Hinge has positioned itself as a long-term relationship app, so that means your profile needs to convince her you’re true Boyfriend Material!
Sound like a tall order? Don't worry. We use Hinge on a daily basis, and have been since the app launched in 2012. You're about to benefit from our thousands of hours of direct user experience!
You see, we represent our clients on Hinge - optimizing their profiles, selecting their photo lineups, and sending messages on their behalf. We analyze everything, so we know what approaches work, what to avoid, and which strategies attract the best matches.
Thanks to our evidence-based approached, these 7 Hinge profile tips for men will make your profile irresistible! You’ll also get 11 examples of the best Hinge answers.
Let’s start with the main attraction…
Hinge Profile Tip #1: Aim For Perfection With Your Primary Photo
Don’t worry - it’s easier than it sounds! A team of European neuroscientists identified a checklist of what attributes combine to make the most attractive profile picture:
Eye contact is particularly important, as lack of it has a negative effect on her first impression of you. When she can look you straight in the eyes, you seem inherently more trustworthy and genuinely likeable.
That means sunglasses are not ideal for dating photos, and you don’t want to hide your eyes behind your hair or a Snapchat filter either.
Hinge Profile Tip #2: Embrace Quality Control
You know who gets excited about low-quality graphics? No one.
So when choosing your other 5 Hinge photos or videos, make sure they’re all high-quality images. You want your Hinge lineup to look intentional and curated, not like you pulled random images off your Facebook or phone.
Here’s the thing - when looking at images, human brains are wired to prefer simplicity and clarity.
When a picture has a high cognitive workload, it means your brain has to work harder to interpret what’s going on in the frame. The subject matter becomes less attractive the more complex it is.
Simple = attractive.
If your picture is blurry, has harsh highlights and dark shadows, or “artistic” effects that obscure your face, the odds she’s going to “like” or comment on it are drastically reduced - and that means you probably won’t match with her.
While artistic effects that complicate your photos are not good, using a black and white filter can increase the odds you’ll get some “likes” - by 106%. Try applying one to a photo or two in your lineup!
Hinge Profile Tip #3: Put Down The Selfie Stick
Selfies are problematic on Hinge for several reasons:

1. Selfies are a whopping 40% less likely to get “likes.” That number rockets up to 90% if it’s a bathroom selfie. Don’t go there.

2. Selfies are less attractive than non-selfies. A recent study compared two photos - a selfie, and a photo of that same person taken by someone else. The selfie version was perceived as less attractive and more narcissistic. Don’t cultivate that vibe on Hinge!

3. They don’t inspire comments. Which photo do you think will entice more comments and “likes”:

Dalmatians for the win!
Photos where you’re doing something are especially effective on Hinge, as it makes it easy for your match to start a conversation by asking about whatever is going on in the image.
Per their internal data, sports photos are the most popular when it comes to “likes,” and activity photos in general ranked highly.
Coming in dead last were pics where you’re posing with someone who could be an ex. A full 98% of singles said that was a turn off.
Hinge Profile Tip #4: Stay On The Bright Side
Now let’s talk about your profile text. The best Hinge prompts to answer let you highlight on an attractive trait or two in a positive way.
Remember, she’s looking for Boyfriend Material, so why waste space with negativity?
Take, for instance, the “Pet Peeves” prompt. It’s challenging to make your answer sound anything other than whiny, pessimistic, and overly bothered by the minutiae of daily life.
Plus, if it’s a shared pet peeve, chances are she’ll feel a flash of annoyance when she reads it - and guess who she’s going to associate that feeling with? (Spoiler alert: you).
You also want to avoid describing what she may perceive as a negative character trait or flaw:
With over 80 prompts to choose from and only 3 available slots, she’s going to wonder why you took up valuable space with what’s essentially a reason not to “like” you.
To decide which are the best Hinge profile questions for you to answer, take a minute and write down a list of things you bring to the table that you think your ideal woman would be looking for in a guy.
Stable career, physically fit, interesting hobbies, family oriented, able to afford vacations, responsible enough to care for a dog… things of that nature that illustrate why you’d be a particularly good catch.
Then compare that list to the available prompts, and choose the ones that best let you highlight a few of those traits. Simple!
Here are 4 great Hinge profile examples, plus insight into why they work:
If you’re still stuck on what to write in your Hinge profile, try using one of these creative Hinge answers that are general enough to fit anyone:
A blast-from-the-past fashion trend makes for a great conversation starter since most women can relate to it.
While these examples don’t necessarily highlight a desirable personality trait or hobby, they will bring a smile to her face.
Humor is a great strategy in a dating profile, if you can pull it off. Women can’t help but be drawn to funny guys - it’s the way her brain is wired.
Hinge Profile Tip #5: Make One Of The Prompts About Her
Marketing yourself in an appealing, intriguing way is the goal of your Hinge profile.
But including a tidbit about her is an effective strategy.
According to research, 70% of your dating profile should describe you, but 30% of it should describe what type of person you’re looking for. That’s the most attractive combination.
As you’ve already learned, keep your answer positive.
Describing what you don’t want could have the opposite effect, as you may end up sounding picky and judgemental. Or worse, bitter from your last relationship imploding.
Hinge don'ts
Instead, focus on hobbies you’d like to have in common with your perfect match, or attributes that are important to you in a relationship.
Here are 3 great ways to answer the Hinge profile questions:
Describing non-physical attributes implies you're looking for a non-superficial relationship, and mentioning a hobby you'd like to have in common gives her some insight into your personality.
These good prompt answers give her some insight into what dating you might be like, and also imply that keeping in shape is important to you (which is always an attractive quality).
Mentioning a great first date idea in your Hinge answer is a subtle way to make her envision what an hour or two with you might include.
In fact, it’s so effective that according to founder Justin McCleod, answering this prompt got the most dates for users in London:
What works in London will probably work wherever you are as well, making “I know the best spot in town for” one of the best Hinge prompts for guys to answer if it's one of the available options for you.
Hinge Profile Tip #6: Make Every Word Count
The shorter a dating app profile is, the more impact each individual word has. To create the best possible first impression, you want every word in your profile to evoke positive vibes.
Stay away from words that cause a strong negative reaction, like violence, swearing, drugs and weapons. Those can have a ripple effect that will diminish your overall attractiveness.
And since this is Hinge, not Tinder, you’ll definitely want to keep it classy.
don't do this on Hinge
Even if you’re on Hinge just to hook up, don’t advertise your intentions in your profile. And consider switching to another dating app - Hinge really isn’t the app for that.
Here a few more Hinge “Don’ts” to keep in mind:
Repeat yourself. She’s reading a max of 450 characters, which is even less than a Tinder bio. Repetition is really going to stand out. If you talk about how much you love hiking in every Hinge answer, she’s apt to think you’re a one note kind of guy.
Make grammapunctuation/spelling errors. There’s not a lot of written material feeding into that all-important first impression, so little mistakes can have a big effect. Plus, surveyed singles said bad sex was preferable to bad grammar (if they had to choose), so it’s important to get it right.
Give “non” answers. You may think it’s the height of wit to answer Hinge prompts with statements like “I’m looking for… a better answer to this question,” but that’s likely to backfire on you. If she thinks you’re not taking online dating seriously, she probably won’t invest any time in getting to know you.
Reference past relationships. If you’re in your late 20s or 30s, odds are high you’ve got at least one significant relationship in your past. Whether the breakup was good or bad, your Hinge profile is not the place to rehash it.
Hinge Profile Tip #7: Reconsider Your “Dealbreakers”
When you set up your Hinge profile, you have the option to designate match preferences as “dealbreakers.”
That's a great feature for singles seeking long-term relationships, as it eliminates the need to ask those personal questions during the first few dates.
When you specify something as a dealbreaker, you won’t see profiles of people who don’t fit that category, regardless of how many other categories they do fit. (If you don't specify something as a dealbreaker, you may see profiles of singles who fall slightly outside of your ideal preferences.)
Free members have the usual filters like age range, distance and height. If you’re a Hinge+ or HingeX member, you have access to additional filters like children, family plans, education, and politics.
Take a look at any categories you deemed a “Dealbreaker” and make sure they truly are.
For instance, if your match is 5’7” instead of 5’8” or taller, is that truly important in the grand scheme of things? Or if she’s 41 instead of under 40?
If you’re too exclusive with your filtering, you may miss out on a great match you would have really clicked with, despite a small divergence from your “ideal type.”

