Funny bets to make with your boyfriend

My car's transmission is on the fritz, so it's in the shop and I'm working from home for at least today. Thank goodness I can even work from home, or things would be a lot more complicated. Anyways, that's just a bit of a vent. I've also decided that I might do little lore-esque prechapter bits for some extra flavor. Hope you guys enjoy them! I find them to be fun little thought experiments on how people might perceive the world I've created from within vs from my own perspective. Enjoy some crafting and some romance!
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We know that the spots that are caused by looking at a source of light are, in fact, damage of some sort to the eye. This is confirmed by the spots rapidly disappearing should someone be healed whilst experiencing them. But why? Is there a divinity within light, beyond what our mortal eyes can withstand? Is there some sort of invisible emanation that comes alongside the light that damages us in some way? The discovery of light damaging the eye has opened more questions for me than it has closed.
-Musings on the Relations of Light and Fire, by Jarwic Leftun
\***
Xander carefully opened the door, finding Gabrelle already asleep, and sat down on a chair. Maybe he could get that adaptive camouflage to work right on bright colors. Surely he had some colorful things in his inventory.
He did in fact have a few colorful things in his inventory, and he whiled the rest of the night away making small adjustments to the runic array that was embroidered into the cloth. He was satisfied before dawn, the cloth now performing as well with light colors as it had with darker colors. Now he just needed to make a cloak out of it. He briefly considered coating his armor with the array, but discarded it. There might be times where he’d want to be seen. Besides, a hooded cloak would better break up the outline of his figure, the ripples of fabric, especially if he were to crouch or lay prone, obscuring his outline even more. In little time at all, he had a long, deep hooded cloak of the color shifting, runed cloth in his hands. He stashed it in his inventory for now, as he had no particular need to sneak up on something right now. The rest of the time before dawn he spent silently sitting in the chair he’d chosen, trying to keep his thoughts to a minimum, just daydreaming. Night dreaming? He couldn’t sleep anymore, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to let his mind wander.
As the dawn came and the sun began to shine through the window of the room, Gabrelle slowly awoke, once more finding Xander sitting in a chair rather than in bed.
“Mmf,” She grunted as she stretched. “Morning, Xander. You got back late.”
“Morning, yourself,” Xander said, turning his head to look at Gabrelle. “Yeah... Yeah, I guess I did.”
“What were you doing, anyway?” She asked, curious. “You didn’t mention that you’d be out late, just that you were going to go to see Valteria at her shop.”
“I uh... went on a date.”
“I knew it! ‘Comparing notes’ was a date!” Gabrelle exclaimed triumphantly.
“It was not!” Xander complained. “But we went to a tavern in the evening and it sort of... turned into a date on the way there.”
“Awhh, that’s so cute,” Gabrelle said. “Did it go well? Is she nice? Did you kiss?”
“I think it went well. We talked a lot about different projects and ideas we had. I also got to meet another [Godsmarked] - he owns the tavern we went to. I think she’s nice. Maybe a little shy. I think she’s gotten used to being treated differently by people. I don’t think she really believed that I wanted to go on a date with her, at first. ...And yes. We kissed.”
“Ooooh, look at you! You’re growing up so fast!” Gabrelle teased.
“Oh hush. I’m older than you!” Xander huffed, then returned to seriousness. “But ah, if I’m going to be dating someone... we need to have a conversation, Gabrelle.”
“We need to stop sleeping together?” Gabrelle quickly deduced before Xander could say it himself.
“Yeah... It doesn’t feel right, even though it’s just platonic between us. I don’t think I would appreciate being in Valteria’s situation and knowing that the person I was seeing was sleeping with someone else at night.”
“Well, I figured this would happen eventually,” Gabrelle said. “Either you or I were bound to find someone eventually. Don’t worry, I’m not upset. Don’t get me wrong, the snuggles were nice, but like I told you a while ago, I don’t have nearly as much trouble sleeping when I’m with the team.”
“Thanks for not being upset, Gabrelle.”
“You know this means you have to start paying for your own room, though, right?”
“Ah, shit, you’re right. I forgot.”
Xander left the room to allow Gabrelle some privacy to get dressed and meandered back down the stairs to see if any other members of the team were already up. Looking around, he spied Graffus eating breakfast at at table and moved to sit with the dwarf.
“Mornin’” Graffus greeted Xander through a mouthful of bread.
“Morning,” Xander greeted back.
“Glad to see you made it back, we were wondering if you’d be out all night,” Graffus told him, after swallowing his bread.
“I was out a bit late, I suppose. I let the time get away from me.” Xander said, not really wanted to be teased again about going out on a date. “So what are you planning to do today?”
“Bah, Frazay has roped me into helping her do research for the drakeling. So reading is what’s in store for me.” Graffus tore himself off another piece of bread from his plate and slathered it with jam. “You going to be going back to that [Tinker] you’ve been spending time with lately?”
“Yeah, that’s the plan. I’m supposed to learn more about converting mana types today, and also help her fix the suit of armor that I wrecked.”
“Welp,” Graffus said, now on his last piece of bread, “I hope ya learn something new. Never had much to do with [Tinker]s – not saying I dislike them, just that I haven’t had much experience with them – so it don’t make much sense to me. Using a hammer is about the only overlap in our professions.”
“I think your hammer is significantly larger than the one most [Tinker]s would use,” Xander chuckled. Thinking about what he should be doing before he headed to Valteria’s, he asked Graffus, “Hey, I might need to buy some monster parts or elemental cores, something like that, for practice. You know where I would go to find stuff like that?”
Graffus shrugged. “Dunno. My guess would be an alchemy and reagents shop. That’s generally what we’ve sold monster parts to that didn’t go to a smith or leatherworker.”
“Thanks, Graffus.”
The two of them chatted for a while longer, catching up on what each other had been doing. Graffus excused himself to finish getting ready for the day, saying he needed to tend to his beard, leaving Xander downstairs. Deciding to be productive and proactive, Xander stood as well and headed out of the inn to find an alchemy shop.
It wasn’t long before he found one, a familiar scene of an eclectic collection of powders, liquids, crystals, and strange organic things floating in jars inside the building. The proprietor was a dwarf, seated at a workbench. They were grinding something into a powder as Xander entered. He received a distracted greeting before the dwarf returned to his work.
Xander wandered about the shop for a few minutes, looking at the various materials throughout the shop. He identified what he thought might be an elemental core, a jagged piece of crystal looking material that seemed to have an inner flame. As for the monster parts in jars, Xander had no idea what was what. He finally felt he’d waited long enough and moved closer to the worktable that the dwarf was still sitting at, working away at the mortar and pestle.
“Excuse me,” Xander said, grabbing the shopkeep’s attention.
“Mm?” The dwarf said questioningly. “Can I help you find something?”
“I was wondering if you had any elemental cores. Something small, I just need one to practice with.”
“Aye, I’ve a few of them around the shop. You want something to practice with? So a relatively weak core, then – not all the small ones are weak. Do you need any particular type?” The dwarf stood up and stretched, moving to one of the shelves.
“Uhm no, just whatever is cost effective, I suppose.”
The alchemist rifled through the various bits and bobs on one of the shelves nearby before producing a small chip of what looked to be a semi-translucent stone. It was tinged slightly yellow with streaks of white. “This here is a chip off a lightning attuned core. Pretty weak, but it does still produce mana.”
Xander could see the dwarf’s arm hair standing up as if from static electicity as he held up the stone. “How much?” He asked.
“Twenty gold.”
Xander shrugged. Twenty gold wasn’t an issue for him anymore, and he didn’t feel like haggling. He always hated haggling. “Sure.” He fished out the coin and handed it over to the dwarf.
The dwarf handed over the stone to Xander and the pop of a static electric shock could be heard as a tiny arc passed between the two of them. The dwarf grunted and shook his hand. “Thanks for the business,” he told Xander. “Anything else you find yourself in need of?”
“Not at the moment, but thanks for asking.” Xander waved goodbye to the dwarf and pocketed the tiny elemental core. He continued down the street in the direction of Valteria’s shop, thinking about how he was going to undo the welding job he’d done on Valteria’s armor. He’d need her to guide his repair efforts.
Xander returned to the inn momentarily to grab one of his golems. He settled on Atlas for now, as it was the most basic of the humanoid forms he’d created. No extra arms or weird feet on him, no sir.
Arriving at the building that contained Valteria’s home and shop, Xander knocked before opening the door. “Morning,” he called out.
“Xander! Hello!” Valteria called out. She was at the same work bench she’d been at yesterday. Jarrett didn’t seem to be in the shop at the moment, as Xander wasn’t able to spot the man.
Commanding Atlas to follow him in and closing the door behind him, Xander started walking towards Valteria. “How’s it going?” He asked.
“Good, it’s going good,” Valteria responded as Xander brought a stool over to her workbench. “How about yourself?”
“Not bad. The upside of not sleeping is that I never struggle in the mornings now. I used to hate waking up.” Xander laughed. “I even ran an errand before I came here! Picked up this.” Xander fished around in his pocket until he found the small chip of elemental core and held it up for Valteria to see.
“Core?” She asked distractedly, staring at Atlas. She tore her eyes away and looked closely at the small crystalline stone. “Lightning attuned?”
“That’s what the [Alchemist] at the shop said,” Xander affirmed. “Said it was a very weak one, but that it did still produce mana.”
“Mmm, a good practice piece, then.”
“I thought it would be, too. Not that I know what to do with it, yet.”
“Well, how about this: I teach you to set the stone and make some conduit, and then you can help me fix my armor. All the glue has turned to dust by now, thank the gods.”
“Sounds fair enough. So, how do mana conduits work?”
“Well, the concept is simple enough. It’s a tube which conducts mana,” Valteria began to explain.
“Mmhm.” Xander nodded along.
“What you need is a setting – usually of silver, as it has good mana conductivity – which will be the first step of conduction, taking the mana from the stone. Simply wrapping the core in silver wire can work well enough, drawing in the mana that the core puts out through its surface, but for a more effecient setting, small holes are usually drilled into the core to set the wire into as well, giving more surface area to draw from.”
“So we care about the mana conductivity of the material, then? That makes sense, I just hadn’t thought about it. I actually did a little experiment with my rune work to test which fillings were the most conductive.”
“Oh really?” Valteria said, interested. “What were your results?”
“Well, gold and silver were high up there in conductivity, and probably make the most sense for someone who has to physically manipulate material without use of a skill – both for a core setting and for inlaying a rune – but I did find that sapphires and rubies were even more efficient at transferring mana than gold and silver.”
“Mmm... interesting. I’ve heard of gemstones being used in very high-grade settings, as well as various other exotic materials. I read an account of one [Mechanist] who used tubes of mercury to conduct mana, though the relative effectiveness compared to silver wasn’t mentioned.” Valteria cleared her throat. “Uhm, now, where was I? Right, basic settings. Once you have your core – or monster organ, if you’re going that route – you connect it to the conduit. Usually, this is also silver wiring. I like to braid several smaller wires together, personally. I find it to be sturdier and hold up to flexing better. From there, it needs to be tied into a device. Which is a topic for tomorrow.” Looking around the shop, Valteria seemed to identify something on one of the shelves nearby. “I have a core that you could watch me set, and then you could try setting your own, if you’d like.”
“That sounds good to me,” Xander said. “I always love to see a master as work,” he added, opting for a little flattery.
“Follow me, then.” Valteria said, standing up from her stool and waving for Xander to follow.
Xander followed Valteria as she walked over to the shelf she’d been looking at earlier and took a palm sized, bright green stone from it. “Nature attuned core,” She explained, holding it for Xander to see. “I’m told it was taken from some kind of moving tree.” Valteria then moved to another worktable, on which were several of what looked to be drill bits to Xander. There was also an apparatus that look like it was designed to hold the bits, which was confirmed for him when Valteria slotted one of the small drill heads into the device. “This thing,” Valteria said, waving the drill a little bit, “is a life saver. I used to have to drill holes with a hand cranked one. Worth every single coin I paid for it to get an enchanted one.” She turned a dial on one side of the handheld device, which Xander was coming to think of as a magic dremel tool, and it began to come to life, the drill bit beginning to spin with a quiet whirring sound.
“Neat.” Xander commented. He watched patiently as Valteria drilled a series of shallow holes in the stone, the distinct screeching of metal on stone echoing through the shop floor. “So where’s Jarrett today?” He asked.
“Oh, he has the day off today. He asked for it about a week ago, not sure what for, though,” Valteria said distractedly. Soon she was finished with the holes she was drilling into the core, and moved to another workbench. “Now we create a setting for the core. This is a fairly simple way of doing it, mind you, but it is effective.”
