TimeTraveller

There's one thing about Owen's character I simply don't find believable at this stage of the story. Why is he not bawling his eyes out at least once a day? Why hasn't he vomited a few times, from adrenalin overload? Why didn't he start physically shaking at Sunday lunch when the commandant ordered him to work at the stiff factory. Why didn't he leave the table? He at least could have said he needed to take a piss or something, then collapse in puddle of tears in the bathroom. If this was real life, Owen would be about to commit suicide from all the feelings of hopelessness and zero control he has over his life. Honestly, this tale has turned into a hardcore horror story. There's a teenage boy chained to the basement, who is only allowed to leave everyday, as long as he does everything that Mummy, Daddy and Margot says. Ryder can help him escape right now, but he refuses to accept the very real solution sitting right in his lap. And why the f**k is he still asking Margot for help? Someone needs to tell Owen about the frog who helped the scorpion cross the river. It doesn't end well for the compassionate frog. My only conclusion is that this story is all about the most malevolent form of brainwashing that can ever exist. It probably has a special name that psychiatrists know all about. At this stage, if Mummy dearest told Owen to drink a bottle of bleach to purify his soul, he'd probably do it, just to keep her happy. Am I being unreasonable in my thoughts about Owen's character? I'm starting to regret reading this story, because its stretching past the point of believability right now. I wish Ryder would just abduct Owen right now, and take him to a FBI psychologist for deprogramming. If Owen was deeply upset and thinking about ending his life, I would 100% believe it, but he is neither right now and should be.

At this stage, I don't know what is worse; Waiting for Owen (to grow a pair) or Waiting for Godot. If this drags out for much longer, I might have to abandon ship and actually reread Waiting for Godot, which was the most painful excruciating experience of High School English class. The storm is still coming, but there appears to be a large blocking high pressure system, stalling the inevitable. The longer this storm stays at sea and builds in intensity, the more power it will unleash when it finally crosses the coast. But yeah, I'm not busting my balls anymore, expecting something to actually happen, anytime soon. Might have to come back next year and discover Margot has a phantom pregnancy, that turns out to be a massive tumour, which ends up being where Owen's balls were hiding all this time.

Storm incoming... Bamboo and dental floss is no match for this, but a fast getaway bike will prove to be handy!

The problem with being a consummate liar, is more and more lies have to be created each day to stop the core lies from being revealed as complete bullshit. It's like building a tree house out of only bamboo and dental floss. When the storm arrives, Owen and Margot's structure is gonna crash to the ground. I just hope that Margot at least gets full credit for being the Chief Architect and Engineer. Owen needs to take responsibility for being the contractor who participated in building something that never got council approval. I predict a lot of people are going to get injured at the party, when the tree house collapses. It's going to be a full 911 emergency. This whole situation is insane, yet I'm sure it happens more than we can imagine. I'm glad Ryder and Owen finally got treatment for blue balls.

Ryder is simply trying to wake Owen up out of his dream, before it's too late. He is not being a bully. He's throwing buckets of cold water on Owen, desperately trying to snap him out of the hypnotic state he is stuck in. Owen's constant "I forgot" moments (which are becoming incredibly tiresome) are a symptom of being ungrounded and spiritually lost, because most of his life is an orchestrated fantasy based on other people's wants and desires. When you start living with an actual purpose, based on what you want, it is very grounding. That's been my direct experience, not just a thought bubble. Personally, I met a "Ryder" called Ethan when I was much younger & totally lost in thought and confusion. His tough love which shocked me in the moment, did the trick and got me grounded. To this day 26 years later, I am forever grateful for my Ryder's forceful intervention. One of the many things he taught me, was how to stand and walk with a straight back, instead of being slumped over and looking like a wounded gazelle. Thanks @mastershakeme for your engaging story. It's been helping me process a lot of things that have touched me personally. I never followed a story like this before. It's been a great new experience for this tired time traveller. 🤔

I hope the 18 year old bird sitting in the cage with a crucifix, and an open door, has the courage to fly out and experience the world. Don't look at the cat or speak to the cat on the way out, because she doesn't have wings and can't go where you're going. If you want something new, you need to let go of all the old things that no longer serve your highest good.

Hopefully Owen will finally ghost Margot, very, very soon. Freeze her out, so she goes into panic mode. Just stop saying yes and stop talking to this stupid selfish b*itch. She's like a female hyena patrolling her patch. She'd eat someone else's pups if she had to. SHE is the dangerous one, not Ryder. Ryder is an outcast lion who's tired of having to fight. He hates injustice and ultimately needs a mate he can trust and care for. He has no interest in the hyena pack, but they're circling another outcast young lion, who hasn't grown his full mane yet. If I was placing bets on lion vs hyena, there's only one bet I would place. However, a pack of psycho hyenas can hurt a single lion. The pack must lose it's feral leader.

This is a lovely short grounding chapter, that gives a psychological rest thanks to the magic of young innocent hearts and gym bro. Feel like I can breath a little easier now, but why on earth is Owen even talking to Margot? She's not a real friend man. However, I do remember doing the exact same thing myself when I was younger. Took me a damn long time to realize some friends were not friends at all, and were probably laughing about how dumb I was.

The insanity continues... This is going to end with a burst appendix. An untreated burst appendix can easily kill you and is complete agony. Something I've been thinking about / worried about, is if Owen has been getting paid for all his work at the stiff factory. I hope he has some decent savings in his bank account. Once VBS is finished, he should hit the road and escape from hell for a few days, just by himself, and have a good think about everything. If he doesn't snap out of it soon, it could have tragic consequences. However, it seems like he is completely hypnotized, thanks to Margot and his severe lack of Yang energy. Ryder can help give him some yang. If you need change in your life, you have to at least start walking across the bridge. You can't not move and expect a possible helper to walk all the way to your side. You must meet in the middle.

This is insane. My prediction about Margot is even worse than I foresaw. At least Jules seems to not be a self-centered cow, like Margot is. The saddest thing about this is that Owen doesn't actually have any real friends to help him. He'll have to work it all out by himself. The only real people in his life are the kids at VBS. He should ask them for advise. They'll speak straight from the heart, with no ego.

I'm with Ryder. He has every right to be pissed off with Owen. Discovering all these insane lies about someone, would be the last straw for most guys who have already been around the block many times. You can't be friends with anyone who is not truthful. Expecting a potential boyfriend to go along with this insane charade is delusional. Owen has to wake up quickly and stop the elaborate charades. I can't see him being truthful about everything all at once, but standing up to his parents would be a good start. He needs to stop being a wimp and he needs to end the fake public relationship with Margot and just be friends. It's time for Owen to think about what he really wants to do with his life. I think he could be a great primary school teacher.

I'm worried about Margot making demands on Owen that he just doesn't need. I hope she doesn't act like a selfish wet blanket and try to manipulate Owen. She already has a girlfriend and has created this elaborate chessboard that ultimately serves her interests above the true happiness of Owen. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but I've met girls like her before that are very clever at always getting what they want, and being quite selfish in reality. The one thing that gives me tremendous hope is Ryder. He will see straight through any hypocrisy, if it arises in the future. He's going to help Owen grow a pair of balls and stop being such a push over. Can't wait until Ryder and Owen meet in person! If you've been trodden on all your life, a "Ryder" personality type is the best type of guy to help you stand with a straight back and look people directly in the eye.