I'm sorry in advance if this is it the right sub for the Question.
As the title says, I'm looking for a Design related present for my best friend. She studies Art/Design and as she has always to look after her money, i thought it would be a good idea so gift her something she could use for her studies. I thought about maybe a workshop (but he's already very busy) or something else, preferably for digital Art (maybe a program?)
My Budget is around 100-120€ and it shoudl be preferably be available in Germany/Austria (she studies in Graz). Sadly, i don't know anything about Art and I'm lucky if I'm able to draw a regular heart :')
Thank you for any suggestions!
Also, English is not my native language so I'm sorry for any mistakes

Hey all! I've been lurking & searching through reviews, decided it's probably best just to ask.
i'm looking for a bag that can be reasonably used for one bag travel for 3-4 days, while still being small enough for everyday carry to and from an office.
For EDC, I generally have some adapters & cables (laptop charger), 16" laptop, headphones, water bottle, snacks, and maybe a switch or kindle. On travel days, add in a packing cube of clothes, small toiletries bag, and a smaller tech pouch with fire stick, & media cables. I'm about 6'0 and on the thinner side of average.
I've been using the original 30L peak design everyday backpack, but it's just a little large for EDC. Everything fits for travel, though it can be tight (might just be my bad packing).
So far, I've been looking at the AER travel pack small xpac, but haven't had a chance to see it in person. I like the idea of compression or expansion to help the dual purpose. Is that a good choice? What else should I be considering?

I am writing this in hopes for some help and to guide others to not have the same fate as me. I think I have made the biggest mistake of my life. It has been 5 months since it happened and I haven't been able to fix it. This phone is the only connection to the realm of my birth. My original world. I probably cannot undo my mistake but I can guide future players.
My phone it's Android. It has an IR blaster, the only reason I bought it, and for some reason, this phone can hold its network through dimensional change. As if it's a loophole, a glitch in the broken matrix that i was facing. Not that i could actually make any use of it because I am still here.
The people here look like us. They all do. They are very sapient. They look just like us. But my bones know that they don't have the same origin as I do. They are good though. Have the same societal issues, the same intolerable governing body, protestors, and unrealistic agendas, the left wing and right wing at each other's throats. People who should touch some grass have podcasts. People who should have podcasts enjoy their lives. They are humans, just like us, but they are not us.
The rules stated by the urban legend still strike the same to this day if time and space follow the same routine, follow the floor number pattern, pay no heed to the lady that enters the elevator on the 5th floor, leave the building immediately if you return to floor 1, etc. I followed them all correctly, but the rules are no guarantee as to whether you will be safe or alive after your elevator journey is done, the rules only make sure the procedure is correct.
Hey you know what I will write down the rules in short, for your reference to my guidelines but the rules should always be memorized to your bones and spine, this is your SOS and your key. You will find the set of rules on any website. I suggest visiting multiple of them before you start your endeavor. Because each of them gives you different kinds of warnings, something the successful players learned from their own experience. And take this advice of reading through all of those points from this unsuccessful player.
One thing the rules on blog sites don't mention is the choice of which world you want to enter. Because most players enter an identical world with no electronics and no living thing around them. Only a red crossed window that's far stretched away from where ever you look and keeps on moving further away from you. My case was vaguely different.

