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fangirlingatstuff · 1 year

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Ronin and reader headcannons (w/ romance if thats fine I couldnt find ur rules page sorry) , you and MK had shrunk together, so maybe sometime after the movie, Nod and Him become "stomper" size and MK's like: "nah dude you gotta go to Y/n's house" and they go to your large slightly dysfunctional loving family to regroup and stuff. You have become my new favorite account bc i found no one who writes Epic, especially Ronin. <3 You have been followed and will be loved aggressively

Yay! Welcome to the club lol the fandom may be slightly dead but that doesnt keep some of us from making content XD Hope you like this hun! Haven’t written much for Ronin so this is fun!

This is definitely not based off of my family nooo why would you think that??? (Tho I only have one brother lol)

When you had first shrunken down and met Ronin, you hadn't been as trustful as MK was.

Given, you went with MK as emotional support so she had someone to fall back on if things didn't go well with her dad, and after being shrunken while stressing about helping out your friend, you were a lot more on edge than she was.

When Ronin made it his job to escort the both of you to Nim's, you weren't as receptive of the idea as MK was, but hey, MK was kind of in need of a strong figure in her life and you weren't going to argue with that.

Over the period of that day, seeing Ronin, talking to him, noticing his own grief, even though he was pretty attractive and it made your heart skip a beat when he pulled you in by the waist to get you away from MK's crazy pug, you told yourself "we just met” and left it at that.

So imagine your surprise, several months later, when MK shows up with both leafmen while your youngest siblings were causing mayhem in the kitchen, your eldest brother wrestling with your dad over the last couple pizza rolls, and your mom stuck in a standoff with the cat since it kept trying to eat the bills on the counter.

MK explained what happened and why Ronin and Nod were suddenly big now, but you weren't able to say anything before she was like “Ok bye! Take care!” And left them with you

You were SO going to get her back for this

Honestly, you were surprised that your family didn’t mind them showing up, but you also lived in a loft above the garage so that you had some privacy from the rest of your family.

After introducing Nod and Ronin as “some of MK’s friends”, you moved them up to your small “apartment”

Nod was already a hit with your youngest two brothers, showing off his sword skills by slicing fruit in the air as they tossed it at him

Ronin took a while to adjust

But slowly he started to talk to you and you two actually had the longest conversation you’ve ever had between the two of you

Ronin didn’t want to intrude or be a burden, so he picked up doing chores (your chores) around the apartment and house while also getting Nod to do your brothers chores

You told him it wasn’t necessary, they were your chores for a reason, but Ronin argued and said that this was thanks for letting the two of them stay

He’s already a big hit with your mom and dad, but they were at work and didn’t see much of him

You were washing dishes after everyone else left the house, either for school or work, when Ronin came in

He was wearing a white henley shirt with rolled up sleeves, something that SHOULDNT have looked that good on him, and immediately stopped to look at you from across the house

“Nope, uh uh,” he hip checked you out of the way and took the plate you were washing

“Hey!” You said

“Let me wash the dishes,” he didn’t even bother letting you argue, to him it was “his duty” to show appreciation by helping around the house

“Ronin,” you whined while trying to take the rag back from him, “c’mon, it’s literally my one chore.”

“You don’t have to do it, I got it,” he said

You huffed and groaned

“How about you wash them and I’ll dry and put them up?” You offer, hand on your hip

He looked at you and thought for a moment

The two of you worked in sync with each other in the small kitchen, you putting up the dishes as Ronin washed them

Occasionally, his hand would linger for a moment longer than usual while handing you the next dish, or you’d glance over to see him quickly looking away

Even when dressed so casually he looked so in charge and strong, it was so weird

It was weird in general to see him out of his armor but you digress

When the last dish was put up, you stretched and wiped down your slightly wet hands before turning to walk out

“Hey Y/n-“ you turned as Ronin reached out for you but hesitated

“Yeah, Ronin?” You raised a brow

He stopped and drew back his hand, brow furrowed in thought

“…thank you. For letting me and Nod stay here. Your family is…very kind.”

You snorted, “Yeah, well you havent seen ‘em on a bad day.”

Ronin chuckled a little at your joke and it made your cheeks turn pink

“But really,” he said, “I don’t know how else to thank you.”

“You don’t have to-“

“No, I do,” he added as you hopped to sit on the counter behind you. “I…I think we got off on the wrong foot, before.”

You blinked in surprise and looked away with a hint of shame, “Yeah, I—that day was a lot for me.”

He sighed, “It…was a lot for me too.”

You lowered your gaze, thinking about the woman who he had ran to as she died, the late queen, Tara

Ronin shook his head and snapped out of it, “Uh, well I-“ he stammered and rubbed the back of his neck, “I’m happy MK took us here. It’s been…nice, actually getting to know you.”

You told yourself you were imagining the blush on his face

“Really?” You smiled. “It’s been nice getting to know you too.”

Ronin smiled as you hopped down and opened up the fridge, taking out a gallon of iced sweet tea

“Come on!” You chirped as you passed him and grabbed two glasses, “It’s nice out.”

The two of you sat out in the backyard on the porch, chatting and drinking iced tea, laughing at stories, talking about anything and everything, enjoying the nice spring air late into the evening

When Nod eventually came back with MK after a trip around town, they found the two of you passed out on the porch swing, a thin blanket over the both of you

MK laughed but Ronin never looked so peaceful

Okay it took me a while to come up with this and it isnt immediately romantic but now Im like “…oh? Oh, ok, am I invested in this now???”

So if you like it I can DEFINITELY do more, it took everything in me to NOT just write an entire short fic for this one prompt, it ended up being so much cuter than I expected!!!!

Hope you like it! Its awesome having more people interact with the fandom!!

#ronin #epic 2013 #mk bomba #mary katherine bomba #ronin x reader #nod #x reader #epic 2013 headcanons #epic 2013 x reader #future drabble?#slice of life #request

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msuannie · 4 years

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hi hello everyone !! ♡ i’m olivia, 21(22 in two days rip,,), she/her and this is my baby annie ~ a geumseong freshman !! in a bunch of clubs (potions, dada, cheerleading) ,, i have her profile page up and perhaps one day i will write her bio or plots pages ksdls but i’ve left a decent amount of info on her under the cut! a ♡ and we can plot~ and if u prefer to plot over discord feel free to let me know !!

ok ok so she was born and raised in england, where her parents grew up. (i’ll try and keep her family history brief here but,,uknow) her father was born in korea but their family moved to england when he was young for his dad’s job

so both of her parents attended #hogwarts together (and so did annie and her two brothers when they grew up)

but annie’s parents when younger were both eh on the whole ~srs~ being pureblood thing and would have rather just lived normal lives,, and w/ some ~bad experiences~ (aka many things, but the betrayal of father’s friend turned dark wizard being the main one) they ended up wanting to keep their kids away from ~dangerous~ magic situations idk

and would get caught raking through her family’s personal records in their huge ass house but they never punish her for anything bc <3 our princess <3

but yes got away with a lot tbh kind of spoilt and babied (which in a condescending way she hates but she did secretly like being spoilt lmao). but yes generally got shielded from "scary” things and treated like a baby and hates being treated like that so tries to overcompensate by being impulsive/confrontational (will probably shock u with being intense all of a sudden when u aren’t expecting it). in general the reason for her being naive and inexperienced is cause she gets treated this way (+ she knows this lol)

[wants to rebel] [doesnt rebel] tbh she cant face the reality she wants to see

so she grew up being kept sheltered from #magicthings whilst being from a somewhat known pureblood family (who are kind of known now for wanting to have nothing to do with magic lol). but she has always been like yay magic unlike her brothers (mostly the eldest who kind of knows more things) who were like yeah sure we will do what u want

so her eldest brother was the first one to move back to korea to study at mokseong bc yes this is exactly what our family should be doing best of both worlds kind of thing. and then she ended up here too (but she does rly want to be here asdkfl)

has big fomo and hates being left out of things so ends up doing like every event ever mokseong does. Had to restrain herself from joining a million clubs, she said it’s cos she might find something else she wants to do and didn’t want to take smth she didnt like instead

so personality/connections wise she mostly wants to get on w/ everyone, will make the decision to either overshare way too much with u or just not get close to u at all, dishes stuff out but can’t take it (kind of a dick in that way lol), will make u feel bad for making her upset about stupid things. highkey soft and affectionate but at the same time friendzones most ppl and then wonders why she has zero relationship experience,, kind of immature in an endearing way and in certain moods she might be a lil annoying lol sorry asfls

#msu:intro #hello i wrote these facts with 0 brain askdla sorry i worked a late shift 2nite and then an early one tomorrow #but hiiiiii <33333 im so excited 2 be here !!

