I need some help. I recently got a new phone and very strange things have been happening and I really don't understand it at all and I also don't know what to do to make it stop. I got the new phone and put in my sim card as usual. A couple days down the line, I received a telegram verification code but I had never downloaded telegram. I had never created a telegram account before. I just ignored it and wondered what was happening. Then days after that, my contacts informed me that my number was now appearing on telegram. None of this was me. What had happened? It got bad when WhatsApp then banned my account. And I know I had not done anything to violate the terms of service. Im sure it had something to do with the telegram account which had been created using my number without my knowledge. I was also receiving text messages from econet numbers with a very unusual looking link. And also when my phone was locked, I'd sometimes pick it up and it was making calls to numbers I have never had in my logbook. I proceeded to get a new number so that I can use WhatsApp because I needed to communicate with friends and family and also schoolmates and lecturers. It was okay for a while but 4 days ago another telegram account was created with my new number. And now WhatsApp has banned me once again. I don't know what to do. I went to econet to ask for help because I didn't know where else to go. They very rudely turned me away and said it was not their problem, and even when I asked for a better understanding of what could be going on and who's problem it could be, the employees I spoke to were extremely dismissive. I now don't know what to do. I know it doesn't make sense for me to get a new number again, cause what? Does anyone know what the problem could be. Please help

Have a bit of a scary story to tell and want other opinions:
Staying in a hostel in Vienna and was at the hostel bar tonight. A girl FROM VIENNA who was randomly (inexplicably) at this HOSTEL BAR came up to one of my friends and sat at our table, introduced herself and then invited my friend to come meet her friends, 5 MEN, ALL FROM VIENNA AND VISITING A HOSTEL BAR . My friend talked to one of them for a bit, and at one point noticed one of the other ones signaling to the guy she was talking to asking if it was going well. She assumed he was asking if the flirting was going well so thought nothing of it, but wasn’t interested so decided to go back to the table where I was. He tried to convince her to stay and let him buy her a drink, but she left. The girl from before then came up to our table and tried to convince her to come out with her friends. She only left my friend alone after she said no about 5 times.
Later,my other friend, a girl I met in this hostel and who is solo traveling through Europe (looks quite young and has braces) met the same group and decided to go out with them. Before leaving, she shared her number and location with me. After she left, my other friend (the one who initially was talking to them) started telling me the story, at which point alarm bells went off in my head and we decided to run after the other girl, who had already left for the club with the group of Viennese people. We called her to tell her our suspicions, at which point she started asking the group more questions. It turns out the Viennese girl who had initially come up to her had lied about where she was from and whether she spoke German. I overheard all of this on the phone, and could hear my friend saying “that is a bit sketchy, why are you lying to me”. They did not answer but continued to tried to convince her to come out.
By this point my other friend and I had gotten some of the hostel staff to come with us to find her. We found her on the street with only one of the men from the group, all of the other people had left once she started showing signs of hesitation. We ended up all leaving together, counting our blessings that everyone was ok.
The hostel staff (both men) talked to the Viennese man for a bit and claimed he seemed normal, and I know that human trafficking is not very common in Vienna, but everything about this story seems INCREDIBLY SKETCHY to me, so I am wondering if anyone from Vienna has thoughts on this?
Also to women traveling in Vienna, be aware of this kind of thing!!

Hi everyone, when I had doubts about my husband’s activities. I confided on my best friend. She gave me [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) he went through his phone in just mins, the only thing I had to do was to give him his number. I certify him. I didn’t find anything on my husband he was truthful to me. At least the thought of him cheating left my mind completely.. .

Textbook date setting by a 24x Reader
Her- Good morning! I’m well and yourself?
Me- I’m doing well. Can’t complain at all. Just got off work. I take it your day was productive as well?
Her- You had a pretty long day yesterday. Mine was very slow at work actually so there wasn’t much to do. Which is always good
Me- Slow days are definitely good days. And yeah, I work some pretty long hours with my work schedule. Speaking of that, What's your schedule availability looking like this week/next week to meet up?
Her - I can do Friday the 9th, Monday the 12th or possibly Friday the 16th
Me- Ok sounds good. How about we do Location XYZ in Arlington. Monday the 12th at 7:15pm?
Her- Sure that works.
Me- Ok, cool. so I’ll see you at XYZ Monday at 7:15pm. If something comes up, I will call you and likewise you have my number in case something comes up on your end. Otherwise, I will just see you there. Who ever gets there first can grab us a table. Does that sound like a solid plan?
Her- Yea sounds like a plan, see you there.
Me- Awesome. See you then Goodnight Jessica.
Her- Goodnight 😊
(Moral is, get to the f’n point gentlemen!!! The phone is not for meaningless chit chat)

Her- Good morning! I’m well and yourself?
Me- I’m doing well. Can’t complain at all. Just got off work. I take it your day was productive as well?
Her- You had a pretty long day yesterday. Mine was very slow at work actually so there wasn’t much to do. Which is always good
Me- Slow days are definitely good days. And yeah, I work some pretty long hours with my work schedule. Speaking of that, What's your schedule availability looking like this week/next week to meet up?
Her - I can do Friday the 9th, Monday the 12th or possibly Friday the 16th
Me- Ok sounds good. How about we do Location XYZ in Arlington. Monday the 12th at 7:15pm?
Her- Sure that works.
Me- Ok, cool. so I’ll see you at XYZ Monday at 7:15pm. If something comes up, I will call you and likewise you have my number in case something comes up on your end. Otherwise, I will just see you there. Who ever gets there first can grab us a table. Does that sound like a solid plan?
Her- Yea sounds like a plan, see you there.
Me- Awesome. See you then Goodnight Jessica.
Her- Goodnight 😊
(Moral is, get to the f’n point gentlemen!!! The phone is not for meaningless chit chat)

Her- Good morning! I’m well and yourself?
Me- I’m doing well. Can’t complain at all. Just got off work. I take it your day was productive as well?
Her- You had a pretty long day yesterday. Mine was very slow at work actually so there wasn’t much to do. Which is always good
Me- Slow days are definitely good days. And yeah, I work some pretty long hours with my work schedule. Speaking of that, What's your schedule availability looking like this week/next week to meet up?
Her - I can do Friday the 9th, Monday the 12th or possibly Friday the 16th
Me- Ok sounds good. How about we do Location XYZ in Arlington. Monday the 12th at 7:15pm?
Her- Sure that works.
Me- Ok, cool. so I’ll see you at XYZ Monday at 7:15pm. If something comes up, I will call you and likewise you have my number in case something comes up on your end. Otherwise, I will just see you there. Who ever gets there first can grab us a table. Does that sound like a solid plan?
Her- Yea sounds like a plan, see you there.
Me- Awesome. See you then Goodnight Jessica.
Her- Goodnight 😊
(Moral is, get to the f’n point gentlemen!!! The phone is not for meaningless chit chat)

Hello! I am kind of nervous about posting this but would really appreciate any advice!!! Sorry about the brick. TLDR at the bottom!
So maybe around 2 months ago somebody moved in upstairs in the apartment above us. I was laying on my bed and heard the landlord talking to someone right outside my window about moving in. It was a girl talking to him about what she did for work and everything. I didn’t want to really hear it but it was so clear I could just hear it laying in my bed. So shortly after a man moves in. I hear the girl a few more times and that is all. Once they very loudly engaged in adult activities ☠️ . Then later that week she came over and they screamed at each other and yelled horribly until dawn when she left. I think she helped get him the apartment but he for sure made her angry somehow that night and she has not been around since. I hear him all the time now but it has become a serious problem. I have only waited 2 months to do something because I don’t want to be involved in whatever was happening and also I don’t usually complain about noise from my neighbors (until now I guess). I understand that living in close quarters like apartments next to each other that it is natural to hear some sounds since people are living there of course. I have heard plenty of fights in my time. I always just kept it in my mind that I didn’t really mind if they were loud (unless someone sounded like they may be getting hurt then of course I would call for help) if they didn’t mind if sometimes we may be loud (not on purpose). So I have never met this guy. Well shortly after he moved in he started screaming at the top of his lungs all night constantly. It will go on for hours. For example tonight he was been screaming for 6+ hours straight. He will also cuss and yell. He throws things and breaks things. It sounds like a horrible fight. Everyone can’t sleep and gets scared including the poor dog. Back after the first time it happened I went outside and found a note under my windshield wiper. It had been raining so it was kind of hard to read but in very scraggly handwriting (mines not great but this was difficult to read at all) he says he was sorry about the noise that he felt bad and his boss told him to get his act together. He said it was just mental illness. I did not pry. He asked me to forgive him for the noise. So I did. I just never wanted to overstep into someone’s life. He gave me his phone number on that note and asked I texted him. I didn’t want to text at that time and went back to my own things. So anyway two months later and it is still happening. It is not every night but it is common. I have tried to see if everything was alright but he just left me two notes in my mailbox asking me to let it go and saying sorry and to text him. Eventually I did text him just to ask if he was okay. He never did answer. I want to help fix this but I am not sure how. He has also sat besides my window (where the middle of the stairs are that go up to his apartment) and cried really loud. He has also talked to me through my window since it is close to my bed. He has said hello and asked how I am through my window too. The window is closed and I have blinds but he can see in through the sides of them a little where my bed is. I can just cover my window more. I guess I just kept trying to downplay it and not get him in trouble. I have no faith that cops would help. Sometimes a week or so would go by and nothing would happen. He screams for hours and cusses and makes the wildest noises. He fills his lungs with air and screams until his throat is raw and then some more. I have wanted to call the non emergency line to have them do a check up but I have done that before in my life and the cops only made things worse for them plus his notes seemed like he didn’t want me to take action. Tonight he was at it again. Screaming for 6 hours or so non stop just screeching. Things falling, him running down the stairs, crying by my window. This is clearly not going to get any better and I feel like I need to do something. I did tell the landlord and made sure to make it clear I did not want to be involved or get him into any trouble and that I was just worried about him but just wanted to make him aware if he knew of what to do. My landlord is another story so I don’t have a lot of faith in him. It is loud as though somehow is just in the other room screaming. I feel bad for letting it go this long but it was kind of a gradual progression at first. It is really scary, quite uncanny, and keeps us up all night. Has anyone ever experienced something like this and if so what did you do to find a solution? I don’t know if it is mental illness or my gf mentioned maybe drugs or whatever but it’s not really my business in the end but I could really use some help as this screaming is scary and getting out of hand. I have seen a lot of mental illness in my life but this involves a stranger instead of someone I know so I am unsure what to do about it. I just want to make sure things are okay and gonna continue to be okay without stepping over boundaries.