1. So firstly all you do is enter a building with more than 10 stories.
   
2. Enter the lift via the first floor and only by pressing the "up" button
   
3. Follow a pattern of floors, press 4 then 2 then 6 then 10 then 5.
   
4. On 5 a lady shall or shall not enter your floor. Then press 1
   
5. When you press 1, you will either reach 1. or you will reach 10.
   
6. If you reach 1, get the f out of the building and don't come near it, not in 6-7 months i suggest.
   
7. If you do reach 10 congratulations. your first part of the journey is a success
   

now Something, about the lady. Do not interact with her at any cost because of course she is not a lady, no matter how pretty she looks, oh you looked at her? alas, that's also a grave mistake. don't look at her, don't talk to her. Just ignore her total existence. If you know of the elevator game you are already aware of how you should not interact with the lady and all. But one thing is often left blurry is that what you should do if she does not enter. This was my case.
So my advice here: If the lady on the 5th floor does not enter. Then just hope that you do return to the 1st floor after you press it. if you do no then, and start ascending. continuously press any and every floor button for it to stop, or maybe the emergency or call button so that the staff can stop the elevator. Because if you end up reaching the 10th floor, good chances are you get to meet me and we make a cute therapy consult group for people who can't return back. :)
I remember everything from that night so vividly. I did your usual pattern follow. I entered the lift when no one was using it. I entered 4. went up there, meh nothing happened. Then again I pressed 2. I felt a vague chill around me. As if the mechanism of the ritual was understanding my intention. I pressed 6, then after it reached 6, I pressed 2, then 10 then 5. Oh, 5. The elevator door opened. And there she was, standing with all her glory. I did not look at her. but of course, i could see her from waist to bottom. She was dressed in Russian traditional clothing. not something i was expecting from an urban legend that became popular in Korea and japan. I think her wardrobe is a good collection from all cultures. or maybe there's more like her? Who knows?
I could feel it in my spine she was looking at me. She stopped the elevator with her foot so that the doors don't close and asked, "Baby which floor are you going?"
I followed the rules, did not look at her, did not reply to her, and completely ignored her.
She said, "Not much of a speaker eh? no worries have your ride. I hope you have a better life."
I have no idea why she said that. Looking back I think she knew what was going to happen to me. She knew that I was not going to end up in the world most player venture into. "Better life," she said.
She did not enter the lift and I pressed 1. The ritual, now tainted because she did not enter, worked. I reached the 10th floor. And when the doors opened, it was like nothing changed. The building I entered was a hotel. The housekeeping staff was running around. I heard children crying. Some Karen was screaming at a worker because her coffee, which she made from their amenities tasted bland. It was very confusing for me. I think I assumed the ritual did not work. And the lady was just another lady who could have been high. I walked out of the elevator and I felt great.
"those silly online urban legends, such lies" I probably had muttered to myself.
I took the lift again, reached the ground floor, and walked out of the building. Everything was going well until my head started hurting and spinning. and i was slowly passing out. and that's the exact moment i remembered from one of the posts of an earlier player "Do not at any chance lose your consciousness. and if you do, no matter where you wake up, return to the building, re-follow the exit ritual pattern and return to your own world."
My head felt dizzy as I woke up. In my very room. I thought to myself, was it all a dream? Did I search so much about some damn urban legend that I had such a deeply engraving dream? For heaven's sake. I jerked myself up and got down from my bed. Even my clothing is same as the last evening. I didn't know what was more weird, that i was wearing the clothes from my dream or that i remember the dream so vividly that i can even recall the outfit i was wearing. Also my phone was in my pocket. This is something i just never do. No matter how sleepy i am. i keep my phone on the other end of my table, in case it might just blast if the lithium goes through a thermal runaway.
AND! That is when i noticed. My table. It was completely on the opposite side. No no, it is right beside my bed, just like every day but the bed, and the entire room, its opposite. As if it were mirroring the room i know. Also, It wasn't just a complete mirror. my room was smaller, just a bit in breadth. One wouldn't notice it even if they visit my room on a weekly basis. But it's my damn room of course i would know even if a fly moved differently. Lo and behold, that extra loss on my room, was added to my washroom. Again, one wouldn't just notice it right away.
In a nightmare-like urgency, I rushed down the stairs to call complain my mother, and that is when the realization hit me that I did, in fact, play the elevator game. My dad was there. In the kitchen. Alive and happily married. Figuratively much different from how I remember him. I stood there in shock with my mouth wide open. How could this be? I remember my father. The last time I lived with him was until I was 9. When my parents parted ways. The last time I saw him was when I was 11, when he died. Not that I cried, he was far from what a father is supposed to be. I am 25 now.
"Good morning Sweetie!" His voice sounded oddly different. I was utterly petrified by this moment. There was a quirky yet calming nature to his sound which creeped me out even more. I dashed out of the house while grabbing my backpack from the sofa. I could hear him call out my name in my concern. This is it. This is definitely it. I crossed the borders of the unknown realm. But why are people here? Isn't it supposed to be dark with no one in it? No electricity and all ? But there is everything. This is a whole other world, what went wrong?
I had to return to my world. I ran through the roads and traffic to the hotel. Hotel Sunset. As I crossed the roads I could see it all. Cars stopping at the orange light. People walking in blue. I mean they are still following basic physics by using orange, longer wavelength for stopping cars. but does Red not exist in this world? not it does, OH MY GOD, the road lines are red.
I hurried through the crowd to reach the hotel. I pulled out my phone, which was surprisingly working perfectly. Internet, gps everything. It said i reached my location. "Hotel sunset"
I looked up, it said "Hotel Moon shine". I am surprised it wasn't named "moon rise", it'd would have been the cherry on top then.
I walked in, the Interior looked the same. I waited and waited and waited for the evening to hit and the horde to lessen. I stood up and walked to the lift. I repeated the entire process.
The lift stopped at 5. Instead of the lady, someone else entered. I of course didn't look up, but they entered hurriedly, screaming my name and i had to look up, i was already freaked out at this point. It was me. I was looking at me. she, well me, or wait she? she held the lift by her foot. What's up with women in the elevator game to hold the elevator by the foot?
"what did you do!? " I - I mean she said, one that looked like me.
"what did i do?" i replied back. . Whoever this doppelganger was. sure i was petrified. but here i was.
"DID THE LADY ENTER YOUR LIFT ?" she screamed at me.
"wha?" i was trembling at her screeching was. the white portion of her eyes started to redden.
"OH MY GOD DID SHE OR NOT ENTER WHEN YOU DID THE RITUAL?" she again proclaimed.
"she didn't." i replied and slowly lost my leg strength and somewhat collapsed while sitting down.
"why? why did you complete the ritual then? did you not read before you did? you are supposed to be me, you are supposed to be smart. heck, aren't you supposed to be smarter? oh my god. is that my backpack or yours?"
I just shook my head and handed her the backpack, it was hers definitely. I never put on any anime pins on mine. Speaking of anime pins, naruto here has pink hair. Isn't that cool?
she took out her phone and said "If you want to go back home go to this tumblr account and download the app. The account is called buihotline.tumblr.com "
And she left.
Was that the me of this universe? do we have counterparts in every universe? How many universes are there? are these even universes the way our science teaches us universes?
The lift started to quake. the light started flickering and I could hear some noise. soft noises that slowly grew louder and louder until they became uncontrollable screams. my ear drums were hurting beyond control. until it all stopped and the lift door opened. I stepped outside. Yet I was still there at "Moon shine hotel".
I tried the ritual again. I ended up back here. To floor 1 and I went back "home" to my "dad" and "mom". For the next 7 days, I kept on going back to the elevator, trying the ritual continuously and failing. On my way, I noticed new and new things about their world. These people like to greet each other in a very weird way. They grab each other's throats and smile. Almost sadistic. Language is very similar, but there are a few words and phrases here and there that have changed with customs and traditions. Honey here tastes like metal. Cows don't Moo, and birds chirp, but the sounds are unfamiliar, dogs don't exist. cats are the only domestic animals here. I read similar things in some blogs, but never did I think I would get to experience them for real.
Either way. On every failed ritual, I reached floor 1 and went back home. and repeated the cycle Until the 7th day, I got so fed up, that I kept on trying multiple times. but all I did was end up on floor 1. But I saw the weirdest thing.
Well, I can fill in on what happens if you immediately don't leave the building after playing the elevator game and ending up on floor 1. You see, well better than seeing failing grades or not being able to return to your own world, ghosts. Yep pretty much. Deranged souls that roam around the building. That is exactly what you see. And once they notice your existence, god save you. If there is any.
Mine was rather sarcastic. They did infact noticed me. They all came running towards me, looked right at me, smelled me and then slowly moved away and kept on about roaming. My heart intensified so much, it felt like I just lost a marathon I almost won.
I saw a man, maybe a bit older than me, in his 20s, walk down the entrance come and sit beside me. "They won't attack someone who's like them. You are of no use to them. They used to belong here, but don't anymore. and you never did."
I looked at him with a frightening shock. I took my bag and ran back home. Only when i came back home i realized he could have had answers. But i was so terrified at the moment, the only thing I could think of was getting away from him. I needed answers. I need to enter the website the other me mentioned. I got a new phone from this world. they didn't have Google, but I tell you their search engine is much better, it has AI integrated within. The account never opened from the new phone. Tumblr did. but that account never did. Then I tried my own phone and voila! The page had nothing. A heading, a two-liner bio, and a link. Link to download the app. Tumblr happens to be one of the only few apps that do work in other dimensions. Apparently, it has something to do with the first person who jumped dimensions, not only did they jump, but they also jumped through time and made sure every world had Tumblr. It's kinda funny they could have chosen Reddit, it's much more effective.
I loaded the app. Its a 2010's forum-based app. There are discussion topics under which you make threads. You got a chat box to interact with other users. the main discussion had a guide. I searched through it and finally came to the part "how to enter and leave a mirror world" aaand its blank. well not totally. A couple of reasons saying why you should not enter it. A bullet point that said download this pdf to know how to return back to your own world. I hurriedly clicked on it and boom the file did not open. I have never been so disappointed in my life.
There are so many dimensions else than the one with red cross and mirror dimensions. it is almost like aliens exist because some "humans" look so different. some people probably might even have ended up on my world as well. I wonder how they are taking it.
Apparently, only devices of one world present in another world, or at least have been in a few can open the website and run the apk file. Only androids work across dimensions. There's a conspiracy theory that the creators of android have got something to do with the entire interdimensional rituals and breaking the laws of space and time.
Either way, hoping to get some results I posted on the site wishing for some advice on opening the file or someone just copy-pasting the rules I guess.
I received a DM saying, "Since you have successfully crossed a mirror dimension You are capable of much more than you can imagine. But you should know how to use them, you have to be responsible for every move you make"
Good lord, I am not Spider-Man. The user further said, " I do not know where you are from, but I am from dimension 17391, go to the universal map translator and put the location, "Kairo office main building, st. red 22209". It will automatically give you a few building locations of your world." But the interface is very slow. Because it's not a singular place that has a counterpart in every dimension, there is one in every 4 hours of journey. It's an arbitrary location. It will take some time. maybe days. But you will reach."
I asked the user a dozen questions, how do I find the translator map, how many universes are there, and what do I do when I reach there? Why does everyone speak English? But they never replied. But now I have something, hope. A twinge of hope.
I searched around the app and found the map feature, build within the forum. It was on the top layer, but a confused me couldn't find it right away.
Ever since I found the map It has been nothing but a dilemma. 5 months. 5 months of intense searching and nothing. The first time I entered the location and searched, it landed me at the coordinates of a graveyard. The Irony. The second time, a fish market, the third, 3-storey guest house with the most normal Karen.
I can't even venture out every day. I have a "life" here that I have to maintain. This me had a similar job. Marketing manager at a pretty good company. The pay is almost the same. A bit lower here, but hey cost of living is also lower here. Putting those two together I probably have the exact same pay. But they have more facilities. Better vacation leaves. That is exactly what i took right after i downloaded the app, to understand the world better, and the changes here and there.
Morning, I go to work. where I sort out the place I will visit. and after work, i leave. Some places were nearby, some were far. One was in the neighboring country, luckily, the passport here is strong. But none of them work. I think I have broken the "not your universe? not the place? click again" button. Sundays and Saturdays are for long-distance locations. Also every day i cannot afford to go, even though the pay is good. In my world I used to live alone with Mum visiting me now and then. She and I had a family business along with my job, so all was good. Here I don't have a place of my own. And I gotta pay the bills around the house and sometimes take care of the business as well. Things are so similar yet different. I feel likeIi live in a deja vu.
By now i have crossed out almost 75 locations within 5 months, all of them being complete failures. I have crossed out 60 universes that aren't this one. I have made multiple posts on that app, describing my condition, where i am, and which universe it might be. If i even know this universe number and input it, the map translator will work much much better. I describe my original universe in the posts expecting someone to understand me and maybe send me a picture of my mother and friends, but all i have received are words of sympathy and hopefulness.
A few more people have send me their "kairo" addresses but they all can send only one to two messages before the chatbox stops. One of them managed to message me that i have to enter my universe number in the settings for the interface to work better. I also haven't been able to find the man from the hotel on the app or at the hotel either.
what do I do? Any piece of advice?

