So, I (30F) have been hanging out 1 on 1 with a past coworker (36M) after I left the company. While I worked there I always felt we had chemistry and good banter but during a happy hour with me (in a long term relationship at the time) and another female coworker (who was happily married), we drank alot and he came off as very flirtatious to the both of us (1 too many compliments with disclaimers like our partners are lucky, etc) and it was a little uncomfortable so I've been cautious about him since then.
Fast forward some months later, I've left my job and bonded with him over a strong mutual interest that many of my friends do not share. The 2 of us have hung out a few times and he made it explicit the first time we hung out that it was platonic. Eventhough he said this, I still felt chemistry and there were subtle signs that he may like me (prolonged eye contact, a lot of teasing, lower back touch to guide me in specific situations, paying for most outings despite me insisting that we split the costs, meet ups are only the 2 of us, etc). I wasn't sure if he liked me or if it was in my head so I poked the bear and called him a true friend the day before meeting up.
I felt something slightly off when we first met up but wasnt sure if it was cuz of the text the day before or me being super late. We did fall back into rhythm and there was a moment when he was about to say something but stopped himself. It took the rest of the night of me bringing it back up until he gave in and said it. Essentially, he does have romantic feelings but was trying not to voice them to avoid making things weird since we do have a lot of fun hanging out. Plus, when we started hanging out, I was in the last year of my long-term relationship. He was caught off guard by the true friend text which might've been the trigger to him saying something that clearly meant romantic interest.
I'm honestly not interested in dating for the next few months for various reasons and I told him as much but I also did say that I have fun with him and am waiting for something to happen in August before going back into the dating scene. He said he wont rush me and we can hang out platonically as always if neither of us are weird about it.
So my dilemma(?), is that idk how I feel about the idea of dating him. Like fuck, I do think I'm smitten and, I was even a bit extra flirtatious in the last outing to bring back ambiguity since I didnt want him to take the true friend text as me defining our relationship as nothing more than a platonic friendship. We always have fun, but he isnt my usual type. My dating mantra is to never date friends since friendships generally outlast romantic relationships, but this guy is in the gray area of becoming friends and I havent mixed him into my social group. I dont find him physically attractive but I dont find him physically unattractive either. Part of me feels that I can do better. My old team joked about the idea of us dating and the coworker who knew me the best said it wouldnt work cuz he would be too high energy for me. Then there's also the happy hour incident, he's been wanting to do another happy hour and my past coworker (she is now my friend and we hang out a bit) never responds and when I asked she noted feeling uncomfortable with how flirty he came off during our last happy hour. He's also divorced but he adores his kid and I've never heard him bad talk his ex.
I come from a dysfunctional family with toxic, cheating, abusive relationships and no good father figure. I've only ever been in 2 long-term relationships and my partners were parasitic. I don't know whats a flaw and what's a red flag. I've been gradually getting better with my low self-esteem and low self-confidence issues. The friends with good relationships feel a little alien to me and aren't my closest friends. It's not the first time I've felt chemistry with a friend while I was getting to know them but it was never acted upon because we were part of a friend group and I didn't want to ruin a growing friendship nor the friend group dynamic.
Am I overthinking this? When we were getting to know each other he said he has a people pleaser problem that tends to come off as flirtatious but does that justify the discomfort my coworker and I felt? Is he actually just a flirt and never cared to be my friend? Are my doubts justified? Or is he actually just a decent guy wanting to get to know me more? Am I being shallow with some of my doubts?

I usually feel great hiking not seeing too many people. I’ve had some weird encounters with creepy people on some trails before and I just went with my gut and maintained eye contact passing / ready to grab my knife / pepper spray when I get bad vibes from people staring at me (usually men ironically that get too close to me and pause). I’ve been trying to develop the mentality that whatever happens, happens, but I can have precautions to help me feel safe from people in general. I usually just smile and wave, most often people just stare / don’t do anything.
I never know if I should be greeting people while hiking. One time I was jogging near sunset and was 30 minutes out on a trail. I felt the urge to turn around and head back, I noticed a man on his bike. I was on the right side, he was coming up on my left maybe half a mile away. As I walked closer, he started to cycle in the middle around 20 feet from me getting closer. I kept calm and kept good posture / eye contact while trying to appear confident walking and keeping positive thoughts. He gets closer (I stayed on the right side of the paved trail the whole time) at this point he was 5-6 feet from me and he just stopped and had one foot on the ground watching me with no smile. I smirked and walked around into the grass while gripping my pepper spray and just started running until I couldn’t. It took me about 20 minutes to get back to my car.
Today, I went on a hike / run and it was great! Didn’t run into many others and just smiled if I did. After an hour I headed back to my car. When I was in view of the gate / road, I noticed a truck pull in from the road and stop like they were gonna back in, then drove back out onto the main road. I was a quarter mile from my car. I get 15-20 feet from my car and the same truck comes back from the main road and just stopped 10 feet from me. They had illegal tint and I just got a bad vibe; I felt like I was being watched. They were stopped in the middle of the road which was really odd. I had my keys in my hand just in case I had to defend myself. I got in my car and locked the door. The truck drove forward into the parking area, but his bed was still blocking the road partially parked. They just stayed there while I was getting ready to leave so I snapped a photo of the truck just for future reference just to be safe.
Am I just paranoid ? (I know I probably am, but I want to know if any female hikers have any advice) I know that whole bear meme is going around, I get that anyone could be a bad person, but in my experiences I’ve had one guy come into my room that was a friend of my roommates while I was trying to sleep before and I had to basically yell at him to leave. Once had my ex threaten to rape me since I didn’t want to try different things with him, so I’ve had some negative encounters with men in my life. Not all men are bad, but growing up it was engrained into my head to not dress a certain way / to just be fearful of rape.
I’m interested how others feel about/ if there’s any tips to change my thinking / anxiety?

context

I met my current Girlfriend on a videogame several years ago. We were young and dated for a week maybe and i got overwhelmed by her clinginess and we eventually parted ways for a few years, only messaging a few times here and there. We didn't learn much about each other, so we were aquainted strangers for a while.
I isolated a lot due to covid but also anxiety of going back out into public. So i always had a lot of time to myself to think. I developed my thoughts and opinions as i stared out the window to the world. I matured a lot. And towards the end i refound my passion for philosophy, spirituality and got deeper into jungian psychology.
Over the past several months i felt very light, or golden. It almost felt like the life path ahead of me was an angelic one, im meant to do great for the sake of others. Maybe im just conceited or egotistical tho.

middle period

This girl though, decides to text me more. Happens to go through a breakup with a bad ex. And she came to me after she got back from the mental hospital. I happened to be there when she was very low. Over time i pulled her out of that bad state and got her over her ex.
We fall in love again.
Since i was always isolated i gave up on searching for relationships, i thought i should just focus on being the best i can so i can start on good footing when i got myself into a relationship. I felt as though i shouldn't force it regardless or seek it out too much. So i didn't. I trusted that it would figure itself out. And it did.
On this second time with her though, I've been able to learn much more about her. And I've realized that she is almost a mirror version of myself, just delt a worse hand in life.

Coincidences or synchronicities?

Now, nothing is super synchronous yet but its been really trippy the more we talk.
We think the exact same thoughts at the same time.
Almost everytime i open my phone shes texting me.
We know what each other are about to say pretty often
Similar tastes in food.
Same opinions and similar interests.
Exact same goals and aspirations.
Her mother and my mother have the same birthday.
We both have similarities in our appearance.
Both want kids, and both ideally want a boy and girl.
Both have had similar problems in childhood
Both have add/adhd ish
Both have siberian huskies
And many more
I also had a dream about her and she showed me something i saw in my dream

more thoughts

We are so very similar. And every time we interact i feel theres always something that happens that is so oddly specific and coincidental that they're not ordinary coincidences. This has never happened to me with anyone else before.
I felt like i was meant to be there for her when i was. I constantly feel like something put us here and like I'm supposed to be with her.
I constantly saw and still see messages that say "if you're meant to be you'll end up back with each other" or ideas similar. Like some kind of omen. These same things, even verses about love in the bible keep reappearing in random places.
Its all so strange but sweet at the same time. But I'm going to trust it.
Lemme know your thoughts! What kind of meaning might this have? Is it more normal than i think it is?