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collabwithmyself · 4 years

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SWAA/AAINH - Seth Wingstrom (tw for gaslighting, smoking)

Alright uhhh let’s start with our main man Seth, whose parents do NOT know how to stop having kids and this causes him and his twin brother Raphael, the eldest siblings, to be pretty severely neglected. They had to learn to raise themselves pretty much once their younger siblings started being born.

The Bullshit starts at age nine, when Raph and Seth go out to play in the woods and take their next-eldest sibling Castiel with them. The three find an old, rotting, abandoned treehouse, and Raph dares Seth to climb up while Cas expresses caution. Seth winds up giving into pressure from Raph and climbs up, but the ladder buckles under his weight halfway up and he falls and breaks his arm.

He passes out from the shock, and when he wakes up in the hospital his parents aren’t happy with him. Raph intimidated Cas into being quiet and convinced their parents that climbing the ladder was Seth’s idea and he tried to talk Seth out of it. So Seth has a choice to make: take the blame and protect his brother for what he feels was a perfectly innocent misunderstanding, or stand up for his and Cas’s honor. He winds up telling the truth, and Cas backs him up. Raph and Seth both get in trouble for being reckless, and Raph feels betrayed.

Seth’s mother doesnt want him getting hurt again, so she keeps him indoors and has him help around the house and help raise the kids. Raph sees this as Seth getting more attention (even though he’s still being neglected) and grows even more angry at him. Raph decides to engage in psychological warfare - salting Seth’s food, knotting his shoelaces together, innocent little “pranks” that could easily be seen as slip-ups on Seth’s part with no way to trace them back to Raphael. Seth starts to grow paranoid, and begins doubting his memory when his parents dismiss his concerns enough times.

At some point, Seth’s father starts giving him cigarettes, and Seth very quickly becomes addicted to them to cope with the stresses of being a parent to his own siblings, Raphael’s bullying, and pressure from school and church. He tries his best to hide it from other people. In fact, he becomes a very secretive and reserved person in general, placing other people’s needs before his own.

With being so busy at home, he has no time to search for a job, and winds up staying with his parents as his siblings start moving away, and younger ones replace them. He’s not sure how much more of this he can take. He constantly stifles it along with thoughts about his own identity, but he dreams of something more to life, some way he can be useful to more than just his immediate family.

And then at the ripe age of twenty-three, he catches wind of the trial of a murder case - State v. Powers - and he’s absolutely riveted. He follows the case to its conclusion, and something is sparking in him. Defending the innocent, upholding justice, it’s speaking to him, and for once, he wants to stoke the flame. He starts studying law in what little spare time he has, and meets veteran defense attorney Erasmus Rockefeller who offers to take him under his wing.

Finally, there’s something more to his life, and he’s allowed to be just a little selfish, to pursue his own desires freely. He’s conflicted about leaving home when his parents clearly need the help, but he ultimately makes the choice he needs. He gets out of the house and starts living with Erasmus, gets diagnosed and medicated for his bipolar disorder, and starts socially transitioning with the purchase of a binder. Roughly two years later, halfway through law school, his idol Phoenix Wright is disbarred for forgery of evidence. It’s disheartening, but not deterring. He has a new, more personal role model in the form of Elmo, and he’s going to pursue this career if it kills him.

Now, Raphael has caught wind of this by now, and he’s not too jazzed that Seth is looking happy after all the perceived slights against him. He decides that he’s going to beat Seth at his own game and force him back out of the one place he’s started to feel comfortable by becoming a prosecutor.

Seth’s very first case winds up being for some strangely youthful oddball calling starself Verity, but Raph prosecuting the case isn’t going to be enough to sway him from believing in his client. He wins a not guilty verdict for Verity, who starts hanging around Rockefeller and Co. and spending time with Seth and Elmo. Seth is grateful for the company, even if he’s slipping back into old habits by keeping an eye on star.

Seth defends two more cases for Joshua O'Reilly and Dexter Blanche before everything just… goes to absolute shit for poor Verity. State v. Price is a fucking MESS, but he pulls through for stars sake.

Seth decides to approach Raphael after the trial for a heart to heart, and the two take a walk while Seth reminisces about their childhood and how their parents’ neglect hurt both of them. Seth, to his own surprise, finds himself unable to forgive Raphael despite the fact that he wants the best for him, and expresses this, stating it would be better for them both to go their separate ways.

And, well. Raphael doesn’t take that well. He feels like Seth has been entirely unfair this whole time, and now he’s acting like he gets to just walk away? Raph isn’t having it.

So he just… snaps.

Raph grabs an abandoned bit of pipe, and well, Seth hasn’t been eating well or exercising, and smoking hasn’t done him any favors either. Once he’s finished taking his rage out on his brother, Raphael ties him to the chain link fence by the river with his own scarf, and leaves Seth to bleed out.

Seth’s found by Rin Okamura, a geneticist who unfortunately has zero interest in taking him to the hospital. They drag him off to a ditched, run-down house they’ve set up a makeshift lab in, and set about fixing him in the fashion they deem fit.

And, well… hm.

Why don’t we talk about someone else!

#collab writes #aainh #seth #raphael #verity #elmo #swaa #akiko

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pjo-hoo-nextgen · 6 years

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The First Quest X

Andy attempted to gain some knowledge as to why Maria and Jaxon were no longer on speaking terms, but not many people knew what had happened.

“I don’t get it,” Andy huffed, resting his chin on his hand. “They always fight but this is different.”

“Wrench,” Sol held out her hand expectantly and Andy placed the tool in her grip.

“If anything they’d have fixed it by now.” He paused in thought for a moment, tapping his fingers against his chin.

“Maybe they just need time apart.” Sol suggested making an unusual attempt at conversation.

“They hardly touch one another with an eight foot pole. They have plenty of time apart.” Andy laughed. Sol hummed in reply and settled her goggles back on her face. “I mean the bickering gets old but the silence is just...uncomfortable.”

“Some people have odd ways of doing things.” The motor Sol was working on gave a small attempt to start before fizzling out. “Crap. I swore I fixed it.”

“Try jiggling the knobby thing.” Andy pointed at a protrusion on the machine.

“That’s not what it’s called,” Andy noticed the small smile on her face and couldn’t help but sit up a bit taller. She took his advice anyways and sure enough the engine gave a mighty sputter before maintaining a low hum. “Yes! Finally!”

“Great! Now you can put it on the motorized dummy track for the training arena!” Andy hopped up from the stool he’d been sitting on.

“That’s the plan.” Sol nodded, moving to turn off the device. With a satisfied nod she tugged off her goggles and gloves.

“You got a little something.” Andy gestured to his own nose indicating the spot where Sol had a fair amount of grease plastered on her face.

“Again?” With a grunt of frustration Sol used the hem of her shirt to scrub at her face. The grease only smeared further over her nose and cheeks.

“Don’t do that!” Andy laughed. “You got it everywhere!”

“Ugh! I hate my life!” Sol huffed.

“Sit down. I got this.” Andy offered her the stool. Sitting, Sol watched him curiously until he came back with a squirt bottle, a surprisingly clean rag, and a mirror. “I will be your stylist today. I was trained in the art of beauty!”

With an impish grin Andy did a clumsy spin and struck a pose, spinning the bottle on his finger as if it were a ring of car keys.

