Narrative essay about my three days of last vacation

An hour after getting back from the Mason apartment, Bruce Kenner had the distinct misfortune of meeting Bertha Henderson.
A plump, gaudy woman with wrinkles and sun beaten skin only an alligator could love, Bertha Henderson wore bright red lipstick, bright red rouge, and way too much mascara. Her tangled hair was a dull red color and her clothes - pink pants and a white floral top - stretched tight across her bulbous frame. She looked like the kind of woman who lived in a trailer with velvet pictures of Elvis on the wall and pink flamingos in the front yard.
She acted like one too.
From the moment she stormed into his office, she hadn’t shut up once. She scolded, chided, accused, and badgered, sometimes even wagging one fat finger in his face like he was a naughty little boy. Ten minutes into the dressing down and Bruce was beginning to fantasize about police brutality.
It took him another ten minutes to find out what the hell she even wanted.
“It’s my granddaughter,” she shot back, “she’s missing in your town.”
My town? Lady, this is barely my office. I share it with three other people.
“Well, if you’ll calm down, maybe I can help.”
Jesus Christ was that the wrong thing to say. She hit the roof and didn’t come down again until Bruce was this close to arresting her for assault on a police officer. “Young man, I do not appreciate the way you’re talking to me. My tax dollars are the only reason you have a job. If it wasn’t for me, you’d be working at a car wash.”
At least I wouldn’t have to deal with you.
Bruce took a deep breath and held his tongue in check. “How can I help you?” he asked.
“I told you, my granddaughter is missing. If you listened to me, you’d know this already.”
Bertha produced a picture and slid it across the desk. Bruce studied it. A girl, roughly sixteen with black hair, blue eyes, and dimples smiled back at him. “She;’s with that Rossi man, I just know it,” she said bitterly.
“Who?” Bruce asked.
Rolling her eyes like he was stupid, the old woman told him the story. Jessie - the dimple faced girl - had the rotten luck of having to live with Grandma Bertha after her parents went to jail on drug charges. They lived in Sand Lake, a little town in the mountains outside Albany, where Bertha was no doubt loved and admired by all. One day, Jessie, who her grandmother lovingly described as “A little troublemaker”, ran off. Bruce didn’t blame her. He’d known Bertha for half an hour and he wanted to run off. Bertha did some snooping on Jessie’s laptop and found that the “little whore” had been chatting with an older man, Joe Rossi. Rossi, or so Facebook said, lived in Albany and worked at Club Vlad.
“I want him arrested for pedophilia,” Bertha said and crossed her arms defiantly over her chest. “He’s a dog just like all men. She’s probably pregnant already. Another mouth I have to feed.”
Behind the old battle ax, Vanessa appeared in the doorway and lifted her brows as if to say What a piece of work. Knowing her, she’d probably been standing just out of sight this whole time with McKenny, the elderly evidence clerk, and snickering into her hand like a little girl. LOL she called him young man.
Bertha noticed him looking over her shoulder and started to turn. Vanessa’s face went white and she ducked out of the way, narrowly avoiding detection. “I’m glad you think this is funny,” Bertha said to Bruce. “Meanwhile, if I don’t get Jessie back, the state’s going to stop sending me my checks. I need that income. I can’t work, you know. I have gout.”
Too bad being an asshole isn’t a job, you’d be world-famous
“I’ll go talk to him,” Bruce said.
“I want more than talk, young man, I want action.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When Bertha finally decided to waddle off and ruin someone else’s day, Vanessa came in and sat in the chair the old woman had so recently occupied. “Oh, my God,” she said, “that was intense. I was this close to radioing in a 1015.”
1015 was code for officer down.
“Funny,” Bruce said without a trace of humor. He had kids going missing, a dead guy someone moved around like a goddamn Barbie doll, and now this. What next, hemorrhoids?
“What do you think? Code 1 or code 2?”
Code 1 meant top priority. Code 2 meant not a top priority. Bruce thought for a moment. It didn’t sound like Jessie Henderson was in danger. It sounded like she met a guy - granted, one too old for her - and decided to hide out with him from her psycho grandma. Maybe it could be something more, but he had a gut feeling that it wasn’t…and his gut feelings were usually right. “2,” he finally said. “I got shit to do.”
By shit, he meant “Talk to the families of those missing boys again.” He’d been interviewing them for two days looking for clues, but there was nothing. It’s like they just vanished. Bruce didn’t like this. He didn’t like it at all.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Vanessa said and slapped the desk.
When she was gone, Bruce sighed.
Never a dull moment, he thought.
***
Ed Harris - no relation to the Hollywood actor - had been the medical examiner for the City of Albany since 2002, and in all that time, he had never seen anything quite like this.
It was Wednesday evening and Ed was locked away in the cold, sterile space beneath the city offices that comprised his domain. With its puke green tiles, harsh lights, and cloying smells of disinfectant, the .coroner's office creeped most people out, but not Ed. He was at home here, as comfortable surrounded by toe-tagged bodies as a cactus was surrounded by desert. A thin man in his fifties with curly, steel gray hair thinning in the middle, he wore a white smock, blood stained over his clothes that made him look like a butcher instead of a low level government functionary. He had a dark and dry sense of humor, but then again, so do all people who play with dead bodies for fun and profit.
The coroner’s office was a vast, utilitarian vault segmented into multiple different rooms. Here, where the magic happened, three stainless steel tables stood in a row; a bank of refrigerated drawers kept watch, making sure nothing funny happened. One of the cold fluorescent lights overhead flickered with a hum of electricity, and water dripped rhythmically from a faucet. It was a cold, eerie place, but to Ed, it was home.
On most nights, only one of the tables was occupied, but tonight, two were. On one lay an old lady who died of what appeared to be cyanide poisoning. On the other was Dominick Mason.
Naked save for a white cloth draped over his groin to protect his dignity, Dom was the most corpsy corpse you’d ever hope to see. In fact, if you looked up dead guy in the dictionary, you’d see a picture of him. His body was pale and sunken, one side covered in purple splotches where his blood had pooled, and his eyes were closed. His abdomen was slightly distended with the expected build up of gas, and his flesh stuck fast to the bones beneath. In other words, he was text book. A normal corpse.
Mostly normal.
As men of his trade are wont to do when strange bodies mysteriously appear, Ed had opened Dom up, making a Y shaped incision from his neck to his groin. He hummed to himself as he did so, his hands wielding his sharp and shiny tools with the deft assuredness of a seasoned surgeon. Done cutting, he dipped his gloved hands into the cavity and started removing organs. A spleen here, a liver there, nothing Dom would miss. When he got to the heart, however, he stopped.
There was something…off…about it. At first glance, it was black and withered like an oversized raisin. An odd and putrid odor emanated from it and though he was familiar with the various smells and stenches the human body produced after death, this wasn’t one of them. Try as he might, he couldn’t place it, couldn’t even compare it to anything. Plucking a magnifying glass from the metal cart next to the table, he peeled back part of Dom’s chest and examined the heart closer.
That’s when things got really weird.
Dominick Mason’s heart was, indeed, shriveled, but it was not black. Instead, it was almost entirely covered by an interlacing crisscross of what appeared to be black mold. Here and there, Ed could glimpse flashes of the heart beneath: It was wrinkled and a sickly gray color. “What is this?” Ed asked himself at length. He grabbed a pair of tweezers from the tray and carefully, very carefully, attempted to remove a piece of the mold for analysis. The moment the cold metal tips touched the heart, it gave a violent spasm that sent Ed falling back with a shocked gasp, the tweezers falling from his hand and clinking to the tiled floor.
The heart began to pulse like an alien egg sac, slowly at first, then more rapidly. For a moment, Ed was frozen in place, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Once you die, your heart ceases beating. That’s that. Only living hearts beat, and Dominick Mason was certainly dead. He was dead from the moment Ed first laid eyes on him earlier that day and he was dead now. Yet there was his heart, beating anyway.
It could be a muscle spasm. They usually aren’t that violent and consistent, but dead bodies sometimes do strange things. As he watched the blackened muscle expanding and contracting, however, Ed had the most eerie feeling. He went to rub the back of his neck, realized he was still wearing blood soaked gloves, and stripped them off. He was spooking himself out; he needed a break and a hot cup of coffee. He’d come back fresh and start over again.
With that mold.
Could you really blame him for being creeped out? That stuff wasn’t normal. He’d never seen anything like that before, not even in textbooks. Dom was scrawny and didn’t get enough vitamins in life, but overall, he was healthy; that mold…or whatever it was…had no business being there.
Going over to the coffee pot, which stood in the same room to save travel time, Ed grabbed a styrofoam cup. When he was done here, he planned to go home and -
A terrible, metallic clatter rang out, and Ed jumped. He turned around, and when he saw Dominick Mason standing next to the table, hunched slightly over and staring at him, an electric burst of fright shot up his spine and exploded in his brain, so strong it made the edges turn gray. Pale, hands hooked into talons, and the flaps of his chest hanging open to reveal the cavity beneath, Dominick Mason looked for all the world like a boy who’d been caught sneaking out to meet his girlfriend. A weak, involuntary, “Oh, God,” slipped from Ed’s trembling lips, and the spell was broken. Dom came alive and ran toward the door leading out to the parking lot. He slammed through it, and the sound of it crashing open and then falling closed again echoed through the empty chamber.
Shaking, panting for air, and soaked in piss, Ed sank to the floor in a sitting position, his eyes wide and staring like those of a soldier returning damaged from the front.
It was a long time before he composed himself enough to call the police.
***
Dazed and caught in a nightmarish twilight realm where nothing made sense, Dominick Mason limped painfully down the sidewalk, a stranger lost in a strange land filled with danger and hostile creatures. Barefoot and shrouded in a white sheet, he trembled with cold and struggled to ignore the dark, threatening shapes looming from the fog in his brain, shapes that would turn into unspeakable truths if he let them.
Passersby openly stared at him, their expressions either morbidly curious, disgusted, or alarmed. A man put his arm protectively around his girlfriend; a woman pulled her little boy to her breast, and another man sneered at him, his nose crinkling. Dom, his glazed eyes narrowed against the harsh glare of the many street lamps, headlights, and storefronts, lumbered headlong toward nowhere, his fear growing until he was shambling. He imagined he could hear every cough, every whisper; smell the odor of every unwashed body. Each car horn was deafening, every whiff of ass or armpits sent his stomach churning. The rustle of a passing pedestrian’s jacket jammed into his ears like icepicks, and the approaching globes of LED headlamps burned his eyes. He gritted his teeth and groaned against the pain.
The dense mist wrapping his brain made it hard to think. Like a frightened animal, he made his way on instinct alone. Home. He needed to get home. Out here, on the street, he was exposed. At home, locked away in his small apartment, he would be safe.
A car passed in the street, bass heavy rap music blaring from its open windows, and Dom’s brain exploded with agony. He threw himself against a street sign and held on for dear life, his legs weak. Dizziness overwhelmed him, and he almost went down. He was also cold.
So, so cold.
People around him quickened their step; they never took their eyes off him, as though he were a venomous snake that would strike at any moment. He needed to get away from them. They were going to hurt him; people always hurt him.
Pushing away from the sign, he began to hobble once more toward home, wherever home was. He looked over his shoulder several times as he made his way down Central Avenue, and each time, he saw that no one was following him as he had feared.
No one, that is, except for the man in sunglasses.
Tall and lank with curly hair, he wore dark Aviators and a leather motorcycle jacket over a button up shirt. His hands were thrust deep into his pockets and his face showed no expression. He was always there, always a few steps closer. Outside Capital Fried Chicken, a group of people openly stared at him, He heard their whispers as he passed. What’s wrong with him? Dude’s straight tweakin. And the one that struck him the most. That guy looks dead.
Dom hobbled faster, as if to outrun the realization that he was, in fact, dead. The man in sunglasses was closer now, his footsteps so loud that Dom winced. He turned around, and the man was impossibly in front of him. Dom ran into him and bounced backward, going ass over tea kettle and landing on the former. They were in front of a church on a darkened corner, the lights here either burned out or shot out - you could never tell in Albany. Even though it was dark, Dom could see everything with crystal clarity. Dom tried to scurry away, but he was too weak to escape. Right there and then, he decided to give up. Come what may, he just wanted this nightmare to be over.
The man stared down at him, emotionless, unspeaking.
Dom squirmed.
“You’re real lucky I came along,” the man said. His tone was flat, even.
Dead.
“Get up,” he said, “I’ll take you home.”
Home?
Yes.
Dom wanted to go home.
The man helped him up, and Dom followed him into the night.
***
Bruce Kenner stood in the middle of the medical examiner’s office at half past nine that evening with his hands on his hips and stared doubtfully down at Ed Harris. The lonely cavern was alive with activity as cops went over everything, all of them looking either bemused or a mused. Bruce was neither. He’d been at home, sitting in his chair and having a beer in front of AEW Dynamite when Vanessa called. “You might wanna get down here,” she said, sounding confused, “something really strange is going on.”
Ed Harris - no relation to that one guy - sat in a straight back chair beside his cluttered desk and gripped a styrofoam cup of coffee in both hands, putting Bruce - for some reason - in mind of a monkey. When Bruce came in, the old man was white as a sheet and shook like a leaf. In the last half hour, little had changed.
“Tell me again,” Bruce said.
He and Ed were pretty good friends. He knew that Ed knew standard police procedure. Cops don’t ask you to repeat your story a thousand times over because they’re forgetful fucks, they do it because telling it again and again helps to jog loose details that you might have forgotten. Ed, therefore, did not protest. “I turned my back,” he said and chopped the chair like Jackie Chan, “and I heard the noise.”
His voice was thick, unsteady, and halting. He sounded as squirrely as he looked…and he looked pretty damn squirrelly right now.
“I turned around…and he was looking at me. He was standing there and he was looking at me.”
This was the fourth time he’d had Ed go through the story, and nothing had changed. Bruce felt something stirring deep inside his gut. It was either disquiet…or he had to fart. He opened his mouth to speak, but sighed.
“You don’t believe me,” Ed said.
“I dunno, Ed. Dead bodies don’t just get up and walk away.”
Ed flashed. “I know that, goddamn it, but this one did.”
Bruce glanced at Vanessa. She looked uncomfortable.
“Are you sure he was dead?” Bruce asked.
Ed opened his mouth, closed it again, and said, “I did the autopsy.” His voice broke on the last word, and he sounded almost like he was pleading. “His fucking liver’s on the floor. He stepped on it. The man has nothing in him. I-I’m telling you, there’s no way he’s alive.”
During the autopsy, Ed had sat Dominick Mason’s organs on the little tray table where he kept his pointy things. Mason knocked it over while getting up. Indeed, there were human organs on the floor, and one of them did look kind of squished. Bare, bloody footprints led to the exit door, up a set of concrete steps, and then disappeared in the alley behind the office.
“You said you left his heart,” Bruce said.
“And his brain,” Vanessa helpfully added.
Ed pinched the bridge of his nose like a put upon professor dealing with two particularly stupid students. “Even with his heart and his brain, he’s dead. You saw the livor mortis. He was cold, he was stiff. His heart wasn’t beating, he wasn’t breathing. He was in one of those drawers for nine hours, not breathing, no blood flow - it’s impossible. It’s just…it’s impossible. I don’t care what you think, he was dead. And even if somehow he wasn’t, I cut out almost everything. I opened his stomach, I took his spleen - you don’t just get up from that. You don’t walk away from that, much less run.”
Bruce chewed the inside of his bottom lip because he didn’t have a Twix. He didn’t look like the smartest man in the world…and he wasn’t…but he knew a dead body when he saw one, and the body they took out of Dominick Mason’s apartment was D.E.A.D. And like Ed said, even if by some freak fluke of nature he wasn’t, he couldn’t just get up and go about his day with no liver, spleen, or kidneys. Hell, Bruce had his gallbladder out and he couldn’t even walk away from that.
“You said there was something funny about his heart,” Vanessa said.
Ed finished off his coffee. “Yeah. It was…moldy. I-I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Is it possible that…has something to do with it?”
“Unless the rules of biology have changed overnight, no,” Ed stated.
While Ed poured himself another cup of Joe, spilling some because he was still shaking, Vanessa took Bruce aside. “So what do you think?” she asked. “Is he telling the truth?”
For that, Bruce did not have an immediate answer. All else aside, he was a cop. He followed the evidence - and his gut instinct - wherever it led him. Ed was a sober man - he was not a drunk, insane, or stupid - and no man on earth could fake the look of trauma in his eyes. Bruce’s eyes went to the bloody footprints leading away from the exam table and his stomach roiled. It might be cliched, but there had to be a rational explanation. “Yeah,” he finally said. “The kid got up like he said, but there’s no way he was dead. Maybe…I dunno, he had a surge of adrenaline or something. I’m not a doctor.”
“That’ll only get him so far,” Vanessa said. “We’ll probably find him on the street somewhere.”
He went back to the purple splotches on Dom’s face, to his cold stiffness. There’s no way he was dead?
Bruce was confused, and he hated being confused.
“I dunno,” he said, “maybe.”
But he had the gnawing feeling that they wouldn’t. They would never find him…and Bruce would be confused forever.
Goddamn it, Mason, he thought, where are you?