I went to test drive a CPO 2021 C300 today. I loved the car, but I was thinking a couple of things from my experience were red flags. Are these red flags to others too or am I being unreasonable?

1. I asked about a PPI and I was told that I would have to bring the mechanic to the dealership to get this done, but they’d be willing to let my mechanic use their service equipment to do the inspection. IME, most dealerships will ask that you have numbers worked out and sign a conditional offer for the car pending PPI (which isn’t unreasonable) which would include allowing me to take the car overnight. My mechanic isn’t a personal friend so I doubt he’d be willing to come to the dealership
   
2. I asked my salesperson to run the numbers and I told him that the selling price was a bit high for the mileage, features and the market. He then cuts me off and tells me, “unless I’m ready to buy today he’s not going to negotiate as he wants to be cognizant of my time” then tells me that “99% of the people who walk in to the dealership buy the car the same day”. Yea, I feel like that’s BS, but I get that the car may be gone tomorrow. If that’s the case, I’m happy with the car I have now so I’m not desperate
   

Basically, I liked the car but I didn’t like my experience with the dealership. Can I fairly ask to work with someone else if I decide to move forward?

... the fear of this growing right wing, trad wife, traditionalist nonsense really takes a hold of me. I get so tired of handholding men through correct decisions. I'd rather just be able to say words and have those words taken at face value. No, instead I have to mind my tone and have tact. But that's the thing, I can have tact when it comes to addressing a difficult thing with someone I care about. But when it's just some dude I work with, why do I have to go so far out of my way to be listened to.
Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who is acutely aware of how close women are to losing the independence my generation was born into. Hell, my mom wasn't even allowed to have a credit card of her own choosing until the 70s. There is an increasingly vocal group of men who want to go back to that, who are legislating bringing women back to that. Men who want to get rid of no-fault divorce, and let the violence against women act expire and give parental rights to a rapist and let known abusers have guns.
I look at the men in my life who make choices keeping no one else in mind and feeling entitled to insist that everyone be sensitive to their idiosyncratic behaviors. Who put people at risk because of this entitlement. Who put people in danger. In harms way. Who need to be convinced that they're wrong rather than just simply told. The frustration is overwhelming.
And when I look at the men in my life and know for a fact that 99% of them will take the power when it's given to them. Men in my life who are generally on the level I know will just shrug in the face of these rights rollbacks. But I also know that my ability to have a voice in my own home if shit gets really bad is dependent on tying myself to a man. A good man, but still.
My anger has no where to go. Rant over.

I keep wondering if i had done kpop whether id actually pass or debut at all. given that its only just started doing western auditions its a shame cause its too little too late for someone my age to debut in kpop, i wouldve needed lots of singing practice or rapping abilities of some type.
why so many younger kids debuting in kpop as well? theres not much for anyone my age to follow these days? if theyre in the militaryi have to wait for them to comeback and even then id still not get to see them perform in person
im neither pretty nor ugly just in between average if you will, im neither talented but never had the chance to try anything of the sorts cause we just didnt have this sort of entertainment from a young age, im neither old nor young therefor do not fit in the bracket of being cute and adorable. i wouldve loved to have done something musicy even if it was only for a short period maybe in an older generation. at first i kept wondering why so many would want to do so much to themselves but i can see the appeal of it for the younger generations who have more entertainment than what i had growing up lol
my other concern is idols have to do much online to connect with their fans further and as much as i like the extra videos they do its really not what id do if i were in kpop, i feel like id do better if it had been any other older generation. like say if kpop had been around in in the 80s since it was around in the 90s i just never heard of it. they seem to have fasicnation with foreigners or foreign sounds but only just started putting actual westerns in their groups recently and you have to be so fluent at korean which i know id fail at. even so id have given it a shot just sadly im in the wrong time or generation to do it and it just seems to have a lot of general problems either with online backlash or some type of negarivity that idols have to deal with again i think those problems would be less if kpop had started from before the internet came about

My (23M) mother (58F), after three weeks of traveling through Europe, came down with the flu or something similar. Her only symptom has been extreme fatigue, and she asked for wheelchair service through the airports and asked me to carry all of her luggage. Traveling with her was difficult, as she is the type to become extremely agitated and lash out whenever things get stressful. Even something as simple as walking to a new hotel would get her dialed to 11 and lead to her snapping at you for suggesting an alternative route. When we got home, she continued to say that she was too exhausted to do anything and has asked me to do her normal share of chores, buy everything and bring her things from the kitchen as needed. I have done all of these things dutifully, but when I was out and about, she sent me a text saying “If I die…” and went on to explain how her life insurance policy worked, gave me the number of her manager and told me to call them to collect her things and said me that she would give me important information later that night. Panicking and thinking something major had happened, I called and asked what happened. When she told me that nothing had changed and she still just felt extremely tired, I became very upset with her and told her to not send me texts suggesting that her death was imminent. In response, she said “You have zero empathy” and hung up the phone.
I confronted her when I got home (and delivered her popsicles and tylenol), and said that she had leveled a very serious accusation at me that I did not appreciate, and that in fact, she was inconsiderate to scare me with death talk when nothing had changed and her doctor had even said that all she needed was bed rest and fluids. Initially she said nothing and asked me about something else. I repeated myself and she kept saying “ok”. I told her that ok is not a response and I wanted a proper answer from her, and she said “you shouldn’t start arguments with people when they’re feeling shitty”. When I pressed she paused for a few seconds and said “you shouldn’t be in here, I don’t want you to get sick”. I refused to relent, and she raised her voice at me that she felt like shit and that she had said I had no empathy because of my demeanor. I repeated that saying I have no empathy when I’m doing everything she asked of me and simply asked her to stop with the death talk is completely unfair and excessive. She then started talking as if she was going to cry and went on about how she’s “done so much for me” and “haven’t I shown you that I love you?”. She has done a lot for me, but it’s a false dichotomy to say I can’t be appreciative of that and critical of her behavior.
After going around in circles, I realized that I was never going to get an apology or acknowledgement that she shouldn’t have said that, and that she would continue to use diversion and manipulation tactics. She asked me to get her another popsicle, which I debated but did despite my frustration. After this conversation, the illusion finally disappeared and I realized what she truly was - a loving but unstable individual with deeply unhealthy attachment patterns and an inability to accept criticism, who will not shy away from underhanded tactics to avoid doing so. Which led me to accepting that I am never going to have a healthy, close relationship with her.

