Good Morning. I had a very rough childhood. My mother had a mood disorder (likely bpd) and dad had to provide for the family and wasn’t there often. Unable to deal with life circumstances, he moved us from California to a relatively poor neighborhood in India There, I developed very severe asthma, and my family was extremely distrustful of western medicine so they restricted foods from me according to Ayurvedic principles, resulting in me not having enough to eat at times. My asthma also really stole my ability to be physically active in childhood and I was in a really critical condition Unable to deal with this, my dad moved us back to America, however, because he had to work a lot, I having poorer social skills, and my mom being mentally Ill I lost all social contact and friends causing a severe mental health crisis Although I was in a very bad condition most of my teenage years, I have turned my life around now. I have a decent number of friends in college, and I am in a Top50 University with Honors. However, I feel really deep and irrational anxieties relating to not being able to afford food in the future or have enough social contacts. I was ruminating intensely over the fact that I had a 3.95 instead of a 4.00 this semester and irrationally felt that I would not get a job and would not be able to find food and shelter despite my program having a 95%+ Job placement rate. I cannot enjoy relationships with women because I instantly start catastrophizing about dying alone and start coming off as really clingy. My anxiety is very pervasive and prevents me from living my dreams because my brain in survival mode all the time. I’ve thought about starting a restaurant or just having a passion project as a job but I can’t because I’m scared I won’t have enough money for rent.
How do I teach my brain that I am safe, and I am not in a survival situation anymore? How do I tell my brain my fears, although coming from a reasonable place are now irrational?

I will be filing for divorce, it is amicable and uncontested. No children, bank accounts, or property together. We were married a year and a half. Filed taxes together 2022 and 2023. My husband owes currently about $10k. This was his tax debt, but I filed joint to help cut some of the cost owed. He has agreed to take the entire debt, but my question is .... Do I need to hire an attorney to ensure this debt goes to him. Or am I able to just go file, and specify in the documents that that is our agreement? We live in Georgia.

Hi guys, I am not sure if this is the best group to ask in but I could not think for another one. Please delete if too off topic!
I lived in VA on non-immigrant visa for last nearly 5 years. The license was valid for the time while my visa is valid - almost 5 years from august 2019. As my license was expiring I went to renew it and this time with legal presence not via visa but via marriage to US citizen, submitted I-485 adjustment of status and work authorization card valid for 5 years.
The DMV experience was strange- first lady was amazing but she left and I was switched to one and then other lady, both of which were quite displeased by my existence and verbally complained in front of me for having to handle my paperwork (I had an appointment and dmv was mostly empty). They sent me away with wrong information, I then had to come back after finding out they were wrong which created more annoyance on their side.
They did end up processing my license renewal, but today I noticed it is only valid for a year? My non immigrant license was valid for 5 years and I currently hold 5 year work permit and waiting for green card. I cant find anywhere that license should only be valid for a year, I only find that it should be valid for the length of your legal presence. I have also been on hold with dmv for hours with no result. On hold again today.
So, I wonder, did any of you renew your VA License with valid work permit and married to US citizen with paperwork from USCIS? I just want to know if that is correct and I really need to go back in a year and pay again and waste a whole day (I am not allowed to renew online). It does not seem right that my license is valid for 1/5 time it was on nonimmigrant visa.
Thank you in advance for your help!!

Hi there. I’m 28 and from Co. Tyrone.
I’m just asking this question as people who currently live in Belfast will have a better understanding of things!
So I’m working in the tech industry and I make £25k a year, maybe a potential pay rise of 27k in 3 months time. I have two years experience in this role and it seems to pay reasonably well with more experience under the belt.
I have saved up just over £10k and some funds sitting in the credit union which would be only used if absolutely needed. I have no student debt to pay, no car payments except the usual insurance, tax which is already cheap & a phone bill of £20 a month. That’s literally all my expenses.
I have been living with my parents most of my life and I’m just planning on moving to Belfast in the future unless people have objections and other recommendations. Maybe I should save up a bit more money before leaving my parents home?
Also would this salary + savings allow me to live on my own or a shared place?

I've been living in my car for about 8 months now. I've had a reprieve here and there staying in motels. But it's not something I can consistently afford. I am just...drained. I have family an hour away but none of them care enough to let me crash on their couch until I get back on my feet. I'm not a drug addict nor do I have a criminal record. My mom and I had a falling out over something my overbearing sister did at my daughter's wedding( she started a physical fight with my ex-husband,my daughter's father). My mom has helped me out but not to the point where it helps me get back on my feet. Whatever, not her responsibility anymore. I get it. I have adult kids. But they all have their own lives. So they aren't in a place to really help. I have an aunt who has a 3 bedroom home, but she moved her boyfriend in and he's one of those extreme introverts who doesn't like being around anyone. I told her I would get a job and pay half the bills. She said that since her bf moved in, it wouldn't be a good idea. Mind you, he does not work. So it would actually benefit her to allow me to stay there bc I would work. But whatever. I have learned that when you are at your lowest people you thought would care simply don't.
I'm in Mississippi so there are limited homeless programs. The ones they do have are geared towards addicts, disabled people and single moms. I've applied to jobs but haven't found anything that will really help me out in the long run. I've also applied to low income housing but those lists are years long. I'm not expecting any sympathy or advice, I just needed to vent about a situation I feel is hopeless.

I (25M) deal with quite a bit of social anxiety, especially since I gained quite a bit of weight during college. I had a couple positive interactions/informal dates during my time there, but I have pretty much put dating on hold for the past 5 to 6 years since. I have essentially turned off the part of my brain that would even clue me in to a woman showing any interest in me, which is how bad it has gotten. I’m currently working on losing the weight and am making progress, and I would consider myself to be above average looking based on comments I received before I gained the weight (my social skills with people I don’t know well are below average though, and I know that’s way more important than looks). As a result I haven’t been that successful, even back then, because I have always been too dorky/awkward to make any moves (the only times I had success were when the women took initiative, with one of them even asking me “so when are you gonna kiss me?”)—but now it is even more amplified. I decided that I can’t continue to live this way and deprive myself of the emotional/physical connection that I desire. From the perspective of men, what are some of the things I can do to “fake it ‘till I make it?” From the perspective of women, what are some signs that your date isn’t confident enough (body language, subtle things I might not realize I am doing)? Am I just overthinking all of this?

