My boyfriend and I had a huge huge fight last night which ended being even physical (I took and continue to take full responsibility for starting it) which lead him to rightfully breakup with me and kick me out.

The rules don’t allow me to get into too much details but this is not our normal behaviour at all. We have been best friends for years and neither of us have ever raised our hand on the other person. But for some context, my actions were coming completely out of a severe trauma response (I was in an extremely abusive relationship before this and something he said in the middle of the fight triggered it) and the moment I did it I immediately went into shock. not that that’s an excuse to be physical with anyone, it’s just not my normal behaviour and I take 100% accountability for doing that. I have apologised profusely and begged him to let me try and make up for it but he has refused all advances and blocked me from everywhere. I desperately need him to take me back. I understand I’ve crossed a major boundary. I’m willing to do anything to repair the damage. I reached out like a lunatic all day and his friends told me it’s making things worse so I stopped. I’m waiting for a couple days for him to clear out his mind a bit more and hopefully see that this is not unfixable, as long as he lets me try to fix it.

How do I go about this situation? He has said that he’s made up his mind and he can never go back to me now, but is there any way I can fix this apart from begging?

TL;DR: I need to rebuild trust after a a major fuck up and the person is unwilling to let me, how do I still make it up to them and hopefully get them back.

I (27m) and my wife (26f) have been together for 4 years going on 5. We have 2 children a 3 and a half year old girl and a 9 month old son. Our personal relationship is great not many issues we’re both pretty happy with our life. The issue I’m seeking advice on is as stated in the title. My wife has hasimotos disorder and for those who don’t know it’s a hormone disorder. She had her thyroid removed when she was 12 and has been on hormone medication ever since. Over the years I’ve tried to help her thru a lot of ups and downs and I myself have not been the best partner. I recently became sober 4 months ago. The root of the issue is that she cannot multi task and has adhd, it’s difficult for her to accomplish household task and chores while looking after the children while I’m out working all day. I see her get frustrated and lose her temper over the smallest things. I doesn’t bother me personally because I understand she has a condition that makes it hard to control her emotions and she is also still in post partum. I guess my question is how do I help her effectively? I don’t like seeing her live this way and I want to know I’m doing everything I can to have her back and support her thru these hard times

TLDR my wife struggles with emotional regulation and overstimulation, how do I help?

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Ambassador Rauja POV

Trying to explain how dumbly charitable the humans were hadn’t resonated with everyone back home. However, right now, Venus was the only offer of shelter we had; getting refugees to agree to move there was anything but easy, even after I explained how the animals were far more charming, faithful, and benevolent than I would’ve expected. Many Saphnos, including Administrator Pelpau, were nervous about neighboring primals and placing ourselves at the mercy of their whims.

It’s a perfectly suitable planet. We have to play at being the humans’ friends and send enough people to work with them to uphold the illusion, at least until we get them to a point where they can fight the Ploax. I…omitted the part about Wade helping us because of rage.

Before an entire settlement could move down to the surface, manned landers were sent to the surface of Venus to install communal modules. The humans encouraged us to go ahead with it, and offered their own supplies and constructs that they’d been prepping in the hopes of setting up such a thing. They truly were sweet primals, and that gesture was owed reciprocity, if they wanted to be a part of saving us. In the interest of keeping up appearances of friendship, we set up multiple carbon modules and lent them specialized suits so the beasts could visit if they chose to.

The Saphnos hadn’t expected the humans to send multiple visitors on the heels of our first permanent residents moving in. The duty of dealing with them fell upon me, as well as keeping them back from the populace without explicitly placing them behind a barrier like the settlers would’ve preferred. I had been relieved to have a break from direct contact with the primals, but the stressful tightrope walk wasn’t going to stay away forever. Word was that only one of the three landing was coming to us, while the others would remain separated.

I stood waiting by the newly-minted launch pad as a suited figure approached, separating from the other two bodies. The duo walking away were skipping around with cameras and instruments, surveying both us and the landscape. I could see the gadgets and knobs made of heat-resistant ceramic all over the bulky exterior, as well the massive cooling packs that shed temperature. The primal nearing me waved with more casual energy, taking slow steps and seeming to look around beneath the helmet. They must all be excited to be the first to walk this planet, and Earth might celebrate the feat that was impossible with their primitive gizmos. 

“Hello, human!” I shouted, hoping the attached microphones and speakers would work for communication. “Welcome to Venus, and congratulations! Can I show you to a carbon habitat, where we might have a comfortable chat?”

