The Marriage Story

"Mom?" "Yes, honey?" "Can you tell me the marriage story?" "Again?" "Yes, please!" [[*Sigh.* "Well..."->Well...]]

Once upon a time, there were a man and a woman. They were happily married with a little girl. [[One day...->Choices begin]]

One day, the woman wanted to feel prettier. She thought that maybe it would help if she got plastic surgery. [[Get plastic surgery]] [[No way in hell]]

Your name is Ryan Christopher Plante. You were born in 1994 to Linda and Stephen Plante. You have an older sister named Kelsey, and while you have your sibling moments, you have an undeniable bond that could only be broken by time itself. You love her dearly, but deep in your heart, you've always wanted a little sister, too. You've never heard of a woman named Barbara Caprino, who never married or had children of her own. Wait. How are you reading this story? It was written by someone who doesn't exist. Huh. I guess this wasn't really a [[marriage->Story Start]] story after all, was it? [[Anyway...->sample glitch text]]

Your name is Ava Grace Plante. You were born to Barbara and Stephen Plante in the year 2000. You have an older sister named Kelsey, but while you love her and are proud to have her as a sister, sometimes it feels like you're an only child because of the 10 year age gap. She's technically your half-sister, because she had a different mother, but that's an irrelevant disinction to you. She's your sister. Just like how, to her, your mother is her mother, too. Sometimes, though, you think it would be cool if you had an older brother, too. Someone closer in age to you, someone who could have kept you company when Kelsey went off to college. It's just a passing fantasy, though. You're happy enough with your mom and dad, and your sister who's only really over for holidays anymore. You're [[Ava Plante->The O'Connor Family Website]], and that was the story of how your parents got [[married->Story Start]].

She gets the surgery. She feels sexier and more beautiful than ever. Later, she finds out that she's pregnant with their second child. Things couldn't be happier for the happy family right now. [[But one day...]]

The woman decides that she doesn't need surgery to feel beautiful. It would be nice, but ultimately, She's beautiful just the way she is, with her loving husband and daughter by her side. She later finds out that she's pregnant with their second child. [[Wait, but...->It's a Boy]]

The woman feels a little short of breath. In a matter of hours, she and the baby are dead. The husband and daughter are left behind, their family cut in half before they could even blink. [[Tragedy has struck, but...->Meeting the Stepmother]]

Years later, the father met a woman named Barbara. They fell in love, and got married. She became the girl's new mother. The girl didn't want a new mom. She missed her old mom. But as she got to know Barbara, she realized that she was a kind woman who tried to treat her just like she was her own. In time, she found that she didn't mind having Barbara as her new mom. A couple years later, when your new mom gets pregnant, you tell her, "It had better be a girl!" [[It was.->The Current Timeline]]

<center><b>THE MARRIAGE STORY</b></center> This is a story from my childhood. There is a girl, and there is a boy. It is impossible for them to exist at the same time. You can only save one. [[Begin]]

They welcome the birth of their son nine months later. [[Then...->Time Paradox]]

Years go by. Your dad loves to garden. You swear he spends more time outside than in, and it's only gotten worse since the pandemic started. You can't go outside for very long - it's summer, so your allergies are acting up - so you haven't really been able to see all the work he's been doing. But one day while putting the dog on the stake in the yard, he shows it to you. And right by the center of the house, he leads you to a quaint little area more detatched from the rest of the shrubs and flowers: It's a memorial garden for a boy you'd never have the privilege to know. Angel statues pay tribute to him, kneeling down at the birdbath's altar. The dirt soiling their robes, dirt that was not concealing a tiny body, but very easily could be. You feel your eyes glisten. He would have been 26 right now. You take a moment, mourn for the brother you should have had, and [[head back inside.->Story Start]] <center><b>(text-colour: red + white)[THE END]</b></center>

You don't understand what you're reading, at first. Why are the dates the same? Who is this (mouseover-replace:"Ryan Christopher")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[ŞÔďĬ ÌŋõčćĲŧäĥ]][[Ryan Christopher->RCP]] guy?? Your dad had another kid?? [[and wait->wait but]]

One day, while doing research for a 7th grade lineage project, you stumble upon a website dedicated to your family's history that your aunt ran. You recognize most of the names on there. Even you have your own page, you preen with a glow of recognition. But then, you stumble onto a [[stranger->RCP]] who shares your sister's parents.