Xander watched as she took sections of pre-braided silver wire and fitted the ends into the holes she had drilled. Once each hole was filled with a section of wire, Valteria began to pull wire from a spool, wrapping the stone until it was completely covered with silver wire and binding the braided sections to the stone in the process. “There,” she said, setting the stone down on the workbench. “A perfectly serviceable setting."
“So, if I understand correctly, you coat the core in a mana conductive material – the more surface area, the better, hence the holes – to create a setting?”
“Mmhmm,” Valteria said, nodding.
“Seems fairly straighforward. And then you connect the silver wiring that’s wrapped around it to more wiring, and attach that to your device? Why the distance? Why not just connect the setting directly to the device?”
“You absolutely can, if space isn’t an issue. Technically, the connection between the mana battery and the device, even if it’s just a single point with no distance, is still referred to as a conduit, though, so it’s considered a three part creation.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Do you want to try making your own, now? I don’t mind lending you a little wire.”
“Sure, but I should be good on material, I can produce it with my skills. Doesn’t last without a source of mana, but I guess the core itself might provide enough. Think this little chip is a bit small to put holes in, though.”
Xander looked at the small piece of crystal in his hand. If he just need as much contact as possible with a mana conductive material, his best bet would be to embed it into a sapphire or ruby. He decided on ruby, for no particular reason. Still holding the chip of core in his hand, he concentrated on his [Creation] ability. Valteria watched, amazed, as a ruby began to take form and grow around the piece of core until it was completely coated in a thin layer of gemstone.
“So, you can just... make things?” Valteria asked, sounding jealous.
“Well, it costs mana, and anything I make that isn’t provided a source of mana that leaves my person disintegrates in a day, but, yes. I can just make things with my skills. But,” he added, cutting off Valteria’s complaint of unfairness, “I have never received a skill that actually lets me improve a material. Sure, I have runes, which generally makes up the difference, but I don’t have any skills that improve the things I make. So, if you made a mana battery, and I made a mana battery the same way with identical materials, yours is going to be better, I assume, because you have skills that passively improve the things that you make, am I right?”
“Okayyy,” Valteria huffed. “I guess that does make it a little less unfair. But ugh! It would be so nice not having to source materials.” She looked at the ruby with a piece of core set inside it that Xander had made. “Well, I guess that about does it for making a setting... I thought it might have taken you longer to make one. I guess we can move on to fixing my armor even sooner! It’ll be nice to have it up and moving again.”
“Sure, sure, we can do that. Where is it, anyway?” Xander asked, looking around the shop again like he somehow would have missed the eight foot tall suit of armor.
“It’s in a shed behind the house,” Valteria explained. “I have it on a hoist so I can work on it.”
“Ah, that would explain why I haven’t seen it around.”
Exiting the shop, stopping for Valteria to put a small ‘closed’ sign on the door, the two of them made their way around the building, where Xander saw the small shed that presumably held Valteria’s armor. It looked like it could just barely hold the armor and one person – two, if they were comfortable with each other – inside it.
“So this is where the magic happens?” Xander asked.
“If by ‘magic’ you mean maintenance and upgrades, then yes,” Valteria agreed. She opened the door of the shed, which comprised most of the front of the tiny little building, revealing her suit of armor, which was currently hanging from several chains attached to pulleys on the ceiling. Plates of armor were laying strewn about the suite, leaving the joints and inner workings more exposed.
Xander whistled, looking at the inner workings of the suit. He could see gears, cogs, and joints, and throughout the entirety of the armor were running filaments of silver wire, which he assumed were mana conduits running to and from elemental cores and the various mana powered aspects of the suit. “This thing really is impressive. Almost as impressive as the woman who made it,” he said.
Valteria giggled, “Stop it! You’re supposed to be fixing this mess, not flirting with me!”
“Awh, can’t I do both?” Xander asked, trying to sound as saccharine as possible.
“Mmm, I suppose that if you are sufficiently skilled at multitasking, I might allow it,” Valteria said in a mockingly thoughtful tone.
“Well, I just so happen to be an expert, so flirt away I shall,” Xander replied. “Now, how about the beauty in front of me shows me exactly where the other beauty in front of me needs some repairs?”
Valteria sighed at Xander’s antics, but he could see the slight flush in her face. “Well, you welded the wrist joints, elbows, and knees. They aren’t welded all the way round, it’s more like you smoothed over a portion of it like it was wet clay. So if you could just... put it back? Shape it back to how it was, that’s should be all that’s needed.”
“Pretty straightforward,” Xander said, standing behind Valteria as she pointed out each joint. He could see the misshapen parts where he’d slapped a weld onto the metal. He leaned over her and put his hands on the elbow joint that they were closest to and began to shape the metal back to its original form.
“You’re... very close,” Valteria murmured to him as he formed the metal.
“Would you like me not to be?” He asked, carefully.
Valteria was silent for a moment before answering, “No...” quietly.
Xander carefully shifted to be a little closer, but still not quite touching, as he moved on to the wrist joint of the same arm. The process itself was simple, but he was enjoying taking his time. As he finished the wrist, he turned to look at Valteria. He found himself looking right into her eyes, as she was staring back at him. Unable to resist the temptation he leaned in a little closer, gauging Valteria’s reaction. When she, too, leaned towards him, he closed the small gap between them, drawing her into another kiss. Valteria pressed herself against him, the shed hiding them from any prying eyes on the street, and let out a small noise as Xander squeezed her tight. She was breathing a little bit harder than before the kiss as they separated again.
Valteria let out a breath. “You’re… a really good kisser.”
“Yeah?” Xander said, pleased with himself. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“And you’re a tease, looming over me like that in this tiny little shed,” Valteria continued. “Now you’ve got me all flustered, how am I supposed to work now?” She mock complained.
Xander was glad to see that Valteria was comfortable enough with him to joke like that. “Forgive me,” he said formally, making a deep bow, “How ever can I make it up to the lady?”
“Oh stop it, I will tolerate no bowing and scraping, even in jest,” Valteria said, slapping him lightly on the shoulder, as he was still holding the bow. “You can make it up to me by fixing the rest of these joints! And by taking me out to dinner?” She added, hopefully.
“I think that can be arranged,” Xander said. “Is there anywhere you have in mind? I will admit, I haven’t become very familiar with the local restaurant scene, what with my… dietary restrictions.”
“It doesn’t… make you feel bad to go out to a restaurant, does it?” Valteria asked softly, watching his face for a reaction.
“Nah, don’t worry,” Xander said, waving off the question with one hand. “It doesn’t bother me too much. Sure, I miss the taste of a good cut of steak, but I was never that into food. Eating was more of a thing I did because I had to, so I’m not completely devastated by the loss. And I can still get some vicarious enjoyment out of watching someone else enjoy their food. Really the worst part is awkwardly having to refuse ordering anything,” he said with a laugh.
“Alright, if you say so,” Valteria said, letting out a slight breath of relief. “I was just worried that it might be upsetting to you, is all. I know I would miss eating.” She paused for a moment, something clearly on her mind. “What do you miss? If you don’t mind my asking. I just… well, I’m curious what it’s like for you.”
“Mmm, in a lot of ways, life is still the same, and in other ways, I’m technically doing better than I was before. I’m incredibly resistant to damage now, even without my armor. I do miss sleeping, though. I try to give my mind a rest and just sort of daydream and let my thoughts wander or do some meditation during the nights, but it’s just not the same. Also means I’m the one that pulls guard duty through the night,” he grumbled. “Let’s see, what else, what else. Ah, right. I can’t smell anything. Or taste. I haven’t worked out how to recreate those senses, yet. Though no sense of smell can be handy sometimes, I suppose. I don’t know if you’ve done much merc work – you mentioned being surprised that I’m not just moonlighting – but uh… the smells that you encounter on a battlefield are… unpleasant. To say the least. It was weird not having a sense of touch either, but I’ve resolved that. It’s a little bit different than my previous, natural sense of touch, but I’ve become accustomed to it to the point that I don’t much think about the difference anymore. I think I’ve even got the density of receptors down in certain areas compared to others, so I'm more sensitive in some areas than others now, just like I used to be. I’m still immune to being tickled though, so don’t even think about it – that’s a fight you’ll lose.” Growing a bit more somber, Xander continued on. “I think… the biggest thing I miss is just the feeling that I fit in more. Now I always worry about being different, there’s that nagging fear that anyone I get to know well is going to reject me once they find out what I am. Like I’m secretly lying to everyone around me with this façade I have going on.”
Valteria nodded sadly. “I get that. I’ve been… rejected before, too. At least it happens or not right from the beginning for me. I get to know if they look down on me for being different immediately instead of fearing they might later down the road.”
“Yeah,” Xander said. “People can really suck sometimes. But at least I can just, like, not tell people what I am if I so chose. You, my teammates, and the guild, since it’s on my status sheet, are really the only people who know. I keep it pretty private. You can’t do that, so I think you probably have to deal with a lot worse than I do. Not that I’d want you to hide what or who you are,” he added. “I happen to be quite enamored with who you are,” he said, teasing a smile from Valteria’s sad face.
“Sorry to bring up such a dour topic,” Valteria apologized. “I didn’t think much on it before I asked.”
“No worries,” Xander told her. “Honestly, I think it’s good to be able to talk about it with someone. It’s healthy to be able to get you feelings out there. And it helps that I feel like you understand where I’m coming from with it, though from a slightly different perspective.”
“You’re surprisingly thoughtful sometimes,” Valteria said, only half teasing.
“Only sometimes?” Xander asked with a faux expression of hurt on his face. “By the way, you didn’t react much to my comment about moonlighting as a merc. Do you ever go on contracts?”
Valteria shrugged. “I certainly wouldn’t describe myself as a professional mercenary. Moonlighter is an apt descriptor, for me, I think. I have gone on a couple, here and there, mostly on kill contracts that would net me a core or organ that would be useful for my work.”
“Mm, that makes sense. I suppose it could be handy having access to the ability to take contracts that would give you access to specialty materials,” Xander said.
“It’s also good for business,” Valteria explained. “Mercs tend to like to buy from someone who has at least been out on a contract or two before.”
“Ah, that makes sense. What kind of things do you sell to mercenaries, anyways? I saw Jarrett with a crossbow yesterday, but I imagine you make other things, too.”
“Oh all kinds of little things. Portable, flameless heaters for cooking. Water purification sieves. Mm, let’s see… I’ve made a few custom order devices, too. One customer wanted to be able to shoot a jet of flame from their gauntlet, that was a fun one.”
“Ooh, that does sound fun… reminds me of my flamethrower.”
“Your flamethrower?”
“Yeah, it’s basically a big tank with a hose attached to it. At the end of the hose is a pump that causes the flammable liquid – I use dragon’s tar – to shoot out. Add a flame that the tar passes over and bam! You’ve got a giant stream of flame that will coat anything it hits with sticky, flammable tar,” Xander said, excitedly describing the device.
“That’s… impressive. And kind of horrifying,” Valteria responded.
“Mm… I guess you’re right. I mostly use it on giant spiders. Blugh,” Xander shuddered. “But yeah, I suppose it’s not the nicest of ways to go. Very effective for area denial, though. Ah, actually I have an idea for crossbow bolt head that would ignite when it shatters! We should make that sometime and see if it sells.”
“Hmm, I think that would draw some buyers. A flaming bolt head you didn’t have to light first could be desirable to certain buyers.”
“Put that on the list and we’ll get around to it sometime.”
“We have a list?” Valteria said confusedly.
“We should!” Xander said with a laugh. “Now let’s get the rest of these joints done.”
The repair of the other arm and the leg joints that Xander had locked into position during the tournament was a short affair. Looking over the bare metal frame of the armor still hanging from the ceiling, Xander clapped his hands together, mimicking dusting them off. “Good as new!” He exclaimed. Looking over to Valteria he asked concernedly, “It is good as new, right?”
Valteria had been staring at the armor as well, lost in thought about how she was going to improve it next. “Hmm? Oh, yes. It’s right as rain again, ready for use. Thank you, by the way. For fixing it,” She said awkwardly.
“Well I’m the one who broke it, so it’s only fair that I fix it. So what do you want to work on next?” Xander asked. “I could do some rune work for you. Orrr… we could kiss some more?”
Valteria flushed at the question, but didn’t immediately say no.
A few minutes later, she found herself on her tip toes and lightly pressed against the interior wall of the shed, her lips pressed against Xanders.
Once the two of them were done acting like teenagers parked in a secluded parking lot, they made their way back into the shop. Stepping inside and closing the door behind them, Valteria let out a breath. “I think… you are going to have to do a lot of rune work to make up for how much you just kissed me, Xander.”
“What, you didn’t like it?” He said with a raised eyebrow.
“I didn’t say that,” Valteria said with a smirk.

