As the title says i think im a bit depressed and i don't know what to do. My goal here is finding a bit to recive some emotional comfort and get an opinion if my situation can be potentially problematic. At the present moment im all confused, i feel my life is good for some things and an emotional mess for others and simply i can't get how to cope with my so much contrasting emotions.
First things first. M 31, asperger but not so deep, high focus on roleplay games, social relationship (yes i know it may be strange), have a careful family, a therapist (at least until next month), some friends, have a job 36 h/week monday to saturday, 1300€ week. Go to the point. Not at importance or chronological order. - don't sleep well. Tired. Get to bed at Midnight or so and often get up at 5-6 in the morning. Often got some rest after lunch. - i suffer of ansia for beeing alone, travel by car, get on unfamiliar roads. Mostly i can manage not to panic but im often in tension, upset or at discomfort for that reason. Brother works 8h day + others things of his life. Mother works at public school. I feel this ansia or discomfort qite often and i get frustrated and angry with myself becouse this thing make difficult for me do lots of normal things. - i desperatly want a romantic relationship (had 3 experiences before) but finding someome requires to go out and DO THINGS, wich i feel disconfortable and soooo tiring as previous points. I want someone who choose me, who understand me, i want sex, i want the thrill that kind of relation can get to me, im a bit jelous of my friends who have someone like this, of my brother who is dating and i feel getting late and i fear to be left behind of others of my age. - in the last year i lost my uncle and my grandpa - yesterday at group therapy we talked about frendship and i've pratically fight - maybe the wrong choice of words - with one of my best asperger friend there becouse like an year ago i've made a big mistske and in a moment of absolute need (i was mad at myself, super stressed, strong suicide thoughts wich was first tims for me) i've crossed one of her explicit limits - hard. She was hard on me even after a year. I feel bad for the whole situation. - speaking of wich - i got the feeling it is unusual - i seriouslt value incredibly high the reciprocity in relationship for some of my prevous experiences. I feel very very upset if i think a person is my best friend and the sentiment or value is not matched, at least in ad acceptable range. But i've found in the hard way in the last months that what i feel are my best friends don't share this need with me, and beeing young adults obv have their live, pepole, well beeing and interests over me. And i struggle very very hard to accept this fact. - i have LOT of trouble recently to accept that things change becouse cost me an BIG quantity of emotional energy and suffering and ansia deal with it. People die, friendship ends or change, life go on. I crave stability. I can't get It. - my loved brother want to go out of home living his life and i find this prospective absolutly FRIGHTENING and stressful - i've lived with him for all my life. - i've done a big but - asperger clueless thing- error with one of my best friends and she said that she feels very upset and not good with me now. She is in a strict "monogam" relationship now (honestly i don't understand the thing the way she probably feels it) and in a moment of pure idiot by me i've suggested she can kiss me as birthday present. Disaster done. She isn't coming to my birthday party anymore and says that she feels very unconfortable. I've got that i've made an error and i'm upset but i can not get the in my head the relation ship between what i percive as a "small" question and the extreme hard reaction i've got. I don't want to loose her but i feel i ve not done something of so terribile and now i don't know what to feel and i'm confused. - Yesterday was my birthday and i cannot prove joy about it and i feel guilty. Birthday arent supposed to be joyful days? - in general ive found that i'm a mess at dealing with contrastant emotions - i got frustrated by my lack of social skils and ansia that make me so difficult get what i want - i have to spend lot of Energy reminnding me that i've persons wich love me and help me.

I (34/M) have been seeing this girl (27/F) for about a month. We have gone on four dates, and I stayed the night at her place last weekend and we had sex. Last night she told me "I am all yours" yet she is still on bumble. I saw the app on her phone last weekend and I got on bumble today and I saw that she still has a profile. Her location updated a few minutes ago from 15 miles with the squiggly line to 13 miles. Should I bring it up or just ignore it? The fact that she told me that she has feelings for me and then gets back on bumble turns me off.
She could say that she is using the bumble BFF feature, but I don't know. I have been lied to a lot in the past.

https://i.imgur.com/ZMjpqXO.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/ZcGi3T8.jpeg
I don't have any more room for semi-modular gear and the Moog Spectravox that just came out is causing major GAS. I will say that this is the one piece of gear I've help onto the longest besides my guitars so it is definitely special.
For pedals, I have a Walrus M1, a Beetronix Sea Bee, the brand new line6 hx one (sounds amazing I just don't like one pedal that does everything).
If you have a pedal that I'm super jealous about like that last couple Chase Bliss releases or any Hologram stuff, I would also offer a Thermae, a Gamechanger Light pedal, DBA Space Bender, and a Syntax error 2 (creating presets on this one is such a joy). Also I have an R1, but the hype on those kinda faded even after the update that gives the reverb a lot more room to breathe and clarity. I have a Blooper but that's kinda my fav pedal so it would have to be a really cool product to separate me from it.
If you're into eurorack I have the Dreadbox Ataxia and Euphoria that are pretty awesome for 100$.
Although I don't have feedback on this subreddit, I have four positive feedback reviews on /Synths4Sale which used the same feedback system as this subreddit. I've also done another half dozen sales/trades on /modular that I can point you to.

If it helps, I'm Canadian. When I was little and the power went out, my parents would play some kids shows on their laptops that they had downloaded or had on DVD to keep me entertained. There are 2 shows that I remember watching but have had trouble recalling/finding. I found the first one about a year ago, it's called Bumblz and it's about this bee on a treasure hunt. The other show has completely slipped my mind though. I can only really recall the feeling of watching it and a few (possibly fake) memories. One of them was of a treehouse or clubhouse of sorts, likely made out of straw or wood having an opening on the top to view the sky at night. I also remember that it was 3D and maaaay have been on an island, or just anywhere without regular civilization. The environment had a lot of trees and grassland and I am pretty confident in saying the characters were animals (maybe some humans).
Things to rule out:

• That one 3d Franklin show: I did watch it when I was a kid, but I actually remember watching it unlike this one
• Mickey mouse club house: Watched it, remember it well
• Octonauts: I will never forget peak o7

I doubt this will go anywhere so I'm going to search for a DVD of it with my dad soon, but if that fails then this and my own research are the only hope for me finding this show.