TLDR: neighbor has been screaming at the top of his lungs for 6+ hours a few nights a week and need advice hopefully without being involved or making his situation worse.

The morning after our victory, I led a small team of Paladins, Clerics, and Artificers, with Rogues outside of sight alongside us.
Well, it was more accurate to say that we took one of the military vehicles and carefully drove it over to the next city. The Artificers didn't strip entire cars bare on the street, they had to get it into a garage somehow.
This excursion was primarily exploratory, to see what we were dealing with at the end of our effective territory.
The blockade was a nice touch. We slowed to a stop, we got out, and we approached. When they raised their guns, I held my hand up, and we stopped.
"This is a formal request for a ceasefire." I stated, projecting my voice with the amplifier. "We will continue to approach, opening fire will signal to us that you do not value your lives."
We continued approaching, the guns still trained on us.
The person who came out to speak with us was more forced out, he clearly didn't want to be the one to talk to us.
"Am I to assume you speak with authority?" I asked. He looked at the other soldiers, he didn't have a clue. "Then I'll make this concise and brief. You will dismantle this blockade, you will retreat, and you will not prevent us from making contact with the neighboring city. Any attempts to prevent us from passing will result in your immediate capture, any attempts to harm us will result in your immediate death."
The standoff was tense, after a few moments, I began to count down. "Five."
I could see sweat beading down their faces.
"Four."
Eyes wide, terrified.
"Three."
They broke first, backing away, guns still trained on us.
"If your intention is to retreat, such that you can face us with a larger force, allow me to make one thing clear." I blasted their blockade apart, some of them screamed. "Your bullets are useless against us."
They ran, we cleared the blockade away, and we repeated this two more times.
Seeing the city after so long felt... overwhelming. I had completely forgotten how big it was. It was almost enough to not notice the checkpoint, and the fifty of so Humans who stood on the other side, guns pointed at us.
"I will allow one of you to shoot me." I said, walking toward them. "A freebie, use your highest caliber, try and hurt me."
The bullet that struck me ricocheted into a tree, The silence that fell was just as deafening as the report from the gun, they stared at me in utter shock, and then they all ran
Several Human civilians looked at the fleeing soldiers, then looked at us as we stepped out from our territory and into theirs.
"Oh, shit. That video was real." I heard someone say. "Look at that sick fuckin' armor." Another spoke. "Are they going to attack us?"
"Halt." I commanded, my troop stopped, the tension in the air was palpable.
"My name is Ruuk Stingtail." I spoke. "For the time being, I come in peace, and invite anyone who is curious to ask questions.After all, it has been a solid year and a half since we had any contact with anyone other than enemies and ourselves."
There was still tension, of course, but eventually someone did approach, cautiously, of course. "Yo, uh, can I touch you? You know, to make sure you're actually real and not some sort of weird animatronic?"
I reached my hand out and he touched it. "Whoa." He pulled his hand back.
Several Humans had pulled out their phones, they were already recording us. I quickly appraised the people around us, looking for anything we could exploit for our own uses. I noticed someone with their arm in a sling, it wasn't in a cast, but it was wrapped up.
"You there." I said, pointing at him. He pointed at himself. "Yes, come here."
He approached cautiously. "What happened to your arm?" I asked.
"I, uh, I tore a muscle." He said. "Doctor said I can't do much with it until it heals."
"Ruka." I said, looking at the Paladin of Bahamut. He walked closer. "Show us your injury, if you would."He did, there was the ugliest bruise I'd ever seen.
"Do you consent to having your injury healed?" I asked.
"What?" He asked, blinking.
"I'm offering to have your injury healed." I reiterated.
"Yeah, sure?"
Ruka gently laid his hands on the Human's arm. "O, holy Bahamut, heal this grievous wound and grant wholeness and wellness to his man, zyak qe coi."
The Paladin's hands radiated holy light, the bruise rapidly faded, and the Human stared at it, utterly awestruck. "Holy shit." He gasped. "I mean-"
"It is not taken as blasphemy." Ruka stated, holding his hand up.
"We are here-" I spoke, looking at everyone, "-to prove our existence beyond a single video. Circumstances demand that what we do isn't simply charity, but the means by which we can survive. For this, I am sorry, I recognize that in this way, I am using you." I paused, dredging up and wiping away tears. "Our people depend on this."
If we were to have any form of peace, any form of justification for war, we needed to be sympathetic. By taking prisoners, we made ourselves targets to any would-be vigilantes looking to serve their country.
By being up front about our intentions, we showed a quiet desperation, efforts made to foster peace, even though I had bared the fangs of war.
More Humans gathered, those who were sick or in pain, we provided healing. I told our story, of how we one day woke up like this, the struggles of finding ourselves in a situation where nothing was made for us, how when we were quarantined, we were forced to fend for ourselves. How when the mine collapsed, we worked together to save the trapped miners. How when we were blockaded so they could force us to die en masse, how we were blessed with miracles.
How, when we fully understood what our intended fate was, the people heard the wisdom of my Emperor and elevated me to the position of Imperator, and how I used my authority to direct our people to our first victory.
"I shall admit, taking those soldiers' lives brought us satisfaction." I said. "They had oppressed us, tried to eradicate us, we gave them every opportunity to choose peace, to choose life. I just can't understand how they couldn't see us as people who desperately wished for love and compassion."
I laid it on thick, and the Humans ate it up.
Before long, we had expended our spells, and I said, "We will try to return, presuming the military doesn't try to carpet bomb us into oblivion, our prisoners of war be damned. I pray your leaders see reason."
We returned to our commandeered vehicle, closing the checkpoint so nobody could get in, and we returned to the city.
We did this each day we could, speaking words of hope for peace, determination to protect ourselves as needed. As always, we provided healing to those who needed it, some people even came, desperate for relief from something incurable, to which we did the best we could. Throughout this, I spoke of things to come, a thriving city, as much a part of the world as anywhere else, a place where we could share the wonders of magic.
I was asked, "Why do you close the gate when you leave?"
I simply answered, "If you entered, they would force you to remain, even though we know anyone who remains Human under the Divine Gate remains Human." It was an embellishment, but it was more poetic and exotic.
Throughout all of this, the military watched us like a hawk, waiting for us to slip up and cause some damage.
Days turned to weeks turned into a month, and we had solidified our existence to the world. We turned the checkpoint into our border, our Rangers found that we were completely sealed in on all sides by fencing.
I declared it the territory of the Empire.
"All of the land that the U.S. government sealed off belongs to the Empire." I spoke. "By locking it behind fence and gate, they have declared it our border, and we shall agree to that sentiment."
It was such a tiny parcel of land, compared to the rest of the continent, but it could comfortably fit ten offshoot villages, each which could connect us to other cities.
Construction of the new border wall began shortly after, the fencing uprooted piece by piece, replaced by solid stone proudly displaying the anachronism our lives had become, and even though there had been no agreement to peace, the U.S. government was powerless to stop us.
The moment I had claimed the land, the moment it was known to be claimed, my Emperor had claimed it in turn. By the end of the week, we had a new border wall built, one that was staffed with Rangers, Druids, Fighters, and Artificers. One that was connected by tramways, simplifying travel.
And throughout this all, Darastrixthurhi was transformed from a lifeless rock, to a city teeming with plantlife.
My Emperor held me in his arms as we laid on our bed. Sharing a bed together had always been a highlight of his being with me, his willingness to hold me, to touch me, made it all better, made it all right.
"Our enemy stalls for time, while we win the hearts of their people." He mused. "I can hear them praying to me, wishing for strength, for power, and I pull on them, make their hearts yearn. Tomorrow, invite them to visit, to witness the splendors of our nation, to feast with us in the name of peace."
"As you wish, my Emperor." I spoke.
"Ruuk, I permit you to call me your love."
"As you wish, slaitov." I replied. "Shall there be a day when we show our subjects?"
"I shall announce it during our feast." He replied.
My heart thundered, it was so sudden, yet... "Thank you, slaitov."
"Soon to be husband, Imperator mine." He replied.
When I announced the feast, the Humans who wished to join us were ecstatic. I even extended the invitation to the military personnel. "Come as civilians, if you would." I said.
The preparations that went into the feast went underway, we had a good hunt and our efforts to preserve our food was going excellently. When the Humans arrived, they marveled at the tramways, the architecture of our housing, our magical wonders. Some even saluted me, though they said they simply wanted to give me the respect I deserved.
I ensured they had the grand tour of the town, but when we neared the wall into the Fortress City, I spoke solemnly, "Any further, and you risk your Humanity." I looked at them all. "I would interpret any such entry as a desire to join our Empire, and will expect a pledge of loyalty."