“I hate you.”

“I know.” Andy winked. “Now let the master work.”

Sol sat perfectly still as Andy worked at cleaning away the stubborn residue. She’d had experiences like this before and her skin was often left red and raw from the rough material. This time, however, it was different. Andy managed to perform the task with ease being surprisingly gentle.

“Aaaaaaand, done.” He declared. “Take a look babe.”

Andy held up the mirror for Sol to check her reflection. “Not bad Grace.”

“Clean as a whistle.” Andy nodded. “Like I said...I’m the master.”

“Of dorkiness.” Sol scoffed tossing the dirtied rag at him.

“My feelings.” Andy feigned offense. “Anyways, we have a game of capture the flag to prepare for.”

“Indeed.” Sol nodded. “I have a feeling this will be very interesting.”

— — —

Indeed it was. Maria and Jaxon were inevitably on the same team once more. Only this time, Grey was left trying to manage the forces.

Maria and Jaxon had both adopted personal agendas and didn’t bother to acknowledge the rest of their team.

“Okay, so...I’m on defense. This is cool.” Andy talked to himself as he paced beside the flag.

“What’d you expect? We got our moment of glory last time. The other kids were destined to have a shot.” Sol frowned sitting on a rock and sharpening her blade. “But the schedule goes Wednesday-Friday for Capture the Flag games. We get another shot soon enough.”

“Yeah, but I expected more entertainment.” Andy paused in his pacing to kick a rock into the trees. At first neither of them noticed it but then it became quiet clear.

There was a commotion going on at the center of the battlefield. From the sound of it nearly everyone had stopped to watch. “Okay, I know we have to guard this but-“

“Come on.” Sol was already running in the direction of the noise with Andy following hot on her heels. The two stumbled from the woods to find a very alarming sight.

“Oh my Gods they’re trying to kill each other.” Andy breathed.

Despite being on the same team Jaxon and Maria were locked in a heated duel. Maria had a score to settle and she intended on restoring some of her pride.

Sol was the first to do anything. Being small she managed to worm her way through the gathered crowd. Andy squeezed his way through with a bit more effort.

“I said go to the right.” Jaxon growled.

“What I do is not up to you.” Maria replied slashing at him with her sword. Jaxon stepped to the side and lashed out in return. Maria arched her blade behind her back ending the strike. “You made it quite clear.”

Spinning Maria slashed angrily at Jaxon’s ankles. Leaping he twisted in the air sending a blast of air far more violent than he should have. Maria was knocked to the side, she tumbled a bit, before coming to a rest.

“Jaxon what are you doing?!” Andy demanded latching onto his brother’s arm.

Maria crawled to her feet, rolledher shoulders, and gave a twirl of her sword; a challenge.

“Enough. Both of you.” Grey stepped between the two raging demigods. “Knock it off.”

“Step aside Grey.” Maria’s voice was full of authority, dripping with the power only a true leader could muster.

“Make me.” The eldest boy raised his chin in defiance.

“Sorry.” Maria gave him an apologetic look before charging at Jaxon and using her elbow to nudge Grey aside. Jaxon shoved Andy away, who stumbled back into the crowd of people.

Sol’s anger flared up and despite herself her arms ignited in bright orange fire. Jaxon made another strike but Sol deflected the blade and caught hold of the weapon. The blade sizzled before the gold began to melt.

Jaxon looked down in surprise before it dawned on him that Sol was ruining his father’s blade. He’d just gotten it back from Thia via Hermes’ messenger friends: wind nymphs. Now, Sol was melting the gold into a bubbling puddle. On instinct he reacted.

Sol was blasted back into Maria causing both girls to collapse on the ground. There was the sound of a painful snap and a cry of pain.

“What is the meaning of this?” The demand came from Chiron who had finally made his way to the commotion.

Jaxon looked with teary eyes at the ruined heirloom in his hand. He had grown up using the blade, dreamed of smiting enemies as dangerous as his father had. It was gone now. Ruined.

Grey knelt beside Sol and Maria. “Are you two alright?”

“Ugh, yeah.” Maria mumbled rubbing her head. She glanced over at Sol only to find the young girl crying and nursing her very broken wrist. “Oh Gods.”

She wasn’t the only one to notice the injury. Grey’s eyes widened and he moved to help her. Andy flew into a rage. He tackled his brother to the ground despite his smaller stature and let his fists fly.

“What is wrong with you? Huh?” His fists stung painfully. “You can’t hurt people like that!”

“Stop!” Jaxon held his arms up to protect his face. “Andy, stop!”

The younger boy was thrown off with a buck of Jaxon’s hips. Jaxon wrapped his arms around Andy holding him still.

“Get off of me!” Andy yelled, squirming violently.

The commotion ended only when each of the demigods was dragged to the infirmary.

— — —

“I have no idea what’s gotten into all of you but you need to figure it out.” Jason stood with his arms crossed looking at each of the kids who sat nursing injuries. Grey was the only one completely unscathed.

“You cannot go around trying to kill each other! That’s not okay!” Annabeth who had also been selected to give the lecture pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I didn’t do anything.” Andy protested.

“You pummeled your brother.” Jason glowered. Andy opened his mouth to reply but Jason held up a hand. “Andy Clay Grace, do not argue.”

“So what’s the punishment?” Grey asked glumly.

“You’re all staying here until you sort it out. No leaving or going home.” Jason determined.

“That’s not fair!” Maria cried.

“Some of you can go home, Grey, Sol. You are both allowed to leave.” Neither of them made a move. “Or you can stay here if you wish.”

“Figure it out.” Annabeth shrugged. “It’s that simple. There’s no unity in anything if infighting this bad exists.”

— — —

And so they were left there to solve their problems. Maria selected her own little corner of the infirmary and claimed it her own. Jaxon did the same.

“Let me see it.” Grey knelt in front of the bed Sol sat on and gently took her bandaged wrist. “It should heal relatively well, maybe a bit of physical therapy will be needed, and no forge for some time.”

“Your dad said all of that already.” Sol mumbled. Sniffling she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

“Well, I learned from the best.” Grey stood and ruffled her hair. “I’ll be back. I’m going to get cleaned up.”

“Was it wrong to punch him?” Sol startled at Andy’s remark. He’d been so quiet she had hardly noticed him there.

“Yeah.” Sol nodded. Andy’s head was bowed and his bottom lip began to tremble.

“I just got mad. I didn’t mean to hurt him that bad but-I don’t like him when he’s like this.” Andy hardly cried and so Sol was left with a brief moment of surprise. She wasn’t sure what to do. She’d never been the best at comforting someone.

“Hey, don’t cry.” Sol gave a light punch to his arm with her good hand. “People mess up.”

“Yeah, but a good brother doesn’t punch his sibling.” Andy sniffled.

“A good brother also doesn’t push his sibling.” Sol slung her arm around Andy’s shoulders. He didn’t say anything else after resting his head on her shoulder. She let him cry and pretended not to notice for his sake.

— — —

Jaxon sat staring at the deformed blade. He couldn’t believe it. He wanted to cry. With an angered grunt he chucked it across the room where it clattered to the floor. “Stupid.”

Maria glanced in his direction and felt a tiny amount of sympathy for him. She did know how much the weapon meant to him. “Your dad won’t be mad you know.”

“Yeah right.” Jaxon huffed.

“He’s not that big of an ass.” Maria noted dryly. The conversation ended quickly and the infirmary was bathed in a permanent silence. Slowly the demigods began to drift off to sleep and the silence would remain until the morning.

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janegilmore · 4 years

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New Post: https://janegilmore.com/extract-why-we-shouldnt-ask-why-she-doesnt-leave/

Extract: Why we shouldn't ask why she doesn't leave

This is an extract from my book Fixed It: Violence and the representation of women in the media, which you can buy from Readings, Booktopia, Amazon, Audible or the local bookstore of your choice (choose local if you can).

This extract is from a section talking about the influence media has on how people think about men’s violence against women and the danger this can present to women who want to escape a violence partner.

