We're white, middle class Australians. Just my son & I living in a two story, two bedroom townhouse in a pretty mediocre complex in a capital city.
While I make a decent income (~$107K AUD salary plus super, or just over 3K AUD/fortnight) we struggle to get by because my mortgage repayments are 1350/fortnight plus I have an arseload of bills (home rates, water, gas, electricity, body corporate fees, health insurance, plus our internet & phone bill is insane, so he can have the fastest, unlimited home network speeds, repayments on his iPhone 14 Pro, my Pixel 6) and his constant want for new (expensive) clothes, shoes and whatever else he demands.
He has a mid-tier gaming PC I built him a few years ago, along with a PS5 and a high end gaming monitor with an expensive desk and gaming chair in his bedroom, along with a very nice queen-sized bed and floating shelves with expensive collectables on them.
As a 49M I have given up on finding love again, or even a casual partner because he has damaged the crap out our home but his solution to getting more money is "get on Tinder and find a wife" so we'll have multiple incomes. I could do alright on Tinder if our house wasn't constantly getting trashed by his meltdowns. Or to constantly ask my mother for money. She's helped us enough as it is.
I even splurged on Childish Gambino tickets for us today (which will also mean travelling to and accomodation in Sydney on top of the $440 worth of tickets) and I was "the best dad in the world" but then his ASD and ADHD kick in and he starts focusing on wanting newer, better stuff.
Today (after giving up on telling me to buy a new house) he wants his room renovated, with his current desk etc back downstairs, a new desk with a MacBook, windows replaced, wardrobe replaced so he can be like a "normal kid".
When i was his age I shared a "sleep-out" (basically an enclosed verandah running down the side of the house) with three little brothers, wore what I was given and rode a cheapo "Toyworld" BMX to school, forced to participate in a cult "Mahikari" in a house full of cockroaches (especially the human cockroach married to my Mum who was molesting my older sister).
I understand he has ADHD (as do I, hence the essay, sorry) and he is at the highest of level 2 ASD (one point off level 3, which is the highest end of the spectrum in Australia) but he seems to think "all other kids" have better rooms/houses than him.
He won't listen when I tell him about teenage boys living in the middle east, where they're lucky if they have a bedroom and that they can't guarantee that their Dad will survive a day at work or they can't be sure they won't get blown up at school, or crossing the frikken road. Or about other kids who are in ghettos surrounded by gang life. Or even just other white, middle class kids in our own, safe, city who don't have luxuries that he has, streaming services, a Dad that is willing to pay for him to have a more expensive phone than my own, that will take him to a $200 concert.
What does the average 13 year old kid have where you live?
How can I convince him that he should be grateful (or at least satisfied) with what he has?
It does my head in that he thinks he has it so rough!
Sorry for the huge wall of text. I need to vent as well as get some advice, please and thank you!

Hey all I am interested in the IBM Data Science course of coursera. When I am clicking on enroll it is asking me how much time would it take me to complete and options are 1month, 3months and 6 months. So I thought of choosing 3 months but I am not sure if I will be able to complete it within that time. Sp, my questions are: 1) Will I still be able to access courses after 3 months? 2) If I am still able to access, then can I get a certificate for completing it after 3 months?

Had a long term SD for 3 years. We fell in love and kind of figured this out in the last couple of months after he said he didn’t want to stay in his marriage. We were getting closer but I never considered him an option before then because of his marriage. I fell hard. We started dating while he began to figure out his exit plan (kids involved) but there’s obviously been pressure on when this happens. He’s made statements about time frames then they come and go and I’m left devastated. I do believe he is miserable in his marriage and the kids are the primary reason for his behavior. Although logically he knows they aren’t in a good environment with the state of the marriage. After 3 or so failed timelines, I said I needed to exit because the rollercoaster was too much and he can reach out if/when he is single.
There’s something inside me that believes he’s it for me. But I struggle with how he’s prioritizing things his wife wants to do before they divorce (like counseling) instead of him just leaving and prioritizing us. As well as his reluctance to get his kids in an eventually healthier environment.
I am miserable on the roller coaster but I’m miserable not knowing what is going on in his life and if/when he will be out of the situation. To be clear, I asked for space. I don’t want to move on, but I also feel like he isn’t in a place to be in a relationship with me or prioritize us (behind his kids but before his wife). I wonder if anyone else has been in the same situation and any advice.
I feel like I’m disappointed and dejected either way. He can sometimes say the right things and there is some progress but I struggle with the loss of trust. He’s also super dense sometimes and it’s been a hard couple weeks for me and I kind of expect my partner to take care of my like I would of them (care packages, love notes) and just feel sad at the lack of effort, but i genuinely think he’s just kind of an idiot at these things, not because he wouldn’t do them. I’ve decided to take a vacation out of the country in a couple days and I’ve planned some things for summer. I wish we could be planning our life together as discussed and it still feels like I’m stuck grappling with my choices either way. Anyone that’s been here - any advice and how’d it turn out for you? Should I be more patient/understanding or hold firm on my boundaries? TIA

A lot of theme parks can be very expensive these days with Disney pushing up its prices every year. But there are other tourist attractions that have quite hefty entry fees. Many of them are bucket list places so you just pay and don't worry about it, hoping that the money is going towards the upkeep of the attraction. Others are dedicated transportation to an attraction or area, such as a ferry, cable car or mountain railway.
One that shocked me when I first went to Switzerland over 30 years ago was the Jungfraujoch train. It was about 70-80 Swiss francs (CHF) back then, which was a couple of days' travel budget for me. I always thought I'd come back one day and do it when I could afford it. I checked the prices recently as I'm thinking of going to Switzerland next year. Hooboy! Over 220 CHF now. That's in line with inflation of course. What makes it much more expensive from my perspective is the rise of the CHF against my currency (AUD) since back then. But I get the feeling I'm going to do it anyway when the time comes as I regret not doing it back then. "It's only money..." (only said by person with plenty of money) What are some of the more expensive tourist attractions you've been to or turned away from?

https://www.op.gg/summoners/na/Giica-NA1
Go Ravenous > PD > Navori > dominiks/mortalreminder > IE > zephyr
Most games have ended before I ever get Zephyr.
I go grasp. Check my runes.
Basically, tryn is at 55% WR now because, even before lethal tempo removal, some tryn went grasp. Now, they basically gave him 10% crit for free with full fury. Like I am critting 3x in a row lvl 1. It's disgusting. And, they gave him a cheaper navori, and now u can also build IE with navori. PD and navori are so dang cheap.
Idk if arpen/IE is better for 4th item. Not sure about the math on that. Normally games end by 3 items so haven't had a chance to really compare.
He's disgustingly OP and I anticipate item nerfs that will indirectly nerf him. So many OP champs now.
Demolish is disgusting. If your enemy roams or you kill, you get 1-2 plates for free. If it's like 10mins, u take 3 plates, or the remaining full tower. At that point it's already GG. Grasp also gives u like 100-200hp midgame which is so damn gross. Ur trades are insane because when you proc it, you do damage + get healing + get more healing with perma HP stat. Like it's literally a mini electrocute and you heal. Like you proc electrocute every 5s or something.
GLHF. He is fun AF and I cannot stop playing.