The look of longing in their eyes showed me that my warning was largely going to be ignored. Hell, a handful of Humans walked right in, transforming almost immediately.
"It reacts to a want to become a Kobold." I said. "Anyone who doesn't want to might have a better time of it."
While our new citizens were given some proper clothing, I led the rest of the Humans around.
"Why didn't you stop them?" One of the Humans, a female soldier, spoke.
"Why should I?" I asked. "I very clearly stated what would happen, they made the choice."
I showed them around the Artificery, magic items and what technology we were able to make was proudly on display. I noticed one of them palm a device and walked over to them, holding my hand out. "Do not think we are not paying attention." I said. There was a tense moment before she put it in my hand. "Besides, this is just a little hand fan." I flicked a switch, two paper and wood blades extended and began to spin. "You taking this would have left one of our prisoners without any form of air conditioning."
I put it back, they tried to hide the anger at my casual mention of prisoners.
"Are they being treated well?" The soldier asked.
"Yes." I said. "Due to the lack of wireless signal, we allow them their phones so they have something to occupy their time when we're not putting them out in the yard for exercise or giving them their ration."
"You're forcing them to eat rations?" She asked.
"We all eat rations." I replied. "Feasts like this are for when we have a surplus that we can't guarantee to keep." I smirked. "That being said, as we are smaller, we need less to eat than the average Human."
I didn't pretend any of that was meant to be reassuring. "The prisoners will be joining us for the feast." I said. The incredulous looks I got elicited a chuckle from me. "If you think I'm being bold or flippant, we have them fitted with enchanted collars that will choke them if they attempt to flee. They are cursed, you see, and can only be removed with magic."
"That's fucked up." Another soldier stated.
"Inhumane, actually." I corrected. "But it's the only thing we have available that won't accidentally kill them. The worst that will happen is they'll pass out, a passive regeneration effect will keep them alive."
"Have you... tested these collars?" A third soldier asked.
"We have a small group of Sorcerers in the Warren who tried to summon a Demon for power." I said. "They have tested the collars every now and again, usually by fucking around and finding out." We approached the area where the feast was being held, food was already being set up, the prisoners were already seated, their eyes widened when they saw their fellow soldiers.
"You won't get away with this." The female soldier growled.
"Funny, that's what we said when we were locked in here." I replied. "They are fed, given water, are clothed, and are provided shelter. That's far more than we were ever given."
I directed them to their table, and soon, everyone was sat, except for my Council, and my Emperor. They arrived shortly after every one was seated, each took their seats. I sat beside my Emperor's seat.
I noted that same female soldier was attempting to film us surreptitiously.
"Today, we are gathered to welcome our Human guests, those who have seen us as people, rather than monsters." My Emperor spoke. "The establishment of my Empire was always a dream, to bring back a glory lost to time, to honor the thousands who died during the first Dragon Rage, to honor those who were murdered by my long-standing enemy." He looked around. "It had always been me desire to hunt down every last one of his children, to eradicate them, it was my Imperator who entreated me to choose compromise."
He paused, taking up a cup. "These Humans are here because my Imperator has likewise chosen compromise, to cast aside the hatred that has grown in his heart, for the sake of our peace and prosperity. Enough lives have been lost, let the first year of our Empire not be drenched in blood, that in peace and prosperity, our greatness is acknowledged, whether grudgingly, or emphatically. To my Imperator, without whom this victory would have never been manifest."
Every Kobold raised their cups, including our new citizens.
"And to our guests, who have agreed to come here in peace. May their wisdom be echoed by their leaders."
The cups were raised again.
"Now enough talk, let us feast!"
The Human frowned, putting their phone away. It was clear she didn't get what she wanted from that. After everyone polished off their plates, the people began dancing as our musicians displayed their newly awakened Bard Class- it seemed not simply playing or doing well at the arts was enough, one needed confidence and a desire to entertain.
Our guests were allowed to mingle and enjoy themselves, though the prisoners were kept under guard, any Soldiers who wished to speak to them would have to live with the fact that they would be listened in on, and considering the guards could use the spell Comprehend Languages, well, they wouldn't be able to hide beneath a foreign language.
"So, you're the leader of this little group." I regarded the Human who approached me, that same soldier who seemed bound and determined to catch us with our pants down.
"Yes." I said. "Your attempt at catching us with your recording won't work, you know." She betrayed surprise. "One, any idiot would know not to say anything incriminating at a party their enemies are invited to. Two, anyone stupid enough to do so wouldn't even make it as far as we did."
"Indeed." She said. "What was this about compromise?"
"Exactly as it sounds." I replied. "My God, Kurtulmak, has nurtured a well-earned hatred of Gnomes, considering their God committed near genocide against us. Imprisoned against his will, for the crime of wanting justice... When the victors write the history books, they will do everything in their power to make those who are suffering injustice out to be the bad guys."
"And what will your history books say?" She asked.
"That depends on your leaders' answer, Miss..?"
"Martel." She said. "Corporal Martel."
I had completely put it out of my mind, after all, we got our vengeance on the soldiers who tried to have us massacred by a God.
"So." I said. "The one who set Garl Glittergold against us shows her face." I remarked. Her eyes widened. "Why were you, of all people, not present that day, when we marched on your encampment?"
"I was called away on duty-" She started.
"Bullshit." I said. "You fled, didn't you? You ran from your fellow soldiers like the coward you are, you left them to die."
Arcane energy crackled across my body, and I had to hold back from blasting her apart. "Leave." I hissed. "This day of peace is not for cowards and traitors."
She backed away, clearly terrified. I couldn't hold back the anger any more, but I wasn't going to let her be a casualty yet. I aimed my spell at the metal pole, the Witch Bolt striking it. "I said LEAVE!" I roared. "IF YOU EVER DARE TO RETURN HERE, I WILL END YOUR MISERABLE, PATHETIC, COWARDLY LIFE!"
She fled, I did not care that several eyes were on me, if there was one thing I hated more than Humans, it was self-serving cowards like her.
I felt my God's touch on my shoulder, his presence soothed the rage, granted me the clarity of mind I needed to function. I cast my gaze toward the rest of the soldiers, who looked like they were mice caught in a trap. I approached them.
"You may leave, if you wish." I stated. "My anger at her is not anger at you."
"What the fuck did Tiana do, that pissed you off so much?" One of the soldiers asked.
"That woman was the one who called down a God to kill us." I stated. "The fact that she is present at all means she abandoned her post and left her fellow soldiers to die." My lip curled into a snarl. "The only thing I hate worse than anything, is a coward and a traitor, and that woman, Tiana Martel, is both."
I sensed a jolt of shock from my Emperor, I looked at him.
"Ruuk." He said. "Say that name again."
"Tiana Martel." I replied.
My Emperor about faced and roared, "Paladins of Bahamut, after that woman! Move!"
The Paladins gave chase, our Emperor did not order them around, out of respect for his pact with Bahamut.
"My Emperor, do you really want to risk any peace we could gain, chasing after one woman?" I asked.
"Ruuk." He said. "What are the chances that a single woman who can call down a God, who has knowledge of us that can be exploited, is suddenly not present when we finally make a counter attack? By our pact, your eyes are my eyes, and she has tried to cause problems the entire time she has been here."
He paused. "Tiana Mahtel, that's how she pronounced it, yes?"
I blinked.
"Wait, that woman is Tiamat?" I asked.
As if in answer, there was a roar, and in the distance, a dragon reared up, one bearing five heads of different colors.
​
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Hello,
Its a long text of wall, I am sorry for this, but somehow,
I am ashamed of my situation, that I let myself in like this. I want to be as honest as I can, and hopefully someone will understand my struggle and my situation, because I feel pretty alone,unloved and left alone to rott somehow...
​
I have this relationship with a girl from abroad for now almost a year, she is from indonesia, we met through dating website, and pretty fast she confessed her love to me, which overwhelmed me, and i felt very uncomfortable, but she was the first girl that was flirty with me, that gave me the feeling she wants me and not only for the reason i am a foreigner.. Not only that, but also she was so increadibly beautifull, no joke. My eyes got attached to her, and we startet chatting... the first red flag, i ignored, because from my last toxic relationship, i have learned about myself that i can be a catalyst, and i am aware of my short moodswings(i have ADHD, and struggled with that not being aware of myself), so I kinda thought, okay maybe i was just not very kind or something?
The situation was, after 3-4 days of talking to her daily, i was mentioning her thati am not her boyfriend yet, i dont know exact reason why i have said that, but her mood switched instantly, and she was cold, not talking anymore and visibly upset... The next day i wanted to discuss this, and kinda yea blamed myself for her reaction and asked her to be my girlfriend, which she agreed too. At this point I already heard from her, she never had a boyfriend or relationship before..(She was 25 at this point) Which is not a rare statement...
More and more situations like these happened, her temper, I always blamed myself, took the stress, but never yelled or snapped, tried calling her trying to comfort her... at a point, stupid me... I asked just for "fun" if she want to have the number of my ex(I have also a daughter with her), which she said, yes. And i have told her, that this was just a joke"i could not shut my mouth, i regret that so much)... and i gave her the number, i warned her my ex is not an honest person and i am single for a reason..I told her not to contact her, which she stated, i will, but everything she tells me wont have an effect...
