This one book (not a series) I remember reading in primary school has really got me stuck
Started off with 3 friends and one of them found an old man lying on the ground near a waterfall and he couldn't get up without his walking stick. The kid found it and helped the man up. Turns out he didn't need help getting up but was doing it more of a test of the boys character. He said he would grant him and 2 friends each a wish of their choice.
One chose shapes hitting (later on turning into a rock for the fun of it) One chose speaking to animals Main character chose flight.
Can't remember how but eventually the first two lost their abilities and the main guy gained them all.
Plot had something to do with defeating an enemy of some kind. They were minions each with their own names (6-8 of them off by memory). Either way, the main enemies name or some other thing was all the minions names combined.
I can't remember any other details. Any help would be very much appreciated to put a part of my mind to ease

I'm sure this has probably been mentioned a million times in this Reddit but since I'm new, I just wanted to emphasise how glad I am to have now read the manga. I've watched and loved Death Note for so many years and I still think it's excellent - especially in areas that the manga can't replicate such as the soundtrack, animations etc., but I have also been part of the anime 'majority' who didn't LOVE part 2 and thought it felt a bit underwhelming after L's death and I thought Near was just a cheap copy of L.
However, reading the manga has completely changed that for me. The amount of depth that the manga goes into with Near and Mello's thought processes made the whole of part 2 feel so much better and more cohesive from a pacing standpoint and also gave so much useful characterisation to these characters. Mello especially is one of my favourite characters now and by the end, I think I actually like part 1 and part 2 almost equally (I will always love part 1 more though since the original cat-mouse game with Light and L will always be top-tier to me). I also way prefer the manga ending. Loved Near and Light's final speeches and loved how Ryuk wrote Light's name in the warehouse. Seeing Light just deteriorate in front of everyone, losing his dignity and practically turning rabid begging for his life, so unlike a God, truly was so impactful even though I still love the anime's take and the symbolism of him dying on the stairs.
Anyway all this to say reading the manga was so worth it and it is such a phenomenal series in either form but if anyone hasn't read the manga you totally should.

Ok so, I am in the eigth grade and our school does a mini eighth grade “graduation ceremony” for our transition into highschool. Part of this event is three people from eighth grade giving a speech to the student body and parents. I decided to submit my speech and I believe that I did impeccable in my audition, I was able to look up and give eye contact, was able to be breviloquent when reading, and my voice projected enough even without the mic.
After delivering the speech to my homeroom class and the judges I sat down and listened to the next speech. The next speech was by a girl who was infact, dyslexic. She was unable to look up at the crowd and even had to be REMINDED to pause during periods. It was to my utter repulsion and envy that the dyslexic girl was chosen to deliver the speech.
I just was at a complete loss I what I could’ve possibly did wrong, I had more achievements such as volunteering at a nursing home, being head of student council, being in the gifted program, having the highest MAP testing score, and being chosen to write letters thanking a foundation for donating to my school. Besides I am far better at reading and writing than anybody in our school, even my homeroom teacher said that I am to the entire class!
So I was rather upset by being beaten by someone with a disability and turned to my friend to tell her I believed that this girl was chosen “Out of pity because shes disabled” and one of the teachers ended up pulling me aside to tell me how rude and disrespectful it was that I said that, and said they needed to “give equal opportunities to all of my peers” Even though some of my peers are mentally… lackluster. I just don’t understand why they couldn’t include someone who can read properly, I mean I know way more about literature than she does! She couldn’t name a classic that wasn’t taught in school, like when I attempted to speak to her about the novel Catch-22.
Overall, I know it was probably mean, and i’ve prayed and wished and hoped on her downfall, but I really don’t care that its wrong because I was still sitting in the audience. It just felt humiliating that most people didn’t know how intelligent I am, and how well I can write! Plus, they said they needed a “good role model” and someone to “represent our school”, which the winners were ofcourse not.

Izuku was born Quirkless, he was born with a disadvantage, he was born with what others saw as a disability, he was born in an unfair world. Yet, he refused to give up. He studied, learned, invented, all because he wanted to be a hero. The Rift Stabilizer (Temporary Name) was supposed to be his greatest invention, a device capable of creating portal/rift to anywhere on the planet. With this Izuku could reach, grab, and save anybody. The Only Issues, it never worked the way it was supposed to. Instead it caused a lot more problems.
"Why!" Izuku kicked the chair in anger. Today he had met his Idol All Might, and had his dream broken.
"I'm sorry kid, but it's impossible to be a hero without a quirk." All Might despise those world, but he believed it was for the best.
"But, you don't understand All Might." Izuku argued. "I'm an inventor, i know i'm not as strong as everybody else but it doesn't matter. I can even the odd with my invention, use them to defeat villains and save people." He explained.
If All Might truly knew how smart Izuku truly was, well he might have believed him. The issues is that he had no idea who Izuku, all he saw was a kid who might have been a prodigy. "On I-island i had a friend, he had an incredible weak quirk and his daughter is quirkless. They both once believed they could match a hero with technology, but eventually they realized it was possible. Instead they decided to use their intelligence to help the heroes, it may not be as recognized in public but it still a way to help people." With that said, All Might left. Leaving a Izuku on the roof, with a shattered dream .
Izuku wasn't sure why he did it, maybe he was just blind to his anger. He kicked his desk in anger, injuring his foot and knocking his Rift Stabilizer onto the ground. He cursed himself, it was still fragile. What if he had broke, but instead something else happen. As he reached for it, it sparked. A released a faint glow, he grazed the trigger. The devices misfired, a rift engulfed the center of his room.
The other side was incredible, it was so advance. The Rift Stabilizer had malfunction, but in a good way. "Incredible, it sent me to another dimension." He would have to figure out what caused it to glitch.
As he walked by he noticed something, people whispered to each other. The same way people did when they say a hero doing something mundane, like when Nighteye is spotted buying groceries in public.
He would soon realized why, as he turn the corner his jaw drop. He saw around dozen statue of what seemed to be heroes, but something was wrong. All Might statue wasn't happy, it was sad. Endeavor's statue was scared, the other were weird as well. They looked like as if they were held down, chained, or imprisoned.
"These, these aren't statues." Something had turn these heroes into stone.
That was when he saw the banner, it was him.
In one world Izuku invented so he could be a hero, in another he invented so he could have his revenge against them. In one world he conquer it, but he would also save it.
He wasn't sure how it happen, he got captured. His alternate version on found him, and stolen The Rift Stabilizer. His counterpart told him his plan, how he'll used the device to invade his home dimension. He'll conquer it, and wipe out all the heroes. just like he did in this dimension, but Izuku wouldn't allow it.
All Might froze, a massive rift the size of a small city had open above japan. Thousand of robots, mech, android, anything robotic flew through the portal. they were attacking Japan, no this wasn't just an attack.
This was an invasion.
(Sorry if it was way to long, but allow me to explain in smaller but better detail. )
Summary: So pretty much Izuku built a device that allowed him to travel to other realities, in one those realities his counterpart conquered his world with an army of robot and incredible advance weaponry. All the Pro Heroes were defeated and either killed or turned to stone to set an example. He also enslaved everybody with a biologically fused collar to stop them from rebelling or using their quirks. Izuku get captured and has his Rift Stabilizer stolen, his evil counterpart plan on using it to invade Izuku's world and conquer it. While the pro-heroes of His world attempt to stop/hold off the invasion, Izuku will fight back against his counterpart and saved both his world and this one.

Psalm 66:1-20

¹ Shout for joy to God, all the earth! ² Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious. ³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. ⁴ All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing the praises of your name.”^\)^a\)
⁵ Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind! ⁶ He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the waters on foot— come, let us rejoice in him. ⁷ He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations— let not the rebellious rise up against him.
⁸ Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; ⁹ he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping. ¹⁰ For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. ¹¹ You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. ¹² You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
¹³ I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you— ¹⁴ vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble. ¹⁵ I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats.
¹⁶ Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. ¹⁷ I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. ¹⁸ If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; ¹⁹ but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. ²⁰ Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

May everyone in there life has faced a hard time in there life . Same goes with me . I was born in middle-class family in Nepal .. our family members has a big believe at me . As a only child I got love , care and support from my family members . Let me explain about too. My name is Ritu Shrestha . Talking about my personality I don't talk with many people nor I have many friends . I am a introvert kind of person . Thing incident happened with me . When I use to study at grade 9 .I was quite a brilliant student . Date:Magh 16 . that day was my birthday .. As everyone in the class thought of telling a paranormal story . I was also quite interested in stuff like that .. although I never believe nor saw any ghost at my whole life . After this incident everything changed .. After the school completed I was returning back .. When I went inside my house .. I saw my mom and dad crying .. when I came inside they looked at me in a creepy way .. I also was shocked after seeing them .. boz at this time my parents should be at office .. I didn't asked them a single word and went in my room . But I realised that my parents were still watching me in a creepy way .. I went inside my room and closed the door .. I was scared of their behaviour . As I was going to change my clothes I heard a strange noise outside .. I opened and saw my parents sitting in sofa .. my father told me to make a milk tea .. I hurried and made him the tea as fast as possible .. But when I gave him the tea . He told me to put the tea at the table .. I took my phone which was in charged . As I was moving towards my room .. I saw a call in my phone and pick it up .. There was my mom in the phone .. she told me that they were going to my uncle house .. When I heard that I collapsed .. As I turned my head . I saw my father and mother watching me and smiling in a creepy way .. As I looked at them . My father stood up and looked at me I realised that my father eye has turned black .. As he told me in a creepy sound " Come to your father " .. I was fricked out and hurriedly closed the door .. Both of my parent were banging the door .. And shouting " Open the door sweetie " But as they got louder and louder .. my parents voice turned into a veryyyy loud and creepy voice . I hurried and called my parents .. But I realize I don't have balance to call back .. So I hurried and called the cops .. The lock on the door was also going to broke . Lucky the call was picked by a officer .. he asked me " what happened " ..I didn't have any word to tell .. so I shouted " Help Help me plzz😭😭 .. In a hurry I told him my address .. but before I would complete the full sentence .. The door opened . And my eyes went blank .. After a while I was in my bed .. There were cops . My parents were outside .. As they saw me waking up they came running to me and asked what happened .. I just told them a lie .. that was a theft .. As my parents were talking to the cops .. I saw towards the table and saw a cup .. As I realized .. I saw a shadow towards the hallway .. After that incident I went to my sister house to living . For couple of days. RIGHT now .. I study at grade 12 but that days still Hunt me .. Till now I haven't forgot those creepy sound .. and smile at there face ..
This is me Arces signing off

