How to come up with a dating site name

Hi. This is a throwaway.
I'm not sure what information to include but basically I have a toddler with a man I am not married to but have been living with (even broken up) for a couple years and dated for roughly 4-5 years. I am 25f and he is 34m. We have not been together romantically or sexually for about a year or more but have been living together for both convenience and for our toddler.
However, I am coming to this realization that he is incredibly abusive, physically, emotionally, even financially. I desperatelyneed to leave this man. He is not a danger to our toddler and he is a great dad but a horrible partner. He has other kids that he doesnt have custody of and does not see often at all and it upsets him greatly. Because of this, anytime we fight or i mention leaving him he goes off about how he wont let me take his kid like the other women did and thatll be the biggest mistake i ever make. I dont believe hed actually hurt me but i do see it as a threat and i know hed say anything to make me look bad.
I'm okay with him seeing our child obviously because this is his child, as well, but I'm scared of leaving him and trying to keep full custody of our child. He's not incompetent or anything but I'm not fond of him making decisions for our child or our child staying wih him overnight if he's living with his family.
This is a point where I'm concerned. If we live separately he will move in with his family and he has a family member that is severely mentally disabled. I worry that this borders on seeming ableist but please hear me out. This person is a man in his 20s but is at a point mentally where he cannot possibly care for himself. He cannot speak in sentences, only uses 2 word sentences if that, cannot use rhe toilet, etc. I say this not to shame any persom involved but to stress that he literally can never live on his own. He also has some issues with anger where he has attacked his mother physically and bruised her up, all she could do was hold her arms up until he calmed down. He also does not understand personal boundaries and... really likes women. He has actually pulled my pants and grabbed my v*gina before and constantly sneaks into bed with you if you stay over. He is not good at playing with kids because hes still a grown man amd not a child so hes rough and can get tempermental. He also runs away very often, leading them to makeshift their own special way of locking their doors which makes it impossible to exit the home quickly in case of danger as the only key is in one specific spot. This wouldn't be the worst thing except he also has a lengthy history of setting things on fire. He has burned down one of their homes and has set several fires in their current home and other homes as well.
Ik this is long but what I'm trying to stress or say is that I know if we live separately my child's father will fight me and try to take him, he has threatened to call cps on me for painting our childs nails, my family's house being dirty, me being mentally unwell (I miraculously feel great when he's not around), etc. I also know that he will want our child living with him but I do not, under absolutely any circumstances, want my toddler staying the night in that house and I also know that house is where my child's father will be staying when we live separately. Idk if this is making sense or is easy to follow but I hope you all get my point. He will want him, he will be in that house, that house is so unsafe to sleep in, visiting is something entirely different but my toddler will not stay in that house overnight with every adult asleep except for the one person who likes fire a little too much.
I need advice on what I can even do when all of this inevitably happens. I can't say to my child's father he can't stay the night bc of his family member or he and his family will freak out as they are (understandably) very hypersensitive about this family member.
Is there any possible way I can have some kind of legal understanding that my child can't stay there overnight ever but he can obviously stay with his dad when he gets his own place somewhere.
I also was wanting any general advice or knowledge on my rights as a mom in Texas and if him saying I'm "unstable" will make anything much more difficult.

I (F31) met up with a guy (M31) over 3 months ago, and we hit it off right away. Slept together the same night and stayed up until the morning having sex, talking and listening to music. We ended up acting very couple-ish during that time, going out to movies, bowling, dinner, and spending weekends together, called each other pet names, would bring back small gifts when we got back from traveling. Even planned and watched the Eclipse together.
Thing is I was going through a breakup during that same time, and he was going through some long existing issues regarding his last relationship too. We both had 8+ year long relationships and would openly talk about stuff that went wrong and it was comforting. We were really supportive to one another and had a lot of fun. Complementing each other on our qualities inside and out. We were incredibly compatible sexually too, including some firsts on both our ends.
Then a week and a half ago I could tell he was texting a lot more disconnected and so I asked if anything was wrong or if I’m just overreacting. We had a phone call and he said he had a date planned for the next week and felt unsure of how to tell me, that when he spoke to them it felt like cheating. I told him he wasn’t doing anything wrong so he shouldn’t feel that way (but deep down it did make me feel a bit sad). I started matching people on Bumble and then I got that gut feeling like I was cheating and realized I like this guy so much I need to just put myself out there.
It felt wrong to ask him to have a talk the day before his date, so I asked if we could talk over the phone the day after (probably one of my biggest mistakes ever). I confessed that I liked him and I felt like we could be something more, and just needed to hear how he felt so we could move on from the cheating feeling. He said he liked me a lot too but that there was an issue of the fact that I had on my dating profile “don’t want kids” and it’s something he’s always wanted. I tried to express that I wrote that because I didn’t feel like it was necessary to put my real feelings about wanting kids when just looking for a fwb. However, the fact that I’ve only dated guys that never wanted kids was giving the impression that I’d never have them myself either.
I basically accepted the rejection and said it made me happy to know he liked me too and hung up. But I just couldn’t end it like that and wrote him a text asking if we could give it a shot. I explained to him that in my 20’s I never thought about having kids, and that I basically just accepted that my partner never wanted them and I was willing to forgo that future of having a family. In my 30’s now I feel very different and understand how important my family is to me and that it’s a path of life I’m wanting to pursue.
We had another phone call, he felt worried that I was changing my stance or he was making me change. But then he also added “this other girl I’ve talked to I like also so it feels unfair to them too.” That’s really what crushed me to hear. That maybe he brought up the kids thing to spare my feelings? But we’ve always been really open and honest with one another so I could see it swing either way. He went on to ask “this is a lot and I’d like to think about it if that’s okay?” I told him yeah, that’s fine.
What really sucks is this was literally the day before he was flying out of the country for a family trip. I felt bad to put so much on him but it felt like now or never to me. So now he’s over half way through his trip and he feels just as disconnected texting as he did before. Obviously I expected less while he’s on vacation with family, but he stoped writing me “good morning” like he always did (even on trips), stoped texting with emojis, stopped flirting, didn’t really ask questions back and stopped calling me pet names back too. I asked him about the pet names if I should stop and he said “I don’t mind being called it but I feel a little weird saying it rn, I’m sorry this week has been a lot but you can still say it” and he assured me it didn’t make him feel uncomfortable.
Basically I just feel like - 1. I missed my shot by waiting until after he went on a date with the other person, 2. Is it really the kids aspect he’s worried about or does he just like this other person so much after just a week of knowing them I never had a shot anyway? 3. Is he actually thinking about things or is he just worried about putting me down when we’ve become so close, and it was inevitably going to be a “no”?

I’m a new hire, I just finished my first day a few hours ago & I wanted to make a post about my experience so far! I looked a TON on this sub for folk’s experiences, but it feels it’s only seasoned workers or people who haven’t even done orientation yet on here 😭
I did my interview over the phone & on zoom, I wasn’t told initially we were using zoom, so I recommend downloading it before hand (or google hangouts) there, I was given a run down, asked my sizes, and asked a few questions. I was then emailed some forms to fill out (proof of ID and homeschooling in my case, I’m 16 btw)
Orientation was,,, weird but not bad. I asked for a manager & was taken to the back, where I hung out with a crew team member who pulled up (yet another) zoom call. It was another run down on basics (wash hands, applications, benefits, etc) I was also asked for two IDs at the front, so make sure to bring that! They also told me I’d get my uniform on my 1st training day, which I did.
1st day of training was,,, ghetto… but not bad! I asked for a manager & said I was here for training they apparently didn’t know I was coming in today so I had to sit and wait awhile. 5-10 mins later, a crew member gave me a bag and told me to change in the bathroom. Boy,,, was it dirty in there ☹️ and really difficult to change in LMAO. Pants were too tight & the visor didn’t fit my head. After I came out, a manager came to get me & walked me to the back again. I’ll call them Curly.
Curly sat me down, told me to "watch these videos" until I get to fries/hash brown training and walked off. I was completely alone for an hour, scrolling through more basic rundowns (hygiene, what to do if emergencies occur, food quality etc) According to what I was reading, I was supposed to be assisted by a managecrew trainer the whole time,,, so I was basically a student with the book AND teachers answer book. Curly was surprised I wasn’t taught how to clock in/out during orientation, because apparently I was supposed to have done that.
When that was over, I alerted another managecrew trainer, "Shorty" because Curly was busy somewhere else. Shorty told me I could take break & that they’d be back to get me. They me down in the restaurant area and asked me if I wanted my free meal. I sat and ate, apparently break was supposed to last 30 mins.
Well, Shorty LEFT. And didn’t tell Curly I was there, so I was there for an HOUR,,, waiting. I eventually went up and asked if we were still on, Curly was confused,,, but set me up with another co-worker who showed me how to do fries!!! I was scared, but it was easy as cake,,, until rush hour & when they went to the restroom and I was alone 😭 but still, really easy. I got a vague rundown of faces and names, chatted for a minute (aka got chatting TO) and hung around until it was time to go.
The beginning was honestly a mess, but my co-workers were all kind and really funny. I’m an extremely socially anxious person/introverted/socially stunted (it’s a lot) but honestly it wasn’t bad! I go back tomorrow for day 2 of training. I just hope I get put on fries forever because the assembly team looked like a living hell ☹️😭 (I also hope I get paid for orientation/the beginning of training like I was supposed to lmao)

