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My Illusions Delusions

Would you like this thread to stay open and for the story to continue?

  • YES

    Votes: 4 25.0%
  • No

    Votes: 12 75.0%

  • Total voters
    16
  • Poll closed .
@Austin Popper - I was looking in occasionally for the responses to the thread rather than Kchoo's rambling posts.

@Kchoo - I agree that attention spans have been affected by the internet, social media and smart phones; I took exception, semi-comically to your implication that people weren't interested in your posts because they'd been turned into zombies by technology and not down to any failings on your delivery.

It seems petty to close this thread, though the mods arguments for moving it seem sound. Anyway Kchoo, happy posting and AP, happy reading.
 
Redux version. Tell me if I missed out anything important;)

When I was 8, my mum used to take me to the university where she studied.

I used to go and swim in their Olympic sized swimming pool whilst she attended lessons.
One of the students there also worked as a lifeguard at the pool, and because of his muscular frame we called him ‘Captain America’ (after the superhero).

I was rather enamoured by him and would ask him lot of questions. One day I followed him to watch him ‘pump iron’ in the weights room that was just behind the receptionist‘s desk.

I went there many times over many weeks to watch him and ‘play’ lifting weights.

One day my mum asked me to show her the weights room that I’d had talked about - but when I showed her - the room was unrecognisable. Just an empty room.
The receptionist said she had no recollection of a weight room ever being there and what’s more - no one knew who my Captain America man was. Not his name, nor his description!

weeks went past and I thought of him often. Then by chance I saw him talking to some girl ! . . .
 
Redux version. Tell me if I missed out anything important;)

When I was 8, my mum used to take me to the university where she studied.

I used to go and swim in their Olympic sized swimming pool whilst she attended lessons.
One of the students there also worked as a lifeguard at the pool, and because of his muscular frame we called him ‘Captain America’ (after the superhero).

I was rather enamoured by him and would ask him lot of questions. One day I followed him to watch him ‘pump iron’ in the weights room that was just behind the receptionist‘s desk.

I went there many times over many weeks to watch him and ‘play’ lifting weights.

One day my mum asked me to show her the weights room that I’d had talked about - but when I showed her - the room was unrecognisable. Just an empty room.
The receptionist said she had no recollection of a weight room ever being there and what’s more - no one knew who my Captain America man was. Not his name, nor his description!

weeks went past and I thought of him often. Then by chance I saw him talking to some girl ! . . .
Well done synopsis, but it lacks life experience and realism.
Good for reddit, maybe.
Thanks for keeping up. A true reader, indeed.
 
Redux version. Tell me if I missed out anything important;)

When I was 8, my mum used to take me to the university where she studied.

I used to go and swim in their Olympic sized swimming pool whilst she attended lessons.
One of the students there also worked as a lifeguard at the pool, and because of his muscular frame we called him ‘Captain America’ (after the superhero).

I was rather enamoured by him and would ask him lot of questions. One day I followed him to watch him ‘pump iron’ in the weights room that was just behind the receptionist‘s desk.

I went there many times over many weeks to watch him and ‘play’ lifting weights.

One day my mum asked me to show her the weights room that I’d had talked about - but when I showed her - the room was unrecognisable. Just an empty room.
The receptionist said she had no recollection of a weight room ever being there and what’s more - no one knew who my Captain America man was. Not his name, nor his description!

weeks went past and I thought of him often. Then by chance I saw him talking to some girl ! . . .

This sounds like the start of a reader's letter to a "gentlemen's publication".
 
This sounds like the start of a reader's letter to a "gentlemen's publication".

We have been infiltrated by Aki :O

PRT4ber.jpg
 
I stopped reading the longer posts after two or three, I've scrolled looking at the shorter posts by you and others. I'm not voting one way or another and am more interested in people's responses to your thread than the thread "content" itself, if you have Fortean experiences to share then I'm willing to read them but my patience is coming close to being exhausted.

