I’m not sure where to begin but would like to get some advice on my relationship. My partner and I met last summer and it was love at first sight. Our first date was perfect and two days later we decided to be in a relationship and it’s been pretty great ever since.
I say pretty great because while our love, our collective relationship, is so amazing and beautiful, our separate lives have been so difficult and turbulent.
I have been dealing with health issues for the last 8 years or so that leave me feeling exhausted, fatigue, depressed, anxious, disengaged, and just burned out, but according to every doctor I’ve seen I am perfectly healthy. Last year through some unknown means I seemingly resolved my health issues and felt amazing for about 4-5 months. I woke up springing out of bed and felt so calm, present, peaceful, content, energized and full of joy, I felt like I was finally my old self and what’s a better cherry on top than to find yourself in love?
About a month into our relationship my health fell apart again and I started having debilitating panic attacks, and I would continue to have panic attacks and symptoms that felt like a heart attack for several months, from September through December. This resulted in a lot of time off from work, trips to the ER, lots of follow up testing, and just a rough ride all around.
So my health issues that leave me feeling like a shell of a person and basically incapable of being a happy or productive human being returned a month into our relationship and my life fell apart again. In a couple week span I got Covid, Bell’s palsy and lost my job. I would end up bouncing between jobs for about 4-5 months until I found the “right” job.
I desperately hate my job and am trying to find another one but I’m just so miserable. I’m so miserable and I feel despondent and hopeless and frankly suicidal often.
Which isn’t good for a relationship.
But my partner has been amazing through all of this, supporting me through my health issues, my unemployment and job searches, she even helped me out with rent and hills for a month or two when things were really iffy- it wasn’t easy for her, or us, and has caused some issues but she’s still supportive.
And this entire time she’s going through her own stuff. She’s always stressed out and exhausted, she has a toddler who is just the best kid ever, and I know everyone says that, but our bedtime routine is 15 minutes, he picks up his toys and helps clean up and he doesn’t put up too much of a fight when it’s time to leave the park. He’s really good and she’s done a great job raising him and I’m super honored to be involved because I love that kid and he loves me and I’m learning so much about patience and compassion and it’s so wonderful. But he’s a toddler and it’s hard being a parent. And she doesn’t enjoy her job or make much money and she’s dealing with the emotional fallout from her divorce, and it’s really stressing her out and so everything from there is just more stressful.
So it’s safe to say we are both struggling with our baseline stress levels where we are so stressed out that simply and easy shut like figuring out what to do for dinner becomes a gargantuan and overwhelming and stressful task
And I just want to say I think we make a really good team, we discuss things repsectfully, we don’t ever argue like we’re against each other, we communicate well, we divide up the chores and are constantly doing things for one another.
But at the same time it’s hard working full time and being a parent and trying to take off yourself. It’s not easy.
But things have been really hard lately and we haven’t really been happy or getting along and right now we’re taking some time apart and I love this woman truly but im wondering if we’re good for each other.
We were talking last night and we both agreed that our relationship is good, that we love each other, but it’s our individual lives that are bringing us down and harms my our relationship because we just don’t have the energy we want when we’re not at work and we don’t have the coping skills to not be so stressed out all the time.
But I’m just wondering if it’s fair for us to be together, for me to be with her when she has a child to raise and my life, to me, feels like a burden, I just don’t want to burden them or be a negative influence or take away from her being a mother.
Im just not sure what to do. I feel like I can’t be a real person until I fix my health issues.
Any advice?
TL;DR my partner and I are both really struggling in our own lives and it’s negatively affecting our relationship. I have health issues that make me basically disabled and she is stressed out being a parent and working full time. We haven’t been happy or engaged with each other in a while and I struggle to be present when we’re together

Hello, this is for you: 🌹
I'm 24 and I live in Houston, TX. I'm a recent college graduate and I'm planning on pursuing a higher degree this fall. Some things about me: I love music, I play a few instruments with my main one being guitar. I enjoy a nice walk/hike and camping, although I haven't been camping in years. I also love to cook, read and play video games. I like going out and doing things like concerts and restaurants, but a nice night in with good food and a good movie is also fun as well! I love coffee and I love trying different coffee shops! I have also recently started learning to code with Python, just so I keep learning something new even though I'm out of school. Currently, I don't have a car, but I absolutely hate this and I'm striving to change that as soon as possible. Despite that, I still get myself where I need to go. I'm right leaning politically and I was raised Catholic but I'm not strongly religious.
Honestly, being single sucks. I want someone to share the excitement of each other's victories with. I want someone that I can lean on and who can lean on me when things are hard. I want someone to fall asleep on calls with, I want to smile like an idiot when I know you texted me. I want someone to share all life's intricacies with. I want my partner, best friend and lover all in one person!
What I'm looking for in a partner: Someone between the ages of 18-30 I'd prefer someone right leaning and either christian, agnostic or jewish. I HEAVILY prefer someone in Houston, the next best thing would be in Texas, if you're not in Houston, you should be willing to relocate if need be. I don't want a long-term LDR, one year at the most, with visits. Someone who's emotionally mature, who values trust and communication. Someone who shows interest and effort (showing a lack of interest/effort is a big turn off for me) Someone who's monogamous, none of this ethical nonmonogamy nonsense I've been seeing lately.
If you made it this far, send me your favorite food if you decide to reach out so I know you read! I look forward to meeting you!

People are becoming more aware now of how it’s wrong to expect LGBT+ people to be grateful for being accepted in wider society, and they understand better now that these rights were always owing to us, and had simply been denied us for a very long time.
I’ve got this nagging feeling, though, that LGBT people are still expected to conform to a range of standards, mainly when they undergo the process of ‘coming out’ to family and friends, and also later when they try to live confidently and unashamedly in their sexuality.
I wonder if all my life, and even now, I’ve unconsciously felt obliged to conform to certain behavioural standards, like:
I) accepting people’s efforts to accept my sexuality with grace, without attempting any sort of light revenge, or being a bit gobby or in your face, or obnoxious now I’ve finally come out of the closet;
II) generally feeling like I should be an all-round more virtuous person than straight people
III) feeling pressured to conform to bourgeois heterosexual norms of monogamy, as well as other expectations, like not dating someone more than fifteen years older or younger than me
I feel like there’s more of an acceptance that, when it comes to finally giving racial minorities the voice they deserve, the process is going to inevitably invoke moral dilemmas, and will be messy. That maybe that reclaiming of agency will look more like a frozen waterfall finally breaking free of the ice in spring, rather than a gentle river. And I’m wondering if there’s not enough of that recognition when it comes to sexuality and gender.

