Inexpensive thoughtful gifts for men

My girlfriend of almost a year left me. First serious relationship ever. She told me it was her not me. Being a bad gf, long distance (the college I am going to is 30 minutes away from her school), and not having time for me I believed most of this at face value for the first 2 weeks. She told me I ment so much to her for her junior to senior year. And that she felt so luck to be with someone that treated her how she felt like she deserved. If that be notes, gifts, date ideas, checking up, being a shoulder to cry on, and respecting her physical boundaries that she did not want crossed alone. That on more than one time she admitted she thought I was just going to try to take her V-card. When she wanted to wait, and I told her I respect and care about you to much to her hurt you intentionally. All photos of us are gone on her account. They are not gone on my at all I for whatever reason am feeling better and unachievable 3 of the 6 total post that we are in together. Just so yall are aware I still have 2 post with my pass ex. Was not super serious but I cared about her and she was like my first kiss, gf, school dance, date, etc. We went no contact after my graduation 6 days later. This has been really hard for me especially when she picked me when we started dating.

Hey everyone,
I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while and wanted to get your thoughts on it. Suppose you meet a woman who you really connect with. She's smart, funny, kind, and you get along great. However, you find out that, long before she met you, she used to send intimate pictures and have explicit conversations with other men for fun.
How would this information affect your view of her? Would it impact your willingness to date her or pursue a serious relationship? If you're religious, would this affect you?
I'm curious to know: Would her past make a difference to you? If so, why? Do you think people can change and that past behavior doesn't necessarily define their current character?
Looking forward to hearing your perspectives!

Hey all. Just picked this up for under $45. In case anyone's interested, I thought it was a pretty good deal. Happy shopping!
Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! $184.18 CADISEN AQUA DIVER 2024 New Brand Luxury Men Watches Automatic Watch Japan NH35A 100M Waterproof Luminous Mechanical Wristwatch https://a.aliexpress.com/_mLDNvxo

Yes, I still think about you. More often than not, I’d say.
Life is cruel. Some crueler than others. I don’t want mine to turn me into a harsher person, a worse person. But even now, in these black and white words, I recognise a certain stale, sanitised tone in me. And since we broke apart, it seems to have only grown progressively more severe. Without being melodramatic, it does objectively appear that you were the only thing that could evoke warmth in me.
Sometimes I miss you. That’s a lie, because deep down truth tells me I always miss you. Supporting you, making you smile, telling you certain words and stories I know you like to hear.
I blame myself, you know. Weak, is what I was. To let it all fall apart from fear. Fear of a single person, whose thoughts and heart I shouldn’t care for but yet I am tethered to, inescapably. Like we always used to dream of: in our paracosm, it all would have began and continued differently.
Why I wrote this, I’ll never know. The fact it’s written in the first and second person as though you’ll somehow stumble across it is even more ludicrous. I’ll finish by saying that I still pray for your happiness, and I continue to play a certain piece on the guitar - a certain parting gift.

Im a cis male, and I was always attracted to females like since the day I was born but, then in like early 4th grade I started to have gayish fantasies about my best friend. I had some visions of us kissing and i didnt think much of it. But in 6th grade when he thought he was gay, that excited me, I thought I was gay at that moment. But after a day, it didnt feel right, i didnt feel like i was gay, especially because i would see very beautiful girls on my tiktok and it would turn me on. My crush for my friend lasted a week, and then I started having a crush on a girl again. But then in 7th grade I once again had a crush on another one of my friends (boy btw). Then in the late time of 7th I completely stopped having any attraction for him along with any other man, Ive had more sexual and romantic attraction to females my whole life. And in a way I dont really ever see myself with man, I kinda dont want to date a man, but lowkey sometimes I dont know because there were times last summer where I jerked off to a man. And some men with muscular abs in like an anime art style which kinda turns me on. But then I see hot girls and i get way more turned on its pretty weird idrk. Im more sexually attracted and romantically attracted to girls, but sometimes I get romantically attracted to boys and sometimes sexually. I tried gayfap to see if it aroused me but it didnt and i turned it on immediately, honestly the idea of sticking my pp in another guy really doesnt sound for me but the idea of doing it with a girl doesnt cause any sort of questioning. Honestly dont really know tho because ive heard bi people say some similar stuff. What are your guys thoughts

It’s true what everyone said on this forum, 7 and a half months/8 months really is the huge turning point
It’s funny, I still wake up crying often. But crying has always been something beautiful to me. It’s a sign that things are moving, things are healing.
I’m not frozen in fear. Hypervigilant and having rolling panic attacks for days on end.
PTSD is literally the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. I wish there was some bullshit silver lining in that but there’s not. It’s fucking awful, but I’m so thankful and relieved that we have amazing, powerful therapies like EMDR. We don’t have to suffer in pain for months and decades of our lives. We can heal, we can grow, we can recover.
I’m feeling lighter and happier. I have more perspective. I realize what happened to me is not my fault. My panic attacks have switched from three day long anxiety fests to like an evening after I get triggered, and I’m not done yet.
I’m feeling so hopeful and optimistic about the future. I’m excited for the summer, I’m planning things, I have so much love in my heart for my friends. Small things like hot chocolate and bubble baths and yellow roses make my heart so happy.
I never thought I would get here. I felt stuck and broken. I was terrified I’d be terrified forever. But we can always heal.
“Trauma is a fact of life but it doesn’t have to be a life sentence.”
My life has been full of trauma but it’s also been full of growth, healing and self discovery. I work through the pain and I heal myself everyday, I don’t give up on myself, I don’t abandon myself when sometimes all I want to do is not exist (when I’m in the middle of that pain) and if you’re here - neither do you.
And you should be so proud of yourself for that. You are an amazing human being that you are so resilient and you try so hard for yourself when it would be so fucking easy to just give up. Well fuck that coz that’s just what our abusers and perpetrators want us to do. Let’s heal and move forward and leave them to rot in their self-imposed misery and pain.
One thing I’ve been thinking about is I wonder if people with PTSD/CPTSD have more sensitive nervous systems. I believe that “mental illness” is a natural response to awful circumstances and that most people in one way or another have struggles with and anxiety and depression. Because we have been through so much, we suffer more.
Sometimes it is so unfair that we get “stuck” with PTSD and CPTSD after our trauma (with PTSD being statistically unlikely for many) but I also wonder if our sensitivity is also a gift, we feel our pain and our fear more deeply than others but we also feel things like love, joy and gratitude more deeply than others too. We are so sensitive to the world and the beauty in it (as well as all that is awful) because we understand how fragile and vulnerable it is. We know life can be taken in a second. Many people are asleep to that and they never know and realize the preciousness of life and all those little moments until they’re on their deathbed. We’ve already been there in a way. We brushed with death in one form or another and survived. And our life is a tragic gift because of it. And there’s so much bittersweet growth and insight to be found in that. I’d most definitely give it back ;) but there is no back, so what is the lesson? What is the beauty? It’s hard to see where you’re suffering so acutely, but it’s easier to see once you get out onto the other side a little.
I felt so hopeless even a month or two ago but now I’m seeing so much goodness and growth and recovery
Maybe tomorrow I might feel differently. Maybe I’ll want to die again. But maybe I won’t. 😊😉
Keep going 💛

