How to respond back to a invite for a job interview

Hey everybody it’s me again. I don’t want to go into detail because I’m not out yet and not comfortable with coming out yet. I turned 17 on Monday April 29th so I have little time till I’m a legal adult. I’m not risking anything so this is what I’m going to say
Back in January I was told my crush has feelings for me. (Im pansexual and been with one person). To sum up that relationship it was super toxic he was 17-18 I was 15-16 and he was horrible. My experience with dating was terrible so I truly don’t know if I am/was a bad partner. I won’t get into that because it’s just to much and don’t think this is the place to talk about it. Back on topic I got with this girl will call her puppy. Why because puppy goes by a weird name in real life. For short I refer to her as puppet or pup just so you get the point. So will name my ex bff Skyler. For short Sky. Sky was my rock for so long she was my best friend and took amazing care of me. We had a few sleepovers and everything she listened to me cry, vent, get angry, and give advice. Sky was amazing especially after I told her the horrible things my ex had done. She helped me break up with him she also knew a few months later I had feelings for Pup.
Pup has been my friend for a few years now she seemed amazing. I went through the teenage trend about how I said I wanted to marry her and adopt/fosteIVF children with her. (These were things we’ve been wanting due to us both being girls. IVF is in our cards but I want to also adopt she wanted to foster). Well to sum it up we broke up in march I was bummed out at first and shockingly enough didn’t cry. Sucked she did this before I had a bunch of test to take that day but it was whatever’s. That weekend I told Sky that I’m just going to move on and go back to liking this boy I have been into for a while. Mind you Sky knew how I felt about that guy. We will name him Moe. Sky knew I had feelings for Moe before I got with Sky and had feelings for him since I was in the fifth grade. (I met Sky back in sophomore year). Me and Moe don’t go to school together but to sum it up I told Pup and Sky back when I first got with Pup I’m cutting off Moe. Moe is weird I can’t explain what he does to make him weird just go through his messages and you would question why he sends what he sends. He sent me a inappropriate link and I told him to never do it again. I cut contact with him and only reconnected with him after me and puppy broke up.
At first I reconnected with him so we could become a couple but then I realized I had no feelings for him. I just wanted to be his friend. Sky knows this me and puppy have a strained relationship as friends. It was just super awkward and our friendship hasn’t recovered yet and now I think it won’t. If you read my past story’s you would understand why me and Sky aren’t friends.
So on insta I posted on my secret account story a video calling out fake friends. Mind you it’s not my vid it was a repost of some other account. It has no names in it. I posted it because I have been thinking about my ex boyfriend and a girl I believe he cheated on me with and many others from my past. Well Sky and Puppy both responded. Sky was rude towards me and said something about how “I was terrible for dating puppy only because she’s a girl and she showed interest and how I used her”. Which sky knows this is false boy girl nonbinary etc I would have dated Puppy because I thought she was amazing. Me and Puppy aren’t close anymore but she sent messages towards me harshly and said I was fake and need to “quit playing victim” and some other irrelevant stuff. I noticed she posted on her instagram not saying something along the lines of “Fuck you for what you did” or “Fuck you, you know who you are” it makes sense now I guess. I don’t know what to do now I have class with her in a few hours and I’m not looking forward to seeing Sky or Puppy.
Sky and Puppy were rude because they both thought a video I reuploaded was aimed at them. I don’t know what to do but I’m very upset with the situation. This really goes to show they didn’t truly know me which is sad. There goes three years of friendship. To be honest I should have seen my ex Puppy as a red flag though she did a lot of things that I realized are toxic. She also broke up with me a day or two after I told her my “son” tried to take his own life again. (My son is a kid who’s transgender and looks and acts like a child and they looked at me as a mom and I looked at him as my son).
I’m not sure if I should do something about the situation or just move on.

A year ago I (M26) met my girlfriend(F52). I had been studying under a scholarship and had just finished my bachelor's degree in an Asian country, to celebrate me and my friends would go out to the club every other night. One night I was at a club I regularly go to and there she was sitting and having a drink, I went over to say hello, danced a little and exchanged contacts, at the end of the night she sent me freaky gifs and a message that said I should go home with her.
Without thinking about it I went out of the club ( was curious how a one-night stand with someone twice my age would feel).
The next morning I washed up and we both walked down the road before we went our ways she hugged me and said something along the lines of "Hope to see you again". Back at the university, my scholarship contract had ended and the university was planning to kick me out, I was in the process of finding a place to rent.
I texted her but only to find out how she was and she asked why I'd been quiet and wanted to meet up for a coffee. We met up for a coffee and I told her that I'd be busy searching for either a job or a new scholarship and an apartment.
Time went by and we met regularly to mostly have sex, I was enjoying it as we were both having fun and had an unspoken friends-with-benefits arrangement going. As time went by she started asking me to just hang out, and go for dinners and started introducing me to her friends and drinking buddies as her partner.
I felt awkward because I thought we were only having sex and sometimes just hanging out (nothing major).
The university eventually kicked me out of the dorm and she said I could leave my stuff at her house, I did because all my other friends wouldn't take it in and she has a big apartment (she works as an Expat from an EU country) ( I, on the other hand, am an African student).
I found a place to rent and only went by her house on Wednesdays and weekends as I was still looking for a job or other scholarship. Fast forward things got rough and I asked if I could leave with my friend and no one took me in, that's when she offered.
I moved in and was able to get a study grant but that wasn't enough to move out again. I eventually had to fold and be the "boyfriend" but she would usually not let me pay or contribute much towards any bills, I convinced myself that I could do it just till I got on my feet and had some side gigs that were still not yet sustainable.
The more I've lived with her the more I find it difficult to move, she hasn't been a bad person and she's introduced me to her friends and family while I've introduced her to my older sister (that didn't end well), my friends and peers who know her just almost play along to the fact that they think I'm with her to survive which I feel has turned to be the case.
We do have disagreements sometimes and she once locked me out of the house because I was talking to a female friend(literally my friend's girlfriend) and she said I ignored her presence. She threatened to throw me out for that.
Whenever I bring up the thought that I might want to be a father someday she gets mad and says we should go our separate ways knowing I currently have nowhere to go.
Last winter holiday I went back to my home country but just before I went she started crying saying "I'm trying to run away from her". She made a big scene in public (that happened at a club).
She drinks a lot of alcohol and encourages me to do the same and sort of gets upset when I don't drink and she does.
She also books extravagant trips and spends a lot of money even when I don't ask her to.
The one time I asked for money was indirect. The ATM had jammed my card and I told her what happened so she sent money and got upset. She had to sleep in the next room because she said "Her anger got a hold of her and she didn't want to end up doing something to me when I was asleep".
As the relationship has progressed there's been far less sex and I'm kinda relieved as I always felt it was transactional("paying rent kinda thing").
Sometimes when we go out she does allow me to look at other women ("she's bi) and I do.
She trusts me not to cheat and she knows it's because I've got too much to lose if I do, but I'm not a saint and I have tried to cheat.
She's rarely been physically abusive and only when she's drunk. She's currently separated from her ex-husband(back in her country).
She asked me to introduce her to my family but I told her the truth which was that my family wouldn't want me to date someone almost my mum's age or twice my age and it would be unacceptable.
Her work posting will be over soon and now she's trying to get me to move with her to her home country(I've visited before) and she flashes things like "There's job security, you can be an EU citizen, stick with me and everything will be alright ".
I plan to go back to my home country and I've told her that and she becomes upset about it. I've told her I want to go back and meet up with her in Europe later but I'm just trying to put this behind me and go home and put all this behind me.
I apologize for the English Not asking for sympathy just opinions and advice, If she finds this I'm cooked😅

