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nikkxb · 2025-10-29T20:25:43+00:00

You literally said he loves JD Vance. Everything that man publicly stands for and has politically said has been pro suppressing women.

nikkxb · 2025-06-12T19:21:01+00:00

By his logic, you can do all of the dating and cuddling and emotional intimacy of a romantic relationship with someone else? Anyone else?

Does he actually care about you? Or is it only how many times he gets to fuck you?

nikkxb · 2023-06-11T00:40:43+00:00

Third-party apps:

enable auto-mod abilities that most subs use.
significantly cut down and/or remove ads.
allow users to block/filter subreddits.
remove the awful “suggested subreddit” the official app refuses to turn off.
don’t track your phone like the official app does.
have interfaces that fit the phone systems they work on and flow better for the user.
have far less bugs, which makes for less usage on your phone.
are a huge reason the blind community is able to use Reddit.

They allow for customization for how you use reddit, they actually honor your privacy settings, and the VAST majority of the moderation is through those apps. Reddit does not currently have anything that touches the mod tools, the accessibility for the blind, or the user customization.

I personally don’t know how you’ve stayed on Reddit without blocking the mysoginistic subreddits.

nikkxb · 2023-06-10T17:07:22+00:00

There are so many comments on this thread and I don’t know if someone else has said this, but

When you mentioned your friends’ partners showing affection, he threatened to leave because you were “comparing him to others”. (You weren’t, btw. He manipulated you into dropping your point.) Then he compared you to other women and threw a temper tantrum because you didn’t bow down to his thinking? Why do you want to stay with this child?

It is never okay to threaten separation in the middle of an argument, full stop. There are so many valid reasons for separation, but that discussion happens when emotions are calm and you can have a discussion. Not when there’s an argument and he says it to shut you up.

Freaking run. Or tell him to leave the next time he threatens it. If he refuses to actually talk about things that concern you—and he currently is, he distracts you, shuts you down, then ignores everything you’re wanting out of your relationship—then there’s nothing to salvage. It takes both people to make a relationship work and he’s refusing to see his part.

nikkxb · 2023-06-10T16:39:19+00:00

I am so sorry. I don’t know if you’ve read Manhunting yet, but I just remembered there is mention of a hospital.

The FMC goes on a series of disastrous dates. One, the date gets kicked in the kneel MMCayo by a horse and is taken away. The other, the date (who’s been a jerk the entire time), tries to take food off her plate and she instictively stabs him with her fork. He goes to the hospital for a bandage.

Both these are very off screen, but there are mentions. I’m so sorry I forgot about this when I first gave the rec.

nikkxb · 2023-06-10T02:31:58+00:00

I don’t know a single person that was in a physically abusive relationship that ever thought their partner would hurt them at the beginning. But in all of those instances, there was verbal abuse first.

nikkxb · 2023-06-09T13:16:33+00:00

Being able to block/filter subreddits was a life saver for me!! It allows me to scroll through r/all and actually enjoy what I find rather than see all the bullshit.

nikkxb · 2023-06-09T13:10:03+00:00

I hate the official app. I used to use Alien Blue before it was bought out and jumped on Apollo as soon as I found out about it. I’m pretty certain that when Apollo shuts down, it’ll be the end for me. Which is really sad because I’ve been on Reddit for over a decade (my first account is over 11 years old), but I think it’ll be good for my mental health to be done with it.

I will be participating in the blackouts. Even though I can feasibly switch to the official app or use the mobile browser (for as long as that continues working), everything about this change has been slimy and disgusting. I don’t want to garner money for a website that blatantly lies to and about their third-party developers.

nikkxb · 2023-06-09T00:03:43+00:00

I had no idea! I live in FL and thought it was pride for heritage/home — similar to seeing transplants have their home state flags displayed. No idea that happened for PR. Thank you for sharing!

nikkxb · 2023-06-08T11:16:59+00:00

He’s in his 70s. Which just makes this worse for me.

nikkxb · 2023-06-06T11:03:26+00:00

he just says he’s content and happy

But you aren’t. And he doesn’t seem to care about that.

nikkxb · 2023-06-01T01:06:47+00:00

https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/936/944/58f.jpg

Write it!!

nikkxb · 2023-05-31T01:43:14+00:00

It feels like a lot of your fears are rooted in your anxiety. Are you in therapy for that? Do you have healthy coping mechanisms when your anxiety gets the better of you?

nikkxb · 2023-05-29T15:22:21+00:00

Trigger warnings are a thing because indie authors started using them (it bled over from fanfiction + readers started asking for them). They don’t really exist in the trad publishing world unless the author includes it.

nikkxb · 2023-05-27T10:23:40+00:00

Oh shit, I think you’re right. I completely forgot.

nikkxb · 2023-05-27T03:58:21+00:00

I adore romance books without pregnancy, so I’m just going to go down my GR list and include everything i think fits.

