national Log in crime  Imported cannabis seeds flooding New Zealand mail system Luke Kirkeby 11:00, Nov 27 2018  STUFF About 19,000 cannabis seeds have been stopped from entering New Zealand this year (file photo). Cannabis seeds are flooding New Zealand's mail system with 19,000 caught at the border this year alone.
One recent case, involving multiple packages containing more than 30 seeds each, resulted in a significant drug bust in the South Waikato with two men arrested.
The Class C drug is mainly being imported from the Netherlands and United Kingdom, Northern Ports NZ customs manager Dominic Adams said.
 GRANT MATTHEW/STUFF Most of the seeds are coming from the Netherlands and the UK (file photo). "We are finding cannabis seeds regularly in the mail system. In 2016 we got roughly 18,000 seeds; in 2017, 43,000 and it's dropped down to about 19,000 so far this year.
READ MORE: * Cannabis buyers get option to 'buy New Zealand-made' * Front line police work may not significantly change with legal cannabis * The age of the joint: how we're smoking weed and how we're getting it
"These guys will import some seeds, we will seize them but before we have even had a chance to pass the information to police they will order some more," he said.
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 Advertise with Stuff The illicit mail isn't addressed to hot spots, per se. It covers most of the country, Adams said.
"That is the reason why we work very very closely with the NZ Police, particularly in the districts.
 "We see large fluctuations each year on seizure amounts so I wouldn't say it is less or more prevalent now compared to a number of previous years.
ADVERTISEMENTCONTENT RESUMES ON SCROLL "Last year was an anomaly at 43,000, that was quite large," he said.
Senior Sergeant Jason Henderson said two Tokoroa locals were arrested recently following the execution of a search warrant at a house seeds were addressed to.
"At the house we found other drug related equipment and items of interest and just on 100 cannabis plants," he said.
Henderson said people try to import cannabis seeds to guarantee getting female plants.
"The female plants are the ones that grow the buds which hold the highest tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but if you have a male plant anywhere near them, instead of growing a bud, they will go straight to seed.
"If you get seeds here in NZ chances are you might get a male which doesn't grow any buds so they are basically worth nothing and that is why they are importing them, they are guaranteed females," he said.
Adams said it was not worth the risk with New Zealand Customs and police coming down hard on importers.
 "My message is that it is best that you don't because either New Zealand Customs or the NZ Police will come knocking on your door and we will be asking questions as to why.
"The ramifications can be quite serious," he said.
The maximum penalty for importing, growing, cultivating and/or supplying cannabis is eight years imprisonment.
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We are a family of 4 with two young kids, a toddler who’s nearing 3 years old and an infant who is 9 months old. We visited Japan in May of 2023 for 18 nights. We stayed in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, and took day trips to Nara and Kobe.
Some people might call us crazy for taking an international trip with two small children. But my wife and I, who were avid travelers before we had kids, hadn’t been out of the country since 2019 due to 1) having kids and 2) Covid. We were itching for a trip, so we took the chance. Were there some crazy times? Of course. Was it worth it? Definitely.
I did a lot of research and prep before the trip, but there are always surprises that come up when you have kids. I’ll try to share some of the lessons I learned on the trip.
—Flights—
This was our first time on an airplane with the kids. I was a bit worried beforehand and in retrospect the flights were the worst parts of the trip. The main advice I’d give is do as much as you can to make your flight more tolerable, which no doubt means spending more money on tickets and gear. But it’s worth it.
I considered a few different airlines for this trip: ZipAir, Singapore, ANA, and Japan Airlines. JAL was too expensive. ZipAir was interesting because they provide car seats, you don’t have to take your own. We didn’t rent a car in Japan so we didn’t need our own car seats. I was just worried about racking up extra fees on ZipAir. Singapore and ANA were similar, they both provide bassinets and the price was similar. I ended up going with ANA for two reasons: 1) I had flown ANA on a previous trip and been happy with them and 2) they fly to Haneda instead of Narita, which saves you time getting from the airport to your hotel.
We opted for 3 seats and a bassinet. My infant is big for her age so she barely fit in the bassinet (she’s 21 pounds). But we were glad to have it. I had to call in to ANA customer service which had an hour+ wait time to get the bassinet, but other than that it was no trouble.
Which leads me into probably the most important part of flying with kids on a lengthy flight: get your kids to sleep on the plane. The more they sleep the less likely you are to run into a tantrum or meltdown.
To encourage sleeping we did a few things: 1) Take an overnight flight 2) Get a bassinet for our infant 3) Get a JetKids bed box for our toddler. Our ANA flight from LAX left at 5pm, which allowed time for the dinner service to show up before we put our kids to bed. They set the bassinet up right after you get to cruising altitude, so it’s there the majority of the flight. Our infant rejected it at first but eventually fell asleep.
As far as our toddler sleeping, the JetKids worked well. There was a bit of trouble with it staying in place since we had bulkhead seats, but overall I was happy with it as a bed. I absolutely hate the JetKids a piece of luggage though, it’s not easy to lug around and holds nearly nothing. But it helped our toddler stay asleep most of the flight. You don’t necessarily need a JetKids though, other airline seat bed solutions may work just as well. Just bring something that will help your toddler sleep. If we had to do it again, I think I’d prefer having car seats over both the bassinet and JetKids. That’s probably what we’ll do on the next trip.
There were a few unexpected problems we ran into on the flights. On the first flight, our infant got motion sickness and spit up multiple times. She ruined one of my shirts and my wife’s pants. Not to mention my wife got motion sickness as well so I had to do most of the heavy lifting with the kids alone. It was a sleepless and messy flight.
On our flight home, there was a mechanical issue with the plane. They said we were losing oil. So on a Tokyo to Los Angeles flight we somehow ended up landing In Anchorage, Alaska. It goes without saying this was horrible and the flight home from Anchorage on Alaska Airlines was horrible too. But that’s not really relevant to flying to/from Japan so I’ll leave the details out. We won’t be flying with ANA ever again.
To reiterate, do what you can to make your flight easier. Get the non-stop flight. Get the extra seat. This isn’t the area to be frugal.
—Stroller—
So you survived the flight. How do you get your kids around once you’ve landed? We have two kids so we need a twin stroller right? Wrong. Taking a twin stroller to Japan is a huge mistake, don’t do it.
Most guides will tell you to use a carrier, and if you only have one small infant then that’s likely the way to go. But with two kids we used a travel stroller and carrier combo. At first I expected to only use the carrier and carry the stroller around until we needed it, but I quickly realized that carrying the stroller around all day is a huge pain. We have the Cybex Libelle which is small at 13lbs, but 13lbs is still heavy enough that you don’t want to carry it all day.
So our stroller remained deployed basically all the time. My infant sat in the stroller most of the day, until it was my toddler’s nap time. Then the infant went in the carrier and toddler in the stroller to sleep. It worked well for us.
How did we keep the stroller deployed the whole time? Elevators. Lots of elevators. And occasionally carrying it up and down stairs. The availability of elevators depends on where you are. Of the cities we visited, I’d say Tokyo is the best and Kyoto is the worst for elevator availability.
The wide majority of metro and train stations are going to have elevators. It can be hard to find the right entrance to use to find an elevator, but there is always signage and almost always a map. You may need to walk an extra 5 minutes, or wait in line, or get lost, so always give yourself extra time when catching a train if you are using your stroller. We spent a LOT of time looking for elevators on this trip.
We only found two stations our whole trip that had no elevator at all, one was the JR Kobe station and the other was a JR station in Tokyo (I forget which one). When this happened, I picked up the stroller and carried it with our infant in it on the stairs. If our toddler was in it I made her get up and walk, then carried the stroller.
The other problem at metro / train stations with a stroller is the gap between the train and the platform. There’s always either a gap or the train and platform are at different elevations. You don’t have a lot of time to get on / off the train so this was a constant source of anxiety. Once our stroller wheel got stuck in between the train and the platform. It took some effort to pop it out. Another time my toddler stepped in the gap, but luckily I was holding her hand and stopped her from falling in. Always be mindful of the gap when you have kids. It’s probably one of the least safe situations you’ll constantly run into in Japan.
Malls and shopping centers almost always have elevators. You may need to wait a while to get one though. In the malls with 10+ floors, you might need to wait 5 minutes for an elevator. Sometimes they have “priority” elevators for the handicapped and strollers but often times perfectly abled people rudely take up all the space in those elevators.
We thought we would have trouble taking our stroller into restaurants but it was actually much less trouble than expected. There was only one restaurant that flat out turned us away, Sushi Tokyo Ten in Roppongi. Other establishments will usually move a chair so you can put your stroller at the table or counter where the chair was.
So overall the stroller was annoying to use but I don’t think we could have done the trip without it. It was a necessary evil with two young kids.
—Shinkansen—
We used the Shinkansen to get between cities. We had two trips, Tokyo to Kyoto and Osaka to Tokyo. We did not bother with the JR Pass, it wasn’t worth it. Mostly because our trips were 8 days apart so we would’ve needed the 14 days pass which wasn’t worth it for two Shinkansen trips.
One thing that caught us off-guard about the Shinkansen is how quickly it leaves a station when it makes a stop. We were expecting to have some time to get on when the train arrived, but it’s basically the same as a Metro stop. You have to get on right away. We made the mistake of buying a reserved seat for a train leaving in less than 15 minutes, without knowing where the elevator was. So we scrambled to get to where we needed to go on the platform and were the last ones on the train. We jumped on the train at the last second, we wanted to get to our specific car from the platform but we weren’t going to make it. It’s a miracle we didn’t lose a piece of luggage or a kid on the way. On the second trip I reserved a seat on a train that was 40 minutes out.
As far as seating we only needed to buy two seats. We would have put our toddler on our lap if needed, but we didn’t need to. Basically, one side of the train has 2 seats and the other 3. If you find a row that has the window seat open on the 3 seat side, then it is very unlikely anyone will sit in the aisle seat if you reserve the window and middle seat. We basically got a free seat for our toddler this way on both trips.
—Baby supplies—
We had more trouble than expected finding baby supplies. A lot of guides online tell you to go to drugstores, and maybe we were going to the wrong drugstores but that wasn’t working out for us. We were distraught until we by chance came across Babies R Us. Yes, the Babies R Us that went out of business in the USA. We happened to be browsing the malls in Odaiba when we came across this gem. It’s a treasure trove of western style baby food and supplies.
Our infant is in the “purée” food stage and we didn’t find any in drugstores. Most of the baby food is juice or rice porridge. Babies R Us has aisles worth of puréed food. It has diapers, wet wipes, formula, nose cleaners, and basically anything else you’d ever want for your baby. We stocked up on everything when we found this place. There are several locations but we went to the Odaiba location in Tokyo and the Harborland location in Kobe.
Another smaller store we found in the mall below Tokyo Skytree is Dadway. They don’t have as much as Babies R Us but we did pick up some purée here.
The other place we picked up diapers and a few others things is Don Quijote, which has locations all over the place. Their baby food collection is basically as limited as drugstores, but it’s fine in a pinch.
—Eating—
I’ve spoken a lot about logistics, but I had one primary reason for going to Japan: to eat tasty food. I had been to Japan once before I had kids and fell in love with the food.
Most guides will tell you families should go to family restaurants. Nope. Not happening. We did not go to a single Saizeriya or Bikkuri Donkey. And I definitely did not go through all of this trouble to eat at Denny’s. We went to a total of ZERO family restaurants.
I’m here to tell you there are plenty of good restaurants you can go to with kids. Even with a baby. Even with a baby and a toddler.
I’ll tell you my main approach to finding restaurants that will allow kids to dine with you. Your main tools are: Tablelog, Google Maps, and the individual restaurant websites. Tablelog is a great tool and their “with children” section on the restaurant info page is very accurate. If a restaurant is listed as “Babies are welcome” or “Baby Strollers accepted”, then you can very likely eat there with a baby. If a place does not have such a listing, it isn’t necessarily a no, it’s a maybe. That’s when you need to search Google Maps reviews for “kids”, “children”, “family” to see if anyone mentions the restaurant’s stance on such things. If you can’t find anything on Google Maps, go to the restaurant’s website. If they have an online reservation system, it is likely to list their stance on kids on the reservation page.
I did a lot of research beforehand and pinned all the relevant restaurants on Google Maps. That way, no matter where I was, I could find some good kid tolerant restaurants. I say “kid-tolerant” instead of “kid friendly” because I consider “kid-tolerant” to mean that they let kids in the restaurant, while “kid-friendly” means they have a kid’s menu, high chairs, etc.
We were able to eat at a wide variety of restaurants, from overpriced Michelin starred places to budget Omakase places. There are a lot of restaurants in Japan. If a restaurant doesn’t let you in because you have kids, it’s fine because there’s another similar one that will.
This is a list of good restaurants we ate at with our infant and toddler. These are just the places we made it to, there were plenty more I had on my list we didn’t make it to:
Gion Maruyama, Gion, Kyoto
Sushi Wakon, Four Seasons, Kyoto
The Oak Door, Grand Hyatt, Tokyo
Kobe Plaisir, Kobe
Roku Roku, Grand Hyatt, Tokyo
Daiwa Sushi, Toyosu Market, Tokyo
Inshotei, Ueno Park, Tokyo
Sushidan, Eat Play Works, Tokyo
Nishiya, Shinsaibashi, Osaka
Tonkatsu Wako, JR Isetan, Kyoto
Soju Dining, Tokyo Midtown, Tokyo
Imakatsu, Roppongi, Tokyo
Mizuno, Dotonbori, Osaka
Rokurinsha, Tokyo Station, Tokyo
Tsumigi, Tsukiji, Tokyo
Lots of different food stalls in Tsukiji Market, Tokyo
Other times we ate at conveyor belt sushi places, department store basements, or ramen places. The basements are a good place to get something for everyone. My toddler ate a lot of gyoza and noodles on this trip, she didn’t take a liking to much else. But Ichiran and Ippudo were right down her alley.
Tsukiji market was our go to breakfast place when we stayed in Tokyo. There’s plenty of different choices there and it opens early enough for jet-lagged families.
Overall I had a great time eating. If my toddler is eating she’s usually not having a tantrum, and we tried as best as possible to put our infant to sleep before we went to any higher end restaurants. There were some awkward tantrum moments but for the most part it was fine.
—City by City Report—
Tokyo
We had two different stays in Tokyo, the first after landing in Japan and the second right before departing Japan. We stayed a total of 10 nights in Tokyo, but we wish we had even more.
We could have come to Tokyo alone the whole trip and been perfectly content. It has the best food, the most kid friendly facilities, and there’s plenty to see and do.
Here’s a few choice things we did with the kids:
DisneySea: My toddler loved this one. We’ve been to Disneyland in SoCal but this is completely different. Even I was excited since it’s been a long while since I’ve been to an unexplored Disney park. A lot of people will say DisneySea is for older kids but there were plenty of rides my toddler could get on. It’s a great place for toddlers. A must visit with kids.
Ueno park: We spent a whole day in Ueno Park. There’s a great zoo, a fun Natural History Museum, and good restaurants. We picked up bento boxes from Inshotei and ate them at a picnic table in the zoo. I think this park is also a must do with kids.
One of the city views: you have a few choices here but we went to Tokyo Skytree and Shibuya Sky. Shibuya sky is a little less kid friendly, because they don’t allow strollers on the roof and they have some weird rules about holding your baby on the roof. I think they’re scared of a wind gust pulling your baby off the roof? I like the mall at Tokyo Skytree, and there’s a Rokurinsha there too (very good dipping ramen).
Small Worlds: This is a miniature museum on one of the man-made islands in the bay. It’s a little out of the way, but we made a day out of Toyosu Market, Small Worlds, and Odaiba. My toddler liked this one, the exhibits are interactive and fun to look at. It was better than expected.
Other than that we did a lot of eating and shopping in Tokyo for us adults.
Kyoto
Kyoto was probably our least favorite city to do with kids. In general it’s just hard to get around. There’s a lot of stroller unfriendly places. Streets without sidewalks. Rough cobblestone-like roads. Temples are not stroller friendly. Hills everywhere. Good luck getting to the top of the monkey park with a stroller. It’s definitely a trend in this city.
Maybe if you have older kids it’s fine. But if you have younger than elementary school kids it’s probably skippable. There’s not that many kid friendly activities here either. Temples aren’t interesting for kids. The best kid activity here is probably the Arashiyama Monkey Park. My toddler got a real kick out of feeding the monkeys. Just be aware there is a significant hike to get to the top of the hill where the monkeys are. My toddler is a pretty good walker, she made it all the way without crying or complaining. But I saw some other kids that didn’t fare as well.
The other thing you might try near the monkey park is the Arashiyama bamboo forest. I think it’s one of the most overrated sights in Japan though. It’s just mobbed with tourists all day. It’s not enjoyable with the crowds. I’ve been here twice and I’ve been disappointed both times.
I doubt we will be back to Kyoto any time soon.
Osaka
Osaka was nice. It was a bit refreshing to have many of the Tokyo conveniences again. Elevators everywhere, well paved and flat roads, and plenty of baby rooms.
Osaka is a good base for taking nearby day trips as well. We went to both Kobe and Nara without needing to take the Shinkansen.
The best kid experience in Osaka is the Kaiyukan aquarium. It’s big. The central tank with the whale sharks is impressive. They have lots of different animals from all over the world. It’s bigger and better than any aquarium we have in California.
The one thing I wasn’t prepared for was the lines. You need to pre-book your timed entry tickets online. We didn’t, and ended up getting tickets that were for entry two hours later. And we were there right when they opened. If I go to the aquarium at opening time on a weekday where we are from we can walk right in. Lesson learned.
We stayed in Shinsaibashi and it’s a very walkable area. There’s a covered shopping street that goes all the way down to Dotonbori. Namba is walkable from there. And America-mura is between Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori.
The Daimaru mall in Shinsaibashi is good for kids. There’s a Bornelund in there with a small indoor playground, a Pokémon Center, and good food.
I liked Osaka overall. The only thing I thought was a let down was okonomiyaki.
Nara
Nara was worth the trip. It’s about 45 minutes from Namba on the train, so not too out of the way.
There’s deer all over. Deer that bow to you. In the park, on the sidewalk, in the street. It’s a unique experience you should see at least once.
The deer are rather aggressive when you have food for them. It’s not a place where you want your kids feeding the deer. As soon as you buy the food from the street vendor, they mob you. They try to snatch the food out of your hand. Make sure you watch someone else do it first before deciding to do it yourself. If I let my toddler do it she probably would have been terrified.
The other must see in Nara is Todai-ji. It’s impressive. The giant Buddha is something. This was probably the best temple we saw on this trip, it’s visually stunning. More than anything we saw in Kyoto. I did have to carry the stroller up and down some steps, but there’s not too many.
Kobe
Kobe was great. It exceeded my expectations. The trip from Osaka is easy. We spent a full day there.
We started our one day in Kobe at the Nunobiki Herb Gardens. I wasn’t expecting too much but this place is really nice. It’s big, with lots of different gardens and exhibits to see. There’s great views as well. We took lots of pictures.
There’s a few different places to eat and drink in the gardens as well. We had some sparkling rose at “The Veranda” which had a great view of Kobe. We didn’t eat because we had a lunch reservation down the hill.
There’s a few things to watch out for. This place gets busy, so get there early. There’s no reservations, you just go early and wait in line. When we left at midday the line was massive, so get there when they open.
The herb garden only takes up the top half the hill. At first I thought it extended to the bottom of the hill, but the bottom half of the hill is actually a hiking trail without gardens. So I bought a one way gondola ticket to the top expecting to walk down all the way, but after I realized the garden ended at the middle I bought another ticket to go down (instead of getting the round trip ticket like I should have).
After the gardens we went to eat Kobe beef. Kobe Plaisir was the restaurant I chose, which was both high end and had a kids menu. The beef was great and everyone had a good time.
Afterwards we went to Harborland. It’s a nice area on the harbor that has a big boat you can go out on, and a couple of shopping malls. The Anpanman museum is here too but by the time we got there tickets were sold out for the day. This is also where you can find a Babies R Us.
Our Kobe day was one of the best days of our trip. I’d suggest a day trip here for anyone.
—Closing—
It’s hard to travel with kids this age. No doubt. Everything will take more time and be more expensive than when you used to travel alone. But I do not regret taking this trip at all. As a matter of fact I want to go back right now. My wife loved the trip, and my toddler might even remember it when she grows up. She still talks about feeding the monkeys and how dad ate a “real fish” (A Japanese sweetfish they grilled in front of us at Gion Maruyama). Japan is a great place for a first family trip.