I got put on the pill last month for the first time. I started taking it from the first day of my periods which was on 22nd April. On the 30th, I took a trip to visit my long distance partner and during the 6 day trip we had unprotected sex twice. Now I’ve been very particular with taking the pill. I take it at 10pm on the dot every night and haven’t missed a single dose.
The reason I’m having slight doubts is because after I got back from my trip, I fell sick with a stomach bug. While I didn’t necessarily vomit immediately after taking the pill, I did have spells of diarrhea the morning after for 2-3 days. I’ve heard that being sick can reduce the efficiency of the pill. And I’ve heard that sperm can survive inside the female body for 5 days or so after unprotected sex, and the last time I did it was 3 days before I fell sick.
When my gyno prescribed the pills she said that I would get a period in the 7 day break after the 21 days of taking the pill. I’m on day 5 and there’s still no sign of it. Is this normal or should I be worried about a risk of pregnant? Since this is my first time taking any form of hormonal birth control, any advice will be appreciated greatly.

My gf is sleeping over at my place and I decide to head out to dinner at my fam’s place. While I’m out with them my gf wakes up and finds I’m not home. She texts me “baby?” and I don’t answer and she follows up with a call like 15 mins after but i don’t pick up. Im annoyed that im getting the call in the middle of a serious convo with my sister and just don’t wanna pause that for what seems like an unnecessary convo with my gf to say “yeah I’m not home. Obvi you noticed. And I’m out w fam” and my gf responding with “oh yeah sorry to Interrupt, wanted to call since you weren’t here when i woke up” Am I the asshole for telling my gf that her text/call didn’t have much purpose? That if she wakes up and I’m not home, it’s clear I’ve gone somewhere but will be back?

Gdmorning fellow businessmen (not hustlers which is synonymous with struggle). Lately on the kenyan reddits i have read alot of complaints concerning how the government is messing us up with taxes, plundering finances, every week there are atleast 3-5 posts of kenyans who are contemplating suicide cos of financial struggles, alot of youth have given up on life cos of joblessness etc. I am here to offer a different narrative of hope. I would like us from this day forward to wake up with hope that our future will be better and take necessary actions to realise it. Just as Jesus asked his disciples, "what do you have in your hands" (story of the 5loaves of bread and 2 fishes); today i ask you, how much do you have in your hand?
1) 1000shs - wake up early at 5am and go to gikomba and buy women's lingerie's and in the evening lay them by the roadside in your estate and sell them/ start selling boiled eggs/ smokies / sugarcane etc. nothing is beneath you when you don't have food to eat.
2) 3000shs - start cooking mandazi's early morning and sell to people going to work
3) If you are a businessman like me and business is slow (start thinking of ways you can target other markets in africa and europe, diversify your products or start selling unique products that few people are stocking (personally, i have started getting clients in other countries after i re-designed my site allsystems.co.ke)
"As a man thinketh, so is he" so whenever you spend the whole day thinking of negatives, who has hurt you etc, you will end up feeling hopeless. Lets change our mindsets !

im in an asian household, and ive been living with my mom and sister all my life. my sister just turned 34 and my god, i always wonder the experiences she had that turned her the way she is right now.
she always yells at her daughter to discipline her behavior that my niece got from her.
she blames non living things, whine about things, make every single thing negative.
she always say she’s sick but living a sedentary life, not even doing anything about her health.
she would YELL negative things about herself about being unlucky, dumb, stupid, but damn does she really have to voice it all out?
im always in my room because if she sees me, she’s gonna make sure that she will tell me some awful judgment as if im not aware of it.
cant talk to her tho, we’re not close, considering the fact that those yellings traumatized me because ive been hearing those yells when i was a child.
cant move out, im still studying but im planning to move abroad in a few years.
it’s just sad how she doesn’t even realize how it affects other peope in the household because whenever i hear those high-pitched voice with whine on it, i jump, like im the one who’s being scolded, and im always in my room, i hear those yells clearly and i would get panic attacks. even my mom gets concerned about her for always being mad.
what’s worse is that she works from home with a stressful job.
im the complete opposite of her because i never talk at all, dont got any friends to talk to because i chose to, i dont go out because i study online, the only way i can express my feelings is thru journaling.
but whenever she yells, it feels like i want to pull my hair, run my fingers thru my hair down to my skin so it will bleed.
i don’t want to judge at all but it feels tiring to be the one who always adjust, i hope peace finds her.

Hi, I need some advice.
I have a Garmin watch. I use it for running, riding, etc. It's great. The only thing it is missing is the live segment part. (I have a Strava subscription, but the watch isn't compatible.) I want to be able to know where I am on a segment, so if I have some remote chance of improving my position, I can push harder. At the moment, I go blind into segments (i know roughly where they start and and end) and only know how I did when I get home, and it syncs with Strava.
What is the cheapest Strava Live Segment-compatible bike computer that will indicate as I enter a segment, show me where I am in a segment, and show me how I placed? It seems foolish to buy a Garmin 530 or something just for this purpose, as all other functionality is on the watch....so I wondered if anyone had a similar challenge and what they used. If it makes any difference, I only MTB off-road.
Edit: I tried using my phone , but it ran out of battery too quickly, and I am not sure how much it liked being bashed around... in fact, i think that is what killed my phone, and I'm not using my new phone!

I am 14f and Since around the start of the school year, I've been waking up at one time, no matter what (6am). I will sleep at 10pm and wake up at 6, or sleep at 1am amd wake up at 6am. keep in mind I don't use alarms. other friends have it different though; let's say it's a school break, they sleep late (eg. 1am), they'll usually wake up at 10am or around that. when I wake up early, I feel extremely tired and I can't go back to sleep (I go on my phone then... should I not?) and I feel tired the entire day. also, on the weekends I have activities which I wake up early for but I don't think that's the reason. and there was a point in this school year where I had heavy stress which made me wake up at 4am every night(and I did my homework at this time), and this stopped because of the daylight savings which made the time move by an hour, so I woke up at 6am. a friend said I'm so used to sleeping such a small amount of time that this happened(though when I it searched up, you csnt get used to a small amount of sleep). and another thing I'd like to say is that 3 days ago, I took a 3 hr nap in the day and i coudnt sleep till 2am. I woke up at 6am, and was extremely tired the entire day. since I was tired, I slept early, at 9pm. I ended up getting 8 hours sleep that night. it made the next day happy (that was yesterday. it was relieving to have a good sleep.(I haven't been getting enough lately due to exam preparation) and yesterday i slept at 12am and I woke up at 5am today; i think this says a lot about my situation. if i sleep even earlier (eg 8pm) ill wake up even earlier(3am) and more sleep deprived. I'm typing this right before school and I really need help. how can I fix this? does this relate to my circadian rhythm? should I remove my phone? any advice would be helpful as this has been HEAVILY affecting me for a while and can improve me mentally and get ready for exams at the end of this month.