I havent had much contact with my ex, and since i was with my new girlfriend now, i wanted to be loyal as possible, since i had a daughter with my ex, it was kinda obvious at a certain point i had to talk with her(the kid lives with me). Fast forward, within a few weeks i got a unrest in my belly, and i kindly asked her to give me a whatsapp screenshot of her recent chats, i wanted to feel okay, i asked her about this because she suddenly wrote to me "dont chat any girls" and as far as i know, i did not... so why would she asked like that.. i said to her, you too, dont chat with boys. Aaaand she gave me the screenshot, bingo, she chattet with a man, flirty(he replied pretty dry), one sentence kinda hurt me the most, she wrote him after he asked, "what are you doing" she replied, "chatting with you 😊" ... she was chatting with me at the same time.
This was the first time, i lost hope with her, but unfortunatley, i was emotionally attached to her already, she told me "its just a friend" ob boy, i cant heat that nonsense... i was devastated, i did nothing, i was loyal, why could she do this to me? I yelled at her, lost my temper... the next day i told her how much i suffer from seeing this, she kinda turned it off, its just a friend, sorry... And i think, when she betray me why she not delete the chat before she sent me it? And i though, okay, calm down, maybe its really just like that.... Later (6 month) she revaled she startet chatting with him, because my ex told her i had a relationship with her and she thought i am unloyal to her.(which i was not at the time)
But the situation at this point, i lost trust in her, i could not trust her anymore, when she said to me over the peroid of 2-3 days "dont chat with other girls" i got so suspicious.... and now i saw this, it prooved what i was scared of, that i found someone again who is not loyal.
​
6 weeks into the relationship i decided to visit her in indonesia, i have never been there, until that moment we had almost fight on a daily base for small things, wrong questions or whatsoever... but i thought, when i see her, i will know what person she really is, maybe its justa huge missunderstanding .
​
So i arrived with my daughter at the airport, suprise, the girl is not there, she has a reason the next day she will have an exam(which is not a lie) and will be interviewed by some people and she needed to prepare for that. Atleast thats what she said. (Later she revealed, she did not want to pick me up at the airport, because her friends wanted to join and she felt jealous).. So i was there, alone in the hot sun of indonesia, felt lost and left alone, unworthy, and kinda realise what big mistake i do, someone who i thought loves me, left me alone in a country where i never been too, i contacted her, and ofcource i complained... she asked the hotel staff from the hotel to pick me up, which he did, so yea, i kinda felt atleast she cared, somehow.
​
the next day, i was in the hotel, i havent showered or eaten yet, only my daughter. She was pretty happy, she loves to jump on beds, so yea, i felt atleast a bit relief that this wasnt a total faulure yet to go there after such a short amount of time.
​
She said she will visit me after work, which is 16, with driving or traffic problems arround 18 then.. I havent talked to her, because i wanted to wait, guess who could not be reached for hours, at 18, she turned on her phone, said she is on the way, there was an accident on the road, and they will drive a detour... (Later she revealed, that she lied, the story about this isnt very compleeted, just recently she added more details, but yea)
​
Anyway she arrived at 21:00 on the hotel, and i was in a state between is she playing with me and excitement to see her. I knew she was lying, i had checking up google maps, no way the driving was arround 4-5 hours... So after our heartfull greeting, we where hugging and kissing but somehow these unrest within me, that she might not be serious, so i asked her, did you really drive 4-5 hours? She said yes, there was traffic accident... i knew she was lying, and i asked her, to be honest to me, which she said, she is honest. (At that time i took that very serious, because i dont want to hear any stories, which are false, i am pretty sensitive and could not trust her so easily after she not there at the airport and the previous situation with the chatting boy)
​
And i made my decision, i asked her to go away, i was just devastated that she lied to me, she startet crying and tried to call with her godmom, its already 3am, and i did not really realised about her situation, after i calmed down, i approached her and said sorry, and we went to bed(she stayed with me) We had no issue so far for the next 2-3 days. After 5 days(the peroid of the hotel booked) i needed to find a new hotel, we, before i went to indonesia agreed that i could stay with her, in her arpartment... Turns out, its not the case, so yea, i booked a hotel for me and her, which she visited me, its very close to her work, so everything was kinda fine, but we argued alot, almost everyday until this point...
​
And my behaviour was more and more like a brute, i was starting to yell at her when she really dared to pick up a fight again, i could not calm myself, her little things really hurt me, for instance, she asked me to kiss her for 10 minutes, which i refused, and i kissed her for 30 seconds, which was not what she wanted, and she went mad, pointed a google maps route on her phone without saying anything, packed her stuff let the phone on the bed so i can see it, and after she almost done packing, i asked her whast this about... Yup she was about to leave... Small things like this, elevated our sitation always, from small things like these we went up to risk everything, neither she or me wanted to budge and not try to calm down the other person, int he end it was me who calmed first and tried to make the situation less toxic.
​
Now to the initial situation almost 10 month later... I am sitting here writing this, my ex almost talked oto her and spread lies about me on a weekly base, she believe the most things, and this makes me so broken, i have suicidal thoughts, i hurt myself pretty bad, i have scard on my body(which i never had before!) and she uses everything against me what she can in a "fight" she never approaches ne, never feels guilty, never see's her attiture and her cold behaviour, at this point she knows already i am the weak one here in this relationship, i am the one who will always come back, regardless what she does, at this point she states almost everymonth she want to chat with somerone else(turned out she did that a few times) and also mentioned at some point she wanted to have intercourse with another man.
​
Besides my mistakes, and yes i really did a few huge things, like i asked my ex, after the first time i saw her chat with another man, i got so sus, that i asked her to translate(my ex also from that country......but living here in my country) and she assure me "hey this girl is nice to you, you need to go with her, she is good for our daughter) so i felt comfortable getting informations and solutions about this what i do, yea she confirmed my relationship with my new girlfriend, and kinda felt supportive... I fell into a deep trap, behind my back she told my currentl girlfriend "he is horrible, dont be with him etc etc etc"
​
i havent clearly understood everything between those two, neither my ex or my current girlfriend are very open and only reveal a bit by a bit, ofcourse my current girlfriend is super jealous and angry... somehow i cant break this relation, i know myself, the red flags are everywhere, even on my side, i had done a huge mistake and other things which i havent mentioned... but until this day everything i do, she uses against me, a small word, and i end up crying in agony and pain. she hangs up the phone so easily, like i mean nothing to her when she is upset, she can throw me away like garbage when she is about to be angry...
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i dont understand, when she states she loves me? how can she constantly disrespecting me and treating me like this.... I really need to get out of this, i dont know how, i am alone and isolated, i have a few friends which they clearly stated at some point, "you dont want to listen, please dont bother anymore with that"
​
the emotionally attachment makes me crazy, i dont want to feel, i want to be cold and careless, i want to have my peace, how??

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Hi everyone,
I have been getting what I suspect is a scam calling me almost everyday for the past 2 weeks.
It all started when I answered the phone to a displayed number but I didn’t know who it was. I answered the phone saying my name and asking who it was. I kept saying “hello?” into the phone for about 10 seconds before getting hung up on. Nobody on the other call replied for the entire call.
Since then, I have been getting a call at least once a day from a random number. When I call back it comes up with an automated messaged saying that they are a company calling on behalf of a charity and they will endeavour to call me back again. I will block the number but the next day, same thing. With an entire new number.
Blocking doesn’t seem to do anything because they just use an entire new number and I’m not sure what they are doing or what the purpose is of calling me everyday is? If anyone could shed some knowledge on this it would be appreciated. And possibly how to get them to stop? Thank you.

I (23f) have been dating my current boyfriend(20m) for about a year now. We started dating last year in July. Long post. Before I met my current boyfriend, let’s call him Andy, I used to do only fans it was a way for me to make money during covid but eventually I stopped doing it, I deleted my OF account about a year before Andy & I met but was still selling content to one or two clients who I had formed a friendship with. When Andy & I started getting serious I decided that I would stop selling content & just find a normal job because I could tell he was the type of guy who wasn’t too keen on it from prior conversations we had, so I never actually told him that I sell content. I had told my clients that I would be finishing soon & would do it one more time as like a “ closing down sale “They all agreed & bought one last round of content, I planned to completely stop and then tell Andy about what I used it, that obviously didn’t happen .. after a night out drinking I had left my phone unlocked on my bed & Andy proceeded to go through it, he saw the chats between me & a client & he took it as I was cheating on him & I was still sleeping with other guys, I explained the whole thing to him but I could see he was really hurt by it & didn’t really understand, keep in mind at this point we had only been dating for about 2 weeks maybe 3. I kept trying to tell him that it was just a job & I never meant for him to find out this way I could see how much it was affecting him so I tried everything in my power to try & gain his trust back & to try to fix the situation. I do realise I was wrong in this situation and it was up to me to try fix it, and that's what I thought I did. I have never really liked how he acts on social media and that was always something at the beginning of our relationship .. in about September we were laying in bed and he kept getting messages on Snapchat, I left it for about an hour of Andy and this Snapchat person talking till eventually I asked him whos he's talking to so much. He then said it was just some random girl on Snapchat that thinks he's cute and wanted to talk to him, I had a problem with this and asked him what the fuck? and how does he think that's okay? he said he's not flirting back with her so what's the big deal.. this turned into a huge fight and for the first time he threw the fact that I used to do only fans in my face. I knew it was bound to happen to I accepted it but still explained to him that I'm not okay with him talking to girls who are actively flirting with him especially if he's not going to tell them he has a girlfriend once again I thought we had resolved this issue. I then started to notice that he would like a lot of girls' posts and would comment under a lot of their posts commenting on their bodies and how they look. I again spoke to him about this and again he blamed him for doing it on the fact that I used to do only fans and again I just took it and tried to understand. I thought he and I were good until Jan of this year when I found out that he was talking to a lot of other girls as well as flirting with them and letting them flirt with him and was sending them topless photos of himself all the time as well as asking other creators if he can buy nudes from them. I was devastated when I found out and when I confronted him about it he again blamed me and the fact that I used to do only fans, at this point I had enough and told him he needs to stop blaming me for all the shitty things he does, I know I did a messed up thing by not telling him but he can't keep blaming me. This broke a lot of my trust in him as I had thought we had worked through those issues and had moved past them but clearly, we hadn't. He had been doing all of this all from September to November but I only found out in Jan. I had told him that he had broken my trust and that I would need some time to process all of it, and he promised me he would change & he realised how immature he was being. Over the next couple of months after Jan things seemed to be getting better but I did struggle to trust him which was causing even more issues between us but we were both determined to stay & make it work, I had full access to his phone and his socials and he had full access to mine... I thought we were doing fine until about 2 months ago when he had gotten a girl's number & saved it under a guys name, I asked him about it and at first he lied to me & said it was the girl's boyfriend's number then eventually told me it's actually her number that she was an old school friend but he just didn't want to to find out that he had gotten a girls number ( he had deleted all the girls off his phone a few months prior as a way to prove to me that he's serious about us, I didn't ask him to do this, he did it then told me about it afterwards )I was pissed, to say the least, now yes I'm crazy but I'm not completely crazy where I don't want him to talk to other girls. I just want him to be respectful of our relationship while talking to them, i was pissed about the fact that he lied straight to my face about it & again it turned into a fight about the fact that he did it because I don't trust him so he thought it would be better to just hide it from me. At this point, I was pretty over our relationship & over always being on edge because of him... We were in such a bad space I honestly didn't think we were going to last but we did & we spoke about it & things started getting better...