Hey everyone. It’s been two weeks since I stopped eating sugar! It went by so quickly but also dreadfully slow. Here are some things I’m noticing:
1: sleep - I’m still very tired but I go to bed a lot easier. It used to take me about an hour at minimum to fall asleep, but recently (legit started three days ago) I basically knock out at around the same time every night which is exactly 8 hours before I typically wake up.
2: physicality - in the last week I have started going on very long walks, to reach a 10k step min since I’m very sedentary, and it gasses me out truly but for some reason I can keep my legs moving even though I am so so tired. Idk if that’s sugar or fitness but I think it’s all related.
3: I am definitely less bloated in general which I didn’t even notice until I did and that’s great!
4: my brain fog and processing hasn’t improved remarkably. I was really hoping for a limitless effect. But it’s feels like less of a pain in the ass to do some of the mental tasks I used to give up on doing. Still takes effort, and while it doesn’t feel like a joy to do like I was hoping, it’s more of like a menial task versus a dreaded chore.
5: mental health - I used to wake up and be immediately depressed. Like first thought of the day was a negative one. The last couple of days that hasn’t been the case. That is not to say I am cured of my mental health issues, but it is very interesting that that seems to have stopped (for now — will keep track)
I feel like I’m on a pretty good path and I’m feeling motivated to do another two weeks and see where we get in a month.

I recently just had a FWB who I was actual friends with ghost me and it hurts pretty bad. I (M34) met T (M32) about 2 years ago. We went on a few dates but ultimately T decided he didn't want to seriously date because he had recently gotten out of a 6 year relationship. We had gotten along well enough and decided to be friends. Over the last 2 years we have actually gotten fairly close and I truly consider him to be a good friend.
One night in September 2023 T was crashing at my apartment after a night of drinking and we ended hooking up. That started a FWB situation that lasted 3 or so months in which we started spending much more time together (1 - 2 times a week). T expressed he didn't want anything serious because he was finishing residency and moving to another city in August 2024, which I understood. However, things started feeling a bit couple-y - kissing when we said goodbye, spending nights together, etc. Hooking up really wasn't a focal point and it didn't happen every time we were together. I ended up developing feelings for T and was honest with him about it in December 2023. He said he really liked me and I would be the first person he would date if he was in a place to do so, but his emotional availability wasn't there. I accepted this, but we agreed to going back to a platonic relationship because our friendship was the most important thing.
We ended up spending NYE together and hooked up one last time. The last time we saw each other was the end of January where we spent a day together going to an event. Everything felt like the normal friendship we had previously. Since then, T has been extremely distant. In early March I asked him if something was wrong and he just said that the end of residency was coming up really fast and he was just stressed with everything, which was understandable. However, it's been 4 months now and he's basically stopped reaching out to me. Every time I ask to hang out he just says he's busy and "maybe next week."
This happened again last week, which prompted me to ask him if something happened to reconsider staying friends after everything, and that I didn't want to push myself on him if that was the case. I never got a response. Three days later, I assumed his lack of response was the way he felt. I told him I was stepping back from reaching out for now, but really wanted to work things out with him if he felt there was an issue and truly valued our friendship. No response to that either.
It's becoming clear to me now that he is likely ghosting me and I'm not sure why. I'm feeling pretty confused and hurt because I really valued him as a friend. I could use some insight from anyone who might have gone through a similar situation. I'd like to salvage our friendship but I don't know if it's too late or if there's anything I can do at this point.
TLDR: My friendship turned into a FWB that lasted for 3 months, and now he has ghosted me after saying that staying friends was important to him.