Hello, Ortho-Family,
Joyous Evening! Christ is Risen, Indeed!
TLDR: About to be homeless without a car while dealing with an undiagnosed progressive illness, plus lifelong depression that has, in spite of my being extremely diligent in my own treatment, remained resistant to therapy. Found safe housing for everyone but me. Not sure why, not beefing with anyone, but my fiance just made arrangements for himself, our son, and one of our dogs and I am expressly NOT invited… in spite of the fact that they allowed him to have a stripper move in with him in his 20s, the mother of his child who is a completely respectable member of society, am too much of a burden. My own parents are already financially overwhelmed with my daughters. I am absolutely terrified, devastated, confused, overwhelmed, and in need of prayers.
——- I am ashamed to say that I was not able to participate in the celebrations because our family received some catastrophic news. We are losing our home in 60 days. We have absolutely no idea what to do. The rent locally has skyrocketed since we moved in here four years ago; it’s literally doubled, no exaggeration. And our income has dropped about 65% or mode in the past two years for several huge reasons.
First, I sustained brain damage from COVID which has dramatically decreased my short term and working memory to the point where I can’t match socks because I can’t remember what color I have in my hand while I’m looking for the other. I’m not allowed to drive anymore because I get lost and forget where I’m going. I’m 36, guys. I had a phenomenal sense of timing, direction, and my memory was very good. Now I’m applying for SSD, which is likely to deny me when they finally do decide, since everyone tells me they deny you first and make you appeal, so that’s terrifying.
My fiance’s factory cut overtime this year without warning, which meant a 37% annual pay decrease. We had a baby back when we were doing so well, thinking our future was bright, but during the pregnancy, I contracted the covid that fried my brain and our son now has early intervention for developmental difficulties. His grandmother, my fiance’s mom, has been in my fiance’s ear all along that he needs to drop me, I’m a terrible mother, this is all my fault, but every doctor, therapist, nurse, etc who has ever worked with him said that he is the sweetest, most well adjusted baby they’ve ever met, that he’s making unbelievable progress and I must be really working with him a lot (and I am).
Our third major kick in the teeth was when my psychologically unstable ex-husband, who had been doing well for a few years on medication, came off of it for reasons unknown and deteriorated dramatically. He ended up accusing me and my parents of colluding with the government to get more child support out of him than I was legally entitled to. This was insane for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that my family has absolutely nothing to do with the government or anyone in it. But he was so incensed that he refused to pay the whole order, and instead only paid what he thought was “fair.” The court, however, did not agree with his decision, and proceeded to garnish his paychecks. In retaliation he quit his job, dumped his live in girlfriend and moved himself, her, and her adult daughter out of the apartment, gave away my daughters’ kittens and refused to tell me where to find them, got rid of everything they owned, and never reached out to them again. He has completely disappeared, CS Enforcement has been unable to locate him, so on top of the unspeakable damage that did to my daughters psychologically, it slashed $2000/month from our budget.
We started struggling to feed everyone, because 3 of the 4 children have autism and wont eat just anything, and the food banks tell us that since the end of the pandemic and the rush over the border, the funding has totally evaporated, and they don’t even get fresh food anymore. They couldn’t help us. So, a couple months ago, we were all losjng weight and we had to make a hard decision to let the girls stay with my parents about five minutes away, until something changes. And they were ok with it, but I am heartbroken.
Two days ago, we got the news: they’re selling our house. We have two months to find somewhere to go where we can house ourselves, our four children, and our two ESA dogs, who are absolutely essential for me with my severe, treatment resistant depression and panic attacks, and for my daughters with autism. We can’t lose them, and my girls can’t emotionally stand losing their dad, their stepdad (who, on Christmas, told them they could adopt him as their dad, which they did), their kittens, both of their homes, AND their dogs in one year.
I am terrified. I am sick right now, and while we suspect that it’s from COVID, that’s not 100% yet. One of my symptoms, Raynaud’s, started when I noticed my tongue turning grey and going numb when I got cold. Two weeks ago at Divine Liturgy, it spread, this time all over my arms, legs, and head. I had to leave early and barely made it to my car. I felt like all the blood had rushed from my head and extremities. It was terrifying. When it subsided, I went home, but now, I can’t drive. Since then, it happened when we got the news about the house, so now when I get stressed out, it happens then, too. But it’s getting worse, because now, my fingers become paralyzed, and it’s creeping up my arm.
I don’t know what to do because my girls are safe at my parents’ house; my fiance is planning on taking our son to safety at his parents house, but he didn’t invite us me, and I don’t understand why, I am so confused, hurt, scared, there are no words. We don’t even have a bad relationship. I think I always had the impression at least for the last two years that I loved him a lot more than he loved me, but he always said that that was all in my head and I thought maybe I was just crazy. But I can’t fathom somebody taking their baby and leaving their babies mother behind if they really love her. I’ve been there for him, my little baby, every day since he was born I’ve seen him do everything. I wake up with him every day. He’s gonna be so hurt. I guess my fiancé thinks that his mom is just gonna take my place and there’s gonna be no problem, but that’s not how people work! He’s two years old, he knows who I am. He loves me and he counts on me. His first word was mom. He said I love you today for the first time and it was to me. I may be replaceable to my fiancé, but I’m not replaceable to my baby.
I’m just really hurt and really scared and I don’t know what to do next. I called my priest to talk to him about it, but I’m new at that church and he doesn’t know me that well and he couldn’t understand the situation and I couldn’t really clarify it because I don’t understand either. I can’t imagine justifying ripping a baby away from his mom and thinking it won’t have any impact. And everybody thinks that I’m weird for thinking that’s horrible. I’ve been a good mom. Everybody that works with the baby says that I’m doing a great job. I wish I could understand why everything ends up turning against me. I just can’t understand it. I have spent the past three years literally dedicating myself to being a better human being, I truly have. Please pray for me. I need all the prayers I can get. I’m so scared that I’m about to find out that he has met someone else or something and I’m just gonna be shattered if I have to be homeless and watching someone else raise my beautiful baby.

I was diagnosed with schizophrenia about 11 years ago, during finals week of my sophomore year of college. I dropped out of school because I failed all my classes. I didn't go to any of my finals because I was scared that people outside were trying to kill me and if I left my dorm that I wouldn't make it back alive among other delusions.
Fast forward to now, I lost my job two weeks ago working as a remote entry-level Network Implementation Engineer for a large tech company. I worked there two years, and my salary was $67,500. I started at the company installing and repairing fiber internet. The Network Implementation job was a promotion.
I don't have a degree, but I have lots of experience. I've worked as a Student Systems Administrator, IT staff for a large hotel, during high school I did a 4yr apprenticeship in Machine Learning and software engineering. I don't have any certs, but I've been studying a lot for the CCST (Cisco Certified Support Technician) and the CompTIA A+ exam. through some courses and coursework through Udemy, which are super interesting to me.
Before I was laid off, I worked at a movie theater as a second job for about a month. All I did was clean theaters after each showing and work concessions. I walked out on the job because I was being bullied by one of the managers, and when I tried to report it to the other managers, they just came back with that excuse of "that's just how he is". Of course it's one of those jobs where all the managers are buddy-buddy with each other, so I just know they wouldn't take me seriously if I were to say something to them.
I've been applying to a lot of similar Networking and just general IT jobs recently. I've been spending about 8hrs a day applying to jobs, and I'll take a one to two hour break to study for that CCST exam and eat lunch. I went to Walmart yesterday and got some pens and notebooks to help me take notes during that Udemy course.
I feel hopeless that I'll never find a new job, simply because I didn't finish school. I want to help myself by getting those certs, I just feel depressed because a lot of people over at /layoffs are saying that the tech ship is sinking fast, but It's the one area of my life that I have a very strong passion for, and I made enough money to live by myself with my dog, something I've never been able to do before.
I've tried working retail jobs, but the voices get way too bad to tolerate around how shitty people can be to one another.
Just wondering what you all's take is on this? I don't want to be homeless.

I issued a end of tenancy letter by email to my landlord a few days ago, the contract doesn't have any clauses regarding how it should be given only how the landlord can do it. Not a surprise there.
This landlord has given me grief since I reported him to the council for failing to do repairs and adhere to housing laws like having a carbon monoxide for example or not fixing the leaking roof among other things. An EHO from local council issued an notice for repairs and he put the house for sale straight away. Not a surprise there either.
When questioned about the deposit he said it was safe but never gave me the scheme details or anything so I am assuming he is ready to not pay me that back. Now I know I can claim the deposit back but I have a feeling he will not respond to any court disputes (even suspect he is trying to flee the country).
I found a place now and need that deposit back, I already paid rent on the new place and I'm due to pay rent to him for the last month, the dates ended up overlapping, that's fine. I suspect that if I pay him the last month of rent, I won't be hearing nothing from him until I leave. Should I not pay it? And see if that gets me a message from him asking for rent? And then I ask for the deposit again? This is a rogue landlord everything about him is a big scheme. What to do?

For reference I am all my mom has. It’s hard to write this all out without being able to explain several things; grab a beverage and hold on tight.
Me (37F) struggling with my relationship with my mom (60f) my mom is single and I am her only child. Her mom passed away in 1989, her dad passed away in 2022, and she has 5 siblings that at this moment she has no relationship with. I think the background is important for people to know. She also was fired in 2015 and has yet to ever get another job, therefore she is home alone all day.
She did go through a severe depression after her 2nd marriage ended in divorce in 2000 and mentally and physically abused me during high school. She did material wise provide me with anything I could ever want but it was constantly hung over my head, I never really got to go out with friends or do anything. Just an example when I was a junior if I would make plans with friends when I would start getting ready she would throw at me that I couldn’t go because my chores weren’t done - she would add things like wipe baseboards, clean behind the washing machine, re organize cabinets..any task that would take so long that it would be impossible to get done. Once I started to push back is when the physical abuse started; I will admit I am sure I was a typical teen and maybe not the most pleasant but I followed the rules; I went to school, I didn’t drink or do drugs. The abuse got worse and I was able to get an order of protection and go live with my dad. A lot has happened in that time and after becoming pregnant with my first child in 2006 I wanted a relationship with my mom. Things were great for probably 6-7 years, looking back it was because she had made me dependent on her and it also helped that she had relationships outside of me. Fast forward to today, over the last 8 years I can hardly stand to be around her. She is manipulative, constantly guilt tripping me or my kids for spending any amount of time with my dads side of the family or my in laws. She doesn’t take care of herself any more (hoarding, showering, her teeth are rotting). I feel so bad saying this but when she comes to an event it’s almost dreadful. She wears inappropriate clothing (states she doesn’t have money), she will question my younger kids with questions like how long they have been spending with other grandparents, she will go around asking other parents of kids on the team for a schedule. If I speak to my dad, step mom, or half brother she just staring and grits her teeth. It’s so difficult to be around her, I know in my heart I hold a grudge but I think I will until she acknowledges what happened and she will never do that. It’s also difficult to watch her not take care of herself. Would I be an asshole to ask my mom to take a step back, get herself together, let’s talk over some boundaries and get back on track? I don’t even know what to do anymore. I’m happy to provide examples to see if I am in the wrong here.