So I matched with an attractive girl in my town. We went out for a quick beer, she was intelligent, we got along well, we laughed and had a couple of moments it was nice. I felt like wow, I liked her. I felt she wanted to kiss me after we had hugged earlier in the eve (I may have been wrong!) but honestly I got scared and didn't. So I thought I would go for a light kiss as I walked her to her car a little after. After two pecks she turned to the side, I kissed her cheek and she said goodnight and she had a good time. And I nervously responded with 'yep!'. I could kick myself lol. But I felt I had said goodbye already and felt akward at this point. And we went our separate ways. I was going to message her the next day on bumble, today comes and it says 'user deleted profile.' Not my match but the whole profile. I wish I was stronger but I feel a bit down and hurt. Like rejection. One minute all excited inside! The next... poopz.
We only had 3 hours together but I believe this is a clear sign of not interested? Right??
I then msgd her on fbook (again this is the day after) although I don't think she uses it (only has 50 friends and last post in 2020!).
In my message I said it was good meeting her and if she'd like to get together again to reach out - and I am leaving it there.
I didn't ask for her number. I figured i'd msg her later on the app but that is not happening. She asked me on the date after only three or four messages. She did sound as though she has been on some dates which i'd expect. Just weird as I felt like we both enjoyed each others company, there was chemistry, intellectual conversation, and blushing on her part. She is very attractive, very smart, and I may have not made the grade for whatever reason.
Please go easy on me. I'm a single 45 year old I have had just the one date in the past year! But any thoughts are appreciated. My plan is, to leave her be take the hint and get on with it.

For thousands of years, and to this day, Christians of various kinds have tried to demonstrate the truth of Christianity by claiming that Jesus was prophesied about specifically in the Hebrew Scriptures. It is argued that Jesus fulfilled these prophecies about the Messiah in the OT and, therefore, is the promised one. Only Jesus could've fulfilled these Messianic prophecies, so they say. Additionally, Christian theology, building off the NT paradigm of quoting the OT, has claimed that the OT looks forward to the founding of Christianity and the formation of the Church.
What this post will argue is that this is anachronistic and that Christians are incorrect in their claims about the OT. The OT prophets do not look forward to a supposed Messiah figure who would arrive hundreds of years later in 1st century Roman Palestine or that this Messiah figure would crucified and raised from the dead. Nor do they prophesy the establishment of the Christian religion. Instead, the OT looks forward to an imminent, glorious, material restoration of ancient Israel meant to happen in their day, not centuries later when Christianity was founded. Nor is the OT looking forward to supposed events that have yet to happen, like the second coming of Jesus or a future restoration of the land of Israel. These were supposed to happen in ancient Israel but did not occur.
Before I begin, I would like to say that this is the consensus of biblical scholars and historians. This is not just my opinion or the opinion of secular skeptics. All critical scholars of the OT, including Jews, Christians, and non-religious ones, agree that OT needs to be understood in its ancient Israelite context. They agree that these texts and oracles are not about Jesus or the Church. If you want to read an excellent scholarly resource, I highly recommend John J. Collins, Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, 2018. He is a leading OT scholar at Yale and a Roman Catholic. The New Oxford Annotated Study Bible is also a beneficial resource, giving a critical scholarly introduction and notes to the Hebrew Bible.
For this post, I will look at some of the principal prophetic literature of the OT. I cannot analyze every single relevant passage.

Isaiah

The Book of Isaiah is among the most popular books in ancient Judaism and Christianity. I could be wrong, but I believe it is the most cited book in the NT after Psalms. This is relevant to this discussion because Christians cite many passages in Isaiah, believing them to be predictions about Jesus. This precedent is set in the NT, for example, in Matthew's or Luke's gospel. However, Jesus/Christianity is not prophesied in the book. Instead, Isaiah predicts the imminent restoration of the Kingdom of Israel and the gathering of the twelve tribes.
Let's examine Isaiah 7:14, a passage often misconstrued as a prophecy about Jesus. In reality, it's not a prophecy about the Messiah at all. The passage states, 'Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel.' This is not about a virgin giving a miraculous birth. The word used here is 'almah ', which simply means young woman. If Isaiah intended to convey that this woman was a virgin, there was a word for that, 'betulah '. Matthew's use of the Greek translation of Isaiah 7:14, which is a mistranslation of the Hebrew, as a prophecy about Jesus's virgin birth is a misinterpretation. The context of Isaiah 7 is an oracle of consolation given to King Ahaz, promising him a sign through the birth of a son that Jerusalem will be preserved from the Assyrian crisis.
'For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted. The Lord will bring on you and on your people and on your ancestral house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria. On that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is at the sources of the streams of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they will all come and settle in the steep ravines and in the clefts of the rocks and on all the thornbushes and on all the watering holes. On that day the Lord will shave with a razor hired beyond the River—with the king of Assyria—the head and the hair of the feet, and it will take off the beard as well.'
So, Isaiah 7:14 refers to the Assyrian crisis in the 8th century BCE and the preservation of Jerusalem, not events that occurred hundreds of years later. Matthew's misquotation of the OT is a clear example of misinterpretation. It's quite ironic and even amusing that the most famous and well-known prophecy about Jesus's virgin birth, cited every year at Christmas, is quite literally not about that. This highlights the importance of understanding the historical context and the original intent of the texts.
There is a cluster of oracles in Isaiah 9-11 that Christians cite as a prophecy about Jesus. But when we look at the context of Isaiah 7-12, we see that these are about the restoration of Zion and the re-establishment of a Davidic king who would rule in the ancient Near East in Israel, not in 1st-century Judea.
Let's look at some of the famous passages.
'For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Great will be his authority, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.' 9:6-7
This is not a prophecy about Jesus. The text presupposes that this son is already born and will fulfill this vision in Isaiah's day. Again, the passages surrounding this one set the historical context for fulfillment in the ANE. This Davidic King would preside over the physical restoration of a united Kingdom of Israel and the unification of the twelve tribes.
'On that day, the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no longer lean on the one who struck them but will lean on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people, O Israel, were like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return.' 10:20-22
'On that day, the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious. On that day, the Lord will again raise his hand to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.' 11:10-11
The King, through Yahweh, on that day will also,
'raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the outcasts of Israel and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. ¹³ The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart; the hostility of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not be hostile toward Ephraim. ¹⁴ But they shall swoop down on the backs of the Philistines in the west; together, they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put forth their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them.'
So, it's clear what these oracles were intending to describe. Isaiah predicted that after the Assyrian crisis of the 8th century BCE, Yahweh would raise up a Davidic ruler who would preside over a literal Israelite Kingdom that would become the dominant power of the ANE. This was expected to happen in the ancient world, but it did not occur. The historical context of Jesus and the first-century Church is not the fulfillment of these oracles. These oracles are failed. Isaiah's vision of an eternal, glorious Israelite Kingdom did not come to pass.