In a flash of inspiration I suggested a small AU idea on discord... And people encouraged me to cook and cook hard. So I did and here's the result. I will likely have this as a 'backburner' fic to Broken Birds, writing one when I have no energy for other, so this will be lower in priority, but I hope it's enjoyable for you anyway.
Thanks to SpacePaladin15 for great universe, characters and letting fanfiction flow, as well as JulianSkies for inspiring the name of the fic and several other discord members (you KNOW who you are) for encouraging my horribleness. Without further ado... Let's open the doors of this AU.
CW: Arxur Dietary Habits, Child Suffering, Dismemberment
Memory Transcription Subject: Stynek, Venlil Cattle
Date [standardized human time]: July 12, 2136
Fur surrounding my eyes hurt from layers upon layers of dried tears. I’ve cried so much over past months, with nobody to tell me it’s going to be okay. I missed mommy. I missed my teacher. I missed my friends. I was surrounded by strangers, some of different species, but mostly venlil. None of them cared when I cried. Most cried by themselves, and to themselves instead. Nobody wanted to really talk to me, except this one other venlil child I met. I don’t even remember the name he told me. But he did know something. That me and him wouldn’t be eaten for a while because we’re too young. Unless someone important wanted to eat us. That’s why adults are bitter at the children. We weren’t in the ‘breeding pen’, whatever that meant, but in the food pen. And until I was old enough to be ‘sufficiently edible’, I’d stay here. Adults knew that. They knew that when arxur came around and chose meals out of the crowd, they’d ignore the scrawny child, so they were bitter at my luck.
I wanted to cry again, but at this point, no tears were coming out. I wished I could talk to the boy, but we got separated when they moved me and a bunch of adults onto the ship. I overheard some adults mumbling about us being rations. That made me cry more when I realized what it meant. Did it mean I was lied to? That I really was old enough to be eaten after all? I regretted wanting to grow up sooner. I was always upset when mom told me I couldn’t do something. I had to listen both because she was my mom and because she was our Governor. Now I missed hearing her voice, even if it was just telling me that I must go to bed on time and stop snacking too much before second meal.
It’s been days since I was brought to the ship. Unlike the pens I’ve been in before, this one was slowly emptying. Before, new people always were thrown in to replace ones taken to be eaten. Every day a few people would be grabbed by the arxur and dragged out. Some screaming and pleading for mercy. Those just get ignored, as everyone, myself included, huddles together in far corner. Others would accept their fate and let themselves be taken. Those are even sadder. More people start crying after seeing someone who looks dead even while still breathing taken to be finished off.
I rubbed my temple where there was still a small wound. Every cattle taken to this ship had their implants removed. I couldn’t understand anything non-venlil were saying. Or arxur for that matter. Not that much was being said...
Suddenly every head was up and all ears were flicking. I slightly turned my head to see towards the entrance. An arxur, standing in doorway, slowly scanning the crowd with predatory glint. My sense of time was barely intact, but schedule was rigid, it was too early for feeding time today. So why are they here and why are they selecting a prey already?
Suddenly I realized that it was looking directly at me, its binocular gaze locking onto my eye. I couldn’t help my reaction, yelping and flinching away, trying to scuttle towards the corner. But it seems the arxur made its choice. As it stepped and started walking towards me, the crowd parted. It was almost like that experiment with anti-magnets my teacher showed once in class, except I was the one repelling everyone around me. I tried reaching out and crawling towards them, but they just furthered the distance. Nobody was willing to contest arxur’s chosen meal.
“Please... I don’t want to...”, I cried, but it fell on deaf ears. Then I felt it. A scaly hand of a monster wrapped around my ankle. I tried thrashing, but before I could, I was lifted upside down, hitting my head on cold hard floor in process. Ow... It hurt. My vision blurred, from both the hit dizzying me and the tears that were now filling my eyes. I was being taken out... To be devoured by predators... Daddy... Mommy... “Mommy... Mommy!”
I didn’t hear anything but my own cries and clacks of arxur claws against metal floor as I was taken out of the pen. Outside of pen always seemed like nicer place to be. It was better lit and cleaner from what little I could glimpse whenever door opened. Now I’d give anything just to go back to the dirty pen, huddled together with people who don’t care about me... I didn’t want to die! I wanted to go home! To my mom and dad... Why... Wasn’t I too young? Why did that boy lie to me?! I hated him!
I couldn’t even tell where I was being taken. I knew nothing about layout of the ship. It was cleaner, it was brighter. But also there were more arxur than singular one that kept coming into the pen to take people. Being carried upside down by the leg hurt and made it disorienting but even with that I couldn’t miss how every time I entered an arxur’s field of vision, their head sharply turning to stare directly at me right until we turned another corner. I realized that I was crying out loud by now, but of course predators knew no emotion, they ignored my anguish.
Then finally, it seems, we reached a destination. I was brought to a room with a big table. Table? It was ridiculous to think predators even use tables... But there were three sitting at it. One was an arxur, particularly large and imposing. But two others were... creatures I’ve never seen before. One glimpse was enough to tell me they were predators. And they were covered in clothing, more than I’ve seen anyone ever wear. Worst thing is though, they were clearly talking to the big arxur, with external translator on the table constantly translating arxur’s hisses into the other predator’s growling noises.
This is it. Arxur found another sapient predator. The worst monsters in the galaxy now found allies. Least I could comfort myself with was that mommy would be safe... But now I felt like it’s not just me that’s about to end, but whole universe.
The arxur that was carrying me smacked me down onto the table, a fair distance away from others. I kept crying and sobbing. I think some pleads for help and for my mom came out, but I couldn’t even make out my own words. I was so scared. I was ready for fangs to pierce into my neck. And yet I wasn’t, I wasn’t ready, please, anything by that. Both the big arxur and the new predators were staring me down in hunger as I felt the worst pain of my life. My leg, held firmly to the table, burned in agony... and then pain was all I knew there. I couldn’t feel anything below my knee other than pain. Pain... Pain! I cried out at the top of my lungs, but pain wasn’t getting better. My cry did not stop until my throat burnt, but that pain was like an itch compared to what my leg felt like.
With sight blurred, I saw it. The arxur that held me down dropped my own ankle down near the big one that seemed to be in charge, staining table with orange blood. Big arxur tore a chunk off, extending it towards other predators, but they seemed to just talk. Then big arxur stopped for a few moments, tossed the chunk into its horrid mouth, and motioned to one still holding me down.
Then, for a second time in last few minutes I experienced the most agonizing pain in my life, surpassing even the pain before at least tenfold. It burned! It hurt! My throat, already sore and barely able to make sounds got revived for just long enough to let out another cry before giving out again. I wanted to pass out as I was butchered alive, but it was just so painful that I couldn’t... I was forced to be aware of how the rest of the leg, from knee to hip, was brought towards the mystery predators, sliced in half and then... That explained why it hurt so much more. Why it still hurts even more. The blade that second chop was done with was red hot, and now used to burn away at the chunks presented to the predators. They recoiled from heat, as pieces of me were presented, but after a few moments of consideration, reached out and tore a few small pieces of orange legs off my dismembered calf, starting to chew. The one with long fur on their head, seemed to almost choke on the heat, while the one with dark coloration just stared at me intently, making eye contact that I could perceive even through pain and tears directly with me, hungrily chewing, no doubt wanting more than scrap it was given...
I couldn’t watch anymore I closed my eyes, beginning to whine and sniffle. I tried calling out for mom, but my mouth was suddenly clamped shut with a band, so I couldn’t even make any more noises. Pain made it hard to move at all, and with my leg chop being replaced with a burn, I wasn’t bleeding... so I couldn’t even get the release of death. Worse yet, predators were far from eager to finish me off. I was always told their bloodthirst was the only thing that defined them, but they just left me to suffer on the table as they kept talking in their horrible noises. Their sadism was much stronger than bloodlust, that’s the only explanation...
As I lay there, I eventually let my eyelids slide open. The new predators and arxur were engaged in some conversation, piece of leg in front of arxur in charge gone completely, and pieces in front of mystery predators visibly smaller. Arxur regularly typed some things, demonstrating some things on the screen. A bunch of warrior arxur banded together, a big star chart divided in weird ways, some weird colorless picture of countless dead prey animals, unfamiliar and likely non-sapient... And then a video. A venlil exterminator, fighting off a group of arxur. She managed to get two monsters burnt before getting overwhelmed, their mask torn off before their head is bitten off by one of the greys. The moment it happens, new predators both turn their eyes towards me instantly, opened wide with hunger. I flinched away again, tears managing to flow again. The arxur were horrible... They were about to sic those new predators on Venlil Prime, I knew it in my heart. They gave them taste of our flesh, and showed them how we might be dangerous... despite the fact that we were weakest and helpless. The new predators will make us into their cattle with ease and be empowered, before proceeding to move onto the rest of Federation...
There was movement. The predators and big arxur all stood up, then locked their hands in some contest of strength momentarily. The predator with long head fur pointed towards me, and then they all stared at me for a moment. Then the conversation moved on. The arxur holding me down grabbed me again, by my remaining leg and carried me off. I felt some blood drip down my fur with me being turned like that...
There was more walking, but it was even harder to pay attention in the haze that was covering my mind. I understood what the people that were taken without struggle felt now. I didn’t want to fight anymore. I just wanted it to be over... It hurts... It hurts so much...
I felt my arms moved, hands tied behind my back, and then I was handed over to the dark-colored mystery predator. It wasn’t as large as an arxur, but it could still lift me with ease, tossing me over the shoulder like I’m a sack of ipsom flour. A momentary look around showed that I was inside a smaller shuttle now, built very different from what the insides of larger ship was. I was... being taken elsewhere again. Why...?
Some more talking in the scary predator languages, and the door separating mystery predators and the arxur closed. Once that happened, there was instant rush. I found myself tossed into some white and cold room, still bound. I could hear the predators argue, that much loud yelling at one another could only be an argument. I felt the hum of ship starting up and vibration of launch. Then after a bit, I saw the long furred predator rush past me and towards something in the back of room, at which points it made noises so horrid, that I found myself crying again. I don’t know what it was doing back there, and I didn’t want to know. The dark colored one just kept looking over the burnt stump where my leg once was. And all throughout they kept growling and shouting at one another... I was going to be torn in half between the two, wasn’t I?
Instead I felt the binds on my arms and around my face cut. First thing, I opened my mouth and took a deep breath... Only to choke on air, as it was even cooler than I expected... White room, cool air, hungry predators looking over my bloodied bits and making horrid noises... I was about to be refrigerated to be kept for future. I was rations that arxur graciously gifted to these monsters. Why...? Why me?!
I tried crying, but my throat refused to make noise after earlier screaming tore it apart. Only low coughs escaped as tears completely filled my vision. There was more. More pain, a burst of it where my leg was supposed to be, then a small prick at my other leg... More memories, of my happy family and friends at school, replaced with grimy cattle pens and constant fear... More regrets at things I wanted to do and try, but never got to... But none of it mattered. I was already dead. Even if I was still breathing and moving, I was dead the moment a grey grabbed me and dragged me onto that cursed cattle ship of theirs... It just took me until now to truly comprehend it.
The last thing I thought of as pain dulled out, finally giving way to bliss of unconsciousness, was my mom’s soft wool and warm embrace, and how I never got to feel it properly for last time before dying... Mommy... I’m sorry...

I... dont really know where to begin, so I'll start with background. I've had flings in the past, but my first long time relationship. We live in california
Tldr: I recieved a phone call after having just seen her the previous day asking to talk, essentially during this reasons boiled down to
"Everything, the long distance, and (i, 29m) dont have initiative" "(i've, 29m) been talking about becoming an electrician, but havent done anything about it"
Back story.
I (29m) have supported my partner (29f) in their passion for Renaissance Faire for the entire time we had been together. She treats this as her livlihood. Has been clear about this, but I had no qualms. Her income is padded from her father at 1000$ a month, a vestige of an agreement to earn a degree (which she still has not, and has not been in school since before we were together)
I have voiced wishing to become an electrician, i love working with my hands, and circuitry is enthralling. I have known people in the field, who have helped me get interviews and attempt entry level positions but each time have been told, the slot was filled before onboarding trully happened for me. Student loans kinda terrify me cause of debt, the trade schools i've found in cali be expensive. Most of my savings before hand went to assisting my grandma with issues that were taken care of.
We both talked about how neither of us was fully in the career we wanted, and how we wanted to see the other grow into it.
When we got together, @24 years old, i was an assistant manager in a deli, after multiple instances of being passed for applied promotions and training those who recieved those promotions.... I had enough.
I got a job at a Hyatt Hotels, becoming a front end (lobby) manager. Hyatt at the time had excellent student programs and loan rates, which fizzled when the location franchised, and we lost a majority of benefits. Found a new job
I've been at a shipping company that works out of a single location for a tech company, Juniper networks. Have DOT driving certs, and multiple forklift certs. Mon-fri 9-5, making good money (close to 30/hr) feel ALOT more comfortable with loans now. Have time for things. The last barely two years, my annual was literally a week ago.
The ONLY reason i havent begun said process of loans is the amount i have been trying to support her in her passion and stay connected. But even with that I was beginning to figure out times for school.
She had begun with 1 faire, then two, then some smaller ones. Trying out different Faires at different times. Just this year attempting all of them.
She has progressively added more and more faires, to the point where she we will not be at home .... 9 months? Of this year. 3 months roughly each faire, back to back at times. One faire is out of state, all the rest are driveable easy.
I say roughly as all the faires dates are up for debate, between the build, run, and teardown, there is variance of up to several weeks. Making planning outside of Faire difficult. I find out these dates through her, but with very little time in between to plan anything
I visit during the close faires, Casa de fruta Northern Ren faire, every weekend. During the farther Faires, like LA southern faire, every other weekend. Of my own volition and wish to see her.
Long distance it may be, but the longest actual time we've been apart for these is only a couple weeks at a time. Literally 2.
I text and call, not quite everyday, but no longer than a few (3ish), most of the time with no response. Again no qualms, just different things happening at different times, blind love yaknow?
I purchased essentially her entire camp, carport, cots, portable matress (trifold queen), tents, tables, stove, etc.
I drove her throughout our relationship, not just to and from Faire, literally everything. She has refused to get a drivers license out of fear. I have mobilized her supplies and camp.
We talked frequently, enjoyed shows, board games, we started heading to amusement parks, (she loves rollercoasters), we would go dancing while she was home, build lego display sets, like i could keep on going.
The last couple times shes come home from Faire, things have felt off. Like i have to reconnect with her at home. When i visit has seemed like either shes masking for me, or at faire.
She started getting too tired to do anything in between the Faires, and would refuse my assistance to get ready. Which was basically laundry and maintenance for camp things.
Sometimes these last couple months i would respond with the energy i recieved. Im human. I dont really know what else to say for that. We would talk about it Then things would go back to how they were.... for a time
Ill admit i have resting grumpy face, and on occaision am grumpy. But I never took it out on her. We had arguments, but never anything that lasted or made us truly angry. Sometimes i would say i need some alone time, just to cool off. But that never lasted for more than an hour or two.
When we began dating, she asked me bring my tone down a bit. Kinda made me realize unintended inflections.
Again these last couple months, she hasnt been rude, nor abusive... just sharp... to the point i feel like i have to apologize for ideas or actions. I brought this up, and things got better.... for a bit
I have dropped the ball on occaision with cleaning around the house, and she brought it up when they happened, but it honestly went both ways.
She ruled over laundry, i ruled over dishes, we'd help each other wipe down surfaces and vacuum. We have cats, and took turns cleaning litter.
We'd helped each other cook, but unless I laid very clear intentions i wanted to cook for her, she'd take over. She preferred cooking, saying "ocd"
Her love languages is much more touch oriented than mime are.
I have never claimed to be fast at anything. In fact literally have compared myself to the Tortoise, from tortoise and the hare. And feel very judged on it all of a sudden.
Looking back... maybe I could have initiated more... but as i began to do so more and more this last year together, i was met with more and more, "tired" or "faire".
I just... feel like a wrung out rag..... and ... i dont know... Used?
She mentioned it not being fair to either of us... just making me wonder if this might actually be better off...
Doesnt feel like it now.

English is not my First Language so for Reader, please don't judge me .
TL;DR : Get abuse when child by my cousin 13 y old.
Grow up with my Straight Buddy , really like my buddy and try do not seduce he be with me .
This Story happen when i 4 y old , my father go away from me , he go out site to another city to work . I only have my mother and 2 sister to take care me ,
so i don't know feeling about a hug/care from a Man . Several years Later when i 8 y old , me and my mother move to the city where my father working . My family is not from a wealthy site so yeah , i can't effort to buy a dish PS1 ( Play station 1 , this year maybe around 2006 ) .
My Abuse start when i live with my cousin house , because my family can't effort own house so , we live with my cousin (my mother site sister ) .
I want to buy a new dish the game I like to play, if I remember the game name Klonoa: Door to Phantomile , but my father can't effort it to buy for me ,
but my cousin have it , my Cousin say " if you want this game i can borrow to you but i need to suck his dick until cum " . Be honest when that old i don't know that is ok or not , but i (stupid) so i do it because i really want to play game .
2 years I got this abuse, this make my mental healthy break.
I can't focus to study or make Friend , because don't know why , so scare to meet people or talking with them . I got bully also when at Elementary because i look kind like a girl , if i remember i got bully from my senior student they are like to disturb me when i pee or Pup.
My life Getting better when i Meet a Guy we can say he around 1 y old ( me that time around 18 y old ) , He always care to me and when i coming up to he accept my orientation be gay . When he know i gay , he always take me go to Club , KTV and go find some slut to fuck , He Want make me normal again with fuck some girl or go to KTV to meet girl . Over all what he does to me has Positive and Negative to me :
(+) I have Felling with the girl , but i really need a big Emotional with that Girl ,
so i can't Horny if that girl just a random slut .
(-) I have Felling with my He and want to date with he , because i have a lot emotional with he ( i will give my life , my time , my body ).
Until know , we are still buddy maybe around 10 years ( I 27 He 26 )
I choose do not Crush on he Again , because i know he Straight and i don't want he same like me . I live a South East Asian , this country not allow us to be part of LGBTQ+ , if get caught we will get jail punishment . Only 1 city we are safe be part of LGBTQ the name of city is ( Bali island ) , you all will know what country i stay .
I already give my Forgiveness to my Cousin who make me got a lot of trauma , Because of what i learn at my Religion (✞) , Forgiveness is the key to me for not do any revenge to my cousin.
So the question is
are I gay or i just a Demisexual ?
Any Comment i will try to replaying if you all confuse about my Story and dumb Grammar .
Thx For Reading my Story of my life.
A

