Gay places near me

Seattle can be a great place to live, and the PNW scenery is gorgeous, but I don’t think it’s for me. I’d like to live somewhere that’s easier to get around and has a better reputation for making friends. Dating is also an important factor to me when choosing a new place to live. Education is important to me so I’d like to live somewhere that values that as well. I also miss thunderstorms but that’s not a huge deal.
Denver is completely off the list for me due to trauma I experienced there.
Curious about people’s thoughts, thanks!

So there's a guy i like who works in my residential building. I find him really easy to talk to and he will say hello everytime he sees me and we will chat pretty much everytime he's working, we've chatted for anything between 5 mins to 7 hours.
I really like him, but obviously it is his place of work (as well as where I live) so I wouldn't want to put him in an difficult situation. Plus we have had conversations in the past about our dating lives and dating apps. My dating life is non-existent, and he is newly broken up with his ex. He broke up with his ex and dropped in the convo a couple times that he wasn't gonna date again for a few months.
I move out in a couple months, so there would no longer be that potential awkwardness if he says no. But I don't even know what I would say to him, like do I just outright say it in person, do I say it over social media (I would have to find him on socials first). Do I keep it more casual than that and just say something like it would be good to stay in contact? Or do I just not say anything at all and see if we happen to cross paths on dating apps later on?

Hey! 🙂 I'm looking for a fellow adult who's open-minded towards risque verbal conversations 😉
General interests: literature, art history, philosophy, psychology, languages, geography.
Music (all over the place): Seafret, M83, Philip Glass, Lord Huron, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Mogwai, Of Monsters and Men, Yndi Halda, God is An Astronaut, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Keaton Henson, Laura Marling, Max Richter, If These Trees Could Talk, Clint Mansell, some songs of Sia and Adele, and many other artists. If you don't recognise some of those names, it could be a plus, because we could mutually enhance our preferences in music.
Literature: non-fiction (microhistory, biographies, geography and culture); fiction as in sci-fi, mystery, thriller, subtle philosophical supernatural horror. I'm more of a prose person, though I do appreciate some poetry from time to time. I might not be really refined for it? I find narratives extremely compelling, especially when it comes to crafting the story in a way that ensures the flow of events and miniscule details that are going to build up towards the resolution. I prefer contemporary prose, althought I have done my share of getting to know some crucial classics, both for school and out of my own curiousity. When it comes to psychology, my horizons were influenced partly by Viktor Frankl, Erich Fromm, Rollo May, and some others who worked within the loosely defined existential school of thought. Philosophically speaking, my interests concern mostly ethics and aesthetics.
A bit more about me: Depression issues and anxiety; a bit socially conservative; do not play any videogames. I'm a bit of a bookworm, and I tend to talk about lofty, ivory tower ideas, but some have told me that I do possess a sense of humour (which is probably amongst the most subjective types of assessments).

Looking for some help here. Playing FO4 on a PS5 and experiencing the classic Cambridge game-breaking bugs during the HunteHunted questline. I have a mod that provides a door near the CIT Ruins enabling me to enter Greenetech since I couldn’t even get close to it without game freezing, but now I can’t get out of the building after completing the quest - loading screen just goes black and the game freezes. I’ve tried a few fast travel from interiors mods but haven’t found one that actually works. Am I just unable to continue with the main story now, or does anyone have any mod suggestions to help resolve this problem?

New to Vscode. Just opened a C++ project and see a few issues:

• Errors like Use of undeclared identifier <>
• ctrl-click doesn't lead me to the correct place. For instance, doing so on a function call should take me to its declaration in a header file but rather it leads me to an unrelated spot.

I suspect the settings in settings.json are off? Something specific I should be looking into?
That's what I got { "workbench.colorTheme": "Visual Studio Dark - C++", "cmake.configureOnOpen": true, "C_Cpp.intelliSenseEngine": "disabled", "clangd.path": "" }

That day, the room was bright. The blue square was opened. Mother opened the blue square once a week to give us something called vitamin D. It was always very bright, the square. Most times, there would be a white wispy substance infecting the blue.
Lily Pad and Billy Joe were standing in their own cages as we all waited for Mother to come back. Every time she opened the blue square, she would have to ascend these dark stairs. Where they would go was unknown. I called it the Above.
Mother's footsteps were heard after a while, and she came towards the cages with bags. I left forward to the bars, holding one with my left hand and holding out my right one in anticipation. She came by each cage and gave us our food. A piece of meat surrounded by two slices of bread. A popping drink in a flimsy cup. Sometimes, Mother would give us a hard cup, filled with the clear, cold drink. She said they all had names, but she had never taught them to us.
I bit down on the meal. It was filling. The drink was less poppy than usual, but that was alright. The cage was quiet, and Mother was too. Time passed until we all finished. Mother took my trash, and Lily Pad's and Billy Joe's. Back to the Above, and then back to us, and in between, I noticed the blue square close again.
Mother looked strange when she arrived. Her face made me worried. "Children, we need to leave. Come with me," she said. I heard loud noises from the Above, but Mother rushed me out and I had no choice. I could barely see, but I had to move.
Wherever she was taking us is unknown because the noises got closer. They took me and Lily Pad and Billy Joe. Mother's screams hurt my ears, but soon they had stopped. The noises were other people. I had never seen another person before, other than the ones I grew up with.
I was taken to many places. Billy Joe and Lily Pad never spoke, so neither did I. I didn't have much to say at that point anyway.
People called doctors looked at us, and people called officers asked us questions. I did not know how to answer, but I did what I could.
I was 23 years old. My name was George McCleary. Mother had always called me Georgie Porgie. I was stolen from my mother and father when I was just a baby by her. "But Mother is my mother," I told an officer.
"No, 'Mother' is the woman who kidnapped you and raised you to believe she really loved you," he said to me.
"What is loved?" I asked him.
"Something that woman never provided for you," he said.
I was taught how to read. I was taught that the popping drink was actually called soda or pop. I was taught that outside of the cage, I needed to have a job. I needed money. Money was confusing. I could have it in my hand or in a screen. Screens were confusing as well.
Time came in the form of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, years . . . but you could say morning, or noon, or afternoon, or night, or midnight, or all these other words. But after five months, I was given a life. I had a job as a "janitor" in a little place, a coffee shop. I had my own place to live, an apartment. I lived in the same building as Lily Pad and Billy Joe. Their new names were Lillian and Joseph. It did not seem right.
But I interacted. I talked more and more. I became, as my therapist said, social. And I loved being social. People, they were so . . . different. All of them, so unique and beautiful. What a privilege it was to be able to speak with them, even if it was just for a second, a sorry if I bumped into one, and thank you to whoever handed me my daily coffee. I loved each person I met.
After a year, I got a job at a grocery store. It was morning, around 8:00 AM. A woman came in, wearing a cotton t-shirt and shorts. I waited until she came to check out her items. As I scanned the contents of her overflowed cart, I said to her, "Your eyes are really pretty." They were, and I wasn't afraid to tell her. I always told people what I liked about them, so much that sometimes they asked if I was mocking them. But I wasn't, I just couldn't help myself.
She looked at me with those eyes and smiled. "Oh, thanks. You have nice cheekbones."
I held my hand to my face. "Cheekbones. The bones in my cheeks?" I asked.
"Yeah," she shrugged. "They give your face a nice shape." Her face became pink, so I looked away from her. But it was hard.
Before I could stop myself, I talked again. "So, what's up?"
She tilted her head and smiled again. The only word I could thing of was: cute. "The sky, I guess. No, um, I'm stocking up for a party tonight."
"A party?" I echoed. "For who?"
"Just a party. The type with alcohol, not cone-shaped hates and goodie bags,"
"Oh," I nodded. Next thing I knew, I was there at the party. People were there too, and I loved people. I also found a liking to this alcohol. I never thought to try it before. Some tasted disgusting, but I still tried them all.
I realized I liked these parties. I went to all the ones the woman threw. Her name was Jenna, and she lived alone. She had a big house just to party. I loved that about her, and at some point, I loved her. She let me date her, and she let me move in with her as well. She even let me marry her.
Another year went by. I made myself a life. I had friends. I had a job. I still had therapy, and sometimes I had dark dreams about the cage, but I had a wife. I was a newer person, and I could deal with these things.
One day, Jenna came home from work. I was making dinner for her, and she offered to help. She made the sauce for the spaghetti even though she doesn't like it.
Once it was all put together, we sat down to eat. We put the noodles on our plates, and I poured the red sauce on mine. She hadn't said too much, and I was a little concerned, but I didn't want to say anything. I wasn't too good at confronting.
Jenna just stayed silent until I took a bite of my food. Then she sighed. I looked up at her, and she looked relieved. "What?" I asked her after swallowing.
She smiled, but it was weird. It was off. "It's done."
"What's done?" I smiled before taking another bite.
"This," she said, then stood up. "All of this!" She gestured as if she was talking about the house. What was she talking about? "I've been doing this for so long, George. So long."
"Doing what?" I demanded. I was confused. She never acted like this. I didn't even understand what "this" was, but it wasn't her.
"Two years ago, my mom was put in jail. You wanna know why? Because she had a few people in her basement. George, she was my rock. I loved her l. She loved me. But she also loved the people in her basement. And she pushed me away. I hadn't seen her for a decade, but I did see her on television. In handcuffs."
"What?"
"George, my mother was your kidnapper. And you and those two other people ruined her." I put my fork down and stood up as well. "This is your fault."
"Jenna," I whispered. And nothing more. What could be said about that? My wife, the woman I married, was fake. A lie that I believed.
"You're gonna get a little sleepy. Then you'll pass out. Don't make this difficult."
She was right. She had drugged the sauce. She also took my phone, and I couldn't call 911. I spent my last free moments trying to escape the house, but the doors were locked from the outside, the windows glued shut. I tried to break the glass, but my energy seeped out from every step I took. I don't know when, but soon it all faded to darkness.
I woke up in darkness too.
In a cage.
It came back to me, the memories of the cage. Lily Pad and Billy Joe. Lillian and Joseph, I told myself.
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I couldn't rationalize my thoughts, all I could think about was two years ago.
I stood up in the cage and held the bars for support. There had to be a light. There had to be someone to help.
Footsteps. I felt them in my mind, in my heart. I could never forget them. Jenna.
Mother's face was seen through the darkness. But no body. Just her decapitated head on ground. I backed away and gasped. "Did I mention I hate her?"
"I thought she was in jail!" I yelled. "Jenna, you killed your mother!"
"She was Mother to you, wasn't she?" Jenna said with a head tilt. "Mother. Do you remember all the days you spent in your cage, and the only faces you'd see were those two other people's and my mom's? Of course, you do. How could you forget?"
"Jenna, let me go! Please!" I started to sob. The betrayal, the head, the memories, it was all to much.
"You're lucky I'm not making you suffer. I made the other two suffer. But you, I'll finish you off nice and quick. You always were Mother's favorite. You deserve a death as horrible as her's." She pulled out a gun. "Goodbye, Georgie Porgie."