Leaving a relationship that isn’t abusive is difficult, heartbreaking and exhausting. Imagine how much worse it can be when you’re also trying to unlearn years of grooming that taught you to have no faith in yourself and a lifetime of the world reinforcing to everyone around you that women are responsible for men’s violence, lie about men’s violence and should be the only ones to suffer the consequences of men’s violence.

Chapter 8 – Victims, perpetrators and the people who support them

It is dangerous for women who have experienced violence from men to live in communities where people might blame them for the violence someone else chose to enact against them. Crisis and support services need funding and government support to offer effective help to the hundreds of thousands of women who need it. They need to connect to police and courts, banks and welfare agencies, doctors and mental health workers, schools and work, housing and utility services, and they need to know those institutions will support them. An Australian woman told me her story of trying to escape her abusive husband and it’s a sadly typical example of the dangers and barriers women face when they try to leave violent men.

Jenny* tried to leave her abusive husband, Andrew*, four times before she was finally able to escape. The first time she tried to leave was in the 1990s. Services for women in violent families were much more difficult to find, and she found her attempts blocked by basic logistical obstacles. Because she was still married, she quite simply could not get a lease, electricity supply, medical care, new schools for her kids or bank accounts in her own name without risking him finding her address. The organisations either required a co-signature from her then husband or would make her new address available to him.

I was like a rat in a maze. Every time I ran down another alley I’d hit a wall. When we were married he’d always insisted on putting everything in his name – lease, bills, bank accounts, cars, insurance, everything. At first I didn’t realise that it mattered and later I was too scared of him to do anything about it. So the first time I tried to leave I had no rental record, no credit, no money of my own and whenever I tried to get anything they’d either want to check with him to verify my identity or they’d want to put things in both our names. Schools wouldn’t take the kids without both of us filling in the forms, even though I had police reports and had started divorce papers. Landlords wanted references and they’d tell me they ‘couldn’t promise’ that he wouldn’t find out about the application. If I told them I was in danger from him I wouldn’t get a lease. I could see it on their faces: I was ‘trouble’. If I didn’t tell them they’d ring him for a goddamn reference. It was unbelievable. I had a job but when I tried to buy a car they wouldn’t give me finance without his signature because we were still married. I paid the extra fee to get a silent phone number but one of the times we moved out he got our address from the electricity company. Another time it was through the husband of one of my friends. That bloke had always believed Andrew when he told people I was treating him badly and going to take the kids off him, so he felt sorry for him and said he was just trying to help him out. Every time I went back to Andrew it would all start again but he kept promising he wouldn’t hurt me again and he’d get so angry when I said no. It sounds crazy but I felt like I’d be safer if I moved back in with him and kept him happy than if I stayed where I was when he was so furious and could turn up any time he liked.

Over time, as services for women fleeing violence slowly improved, Jenny was finally able to escape. With the help of police, intervention orders and one of the very few domestic violence support services avail- able at the time, she got a lease and moved to a new home with her children. Both Jenny and the police believed she had done everything she needed to do to make sure Andrew couldn’t find her new address. They were wrong. Police are still not sure exactly how he found out where she was living. He won’t say but Jenny thinks it’s possible he simply followed her home from work.

He tried it lots of times. I’d see his car across the street or catch it in my rear-view mirror. Every time I saw him, I’d drive straight to the police station. Sometimes they’d be great; sometimes they’d carry on like I was just a pain in the arse. It all depended on who was on the counter when I got there. Maybe he borrowed someone else’s car one night ‘cause I was always really careful. I never ever stopped watching for him.

Despite multiple breaches of intervention orders, like waiting out- side her work and following her home, ringing her and threatening to kill her, telling their children she was a manipulative bitch who didn’t really love them, that she was just doing things for them to make him look bad, and stalking her when she went out with friends, Andrew was never imprisoned. He had multiple court appearances that ended in fines, intervention orders, good behaviour bonds, suspended sentences and stern warnings. This went on for nearly a year until one night he came to Jenny’s home with a knife, kicked in her door and tried to kill her. One of her children, then only twelve years old, was quick enough to hide under furniture with a phone, call the police and stay on the phone so they could hear Jenny scream as she was being cut. Jenny had deliberately chosen a house close to a police station, a decision that probably saved her life that night because two carloads of police arrived in time to stop him before he killed her. Jenny was hospitalised with multiple stab wounds and Andrew was charged, convicted and imprisoned for attempted murder. The child who hid in the house that night, listening to his mother being stabbed, remains deeply traumatised.

Andrew is due for release soon, so Jenny has changed jobs and left everyone at her old workplace with a detailed description of him and how to respond if he turns up. She calls it her ‘death-cheat-sheet’. It’s a document she’s assembled with photos of him and all the history, convictions and current court orders, as well as police contact details for anyone who hears from him. She’s handed the death-cheat-sheet to all the people he might contact if he tries to find her or her children again. So far this has included: her children’s schools and workplaces, parents of children’s schoolfriends, her eldest child’s partner, their parents and sib- lings, local police, family violence services, banks, utilities, her landlord, the bond agency, doctors, sporting clubs, social media, friends, family and extended networks, dentists, road toll organisations, Centrelink, eBay, the electoral roll, the tax office, superannuation accounts, lawyers, loyalty card companies, the car registration organisation, the local council and the local vet. She’s not sure if she’s covered every option and she knows there is a huge number of people who all have to be constantly vigilant about his manipulations and detailed knowledge of her life and habits.

If any one person at any of those places slips up, even once, and he is able to find her, she firmly believes he will kill her.

It’s a lot better these days but you still get people, you know, rolling their eyes and thinking I’m making a big drama of it all. Or they think I’m just being a bitch and not letting him see his kids. That’s why I did the death-cheat-sheet. Seeing the attempted murder conviction in black and white makes a difference, even to the blokes who feel a bit sorry for him because they think, ‘Oh, poor bugger, he just wants to see his kids.’ The big organisations, they all have those privacy regulations, but he knows my date of birth and all kinds of other details and he has the marriage certificate. Most people aren’t going to check whether a husband has tried to kill his wife if he pretends he’s just trying to pay her phone bill or something like that. He’s smart – that’s what scares me.

It should be unlikely he’d be able to fool any of the large organisations now: they almost all have accounts for people like Jenny flagged to prevent exactly the situation that scares her. But she is one persuasive conversation, one person who believes women lie about domestic violence, one sympathetic interaction away from someone giving her address to the man who abused her, stalked her and eventually tried to kill her. He’s got a four out of ten chance of finding her, according to the National Community Attitudes Survey. Damn right she should be scared.

* Jenny and Andrew’s names and some identifying details have been changed to protect her life and the lives of her children.

—

If you want to read more, you can buy Fixed It: Violence and the representation of women in the media from Readings, Booktopia, Amazon, Audible or the local bookstore of your choice (choose local if you can).

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perfectionistincrisis · 7 years

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Longest post ever. Keep Scrolling! Look away!