Dear Applicant,
We here at Friend Corp are seeking individuals between the ages of 25 and 45 to come join us at our wonderful company. There are many benefits for when you join Friend Corp. We are a social and talkative company who enjoys listening to our employee's feedback
Alright, dropping the charade.
As the title states I'm looking for a best friend first and maybe the connection evolves into something more. The friend-connection matters more to me than anything else. I want to look forward to coming home and hearing about your day just as much as you want to hear about mine while we eat homemade tacos in front of the tv. To me, the best long term connections are those born from friendships.
It seems kind of crazy these days to think like that but what can I say? I'm a bit of a romantic. I like to take my time to get to know someone.
About Me
I'm 6'4" living in the north of Canada. I can practically see Santa's Workshop from my window. I'm an outgoing introvert - very outgoing around friends and family, sort of introverted around new people until I get to know them for an hour and then I warm up. I've been on a new health plan and working on getting fit to lose the covid pounds I've racked on. I've got an adventurous sense of humor that likes to dabble in all the different types. I've got black hair and blue eyes. French is my primary language but I mostly speak English these days. I'm a big hockey fan but I unfortunately go for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Might as well dump any hopes for a championship in my lifetime down the toilet. A few of my interests are collecting "old" books, camping at the family cottage home in the middle of nowhere (on a nice lake), and spending some quality dad time with my 12 year old daughter. "Old" is in marks because we don't get actual old books at the old book store but rather "gently used" ones. I've got a book shelf and a half worth of various ones. Like everyone else, I like music and movies and tv shows and what not but so does everyone. Plus, my crap is better than your crap. That's just the way it is. :P I've got a Bachelor's degree from a university and certified in some IT fields. A Random Fact and a Hot Take: I've never travelled outside of Canada before and winter is better than summer.
About You
You live somewhere on Earth. That's a good starting point. Sorry aliens. You're also outgoing but have some introverted streaks. You like both going out and staying in. You are social and friendly, you like to laugh. Bonus point if you laugh at my bad jokes even if they aren't funny even if I know you're laughing at my unfunny jokes that aren't funny. Your someone who shares some common interest or traits with me but not all because that's boring. Two halves make a whole. I don't care about appearances or nationality or body type or whether you were actually born on mars. That stuff doesn't matter to me. I am attracted to a person's personality much more so than anything about their physical or immutable characteristics.
This is long enough I think. Congrats if you've read this far. You, behind the screen right now reading this, are probably the first to do so. Most just skim the first sentence or two or see how long this is and skip. But I feel like to make sure people are compatible, you need to know about them. I'd personally much rather respond to something of this size than "I like music movies, hiking, camping. Anything else just ask" I want to be able to have conversations longer than 3 word sentences back and forth.
Shoot me a message if you got this far and are interested in some friendship. In your message, tell me anything you know about canada. The weirder the better but anything at all is fine. That way I know you've read this far.
Take care of yourself and live a happy life.

We here at Friend Corp are seeking individuals between the ages of 25 and 45 to come join us at our wonderful company. There are many benefits for when you join Friend Corp. We are a social and talkative company who enjoys listening to our employee's feedback
Alright, dropping the charade.
As the title states I'm looking for a best friend first and maybe the connection evolves into something more. The friend-connection matters more to me than anything else. I want to look forward to coming home and hearing about your day just as much as you want to hear about mine while we eat homemade tacos in front of the tv. To me, the best long term connections are those born from friendships.
It seems kind of crazy these days to think like that but what can I say? I'm a bit of a romantic. I like to take my time to get to know someone.
About Me
I'm 6'4" living in the north of Canada. I can practically see Santa's Workshop from my window. I'm an outgoing introvert - very outgoing around friends and family, sort of introverted around new people until I get to know them for an hour and then I warm up. I've been on a new health plan and working on getting fit to lose the covid pounds I've racked on. I've got an adventurous sense of humor that likes to dabble in all the different types. I've got black hair and blue eyes. French is my primary language but I mostly speak English these days. I'm a big hockey fan but I unfortunately go for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Might as well dump any hopes for a championship in my lifetime down the toilet. A few of my interests are collecting "old" books, camping at the family cottage home in the middle of nowhere (on a nice lake), and spending some quality dad time with my 12 year old daughter. "Old" is in marks because we don't get actual old books at the old book store but rather "gently used" ones. I've got a book shelf and a half worth of various ones. Like everyone else, I like music and movies and tv shows and what not but so does everyone. Plus, my crap is better than your crap. That's just the way it is. :P I've got a Bachelor's degree from a university and certified in some IT fields. A Random Fact and a Hot Take: I've never travelled outside of Canada before and winter is better than summer.
About You
You live somewhere on Earth. That's a good starting point. Sorry aliens. You're also outgoing but have some introverted streaks. You like both going out and staying in. You are social and friendly, you like to laugh. Bonus point if you laugh at my bad jokes even if they aren't funny even if I know you're laughing at my unfunny jokes that aren't funny. Your someone who shares some common interest or traits with me but not all because that's boring. Two halves make a whole. I don't care about appearances or nationality or body type or whether you were actually born on mars. That stuff doesn't matter to me. I am attracted to a person's personality much more so than anything about their physical or immutable characteristics.
This is long enough I think. Congrats if you've read this far. You, behind the screen right now reading this, are probably the first to do so. Most just skim the first sentence or two or see how long this is and skip. But I feel like to make sure people are compatible, you need to know about them. I'd personally much rather respond to something of this size than "I like music movies, hiking, camping. Anything else just ask" I want to be able to have conversations longer than 3 word sentences back and forth.
Shoot me a message if you got this far and are interested in some friendship. In your message, tell me anything you know about canada. The weirder the better but anything at all is fine. That way I know you've read this far.
Take care of yourself and live a happy life.

my interests : music (rock, punk rock, alt rock, pop, kpop, jpop and almost all genre tbh.. I at least like one song in every genre) - anime - chilling - deep convos - drawing/digital art - cats
little info about me : I'm a 28 yo male living in the eu.. introvert, kinda shy and a very good listener.
I'd love if we could talk over the phone if we got along well (after chatting) :)