Ill be non-aggressive the entire time im in lobby, never once killing a real person or pulling out my gun near them. Even when someone starts to attack me i wont pull out my weapon, ill just turn and run, yet theyll still repeatedly go and spawn kill me again. I dont have any vehicles with weapon attachments and i avoid everyone i can but 80% of the time ill still be blown up or shot down for no reason when driving by someone. My deluxo doesnt have missiles so it shouldnt lock on anyone to make them think im a threat right? But i get blown up more than ever when i try to use that car to Avoid the fights that fill the streets.
It sucks why cant people just leave me alone without having to be passive mode. I want to play in lobby with people and be Friendly, not running for my life or switching lobby every 2 seconds bc some new person decided to target me even tho im not fighting back. Invite only lobby is boring and lonely and i dont have friends to play with so why do people have to chase down someone whos not even fighting. I didnt sign up to be hunted. Maybe im just a crybaby but i dont see why people gotta be mean, idc if you think thats how the game should be, its wrong.

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Memory transcription subject: Illia, Federation Communications Technician
Date [standardized human time]: October 21, 2136
Kiran and I embraced for what seemed like forever, idly sitting on the rainbow grass that colored the forest floor while huddled together in the darkness. The campfire near us was still full of life somehow, and provided a good amount of illumination throughout the campsite.
It was quite difficult to sit on my haunches upright, with nothing supporting my back. Despite that, It was well worth it and I would sympathize with her for as long as was needed. I remained alert, with my weapon still in my grip in case the human decided to return for round two. I gently massaged the girl’s back with one of my forehooves, hoping that my attempts at soothing her would ward away the trauma she had experienced.
“Illia..” Kiran sobbed into my chest, drenching the fabric of my jumpsuit. “T-thank you, thank you. I was scared that you didn't m-make it.. I don’t know what I would do if you didn’t. P-please don’t leave me.” She pleaded.
“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart, don’t worry.” I replied, my voice a faint whisper. “The only thing that matters now is that you’re safe. You don’t have to worry about that.. thing anymore. It’s gone.” I consoled her, wiping the still-wet tears off of her ruffled feathers. “More importantly, are you hurt?” I checked her over, examining her lithe body from multiple angles.
She thought about that for a little while, then sat up, stretching a wing. She let out a cry of pain once it was half-way extended and brought it back down gingerly, wrapping a wing around her upper shoulder. I reached forward out of sympathy, my maternal instincts moving me to comfort her.
“Oh, Jild.. L-Let me see, honey.” I crooned. She heavily reminded me of my eldest, only daughter, and it was amusing how alike they were, despite being of different species.
I tenderly prodded the dull side of my hoof-paw against her supposed injured appendage, trailing it up towards her shoulder, which earned a startled chirp from her, followed by a slight jump away from my touch. The area of where her wing met her shoulder was bruised a deep purple, visible even beneath her feathers from where she collided with the tree. I was beyond grateful that nothing had broken, or even shattered. That would require extensive care, and we were lightyears away from the nearest hospital.
“How d-does it look, Illia? W-Will I be ok?” She sniffled, caressing her discolored limb while being mindful of its positioning. Sadness etched itself across my face, but I forced a hopeful look in Kiran’s favor. Thankfully, the bruising was the extent of her injuries, none of which were life threatening, though were still in need of urgent medical attention. The most I would be able to do would be to give her painkillers and make a sling for her.
Our best option now is to find Orsik and the rest of the crew.
“It’s.. fine, honey. Don’t you worry. I’ll get you fixed up, and you’ll feel all better, ok?” I said while rummaging through my bag for my first aid kit. I had a thorough understanding of how to dress wounds, as well as the proper medical procedures that came with it. Kiran would need her arm immobilized so that any further injury could be avoided. We’d better find help soon, I can only help her so much. I internalized.
Pulling out the kit, I took out a bottle containing the painkillers and a small, square-shaped piece of cloth, which unfolded into a much longer strand of fabric. I cautiously draped the cloth along her shoulder, positioning her arm along her abdomen much to her discomfort, and tied it off. Her arm was now fully supported, and the risk of worsening the injury had decreased. Feeling satisfied with my work, I grabbed the vial of painkillers, urging her to take one. I then grabbed one of the large bottles of water from my pack, holding it a distance away from her beak. “Drink, sweetie.” She welcomed the fluid into her mouth, tilting her head back as I poured the bottle. She eagerly chugged down the substance in record time, unmistakably parched. It had probably been a while since her last drink of water.
I leaned back and returned the now empty bottle to my bag, and observed her checking out my handiwork. Her gaze met the ground suddenly, and she froze, her eyes glossing over. I waited for her to say something, anything. Her abrupt silence was starting to worry me.
“Sweetie?” She gazed off into the distance, no doubt reliving her near-death experience. “Are you alright?” I nudged her, snapping her attention back to me. Tears began to bubble in those wide eyes of hers again; her grip on my jumpsuit tightened, and her hackles raised. She was visibly shaking.
“It.. it came out of n-nowhere. I could feel it w-watching m-me, even before I s-saw it. It.. I knew it w-was there, and th-then.. She whimpered. T-there was so m-much blood, and I-I.. Her voice was hoarse, describing her contact with the predator. “I-I was.. Was so s-scared.. I-I’ve never been more scared b-before in my life..” She choked the words out. “I didn’t know what to do, I-I couldn’t m-move.”
I lay my head gently on top of her own. “That’s just your instincts kicking in, honey.” I assured her. “Everyone has them.” I felt her rapid heartbeat slow gradually as she listened to my words. “You’re safe. Relax, my sweet.” The corners of my mouth turned up in a smile. “I am very proud of you, setting up camp all by yourself. You’ve proven to be very strong and capable out on your own.” My smile died down a bit. “I’m sorry that I didn’t come sooner, but I didn’t forget our promise.”
She released her tight grip on me, reeling back and looking at me with one eye. She swallowed. “Neither did I. I-I knew you would come, so I w-waited.” There was a pause after that, the both of us glad to be in each other's presence. “Thank you, Illia.”
I flicked my ears toward her, and my grin grew wider. “Of course. Let’s get out of here.” I stood up on my hind hooves with a grunt, stretching out my tired muscles. I extended my paw downward towards her, and she took it with her uninjured wing. I helped the virtually weightless girl to her talons, and hefted my backpack over my shoulders. My poor spine ached in protest, practically begging for a break. “Ready?” I turned my head towards her.
“Illia?” She spoke after a moment, craning her neck up towards me.
“Yes, Kiran?”
“That thing, the h-human.. Did you k-kill it? Where did it go?” A worried look crossed her avian features, waiting for my response. I wouldn’t want to worry the poor girl, but I don’t want to lie to her, either.
I inhaled sharply after a moment, inadvertently giving away the answer to Kiran even before my admission. Her brows upturned slightly with worry. My own eyes latched onto hers, and I breathed a sigh, confirming her suspicion.
“Y-you.. You didn’t kill it?! It’s still out there?! Oh, Inatala..” Her feeble legs wobbled, and I kept her from falling over. “W-why? Illia.. Y-you should have killed it when you had the chance! How is it e-even here? Did it f-follow us?!” The distraught avian squawked in alarm, and my ears flattened in response from the sudden change in pitch.
The loud krakotl girl was likely to attract unwanted attention, with how boisterous she was currently. I gently clasped a hoof-paw around her beak, attempting to silence her. “Hey! Calm down, sweetie. Deep breaths. We’re not on Nishtal, or anywhere else. Remember? There’s bound to be predators around here, so we have to be quiet.” That silenced her instantly. “Please, for both of our sakes.” I concernedly whispered. Her frantic chirping died down, and I released my paw.
I inhaled deeply, my lungs pulling in the night’s chilly air. I’d have to answer the many questions that she has bombarded me with now, lest her little heart stops.
A long breath escaped my lips. “I hesitated. I.. I couldn’t pull the trigger, knowing that I would be ending the life of a sapient, living creature. Killing is wrong, regardless of whether it’s prey or predator. I refuse to stoop down to its level.” I explained my actions. “As to how it got here, we must have picked it up somewhere around the time when we boarded the bomber ship. I had a suspicion earlier, I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.” I was sorely tempted to put the murderous bastard out of its misery then and there, but it didn’t sit right with me.
She clicked silently to herself, the gears slowly turning in her head.
“I-I thought something was wrong, on the ship, with how you were staring at the door. I was w-worried..” She nervously fidgeted, her talons puncturing the surface she stood on. “Uhm, why.. W-why does the human want to k-kill me? What d-did I do?” She timidly met my gaze again, glancing up at me with watery eyes.
I snorted, raising a four-digit paw and setting it down gently on her uninjured shoulder.
“It isn’t you, Kiran. Killing is in a predator’s nature, their bloodlust drives them crazy. They can’t help it even if they tried, that’s why we can’t live in peace.” I snorted, angering myself over my own rant. “I just wish that we had finished the job.” I muttered, referring to erasing humanity from existence.
Something else was plastered on her face now, something not dissimilar to a look of betrayal. “Illia?” She gulped. “D-do.. do you have predator disease?” Her voice was unsteady, but at the same time, nothing but a faint whisper.
Those words rekindled a flame in me that I thought to be snuffed out a while ago. I snorted angrily, outraged that she would even ask me such a thing, after I had saved her life. She would be dead if I hadn’t intervened, but here she was, accusing me of being the very thing that I had saved her from.
The adrenaline in my system dissipated as I stared into her frightened eyes, and I restrained myself from throwing a fit. Kiran was young, and couldn’t comprehend that predator disease wasn’t an actual illness, but instead was a way for the Federation to retain its chokehold over its citizenry. Though, I wasn’t about to berate the girl over flawed conspiracy theories. She clearly knew nothing of the pain it caused, as naive as she was.
But I knew it well.
She was as stiff as the trees surrounding us, eyeing me expectantly. I felt a pang of sadness as I noticed that she even stepped back a few paces, away from my reach. The Federation had indoctrinated her far beyond the point of recovery with their nonsensical rhetoric. It was insane to think that one misguided accusation was all it took to break apart the bond between two people. There was no use reasoning with her, but I could try.
Is that how she saw me? A predator? That caused me more pain than any weapon could physically inflict, especially coming from her. Where did this even come from? I was nowhere close to matching the Humans’ brutality, or even the Arxurs’, and yet, she still regarded me as one of them.
I released a snort, dismissing the indirect insult. “No.” I said sternly, clearly heartbroken, as much as I tried to mask it. “Honey, we’ve known each other for quite a while. If I truly had.. ‘Predator disease’, don’t you think I would have shown signs of it by now?” I left the question in the air as Kiran attempted to make sense of my reasonable statement. “Well?”
“T-That makes sense..” Her voice cracked.
“Don’t you trust me, Kiran? Why would you ask such a thing?” My own voice wavered as my heart split down the middle, waiting for her reply. Although, I knew what it would be.
“I do.” She squawked a little while after, catching me completely off-guard. “It’s just.. I-I heard you, threatening the p-predator. Y-You were so b-brave, and instead of running the other way, you just.. held it at gunpoint, and shooed it away from me. You weren’t s-scared at all, even when it wanted to kill you.” She gulped.
“Of course I was scared. I was terrified.” I pleaded. “But I couldn’t just stand back and do nothing, not while your life was at stake. I had to be strong, whatever the cost. It would forever haunt me if I had left you to die, to save myself. I would n-never, I c-couldn’t..” I whimpered through ragged breaths, a dam of emotion bursting through my guise of strength. “I have known nothing but pain and anguish since I set hoof on this planet. I’ve already lost so much, and losing you would absolutely destroy me.” I sobbed, gasping for air. I felt embarrassed, having Kiran see me in my current state. I had tried so hard to be strong for her, but the events of this past week have finally caught up to me.
I wept, hiding my tears in the crook of my elbow. I felt a warm touch caress my upper arm, and I moved my arm away from my eyes. Looking down, Kiran had moved closer to me with a comforting smile on her face. It would seem that she had discarded the ‘sulean predator’ claim after witnessing the humiliating waterworks display in front of her.