Hi Everyone!
This is my first write-up of any kind of unresolved mystery, on any platform, so I apologize for any formatting errors and my storytelling ability. Today I would like to hear your thoughts on the very mysterious death of Noah Presgrove, a 19 year old from Comanche Oklahoma. I have tried to be as thorough as possible with the details, but there is a great deal of conflicting information in the news reports, so I primarily used facts stated by Noah's family in interviews. With that said, let's begin...
Noah Presgrove was a handsome, athletic 19 year old from Comanche Oklahoma, which is located just south of Oklahoma City in the middle of the state. Noah had recently graduated high school in the spring of 2023 and was waiting for his cousin to do the same the following year so they both could enlist in the Marine Corp together and serve our country. By all accounts Noah was a ladies man, standing at 6'2" with an athletic build, in high school he was a 4-sport athlete with American Football and Wrestling among them. His family also says he was adventurous, kind and very much a jokester who would happily play pranks on his family. Last Labor Day weekend, the first weekend of September 2023, Noah was deciding between attending Rocklahoma, an annual 3-day hard rock and metal festival held in Pryor, Oklahoma, with family members or attending a 4-day Labor Day weekend bash/22nd birthday party of a friend. Noah considered going to Rocklahoma, but changed his mind when the family members he'd be attending with said they didn't think it was a good idea for Noah's 16 year old friend to join them there, since they didn't know this friend's family and Rocklahoma is big for consuming alcohol. With that, everyone went their own way to celebrate the holiday weekend.
The Labor Day/Birthday party was for a female friend of Noah's who was turning 22. It had been advertised on Snapchat, even containing the address, so quite a few people were expected to attend. Noah drove himself to the party on Saturday and by all accounts enjoyed himself. He did text his family member who was at Rocklahoma and express regret at not going with them, but it doesn't appear that this put too much of a damper on his attitude at the house party. After spending Saturday at the birthday girl's house, Noah returned home Sunday, probably to freshen up and take care of any outstanding errands or just check in with his grandmother, with whom he lived. Also, Noah's car was leaking from the oil pan, so it sounds like part of the reason to return home was to leave it there so he wouldn't have to worry about it. There are two stories about what happened next: The first is that one of Noah's friends picked him up from his house on Sunday, but took him to a truck stop so he could grab some food from the Sonic there. Oddly, the friend who took him there says he left him there and Noah was then given a ride to the party by the birthday girl, who had to come pick him up. The other story is that his best friend picked him up from his house and took him directly to the party, leaving him in the driveway. Either way, Noah was back at the party on Sunday and according to those present, was very much enjoying himself. There were videos from the party showing Noah and his friends doing "guy things" like the Slap Game, where two people try to slap each other across the face as hard as they can. Just "macho" drunken teenage guy things. There was also video from the party of the guests playing "classic" party games such as beer pong.
With all the drinking going on, some issues were bound to arise. A confrontation happened between Noah and his best friend. Noah had been in a corner with his best friend's girlfriend and apparently they had their backs to everyone else while talking. The best friend took exception to this and an argument ensued. Luckily, it did not become physical and they made up shortly after, but this event with the best friend and his girlfriend is important for later. A second confrontation occurred between Noah and a 16 year old guest that did become physical. The 16 year old accused Noah of hiding his phone, although the reasons why he thought Noah did it have not been stated. During the argument the kid "fishhooked" Noah and Noah returned the favor by biting his finger. It seems like the other people there were able to diffuse the situation and the kid's phone was found underneath another guest who was sleeping on a couch. As the day went on, things continued to become crazier as the people at the party drank more and more. At one point girls at the party started signing their names on Noah's torso and buttocks, writing things such as "Noah's hot!" and drawing a cartoon penis on his rear-end. Noah and the best friend he had the argument with even drove a John Deere "Gator" UTV "Side by Side" around the property, but stopped when Noah scrapped his hand almost flipping it over. Some people even say that Noah was tossed from the UTV, but he was checked out by a nurse at the party and she said he had nothing to worry about. Another event worth mentioning is that the birthday girl seemed to have a crush on Noah. Noah realized this, or was told this, and while talking to her about it called her a "fat, nasty b*tch". I assume that they were close friends and this is just a drunken teen being a drunken teen. An odd thing to mention is that this girl's mother, who also lives in the home, had told Noah's family that she believed Noah wanted her sexually. Whether this is true or not, I have no clue, but it seems a very weird thing to say to the family of a 19 year old your daughter is friends with.
So here's where the mystery comes in. Early Monday morning (September 4th, 2023), after 2:00am, the guests say that Noah was upset about something and that it might have had to do with sleeping in either the birthday girl's or her mother's bed. One of them either heard, or saw, Noah attempting to sleep in their bed and demanded that he go on the floor. This apparently upset Noah so much that he said he needed to go out for a walk, completely drunk, very early in the morning. The guests say Noah was wearing his best friend's shorts (we'll get to his clothes later) and could only find one of his shoes, so he grabbed another shoe lying around the house and took off out the front door. The house had a 1/2 mile long driveway that then went out to US-81, a major North-South highway that runs for 1,200+ miles through the central US. At 3:41am, a friend of Noah's posted a weird Snapchat: a photo of a girl at the party smiling, with the caption "well, Noah's missing". This was the last Snapchat posted by any of the partygoers after days of constant videos and pics. Around 5:00am, a semi-truck driving along US-81 saw something he believed to be a body lying on the shoulder of the road. After driving past, he became concerned and turned around to confirm what he saw. By the time he got back, two other vehicles had stopped in front of the lifeless body of Noah on the shoulder. He was completely naked wearing only 2 mismatched shoes and curled up in a fetal position. He appeared to have blunt force trauma to the back of his head. He had small scrapes on his left shoulder and left hip and his fingertips on both hands were reported as being "shredded", down to the bone. Noah's front top and bottom teeth had also been knocked out and they were found scattered at the scene. There was no blood found at the scene, other than a small amount around Noah's injuries. Very concerning was the fact that there was no writing on his body anywhere. Not on his torso and not on his buttocks. The shorts Noah was wearing were found folded up next him. The people at the party said "They must've been knocked off when he was hit.", which obviously does not make sense.
Around 6:00am, with the police already notified by the people who found Noah, all Snapchat's/social media from people at the party was deleted. His friends and acquaintances at the party say they have no idea what led up to his death and they were unaware of it. The police did not search the house because they said: "Noah wasn't found there.". They did eventually conduct a "mass" interview with all the partygoers. During this interview, Noah's best friend's girlfriend, the one that led to his first confrontation, told police she had never met Noah. She had wiped her phone so completely that even her boyfriend's number had been deleted. When the guests were asked about Noah being naked, the girls said they gave Noah a "shower", but Noah's mental state at the time, whether mildly drunk or completely inebriated, has been an area of dispute among the guests. Some say he was joking around and being himself while being showered, other accounts state that he was barely conscious. Noah's clothing he wore to the party that night has never been located. Police were told that after Noah showered his clothes were dirty, so he wore his friend's shorts. There is a rumor that his best friend's father found Noah's shirt from the party, which was then cut-up and distributed to the party attendees as a "memento". In addition to this event with his shirt, there is also information that his best friend's father had some of Noah's teeth in his pocket. He stated he "accidentally" picked them up from the crime scene. It's worth stating that this particular individual has been on Noah's family's Facebook memorial page for months, arguing with others on there. Just very odd behavior from an adult father who's son's best friend died mysteriously. But, on this same topic, NONE of the partygoers or their families have ever visited Noah's family to express their condolences. Never once.
Since Noah's friends and others at the party said they didn't know what happened, the police had their work cut out for them. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol obtained a "geofence" warrant covering a 1-1/2 mile radius around the party house. What they found was a bit disturbing. Around the time it is believed Noah died, 2 phones were traced as having left the house, heading to the location of his body. After briefly staying there, the two phones returned to the house. People at the party told a private investigator hired by Noah's family that they went out looking for Noah in the UTV/Gator that Noah and his friend had been on earlier. If they had really done this, they would have found him since the phones were at the spot Noah was found. It has not been released who exactly this was. Also revealed when police searched phones was a video of the birthday girl and her sister on their front porch, screaming at each other about Noah leaving the party. It is believed that this could be relevant. The Texas Rangers also became involved, due to the fact that two men at the party were from Texas. It is not known if these men are persons of interest. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol also quietly issued a warrant for a "black pick-up truck" believed to have been used to dump his body, but it is unknown why they are looking for this particular vehicle. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has unequivocally stated that this was 100% NOT a hit-and-run. They have now also said that this is NOT a murder investigation. The Medical Examiner's report released on Monday, May 13th 2024 stated that Noah died from "Multiple Blunt Force injuries", but list the manner in which this happened as "unknown". His report also detailed extensive injuries to the teen's upper body, including 10 broken ribs, serious skull, neck, and spine fractures, internal bleeding, brain and organ damage, and cuts and grazes all over his body. The autopsy also revealed air in both his cranial cavity and spinal cord, extremely rare conditions only caused by massive head trauma. The family has heard rumors that a golf club from the set in his best friend's truck may have been involved, but nothing else has come of this.
The family has engaged with a private investigator, who did uncover previously unknown information, and gave that to the police. They have also said that there is much more which has not been publicly released and that the search of the phones did uncover good information. Also according to the family, some evidence has been covered-up or lost and that the day after the party, the birthday girl's house and property reeked of bleach. Despite this, his family says good things are going on behind the scenes.
So, with all of the above information, it doesn't seem to be a stretch to say that someone from the party knows something. It is my personal belief that this case will be resolved, but I think three things will have to happen: Time, Pressure and Guilt. At some point in the future, someone from the party will feel guilty, or media pressure will get to them and they will talk. Unfortunately, it may take some time unless the police uncover new evidence sooner. Thank you very much for reading this, but please let me know your thoughts on this case and feel free to ask questions.
Sources:
Podcast (Interview w/ Noah's family): https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jimny-carpenteepisodes/The-Suspicious-Murder-Of-Noah-Presgrove-Part-1-e2dchac
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13421341/Oklahoma-teen-Noah-Presgrove-beaten-death-gang-doctor-claims.html
https://kfor.com/news/local/m-e-releases-more-details-in-19-year-olds-death/
https://www.foxnews.com/us/oklahoma-teen-military-hopefuls-family-cant-imagine-was-murdered-offers-theory-about-last-hours

I want to be very sensitive when writing it here, but I have been dealing with unbearable guilt and wanted to know if what I am doing is wrong. I really do not want to trigger anyone, but I will be writing about a very sad situation.
I (33M) have been married to my wife (31F) for 6 years and we have a 3-year-old kid. We are very happy together and I am lucky to be married to a very kind and smart woman. My wife's best friend Ana (fake name for anonymity) has been living with us for the last 6 months.
I wanted to talk about Ana to give a full context of why I am making my decision. Ana is my wife's best friend since school days. Ana was living in the city with her boyfriend, and we live in the suburbs of that city. They seemed happy together and were in relationship for 2 years. However, my wife noticed bruises on Ana's hand last year and asked her about it. Initially, Ana dismissed it as work related injuries. My wife kept on probing, and we learned that Ana was in an extremely toxic and abusive relationship. Her boyfriend lost his job last year and became extremely controlling and abusive towards her. He constantly accused her of cheating (Ana denies it), made her link her phone messenger to his computer and started micromanaging finances. There was an incident of domestic violence that was the final straw and my wife, and I had to rush to the hospital to look after Ana.
Since Ana's parents are mostly absent from her life, my wife asked me if Ana can stay with us for a few days. We are three people living in a 4-bedroom house and have two spare guest rooms. I of course agreed to it and told her that Ana can stay with us as long as she wants. I think the incident completely broke Ana and she would just start crying randomly and completely shut down. It was really sad to see Ana in that state. She had to leave her job due to mental issues and stayed at home in the room all day. My wife is very kind and took care of Ana like she was family and made sure she felt loved. Ana is also thankful to my wife and I to help her in her worst time, and helps around the house and with our kid (though we never leave him alone with Ana). Ana, now is coming back to normal, smiles sometimes and has started looking for job again.
Now onto the incident. Last Friday, my wife and I went to work as normal and dropped our son at daycare. I had a doctor's appointment at noon and came straight home from there as I did not have a lot of work in office. I made some lunch, and then went to my room to sit in my bed and reply to all the emails. Ana was in her room, and I did not talk to her after I came home.
Around 2pm, I heard Ana's room door open and her walking in the hallway. Suddenly, our bedroom door opened, and Ana walked in topless and just in her underwear. I was shocked and not sure how long I was staring at her. But after a few seconds, I blurted out "I am sorry!", and she quickly covered herself with her hands. She was apologetic and started explaining herself. She said she just wanted to borrow my wife's clothes because her laundry was unwashed. It was super embarrassing to have conversation with her in that state and I looked away. She again apologized and then went out of the bedroom. The incident lasted less than 2 minutes.
After a while, she again came back into our bedroom (fully dressed) and apologized for the incident. She said it was really embarrassing and she did not know anyone will be home. I said it's ok and I should have told her I am back early from office when I came home. She asked me to not mention about the incident to my wife. She said she feels embarrassed she walked around the hallway without clothes and that I saw her in that state. I said it's ok and lets forget about it.
I have not told my wife about the incident and it's been 5 days. It was just a benign incident, but I somehow feel guilty about the whole thing. I feel more guilty that I am lying to my wife by omission of the truth. However, I feel that if my wife takes it the wrong way, it may strain her relationship with Ana, and I really feel bad for Ana what she had to go through. I also do not want to make Ana uncomfortable in our house by telling my wife about her barging into our bedroom in that state.
Am I the AH in this case for not talking about this incident to my wife. I am afraid that if Ana tells it to her first, it will make me look really bad and guilty. However, if I tell her, I do not want her to blame Ana for any of this and not help her in time of her need. Can someone please help me on how I can tell my wife about this?