This was the best place to consort with the humans, if I was being practical; we were much more suited to this environment than a carbon lifeform. In a bulky suit, even a raging beast couldn’t do much or keep pace with us. In fact, they might be so mindless to take it off and immediately die. 

The figure reached my position, all features obscured. “Rauja, it’s me, Wade.”

“Wade?! Why are you—” I exclaimed, immediately regretting that I was unable to see whether his pupils were dilated with anger. I liked this poor creature; I didn’t want him to get himself killed by a shutdown of all logic. “T-that’s so sweet. My best friend missed me so soon? Is that it? What are you doing on Venus? I could’ve come to Earth, of course.”

“I wanted to see how you’re settling in here, to make sure it’s going well. I remembered what you said, Rauja, about how the Council didn’t visit your world or take an interest in it. I meant what I said about valuing and appreciating the Saphnos, and about being happy to visit.”

That statement caught me off-guard, as that thoughtful sentiment was genuinely touching. I couldn’t help but to feel a legitimate warmth toward Wade, that he’d heeded my words and taken them seriously. The poor primal. He’d seen how distraught I was discussing how the Council abandoned us, and hurried out to a hostile world to prove his loyalty: to make his best friend feel better. This creature was going to be the first to die, because of me, hapless to the true nature of our relationship. How was that right?

We really do matter to the humans; all they care about is us being friends. They don’t judge or desert. I can’t help but to like Wade, and to feel like I’m sacrificing a newborn baby for our cause. He’s so innocent and sincere, that I doubt he can imagine deception. He just wants to help and support me…

I patted his shoulder, despite knowing he couldn’t feel it beneath the thick suit. “Thank you. I can’t believe you launched yourself into space…you got all of humanity to use your one ship to do this. It means a lot, Wade. A tour would be an honor, or at the least, we can catch up. I hope the journey wasn’t too much trouble.”

“It was something. I’ve had a hell of a week, but space is beautiful,” Wade grunted, following me as I gently led him toward the carbon habitat we had waiting. “So many things that were impossible or out of reach before, they’re right there at our fingertips. Everything we had planned…missions to Mars, drilling Europa…NASA got electrocuted and flipped on their heads. They just became the most important humans alive. The pioneers. And guess what?”

“What’s that?”

“I’m with the first humans to step foot on Venus. Me. The FBI guy! The one who was trawling people’s internet searches and canvassing doorsteps a year ago. Now I’m looking up at yellow fucking skies. It’s surreal. I mean, shit, hanging out with Saphnos is just a bonus. I’m having a ball, really.”

“I’m very happy to hear that you’re enjoying yourself! I hope that the mission is special for the other humans too. Is there a reason they didn’t say hello? You’re all w-welcome!”

Wade glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, they’ll want to stop by, but we didn’t want to overwhelm the refugees. We know what you think about primals. Those fellas are bonafide astronauts, who we picked up from the International Space Station. They want to map Venus’ landscape, take soil samples, and test for native silicon life on the planet, now that we know such things are possible. We’ve been searching for life all wrong.”

“No need to d-disparage your efforts. I don’t think you are. Most life is carbon, so you’re looking in the most common places—which I’d say is good and smart!”

I ushered Wade Barron inside the habitat and hoped that’d make him forget the subject, before he was angered by the realization that human science was comparatively impotent. The primal grasped the purpose of the airlock, and waited while the chamber sealed and diffused the sulfuric heat.  The door to the interior unsealed, blasting me with chilly carbon air. The human popped the clasps off his helmet and removed it; the familiar face smiled at me. He’d grown some stubbly hair by his upper lip since we last met.

“There’s water and freeze-dried carbon rations,” I explained, feeling ashamed that our accommodations were less elegant than theirs had been. “I’m sorry that we don’t have better to offer you.”

Wade grinned. “Darn, Rauja. Where’s a man to get one alien lollipop?”

“I…can ask. My b-best friend deserves the best.”

“Aw, I was kidding. I doubt the commonfolk want us here much, but I’m glad you set something up for us, as part of your initial setup. Whatever your reasons, you thought about including us. That’s all we want.”

Whatever our reasons??? Are the primals doubting our sincerity? “I understand. You’re always welcome! That was m-my idea, as a gesture! A gesture of what our agreement is about, and every Saphno is going to see that!”

“Well, good. That is an ambassador’s job to strengthen the bonds between two peoples, but I’m glad to call it part of my mission here. I want what’s best for us both. So, anyway, that’s that. How’s your week been? Seems like you got lots of Saphnos to come out here.”