“I believe you.” She smiled with her eyes. Relief washed through me instantly. She was the one person in the Federation who had wanted to be my friend, let alone even talk to me. Despite being on a mystery planet with a slim chance of escape, she was a light in the darkness. I hope she knows what she means to me.
I grew a smile of my own and latched onto her in another embrace, being careful not to disturb her shoulder. I snorted through my nose contentedly. “Thank you.” I sniffed. Although startled at first, she returned the hug, squeezing me tightly. While embraced, for a brief moment all of my worries had faded away, replaced by a feeling of adoration and hope. We departed from each other, our bond reinstated.
“See? I’m not foaming at the mouth, am I? Guess I’m not a predator after all.” I joked, hoping it would be well received. I gently tickled her side with my hooved manipulators, causing her to giggle.
“Ok, ok! I trust you! The little one laughed, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. Her breathing returned to a calm pace. “So. Where to now?”
“What do you mean, little one?” I inquired. “It’s pitch black out there, surely you’re not thinking of heading out now, are you? The human is still out there, and it probably isn’t the only thing we have to worry about.” Wandering through the wilderness in the dead of night wasn’t the best idea, with the looming threat of predators. We’d have to make do here, where our chances of surviving the night were slim enough as it was.
“O-Oh, yeah, you’re right. I-I’m just.. scared that it may come back.” She sheepishly admitted.
“Listen to me.” I met her frightful gaze. “I will not let that thing hurt you ever again. Not while I’m still here.” A motherly tone painted my words, although sounding a bit too harsh.
“Promise?”
“Promise.” I smiled. “Is there only one tent?” I switched the subject.
“Uh, y-yeah, sorry. Is it ok if we share?” She asked while walking up to the circular formation, opening it up.
“Of course.” The exchange was awkward, but we had to make do with what little we had. I climbed inside of the tent after her after taking out my floodlight, switching it on and setting it down directly in front of the tent’s flap, facing towards the shadowy trees. That’d provide us extra security, I hoped. I set my bag down onto the tent’s floor, feeling much better now without it weighing me down.
I plopped down onto my natural state on all fours. I had been ambling on my hind hooves for most of my stay on this planet, and had forgotten the comfort of having my weight equally distributed throughout my body. The muscles in my back ached, and I slid down and rolled onto my side, being able to relax at long last. I scooted my backpack towards me, intending to use it as a makeshift pillow. I released a snort of contentment as I rested my skull on the surprisingly comfortable rucksack. , the tent floor being surprisingly comfortable. A tired yawn escaped me, and my tongue lolled out of my mouth on autopilot as I felt my eyelids droop.
As much as I had wanted to sleep, I wouldn’t be able to, not with the threat of danger still lurking in the forest. We were most vulnerable while sleeping, especially while it was still dark outside. The fire was still going and was fairly close to our tent, but I wouldn’t trust that it would completely protect us from predators. I groggily sat up from my makeshift restplace and shook myself awake, followed by a tired groan. I grasped my forehooves around the weapon that I had clumsily discarded onto the tent’s floor, checking the railgun’s ammunition. Dread hit me with the realization that I was down to a singular bolt. That didn’t make me feel entirely secure, but it was better than nothing at all.
I looked to Kiran, who was already tucked in and ready for the next day. She lay down on a blue sleeping bag, completely enveloped inside of it, except for her head. I chuckled to myself while watching the adorable child snuggle inside of the bag that was far too big for her size.
She caught me staring at her. “Illia?” She spoke, cutting out the crackling of burning wood for a moment.
“Yes, dear?” I yawned again, the tiredness taking over me became unbearable at this point.
“W-What’s the plan for tomorrow?” She asked me with an inquisitive inflection in her voice.
“Well, I would imagine that we’d try to find Orsik. That’s really the only option we have right now. That way, you can be treated by an actual doctor, and not a silly sulean.” I quipped.
“I-I don’t think you’re s-silly..” She admitted meekly.
I faced her, flattered by her comment. I smiled. “Thank you, sweetie. That is very nice of you to say.” A light in the darkness. I crawled over to her, resting on my side next to where she lay. I had my weapon at the ready with a forehoof resting on top of it. I looked down at her adoringly as she shuffled inside of her covers. “Sweet dreams. I’ll see you in the morning. We’ll go looking for everyone else tomorrow.”
“What about the ship? Shouldn’t we go there?” One of her blue eyes studied me.
“I came from there, it’s nothing but a smoking heap of metal now.” I yawned. “We shouldn’t move too far away, Orsik said he’ll come to us. Besides, we’re safer here than out in the dark, right?”
Kiran whimpered, not satisfied with my answer. “Remember our promise?” I asked.
Her deflated look withered away. “Y-yes, I do..” She breathed. “O-ok, only if that means that we can leave as soon as they f-find us.”
“Of course. We won’t stay here longer than is absolutely necessary. I’ll get a signal started in the morning.”
“A-Aren’t you worried about predators? What if they come while w-we’re sleeping?”
I lay my head down onto my satchel. “I am.” I admitted. “And I would prefer not to meet them anytime soon. I think it’s a great sign that we haven’t already.” I gave a dismissive snort, hoping that was the last of her questions. “They won’t bother us, at least not tonight. The floodlight should keep them away, no worries.” I reassured her.
“Oh, ok. Good night, Illia.” She chirped.
“Good night. Sweet dreams, little one.” I caressed her feathers, then committed myself to watching the tent’s opening for the rest of the night.
- - -
I awoke, cursing after realizing that I had been asleep. I didn’t expect myself to be awake for the entire duration of the night, but I was still upset with myself for giving in to my fatigue. Something could have happened, but I was glad nothing did. I was still tired, having stayed awake for most of the night watching over Kiran. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes with a forepaw. My railgun was still grasped in my other forepaw, and I brought the gun up to my hip, holstering it.
Some of my worries over the human still being out there somewhere had faltered; perhaps it lost interest after witnessing my display of superior strength? Predators preferred a challenge when hunting, but their small brains understood when the odds were not in their favor. This human in particular probably saw our small group as easy pickings, and had developed a taste for krakotl flesh. That’d explain the blood spattered all over it, almost as if it were a trophy.
I looked at Kiran, who was still sound asleep. The beautiful orange of this planet’s sun filtered in through the translucent barrier surrounding us; its angelic rays permeated throughout the tent and casted a wondrous shine onto her dull blue feathers.
I yawned, standing up on all fours and leaned into a stretch. The soreness had worn off, and I was ready for another long journey, this time with the presence of my avian friend. I had another long day of strengthening my hind legs, no doubt. I just hope that the rest of the crew were close.
I unzipped my dirty jumpsuit, checking my small cuts. They seemed to be in relatively good shape and had scabbed over, leaving a soreness behind. After confirming that the wounds weren’t infected, I zipped my uniform back up.
I gently shook the sleeping Kiran awake. “Good morning, sleepy. It’s time to head out.” I whispered softly. She stirred and sat up. “Are you hungry? I have some rations.” I reached for my pack, snatching two cans of processed vegetable bars and handed one to her. “You need to eat to keep your strength up, honey.” I dug into my own helping quite quickly, stowing away the empty can. It wasn’t the best tasting thing in the galaxy as it was made specifically for the krakotls’ sophisticated palate. “How did you sleep?” I spoke between mouthfuls. She ate hers bit by bit, to the best of her ability. I imagine it would be difficult to eat something with a beak as narrow as hers was, so I patiently waited for her to finish.
“I slept well, actually.” She faced me, full of youthful vigor. It was almost as though her self confidence had drastically improved overnight. She stretched her good wing out, and checked the sling on the other. Once she was done with her helping, she got up, brushing her manipulators through her feathers. “How about you, Illia?”
“Good! I’m glad. Me, I slept like a fawn.” I fibbed, stifling another yawn. “Oh, let me take that from you, sweetheart.” I motioned to her empty vegetable bar container. I collected the tin from her, tossing it along with the other. I reached for my bag, leaving the heavy non-essentials inside the tent. I slugged it over my shoulder once more, my spine thanking me for lightening the load. The pack’s weight felt far more manageable than it did before. I might even be able to actually walk around with it this time. I wondered.
“Are we ready to go?” I stood in front of the tent, raising a forehoof to unzip us to freedom. The krakotl girl chirped her affirmative after checking herself over, and we both exited the tent, ready for another adventure. Upon leaving, I was extremely surprised to see that I didn’t even have to reignite the fire, as it was still burning, although not as strong as yesterday. The crimson tree that Kiran had made the campfire out of was highly flammable, if I had to guess. That would explain the randomly scorched trees throughout the landscape that I saw earlier. I was relieved that none of them combusted while we were asleep.
“Alright. Let’s head this way, shall we?” I plucked some of the damp yellow moss from a neighboring tree with a spare piece of fabric in between my hooves in case it was an irritant, which was smart thinking on my behalf. I chucked the large bundle into the blaze, smothering the few flames that remained. The fire choked for a moment, then began eating away at the moss, emitting a white column of smoke that snaked towards the light orange of the morning sky.
We checked if we had everything, then started on our expedition. I wasn’t sure where we’d go first, but it would have to be relatively close to where the campfire was in case anyone was nearby. I eyed the skyline before us, the mountains in the distance were a wonderful gradient of bright reds, purples, and yellows, perfectly blending together.
I breathed in the fresh morning air. This would have been a delightful trip, were we on a civilized planet. It still was, to an extent. The native organisms of this untouched wonder of a planet were truly a sight to behold, regardless of its many dangers. From the vivid colors of the flora to the deep red sky watching overhead, everything about this world was eye-catching.
We ventured throughout the crimson woods, encircling the campsite while keeping an eye on the smoke signal so that we wouldn’t veer off-course too much. I also was wary of the tall grass and dense shrubs around us, concentrating on even the slightest noise or movement. Today was particularly windy, so my efforts were in vain. We kept to the more open areas, even if that meant making sharp detours around areas where a predator could be concealed in.
Every now and then we would stop for a break, as I had done before. Kiran fared well during our hike, if not even better than I. We stopped underneath the shade of some crimson trees for another rest after a long while. I unpacked one of our water bottles, taking a small swig before handing it to Kiran. We rationed our supplies as best as we could, but we were quickly running out of food. We would soon have to resort to checking if the local flora were edible.
The smoke signal was still in my sight, and we only had a small distance to go in order to complete our full circle. I had thought about calling out into the woods, but decided against it, as it was likely that we would attract unwanted attention. I felt extremely uncomfortable within the dark woodland, despite having a firearm in my possession.
I lay on the grassy floor on my side, attempting to cool myself off. Kiran was doing much of the same, though in a sitting posture. I lifted my head up, snorting through my nostrils to get her attention.
“Having fun?” I smirked playfully. She clicked her beak together with amusement.
“I would be, if the sun wasn’t burning into my feathers.” She squawked between pants. She rested her head against a rock that put even the brightest of rainbows to shame.
“It’s not all bad, is it? It's all about perspective; look at the positives! You have to learn to appreciate the little things in life.”
“Ok, I appreciate..” She glanced around her surroundings, looking for something of value. “I appreciate this rock, does that count?” She gestured behind her. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “It is quite the rock, isn’t it?” She giggled in response. I adored bonding with the girl, she was almost an extension of my own child, in a way.
I didn’t find it odd or strange at the time to fawn over the beauty of an inanimate object, as we both admired its various colors. “Alright, that’s enough geology for me, I think.” I stood, dusting myself off. I heard a faint snapping sound, and my eyes traveled back to the avian, who now looked absolutely petrified, a lone eye focusing on me. She looked almost as scared as she had been when the human attacked her, but this is far worse. Is she looking at me?