Part 72 Gene mods (Part 1) (Part 71)
[Support me on Ko-fi so I can get some character commissions done and totally not buy more Gundams]
“Alright, calm down. It's really not that serious.” Though the holographic representation of War Chief Neshkaname, complete with ocean blue eyes and linear facial tattoos on his tan face, looked quite noticeably tired, his overall demeanor seemed fairly positive. “I just got out of a meeting with representatives from the different protesting groups and all of them agree with the general idea of what we're trying to do with our united defense fleet. There's just quite a bit of disagreement about how our Confederacy should approach the questions related to Earth, Mars, and everyone in Sol.”
“What kind of questions are we talking about here?” General Robert Andrews, the now former General of the US Army, was the first to speak up amongst the crowd of military leaders. “Nothing about invading Earth, I hope.”
“Well…” Though Rob was only half serious about his comment concerning Earth, the way the commanding officer of the Nishnabe Militia’s Blue Fleet began his response put a genuinely concerned expression on a few faces from Sol. “It's only a small percent of our population who are calling for war to reclaim land. A few million people at most, none of whom hold any positions of leadership in our military. Luckily, there are far more people calling for boycotts, embargoes, or blockades as opposed to anything direct.”
“War Chief, to many governments on Earth, an embargo, and especially a blockade, would be considered akin to a direct declaration of war.” General Renee Descartes, the former Chief of Defense Staff of France and Second in Command of the European Union's Unified Military, despite the dark bags under her eyes implying she hadn't gotten anywhere near enough sleep before this meeting, retained her rather elegant poise when adding that bit of necessary context. “You see, the economy of Earth is highly reliant on importing raw materials from space. With the climate being as delicate as it is, no one is willing to risk the kinds of planetside resource harvesting necessary to keep the thirteen billion people in the Earth’s Sphere of Influence employed, fed, and happy. More importantly, we are starting to run out of easily accessible mineral deposits in space.”
“Yes, the lunar mines and the near-Earth asteroid colonies still under UN-E control simply aren't producing nearly enough material to meet growing demand.” Admiral Nathaniel Adeoye, who had also given up his position as the Chief of Astral Naval Staff of the African Federation, chimed in with a clearly worried tone in his deep voice. “While I can understand the rage some of your people must feel, especially towards Americans, the many different people of Africa were in no way responsible for the colonization of America. In fact, we were subject to colonialism ourselves.”
“At least y'all still got yahr homelands!” Commandant General Daniel Chasinghorse, the former Commander of the entirety of MarsGov's Void-Marine Corps, didn't mean for his statement directed at Adeoye to sound as vitriolic as it did. However, the idea of him, his Lakota people, and all the displaced Native American Nations who were now mostly living in space or on Mars potentially being included in the Nishnabe’s reasonably negative reaction towards the people of Earth had put him on edge. “Sorry for snappin’ at yah like that, Nate. But the people livin’ on Mars ain't nothin’ done to deserve bein’ restricted by an embargo or blockade. We need all the extra-Solar tech we can get if we're gonna keep our population's health from declining even further. And I’m sure the African Lunar colonies could really use that medical and gravity tech too!”
“Nothing's been decided yet, and most people on Shkegpewen want peace, we just haven't reached a consensus on how that peace will look.” War Chief Msko Pkwenech, the commander of the Nishnabe Militia’s Red Fleet, interjected while making an open gesture with his hands to try to pat down the tension building up in this meeting room. “And if helps at all, we did take quite a few public votes concerning technology sharing for things we consider essential. But Maser probably has quicker access to the results than I would.”
“About ninety percent of respondents voted to immediately authorize and start sending out medical and gravity tech, including a production ship to come out and make things in-system, which is well above the seventy-five percent consensus needed to move forward.” As soon as the Light-born AI holographically representing their consciousness as an androgynous human began to speak in an incredibly soothing tone, the stress levels in the room began to fall. “There are currently a few councils debating the finer details and arranging logistics of what will be sent. However, the specifics of who gets what and when they get it will be negotiated between the respective governments in Sol and the Nishnabe Intergovernmental Council. Our job as the United Human Defense Fleet is not to interfere with diplomacy between nations, just to ensure that diplomacy is handled in a reasonable and non-threatening manner. Now, with that said, the vote to provide essential assistance was just one if a few taken over the last couple weeks. And while that poll was overwhelming and definitive, the ones concerning visas, immigration, galactic trade, and interspecies relations all fell below the consensus threshold for the Confederacy to adopt an official policy. When we say embargoes and blockades, we are purely referring to trade interactions between species, not between humanity and your economic exclusive zone. Once the relevant councils develop updated options for people to vote on, the next vote will be held.”
“An’ how long's all that gonna take?” Commandant Admiral Carol Nez, as the former head of MarsGov’s Astral Intelligence Collective and Councilmember in the Navajo Nation of Mars, was keenly aware of both the pressing urge of many on the red planet to live on a world with a breathable atmosphere and how just long it often took to for Native Nations to build a consensus. “Everaday we got at least a thousand babies born in Martian maternity stations an’ at least thirty percent ‘ave some kinda health issues. The sooner we get y'all's medical tech, the more kids that're gonna grow up to be happy an’ healthy!”
“We are well aware of the negative health implications of trying to raise children in low-gravity.” Msko already had his tablet out and was in the process of sending over the relevant information to his counterparts from Earth and Mars. “Our genetic modification technologies require individualized sequencing but they can be applied before or after birth to correct any serious issues. They can even be used well into adulthood. I got my eye color changed when I became an adult, so we can help anyone who hasn’t already gotten cybernetic replacements for affected body parts. All of our ships still in Sol are actively trying to produce as much of the base materials as they can and are working with doctors from your stations to get everything deployed as quickly as possible.”
“Why don’cha just teach our docs how to do it?” As soon as Carol got the question out, Msko and Nesh shot each other cautious glances before they both looked towards Maser.
“Well, Commandant Admiral Nez…” As soon as the hologram of the AI began to speak, it was clear their words were directed at everyone present from Sol. “To be completely blunt with all of you, we have reason to believe that the moment people from either Mars or Earth got full access to the genetic manipulation technology the Nishnabe utilize, someone would begin conducting experiments to turn humans into living weapons even more dangerous than the cybernetic ones you already produce. The cybernetics sported by many of your civilians would be legally considered military-grade combat modifications, and individuals with those cybernetics would be barred from entering many GCC standard space stations. We know there are doctors within both UN-E and MarsGov already working on projects to modify your species genome to produce what you call super soldiers, which something which is generally highly illegal under GCC laws. In fact, the genetic manipulation done to Sarah and Johnathan McAfree would likely be considered combat adjacent modifications according to GCC standards, and they would also be subject to various limitations due to their enhanced physiology.”
“Hey, now! Spooky an’ ‘er brother ain’t that scary!” Though he had been spending most of this meeting quietly sitting in his corner of the round table and trying to stay out of things he considered to be beyond his expertise, Professor Mikhail T. River felt compelled to say something now that his ex and her brother had been brought up. “Sure, she can bench press me. An’ Johnny can pick up the stove to sweep under it. But that ain't the gnarliest I ever seen! I mean, jus’ look at Comandante Harrison over here!”
/----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While the members of the United Human Defense Fleet Council were in their meeting and discussing the rumors of Nishnabe protests Sarah had also caught wind of, that was far above her paygrade. Despite a tinge of concern fluttering away in the back of the unusually tall and rather athletically built Scotswoman’s mind, she wasn't worried about the things she had no control over. At the moment, she, her rather short and somewhat pudgy mother, and her colossal but cognitively limited brother were relaxing in the stables of the opulent nature area aboard UHDF DS-1 and spending time with the unicorn-like kaehi'xito that Mik had gifted to them. Though the three gingers were each busy with different things most of the day, Donna and Johnny with their Nishnabemwin and remote job training courses while Sarah performed her role as an intelligence analyst, the small family from Glasgow truly cherished this time they got to spend together. And the fact they were bonding with the closest living creatures in the galaxy to unicorns only made this even better for all of them.
“Hey Sarah! There you are!” As soon as Miakorva's voice called out from the entrance to the stable building, Sarah, her family, and the three unicorn-like creatures turned to see the Qui’ztar approaching them with familiar canine at her side. “And look who I found wandering around the ship! Did you know that Mikhail lets her walk around unsupervised?”
“Hiya Mia!” Being the closest to the entrance, Johnny was the first to greet the lanky and seemingly muscular blue woman before he crouched down low and extended a hand towards the Cane Corso. “An’ Micky lets her roam cuz she's a good girlie. Isn't tha’ righ’, Terry?”
“Terry Good dog!” Terry’s soft but deep whine was translated by her collar while she approached the man with her tail vigorously wagging.
“Terry's a trained station guard dog, Mia.” Sarah added while shooting the Qui’ztar intelligence officer a cheeky wink and coy smile. “It's ‘er job to wander a station, ‘r in this case a ship, an’ be on the lookout for trouble. An’ now that she can talk, she's a perfect workin’ animal. But wha’s up? Were yah lookin’ for me?”
“Oh, yes. Yes, I was. But… uh…” Mia paused for a moment as she watched the massive beast of a dog place her paws on Johnny's shoulders and begin licking the man's face as if he had smothered some kind of invisible but quite tasty treat across his skin. “Isn’t there a concern that Terry may… Well… Hurt someone? Her species are non-sapient apex predators with strong hunting instincts, correct?”
“Tha's why she and most other workin’ dogs ‘re so well trained, love.” Donna replied with a giggle, the adorable display of affection between her son and Mik's dog forcing a massive smile across her freckled and slightly wrinkled face. “There's always a bit o’ risk with dogs, especially the biggins like Terry ‘ere. But if these unicorns aren't freakin’ out cuz o’ ‘er, then we don’ gotta be worried.”
“Kaehi'xito didn’t evolve with canine predators, so they likely don't even recognize her as a potential threat.” As Mia watched the beast of a dog lean more of her weight on to Johnny, she half expected the large and well-built man to fall over from the force. However, much to her surprise, the man stopped his energetic scratching on Terry's sides, wrapped his arms around her waist, and effortlessly lifted the gargantuan animal into the air, all the while it continued to lick his face. “But seeing you carry that creature like a baby would be enough to make almost anyone with caniphobia be cautiously curious about these creatures. And they must not be as heavy as they look if you can pick one up so easily.”
“Oh, Terry’s a thickin! At least fifteen stone!” In a motion that seemed in utter opposition to Johnny's comment, the man half-tossed the Cane Corso into the air so that he could reposition his hands to cradle the massive canine as if she were a literal baby. “But she's still a good lil pupper, ain't yah, Terry?”
“Terry, good baby!” Though Terry hadn't started flailing or showing any obvious signs of discomfort, she suddenly turned her head towards Sarah with a longing look in her golden eyes. “Pack-mother cuddle?”
“Yeah, sure, yah big ol’ lunk.”
Though Mia could believe a man as impressively large as Johnny may not have much difficulty in lifting a hundred kilo canine, she was completely flabbergasted by Sarah's ability to simply pull Terry from Johnny's grasp and continue to hold the animal up without even the slightest indication of strain. Not only had she just gotten confirmation that this creature was just as heavy as she thought, Miakorva was now being faced with the fact that the woman she had been cuddling with a night for quite some time was significantly stronger than she had realized. According to all the interspecies education she had received, which may have been slightly biased by the Qui’ztar professor teaching the courses, her own species had the highest ratio of strength to body mass of any Ascended species. And while she was aware that this woman she had formed a relationship with weighed about the same as she did despite being several centimeters shorter, Mia had yet to witness Sarah's capabilities demonstrated in such a casual manner.
“By the Matriarch, Sarah!” The lanky blue woman couldn't help herself as her bioluminescent freckles lit up at the shocking display of strength. “How are you that strong?!?”
“Gene mods.” Though Sarah didn't hesitate in her answer, she did wince slightly as she did so. “Me muscles’re almost twice as dense as the average human's. Tha's actually somethin’ I had to talk to Maser an’ NAN abou’ the other day. ‘Parently tha’ ain't a thing most species do for some reason. Bu’ I'm pre’y sure we talked abou’ tha’ already.”
“You did mention it but… Well… I didn't realize your people's genetic engineering was that sophisticated. But I guess that does confirm a couple of the rumors I've heard that I was going to ask you about.”
“Wha’ rumors?” Donna blurted out with a bit too defensive of a tone as her eyes fell upon her son who had gone back to brushing his vaguely moose-like unicorn. “An’ who's spreadin’ ‘em?”
“Well…” Mia hesitated for a moment, causing the two Scotswomen to shoot her suspicious looks. “I was assisting with the logistical planning with the Nishnabe in charge of the distribution of medicine to people on Earth and Mars, most of which involved genetic modification serums. And when I asked why there was no plan, or even consideration, of passing on the technology so it could be locally produced, the people I was working with told me there were rumors of… Well… My people would call it Qui'kijarto niko'txo, which would roughly translate to an enhanced soldier project.”
“Yahr people tried to make super soldiers, too?” Sarah asked with a laugh that implied a sense of relief.
“No!” The instant denial caused Sarah to cease her laughter and forced a slight frown on her rather pale and freckled face. “As soon as my people began developing genetic engineering almost thirty thousand years ago, our government and scientific community came together to completely outlaw any attempts to enhance our form in a way that would make us even deadlier in combat. Besides that, even after thirty thousand years of research, we have only recently mastered the ability to stabilize our genetics and guard against speciation due to diverse environmental conditions.”
“Yah really tryin to tell us yahr people never tried to improve themselves?” The older Scotswoman chimed in with a clearly doubtful expression. “No one ever tried to give their kids an advantage in life? Super soldiers experiments ain't the only thing we use gene modding for.”
“Well… No… I don’t believe we ever have.” Mia hadn't really put much thought into it, even when she and Sarah had talked about it before. But now she was starting to realize that an attempt to give a child an advantage in life by increasing their physical capabilities could directly translate to turning that child into an ideal soldier. “As far as I know, very few other species have engaged in that form of genetic modification. And the ones who have tried struggled to produce anything truly successful.”
“Gene mods ain't always successful, Mia.” Johnny didn't bother to look away from the unicorn he was brushing as he made the comment lest he see the sadness that suddenly appeared in his mother's eyes. “Bu’ I learned the other day tha’ Nishnabe gene tech is way better than wha’ we got on Earth. Maybe they'll ‘ave some stuff to teach us after they feel we're trustworthy enough to learn it.”