** I know about not falling for the recovery scams, I've been reading this reddit for the past few days coping. Will add a TLDR at the bottom, I just really want to let this out. Maybe my rambling might show patterns to people that they have seen, and they won't be subject to falling for the same thing and they may snap out of it.**
Hi all,
I already know I was stupid, I ignored many red flags blatantly. I was recently affected by a crypto romance scammer. Story as follows:
I have not dated in almost a decade, I closed my heart off to a lot of people and lost a lot of friends on the way. I have always been an introvert, but finally broke out of my depression somewhat a year and a half ago. I began self improvement, and feel a lot better now than I did 5 years ago. I live alone, I'm lonely, and just turned 27. I have my own apartment, and felt it was time to start working on different parts of life, instead of doing everything alone.
I decided to give online dating a try. I matched with a girl on Tinder, and I was the first to initiate. I messaged her, and she did not reply for a day. There were a couple sentences exchanged back and forth, and she asked for my phone number. I ended up providing it to her, since my friends always recommended to get someone off Tinder as soon as possible.
She messaged me on my phone, and we had a few back and forths on many different topics and ideas. It seemed surreal since it felt like I was clicking with her very well. This usually does not happen at all with people I meet in real life, and she was leading multiple parts of the conversations, which did not raise a flag to me. She mentioned that English was not her first language, I was ok with that because the English was written well, a few hic ups here and there in the conversation, but I chalked it up to a language barrier. It did not seem to be translated at all, she was even using well structured sentences with unique words that you do not hear day to day, which I assumed would not be translated in the normal sense (think obfuscate).
Some of the conversations we had was what we did for work, what our hobbies and goals are. Our taste in music, movies, recommendations. It seemed so normal first for a conversation. On the end of the second day, she wanted me to download telegram which was a possible red flag, I never trusted google hangouts, telegram, whatsapp due to scammers being known for using these applications. I was a bit hesitant but she wanted me to download it so she could talk to me while she was at work. I eventually agreed, we said our good nights and I went to sleep. I generally keep my guard up with people (why are they being so nice, what do they want from me?), but I ended up going with it since I was genuinely enjoying this person.
I added her on Telegram, and we were continuing our conversations from the day earlier. Said our good mornings, and talked more about goals and aspirations. She would talk to me about her childhood, and I would talk about mine. We eventually began exchanging pictures (nothing sexual), voice recordings, jokes. We talked for a week, and she began talking about how she uses AI for short term node investing to make money on the side while she was working and invested at times the AI told her to. I said cool, and continued with our normal conversations. Eventually I was beginning to get loved bombed and sweet talked to over the course of a couple weeks. I was feeling great about myself, and confident. I felt like I had a connection to them, I was mentioning her to friends and family about how awesome she was. About a week and a half in, she said she had to travel for a few weeks to a different part of the USA. Another red flag yay. Probably 5 so far?
I was super skeptical, but not enough. This girl intrigued me so much. I was sick for about a week, and she was constantly checking up on me and reminding me to eat, sleep, take my temperature, and to get up every few hours to stretch. None of my family or friends do this for me, which made me fall for her a bit more. She made me reconcile with my parents too, and my relationship with my parents is a lot better than before. She did mention before that she was very family oriented, and it opened my eyes that I should leave the past in the past, and embrace the future.
We had a heart to heart with one another one night, I don't want to go into details but she explained why she was single and why I was single, and this kind of sealed it for me I think. LOOOOTS of love bombing after this. One of the patterns I was noticing through the weeks is that she would always message me at 10 am, the good mornings and the like, and go to bed at 12 am (shift change anyone?). Never any messages before or after this time. She also facetimed me, had a quick conversation, but she claimed the connection was bad, so we ended it after a few minutes. I read this was a common thing after I got scammed. She was a real girl, I've heard her and seen her, but she is most likely just part of an operation. I even reverse image searched her on multiple different platforms, no results showed up. Insane.
She began talking talking about her crypto again, and wanted me to join her! I did not care about the money as much as I was caring about her. I wanted to start for her. She showed me how to to buy crypto, and how to put it in my wallet, and how to set up 2FA to transfer the crypto to said wallet. Seems normal so far, and we continued the next day. One of the things I noticed was that I was getting the drive to learn back, I dislike my current job. It's monotonous, boring, tedious, and this was something new! She got me back into reading, watching shows, improving on myself in different aspects of life.
The next day, she showed me how to use the browser in the wallet, to start staking crypto, and make passive income. I started with 200 USDT. I am kind of broke right now since everything costs so much and I make an OK wage. This could lead to financial freedom I thought. The website itself was fishy, poorly done, numbers had floats attached to them. Did not look professional, but I felt like I was in love and I could trust her. I know it's stupid loving someone you have not met.
After a few days of staking, I withdrew the money into my wallet. Looked legit! I made money. Not that much, but it was something. She mentioned to me how much money this makes compared to a 401k or roth IRA, seemed believable. She then showed me what app she uses for the short node investing. It was not on the app store, so I had to follow a link to download it (yay another red flag I saw and ignored on purpose). I set the app up and we said our good nights.
During the next day, she began walking me through how to use the app, how to input money from the wallet I have, including my staking if I wanted to. She sent me 20 dollars in ETH for the gas fees to send the USDT. Made me believe in her even more. I inputted about 250 USDT into the app, and we began short term node investing. I made about 100 dollars that day. Felt good. Yes I know it's fake.
The next day were serious red flags. She told me how her coworker withdrew his full 401k (40k USD) and put it into staking and short node investing, and has made a few hundred thousand dollars. I was intrigued, and she said I should do that too. I want to thank my job and bank for only letting me withdraw half, and loaning it against myself, and not letting me do a hardship withdrawal. I withdrew about 6000 USD from my 401k, sent it to my bank, and wired it to crypto. After waiting a few days for it to clear, I put it into my wallet, and into the fake exchange for short node investing.
I made about 44000 in fake money over the course of a couple days. She mentioned there's a new member reward, if I put in 10k USD in my account I get another 800 USDT free for being a new member. I mentioned that I can't, rent would be in a few days, and I needed the money for rent. She assured me that I should let my money work for me, and that I can withdraw it when I needed to for rent. Trusting this, I put my rent money into the fake exchange expecting to be able to withdraw it later since I was able to withdraw money before.
I got to about 8.5k USDT, 1.5k away for the free 800 USDT from the rewards program. She recommended me to apply for bank loans (another red flag LOL, but I was blinded). I never really built my credit at all before, only car loans and a credit card that I missed 2 20 dollar payments 4 years ago. My credit is low (640) so I could not loan out 50k from the bank like she wanted me to. The best I could do was 1.5k. I ended up getting my first credit card in a long time, it has a 500 dollar max currently and unsecured.
I did not end up taking out the loan (not yet), and I did not using any of the credit card to buy crypto with. This is when I began to believe something was wrong. There's no way I am getting scammed! She was messaging me and talking to me 15 hours a day, right? That's a lot of time investment.
Rent day was coming up, I went to withdraw my rent money from the fake exchange. I got an email stating I have to pay 5k in fees to withdraw the money because I won a lot of money.
I talked to her about it, inquiring why I could not just take out a portion of my principle I put in, without touching any of the winnings. She claimed it was for tax purposes and forgot to tell me. I half believed her. I talked to 2 friends seeing if I could loan out 5k from them. One said they will talk to their wife first, I respected their decision. They ended up saying no, I said thank you and I understood.
The other friend said sure, since I payed back a loan another friend gave me timely in the past. He tried to send it to me via cashapp, but was told to contact his bank first. I am very happy that happened. I said don't worry about it, I'll find out what to do. Didn't mention it the next day since I was still thinking.
Rent day came, and I took that 1500 loan to pay most of my rent. I still had a little extra money in my account to cover the full rent. Paying 500 dollars back a month on this loan to get it done asap, since my credit history isn't good, and I don't want to pay 30% interest. I'd rather loan from a bank if I can than mess up a friendship due to my stupidity.
I didn't talk to the girl for almost a full day, she kept trying to check up on me asking if I was ok and sending me voice messages. I went to a bar with friends and had a great time. I have 30 dollars in my bank account now, I get payed next week, I have a 1500 dollar loan with 30% interest I have to pay back, and 6000 dollars in a 401k I have to pay off that comes out of each paycheck. I stopped contributing to it so I don't feel as underwater.
I began responding to her, her messages weren't as lovable or frequent anymore (most likely because I mentioned that I am no longer interested in short node investing unless I get a portion of my principle back), maybe good morning and good night, and something short in the day. I used to reread our full conversations from the days when we began first talking, it just felt like bliss to me. Now I hardly want to talk to her, I downloaded and exported our conversation history from Telegram, but keeping her there just incase I can use something against it. Most likely won't be able to.
A friend mentioned to me he saw her account on another dating app, and they reported it. Different name, only a few miles away when she's supposed to be somewhere else. I told one friend about this story so far. They are very close to me and we had a heart to heart about it.
The most painful part about this is that I told my mom and sister about how I met someone new that really clicked with me, and I was finally happy. I struggled for so many years and they noticed my demeaner changed and were super joyous about it. Not only that, I don't miss the money I lost (~8.7k dollars), I miss the person that I thought I was building a relationship with that I would eventually meet and love. I was on Tinder for 3 months before I found her, every conversation was so dry and uninteresting to me until I met her. I only talked to her for about a month so maybe that is why I was able to break the spell early.
I feel free right now. I thought I would go back to being depressed, but I feel like I gained more than lost from this. I learned how to be a bit more sociable with people, what to look out for in scams (this one was way different than any I have ever experienced), to talk to people close to me about their thoughts of what's going on. I kept it all in. My relationship with my family is better because of her, but I will miss the person I thought that was for me. They really are intelligent in what they do, it's crazy. Maybe I found out that I am a hopeless romantic when my guard is not up. Which sucks, but it is what it is.
I will try to pay back all my loans asap, it's not too much money, but I will have to live more frugally at the moment. I'm not ready to let me mom or sister know, but I told one of my friends so far that won't joke about it. I am also happy I did not rope any friends into this. I needed time to clear my thoughts and do what I could to make this right.
Whenever I see her pictures online, I feel melancholic. I report her to the apps but it forces me to see what could have been if it was real. I have also submitted a case to the FBI, I don't know what else I should send to.
Thanks for reading if any of you did, I rambled a lot.
​
TLDR:
- Haven't dated in years, met chick on dating app and I was first to initiate
- She asked for my number, I gave it to her
- Quickly moved onto Telegram
- Lovebombed for weeks
- Mentions she's an investor in crypto, and wanted me to join her
- Blinded by fake love, lose 8.7k USD to the scam, everything in my bank account + half my 401k
- Had to take a loan out from a bank to pay rent
- Will miss the person I thought was for me more than the money lost itself
- Learned more from this than lost in my opinion. Thank god I'm already poor. It could have been much worse if my credit was good. Now I am on the path to building my credit for the first time in years.
- I'm aware that I was most likely talking to different people over Telegram, and she would send the recordings herself or facetimes.