I found this forum and I'm new to reddit, so forgive me for being confused not knowing how this works. I know this seems sort of weird or even funny. It's more so how why he wasn't able to be honest with me but in the same time, I also wasn't.
I(60m) have been dating my boyfriend(58m) since we were 17 and 15. We've grown up together with our families living close and our parents accepted for who we are. However, I've been holding a dark secret to my boyfriend for our entire lives, and I don't know how to come clean.
The guilt always eats me up at night. When we sleep, we always cuddle and he always lays his head on my chest as I play with his hair. When he lays down, my heart sinks and that is because... I'm actually bald. I've been wearing a wig and there was one occasion my wig almost flied away during a windy day to the point my boyfriend asked me why I always had my hand on my head. I just told him my hair is blocking my view. Well.. you know why.
Anyway besides me joking trying to make this situation less stressful, I decided enough was enough. I've been crying all day, night. Even the weekends are so horrible that I decided to confess to him. We both cried. Hugged. He told me I'll always be his partner and I shouldn't feel insecure. As I've said, bullying was pretty traumatic. It probably seems dumb, but it really scarred us. But here is another thing.
He's also bald. When this came out, I did not know how to feel. I felt betrayed but in the same time, I understood his fear being judged. While growing up, we both got picked on. We had weird nicknames but were always picked on. Even once put in a locker. It was that bad. I had love for my friend now boyfriend and we were there for each other during our hardest times. High school was the worst, but we made the best out of it being there for each other.
With this new change, I have mixture of emotions. How can we accept this new change?we both feel betrayed and hurt, but we also understand each other's view point why. It's a lot for us right now. Any advice would be appreciated.

I was a gym rat, I'm not now because of other commitments. So I have something to tell my brothers from my own experience.
Women don't care about your body. Most beautiful female friends of mine are with 5/10 looking guys. Couple are with outright short and fat guys. (I'm not judging anybody here but simply pointing at two major insecurities - height and weight). So don't be that guy who cribs about his body type for being single. Now that this fact is out of the way, how can you increase your attractiveness?
If you're a gym goer, don't go into major bear mode if you're doing it for aesthetics. Girls simply don't value what your other gym bros value. So trying to be the biggest baddest guy in the gym is futile. Other Men's respect won't earn woman's love.
Fat is a bigger turn off than muscle is a turn on. It's better to not have muscles than to have chubby face. (This advice comes from personal experience - my mother, sisters, ex told me I looked much better with sharp face with less muscles than with chubby face with more muscles). Face massaging for a minute everyday while washing face, drinking plenty of water, reducing salt and sugar intake, fruits for breakfast instead of simple carbs, enough sleep - basically avoiding anything that causes water retention and tired eyes helps in this.
In the gym focus on side delts (because visible), triceps (because bigger than biceps ), back (because bigger than chest).
Your attractiveness comes almost completely from your personality. Girls are wired differently in these matters. So invest your time and money on things that make you interesting fellow instead of buying 6000rs whey betting solely on physique which anyway won't work. Remember even with physique you'll get sex which doesn't guarantee love but personality guarantees love which guarantees sex.
Who are interesting guys : 1) Knowledgeable. Know more than people around them on various matters. 2) Well spoken. Your words are your resume. Develope vocabulary, be eloquent. 3) Passionate. Serious about the things that they love. 4) Courteous. No crass jokes. No bitching or whining. (Modern women this, modern women that comes into this category) 5) Planned and organised. Signs of reliability. Lets her know she can shut off her brain around him. 6) Aware but not self serious. Is funny, childish at times but with awareness of said childishness.
At the end of the day a girl chooses best of what is available to her. If she finds two idiots with no personality either she'll choose none of them or the one with means or looks. She won't choose an idiot who is also broke and ugly. Don't be that guy.
PS: This is for somebody who is going to gym for singular purpose of being more attractive physically to other gender. Don't be that idiot who waltzes in telling me how he does it for himself and all other things.