My best friend told me we couldn’t be friends right now because I’m at the point In my pregnancy where I’m a “bitch” and she doesn’t want to jeopardize us getting into a fight and her not being able to see my son after he’s born. Some back story because it’s needed: I lost my first baby when I was 35 weeks pregnant, he was born sleeping. I gave birth to him the day after they told me there was no heart beat. When I gave birth to him I was alone in the hospital, nobody there with me until 45 minutes after. They kept my son for 5 hours trying to figure out what happened to him and couldn’t find anything. Once they brought him back to me they only let me hold him for an hour before having to take him back. It was traumatizing, every second, I was 21 and it sent me down a really bad path. I didn’t want to live, I drank, I smoked, I snorted, I parachuted, I did anything I could to try and numb my pain. Nothing worked. My best friend tried to be there for me until I started doing the things I was doing then she was nowhere to be found. I fell in love with a man who made me feel again 2 years later. He made me happy with no drugs or drinking. So I cold turked everything and moved to his state with him. She was against it, she was mad at me for moving away. I was happy, I felt loved, I felt like everything was going to be okay. I got pregnant 3 months in. I was so scared!! I lashed out on him, he didn’t understand my pain, but he was there for me every step of the way. I wasn’t nice to anyone while I was pregnant, if you said one thing wrong I would explode. It was a horrible pregnancy not only for me but for those who loved me as well.* My best friend and I got into a couple fights but she was pregnant with her daughter when I gave birth to my son so she couldn’t make it up to meet him. Fast forward 3 years and I was about to give birth to my daughter, (my best friend married my brother and they have 2 kids) I told my brother that if they wanted to come up and see my daughter before she was 6 months they needed to get the tdap shot. She blew up about it saying it’s bullshit and she shouldn’t have to do it and that it’s messed up I’m even asking them to. So I said that’s fine you just won’t see my daughter until after she’s 6 months. (My kid my rules) (I did the same thing for my son as well) whatever right? I didn’t make it into a big thing but she did. I’m pregnant right now with a little boy and I’m due 2 weeks after the birthday of my first son. I’m not in a good head space. I will be giving birth 1 week after the birthday of my first son (the doctors won’t let me go full term but will let me get to 39 weeks before inducing) my head is all over the place, I hate myself, I have so many things in my head but I keep it all to myself. I don’t lash out on anyone and I’ve been keeping to my self since my bestfriend said we couldn’t be friends right now because I’m at the point in my pregnancy that I’m a bitch and she doesn’t want to jeopardize not being able to see my son when he’s born. But at this point it really hurts me because I feel like this is the time I need my people. My second sons birthday is in March, my daughters birthday is in February my first sons birthday is in July and that’s when I’m due. I’ve never had to do this, it’s just so close to his birthday and on those days I’m usually a complete mess and I don’t do anything and now I’m supposed to give birth a week later and I don’t have my so called bestfriend anymore because I’m a “bitch” when I’m this far into my pregnancy? (She said that to me when I was 28 weeks I’m now 31 weeks) I feel like it’s understandable that I’m not the best pregnant person when I get this far… but I’m not lashing out on anyone I’ve been keeping to myself. So I honestly don’t know why she said that to me. My pregnancy with my daughter I wasn’t mean to anyone. But at this point I feel like I’m not going to invite her to come after my son is born because if you can’t be there for me through this really fucking hard time why do you get to see the amazing thing I create? Am I in the wrong? I’m sorry this post is all over the place, pregnancy brain is crazy. Thank you to whoever reads everything and can understand my rambling.

While drunk my friend's girlfriend (F28) told me about a guy from work that she has an extensive texting relationship with. He lives on the other side of the country so they have not physically done anything but the texting is certainly flirtatious. For instance, saying "if I were single, I'd f**k you" and more in extensive detail that easily can be seen as sexting. I have seen the texts. She told me she thinks the guy is really cute, that she likes the attention, she likes the flirtation but would never "cross the line to physical."
My opinion is that it is crossing the line, disrespectful, and inappropriate. I told her she should tell my friend (her boyfriend, M28) about it and come clean. She has not and it has been two weeks. My friend has since bought a ring and plans to propose, and they are also starting to look at houses for when their lease is up in August. They have been together 5 years.

DESPERATELY in need of help to care for my 11 yo nephew after family was assaulted over the weekend. ANYTHING HELPS!
Long story short, my mom has custody of my 11 year old nephew. He's been staying with his mother while we tried to get back on our feet. We have no car, living in a motel, and can't find jobs, especially ones we can walk to.
But Friday night my sister in law sent someone to pick him up and he got confrontational and attacked my mother, me and my brother. We're okay for the most part. Brother has a black eye, I have bruised up arm, possible busted ear drum, and my mother had to get a new phone after he smashed hers. we had to go today and get my nephew new clothes, shoes; backpack, lunchbox, etc because his things are with his mom and we are not speaking to her at all, to keep the peace. We bought a few groceries but now we're absolutely busted. We have just enough food for my nephew to get through the week and we don't have any food for us. I don't want to do this, and feel horrible putting this on here, but I have no clue how we're going to make it and this boy has been through enough. His mother was all the help we had and as soon as we got a car and on our feet a little better we were snatching him back up, but after this, he's not going back. At all. She's extremely hateful, has no morals and just full of pure evil. She doesn't allow anyone to be civil with her. She is just a sick human and we're completely cutting ties. So anything would help. We've been trying to get a car and get by for over a year and nothing is working out. We did have food stamps until I got a temporary job doing tax preparation. But that was seasonal so that is over and my savings from that job are completely gone now.
My nephew is 11, he's had a hard life. His dad (my older brother) passed 1 year ago this month. He's precious and has no one but us. I have no friends now. I've lost touch with them all. Very, very little family, and no hope really.
**Spent the last $200 to our name for rent this morning and we were behind already. Landlord says we have 1 week left here then we are on the streets unless we can pay in full next week. No family, no friends, nothing we can do and we have no transportation. My 11 year old nephew will have no where to go, either. Anything helps.
Cash app- sarahkking1995 Venmo- Sarahkking095 GoFundMe:

I'm 26(F) and I don't know know what I'm doing and what to do with my life. I have no passion. Currently working at a job I don't even like and staying there for the sake of earning enough money to get by. I haven't been in a relationship my whole life. I'm lonely. I'm at the point in my life where it feels like I'm just here to survive and not to live. Everyday I wake up already dreading the day that's coming. I have friends but they all have their own stuff. They have relationships and are very happy. Sometimes I feel like I will never find true happiness and it's not just about the romantic stuff, it's life in general. I don't have something to keep me going everyday. My days passed by like a blur. It's like I open my eyes, do mundane stuff then it's time to go to bed again. My phone is silent except for messages from group chats. I literally feel like I'm dead inside. I honestly wanna end it but I can't leave my dad all alone. My mom passed away 3 years ago and i feel like and made me feel more miserable.