The room was quiet.
No one said a word.
I looked around at their grim faces, and decided to break the silence. "Ares?" I asked. "As in... the god of war?"
"The very one," Apollo acknowledged. "We are doomed."
"Well, actually," Artemis said from the doorway. "He is... just sort of walking around."
Athena lifted her eyebrows, "What? Explain, Sister."
"I do not know how to further explain," said Artemis, adopting a pained expression. "He is not tearing this lodge to shreds as he would if..."
"... If he knew we were here," Athena finished her sentence. "Do you think he hasn't detected us?"
"Impossible," Hephaestus huffed.
"I agree with Hephaestus," Apollo said, leering at the windows on the north side of the room. "Ares can detect us almost anywhere on Olympus. Certainly he can feel us from the other side of this wall, no?"
"Out there?" I asked, gesturing toward the north wall.
Artemis nodded gravely. "Yes. He must be preparing something."
I started toward the window when Apollo jumped in front of me. "Excuse me, are you mad?"
"He wouldn't recognize me," I said, scooting past him. He lifted a hand as if to stop me, but simply looked to Athena for help.
She tilted her head and shrugged, "He has a point. We're all finished anyway. What could it hurt?"
I stood at the window and peered out at the people gathered around the fountain. There was a taller than average man in gleaming golden armor standing among them. His donned a crimson cape that blew in the breeze— he was a magnificent sight to behold. It was as though his very being was shimmering-shiny.
"He's... asking people questions," I narrated. "He's the guy in the golden armor right?"
"Yes," came Artemis's voice next to me. "If he is speaking, I may be able to hear him if I sharpen my focus. I am good at this. Everyone, please remain quiet." She knelt down, closed her eyes, and pressed her ear against the wall.
I watched him speak to people and occasionally point to the sky. Everyone around him seemed taken by his fancy appearance, but they were all shoulders; they had no idea what he was on about.
"None of you?" asked Artemis. "None of you saw a group of people come from the sky?" She spoke slowly as she listened. "I sensed them here in this town when I arrived. Now they have disappeared. Have you done something?"
"I don't believe it," Hephaestus spoke, a spark of hope in his heart. "He cannot sense us. But how?"
"Perhaps this lodge is magical," Apollo said, a small smile appearing on his face. "What luck! What unbelievable luck!"
I couldn't help but smile at our good fortune as I watched them breathe sighs of relief. My gaze stopped on Athena however, as she was staring at me with narrowed eyes as though deep in thought.
"It is... possible that I was mistaken," Artemis spoke. "But I could have sword upon my steel that I sensed all of them this way." She looked up at me and smiled. "Buck, he is leaving!"
I watched through the window as the god turned and heaved a frustrated sigh. He looked up at the sky before leaping up and out of view. The people by the fountain gasped so hard I could hear it through the walls of the lodge.
"He's gone!" I exclaimed. "He took off!" I turned to find Athena right next to me and my back hit the wall. Her eyes were inches from mine. "Oh- uhh- hey, Athena," I said nervously, sidling away from her. "You, uhh... You good?"
"What is it?" asked Artemis as she stood up. "What do you sense in Buck?"
The others gathered near the window caging me in as Athena stared into my soul. I swallowed and glanced around. "What?"
"Nothing," Athena smiled.
"Nothing?"
"I sense... nothing." she clarified.
"Now that you mention it," Apollo leaned in. "I too sense no aura from the new god."
"Hm," Hephaestus scratched his temple. "You know... I cannot sense him either. Not even a little of him."
"Can't sense me?" I asked. "I don't know, you're all looking awfully hard at me."
"You have no aura," Athena clarified. "Every god and goddess has an aura without exception," she explained.
"To put it to you in terms you will better understand," said Apollo. "Think of when you go to visit someone you know at their house. Their house has a distinct smell, no?"
"Yeah," I nodded cautiously. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Not always like a bad smell, but a scent."
"Now imagine," Artemis chimed in. "That you can smell that person's home-smell when they are close."
"Within a mile," Athena added. "We can sense others of our kind in such a way. Some can sense it stronger than others."
"... And you're saying I don't have one?" I asked. "Like at all?"
"Perhaps because he was first human," Hephaestus offered.
"No," Apollo smiled, looking at Athena.
"We're on the same page, Apollo," Athena smiled back.
"Hm?" Artemis placed her hands on her hips. "If you have figured something out, please share it."
"I believe," said Athena, pointing playfully at me. "That our friend here is camoflauge, so to speak."
"A god of isolation," Apollo said in wonderment. "If he does not wish to be found..."
"My word," Hephaestus smiled. "If that is truly a power of yours... I am jealous."
"You think I'm hiding your auras?" I asked, a half-smile on my face. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," Athena answered with a relieved sigh. "I believe merely being close to you erases our presence from those that seek us."
I looked down at my own hands and tightened them into fists. It was amazing. I was emitting godlike powers without even trying. It was just a part of who I was now. What luck that I was lonely enough in life to assert a domain that could hide me in plain sight from those that would wish me harm. I was so happy to be useful I couldn't even form it into words.
"We should run further still," Artemis cut in. "I am a piece of Father, and if I know him, he will still not give up the search. Unable to sense our auras, he will still search high and low with his eyes and ears. He will follow our trail."
"Agreed," Athena answered quickly. "We must not stay here."
"Well, where do we go?" I asked.
"To Asgard," Hephaestus answered firmly.
"I believe it was you who said Odin would not take us in, yes?" asked Apollo.
"We are not going for shelter," Hephaestus smiled a devilish grin. "We are going... for materials."
Asgard wasn't what I expected. Truth was, I didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this. The sky was a splauched watercolor painting of blues and violets, and even black in some places as the winds blew across the roiling water beneath. The plane seemed to be on the brink of a major storm that never quite arrived. The air was salty and cold as we were rowed across the noisy waters toward the great hall on the hill. I could see it through the fog with a mighty hearth fire burning at the port.
"It's kind of dreary," I noted as the Norseman rowed us to shore.
"I adore this type of weather," Artemis grinned widely. "It is so exciting, would you not agree?"
"I must admit, I too enjoy the calm before a storm," Hephaestus agreed. "Great power swells within the clouds. The potential is hair-raising."
"I would oft come to earth just for this feeling," Apollo spoke next. "There's nothing like it."
"Perhaps it is a sense of godlike nostalgia among Zeus's children," Athena said before taking a big wiff of the air. "We all love storms, it seems."
I preferred sunny weather, but it wasn't like I didn't understand. There was something exilerating about a storm so intense that it knocked the power out. We'd gather together in the living room and light all our candles, and play board games while we listened to the rolling thunder over our heads.
I missed that.
I missed my family.
And it was striking me just then as we pulled up to the shore that I might never see anyone I loved ever again. I had been so caught up in getting away from an angry deity that I hadn't really had the time to sit and think about the state of my life.
The longboat rumbled beneath us as it bore into the rocky shoreline. The other gods climbed out and onto the shore, and I followed quietly behind them. We marched up the torchlit path to the great hall under heavy fog. The rocks crunched under my boots as I moved up the incline. I never did tire or run out of breath— divinity had robbed me of such mortal difficulties. I should have been thrilled, but my heart was heavy. Would I never know the challenge of exercise again?
I shook the thoughts away. I kept thinking like a poet inside my head. It was so weird having my inner monologue change. Would I be speaking like Artemis eventually? Or could I keep a more natural sentence structure like Athena? At least she used contractions. Artemis sounded like a language model; like Microsoft Sam, or Starfire from Teen Titans or something— like she was still getting a grasp on the language after thousands of years.
When we reached the top of the path, we stood before the great hall's massive wooden doors. We beheld them for only a moment before they parted in the middle and creaked open. A tall man— taller than any of us strode out of the hall. He wore what looked like an animal pelt across his silver shoulder pauldrons, and the rest of his outfit was made up of dark leather that thinly veiled his abdominal muscles. He surveyed us through a single eye, brushing his long grey hair out of his face and behind his ears. I couldn't tell if he was smiling beneath his thick beard.
"You have ten seconds to explain," he spoke harshly.
It was a safe bet that he wasn't smiling.
"It's the new deity," Athena spoke quickly. "Brian," she clarified, turning and looking over her shoulder at me.
"Me?" I cried out in surprise. "I haven't done anything yet!"
"His domains are indulgence, isolation, and humor... so far as we know. It the second of his domains that concerns you."
"But we promise," Artemis interjected. "He cannot control it yet! And you will understand, soon enough, that it is best that we cannot be detected."
The man looked me over, his frown softening into a look of curiosity. "How about that?" he asked, moving through the crowd of gods nearer to me. "I didn't know about it," he said in a deep tone. "Do you have any idea," he asked, looking me dead in the eyes. "... How long it has been since I didn't know something?"
The valleys of age that ran across his face didn't for a single second betray the enormity of his might. I could feel the weight of his power on my shoulders as he studied me. I didn't have to ask who he was. I could feel it in my bones— this was Odin.
This was the All-Father.
Athena appeared at his side and smiled sweetly at him. "How does it feel?" she asked.
"Unnerving," he answered. "And yet... exhilerating, I could not sense any of you approaching. I didn't know you would be here before I heard the horns of the boatmen." he turned to her. "How is this possible?"
"Well, now," Athena said in her most charming voice. "How would you like to hear a story you haven't heard before? One you didn't immediately know as the pen met the page?"
"Ha," he placed a thick hand on her shoulder. "I knew I would like you, Athena." He turned to the others and smiled genuinely. "Come! Join me at my table! We have about an hour before Poseidon shows up asking for you."
I was in awe.
He was completely omniscient it seemed.
He knew all— except for me.
I couldn't help the feeling of unease as we followed him into the hall and the gargantuan wooden doors closed behind us. If Odin felt I was a threat to him...
I was certain none of us would be able to stand up to him.
Writing Prompt Submitted by u/blablador-2001

Keep your bio short, sweet and lighthearted. Avoid things and statements that can be used against you. You don't need something special or extravagant and having a bio that's too long or in depth can look as too tryhard. Instead work on your pictures, because in the end those will decide if someone swipes left or right on you regardless of what they say... because only once they decided that you are cute enough they will open up your bio
Tease slightly. Be humorous. Tell them how good your life is without directly saying it. And pictures pictures pictures. Each picture needs to be high quality. Bio doesn't have the same strength as decent pictures.
Write something that tells me about you--what you like to eat, do in your free time, watch on tv, last cool place you visited or want to visit next, whatever. The worst is guys who write nothing or just their IG handle, FFS. If that's all the time and thoughtfullness you can put into a profile, I'm going to assume that's what I'll get from you in a relationship. Also, is it laziness or complete lack of self-awareness? This is why writing even a little bit about yourself can be really important in this context.
Every girl is gonna be attracted to something different and the character limit blows. Just be yourself
OK, so, you officially downloaded Bumble, picked out your best dating-app-friendly photos, and brushed up on some Bumble openers. Now, it's time to create the best Bumble bio. But where do you begin?
Creating a good Bumble bio that stands out may sound like an intimidating task, but it's super important you don't half-ass this step. According to Bumble's US data from April, "those who added a bio to their profile experienced an increase in their average number of monthly matches than members who didn't," a Bumble spokesperson says. Clearly, it's important for a better dating experience.
But just because crafting the best Bumble bios sounds intimidating doesn't mean it has to be. Really, it starts with thinking about all of the things that make you you. With the help of a Bumble spokesperson, here are some tips and ideas on how to craft the best Bumble bios to score quality matches.
Tips on How to Write the Best Bumble Bio
Complete your entire profile first. Before deciding on what to include in your bio, Bumble recommends filling out the rest of your profile. Add to your "Interests," "Basics," and "Lifestyle" badges, which will give people an idea of who you are and what you're looking for. Then, take a look at your profile and decide what about yourself is missing from it. Per the Bumble spokesperson, some of the most popular Bumble profiles included information on a user's dating intentions, exercise interest, and zodiac sign.
Highlight the things that matter to you. The Bumble spokesperson said this will help to make sure you're matching with people who share similar interests as you. For example, if it's important you match with a fellow dog-lover, make sure you mention something about your own dog (or the type of dog you want). To stand out from the billion other profiles that mention a dog, don't be afraid to add some spice to your profile. "Try to jazz your bio up a little by exaggerating your statements or cracking a joke," the Bumble spokesperson says. Just remember, you don't have to say too much — brevity is key.
Focus on the positive and not the negative. Bumble data shows that positivity is one of the most important traits for Bumble members worldwide, according to the spokesperson. Instead of listing out what you don't want in a partner, hone in on what you do want. "Focusing on what you do like can be a much better way to find someone who ticks all your boxes," the rep says. In other words, don't use your bio to list out things you're not looking for in a dating-app match.
Ask those closest to you what makes you special. Ask your friends or family what key things they think a date should know about you, the Bumble spokesperson suggests. "They won't overthink it in the same way you might."
Once you're ready to write your bio, here are some ideas to get the juices flowing. Feel free to copy and paste, or tailor the below to your individual preferences and needs.
Funny Bumble Bios
"Would do dirty things to [insert the name of your favorite sports team's coach] if it meant the [your favorite sports team] would win."
"If you're not messing up the lyrics to 'Fergalicious' with me, I don't want it."
"My definition of loving me unconditionally is always giving me the last mozzarella stick."
"As an English major, you will 1,000 percent make my day if you prove you know the difference between your and you're."
"Always hungry, and I mean, physically hungry — not hungry for success, or anything."
Best Bumble Bios
"If you're down to rave with me, you have my heart."
"Looking for someone who also has an adventurous palate!"
"I'm DTF. Yes, that's down to food — always."
"If attending a Saturday morning SoulCycle date is your idea of 'fun,' I'm yours."
"What's your most controversial opinion?"
Sexy Bumble Bios
"Ice cream is my second favorite thing to eat in bed."
"In the mood for a glizzy, and not the hot dog kind."
"Looking to cook my famous lasagna in exchange for you showing me your favorite bagel spot the next morning."
"Nothing will turn me on more than a match who knows their Harry Potter."
"My favorite summer activity is playing sand volleyball, so you could say I'm pretty good on my knees."
Good Bumble Bios
"Team sweets over salty. Don't agree? Give me your best argument."
"Tell me about your next tattoo or piercing."
"I would sell my soul for an unlimited supply of my mom's homemade dumplings."
"Must know your thoughts on Beyoncé's new country album."
"If you like Pizza Hut breadsticks, Taylor Swift, and drinking way too many espresso martinis, we'll get along just great."