Interesting that there would not be any comments to follow if it werent for my story.

Perhaps destruction of a story is more entertaining than building a story.
 
There are less than a dozen members commenting on the thread. Add a few who are lurking and you are still not going to get anywhere 40. For forty 'keep it' votes you will need at least eighty or ninety people showing an interest in even commenting.
 
Kchoo,

..
A symptom of the world where people think if they write their words it is better than a vote. It is not, it is just verbiage into cyberspace, but a vote is EVERYTHiNG. Use it.

But it isn't like that, is it ?

A vote on a poll is anonymous. You don't know who voter which way.

The comments you elicit will allow you to work out the majority of choices.

INT21..
 
Amoradala,

..I was rather enamoured by him and would ask him lot of questions. ..

Your use of the word 'enamored'

synonyms:in love with, infatuated with, besotted with, smitten with, love-struck by, captivated by, charmed by, enchanted by, fascinated by, bewitched by, beguiled by, enthralled by, entranced by, enraptured by, keen on, taken with, head over heels for, under the spell of, consumed with desire for;

So I take it you noticed the 'trend'.
 
There are less than a dozen members commenting on the thread. Add a few who are lurking and you are still not going to get anywhere 40. For forty 'keep it' votes you will need at least eighty or ninety people showing an interest in even commenting.
12 have voted, 9 voted no. So if only 12 people are here... 9 of them want the thread to die.. 75 percent... so far it is looking bleak.
Yet, this tread seems very busy for one destined to end, so maybe votes really do mean nothing here... still 75 percent No. It is what it is
 
I say post your story if you want to and don't if you don't, don't bother with the poll. The way this kind of message board works is not in real time anyway: even if nobody is digging it right now, there might be someone 5 years down the line who's glad to read your story.
 
I say post your story if you want to and don't if you don't, don't bother with the poll. The way this kind of message board works is not in real time anyway: even if nobody is digging it right now, there might be someone 5 years down the line who's glad to read your story.

Best point I have heard yet.
Okay, so I will ignore all this nonsense that distracts from the story and tell it anyway.
That is probably what I should have done from the begining.
Okay then...
 
Captain went in the Hall, and returned about 10 minutes later with a water bottle and a towel. He was wearing his shorts, t-shirt and flip-flops... he selected an empty lounge chair, rested back with his hands behind his head, looking around, smiling at people, making comments to some, “Nice day!” “Life is good!” “Looking good.”

Obviously he was no stranger... I walked to the male lifeguard, pointed toward The Captian, “That’s the guy...”

I walked around the pool to be next to Captain, sat on the loung chair opposite him, “You need to be introduced to my Mom.”

He lowered his sun glasse so he could make his eye contact obvious, “Okay... what for?”

Me, “She just wants to thank you for the weight bench and be introduced you know, gumshoe mom detective work.”

Him, “Okay, where is she?”

In class right now, she gets the car and has me meet her out front at twelve, just a few minutes from now. Come out with me.”

Him, “Okay.”

I finished drying my swim shorts, and put my cut offs on over them and then my shirt and shoes... “Come on.”

Just then one of the people t the pool approached him, “I NEED TO TALK TO YOU.”

Him, “Can it wait, I have an appointment...”

Another approached, “I need to talk to you...”

He turned to me, “I am sorry duty calls... tell your mom I will talk to her tomorrow, get here 10 minutes early so she can do that, Okay?”

Me, “Fine...”

...
 
I got in our car, and mom started pulling away. I said, “We need to get here early tomorrow so you can meet him.”

Mom, “I won’t be here tomorrow, I have a Doctor’s Appointment.

“Fine...”

Mom, “Didn’t you talk to him?”

Me, “Yeah, and. Pointed him out to the lifeguard... he knows people... they kept him, or you would have met him just now...”

Mom, “Alright... well... I will write him a note... make sure he gets it next time you see him, okay?”

“Okay.”

...
 