But... How could someone be born and die on the same [[da-->STOPS]]

Your breath is stolen from your lungs. For a moment, there's a concave hole where your heart should be. You've thrown your computer away from you, your hands shielding your face but not hiding your tears. A [[brother.->19]]

You're supposed to have a brother. He would have been 19 by now. For a minute, you let yourself imagine it. A nice older brother, coming home from college to see his cute baby sister for holidays, with brown eyes that shine like the stars and a fluffy mop of hair on his head. He'd be taller than you and your sister, but not by much, because no one is really tall in your family. He'd ruffle your hair affectionately, and you'd pretend to be annoyed by it, but secretly you'd enjoy his attention. For a moment, you'd give anything for him to be in your life at that very moment. For this to be a reality you could share with him, where he wasn't robbed at the chance at life from the womb. And for a moment, you feel outraged by the universe. How could they rob you of this? Of the [[brother->Neither Can Live While]] you were supposed to have, of the happiness you were supposed to share?!

(mouseover-replace: "another year of college,")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[°çĢŤēŋœį ĄŘĆ øãĠÙŨÐÿÖŃĲŞ]] (mouseover-replace: "sister")[(text-colour: red)[sister (text-style: "shudder")[(WĦƗĆĦ ØŇ€?)]]] (mouseover-replace: "happy for")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[ðıĐÅŅŹįŕŔŲ°ÿÇÛ]] (mouseover-replace: "ting to do")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[ÖÂö¥ŃĿþĉĈ]] (mouseover-replace: "blossoming")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[ìŀöŪůŐċ«ŒÔ¡]] You're 19. You're off starting another year of college, and you think you're really blossoming in your new environment. You've always made friends easily, and college is turning out to be no exception to that. You text your sister on a regular basis. She's got a job dancing at Universal in Orlando, which you think is really cool! You're happy for her, that she's finally getting to do what she loves for a [[living->Glitch Image]].

Ryan Christopher Plante B. XX XX 1994 D. XX XX 1994 [[...->Who...?]]

But, that's not true, is it? Not really. He died with his mother. If he were here now, you ''wouldn't be.'' It's a realization that sits heavy in your throat. [[...->The Garden]]

The [[world->thoughts]] <h1>S T O P S.</h1>

CRASHING BURNING REWRITING EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU [[KNEW->GASP]]

(text-style: "shudder")[èŽěıÿÆĆūŃľóŇÅŮŷ¯Ėĳ¸įĩÚñ]

<img class="glitch" src="https://www.dropbox.com/s/lyok34ygn3xqai9/Me%20Glitched.gif?raw=1" alt="Nobody"> {(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[(live:250ms)[<p class="css-typing">WĦØ ƗŞ ŦĦƗŞ?</p>(stop:)]]} <p style="text-align:right">You're studying (text-colour: red)[(Ř€ĐΔĆŦ€Đ)], and you think it's going well so far. You have a passion for it, and you can definitely see yourself making a [[living->...]] out of it. (mouseover-replace: "passion")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[ŮũâĻôİ³ą¡»ĳ®Ŀ×čşĽÒ]] (mouseover-replace: "well so")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[ČÿŖ¼ÌůňęŔņËŻŸøÃŷãá]] (mouseover-replace: "see yourself")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[³ėļŲžØÐ¦â«ĹíĸÚŋçĄëĐŸŤýŏþ]] (mouseover-replace: "you can")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[Č½ľđîèŷŧ±čĮªģ¤ţÀÈŮŴŹűĨ]] (mouseover-replace: "You're")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[ĩļŵĳÁŘ¿ę»ţëœ]] (mouseover-replace: "you think")[(text-style: "shudder") + (text-colour: red)[ŁŃ¬í±ĲĸÑţūŤ´Řř×]]</p>

{(live:250ms)[<p class="css-typing">Hello Typewriter!</p>(stop:)]}

{(live:250ms)[<p class="css-typing">[[. . .->What's the point]]</p>(stop:)]}

{(live:250ms)[<p class="css-typing">What's the point of this reality?</p>(stop:)]} [[<img class="glitch2" src="https://www.dropbox.com/s/uwlkofsdl83bi4x/MOSHED-2020-10-25-18-40-0.gif?raw=1" alt="Nobody">->Why]] (text-colour: red) + (text-style:"shudder")[<h4>WĦØ WĦØ WĦØ</h4>] (text-colour: red) + (text-style:"shudder")[<div class="a"><p><h4>WĦØ</h4></p>] </div>

{(live:250ms)[<p class="css-typing">Why do you keep thinking about it?</p>(stop:)]} (mouseover-replace: "Why do you keep thinking about it?")[(text-colour: red)[<h3>It's not real. It [[never->Error]] will be.</h3>]]

You're Ryan Christopher Plante, and you're living life to the fullest. <center><b>(text-colour: blue + white)[THE END]</b></center> (mouseover-replace: "living life to the fullest.")[not supposed to exist in this universe. (text-colour:red)[<b>But you do.</b>] And [[you always will.->Story Start]]]