broken… I work day and night, but come back to no food and just a moody mom, screaming at me because she’s unhappy with me.
My brothers can use the car anytime but when I request, she only let me use once in a blue moon but never says no to them. (But I earn more than them..)
I clean the house recently, she was unhappy because the clothes had a smell, it was because my brother dump his soiled army clothes in but I had to wash and hang and req him to hang but he pretended not to hear and my mom lashed at me for not doing a proper job when his son didn’t even lift a finger. She said I might as well don’t do (yup, like your son, not contributing in any way)
I did very well for schools but she only cares about her sons who failed schools.
Like man, what the hell you want. Maybe I was adopted to be a Maria instead. Why do you only love your sons and only treat her for a nice second when you are asking for money from your daughter?
Dear Redditors, what am I suppose to do?

I’m a new mom so, I can admit, I can be super sensitive to comments about my 7 month old. One thing i’ve been super shocked/annoyed about is CONSTANT. comments from strangers on my son’s size. For example, today we were in a waiting room and a woman stopped me to ask how old my son is. I told her 7 months and she looked at him and said “wow you’re so tiny. my grand baby was your size at 3 months!” Now, for context, I EBF so any comments about him being “small” just send a dagger through my heart and I start to question if my body is giving him enough. Honestly, I have a bit of a complex when it comes to his size due to feeding issues when he was a newborn. Also, my son simply is NOT small. He’s 21lbs and in the 84th percentile for weight. I really shouldn’t be bothered by these comments because I know he is plenty big and very healthy. This isn’t the first time this has happened. It feels like these comments ALWAYS come from the older generation and they always feel a little bit judgmental. I really need to grow thicker skin I know! I guess it just kind of reinforces my insecurities that i’m not doing enough for him!!! not sure if any other moms can relate. Just tired of comments from strangers.

I (31M) dated a woman (33) for nearly 5 years. We broke up two years ago, pretty amicably. She has a 13 year old lad who I still get on with and she was a great mother to him.
Not long after we broke up she started dating again and about a year ago the man moved in.
Since he moved in, her son was, at first, spending more and more time at mine. When I asked him about it he said he didn't like him but his mom didn't care what he thought. Then he began wanting to stay over. He's always welcome at mine. When I rang his mother she seemed very disinterested about it. She said he's making it up but tbh I believe him.
About a month ago he came over asking could he stay a few nights. I rang his mother but she didn't pick up. Apparently she and her boyfriend went on a holiday leaving him home alone. They didn't come back for 11 nights. He's 13, and they left him alone.
When they eventually came back, he wouldn't go home. I asked his mother to come over for a chat. Her behaviour was erratic etc. She got a bit furious, grabbed his arm fairly aggressively and told him we are leaving. He wouldn't. She got nasty to him and I told her to come back the following day.
He won't go home and every interaction I've had with her and every interaction I've seen of her with her son I get why he doesn't want to go home.
It's an utter mess. He's a good lad and she WAS a good mum.
I'm leaning to reporting it but WIBTAH

The mission where you >! Have to convince rhe dad at the refugee camp to give up his goats. I did, but the son disappeared and never spoke to the mom. The mission is still in my active missions and I can't find the son, or talk to the mom and dad.!< I am locked out of it?