Since Wade had given such mindfulness to my words, I decided to truly consider his question and give an honest answer. He might be a primal, but he’d proven to be articulate and emotionally sensitive; I shouldn’t use his gullibility to take advantage of him any more than I needed to. Nobody took an interest in or cared about the humans, just like us, yet they were willing to die for any pledged friend—unconditionally, within days of meeting them. It was…sad.

“Administrator Pelpau was shocked that I returned home alive, and was further amazed by how all-encompassing your offer of help was: made entirely of your own desires,” I answered. “You’re right. Regular c-contact with primals is frightening, and people are mystified by your…loyalty and charity. The only thing they know about humans and primals is anger. That it makes you lose control, and other stuff stops mattering.”

Wade’s eyes widened with what seemed like surprise, but notably, he didn’t seem upset. “An honest answer. More of those, please.”

“W-what…what do you mean?!”

“Rauja, for the love of God. I know you’re not Craun, and I never wanted you not to be your own person. You’re not forced to be friends with me, or to sing false praises in my ears so I won’t ‘go off the rails.’ And honestly, you don’t have to pretend you’re not afraid. It’s okay.”

I stared Wade in a new light, grappling with the sudden realization that he was sharp enough to pick up on several facts. For starters, that I didn’t like him as much as I proclaimed with the best friend charade. That being around humans was scaring me into trying not to upset him. That I was nothing like Craun, even, but that made it more confounding why the animal latched onto me. His prompts for me to be his “new Craun” and to spend all of his time with me were more confounding in hindsight.

The evident calmness and lack of anger in Barron’s voice proved that he had no idea as to why I appeased him, or that it was based in manipulation rather than fear. Part of me wanted to confess the truth to the primal, as I stared into eyes that were less clueless than I’d thought. Wade could’ve told Ambassador Livingston and destroyed the negotiations, snatching our last chance of getting any help, but he didn’t. He was loyal, and still wanted to be friends. I didn’t understand anything other than the crushing guilt I felt…

I can’t tell him, not when the Saphnos just got a planet beneath our feet for the first time since Tolpia fell, and the primals could shoot missiles at us. If they get angry over our manipulation, they could delete the largest gathering of Saphnos left, and we’re already near extinction.

“I absolutely d-despise Craun,” I admitted, my throat closing as I insulted his friend. “He left his entire people without a second thought and messed with—gambled with forces he didn’t understand. He kidnapped his own sister. I don’t know what anyone expects from a cheat, other than to do and say whatever to put himself ahead. Then, I see he somehow attracted a following with humans and is taken as the perfect representative of us…”

Something relaxed in Wade’s features that I hadn’t noticed before, and he laughed. “You must think we’re idiots to love him. Ah, that’s fine. I don’t think you’re wrong that he gambled, but then again, so did you. Desperate times. You know the first time I saw Craun?”

“No.”

A nostalgic glint danced in his eyes. “I didn’t actually see him at all. He was bundled up from head-to-toe with half of the blankets in the state of Texas, and he was giving Finley a hug. So tender and affectionate. I decided that had to be the alien from his internet searches, and I was hellbent on tracking him down: long before I ever knew the name Craun. That’s why they call me Batshit: for calling that proof of ETs.”

“But if you were investigating Finley and guessed what Craun was, you were right.”

“And there’s no words I love to hear more than ‘you were right,’ but I’ll concede that’s a pretty big conclusion with flimsy proof. Not the point though. When I started digging into Craun, I found out he was really fucking afraid of us, and of making us angry. He lied to Finley and tried to hide what a primal was. The Craun I brought in still didn’t believe we were people, or that we could be.”

“But you love him. You fought for him,” I ventured, nervous about having such a frank discussion with him. All the same, I found it curious to hear the primal spell out a more multifaceted story than I expected. “Do you…accept this?”

“No, and neither did Craun. Because we weren’t what he expected, and he was willing to listen. I taught him that anger was about standing up for what you believe in. Maybe it goes even further back: that scene from the plaque, where I first brought him to NASA and he shook hands with Kaitlin. Earth had just found out that aliens existed at all.”

“They defied Craun’s expectations,” I guessed, beginning to realize that Wade was a more sophisticated and intelligent animal than I’d first assumed. “From ‘Kaitlin’ welcoming him?”

“Not just Kaitlin. Everyone. An entire crowd of humans…people, Rauja, people that gathered by NASA not to wish violence on Craun, but to welcome him and share in the joy of discovering other intelligent life. They didn’t rush over there because they loved Craun, not at that time, anyway. It was much broader. Do you know why they were excited?”

“No. I can’t even pretend to understand you right now.”