My boyfriend and I have been together for about 12years. We have an 11year daughter together. We spent a good amount of our relationship in Hawaii and have moved and been living in Washington for over a year. In Washington they have what is called a committed intimate relationship law. I stayed home with the her when she was young and did college online with my GI bill and then when she was in school I attended college in person, partly for the income that I spent in the household. Now that shes older I have gone back to work, working two part time jobs while he has followed a career path in govt and makes more than enough to cover costs and I pay him half my monthly income about $1000 and cover about $500 a month in groceries, leaving me with about $100 a month in free money after gas, insurance, and her allowance.
The issue why I'm considering court is that anytime we argue and it doesn't come to a conclusion at that time he gets upset and has tried taking away access to the vehicles, at points locked me out of our shared bedroom, and has locked me out of the house at times. (Funny side note is that I kicked him out of our shared bedroom recently after he said I couldn't use the car to get to work on the morning, and he called the cops on me for not being willing to immediately give him his stuff in the room. The cops had us exchange the necessities).
Maybe I'm the asshole but I'm tired of this treatment and I don't even know if I would have a case given most of our relationship was in another state.

A couple of years ago I tried writing my own version of Stones Abbigale. I never got past the first couple scenes, but I'm considering returning to it. I wanted to basically rewrite and change up a lot of things, mainly focusing on Abbi and Davis and changing some elements. Let me know what you think!

1
It's almost four in the morning and Seth is threatening suicide again. Good. Fuck him. I hope he does it. I don't text him that because I read about this girl who told her boyfriend to kill himself. The irony was that when he actually did it she got charged with second degree murder. My life is fucked as it is I don't need to make it worse. It's almost two in the morning and I have to be up for school in a few hours. I’m shivering under my comforter because we’re halfway through November. I think about the turkey that won't get made this year and the family I won't see. I think that's swell. Seth is still texting.
Its like u dont even care after everything that happened and after everything we did together i saved ur life and i stayed with u when u cried and i hugged u and i did everything for u but that wasn't enough was it? i try so hard and all u ever are is a bitch to me that's not fair u want me to die and u hate me and u dont even care and im sick of it abbi why is is so hard for u to care about me?
I don't respond. I don't like how I feel about this. This should be easy. He won't actually do it. He won't. He’s too self involved to kill himself. I put my phone face down on my bed. The sheets shake around it as he sends message after message. I was sleeping on a ticking bomb so I got off of it. My feet stick to the floor, I struggle to step. I might as well have been standing barefoot on ice. I trudge to my window so I can see my street at night. Winter is really coming. You can't hear as many birds as you used to. They've all gone. They've all flown away. I can see three streetlights from where I’m standing. If you can from right to left you can see the concrete fracture into the sand. I open my window and brace for the chill. I stick my head outside. The ocean is not far away. I hear it hitting the shore over and over. Waves of water splashing incessantly, almost beating out my text notifications. The street lights flicker. I think of last summer. When Seth and I got really high after the news broke that my Mom was cheating on my Dad. I was making out with that bong. Emptying bowl after bowl, clanking the glass on the road to empty it out. Just thinking about it makes me feel the street pole against my back again. I was laughing and crying. Seth leaned in and hugged me. “I’m a sure thing,” he said. “I love you and I always will.” I caught my reflection in his sunglasses. I looked awful. I shiver at the memory. My phone is still buzzing. I try to catch my breath. I shut my window and start to walk back to my bed. A room always looks different in the dark. Maybe you think you know where you are, but there is always something that can jump out at you on the floor. Like a ghostly paper bag or a vengeful shoe. Objects that seem to move on their own with the sole drive of tripping you. I crawl back into bed. There's the phantom of Dad’s snoring . I know he's not sleeping in his room, he fell asleep on the couch after finishing his seventh fifth. Sometimes my brain fills in the gaps so I can hear it everywhere. Funnily, I haven't actually heard him snore since Mom left. That's the one thing I ever heard them fight about. Before she turned out to be a whore, I guess. BZZT.BZZT.BZZT. I can't bring myself to read any of his messages. They're coming so fast all the paragraphs are lost to motion blur. Seth’s arms wrap around me and I think about the beating of his heart and the warmth of his lips against my skin. I open up the texts, ready to respond.
I love you
I text this over and over until I fall asleep.
Davis was the only senior on the bus. Somehow, everyone else had a car or a ride. It’s all right, though. James would probably give him one if he had a car, but he skated to school every morning. That's why he barely ever rode the bus with him. The bus thumped along the under paved roads. Davis forgot his earbuds at home, so the only music that accompanied him was his racing thoughts. Two sophomore girls popped their heads over. “Ohmigod, Davis!” One of them shrieked.. “As I live and breathe,” he smiled. “Nice,” she said. “I’m so excited to see your finished painting.” Davis took the lower level art class for a requirement. Like most things, he's not taking it very seriously. For their pop art unit, he's painting a portrait of the art teacher with a warthog face. It's one of his funny disruptions. He knows Mrs. Stanley is going to have a real field day with it, but it doesn't matter. Artistic liberties, he’d profess. “She's such a bitch, isn't she?” The sophomore girl turns to her compatriot, who only nods in response. “She's just jealous,” Davis says. “It must be depressing to teach art and see the youth soar above her.” “For sure,” the girl doesn't get it. Class clown is a semi-heavy burden. Davis doesn't really feel like talking to these girls, but his position demands it. Comedy informs everything about him. To the giant thrift store jeans, to the loud Hawaiian shirt. He and James are the ultimate combination, at least he likes to think so. Quiet brooding begs for bright distraction. The girl is still trying to talk to him and Davis is saying his preprogrammed lines. The bus stops in front of James’s street. Surprisingly, James is standing there. “Like I’m this close to just filling my hydroflask with vodka, yaknow?” says the chick. Maybe she's just trying to get a rise out of him. “Better be prepared to give me more than a sip,” Davis is watching James grumble towards the bus. The sun is beating down on the forming ice puddles. James stomps through them with small shattering steps. James turns up the bus aisle and plops in the seat next to Davis. Davis’s smile is genuine now, but he fights it from getting too wide. “Crash your vehicle?” Davis asks. “Something like it,” there's something off with him. Davis doesn't want to push it. “Well damn, hope insurance covers it,” Davis wants James to break and laugh. Is it just another mood or did something actually happen this time? “It won't, I got bad credit,” James grins and it's like heaven. “What's the move for you today?” “Surviving art and physics for me,” says Davis. “Those bastards love to keep me down.” “Who doesn't,” James eyes the girls who have since returned to whatever they were doing before. It's the judgement stare, as Davis calls it. James likes to observe his peers like a zoo-goer. Breaking them down to taxonomic types. Davis likes to think that James doesn't do this to him, but he knows he probably does. “It sucks you decided to be bad at school and take baby art,” James is still dissecting the sophomore girls down to their tropes. “We could have done Art II together.” “I wouldn't want to get between you and Alex. I know how you love it when people piss in jars next to you.” “That's disgusting,” James breaks his glare at the girls. “It's performance art, it's beautiful,” Davis gets up out of his seat to yell. “Everyone witness the wonderful work of Alex Madov! Disengage yourself from the shackles of capitalism by shouting with me: Poopy, pee pee, poop!” Davis gets a few chuckles from the other kids on the bus. “Sit down, fatso,” mumbles the bus driver. “I will not be silenced! I’m a messenger of the good word, sir!” “More of this shit and I’m skipping your stop!” “Fine, but I will make Alex remember on the day of judgement,” Davis sits back down. James is full belly laughing. “You're so retarded,” James wheezes. Davis can't even come back with a response. He's high off of it.
The bus pulls into the school lot with a short stop. The mobs get up and begin to race out. Davis follows James down the line. “You know Abbi?” James asks. Davis feels a little pit form in his stomach, but he doesn't change his expression. “Vaguely, what about her?” “She's in my art class,” James begins. “And I think … well you know, I’m going to talk to her.” He walks down the steps and out the door. “Doesn't she have a boyfr-” before Davis can descend the driver's arm blocks him. “I’ve had enough of your shit, kid,” he says. “If you keep being obnoxious, I’m gonna find a way to make you pay for it.” James looks back, but he can't stay. Davis knows that he's gotta get to class. James does a little wave goodbye and Davis salutes him. “Are you even listening to me?” the bus driver seethes. “Yes, sir. Divine retribution, got it.” Davis ducks underneath his arm and exits the bus. James has already disappeared into the crowd.
I pass the bong to Ashley. She starts another bowl. She’s the transport and I provide the material. The little things that keep our friendship afloat. I look at the clock in her car. “It's 8:45,” I pick a piece of bagel out of my teeth. “So that's it, we officially missed first period,” Ashley tops it off. “They won't mark us, you know. It's a study.” “Yeah, but when's the last time we signed in? I heard they're changing the policy again. Do you still have the lighter?” I toss it to her. I don't get it. It's always her idea to pick me up so we can smoke before school, why now is she suddenly caring about attendance? “We're pretty girls, we can get out of it. I’m next,” I tap on the clock. “Are you sure it's not fast?” She shakes her head as she takes a snap. We're parked in the pond area a block or two from the school. It's our designated smoking spot. I like it, even at the end of fall it's pretty. I’m so engrossed that I don't realize her tip out the bowl and put it back in the cup holder. “I don't know if it's wise to keep up the activity, we should probably get going soon,” she starts up her car again. “Okay,” I say. She reverses and swings out of the lot. We lean into the silence and it's super weird. “Seth texted me last night,” I wait for her reaction. “Oh,” she grimaces. “What did you say?” “That I loved him.” Silence again. Ashley's trying to put together something well-meaning while understanding that I’ll probably ignore whatever she has to say. “Abbi, I’m not trying to tell you how to run your life, but …” Her expression is now quizzical. She's said what she is about to say a number of different ways all ready. She thinks and thinks and decides to say nothing. Good call, I would have screamed at her. Not because what she thinks about my situation isn't true, I’m just in a ‘screaming at people mood’ because of it. “I’m going to dye my hair again,” she changes the subject to avoid conflict. Classic Ash. “Oh yeah? What color this time?” “I don't know,” she checks her reflection in the rear view. “The red has faded out, maybe blue or pink this time.” “You should go with a softer pink,” I say. “Since you're a soft spring.” “Yeah, maybe.” We enter the school lot. “Listen, do you want to get together when I do it? Maybe you can dye your hair too.” “I don't know, I might be busy,” I say. “Seth might want to do something,” I pause for her to protest. “Okay,” she says. She parks and we get out.
I barrel into art class. I don't care if I reek, out of all the teachers I can tell Mrs. Stanley smokes the most. It would be hypocritical of her to care. It looks like I’m the first one. Weird. I check my phone. It's 8:45. Well, fuck. Looks like Ashley needs to fix her clock. Mrs. Stanley is at her desk. She looks at me knowingly. “Eager to create today, Abbi?” I just nod and sit at my desk. I’m really feeling it. I open up my precalc notebook and just start sketching. Birds, eyes, trees, whatever. Kids start coming in. Their chatter echoes around me, I try to focus on what I’m doing. Someone bumps into my table. I look up. It's this lanky blonde kid, I think his name is James. He presses his hands underneath the desk as he leans up to talk to me. “Eww!” He shouts. Some kids turn and laugh. I don't. I just stare at him. James goes red and sits next to the kid who pissed in a jar. Once an adequate amount of students are in the room, Mrs. Stanley starts her lesson slideshow. On the screen is a dirty urinal. “How many of you are familiar with this work by Marcel DuChamp?” she asks. At this point, Jason, the designated meathead jock, enters the room. “Sorry I’m late, Mrs. S,” he booms. He looks at the slide. “We building bathrooms today?” Mrs. Stanley glares at him. “Wouldn't you like that? Considering you spend all of your time in there.” “Whatever,” Jason brushes his mullet behind his ears. “No, not whatever. Would you like me to move you into the sophomore class with Davis? Believe it or not he's getting much better marks than you are getting in here.” Jason rolls his eyes and takes his place in the chair next to me. “Up to a little extra curricular activities before art, Abbi?” he motions a joint in his fingers. I scoff and go on my phone. There's another text from Seth.
sorry about last night
and
im reading it all right now that was fucked im sorry
I start to respond, but before I can Mrs. Stanley outstretches her hand. “Give me your phone, Miss Hagerty. I’m sick of giving you warnings.” I don't have the energy to fight, I just give it to her. “You can pick it up at the end of the day.” My jaw actually drops. Jason must have really set her off, she's not usually such a cunt to me. “Anyways, found art. What is it? Well, found art is the use of everyday objects to convey an altered meaning. It can be something you find on the street or something that once held value to you. For example, My Bed by Tracey Elim.” She pulls up a picture of a messy bed that looks suspiciously like my own. “So for your final unit of the semester, you will be making your own found art. I really want you to take this project a little more seriously than most of you have been taking this class. I’m giving you the privilege of picking your own partners, but I’d like to remind you to be thoughtful with your choice. This will be worth more for your grade.” I look around. I don't have any friends here. I toy around with the idea of asking Jason for convenience and he looks like he's about to pull that move. Behind me there's that James guy. He’s sheepishly looking at me. He seems kind of nice. Okay. I don't feel like getting up so I just turn around in my chair. “Hey James, wanna be partners?” He balks a bit and then smiles at me. “Yeah, totally,” He's beaming and it's somewhat endearing. Alex and I switch seats and now I’m next to him. “I’m gonna be real with you …” I begin. He stops and shifts a little. “I have no idea what we're supposed to be doing for this.” He regards me oddly. Like he's trying to piece me together. It doesn't bother me. “She said we have to bring in an object that's special to us and present it artistically basically,” he rubs his chin. Damn, I must be baked to hell. I didn't hear her saying that at all. “So got any stuffed animals we can cut up and make Lovecraftian monstrosities out of?” “I got a hamster cage, hold the hamster,” I say. It comes out kind of weird and I probably sound stupid, but he doesn't seem to care. “Let's make a fucking zoo.” “Perfect!” He’s kind of cute actually. In a way. Something about this feels fun. I realize the bell will ring soon. “So um,” I rip out a page of my precalc notebook, still fresh with my drawings. I scrawl out my number and push it to him. “Call me so we can figure out the project some more.” I pack up all my stuff and start to head out. I can feel him watching me and it's not that bad. “I sure will,” he says. Everything feels really groovy. There's a lightness now. I’m halfway out the door when I remember my phone. I can't believe that I just forgot about Seth. I think about begging for my phone, but I feel too above that. Still, something shakes the good feeling as the bell rings.