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800 u/BakeGullible9975 u/Didnotseemecomein and u/medium_jock
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
Caution swearing!
Also, god I love you Conn… please never change!
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
"Both of you get your suits back on."
"What the hell is going on!?”
Richards demanded, Adam took a deep breath,
"Captain Richards that was not an opening for a discussion, that was an order. Now put the damn suit on, or I swear I will knock you out and do it myself!”
The three of them were floating in the module staring at each other, hands resting against what must have been no more than a few millimeters of aluminum.
He stared at them, and they stared back.
Adam did not break eye contact with the two, willing them to do as they were told. Chavez was the first to move, hurrying over to her space suit and struggling to pull it on in a near panic as bright lights flashed from outside. Inside his heart was pounding but he tried to remain calm for the two standing before him.
He hurried over to help Chavez pull on her gear, finally sealing the helmet in place as Richards finally moved to do the same.
Adam helped pull the hard torso over the man's head and link it to the waist before helping him pull on his gloves and, eventually the helmet. Before he let go, he kept hold of Richards by either side of the helmet staring at him through the glass,
"I promise, if you listen to me, I will keep you safe."
He kept eye contact with the other man until Richards finally nodded, and Adam let him go to float over and put on his own suit. His hands were steady, for now, but he knew as soon as the crisis was over he'd be shaking like a leaf.
If he survived…
He gritted his teeth, cursing himself for thinking like that.
He was Admiral Vir for crying out loud. He had survived far too much to go and die now.
He returned to the helm of the command module as he looked out the thick window at the lights flashing on either side of them. Despite the war that was raging around them, everything seemed so strangely quiet. There was no sound no rumbling, not even a vibration as one of the jets flew past. Despite being at the controls of the vehicle, there was nothing he could do. They only had a certain amount of fuel to get them to the lunar surface, and if he wasted any of it at all, they would be either caught in orbit, or miss the moon entirely.
He had to keep his cool.
Another bright burst of light lit the window to his right. This one was closer this time.
His heart leaped up into his throat.
Richards and Chaves joined him buckling into their seats.
"What is going on?”
Richards demanded again, his mike distant and tinny with the sound of very old technology.
"I believe Anti-Alliance forces are attempting to assassinate me. They have been trying for months now, and I think they are being encouraged by very powerful members of the government."
They watched as another set of ships zoomed past.
He saw a flash of a silhouette, just enough to know that one of them was a Thunderhawk and the other was a silver Rundi drone.
It confirmed his worst fears. The Chairwoman had been behind this the whole time!
[…]
Red nearly collided with the rocket. The Thunderhawk had pulled up the last minute, but he had almost been too late. He jerked the stick to the side, throwing up his wing just in time to avoid hitting the rocket as it made its slow way through space. He dove down on the other side forced to break off pursuit and cut in front of another Thunderhawk coming in from above. He made to look like he was going to ram them, playing a dangerous game of chicken, which he won at the last second as the other pilot panicked and cut to the left.
There were too many of them. Only five out of the original twenty had been destroyed, and he and the rest of their pilots were busy just keeping the thunder hawks away from the rocket, much less to have any time of firing at them. He had sent one of his people down to earth and one of them off towards the moon for backup. The moon was still hours away yet, so the hope that some help would be sent from them was unlikely, and even the woman he had sent down to earth's surface was cutting it close.
He didn't have much hopes that they would be able to hold out that long.
Inside the cockpit his warning lights began to blink and blair as one of the other jets got a lock on him. He rolled right to avoid them and dove down, cutting off the lock but still being pursued by those behind him. Up ahead he saw one of the silver balls erupt into flames as it was targeted by an expert hit from one of the Thunderhawk pilots.
He rolled right.
Someone else rolled left. He cut up just in time to avoid being hit and raced forward to cut off another Thunderbird that was heading directly towards the rocket.
[…]
Eris hurried down the hallway, her knees screaming as she did her very best to sprint, but despite her human anatomy, she was a little too much like a starborn.
With a cry of frustration she reached up and tore off her hoodie, throwing it to the ground and engaging her anti-gravity belt. The ribbons on her back billowed out behind her.
Light spilled in from the windows on either side of the catwalk she was now on, filling her with a buzzing energy that she could feel radiating through the ribbons like electricity. She knew from her study of starborn that they could travel at thousands of miles an hour in the vacuum of space, especially when under the power of a star. She didn't think she needed to go THAT fast, but anything would be better than what she was doing now.
As if in response to her will, she suddenly began to glide forward, picking up speed as she swooped towards the end of the hall, wind catching her in the face and roaring along her cheeks. With her starborn skin, she barely felt a thing as she raced around the corner and out of the waiting door. Two men dressed in military ACUs dived to the side as she blew past them crying out in alarm and confusion as the "Alien" floated by.
Somewhere distantly, she could sense Conn racing in the opposite direction towards the base.
Sunny and Admiral Kelly had Admiral Massie in their custody and were dragging him out into the hallway.
She blew across the open ground her ribbons snapping and billowing behind her as she did. She didn't even have time to imagine what she looked like as she roared over the open field and towards the waiting news vans which were just beginning to pack up their things. They were close to leaving, but she set out a sharp hard telepathic pulse ordering them to stop.
Compelling them to stop.
They froze in their tracks and looked up to see her coming.
Someone scrambled to turn on their camera, not sure what was going on but sure it had to be something good.
She tried not to think about what they would see as the camera flared to life following her approach.
"Make us live."
She ordered,
The news people glanced between each other in confusion,
"But no… we aren’t-"
"What are-"
She came to a sudden jolting stop before them, her billowing black hair fanning out behind her like a curling halo.
"I said, put us on air."
This time the telepathic pulse was too strong to resist. Mostly that, paired with the fact that none of them were sure they really wanted to resist. She was way too interesting to pass up.
They hurried to do what they were doing, and Eris was given just enough time to feel nervous before the camera was turned to her.
They were live.
She read it in the minds of those behind camera who she cut off as she began to speak,
"Citizens of Earth, there has been a horrible conspiracy against you. The UN president has ordered the assassination of Admiral Adam Vir and has continually attempted to sabotage the mission. Just now General Massie was taken into custody after ordering the deployment of twenty Thunderhawk’s to harass the rocket and make its destruction look like some sort of collision with space debris."
The group gawked at her as she raised her hand with the small silver device and began playing the recording.
She knew something like this would never be admissible in court. She was pretty sure it would be considered entrapment of some kind, which is why it must be heard now, before everyone, so that the actions of the president could be judged by a jury of the world where it could not be hidden by political machinations.
"Communications have been lost with Apollo 11. And it is... Well... It is likely that he is already dead..."
Her voice broke,
"No matter what happens, I need you, and this nation to understand what is happening before it gets swept under the rug. I saw it with my own eyes, heard it with my own ears and experienced their meeting in the thoughts of a man who is both xenophobic and hateful to his own humankind."
She kept talking trying to give them all the information she could, spilling thoughts she had heard in the head of the UN president and General Massie alike. Every meeting, every liaison, every name until her voice was beginning to crack.
[…]
The UN president was just standing to enter her vehicle when a slow muttering began in the crowd behind her. She turned as the ground before her went silent.
She watched as a wave ran through the people. A wave of nudging and whispering and showing off news feeds they had pulled up on their wrist implants. It wasn't long before the entire crowd was either staring down at their arms or clustered around someone else for viewing.
"What is going on?”
She wondered, turning to one of her men who was staring down at her own wrist.
"Madame president?"
He said with a look of confusion.
She could hear it now.
"Her and General Massie have ordered members of the UNSC to adjust funds in order to hide the twenty Thunderhawk’s they were squirting away for just such an event."
She hurried forward, grabbing the secret serviceman by the arm, staring at it as she watched the streaming newsfeed and the freaky white alien with the large dark eyes and flowing black hair.
"She is afraid of aliens, she wishes to isolate and eventually use humanity's superior forces to overtake trade in the galaxy, forceful if need be."
The muttering behind her had turned into an angry grumbling, and she turned to see the eyes of hundreds that turned towards her.
"Get me out of here."
She hissed. the Secret Serviceman took a step back with a look of confusion and indecision on his face.
"It's your job."
She snarled, but he just stared at her.
She hurriedly ran over to her car as the crowd began to filter in around them pressing close. A few of the secret service men pulled guns, but a large majority of them were frozen with indecision and were taken over by the crowd. She scrambled into the back seat of her vehicle and slammed the door shut screaming at the driver to get moving.
The crowd was surrounding them now, pounding at the glass.
She could hear their angry voices raised for her to be heard behind bullet proof glass.
Outside, she watched a lone figure step onto the platform where the lectern was and stare at her with its beady black eyes. The Chairwoman of the GA stood over the crowd like it's filthy alien lord.
And even though Rundi could not smile, she could swear it was smiling.
[…]
Baby K hit a rough patch of turbulence coming down from the atmosphere. She struggled with the controls as she was thrown left and right inside the cockpit of her rickety shuttle.
Donovan Red had ordered her down here to grab the UNSC, but she was so scared and full of adrenaline that she had dropped it at too steep an angle. The ride was much bumpier than it was supposed to be, and her teeth were rattling inside her head.
Just then two Jets suddenly cut in behind her out of nowhere, and she heard her console beep and warn her about a lock on, making it clear that she was just one click of a trigger away from imminent doom.
"This is Eagle Dispatch One, unidentified vessel, you have crossed into restricted UNSC airspace, identify yourself or be destroyed! You have ten seconds to comply, over."
She scrambled for her communications, but her fingers felt as stiff as wood as she scrambled for the button.
"I repeat, this is Eagle Dispatch One, unidentified vessel, you have entered restricted UNSC airspace, you are ordered to identify yourself or be destroyed. Five seconds remaining. Over."
She slammed her first into the comms button nearly panicking,
"UNSC!"
Her voice was rattling,
"This is B-baby K, and I... The Apollo 11 is under attack!"
She was breathless as she forced the words out.
There was silence over the coms,
"Say again? Uhm I mean please repeat over.”
"Apollo 11 is under attack!"
”…”
”…”
More silence,
”Roger that. Please stand by. Over."
The lock lifted and the two jets pulled up to the side of her, staying close now.
She recognized those jets as two F-90 Darkfires.
They stayed by her side for a moment, and as close as they were she could see one of the pilots fidgeting with the coms, talking and wildly gesticulating, while his copilot was beginning to wildly flip switches.
Meanwhile, a second voice came in over the coms.
"On your left! Eagle Dispatch Two here, unidentified vessel, please land on UNSC base airstrip one. Just contact the control tower once you get close for guidance and instruction."
Baby K looked over into the other jet, just to see the pilot adjusting his helmet and clicking an oxygen tube to the front of his helmet. His co-pilot had already put the additional oxygen mask on and was also flipping switches.
”Uhm aren’t you going to escort me?”
Baby K managed to blurt out in confusion,
”Godspeed Baby K, Eagle Dispatch Two over and out.”
Both men in the jet to her left had apparently finished their preparations and gave her a quick salute.
Then suddenly, both jets adjusted their angle and cut engines, before switching to their big fusion engines, rocketing them up and out of sight within seconds.
[…]
So far it had been a relatively quiet day at the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base. Most of the air traffic had been canceled due to the launch of the Apollo mission, so there was not much to do, leaving much of the Airport less staffed than normal.
In the Air Traffic Control tower of the base, only two men were working. Though “working” was stretching it, considering Senior Controller M. Fredrick was currently in the middle of his book (though he was at least in front of his station) and his comrade Senior ATC Instructor A. Millard was currently sitting in a corner, watching a movie on his implant.
”So what are you watching? One of those old Star Wars movies?”
”You bet! Those are the best! By the way any info on that “lost civilian” who got into our airspace?”
”No not yet, though I sent Eagle Dispatch and told them to be extra unfriendly, that will scare these civilians off for sure!”
”Pffft, why couldn’t they watch the start like any other person? There is always some dumb rich kid doing dumb stuff with daddies private shuttle… I don’t understand why we always let them off with a warning…”
The console started beeping,
”Oh look that’s them now!”
”Put ‘em on speakers!”
”Will do!”
…
”ATC this is Eagle, come the FUCK in!”
Fredrick rolled his eyes,
”Ahem… This is Elling Field ATC, calling Eagle Dispatch One. We hear you, over.”
”ATC what the FUCK took you so long!?”
”Ellington Field ATC, to Eagle Dispatch one, firstly: language, secondly: please follow standard radio rules, over.”
”THE APOLLO IS UNDER ATACK BY HOSTILE ELEMENTS!”
”Ellingt-WHAAAAT!? Repeat please! Over!”
”THE APOLLO IS BEEING ATACKED BY HOSTILE ELEMENTS! REQUETING IMMEDIATE ASSIST!”
Fredrick just stared at Millard dumbfounded. As the senior officer Millard was quick to collect himself and jumped up and towards his console.
”What are you waiting for Fredrick! Are we blind!? DEPLOY THE GARRISON!”
Fredrick ignored all protocol and just flipped the switch to connect his comms to every recipient available.
”ATC to all personnel and everyone who can hear me, the Apollo is under attack, I repeat, the apollo is under attack. I want all available planes that can reach the outer atmosphere ready ASAP! Get the darkfires on the runway I want them in the air yesterday!”
[…]
Conn raced towards the airstrip, feeling the wind in the ribbons at his back. He couldn't go nearly as fast as he wanted to with air resistance.
Why the hell did Adam always have to get into so much trouble, why did he always have to be the center of attention!?
Everyone either hated him or loved him, but the problem was people who hated him also wanted to kill him.
Why did he have to be so controversial!?
Why did he have to be hated for something that was such a big deal. Why couldn't he be hated for having controversial political opinions. Conn paused…
On second thought, controversial political opinions were kind of what had gotten them here in the first place, so he guessed that was kind of a useless comparison. How about being the kind of guy who liked to talk too much about fishing. That was a great way to make people hate you for being boring, but it didn't usually mean that people wanted to kill you.
Maybe they could get the man a hobby doing something that wasn't so controversial…
Like…
Kicking small Animals or…
Cannibalism.
He came roaring to the stop at the edge of the airfield just in time to watch an entire platoon of pilots racing towards jets. He could hear their minds and looked up to see a rather dinky shuttle descending from the sky. He floated forward towards one of the jets as two pilots leaped inside.
He was going to need a ride.
The pilots turned to look at him, but Conn just shook his head.
The pilots decided to ignore him in the confusion and Conn grabbed on tight.
Starborn, he had come to learn, were a very interesting species in comparison to others. Vertically, as in from the top down he was very fragile and likely to break his neck or collapse his spine if there was any kind of pressure, but with horizontal forces, he was practically indestructible. Below him the ship roared to life and soon they were gathering speed along the runway.
His grip was tight, and he used the extra energy from his ribbons to speed himself up along with the jet to reduce the pull on his arms.
His grip wasn't that strong.
They went vertical almost immediately, and he made sure to orient his body in the correct direction as they went hurtling into the sky.
[…]
Red's right wing had been hit. If there had been atmosphere around him he would have been a goner, but there was no air resistance here, so once he regained control of his roll, he pulled back into position and fired one last shot as the opportunity arose. The sixth Thunderhawk was destroyed in an eruption of debris, which he dodged only with difficulty, limping without the aid of the maneuvering jet on the end of his one wing. Things were only speeding up now, the Rundi were almost gone and the pressure was being laid thick on his people. They were hard to hit but the pursuit made it almost impossible for them to do any real maneuvering of their own. He was almost hit again as another Thunderhawk sped underneath him. They rolled this way and that rocking from one side to the other. Flying through debris and over strips of silver metal.
Below them the earth hung as a glowing orb.
Red cut in a wide circle coming in with the sun at his back, using it to blind one of the enemy Thunderhawk’s as he came in. He watched the group of them form up suddenly as a ring around the slow moving rocket, intending quite certainly to rush it all at once. He screamed into the comm trying to order his men around, but it was going to be too late, he could already see it coming.
The jets rushed forward, and he did too, screaming inside his helmet as they went to broadside Apollo 11.
And then with all the silence of space, sixteen F-90 Dark Fires came spitting overhead all at once, raining down a line of ordinance that cut through the group of unsuspecting Thunderhawk’s.
Space around them was filled with a myriad of silent explosions as each and every one of them was ripped to shreds.
All except one…
He saw it at the last moment.
It had been hit in the tail and had gone wildly off course.
It turned sideways, but had just enough force... For its wing to tear straight through the aluminum siding of the rocket.
FUCK!
[…]
Chavez and Richards had been ordered to strap into their seats.
Adam had taken it upon himself to lock down the rest of the main cabin. Outside the flashing lights were like a fireworks display without sound. He grabbed onto one of the rails, forcing equipment back into place, so that if anything happened it wouldn't fly out.
His legs were kicked up behind him as he floated forward reaching for some of the controls as a sudden bright wash of light filtered in through the windows. He heard a scream over his com, and then the air around him was rent with a horrific tearing noise, which suddenly went silent. There was a rush, and he jerked forward as he was sucked back... And out of the ship entirely.
His hands and legs kicked and flailed as he tried to right himself, hearing his own breathing as the only sound as he watched the rocket begin to spin, debris erupting around him as air, and whatever wasn't strapped down was sucked through the small opening.
The rocket was spinning wildly but still on course, while he was spinning wildly in a silent abyss.
Grunting against the force of his spin, he reached down for the controls to the CO2 canister built into the pack of his spacesuit.
He groaned, not sure which way was up or down or back. He tried to right himself against the spin by firing in the opposite direction to slow his spin.
He could see the rocket now spinning in the opposite direction with the sudden loss of oxygen. He hoped the other astronauts were ok. He saw the silhouette of a jet fly past in the distance making its way towards the spinning rocket.
At least there was someone here to help.
Maybe the others would survive-
And then he just… stopped, coming to a confusing halt in the middle of space.
That shouldn't have been right!
He should have kept going forever!
He tried turning his head, but he felt like the pillsbury doughboy in this two thousand year old suit.
What was happening?
"Did you miss me Baby?”
Well shit, now he sort of wished he could keep spinning.
There was a tugging on the outside of his suit, and Conn floated into view in front of his helmet.
"Hey sweetheart."
"You are probably the last person I wanted to see."
He said, though he didn't entirely mean it, and unfortunately Conn knew that too, the mindreading asshole that he was.
”I could hardly let the father of my child go spinning off into space without taking accountability for his family. After al child support is paying way more than widows pension."
"Shove it up your ass Conn."
"No really, not even the vacuum of space is going to save you from your responsibilities. Now, about custody, I was thinking you could have every other weekend and a couple of major holidays…”
He gave a rueful sort of smile as Conn grabbed him by the life support pack and started floating them towards the rocket.
The F-90s had somehow managed to slow the spin of the rocket, and pull it back on course with grappling magnets.
All around them space was filled with debris. No more working Thunderhawk’s were present and those that were were quickly being grappled. One sleek racing jet slowly cruised past them. One of its wings was damaged, but whoever was inside waved with one hand as he rolled past.
Adam lifted a hand as Conn brought him the last few hundred feet to the torn opening in the side of the ship, allowing him to step through.
Conn patted him on the side of the helmet,
"Make sure to be home by dinnertime sweetie."
Before blowing him a kiss and vanishing back out the hole.
Adam floated there, a bit nonplussed for a moment before turning back to the front of the ship where Chaves and Richards were still strapped into their seats staring at him and after Conn. He floated over to strap himself in.
"Admiral! You're ok!”
"Yes, it seems that I am, thanks to a... Friend of mine."
Just then Conn appeared again just before their right side window, and like the classy gentlemen that he was began rubbing his butt up against the glass.
He sighed,
"Friend is kind of stretching it."
"Apollo 11 this is Houston, do you copy!"
The man on the other end of the line sounded close to tears, and Adam hurried to respond,
"Houston this is Apollo 11."
On the other side he thought he heard the sound of voices cheering in relief.
"What is your status, over?”
"We are a bit beat up Houston, we have a tear in our hull, but our suits are ok, and we have help."
"Prepare to abort mission."
Adam frowned,
"Now wait a second there Houston! I didn't get sucked out the side of my own rocket to just quit now. Tell the boys to come up here and patch us up and we can finish the mission. All systems are still functioning, and we are back on course."
He glanced over at the others,
”That is, if the crew wants to continue."
There was a pause and then Chavez timidly piped in,
"I'd be ok with that."
Richards sighed,
"Roger Houston, patch us up."
Granted it may have been cheating. Apollo 11 hadn't had support with special tools that could just patch up a spaceship within ten minutes, but then again the original Apollo 11 hadn't been in the middle of a firefight while on their journey to the moon.
So it was with some trepidation that Houston allowed it, and before long they had air back inside the cabin back up to pressure, but they also had a sixteen-man rotating escort for the rest of the way.
The group of them were even shocked to see Rundi drones join the formation, only to learn that it had been the UN president who had allegedly called the hit on him. It was hard to believe, but they were only getting snippets here and then from over radio and from Conn, who floated around occasionally to rub another part of his anatomy against the window and give them teasing updates.
The moon was growing slowly in their vision.
"Hehe, I can see my house from here."
Adam remarked as they prepared to detach the lunar module from the rest of the ship.
They landed without incident, observed by mobile camera crews and news reporters as he made his own footprint on the never changing dust of the moon's surface. He gave them a thumbs up to let them know he was fine and hesitated only once before setting up the UN flag in the dirt. He refused to let his enthusiasm be dampened by the day's events and hopped around dancing and leaping for joy as another one of his childhood dreams was fulfilled.
…
That was before he plowed face first into the moon's surface and required help from Richards to stand back up again.
They left soon after taking another three days of escort back to earth before strapping themselves in for final entry.
Conn left them just as they were entering orbit with a very big and very drawn out middle finger for all three of them.
"Your friend is super delightful isn't he?”
"You don’t know the half of it, try having a child with him."
Adam muttered, refusing to elaborate even as they stared at him in confusion.
They fell from the sky and landed somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, picked up by the waiting navy vessel who was within nine miles of their landing site. They were fished from the water and returned safe and sound to the ship to cheers and cameras. Adam's legs felt a little like jelly after days of not using them, and he was finally able to relax lying on the deck of the ship under the sun as people ran around them on either side.
His hands shook slowly building up after the stress of the last week. He took long deep breaths and closed his eyes.
The next few days were going to be a real shit show.
And somehow it wasn’t because he was now known as the man who faceplanted not one, but TWO interstellar bodies…
The media was way to busy with the other story, a massive net of deceit and corruption that would now be uncovered.
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.

