#why does everyone act so shocked when birth control doesn’t work despite me knowing I’m not some super rare minority here

[autisticslp]

[spockandawe]

So, my heart keeps circling and circling back to The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System, and I was idly prodding at why that is, even more than the other mxtx stories, and then I thought to myself, ‘why not ramble into the internet abyss instead of just in your own head?’ And so here we are.

I love this story so much, seriously. It was maybe the most difficult of the three novels for me to begin, because the translation editing is definitely rougher than mdzs and tgcf, and I think the story itself assumes that readers are kind of familiar with transmigration concepts (teal deer, person from real world reads novel, involuntarily is pulled into novel, often(?) as one of the established characters, lives out the-novel-plot-but-different).

But once I got past like, that first chapter? MAN. I was so hooked. 

I think the first thing that really stands out to me is that Binghe as a love interest is...I’m not sure I want to say he’s more “flawed” than the other mxtx love interests, but that’s the best word I’m finding right now. The wangxian ship is mostly in tune with each other in the present, despite a few lingering misunderstandings. And the hualian ship, like, hua cheng rolls up like ‘heyy what up i would do anything you asked of me’ and xie lian was like ‘you. i like you a lottle.’ and their in-book development is mostly about bringing xie lian up to speed on the depth of their history together.

But Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe! The original canon Binghe is specifically a blackened hero, who is casually cruel and manipulative, and has collected up a massive harem of pretty ladies to be his wives and concubines. Pretty much the last straw in that blackening is that his abusive teacher (who he still desperately wanted the approval of) found out he was half demon (also news to luo binghe) and kicked him into the abyss where he had a miserable few years having his demon blood awakened. Later, he came back to the human realm, much stronger and angrier than when he left, and his morally questionable adventures involved de-limbing his old teacher, cutting out his tongue, and keeping him alive for years.

Shen Yuan is a modern-day human bean who has been hate-reading the webnovel of this story, where he can see a lot of interesting potential in the story, but is massively frustrated by the things the author has chosen to do with it. It is a Significant shock to his system when he wakes up inside the story, in the body of Shen Qingqiu. After Luo Binghe has already been his student for some time. Also, there’s a System that’s policing whether or not he acts in-character as Shen Qingqiu, and he’s going to get punished if his points drop below a certain threshold. He gets more freedom to act as the story progresses, but at first he has to do things like argue with the System about why he should be allowed to give medicine to Luo Binghe after he gets beat up (it will shame their sect if outsiders see him with a bruised face). And on the one hand, he’s trying DESPERATELY to avoid a future where he gets mutilated and tortured by his student, but... he is absolutely a massive softy who takes no time at all to start ADORING this kid and being super proud of everything he does. He won’t admit that, even in his own pov, and he has a very, very reserved external manner, but he’s so soft on the inside.

(ps why did using fans as conversational props stop being a thing. maybe sometimes i don’t WANT my face hanging out in public, maybe sometimes it’s extra fun to hide your expression.)

And this makes for a fascinating dynamic, because this new Shen Qingqiu 1) adores Luo Binghe, 2) is terrified of Luo Binghe.

At first, when Luo Binghe is still a teenager, it’s easier to land on the side of just adoring him. The original canon character was a sweet, sweet kid all on his own. And Luo Binghe is still an extremely good boy when this novel starts, even though he’s being mistreated by his teacher and most of his fellow disciples. But when Shen Qingqiu starts giving him support and positive reinforcement, oh my god, he BLOOMS. 

But Shen Qingqiu is from outside the novel, and he knows where this is headed eventually. And at the point where the original character shoved Luo Binghe into the abyss for a couple years of misery, the new Shen Qingqiu thinks he’s in a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation, and... reluctantly does the same thing.

So here’s the trouble. Luo Binghe is... needy. He’s a needy, needy boy. He loves very hard and cares about his people (person) a lot, but he is also clingy as heck, jealous, and has MASSIVE abandonment issues. Getting this treatment from his favorite person in the entire universe is... not ideal. Having it happen when he’s just found out he’s half demon is even less ideal, especially when the framing makes it look like he’s being rejected because of What He Is, not something he has any power to change. And it ties back into to his oldest, most painful insecurities. His name literally means ‘lowered into the icy river’, because that’s what his birth mother did with him. 

So when he comes back to the human realm, he’s not as blackened as he was in canon, and doesn’t have a grudge of the same magnitude as the original Luo Binghe. But the person he loves most in the world hurt him very, very badly, and he :) has :) some :) questions :))))))))))))))

And this is the point where every time Luo Binghe breathes, Shen Qingqiu goes WAUGHHHH

Which is so TASTY, honestly! And the escalation of hurt and mistrust is such a delicious feedback loop! I love a good supportive relationship, but I live for two people who care about each other inadvertently inflicting massive wounds on each other’s hearts.

I don’t want to go into describing the later parts of the plot, because that seems like such a waste, but I feel like transmigration stories are the MOST tasty if having prior knowledge of a novel’s plot makes the leads act as dumbasses in all kinds of new and exciting ways. Which definitely, definitely applies here.

And there are all kinds of DELICIOUS side relationships, which weren’t there in the original canon, and that Shen Qingqiu accidentally discovers/uncovers while he’s fumbling around trying to dodge his canon fate. Like, early in the book, Shen Qingqiu is supposed to kill one of his peers in the sect. The guy was suffering from a qi deviation and the original Shen Qingqiu was like ‘look, he was out of control, and I didn’t want to kill him, but it was him or me.’ Everyone was skeptical, but they didn’t have any evidence to contradict him. This character was the brother of one of Luo Binghe’s eventual wives, so it was pretty much just another bonus reason to hate his shizun once he turned against him.