Sorry for any errors and the length, this is my first Reddit post. My bf (mid 20s M) and I (mid 20s F) have been together for 4 years living together for 2. He really is amazing in all areas except for the fact that he gets super defensive any time I bring any concern or complaint to him no matter the manner. I’ve tried to tell him when he upsets me in the calmest way possible and he will immediately lose it and somehow find a way to flip it back on me.
For background, a combo of my family and tough life experiences had led me to be terrible at communicating my feelings. This was an issue for bf from the beginning and I’ve worked my ass off (therapy, a lot of uncomfortable conversations, practice, etc.) to be able to be open and tell him when I’m upset by something he does. Now that I’m able to do so, he seems to shut down whenever I try though. He also wouldn’t apologize for anything if he thought he wasn’t 100% wrong and unjustified for being wrong for the first 3 years. He finally came around and understood that sometimes you need to apologize for things that unintentionally hurt people. Whenever he brings an issue to me, I immediately feel bad and apologize for the sole reason that I hurt or upset him even if completely unintentional. I genuinely feel bad if I have upset him and have worked hard to not do the million things he’s asked me to do (most were valid, I was pretty emotionally roughed up when we first started dating).
So last night I was doing laundry late. I finished a brutal grad school semester a few days ago but work remote and am starting a second job in person in a couple weeks, bf works full time job. I put my clothes from the dryer on the bed then went to put the new load in and switch the current load from washer to dryer. We were finally going to sit down to watch tv after I cooked dinner, cleaned the dishes, and had been working remote (easy work admittedly) all day. (for context this is the first week in a month i haven’t had to be in the library studying for finals for 18 hours per day) Bf asked if I wanted to watch in bed instead of on the couch so I said yes but that I needed to fold my laundry first. After that, bf started walking around doing random tasks and was obviously dilly dallying.
This has happened multiple times before where my clothes have been on the bed and he’s just pushed them over and laid down next to them and I’ve said twice before that it hurts my feelings when he does that bc I’ve obviously had a long day (not this time but in the past) and alwayssss help him with his laundry or fold it when he’s gone (even though i know i’m not expected to) and he has helped me fold my laundry twice ever in the time we’ve been together. And I had to ask both times. I said it would be nice if he offered sometimes and he got mad at be both prior times and said I shouldn’t expect him to do my chores. I’ve said that I truly don’t expect that but when you’re sitting right next to me and i’m folding all my laundry and you don’t move a muscle or offer to help so it’ll go quicker then I feel like it’s rude bc I always offer or just do it for you.
So last night after he didn’t help me again and even asked if that was all i had left (a huge pile lol) he asked if I was upset and I said no but asked if he was purposely stalling so he wouldn’t have to offer (i said this in seriously the calmest tone possible and was even half joking and laughing about it). Then came the predictable argument where he’s yelling at me about how I could’ve done it all day long and that I waited for him to come to bed so he’d help me and how he does all of this stuff for the apartment and that he’s not lazy but that I can’t get mad at him for not wanting to help and that he’s not going to offer bc i shouldn’t expect him to help with my laundry. I apologized and explained that I don’t expect him to but that it would be nice if he at least offered SOMETIMES. It ended with him furious at me, me in tears, and us not having sex again for about 2 weeks now bc I “killed the mood.” After I continuously apologized for even bringing it up and for us not having sex, he responded each time with something sassy to say (e.g., I said I’m sorry for killing the mood and that I’d love to have sex tomorrow if he still wants to and he responded THREE times with something along the lines of how he would’ve loved to tonight but i had to bring up the laundry etc).
I feel frustrated bc I don’t feel like I can communicate openly if he’s going to yell or laugh or roll his eyes at me every time I bring it up but if I don’t tell him when I’m upset then he’s also mad. I don’t want to be a nag but I don’t feel like I’m bringing things up all that often at all. I love him so much and he really is an amazing boyfriend but the defensiveness makes me so upset. So i guess AITAH for wanting him to offer every once in a while to help with my laundry?

Just gonna get this out there, I have problems with my erection. It's been an issue for a long time and it's an issue that'll likely never be resolved. I do however have ways to mitigate it. I told my gf about it within a week of us starting dating. We are now at 2 months. She assured me that she was fine with it and said she was impressed how honest I was this early on.
Unfortunately I have a very high libido and the methods I use to keep up my erection can't be used as often as I'd like to have sex. She too has a high libido which has resulted in rather frustrating moments at times. Regardless, we dealt with them and intercourse wasn't the only form of sex. I really liked my gf and thought I had finally found the one. Then the thing happened. I'm sure y'all can see where this is going, but I'm gonna spell it out anyway.
We have some common friends, but both of us also have our own friend groups. Due to us hanging out a lot together, attachments had began to form between all three groups. That's how it spread. Apparently my gf had told one or more of her girlfriends about my issue, who in turn told their boyfriends. They apprently thought it was hilarious and decided to spread the secret to the whole group. Some of my gfs guyfriends, who even she admitted had a thing for her, started to openly mock me at a gathering with everyone present. Some of them laughed, including some of the people who I thought were my friends, most just stared in awkward silence. Not a single person, even my gf, came to my defence. She was red as a tomato and clearly didn't intend for this to happen. But I was pissed. I left immediately and she followed.
In the car back to my place I screamed and cried at her, mocking her for all her insecurities she had confided to me. She started crying and I realized I had gone too far. She wanted to leave the car and I let her off. Last I saw her, she was on the roadside on the phone. I held her in my rearview mirror till one of her friends picked her up just to be safe.
I drove home and that's when the real shitstorm started. Everyone, literally everyone started blowing up the various group chats and DMs for massively overreacting. The assholes who were into my gf disgusted me with their obvious white knighting. Only my gf was silent. I sent her a message saying that we needed to talk, but apparently one of her friends answered and told me to shut the fuck up until spoken to. It's been 2 days and the message bombardment hasn't stopped, but my gf hasn't answered. I guess I should be grateful that they didn't spread that information further. I don't think my gf wanted to hurt me, just like I didn't intend to hurt her. But she shouldn't have told my most embarrassing secret to anyone. AITAH?

England
Hello guys, I'm crying as I write this, and I have no idea what to do.
I started a new job last Tuesday. I worked Tuesday through Friday and then Monday, Tuesday, and today. I interviewed for the job three months ago and started last week, after finishing university. The company has two directors and two 'desks' that each perform a different function. I interviewed with one of the directors, although he was on the other desk from mine, so he was not my direct supervisor, I suppose. Usually, everyone gets interviewed by both of them at the same time, however my direct employer was unable to come due to a funeral. My first day was Tuesday, and my boss was not present. He was there Wednesday through Friday. I'd say he gave me quite negative vibes from the start, which was fine because he'd never met me before and was just figuring me out. He rarely worked around me, so he never noticed what I was doing. Everyone else had complimented me on how well I was doing and how well I suited the position.
The boss was absent on Monday and Tuesday of this week due to his wife's illness. So today was the first full day I'd been working well around him. Towards the end of the day, he brought me into an office, sat me down, and told me I wasn't the right fit. He stated I put in the effort but wasn't cut out for the industry (sales), which I don't understand because I sold a lot in my short time there.
I returned from the workplace, grabbed my bag, and attempted to slip out, but others asked where I was going. I thanked them everyone for their kindness and informed them that I had been let go; they were all surprised and thought i was joking.
The trouble is, I believe my boss had just had a horrible week due to his wife's illness, and today was my worst sales day yet, so I'm not sure if it was a rushed decision. I just don't understand it; he stated he appreciated my work and the number of calls I was making, and that they'd give me a great recommendation, but they fired me?
Anyway, sorry for the rant, people. I just wanted to talk to someone because I moved down to London from university a week and a half ago. I signed a contract for my house and used a loan to pay my first months rent. But I obviously don't have a job anymore. I think the contract is 12 months, therefore I don't know what to do.
My concern is, can they just terminate me for no reason after a week of work? I travelled 5 hours down here the day after my 21st birthday and am completely disoriented today. How do I go about getting paid for the week I worked?
I simply find it so unfair. They knew I had travelled so far and simply dumped me after a week. Is there any way I can get out of my house contract? Or any breach of workers rights? Does such thig exist?
Thank you, guys. If anyone has a job available in London, please let me know:)

Hello!
Tldr: Lift weights, get 1 gram protein per poind body weight, and maintain a deficit. It works.
This post is geared toward people who are trying to maintain as much muscle mass as possible while losing body fat.
23 6’1” M SW: 223.7 CW: 193.2 GW: 180 (lbs)
I have been keeping strong for a solid 4.5 months now, and am down 30 pounds! Could be 35-40 if I didn’t take a couple maintenance breaks or enjoy the occasional vacation or 10-15 drink evening, but here is my advice based on my success so far:

1. Focus on your protein in order to feel full on a deficit. I aim for a 1000 cal deficit daily, which puts me at 1800 per day. In addition to helping preserve muscle mass while losing fat, protein is highly satiating, so eating chicken breast, ground turkey, and salmon has been huge for me. And whey/casein shakes depending on time of day. I aim for 200 g protein per day.
   