For context, I technically still live at home with my parents but I am only here Mon-Fri until 5pm typically, and then I go to my boyfriends house (He has too many roommates for me to move in officially and we live in one of the most expensive states). I grew up with dogs my whole life, but at 20 I adopted my other pet and had a giant revelation about how much I truly dislike dogs.
My parents have two dogs, a blonde one and a black one, both are rescue mutts. The blondie is older, and she has a sweet and smart personality BUT she never stops barking. Anything walking past the windows will make her bark nonstop, like every single thing is a threat. If you leave to walk to the mailbox, she will bark at you when you come back. The black one is so anxious of everything, we aren't allowed to have phone ringers because it scares him. Not allowed to watch TV at certain volumes or play music because it scares him. There is dog hair everywhere. I left my coffee sitting ON THE COFFEE TABLE for a few minutes and came back to three black hairs floating on top (He stuck his face in and drank my coffee). You can't walk into my house without both dogs jumping up at you and clawing your legs because "aWwWwww tHeY aRe So ExCiTeD tO SeE yOu!". They lick my toes and the backs of my knees when I walk around the house it is so nasty feeling and it always makes me snap at them. If you attempt to be firm with them though, my parents will guilt trip you for it. Not to mention the black one is constantly sticking his face into peoples privates and humping my friends legs, soooooooo cute! NOT.
I am not exaggerating, my entire childhood the dogs were placed above me because "You are a human with longer to live". My parents never had more kids because "The dogs are your siblings". Every trip we tried to take was hell because we would bring the dogs and they would piss everywhere, bark nonstop, cause other problems OR if we didn't bring them my parents would complain the whole time that they missed the dogs. It is so embarrassing pulling up to family events and seeing everyones face drop when we open the car door and the mutts come barreling out, barking and jumping at everyone.
One time my mom found out the car dealership I had to take MY car too allowed dogs so she brought them in with us. The black one puked in front of their reception desk immediately, because the sounds of their phones ringing scared him. And then the cherry on top, he pooped on the floor in front of the technician I was trying to talk to about my car with. It was disgusting and so embarrassing and unnecessary. She could have just stayed in her car with them or walked them around the parking lot but, they are part of the family so they come with.
The black dog bites my feet when I prevent him from eating my other pets food, even though he is fed great dog food frequently and gets human food all of the time. They are so bossy and demanding because they are spoiled, they are hardly trained at all. They are trained to go outside for the bathroom and that is about it because my parents want their "dogs to be dogs" so they aren't trained in any other way.
Rant/vent over, I just cannot wait to one day have a dogfree home to live in so my parents can live happily in their dog house and I won't feel like a raincloud that rains on their dog parade.

Background: City of Tacoma bases residential sewewastewater rates on the amount of fresh water a household uses during the winter months of December-March. As per their website, "this eliminates any extra water used in summer gardening and yard maintenance, which doesn't end up in the wastewater treatment center."
Also per their website, "new customers are charged based on average residential use...once a customer establishes a winter water usage history, their monthly rates will be adjusted accordingly."
My problem: I live by myself in a single-family residence, meaning that the size of my household is much smaller than the average. The size of my house is also much smaller than the average.
I established service with TPU at the beginning of April and thus do not have established winter water usage. I am being charged the rate of the average single-family residence and will be for the next year.
I received my first bill from TPU. In the 36 days I have been a customer with them, I used 2.717 ccf of fresh water. However, I am being charged for 7.2 ccf (the rate of 6 ccf for 30 days) because that is the average for the city. No one could argue that there's any way I am dumping that much down the drain and it would be a huge stretch for me to ever use that much freshwater at any time of year. I am paying for services I am not using and will be stuck paying for significantly more than I am using for the next 10 months. As a single person, this is no small amount.
It makes sense that the city bases ones bill off the winter months in order to not overcharge for water use that is not going down the drain. But this policy is doing the exact opposite for me. I would bet that over the course of the summer, I'd still be paying less if it was just based on my monthly usage.
The reps at TPU and the city assured me that it's all OK because my wastewater bill will be adjusted and more acurate after the winter. But when I asked if I'd get a refund for the extra I'm paying now, the answer was no.
I don't understand how I can legally be charged for a service I'm not using, but I can't find anything in state law or the fine print that indicates I can do anything about it.
So, my question: have any of you in my situation ever found a way to appeal this charge? Or have any of you found a way to get the city/TPU to reassess your monthly charge outside of the winter months?