Ok so, I (14F) have known this boy (14M) who I will call “A” since I was in third grade, and we are obviously in the same middle school. We are both incredibly intelligent and good at writing, however people always put him above me. I feel like he isn’t more successful than me academically though. Infact I am more successful than him, i’m in the gifted program and in student council neither of which he is in.
Anyways, I have always resented him because he gets more praise for the same writing and work that I do. I think we’re both funny, I always make him laugh and he makes me laugh. However, I can’t help but to resent him even though I think we both have the same qualities; hes attractive and i’m very sure I am aswell, hes smart and I know I am aswell and we’re both popular and funny; adults are always saying so.
Its just like hes so perfect and I would give anything to recieve the same kind of praise he does. I mean even I adore him but like not in a romantic way, its just like hes always been someone who likes classical literature even though nobody else in our grade is intrigued by it and its just heinous knowing I probably won’t be able to speak to him in highschool because he’s one of my favorite people. I’m not really sure if how I feel about him is romantic, like sometimes I just want to hug him if that makes sense lmao. Oh I included our writing from sixth grade when we did a group project together copy pasted ↓
Mine: As soon as the recollection of the three bodies came cascading upon Bass in a choking flood of stinging details, Bass began to perspire and tremble. Something that was a recurrence in this impeccable novel is the mention of the Comanches- a belligerent indigenous group of people to America. The name was sure to bring fear to even the brawniest of men, Comanche had tolled in them like a portentous gong. There was a sinister and unlikely coincidence between the violent happening around the Native American territory that made the Comanche one of the most hideous of omens. In reality though the Comanches were a brutal community, bring treated with a biblical veneration. However I would like to take a mature and systematic evaluation of why they may do these things. For one, us Americans drove them out if the land they had lived in for centuries, brutally burning down their communities and making them walk grueling trails and rough rocks to arrive at a territory riddled with mediocrity. Overall I believed that the Comanches were a symbol or vim and freedom throughout this novel.
His: There are several prominent names that have established themselves as important threads upon the rich tapestry of Western History; Several Outlaws and desperados are recalled for the formidable forced they possessed upon their communities. Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday- all of these names have been of flourishing recognition, yet there are only mere vestiges of traces upon a true legend; a figure of immaculate morals (a trait that was a rare rose within a grotesque haven of weeds.) This very man that I speak of was born into slavery and- at the age of seventeen- relinquished the clutches of his owner prerequisite to venturing into the sibylline, crime-riddled depths of the Indian Territory where he would elude the treacherous dangers amidst his path to grow older to be a man of law; a valiant marshal in which turned a horrendous domain (the indian territory) into a place of order. This man went by the name of Bass Reeves.

It has been about two years since my gf tried to rape me and I have been struggling with depression lately and been drinking a lot, I never thought that someone I loved would try to do something like that. I had made it vary clear from the start of our relationship that I was asexual and didn’t want to have sex and didn’t give her consent and didn’t try to initiate anything with her, I ended up finally having the courage to dump her a week after, and now I feel very alone and I opened up to my friend about this and she helped me through this but lately I tried to start a new relationship and I opened up to her about this and it turned into a fight because she said that she didn’t believe me because this stuff can’t happen to men and now I am here asking for some advice because this really pushed me back, and has made my anxiety and depression really bad and lead to me drinking to try to make the thoughts and memories of that night go away, and I really don’t know what to do anymore

Hi All
​
After reading lots and lots of questions and answers on this Subreddit, i completely lost my thoughts. I have a good understanding of how investing works, why i should do it, and the power of compounded interest on long term, combined with the ease of an ETF like Iwda. I have a quite complex situation which confuses me a lot when it comes to investing and saving money. I already saw a lot of 'professional' explanations and theories here, so i would like to ask an objective opinion.
​
This is who I am:

• 24 y/o male, works in as production-and planningcoordinator - net income =-2350 / month + benefits
• i have a girlfriend, we are living together in a house of mine (situation will be explaned below).
• +- 150k in savings, doing nothing on the bank at 0.5 % interest.
• +- 25k in stocks and etf's
• i have 2 houses on my name, 1 i live in myself together with my girlfriend, the other one is the house in which my grandparents are living in ( = vruchtgebruik, have been gifted the house a couple of years ago).
• I don't have any debts and don't have that much common expenses.
• Don't have kids, probably not before i reach 30 as i want to figure out where i will get financially to provide a stable situation for a kid. (girlfriend is fine with it).

​
I think i'm in a quite well situation given my age, and that's why i want to seize the opportunity as thoughtful as possible.
​
when i was 19, i started putting 5k in seperate stocks, mainly tech and Uranium as i am a strong believer of nuclear energy. That's doing very well as it's already 18k now.
​
invested another 5k in iwda last year, which is doing well aswell.
​
Reason why i am stuck:
I don't know what to do with my cash.
I want to invest some money for long term (10 a 15 years +) I want to invest some for very long term to retire comfy I have the houses, 1 renovated, bungalow from '60, which is now beginning EPC C, so quite efficient for the age. Only large expense for the future: removing asbest roof and replace it with shingles. Note that this house is with our future in mind, to start for the first 10 years or so. My final goal is to renovate the house of my grandparents in the future, to make it as good as possible for the rest of our lives (my girlfriend is fine with the situation, it's beneficial for her too). It's a 'landhuis' on a larnge plot of land. So i guess it will take arround 150k to renovate the house.
​
The approach i am thinking off:
I invest another 15k in Iwda as lump sum and DCA from now on 300 euro's a month. I keep my own money to live from and to invest When i would ever renovate the house of my grand parents, i could get a loan for renovation purposes and use the bare minimum as downpayment. Then i renovate the house, and will live in it afterwards. The house i live in now is modern, detached , and easy to rent out. I would use the rental income from this property to pay off my loan I got to renovate the other house. I could eventually do a downpayment to make the rental income more than the loan, so I get let's say 200 euro's spare which i could park on a high yield growth savings account. This amount would come in when i have a cost at the property which is rented out. In the meanwhile i still have a filled savings account which keeps all roads open for investing oppertunities or to increase the value of the property i will be living in, in let's say 10 years or so (I hope it takes as long as possible as I love my grand parents, i want them to live as long as possible and stay at home while they can.) Once the renovation loan has been paid, i still have a lot of savings, so has my girlfriend, so in the further future, we could eventually buy an investment property together aswell.
​
Would you change strategy? Or come in mind with another strategy that could work for me? I am willing to take moderate risk. I don't want to invest all in individual stocks as they are too volatile for me, especially sectorbased like energy. But ETF's, i am fine with. If it crashes, everything crashes, and after a crash, it will climb anyway in the long run.
​
My goal is not to stop working or so, or to retire at 40, but i want to be able to say 'fuck it' and do something I really really enjoy, even though I would earn half the money. I never want to stress about money. I am quite economically-minded and think a lot before i purchase something expensive. Working 4/5 when i'm around 40 and 3/5 when around 55 would be ideal i think.
​
My main motivation; based on the lifestyle of my grandfather, i like to walk arround on my property, thinking how beautifyl it is, washing the car on saturday, play with the kids, take them for a ride in a old porsche 911 (passionate about that car since when i was 6, posters all arround my room, till to date haha, that's the life strive for, the life i WANT to work for . not to sit at home at 50 all day long as everyone i know will still work then.
​
Thank you so much for your insights
​
Cheers
​
​

Ehiii there! Let me introduce myself!!! I’m Angi, a law student who is a mix of cuteness and loveliness, and I'm all about adding some excitement to my normally boringgggg life. 🙄
I'm the kind of person who still believes in fairy tales and magic, even though I’m a “gRoWn uP”… I might seem a little quiet, but deep down, there's a whole world of very naugthy and mysterious things waiting to be discovered with me…
When I'm not buried in my politics law classes or sipping coffee at the campus coffee, I'm lost thinking about how hard I wanna get my pussy railed by older men.
You wouldn’t think that I’m like that if you’d see me on campus thinking i’m a futur lawyer 😼 but these are my thought when I'm at the university. To make it easier for you to imagine, Think of a girl sitting at a cafe and staring out of the window - Yep that’s me..thinking about how I could get fucked in any position in my future lawyer dress mmmh..
Yes, I might be shy however as soon as we know each other better be ready to meet my second personality, so just send me a message 🤤
Edit: Dangg after reading it multiple times it really looks like a resume or sum 😅…
If you guys have any more questionssss just let me knoww in the comments and I’ll respond asap ❤️
Xoxo, Angi