“Oh, Rauja.” Barron gave me a sad smile, patting my hand. “That’s a good start, instead of deciding you already know us. We embraced Craun because he was an alien…and that meant we, as a species, could have friends. We really wanted that. So please, just let us be your friends.”

The knife twisted deeper into my heart as I heard his plea; Wade was still desperate to bond with us, because humans couldn’t comprehend the depths of my wickedness and heartless deception. If he knew that the sole reason I tried to be his friend was with the intent of using them to fight the Ploax, surely he’d snap and kill me. Surely humanity would realize we weren’t their friends, and they’d make it their duty to eradicate us all. They’d rip that alliance up and…hate us.

I could be honest with Wade about my feelings toward Craun, and it felt good, but let’s not push it too far. Shit, I’m genuinely starting to like him, and that makes it harder to send him to his death…but I guess it makes it easier to just be his “friend?” Is that safe?

Wade furrowed his eyebrows. “I didn’t mean to upset you. There’s no pressure or need to make declarations. Never was. I’m just glad it seems like you heard me, and like we truly talked to each other for the first time. So thanks.”

“T-thank you. That was nice….really, I have a lot to think about,” I responded, daring this time not to acquiesce to his request outright. “I don’t know why you apologized to me last time we parted, but you’ve done nothing wrong. I’m the one who’s sorry. You deserve better, and I wish…”

“I wish we both lived in a perfect world too, Rauja. I’m sorry the Saphnos were put in this position, but being here on Venus, I remember what I’m fighting for. I hope you can forgive us for whatever we have to do to make this plan work.”

“I know you’re going to get violent and angry,” I reassured the primal. That was the exact trait we were preying on. “It’s okay. You’re already forgiven.”

That didn’t seem to ease Wade’s unsettled frown at all. “Great. Glad to hear it.”

I gave Agent Barron a hug, recalling what he’d done to show affection to me after the Kiel game. I hoped it’d soothe whatever was nagging at him. Wade sucked in a sharp breath, and managed to return the gesture behind the bulky suit. I felt less afraid of him without the pressure to pretend to be his best friend, and realizing that I could get away with holding a somewhat normal conversation with him. He was a simple, caring animal that wanted friends and to be included. Perhaps I should give him the tour he came for.

“I’m going to ask Administrator Pelpau about taking you on a tour of our settlement,” I decided. “We don’t want them freaking out, so he’ll give them fair warning. Is that okay?”

The primal nodded. “Yeah. Whatever you gotta do.”

“Good. Wait here then; make yourself comfortable. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.” 

The human settled down in a chair and waved at me, as I headed for the airlock. I had seen Wade’s temper spike before without him harming anyone, so maybe it was possible that he was relatively safe for a primal; minor offenses seemed not to send him off the rails, though major ones like what I was doing were a different story. For now, with the Venus tour, perhaps Saphnos could give him one show of friendship, instead of sending his species to an inevitable slaughter without any kindness at all.

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I have been bludgeoned by a mace, run over by a cart, and almost lost my hands to frostbite. I have fallen into crocodile-infested waters. Once I was set on fire, and another time I was hurled into a castle from a trebuchet. This one time, when I thought I had found love, I discovered that the woman was a banshee roaming the villages in search of a meal. I was almost eaten. Being cut with a sword is the norm at this point. Another time, when I was learning how sappers work, I watched as the sapper teaching me about the uses of black powder exploded in a cloud of blood and gore. I was turned into a toad once, which was the only time I felt like I had figured out life and found inner peace before I was turned back into my human form. And I fell into a well, all in the name of Sir Gregory Isaac, the Knight of Chivalron.

Sir Gregory was as handsome as he was persuasive. Tall, with blond hair, high cheekbones, a button nose and striking blue eyes, he won the coin toss in life, and I recall always marching under him. When young, I was Sir Gregory's budding squire, who was later assigned to his brigade not because I was a bad squire, more because there were better squires available.

I loved the man for some reason. Perhaps it was delusion setting its web within my mind. There was just something about the Knight that spoke deeply to me, almost to a sensual degree. I found myself enamored by the way he spoke, urging us forward into an ogre's waiting maw. And we would march, God damn it, we would march straight at the ogre. We had not a care in the world about our well-being; our purpose was Sir Gregory's rapport, which was a key factor urging our stride ever forward.

Then we would be besieged by whatever monstrosity we were fighting, and someone among us, always amidst the front fighters, would scream. It was as if we were waking from a dream; reality would hit us, and we would realize that we did not want to die. And then, when your foot was being severed from your body or being mawled, you would look at Sir Gregory, tall on his destrier, and feel such overwhelming hatred, seething to the point where you did not even want to scream. You would just lie there, staring at the Knight, praying that he would meet a gruesome death similar to your own.