Hey y’all! I’m a female in her mid 20s looking for a writer of any gender around the same age to partner up with. I’m based in Mountain Time in the US, but I really don’t mind your timezone. As long as we have some sort of overlap, we’ll be golden.
While I don’t mind who’s on the other side of the screen, I am only interested in writing FxM and FxF stories at this time. Something I really value in my partner is the feeling of excitement, especially when planning and plotting. If you’re too eager to jump into something immediately with no preparation at all, I’m not a suitable partner! I’d love to talk deeply with someone to brainstorm something equally satisfying so that we can build a story that’s sustainable.
I’ve been writing on and off for about ten years now. I can write in either POV and typically write anywhere from one to five paragraphs depending on what the story needs. I tend to match my partner’s length but definitely prefer responses on the longer end. I tend to write openly and freely, so I will sometimes mix up present and past tense. I’m not a huge stickler on grammar, just please have good spelling at least.
Circling back to the title, I’d absolutely love to write some relaxing slice of life with someone! Right now, I’m looking to play a pair of coed best friends who are super cute and wholesome with each other. Maybe they’re naturally flirtatious, but the pressure of a formal romance just doesn’t exist. I’d love to see these two characters go on adventures with each other, support one another through drama, and cuddle in each other’s arms without ulterior motives. Maybe there’s a push and pull between them when it comes to romantic elements, but I don’t necessarily want a romantic end game. Instead of romance being the driving plot, perhaps the story is more about our characters and their hobbies/interests/careers, etc. We can go really wild with how our two characters know each other exactly, let's live a little larger than life!
I have an original character created for this story, and I’d love to play against your original character. If we chat, I can absolutely share my character with you so you can get an idea of the effort I’m looking for in return when it comes to character building. It’s nothing crazy or heavy at all, I just don’t want to write against someone who can only provide a basic physical description and nothing else. I need to know your characters' likes, dislikes, quirks, backstory, etc.
I sincerely hope that I don't sound super needy or uptight in this request! I'm pretty easygoing, love to talk out of character, and genuinely want to get along with my writing partners and have a great time. I just want to refrain from wasting my time or yours, and I hope that the things I'm asking for resonate with someone else.
If you’re interested in writing this plot with me, please start a chat with me or send me a message letting me know why you’re interested in this plot and your favorite color so that I know you read this entirely. Hope to hear from ya soon! ✰

SYNOPSIS: Walking your OP monster girlfriend home is easy. No one messes with you. Getting back to your house on your own? That's the tricky part.
What's worse than an eldritch building? How 'bout a bigger one?
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Chapter Cover Art (From Mood Writing Sample)
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Norman took one look at the towering building to his left. Then he took off.
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“̷̵̵̷̶̷̶̶̸̶̶̸̴̡̛̮͉̹̪̼̙̤̲̤͔̗̮̥̣̜͓̟̞̃̔̈́̑̈̍͌̂̂̐̋͛̉̓G̵̶̸̷̴̸̵̵̴̶̸̷̸̴̶̨̢̧̞͈̠̜̳̪͎̬̜̱̫͚̝̩̑̒͐́͆̃̿̉̆̉̃̓̀̎̐͂̎̒̕̕͘͝͝Ǵ̷̷̷̴̸̸̷̷̷̷̵̨̢̞̥͓̰͖͙̰̝͖̩̺͍͎͉͌̽̂́͐̓̀͒̐͗́M̴̷̶̵̴̷̵̶̵̴̷̷̢̡̧̢̛̫̲͕͇̗̯͚̥͙͓͓̀̒͑͒̂̊̅̐͛̂̄͌̈̚͝M̴̷̶̵̴̷̷̶̷̬̼̭̗͍̺̳̩̱͍̂̄̾͂̔̽̇̀͝͝͝͠M̶̯̙̥͕̞̰̗̗͐̔!̸̞̞̬̼̖̩̈́̇͊͐̾͑͋̉!̷̧͈̘̬̆͑͝!̶̤̜̔̓̆̅̔͆͘͝”̸̨̧̼̭̫̒͜

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The new hunting cry boomed through his body. It was much louder than the first building’s, albeit shorter, like a tap on the shoulder from a titan proclaiming its presence to the world.
Of course, the tap of a titan could flatten a man.
Norman fell. His legs had simply stopped working. Jaws clenched, he forced his will into wobbly muscles. His palms slammed into the waterlogged street, stopping the fall. With a sharp push, he sprang back to his feet and ran on.
Norman yanked out the remaining two flash grenades on the go, strung them together, armed and drew back for a throw.
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“̷̬̳̙̍̎̆G̴̥͇̥͔͕̫̈̀M̵̛͇̜͙͇̫͔̭̩̝̜̓̈̏̓̓̀͛̚͜͝͝M̷̩͈͉̘͙̿͌̃̽͂̃̏̏̓̾̈́͌̈́̉̅̄̉͘!̷̢̧̢̤͓̭̖̝̏̏̄̓̾̉̆͋͘͝!̵͍̱̼̮̯̺̲͙̖̮̗͓̻̓̊͂̒̔͐̎͘͘̚!̵̙͍̟̌͒̃͂̎͠”̶̡̛̠̱̭̞̹̟͉̒̎̎̂͂̐̈́̓̄̚̕

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That quick boom pounded through him. His fingers faltered. The flash grenades slipped from his grip and fell. He was still recovering from the sound when they went off at his feet. The nightsight filtered the flash, so he didn’t go blind. He’d gutted the flash grenade’s speakers, so he didn’t go deaf. The peeping building could deafen him all on its own … no, this wasn’t a peeping building. He’d slew a peeping building. They were small fries by comparison.
This was an eyescraper.
Tentacles the width of busses unsheathed from its sides. Even if he’d managed to launch the grenades and bathe it in smitelight, he suspected that wouldn’t be enough.
Norman sliced at its eyes with a focused beam. It barely flinched. Maybe if it got close enough, he could affect it a bit. By then, it would be too late.
Throbbing chuffs thundered from the monster. It sounded like a laugh.
Norman shot it a defiant glare. He bolted. Not fast enough. He could feel the giant closing in. So, he moved faster. Then faster, and still faster. His muscles blared their warnings. Rain lashed his face. He felt the air begin to resist his movements as he reached a speed at which it mattered. It was in his way, so he pushed through it too. No one was there to tell him he was moving far faster than any human known to history. All he cared about was hearing that thing fall behind him, and so it did. The tremours of its tremendous movements grew fainter.
At the end of the street, an apartment building came into view. Norman threw himself against it, climbing with the reckless abandon of a madman. He was halfway to the top.
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“̷̧̨̭̹̘̥̮͖̤̻̥̬̌̀͒̔͌̊̀̚͜͜͠Ǧ̶̨̨̧̺̘̰̗̘̥̝̗̦̩͖͎͋̈͑͐̒̽̉̔͛̾̒́̕ͅM̴̨̉́̾̉͂͆̔̿̀̃̇̎̍͆̂̽͗̔͘͠ͅM̷̝̻̱̆̍͜!̴̮̬̯̮̦̖́͂̆͋̿̇̎̄̄̅̂͑̎̀̕͘͝͝͝!̸̲͎̲̼̠̮̱͖̥̭̤̩͓̘̜͈̟̖̮̰̦͖̀̂͗͂̽̈́̋͌͂̐̓̈̕!̸̜̆̿̋̔̽̕”̷̢̦̜̰̼̳̝͓̆͗̈́̆̆̑̃̾͑̀͗͒͆́͐͒̈́̿̽̕̕͜

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His grip went limp. He fell. Struck the ground. His head bounced. The world grew fu...z z y.
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W
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w
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_CHAT

• LEMMY.OUTA.HERE: (Stupse) Well, he ded.
• BAJANETTE11: ARN74, JUST GO AND FIND HIM!!!
• ARN74: HE DIDN’T SEND ME DE PIN! DIS BAAARE STRESS! NORMAN, YOU PUNK! YOU EMOTIONALLY INVESTED ME IN THIS CHANNEL! IF YOU DIE NOW I’M GONNA KILL YOU!

Something was yapping in the background, but it wasn’t important. He felt fine. Everything was fine. Why not rest? Why was he even-?

_CHAT

• ARN74: YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULDN’T LEAVE AMY!!

