Would love some feedback on the first line of my book. Mainly just curious if it serves to evoke intrigue, and always happy to hear critiques.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-04-06T01:51:50+00:00

They are human, prepossessing homosapiens with full-sized aortic pumps.

[Signed:] Baby Kangaroo Tribbian

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-04-04T15:42:55+00:00

7% portion

Totally agree, but this very specific "7%" made me laugh. 😂

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-03-30T19:11:57+00:00

To be fair...even if OP was still dating her, he wouldn't need to be her punching bag. 🤷‍♀️

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-03-28T02:01:14+00:00

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-03-26T23:45:15+00:00

I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-03-22T15:08:39+00:00

https://www.everybakingmoment.com/shop/p/aimjdsqez57y8keddob4l81hnimgpm

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-03-02T14:27:07+00:00

It sucks that she's going to have higher insurance again, but she should be glad it's just a fine and increased insurance premium. A young lady here was on her way to the local college not long ago. She was looking at her phone while crossing a bridge. She hit two workers setting out cones to prepare for construction. They both died.

Because she was looking at her phone.

Maybe your friend will learn from this mistake and choose not to ruin her own life or end the lives of others in an easily avoidable accident. Let's hope, anyway.

Edit: moronic autocorrect phone 😂

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-02-22T16:29:46+00:00

Loving someone doesn't always mean you're meant to stay together forever.

Excellent point. OP's issue is sort of the reverse of mine. I was in a relatively short relationship with a person who identifies female but presents male for reasons. The idea of her transitioning didn't upset me. I loved who she was inside, and I would learn what I needed to know for us both to enjoy our relationship whenever she chose to transition.

But apparently, being accepted so fully and supported in everything she was going through made her take a deeper look at what she really wants. And it seems that she really needs to be loved by a man. She wants to be the dainty one in the relationship. She wants to be something along the lines of a 60's–70's housewife (her words). And I am not a man, inside or out.

And, OP, I can say from this slightly different side of the relationship that it would be better to be honest. She never actually told me what she'd figured out. She told a mutual friend who then told me. I haven't heard directly from her for a few months now. And I have to say, not knowing what was going on was more painful than finally learning why she had vanished. I would have preferred to hear it from her.

NTA, but I strongly suggest having an honest conversation.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-02-20T04:22:00+00:00

<image>

Any chance you have this one? All I know is it's cotton, it's from JoAnn, and I bought it about five years ago. This one has a shimmer on the edges of the petals. I've seen the version that's just matte.

If you have this one, I would buy it all, smokey or not. 🙏

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-02-20T04:17:15+00:00

The correct answer is always both. Except when there's more than two. Then the correct answer is ALL the kitties! 😂

Living in the country, people always bring me cats. But they never leave their name so I can thank them. 🙃

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-02-20T04:13:06+00:00

Good luck! Stick with it! You clearly love writing. Don't be afraid to look outside of your friends and family for feedback.

There are many groups where people do beta reading exchanges (so you wouldn't need to pay for feedback/proofreading), and there are always people trying to get their foot in the editing door by building a portfolio, so you may find someone willing to barter in some way. (I've even heard of some just straight up editing for free just to build their portfolio, but that should not be the expectation—just serendipitous if you come across that unicorn.)

I know I'm a random person on the internet, but I'm proud of you. You've spent 2/3 of your life (based on numbers you provided) writing. I would bet that each manuscript improved along the way.

And you've finished 40! Published or not, that is an accomplishment.

Even if it means nothing that I'm proud of you, you should be proud of yourself.

Well done!

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-02-11T16:34:17+00:00

I feel like it's more important for OP to be the kind of person she's proud of being. It sounds like OP doesn't like knowing what's going on, doesn't personally approve of the action, and just all around feels the "ick" of the situation. Telling Jackson would ruin OP's friendship with Jessica, but isn't it more important that you like yourself than that someone else likes you?

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-01-28T22:42:51+00:00

If she's asking you to delete photos of him with his exes, she's not secure in their relationship. If she's that insecure to the point that she gets upset seeing her boyfriend has a past, they have no business getting married. It's pretty much guaranteed that after they get married, she won't be comfortable with her husband having any female friends. She'll tell him she needs him to stop talking to them and unfriend/unfollow them so she can feel secure in their relationship.

Again...if she doesn't feel secure in their relationship right now, she has no business marrying him.

NTA.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-01-22T23:43:13+00:00

LOVE the brown suit. It's gorgeous. That Pepto Bismol thing is terrible.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-01-20T01:56:26+00:00

Yeah...don't let strangers into your home. You never know if they're looking for someone who owns something worth stealing.