The new Shen Qingqiu is like ‘okay, so this Liu Qingge is supposed to be strong. Maybe if I save his life he’ll protect me from Luo Binghe?’ And it changes SO MUCH! And Shen Qingqiu is SO DUMB! He’s like ‘wow, liu qingge really hates me, huh.’ And Liu Qingge is like ‘WHY ARE YOU BEING NICE. IT’S WEIRD. ARE YOU REALLY STILL YOURSELF?’ And then later there are spoilery developments, but there’s this act of devotion that moves me so much. (five years!!!!!!!!!!)

And I don’t want to undersell the intense emotions these characters are so frequently feeling in this story, but they are also. so dumb. so frequently, frequently dumb. and I live for it.

Like, I just got past the part in the novel where Shen Qingqiu sees Luo Binghe and Liu Mingyan having their first conversation. Liu Mingyan is a legendary beauty (so beautiful she wears a veil, because otherwise her beauty is just too distracting) and eventually becomes one of Luo Binghe’s favorite wives. So Shen Qingqiu (who hates the original novel, but also sure has a lot of passion for it and remembers a lot of the details, considering how much he theoretically hates it) is like ‘OH, HOT DAMN. MY OTP’S FIRST CONVERSATION. I WANNA SEE HOW THIS GOES.’

And what happens is that Luo Binghe gets so massively jealous. We get a bit of his pov, where almost all of his thoughts are ‘WHY IS SHIZUN STILL LOOKING AT HER?? IT’S NOT LIKE YOU CAN SEE MUCH PAST THE VEIL ANYWAYS. AND ANYWAYS, I’M PRETTIER???????????????’ And finally Luo Binghe goes off out of sight with her so shizun can’t watch her anymore, and Shen Qingqiu is like ‘ah.... alas....... of course the protagonist and his lady get privacy for such an important scene..............’

They are so dumb, guys. They care so much, and they ache so much over each other, and they are so dumb. And the supporting cast isn’t much smarter. Even the smart ones have the dumb ones inflicted on them.

In the extras, at one point demon king Luo Binghe is addressing his main retainers, and he’s like ‘if... hypothetically..... two people’s hearts were out of alignment with each other........ how would u fix that.......... hypothetically..............’ And his poor retainers are like

But I really, really think that the protagonist being afraid of the love interest is a really key point for me, personally. And then it’s extra my favorite, because of 1) him having a good fucking reason to be afraid, and 2) his love interest having no goddamn clue. It makes for such a good blend of humor and sincere pathos. I’m weak to dumbasses-in-love as a dynamic, but it can be hard to have something so lighthearted while also working in painful emotional depths. The premise for this story is hard to replicate, and I’m kind of drawing a blank on anything that I’ve read that measures up to it, and the plot REALLY makes the use of some incredible foundations.

Anyways, thank you for coming to my ted talk, this book is ridiculous and i love it, and it’s also the shortest and most linear of mxtx’s books, and i highly recommend it to everyone.

[thewildheroine]

Fly Away |Five|

Warnings: None

Words: 2817

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

A/N: This chapter took way longer to write than expected, which I’m going to be blaming on my own anxiety for school tomorrow. Sorry to people who requested stories. I promise I’ll be getting those out as soon as possible. As for this part, it is definitely slow in the beginning but I tried to make up for it at the very end.

|Masterlist|

|Part Three| |Part Four| |Part Six|

Both Peter and I lay side by side on the wet grass. Rain begins to drop from the storm clouds above and thunder claps angrily but neither of us bothers moving. Slowly I remove my arm from his. The sling ring feels unusually heavy on my fingers as I pull it off and push it into my cardigan pocket.

“That sucked,” Peter announces to me. The full reality seems to be finally settling on him. Even while we were in there I was surprised to see how well he was handling the situation. Peter even seemed amazed. Now that we’re free of the mirror dimension though he seems numbed.

“Yup,” I reply. “Magic usually does.” Finally deciding that I’m not enjoying how the soggy ground feels I sit up and sigh. My throat still feels sore from being choked. I grimace at the memory and add it to the list of things to forget as soon as possible. Nothing good ever happens in that dimension.

“Do you need to go home?” he wonders. I turn towards Peter before looking down. The door. I haven’t thought about it in since we got stuck in the other dimension, but now that I am my insides ache and I grab onto the grass below me, tearing out a whole handful.

When I look up Peter is suddenly closer than before. I feel his warms breathes fan against my face, making my heart flip. My teeth bite into the soft insides of my mouth, forcing me to pull myself away from his worried, dark brown eyes. To keep from looking at him I close my eyes and push back my hair.

“Could I- if it’s okay with you- could I maybe spend some time at your place. Just a little bit.” My eyes glance at him nervously through a few pieces of wet hair. A smile forms on his lips.

“Of course Y/N,” Peter says and I have to ignore the little pink blush on his cheeks. “My apartment is actually pretty close to here.” I nod and stand up with him. Without speaking I walk next to him as he leads us to his home. My fingers fidget awkwardly, not once stopping even as Peter opens the door to his apartment.

I step in and look around. Old pictures of Peter are hung up on the wall. A grin appears on my face as I step up to one and look at it. In it is a young Peter with who I presume to be Aunt May and Uncle Ben. The little bit of joy I felt from seeing his pictures suddenly disappear and all that is left is a sense of sadness.

Everyone remembers when Ben died Freshmen year. It was all over the news for a week, and while people were kind to him I heard all the hushed whispers people would use when they figure Peter wasn’t listening. That was the only time Peter and I ever talked. Actually talked. The conversation wasn’t about school or the weather or even just awkward rambling. It was just me bringing up random things to distract him and asking whether or not he’s seen a movie or read this one book I thought he would really like. I sure as hell didn’t ask if he was doing okay like everyone did because I know I didn’t want anyone asking if I was okay when my dad left.