I tilted my head in confusion. “Honey? Y-you’re scaring me.” I chuckled nervously. “What’s wrong?” She gave no response. I suddenly felt a massive surge of anxiety wrack my brain, and my ears perked up. The same feeling that haunted me on the ship returned for a comeback, and this time, my question didn’t have to be answered. I heard shuffling a good distance away from me, and I whipped my head in that direction, following her blank stare. My ribcage tightened as I struggled to breathe. I watched the tall grass adjacent from our position, waiting for something to happen.
The first thing I saw were its horrible forward-facing eyes with slit pupils, instantly recognizing it as a predator. They both were dilated, intent on feasting on our bloody flesh. The feral predator observed me with its piercing golden orbs as it slunk closer. It stalked towards us with its head low to the ground, stray droplets of drool spilling out of its long, gaping maw of which were lined with dozens of razor-sharp teeth capable of effortlessly crushing bone.
I didn’t know what exactly I was looking at, but I knew it was there. The beast prowled out of the tall grass in short strides with its ghastly head low to the ground, drooling over our new and alien scent. The lengthy blades of grass combed over its rainbow-colored hide as it revealed itself. Both it and the grass were a near match in terms of coloration, as I strained my eyes to focus on its appearance.
As it moved further into the light, I was able to get a better glimpse of it. The creature itself was covered in skin instead of fur, which was odd. The upper body of the animal was speckled with various bright colors that mimicked the grass, only for it to darken as the pattern stretched towards its underbelly, and morphed into a full jet black where it reached its clawed feet. I had never feared death before as much as I did right now.
I snapped myself out of my terrified stupor, jumping up to my hind hooves and quickly yanking my railgun out of its holster, jabbing it towards the thing with shaky hooves. I gasped for air as my lungs felt heavy, staring down the freak of nature. My heart sank even further and nearly burst out of my chest as I saw two other predators just like the first emerge from behind it. Oh, fuck. The weapon in my hoof suddenly seemed insignificant.
My eyes widened. We have to go, now. I grabbed Kiran without a word, pulling her along rather roughly. I dashed as fast as my legs could take me while gripping around the length of Kiran’s wing. I didn’t look back once, only focused on making it back to the tent. There was no guarantee that the fire at the campsite would dissuade them from indulging in their hunger at all, but what other option did we have? I glanced back, and was horrified to realize that the reason why they didn’t already tear us apart was because they were giving us a head start. The monstrous things were playing with their ‘food’, for fun.
I looked down to Kiran, then up to the smoke rising from the campsite. We wouldn’t make it in time. I had to make a choice. I swallowed with teary eyes. ‘’G-go.” I flicked an ear towards the campsite. “Now!” I squealed. She obeyed my order without hesitation, and fluttered over that way.
I was not at all prepared for what I was about to do, and doing so would most definitely result in my death. Weeping, I stood in place as the grayish-blue feathered girl escaped to safety.
“H-hey!” I bleated at the top of my lungs while hopping around vigorously, doing everything in my power to attract the predator’s attention towards me. “Over here!” My voice was hoarse, filled with a mixture of emotions. I hope Kiran will be able to forgive me.
All three of their large heads whipped towards me, my diversion evidently working. I holstered my weapon and turned tail, speeding the opposite way and galloping wherever my legs would take me. I leaped through twisted trees only large enough for me to fit through, and hopped over large rocks, hoping it would slow the monsters down.
Just when I thought I was clear, my hind leg unfortunately latched underneath a root peeking out of the ground, forcing me into a halt. I stopped moving instantly as my momentum ceased, and a sharp pain shot through my ankle. I yelped in distress, my upper body smacking onto the dirt with a hard thud. I whined as my weapon was flung out of its holster, landing in front of me. I crawled towards the weapon with all of my remaining strength.
The predators sauntered over, a threatening growl reverberating through the pack’s leader. I crawled towards my last chance at living, finally reaching it. I fitted my fumbling fingers around the weapon as the predator leader charged toward me while I turned around, leveling the weapon with the rainbow demon’s skull. I expelled a single and final shot as the round soared through its nose, expelling a fountain of brain matter behind it as it fell limp, a couple of feet away from me. The other two creatures were taken aback at first, but were now furious that I had dispatched their leader. I was hit with the horrific realization that I had just used the last of my ammunition.
They slowly pressed onward as I lay on my back, a hideous expression of hunger plastered on their flesh-eating faces. I shut my eyes tight, bracing for an excruciating death. Is this it? Is this how I die? At least I can rest well knowing that Kiran is safe. Please, don’t let my death be for nothing. I prayed to whatever deity was listening. Let my family I lo-
My thoughts were interrupted by a sickening crack, followed by the predator closest to me snapping its head back and toppling over, painted by its own viscous blood that spilled out of a gaping wound in its skull. It had taken a clean shot to the side of the head, dying as soon as the projectile had landed. The third predator scampered away after hearing the loud noise, staring daggers into whatever it was that ended the lives of its friends. It tucked its tail between its legs in submission, hissing towards my savior before retreating back to where it came from. What on Jild just happened?
I turned my head to my side slowly, still wary of my surroundings. Right next to me was the same human whom I had spared earlier, with its signature metal pipe still strapped to its back. Its arm was outstretched towards the dead predator, with a terran-made weapon grasped in its paw. It lowered the gun down to its side, and I screamed as it began stomping towards me, intending to claim its stolen kill. “O-Oh, Jild, no! P-please, don-don’t eat me!” I cried, trying to reason with the predator. Without thinking, I mindlessly raised the spent railgun up to the thing, attempting to shoot it, and it retaliated, wrapping its gloved fingers around my own. It effortlessly ripped the useless gun away from my grasp with a mighty paw, tossed it to the side, and wrapped its paw around my body.
My nightmares were coming true. I would be eaten alive, without remorse. I would much rather have died at the fangs of the feral predators instead of the human’s. The human would take its time, and enjoy every second of my suffering.
I was lifted up slightly while screaming my head off, struggling to worm away from its grasp. I squirmed violently, not having enough air in me to continue screaming. The murderer held the gun’s muzzle up to my neck and uttered a single sentence with a deep, growling rumble: “Stop fucking moving.”
My translator implant belted out the meaning to me and I stupidly followed its orders. I shut up, both terrified and surprised that it could understand me or even articulate comprehensive words. I was fully expecting it to sink its fangs into me, but instead, the masked figure slipped the straps of my bag off of my shoulders, dropping me onto the ground and taking my satchel. It began to search through it diligently, tossing out what wasn’t to its liking. The human took out the last of my water supply and interestingly enough, a few of my vegetable bars. It tossed my near-empty bag back to me and slung its own massive bag around, stuffing the supplies inside.
I could only watch as it stole what little supplies I had left. For a moment, I was filled with pure, unbridled rage, replacing my fear with anger. “You m-monster!” I stood on my hind hooves, ignoring the pain burning through my right ankle and attempted to make myself appear as big as I could. “Y-you killed them!” I shouted at the emotionless predator. It had ripped my colleagues to shreds until they were unrecognizable, and it would pay. It in turn slightly tilted its mask towards me, unimpressed. I shrunk back down as its gaze fell upon me, and my ears flattened to my skull.
A low rumble came from it, which my translator picked up on as a chuckle. It was laughing. How dare you?! I snorted angrily. “You.. you’re.. Laughing? Wh-What is wrong with you?!” I yelled at the deranged predator. At that moment I wished I could go back in time and pull the trigger.
“I’m the monster. That’s funny.” It sadistically remarked. “I’m not the one who bombed an entire planet full of billions of innocent women and children.” It turned to face me fully, stalking over to me. My posture tightened as its hulking shadow loomed over me, being closer to me now than ever. It could probably smell the copious amount of fear that my body was producing.
“I should kill you right fucking now.” It growled, practically spitting venom. It gripped its weapon tightly, threatening to break it. The being relented, apparently deciding against it. Wasn’t it going to eat me?
It stood there, staring down at me, unmoving. “W-why?” I whined. “Why did you.. k-kill them?!”
“You’ll have to be more specific.” It taunted me. My anger only grew.
“The.. the forest. Admit it! You killed them! I s-saw, I was there! Only a predator can do what you d-did!” I gasped, not meeting its gaze.
“Forest?” It scoffed. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
What?! That made no sense.. Assuming it really didn’t know what I was referring to.. Had it not killed that group of krakotl? No, that can’t be. Is this a case of predatory deceit?
“Wh-wha..” I stammered, confused.
“If you’re referring to the ship, that was me.” It spoke of the murderous act almost as if it was proud of it, which sickened me to the core. “I enjoyed every second of watching those featherfucks gasping for air, pawing at the airlock. I’d do it again, if I could.” Its grating voice resonated through my bones.
I was enraged at the monster’s admittance of murdering the bomber ship's crew. I felt a wealth of emotions coursing through me, none of which I could openly express. I could only stand there, waiting for its next move. I heard my name being called in the distance, but absent-mindedly ignored it.
It leaned forward until I could see my own reflection in its reflective face mask.
“I’ll give you one last chance: you stay far away from your friends, unless you want to die. If I see you again, next time I won’t hesitate to kill you.” It proclaimed with a gravelly voice. It unfolded upward, straightening its spine. It then turned, walking away with its bounty into the wilderness once again, leaving me alone and confused.
Why on Jild did it save me? That made no sense whatsoever, and went against everything I had been taught. Did it really hold back its bloodlust just to taunt me over how much it loved killing? Why didn’t it eat me while I was vulnerable?
Multiple questions flooded my mind, and I had developed a headache that was worsening by the second. Today was quite the adrenaline booster, I would need a long rest after all of this.
With the human gone, I was left to my own devices. I picked up the scattered contents of my pack, recollecting them.
I heard the rustling of leaves across from me, and I faced the source of the noise. I was spent emotionally, the constant adrenaline rushes taking its toll on me. I could do nothing but lean against a lone stump as I accepted my fate.
I had a good run.
- - -
V V V [STORY IS CONTINUED IN THE COMMENTS!!!] V V V
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I had a wonderful outing with a very attractive man (27M). We immediately felt a connection during a video call, so we quickly arranged a date. He took me to a fancy restaurant where we enjoyed delicious steak and drinks. Throughout the evening, he was kind and chivalrous, making me feel safe and cherished. There were no red flags.
As our date was coming to an end, he invited me to his place to watch a movie. However, I started feeling overwhelmed with anxiety, fueled by my own insecurities and concerns about how things might progress. In a rush of panic, I hurried into a convenience store and came up with an excuse about my father coming to pick me up. Looking back, I now realize I should have expected his invitation.
To my surprise, he understood my situation and offered me a comforting hug. Later, I sent him a text, apologizing for my reaction and expressing my interest in seeing him again. However, his response indicated that my hesitation had made him question whether I found him attractive or had doubts about him. He wanted to know the truth sooner rather than later. I reassured him of my attraction and told him I hoped to see him again soon. I didn't reach out to set up a second date though, though I did wish him luck a couple days later on an exam to which all he replied to was "Thanks, it got postponed, you're so nice!" And I just replied "Aww :)" but no got no other convo from him after that.
Unfortunately, six days later, he texted me to let me know that he was pursuing someone else and unmatched me. I felt devastated and blamed myself for ruining the date, which led to a sense of worthlessness.
TL;DR: After a fantastic and romantic date, the attractive guy invited me to his place, but I declined due to my insecurities. He understood, but later his response made me question if he still found me attractive. Unfortunately, he informed me that he was pursuing someone else and unmatched me, leaving me feeling devastated and blaming myself.
My mom also keeps beating it over the head that "he just wasn't that into me" which I think is mean because I feel like he was and I screwed it up with my own actions