Alessa loved the summer. The little place where she’d been born and raised was a boring, sleepy tree village that was all too peaceful and quiet for the young woman. Not to mention filled with the elderly and hardly populated with anyone her own age.
They lived on the edges of the land where the House of Artemis resided but Alessa had never got to really be free like her other sisters of Artemis.
Things were different when summer hit. Every year she made the pilgrimage to the capital Themyscira City for its’ countless summer festivals, all incredibly elaborate and bustling with tourists. Her first year as an adult also meant it was the first year where she could make this trek on her own and really enjoy the festivities to their fullest.
Thousands of women from all over the massive continent flocked to the capital during this time; it was always so exciting seeing all of the children playing in the rolling hills and large fields outside the city walls.
Not to mention all of the important High Priestesses and other officials who’d arrive to Themyscira City with their legions of Priestesses and other followers.
If you were lucky, you’d maybe get to see an Immortal too. Only Demi-Gods, as the Gods didn’t simply let mere mortals bask in their presence. Though considering that they were the original Amazons it was still incredibly exciting.
And in any case, the diversity of the city mixed with the diversity in tourists tended to make the Amazons forget about the…tensions between the various Houses of Themyscira.
Themyscira had once been a place to get away from the wars and squabbles of the gods, but after hundreds of thousands of years of development the continent was split between regions ruled by the different political Houses, each devoted to their own God or Goddess. Even the mortals were all descended from the Gods original creations, so Alessa supposed this made some sense.
But things had been getting worse over the past hundred years and the capital was like a powder keg even during joyous times such as these.
Alessa parked her pegasus Percy about a hundred yards from the front gates of the city, a heavy sigh left her lips as she hopelessly gazed at the hordes of people orderly making their way through the gates. Ugh, it’d probably be hours before she could get in.
She’d hoped she could have gotten there early but Percy’s wings had gone tired. Even then, he found it more fun to prance through the hills and Alessa had to chase him around for nearly a half hour.
“Ugh, this is wonderful. I’d be eating Tarhkaran Squid or watching the Daughters of Artemis marksman contest if we could only just fly over the walls. We’d likely get shot down.” The raven haired young woman rolled off Percy and collapsed onto the soft grass.
Only after a moment of rest was she suddenly greeted by the sound of heavy, thunderous steps. The Warrior Caste that belonged to Argos, home to the House of Ares. Alessa quickly jumped onto Percy and the frightened horse squealed as it pushed itself several dozen feet into the air to avoid the marching battalion of soldiers.
Their carriages were carried by several massive, gnarling beasts that were practically treated as pets where they were from. This was always the most intimidating part of the summer festivities to Alessa, representatives from the various Warrior Castes would gather together in the capital as a show of peace.
Amazons had once been a tribe of exclusively warriors in the early days, but things changed once they’d removed themselves from the violent and warmongering ways of man. For the most part.
She gazed in awe at the hardened soldiers. Black steel armor. Helmets that shrouded their faces. Blades and spears heavier than a normal person could reasonably carry. And glowing with various enchantments.
“Wh-whoa!” Alessa managed to gasp. The entire crowd of civilians parted to let the warriors through.
The Warrior Castes only seemed to show up to the capital more armed every year. She was surprised the Argosians hadn’t come with twice the artillery as anyone else just to flex their might. There really was something eery in the air this year. Some even called for the cancellation of the festivals this year. Alessa truly hoped her suspicions wouldn’t come to fruition.
………….
Hello everyone! You can call me Janglesh. My timezone is PST, I’m a 23 year old multi para writer looking to worldbuild a greek mythology setting taking place on Themyscira, home of the Amazons!
This is an idea that I’ve been really craving to explore and flesh out with someone who loves worldbuilding just as much as I do! I left aspects of the world and culture and plot a bit open so we can come up with things together, and everything is also up to change if you have your own ideas! I’d really love to contribute to this world equally with someone and conjure up a setting and story that’ll really set our imaginations on fire!
The basic setup is that thousands of years ago, the original Amazons created their own realm to get away from the war between the Gods over who controlled the human realm. Themyscira is home to only women, the descendents of the original Amazons. It is a massive, fantastical realm full of amazing creatures and magic gifted to them by the Gods.
It’s divided into several regions, each controlled by worshippers of each God. Things have been peaceful but lately there’s been growing tension.
I’d love for this to have an ensemble cast, I enjoy having multiple character types working off of each other and trying out different dynamics. Obviously we’d still each have mains that we focus on, though.
General Requirements:
•Be an adult. The roleplay will be sfw, but I’m pretty uncomfortable with writing with someone who’s not an adult.
•Be interested in conversing and discussing the roleplay, as well as mutual collaboration. Collaborating and brainstorming together makes the rp so much more fun! OOC chatter is also appreciated.
•Be detailed and multi para.
•Be willing to write multiple characters, I will do the same. We’ll have mains, but I love having side characters and stuff to make the world and story feel more three dimensional and fleshed out.
And that’s it!
DM me and we can discuss the plot and characters! Thanks for reading.