Two days later, I handed him a sealed envelope, addressed to “To whom it my concern.”

He took it into the hall and I didn’t see him at the pool after that. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen or heard from around campus. I WOULD ASK ABOUT HIM to the receptionist, the life guards, and people that I thought would know him.

Male Lifegaurd, “I saw you point over there, but I wasn’t sure who you were talking about... you went and sat in the lounge chair over there, and it looked like you were talking to someone, but I don’t know who you were talking to.

Receptionist, “I know everybody that works in this Hall, and I have never seen the man you describe, all the office people in here are older, and not in the best shape... and I am sure there was never a weight room here.”

Me, “I give up... maybe I am crazy...”

Receptionist, “I think you should talk to somebody.., tell your Mom everything and she can decide if you should talk to someone... here is a card of a good counsellor... give your mom this, and I am out of this now, okay?”

Me, “Fine...”

No matter who I talked to, I was met with the same confusion.

Even my friend that named him said, “We were just playing, and pretending... At least, I thought you were pretending, so I played along to see where it would go. I AM a BIG fan of Captain America, so that is what I decided to pretend about... Then we went and did some cannonballs... if there there was a guy with big muscles there, I don’t remember him...”

...
 
So threw the card in the trash, and decide not to talk about it anymore.

Some time went by, and it was getting cold out, I arranged my bedroom so I could bring the weights inside. There was just enough room for the bench and barbell by my bed. The end of the bench almost touched the side of my bed, and the barbells had a few inches of clearance from the wall when they sat on the rack, “That will do.”, I said, talking to myself.

SO I worked out in my bedroom during the cold months... and did sit-ups, pushups, and jumping jacks instead of swimming. I was outgrowing the weights... I felt I wasn’t going to make any more gains in muscle mass unless I asked Mom for some extra 10lb plates. the next day, there’s were two more weights on the bar. That was more of a challenge than I expected, but I was sure it was going to result in me becoming more like the Captain.

I worked out every day, 7 days a week. I was growing... and I was feeling strong.., one day, I took off my shirt and surprised mom with some muscle poses... she seemed shocked.

Mom, “Woah.., turn around, let me see your back”

She ran her hands across my shoulders, between my shoulder blades, had me flex them... “GOD... this isn’t normal!”

“What?”

Mom, “Stop working out right now... I need to take you into the doctor.. he may need to do some tests...”

Me, ”What’s wrong?”

her, “I see something... I don’t know what to make of it...”

Me, “Muscles... Mom!”

Mom, “Just trust me Okay?”
...
 
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The doctor reviewed everything I was doing. He seemed curious as to why I would do what I was doing. So I told him about the body building magazines, and the books. The protein powder was of particular interest to him.

He had me come back the next day with my can of Powder... he reviewed the ingredients... how often I used it.. etc. I explained my diet, and habits, and his comments were, “There are things I never heard of in medical science on this label, and the ones I have heard of seem misused. It probably won’t hurt you, but it is debatable if you are getting your money’s worth. Your Mom is trying to finish school and wants you to eat well, and the diet is good... you are better off with the salmon, hamburgers and tuna, You eat better than I do already... throw out the powder... Eat a peanut butter sandwich..it will do as much good,”

Me, “What’s wrong with my back?”

Doctor, “You have sun damage from not using sunscreen, and now that you are out of the sun for the colder months, and sweating a lot, you have a fungal infection. Easily treated with an ointment, and you will need to take better care of your skin.”

Me, “Oh good, I was worried my muscles were ugly.”

Doc, “You are in good shape. Keep exercising and eat healthy organic food. Throw the powder away...”

When I got home, the weight bench was gone.

“Mom, what happened to the bench?”

Mom, “I don’t think you will be needing it for a while.”

Me, “Why.”