Writing Task 1: Comparing a bar graph with data on sports fans who watched particular sports with the percentage of those participating in the mentioned sports
Writing Task 2: To what extent do you agree or disagree that the most important thing for a rich person is the opportunity to help other people
Speaking: I was first asked questions about my hometown and my neighbourhood in particular (is it a quiet/busy one), what do I prefer- staying in or going out, what I like about my home and what do I do in my free time , am I familiar with my neighbours and do I like interacting with them
For the cue card- I was asked to speak about one person I am really happy to know
The rest of the questions were fairly abstract topics like what is the most important factor for happiness in an employee's life and what an employer to do make an employee feel happy / Does the happiness of one person in a group lead to happiness of others around them / Is a salary more important or work-life balance / What are my views on the concept of work-life balance

Hey guys! So nothing confirmed yet I haven’t applied or anything, but within the next year or so I have made a vague plan to go back to university and get my masters in education (complete 360 from my undergraduate) with a specialisation in inclusive and special education, and hopefully writing a thesis on how teachers and the school curriculum in my country can be more inclusive for children with dyspraxia, or something along those lines.
I want to write this because I grew up extremely privileged and despite being handed loads of opportunities (my school pretty much was an athlete producing machine and I come from a small country that values sport very very highly) and I felt like I couldn’t do anything and I couldn’t quite understand why. I managed to survive PE by getting thick skin and a sense of humour (including getting teachers in on the joke) and looking back in my twenties, I am shocked that my PE teachers had no clue, and that there were no resources or exceptions. I was only made aware of what dyspraxia was when I was about 17, and this was by a drama teacher who said it was extremely obvious when she looked at me. For me hearing that changed my life and I felt like I had a piece of the puzzle that had been missing my whole life, and it felt like a weight got lifted off my shoulders because maybe it wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t catch or tell my left and rights.
Over the past year or so I have wondered if anyone else had an experience like this/what exceptions or resources they were offered that did help/ what was the hardest and most annoying things growing up at school with dyspraxia? Not research based but just would love to know what particular things effected you (this also might help my thesis later)! Cheers x

1) I hate restrictions. I hate things and relationships that make me unable to act naturally and freely. 2) I am suspicious of most things, and cannot quickly trust people or information, even if it is from fairly reliable sources, etc. 3) Confidentiality. 4) I love to learn a lot, especially if it is related to topics that interest me. 5) I always like to think rationally and logically, and I always try to be logical. 6) I am able to relate events well. 7) I don't like to depend on anyone or anything. I like to rely only on myself. 8) I prefer to be alone and do the things I love alone. 9) I like to learn through my previous experiences. 10) My style of discussion is: I listen to the other party and wait for him to complete his point of view, even if his point of view conflicts with mine. I try to understand his point of view and see the evidence and arguments. If I am convinced, this is normal, and if I am not convinced, this is normal. I am one of the calmest people in the debate and the type who does not attack, does not rush, or gets angry because the other party does not resemble my point of view. 11) The first impression of me is always that I am quiet, I don't talk much, and I am somewhat serious, and people almost avoid me at first because of my semi-serious appearance. 12) People call me cold.. 13) I don't take the initiative. 14) If I'm with people I care about, I'll talk and laugh normally, but if I don't like people, they'll see me as cold and not talking much. 15) I ignore a lot. 16) I do not like for anyone to praise me because I do not know what to do or what is the appropriate reaction to give, so I try to ignore the praise and treat myself as if I do not hear it, and if I want to say something, I will just say thank you. 17) I always hide my feelings, I do not like to show them to anyone, and I always suppress them. 18) I value personal space very much, and I do not like anyone to enter my life, nor do I like to enter people’s lives. 19) I like to help people I care about. 20) I am afraid to show people facts about me because I am afraid that people will use them against me 21) I do not like to be a leader, but if there is no leader and I see that everyone is not good at assuming the leadership position, then I donate and take it and be strict and harsh because I believe that the quality of strictness should be in a leader. 22) Care a lot about how some things work. 23) I love sports. For example, I love martial arts, I love running, I love playing football, etc., but I do not practice them because circumstances do not allow me. 24) I love scientific things such as mathematics and physics, and I love learning them and delving into them. 25) I don't make detailed long-term plans for the future. If I want to make plans, I'll make plans with bullet points or simple details, but more often than not I make plans with bullet points to the point that it's very natural for me to keep them in my head, and not have to write them down on notes or paper so I can remember them. 26) I hate emotional talk. 27) I hate physical contact. 28) I like to take things apart to see how they work and what they are made of. I don't fix it, but I would like to know how it works. 29) I don’t like compliments, so I don’t always compliment and be honest. 30) I get bored quickly sometimes. 31) I don't care about people leaving my life, this is very normal for me and I get over it very quickly. 32) I don't think about the future or the past much. Mostly, I focus on the present. 33) To be honest, sometimes I like rules and follow them, but not always. 34) I always like to search for the exact meaning of words. 35) I am always interested in developing myself scientifically. 36) I like deep and realistic thoughts. 37) I love and appreciate respect, and if I respect someone and he does not respect me, I will get angry and perhaps hurt him. 38) I do not like when others underestimate my abilities, and if someone underestimates my abilities, I try to prove my abilities to him. 39) I show my interest in a person through actions, not words. I show this by encouraging and supporting him with what he does, sharing tips, sharing my knowledge with him, asking how he is doing, helping him when he needs me, but I never like emotional talk. 40) I'm not a bit of a nervous person. 41) I know a lot about my surroundings without any effort on my part, but I do not talk about it. 42) I like to go to the library and read books there, but circumstances do not allow me to read books on the Internet. 43) I can do things even if I don't know how. I mean I can draw even though I don't know. I mean my senses are almost ready to do anything, even if I don't know. 44) I prefer to learn by myself. 45) At first people are always afraid to approach me because I look serious and sharp, but only when you get to know me. If people I feel comfortable with and care about. I will be helpful, I can be kind, I will joke with them and laugh. I'm the exact opposite when I'm with people I don't feel comfortable with and I don't care about them. 46) If someone asks for an opinion on something, I will give him my advice based on my previous experiences, analysis of the situation, and the information I have on this topic. 47) I hate being controlled by people. 48) I have good self-confidence. 49) I love realistic and tangible things, and I can use my senses with them, and I love applying them to reality if they can be applied to reality. 50) I like isolation and do not like meeting people. 51) I don't laugh a lot, but I smile and not a lot either. 52) Almost everyone around me says I'm complicated. 53) I do not like noise, loud voices, and screaming. 54) I don't cry much and it's rare for me to do so. 55) I have a kind of apathy. 56) When I am with myself, I feel comfortable, entertained, and happy, unlike when I am with others. 57) I don't care about the things that surround me if they don't interest me. 58) I hate memories, and if people give me a memory, I will throw it away. The thing is, I hate memories and I hate making memories in general. 59) I have a fairly good sense of humor, but it doesn't show to anyone and doesn't always show. 60) I don't complain, I hate complaining, and I hate people who complain a lot. 61) I have an obsession with education and knowledge. I'm literally afraid that I won't be able to think logically and correctly because I don't have enough knowledge, so I love learning and I love knowledge. 62) Maybe I am mysterious and I keep many things in my life and do not reveal them. 63) Not committed most of the time. 64) I don't care about criticism. 65) I never, ever give up, whenever I fail, I try again. 66) I have a little bit of narcissism and a little bit of paranoia to a degree that is not always obvious. 67) One time a family member told me that you always answer me (it's normal, it's not a problem, I don't know....) My answers are like this because the topic does not interest me. This means that if something doesn't matter to me, I can't pretend that I do. 68) I was described as not caring about people’s feelings, cold and very frank, not interested in relationships, quiet, mysterious, flexible in speech, with a courageous personality, good at school, intelligent and introverted.
Note: I will take your opinions as a guess only because no one knows themselves better than themselves.

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!

So I’m (18M) in high school, and just need some basic advice. This is probably the most common and generic problem/question that is seen on this sub, but I find myself really hung up on it recently. As dumb as I feel for asking for asking for advice on reddit, I feel like this might be useful anyways so I’ll give it a go. Basically, I feel somewhat overlooked by people in my class and am wondering about advice for how to date.
I’m a pretty popular guy (yes even though I posted on reddit), and I am very well liked by my classmates. I talk to lots of people and am pretty successful in sports and school. I go to parties and do all that stuff too. However, all my friends date people and I struggle to do that. I’m fairly good looking (according to people I’m better than average which I’ll take as a good thing), maintain good hygiene, all of that stuff. But my friends seem to date people and I don’t. It wouldn’t be that big of an issue, if they didn’t clown me for it. They seem to have no issue finding someone to date or hook up with. I’ve had opportunities to hook up with people, but I’ve never actually done it because it’s just not something I’m into. I’d rather know the person and be in a relationship first. However, because of this I don’t have much experience which I get teased for by my friends.
A couple weekends ago, I hosted a party for my birthday and a girl (18F) who was supposedly into me wanted to get with me. I didn’t know her to well, and despite her friends trying to persuade me, I said no. This was partly because we were both not in our right minds at all if you get what I mean, and I knew that I could make regretful choices that way. Also, I already knew that she was into me and I wasn’t really into her, so I’d feel bad if I was leading her on. Long story short, nothing happened and this week her friend told me that she wasn’t into me anymore because of it.
This same situation happened to me a few months ago when I was hanging out with a girl and we made out at a party. We had already been hanging out for a few weeks prior. She didn’t really seem to want to beforehand, so I didn’t try to. I also was really nervous since I had never done that before and I wasn’t thinking straight. But then she got mad and said that I need to “just make a move”. Well I did and afterwards she called me a bunch of stuff to her friends and said that I was a coward for not just kissing her. A week later she dumped me for an older guy.
Am I doing something wrong here? I get that maybe I should be less hesitant, but I also don’t want to give people the wrong idea. Also, I’m not into all of that hooking up stuff. Lots of my friends, actually almost all girls in this case, brag in front of me about how they got with this dude last week but then this dude yesterday, and it quite honestly disgusts me. I don’t want to end up as that guy, but it seems like that’s what happens to most people. I don’t want to be a one night thing, but it seems like I also can’t be anything more. Any advice?
Edit: so I read this over and I kinda go on a bit of a tangent. This isn’t meant to be a sob sorry at all, I’m just writing down my experiences and asking for advice on how to avoid or do better in these situations. Honestly, any advice would help. Thanks!
TLDR: relationship advice, struggling to figure out what to do.