You see like most young men raised in a traditional Christian household I was taught that the man is the breadwinner and it is the mans job to provide for the wife. I say wife in singular because I was taught this by my late father long before I discussed my decision to pursue polygany.
But as such I have this deep instilled mindset I guess one could say, that it is my job as the man to carry the weight of providing to all my wives. However realistically speaking unless you are some rich oil prince, or a doctor who makes a truck load of money, in the modern day and age one would never be able to support the whole family solely on the shoulders of the man alone.
You often hear that one of the benefits of polygany is that your wives can work alongside you thus lifting or at least easing the burden of providing for the family. Thus the responsibility of breadwinner do not lie solely on the shoulders of the husband.
And it does make sense. More people working together but also sharing a household means more available incomes to share on expenses, and less expenses as everyone shares a home means you can stretch your available income further. It is the same principle any young adult college boy/gal learned while rooming together in college/uni.
But I still struggle between the mindset of "the man is the breadwinner and should carry the responsibility of providing." vs "your wives can help carry the weight of providing."
Now in a homesteading lifestyle it can be argued that the man will do the brunt of the farming and food production and the wives only aiding were necessary. However, even so if you are trying to achieve a fully self sufficient farm, producing all your food on the farm, that includes chickens for egg's, cattle for milk, and meat, vegetables, wheat for bread etc. That is a lot of work to be done by one man alone, especially if you have a large family. Now of course you can get your sons to help out but they still need to go to school and there is also your children's infant stage to consider. As such it is almost a given that most of the breadwinning would actually be done by your wives. But if that is the case then you as the man are not actually stepping up to your role as breadwinner as you are not carrieng the weight of providing.
Please share your thoughts. Ladies please share your views on this aswell.

Hi I just came across a novel, chosen by the moon novel by izabella W. Its on pay by chapter websites, I've opened and read a few chapters but I can't seem to find any free version or chapter version anywhere. Please help. If anyone has read it I'm willing to take spoilers. Here's the advert I found below of it on Facebook.
Lycanthrope species is a disgusting race. And I, Delan Riley, am nothing more than a human scum in their eyes never expected those species would turn my world upside down. Since when the lycans managed to penetrate our town, like in the early 1900's we have a hierarchy, upper class = the lycans, middle class = mated humans, and lower class = the normal humans, who were basically considered scum. I endured their torment day after day, vowing to run away from them one day, until that day came and everything changed.
Dylan POV "Humans," I scowled at the principal's words from tannoy. "The Alpha twins will be celebrating their birthday tomorrow, as such, festivities are in order." Oh great, the Alphas twin children. Adrian and Arya are the worst lycans alive. I swear just because they are the alphas kids they literally get away with everything. If their birthday is tomorrow, then the wolves are going to be worse than ever. "All students will be present to greet them, two lines will be made, with humans on the left and the lycanthrope on the right. Any mated human will be at the front of the line for their year, you will all also be in order of your school year. That is all." Chat broke out the minute the tannoy was finished. "We haven't had a school gathering since the alpha king visited three years ago, before his sons coronation." Nick was right, the last time we all gathered like that was for the king and queens visit, when he decided to let the world know that he was to renounce his title to his only child, son Josh. "That sick bestard, he wants to make sure everyone is there so those idiot twins can find their mates." Yes I was mad, my fists connected with the table in front of me once more as I thought about how disgusting the situation was. You see the twins will be turning 17, so it's very possible someone in our school could be their mate, finding a mate is sacred to a wolf, the minute they say that one word your fate is sealed. They will turn your mind, morph you into being a lover of their kind, and then you'll give in.

That won't happen to me, I'm growing old to see the world as it once was, and I'm going to choose who I'll be with. No one will take that dream away from me.