I have been with my boyfriend for close to 3 years. We had a really beautiful romance in our early days. He is my first love and he has told me I’ve been his best relationship. We have lived together for about a year. A lot of our problems began after living together.
He has ADHD, depression, and anxiety which I think are key factors to our issues. He sees a therapist, who seems great. He takes meds for anxiety/ depression and was just put on Vyvanse for the ADHD. We have had repeated issues for probably a year; our arguments tend to revolve around his lack of ability to consistently follow through on the things he’ll say he’ll do, mostly chores/ things around the house, but also with hanging out with me when he said he will, etc. He is extremely forgetful and I feel like I need to hold his hand through tasks or constantly remind him or else it won’t get done. A lot of this I know stems from his unmanaged ADHD.
However, things really unraveled in the last few weeks. He was going through a significant depression and beating around the bush as to what was bothering him. It finally came out that he has been lying to me about his finances. He kept telling me he was saving $200 per paycheck and had built up savings. It turns out he has not saved any money, rather he has spent it all on weed (his words). We have always had an honest and open relationship and there have been no lying issues in the past. This really killed me to hear.
We decided to take some space because it was so clear that he needs to work on his mental health issues without the stress of our relationship on top of things. However, this time apart is killing me. I’m realizing how much I miss him and love him. But we can’t keep going on with our messed up dynamics. We really have that parent/child dynamic going on and we both can’t handle that anymore.
I will say he is capable of change. When we met, he had 10k of credit card debt. He worked 2 jobs for several months and paid it all off. It was a lot of work and he did it. I encouraged him a ton along the way and it meant the world to me that he was able to do this.
I am so torn on what to do. I am unhappy but I want to work on things; the thought of being apart is killing me. But we have tried working on things and it hasn’t changed as much as we need. We are going to counseling (since Jan) without much change. I’m hopeful that him starting medication could be a key factor.
Will this ever change or should we break up?
TLDR: I (31F) and my boyfriend (32M) are having repetitive problems regarding the same issues, revolving around his lack of follow through. Can we work through this?