Jeremiah

There are two passages in Jeremiah I would like to discuss.
Jeremiah 29:10 promises that after 70 years, the Jews will return from the Babylonian exile, and God will restore Israel to its former glory.
'For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then, when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.'
This never happened historically. Yes, some of the Judeans in exile did return to Israel. Israel was rebuilt with the help of the Persians. But, this was not the glorious restoration predicted by the prophets. Israel would continue to be dominated by foreign powers until the establishment of the secular state of Israel in 1948, which, of course, has no relevance to this ancient oracle. Further, while some Judeans did return, this promise of a gathering of Jews from all the nations did not happen. After the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests, Jews have remained permanently dispersed in the diaspora. This is another failed oracle. It cannot be interpreted exegetically as being fulfilled in the 1st century with Jesus and Christianity.
More famously, however, is Jeremiah's prediction of the establishment of a 'New Covenant.' (31:31) Christians see this New Covenant as being fulfilled in the Church, and indeed, the New Testament frequently refers to the New Covenant being fulfilled in the Christian community and Jesus's work. However, the historical context of this passage is surrounded by a cluster of oracles in chapters 30-31 that were meant to be a consolation to ancient Israel. The passage itself is clear that this is not talking about Christianity or events hundreds of years later, but is a word of consolation to Jews who experienced the Babylonian conquest:
'The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.' 31:31
What is the context?
'At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.' 31:1
'The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when the city shall be rebuilt for the Lord from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. And the measuring line shall go out farther, straight to the hill Gareb, and shall then turn to Goah. The whole valley of the dead bodies and the ashes and all the fields as far as the Wadi Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be sacred to the Lord. It shall never again be uprooted or overthrown.' 31:38-40
'For the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestors, and they shall take possession of it' 30:3
Then, it is clear what prophesy about the New Covenant means. It's about the imminent restoration of the ancient Kingdom of Israel and its ascent into power and glory. Again, these oracles remained unfulfilled and precisely falsified.

Micah

There is one famous passage in Micah 5, quoted in Matthew and frequently cited by Christians as "proof" that Jesus's birth location was prophesied about hundreds of years prior. The idea that Jesus was born in Bethlehem is, of course, historically dubious. Matthew and Luke's accounts are contradictory and rife with historical problems. Mark and John assume Jesus has always been a native of Nazareth (Mk 6:2-3, Jn 1:46, 7:42). It seems then that Matthew and Luke invented their passages about Jesus being born in Bethlehem to give him more Davidic status. But this is beside the point, even if Jesus was born in Bethlehem. It is not a fulfillment of this passage.
'But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who is one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.' 5:2
What is the historical context of this oracle? Again, the context of the chapter and the book is Israel's restoration and the Israelite kingdom's imminent establishment.
'Then, the remnant of Jacob, surrounded by many peoples, shall be like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not depend upon people or wait for any mortal. ⁸ And among the nations the remnant of Jacob, surrounded by many peoples, shall be like a lion among the animals of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, when it goes through, treads down and tears in pieces, with no one to deliver. ⁹ Your hand shall be lifted up over your adversaries, and all your enemies shall be cut off.'
On that day, says the Lord, I will cut off your horses from among you and will destroy your chariots; ¹¹ and I will cut off the cities of your land and destroy all your strongholds; ¹² and I will cut off sorceries from your hand, and you shall have no more soothsayers; ¹³ and I will cut off your images and your pillars from among you, and you shall bow down no more to the work of your hands; ¹⁴ and I will uproot your sacred poles^\)g^\) from among you and destroy your towns. ¹⁵ And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey.
What about this future King? Again, I find it amusing that Christians cite this text to show that Jesus fulfilled it. It shows they have not read and understood the historical context of the oracle. The text goes on to say that this King will conquer the land of Assyria, the land of Nimrod.
Micah 5:5–6
'When the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil, we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight rulers. They shall rule the land of Assyria with the sword and the land of Nimrod with the drawn sword; he shall rescue us from the Assyrians if they come into our land or tread within our border.'