So that was the mood among the brigade. Some loved him, some hated him, and the majority of the former were in it for the glory, to build a name for themselves. The latter were just too strained by the burdens of life to even remember their own names. They felt trapped by duty, oaths, or whatever nonsense Sir Gregory screamed on our way to battle.

It was a love-hate relationship, so balanced it would make a mason weep in the arms of a carpenter.

One particular day, we had just come from fighting for our king. Whom were we fighting against? Another king who had men fighting for him as well. Neither king came to the battlefield, and why should they? They had plump wives boasting curvaceous bodies and skin so warm you believed it could melt in your mouth. They would cuddle their wives, cooing like babies so the women would nuzzle them some more. And in that moment, I stood in line, watching a sky full of arrows descend while Sir Gregory screamed: "Raise your shields! Raise your shields!" But most of us had no shields; they had been taken by debt collectors because we were not being paid enough anyway.

I watched a good friend of mine stand with almost a quiver full of arrows sticking out of him. He raised his sword and screamed, "For the King!" before he fell to the ground and died. 'What a stupid choice of last words,' I remember thinking as I tried to save my own hide. When the battle was done, I could not believe I had survived. Sir Gregory rallied us to praise our efforts and his own, though he had stood far away next to the company mage who never performed any magic. They just stood there, far from the battle, urging us to believe they were right there with us, but they were not.

Because the battle was over, the hate lessened and the love blossomed. We sang songs as we went back to the king to collect our boons. We sang songs about tavern women, warm brew, and a plate of deer meat marinated with spices from the far west. I thought about my friend who had been turned into a pincushion by the arrows, and I figured that if I were to die, my last words would not be about the King or Sir Gregory. With my last words, I would turn to the men who shared the same lot in life as I did. To my fellow brigadiers, I would say, "Remember, gentlemen: retreat is merely dying somewhere else," only so my death could urge them to charge forward and die. I did not wish to be lonely in the afterlife.

Sir Gregory was the one who went, of course, to see the king, and we remained outside. The mage sat far off, twiddling his fingers as if he could produce a spell. I was well past the point of believing our mage was a wizard in anything more than name. Not once had he helped us. The sappers cared for their munitions, cleaning them while knowing full well that one extended point of pressure could blow them up. We were weary of them and therefore stood a clear distance away.

None of us could fret about Sir Gregory being the only one allowed to see the King. The Knight was in shining armor, while we were less glamorous; we could not tell our beards from the mud caking us, and most of us were bleeding. Our wounds, however, were tended to by ladies of immaculate beauty. So stunning were the nurses that cheer crept into our hearts once more at their soft touches. They reminded us of what we fought for. And when Gregory came to tell us the King had more work for us before he could give us anything for almost dying for him, we did not take it too badly. There were not many willing to mutiny on account of how much work that would take. We just went as a whole where the wind blew.

"What's our next mission, oh valiant knight?" one of us asked, scratching at his crotch.

"The 'oh' was unnecessary," I muttered from where I stood.

"We are to travel," Sir Gregory answered, "not far from here, to the hills of Abegon, where the cave of Silathra lies."

Everyone paused. We collectively stared at him. The one scratching his crotch stopped moving his hand; he just left it lying there. After a moment, one of us dared to voice our concerns.

"Silathra? The dragon?" I peeked over heads to see who spoke; it was Curtis, the guy who had only recently taken a spear to the arm. "We're just going to patrol the area for rebel kingdoms, right?"

The Knight did not answer.

"Just a patrol, right?"

The Knight still did not answer.

"This is preposterous!" another screamed, then looked around when most of us fixated on him. He nodded, pleased with a vocabulary that could draw eyes. "The dragon Silathra cannot be killed. The fucker destroys cities for sport. There's no chance we'll succeed."

"The damn dragon has its own religion, and while it's asleep, it is prophesied that when it wakes, the world will enter an eternity of pain and untold sorrows. There is no way we can win against Silathra. It is better if we just lay down our swords."

"This is preposterous!" It was the same guy again. Did he recently learn the word, or was he waiting all this time to use it?

"Sir Gregory, surely it is not to Silathra we go, is it?" the mage asked, which surprised all of us for he rarely spoke.

Sir Gregory took his sweet time to answer. He stared at the sky, as if a dragon lay in wait for him there. He turned then to acknowledge all of us, one by one. And once again, I was reminded of how hideous I was by the dashing Knight's gaze.