I’m having a dilemma and who better to ask than the bearded nerds?
I have a friend, we’ll call her Michelle. Michelle’s sister has a bearded dragon named Edna. Michelle says she can give the bearded and stuff to me for free because she knows I love reptiles and she already gave me the rescue leopard gecko she had so she knows I can do it.
Thing is? Edna’s OLD. I’m not exactly sure HOW old, but Michelle says that the thing could die any day.
I said I was interested, I want to give this thing a loving home before it goes, but I just got the picture today and I don’t think the enclosure is properly set up. I don’t have the exact measurements, but from what I can see in photos it’s probably not the 4 x 2 x 2. No dirt-sand or thermo/hydrometer in sight. I really don’t feel like spending 2-300+ on new supplies for a lizard I know will most likely not see me graduating, as much as it hurts to say.
Now the issue.
Today I was on Craigslist when I saw an add for a bearded dragon. All the supplies. Mostly proper set up. All for a $100. 5 years old. Definitely seeing me graduate.
I’m really confused on which I should get. On one hand, I want to give my Michelle’s bearded a nice retirement, but I know I’ll have to buy a bunch of new stuff for it and it might not even see new years. On the other, the hundred dollar bearded would have more time and I’d be able to buy the needed supplies without having a gun shot through my wallet.
I could get both, but I only have so much space in my room and I already have a crested and leopard gecko. I could definitely house both if I moved my stuff from my desk but I have school. I can’t house them together because the second is a boy (Michelle is unaware of the gender of Edna, most likely me too) so they’d either fuck each other or fuck each other up.
This sounds so stupid and immature but I legitimately can’t decide. What should I do?

To believe in myself and the things I’m capable of doing. The fact that I’m continuing to prove to myself that I’m almost down for anything. I have been and done and seen. As life does, it will continue and repeat. But the big factors are that I am the one making these choices. I know some haven’t been handled the best way i could have. I have learned to be able to bypass my feelings about certain responsibilities. People drop people all the time. You can have it all one moment and just like that! Gone the next. Everything you worked so hard for. To be fair it’s an every man for themselves kind of game. Or so that’s how it’s always been in my world. It doesn’t have to be either. I want to travel to a new world. One like mine but not. To find something that doesn’t come by force but by nature. A force of nature.
Need….
Understanding my surroundings. Stop trying to take control of everything. You can not be in more than one place at a time. Your mind and body and soul must be present in the now of things. You will miss opportunities and experience living both 10 steps behind and 10 steps forward. Like a mad women you’ll go insane and lose everything. Although it feels like I’m constantly losing, it isn’t so. I have to see the big picture. The love you have to give should be sacred and protected. Earned and cherished. I know that I might feel like I do not have the rights.. that I’ve balanced my good and my bad. That karma has given me this sorrow as a gift for choosing to do wrong. But that is also a form of my own doing. When making a decision I had two thoughts;1. hurt those as they hurt you… 2. Love those as you want to be loved.. it doesn’t seem wrong.. but when you’re blinded by pain.. you think getting even will make you feel better.. in the moment.. it might.. but the bittersweet factors of life. Love always hurts with bitter confusion. Either way.. good or bad.. No power moves in darkness. Darkness is just the construction of consumption. When fighting your demons becomes too much. Everything goes blank. An empty vessel. To be corrupt with the ideas and thoughts of battle. To always be on guard. As for the brighter side of things. There is always a choice. A path to take. It’s a place without time. You can do or be and choose endless possibilities as you see fit. Everything you can carry.

 Need…. 

To respect myself. Give credit when it’s due. Fight for my right to voice my feelings no matter how crazy someone may think I am. Never be afraid to speak ever again. Even if no one listens.. someone is always listening.. have the courage. Stick to your gut, learn to listen to what you truly need not what makes everyone happy or comfortable before you are. Selfish is with a bad intention. Self understand and self worth are embracing your spirit and being in a group that celebrates the same.

Need….. 

Context- Early This Year at the beginning of my senior Year in High School I made a deal with myself if I didn’t find a true reason that I mattered / a reason to go on / A reason to live, by the end of my Senior Year Then I would end it all. Welp Now It’s only a week away from my graduation. And I have gotten a few things this year, but I haven’t truely found any real reason to justify my further existence.
I don’t know why I’m so scared that the dead line is almost here. I just realize how little it really matters in the end. My other plan was to sign up for the military and Volunteer for Any Active Duty/ Deployment I could so at least I would die in service of my country, but now I realize I’m not good enough for that. Now that the dead line is here I’m kinda scared, but I don’t won’t to chicken out (just like how I’ve done in everything in life. So yeah, I just wanted to get this off my chest. I don’t really know when to do it because both mine and my boyfriends birthday are right around the corner and I don’t want to taint his birthday with such a memory. I’ll probably choose the some time in Late may or Early June, Just not the 1st.
I know my family will hate me for this but, at this point everything I’ve done to try to fix myself they’ve said was going to kill me anyway so what’s the damn point. My friend group also seems like it would be no different without me. The Only Person Im going I think will really care would be my boyfriend, but I’m sure I don’t mean that much too him, I love him to death, but I just can’t anymore. Thank you For Reading this if you did.
If I Chicken out or there is an updated I’ll post it otherwise if I don’t you can assume you know the other thing. Goodbye.

