My boyfriend and i have been together nearly a year. He has had a gay best friend for years that at one point he did explore with, but he realized he is absolutely straight (i’m not worried about that part at all). The problem is, this friend still refuses to meet me.
This guy texts my bf every day, good morning texts, updates throughout his day, etc, he is constantly texting. They don’t hang out often. Because of their past, my bf had cut down a lot on how much time he spends with him. They workout together once a week for a couple hours and might grab lunch or dinner every month or two.
We have been talking about moving in together and building our lives together, yet there is this one thing that bothers me. My bf continues to defend the relationship although he has said he knows at some point if the friend continues to refuse to meet me, he will have to cut him off fully. For now, he says this friend has been there for him through a lot, and that he (my bf) is this guys only friend.
The whole thing is just strange to me. If this guy is really BFs friend, i feel like he should want to meet the person he is planning on growing a life with. I’ve told my BF i think this guy is still in love with him but he swears he isn’t, which makes it even more obnoxious that he won’t meet me. Am i off here? I don’t want to give any ultimatums, but it’s starting to bother me more and more.

WIBTAH
Hi I am new to Reddit but watch a lot of reaction videos and thought this might be a good place to get some advice. I hope at least.
My BF (55m) and I (44f) have been dating for a few months. We have known each other for 6 years and have been, for lack of a better term FWB. It kind of an involved story where we went out on 3 dates, he never texted me and for some reason we keep finding each other again and again. I’ve been in puppy love with him for 6 years.
Now my BF “Keith” and I had a kind of wild night the night we started dating it’s a weird and graphic story but he basically stole me from my then boyfriend when we all met up because they both had own the same car (the exact same car, like vin number same vehicle, it was weird). During the festivities, so to speak that night, Keith told me he loved me and I left with him and kind of left my now ex boyfriend hanging (I am an AH for that and I know it, but Keith and I… well I felt were destiny or fate or meant to be or whatever).
When we started the dating process we agree to some ground rules. We could have outside the relationship physical relationships on one day a week and when one of us is out of town. We are also allowed to swing together. I agreed to this very early on.
I expected us to maybe go out on dates on the weekend and start slow. Well that didn’t go as I thought and we spend almost every night together. We constantly tell each other “I love you” and do the mundane like watch TV and go grocery shopping. We are like a real committed couple at this point. We also a a wonderful daily + life in the bedroom. We really enjoy each other physically. So there is no issue there.
The open relationship started bothering me. More so when he came back from a business trip with a hickey on his neck. Like seriously in tears freak out. We didn’t argue but really discussed it and we decided to drop the once a week free time, but he wanted to keep his out of town free time. I am not exactly happy with this plan. I would prefer that we only have physical relationships together. But he told me I was being hypocritical because I was engaged in such acts as well when he was out of town. I own that and the next trip, I actually didn’t because I didn’t want to be a hypocrite. I also expressed to him how much it hurt me that he was still doing it and his response was “I’m sorry you’re hurting” I don’t know what or if he did anything on the last trip. I just try not to think about it. I live in my delusion of believing he wouldn’t but he never said he didn’t. Whatever I’m not sure it matters.
Part of what matters is that he stay in contact during these trips. Like tell me good morning and I love you and text me when you get back to your room so we can chat about our day. He has an important job and I know he is busy and networking and meeting with people during these trips, so I try to stay out of his way and let him get in touch with me. Well last trip he barely spoke to me and didn’t really do anything I asked him to. But it is what it is he was busy. But it hurts me to think that he is with some random at the hotel bar instead of texting me. Like I become completely unimportant on these trips.
I’m getting better about and he actually had 3 7 day trips in the first two months so it was early on and whatever.
Now he has his own jealousy. He will never admit to it but he is jealous of another FWB of mine that I have know as long as I have known as long as I have known Keith (they have been aware of each other for years but it never mattered because we were just FWB). Me and “Joey” (55m) have never been in a relationship and have never seen each other outside of his house. I do have feelings for him and have asked him to think about dating me several times. Keith knows this and gets very upset when I said anything about him. Joey waited until after I was dating Keith and told me he had feelings for me because why shouldn’t two men I have been ignored by for half a decade suddenly decide they love me at the same time. So be it. I told Joey not to put me in that position and he has been very cool about it since. Keith also got jealous because my exboyfriend that he so gracefully stole me from with a handshake a the words “I’m keeping her” texted me to see if Keith and I were together still. I told him we were and he said congrats. Keith got uncomfortable and a little weird about it and said he was trying to get back with me. Like yes he was, but I told Keith I went home with him that night and not to worry about it.
Now, guess who is going out of town this coming weekend, Ya guessed it, Keith. I know what is going to happen and I again am trying not to think about it and stress about it. But it also happens to coincidentally be a big weekend for Joey as it is his 10 year sober birthday and he has told me I am the only one who ever remembers. I really want to see Joey to celebrate.
I know me continuing to have a physical only relationship and friendship with Joey hurts Keith. I know that I am a hypocrite for wanting Keith to not have a physical relationship on business trips when I am doing the same. But this is really a huge special milestone for Joey and I want to spend it with him and know for a fact it will be physical. I want that. I will say though I have explicitly told Joey this might be the last time we see each other.
I am ridiculously happy with Keith he is the love of my life. We are actually coming up on the planned time we were going to reassess the open relationship when we started it. He makes me really happy, with the exception of the times he is out of town.
WIBTA IF have one more fling with Joey
tl;dr I have an open relationship should i utilize it and be with a guy my boyfriend is jealous of?