Hello! first of all, I wanted to preface any of this by saying that I hope I formatted correctly, if not, I also hope I won't have to wait a whole 3 months to resubmit, seeing as even though I am not in desperate need of a Beta Reader, it would definitely help.
With that being said, Let us get into it.
My name is Sebastian A. Ordaz. I am an aspiring author, and I have a nearly complete manuscript for a rough-draft of what I hope to be the first book of a series. I am looking for a Beta Reader who can read the manuscript, and, well, in all honesty, help me get out of my head, in all honesty, it is a story that even though I know is cool in my head, the truth is, I am unsure if it is a notion others could possibly share.
This book, adequately named, "Book 1" Is titled so because of my uncertainty of a name just yet. Regardless, it is a project I have taken well over a year to write, and mildly edit. (It is largely unfinished, and some small parts might feel confusing, just bear with me, it IS 100,000 words long.) It is a story in an original world, that is as fantastical in nature, as it is not. It has short breaks every once in a while, and showcases bits of poetry before and after critical moments. It is an Idea I am still playing with, but will be added in the final draft in some way or another. There are no other intelligent races other than humans, but such is enough to cause chaos.
It is a world delved deep into a culture of war, suffering, and a bloody history of defiance. It is a tale of tragic events, brutal death, and in the center of it, Cenred Auger, and Hugo Zimmermann. Two young boy best friends, who live in a decently big town, where the only violence the people see there, are the occasionally passing Eighth Imperial Legion, or the tall tales passed down by merchants, who recount whimsical and watered down retellings of wars and battles. Cenred, a visionary wanna-be adventurer, wishes for anything that will allow him to leave, and explore the world he has heard stories about throughout his short life. Hugo, a boy who also looks for adventure, really wishes for camaraderie, and a place to truly belong, so he wishes above all to join the empire, and explore the world alongside Cenred.
I hope such a small hook will be enough to perhaps interest someone, and if it does, my messages are always open, and I will check back on the comment section, so I can give the link to individuals, rather than leaving it just here. Ill be around :)