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And Electabuzz is already finished. Sometimes, I just really feel like doing a run and just because I can. Electabuzz was a Pokemon I loved in XD, my history with it came from the Elekid you could get in a trade named Zaprong. It was the MVP of all my teams in XD, even when half my team was Electric type already. Without further ado...
Up to Brock: Moveset: Quick Attack, Leer Electabuzz actually has more Attack than I thought. It's good that he has a nice stat for it. It's nearly as much as Special in this case. I had confidence Electabuzz would be very good at this. He had more than enough power to take down Gary's Bulbasaur, and he got through Viridian Forest pretty well. Nearly ran out of Quick Attacks, but I managed to do it by using Leer to help save my last bits of PP. I took out Gary 1A very quickly, too, and didn't even have a rough time against Buzz Lightyear. Sandshrew's Sand-Attacks hardly did anything. Even before getting Thunderbolt, I was doing pretty damn well. I did utilize Leer against Geodude to try to keep his Defenses low while I hit him with Quick Attack. It didn't work the first time, but I grinded up just one level, from 12 to 13, and while I took a beating from Geodude, I took him out. Then Onix... played the absolute worst I had ever seen him play. He kept switching between Screech and Bide, never using Tackle once, allowing me to lower him to -6 Defense, killing him off.
Up to Misty: Moveset: Quick Attack, Leer, Mega Punch, Thunder Wave I caught a Spearow while going through the grass to Mt. Moon, but a Jigglypuff who came after wasted all my Poke Balls. Not a big loss, I got the Spearow. I chose the Helix Fossil. Mega Punch gave me quite a big boost in power. Not having an Electric move worried me slightly, so I chose to trounce Gary 2. Turned out all Electabuzz had to do was clench his fists and punch through his entire team, much like Kangaskhan did. Now I felt like a boss. I punched through Nugget Bridge, punched through a few other trainers, and then I remembered Seismic Toss. I knew I had to beat both the Hiker and the Jr. Trainer to get it now, but I chose to get it now. Through Leer and Mega Punch, I pummeled the Geodudes down. Still wouldn't advise it. It'd make a bit more sense to utilize Cut when you get it later to go here, I think. When I came back to heal after that... battle, I came back to see if I could handle Misty. I was able to handle her, too. The Thunder Wave I picked up to help kept Starmie at bay, Leer made sure her X Defends did nothing, and I punched through both of Misty's starfish.
Up to Surge: Moveset: Body Slam, Seismic Toss, Mega Punch, Thunder Wave I went back to obtain the S.S. Ticket, and got to the boat pretty fast. Got the Seismic Toss as well. Felt pretty good about the pace at the moment. As I did, I went through all the normal fights I usually did, and Gary 3 went by pretty fast. Body Slam just solidified my damage even more than normal. I slammed through everything he had. I got Cut after I traded for Dux, and I caught a Diglett when I left the boat. Surge was yet again, an easy fight. I spammed Body Slam through the whole fight. Except with Voltorb. I ended it with Mega Punch to conserve Body Slam PP. Legitimately, having both those moves isn't always bad.
Up to Erika: Moveset: Body Slam, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave You'd think Boomer would mess him up. He didn't. Seismic Toss was a 2HKO on each of his three Pokemon, even the Graveler. It chose to hit me with Tackle, which did jack, and shit. Do I even need to mention Gary 4? I had Thunderbolt. My man tore through his team at that point. ZAPPITY ZAP ZAP DOUBLE D! Oh, and I Body Slammed Kadabra and Ivysaur pretty easily. These stats are PERFECT for solo running. I stopped to both buy the Reflect TM from the Celadon store, and also to get Psychic from Saffron. Psychic beat up Giovanni 1 straight up, and while Erika gave me a reset because Vileplume hit with a strong Sleep Powder, I kicked her butt. Psychic swept her, too.
Up to Koga: Moveset: Same Well, this felt like a literal lightning round. I got Fly for Dux to get back to Lavender, and again, Psychic got through it, even Ghost Marowak didn't like Psychic very much. Snorlax got zapped out, and I cycled to the gym immediately. I was already underleveled, and despite this, I won with Psychic. Now... Weezing's Sludge HURT like a bitch, but I took it out. I still had the speed to win. Good enough for me.
Up to Sabrina: Moveset: NOW I'M MOTIVATED! I hope that helps signify how I felt about this thing. Rival Fival didn't have me reset. I just zapped through one part of his team (being Pidgeot, Gyarados, and Growlithe), slammed Alakazam out of the way, and Psychic was good enough to take down Venusaur. With a crit. Giovanni 2 was yet another sweep with Psychic (though Kangaskhan took the zap), and Sabrina wasn't bad at all. Body Slam killed Kadabra, Mr. Mime got zapped out, Venomoth took two Psychics, and I zapped Alakazam with a Thunder Wave. It hit me with Psywaves as I kept slamming it. The first one did 1 damage. Literally 1. MY GIRL, STOP USING THIS!
Up to Blaine: YOU SHALL DIE.. SHISHISNSIHISNSHING... Um... Zappity Zap Zap... Double D... I'm beginning to think I need a new bit. Did this while also being underleveled.
Up to Giovanni 3: I AM THE STORM THAT IS APPROAAAACHIIINNGGGG... Despite the fact that only two of his Pokemon are actually weak to Psychic, I took out his whole team with Psychic. While still being underleveled. Again.
Gary 6: Moveset: Body Slam, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Reflect I used my Rare Candies now, for sure, because I was sure I couldn't be THIS underleveled anymore. I took a reset here, too, I think because Pidgeot Quick Attacked me. Or because I missed a Thunderbolt on Gyarados and took a strong Hydro Pump. Either way, not good. Thunderbolt killed Pidgeot, Psychic ended Rhyhorn, I then shocked Growlithe and Gyarados, slammed down Alakazam, and I crit on Venusaur with Psychic again.
Elite Four: Moveset: PROOVOOOKINNGG... BLACK CLOUDS IN ISOLAAATIIOONN... I AM RECLAIMER OF MY NAAAAAMMMEEEE!!! BORN IN FLAMES, I HAVE BEEN BLESSED, MY FAMILY CREST IS A DEMON OF DEATH!!!! Yet I am an Electric type. I could care less of my type not matching up to the lyrics, for now, I am against the League. My level was low enough to where I made it necessary to fight several Victory Road Trainers. Turned out, that was enough.
Lorelei: I will spare you the zap bit and just say Thunderbolt did it.
Bruno: Same as Lorelei, but I set up Reflect and spammed Psychic.
Agatha: Psychic did it. Thunderbolted the Golbat.
Lance: After Gyarados died to Thunderbolt, I set up Reflect, and spammed Psychic on the Dragonairs, and used Thunderbolt on Aerodactyl and Dragonite. And to think I was debating between Reflect and Light Screen...
Champion Gary: I set up Reflect immediately, zapped Pidgeot, slammed Alakazam, it lived to also copy my strat, then I zapped it. Rhydon died to Psychic... Gyarados and Arcanine both die to Thunderbolt, and I hit Venusaur with Psychic. It's Mega Drain did nothing, and then Psychic finished it off.
I won at Level 63 and at a time of 3:58.
​
Rankings: 1. Gengar: 62, 3:21, 4 resets. (Thunderbolt, Mega Drain, Psychic, Body Slam) 2. Kangaskhan: 62, 3:24, 1 reset. (Body Slam, Blizzard, Earthquake, Rock Slide 3. Victreebel: 62, 3:30, 2 resets. (Razor Leaf, Swords Dance, Body Slam, Sleep Powder) 4. Blastoise: 63, 3:32, 8 resets. (Blizzard, Withdraw, Surf, Earthquake) 5. Nidoking: 67, 3:43, 8 resets. (Body Slam, Blizzard, Earthquake, Thunderbolt) 6. Venusaur: 62, 3:47, 7 resets. (Body Slam, Swords Dance, Sleep Powder, Razor Leaf) 7. Mr. Mime: 70, 3:47, 7 resets. (Psychic, Meditate/Reflect, Body Slam, Thunderbolt) 8. Primeape: 63, 3:52, 5 resets. (Dig, Thunderbolt, Karate Chop, Rock Slide) 9. Poliwrath: 63, 3:56, 12 resets. (Blizzard, Earthquake, Amnesia, Surf) 10. Lickitung: 63, 3:57, 3 resets. (Swords Dance, Body Slam, Earthquake, Blizzard) 11. Electabuzz: 63, 3:58, 3 resets. (Body Slam, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Reflect) 12. Charizard: 66, 3:59, 10 resets. (Earthquake, Body Slam, Flamethrower, Swords Dance) 13. Hitmonlee: 69, 3:59, 13 resets. (Hi Jump Kick, Meditate, Seismic Toss, Body Slam/Mimic/Mega Kick) 14. Slowbro: 64, 4:00, 12 resets. (Psychic, Blizzard, Surf, Amnesia) 15. Machamp: 67, 4:05, 8 resets. (Rock Slide, Body Slam, Submission, Earthquake) 16. Kingler: 64, 4:14, 13 resets. (Surf, Blizzard, Swords Dance, Body Slam) 17. Raticate: 68, 4:17, 13 resets (Blizzard, Dig, Body Slam, Thunderbolt) 18. Seadra: 67, 4:26. 16 resets. (Surf, Blizzard, Double-Edge, Agility) 19. Tentacruel: 60, 4:28, 10 resets (Blizzard, Barrier, Mega Drain, Surf) 20. Ninetales: 67, 4:28, 11 resets (Flamethrower, Body Slam, Mimic, Dig) 21. Nidoqueen: 67, 4:29, 11 resets. (Earthquake, Blizzard, Body Slam, Thunderbolt) 22. Farfetch'd: 70, 4:33, 10 resets. (Fly, Slash, Swords Dance, Body Slam) 23. Hypno: 62, 4:38, 8 resets. (Meditate, Hypnosis, Body Slam, Psychic) 24. Clefable, 67, 4:39, 4 resets. (Body Slam, Psychic/Blizzard, Minimize, Thunderbolt) 25. Wigglytuff, 66, 4:41, 6 resets. (Thunderbolt, Body Slam, Psychic/Blizzard, Defense Curl) 26. Dewgong: 64, 4:44, 5 resets. (Blizzard, Mimic, Surf, Body Slam) 27. Scyther: 63, 4:46, 18 resets. (Swords Dance, Swift/Mimic, Slash, Double Team) 28. Golem: 68: 4:49, 8 resets. (Earthquake, Defense Curl, Rock Slide, Body Slam) 29. Chansey: 68, 4:51, 2 resets. (Minimize, Psychic/Softboiled, Thunderbolt, Blizzard) 30. Butterfree: 66, 4:53, 28 resets. (Mimic, Sleep Powder, Psychic, Mega Drain) 31. Jynx: 61, 4:57, 4 resets. (Body Slam, Lovely Kiss, Psychic, Blizzard) 32. Persian: 70, 4:58, 13 resets. (Mimic, Bubblebeam, Thunderbolt, Body Slam) 33. Sandslash: 67, 5:00, 11 resets. (Body Slam, Rock Slide, Swords Dance, Earthquake) 34. Vileplume: 67, 5:04, 15 resets. (Mega Drain, Body Slam/Mimic, Swords Dance, Sleep Powder) 35. Marowak: 73, 5:10, 9 resets. (Blizzard, Earthquake, Mimic, Body Slam) 36. Alakazam: 63, 5:18, 4 resets. (Toxic, Psychic, Recover, Seismic Toss) 37. Seaking: 64, 5:20, 8 resets. (Agility, Double-Edge, Blizzard, Surf) 38. Tangela: 66, 5:24, 16 resets. (Sleep Powder, Growth, Body Slam/Mimic, Mega Drain) 39. Rapidash: 72. 5:24, 10 resets. (Fire Blast, Body Slam, Mimic, Agility) 40. Arbok: 71, 5:28, 27 resets. (Mimic, Earthquake, Body Slam, Rock Slide) 41. Raichu: 63, 5:29, 5 resets. (Thunderbolt, Mimic, Agility, Seismic Toss) 42. Golduck: 64, 5:34, 6 resets. (Dig, Blizzard, Mimic, Surf) 43. Starmie: 61, 5:42, 16 resets. (Thunderbolt, Blizzard, Surf, Psychic) 44. Muk: 66, 5:42, 11 resets. (Mega Drain/Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, Minimize, Sludge) 45. Hitmonchan: 73. 5:44, 12 resets. (Submission/Mimic/Submission, Agility, Ice Punch/Seismic Toss, Body Slam) 46. Dodrio: 72, 5:49, 17 resets. (Drill Peck, Mimic, Agility, Body Slam) 47. Fearow: 73, 6:00, 30 resets. (Drill Peck, Mimic, Agility, Swift) 48. Venomoth: 65, 6:24, 15 resets. (Mimic, Psychic, Sleep Powder, Mega Drain) 49. Golbat: 74, 6:26, 12 resets. (Double-Edge, Wing Attack, Mega Drain, Mimic) 50. Electrode: 70, 6:29, 25 resets. (Thunderbolt, Mimic, Swift, Toxic/Reflect) 51. Parasect, 71, 6:32, 18 resets. (Body Slam, Spore, Swords Dance, Dig) 52. Cloyster, 62, 6:55, 17 resets. (Blizzard, Withdraw, Surf, Tri Attack) 53. Beedrill: 65, 6:55, 23 resets. (Swords Dance, Mega Drain, Double-Edge, Twineedle) 54. Magneton: 64. 6:58, 10 resets. (Rest, Double-Edge, Thunderbolt, Mimic) 55. Onix: 80, 7:11, 25 resets. (Earthquake, Harden, Body Slam, Rock Slide) 56. Pidgeot: 76, 7:16, 13 resets. (Mimic, Agility, Double-Edge, Fly) 57. Arcanine: 72, 7:17. 14 resets. (Body Slam, Dig, Fire Blast, Agility) 58. Weezing: 72, 7:31, 12 resets. (Mimic, Sludge, Thunderbolt, Fire Blast) 59. Rhydon: 73, 7:33, 16 resets. (Thunderbolt, Earthquake, Mimic, Rock Slide) 60. Dugtrio: 78, 7:47, 33 resets. (Slash, Mimic, Earthquake, Rock Slide) 61. Exeggutor: 71, 9:16, 25 resets. (Mimic, Psychic, Mega Drain, Sleep Powder)
While this run MOTIVATED me, I was utterly SHOCKED at the fact he just barely MISSED the top 10: S: Gengar,Kangaskhan, Victreebel, Blastoise, Nidoking, Venusaur, Mr. Mime, Primeape, Poliwrath, Lickitung, Electabuzz, Charizard, Hitmonlee A: Slowbro, Machamp, Kingler, Raticate, Seadra, Tentacruel, Ninetales, Nidoqueen, Farfetch'd, Hypno, Clefable, Wigglytuff, Dewgong, Scyther, Golem, Chansey, Butterfree, Jynx, Persian B: Sandslash, Vileplume, Marowak, Alakazam, Seaking, Tangela, Rapidash, Arbok, Raichu, Golduck, Starmie, Muk, Hitmonchan, Dodrio C: Fearow, Venomoth, Golbat, Electrode, Parasect, Cloyster, Beedrill, Magneton D: Onix, Pidgeot, Arcanine, Weezing, Rhydon, Dugtrio E: N/A F: Exeggutor
And Electabuzz is the best Electric type so far. Sorry Raichu. Next is his twin brother... or I guess Fire-type counterpart... DANTE, I mean Magmar. I think it should be kinda neat.