“May!” Peter suddenly shouts, shocking me back to the moment. I look down the hall where Aunt May stands. Her eyes meet my own in an instant and I feel like I’m being crushed by the intensity of her surprise.

“May this is my friend Y/N,” he reaches for my arm gently and pulls me away from the pictures. “Y/N this is Aunt May.” I look from his aunt, to Peter, and back again. My fingers nervously push back a strand of hair and I step towards her.

“Uh,” I mumble and extend a stiff hand towards her. “It’s nice to meet you.” A big smile forms on her lips and she looks behind me, at Peter before mouthing something incomprehensible. When she looks back at my she gladly takes my hand in both of hers. They’re soft and warm and the affectionate contact makes my body loosen.

“It’s very nice to meet you Y/N,” she tells me. “Why are both of you soaked, though? Did you guys decide to just hang out in the rain?” May lets go of my hand and grabs her purse off the coffee table. Both Peter and I look to each other and for the first time, I actually register that I’m dripping wet just like this morning.

“It started up when we were walking here,” Peter explains to her. She just nods as she throws on her purse.

“Well, I was going to pick up something for dinner. What do you want Y/N?” My head pops up and I study the both of them. Each of them watches me us I shrug awkwardly.

“Uh, I would hate for you to buy anything for me. I can just-”

“It’s okay Y/N. I really don’t mind. Is there any sort of food you prefer? There’s a Thai place I can pick up from.” It takes me a moment to adjust to how kind she’s being.  I’ve never been treated so nicely by a stranger. Much of that is probably due to me isolating myself. When I come across people at my work though and even at the destroyed coffee where the older girl would always get mad at me for nothing it made me think adults were really just like that. The only exception being my teachers who were always just forced to be among hundreds of students a day.

Aunt May is incredible though. She hasn’t spoken up negatively about me stepping foot in her house and dripping water all over her seemingly freshly swept floors. She doesn’t act weird having me suddenly appear out of nowhere without so much as a warning. May just smiles joyfully and approaches the door.

“Oh- um- I’m really good with anything,” I fumble to get the words out. May smiles kindly and opens up the door.

“Sure. I’ll be back soon,” she replies, but before May leaves us she looks at Peter. “Oh, and honey, get your poor friend and yourself a towel before you both catch a cold.” With that she closes the door, leaving Peter and I alone together.

“I’ll go get the towels,” he whispers before moving straight past me and down the hallway. I watch him walk away for a second before turning my attention to the home around me. The whole place is lit up by multiple lamps that have a comforting glow. All of the furniture has an antique style that must be all May’s doing. Green plants line sets of shelves along with books and little porcelain animals.

“Hey Y/N?” I turn towards Peter who is holding a towel out to me. My fingers admire the soft feeling before pulling the towel away from him.

“Does your offer still stand to tell me a few things about all this magic stuff?” he wonders. I shrug weakly and turn towards the window that must lead to his fire escape. Outside the rain still pelts the ground and buildings.

“I guess so.” My eyes don’t bother moving back to his. “What do you want to know?”  Peter moves to my side and casually leans on a little table. The ends of his towel lift with his hands when he crosses them over his chest.

“Well, could you tell me what magic is?” Peter asks me. I nod and turn away from the window and to him calmly despite the fast rate at which my heart beats.

“Magic is the energy we transfer into us from other universes. All that needs to be done to control that energy is to use spells that harness it.” Feeling uncomfortable just standing in front of him, I slide into a seat and drop my elbows on the table. Even though the position is far more comfortable I still feel odd with Peter just staring at me.

“Who taught it to you though?” Peter questions. I feel my chest tighten and I look down at the floral tablecloth. Pretty little flowers curl around each other. My fingers trace the petals of each one surrounding me in an attempt to distract myself from thinking too hard about Peter’s question.

“My father,” I whisper, entrancing myself with a bee I find on hovering over an orange flower.

“Really?” Peter laughs. “I wouldn’t peg your dad as an all-knowing sorcerer.” Now I look away from the tablecloth and focus back on our conversation. Peter looks down at me from where he stands as I swirl my hand in the air. Next to us, I conjure an image of the parents I drag to conferences and to talk with my principal when I got in trouble for ditching a full week.

“You mean those parents?” He stares in shock at the charming man and woman who have just appeared in his living room. “They’re illusions. A simple Asgardian magic trick. It’s also possible to do it with regular magic though it does take a lot more energy.”

“Wait, then where are your parents Y/N?” his voice is startling sincere and I have to do everything in my power to keep my expression placid.

“I think my mom died right after giving birth to me and I have no idea where my father is.” I silently go back to tracing the flowers. “Before you ask he disappeared about five years ago.” Through my lashes, I watch as Peter falls into the chair across from me.

“Y/N I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

“Stop,” I cut him off quickly. “It doesn’t really bother me anymore.” Peter immediately chooses not to bring it up anymore. We both sit quietly for some time before I look up at him. His dark, chocolate brown eyes are cast away from me. I sigh and lift my hands to support my head so I can keep watching him.

“What’s it like keeping it a secret from your aunt?” I ask him. He looks at me, taking a moment to think of what I just said. Abruptly he chuckles. I knit my brows together as he pushes back his hair anxiously.

“May actually already found out that I’m Spider-Man,” his voice fades out as he finishes the sentence. I stare at him with wide eyes before laughing just as awkwardly as him.

“That must have been,” I click my tongue to fill the space between my words, “rough.” Peter laughs again at this, only it’s real and I feel the hint of a smile on my lips.  My face tilts downwards to hide it from him, shaking my head and letting my damp hair fall in front of my face.