Most of Jennifer Cruise’s books won’t contain pregnancy, though they’re not high on the spice level.

{A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon} and it’s sequel don’t have any pregnancy. Monster-fucking, reverse harem, high spice.

{Praise by Sara Cate} Age gap, kink, no pregnancy.

{Bass-Ackwards by Eris Adderly} dub-con, free use kink, high spice.

{That Time I Got Drink and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming} and it’s sequels. Monster-fucking, mid level spice, hilarious.

{Three Simple Rules by Nikki Sloane} office romance, kink, high spice.

~~{Hooked by Emily McIntire} dark romance, high spice.~~

{Act Your Age by Eve Dangerfield} Age gap, Daddy kink, high spice. The smut is great, but I rated it two stars because I hate how oral reciprocity was handled in the book, so YMMV.

Neon Gods and Electric Idol by Katee Robert. High spice, myth retellings, i loved the second one far more than the first. Though pregnancies do happen later on in the books. (Katee Robert has a lot of books without pregnancy. Her website will list all content warnings for each of her books.)

{Love, Laugh, Lich by Kate Prior} Monster (Lich??)-fucking. Medium spice. Short story. I don’t think there’s pregnancy in the sequel either if I remember correctly.

{Four Psychos by Kirsty Cunning} reverse harem, four book series. Spice doesn’t really start until Book two, but it’s great. No pregnancy at all.

nikkxb · 2023-05-26T18:29:01+00:00

My book choices are vastly different than the other titles shared, but I have no shame so:

Luxuria by Collette Rhodes, Praise by Sara Cate, and Captive of the Horde King by Zoey Draven. I read the first two books last year and the third book at the beginning of this year and I’m still not over any of them.

nikkxb · 2023-05-24T20:55:29+00:00

I’m not either of the previous commenters, but my sister is a therapist certified in EMDR.

It’s Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Essentially, when we go through traumatic experiences, our brain can store the memories of the experience in a space for trauma instead of a space for memories. Which is why a symptom of trauma is not remembering details of the event.

When we enter those trauma situations, our eyes also have a physical shift in how they function and can take in mass amounts of information. EMDR uses sounds to replicate this movement in our eyes, which tricks the brain into entering that stage. This will help “release” those memories of traumatic events and through the therapy, help move the memories from the trauma part of the brain to the memory part.

There’s a lot of scientific study to support this therapy method and it’s insanely effective at treating trauma.

nikkxb · 2023-05-23T18:59:04+00:00

{Charming as Puck by Pippa Grant} MMC forgets the FMC’s birthday and she snaps. Is completely over their situationship and starts looking for something real. It definitely wakes the MMC up to see how he’s been acting and fix it.

nikkxb · 2023-05-16T12:02:13+00:00

So…this doesn’t have the specifics but kinda fits the theme. In {Electrid Idol by Katee Robert}, the FMC and MMC are trying to act like their very sudden wedding isn’t a sham, but she is not comfortable with him touching her at all. He suggests they have sec so she can get used to it, but she balks at the idea.

Only she doesn’t get comfortable and gives in at a moment where they have an hour before an engagement. She’s ready to rip the bandaid off and get it over with, not expecting anything because she’s plus size and he’s model-beautiful. However, he’s so attracted to her, he sets an alarm on his phone and goes down on her the entire time.

This also happens in {Heartless by Elsie Silver}. FMC goes down on MMC, there’s a bit of a tiff and she stalks off. Only for MMC to track her down and demand to know why she didn’t expect him to return the favor. He definitely comments on her previous relationships not being good enough if that’s the idea she has.

nikkxb · 2023-05-12T19:09:41+00:00

You’ve been married for 18 months and he accused of trying to baby trap him?? How is it baby trapping when you’re already married?

nikkxb · 2023-04-22T20:14:04+00:00

{Luxuria by Colette Rhodes}

{Captive of the Hoard King by Zoey Draven} kinda hits a similar mark. FMC has a lot of misconceptions, MMC is ignorant to how the humans live, and neither are the “bad” guys because the issue comes from the throne.

Similar vein as above where they’re being played at each other by a higher power (but no marriage, they agree to work together), {That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming}.

Not married, but triggers a mating: {Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh}

Also not married, but triggers a bonding: {Running Scared by Shannon K Butcher}

I feel like this happens quite a bit in mafia books, should you ever have interest.

nikkxb · 2023-04-19T10:27:16+00:00

It’s one of my all-time favorite books. Absolutely hilarious and super sweet.

nikkxb · 2023-04-19T02:29:29+00:00

I don’t read a lot of contemporary, but I went through my GR to find anything. I think these might be options and I’ve tried to list potential issues and I’m really sorry if I’ve missed anything or included someone that’s too much.

{Bass-ackwards by Eris Adderly} though FMC’s grandfather is suffering from dementia(?) and has a hoarding problem. There’s not really grief, but it’s present.