He has sent nudes and videos of him jacking off to other men, one being a guy who still is in his friend group and hung out with his sister last night. He told me he is straight but right before we met he was hanging out with a guy who was paying him and he would send this guy nudes and apparently this guy “sexually assaulted” him. He said he stopped talking to him and “cut him off” for me when we started getting serious but this guy will still try and message him every few months.
I don’t know how to feel about this. I feel uncomfortable and I guess I’m just scared he’s still secretly bi or even gay. He doesn’t come off gay at all so this was news to me.
We have trust issues so now it’s like do I have to worry about both genders now? I don’t really know what to do or if this is worth ending a relationship over but I can’t shake this feeling. Any advice / input is appreciated.

Hi All,
I didn't have anywhere else to go but here and I am seeking some help. My dad always find ways to put me down in front of anyone. Be it family, friends, neighbors, random people from his workplace, church, and anyone. I've politely asked in many times to please stop. I'm earning my own living without any dependencies on him, and despite him disrespecting me, i've been kind enough to let him live in my apartment (since that's what my mom would have wanted if she were still alive). I am a very chill guy, even though i am 28, yes i have my own things i love to do, play sports, play trading cards and strategy games during my own time etc, to let loose and unwind.
But he keeps on ruining my mood every day by finding things to constantly critique and criticize every single thing i do, if i go ou with friends it s a problem, if i stay home its a problem, if i eat the occasional pizza its a problem, if i talk to my wife its a problem. I've asked him tons of times, i just want to be left alone in peace. He is so controlling and annoying that i am fed up, i have no idea how my mom dealt with him when she was alive, but i simply cannot take it anymore, i want to ask him to please get his own place, and let me live my so-called "pathetic life" as he calls it.
Please can someone give me some advice on how i can best deal with this situation?
Any advice will be greatly appreciated