This is such a sad question but here we are lol.. has anyone been successful in finding a magical way to word a request for a recollect due to hemolysis with the least amount of push back? If yes, please spill your method/secret!! I literally get so anxious about having to reject hemolyzed specimens bc I almost always get a snarky remark with tons of attitude… and I’m starting to feel like I could tweak a thing or two on my delivery.
So a typical phone call goes: “hi, this is the lab. I’m so sorry (first mistake I know, but I do feel bad that they have to stick the pt again) but I need a recollect on pt blah blah blah because it was hemolyzed…” 8 out of 10 I get a snarky witchy response which I find it to be such an injustice lol
How does your typical successful specimen rejection phone call go? I’m desperate at this point… I find it to be the absolute worst part of the job. I tried being sympathetic, professional and polite but it’s not working out anymore. Thanks yall!!

Context on life: My dad wasn’t around much, my mom is an alcoholic and was abusive. I moved out when I was 17 on scholarships for sports, but got badly hurt. I developed severe epilepsy after, and had to move back to my home country for healthcare and because I couldn’t play that sport no more, but couldn’t move to my mom’s because she believes my epilepsy is drug use and will call the police (I don’t even drink yet alone drugs). Normally I don’t even have the time to sit and process my emotions, but I’m feeling overwhelmed today.
I moved in with my significant other in their college dorm, but then ended up homeless when the semester ended (she just went home). I filed for assistance finally, and reality struck in when I had to put “homeless” in. I’m not a drug addict but I hate being grouped with them. I work 2 jobs and even found a new sport I can safely do with epilepsy. I have to play this sport because it’ll give me housing, food and college tuition for 9 months a year, even though it’s a strain on my health. It’s convenient because I can train on my time and I don’t get fired when I have a seizure; rather I’m romanticized for my “discipline and work ethic” despite it all. They don’t know I do it because it pays for my survival.
But work… I’ve lost 2 full time jobs due to seizures, as I’m only qualified for labour jobs. I have 2 jobs student teaching, but it’s not enough for rent. Hell, if I could find a job that I could live off of I’d quit sports; but my entire work experience is useless cuz epilepsy (blue collar boy).
I wanna feel safe man. I don’t wanna worry about where the fuck I’m gonna sleep tomorrow night. I mean hell, maybe I’ll make the Olympics, write a book and be rich. That’d be the dream, but a guy’s gotta survive until then. I’d move to a less expensive city but tbh by the time I had a home in a new city the school year would start. Luckily I qualify for some nice homeless shelters for when I can’t crash on a couch (though I spend a good amount of nights on the streets).
I know there’s people who have it worse; hell I made mistakes that didn’t help in landing me here. But fuck I would love to feel safe. I’d love to have a place I could move my girlfriend into, and go watch movies and sleep in at night. If I didn’t have to worry about where I’ll sleep, or how I’ll wash my clothes for work (cuz again, I’m a student teacher). I wish I had a family I could run to.
I wish I had a home. A real one, where I could relax. Even when I was a kid and lived in our house it wasn’t safe. I wanna just have a safe home. I wish I didnt live out of a backpack

I took my masters degree in HR management.
At the time, it felt like a very sensible thing to choose, and I was proud that I chose it.
I put my head down, studied hard and aced the exams. Coming out of it all with a car and a little apartment, which is a lot more than some people I knew.
I also had a job working for an online retailer. My first proper professional job as a HR administrator. I even had an office.
It wasn't a huge company, but it was growing fast. They needed more staff to help keep the cogs spinning. And that was me.
I must admit, my briefing by the CEO gave me conflicting feelings. Let's just call him Andy for now.
He referred to the staff in the warehouse as "grunts" on more than one occasion. Talking a lot about how he wanted to expand into furniture and electrical goods, how he wanted to be the next Amazon. How I could eventually be the Head of Human Resources in a giant conglomerate.
I took his words with a pinch of salt, but a part of me was with him; I did want to progress in my career, I did want to be part of something big.
Over the passing weeks and months, I got to know the warehouse staff.
Among them - Olly - a shy teenager who had come in through a recent government programme.
Andy loved the government programmes, as they subsidised the wages. I would realise pretty quickly how much he loved anything which cut costs, even by a little bit.
To the point of patrolling the packing bays, reminding the staff of the exact cost per centimetre of tape.
Me and Olly met up once a week. He was almost too shy to speak at times, and at others he was very articulate about how he felt.
He liked playing video games, and lived in a council house with his mother.
He confessed to being bullied by some of the other workers. He spoke of one time a group found him walking home after work and teased him all the way through town. Taking the piss out of his height, the way he talked with a slight lisp, his right eye and how it moved to the side sometimes without his control.
I felt bad for Olly, and I wondered to myself whether he was really ready to be in a place like this.
There seemed to be a common complaint from all the warehouse staff, though, and that was the wobbly ladders; the pickers used them to fetch product from the top shelves, which were very high up.
When I brought it up to Andy, he told me he'd replace all the ladders after the warehouse relocation in a few month's time. I found out soon after there'd been no health and safety checks... ever.
"We have to act quickly." Were Andy's words in the Team meeting. "We either grow with the demand or we plateau and accept mediocrity."
The company was in a transitional period. It needed more fulfilment space. More staff. More product.
And, a change in work culture.
"Those idiots get away with murder in there. I watch them standing about like lemons every time I walk in." Andy complained to me in a private meeting between us. "I'm not gonna sugar coat it. I want you to report back to me what they're saying. See who's with the company and see who doesn't give a shit."
Along with this covert addition to my role, I was to head up a productivity spreadsheet to "weed out the slackers". Because we didn't want slackers in the new warehouse.
We wanted a positive work culture that promoted diligence and integrity.
Meanwhile, Olly was showing up to our meetings with bruises. He shrugged off the matter, but I could tell there was a deep inner struggle.
A part of me yearned to reach out and help him. But I just didn't know what to do, other than my job.
One evening, after a couple of glasses of wine, I burst into tears on a phone call with my mother. I sobbed uncontrollably, telling her I hated the job, how horrible it was. Then it was back to work.
I soon had to write some difficult emails. Not everyone was hitting the new productivity quota and picking enough units, packing enough orders.
One of them - Mandy - cried in front of me. As streams of tears ran down her cheeks, I thought to myself whether my heart was really in this job. But then I'd receive my paycheque at the end of the month. Then I'd see my friends working at Starbucks, complaining about how "unfair the system is", and I consoled myself with what I had.
It took a while, but I became used to suppressing my feelings. I think that's when the job truly became the job. Also, maybe some of Andy was rubbing off on me.
A part of me enjoyed the way I was running the show behind the scenes. My covert operations, helping to improve the company output and let go of the weaker members.
Then, one afternoon, there was an accident in the warehouse.
Someone had fallen off one of the ladders and brutally injured themselves.
After hearing about it, I rushed into Andy's office, who was in a call. He seemed to be in a cheery mood, while I was panicking.
After finishing on the phone, he told me immediately not to worry. "We're dealing with it." He said bluntly, ushering me out of the office with his silence.
I read Andy's statement in the local newspaper a day later. The fall had been fatal.
"Olly was a hard worker. It is with a heavy heart that we deliver news of this tragic accident..."
The next time I stepped foot in the warehouse, all the old ladders had been replaced.