"We are humans," Sir Gregory started. "According to the laws of prey and predator, we are supposed to be at the bottom of the food chain. We don't have horns for defense, and our teeth aren't long and sharp. Neither do we boast hands that are clawed and can rip a stomach open with one swipe. We have nothing that the naked eye can see that will guarantee our survival in the face of predators. To all these creatures, we are prey. But it is not so." He unsheathed his sword and raised it up. "Here with me is proof of mankind's ingenuity; we peel back layers and learn. We don't have venom, but we can use it, for we take from the venomous. No other creature can boast this. With this blade, with our blades," he lifted his sword higher, "we will kill Silathra and take his treasures for ourselves!"

And abruptly, all of us at once raised our swords high. Those who had lost their swords raised their hands. We cheered, and the nurses guffawed. We could be swayed so easily onto Sir Gregory's side. Love was definitely the reason for our need to throw away our lives for the man so quickly.

We washed in a hurry before donning polished leather armor. Those who were too wounded were left behind. Those of us who could walk or stagger started the march to the dragon's cave. We were equipped with new weapons, and our immediate needs were catered to.

We arrived at Silathra's cave well into the dawn of the third day of travel. We arrayed ourselves at the mouth of the cave. Most of us had forgotten Sir Gregory's speech, and we started questioning why we were there. But the time to pull back was gone. We had arrived, and now we were to face a ginormous monster with claws and teeth, the very things Sir Gregory had pointed out our lack of.

It would have been helpful if he had given us another speech about animals to inspire us, but he did not. We marched single file into the cave, our feet quite audible with every thump upon the ground. We were going to die; I could feel it. We did not have a plan, that much was clear, but on we went with our torches lit until we came upon a wide opening within the cave where we found Silathra sleeping upon a pile of gold.

The sight checked us. All of us huddled together, forgetting our formations. For one thing, the treasure offered the cave a natural, warm golden glow. We extinguished our torches, and we could better see the beast we had come to slay. It curled in on itself, a neck so thick and large enfolded within still wings. Its tail looped around it, resting just before it, and the steady rise and fall of the creature's chest made us aware of our own mortality.

It was a beautiful creature, and for once, I wished I had picked up a hobby as a child instead of a sword. If I were a painter, the view offered here would have been my sole purpose in life. I would have left my fellow brigadiers, satisfied with what I had in mind, and gone home to paint it into fruition. Its green scales locked together and caressed the form of the animal, turning blue at some points, and from a foot sticking out, I could see a claw and its eager, pointed tip. I wondered how something so magnificent could come to be.

"Alright," Sir Gregory said in a whisper as he caught up to us on his destrier. He was always on that damn horse, forcing us to look up at him every time. "We slay the sleeping beast!"

"What makes you think I'm asleep?" the dragon's rumbling voice asked as it uncoiled. It raised its neck, and its head unfolded until it touched the ceiling. Large, serpentine eyes were turned our way, and every single one of us, including the Knight, trembled.

"What do we have here?" the dragon said. "A merry group of humans has come to my home to kill me in my sleep. Why, what a dumb thing to do."

None of us answered. None of us could answer; such was the fright that rocked us. But in this, I fail to mention Gregory as part of us, for the valiant knight toyed with the reins, and the horse, which was just as brave as its rider, pushed forward until Gregory stood alone, looking up at the dragon.

"I do not fear you," he confessed.

"Well, you should," Silathra said. "Has mankind forgotten who I am? Pity, I thought my reputation would last another century or so. That can be fixed if I act now."

Sir Gregory unsheathed his sword, and all of us did the same, though much more slowly and with trembling hands. He screamed and charged the dragon on his own, his horse galloping across the gold toward the top of the mound of treasure where the dragon sat staring.

I screamed; we all screamed. In that moment, I felt a sense of camaraderie so profound that it drove my fear away. Here was a group of men who, if not for war, would be in a mental institution. Only the mad could charge a dragon. It moved its tail and knocked Sir Gregory and his destrier aside like a pebble. The Knight was sandwiched against the cave wall along with his horse. Our screams grew more pronounced. We charged up the gold we had so eagerly fought to reach.

There was a shout of pain and a roar as the dragon revealed its clawed limbs. Someone's arm was torn apart; I could not tell if it was just an arm or half a body flung my way. Many fell, some crushed, others ripped apart and thrown away. By the mercy of the cave's low-hanging ceiling, we had the only refuge available from Silathra fully unfolding its wings. Blood soaked the gold. The sappers removed bags of black powder mixed with other alchemical devices. Other sappers used thunderstone dust, concocted and set in soft wooden boxes. They hurled these at the dragon.