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The cave was dark, its luminescent crystals having long since faded, the shattered shards sprinkling onto the stone floors as inert fragments. Once intricate brickwork was now rubble and crumbled debris, their murals and etchings now lost to deterioration. Countless tunnels and subterranean floors had filled in over time, reducing the monument of his efforts to but a solitary room nested within an unremarkable hole in the hillside, far beyond the township he called home. Or so he assumed, anyway. There was no way of knowing where he was, nor if said home even existed anymore, though he was doubtful it did. It had been far too long since he entered this promise-turned-prison, and he had no more heart to ache.
An ashen glow of sunlight penetrated the pitiful, dreary depths he was once prideful of. The luminance fought against the haze of dust and miasma, but never quite brought its warmth inside, teasing him. He’d forgotten what it felt like to stand in that brightness. To experience the gentle breeze and soft rustle of leaves. Admittedly, the touch of nature’s blessing was one he never often experienced, making for those sparse moments of sunkissed relaxation to be amongst the first memories to dissipate. There were things he still recalled, of course—the days before a single well-intentioned decision changed everything.
The days before he knew only regret.
Altier could still picture the modest farmland that his brothers and father worked on, and how he watched from behind the moss-laden shutters of his room, a frail smile worn on his emaciated face. His two siblings were well and hearty; they quickly grew up to be strong men, becoming apprentices under the village’s herbalist and leatherworker respectively. One would always help their father tend to the crops while the other was off gaining the experience required to take over the storefronts of their eventual occupation.
Their father would regularly be seen wiping the sweat off his brow and wearing a proud grin whenever his young men came back to ramble about what they learned, even if the elder man never understood much of it. That hardly mattered to him; knowing his boys were happy was enough for him to listen with rapt attention, and he repeated their words to his spouse, pretending to know why what he talked about was impressive. The matron of the family always winked Altier’s way when his father would start his usual boasting, letting her adorable fool of a partner take pride in their children for wrapping their heads around whatever he couldn’t. She loved him anyway, calling him playful names with a serene and adoring smile. The sound of her laughter at her husband’s antics could warm even the coldest of winters.
She cared for Altier when she wasn’t busy tidying the home his father built with his own two hands, the structure degrading over time, yet cared for all the same. She would heat the iron stove they had saved up for, her enchanting singing softly reaching those who listened. His father purchased it from a promising blacksmith just to spare his poor wife the trouble of maintaining a fireplace; it cost them years of being frugal, but the delight she showed at no longer needing to bear the direct heat when preparing meals made it worth every coin.
Altier still blamed himself for wasting her time with his needs, but his main regret was the toll his birth took on the angel of a woman. Her constitution wasn’t the best even before his addition, and although she was far from crippled by it, the thin woman couldn’t quite hide the struggles it caused. She never explicitly said why she was so weak, but he assumed she didn’t want him to shoulder the blame for something she decided herself. He pretended not to.
Unfortunately, such a frailty was carried on to their youngest son, yet done so in the worst of fashions. Ever since Altier was but a babe, he struggled with even the simplest of tasks, his body brittle and his lungs temperamental. A gaunt, bedridden figure showed his pale flesh clinging to nigh useless musculature, with sunken cheeks and eyes shadowed by omnipresent illness. The doctors that visited their village only did so twice a year, and being seen by them cost a proportional sum. Yet his parents wasted their coin every fall and spring, hopeful that their child would be cured. They told him that it was subsidized by the crown when he asked how they could afford it, assuring him that it wasn’t making his family financially suffer. He kept quiet and smiled, hiding the fact that he could see the effects of their dwindling coffers.
The answer never changed. ‘Mana deficiency,’ the learned man had called it, recommending that the corpse of a boy channel energy from rare stones to ease his ailment. The doctor even offered to procure an appropriately attuned gem himself, which Altier’s parents latched onto, evaporating their meagre savings and relegating the hopes of hiring help for the fields to being but a dream. The first element, Nature, was what most people held some affinity for, and even if his alignment was dismal, a concentrated stone would curb the worst of his symptoms.
The light green gemstone failed to so much as warm within his palms.
His doting mother and strong-willed father were undiscouraged. In fact, they were delighted; they voiced enthusiastic speculation on what affinity their troubled boy might have, seeing as how something considered ‘common’ was unsuitable. Altier was of a different mind, seeing the blinds of optimism veiling the impending downfall of reality. The pair couldn’t fathom anything but excellence from their offspring, and although they never forced unrealistic expectations upon their young, they were ignorant of just how crushing that faith could be.
They never saw how strained his smile became as gem after gem lay inert in his hands, while their excitement only grew, though that too came to an end. Altier’s hopes of recovery vanished when his father was the one to break the news; the doctors had no more stones to give. They had tried them all, and anything more potent was well outside their means. He was promised that the search for a solution would continue, neglecting the fact that they had already borrowed funds from most of the village to afford what they already found.
His father held him in a tight embrace that night, reassuring the stock-still boy. Altier never noticed how his eyes had gone wide at the information. He didn’t even feel the rivulets of tears pouring down his sickly skin. No, he simply remained frozen as he connected the dots as to why his mother wasn’t the one delivering the news.
She wouldn’t be able to hide the fear in her eyes.
Though beleaguered he might be, Altier was not so ignorant as to forget the one gemstone they never tried—the only affinity that had yet to be tested, and never would be.
Decay.
Reviled by the church and woven into the concepts of death and entropy, Decay was what stalked heroes in tales of old. Decay was what bled from graveyards and followed the monstrous attacks that left bustling townships as little more than crumbled ruins. Decay was powered by pain, suffering, and bloodshed, using the gathered energies to bring forth yet more horrid atrocities.
And he was one of the accursed few who manifested an affinity with such a voracious element. It fed off his own vitality, consuming him to fuel its demands. He would never be healthy as long as he stayed quiet and kind; every ounce of growth would be combated by ever-increasing requirements. Eventually, the pittance he supplied might not be enough, and therein lie the fear he remembered in his mother’s visage.
He would be killed by his own affinity…or kill to provide for it.
Unwilling, unintentional death would be stripped from the cloth of others’ survival.
The bedridden young man became further withdrawn after that, turning away visitation to immerse himself in daydreaming. They still loved him, and they were sure to remind him constantly, yet he couldn’t help but notice that even the most assertive interaction never brought them closer than the doorway. He smiled regardless, escaping into books read by candlelight. The stories made his isolation less painful.
Altier lived vicariously through tales of knights combating orcs and goblins, suave merchants persuading harpies and lamia to relinquish their collections, and impeccable heroes who stood atop slain menacing dragons. It was a pastime of his that arose when his father acquired an old storybook from a roaming trader; he would turn the final page, then try to guess where fact ended and fiction reigned supreme. He had heard of the many monsters while eavesdropping from his window, but they all were either settled in distant lands or subdued by the army before they became a problem. A peaceful township like his benefited greatly from being so far from the uninhabited wastes beyond the kingdom’s borders, yet also came with its detriments—the lack of apothecaries was a notable one.
He was surprised when he heard the hushed whispers from beyond his room, the earthen pathways of their village set alight by curious voices. Men, women, and children alike gathered in front of their homes and workplaces to watch as soldiers of the king’s army politely marched through the streets, stopping in front of the humble abode belonging to a family of five.
At first, he feared that the financial toll of his condition had hindered his parents from paying due tax, earning the crown’s ire. But no, they came with a proposition; one of the king’s aides had received a letter from a doctor providing someone with elemental stones, and the news of a decay affinity was apparently quite intriguing to them.
He listened to parents refusing to part with their son, yet he also heard his brothers citing just how miserable their youngest was, begging their father not to imprison a child inside the cage of good intentions. It was hard to place both arguments inside the same frame, but it was clear that everyone still cared for him in spite of his affinity. The talking turned to shouting, then flipped to sharpened silence when the stairs creaked beneath his feet, drawing attention to the thin form of his weakened body. He took advantage of the guilty looks and curious new faces to ask what the offer was.
The crown’s minister of magic wanted to hire him—an absurd thought, but one he confirmed by having them repeat it twice. Decay seemed to be an exceedingly rare affinity, and was sparsely documented outside its occasional mention in yarns tumbling past the lips of horribly scarred and inebriated adventurers. He was wanted for study, and after receiving clarification that the process wouldn’t be harmful, he almost considered it. Why wouldn’t he? As much as his family tried, they were terrified of what he might become or do. He was tired of placing a burden upon them, never being able to help with the farm or clean around the house, and he was disgusted with how much more difficult his parent’s life was just by his existence. Of course, his mother and father had countless gripes they brought to light when they saw his contemplative expression, but the knight at the table placed down the final counterpoint.
A writ of promised compensation and a pouch of coin clinked against the aging furniture. The king himself had signed the document, and although neither of his parents received much education, they were both able to read the amount. As long as Altier continued to work, the crown would pay a portion of his earnings directly to his family. The house could get desperately needed repairs, the fields would see new farmhands, and his mother could hire help. They could have everything Altier had taken from them since his birth…and all he had to do was say yes.
So he did.
He ignored the protests, gathered his things, then hugged his parents and siblings farewell the next morning, promising to send them letters on how he was whenever he could. They were less than thrilled—hearing from him once a season at best wasn’t preferable—but they eventually wished him well when he explained that he hoped to control his affinity. His mother wept upon realizing he was aware of her concern over all those years. He cried when she told him that it pained her to remain so distant. The fear for her own life was something she didn’t feel at all; she just didn’t want him to blame himself if something happened that he couldn’t control.
“I brought you into this world to be loved,” she whispered into his ear as she held him, her voice damp and cracking, yet filled with familial affection. “I knew what it would cost me when I learned I was pregnant again; I just didn’t consider how you could think it was your fault. I would never forgive myself if you suffered because of something I decided. Death is too kind a punishment for what it would do to you.”
It took a while, but he did manage to collect himself enough to walk with his escort to the village’s limits, one of the soldiers helping him stay upright without an order or word of protest. They brought him to a carriage, then set off for the mainland, the view of his home shrinking until it was a mere speck in the distance. He could almost still see his parents’ faces filled with pride and sorrow, awestruck by his selflessness yet torn by his departure. His brothers had kept their facade of confidence and a jovial demeanour, but their concern bled through strained smiles. He fell asleep to the sounds of horses and the crackle of rocks against wooden wheels.
Some time passed without much of note occurring. Altier was examined by kind people of a town that was still rather far from the city, but no one had specifically said he was going there, so he wasn’t sure why he didn’t think to ask. Nevertheless, his affinity was documented using tools he couldn’t identify, and the answers he got for his inquiries passed straight through his ears. He was worried his lack of education would irritate the obviously more well-off researchers, yet the soft-spoken academics didn’t dislike him for his ignorance. They tried explaining things to him in ways he could understand, but switched to more general conversation when he was still struggling to comprehend. It was fine, though; he enjoyed the company.
Despite the long wait for a reply, the first letter he got back from his parents was a reassurance he didn’t know he needed. They had received their first payment since he left, and the pages were scrawled edge to edge with their praises, worries, heard gossip, and a single mention of his brother courting a woman. Altier wrote how glad he was that they were well, told them of all the interesting sights, his disappointment at not being in the capital proper, and how kind everyone was. He chuckled to himself after handing the letter off to be delivered, a last minute thought having him jot down a request for his mother to tease the nascent couple in his stead. He wondered if the next reply would include a relationship or not.
Things took a turn after a year. His eldest brother was still seeing his sweetheart, while the middle sibling had yet to have anyone catch his eye, his sights set on his work with the herbalist. Their mother mentioned how she suspected he was interested in the older woman in charge of providing salves and poultice for the village’s ill, and although she was hoping for him to find someone his own age, she put his happiness over having grandchildren. Their father was just as supportive, putting down his own sloppily written query on how their ‘brave boy’ was doing in romantic endeavours.
Altier smiled as he read, updating his family on how he had been moved to a more isolated region since their last correspondence, and thus wasn’t really able to meet anyone he could see himself with. He insisted he was fine, scattering well-wishes and the like while he avoided speaking of events he had promised not to mention. The response came off as somewhat stiff, but he was sure they would understand. All that really mattered was that they were happy and healthy.
His profession as a research subject came to an end, in a way. After collecting what information they could, there was a period where no one bothered to visit the Decay-afflicted young man. He dwelled within his humble accommodations in the middle of a forest, but he didn’t press when the people assigned to deliver food refused to answer where he was. It was fine; he had new books brought to him regularly, and knowing that his family was being taken care of by his ‘work’ was enough to dissuade him from complaining. He stayed quiet even as he got sicker and sicker, some nights spent shivering next to the fireplace with the most recent letter being held by trembling hands. The look of contentment on his face was genuine despite the insufferable pain.
Someone did eventually visit his little hovel in the woods. A man who introduced himself as a ‘Technician’ entered, accepted some simple tea, and made polite conversation for a while. It was a pleasant experience for someone who had grown used to solitude. Once they had both finished their drink, the Technician called for an aide to bring in an unexpectedly opulent box. The gold trim parted to reveal a strange orb—a ‘core’ the man called it, though he was reticent on what it was or did. All Altier was told was to spend the night’s rest with it in his hands, and by the morning, he would no longer suffer from his affinity.
“There is still much for us to learn, Altier,” the Technician promised, putting the younger man’s worries to rest. “Tomorrow, you will be stronger than ever. I would wager your parents will be ecstatic once you tell them.”
“W-what are we studying next?” Altier stuttered out, feeling the weight of the strange stone as it was laid into his unsure grasp. It was no larger than an apple, yet the smooth obsidian sphere somehow dragged him downward by the heart, the flawless surface captivating his attention in a way he both liked and despised. Light bent as he inspected the object, almost avoiding its very presence. He settled it on his lap after a moment, conflicted about how he would be healed by something the very world seemed to reject.
“We,” the newcomer started, flourishing an arm towards Altier, “are going to prepare. With your help, we can create the heroes from those stories you so love.”
It was a bitter memory in retrospect, yet the sickly boy at that table was entranced by what was promised to him. His soul would be captured by the orb, and he would be given the ability to make a Dungeon—the very same he read about hundreds of times. His body would be taken care of, suspended until he returned to it, which he was assured would be whenever he wanted.
That assurance came with a stipulation, however. Were he to decide that he was done, he would lose his new abilities, return to his old form, and be sent on his way, fully healed. But—and there was always a ‘but’—his parents would no longer receive compensation. The king had been withholding from implementing a tax increase in his village, and once the reason for it was no longer employed, then the other ministers would place immeasurable pressure until he capitulated. Altier’s whole world before leaving would fall under the demands. The Technician wore a sombre, sympathetic gaze as he expressed how difficult things would be for the boy’s parents.
Stupid, gullible Altier agreed, thanking the stranger for the opportunity. He went to bed with hope in his heart and wonder on his tongue.
[Initializing…]
[User identified: Altier
Affinity: Decay
Status: Deteriorating (Insufficient mana supply)
Inherent Ability: Avatar of Decay]
[Error: Insufficient Mana. System will acquire the excess from suitable sources as dictated by the User.
Error: User is unable to designate a suitable source.
Searching based on default requirements…Source found.
Converting source to Mana…Success.
Synchronizing…Success.
Updating libraries…Success.
Implementing framework…Success.
Establishing Domain…Failure. Insufficient Mana. Insufficient Authority.
Modifying criteria…Success.
Establishing Domain…Success.]
[Dungeon established! Generating assignment…Success.]
[Priority assignment: Prevent the End—324:450:3247:345:34:12]
[Priority assignment: Prevent the End—324:450:3247:345:34:11]
[Priority assignment: Prevent the End—324:450:3247:345:34:10]
- - - - -
When he awoke, it wasn’t to the small room where books threatened to take over every available surface, but to a claustrophobic darkness that crushed him as much as left him weightless. He had been warned that the experience would be disorienting, so he clenched the jaw he learned was no longer there, took a breath that could no longer be taken, and waited like he was supposed to.
Thankfully, the Technician was a man of his word, and he came back shortly after Altier had managed to figure out the basics of…well, of whatever he was turned into. He found a way to ‘see’ the world around him, though ignoring the sense of vertigo that came with having sight of everything at once was difficult. There was text that he could summon or dismiss at will, but it only really displayed a countdown he wasn’t familiar with. Truth be told, he wasn’t quite sure what to think of things back then, but he remembered feeling relieved when the Technician brought droves of researchers.
The first thing he noticed with his new senses was that he was underground. The second was that he didn’t know how to talk without a mouth. Apparently, his new company had a list of expected inquiries, and they set out to answer as many questions as he might have.
Someone explained that they had already moved his body to a secure area, and in order to make use of his nascent abilities, his new form was taken to a suitable location. It made sense to him; if he was supposed to be a place where soldiers trained to fight monsters and get stronger, then they needed it somewhere hidden away from people who might accidentally wander in. Guards were apparently placed outside the entrance, but when he tried to separate his focus from the polished black orb, his sight grew dim and indistinct. They mentioned that sort of thing was expected, and once they placed him on a pedestal, he would be able to ‘feel’ his Domain more clearly.
He learned over time what a Domain was and how to use it, guided by the researchers and the occasional soldier or knight who stopped by to see how Altier was performing. He summoned his first creature using his stockpile of mana, though the spider wasn’t very threatening. Apparently, the pool of his new resource incremented passively based on how large he was, and would strengthen his abilities, but it also required an upkeep to maintain. He could get more by analyzing new materials, objects, or whatever else he hadn’t seen before, and he gained a larger amount by absorbing something—after inspecting it, ideally. Beginning as a single room, neither the upkeep nor income was particularly exciting, but the researchers also had a solution to that: Invaders.
‘Invader’ was a term that referred to any creature that entered his Domain, and although he gained mana during their occupation, they were also a threat to the core. His imminent concern for his safety was abated by the Technician quickly assuring him that, in the unlikely event that the core was destroyed, he would be transferred back to his body without any ill effects, but it would also bring an end to the agreement that prevented his family from being crushed by financial demands. He quietly reiterated the point until it stuck, then waited through the explanation until he had most of his questions answered.
Sadly, the Altier back then didn’t know what questions to ask.
Once he worked out how to summon and manage the most basic of creatures, his guides urged him to build and expand, which took some getting used to. A single room became a hub of connections, and despite the advice given, he metaphorically banged his head against the wall that was trying to close off his core. It just didn’t work; any walls would refuse to be built, containers would topple before they fell over him, and everything else he tried ended just as unspectacularly. Something would always be able to reach him if they had the desire to.
Eventually, he was put through mock ‘invasions’ where fresh trainees fought his creatures, reached the core, then stopped to place a hand on it before leaving, taking some of his mana as a reward. He didn’t understand how it worked, but he learned that people could ‘absorb’ some experience to fuel their affinity if they touched him. The more experienced he became, the more that invaders received, and the more experience he got from defending his core from increasingly powerful invaders. It was a cycle he could comprehend, and it put to rest the lingering fear that someone would try to break his core.
There was also something of an exchange going on; coloured motes were left behind on the core’s surface, then slowly absorbed. Each time it happened, he gained a little more insight on how to integrate new things into his dungeon—first a small pool of water, then a fire, then other things that seemed fairly removed from the concept of ‘Decay.’ As soon as a researcher noticed what was going on, the Technician encouraged Altier to specialize in a particular element, since that was apparently more efficient. With a few more long-winded explanations, he had figured out how to hide anything that wasn’t related to Decay within his ‘menu,’ and focused on making himself as strong as he could.
Mock invasions became a regular occurrence, each one taking place after he had the chance to patch holes in his strategy or adjust rooms. He discovered that expanding downwards was an option, but doing so meant that he needed a ‘Boss’ to precede the stairs. The selection unsettled and excited him. A skeleton was what ended up guarding the way deeper into his Domain, and at the insistence of his guides, he left the new creature…monster…? He left his new creation as it was and set about expanding the second floor. Thankfully, the task went smoother since he knew what to do, and soon enough, he was the proud owner of ten floors. Every boss focused on testing what the knights and soldiers knew about fighting and teamwork, and every floor down grew harder and harder to contest.
Altier’s first ‘victory’ was gained when his ‘invaders’ surrendered on the ninth floor. He had been proud of that; they weren’t expecting him to branch into using animal as well as humanoid skeletons. A well-placed Ox made short work of their forces, but stopped before doing more than bashing them around. The thrill of defending his core was incomparable. He also gained access to some more cosmetic options for his existing structures, including the ability to write on a sign if he so wished—though doing so was prohibitively expensive. He didn’t care; a sign was put near the entrance within seconds, asking if someone would mind letting him know when letters arrived from his parents, and to write his reply to send back.
To his relief, it wasn’t much longer before a letter did arrive. He was delighted to hear that all was well, yet sad when he wasn’t able to attend his brother’s wedding. It was a simple affair, true, but he would have liked to go. He asked the person who was kind enough to read it out for him to pen his response, then got back to improving his Domain. His family was doing well, and if being the best dungeon he could be would ensure their happiness lasted as long as possible, then he would be just that.
Ten floors became twenty. Twenty became forty. He hit one-hundred floors after constant effort, happily using signs to ‘talk’ through short phrases with the nicer groups of ‘invaders’, while he mostly ignored the rest. It was too hard to keep track of everyone after a while, but he was supposed to be a training ground, so he kept up doing what he was supposed to, mentally smiling when someone he was keeping tabs on managed to overcome a challenge they were struggling with. Some got stuck on certain floors, unable to adapt to new creatures, while others had a hard time traversing the increasingly long voyage to his core. He made small recovery rooms for a party that thanked him for the challenge, filling basins with food and water, then instructed his creatures not to bother anyone inside.
Surprisingly, the group accepted his offer of rest with gratitude that seemed excessive. They spoke to the walls, regaling him of their various journeys and the humorous events spread throughout. He enjoyed the time spent focusing on that area, as well as the gifts people sometimes left behind. Each new item was transferred to a room near his core, where he kept a collection of keepsakes ranging from books to tarnished jewellery that had more sentimental value than monetary. Still, it was all priceless to him, displayed proudly next to the letters he received regularly from his family.
His one-hundred floors became two-hundred, and he struggled to find recurring visitors after some time. The soldiers grouped up into parties of five or six, venturing into the dungeon with the goal of increasing the strength of small units. Altier adjusted the difficulty to accommodate, dialing back the force he once used to combat near endless waves of knights. Magic was something that came from the change in tactic, much to his surprise. It was weak, but pretty much everyone who tried the dungeon could light a torch or chill their water. He wasn’t well-learned about what any particular element could do, but he was glad to see that his new participants were indeed getting stronger.
The two-hundred floors became three-hundred, which then became four-hundred. Altier’s creatures would have been terrifying if it wasn’t for the fact that he had yet to kill anyone, the skeletal monstrosities looming through corridors like horrific nightmares made manifest. He was pleased to find that they listened rather dutifully when he said to escort those who surrendered to the entrance, which was most people. In fact, hardly anyone ever made it to his core anymore, despite the jump in power of various magics he often saw. Flamethrowers, earthen spikes, empowered bodies, and many more effects were in play within each party that tried to conquer his trial. A particularly adept group eventually placed their hand on the obsidian sphere, taking suffocating amounts of mana, while also leaving a thick haze of their own. His creatures became far stronger for it, and so he adjusted the difficulty once more, wondering when they would try to best him again. Unfortunately, they never did, but he saw some people who shared a striking resemblance, and the newcomers were easily more magically inclined. It was fun to challenge them.
The cycle repeated, though he wasn’t sure when the Technician stopped visiting. Altier was too busy keeping his end of the deal, improving the crown’s army in exchange for giving his family a life they deserved. He did notice something wrong after the letters started taking a while to come, and although the contents filled him in on the newest events, things started seeming…out of character. The feeling tickled at his mind, but it was fine. They were happy and well.
How foolish he was.
A party entered shortly after he completed his six-hundredth floor, instantly setting off an incomparable feeling of dread. His senses warped when he tried to focus on them, blocking everything in their vicinity from his view. It took a bit for him to figure out why, but they were carrying something that sucked the mana out of the very dungeon itself, and his unbidden instincts screamed that whatever it was needed to be destroyed. He reacted without thought, releasing everything he determined too dangerous for simple training in a bid to drive them out.
It wasn’t enough. He watched the void travel floor after floor, leaving nothing but dismembered skeletal creatures in their wake. Veritable monsters were slain, chimeras he had worked on as a side project became incinerated dust, and the signs he left for the weary were torn off the walls. A voice bellowed through his halls from the darkness he couldn’t see, declaring what was happening.
They were not there to train. In order to defend against a force threatening the kingdom, they needed power, and in order to gain that, they needed his mana. His experience. All of it.
They were there to break the core under the king’s decree.
Altier’s nonexistent heart stopped, memories of how impoverished his family used to be flashing through his mind, and with a near silent refusal, he let the instincts to get rid of the invaders swallow him whole.
By the time he calmed down, it was to a pit of blackness and a dull pull in his ephemeral chest stopping him from being able to do anything. He could still ‘hear’ though, and he heard the choking breaths of a single man in his core’s room. He heard the bitter laughter that followed accusations of dooming the very world…as well as sympathies for what the pale, sickly, Decay-afflicted man had gone through.
Altier could only listen as the man told him how his dungeon was hundreds upon hundreds of years old, and how the party had been briefed on its history. He listened as the man spoke of the letters that were to be presented to the dungeon every scant decade, yet always claimed to be given every few months. The groups he befriended had left to start families of their own, and their children returned to befriend him as well, continuing the cycle and passing it on in a generations-long tradition. He listened as he ignored the warnings popping up, the transient text telling him that his mana production was insufficient to support the dungeon. That he was dying.
When the man perished, and the dungeon collapsed piece by piece, Altier listened to silence, because there was nothing else he could do.
Nothing besides reading the text that lingered in his vision amidst the warnings.
[Priority assignment: Prevent the End — Failure]
- - - - -
Altier ‘looked’ at the dim orb that seemed so much like his own, its small form sat next to dust that might have once been the man who unveiled all those truths so long ago. He didn’t know how long it had been since then, only that he was still alone. He wasn’t even angry anymore; the energy needed to feel rage or sorrow was gone. He was just lonely.
[Attempting to reestablish Mana Well…Failure.]
The core dismissed the message absently, more than aware of what it read. Thousands of the notifications had passed by, interspersed by various abilities and whatever else becoming ‘corrupted.’ He didn’t care anymore. His dungeon was his pride at some point, but now he just wanted to feel the sunlight that slowly dimmed as night claimed the evening sky. It would be nice to see the stars again. Or just outside, assuming there was anything left to see. Maybe it was all a desolate wasteland.
[Restructuring Affinity: Decay…Failure.
Reorganizing libraries…Failure.
Re—]
[Error. Ability ‘Avatar of Decay’ has been corrupted. Please provid—]
[Error. System corruption exceeding threshold. Please provide a valid framework.]
[Error. Affi—]
It might as well be. He sold himself to ensure his family’s well-being, but how many of those letters were real? Did they have a good life, receiving word that their ‘brave boy’ was healthy and happy? He hoped so. All there was left to do was watch the thin glow of the outside shift. Eventually, that draining orb the floor would run out of things to take from him. And to think that he just wanted those he cared about to be well…
[Error. Stability compromised. System integ—]
Altier roused from his trance, lethargically shifting his focus to a flicker of shadow near the deteriorated entrance. How strange it was to have his core room be right next to outside, yet he didn’t recall how that came to be. Magic, possibly, but he couldn’t quite bring himself to care. He was tired of numbers and percentages. Of values and skeletons. He was tired of being a dungeon, and of being alone.
A rock—a pebble, really—tumbled into the shallow curved hallway that acted as the path to his core, a strange sound getting louder. He ‘felt’ his brow furrow in perplexion before he actually considered what was happening. That was a voice. Speech. Someone was talking.
He was stunned silent before enthusiasm could build. A gaunt bipedal creature entered the cave, though it was decidedly not human. Taloned feet supported two legs, though they walked on their toes, he supposed. Its skin was reptilian, the pale black colour still managing to look plush, if dry. A thick, long tail swayed slowly to correct its weight, shifting its tattered garment that looked more like worn burlap than clothing. Nervous hands fiddled with chipped claws and felt along the wall, a lack of care rendering them dull and dirty. Fearful, exhausted eyes wandered the cave, the grey irises showing a pained soul underneath an etched smile on otherwise soft features.
Altier ransacked his memory as the creature nervously looked for something in his desolate ‘dungeon,’ recalling a crude painting in one of his old books. It was a kobold, though they shouldn’t have been anywhere near the kingdom, not that it mattered now. The scaly occupant muttered to itself, their voice soothing and feminine in a language he didn’t know. He wouldn’t have minded the conversation, but it was a moot point; he lost the ability to write on signs long ago. A part of him was surprised he would talk with a monster from his stories. He was never overly involved with his fellow humans—excluding his family and the odd party in his rest areas—but he figured there would be more resistance. There was no point in thinking about it. It would leave when it realized there was nothing here, and he would be alone again.
The last thing he would have expected was the kobold noticing a dusty obsidian orb sat atop crumbled stone, then excitedly picking said orb up to hold against its chest, its chirps of excitement filling the quiet room. Or, it would have been the last, if not for the messages that appeared.
[Compatible library found! Synchronizing…Error. Framework is incompatible.
Restructuring framework…Error.
Redefining framework…Error.
Replacing framework…Success.
Restructuring framework…Success.
Defining Affinity…Error.
Redefin—
Error.
Error.
Err0r.
Er44#%$@.
Rein#$^!@zing…Er$&*or.
Domaaaaaa#@%in…Er^r.
@%$%#$R.
Aff%$^: Null…Su^@!#ss.
D#@%^a@#n Es^!@l%#@ed!—]
[Null]
[Pr#%y #@$nment: ERRRR#*#$RRR—]
[Null]
[Priooooooority Assignmentmentmnet: B#&#$^—]
[Null]
Next