Once dinner was finished, I just wanted to sleep. I'd had a very long tiring day, I quickly sat down on a small stool my mother kept in the storage closet and removed my shirt while my brother Freddy sat at the table to do his simple homework. It wasn't long before my mother came in with a large bowl of warm salt water and some cotton, this was going to sting I just knew it. She was here to help me with the wounds caused by wolves yesterday. She slowly began to unwrap the bandage from around my torso and slowed down drastically when it came to the final layer, I felt it peel off every wound and my fists clenched in pain. "Jesus!" I heard my mom exclaim once the dressing was completely removed. The air on my back was nice though and I sighed as my arm covered my once again exposed brests. "This is more than 15!" I began to hear sniffles coming from her and sighed turning round to look at her face, only to notice tears streaming down it. "Mom I'm fine, it's alright." She shook her head. "It's not alright, I'm your mother I shouldn't let these things happen. I'm so sorry. Your father would have..." here she goes again. Every single time something happened she'd always bring up dad, it really annoyed me because no matter how much we all wish he was here, he just isn't. My father was kiled by THEIR kind, almost 5 years ago when they actually managed to take over. When the lycans managed to penetrate our town my father rose up with some people from the neighborhood, to defend our livelihood, it was futile to say the least. We lost many people and I watched as my dad was ripped apart by two fully shifted wolves, I ended up shoting him to stop his suffering before they dragged me to the courtyard, i was the person to receive the first lashing of the town when I was 12! The wolves have been pretty strict with me since that day. "Stop being stvpid!" Was I harsh? Definitely! Did she need to hear it again, absolutely. "Dad is dead, we don't know what he'd do because he never knew this life. He never knew this world." I know what he'd have done, most likely attacked the guy who held the whip and got himself kiled in the process. "The best thing you can do for me, is stop crying and help me, next time don't insist on helping if you can't handle it." She began to wash my open wounds with the warm salt water causing loud winces to leave me, I knew it was necessary to prevent infection, but my god it hurt like a betch. "Some of these are really deep Dylan!" She sniffed again and my eyes rolled in my head. "I told you, I'm fine, just wrap me back up so I can get to bed." My mom was obviously more impacted by my injuries than I was, I suppose that always the case though. When it's happening to you, you've just got to get through it but when it's happening to someone you love, you just want to take their pain away. She quickly placed a fresh bandage around my waist and chest and wrapped it tightly for compression. The bowl of water that was used was now red in color, I guess from the blood my back was dripping with. "Can you keep your head down please? At least just this week. You can't take any more lashings." I simply nodded before standing up away from the stool, I walked over to Freddie and ruffled his hair in affection. "Good night squirt." He giggled and fixed his hair slightly. "Night Dilly." I smiled walking upstairs to my little bedroom, as soon as I was inside i shut the door and flopped down on to my bed on my stomach and I took a minute to cry to myself at the pain in my back, what my mom did was important but it hurt, not that I'd ever tell her. My hand covered my mouth quickly to muffle any noise I might be making. I couldn't tell anyone, I had to be strong because more and more people were crumpling these days, and my mom would break if she knew how much I was suffering. Sleep followed me shortly after, she was right though about me needing to keep my head down for the time being, I could not take another lashing! After a long night and an even longer morning, we were all finally stood in the hallway at school waiting for the twins to arrive. "Mine!" Everyone that was stood in the hallway tensed up, as we were seniors, me and Nick were stood towards the very back of the human line. All the mated people were situated directly opposite their wolf mates in their years. We stayed silent and still as Arya walked down the hall and stopped directly in front of Nick. His eyes widened in fear, unsure of wether to look up or keep his head lowered. "Look me in the eye, mate." He glanced at me slightly as if asking what he should do. "I said, look me in the eye." He slowly moved his eye line up to look at her face. I took a glance myself to see her eyes pitch black with lust. "I... can't... I mean... erm." Before he was able to mutter anything else, two wolves from opposite, grabbed him out of the line and dragged him behind Arya. "Hey!" My head shot up before I could stop myself. My mouth also forgot its place as I jumped out of line. Everyone's head shot to me as my eyes widened in realization at what I'd done. Adrian, the other twin, walked up to me before punching me right in the stomach, I doubled over instantly. Feeling the sting in my slightly healed back. "I know you... You were publicly flogged only two days ago." God I hate this guy. "I also have it on good authority, that you openly spoke out against our rules and regulations in yesterday's class." My head shot down the line slightly to see Erin, looking a little frightened, her mate, the beta to be was looking at her, nodding his head in reassurance. "You traitor, you grassed on your own kind?" I yelled at her before feeling a fist connect with my cheek. My head whipped to the side from the force, while my class members gasped. I'm so done with this treatment, right then, I wasn't in charge of my actions. My fists curled up and my stance became a lot more defensive. My head snapped up to the alpha to be, and I looked him in the eye. "You don't know the meaning of the word disrespect." I suddenly hurled my fist towards his head, which he easily dodged, but my foot came up and kicked him instead. He stumbled backwards from the force with wide eyes. "You... you Actually hit me!" He didn't even sound annoyed, more shocked. Everyone in the hallway was watching, waiting for the alpha to do something but instead he simply stood up straight, regaining his composure. "I think everyone should get back to class." He began to walk away, following his sister when I called him back. "What about Nick?!" "Simple, He's my sisters mate. He now belongs to her." Argh, he's not an object. "He's not her property." A chuckle left his mouth, before turning his back to me again. "All humans are property." A short while later everyone made it to science class, our teacher Mrs Mathews is mated to the lycans pack doctor, she also now has a four and two year old with him. She was one of the first humans to be cohered into a false relationship. "What were you thinking young lady?" I rolled my head at her before looking at the empty seat next to mine. Nick was with that stvpid wolf girl right now. Being changed, I'm so angry it's ridiculous. "I was thinking, this guy is being a prick. Did you hear him? 'All humans are property.' It's bull shet." I looked up and the whole class looked at me like I had three heads. Talking shet about wolves is one thing, but talking about an alpha is punishable by death, attacking an alpha is an even worse offense. There was then a knock at the door and in walked Erin and her band of mated bestards. "Sorry we're late Mrs." "Erin, how are things between you and bata Monroe?" She blushed, the traitor actually blushed at the mention of his name. "He spoke to me last night about trying for a baby. We need a good strong boy to take over as beta." I scoffed looking at her as she took her seat. "You guys are actually pathetic, why can't it be a girl? Those mutts are basically Neanderthals" I voiced my opinion and saw all the shocked faces around me. Calling the lycans mutts, is the same as them calling us scum. After lesson had ended the entire school was called into the hall for assembly. This is where any human who has been found to have broken the rules were punished, usually 10 lashings were goven out or something similar. "Welcome to the school assembly, congratulations to the alpha twins for finding both your mates. Now on to the business at hand, as the 5 year anniversary of the new world is coming up, we have been informed that the alpha king will be visiting our district next week, this is very exciting news. We want you all to look your absolute best, she wolves and mated females will wear exemplary dresses made by seamstress. Male wolves and mated men will wear tailored suits. Anyone who doesn't comply will be reprimanded." The Alpha King?! No one has met him yet, he took over the throne three years ago when he turned 18. He really didn't make any appearances though, great, this month is going to be a nightmare. "As for the humans, you will be given a new uniform to wear for the visit, these are to be neatly ironed and worn to the highest standard. As for the following humans, based on your attitude this past week, you will be coming to the front and facing punishment. Tony summerset?!" Tony's head shot up as he looked around, he was in the year below but he shared my views when it came to the lycans. He slowly walked up to the front of assembly, almost instantly his top was t0rn in two and he received 10 lashings. A girl named Kara was next and she too received 10 lashings. A few more people went up slowly accepting their fate then suddenly my name was called. "Dylan Riley." Inside I was terrified but I simply shrugged my shoulders, I guess I did kind of expect this. Although I'm not sure if my back can take any more damage. "You attacked an alpha, correct!" His eyes bored into mine as I bowed my head submitting to his authority. "Technically, no." Everyone in the school gym looked on in fear, as my head moved to the front row of the wolf side. Adrian sat, with a werewolf girl in the year below, her name was Jana, I guess he found his mate. Nick and Arya were no where to be seen though. Adrian gave me a shrug as if to say he didn't tell, before smirking at my comment. "He hasn't officially taken the alpha title yet, so he's just..." i looked at the principle and noticed his eyes black and his claws out, he was in what lycans call a half shift, triggered when the subject has become angered. He turned to two security wolves and gave them a nod, Almost immediately i was forced onto my knees, my arm was slammed on a table and held in place by one wolf, while my body was held in place by the other. "Ok, I don't think this is needed, I have alpha blood, a stvpid human girl can't hurt me." My head snapped to Adrian who had stood up in front of the school to stop what was happening. "Nevertheless, humans need to know their place." With that the pressure on my arm increased as our principals hand pulled my sleeve up before a long claw punctured my skin. The searing pain shoting from the fresh wound had my eyes scrunched and my fist clenched, I bit the inside of my cheek hard instantly tasting blood, however no sound left my mouth. He continued to write, using my skin as a canvas and his claws as a marker, it went on forever, my vision blurred slightly at one point as I turned my head away. After minutes of torture, he was done and the pressure on my arm eased, instantly I snatched my arm away, hissing through my teeth at the pain. I was about to scurry off stage, when I was roughly grabbed yet again, my arm being held in the air by the principal while my feet were inches off the floor, blood dripped from the wound and the pattern he had made was on show for everyone to see. Loads of people gasped, even the wolves looked slightly horrified at what had happened. "This is what happens when a human decides to speak out. I can promise, anyone who so much as says one word about our way of life, will have the same punishment." My arm was starting to seriously ache from being held in the air for so long, and the lack of blood flow to my suspended arm was causing me pins and needles, still I refused to make a sound. I held the tears back and I bit my cheek harder causing more blood to fill my mouth. "That's enough Bradley!" Adrian growled, he was still stood up and looking at the scene in front of him. His eyes hard as he stared at the principal a low warning growl erupted from his chest which had the head teacher gulping, he quickly let go of my arm causing me to crash to the floor. A small cry left my mouth as I hit the hard floor. Immediately I scrambled away, my foot just missed the high step leading to the stage and I fell, waiting for the impact of the ground, but it never came. Two strong arms wrapped around me catching my weak body causing me to look up, my eyes widened as I noticed Adrian had caught my falling form. "This isn't part of the human punishment program!" Adrian growled causing me to tense in his grip, I pushed him away from me before fixing my uniform top. The room was deadly silent, taking in the scene in front of them, while I stole a glance at my forearm. Carved into my skin by his devastating claws were two words, words that would most definitely scar my body for life. 'Human scum' "Lessons must be learned, she received lashing merely two days ago, and clearly it had no effect on her." Another growl left Adrian's chest as he stepped on to the stage, I wasn't bothered though, you would think I'd be ashamed but I simply smiled slightly. I fixed my sleeve a little so it wouldn't rub on the fresh wound before speaking. "It doesn't matter," the whole room looked at me shocked by my attitude. "I would rather be labeled human scum, than have any resemblance to your kind. I'm proud of what I am, how many of you can say that?" After my amazing little speech, I walked right down the middle between the humans and lycans and out the door. No more compliance, I'm going to get away with as much as I can without getting into too much bother. There will come a day when the lycans power will fizzle out. When it does I'll be ready, I'll be waiting for the day we take our world back. As for the best part about my plan...

No one can stop me.