I'll try to be as brief as possible, but so sorry that this is gonna be long. Please also, if you're only going to say "NO CONTACT" that is not helpful. My post is just gonna show how drugs and alcohol can affect everyone in the family. If you are struggling, get help because you are not only ruining your lives but the lives and relationships of everyone around you.
Background: My MIL has been addicted to alcohol, pills and marijuana since my husband was a child. Lots of trauma from that, that deserves a post on its own. For the 12 years I've been with my husband, it's been a never-ending cycle of using/drinking, going to rehab, getting sober, slipping up but hiding it, rinse and repeat.
Ever since having kids, she wants the privilege being a grandma but obviously chooses the alcohol and drugs over them every time since she has never stayed sober. Because of that and the fact that DH's family members (mostly FIL) also hide/lie about her sobriety, we've decided that since we can't ever fully trust her, she cannot see the kids without either me or DH being around. Previously (and more than once), we had celebrated a whole year (or so we thought) of her being sober and given her unrestricted access to the kids (sleepovers, her taking them out) when we let our guards down and feel like we can trust her again, only to find out later that she wasn't sober. Because all of the back and forth, no contact, awkward family gatherings because we didn't want her around, we decided that we are just going to assume she is not 100% sober and we can't trust her to be alone with our kids (even if FIL is around too because he hides her drug use from us).
Me & DH agreed that... - She can see the kids, as long as one of us is around - She is not drinking and/or high (we can 100% tell and she will avoid us if she is, cancel plans, not show up, etc) - No babysitting, sleepovers, she can't take our kids anywhere
This allowed her to still be in the kids' lives and not make family gatherings awkward and cause more drama.
Despite these rules, that we have told over and over again, she continues to ask to babysit and for sleepovers. We (DH) tell her no, she says ok and acts all sad and throws herself a pity party and then waits a period of time (couple of weeks, months) and then asks again like we forgot. Sometimes she even says "I've been sober" or "I'm going to therapy" or the worst one "I did rehab, isn't that enough for you?" We think she still asks because 1. She's not very smart. 2. She thinks if she keeps asking we'll give in. 3. SIL still allows her son to sleepover, so why not us? (SIL complains about MIL all of the time and how she doesn't trust her but she still allows this...don't know why, but not our kid, not our problem). DH has a huge problem with this because SIL talks about how much she hates her mom yet still loves the free babysitter, again, it's shitty but that's her life/decision.
Recently, she asked DH again for a sleepover because nephew (SIL's son) was sleeping over. DH hadn't responded to her yet, but did bring it up to me. Of course I was like uhhhh, did she forget...again? Both of us had a deep convo about it, mostly because how triggered I get when she asks because during my postpartum with my 1st son, she treated me horribly...would act so supportive and loving one moment and then say cruel things to me while I was in the darkest depths of my postpartum depression, broke my trust with the drugs/drinking and DH at the time looked the other way (he didn't side with her, he just told me this is how she is and we just have to deal with it, she means well but I have to look past the drinking/drugs). Well, I put up a fight because NO I was not dealing with it and allowing an active drug addict to be around my kids and that he's fucked up because of her when he was growing up. He saw the light and promised to always have my back and stick up for our marriage and kids.
More of the convo revolved around my guilt to allow her in the kids life, she seems to truly want to be involved, but has her demons and chooses drugs/alcohol/lies instead. And obviously, I am always the one to be blamed for any limited contact with the kids although, DH says he agrees with our choices and shuts his mom down every time.
We also discuss the really weird sleeping arrangements for sleepovers they have at FIL & MIL's from what I hear. They have no spare bedrooms, tons of animals dogs/cats. Nephew, who is 6, has never slept in his own bed at home (he sleeps with his mom and always has). No hate towards co-sleeping parents, you do you...but when he sleeps at MIL & FIL's, he sleeps in bed WITH him. That's a big no for me if this were my kids. No bed, how about the couch? No, my son has severe animal allergies, especially cats, and the animals hang out on the couch, it's full of hair and dander. My parents also have cats and they make sure he has an animal free room to sleep in if he sleeps over. He needs to sleep in an animal free room, in-laws don't have that. At our house we have 2 dogs and 1 cat, and manage his allergies well by not allowing them in his room. (The animal allergy thing is important, don't forget that!) So even if she was sober and trustworthy, he couldn't still sleepover because they can't accommodate the sleeping arrangement he needs. After chatting about this stuff, DH says he will call his mom and remind her once again and that the answer is NO.
A couple of days go by and we see MIL & FIL at a family get-together. Everything seems normal, MIL is not acting out of the ordinary. FIL randomly tells me, "MIL is getting rid of all of her cats." which is odd, she's had them for years, she loves them. Taken aback, when I ask why, he says, I don't know and doesn't bring it up again. We get home and SIL comes over and we are chatting , she says, did you know MIL is getting rid of all of her cats so DS can sleepover? And I start to laugh. Yeah, that's the reason...and SIL laughs too and agrees (she knows our rule). But she says, yeah FIL said you (as in me, not DH) said DS can't sleepover because they have cats. And I'm like, I'm pretty sure DH told her it was because the drugs/alcohol, she's probably making that excuse but now I'm worried that she is really gonna get rid of those poor cats! I flag DH into the room to verify to SIL that he told her what we talked about days before and he's like no I didn't remind her that she can't have alone time with the kids because of the drugs/alcohol, I just blamed that cats and sleeping arrangement so I didn't have her hear her crying and whining.
I'm shocked and pissed. I ask DH why he gave that excuse and instead of what we talked about and he just got upset and blamed his mom for everything; how he hates talking to her, she's a POS, etc, etc. It's a tough subject for him to talk about because of all of the trauma he's experienced growing up, to what she put me through, the drama involving the kids, etc. Working through it with him in the past has been tough because he just wants to block it all out. SIL apologizes for bringing it up (not her fault) and leaves.
That night, I tell DH I am disappointed that he didn't tell his mom the real reason why our kids are not, and will not, sleepover. I told him by blaming the cats, makes (me) look like an asshole because I am blamed by default and gives her false hope for the future. She is batshit crazy and for some reason hellbent on having the kids (without us, seriously WTF is that about?!) He says he agrees that that is the real reason but is tired of being a broken record and saying the same thing over and over again. I tell him I felt like I did back in postpartum where he didn't have my back again. He felt really bad and didn't really talk to me much even the next day. He said he feels so ashamed of his family, his mom in particular, embarrassed and feels as though he let me down. He tells me time and time again that we can cut his parents off completely, but of course it will come with a cost and collateral damage, that's not worth doing IMO.
We are working through it, I feel bad that I got mad at him, I just am tired of all of this bullshit as well, although that is nothing new. It sucks that her shitty behavior, time and time again, causes so much turmoil. From what I hear, she doesn't see it that way. I don't know if she is that delusional or really just doesn't care about anyone else but herself. ALL of her kids dislike her, if not hate her, and I truly believe that is the reason why she clings onto the grandkids so much, they don't know the true person she is...yet.