I recently found another girl that he had asked to buy nudes from on Snapchat in October and again I was pretty hurt, I brought this up to him & he said he doesn't understand why I'm so upset about it if it happened last year & we've already fought about it a few times, I explained to him that yes it happened long ago & yes we have fought about it but every time I find a new person he tried to get nudes from or that he flirted with it still hurts just the same, it's a thing of while I thought we were happy & in love, he was flirting with other girls.
Now we have spoken about this & i asked him why he did it so much & so often and he said he's never been in a serious relationship and he's always used to be having a backup girl if the relationship he's in doesn't work out but with me he doesn't have one & doesn't want one and it used to scare him so that's why he did it but as our relationship has grown he's realised he doesn't want a back up and I'm all he wants & that for a long time he struggled with the fact that I did onlyfans but that now he truly is over it & that he really struggled with the lifestyle I used to live ,I used to go out every weekend & I had a lot of male friends who have absolutely no respect for my relationship so In the beginning of our relationship Andy would always see my guy friends as his competition & as a threat so he saw it as he needs to have all these girls just incase I leave him for one of my friends ( I cut all my guy friends off pretty early on in our relationship but would still see them whenever we went out which also stopped being as frequent as we started getting more serious )
After everything that has happened, I don’t see Andy the same way I did... I don’t feel the same love for him as I did.. don’t get me wrong I still love him with my whole heart it just feels different... it feels tainted now... I feel like I can’t be as open & happy with him as I once was after him hurting me so badly.. & now I do understand that I messed up in the beginning but I tried to fix it.. he just used it as cover to do whatever he wanted... I’m now at a point where I don’t know if I want to be with him or not anymore , I do love him but I just don’t feel the same... I get annoyed with him so easily now, I prefer it when he’s at work because then I don’t have to be around him much... I have thought maybe he & I should go To counselling to try to overcome all of this but is that even worth it? He seems fine with me & still wants this relationship & recently has been putting in a lot more effort than he ever has before but I just don’t know if it’s too late & my heart has already moved on from him...
Please give me advice! I am very much in two minds about what to do because in every other aspect he is amazing, he's caring & calm with me and is patient with me when it comes to my mental health, my family loves him and he's amazing to my animals.. So for the most part is great I just don't know if the bad outweighs the good anymore

(I welcome honest opinions but please be kind about it, this is a hard situation for me and feeling sensitive about it because I love her so much and trying to approach this in the most balanced way possible, but I’m also trying to respect my own boundaries)
Background: My MOH is a long time childhood friend, her and her family are basically family. My first impression of her boyfriend, the first time she ever talked about him to me, was when he already fucked her over (she barely told anyone about him in the beginning because she was embarrassed that they wouldn’t like him and some other reason I forgot….), he was immature, ghosted her, left her for his ex even though he told her his ex gf was crazy...etc etc. I was there for her through that, helping her process and holding space for her.
Time goes on and she stops talking to me about him so I assumed she's moved past it, but eventually (she never told me but I heard from her sister) she’s starts talking to him again. (Her sister has told me that he’s pulled more bullshit on and off throughout that time as well). I thought, well if she is ready to talk to me about him then she will tell me how things are. She never really does.
And so I make my guest list for my wedding and I didn’t give her a plus one because I literally didn’t even think she had a bf. (She’s going with her whole family to my wedding and knows many others there).
Fast forward this past month, about a month before my rsvp deadline, she starts slowly referring to him as her bf casually. I don’t say much or ask questions. Fast forward to 4 days after the rsvp deadline (but 3 days before I have to give my final number to my caterer), she asks if she can bring him.
I have a strong bodily reaction to it when she asked. I realize that he triggers me. I’ve been in past toxic relationships that remind me of the shit that guy has pulled. And I may be extremely biased, but during a 2 day road trip I had with her recently, he called her soooo many times (and my MOH’s mom told me the same thing happened to her when her mom traveled to visit my MOH from out of state, her mom had to keep telling her to get off the phone)…and to me, that’s a sign of unhealthy attachment at best, or at worst, keeping tabs/controlling behavior. And that shit triggers me because, again, I’ve been in that kind of relationship many years ago. (I have met him once over FaceTime for like 10 seconds, and it felt overly friendly disingenuous/fake or trying too hard to the point where I felt awkward and had a hard time connecting with him, but again, it could be my bias)
I plan to talk to her soon and be honest with how I feel about it, and that I do want to get to know him and work through my triggers of him (because she said during our road trip he is improving and putting in effort, etc etc but it's hard for me to believe right away) but I don’t want to have to work through my triggers and get to know him AT my wedding.
I feel bad because I love her and she puts in effort to be a helpful MOH and she’s already upset that her mom doesn’t like her bf and me not wanting him there will probably make her feel worse. I just don’t want that energy or that reminder of those triggers at my wedding. I'm seeing my partner and I's wedding day as something sacred and there's certain energies I do not want there. I know my friend will be hurt but will generally respect my decision...but am I being rude for not inviting him?

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Nalah affixed the massive shield to her back, the rectangular form large enough for him to fit behind while only needing to crouch slightly. It was mostly ironwood, but the sides and front were metal-plated, so it still weighed a considerable amount. Despite that, the thing’s bulk hardly seemed to be noticed by the blonde-furred female, likely due to the constant construction work she involved herself in. It paired oddly with the long pike she insisted on using, but he couldn’t deny that poking at things while hiding behind a mobile wall sounded like a good idea.
Jax was wearing his new armour, the bulky chest-piece a mirror of his blond-furred pack mate’s. Though he forwent the protection a buckler or likewise would offer, he doubled up on gear. Gauntlets, vambraces, pauldrons, and anything else he could wear to compliment the massive axe he had taken a liking to.
Where Nalah was fitted to look like an apocalypse survivor—her protections limited to her torso, forearms, and shield—the black-furred male resembled a giant, if underfunded, paladin. All he needed now was some religious imagery and a penchant for exalting the qualities of their god. Joseph almost nudged the guy to suggest it for kicks.
On second thought, he decided that Jax absolutely did not need a reason to start yelling about the Human-turned-religious-figure, because there was no way in hell he wouldn’t. There was no telling what he would choose to say, and the Grand Hunter was perfectly happy never knowing.
Having been with the male as long as he had, it would probably involve ‘taming’ females or something else that would leave him groaning for weeks, if not just contemplating another high-dive from the cliff.
Joseph fixed his own equipment, the ‘Wraith armour’ worn over his own thin iron breastplate. He wasn’t thrilled to wear the extra weight, but it beat being mauled by the thing they were heading out to kill. The trips so far had been tolerable, fog and overcast skies keeping the temperature in check, but he didn’t want to go out in this on a hotter day as Summer really kicked back in. He was sweaty enough without baking inside all this crap.
He adjusted the wolf-skull mask, the rest of the hunting party having gotten over the worst of the unease it gave them. Though they’d needed to rotate people out for the sake of fairness, this would be their eighth consecutive scouting. Using the information that Raine and Faye provided, they narrowed down a likely stomping grounds for the creature and were systematically clearing sectors. It might have been discouraging to keep looking after so long, but the occasional marking on trees and the odd moss-wolf corpse tipped them off that they were getting close. There was still another week’s worth of searching left if today wasn’t the day, but somehow he doubted they wouldn’t need that long.
All in all, they numbered six; larger parties were attempted, but their efforts at stealth quickly became pointless between so many trudging through the forest and stopping for breaks. There was a bit of a scare where one of Mi’low’s pack went missing, but the guy had just stopped to relieve himself. Since the discovery was made by someone else knocking him over in the process by mistake, they decided that keeping the number smaller made communication easier. And lowered the amount of grumbling about needing a bath.
Jax, Nalah, two security members, one of the hunters, and him. Sure, grabbing Tel or the Wraiths would have been a bit more useful for cohesion, but they were all busy with things, and he didn’t want to grind everything in the settlement to a halt for nothing if the search turned up empty again. They were more suited to taking out their fellow Lilhun than some monster in the woods, as much as he disliked the thought.