Part 26: https://www.reddit.com/Viidith22/comments/141nvay/my_roommate_is_slenderman_part_26/
(Terry)
I awoke an hour later, brain pulsing. I was in the back of the van laying on the floor, “The prodigal son returns, welcome back you crazy son of a bitch!” Tucker laughed.
“Took on a god face to face. Pretty sure the only one with bigger balls than that would be Abraham. Though, balls didn’t save you.” Doc said, looking up from his book.
“Took the last core I had, but at least I can say I’ve killed a god now.” Tucker snickered with a smirk.
“Concentrated light, can’t say it’s what I would have thought of, but it was effective.”
“Yeah, wasn’t effective portably until we came across some anti-matter from a crashed–”
“What?” I tried sitting up but failed.
“Right.” He stood, propping up the left row of seats, and pulled out a black case. Flicking it up he aimed it down at me, “Anti-matter annihilation laser. Think you can piece it together.” There were about five lenses that each shrunk, narrowing the barrel to a tip. Everything but the lenses was coated in a vanta black paint, “Each lens reduces the energy state while also–”
“I couldn’t give less fucks if I pulled them out of Doc’s patients. You killed him with that thing?”
“Yup, his head’s probably gettin' breathed in from the wildlife out here.” He clicked the case shut, put it back in place, and sat.
“And the data is intact?”
There was a brief pause, “While it is, I feel it’s important to be more concerned about yourself. You have major skull fractures, a concussion, you’re missing your face flesh, your back had to be clotted to avoid you bleeding out, and you are severely low on blood. You should be sleeping right now.”
“I just, I had to know.”
“Knowing you, you’ll be back on your feet in–”
I passed out again before he finished talking.
---------------------------------------------
When I awoke, I was on my bed, Sepratine was applying herbs to my face, “Ho–”
“16 hours, Doctor Sadist and Rachel are busy. You really ought to be more cautious, this isn’t one of your video games.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind. You heard from Jones?”
“No, apparently he passed out at the wheel after he parked. The Sadist said they’d be out for a while. He’s having Rachel look them over once she finishes a project she’s working on.”
“Shouldn’t you be helping her?”
She put her mortar down and sighed, “Flip onto your side, I need to replace the bandages on your back, then you need to eat.”
She finished tending to me in silence, then went to cook. The whole time, I just wanted to get up and finish everything. But even if I did, the data wasn’t fully recovered until it was sifted through. So I resigned to wait until the detective got back to me.
Sepratine came back a while later with a plate toppling over itself and a glass of water. Not to get too detailed, but both were empty in a matter of… 30 seconds or so? “Now get back to sleep. Your face should be back to normal in another day, and your skull is still fusing back together.”
“Let me know when Jones has the info.” She stood, taking my plate and cup.
“Someone will I’m sure. Get some rest, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t. You were reckless enough… Whatever, goodbye.”
-------------------------------
When I came to again, my face was dry, the medicine Sepratine had put on felt like a cracked desert, leaving a green crust behind. I stood, heading to the bathroom to wash my face. I took my meds, then removed the bandages from my back. Heading back to my room, I grabbed my phone, seeing several missed calls and texts. I immediately opened the message from Jones.
Call me when you wake up, I’ve got it, you’re not gonna believe where it is.
The phone rang four times, “Eh? Terry, that you?” He yawned.
“Yeah, what’s the deal?”
“You remember when you first met me?”
“No.”
“Well, I was headed to a town down in southeastern Oregon, one that wasn’t on any maps. And you’re not gonna believe this shit, but Tenyit Lane, the place I went, that’s where he’s being held.”
“So you know where I need to go?”
“Yeah, the place is a hot zone for organizations. There’re at least seven that I’ve recorded since I first went, and that’s not including–”
“And?”
“Well, point is, there’s security everywhere, people are gonna be everywhere, and the police and government officials are gonna be too busy counting bodies to care about one missing person.”
“Send me the coordinates.” I took a picture of my wall, putting the phone back against my ear.
“I’ll do you one better, I still have an old map to the place, I’ll send it over.”
“I don’t care what you say, I am paying you after this.”
I was already out the door, wearing nothing but a hoodie and sweatpants. I started the car, threw on EDM, and headed down to find Joseph.
------------------------------
A grey smoke rose in the night air above the town. I had a good ten miles left on the empty road before getting to the one stop on the entire strip. As I climbed the mountain, I turned my windshield wipers up more and more. The road was coated in a light crust of white, the speckles dropping ever so carefully in the light wind.
As I rounded a bend, I saw a flicker of headlights through the pine trees. Rounding the next one, I saw the lights again, this time coming around their own turn, before heading in my direction. The snow picked up as I met the gaze of the other driver, it was her.
I screeched to a stop, whipping a U-turn that nearly sent me into the rails. I stopped, having noticed her car was pulled over to the railing too. I jumped out of my car, running over to her, and grasping her in my arms, “I thought I’d killed you Tresca!”
Setting her down, my brain fully processed its surroundings. The person in front of me was Joseph, he was a bit shocked, but the rest of him reminded me of how he looked when we first met, “I-I’m sorry, I just–”
“Look, Terry. Honestly, it’s great to see you, great to have clear evidence I’m not crazy, great to know all those fun ass memories at the apartment were real. But…”
“I’m just so glad you’re okay.”
He smirked, but his eyes were hollow, “Yeah, okay…”
“I mean, you’re alive though!”
“Terry, this isn’t going to work.” He looked up, “I can’t ignore what you said when you saw me.” He looked back at me, nervous, “I read up on you, it was intrusive, and I’m sorry for that, but I can’t keep being a replacement. I need to live my own life, I need to get away from all this, I…” His eyes filled, but refused to streak, “I want to live a life away from all of this. I know a normal life isn’t really an option anymore. But I still wanna do what I can.”
“You… read my files?” I glanced at my phone, thinking about the picture I’d taken before leaving, “Which ones?”
“Your old life, hers too. Once I got ahold of my files, I decided to do some digging. I was me, but not I guess, I had to get an understanding of who the people I used to know were. I know about Tresca, I remember your conversation with Maerod.”
“I…”
He waited for a while, a few cars flew by us before he took the rope, “I will never regret the time we had. We had fun, we had some adventures and even a few emotional tipping points. Without you and everyone else, I’d probably have a slab of a ruck on top of me now. I don’t feel like dying anymore, but I also don’t feel like living. I’m sorry, but… I need to find my life out there.” He threw his arm up, gesturing around, “But if I stay with you, I’ll never get that chance.”
I tried to maintain myself, for seemingly the first time, taking Joseph as a person in. His overgrown brown hair, his blue eyes, broad shoulders, bland outfit. “You look different from before.”
“I feel different.” He shot a breath out his nose.
I staggered, “Let me grab something from my car before you go. You mind coming with?”
He nodded, gazing up at the grey sky. Several more cars flew past us as we made our way to mine. When we got there, I pulled out a small bag,
I reached into my car, pulling out the contract, “This was the guy that placed a hit on your wife. He’s dead now.”
A car flew by, lighting up his face to reveal his frozen face, “Y-you mean it? Who killed him?” He snatched the paper from my hand, looking over the entire sheet.
“The detective put on her case, the original guy is my understanding. Goes by Jones, he’s a P.I. now.”
“Really? Where is he?”
I cleared my throat, “You su–”
“Positive, where is he?”
I rubbed my arm, but looking at his hopeful face, I caved, “Apex Investigation Office, downtown Albany.”
He hugged me, “Thank you… Seriously, this…” He cried into my stomach for a time before pulling back and recomposing himself. Rubbing his nose dry, he turned around.
“Wait!”
He stopped, turning his head to me, “Yeah?”
I held onto my phone, debating to show him the picture or not. We stood still as two more cars flew by, followed by one with sirens. I pushed my phone back into my pocket, “Where are you going?”
He turned back to his car, holding up the contract, “To repay a debt. You’ll get yours too one of these days.”
Sitting in his car, he drove off without another word.
I sat in mine, pulling the phone from my pocket, and opened the gallery. I had one recent picture, it was one of the walls in my room, one with several posters. All of which were had drawn anime style portraits of Tresca. “Maybe Abraham was right, and maybe, Joseph has the right idea too.”
----------------------------------------
(Joseph)
Epilogue:
I dried my face as I left him behind, unsure of what to do first. I sat with music blasting for the first hour, mind flashing through the events like a slideshow. When I eventually came across a convenience store. It was a 24/7 place, the kind that had hot dogs on the roller for days at a time, and the only people that worked there couldn’t get a job anywhere else.
I pulled into a parking space and picked my phone off the passenger seat. I’d already decided I’d go to the detective’s place last. But I’d never been to Rachel’s before, and I didn’t remember her phone number. “What if I?”
I dialed a number, letting it ring a good five times when “Chad’s Cads how can I help you?”
“God, tell me that isn’t the name of your shop.”
“Joseph? Is that you bro?”
“Yeah, it’s been a while, good to hear from you.”
“Where the hell have you been man!? Terry’s out look–”
“It’s all sorted now. I don’t mean to be callous, I promise I’ll catch you up to speed later. But do you have Rachel’s number?”
“Oh, yeah. Everything good dude?”
“Yeah, she apparently told Terry to have me see her when he found me, so…”
“Oh for sure.”
“So can you send me her number?”
“Oh right, yeah. Good luck bro, come by when you have time. I wanna see how strong you are.”
“Sounds good Chad.” I hung up, smiling. A minute or so later, I had her number.
“Joseph?” Her voice was smooth.
“Hey Rachel I…”
“Chad messaged me.”
“Gotcha, Terry said you wanted to see me?”
“Yes, there’s a lot you need to know biologically if you want to pass for human.”
I sighed, rubbing my side, “Where should I meet you?”
“I’ll send you the location, Sepratine will be here too.”
“Oh, yaaaaaay.” She was alright, but she always had a whole bag of chips on her shoulder.
“See you soon. Oh, and did you happen to feel an aching in your right side at any point?”
“More than you know.”
“How frequently?”“Well, I was starved for a few days at one point, aside from that though I’d say a couple times a week if not more?”
“...Was that the entire time you were gone?”
“Not entirely sure, the first month or so is still kind of hazy, but since I was moved into town yeah.”
“...Okay, just… See you when you arrive.” Click
“I thought Doc was supposed to be the cryptic one of the bunch,” I smirked, a tear forming in my eye. “Goddamnit.” I wiped it, clicking the address she’d sent me, and heading on my way. Only after I picked up some gas station food.
-----------------------------------
“Oh my.”
“It’s me.” I did jazz hands, wearing a faux smile.
“Your soul is much… larger than I anticipated. Come inside, I’m sure you’re hungry.”
A whiff of cedar and sweetgrass slapped me in the face, “Wow, that’s… pungent.”
“Apologies, my sense of smell isn’t very strong, and Sepratine is….”She took a sharp intake of breath, closing the door behind me.
Looking around, the house seemed pretty standard, aside from the greenhouse in the living room, “So uh, what’s this you got goin here?”
“Take your shoes off please,” She did the same, “Creating chemicals from what’s in the air is taxing, it’s more convenient to just have the plants you need on hand.” She headed toward a door down the hall, “My equipment is downstairs.” She opened the door and I followed.
The air was a solid 80 or so, with humidity so thick it was like snorkeling, pollen so strong it activated allergies I hadn’t had since I was five. “Quite the quaint home you have here.”
“Oh right, sorry again.”
“No, you’re good, I’m just gonna need a few boxes of tissues is all.”
“Oh Jo–Joseph, my gods, you’re… wow. Different is a word, what happened to your soul?” Sepratine was turned to us, standing in front of a table with apparently every plant unknown to man of it.
“That’s kinda why I’m here.”
“Oh right, don’t mind me, just running a few experiments, Rachel has the perfect climate down here for a few plants.”
“Alright Joseph, hop on the bed.” Rachel stood in front of a wooden table, I couldn’t help but notice vials and jars stacked neatly on a counter that circled half the room, as well as a set of tables that held assorted plants with different lights hovering over them.
I sat on the table, “You need me to turn my head and cough?”
“No, first I need you to eat. It’ll be easier if you’re digesting food.”
She headed to a small closed-off area, then came back, plate in hand. Mostly just leafy greens. Maybe some kind of bean too?
“Go ahead, this should pass through you at just the right speed for me to catch it.” She turned, heading to another room, “Oh right, when you’re done I’ll need you to take off your shirt and lie down.” Then she headed through a door.
A few minutes passed and I finished the salad. Putting my plate on an open section of a counter and throwing my shirt to the side, I laid down, “Sepratine, you know anything about Vampirism?”
“Only rumors, they’re rare, so you’re the only one I’ve met.”
“Rarer than what you are?”
“Dryads are uncommon for sure. But given my personal experience, I’d say you’re one of a kind.”
“Awwwe, thank you.” I said sarcastically, “But is that all? They’re rare?”
“You’re here for Rachel because they’re rare. She’s met something like five, even got to do a lab experiment on one of them, saw how their stem reacted to stimulus. She’s the closest thing to an expert I can think of.”
Rachel made her entrance with the smack of the door on the wall, “Alright, don’t worry Joseph, I’m not going to cut you open today, I just want to see how large your stem has gotten. Based on your soul, you might be around half to ¾ vampire. But the only way to tell for sure is to see the size of your stem.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask, but everyone else I’ve met who knows about it has been a psychopath. What’s a stem?”
“Oh, kind of like a parasite is my current understanding.” She picked up a large metal plate, pressed it against my stomach, and used a metal rod to probe my right side.
“Come again?”
“Well… it’s more like a symbiotic relationship? Consider it another organ, only it’s wrapped around a portion of your large intestine. A full vampire has them fused, and it becomes an addition. But a partial, you can still see where they are two entities.”
“So you can cure me?”
She scoffed, “No.” Putting the plate and rod away, she pulled out a roundish object and squeezed some kind of gel onto the end before rubbing it against my right side. “If it’s removed, both entities die. You’re a symbiote now, you each rely on each other. In return for giving it nutrients, it gives you cells that allow you to regenerate anything short of half or more of it. They’re akin to stem cells, but enhanced. It extracts your DNA and replicates what it needs to to keep you alive for as long as possible. That’s the working theory I currently have anyway.”
“So I have a parasite in me?”
“A symbiote, you two aid each other, there are only benefits for each of you. Not to mention the enhanced soul… which I’m not entirely sure what causes that yet. Though the more vampirized you are, the more spiritual power a vampire seems to have. Considering that’s how it’s been with the last five, it’s only an assumption. But if that is the case, I am curious about the correlation.” She put the device down, handing me a towel, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to see the images I got back. Time to see how far along you are.”
Patting me on the stomach, she walked out of sight, and I wiped my side down. Sitting up, I hopped off the table, picked up my shirt, throwing it back on. Then, it was dark.
---------------------------
My eyes shot open, I was upright on the hardwood table, eyes darting around for the threat.
“Relaaaax, you’re fine.” Rachel and Sepratine stood beside me, and I loosened up, wired as hell.
Standing, I regained my balance, “Which one of you knocked me out?”
“Neither.” Rachel said, offended, “You fainted, you had several nutrient deficiencies, and call me crazy, but I don’t think you were willing to hear what I had to say.”
I mulled it over, a burst of panic surging when I thought about the thing inside me. But I managed to push it back into its little jar. Which I promptly placed back on the shelf with the rest of my emotions. “I’m fine.”
“Yes, now. But I have to be honest with you, the ultrasound came back more worrying than I expected. You’re only about ¼ so far. Your soul is far larger than any of my calculations suggested.”
“Right on.”
“Joseph, you have far more potential than I expected. While I advise safety, occasionally fasting may build up your soul to around as strong as Smudge.”
“Cool beans.”
“The issue is that you have an extremely high-functioning stem. You’ll need extremely nutrient-dense foods with extremely specific nutrients to maintain yourself as you are, let alone grow stronger. I’ll have what you need, but if you don’t want to go on a killing spree every few days, you’ll need an extremely strict diet.”
“How much is that gonna run me?”
She sighed, rubbing her eyes, “Quite frankly, I’ll charge you what it costs me. I don’t want you going on a murder frenzy. You’re my friend, but that’d also guarantee your death. As not only an alchemist, but a scientist, I can’t allow that. I’ll charge you at the end of each month. How does that sound?”
“Cool, do you have an estimate?”
“Joseph I feel you are hearing me but not listening.”
“No, I’ve got it.”
“This will be in the ballpark of 1500 dollars a month, and that’s alongside normal meals. Which should help you not only maintain but build up. The pain will feel like you’re being digested if you get to the point of dangerous starvation. Now, repeat everything I just said back to you.”
When I did from start to finish, she rubbed her face, “Alright, you can pick up your supply weekly from here. For now, though, I have something that should hold you over until next Friday, when I’ll have the actual supplies.”
She helped load a few milk crates into my overstuffed car, and when I went to start my car, she gestured for me to roll the window down. “Yes?”
“There are places you can get help you know?”
“I think I can handle the vampirism thing.”
“Joseph…” She stared at me, tugging at my bucket of guilt, tipping it ever so slightly.
“I’ll be fine. Thank you Rachel.” I flicked the button up and the window went with it as I pulled out of her driveway in the suburbs of West Salem.
-----------------------------
“Joseph?” The familiar guy behind a desk just across from me stared, eye agape.
“D-Detective? What uh… what happened to your erm… you?”
“Long story. What happened to you?”
“Long story.”
He chuckled, “Guess you were in that town for a while. What are you doing here?”
I held up the contract, “I’ve got a debt I needa pay.”
-------------------------------------
Author’s Note:
Hey guys, 4Shot speaking. Holy FUCK guys. This has been my longest-running series, it’s been 3.5 years in the making. Hell, it was the series that got me into this whole writing shebang. It feels weird to be saying goodbye to Joseph, given this series has been with me since the start. I’ve seen my ups alongside this story, and those who read or listened to the poker scene in my detective series will know I’ve had my downs.
Though, it’s not exactly the end. I have one final series I’ll be writing to wrap everything up. Those who have followed my first three may notice a trend. And yes, the final series will be a continuation of Jones’ tale. It’s been a long time coming, and I hope to complete it before february, which is when I’ll be taking an extended hiatus. I’ll be back, but I have some things I want to do first. This entire unraveling story will have been a part of my life for over 4 years by then, something like that is hard to just let go, and I have some life I wanna experience. So I may be gone for around 6 months to a year when I’ve finished the Detective’s story.
I’m glad so many of you have enjoyed my stories. I honestly never expected to go anywhere with any of this, thought I’d give this series up around part 3, and writing would just be another dead hobby of mine. But here we are. Honestly, there are a lot of people to thank, but the main people are my boy TeeStache who got me into writing, NaturesTemper who picked up my terrible rough draft of this series, and Viidith who first found my detective series and asked to narrate it, and proceeded to narrate my Lighthouse series.
It’s been a crazy ride out there, and I only intend to make it crazier in the future. Thanks again guys, cheers.