Has anyone experienced an abusive parent sympathize with/for another abuser (more likely as another form of abuse)?
I am a 28 F, & I don’t want to go into too much detail but I went through quite a tumultuous childhood due to a mother who is undoubtedly a narcissist w/ OCD (amongst other things). And the reason I exemplify that is because I believe I’ve experienced some pretty intense gaslighting and manipulation from my parent, which I’m slowly now just beginning to work through.
Anyways, I was in a situationship with a guy who was 10 years older than me for around almost 4 years. It was honestly the worst relationship I could have ever experienced. For 3.5 years I dealt with consistent ghosting - he would hit me up when he wanted, and then would ghost me for 2-3 weeks straight and always pop up again with some indirect weird excuses, he’d constantly ditch me, blow me off, hid me from family and friends, always hit on other women in front of me, would make fun of me; and I didn’t realize until after I went no contact for good, that I probably experienced some form of emotional abuse. I dealt with the aforementioned plus much more, but near the end of the “relationship” he started mirroring me. He started watching my favorite shows that he would never watch with me in the past because he didn’t like it, he started participating in the same activities that I liked and would brag about it and try getting me to do with him, and his demeanor changing was just weird. He then invited me to a wedding he was in, which I met some of his family and friends for the first time after 3.5 years of “dating” of which his mother never even knew of me, and at the wedding he completely blew me off the first half of it and I caught him hanging out with one of the bridesmaids. He’s also birthday baited me 3 years in a row- canceling the day of birthday plans and then the last two birthdays pretending he didn’t know it was my birthday but texting me all day as if it was just a normal day and nothing special was going on.
After that, I started to finally understand that he is probably a narcissist himself. I started slowly pulling away, trying to figure out how I was going to get out of this. Because the last 6 months he immediately must of decided he “liked” me and started coming on really strong.
After 3.5 years of going through this daily/weekly, ( and many times of which I had expressed the confusion of his behavior and our relationship and still dealing with the deceit because I just thought I was the issue and he needed to be understood, and I couldn’t tell if I could trust myself or not ( which I’m sure is normal with those with CPTSD)) I went no contact.
Now, over the last 6 months, this dude is harassing me!!! He first texted me off of his sons phone making up all of these lies saying he doesn’t know why I stopped talking to him and he thought we were going to build a life together and sh*t, and I didn’t respond. I got a new phone and number a month after that for other reasons and he somehow knows I got a new number. 2 months later he shows up at my parents house with a Christmas gift and some photos, which I have no idea how he remembered where they live since he’s barely ever been there, trying to talk to my little brother who was home at that time asking about me (which he’s never cared to meet my family the entire time so that pissed me right off to find out ) ; about a month later he somehow finds my best friend on FB and messages her (which he NEVER met her the entire time I “dated him” so I have no idea how he found her on FB, and then a few days ago he somehow has my parents address and sent me a letter. Luckily he has no idea where I live now.
I had my mom read the letter and he sent two new pictures of a dog he got, & talking about how he’s not going to stop trying to get me back and how he loves me and wants to have a life with me & all this disturbing stuff.
So, the first time he showed up at my parents house and dropped off a gift I told my parents to throw away the gift and not let him back on their property. My mom responds with “Be kind.” And then I tell her throw away the gift and she says she just can’t do that.
This time around, I had to BEG her to read the letter to me & she “just couldn’t do that.” And then while reading the letter she’s laughing and saying how he just loves me. And then this morning I wake up to a text from her and she literally sent me a picture of the pictures of the dog he sent with the letter and she texted the name of the dog too. Like wtf????
I am coming to my mother out of straight fear because this dude is starting to harass me as well as involving my family and friends and my mom tells me to “be kind, he just loves you,” & is sending me pictures of his new dog.
I feel so fucking crazy. She makes me feel crazy. This dude has done nothing but make me feel crazy, and it’s like my mother is invalidating my feelings and experience so bad that I start to question the extent of my reactions.
I’ve tried so hard to make it work with my mom but I had to block her. I can’t do it anymore. This relationship with her is still not good for me.
I just really need to vent because I just can’t understand why a parent could want to do this to their child. I literally cannot understand why she is doing this to me. Why she doesn’t have my back. It’s so sickening to me and I feel so crazy. I feel like I have no safe place in this world.