What? No he didn’t! Promises weren’t for trolls! Why would he leave Amy anyway?
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“̸̼͔̖̜̫͍͚̊́̽͆̓̂̋̋͐̕Ģ̴̢͕͉̯̺̗̖͔͙̪͓̻̯̫̭̙̱͕̠̭̩̌M̸̨̧̘̟̹̖̻̲͍̭͓͉̰͙̦̣̜͉̻̎̅͗̇̈́̈̏͌̓̾̀̈̈́͜M̵̢̢̖̯̦͍͕̝̯̥̹̪̠̥̰̝̖̊͛̀̇͜!̵̢̡̡͚͕̘̟͕̥̦̪͆̈́̿͆!̴̛̹͈̜̥͔̬͎̪̩͚̦̯̟̘̩̰̳̍̑̂́̌͌̎́̒͋̽̿̑͌͝͝!̴̛̥͕̪͂̂̂̈̓͆͗̇̄̈́̌̅̎͂̕̚̕͝͠”̷̧̧̛̠̝̰̞̘͙̥̖͎̭̞̜̳̟̓͆̌̊̃̔́͒͋̇̈́͘̚͠͝ͅ
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Oh, right. There was a skyscraper running him down. To think he lived in a world where that made any sense. He rubbed his throbbing head. It was hard to think, though.

_CHAT

• ARN74: TRY AN CLIMB DE TING OPPA!

Brain fog would have to wait.
In two twos he jumped onto the side of the building and kept going up and up without breaking the momentum of the leap. Adrenaline had challenged gravity. Gravity lost. There was no pause to assess handholds. There was no rain stinging his face. In his mind, there was only ‘CLIMB, CLIMB, CLIMB!’ Crest the rooftop. ‘RUN, RUN, RUN!’ Descend the other side ‘JUMP!’ Gravity greedily reclaimed Norman, dragging him 4 storeys down at breakneck speed. He hit the ground in a parkour roll. Bruised a bone. Nearly fractured a shoulder. Wrenched his spine. Joints, muscle, ligaments almost popped. They didn’t.
He was running again.
Norman had never heard a building shred like paper. He’d never thought to wonder what it sounded like.
*( ( BMMM! ) ) ( ( BMM! ) ) ( ( BOOM! ) ) *

SHHHHHRRRRRRMMMM!

Now he knew.
Those booms … was it the eyescraper’s tentacles breaking the sound barrier, or punching holes through the apartment building? Maybe both. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that it was tearing the building in two with the ease of one parting curtains. Buildings were not designed to be parted. Two became legions as the sundered building collapsed.
Norman rushed for an abandoned truck, slid beneath the trailer. Not quite fast enough. Most of the rubble didn’t reach him directly, but upon hitting the ground? It pulverised into a blast of cloud like a sandstorm. Hissing beneath the trailer, the dust stung at his ankles. He ignored it, racing for the truck’s cabin at the front. Perched on the step beneath the door, he braced as the dust raced beneath, around and above him. The cabin was his shield. He flinched to a duck when its windows shattered as the dust cloud blasted straight through them. The truck rocked and slid slightly, bombarded by wind and dust. It lurched as a chunk of debris finally reached it, crumpling the trailer like cheap foil.
Time to move.
Particles prickled Norman’s eyes, finding their way through the nightsight. He took a fresh glimpse of the path ahead before clouds of grey engulfed it all.
Memorised.
He dashed on. A split second later, the cabin was levelled under a larger slab of concrete. More sporadically thundered down around him. His eyes were squeezed shut, denying entry to any more particles. He scrambled through the street, dodging obstacles from memory. As for the concrete rainfall that couldn’t be seen? He had some prayers about that, but it probably came out like half-baked gibberish.
Norman chanced opening his eyes. They watered like crazy. At least most of the dust was gone. Behind him, the eyescraper’s menacing silhouette was picking through the rubble. Finally, an unblocked street was in sight. He rounded the corner.
.
“̵̨̢̮͕̻̲̺́͠G̵̣̒́̓̽̅̊͘͝Ọ̷̝̣͓͙͔̀ͅͅǪ̷̜̺͚̲̯̭̈́̍͂͑̋̋̅͂̅́M̷̨̤̭͈̯̤͋̾̏̈̅̉̀̏͘M̵̡̢̙̱͌̊̓͒́͌Ḿ̸̳͗̀̀͐͒͗́͠ͅ!̷͍͉̣̪̫͙̳̲̤̎̀̾̅̈́̔̎̑͘͜͝͝!̴̨͈͖̘̖̅͛̋̽͠!̸͎̩͓̫̥̼̫̊”̵̫̗̞̣̝̃̅̕͘͜͜͝ͅ
.
Another peeping building, rumbling in from the new street. Alright. Straight it was.
.
“̷̢̧̻̹͚͔̾G̵̳̭̾̃̎̍̌̂̈́̂͛͘M̶̧̠͇͔͚͉̮͈̰͒͊́̏̔̄̾̊͐̒͂͜M̸̳͓̋͋̔͑̔̔̕͝Ő̷͓̟̱̮͓̍̂̾̽̇͘͠Ô̸̧̫͉̮͚̥̥̯̈̾͋̅͂͘̚M̶̢̫̥̰̮̪͙̬̙̗̺̽͒͐͌̋̈̄͆͝M̴̢̧̧̛̗͔͓̫̭̳̱͑̉!̵̡̛̛͍̲̓̅̑̈́̿̏͘̕͠!̸̧̖͔̣̩̏́͋̀͛͂̏̀̇̑͐!̴̧͕̝̮̤̱͈̬͋”̸͓̉̈́̑̎͊̌
.
Maybe not. A third building emerged from the rainfall ahead. All streets blocked. He glanced about. All alleys still blocked. This really was a hunting net, but this much energy for a tiny human? Predators weren’t usually like this.
He ran for the nearest building that wasn’t occupied by eldritch calamari.

( ( BOOMM! ) )

The eyescraper’s tentacle crossed his path. Its supersonic shockwave sent him flying.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Norman came to. Rain poured against his face as he lay on his back. How long was he out? Why was it so cold? The atmosphere didn’t quite feel right. It didn’t look right either. Something about the colours, or subtle lack thereof. Everything seemed a bit desaturated. Norman sat up and coughed his lungs out, evicting a mix of dust and rain water collected in his slackly gaping mouth. Buildings towered above him on every side, a bit too close for comfort.
.
“̸̮̼͍̻̯̲̹͓̬̻̓̍G̷̛̖̙̰̰̟̓Ḿ̸̧̨͊̊̔͒͌̆͆͘͠͝M̷̧̺̏̿̆͑͆͋̅͌̕͝G̵̰̺͇̺̯̲͇̠͖͂͜M̸̡̨͕̹̗̥̎͑́̾!̸͇͙͚̝̩͕̙̒!̵͙̬̮̪̏̍!̶͔̪͉̙̘̃̐̄͝”̶̡̡̥̫̻̝̜̫͙̩͛ͅ
.
Oh, right, those weren’t just buildings.
Norman raised a finger, gesturing to wait. “Could you *kaff!* quit subwoofin’ at me for, like, ten seconds!”
“Plucky.̵͚͐͝ for all seasons I .̵̦̺͐̅see,” came a skin-crawling voice from behind him.
Norman swung back his smitelight. It barely moved half a foot, then it stopped. Rather, something stopped it. That ‘something’ was cold. So cold. His wrist felt the chill without even touching it.
Norman turned, slowly, so as not to trigger further attacks. He found himself looking up.
Eight feet tall. Dark grey skin. A grin that went a little too wide. Dagger teeth. An open-chested jacket, revealing sinewy muscles with luminous markings like tattoos. His ebony eyes bore penetrating white pupils. Of all his traits, the dreadlocks stood out most. They belonged in a nightmare, dancing through the air with a life of their own. Somehow, they looked blacker than black, absorbing every ray of light or heat that came their way. That icy chill in the air shifted with the movements of his dreadlocks. They seemed to drink life from the air itself. Norman almost found it hard to breathe. One dreadlock clutched Norman’s smitelight, only by the tip, but its grip was iron.
Norman stared the tall man down.
The nyctal’s grin grew by a smidgeon.
Taking a calculated risk, Norman released the smitelight. Perhaps a peace offering would do good.
“Good.̷̧͋͌̎̿ boy,” the tall man nodded, admiring the smitelight as the dreadlock rotated it. “Clever.̴̧̤̩͈͓̖͂ͅ toy.”
Norman noted an understated Jamaican accent in his voice.
More dreadlocks slithered across the smitelight, as if tasting its every nook and cranny.
Norman did his best to look casual as he scanned for an escape route. The eyescraper’s tentacles had wrapped around the street, fencing him in.