College Breakup
My boyfriend (‘19M’) broke up with me (‘19F’) three days after returning home from living together at a dorm for a year. We spent fall semester and spring semester together in a dorm and then after three days of returning home, he breaks up with me, I’m heartbroken and I want him back but doesn’t want me. He broke up with me in person. But it was rushed. We have been together for two years high school sweethearts. After he left, he had sent me this text message
None of it was fake Mia. Everything I did, I did it with the best intentions. You’re were everything to me despite my confusion. I just don’t think we’re right for each other. I don’t want you to change. I don’t want you to think it’s you. I know that it seems that I led you on, and maybe I did but I don’t see it that way. I knew I cared for you, I knew you were one of my best friends but I was just confused. I don’t know what it is but I just don’t feel the type of love I should be feeling. It’s just not fair that you feel what you should be feeling in the relationship and I’m not. It’s been eating me up inside Mia. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t be doubting my own feelings because I know that isn’t love. I shouldn’t be doubting. I shouldn’t be unsure if you’re the right one for me. That isn’t the love this relationship needs. I’m sorry
And return I sent this text message back to him at 2 AM 😭😭😭
I don’t know how to start this text because the more I replay our conversation you started it off with I think we should break up. Meaning I had a chance to voice why we shouldn’t and why I should stay with you and cherish you and love you and listen to you, but I didn’t. I started to cry and choke up on my words, all I could say was don’t do this. I can’t deny that it has been a hard semester for us. I have been dealing with depression that comes and goes, causing me to be unproductive, and I understand how that can be seen as unattractive and confusing to you because I don’t wake up in time to go see your games, but will tell you heart That I love you and I want to be there for you. I get why you’re confused and it’s my fault. We hurried into relationship out of lust because we love to have sex with each other. It’s weird to think that we started the relationship not really talking to each other because we were moaning in one ear too much to care about what we thought. And when we would talk, we would forget you mean so much to me Samuel and I’m so sorry I didn’t have the correct morals to show that to you when I first met you, let me take accountability how I started our relationship but also let me that we are a team. I want to make decisions with you. I want to continue learning with you. I want to be sober. I don’t want to forget any detail about you. I understand the importance of communication hence why I’m sending you this Bible ass text message. I’m ready to have those tough conversations with you. Rebuilding trust won’t be easy because of let you down countless times, but please don’t let me end the conversation with we are just breaking up. We aren’t two different people we are sarcastic, stubborn, caring, charismatic, driven/lazy motivated people. Truthfully, when you said, we are two different people I don’t think that’s the worst thing it takes someone out of your comfort zone to grow and further develop into the person you want to become, I love you Samuel . I know you say people can’t change but I’m living proof because I feel more logical after meeting you. Lol I’m stronger emotionally unless I’m on my period. I’m a little bitch. Please don’t close yourself off to the idea of change. If you fell out of love with me, still consider me one of your best friends. You still have a platonic love for me remember one argument we had and I ended it with maybe we should go back to the basics and you said well I already know the basics about you, maybe we were looking at a relationship wrong. Every day we should have questions and curiosities left unanswered the day before that we questioned to each other. I just don’t wanna lose you somewhat. I’m willing to change my approach at a relationship to save this one now though I don’t think there’s nothing wrong with how we love each other, we just need more structured foundation that satisfies both of our love languages and doesn’t leave us feeling lonely and like we aren’t going through this together. I wanna fold clothes for you. I wanna make you feel good. I want to be your wife, but I also don’t want to force you to love me hence why am giving you a week to think about things. If you do want to talk by the end of the week, so maybe rekindle our relationship I don’t think we should go back directly to us having sex so often also setting clear intentions for each other even though that’s kind of gay but we both are hurting because of this break up and need to accept that we both need boundaries to be able to be individuals but also also a team team.
I’m heartbroken and just want to get back together with him. I feel manipulated because we had sex almost every day up into leaving college. I feel kind of used and let on if he tells me he’s not romantically in love with me, but he’s still considers me one of his best friends. It means he still must have some type of , love for me.
I haven’t texted him since the break up and don’t intend to text him for a week. Can I get advice for anyone going through a similar situation?
Should I even want to get back with him?
He never even responded to my text so I don’t even know if you want to meet up in a week to discuss anything

I (46M) have not been with anyone for 25 years. I haven’t been in jail (I keep getting asked this when I reveal that fact – I just joke that I’m not that cool), I just kinda got into a grind of 60+ hour weeks as an IT manager and very rarely went out to meet people, never took vacations, and just made work my life for the last two plus decades.
I changed jobs, work a much less stressful job and now I have time and money, so I tried dating off and on a bit. I realized I’m lacking a few skills as I do not know how to date. I’m really confused and I don’t understand how to navigate these situations.
My current steps are:
1. Talk over the app a bit
2. Go out for coffee
3. Send a text message after to ask if they got home safe and thank them for coming out to meet me.
4. Sometimes we keep chatting over the app (other times it’s radio silence, or “we’re not a good match”, which I appreciate more than radio silence)
5. She gives me her phone number
6. ???? (I don’t know what to do from here!!!!)
In the past once I get to step 5 (they give me their phone number...I have never asked for it because I want to respect boundaries and don't want to make anyone uncomfortable) I text a few times and ask if they'd like to go somewhere nicer than for just coffee (my treat). They tell me they met someone, and it's going really well and they want to explore that. If this happened once, I'd say "that's funny" and move on, but it's happened 10 times now.
Why did the give me their phone number if they met someone and it's going really well? I had thought if you give someone your phone number it's because you like them and want to hear from them. Apparently this is not the case. I thought that reaching 40 meant people would be direct about what they wanted.
I feel like I must be doing something wrong or missing a step that I'm expected to do once I have their number. What do I do? Once is an anomaly, 10 times with the common factor being me means I'm doing something wrong statistically.
I would love to know step six and beyond. I don’t want to push and overstep boundaries, definitely don’t want to be around someone who doesn’t want me around, but I feel like there’s a step that I’m missing where I’m failing some sort of litmus test.
I’m taking a break from dating for a bit as I need to figure out what I'm doing wrong and figure out a plan for the rest of the steps (also it kinda hurts and I need a breather so I can stay positive). I know other people can do this so naturally but I'm not even sure what it is that I'm trying to do. I never really learned how to date and I figured I could "learn by doing" but I don't seem to be learning anything and I'm just confused.
If anyone has any advice (men or women) I would really appreciate it. I’m trying to figure this out but I feel like I’m missing some vital information. Years in IT have taught me that some problems just need another perspective.

im becoming more n more sure of my identity but i still feel stuck, not only that, but if i even were to come out my life would be practically over. if i were to remain with my now boyfriend, id have a pretty good future life assured. i dont want to fuck up my existence even more so its such a hard decision to make. i just want to be a butch in peace without feeling awful about myself and my life like this. how do you guys cope with not being able to escape your life (especially romantic life with your bf/husband)?

I was the Scorpio in this friendship, and it's been quite the roller coaster ride. Without diving into specifics for privacy's sake, I'll share the highlights of this 4-year journey.
We met through work, and despite my social awkwardness, I tried my best to foster a connection with her. However, her lack of interest and minimal engagement left me feeling drained. It was weird because she would text me with more enthusiasm.
Fast forward, our friendship had its highs and lows. Double dates turned into moments of awkwardness when she would veer away with her boyfriend, leaving me and my date wondering where they were. Then came the ghosting without explanation, which took a toll on my mental well-being.
After some time, she reappeared, citing that my "jokes" was a reason for the distance. Although I apologized, specifics about these “jokes” remained unclear and unsaid. When I expressed how I felt she would say since she’s going through personal things she’s valid for how she treated me. Our subsequent conversations were one-sided, with me struggling to be heard and understood. She would always tell me during conversations that she didn’t understand me and start disagreements with me over everything. I found myself just being quiet after being degraded.
Despite attempts to reconnect, the dynamic remained strained, culminating in uncomfortable moments and degrading remarks. The final straw came when she tried to push the idea of me to do drugs to cure my social anxiety, making me realize the toxicity of the friendship. She called me weird for being a virgin in my early 20s and basically told me that I needed to loosen up. She’s also tried to convince me that I was bisexual like her when I repeatedly told her that I was not. (Nothing wrong with being bisexual btw).
If you find yourself in a similar situation, know that it's okay to prioritize your mental health. Surround yourself with those who accept you for who you are and match your energy. You deserve genuine connections that uplift and empower you.

Last night I (24f) had a conversation with my boyfriend (32m) (been together for 3 years this July) about why he called me arrogant and egotistical during an argument. He said it’s because I keep bringing up the fact that I was able to translate everything, while we were vacationing in Japan and I keep rubbing it in his face.
The only times I brought it up was when I was asking him if I did a good job, I did mention that I was proud of myself(which I was taught to say after achieving something by my parents), and also when I was telling my mom about it. This hurt my feelings because I was simply proud of myself and wanted him to be proud of me too. If there was an issue, why not just communicate that instead of calling me names?
I’ve been working to learn this language for years and my biggest struggle was understanding while listening. I went last year and couldn’t understand anything being said to me. I knew he wanted to go this year and I didn’t want to let him down. So, I paid for a private tutor and worked all year until I could understand spoken Japanese.
I just wanted him to be happy for me that I finally achieved something that was so hard for me. I feel like when your partner achieves something they worked hard on, shouldn’t you congratulate them? Or say you’re happy for them? Not see it as them rubbing it in your face. It wasn’t really about him, I was just happy for myself.
I’ve been thinking about our relationship and I’ve noticed, he never seems happy when I achieve something. I told him about my full scholarship to college because he asked how I paid for school. He got weird and made side comments to me. I graduated from college, he didn’t take one picture of me that day or congratulate me. I went to Japan last year, he didn’t help me prepare for the trip or want to hear about it once I came back. I got a raise at work, he didn’t congratulate me or at least say “that’s great!” Only “lucky” or “I wish I could get a raise.”
Whenever anything good happens to him. I always make sure to tell him I’m happy for him and get excited for him. I might even do something small, like buy a bottle of wine or make a meal he’ll like.
It just hurts. I don’t deserve to be called names. I don’t know what it is. I don’t know what to do. This is something so stupid to get so mad about. He says he’s going to therapy, but you can only change when you want to. What should I do? Is normal to be happy for our partner’s achievements, right? I wasn’t trying to be arrogant.