Long long story sorry. Rules set out by soon to be Husband 1, no church. OK no problem 2, no cake. OK far to expensive anyway 3, equal number of guests. Interesting as 4 including him in his family, 10 in mine, plus 10 mutual friends plus his work mates who had children/teenagers so allowed for plus ones for each teenager as I know the venue had arcade and at least they could enjoy it. 12 people total of 38 just incase. So I ordered Package deal of Christmas set meal of 12 starters, 12 Mains and 12 Deserts choice for each person which also included 50 tickets per person on the arcade game machines one of which was white water rapids I wanted to go on. 4, no wedding Dress. He believed that as we add been living together for 10 years there was no point in a wedding dress. Wrong ì would ware what I wanted to. 5, no flowers. He did not understand it was already decorated for Christmas as we were having registered wedding on 18th December. 6, an extra place was to be set for his deceased brother. I had never met his brother and as he was paying nothing towards the wedding there was no way I was having my family pay for a full meal for a ghost. 6, Who would be our witnesses. Agreed. 7,no top table (no idea how to explain that to parents) 8, no speeches (not his choice so tough)
Registrars rules 1 no alcohol in room ( room had a bar in it and had to be emptied before wedding which venue kindly did) 2 no religious themes in room (exception for Christmas Decorations as long as no crosses,) 3, no walking down an aisle (so Bridesmaids and farther of the bride cannot walk together STUPID RULE) my Dad did not get to walk any of his daughters down an aisle, I did offer to take him to Tescos so we could walk down an aisle which made him laugh and he was OK with that)
Bridesmaids, Sister and Niece told, venue was totally floor to ceiling red, as the room at Dave and Busters was set for Christmas. Dresses were paid for by my parents, in any choice of style, colour and length totally their choice. I ended up paying for Husband to be leather trousers and I had brought him a shirt which he did not want to ware and said he would buy his own. Not sure why I had to buy leather trousers. During fitting no available dresses in my size to try so dressmaker surprised me by getting my size 10 Sister to try the dress on. Mom was so happy as my sister didn't wear a wedding dress for her wedding. No way would I look anything like her as I was a 20 the dress had to be 2 sizes up from that due to fitting and Sister 5ft 0in I am 5ft 8in she is blond blue eyes I am mousey and Hazel eyes. I could not say a thing as parents were paying and mom was happy.
The wedding hell ( day)
Hairdresser took 4 hours for 2 do ups 1 wash and blow dry. I told him to do same as usual, which usually took 30 minutes however he decided to add a little body to my hair which I said OK, but he had spoken to my mother, they agreed ringlets would look great, I hate ringlets and curly hair. I felt awful as he put curlers in for body, sprayed it with stuff and left me for 3 hours whilst he did the others, promising me the spray would make it have a slight wave, like hell. Others looked great and no time to fix it, as had to get ready.
So Bridesmaids wore red satin A line dresses (yep you could not see them in a red room)Dad ordered cars, not 2 as we had agreed but 1 taxi for all of us. 2 Bridesmaids, Dad, Mom ME and driver packed in. We passed groom on way as he left a pub. He was late! Photos taken of me, angry bride getting out of packed car whilst snowing. 1 taken. Brother was photographer and realised not a happy bride. Photos of everyone else by Christmas Trees. My groom turned up slightly drunk and said the most amazing thing to me that I was surprised I married him but all I could think was how much everything had cost my parents.
We had to met with Registrars before wedding in a room and were asked about the order of service they provided we said short as we wanted to let guests enjoy the venue. We were asked if they could do a reading. Expecting they meant a religious one we said no thank you. Guess not turned up out of 35, 10 all his work mates 6 of which turned up at 8pm after a 2pm wedding. Expecting to be fed the wedding meal which was finished hours previously so they expected us to pay for an evening meal for them. Answered No chance. £1,000 wasted on there food alone. Anyway the "service" consisted of us answering yes to our names whilst we were seated on a stage with only Registrars bride and groom. No one else allowed all others seated in no order and then the registrar stood up and said the bride and groom did not want a reading but they needed to complete the paperwork so here is a reading of a poem! Don't remember saying yes to that. That was it. We signed a book or 2 and it was over, no option to stop the wedding which I was going to do but to late. I had 2 dresses one a wedding dress and a change for the meal after the service, a black satin dress which was how I felt. I went to change. At which point one of the witnesses decided to do a toast to the bride and groom and I was not in the room, it took me 3 minutes to change dress and shoes. My Dad did not get a chance as the meal was ready. And I was back, The meal was buffet style with all 12 of each option per person it was huge. Everyone looked at me to be seated as there were 3 sets of tables. I said please sit where ever you like. I went to a table and sat down my husband sat next to me on my other side were 2 mutual friends his parents my parents and next to my husband was his mom's friend I had not met who had dementia and called my husband his deceased brothers name for the next hour. At the end of the meal I gave out the tickets for the arcade, having 500 tickets extra, strangely I was left with no tickets left to go on the ride but as it turned out i did not get the chance. Why well, Husband was so drunk, he started a fight with his Dad. It got so bad that I had people telling me to take him home. Angrily I arranged it having had a 2pm wedding which finished with a passed out Husband on the bed at home by 4.15pm 2 and a quarter hours wedding. He proceeded to wake and went to the upstairs toilet but managed to throw up on the carpet midway, yes I could have got it cleaned but why should I. So I cut a huge hole out wrapped it up and put it in the bin, blaming him for cutting the carpet up after puking. Which he believed for many years and still does. We got conned for 6 bottles of champagne instead of 5 which was for 25 adults because my sisters son had a glass and they had to open an extra bottle but he was under age and already told no alcohol. Then whilst opening our presents at home on my own while everyone else was at the wedding with evening entertainment and buffet I had a phone call for the remaining bill to be paid and I had to play chase ringing my Dad at a quiet time to go and pay the remaining balance as he was still there. So I spent the rest of the night on my own. Nice Ho almost forgot the special something my groom said to me as soon as he arrived seeing me dressed up "What the f**k do you look like?" Just as we were called into the registrar meeting.