Alessa loved the summer. The little place where she’d been born and raised was a boring, sleepy tree village that was all too peaceful and quiet for the young woman. Not to mention filled with the elderly and hardly populated with anyone her own age.
They lived on the edges of the land where the House of Artemis resided but Alessa had never got to really be free like her other sisters of Artemis.
Things were different when summer hit. Every year she made the pilgrimage to the capital Themyscira City for its’ countless summer festivals, all incredibly elaborate and bustling with tourists. Her first year as an adult also meant it was the first year where she could make this trek on her own and really enjoy the festivities to their fullest.
Thousands of women from all over the massive continent flocked to the capital during this time; it was always so exciting seeing all of the children playing in the rolling hills and large fields outside the city walls.
Not to mention all of the important High Priestesses and other officials who’d arrive to Themyscira City with their legions of Priestesses and other followers.
If you were lucky, you’d maybe get to see an Immortal too. Only Demi-Gods, as the Gods didn’t simply let mere mortals bask in their presence. Though considering that they were the original Amazons it was still incredibly exciting.
And in any case, the diversity of the city mixed with the diversity in tourists tended to make the Amazons forget about the…tensions between the various Houses of Themyscira.
Themyscira had once been a place to get away from the wars and squabbles of the gods, but after hundreds of thousands of years of development the continent was split between regions ruled by the different political Houses, each devoted to their own God or Goddess. Even the mortals were all descended from the Gods original creations, so Alessa supposed this made some sense.
But things had been getting worse over the past hundred years and the capital was like a powder keg even during joyous times such as these.
Alessa parked her pegasus Percy about a hundred yards from the front gates of the city, a heavy sigh left her lips as she hopelessly gazed at the hordes of people orderly making their way through the gates. Ugh, it’d probably be hours before she could get in.
She’d hoped she could have gotten there early but Percy’s wings had gone tired. Even then, he found it more fun to prance through the hills and Alessa had to chase him around for nearly a half hour.
“Ugh, this is wonderful. I’d be eating Tarhkaran Squid or watching the Daughters of Artemis marksman contest if we could only just fly over the walls. We’d likely get shot down.” The raven haired young woman rolled off Percy and collapsed onto the soft grass.
Only after a moment of rest was she suddenly greeted by the sound of heavy, thunderous steps. The Warrior Caste that belonged to Argos, home to the House of Ares. Alessa quickly jumped onto Percy and the frightened horse squealed as it pushed itself several dozen feet into the air to avoid the marching battalion of soldiers.
Their carriages were carried by several massive, gnarling beasts that were practically treated as pets where they were from. This was always the most intimidating part of the summer festivities to Alessa, representatives from the various Warrior Castes would gather together in the capital as a show of peace.
Amazons had once been a tribe of exclusively warriors in the early days, but things changed once they’d removed themselves from the violent and warmongering ways of man. For the most part.
She gazed in awe at the hardened soldiers. Black steel armor. Helmets that shrouded their faces. Blades and spears heavier than a normal person could reasonably carry. And glowing with various enchantments.
“Wh-whoa!” Alessa managed to gasp. The entire crowd of civilians parted to let the warriors through.
The Warrior Castes only seemed to show up to the capital more armed every year. She was surprised the Argosians hadn’t come with twice the artillery as anyone else just to flex their might. There really was something eery in the air this year. Some even called for the cancellation of the festivals this year. Alessa truly hoped her suspicions wouldn’t come to fruition.
………….
Hello everyone! You can call me Janglesh. My timezone is PST, I’m a 23 year old multi para writer looking to worldbuild a greek mythology setting taking place on Themyscira, home of the Amazons!
This is an idea that I’ve been really craving to explore and flesh out with someone who loves worldbuilding just as much as I do! I left aspects of the world and culture and plot a bit open so we can come up with things together, and everything is also up to change if you have your own ideas! I’d really love to contribute to this world equally with someone and conjure up a setting and story that’ll really set our imaginations on fire!
The basic setup is that thousands of years ago, the original Amazons created their own realm to get away from the war between the Gods over who controlled the human realm. Themyscira is home to only women, the descendents of the original Amazons. It is a massive, fantastical realm full of amazing creatures and magic gifted to them by the Gods.
It’s divided into several regions, each controlled by worshippers of each God. Things have been peaceful but lately there’s been growing tension.
I’d love for this to have an ensemble cast, I enjoy having multiple character types working off of each other and trying out different dynamics. Obviously we’d still each have mains that we focus on, though.
General Requirements:
•Be an adult. The roleplay will be sfw, but I’m pretty uncomfortable with writing with someone who’s not an adult.
•Be interested in conversing and discussing the roleplay, as well as mutual collaboration. Collaborating and brainstorming together makes the rp so much more fun! OOC chatter is also appreciated.
•Be detailed and multi para.
•Be willing to write multiple characters, I will do the same. We’ll have mains, but I love having side characters and stuff to make the world and story feel more three dimensional and fleshed out.
And that’s it!
DM me and we can discuss the plot and characters! Thanks for reading.

Hello, I recently decided to upgrade my old PC that was gifted to me back in 2017. After swapping out my old GTS 450 for an RX 6600, when I turn on my pc everything starts as normal, except the 6600’s fan stops spinning after a few seconds (not sure if this is normal) and there is no display on either of my monitors as well as my keyboard and mouse not having any power. Other than the RX 6600 the pc has a MODU 82+ II power supply and an i7 processor from when it was built as well as 28 GB RAM. I have disconnected and reconnected the PCIE cables and restarted the PC to no avail. Any ideas on what the issue could be? Thanks in advance!

Greetings,
I am writing a dark fairytale science/fantasy in a world of dreams, illusions, and nightmares. The protagonist is a 12yo princess who is cursed as a baby when her parents are killed. She is raised by her adoptive godparents who train her to defy the curse. She relies on braces/crutches to walk for most of her childhood, and is lonely because the cursed are feared as outcasts. Thus she escapes into fables of the guardians who once protected the kingdoms with celestial gifts -- before their magic disappeared and left the realms in ruin.
Growing up as a resilient, imaginative, and headstrong girl, she wishes to learn the ancient magic to cure her curse, but she also wants to inspire her dying realm. When disaster strikes her realm, she believes her curse is responsible. She journeys with her godfather, a dishonored knight, to find a cure. Together they train to overcome her limits and awaken her magic powers. But she believes magic will cure everything, has trouble relying on others for help, and faces temptations and shortcuts that promise to cure her. Meanwhile, Knight protects her, but also seeks to restore his honor and find out who cursed the princess. He struggles to reconcile his own beliefs about the curse and whether he is loyal to the kingdom or to his godchild.
Both of their characters change when they realize the true power of the ancient magic will only manifest when used selflessly. The story concludes with Princess embracing her flaws, and using her magic to help rebuild her home, while Knight's honor is restored having absolved himself of the royal family's death.
I am a storyboard artist and game designer who loves fairytales. I've wanted to write my own since I was a kid, and I started this project in 2013. Each year has its own version, and the 2023 version is currently storyboarded and outlined. However, I think it lacks character drama and political intrigue; therefore, I am considering alternate versions. I want the best journey that challenges the heroine to grow beyond her physical impairment into a state of spiritual strength. But I am not sure if this is best with a travel log across my world, or if it should be more tight knit.
Please consider the following story arcs and let me know which one is most interesting.
[NOTE: These are subject to change, and official terminology has been substituted]
ORIGINAL: HIDDEN PRINCESS UNKNOWN ROYALTYADVENTURE,MYSTERY

• PROLOGUE: In a dying kingdom where magic is controlled to prevent chaos, a princess is born with bright magic potential, inspiring hope in her realm - until a witch heralds her as an omen of destruction. The court votes to remove her magic, and her parents refuse; the royal family is soon assassinated and the Princess is cursed
• CHILDHOOD: She is hidden in a faraway village by her guardians: a knight and a shepherdess, who raise her to defy her curse; she pretends to be a Princess [though she does not know she is one], and the bratty noble children who rule the realm tease her for being delusional
• WISH: She wishes to be free of her curse so she can express herself without causing trouble or scaring everyone; she also wants to make the village less boring
• CONFLICT: She is an outcast from the village and the curse gives her nightmares and unstable magic 'hiccups', which makes everyone afraid of her
• CATALYST: The Queen of the Kingdom removes sovereign protections from poor realms, and her village loses its protection, leaving its magic unstable; disaster strikes the village and Princess blames herself for causing it
• PLOT: Princess embarks on a journey to learn the ancient magic with her guardian/mentor to reverse the curse and reclaim her throne; at this point her royalty is revealed to her guardian
• JOURNEY: Princess faces challenges and temptations that test her true motives, whether she wants to be free of her suffering, or seeks power she never had, or just wants to belong somewhere
• BOND: The primary bond is between the princess and her guardian, a dishonored knight who seeks to clear his name after failing to protect her parents
• PRINCE: Princess has a love interest in a mysterious prince whom she befriends in the Kingdom's capital castle
• EVENT: In the kingdom, she must face 3 trials which end with a grand ball to become a guardian

ALTERNATE: FORBIDDEN PRINCESSADVENTURE, DRAMA, MYSTERY

• PROLOGUE: In a dying kingdom where magic is controlled to prevent chaos, a princess is born with bright magic potential, inspiring hope in her realm - until a witch heralds her as an omen of destruction. The court votes to remove her magic, and her parents refuse; the royal family is soon assassinated and the Princess is cursed
• CHILDHOOD: She is raised by her guardians in her castle who train her to defy her curse; she is forbidden from leaving the castle and doesn't get along with siblings [2-6 sisters and/or brothers]
• WISH: She often sneaks out of the castle to hang around the village children; she wishes to be free of her curse to inherit the magic power and royal duties from her parents, help the villagers, and belong somewhere
• CONFLICT: She is forbidden from leaving the castle or inheriting the ancient magic powers that would help the villagers; the curse gives her nightmares and unstable magic 'hiccups', which makes everyone afraid of her
• CATALYST: A Dark Prince from a rival house challenges the throne and imposes his gloomy vision over the realm, forcing the royal family into hiding
• PLOT: Princess embarks on a journey to learn the ancient of magic with her guardian/mentor to reverse the curse and reclaim her throne JOURNEY: Princess faces challenges and temptations that test her true motives, whether she wants to be free of her suffering, or seeks power she never had, or just wants to belong somewhere
• JOURNEY: Princess faces challenges and temptations that test her true motives, whether she wants to be free of her suffering, or seeks power she never had, or just wants to belong somewhere
• BOND: The primary bond is between the princess and her guardian, a knight who seeks to restore his honor after failing to protect her parents
• PRINCE: Princess has a love interest in a mysterious prince, who is the rival causing trouble for her realm and opposing her claim before the King and Queen
• PRINCE: The Dark Prince is the rival who causes trouble for her realm and opposes her claim
• EVENT: The story builds to a the 3 trials which the princess must face to become a guardian and declare herself before the kingdom in a grand ball