About my brother leaving. Now there are two sides to it. One is how he is so young & he will move so far away & has to take care of everything. He has to study first of all, which is the main thing. And this in itself is a whole new experience. Starting university & facing all the pressure & tight schedule & deadlines that come with it. And to top that all, he will move to a new country. An entirely new place he has never been to & one which is very very very different from the country where he was born & raised & literally spent entire 18 years of his life in. Now whether this is the lifestyle & culture & religion we are talking about, or just the weather. You name it, & it's something different he has to face. Let's go back to studies. The ‘studies’ part, is totally acceptable! I mean it's his responsibility. No one will or is expected to do it or help him with it. This is totally on him. He has to figure it out himself. If he needs help, he needs to look for it. If he has a problem he needs to find a way out, or deal with it. The idea of having an elder sibling or family to help you with your studies, i believe, is totally absurd when someone is moving to university. At school, it might be ok but when someone is starting uni, cmon, I think it's time to stop already. Let them grow up on their own. You can't be wiping their ass for them their entire life. Not to mention, everyone has their own share of responsibilities, their own affairs to handle. Everyone of us are struggling everyday, to build our futures. And NO. This is not selfish. This is our responsibility towards ourselves. We owe this to ourselves, and no, you are not in any way, supposed to expect anyone to actually help you deal with your responsibilities in life. So with you share of duties, is it really selfish to focus on your affairs & prioritize them? & also what good will you be really doing by helping someone? How much of someone else's responsibilities can you own? There will come a point where you’ll have to leave them on their own except that now you've already spoiled them and they'll be more lost than ever. So yeah, plus i'm not even studying engineering so anyways i couldn't do much or anything at all but even if i could have, i really never liked the whole concept of doing it in ‘uni’. I have such a strong opinion about it seeing my cousins and other people. Meaning, it's not just me randomly thinking about it and commenting but i rather did always have such an opinion about this matter. So yeah that's the only ‘okay’ thing! From now, things are changing. Now, let's talk about the end of everyday! When he comes ‘home’/ dorm room. He doesn't come home to anyone. Whether it is your siblings being lame and stupid, or your parents being in a fight, or some really good day where everyone's happy and laughing - you're not getting any of it. Is anyone bringing you food? Cooking for you exactly what you eat? No. When are you going to bed? No one cares other than you. Who’s making sure you wake up and don't miss class in the morning? Who’s making you breakfast? Filling your water flask? You buy your food if you have time before class. Such a good day, just 3 classes and you're home by 11. Who do you go home to? Yourself. Weekends? .. Nvm But we are only trying to provide the best future for him. And i can NOT disagree to this at all. Not even for a second. Since almost a year, my dad & my mom has thought of everything & every tiny thing that we will need for him. Whether it is the fact that winter clothes are sold in shops during winter and winter in ksa was 6 months ago, so keeping that in mind and shopping for him things which is just too hard to get in the shops right now cause it's totally summer rn over here! Or whether it is something more serious like meeting all the different formalities to apply for a visa. And shopping for him all these months. Making lists of everything he might need. Things like plate, glass, things like rugs, things like brush, toothpaste, things like pillows, bed sheet, things like laundry basket, warm gloves, things like rain coat. Like you name it, and it somehow is something he actually needs. Also, we are so concerned about providing him the best. I think all my life, a part of shopping included looking at the price tag and seeing if its a good bargain. But now, suddenly thats not done anymore. Anything he touches (which is very little btw) & anything we choose for him (which is like every single thing we see), its just getting the best for him. Its like theres this thing in our heads. Like this is it. My brother hardly gets anything for himself. He is kind of different. So we are just getting him all these stuff because once he goes there, he might not get it for himself. And even if he does, us getting something for him now will be the last time we are doing so. Cause from now on he'll do his stuff himself. So like i was saying. We are only trying to provide the best future for him. And i can NOT disagree to this at all. Not even for a second. And this is a stage that comes in everyone's life & we can not and should not run from it. This is the right thing to do in my brother’s case. Everything till now has gone so smoothly Alhamdulillah. But it still doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Especially when i think of my mom. I get the whole idea of how it's the hardest on the moms. In fact i have even witnessed many moms crying & breaking when their kids had to leave and all. But. This is different. I am talking about ‘my mom’. I respect all mother’s love, i do. But about my mom; unless you live under the same roof as her, you will find it impossible to believe how much of her heart & soul & energy she invests on our family. For which, I will be forever grateful & will consider myself blessed. I will never be able to start and finish talking about her but let me mention some interesting stuff! Let's start with me! So im 21. And i don't do my laundry (none of it at all), i don't vacuum (the house or even just my room), I don't iron my clothes (never did), I don't clean the dishes (not even my own plate or glass or water flask), I don't clean my room (the furnitures & stuff) & interestingly, i don't even know how to make tea or coffee (unless it's those sachets you get, but i just use them at uni). TADA - Mom does all of that for me. I don't remember the last time i did ‘any’ of the things i mentioned. I can't say i never did any of them though, but it was only for one of the 2 reasons: 1. I was younger and mom got angry with me maybe & she’d punish me by making me do it OR 2. I voluntarily offered maybe cause it was vacation and i wasn't lazy & stuff (btw this vacation, i'm totally lazy, i never offered or did anything) So like i said, i don't remember the last time i did any of it. Infact, to TOP ALL THAT, mom makes sure of all my ‘excess’ needs too. She pays so much importance to them. Like, my diet. Diet - meaning the food i eat. Now regardless of whether im trying to lose weight or not, i totally dont like asian food, more specifically, all the daily food cooked in a bengali household. I dont like ‘curries’. I prefer ‘dry’ food. It doesnt matter what it is. Chicken, beef or veggie. If its a ‘curry’, im not putting it in my mouth. Curry meaning the whole making it liquidy with all masala & stuff. And i ‘especially’ hate chicken curry. I also dont honestly remember the last time i ate it. And i am NOT exaggerating but i stopped eating it like way back in grade 11 or 12. By chicken curry, i mean the MOST REGULAR meal in almost every bengali household, more like an EVERYDAY meal especially for the kids. And it works for my bros too lol. But no way on hell im eating it. The reason is, this is one food ive been eating since i learned to ear and then after around a pretty 13 to 14 years of eating chicken curry i had to say NO one fine day xD xD Ok now i have 2 phases: one is the normal daily phase where unis going on and i'm stressed and all i eat is junk food, or maybe something not junk but has to be all delicious or maybe sometimes i'll consider eating healthy and want some classy salad and stuff. Mom always has to prepare a different meal or me. Then she has to prepare something else for her and dad too cause chicken is kids stuff and also mom does not eat chicken at all if she is the one who cooked it so yeah. And then there's chicken for my bros xD On top of that, when im in the other phase where im trying to lose weight - Oh god. The whole menu of food changes. All green veggies and salads and stuff. All grilled chicken, grilled fish, grilled beef. She does all of that. Also. she THEN ‘decorates’ my food cause she knows i love taking pictures of my food. She decorates my food. She makes sure I like the plate on which she is serving the food; whether the plate will look good in the picture. She makes sure I get to take a perfect picture. If she gets confused about how to decorate something, she'll tell me to do it and ask me what i need. I mean man, who does that to a 21 year old???? I know i am spoiled! Now ^ i got carried away! All that is a small gesture of what my mom does for ‘me’. And i'm like her eldest kid. Like she actually thinks i can take care of myself ‘more than my brothers can’ Yeah do you see where i'm going with this? You can not imagine HOW much more she does for my bros, like ‘woahhhh’👌 I’ll just give one example for each bro. My elder bro - he never actually had to open his closet and decide on which dress to wear till now in his life!!!!! Yesss!!!!! Mom even takes out his clothes. Clothes. Every garment :):):) and keeps it ready for him to wear every time he showers, or changes, or goes outside :) and that's the one who’s already 18 and moving soon! And my younger bro - well he is kinda different. Like he is all concerned about his looks and he demands on choosing his own clothes from his closet and wearing them xD xD but then mom still feeds him lunch and dinner most of the day and he is almost 14 :):):) So yes. Idk how my mom is going to handle it. But what i know is that she is such a brave and strong and intelligent and amazing woman mashAllah. She is so hard-working & she puts aside all her sickness and pain & prioritises our needs, and our wants, even if theyre really stupid. And she means the world to me. And she is my number 1 person. And I can give up anything for her. Words cannot express how much she means to me. I once had to stay a night away from her during the 1st week of my uni in 1st year of med school. That was the night I actually realized how important she was to me. I was away from her and due to some circumstance I couldn't communicate with her. That whole night, i lied in bed crying & asking Allah to let me meet my mom in my dreams as I fall asleep now… Idk if I ever told that to anyone before, but yeah here it is. Ahhhh. God!!!!! Such a huge post wth man )@+%;’!(%)#!%(£))@!%!%) but Ughhhh I just needed to get it all out of my system! Hmphhh

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heyitslapis · 6 years

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Ok, so about my situation with Alex (warning, this is a looong read)

Wednesday night (or should I say 12am Thursday morning) I told her I was ready to talk. She said go for it, and i told her some stuff to start, like how her and Jacob’s relationship wasnt really any of my business, and she didnt have to go into any details about anything that she didnt want to. i told her what i remembered hearing about Jacob, and asked her if it was true. she explained that it was a lot more complicated than she let on. They both were going through some stuff when they met, and neither of them were right for each other at the time. It was a mutual thing. She said there was never anyone keeping the other on a tight leash, so to speak, and when i asked her if it was true that they worked everything out and that they were gonna be ok, she assured me that yes, everything would be fine. After that, i told her that i wrote something for her. It was a Google Doc of everything that i wanted to say, everything i wanted to explain on my end, and let her see what happened from my point of view, but since it was over 2,000 words, she didnt have to read it if she didnt want to. I also told her she could stop after “theres something else” if she wanted, because thats when it got to the point that i wasnt sure if i should leave in. She told me of course shes willing to read it, and i sent her the link.