Mom, “Because, you are way overboard... I can’t believe the stuff I am seeing and hearing... you have been spending time reading through muscle magazines, loitering at the 5 n Dime, buying protein powder instead of real food... you are obsessed with the weights and your grades dropped, and you sweat so much you gave yourself a fungus... You nreed a break from this... you need a better balance... so the bench is gone until you convince me that you have found that balance.”

Me, “You are overreacting.”

Mom, “No, you are obsessed... I Know about your imaginary friend, I talked to the lifegaurd, the receptionist, and your friends, they all seem t think you have an imaginary friend who is a role model. You can’t ever be Captain America. He is a comic book! An exaggerated, impossible made up cartoon hero.”

Me, “Wow, the shit hit the fan... that is for sure...”

Mom, “You can watch your language. You are grounded, and I will be buying all the groceries from now on. You are cut off.”

Me, “Fine.”

I was devastated... my friends, my mom, everyone, thought I was crazy.

I just knew I was labeled as crazy for sure now...


So I sat on my bed, and rationalized it all as best I could,
That damn Captain... if others couldn’t remember him, and nobody really did seem to know him... except me, then I must have made it up... but it Was SO REAL.
Nothing to do but accept it was all in my head... if I wanted my life back... I had to turn away from the Captain, and my aspiration to be like him... after all he is just a cartoon character.. “
 
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There is more to the story... it wasn’t the last time I saw him, and the lines of reality always remained skewed.
This guy popped into my life here and there, but I had to learn to ignore him. Did I make him up? I don’t think I did. This happened, but I had no choice but to accept he wasn’t real, if the rest of the world did not acknowledge his existence.

So now we are where I wanted to be before the thread was nearly obliterated with attack...

I now leave it to you to discuss why things like this happen.

You can blast me all you want, but there is something else here worthy of discussing. I hope you remain on that topic. This should not be about me or how bad my story telling is, it should be on the actual phenomenon of strange anomalous persons we interacted with.., the so called imagination friend...

Something I think we can all relate to, being members of a Fortean board.

The forum is yours. Do with it what you like.
 
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OK. With the whole thing there to read, it's definitely odd.

I've heard anecdotal bits about muscle-building being bad for kids who are still growing, but also seen pics of jacked 10yr-olds. I can understand your mother being freaked out though.

As for the Captain, it can be very difficult to tell the difference between vision and hallucination, which is probably why so many people just assume any report of a vision is a hallucination. It's even harder during childhood, when reality hasn't yet fully taken root in our minds. And for us, from the outside, it's nigh-impossible.

Personally, I don't feel any need to make a firm decision either way. I have a mental category I think of as my "Hmmm, curious" box, and stuff I can't attest to goes into that. It's a very packed box. With that said, if I was in your position, I'd probably go and see some neurological specialist to see if there was anything obvious going on.

Anyway, thanks for sharing.
 
Yes, but Nobody seemed to know where the weight bench came from... lol
So that is one element of reality that existed, but that is about it.

Nobody claimed responsibilities for the bench arriving, EXCEPT The Captain (Who apparently did not exist).

That is the part the gets me.
 
OK. With the whole thing there to read, it's definitely odd.

I've heard anecdotal bits about muscle-building being bad for kids who are still growing, but also seen pics of jacked 10yr-olds. I can understand your mother being freaked out though.

As for the Captain, it can be very difficult to tell the difference between vision and hallucination, which is probably why so many people just assume any report of a vision is a hallucination. It's even harder during childhood, when reality hasn't yet fully taken root in our minds. And for us, from the outside, it's nigh-impossible.

Personally, I don't feel any need to make a firm decision either way. I have a mental category I think of as my "Hmmm, curious" box, and stuff I can't attest to goes into that. It's a very packed box. With that said, if I was in your position, I'd probably go and see some neurological specialist to see if there was anything obvious going on.

Anyway, thanks for sharing.
Thanks.
I did see a couple of psychologist.
They helped me alot with little things, but they saw nothing too alarming in my stories. They said I was probably manifesting things because I was highly intelligent and bored. They suggested that their job was to help me live a normal life and I met the check list for that.
"Got an education, check, good job, check, a house, check, car, check, health, check... not much to worry about."
 