For background were dated for 5 years lived together for 10 years were married for 19 years 359 days we divorced absolute 6 da6s before 20 years married. Now 5 years divorced so much better.

I,16 f, will cut contact with my father, 54 m, when I can finally leave the house. Let me give some background! My dad got my mom pregnant when she was 17, having two sons before I was born. They stayed together till I was 7, but then he left for years till I was 11. He came back suddenly with a new marriage and life, saying he wanted to be back in My siblings and my life. We started going over during weekends but my mom got addicted to drugs and we were given to my father. A couple of years with him have been the worst of my life. With his constant threats, like he'll say he'll kick me out of the house if I have one piece of clothes on the floor, the screaming matches he has with my step-mom, and his overbearing control over my grades. Just yesterday, my nieces got dropped off to spend the weekend with "grandad" but it's really been me taking care of them and my father yelling at them if they kept doing toddler things. He keeps threatening to hit them when they touch something and then threatens them again when they start crying about him yelling. You might be wondering why I haven't done anything but I TRIED. The moment I tried to separate the youngest from my dad since he was yelling at her for crying. But then he started threatening me, saying that I'll get their beatings if I interfere (His words), calling them brats throughout. He locked them outside on the patio with them banging on the porch door. They were crying and yelling SO MUCH that one of the neighbors CALLED THE POLICE. I'm writing this in my room with my dad and step-mom are talking to the officer. This whole experience has made me realize that I don't want him in my own kid's lives. I don't even want him in my life now! I can't go back to my mom since she passed away from an overdose 3 years ago and no one in my family thinks that what he is doing is wrong. They are very "keep the family together and keep it hush". I just want some advice to make the separation from him when I'm older as smooth as possible.

Uploaded 13 MITM scripts. Asked it to write two scripts: one with a prompt from me and one without.
My prompt:
Reese is a billionaire. Having not showered for a month in an attempt to force a girl to dump him, medical science discovered a cure for cancer inside the mould on his body.
He enjoys being petty and lauding his new success over everyone. Malcolm is assistant manager at Lucky Aide; Craig is his boss. Dewey has some success in music. Francis and Piama have many kids. One was killed after the rocket-powered stroller Malcolm built went haywire and crashed into Lucky aide. Hal is Reese's dogsbody at the mansion.
**INT. REESE'S MANSION - DAY**
*The mansion is lavish, but the family’s interactions bring out an absurd contrast. The living room is enormous, filled with expensive decor, and an oversized portrait of Reese hangs on the wall. Lois, now in her early 60s, is sitting on an opulent couch, knitting furiously. Hal, also in his early 60s, is polishing a chandelier awkwardly, occasionally muttering to himself.*
**LOIS**
Hal, if that chandelier sparkles any more, it’s going to blind someone.
**HAL**
(balancing on a ladder)
It’s Reese’s orders, Lois. He wants everything to shine, especially his ego.
*The door opens and Dewey, now 33 and dressed in a casual yet stylish outfit, walks in with a guitar case slung over his shoulder.*
DEWEY
Hey Mom, Dad. Just got back from my latest gig. The crowd actually knew the words to my songs this time.
LOIS
(smiling)
That's wonderful, Dewey. Maybe someday they'll spell your name right on the marquee.