Were these a good redemption value?
Will be in LA and San Diego end of July. Booked two nights at Bakersfield Fairfield Inn & Suites for 12,500 points per night. For Bakersfield when I looked online, the monetary room rate was only $131 USD per night.
Booked three nights in San Diego for total 91k points (something like 34 k points + 29k points + 28 k points consecutively). Also Fairfield. $268 usd per night. Rated 2 star hotel on google. There is also a 3 star Fairfield just down the road but it was 117k total points.
I feel like 91k points for 3 nights is a lot?
For full context, my relative is gifting me stays with their points (total of 224k points) and I would like to make the best use of them.

hello fellow redditor, i’m looking to get a used bike in my area on craigslist/facebook and was wondering if you guys have any suggestions in regards to bike brand/model. My car broke down so Im looking to get a bike since it’s only 5 mins of commute but i’m trying to avoid walmart/target ones bc i’ve heard things about store bikes being unreliable at that price level. I do see a lots of bikes from the range of $150 to $1.5k. I’m a college students and I commute ~5 miles from homes. The roads near the school is bumpy but the commute mostly consist of riding on a flat bike lane. I don’t know the difference between road/track/hybrid bikes but maybe a hybrid is better? I know that my budget isn’t ideal but i don’t have much room for money since I pay for my own bills and my financial situation isn’t looking good right now. It’ll be great if i can get advice on what I can get that’s the best for my bucks. Thank you.