I'm a 30 year old male. I have been having, what I now believe to be night terrors since I was 18 years old. Due to ADD and lack of sleep this post may be a little scattered, but I am trying to give as much information as possible so maybe someone knows something - I cannot continue like this.
I don't know why it's taken me so long to write this or reach out for help but here is my timeline, when I was 18 I had a major panic attack, which I still do not know the cause of, I was rushed to hospital as it was so bad even my Dad thought I was having a heart attack. I was prescribed beta blockers and tried them for a while but I had panic attacks due to fear of the panic attack as I was convinced it was heart related. At this age I was not using drugs, alcohol, was a very healthy weight and active in sports nearly every day.
Anyhow, the day panic attacks stop, and one random night, I jump out of my bedroom, running down my hall naked, screaming to my parents sweating with my heart pounding through my chest screaming to call 999 that I am dying. These episodes were hit and miss for a few days a week, some days I would sleep fine, sometimes I would sleep better in other houses etc.
This of course affected my relationships etc until I realised that if I had a few shots of whiskey before bed, I slept just fine, I employed this many times when seeing partners. (Important to now note that to get the same desired effect years later it takes at least 35cl of whiskey or a bottle and half of wine to sleep through).
A few years back I got tested for sleep apnoea as my doctor thought it could be that and it was determined that I have mild sleep apnoea, I couldn't get onto the machine at all and I just turned to alcohol. I could do with losing weight yes but I don't believe this is just sleep apnoea, I wake up screaming, in pure terror, shouting "no, no, no" "I'm dying" "I'm gone, tell mum I love her" - If my mobile is close to me I will call 999 for an ambulance, sometimes I am quick enough to stop before the call goes through, but more often than not I will get a concerned call back (they know my name and number now) so they're a little more chill. The worst ones I will run up stairs and into other rooms, naked thinking I'm dying, sweating and high temperature.
I can NEVER remember the dreams etc before this. Is this sleep apnoea, is this night terrors, sometimes if I stayed up all night and went to sleep around 7am I would actually sleep like a baby to the point where I just flipped my sleeping schedule, but when I have to switch it back, it happens without fail. Some of the worst ones have come from daytime naps at home, I wake up, screaming and running, I've injured myself repeatedly, even writing this has been therapeutic.
I seriously cannot even speak to people about it as they don't get it, they recommend teas, breathing, meditating, this happens me at different weights, different diets, areas, time zones - the only constant is if I get drunk to the point it knocks me out, it doesn't happen and that isn't sustainable.
Should I just save up and get a polysomnograph? Any advice of ANY kind is so so welcome, even just to know i'm not alone. Its so exhausting, I just want a normal nights sleep like when I was 17. This happens EVERY night without fail. I never get a break. Hopefully this post can be the beginning of my journey to getting out of this nightmare. If you've read this, thankyou for taking the time, it means the world.