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Yes, but Nobody seemed to know where the weight bench came from...

Ah, I missed that aspect of it. Yes, that definitely pushes it towards deep strangeness. Fascinating! I've had one or two items appear seemingly out of nowhere in places where they really couldn't have been, but never with a possible spirit entity taking responsibility.
 
What happened to this character ?

“She was wearing a sparkly blue fitted blouse with silver vertical stripes, and a skirt. Her black shoulder length hair was tossed by a gust of wind, exposing a white hoop dangling from her right ear. They seemed to be having a pleasant, flirty discussion. She kissed him on the lips, and caressed his cheek, then waved as she turned to leave through the gate.”

Please don’t leave us hanging !
 
What happened to this character ?

“She was wearing a sparkly blue fitted blouse with silver vertical stripes, and a skirt. Her black shoulder length hair was tossed by a gust of wind, exposing a white hoop dangling from her right ear. They seemed to be having a pleasant, flirty discussion. She kissed him on the lips, and caressed his cheek, then waved as she turned to leave through the gate.”

Please don’t leave us hanging !
Majority have voted no.
The Poll closed....
Story is dead.
I had to rush to the conclusions to satisfy the angry ‘finish it now’ mob...
Hahaha.

Truth is, I don’t know... they probably got married, had kids, got divorced... like 55% of people do these days, due to self centeredness, and inability to negotiate a life together as a couple, and unwillingness to work with councelors to resolve hurdles, to live happily ever after in love.
 
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...and unwillingness to work with councelors to resolve hurdles, ..

This idea that one has to talk to 'professionals' to work out what should be every day problems, Why do you subscribe to this ?

INT21
 
...and unwillingness to work with councelors to resolve hurdles, ..

This idea that one has to talk to 'professionals' to work out what should be every day problems, Why do you subscribe to this ?

INT21
Because people often only see things from their own false perspective. To invite a professionaly qualified and trusted advisor is one way to solidify balance in their lives.

It can help one to learn to either accept or reject aspects of themselves and to grow and establish a comfort factor in their self definition and growth.

A couple can learn to negotiate better if they desire it, and taking this initiative seriously can help individuals learn to maintain relationships, and a sense of individual freedom at the same time.

The decisions remain yours, but it helps to slow things down a little, think, and gain a potentially better persective.
 
Majority have voted no.
The Poll closed....
Story is dead.
I had to rush to the conclusions to satisfy the angry ‘finish it now’ mob...
Hahaha.

Truth is, I don’t know... they probably got married, had kids, got divorced... like 55% of people do these days, due to self centeredness, and inability to negotiate a life together as a couple, and unwillingness to work with councelors to resolve hurdles, to live happily ever after in love.
I didn’t mean for you to take a stab at what she might be doing in the future - I meant what relevance did she have to the story ?
 
I didn’t mean for you to take a stab at what she might be doing in the future - I meant what relevance did she have to the story ?
Oh I just reported what I saw. I am sorry I dont have more... perhaps it shows he was into the lady and the lady was into him.
 
Because people often only see things from their own false perspective. To invite a professionaly qualified and trusted advisor is one way to solidify balance in their lives.

It can help one to learn to either accept or reject aspects of themselves and to grow and establish a comfort factor in their self definition and growth.

A couple can learn to negotiate better if they desire it, and taking this initiative seriously can help individuals learn to maintain relationships, and a sense of individual freedom at the same time.

The decisions remain yours, but it helps to slow things down a little, think, and gain a potentially better persective.
You acknowledge the ‘angry mob’ rushing you to finish the story (or at least get to the point).

Are you in the position to accept the criticism surrounding this aspect of your writing ability ?
You could try inviting a professionally qualified and trusted english teacher to teach the basics of creative writing.
 
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