I had been contacted by the magistrate to investigate a night wedding in the countryside that had involved the loss of human life. There seemed to be a recent rise in tourists involved in ghost dowries over the years. However, from my research I believe it was a man in search of night weddings for personal gain that was the cause of so many deaths.
When I received the request, I was nearby on Green Island, and addressing a rather unique matter even for my line of work. A little girl from the mainland had arrived two weeks prior and claimed to be the recently deceased husband of the grieving widow.
The child claimed to have woken up in the hospital where the doctors informed them that they had drowned and was clinically dead for 4 minutes when the body inexplicably sat upright in the gurney. This would have seemed to be great news, except when the child looked into the mirror, it was not their face staring back at them.
In old Taoist texts I have read of such events, where the bodies of the recently deceased are not put to ground quickly enough, and their souls are left to wander. They could get carried away by the Northeast or Southwest wind. Depending on the location from where they died. And possibly attach to an empty host.
This seemed to be the case, as the wife acknowledged that due to the wet season, they did not bury her husband's body right away. Because the grounds were so wet, that any graves would wash away, leaving corpses laying in the street. Still, I had the responsibility of testing the child. Whom passed a simple test of naming names. Where they used to live. The wife's habits. A conversation they recently had, and even childhood memories. All were confirmed by friends and family. But it would be the child's handwriting that ultimately convinced me. They were a perfect match, down to the signature.
Upon my approval, the villagers had no choice but to accept that this child was indeed the man come back to life. And when I left, he was sitting outside of his house cleaning fish as he had always done for 32 years, except now in the body of a 10 year old girl.
I didn't have much time to dwell on this case as I was needed at the aftermath of the failed night wedding. Ghost dowries have been in use for thousands of years, and traces of it can be found in many different cultures. From the Aztec to the Egyptians, and more recently from old Spain to the streets of Southeast Asia. Though in recent times, only a few remote places continued the practice, and there are a limited number of priests today who are qualified enough to handle such a case. Luckily, I had plenty of experience in this matter.
In my early years, I had married many ghost brides.
And was often asked, "But you're a priest, how can you get married?"
"Zhengyi Taoist priests can choose to take a wife or not. In fact, in order to pass on my Celestial title, I must have an heir."
The man looked distraught, "And you're sure this will stop her from whispering into my ear every night?" He clutched the bag rather tightly.
"Don't you worry," I took the bag from his hands. "Everything will be fine."
We would perform the customary vows and the following night the man reported no more whisperings from his daughter, yet a week later, the police raided my hotel in a different district. The man had claimed that I had swindled him. That his daughter had returned and continued her whispering of terrible, horrible things that he dare not listen. Clanking and banging away in the walls as he covered his ears in fear until sunrise.
Fortunately, I was allowed to prove my innocence.
I returned and stayed in the man's room, waiting with him for signs of his daughter. And surely enough, late in the hour, I heard the wretched scraping and dragging in the walls. The man stopped breathing in his bed and laid perfectly still. Even I was afraid to move as the most dangerous aspects of my job are in the unknown. My mind began racing, wondering if I had somehow botched the night wedding. Or worse, that the ghost bride wasn't his daughter at all, and I had inadvertently given this mysterious entity a special anchor to this world, a holy man.
The walls shook without reason. And a tiny noise could be heard near the man's bedside. He jumped off his mattress and ran to my side. The two of us watched as the noise traveled back and forth against the back wall like wooden clogs.
"My daughter did always carry around a rattle drum when she was little," the man whispered.
"Hush, don't let it capture your breath," I warned him. "Whatever this is, I don't believe it is your daughter. And because of the ritual, we may have increased its hold on this realm."
He whimpered, "Not my daughter?"
I held up my finger and traced the noise as it traveled in an odd form. I began to wonder if the entity was creating some sort of symbol.
"What are you drawing," the man cried.
"It may be creating a portal," I told him. "Now hush before it turns its attention toward us."
"Please, there must be something you can do?"
I reached into my bag and pulled out some incense. I lit the ends and began chanting. From my waist I pulled out a long yellow parchment. And drew on it a sealing spell. "Spirit," I called as I stepped forward. "I am a guiding light." The noise rattled with conviction as I drew closer. "Let me lead you to peace!" And with one quick motion I punched my hand into the wall, clutching the sealing spell in my palm, at the last place I heard the noise. To my displeasure I felt something wriggling in my grasp as something long and thin wrapped itself around my wrist, its end clawing at my forearm. I screamed when I felt its teeth sink between the soft flesh of my thumb and index finger. But I did not let go. Instead I pulled out this demon from the wall and threw it roughly to the ground.
The man screamed as he jumped onto a chair and screamed, "Rat!"
Yes. A simple field rat. That had a trap stuck on its tail which caused its movements to rattle in the wall. That had been rummaging near the man's nightstand because in one of the drawers he had left a bag of watermelon seeds.
Not all cases are this simple, and plenty are true to life supernatural encounters. Over the years my experience has taught me to be more cautious in my evaluations. Which was why when I finally arrived at the house of the massacre due to a failed night wedding. Every hair on my neck stood on end as I tried to be objective as possible.
But there was no denying that something heinous had occurred here. Bodies were still laying on the floor. Some with their faces in the dirt. Some missing their heads completely. And those with their faces up, were unrecognizable. And my first wife leaned into my ear and whispered to me, "This is the work of a ghost bride."
"How do you know?"
"I recognize her anger. It was mine before we were married."
"How do I know what?" A man walking toward me asked. "Are you the priest they called out here?"
He was average built, and in plain clothes, "Detective, why yes. I am here to assist you in anyway that I can."
The detective spit on the ground, "Assist me? As far as I'm concerned we're wasting valuable time carrying on with this hocus pocus bullshit. The killer's trail will be cold by the time we get through all this religious tape." He wafted the air in front of his face, "And the dead bodies boiling out here. This is all your fault as far as I'm concerned. Assist me," he snorted.
"Where there any eyewitnesses, Detective?"
"Several. But they're all saying the same damn thing. Spouting a bunch of nonsense. Which is why those religious nuts down at the station dredged you up."
"All non-relatives to the home owners?"
He snorted again, "Coincidence."
"Let us hope so," I told him. "Because the alternative is much worse." I walked the scene, going around the upturned tables, tracing the steps of carnage in the courtyard, to the main living room. There I saw the body of an old man, both hands clutching his chest, his face was completely missing. "Any surviving family members?"
"Some are still left," he grunted. "But we've gathered most of them under police protection."
"Have you located the husband?"
"Yeah, we're trying to extradite him."
"Extradite?"
"The foreigner took off in the middle of all the commotion. Boarded a flight back home according to our investigation. We've contacted the airline, and the airport security in America will hold him when he lands. As he is currently my number one suspect."
I circled the area in front of the shrine. Noting the spilled bowl and its contents on the ground. The position of the spoon next to it. Before standing in the spot on the left side where the effigy would have stood. "What about the bride?"
The detective shook his head, "What bride?"
"It was a night wedding," I told him. "There must have been a physical object acting as a stand in for the daughter's soul."
"Nothing more than bags of cotton usually," he paused. "But they did report that the stand-in this time was some sort of department figurine. A mannequin of some sort."
"Have you looked into that?"
"Why would I look into that. Are you crazy?"
"Right, you're right of course. You'd have to wait until after sunset to be able to figure out which mannequin serves as the ghost bride's earthly form."
The detective stormed off as if I had said something outlandish. Leaving me to my own devices, I interviewed a few of the neighbors who had attend the night wedding, gathered some evidence and sorted with the other officers at the site, and then left for the nearest hotel in the city.
It had been a long month for me and I couldn't think of anything better than I would enjoy more than a cold beer. So after checking in I went down to the bar, where an ethereal creature sat alone. She was beautiful to say the least and I had to strike up a conversation lest I live a life of regret, "S'il te plaît ma chérie, dis-moi comment on t'appelle pour que quand je sois perdu dans les ténèbres. Puis-je demander la lumière."
"What?"
"Oh, American. I apologize. I thought you were French."
"On my mother's side," she brushed away her hair.
I noticed the ring, "Ah, you are married. My sincerest apologies miss."
"Newly married," she told me. "My husband speaking with the concierge."
"Activities on vacation," I mused. "How wonderful."
"It's nothing like that. It seems someone has left him a note. And we're technically on our honeymoon." She paused, "Though this isn't where we're supposed to be. We're supposed to be in Hawaii."
I ordered a beer with the bartender and sipped my drink, "Hawaii is wonderful, but this is also a beautiful island. In fact, when the Portuguese came here, they named it Formosa. Which translates to beautiful island. It may not be where you're supposed to be, but perhaps you'll find that this is exactly where you need to be."
The woman sighed, "I don't even know anymore."
"Ah, I know what this is. I've great experience in these matters. Having been married many times. You feel doubt."
She laughed, "How many times have you gotten a divorce?"
"Divorce?" I laughed. "I never leave a woman after we have been wed."
She looked taken aback, "Oh. I didn't know polygamy was so common in these parts." She glanced behind her to where a tall man was standing with what looked to be the hotel's concierge. "I guess we're in the same boat."
"It's not what you think," I told her.
"Where have I heard that one before," she rolled her eyes.
"Larissa!" The man called for her.
She stood up, "Well, it was nice meeting you. Tell your wives I said hello."
I smiled as she left, glancing at my sides. "If only you knew," I said while sipping my beer.
Now in hindsight, if I were not so fatigued after nearly a month of hard work and constant traveling. I would have perhaps picked up on the fact that she too was familiar with the concubine lifestyle. Which was unusual in itself for an American. Or perhaps I would have picked up on the fact that Larissa was an uncommon name. As I had read Jim's article. But there was no such luck, which is why, when I say that I am deeply regretful of what I read on the news later about the couple, I am truly at a loss for what I could have prevented. But that is not my story to tell.
After I finished drinking at the bar I made my way to the elevator and got in. When a man came towards me to hold the door, I called out, "It's full." He looked at me bewildered as I was the only person he could see in the elevator, before sticking his hand out to stop the doors from closing. Huffing and puffing as he glared at me angrily before pressing his floor number. Except the elevator pinged. The weight capacity light had turned on above our heads. "Like I said, it's full." The man shook his head in amazement. Pressing his floor number again. The elevator pinged again. Unwilling to budge. I sighed and got out, "I'll wait for the next one."
And wait I did, even in my room I waited for night fall instead of resting. The thoughts of a botched night wedding swirling in my head. For the many things that could go wrong. Because even though I had much practice in these matters, I was still always nervous before a fight. So when night fell, I was red eyed and exhausted, but better mentally prepared than before.
But when I arrived back at the scene of the crime, I was not prepared for all of the commotion.
"Ka-kin-eh Ka-kin-eh," a man shouted as the fire blazed.
I grabbed one of the men running by with an empty bucket, "What happened here?"
"T-the villagers, they set the p-place on fire. Trying to rid the evil demon."
I let him go and shook my head. The fools! I made my way toward the courtyard where I saw the detective from earlier moping his forehead as he was helping put out the fire. "Detective! This is terrible," I yelled as the flames licked the night.
"No shit dumbass, it's a fire."
"You don't understand," I told him. "Now the entity has nowhere to return. We may never find it."
He threw the bucket to the floor and whirled around, "Enough! I've had enough! Listen here, there is a fire. F-I-R-E. This a real problem. If it catches to the fields, it could light the newly laid fertilizer on fire and catch the entire mountain!"
"Detective!"
That was the only word I had to say before he punched me. It was a dark night out, but stars had suddenly appeared. He hovered over me and I thought he would strike me again but then suddenly he froze. "What is that?"
I turned my head and looked out into the field. The heat of the fire burning the back of my head as I tried to stop my nose from bleeding. "Where?"
Neither one of us moved as we watched the tall field.
"Right there." He pointed.
I reached up and threw his hand down, "No! You never point at entities," I told him. "Now you could be marked!"
He ignored me and reached for his gun, "Stop! Hey you! I order you to stop or I'll shoot!"
I looked into the field, scanning the endless rows before my eyes stopped and froze in horror. At one point in time the thing must have been a simple plastic mannequin. Standing in a department store perhaps. But now, it was twisted and gnarled. It's first dirty and unrecognizable. It stood on all fours sometimes threes as it swayed slowly back and forth. The thing was also without form because it didn't need to bend or move as normal people. It was still objectively, plastic. It swung its arms behind it and used that as leverage to run, turning its head - cracking the seams that had somehow still held and took off.
The detective rung a shot out at it. I think it struck but it didn't matter. Though the mannequin was gone. The detective must have lost his mind because he gave chase.
I couldn't let him go alone so I followed. Pulling out my long yellow parchment as I wrote on it the symbols for sealing, hoping the simple spell would work. As we entered the tall field.
It was chaos. The ground was mushy beneath my feet, and the smell of fecal matter assaulted my senses further. In the brush I had lost the detective, so I was forced to tell my wives to help me locate his whereabouts. They didn't often leave my side, and some were reluctant but ultimately agreed.
I stood in the field, waiting with bated breath as I heard further gunshots in the distance. I couldn't wait for my wives to gather as I tore after the detective. And just in time as I saw him standing, looking absolutely terrified as he shot blindly into the fauna until his pistol clicked. The mannequin lunged for him. But I got there first. Pushing him to the ground, causing both of us to tumble.
He was eating a mouth of dirt as I pulled him to his feet. "We have to get out of this field! The ghost bride will pick us off in this thicket!"
Stumbling, and running, the two of us were covered in more than dirt. Several times we heard rustling nearby as if something were running alongside us. But eventually we made it out into the open plain. The detective trying to catch his breath as he reloaded his pistol.
"Shooting it doesn't work," he panted. "But maybe I can disable it from moving."
"Shut up," I told him. "Listen."
He stopped for a moment and we waited. Then all of the stalks before us shook wildly as if a hundred people were running through it. The detective raised his arm but I stopped him as my wives ran out of the field.
They were terrified as they ran right through us.
I hadn't experienced the feeling in awhile but the coldness as their ghostly forms went through our bodies was cold as ice. It was enough to bring us both to our knees, clutching our chests as we struggled to breathe. I had passed through one or two in a row before. But never 10 or 20 at a time. I lost count.
"What was that," the detective managed to gasp, his fingers in a death grip around his gun.
"A blue procession," I told him. "Something caused all of my dead wives to flee."
We looked up as the leaves in front of us rustled.
"Is it..."
I shook my head, running forward to catch her. My 13th wife, Ah-ren. Her arm was missing, and a part of her shoulder. She was an innocent girl that had drowned when she was alive. Her innocence carried on with her to the afterlife where many souls generally grew up embittered. But never her, always sweet my girl, just weary of water.
"I didn't want to go," she told me.
"I know," I held her. "I'm sorry."
"It got some of the others too. But Meita got in its way and told me to run." She cried.
"Don't cry I told her. You know how you hate getting wet."
"I don't want to go. I wanted to stay with you. All of us together."
I watched as her soul splintered and disappeared forever.
I had never felt such fury. In all my years, a womanizer, a liar, a cheat at cards, a scoundrel, a bastard even. But an undutiful husband? Never.
Without thinking I approached the field and cast a spell that was been forbidden.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm purging the field. All beings alive or dead will forever feel displaced when they enter here. A feeling of unending dread and doom will overcome them, causing madness if they do not leave or are unable to. But I have no other choice." I reached into my side and threw a handful of salt. It landed on the ground as I chanted. The winds carrying it into the field, the small white morsels rolling obediently into the darkness.
"Nothings happening," the detective's word stuck in his mouth as a horrible scream echoed into the night. It sounded like two pieces of steel being twisted together.
"There," I took off after it. The jumbled figure of the mannequin fled toward the village.
We followed it through people's homes, and between alleyways; the villagers screamed and fled when they saw it. We barged through home after home as we chased it. Until we cornered it at an abandoned building at the edge of town.
"It was supposed to be a mall," the detective told me. "But the developers ran out of money."
We walked quietly into the empty building. Shells of stores stood in various degrees of construction. Checking a few of the fronts before venturing further inside.
"You've got to be kidding me," the detective said as we came near the center of the complex. There next to the escalators and the fountains was an army of mannequins of all shapes and sizes lined up like terracotta warriors. "They must have stashed them all here when the place was being built, and forgot about them when it closed."
"There are hundreds."
"We'll go through together. Quickly and quietly." He added, "Stay alert."
We moved through the rows, staring at all of the stuck faces, searching for one covered in grime and bullet holes. But it was more difficult than it sounded. Many of the mannequins were in bad shape, weathered, broken, laying in pieces on the ground. It was hard to tell if a pile of parts was indeed our culprit.
Slowly we began to clear the rows and I could see the other side in sight.
"There!" The detective shot his gun. The surrounding mannequins dropped like dominoes when the entity scattered. Falling down all around us, drowning in a sea of plastic arms and smiling faces. I was struggling to stand as I looked up and saw the entity come rushing toward us. The detective fired his gun blowing out a knee cap. I hurriedly reached for my parchment but could not find my pen. Another shot, but the scorned bride kept on charging unable to feel pain.
It jumped into the air and another shot blew a part of its face away. The detective screamed as it tore at him. Pieces of his sinew was launched into the air as he was torn apart. I rushed forward trying to help but the creature grabbed me by the throat and lifted me into the air. My feet searching for the ground as my lungs folded trying to breathe. The thing turned its head toward me and said, "Will you marry me?" As the darkness closed into the corners of my eyes.
The fight was leaving my body as I saw several of my wives rushing forward. Their ghostly forms ethereal as they began tearing at the mannequin, slowly pulling out pieces of her soul, causing the mannequins arms and legs to go limp as they dragged her out.
I scrambled the floor blindly with my fingers searching for my sacred parchment but could not find it amongst the rubble and the ghost bride was fleeing, leaving the shell of her mannequin in a heap on the floor. My wives chasing her, screaming their fury for killing the others. For destroying their souls.
I chased after them into the open air, where she was being cornered. Crying as I approached, trying to escape into the Southwest wind. I knew what I should have done, but could not bring myself to do the right thing. Instead I bit my finger and drew symbols on my forearms with my own blood. Approaching the bride that never was and tore her soul into pieces.
When I was done my wives sat down around me before slowly dispersing as the sun began to rise.
"We did it huh?"
I continued staring at the sun, "Yeah."
"Well then," the detective said before disappearing. "Maybe in the next life I'll be sooner to trust you."
Later they would find his body in the abandoned mall. Still clutching his gun. The department gave him a 21 gun salute at his funeral and a medal as commemoration. I was just glad that his soul had not been eaten.
I, on the other hand, went back to the hotel. To the bar and ordered a well deserved drink. Where I saw a pretty woman sitting alone, "Did you know that in order for me to pass on my Celestial title, I must bear an heir?"
​
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I know the title sounds bad But I 16 F was invited to go on my best friends 17F’s family vacation to DisneyLand. I was told that I would need to pay for my food and souvenir as which my family and I thought was completely reasonable. Best friends family is more well off than mine so their last Disney trips included dinners at Disney’s exclusives clubs and a tour guide. I was told that this trip wasn’t going to be like that one and that the most extra event thing would be staying at the Grand Californian. I was fine with this not being an extravagant trip considering that every time my family and I go we stay at a really cheap hotel off the property. This trip only became a problem when on the first night they decided to eat an expensive place in downtown, I ordered the chicken strips and paid $30 but I just brushed it off as Disney being unreasonable. ON our first day at the park they surprised me with a tour guides. I was excited and ready to go into the park, but the first restraint we ate at I got a small crappy bowl of pasta my share was $30 dollars again so I venomed my friends mother and I was fine with this until she said “that was a nice snack.” But I also brushed that off but then she offered to pay for the tours guide lunch multiple times. The trip continued to go like that, the only thing that I didn’t pay for and consumed was hot chocolate that we shared from the hotels room service. But the worst part of the trip was on our last day in the park when they surprised me with a lunch at Club 33, I was panicking because the menu didn’t have the prices and I only had $93 dollars. They didn’t even tell my parents about this so they couldn’t tell me about it in order to have enough money. I had to panic call my mom and she sent me $200 dollars which barely covered it. When we finally got back home my friend kept telling me how lucky I was to go on vacation with them. That was the most stressful vacation off my life. When I got home we totaled how much I spent on food it was nearly $1000 dollars for a four day trip. Am I the asshole for not seeing my friend in the same way and being a little made at her?
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One story to another: This is my story.
I knew I loved alcohol and drugs, but my demon, my lover, his name was Alcohol. Alcohol has a back story but maybe next time I will share that..For now, This is my sobriety story.
3 years ago I moved from my home town. Why you ask? because my ex husband of 18 years wanted our 2 teenagers and I to move here, for his career. I hated him for leaving us for a whole year for his job. During that year I tried to follow God but lost my way. I thought for surey husband was cheating on me, especially after I caught him on a dating app. He forgot we had a shared gmail. Yet I chose to believe him and stuck by him. Hoping for something better. When him and I went to look at houses he told me I had to sign the new house over in his name or we would not get the house because my credit was not as good as his, so I did. Plus I could fathom my kids being homeless because of me not signing the papers. The next time I went down to visit him one weekend after work and I told him I had a problem drinking and wanted to stop drinking. The next day he took me to a brewery and made me sit at the bar. I went home feeling defeated that this lifestyle would never change. I tried when I got home to stop or simmer it down a bit and I on a health kick and was doing better, but as soon as I went to visit him again we went to his work dinner and one of his co-workers kept feeding me drinks. I kept saying no but they would not stop until I drank. I got so drunk that night I was completely plastered. On the way back I had to pee so bad, so he just dropped me off somewhere. I walked in this building and saw a bunch of people parting. I was escorted to the restroom then out the back door. I talked to some guy who sat me on a bench. He asked if he knew where I was and where did I come from. I told him my husband dropped me off. The man then said, this was a his church. I think they felt sorry for me because I immediately apologized and started to sobbing like a child. I soon wiped my tears as he spoke with me. That's when my husband arrived, as I walked back to the car a woman gave me a book and told me to read it. My husband yelled and screamed at me after vomiting all over myself in the hotel room. The next day he left for work and I drove home still hung over, we didn't speak. Then the day after that nothing, until he called me a few days later and was told by a co-worker that I kept getting served drinks and pressured into drinking by her. She had askedbif I was okay. I tried to hold onto hope by reading the inspirational book this woman gave me. Yet I just kept drinking. If the sky was too blue or the sun too shiny I would drink. I did everything I could to not feel this pain inside me. Every time he came home to visit we got drunk and anger and violence would soon follow. I'm embarrassed of the thing my kids had to wittness. Us either being so grossly flirtations or him and I screaming yelling throwing things. I wish we had never done any of it in front of our kids but even if they were in there room I know they could hear it. Eventually, the kids and I packed the whole house up and moved down. I simmered down on my drinking for a bit for my kids. Yet he would still get drunk and violent. My biggest concern at that point was protecting my kids from it. I always thought I had. I tried to get him to go to therapy or marraige counceling because I needed it. No such luck. My kids knew how bad it was getting soon after we moved into the house. My mental health was declining because I started to hide my drinking from everyone. Shortly after moving into our home my husband then told me after an argument over the phone that he wanted a divorce, that I knew. When he said he didnt love me anymore. I was done. I thought to myself that I was trying so hard to keep the family together, I had left my friends, my job, my life for him. Our kids moved schools and his parents moved for him. I did everything did everything for him or so I thought. Yet, In that moment I wanted to die and if I had had a gun I wouldnt be heir today. I didnt so, I came up with a plan.. That night when the kids were in bed I acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary..yet no one knew not even my husband; that I had taken pills and was attempting to drink myself to death. Yet the only thing it made me do was go crazy. We were drinking in the living room listening to music and having fun when he said " I still wanted to be friends, I told you we would be better at being friends." I lost it. He had crushed my world. I ran after him throughout the living room trying to attack him. I wanted to kill him. He hurt me so bad I wanted him dead. I couldnt hear my daughter screaming at me and I could see the fear in his eyes because I was no longer me. I was the demon inside me comming out for revenge. My only lust in that moment was to kill. Luckily My daughter called the cops and my huband managed to evaide me. When my daughter yelled she called the cops and they were on there way, the demon in me ran for the door. Iran but eventually I calmed the demon down and walked up to the cop cars trying to play it off stupid. The cops arrested me but instead of taking me to jail were I had gotten to know that cold place befor; they sent me to the hospital for a psych eval. I spent a week in a mental Institute hallucinating and sobering up. After I came back home my kids begged me to move out. Evenntheyvwere done with me and Yet a week of sobriety was not enough and I couldnt stop. I got an apartment soon after got a boyfriend and had a great job who supported me though my stay at the hospital. I had to rebuild myt life. I was calling it quits. I had been to jail before Ive been in a mental institute and the only place left was the grave. So I put myself through rehab. Anger managment classes was the hardest for me. Even after 30 days I couldnt go back to my boyfriend who had moved in. I wasnt ready. So I lived in sober living. When I left sober living I got a call from the director who was concerned. I told him if I can get through covid sober I can do this in the loving place I now call home. Ive slipped a few times. Not going to lie but everyday is a new day. I know this. The last time I drank was last year in May. It was a margarita and I didnt like it very much. I especially hated the way it made me feel. So yah. I'm not going to say that I wont slip or have relapse. I dont know. What I do know is that my kids are so much more happier with me. Our relationship is the best it's ever been. My life is good.
The darkness is there still because In sobriety we talk about death. It's a fact because while my stay in rehab and sober living and even now I've lost so many firends. Every name is on my altar. Even my bestest friend who I helped kill by drinking with him died slowly and painfully because of alcohol. Could I have stopped it, maybe but by the time I tried it was too late. His kidneys had failed then after dialysis he didnt last long and I never got to say goodbye.
If you want something to live for you first have to get sober. There is no other way. You will not find a light at the end of that tunnel because there is only darkness and death. I say this to you because I love you. Every sober person who has gone through this knows how hard that road is. We will always help you, all you have to do is reach out you're hand and grab ours.