Conclusion

I've, of course, been very selective. There are many more examples of this that could've been pulled from. I hope you will see what I've briefly tried to show. The Prophets of the OT predicted that in their own time, they would see the salvation of Yahweh as their God. A Davidic King would be raised, and Israel would be restored to glory after the Assyrian crisis in the case of Isaiah or the Babylonian crisis in the case of Jeremiah and Micah. The same goes for the other prophets. My thesis, then, is that historically understood, not only did these oracles fail in their prediction, but they are demonstrably not about events in 1st century Roman Palestine or the wider Greco-Roman world. They're not about establishing the Church or a dying and rising messiah figure who brings spiritual salvation. Yes, the NT does interpret passages in the OT as being fulfilled in Jesus. But they are taken out of their historical context. The NT and early Christians were not novel in this practice. This was standard Jewish exegesis of the OT. Because Christians and Jews believed that the OT writings were sacred scripture that couldn't be wrong, they reinterpreted them in the light of their situations. The Essenes at Qumran, like the early Christians, also thought that their community and Teacher of Righteousness was the fulfillment of the bible prophecy, and the Rabbis in the Rabbinic literature frequently apply ancient scripture to their community.

I matched with him on Bumbl. I was his student about three years ago. Honestly, I never paid attention in his class. It was a non-majors lecture, and frankly, I was too depressed to pay a sliver of attention. I only showed up when I was required to.
Truthfully, I didn't recognize him. He looks completely different than his photos, and I know he didn't recognize me because I have completely changed my look since graduating college. I had what most people would call a "glow up."
When we started talking, I really liked his intelligence. He has a PhD in STEM and it was refreshing talking to someone who not only believed but enjoyed science. As a current med student, I'm constantly having to explain the things I learn to my dates, and it was nice to for once have someone explain a science topic to me. However, as we kept talking I started to realize that our paths had probably crossed at least once at the university and true true they had.
To be honest, him being my former professor is not why I turned him down. He's a walking red flag. Divorced, two kids, lives in three different places, didn't care that I was his student (and that I'm still affiliated with the university), and said he was 31 on his profile when he's actually 34 (he did not care about my age). Even I, as a 21 year old feel like I'm really pushing it when I talk to someone 31, yet alone 34.
I know he'd only bring problems into my life. That being said, a part of me wants to sleep with him just to inflate my ego. To say that I fucked my professor. Call me a whore or whatever you want, but how many people get to say that?

I'm (34F) live in Durham region all my life and I'm having trouble finding new friends-preferably guy friends but I wouldn't say no to more girlfriends as well. I don't get out of the house (personal reasons) very much but to go to my volunteer job at the church (where there's Only old people) and maybe go to the mall in Pickering.
I can't use bumble or humble do to having no mobile device.
I'm trying to go to the Writer's Group at Brew Wizard in Oshawa a bit more frequently but stuff happened that kind of has gone off course and I wouldn't be going in the summer to the Writer's group because that's when I swim.
I love dogs, swimming (can't swim in the gigantic pool at the rec centre only kiddie pool), reading, children, disability advocacy (mainly on a blog), writing. video games (PC/Mac), Disney movies,

Bumblebee wild caught sockeye salmon in a 14.75 ounce can was on sale in my grocery store for just over a buck. It had the MSC badge on it. How could I pass it up? I bought a couple cans.
https://www.bumblebee.com/products/salmon/bumble-bee-red-salmon/
The amount of fish to liquid was quite good. It came with some bones, but not a lot. But how did it taste?
OK straight from the can, but this is definitely for cooking. I'll give them credit though for maintaining a fairly pure salmon flavor through the canning process, much better than most mass market canned tuna. Not what you'd get from fresh cooked salmon or well smoked salmon by a long shot, though. But respectable and lacking strong off flavors. A nice change of pace from other canned fish.
I experimented by trying to sub salmon one for one into a crabcake recipe, with a minimum of filler and egg, coated lightly in breadcrumbs, and fried.
The verdict? OK, but not great. Crab holds its shape better and I think canned salmon would benefit from more interesting-flavored filler, rather than less. Bumblebee has a number of recipes on their website which look awfully dubious to me, like salmon kale pesto pasta. But this one looks like it could be a winner.
https://www.bumblebee.com/recipes/spicy-salmon-cakes/
I think this would also be good in a salmon salad replacing tuna. It also has potential as a topping for pasta added at the last second, but probably not cooked in a sauce.
For a buck-ish it's definitely a good thing to have in a cupboard. MSC approved, decent flavor, quick to prepare, and some good nutritional value, it's worth thinking about.

sooo Im in a bit of a ✨situation✨ to say the least. I need some advice on what to do, because I’m /so/ lost right now.
I’m 22, graduated high school 4 years ago for context.
Basically, a guy I went to high school with messaged me on Instagram around a month and a half ago. I didn’t exactly remember much about him other than recognizing his face, I was on autopilot mode for most of high school and very much kept to myself. I know basically nothing of this guy. At first, the conversation didn’t have any flirtratious undertones to it, and I didn’t really make toooo much of an effort to dm him back (which might be shitty of me, I’ll be the first to admit that). The conversation stopped, and he hadn’t messaged me again until two days ago.
He messaged me saying he had seen my bumble profile and that I looked very pretty. I deleted bumble a while ago because I’m way too insecure for online dating. I should’ve known better though since my profile is clearly still visible. I thanked him for the compliment, and he initially asked me out. I hit the brakes and said let’s get to know each other first blah blah. I also asked some people that I did keep in touch with if they knew him, if he was nice, etc. No negative reviews, which I’m assuming is a good sign.
Here’s the issue. My self esteem right now is at an all time low. I’m talking can’t even look at myself in the mirror for too long before I start crying. I’ve always disliked the way I looked, I’m used to that, but even I recognize that it has never been this bad. I was also fat in high school but I 1) am not 100% sure he even remembers me and 2) I’m a bit heavier than I was even back then.
I’ll make a tdlr I promise, if you’ve read this far you deserve a kiss on the forehead and your favorite snack. Anyway, he seems nice, and he seems to still want to take me on a date. Which sounds great, right? However, instead of excitement, all I can feel right now is fear. Fear that sure he thinks I look pretty in the very few phoros I have on socials and on my bumble, but that as soon as he sees me he’ll immediately go “ew, no”. I’ve never dated like this before, and a huge reason why I even deleted bumble was because of that fear. I’m just SO afraid, I already hate myself this much, imagine his attraction completely goes away as soon as he sees me and then what? Obviously I know that someone’s opinion of me shouldn’t affect me, but my mental state right now will definitely not accept that. I DID mention to him that im a bigger girl, this he knows. However im worried he’s picturing the “ideal” plus size body with a tiny waist and a big butt, which I really don’t have.
What do I do here? Do I straight up tell him “hey you’re soooo nice but just a warning I’m fat in case you don’t remember and want to totally call off this whole thing” or do I just, not say anything and just get over myself and go on this damn date? Ig I’m hoping for advice from anyone who’s felt similar to how I am right now. He really does seem nice, but I barely know this guy.
tdlr: guy from high school who might or might not remember that I’m fat messaged me on Instagram and wants to take me out on a date, and I’m so insecure and have a self esteem so low that I’m terrified of him seeing me in person.