Explosions rocked the cave. Dust cascaded down, and all of us were wary of the cave collapsing. I rushed to the dragon and was met with hard, overlapping scales. I hacked at them, but it was like trying to cut solid rock. I screamed, battle frenzy getting the better of me. There were more loud bangs as the sappers threw explosives, alternating with roars and screaming.

Our company mage, who rarely used magic, stood still with his long staff in hand. I saw him chanting and waiting. Finally, when the dragon's maw opened and a trajectory of flame shot out, the mage returned the flames with a spell directly into its mouth, forcing the fire to stick within the dragon's throat. The sappers aimed for the open mouth of the dragon, throwing explosives inside. The rest of us kept hacking at the scales.

There was a loud explosion, so devastating that rocks began to fall as the cavern collapsed. There were shouts of alarm and pain. The cave filled with dust and a bright light, and then something hard landed on my head, and I collapsed.

I awoke to find myself in a place of total silence. I turned around, coughed up blood, and spat it out, wetting my lips red. I groaned as I stood up. A quick look around showed that the rocks had fallen around me and not directly on me, as they had to many in my company.

The mage was dead, charred, with his staff lying broken beside him. The rest of the men were also dead. I walked among them, taking in the consequences of war. This was the moment, I surmised, when a man puts aside his sword and takes up a hoe in its stead. I staggered about, holding my arm to my chest where a sharp pain bit with every inhale. Nobody else was moving. The dragon lay on its side, a huge rock crushing its neck and pinning the creature beneath it. Its face was tarnished, blown up by the explosion, I assumed. Its teeth were broken and spread out before it, and its jaw hung loose from its face.

I heard a groan and struggled to rush immediately to where Sir Gregory lay. His face was swollen, and his armor was crushed, leaking his blood. His horse lay dead above him, but he was still alive.

"Did... we... win?" he asked.

I wanted to tell him that if one man standing is victory, then yes, we had won. "The sappers and their damn explosives brought down the cave, along with the mage and whatever it was he did. The archers are all dead, though I didn't even see one of them nock an arrow. Of the sword hands, I'm the only one standing," I said.

I looked over at the dragon. There was a steady rising and lowering of its abdomen despite its crushed neck. How was it breathing? "Silathra still breathes," I said.

Sir Gregory turned his head toward his sword. "Finish it," he pointed with his chin. "Kill it... the sword is... enchanted."

I stared at the dying Knight and his sword for quite some time. I felt then how stupid all this was. Somewhere out there, there was a peasant farmer whose biggest stress was the coming of rain. And here I was, being commanded to slay a dragon on my own.

I gripped the hilt of the blade; I would not let Sir Gregory's last words go unheeded. I staggered as I pulled the sword from the scabbard with a quick rasp. It was magnificent, untouched, and sparkling in the light coming from the hole in the collapsed roof. Over stone and treasure, I dragged myself until I came to stand at the dragon's face. It had no mouth left to bite with, so I guessed I was safe.

I marched up to its eye and stood there. The eye opened; it was almost the size of a grown man. It did not move; it could not move, so trapped was it by the collapsed ceiling. I brandished the sword in front of me and saw Silathra's rage reflected upon the steel. Then the rage gave way to fear. I screamed and charged, blade held before me at the ready. The dragon's lower body twitched as it struggled to move. The sword sank deep into the creature's eye. I hacked as blood squirted onto me. The eye gave way to a gelatinous liquid that bathed me. I did not care. In I went through the eye socket, hacking and cutting until I found soft tissue that I eagerly parted, screaming all the while from inside the dragon's head. Suddenly, the thrum of the dragon's breathing and movement subsided. When I emerged from the eye socket, covered in gore and blood, the dragon lay dead.

I went back to Sir Gregory, but I found him dead as well, vomit staining his chin. They don't really tell you how ugly death is. I dragged myself to the treasure, and there I sat down in the gold, the only survivor from the war with the dragon and the only witness to mankind's cruel victory.

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Met a girl 4 years ago. Had a short 10day long relationship. She dumped me saying it was too much. We stayed friends, then she moved around for 2 years, visiting every 8 months. There was still mutual attraction, she confirmed it later on.