Sorry… this is a bit if a stream of conciouness. (and probably too positive but…)
There are 2 devices in my lifetime where I had the need to “insta-buy”… meaning that using it meant I “got it” straight away and can see a future different to today. The first was a Tesla Model 3… the second Apple Vision Pro.
This surely is a view into the future. It is AR + VR disrupted in a way only Apple has the patience to execute … late-ish but in a way that shows they absolutely have a long term and deep commitment to a brand new platform… and get it. They have built a platform on which from day one everything you need to be able to do seems to be available. This really shows the real benefit of the core apple platforms and walled garden working to bring a V1 experience second to none in the VAR world.
I am simply amazed at how the UI just works, is responsive, and thought through as a platform. The iOS roots are there and it just works as you might expect. iPad apps and vision apps are great (for V1), the eye tracking and interaction model, again for a first go is just effortless.
The way it can be used without EVER taking it off - from the first use - shows that the Apple teams have deeply understood a use case for a brand new platform that within 10 years could be the natural way of using technology.
When these actually become apple glasses and get smaller the iPhone will be replaced… it might take 10 years but the vision and building blocks are all here.
I have worn these solidly now for 6 hours and was comfortable throughout.
Amazing that from now we have the Office Suite essentially native, so many existing apps available for iOS / iPadOS available and working is phenomenal. I remember the first days of the watch, the iPad and the Phone… this is actually pretty complete.
I just love the iris authentication … just seamless for me and I have 1-Password installed which works as advertised.
It is also amazing that in a text editor like Notes you can basically look at a letter click your fingers, and the text cursor appears there. Long hold of the fingers allows you to move the cursor around, a double click selects a word. A triple click gets you the iOS text selection options. None of this is perfect yet, but it is amazing to see and you can see the possibilities.
Can I also say that the personal Spatial Audio is my absolutely favourite, genius, and undersold feature…. no headphones required and great sound.
All in all just brilliant for a V1 product and it is so nice to see so many of the Apple technologies that have been released in recent years find their way into this product.
Now… back to the future.
For international users:
Don’t be afraid of buying in the US and taking it back home. I am from Australia and was very worried about the narrative from Apple on the risks. Basically you can setup and configure everything without a US Apple Store account. You do not need a US AppleID to get going.
It will be functional and useable and only the apps that rely on region-locked services will not work … AppStore, Music, TV. This might seem like a killer but so much actually works including iCloud syncing and files etc that are based around your own account.
In a month or so (June 10 likely) it will be released in more markets and it will start working with your local AppleID.
If you can get a US AppleID then you can actually use Apple services which then work and remember your settings and playlists from your home territory… including Disney+, Apple Store, Apple Music etc.
I got a US AppleID by CHANGING THE REGION of one of my old less-used AppleIDs. This involved getting a US SMS service based on SlySMS which is the critical step. Every other avenue based on creating a new AppleID seemed to get blocked at one stage or another.

Haven’t been active here in a while so I have no clue if you guys get posts like this a lot but do you guys think Deku is a terrible character as whole? I keep seeing people hating on MHA either because of “the fandom” or because the mc cries a lot.
Imo I love Deku and he’s one of the most realistic main characters out there. Imagine being 15, your absolute dream profession that you can’t see yourself NOT doing in the future is apparently impossible for you to do. And the person you look up to said so themselves, but then you’re given a power that allows you to do that dream profession but also basically decides the fate of the world. I would be scared shitless just like Deku.
Sorry for yapping but one last final thing that I’ve been curious about for a while is do you guys think that the fandom is toxic (It pisses me off when people say it is, even though it hasn’t been as toxic as it use to be in years)

Happy Monday, even if there's not much to be happy over on a Monday 😂 Are we both looking for a conversation that goes into several days of chit-chat? I would hope so, let's find out together. Especially so if you're looking for something new or interesting with the intent of finding that unique someone. And that's where I am too.
I'm looking for someone between 25-37, but I'm flexible so send a message anyway if you're interested. Thoughtfulness, emotional maturity, intelligence, and open communication are all really important parts of any relationship. I fully believe that and you should too. I understand we're all on our own journey so as long as you're working on it, then there's no problem, but please understand these things matter a lot.
About Me: I'm 34, INFJ & Libra if it helps to know, I live in California. No kids and quite open to it. I don't smoke, I do drink albeit fairly responsibly (sometimes a little bit not). I love photography, I love cinema, big into all kinds of art, and I love all kinds of music.
Lookswise I'm dark brown hair, brown eyes, wear glasses, facial hair, around 179cm (5'8"), and an average build. I'm currently trying to be more fit, I'm not a fitness freak at all but since I'm not getting any younger, I do care about keeping my health up.
If any of this resonated with you, send a chat. I'll be around no matter the hour or day. Also, just so I know you read this, include your drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) of choice in your message!
Hope you're having a good one :)