So I’m (18M) in high school, and just need some basic advice. This is probably the most common and generic problem/question that is seen on this sub, but I find myself really hung up on it recently. As dumb as I feel for asking for asking for advice on reddit, I feel like this might be useful anyways so I’ll give it a go. Basically, I feel somewhat overlooked by people in my class and am wondering about advice for how to date.
I’m a pretty popular guy (yes even though I posted on reddit), and I am very well liked by my classmates. I talk to lots of people and am pretty successful in sports and school. I go to parties and do all that stuff too. However, all my friends date people and I struggle to do that. I’m fairly good looking (according to people I’m better than average which I’ll take as a good thing), maintain good hygiene, all of that stuff. But my friends seem to date people and I don’t. It wouldn’t be that big of an issue, if they didn’t clown me for it. They seem to have no issue finding someone to date or hook up with. I’ve had opportunities to hook up with people, but I’ve never actually done it because it’s just not something I’m into. I’d rather know the person and be in a relationship first. However, because of this I don’t have much experience which I get teased for by my friends.
A couple weekends ago, I hosted a party for my birthday and a girl (18F) who was supposedly into me wanted to get with me. I didn’t know her to well, and despite her friends trying to persuade me, I said no. This was partly because we were both not in our right minds at all if you get what I mean, and I knew that I could make regretful choices that way. Also, I already knew that she was into me and I wasn’t really into her, so I’d feel bad if I was leading her on. Long story short, nothing happened and this week her friend told me that she wasn’t into me anymore because of it.
This same situation happened to me a few months ago when I was hanging out with a girl and we made out at a party. We had already been hanging out for a few weeks prior. She didn’t really seem to want to beforehand, so I didn’t try to. I also was really nervous since I had never done that before and I wasn’t thinking straight. But then she got mad and said that I need to “just make a move”. Well I did and afterwards she called me a bunch of stuff to her friends and said that I was a coward for not just kissing her. A week later she dumped me for an older guy.
Am I doing something wrong here? I get that maybe I should be less hesitant, but I also don’t want to give people the wrong idea. Also, I’m not into all of that hooking up stuff. Lots of my friends, actually almost all girls in this case, brag in front of me about how they got with this dude last week but then this dude yesterday, and it quite honestly disgusts me. I don’t want to end up as that guy, but it seems like that’s what happens to most people. I don’t want to be a one night thing, but it seems like I also can’t be anything more. Any advice?
Edit: so I read this over and I kinda go on a bit of a tangent. This isn’t meant to be a sob sorry at all, I’m just writing down my experiences and asking for advice on how to avoid or do better in these situations. Honestly, any advice would help. Thanks!
TLDR: relationship advice, struggling to figure out what to do.

So I’m (18M) in high school, and just need some basic advice. This is probably the most common and generic problem/question that is seen on this sub, but I find myself really hung up on it recently. As dumb as I feel for asking for asking for advice on reddit, I feel like this might be useful anyways so I’ll give it a go. Basically, I feel somewhat overlooked by people in my class and am wondering about advice for how to date.
I’m a pretty popular guy (yes even though I posted on reddit), and I am very well liked by my classmates. I talk to lots of people and am pretty successful in sports and school. I go to parties and do all that stuff too. However, all my friends date people and I struggle to do that. I’m fairly good looking (according to people I’m better than average which I’ll take as a good thing), maintain good hygiene, all of that stuff. But my friends seem to date people and I don’t. It wouldn’t be that big of an issue, if they didn’t clown me for it. They seem to have no issue finding someone to date or hook up with. I’ve had opportunities to hook up with people, but I’ve never actually done it because it’s just not something I’m into. I’d rather know the person and be in a relationship first. However, because of this I don’t have much experience which I get teased for by my friends.
A couple weekends ago, I hosted a party for my birthday and a girl (18F) who was supposedly into me wanted to get with me. I didn’t know her to well, and despite her friends trying to persuade me, I said no. This was partly because we were both not in our right minds at all if you get what I mean, and I knew that I could make regretful choices that way. Also, I already knew that she was into me and I wasn’t really into her, so I’d feel bad if I was leading her on. Long story short, nothing happened and this week her friend told me that she wasn’t into me anymore because of it.
This same situation happened to me a few months ago when I was hanging out with a girl and we made out at a party. We had already been hanging out for a few weeks prior. She didn’t really seem to want to beforehand, so I didn’t try to. I also was really nervous since I had never done that before and I wasn’t thinking straight. But then she got mad and said that I need to “just make a move”. Well I did and afterwards she called me a bunch of stuff to her friends and said that I was a coward for not just kissing her. A week later she dumped me for an older guy.
Am I doing something wrong here? I get that maybe I should be less hesitant, but I also don’t want to give people the wrong idea. Also, I’m not into all of that hooking up stuff. Lots of my friends, actually almost all girls in this case, brag in front of me about how they got with this dude last week but then this dude yesterday, and it quite honestly disgusts me. I don’t want to end up as that guy, but it seems like that’s what happens to most people. I don’t want to be a one night thing, but it seems like I also can’t be anything more. Any advice?
Edit: so I read this over and I kinda go on a bit of a tangent. This isn’t meant to be a sob sorry at all, I’m just writing down my experiences and asking for advice on how to avoid or do better in these situations. Honestly, any advice would help. Thanks!
TLDR: relationship advice, struggling to figure out what to do.

So I’m (18M) in high school, and just need some basic advice. This is probably the most common and generic problem/question that is seen on this sub, but I find myself really hung up on it recently. As dumb as I feel for asking for asking for advice on reddit, I feel like this might be useful anyways so I’ll give it a go. Basically, I feel somewhat overlooked by people in my class and am wondering about advice for how to date.
I’m a pretty popular guy (yes even though I posted on reddit), and I am very well liked by my classmates. I talk to lots of people and am pretty successful in sports and school. I go to parties and do all that stuff too. However, all my friends date people and I struggle to do that. I’m fairly good looking (according to people I’m better than average which I’ll take as a good thing), maintain good hygiene, all of that stuff. But my friends seem to date people and I don’t. It wouldn’t be that big of an issue, if they didn’t clown me for it. They seem to have no issue finding someone to date or hook up with. I’ve had opportunities to hook up with people, but I’ve never actually done it because it’s just not something I’m into. I’d rather know the person and be in a relationship first. However, because of this I don’t have much experience which I get teased for by my friends.
A couple weekends ago, I hosted a party for my birthday and a girl (18F) who was supposedly into me wanted to get with me. I didn’t know her to well, and despite her friends trying to persuade me, I said no. This was partly because we were both not in our right minds at all if you get what I mean, and I knew that I could make regretful choices that way. Also, I already knew that she was into me and I wasn’t really into her, so I’d feel bad if I was leading her on. Long story short, nothing happened and this week her friend told me that she wasn’t into me anymore because of it.
This same situation happened to me a few months ago when I was hanging out with a girl and we made out at a party. We had already been hanging out for a few weeks prior. She didn’t really seem to want to beforehand, so I didn’t try to. I also was really nervous since I had never done that before and I wasn’t thinking straight. But then she got mad and said that I need to “just make a move”. Well I did and afterwards she called me a bunch of stuff to her friends and said that I was a coward for not just kissing her. A week later she dumped me for an older guy.
Am I doing something wrong here? I get that maybe I should be less hesitant, but I also don’t want to give people the wrong idea. Also, I’m not into all of that hooking up stuff. Lots of my friends, actually almost all girls in this case, brag in front of me about how they got with this dude last week but then this dude yesterday, and it quite honestly disgusts me. I don’t want to end up as that guy, but it seems like that’s what happens to most people. I don’t want to be a one night thing, but it seems like I also can’t be anything more. Any advice?
Edit: so I read this over and I kinda go on a bit of a tangent. This isn’t meant to be a sob sorry at all, I’m just writing down my experiences and asking for advice on how to avoid or do better in these situations. Honestly, any advice would help. Thanks!
TLDR: relationship advice, struggling to figure out what to do.