“I’m back!” We both hear May shutting the door and walking into the dining room. In her hands are two bags that smell absolutely intoxicating. Peter quickly stands and takes the bags from her hands and places them on the table. I stay silent as he unloads them in front of me and the aroma grows stronger.

“Go ahead and dig in Y/N,” May tells me in her usual, sweet tone. I nod and respond with a numb thank you before looking down at the food. Not once in my entire life have I ever eaten with anyone else.

My feet dangle over the edge of Peter’s apartment building aimlessly. The sky has cleared revealing the moon and stars hanging above our little world. I let my head fall back to breathe in more of the sweet scent from the mix of water and the gravel on the streets. The air wraps around me and pulls my body all the way down to the pavement on the roof. A soft sigh escapes pleasantly from my mouth as I close my eyes.

I left Peter and May’s apartment hours ago. When I first left I went to the stairs before I made sure that they closed the door, and walked back down the hall and went all the way to the top of the building. I’ve been here for two hours is what my phone tells me, but it only feels like it’s been minutes.

“What are you doing up here?” I don’t bother looking over my shoulder to see Peter nor do I bother even sitting up. Instead, I groan and wait for him to come to me.

“Just hanging out,” I grumble finally when he invites himself to sit next to me. Peter has put his Spider-Man suit back on. His mask is held limply in his hands that tells me that he must only be waiting for someone to commit a crime. After a moment I prop myself up on my elbows to watch the New York skyline with him.

We stay silent for a while, listening to the sound of cars and people still bustling around so late in the night. All the times I’ve said I love the quiet seems to be erased by just this moment alone. It’s a different sort of loud. Quiet is just peace. Lonely, barren peace that has nothing else to offer except for focus. The noise filling my head right now though holds just as much peace as the quiet, only it’s peace with life. Serenity with joy that actually brings a smile to my face.

“We could do it together, you know?” Peter says to me. I look over to him slowly. His eyes hold every last light in Queens. They flicker in Peter’s warm brown irises and I wish I could leave this place and go into the city he holds within him.

“What?” I whisper, not really focused on what he’s saying at all.

“Fight together. Protect the city. We could do it together Y/N, as a team,” he suggests dreamily. I’m ripped violently from my trance when I register his idea. My eyes drop from his when he looks expectantly at me.

“Peter,” I say quietly, finally sitting up all the way, “I’m not like you. I can’t just run around the city saving people.”

“Why not?” he asks in a serious tone. I straighten my body and shrug defensively.

“I have to work so I don’t lose my apartment,” I tell him. Peter considers it for a moment, the gears in his head turning vigorously.

“You could always come to our place,” he says. “Aunt May already told me she loves having you around. You made a super good impression when you helped clean up and talked about all your grades and everything, and she says you seem really nice and sweet.” I feel flattered when I hear what May thinks of me, and I can’t stop the grin that doesn’t help me prove a point.

I can’t leave my apartment. Not with the spell still inside my father’s room. While I would love to simply run away and leave that place behind completely I know that it is a burden I have to bear. Anyways, it’s dangerous to just sell my apartment to a regular person

“I’m not a hero,” I finally whisper to Peter. My heart falters when I feel his hand cover my own. His gloves are cold and the wiring on the outside is starting to make an imprint on my skin from what I can feel.

“That’s probably not what the kid who you saved thinks,” Peter still tries to persuade me. I laugh at his efforts and think about that little boy. He was pretty adorable. Tall for someone who seemed to be so young. He was so shocked when I rescued him. It’s not like people get to see magic every day in real life though.

“That wasn’t heroism Peter,” he cocks an eyebrow at me. “That was me being selfish and scared. I couldn’t watch that kid die. I couldn’t have the fact that I could’ve done something and just watched on my conscience. That’s all it was. My own fear and selfishness.” Peter stares at me sadly, and I know he wishes that I would just admit to myself that I’m a hero, but I know the truth.

“You could’ve just looked away,” he mumbles.

“But I would’ve still heard the gunshot,” I respond and drop my body back to the cement. I stare calmly up at the stars and close my eyes, willing sleep to take me before Peter can find a way to continue our conversation. Luckily, he doesn’t, but Peter does keep his gloved hand over mine and listens to the city with me.

[discoursecatharsis]

bananannabeth. tumblr. com/post/163152833810/okay-look-i-get-a-few-asks-every-now-and-again [what are your thoughts on something like this in terms of relationships? Is this where you think @ant/is are coming from?

here’s the link so others can read for context:http://bananannabeth.tumblr.com/post/163152833810/okay-look-i-get-a-few-asks-every-now-and-again

(The post is short, but here’s a summary if you don’t feel like reading it: OP has friends who are stuck in uneven relationships because they started dating an older guy when they were in their teens. Said guys are lazy and not pulling their weight, emotionally manipulative, and these relationships are just not good or healthy.)

(also my reply here got very long, I’m sorry >.

I do think that’s where ant/s are coming from. And I don’t deny that this happens in real life. Are there 17/18/19 year olds who date people a few years younger than them, resulting in an unbalanced relationship where the younger person doesn’t realize that they’re being taken advantage of? Yeah, it happens, unfortunately. 

But that not always the case. And that’s the problem with ant/s. They act like their personal experiences, particularly these negative experiences and only these negative experiences, are law. 

And it’s so dangerous for ant/s to spread this rhetoric of “anyone who is older than you and seeking a relationship with you has bad intentions.” Nope, not always the case. Older people who are manipulative assholes and are seeking out someone younger too date have bad intentions. Not every 18 year old interested in a 15 year old is a manipulative asshole or a bad person though. They may just be genuinely interested in having a healthy, pure relationship with someone who happens to be 2-3 years younger than them. 

And this mindset is just going to lead young people (particularly girls) into the arms of abusive or uncaring partners their own age. If someone is going to be a controlling, abusive person, they’re going to be a controlling, abusive person no matter their age or the age of their partner.