Lately I've been getting random spurts of this very strong sense of dread and doom. I used to be on anxiety meds (one of many in a drug cocktail for suspected issues of mine via doctors). However, they didn't do much and I took myself off them months ago after only being on them for half a year at most. This might be related, I'm unsure so thought I'd add the detail in.
Even as a kid sometimes I couldn't help but feel like something is about to go horribly wrong, whether it's all my loved ones dying in a bad accident, me dying in an accident, someone/anyone dying, punishment from my parents, missing a school or work deadline, natural disasters, etc.
It's to the point that sometimes I feel like there is no escaping it and the bad thing is going to happen (it never has), to the point where I've texted whoever I have a bad feeling about to be careful, or I cry a lot out of premature grief, etc. I would liken it to maladaptive daydreaming except I don't imagine these things happening, I just feel like they're going to (if that makes sense).
I'm not trying to say I'm a psychic or anything, I truly think this is a mental health issue and I don't know what to do about it because the feelings are so real, so tangible, that I feel like my brain is being tricked into thinking these horrible things are going to happen. I don't know if there's anything specific that triggers this either.
I hope I'm explaining this right, it's the first time I've really put this into words, written or otherwise.

https://planckstorytime.wordpress.com/ Hello! This is an essay analyzing the themes of FF7 Rebirth through a psychoanalytic lens, while also critiquing the execution of the game's writing. Moreover, it's a personal reflection on my journey with the game, and the complicated feelings that got tangled up with that. Please give it a read if you have the chance.
Previous articles: FF7: Reflections of a Traumatized Generation (2020)
I Need to Talk about Final Fantasy VII Remake or My Head Will Explode (2021)
Excerpt: “A confluence of worlds… and emotions. Loss, chief among them. It engulfs fleeting moments of joy, transforming them into rage, sadness, hatred.”
– Sephiroth, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (2024), speaking to me, specifically
*The following contains spoilers*
I. Memoirs of a Neurotic Fan
Hoo boy.
It’s been a long four years since Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) released, and I don’t think I have ever before devoted so much emotional energy to deciphering how I truly feel about a piece of media. Initially, I enjoyed my return to a reimagined world of lovable characters, but unfavorable writing choices and a mind-boggling finale left me feeling torn. Despite striving to maintain an optimistic outlook at the end of my previous essay, my perspective on the game only darkened as the years wore on. Developer interviews constantly oscillated back and forth as to whether they would remain faithful to the original FF7 (1997), or, as the ending of Remake indicated, strike out on a brand new “unknown journey.” That’s not to mention the downright radioactive discourse among fans, combined with the litany of harassing messages I received for the most tepid criticisms.
Eventually, I grew to despise Remake. The positive emotions and ecstatic love I had for parts of the game sunk beneath my waves of ire toward its creative divergences – as well as what they represented to me. And I fed that hate. I hated its ponderous navel-gazing about the nature of adaptations. I hated its self-congratulatory insinuation that asinine story decisions like the “Baby’s-First-Metacommentary” Whispers and the resurrection of multiple deceased characters somehow constituted “bold” storytelling. I hated the uncritical portion of certain audiences that fell for this illusion of transgressive storytelling, all the while embracing a game that went out of its way to barrage the player with fanservice and puerile pandering. I hated the frequent argumentation that “it’s not a remake, it’s a sequel” was somehow seen as a mitigating factor, when it actually further aggravated my problems with it. I hated Remake’s emphasis on novelty, its subversion without meaning, its arrogant alienation of new audiences that wanted to experience a classic story, and its implicitly cynical view on thousands of years of storytelling tradition for the sake of “surprise.” To quote director Naoki Hamaguchi:
“When you try to remake a game and make it an entertaining game, having the exact storyline as the original would lack the excitement and surprise. I was looking for an essence to add to the story, and Zack was chosen to be this essence because in the original, there wasn’t much story about Zack, but in Crisis Core, he had a huge character development.”
But that lonely ember of hope persisted; after all, I had loved Remake at one point. I hated that stubborn attachment most of all. By the time Rebirth was fully unveiled, I wanted only one thing from it: to repulse me to my core, to be something so egregiously offensive to my sensibilities that I could never associate the project with anything positive again. “Perhaps if things get stupid enough,” I thought, “others will also see the emperor’s nakedness.” Pain and despair morphed into objects of desire for me. They were my keys to escaping these contradictory feelings of love and hate.
As you can see, I am quite well-adjusted and able to engage with art in a healthy way.
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I'm a divorced guy, starting the next chapter in my life, and I'm seeking my forever person. Pics in my profile. About me:

• I do not want kids. No compromise on this. I wish to live childfree and am seeking a partner who desires the same.
• I am a leftist, progressive socialist. I am strongly pro-LGBTQIA+. BLM. ACAB.
• I'm an atheist, humanist, secularist and am staunchly pro-science. I want to believe as many true things and as few false things as I can.
• I’m a big nerd. I love books, comics, movies, games of all sorts, including video and tabletop. I love pop culture, especially from decades past. I quote a lot of movies and shows. I collect toys. I’m a big kid at heart, reclaiming what I never had as a child.
• I’m an abuse survivor. I separated from my abusive family almost a decade ago and my family now is a family of choice. I am strongly interested in and a proponent of mental health.
• I’m a dog lover. I have two now and will likely always have dogs in my life, as I see them as an essential part of my happiness. Unfortunately, I am highly allergic to cats.
• I’m mildly autistic; I can pass pretty easily. I’m sensitive and introverted and have a limited amount of spoons to spend on social stuff. I’m a homebody, and like my peace and quiet, though I’m happy to share that with a like-minded person.
• I am honest, direct, forthright, and have a strong ethical compass. I am very much in touch with my emotions. I strive never to fall into the traps of toxic masculinity. I value the truth, and am a proponent of clear, open communication in a relationship.
• My love languages are acts of service, touch, and words of affirmation.
• I am seeking monogamy only.
• I am sober; I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs.
• I’m in Kentucky right now but I’m pretty eager to move elsewhere eventually. My job is remote so I can go pretty much where I want. So I’m down for an LDR, at first. But please be willing/able to travel if you’re far away.
• Some people really care about height; I'm tall, 6'4".
• Lastly, I am fat. I’m not looking to change that right now. Loving myself as I am. I’m also into fat liberation, and ending the stigma against large bodies. I believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and to find love and sex, regardless of their size.