You ever get this feeling? Where theres just something wrong with you, but you cant place it and have no reason to feel it? Thats where ive been since my last brain dump. Im “content” in life. Ive lost a lot of people in the last couple months that i feel like ive gone numb to the idea of losing someone once again. Yet theres this underlying pain every time someone doesnt text back. I cant place what it is. I have no reason or right to be hurt by it, so that cant be what this pain is. Its like a part of me just breaks, but idk what is left to break. Since my last post ive gained one really good person in my life, ive turned two people against me, ive had two people die in one week, ive had to leave good “friends” of mine, and ive just been in this catatonic place in my life and i cant understand why. Sometimes i just feel like this ghost in peoples lives. Almost like im not worthy or worth it enough to be around at all. I had a “friend” of mine tell me recently that it wouldnt even be a loss if they lost me as a friend. I dont understand what self respecting person would say that to another human. Yet i tried to show this person that that hurt… i let people use me as a punching bag so no one will get the punch but me. Thats been my goal in this life. Sometimes it feels like i cant breath, i cant take a full breath. Then theres that part of me that sees myself sitting in class in second grade on the verge of passing out because my friends and i wanted to see who could choke themselves the longest. I suffocate myself with the things i keep in but i have no where to put it all. Im a junk drawer for people, i hold all the things they dont need to have anymore, until that drawer gets over runned and breaks from all the weight. Anyone who has stuck through a read my brain dumps know im all over the place because thats just how i work, but im sorry to the people who are just reading this one. I have a hard time expressing things in my head sometimes, which makes it hard when im writing out everything in my head. I’ve been told i can hit a nerve with people when it comes to these, a long the lines of me saying the right things that no one else will say out loud. I can admit that i am a shitty person, im unstable, im fucked up, im traumatized and so on and so forth. Recently I was at work and dropped hot bacon grease on my legs by accident and i was more scared about getting yelled at then i was of getting burned, thats where im at in my life. This brain dump may seem different or toned down, it may be it may not be, thats for you to conclude. If anyone needs to talk im here to listen, if anyone wants to comment something they want to share with no backlash do it. I cant be the only one wanting to write their brain out, in hopes of finding people who need me.

Demographics: Asian male, upper middle class, low population Midwest state, large public school (2000+ students)
Hooks: None, at best geographic but idt that counts
Intended Major(s): Mathematics (maybe economics?)
ACT/SAT/SAT II: 35 ACT (10 ACT Writing), 1580 SAT (800 Math)
UW/W GPA and Rank: 4.00 UW/4.42 W, school doesn’t do rank
Coursework:

• 7 APs: AP HUG (5), AP WH (5), AP Chem (5), AP Phys 1 (4), AP Calc BC (self-study) (), AP Phys C: Mechanics (self-study) (), AP CSA ()
• 2 IBs: IB Early Modern World History SL (), IB Music SL ()
• College Courses: Intro to Abstract Math and Modern Algebra at a local university; A's in both
• Senior Year: APUSH, AP Stats or Calc 3, IB Physics HL, IB Math Analysis HL, IB English HL, IB Spanish SL, IB TOK, US Gov, Orchestra

Awards:

• 2x AIME Qualifier (top 5% national math contest)
• 2nd Place State Math Competition (out of ~600 students)
• National Speech and Debate Association Academic All American (top 2% of NSDA members nationally)
• National Merit Semifinalist
• National Community Service Ambassador Award (100+ hours of service)
• 3rd Place Team State Economics Challenge (out of ~1200 students)

Extracurriculars:

• College Math Research: Working on applied math research with a professor at a local university over this summer, likely will continue research past summer, hopefully a paper can get published.
• Math Honors Society: Community Outreach Leader, help out running practices/training, math bowl team member (won 1st state), help with fundraisers, 1st place individually at a smaller state math competition (out of ~300 students).
• Middle School MathCounts Coach: Coached 4th place state team, assisted in supervising and running practices, created and wrote study resources, gave lectures on concepts and problems.
• President and Founder of Physics Club: Created and secured funding for competitive opportunities, led practices and AP/IB Physics exam review sessions, expanded interest in physics outside the classroom, highest school F=MA exam score.
• Co-President of Science Bowl: 2x State Science Bowl Semifinalists, help run practices, organize/train teams for competitions, created practice resources.
• Co-President of Debate: Lead practices/work with coach, State Policy Debate Champion, NSDA Nationals Qualification in Policy, mentor novices in a national program, help run our school’s nationally recognized debate tournament.
• President of Debate Organization: Run a statewide debate organization, manage/post debate YouTube videos, manage website and debate blog, created a summer debate camp for middle school students.
• Orchestra: Play for the top school ensemble/chamber group, orchestra leadership team, violin mentor for a kids program, 2x District Ensemble Contest Superior Rating, letter award for extraordinary achievement in ensemble.
• Spanish Honors Society: Volunteer teaching Spanish at a local elementary school, volunteer at the Intercultural Senior Center, help organize/run fundraisers and cultural events.
• President of Quiz Bowl: Run practices, team captain.

Schools: These are basically all the extreme reaches I’m applying to (pretty much just shotgunning here and praying something works 💀).

• Princeton (REA)
• MIT
• Harvard
• Yale
• Caltech
• CMU
• Stanford
• Columbia
• UChicago
• UC Berkeley
• UMich
• UCLA

I’d appreciate any target/safety recs or any advice on my reaches (am I even competitive?). I’ve been wondering about the best early strategy and currently am thinking of Princeton REA (my family used to live there, I’m really interested in their math/applied math program, and it seems like past early admit rates were decently higher than other T10/20s). I'd appreciate other thoughts on this or better early strategies. Also, is there anything I can do this summer to boost my portfolio/chances? I know most intern stuff has already likely closed; so far I'm just planning to work on math research, attend summer school (for PE just to get it out of the way), and work on the debate organization. Thanks for any feedback!

Hi, I’m Juan (22M). I live in Omaha, NE, and am looking for a musician/artist to create Original Music with. I play/create on guitar & piano - but am open to learning any instrument. I aim to develop a writing-relationship where we can produce fleshed-out art (music being the primary form). My influences include MBV, Beach House, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Slowdive, Sonic Youth, The Cure, Alice in Chains, Radiohead, Bauhaus, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Joy Division/New Order, & Deftones.
I am open to travel, of course within reason. No skill or virtuosity required. All I do ask for is commitment to completion of our art and the openness to communicate any and all ideas. I prefer In-Person interactions to Online/Remote, yet I recognize the analog barriers to entry so I am open to Online.
If you are interested, please message me on Discord (insignities#9594) with your Name, Age, & Primary Mode of Interaction. Discord is my favorite comms platform, but if you do not have it, you can hit me up here or my email “[email protected]”

So basically, my boyfriend (23) and I (21 almost 22) started dating winter 2019, and since then I picked up scary vibes from his mom. I don’t know if it’s my cptsd from growing up with abuse from an ex stepdad, but my fight or flight is on edge around her.
Here are some examples:
This happened at their house: When his now almost 18 year old sister, was around 15, she was having trouble with making her bed and her mom yelled at her that she’s slow. You know hot headed. And then also, she needs to brush her hair outside, because of the hair that sheds. (Mom is a clean freak).
This happened at the beach: Boyfriends now 8 year old brother, was around 6 here. We were sitting at the table, while this kid was just goofing around running around, playing. Then he hides behind something, and as an attempt to prank us he throws a rock, and it accidentally hit me. So I tried to tell him to throw it away from us, but his mom heard me, and MADE him apologize to me. Like straight up yelling “LOOK in her eyes and say sorry!” and when he messed up, “DO IT AGAIN!! CORRECTLY!” then turned him around and, well tried to spank him, but he kept moving so it was more like a brush. I would’ve said “it’s okay it was an accident”, but I’m scared of the mom. Plus, the kid didn’t cry, he laughed which made me laugh, and it become a discussion because the sister remembered when she’d “get it” as a kid. Like I don’t agree with spanking kids at all in general, but especially for something that was an accident. Even if it was a small one, like in this case.
Regardless, my boyfriend told me his mom recently is trying to parent without violence. I haven’t been around her much, because again, I’m scared of her. But they came over a few months ago to visit, my boyfriend and I live with my mom, and our house is fairly big. We were mainly upstairs, when my sister and mom were downstairs, but this same kid from the previous example he was being noisy. So the aunt, she smacked his arm and said “be quiet!!”, the mom saw it and didn’t say anything. I guess it’s normal in their family, that aunts are allowed to parent the kid as well. But again, this aunt acts like a kid sometimes of her disability, so maybe they just act like siblings?? Not sure. That example is kind of hard.
And my question is, is any of this understandable for me to have a bad feeling about, or is it just my trauma?