2. Lifting weights with light cardio mixed in is the way to go (for muscle mass preservation). I lift 6x per week, doing PPLPPL then a rest day. I got a DEXA done in January, and again about a week ago, and have been able to shed 33 lbs of fat while gaining 3 lbs of muscle. The people that say you can’t build muscle and burn fat at the same time don’t know what they’re talking about! While in a deficit, I have still gotten stronger in all of my lifts, again something that the naysayers claim should not happen.
   
3. Consistency is key. Now, I like going out on Fridays and Saturdays. And I am a big dude, so I can have 10-15 drinks without getting sloppy (or getting a little sloppy). Count the drinks. Count the drunk food. You’ll see that at most, you set yourself back 0.5-1lb over a weekend. Not the end of the world when you’re losing two per week! A lot of people say to cut out alcohol completely, which is probably better, but you do not have to completely cut out fun/going out to achieve your goals! It may just take a little longer.
   

I’ll be back here when I polish off these last 13.2 lbs, hoping to accomplish it in 8 weeks. Anything is possible when you put your mind to it, and it is all a numbers game with CICO. Some stuff on top helps for specific goals, but track, workout, and get that protein, and you can do it!

So me and my gf are in a live in relationship and it’s been a year since we are together. At times I feel I am disrespected but am I overreacting because whenever I put this in-front of her she thinks I am stretching the topic.
So every call that I take for us she doubts everything. From minutest of the things. For example, we were having hard time cleaning our home so we decided upon hiring a maid. Because of our budget she agreed to cleaning the home two times a week. I tried my best to atleast convince her to clean the home three times a week. She declined and started telling how difficult and expensive things have become and how difficult it is for to finance her daughter’s education. She kept and saying that for another half hour. I called my gf (she was in the office) to tell her she will be cleaning the home for just two days and is not agreeing and stating her problems again and again. I told her to let’s just lock it for two days a week because if not then I will have to listen to her everyday because I work from home and I cannot listen to all of this daily.
Since I took a call and agreed upon two times a week. Since then my gf has been taunting me that why did I agree on it and I have got tired explaining that I cannot keep listening to her life problems on a daily basis. She keeps taunting me.
Now this is just one of the examples, she shows me middle finger any moment even in the bestest of the moods, goes rude at times. Taunts me for smallest of the things.
I do my best efforts to support our home financially, she got a project as a freelancer which could have paid off a good number. She took the project and delayed it for two months I kept on telling her how important this can be to us since my other business is at loss and how much we need that money, she stills delayed it. At last the client warned her that they will sue her and she has to refund the money back. Since she did not have the money I paid for it from my savings. I do everything to back her and support her but she just tends to degrade me in all the manners possible.
So we joke about how She keeps on asking for a big ring on the marriage proposal day and how beautiful it should be.
One weekend she went to her parents home, and told her mother that when you start finding a husband for me do let him know that I want a big ring for proposal.
I mean? Why will you tell your mother this? When I asked her she tells me anyways I am going to marry you I was just engaging in the conversation.
When we have a fight going on and I am trying to put my point she gets on a work phone call.
Whenever I try to address an issue, she replies by saying ‘what do you want’, ‘are you done stretching the topic’ and things like that.
A fews days back I watched a movie which I loved watching, I told her that I think we should watch this movie together because I feel the portrayal of love and compassion in this film is something worth watching.
She went on watching half of the film at her parent’s home on the weekend. I told her in a upsetting manner that how desperately I wanted to watch it with her despite already watching it. To which she replied what is the big deal I will watch it again with you.
But am I overreacting on all of this? Is this normal?
Tldr: I feel disrespected in my relationship but am I overreacting

TLDR: My partner had a very sudden manic episode turned into a psychotic break over the past week, and I'm not handling him being in a psych ward for the time being very well. It's honestly killing me, I'm so worried for him - I'm looking for advice and support on how to cope with this event.
My boyfriend (21M) and I (20F) have been together for nearly 3 years. For 2 years, we were long distance. In August 2023 is when we closed the distance and began living with each other in real life. Last week, the week of May 5th, is when this situation begun.
We frequently took edibles (weed) as part of our routine. Last Tuesday, he did just that - and while he was high, he started to get curious about his parents' finances. He began to text both his mother and father, asking questions about what they've saved up for their retirement. His mom seemed to be dodging his questions a lot, but eventually she told him that she estimated that both she and his father would have around 10-13 million after retirement. Not only this, but she also both implied and outright confirmed that my boyfriend would be inheriting this large amount of money after they pass away. This quickly unlocked a hyperfixation for him, and we began to talk about it together. It's all we talked about for that week, because we thought, why is this something that his mother would lie about? There's absolutely no understandable reason that she would have to lie about this. I should mention that, after Tuesday, he did not take any more edibles or substances, though regardless I feel that weed may have partially played a role in why this happened.
Throughout the week, as he was delving into this hyperfixation, his behavior began to change. I didn't truly notice it at the time, and just thought he was very reasonably acting a bit odd and excited because, this was a life changing thing that was presumably happening for the both of us. I didn't think to question his mother's statement. Me being passive to his behavior and not suspicious of his mother's statement and behavior is something I feel I am to blame for, because it turned out to be a slowly building manic episode. On Friday, May 10th, is when we found out that the 10-13 million inheritance was a lie. He was distraught - absolutely broken. Something snapped in him after that day.
On Saturday, he woke me up at 6-7 am. I suspect that he may not have slept Friday night into Saturday morning. He reassured me that he would be okay, we would both be okay after this, that we would get over it and be able to focus on something else. But very quickly throughout Saturday his behavior shifted drastically, and it turned into a full blown manic episode. For the entire first half of the day, he paced around our apartment, glued to his phone, spamming everyone in his life about the thoughts he had been having. It's normal for him to be on his phone a lot, so I didn't question this. I regret it so much, I should have noticed the signs. It's difficult for me to convey what exactly his thoughts were or what his hyperfixation was, because most of it didn't truly make sense, but the short version of it is that since the inheritance wasn't real, he began to hyperfixate on starting a business from the ground up with both me and his friends. It spiraled from there.
In the evening is when his behavior began to become violent and increasingly more erratic. He began to direct his frustration and anger towards me, starting to hyperfixate on me and our relationship, blaming me for the entire situation. We've had a difficult relationship, but we've always managed to come back full circle either way. He became paranoid of me, believed that I could hurt him, and so much more. It broke my heart. It's more than I can convey into words. Saturday evening into Sunday morning I stayed up all night with him, trying to handle the situation as best as I could, but it only got worse. Eventually, his parents arrived at our apartment. He's always had apprehensions about introducing me to his parents for multiple reasons, especially including the fact that we met online. He believed that they wouldn't understand it, and he didn't have a close relationship with his parents to begin with at all. It sucks that I could only meet them as this situation was going down.
Sunday, May 12th, is when his parents took him to the emergency room. It is only on the very next day, May 13th, that he was admitted into a psychiatric hospital. I'm heartbroken. I'm keeping in contact with his mother, but I haven't gotten many updates from her besides the fact that he's in a hospital and that they're waiting to hear from the doctor. Based on what I've seen with his behavior and researched, it seems that his manic episode eventually turned into a psychotic break. I also suspect that he may have bipolar 1 disorder. I'm not a doctor, but it matches up with everything that I've seen, and I'm devastated. It was horrible. His mother has bipolar disorder, though im not sure what type - though my partner did mention that his mother would have occasional manic episodes.
Now it's been three days in total since he's been gone. All I've been doing is grieving. I've eaten very little, all I've been doing is crying, and everything in our apartment reminds me of him. It's incredibly painful to be here without him because we spent all of our time together. I'm also worried about him being in the hospital itself - I don't want him to be mistreated by others or misdiagnosed. Psych hospitals can be very hit or miss, and it terrifies me. It's possible that he could be there for several weeks at the very least given how severe his mental state was. I just don't know what to do, or what this means for us in the future. He hasn't even gotten a diagnosis yet, from what I know. I just feel like I'm being kept in the dark. I don't know anything about what's happening at all. I just want him to be okay. How can I get through this? I don't think I can get through this. What happens when he gets back? Is he gonna be okay? Have any of you experienced what it's like to be kept in a psych hospital? I don't know what to do with myself when he comes back, I don't know how to support myself in the mean time, and I don't know what this means for us or for our relationship. I'm so, so scared. I'm terrified. I love him so much, I just want him to be okay.
I don't have many people around me to support me, so posting here has been my last resort. This is my first time dealing with a mental health crisis like this. I feel awful, I feel horrible, I feel like this is all my fault. I feel like if I saw the signs earlier, I could've prevented this, I could've grounded him, I could've brought him down from where he was headed. I don't know what exact mental illness he has yet, I can only assume based on what I've seen. But, has anyone ever been in a similar situation like this? What do I do with myself? I know he's getting the help that he needs, but I can't help but worry for him. I feel super isolated and alone and anxious in our apartment. It's empty here without him, incredibly empty.
If you've read this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read this. It means more to me than you know. So, once more, TLDR: My partner had a very sudden manic episode turned into a psychotic break over the past week, and I'm not handling him being in a psych ward for the time being very well. It's honestly killing me, I'm so worried for him - I'm looking for advice and support on how to cope with this event.

So me and my gf are in a live in relationship and it’s been a year since we are together. At times I feel I am disrespected but am I overreacting because whenever I put this in-front of her she thinks I am stretching the topic.
So every call that I take for us she doubts everything. From minutest of the things. For example, we were having hard time cleaning our home so we decided upon hiring a maid. Because of our budget she agreed to cleaning the home two times a week. I tried my best to atleast convince her to clean the home three times a week. She declined and started telling how difficult and expensive things have become and how difficult it is for to finance her daughter’s education. She kept and saying that for another half hour. I called my gf (she was in the office) to tell her she will be cleaning the home for just two days and is not agreeing and stating her problems again and again. I told her to let’s just lock it for two days a week because if not then I will have to listen to her everyday because I work from home and I cannot listen to all of this daily.
Since I took a call and agreed upon two times a week. Since then my gf has been taunting me that why did I agree on it and I have got tired explaining that I cannot keep listening to her life problems on a daily basis. She keeps taunting me.
Now this is just one of the examples, she shows me middle finger any moment even in the bestest of the moods, goes rude at times. Taunts me for smallest of the things.
I do my best efforts to support our home financially, she got a project as a freelancer which could have paid off a good number. She took the project and delayed it for two months I kept on telling her how important this can be to us since my other business is at loss and how much we need that money, she stills delayed it. At last the client warned her that they will sue her and she has to refund the money back. Since she did not have the money I paid for it from my savings. I do everything to back her and support her but she just tends to degrade me in all the manners possible.
So we joke about how She keeps on asking for a big ring on the marriage proposal day and how beautiful it should be.
One weekend she went to her parents home, and told her mother that when you start finding a husband for me do let him know that I want a big ring for proposal.
I mean? Why will you tell your mother this? When I asked her she tells me anyways I am going to marry you I was just engaging in the conversation.
When we have a fight going on and I am trying to put my point she gets on a work phone call.
Whenever I try to address an issue, she replies by saying ‘what do you want’, ‘are you done stretching the topic’ and things like that.
A fews days back I watched a movie which I loved watching, I told her that I think we should watch this movie together because I feel the portrayal of love and compassion in this film is something worth watching.
She went on watching half of the film at her parent’s home on the weekend. I told her in a upsetting manner that how desperately I wanted to watch it with her despite already watching it. To which she replied what is the big deal I will watch it again with you.
But am I overreacting on all of this? Is this normal?

