Taboo
Between Faith and Feeling. Content Warning.
Rain lashed against the dorm window, a relentless percussion mirroring the tempest brewing inside Sarah. It had only been a week since Elara’s confession, her voice a fragile tremor of hope and fear as she’d admitted her feelings. Nevertheless, Sarah, caught completely off guard, had found herself responding in kind, the burgeoning affection she’d been carefully suppressing blossoming in the sudden light of Elara’s vulnerability. But Elara’s confession had been immediately followed by a retraction, a wall of religious conviction slamming between them. "I can't," Elara had whispered, her eyes wide with longing and terror. "It's against everything I believe."
By Clara Sutterfield11 months ago in Confessions
No, He Never Hit Me.... Content Warning.
The question got asked again: did he ever hit you? I wracked my brain for an answer and could only remember the times he almost hit me with his fist making contact with the wall or the door a few inches from my head. "No, he never hit me."
By The Schizophrenic Mom11 months ago in Confessions
Embracing the Silver Lining: How to Discover Hope and Purpose After Life's Mistakes
Nothing compares to the sense of complete helplessness and despair that follows significant failures and mistakes in life. It feels like your heart is being pierced by a dagger. Usually, the mistake hits us so hard that it takes months or even years to get over it. I've been in that position a few times, and each time I made a huge mistake, I questioned how I could forgive myself. Some of these were serious errors and setbacks; they all destroyed me. There were times when I thought I lacked the strength to continue. Not on an emotional level. Not in a spiritual sense. Not in the mind. And certainly not in a physical sense.
By Hridya Sharma11 months ago in Confessions
This Confession
The final line from Brett Easton Ellis' controversial 1991 novel American Psycho resonates with me deeply: "This confession has meant nothing." As a summation of what has gone before, it casts doubt on the Christian dicta of confession, absolution, or forgiveness. It makes a mockery of the notion that to "get it off your chest" will bring one a sense of inner peace. For the character of Patrick Bateman there is no "inner peace"; there is a grinding cycle of narcissistic delusion, self-aggrandizement, violence, and the complete and total realization that in his simulated world of surfaces, he will never be taken to task for the carnage he exteriorizes on subjects that are little more than fleeting representations of individuated egos. Stock characters, NPCs in his ever-world of disposable miniaturized souls.
By Tom Baker11 months ago in Confessions
An open letter to the voices in my head
Dear Echoes in my mind I understand how enraging it becomes from time to time to express yourself, to finally say what's on your mind, to bury your sadness and angst through my being. Because I know how infuriating it is to be confined in an endless labyrinth of what-ifs and curating the worst-case scenarios for every stance we go through. I know all you are trying to do is protect me from the potential perils of my existential stride, to shield me from the externality of how horrendous the world could be. I behold your concern, I see you as you are and I feel your pain, but I want to be honest with you and I am tired. I am tired of your constant whispers of how bad the world is, how everything can turn against me or how I can become better because the present me is not good enough.
By Hridya Sharma11 months ago in Confessions
Decision: The Foundation of Life
Ayan sat on a park bench, staring at the rippling water of the small lake before him. The late afternoon sun cast golden reflections on the surface, yet his mind was clouded with uncertainty. He was faced with a decision that had the potential to alter his life forever. For the past five years, he had worked as a junior executive in a corporate firm. It was a stable job, providing him with a decent salary and a comfortable lifestyle. But deep down, he felt trapped. His true passion lay in writing, something he had neglected for years in the name of security. And now, an opportunity had arrived—one that could either fulfill his dreams or leave him struggling financially. A renowned publishing house had offered to publish his novel. The catch? He would need to dedicate himself full-time to writing, as they required him to complete two more books within the next three years. Quitting his job meant stepping into uncertainty, with no guarantee of financial stability. But continuing in his current job meant suppressing his dream forever.
By Niranjon Chandra Roy11 months ago in Confessions
January and February 2025: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
I messed up. In complete honesty, 2025 has been a whirlwind of difficulties and lessons that have humbled me in its entirety. Though lasting only two months in its stretch, I have danced through the storms that have wearied the brevity of my soul. Some days were radiating with a sense of hope and oozing peace that displayed the possibility of a bright future, while others had a sense of doom, the kind of despair that doesn't go away with a full night's sleep, or ice cream or a warm bubble bath. It is the kind of tiredness that lingers onto your soul in its deepest trench, leaving no room for any light to enter.
By Hridya Sharma11 months ago in Confessions
The Pain Echoed by That Laughter...
The Pain Echoed by That Laughter... School days—an era of innocence, a sky painted with endless memories, and the silent blooming of unspoken dreams. These years carve countless imprints on the heart, some fading with time, others remaining as scars that never truly heal.
By Dipak Pawar11 months ago in Confessions
Old school PSWs VS New School PSWs
A job in social services can decline in value and importance for many reasons. First of all, it is an undervalued service that offers low pay and frankly a barely livable wage let alone benefits that one need. On top of that they are now creating PSWs faster to meet the demand. They now require no education professionalism or personal skills. My care provider is now training their workforce in the office for a pathetic 30 hours and now they are trained and ready to go into the community. They are taking people that are in the country to go to school and allowing this as a fast tract opinion so they can create as many employees as possible.
By Julia Stellings11 months ago in Confessions
Sipping Wisdom: A Personal Journey of Meeting My Younger Self Over Coffee
The air permeated a sense of calmness and stillness as I entered the coffee shop ten minutes late, I saw my younger self sitting there reading a book as she was sipping on her favourite caramel ice cream latte. Engrossed in her tale, she scrunched her nose as she did not like a particular stance of the story, I smiled with a serenity-filled eye as I saw the beauty of innocence brimming in her eyes. Hurrying across the table I told her sorry I was late and she said it was no problem. She asked me what I would like to have and I ordered an iced mocha frappuccino as she made room for me to sit alongside her on the table.
By Hridya Sharma11 months ago in Confessions