Marc gave it another go. He tipped his hand forward. The silver patty rolled off him, dropping toward the cave floor.
It stopped short of hitting the path. The shiny disc halted in the air, dangling at the end of a thin white line.
He watched the small wheel spin. It might have been the most fun he’d had all year. Even more fun than that mud puddle he’d found the other day.
How does it keep going? Marc thought to himself. And without any power??
Marc assumed the disc was some sort of technological marvel from the past. But the Archives had little information on it, only a name. It was called a “yo-yo.”
They all must have had one of these, he posited.
As Marc walked down the stone ramp, he cast the yo-yo again. The toy’s quiet spin was the only sound in the cavern. The soft hiss of string versus metal reverberated gently in the spacious cave.
Marc focused all his attention on the little gadget. He was determined to enjoy every last minute of the universe, no matter what. And that evening, the yo-yo more than accomplished that goal.
The shimmering yo-yo, however, couldn’t prevent the world around him from crumbling. The ground started to rumble. The rest of the cave shook with it. The underground city shook as the plasma storm above battered it—and the rest of the planet.
Marc’s home broke down. Cracks appeared in the ceiling. Waterfalls of dust poured out of them. It wouldn't be long before the whole thing collapsed. That is, if the plasma storm didn’t swallow it whole first.
Whatever.
A few clumps of dirt wouldn’t ruin Marc’s fun. He pulled the hood of his shawl over his head and extended his ragged sleeves toward each hand. His clothes shielded him from the falling dust; the gritty particles made themselves at home on his messy shawl. And Marc was free to perfect his newest trick.
The rumbling died down though as Marc descended the ramp. The yo-yo string didn’t wobble so much, and he didn't have to watch his steps as carefully. He just hoped the quaking wouldn’t come back to ruin his event.
Speaking of which, Marc glanced ahead toward his destination below. What he saw rocked him even harder than the earthquake had.
What in the sinkpits…?
Marc stopped in his tracks. He even started to reach for his knife. All because he’d detected a speck of something suspicious. Something he didn't see much of every day: color.
Showy landmarks weren’t something endemic to his home. The Outpost was more of a dusty gray-and-brown sort of place. The walls were sandstone. The floor was sandstone. And the ceiling? …Granite?
No, sandstone. All under the faint glow of a string of depressed lightbulbs.
The intriguing blip in the gray-and-tan collage was farther up the path. Ahead of the ramp, on Level 8, Marc saw the same three steel doors he was used to seeing. The front doors of underground homes, lined up in a row, each closed into the cave wall.
However, there was something different about the third door. It looked… alive. Like it didn’t belong in a dreary place like the Outpost. But it was too far away to tell what exactly had been done to it.
Marc squinted at it suspiciously. The third door happened to be his destination. And now it was weird.
He considered waiting and observing the mutated door. A child of the Outpost, Marc had developed a healthy fear of the unusual.
These habits, along with his instincts, kept him safe. They’d specifically preserved him while the rest of humanity perished.
But he shrugged off the instinct to wait. Something new and “different” was ahead, and he wanted to see it.
But just as a precaution, it was time for his yo-yo’s last trick. He got in one final throw then placed the toy into his satchel. He dropped it on top of his arsenal of cables, wrenches, and screwdrivers.
And by the time he’d snapped the satchel shut, the long ramp had bottomed out. He’d made it to the next level.
To his left, the wall had been spray-painted. Scrawled-out black letters stood against the sandy background. They stated, “Now Level 8.”
Marc followed the sign. He stayed close to the wall, crossing to the stone pedestrian path. He passed one untouched steel door with a dusted-over mail slot in the wall beside it. Then he passed a second home—abandoned like the first. And finally, he arrived at his friend’s place and the mysterious blip on Level 8.
To his surprise, the steel door elicited a flush of emotion. His heart floated upward. And the portrait before him drew his focus in like an otherworldly beacon.
How did it get so…?
Marc pulled back his hood. The ground popped with the sandy grains he released.
He could hardly believe the difference. The door used to blend in with the others: another ridged steel face that spent most of its time rusting or collecting dirt.
But it was no longer muffled by the dust and dirt that had built up over the years.
Today, it sung. Paint streaks flew across its visage. They swirled and spiraled, forming stars and other shapes. Where previously gray and rust dominated, colors sprang forth—colors that Marc didn't even have the names for. They were many, and they were warm, like the evening sky just after sunset. Marc could hardly wrap his head around the entire image.
He swelled with gratitude.
Only you could have pulled this off. He thought of his friend, the painter. The one person in the colony who’d ever been any fun. The one other person in the colony who was left…
The artist had done the unthinkable. Foraging the garden below for something other than food. Spending work time measuring and concocting the perfect blends of paint. And then slathering their fingers across the giant door, until its old face was but a memory. And all that effort for only a single other person to appreciate.
Newly inspired, Marc searched for an unpainted space on the metal canvas. He found one and knocked on the door.
He took a step back and waited. The outside of the Outpost was lively. Excited wind rushed through the canyon.
By contrast, the Outpost itself was silent. If there was anyone left to say anything, they may have even called it “dead.”
Or nearly dead, anyway. The last morsel of it came to life as the door in front of Marc groaned.
It floated off the ground, inching upward. On the other side, Marc could hear a hand crank clicking away.
Ktch… ktch… ktch… ktch…
The corrugated door lifted, and the door rolled up. The tip of the artist’s painting started to slip from view.
Ktch… ktch… ktch… ktch…
Behind the door, chains reeled at a slow clip. The heavy curtain was halfway up. Marc could now see his best friend's lower half. Buff Lenorkian legs pumped back and forth with each crank.
The door unveiled even more of the owner. A torso in a metal suit appeared. Four ripped arms stretched out of it. They rotated, moving to the clicking beats of the door.
Ktch… ktch… ktch… ktch…
The door raised a few inches further, uncovering the bottom half of a cobalt blue face. Two rows of razor-sharp teeth smiled from ear to ear. A few inches more, and Marc could see the whole of the Lenorkian’s face.
Sid greeted Marc as the last of the door raised.
“Finally!” he said.
Marc didn’t get a chance to respond. His body lurched forward involuntarily. He slammed into Sid’s metal suit.
Crrrrrick!
The armor squealed as Sid’s upper two arms squeezed him tighter. The lower set of arms had reeled Marc in.
Marc hated hugs. Stupid mushy emotional wraparounds. But just this one final time, Marc returned the gesture. He squeezed Sid back.
“Happy Worlds’ End!” Sid said from the other side of the embrace.
“Yeah,” Marc replied, “Happy Worlds’ End.”
The two separated.
“Cool painting, by the way,” Marc said. He pointed at the rolled-up door. “I didn’t think you’d top the one in the garden.”
“You think so?” Sid sheepishly smiled. “Well I’ve had more time to practice since… you know.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Marc said. “Me too. That’s how I actually got you something.”
Marc swung his heavy satchel around. He rifled through it, squeezing through cables, knocking handles and parts out of the way. And then—ah.
He fished out a crumpled rag. Holding it in one hand, he began to gently unfold it.
“I found this a few days ago in the garden,” he said. The edges of the cloth fell. They revealed a small, glass object. It sparkled.
Marc continued, “I think it fits your style—I mean, I know it’s a little smudged and chipped but...”
He swirled the crystal trinket around. The cavern’s incandescent light flittered across its clear edges.
He touched it too, tracing the slender portion of it with his thumb. It was the neck of the crystal swan.
“It’s yours,” Marc said, offering up the bird.
Sid cupped two shovel-sized hands and accepted the gift.
“It’s beautiful…” he said, examining it. “I can’t believe anything like this could have survived this long.” He looked up at Marc and smiled, “Thank you so much. I just wish I had a little longer to could enjoy it.”
They chuckled lightly about their impending obliteration.
“Well, come on in,” Sid said. He extended both of his left arms. They gestured toward the cave interior. “We’ll finish off this universe how it started,” he said. He mashed his upper two fists together. “With a bang!”
“I hear that!” Marc nodded. He crossed over into Sid’s house.
As Marc passed Sid, a wave of discomfort hit him. Sid had switched out his usual t-shirt and jeans. He wore old armor instead. And the metal plating taunted Marc.
Marc’s next question came out more accusatory than curious.
“So… a Lenorkian throwback, huh?” he asked Sid.
Sid had just finished finding the perfect home for his swan. He left it on a shelf next to the front door.
He turned to face Marc. He hid his embarrassment behind a jagged smile.
“Oh!” he said. “Uhhh…” Three of Sid’s arms disappeared behind his back. The cone-shaped cuffs at the end of each wrist clanked against the back of his chest armor. The fourth arm nervously scratched his blue head. “I don’t know,” he said. “It's stupid, I guess. I can take it off… if you want.”
Marc didn’t want to address the topic head-on. He stopped in the cave’s entry. He pretended to admire the walls—as if he’d never seen sandstone before.
“No, leave it on,” he said. “You look… like a true Lenorkian.” He turn around and forced a smile.
It wasn’t enough.
“Okay, let’s get this out of the way,” Sid said. He marched up to Marc.
Sid took a deep breath before he spoke.
“Tonight's really important to me,” he continued. “This is the last impression anyone’s going to make on the universe. So I need you on board.” He continued staring down at Marc. “Can you do that? For me?”
Marc didn’t see what the big deal was. It was just a couple of best friends hanging out.
“Yeah, why not?” he shrugged. “End it the way it started.”
The exchange turned into awkward silence. Neither knew what to do next. They had never been in a situation like this before—never attended such an event. What the Archives called: a par-ty.