I understand that epic wants to keep the game new and fresh and exciting by introducing a new chapter every year after a lot of people complained that chapter 2 went on for SO long, but I for one miss them a lot.
The old chapters had so much more time to evolve and change with you as you played on the maps, plus the old storyline that they abandoned after chapter 3. These chapters had so much more life and I look back on much more fondly than chapter 3 and beyond, not even because of nostalgia but because those chapters had so much more going for them.
The newer chapters seem to just be too fast, we're almost halfway through chapter 5's lifespan already which is wild. To think that a few years ago this would'nt even have been a quarter of the way through yet we're almost at half just speaks to how much I think epic has lost touch with the community.
Epic thinks new things are what excite us, and sure new chapters are cool but I miss the old seasonal live events and the slight map changes throughout the weeks of a season, not the one flashy event at the end and one big change at the start of a season and no other map changes. Although they have been better lately with things like the yacht from the Midas storyline.
All in all I think Epic should lengthen chapters again, maybe not the 2½ years we had with Chapter 1 or 2. But I think if they extend it to 18 months and make seasons 2 months so we get 9 in total and bring back those live events and little changes throughout the season it'd go a long way to bringing back the spark that old Fortnite had for a lot of players, myself included.
Sorry, rant over.
TL;DR Long chapters give more chance for change, short chapters have one big change at the start then almost nothing

Technically it’s an in ground pool. I don’t know how many gallons. At least 20,000. There’s goldfish and koi. There is no filter, aerator or anything. Just a couple floating plants and whatever may be in the bottom. It’s green, so full of algae.
Anyways, I’d like to start maintaining it. But these fish have lived 3+ years and are doing just fine on their own. I’m afraid to start adding chemicals to “improve” the water quality, if it’s just natural sustaining already.
If adding chemicals isn’t an option, what about an aerator. I thought maybe something to keep the water moving may be good.

I (52F) went to A&E back in late February because I waws having trouble drawing a full breath. Thinking I was going to be Rx'd some inhalers and perhaps referred to the respirology (I've been having problems for years but have never formally been diagnosed with asthma), you can imagine my shock when I was advised that I was being admitted because they were unhappy with some cardiac blood work results (they're working through those as I type).
Anyway, I'm on a waiting list to be seen by the Respiratory service (appointment is in mid July) but I've been given access to the radiology report(s) from all of the film they took on the day of my visit to A&E (X ray/CT scan etc).

A HOSPITAL NEAR YOU Patient Name: SomeWomanFromCanada MIS Number: 8186935918824 Hospital Number: 295375063 10118287 22/02/2024 CT Angiogram pulmonary Clinical Question:SOB intermittent worse this today, raised d-dimer and troponin?PE Findings: No previous imaging available for comparison. Adequate opacification of the pulmonary artery trunk (350HU). No pulmonary embolism from the pulmonary artery trunk to the subsegmental levels. There is reflux of contrast into the hepatic veins, no other radiological evidence of right heart strain. There is patchy atelectasis and parenchymal infiltrate in both lower lobes. There are small granulomas noted in the right upper, lower lobe and the left upper lobe and scattered tiny sub 2mm nodules in the right middle and lower lobes. No pleural effusion or focal consolidation. No endobronchial lesions. No thoracic lymphadenopathy. Unremarkable appearance of the imaged upper abdominal viscera. No destructive osseous lesions. Conclusion: No pulmonary embolism. Non specific patchy atelectasis and parencymal infiltrate as desribed. Dr Cassian Andor Consultant Radiologist GMC 2266977 This report is generated for the referring clinician. Should patients have queries regarding the report, these should be discussed with the referring clinical team. Reported by: Dr Orson KRENNICK

Can anyone please tell me what to make of this report?
I''m most interested in the references to _patchy atelectasis_ and _parencymal infiltrate_
From my limited medical knowledge, there's something going on in my lungs but it's not cancerous or anything icky like that nor is it cardiac in nature or a blood clot.
FWIW, I am prone to getting bronchitis every time I get a head cold (regardless of how mild the cold is); in the winter, cold air triggers repeated episodes of bronchitis (when I lived in Canada, I carried a bottle of Buckleys Mixture and an oral syringe in my purse all winter every winter because it was the only thing that would come close to helping the cough).
I've also recently been prescribed a 'blue' salbutamol (rescue) inhaler and a Clenil Modulite 100mcg (beclamethasone) 'brown' (reliever) inhaler by my GP (while I wait for my appointment with the respiratory service) ... I've felt better since I've started using them (I had a lung function test this morning and haven't had the Clenil Modulite since Monday night and am feeling a little congested in my chest.
Anyway, I am new to all of this and I thank you all for a) reading this far and b) offering your collective wisdom as I try to figure out WTF is going on.