ALTERNATE: EXILED PRINCESS AND BROTHER ADVENTURE, DRAMA, MYSTERY

• PROLOGUE: In a dying kingdom where magic is controlled to prevent chaos, a princess is born with bright magic potential, inspiring hope in her realm. But a witch shows up at the christening asking for help to save her own dying realm. The royals refuse to help the witch because she is from a cursed realm; soon after, the princess is lured outside of the castle and cursed; the parents die trying to save their daughter
• CHILDHOOD: She is hidden in a village on the outskirts of her realm by her guardians, who train her to defy her curse; she knows she is a princess, but her [older? younger?] brother is the heir and he is raised to rule [by their uncle?] instead
• WISH: She wishes to be free of her curse to end her suffering, reclaim her birthright and help her village; but most of all she wants to belong somewhere
• CONFLICT: She is an outcast from her village, the curse gives her nightmares and unstable magic 'hiccups', and she's forbidden from learning the ancient magic
• CATALYST: The Queen of the Kingdom removes sovereign protections from poor realms, and her realm loses its protection, leaving its magic unstable; disaster strikes the village and the Princess blames herself
• PLOT: Princess embarks on a journey to learn the ancient magic with her guardian/mentor to reverse the curse and reclaim her throne; at the same time, her Brother travels to the kingdom to appeal to the Queen
• JOURNEY: Princess faces challenges and temptations that test her true motives, whether she wants to be free of her suffering, or seeks power she never had, or just wants to belong somewhere
• BOND: The primary bond is between the princess and her guardian, a knight who seeks to restore his honor after failing to protect her parents; the brother also serves as as foil to the princess, as he is bound by realism whereas she embraces idealism
• PRINCE: Princess has a love interest in a mysterious Prince whom she befriends in the Kingdom's capital castle
• EVENT: The story builds to a the 3 trials which the princess must face to become a guardian and declare herself before the kingdom in a grand ball

ALTERNATE: EXILED PRINCESS AND BROTHER HORROR, MYSTERY, DRAMA

• PROLOGUE: In a dying kingdom where magic is controlled to prevent chaos, a princess is born with bright magic potential, inspiring hope in her realm. But a witch shows up at the christening asking for help to save her own dying realm. The royals refuse to help the witch because she is from a cursed realm; soon after, the princess is lured outside of the castle and cursed; the parents die trying to save their daughter
• CHILDHOOD: She is raised by her guardians in her castle who train her to defy her curse; she is forbidden from leaving the castle, but often sneaks out into the village
• WISH: Princess wishes to be free of her curse to end her suffering, reclaim her birthright and help her village; but most of all she wants to belong somewhere
• CONFLICT: She is an outcast from her realm, the curse gives her nightmares and unstable magic 'hiccups', and she's forbidden from learning the ancient magic
• CATALYST: An invading army of the accursed approach the kingdom; Prince and Princess's Uncle decides to marry a beautiful woman and take over as King to raise an army and oppose them; he threatens to lock the Princess in a dungeon because she is cursed, she flees with her godfather into the wilderness
• PLOT: Princess must learn the ancient magic with her guardian/mentor to reverse the curse and reclaim her throne; at the same time, her Brother must prepare to oppose the invading army
• JOURNEY: Princess faces challenges and temptations that test her true motives, whether she wants to be free of her suffering, or seeks power she never had, or just wants to belong somewhere
• BOND: The primary bond is between the princess and her guardian, a knight who seeks to restore his honor after failing to protect her parents; the brother also serves as as foil to the princess, as he is bound by realism whereas she embraces idealism
• PRINCE: Princess has a love interest in a mysterious prince, the woman's son
• EVENT: The story builds to the grand ball where the Uncle is crowned King to stop the invading army

I eliminated all of these ideas before:

• I wanted to focus on the guardian/mentor parent-child bond. Knight is a POV character, and I'm not killing him off [like literally every story does]
• It's weird to me if Princess remains in the castle after her parents died, therefore, raising her far from the castle makes a bit more sense
• I relate more to the commoner from a village who has to save her people when disaster strikes, as opposed to a royal
• The story is meant to have sky travel across a large distance. iIf I change the journey, I lose that progression unless I significantly shorten the journey

FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED!

Hi Im planning on walking camino primitivo in august. I was thinking on sleeping some nights outside.
I have never slept outside alone. I always slept in camps but I want to try wild camping on camino.
My gear list: Sleeping bag (-3 degrees celsius comfortable) - is it too warm? Sleeping mat Sea to summit nylon tarp Thermal blanket for emergencies Extra layer to put under sleeping mat and to put my backpack on
Is my gear suitable for the mountains in mid-late august?
Are there specific areas in the mountains where it could get extreme in night?
I wont sleep in forest because I know I would die of fear. Are there any areas of primitivo where wild life is very active and would potentionaly come to me (wolfs, bears, dangerous snakes etc.)? I heard that there are horses but I think I would manage a horse if it came to me. Im just scared of dangerous animals. Can I leave food in my backpack next to me? In my country we dont really have dangerous wildlife so we just leave it on us. Is it a good idea in spain?
Is there anything I should watch out for? Im not really a big outdoors person but I think Im not dumb and I will not sleep too far from cities so there is always a chance to walk in a night.
I will be glad for any tips!

Hello, customer here. Hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to ask a question where I felt people would feel comfortable answering honestly.
I do online pickup every week and for the first time, the app asked if I wanted to use reusable bags. I do like the idea, but I wanted to check with those who would be stuck dealing with it first.
Is it a hassle bagging up those orders when the customer picks them up? I was just going to ask when I picked up my order, but I didn’t want to put them on the spot.

Im sorry , this must have been asked dozens of times before but I am desperate. My cat, Mappy , is a very stressed cat. She was found without her mother in the streets and we adopted her a little too early (It was our first cat , we had no idea about this , the lady who gave her to us was trying to get rid of her quickly.) She was my first cat and I got her too young , I was not patient enough back then to deal with a cat. She was very stressed all the time , afraid of humans , distant , constantly weary of her surroundings... I did not provide enough education for her to grow up a happy and chill cat. She is now 7 years old and I have been trying my best to make her feel better for years. Me and my family still made bad choices along the years , I am deeply aware that her current condition is my fault and I am deeply sorry about it. Here's the issue : Even though she grew more comfortable around me and my family ( she accepts me more than anyone else) she is still very afraid of us , and overall reacts negatively to contact. Whenever my dad is around her , she hisses. She bites him if he gets too close. She asks for pets and rubs on our legs but if we pet her she bites us. I see this as an attempt from her to appear nice , so that we will leave her alone. But she does this to my mom whenever she lays on her sofa , or to me when im in my room. She comes to us , asks for pets , but if we give her any she bites. Probably because she feels like we're invading her space. I have learned to leave her alone , i respect that she needs her space , but if my mom is not allowed to watch tv because of this , its a problem. Thing is : We have two other cats. One that she barely interacts with but that is very active and bothers her a lot. Another that is VERY hostile towards her and hisses whenever she's around. Getting these two cats was the bad decision I mentioned earlier. (As much as I love them) She used to have her territory in my room , but now the other cat chases her away from it. She cannot go downstairs because the dog and other cat will annoy her. She doesnt have a place that is hers. I have tried to give her access to other rooms , but here is the main issue and the reason why im making this post : Everytime I give her something to be at peace , she pees on it.
New cat bed ? Pees on it. Cat tower ? Pees on it. A room just for her ? Pees on the bed.
She also pees on my clothes , on the couches , the bed covers , the dog bed , in the shower ...
I know this is a result of stress , I've tried to make her feel better but to no avail. She has medication , her litter is always clean , her food is always available , I play with her , give her treats , dont pet her because I know she dislikes it , try to give her space. She still pees everywhere. My family and I are all very tired from having to wash clothes twice , having to throw away cat towers and buy new one , and the constant smell of piss. My dog almost never has his bed because its always in the washing machine. My couch is pissed on daily so i cant use it anymore , and cant buy a new one because she will pee on it again. Ive had to throw a nice chair gifted by my parents because she destroyed the pillow. I tried Feliway and spray to avoid marking , sprays with strong smell to dissuade her , orange peels... none of this worked.
I love my daughter to death but I am tired. I do not know how to help her. She is clearly unhappy. She's my baby and I want her to feel safe.
I am very afraid that the only way for her to be happy would be to be far away from me , in a household with no other pets.
Please , if anyone has any advice , I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
(Sorry for the typos)