Scarlet was spending a lot of time with Violet and the new Atmo, Faye was spending much of her recovery with the moss-wolves and moss-pup, and Tel was in the process of helping Harrow shore up the few security members that were slated to become snipers. Kaslin was still learning chemistry with Toril, and Raine was helping whoever needed a hand, so that marked off all of his usual accompaniment. He could have taken more of his direct pack, but they all had important things to take care of as well.
Sahari was managing the pack and putting people where people needed to be put, Pan was working with Idee and Heralt to make a line of armour for the whole pack, and Mi’low was...well, Mi’low. He was pretty sure she was unofficially the master of the hunter’s lodge and spent most of her time keeping track of what came in and out of it, while also making sure that everyone got their fair share. It needed to be done with the settlement growing as much as it had, and it kept Mi’low busy enough to stymie the flow of complaints, so he wasn’t about to complain.
They double checked that they had everything that was needed; food, water, arrows, bolts, and some bags to store anything that the snares had caught on the way back. Four ranged and two melee weapons meant that they would be mostly using Jax and Nalah to soak hits if it came down to it, the others peppering it with projectiles. Given that Harrow was insistent on the bear-thing being resistant to anything they could use at a distance, they also carried spare weapons for the ranged users, just in case. Nodding, Joseph gestured to the group finishing up their preparations for the day’s trip.
“A moment, sir?” Scarlet called to him as she approached the gate, the Wraith flanked by Rose and Cobalt. The two Atmo were decked-out in their own armour, which appeared to be almost entirely metal, save for the palm lining the inside for comfort. Each of their six legs were adorned with broad shields, their bases capped off with a flat storage carriage. They looked like someone had a little too much fun testing how much the insects could effortlessly carry and had ended up with sapient hexapedal tanks.
“Only if you explain why those two would look more at home if they had cannons installed on their backs,” he quipped, an expression somewhere between surprised, amused, and plain dumbfounded plastered on his face. The blackish red-furred female smirked for a split-second before resuming her usual servile presentation.
“The young mistress had extended her request for these two to accompany you.”
Joseph tilted his head incredulously. “Violet told you to send them?”
Scarlet nodded, gesturing to the outfitted Atmo. “They have been under her tutelage for some time now, and wish to be of assistance.”
The Grand Hunter snapped his mouth closed when he was about to ask why his daughter would teach them anything that might be useful for fighting a deadly beast. Of course she did; It was one of the first things he did for her. It would have been weirder for her not to pass on what she knew after all the hours she spent either seeing him coach the others, or being coached herself. With the time she had under her belt, she was the local Atmo Close Quarters Combat specialist, and no one else understood how the modified boxing she learned worked with their bodies like she did.
He wore a hesitant expression, shifting his weight to his other leg. “Well, they’ve certainly geared up.”
“It is a product our smith is rather proud of,” the Wraith affirmed confidently.
He exhaled slowly. “Seems a bit much.”
She seemed to be expecting the remark, barely pausing to register what he said before responding. “Your kit wishes you safe, yet understands you would not allow her to accompany you. These two wish to be of assistance.”
To punctuate her point, the two nodded in agreement, walking forward and slinging some of the backpacks onto their carriages. It seemed ‘no’ wasn’t something they were going to accept after Violet had said her piece. He sighed, conceding that they wouldn’t slow the party down with everyone carrying so much weight in equipment, regardless of the bags. They took breaks frequently enough to accommodate the Atmo, so that wouldn’t hinder anything either.
“Fine,” he relented with a wave of his hand. “We’ll take them. Not like they’d hurt anyway. But–” He put a warning into his tone. “–they’re not playing the hero and getting themselves killed. This isn’t going to work if they think any of us dying is still a net positive, got it?”
The two Atmo mimed their understanding, Scarlet replying with a victorious smile. Joseph couldn’t help but bemusedly roll his eyes. The female had taken rather well to baby-sitting, and that seems to have extended to humouring the young Queen’s schemes now. It wasn’t an unwelcome addition to their little sojourn. At least they could haul back any larger game without it tacking hours onto the return trip.
He thanked Scarlet for her trouble before dismissing her, confirming with the group that everything was accounted for, and set off before it grew too late. He wasn’t looking to get caught out in the woods during the night. The Lilhuns might be fine, but he was pretty well blind unless the moon felt generous.
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Jax watched the two Atmo quietly follow on the sides of the group, their heavily armoured forms posing no issues with their naturally soundless movements in the forest. In the den, they would make moderate clacks and clicks as their chitinous legs contacted the ground, but the soft dirt and foliage stifled all but the smallest report of their travel. With Scarlet supervising alongside Violet, he wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the former Blade had influenced their movement with the goal in mind, though he had never paid much attention to how they walked before to compare.
He had to admit, having them carry the additional equipment was exceedingly useful. He had proposed having the group use the newly acquired platforms on their more arachnid-like abdomen to rest in shifts, but Joseph was quick to insist that the insects were of lesser stamina than even Lilhuns. The phrasing seemed like a comparative insult, but Jax had more than enough experience with the Human to know that he had simply spoken his mind. To him, everyone had sub-par stamina. Training had gone some way to remedy the discrepancy, but the Grand Hunter could still continue for longer than even the most well-conditioned of them.
The black-furred male rolled his shoulders, feeling the heft of his axe shift with the movement. It was an impressive size, the weight well-balanced and its edge sharp. He had once laid it to the ground out of curiosity and confirmed that it was about as tall as Pan from head to haft, though only if she stood to her full height. Regardless of its size, it was still lighter than the armour he chose to don.
Having only really worn leathers or a few sets of ironwood protections, the encumbering prominence of the iron equipment took getting used to. It wasn’t entirely restrictive, but did put a damper on any chances he had of sprinting from danger. That was fine, he supposed, since he was wearing it against a beast he had no experience with. It could very well outrun him regardless, and he would rather have the defences in either case.
Nalah seemed to be doing fine, the large barrier she kept on her back swaying slightly as she walked. She was unhindered by it, her movements barely affected by the bulk, which was reassuring. Joseph, however, seemed to be panting more than usual, the rolling cloud coverage easing as the sun progressively warmed the environment. The fog from earlier meant that it was rather humid, and that seemed to bore no well wishes for the male encased in dark leathers and thick plates. He had even flipped down his hood, the sweat beading on his skin adding a sheen to his visage.
“I liked this better when the sun didn’t exist,” the Human lamented quietly, just loud enough for Jax to hear. The black-furred male chuckled.
“It would be rather dark.”
Joseph glared at him for a moment before rolling his eyes. “I just don’t rank ‘heavily armoured hike through the woods’ high up on my list of things I want to do regularly.”
“I believe that list would be occupied by your mates, no?” he ribbed playfully, a smirk arising when the Grand Hunter shunted his eyes closed in a grimace.
“I hate you.”
“I can see your smile underneath your displeasure, Joseph,” Jax quipped, nudging the male with his elbow, then giving an apologetic smile when his friend almost fell. Joseph sighed, waving Cobalt over and fetching a water-skin from the luggage that the insect was ferrying without breaking stride—though he needed to be careful not to get stepped on.
The Atmo always amused Jax. Be it their passive demeanour hidden by their towering stature, or his interactions with the den-kit, they never failed to be curious people. Having the two that accompanied Volta with them was an unexpected development, but he couldn’t claim to disapprove. If they had been imparted the methods of combat that Violet had cultivated, then there was little worry of them being harmed by naught but perhaps their current target. At least not until there was a better reference of its strength than the single encounter the first-years had so long ago.
At the time, it had smashed pillars and pierced flesh effortlessly, claws proving to be little more than tempting ministrations of tender touch to the thick hide. Jax only had some of the pack’s recount to base the experience off of, but was content to take their word for it. He was, ashamedly, preoccupied taking care of baser needs when the event transpired, so he was woefully unprepared for the eventual encounter. Still, he was afforded the best the settlement had to offer so that he might serve his duty of protecting the Grand Hunter. Harrow would never forgive him if only he returned.
His thoughts were disturbed by Joseph calling for a rest, Jax’s legs thankful for the break from supporting the unusual weight for so long. The Human dispensed rations and water for the pack, the Atmo waiting until everyone else was supplied before accepting their portion. They rested on their base directly, instead of curling their legs beneath them like Jax had become accustomed. Perhaps the armour impeded such, or they wished to remain mobile in the event such was required. Regardless, they blocked what little breeze there was, forcing the Grand Hunter to walk beyond them to enjoy it in the shade. It was short-lived however, as Rose quickly repositioned to stay between the pack and whatever lay beyond their protections.
It was a futile effort, it seemed, because it repeated again twice before Joseph groaned loudly and threw himself atop the carriage to lay back, his legs dangling at the knee. He seemed perfectly content with the unorthodox arrangement, snorting his amusement along with a muttered comment about a ‘taxi.’
The entertaining sight was marred by a distant yelp, snapping the group to attention. Jax and Joseph traded looks, subtle nods and gestures given to move out while remaining quiet. Ignoring his earlier complaints, the Grand Hunter flicked his hood up and donned the mask, drawing his crossbow and readying a bolt. The hunter of the pack mimicked the preparation, the two security members loosely nocking their arrows while Rose, Cobalt, Jax, and Nalah took point.
They proceeded quietly for far longer than the proximity of the noise would have suggested, but marks and gashes upon the trees implied a moving conflict. Thoughts of it being a lost cause quickly became moot as a closer growl and bark shattered the careful silence they had been maintaining.
Motioning for the pack to stop, Joseph waved Jax forward, Nalah approaching the other side. Using the large shield as additional cover, they peered around a particularly thick tree. Locked in combat were two moss-wolves, both attacking a truly massive grey creature.