Instead of teaching minors that “everyone older than them is a potential predator or abuser,” teach them to notice the signs of a potentially unhealthy relationship. Teach them to read people properly. Teach them to recognize “red flag” behaviors in people. Teach them healthy and unhealthy aspects of relationships, so that they know what to look out for, and so that if their partner ever starts to show these signs, they can break up with them and, heaven forbid, seek help to leave the relationship if they need to.

OP of this post says she has 3 female friends who are stuck in these uneven relationships.  

OP said her first friend was 13 years old dating a 17 year old, going behind her parents back to be with him. Right there’s is where it went wrong. That she was sneaking around behind her parents to see him. Why was she sneaking around? Did her parents not approve? If they didn’t approve of the relationship, I’m sure they had a good reason. They could tell the guy was scummy, or they knew that their daughter wasn’t mature enough to handle being in a relationship (as if evident by her sneaking around). Now they have 2 kids, he’s unemployed and quit his job on a whim. She’s in a bad spot, and I feel for her. That sucks, and I wouldn’t wish for my worst enemy to be in a relationship like that. And I don’t want to victim blame her. Her bf sounds like a grade A douche-bag and he’s 100% the issue here. But if she had listened to her parents, she wouldn’t be in this situation today. 

OP’s second friend started dating an 18 year old at age 14. Dude is now also unemployed and seems emotionally manipulative, while she’s working full time and is “still convinced he’s going to change.” Again, I don’t want to victim blame, but just… omg girls. Do not try to “change” any guys. That is like… rule number 1 on Avoiding a Life-Sucking Leech of a Boyfriend. Yes this guy was 4 years older than her. But if they were the same age and both met at 18, and she still went into the relationship “wanting to change him” or “hoping he’d change”… she’d still be where she is now. The core of the problem is the bf and his behavior and just… him and his character (or lack thereof). He still would’ve been this way at any age, with any aged partner. And if she had recognized that before she got too far into a relationship with him, she wouldn’t be stuck where she is now.

Now, I’ll recount stories of my friends’ relationships. I do not know people who have had dated guys much older than them. The largest age difference is a year/one grade level. And among these, some have good relationships, but some have bad relationships. 

My senior year, one of my classmates got pregnant second semester. Her boyfriend is a year older than her, he had graduated the year before and was a freshman in college at the time. Just by the timing of when she gave birth, it was obvious she got pregnant during the holiday break when he was visiting home. Six years later, they’re now happily married with 3 kids, they both have college degrees and jobs, and have recently bought their first house together. Pretty good, healthy relationship, despite him being a year older than her.

Now an example of a not so good relationship. One of my old friends from high school, she was 2 years younger than me, she got pregnant her senior year as well. With her boyfriend, who was her exact same age/grade level. They had been dating for years, since middle school, so I wasn’t surprised when she accidentally got pregnant. But I remember thinking “oh well, that’s not too bad! They’ve been dating for a while, they’re really love each other, it’ll work out.” It didn’t. He was around for about the first year or two of the baby’s life, but the kid is 4 years old now and I haven’t seen a single sign of that guy. I went through her old pics on Facebook, she has completely cleaned her profile of him. I can’t remember his last name, so I can’t find his profile myself, but I think it’s safe to say he ducked out of their lives, sadly.Thankfully this girl has very supportive parents and siblings, and her kid is very happy and loved. But she is struggling to get through college as a single mother, while the guy is probably living his life without a care in the world. Despite the two being the same age, growing up in the relationship together at the same pace, the guy turned out to be very immature and ran away from the responsibility of his actions, leaving my friend to be a single mom.

Another one of my friends was dating this guy her own age, they were in the same grade/class in high school. The first time I met him, at her high school graduation party, I didn’t like him. I have this really good sense of reading people from the first meeting, and I did not like the aura he gave off at all. He seemed really apathetic, uncaring about his girlfriend’s party or meeting her friends. Basically dude seemed like he didn’t want to be there. I chalked it up to “maybe he’s shy and doesn’t like meeting new people, no biggie.” A few months after that, my friend posted on Facebook that they had broken up because he was cheating on her. I was not shocked. Because of those bad vibes I got from him, I knew something was not right about him. Months after that, she got back together with him. This happened at least twice, she broke up with him because he was cheating, then got back with him because he apologized or something. Eventually she announced that she was pregnant and they were going to get married. He knowingly cheated on her more than once, she kept going back to him despite this, and now they have a 2 year old together. They’re still not married but they are living together raising their kid. And for the sake of that child, I hope they’re both in a better place in their relationship. But if he were to cheat again, I wouldn’t be surprised, I’m sad to say. (I’m not very close to her anymore. Another friend and I went to her baby shower because her mom invited us, and she was very cold to us. Our moms are better friends than we are, so I get secondhand information on how things are going with her from facebook and from my mom.) So this is an example of two people of the same age dating, and one turned out to be a crappy person. Nothing to do with age, everything to do with my friend lacking the judgement of who to enter relationships with and not knowing when to drop a guy and end things for good, and even more to do with her bf being a cheating asshole.  

So yes, I do believe that post is where ant/s are coming from, and I can understand where they’re coming from and sympathize with them, especially with those who have dealt with this in their personal relationships. 