"Ouch, not so hard." I seethed as the school nurse cleaned my new wound with antiseptic. "If you had of just kept your mouth shut, this wouldn't have happened." I turned to my right looking out the window at the few clouds that were floating in the blue sky. "Like I said, I'm proud to be human, and now everyone knows what I am." I clenched my fist together as the nurse began wrapping a bandage around my forearm. It had been a good few hours since the incident in the hall, and I had been forced to come to the nurces office after I had tried to clean my wound by splashing it with water from the tap, it also refused to stop bleeding. "You are impossible. Can you please just try and stay out of trouble? For one day, that's all I ask." Our school nurse is a wolf, she's one of them. However she hates the way they treat us mere humans, she thinks we should all just live in peace with equal rights. Like that would ever happen. "All I've done is stay out of trouble, but you are just going to humiliate me anyway, so what's the actual point?" "The pack were discussing a public execution, Dylan. You need to walk on egg shells from now on, not just for you but for your family as well." No ones been publicly executed in over 4 months, I'm flattered they're considering it. They only execute people who they believe are the biggest problems to society. "Well then... I'm flattered." I chuckled, before looking at the patch job. 'Huh, not too shabby.' I quickly stood up from the human nursing station and pulled the sleeve of my shirt down covering the evidence of ever being hurt. "This is serious!" I just gave her a blank look before leaving the room. On the way out I heard her call back to me. "Please just think about it." I gave a clipped nod as I walked away wondering how I'm going to tell my mom about this. Later in the evening... "Dilly why you say that?" Freddie looked up at me with a mouth full of bread. "Don't speak with your mouthful!" My mom scolded him as a bashful blush made its way to his cheeks. "Sowwy mommy." His reply was muffled as he swallowed the last chunk of food. "I said it Freddie, because it's the truth. The wolf race are a pathetic excuse for..." my mom cut me off with an extremely stern look. "Dylan! They have ears everywhere, one more word out of you and it's your room." I scowled, my hatred for the Lycan kind growing stronger as each day passes. "What more can they do to me, lash me? Beat me? Brand me? They've ran out of options." I stated slamming my hands down, then severely regretting it as sharp pain shot though my wound. "What was that?" My head shot to regard my mothers worried expression. Her eyebrows were raised and her eyes were dull and judging as she looked at me. "Nothing, it was nothing." I quickly took my plate in my hand and began to walk to the kitchen. "I'm not really hungry, and I have homework to do!" My mom caught hold of my forearm causing me to drop my plate suddenly, I watched it slowly fall before shattering on the floor. I retracted my arm quickly and turned to Freddie. "Stay there and don't move until it's cleaned up ok sport?" He just nodded with wide eyes, I turned back to my mom and noticed her curious stare on my arm. Her grip shifted to the other side as she turned it around before pulling my sleeve up. The bandage was showing and a bit of blood was seeping though after the wound had been disturbed. "What the hel happened?" My moms eyes widened as she began to fumble with the bandage. Before she could unravel any of it I snatched my arm away. "I had an accident at school. No big." I began to gather the large pieces of the broken plate up ready to put them in the bin. "What did you do Dylan?" She looked at me with pure worry and only then did I realize what the wound must look like to someone who didn't know. "For gods sake! I didn't do it to myself! I got publicly punished at the assembly alright? It's no big deal." Her face dropped instantly and she stepped towards me, causing me to step backwards. "Mom, I'm ok. So back off will you." "What did you do? I've never known them to cut someone's arm as a punishment." Her shock and accusation was evident in her voice and I sighed heavily. "I spoke against the alphas son." I may have hit him too, but I wasn't going to divulge that part to her. "It's not one big cut, mom, it's a brand, 'human scum' carved onto my arm." "They've branded you now too?!" My eyes rolled at her hurt tone as I went to get the dustpan and brush. "You're so much like your father." A sigh left her mouth as she spoke, running a hand through her hair, while I quickly swept up the little pieces of the broken plate. "You've had a new uniform delivered. It's laid out on your bed. Dylan, Please just try and stay respectful in the future, I don't want my daughter to be completely mutilated. Although you're not far off." "Gee, Thanks." I then walked over to my little brother Freddy before blowing a kiss into his neck and hearing him giggle. "So sport, how's school going?" "It's ok." He shrugged before going back to coloring a dinosaur picture in. "Well that's good, stay out of trouble, ok little man?" Heading upstairs and into my room, my thoughts wandered to the permanent graffiti scar very slowly healing on my arm. Disgusting beasts. Think they own the world because they're faster, stronger and can shift. Pah. If you ask me they are not all that.

The second I walked into my room my mouth dropped open. On my bed was some grey pants laid out neatly, which wasn't the surprising part, no, what shocked me was the grey high neck no sleeved button down shirt, every single set of uniform had sleeves except this one. They've done this on purpose those, mutts. They want the world to see my arm and know what a disgusting creature I am. They want the world to know that I, Dylan Riley, am nothing more than 'human scum'.

During the last week, I've been horrible, in class I've been loud in voicing my views, I've insulted at least everyone to some degree, I didn't care about the consequences, and I certainly didn't think about them. I haven't seen Nick at all since he was claimed, and to make matters worse today was the royal visit. Oh yes, werewolves and mated humans alike were spending every waking minute preparing themselves to meet his royal majesty, king of the wolves. Unclaimed Humans however would rather stick pins in their eyes. "Dylan, get down now... you're going to be late." She was right, I was dawdling this morning, I really couldn't be bothered today, I gave myself one last look in the small mirror and sighed when my eyes met my newly uncovered brand. It had bad bruising around the letters, and was still extremely tender to touch, it was definitely healing now though. I made my way down the stairs and came face to face with my mother who was seeing to Freddie, she was helping my brother get his coat on when she turned to me. "You ready sport?" Freddie nodded his little head at me and smiled while I quickly slid my shoes on. "Just Remember, the alpha is bad enough, Dylan, please, please don't do anything to anger the king." My mother stopped us from walking out the door to tell me something she had been telling me continuously for the last couple of days, it was almost as if the entire human population of our district was expecting me to do something stvpid. "Try and have a good day." I rolled my eyes but nodded, even I know not to push the king, he could kil me in the hallway like it was nothing. In fact I plan on staying out of his way for the entirety of the day. "We will see you tonight mom." I stated before me and my brother began our walk to school, his little hand clutched my own tightly as we went. Usually Nick would be with us, as he lives next door, well he used to, now he's residing in the main pack house. I quickly dropped Freddie off at his school and watched him get the wolfsbane neutralizer before walking into him building giving me a small wave before he went in. With my new scar on complete show, and my figure being complimented by the skin tight shirt I was wearing, I sauntered down the street to school, I gave my name and year in and took the wolf's bane neutralizer injection with no problems at all. It was finally getting into school that the problem occurred. Walking through the halls I was met by many looks, some of pity some of disgust. You see every single non mated human in the school was wearing a long sleeved version of the uniform I was given. All the Wolves and mated couples were scattered around in fancy floor length dresses or tailored suits. As I turned the corner I noticed a couple, now this couple happened to catch my eye the most out of all of them because it consisted of Arya and Nick, eating each other's faces off. "What the hel!" Nicks head shot to me as his eyes widened. He too was dressed in a tailored suit, a navy blue tie hung on his neck to match Aryas dress. Why was this happening all the time? It's always my friends that get completely brain washed. I shook my head in disbelief before turning my back on him. I heard his fast footsteps behind me as I rounded the corner. "Dylan?!" He ran right in front of me, stopping me in my tracks, making me drop my bag off my shoulder and almost causing me to bump into him. "Let me just explain..." "Has she marked you?" I mean you could almost see it in his eyes, she had marked him, and knowing the way life goes he's probably even mated with her. "Actually... Don't even answer that." I aggressively picked my bag up off of the floor and stormed off down the hall. "Dylan, just listen to me, Erin was right, it's so hard to resist your soulmate, and Arya is actually ok once you get to know her." I just kept walking, he caught up to me walking beside me but it didn't matter, I completely ignored everything and everyone. 'I'm so not in the mood today' getting into class was good though, I said hello to Mr Foley and took my usual seat. Nick sighed then took his bag off ready to sit next to me, but I snapped before he had the chance. "Traitors and mated idiots sit on that side of the room." I didn't look him in the eye as I pointed to a seat right at the front of the classroom on the opposite side. His eyes widened as he turned his attention back to me. "You can't be serious Dylan." I gave him a blank look before grabbing my book out of my backpack, I placed it on the desk then began to write the date on the top line. "I've sat in this seat for as long as I can remember." I ignored him, his voice sounded sad and shocked. "Dylan? Wait! What is that?!" Before I could react Nick had grabbed hold of my branded arm and turned it to see the letters. "Oh my God! What happened?" I snatched my arm away from him and shrugged as I continued to write in my book before grabbing my water bottle out of my bag. "The principal happened, it was my punishment for speaking out against Adrian and Arya. I wear it with pride." He just held a complete look of disbelief. "You spoke out against them?" I shrugged, what did he think I'd do. "It's no secret that I despise this stvpid new world and the mutts that control it. You were my friend, I wasn't going to let them just take you without saying something, although that is exactly what you seem to have done. Enjoy the view from your new seat!" "Don't be like that, Dylan, I'm your best friend, I'm sorry about your arm, but..." my eyes rolled inside my head at my friends words. "Anything with the word 'but' in, isn't an apology, it's a rationalization." I took a drink of water from my bottle and kept my eyes facing forward, ignoring his every attempt to try and talk to me. "Dylan?.. Dylan?... Do you know what? Erin is right, if you push us all away you won't have any friends left." He huffed before walking over to the empty seat and sitting down, I could feel him glancing up at me every now and again but I didn't respond. "Good morning class, please settle down." He looked at me then at Nick and frowned, we've never sat apart, we were friends before the new world even began. I just shook my head telling him to forget it. "So... as you know the king will be arriving in a short while, but until then lessons will go on as normal." Its funny seeing teachers in the same uniform your wearing, mr Foley and his wife are the coolest. Human teachers and doctors only have slightly more respect than we do. Because of Mr Foley's status him and his wife have better access to food and drink, Mrs Foley is cool, sometimes she even makes sure mr Foley brings some in for me. Ya know, coz I'm their favorite student. It's not in a weird way, it's just they were friends of the family before the new wold took effect. Mr Foley and my dad were buddies from high school, so it goes without sayin really. "All the mated humans will be at the front of each years line again, after that you will all be placed in status, Nick, as your mated to Alpha Arya, you'll be at the front of your line. Dylan as you have been branded..." his voice trailed off as he looked at me. "Yeah yeah, I'll be at the back of the line behind everyone. I get it." I huffed, moving my sight towards the window once more. "I am sorry." I turned to face Mr Foley again, he looked genuinely upset and that look of pity wasn't something I wanted to see. I gave him a clipped nod then turned away again. "Anyway, on to the subject matter, 'Of Mice and Men, page 64, Nick why don't you start us off with the reading."