In the document i explained that i was so upset because i never knew exactly how “bad” things were between them the first time, but that i had a picture painted of him as a bad guy. I explained that when i saw her run up and hug him friday night, even though id never seen him before, the fear cropped up that that was Jacob. i told her how i was shaking and when she introduced us i already decided that i hated his guts because of what i thought he was, and how i was confused and mad and hurt that she would go back to him. How that night i went home and bawled my eyes heart and soul out for 2 hours before deciding that i would distance myself from her until i could rationalize this. i wrote about how much it killed me working with her Saturday and having her act like nothing was wrong and still treating me that exact same cutesy way she always did, and how when my sister hosted a party after work, i didnt want to go if Alex was going. But of course the one time i dont want to socialize, by brother drags us there to help my sister move furniture. I told her how i was sort of ok until she showed up, then it hurt so much that i couldnt bare to have my attention anywhere but in my phone, and that i was practically praying for my brother to take us home. I told her how after we left, my brother said that we only left because she texted him saying that i looked like i needed to go home, and how i cried the whole way home because i felt so bad for it being that obvious that i needed to leave, and for being so rude and standoffish towards her that night when she still cared so much for me, even to offer buying me a chocolaty dessert bc i was cramping. i asked her to forgive me for some details i said that i wont go into, and said that i respect her for doing this for herself and no one else.

I told her that most of why this whole thing had me this distraught is because as far as I knew, he had hurt her before, and now to see her willingly back at his side when he might hurt her again for who knows how much longer this time made me sick to my stomach. But then I told her the other reason why I was so upset was, admittedly, I'm jealous of him.

I said that i didnt want to tell her, because its cliche and dickish to wait until its too late to admit it, but that i think, or thought, that i loved her. for real loved. I told her that i didnt want her now, because its wrong to want for someone who is already in a relationship, but that i had the biggest, hardest, most thought and emotion consuming crush on her. That it was nothing i had ever felt for another human being before. I explained how I started to develop these feelings in November, and thats only because she snapped me saying that i looked nice (when i was wearing pjs and hadnt showered in days) and then that i was cute followed by two separate snaps of kissy faces, so i thought, surely she must like me and im not being silly. And how the thought that she liked me was too tantalizing to ignore. I confessed that i had felt myself start to develop feelings earlier in the year. How early, i wasnt sure, but that God did i try to stop myself from catching these feelings. That i repeated a mantra in my head for months that she didnt Like me, she just loved me as a friend, and that this is how a real friendship feels and that im being silly.

But i laid it out there that Ive never had a friend call me cute, and so often. I've never had friends drunk-sing love songs to me through another person's snapchat. I've never had a friend snap me a picture of her watching some comedian and say “He’s talking about being in love with this girl. ❤ Love you.” I've never had a friend text me at 2:05 in the morning, unprovoked, just to say “Quick reminder that you’re my favorite and I love you!”, or kiss my face twice the night of our store’s Christmas party, or tell our key manager that only I can cuddle with her. And never have I ever had a friend literally 4 months after we meet tell me that if I got a tattoo, she’d get my initials tattooed on her, and then 9 months later get a tattoo permanently added to her body of a flower that I gave her because “she loves orchids and the people who give them to her”, and then a month after that tell me that every other time she looks at it she cries cause she loves it and says “I love you so much. ❤❤❤” (<- that was the actual chunk of words that i wrote in the Doc)

I said that yes, I remember all of them. Because they made such an impact on my locked up little affection starved heart that I couldnt even begin to explain how those moments made me feel. And because with each one that would be added, it would prove to me that maybe this was real. Maybe I'm not being paranoid or delusional or just dreaming up a fantasy.

I wrote that despite being convinced that she requited a crush on me, I couldn't bring myself to ask her how she really felt about me, because 1) I was so scared of being wrong that I thought I’d rather sit idly by to see if she’d eventually make the first move. 2) I wasn't out, and am too scared to come out, so even if she did like me back, it's not like we’d be able to be a thing. And 3) She already had my one brother fall for her and then snap because she didn't feel the same way and dated a dude from work instead, and then my eldest brother thinks shes gorgeous and was convinced that she was/is into him, so I thought the last thing she needed/wanted was another kid from my family “falling in love” with her. But that believe me when I say that I've mentally wrestled my hand over my own mouth literally every other day since at least January to stop myself from asking her.

I promised that even as I was writing, that I didnt want her to know. I didnt want her to know because now that shes in a relationship, this just looks like I’m trying to confess my love in a last ditch hope of “winning the girl” and making her want to leave him again for me, but that’s not what I wanted. Letting her know all this just makes everything 1000x more complicated for everyone than it needs to be, not to mention the awkwardness of it. That the only reason I was saying all this is so that she could fully understand why knowing shes back with him affected me as bad as it did, I said bc I can guarantee that any one of her other friends aren't spending their weekend/week crying like a heartbroken middle school girl because their best friend got back with her ex. I admitted I’m jealous, and I’m mad at myself because I feel like I went and got my heart broken, because even after a decade of telling myself that I don't want or need a relationship, I was a fool and let myself catch feelings and fall harder than I imagined, all because someone showed me a little affection. I told her i know that this wasnt inherently her fault, I projected feelings when I shouldn't have, and I can only be reasonable and face the fact that I should've taken a chance months ago, but we all miss doors that stand open for us, and we all regret not taking that first step through when we had the chance. That’s my fault. I made that bed, and now I get to lay in it. I told her that she showed me a love that I've never known, and I never thought I'd know, and for that, I gave her thanks.

Then i wrote that i’d be ok, as long as she was ok. I swore to her that her happiness and safety matter to me above all else, and that if he treats her with all the love, respect, and gentleness that i wish for her, that would make me happy. I told her that I hope that they are on mutual grounds now, and that they did work it out, and that he treats her like the Earthbound Aphrodite that she should be treated as. Because if he hurts her, it’ll break my heart. I said that if that happens and she leaves him, I won't let myself be the emotional rebound, no matter how desperate I am. (which honestly, i probably shouldnt have said that, or i at least should have added “given that you felt the same way”. but oh well. this is all behind us now.)

She responded, saying that she wasnt exactly sure what to say, but that she had a feeling she knew what all of this was about. She said that im honestly the best friend she’s had, and shes cares for me so much. That she loves and respects me on another level, and that she was mad at him for coming in last Friday because she was trying to work her way up to talking to me about it. She said that she doesnt want to hurt me by anything she does, and that it was killing her to hide it from me. She promised me that she’ll never stay in a relationship where she wasnt valued or treated well, and that she’ll always be open and honest with anything going on with her. She told me “Thank you for letting me in on everything going on in your head. You’re so special to me.”