_CHAT

• BAJANETTE11: 😳
• DARCIE222: okay, i’m back
• HARD-BACK-M8N: who you is again?
• DARCIE222: i left after the twilight angel sleep paralysis
• LEMMY_OUTA_HERE: And you’re back for more?
• DARCIE222: wonna know it impossible to stay away from a channel like dis

Norman looked at the tall nyctal again.

_CHAT

• DARCIE222: 😲 WHO IS THAT?!? AND WHY IS HE KIND OF …??? 😍
• MUNSTER-VERSER: I KNOW!!!
• BAJANETTE11: HE LIKE A VAMPIRE RASTA MAN! ❤❤❤
• ENTO_MOLLY: MOVE OVER MIGUEL O’HARA!! 😍🥰😘
• BAJANETTE11: NORMAN ASK FOR HE NUMBER!!!
• NORMAN: I HERE ABOUT TO DIE AND WONNA WANT HE PHONE NUMBER!?!

The nyctal’s eyes shifted to Norman inquisitively. He frowned, raising an eyebrow as the comments piled up. Finally, he smirked mischievously.
“Your fanbase has peculiar tastes,” purred the tall man.

_CHAT

• ENTO_MOLLY: 😳 Is … he talking about us? HE CAN SEE THE CHAT???
• DARCIE222: THE WAY HE SAID IT!!!
• DARCIE222: HBVJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJKL;K''
• LEMMY_OUTA_HERE: Did she just pass out on the keyboard?
• LIKKLE-BOY: lol!
• ARN74: you’re simping. Norman’s about to die, and you’re simping

The tall man handed Norman his smitelight.
Norman’s suspicious gaze flicked between the nyctal and the weapon. Finally, he reached out and took hold of the smitelight.
It crumbled in his fingers like ice-cold ashes. If not for the insulation gloves, he might have gotten frostbite.
The nyctal laughed.
Norman didn’t find it particularly amusing.
The tall man sauntered towards the eyescraper. Beyond it was a darkness even the nightsight had difficulty piercing. He beckoned Norman as if it were an afterthought.
“Please come in, .̵̭̻͌̓̂Norman.̶̲͕͇̅̑̚,” the nyctal instructed.
Norman stared stubbornly, hands in his pockets as he rocked on his heels. He felt for his smartphone. It wasn’t there. When had he lost it?
Without looking back, the nyctal held up Norman’s phone. It disintegrated between his fingers as he rubbed them together.
Norman glared. At least the guy hadn’t pickpocketed deeply enough to find other things.
“Hey. To whom do I owe the … pleasure?” Norman almost had to push the last word through his teeth.
The nyctal stopped in the eyescraper’s doorframe. Shrouded in shadow, little could be seen of him, save the piercing white pupils peering out. Then the glint of his Cheshire grin.
“.̴̜͓̭̻̤̍̈́̆͑͑John Crow.̸̻̮̓̈́̏̓͘,” he answered, before receding into the darkness.
The eyescraper’s tentacles dragged in across the street, corralling Norman towards the building. With an exasperated groan, he trudged towards the main entrance.
“I want my bed,” grumbled Norman.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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I just joined this company recently. My coworker whos in her 20s who worked here more than a year kind of reviews what I do and give me feedback. (I am in 30/ and have more experience than her. Just not at this company) Sometimes she has to give me back up documents so that I can do my job.
Her manager emailed my pod for some incorrect entries that were posted. I noticed she gave me wrong back up document. I requested nicely to provide updated document. She didnt respond to my email but said its all taken cared of.
I Slacked her asking what do you mean its all taken cared of? She responded she updated everything so no follow up needed.
She never has corrected what I did before until that point. Never. She even tells me to update something my pod did incorrectly. She also deleted the back up document and posted another.
I got very annoyed. I emailed her ccing her manager asking to provide all the work she hasnt done for awhile and requested to follow up.
She sent me Slack saying she should reach out to her privately if I need something. She requested not to talk to her manager before (she doesnt know a lot of things she does and she spends too much time figuring it out I sometimes ask her manager directly) Her manager is not my manager but we are all in the same team constantly communicating with each other. Idk why I have to go through her just because she wants it that way. - Shes very ambitious works hard but cant stand her if her imperfection is noticed by her manager. I dont think he cares at all. Hes super nice boss.
I sent her another Slack asking she should provide correct back up and I wanted her manager to have visibility since he has more knowledge. She was bitching about working late and she had so much work. (Is that my prob?) Never apologized for providing wrong back up.
I didnt respond to her last Slack and moved on doing my work.
I saw her being dishonest before (she deleted something I did and when I asked she said no but updated that later)
I can maintain working professionally but if she keeps deleting something behind my back pretending she didnt make any mistake. I will be soooo pissed.
How should I handle this going forward????

After a string of incidents on my route today I came to a grim conclusion about my chosen profession. It's long been common knowledge amazon DAs don't really garner as much respect as postal carriers or even the UPS/FedEx driver though our job is the same as theirs. Furthermore, most interactions I've ever had with customers are negative and even the somewhat positive ones seem to come from a false assumption. Why do you always ask what's in the box? We don't know.
I was accosted about delivering someone's package to the wrong house when my label had the correct address and while receiving this woman's attitude and her shoving the completed picture in my face she kept saying, "You not paying attention?" but her picture was a brown paper bag...Inhad not delivered one of those. I informed her I was not the only truck on route and then she checked her door and found her package delivered correctly by someone else before I had arrived. She never apologized.
Then I was attacked by a dog. It usually barks as I pull up but the yard was quiet so I thought it must be inside. I got through the gate and approached the deck and found it, maybe it was as napping...Anyways it came at me and as I backpedaled I used the package as a muzzle and kept it on the dogs mouth so it couldn't bite me. Dropped the package over the fence and the owner then came out as I was getting in the van and shouted "sorry!" so, I suggested she have the dog up next time we're coming in a polite way but did inform her that it almost bit me. She became infuriated and screamed at me that I can always drop it over the fence but that's not in her instructions and there are no signs in the yard so I told her it would just be safer for everyone if the dog was put up.
Why are we so disrespected? We do the same thing your mail person and the ups drivers do. What is it about us that makes customers think they're so much better than we are? We're people too. I could have stabbed the dog it would have been within my rights. I could have ignored the other lady, it wasn't even a package assigned to me. Yet I tried to help both people because I understand, unlike them, that we're all people.