I (22F) have been married to my husband (23M) for 2 years. We had a small justice of the peace due to COVID and his military service preventing us from being able to plan an event. If you know anything about the military, more specifically army, you don’t always get to take time off when you want to and we couldn’t risk him being pulled away for an expensive wedding. My husband’s active portion of his contract ended and we moved to his hometown, he’s from the east coast, I’m from the Midwest. Once we were settled we started planning our traditional wedding that we didn’t get to have the first time. In July we are attending his brother’s wedding, in November we are traveling to my college graduation (in an online student so it’s far away). Then in May of the next year we are having our own wedding and honeymoon. I expressed to my family about 2 months ago, before my sister (28F) got engaged, that I wouldn’t be able to take any more time off from my job in 2025, considering I’ll be taking consistent time off every few months for awhile. My husband’s job especially does not want him taking any more time off. My parents agreed with me on this, and even suggested we do a family vacation in 2026. Then my sister got engaged to her boyfriend (29M) of about a year. My family and I don’t like her fiancé, but we all hold our tongues because whatever makes my sister happy we will go along with. For the last year, they have been living in my parent’s house. Neither are in school, they both have jobs (about $30,000 to $40,000 a year each) they both recently bought new cars that are brand new. Her fiancé bought a new side by side, they go for dinners that cost hundreds of dollars, and they spend money frequently. My parents only ask that they pay $500 a month to help with utilities and other things they use and that they clean up after themselves. They have trashed the house. They broke off the railing to the basement and left it, leave dirty laundry and dishes everywhere, and don’t help in any cleaning or maintenance of the house inside or out. When they got engaged, my parents made it clear that once they were married they had to move out, but they have no savings for the wedding or for a home. They wanted to buy a property to vacation to and ride ATVs on and then continue living with my parents, my parents told them absolutely not. Then they started planning their wedding. My parents asked that my sister be respectful of my wedding as I had started planning it first and had been waiting a long time for it. My sister made some suggestions that maybe I didn’t want another wedding anymore and didn’t need my wedding fund anymore. She assumed I was given my wedding fund when I put every cent of my own into it, some family did contribute some, but the majority was my own money. From this point on, I tried to be nice but didn’t go out of my way to talk to her. Every time she called or texted it was about herself and she would fish for how much money I was spending on my wedding, likely to complain to my parents that she deserves the same. I again bit my tongue and tried to be nice, I wasn’t going to make it the competition she wanted. Today my husband and I are celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary which means our wedding is 1 year away as we are having it on our 3 year anniversary. My sister texted me “happy anniversary, I book my wedding date, it’s 10/4/25.” I was immediately saddened. My family and I both reminded her over the months since she’s been engaged that 2025 wasn’t a good year for me and other family and to do 2026. 2025 was my wedding. We know that it’s her choice, but we also feel she is settling for her fiancé and want her to take some time. I am her only sibling, and she made a choice knowing that I likely wasn’t going to be able to make it to her wedding (18 hours away). She also chose a date that is in my birthday week. My parents think it is her fiancé that was pushing for this date, he seems to be rushing everything but moving out of my parent’s house. My sister has gotten softer treatment from our parents my whole life, and never got reprimanded for any of her actions growing up. This time, my dad is angry and threatening not to go to her wedding either, I don’t want that because he couldn’t be at my first wedding so I know how it feels not to have your dad there. My mom also feels that she has been selfish through the whole process. But she is also their daughter. I kindly texted her back saying thank you and reminding her that we all expressed the issue to her multiple times previously and that I would do my best to be there. She responded with “I’ll need PTO too for my wedding so I’ll keep that in mind when it comes to yours” I felt like that was a jab that she wouldn’t come, I’m not sure. She also refuses to call me and only texts me, she won’t answer my calls, so I stopped responding to her texts. I wanted to unload on her and tell her what I really thought about them taking advantage of my parents and her always being selfish. She had every special event in her life catered to perfection. I never had any special events, no high school graduation due to COVID, no wedding shower, and compromised on my husband and I’s wedding. This is the first time I’ve had a special day and I’m going to focus on myself for once. I moved to online school to take care of our dad because he got very ill with an infectious disease, when he was better I was able to move and marry my husband. I have also been settling my dad’s sister’s estate as she lived much closer to me but she had no will and it is an extreme hoarder situation. I have been trying to support my family through everything and my sister has consistently only cared for herself. For once I truly believe I deserve something and that’s my wedding. It really just breaks my heart that my only sibling would make the choice to book her wedding at a time when she knows I won’t be able to come. (My work has confirmed that I will not be able to take that time based on their projections of my time off, so I did check into it) There is also no sentimental value to the date they chose, it was a random date that the venue had available. My sister won’t reach out to me to talk and I won’t make her. But I did tell my parents that at this time, I will not be attending. I received one text saying “It has come to my understanding that you’re upset, let’s both cool off and talk about it later” I didn’t respond, I’m not hot headed about it and I’m very calm, it’s just made me sad. She only texted me because my parents delivered the news that I would not be coming, especially if she didn’t at least call me. I don’t know if I’m overreacting or if I’m valid to be hurt by this. So AITA for saying I’m not going to my sister’s wedding?

I’m a 17yo female who’s had my current job for a year now, so I started when I was 16. I noticed back in fall that even though we’re minimum wage employees, we’re supposed to have sick leave and other leaves. When I checked my leave data I didn’t have any hours at all, so I thought maybe it took a certain amount of time for me to qualify. In December I remembered and checked, but still didn’t have any. I asked my general manager about it and he sent an email to HR and basically they told him that since I’m not legally an adult, I don’t qualify. I’ve been sitting on this for a few months, and quite frankly I don’t see how it’s fair that my coworkers who I’ve trained get benefits that I don’t, yet we both get paid minimum wage. I know age discrimination laws are a thing, but I’m pretty sure that only applies to elders in this case. I can’t find anything regarding this situation, so I came here in hopes that someone could give me some insight as to if this is legal or not, and if not what I could do about it. I live in Maryland if this info is relevant.

(Prev) wiki
Julia, encased in a muti-person blue-skinned hug, drew a breath which she expected to shake, but came easy instead. The odd smell of not-quite cinnamon brought the feel of her mother’s embrace to her mind, and the warmth which surrounded her seemed to sink through her skin and into her over-tense muscles. A warm glow started near her throat, then radiated through her body and brought a floating sensation. “It hasn’t been as bad as all that, really. There was a little bit of fear for a few moments, until I got to the Bitha Embassy… but I’ve felt worse on ski slopes before. Then there was having to argue with people way above my pay-grade, but it is hardly the first time I’ve had to do that.
“It has been tough, though. I didn’t expect things to go bad like this.”
Kaz answered. “Neither did we, but it is past now. You can tell us all about it; tomorrow. For tonight we are going to enjoy a nice dinner at the expense of the Embassy chef, get you settled into your room, and catch one another up on the family gossip! I, for one, am dying to hear what your parents, and that younger brother of yours, have been up to!”
Julia giggled as her relatives stepped back. Cinnamon. Why do all Venter smell like something that reminds Humans of cinnamon? She’d always felt jealous of her two Venter siblings over that.
She smiled at all of them and started to answer when a blue streak flashed through the door way and plowed into her like a freight train. Only the supporting hands of two of her Aunts kept her on her feet while her cousin wrapped arms and legs around her in a bear-hug that almost made her ribs creak. She returned the hug with equal fierceness and held it for a long moment before the young woman dropped her feet, stood, stepped back, and gave her a hard look. “Who is responsible for this obscenity of chasing my cousin out of her own Embassy on her first day, who is their next of kin, and am I allowed to have some fun with them before I…”
Kaz chuckled and laid a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “While I am all for you supporting your cousin, dear, we are leaving all of that behind us for now. Tonight is about family, support, and helping her get settled in despite what has happened.”
A small grin tugged at the corners of Julia's mouth as her cousin rolled eyes, gave a dramatic sigh, and answered. “Ok, fine. Drudgery and talky-talk today. Vengence tomorrow. Noted.”
Kaz chuckled and motioned for them to move. Julia felt a moment of panic when she realized that she didn’t even know how to get to her quarters, but one of the secretaries did. Julia had to hand it to the man; he didn’t even bat an eye when they all came out the door, just guessed their intention and motioned for them to follow.
Once the door on her quarters closed, after Aunt Golna – with her usual flair – checked to make sure that everything had been delivered to the room and dismissed the young man, Julia found herself shuffled to a comfortable chair and another drink dropped into her hand. Aunt Irnor then sat down beside her and made small talk while the others made small work of her unpacking chores.
They didn’t have a lot to do, really. Julia had planned to get settled in and make sure she’d be staying before she sent for the bulk of her personal items. While Aunty Irry caught her up on the doings of a few of her cousins, she sipped her drink and watched three of the - arguably - most powerful people in the entire League unpack her boxes for her. Aunts Golna and Yoro grabbed the box with her clothes and disappeared into her bedroom, while Uncle Kaz and her Cousin pulled the handful of trophies, awards, and gifts an Ambassador of her station was expected to have on display and placed them artfully around the ‘sitting room’ of her new quarters. I… how did my life come to this? The leader of all of known space is doing my personal drudge work with a smile and laughter. What kind of life do I lead anyway?
Irnor, who seemed almost phsysic sometimes, gave her a knowing smile. “You never had a chance of leading a life any less interesting than this, you know. Not with parents like yours and…”
She cocked an eyebrow at her Aunt. “So, you blame my parents? I don’t see things like this happening to two of my three siblings. Granted, the one who decided to be an intel agent for the Empire might, but…”
“But, as I was saying, between your parents and the talents you chose to hone, you never had a chance at anything less than…” She gestured broadly around her just as Uncle Kaz pulled out a small holo-picture projector and turned it on. A wide grin spread across his face as a ten-inch-tall projection of her parents flashed into being. She looked back and forth between him and her parents as he stood there lost in the moment. I don’t think I ever realized quite how massive Uncle is for a Venter. He is short for their kind, only slightly taller than Dad – and figuring out how much taller and broader than the average Human Dad is was weird – but UnkyKazzy is just as broad as Dad ever was. I guess it is a good thing they got on so well; they could have done some major damage to one another…
Almost as if in answer to her thoughts Uncle Kaz turned to her. “I think your mother was the fourth most beautiful woman ever laid eyes on… Except maybe you or some of my daughters; and I wouldn’t know that because I have your-my-kin goggles.” He grinned and winked at her blush. "She was also one of the most wild and untamable woman I ever knew.” He seemed to wince as all motion in the room stopped as his wives and daughter all turned identical expressions – complete with single raised eyebrow – on him. “Hey, I said ‘one of.’ Present company excepted, of course… along with my sister and her daughter."
Several wads of paper flew through the air, accompanied by half-stifled giggles. Uncle Kaz pretended not to notice, but his widened grin ratted him out as he continued. “Anyway, I never would have believed any man could tame her… but I’d already met Henry.”
This time Julia felt her own eyebrow raise up. “You realize what my mother would do to you if she heard you even suggest her being 'tamed' right?”
He gave her one of the biggest grins she’d ever seen from him… one so very like the one her kid brother used over and over to get out of trouble: She suspected he’d taught it to the boy. “Of course, he didn’t tame her… he was too wise for that. He figured out how to hold on to her while still letting her be all that she was.” He turned back to the holo, but seemed to stare through it. “It can be hard, growing up with someone like that, to really understand how… how much that person is; and your father is one of the greatest people I have ever known... and your mother no less than him.”
A soft chuckle shook his shoulders and he turned to her with a lopsided grin. “Were you ever told the story about the day he and I met?”
An answering grin spoiled her groan as she answered. “You mean the day the two of you, in an instant, decided to conspire and see if you could give Uncle Enibal a double-cardiac-arrest right in the entry-way of this Embassy? Which version would you like me to recite: Yours, Dad’s, Mom’s, Uncle Enibal’s, Aunt Yoro’s, Aunt Golna’s, Aunt Irnor’s, or the one Aunty-Empress told me from watching the recordings?”
He laughed ruefully and have her a sideways look. “You’ve looked up those recordings, haven’t you?”
“Of course. As much as each of you have grown that tale in the telling I had to see the events it came from. It was… educational, to say the least.”
This time it Aunt Irnor chimed in. “I can imagine it was. Still, watching those two bluster at one anther was hilarious; watching them clash for the first time was intoxicating.” She shook her head. “Poor, poor Enibal, though. I think he really did nearly faint.”
They all laughed and Uncle Kaz put the projector on the mantel. He then did a small double-take and looked down at the fireplace below it at the same time he realized they’d run out of boxes. All it took was a gesture to his daughter and she was running for the lights while he toyed with the controls to get the fake fire set just right. “Pity you can’t have the real thing in here.”
“Oh, but I can.” She answered. “Human engineering, you know. There are scrubbers in the pipe to take offensive soot and things out of the air, but the pipe still gets blisteringly hot.”
Kaz’s eyes widened. “You mean… they put in real fireplaces just to frak with the Xaltan spies?”
She took a drink from her glass so she could give him a mischievous look over the lip and he shook his head. She brought the glass down and spoke. “I’m not answering that one, because we declared tonight to be No Business. That said it is a pity I don’t have any wood in here to burn, an actual fire would be perfect. Still, the projectors do a nice enough job.” She took a slow, deliberate inhale through her nose. “Even put a bit of the smell in the air.”
A small laugh went around the room, drinks got passed out, and everyone settled in. Julia took a sip of her drink and reveled in the burn of it before she spoke. “Thank you. Thank you all. I could have had the staff do this, of course, but they would have taken longer and asked a hundred questions. And, of course, it is not like you could come in here with your own staff. I’d have had IT in here every time a stray signal bounced off someone’s phone, just convinced they’d missed a bug. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you realized I’d have forgotten to ask someone to unpack my bags.
“Wait, no, I guess I’m not surprised, even though I’m a little surprised at myself for not having it done. This day really did get away from me.”
Aunt Irnor clucked her tongue. “You always were such a studious child, even with that double-dose of wild streak you – and your siblings of both races – inherited from your parents.” She made a dismissive gesture with one six-fingered hand. “Hardly a surprise that you forgot a personal detail.”
Aunt Yoro took off her glasses – a truly rare occurrence – and smiled at her. “But, enough of all that. You needed help, and friendly faces, and this needed done. Somehow it is always easier to do chores like that when you are doing them for those you care about than for yourself.” She shook her head, dark hair cascading behind her shoulders. “And, there I go. So, deliberate change of topic: You look so good! We haven’t seen you since… goodness!”
Julia raised her glass and smiled. “To the dearly departed late empress, and her continued health!” Everyone raised their drinks, laughed, and joined in. She continued. “Yep, nearly ten years ago, at Grandmother’s State Funeral. We barely managed to squeeze a few hours to talk even then, with so much going on. How is the old bat handling retirement, anyway? From everything I’ve seen Aunt Leira has taken to the throne with minimal problems, but dropping the reigns of the Empire like that isn’t easy, even if you are supposed to be dead.”
wiki
NOTE: no longer putting in Patreon link here, because it puts up the image and I haven't looked into how to prevent it. If you would like to support the story, the Patreon link is on the wiki, and I appreciate it!
Book 1 publishing is running into snags, but it is coming. I am starting to fear it will require two Volumes.