my mum spent a lot of time in her room for when i was 9 to about 17 years old. she'd lay im bed watching tv, reading or sleeping. my dad would bring her food. Before this she was a good mother who spent time with me, made family dinners and maintained the house. during this period where she was in her room, i would bang on her door to let me use her ensuite (the other bathroom was trashed by my dad and older brother), i would bang on her door to let me in to spend some time with her. she wouldn't let me in about 80% of the time. Sometimes i would get very frustrated and angry and start should and banging on her door and my dad would tell me to stop. After i felt disgusted with my actions and completely in the wrong. My dad was an ok parent, but struggled with employment and was morbidly obese. He usually spent more time with my older brother, so most of my time was spent with my dad in front of the tv shouting at him to stop snoring. My dad took over feeding my brother and i but it wasn't very healthy and he would trash the kitchen and not clean it. My dad would still drive my brother and i places, like to school and sportsgames. My mum was in and out of work. i am now 21 years old and have been living out of home for 2 years. It has taken me therapy and up until now to realise exactly what my upbringing in my youth was like. Before this realisation, i assumed it to be somewhat exceptional, as my dad always twisted it to sound. Looking back, it was nothing that down right depressing. I thought living passively in front of a tv for hours and struggling employment and eating bad food and living in a messy house was the norm. I wasn't depressed, but i was living like i was. We lived in a decent house in a rich area but always the stress of a mortgage that my parents never stopped ranting to me about since i was six years old. I went to a decent public school, then my grandfather paid for me to go private for 2 years. Both sets of grandparents are rich and my parents 'mooch' of them. I worked at McDoanld's from 14 years old to 18. and my parents even accepted money from me for the mortgage as a loan (getting some of the thousands back was a struggle). During this time i was quiet at home but my personality was loud and annoying at school. I was disrespectful to some teachers and peers and would not shut up. I knew i was annoying but i just couldn't stop and i resented myself for it. My friends dropped me when i was 14. It wouldn't have worked anyway because my parents were not friends with theirs and all their parents would get together and go on trips and my dad declined them, so i was left out there. This has really messed with my worth and confidence to make friends now. Right now my parents are starting to live their lives how they use to before they had kids pre-35 years old and becoming more active with friends, the community, exercise and some (though little) employment. I struggle to avoid living like this now. I do have a job, play sports, eat healthily alongside studying. I have been completely on my own financially for two years. working three days per week and studying full time, I managed to stay on top of my savings (especially good compared to other university students) earning enough for rent, food, hobbies and holidays and 6 months worth of expenses as an emergency fund. I'd have an extra $350 / week, but my parents haven't submitted their tax return in 3 years and since i am under 22 and considered a dependent, i have been declined twice now. You can claim independence if you've worked 2 or more years for 25hrs/week but i am just short of this. The reason i am just short of this is because ages 19 and 20 years i struggled with employment myself working a measly 3 hours a week. (from 14-18 i worked an average of 12 hours a week on top of full time high school). Right before my parents moved 6 hours away and rented out the family house, at 19 and 20 years old i lived exactly as displayed to me. I even failed 3 subjects at uni because i just didn't do it for a semester. I didn't withdraw, i didn't email for extension, i didn't attend class and i didn't even look at due dates for assignments / exams. At the timed it stressed me out but i buried the stress. My savings dropped from $10 000 near to $1000. and other bad things happened that i won't go into because that's a whole other essay. Uncommon from people who usually experience depression, i still took care of my personal hygeine (never had a cavity) and i still exercised. Since moving out i have come a long way my savings are up $20 000, I'm playing sport, i've been getting some high distinctions (but mostly credits) in uni and I am seeing friends again. I have had a 3-week international holiday and going to europe for a month soon (all paid for with my money). Therapy has helped. But here is the point of writing all of this: what do i do about my dwindling fear of retracting to old ways. The way that feels so natural and default to me. Because it has happened in my adult life. I feel at any moment i something could switch, i'll miss work and won't call in sick even though i am aware i should. I'll lose my job. I'll neglect my studies (5 year degree, 1.5 yrs left). I'll suck my savings dry. I'll eat unhealthily. I'll be glued to my phone and tv, not being able to form a proper thought. I got out of it last time all at once, complete 180. I got out of a bad relationship, got decent paying job working 4 days / week, moved to a better rental all within 6 days. The following uni semester i got my first ever high distinction, two at the same time! even though i was working way more than i ever had. My savings went up from $1000 to $13 000 in that first 4 months. I only called sick once to work when my ear drum burst. was even more social. But i am feeling myself become slacker with work, calling in slick. Watching shows whilst dreading my university assignments. It is like a boulder is above me with a string slowly fraying. How do i stop the boulder falling on me? How do i avoid living the way i used to? How do i avoid my parents way of life? Because if i fall into it, i don't think i'll be as lucky as getting out a second time. I mean, looking back i was really lucky to have gotten a good job. it's frustrating because this was just my parent's middle aged 10-year slump, 1-2 sixths of their life. They are getting out of it now. They are both from rich families and had normal upbringings. But this was almost half my life, it was half my childhood. It affects my entire personality and how i am around friends. and my parents are just moving on from it??? trying to give me career, financial and social advice??? completely ignoring they were decrepit for almost 10 years??? and when i bring it up they're just like 'oh that ahahah, well times change'??? How do i avoid going back to this? therapy can only do so much. Can anyone give a step-by-step of getting out of this for a second time? (*side note: no mental illness / conditions (e.g. sh, si) apart from barely eating for 4 months at 20 years old, that's the most of physical manifestations though). Also is there a name for this? it's like depression but isn't. Like i still am motivated to live but their is a mental barrier to do so. Maybe it is depression and i am in denial? it just doesn't feel like depression to me. Again, i think i might stop with therapy because it is expensive and besides this fear, i have gone through all my troubles over the 1 i've been in therapy and have successfully implemented cognitive behavioural therapy for feeling like i always am wrong and an inconvenience. I feel like this situation is like the chicken pox. and i've now caught the shingles (it occuring as an adult). and now i'm scared for my shingles to flare up again. would this be a correct interpretation? because it feels like people who haven't had the 'chicken pox' have received a vaccine and hence do not have to worry about shingles, or a shingles flare up.

Hello, after some lessons given to me by life, I apologize that this post seems more like a laundry list, but I want to be as honest and straightforward as possible, as I am fairly certain about what I actually seek in life.
I am a 28 year old hetero white guy, 175 cm tall, slightly overweight, blue/gray eyes, with a balding pattern on my head, although I get it shaved regularly, so it looks alright. I usually try to go on at least one long (10km+) stroll a week along with a workout, sometimes more.
I do software engineering for a living and earn a decent amount for my local standards (unfortunately still pitifully low for the current housing market bubble).
In my free time I like to play videogames, watch all kinds of interesting videos and podcasts, sometimes read books, play my electric guitar, attend some boardgame and D&D evenings and already mentioned going on long strolls, I'm probably going to take up an active sport soon as well. I would like to go stargazing with my soulmate one day and just talk about all the wonders of life. I also started taking some japanese language lessons recently, as I find the language intriguing and feel that knowing more contrasting languages does improve abstract thinking.
My values are rather traditional, and political alignment could probably be explained as centrist/right wing for most, although I find the black/white US-centric political categorization really stupid and oversimplifying for the sake of drama.
I'm very neutral in tone towards people I don't know much, but I can get flirty and a little open up after some time. I tend to write long paragraphs of text often, some people hate this.
Now for the other side, I'm looking for a biological woman, for a monogamous relationship, between the age of 20-29, preferably from around Central Europe, but I'm not opposed to long distance as long as we plan to close it at some point in the future. I want to live a traditional family life with children. I don't play games and expect 100% honesty, being straightforward with what's wrong is, in my opinion, a key thing to a successful relationship. My preferred races are white and asian, although it's not a dealbreaker. I don't like excessive piercings and massive body tattoos. Weight wise, just don't be on one of the extremes, I don't want a walking stick, nor a whale, slightly overweight is fine and demanding otherwise would be hypocritical of me. You don't have to share all of my hobbies, but I would like some overlap, you don't need to play videogames with me daily, but I don't want to be ridiculed for the hobby either. I can't imagine being with a smoker due to my tragic family history with it, sorry. I want my partner to be ambitious about something. I am looking for a woman that gives the same effort into conversations as I do, I adore reciprocal conversations and I want someone who I can treat as my equal, I'm not looking for a goddess to worship, nor a pushover, someone I can fully put all of my trust into. I really like the clothing style, which could be described as "cottagecore", but it is not necessary. Someone who is not overly materialistic and can appreciate the little things in life.
If you got all the way here to the end without getting discouraged, congratulations, if you think this is something you would very much like, don't hesitate to send me a message. Thank you.

Salut à tous & welcome to ParisTravelGuide
This monthly thread aims at giving basic recommendations to navigate the subreddit and Paris, and offering a general chatter space. Depending on the (inter)national news, we may inform you on impacting events here (strikes,threats, global cultural or sport events..)

USING THE SUBREDDIT

• Browse the menus (on desktop or mobile app) to access:
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• Access some featured contents directly
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  • Ideas for a less-touristy Paris
  • Oddities and dive bars
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HANDLING THE BASICS OF PARIS

• General understanding
  • Wikivoyage for Paris (en): an external wiki covering various aspects of the city from a touristic point of view
  • Paris Voice (en) life in Paris seen by the English speaking community
  • Anglo Info Paris (en), same with a lot of practical info, to settle or as a tourist, also general info for France
• Accommodations
  • Increase of the tourist tax for 2024: read carefully to avoid any bad surprises, especially for non-classified hotels that can apparently charge as if they were palaces due to a loop-hole.
• Public transport
  • Read the dedicated section in our wiki Transports (en) / Transports (fr)
• Taxis
  • public: G7 (en) is the only company recognized as public taxis in Paris. It applies fixed fares for travels between the two main airports (CDG and ORLY) and the two sides of the city (left bank / right bank of the Seine river), booking or extra services fees not included.
  • private: Uber are widely used, others are available like Bolt, Heetch, Marcel or Freenow
• Day trip
  • the Trainline (en) is a very straight forward and efficient data aggregator from various European train and bus companies. (the national one sncf-connect being a bit of a nightmare to use)
• Airports
  • Roissy-Charles de Gaulle aka CDG (en)
  • Orly aka ORY (en)
  • Beauvais aka BVA (en) and dedicated Bus shuttle for Beauvais airport <> Paris (Porte Maillot)
• Tourism Office:
  • Paris je t'aime (en): only for inner Paris
  • Visit Paris region (en): for the whole region Ile de France.
• Cultural/Event agenda:
  • Sortir à Paris (en): culture and nightlife agenda
  • Officiel des Spectacles (fr): movies/plays/concerts agenda
  • Paris LGBT (en): places, events and resources about the LGBT community
  • Paris Jazz Club (en): jazz concerts agenda
  • Fanzo (fr): search engine with a map for sports broadcasts in bars
• Health:
  • Public hospitals map
  • English speaking professionals list(en)
  • Pharmacies, day and night openings (en)
  • Emergency phone numbers(en)
• thread for Protest and Strikes concerns
• Eating
  • casual: David Lebovitz(en), a blog of a former US chef living in Paris for casual / traditional food
  • trendy: Le fooding(en), trendy reference magazine for foodies
  • starred: Michelin guide, for 1/2/3 stars restaurants or other gastronomic venues
• Civil unrest
  • Sporadic and sudden protests are very rare. The existence of a protest is very regulated, the day and the route have to be agreed with the authorities several days prior to the date.
• Authorized protest or march
  • a march usually lasts from 2pm to 6pm and most demonstrators stay until 8pm at the final destination
  • Demonstrators (and/or police) outbursts are more likely to happen at the end from 8pm
  • Most of the stores along the route close for the whole day, and side accesses to these boulevards are barred by the police to motorized vehicles.
  • 95% of the city goes on as usual in terms of street life.
  • Metro lines M1 and M14 are automated and thus operate whether there is a strike or not.
  • Taxis: all the companies work during a strike
    • G7: main company of the "Taxis parisiens", regulated price
    • UbeHeetch/Bolt/FreeNow: categorized as VTC ("Véhicules de Tourisme avec chauffeur"), unregulated price
• Safety
  • Police department recommendations
  • Safety tips video by les Frenchies (experienced US travelers)
  • Density & safety level: Paris administrative area ("Paris intramuros") is fairly small for a global capital but the population density is very high. Besides that, Paris is currently the most visited city in the world. This situation inevitably leads to various problems or dramas from time to time and one should beware of this cognitive bias. No public statistics accessible, but Paris' safety level is said to be fairly comparable to other big Western metropolis like London, Rome, Barcelona, Brussels or NYC but lower than Amsterdam, Berlin or generally Scandinavian / Central / Eastern European cities.
  • Violent crime: it is very unlikely in inner Paris, European gun laws being much more restrictive than US laws.
  • Pickpockets & scams: while generally safe, you might be exposed to pickpockets, scams or harassment in crowded areas, be it touristic, commercial or nightlife hubs. Keep your belongings in sight and try not to display too much costly items. Avoid unsolicited street vendors (not to be confused with, say, street artists near Montmartre or "bouquinistes" of the quays of Seine) and the occasional street games like Bonneteau ("shell game") that are known scams.
  • Cat-calling: this is a common issue towards women in Mediterranean countries. In Paris, it is more prevalent in the more modest neighborhoods in the North / North-East- of the city.
  • Emergency: If you are in an emergency situation, call 17 (police) / 18 (firefighters but who also handles all life and death emergencies) / 112 (universal European emergency number). All of them are interconnected and will be able to redirect you to the correct one if you happen to pick the wrong one.
  • Neighborhoods:
    • Tourism is concentrated in the rich areas from the center (roughly arrondissements 1st to 8th + Montmartre 18th).
    • As in most cities, main train stations tend to attract more people from the outside, hence a bit riskier, especially at night and crowded metro lines serving the main landmarks
    • The northern outskirts of the city (around Porte de la Chapelle / Porte d'Aubervilliers / Porte de la Villette) are home of temporary refugee camps, a high poverty and rarely drug use in the open. It could feel quite unsafe at night, better be accompanied by locals if you want to venture around at night there or simply pass through.
    • The surroundings of the very central area of Les Halles (around the eponymous commercial mall) can be a bit messy at night as a lot of young people gather here for eating / drinking or hanging out in the streets. It is still home of great streets for night life like rue Saint Denis but beware of the crowds.
    • Also metro stations on line 2 Barbes, La Chapelle and Stalingrad and their surroundings are among the most modest and messy, with countraband cigarettes sellers and potential pickpockets.
    • Southern and Western parts are more posh and family oriented but could be "less lively" than the rest of the city.

