Hello, I am kinda new to this sub and still trying to figure out some stuff, I just hope I didn't make any mistake with Post Format.
I am not too familiar with this sub and at first when I found out about it I was actually kinda surprised to learn there was any sort of website out there in deep parts of the internet where people were willing to give away some games to people who were desperate for it but didn't have the means to buy them themselves , but I actually witness the opposite of my skepticism.
many of those that had posted in here actually had their wish fulfilled, and that gave me hope to, maybe, also try my luck here.
Games are something most of us, by the moniker of " gamer ", enjoy thoroughly in our free time. Whether it is to escape the real life struggles or just feel something that cannot be felt it the said real life, doesn't really matter. All of us enjoy games for one reason or another.
What really matters tho, is the feeling bliss all of us feel when playing the game either with our friends or just enjoy the struggles and outcomes of fictional characters' lives.
I still remember how much fun I had as a child when my father brought me my first PC and I downloaded GTA San Andreas there.
sadly, I haven't enjoyed games much in those last couple years, not as I used to as kid. at least, not until few months ago when I tried souls games, mainly Elden ring.
I didn't know much about souls games till I tried Elden RIng, and man. it was such an amaizing journey from beginning to the end. I already put more then 160 hours in it. but as much fun as it is, eventually I stopped playing it as I memorized pretty much everything in the game and it was not as fun to play as it was in the first few playthroughs.
and just as I finally let go of Elden ring and returned to my dull life, my friend decided to invite my friends and me at sleep over and when I got there I saw Dark souls 3 installed on their desktop. I was bored in that moment and booted it to have some fun and kill time.
I was miserable in the first hour. it took some time to get used to the controls which were beet different from that of Elden RIng's but once it clicked, it was never the same afterwards.
I played the whole game that night and didn't even pay my friends any attention, even tho I was there to have fun with bros to begin with haha.
This was my second time having so much fun playing a game since my childhood. Dark souls 3 and Elden ring reignited the fun of playing games that i thought was slowly disappearing inside of me.
I don't have a game myself on Pc so I have been staying over with my friend for a while, playing it as much as I possible can before he gets finally annoyed and kicks me out haha.
I just love dark souls 3.
I love how hopeless and melancholic the whole world is. I love how miserable everything feels. the whole world feels like it is dying and just can't keep on going. I love the NPCs, each more interesting then the other.
If Elden Ring is power fantasy adventure. then Dark souls 3 is just a miserable tragic tale of a dying world.
as much as it is fun to annoy my friend by staying over doing nothing but playing that game, I would like to own it too on Pc. sadly, I been struggling financially lately. not just me but my whole country.
I cannot afford Dark souls 3 on my own so I would like to make an humble request here. IF any of you kind redditors have opportunity to gift me this beautiful game, I would be truly honored and happy.
The game's 60$ of steam which is way to much to ask
but it's $20 bucks here, or u can gift it to me from any other sites if u want. Thanks
My Steam account- https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199023137539/

My husband lost his dad very unexpectedly on March 11th. They were incredibly close…. Well, he told me he doesn’t want to celebrate Father’s Day this year. I already ordered a grief journal with “Letters to my dad in Heaven” and his dads name as well as a bracelet with our sons names. I want him to know his dad is still cherished from afar and that we are celebrating him still. I, also, want him to know that I celebrate him as the father of our sons but I don’t want to do too much as I know this holiday will be a very difficult one for him this year. Please help friend.

Hi Pubtips, I've been lurking here for a while and I'd like some feedback on my query. I've read a lot of about what good queries tend to be like and I'd like to think I've followed those guidelines but I'd appreciate a second opinion. This isn't the first book I've written but it's the first one I've ever tried to query. Thank you!
Dear [agent],
When the immortal Nelle Foster wakes up from a century-long sleep, she finds herself in a world she no longer recognizes. On an ailing estate in Southern England barely kept afloat by George Harridan, great-grandson of a man she'd once been close to, Nelle now has to come to terms with a past that had chased her into an endless slumber in the first place. That's when Maurice Howler, a secretly immortal philanthropist and socialite, persuades her to use her magical abilities to help save the world, accidentally dropping her into the middle of a love triangle between Maurice and his old friend and secret crush, Daniel. Among this cadre of ancient beings, plain and mortal George, too, has to learn that wisdom doesn’t always come with age. Plagued by dreams of a coming climate apocalypse, Maurice has to act to prevent the visions from coming true, even if saving the world isn't his area of expertise. When a powerful man offers his help, it seems like the universe has aligned itself to help him. Little does he know that the dreams he believes to be prophetic are actually so much worse. When they find their paths intertwining, they learn that the stakes are much higher than anyone could have anticipated.
THE ONE WHO SLEPT (115,000 words) is a close fantasy novel in an alternate history setting with a stream of Victorian romance told from multiple points of view, both mortal and immortal. It also features a flashback sequence for the main character. The book can work as a standalone, though it's part of a trilogy. As of writing this letter, the second book is in the editing stage and the third one is in outlining with the first draft expected by early 2025. The first book in a trilogy, THE ONE WHO SLEPT is similar to V.E. Schwab's The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, with an atmosphere and a diverse set of characters reminiscent of Freya Marske's A Marvellous Light.
[Bio mentioning that I'm a bilingual writer]

Does anyone know where to find SFZ sample libraries? Or any other Linux-friendly library formats?
I like using Decent Sampler as well.
I keep trying to use Linux Sampler, but to no avail.
It would be so cool if there was a store for SFZs, or at least a list of developers.
Thoughts?

Obo: change the sub reset to a sub seal.
Flying Raijin 3: ether reduce it's damage, make it a 1 star duration or make it more easily dodged.
Wood Golem: make it a 2 star duration.
HHP: enemies swapped will take damage from friendly and their own jutsu and attacks.
Rasengan full moon: buff the "pull" I guess.
Summoning Reanimation: make it turn faster.
Summoning Gedo: have the user slowly heal to half hp after the ult.
Partial Expansion: increase the cooldown to 9 seconds, the grounded version has a bigger hitbox and seals subs for a short time, the air version works similarly to crimson drizzle but without the attack buff.
Toad oil bombs: make the enemy who got hit by it explode when they get hit by anything fire related.
Needle jizo: reduce how long people can stay inside it.
Body Blow: make the hitbox bigger and reduce the cooldown to 10 seconds.
Boruto Stream: change the first hit from a smoke bomb like effect to a actual paralysis effect also while a enemy who did get hit will have their sub sealed and defence reduce for a short time and the rasengan slows enemies that got hit.
Thunderclap Arrow: increase the cooldown to 18 seconds, make it a 3 star power, the Tidal wave has hyper armor, leaves a bigger puddle that slows anybody in it, and you get more time before the puddle disappears/do the second input, also said input has a slightly bigger hitbox then the puddle.
Flying Thrust: if you hit a enemy with the kunai you instantly teleport and hit them with a chidori that bypasses (not break) their guard.
Karma: buffs last longer and activate on both grab and kick
Bomb blast dance: it's bigger and people can no longer sub from it.
Palm sage: heals from further away.
Shadow Possession/Stitching: bigger vertical hitbox.
Byakugan: LET US SEE AND LOCK ON TO INVISIBLE PEOPLE.
Flower Cannon: heals teammates faster.
Hard Light: let it be used in more situations.
Atomic Dismantling Pillar: let it actually dismantle stuff.
String Light Formation: 5 duration pls.
100 Healings: give the same buffs that Flower Cannon gives to teammates but on crack and buff the tracking on the second input.
Ok that's all of the backseat game balancing I gotta beat ds2 before Thursday arrives and forces me to play this game again.