"Of course sir." Nick began reading the book but I switched off, today is going to be a long day. After almost an hour and a half of reading comprehension, the bell chimed signaling lunch. I shot up and out of the classroom before anyone could say anything. Today, I was avoiding drama like the plague.

I wandered the corridors straight to the lunch hall. All the people I would normally hang out with we're all mated so I grabbed my lunch quickly, and sat down at the end of the human table. Let me lay the lunch hall out for you. On one side of the room you have two long rows of tables, with simple benches that make it look like prison, on the other side of the room you have multiple round tables with fancy chairs. Yup you get it. The humans sit at the prison tables and the wolves and traitors sit on the fancy tables, they get fancy food, fancy drink and most importantly they get pudding. what I would give to have some pudding. "Dylan can we just talk?" Nick quickly took the spot next to me as he set his lunch tray down. I looked at his food which had been placed on a ceramic, circular white plate. God that looked good. I sighed knowing he was going to talk anyway. "Fine, you have two minutes." I used my fork to take a bit of pasta off his plate and shoved it into my mouth. God that was good. "After I left school, I was taken to the pack house with Arya, and I really got to know her. It took a few days for me to finally accept being with her, but ever since life has been ok, and the sax... well that's a whole other story." Eww, I didn't need that mental image in my head. "I'm glad your happy." I stated before deciding I had no appetite. His face held shock before he sighed in relief. "That means a lot Dylan, I mean you know that your opinion matters to me." I cut him off before he could say anything else. "I said I was glad your happy. I didn't say I approved of what you've done. You've basically turned into one of THEM, I can't ever forgive you for that." He looked hurt, but I couldn't care less about his feelings. He placed his hand gently on my arm and went to open his mouth when a growl sounded out. All heads whipped to where it came from, Arya was stood holding a glass of soda and a plate, she was looking right at me and Nick and I would totally be dead if looks could kil. Nick quickly retracted his hand, his whole face fell and you could see sorrow flood his irises. "You sit with me now, get away from that, that... scum!" Wow, Nick was such a lucky guy. NOT. "You heard her. Get away from me, go sit with your new friends. I'm happy for you, and I understand where your coming from, but don't come up to me again and pretend you didn't betray your own kind. Don't pretend you didn't betray me." I shoved a little bit of food into my mouth before standing up and walking out of the cafeteria, leaving my tray on the table. I was walking through the hallway to the classroom, you see I decided to spend lunch with Mr Foley in his room, when I happened to hear voices in the corridor. "Is it wise for her to actually be present when the king arrives? Surely she could be placed in the dungeons, it might actually teach her some respect?" My principal was speaking to the alpha of our district, huh, if I stayed and listened do you think they'd notice, maybe they could smell me?! "Everyone is to be present, if the Riley girl does one thing out of line she will be dealt with severely, child or not. That girl has been a blight to the district since day one, she's dangerous, if she puts one hair out of place I will personally break her into submission." Oh shet, they were talking about me specifically, and they mentioned the dungeon, that's not been used in months. Normally I would have listened in more but something about the entire situation didn't sit right with me, all of a sudden, I was on edge, and simply wasn't interested in the slightest in hearing how my misery was to be enhanced. I backed up slightly before turning around and bumping head first into one of the hottest man I had ever seen. I lost my balance immediately and fell straight on to the floor letting out a small grumble in the process. His eyebrows knitted together quickly and his breath hitched in his throat as he looked upon my fallen state and gasped. "Mate!" He whispered, his eyes fixated on mine. Now, I had seen and heard that many times to know what that means, I gasped before taking a step back. 'No, no, no, no, no. This can not be happening.' He growled slightly before stepping towards me. Oh Shet!

Hi! I just wanna know up to what extent will you follow your parent’s advices in terms of your life? For context, I have a friend who is a transman who later confessed he liked me and wanted to pursue me. I was taken aback since it was my first time having this experience so I rejected him and I just want to continue the friendship. I am a cis-woman, college graduate, will start working soon and I came from a Christian family.
So usually, it’s my mom who decides for me ever since I was a child. This left me feeling unsure of every decision I make and always waits for her validation before feeling good about the decision I made. But now, since I recently had this suitor of mine, my Christian parents expressed that they are strongly against it. They do recognize that my suitor is a good person but they do not want me to commit a sin by engaging in that relationship. I, being raised in this Christian household, has also had that initial belief that it was a sin. But after spending more time with my friend/suitor, I somehow am getting confused feelings if whether I am starting to like my suitor or is it just because we’ve gotten closer over time. I am sure tho that I want to keep him in my life. But if I do continue this, I know that there will be no validation from my parents and I am not sure if I would be making the right decision.
I never thought about my orientation before because ever since, I always knew I was a hetero woman and I like being a woman. I was always attracted to men only as well. But now, if I start to develop feelings for my suitor, would it then indicate that I am not hetero? Am I bi? Lesbian? I do see him as a man but ofc biologically, he has the same anatomical parts as mine. He expressed that he identifies as a man ever since and has only ever been attracted to women before. I never had any relationship and sexual experience before (yes, a virgin) so I do not know yet what I like.
Now, since he has only been my most genuine and consistent suitor, I am not sure if I should give him a second chance, given my uncertainties and ofc my family. I think it would be unfair to him if my family will not fully accept either him or both of us.
Thank you in advance for your insights.