Ive been a long time user of Soylent and have enjoyed it, but over the course of the last few months I've been wondering if I can streamline it even more. This isn't about weight loss, as much as it is about the fact that I have really grown to despise eating. My job doesn't help much either, as I am a chef. I've just come to realize that the food we eat is so devoid of nutrients and even though I get better nutrition from Soylent, there are rare occasions that I don't have any near and am forced to eat "regular" food. Then I start agonizing over whats going to do the least amount of harm to my body, having to eat "regular" food. 3 weeks ago I went in vacation and consumed nothing but "regular" food. The entire week I was gassy and felt bloated. After returning home I'd gained 11 pounds and felt sluggish.
On my average day, I start off with a shot of ketones IQ, then have a shake of Soylent Complete Protein powder as my main source of nutrition around mid afternoon. 2 scoops with water and ice, twice a day, gives me 800 calories and I usually have about 4oz of liquid hydrolyzed collagen throughout the day.
I routinely get 10k steps at work and cycle commute 15 miles daily and am 56yo. While on this regimen I've felt as good as I ever have physically, I guess I'll see if its sustainable.

A lot of new fans are curious as to which order they should start watching the show, because they want to watch the best seasons and avoid spoilers. While watching from the beginning and making up your own mind would make sense in theory, true fans know that a complicated, nonsensical approach is the only way to really enjoy the show. As a fan who has been watching since the first season aired in 2000, it's unfortunate that I had no choice but to watch chronologically in real time. If I were fortunate enough to get struck with a blow to the head so hard that I lose my memory, this is the order in which I would watch Survivor:

1. Nicaragua (21) - You have to start with an HD season.
2. Heroes vs. Villains (20) - You've earned it.
3. Heroes vs. Healers vs. Hustlers (35) - This way you can weigh in on the eternal fan debate of which Heroes tribe is more iconic, the one with Rupert and Cirie or the one with Katrina and JP.
4. Cagayan (28) - A lot of people think that Joe from HvHvH is the store brand version of Tony, but by watching in the correct order, you will see that Tony is in fact a retread of Joe.
5. South Pacific (23) - If you thought Coach was entertaining in HvV, you'll love seeing him here. If you thought Ozzy was entertaining in Cook Islands, then you have failed to follow the proper watch order. May God have mercy on your soul.
6. Winners at War (40) - It would be foolish to spoil the winners of 21 other seasons before you've seen them. By waiting to watch WaW 6th, you will only spoil the winners of 17 other seasons.
7. Ghost Island (36) - This season references a lot of memorable mistakes made by Survivor players. Watching Ghost Island means those moments won't catch you off guard when you eventually see them.
8. Caramoan (26) - This season includes Erik, who you'll recognize as one of the most prominent people featured in Ghost Island.
9. Micronesia (16) - It's time to see how Erik's mistake really went down. You've earned it.
10. Blood vs. Water (27) - See Colton quit for the second time.
11. Millennials vs. Gen X (33) - If you like David, don't worry, he comes back.
12. David vs. Goliath (37) - Surprisingly not in this season though.
13. All-Stars (8) - I was so hyped to watch this as the 8th season in 2004. I can only imagine how exciting it would be to watch it as the 13th season in 2024 having not seen any of the seasons that came before it. Don't make the same mistake I did.
14. Fiji (14) - This is the only season that aired in the exact position it's meant to be watched. An amazing coincidence.
15. One World (24) - See Colton......get medevaced???? Twist!!
16. Guatemala (11) - #16. Why not?
17. Palau (10) - In theory, Guatemala is a follow-up season to Palau, and the story makes a lot more sense when you know that Stephenie was really popular the first time she played. But she's a lot easier to root for in Palau so emotionally it's more satisfying to watch it after.
18. Edge of Extinction (38) - This is when David comes back. Your patience has paid off. There are three other returning players here who you haven't seen yet, but let me reiterate: this is the correct order. I'm not going to apologize for it.
19. Game Changers (34) - There are 20 returning players here, and you've seen 13 of them already. This season will offer concrete evidence that the other 7 are game-changing players in their earlier seasons. Players like Hali, Sierra, and Caleb may not seem very impactful when you get around to watching their first seasons, so watching Game Changers keeps you from making the incorrect assumption that they are not in fact among the most important players in Survivor history.
20. Cook Islands (13) - Candice is......not really a hero? The twists keep coming!!!
21. Samoa (19) - Knock knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? Knock knock. Who's there? Banana. Banana who? Knock knock. Who's there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you glad that this racist Ben guy wasn't on Cook Islands? That would have been a disaster!
22. Thailand (5) - You've earned it.
23. Vanuatu (9) - Ok, you didn't hear this from me, but you can actually swap this season with the next one and it'll be totally fine.
24. Marquesas (4) - Shhhh.
25. 44
26. 41
27. 42
28. 43 - These last four seasons are all pretty much the same.
29. 45 - This is pretty much the same as the last four seasons except the episodes are longer.
30. Africa (3) - This is pretty much the same as the last five seasons, except it's not filmed in Fiji, it's 39 days long, there are no hidden immunity idols or advantages, there are two tribes, it doesn't have firemaking, there's a final 2, and the contestants don't always get along. Other than that, you won't notice much of a difference.
31. Redemption Island (22) - When this season aired, we had watched fan favorite Boston Rob lose three times, so seeing him win was a long time coming. By watching in the proper order, you've had the privilege of seeing him lose four times, so his win is 5% more impactful.
32. Tocantins (18) - It's an HD season with a pretty strong cast and relatively straightforward gameplay that a new viewer could easily follow. You'd think it would be a lot higher up on the watch order. You're wrong.
33. Borneo (1) - Yes, historically, it's important blah blah blah. But honestly, after you've seen 32 seasons where alliances are a normal part of the game, this season's going to seem really elementary and slow-paced. Don't blame me, blame the watch order.
34. Panama (12) - You've probably been wondering all this time how a popular player like Cirie didn't make the cut for Winners at War. Now it's time to finally put your uncertainty to rest: it's because she didn't win any of her previous seasons, including this one. Isn't it so much more rewarding to find out this way?
35. Philippines (25) - I think by now you should have a pretty good sense of whether you like the show or not. You can stop after this one if it's not your thing.
36. Outback (2) - In 2001, we watched this season and thought Jerri was the villain, not Colby. Thankfully, a 2024 viewer will realize otherwise. The fact that every other cast member besides Amber found Jerri irritating and difficult to live with? That's irrelevant. Did you see Colby throw that bucket of water at her?
37. Island of the Idols (39) - Half the season is just text on a screen. "The producers are monitoring the situation," "something happened off-camera," etc. I watch TV so I don't have to read. That makes this season pretty hard to follow for me, so I don't know much about what happens in it. Otherwise it would probably be a lot higher, I'm sure it's pretty popular.
38. Kaoh Rong (32) - Look, we all know the real reason why anyone wants to start watching Survivor. You wanna see somebody die. This is the closest you're gonna get, sorry to say.
39. Cambodia (31) - Despite airing first, this was filmed after Kaoh Rong, so it only makes sense to watch them in filming order.
40. China (15) - If you finish this season and wonder, "Why did that have to be the 40th season in the watch order?" watch it again before you move onto the next one. Trust me on that, it will not make sense otherwise.
41. China (15) -You know what, I'm just going to assume you'll need to watch it again.
42. Worlds Apart (30) - This one defin--
43. China (15) - Yep, you got two episodes into Worlds Apart and you have no idea what the fuck is going on. Watch China again.
44. Worlds Apart (30) - This one definitely do--
45. China (15) - Are you fucking serious? Can you get more than six episodes into Worlds Apart without needing China to explain everything to you again?
46. Worlds Apart (30) - Alright, now do you see what I mean? You got through it. Proud of you.
47. 46 - It's currently airing and almost finished, so you have about a week to get through all the previous seasons if you want to be caught up.
48. Pearl Islands (7) - Chronologically, this is the first season in which voted-out players return to the game. In the proper watch order, it's the last one. Sometimes I think about that in the shower.
49. Gabon (17) - Is this 46 2.0?
50. San Juan del Sur (29) - You've earned it.
51. The Amazon (6) - This is one of the most exciting and unpredictable seasons of all time. It's absolutely fantastic. However, Rob makes a lot of comments that haven't aged well, so it is at the bottom of the list.

England
Hello guys, I'm crying as I write this, and I have no idea what to do.
I started a new job last Tuesday. I worked Tuesday through Friday and then Monday, Tuesday, and today. I interviewed for the job three months ago and started last week, after finishing university. The company has two directors and two 'desks' that each perform a different function. I interviewed with one of the directors, although he was on the other desk from mine, so he was not my direct supervisor, I suppose. Usually, everyone gets interviewed by both of them at the same time, however my direct employer was unable to come due to a funeral. My first day was Tuesday, and my boss was not present. He was there Wednesday through Friday. I'd say he gave me quite negative vibes from the start, which was fine because he'd never met me before and was just figuring me out. He rarely worked around me, so he never noticed what I was doing. Everyone else had complimented me on how well I was doing and how well I suited the position.
The boss was absent on Monday and Tuesday of this week due to his wife's illness. So today was the first full day I'd been working well around him. Towards the end of the day, he brought me into an office, sat me down, and told me I wasn't the right fit. He stated I put in the effort but wasn't cut out for the industry (sales), which I don't understand because I sold a lot in my short time there.
I returned from the workplace, grabbed my bag, and attempted to slip out, but others asked where I was going. I thanked them everyone for their kindness and informed them that I had been let go; they were all surprised and thought i was joking.
The trouble is, I believe my boss had just had a horrible week due to his wife's illness, and today was my worst sales day yet, so I'm not sure if it was a rushed decision. I just don't understand it; he stated he appreciated my work and the number of calls I was making, and that they'd give me a great recommendation, but they fired me?
Anyway, sorry for the rant, people. I just wanted to talk to someone because I moved down to London from university a week and a half ago. I signed a contract for my house and used a loan to pay my first months rent. But I obviously don't have a job anymore. I think the contract is 12 months, therefore I don't know what to do.
My concern is, can they just terminate me for no reason after a week of work? I travelled 5 hours down here the day after my 21st birthday and am completely disoriented today. How do I go about getting paid for the week I worked?
I simply find it so unfair. They knew I had travelled so far and simply dumped me after a week. Is there any way I can get out of my house contract? Or any breach of workers rights? Does such thig exist?
Thank you, guys. If anyone has a job available in London, please let me know:)