Some context:

• I (36M) (throwaway account)
• Wife (45F)
• Daughter (3.7 yo)
• Married since 2017, we were together since 2008 (the year we first met)
• I did the big/huge/monster mistake to continue this relationship despite this obvious problem that you're going to read about. I think I did that because I was deeply physically attracted to her, she was the first love of my life (girlfriend then wife) and because I always believed I could bring back the person she was in 2008, where she was so present, so in touch with me, always available to talk and have deep discussions (but that was just the honeymoon phase of a first love and I didn't know this because it was my first experience)
• I think that with the baby's arrival all the things that didn't work before the arrival, only exploded because of the amount of stress we went through
• I'm not searching for advice or anything, I just want to share my pain with you

--- The letter ---
Dear Wife,
It is with great sadness that I write this letter, but also with great joy for having finally understood what is wrong between us and what the definitive solution is.
Every single day of my life, from July 2009 to today, I have spent time trying to establish a dialogue with you and get your attention without success.
You are always there in body but never in mind.
When I'm able to talk to you, you are present for only a few moments, briefly respond, and then retreat into your beloved thoughts to converse with yourself instead of with me, or to do something else (important or not).
I have tried hundreds of times to express to you how all this makes me feel, how much it hurts me, how I long with all my heart to be in contact with you like we were in 2008, but there was no way to make you understand.
Thus, for all these years of our life, the following scheme has gone on:

1. I try to establish contact with you multiple times during the day.
2. You don't pay attention / you respond with monosyllables / you are not involved in the conversation / you respond rudely.
3. I feel rejected because you don't want to talk to me; I understand that I can't talk to you, I'm not important to you, and by necessity, I shut down because there is no communication and sharing (what you call a long face). You notice the long face and do everything to get me out of it because you hate it, but not what you should do (i.e., insist on asking what’s wrong to establish the contact that was not established before, and then be available to talk the next times). Lately, your solution has been to attack me verbally or physically to force a change in me (e.g., "Enough with these damn long faces! Smile, damn it! Don't sit there like a fool"). This is devastating for me because not only can I not talk to the person I love, but I am also insulted when I expose the problem.
4. When you want to spend quality time, as you call it, on weekends when you are calmer and more relaxed, you are fine, but I am devastated and no longer want to spend quality time with you because I don’t feel well and am upset with you.

If by chance I manage to start a conversation, after a few interactions, you are already back in your head thinking about your things.
This has existed since that July of 2009, as I was telling you, look here: (some email screenshots from 2011) Further examples below (other screenshots)
These are some of the emails I’ve recovered.
It’s useless to say:

• Now there's the baby.
• Before it was work.
• Before it was something else.
• Before it was another thing.

The lack of communication from you towards me is invariant to the things that have happened in our lives.
Look the other day:

• I gave you 1 hour to rest asking you if we could talk.
• I start talking and you get up to take your medicine (because in your head it’s always "oh, he's talking, so meanwhile I can take care of something else"), and after I start talking about this problem, you start telling me "With all the damn problems we have, you have time to talk about this nonsense?" and then told me "Don't you know that people can do other things while you're talking and still be present, hear you and have a conversation with you?"

I have studied it all for a long time, meditating on everything, and I simply believe that, besides no longer being interested in me, you have a mind that works as follows:

• You are perpetually distracted, absorbed in your head and your thoughts, you have a much deeper level of introversion than mine from which you can't easily emerge, you create situations, conversations, battles, etc.
• You think in terms of projects and things to do: in 2011 (I remembered) you were working respectively on 3 different projects (a crazy amount). Obviously, I was getting the leftover attention from this combo. Now there’s the baby, and I am just a satellite orbiting around the two of you, only useful to procure food and necessary things.
• You get very stuck on things and don't want to let go of your fixations. It's likely that you have the hyperfocus of people with ADHD, read more about it here in detail. Regarding the last point, I'll copy and paste the most relevant parts: Hyperfocus in an adult with ADHD allows one to concentrate attention on a single task, often achieving extremely high productivity at the expense of everything around, such as a family member talking or a pot on the stove.

How you mismanaged things with me in the past:

• Manipulation: "Oh, come on, you're the one who's fixated, of course we talk, what are we doing now, excuse me?"
• Insult: "These damn things again? Do you want the truth, Husband? You're a pain in the ass."
• Ultimatum: "If you want, you change, I won't change" "I'm going to the lawyer"
• When cornered: sex and that's it

The only times you are mentally present are when we argue, then you are definitely there.
The only moment I feel connected to you is during sex, but that's 20 minutes every how many days? Does that seem normal to you? When we're older and without sex, won't we even look at each other anymore?
With the baby's arrival, all this has come out like a frog from a boiling pot. Our Daughter sees it, senses it, perceives these dynamics, and it hurts her.
I'm sorry but I have reached my limit.
You are the only person I can't talk to, but with whom I desperately want to talk, share ideas, opinions, thoughts, etc., even 24 hours for 30 consecutive days (like we did in 2008).
You are the only one who brings out the long faces; my best friends, my grandmother, other friends, and former colleagues bring out smiles, jokes, the best of me.
This is our main problem.
If you had managed to maintain communication with me over time as in 2008, you would have a very close person, who would treat you like a queen, who would do everything to keep you happy, but you continuously reject and despise me.
Besides all this, in recent years, there have also been:

• Heavy insults
• Constant threats
• Spits in the face
• Kicks and slaps

You have no respect for me anymore, zero.
The affection has totally disappeared; I'm writing now after more than 8 days without receiving a kiss, a cuddle, a caress from you (yes I count them).
Wife, in a loving couple, this has no place, it’s not normal, it’s not a demonstration of love. It’s totally out of the question. There has never been a time when you said: Wow Husband, you're right, I sincerely apologize, now for the next 2 hours I will put down the phone, this, that, and talk to you. NO.
You don't even think of that.
I am telling you that for me, we have reached the end. You don't listen to me and don't talk to me.
You don't care about the problem; everything is okay for you, and I have to solve it on my own.
I have been fighting for years; in recent months, I have written over and over again, but nothing.
As Biden in February 2022 left no room for compromise with Putin regarding the Ukraine issue, forcing him to proceed, I do the same.
I want divorce and I do not want to live with you anymore.

In the beginning he had every right to join in, there was literally a fight happening and members of his house were involved, of course he’d join in to help, besides, Benvolio is a complete hypocrite, being drawn but talking of peace, which Tybalt rightfully calls him out on, this shows that Tybalt has integrity, a moral compass, and that he’s smart and unafraid to speak up for his house and question others
Imagine that, shortly after there was a big fight between people in your friend group and another friend group, people in said other friend group, whom you hate, show up at YOUR party. I dunno about you guys but I’d be pretty saucy too.
Tybalt is often presented as just being really extreme and angry 24/7, we seem to forget that rather than just going up to scarp Romeo immediately, he actually had the decency to send a letter which Romeo did not reply to, perhaps if Romeo had explained a few things and calmly replied in the form of a letter the beef between them could’ve been quashed
Tybalt didn’t really want to kill Mercutio, Mercutio was literally just in his way, Tybalt literally expressed that he had no beef with Mercutio. Mercutio was just being really annoying (as per usual)
If I were Tybalt, i think i would’ve found Romeos explanation of “I wittereally love you🥺👉👈” as confusing, inexplicable, pathetic, and him trying to get out of the fight- I would’ve still been angry and duelled him regardless. Besides- at this point Romeo could’ve explained- what would’ve Tybalt even done. He doesn’t seem to get on with Juliet’s father, so he probably wouldn’t have told him.
Furthermore, if Tybalt did kill Romeo, he would be doing everyone like, a massive favour, Romeo is such a weirdo- 17 marrying a 13 year old after knowing each other for a few hours?🤨🤨🤨🤨
Tybalt is only portraying himself as agressive- he isn’t actually as bad as the play makes him out to be, he is likely putting on an act of agressiveness to prove himself as future capulet partriach. We can see this as nurse portrays him as more friendly and sympathetic, she even states that he was her ‘best friend’- this makes it clear that if you actually got to know Tybalt then he wouldn’t be that bad
He has no right to be seen as the anatagonist

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So there’s this old guy almost my dads age who used to come to the same gym I was used to go to about 8 years ago and we became friends and would speak about astrology and would say hi and bye and that was it! But sometime down the line I came to know he’s psychotic and I got scared and I stopped speaking to him completely even stopped saying hi and bye and after that he has been stalking me putting up posts on Instagram and stuff. And he used to make fake accounts and dm me with that saying how much he loves me how he wants to have kids with me and how I cheat on him with my partner and other men in my life blah blah and this one time he found my dads office address and sent gifts and a love letter over there on my birthday. Then about a couple of years ago he came down to Mumbai and started emailing me about how we wants to see me. Now I made myself clear in those emails that I don’t want anything to do with him but he has not stopped even now he makes a fake account everyday to harasss me mentally I’m really scared for myself and my partner because he’s mentioned something about my partner too on his Instagram several times.
Idk at this point it’s disturbing me. Please someone guide me.