Hi all -
I have booked 3x hotels for my upcoming Austria trip. I just checked in to my first hotel.
We have a toddler, so I usually go for breakfast included options because waking up and getting him a full breakfast sets us up for a good day. When I say usually, I always select the breakfast included option unless it’s a ridiculously expensive breakfast.
In all three of these cases, Chase Travel is telling me that they don’t have any record of me making a breakfast included reservation. And they’re right - I don’t see anything on my confirmation email INDICATING that breakfast is included. I called all three hotels and they don’t have any breakfast included reservations.
There’s no way I messed this up three times. In fact, my wife and I sat together and made one of the bookings in a side by side comparison BECAUSE the breakfast included rate was a better deal.
I spoke with Chase and a very hostile travel supervisor (Kat) basically accused me of trying to get away with something and demanded I show proof. I tried to tell her I spend (and paid off) nearly 70k on this card in the last year (lots of business travel) and that arguing with her for $200 is just not something I would do - I will just take my business elsewhere.
Has anyone else had this issue?

I drove on the wrong side of the road at an intersection 30 minutes ago and feel so much shame. I tried to exit a strip mall from the path where cars come inside, and I was supposed to be on the other side of the dividor where cars were able to go straight or turn right. While I was on the wrong lane/path, one of the two cars on the other side of the dividor had honked the horn to alert me, but I couldn't tell what was going on. I felt I was maybe on the wrong side, so I couldn't turn right anymore, and so I just went straight and cut into the other lane, and from there I turned right into some buildings to reassess. I have a night blindness of sorts at night with lights, and I feel this messes me up when driving at night as I cannot see even with glasses, but I am also someone with a lack of common sense and who cannot really independently do anything on their own properly as well. It even shows in the fact that I wasn't sure what exactly I had done wrong until after I arrived home 30 minutes ago and put everything onto Google Maps to understand properly, and still I cannot properly explain what it is I did. I'm 25F, I am still not used to the roads, and have been driving for nearly 2 years now. I was late getting my license because of driving anxiety and that anxiety's here to stay. It sucks because I have no friends IRL, so I cannot have someone in my passenger seat to talk sense into me when I'm being an idiot the way my mother does. I wish I wasn't so stupid, and I hate that there is no hope of me being able to morph into a capable adult. I know a lot of people can improve themselves, but some people are just plain idiots. I use a GPS every time to find my way back to my home and still get lost 3–4 minutes away from my home. What happened tonight shouldn't have happened, but it did and I would've likely been in a collision had the cars at the far right been approaching and turned into the entry of the mall. Could have died. This makes me so upset that I am so incompetent because basic things like traveling abroad are so out of my reach because I know I'd get lost or wouldn't be able to use my time efficiently and get things done. Figuring things out like the busses/metro. Where to get bus cards, etc. It's just.. I'm dumb. The only hope for me is a sensible husband to do things with, but I am an unattractive, masculine-looking woman face-wise and am overweight. Never been catcalled, approached, looked at, or anything. I was actually out tonight at the gym for a change, as I've held a membership for 8 months, paying every month, and have only been there a total of five times. And all that happened. I I know this may not seem like much, but my life is overall crashing down on itself in different areas of failure, and then these very serious idiotic instances only reaffirm to me how useless I am.

