Posts by Michelle Kim3

goldenheron6 said:Hey there.

So, I’m 26, and I feel like I should have my life together by now—you know, have a solid personality and actually know what I want out of things.
The problem is, I just can't bring myself to say "no" or shut someone down when they're being disrespectful.
It’s especially bad whenever I’m trying to fit into a new crowd, like starting a new job.
I’ve had two jobs so far, and both times I ended up dealing with some total jerk. At the first one, my boss was constantly barking orders and insulting me; at the second, she was straight-up gaslighting me. I still haven't figured out how to stand up for myself and tell them off to their face. Instead, a coworker had to step in and handle it for me, which finally got them to back off. I guess I’m just too soft and sensitive. I’m always worried about offending people, plus I really hate being the center of attention.

I don't deal with that older coworker anymore since I got transferred to a different
department, but get this—just a few days after the move, she shows up at my desk asking me to buy her stuff...
And of course, I couldn't even find the words to say "no" or even "I can't."
I just let people walk all over me and boss me around.

Now I'm wondering why I totally freeze up whenever I need to snap back at someone who's poking at me. My life is actually great—I live with my parents in a beautiful house, and since I'm an only child, I definitely got spoiled a bit. Everything is perfect on the home front.
But back in high school, I dealt with a lot of psychological bullying. Can that kind of stuff mess with you later on?

Olivia Garcia7 said:One parent left me, and they’re gone now. The other one—well, let's just say there was nothing I could ever do to prove myself to them. When I was 21, things hit a breaking point; I spiraled into self-destruction and ended up seeing a psychiatrist for the first time. My mother actually had the nerve to tell me, "You'll be out of it in a year. You don't even have a girlfriend—how can you claim to be a man? I have to lie about your age and relationship status every time someone at the office asks." It was humiliating. On top of that, my academic records were a mess because of some incompetent faculty administration. God knows I gave it everything I had. This was all before the modern credit system was implemented, and trying to get through college under those conditions was brutal. In the end, though, I graduated at the top of my class.

A few thoughts on peers. When I met her at 22, she was my entire world. Honestly, I was just relieved to have someone so I wouldn't have to be alone or deal with my toxic environment again. My peers used to constantly pry into how we were spending our time, but it wasn't out of genuine interest—they were just insecure and lacked any actual direction or plans for their own relationships. If things had been different, they wouldn't have bothered asking. After we broke up and they saw her out in town with someone else, they suddenly decided to message me on Google Chat to ask if we had split up. This was hilarious because they had never once reached out to me first on there before. As soon as I said "yes," the conversation died instantly. It was clear they only cared to find out if I was back to being alone. Then there’s this one incredibly arrogant guy. I get the feeling he actually thinks he's destined to watch me fail. I suspect his parents probably drilled it into him that someone from my background and socioeconomic status is bound to hit rock bottom eventually, just so he can feel vindicated about his own path. We were sort of quasi-friends. There's an upcoming event where we're all going to be hanging out, and there will be plenty of alcohol involved. Part of me is thinking about provoking him just so I can deck him. But, I'll probably spend the time leading up to it fighting that impulse, trying to handle things constructively and without losing my cool.

It’s tough. Even when you think you’ve finally moved past it, something hits you out of nowhere—a specific memory, a night of drinking too much, or just letting your guard down—and suddenly, it all comes rushing back.

It’s possible. I can’t even begin to describe how many subtle jabs they threw my way, all designed to tear me down.

They are, married with kids. Since I am a believer, I wouldn't disrespect anyone else's marriage, and out of pure spite—or perhaps just bad character—given my own unhappy family history, I view other people's children extremely negatively. Even the divorced ones. They feel like a personal insult to me. They're there, they're interesting, they're charming, but when it came time to actually build a life, they chose idiots to marry. I get the impression that everything in my life is destined to be hand-me-downs. And if calling this arrogance, then fine—I’ll gladly die for that reason. I don't want this life, nor do I want an afterlife where I'm happy and humble enough to serve as a stepfather to anyone. I’d rather face a different kind of death on Judgment Day.

You're 100% right. If I hadn't played the clown and the entertainer, I wouldn't have existed at all. That’s why I was such easy prey.

My libido is once a week, mostly just me alone in the bathroom. I would love an emotional connection, affection, and sex (even though I said earlier I could go long without the physical part). But if everything is on the table, I’d take it all.

Every now and then I watch, and it’s incredibly hard for me, how women trade their femininity to turn men into fools. Sometimes I overhear them gossiping about men, and it makes me sick. I don't tolerate that kind of thing; even when I find myself in female company where someone tries to drag me down by attacking my dignity, I just launch a verbal counterattack and end it right there. The lady realizes she can't win against my temperament and backs off. Usually followed by gossip about how something is "wrong" with me mentally.

I have a friend who puts up with all of it, hovering around women like that. He claims he disagrees with it, but in practice, he's tethered to his girlfriend and her equally toxic friends. He's like a beaten dog. In his head, he often escapes to happier places—a coping mechanism of the imagination.

swiftmoose20 said:Who actually gives a damn about Florence when you've got Placebo or Frank Turner on the lineup? They’d absolutely crush her.