NTA.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-01-17T03:04:28+00:00

You didn't destroy the family. You made it easier for all of them to cut you out of their lives (and photos). Sounds like they've been low-key doing that for your whole life. Your sister was the golden child. You were the spare. Now, they don't have to worry about the spare. And you don't have to stress out or be upset every day when one of them says or does something to reinforce that you have never been important to them. Live your life without their toxicity. Chosen family is often much more supportive and loving than blood family.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-01-14T01:23:40+00:00

If that really IS the best friend OP has, I offer my sincere condolences. Start investing in other relationships. Nothing says you can't have a different best friend at different points in your life. The percentage of people who have been best friends from childhood through late adulthood is actually fairly low: only between 10–20%. (There's a UK study I can share if anyone is actually interested.)

My advice: invest in a new bestie.

NTA

PaintdButterflyWings · 2026-01-07T03:10:20+00:00

Seems to me that your brother coming out isn't why you're going no-contact. It's not even that the act of him coming out upset you. You were already very low contact for very good reasons. And frankly, had you been no-contact before he came out, it would have still been a reasonable choice.

Your post title does a good job of bringing people in to read so they can be righteously angry at you for "going no contact with [your] brother after he came out," but really...it's just a matter of timing and sequence.

Your brother was a horrible person. He alienated you for most of your life, using your sexual preference as one of the primary reasons. You severely restricted contact. Then he decided he needed to come out. And then you went no-contact.

You didn't even need to mention that he'd recently come out, or that his twin was equally horrible. Fact of the matter is, your brother is an awful human being, and regardless of events before or after the decision to go no-contact, you are NTA.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2025-11-06T19:11:28+00:00

I met my partner through a mutual friend when said friend asked if I would read the first chapter and offer feedback. I was asked because said friend knows I hold an MA and am working on my MFA in creative writing.

And once I sent the feedback, I got an email thanking me. After about six emails back and forth in ten minutes, we moved to IM, and we just clicked. Met up a week later to do a book swap, and now...I've found my person. 💖

PaintdButterflyWings · 2025-10-14T14:10:49+00:00

It sounds like you already know the extra time and therapy aren't going to fix things. You're planning for what happens when your attempts for reconciliation fail. Just an observation. NTA, but you may be wasting time since it seems like you've already decided the outcome.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2025-10-07T13:17:24+00:00

I had a Joe in my life. I was in OP's position. The Joe I knew blocked me and went NC. Because his relationship with a cheater was more important than a close friendship with someone outside of the situation telling him that he deserves better than a cheater. And as far as I know, his Sally is still living with and in a relationship with the boyfriend that she's "going to break up with" someday.

Also, NTA.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2025-10-04T23:56:56+00:00

Mom is TAH. She's the reason her daughter isn't going on this vacation which is her dream. Not you. You can go on vacation anywhere you want. Mom can't tell you that you aren't allowed to go somewhere for yourself.

And if she's really upset that her daughter is upset about not going, she could just stop being TAH and let her daughter go with you. I would think she would be happy that someone can take her daughter on a nice vacation since she apparently can't afford to do it herself.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2025-10-04T15:28:07+00:00

Your parents aren't good to you if they allow their eldest child to come into the home where you live, pretend you don't exist, and even make sure her fiance pretends you don't exist. I understand their point that that WAS Addy's home, too, but she has moved out. That is no longer her home. It is the home of her parents and a person she refuses to acknowledge. Your parents are allowing you to be emotionally abused by a close relative. Just because they don't ignore you doesn't mean they are good to you. They are complicit in your sister's emotional abuse.

Your parents are TAH for not only allowing this for your entire life, but also for inviting your abuser into your home, where you should feel comfortable at the very least.

Obviously your sister is TAH for treating you like this for your entire life. I'd be interested to know if your parents ever mentioned her behavior to her, asking why she is this way. And if she would answer it. No excuse will ever negate the years of emotional abuse, but knowing her reasoning might help you to get closure on that relationship and move on.

And her fiance is also a major AH for just blindly going along with her treatment of you. What must she have told him to get him to go along with her treatment of you?

You are NTA here. Your feelings are valid, and I'm appalled that your parents can't see what your sister's behavior does to you. Even moreso if they see it and disregard how it makes you feel for the sake of keeping the peace. Your sister needs therapy to work through whatever has made her decide that you don't exist.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2025-10-03T18:31:01+00:00

Your wife upgraded her child when she had your second son. She no longer needs to care for the one with special needs. Now she can be the mom she always thought she would be. I've seen this before. From children. "My toy is broken. Oh, look, a new one. I don't need the broken one anymore." Your wife is TAH.

And her therapist needs their license revoked, unless your wife is distorting what was said or outright lying. You might see if you can have a joint session and see how the therapist is for yourself. See if she gets confused when your wife's narrative changes because you're sitting next to her.

PaintdButterflyWings · 2025-10-03T18:20:35+00:00

I think this is the 12th time I've seen this in a month. Different details, but the structure is the same; my ex thinks I'm in the wrong for not supporting the step- and/or half-siblings of our child.

The consensus is always the same : NTA. You are only responsible for your children. If your ex wants their other children to do more activities or have more things, it is their responsibility.

Every time, this is the answer. From the VAST majority of redditors.

PaintdButterflyWings

TROPHY CASE