I’m in the middle of a divorce and I’m a single mother at 21. I know, I’m very young but the kid (19months old) was planned and I got married very young (at 18). My current boyfriend (43M) knows my ex husband (40M) was abusive towards me and changed after I was already pregnant so I ended up having to do all the child rearing alone while studying full-time and also finding means to work all alone at a young age, as my ex husband now lives in a completely different continent. I live alone with no help from parents or anyone.
I regularly offer my bf emotional support especially when he’s dealing with mood swings and stress from work and I’ve felt he’s never really done the same for me. So I’ve always had my guard up around being emotionally vulnerable around him. He always says he’s never dated someone so sweet and emotionally supportive so this isn’t just me patting myself on the back.
Today he randomly said to me I should’ve made “better decisions and not had a kid” because I simply opened up a tiny bit and mentioned I was having some anxiety problems from stress. Which felt completely insensitive and random. Especially given that I was simply saying I’m stressed about having exams as I have enough on my plate being a mother.
I was just looking for a bit of emotional support.. that I always offer him. I thought it was time for me to start being more open about my own feelings sometimes or things I go through and I had told him I even was having panic attacks last month during my exam session which I hadn’t dealt with in years. But then he looked at me dead in the eye and harshly said that to me? So I just broke down in tears.
And then when I told him that was incredibly mean to say twice, he only said “well sorry” and that was all. I cried for maybe 2h and he was just being avoidant of me. At some point he asked if he can make me feel better briefly but he mostly left me alone and asked me “why I’m doing this to myself” (crying?) when I simply felt bad for being spoken to that way.
IMO it’s just something you should never say to a mother let alone your girlfriend? I’ve always wanted to have a family young. I now take care of my kid completely alone with no help but I’m a responsible mother. I love my kid and I’m glad I had her.
But he made me feel like shit and second-guess myself, especially because it was completely uncalled for and unrelated. Also if that’s how he feels about my decision-making, why is he with me? He said I “overreacted”.
Now I feel like I can’t really get over it. He hasn’t done much to make it up to me mostly just avoidant of the topic now. WIBTAH if I broke up with him over this?

I came across this very good video, he is Israeli, he flew to US to speak to student protesters in Washington DC, he starting talking with this young American Jew Pro-Palestine protester, you will see the protest organizers tried to stop them from talking… then plot twist two older Palestinians pulled him aside and wanted to continue talking with him without the protesters interferring/ chanting loudly. https://youtu.be/bngdpQOG3BM?si=TutfpzuienKmKy6l

1. Always stay calm. Dont raise your voice, dont raise your fist…if it gets a bit loud, try to calm down the situation. We are in the campus of a prestigious university, we can have a civil conversation without the need to raise our voice.
   
2. Know your FACTS. And know the “facts” of the opposite camp. Do your homework and try to debunk them at home with facts. He could have gone one up, by showing the facts on his phone. I have no idea what is a Cohen DNA.
   
3. Talk coherently, one point at a time. It may surprise you…. some of their “understanding” may shock you. You might need some time to wrap your head around this reply. I bet he too is shocked and needs a moment to digust want new facts you saying. This young American Jew thought he was ethnically Polish.
   
4. To dispel a myth, you need to peel it like an onion, layer by layer, exposing the misunderstanding / fallacy…its a bit like playing chess… you are thinking 5 steps ahead, you are just guiding him and helping him reach the logical conclusion you want and have foreseen. Of course he thinks he reached his own conclusions himself, but you led him there.
   

Example: A Christian that no longer believes in Jesus, they are no longer a Christian. A Muslim that rejects Muhammed they are no longer a Muslim. If a Jew doesnt believe in HaShem or Adonai, is he still a Jew ? Yes he is still a Jew, because Judaism is more than just religion. Judaism is an identity of an ancient civilization.
This American Jew thinks there are thousands and thousands of Palestinian Jews practising Judaism in Palestine. The Israeli is so shocked he doesnt know how to respond. What does a Palestinian Jew even mean ? (Now current). He brushed it off as that doesnt exist. He could have show demography of Palestine, how many “Palestinian Jews” live in Palestine. This is where phone comes in handy.

1. Be prepare to condemn your side for the things you disagree with. An Israeli criticizing Nethanyahu is common. A Palestinian criticizing Abu Mazen is common.
   
2. Stop using buzzwords …Genocide. Apartheid. Colonist. Ethic Cleansing. Terrorist. Baby killer. He didnt give many examples of the Palestinian side. It doesnt help the conversation. If it does pop up, start by agreeing on the definition, and go from there. To better relate to the opposite camp, say it but without using these buzzwords. Preventing us from understanding the complexities. Say Palestinians go through checkpoints.
   
3. Aparheid system is a system with one government, one country with different rights for different people. All Israelis including 20% Arab/Palestinian population have full equal rights. Then in West Bank, separate land under the Palestinian Authority. Obviously, those Palestinians living there dont have rights to Israel. And vice versa. Gaza was under the separate authority of Hamas. People living in Gaza do not have rights to Israel. And vice versa. Three separate lands with different jurisdictions with different population.
   

At least he explained it in a very simple manner, simple enough for the other person to understand.

1. Those student protest chants…9:38 are full of hate. These chants are not people wanting peace for Middle East. “God willing, Allah will take your life” ? No wonder some Jewish students are intimidated and afraid. And that young American Jew support these chants? See the person you are conversing as a human beings, you dont have to like him, just be courteous.
   
2. Dont make it personal. Separate this person you speaking to from the others. I done nothing to you, I was born in 1993, I have nothing to do with it. You wont say every action of a Palestinian represents all Palestinians. Abu Mazen doesnt represent me (Palestinian). He is $#@&* Just because there are leaders who are wrong, that doesnt mean all those people are responsible for those leaders.
   
3. There is good people and bad people in this world. There is good Palestinians and bad Palestinians. Abu Mazen is bad person. You would say that is not Palestinian, that is Abu Mazen. There are also good and bad Zionists, Israeli or Jew.
   
4. I dont agree with this, but its a tactic. Together we (Israeli and Palestine) blame someone else for our problems. He picked British. The Britished started this conflict. They pitted Jews against Arabs, in their divide and conquer strategy. I think maybe blame UN, everyone thinks UN is incompetent.
   

—————
I want to add I dont think its the responsibility of Israelis to teach young Pro-Palestinian American Jews what is Judaism, what is a Jew, etc.. I feel that’s something American Jewish community should be able to help teach/ guide them. If Israelis are going to be starting conversation with anyone about peace in Middle East, they will talk to Palestinians…not white or American Jewish Pro-Palestinian protesters.

So I (21F) have this eme na everytime I know something good will happen, I overthink a lot and I think way ahead. I get worried and sad about what will happen after that "good" thing. And this is not just during those big happenings/milestone in my life kind of stuff but kahit sa mga simple lang na bagay.
Examples:

1. Grocery shopping. I love grocery shopping and when my parents plan it ahead of timd, I get excited but then I'll also feel worried/sad na baka after that grocery shopping day ay maubos pera ng magulang ko at pabigat ako haha. Or baka mag-away kami ng mommy ko while shopping.
   
2. When my bf visits me in our province. He would stay with us sa bahay for say 3 nights and of course I'm excited and I can't wait to be with him. Pero maiiyak nalang ako at malulungkot bigla kasi wala pa man, iniisip ko na agad na uuwi siya tapos maiiwan niya ako and masasad ako. Naiisip ko agad yung mararamdaman ko after namin magspend time together and I feel bad na bumabyahe siya nang malayo just to be with me.
   
3. Hangout with friends. I overthink what would happen kapag magkikita kami ng friends. Like will I be asked about my medication again? Will I be able to have fun? Will I enjoy? Will I be upset? Ghurl, lahat na kahit na I'm surrounded with great friends.
   

Basically, I overthink a lot and that hinders me from looking forward to things that make me happy. And the funny thing is, I am okay and stable for the past month but I still feel this way haha but glad that I am able to regulate it naman. I end up enjoying din when the D-day comes pero I don't want to always feel sad and worried before that day that I'm supposed to be happy.
Ps., I am diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Soooo, is this normal overthinking like when you're excited or is this the anxiety in me??
And let me know if anyone else is also experiencing this hehe. Thank you!!!

Hello! I often get the opportunity to ride an awesome, twenty-something OTTB mare for my weekly lessons. She's really well trained and has a history in dressage and jumping, so I've learned tons from her. One area where I'm stuck (and it's definitely "user error") is trying to communicate that I want a more forward trot.
I have a tendency to go up in my post, and my trainer has been trying to get me go forward with my hips when I post, but it's just not clicking. Funny enough, I don't have any issues in sitting trot even with no stirrups. In fact, she seems to prefer it when I sit the trot. She's more relaxed and collects easily, and I can modulate her speed more easily. When I post she will often slow way down and show me she's irritated with her ears or head, and sometimes it seems like she thinks I'm asking her to piaffe. I don't think I'm landing too roughly -- I think it's more hip angle-related... I've tried changing a bunch of stuff with my hands, seat, and leg to make it more clear and comfortable for her, but I haven't found the right combination or the right visual for me to use as a guide. Is there something you think about when you're posting to help you communicate with your horse?