hi !!! idk if this is the right place to post this on but my bf is gonna leave soon and i wanna make him a parting gift of sorts. im giving him other things too but i want one of the gifts to be league related. he mains zed and aphelios, my original idea was to make him a paper mache funko pop kinda model of either of the two but if anyone has any other ideas or suggestions please lmk !!

Colin Sparks was never bitten by a radioactive spider. He wasn't the son of billionaire parents (after all, he was attending Haverstrom University on a generous academic scholarship), nor was he the son of Kryptonian royalty, for that matter. Despite his aspirations to one day work for NASA (behind the scenes, mind you; even roller coasters gave him the spins), he didn't score any superpowers from some improbable space-related event. But Colin's long-running affinity for heroics straight out of Saturday morning cartoons and a nearly-virtuosic knack for gadgetry were a dangerous combination for your standard nerdy guy-next-door type: As a Haverstrom freshman lucky enough to have a dorm room to himself and with the help of a fashion major who's sworn to secrecy (mostly to spare Colin any embarrassment), he fashioned himself a sleek, jet-black superhero suit. Maybe he'd wear it to Halloween parties. It was just a fun project to work on while classes started off slowly. Those were the reasons Colin gave himself: At least before the bookstore break-in.
It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, really: Colin had his prototype suit in his bag when he noticed a couple of shadowy figures trying not to trip the not-especially-reinforced alarm of the campus book store well after hours, and he was able to hustle into the jet-black fabric, and, somehow, avoiding any clumsy mishaps or technical failures, apprehended the would-be book thieves and found himself answering questions at an impromptu conference with the various student media organizations, all wanting the scoop on this mysterious hero. It was the kind of fledgling fame that made Colin's chest puff out with pride; maybe the campus wouldn't know about Colin Sparks just yet, but word of a plucky would-be superhero spread like wildfire, the way college gossip does. But his heroic antics, as chronicled in a handful of student magazines, also capture the attention of an upstart supervillainess, one with a mischievous streak and playful way of going about her business, who is all but ready to size up her new foe and see if he can match wits with her.
Of course, what Colin doesn't know when he comes toe-to-toe with his new foe is that, behind whatever getup she's sporting, is a familiar face. Maybe a classmate he competes with for the best grades? A member of a secret sorority for fledging supervillainesses? Or the TA in one of his introductory courses? A performing arts student who daydreams about being a campus puppet master? Whoever you choose to play as, I think it would be such a fun dynamic to explore a hero and villainess who also, unknowingly, have to coexist when they're unmasked. The cheekier and more roguish the idea for your supervillainess and her powers, the better! Not looking for a foil who wants to end the world or cause bloodshed or anything, but wants to torment the press' new superstar. Think the kind of villainess who'd call Colin "Underoos" instead of his proper superhero moniker just to vex him, and would also probably leave him sporting his Underoos for a laugh. Not an altogether evil presence, but a devilish love for mischief is essential, and a sense of humor is a plus!
**
Hello! This prompt is a little out-of-the-ordinary, since I'm looking for a slice-of-life story that meshes together superheroic antics and your more typical enemies-to-crushes-to-lovers setup. I'm hoping to find another couple of partners who are up for developing a character with a supervillainess alter ego who decides to try to turn Colin's life upside down. Just because I'm playing Colin without powers doesn't mean your character can't have otherworldly capabilities! If you can think of some fun skills she can have that bolster her roguish ways, by all means. On the "super" side of the spectrum, I'm looking to write opposite a villainess who's just looking to add a little color and prankster efforts to a sleepy college town; this isn't the kind of story where taking over the world or bringing a city to her knees is really on the menu. I'm a multi-paragraph writer, third person, present or past tense, and would appreciate my partner being the same. I'm also in my twenties, and would only be comfortable with writing friends who are also at least 20. Happy to use Discord if that's your preferred platform, but would prefer Reddit messages, with responses of at least 300 words! If you're interested, please send a character description for someone you think would be fun to play opposite Colin, and put a potential supervillainess name in the subject line.

Colin Sparks was never bitten by a radioactive spider. He wasn't the son of billionaire parents (after all, he was attending Haverstrom University on a generous academic scholarship), nor was he the son of Kryptonian royalty, for that matter. Despite his aspirations to one day work for NASA (behind the scenes, mind you; even roller coasters gave him the spins), he didn't score any superpowers from some improbable space-related event. But Colin's long-running affinity for heroics straight out of Saturday morning cartoons and a nearly-virtuosic knack for gadgetry were a dangerous combination for your standard nerdy guy-next-door type: As a Haverstrom freshman lucky enough to have a dorm room to himself and with the help of a fashion major who's sworn to secrecy (mostly to spare Colin any embarrassment), he fashioned himself a sleek, jet-black superhero suit. Maybe he'd wear it to Halloween parties. It was just a fun project to work on while classes started off slowly. Those were the reasons Colin gave himself: At least before the bookstore break-in.
It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, really: Colin had his prototype suit in his bag when he noticed a couple of shadowy figures trying not to trip the not-especially-reinforced alarm of the campus book store well after hours, and he was able to hustle into the jet-black fabric, and, somehow, avoiding any clumsy mishaps or technical failures, apprehended the would-be book thieves and found himself answering questions at an impromptu conference with the various student media organizations, all wanting the scoop on this mysterious hero. It was the kind of fledgling fame that made Colin's chest puff out with pride; maybe the campus wouldn't know about Colin Sparks just yet, but word of a plucky would-be superhero spread like wildfire, the way college gossip does. But his heroic antics, as chronicled in a handful of student magazines, also capture the attention of an upstart supervillainess, one with a mischievous streak and playful way of going about her business, who is all but ready to size up her new foe and see if he can match wits with her.
Of course, what Colin doesn't know when he comes toe-to-toe with his new foe is that, behind whatever getup she's sporting, is a familiar face. Maybe a classmate he competes with for the best grades? A member of a secret sorority for fledging supervillainesses? Or the TA in one of his introductory courses? A performing arts student who daydreams about being a campus puppet master? Whoever you choose to play as, I think it would be such a fun dynamic to explore a hero and villainess who also, unknowingly, have to coexist when they're unmasked. The cheekier and more roguish the idea for your supervillainess and her powers, the better! Not looking for a foil who wants to end the world or cause bloodshed or anything, but wants to torment the press' new superstar. Think the kind of villainess who'd call Colin "Underoos" instead of his proper superhero moniker just to vex him, and would also probably leave him sporting his Underoos for a laugh. Not an altogether evil presence, but a devilish love for mischief is essential, and a sense of humor is a plus!
**
Hello! This prompt is a little out-of-the-ordinary, since I'm looking for a slice-of-life story that meshes together superheroic antics and your more typical enemies-to-crushes-to-lovers setup. I'm hoping to find another couple of partners who are up for developing a character with a supervillainess alter ego who decides to try to turn Colin's life upside down. Just because I'm playing Colin without powers doesn't mean your character can't have otherworldly capabilities! If you can think of some fun skills she can have that bolster her roguish ways, by all means. On the "super" side of the spectrum, I'm looking to write opposite a villainess who's just looking to add a little color and prankster efforts to a sleepy college town; this isn't the kind of story where taking over the world or bringing a city to her knees is really on the menu. I'm a multi-paragraph writer, third person, present or past tense, and would appreciate my partner being the same. I'm also in my twenties, and would only be comfortable with writing friends who are also at least 20. Happy to use Discord if that's your preferred platform, but would prefer Reddit messages, with responses of at least 300 words! If you're interested, please send a character description for someone you think would be fun to play opposite Colin, and put a potential supervillainess name in the subject line.