Hello everyone, I’ve decided to start cycling and am looking for a good basic bike. Some of my friends who are already cycling every week suggested Schwinn and ozone bikes in the $250-$400 range. I am 6’1” tall and could only find mountain bikes in 29in. My plan is to ride for about 15 miles a couple of days a week. We have nice bike trails where I live. What would you guys recommend? I’m currently looking at hybrid bikes in this price range. Not planning on mountain biking in the near future. Can I settle for a road bike itself. I understand this is a typical noob question so if the answers are already available somewhere please direct me there.
TIA 🙏

Hi there! My partner and I are travelling to Japan in late October for 16 days and it will be my first time visiting. We're in our late 20s/early 30s, are huge foodies, love shopping/thrifting, video games/anime/manga, and architecture (big fan of SANAA and Tadao Ando).
This is our first itinerary check. Nothing is really booked yet besides our flights. My partner really wants to do 2 nights in Hakone and we planned it this way so we could really unwind near the middle of the trip and then spend Halloween in Tokyo, but otherwise, we're pretty flexible. Please let us know if any of this looks like too much as we're trying not to get too ambitious. Any suggestions for places to stay or other things to check out would be very appreciated!! Thank you in advance.

Saturday, October 21 - TOKYO

• 4PM Land at Haneda
• Check into hotel
• Dinner somewhere nearby
• Rest and recover

Sunday, October 22 - OSAKA

• Check out of Tokyo hotel
• Train to Osaka
• Check into Osaka hotel
• Kuromon Market
• Namba Yasaka Jinja
• Nipponbashi
• Shinsekai
• Harukas 3000
• (If there's time) Dotonbori

Monday, October 23 - OSAKA

• Cup Noodles Museum
• Minoh Falls/Minoh Park
• Umeda Sky Building
• Dotonbori if we didn't get to it previously

Tuesday, October 24 - OSAKA

• Osaka Castle
• Aquarium
• (Can skip) Tempozan Ferris Wheel
• Shinsaibashi
• Try fugu at Takoyasu?

Wednesday, October 25 - NARA/KYOTO

• Check out of Osaka hotel
• Train to Nara
• Nara Deer Park
• Suntory Distillery - My partner really wants to check this out, but their tours might not be available by the time we go. We might skip this if so.
• Train to Kyoto
• Check in to Kyoto hotel
• Dinner somewhere nearby

Thursday, October 26 - KYOTO

• Fushimi Inari
• Kiyomizu-dera
• Lunch at Kichi-kichi? Depends on if we can get a reservation
• Gion
• Nishiki Market
• Pontocho Alley

Friday, October 27 - KYOTO

• Kinkakuji
• Arashiyama Monkey Park
• Rilakkuma Cafe/Miffy Bakery?
• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Saturday, Oct 28 - KYOTO

• A tea ceremony? Nothing booked yet
• Philosopher's Path
• Kyoto Imperial Palace

Sunday, Oct. 29 - HAKONE

• Check out of Kyoto hotel
• Train to Hakone
• Check in to ryokan
• Rest and relax

Monday, Oct. 30 - HAKONE

• Pretty much everything on the Hakone Free Pass loop..
• Open Air Museum
• Owakudani
• Hakone-jinja Shrine

Tuesday, Oct. 31 - TOKYO

• Check out of ryokan
• Train to Tokyo
• Check in to Tokyo hotel - staying near Shinjuku?
• Ghibli Museum? Depends on if we can get a reservation
• Explore Shinjuku
• Omoide Yokocho
• Kabukicho
• Anything else we should check out since it'll be Halloween?

Wednesday, Nov. 1 - TOKYO

• Yoyogi Park
• Shopping around Shibuya/Takeshita Street
• Mipig Cafe? (Not a big deal if we don't do this)
• Shibuya Crossing/Hachiko
• Nintendo
• Dinner at Den? Depends on if we can get a reservation

Thursday, Nov. 2 - TOKYO

• Tokyo DisneySea

Friday, Nov. 3 - TOKYO

• TeamLab Planets
• Tsukiji Outer Market
• Ginza
• Pokemon Center
• Try to eat at Tsujihan
• (If there's time) Check out Shibaura House?

Saturday, Nov. 4 - TOKYO

• Sensoji
• Kirby Cafe?
• Tokyo Skytree? Not really a must-do
• Akihabara

Sunday, Nov. 5 - TOKYO

• Nothing much planned for this day - figured it would be best to keep it open for any last-minute shopping or things we didn't get a chance to do yet
• Check out of hotel
• 7PM Flight out of Haneda

​

I don't really know if I want advice or just a place to vent but whatever. I'm feeling really shitty right now and need to get all of it off my chest and hope I am not being crazy or awful. For background, everyone involved including myself are 25F. Ariel and I became roommates in college and lived together for a year, and then later Belle moved in to take the place of one of out other roommates. We became friends when Belle moved in to our apartment but we really became a trio a few months later. We have a shared group chat we all talk in pretty much daily and do regular facetime calls since none of us live near each other. Ariel and Belle are closer than I am to Belle but I am pretty close with Ariel. I talk to both of them on a daily basis in our group chat, but talk to Ariel more outside of the group chat. Ariel and Belle have both separately visited me (I live in a different state), with Belle visiting me in Fall 2022 (this is kinda relevant). The three of us also went on a girls trip about a year ago. A little more than a year ago, Belle got engaged to her long term boyfriend and it was very exciting. From early on there were discussions about bachelorette and general wedding details. Bridal party stuff was never mentioned, Belle always seemed pretty lowkey about adhering to wedding traditions so I didn't think much of it. I also didn't want to ask since I wasn't sure what she was doing, but I assumed if she was doing that I would be one. In retrospect, I admit this wasn't a fair assumption. It was either December or January, a good 6+ months from the engagement, when groomsmen were brought up for the first time and I privately asked Ariel about it. She told me that Belle asked her a while ago to be a bridesmaid. I felt really caught off guard; I'm not a Karen, it is totally up to Belle who she chooses for her wedding party. I also found out it was pretty small too (4 bridesmaids and 4 groomsmen), and I was also in a wedding in November and recently asked to be in another one, while Ariel has never been in a wedding. Ariel is also quite frankly a better bridesmaid than I would be: she follows wedding stuff, is super organized, and is local and able to go to more pre-wedding events. I also know Ariel and Belle are closer so I am not surprised she asked Ariel. I just felt kinda shitty, like this was being kept from me on purpose, especially since Belle came to visit me for a weekend and we talked wedding stuff and there would've been time to mention this to me, but whatever I too hate confrontation and awkward situations which is why I am here. I def was a bit insecure about it and vented a bit to Ariel when she told me, but after that I let it be. Belle made a choice, I can't even fault her for it. I have my own insecurities and that's on me to deal with. She did have a bachelorette and I was invited. It was fun. There were a couple other girls there who weren't part of the bridal party which helped, except I knew one of them was a pity invite which def got to my insecurities of being like that too. I wasn't able to make it to the bridal shower because it was too far away. Meanwhile, friendships are fine, no drama there. Since I am not local, I stayed with Ariel and rode with her to the wedding. I felt awkward with her talking about bridesmaid stuff but whatever. She had to get there the day before for the rehearsal and everything. I felt a bit awkward about being with Ariel but not invited to the rehearsal especially since some people invite out-of-state guests to that, but another friend of ours (Snow) stayed with us at the hotel so we hung out. Snow and I hung out before and during the wedding when Ariel was doing bridesmaid stuff. Here is the thing tho, Snow is a college friend but not a close one. Ariel and Belle know Snow better than me, and aren't the biggest fans of her but she was invited anyway. Our other old roommate, who again none of us are particularly close to, was invited as well and the three of us (me, Snow, and 4th roommate) hung out during the wedding. I hate to say it, but that made me feel even shittier like I was cast aside to hang out with the rejects. During the wedding, one of the groomsmen was kinda cute. I thought he was flirting with me and was into that, but he was flirting with Ariel and they ended up making out a bunch. I let me insecurities get the best of me and took advantage of the open bar, got drunk, cried a bit in the bathroom because I was feeling so shitty, and then made out with a random person (I am not proud of any of this). I don't think my jealousy was detected and it all worked out. I did hate Ariel a bit when we were driving back as she was talking about how she, and I quote, "didn't realize she was one of Belle's top four friends and thought she was fifth or sixth" which made me feel like garbage. She talked a lot about wedding stuff and the grooms family and I was soaking in hungover jealousy. Now the wedding was weeks ago so aside from hearing about it when the professional photos come out (which honestly I am dreading a bit), I thought I was in the clear and my jealousy would be better. However, Ariel and the groomsmen hit it off, went out, and are currently on a date doing the deed. Now, I am not delusional, I don't know this guy at all, am not mad or jealous of her being with him or whatever. It's just...I haven't had sex and until tonight Ariel was my only friend in the same boat. I am happy for her but its hard being a virgin at my age and feeling like shit about it. Having someone close to me who understood was nice and made me feel less alone, and now that is gone. And now it just feels like her and belle are going to go off and be BFFs who have sex and I will be the virgin loser with no friends. Plus, she met the guy because of Belle and that's always gonna be a part of it, which makes me feel like I'm being shut out of this friendship. All this jealousy and insecurities are building up and I don't know what to do. I don't want to say anything because I feel like saying something will push them, especially Ariel (I am about to move to her city and was looking forward to hanging out with her more) away but I am worried about keeping all these feelings in. And I hate having these feelings in the first place, because so much isn't valid and it's stupid and illogical and I hate them so much. It just feels like I will never grow past the insecure 12 year old who didn't have friends and was left out and I know thats not true (at least I pray to god it's not) but I don't know how to handle it. I hate to say this about a friend's wedding, but it feels like it's gonna haunt me forever and I hate how stupid that sounds. I just wish I didn't have these feelings.

I drove on the wrong side of the road at an intersection 30 minutes ago and feel so much shame. I tried to exit a strip mall from the path where cars come inside, and I was supposed to be on the other side of the dividor where cars were able to go straight or turn right. While I was on the wrong lane/path, one of the two cars on the other side of the dividor had honked the horn to alert me, but I couldn't tell what was going on. I felt I was maybe on the wrong side, so I couldn't turn right anymore, and so I just went straight and cut into the other lane, and from there I turned right into some buildings to reassess. I have a night blindness of sorts at night with lights, and I feel this messes me up when driving at night as I cannot see even with glasses, but I am also someone with a lack of common sense and who cannot really independently do anything on their own properly as well. It even shows in the fact that I wasn't sure what exactly I had done wrong until after I arrived home 30 minutes ago and put everything onto Google Maps to understand properly, and still I cannot properly explain what it is I did. I'm 25F, I am still not used to the roads, and have been driving for nearly 2 years now. I was late getting my license because of driving anxiety and that anxiety's here to stay. It sucks because I have no friends IRL, so I cannot have someone in my passenger seat to talk sense into me when I'm being an idiot the way my mother does. I wish I wasn't so stupid, and I hate that there is no hope of me being able to morph into a capable adult. I know a lot of people can improve themselves, but some people are just plain idiots. I use a GPS every time to find my way back to my home and still get lost 3–4 minutes away from my home. What happened tonight shouldn't have happened, but it did and I would've likely been in a collision had the cars at the far right been approaching and turned into the entry of the mall. Could have died. This makes me so upset that I am so incompetent because basic things like traveling abroad are so out of my reach because I know I'd get lost or wouldn't be able to use my time efficiently and get things done. Figuring things out like the busses/metro. Where to get bus cards, etc. It's just.. I'm dumb. The only hope for me is a sensible husband to do things with, but I am an unattractive, masculine-looking woman face-wise and am overweight. Never been catcalled, approached, looked at, or anything. I was actually out tonight at the gym for a change, as I've held a membership for 8 months, paying every month, and have only been there a total of five times. And all that happened. I really need someone to vent to, I know this may not seem like much, but my life is overall crashing down on itself in different areas, and these very serious idiotic instances only reaffirm to me how useless I am.

I drove on the wrong side of the road at an intersection 30 minutes ago and feel so much shame. I tried to exit a strip mall from the path where cars come inside, and I was supposed to be on the other side of the dividor where cars were able to go straight or turn right. While I was on the wrong lane/path, one of the two cars on the other side of the dividor had honked the horn to alert me, but I couldn't tell what was going on. I felt I was maybe on the wrong side, so I couldn't turn right anymore, and so I just went straight and cut into the other lane, and from there I turned right into some buildings to reassess. I have a night blindness of sorts at night with lights, and I feel this messes me up when driving at night as I cannot see even with glasses, but I am also someone with a lack of common sense and who cannot really independently do anything on their own properly as well. It even shows in the fact that I wasn't sure what exactly I had done wrong until after I arrived home 30 minutes ago and put everything onto Google Maps to understand properly, and still I cannot properly explain what it is I did. I'm 25F, I am still not used to the roads, and have been driving for nearly 2 years now. I was late getting my license because of driving anxiety and that anxiety's here to stay. It sucks because I have no friends IRL, so I cannot have someone in my passenger seat to talk sense into me when I'm being an idiot the way my mother does. I wish I wasn't so stupid, and I hate that there is no hope of me being able to morph into a capable adult. I know a lot of people can improve themselves, but some people are just plain idiots. I use a GPS every time to find my way back to my home and still get lost 3–4 minutes away from my home. What happened tonight shouldn't have happened, but it did and I would've likely been in a collision had the cars at the far right been approaching and turned into the entry of the mall. Could have died. This makes me so upset that I am so incompetent because basic things like traveling abroad are so out of my reach because I know I'd get lost or wouldn't be able to use my time efficiently and get things done. Figuring things out like the busses/metro. Where to get bus cards, etc. It's just.. I'm dumb. The only hope for me is a sensible husband to do things with, but I am an unattractive, masculine-looking woman face-wise and am overweight. Never been catcalled, approached, looked at, or anything. I was actually out tonight at the gym for a change, as I've held a membership for 8 months, paying every month, and have only been there a total of five times. And all that happened. I really need someone to vent to, I know this may not seem like much, but my life is overall crashing down on itself in different areas, and these very serious idiotic instances only reaffirm to me how useless I am.