I'm sorry, this is a really long post but I'll bullet point most stuff down.
•The one big thing that makes me feel valid is that, when I was 11, my stepdad fingered me in my bedroom. I won't go in to too much detail or anything, it's unimportant. But the entire time he just stared at me and everything was silent, like he was waiting for my reaction. Our relationship has always been odd, so I wanted it. But eventually I got scared and told him something, I don't remember what it was but it got him to stop immediately and he apologised too. I don't remember much after, as in I don't know if he left my room or I left first, but I immediately went to the bathroom. Which was when I discovered I was bleeding. •Around this time, for some strange reason I would repeatedly say to him "fuck me daddy." This would either be in person, or over messages. I remember once, when I was in school, I messaged him that. He told me to stop in case one of my friends saw. I don't know why he didn't tell me to stop for other reasons. •One day, after telling him that in person, we were in my parents bedroom. I was sat on his bed and he was in front of me in his weird chair. He then started going in to detail about how I wanted him to fuck me, I can't remember exactly what he said, it was like I zoned out. Everytime I try to recall it now it literally feels like bugs start to crawl up me, I don't understand why. I remember the last part, and his really disgusting hushed and gentle voice. He asked if I wanted him to "cum inside of me", or he was just explaining how that would finish. I'm not really sure. •Still around this same time period of me being 11-12, I would ask him to 'squish me.' The reason why we would call it that is because I would be on my back, my legs would be up all the way to where my head is and he would be on top of me in a way that would 'squish me'. Basically like that one sex position. I would usually be wearing my school uniform when that would happen, so a skirt. During the 'squishing', he would push down on me, so our crotches would basically be against eachother. I don't know why, but I would continuously ask him to 'squish me' and during it I would even say the whole "fuck me daddy" thing. Only recently have I realised that he was probably just pretending to fuck me. •Other things had happened around that age too, like how we would talk about how many times we masturbated a day and compare it to eachother. Sometimes if I was abruptly going to my room, he would ask if I was going to go masturbate, since we were 'close like that' I would tell him. He would often recommend me NSFW Instagram model accounts. I was once tricked in to sending feet pics to this guy, which really isn't that serious and whenever I brought it up with friends they find it fucking hilarious. But the detail I always leave out is that, I did bring that up with my stepdad and he proceeded to tell me that he already knew. Which means he was spying on me through the crack of the door. If that already didn't bother me, I don't understand why he just allowed me to send those pictures, if he was watching why the hell didn't he stop me? •I'm pretty sure this also happened around the age of 11 as well, recently, a memory resurfaced but I barely remember it. Basically, I was sucking on his neck. I don't remember who said it, but either him or my mum spoke up and laughed, saying that I needed to stop otherwise I would "give him a hickey." The reason why I wouldn't be surprised if my mum was in the room at the time is because she doesn't care about what he does. She knows everything and just doesn't fucking care. •I'm very sure that, around that age, my parents begun to expose me to their loud sex. I wouldn't be surprised if it started even younger, however. Obviously, I tried to bring it up with them at the ripe old age of 11 and my mum immediately shot me down with a "it's natural." This only stopped recently, around this year, because I had a big panic attack over hearing them and my mum finally felt guilty. I started getting panic attacks over it the minute it started, maybe the panic attacks were a sign of the trauma when I was younger, but I'm convinced it is now. I heard it so many times that I began to get paranoid every night, I would start to hear it even if they weren't upstairs (I sound crazy, I know.) I would get so anxious every night in case I would hear it, to the point I started to really resent them from it. I know fine well I could just go to sleep before them, but sometimes they even woke me up with it, on numerous occasions. •I'm convinced my stepdad wanted me to hear it. Around the time of it finally stopping, I got mad because i was hearing it again (I'm unsure if it was due to me hearing shit or they actually were) but it caused me to take my bedding and go downstairs to sleep. In the morning, I was rudely awoken to my stepdad slamming the door open and storming past. He's not usually like that when people are sleeping, so it instantly gave me the impression that he was pissed off and the only reason I can think of is that he was angry I wasn't there to listen. •He used to tease me for my paranoia to. As a way to discourage them from getting intimate, I would leave my door open at night. This happened around this year, but I was doing that again and I messaged my stepdad if they were actually going to sleep. It then somehow turned to him making a dig about how he knew I gets anxious at night and when I asked why he sent me "In case me and your mam have sex. 😜" Before, I tried to resolve this issue by begging them to just tell me if they were gonna have sex or not so I could sleep downstairs (because I was gonna find out the hard way anyways.) And they kept on refusing? Which just gave me the impression that they wanted me to listen more. •Around 11 again, he would often tell me details about his and my mums sex life. Like how he was always good at pulling out and the only time he would wear a condom is right when he was about to finish. But the reason why my sister came to be was because he just failed to pull out that one time and my mum refused to get an abortion. Another time, he went on about how him and my mother had sex during her period and how they had to use towels and they didn't enjoy it because it was too messy. •I don't know if he did things before the age of 11, my memories are very faded and it's like there are major gaps throughout everything. I'm worried that he did, however. When I was very young, I remember having no accidents at all during the night. But then, around the ages of 9, I would have an accident basically every night and would get a lot of water infections. I know that's a classic sign of child sexual abuse, but I don't want to jump to conclusions or anything. •Another reason as to why I believe more things had happened to me than what I know of is because I always seemed to know what sex was when I was young, but I wouldn't know the name or anything specific about it like how to get pregnant or what cum was. Though, even though I didn't know what it was, it was like I always thought about it, I could never not think about sex, it was disgusting. This stayed until I was around 13. I remember where I even asked my 'boyfriend' at the time, we were both around 8, if he wanted to have sex, and I have no idea why. •Over the years, he would flash me frequently. Everytime, I would always believe it was an accident because he'd never acknowledge it, besides from that one time which he always jokes about it and blames me. Everytime he would flash me, it would either be because of a convenient hole in the crotch of his pants or because he was wearing very lose fit shorts and it would just be hanging out. The more I think about it, I'm very sure he would have been able to feel such a thing, especially when it was poking out of the hole, but it was like he was just oblivious. •For some strange reason, when I was younger, I would make comments about small dicks. I don't know if I was commenting on his dick specifically, but he would always say the same thing. "Width matters more than length." •Recently, around 16-17, he made a joke about how he listens to me masturbating. Once he noticed how shocked I looked, he then went on saying about how my vibrator is too quiet to hear. •Around 17 again, I went to use the shower. The shower I use is the one that's connected to my parents room. When I locked the door, he got madish and started making comments about it. I had to defend myself, saying how 'the door would open on it's own if I didn't lock it'. Eventually, he backed off. •I don't understand the point in the fucking door and lock to my bedroom anymore. Whenever I decided to lock my door, my parents start shouting at me through the walls, asking why I locked my door. My stepdad barely knocks, it's like a tap and he doesn't even wait sometimes. I remember seeing a past message from an old friend saying how he tried to walk in when I was changing and that he knew I was changing. I didn't explain myself, I really wish I did because I don't remember this. •(Around 17.) We were messaging eachother and it somehow turned in to him hinting if I saw this one animated video, it was a porn one. I said no, and to that he sent me a screenshot of it. It wasn't anything bad or anything, just the start of it and nothing was revealing, he then asked if I was sure. And how he was surprised that I hadn't. •(Around 17.) I don't really get my period, we still don't know why. But as I was getting a lot of blood tests, my stepdad was trying to check things off the list of what it could be. One of those being that my opening is just extremely tight I guess, because he asked if I ever tried penetrating myself. I admitted that I did, but I couldn't get it to exactly go in. Which he then decided to make a comment saying how It's just my 'technique'. I wonder if the only reason he asked that was to see if I ever tried anything out of morbid curiosity. •(Around 17 again.) He randomly bought me dildo's once, I didn't ask him for them, he just bought them for me and it was wildly uncomfortable. Once he gave me them, he asked if I wanted him to show me how to use them. I said no, which he then said something about how if I ever did then I could ask him. I worry what would have happened if I did say yes. •When I was around 14, I went glamping. I ended up having to share a bed with him. One of the nights, I woke up to his hand just on top my crotch. I tried grabbing it and moving it away but it just fell back down on to it. I don't know if he put it back there on purpose. I still question if it was a dream, I'm very sure it wasn't because I remember going back to sleep, but it still just bugs me. •Around 17, I was upset for some reason and he was comforting me. During this, he randomly grabbed the inside of my thigh. I usually just wear a shirt and boxers, so he basically just grabbed my naked thigh but I don't know if he was doing it in a comforting way. •Usually when I draw, I have my knees up to my chest so it's easier to use my tablet. Considering what I wear for pyjamas, I can always see him looking at my crotch when he comes in to my room. If he really can see everything I don't understand why he doesn't just tell me to put my legs down. •He's made a lot of uncomfortable jokes over the years too. One of the ones that upsets me sometimes is that, when he was measuring me for a binder, I was constantly moving around because it was uncomfortable since I was just in a sports bra. As he was leaving, I think I told him about how it was uncomfortable for me or something along those lines. He then turned around and shouted "oh come on, it's not like i was fingerings your pussy or anything." •Very recently, I asked him if I looked okay before going to college. After a bit of back and fourth he said "I wouldn't kick you out of bed, maybe you could find someone in college who would do the same." •Other times when I asked him if I looked okay, he'd go on tangents about how my ass is great or how he would date me or be too nervous to talk to me if he was my age. •One of the more recent jokes was when I dropped a mayonnaise lid on my lap. Nothing got on me, but my stepdad turned to me then turned to my mum and shouted "if anyone starts accusing us, just tell them it was mayonnaise!" Or something like that. •I remember after we watched the new mean girls film, he started going on saying about how he wanted to rewatch it for the Halloween seen (if you know you know) for the 'panty action'. Which rubs me the wrong way because I'm very sure the girls are supposed to be around my age. •I'm very sure he also made this fake account, pretending to be one of my old groomers that I tried to cut off, just to message me about nsfw topics and ask for pics. It's a whole long yap about paranoia and just suspicions so I won't get into it though. If I tried to provide all the evidence I have, it'll take forever and there's no point.
There's definitely way more things that he's said, joked and done. But I'm only now beginning to realise that they're not okay. Even when I was younger, I was sort of uncomfortable around the jokes so I would just zone out, leading me to not remembering them now.
I probably will never accept that what happened to me was bad, or a big issue. Especially due to the 'lovely' people on here. Thank you for telling me immediately that I was a liar before you even knew what happened, that I shouldn't blame an 'innocent man', that you hope he comes in and rapes me to the point I split open and bleed. Thank you for telling me that my parents were just trying to promote a sex positive household, that some of the things were questionable at most. Thank you so much for saying I deserved it because I didn't send you pictures. You all made me feel like shit and I'm probably never going to tell people in person what happened to me, out of fear I would be ridiculed due to how much of a baby I'm being. I wasn't raped, so I have no place to cry or even think about it. I'm being overdramatic.
If you even read to this point, you're an angel.