I told her i know, i guess im pretty bad at being subtle and hiding things, but that i keep apologizing bc i didnt want to be that little girl that fell for something that wasnt there, and that i didnt want to burden her with knowing how i felt, especially now that shes in a relationship, and that i never wanted this to happen. I hated that i projected this on her. I promised that she doesnt hurt me, and its not her job to tell me every little detail about her personal life.That im a friend, not a parole officer keeping tabs on every little thing she does. If anything, i hurt myself, but i’ll live. I told her not to be mad at Jacob, because he didnt know, and he especially didnt know that i’d be jealous. I know shes smart and wont stay where shes not valued or treated well, and that she doesnt have to report everything about her life to me, but if she ever wants to tell me something, even if shes anxious about it, she can tell me. I thanked her for being chill and patient with me. I told her its hard for me to get rid of my jealousy so easily, but that i feel im accepting it well, considering this is my first experience with this stuff. I told her i might not be the one for her rihgt now, or even ever, but that when she does find that person, im gonna cheer for her because she deserves that happy ever after. I said as for Jacob, i’d keep an open mind. That he’s just a dude after all. I told her thank you for being so awesome and gentle with me, and that i love her.

#kudos if you actually read all this #but yeah. were ok now #i still feel really awkward around her though bc..yknow.. her best friend just confessed her love for her and admitted that shes jealous #and i feel like i cant allow myself to be as comfortably flirty or lovey around her now as i used to. at least not for a while #but shes ok. were ok. im ok #but it kills me to not know how she felt. i just want to know if i was really wrong. if it was all misread. i want to know if it was just me #she never really touched that topic. but it honestly doesnt matter at this point. even if she liked me she worked it out with Jacob and #she seems happy with him. theres no point in opening more hearts out on the table. so its probably better that i dont have an answer...#i just feel like a silly love imprinting fool..#i feel kinda like korra when she admitted to mako that she really liked him and thought that they were meant for each other #and he just kinda turned awkwardly away and said that he didnt feel the same way... that he was with asami #it makes me feel like a silly kid. but i'll get over it. i dont stay embarrassed by much for very long #avatarkorvira speaks #alex

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rauv-guav · 6 years

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A Story

Pregnant dope heads smoking with they best friends. Scrub boys high wondering where they cash is. Teen girls send snaps of their bodies looking for attention, no idea where their self respect is. A pastor doing "god's" work, doesn't know his daughters are leaving. A mother administers tough love cause she thinks he needs it. The kid who's the victim of the families problems, finds comfort in the blunt he just lit. The girl that can't leave has a gun to her head, only it's not her hand it's in.

Take a second to think why someone does what they do. Something that isn't an option to you may be the only option in view. Don't misconstrue what you've gone through for another's dilemma. You sit back and say "well that's their karma." But who the fuck are you? How do you know what they've been through.

Every story has a struggle, every being there own shit to juggle.

That scrub you passed by barely keeping his eyes open was a straight 'A' student. Then his momma passed in his last year, suddenly school became a burden. 17 years old he has a sister she's so young, doesn't really know what's going on. Dad's been gone for so long. He promises her it'll be alright, says he'll never leave her. Bills are coming due, no one's hiring a dropout. Asks his homies if they know of a spot to hit. He tucks his sister into bed, kissed her forehead, tells her "it'll all be okay." Left an hour later, met up with his homies to hit this lick. Goes off without a hitch. Until someome had to be a snitch. He went down for it, lost his sister in the process. She's now in the system. He sees no way to heal the pain of his mistakes. Another body needs an escape.

The girl you call a whore has no idea the path before her. She's had it hard, yet everyone says don't play that card. See no one really knows what she's been through. She was so young when she lost her mother, then her brother. See the system got the best of her. To be honest she doesn't know any better. The words "it'll be okay" are burned into her brain. Seen as nothing more than a piece of meat from day one. She talks to guys half nude for some attention. Foster runaway. Meeting people as she goes. Turning tricks for a happy meal and a bed to sleep in. She's stronger than she knows, but doubt always creeps in. The dope she smokes makes it easy. The only thing between her and an overdose from much worse. escaping is so easy with a couple hits while she deals with her shit. Better than the handful of pills she sat up with, crying all night, cause she couldn't give in. She comes across this girl and they talk tell her she can stay with her for awhile. Told her they'd try to find her brother. She moves in. Their shared need for another human being bonds them. And strangers become best friends.

The pregnant teen up for days, barely remembers her name. Alone she swears one day she'll make a way. She meets this girl on her own, an almost perfect reflection. They go for a walk ,talk, open up, the girl cries, she grabs her hand and invites her in. The whole time she knew she wasn't going to be alone much longer. That night they both slept. Days passed and drugs came around. Some boy trying to do a little trade. Both embarrassed to say originally, they realise they're more similar than they thought. Both love dope, so they fuck the boy and then they smoke. While they're up they both have a confession. The expecting mom admits she's pregnant and the runaway admits she has literally no one else. Holding hands, crossed legged on the couch, facing eachother they promise to never leave each other swear to help one another out of this life.

The pastor preaches every Sunday. Hes looked up to by the community. His home life is completely private. He attends all community events and always makes people smile. All anyone really knows is he's a foster parent. He doesnt talk about the kids he takes in. Most people assume they're being home schooled and never question their pastor. The truth is he goes home to his girls and they're too scared question him. They do what he says because he provides whatever they need. Ages range from 8 to 15, theres 3 of them. He's turned these girls into slaves. They're held captive, while getting used to a life that'll never make them happy. The oldest one plays the roll of the mother. At 15 she spends everyday coming up with a plan to set herself free. She cooks, cleans, parents, and is expected to thank the pastor after sex. The other girls are unaware of the full extent of the eldest's torment. No idea what they're being groomed for. It's Sunday and the pastor leaves, only today he leaves his car and catches a ride. She sees her opportunity. See the house is completely sealed and the pastor doesn't believe his girls would cross him. The teen gathers the girls and they climb down a homemade rope from the second story. She tells them it's a new game and they have to get to the car as fast as possible. They do as they're told, and she sits in the driver's seat keys in hand a tear rolls down her cheek. She wipes it away and smiles. She looks behind her tells the girls "it'll all be okay." She drives to the nearest police station with the girls she walks in and no one knows who they are. She walks them to the counter slips a note to the receptionist kisses the girls goodbye and walks away. The pastor is arrested in the middle of service, the police raid his home and find everything they need to convict. The town is in total shock as headlines are made. As for the teen she took his car as far as she could and left it all behind to find her brother.

The boy that has too much pressure on him from his mother, grows tired. Hes bound to snap and he's scared. He looks for something to take the edge off so his friend gave him some weed. He smoked that night after being called a worthless piece of shit. He didn't ever argue because standing up to his monster of a mother was futile. He had a sister but she's irrelevant to this story, she was treated like gold because she was most like the mother. The boy resembled his father to a tee and his father beat the mother. So now mom is filled with an anger she doesn't even realise the abuse she inflicts. She thinks he just doesn't fucking get it. She wants so much for him, but all he thinks about is how much he hates her. He can't wait to leave. Hes only 16 and so much falls on him, yet he has no freedom to do them. He becomes the family scapegoat and before you know it the while family is against him. Hes stupid, worthless, lazy, and ungrateful. No one sees him. So he plans to leave. One night it was too much his mother put her hands on him, he pushed her back and the step dad threatened to put him in the ground if he put his hands on her again. She continued to belittle him and hit him. He took it, not one tear fell because he knew it was over. He's had enough, that night he stole the family car and left without a word. Along the way he picked up a little habit. With no self worth he didn't believe he was good enough for a relationship. He came across these two girls, one no older than 16. In a town he didnt know. One took him aside and said they'd screw him for some dope. He happened to have some. So he met up with them later that night to smoke. He likes one of them and finds out she's a runaway too. He falls quickly as the night turns to day, and he listens to her everyword.

How did these three lives come together? Must be meant to be. They were destined to find one another and they decide to all live together in their misery. Each dead set on helping someone else within their circle.