But they’re very naive to think that that all relationships with an age gap, where the older person is 17/18/19, are all inherently abusive or unhealthy in anyway. As I said before, any relationship can be bad, despite the ages of the people involved. Even relationships between two people of the same age can be abusive. Scaring 15 year olds to be concerned every time an 18 year old shows interest in them… that doesn’t really help anything. It’s counter-intuitive almost. To repeat myself: if someone is going to be a controlling, abusive person, they’re going to be a controlling, abusive person no matter their age or the age of their partner. Instead of teaching teenagers to be scared of fellow teenagers who are few years older than them, teach teens to be cautious of anyone, of any age, showing romantic interest in them. Teach them “red flag” behaviors of people who could be abusive, or even just lazy moochers, and teach them what is and what is not healthy in relationships. And teach them to drop these bad partners and leave these relationships when things go south. An age gap does not make a relationship abusive or unhealthy. Abusive people make a relationship abusive or unhealthy. Education is key, and that is what will keep young people from finding themselves “stuck” in bad relationships. 

[sorayahigashikata]

Chapter 62: "No Means No 2: Patriotic Boogaloo"

[rohitkkumar]

Sonams husband Anand calls her effortlessly selfless in sweet birthday post

Mary had a problem: her 19-year-old son, Michael, would not stop masturbating.

Mary had never had this problem with Michael's three sisters. They weren't jamming their hands down their pants every free minute they got. Mary, herself, had certainly never done such things. She was sure that her John had not, as well, when he was alive. How else had he gotten her with child in such quick succession? A family of four children in four years was the sign of a truly moral man.

Mary found out about Michael's habit in the usual way. She went into his bedroom to pick up the laundry and there he was, jamming on himself like a deranged animal. It was horrible, and she told him to stop immediately. Mary was angry at her son, of course, but most of all she was scared. She knew what Michael was doing was a terrible sin.

But Michael kept masturbating despite the impending doom it implied. He did his best to hide his activities. But once Mary knew the signs - the closed door, the loud music, the mysteriously sticky underwear and the vast consumption of tissues - she was always able to catch him.

Mary started off being kind. She patiently explained that it was natural for a boy Michael's age to have urges, but that God wanted him to remain pure. Then Mary threatened her son, telling him that every ejaculation would lead him one step closer to eternal damnation. She even tried punishments, ordering him off to bed without dinner as soon as she saw what he was up to. But everything she tried only seemed to make him do it more.

With nowhere left to turn, Mary went to talk to their family priest. She was embarrassed, of course. Admitting that she couldn't control her son, keep him on the moral path, made her feel like a failure. But Mary needed Father Donovan's wisdom more than her pride.

They met in his private office. Everything smelled slightly of old books and fresh potpourri. Sitting on the far https://thedailychain.com/beware-of-melius-brothers-moyn-and-monir-now-promoting-onecoin-like-scheme/

"I'm sorry Mary," Father Donovan said, "I know that losing your husband so young was hard for your family. Michael in particular. But masturbation is a sin. God is very clear about this. Man is only permitted to ejaculate inside a woman's vagina. Not in his underwear, a tissue, his own hand, or... Well, anywhere else he might think to put it."

"But he'll go to Hell," Mary said and sobbed.

"That's why he needs your help."

*

The long drive home gave Mary plenty of time to think about her problem. Could she wrap Michael's penis in something that kept him from touching it? What if she made sure someone was watching him all the time? It all sounded so stupid and ridiculous. Mary was failing her son and she knew it.

And then it came to her. Father Donovan had not said that Michael couldn't masturbate. The act itself was fine - it was the result, and what Michael did with it, that was the problem. Mary simply needed the appropriate receptacle for her son's spend. And wouldn't you know it? She had three of them just waiting for her at home.

*

Mary asked the entire family to join her around the kitchen table. The first to come down the stairs was her oldest daughter. Hope was 21, tall and thin with dark brown hair that she always kept tied up in a ponytail. She was wearing a pair of sensible slacks with a sweater over a button-down shirt.

Her middle daughter, Chastity, came down next. She was 20 and about medium height with bright blonde hair that ran in rings to her shoulders. She had a broader build, like her father's. Chastity was wearing a light blue sun dress that probably showed a bit too much of her large chest and shapely legs.

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All three were very pretty girls - bright. Hope and Chastity were both top of their classes at college nearby, and Tabitha was in line for a scholarship to Villanova. And all three of them were single. It wasn't appropriate for such young women to have boyfriends. But Mary knew each would make an excellent wife sometime in the future.

Once everyone was seated, Mary called Michael into the room. At 19, he was tall and muscular, though often clumsy - like a boy trapped in an adult's body. It didn't help that it seemed like he'd outgrown his clothes overnight. Everything was just a tad too tight on her son's body.

Michael's unruly, curly brown hair bounced as he flopped into his seat. He clearly thought he was in some kind of trouble. Mary smiled - he was going to feel much better once she told him the good news.

"As all of you know, I've been struggling with how to deal with your brother and his little problem."

"Moooom," Michael said, burying his head behind his muscular arms, "Why are you always talking about this? It's so embarrassing."

"If you could control yourself we wouldn't have to talk about it," Mary said.

"It's OK, Michael," Hope said, kindly. She had stepped in as a surrogate second parent for her younger siblings after their father had died. "It's perfectly natural to want to do things like that. Especially as a young man." As always, Hope had a serious look on her face. The archetypal first child - driven and deliberate.

"I agree," Tabitha said, "I've read a lot about it." She was the smartest in the family, though also the most innocent. Tabitha spent so much time behind a screen, she often struggled when she stepped out into the real world.

"Yeah," Chastity said, "Everybody knows boys have to pet the one-eyed snake once a day or they, like, die." That was Chastity - always teasing. She wasn't mean, but Chastity wasn't exactly kind to her kin, either.

"Some people clearly think this is funny," Mary said, "But I know better. At first, I thought that you were innocent, Michael. Naive. Then I believed that you were doing it on purpose. Trying to hurt me and the family. But I've come to understand the truth: you cannot control yourself. And it's my job - the family's job - to help you. To keep your soul safe. That's why I've been talking to Father Donovan."