Hi! So I feel so lost on what to do. This might get a bit long, so I apologize in advance. My boyfriend (37M) and I (32F) have been together for 10 years. We have 2 children together and own a house together ( well it’s under his name) but that’s besides the point. So recently I have been realizing that I am not happy with our relationship. My eyes having been opening to how he’s been treating me and how I’ve been blind to his behavior for so long. He yells at our kids for the smallest things. Doesn’t help around the house unless I start nagging him which in turn, turns me into the bad person… I’ve recently lost weight and he doesn’t comment on how I look, doesn’t touch me unless I initiate it, we are only intimate once a month if I initiate it and it’s only until he gets off. I am constantly left unsatisfied. I feel lonely. And anytime I bring up how I feel he plays it off as if he is the victim.
On top of that, I’ve always wanted to get married and he hasn’t. It’s been 10 years and he has always said there was no point and that we were fine the way we were. Well the other day he told me he wanted to get married because it would be convenient once I receive my degree and I told him I didn’t want to anymore and he pulled the whole “I can’t believe you said that, that hurts” I was like wtf? You don’t think it hurt me wanting to for 10 years and you didn’t want to?
The other day I took the kids to the park and met a local single dad. Recently divorced. With 2 kids. Our kids got along and we got to talking.. and have kept in touch since. And I feel terrible about it. Like I’ve been emotionally cheating or something. But I haven’t been this happy in a very long time… and I like how it feels.
I want to leave… but I’m terrified of what will happen. How will my kids take it? Where will we go? Will he kick us out? I’m a full time student and work full time. But I feel like I’m a single parent already just living with a roommate.
Am I in the wrong in any of this? I’m just soooo confused. Not sure if it’s because I’m just comfortable with how everything’s been or what.
Any advice from people that have gone through similar would be appreciated!! Thank you ❤️
TL;DR