I cordially invite you to reply if:

• You know what you are looking for and are not interested in games. You're seeking a serious relationship that will last. You are honest, authentic, grounded, and seeking the same sort of things I am. You are able to be vulnerable and are good at communicating.
• You are neurodivergent or comfortable with those who are.
• You're a homebody, a couch potato, someone who likes staying in and watching a show together rather than going on a lot of outdoor adventures.
• You are non-religious.
• You are politically left-leaning.
• You are childfree.
• You're sober and a non-smoker.
• You're geeky, nerdy, crafty, having special interests, hobbies, and obsessions you're eager to share.
• You are sex-positive, body-positive, and kink-friendly.
• You are emotionally intelligent, emotionally available, and good at communicating.
• You are stable in your life enough to pursue a long-term and likely long-distance relationship.
• You are plus-size, a BBW, thick, curvy, or whatever term suits you best; I like big girls.

Bonus points if any of the following apply to you: you bake, you like ASMR, you're a fan of Tolkien/Lord of the Rings, you play RPGs, you play video games, you like 80s and 90s pop culture, you're a redhead, you wear glasses, you're a dog lover, you have a southern accent, you got a phat booty.
Seeking ladies between 30-50, though that's not set in stone if the connection works. A pic of you in your initial message is highly appreciated if possible.

I never thought I would end up writing one of these ‘should I write this’ posts, because I’m of the opinion that it’s fanfiction, write whatever you want. But I guess it’s time for me to be a bit of a hypocrite.
I want to rewrite a show I like, which is nothing new. Not that I don’t like the show, but I feel like a lot of nuance could be added to a lot of the characters that the show just didn’t have time to add. That and I have a few issues with the pacing. Once again, nothing new there.
Where I get stuck is, I’ve been thinking about what a rewrite of this show would look like for almost a year. And now, I realize that I’ve changed a few of the main characters so much in my mind over that period of time that they barely resemble the actual main characters, in terms of backstory, personality and even appearances. I’ve even added a few new characters to flesh out the main cast. The supporting cast is still mostly the same, with some changes to flesh them out more, same with the villains, but I’ve suddenly realized that I’ve essentially replaced the main characters with what are essentially OC’s. I still would love to do a rewrite of this show and maybe even post it on a site but I have no idea if this even counts as a rewrite anymore.
Has anyone else ever done something like this? Am I crazy?

I have finally accepted my position as the scapegoat in my family. I’m 34 but it still hurts, I’m not going to lie. Being punished for merely existing (and not going along with the lies and manipulation) is so hard. This last bout of rehashed childhood trauma sent me into a depression and I’ve begun to grieve the family I thought I could have.
This time feels so different because I finally realised that the sibling that I always stuck by, stuck up for and protected against the violence was never an ally to me. They were always the very quiet one, completely dissociated and infantalised. In adulthood the sibling became more of an enabler and now they have begun to gang up on me with the very people I stuck my neck out to project them from. I feel so betrayed.
I’ve spent so much of my time, money, heart and emotional energy ensuring this person is loved, cared for and protected. To be quite honest, the signs were all always there. I just kept playing it off and telling myself that we are all we have and that we are family. The funny part is this person doesn’t really have any values and being family-oriented was something I projected onto them. I didn’t realize that I was projecting my own values and beliefs (albeit positive) onto them. It’s definitely taught me a lot about myself. That was completely on me.

Sorry for the spelling and grammar mistakes I'm writing this in a rush. For some backstory we have been together for 1 year and 7 months our relationship has been relatively happy, we never had any arguments or disagreements but lately we've hit a rough spot. In the beginning our sexual life was perfect we would do it everyday nearly 4 to 5 times a day, it was loving and intimate but lately its been less intimate. For example the last time we had intercourse we did it twice but both those times he stopped in the middle, before we started I went down on him for nearly 20 minutes while he only went down on me for 30 seconds, I felt sad after that happened I felt disgusting and used.
Ever since then things have been off, I've been feeling unloved and undesired by him even though he says he loves me and desires me but he hasn't showed it, ever since then I've been thinking about our relationship I've Been thinking about the things he would do and it'll make me jealous, like the time for my birthday he took me to the movies and dropped me off at home while he spent 2 days with his best friend and took her out to eat. It hurts to think about because he never took me out like that before, I love him so much but I can't be around him without feeling lonely I've been distant with him lately but I want to stop being distant I want to hold him and be with him but it hurts, it may be my own insecurities playing a factor in this but i don't know. How do I tell him this? I don't want to push him away and lose him, Is there any advice anyone can give?

⚝ Soft, bratty kink inclusive Fin/FemDom passionate about psychology. I can do degradation and humiliation, but only after I do know you better and what kind of aftercare you prefer.
⚝ I've been into BDSM for 6-7 years now - mainly as a sub but have in past over an year realized I'm leaning more on the Dom side and starting to pursue that. So... If one thing I've became familiar with is what Doms are not. Yes, I'm a baby Domme and yes I do like honest, open communication - especially when encountering to new things.
⚝ Always happy to do my research and learning more from other people too!
⚝ I aspire to be as kink inclusive as possible as long as it does not harm others so honestly, just feel free to message me - even without a tribute to discuss about your kinks or expectations etc. I'd love to find a long term sub who I can grow with and discover more of kinks and dynamics. Disclaimer: If you're clearly just horny and getting off to thr conversation, I'll ghost or block you.
Anyways... Currently accepting tributes through Throne: https://throne.com/infernalness
Age Verified in LF: https://www.loyalfans.com/infernalsoftness
More platforms coming soon! ♡