Given the recent discussion of Shut Up And Ruck’s strength programming, I thought it might be appropriate to address a few lingering comments.
First, we’re not immune to criticism. It is perfectly reasonable to criticize whenever and whoever you want, even me. Clearly, the anonymity of the internet provides ample license to do so. I’m not infallible and I make at least one mistake every fiscal year. I get downvoted all the time and I recognize that many things that I say are taken as gospel based on my years of providing accurate information. I don’t take this leniency lightly. I’ve earned this gift and I don’t look gift horses in the mouth. I certainly don’t shy away from criticizing others, but I always seek to do so from a position of best intentions of the outcome. But if you think that it’s appropriate to draw conclusions like “He definitely doesn’t know what he’s talking about”, “It violates basic principles”, or my favorite “It looks like he stole this from X, Y, or Z” and you’re basing that on one tiny screenshot of one sample day of one singular domain absent of context of the entirety of the programming then you must be special. I wish I had that sort of clairvoyance.
Second, our programming is not a mistake. Is it aggressive? Absolutely. Is it wrong? Absolutely not. It is deliberate and intentional. A few points to consider:
-The higher percentages and rep ranges occur at the end of each cycle. You don’t start off at the high end, you finish there. The passage cited is 9 weeks post 1RM testing. At a minimum the higher % come 5 weeks after testing. You get stronger and the programming reflects that.
-Just because you’ve never done anything like this doesn’t mean much. We follow the evidence, and the literature clearly indicates that our recommendations are appropriate. Aggressive, but appropriate. Here are 6 sources, including some meta-analyses that bring the body of knowledge to several hundred; there are many more.
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
Source 4
Source 5
Source 6
Your experience not withstanding, our programming is entirely valid. This is especially true given the other variables. 1) we prioritize intensity and we manifest that through heavy weights 2) you only lift each exercise 2 times in every 5 day cycle - plenty of time for macro recovery 3) you are resting up to 4 minutes between sets - plenty of time for micro recovery 4) you are only doing 3 lifts in a day and only one for that domain - you aren’t doing 3 sets of barbell bench, then 3 sets of incline, then 3 sets of decline, then some cable cross-overs, then some dumbbell flys, then finishing with some drop sets on the Smith machine. 1 exercise, at maximal intensity. No need to pace yourself. 5) we are seeking to balance strength and endurance. It’s impossible to fully address both simultaneously. There will inevitably be friction. 6) we are seeking to challenge you, not accommodate you. 7) we emphasize self-reflection, data analysis, and agency. If you are struggling to meet the listed criteria then we encourage you to program accordingly. It’s foundational to our approach.
But allow me to let you in on a little secret. Even though we cite no small amount of literature, you can find lots of literature that argues against our programming. In fact, there is so much ‘literature’ out there that you can find supporting information for damn near everything and anything. So, back to my first point, you are welcome to criticize. But you should at least provide some counter-evidence beyond “in my experience”. In the Taxonomy of Information, anecdotal testimony is the least rigorous. We have presented our arguments, you are invited to present yours. Or be a little more graceful in your criticism.
We are well aware of Prilepin’s optimal reps (for powerlifting), and the NASM 5 Phase Optimum Performance Training Model (which we follow) and the NSCA Performance Pyramid (which we follow). We don’t disagree that they are to be well considered. We did a full and complete survey of the information environment. But we stated in our introduction and made available for free our philosophy…we have no interest in preserving the credentialed protectorate of the fitness industry. SFAS is different, so shall the programming be.
Third, we didn’t “steal” another program and stack it on top of our own stuff. That’s not how this works. If you survey all of the programs and methodology out there, you will find a ton of overlap. If you follow established principles and seek consensus, then you end up looking a lot like the other stuff. Did we look at other programs? Yes, dozens of them. Did we steal them? No. The fact that we favor a more intense program that most programs don’t should make this argument moot. This is a serious accusation and should be reserved for the most egregious circumstances. You might not have experience with this type of programming, you might not be familiar with recent literature, and you are only seeing a very minuscule event absent of any of the other programming and ancillary elements.
Fourth, and finally, I want to address the unhinged discussion of cost. We’re particularly sensitive to this topic because we know that our target population skews younger and likely less affluent, so cost matters. And I don’t like calling guys out necessarily, but u/Certain-Exam-2577 and u/Potential_Presence67 ? You two can go fuck yourselves. You anonymous peices of shit decided from your castles on top of Mount Holy that we are looking for a “money grab”? I could have charged hundreds, I could put all of my content behind a paywall, and I could simply pump and dump and walk away to stack cash. But that’s not the case.
What do you two fucking genius economists think would be appropriate for 8 months of daily programming for strength, conditioning, rucking, mental prep, mobility, skills, recovery and much more? We charge 60 dollars. Let’s take a very small survey the prep environment and see where we stack up:
Evoke - 3 months, requires additional programming prerequisites, $65
Performance First - 3 months, $90
18A Fitness - 4 months, $179
Gritty Soldier - 3 months, $30
Mountain Tactical - 12 months, $329
Blue/Green Training - 11 weeks, $129
We’re looking pretty competitive given these numbers. And these are the better programs. We mostly like them (and others) and we have tremendous respect for their creators and coaches. We don’t think they are as good as ours, especially our ruck programming, but they’re in the ballpark. Many guys in this sub have used them and speak highly of them. There are also near endless shit programs out there. AI generated, generic, point-of-sale trash with slick marketing and zero support.
We are a complete program that covers every single domain, and we have well established our expertise for SFAS. But we don’t rely on reputation, we deliver. We research, analyze, synthesize, and present the most comprehensive program out there. For just 60 bucks. Hell, you’ll spend over half that on a blank journal…we’ve recommended this excellent journal many times. But that’s just a cool journal. Zero programming. So we think we’re not “grabbing” too much.
Our resident pricks go on to say that RUSU wasn’t worth $50. Good thing we only charge $40. And perhaps you’d prefer the 15+ year old, lack-luster competition? They’re in the same price range. They even take a cheap shot at our Muster events as just a ‘wAlK iN tHe wOoDs tHaT yOu cOuLd do for FrEe’ or ‘info you could probably find online’. Our “competition” is $750 and one of the programs isn’t even taught by a military guy, much less a Green Beret. You two retarded laureates haven’t even attended an event, so your opinion is irrelevant.
And I should put a pin in all of this money grab, predatory, grifter talk by reminding them that this is all voluntary. You don’t have to spend a single dime if you don’t want to. Lots of guys don’t do anything extra and they get Selected all the time. But if a guy wants to be compensated for his hard work and another guy wants to allocate the cost of a night out drinking, then maybe your keen criticism could be stymied a bit. I offer plenty of free advice and commentary every day. I note that neither of you provide anything of value.
So, that’s my assessment of the situation. You don’t have to be a part of the conversation, but I thought that I should let you know how I see it. I endlessly tell you about the importance of foot care, so it’s only fair that I weigh in on this important topic. I should note that there was also some very reasoned comments and lots of guys understanding the intent of the programming AND of the program. And the OP reached out via DM and we had a very reasonable and productive discussion. He gets it. And the number of guys commenting is <1% of the number of guys reading the actual full program. I like that guys are passionate about this stuff. If you get 10 Green Berets in a room you’ll get 11 different opinions on damn near every topic. You know what they say about opinions…

I will try to summarize briefly. For my birthday, my friend gave me a Papillon puppy. It’s the most wonderful gift I could have received. But. I think I can't be happy about it and I don't love it. Maybe I don't even want to love it. A long time ago, I had a Doberman who was the apple of my eye. I adored him, but considering my elderly grandparents, I had to give him up. He ended up with my best friend and is in a good place. I visit him sometimes. I thought I had gotten over it, but it seems I haven’t. I've been crying for two days because every time I look at the little Papillon, I remember him. I miss him terribly and I am extremely ashamed that I don't love the new puppy. I’m not the type who thinks only big dogs are real dogs. I love them all. But involuntarily, I think I became a Doberman person and imagined that in the future, I might have another one. Now I can't decide whether to keep this little Papillon, as I'll probably come to love it anyway (not sure right now), or to give it back and wait, who knows how many years, for the right opportunity to have a Doberman. I feel ungrateful and miserable. I don't know what is right. I don't want to hurt my friend's feelings either (who, by the way, supports me in everything and regrets not thinking it through (although it's not his fault)), and I know that if I give this puppy back, it will hurt as well. Don't know what to do...
Sorry for my broken english & long text.

Travelling to Ireland for a cousins wedding.
1.) What is considered the appropriate wedding attire for men invited as guests?

• would a blazer with chinos be acceptable or the full suit with the tie.

2.) Going rate for a wedding gift?

• Invited to the full event. 5 people from my own family going. What would a single person expect to give and what would a couple expect?