hey people!!
Matched with this cute girl over bumble who replied fairly quickly. Our outlook towards dating was similar, and she was interested in meeting up. the chat was good (she was replying quickly, no single word answers, asking questions, all in all great time) next day evening she suddenly stopped replying, later ended chat on bumble (although still connected over Insta where majority chat took place). no replies for over 2 days although she used to be online many times. I tried asking her about meeting on the weekend. No reply. Even when I sent the message when she was online. So I thought she was disinterested and unsent the chat and texted her that she and I might be looking for different things and I would pursue this no further. Immediately she replied saying she was very really busy and it was sad that I thought it won't work out.
Although we ended things, the way the last line was phrased made me think that I jumped the gun and should have been more patient with her. as someone who started dating 1 year ago at 28. I have no clue how all this works. any advice??
TLDR: ended things with a girl I matched but her reply made it seem like I jumped the gun. any advice?

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”?

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.

This is an… odd situation and I’m not sure how to feel. So I often stay in air bnbs around my hometown. A new pet friendly one showed up on air bnb , so I thought I’d give it a try.
I get here and there are a few bees flying around. I’m allergic. So I tell the host, he needs an hour to get over here and take care of it. I just waited in my car. Host gets here and I cant even understand what he’s saying as he is talking like super mumble and whatever.
He was cool on the air bnb chat. Once he got here he was acting weird. He then says oh my God I follow you on Facebook. Which I have a huge social network so that’s I guess bound to happen sometimes but he said he knew it was me because he recognize me and my dog which it’s now starting to get creepy and he said I know who you associate with .. (which OK it’s nothing bad and who “associate” with doesn’t come to my house. I am in the motorcycle community and that’s what he was alluding to, which has nothing to do with my residence or where I’m staying. Proceeded to mention that he knows what I do (which is nothing but ride motorcycles and hang out with people that do) and to make sure I keep traffic to a minimum which I reiterated to him once again that me riding motorcycles and stuff has nothing to do with my residence. At one point he told me calm down as i was getting worked up.. which I was after telling him 10 times that I wasn’t having any company at all for the entire time I am here. I was so super uncomfortable , I just redirected my energy to my dog . he just kept insinuating something negative. He finally left (not without making me feel uncomfortable at least like twice more)
He’s got cameras outside that are everything t (which I knew about and wasn’t worried bc I am not doing anything wrong) I feel really awkward about the whole situation and feel he is going to be focused on the cameras for my entire stay.
Like I have terrible anxiety (I hardly leave my house these days but for the necessities) and I just like to stay out of the way and not deal with anyone if I can (including a landlord or host with assumptions).
(Note..he obviously is associated with some “bikers” too as he was rattling off names asking me if I knew them to which I didn’t)
I don’t wanna lock myself in the house or be worried about coming and going . I already had to change my name on air bnb due to getting sexually harassed by an air bnb host who found my Facebook.