ONGOING EVENTS

• Olympic Games preparation Impacts thread
  
• Israel/Palestine conflict Impacts thread
  
• Plan Vigipirate
  
  • Evacuation of public places in case of a left-alone bag for controlled destruction as what happened in the Louvre or Versailles recently. It also happens from time to time in subways.
  • Military patrolling in the city, mostly around landmarks, schools and religious buildings.
  • It doesn't mean there is a particular problem, but they take maximum precaution in these tense moments.

GENERAL CHATTER

The comment sections below is here for members to freely ask questions that are recurrent or not worth a dedicated post (like transport, safety or protests topics), write appreciations, greetings, requesting meetups...
Same rule applies as in the rest of the sub, post topics regarding Paris and its surroundings only please.
Bref, chit-chat mode is on in the comments!
This thread is automatically archived and regenerated every first day of the month at 8am (Paris Time) - Archives

It seems the developers had an idea of when in history the game should take place. Here are some of the clues we get:

• It is before Guan Yu, so before ~200 AD
  
• Before humans invent guns
  
• Before Homer becomes a famous poet, so before ~800 BC
  
• There is a war going on
  
• There seems to be a sort of ice age
  
• After the Trojan war, so after ~1400 BC
  

I know some of these are redundant, but I wanted to be exhaustive
Okay, so we are looking for a period of time after ~1400 BC but before ~800 BC, that puts us right in the range for the Bronze Age Collapse, interesting...
There was an unusually cold period of time during the Bronze Age, known as Middle Bronze Age Cold Epoch, but it ended around ~1500 BC, so around a century before the Trojan war...
Well, we know that climate instability was a big reason for the Bronze Age Collapse, and we know the invasion of the Sea Peoples did destroy the Minoan and Hittite civilizations, leaving the Egyptians in really bad shape
Also, I don't remember a single mention of iron in the game. When Asterius and Theseus get their armor it is specifically bronze armor, almost as if Dedalus didn't know about iron
So yeah, my conclusion is that the events of the game happen during the Bronze Age Collapse, and this is particularly nice for the connection between Zagreus and Dionysus
I'm not a scholar on greek mythology, but my understanding is that before the Bronze Age Collapse the Cthonic Gods were more important than the Olympian Gods, and we find evidence for the cult of what we call "Orphic Dionysus", which is a version of Dionysus who died and was resurrected, and he is sometimes called Zagreus... I may be missing some details, but that's the general idea
After the Bronze Age Collapse greek civilization was reborn from the ashes, but it was very different. Their first writing system, which we call "Linear B", was forgotten, so they lost many myths and stories written with that system. Also, the cultural memory of the Trojan war, the last big war before the collapse, became the basis for the new myths, which were compiled and edited by poets, and maybe Homer was a real poet that took part in this process
In this context for some reason the Olympian Gods became more relevant than the Cthonic Gods, and this is where Dionysus did something weird, it became an Olympian God. Poseidon also had a similar transition, since it was believed that he lived under the sea he was associated at first with the Cthonic Gods, but later with the Olympians...
Anyway, the point is that Zagreus telling all these stories to Orpheus could be the in game explanation for this confusion. Somehow those stories leaked out the underworld through dreams or whatnot
So yeah, all in all the idea that the game takes place during the Bronze Age Collapse fits surprisingly well. But who knows? Maybe I'm overlooking something important, let me know

So, I've done this in the past, however, I think I had some bias towards certain types. Because of this, I don't fully believe all what I said was correct, hence why I'm redoing this. I know it takes a great deal of time for people to read through these, so if you're here, I love you. Jokes. I'm just grateful.
How old are you? What's your gender? Give us a general description of yourself.
I'm a twenty-year-old female. I'm about to switch my major from chemical engineering to something else, still undecided though.
Things I want in a career:

• Get to work with a lot of people,
• Organise large scale projects,
• Developing projects,
• Brainstorming,
• Making connections,
• Marketing,
• Analysing and creating plans,
• Not repetitive,
• Actually interesting.