Soo..... I ( M24) was in a relationship for about 4 years. We were college sweet hearts, i thought she was the loml.We planned to get married. Met each other's parents. It was all going well. A rough patch of 6 months hit, and we ended up breaking up.
But, after that break up, it just broke me. Broke me really really bad. I was lonley and felt like killing myself. So I tried putting myself out there. I went out on few dates, but I don't get any butterfly feelings I used to have for going on dates anymore. ( It SUCKS!).
BUT, I started seeing people casually.i used go on one date, make out with that person and then that's the end of it. Maybe it led to sex as well sometimes ( but it sucked, cause being intimate with someone you love is better).. I was on this cycle multiple times - just going on one dates with people.
But now, I realised I was doing all that, because I was lonley and needed human company ( once, I asked someone to cuddle and sleep with me, that's it) .
And now I feel like i m ready for a relationship again, I know what I want, I feel like I have healed quite a bit. But now I m scared, whether me hoeing around this past year, will make me look bad for my future partner. What if I met someone amazing... And my past will hold them back!
I have never cheated in my life, nor will I , cause it has happened to me.
It was a desperate time for me. But, I feel ashamed now.
I saw few posts before in this subreddit, that women won't date men like me. Idk, its throwing me down a spiral again.
Any of you been in this situation and come out of it?

LESSON 153. In my defenselessness my safety lies.
You who feel threatened by this changing world, its twists of fortune and its bitter jests, its brief relationships and all the “gifts” it merely lends to take away again; attend this lesson well. The world provides no safety. It is rooted in attack, and all its “gifts” of seeming safety are illusory deceptions. It attacks, and then attacks again. No peace of mind is possible where danger threatens thus. The world gives rise but to defensiveness. For threat brings anger, anger makes attack seem reasonable, honestly provoked, and righteous in the name of self-defense. Yet is defensiveness a double threat. For it attests to weakness, and sets up a system of defense that cannot work. Now are the weak still further undermined, for there is treachery without and still a greater treachery within. The mind is now confused, and knows not where to turn to find escape from its imaginings.
It is as if a circle held it fast, wherein another circle bound it and another one in that, until escape no longer can be hoped for nor obtained. Attack, defense; defense, attack, become the circles of the hours and the days that bind the mind in heavy bands of steel with iron overlaid, returning but to start again. There seems to be no break nor ending in the ever-tightening grip of the imprisonment upon the mind.
Defenses are the costliest of all the prices which the ego would exact. In them lies madness in a form so grim that hope of sanity seems but to be an idle dream, beyond the possible. The sense of threat the world encourages is so much deeper, and so far beyond the frenzy and intensity of which you can conceive, that you have no idea of all the devastation it has wrought.
You are its slave. You know not what you do, in fear of it. You do not understand how much you have been made to sacrifice, who feel its iron grip upon your heart. You do not realize what you have done to sabotage the holy peace of God by your defensiveness. For you behold the Son of God as but a victim to attack by fantasies, by dreams, and by illusions he has made; yet helpless in their presence, needful only of defense by still more fantasies, and dreams by which illusions of his safety comfort him.
Defenselessness is strength. It testifies to recognition of the Christ in you. Perhaps you will recall the text maintains that choice is always made between Christ’s strength and your own weakness, seen apart from Him. Defenselessness can never be attacked, because it recognizes strength so great attack is folly, or a silly game a tired child might play, when he becomes too sleepy to remember what he wants.
Defensiveness is weakness. It proclaims you have denied the Christ and come to fear His Father’s anger. What can save you now from your delusion of an angry god, whose fearful image you believe you see at work in all the evils of the world? What but illusions could defend you now, when it is but illusions that you fight?
We will not play such childish games today. For our true purpose is to save the world, and we would not exchange for foolishness the endless joy our function offers us. We would not let our happiness slip by because a fragment of a senseless dream happened to cross our minds, and we mistook the figures in it for the Son of God; its tiny instant for eternity.
We look past dreams today, and recognize that we need no defense because we are created unassailable, without all thought or wish or dream in which attack has any meaning. Now we cannot fear, for we have left all fearful thoughts behind. And in defenselessness we stand secure, serenely certain of our safety now, sure of salvation; sure we will fulfill our chosen purpose, as our ministry extends its holy blessing through the world.
Be still a moment, and in silence think how holy is your purpose, how secure you rest, untouchable within its light. God’s ministers have chosen that the truth be with them. Who is holier than they? Who could be surer that his happiness is fully guaranteed? And who could be more mightily protected? What defense could possibly be needed by the ones who are among the chosen ones of God, by His election and their own as well?
It is the function of God’s ministers to help their brothers choose as they have done. God has elected all, but few have come to realize His Will is but their own. And while you fail to teach what you have learned, salvation waits and darkness holds the world in grim imprisonment. Nor will you learn that light has come to you, and your escape has been accomplished. For you will not see the light, until you offer it to all your brothers. As they take it from your hands, so will you recognize it as your own.
Salvation can be thought of as a game that happy children play. It was designed by One Who loves His children, and Who would replace their fearful toys with joyous games, which teach them that the game of fear is gone. His game instructs in happiness because there is no loser. Everyone who plays must win, and in his winning is the gain to everyone ensured. The game of fear is gladly laid aside, when children come to see the benefits salvation brings.
You who have played that you are lost to hope, abandoned by your Father, left alone in terror in a fearful world made mad by sin and guilt; be happy now. That game is over. Now a quiet time has come, in which we put away the toys of guilt, and lock our quaint and childish thoughts of sin forever from the pure and holy minds of Heaven’s children and the Son of God.
We pause but for a moment more, to play our final, happy game upon this earth. And then we go to take our rightful place where truth abides and games are meaningless. So is the story ended. Let this day bring the last chapter closer to the world, that everyone may learn the tale he reads of terrifying destiny, defeat of all his hopes, his pitiful defense against a vengeance he can not escape, is but his own deluded fantasy. God’s ministers have come to waken him from the dark dreams this story has evoked in his confused, bewildered memory of this distorted tale. God’s Son can smile at last, on learning that it is not true.
Today we practice in a form we will maintain for quite a while. We will begin each day by giving our attention to the daily thought as long as possible. Five minutes now becomes the least we give to preparation for a day in which salvation is the only goal we have. Ten would be better; fifteen better still. And as distraction ceases to arise to turn us from our purpose, we will find that half an hour is too short a time to spend with God. Nor will we willingly give less at night, in gratitude and joy.
Each hour adds to our increasing peace, as we remember to be faithful to the Will we share with God. At times, perhaps, a minute, even less, will be the most that we can offer as the hour strikes. Sometimes we will forget. At other times the business of the world will close on us, and we will be unable to withdraw a little while, and turn our thoughts to God.
Yet when we can, we will observe our trust as ministers of God, in hourly remembrance of our mission and His Love. And we will quietly sit by and wait on Him and listen to His Voice, and learn what He would have us do the hour that is yet to come; while thanking Him for all the gifts He gave us in the one gone by.
In time, with practice, you will never cease to think of Him, and hear His loving Voice guiding your footsteps into quiet ways, where you will walk in true defenselessness. For you will know that Heaven goes with you. Nor would you keep your mind away from Him a moment, even though your time is spent in offering salvation to the world. Think you He will not make this possible, for you who chose to carry out His plan for the salvation of the world and yours?
Today our theme is our defenselessness. We clothe ourselves in it, as we prepare to meet the day. We rise up strong in Christ, and let our weakness disappear, as we remember that His strength abides in us. We will remind ourselves that He remains beside us through the day, and never leaves our weakness unsupported by His strength. We call upon His strength each time we feel the threat of our defenses undermine our certainty of purpose. We will pause a moment, as He tells us, “I am here.”
Your practicing will now begin to take the earnestness of love, to help you keep your mind from wandering from its intent. Be not afraid nor timid. There can be no doubt that you will reach your final goal. The ministers of God can never fail, because the love and strength and peace that shine from them to all their brothers come from Him. These are His gifts to you. Defenselessness is all you need to give Him in return. You lay aside but what was never real, to look on Christ and see His sinlessness.