I am a guitarist who plays on the weekends in bars and small clubs. I've been wearing hearing aids in both ears for about 25 years. On the advice of my audiologist, I recently upgraded my 10 year old behind the ear Oticons (which worked great in live music situations) to newer Oticon Intent models. The newer Intents have a ton of features that my old ones didn't have like background noise reduction, feedback management and bluetooth streaming, but are completely unusable in louder live music environments. My guitar sounds ok (though not as natural as my old models) on its own but as soon as the drums and bass kick in, the guitar gets buried the and sound coming through the hearing aids becomes a complete jumbled mess. I've been back to my audiologist 3 times to try different adjustments, but we can't even get close to the clarity I was getting with my older models, more "simple" models. I've noticed some improvement when I turn the bass all the way down through the custom EQ in the Oticon app, but no matter what we try, these hearing aids seem to bury my guitar sound under everything else once the music gets going.
Has anyone out there had success with tuning the new Oticon Intents to work well in louder live-music environments? We've tried creating a custom program with the transient noise management turned off, spacial noise management turned off and the feedback management set to low, but none of these changes get me anywhere close to the way my old hearing aids would just amplify everything so my guitar doesn't get buried under everything else.
I've heard about other musicians having success with Widex hearing aids due to their lack of noise management features, but my current audiologist does not offer that brand and I'd like to stick with Oticon if possible.
Any advice on tuning or setting adjustments would be greatly appreciated as I keep reading about how great these Oticon Intents are supposed to be.

Nestled in the heart of Massachusetts, Woburn offers a unique blend of history, natural beauty, and small-town charm. In this blog post, we’ll take you on a virtual tour of this picturesque town and uncover some of its hidden gems. From historic landmarks to outdoor adventures, there’s so many things to do in Woburn, MA.

Things to do in Woburn, MA:

Exploring Woburn’s Historic Charm:

As you wander through the streets of Woburn, it’s hard not to be captivated by its rich history. The town’s well-preserved architecture and quaint storefronts offer a glimpse into its storied past. Take a stroll down Main Street and admire the elegant Victorian buildings that line the road. Stop by the Woburn Public Library, housed in a beautiful Victorian building, to delve deeper into the town’s history and heritage.
Woburn’s history dates back to the early colonial days when it was first settled in 1640. Originally known as Charlestown Village, the town was later renamed Woburn in honor of Woburn, Bedfordshire, in England. Throughout its history, Woburn has played a significant role in shaping the region, from its involvement in the American Revolution to its contributions to the Industrial Revolution.

Nature and Outdoor Activities:

For nature lovers, Woburn offers plenty of opportunities to explore the great outdoors. Head to Horn Pond, a peaceful oasis in the heart of the town, where you can enjoy a leisurely walk along the shoreline or rent a kayak for a paddle on the water. The Middlesex Fells Reservation, just a short drive from Woburn, is a nature lover’s paradise, with miles of hiking trails, scenic overlooks, and opportunities for wildlife spotting.
In addition one of the best things to do in Woburn, MA is visiting parks and recreational areas where you can enjoy outdoor activities such as picnicking, biking, and birdwatching. Whether you’re looking for a peaceful retreat or an adrenaline-filled adventure, Woburn has something for everyone.

Culinary Delights:

After a day of exploring, treat yourself to a delicious meal at one of Woburn’s many restaurants. Whether you’re in the mood for classic New England seafood, international cuisine, or hearty comfort food, you’ll find plenty of options to satisfy your appetite. Be sure to save room for dessert – Woburn is home to several bakeries and sweet shops where you can indulge in a decadent treat.
If you’re a fan of craft beer or fine wine, you’re in luck – Woburn has several breweries and wineries where you can sample locally-made libations. And for those with a sweet tooth, don’t miss the chance to visit one of Woburn’s ice cream parlors or candy shops for a delicious treat.
Important tips: A Guide to Parks in Boston

Conclusion:

As you can see, Woburn is a hidden gem just waiting to be discovered. With its rich history, natural beauty, and vibrant culinary scene, there’s something for everyone to enjoy in this charming New England town. And if you’re planning a move to or from Woburn, be sure to consider Premium Q Moving and Storage for all your moving and storage needs. With our years of experience and commitment to customer satisfaction, we’ll ensure that your move is smooth and stress-free. Remember, at Premium Q Moving and Storage, we move lives, not things.
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hello everyone ,, I don’t usually post but this community has been helping so much. I’ve been struggling recently and need some support.
I’m 20f and I’ve been sober almost two years , yet about a month ago I had a little slip up and have been sober for three weeks now.
the thing that triggered this little relapse was realizing that I’m not really very good at anything I do. I think what kept me sober for a while was honestly delusion. I am an artist and I started feeling really hopeful about where my career could go. Things were working out and I was so grateful, genuinely grateful, to be sober.
about a month ago, I started feeling like everything I created was embarrassing and cringe and horrible and I’ve kind of backed off from pushing towards my goals. but since my goals and my dedication to achieving success in my field was the only thing keeping me sober, now that I’m letting go of hope of my art being successful, I’m realizing I have nothing in my life. Nobody loves or cares about me ,, I live with my emotionally abusive mom still. I breakdown and punch myself in the face for hours until I’m dizzy. I’m not good at what I love to do. I’m just not enough and the thing that hurts so bad about this is that I’ve tried to hard to be good enough. All I’ve been doing for the past year is pushing and pushing and trying to become something I can be proud of. but I’m realizing I might not be able to get better truthfully. Now all I’m focusing on is whether or not there’s even a reason for me to stay sober. I feel like I’m being punished for trying my best and now I’m like okay God ,, if I’m going to be punished regardless , why can’t I drink ?
anyways sorry for the rant ,, just feeling lost and afraid.