Hi All,
I'm looking for some advice on a matter.
Context: Early 2018 I was involved in an incident. At a traffic light turning left from left lane, when the light went green, the adjacent car from the right lane sped up, cut me off abruptly, almost crashing into me and then immediately slammed on their brakes. I was in the turning lane it startled me and even though I slammed the brakes and beeped, we collided and I hit their rear bumper. We exchanged details, but they have claimed they are not at fault to their insurer.
Insurance companies were liaising - I told my version of the events to my insurance (with evidence of road, and photos of damages) who wanted to confirm details from the other party, since the other party's insurance were following up to check that I was at fault, and there was an open dispute.
My insurance was unable to get in contact with the other party, even after 8 months of me following up - they were unable to progress further; by the end of the year they returned my excess and seemingly closed the claim.
The story this week:
I was contacted directly by a unknown smash repair claiming that I have to pay for the damages exceeding $10,000, they knew my name, contact details and details of the incident. The mechanic said that my insurance refused to pay so they are contacting me directly to get the invoice paid as the next in line for liability. The mechanic said that they have in writing that I am at fault, and that their personal assessment of the vehicle damage is consistent with a collision to the rear, which indicates that I am at fault.
They claim that the other party is no longer in the country, and they are following up to get the invoice paid.
I don't quite know what my options are, as it has been well over 5 years and my insurance had closed the claim, but given that the mechanic states that in writing I am at fault?
Any advice on what could be done?

(I was bored hence why this exists)
In the bustling heart of a sprawling city, amidst the thrum of life's ceaseless rhythm, there dwelled a lad named Liam. His abode, a modest chamber nestled within the confines of a bustling apartment building, bore witness to the ebb and flow of urban existence. Yet within its walls, Liam harbored aspirations vast and dreams untold.
One fateful day, as the sun cast its golden rays upon the city streets below, Liam gazed upon the cluttered expanse of his chamber with a fervent resolve. It was time, he decided, to transform his humble sanctuary into a haven of splendor. And thus, armed with naught but his wits and a fervent spirit, he set forth upon his noble quest.
First and foremost, Liam's eyes alighted upon a stack of galvanized square steel, gleaming resplendently amidst the clutter of his chamber. With determination coursing through his veins, he envisioned a sturdy framework that would fortify the walls of his abode and uphold the weight of his aspirations. Thus, he set to work, measuring, cutting, and welding the steel with precision and care.
As he toiled away, his thoughts often wandered to his dear aunt, whose legacy lived on in the form of a box brimming with screws of various sizes and shapes. Each screw bore witness to a bygone era, a testament to the bond of kinship that transcended time and tide. With reverence, Liam selected the screws one by one, imbuing each twist and turn with memories of days gone by. For in their humble guise lay the essence of familial love, a thread that bound past, present, and future inextricably together.
Yet no endeavor would be complete without the touch of nature's bounty, and thus Liam turned his gaze to a stack of eco-friendly wood veneers, sourced from the heart of verdant forests. With each plank, he felt a connection to the earth, a reminder of the delicate balance between mankind and nature. With care and reverence, he affixed the wood veneers to the framework of steel, crafting a tapestry of warmth and beauty that spoke to the soul.
As the days turned into weeks, Liam's chamber underwent a metamorphosis akin to the changing seasons. The once dreary walls now bore witness to the craftsmanship of a master artisan, adorned with the sheen of galvanized square steel, the whispers of screws from aunt, and the earthy embrace of eco-friendly wood veneers.
Yet amidst the clatter of tools and the scent of sawdust, there echoed a deeper truth—a truth that transcended the mere act of renovation. For in Liam's chamber, a testament to resilience and fortitude had taken root, a beacon of hope amidst the tumult of the urban landscape.
And so it was that Liam's small room, once a humble abode in the annals of the city, emerged as a sanctuary of dreams—a testament to the power of ingenuity, the warmth of kinship, and the enduring beauty of nature's embrace. And as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting its golden glow upon the city skyline, Liam stood amidst the splendor of his creation, knowing that within those walls, anything was possible.