I know this is all too much like.
If youre interested in knowing what's going through my head when I'm making shit like this its that before hannah, I was on my own for so long (5 years to be exact). So long that I had completely convinced myself that I was happier on my own and I just completely devoted myself to being the best person I could be on my own, money success whatever the fuck. I thought if I just kept my sole drive on that that I could accumulate enough resources to help out a few people that I care about and generally be the Uncle Phil of the group.
Then hannah showed me attention and latched onto me after stuff went south with Liam, and you know, I did the charming white knight good listener thing with her and for the first time it worked, a girl actually fell properly in love with me it felt like, so much that at the start I was the you in this situation, not replying for a few hours cos I'm doing stuff only to reply later and she responds straight away. And it felt amazing. So many people fall for you I've heard, I can only imagine what you feel like.
All my past relationships have had the hallmark of me caring more about it than them and I finally thought with hannah I'd found someone who can match my energy like that, maybe even surpass it. So for her to leave me as soon as I reminded her of her ex the tiniest bit. After shed told me that I deserved love and that she'd always be there for me. After spending 2 months fully convincing me that I didn't have to be alone anymore. After fucking filling my head with dreams shed apparently had about blonde kids cos of my hair, she just moved straight on and acted like it was nothing. (I'm playing the tragic hero here obvs but this is real life and I wasn't blameless either; I did a song about it, one of my better works imo; "another fucked love")
Anyway it fucking broke me. It broke me in this weird crazy artistic way which I'll probably look back and appreciate but i still broke. I put all my faith in this one support system, finally thought I could be the one having love to spare for once just to have it all ripped away. Like I tattooed our relationship on the journal of my life and now even if I rip out that page I'm gonna remember I did it. There's still gonna be a gap in the spine of my story. I'm good at hiding it with the male bravado and shit but I'm still broken now.
But it's weird like, through that relationship, me and you would have the occasional encounter when you were with Andy and you'd notice the little weird things I was doing like the economies of scale thing and the lil toy dinosaurs in andys living room, nugget in the biscuit at james' party, even tiny stuff like you giggling when I repeated the colour of the bow of the box I was imagining to tish outside duffys and dancing when I sang a snippet of s club 7. Stuff hannah, the apparent love of my life, didn't even pick up on (yhyh I know she wasn't there for that last 2, this is the 2nd draft stfu).
Ik it's only a few small things but I look at how we interact and I can't help feeling that you're on my wave length, like we both understand the implications of us having a conversation as "the guy and the girl" where it might be a bit flirty and meet cute-y and both know how to take the piss out of it. Cat and mouse lol. I try to be someone that's entertaining for my friends to be around cos I want to make them happy and it feels like you are too.
And listen right, I'm not declaring my love to you with this. I'm not about to launch into some weird limerick about your emerald eyes or some shit, I only do the physical appearance complimenting in stuff like "Come With Me" cos I wanna take the piss out of the cliche.
I don't know if we'd work together. It'd be a dream come true to have something like that, where both of us are spontaneous asf and ready to go at the drop of a hat. We'd wear each other out most likely, but it'd be a LOT of fun.
But tbh idec. Not really. I just wanna be your friend and get to know you a bit more. I just wanna walk around with you on some dumb chilled errand and talk shit and make fun of eccentric strangers we see going about, maybe even strike up a convo with them.
Its just confusing because (and ik the answer to this is just that you're popular and youre with people most of the time, I noticed that in my car you barely went on your phone, you live in the moment & I love that, sidetrack over) because I don't know if you feel any of the things that I'm feeling.
Like Im a twat and make our dms look imbalanced asf but then when we have our lil chats in my car (lovely girl, I noticed you paused to admire her for a second when I pulled up to stonergay) or outside a pub (that guy that came over to talk and then just ignored you lol wtf) I can't help feeling that it's the best conversation I've had all week, full of little in jokes and us just winking at each other knowing the game were both playing. You have that social awareness that is so rare in people these days, social media has eroded self awareness but you see it and you sit back and laugh at it all. Me too. But there's not that many people like that.
So that's why I'm doing all this. I'm trying to impress you in a way that you'll enjoy (weird musicy shit, although in fairness I was rapping before to deal with stress from my job and I've recorded a lot of music in general in my lorry, like 3 hours worth) and to tell you that I think, as friends, lovers, acquaintances, weird unrequited love triangle people, whatever, we could make each other happy. You've already made me achieve heights in my strange comedy/art that I never would have dreamed of. Just because your aloofness is so fucking enticing (like it literally inspired me to write a song about girls who are aloof in general, that's the "couple lines" I was referring to in that written rap I did. I was hoping to record it the next day but yknow me, scatterbrain till I die).
Let me put it another way just in case you don't understand. The day I helped hannah move her stuff in (ngl she arranged everything but I packed my car and put all the stuff in her flat myself, it's kinda my dayjob after all), she was in a mood a lot of the time and stressed etc cos no one came to help us and she went sleep early and I stayed up to smoke. I went a few streets away and smoked a lil spliff and tried composing a few more lines to this song I'm working on to go with this sick techno tune (Energy Drink by Virtual Riot if you're interested). And I got a bit adventurous and started walking.
She lives next to Narborough road and I ended up in beade park at like 5 in the morning, sun just coming up. I saw this slide that I'd been looking for ever since I was a kid. I took a pic I'll show you next time I see you. Always captivated my imagination cos it was so tall and it looked like a spaceship. I hadn't seen this slide since i was like 5 and I was blown away for a moment. And I wanted to share it so I called hannah and obviously she was half asleep and asked me why the fuck I'm calling at that time and I told her and she asked why I felt the need to wake her up to tell her that and my heart broke a little and I said "I just wanted to share this moment with you", apologised and hung up.
I wondered what the response from my "one" would be to that phone call. Several people crossed my mind and what their responses would have been. Then I thought of you and I realised I wouldn't have to call cos you'd probably be right there beside me on this weird walk, egging me on to climb up there and go down it (which I did, was on my own but I had Taylor swift singing in my headphones about being 22 and shit cos life's too short to ever fully grow up).
It's possible (shit, almost certain) that you're not into me at all and maybe even the things I'm feeling are just a weird interpretation of what I'm feeling for losing hannah, but whatever I tell myself, I can't lie about how I felt when you noticed those things before. You see the jokes in between the lines of the funeral letter. I've spent my life looking for someone like that. You understand and appreciate why I'm making what I am, a lot of people would have blocked me after the number thing. So sorry if I'm shooting my shot in an overly showy way but youre really cool and I just want to be happy. And I want to know if you're getting any of this weird feeling shit on your end, cos that would confirm whether this is something or not (friendship, fancying, whatever, I have no idea how you see me tbh).
So yeah opinion plz, in your own time ofc. Doesn't matter what you sing, I'm not gonna tell you what I want you to say now, say whatever init.
Or don't.
Im going San Francisco next month to see Jordan so I've got plenty to keep me occupied 😂 maybe you'll call me up and ask me to book you a ticket, Teenage Dirtbag style (lol yeah right keep dreaming bro, it's funny how I can be so twisted yet so naive at the same time).
Dw, my weird postmodern gen z mating dance is over, the ball is officially in your Court (see what I did there? Ngl I'm a sucker for callbacks) .
Please be honest and straight with me if you do get in contact, if there's nowt on your end then I'd rather just completely put it out my mind now and focus on doing something else. I'm not asking for a relationship right away, neither of us are ready for that rn but just let me know if you enjoy our chats as much as i do. You probably don't (no one ever does, wah-wah poor me etc) but I don't wanna settle for grey concrete reality if there's even the slightest chance my vibrant squishy* dreams could come true ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Sincerely, with a moderate amount of affection that puts across how I feel without making me look desperate,
PS. Okay, maybe I'm not completely done just yet. I'm gonna block you on here cos otherwise I'll drive myself insane trying to top the last thing I did, and I just had an idea for how to end it properly (assuming you don't contact me, hopefully you do but it's all cool and dramatic to pretend this is it, Romeo & Juliet shit ygm).
Quick sidenote, if we don't talk again then I want you to know that I did this because you're special (needs(haha)) nah but fr. If you ever feel down about where your life is going or something you've done, just remember that once upon a time, someone made cringey art spanning visual and audio mediums, just to get your attention 😂 I don't do this for just anyone, I hadn't even written a song for a crush before I met you.
You're sick girl, never forget it.
Watch the video underneath these screenshots. Haven't actually made it yet, hope its good.
I'm in my lorry writing this (not enough time to get back to the yard so I'm spending the night in a layby in Crawley, just ordered the shit I'll need for the video. Got a lil forest next to me, might have a lil explore after I've eaten).
Funny, right? This is gonna be over a couple days for me but for you it'll be as quick as you can flick between these pics and the video underneath.
Can you see why I like doing this now?
Hello from history! 😊
See ya over there (future for me, past for you) 🤙
*no that's not a joke about your tits, I've matured ofc bro