I (19M) met my best friend (19F) about 4 years ago during the end of my Freshman Year in High School. In that time, she was dating someone and I was dating someone and eventually, both of our relationships went to crap because of very immature reasons that were common with kids our age. I was afraid to be alone after my break up so I ended up getting closer to her and it got to the point where we began to talk every single day, and that streak hasn’t ended since. I had a feeling about her even during that time but went on to enter a situation-ship that turned into an actual relationship for about a month until that too ended unceremoniously. She was there for all of it and even gave me the confidence to end the relationship with my ex after my ex said that I “wasn’t a priority,” something I’ll never forget. That line hurt like hell after putting so much energy into caring for her.
My second ex, the situation-ship one, would joke around with my feelings afterward and try to talk to me months after our breakup. For context, I told her never to speak to me again after she claimed she loved me then went on to date another guy as reported by my best friend. So this behavior was very detrimental to my mental health and made things a lot worse for me. My best friend however, protected and defended me from her actions. My ex let it slip that she was afraid for my bff to find out we were talking because she had scolded her before.
Eventually, that ended and up until this point, my bff was someone who was scarily similar to me and sorta brought me out of my shell. I changed a lot of my “loner” ways for her and would walk to class with her, not even speaking sometimes, just enjoying her presence. We’d have these little moments between each other and got mistaken for a couple a few times too. She had an affinity towards me but it was nothing romantic.
Fast forward to last year and I’m starting to take notice of some strange feelings for her and through subtle prodding, it was still clear she wasn’t into me in that way. There’d be little clues of something brewing within her heart but not enough to act.
Now this is where it gets interesting. 2024 has probably been our best year yet and the crazy part is that we haven’t seen each other in-person since our mutual friend’s graduation party which was last year. We have plans to travel across the world, live in some apartment together, own a dog together, dress up for halloween as Agnes and Kristofferson from Fantastic Mr. Fox, and a bunch more like me cooking for her and us doing each other’s hair. We text and talk to each other like we’ve been married for 20 years. She’ll tell me when something’s wrong and never takes out her frustration on me, called me when she was having cramps and stuff, will occasionally take some photos of herself for me.
The photos of her is where I find myself realizing how deep I’ve fallen because this woman is just gorgeous. I legitimately can’t see myself with anybody else but her. Her smile, her hair, her cute glasses, and her entire body is simply STUNNING. Don’t even get me started on personality because that’s what has me so starstruck. I was looking at her photos tonight and man, I wonder how I lived without her for 15 years…
I never run out of things to talk about with her and unlike the past few years, all of her plans seem to include me in them. Driving together, napping together, just being around each other always. I mentioned her being my partner a few times and she gladly accepted that title. I EVEN KNOW WHAT WEDDING RING SHE WANTS. It’s not the look that matters but the engraving, which is the timestamp for Harry’s love confession to Sally in “When Harry Met Sally.”
My relationship/friendship with her is completely unlike the ones where I was actively dating them, I am so completely invested in her life and what’s she doing and what she likes. It’s borderline obsession with loving every aspect of her and the world she sees. My friends are always talking about flirting with girls and all that but as long as my best friend exists, I feel as though I’m taken.
And I know some people would question why I haven’t confessed and that’s because I’m waiting until I can see her face-to-face and know for sure if she loves me back in that way. We say I love you quite a bit but with everything going on between us, I have a feeling that I’ll get my true answer by getting to look into her eyes again. Part of me thinks I’m dreaming all this up and that she truly does see us as just friends but there’s too many coincidences for me to ignore it. We’re too close, I believe. Too close for either of us to enter a relationship with someone else, at least.
Let me know what you guys think.

Trying to best equip my garage setup in anticipation of newborn where my ability to hit the gym will be impacted for approx 6 months during the work week. Want to spend approx $1000 tops. Space is limited, single car garage in a townhouse that shares a driveway with my neighbor.
It’s a splurge item but I’m thinking for the sole new item the Rogue SML-2C Squat Stand. Why this? well I don’t have a pull up bar and don’t really have an ideal doorway or area to mount another option. I’m a bit of a bigger guy and am worried if this thing will lose any of its integrity and start sliding around after one kipping pull up.
Has anyone used this for kipping and confirm it can hold in place without mounting to the floor?
https://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-sml-2c-squat-stand
Things I was thinking of getting used were a box and plates. If I can get decent deals on these I may splurge on a new barbell but feel like it might be unnecessary. I have some equipment from Covid Apartment living (DBs and KBs).
Curious if there is anything else I can prioritize or if anyone has any products they recommend?