Sid shook off the figurative mask he’d been wearing—one that was uncharacteristically dour. His eyes lightened, and he bobbed his head knowingly.
“I went through the Archives to see how this works,” he said. He walked toward the long horizontal counter against the wall—the kitchen.
On the counter, chaos ran wild. Bowls and kitchenware spread across the surface. And the insides of his pots and pans resembled the dirty mouth of a garbage chute.
Marc wasn’t sure what to think. Was cleaning the host’s kitchen a staple of ancient parties?
Sid too seemed a bit confused. His next words came out robotically, as if he was practicing a new word he’d learned.
“’Can-I-offer-you-a-drink?’” Sid asked. He stood nervously in front of the counter.
Looking closer at it, three unusual objects stood apart from the kitchenware mess. It took Marc a while to remember what their outdated, bendy material was called.
Plastic. Three pink and plastic cups sat equidistant from one another.
“I got these from here,” Sid reached under the counter and pulled up some sort of transparent bag. Pink cups just liked the others were stacked on top of each other inside.
Sid packed the bag back under the counter.
“So?” he asked after he finished. He held all four hands together in anticipation. His smile may have looked like an industrial-grade rock shredder, but it was hard to resist his innocent blue face and big wide eyes.
Marc eyed the pink cups one last time.
“This better not kill me,” he said.
Sid wasted no time. He excitedly grabbed a cup and walked over to a large pot sitting on the counter.
Using a nearby ladle, he plunged into the vat. An unappetizing sloshing sound resulted. And Sid, as strong as he was, seemed to struggle with scooping out some of the mystery liquid. But in the end, he pulled back the ladle and unloaded an opaque, muddy liquid into the cup.
“It's a homeworld classic called fludge,” Sid said as he finished pouring.
He treaded over to his reluctant friend and handed off the plastic cup.
“Did you say ‘fludge’?” Marc asked. He swished the cup around cautiously. The earthy liquid hardly budged.
“Yeah, fludge! Us Lenorkians invented it. It’s kind of the only tasty thing we ever bothered to make.”
Marc sniffed it. It smelled… burnt? Maybe a little dusty, too? But he could have just been smelling the cave.
Sid left Marc alone with Marc’s questionable new assignment. He returned to the pot to pour himself a drink.
“Just try it!” he said.
Marc looked down again at the dark soup. It could kill him. Or maybe it wouldn't.
Either way, it was his last drink.
He took a timid sip and waited to be repulsed. The fludge trickled to the back of his tongue. As it hit, Marc’s eyes widened. But not with regret.
He swallowed.
“Now wait a minute…” he said. He smacked his lips together. Then he took another, larger sip.
This curious dark liquid had a unique taste to it. The taste was earthen—but unoffending. It also had a subtle undercurrent of sweetness to it, combined with a spicy kick. It was delicious.
“This might be the best drink in the entire Outpost!” Marc exclaimed.
Pure joy bloomed on Sid’s face. “See! I told you: the greatest thing we ever made.”
He held his own cup above his open jaws. The falling fludge was no match for the alien. He guzzled it down, licked his lips, and then went back for more.
As Sid fashioned himself another drink, Marc noticed something a tad unsettling. A third pink cup stared back at him. It prompted an uncomfortable thought, but he shoved the thought back down.
The Lenorkian carried back his second drink. Though this time, he took it in small, human-sized sips.
But he quickly reanimated. In the middle of a sip, Sid got a wild look in his eyes. His irises turned from their natural violet to scarlet. He yanked the cup from his face and swallowed.
“Argh, how did I forget?” he said. “I got music!”
Marc cut his sip short too. “No way. You got music?”
“I think so!”
Sid did an about face. He slammed the half-empty cup on the counter. Then he shuffled toward a giant metal column protruding from the far wall. Four ink-blue hands wrapped around the cover of the vent. And he went for it.
Sid struggled to pull off the cover of the vent at first. His armor ballooned around his biceps as his muscles bulged outward. Yet the cover wouldn't budge.
But it seemed like an important part of his evening plans. He scolded the stubborn vent, banging on its top.
“Oh, you’re gonna get it now!” he said. He latched onto the vent again.
This time, he put even more effort in. To the point where Marc sensed that Sid was losing a grip on his own body. Out of his forehead, two thumb-sized cones began to rise. His breathing turned low and raspy. And his whole body seemed to expand as he repositioned himself for leverage. Then with one final pull, like a wild beast, he let out of a deep, guttural roar.
“HAWRRRRRRRRRRRGGH!” The roar echoed off the cave walls.
And with that, the stubborn vent cover finally popped off. A breath of wind pulsed through the room as the air pressure equalized itself.
But the wind wasn’t finished. After the initial pulse exited, a mighty gust picked up where the original pulse left off. The vent shot more wind into the room, but rapidly, like a storm. Tiny coarse particles rattled inside the duct. And in the room, a rush of wind whipped past Marc’s face. He felt little nips across his exposed skin as it passed him.
Both partiers shielded their faces from the most direct blasts of air. Sid smiled nervously as he looked to Marc. He raised his voice over the whining airstream.
“It’s from the sandplains above!” he said in an elevated voice. “I thought we’d use the sandstorm for music! Do you like it?”
Music… Marc wasn’t exactly an expert. Even though humans were said to be naturals at it, not much on the subject had made it into the Archives. The Outpost didn’t have much of it either. The closest he got was the occasional chant, stray birds twittering about, or maybe someone banging on rocks.
But Marc did know one thing on the subject. Where there was music, there was dancing.
That said, he had never danced before either. But a long time ago, his parents told him it was something all humans could do. It was something they carried in their blood. Once humans found a pattern in music, they could match it to their body language. And once they’d synced melody and movement, they could ride that wave to a whole new experience.
Might as well give it a shot, he thought. Marc too put his cup on the counter.
With his hands free, Marc backed up toward the middle of the room. He closed his eyes, felt the wind. It filled his ears with its gusty energy. It hit him in pumps as the storm raged above.
Though not totally predictable, the wind did hit him consistently. There was some sort of kinetic pattern to it.
Yes, a pattern.
Well actually, he’d heard it called by another name. What was that word his mother had used? He opened his eyes when he remembered: rhythm.
Marc stretched out his arms. He relaxed his hips. He felt the wind’s whips and waves across his arms. He let his arms follow them, swaying with the current. Not long after, his hips joined in. They too gyrated, trying to match the energetic gusts. He kept at it. And the first time Marc felt both himself and the wind moving together, he grinned.
“This is amazing!” he said. Around them, the wind crooned.
Sid was entranced. He nodded back while staring at Marc’s strange movements. He’d never really seen dancing either. But he figured he would give it a shot too. He loosened up his arms and walked onto the dance floor with Marc.
Before dancing himself, he studied Marc first. He watched how the scavenger moved his arms—and when the scavenger moved his arms.
Sid’s limbs followed. Four muscular arms rose in the air, like fighter jets on their way to a dogfight. And on a one or two second delay, they swayed after Marc’s.
For a while, they followed Marc completely. Then Sid went down his own path. The Lenorkian’s movements grew aggressive and battle-like. He punched at the wind swiping across him. He shuffled his feet as if swapping battle stances.
He caught Marc’s curiosity. Even as a novice, Marc could tell Sid’s movements weren’t traditional by any means. But to Marc, it was dancing all the same.
The two danced to the chorus of the air above. They laughed occasionally as changes in the rhythm of the wind tripped them up. In his head, Marc compared it to the painting on Sid’s door. The colony had never seen anything like this either.
Then something interrupted their dancing. The ground beneath them shook, throwing them off their feet. Heavy gray dirt trickled from the ceiling as the entire cave rumbled. And outside, the distant sky flashed and crackled. Its light illuminated the cave in violent spurts as the boys struggled to stand back up.
Eventually, the violent quaking and frightening flashes died down. The plasma storm held its breath once again.
The boys got back on their feet, but all the joy had seeped out of Sid’s face. He just stared at the floor in deep contemplation. Even as the windy music started back up.
Marc figured he would rescue his friend from whatever dark thoughts had turned up. Naturally, the end of the universe was a real bummer.
“End of the world got you down, huh?” He tried to laugh it off. The whole situation was pretty sad. Especially when they were having so much fun. But it was best to end the universe on a high note, right?
Nevertheless, Sid seemed dejected. He mumbled something inaudible.
“Dude, I can’t hear over the song!” Marc said in an elevated voice.
Sid spoke up over the wind. “That’s not what I’m upset about,” he said, his voice still fairly low.
“Then what are you upset about?”
Sid blurted out his response. “Because I invited Tōn-E, okay?”
He couldn’t bring himself to look Marc in the eye. Because he knew what was coming.
“YOU DID WHAT?!” Marc shouted over the music. Marc himself stomped over to the vent. He picked the cover off the floor—though he struggled quite a bit with it. It was heavier than Sid made it look. But he hoisted it back into the mouth of the vent. The music shut off. The steady drop of sand on the cave floor ceased.
“Say that again,” he leveled in Sid’s direction.
“What was I supposed to do?” Sid remade eye contact. “Not invite the only other intelligent being to the last party the universe will ever have?”
Marc needed no time to answer. He nodded insistently. “Yes. That was exactly what you were supposed to do. What the hell, Sid?” Marc would have continued, but there was another disturbance outside. He caught a glimpse of movement in the doorway.
--
Thanks for reading some of my words :) I’m trying stuff out, so let me know what you think.
The rest of the story is here
Based on a prompt by eithrotaur