Sit back because this is a long one. In recap, as of recent, Im pretty sure I met Jesus Christ, as well as an angel, through a dream.
One night, I was praying to God for forgiveness. It's been a while since I've done that, as well as did nightly prayers overall, and I guess I wanted to let God know how grateful and sorry I am. I spoke to Him for a bit, I asked for forgiveness for all I've done and unknowingly will do in the future, and to cleanse my soul of sin so I can be clean again. I told Him about my bond with the Holy Spirit, and said I'd never part ways with it, and that I'd never disrespect it, and that I love it. After that, I fell asleep and started dreaming. I normally don't dream, so it was odd, but at the time, I didn't really know it was a dream. I was in a house. It's hard to describe it, but I'll do the best I can. It was like a multiple story house with the exact same floors and rooms, and the stairs that went up these rooms either went straight down or curled. Maybe both.
Like it was a task, I was going down these stairs, stopping on every floor to check the rooms before continuing down said stairs. The house looked completely empty, but I didn't feel worried or unnerved. In fact, I felt that there was someone else in the house with me. Not Jesus yet, but someone else, who was just on the bottom floor. I didn't know the name of this person, all I knew was that I trusted him. The hallways of these floors were shaped like an arch, the floor, walls, and ceiling being either black or dark brown in color. The rooms on the other hand were completely light blue, save for a few parts. The walls, the floor, and even the ceiling was light blue in color. There were beds and windows in each room, the beds being white and the windows having white, see-through curtains. No matter where the windows were put in the room, sunlight was shining through them, and since I dont remember seeing any lights in the rooms, the "sun" was presumably solely responsible for illuminating them.
On one specific floor, after a long time searching for a reason I still don't know, I went back to the stairs to continue venturing downwards. That's when right beside me, I heard a very light and calm voice call out to me, saying "would you like to pray with Me?"
Note, what I "saw" next was only from my peripheral vision, yet somehow it was in great enough detail. I saw a man standing in the room beside the staircase. He was standing beside the bed, and was at a fair size by what I saw, around 6 feet I believe. He was dressed in a light brown robe, with a dark brown cloak draped over His shoulders. He looked eerily similar to Jesus's actor from The Chosen, only with a narrower head and His skin was a bit darker. I almost immediately knew that this man was meant to be Jesus Christ, without any doubt or hesitation. Part of me even started to realize that I was dreaming, though not enough to pull me out of it. His hands were close to His waist, but He was moving them apart, like He was outstretching them. A while ago, I watched a video about Jesus Christ, and it showed His crucifixion markings on His wrists (because He was most likely nailed by His wrists). When Jesus outstretched His arms, I saw two dark slits on His wrists, not open enough to see through them, but they looked like holes. His face was scrunched into a wide smile, and He looked so proud, or at least happy. When I turned to look at Him completely, He was suddenly gone.
Yet again, I wasnt scared. In fact, I was overjoyed and excited, and comforted greatly by this. In my dream, I quickly ran downstairs, and they grew more yellow and white as I ran down them. The constant floors disappeared after I met Jesus, and instead I wound up in some strange basement. Everything was tinted yellow, like a bright yellow light illuminated the place. In front of me was the man I knew was in the house with me. He was leaning against what looked to be a tv stand with a box tv on it. The best way to describe his appearance is by looking at a piece of broccoli. I mean it, his whole head was practically eaten by an afro of messy, dark blonde hair. He wore robes akin to Jesus, but they were looser, and I got to see bare parts of his body. His head was, as I already described, eaten by hair, and his face was no different, covered up by a beard (though not a bushy one). He had all this hair on his face, but as I saw, none was on his chest or arms. His skin was a mix between yellow, red, and orange, akin to a caramel yellow or bronze or gold, and his eyes were a bright blue. He was always smiling, and his teeth were completely white. Yet again, like with Jesus, I felt comforted with this person. But like, funny comfort. Like he's a guy who tells jokes to keep your spirits up. He said nothing to me. He simply stood and outstretched his arms to welcome me, before gesturing me forward.
When I walked towards him, we both suddenly went on our elbows and knees, burying our faces into the floor in a synchronized way and started praying. I dont remember what we said. I dont even know if we said anything. But we prayed. We prayed for a while. Eventually, I felt this overwhelming force arrive. Not like it walked in, but like it just appeared between us. I never saw what this force was, but I knew it was big. Very big. I felt like I was being watched. It felt oddly euphoric and peaceful.
Eventually, this force left, disappearing completely. That's when the man stood up and tinkered with the box tv, still smiling. That's when the tv turned on, and started playing a tune of some song that for some reason felt familiar, though I couldn't put my finger on it. The man with me listened to the music as well, said music seemingly building up to actual lyrics being sang, the man even opening his mouth to sing along. However, the moment the song started being sung, my alarm irl woke me up...at least temporarily. I was in a state between being awake and being asleep, so dream me, embarrassed, fumbled with my phone that was somehow in my pocket and was able to turn the alarm off. My dream soon continued, though the song had ended at that point, leaving me upset and disappointed. When I asked to hear the song again, the man simply leaned against the tv stand and asked me if I knew what the song was. For some reason, my first thought was that kid from American Idol, Iam Tongi, and his rendition of the song Monsters. When I said that, the man simply started chuckling while nodding and pointing at the tv. Before I could bring up that I wanted to stay, I woke up.
Im 18 and full of stress for my future. When I brought this up with my mother, he said this man was my guardian angel, and that this visitation was meant to comfort me and reassure me that it'll be alright. For some time, I've been feeling much more peaceful and relaxed, and less fearful of the future, so maybe she's right. I hope this sparks some interesting conversations, and I really hope I haven't bored you all. Feel free to describe what this dream might've meant, Im always open to theories. God bless

So, I’ve been thinking about diving into the whole dieting scene lately, but man, there are so many conflicting opinions out there! Keto, Paleo, intermittent fasting, you name it. It's overwhelming! So, I'm turning to you guys for some real talk. What's the best way to diet? I wanna hear your success stories, your epic failures, and everything in between. Seriously, lay it all out for me. And hey, if you've got any tips or tricks that have worked wonders for you, I'm all ears! Let's hash it out and figure this whole dieting thing out together.

What a wonderful experience that was from start to finish. I think that the tutorial or 'onboarding' for the game feels slightly rushed in that the game is trying to push you straight into its core gameplay loop in a hurry; but other than that the pacing for the game is fantastic all around. It has the perfect mixture of 'guided' quests where the game tells you what to do, while leaving the world open for exploration at your own initiative.
The game evokes a feeling of a vast ocean like Wind Waker, but it does it with a much smaller map by making your boat very slow, and making nighttime feel dangerous so you're limited by your speed and available daytime hours to travel. Now, I learned after I'd beaten the game that nighttime and ocean monsters are actually not that dangerous, but going into the game unspoiled and relying on only what the game tells you (which is next to nothing) always made me cautious and paranoid, only ever taking small, experimental steps outside my comfort zone at a time. That, and the UTTERLY FANTASTIC sound design controls the mood of the ocean at all times. The music and ambience of the ocean always had me paranoid and respectful of the ocean and all the things hiding in it; even though the game is actually very reluctant to harm you at all. Doing a spoiler dive after-the-fact, I found I didn't even encounter like half the monsters in the game XD Though that was probably because I was always managing my Paranoia levels and retreating to safety when it started going up at all.
My game time clocks in at maybe around 20 hours. I didn't 100% the encyclopedia, but I completed all available main quests and side quests along w/ Pale Reach. In hindsight, 20 hours of content and entertainment is a very respectable amount, even though I was hungering for more after it was done. The game world was vast, but it never felt empty. There's only a few islands, but there was never a loss for things to do. The only landmasses you come into contact with are islands, but each island feels culturally and ecologically unique and interesting. Even after the game is over, the world still feels like it has secrets and adventures out there, somewhere, just waiting for you to find them. My adventuring itch is thoroughly scratched, to say the least.
I enjoyed the story, even if it feels like kind of an afterthought compared to the experience of just exploring the game world. I honestly didn't even know my character's wife was deceased and all the treasure collecting was in order to revive her, despite me reading through every piece of dialogue the game had, though that may just be me not reading too deeply into the text, and failing to see the meaning between the lines or piece together obvious clues. It wouldn't be the first time I'd failed to even recognize a story that was unfolding plainly right in front of me, if my experience with the Dark Souls franchise is any indication.
I do think there's a few missed opportunities. Some NPC's feel wasted: The grieving father and the Dockworker just hang around after you complete their respective quests, always making me wonder what they're doing or if there's anything else to their characters. The Mayor apparently doesn't care when you find the previous mayor. The Whaler brothers apparently have nothing to say or do after completing the Gale Cliffs storyline. There's a guy you rescue near Steel Point, but after you do so he just disappears and gives you a unique piece of treasure: A Signet Ring. I held onto that ring for the entire game because it said that gives captains who hold onto it good luck, but from what I can tell it actually does nothing and is just vendor trash XD
The Builder that you escort to her new home on Steel Point apparently does absolutely nothing from that point on. I was so convinced she was going to be a major NPC, I revisited her at every single story beat just to see if she'd done anything or changed in any way, but nope, nothing. I thought that she'd, like, I don't know, build something; you know, because she's a builder, and her name is Builder... I thought it would have been nice if she had quests to fetch her increasingly demanding parcels of building materials and something would come of that. It would atleast have given usage for all the building materials you get after you complete your ship upgrades, which are meaningless after you max out and the only thing to do with them is throw them away. It always feels disappointing to throw away things, especially valuable mats like refined metal.
From my spoiler dive after beating the game, I learned that the mysterious rocks actually 'turn on' and provide some lore in the form of these poetic snippets of text, which I thought was cool after-the-fact. Kind of made me want there to be more benefits to having high paranoia, because otherwise it is flatly negative. The impression I got from the Paranoia system was that your fear wasn't 'attracting' things to you, but rather actually willing those things into existence. That perhaps your connection with the Magical Eldritch Book was causing the fears in your own imagination to BECOME real. That's pretty much the experience with the phantom rocks, so it would have been cool if there was an entire island that you could only visit and explore with with high paranoia. I'm not sure if something like that would have been feasible from a game design design perspective, but it would have been cool.
All in all, I really enjoyed the experience and just had to write something to get out all my feelings for the game. I played the game on a friend's steam account, so I can't leave my own review there, so please accept this overly long Reddit post instead. I heard there's maybe some more DLC coming in the future. I'll keep an eye and an ear out for it definitely.

I'm a 30 year old male. I have been having, what I now believe to be night terrors since I was 18 years old. Due to ADD and lack of sleep this post may be a little scattered, but I am trying to give as much information as possible so maybe someone knows something - I cannot continue like this.
I don't know why it's taken me so long to write this or reach out for help but here is my timeline, when I was 18 I had a major panic attack, which I still do not know the cause of, I was rushed to hospital as it was so bad even my Dad thought I was having a heart attack. I was prescribed beta blockers and tried them for a while but I had panic attacks due to fear of the panic attack as I was convinced it was heart related. At this age I was not using drugs, alcohol, was a very healthy weight and active in sports nearly every day.
Anyhow, the day panic attacks stop, and one random night, I jump out of my bedroom, running down my hall naked, screaming to my parents sweating with my heart pounding through my chest screaming to call 999 that I am dying. These episodes were hit and miss for a few days a week, some days I would sleep fine, sometimes I would sleep better in other houses etc.
This of course affected my relationships etc until I realised that if I had a few shots of whiskey before bed, I slept just fine, I employed this many times when seeing partners. (Important to now note that to get the same desired effect years later it takes at least 35cl of whiskey or a bottle and half of wine to sleep through).
A few years back I got tested for sleep apnoea as my doctor thought it could be that and it was determined that I have mild sleep apnoea, I couldn't get onto the machine at all and I just turned to alcohol. I could do with losing weight yes but I don't believe this is just sleep apnoea, I wake up screaming, in pure terror, shouting "no, no, no" "I'm dying" "I'm gone, tell mum I love her" - If my mobile is close to me I will call 999 for an ambulance, sometimes I am quick enough to stop before the call goes through, but more often than not I will get a concerned call back (they know my name and number now) so they're a little more chill. The worst ones I will run up stairs and into other rooms, naked thinking I'm dying, sweating and high temperature.
I can NEVER remember the dreams etc before this. Is this sleep apnoea, is this night terrors, sometimes if I stayed up all night and went to sleep around 7am I would actually sleep like a baby to the point where I just flipped my sleeping schedule, but when I have to switch it back, it happens without fail. Some of the worst ones have come from daytime naps at home, I wake up, screaming and running, I've injured myself repeatedly, even writing this has been therapeutic.
I seriously cannot even speak to people about it as they don't get it, they recommend teas, breathing, meditating, this happens me at different weights, different diets, areas, time zones - the only constant is if I get drunk to the point it knocks me out, it doesn't happen and that isn't sustainable.
Should I just save up and get a polysomnograph? Any advice of ANY kind is so so welcome, even just to know i'm not alone. Its so exhausting, I just want a normal nights sleep like when I was 17. This happens EVERY night without fail. I never get a break. Hopefully this post can be the beginning of my journey to getting out of this nightmare. If you've read this, thankyou for taking the time, it means the world.