"Oh my God. Does everyone have to know?" Michael asked.

"Yes God," Mary said, "That's exactly the problem. Father Donovan made it very clear that you will be damned forever if we don't stop you from spilling your sperm all over the house. And unlike some people, I know that Father Donovan isn't the type to say things just to jerk me around."

Chastity giggled.

"In fact, Father Donovan has given me an idea for how we can handle Michael's problem, so it doesn't shoot us all in the face."

Chastity burst out laughing. Her face bright red.

"It's not a joke, Chastity," Mary said, "We're all going to have to work together to make Father Donovan's solution work."

Well, it had been Mary's solution, really. But she felt like the family was more likely to listen if she put a bit of priestly guidance behind her thinking. And Father Donovan had given her the seed of the idea. The room went silent. She had their attention.

"Father Donovan reminded me that the problem isn't Michael's horrible addiction to self-pleasure..."

"Mooooom," Michael groaned.

"...it's what he's doing with the results."

"Look, Mom," Hope said, "We all want to help Michael out, but shouldn't this be a conversation between you and him? I'm not sure why we need to be involved."

"Because you're the ones that have to help him," Mary said.

"Wait," Chastity said, "You want us to like, jerk him..."

"Oh my Lord no! You can't do that to your brother. That would be terrible!" Mary said, shocked. She felt the whole room seem to sigh in relief, "Michael needs to ejaculate in your vaginas, not your hands."

All three sisters went stiff. They looked at each other side eyed. No one breathed, let alone said anything. Mary saw that Michael, however, was staring straight at Tabitha. He was making a very strange face that looked almost like desire.

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"You want us to fu... I mean, have intercourse with Michael?" Hope asked. Her voice slipped out like a whisper.

"Oh no, honey. Not at all. Michael will do his thing as usual. When he's ready to go, he'll just finish where he's supposed to. That's all."

"Oh, well if that's all," Chastity said.

"See," Mary said, "Your sister gets it."

"But Momma," Tabitha said, "None of us are on the pill."

"That's exactly right, honey," Mary said, "Birth control is also a sin. No pill or condoms or any of that. But there's such a thing as the rhythm method. Your body is only fertile for a few days each month, when you're ovulating. And we'll know when that is because we can track it on the calendar. Plus there's other signs too. So when you're not safe, Michael will simply use one of your other sisters, instead. That's why all of you have to work together."

"I'm so confused," Hope said.

"It's easy," Mary said, disappointed that her eldest daughter, of all people, didn't get it, "But if it makes you feel better, I'll supervise the first few times to make sure we get it right."

"Mom," Hope said, "I get that you're trying to help. But I don't know..."

Mary's patience finally snapped. "I have had it up to here with the entitlement in this family!" Mary jumped out of her seat, waving her finger at her daughters as she spoke. "I work so hard to provide for all of you. But I ask you to make one little sacrifice, one, and it's too much to ask. Clearly, I've raised selfish, spoiled little brats. If you're not willing to do this for your brother, maybe I should stop doing things for you. College, cell phones, clothes. I don't need to pay for those things. Maybe when you're working three jobs instead of going to class, you'll understand what it means to make concessions for the people you love."

The three girls all looked at each other with scared, tiny eyes. They tried asking more questions, but Mary made it clear that this was the only way forward. Finally, she extracted a promise from each of them that they would help their brother, no matter what. God, what was so hard about assisting a sibling, honestly?

As everyone left the room, Mary realized that her son hadn't said anything at all about her plan. He'd just nodded when she asked him to promise to use his sisters from then on. She supposed that Michael was so ashamed that it had come to this he couldn't say a word. Or perhaps he was overcome with happiness.

After all, Mary had just saved his soul.

*

Mary bought a big calendar and tacked it up on the fridge. Then she made each of the girls mark down their cycles so that they could determine their safe days. You'd think she was asking them to choose which finger they wanted to cut off, for all their complaining.

Mary knew better than to ask Michael to be regular about his activities. They would all have to play by ear and figure things out as they went. Fortunately, all three girls lived at home and they all had different schedules with school, extracurricular activities and, of course, church. That meant at least one sister would be available at all times.

With everything set up, Mary wanted to get things started as soon as possible. Fortunately, her son was on the same wavelength. That very next evening, after dinner, she heard music blaring in Michael's room. Her favorite scented hand lotion was missing from her bathroom. All the signs were there. Mary opened the door and, sure enough, there was Michael lying back on his bed. Pants around his ankles. Penis in his palm.

Mary had heard boys liked to look at pictures when they did it, but her son just had his eyes squeezed shut. His body twisted in rising pleasure. He was whispering a word that sounded a bit like 'Tabitha,' but Mary couldn't be sure.

Michael's eyes popped open when his mother walked in the room. "Holy... Mom! I told you not to bother me when I'm... When my door is shut."

"And I told you what to do the next time you masturbate," Mary said. She crossed her arms with disdain. Michael lay back, looking shocked. His penis was still in his fist, pulsing and purple.

"Well, come on then," Mary said, "Let's get this over with. Unless you need more time."

"No! I mean. No - it's pretty close."

"Good," Mary said, "Let's go find your sister."

"You mean Tabitha?" Michael asked, hopefully. Mary eyed him warily. One sister shouldn't be any more desirable than another. In any case, Tabitha was at volleyball practice and Hope had a night class. But fortunately Chastity was in her room and almost certainly ready to help.

"Maybe I'll wait," Michael said, "I'm pretty sure Chastity hates me."

"Chastity doesn't hate you," Mary said, "She just has a unique way of expressing her feelings." Michael looked ready to protest more, so she grabbed her son by the arm, dragged him out of his room, and marched him down the hall.

"Chastity is going to be so mad," Michael said.