Hi! My Dad (67) is going on Ragbrai this year, and I was thinking about getting him something for Father’s Day that would be helpful on the trip! Any suggestions for comfort items or things you didn’t think about bringing along your first time but wish you had? He’s gone on trips like this before, but this is his first Ragbrai and he’s doing it solo.

I’m putting in a new 12x3 ft raised bed for a vegetable garden tomorrow. I calculated that I would need about 40 bags of 1.5 cu ft soil bags. Should I get just get 40 bags of outdoor soil? Should I mix in mulch as well? No idea where to start.

Great game by the way. Just my 2 cents for what is it worth.
-Gem bag please.
-Gear loadout option for different situations.
-Skill loadouts so we don't have to make another of the same class or pay to swap builds.
-Offline mode.
-An in-game item to help notify the player a Lilith statue is nearby. Could be earnable.
I don't mind the store; I just adopt the idea that smaller bites of the apple encourage more apples to show up rather than larger bites and less apples. Wallstreet knows this as it is basic Invesment strategy. I am choosing to invest in a store item because I would want to stay longer in game and would how to enjoy the purchase while also supporting the studio.
I know Offline mode is a corporate decision so allow for continued advertisements and selling to the player base which board would not want see revenue optimized. I also know the ideology of trying to make people spend the most amount of time in the game is critical, but it comes with tradeoffs. The tradeoffs with the stated limitations are backwards. If you want people staying in the game longer so you can continue to advertise to them, make them happy and they will stay for longer.
This game is going to have a burnout problem of the hardcore players and all that will be left is us normal original fans. Which doesn't hurt me, but I don't want the balance changes or features to be made with the 1% of the players in mind. Once they leave us normal humans will be here and would like some simple quality of life changes.