Hey people,
I have a tough situation that i'm going through right now and i could use some advice to see if things can be mended or if this is not possible. This is going to be a very long one, my apologies....Even with all this, it does not contain half of the whole story. (sorry for the spelling errors, English is not my frist language)
Short background: i live in Europe and she lives in the U.S. we were planning on moving in together in my country due to family/friend issues that she had in the U.S. and after being here she found that my country felt more like home than her home. We were set to get married this year and had everything planned out. She would take her 3 dogs and her cat with her, work or study here and we would settle here. It would be a little bit of a tough start, but we would figure it out. We both had a little worry for our finances but it would be okay eventually.
pregnancy and panick: In late january of this year we found out that my then fiance was pregnant with our child. At that time i panicked over it because of the situation we were in at the time. In short, neither of us owned a house, i did not own a car, she had substantial debt to pay off, there would be 4 pets, a wife and now also a child under my responsibility and it scared the shit out of me. I'm absolutely not proud of what i did and ashamed of my behavior, but what i proceeded to do over the span of a whole weekend was the following: ask if she would be willing to go for an abortion multiple times, drink a bottle of wine and get intoxicated, buy a pack of sigarettes (i don't smoke), and basically just act inconsiderate and like a total ass.
After the weekend where i had my tantrum, i head her cry over the phone and it woke me up from my stupid behavior and i realized (too late) that i royally screwed up. I apologized for it and we talked about how angry she was and rightfully so. In that moment, again, i started to do things i shouldn't have done by: continuesly try to talk about it, fix it, and not give her space where she needed space. All i did was say "sorry sorry sorry please forgive me, sorry sorry sorry". That again, is not the way to go about it. She did ask me to fly to the u.s. to talk face to face so i booked plane tickets that same day for the next week. After 3/4 more days of that i pulled myself together (again...too late) and sent her a message stating that i know what i have done and been doing is wrong and i have a lot of difficulty not trying to fix it because i knew i messed up and hurt her and from that day i would just leave her be and not talk. Finally giving her the space she needs from me.
Anger and breakup: After all of the above in the weekend that followed, she called me and said that she had an amazing time together, but she did not see a future with me at this time. We had a long phone call about it and se said that if i were to come over to the U.S. for that week, that would be up to me but that is where she stands. So that is what i did, i came over to the U.S. and she said that we will spend this week getting to "re-know" eachother. She did say that we were still in a relationship and still engaged...which i found odd to hear but i was happy about it nonetheless. In this week i made sure to take a moment every day to sit her down somewhere and simply take a moment to apologize for my behvior and that i am incredibly sorry for what i have done. We went out to dinner a few times and just talked about everything. Though in the end it led to the same result, she did not see a future with me. I had tried a last time to have a conversation about it, but she gave me back the engagement ring and said no. Hurt by this, i went out for a long walk and just breathed and accepted that i screwed it up and went back to her saying that she is right, i will give her the space she asks for and let her go. She became angry and sad over this and said that she had just went through the fase of dealing with the breakup and now i am making her do that all over again, she started packing up all my gifts and gave it back to me. I did not understand that and am still a little confused about it. The day after, i had my flight back home and she dropped me off at the airport. she said that "despite how it looks, she still loves me" to which i said that i love her too. We hugged and siad goodbye and i left.
Back home week 1: In the first week, she had told me that i could call her 20 times a day and she would still pick up her phone. We can talk to eachother and we still love eachother and want the best for eachother. She kept me updated about the child and i was happy to simply talk to her and hear her say that she loves me. She had planned to talk to a pastor from her church which did couples counseling and wanted to first do this by herself and then together with me (over skype or zoom etc.). She gave me a book called "how to be the love you seek" and said i could listen to it on her spotify because that is exactly how she identifies and she relates a lot to this book, so i started to give it a listen and took notes of everything i thought was important. We made a plan t odiscuss teh book together over the phone soon and go over the notes that i made. We were broken up but there was hope.
week 2/3: I tried not to text her too often anymore and said that i am available at any time should she need me and will give her the space she asked for by not constantly texting. After a few days she was becoming more agitated and short in her responses. My words were often twisted in to something negative and they constantly made her angry. I didn't understand what was going on, but i thought she was angry and just wanted me to know. We had planned a phone call to discuss the book one weekend and the phone call started off by her telling me "i asked for space and it's not being respected". We taked about everything for a moment and then ended it where i told her that i love her and she said "good to hear". She said that she didn't want to say anything she didn't mean. After a week we texted a few times a day, but barely anything, just a good morning, baby update, and goodnight. I would check in on how she was doing, and that is it. I didn't know what to do or say anymore because for some reason everything was mkaing her angry regardless of what i say, and so i tried not to text her unless she texts me.
week 4 end of conversation: In the first week of march, she had her appointment with her pastor, where she would talk about us, but as she said "not in theway that i think she was going to talk about us". After the conversation she wanted to discuss it with me. though the day she had the conversation she texted me and said "i do not feel ready for a conversation, i will let you know when i am." and she asked me to make bulletpoints for the conversation. I was also not allowed to speak to her cousin anymore as she was trying to be a "middleman" for the both of us, but my ex wanted to have all the conversations between the two of us. i told her that i will do that, and i told her i also started therapy. Yet that was the last thing i have heard from her untill 2 months later.
2 monts of silence and my letters: Whle not speaking to her for 2 months I had been going to therapy twice a week and sought help for why i reacted the way that i did. I had time to reflect and started to slowly piece together a better mindset. I had noticed in the mean time that she had deleted me from social media and deleted some of the piutres she had of us. then later on deleted everything and started selling her engagement dress and date dresses she had bought and finally blocked me from social media entirely.
Late april, i thought it would be a good idea to send her a letter instead of a text. i had written page after page where i had written down the many things that i did wrong and how much shame i feel for it. In the end i realized that i was simply doing too much again and i decided to send her an envelope with 2 letters. 1 containing the many letters combined, and 1 containing a single letter that simply said (summarized) "i am sorry, i will be there for you whenever you need me, you don't have to do life on your own". She did not react to it and 2 weeks later i sent her a text asking how she was doing and if she recieved the letters. she responded by saying she did and she has been sitting with the content they contained. I offered that if there is anything she needs, she can let me know and she said "i am torn between wanting to just update you on everything but a bigger part of me is still hurt and trust entirely broken". I told her she can take all the time she needs, there's no need to pressure anything, and i will just be here if she needs anything.
She said what i can do to help is this: Be respectul, respect her boundaries, respect her wishes, and financial support. I said i can do all of that, though due to circumstances (i bought a house and a car) money is tight right now and i can't do anything right now at this moment. She said that confused her, she had no words for it and it was a good idea to stop the conversation for the day and she will let me know when she is ready to talk. that is the last i have heard from her since 2 weeks ago.
Outlook: Let me make this very clear, i know i have messed up very very badly, you don't have to tell me that. Though i would like to know what other people's take is on this situation on the future and if there are thing i could possibly do to regain the ability to talk to her so that i can support her and my child in any way that i can. If the relationship can be saved, that would be my dream, however supporting them is my number 1 priority regardless of the relationship.
TL;DR: I aboslutely destroyed my engagement by acting like an idiot for a whole damn weekend when finding out my fiance was pregnant. She broke up with me and now we have no communication whatsoever for months on end.