I've come to a point where I don't want to be in this relationship at all. Before having a child we were already having issues in our relationship. I understand I won't be around my child as much and I can't tell you how much that would hurt but i also understand what's best for my child and being around a couple constantly bickering over the dumbest things will have a negative effect on the child.
We've been dating for about 4 years now. So when i started losing interest was relatively close to her knowing about her pregnancy. I expressed my feelings and what needs weren't being met on my end and wanted to hear what she thought about it. She thanked me and suggested we continue to work things out. During this time it wasn't so bad because I wasn't spending as much time with her. Id be working 50 - 60 hours trying to save up for the baby to come.
The first few months when the child arrived wasn't as bad but after 4 months things started to escalade. My constant argument was she would never let me hold my child when she was mentally and physically exhausted from feeding the baby. Arguments such as. "you never let me have time with my child" and " let me change my kids diaper." Everything was constantly around her time. I'd offer her breaks when id get back from work and when id go to sleep around 2am 3am is when she thought it was a good idea for her to hand me the child. I didn't argue at first but I definitely let her know after the child was awake, leading to multiple arguments. She would take a shower as the baby was asleep sometimes even bringing the baby inside the shower..
A couple of weeks go by, mind you same issues are happening, she lets the child fall from her bed while looking for clothes to change her. I was a room away eating at the time so I cant confirm if she just blanked out and forgot about the kid because I don't believe her when she said it happened all in a second. I rushed in to check for any serious injuries while making she sure her mother was calm but you can guess how much of a freak she became, knowing very well that her ignorance led to this.
No serious injuries although my child is still getting over that trauma till this day. Obviously I used this against her and I may have gone overboard. I read about post partum and focusing on points like: No Judgement, Be responsive, Protect her space, Encourage her, Praise her etc. I tried for about 4months up until this accident. Things have changed drastically.
She will say things like "You are being a narcistic trying to control everything" or "You love your cousin more than you love your daughter." These are just a few of the multiple examples I'm dealing with. So imagine trying to help your partner everyday. You are constantly being humiliated by your partner. I know plenty of mothers out there that would die for this kind of help and here I am venting about how I cant even change my kids diaper because her mom wants to do every little thing.
I told her if things don't work out she can still live with me and I will always take care of them but I know for a fact she wouldn't be comfortable with that. Honestly don't expect her to, but she's not working so what option does she have? I'm at a point where I'm done and I don't want this relationship anymore. It wouldn't be the first time either. I have had this conversation with her about 4 to 6 times in a span of 10 months.
I don't have a social life either, I mean I will let her know if I go out to play sports on the weekend but that's about it. Open to ideas. Therapy isn't one she refuses and she will say I'm too manipulative to have a third person sit with us and discuss issues regarding what was stated above.

Sometimes you have one of those conversations that makes you think "why was this even a conversation??"
I love my partner so much. He's literally the best and he's totally my person. He's very supportive of my crochet, always jumps to buy me new crochet stuff, points out yarn sales, and asks me about new products. But I recently found out he "doesn't understand the appeal" of crochet, as he only associates it with the blankets his grandma made. I asked why he wears his scarf and gloves I made him and why he wanted me to make a blanket for our bed. He said because they're made by me and he does like them. It's not about the crochet. I can live with that.
But we have a small business selling witchy, inclusive, goth/alt stuff and I was thinking we could add in the occasional crochet item. We start discussing the crochet and in the course of the conversation he says "it's not like a crochet business could replace a full time job". I pointed out that, yes, many crochet businesses are people's sole income and run full time. So, as business people, and nerds, we do the math. After some eye opening conversations about what crochet is actually worth, he points out that in order to pay our bills, I'd need to crochet 33 hours a week. And I nodded, understanding exactly what the numbers meant.
And he says "that's not even considering the extra hours per week you'd work selling the items. If you did the market that's another 5 hours a week. Plus admin. That's like 40-45 hours a week." -I'm still nodding - and then he says "that's basically a full time job." And he looks at me like this is an issue.
So we stare at each other for moments before he repeats it, and I say "yes, for crochet to replace your full time job, it would, in fact, be a full time job." And he is just befuddled by this. He then tries to run the numbers a few different ways, I guess to emphasize what he's feeling, which is that it somehow is more work than that, or somehow shouldn't make the same as a full time job. Each time he determines it needs to be run full time and each time I point out the purpose of the exercise was to see what it would take to replace a full time job. Therefore, it's reasonable that it would require your full time.
Even still, by the end of the conversation, which I stopped because I couldn't keep going in circles, he insisted that, somehow, the full time nature of the crochet business was too much if it were going to replace a full time job.
WHAT?? For real, I love this man so much, but some things just don't work out in his brain. It's like when someone argues that a pound of rocks weighs more than a pound of feathers. No. Just get it. Please, just get it.

I'm a divorced guy, starting the next chapter in my life, and I'm seeking my forever person. Pics in my profile. About me:

• I do not want kids. No compromise on this. I wish to live childfree and am seeking a partner who desires the same.
• I am a leftist, progressive socialist. I am strongly pro-LGBTQIA+. BLM. ACAB.
• I'm an atheist, humanist, secularist and am staunchly pro-science. I want to believe as many true things and as few false things as I can.
• I’m a big nerd. I love books, comics, movies, games of all sorts, including video and tabletop. I love pop culture, especially from decades past. I quote a lot of movies and shows. I collect toys. I’m a big kid at heart, reclaiming what I never had as a child.
• I’m an abuse survivor. I separated from my abusive family almost a decade ago and my family now is a family of choice. I am strongly interested in and a proponent of mental health.
• I’m a dog lover. I have two now and will likely always have dogs in my life, as I see them as an essential part of my happiness. Unfortunately, I am highly allergic to cats.
• I’m mildly autistic; I can pass pretty easily. I’m sensitive and introverted and have a limited amount of spoons to spend on social stuff. I’m a homebody, and like my peace and quiet, though I’m happy to share that with a like-minded person.
• I am honest, direct, forthright, and have a strong ethical compass. I am very much in touch with my emotions. I strive never to fall into the traps of toxic masculinity. I value the truth, and am a proponent of clear, open communication in a relationship.
• My love languages are acts of service, touch, and words of affirmation.
• I am seeking monogamy only.
• I am sober; I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs.
• I’m in Kentucky right now but I’m pretty eager to move elsewhere eventually. My job is remote so I can go pretty much where I want. So I’m down for an LDR, at first. But please be willing/able to travel if you’re far away.
• Some people really care about height; I'm tall, 6'4".
• Lastly, I am fat. I’m not looking to change that right now. Loving myself as I am. I’m also into fat liberation, and ending the stigma against large bodies. I believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and to find love and sex, regardless of their size.

