We have some awful stories on this sub and on /r/theredpill so I thought I would tell a tale on how it is all supposed to work.

The missis and I are both sick with something close to pneumonia. We were sitting at the kitchen table and she had her head down, listless. I watched her closely and she lifted up her head, made a face and said in a nasty voice:

Her: "What?"

Me: "I am just studying my prey."

Her: "Knock it off, you aren't getting any tonight. I am sick."

Me: (smiling) "OK."

Her: "I am serious. Leave me alone. Don't do this Red Pill thing, I am not in the mood."

Me: "Deary, get your mind out of the gutter. Nobody is having sex tonight."

Her: (Puts head back down).

Me: "Of course that spasmodic coughing might make it interesting. We need to try it without the cough syrup."

Her: (coldly): "Stop. I am serious."

Me: "K."

Long pause

Her: "Can you get me a water?" (We are both sick and the bottles were next to the table so this was an obvious Shit Test a/k/a compliance test).

Me: Waiting for about 30 seconds before complying and handing her the bottled water. I wanted to see if she would escalate after I complied.

Her: (Another long pause....wait for it, I just failed a Shit Test, what do you suppose is going to happen now?)

Barely 20 seconds later.

Her: (seemingly completely random statement in a nasty, shrewish voice). "Did you put one of my new glasses in the freezer?"

(I like to chill my water in the freezer and more than once I have broken a glass).

Me: Ignore

Her: (even nastier voice): "Come on, I want a matched set. Can you stop breaking the damn glasses."

Me: "No."

Her: Exasperated sigh and a fierce scowl.

Me: "We can have a mixed matching set- glass for your aunts, plastic for the teenagers and Styrofoam for the young kids" (Agree and Amplify).

Her: (Anxious and terse tone): "Can you stop this fucking Red Pill shit. You are pissing me off."

Me: "No."

Her: (suddenly visibly relaxing and looking bemused and then taking a deep breath before coughing terribly). "So that was you maintaining frame, right?"

Me: (patting her on the head and scratching behind her ears like a puppy). "Very good mein cherry, and this is called amused mastery."

Her: (Leaning into my hand). "You are crazy, absolutely crazy."

Me: "Of course, I married you didn't I?"