Can anyone share their experience with the HotSprings Coolzone? We live in a warmer climate and are intrigued by it but want to know if it’s worth the significant investment.
Thanks!

Hello! The projector overheats and turns off. What to do and where to look ? The operating time is 36 hours. For the first about 20 hours I worked without problems, then I started to turn off, the problem was solved by turning on the highland mode, but now even this mode does not help. Turns off after 5-10 minutes, the power and temp lamp lights up red. it feels as hot as it was before the problem. And also, maybe someone knows. The HT3550i model and the W2700i model are models with android TV, I don't have it. according to the description, it looks like an ordinary one without the prefix "i". Is it somehow treated with firmware? There is no possibility to send to the service, I live in Russia

Recently moved into a house that has 4 Polk Atrium 60 speakers outside and some sort of junction with multiple wires (pictures 2, 3, and 4)in the living room. There is also some sort of surround sound system wall plate (picture 5). I don’t know anything about speakers or AV systems.
How can I go about getting the outdoor speakers functioning? What device do I need to get to play music through them?
https://preview.redd.it/66xdavvp4v3b1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a88f08d825d252e450625b52564c38580f64bf82
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https://preview.redd.it/fyqgb6wp4v3b1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e09e461c2ac16186dc204b130b52f323e40a3b4e
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Hi, I’m Juan (22M). I live in Omaha, NE, and am looking for a musician/artist to create Original Music with. I play/create on guitar & piano - but am open to learning any instrument. I aim to develop a writing-relationship where we can produce fleshed-out art (music being the primary form). My influences include MBV, Beach House, Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Slowdive, Sonic Youth, The Cure, Alice in Chains, Radiohead, Bauhaus, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Joy Division/New Order, & Deftones.
I am open to travel, of course within reason. No skill or virtuosity required. All I do ask for is commitment to completion of our art and the openness to communicate any and all ideas. I prefer In-Person interactions to Online/Remote, yet I recognize the analog barriers to entry so I am open to Online.
If you are interested, please message me on Discord (insignities#9594) with your Name, Age, & Primary Mode of Interaction. Discord is my favorite comms platform, but if you do not have it, you can hit me up here or my email “[email protected]”.

Is anyone struggling unusually badly with the heat? I've never liked being hot, but the last few days it's been in the high 80s where I live, and I have just felt so sick and lethargic. I haven't had any nausea with OZ yet, so I'm wondering if my new nausea is from the heat or the meds. I don't really feel sick when I'm not hot ( in air conditioning), only when I'm hot.