All throughout high school, I hated the fact I had to stick to one plan since I was always changing what I wanted to do. I can definitely see myself changing multiple careers in my life.
Growing up, I constantly changed the way I acted, and decided various times I wanted to be perceived certain ways. It was often derived from my interests at the time, or characters I had grown to like.
Diagnosis?
None.
Describe your upbringing. Did it have any kind of religious or structured influence? How did you respond to it?
My mom's side of the family was religious, so I went to church a few times when I was younger. My grandfather was a priest, so my grandparents were very heavy on the idea. I didn't have any strong connection to it, I felt rather out of place actually when I went to church with them. I only really looked forward to the food, and playing around after the service had ended. I had no idea, or really much of an opinion about it. It is what it is.
From when I was four to seven, I was left alone a lot by my parents. I only saw them on weekends, so naturally I tried to adopt the way they acted, the way they viewed things, so I could be an ideal kid and they would recognise me for it. I did a lot to garner their attention, and I think now, it's become the root reason for why I'm quite a perfectionist. It's humiliating to not be seen as perfect. I often am really harsh on myself, and hate it when I can't do something. In high school, I got a 36/39, and I felt useless. It was that extreme. I felt like nobody should be better than me, and if they are, I was jealous. Actually, I was a very jealous person in general. I was (even know I am) always jealous of something or someone.
What do you do as a job or as a career (if you have one)? Do you like it? Why or why not?
Answered this earlier.
If you had to spend an entire weekend by yourself, how would you feel? Would you feel lonely or refreshed?
I know this question is to work out whether I'm introverted vs. extraverted, so I'll more so focus on that. I grew up alone. I'd be more than happy to spend an entire month by myself. I don't know how I'd react emotionally, but I'm just so used to it. This is why I was so stuck between E or I in the past. The only reason I leant more towards E now, was because I'm more concerned with the external world and get so excited and energized after being with people. I also sometimes feel physically sick around people at times or when engaging in something that feels out of place, it's a mental thing, not sure why though.
What kinds of activities do you prefer? Do you like, and are you good at sports? Do you enjoy any other outdoor or indoor activities?
I've participated in a lot of sports. I remember starting baseball when I was ten, as it was around this time I was looking for a sport to do. It was because I was body shamed a lot that I started looking for a way to get fit. . And the main reason why I played, was because the person I liked at the time also played. How childish of me. Pfft. Anyways, for some reason I continued. I remember thinking of quitting every year, but never did. I became good at it, and felt like I had to continue doing good. My dad also wanted me to play a lot, and I was kind of pressured into a lot of it... but anyways. I also took up basketball, and HATED IT. But my dad kept on signing me up for it even if I didn't really want to. It was mostly my fault, I could never really voice my true opinions or feelings around my parents, so I never really explained how I HATED IT SO MUCH. But oh well.
I'm more attracted to indoor activities, in the aircon, where its nice (I live in a hot place). But I'm also really attracted to outdoor activities. Camping (more glamourized I should mention), kayaking, going to the beach, doing stuff with people who I want to do stuff with.
I hate gardening. Despise it. Never will I do it.
How curious are you? Do you have more ideas then you can execute? What are your curiosities about? What are your ideas about - is it environmental or conceptual, and can you please elaborate?
I have a lot of ideas. I love creating, planning, analysing and perfecting ideas. To me, I also have to out do everyone and present the best idea all the time, no matter what I do. At times, I've had to bite my tongue when working in groups. I usually critique a lot of peoples ideas, but if someone catches my attention, I'll apply it to my idea so that it can evolve.
I remember in high school, we had to plan a city scape. I had this amazing design, where traffic would be hard to come across due to the way I had positioned everything. I also thought about the placement of parks, where they'll get the best use, etc. Things like that. It was a really fast analysis. But since it was group work, I'm not really assertive or confrontational with my ideas, so it didn't end up exactly as I planned. I also wanted to colour it perfectly, however, that didn't work either, so at that point, I lost much of my interest in the project.
I am also extremely good at problem solving, and using what I have around me. One thing I've noticed, is that I don't pay much mind to the objects around me (at least I don't try to consciously), however, in times of need it's like I have a list of all the things I've noticed and see how they could be useful. They are often inventive solutions as well, using things for something other than their intended purpose, or fitting their purpose to the situation. I have those kinds of ideas.
I've come up with a range of ways people can improve their current ideas, or businesses or schemes that would do extremely well if they were produced the right way. Except, I would only want to be the 'idea man'. I'll have somebody else put it into action for me. I'm quite lazy in that sense.
I don't know what to call this, but I remember my friend telling me she wanted to become a teacher, but she was worried about the competitive hiring culture. I told her to start tutoring now (when we were in high school), then to take a gap year and do teacher aid work at the school whilst then working for a tutoring company and doing any other part-time work (baby sitting) or courses. Then to go through university. Then, she would not only have connections in the tutoring company, and the school, but would most likely out do everyone else in terms of experience. It would be the perfect path to take.
Would you enjoy taking on a leadership position? Do you think you would be good at it? What would your leadership style be?
I think? But I bite my tongue a lot and hold back on my genuine thoughts as they might be too harsh. As a kid I got chewed out for this, I was often called bossy and as I went through high school I slowly stopped voicing my thoughts as much. I knew my ideas were better, and that pleased me enough.
I also struggle to say no, since I hate feeling awkward with people. That's something that's become more prominent. I might act like some pushover or overtly take precautions around people to ensure they like me and that they only feel positive emotions. It's really awkward for me to annoy someone, or if a random person gets impacted negatively by my actions.
As a kid, I was really good. I did a bunch of extra activities that involved answering questions from a panel of judges. I naturally always took the lead since I knew how to please them or impress them.
Are you coordinated? Why do you feel as if you are or are not? Do you enjoy working with your hands in some form? Describe your activity?
I'm coordinated with my hands, which stemmed from baseball. I don't particularly gain any enjoyment or excitement from getting to use my hands, it's just something that happened naturally as I played. I am NOT coordinated in my legs. Whatsoever. Started doing volleyball recently, and learnt how to do a three step approach. Could not do it to save the life of me.
Are you artistic? If yes, describe your art? If you are not particular artistic but can appreciate art please likewise describe what forums of art you enjoy. Please explain your answer.
I was kind of boxed into an 'artistic' type as a kid. I drew a lot when I was really young, and ever since my family kind of formed that stereotype around me. It doesn't exist anymore. Ended when I was around thirteen. But I was good at art. I don't know if it came naturally, all I remember is thinking I HAD to have the best artwork, and therefore, I stopped at nothing to make that happen. I struggled a lot with it though, because I have Aphantasia, meaning I can't visualise things in my mind.
What's your opinion about the past, present, and future? How do you deal with them?
As a kid, I only thought about the future. I would take screenshots on my laptop of apartments and houses in places I wanted to live. I would plan my life in advance, what I'll do, what car, how many pets, kids, the types of lifestyle I'll have, the things I'll do on a daily basis, it was extreme. This was when I was 12-15 as well, so a long way from any of those things.
But now, I struggle a lot to see what will happen to me. What I truly want to do, how I want to live, what kind of life I want, they're all questions I have, but kind of ignore.
I also got stressed a lot in high school with upcoming exams. I would frantically plan what to do way in advance (rarely followed through, mind you) and overtly freak myself out, more than what I needed to.
Regarding the past, I kind of want to forget about the kind of person I was, and all the things I cringe at now. I randomly have moments where I can easily remember in extremely detail my memories, even about the most random details, like a stain on the wall of a hotel we stayed in that was three fingers away from the windowsill. Things like that.
How do you act when others request your help to do something (anything)? If you would decide to help them, why would you do so?
I naturally struggle to say no to the requests of others, so of course I end up helping them.
I can easily get annoyed by my family if they ask me though... whoopsie.
How important is efficiency and productivity to you?
I usually find the fastest way to get something done. I don't want to waste my effort doing something boring. However, I may seem unconventional when doing something I like, or am interested in. In high school, a lot of my assignments weren't by the book. They were done my way. Once we had to do a multimodal presentation, and I made a game, and presented my work that way.
I don't know if this relates to this question, but I would often get annoyed by people who were inefficient, or couldn't think for themselves. Never showed any distaste directly towards them, but it was definitely there.
Productivity? I'm all over the place with this. I go through mood swings. I get really stressed if I haven't done work, however, when I start doing work I get even more stressed and overwhelmed, and feel as if the world is ending. And then I eventually make peace with myself. Then the cycle starts again. But I must say, I am the best procrastinator around.
Do you control others, even if indirectly? How and why do you do that?
I hate to admit that I'd like to, but as I've grown older I've stopped, not necessarily caring, but just worrying over things like that.
What is your learning style? What kind of learning environments do you struggle with most? Why do you like/struggle with these learning styles? Do you prefer classes involving memorization, logic, creativity, or your physical senses?
I like being shown through an example. After that's done, it's pretty easy for me to fill in the gaps. Once I'm shown how to do it, I can usually work it out on my own. I also remember random things I want to be able to regurgitate to others to seem smart, lol.
For English, I really struggle to do this by myself. I usually search up, or read past examples or pieces of literacy and then formulate my own based on that inspiration.
I liked science, and still do. It was so easy to understand, everything was interconnected within biology, chemistry, physics, they all had overlapping ideas that explained one another. They were also easy to relate to the real world.
I had a love hate relationship with math. I loved that I was good at it, but I hated that it took a lot of studying, or if I ever got a question wrong.
How good are you at strategizing? Do you easily break up projects into manageable tasks? Or do you have a tendency to wing projects and improvise as you go?
I never really broke my assignments up, nor did I ever complete them in an orderly way. I would often get tired or uninspired to continue writing a paragraph, so I let it unfinished and started a new part. Sometimes, I would start at the end, or the middle. It was never structured.
In senior high school, I started creating studying "plans" for maths. I would write in depth plans, but it never worked out, so in the end, I just ended up designating certain questions to certain days, and as long as I completely those questions that day, I felt good. There were times when I skipped a day, and then became overtly stressed.
What are your aspirations in life, professionally and personally?
This is confusing for me, I don't really know my take on this.
What are your fears? What makes you uncomfortable? What do you hate? Why?
I have a fear of not being on the ground. Random I know. Once I was in an elevator going to the 30th floor... I had to sit down because I just felt like I wasn't on the ground at all and was in a constantly state of feeling like I was falling. It's odd. Anyways.
I HATE GARDENING GAHHHH. My mom was a green thumb. I hated it. I hated feeling gross, the humidity radiating from the plants felt so gross (it wasn't just a few, it was like a hundred pot plants alone). I also was in charge of moving them whenever we had to mow. It was so boring and distasteful. I HATED IT. I could do indoor plants, little cute plants you give names to, sure. NOT THE FULL ON GREENHOUSE SHE HAD GOING ON. It was disgusting feeling bugs, or as if something was crawling on me. Even dirt in my finger nails. Ew. Though, at times I just sat and played in the mud... quite contradictory, I know.
Ahem. Anyways.
I hate being told how I feel. I hate when people think they know. I remember I felt really annoyed one time at my mom when she told me I was tired. I wasn't tired, but she looked at my with her pitiful eyes and said I was. I felt really uptight around her, because she had this caring side, but then would snap so often it made me feel uncomfortable.
I remember back when I was in high school, I HATED when people wouldn't listen to me just because I was younger. Or they would downplay my ideas because of it. Like, dude, my idea is a Googleplex times better than yours, yet you ignore it? Stuff you man.
What do the "highs" in your life look like? What do the "lows" in your life look like?
I don't really know? It's like a rollercoaster. I can't pinpoint certain moments as such.
How attached are you to reality? Do you daydream often, or do you pay attention to what's around you? If you do daydream, are you aware of your surroundings while you do so?
It's like a blend of both. At times, I will day dream about what is happening around me, and the various ways certain events could unfold. I'd often think about how I desperately wanted something to happen, and would picture it happening, or would come up with ways for it to happen.
I come up with a lot of scenarios like that in my head.
I also think a lot about random things, and at times can forget about my surroundings, but I've always felt I subconsciously take note of them in my own unique way lol.
Imagine you are alone in a blank, empty room. There is nothing for you to do and no one to talk to. What do you think about?
Anything and everything. Whatever appears, whatever scenario, idea, etc.
How long do you take to make an important decision? And do you change your mind once you've made it?
A LONG TIME. I put off making decisions for forever. Often I just go to other people at times, or let others decide.
How long do you take to process your emotions? How important are emotions in your life?
They're confusing, but also... not? I'd like to think of myself as pretty logical, though at times, it's not like that.
I remember one day at work, everyone was feeling down and moody the entire day. There was no reason for me to be upset, if anything I should have been over the moon with the fact I would be going on holidays the next day... but I went home and cried for some reason. I don't even know why. I think their moodiness rubbed off on me.
I also have caught myself crying at times for some odd reason. I remember I went away to a baseball comp. I had injured my finger, but didn't tell anyone. I tried to show small signs that it hurt, like looking down at it a lot, or purposefully having it on display (in a casual way), since it was bruised. That day wasn't the best for me, I hadn't been playing my best so everything just built up. I remember standing out on the field, holding back tears. I was just sad nobody noticed I think, and thought about if just one person asked if I was okay, I'd be so happy. I played the rest of the day with my finger, which was later found to be broken...
I think I get more emotional when I'm not noticed or found important to other people? Back in high school, I nearly cried because of this, I was so confused.
I find it easier to cry about tv shows, and things of a sort. Ngl, I cried when I read a post about a favourite character of mine that just portrayed how hard it would have been for them to live. A bit TMI I know.
I prefer keeping my emotions to myself, and RARELY outwardly express them. I just don't see the point. You'll rarely catch me angry or crying.
Do you ever catch yourself agreeing with others just to appease them and keep the conversation going? How often? Why?
Yes, all the time. I also catch myself pretending I didn't know something so that the discussion can continue, or I'll ask questions I already know the answer too so things don't get awkward. I HATE AWKWARDNESS!
Do you break rules often? Do you think authority should be challenged, or that they know better? If you do break rules, why?
I don't think I break rules, if anything I am quite wary of them. My parents were sticklers for rules, so naturally I was pressured to follow them to the highest of standards. I'm a little more easy going now, but the fear of rules is still there lol.
Challenging authority? I suppose if there is a reason to. I mean, it's not like they know better. It just depends on the situation.
I kind of hope you didn't read this all lol, looking back, THERE'S A LOT... so I wouldn't be surprised if this post doesn't get many interactions, but it does mean a lot if you did take the time to read this.
<3 Have an amazing morning, day, afternoon, night, whatever :D