I've just finished a full rewatch of the Viz dub including the movies and specials, having watched a mix of the OG English dub + some of the sub as a child, but never in order all the way through. Here is my review no one asked for:
Classic: Great intro to the characters, loved it when the plot was somewhat moving, and the relationship between the guardians was really well developed. I found the Jadeite/Nephrite arcs really dragged at points, however once the Rainbow Crystal arc rolled around things really get going. I wish we could have seen a bit more flirtation/romance between Mamoru and Usagi. The finale was simply stunning and emotional, bringing me to tears.
Favourite filler episode: "Love and Chased: Luna's Worst Day Ever" Favourite plot episode: "The Shining Silver Crystal: The Moon Princess Appears" Special mention: "Usagi's Eternal Wish: A Brand New Life"
Sailor Moon R: I quite enjoyed the Makai Tree arc, however as above I found it a bit of a missed opportunity with Mamoru/Usagi and romance. Once again, the beginning of the season was overall a bit rough. And Chibiusa... while her behaviour was understandable it wasn't enjoyable to watch. And the less said about the break-up arc the better. The Black Moon Clan were pretty cool though, and Chibiusa definitely improved as the season went on.
Favourite filler episode: "Venus Minako's Nurse Mayhem" Favourite plot episode: "Saphir Dies: Wiseman's Trap" Special mention: "Usagi's Crisis: The Tiara Stops Working"
Sailor Moon S: I mean what can I say that hasn't been said before? The peak of the series - from the first episode you feel the raised stakes and improved production values. The Outer Senshi steal every scene they're in, the pure heart crystals format adds an emotional character driven layer to even the monster of the week episodes. The Death-Busters make hilarious but compelling villains, and the Hotaru arc is utterly captivating. Chibiusa is also handled far better - her friendship with Hotaru is her at her best.
Best filler episode: "Coldhearted Uranus: Makoto in Danger" Best plot episode: "The Shining Shooting Star: Saturn and the Messiah" Special mention: "The Death of Uranus and Neptune: The Talismans Appear"
Sailor Moon SuperS: Now I heard everyone hates this one, and honestly it wasn't as bad as I expected. The animation and music are gorgeous, and the slice of life comedic episodes are mostly done really well. I also love the villains, especially Fish's Eye. However I do find the focus on Chibiusa grating at times (although still better than R!) and Pegasus/Helios... eh. The worst crime for me is no Outers - why?? I really felt their absence, and I think having Hotaru aroudn could have made Chibiusa stuff a bit more compelling. Overall I enjoyed this season for what it was, but it did drag at points.
Best filler episode: "Storm of Love: Minako's Grand Two-Timing Plan" Best plot episode: "Dreams Forever: Fill the Heavens with Light" Special mention: "Shadow of Evil: The Trio's Last Chance"
Sailor Moon Stars: Ok, so this one was back with a bang - the Outers are back, and the stakes are higher than ever. The Nehelenia arc in this season is pretty much peak Sailor moon. Then the Galaxia arc - I enjoyed the Starlights (well I mostly enjoyed Seiya) and it was interesting to add a different dynamic to the group. Sailor Aluminium Siren and Crow were two of my overall favs, and I liked that we were back to dramatic high stakes like in S. The end was beautiful, and I may have shed a tear.
Best filler episode: "A Night Alone Together: Usagi in Danger" Best plot episode: "Usagi's Love: The Moonlight Illuminates the Galaxy" Special mention: "Night of Destiny: The Sailor Guardians' Ordeals"
I loved all of the movies and specials - the R movie and Ami's First Love are the peak of the entire series animation wise for me.
My rankings of the seasons: 1. S 2. Stars 3. Classic 4. SuperS 5. R
My rankings of the movies: 1. R 2. S 3. SuperS
So those are my thoughts! Don't know what I'm going to do with myself now - read the manga or watch Crystal?! Would love to hear all of your thoughts on the series too :)

Hey all, I've been reading this group for the last couple of months. I had a terrible credit score (560) and have been trying to improve it. I tried many tips from here to improve my credit and saw marginal increases (+50ish points), but I found a better solution I'd like to share. My credit score jumped an average of 210 points in two months (I am a 770 between all three bureaus) and I didn't pay a dime to have anyone do it. Late payments have been removed, and collections have been dropped. All I've done is sent letters to collection agencies and the credit bureaus threatening a lawsuit if they fail to drop collections against my credit / late payments that I deem inaccurate or insufficient to report. How did I do it? I literally go into Chat GPT and write prompts like this "Write me a demand letter to \****** [collection agency] demanding that they immediately remove a collection for xxx from my credit report." I add "Be aggressive in the letter and note that I will move forward with a lawsuit if not corrected." Sometimes, I will add details too, like "Note that I recently closed ****** account and was in good standing" or "I have not been provided sufficient evidence, I do not recall this debt, or the evidence provided is insufficient under federal law." I also told the chatgpt, "Tell them that I refuse to receive any contact attempting to collect the debt and will view it as a violation of federal law."* I add "Say I'm only willing to accept written communication regarding the [collection agency] confirming they have removed this from my credit report." I also tell chatgpt to say, "if I do not receive a response by \***** confirming this has been removed from my credit, I will move forward with a lawsuit." *What happens:** ChatGPT spits out a legally intimidating letter that says to provide me with concrete proof, or I will sue if they fail to remove me from my credit report. It also demands a response in writing within 30 days. I also Cc various federal agencies at the bottom, and it works. What I do after I get the ChatGPT letter: Once I get the response from Chatgpt, I take the demand letter it spits out, read it (make adjustments if I need to), put it in word or pages, change the text to courier font (the legal lettering), and send it off. I also use my printer to print the creditors name on the envelope (in courier legal font) so it looks more intimidating. I add "Time-Sensitive" in bold on the top left the envelope too. Here are the results after 60 days: (I started in February and wanted to wait a little before posting everything). All amounts are in estimates just to keep it as anonymous as possible. - $6,000 (estimate) debt with a debt buyer---- 5 years old---Removed, and provided a letter letting it go. - $1,000 (estimate) debt from another debt buyer -- 15 months old-- Removed (no letter provided, just off my credit). I have sent another demanding letter giving them 15 days to confirm in writing they are removing it (will update when I get a response). - $1,700 (estimate) from a collection agency -- Sent me a letter with "verification." I sent a letter saying it wasn't sufficient; they sent a letter back with a contract signed by me and said the creditor adjusted the collection to $450. From that point, I called and said I found the debt wrong, but I settled it for $300 as a pay-to-delete. - $640 (estimate) debt from a collection agency -- Removed and provided a letter letting it go. - $1,300 (estimate) debt collection agency-- Removed and provided a letter letting it go - Six late car payments to USAA Financial were updated to paid on time (payments were late from November 2023 to some in 2022). I had a 90-day late payment taken off. For these, I sent my disputes directly to Experian, Equifax, and Transunion ( I did not send a letter to USAA Financial because they would have concrete records of when payments were made). Some important notes: - Make sure your prompt is aggressive. You might need to tweak it a couple times by telling chatgpt to be more mean (ha ha). - Make sure you tell ChatGPT to demand responses in writing that it's off your credit report. I didn't want them to try to re-add it later or sell it to another agency. By demanding it in writing, I put them at risk if they sell it off because my letters note that I will sue them if they try to offload it to another credit company because it's a wrongful debt. - You also need to read what it writes; it will make small mistakes here and there (sometimes it will put things in plural) My situation: I was an idiot until recently and could care less about my credit. This method cleared my credit and approved me for a new car lease (I needed a $1,500-$2,000 car lease payment to write off because of tax reasons). I recently got a new 2024 S 580 hybrid (Mercedes) and the Mercedes dealer didn't flinch about my credit on a $148,000 car (was approved by Mercedes Benz financial). I'm in my early 30s and self-employed. I make roughly $230,000 a year. Some may ask why I don't just pay it off based on income -- Owe roughly $85k and take care of my parents. A piece of advice: DO NOT PAY ANYONE TO HELP YOU. YOU CAN DO THIS YOURSELF. YOU JUST NEED TO PUT SOME TIME INTO IT. Good luck.