I am not the Original Poster. That is u/Whofuckingknows2. She posted in AmItheAsshole, her own profile and TrueOffMyChest.
I posted the first few updates in BORU 2 months ago here. These are her newest updates.
The start of the new updates is marked with ***\*
Trigger Warning: Verbal/emotional abuse that escalates; drug addiction
Mood Spoiler: rollercoaster but it's pretty bleak right now
Original Post: March 5, 2023
My fiancé (m22) was injured over a month ago and had surgery to correct things literally two days after the accident. I (21f) have been my his side the entire time. I have more or less become his caregiver.
In the last month I have taken over the role of keeping our house together. I cook all the meals. I take care of the pets. I stay up all night to tend to his endless needs. I take him to the bathroom. I have been working remote. I haven’t left the house for more than an hour since the accident (aside from taking him to and from appointments). I am not saying this to complain, I am grateful that my life allows for me to support him the way I have.
My problem is his attitude. He was given very strong pain killers for the first two weeks after surgery. He had to extend his time on them and recently stopped taking them in the last week. When he was taking them, he thanked me, told me how much he loved me, apologized at every step, though he didn’t need to. Without the meds he doesn’t seem to see that I am helping him. Every dish I bring him is the wrong one, he will yell for me and when I come he will tell me to “fuck off” if he’s in pain he expects me to fix it. I am exhausted. I can’t do anything right and it is wearing on me. I haven’t slept in weeks. I haven’t seen a friend or family member in way too long. I can’t even be on the phone for more than 10 minutes without it being an issue.
After days of what turned into verbal abuse, I called my MIL. I told her everything as soon as I saw he was asleep. I cried for about 15 minutes. I felt terrible unloading on her like that, but I had so much built up frustration I just couldn’t stop. She was very supportive on the phone, let me know I wasn’t wrong to feel like that., and let me cry. After hearing everything she was furious and ended our call to talk to her son. She tore him an new asshole. I heard him trying to defend himself through the door but it was mostly just stammering.
She flew up yesterday and put me up in a nice hotel. I haven’t heard much from my fiancé since I left but as I was leaving he was yelling at me for calling his mom, he said he didn’t want to marry someone who couldn’t be there for him in sickness. I told him I loved him and I was sorry, I am just so tired. He didn’t care and just told me to go, and his mom could do a better job for him then I ever could.
So now I’m in my way too nice hotel room, feeling like a major AH. I need to know if I am wrong here.Edit- He began weaning off two weeks ago and became fully dependent on over the counter medication this week. He did not stop taking them cold turkey. His doctors were heavily involved too, due to previous drug abuse.
Edit 2- March 6, 2023 (Next Day)
MIL is taking him back to they’re hometown once they can get flights together. I’ll stay in this hotel until then. Fiancé doesn’t want to talk yet and tbh I don’t blame him, he knows what’s coming and that I am pissed. I’ll go visit him in a week so I have until then to decide how I want to move forward. My mother called last night about a venue she found in my hometown and I told her what’s going on, she doesn’t want to spend a bunch of money on a “pending divorce” so we are stepping back from planning.
Not much more to add, I’m excited to see my pets and be able to sleep in my own bed. I’m going to try to make my sister fly to my state so I can have some company. That’s pretty much it. I’m in serious awe about how I let my life get like this, but oh well. Today will be better.
Relevant Comments:
Is it withdrawal?
"He behaves like this frequently when in pain, just never to this degree. I can promise you that he had been weaned off and would tell me if that’s what he was feeling. I have seen him go through much worse withdrawals when we first met and this isn’t that. He is lashing out on me in pain, which I get. I was the only person around."
"He has a history of drug abuse, I took administration of the pills very seriously. Due to his history we worked very closely with his psychiatric team and the orthopedic to make his weaning period as easy as possible. I should have put that in the post but he did not stop cold turkey."Is this abnormal behavior?"He has what some would call a short fuse. Especially with me. Him saying hurtful remarks to me or just blatantly putting me down is not necessarily uncommon and is something we are working on. Prior to this he would apologize and make it up to me, now even when I’m in tears he will just keep laying on insults."
OOP has thoughts later that day:
"Being away and able to process the last month of my life has been eye opening. I couldn’t imagine trying to care for a child under conditions like that. I couldn’t imagine how frustrated I would be. HIs injury is in his arm, he can walk, he can use his left (dominant) hand. I understand that he is in pain and its awful but I have had a friend with much worse injuries help us move! I’m thinking about returning my ring."
OOP is voted NTA
Update in comments (Same Post): March 13, 2023 (8 days later)
"I’ve returned. My last night in the hotel I called my parents to make a plan and it didn’t go well. I’m home with my fiancé again. He wont talk to me except to bark orders at me. I’m hoping I can move out within a month or two. Surgery and recovery are expensive and we have been living on my income for some time and I’m pretty broke but I’m keeping my head up and I’m confident I can get myself out."
Why didn't he go with his mom?
"I know she pushed for him to go home but he is a very stubborn boy. Thank you, I will be okay."
Update Post: March 22, 2023 (17 days from OG post)
Updates on AITA seem like a process so I’ll just post here.
I went home two days after posting. Things were sad. My mil had cleaned but the energy in the house was a bummer. The first thing he said to me when I got back was “I’m glad you’re back, can you make me a snack?” There was no apology, no accountability, just a task. He only talked to me when he needed something. His attitude was worsening. My mil took the rest of he prescribed opiates so I knew he wasn’t using.
The weekend following the MIL debacle my wonderful Fiancé told me he had friends coming to stay for the weekend. 2 hour heads up. Didn’t ask. I sighed and made up the guest room. His friend and friends girlfriend came to stay. During the stay my fiancé bought me flowers, got out of bed daily, took me out, and let me call my parents unsupervised. The day they left he was back to bed with a shitty attitude.
I wish I could say I am in my own apartment with my pets and a bottle of rosé that’s just for me. Or with my girlfriends that I haven’t seen in months. Unfortunately I’m writing this on the couch while I listen to the music that are his endless demands. However I do have a light at the end of the tunnel.
I’m scared to leave him in person but he’s leaving the country for a month in April. My sister lives abroad and I’m working on getting to her during that month. It’s a process especially with pets. I look forward to getting there.
My mother hasn’t spoken to me since I told her I was returning the ring because “That’s not we do, we clean our messes.” But I have my fathers unwavering support. I’ll miss my MIL but I deserve that kindness and understanding from my partner, not his mother. I have stopped forcing myself to find the joy in his presence and its helping to fuel my drive to get out of here. I may update again when I get to my sister but don’t be surprised if I do my best to put this chapter behind me.
Thanks for the kind words. I hope you all get the love and hugs you need.
Update in a comment on my OG BORU post:
Why isn't he with his mom?
"MIL was planning on taking him, he refused. Things got very bad since I posted this. Im currently in my childhood room at my fathers (decently hungover) and I am officially a single lady."
OOP then added a few new comments to her latest post in regards to questions:
About "calling her parents unsupervised":
"I called my sister once when I was scared of him awhile back. She called the police. He liked to be in the room when I was talking to family following that incident so I didn’t say anything “dramatic”. I should have seen how bad it was. Typing that out just feels gross."
More about what happened:
"I don’t want to get too into it but we had a bad night. It ended with me locked on the balcony. I still have some bruising. I was able to call my father on my watch and we made a plan to get me home the next morning"
Are you and your pets safe?
"Yep. Im with my dad now."
"They are. They aren’t in my arms yet but I should get them back in the next week."
****Update Post 2: April 14, 2023 (5 weeks from OG post, 3 from last)***\*
It’s been some time and I finally feel comfortable enough with my situation to update y’all.
My pets and I are safely with my father. We’ve been here a couple weeks and things are going well. I’m working remote but also searching for a new position closer to my hometown so I can still have a social life. My animals are adapting to life without their dad, and I’m doing my best to join them.
My ex and I were high school sweethearts. I have been through most major life event with him. There is only a small fraction of my life as an adult that I have been through without him. Leaving was really hard. I am still second guessing myself. But I realized recently that by not enabling his shitty behavior I really am helping him.
He went on his planned trip and I took that opportunity to get everything I needed from our shared home and made arrangements going forward for my lease. He took his trip as an opportunity to reflect on his behavior within our relationship, specifically the last year. He is pretty disappointed in himself. It seems that the company he was on vacation with helped to hold a pretty clear mirror to his face and he was really unhappy with what he saw. I feel bad he’s really having a hard time with this self awareness but I do really appreciate the accountability that has been accompanied.
I’d like to add that I don’t hold any resentment towards him. I am hurt and disappointed in the way he felt he could treat me, but I don’t hate him. I was sad to hear how upset he was with himself, though a little relieved I wasn’t being painted as the “crazy ex” I was sure he would paint me as. Since getting home he has started therapy and is looking for a new sponsor. We talk about once a week so he can see his pets, I also do not mind the positive updates. When we talk it’s respectful, there is still a lot of love, but I’ve set boundaries that keep him from hounding me about our relationship.
I have also started a new therapy. This is my first serious breakup and the after shock is real. It’s hard to lose your best friend, future husband, and father of your fur babies in one go. I am confident however, that this is essential to both of our growth. I’m happy that we can have a respectful albeit small relationship. Who knows what the future holds but for now I’m doing my best to be content with this new independence, and grateful my life can go through road blocks and I can get through easily, thanks to my amazing support system.
I still haven’t spoken with my mother. That will be much later and I will be requiring a serious apology. I love my mom, but I’m not going to stand for her demanding I make really unhealthy choices to appease her, and so she doesn’t have to be “embarrassed by my broken home”??? I mean come on man I’m 21. My broken little tykes home lets be real. I am young and smart and pretty and I have a really good kind life in my future. Thank you for helping me not settle for “comfortable”. I hope I never have to update again. And I hope you are all having a really Good Friday.
Relevant Comment:
It's good his behavior is improving, but don't rejoin the relationship:
"Absolutely. I’m pleased to see progress. Period. I have no intentions of rejoining that relationship. I am just really happy that he is also getting a new start that is positive, and I am proud of him for taking it seriously and getting the help he needs. I was fully expecting self destruction while blaming me and instead he’s owning up to his mistakes and trying to do better for himself."
Update Post 3: April 28, 2023 (2 weeks from last post, almost 2 months from OG post)
I left out of my last post my final interaction with my ex. It didn’t seem too important at the time, but we had a final hookup the last time I saw him. I am now pregnant.
This was my biggest fear while with him, having a child and being solely responsible for them. I am now in that exact position. I told my ex a couple days after I found out. I assured him that this changes nothing about our relationship, but as he is the father he has the right to be involved in the conversation.
He declared he is moving to my hometown and he will be “the best goddamn father you’ve ever seen”. I have my doubts, I am full of anxiety. I’ve barely learned how to treat my self correctly. I want my kid to be so beyond loved. I want my child to have everything in the world and more. I don’t know how to do that on my own. I am encouraged to see my ex making big boy steps to be a part of our kids life. But I’m also cautious he’s doing all this to get back in my good graces.
I can’t be a mom to my ex and my future child. I cant fall back into the same dynamic that made me leave. I am doing what I can to stay strong and hold my ground, but then he send flowers, or a massage certificate, or a bump box. Every gift, every check in text, and every mention of OUR baby gets me closer to going back to him.
I don’t really know why I’m posting this. I guess its cathartic to get this all down and out in my own words. It’s hard to write your own narrative in your words in a small gossipy home town. It’s hard to be pregnant and single. But the hardest thing is telling your father that you’re expecting no matter how old you are.
I know we will be okay. I am already trying everything in my power to be a good mom already. I am trying to be respectful to everyone I can regarding this situation but damn its tough. Anyway thats my ramble. I doubt anyone reads these anymore lol but I’m glad I said it.
Relevant Comment:
Are you sure you want to be tied to him for the rest of your life? Because that's what this baby will do:
"No i am not. Im not too sure about much right now. I do know that I already love this baby more than I can say. I know that he loves our baby already too and thats all I really care about. His mom is good at reigning him in and I have to believe that things are going to be okay"
Slight Update Post: May 31, 2023 (1 month from previous update, almost 3 from OG)
My mom and I have always had a rocky relationship. I went to live with my dad as soon as I could decide and kept my contact minimal. After high school I moved away for college and for a good job with my ex. My mom followed me to my new city and we tried to rebuild our relationship. Unfortunately I got scared of the choices I made when I was with her so I went back to low contact and she moved back to my hometown.
Unfortunately recently my life turned upside down. Long story short my boyfriend and I broke up. I moved home (with my dad) and got a new, better job. Then I found out I was pregnant. My dad has a full house and I made the decision to move to my mothers guest house for my pregnancy so I can save more money for Bebe, and move out once they are around 2 months old. The timeline works for my finances, and I figured, since I’m just on her property, not main house, it might be easy to keep a low profile. How naive. After work daily she comes over to “check on” me. She hasn’t failed to offer me an alcoholic beverage. Not once since I moved in. She chain-smokes right out side my bedroom daily, and she stays late.
I know its her home. I know that she’s very kind to have me here, but I’m growing a person right now. I am preparing myself for motherhood. Single motherhood. I work long demanding hours. I am stressed and isolated. I would love a fucking drink. But I’m pregnant. I cant drink. The time I brought it up, I was screamed at and she asked me to leave in the morning. It was really upsetting and stressful. I feel like she comes here to bait me into picking a fight so she can pull every power play to make me feel small.
So any way. Mom, I love you. But, fuck man. I am trying to give our entire family a healthy new friend. I am trying to reestablish myself as an adult in the town that I was a child in. I am trying to do better for myself and my baby. Please respect that for me. Please respect that enough for your grandchild. I love you. Please, try to love me.
Please remember the no brigading rule. You will be banned from this sub if you message OOP or if you comment on her posts.