Hi, David here!
It’s ok to suck. The things that I enjoy most in my personal life (programming, guitar, stand-up comedy) are all things that I originally sucked at when I first started. Social skills were no different.
Being really terrible at sometimes can even be a blessing in disguise. When a situation is so bad that it causes you significant pain, you almost don't have an option not to do something about it.
The good is often the enemy of the best. If you saw your current life situation as being 'good enough,' you may have decided to simply settle for mediocrity rather than discover the amazing things available to those who take some initiative. The momentum that comes with taking action can in the end carry you much further than the average person.
The man who intensely studies and practices a subject to the point that he truly understands the fundamentals inside and out will often eventually overtake those who rely on natural talent alone.
​
Adding to that, I just finished putting together my dating eBook "How to Date Any Girl" version 4.0 and would LOVE to get some honest feedback from you!
I decided to give it away for free for the time being.
​
The eBook is 27 pages long and gives you a practical step-by-step solution to meeting women (15+ years of knowledge put into it).
You can get the eBook by clicking here!
​
This book is the result of going out and socializing with girls for over a decade. I have put in there all the fundamentals I have learned over that time so I would really appreciate all the feedback I could get!!
​
What are your thoughts? Do you have any tips to add?
Let's discuss in the comments :)
Thanks for reading and have a GREAT day!
Coach David

My name is James I am 19. I weigh approx 143 pounds, amI currently take Prozac 60mg, olanzapine 5mg and gabapentin 300mg. I apologize if I come across as anxious through this post as I suffer from health anxiety and this all has been stressing me out a lot. 5 years ago or so I noticed a little node on the back of my neck, I was very worried about lymphoma or something being wrong, but I ended up forgetting about it, it’s still there after about 4-5 years, it’s not any bigger. However somewhere through that time I noticed to more kind of around my shoulder and neck. I was freaking out and thought it was lymphoma and I went to the doctor. The doctor said they weren’t concerned, I remember going to one walk in clinic that told me if I had night sweats and fatigue to come back, at the time I wasn’t experiencing that, but now I experience night sweats almost every night. The palpable nodes appearing over the years alongside the night sweats had me extremely worried about lymphoma. I ended up going into the ER concerned about lymphoma and explained and the doc checked me out. He said it’s not lymphoma and he felt all the nodes, but I see all these stories of doctors missing or skimming over diagnosis. It just has me worried, I have one under my jaw either it’s a large node or it’s my saliva gland but it feels completely different shape and lumpy on the right side, sometimes it gets sore then it goes away. The ER docs checked me out when I went in with lymphoma worried, the doctor ordered blood work and a chest x ray, both came back normal and I was sent home. Would the blood work being normal rule out lymphoma? The doctors seem to say it’s fine but I just find it odd how they appeared over the years and alongside the night sweats, which I mentioned to the doc as well but they didn’t seem to think it was lymphoma. I really need advice, should I just stop worrying? If it was lymphoma causing the nodes then they would have caused worse symptoms in 4 years right? Am I ok?

Call me the Memetranslator, because I speak fluent Meme and can explain every Meme. In reality all of this is nonesense though, so do not take anything here seriously. Als I am not affiliated with anyone, including DFV. You tell me if its correct or not. If DFV sees this and wants me to not post these translations any further, write me a message. If DFV wants me to continue... same.
First Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1789807772542067105
This is a gamer going from his layed back pose to a more concentrated one. It tells us that it is go time now! It has begun!
Second Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790034263603139012
The first Part shows Thanos with the gamestop symbol. It means Gamestop is Thanos and Gamestop did something itself! The second part shows Roaring Kitty as Wolverine awakening. And in case you did not see Keith Gills face superimposed over Wolverine, it is made more clear with the Kitty outline on the Heartratemonitor. So basically this meme tells us, that Gamestop did something, which is why Roaring Kitty/DFV/Keith Gill is back.
What did Roaring Kitty see? Well... just you wait, the memes tell us.
Third Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790041813379850491
We were told it is over. It is not over until we say its over! Roaring Kitty has awakened! Wake up and be ready!
​
Fourth Meme:
https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790049362846117942
This is a big one! It shows a gamestop-coded Car driving back into the green. It means the Buyback from gamestop will leed to the green! This continues the meme from the 4th of June 2021: On June 4th of 2021, Roaring Kitty posted this: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1400124740291923968
It shows the first Part of the Scene from Ready Player one, before he drives back to win basically. But it does not show the second Part. Because Gamestop did not buy BACK Shares!
What does it mean? It means Roaring Kitty wanted to see Gamestop do a buyback of shares. That did not happen though. After that moment he slowed down with memeposting and posted memes of frustration, among them a declaration, that he does not love Ryan Cohen. I will show that meme later, its the "love actually" one, because that one came back also! He expected the Buyback to finish the shorts, but Ryan did not do that, so he fell out of love with him and went silent shortly after, as the buyback was crucial to fucking the shorts somehow.
Fifth Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790056912664601031
Get ready to fight, every notch/Options Step brings in more money, because of the Gamma Squeeze! And do not sell all winning options... take as many shares out of the options as possible, to help the Gamma Squeeze. (this is what the Blood on the Blade Part in the beginning is all about) But the opposition is numerous and getting ready to fight. When he moves, everybody needs to move! Coded in Red and Green, so basically he might be telling us to watch out for signals from the memes, as he they will tell us what the stock will do... though I think most people misinterpret the memes anyway and also I am not sure about the signal part. It may just be that we need to find the signals for ourselves. But we definetly need to move!
​
sixth Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790064464357724451
He Moves!
Seventh Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790072011810812231
A Reiteration of the "When I say 'run', RUN!"
Eigth Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790079562866360327
Everybody needs to work together, this is the LAST TIME! THIS IS IT! THE TIME IS NOW! And apparently some friends also showed up... some whales, that I do not know maybe.
Ninth Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790087112282239085
Its the Showdown from "the good the bad the ugly", with the musiv from that showdown played from a live Metallica Concert (They play that before they start their music as an intro) So its Showdown-Time! Unfortunatelly I do not know the Symbol that is superimposed over Thor, but it probably identifies some entity that is in this fight.
Tenth Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790094668237259040
A Red coded Meme... could mean stock will go down short term .... maybe reading too much into this though. Also tells us that Hell is coming with this. Omnious!
Eleventh Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790102212619669909
Another Big one. Gamestop pushed the Red Button, that they did not push in 2021. That Button being the Share Buyback? Its Another Continuation from a Meme from June 4th 2021: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1400863669895024643
That same day, right in the meme before that one, he declares he does not love R.C.. This Meme is the explanation why: Gamestop (R.C.) Did NOT Push the Red button back then.
The good news is, now apparently Gamestop did push the red button/do the buyback/maybe something else(Gamestop as a holding company related).
Twelvth Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790109766389477525
"No Fighting" means, do not fight the downtrend. Let the memes guide you! You will need your money in the coming weeks!
Thirteenth Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790170162265460831
Roaring Kitty is in this and has been waiting and planning all this time that the stock was beat down. But every action is followed by a reaction. Could mean that when stock is beaten down, it WILL go up again. And it will be quite a fuckin thing. Another Red Coded Meme though. Come Hang, chill, wait. And in the End it will be green after the red. Maybe. To be honest, all Memes that could mean that we should do a certain action are not all that super clear and I might be misinterpreting them. Which is funny, considering the "Did I make myself clear" in the end..... because to me that part is not clear at all!
Fourteenth Meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790396654971224430
Dont test me! Go back to sleep! Could mean that Roaring Kitty wanted to go back to sleep by media and the shorts. and he is like "dont test me", cause he is a one hit killer. Probably means he could just openly say what he knows and then shorts would be finished. Because coded meme messages WILL be interpreted wrongly.
Fifteenth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790404203715887238
Kitty/DFV feels Bears, Shorts and Media did fuck around with him and now they will find out. Now he is stopping "being the better person" and trying to follow their "rules". What follows is kitty ranting about the neysayers/Shorts, saying bears are fucking idiots basically!
Sixteenth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790411757120561628
Kitty comes to us. He Needs our help and we need to not ask any questions, not now not later. Seventeenth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790419301976903884
mainly green coded Video.
Eighteenth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790426851409817615 Basically because of the SEC(Security), a lot of planning is/was needed for this, as well as maaaaany people. because this is different because it has never been done before. The Goal is JUST UP.
Nineteenth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790434400494116873
This whole thing needed a whole lot of Paperwork and dancing around. Interestingly it mentions "Loophole", which could just mean that a way for the squeeze was found, building upon the eighteenth memes themes. Could also point towards Loopring, who worked together with Gamestop on the NFT-Marketplace. Could be a stretch though.
Twentieth meme: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790441953659687421
There is a signal that was sent, that was also seen by the bad guys. So I assume, whatever signal DFV saw, he is saying the Shorts also saw that signal.... and they are afraid. And a red coded Message: "FEAR IS A TOOL!" So, he might tell us to not fear the red days. Fear is just a tool. Could also mean that Shorts being afraid is good, because that fear is a tool. Cause when the shorts see the signal, some might flip and buy in. Which would good because THATS WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!
Twentyfirst: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790449499506192405
Coded green: A guy in front of a PC stays with a friend. Could mean Kitty is the friend and redditors collectively in front of their PCs stay and dont leave DFV alone! He may again ask us to be with him in this.
Twentysecond: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790457051115847720
Lots to unpack. A Requel means its happening again.... means the squeeze of 2021 is happening again. This is not just a company turnaround, it indeed is A SQUEEZE! And the Movie about that Sneeze fucking sucked basically.
Twentythird: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790464599575167004
Kitty comes for the Bears. He is back. This time, every bear will be a victim!
Twentyfourth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790472153470759217
DFV is supposed to be the Guy with the haircut. Basically he has the Shorts by the balls now. Now that DFV has seen the Buyback by Gamestop, he has his gun on the Short Sellers. Short Sellers are squirming and trying to shake off paperhands with a bit of money, but he is just grinning because of that ridiculous offer. Of course Shorts/Bears call him names and stuff. Then a Call/Margin Call comes in. This Meme will have a follow up meme! The Follow up Meme will be what happens after the Call, which is the Haircut guy shooting the Short guy and it will be posted once some Short-Hedge-Fund or Bank goes down because of this bet.
Another somewhat related meme was posted on June 9th 2021. https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1402641643694477317
That time DFV is the haircut guy and he is flipping the coin, which is GAMESTOP-coded. So he was waiting for a signal from Gamestop to be able to shoot his shot. He himself could NOT do what he was waiting for from GAMESTOP. I guess he was still waiting for the Buyback back then, but it was evident that it wasnt coming (and too late anyway). I bet DFV was pissed that GME did no buyback, but NOW they did, which is why he has posted the current meme.
Twentyfifth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790532552828289526
The Prisoner says "GAMESTOP"! In case its not clear, that means DFV is talking about GME. And he is ALL IN!
Twentysixth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790713748866371690
Gamestop looking Sexy and throwing us kisses! They send us the signal! (the buyback?)
Twentyseventh: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790717515523658119
Gamestop is doing something extraordinary. They do it in the open and we could see it. Maybe something with electricity. But we are not really looking.
And whatever it is, it will BEAT DOWN the Bears.
Could mean that Gamestop is buying back its stock to put it onto a NFT-Stock Market, which is why Gamestop registered as a holding company. But this is just baseless speculation.
Twentyeigth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790721293089964126
Everybody Hold, gamestop is preping something. It means we should hold, because Gamestop is preping something against whoever tried to kill Short and distort Gamestop and did short and distord Blockbuster and others.
Twentyninth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790725065585439065
Gamestops milk was poisened. Means the short and distord left moles in the company that tried to destroy it from within.
Thirty: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790728848226521547
Against all the odds, Kitty or R.C. went into this short and distort sheme, to try to win against short sellers.
Thirtyfirst: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790732615022195139
Kitty does not take the comments of the Media laying down, he fights back. Kitty mentions Wutang. Maybe it has something to do with the rumor that Wutangs one of a kind Album was somehow unter the control of R.C.. Dont know if its a cheecky call back or if this story is actually real.
Thirtysecond: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790736391124774975
Moon Night-Fortnite-Day n night are the Key motifs. So here is the thing with Fortnite: A Fortnight is 2 Weeks. In 2 Weeks, at the beginning of June, the 3 Year LEAPS expire. Moon Night is invulnerable basically.
Now this could hint towards Shorts being invulnarable because of their LEAPS, until those LEAPS expire in 2 Weeks. Then their silly game is over. Thats why everything happening right now is just the OVERTURE (See Second Meme)
Thirtythird: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790740164848861227
Media are disrespecting Kitty and he is fine with it.
Thirtyfourth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790743946764644659
I think he is saying He is a redditor and Redditors are like him. Reddit brought him Gamestop and he brought Gamestop to redditors. Something like that. And the first thing one should do to follow his Thesis is try to "Defend the Bear Case". Trying to defend the other side of a trade will show how fucked the other side actually is. Maybe that is why he and redditors know that Gamestop will explode into the green. Cause the Bear Case.... its not that good.
​
Thirty fifth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790747714440892825
DFV is telling us he is not following some get rich quick sheme. He is not a gambler degenerate. He has a plan, he makes the memes, he does not follow them! He knows and people should hear his side. Also its a play on parts of the Next Meme, he is telling us he made the memes.
Thirty sixth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790751492451754012
He is telling us that Ryan Cohen did a lot of the planing and the getting the people together, but people listen to "Avocado-in-my-anus", which is an alternate account of DFV. Is it really though? Well he told us in the last meme, that he is the one that made the memes. And Avocado-in-my-anus made 3 Memes on Cat Day.
Thirty-seventh: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790755264733626879
Again a continuation from the last meme. People saying DFV is running the whole GME Thing... meanwhile what is supposed to be DFV is just drawing dicks/making Memes. He tries to tell us, that it is R.C. doing the whole company stuff and that he has nothing to do with it basically.
Thirtieigth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790759048985612468
A continuation from the last few memes. R.C. vs DFV, who is in charge? They both say they will not. Quill is R.C., Thor is DFV. DFV kind of wants to be in charge, but begrudgingly lets R.C. do his thing. I think this plays on DFVs Anger in 2021, that R.C. did not push the red button/do the buyback back then.
Thirtyninth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790762813868175516
This is basically a repeat and rewind of a Meme posted on June 4th 2021: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1400844797229912065
In 2021, DFV was mad, that R.C. did not push the button/do the buyback and told us clearly that he did not like R.C. anymore with this meme. Now in 2024, he rewinds that meme and tells us, that he thought that at the time in 2021, but that the investment thesis evolved over time and he now sees R.C. as a supermode.
So basically he saw what R.C. was doing in 2024, which he did not in 2021 and he likes R.C. again now. Probably because R.C. pushed the button and also did some plan with loopholes and stuff that DFV may not have thought about.
Number Forty: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790766591526735887 So, R.C. had a plan and 3 years later it comes to fruition. He does mirror some of R.C.s emotes. Also he tells us "People say it cant squeeze again"..... he says it will.
​
Fortyone: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790770363627921776 Too many awards on his last post. Maybe too many eyes on him and his plan?
Forty two
https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790774146994966570 DFV transformed fully into his internet persona, because of the last meme.
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Forty three: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790777913245421806 Too much drama around Kitty in 2021. This might be the explanation why he went dark-mode.
forty four: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790781688848450012 People want to know what the fuck Kitty was doing all these 3 years. He tells us he was waiting for this. Because it is part of the Plan. What is this? I think it is GME Buying back stock before the expiration of the LEAPS in the beginning of June. So yea, thats what he saw and why he came back.
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Forty five: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790785463118348420 It does not matter that he, DFV, is back. The whole Squeeze Plan matters. And it is getting executed right now. Why does he say we? Because everyone holding GME is part of it. It think the many DRSed hodlers of GME are indeed part of the plan and necessary!
Forty Six: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790789242513433071 The Goofy "I will do it again" Meme. DFV will do it again.... and by "it" I think he means he will again buy a shit ton of options and stock. And I think he will post it. OR Its the shorts that are doing it again. And its shorting, but I dont know if its referring to back in 2021 and their shorting until now, under the cover of LEAPS or if it is now before June, or whatever. We will see.
Forty Seven: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790793012936851665
He tells the GME investors that say they lost money because of DFV: SHUT UP BITCH! Continued in next meme.
Fortyeight: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790796790360363016
He tells us, that last memes "Shut up, Bitch" was too good of a line to not use and that it was not meant for all redditors, but for one guy that apparently was crying about losing money because of DFV. Dont know who, I am not into reddit drama. Basically DFV just liked the line as a meme, because its funny. And he will continue to post coded memes, even if people dont understand them.
Forty-nine: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790800562654691686 DFV thinks everybody thinks he is crazy with his memes and Media slandered him.
Fifty: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790804340673789978 Continues the last meme and that people think he is a freak with his memes. But he tells us the memes bring out the people that are like him... freaks. He is talking to us oldscool redditors and webpeople that the mediapeople cant seem to get their head wrapped around. If you ever rolled your eyes at the media misusing uncomplicated memes.... yea, he is talking about you. You come to twitter to hear his trumpet/Memes!
Fifty one: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790808112741630320
DFV is the Redhanded-guy and that bears can do nothing against him. It is red-coded. But definetly Bears can do nothing against DFV and he is keeping them up. Which I think is definetly true.
Fifty two: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790812277530034448 Jim Cramer asked for this meme and DFV made it in a few minutes, just to fuck with him. Though it does show Kitty behind a chair, coded in Computershare colors and with a teddy, which is the name of R.C. Company of Kids Books. And Kitty behind the whole thing, hiding. Jo, does Teddy play into all of this??? If so this meme is one hundred layers deep. Personally I think Teddy might be important to do some stuff that Gamestop itself can not do, like for example "buy Calls on GME", but this meme is mainly there to fuck with Jim Cramer.
Fifty Three: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790815662203617755 The stock goes down, just to fuck with us.... UNTIL!!!!!!! Well, what happens after "until" will probably follow in a later meme, when shorts lose control of their button. Probably in the beginning of June, or when R.C. announces the buyback and a higher than expected number of shares locked down. No more Mr. Nice Guy for the shorts then. so keep your eyes out. Oh, and the stock will stop going down then.
Fifty four: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790819440617033914 Shorts try to crucify Kitty and Gamestop.... it speaks about the stock going down as a tool from the shorts to make us afraid. And we only ask: Is that the best you can do?
Fifty Five: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790823211745063394 Shorts taunt us, beat us down and try to make us doubt..... but the soundtrack :-D Basically this is a game for us and we will whop their asses, no matter what shorts do.... like the beatdown on the stock right now.
​
Fifty six: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790826988019528035
Now, this is interesting: Shorts made this whole thing happen. They sold before they bought. They dropped it. So it WILL go back up. It... WILL.... GO....... UP!!!!!! You feel it yet?
Fifty Seven: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790830761542664192
Continuation: Do you have a girlfriend that tells you to sell and stop listening to the mad people on Reddit? Do you have people around you, telling you the squeeze-narrative is bullshit? Trust your instinct. This continues the last meme, while you can not see the stock going up right now, it was dropped. So it will go back up. Thats the law of nature, even if it was perverted.... or turned around.
Fifty Eigth: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790834536403574936
A Person is fleeing with a hidden GME Share in his pocket. It means we were running and holding GME for a long time and are tired, but we STAND UP, with GME IN OUR HANDS! I am not really "tired", but thats what the meme says.
Fifty Nine: https://x.com/TheRoaringKitty/status/1790894938277695671
In this meme, DFV explains to us, how he found Gamestop. Due Diligence, time, pressure and making memes, basically. In 2021 they tried to lock away DFV, but all the departments of the state found no wrongdoing... just his reddit posts, tweets and live streams.
It only takes pressure and time and DFV studied meticulously. Now I did not know every mentioned meme, so he may not have posted them. He may have posted them though and it might lead to another account of him. I doubt it would be more fruitful in information than his twitter account. After all, thats where the freaks at! And one last thing. He laments that apparently noone looked at his streams...I guess thats where all the information was after all. I think it shows content from his Gamestop-Explanation video, but I am unsure, because it is quarter before 4 AM and I am tired and I will go to bed after posting this.
Thanks for reading. Everything is made up of course, I have no idea what DFV is thinking, but it seems clear, that when you look at the whole situation, as we all did, we would come to the same conclusion, as we all did. Shorts did not close and GME seems to be a good investment. Also, look closer!.... thats the main theme. And stop doubting yourself.... yea, thats pretty much it.
So TLDR: The first days of June is where some of the magic will happen in the LEAPS. Meanwhile, R.C. has a plan with Gamestop and the buyback plays a role in it. And that plan does enable the ability for a killshot against the shorts. And it will explode in the green like never before. Also: Learn Memeish
To DFV: Write me what you think about it, if you want.