I’ll be going off to college in a few months and have been wondering more and more how worth it all of this really is. I’ve worked really hard in high school, just finished my last AP exams. I’ve gotten into the computer science program at one of the best public schools in my state. All my life I’ve been told that hard work leads to success but looking at the job market and at others experiences online it really doesn’t feel this way. Why would I work really hard for four years on a really hard program while doing internships if I may not be able to get an entry level job when I graduate. The future seems so uncertain and while I try my best to not be a pessimist, I think it’s important to look at the job market and ask myself if I’ll be able to make enough money out of college to make my degree worth it, and I really don’t know. I’m really wondering whether I should have the mindset of “everything will work out if you work hard” or just not putting in the work for a degree that I may not see any returns for. I can’t look at all of the other people who are unable to find jobs with their degrees and act like I’ll necessarily be different from them. I can’t act like “oh, they just didn’t work hard enough, but I’ll do better”. I don’t know others experiences or what they go through. I don’t want to become depressed over the simple possibility of things going wrong but I also don’t want to feel unprepared for future hardships and I struggle to find a happy medium. When does hope turn into dangerous ignorance and when does being cautious lead to pessimism or an excuse for not trying hard enough?

Am I the asshole for not wanting a relationship with my dad’s side of the family?
Me, 23F, have a pretty good relationship with my parents, but a point of conflict in our family ever since I was a child is my relationship with my dad’s side of the family.
My dad’s side of the family lives on another city so that automatically reduced the contact I had with them in comparison with the contact I had with my mom’s side of the family, most notably my grandma and my uncle.
My dad’s family has never really put into the effort to have a closer relationship. The most I would get from them were usually birthday and Christmas calls when I was a kid. Now, it’s, at best, a Christmas call from my grandmother and a DM from one of my aunts. At the same time, my grandparents often showed they cared more about my cousins than me. They would often be more affectionate towards them and give them rather expensive gifts and even help with paying for their eduction. One of them got a car recently and the other got help in affording their MBA.
I get it, they live closer to my grandparents so it’s understandable they’d be closer to them than to me, but these things weren’t as clear to me when I was about 6/7 I often wondered what I’d done to make them not like me.
My dad always insisted we visited them during summer break or other holidays when I was in school. I never felt like these people cared for me so I hated wasting my off time visiting them instead of spending time with my friends or doing other activities I enjoyed, especially given that I struggled with bullying in school so the summer break was always the time I had to just be left alone. Instead, almost every year I got dragged for a week or two to another city and forced to live under the same roof as my grandparents. They weren’t mean to me, but I often felt completely left out when I was there. My mom would often be the only one who tried to do something I’d enjoy.
Sometimes his family would come to visit and more than once he gave away some of my toys to my younger cousins. He’d hardly ask me in advance if it was okay, instead he’d ask in front of my cousins if they wanted it and if I was okay with giving it to them. I felt pressured to say yes, because I didn’t want to disappoint my dad nor upset my younger cousins.
His goal whenever he was with his family was to prove to them how successful he was. How he’d been the first to have higher education in the family and how he was a businessman when, in reality, my parents were somewhat struggling financially.
Over the years, I began to make my position more clear and tell my dad I didn’t want to visit them nor that I wanted them in our house. He often said I was being selfish and that I needed to put in the effort to be closer to his family. He also said I was close to my mom’s relatives and that it was unfair I didn’t have the same relationship with his family. It became an endless point of contention, including between my parents who’d often get into arguments over the situation. My mom always taking my side as she doesn’t really get along with them as well.
It also didn’t help that my grandmother and aunts seemed to dislike the way my parents were raising me and told my dad I was too spoiled. My dad told my mom about it and she told me about it once she felt I was old enough to know as she “didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”
Recently, things got worse. There was one person I liked in that family and that was my uncle, he too often felt left out by the family so we could relate in some ways. My family was actually pretty horrible to him as he struggled with mental health and they think that’s bs. He died during the COVID pandemic and now the family basically acts as if he’s never existed. I get it may be grief, but the way they never talk about him feels weird to me. He was the only person that made my family more tolerable and now he’s gone so there’s not much left.
More than that, my dad’s family is more on the conservative and religious side and I’m not. They post a bunch of fake news on their stories about the government (to the point one of my aunts often has her posts suspended) and supported a candidate who was openly lgbtphobic and I’m gay so you can imagine that did not land well with me. Still, I never tried to argue with them for the sake of my dad, but I would still post something about politics every now and then. In the end, one of aunts went into my DMs to say how stupid I was for supporting the other candidate. That escalated to a whole argument… my dad was not happy about it and said I should tone down on my posts.
More recently, my dad has begun to visit them on his own as my work schedule makes it harder to take me with him, but he keeps talking about how my grandparents are old and don’t have much time left and how the “whole family” should be there for them.
Still, I can’t bring myself to really care. I genuinely feel nothing for them. I expect nothing from them and I trust they expect nothing from me.
I do feel bad for my dad because it’s his parents and family so I don’t complain about them anymore, but I still don’t want any contact with them.
Am I the asshole?

I have been noticing some things that I don't know if they are related to DID in any way. I have been fairly sure I have DID for 2 years now, ever since I spent time hospitalized. Recently I've noticed certain things that I haven't really though of before.
Sometimes when I look into the mirror, my face looks like it's wrong. Not like when you stare at one point of your face for 30 seconds and your face morphs. It just sometimes doesn't look like my face.
I have lots of times where I have intrusive thoughts and I can see my doing the action in my head, like for example from sometime recent, I heard a baby crying and I had an intrusive thought to slam the baby's head into the ground. And I could see myself doing it. It's not that I want to do that, but I have those really often.
Sometimes I will wake up and the world doesn't seem correct, or like tiny details about people and things that I interact with during the day doesn't seem like it's right or real.
I freeze up very often. I am still conscious, as far as I know, during these. When these freezes happen, my whole body won't move, despite what I want it to do. Doesn't matter when it happens too, it happened today when I was taking feeding my friend's kid, and I froze for around 30 seconds.
Do these have anything to do with DID? If they do, do you know why they happen?

To level set- I consider myself a transmedicalist. When I say that, I mean that transition, and the existence of trans people, is exclusively a response to sex dysphoria- that being significant distress around primary and secondary sex characteristics and the desire to change to those of the opposite sex. I believe all trans people will take HRT when possible, and make the effort to be seen as their intended sex by other people when possible. Anything else (top/bottom surgery, FFS, etc) is too complicated and nuanced to fit into this definition. Sex dysphoria is a medical condition, and transition is the best way to deal with it.
This definition is roughly consistent with anyone who calls themselves a transmedicalist, give or take a thing or two. A very common response to transmedicalist ideas is 'you're just trying to make yourself palatable to conservatives, who don't even care about you anyways'. It's ultimately a confusing and extremely frustrating response, because for my money, transmedicalism is the only logically coherent way to explain being trans. Without it, we often devolve into 'a woman is anyone who identifies as a woman' and other such circular definitions that leave most people unsure and nodding their heads in blind agreement rather than being able to fully digest the concept. I don't think it's absurd at all to explain our existence, to ourselves and to others- in fact, having a complete and logical idea of how we fit into reality rather than trying to create our own is extremely important.
But I believe the 'you're just trying to appeal to conservatives' line largely comes from the opposite direction- that much of the modern queer movement is first and foremost interested in radicalism for the sake of radicalism. If you're a binary transsexual, you've probably more than once been approached with the idea that you're 'challenging social norms' or something similar, and have received a strange look if you said something along the lines of just wanting to be a 'normal' man/woman. Because to a lot of people, the point of defining oneself as anything other than a cis man or woman is to raise a middle finger to the entire institution of gender as a whole. And when self-identification is all it takes to do so, why not? You're a young person interested in tearing down oppressive institutions, gender not the least among them, and using they/them or ze/zir pronouns for yourself is ostensibly a contribution to the cause at minimal effort. But to those of us who actually have a medical condition that we're trying to address, it's downright insulting to be considered a part of a political movement simply because we exist, and then be told that we're only trying to appeal to conservatives because our relationship to the issue is intrinsic, and yours is a political move at baseline.
However, I do think it's worth calling out that many transmedicalists do care a lot about respectability politics, to an unhelpful degree in my opinion. Transmedicalism is not conceptually related to respectability politics at all, to be clear- but if you went to nearly any online transmed space, I couldn't blame you for walking away with that conclusion. There's an unhealthy focus on pointing at and judging 'theyfabs', xenogender stuff, etc. If you are a transmedicalist, and you do care about respectability, start with the transmed relationship to the 'trans community' first- part of the reason that there's so much disdain for transmedicalism among trans people is the behavior of transmeds themselves. Pointing and laughing, calling damn near everything 'fetishistic' does no one any good, having an actual conversation with cis or trans people about why completely untethered queer ideology can be damaging to transsexual people has much more potential to have an impact.

