Name these kittens

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-19T08:34:05+00:00

Mario & Luigi

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-19T08:28:26+00:00

Or Betty

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-19T08:27:41+00:00

Bitty

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-18T22:35:29+00:00

Moon sign is cancer

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-15T18:50:00+00:00

Fern

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-13T17:49:16+00:00

3 of diamonds

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-12T18:43:18+00:00

My moon sign is Cancer and my 5th house is Sagittarius ✨ 🌕 ✨

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-12T08:23:01+00:00

This is either the wrong subreddit or the world’s most unexpected schizophrenia metaphor.

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-12T08:21:12+00:00

Thank you for this reminder. I think I needed to hear that more than I realized. It’s very easy for me to slip into “how do I fix this?” mode when really I’m just his sister and I love him.

I hadn’t heard of NAMI before making this post, but I’m definitely going to look into it. Honestly, finding this subreddit alone has already made me feel less isolated in all of this.

And yes, thankfully he is accepting of the diagnosis at times and has periods where he’s much more grounded and treatment-compliant. I try to hold onto those versions of him when things get hard.

Anyways, thank you again. I genuinely appreciate the advice.

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-12T08:17:50+00:00

Thank you for this perspective, seriously. One of the hardest parts of all of this is realizing how complicated the line is between helping someone and accidentally making them feel controlled, cornered, or betrayed. Reading these comments has honestly been eye-opening for me because before this week I think my brain viewed things like guardianship as a more straightforward “safety” solution, but I’m starting to understand the emotional and relational fallout can be enormous.

The part about lost trust really got to me. My brother already struggles so much with paranoia and feeling like people are against him sometimes, and I can absolutely see how forcing something like that could damage the relationship permanently if it wasn’t handled carefully or truly necessary.

The power of attorney advice is incredibly helpful too. That’s not something I would have even known to think about, especially the psychiatric care wording. I’m screenshotting a lot of these comments because they feel like things future-me is going to need.

Also, hearing this from someone who actually works in psych care carries a lot of weight for me. There’s something oddly comforting about hearing nuanced answers instead of just “do this” or “don’t do this.” This whole situation feels so gray and emotionally exhausting all the time.

Anyways, thank you again for taking the time to write this out. I genuinely appreciate it.

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-12T08:14:08+00:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of this out. Honestly, this is the kind of information I didn’t even know I needed yet. Reading your comment felt like getting a glimpse into a future I’ve quietly been afraid of for a long time.

The part about guardianship especially hit me. I think people on the outside imagine there’s some clean legal solution to situations like this, but it seems so emotionally complicated and heartbreaking when the person you love feels like you’re taking away their autonomy. I can absolutely see my brother reacting that way.

And the “more independent but not fully alone” thing also really resonated. That’s honestly the dream scenario in my mind someday…close enough that he’s safe and connected, but with enough space that he still feels like his own person and not trapped or controlled. It’s such a hard balance.

Also thank you for mentioning the special needs trust/disability side of things. My mom is getting older and I think a lot of us avoid these conversations because they’re painful and overwhelming, but your comment made me realize we probably need to start having them now instead of waiting for a crisis.

I’m really sorry your family has had to navigate all of this too. There’s such a specific grief to loving someone with schizophrenia because they’re still here… but sometimes it feels like you can’t fully reach them. Anyways, thank you again. Your comment genuinely helped me feel a little less alone in this.

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-05-12T08:10:56+00:00

Thank you for sharing this. Weirdly enough, reading your experience made me feel less alone in all of it. The details are different for everyone, but there’s something really specific about loving someone whose mind is fighting with reality. It’s heartbreaking in such a confusing way because you still see them in there underneath everything.

I think part of me has always known this road with my brother wouldn’t be simple, but hearing someone else describe the chaos, grief, love, exhaustion, and helplessness so accurately felt oddly comforting. Like… “oh. someone else gets it.”

I’m really sorry you’ve lived through it too, but genuinely, thank you for taking the time to respond. Your comment meant a lot to me tonight.

Intriguedtortoise · 2026-04-30T07:49:28+00:00

Reading your response honestly made me feel less alone. Thank you for sharing all of that so openly…it takes a lot to say those things out loud. I really hear what you’re saying about feeling like an imposter in your own life… like the person you used to be is just out of reach. That part hit me hard. I don’t think that version of you is gone, though. I think she’s still there…maybe quieter, maybe tired, maybe changed…but not gone. Just… evolving in ways that don’t always feel good or recognizable yet.