My ex girlfriend and I were together for 2 years and 4 months. I was his fifth boyfriend while she was my first official girlfriend (since my 2nd year h/s fling isn't included).
To give a context, I met her when she was still in a relationship with here 4th bf, tho it was about to end because she had issues against the man. my ex and I started as friends, via chat and our relationship progressed too fast that after a week, I decided to admit my feelingsfor her - with the intention to just confess then move on. But No, she also admitted about her feelings. Of course, since she was still in a relationship at that time (tho they in a cool off) we decided to stop our conversation. Unfortunately we can't. We were so attached and emotionally invested in each other that we just can't let go. My point here is that, right from the start we knew that there was something unexplainably unique about our relationship. To the point that I already believed that there is indeed destiny.
However, our relationship was not as good as it seem to others. We had so many issues, some were unresloved. But the worst (I guess) was my anger issues. I easily get disappointed to persons close to me, because I expect them to understand and know me, hence, I tend to say harsh things, yelling at people around me - an attitude which I got from my own family (of course, I'm not blaming them, but just to give a context). Nevertheless, please do note that I don't hurt people physically. For so many times she asked me to change it or else she might leave. I did promise her that I'll change, I made effort to change, and I know and she knew that I made some progress. However, I couldn't completely get rid of it, I still have that anger issues whereas I still lash out when I cannot anymore control my emotions. No matter how hard I try to change, still it seems that it's a part of me, and I guess I need pychological help.
The last time that I lashed out to her was April 6, but I was able to say sorry and make it up to her (I thought I did). However, she broke up with me at the midnight of April 16th, two two days after our monthsary: She asked me if I'll be upset if she woulf have to breakup with me. That time, I realized that maybe I just had to giver her some space because I thought that we just needed SOME time apart (because we've done it before and we even broke up for a week). But the last time was different. We broke up in good terms but after a few days she started to spite me, and even started talking with other men. (Twas too fast, I believe).
So I decided to talk to her in person (because we broke up in chat because I can't see her during those time - but also note that distance was never an issue here...) and when we met, I begged her to come back. CryingI pleaded for several times, but each time she would say no - that her decision is final. Explaining that even her friendswould look down on her if she would still enter into a relationship with me, and even her mother was already upset to me (I heard it on the phone when she called my ex while we were talking). And most of all, she said that she can't anymore wait for my growth/change. We cried. But still we had amake out and hugged each other. She even told me how she loved me so much; "but I have to choose myself this time" she said.
Now, it's been a month since our breakup. But it's still so fresh for me. I still cry even today. I'm so attached to her and dependent that I don't know how to live without her. I love her so much despite hurting her emotionally. I've sworn to myself that if ever I'll be given a chance to hsve her back, I'll never mess it up again. I know I'm do stupid for doing it too late. But you know, I still hsve this hope in me, that although her words tell that it's over, yet her actions would somehow show the contrary for many reasons, such as: 1. She still keeps all the things I gave her and she asked me to keep also some of her things like her guitar (which she said would be of more use to me than her), and she asked me to keep our picture in a frame which she used to place on her desk (because she said she would just get hurt by looking at it). 2. I told her when we met that I'll be waiting for her, so long as she doesn't have a boyfriend yet, and her reply: "please don't pressure me". If I really do not anymore have the chance, she could've instead told me not to wait anymore. 3. Although she posts and reposts about relationship problems with men - and at the same time about her current happenings with a man, which they are now in a talking stage - she still get to look at my stories, posts, and I even made a playlist on spotify wherein I invited her to join and she accepted. AND: she is used in posting her thoughts and rants about our relationship problems in Twitter, but lately ever since I started sharing my sentiments also in Threads, she also did the same! She is now posting in Threads, not anymore in Twitter - and I know so that I'll het hurt, and at the same time I'll get to know (or st least, have an idea) about her current life happenings.
4.Also, she still asked me to attend her graduation.

1. Lastly, in EVERY letter she wrote to me, she told me about how much she loves me (always / forever) and how much she looks forward to marry me. I still hold on to that until now. Because of thise words and actions she have shown, I am still hoping that she will return.

Damn, I love that girl so much that I am willing to give up anything for her (even though I find it too hard to change my attitude despite my serious efforts). But.. but, I badly want to change, I just don't know how I'll do it successfully. I promised myself that she will be the last girl I will ever lov in my life. After all, I don't think there is still love left to give to another when I gave it all to her.
Please, I need your opinions. So my questions are: 1. Is it still possible to fix our broken relationship? 2. If yes, what should I do, provided that she asked me not to contact her for a while? (No specific time frame was provided). 3. My guts tell me that I have to do something or else I'll lose her entirely since she's starting to tall to other men (tho according to her are just for fun), however, the fact that she told me not to have contact with her temporarily, I'm stumped whether I should talk to her and when should I.
Thank you, I hope you'll have the patience and kindess to read this.

Your answer was...
"That is not true."
Last week, I caved to my own insecurities and made sure to remind you that you are cared for. You see, people wired with our particular kind of neurospicy will often either lack emotional permanence, or maturity, or suspect people are running around with ulterior motives.
You did question why I did that. I did that because, despite the infrequency of our communications these days... I still feel you. Your reply also included how very not ok you are currently - which just proves that I can feel you just the same as always. I wish I could have just sent you "I know" and show you the letter I had written the night before. I'm still here, just as I have always been... and I do understand better than you think. Chaos fairy almost went to the beautiful place nearest you this morning, just to be a little bit closer, and to watch the sunrise surrounded by beauty. You also apologized in that text. I don't need you to apologize, I need you to remember that if its too dark in your head, I'm waiting at the top of that pit of darkness with the rope.
Yeah, I want to hang out. We don't even have to process what you are going through if you don't want to. We can be ridiculous and fun. I will protest only on the inside that....you will have to process the thoughts, you will have to feel the feelings, ALL OF THEM. Ignoring them and stuffing them down does not make them cease to exist. I know this from experience. It will be hard, but I'm only here to be the kind of friend you need to keep up your healing journey. Love is patient, love is kind... you know? I'm here, and will remain here. I will continue to reach out now and then, as you do need consistency, and I genuinely want to because you are an absolute treasure of a human being. I'm not like the others. I'm not going to chase, but I'm certainly not leaving - I'm meant to be a good friend, and good friends do not leave when things get tough. They stand by your side as a support. ❤️

Prefacing the whole thing once again by saying that I'm a long time Homeworld fan, from the original all the way to here, playing hundreds of hours of the series. After the demo I felt so passionately about it that I made this post.
I've just finished the campaign, and I'm happy to say that, Homeworld 3 was a blast. The gameplay was fun, graphics looked beautiful, story was shorter than I hoped and didn't quite have the same impact as the final few missions of HW1/2 (too easy on medium), but I enjoyed it none the less.
The changes they made based on the demo feedback really did hit the spot, and addressed a few of my concerns. It's not a perfect game, and BBI sound committed to making improvements, so I'm really excited about the future. The story leaves things pretty open ended, with an obvious continuation, but we'll see!
I don't envy the task that BBI had here. HW1 is nostalgic not just because of how good it was, but because it was a genre-bending experience like no one had scene before, and the story was incredible, I will never forget the feeling/moment of returning to Kharak to see it burning, or when you arrive at Hiigara in the final mission. HW2 took the game to a whole new level in so many ways, and was memorable not for it's story, but the evolution of it's gameplay. HW3 feels like a fresh start, and I am truly hoping that this is just the beginning of a new era for this franchise, considering what they could do NOW with a Homeworld 4 (or expansion to HW3) gets me reaaaaaally excited.
A few thoughts after playing the game, and seeing some of the reviews:

• I stand by my point from my 'open letter' about this game being a reboot. However, when considering that this is the first game in the franchise in 20 years, and they essentially had to start from scratch with an entirely new game engine and assets and everything, then yeah I'm pretty impressed that the game is as good as it is.
  • My demo feedback about how disappointing it was that ship subsystems were dropped, I take that back. While yeah it is still disappointing, the game had to launch SOME TIME, and you can't stuff every single feature you want into it. Sacrifices had to be made, in order to get this game out there.
• Some people say that it's been simplified way too much, again, I think this comes down to having to make sacrifices in order to get the game out there.
• The mission structures in the game feel a little simple when compared to HW2, but again that could be because of the above.
• The whole game looks beautiful, but the cool things I love to watch are the little things, like how ship engines look now, or how Ion Cannon frigate beams look when they fire now.
• Skirmish does feel more fast paced than before.
• The ship population caps in HW3 were more than I expected. 8 Battlecruisers?! That was great. Completely different from my demo experience where I felt like WarGames fleets were too small.
• The way that ships automatically sorted themselves into smaller mixed fleets based on my formation selection was really cool to see.
• Moving away from 'squads' to individual strikecraft, was something I wasn't happy about in the demo, but in the full game it felt fine, I didn't even notice. Mostly because BBI implemented two cool things, 1) Bulk order production for ships, and 2) Ships auto-sorting into smaller fleets as mentioned above.
• Unit abilities feel better. They aren't as overpowered, and have real trade offs. They can be forgotten about in the heat of battle, but in the campaign I remembered them enough to use them sometimes. I.e using the cloak on bombers to run surprise attacks, or using ion cannon overcharge to focus fire larger ships.
• The 'custom' controls were a god send. I chose a mix of both types and customised other hotkeys to make a control scheme that was perfect for me.
• The free movement command feels better than it did in the demo, however, it still is nowhere near as tight as it was in previous entries. 'Shift' for vertical adjustment was great, now please bring back the whole 'highlighting the relative position vertical lines on the movement disc when you hover over them'. I can't get my movement commands precise enough because I can't tell when I'm ordering my units to move to a point of interest or not, on the movement disc.
• Campaign didn't feel long enough :( which is usually a sign that I'm having fun :)

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my time in the game. I will definitely be jumping straight back in for another run in the campaign at the highest difficulty, and play some War Games. I can't wait to see where the franchise goes from here.
Any questions, shoot, I'll try to answer!

There is a major scene in S2 that foreshadows Colin's arc in S3, and I think people missed it because we see Penelope's POV of it as a heartbreaking moment for her. I'm talking about the "You do not count, you are my friend" scene early in S2. To get the connection, I want to dive back in, but this time let's read what Colin is saying before that miscommunication.
The scene takes place right after Colin comes back from his travels, and Penelope is trying to figure out if he met a woman on her travels. Now the part where he talks about meeting himself got called out for being pretentious and douchey at the time (and it kinda is, Colin always had it in him lol) but listen to what he's saying:

I realized I never truly knew this person...myself. I have you to thank. Your letters were so encouraging. I thought, if Penelope can see me this way, then surely I can too.

So here we have Colin admitting to having a shallow sense of self that then solidifies around seeing himself the way Penelope sees him. Her encouragement gives him security and reassures him. In his time away when he was lost and trying to figure himself out, he wants to be the man Penelope thinks he is.
What happens the second time Colin goes abroad? Penelope has stopped writing to him.
This is Colin without Penelope. She was the one person who encouraged him to be himself, and who appreciated him for the qualities that were either taken advantage of or derided, and without that Colin was lost. He might've already had some douchey regency man traits buried deep in there- he mentions in S1 that he's flirted with half the girls in the ton, the aforementioned "conversation with myself" thing, his need for peer approval that showed up when he engaged in mocking banter with the regency bros at the end of S2- but his most prominent personality traits are his sensitivity and sincerity, both of which give him a desire for a true connection. In the absence of that connection with Pen to hold him down, he seeks it elsewhere in a way that leaves him disconnected and empty. He does not know who he is without her.
I don't even think this in a "Penelope builds Colin up" kind of way, more that Penelope reminds Colin of who he is, and that he's likable (lovable!) just the way he is. And in turn we've seen Colin try to do that for her in S3.
Anyway, as a solid Colin Bridgerton enjoyer since S1, I loved his arc so far this season. I feel like it really built on what we've seen from him so far, but this stood out to me as a very clear example of foreshadowing why he came back to the ton the way he did this particular season.

These art contests will be held monthly. This one is a kinda like a trial run for me to see if any rules need changed, or anything else.
A note: I will be entirely responsible for handling entries and keeping track of people, but me and a group of my friends will be working together to judge and choose winners. We are focusing on creativity and a display of effort rather than the ability or quality of an art piece.
AJPW MAY ART CONTEST INFO
------------------------------THEME--------------------------- THE THEME FOR THIS CONTEST IS.... FLOWERS.
Requirement: some sort of flower MUST be present somewhere in your artwork.
Your drawing can be dark and gloomy with pitch black roses... or it can be a puppy playing in a field of flowers in the sunlight! Go crazy! Be creative!
-----------------------------PRIZES-----------------------------
FIRST PLACE: 500 SAPS
SECOND PLACE: 300 SAPS
THIRD PLACE: 200 SAPS
All people, upon submission of their art piece, will be entered into a masterpiece token giveaway! Winners of the giveaway will be chosen randomly, through usage of a wheel or similar method.
------------------------------RULES-----------------------------
RULE 1: You may choose what program you use to create your artwork with. If you use a program other than AJ's art program, you will be required to submit progress pictures along with your entry.
RULE 2: If your artwork is found to be AI generated, traced, or stolen, you will be banned from any future contests I host.
RULE 3: You may only enter 1 art piece per contest.
RULE 4: Your Animal Jam account must be at least level 10. This is to prevent multiple entries from one person. This WILL be checked.
RULE 5: No inappropriate artwork is allowed.
Feel free to ask any questions
ART ENTRIES ARE DUE BY MAY 28TH AT 12 AM CDT TIME. TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY, DM U/ARTCONTESTSUMBISSION WITH YOUR ENTRY AND YOUR PROGRESS PICTURES
ALL ENTRIES WILL BE PUBLICLY POSTED IN THE SUBREDDIT ON MAY 29TH, AND WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED MAY 31ST (or the morning of June 1st)
To sign up, just comment on this post+dm u/ARTCONTESTSUMBISSION using this format:
Your AJ User
What method you're using to create your art
Any questions you may have