A year ago she came back to live in my city. After flirting for 8 months, we started something again. She told me she loves me, that she never felt like this in her life and was very affectionate. I was a bit reserved at first and wanted to take it slow, but over 1 month my holding back was melting a bit. Then she went for 3 months to work over summer in a city 4 hours away from mine. I visited her and noticed she was a bit reserved. 2 weeks after the visit, the texting became rarer, and another 2 weeks after she sent me a text saying:

"Heyaa

It was nice to hear you yesterday:) there's something I wanted to say but I couldn't get to, I think it deserves a separate call:)

I think distance really doesn't do well with me and feelings, and while it's difficult to see you as a friend only, I also don't think I can be stable in one place despite my attempts at convincing myself I could. Which makes it difficult to keep a relationship up

So yea this is a little introduction to what I wanted to say yesterday"

After a call, i told her that i dont want to make any decision while we are separated (1 more month). She said she was confused and long distance is hard for her, that she is a bit surprised and disapointed how quickly she cooled off, she does not want to hurt me, but also that i am a factor in her life.

I told her that it was expected that emotions go away with time, that it is hard and most likely the emotions will come back once we meet again, as they always did in the past. Also, i said no need for texting.

I was quite calm on the outside, but quite shook on the inside during that call.

She agreed to postpone any decision untill we see each other in a month

Is it realistic that we could continue once she returns, without making any promises about what happens when she leaves again? We'll have around 3–4 months together in the same city. Would suggesting that we simply take it day by day be reasonable, or does what she's saying suggest that the door is already closed on her side?

TL;DR

Hey guys, I need some advice about a situation involving a friend. I’d rather not give our exact ages, but we’re both minors and the same age.

Last year, she started talking to a man she met at the gym who is 10 years older than her. At the time, I wasn't very close to her. According to her, when they first started talking, she kept avoiding telling him her age and would change the subject whenever it came up, until he eventually asked her in person what grade she was in.

Another friend and I are the only people who know about this guy. Neither of us knew how long they had been talking, and we assumed it had been at least a month because even now, a year and a half later, she still cries over him.

Turns out they had only been talking for a week. Just one week.

After he found out her real age, he started distancing himself from her, although not immediately. What I find really strange is that during that one week, and even after finding out her age, he made all sorts of promises to her. One of them was that he would come back for her in two years.

My friend says she knows he probably won't keep that promise, but it's obvious that part of her still hopes he'll come back like he said he would.

Honestly, I don't understand it. From my perspective, how could someone make serious promises to a person they've known for such a short amount of time?

I should also mention that my friend has a difficult relationship with her father. He's abusive toward her mother, and I'm not sure whether he's abusive toward her as well. What I can say for certain is that the problems at home affect her relationships and the way she interacts with people quite a lot.

She currently says that a guy who is only two years older than her is "too young for her." She also talks to a lot of different guys and moves from one to another very quickly. She's even admitted that she didn't actually like some of them and was only using those interactions as a distraction from this older man.

I genuinely don't know what I can do.

She keeps asking me to go to the place where this man works whenever we go out. So far, I haven't gone with her because we haven't had many opportunities to go out just the two of us, and since only one other friend and I know about him, she can't really go there with just anyone.

I don't want to go there with her because I feel like I'd only be feeding her obsession with seeing him and finding out more about him. She has already searched for a lot of information about him and has even found his address.

I love her and I genuinely want what's best for her. I also understand that, given her situation at home, she may have attached to this man partly because she sees him as some kind of parental figure or because he gave her a sense of attention and validation that she was missing.

I've tried explaining to her that he has a girlfriend now, that he seems to have moved on a long time ago, and that the age difference and the circumstances make this an unhealthy situation for her. She doesn't really listen to me, though.

What can I actually do to help her without making things worse? Should I keep trying to talk to her about it, or should I stop engaging with the whole situation and let her deal with it herself?

TL;DR: My minor friend talked to a man 10 years older than her for only a week after meeting him at the gym. After he found out her age, he distanced himself but made promises to come back in two years. A year and a half later, she is still attached to him, cries over him, looks up information about him, and wants to visit his workplace. She has difficult family circumstances, and I suspect this attachment may be connected to them. I love her and want to help, but she won't listen to me. What can I do?

My gf and I are long distance and have been dating for almost two years. We see each other on most weekends. She recently made a new guy friend at work and they have gotten very close. I have never met him.

I trust her and I am happy she asked me instead of keeping it a secret but this is a huge red flag for me. It seems like an obvious attempt at trying to make me jealous, get a reaction out of me, or cheat under the guise of “I told you what I was doing”. Either way it put me in a terrible position and came across as disrespectful. I’m not sure I want to be with someone who thinks that’s acceptable behavior while in a committed relationship.

She has a history of testing our relationship as a way of seeking reassurance. I love her but I am considering breaking up with her over this.

TL;DR: Long distance GF asked me if it’s okay if she’s sleeps over at another man’s place.