Hi everyone. I just felt the need to let some of this out and maybe gather some advice on how to move forward. I passed by my ex while I was driving the other day and I realized, that despite everything that has happened between us, and the utter callousness that she discarded me with, I still love and miss her (and worry a bit for her).
This was my first relationship and maybe that is why I still feel so loyal to the idea I have of her. We started out so amazingly, and after two years it started to turn very sour. She stopped trusting me, and started searching through my phone and computer every chance she got. She turned on location sharing for my phone as well. After a half a year of this I felt compelled to break up with her. I did that very poorly and failed to properly explain why I was doing it. I felt that I had to end the relationship because of this despite being very much still in love with her. The next 7 months I did my best to avoid her, and she did her best to pull me back in. We had promised to try again the following Summer, but she kept reaching out earlier. There was a lot of dramatic things said and it culminated in me leaving someone I had started seeing to go back to her. 4 months later we had failed to work out our issues and I had to leave for school again. So I asked for us to put a pin in everything for a bit and let me focus on school. After a month, I realized I wanted to put everything I had into making it work with her, that I loved her and that I didn't want to feel this way about anyone else or have her become a stranger, so I resolved to message her after a big exam. I figured that everyone has their issues, and for the rest of her qualities, I could accept the ones she had and work around them.
Two days before that, she reached out to me to tell me it was done. She came to my house, made a show of how she had a new life in our hometown and refused to speak to me after that. A month later she was dating someone new, who was the opposite of what I know her to value. I wasn't that jealous, but I was really really hurt by this. I had avoided formal dating for her benefit for a year after we broke up, by her request. I had believed her when she talked about her faith in us, and her love for me. I had no explanation from her, just a complete doorslam.
As you're reading this you might be kind of confused about why I still feel this way, it's so obviously toxic. I know I was. Months went by, and I realized I wasn't able to open up to anybody new. I still couldn't understand how she had started dating someone so quickly, and so seriously. It had to be a rebound right? But it's still going strong 8 months later.
After those first three months, I had a period of hibernation where I just didn't feel like going out, seeing anybody new, or entertaining any aspect of dating. Then I felt a bit of a revival, I started going out, doing the things I used to enjoy, worrying less. I started looking forward to the future. Now, I've moved home from school, and she lives 4 blocks away from me. I walk my dog in fear of a jumpscare. I walk past places where we would hang out or grab coffee after work, or sandwiches. I was thinking about her more and more since coming home, despite focusing on other things I enjoy. After seeing her in passing yesterday it just all crashed back down and I feel like I'm back in the 1st month. I'm pretty sure her new boyfriend has moved abroad for a while, and maybe that will make her think of me again (I'm fairly certain it's a rebound). I just don't know. I don't think she wants to hear or see me. I don't know if she's mad or if she misses me or if she's completely indifferent now. But the problem is now I am thinking about it. Now I greedily want to run into her again. I want her to think of me, I want to catch up. I hope for an apology, and an explanation. The ball is in her court and has been for months. I just didn't realize I was still waiting around like a dope. It feels like such a step back. How can I still feel this way after 8 months of no contact? I just feel hopeless now.

Today, I was going through my TikTok like I normally do check out things and then I saw @faithgonefishin on a live and was doxxing someone and playing like a complete idiot. Dozing some chick that she says is stalking her and knows where her new place is. Is she that dumb and cannot figure out the whys and hows? It's not rocket science. Who the fuck is she to drop people's information on someone's past?
Isn’t she doing the same thing as whoever she was talking about? I don’t think she’s that bright or adverse has no transpagency and is just a fat fuck sitting in her car and pulling that bullshit. TT people are so entitled about all this bullshit. Who cares that you have a large following, who are truly your real friends that you can go out for coffee or do something with? I bet maybe 2%. Half of your followers are bots, people's backups, most likely her backups and 30% enjoy her content. Have people made videos on how you're a drama queen and 90% of clapbacks and lies are just as funny as your husband settling for nothing special?
Faith you're still a POS and not a mature woman!! Go do something in your life rather than sitting on TT thinking someone is stalking you. You are obsessed and need a detox of SM.
Thank you for my vent and get off my chest. Bitch you cannot block me from here. 🤯🩵

Sam,
The title says it all. You have ruined me. You have taken so much of my happiness away from me and replaced it with nothing. The last 9 months watching you go through your depression have sucked. But damnit if I haven't been here the whole time. And for what...for you to turn around and bitch about how I treat you and "don't treat you like you matter". What the hell do you think I've been doing all this time??
We've had how many conversations now about how you treat me like a roommate. How you make me feel like you're not interested anymore. How you have made me so insecure about our relationship that I went through your phone to see who was getting the attention and love that you were no longer giving me. Yet through all of those conversations you didn't change shit. And I never said anything about it. I never once complained about how miserable I was.
You also never asked. You kept saying you were trying to keep it from effecting me. But you really didn't. Instrad you distanced yourself from me so much that it felt and still feels like we aren't in a relationship.
And now you have the nerve to come and ask me to care and love you like I used to when I never once stopped caring or loving you. You are the one who changed. You are the one who quit trying and bla.ed it on your mental health. You never once gave a shit about how I felt. You never asked. It was always about how you feel.
I have days of messages from you not once asking how I was doing. Instead it's literally 12 hours of you complaining about how miserable you feel. Everything is always about you. Even when I have a shitty day you can't comfort me and then make me feel bad because "2 people can have a shittybday at once" meanwhile the last 8 months have been nothing but shit and I never once blamed it on you.
You manipulate me into thinking I'm wrong for worrying about myself when I should be worrying about you. You have so many double standards it's hard to keep up with. You have taken away my chance of being a mom and having a family to call my own. And for what?
You need to take a really long and hard look at yourself. You're about to lose the best thing that ever happened to you and you know I bet you a million bucks you would let me walk away rather than change yourself.
You need to wake up. Or I'm gone Sam

Who Is SunPower and Why Should You Care?
SunPower (ticker: SPWR) isn't just another company; it's at the forefront of the solar energy revolution.SPWR has been gearing up potentially to squeeze shorts into oblivion. Picture this: a company that helps you cut down on energy bills with the power of the sun, and will take us to the moon because it is 95% sold short.
I believe this what DFV is looking at.
The Financials - Not Just Sunny, They're Solar Powered:
Let's break it down real quick: - Revenue: Growing because, let’s face it, who doesn’t want to save the planet while saving on bills? - Profitability: It’s a mixed bag, but the focus here isn’t just on the now; it’s on the massive potential. - Debt: Yes, there's some, but which ambitious company doesn’t carry a bit of debt these days?
What’s the Market Saying?
SPWR is a beast in the making in the renewable sector, squaring up against big names like First Solar. But here’s the kicker: they're not just playing in the big leagues, they're playing smart with tech that’s efficient and scalable, aiming to turn rooftops into mini power stations.
The Juicy Part - Short Squeeze Setup:
Here’s where it gets exciting. The short interest in SPWR is ridiculously high. We’re talking about a float that's about 95% short. That’s a powder keg waiting to blow.
Why Might Shorts Get Burned?

1. Short Percentage of Float: Shorts are piled into SPWR like it’s a clown car. This is prime squeeze territory.
2. Catalysts: Any good news could send this ticking time bomb off. Think new subsidies, technological breakthroughs, or major contracts.
3. Retail Interest: Once the crowd smells a squeeze, it’s like blood in the water. The more it trends, the more buyers jump in, pushing the price up and forcing shorts to cover.

How Can This Go to the Moon? 🌕
All we have to do is buy Shares and hold . This squeeze is just getting started. Play options at your own risk.
The Risk?
Sure, there's always risk. Betting on a short squeeze isn't a guaranteed win. The market can be irrational longer than you can stay solvent, and all that. But with SPWR's position in a growing industry and the sheer number of shorts, the setup is looking mighty tempting.
TL;DR:
SPWR = Solar Power + Insane Short Interest = Potential for a historic short squeeze. Get your suits ready; we might just have a front-row seat to some hedge fund managers getting a solar-powered tan.
Disclaimer: This isn't financial advice. Always do your own research and consider consulting with a financial advisor.

Ready for Lift-Off? 🚀 SPWR

I'm in a situation similar to many of you and thought my experience might help.
Never talk politics with anyone you want to remain friends with.
I'm in a mixed marriage, I'm a centrist libertarian and my wife is a pro Hillary, pro union, blue-haired, art teacher. who appears slightly to the right of Mao on political quizzes. We have a good marriage and a kid. We just don't talk politics. The boy gets both sides of the issue du jour. And it's kinda funny to here him describe each other's reactions to what we've told him.
You need to have tolerance about the fallibility of your side. And you need to remember, that political causes are funny, that if you can't laugh at something that it's being taken too seriously. And most sides of political causes are built by aristocrats looking to build influence and most political issues are not nearly as important as the activists claim. If the news is making you angry it was probably designed to do that. And that unless they are in the fringes, you political opponents are normies. Just good decent folk who see things differently than you, and some make great mates. Don't bagder or try to convince your mate to conform to your ideals or religion. You love them, you admire them. They are not crazy. So leave politics at the door. Believe in your mate, and that they are allowed and even encouraged to feel differently about things. An lastly that men and women have mostly dissagreed politically since politics were invented and had great marriages , raised great kids, and lived happy lives. Good luck!