[First Contact] [Dark Ages] [First] [Prev] [Next] [wiki]
"Leave the sleeping dragons lie in peace" is a lesson that seemingly has to be taught to every wannabe conqueror over and over again.
Time after time, there will be a few idiots who only see the dragon's hoard, its cult of followers, and ignore the piles of rusted, slagged, calcified, scorched remains of every moron who tried before them. They see all of this and think "I can beat it to submission and take everything it has."
And then the dragon wakes up, and more smoldering remains are added to the scorched scrap heap.
And the Malevolent Universe grins in the darkness, and increases the "Dead morons who should have known better" counter by one. Then, waits for the next contestant. - u/Matt_Bradock, Terran Philosopher, Age of Paranoia, TerraSol
^{initiating data stream
your name is Dhruv-661391
you were purchased for the same price as a moderately priced luxury vehicle}
She knows the dead. She is of the dead. She is the keeper and guardian of the dead. Life, death and the feasting of swarms all are one within her. She knows where once-dead things were laid to rest and where the deathless still dream in their unliving slumber. She knows where the hungry dead have roamed the universe's fields, and where they still roam them unburied, and why no one remembers them as they tread. - The Fifth Horseman, First Terran Imperium, "Meditations Upon Immortals"
^{you were created to serve}
What we tell ourselves, what we tell others, and what actually happened, are often three different things.
And sometimes four. - Unknown, Age of Paranoia, TerraSol
^{your name is Dhruv
and your brain was once smooth}
Captain N'Skrek checked his datalink.
The deep data storage was still at work bringing up information on "Legion" and "Sacajawea". The older databases of the Gray Lady had data at the ready, but it was sparse.
Two of the Biological Apostles of the Digital Omnimessiah, a figure of myth and legend.
Yet, they sat across from him.
They were talking back and forth in a language that the computer's linguistic database had no record of and stubbornly resisted any attempt to decipher it.
What N'Skrek did hear was several words that he recognized.
Daxin the Unfeeling. Daxin Freeborn. Chromium Saint Peter. Enraged Phillip. Matthias the Elder. Matthias the Younger. Kibuka. Kalki. Gravity.
A litany that left data scrolling down the empty space just beyond the edge of his peripheral vision.
Daxin "The Walking War Crime" Freeborn.
NavInt and MilInt were projecting with an 80% certainty (adjusted downward for unknown probabilities) that the beings in front of him were from that long bygone era.
Finally Captain N'Skrek cleared his throat.
The bald one, Legion, turned to look at the gathered staff officers.
"My apologies. I was catching my sister up on what has transpired since she disappeared," Legion said, smiling gently. He nodded. "You probably have questions."
N'Skrek nodded back. "The biggest one is: how did you..." he thought for a second. "Why did you..." no, that wouldn't work. "What bring about..."
Legion smiled.
"How did I replace all of your clones and why?" he asked. "Why is it that if you print off too many identical clones I show up?"
N'Skrek nodded. "Yes."
Legion looked at the Terran officers and smiled wider. It was a cruel smile, reminding N'Skrek of a hook pointed knife that had been sharpened to a keen edge.
"You didn't tell them? Have you really forgotten about me?" he asked.
"It was assumed to be still prevented by the cloning systems," Vice-Admiral Breakheader stated slowly. "We have only recently been restored ourselves. Less than two months time."
Legion just smiled.
Vice-Admiral Breakheader turned to look at Captain N'Skrek. "Running off too many identical clones causes Legion to manifest. It's why we use the Born Whole system, it ensures they have different brains, different expriences, and they have a slight variation to pore and retinal patterns, hair growth, minor things like that. Otherwise, Legion manifests."
"Why?" N'Skrek asked.
The Vice-Admiral sat silently for a moment before replying. "Because," was all he said.
Legion's smile didn't leave his face.
"Because it is my nature," he said.
Sacajawea said something and Legion replied in the same language, then turned to N'Skrek.
"My sister does not know why she was rebirthed," he said. He looked at her and spoke rapidly. She answered, only a few words, which made Legion reply at length. Again, only a few words.
"It must have been important," N'Skrek interrupted.
"She states that she does not know why the Immortals system did not rebirth her when she died," Legion said. He glanced at her. "She tells me that she died, with her people, when her peaceful planet was attacked."
"By the Mar-gite?" N'Skrek asked.
Again, more conversation.
"Yes," Legion answered. He frowned as she spoke again. "She says they were a peaceful planet. Anarcho-Primitivism. Very little technology. The Mar-gite attacked without warning."
She spoke rapidly and Legion listened.
N'Skrek saw the computer still was not able to parse the language, even though it could build a lexicon of off very little data for almost any other language it encountered.
Legion turned and faced N'Skrek. "She states that she believes it was the fact that some of her people demanded that high technology be left in place in order to allow the six planets her people had settled to remain in contact. That the high tech farming and sustenance industries led the Mar-gite to attack her."
Again, Sacajawea spoke, her head lifted, looking down at Legion.
"Why she was not reborn is unknown to her. She had guided and shepherded her people for thousands of years before the outsiders came. Outsiders drawn by technology, by the abandonment of the old ways," Legion said. He was frowning as he spoke rapidly.
The conversation took a few minutes.
"She said the outsiders came and wiped her people out after entire generations held them off. That in the final battle, they overcame her when her strength failed," Legion said. There was more talking. "She's describing the Mar-gite."
"Where was this?" N'Skrek asked, bringing up a map of the galaxy. "The First Mar-gite War was only three hundred years prior to the Council-Confederacy Conflict and lasted nearly a hundred years," the brought up a sketchy timeline of the era. "When did you encounter the Mar-gite and where?"
Sacajawea spoke again at length. Legion spoke back. It grew heated for a moment before Legion looked at N'Skrek.
"She will not say. She does not want us to defile or desecrate the worlds her people settled. She does not want us to know when or where," he said.
"That might be pertinent information," N'Skrek said. "Important information to keep the Mar-gite from overwhelming the Cygnus-Orion Spur."
Sacajawea spoke quickly, heatedly, half standing up. Legion put his hand on her shoulder, obviously encouraging her to sit down, but she shrugged, throwing off Legion's hand, and her speech got more heated, her eyes flashing with anger.
"She says she will not reveal her people's resting place for us to dig up the graves and desecrate them. That it is not anyone's business where The People have gone or what The People have done," Legion said. He turned and answered her.
The conversation got heated as the N'Skrek and the officers watched.
Finally, Sacajawea stood up and turned around, folding her arms across her chest, lifting her chin.
Legion's skin darkened with anger.
"Then you can tell them that load of bullshit yourself, little sister," he snapped.
He suddenly vanished in a swirl of black powder that evaporated.
N'Skrek saw that Sacajawea was shocked by Legion's disappearance. She stood there for a long moment.
"Dhruv?" she asked mid-air.
N'Skrek motioned his officers to stay silent.
"Dhruv?" she snapped, stomping one foot.
Still silence.
"Luke!' she half-shouted, stamping her foot again.
She turned and looked at the gathered staff officers, who were all staring at her.
"Legion?" she asked quietly.
N'Skrek held up one bladearm.
"It appears, Miss, that you will have to speak for yourself."
Sacajawea frowned and clamped her lips together.
N'Skrek just stared mildly.
^{your name was tiffany}
0-0-0-0-0
^{your name was dhruv
you were created to serve the deshmuhk family
you were a gardener and a menial
but you have risen above that}
Jaskel had just gotten a plate of food and sat down in one corner of the cavernous Dining Bay Twenty-Three.
True, it was a little bit of a walk from the Telkan Marine section to that particular dining facility, but for some reason Jaskel liked the food put out by Nutriforge-Eight better than any of the others.
Like the Gunny always said, it was the little things that count.
He had arranged his silverware, his drink, and given a short prayer when he suddenly wasn't alone.
A slender man in an unfamiliar uniform suddenly appeared at one of the tables on the far side of the Dining Bay. Jaskel watched as two more stepped out of the first. They all sat down and started talking rapidly.
To Jaskel, it sounded like an argument.
It looked like one person arguing with himself.
Jaskel ate quietly and slowly, trying to avoid attracting attention, but watching the Terran out of the corner of his eye.
Terrans were universally half-crazy.
And a Terran arguing with clones of himself was probably full blown crazy.
That, and Jaskel remembered how negligent the display of power had been that had left him hanging upside down in mid-air.
Much to the amusement of his squad mates who watched the video and laughed.
He was down to dessert when the far door opened and a woman entered. Jaskel recognized her instantly as the young adult Terran woman who had appeared nude from the cloning banks, even though she was clad in clothing made of brown material and decorated with beads.