So I’ve basically accepted I’m trans today and I realized I have idea what I should call myself. I don’t like my birthname at all. It is very decidedly male. I’d prefer a feminine name, but if particularly liked a neutral name I’d be okay with it. I’m Italian American if that helps. Unfortunately that means I know a lot of women who are also Italian American, and as much as I like their names, I don’t want to steal them. I have a small list of names I’ve looked up today but I’m very open to suggestions. My problem is all of the names I like are taken from other people.

• Ariana/arianna (I’m a huge Fan of Ariana grande though, so that name choice would probably get looks tbh, even though I love it)
  
• Maria (there was girl I dated briefly named Maria, I always loved that name & thought it sounded good with my last name, unfortunately b/c it’s someone else’s name it does feel weird too)
  
• Nicole (my mother told me a long time ago, if she had a daughter lol she’d have named me Nicole, tbh I hate this name though)
  
• Giovanna (I love this name, but it sounds so grandeloquent, I feel like people would think I’m trying to hard)
  
• Veronica (unfortunately another name taken from a friend of mine)
  
• Giuliana/Juliana (taken from a daughter of my mothers best friend)
  

Any suggestions? Everything I like comes from someone famous or someone I know. But I really prefer Italian names so idk what to do without feeling like a creep who just took the name of someone they’re obsessed with, which I’m not!

Okay, I apologize in advance because this is a long and overall kind of intense story.
TW: SA Accusations, Self Harm, like a little bit of every bad thing
So for some context; in my eighth grade to freshman year of high school, I was in a relationship with a girl we'll name Sarah. We met when I had some weird personality shift and fully switched my life around to become extroverted, and I had asked her out. She was "quirky" i guess, and that tended to let me see past her blatant flaws as "fun additions" rather than harmful attributes.
Ever since I was younger, for an irrelevant reason, I've been an extremely emotionally shut off person. There was only one person in my entire life, including every single family member, that i ever told about the aforementioned emotionally shut-off reason. As my relationship with Sarah continued, it slowly descended from playful romantic moments to an emotional dependency where she'd shut herself off from me, and force me to pull her back by supporting her relentlessly. It was pretty blatantly manipulative, but in hindsight it was hard to tell. Our relationship lasted around 9 months. Sarah slowly got more and more brutal to me, until I felt the relationship crack and decided the only way to patch the hole up was to tell her information I'd never told her about myself. A very good example was that I had, for almost half a year, issues with self-harm. This was extremely private, and I told her I never wanted it brought up in conversations that weren't relaxed, because i mentally wouldn't be in the right position.
Less than 2 days later, she said something insensitive and then texted me after not responding in 5 minutes begging me not to commit suicide. Eventually, I got covid and was quarantined for a week or two, and over the time grew to enjoy it because it was fully separate from Sarah. I realized this, and broke up with her.
She then proceeded to tell every person all the private information I'd ever told her, and tried to spread lies related to cheating, sexual assault, etc. This briefly turned some friends against me, before it became blatant she was lying since she just wasn't particularly good at it. I don't know how severe all this sounds to other people, so I'll tell a part that will immediately explain it:
When we broke up from our 3/4ths of a year relationship, in less than a week after our break up, she jerked a guy off in our school's attached library while she made eye contact with my friends.
After all this happened, I vowed not to enter a relationship for at least a year, so I could work on myself. I turned to weightlifting, felt way more confident in my body, lost some weight but still maintained an overall chubby shape, and headed back to therapy for a bit.
Over these 2-2.5 years, I became happy and confident in myself. Then I met, who I'll call, Chloe. In my honest opinion, she's the most attractive person I've ever met and I hope to god its not some limerence or honeymoon phase. She's funny, "quirky" but actually kind, and one of the only people I've met in my age group who's smarter than me in pretty much every way. We met and became at best acquaintances, I was scared to actually progress to a asking-her-out phase so I tried to get help from a friend (We'll call Brick). Brick was overall shitty, and she decided to tell Chloe behind my back. Chloe was going through a hard time with a family friend's kid making unwanted moves on her, in which Chloe ended up telling me this in the same conversation i planned to ask her out. So I waited, some stuff happened with the family friend over summer break and she had to wait until the middle-end of summer to tell this guy they were never dating and he was delusional.
SO. After summer break, another friend told me about Brick telling Chloe, and I confronted Brick, who lied and then almost immediately gave up and got mad at Chloe for *taking my side*. Inevitably, both Chloe and I unfriended Brick and cut her out, but still we weren't close. Eventually, I straight up asked her out and we went from there. Now here's the thing. I wouldn't call this a flaw, but Chloe is an extremely awkward person. She fumbles around physical contact, didn't really address the actual fact we were in a relationship to me, very rarely talked about me to other people. Now I personally am extremely proud of being in a relationship with her, but i understand it just being an innate trait. One big issue is that she doesn't compliment me, ever. She calls me sweet when I do something sappy, and that's it. Honestly though, that's not the biggest issue.
I found, throughout the relationship, there's times where I CAN'T touch her. I don't mean that she won't let me, I mean that I won't let me, like there's something fundamental that screams for me to stop. I get a moment of contemplation thinking back on my relationship with Sarah, and I get scared that maybe Chloe is uncomfortable and I'm pushing a boundary. And this isn't just physical touch; it's everything romantic or even communicative. I've managed to push past it to get her flowers on valentine's day, hug her when she's feeling sad, etc., but in our relationship that's been since October, SIX MONTHS, we've never kissed. I just can't do it. If she made the first move I'd be all for it, but she doesn't and something in my core tells me its because she doesn't want me to. It makes me feel unbelievably unattractive, and it pairs a lot with the fact that she's never once complimented anything but me being "sweet". She's never said I looked good (which is one of the few things i feel genuinely comfortable saying to her and do as much as possible as the only way to remedy the fact that i can't even kiss her), she's never mentioned anything impressive i've ever done. All of this combined makes me feel crazy, like my behavior is unwarranted. Is there any way to overcome this? i understand communication, but i physically can't do it, i genuinely can't bear the thought of making Chloe uncomfortable.

https://www.kabinetsformatie2023.nl/documenten/publicaties/2024/05/16/hoofdlijnenakkoord-tussen-de-fracties-van-pvv-vvd-nsc-en-bbb
The agreement was on "main points", therefore bit shorter than before (87 pages 2012 vs 26 pages 2024). The points surrounding naturalisation are basically as follows:
"Extra and mandating stakes on integration. Starting point is that you are one of us if you accept Dutch values and participate in it."