Wonder Women

Issue Fifty
Written by u/VoidKiller826
Edited by u/Predaplant
Arc: Revelations
*************************************************************
Greetings, people of Gateway City. This is your new peacekeeper speaking. You might know me as the White Magician, a rather crude name, but I will accept it considering Man’s World's lack of creativity. However, you may also call me Circe, and I am here with an important message that your news station will deliver for all to hear.
SCYTHE is no more: their HQ is under my and the Red Centipedes’ command. The Commander and his soldiers are dead and buried, as you all wished to happen. I was more than happy to oblige you if it meant depriving your stupid President of her next chance for reelection. Any survivors of the prison break are being hunted down by the people they locked in cages, who are more than happy to round them up as they once had been themselves.
But none of that’s important, for this recording is only to be heard by one person: Olympos, Wonder Girl, or whatever the fuck new title name you want to be called. This message is for you: You are to surrender yourself to me here in SCYTHE HQ in the next five hours, and in turn, I will not destroy this piss-end of a city. If you fail, I promise you, I will make Coast City look like a picnic by the time I finish with Gateway.
That cow you call Wonder Woman is dead, and I will make sure everyone else will follow her if you don’t comply with my request.
Your mentor learned a valuable lesson when she tested my patience.
*************************************************************
Spears Apartment - Gateway City:
[...President Cale has announced the complete closure of all access to Gateway City following the prison break that occurred in SCYTHE’s holding facility hours ago,] said Cassandra Arnold from GateNews, the city’s main news station. [We still have an unconfirmed number of escapees following the message sent by the White Magician, but the President has assured GateNews a solution will be found.]
Vanessa Kapatelis watched the TV in dismay. Pacing back and forth in the Spears duplex apartment, she had the TV on to pass the time while Ares worked on helping Helena and Cassandra upstairs.
“Here,” Vanessa turned away from the TV to see Tanya Spears handing her a bottle of water. “Something for you to drink.”
“Thank you,” Vanessa accepted the bottle. “I would prefer a beer, but this will make do.”
“My mom has her wine collection in a locked cabinet,” Tanya noted, pointing at the kitchen. “She doesn’t know that I know that, but I can get you a bottle?”
Vanessa chuckled. “Thanks, but I don’t want a girl your age to be walking around with alcohol or to get you in trouble with your mom.” She twisted the bottle cap and slowly drank. “I needed that… it feels like I’ve been dry for months.”
“It’s actually been 3 hours,” Tanya said, sitting on the sofa and opening her tablet to look over the internet. “I hope what she said wasn’t true… about Wonder Woman not being around…”
Taking a seat by her side, Vanessa saw that Tanya was reading through the report on what happened to SCYTHE. The escaped convicts had taken control of the SCYTHE headquarters and equipment after killing many of the agents that had stood in their way.
Seeing the photo of SCYTHE HQ burning angered her. That place should represent the absolute shield of Gateway. Now, it had come under the control of the convicts that they were supposed to stop because of Aeeta Branwen. A name that had made her happy now belonged to a stranger who had lied to her all this time.
Memories of their most intimate moments came flooding back: their first conversation, their first date, their kiss, and the morning after their date in her apartment. It was a moment when she thought she could finally stop grieving and move on from what happened to Coast City. And now, that had been disintegrated into oblivion.
In anger, she crushed the bottle with her hand, spraying water all over the table and the floor.
“Shit!” Vanessa stood up, finally realizing her mistake. “I am sorry!”
“Oh, it's fine!” Tanya ran to the kitchen to grab some paper towels. “It’s just water.”
“I know it’s just…” Taking the paper towel, the two began wiping the floor and the table. “I have a lot on my mind.”
“I’ll bet with everything that happened,” said Tanya, giving Vanessa a supportive smile. “Your friends are getting hurt, and you can’t do anything but watch. It would piss anyone off. I know it did with me when the RedCent guys invaded EE Tower.”
“Yeah…” Vanessa sat back on the sofa. “But this… I not only possibly lost many friends, but I was betrayed by someone I loved, someone who I thought was the one for me…” she said, distraught, as tears ran down her face.
Tanya, without saying anything more, hugged Vanessa closely. Despite them knowing each other for only a few hours, Tanya knew that Vanessa was in pain. Watching her loved ones being hurt by someone that she trusted must have been a hard truth to accept.
The doors upstairs opening and closing caught the two’s attention. Looking up, they saw Somya Spears descending, looking exhausted, like she had gone ten rounds in the ring. As she reached the ground floor, Tanya ran up to her mother, hugged her close, and guided her to the nearest chair to rest.
“Is everything alright, mom?” Tanya asked, worried.
“Yeah… just felt that I might take that long overdue vacation…” Somya answered, leaning against the soft chair with a tired sigh. “Maybe we’ll go to Paris like you wanted, Tanya…”
More steps followed, and Ares, or Mars as he insisted to be called, followed Somya, pulling his folded-up sleeves back. Unlike Somya, he didn’t seem any different from when he went upstairs to help the Sandsmarks, but the few strands of hair on his face told a different story.
“How are they?” Vanessa asked, walking up to the former God of War. “Are they ok?”
Ares turned to Vanessa. “The girl has a lot of heart, far too stubborn to let a beating keep her down.” He said with praise, impressed with the former Wonder Girl’s willpower. “Her Sumerian blood will help her heal in only a few days, but it won’t help her mental wounds after I told her the news about her mother.”
Vanessa had a lot of questions about what he had said, especially the word Sumerian; perhaps Cassie was not simply half-Olympian. However, she focused on the most important detail in his explanation. “What happened with Helena?” She asked in a worried tone. “Is she-”
“She is alive,” Ares said, but his expression shifted, frowning, making her nervous. “Physically, she will recover, she has only a few cuts and bruises. Even a human like her can heal those.”
“But?”
“But it's the spell Circe struck her with. It is unlike anything I’ve seen because it is of her creation,” Ares explained, and Vanessa ground her teeth together when she heard the name belonging to the stranger who hurt her and her loved ones. “Whatever she used, it is affecting her very soul, slowly killing her.”
“Like a virus?” Vanessa asked, and Ares nodded. “Magic can do that?”
“It does,” Ares answered. “Magic can create a nuclear bomb if the user has the patience for it. And Circe is a master at it, one of the very best and most gifted witches on the planet, so making something like this would be as easy as making a cake for her.”
Magic had never been SCYTHE’s priority, but the Commander still made them study anything related to the subject in case they had to face it. Vanessa had never expected to see it at this scale.
“Can you break it?” Vanessa asked. “Find a way to break the curse from Helena’s soul?”
Ares took a deep breath, pocketing his hands. “It’s too complex to break. I will admit Magic is not my strongest suit, but even if you bring in someone knowledgeable, it would be a while for them to break her creation,” he explained. “You need someone at her level of knowledge when it comes to magic, and I am not the best person to face her in that department.”
“Then we call for a specialist, anyone, really,” Vanessa said in desperation. “If this is like a virus, a curse, then we bring a surgeon to cut it out! Maybe Cassie can use her Justice Legion connection, or maybe you can call someone for a favor.”
Vanessa's desperation was clear. She was willing to call for the Justice Legion, the very people she swore to go against for their vigilantism, if it meant saving Helena Sandsmark, her promise be damned.
“The spell is growing far too rapidly. By the time you find someone, it will be far too late,” Ares said solemnly. “The only person in the world who can break the spell without any problem or fear of failsafe is Hecate, the Goddess of Magic. She was Circe’s mentor, and she taught her everything she could about magic. No matter how complex it is, Hecate would understand it.”
“She can help us?”
Ares shook his head. “No, she has no interest in helping the world unless it is connected to her directly, and even then, dealing with her is the worst-case scenario because there is a chance she’ll side with Circe before she even thinks of helping us.”
“So what now?” Vanessa asked, sounding defeated. “Just let Helena die? Let Cassie suffer? Let Circe win?!” she shouted angrily, finally addressing Circe by name. All of this explanation from Ares told her one thing: that the Witch had them beat, and they couldn’t do anything about it.
Ares didn’t react to her outburst, while the Spears looked worried. Tanya, for her part, tried to walk up to calm Vanessa, but the War God raised his hand to stop her, shaking his head and giving her the silent sign to let Vanessa be.
“There is one way: it will be quicker if we act fast enough, but it would take everything from all of us for it to happen,” Ares said, beginning his explanation. “There is a chain link connecting the spell, from the spell caster to Circe. This means it can be broken if we force Circe to release the chain connecting her to Helena…” he explained, letting his words be understood by the occupants in the room before finishing with one last note. “Killing Circe would also break the binding if she didn’t leave any contingencies.”
Vanessa gritted her teeth. “So we have to make her break the spell, and hopefully she doesn’t screw us over… or we kill her, and hopefully she still doesn’t screw us over even in death?” she asked, and Ares nodded. “What kind of person is willing to put in all that work? Just for revenge? On Diana, who is long gone?”