After 20 years, I came back to WoW [so much for buying a high-end PC to end up playing this ;) ]
So much nostalgia, magical zone music and a fun leveling and combat system. I had so much fun leveling up to 70, and then, what I was afraid of happened, just like in D4, where you reach max level and are not sure what to do next.
I know there are dungeons and PvP raids, but the matchmaking time takes incredibly long since not a lot of people play tank/healer. Also, as a feral druid, it's just a big mess in the middle of a PvP field where you're getting stunned/frozen for pretty much the whole time.
I still wasn't able to experience mythic dungeons as well. I cannot join a game since no one accepts me even on level 0 (I tried well over 100 times), and I cannot seem to start my own mythic dungeon (I beat dungeons on mythic difficulty but did not get the key from the NPC in Valdrakken).
I'm in a Guild that just randomly invited me, but there's not much going on there either. I did everything pretty much solo.
Conclusion: I quickly got bored from level 70, but I really want to continue enjoying this game. I will level up other chars to 70 as well, but I don't want the game to end. I bought 1 years worth of access + the war within (Epic edition).
Please let me know what I'm missing - how can I have fun again?

I hurt my lower back during our class warmup today. I was taking a trapeze class and there was a silks class going on at the same time. The silks teacher ran the warmup for both classes. The warmup at my studio typically consists of some cardio and strength exercises, and then several minutes of static stretching (not my fave aerial warmup—I usually prefer exercises that actually warm up my body and if I’m doing flexibility, I prefer to do active flex).
The silks teacher often finishes this warmup by asking the students to do two or three bridges. Today, she asked us to do some push-ups in bridge and to attempt a chair sit bridge. These are things that I have done before, but only in contortion classes, after more than an hour of intense warmup and flexibility training, plus cuing from a contortion coach. I did the bridge push-ups today with no problem, but I felt my lower back pinch a little bit in the chair sit bridge. This sometimes happens when I backbend, but I am quite flexible and have some contortion experience so I brushed it off and began my trapeze class. A few minutes later, while doing straddle invert conditioning, my lower back started to hurt more. Then, I noticed it hurting whenever I tried to tuck invert or do anything involving my legs. I had to sit out the rest of class because it hurt and I didn’t want to aggravate it further.
After class, I told my trapeze teacher what happened and that I thought it was caused by the chair sit bridge. I told her I didn’t think this was an appropriate warmup for an aerial class because it’s a contortion drill that is typically performed after a much longer warmup. (The students in the silks and trapeze classes today are more flexible than your average person, but only one other person has contortion training, at least that I’m aware of.) My trapeze teacher responded that she didn’t see the entire warmup, but since everyone in class was so flexible, it was probably fine. She said that I should bring it up to the silks teacher if I felt it was unsafe. I left class and spent the rest of the day on the couch, and my lower back still hurts a lot. I am having trouble walking and sitting, so I will probably have to take the day off of work tomorrow.
I have not brought it up to the silks teacher because I don’t feel completely comfortable doing so. While she is a talented aerialist, I have noticed that she lacks knowledge about anatomy and strength and flexibility training. She often gives incorrect feedback about flexibility drills to students and does not realize how strong and flexible she is compared to many students and why certain movements are so much easier for her. I’m not sure if she would take my feedback about the chair bridge sit seriously or if she would make any changes to her class warmup.
I am considering bringing my safety concerns to the school director, who is also an aerialist but has some more experience training and teaching flexibility. I’m wondering if this would be appropriate or not, if I am making a big deal out of something small, or if it would be better to bring it directly it eg sulks teacher first before going over her head. Honestly, I am an experienced enough student that I feel like I should have known better than to attempt that bridge without a full contortion warmup. But I also feel like the silks teacher should not be throwing out those drills as a warmup for aerial classes. And I am concerned other people will get hurt. Most other students that I see in class don’t even have a regular bridge with good form.
TLDR: teacher gave a contortion pose as a warmup for aerial class and now my back is injured. Should I bring it up to the school director?