• "Inburgering includes knowledge over Holocaust and its victims."
  • Good, not sure if the new KNM test will come.
• "The standard term for naturalisation will be extended to 10 years, regardless of permanent or non-permanent stay."
  • Surprisingly this has been the election programme of VVD(!), not PVV. The former was more clear-cut while the latter was too vague to include it. The former wanted to also make it shorter for B2 holders, but it seems that it is not included.
• "Foreigners who will get Dutch nationality should give up other nationality if possible."
  • ...Which has been already the case, unless you are married to Dutch citizen.
• "The language requirement will be in principle increased for everyone to B1."
  • ...Which has been, again, already the case. Just they couldn't still figure it out how to implement it yet.

https://open.overheid.nl/documenten/ronl-archief-059a0058-3042-4f38-b307-7f67e8c815a8/pdf
https://www.eerstekamer.nl/wetsvoorstel/33852_verlenging This isn't quite new. In fact, PvdA and VVD also tried to increase the naturalisation period to 7 years in 2012. Back then, the Coalition accord came in October 2012, then the law came to TK in January 2014, voted in TK in June 2016, then finally voted not in favor in EK in October 2017, because the coalition party PvdA have already changed their mind since around 2015 after DENK was splintered off from it, and crucially, at the very last moment, 50+ changed its mind after getting protests from Dutch people abroad, because the law also included parts that required spouses of Dutch people to live in NL for 3 years before naturalisation.
So.... that took 5 years. However, it should be noted that case involved very complicated political tensions surrounding the cabinet; now there's no parties like PvdA that will pull the plug on this specific law.
The time took from the submission in EK to actually changing the nationality law varies a lot, but usually it was 1 year and couple of months. (That case was for taking back Dutch nationality for Dutch nationals in ISIS, which was a very complicated case because it involved statelessness.)
Similar attempts in other countries with far-right in power also suggest the same. In Sweden, the Tidö Agreement was signed in October 2022, and the changes in the law was proposed in March 2024, with expected effective date of 1 October 2024. There has been no amnesty given for people who have been already in the country. The lack of EK in Sweden does make it short, but not dramatically shorter.
So if you have already lived (n<4) years here, should you then be worried about it? I think it depends. For the original attempt in 2012, there was an amendement submitted by Sjoerd Sjoerdsma (D66) that let old rules apply for people who have already lived in NL for more than 3 years, which has been passed by a VERY small margin. This is because back then the broader "left" parties took almost 48% of the seats, and also thanks to the coalition party (PvdA) siding with them in that amendment. Now the situation seems very unlikely that such amendment would be passed. So it ultimately depends on how high the naturalisation is on the government's priority list compared to other issues.

I had the most fulfilling conversation with my friend about my health. I had met my friend M last year and he has practically saved my life. I have completely opened up to him about my declining health, my autism, and my home life which isn't good in the slightest. He is so understanding and caring and he has truly helped me a lot. Recently I have begun to become closer with M's girlfriend K. At my school the upper classmen "adopt" and take in the under classmen and M and K have done that to me and sometimes I literally call them mom and dad. Last night I was having a panic attack and I had called K when M wasn't answering his phone. Because of the panic attack my heart was racing and my breathing had become abnormal causing me to pass out while I was on the phone with her and had ended up having one of my worser episodes. I had felt really bad because she was worried about me and didn't know what to do.
Later I had texted her about how I wasn't expecting to pass out and it be on the worse side and why the panic attack had started and completely opened up to her about a lot of things. About how I had originally called her because I have a really had time self regulating in those moments and require the help of others. How I have POTS and was explaining everything that happened when I passed out. Like how when I started becoming consious I could hear her saying my name once or twice but couldn't physically respond because of how weak and out of it I was, and that afterward it took me a while to come out of because I was extremely dizzy, my entire body was shaking, and I could barely talk because of brain fog and I was stuttering and stumbling over my words. I then opened up to her about how no matter how many times I have an episode it's still very scary because I can't predict how bad the episode will be, which symptoms I will have or if new ones will appear. I had told her about the time when last year during my schools musical where I had passed out and for the first time my hands had locked up and we didn't know what was happening or what to do and then how this year during the musical as well when I had passed out my entire body started shaking a lot and we were very confused and didn't know what to do and how ever since then each of those symptoms that normally never happened happen almost everytime. I told her how everytime I have an episode I become more scared and isolated and feel alone.
She had responded asking what she could do to help me during my episodes and she would also be there for me to talk to, vent, and complain and she would always be there to help and listen. She had made me feel so validated and heard and it had just really helped me.

In 1945, the United States underwent Operation Paperclip which gave over 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians sanctuary and absolution of their crimes in exchange for the continuation of their research.
In 1953 those same individuals came up with and executed MK Ultra, an illegal human experiment that used its citizens (targeting schools, hospitals and prisons) as test subjects.
In 1954 the Plum Island was turned into a research center for diseases.
In 1975 the first documented case of Lyme disease occurred. Rumored to have escaped Plum Island.
In 2005 the DHS announced that all the work done at Plum Island would be continued in Kansas. Not just the center of the continental United States, but also home to crops seen in grocery stores all over the country.
The following is a true story.
Getting into work, one of the first things I do is check my mail. I’ve been a reporter for years and have amassed fans who like to write in and give me leads. Most of the time these leads don't amount to much (Sometimes I wonder if people send me things because of my apophenia and they are trying to get me off their scent), but every once in a while I strike gold.
I had been working at Whisper Alley Echos for a few months by the time I got my first lead. The package I got was small and when I opened it I saw a DVD that had the words “play me” written in black marker on it. Not knowing what was on it, I waited until I got home to put it on. Not just because I didnt know what was on it, but I was also busy working on a different project about how everyone in a nearby town just went missing. The official story is that they all went on vacation or went to visit a relative and decided to stay. I dont know about you, but I found that suspicious.
After getting home and shifting gears to get into the movie mood (popcorn, blinds pulled, etc…) I popped the DVD in and began watching.
There were dozens of different videos to pick from, some ranging from a minute to half an hour. Instead of picking one at random, I just played them in order. After all, all their titles were dates and times and I didnt want to miss anything that might make sense later.
The first video featured a tardigrade, at the time I didnt know what it was, but the scientist doing the voice over described it as being a microscopic animal as well as being extremely resilient. This went on for several minutes and for a moment it felt as though I was watching a nature documentary instead of something given to me by a government whistleblower.
The next few videos featured footage of the tardigrades being given something called “BB-F828” and the changes it caused.
The voiceover talked about how a tardigrade (this time he called them water bears and the two terms were interchangeable from this point on) was showing signs of several thousand generations of evolution in only a few days. Even though I know nothing about science, I could see that the thing on the television was not the same animal that was shown in the first video.
While they were never “cute”, at least they never looked like predators, but after a few videos I saw that the tardigrades were covered in what appeared to be padding. In a later video this padding would change into being chitin-like armor.
The last video was filmed two months after the water bears were given BB-F828 and in it the scientists could see them even without a microscope.
The next morning I went into work and started writing on my computer, copying notes from my small notebook. However by the time I started the second draft, Andrea, the office secretary, dropped a letter off at my desk.
It was the first time I got a letter about an “inside scoop” two days in a row.
The letter said that they were the ones who sent the DVD and if I wanted to know more I would have to go to The Rats Skeleton (a bar that used to be a speakeasy during prohibition. Because of this the place feels as though its a front for a comic book villain. The owners have leaned into this and did everything they could to reinforce this feeling with sparse lighting and everything that isn't red velvet on the walls being painted black) at a specific time.
Usually I wouldn't go meet strangers after getting an anonymous letter that tells me to come alone, but its a small town and I didn't have much going on that particular Thursday.
Parking behind the Merc (short for mercantile, where most of the grocery and general shopping is done in town), I descended the stairs and made my way to the back of the bar. There I found a woman that didnt look like she slept in days. Since no one else was in that back area I figured she must have been the person I was there to see.
“Hey, I’m Daniel West. Am I—”
“Sit” the woman said, motioning across from her. I sat down and asked her for her name but she didn’t want to answer me and when i asked for it a second time she claimed it was Jane, but there is no doubt that was not her real name.
“What made you reach out, Jane?”
“You saw the video?”
I nodded. “Yup.”
“And?”
“I have a lot of questions” I answered.
“Figured you would” Jane said. “Ask.”
“Well, first” I said, my journalistic inexperience showing as I went through my pocket notebook. “Who are you and why do you know all this?”
“Name isnt important” Jane answered. “Let me start from the beginning. We thought we were working on human survivability” Jane answered. “I thought that I was working for some company that had a government contract. That might be true, it might not be. Either way lots of money and resources have been put into this.”
“I saw the video” I answered. “What exactly was it that I was watching?”
Janes eyes were frantic as she looked at the stairs behind me. When I turned around to see what she was looking at I saw a local descending the steps and approach the bar. She only answered my question when she was convinced that the man wasn't eavesdropping, still, she spoke in whispers.
“We were working on human survivability.”
“You said that. What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Consider we civilize mars and the long term effects from the static radiation there. Or another planet that demands thicker bones because of increased gravity? Evolution might give us those things eventually but what if we need it now? In this generation?”
“So you made super humans?”
Jane was annoyed and slapped the table. No one was around to hear or see her but I still looked around anyways.
“We didn’t work on humans. We piggybacked off of some other countries' genetic research and made some breakthroughs of our own. When—-“
“Other countries?” I interrupted instead of letting her talk.
“Yeah” Jane said with a shrug. “Some countries aren’t tied down by the same code of ethics as ours.”
“That’s why you got a hold of me? To tell—-“
“We were working on small parts. At first individual genes, building from that success we went on to more complex organisms. Eventually, hopefully, test on humans.”
“But you never made it that far?”
“No” Jane said, taking a sip from her glass. “We tested BB-F828 on other things, building up towards human testing.”
“Okay, like what?”
Jane inhaled through her nose and looked at me as though she wasnt sure if I could be trusted. Then she sighed when she realized it was too late not to trust me, she had already went too far to turn back. “What do you think has the best chance of not only surviving a planet wide disaster, but also thrive in it?”
“Cockroaches” I answered.
Jane nodded. “Sure. Lots of people would agree with you, however that wouldn't be the best pick.”
“Oh? Then what would be?”
“Rats.”
I laughed.
“They are tough and can thrive anywhere. Even before BB-F828 they are smarter than roaches, plus rats have a complicated social hierarchy, similar to humans. Remember, I didn't just say survive. I said thrive.”
“So you tested all this on rats?”
Jane nodded. “We did.”
I waited for Jane to continue, but thanks to her staring off into space due to lack of sleep, she waited longer.
“What happened?”
Janes eyes drifted back at me, she was running on fumes. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Rats, right?” she asked while pulling a folder out from the seat next to her. She set it on the table and slid it over to me. “Here, take a peek.”
I opened it, expecting redacted pages of ‘evidence’ and while I got some of that, it was the photos that drew my attention the most. At first the photos were individual rats and a designated number they received instead of a name.
“How many rats did you experiment—” I started, but my voice trailed off when I came across a photo of the one rat with unique markings on its back now appearing to be bred for a war on pleasant dreams. Its eyes were pearly gray, teeth became tusks, its whiskers were thick and barbed. According to the scale it was on when the second photo was taken it weighed twenty nine point four kilos.
“A few hundred?” Jane answered, though it was obvious that it was just a guess. “They were paired off and put in different environments to see how they adapt.”
“Why would you pair them off?”
“I think it was to see if some would branch out and become their own species” Jane answered as she checked her watch. Seeing the time she sped up. “See, when something with BB-F828 finds itself in a desert, it might adapt to the point that it grows a hump like a camel. Or grow gills if they are in the ocean. The original purpose was for human survivability on other planets. We thought if we could discover how the adaptations work, and it could be repeated exactly the same over and over again, we could do something for humans. After all you wouldn't want anything unexpected to happen when you're in the middle of growing another set of arms or a dorsal fin, right?”Jane said. “But to do this we needed lots of subjects and all in their own environments. Each one had their own surprises, after all, evolution is random. Favors some things over others. One species can branch out to be dozens or hundreds. Thousands with enough time and environmental factors. When the tardigrades started displaying more predatory behavior we thought it was due to the change in diet and the increase in protein, but now we think its due to the rapid change. It drives them insane. All of this was surprising, but none as surprising as the ‘dirt rats’.”
“Wait. They are all insane? Also, dirt rats?” I asked, flipping the photo over to show the next one. This one revealed what I thought was a bear, but when I was about to flip it over to look at the next one I noticed its teeth. Thats when I noticed that it was a huge, muscular rat.
“Six breeding pairs, all kept in an empty pool full of dirt. They weren't given enough room to get out of the dirt, so they had to adapt to living in it. Anyways, because they are in the dirt its harder to keep track of what they are doing. Because of that, by the time we discovered that they had burrowed their way out of the facility it was too late. They were gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“Escaped,” Jane whispered. “And they are growing.”
“Growing?”
“Last I heard, they were nearly sixty feet but we honestly don't know. It's not like we can compare them to anything else.”
“Sixty feet?” I laughed. “Someone would have saw them by—”
“Underground” Jane said with a shake of her head. “They are underground. I know it's hard to believe, but how else can you explain those earthquakes in Chicago? New York?”
“Are you saying there are giant rats under those cities?”
“I am saying they aren't rats anymore. They are something else entirely. I am saying six breeding pairs might not sound like a lot, but rats reproduce so quickly it's terrifying. I am saying that they are so big and there are so many of them that they are causing those earthquakes. I am saying that due to their size they burn off lots of calories and some have evolved to hibernating.”
“Why hibernation?”
“No idea, but when they wake up they are going to be very hungry. Ravenous.”
“Any idea when that might be?” I asked.
Jane shrugged. “Some already have. We just covered it up.”
It might have been my apophenia talking, but with that statement I started seeing the bigger picture and asked Jane about the town that went missing (The story I was working on before her DVD reached me). Jane gave me the politician's answer, saying something without actually saying something, and that was enough to confirm that I was indeed on the right track.
Unfortunately Jane and I did not speak for much longer, she got a call that freaked her out and she took off. Before she left she took the folder and the pictures I was still going through. I haven't seen or heard from her since and have dropped the story about the disappearances that have secretly been plaguing our country.
WAE