Hi everyone-
DDay 1 happened one year ago today. I made it! It’s a hard day. You don’t want to post that shit on social media. 😅 But somehow it still needs attention. So naturally I come to my safe space here. 🙏
I guess I want to share that though this Sub is full of great advice and there were days, weeks, and even months where I wouldn’t have known how to keep going and holding on if it wasn’t for this community. But the most important part when you find yourself on the betrayed side of an A is to concentrate on yourself, find a good IC, seek support from friends and family, read the books, listen to the podcasts, and become the best version of yourself you can imagine. No matter what happens with the relationship, you will always benefit from that.
An update from my side if anyone is interested where one can be one year out. I should probably add that DDay 3 was only 7 weeks ago, but I have learned that you deal with the hurt more efficiently with time:

• I currently feel good without IC and MC.
• My everyday life is filled with joy that I get from interactions with friends, my kids, work, physical activity, good novels, and yeah, sometimes even from things that happen between my WH and me.
• I am looking forward to a long vacation to my home country and am half-scared half-excited what will happen once I make it to my family and friend’s comforting arms.
• I am proud of the parent I was able to be throughout this horrific year, the horrific last years really.
• I do struggle with the fact that I haven’t been loved by a partner for so long now, and wonder sometimes if all this waiting is a waste of time. Like, could I have a loving partner today if I had cut the cord a year ago and put that energy towards somebody else? But I do love WH and believe in him still and as long as that tiny ass flame is still alive inside of me I won’t cause any more damage for some fling that could inflict me the same hurt one day. Because of course I never thought WH could be that guy. Anyway, we all get to waver occasionally.
• WH switched to an IC that knows about relationships.
• He still isn’t 100% sure if he wants to R, but he says he’s getting close after 3 weeks with the new IC. I cannot stress enough what a difference that switch has made.
• He is NC with the AP, 4 weeks now.
• I consider the AP a nothing burger most days, but the pull is strong on others. On those days I want to know everything about her, talk to her, see her in person, anything that breaks the magic spell that surrounds her.
• The damage this all has done to our extended families is a topic I can’t even truly face yet. I mostly stay away from his parents and sister, no idea how these relationships are going to play out in the long run.

What else? I really can’t thank you all enough. The resources shared in this Sub, the encouragement, the different perspectives. You all are so so amazing and I wish I could give you all a big hug. Stay strong everyone! 💪

This post has the potential to be a bit long, so please bear with me...
A question I often ask myself is "are there financial planners for people like me who don't have a ton of money and often barely make ends meet?" So now, I guess I'm asking this sub. I don't know where to turn at this point in my life, which has been riddled with terrible financial decisions, bad luck, and family health issues.
About me: 39, male, USA. I work full-time for a health care company in Pennsylvania, making right around $88K yearly before taxes and deductions. My wife is unable to work due to a variety of health issues (both mental and physical), but does have a small Etsy shop that brings in an average of $300 on a good month. We have an unusually large family by today's standards -- 7 children ranging from 6 years old (twins) to 17. This is the part where people usually look at me like I have three heads, understandably so. Before my wife's health issues, she was a paramedic and in nursing school. So the plan was to eventually have two incomes once the kids were a bit older, but life didn't turn out that way. And before anyone asks, yes, we are done with having kids. I love them all more than life itself and would never imagine a world without them, but I am smart enough now to know that it would not have been this hard with fewer kids.
It's been very hard (nay, impossible) to get by on one income and a large family, even with some help from relatives along the way. But through it all, we have barely made it work, although I have shot my credit to hell and back in the process. My score hovers around 550 to 570 most of the time, but plummets pretty fast if I miss a payment on something.
Right now, high interest debt is my main issue. I have a variety of low-limit credit cards all maxed out (probably $5k total) a personal loan from OneMain Financial ($400 payment), an auto loan from Carvana/BridgeCrest ($508 payment, worst mistake of my life honestly but was in a desperate situation at the time), and student loans I've had to either defer or flat out stop paying. Other high expenses are groceries, obviously, but I do get $600 in SNAP benefits each month, car insurance at $250 per month because my wife has gotten into a few accidents the last 5 years, and of course rent, which is $1,900 since we need a 5-bedroom house for our large family. We used to own our home but were forced to sell in 2022 due to a variety of issues and our dire need to find a larger place to live for our growing kids.
Suffice to say, most months we either barely make ends meet, or don't at all. I sometimes have to rely on cash advance apps like MoneyLion and Earnin just to make it to the next payday. I have pretty much nothing in savings except for a very small "retirement" account, which is in quotes because I contribute 1% to it just to get my company match. I drained it a few years ago during an emergency that is too long of a story to tell here.
Everyone that I have talked to has said the same essential thing -- to look for a higher-paying job. While this is true, it's more complicated than that in reality. My current job (which I have been at for 1.5 years) affords me the flexibility to work from home most days, and understands that I need to care for my wife (who has substantial mental health issues) and kids and not be "on" 100% of the time. That is often more valuable than a higher salary, but I do know that I am capable and skilled enough in my field to eventually take a shot at a higher paying job.
So. What the heck do I do? Is there someone I can talk to about all this, who can give me real, practical advice? Would a credit union be able to help me with my high-interest debt yet terrible credit score/profile? Ideally, I would love to be able to consolidate all my debt into something more manageable. Is that even a possibility with my credit being bad? I get mail offers all the time saying I am "pre-selected" or pre-approved for a consolidation loan from some random company. I think these are all debt relief companies or possibly a scam, right? I am also severely underwater with our current vehicle as mentioned above. I owe probably 8k more than what it's worth right now, and the van is pretty much a lemon with how many problems it has.
Thank you for reading all this. I am a fairly positive person (I have to be, with the kids and taking care of my wife) but this feels pretty hopeless to me right now. I just wish I could hand over everything to someone who can manage my finances for me, and do the heavy lifting to get things under control. Sigh.

I’m three months in and wanted to share some progress and impressions in case it helps others:
I’m 6’2”, male and down to 165lbs from 180lbs. Goal is probably 155-160.
I am following the 4hSC more or less but I don’t eat beans/lentils. I work out light due to chronic injuries.
Cravings: very noticeable during the first month. Much better since. Now, I have what I would call habit-based intrusive thoughts where certain places or activities are connected to certain snacks, but I don’t think about eating all day anymore. It gets better!
Protein shakes: Initially I was simply skipping breakfast. No time and not in the mood to make a bazillion eggs every day. I recently started protein shakes and it has been a VERY noticeable improvement on my hunger during the mornings. Weight wise, it doesn’t seem to make a big difference. If anything, things are overall a bit slower and less erratic.
Cheat days: I cheat Saturday OR Sunday. Every week feels different. Initially I was almost panicking about getting enough food in me to “make it last” mentally. These days I think more clearly and try to eat what I enjoy but not six sweet meals a day. It’s like every week im getting a bit more level headed. I have strong weight fluctuations after cheat days, gaining up to 4lbs. Which sucks and feels bad. It takes me about three days to lose that again. Partially this is why I am also more moderate in my cheat days now. The joy of stepping on the scale and seeing a down-trend is more important than binge eating.
Weight fluctuations: I have not noticed any change in weight loss rate connected to any particular food. Cheat days throw me back quite a bit but it seems proportional to the amount I eat.
Endorphins: Seeing daily progress on the scale does replace endorphins I’d otherwise get from snacking.
Traps: I’m pretty disciplined. A pizza slice will not tempt me. I find borderline healthy food much more dangerous. I could eat ten plates of hummus in one sitting. Or five thousand pistachios. The most dangerous food is the one that makes me think “I wonder how much of this I can eat” when the answer is not plain “zero”
Taste/flavor: Three months in, a good salad when I’m hungry tastes as good as any other unhealthy meal before. I’m quite surprised by how much my brain adapted to enjoying new flavors.

Hi all.
This post is going to be all over the place. I have been in a relationship for 6 years, I ended up having a baby with this man. While pregnant he told me he had a THOUGHT of wanting to push my down the stairs while pregnant and I took that to heart and it played a big part in my well-being and how I felt. While pregnant I cooked and cleaned, and was never shown any appreciation for it, so I eventually just did the bare minimum. I have a son from a previous relationship. I also come from a DV relationship.
One night, I brought my friends over to meet our son, we had all been drinking a little bit and so was he. His friend woke him up saying I brought a random dude home to see our son. The random dude was my friends boyfriend, he came upstairs aggressive and screaming. Now this is where I remember him getting aggressive, and he says I am the one who got in his face because he was screaming. Either way, we ended up in a position where we were in each others faces, and screaming. I ended up hitting him because he would not get out of my face and it was fight or flight from my last dv relationship, he kicked me really hard in self defense.
We took some time and talked about this event and put it behind us. So I thought.
At some point, I was staying at home and raising both kids and took out student loans because his income was not enough, and I ended up paying for everything, and I got a job after this as well and still paid for everything. I felt like he was financially abusing me, and I saw it hurt him so I backed down and said I was kidding, even though I was not. TO this DAY, I buy most things in the house, he will pick things up when I need or ask, but does not go out of his way. He is in debt as well, which I have offered to help pay and things like that so we could finally save.
In Janurary, I got a DUI (luckily I did not hit anyone, I actually slipped on ice and hit a light pole.) I worked through that and did everything I had and he used that against me. He has had a DUI before.
Now, three weeks ago, I asked why he does not look at me or touch me and he did not say anything but I love you no matter what. He started kissing me and cuddling me more. Then it stopped and he pretty much told me how I am a manipulative gaslighter, and I have abused him this whole relationship and he has nothing to repair. So, I thought okay maybe we have a huge communication error or something, and signed us up for couples counseling. (which he was willing and sat through the 15-minute consultation.) Now, he tells me he is not in love with me, and that he has love for me. He says he has a choice to do couples counseling and when he decides if he wants to do it, if I say one wrong thing, he will disconnect the call and pack my bags. He tells me when he gets his balls back he will leave me. I cook dinner for him and the kids everyday, I take care of the kids every day and go to work, pick them up from school, do homework and it is the bare minimum. I am trying everything I can and am being denied hugs or any simple human things. I am giving him the space he has requested as well. AITAH
Edit: he now brings up how I hit him daily, and that I stripped him of everything when that happened.

22M
193cm
White
Non-US citizen, from Bosnia and Herzegovina
No existing medical issues or medications
Around the 20th or so of April, I went in to the emergency ward for testicular pain. Afterwards they sent me to and ultrasound specialist to look at the issue. The doctor doing the ultrasound drifted up towards my abdomen and spent a while looking at it. He mentioned "the head of the pancreas seemed slightly enlarged".
I was automatically fasttracked for a CT scan of the abdomen with contrast. The CT scan came back clear, no pancreatic duct dilation, size and shape of pancreas within normal range, no masses found.
I was terrified to say the least. A week later I went to a private laboratory to have my CA 19-9 levels measured to finally rest, and the results came back as 4.41 u/mL.
I was content with this until three days ago when I started having some heart burn issues. I was a goddamn idiot and drank like two tablespoons of sodium bicarbonate and gave myself pure watery diarrhea. That passed but the last two days I've had some heartburn and today my first stool seemed pale. The second one a few hours later was brown but mushy and loose. I got scared and took out a bilirubin, amylase, lipase and another CA 19-9 marker test.
The amylase came back as 81 u/L, the lipase 32 u/L and the CA 19-9 as 3.01 u/mL. That was all fine but my total bilirubin came back as 16 umol/L, indirect as 10.70 umol/L and direct bilirubin as 5.30 umol/L.
Should I be worried about the higher end of normal results I got back, especially since my direct bilirubin seems to teetering on the edge of abnormal? Should I get etsted again, and what could explain these slightly higher than average results?