Ares shrugged and turned to the Spears, his gaze focused on Tanya, his daughter. Someone whom he never thought he would meet again was facing him, without knowledge of their blood relations.
“Possibly,” Ares answered, taking a step back. “But if there is one thing I know for sure, Circe does not put these kinds of bindings without any reason. Whatever that reason is involves Cassandra Sandsmark and whether she will choose to make Circe break the spell or kill her, tainting her forever.”
Silence came to the room, letting Ares’s words sink in for all occupants, which might have been the same words he said to the Sandsmarks.
*************************************************************
The room of Somya Spears was quiet, with the only sound being the breathing of Helena Sandsmark lying on the bed sleeping. The room was spacious, with an expensive queen-sized bed as expected from an interim CEO of one the largest companies in the world.
Seated a few feet away on a chair was Cassandra Sandsmark, dressed in fresh clothes given to her by Somya after throwing off the bloody tattered ones she had arrived in. Watching her mother closely, Cassandra’s mind was racing, especially after what Ares told her about the curse Circe placed on her mother, slowly destroying her soul bit by bit until she was nothing but a husk.
“Dammit!” In anger at their situation, she crushed the armchair, tearing its arm off like it was made of paper. If she was stronger, faster, and had the heart for it, she would have stopped the Witch, stopped her from hurting her city, the people of SCYTHE, and those caught in the crossfire, stopped her from hurting her mother…
She buried her face into her hands, tears running down her eyes as she despaired. Everything she worked on after Coast City evaporated was ground up under a very powerful enemy out for revenge.
Considering Circe’s ultimatum, her city could well be gone by the time this was over.
“Artemis… please be safe…” she whispered. She had nearly had a panic attack when she heard the news of the Amazon heading to SCYTHE HQ to stop the prison break, and then… nothing. No matter how many times she dialed her phone, there was no one answering, and she feared for the worst.
She heard her mother coughing, and Cassandra was quickly by her side. “Mom!” she called for her, holding her hand.
“Cassandra?...” Her mother said her name weakly. Her skin was becoming paler, a clear sign that the curse spell was working. “Are you… ok?”
“I’m fine, Mom,” Cassandra answered, covering the bandages hidden inside her clothes. “We’re safe. You’re safe.” she said, tightening both her hands around her mothers.
“Did you… break something?” She asked, looking at the chair behind her. “You shouldn’t be… doing that… we are guests…”
Cassandra laughed, her tears falling away. “Sorry… it’s just… it’s been a hell of a week…”
Helena touched her daughter’s cheek, noticing the bandage on it. “You’re… hurt…”
“It’s alright, Mom. Just a few bruises,” Cassandra assured. “You shouldn’t worry, you know I can take it…”
“I am your… mother, Cassandra,” Helena said, facing her daughter. “Demi-God or not… I will always be worried… scared for my little girl.”
Cassandra’s tears came back. Seeing her mother remain strong despite everything made her happy, and she was terrified of losing her.
“So… my soul is cursed?” Helena asked.
“You heard all that?”
“Can’t not… with all the swearing…” Helena noted, giving her daughter a small smile. “You shouldn’t swear at people, Cassandra, especially those who are trying to help.”
“I know, I know,” Cassandra said. She had gone off on Ares after he explained what happened to her mother, and she might have overreacted when she put all her anger on the former War God. “It’s just… I don’t want to lose you… not while we can fix this.”
Helena sat up on her bed, fully facing her daughter. “Which is why… I don’t want you to make the wrong choice.”
“I won’t,” Cassandra said with a low tone. “I will make Circe free you from this curse-”
“No, Cassandra,” Helena grabbed both of Cassandra’s hands with hers. “That is not what I meant…”
Cassandra raised her brows, confused. “Mom?”
“I heard everything… from Circe’s spell… how it works… and how it can be broken…” Helena said, shocking Cassandra. “I know you already decided what you feel you have to do.”
Cassandra didn’t answer, avoiding her mother’s disapproving gaze accusing her. Ares said the quickest way to break the binding and the spell was either by forcing Circe to break it herself or by killing her, severing the connection.
But if what Circe said was true, that Diana decided to kill her instead of making her surrender like everyone else who faced her, that means there was no chance the Witch would submit willingly. She would rather die than give the satisfaction of admitting defeat.
Which left only one solution where she could save her mother.
Helena sighed, knowing what decision her daughter might have made. She held her hand tightly and changed the subject. “I have to tell you something…”
“No, mom. You’re not giving me the ‘Dying Speech’, not while there is a chance we can save you-”
“It’s about your father,” Helena cut her off, shutting Cassandra up. “Your real father…”
Cassandra remembered Circe calling her Daughter of Enlil, not Zeus. Ares said he was a friend of her father, which confused her because Ares hated Zeus, so it wouldn’t make sense that he would help out even if they were his siblings.
“Enlil…” Cassandra said the name aloud, and Helena’s eyes widened, her breath hitching when she heard the name. “Circe… she called me Daughter of Enlil… Child of the Sky...”
Helena took a deep breath, bringing her daughter closer. “Yes… that is true…” she began. “You are not Zeus’s daughter, Cassandra, nor you are an Olympian in any way… but you are in fact… Sumerian… Mesopotamian,” The elder Sandsmark brought her youngest closer and spoke carefully, as if worried that someone might hear them. “Your father is Enlil, the Sumerian God of Wind… and he was the kindest man I have ever known…”
From then on, Helena explained Cassandra’s origins as carefully as possible, pushing on even while the spell affected her. She explained how she met Enlil, a man with golden hair similar to Cassandra’s, who introduced himself as an expert in Mesopotamian history during an expedition in Iraq. They had become rivals at first due to their clashing personalities, but how that developed into respect, to eventually falling in love after a very lengthy adventure that sounded like the plot of The Mummy.
And that love resulted in Cassandra’s birth. He helped raise her with Helena for the first year and a half before he disappeared because he had Olympian enemies and had to leave them to keep them safe.
While she explained all this, Cassandra’s mind went to another piece of critical information. Her father’s true identity had never been the most important thing for her. But what made it important was what Circe told her about Diana’s true reason for coming to Gateway City. It wasn’t just settling in a ‘piss-end of a city’ the more she taught about it, the more she realized the terrifying truth behind her mentor’s reasoning for coming to the city.
Diana was sent to find Cassandra, a Sumerian Demi-God, the Olympians greatest enemy since the Titans, and eliminate her. The prophecy of the Godkiller that they had feared might have come from Cassandra, but all it did was start a long, personal, and bloody war between two women because of the gods' demands for blood.
And now, she, Artemis, and Gateway City suffered the consequences. Even after Diana’s death, Circe would not let her hatred for what had happened to her go, and if it meant destroying her mentor’s legacy, she would do it.
‘Diana…’ Cassandra thought in sadness.
*************************************************************
SCYTHE Sub Base - Industrial District:
“I am not sure how you were able to do it, but you somehow found an ever more depressing place than that HQ of yours. It makes the cell you put us in look like a five-star hotel room,” said one Pamela Isley, formerly Poison Ivy, seated in the middle of a large room behind a large table. Around her were what was left of the SCYTHE agents they had saved during the escape, all working to get the makeshift base they had hidden up and running.
Alexei Abramovici, the Bloodcrow of SCYTHE, glared at the former supervillain, not happy with her comment. He turned to one of his men and began barking orders, “You! Get the goddamn Black Room working! We are running blind here!”
‘Worker drones even without their Commander.’ Pamela looked on unimpressed at the agents. She had never been that sympathetic to the plight of cops getting killed, especially militarized ones. The once mighty and feared peacekeepers of Gateway, who went to war against all the crime syndicates and the Red Centipedes, were now a mere little squad that won’t be able to protect a mini-mart, let alone every escaped convict under the command of the White Magician.
“Man… the signal here sucks!” complained Miguel Barragan by her side, raising his phone and trying to catch any kind of signal. “Could barely talk to my boyfriend when I called him, and can’t connect to the internet,” he complained. He tried once again to call but he couldn’t find a signal. “Useless brick…”
“We are underground in a bunker previously owned by Neo-Nazis, Barragan,” Pamela noted. From what she had heard, this used to be an old RedCent hideout that SCYTHE took over after the war, using it as a smaller base in case of emergency. “Not receiving any signal is part of the appeal of the place.”
“Bunker, huh…” Miguel chuckled. The name Bunker reminded him of the super name that he picked out; the more time passed, the more convinced he was that it was the right one.
Pamela gave a confused look at his expression and shrugged it off. Turning to her right, she saw the silent Emily Sung staring off into the distance. Unlike Barragan, Emily had other matters on her mind. Whatever she sensed or saw back at SCYTHE HQ freaked her out, like seeing something she shouldn’t.