Twice the Human’s height, half that in width. Four pillars as legs—the muscular trunks sinewy and defined—supported the disturbing hunched figure, the wide base tapering slightly into a thick and extended torso. A singular eye-stalk replaced the head, the ocular organ atop it pitch black and free of any indication of its focus. Four arms with deadly claws parried and sliced the two yellow beasts as they attempted to drive off the predator, a sickeningly large maw gaping to catch any attempts at a lunge. The mouth of the creature almost occupied the entirety of the available surface area upon its front, the jagged bone tools of manduction undulating with the promise of sustenance.
Joseph pulled them back, cursing under his breath as he tried to fight off the tension. From Nalah’s worried expression, it seemed his caution was rather potent, the other members of the group smelling his reaction as well.
“So, what’s the plan, Jax?” the Human whispered, his grip on the crossbow alternating with his fingers stretching across the trigger lest his fidgeting cause a misfire.
“I thought that, with your record, you would wish to tame it for the settlement,” Jax replied while thinking through a plan of action. He was glad that his friend trusted him, but he wished he had known the true scale of the beast prior. Joseph grit his teeth, turning to glance past the tree again with sarcasm pouring out of his response.
“Can’t quite see Winnie-the-woodchipper there playing great with kids.”
“You say that after adopting an Atmo as kit, Grand Hunter,” he returned, nodding to himself when a plan formed. The Human smiled, the banter easing the tension somewhat. “Rose, Cobalt, you two are the most well defended of us. Circle around and drive the beast this way. You should be capable of such without noise, yes?”
The two insects nodded, emptying their luggage behind a tree so as not to lose any of it before disappearing into the trees. The slight glimmer of their iron armour was the only indication of their position through the dense forest. Jax hoped that the beast was not particularly curious about the dimly pulsing glare, nor finished with its current altercation in time to impede the pair.
Satisfied with their progress, he motioned for the two security members to scale a tree and gain a superior vantage point. Their weapons would be able to maintain a more rapid pace of sustained fire at longer ranges. Joseph and the hunter were instructed to hide behind trees nearby, though the Human would need to remain grounded as his lack of claws made scaling the large flora difficult with his equipment.
Finally, Nalah and he positioned themselves much closer, in order to flank the creature as it fled the Atmo and occupy it long enough for the others to bleed it out, if not outright dispose of it.
With the forms of the Atmo peeking through the brush opposite them, Jax raised his axe to signal the start.
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Joseph felt the hammering in his chest, his heart preparing him to fight for his life against the walking abomination that easily outclassed the only other predator that he had experience with. Sure, the moss-wolves were easy to take down once you had equipment and a plan, but that thing screamed danger.
He watched Jax and Nalah set up behind thick trees, their goal being for Jax to hopefully disable a leg or two with the war-axe while Nalah occupied it with the shield. As the two strongest members of his little family, he trusted both to do their job.
As a clusterfuck of animal and torture device, he had no faith in the creature playing along.
Swallowing his hesitation, he adjusted his grip on the crossbow again, mentally tallying his shots and cursing himself for not researching explosives. Sure, Toril didn’t want to be involved in that kind of weapon, but at the moment, the tailless white-furred male could suck it up and make one anyway. Joseph would give his left nut to see how quickly the chemist would make weapons of mass destruction just to annihilate whatever that thing called home.
Jax raised his axe, glinting the sunlight of it towards the Atmo. Receiving the start signal, the two clicked and loosed a deafening screech, the Human’s ears ringing even from this distance.
The beast seemed unperturbed by the noise, though the lack of visible ears may have had something to do with the lacklustre effect. Regardless, it did notice the two armour-clad insects charging at it, and smartly decided to extradite itself from the area. The moss-wolves, however, didn’t quite get the memo, mistaking the advancing assistance as yet another foe to defend themselves from.
He had to say, Violet taught the two well. They flashed their blades out in the same flicker jab that he had shown his daughter, and with an unceremonious squelch, the two bisected canines landed in four pieces, a vibrant green ichor now staining the weapon-like appendages of the Atmo. Undeterred by their first act of violence—as far as he was aware, anyway—they continued herding the beast.
It wasn’t as fast as they might have feared, its quadrupedal gait hindered by its proportions, but it was still quick enough to be damn intimidating. Its arms acted as a counter balance, constantly adjusting this way and that just to keep it stable. That thing was clearly never meant for sprinting, all its mobility being given to the overactive maw that pulsated with the exertion.
He readied his crossbow, the shaking in his hands not ruining his aim against such a large target. He eyeballed the distance between the creature and the ambush point, forcibly moving his finger off the trigger so that he didn’t fire early.
Closer. Come on. Almost.
Now.
Jax wound up like a particularly enthusiastic lumberjack, putting his full body into the rotation. The massive axe swung like a horizontal pendulum striking home with all the finality of a clock tolling midnight. It bit into the front leg of the beast, only sinking a few inches before momentum nearly wretched the weapon from the black-furred male. Luckily, the force and timing was enough to trip it, the creature crashing to the forest floor with a deafening roar of pain.
They could hurt it. That made him feel better.
His relief evaporated as the beast swiftly recovered, hauling itself from the ground faster than he thought possible, but his archers took it for an unspoken signal. Arrows and bolts peppered its thick hide, to no effect—it shrugged off the projectiles like they were nothing more than pine needles, none sinking far enough to gain notable purchase.
Jax hefted his axe for another strike, careful not to over-commit this time. Nalah prodded the beast wherever she could with her pike, the melee weapon sliced and skewered just past the surface of the hide, though not enough to do more than marr. It was, however, enough to gain the attention of the target, the creature swinging two of its four arms to rake across the shield that the blond-furred female held. The iron plating across the front let out an unearthly shriek as claws ripped and crumpled the metal.
Well, fuck.
Nalah was quick to react, treating the shield less as an immovable barrier and more like a slight distance buffer, dodging in and out of range to steal jabs with the polearm. The security members nocked another volley, picking different targets than before. An arrow bounced harmlessly off the black orb of an eye, another finding purchase in what passed for gums in its mouth.
The hint was received; aim for the mouth. Thankfully, that was a large target. Less thankfully, it realized that flashing its teeth was detrimental to its health, slamming the maw closed.
Jax managed another swing, this time into one of the rear legs. It wasn’t as effective as the first strike, but it did warrant a sweeping double back-fist from the creature, scoring Jax’s armour with shallow claw marks as he jumped backwards. Joseph let out a breath as he fired his second shot, only just narrowly missing the sliver of a gap between razor teeth that the enraged attack afforded. It couldn’t keep its mouth shut forever, each frenzied swipe pulling its form enough for glimpses of softer flesh within to appear. The hunter dropped from their tree, darting across to reposition for a wider angle to capitalize on. The creature noticed, lunging forward to eviscerate the easier target.
Joseph blinked as two armoured figures jumped in front of the Lilhun, raising their blades in a tight guard to block the four arms grabbing for a quick meal. The beast recoiled with a thunderous screech, two of its appendages sporting deep gashes that fountained blood, while the others managed to impact above the edged outside of the blades. Rose and Cobalt pressed forward, buying time and space for the hunter to collect themselves and scale up another perch. Taking advantage of its pain, two new arrows ripped through the air, smacking into exposed inner flesh. Two new protrusions joined the first in the mouth, one landing next to the existing projectile, while the other cleared the gateway of serration, driving deeply inside of it.
More flicker jabs and extended straights pushed and cut the beast as it tried to gain distance from the two that wounded it, every retaliatory strike earning it another gash in its grey hide.. Unencumbered by the constant barrage, Nalah thrust into its legs more vigorously, her body leaning into each attack to gain every inch of penetration she could into the muscle and thick hide.
Jax used the chance to score another chopping blow, doubling down on a previous wound to a back leg—striking bone this time, based on the unholy wail the beast uttered. Joseph raised his crossbow to land another shot into its mouth, but the beast flailed wildly to fend off the ambush.
Rose managed to block, Jax lunged backwards, Nalah deflected most of it with what remained of her shield, but Cobalt was caught by a strike, taking the hit to its torso. The Atmo flew backwards, rolling when it landed, the carriage and assorted armoured plates trailing behind it. Rose shifted instantly, covering the direction that their companion had been sent while Jax and Nalah focused on pulling the beast away from the downed combatant.
Joseph’s eyes flicked to the Atmo, waging an internal battle on whether helping the insect would be better or worse for the situation as a whole. He didn’t want to lighten up their assault if it would just mean more injuries, but Cobalt could be in dire need for a patch job. It was hard to tell from where he was.
Cursing, he bolted from his spot, firing off one last round into the gaping maw before clipping the crossbow onto his armour and sliding on his knees in front of Cobalt, healroot hastily retrieved from his pocket.
He paused, sighing in relief when none of the armour bore more than deep gashes, the carapace underneath unblemished by the attack. Cobalt clicked lightly, dazed, but otherwise seeming unhurt. Unlearned in the physiology relevant, he ushered the Atmo to remain out of the fight for fear of concussion or something similar. They could look at the insect back at the base to be sure later.
“Joseph!”
His head spun around at both Jax and Nalah screaming his name, a massive clawed hand sweeping at him—the monster's approach unnoticed while he focused on Cobalt. Lacking a better option, he lunged forward towards the underside of the beast to dodge the swipe, crashing to his shoulder on the dirt below.
The creature raised a leg above Joseph, pounding the earth scant inches from his head as he rolled sideways. Ignoring the kicked up dirt, he brought his fist to the underside of the beast, flicking the release on his bracer.
