Addictions

(I've given Niklas fair warning I was going to make this post. ;) )

Back in December during Christmas break, my husband was introduced to the board game Arkham Horror by his brother, which consists of trying to close enough other-dimensional portals before an unspeakable evil monster wakes up to kill everyone. And because Niklas gave me the most pathetic expression of pleading (which usually make me laugh more than anything else), I gave in and played this horror game with them to appease him. Little did I know there was no going back.

Subsequently, Nikas bought the game for himself and it became the #1 (and pretty much only) game that was played in our household whenever we had friends over or saw family. I thought, "Sure, the horror/monsters doing horrible things to people isn't my thing, but it's pretty fun; and it makes Niklas happy when I play." But then Niklas found out about another game by the same company, and immediately bought it as soon as it was out: Mansions of Madness.


This game is basically a horror version of Clue: you are an investigative character trying to find clues (via solving puzzles) as to why so-and-so is missing or why the mansion is a crazy place full of monsters, etc. But the clues are pretty disturbing/gross---like the last game we played I found a bloody man who had been skinned lying on an operating table next to all kinds of crude instruments, speaking his last few words of horror while handing me a silver key. And to make it worse, my oldest niece heard me reading this clue and ran out of the room crying. You can imagine how horrible I felt!

These two games, Arkham Horror and Mansions of Madness, have been the two games that have been played in succession over and over again for the last 8 months; and I've grown weary of playing the same games over, and over, and over again. But Niklas is just as zealous about them as ever.

Niklas also has other games he thoroughly enjoys, but doesn't play as often that have the same disturbing flavor: Gloom, a card game that consists of making members of a selected family suffer as much as possible before offing them; and then Zombies, which is basically killing the undead while trying to survive through it all (I have never played this last game, and have no interest to do so either).

All in all, I've realized even more strongly these past few months that 1) my husband has a twisted, dark sense of humor and entertainment, 2) I can liken his obsessions and addictions to a child that loves to watch the same movie over and over again within the same week and months, much to the exasperation of the parents, and 3) Niklas has an obsessive nature much like mine was back in the day.

I've voiced a petition to purchase "normal" games in the future, such as Life, Settlers of Catan, etc. I'm ready for some family-friendly games that we can play that won't result in upset children and adults or me having nightmares of falling to an icy death afterwards.

Now, I don't say all of this to mock my husband---I actually find his obsessive nature amusing while also struck with how different our tastes are. Niklas married a gal who has the emotional sensitivity of a 5-year-old---who still cries when watching Bambi or The Lion King. The yellow soul-sucking alien in the Green Lantern movie completely disturbed me: I kept gripping Niklas' hand tightly as if I was in labor, not realizing I was doing it; but I got the clue when he kept looking over at me with a worried expression. I mean, how miserable for him to be with someone like me during a movie he is enjoying! :P

Ironically, I have my own obsessive nature, but my obsessions come in spurts of obsession and are not so long-lived as Niklas'. Well, except one: chocolate. Everyone who knows me well knows that chocolate will always hold a special place in my heart. People told me once I got pregnant I might not want chocolate, or completely lose my taste for it. Oh, how contrare. Instead, I eat chocolate every single day in way-too-large quantities, even worse than before (though Niklas has countered that claim). In fact, I'm pretty sure this little girl I'm carrying is swimming in chocolate amniotic fluid as I type. She is either going to LOVE chocolate like her mom or absolutely ABHOR it due to my nasty eating habits and cravings. I've introduced her to chocolate-covered craisins, chocolate milk, rocky-road ice cream, thin mints, chocolate shakes, hot fudge pudding cake, smores, fudgsicles, chocolate-covered pecans, and so much more on multiple occasions. Ice cream happens to be the worst craving for me right now. But despite this, this little girl keeps making her presence known through many a jab, swift kick, or roll; and maybe that's her way of expressing her feelings about my lack of nutrition. ;)