I cordially invite you to reply if:

• You know what you are looking for and are not interested in games. You're seeking a serious relationship that will last. You are honest, authentic, grounded, and seeking the same sort of things I am. You are able to be vulnerable and are good at communicating.
• You are neurodivergent or comfortable with those who are.
• You're a homebody, a couch potato, someone who likes staying in and watching a show together rather than going on a lot of outdoor adventures.
• You are non-religious.
• You are politically left-leaning.
• You are childfree.
• You're sober and a non-smoker.
• You're geeky, nerdy, crafty, having special interests, hobbies, and obsessions you're eager to share.
• You are sex-positive & body-positive.
• You are emotionally intelligent, emotionally available, and good at communicating.
• You are stable in your life enough to pursue a long-term and likely long-distance relationship.
• You are plus-size, a BBW, thick, curvy, or whatever term suits you best; I like big girls.

Bonus points if any of the following apply to you: you bake, you like ASMR, you're a fan of Tolkien/Lord of the Rings, you play RPGs, you play video games, you like 80s and 90s pop culture, you're a redhead, you wear glasses, you're a dog lover, you have a southern accent, you got a phat booty.
Seeking ladies between 30-50, though that's not set in stone if the connection works. A pic of you in your initial message is highly appreciated if possible.

So I logged out of F76 just now, and I will never log back in. It's over for me. The whole issue is 100% avoidable, though. I want to tell Bethesda why they lost me, and obviously this will give away some ways to keep other players.
First, the minor issues, which I'd solve with a mod in Fallout 4, but which are obnoxiously ever-present in the un-moddable F76:

• NPCs and their never-ending quips. Going to Blue Ridge and hearing Johnny Bills (?) say over and over and over and over again that it's "better exercise than trucking," just OH MY GOD SHUT UP. The amount of repetitive one-liners you have every NPC doing is insane.
• The game looks like what happens when you ask the nice foster family in Shazam to make a Fallout game. The land is bright and lush, to the point it doesn't look apocalypse-touched much at all, unless you look at roads that are falling apart, or buildings with a crumbled section. But more than that, it's... so wholesome, with Responders sincerely obsessed with helping everyone but yet literally zero depiction of anyone actually injured or needing help. The hospital beds at the golf course? Empty. The "whole lot of work" they do? They're all lounging, leaning against walls. There is no crisis center. For that matter, IS there a crisis? I keep hearing that there is, but these areas seem wholly devoid of people in pain or suffering radiation sickness.
• The unrelenting nothing. Here is what I mean. I went to talk to a Responder leader, whose name I can't be bothered to remember, and she had 3 other leaders that she could talk about. OK! Here comes the mystery or questing or something, right? She's gonna tell me that something is up with one of these leaders, or there is some problem I can solve. So I ask about the first person. She praises him/her. I ask about the 2nd. Same, just gushing about how nice everyone is. So I ask about the 3rd. And that person is lovely and admirable too, and there are no problems, and THERE IS NOTHING FOR ME TO DO. Over and over again, we get dialogue wasted on nothingness. There was no reason to read or get invested, because the text is just, "everything fine, nothing to see here." WHY?

But all of that was survivable. I've been building for a couple of weeks now, finishing quests (mostly not the Responders, but you know, other quests). Except... 3 days ago, I joined a game and the game couldn't place my camp. Someone else was in my spot. OK, no problem, you gave me a free "relocate your camp" so I will. But... all it brought over was my house and water pump. The gardens? Gone.
Not terrible, I'll rebuild. Over the last 3 days, I rebuilt a lot. My place is not good, I'm still low-level, but I had all the crafting, a vending machine, turrets for protection (which almost never seem to trigger on enemies, by the way), beds, and even got a settler who I met, who just hangs out at my settlement and plays guitar. Great.
And then today, the server locked up or went offline mid-game, and I booted back to the main screen. I had been in build mode at the time. I think that might factor in. When I got back in, it couldn't place my camp, gave me a free relocation, I took it, and when I put down the C.A.M.P. what did I get? It saved ONE ROOF TILE. Literally everything from the last 2 weeks was lost. To rebuild I'd need to get the resources again and re-place everything, new. I logged into a new game to see if it was a quirk, but it wasn't.
Bethesda, losing the items I had placed down today when it froze? Understandable. Losing everything, including the original building from days ago? Even the basic concrete flooring from 2 weeks ago? HOW? How could you lose THAT?
Bethesda, the game isn't good enough to persist with through this kind of mistake. I can forgive those smaller things like the cheery delusional "are we in a post-apoc game? tee hee it doesn't seem like it" theme, but if you're gonna do that AND then lose hours & hours & hours of my effort, WTF am I doing here? I'm not rebuilding, Bethesda. Sorry.
But maybe you can fix that for anyone else who is going to hit that same wall. Good luck.