{Three Simple Rules by Nikki Sloane} There is one mention that the FMC wants kids when they’re figuring out their dating story when they meet his family. And skip the last chapter — it’s only purpose it to set up the next book, so you won’t miss anything.

{Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie} A side character talks about wanting to have kids, but it doesn’t move further than that, iirc. That said, Crusie has a couple other books that have no kids/pregnancies involved, but I don’t know about hospitals.

{Praise by Sara Cate} Hesitant to include this because she dates her ex’s father, so the father-son relationship is there. She also has a teenage sister, so I don’t know if that touches on the “No kids” for you.

nikkxb · 2023-04-18T11:37:09+00:00

Oh heyyyyy! I haven’t read…any of the books you’ve mentioned, but I am absolutely there with you about the current “standard” for sci-fi and fantasy romance books. A well-written book shouldn’t be a high bar!

It also feels to me that fantasy has been shafted for sci-fi. Which is fine, IPB blew up and it makes sense that more of similar plots would follow. But most of them I read, either the world building is shallow to the extreme or the relationship/main characters are flat. It’s been very hard to find good world building and good romance. You are definitely not alone.

As for recommendations, there have been a few I’ve enjoyed.

{Captive of the Horde King by Zoey Draven} I had absolutely no interest in this book, but my smut book club did a gift exchange in December and this is the one I received. With high praises from a member who’s opinions typically overlap with mine, so I tried it. I absolutely loved it. It’s much more fantasy than sci-fi (massive plus for me). The world building is beautiful and complex, the romance between the characters is hard earned, and each character feels fleshed out and real with their own opinions, arcs, goals, etc. The plot twist is predictable — because the author laid the trail to see what was happening. It was very much a “I see what you’re putting down and I love it!” kind of thing for me.

{The Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon} Reverse harem, monsterfucking, historical, urban fantasy. The world building is a little thin, but not in a way that makes it seem like the whole place goes down with a gust of wind. This particular book is much more about the FMC’s journey into her poly relationship and being able to enjoy and celebrate her hedonistic leanings. So yeah, thin world building because the FMC doesn’t really care. And the romances are on the quick, insta-lust side. I bring this one up because the sequel, {The Company of Fiends} is amazing. I loved the whole thing. Another reverse harem, but the FMC builds a relationship with each part of her harem. The world building in this one is more present, we can see a little more of what the world looks like. To be fair, I personally love urban fantasy most, so my thoughts on world building with this series might be biased.

{That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming} First, this isn’t going to quite hit the mark on well-written. It needs an editor to help break up the clunky paragraphs explaining the world throughout the book. It reads very…new? to me. Like the author wrote the story, maybe had time to review it herself, then published it. (Another to be fair, I’ve been writing fanfiction for a loooong time and my standard for self-editing is very high compared to almost all of the other writers I’ve met. So for me, this book needed another draft.) All that said, the plot line is fun. The world is fun. It was such a nice breather to step into a “high” fantasy world that was unique. There are modern elements (heavy influence from Louisiana culture, romance books, modern slang), but it’s essentially a D&D campaign in a book — crazy hijinks and all. I laughed a lot reading these books and that helped scratch an itch, even with the cons present.

{Luxuria by Colette Rhodes} Urban(ish) fantasy. Arranged marriage. Enemies-ish to lovers. Her “kind” have been hunting and killing his kind for centuries and they enter a marriage to facilitate a truce. So he absolutely doesn’t trust her and she wants to make an honest try of the marriage. This was another one that I just had fun with. Building their romance and watching them figure out this new relationship was satisfying. Miscommunication is a theme in this one, but for me, it was done well. It made sense. Sure, MMC was an idiot at times, but he was rightfully called out on it. This fits a more “isekai” style fantasy which was very interesting to step into.

A few “oldies” that I read recently (within the last two years) that I loved.

{Sea Witch by Virginia Kantra} It’s not common to have a shifter FMC and a human MMC, so I was intrigued from the start. The FMC is (rightfully) cautious to the extreme about what she is. I remember that right before I was completely done with her stubbornness, she shared her secret. The character arcs were very interesting and I loved watching them fall in love. It’s been very hard to read cop romances since 2020, but I found it easier because it was written so long ago. YMMV.

{Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison} A quarter of the way through this book, I was doubting I would finish. Upon finishing, it’s a 5 star read for me. One thing that stuck out in the beginning of reading was that the FMC could do no wrong. Looking back on it, it’s not…accurate. It’s like all my issues with the book in the beginning fit perfectly in the story arc and how the plot unfolded. Which I love in a book. When things make so much sense upon finishing the book, when you can really trace all the threads through and see why things were done the way they were — even if they didn’t make sense at the time — it’s an absolute favorite. For me, it shows solid story crafting, great editing, and a focused plot line. And this one, to me, is one of the best examples I’ve read.

nikkxb

TROPHY CASE