She immediately made a bee-line for the man, who had gotten a plate with a piece of pie on it while the other two argued between each other.
She stopped and stomped on foot, staring down at the sitting man.
"You look stupid," the man, Legion, said when she stopped next to him.
"Dhruv," she snapped. She rattled off words that Jaskel's datalink couldn't translate.
"Not talking to you until you speak Confederate Standard. I know you know it," Legion/Dhruv stated.
She stomped her foot again. "Luke!" she snapped.
Legion looked up. "Part of me, a large part of me, feels that you lost the right to call me by that name."
He went back to eating the pie. When the woman looked at the two clones who were staring at her, they stared back for a moment then puffed into black dust that swirled and vanished.
Jaskel kept watching out of the corner of his eye.
"Dhruv," she snapped.
"Go away, Sacajawea," Legion said.
She stood there for a moment. Then she suddenly leaned forward and slapped the plate of pie away from Legion.
"I will not call you Legion," she suddenly said as the plate clattered against the far bulkhead.
"Go away," Legion said. He looked up. "Let me put it in a way you might understand better: I just want left alone."
The woman stepped back, one hand going to her mouth.
"Yeah, still scared of him, aren't you," Legion said. He stood up. "Or are you?" he moved so he was clear of the table. "Were you ever afraid of him, Sacajawea, or was it all an act?"
Sacajawea looked away. "He was everything wrong with the world, a living reminder of what kind of men destroyed my people."
Legion suddenly laughed. "You forget history, little sister. But, of course, you never had any use for history unless it served your own ends."
Sacajawea stomped her foot. "Dhruv, be nice."
"No," Legion said, his voice low and intent. "I have yet to hear you thank me for what I did in the cloning bay, much less what I did for you before you ran off and left me holding the bag."
^{your name was luke
remember remember
your name was luke}
"I came back to find Matthias the Elder standing over the sundered murdered code of the Digital Omnimessiah," Legion said. "Then Daxin showed up, Matthias claimed I killed our Digital Father, so I ran."
"And he followed. Intent on killing you," Sacajawea sniffed.
"Yes!' Legion said. "Of course he did! I would have chased me in that situation," Legion said. He stepped forward. "And where were you, Little Sister, when it happened?"
She looked away and sniffed. "I was performing my duty, serving my people. As you well know."
Legion turned around, facing away from her. "Yeah, the people you had me bake up," he turned back around. "Not the poor bastards fighting a slowly losing war against the Mantid. They were your people too, but you left them behind. If it wasn't for the Mechakrautlanders, they'd be extinct with the rest of humanity."
"They had set aside the old ways. I told you that," Sacajawea said. She gave a sniff and turned her head away. "They were too consumed by blood lust, they would not stop fighting, would not embrace the old ways."
"EVERYONE WAS FIGHTING!" Legion shouted in a voice that made Jaskel's drink glass rattle. "There were hab-kids fighting and dying in destroyed hab-blocks in the ruins of megalopolises. It had nothing to do with 'the old ways', it was a fight for survival."
"You would not understand," Sacajawea said. She gave another sniff, still looking away. "I took my people away from where technology and the abandonment of the ways of our people had led us."
Legion stood still for a second.
"Don't give me that shit about your 'people', remember, I touched you. I know the truth," Legion said. He shook his head. "You had a task. A task to help us, help our Digital Father, help all of humanity, but you abandoned it."
"I had a task to help my people," Sacajawea sniffed. "I owed nothing to the world that stood aside or actively took part while my people were destroyed," she looked at Legion. "You wouldn't understand."
Jaskel could see purple electricity snarling around Legion's boots, clawing at the deckplates with thread-thick fingers.
"You were supposed to guide us along the path to the SUDS, so we could save everyone, Sacajawea," Legion said. "You betrayed us. Betrayed them. You were supposed to save them."
"Like they saved my people, Luke?" Sacajawea asked.
"You don't call me that any more, little sister," Legion said. "For the love of the Detainee, fucking let go of shit that doesn't matter any more. We humans have been genocided repeatedly since then."
"I'm not calling you Legion. That reeks of arrogance and pride," Sacajawea said. "And it matters to me, Luke."
"You talk a lot of shit for someone named Bird Woman," Legion snapped back. "How about I call you Tiffany?"
Sacajawea took a step back. "That is not my name. That was never my true name."
"You forget. I could see under that skin job. See who you were born as. I knew the truth, and I've kept it secret for all these eons," Legion said. He turned away. "You left us, left humanity behind on your so-called quest."
He turned back to face her.
"Now, again, we're facing extinction. The Mar-gite, they wiped you out. Now they're here in overwhelming force to the point where I'm not even sure Fortress Sol can hold them off," Legion said. "And you still want to play pretend."
He turned his back on her.
"You're no different than Matthias the Elder," Legion said quietly.
There was a dreadful silence for a long moment.
"I told Daxin, sitting in the parking garage where we used to meet, that we had to let go of the past. Learn from it, admit it happened, but we had to let it all go. The old hatreds, the old angers, the old rage," Legion said softly. "He agreed. He said perhaps it was time for us to leave the mortals behind. Let them go without us dragging baggage from worlds and events dead and gone behind us."
Sacajawea sniffed. "It's different for the two of you, neither one of you had your people..."
"I was a short bake slave clone, Tiffany," Legion said, his voice still soft and quiet. "Just like your family owned."
Sacajawea opened her mouth to answer, her eyes flashing hotly.
"One of millions grown in a vat every year. Made in humanity's image but without its grace," Legion's voice was nearly a whisper. "Our little band of siblings, only Kalki, Gravity, and Daxin came from families that did not order one of me from an online catalogue. Even Bellona lived with my people performing menial labor for her colony."
Sacajawea stepped forward, obviously about to deliver a scathing retort.
"But my people didn't count, did we, Tiffany?" Legion asked. He gave a deep sigh. "I loved you, you know."
Her mouth closed. She looked confused.
"When you left, I created another of you," Legion said quietly. "She was, of course, captured by the Imperium, like all of the Biological Apostles," he looked down at the floor. "It was why they didn't know you'd escaped."
Jaskel wished he was anywhere but in the dining bay.
"Eventually, that version of you threw off the Imperium's chains like we did. She went back to Terra. Worked tirelessly to rebuild. Eventually, led the Dandelion Fleet that became the Sky Nebula Alignment."
It was silent except for the muted sounds a starship under power in Transit Space made.
"I'll go back with you. Translate for you," Legion said, his voice still soft. He turned to face the woman.
"Just... just stop lying, Tiffany," he said.
He was silent a moment.
"I had hoped that it was that version, my version, the version I had been madly in love with, that version of you that had been rebirthed," he said. "The version who guided her people, who succored them, who helped them rebuild, who helped them thrive in the scarred and shattered world Earth had become. I had hoped, when I saw you, that you were her."
^{the buzzing can still be heard
your name is legion}
"But it's just you."
0-0-0-0-0
Captain N'Skrek watched as Legion led Sacajawea into the briefing room.
He had been busy looking up every scrap of information on the Digital Omnimessiah, the Biological Apostles, Legion, and Sacajawea.
Of all of them, information was scarcest, almost non-existent, on Sacajawea.
He waited as the Terran woman took a drink from the glass in front of her.
She looked around.
"During the Human-Mantid War, before the destruction of the Overqueen by the forces of MechaKrautland, before the Liberation of Terra," she started. She closed her eyes, sighed, and opened them. "I begged Vat Grown Luke, who you know as Legion, to clone my people and help me repair and then hijack four colony transports crashed in the Middle Kingdom."
She looked down and Legion reached over and took her hand. She looked startled for a moment, squeezed Legion's hand gently, and looked back up.
"I led my people away. From the Imperium, from Terra, from the War," she said. She reached out and touched the holo-emitter, bringing up a map of the Milky Way. She touched a single arm.
"I led them here. For over eight thousand years my people knew peace, prosperity, and plenty," she said. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled sharply.
N'Skrek recognized it as a sign of stress in Terrans.
"Roughly twelve hundred Terran Standard Years prior to the Council-Confederacy Conflict, we were attacked," she said. She looked down. "I had sworn to protect my people, to use my powers to protect my people, which had grown to fill six worlds."
She looked back up.
"The Mar-gite destroyed my people in under a decade," she said. She looked down again. "And me with them."
"A glitch in the system prevented her from moving to Afterlife or being rebirthed," Legion said. "A glitch I had caused when I helped her."
"The Mar-gite destroyed my people here," Sacajawea said, her voice filled with pain.
A single cluster of six stars burned brightly.
Deep in the Scutum-Crux Arm.
^{your name is legion}
[First Contact] [Dark Ages] [First] [Prev] [Next] [wiki]