HAL
(teasing)
Don't get your hopes up too high, son. Remember when they called you "Dewey Decimal"?
DEWEY
(sighing)
Yeah, that was a low point.
*Reese, 38, enters, wearing an outlandish designer suit. He’s holding a champagne glass and has an obnoxiously smug grin.*
**REESE**
Ah, the smell of success... and the faint scent of cancer-curing mold. How’s everyone doing in my mansion today?
**DEWEY**
(sighs)
We’re fine, Reese.
*Malcolm, 37, enters wearing a disheveled Lucky Aide uniform, looking defeated.*
**MALCOLM**
Assistant Manager Malcolm reporting for duty. Another day of stacking shelves and avoiding Craig’s motivational speeches.
**CRAIG (O.S.)**
(excitedly)
Malcolm, you're late! There are sales figures to review!
**CRAIG**
(enters, looking chipper)
Malcolm, you need to embody the Lucky Aide spirit! Which, coincidentally, is just like your soul – non-existent!
**MALCOLM**
(deadpan)
Good morning to you too, Craig.
*Francis, 42, enters with Piama, 39, followed by a gaggle of children. They look tired but resilient.*
**FRANCIS**
Hey everyone, the gang’s all here. I barely managed to wrangle the kids into the minivan without losing one.
**PIAMA**
(holding a baby)
Francis, we did lose one. Remember? Little Jamie.
**FRANCIS**
(clearly struggling)
Oh right, how could I forget. Thanks for the rocket-powered stroller, Malcolm.
**MALCOLM**
(muttering)
I was just trying to help...
**REESE**
(laughing)
That’s right! Malcolm’s bright idea to save energy by rocketing Jamie around. Talk about a crash course in parenting.
*Hal finishes polishing and descends the ladder, his back creaking audibly.*
**HAL**
(to Reese)
Is there anything else you need, Master Reese?
**REESE**
(smirking)
Just your dignity, Dad. Oh wait, I already have that hanging on the wall.
*He points to a framed piece of paper that says "Hal’s Dignity" in elaborate calligraphy. Francis tries to gather his children, who are running around the room causing chaos.*
**FRANCIS**
Kids, gather round! Uncle Reese has some... interesting stories about how not to become a complete sociopath.
**REESE**
(grinning)
Careful, Francis, or I might just buy your children and send them to a Swiss boarding school.
*Lois looks up from her knitting, her expression stern.*
**LOIS**
Reese, why don’t you show a little humility?
**REESE**
(mockingly)
Humility? That’s rich coming from the woman who terrorized us all with her iron fist. Remember, Mom, you raised me to be this way.
*Piama finally speaks up, trying to maintain some normalcy.*
**PIAMA**
Reese, why don’t you use some of your money to help Francis and me find a place of our own? This mansion is... a bit much.
**REESE**
(smirking)
Why would I do that? Watching you all squirm is the best entertainment my money can buy. Plus, it keeps you all under my thumb.
*The family looks at each other, a mix of resignation and frustration. Malcolm, trying to muster some hope, speaks up.*
**MALCOLM**
You know, Reese, money can’t buy happiness.
**REESE**
(grinning wider)
No, but it can buy a rocket-powered stroller. Right, Malcolm?
*The family doesn’t laugh. They just continue with their tasks, each of them silently dealing with their own absurd reality.*
REESE Oh, come on. You all are acting like I haven't earned this. Remember when I stopped showering for a month to force my girlfriend to dump me, and medical science found a cancer-curing mold on my body? Yeah, when you become a billionaire by accident, then we can talk about humility and charity.
LOIS (grimly) I still can't believe that's what made you rich. It's like the universe played a cruel joke on us.
HAL (to himself) And I’m the punchline...
Francis tries to calm down one of his screaming kids, who is running around the room with a toy sword.
FRANCIS (to the kid) Hey, buddy, maybe Uncle Reese can buy you a real sword next time.
PIAMA Francis, don't encourage him. The last thing we need is Reese arming the children.
REESE (laughing) Now there's an idea. A fully armed and operational battle station... of children.
Lois, unable to take it anymore, stands up and faces Reese directly.