“Beasts all over the shop…You’ll be one of them, sooner or later…”
The strange Hunter turned around and exhaled. His breath was visible against the night’s air.
He’s bloodlusted. Aegis, I hope you have a plan.
Shimmer saw Elpis step back slightly, with a shocked expression on her face. She shakily raised a claw and pointed at something on the ground.
No. It… it can’t be.
That’s… horrible.
A shattered red jeweled necklace lay strewn across the ground, beside the mangled corpse of the Silkwing.
The Hivewing in front of the three swung his axe to the side. As it was a trick weapon, he was able to change its form on command. The axe had two forms: a shortened form that acted sort of like a sword, and an extended form specialized in crowd control and reach.
He extended his axe and Shimmer heard a low snarl from his throat.
“Do we kill him?” Elpis asked, a hint of fear in her voice.
“We don't have a choice. Steel yourself.” Aegis muttered and brandished his silksabers. The blades gleamed in the soft light of the three moons.
The hunter was taller than all of them, one head taller than Aegis and two taller than Shimmer and Elpis. Black tattered robes clung to him, marking him a Shadowhunter. Blood from tonight’s hunt stained the black fabric, showcasing his expertise and experience in the hunt. He wore a rounded dark-gray hat, and bloodied bandages covered his eyes. Shimmer wondered if he could even see.
Corpses of both beasts and dragons were scattered about the square-shaped courtyard, an equal amount of gravestones breaking up the open space. His teeth were uneven as if he had been eating and chewing rough bones. Blood dripped from his mouth down his neck, and his Hivewing stingers flexed in anticipation.
“Be careful,” Aegis started, “He’s going to use magic. Elpis, don’t use any of yours.” He told the hybrid dragon beside him, and she nodded.
The hunter walked slowly around them, searching for a weakness in their structure, and then spat out a lump of coagulated blood.
“That stench of squalid blood. No beast will be spared.” He half-muttered and half-growled. He tipped his hat respectfully, before lunging at Elpis. She dove to the side, and tried to retaliate with her scythe, but just slightly missed.
This hunter was agile, surprisingly so considering how old he looked. Shimmer gripped the handle of her silkhammer, knowing it wasn’t the time to strike. She stepped backward, seeking cover behind a grave, while Aegis leaped forward with the intent to pierce the frenzied hunter’s heart. Once again, the hunter rolled to the side and sent his axe hurtling towards the smaller Silkwing. Shimmer felt fear grip her heart, but Aegis avoided the blade. He fell back and motioned for Elpis to stay back.
“A sporting hunt. But alas, I’ve forgotten to ask your name.” Aegis growled, and the hunter laughed a sick, disturbing laugh.
“The name’s Gascoigne.” He shot back, and jumped into the air, slamming his axe down where Aegis was a split second ago. Shimmer’s ears rung from the sound of the impact. Her antennae subconsciously curled in defensively.
“Gascoigne. That’s a nice name. I’ll tell Ludwig you were a proud hunter till the end.” Aegis replied and sent his twin blades slicing into the hunter’s thigh. He recoiled, and a gleeful laugh escaped his bloodied mouth.
“Hehe… the sweet stench of blood. Just… just marvelous!” He exclaimed and raised his off-talon towards Aegis.
“Aegis! Get down!” Shimmer called, and a burst of flame erupted from the hunter’s claws across the courtyard. The limited magic the Hivewing had that he was willing to use in this hunt.
Aegis fell back, hissing in pain as a few stray flames singed his tail. The hunter chuckled under his breath, and Elpis took advantage of the opening he had presented her. She thrust the blade of her scythe toward him, opting for its sword form as of now, and the hunter knocked the blow aside. He countered with a kick to the Ice-Hivewing’s ribs, and she was sent to the ground. She coughed up a spurt of blue Icewing blood, and the hunter lifted his axe for a finishing blow.
Shimmer roared out and swung her hammer toward the hunter. The silk connected it to her wrists as it flew through the air, and it hit the hunter square in his side just as his axe was falling. He was sent into the opposite side of the courtyard, coughing and sputtering, but with a faint smirk on his face. Shimmer was in disbelief; how was he not dead?
“Ooh, what’s that smell… the sweet blood, ooh, it sings to me! It's enough to make a dragon sick.” Gascoigne laughed hollowly. He raised his talon, and Shimmer quickly rolled to the side as a ball of flame soared past her horns.
He’s going to turn at this rate.
Shimmer hid under a gravestone as a tree behind her erupted in flames, and Aegis jumped into the air. He beat his four wings ferociously before diving into the hunter. He caught both of Aegis’ horns, and he twisted his head. Aegis fell to the ground, and Gascoigne slashed his axe down across the Silkwing’s leg. Aegis cried out, and Shimmer’s heart ached. She pushed herself up, ignoring the raging fire around her, and she threw her hammer up in the air and aimed it towards the hunter. He narrowly evaded the heavy impact of the stone before Shimmer heard a metal clang behind her.
Elpis, scythe in one talon, approached Gascoigne. She had the little music box in her other.
Elpis played the music box and a song of eerie notes filled the courtyard.
The hunter stumbled back, clawing at his face, and Elpis shot Shimmer a look, her face telling her to make sure Aegis was okay.
Elpis advanced on the struggling hunter, and Shimmer leaped over to her Silkwing partner, who was injured on the ground. She felt tears welling in her eyes, but she knew this wasn’t the time to cry.
“Aegis. Look at me. Look at me.” She repeated, and he lifted his head weakly. His leg had a massive gash in it, but he could probably still walk, just with a limp.
“Ah, Shimmer. I’m alright. I’ll be back in the fight. Go, help Elpis. I’ll join back soon enough.” He groaned, and the pair heard a roar behind them.
Elpis was locked in a duel with Gascoigne, and the hunter’s stray fireballs met with blasts of frostbreath. For the first time in the battle, the hunter had a slight look of fear on his face. Elpis was relentless, her burial blade swiftly countering and stopping any attempt Gascoigne made at advancing. Aegis crawled back and attempted to stand, using a grave for support.
“Shimmer! I can’t hold him for long!” Elpis called, and Shimmer nodded. She took the hammer in her claws and swung it around her side, and in a clockwise circle in the air. It was the perfect counterweight to her body weight. She hoisted it up further into the air and then brought it crashing down onto the hunter.
It struck Gascoigne directly on the spine, and he fell to the ground.
He screamed in pain.
And then, a bright light flashed from his body.
His screams deepened in tone, morphing to be more animalistic. His posture fell forward, and his muscles rippled through his body. He grew in size, and more of his bloodied garb ripped from the size change.
Fur sprouted from seemingly random places on the Hivewing’s body, and his claws extended. His face shifted, his features becoming more and more distorted. His black hat fell to the ground.
The bandages around his eyes stayed, as well as the black-tattered garb that marked him as once a Hunter.
He was no longer a Hunter. Moons above, he wasn’t even a dragon anymore.
He was now a beast.
Shimmer’s heart pounded in her chest. She stared at the transformation for a split second, before reeling in her hammer. She took it in her right talon and dove behind a gravestone, wary of the spreading flames.
Elpis, on the other claw, held her blade in front of her. Shimmer heard a rasping cough escape the Ice-HiveWing’s throat, but she didn’t break her stance.
The beast that was once Gascoigne whipped around toward Elpis, and launched himself at her, with a ferocity Shimmer had never seen even in beasts.
Elpis sidestepped quickly. The beast slammed into the wall with a loud roar, and Shimmer spied Aegis in her peripheral vision struggling to stand. He winced as he stood on his injured leg, but didn’t cry out. He brandished his two blades as the beast charged at him.
“Aegis!” Shimmer cried.
He’s going to get hit. That beast will kill him.
Aegis ignored her, and as soon as the beast was within a wingspan from him he twisted his body in such a way that he narrowly avoided the savage charge. He elegantly sliced his twin blades across the beast’s hide, and the creature howled before rapidly turning to face him.
Shimmer flew into the air. “Get away from him!” She yelled before bringing the weight of her hammer down on the beast. It flattened part of his ribcage, but it seemed impervious to the pain. It did knock him to the ground, though, giving Aegis a moment to cut through what was once two of the hunter’s wings.
The beast quickly got back on its claws before sending a flurry of swipes towards Shimmer. She dodged to the side and readied her hammer for another strike.
That was before the beast kicked her square in her chest, its sharp, ravenous claws digging in and tearing her scales. Shimmer fell back, a slight gasp escaping her mouth, and she stumbled back into the wall. She lost her footing and fell to the ground, and gazed up at the beast locked on her.
“Aegis! Help!” She yelled, and not even a second later her Silkwing partner crashed into the beast. They fell to the ground, grappling with each other before Shimmer heard a familiar song fill the courtyard.
Elpis was cranking the music box, its ominous lullaby breaking up the noise of the fight. The beast stopped attacking Aegis and instead clawed at its face. It growled and screamed in pain, drawing blood from its very own fur and scales.
“Now! Kill it!” She yelled through the song, and Aegis nodded before driving his two blades through the beast’s skull.
They stuck, and the beast roared before throwing him off. It crawled and thrashed about on the ground, clearly not dead, and the two new blades stuck to his head pointed out like new horns.
Now’s my chance.
Shimmer stumbled to her claws and wound her hammer up into the air. With every last bit of her strength, she brought it down on the flailing beast.
It crushed what was left of the hunter.
Silence filled the courtyard, only broken by a few stray notes from the music box, the pained breathing of the three hunters in the area, and the howls and screams from other places in the Hive.
Shimmer breathed a sigh of relief, before collapsing.
I did it. We did it.
Gascoigne was free.
…
“I brought you water.”
Shimmer opened her eyes and found herself in her familiar hospital room.
The morning sun’s rays lit the room, and Shimmer felt very little pain from her chest.
It had been three days since that night.
Shimmer fixed her gaze on the purple-orange Silkwing sitting beside her and smiled.
“Thanks. I’m feeling much better, we should get going to Bloodworm soon. It’s today, remember?” Shimmer asked, and he nodded. Of course, he remembered.
The summons for every hunter to come to Bloodworm Hive. Ludwig, The Holy Blade had requested them all. He no doubt planned an attack. A shame really, the hive was only newly rebuilt. And now it was going to be the site of a horrid, savage warzone.
“I remember. Are you sure you’re feeling okay? Ludwig would understand if you couldn’t come,” Aegis asked, and she spied a hint of worry on his face.
“I’m fine. I need to make sure you don’t do anything stupid. I’ll come.” She sighed and took a sip from the canteen that Aegis had brought. It tasted wonderful, he had put something in to flavor it.
“Honeydew?” She guessed, and Aegis smiled.
“Yep. It’s your favorite, right?” He asked, and she nodded. She opened her arms, and he hugged her tight.
“I love you,” Shimmer whispered in his ear.
“I love you too. I pray to Clearsight that we’ll both be safe today. I can’t bear to lose you.” Aegis replied. He pulled away and gazed out the window.
Shimmer quickly drank the rest of the honeydew-flavored water before getting out of bed. She joined him at the window and was slightly surprised by what she saw.
Almost all of the hunters of Jewel Hive were preparing, some of them already flying in the direction of Bloodworm. They were all sharpening their trick weapons, mixing poisons, or saying goodbye to loved ones.
“We should get going. It’ll be midmorning when we get there, I don’t want to be late.” Shimmer suggested, and Aegis put a wing around her.
“Now? I need to get my stuff, and you do too. Join me at the workshop.” He asked, and she slid her head in the curve of his neck as he led her out of her sick room.
…
Shimmer beat her wings strong and fast against the morning savanna winds.
She saw what looked to be several hundred, maybe even a thousand dragons gathered around a hill. All of them had a colored garb fluttering proudly from their neck. Around ninety percent of the garbs were white, and the rest were black.
They were all different tribes and a fair amount of hybrids were scattered about as well. The gathered hunters were mostly Pantalan, but a good few were from Pyrrhia as well.
Shimmer and Aegis landed a short distance away from the hill, and all around them the sounds of dragons conversing and laughing with each other.
The sun was high in the sky, but it wasn’t quite noon yet.
“You see anyone you recognize?” Aegis asked, and Shimmer shook her head.
“There’s too many dragons here. It’s too much.” She whimpered, and Aegis pulled her close. He knew she didn’t do well in crowds. That was partly why she became a Shadowhunter. To work alone or with no more than a few other dragons.
“You’re safe with me.” He comforted her, and she leaned against him.
She had always hated being with a lot of other dragons. Aegis said it sounded like she had anxiety, which made sense. It didn’t do much to alleviate that fear, though.
None of them are thinking about you. They’re all busy with their own stuff.
Just take deep breaths.
“Do you want to move away? There’s fewer dragons over there,” He asked and pointed a claw across from them.
“…No, no I’m fine.” She whispered, and Aegis sighed.
“Alright. If you want to move, don’t be afraid to ask. I don’t mind it.”
Shimmer shook her head quickly, before the pair heard a loud voice from the top of the hill. They both looked up and saw the legendary hunter himself: Ludwig.
The menacing Nightwing stood proudly, his holy silver sword slung across his shoulder. His partner Memoria stood beside him, her tail twined around his. She had a bored look on her face as she stared at the crowd. The voices of the dragons fell silent, and Shimmer felt like she could breathe again.
The Nightwing’s loud voice echoed through the plain. “Dear Hunters.” He paused, his heroic voice inspiring pride and triumph in Shimmer, even though he had barely started.
“I’m sure all of you know why we’re here. Behind me, Bloodworm Hive stands proud against the horizon. Yet I am more than certain you all know what lies inside.” He paused and pointed his sword toward the dark shape of the Hive.
“Beasts. A few thousand. I think it’s time we put them out of their misery. That is why we are here. A battle of the ages, one that will go down in history. We, the brave heroes, fighting against evil. We will be reveled, we will be honored. We will protect the dragons we hold dear to our hearts, and save those we can yet save.” His speech roused the crowd, and Shimmer felt herself stand a little taller.
“The plan is simple. The Hunters of the Sun will lead the charge from the front. I have already talked to the leaders of the charge. The Shadowhunters will pick the stray beasts off from behind. We will attack at dusk when half the sun is hidden from the eye.” He gestured with his sword at the rising sun, and he extended his wings. His massive wingspan seemed to fill the sky, and Shimmer's heart swelled with pride.
He held his sword up to the heavens, and it transformed. It grew larger, into the shape of a claymore, and it turned a shade of sacred jade. It glowed with an otherworldly light, and the crowd was enamored by the display.
“Now, hunters. Spend the rest of today preparing. The hunt is on tonight. Ludwig, The Holy Blade will be with all of you in spirit.” He bellowed, and the crowd erupted in applause and cheers.
Shimmer saw a proud, triumphant look in Aegis’ eyes, and she felt the same. Ludwig’s blade captivated her. The blade of legend, inspiring all who lay eyes on it.
Ludwig would be with them tonight. The best, the greatest, the strongest hunter ever.
Tonight, the hunters would not know defeat.
Nor would they ever, with Ludwig alive and at their side.
May the good blood guide your way,
Ultima_8