Hi everyone! My current pc is about a decade old now and struggling hard with newer AAA games, so I figured it's about time to retire it and make a new build.

Is this a brand new build, or an upgrade to an existing build?

• Brand new!

Please list any existing parts or monitor(s) you have that you would like to re-use with this build. For upgrades, a PCPartPicker list of your full build is extremely helpful. Be as specific as you can be here, including links or exact model numbers of each component whenever possible.

• None. Looking for all new parts including monitor.

What will this PC be used for? Examples include things like gaming, general/multimedia use, photo/video editing, coding, AI/ML, etc. Include specific games and applications you intend to run, and any particular performance goals you have, as each may have different specific hardware needs.

• Mainly gaming with some general internet browsing / Youtube. Games include Baldur's Gate 3, Horizon Zero Dawn, Elden Ring, Helldivers 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Witcher series, FFXIV, indie games like Hades 2 and Stardew Valley. I'd like to be able to play at 1440p when possible.
  
• I'm not into competitive gaming, and I don't mind playing games that's not maxed out frames, performance, or quality settings. Just want a pc that can actually play newer AAA games at least decently and is built to last a while.
  

What country will you be purchasing in? If you are in the US, do you live near a Micro Center? For other countries, please check if your country is supported by PCPartPicker by using the country selector dropdown on the top right - if not, please provide some links to reliable local vendors you are comfortable ordering from.

• Canada.

Do you need one or more monitors included in the budget? Please list how many and any size/resolution/refresh rate preferences if needed.

• Yes, one monitor somewhere between 24" and 28" and ideally 1440p.

What is your preferred and maximum budget range for this build, in local currency? Parts lists may sometimes have additional shipping costs. Please note whether prices in your country include sales tax or not, and adjust your budget accordingly. Typically VAT countries will have it included in the part list prices, whereas regular sales tax countries like the US and Canada will not.

• $2500 CAD, not including tax. Willing to stretch it a bit if it opens up better options.

Do you need WiFi, or do you have a wired ethernet connection available?

• Yes, need both.

Do you have any specific size or noise requirements for the build?

• I'd like to prioritize for airflow and cooling. Preferably mid-tower size.
  
• Ideally runs on the quieter side.
  

Do you have any aesthetic preferences for color or lighting? Describe what you're looking for, or feel free to provide some links to examples that may help. Some people prefer an inobtrusive stealth build, while others may prefer a case full of rainbow RGB.

• I prefer black and more on the minimal / simple side, though I don't mind some extra colour as long as it looks good all together. Windowed and/or RGB would be fun, but not a must.

Any other specific requests or requirements? Examples might include a specific minimum amount of storage, or a particular CPU socket for a future upgrade path, etc.

• So far I'm planning to undervolt.
  
• Would like 2TB SSD to start. Planning on adding more later.
  
• Would like at least two USB-A ports on the tower's front.
  
• Flexibility to upgrade parts in the future would be great, though I don't plan on upgrading much, if at all, for at least a good while.
  
• Don't need a copy of Windows.
  

No it's not about a catch or anything, but I was hanging with some friends today (common) and my ex ( she is the dumper) spawned out of nowhere.
My anxiety just went sky high in that moment, and I was shaking big time.
I said hello and I kept it cool, i continued talking with my friends, however she asked me how I was and I told her I'm just busy with all my projects and work. In 4 month since BU a lot of things happened, I went from 110 KG all the way to 87 KG, constantly going to gym and focusing on myself.
She complimentted my looks, my new car and she even told me that she has to give me my stuff back even if this hurts her a lot, but she keeps forgetting. I said it's fine, she can keep em or donate them to kids in need.
I had her key and left it in her mailbox when I went to her city to catch a plane and she was mad and told me that I was an asshole cuz I didn't call her to let her know about the key. I told her that I didn't want to call because I just wanted the things to be left how she left them and and there isn't anything else to be said. She was left speechless and she didn't talk with me anymore after that.
When she left she fist bumped with me with the hand that was wearing the ring I gave her ( a ring golden with infinity sign that I gave her and told her I will always feel the same thing for her) for me to see that she still wears it.
To end this "rant" I'm happy and I'm happy that I could overcome a random encounter with someone who hurt me so bad, I really really loved her and to be honest with you guys, I thought she might be the one, we had such good connection until she dumped me due to her "depression" but yet again was on tinder not even a month after the BU.
Everything will change, it's just a matter of time, fight through the pain and the cuts your ex leaves you. You will get eventually through and if you fear something, embrace it breathe and let it be. As much as it hurts, you deserve the win.
A part of me is happy that I saw her and a part of me is proud of myself for how I handled it as to be honest I held a lot of hate towards her as I was so hurt for leaving me out of nowhere. I could have been mean and tell her everything I kept ruminating about all this time. But I chose peace.
Let yourself feel the pain and embrace it, you will win eventually and doesn't matter how small the win is you will feel better about yourself!
Stay cool and if everyone is going through something similar, just know you are loved and you will get better. I trust you and we all do

My boyfriend and I have been planning a roadtrip to Canada for a few months now. We’re set to spend 5 days there and leave this Thursday for the long weekend. I’ve been saving up a bit of money so I decided to book and pay for our hotels in Quebec City and Montreal. I normally try to book hotels with free cancellation when traveling because you just never know- but this time I wanted us to be in a comfortable place that was within walking distance of places we wanted to see or visit so, I caved and booked them. Thursday morning my boyfriend gives me a call around 4am, which is when he normally goes into work (we don’t live together yet btw, but we’ve been together almost 4 years now) he’s in a panic saying that he thinks somebody stole his car! Of course, this woke me up instantly and I was in total disbelief but as he’s talking he goes on to mention that he missed 1 or two monthly payments and maybe they took his car… I thought 1-2 months behind was too little for the bank to repossess your car and he says oh well maybe it was more like 3-4 months behind and he kept stressing and worrying about where he was going to get the money to pay. He was a bit shaken up so I didn’t want to question him about any savings, tried to help him calm down and advised him to just wait, call his lender as soon as they opened & let me know what they said he could do to get his car back. At first Santander demanded that he pay the full 21k loan for his car outright if he wanted it back, then they decided to work with him and asked him to pay $3,500 to get the car back. His monthly payment is something around $600 so that would mean he probably owed somewhere around 4/5 months. Since he didn’t have the money, I gave it to him & I’m not expecting that money back. I’m now worried about the fact that we’ve never actually had a conversation about our finances and we were planning on moving together this year. He always seemed to be doing fine- sometimes he needed a little help to get by and I’d send him $100 to keep him afloat through the week until payday but, this is a bigger problem than what 100 little dollars can fix. I’m starting to wonder where his money is going and I don’t know how to approach that conversation. Especially because he makes more than I do and we both have around the same bills, from what I know. I also now have to reconsider this trip, I’m very excited about it since we’ve been planning for a while now but I’m worried about having to spend all of my savings over there.. Any advice on how I can talk to my boyfriend about all this without making him feel uncomfortable :/ and what should I do about Canada? The hotels are paid for so I’d be losing about $1000 if I don’t go, but can I afford a trip for two with around $2000? I’d have to factor in gas, activities and food, and we love food :( any thoughts/ideas would help greatly! I just don’t know what to do.