Just as Pamela was about to ask her how she was feeling, a knock on the large blast doors echoed around the base, loud enough for all to hear. Quickly, everyone felt tense, and the SCYTHE agents covered the door as Alexei signaled them to aim their weapons. After the news of the escaped convicts taking control of SCYTHE HQ and their equipment and weaponry, the agents knew that they were being haunted now by the convicts looking for revenge, so they were not taking any chances.
“Would you mind opening the door!” A familiar voice said behind the door, a voice Pamela recognized right away. “I have a bloody Amazon here, and I would like her off my fur!”
“Barbara?” Pamela realized.
“Minerva? As in the Cheetah?” Alexei asked, eyes narrowed with suspicion. “She could be working with them, with the White Magician.”
“She isn’t,” Pamela answered, glaring at the SCYTHE soldier for the accusation. “She would never ally with the psychos you had under lock and key.”
Alexei scoffed. “That woman got a cemetery filled with people who say otherwise, and she hurt the mother of someone I know.”
Before the two could argue, Miguel stood up and decided to take action. He extended his hand, forming a large arm construct from it, and grabbed the handle of the blast door. With one pull, he opened it wide. Barbara entered. Her feline form made some of the SCYTHE agents tense, and weapons were still trained on her.
“Quite the welcoming committee…” she noted in sarcasm. “Now, would you be dears and get this woman some help?” She adjusted the unconscious and bloody Artemis on her back. Her blood covered Barbara’s fur.
“Medic!” Alexei called for an agent nearby before turning to Miguel. “And you, don’t use your freaky powers until I order you to do so.”
“Sorry tin man, I don’t speak fascist,” Miguel responded with a smirk, and Alexei glared at him.
The medic quickly came to Barbara and guided her to a nearby makeshift hospital room, which had a bed and various equipment to help the SCYTHE wounded. Barbara went in haste, and gently, with the help of the medic, they placed the injured Amazon on the bed, her blood soaking the white sheets red.
“How the hell did you even find us?” Alexei asked as he and the others entered. “I made sure I covered all our steps.”
“You did,” Barbara noted, stepping back to let the medic check on Artemis. She turned to Alexei and pointed at her nose. “But one of you has a very special pheromone that I can smell for miles,” she said with a smile as she turned her gaze to Pamela. “Still with those rose scents around you.”
The redhead smiled. “Maybe it’s that mark you left on me.”
“More than you think, Pammy.”
“Christ…” the medic gasped, catching everyone’s attention. “How is she still alive? And how long has she been like this?” He asked, examining the injured Amazon.
Her armor was wholly wrecked, beyond repair. Her headpiece was half broken, and the gauntlets and braces on her arms and legs were dented and unusable. Her injuries were severe: open wounds, slash marks, and burn marks were all over her body, and judging from blows on her armor, she might have had a few broken bones as well.
“Didn’t bother to look at the time with some of the grunts that were sent after us,” Barbara answered, leaning on a nearby chair as fatigue finally set in for her. “But these Amazons are too stubborn to die, and I know that from experience…”
The number of times Barbara thought she had beaten Diana only for the Amazon to get back up and beat her back was many, and it frustrated the woman to no end, but now she couldn’t help but be in awe at the resilience of these warriors.
“Her Amazon gifts will heal her,” Barbara noted. “But I am not sure how long it will take…”
“I doubt it will take more than a few days at least…” the medic noted, bringing out some bandages and wrapping them around her arms. “She will need a miracle to even walk out of here on her own two feet.”
“Uhmm…” Everyone in the room turned to Emily Sung, who stood by the doorway. “I… I think I can help her heal faster.”
Barbara and the medic gave her an odd look. To better explain it, Emily brought her hands together, and a small flame began to form from her palm. However, they weren’t bright orange flames; they were blue flames, and they didn’t feel any heat from them.
“I developed this technique while training,” said Emily. “It's a fire spell that doesn’t burn, but it heals people. I first used it on Miguel when he hurt his hands, and it was instantaneous,” she explained, and Miguel showed his fully healed hand as if he was demonstrating it. “But this will be the first time I will heal someone with this severe of injuries…”
Pamela and Barbara looked at the blue flames with wide eyes. In Pamela’s case, she was told that Emily had powers, and from Miguel’s description, she had the power of all the elements. However, seeing it firsthand and feeling it from just that tiny flame made her sense there was power behind it, warmth, like the sun.
“Do it,” Barbara said, taking a step back. “At this point, if we need magic to get her back into the fight, we better get to it before we lose her for real.” She turned to the shocked medic. This was the first time he would ever see magic in play. “And you, guide her in whatever wounds need to be healed.”
The medic nodded. It was better than nothing. With his guidance and Miguel’s support by her side, Emily went to work to heal Wonder Woman, who was in a state of life and death if they didn’t work fast enough, all while Circe and her crew were out there terrorizing the city.
“What’s the news out there?” Alexei asked after the three left the infirmary room. “We are in the dark here, and I couldn’t radio in anyone with the pieces of junk we got. Not even my brother, who was trying to get as many agents as possible.”
“Brother?” Barbara asked before she realized who his brother was. Her expression became solemn. She remembered the Warhammer who stayed behind to slow Circe and her crew, giving Barbara a chance to escape with Artemis on her back. “The guy with the Hammer…”
Alexei furrowed his brows, noticing the change in her expression. “What happened to my brother?”
Barbara took a deep breath and began explaining everything that had happened: the White Magician’s true identity, her taking over SCYTHE HQ, her ultimatum to Wonder Girl, and finally, Anatoly Abromivici’s sacrifice to save them.
*************************************************************
Somewhere in Gateway…
With the loss of SCYTHE and their headquarters, the surviving agents didn’t have the necessary support from the intel agents in the Black Room to fight off against the newly revived Red Centipedes, now grown more powerful with the help of the escaped convicts, more than happy to exact revenge.
With the bridges closed off, SCYTHE’s weakened state, and Wonder Woman being presumed dead, the city had been thrown into chaos. Streets filled with criminals and looters taking full advantage of what had happened, stealing anything from everyone across the island.
Red Centipedes roamed the streets with military trucks, taken from SCYTHE after their HQ had fallen to the White Magician’s control, making full use of their hardware to hunt down any surviving agent, delivering the message that they were the new peacekeepers of Gateway.
“Let me go!”
A woman, a worker from Taco Whiz, was being dragged from the streets by a group of RedCent grunts. Taken into a nearby corner, the RedCent dropped the worker on the dirty ground. Their eyes had terrible intentions behind them.
“Come on, man,” one RedCent grunt said from behind to his buddy. “We are supposed to find those SCYTHE fuckers, not mess around.”
“You’re serious?” The buddy looked at his friend like he was crazy. “We’ve been locked for months in SCYTHE’s cells; we can have a few minutes of fun.”
“Please! Don’t do this!” The woman screamed, tears falling from her eyes, afraid of what they would do to her. She tried to stand up and run away but was quickly pushed back down on the pavement.
The RedCent approached the woman, who crawled away from them in fear. “Come on, girl, I just need to release all this stress after being locked up for so long!” He proclaimed, giving the woman a leery look before turning to his buddy. “Hey man, I can share! Maybe we can get someone else from the street-”
The RedCent stopped speaking, catching his breath for a moment after he saw his buddy lying on the ground face first, knocked out cold. Looking up, his eyes widened in shock when he saw the person standing before him. “You’re… you were supposed to be dead?!”
Covered in heavy bandages and wrecked NIGHT armor, and carrying a mace in his hand and a pissed-off look on his face, Commander Hector Hall stood before the RedCent grunt like a dark spectre coming back to life. Kicking the knocked-out buddy aside, the Commander looked between the grunt and the terrified woman before he hardened his glare at the RedCent.
“Stay back!” The RedCent grunt aimed his weapon, hands shaking in fear. “I said stay the fuck back-”
In a moment, Hall moved at such a speed he looked like a blur, cutting the distance between the two. With one swing of his mace, he smacked him squarely on the head, sending him to the ground.
Hall turned to the woman he saved, who looked at him in horror. “Go… get to safety…”
Without another word, the woman ran toward the exit and into the streets, away from the alley. Now alone with the two RedCents, Hall grabbed the knocked-out buddy and woke him up, making the man see the bandaged-up Hall looking down at him with hateful eyes.
“You… I want you to send your boss a message…” Hall began, making him face the Commander. “Tell the White Magician, Circe, that I am declaring war on her and on anyone who stands by her side.” He turned and walked up to the other grunt, who was crawling away from the Commander in fear, grabbing his bleeding head. He begged for his life, but Hall ignored his pleas. “And this, this is for my men that you Centipedes have killed…”
He lifted his bloody mace and brought it down like a hammer on the begging Red Centipede as his buddy looked on in horror. He lifted it up once more to reveal the man’s head was crushed like a watermelon.
Commander Hector Hall was still alive, and as long as he was still breathing, SCYTHE would remain standing to fight against all threats against Gateway City.
*************************************************************