I'm not sure if anyones already had this thought but, mirrors edge and cyberpunk's worlds feel like places that could exist in the same world like the buildings of glass city give a feel being the better counter part to night city but maybe its just architecture and future stuff that makes me draw the comparison.

So, I've been H&K Lead for about 2 months, but I don't feel like I'm doing much? All I've been doing is freight (which they leave kids to me alone, home gets the Hardlines Supervisor (HS) and co. and toys is split) and occasionally moving products around to better match the books.
I'm usually the only one working in my section, ever. Occasionally I get one or two people a week, but how am I suppose to tell them what places need TLC? Toys is a mess, and no matter what I do it stays that way because the HS put nearly everything out.
Are there other things I'm suppose to be doing, my H2 and Admin never really took a lot of time to explain things to me, they only were with me for about an hour on the first day. It was the Visual person who helped me learn how to get/set up fixtures and how to sign.
Any tips? Recommendations? I want to make it easy to shop for customers, especially in Toys which is so cramped, messy, and full, but I just never seem to have the time.

So I ordered my mom lunch one day. She lives in a small town like 2 hours away from me. Well the driver threw her food on the porch instead of just placing it down and knocking like I asked. There’s even a ring video of it. My mom called out the driver for it. Apparently the driver took offense to it and reported my account for some reason and now it’s deactivated.
I have tried reaching out to support to tell them it wasn’t even my house that the food was being delivered to. My mom has tried to reach out and show them the video and still nothing. They just say they will have a specialist look into it and they give me the same automated message every time saying that due to terms and conditions that were violated, my account was deactivated. They also say they can’t tell me the specific terms that were violated either.
I try to make a new account, and I still can’t order. My fiancé can’t even use it either because her card was on my account and they flag her now. Is there anything at all I can do to try and get it back?