Weeks pass and their habit has become more of a hobby and the eldest teen tells her new best friend that shes pregnant. The girl just looks at her, she begins to cry but is interrupted by her immediate anger towards her friend. She thinks how could she do what she does with a baby inside her, how could she keep this from her? Hurt and angered she holds herself together and asks who the father is. She explains that she's gonna have him come by later tonight and they can meet. The 16 year old goes to the wayward boy, whom she's fallen for too. She starts crying and he holds her, the same questions flooding his mind. The two of them decide to sit down this 19 year old whom they both loved like family and tried to see if they could help her addiction for the sake of the baby. The future mom doesn't want any part in it and explains that she's not even sure she wants to keep it. They exchange looks and both knew there wouldn't be any getting through to her, so they backed off. The day went by as normal and as night fell they decide to sit down as a family and enjoy a movie together. Half way through there was a knock at the door. The pregnant teen leaped up and said he's here! The other two haven't seen her this happy since they met. They hang back on the couch.

The teen can hear them talking at the door and she pauses the movie. The boy asks what's wrong and she shushed him. She kept listening and couldn't help but feel a nostalgia in the voice she heard. The 19 year old walks in with her baby daddy. She introduced him to the two of her friends she considered family. And the teen busted into tears at the sight of him. He recognised her immediately and dropped to his knees. The two others are still very confused and slightly worried. They exchange looks, neither one knows what's happening. The lost are found as the two hug the remainder of their tears away and whisper to each other "it's all okay now."

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Prince Harry ‘thrilled’ after announcing he is to marry Meghan Markle

Couple appear in public for first time since announcing their engagement and give 20-minute television interview

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are to marry in the spring after announcing their engagement and admitting they were totally unprepared for the media storm that surrounded the first months of their relationship.

The prince said he was thrilled to be marrying the US actor after an 18-month romance, and the couple presented themselves to the world with a photocall and 20-minute television interview at Kensington Palace.

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On Tuesday, Palace aides are expected to announce the venue for the wedding and details of the first royal engagements that Markle will undertake with the prince as she is quickly assimilated into the royal household.

In the TV interview, conducted by Mishal Husain, they revealed how the prince proposed to his future bride at his Nottingham Cottage home in the grounds of Kensington Palace on what was a standard typical night in for us while they were roasting a chicken for dinner.

Markle said it was just an amazing surprise, it was so sweet and natural and very romantic. He got on one knee … I could barely let you finish proposing. I said, can I say yes now?

Markle, whose mother is African American and father is white, also described as disheartening and discriminatory some of the media coverage she received as Prince Harrys girlfriend because it centred on her racial background.

Markle admitted that even though she had starred in TV drama Suits, the media coverage had been a learning curve and said, I did not have any understanding of what it would be like.

Harry declined to give details about the engagement, but joked: Of course it was romantic. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

That coverage forced the prince to take the rare step last year of publicly attacking the British press for introducing racial overtones into the reporting of their relationship.

Among the headlines that were believed to have angered the palace was one on Mailonline.com that read: Harrys girl is (almost) straight outta Compton, referring to the city in Los Angeles that has become known for gang violence.

The announcement of their engagement was made by Clarence House on behalf of Prince Charles earlier on Monday. Later, the Prince of Wales, speaking for himself and the Duchess of Cornwall, said: Were both thrilled. We hope theyll be very happy indeed.

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Who is Meghan Markle?

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Who is Meghan Markle?

Meghan Markle is an American actor, best known for her role in the hit series Suits. She has described herself as an actress, a writer, the editor-in-chief of my lifestyle brand the Tig, a pretty good cook, and a firm believer in handwritten notes. She has also campaigned for humanitarian causes.

The 36-year-old grew up in Los Angeles. She studied at a girls Roman Catholic college there before attending Northwestern University. Recently she has lived in Toronto. She is the daughter of a clinical therapist and a TV lighting designer. Markle has written about her mixed heritage, describing herself as a strong, confident mixed-race woman. She was married once before, to film producer Trevor Engelson, but the pair were divorced in 2013.

Since news of her relationship with Prince Harry broke in 2016, she has closed her blog and given an interview in which she described the couple as really happy and in love. She said: Nothing about me changed. Ive never defined myself by my relationship. She will become a duchess or princess when the couple wed.

Photograph: Picture Perfect/REX/Shutterstock/Rex Features

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Prince Harry said he designed her engagement ring himself using a stone sourced from Botswana, where the couple went camping in the first weeks of their relationship, and two smaller gems from Princess Dianas jewellery collection to make sure that shes with us on this crazy journey together.

Markles parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, said: We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry. Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us as parents. We wish them a lifetime of happiness and are very excited for their future together.

Thomas Markle is an Emmy award-winning former television lighting director who worked on shows including Married With Children and General Hospital. He married Ragland, a yoga instructor, in 1979 and they divorced in 1988.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wave after posing for the media. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

The Queen, Prince Philip, prime minister Theresa May, and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn were among others who offered their congratulations.

Downing Street moved quickly to dampen speculation that there would be a bank holiday to celebrate the wedding. The prime ministers spokesman said: There are no plans for a bank holiday. There isnt precedent in this area. There was no bank holiday for Prince Andrews wedding in 1986 or Prince Edwards in 1999.

However, the wedding of Princess Anne, the Queens second-eldest child, and Mark Phillips in 1973 was marked by a bank holiday.

Tourists film Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Kensington Palace on Monday. Photograph: Nick Ansell/PA

The wedding ceremony is likely to be conducted by Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, who said he was delighted by the news and had been impressed by the princes immense love for his family.

A royal source said it would be a happy church wedding, although the date is yet to be fixed. The Duchess of Cambridge is due to give birth to her third child in April.

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Locals in the View Park-Windsor Hills suburb of Los Angeles where Ragland lives were also upbeat. Mike Young, 56, out walking his pitbull Tipper, said: I think theyre a respectable family, he said, referring to the Windsors. Id be excited to meet Prince Harry.

The couple said they were set up by a friend on a blind date and about a month after two dates in London in summer 2016 they went camping in Botswana.

Timeline

Prince Harry’s relationship with Meghan Markle

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July 2016

The pair meet in London through friends and begin a relationship.

30 October 2016

News breaks that the prince and Markle are dating.

8 November 2016

Kensington Palace confirms in an unprecedented statement that they are dating. The prince attacks the media over its abuse and harassment of his girlfriend.

11 November 2017

Markle is spotted in London amid unconfirmed reports she is enjoying her first stay at Kensington Palace since the relationship was made public.

10 January 2017

Markle reportedly meets the Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte for the first time in London.

5 September 2017

The engagement looks set when Markle graces the cover of US magazine Vanity Fair and speaks openly about Harry for the first time, revealing: Were two people who are really happy and in love.

24 September 2017

Markle makes her first appearance at an official engagement attended by the prince when she attends the Invictus Games opening ceremony in Toronto, Canada although the pair sit about 18 seats apart.

19 October 2017

It emerges that the prince has taken Markle to meet his grandmother, the Queen, whose permission they need to marry. They met over afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace.

22 October 2017

The princes aides are reported to have been told to start planning for a royal wedding, with senior members of the royal family asked to look at their diaries to shortlist a series of suitable weekends in 2018.

21 November 2017

Markle is spotted in London, prompting speculation she is preparing for an engagement announcement.

27 November 2017

Clarence House announces the engagement, and the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh say they are delighted for the couple and wish them every happiness.

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I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana, the prince said. And we camped out with each other under the stars. She came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic.

It was hugely refreshing to be able to get to know someone who isnt necessarily within your circle, doesnt know much about me, I dont know much about her. So to be able to start almost afresh, right from the beginning, getting to know each other, step by step and then taking that huge leap of only two dates and then going effectively on holiday together in the middle of nowhere and you know sharing a tent together and all that kind of stuff. It was fantastic.

The official announcement. Photograph: AP

He added that he thought Markle and Diana would be as thick as thieves, without question, I think she would be over the moon, jumping up and down, you know so excited for me. It is days like today when I really miss having her around and miss being able to share the happy news.

Republic, the anti-monarchy campaign for an elected head of state, issued a one word statement: Congratulations.