Dear Captain Awkward: Well, not exactly. First, some background: I (she/her) am a member of a Face Book group for fan-fiction readers and writers. I’m a longtime writer of both original work and fan works, so I like to leave comments when people post questions about plotting, characterization, etc. Trouble is, I commented on one … Continue reading #1255: “I’ve been conscripted! As an unwilling beta reader of somebody’s very personal fan fiction!”
Category: manipulation
#1250: How do I support my (very-recently) ex-partner through his complex grief?
Content note: Mention of suicide Dear Captain Awkward 2 weeks ago my boyfriend (he/him/his) of 2 years made the decision to break up with me (cis/female). I moved out of our shared house and back with my parents and sister. I did not want the relationship to end and I hoped we could have worked … Continue reading #1250: How do I support my (very-recently) ex-partner through his complex grief?
#1249: Parents who are no contact (with each other) at our wedding.
Hey Captain, I (she/her) am getting married in May! Besides all the awful that is wedding planning, my fiancé (he/him) and I are excited and happy to celebrate this milestone. His parents had a short, violent relationship that resulted in their divorce and going no-contact with each other when my fiancé was a child. I, … Continue reading #1249: Parents who are no contact (with each other) at our wedding.
#1248: “How to set boundaries with someone who just doesn’t listen to me?”
This is another one in a series about difficult parent relationships: A dad who wants to talk on the phone for hours about only the things he wants to talk about and who reminds his daughter, when she tries to set boundaries, that he has nobody else to talk to. It's about guilt and about … Continue reading #1248: “How to set boundaries with someone who just doesn’t listen to me?”
#1246: “Partner with lots of expenses and little income.”
Hey Captain Awkward. I read some of your responses to other writers who had concerns about their partners’ finances, and I feel like this is related but not quite the same. I’m stressed about my boyfriend’s money management skills and how I can help him without getting myself into a bad financial situation. I also … Continue reading #1246: “Partner with lots of expenses and little income.”
#1239: “I moved out of a weird roommate situation two years(!) ago, but the town is so small that the weirdness is still affecting my social life.”
The letter contains brief mention of the roommate either accidentally or accidentally-on-purpose leaving a pet outside for a while during a mental health episode. The pet was fine and this is neither the point of the letter nor the oddest thing in it, but readers have mentioned animals-in-peril stresses them out, so I'm including both … Continue reading #1239: “I moved out of a weird roommate situation two years(!) ago, but the town is so small that the weirdness is still affecting my social life.”
#1227: “Cool New Friend spooked by ~romantic feelings~ I don’t actually have”
Hi Captain Awkward – TL;DR: one of my partner’s friends became my Cool New Friend, right up until he abruptly pulled back and implied I had romantic feelings for him. I do not. He seems to want to keep hanging out (??!) and I don’t want to make it awkward but this really upset me … Continue reading #1227: “Cool New Friend spooked by ~romantic feelings~ I don’t actually have”
It Came From The Search Terms: September Song
It's time for the thing where we pretend the search terms people typed into their computers before they landed on this place are actual questions. Context is missing; that's kind of the point. Let's start with a song, as is traditional. Here's Willie, breaking our hearts a little with his cover of "September Song:" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9nSgMwtkK0 … Continue reading It Came From The Search Terms: September Song
Short Questions for August 2019: Part 1 of 2
Hello, it's the monthly feature where patrons of the site can ask short questions. Q1: Thanks to years of reading your blog I finally learned how to call out -isms when they happen! But now I'm stuck at the next hurdle, where people who get called out are so mortified they go into an over-the-top … Continue reading Short Questions for August 2019: Part 1 of 2
It Came From The Search Terms: Cruel Summer
Hello! Search terms have piled up, let's do the thing where we answer the search strings people typed in that led them here as if they are questions. Context is missing (by design), so expect some comedy answers in between with the sincere stuff. Let's kick things off with a song. Have I used this … Continue reading It Came From The Search Terms: Cruel Summer