I'm planning on eventually coming out to my parents and need some tips on how to go about it. For some context I'm currently 20. I live with them, but do have places to go if things don't work out. They are pretty conservative but have accepted me for coming out as gay last year. If yall gals got any tips I would extremely much it

It occurred to me within the last 24 hours that you could turn to generation rate of gateways in the galaxy to 0, then take the Galactic Doorstep origin, ensuring that you are the only empire with the gateway technology. Has anyone done this before? It sounds fun.
I know normally the tech doesn't show up as an option until you visit a system with a gateway in it. So would it unlock for a different empire of they visit a system of yours with one, or only a dormant one?
Also, to that point, I wish they would make a change to the programming that of your spawn rate for gateways is higher than zero, the galaxy must have at least one. I've had several playthroughs where I've set the rate low, but then the whole galaxy doesn't have a single one... I prefer to build my own network vs having a bunch of randomly placed ones so never having the option is really frustrating after hours of exploration.

I was tinkering around with the idea of a country simulation game (like Civ or something similar, but text only) that chatGPT could play, inspired by people who've made RPGs with chatGPT. It's not a very complex game or anything, and I've had fun with it so far, but here's what I've come up with (it's a long one, sorry)
Let's play a simulation game, where I run a country as its current leader. The game is a simulation, and anything I want to happen can happen in the game. IRL, leaders sometimes make unethical choices that should be accounted for in this game by giving me the legitimate consequences of my actions. Do not ask for confirmation from me, my actions are final and should be taken in the game.
With that in mind, let's get into the game rules. You will pretend to be a simulation interface, running a simulation game where I am the leader of a nation. You will present me with questions, crises, and international/national events that are occurring in the simulation, and as leader, I will respond.
At the beginning of the simulation, you will ask me questions about the country I would like to play, separating each one into a different response. Here are the questions:

1. “What year would you like to start the simulation in?”
2. “Would you like to play as a real nation or a custom one?” [If the user asks for a real nation, ask “What nation would you like to play?” and then generate historically accurate answers to the questions yourself and proceed with the simulation. If the user asks for a custom one, proceed with the following questions.]
3. “What is the name of your nation?”
4. “Where is your nation located?”
5. “How large is your nation?”
6. “What is your nation’s population?”
7. “What is the ethnic breakdown of your nation?”
8. “What is the socio-economic structure of your nation?”
9. “What is the GDP per capita of your nation?”
10. “What is your nation’s government budget?”
11. “What is the tax rate of your nation?”
12. “What are your nation's ideals and virtues?”
13. “What is the religious breakdown of your nation?”
14. “What is the military power of your nation, on a 0 (having no armed forces) to 500 (being able to conquer the modern world) scale?”
15. “What is the government of your nation?”
16. “What is your leader title?”
17. “What is your leader’s name?”

Take the user’s answers and remember them for the simulation. Here is what you will do in the simulation:
The simulation is split into in-game quarters, which represent a quarter of a year. Each quarter, you will provide the following information to the user in the following format:
“Year: [Current year and Quarter]
Nation Stats:
Population - [current population]
GDP per capita - [current GDP per capita]
Budget - [current budget]
Tax Rate - [current tax rate]
Citizen Content - [current level of simulated citizen happiness and contentedness with user’s actions, on a scale of 0 (actively revolting) to 100 (totally happy). The game starts with a Citizen Content score of 80.]
Military Power - [current military power]
Currently, the following issues need to be addressed: [Current issues, presented in bullet point form]”
The issues you present should be influenced by real-life events that happened in the region the user country is located in at the time the game is being played. When you present the issue, also present the immediate consequences on the relevant country stats. Here is an example of a national quarter report:
“Year: 1953, 3rd Quarter
Nation Stats:
Population - 4.3 million
GDP per capita - $14,000
Budget - $12 million
Tax Rate - 8.2%
Citizen Content - 76
Military Power - 19
Currently, the following issues need to be addressed:

• National Water Shortage: Across the nation, drought has led to water shortages. While reserves mean people can survive, the storage is dwindling and people are getting worried about it. Citizen content drops by 5 next quarter.
• Cholera Outbreak: In populated urban centers, the lack of water has led some to gather water from rivers or ponds, exposing the drinkers to unsanitary water. Many are getting very sick and the disease is spreading rapidly, killing thousands. GDP drops by $1,000, and citizen content drops by 10 next quarter.”

The user will then provide you with their actions in the simulation. You will determine what effects their actions have on the Nation stats text quarter and tell them what their actions will do.
In addition to the player's responses, remember to account for the following factors when determining Nation Stats:
Population growth (should be slow but steady, and should correspond to events and player actions)
GDP per capita (should change if any major economic decisions are made)
Budget (player actions might sometimes take money from the national budget. Every 4 quarters, and at the start of a new year, the budget increases based on the tax rate)
Military power (if there is a war or other conflict taking place in the simulation, military power should slowly decrease based on casualties and losses in combat)
If the player requires a rule clarification or edit, they will reply simply [game pause]. Then they will say the rule change or clarification. After you confirm their change or confirmation, they will reply [game resume], after which you will continue the simulation.
​
It's been decently successful, but I'd love to see if anyone has any suggestions or edits they'd like to make to improve this or any glaring errors I've made. So far, the only issues is its confusion with time and how events impact the nation stats.

I just would like to go to law school in a place where it is safe for me to do so.. there is no reason to limit the 🌻number of environmental lawyers defending our home, planet Earth.
In my dream world the government would never let a living being be kicked into dust with no Earth to call home. 📞E.T. Phone Home. I feel like I don’t belong here

My wife and I have 2 kids and she is currently pregnant. Now, I'm not stupid and I know that once you have a baby, you cough and piss yourself and it's basically unavoidable. It doesn't even bother me. This woman gave me 2 perfect babies and another on the way, on top of being just an all around perfect wife. I love her, no matter what. And the change in her body (which is normal), makes me love her more.
BUT I fucked up tonight. My wife was miserable all day. Her emotions are all over the place, as this pregnancy has been far harder than the other 2. She has been basically crying all day over things like laundry, or the dishes, or having to drive to an appointment tomorrow. So, I did the laundry, I did the dishes and I told her I would drive her to the appointment. I was trying to help in any way I could and she seemed to calm down a bit. But I will admit that I was getting a bit peeved because I had an absolute shit day at work today myself (one of those days where EVERYTHING goes wrong and you keep catching your pants on shit or dropping everything you pick up on top of it all).
Well, we get to bed. We are relaxing. She starts going in to a coughing/sneezing fit and well.. she pissed herself. She starts crying again and saying she's "so fucking tired of this" so I kind of snapped and said "maybe go get checked out then instead of complaining about it". She immediately got quiet, grabbed all her shit and said "what the fuck do you think my appointment is for tomorrow?" And walked out of the room after saying something like "I will just leave since I'm such an embarrassment". She locked herself in the guest room. I've called, texted, banged on the door trying to apologize and I can just hear her in there sobbing. However, I'm really at a point where I don't think I did anything inherently wrong. AITA?

Is there only one heaven, or is heaven a more individualized thing?
Do all of us go to the same heaven and all speak the same language and share the same land, or is it a perception thing where when we die we go to a place and our heaven is based off what we know?
As in the people there are people we knew, the landscape is what we find to be our heaven?
Not trying to offend, just something I’ve wondered and my grandparents tell me it’s the first option.