I met Luna on a train two years ago. I’d just escaped from a toxic relationship, so romance was the last thing on my mind, but then she sat across from me in the carriage and asked about the book I was reading. She had a copy in her bag and wanted to know if it was any good.
I'd never felt such an instant, effortless connection with anybody before. I took a chance and asked her to dinner, and by the time the waiters cleared away our desserts, I already felt comfortable being vulnerable around her. So we went on a second date. And a third. And next thing I knew, we were planning our second anniversary.
In all that time she never gave off any 'creeper' vibes. Until a few months ago, when I stayed the night over at her place...
She'd gotten up early to use the bathroom. I grabbed her laptop off the side desk so I could catch up on some work e-mails, and the incognito tab was just sitting there. My first thought was: either she's having an affair or she's got a secret fetish.
What I found instead was a Google account with a photo album called ‘Michael’s EX’. In it, there were 427 photos of my former girlfriend turned psycho stalker, Sadie. This included shots of ‘Sadie the stalker’ with her family, screenshots of her passport—the works. On Facebook, Sadie's latest post said Moving to the Philippines, and since then she’d become a social media church mouse, so how did Luna keep her under surveillance? And how did you even get PERSONAL ID from a person halfway across the globe?
Down the hall, I heard the bathroom door swing open. Quickly I closed the laptop and pretended to be asleep until Luna planted a kiss on my lips. “Wakey wakey Bugs.”
I faked a stretch. “Morning Lola."
(At school, the other kids christened me ‘Bugs’ because of my cartoonishly large front teeth; I called Luna ‘Lola’ because of her blonde bangs and heart-shaped face.)
“How about we grab a fry for breakfast?” Her smile didn’t seem genuine, more like she was wearing a mask.
“Crap. I forgot I’m doing overtime today, I’ve gotta get to work.” With that, I shot out of there faster than a bullet train to Tokyo.
Because I didn’t wanna believe the worst about someone I cared so deeply about, I didn’t contact the police (not that anybody could’ve guessed what Luna was up to) and made excuses whenever she asked to meet, delaying the decision whether to end our relationship.
At night, I couldn’t sleep. Every time a hedge rustled outside, I’d run to the window and pull back the curtain only to discover a black cat skulking around the garden. I put this down to my previous relationship leaving me with a mountain of unresolved PTSD.
Sadie the stalker also seemed normal until we moved in together. After that she started picking fights if she caught me talking to another woman, even just distant relatives or childhood friends. The screaming matches went from weekly to nightly, only ever ending when I conceded to her every wish and gave her full access to my phone and social media accounts. I literally needed to grab my clothes into a bag and run away one night, and then I started hearing noises outside my new apartment. And although I never found any evidence, I was pretty sure she’d broken in at one point because the books on my side table were suddenly out of order one day. What hurt the most was Luna knew all this and still acted the way she did.
Right as I reached my lowest point, my close friend Gertrude called and said, “The universe is telling me you could use a sympathetic ear.”
I told her the universe didn’t know the half of it.
I’d met Gertrude—aka my surrogate mother—on a flight to London. Passing over Wales the aircraft hit heavy turbulence, and the grey-haired hippie in the seat next to mine squeezed my hand so tight that my fingers turned blue. After we levelled off, she apologized and said, “So what’s calling you to London?”
“A job.”
A few glasses of wine from the service trolley later, she blurted out, “You know your aura is strikingly similar to my husbands.”
“Uhh, thanks. Where is he now?”
“Oh, he burned to death in a house fire.”
Gertrude’s eyes started welling up. To take her mind off the subject, I said, “I lied earlier. I’m going to London because I fell in love with a Londoner.” I pulled up pictures of Sadie (back in her pre-stalker days) on my phone. “We met in Italy. She looked flustered trying to read a map book so I offered to help. Next thing I knew, we were planning a trip to this place called Orvieto.”
“Michael, I need to know how this story ends. Gimme your number.”
Since then, we’d met two or three times a year.
I laid the whole mess out over pizza. It was the first time since finding the Google account I didn’t feel hidden eyes crawling all over me.
Just as I wrapped up the story, over in the corner booth, a family burst into a chorus of happy birthday. A waiter appeared carrying a chocolate cake, capped by a giant candle that looked more like a flare. Gertrude tensed up.
“So what do you think about all this?” I asked.
She looked back at me and said, “It’s possible your reaction has been a touch on the dramatic side.”
“DRAMATIC??”
“Well consider things from Luna’s point of view. Your last relationship lasted for, what, three years? Maybe she felt threatened.”
“I don’t believe this.” I grabbed a cigarette from my pocket, but Gertrude snatched it away.
“You know how I feel about you poisoning your lungs, Michael.”
“Don’t you start. I got enough of that crap from Luna.”
Gertrude always encouraged me to work through my romantic problems. Ultimately, I decided her love of fairytale romances clouded her judgement and ghosted Luna instead. But I couldn’t escape her shadow. She always felt close. In fact, it got so bad that at a friend’s costume party several weeks later, my eyes kept compulsively scanning the crowd as if she was there in disguise, ready to pounce.
I stood off to the corner until, over the sea of heads, I spotted a beautiful stranger dressed as Jarlath the Goblin King. I took a shot of liquid courage and made a B-line towards her.
Halfway across the crowded room, beer splashed across the front of my Ziggy Stardust outfit.
“I am so sorry,” a female pirate said, patting me dry.
“Don’t worry about it.” Every time I tried circling her, she moved to cut me off.
“I am such a klutz. Why don’t you come into the kitchen so I can clean up this mess?”
I put my hands on her shoulders and steered her out of the way. “It’s fine. Trust me.”
Approaching Jarlath from behind, heart slamming against my chest, I said, “Well this is awkward. One of us is gonna have to change.”
Jennie had bright blue eyes and dimples impossible to miss. Ten minutes into our debate about David Bowie’s greatest album, I said, “You know Absolute Bowie are playing the Half Moon next week. I could take you?”
“Sorry. I’m going with my boyfriend,” she said with a sympathetic smile. From beside the buffet table, the pirate stared daggers in our direction.
“No worries,” I replied, despite the fact I was brimming with jealousy.
The next day, as I jogged off my hangover, a brown-haired lady cut across my path and we both went spinning to the ground.
“Flip, sorry.” I rushed to pull her up by the hands. “I’m like a bloody zombie lately.”
She did a doubletake. “Ziggy, right?”
There was no mistaking those eyes. “Jarlath?”
“Well, Jarlath or Jennie. Eithers fine.”
“Right. Well, sorry again. Enjoy Absolute Bowie.”
Before I could jog away, she said, “Hey, so that guy I was seeing? Turns out he’s a total prick.”
Jennie and I went for coffee. Coffee morphed into drinks. Drinks morphed into a steamy make-out session on my sofa.
But as she covered my neck in soft kisses, my stomach turned. It felt like cheating. So, I put the brakes on things and said, “I can’t do this. I’m really sorry. You’re amazing, but I just got out of a serious relationship…and…it’s just…”
“Hey, don’t worry about it.”
We agreed we’d let our connection blossom in its own time.
Jennie had a playful mystique to her. Within a handful of dates, we’d developed inside jokes and could tell what the other was thinking. But Luna’s imprint was hard to shake, to the extent I almost mixed up the two ladies’ names multiple times.
To detox, I suggested Jennie and I spend a romantic weekend in the Lake District, because after two days of hiking and kayaking my ex would no doubt be a spec in the rearview mirror.
Hours before we set off, however, Luna’s mom called. She wanted to meet and wouldn’t accept any excuses.
“Look, it’s obvious why I’m here,” she said, sitting across from me in Starbucks. “Ever since you and Luna broke up, she’s been acting…different.”
“Different? Different how?”
“I call but she hardly answers. I go over to her place but she’s never there. Now she’s telling me she needs to find herself. Says she’s moving to Australia.”
Her fingers tightened around her cup. “I need to know what happened between you two. And I don’t care if that paints anybody in a bad light. I’m just worried about my daughter is all.”
I told her about the Google account.
“Did you confront her about it?”
“Hell no. I ghosted that crazy bitc—” I cleared my throat. “I mean, I just…stopped seeing her.”
She started crying so loudly customers at nearby tables paused their conversations. I touched her forearm, promised I’d call if I remembered anything else, then set off for my romantic weekend.
But while Jennie and I enjoyed all that fresh air and pub food, a thought nagged at me. Luna adored London, so why move to Australia? It seemed so out of character. Back at our rented cottage, I was so fixated on the thought I needed a smoke, badly.
“What the hell is that?” Jennie demanded, as she stepped onto the front deck.
I glanced at my hands. “Uhh, a cigarette.”
“Michael! Don’t be sarcastic. You know how I feel about those things.”
“…Do I?”
“Uhh, well it’s the same as anybody else. Quit poisoning your lungs and put that thing out.”
“Alright alright, geeze. Sorry Luna.”
“That’s okay.”
A knot formed in my stomach as she went back inside. I’d called Jennie Luna by mistake. And she hadn’t noticed. In fact, her reaction to me smoking was identical to Luna’s—even the snappy way she said the ‘poison your lungs’ line.
I followed Jennie into the lounge, where she’d curled up on an armchair with a Colleen Hoover novel. She was hiding something. What else did she know about Luna? Maybe I could trick her into revealing some details…
From behind, I started massaging her shoulders. “Sorry for being rude before. I know what you said came from a place of love.”
“That’s okay.”
I waited until her eyes drooped shut, then said, “It really is perfect here, huh? Maybe we should stay forever.”
“Wouldn’t that be amazing?”
Her little groans of pleasure, the rhythm of her breathing, it all felt so familiar. I waited until the tension in her neck dissolved, then I pushed my lips against her ear and whispered, “So how about we take this into the bedroom…Lola.”
“Hmm. Sure thing Bugs.”
My hands froze. Jennie jumped up. “Uhh, that felt so good, why’d you stop?”
“What did you just say?”
“What did you just say?”
“I called you Lola,” I replied, my arms frozen in midair. “And you called me bugs.”
“Like the cartoon, right? I thought it’d be a cute nickname. Anyway, I’m tuckered out.” She forced a yawn. “Why don’t we get some sleep?”
As her hand laced with mine, an image of me waking up drugged and gagged and tied to the bedposts flashed before my eyes.
I said, “Sure. I just…need to use the bathroom first.”
The second the door shut behind me, I flew out of the house, climbed in my car, and sped away.
Within seconds my phone started blowing up with calls, followed by texts. Where are you going? Is everything okay?
No, I wanted to reply. I’m onto your sick little game. Whatever it is, I’m onto it.
Luna stalked my stalker, now Jennie somehow knew Luna and I’s nicknames. How? Did all women take turns drawing straws and whoever picked the short one needed to become my girlfriend?
I couldn’t go home. For all I knew, my exes would’ve been there burning effigies of me. I needed a safe place. Somewhere I could lie low until I got all this straightened out.
“Of course you can stay,” Gertrude said over the phone. “I’m out with some friends, but I’ll meet you later. If you hop the side gate there’s a spare key under the kissing gnomes out back.”
Gertrude lived in a detached house in Wembley. It took a bit of foraging to find the gnomes hidden beneath the weeds in the brown, patchy garden.
I needed to shoulder the door open. Inside, a mountain of letters and flyers had piled up on the welcome mat.
Down the hall, a huge archway connected the landing with a lounge, where a bar sat against the far wall, surrounded by upholstered sofas, a low table, and tie dye sheets strung over the filthy carpet. Everything had a real elegant vibe, despite the musty air.
I’d drained two glasses of whiskey before Gertrude arrived.
“Looks like you’ve had a rough evening.”
I said we could talk in the morning.
“Not a chance. You can’t take negative energy to bed. Come on, confession is good for the soul.”
She sat on the sofa and patted the empty seat next to her. So, with a weary sigh, I shared a tale of deranged exes.
“Crazy,” she said.
“I sure can pick ‘em, huh?”
“No, I mean you’re crazy.”
“What?”
“Think about it. What’s more likely: that your ex’s are secretly in collusion, or you’re being paranoid? Look how bloodshot your eyes are. When’s the last time you got a good night’s rest?”
She made a great point; teenagers on the street occasionally shouted ‘Bugs’ or ‘Thumper’ at me. Jennie might’ve come up with the nickname herself. I pinched the bridge of my nose, groaning.
“Look, sleep here tonight. Tomorrow we’ll brainstorm ways you can make it up to Jennie.”
I fumbled through my pockets for a cigarette.
“Really?” Gertrude said. “If you insist on poisoning your lungs, can you at least do it away from my home?”
“Well if I can’t smoke, I’m gonna need a refill.” I shook my empty glass.
On my way toward the bar, a wave of wooziness hit me. My first instinct was to blame it on the alcohol, but there was something else.
It was her reaction to the cigarette. My finger ran through the thick layer of dust along the bar’s countertop. Why was it like the place had been abandoned? Why did Gertrude always pressure me to stay with my psycho girlfriends? And how come she always reached out, as if on cue, whenever my relationships hit problems? It couldn’t be coincidence…
I poured two glasses of whiskey and carried them to the sofa. “So, you’re really against the whole smoking thing, huh?”
“Of course. It’s a filthy habit.”
“Yeah. Plus, there was that mess with your husband. House fire, right?”
“I’d rather not discuss it.”
“Sure, sure.” I ignited the lighter with a roll across my trouser leg.
Gertrude grabbed a cushion and hugged it. “What are you doing?”
“Alright, cut the crap. What the hell’s going on? Have you been sending your friends to date me?”
“What are you talking about?”
I wrestled the cushion from her and held the lighter beneath it. “I want an explanation right now or I’m torching this place.”
This was an empty threat. I wasn’t some pyromaniac—I just wanted answers. Inch by inch, I raised the flame. “Last chance. Why are the women in my life acting weird?”
Gertrude grabbed for the lighter. As I swatted her wrists away, we both got scorched, and for a moment her skin went wild with spasms, a sensation I can only compare to reaching inside a bucket of wet, writhing maggots. My gaze whipped between her face and her hands, which vibrated like plucked guitar strings.
Before I could scream, she yanked me up, clamped a cold, wrinkled palm across my mouth, and forced me against the wall. I thrashed around, unable to move. For a lady old enough to collect a pension, she was crazy strong.
She waited until I ran out of breath, then said, “Michael, please. I’m not going to hurt you. Open your heart and listen.”
What else could I do?
“You were right before. I have been keeping a secret from you. The truth is, I’ve been in love with you since we met. I’d never flown before. And you were so so sweet. You started talking about this other woman, but I knew our energies were perfect for each other. And it’s like I always say, love makes us do crazy things. You can’t begrudge me that can you?”
She looked as if she expected me to respond, so I shook my head.
“But I think we’ve reached a point where our connection is so deep we can be completely transparent with one another.” She took a slow, steady breath. “Michael, all your ex’s, Luna, Sadie, Jennie. They’ve all been…well, me.”
I stared at her, confused.
She sighed. “It’ll be easier if I just show you.”
Out of nowhere her hand wriggled again, then her face tightened, as though the skin was being stretched over the bone. Wrinkles smoothed out and colour bled into her grey hair, turning it brown, and within seconds I found myself face-to-face with Jennie. Even her vintage clothes morphed into a green blouse and white slacks.
“See?” she said in Jennie’s voice, her now blue eyes locked on mine.
I screamed into the soft flesh of her palm.
“Sssh, it’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you. Watch.”
Her entire body jerked and twitched, the muscles spasming as she shifted from Jennie to Luna. “See? Think of these as costumes”—from Luna to Sadie—"the important thing is what’s underneath. And you’ve fallen in love with what’s underneath three times. Now I’m going to let go, but I need you to promise you won’t overreact. Understand?”
On the verge of a panic attack, I nodded furiously.
The second she pulled away I made a break for the exit. The thing posing as Sadie grabbed me and hurled me backwards against the wall.
Like a disappointed teacher, she put her hands on her hips. “I’ve been so patient with you, Michael. So very, very patient.”
She blocked off any hope of escape. I sidestepped around the outer edge of the room, towards the bar.
“All those years moulding you. Trying to grow you into the man I know you can be. I really thought we had it this time. For the record, I wanted to do this the easy way. But drastic times...”
I was so scared I slammed right into the cabinet and yelped. Glass bottles chattered together, and then something wet ran down the back of my shirt. It was whiskey, leaking from the overturned bottle onto the carpeted floor.
Speaking more to herself now, Gertrude said, “I’ll just have to keep you here until you love me as much as I love you. Of course, that means posing as you so nobody gets suspicious, but that’s no trouble. I’ll tell your dad you’re moving to Italy. You always loved Italy.”
Pose as me? She'd been killing my ex's and taking their place, I was just the latest in a long line. She’d keep me as a personal sugar baby if I didn’t escape, but how? She was impossibly strong, and the only thing that seemed to scare her was…
Snatching the bottle, I doused the remaining whiskey all over the carpet and furniture. As I flicked the lighter open, Sadie’s hands shot up.
“Bugs…darling…what are you doing?”
I took three slow, steady breaths. “Breaking up with you, you crazy bitch.”
I tossed the lighter forward. Within seconds flames sprung up all around us, spreading as far as the sofa. Sadie’s shoe caught fire, and as she stamped around, unintentionally fanning the blaze, her body writhed again, starting with the ankles. Fat boils climbed up every inch of exposed skin, milky white and with the consistency of frog spawn, like she’d had a killer allergic reaction to poison ivy.
She dropped to her knees, wailing like a wounded animal. This was my chance.
I made a break for the exit, giving the creature as wide a berth as possible. But as I got one foot planted in the hall something clamped tight around my ankles. My chin hit the floor, then I started sliding backwards.
I twisted onto my back. Where Sadie’s left arm should’ve been, a tentacle-like appendage stretched across the length of the room, a distance of over twenty feet. It reeled me toward her like a fish on a line. Whatever that thing was no longer looked human. It melted like an ice statue, with no bones or connective tissue inside, its lips nose and mouth becoming hideously elongated before dripping off in huge globs like melted candlewax. A fire alarm started wailing as the tentacle dragged me through the flames, scorching my arms and legs.
The loose mass of skin reached out and encased me like a mother bird sheltering its eggs.
“WHY WON’T YOU LOVE ME?” all my ex’s voices screamed at once. Whichever direction I looked, silhouettes of faces rose and fell, as if trying to burst through. Parts of them dripped inside my mouth, disgustingly warm with a bitter taste worse than Vaseline.
I put everything into clawing my way out if there. What was left of the beast had the consistency of wet clay and came apart just as easily. I tore away chunks until there was a hole large enough to squeeze through. Then, I crawled along surrounded by black smoke.
At the far side of the room I risked a glance back and saw a bumpy, uneven hand reaching out of a puddle of ooze. Soon I was crawling over the bristly welcome mat, then fumbling for the door. All I remember after that are paramedics wrestling me into an ambulance…
A specialist officer came to see me at the hospital the next morning. They’d been unable to contact the homeowner, Gertrude Huyton, and through his line of questioning I could tell they hadn’t found her ‘remains’ inside the charred house. Like the wicked witch of the West, my stalker had melted. I told the officer she said I could stay the night, and that I probably started the fire by dropping a cigarette.
“In that case, we’ll keep trying to reach her.” He walked to the curtain surronding my bed and paused. “Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, her cat is missing.”
“Her...cat?”
“Yeah. The little black one. One of the firemen pulled it out of the wreckage. The poor thing had burns over its legs but it ran off before anybody could take it to the vet.”
I swallowed a gulp and thanked him for telling me.
And now I’m still sitting here listening while nurses rush back and forth, terrified any one of them might be Gertrude…