Sorry this is long but I desperately need some advice/perspective because I’ve been struggling with these feelings for about a year now and I have tried to move on but I don’t think I can and I don’t know what to do.
You should know that my friend group has been friends for 20+ years.
Here’s the timeline of events:
December 2022 - My now husband privately proposed to me. The day after was New Year’s Eve and we went over to a friend’s apartment to party. With most of our friends there, we surprised everyone with the announcement of our engagement. Everyone was elated and congratulating us; it was all good vibes.
January 2023 - April 2023 - Over the next four months, my fiance and I were going through the process of buying a house; we ended up buying a fixer upper home and closed on the house in early April 2023.
Side note: When we started dating, I had told my husband that we had to be married before we could live together, so after closing on the house we decided that we’ll religiously and legally get married at the end of April 2023 and do a small celebration dinner with our close family members.
Early April 2023 - We both informed our friends of our new home purchase and of our marriage plans for the end of April 2023 and mentioned that we’ll do a celebration with everyone in late 2024. We mentioned that our ceremony in April will be private, lowkey, and essentially a formality so that we can live together.
Side note: My lease for my apartment was ending at the end of April 2023, so I was in the midst of packing and getting ready to move my stuff into a storage unit because we were going to live at his parents house while we fix up our new home.
You should also know that after we closed on the house, we pretty much spent the entire month of April doing the demolition on our new home ourselves. Pretty much everyday after work, my husband and I would go to our new home and spend the night tearing up carpet, removing tiles, tearing up dry wall, etc…; it was a big project and very mentally and physically draining.
End of April 2023 - Wedding day! We had a total of 20 people at our ceremony, everyone was a family member except for my one best friend and her husband. They were the only friends that we asked to be there because we needed 3 male muslim witnesses to perform the ceremony, and my 2 brothers and my friend’s husband are the only male muslims in our lives; I don’t have a dad in my life and I don’t have any other family members living here in the U.S. So the ceremony happens, and my friend that was in attendance posts a picture of us on instagram. We all go to the restaurant for dinner to celebrate and then everyone goes home. Short, simple, and sweet.
April 30, 2023 - The day after our wedding ceremony, was my move out day. We spent the entire day moving my items out of my apartment and into a storage unit. Then went over to his parents house where we would be staying for 4 months while our home was getting fixed.
Early May: I notice some of the people in my friend group are being weird and distant. I ended up seeing one of my friends at a bridal shower event for one of our old friends where she continued to give me short answers and weird energy. About a week later my brother called me saying he ran into that same friend and said that she’s upset that she wasn’t invited to my ceremony especially when she was under the impression that it was family only but was questioning why my other friend was there and felt like she was really hurt by it. I then come to find out that other people in the friend group felt that way too and were hurt that I didn’t inform them the morning of my wedding day that I was getting married. My brother also told me that she had been planning a surprise engagement party with all of my friends and when she heard she wasn’t invited to the ceremony she decided to remove herself from the planning committee and everyone else just didn’t continue through with the planning either.
Mid May 2023 - When some of them confronted me about it, I was so taken aback and just let them have it and I kind of ended up over explaining myself because I didn’t want them to misunderstand my decision and I also did not want them to not like me anymore. I told them my friend was there because her husband was a witness and they said they didn’t know and now that they do they get it. I was being overly defensive and I was so stressed with everything else, I let them have it.
May 2023 - August 2023 - We pretty much spent the entire summer focusing on our house. Every weekend, and even throughout the week we’d drive up to our home and work on something.
Late August 2023 - We finally move into our new home, but even so the work wasn’t done. We still had to finish up some smaller projects, buy furniture, and settle in.
November 2023 - We finally feel settled into our new home. The mini projects have subsided and now we can actually focus on enjoying our new home together as a newly married couple.
It was only after everything settled down that I really started to think about the events that happened surrounding my wedding ceremony. For the entirety of the summer I still felt uncomfortable being around them and I think I never got closure from them, I don’t feel connected to them like I used to; I think I’m still hurt by it all and I don’t have closure because I never got to tell them how they hurt me. I was finally able to sit with my feelings and I realized that they were all pretty shitty for making my day about them. I also felt like they weren’t being very understanding with what was going on in my life. They also knew that my mom had cut herself out of my life a year prior because she didn’t want me to be with my now husband because of his race. So for them to know all these things that I was going through and to not give me any grace felt hurtful.
They all felt so entitled to be at my ceremony because they were my friends when I had been engaged for 4 months prior and they didn’t even so much as send me flowers or celebrate me, despite having planned something but cancelling it when they felt hurt by me. They felt that their feelings were more important than celebrating me, and continued to show this when they made my day about them rather than showing me grace.
I haven’t been properly gifted by most of my friends, and even close family friends that call me their daughter. I’ve had them all over my new home multiple times, most of them have yet to give me a housewarming and/or wedding gift.
I should also note that my husband and I recently decided and announced to our family and friends that we won’t have a wedding celebration this year because we’re still recovering financially from the house purchase and all the projects. As of now we’re thinking we’ll do a 5-year vow renewal where we’ll get to celebrate with everyone, but we’ll see what life looks like in 5 years.
Last weekend (May 2024) - One of my friends in the group planned a surprise 1-year anniversary party for us, and it was nice. But it felt like a bit of a redemption for my friend group and I feel like it’s just a little too late.
Essentially, I’m still feeling hurt about how my moments came and went, and my friends didn’t acknowledge and celebrate me. I feel as though there’s a lack of respect around their lack of effort and I’m just not feeling connected to them like I used to. I just need some perspective and/or advice on how to navigate this.

I am 37M.
Struggling with a few things.
Both sides of my family have a very strong history of schizophrenia. My mother and father have PTSD.
My elder siblings have both been diagnosed with schizophrenia. One is currently hospitalised, his is very severe. My younger sibling is extremely autistic and non-verbal.
Depression history:
First age 11-13. Then again ages 21-22. Then the doozy was ages 29–31 - this one appeared to have broken me and left some permanent damage?
Here’s what happened during the last one, it was prolonged;

• I had intense depression for over two years
• eventually it became extremely severe anxiety + depression
• this eventually became agoraphobia
• I had intense panic attacks constantly for years afterward, I lived terrified
• during this time, unfortunately I lost my ability to speak (this is strange because for my job I used to be a good public speaker), I suddenly couldn’t speak to even the friendliest person.
• I was in a relationship with a woman whom I found incredibly terrifying and unpredictable, unfortunately she was very controlling so I lost all contact with everyone I ever cared about for many years (this brought the depression).
• I feared any social interaction due to inability to speak. It was intensely embarrassing and painful (the way I was treated was frustrating and terrifying during this time)
• it took a few years and meds building up from a couple words per day until I could speak to a doctor in enough words
• after a couple more years, I could speak to strangers, but would almost always forget what I was going to say, it was terrifying at the time, now it is a lot better but I find myself interrupting people a lot accidentally and speaking far too much
• I’ve gotten a lot better, but during that time - it appears I lost my memory severely, first it was short term, it appeared to be long term second, then mid term memory, at that point, I struggled to know basic things like where I was intending to drive in my car,etc
• I do feel like I lost chunks of my personality during this time too.

A lot of the bad stuff is over, but I’m really struggling to get the pieces back together of who i used to be. It’s like the new me is just permanently stuck on 50% with 10% the enjoyment of life.
I’m going to therapy.
I see psychiatrist. I see psychologist. Happy to see even more, whatever it takes.
My life is very much void of anything good or joyful? No motivation and the apathy is tedious.
I’m not sure how to get over this hill. I have so many memories of being so intensely motivated, driven, I had so much joy and general charisma in my 20s. These days I struggle to make a phone call. I can’t initiate tasks, I often can’t stop once I’ve started either.
Some of the things I have been diagnosed with in the last five years;
PTSD ADHD Depression Anxiety.
I’ve cut right back on alcohol - thank goodness. Feel very grateful I was somehow capable of taking that on…but I feel void of everything everyone else experiences..
I will keep trying, I keep reading, I’m just suddenly less useful when it comes to myself.
Anyway, thanks for reading.