Chapter 1: Entwined
One day, Riyq grabs coffee at her favorite coffee shop on Serendipity Street. She sits outside by herself and dreams of being whisked away to adventure. She never completes writing her stories, because none of them can fully contain what her heart desires. Suddenly, her gaze caught a glimpse of a shooting star.
"I wish my life would change." She whispered to herself. After her dad died, she moved in with her mom. Riyq grew up a stubborn brat in a broken household, so she never got along with her mom. Then she got married, but after a few years, her husband started cheating on her and he physically abused her. So, she ran away and went to her best friend from childhood, but then her friend turned out to be a witch who targeted her with magic arts. Riyq escaped her friend and lived in her car. After what seemed like a curse, few things made her happy. She earned a lot of consequences for her bad choices and addictions but now she was ready to change.
A book appears out of nowhere on the table she was seated at. She looked around, astonished. Nobody else seemed to notice anything strange until she spat her drink all over the floor. Riyq opens the book and finds big bold letters spelling out to her: "Follow Me." She looks around again, wondering who might be playing a prank on her. She flips the pages again to find an address of a park she frequents. Terrified, she closes the book and stands up. She forgets her coffee but grabs the book. "Should I go?" She mutters...
Riyq finds herself at Heroes Park, skimming through the tome only to find empty pages. She gets out of her car and begins towards the swings. A song comes to mind... Only Yesterday by The Carpenters. She thought about how she could never handle being alone up until recently. She craved attention all her life, but finally came to the conclusion that nobody was trustworthy.
"You trust me?" The voice of a man spoke from behind her.
Following a quick spin, she observed the gentleman who approached her. After accumulating mental scarring from years of addiction to the attention and power gained through perversion, Riyq’s first thoughts and feelings were of attraction. His eyes are gold, burning with intensity like fire and medium length curly hair, white as snow. His frame was draped with rugged fabric, like a servant would wear from ancient times. The sight of him alone was both appalling and intoxicating. The rest of the world melted away as she watched him come closer to her. Frozen, Riyq’s jaw would have dropped to the ground if it hadn’t been securely attached to her skull. ‘Who are you?’ the thought was the only thing she could fathom to think.
“The answer to your wish.” he spoke, responding to her innermost being, without any effort on her part. If her brows weren’t limited by her facial structure, they would have landed on the other side of the planet. “You have been known as Riyq, but from now on you are Rikud.” His words were like an earthquake to her soul and as though scales fell from her eyes, suddenly she could see things unlike ever before. In his light, the world seemed brighter. In his presence, hope sprung up out of nowhere, like rivers in the desert. Now only a foot away from her, he lifted his hand and pierced her chest, grabbing hold of her heart. No blood or pain came from this, but rather, somehow - perfect bliss. In this instance, the young woman died.
Chapter 2: Unlocked
Rikud awoke encased by a large crystal, floating amid temple ruins upon what seemed to be an endless body of water. Surrounded by shadow figures casting crimson stares, her heart fluttered in fear. “Do not be afraid.” a voice said. The words seemed to have come from within, this time. She could barely remember anything from her past, but this man sounded more than just familiar - he sounded like home. “These are your sins and their consequences…” Rikud shuddered at the thought but was helplessly bound to this fateful outcome of her choices. “Watch what I will do to them.” Suddenly, a blinding light poured down from the sky and decimated every dark thing around her. Hands on the crystal casket, she watched in awe as all of her fears washed away. “I paid a great price for you. Will you let me live within you?” “Yes.” Rikud answered without thinking, as though destiny would have always unfolded in this way. Her heart pounded with fulfillment beyond belief and insatiable hunger for more. In the twinkling of an eye, the crystal enclosing her was removed and she fell to her bare feet on the white stone. Above her, she saw the crystal containing the only thing she found familiar or comforting - a man with pure white hair, dressed in ragged robes. “This is your heart. Explore this place and remove anything you don’t want. I will fill what you leave open.” he said, his voice still sounding within her head as before. He looked down at her with a peaceful expression.
Dumbfounded, she arose. She found herself adorned with a simple yet elegant pure white gown. Taking a longer look at the environment, she was standing on a stone structure that was connected to two other similar platforms, all just above water level. She started down one of the paths branching off from the center. This place was filled with addictions. Unnecessary luxuries, incorrect thought processes and outdated desires. Somehow, she knew just what to do and waved her hand across the length of these things and they disappeared. Rikud returned to the center and looked up at the man, who continued to watch her. She went down another path and found her hopes, dreams and aspirations. Again, she waved her hand across all of them and they disappeared. Coming back to the man, he descended from the sky and the crystal shattered, fading away without causing any harm. He lighted upon the stone and stood before her, silent. “I want nothing other than you.” the words breathed from her lips, effortlessly. They were both completely true and endlessly confusing. The man held out his hand and she took it. They began to walk off of the center platform onto the water and towards the sunset.
“I knew you would choose me…” he whispers. “You don’t understand right now and this will be difficult for you, but I have a purpose for you. Are you ready?”
“I chose my path, but I feel worthless, weak and incompetent.” Rikud replies.
“You were empty before, but I chose you for this. I will be with you, to help you… Do you trust me?”
Rikud stops and turns to him. Light waves crash around them, their sound being the only thing to break the silence for a time. He takes her other hand and says “Dance with me.”
So begins the journey within her heart - her master spins and carries her upon the water, making the impossible possible.
Her heart swells and she wants to cry, thinking she could lose this at any moment. Rikud hopes this dance will never end.
Chapter 3: Alive
Rikud awakes in a hospital. She gasps for breath and holds her chest. She faintly remembers the most important thing about her quickly fading, dreamlike encounter: Love. She is loved and was made to love. Love is the highest calling above all else and the source loved her and all she was called to love.
As she steps down from the bed, a nurse stops her. “You were legally dead. How are you still alive?” the medic exclaims. Rikud said his name and the stranger somehow knew it was a miracle.
The thought of almost anything made Rikud sick. Only a few things seemed worth thinking about. What dominated her mind was him. Was it all fate? Did she have any control? If she did, would it ruin any hope of a future? She was going to die soon, somehow she knew it at her core. She laid back down and the business of the nurses meant nothing to her. Dazed, she wondered what mattered anymore. She wanted everyone to know him, but who would believe her?... Was she well enough to be heard? Instead of being dead, she’s alive now, so that key factor counts for something. Hope for a clouded future filled her. The enigma of her heart seemed untouchable. After all the life she had lived, could she now become benevolent? She craved the ability to be pure and holy to please him, yet felt like a tattered rag, bound for abandonment.
The urge to vomit regularly visited her as she pondered her choices. What mattered and how could she proceed effectively? All her life, she’s ensured that nobody would care for her with consistently bad actions and then actively pushing everyone away. Somehow, she knew that ‘he’ was still with her. She looks out the window and sees a faint hint of his smile awaiting her. The hope of being with him again was really the only thing she felt was worth living for. But she felt like a fool. Old ways plagued her mind, memories of being everything he wouldn’t want haunted her. Like the endless waters of ‘her heart’, she felt like she would drown in shame and sorrow. Yet, with him, she could dance with nothing to stand on.
How is this possible?
And what now?
"The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Mat 20:28

My job makes me fucking miserable. I'm not happy at home. People everywhere fucking treat me like shit stuck to the bottom of their shoe because I'm not mentally stable and I'm too dumb to learn new things. I'm far away from the only person that gives a fuck about me. I'm so over living in fucking Canada. I'm only here because at 18, I was nowhere near mature enough or stable enough to live on my own and it was better than the alternative.
Right now, I wished I could go back and tell my 16 year old self to go right on ahead and try it again because it will never get better. Trust me, it only gets worse as you get older, and the reality is that people do not care, until you decide to try and leave the bad situation.
I'm so pissed that MAID is not legal in Canada for people living solely with mental illness or a lot of people with problems like mine, including myself would no longer have to suffer, but no. A bunch of rich people who already don't fucking care about people who struggle, want us alive for whatever reason. They're not going to improve anything for us so I don't want to hear how it's because they'd rather work on treating mental illnesses than encourage suicide. It's a bullshit lie to keep people poor and struggling because there aren't winners without losers. That's what my Mom would say.
3 traumatizing jobs later, a failed attempt at school, and more family drama over the years. I'm so fucking over it. I want to leave Canada so badly but every night I go to bed, I contemplate swallowing all of my meds and downing it with some hard liquor so I never have to wake up back in this place again.

My boyfriend/ex (M27) wants to break up with me (F27) because of long distance. My ex and I have known each other for almost 8 years and dated 4 out of those 8 years. We even lived together for 2 years. Eventually we broke up because we had different short term life goals. He went to travel and work remote for a year and I stayed in the US working.
I feel like we both grew a lot while we were apart. When he returned to the US he messaged me and wanted to catch up. He moved to LA where I was living and we reconnected and got back together. Things were going great until he got a job offer in San Diego which he had applied for when we weren’t together and he was overseas.
He asked me what he should do because things were going great between us and he didn’t want to mess things up. Even though I wanted him to stay in LA because he would be closer to me, I couldn’t keep him from a higher paying job in a beautiful city. After all, I care about him and will always vouch for the advancement of his career.
We were long distance for about 4 months visiting each other maybe 2 or 3 times every month. He came to the conclusion that it wasn’t good enough for him and wants to call things off. I don’t want to break up and I’m devastated. I even started putting in more effort by playing video games with him every night, which I also enjoy, but I fear it’s too late and he’s already made up his mind.
His love language is quality time so it sucks that I can’t always be there with him. I have a hybrid job so sometimes I would stay in San Diego for 4 days even though I have my own apartment in LA. But I didn’t mind it because I was spending time with him. I just got promoted at work so I can’t really move to San Diego.
I love him to pieces and can’t imagine my life without him so I’m just asking for some advice on what I should do. Or if anyone has been in a similar situation, how did you fix it?
Part of me is angry because I see other couples doing long distance from 1,000 miles away and he doesn’t even want to do a 2 hour drive long distance. I know I shouldn’t be angry but I am. I feel so insecure and worthless.
Appreciate any feedback.