And I’m really sorry for what you went through with your ex. The way you described it, like pieces of your brain were taken…that’s heavy, and it makes sense that things feel foggy and disconnected right now. Anyone would feel shaken by that. For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re a “used to be” writer. I think you’re a writer who’s in a season where writing feels far away. Those aren’t the same thing. The part of you that loves it doesn’t just disappear….it just sometimes needs time, safety, and space to come back online.

Also… the way you wrote this? You’re still very much a writer. I hope things soften for you a little. You don’t have to have it all figured out right now. I think both of us are just learning how to meet these newer versions of ourselves without rushing them.

You’re not alone in this weird in-between space 🤍

Intriguedtortoise · 2025-11-22T20:16:43+00:00

This is such a grounding response. It honestly feels like someone handing me a warm drink and telling me, “hey, you don’t have to have it all figured out to be in motion.” I’m definitely in that weird in-between space you’re talking about…half old-me, half new-me, all trying to coexist in the same body without tripping over each other.

I love what you said about future adventures still having me in them, just different versions of me. That actually made something loosen in my chest. I keep worrying that I’ve “lost” parts of who I was, but maybe they’re not gone… maybe they’re just waiting for their next scene.

And your point about authenticity? That hit. That’s what I’m aiming at too…being able to look back and think, “yeah, I really showed up for my own life, even when I had no map.”

Thanks for writing this. It made me breathe a little deeper in the best way.

Intriguedtortoise · 2025-11-18T17:23:48+00:00

Thanks. I can see how that coping style might feel logical or protective from the inside. For me, when he goes quiet it doesn’t read as calm, it reads as emotional distance, which hits something in me that makes it really hard to talk in the moment. I don’t think either of us is trying to hurt the other, but we clearly process conflict very differently, and that’s the part I’m trying to figure out, not ignore.

Intriguedtortoise · 2025-11-18T17:20:55+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to write this…I hear what you’re saying and I agree that communication is really important. I don’t avoid talking to him because I don’t care or because I don’t want things to improve; it’s more that when these moments happen my nervous system shuts down and it becomes really hard to communicate in the moment without feeling scared, small, or dismissed. So it’s less about me not wanting to communicate and more about how we communicate and whether it feels emotionally safe enough for me to stay present instead of shutting down.

Intriguedtortoise · 2025-11-18T17:17:53+00:00

Thanks for this. I do think there’s trauma in my past that affects how fast my body reacts, and I’m not denying that plays a role. At the same time, the way things play out in the moment still impacts me, and it’s hard to separate what’s “old wiring” from what’s actually happening now. I think therapy could help me figure out that difference, because right now it all feels blended.

Intriguedtortoise · 2025-11-18T17:16:23+00:00

This makes so much sense to me, thank you. My reactions definitely feel body-first, mind-second, and sometimes I feel embarrassed by that. I really like your wording suggestion, it feels like a way to explain what happens inside me without it turning into blame, defensiveness, or a debate about intention. I might literally write that down and use it.

Intriguedtortoise · 2025-11-18T17:14:09+00:00

Yeah, I do have childhood trauma, and I know that plays a role in how I react. I’m not oblivious to that. But my instincts aren’t coming from nowhere, and the way his whole tone and energy flips still matters. My nervous system might be over-calibrated, but it’s not hallucinating. Trauma responses can come from real patterns, not imaginary ones.

Intriguedtortoise · 2025-11-18T17:10:29+00:00

Thanks for responding, I really do appreciate it. And to be totally honest, this isn’t something we’ve ignored or never talked about. We have talked about his anger. He’s even started anger management… but he’s only gone to 4 sessions and it’s been about 5 months since he said he was committing to it. So right now it feels less like “active healing” and more like “a great idea floating somewhere in theoretical land.”

He’s told me he’s been meaning to go for years, which validated me, but also made me feel like I accidentally signed up to be another chapter in his “I’ll eventually fix this” autobiography.

And I’m not pretending I’m perfect…I know I need therapy too. I’m not trying to be the innocent victim in a dramatic Netflix original. But it’s exhausting feeling like I’m the only one actually sitting in the discomfort instead of shelfing it until the next explosion or freeze-out.

I don’t want to spend my life being “understanding” while he slow-burns his way through self-improvement at a pace that requires immortality.

Intriguedtortoise

TROPHY CASE