TLDR: I’ve finally had enough of the cheating, lies, manipulation, and abuse and I’m ready to leave for good but my life is in shambles and I’m afraid of him. Seeking advice on how to navigate and recover from this terrible situation I’ve put myself in.
I’ll try to be as brief as I can. It’s a lot…
I was with my child’s daddy for my whole adult life. 14 years. He’s all I ever knew and for the most part, our relationship was great. There was no cheating or abuse. He was a good dad and my best friend. The last couple years were a nonstop barrage of curveballs and hardships that took a big toll on both of us and our relationship. He made some big mistakes that hurt us a lot and I eventually decided we needed to separate.
When I left, he turned into a man I didn’t recognize. It was and still is traumatizing. I thought we’d be best friends, or at least good coparents. I expected him to be angry and fight me initially but I had no idea he was capable of what he’s done. He hates me. False accusations of domestic abuse and infidelity, accusations of mental illness and unfit parenting. Vicious smear campaign and endless frivolous litigation from his team of very expensive men’s rights lawyers trying to take our child from me.
It was the worst thing that had ever happened and I didn’t understand. I was a stay at home mom and we weren’t married so when I left, we agreed to “nest” in our home while it sold, taking turns staying with our daughter to ease her into the transition. But when I left the first night, he changed the locks on our home, filed a police report of lies and a protective order not allowing me near our home or daughter, and hired a lawyer to petition for full custody. He cleared out my bank account. I was penniless with nothing but an overnight bag and my car. Nothing ever stuck because it was always based on lies. He would drop the accusations before we ever saw a judge. But then would start the whole thing over again.
One after another, I was able to prove my innocence against his lies. Even has a full psych eval with third party input that took a week with one of the top doctors in the state to put to rest his claims of being delusional and mentally unstable. The doctor said that I was depressed and had ptsd from what he’d done but that I was otherwise mentally sound. He also noted that in all of his career, he’d never had someone try so hard to manipulate him into a diagnosis and that my ex’s reaction when he caught him in a lie was troubling. He recommended he have a psych eval as well but I didn’t have the 7k to pay for it and I just kept hoping that he would tucker himself out and stop wanting to hurt me. It wasn’t like him and I attributed everything to him feeling helpless and afraid himself, and betrayed and broken hearted that I left. He really is a good man. I hoped if I stayed the course and didn’t fight back other than defending myself, he would want to move forward and focus on rebuilding his life and giving our sweet baby the best childhood possible. I only ever asked for 50/50 and no child support, despite being her primary caretaker while he worked (at his request) for her entire life until then. I wanted nothing but to be left alone.
It was only a little over a year in and I certainly was not ready or healed enough to be dating. But things were getting better. He’d run out of things to accuse me of. I got a job and a cute apartment for my girl and me and it was finally steady. I thought I’d dip my toe back in and try casually dating. I shouldn’t have. I was lonely and still struggled on the days I didn’t have my daughter.
It didn’t take long before I met him. Oh my gosh. An angel. It was whirlwind. I’d never met anyone like him and I didn’t know love could be so good. The most charming, romantic, handsome, perfect man in the world. And he wanted me!?! It was crazy. I was smitten. It was passionate and intimate and exciting every single day. He’d hand write me the most beautiful love letters. My apartment looked like someone died with the amount of flowers he sent. He was always planning amazing adventures for us and doting on me. It made it all make sense. It was all worth it because it lead me to him.
I’m an idiot… And introduced him to my daughter four months in. I’d never been so sure about anything. I mean, we’d already mapped out our future together. This was for keeps. Might as well lean in! And my god, they hit it off instantly. She adored him. She lit up when he came around. He’d bring a bouquet of flowers for each of us. They’d text each other memes and jokes. Ugh my heart. My girl doesn’t like men.. She’s sassy and the way she latched onto him was proof that this was all meant to be.
He has a daughter about the same age! They loved each other, too. My girl always wanted a sibling and it couldn’t be more perfect. My life was perfect. He was the sweetest daddy. He always planned an adventure the weekends we had our girls. He was so thankful I let him be a part of our lives and told me he took it very seriously. He would be a man she could look up to. He would show her stoicism and strength and restore what she had lost from the trauma of what her father did.
He said he was going to marry me. He’d text me house listings and tell me stories of how we’d spend our evenings reading to each other on the porch and watching our babies play.
It was only 6 months in that something changed. He would snap at me for things I didn’t understand. He would get wasted and yell at me for not really loving him. Accuse me of cheating or using him or wanting to make him my “little b**** boy.” It was horrible. I would pour myself into trying to explain away whatever he was on about but it never worked. Always ended in me fleeing and him blocking me for a day or two. Then he would come back full of remorse and regret and say he realized he was looking at it all wrong. He just loved me so much. He would be so sweet again.
I didn’t understand. I’d never experienced anything like this. The highs or the lows. And I loved him so much. I loved the future we were building.
Not long after, during one of his rages, he told me he’d been cheating on me. Not to confess, but to hurt me. He hates when I cry and it makes him so cruel. I was crying about him being mean and mad at me for some drunken thing he made up and he let me have it. Said the meanest things. Ripped me to pieces. And then told me he was sleeping with a beautiful young nurse who was much more fun than me.
I could go on and on. But the gist is that I kept taking him back. And it kept getting worse. Before long, I was completely isolated from my friends and spend every second I had trying to make him happy and get back to the yum we had before.
He’s now admitted to having 6 physical affairs and doesn’t know how many women he “talked to.” I know of at least 3 others that he slept with.
Each time I would find out, he would rage at me and then block me and go be with other women for a few days. Which was bad enough but then I found out about the smear campaign. He’d been spreading vicious lies about me. And most of them mirrored the same accusations my child’s father said. That was intentional. He told everyone in his life that I was mentally ill, abusive, violent, controlling. That I stalked him and hit him. He told people I tried to stab him one night.
I found this out because he called my child father and told him all of these things. He claims he was drunk and doesn’t remember it, which could actually be true but I don’t know. My kids dad recorded the phone call and used it to file a motion to take her from me.
He kept promising he would come clean and fix everything he did. Kept saying he needed a couple days to figure out how and to make sure he did me justice. But it kept not happening. It’s been a year now and every time I break down and demand he finally clears my name, he managed to twist the whole conversation into me just wanting revenge for the past and I’m a vengeful abuser that doesn’t love him. And then leaves and blocks me again.
A few months ago, after yet another breakup, I was done. I left for good. But I’m still an idiot and when he came back, he said he had an epiphany and he couldn’t stand the shame and pain of suddenly realizing what he’d done to me. He was ready to be honest and do whatever he could to fix what he broke.
We sat down and he admitted in detail to all the women he physically cheated with. Admitted the lies he told about me. Explained his reasons for everything, which were basically that he’s a scared little boy that doesn’t think I could ever love him and he needed the comfort and validation of others and couldn’t see what it did to me. Partially compartmentalization and partially thinking I wouldn’t care anyway because I didn’t actually care about him and was probably doing all the same things behind his back.
It was an exhausting and emotionally taxing conversation but it was so good to me. He cried with remorse and held me and validated all the things he’s worked so hard to make me feel bad for. I believed him. I had hope again but I was too mentally drained to continue and he was too so we decided to “love bubble” for a couple days and then sit down and actually take steps to fix what he did to me.
When it came, he went right back to the same narrative and behavior as before. That I wanted to punish him and rub his nose in his mistakes and ruin his life. I was livid. I left and took his iPad. Found out he was still cheating with multiple women, that the “truth” he told me was bull, that he was still smearing me and nobody even knew we were seeing each other. And that one of the affairs was with a 19 year old girl he met on a hunting trip while he was still married. He wrote her love letters and poems all day and then snuck her off and got her drunk and slept with her in the backseat of his truck. He hasn’t seen her since but they send nudes and declare each other their soulmates and talk about how they’ll end up together someday. We’re in the process of planning a trip together in the next month.
Gross.
She was 19 years old and he was 41 and married with a child when he went after her. And they’ve continued on for 3 years. One of the love letters he sent her was mine. I wrote it to him. He stole my words and used them to seduce this girl. I found out recently he used that same letter on several of the women he cheated with. It makes me sick.
I think I stayed so long because I felt so helpless in my life. I just wanted to give my daughter a happy family and be a normal person. And I thought I’d found that so when everything was proving otherwise, I was too scared and weak to admit it. I gaslit myself because I was scared what it meant for me to have to go against two men that want to hurt me. I am still too scared.
I still don’t understand. I’m not perfect but I’m good to the men I love. I spoil them. I fulfill all of their fantasies. I’m patient and generous and give endless grace and always look for the good under a mistake. I’m the best hype girl. I love nothing more than lifting up the people I love and showing them how powerful and worthy they are. I hate letting people down.
I have only ever once turned down sex with him. and it was after he’d just yelled at me and made me cry because I found out he rawdogged a tinder woman in our bed and let me sleep in the dirty sheets. He got so angry and accused me of thinking he’s a predator and he ripped the sheets off the bed and threw them at me so hard that when I blocked it, it made my hand hit me in the face and gave me a black eye. Then he chased me out of the house while I was scurrying to get dressed, telling me to Jill myself and nobody would ever love me, and punched the door next to my face as I was trying to open it to leave. Then he called the cops and filed a report saying I hit him. I guess he’s done that several times after I left.
Anyway… sheesh. I’m scatterbrained. So after he’d taken back his promise to clear my name, I told him I would have to do it myself. I started recording his rages after I found out he was telling people I abused him. I also recorded the conversations of him admitting he was lying about me. Also many of the conversations about the women were via text. Including the ones about the teenager, his friend/coworker’s wife, a married woman that worked for him who had a mental breakdown from the affair, etc, etc, etc.
I said that he had the opportunity to clear my name however he wanted to without exposing himself. That I didn’t want to harm his life, just fix mine. He could create a whole new narrative of lies for all I cared as long as it cleared me from the vile things he made up about me.
He broke his hand in the wall next to my head by punching it so hard. I left. He called the police and filed a report that I broke in and hit him. And then hired a lawyer and filed a PO on the basis of domestic violence, stalking, and blackmail. All the while trying to bait me into coming over saying he loved me and wanted to fix it so he could have me arrested.
I didn’t even hire a lawyer because it seemed so absurd and I had so much proof he was lying. If recorded it. I had screenshots of him denying it and telling me to come see him and he wanted to marry me. Also because I was poor. He has gotten me fired from my job a couple weeks prior.
His lawyer was good. She shot down my evidence in the heating and used the police reports as proof… which seems like a weird thing to do because they were his testimony. But the judge said she almost never denies a PO because at the very least, those people should stay away from each other. It was granted based on stalking because I’d made a Google drive file of some recordings and screenshots and sent them to several family members and friends begging them to help me. They ignored me. He told them I was insane and not to open it.
My child’s father used that to take her away again.
I’ve been fighting tooth and nail but I’m drowning. Nobody cares. I’m so worn down and have panic attacks almost every day.
Unsurprisingly, he came back recently. So sorry and full of remorse and shame. She’s it all so much clearer now and can’t live with himself for what he did. Can’t live without me. Tugs my heartstrings talking about reading on the porch of our beautiful family home and reminiscing about the good loving times.
Means promises. Same lies. The thing is, I do believe he means it. I think he means it every time. It’s just that the shame and fear of actually following through and publicly facing what he did makes him retreat and go back to the delusional narrative that I abused him and he didn’t do any of the things he did.
I believe he really means it but I no longer believe he’s capable or will mean it in the times he should. He will not change. He wants to be a good man. Something is broken in him. He stopped drinking bourbon but still drinks beer every night. He abuses steroids and vyvanse and they make him irritable and angry and unpredictable. He has so much self loathing and shame. He hates himself. He’s built like a Greek god, the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen, but he has body dysmorphia and starves himself and binges and runs several miles every single day and also goes to the gym for two hours. He has to smoke those super strong joints dipped in something and take half a bottle of zzzquil to sleep at night. On top of the 10+ beers, steroids, and vyvanse. He never remembers anything and I think he really thinks I’m making a lot of it up but refuses to listen to the recordings.
This time, even though I didn’t believe him, I was so broken and felt so helpless that I let him come back hoping he would at least drop the PO and help me get my daughter home.
He finally dropped the PO after weeks of being sketchy about it. I think he wanted to use it as leverage to protect himself in case I exposed him. I’d go to jail.
But once again, I told him either he needs to clear my name or I would and he’s latched on tot he same old victim narrative that I’m trying to get revenge and destroy him for the past. Has blocked me again. I have a feeling he’s out filing police reports and trying to get another PO. But it won’t work this time because I refused to be physically near him and haven’t told anyone anything yet.
I have to defend myself from his lies to get my daughter back. He’s not going to come clean. But after seeing how rotten the court system is, I am terrified he’s going to either find a way to put me in prison with his lies or kill me if he feels trapped. I really believe if he felt it was hopeless and he was exposed, he would him me and himself.
This was so long. I’m sorry. I’m wordy. It’s a lot. But if anyone read this and can give me some advice, I would be so thankful. I can’t see straight and have no idea what I’m doing. I haven’t left my house in days because I panic and get dizzy trying to go outside. I need help. And I need to never date ever again if I manage to climb out of this mess. I’m not good at it.