"Of course she won't. If anything, she'd be angrier if you didn't let her help you. You'll see." Mary knocked on Chastity's door (a courtesy she hadn't given her son) and then opened the door.

Chastity was lying back on her bed, reading a book. She was wearing a conservative set of pajamas - red black plaid with long sleeves that almost looked like a little bedroom business suit. Chastity's golden curls splayed out on the pillow behind her.

"What we talked about," Mary said, "It's time." She shoved her son into the room. Michael was completely naked. He kept his head down, avoiding everyone's eyes. He held his erect penis in his hand like it was something that needed carrying. It looked to be about the same size as her husband's, Mary noticed. Perhaps a bit longer and definitely thicker. A very nice penis that would someday give Michael's future wife a lot of healthy babies.

Chastity looked up at her brother in shock. Her mouth moved, like she was trying to spin up a sassy retort, but no sound came out.

"Well, get on with it," Mary said. The siblings stared back at their mother. "Must I do everything? Fine. Michael, you said you were close, so get moving. Chastity, take your clothes off. You need to be ready when your brother is, or this will all be for nothing. Don't just stare at me like idiots. This is what we agreed to - get going!"

Michael began rubbing his hand up and down his member lightly. It didn't look to Mary like he was doing much, but she was willing to concede that everyone worked differently. Chastity lifted her pajama shirt over her head. Her large breasts spilled out.

"Holy fuck, sis!" Michael said, "Nice!"

Chastity gave her brother a look - it was supposed to be nasty, but it came out as kind of pleased. Mary had to admit, her daughter's breasts were quite big. Yet they still had the perkiness of youth. Her little pink nipples poked outward.

It occurred to Mary that her daughter didn't actually need to take her top off for this, but it was too late by that point. Plus it seemed to be working for Michael. He was rubbing himself much faster.

Chastity slid off her pants, then she lay back on the bed.

"Spread your legs a little, honey," Mary said. She stepped forward and pulled Chastity's knees apart. Her daughter's sex was as purple as her son's - her labia hung open and wanting. The strong scent of female arousal filled the room.

"You getting turned on by your sister, Perv?" Chastity asked.

"Oh yes," Michael said, like he couldn't hear the insult. His whole body turned red. He was breathing like he'd just run a race. Michael started to rub even faster - completely focused on his sister's naked body.

"OK, Michael. When you're..."

"Oh FUCK, I'm going to..." Michael tried to jump forward but it was too late. His semen spurted onto his sister's stomach and chest. He groaned as his body jerked, every ejaculation slowly covering his sister's ample chest.

"Ewww, gross!" Chastity said as she was splashed with her brother's sperm.

"You need to cum in your sister, dear, not on her," Mary said, not unkindly, "Don't worry. We'll keep practicing and you'll get it right eventually." She rubbed his head lovingly. Michael looked down at what he'd done.

"Sorry," Michael said, "I'm so sorry." He ran out of the room.

Mary glared down at Chastity. "That wasn't exactly what I meant by being supportive."

"It's not my fault he shot his spooge all over me," Chastity said.

"You didn't have to make him feel bad about it, though, did you?"

Chastity got up and started to wipe herself off with a tissue. She sighed. "Stupid, useless brother."

"We're all learning here," Mary said, "I expect you to be more encouraging next time, OK?"

"You mean, like, beg him to stuff my aching pussy with his huge, hard cock until he blasts me full of his hot, sticky cum?"

"Well, maybe not that encouraging," Mary said.

*

After a little time had passed, Mary went to her son's room and talked to him. She told him that no one was upset. He just needed to learn to time things better.

"With Chastity there naked and watching me. I'm sorry, Mom. I lost control," Michael said.

"I understand honey. And now we know how to fix things for next time," Mary said.

Michael nodded. She thought, for a moment, she saw him smile.

"Chastity is very beautiful, isn't she?" Mary said.

"She's OK."

"And Hope," Mary said, "Don't you think she's pretty?"

"Sure, I guess. They're my sisters. Chastity's so mean and Hope's always being bossy. It's hard for me to think of them that way."

"And Tabitha?"

"Oh, Tabby's gorgeous. Everyone knows that," Michael said.

"Mmhmm," Mary said, "You're a very lucky boy."

"I suppose I am."

*

After the previous day's debacle, Mary knew she needed to adjust her idea of how things would go. Just randomly selecting a sister in the moment was too complicated. They needed to make the process as easy as possible to start with. Later, once they had a system, they could be less organized about things.

She also decided that Michael may have been right. Mary had no doubt that Chastity would be fine in the long run, but she probably wasn't the best choice for a first try. And if the 20-year old blonde had struggled with doing things right, then starting things off with baby, brunette Tabitha was out of the question. Plus Michael's own reactions to his little sister were a bit troubling. This was supposed to be functional, not fantasy.

So, Mary made Michael promise the next day to masturbate at a certain time. He grumbled and complained but he agreed. Then she made sure Hope would be around at the right moment and ready. Mary told her oldest daughter to wait in her room, already naked. Then she went to Michael and told him he could begin.

Mary waited in the hallway while her son went to work. She thought it would be a few minutes, but a good amount of time passed before she heard her son's door open. He was naked again and cradling his penis the same way he had before. It looked a little larger this time, somehow.

Mary led him back to Hope's bedroom. The tall brunette knew to expect them, so Mary didn't bother to knock. She opened the door and shoved Michael inside.

Much like her sister the day before, Hope lay back naked on top of the covers. She was long enough that her feet hung off the end of the bed. Hope was very thin with tiny, barely-there breasts. Her brown hair was still neatly tied back in a ponytail. Hope was very beautiful - all my girls are, Mary thought proudly - and she could see by Michael's reaction to his naked sister that he found her attractive as well. Despite his earlier denial.