Wonder Women Vol 3.

Previous Issue <> Next Issue

I literally cannot do this anymore. A few months ago I deleted both TikTok and Instagram because it was making me absolutely miserable to consume negative content on a consistent basis. Within the last month I redownloaded Instagram for work and I just deleted again.
I wish I had the self control to stay away from short form content like Reels but it is literally designed to be addicting and subsequently debilitating. Not to mention, people online are miserable. They are here too, but at least this content is more curated while I can see a video of a toddler on Instagram and all the comments will be filled with an absolute cesspool of filth.
I. Can. Not. Do. It.
How is anyone expected to feel a real sense of happiness and content if everything we consume is fake, depressing, or fear mongering? Shouldn't we want more for ourselves? I am 20 years old. But I just can't do it. It doesn't help that all of my friends simply don't get it, I had a friend ask me how I'm staying up to date on things in pop culture if I'm not on one of these platforms. I believe this is a fair question, but also, does it matter when our pop culture is so heavily influenced by a subsect of people who I will most likely never relate to? Why do I need to know what is going on at all times with this influencer, that scandal, that drama. Obviously pop culture extends farther than that but that is what they were referring to. Is there not something to be said for not knowing? What do I really gain from such knowledge? Entertainment, I guess, but definitely not any real fulfillment of any kind.

years ago I deciding to open myself up and date outside my race. I 35F would have probably done so sooner as I do find white men attractive, however my previous neighborhood was mostly people of color and I guess the oppurtunity never presented itself.
I now live in a different state. In an area where a major portion of the male population is white. In my town family, church, and conservative values are very important.
Best case scenario, would be for me to meet someone in person while attending events or church functions. Aside from that, its also common for friends/family to engage in match making. I 've heard several times from coworker and, acquaintances that "I know the perfect guy for you, but I'm not sure if you're his type. He usually dates blondes". Conversations have also arisen about how important it is to be accepted by your partner's family. I ran into an issue about 5 years ago, when I met the family of a guy I was dating. It was a very tense and uncomfortable experience, and it was the reason we felt it best to end things.
I shared all that in order to ask how do you (white men) feel about interracial dating, and how do you thing it would be viewed by your immediate and extended family. Is their disapproval something that would make you reconsider your relationship. Also, I don't know how to let a white man know Im interested without being too flirty. The guys really seem oblivious and will say as much if and when we actually start talking. What are some of you all thoughts?

I’ve just recently moved and my new neighbors seem to be friendly with each other but while I was walking home I was stopped by one of my neighbors, where they told me about the area and how they have BBQs in the summer, and I will be invited when the time is appropriate. I’ve already introduced myself to a few of them and that’s about as much as I want to go.
But the BBQ plan is my idea of hell. I’m not a big fan of doing social things like that especially when I don’t know any of them. Also I placed a Ring Door bell on my front door and one neighbor kept walking past it and staring at it and kept triggering it off, and decided to stand and stare at it while they were leaving for a few seconds.
So far I’m feeling pretty uncomfortable and stressed out with it all.
Any advice would be great. Thanks.

AITA… potentially. So I haven’t actually thrown it out but it’s bothering me especially when I’m at his place knowing it’s there.
I was going through a wardrobe finding some work clothes and there was an unzipped wash bag. It was full of used adult toys. My boyfriend has been very open that he went through an adventurous phase but had thrown the stuff out when he moved house a year or so ago. It wasn’t like they were buried deep - they were on top of a pile of clothes. I could really get myself wound up as to why he has these but that will only end one way…
So AITA if I throw them out? The wardrobe isn’t used so may well have been there longer than we’ve been together. He’s mentioned us buying toys together and has never suggested he dig into the archives to find something. I’m not sure he’ll even remember they’re there. We’ve made plans for moving in together in the near future, I get the sense that he’s 100% committed and sure he wouldn’t ever cheat.
Every time I’m there I’m reminded and close to spiralling into an anxious episode of why they’re there and how I feel in competition with his old sex life. I shouldn’t have really gone into that wardrobe so don’t feel I can say anything to him. Help!