We’ve been together for almost 6 years, engaged since last year, living together for the last two.
I (31M) work from home while she (34F) goes to an office. I make about 7-8 times what she earns, so I cover like 90% of our rent, services, food, the dog’s veterinary bills, movie tickets, concerts, etc. I mention the 90% because a few months ago I asked her to at least help me out a little bit with the house expenses because I’m covering everything. We’re eloping next year and yes, I’m the one saving up for the trip.
Recently my family came to visit me to celebrate Mother’s Day together, since I couldn’t go this year. That’s where I started noticing awkward things.
When something doesn’t interest her, she bails on me. Almost always. My favorite artist had a concert in the city and 1 hour before we were supposed to take off, she said she didn’t feel like it. So I hurried to call a friend so the extra ticket wouldn’t get wasted.
She wouldn’t come to the airport with me to pick them up (2 people, mom and grandma), nor would she receive them when they arrived home (they were staying the weekend - we had planned for this). Mom and grandma had already told us the places they wanted to visit and fiancée planned the weekend to go with them.
And she bailed on everything. She only had dinner with us and then excused herself for everything else.
Obvious question: Do my fiancée and her MIL not get along? Tbh I don’t think that’s the issue; they’ve seen each other like 4 times because of the distance and they’ve never been alone without me. Things have always been super cordial, really nothing out of the ordinary.
I called her out on avoiding my family on weekends, and how I feel that it’s unfair how I’m always making time to go to her parties, events, family gatherings, concerts of bands she likes and stuff and she always decides not to come when something is “mine”. She has forgotten my birthday for the last 2 years ffs.
I laid it out in a simple message for her yesterday, talking about how it hurts me to be just an afterthought and how I don’t feel like a priority for her. Her answer was just a “Sorry, I’ve not been paying attention”.
I feel hurt, ignored. Last year I had a very small gathering with my friends for my bday and she didn’t arrive. I had to make excuses for herself because I was ashamed to be asked constantly why my fiancée wasn’t here (she fell asleep).
Should I push for an apology? How can I find the words to politely but firmly say “I feel ignored, I should have to beg to be taken into consideration”?

Anyone else out there thinking Taylor and Matty have been a couple MUCH longer than anyone has realized?
I’m certain there are people here much more versed in all this stuff, so please share your thoughts on this.
I don’t know that you could have convinced me a month ago, but then TTPD came out and there was Taylor’s seemingly erratic behavior those first 3 nights at the Paris Eras tour. I’d not thought about it until this ridiculously fake Travis Kelce relationship, but I realized…If Travis isn’t real, what about Joe Alwyn and the others that came before?? So I read into the Matty and Taylor lore online, and really listened to both of their music with a new ear. I think they’ve been speaking to each other and to to US for a long time through their music, telling us they are together and laying out all their love and their strife. Also, it’s possible they really did split up after the 2023 debacle, and Taylor really is trying to get Matty back right now. I mean, her song really says it all “i’mgonnagetyouback”. Still, that doesn’t take away the fact they may have been together for years prior.
It’s possible they have been a couple as far back as the early 2010’s (with at least 1-2 breaks up that they sing about). They both reference a love that they don’t remember how they met, and it’s possible they met at an early event when they both were building their careers. At that early time tho, they were both curating such opposite images of themselves that I’m sure their PR teams were not okay with them as an out couple - Taylor being America’s Sweetheart and Matty being a smoking, drinking rock star heathen. Their PR agents prob told them it was bad for their brands to be public. So into secrecy they went, not predicting that a decade later they’d be still together, much older now and wanting to settle down with each other. But what a tangled PR mess they found themselves because they’d been in hiding so long, and esp so when they rushed Matty out to the public. We all saw how well that went.
There are a lot of lyrics and music videos that elude to their relationship, but it’s the lyrics of the 1975’s song “Roadkill” that really confirmed it for me:
“And they’re playing your song on the radio station “Mugging me off all across the nation “ “If you’ don’t eat, then you’ll never grow” (A line they both share back in forth in different songs “I should’ve learned that quite awhile ago “I know it gets hard sometimes “Making out with people that you don’t like “I know you don’t feel alright…… “You know, I didn’t feel alright “Until you spoke to me “You “I’ve been waiting for you “My whole life, waiting for you
There are a lot of other songs and examples but that one right there really spells out they’re in PR relationships and feeling miserable about it (it was released in 2020 and they were both “In a relationship” at the time, ie in a fake one). It’s actually sad because Matty frequently mentions being in love with someone “his whole life”, and sings “I’ve been in love for ages, I fell in love for her in stages, for ages, my whole life”. If they did start dating around 2011 or so they would have been only been around 21 years old, and that could feel like being in love with your person your whole life.
I am not a Swiftie but I am a 1975 fan and I do like some of TS’s work. But someone out there surely knows more than me on on this. Most fans agree that there are several songs of the 1975 that were written for Taylor, esp on their most recent album. Personally, I think a lot of 1975 songs potentially point to Taylor - hell, most of them really. I listed a few if you’re curious.
Settle Down! Robbers Way Out The City Somebody Mine The Birthday Party Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America

Hi! Trying this again because it's worked out well until it hasn't. I have a better idea of what I'm looking for now, though!
Truth is, I'm finding this city to be very lonely. I do a lot of activities alone or with the one friend I've managed to make, but I crave companionship. I would really like to meet someone I can chat with fairly frequently. Local to NYC preferred so we can actually meet up/go on dates as well but I won't say no to an online connection at this point.
For transparency's sake, I am interested in any gender but have only dated men in the past. Age-wise, please be ~26-38 years old. Priority to those who are emotionally intelligent, can communicate openly, and have a good sense of humor. A physical relationship is certainly not out of the question - and even desired - if you're nearby and we hit it off but I'd love to build a connection before that happens. (Happy to chat more about that privately if you have questions.)
A bit more about me: I wear glasses, I'm brown (south Asian variety), and I look much younger than I am. Shy at first but I can be a bit of a flirt once you get me out of my shell! Would consider myself introverted/a homebody but have been forcing myself to be more extroverted to take advantage of everything the city has to offer.
Looking forward to hearing from you (chats preferred)! I value intro messages that are thorough and thoughtful. :)