Blood spouted from the newly formed wound, the blade breaking at the mechanism as the massive animal lurched in pain, Joseph rolling out of the way of another attempted trampling. He scrambled to his feet, feeling the wind of another strike narrowly missing him.
Yeah, that would probably kill him.
Luckily, the injuries renewed the desire to flee in the monstrosity, the group of attackers proving too dangerous to continue challenging. It stumbled away from them, sparing Cobalt from its panicked trudging. Jax and Nalah started to run towards him, worry evident in their eyes, but he barked for them to finish it, redirecting the two to keep the pressure going. He didn’t want to mention the pain in the arm from where the bracer hitched. It didn’t feel broken, and thus was irrelevant.
Pressure applied, the grey beast picked a random direction free of opponents to escape, ignorant of the waiting security. When it was too close for them to shoot into its mouth at a decent angle, they slung the bows over their shoulders and drew the swords they had been afforded, patiently waiting with the blades turned down.
It passed below them, the two Lilhuns dropping from the branches to put their full weight into the plunging blades. Both landed on the large target, one sword sinking deep into a shoulder, while the other managed to pierce one of its hip joints. The beast spun haphazardly to dislodge the ‘new’ threats, both security members kicking off and finding new trees to set up in.
Whatever damage was actually done, it had lost the use of an arm, and its gait shifted awkwardly as the blade lodged in its hip worked more harm with each shambling step.. Emboldened, Jax picked up the pace, struggling to position himself with the amount of metal he wore. Ducking another swipe of its claws, he saw his chance and swung, pivoting with his axe as a counter weight. For the third time, his axe blade found the wound in its leg, adding a sickening crunch as the bone snapped from the impact.
The creature swung wildly, forced to favour its two remaining good legs, and the only other leg that could still support at least some of its weight. It was unstable now, the hunched figure swaying while unmoving. Unable to run, it decided to go down with as many of them as it could.
Rose caught up with the attack, drawing attention from the comparatively squishy Nalah as the blond-furred female deflected a wayward swing with her shield. The once iron-plated ironwood now sporting little more than jagged scraps of metal atop its silver wooden structure, a series of deep gouges marring the surface. Two lunging thrusts with the pike bit flesh, drawing new blood from the beast.
Joseph loaded his crossbow, getting off two bolts, but not managing to keep it steady enough to hit anything of use, his arm faltering under the weight of the weapon. Cursing, he decided to flank the beast and try his luck with the other bracer. If nothing else, the force in which the blade deployed was enough to pierce the thick hide, and the others were doing a good job of distracting it.
The red armoured Atmo let loose a series of directed swings, the fifth severing an arm in motion, the flying appendage forcing Nalah to raise her shield to block the unorthodox projectile. The female was sent sprawling from the weight of the impact, but the beast was too busy voicing its agony to take advantage of it. Jax worked another two chops into the broad legs, but neither managed to incapacitate it any more, and the prolonged exertion was slowing his reflexes.
As if cued into his waning energy, the beast flung Jax with another strike, the hunter of the group sinking a bolt deep into the cavernous flesh of its mouth to prevent an attempt at following up.
Joseph roared, desperate to finish it off before the creature could do the same to his downed pack. He sprinted at the monster's back and slid underneath it with as much speed as he could muster. Throwing his fist into the passing undercarriage, he let the deployed blade leave a long gash in its wake.
The grey monster lost its ability to stand, torn tendons, blood loss, and inflicted injuries taking their toll. The Grand Hunter kicked off his knees to fling himself out of the way of the collapsing figure, grimacing as the remaining bracer proved unable to support the abuse he had put it through. He looked back at the beast, the flailing body failing to right itself as teeth did little more than gouge dirt, its back exposed. Rose approached, raising their blades together and plunging it through the body over and over until it stopped moving.
Exhausted, the Atmo dropped where it was, breathing heavily. Joseph’s instinct to yell their victory was delayed as he hurried over to Jax and Nalah to confirm he didn't need to bring back bad news. Nalah seemed fine, if a bit sore from hitting the dirt and rolling, while Jax just asked to lay down when he heard that everything was over. Cobalt came over to the group, the armour that had come off collected atop the carriage it had managed to loosely affix to its base.
It was light, a chuckle originating from the Human as he slumped to the ground against a tree, but soon the entire group was roaring with laughter as victory settled in their minds. The two security members helped the hunter begin disassembling the beast, their contribution to the fight leaving them with more energy than the rest. They hadn’t been slacking off, that much was certain. The number of arrows jammed into the maw of the thing would have guaranteed a few extra seconds of survival and chances to escape if one of them had been forcibly tossed into there, and it had caused enough pause for the rest of them to get in a few hits up close.
Joseph rested across from Jax and Nalah, letting his heart rate slow from the rapid pace it had been pinned to since the start of the conflict. His arm continued its protests, but from the amount of movement he still had, he guessed that he had just strained the elbow. A few days taking it easy should straighten that right up.
Once the active members were about half way through processing the creature for hide and meat, Cobalt approached him, a mimed request for assistance putting their armour back on being redirected to Nalah since he doubted he could lift the damn pieces without hurting himself at the moment. She obliged, getting the blue Atmo back in full attire, though it took a while.
Rose stood first, stopping over to allow the hunter to place collected bits and pieces onto the carriage before securing it with whatever they could make due. A security member gathered the moss-wolf corpses for a similar treatment. Waste not, want not, he supposed.
Rose ended up carrying most of their spoils. When he was about to ask why, he, Jax, and Nalah were dragged to Cobalt and hefted onto the carriage. A series of confused questions revealed that the rest wanted to head back before it started getting dark, and it was pretty obvious who was the most exhausted of them. Lacking the will or energy to argue it, he flopped back on the Atmo as the trees passed them by, Nalah resting her legs across him as her head sat on Jax’s lap. The black-furred male didn’t so much as smirk, so it was clear he had pushed himself too far to quip about the arrangement as he laid down.
“The next time you wish to exhaust me this much, Joseph,” the Head of Security started after a long while of silence, tiredness in his voice, “I would prefer it to involve my mate and a bed.”
The Human snorted, closing his eyes and enjoying the lack of walking as the surprisingly stable Atmo carried the three of them. “Fuck off, Jax.”
“Of course, Grand Hunter.”
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A/N: Patreon is fixed!... aka new one cuz problems with the last. Check it out to support the story, get AI character art every now and then, or even preview sections of chapters as i write them! (aka, before kieve gets to fix them :D)

For context we’ve been in a relationship for 6yrs and after he lost his apartment my mother told him he could move in but would have his own room separate from mine. Last fall a couple I used to work with had invited us over to hangout but I had a paper I needed to finish so I declined but encourage my boyfriend to hangout with them because the guy and him enjoyed hanging out together. The girl kept giving the guys drinks and eventually her boyfriend had to go lay down because he wasn’t feeling too great which left her (completely sober) and my boyfriend (completely shit faced) hanging out. Apparently he expressed issues he was having with our relationship to her which boiled down to my not feeling up to having sex and not staying over at his place and that he thought he was developing some kind of emotions for her. She kept asking him to repeat that and then after a while he kissed her and she decided to aggressively give him a bj and then the rest followed but penetration failed because he finished too quickly. He passed out she went to sleep with her boyfriend and the next day when he was sober enough to drive home he called me and told me he cheated. She had saved her number in his phone and was texting him that morning about how much she didn’t regret any of it and he said something about it being in a shed and that he told me and that he regretted it (I read and have the texts, she made a joke about how I’ll be disappointed). Fast forward we are trying to fix things and he moves in with my mother and I and everytime we fight and the cheating comes up he says it happened because I put him in an emotional state which lead to that happening. My eating disorder is back and worse than before I am trying constantly to communicate why I don’t feel comfortable having sex (dysmorphia, chronic pain, exhausted, seriously bad mental state, etc.) despite this he still gets upset at me for random things and have started trying to involve my mother. Today he got angry because I got the mail and was out of it because I’m potty training two puppies, going through finals, and a very nasty situation with my father and the woman that’s trying to get him to divorce my mother (this woman has been harassing me for a few years sending voice messages and calling me with threats of having me SA’d to death, etc.) I handed my mother the mail which she’d assumed I had looked through and accidentally opened mail that was mis-delivering to us not something I’m proud of and I admitted my mistake and was “too dismissive” which he started berating my mother and I for because she didn’t freak out either. He wasn’t stopping with the shaming and saying things about our morality or ethics and when I said after five minutes of this not stopping that he was going overboard with the shaming and berating about mine and my mother irresponsibility when we admitted the mistake he blew up and then the fighting kept escalating and I told him that he shouldn’t be policing peoples morality and ethic because his isn’t flawless either. The fight pretty much ending in him saying he’s breaking up with me (happens in every fight), calling me a fat bch, saying I have a fat bch expression and then telling my mother who is conservative about pre martial sex and abortion that I had had one and she’d have had a grandkid if it wasn’t for that which he paid for because I was worried about the hellI would have had to deal with had my parents found out. Ultimately I just sat in the kitchen crying and laughing and over all having a nervous breakdown. He came into my room later and asked me if I’m okay which I replied that I wasn’t and that he is isolating me first with blowing up the small social circle I had only recently developed and then by trying to ruin my relationship with my mother and then called me crazy while I was losing it during my mental break. I’m at a loss, what am I supposed to do? Is there any chance for this relationship to work? Did I just waste my 20s on a relationship that won’t last? I don’t want to break up but I’m tired of being the one at fault and being told I wasn’t listening despite me repeating what he said back to him because that’s not what he meant. I don’t have anyone right now and could really use some advice. Am I really the only problem here? Help.

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