u/Internal-Shift8617

I used to disappear into fantasy novels when I was a young teen. Loved Wildwood Dancing and the Chronicles of Prydain.

Now that I’m an adult I find it difficult to read anything without noticing the “I’m not like other girls” trope and I find it cringey. It seems like every female protagonist rejects anything remotely feminine until they are “forced” into it.

Any recommendations where the girl acts like a normal person? I’ve already read all of the Sarah J. Maas books.

My parents have always had a messy, unconventional relationship that’s shaped how I see love. My dad cheated when I was 12, my mom cheated back, and they were poly for most of my teen years. So when they decided to separate, I thought it might be for the best.

But now that I’m packing up my room to leave home, I’m a wreck. I’ve been in therapy and usually have good coping mechanisms, but they’re not really working right now. I won’t be living with my siblings or my mom anymore, and even though I planned to move out soon, this feels forced.

On top of that, it feels like everything in my life is ending at once. I just left an internship I thought would be important because it ended up not aligning with my values, I went through a breakup, and I haven’t been taking care of myself well (I’ve been high most of the time and barely sleeping.)

Everyone keeps telling me to “be strong” for my siblings since I’m the oldest, and it feels unfair. I just barely stopped being a kid myself, and now everything familiar is disappearing. I’m happy for my parents if this is what’s best for them, but it also brings back that feeling of being abandoned while they figure their lives out.

I’m staying with my dad temporarily before moving in with roommates for school, but even that feels unstable. I can’t really make the space my own, and having a place that feels like mine matters a lot to me. I want my younger siblings to feel secure too, but right now I just feel pushed out and expected to deal with it because I’m “an adult.”

I know it’ll get better eventually, but right now it just feels like everything that used to matter doesn’t anymore, and I can’t really see past that.