In 1945, the United States underwent Operation Paperclip which gave over 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians sanctuary and absolution of their crimes in exchange for the continuation of their research.
In 1953 those same individuals came up with and executed MK Ultra, an illegal human experiment that used its citizens (targeting schools, hospitals and prisons) as test subjects.
In 1954 the Plum Island was turned into a research center for diseases.
In 1975 the first documented case of Lyme disease occurred. Rumored to have escaped Plum Island.
In 2005 the DHS announced that all the work done at Plum Island would be continued in Kansas. Not just the center of the continental United States, but also home to crops seen in grocery stores all over the country.
The following is a true story.
Getting into work, one of the first things I do is check my mail. I’ve been a reporter for years and have amassed fans who like to write in and give me leads. Most of the time these leads don't amount to much (Sometimes I wonder if people send me things because of my apophenia and they are trying to get me off their scent), but every once in a while I strike gold.
I had been working at Whisper Alley Echos for a few months by the time I got my first lead. The package I got was small and when I opened it I saw a DVD that had the words “play me” written in black marker on it. Not knowing what was on it, I waited until I got home to put it on. Not just because I didnt know what was on it, but I was also busy working on a different project about how everyone in a nearby town just went missing. The official story is that they all went on vacation or went to visit a relative and decided to stay. I dont know about you, but I found that suspicious.
After getting home and shifting gears to get into the movie mood (popcorn, blinds pulled, etc…) I popped the DVD in and began watching.
There were dozens of different videos to pick from, some ranging from a minute to half an hour. Instead of picking one at random, I just played them in order. After all, all their titles were dates and times and I didnt want to miss anything that might make sense later.
The first video featured a tardigrade, at the time I didnt know what it was, but the scientist doing the voice over described it as being a microscopic animal as well as being extremely resilient. This went on for several minutes and for a moment it felt as though I was watching a nature documentary instead of something given to me by a government whistleblower.
The next few videos featured footage of the tardigrades being given something called “BB-F828” and the changes it caused.
The voiceover talked about how a tardigrade (this time he called them water bears and the two terms were interchangeable from this point on) was showing signs of several thousand generations of evolution in only a few days. Even though I know nothing about science, I could see that the thing on the television was not the same animal that was shown in the first video.
While they were never “cute”, at least they never looked like predators, but after a few videos I saw that the tardigrades were covered in what appeared to be padding. In a later video this padding would change into being chitin-like armor.
The last video was filmed two months after the water bears were given BB-F828 and in it the scientists could see them even without a microscope.
The next morning I went into work and started writing on my computer, copying notes from my small notebook. However by the time I started the second draft, Andrea, the office secretary, dropped a letter off at my desk.
It was the first time I got a letter about an “inside scoop” two days in a row.
The letter said that they were the ones who sent the DVD and if I wanted to know more I would have to go to The Rats Skeleton (a bar that used to be a speakeasy during prohibition. Because of this the place feels as though its a front for a comic book villain. The owners have leaned into this and did everything they could to reinforce this feeling with sparse lighting and everything that isn't red velvet on the walls being painted black) at a specific time.
Usually I wouldn't go meet strangers after getting an anonymous letter that tells me to come alone, but its a small town and I didn't have much going on that particular Thursday.
Parking behind the Merc (short for mercantile, where most of the grocery and general shopping is done in town), I descended the stairs and made my way to the back of the bar. There I found a woman that didnt look like she slept in days. Since no one else was in that back area I figured she must have been the person I was there to see.
“Hey, I’m Daniel West. Am I—”
“Sit” the woman said, motioning across from her. I sat down and asked her for her name but she didn’t want to answer me and when i asked for it a second time she claimed it was Jane, but there is no doubt that was not her real name.
“What made you reach out, Jane?”
“You saw the video?”
I nodded. “Yup.”
“And?”
“I have a lot of questions” I answered.
“Figured you would” Jane said. “Ask.”
“Well, first” I said, my journalistic inexperience showing as I went through my pocket notebook. “Who are you and why do you know all this?”
“Name isnt important” Jane answered. “Let me start from the beginning. We thought we were working on human survivability” Jane answered. “I thought that I was working for some company that had a government contract. That might be true, it might not be. Either way lots of money and resources have been put into this.”
“I saw the video” I answered. “What exactly was it that I was watching?”
Janes eyes were frantic as she looked at the stairs behind me. When I turned around to see what she was looking at I saw a local descending the steps and approach the bar. She only answered my question when she was convinced that the man wasn't eavesdropping, still, she spoke in whispers.
“We were working on human survivability.”
“You said that. What does that mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Consider we civilize mars and the long term effects from the static radiation there. Or another planet that demands thicker bones because of increased gravity? Evolution might give us those things eventually but what if we need it now? In this generation?”
“So you made super humans?”
Jane was annoyed and slapped the table. No one was around to hear or see her but I still looked around anyways.
“We didn’t work on humans. We piggybacked off of some other countries' genetic research and made some breakthroughs of our own. When—-“
“Other countries?” I interrupted instead of letting her talk.
“Yeah” Jane said with a shrug. “Some countries aren’t tied down by the same code of ethics as ours.”
“That’s why you got a hold of me? To tell—-“
“We were working on small parts. At first individual genes, building from that success we went on to more complex organisms. Eventually, hopefully, test on humans.”
“But you never made it that far?”
“No” Jane said, taking a sip from her glass. “We tested BB-F828 on other things, building up towards human testing.”
“Okay, like what?”
Jane inhaled through her nose and looked at me as though she wasnt sure if I could be trusted. Then she sighed when she realized it was too late not to trust me, she had already went too far to turn back. “What do you think has the best chance of not only surviving a planet wide disaster, but also thrive in it?”
“Cockroaches” I answered.
Jane nodded. “Sure. Lots of people would agree with you, however that wouldn't be the best pick.”
“Oh? Then what would be?”
“Rats.”
I laughed.
“They are tough and can thrive anywhere. Even before BB-F828 they are smarter than roaches, plus rats have a complicated social hierarchy, similar to humans. Remember, I didn't just say survive. I said thrive.”
“So you tested all this on rats?”
Jane nodded. “We did.”
I waited for Jane to continue, but thanks to her staring off into space due to lack of sleep, she waited longer.
“What happened?”
Janes eyes drifted back at me, she was running on fumes. “Huh? Oh, yeah. Rats, right?” she asked while pulling a folder out from the seat next to her. She set it on the table and slid it over to me. “Here, take a peek.”
I opened it, expecting redacted pages of ‘evidence’ and while I got some of that, it was the photos that drew my attention the most. At first the photos were individual rats and a designated number they received instead of a name.
“How many rats did you experiment—” I started, but my voice trailed off when I came across a photo of the one rat with unique markings on its back now appearing to be bred for a war on pleasant dreams. Its eyes were pearly gray, teeth became tusks, its whiskers were thick and barbed. According to the scale it was on when the second photo was taken it weighed twenty nine point four kilos.
“A few hundred?” Jane answered, though it was obvious that it was just a guess. “They were paired off and put in different environments to see how they adapt.”
“Why would you pair them off?”
“I think it was to see if some would branch out and become their own species” Jane answered as she checked her watch. Seeing the time she sped up. “See, when something with BB-F828 finds itself in a desert, it might adapt to the point that it grows a hump like a camel. Or grow gills if they are in the ocean. The original purpose was for human survivability on other planets. We thought if we could discover how the adaptations work, and it could be repeated exactly the same over and over again, we could do something for humans. After all you wouldn't want anything unexpected to happen when you're in the middle of growing another set of arms or a dorsal fin, right?”Jane said. “But to do this we needed lots of subjects and all in their own environments. Each one had their own surprises, after all, evolution is random. Favors some things over others. One species can branch out to be dozens or hundreds. Thousands with enough time and environmental factors. When the tardigrades started displaying more predatory behavior we thought it was due to the change in diet and the increase in protein, but now we think its due to the rapid change. It drives them insane. All of this was surprising, but none as surprising as the ‘dirt rats’.”
“Wait. They are all insane? Also, dirt rats?” I asked, flipping the photo over to show the next one. This one revealed what I thought was a bear, but when I was about to flip it over to look at the next one I noticed its teeth. Thats when I noticed that it was a huge, muscular rat.
“Six breeding pairs, all kept in an empty pool full of dirt. They weren't given enough room to get out of the dirt, so they had to adapt to living in it. Anyways, because they are in the dirt its harder to keep track of what they are doing. Because of that, by the time we discovered that they had burrowed their way out of the facility it was too late. They were gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“Escaped,” Jane whispered. “And they are growing.”
“Growing?”
“Last I heard, they were nearly sixty feet but we honestly don't know. It's not like we can compare them to anything else.”
“Sixty feet?” I laughed. “Someone would have saw them by—”
“Underground” Jane said with a shake of her head. “They are underground. I know it's hard to believe, but how else can you explain those earthquakes in Chicago? New York?”
“Are you saying there are giant rats under those cities?”
“I am saying they aren't rats anymore. They are something else entirely. I am saying six breeding pairs might not sound like a lot, but rats reproduce so quickly it's terrifying. I am saying that they are so big and there are so many of them that they are causing those earthquakes. I am saying that due to their size they burn off lots of calories and some have evolved to hibernating.”
“Why hibernation?”
“No idea, but when they wake up they are going to be very hungry. Ravenous.”
“Any idea when that might be?” I asked.
Jane shrugged. “Some already have. We just covered it up.”
It might have been my apophenia talking, but with that statement I started seeing the bigger picture and asked Jane about the town that went missing (The story I was working on before her DVD reached me). Jane gave me the politician's answer, saying something without actually saying something, and that was enough to confirm that I was indeed on the right track.
Unfortunately Jane and I did not speak for much longer, she got a call that freaked her out and she took off. Before she left she took the folder and the pictures I was still going through. I haven't seen or heard from her since and have dropped the story about the disappearances that have secretly been plaguing our country.
WAE

i’ve been with my partner for almost 4 years; and realised today that i cannot recall the last time he made a concentrated effort to plan something nice for me without me basically directing where, when, what, and how.
my birthday party is in a few days and he only broke the news today that he hadn’t ordered the cake when he took ownership of dealing with it; he told me months before he was baking it and only told me today he couldn’t do it and would order one instead and asked what flavor i wanted. there are many issues that i took with this. he knew that i wanted my birthday cake to look a specific way as i showed him photos of what i wanted weeks ago and asked if he could do it; he told me he couldn’t decorate the cake that way and i said that it was ok because he was already baking me a cake from scratch which i immensely appreciated. he could have told me at any point he couldn’t do it and that he was going to order it instead. but instead he waited to tell me until the very last minute and also to sort it out at the very last moment possible.
he also did the same in regards to my birthday dinner plans for the two of us; he told me he wanted to book dinner for us and i had already told him what cuisine i wanted. he has access to my google calendar so knew when i was free. i told him i just wanted a dinner somewhere nice with him. instead of that being the end of it, he kept coming back to me with “what about this restaurant? this one? availability XYZ”; it became a back and forth to the point i had to pull out the tiktok folder i saved with recommendations for restaurants in our city, most of which i’ve sent him previously to tell him i would do these restaurants and even went on their websites to check what dates were available until i put my foot down and told him idk why i was doing the labour of booking my own birthday dinner when he said he would do it. and guess what he was able to find a restaurant and just book it. this annoyed me but i thought it was an isolated incident but apparently not.
i got incredibly upset after he told me he basically hadn’t done shit about the cake and i left home and didn’t go back and stayed with my mom for the night because i just could not believe my partner of 4 years could be so unreliable for something as simple as a birthday cake. if my friends were capable of doing it in previous years why couldn’t he? my mom asked me when he has previously taken the initiative to do something nice for me without my input and i genuinely cannot remember a time where he did something that he planned himself and executed without somehow making me responsible for it in some way. when it comes to gifts, i basically buy them for myself and he reimburses me the cost of them. dinners, i choose a restaurant and the date and time and book it for us. trips/vacations, i suggest it and have to take the initiative of choosing a day to sit down and plan and book it. if i don’t put my foot down it doesn’t get done. and i realise he is either incompetent or lazy when it comes to the relationship and i don’t know how to navigate this issue and move past it.
he has apologised about the cake issue but the time apart has made me realise this is a deeper issue and i don’t know what he can do to make it up to me. i don’t see what he can do to show me he can fix things.
can i please get suggestions on how to approach this with him and to move forward? i have previously brought this up to him in the relationship that i feel as though i take on a lot of the emotional labour in regards to household management (meals, when we need to clean bc the mess reaches a boiling point, or buying things we need for the flat) and romance in the relationship (love languages, that i needed more in terms of emotional fulfilment) and he will be apologetic and do it for a while but i think he is just complacent in the relationship.
how do you make your partner non-complacent/not lazy/bring him out of feeling “too comfortable”? don’t get me wrong, we get along great, we are like best friends and love to hang out and just chill and spend time together but i want more than a best friend i want a partner i can rely on to step up to make special occasions actually special for me. it feels as though he loves me so much and to him these things don’t matter but it does to me and it’s important to me but i think he is a bit selfish in that he subconsciously isn’t as considerate or thoughtful. i love him a lot but i need my emotional needs fulfilled too. what can i suggest/what steps can he take to actually show he cares????