The global non-alcoholic beverage market is projected to witness a substantial Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 6% from 2024 to 2030. Key drivers of this growth include the increasing consumer inclination towards ready-to-drink beverages and the surge in social and cultural activities worldwide. Moreover, the growing awareness among consumers regarding health consciousness is anticipated to boost the demand for nutritious beverages, thus contributing to the market expansion throughout the forecast period.
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Market Trends:
Rise in Health-Conscious Consumerism: The trend towards healthier lifestyles is driving demand for non-alcoholic beverages that offer functional benefits such as hydration, vitamins, and natural ingredients. Consumers are increasingly seeking beverages with lower sugar content, organic ingredients, and added nutritional value.
Growing Preference for Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Beverages: Convenience plays a significant role in consumer beverage choices, leading to a rise in demand for ready-to-drink options. RTD beverages, including bottled teas, coffees, energy drinks, and functional waters, cater to consumers' on-the-go lifestyles and busy schedules.
Innovation in Flavors and Ingredients: Beverage manufacturers are constantly innovating to meet evolving consumer preferences by introducing new flavors, ingredients, and formulations. This includes exotic fruit blends, botanical infusions, plant-based alternatives, and functional additives like probiotics and adaptogens.
Focus on Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Packaging: Environmental concerns are influencing beverage brands to adopt sustainable practices throughout their supply chains. This includes using eco-friendly packaging materials, reducing carbon emissions, and implementing recycling initiatives to minimize environmental impact and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.
Expansion of Non-Alcoholic Beer and Wine Categories: The growing trend towards moderation and mindful drinking is driving the expansion of non-alcoholic beer and wine categories. Beverage companies are introducing alcohol-free alternatives that mimic the taste and experience of traditional alcoholic beverages, appealing to health-conscious consumers and those seeking alternative social options.
Market Opportunities:
The non-alcoholic beverages market presents a wealth of opportunities fueled by several key factors. With the rise in health-conscious consumerism, there is a growing demand for beverages offering functional benefits and natural ingredients, creating opportunities for companies to innovate and introduce healthier alternatives. The trend towards convenience is driving the popularity of ready-to-drink beverages, opening avenues for product diversification and expansion into new packaging formats. Additionally, the focus on sustainability and eco-friendly practices presents opportunities for brands to differentiate themselves by adopting environmentally responsible manufacturing processes and packaging solutions. The burgeoning market for premium and artisanal offerings allows companies to tap into consumer preferences for unique flavors and high-quality ingredients, while the expansion of non-alcoholic beer and wine categories caters to the increasing demand for alcohol-free alternatives.
According to the recent report published by RC Market Analytics, the Global Non-Alcoholic Beverages Market is expected to provide sustainable growth opportunities during the forecast period from 2024 to 2030. This latest industry research study analyzes the non-alcoholic beverages market by various product segments, applications, regions and countries while assessing regional performances of numerous leading market participants. The report offers a holistic view of the non-alcoholic beverages industry encompassing numerous stakeholders including raw material suppliers, providers, distributors, consumers and government agencies, among others. Furthermore, the report includes detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis of the global market considering market history, product development, regional dynamics, competitive landscape, and key success factors (KSFs) in the industry.
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Geographically, the non-alcoholic beverages market report comprises dedicated sections centering on the regional market revenue and trends. The non-alcoholic beverages market has been segmented on the basis of geographic regions into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. Non-alcoholic beverages market estimates have also been provided for the historical years 2020 to 2023 along with forecast for the period from 2024 - 2030.The report includes a deep-dive analysis of key countries including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, India, Australia, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa, among others. Thereby, the report identifies unique growth opportunities across the world based on trends occurring in various developed and developing economies.
The Non-Alcoholic Beverages Market Segmentation:
By Product:

• Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs)
• Fruit Beverages
• Bottled Water
• Functional Beverages
• Sports Drinks
• Other

By Distribution Channel:

• Supermarkets and Hypermarkets
• Food Service & Drinking Places
• Convenience Stores
• Vending Machine Operations
• Other

By Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East & Africa

Major players in the global non-alcoholic beverage market include PepsiCo, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé S.A., Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., and The Kraft Heinz Company. These companies are pursuing market growth through expansion, new investments, innovative service offerings, and strategic collaborations. By entering new geographical markets and acquiring other businesses, they aim to gain a competitive edge and benefit from synergistic opportunities.
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Key Questions Answered by Non-Alcoholic Beverages Market Report:

• Product popularity and adoption based on various country-level dynamics
• Regional presence and product development for leading market participants
• Market forecasts and trend analysis based on ongoing investments and economic growth in key countries
• Competitive landscape based on revenue, product offerings, years of presence, number of employees and market concentration, among others
• Various industry models such as SWOT analysis, Pestle Analysis, Porter’s Five Force model, Value Chain Analysis pertaining to Non-Alcoholic Beverages market
• Analysis of the key factors driving and restraining the growth of the global, regional and country-level markets from 2020-2030

About Us:RC Market Analytics is a global market research firm. Our insightful analysis is focused on developed and emerging markets. We identify trends and forecast markets with a view to aid businesses identify market opportunities to optimize strategies. Our expert’s team of analysts’ provides enterprises with strategic insights. RC Market Analytics works to help enterprises grow through strategic insights and actionable solutions. Feel free to contact us for any report customization at sales@researchcorridor.com.
Media Contact:
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https://youtu.be/o_Mem8NxmTw
Friends, we come to the Feast of Pentecost, the great celebration of the Holy Spirit. I want to focus on our second reading from the fifth chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, which I’ve used for years in spiritual direction. What you find there are what Paul calls “the fruit of the Spirit,” which he contrasts with “the works of the flesh.” Maybe you’re struggling and wondering, “What should I do? What path do I take?” Whatever is giving rise to the fruits of the Spirit in you is the path you want—and whatever is giving rise to the works of the flesh, stay away from. Mass Readings: Reading 1 - Gn 11:1-9 Psalm - 104:1-2, 24, 35, 27-28, 29, 30 Reading 2 - Rom 8:22-27 Gospel - Jn 7:37-39