I never have imagined writing this, but i got cheated on. My husband of 3 years did this when we were on long distance for some job reasons.
He ended it and then the woman connected with me. And told that it wasn’t emotional relation. We both used each other and she was not aware of his marriage.
My husband didn’t deny anything. He said that he was alone and the trap was getting worse which is why he ended. He is asking for second chance. And if this is not possible for me to forgive, he is saying he will commit suicide since he has his life to prove he really wants me. Our marriage was perfect. We don’t have kids but planning after getting back together. But now I don’t know what to believe.
Since i wasn’t there with him and he was involved for sexual intimacy only, is it something we can work on?
How hard it is to forgive, i know it can never be forgotten. I really loved him and so did he. Please help me. I am not able to think anything. I have been broken and now it feels worthless to put so much effort to make a peaceful life and this has happened. A lot is at risk. What should I do. Please help me understand

Adam rested his head against the cold wooden coffin, standing alone in the empty church. He was promised a funeral procession after her death, and he received one. However, since holding a funeral for a famous supervillain was problematic, no guests were allowed. Not like anyone else would have shown. The priest even refused to attend, leaving Adam to handle the ceremony himself, trying his best not to break down as he did.
Setting his phone on the coffin, he played a farewell song for his wife, choosing the song that the pair had danced to on their first date together. Into my arms, by Nick Cave. He had planned to sing it for her, like he had the night before she died, yet he couldn’t even force out the first lyric before breaking down, hugging the lid. “You’re not really dead, are you? You’re going to come back some day and tell me this was all part of some villainous plot, right? Please…. I need you.”
Light pierced the darkened room, as a figure entered, closing the door behind themselves. “She’s gone. They were thorough with the autopsy; we have no doubts that her body is currently inside that coffin. I’m sorry, Adam, she’s gone.” A gloved hand rested on Adam’s shoulder, only for the man to shove it away, swiftly turning, connecting a fist to the person’s face.
The punch didn’t move the hero. All it did was make Adam’s fist cry out in anguish, as if he had connected with a wall. Harley Rose looked away after the punch, her pink eyes focusing on the religious imagery on the walls. Those eyes being the only visible part of her face beneath the mask.
“How dare you cut her open? An autopsy? You couldn’t have let her die with some dignity? You cowards, always hiding your faces. It isn’t fair.” Adam struggled to keep a coherent thought, wanting to be mad at something. He went to punch her again, only for her to grab his fist.
“Please stop.”
Adam lunged forward, head-butting her, only to stagger back, falling over the coffin. Blood dripped down his forehead as he wobbled, his grip on the coffin being the only thing that was keeping him from falling.
Harley Rose left him for a moment, before approaching, resting her hand on his back. “Adam, you're hurting yourself. Do you think this is what she would have wanted?”
Adam gave an animalistic growl, swinging his elbow back towards her toned stomach, only to miss. The aching in his head throwing off his aim, causing him to collapse against her before hitting the floor. “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE WANTED. MAYBE SHE WANTS ME TO KILL YOU ALL?”
“Adam, there are protestors outside. You shouldn’t say things like that.” Harley pulled the fabric at her shoulder, a small muffled voice drifting out from it.
“We heard shouting. Do you need backup?” A male voice enquired over the communicator.
“All good, Ace. He’s grieving, nothing more. How are the protestors?”
There was a silence on the line before the voice spoke. “Someone tried to sneak a gun into the church, said they were his family. When we apprehended him, they told us they planned to-“
Harley covered the microphone, clutching the fabric until it stopped vibrating beneath her hand. “Please keep that chatter to a minimum, Ace. I’m with Adam now.”
“Oh, shit. Sorry. How is he?”
“How is anyone at a funeral?” She sighed, trying to clean the blood from Adam’s face, wiping it off from the still bleeding wound on his forehead.
“I’ll give you some time. Protestors want him jailed too. Some heroes are even considering handing him over.”
“You’re kidding me? He’s innocent.”
“The heroes calling for his head weren’t there when Vitriol died. They only know him as the husband of Vitriol. I doubt any of them care if he’s linked or not. It’s easier to hand him over and be done with it.” More muffled voices were heard on the other end before Ace sighed. “Someone’s climbed the fence. I’ll talk later.”
“They want to hand me over.” Adam whispered in disbelief as he sat up, tucking his knees towards his chest. “She wasn’t evil. Not the woman I married. She didn’t hurt people. She would never hurt a person.”
“She killed people, Adam. A lot of people.” Harley sat by his side, offering her hand to him. Adam hesitated before taking it.
“They were bad people.”
“They weren’t her lives to take.”
“She wanted people to be safe.”
“And innocent people got hurt when she tried to keep them safe.”
Adam’s hand left hers, quickly retreating to his chest. “So, you think she’s evil, then? Some monster? Did you enjoy killing her?”
Harley clutched her own knees, staring at the floor. “I don’t think she was evil. She made mistakes, but I think her heart was in the right place. She had a chance to kill me once, and she let me go. Said she would have liked to work with me, if heroes weren’t so ineffective. We didn’t want to kill her, Adam. What happened that day was outside of anyone’s control.”
“What happened?” Adam was hesitant to ask, but felt he needed to know the truth. Turning to face her, he gazed into her eyes.
“We planned to apprehend her. A typical villain trap, or at least that’s what it should have been. Vitriol had a lot of enemies. Killing other villains makes you a target. I believe someone tipped off the villains about our plan, because they ambushed us during the mission. Using that chance to strike down a weakened Vitriol before we could react.”
Adam clenched his hand, unsure where to direct the anger before it came out as a curse. “FUCK. Why didn’t you stop them?”
“We didn’t see it coming. One second we were apprehending her and the next she was bleeding.”
“Did she say anything before she died?”
“She did, but I didn’t really understand what she was talking about. Sorry.”
“Can you repeat it?”
“I think it went. Not to touch a hair on your head? Leave you as you are?” She said, trying to recall the words.
“Our song. She was singing to herself.” Adam broke down as Harley rubbed his back, giving a soft smile.
“Her last thoughts were of you. That’s what brought her comfort. I would love it if you could play that song for me one day.”
Adam didn’t respond, continuing to sob. Once he finished wiping his eyes, he rose to his feet, resting a hand on her coffin. “I’ll sing it every night for you, so be sure to listen out for it. I love you. You’ll bury the body, won’t you? Somewhere safe.”
“Of course, as I said before, you’re welcome to visit anytime you wish.” She stood by his side, giving the coffin a nod of respect before continuing. “I’ll be watching over you for the next few weeks until things get quiet again. We’re worried someone might target you for what your wife did.”
“Ok.” Adam said, taking a deep breath, preparing himself for the hardest part of a funeral. “We can leave.”
“I can wait longer if-“
“I’m ready. Please, before I change my mind.”
Harley held the fabric again. “We’re leaving, requesting an escort out of the church.”
“Got it. Head south, the heroes have secured a path for you two. We have a vehicle ready, should be able to sneak it into the public without being noticed. If it’s detected, we go with option B, flying it over the city.”
“Right, heading there now.”
Adam pushed the church door open, hearing a roar from the bloodthirsty crowd. Some shook the gates, while others pressed posters against it, displaying their messages of hate towards his wife. Adam did his best to look away as Harley shielded him, directing him down the southern path, getting him in the assigned car that would take him to his temporary hideout.

So, im 21 years old and have submitted my fafsa form and was deemed an independent student. I selected I was facing homelessness and I currently do not have support from my family.
My current situation is a bit weird. I'm currently living with my fiancé at his grandmothers house in her guestroom. I moved out of my parents home at 19 due to feeling unsafe. (They hold different political and religious beliefs than me, and had just found out I was gay and I was worried for my safety. They were also emotionally abusive at this time). As of writing this, I have slowly started being in contact with my parents again as they've gotten nicer over the years, however still do not live with them, have no plans of moving back in with them, and do not gain any financial support from them. I believe I am facing homelessness because recently his grandmother has become emotionally abusive as well, even worse than my parents were. She has been threatening to kick us out on the streets at 3am (in a really dangerous part of town) when she gets angry from her job, calls random family members late at night to fabricate stories about us, purposely wakes us up to accuse us of stealing her stuff (she knows we are not, she has cameras in every corner of her house and watches us while she's at work because she likes to find stuff to start arguments), etc. She could kick us out at any given moment and we have absolutely no backup plan. I currently deliver food via Doordash on and off, but other than that have been unsuccessful at getting a job. We buy all of our toiletries ourselves, and 95% of our (me and my fiancés) food. We shop for everything at Save-A-Lot and Dollar Tree.
I had submitted my FAFSA form on the 24th of April and messaged my school informing them that I need to submit documentation of my situation to them and asked what exact information they need and that they should be receiving my FAFSA info soon. They have not yet reached back out to me. I have not yet applied directly too the school, as there is a $100 application fee I currently don't have. I received an email from FAFSA stating that I had errors in my application under the homeless portion. Specifically the portion that asks if I've had my circumstances verified legally. I selected none of the above for that portion, as have not LEGALLY been deemed homeless/at risk of homelessness. I also do not have any councilors or doctors or service workers that can verify my circumstances. Only family and friends as well as my own detailed account.
Should I have my friends and family write letters verifying my circumstances and my parents verify that they do not support me financially? Should I just show up in person to my school of choice and sit down with a councilor and explain my circumstances to them with the letters? How do I know if they have even received my FAFSA info? What if I speak to them and they have no info on file because my circumstances were unable to be verified because of those errors? Why is this so confusing and difficult ugh! Any help or clarification would be GREATLY appreciated because i'm so lost right now...If im unable to get any financial aid due to my living situation, then me and my fiancé will go down to the courthouse and get married now if it helps with school. I hope any of that made sense...