Hi all,
This is a long one so I do apologise.
Let's start off with some context. Some 6 months ago I signed with a registered builder to install my shed (as is required under our council regulations based on the price of the shed). Upon signing, we were advised once the team arrived on site, it would be a 2 - 3 day job to completion.
We waited some 3 months where we were told that they were flat out at the moment and that the team assigned to us was just finishing off another job. By mid-Feb we finally met our 'team'. The building company were so flat out that they'd started using subcontractors to keep up with their workload.
The team we got was a man named Bill (let's say). Throughout the course of our shed 6 also brought in 3 other guys at different times for varying lengths of time. It all seemed very adhoc. This brings us to the last few weeks. 3 months on since installation began, and the shed still wasn't finished. It got to the point where Bill was ducking the calls of the registered builder and being very non-committal with us--we could never lock down dates to get it completed and there was always a new problem that cropped up. The registered builder showed up at our place yesterday with 2 other guys, and they went over the entire shed top to bottom and fixed so much. Replaced damaged sheets, replaced a damaged PA door and frame, added missing bolts, and re-layered the roof sheets to make it waterproof proof--what should have been done the first time. The builder has been nothing but apologetic and has been incredibly embarrassed by the work of Bill. We're now happy with the state of the shed itself.
This brings us to what I really wanted to ask about. At the start of March, I was talking with Bill while he was on site and I had mentioned in passing that we'd need to sort out windows at some point as they weren't included in our shed kit (nothing to do with the registered builder, we engaged them for installation only). Bill said he'd be happy to order them in and install them for us (note: this was between him and I, separate from the registered builder). He later got back to us saying the windows had a 6 week lead time on them, but that he had to pay for them in full when ordering them, and so issued us with an invoice. I know, I know. We've already learnt our lesson, but we were just so excited at the prospect of the shed finally going up, and we believed him when it was presented that he was giving us a good deal.
We were issued with two invoices: invoice 1 had the order of the windows, plus delivery, plus some $100 worth of gutter hardware pieces, and came to $1,700, and invoice 2 just had a $400 installation fee. We paid invoice 1 via bank transfer. But that wasn't even the problem at the time. Over the next 8 weeks, I followed up with him a few times for the ETA of the windows and I never got much out of him, until he texted me at the beginning of May saying that they'd been stolen off the back of his truck, and that re-ordering them was going to be another 12 weeks. By now, we're well and truly fed up.
I texted him requesting a refund on invoice 1 and a cancellation of services because waiting 20 weeks for windows to be installed is not what we paid for, and we do not deem that reasonable. We're so demoralised by the poor quality of Bill's work on the rest of the shed that we just want to wipe our hands of him. The registered builder even offered to order the windows (only a 6 week lead time, mind you) and install them free of charge because he's embarrassed for having engaged Bill to do the works. Upon my request for a refund, he never responded to my request and instead skirted it by saying that he'll advise when the windows arrive and we can pick them up and end our dealings with him. Except we've also found out when the registered builder ordered the windows that they only cost $950. So we're still not satisfied with having paid $1,700--for what?? I also requested copies of the invoices he paid to the manufacturer to order the windows (both times), and he has refused, so we don't have evidence that they were even ordered the first time.
So I ask, where can I take this from here? Almost all of our communication with him (especially relating to the windows) has been via text, and so I have it all documented. We want a refund on invoice 1 and a cancellation of all further services from him. Do we lodge a Consumer Protection Complaint? Contact a small claims lawyer? Never had to resort to any of these options before.
Thanks for your time if you've made it this far, if I've missed anything out or if any further information would be beneficial, please ask. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

To start, 2023-2024 has been a very challenging year for my mental health. I did two rounds in an intensive outpatient program, had several medication changes, and received an official OCD diagnoses to go with the depression and anxiety. This also includes my habit of constant reassurance seeking, as well as being an inherently over-sensitive person who wears their heart on their sleeve.
I have been feeling a bit better recently, though. With that hopefulness, I went on a date this past weekend. We met on Bumble. Prior to it, we both agreed that it had to happen organically, and that it could end up becoming something more down the road if it all went well. Which I was okay with! I could wait! He was worth that to me! And I was so excited!
It's important to the story that you all know this man was 1.) handsome and strong 2.) incredibly sweet and 3.) getting his PhD in clinical psychology. And he liked me. My brain was immediately telling me it was too good to be true. I'm not used to this at all. I don't date. I don't experience mutual attraction. It was the first time I really felt like I had a shot.
We hit it off instantly, went bar hopping, talked for hours, and went back to his place. It had gone so well up until I had to disclose my status of HSV-2 (tearfully, as I could have stopped at the last drink) where he was very understanding, swore it didn't change anything, and was appreciative of me letting him know.
But then, I promptly inserted my foot into my mouth going on about how this had been the best first date I ever had, making him promise me he would go out with me again but not because he was obligated to, then went ahead and said "I'm going through a lot of shit right now." Every time he asked me if I was okay, I said no, not really. Like WHY WOULD I SAY THAT. ANY OF THAT.
He was so nice through all of it, but I knew I had freaked him out. A whole day passes and I don't hear from him. That's where my compulsive reasoning kicked into overdrive and my OCD locked tf in. I was flipping out for at least 48 hours straight. I had done too much, said too much, scared him off. Which, after finally getting text out of him, was exactly the case. I got the fateful text saying that he just wanted to keep it friendly from now on.
I apologized for what I had said in a vulnerable state, for putting him in an uncomfortable position, and making him feel rushed into something less-than-casual. I told him I understood where he was coming from, how I fell too fast, got in my feelings, made it sound like I was rushing him into a commitment. Then I had to follow up with a long-winded message about how it was a bummer it was ending before I could have another shot, how I just kept talking because I was so nervous and I liked him, etc - just to really hammer the final nail into that casket, you know.
The whole time, I'm a crying mess, feeling so stupid for thinking I was well enough to date, and pathetic for getting so overly excited about finally feeling wanted. After a year I thought I wouldn't survive, I felt so optimistic, but then I had to go from 0 to 100 and unthinkingly stomp on the potential of a really, really good thing.
At that point, he responded to none of that and just told me there was no reason for me to apologize, that he meant what he said about being friends. I ended it with a "sure, let me know when you're free" fully knowing I probably won't ever hear from this man again. But as inadvisable as it is, I kinda want to hold him to it. Unless the attraction wasn't there anymore, maybe I could redeem myself? Maybe if he saw me, he'd still feel the chemistry we had?
But I know how that sounds, I swear. I really do. It's not a good idea to wedge my foot into a door he's politely tried to close. As I had been reminded by several loved ones, trying to date right now is only going to hurt me more. And they're probably right. And that really sucks.
If you read all of this, thank you. You didn't have to hear me harp and carry on and self-pity, but you did. Many kisses upon you.
TL;DR: I fumbled a good man because I was drunk and mentally unwell and I've been beating myself up about it for days.

I know I'm not wrong objectively but Id like some input on what I should have done differently
I've been talking to this guy for about 3 weeks. Tonight was the second time we had ever met up though.
We've sexted a bit but I've never sent any nudes. Just a gym selfie that I cropped to just my ass. He's sent me dick pictures. And I've been more than happy to reply. I'm a good writer. And I can tell the story over the phone. And idk I feel as if the entire time, I was so vocal about needing to feel safe and comfortable. Most of the fantasies revolved around him taking control and teaching me slowly. He said he wanted something long term too
He actually got mad that I couldn't hang out with him sooner than tonight. So instead of the weekend like I would have preferred. I went to his place after work
And I wanted to have sex with him, I did. But he got very upset when I couldn't leave work early like I thought I could. And when I finally made it, I thought he'd lean down for a kiss. Or ask me about what was obviously a long day or idk just talk to me.
I don't even know this guy's last name.
But instead, his giant dog jumped on me. Which was lovely but his whole house smelled like dog, there was nothing but a couch, tv, and car parts. He wanted to get down to it right away. No kiss, no hug, just me waddling in
And I kept waiting to feel comfortable. I had a mocktail drink, did those anxiety breaths in the bathroom, I even imagined how much it would make another imaginary person jealous if I just slept with them. That doesn't make sense but I was despatately trying to turn myself on. But it literally never happened
And I'm dissapointed too. I woke up at 5am to shave. Why? Because I was so exhausted last night that I couldn't even shower. I bought this dress specifically for tonight. Its black and lacy but tasteful enough to wear to work. I also bought matching underwear specifically for tonight
And frankly, I am super horny. I haven't had sex in over a year. I haven't had a matching set of underwear on in over a year. And I've been horny with him but tonight...I just couldn't.
I kept fishing for any kind of conversation but he told me I was avoiding actually sleeping with him. I told him it was the opposite. That I really really wanted too but I'm asking for some kind of reassurance that the guy who actually wants to fuck me actually likes me. I'm trying to turn myself on with the idea of him, what kind of man he was, but I couldn't get anything out of him.
I also hadn't eaten today because work was quite busy. I had 4 slices of bacon from a company cafeteria at 8am. So I asked if he'd like to get something to eat since it was 6. He said that he'd already had a snack.
Maybe this is unfair but that also bothered me. He knew I was coming over and that I was working hard enough to stay longer than expected and he didn't even think about dinner.
So here I am, starving and sweaty from a long day, and trying to get in the mood. But the entire time I was thinking about how I was forcing the mood for him and he wasn't doing anything to make me feel comfortable. Eventually he relented and I ordered a $9 sushi roll.
Or maybe he was right. Maybe I should have just did what I said I'd do. And I tried to tell him that I don't want to do this out of consolidation.
But after 2 hours he said he was "over it" and started working on his laptop. He said that I was all talk and we've been talking for over a month. And that maybe true but this is the second time we've been in the same room and that room smelled like his dog. Heck, I don't even know if I was worth of the bedroom or was his empty living room it.
Part of me wanted to say, all you had to do was kiss me. Anywhere. Put your arm around my waist. Say I looked nice. I wish that there was a bedroom and that he'd gotten a rose or something.
Tbh, I don't even know if he's attracted to me. For all I know, I'm the first person taking the bait and he's willing to sleep with anyone regardless of he's attracted to them
Was I wrong for now things went down? Should I have sexted him if I wasn't planning on going through with it? Was it fair of me to say I wanted too but could?
And the reason why I haven't had sex in over a year? Because the guy I dated before told me I'm not lovable and listed all the reasons why. And I know for fact that's not true but I never want to feel like that ever again. I don't have to be in love but at minimum, I don't want to sleep with someone who can look me in the eye and be cruel. And I did so much just to make it out there to his place and he didn't even want to get dinner till after sex, if dinner at all.
But am I just taking out all my baggage on this guy?

I know the title already makes me sound bad but hear me out. I (30f) have three kids (two M and one F, all 3. Yes they're triplets) and the backstory behind this whole situation is complicated. So I was roommates with my former friend F (29f) and I grew up with her and her brother B. Me and B dated for a few years but ultimately decided we were better off as friends.
In school F and B had serious issues with a guy named A, and by issues I mean they hated each other. I'm not even really sure what it was, they just couldn't stand to even be in the same room as each other. I just kind of went along with it all since F and B were my friends, but I never had any kind of real problem with A. This "rivalry" carried into adulthood and it became not that weird to see them talking to each other passive aggressively in social media posts.
Well a few years after we graduated, I decided to have an actual civil conversation with A and we got along surprisingly well. We decided to meet up in person and had a great time, and eventually we got into a relationship. I never told F or B because I knew they would take it horribly.
To take a sudden dark turn for a moment, around four years ago B went missing and was found dead two months later. Murder was the most likely cause. His family bizarrely suspected A first, and he was considered as an actual suspect somehow (I know, I don't get it either) this was also around the time I found out I was pregnant. I told F, and she asked who the dad was since I hadn't been with anyone (to her knowledge) since A. Before I could even answer she then asked if B was the father. I didn't say anything, not confirming nor denying, but I guess she took it as a yes because she hugged me and told me she was so happy to have a piece of her brother left. I didn't have the heart to say anything to her.
I was really surprised to find out I was having triplets, but all three were born healthy. P (M), P2 (F, yes her name also starts with a P) and L (M). B's family, F and their dad were so happy to have "new members of the family" even though I still never said anything about who their father was. F and I took practically raised them together, and I would take them to visit A every so often. I never told them he was their dad but I wanted to so badly, I was just afraid that they might tell F and she would be furious.
Well she found out. I'm not completely sure how, but I left my phone in my room while I was showering and apparently she went in their to look for something and decided to snoop. She saw my messages with A and confronted me about it. I told her the truth and she was pissed, yelling at me for "lying" to her about her brother being the father of these children for so long, when it was actually "the man who probably killed him". I told her that I never lied about anything and she was the one who assumed, I never said anything about their dad. She told me that me and my kids weren't allowed to live there anymore, and she wanted us out or she would call her dad and make us leave (he owns the house). I begged for her to let us stay but she wouldn't budge. The kids didn't understand why we had to leave but we couldn't stay there any longer. I'm taking them to A so we can stay with him, we're currently at a rest stop before we keep going.
I never lied about B or him being the father, she just assumed that. If I told her who the actual dad was she would have lost it. AITA For this?