Hoping for some breed recs and I’m not searching for a unicorn (like my current rescue mutt is).
Introduction 1) Will this be your first dog? If not, what experience do you have owning/training dogs?
A: no, I currently own two 50 lbs rescues
2) Do you have a preference for rescuing a dog vs. going through a reputable breeder?
A: I prefer to buy from an ethical breeder.
3) Describe your ideal dog.
A: alert of their surroundings (alert barks to strangers on the property), affectionate and cuddly with me, indifferent towards strangers, able to catch onto training quickly, food motivated, enjoys playing tug and fetch, up for anything from couch cuddles to nature walks, patient with indoor cats, neutral towards other dogs. Prefers dogs that are intimidating looking as we live in a sketchy neighborhood and my current rescue gives me scary dog privilege to walk at night.
4) What breeds or types of dogs are you interested in and why?
A: im not sure yet, I like the look of Dobermans, cane corso, bullmastiffs, giant breeds are cool but idk if they fit.
5) What sorts of things would you like to train your dog to do?
A: we would attend puppy classes together. I would also like to obtain a Canine Good Citizen Advanced and advanced trick dog title/award. In addition, I plan on task training for at home service work (not public access so a breed that isnt known for service work isn’t a deal breaker. I just plan on teaching the dog tasks to help me out with my BPD/PTSD at home). Teach basic commands, loose leash walking, following a lure, muzzle conditioning, and cooperative care. And whatever else may be needed.
6) Do you want to compete with your dog in a sport (e.g. agility, obedience, rally) or use your dog for a form of work (e.g. hunting, herding, livestock guarding)? If so, how much experience do you have with this work/sport?
A: although I’m new to sports, I would like to try fastcat.
Care Commitments 7) How long do you want to devote to training, playing with, or otherwise interacting with your dog each day?
A: im a stay at home “dog mom” so I have ample time
8) How long can you exercise your dog each day, on average? What sorts of exercise are you planning to give your dog regularly and does that include using a dog park?
A: about 1-1.5 hrs daily. Two 30 minute walks, swimming, fully fenced in backyard fetch, seasonal hikes- it just depends on how I’m feeling. I do not plan on going to the dog park as I don’t think they’re safe (my dog was attacked at one).
9) How much regular brushing are you willing to do? Are you open to trimming hair, cleaning ears, or doing other grooming at home? If not, would you be willing to pay a professional to do it regularly?
A: I would say a few minutes every week or so with a rubber curry brush (that’s what I do for my current dog), but prefer no trimming or professional grooming. Ok with baths when they get smelly and nail trims and ear cleaning, just no dogs that require haircuts.
Personal Preferences 10) What size dog are you looking for?
A: my ideal size would be 70 lbs, but I would prefer to go up in weight than to own a small dog. Just not my vibe. The biggest dog id own would be like 130lbs ish
11) How much shedding, barking, and slobber can you handle?
A: my short haired dog sheds in the spring and fall and is pretty much lower shedding in between and that what I want at most. I don’t want a heavy shedding dog please (that includes labs, goldens, huskies, gsd, any thick coated double coated breed). Barking when play and when there’s a stranger on the property is fine, but not a dog that barks at anything (no overly vocal high pitched barkers, I prefer deep barks). Slobber when eating and when being baited with treats is ok, but I don’t really want to have a dog that will shake and paint my walls with slobber.
12) How important is being able to let your dog off-leash in an unfenced area?
A: not the biggest priority, my current dog can’t be off leash and it’s not the end of the world. We walk on leashes and have a fully fenced in yard
Dog Personality and Behavior 13) Do you want a snuggly dog or one that prefers some personal space?
A: snuggle bug for sure, my current dog curls up next to me in bed and I love it.
14) Would you prefer a dog that wants to do its own thing or one that’s more eager-to-please?
A: eager to please
15) How would you prefer your dog to respond to someone knocking on the door or entering your yard? How would you prefer your dog to greet strangers or visitors?
A: barking until I tell them to stop (current dog barks to strangers walking by and I don’t mind it, but he won’t bark at everyone-just things in the yard. He doesn’t bark at the neighbors across the street for example). I want my dog to ignore strangers ideally, and focus on me. Dogs that want to be everyone’s bff turn me off, I prefer loyalty.
16) Are you willing to manage a dog that is aggressive to other dogs?
A: I will if it’s the right breed, my male is ssa and we muzzle train and crate train. This will be the only dog in the house when we bring it home (with the exception of 3 indoor cats). But I prefer dogs that aren’t aggressive.
17) Are there any other behaviors you can’t deal with or want to avoid?
A: aggression towards me, stubbornness, heavy vocality, reactivity, chasing our cats.
Lifestyle 18) How often and how long will the dog be left alone?
A: probably just a few hours if I went to run an errand, but even that’s not every day. I’m home pretty much 24/7 (unless I’m out waking).
19) What are the dog-related preferences of other people in the house and what will be their involvement in caring for the dog?
A: I live with my gf and she doesn’t mind as long as the dog fits my lifestyle. She will not be caring for the dog; I will.
20) Do you have other pets or are you planning on having other pets? What breed or type of animal are they?
A: yes we have three indoor cats
21) Will the dog be interacting with children regularly?
A: no we don’t have kids and don’t plan on having them
22) Do you rent or plan to rent in the future? If applicable, what breed or weight restrictions are on your current lease?
A: we own our home, no breed restrictions
23) What city or country do you live in and are you aware of any laws banning certain breeds?
A: live in Georgia, USA. None that I’m aware of.
24) What is the average temperature of a typical summer and winter day where you live?
A: July summers get to the upper 90s with 99% humidity; winters are snow free and at 20-30 degrees.
Any other questions just ask

This is my fist time ever posting on Reddit, so I hope I am doing this all right.
Let me quickly explain my issue. I am an esthetician in Texas. I am a sole prop business. I moved into a single room suite about 2 years ago (signed a 3 year lease for a lower rent) and instantly realized the noise level from the neighbor was going to be a problem. Next to me is a music teacher that offers piano and vocal lessons to children. This isn’t always a huge deal, but it has definitely interferes with some of my more relaxing services, which has put a damper on my business. Luckily, I have very loving and supportive and understanding clients, but it is still an issue.
There have been other issues, a big one was I didn’t have any air flow to my room for most of the VERY hot summer and it took months so them to fix it (and by them I mean me getting a hold of the AC guy). Other stuff included basically includes me b*tching about small stuff, lock to the outside door being broke, children running and screaming up and down the halls, etc.
I have been asking to be moved to a new room for some time now, even if it meant paying more, to not deal with the noise.
Finally I was offered a new room at the same rate.
This is where things blew up - I asked to repaint (per my lease, this should be totally fine) and was told I needed to pay an additional security deposit to do so. I argued back. I am now getting emails from the owner of the building telling me :
“I am hearing about a pattern of discontent and criticism coming from you about our building and even to and about our personnel. Some of the other tenants are reporting concerns that appear to be raised in their minds from discussions they have with you.”
And
“At this point, your decision to stay or leave is up to you. If you decide to stay, however, I will need to see an immediate end to the ongoing criticism that I’m hearing about.”
I can explain this more, but this is already a very long post.
My question is, do I have any right rights to my situation - being the noise levels from the studio next door that are interrupting my business?
I am normally one that backs down and avoids conflict, so my first thought is GET OUT. However, I have worked hard to build the business I have, and I am at a point where in just a couple more years I hope to be much bigger, but now is not the time for that and I would like for my next move to be my last. Rent is very cheap here and in a great, central location for my clients. Do I just shut up and let these people treat me like this?
Thank you all that have read this. I appreciate any and all insight.

Hi all, with summer just about here now in June 2023, I’m glad this subreddit’s “second wind” since mid-spring in April 2023 is working as intended for you all to discover fun events or promote events you’re affiliated with in New York City!
However there’s been a recent influx of users coming on this subreddit selling tickets to events to personally profit off it. Now the main focus of this subreddit is to promote events across New York City which is fine, but we won’t facilitate a platform to sell your tickets and gain some money off that. In other cases, it’s spam, and sometimes not worth the trouble.
If sales posts don’t belong on NYC or NewYorkCity, AvesNYC, or FoodNYC per their subreddit rules (or most other local NYC/borough subs), they certainly don’t belong here. So as a reminder & new-ish rule …

This subreddit is not a home to sell (or resell) your own tickets to events/concerts/etc in the city. If you want to sell your own tickets to events in NYC, consider posting on NYList where general buying/selling posts belong, AvesNYC_Tix to buy/sell tickets for EDM/raves/dance events, on NYCConcerts, where buying/selling posts for concerts belong. That way people can still be interested if so desired. Do your own due diligence as always buying goods of the internet.

Moderation’s been fairly lax given it’s a chill sub, but there won’t be any hesitancy to ban people for that. First time offenders will be be banned for 31 days, second offense will be permanently banned.
Have a wonderful summer, and stay golden folks! ☀️
TL-DR: Promoting your events here is fine, and the primary goal of this subreddit. Selling your own individual tickets to events are not permitted here, don’t use this subreddit to get rich, and the last thing moderators want to do is play whack-a-mole with scammers if a sale goes south. Other communities exist for this to sell tickets for concerts, sporting events, raves/music, etc. Break this rule once = a month ban, break this rule twice = permanent ban.