LOIS Reese, this isn't funny. You're sitting on all this money, while the rest of us are struggling. Have a heart, for once in your life.
REESE (mock sympathy) Oh, I’m sorry, Mom. Did you want a loan? Maybe I could throw you a few million to ease your pain?
DEWEY (flatly) How generous of you, Reese. Maybe after you’re done pretending to care, you could actually do something helpful.
REESE (smirking) Ah, Dewey, always the moral compass. How’s that working out for you in the real world?
Malcolm finally speaks up, tired of Reese's constant gloating.
MALCOLM You know what, Reese? Enjoy it while it lasts. Because at the end of the day, you’re just as miserable as the rest of us. Money can’t fix everything.
REESE (leaning forward) Maybe not, but it sure makes it a hell of a lot more fun.
The family continues their tasks in silence, each of them dealing with their absurd lives. The camera pulls back, showing the entire family together, yet worlds apart.
NARRATOR (MALCOLM) (TC) And there it is. Twenty years later, and we’re still stuck in this crazy dynamic. But hey, at least we’re in it together. Even if together means living under the reign of King Reese.
Fade out as the family continues to interact, each dealing with their bizarre lives.
END.
This is the script ChatGPT generated with no prompts from me.
INT. FAMILY LIVING ROOM - DAY
The living room looks lived-in and somewhat cluttered, but there's an air of warmth. Lois, now in her early 70s, sits on the couch, reading a book. Hal, in his early 70s, is trying to fix a broken lamp.
LOIS Hal, if that lamp could talk, it would ask you to stop torturing it.
HAL (holding wires) I'm almost there, Lois. Just a few more tweaks...
The door bursts open, and in walks Dewey, now 33. He's a music teacher with a calm demeanor but still carries a playful spirit.
DEWEY Guess who just composed an entire symphony based on cat meows?
LOIS (smiling) Let me guess, you?
DEWEY Absolutely. And I think the school might actually play it this time.
Reese, 38, enters, wearing a police uniform. He's matured but still has a mischievous glint in his eye.
REESE Hey, Dewey, did you finally convince them to give you real instruments?
DEWEY You'd be surprised how versatile a classroom full of recorders can be.
Malcolm, 37, walks in with a briefcase. He looks every bit the successful professional but carries the weight of his responsibilities.
MALCOLM (deep sigh) Tough day at the office.
HAL You know, I still don’t understand why you didn’t go for that cushy research job in Switzerland.
MALCOLM It’s called ambition, Dad. Plus, the world needs policymakers who understand quantum physics.
LOIS And your father needs someone who understands how to fix a lamp.
MALCOLM (laughing) Let's call an electrician before Dad electrocutes himself.
Francis, now 42, enters with his wife Piama, 39. Francis looks rugged and has clearly embraced his life on the ranch.
FRANCIS Hey, family! Guess who wrangled two wild horses this morning?
PIAMA (smiling) And then tried to convince them to wear cowboy hats.
HAL Francis, you always did know how to talk to animals.
FRANCIS Too bad it doesn’t work on my kids.
Jamie, now 22, enters, holding a baby. He’s grown into a responsible young man, taking after both Lois and Hal in different ways.
JAMIE Mom, Dad, everyone, meet little Lois.
LOIS (teary-eyed) You named her after me?
JAMIE Of course. We wanted her to have a strong name.
The family gathers around the baby, cooing and fussing over her. The doorbell rings, and Reese opens it to reveal Craig, in his late 60s, holding a cake.
CRAIG I heard there’s a family reunion and thought I’d crash the party with cake!
LOIS (sighs) Come on in, Craig. You’re practically family at this point.
CRAIG (placing the cake on the table) I’m honored. So, who wants to hear about my new job at the library?
MALCOLM (smirking) As long as it doesn’t involve you dressing up as a book.
CRAIG Oh, Malcolm, you wound me.
The family laughs, and the camera pulls back, showing the entire family together, enjoying the moment.
NARRATOR (MALCOLM) (TC) Twenty years later, and we're still as chaotic as ever. But I wouldn’t trade this crazy family for anything. Well, maybe for a Nobel Prize... but then again, probably not.
Fade out as the family continues to chat and laugh.
END.