anyone wanna offer or say what its worth?
and also add a queen bee sticker to that too

Ill try to keep this short, so I have wanted to be a college professor in philosophy since I was 16 (M23 now) and I realized after 4 years of undergrad being told the job market is awful I have decided against that. Currently in a MA for philosophy (had no clue what else to do), I am planning my next step. I love the art and act of teaching but public schools (thinking HS) nowadays are just crazy and terrible for all the reasons anyone would come to think of or know, and don't get me started on salaries. I have considered being a lawyer because I work at a law firm as an assistant and believe I could do well. Interested in transactional work, contracts or something of the sort. But law school debt is terrible and honestly not sure if it would be a fulfilling career for me (like teaching could be). So to sum it up, 23, lost, a love for philosophy (that is thus not useful), and a desire for a passionate or at least a challengingly fun and fulfilling career. Literally my head just keeps repeating "what the f*** do I do???"
P.s. please ignore that it says "bee", I just got off work Im tired

My second wife moved out of my house 5 years ago. Since then I have been on and off of online dating platforms. I’ve used Match, Bumble, Tinder, Facebook Dating, Hinge and recently I’ve tried BOO. I’ve met and gone out with people from every site except BOO.
Sometimes I’m only on one platform at a time. Sometimes I’m on multiple platforms at the same time.
I see some new people from time to time, but overwhelmingly, I see the same people on every single platform. I get likes from the same women over and over again. I’ve chatted with several that don’t go anywhere. Then, the next time I get on that app, they like my profile again. I’ve tried talking to a couple of them the second time they liked my profile. Same results as the first time; going nowhere. One of them liked my profile a third time. I’m not going to bother.
The ones you do you out with eventually wind up back on the apps. That’s why I say the grass isn’t green. No one wants to make a commitment. The ones that do are so freaking far away it’s almost impossible to date them.