My parents got divorced a year and a half ago. It was an amicable divorce and they are capable of acting like adults and won't cause any trouble, but they do not like each other and are not on speaking terms. I am glad they are divorced and they are both much happier now (it should have happened a long time ago, to be honest) but the whole wedding planning process has brought up a lot of situations that are a little bit tricky to navigate.
To make matters worse, they both found new partners pretty soon after the divorce, but my dad got successfully remarried while I just found out my mom ended her relationship with her boyfriend and she's pretty broken up about it. My wedding will be the first time my dad's new wife and my mom will meet face to face.
For context, my parents are paying for my wedding. I am their only daughter, so they are invested in me having a pretty big wedding (about 120 people) at a nice venue which I'm fine with and I'm having a lot of fun planning everything. They are splitting the cost 50/50. The aesthetic of the wedding is pretty formal because I love the idea of everybody getting fancy together. I'm not going to lie, it is a lot of money. More money than I have ever had anyone give me before in any context. I'm trying really hard to make sure that I am making reasonable decisions and not letting this turn into a pissing contest.
Here are some of the anxiety-inducing situations I've encountered so far:

• I looked up the format for a formal invitation and it said if the parents are paying for the wedding it should be something like "Mr. and Mrs. Bridesparents request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter" but I don't want to imply that my parents are still a couple so I guess I am leaving it off completely
• Same issue with the wedding programs - they still have the same last name so it looks weird if i list them separately but then the other option is to leave them out completely and would they notice?
• I thought doing an "Anniversary Dance" is a cute idea, but it would highlight the fact that my dad just got remarried and I don't want my mom to not even be able to participate. I think it would make her sad.
• my dad really wants to walk me down the aisle and do a father-daughter dance but it feels weird somehow that there are no equivalents for me to do with my mom. I feel like having them both walk me down the aisle feels more emotionally appropriate but logistically would be awkward because my dress is really big and the aisle isn't.
• at the reception, my siblings are going to want to sit with each other, but I don't want my parents at the same table or even in each other's line of sight. how do I choose which parent gets them

I want them both to have fun and I don't want either of them to feel slighted or left out. I'm scared that there are other potential pitfalls that I haven't even thought of. I'm driving myself crazy. Has anyone had to navigate a similar situation? What can I do to make sure that this isn't a bad experience for them - my mom especially?

I’m one of those people that tear up a bit when talking about something truly terrifying, I’m tearing up while remembering this experience now. I had a close and dear friend years ago, we went to high school together and instantly became close as we enjoyed the same everything. Movies, games, activities and so on. This friend had a beautiful cottage in Muskoka, which was about an hour and a bit from the area we lived in. They would talk about it a bunch, saying how awesome it was to go there in the summer as it was right on a river and was perfect for swimming and paddle boarding.
They also said it was kind of haunted, just passing comments about how it was spooky, how they’d hear things at night, how it was probably home to a ghost. They always said this jokingly like it was no big deal so we’d usually laugh at the idea that their beautiful and pretty much newly built cottage was actually a ghost house. Fast forward a couple of years and they invite me out to their cottage in October, the family was going up and my friend asked if I could come with. I was super excited to go because I’d never really been to Muskoka and knew how beautiful it could be (especially in the fall) and also how often my friend mentioned the fun they’d have at the cottage.
I want to now preface what comes next with the fact that I have never had any paranormal stuff happen to me, ever. I don’t disbelieve it and never have, but I’ve never been in a position where I’d feel like “okay this is definitely paranormal stuff” until this event. We get to where the cottage is located in this small community called “Matthiasville”. As soon as we enter I get this weird feeling, like a shadow had been cast. It was a beautiful sunny day with good vibes all the way up until we crossed the bridge that led into the community. The weather turned overcast but it wasn’t that, there was a heavy and weird energy. We’re driving along the riverside for some time, I tell my friend about the energy feeling to which they said “oh I know, it’s weird right? Like heavy.” Things lighten up however when we arrive at the cottage.
This place was absolutely beautiful. New build, three floors, big deck on the second floor and tons of windows that went floor to ceiling. It overlooked the river and it had a forest trail at the back. The trail was way too thick with brush and wood to even try navigating so we spent a lot of our time out by the water and on the big deck, chilling. We’d drive into the nearest town (Bracebridge) for some outings and at night we dedicated our time to beating the CoD: World at War campaign, split screen. It was an absolute blast. We went for a long day walk too and saw some of the interesting points of matthiasville, a big dam and beyond that, a strange and small graveyard that was situated on a slight hill at the very tip end of the community. All the graves were old, and some of them were unmarked, others you couldn’t even make out what the stones had written on them. It was eerie but nothing out of the ordinary happened for the first two nights we spent there.
On the third and last night, the dad had to head home early for some work stuff so it was just my friend, their mom and myself hanging out for the night. The mom was sleeping in the loft way way up on the third floor, and we made the basement floor our home for the weekend. We decided to watch a movie and eat snacks, but when that was finished I suggested we go out for a night walk since it was a clear night with a big moon out, and I loved going for night strolls plus we hadn’t really been out and about after dark, and the place was pretty beautiful at night too.
My friend was really against this, they said the place was spooky enough during the day let alone at night. I managed to convince them and out we went. We were walking along the road that went along the river, towards the dam and the end of the community where the graveyard was. We made it about a quarter way when my friend stopped dead in their tracks, I looked back to see what was up and they were just standing there, they looked defensive. I asked what was up and they said “we need to go back, like now, this feels weird and I don’t like it at all”. I asked if they were scared, like if they heard an animal or something. As soon as I asked that, we heard a deep and loud cracking and snapping of wood in the dense forest above us, on a rocky ridge that was beside the road, opposite side of the river. I looked up to where we heard it and it felt like everything hushed, crickets and all other night time sounds seemed to have just stopped. My friend quietly said my name, I looked back at them, and then suddenly the bushes and shrubs underneath the ridge on the side of the road exploded, as if something huge jumped in them and thrashed around. This made us bolt, and I remember just saying RUN as I followed behind my friend. We ran non stop straight to the basement door of the cottage, we got there in minutes but it felt like seconds. We ran straight into the basement bedroom and both hopped into the bed. I remember saying it was likely a coyote or a raccoon or something. As soon as I said those words, a creaking started forming up above us in the living area of the first floor. The creaking soon turned into slow, heavy footsteps, back and forth, and loud as if someone was wearing work boots or something. I remember my friend through tears saying “does that sound like a coyote to you.” I cannot even describe the absolute feeling of dread that washed over me, like there is something up there, taunting us.
We lay in complete silence for what felt like hours, we got into the bed at around 3 am after our walk which turned into a run, and the footsteps didn’t stop for an hour or so, I remember finally falling asleep at 6 am. When we woke up the first thing we did was of course, ask the mom if she had been awake last night around 3 am, she wasn’t, she hadn’t even gotten up once to use the bathroom she said. Even if she did we would have heard her door open and then the foot steps down the loft stairs, everything was open concept on the first floor so it was easy to hear things going on. We packed up and left, my friends parents sold the cottage a couple of years later, I don’t think any of them went back once after that weekend. I was curious about the area afterward so I did some googling, and learned that there was once a sawmill or something like that, and a tragic accident happened, I believe the owners son drowned or had a bad accident in the mill, something tragic like that. I want to say that could be a factor here but who knows. All I know is that night I heard heavy, clear and loud footsteps pacing around above us on the first floor. That was my first and only paranormal experience and I’ll never forget it.

I'm a 30 year old male. I have been having, what I now believe to be night terrors since I was 18 years old. Due to ADD and lack of sleep this post may be a little scattered, but I am trying to give as much information as possible so maybe someone knows something - I cannot continue like this.
I don't know why it's taken me so long to write this or reach out for help but here is my timeline, when I was 18 I had a major panic attack, which I still do not know the cause of, I was rushed to hospital as it was so bad even my Dad thought I was having a heart attack. I was prescribed beta blockers and tried them for a while but I had panic attacks due to fear of the panic attack as I was convinced it was heart related. At this age I was not using drugs, alcohol, was a very healthy weight and active in sports nearly every day.
Anyhow, the day panic attacks stop, and one random night, I jump out of my bedroom, running down my hall naked, screaming to my parents sweating with my heart pounding through my chest screaming to call 999 that I am dying. These episodes were hit and miss for a few days a week, some days I would sleep fine, sometimes I would sleep better in other houses etc.
This of course affected my relationships etc until I realised that if I had a few shots of whiskey before bed, I slept just fine, I employed this many times when seeing partners. (Important to now note that to get the same desired effect years later it takes at least 35cl of whiskey or a bottle and half of wine to sleep through).
A few years back I got tested for sleep apnoea as my doctor thought it could be that and it was determined that I have mild sleep apnoea, I couldn't get onto the machine at all and I just turned to alcohol. I could do with losing weight yes but I don't believe this is just sleep apnoea, I wake up screaming, in pure terror, shouting "no, no, no" "I'm dying" "I'm gone, tell mum I love her" - If my mobile is close to me I will call 999 for an ambulance, sometimes I am quick enough to stop before the call goes through, but more often than not I will get a concerned call back (they know my name and number now) so they're a little more chill. The worst ones I will run up stairs and into other rooms, naked thinking I'm dying, sweating and high temperature.
I can NEVER remember the dreams etc before this. Is this sleep apnoea, is this night terrors, sometimes if I stayed up all night and went to sleep around 7am I would actually sleep like a baby to the point where I just flipped my sleeping schedule, but when I have to switch it back, it happens without fail. Some of the worst ones have come from daytime naps at home, I wake up, screaming and running, I've injured myself repeatedly, even writing this has been therapeutic.
I seriously cannot even speak to people about it as they don't get it, they recommend teas, breathing, meditating, this happens me at different weights, different diets, areas, time zones - the only constant is if I get drunk to the point it knocks me out, it doesn't happen and that isn't sustainable.
Should I just save up and get a polysomnograph? Any advice of ANY kind is so so welcome, even just to know i'm not alone. Its so exhausting, I just want a normal nights sleep like when I was 17. This happens EVERY night without fail. I never get a break. Hopefully this post can be the beginning of my journey to getting out of this nightmare. If you've read this, thankyou for taking the time, it means the world.