Hi, Reddit. Listen, I know that’s a bit of a sucky opening, but sympathize with me a bit. I never once thought, in all the years that have passed since, that I would ever be re-telling this story. The reason behind this would probably be the fact that tonight of all nights for some reason, even all these years later, I find myself totally and wholly unable to chase sleep, perturbed by the question of whether something similar that had happened to me all those years ago has ever happened to anyone else.
I will be updating this story over the next week or so, as I have come to the conclusion that it is too long to summarize into one post. It also becomes tiresome to recall and write down these events, as I'm sure you will come to see why. In addition to this, I will be using fake names for everyone in this story, in an attempt to protect the privacy and comfort of my close friends and family. However, God willing, they will never see this post anyway. I tell you this to clarify that you should not try to look these people up, for you will be sent on a wild goose chase with no results. However, while the names of these characters are fake, I do ask you to keep in mind that the characters themselves, as well as the events of this story, are real. VERY real.
All too real, if you ask me.
This story takes place around the time I turned 15 years old. For context, I am 19 years old as I sit here typing this. At 5 AM, with a coffee perched in my hands between paragraphs, trying my best not to spill it while the liquid coffee in the cup fights a ferocious battle against my shaking hands. It is a story I have gone over a million times in my head, a story I have kept close to myself up until now, for reasons that will reveal themselves later on. A story I am not sure I am ready to relive, and a story that still sends an uncomfortable, sickening chill down my spine when I think of it to this day, even with 4 years of lived experience to distance myself from it.
Around the time I turned 15 was around the time my parents had sat my brother and I down and told us of their plans to split. Not two weeks later, my father stood on the edge of our picket fenced-in street in the blistering sun, packing what little of his belongings into his Honda Civic that he deemed worthy of making the cross-country drive to the brand new, shiny, sunny state of Arizona. I remember that day vividly.
Not soon after that, my mother, brother, and I all moved into a slightly over-affordable apartment complex in a neighboring town a few minutes over by drive. I remember it was a nice place to look at. Flowers, a children's park, the like. A nice place to live, maybe, for some. But never for me. I remember vividly also that it was the kind of place that reminded you that smell and taste are very intricately connected in the human body. It was the kind of place you tasted before you smelled. And it tasted like murky pools of water had been sitting and dripping in a few too many places they shouldn’t have been, for a few too many years.
Nonetheless, our new family of three quickly made the end unit, which we were lucky enough to receive, our new home. Our new normal. Only, for me, it wouldn’t remain “normal” for very long.
We moved in at the cusp of August and September, right before I turned 15. The summer before my freshman year. A year that would present itself to be full of lots of chin pimples, raging hormones, and inexplicably unexplainable events. We lived there from roughly around the time I turned 15 to roughly around the time I turned 16. Once again, for reasons that will become clearer later on in the story. We will start from the very first time it happened. And I remember, clearly, the very first time it did.
One thing I have failed to mention to you as I have introduced you to what my life was like at the time of this story, is that I was, and still am, very aware of my surroundings. I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder at a very young age. And thus, I was constantly hyper-analyzing what was going on around me and with me.
One chilly New Jersey October morning, right after the excitement of a new year of school wore off and the dismay of a full year of school ahead of us had set in, my brother and I got into our first argument in the new apartment. And I was the catalyst. I remember waking up that morning. I dressed myself in my favorite Green Day t-shirt paired with a pair of light-wash overalls; I brushed through my long, dark hair and clumsily formed it into two braids as I listened to some Blink-182 playing quietly off my CD player. I made my bed, I took my meds, and right before I opened the door I applied my favorite perfume: Strawberry Secrets.
My favorite scent has always been strawberry. So much so that my mother had thought this perfume an appropriate start-of-the-year gift to send me off to high school. My room was littered with strawberry candles, strawberry phone cases, strawberry mugs, basically anything you could think of with a strawberry in it or on it. I had it.
As I finished off what had definitively been an over-application of the perfume, I strode a few steps from my desk to my bedroom door and attempted to open it.
Attempted. To open it.
It wouldn’t budge.
As I said before, I am very aware of my surroundings. Sometimes this can be to my detriment, however, in this case it had felt warranted. I had not locked my bedroom door the night before. I would have been aware of myself doing so. Besides, my mom was very strict with not allowing us to do so. My brother, Conrad, was diagnosed with asthma at a very young age. She always feared she would need to bring him his inhaler or to the hospital in the middle of the night and wouldn’t be able to reach him. I wound up eventually just becoming part of the rule by default.
Immediately I was pissed off. Allow me to explain to you how the locks on the apartment doors work. You can only lock from the inside, and once you had left the room and closed it, you were locked out. If the door was locked, anyone on the outside couldn't get in, and anyone on the inside had to manually unlock the door in order to get out. This angered me because I had immediately assumed Connie had done it. It was Halloween morning after all, and he always had a taste for mischief, especially when it meant messing with me. Connie was 17 at the time of my being 15. This often led to a lot of hijinks, as I’m sure anyone with siblings may be able to deduce.
I angrily stomped into Conrad’s room, steam practically coming out of my ears like a cartoon character, as I addressed him in his room. His glorified "room," for context, was conveniently basically a closet inside my mother’s. I needn't worry about a door being locked to get in. It was a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment that housed the three of us, and I was lucky enough to land the separate room.
“Con! What the hell? Real funny! So funny I forgot to laugh.”
“What the hell are you even on about?” he replied.
Classic 17 year old angst. Looking back, I should afford him the fact that it was 6:30 in the morning. And I had woken him up from his nightly 12 hours of sleep minimum.
“Mom could’ve gotten really pissed about that, if she found out, you know!”
My mother had already left for work about an hour prior.
Immediately he perks up in his bed. My mom is a no-nonsense kind of woman. Neither of us feared her, we feared disappointing her. So he quickly jogged into consciousness.
“About what? What did you do this time, G?”
I huff out a breath of annoyance at him. What game is he playing?
“Don’t Play dumb, Connie. The locked door. I know you snuck inside my room last night and locked it.”
What happened next is still burned into my mind to this day. Because as he said what he was about to say, I realized how true it was. And my panic heightened almost ten-fold.
“Now why the hell would I do that? You think I really woke up in the middle of the night and locked your door on you? You can still let yourself out. Just nobody can come in. I don’t even want to be in that girly, strawberry-filled mess anyway. Now get your scrawny ass out of my room. I need to get dressed. We leave in 5.”
Ever the poet, my brother Conrad. His closing statement serving as a stark reminder that he drove me to school every morning, and would not wait for my tardiness should it arise.
But it wasn’t until all his words truly set in that I realized he was right. He had no motive to lock my door from the inside out. But that left one question.
Who, or what, did?part 2

Hi all -
I’m actually not an EA anymore, but this is really the most active place for similar jobs (office admin) so I’d like to ask for some feedback or advice on what I expect to be a sub-par mid-year review. I apologize this is long, here’s a
TL;DR: Started a job working at an unnecessary level, burned out some and am now at a more “normal” working level, and for about 6 months feeling like the team and management stopped meshing with my work ability and seeing me as a superb employee as they did initially. Saw some correspondence that painted my work in a negative light and confirmed they had stopped giving me such work, but I never received any direct feedback so I never had a chance to fix whatever those issues were and I feel like the coldness from them is getting worse and I’m having a hard time writing up my mid-year review to give them feedback and ask about all of this without it coming out like I want to leave (which I do, but not until I find something else). Full info below, thank you for any advice.
I’ve been with the company about a year and a half and I started out super strong, giving 200% (I know, never give so much at the start, it’s biting me now), and I got a small bonus at 6 months and small raise with small bonus at 12 months.
I’ve been feeling for a while now that I’m not as welcome on the team as initially (we don’t share similar hobbies, I’m not big into running or sports or stuff) and I am very much a believer in separation of work and life, whereas this team regularly goes on (required) multi-overnight trips together (skiing, beach, etc.) and I’m just not a fan of it. I went on the first few, even though as a single pet parent it was difficult and expensive. But I haven’t done the latest few (and don’t plan to do many more) and I know that is a big issue for them. For reference, these are wholly social trips - I do go on necessary business trips and am happy to do so. But I have no interest in these social trips.
Sorry if that sounds unrelated, but it’s one major reason I feel like the team (and 2/3 of my bosses) seem to have grown cold towards me. I’ve seen some emails with disparaging or at the very least not nice comments about me not joining them so I know it’s one of the issues.
What I would consider a larger issue is that I also saw some emails where they’ve been very unhappy with certain work or tasks that I’ve done. Like, to the point of saying mean things about those tasks - to other people (one of the bosses is very mean in general, I’d say likely a narcissist with anger but who the whole team thinks the sun rises for). I am the first to admit I am not working at that original level any longer. I got pretty sick for multiple months and that definitely changed things - but I was still working at an 80-90 level minimum even when I could barely do anything else because of exhaustion.
I’ve never been spoken to directly about any of these issues, I only saw a couple emails by happenstance and of course when I did, it more fully helped to explain the cold feelings I’ve been noticing from them.
My mid-year review is coming up and I’m having a hard time putting my concerns into words because I request feedback regularly, but am obviously not only not getting it and. t’s impacting my job because if I can’t learn their preferences or try to do it in a way they want, I feel like it’s a way to deliberately push me out by making it seem to the team that I can’t do the work, when the actual issue is I’ve done the work, they didn’t like it, didn’t voice that, and stopped giving me that work and so I’ve never been given the opportunity to rectify their concerns or grow in my role.
Every time I try to write my own feedback for them in my review, based on the above, it comes out that we should part ways because while I’m a great fit for the job description, I am not any fit for the culture (which is VERY important to them and I wish they had focused more on that in the interview and not lied about the major social requirements). I don’t want to quit - yet, anyway. I am starting to update my resume and look for potential jobs to apply to, but until I have one I don’t want to show my hand. I’m just worried my disdain for how they’ve handled this will come out and then I’ll be out of a job too soon.
I’m sorry that was long, but if you have any advice I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

New account, and first time using Reddit other than to browse. Sorry if something goes wrong.
So to preface this I graduated in 2023 and applied to colleges (1st cycle) but chose to take a gap year instead and applied again (2nd cycle). So if you see those, that's what they mean. ALSO PLEASE READ THE ADDITIONAL INFO PART OF THIS POST!!
Here we go:
Demographics
Gender: Male
Race/Ethnicity: South + East Asian
Residence: MD
Income Bracket: 300k?
Type of School: Competitive public
Hooks (Recruited Athlete, URM, First-Gen, Geographic, Legacy, etc.): None
Intended Major(s): Chemistry (1st cycle), Neuroscience + Linguistics (2nd cycle)
Academics
GPA (UW/W): 3.94 (UW), 4.83 (W)
Rank (or percentile): HS does not rank
Number of Honors/AP/IB/Dual Enrollment/etc.: 11 APs, 10 Honors, 1 Dual Enrollment
Senior Year Course Load: Anatomy and Physiology, AP Lang, AP Psych, "Advanced Math" (AKA dual enrollment at CC in advanced differential equations), science intern at two local hospitals (yes it's listed as a course), Molecular Bio
Standardized Testing
List the highest scores earned and all scores that were reported.
SAT: 1540 (800 M, 740 R)
ACT: 35 (33M, 35S, 35E, 35R) (didn't submit, though probably wouldn't have hurt)
AP/IB: 4s and 5s on everything except a 3 on AP Lang 💀
Other (ex. IELTS, TOEFL, etc.): N/A
Extracurriculars/Activities
List all extracurricular involvements, including leadership roles, time commitments, major achievements, etc.

1. Practiced Japanese calligraphy for over 7 years and received numerous internationally recognized awards and certifications for proficiency and artistic style (1st and 2nd cycle), uploaded samples on my application (1st cycle), but didn't upload (2nd cycle) since my parents advised me not to, and honestly I regret not doing it the 2nd time but too late now
2. Coxswain of HS Crew, participated in freshman and sophomore year before ending it due to COVID (1st and 2nd cycle)
3. Volunteer work at a cultural summer camp including leadership roles in engagement, ranked up from junior to senior position (1st and 2nd cycle)
4. Helped teach students in underserved communities who were struggling in elementary school to learn math and English (1st and 2nd cycle)
5. Internship at two local hospitals, including communicating with patients and assisting with tasks along with observing healthcare practices & surgery (1st and 2nd cycle)
6. Extensive preparation to become an EMT, including over 150 hours of mandatory training and involvement in significant realistically simulated scenarios (2nd cycle)
7. Volunteer position at a local senior memory care facility, involved with both leading and assisting group activities designed for elderly residents (2nd cycle)
8. Self - studied Python to code and design a program used to identify handwritten digits with over 99% accuracy using concepts from Linear Algebra (2nd cycle)

(9). Self - studied German to where I got a 4 on the AP German test... this, along with my dual enrollment, appeared in part of my additional info section and not in the EC list (1st and 2nd cycle)
Awards/Honors
List all awards and honors submitted on your application.

1. Numerous awards in Japanese calligraphy for "good work" (1st and 2nd cycle)
2. CPR and BLS certifications as part of EMT training (2nd cycle)
3. NASA College Scholarship Award
4. AATG National German Examination level 2 and 3 bronze awards
5. Seal of Biliteracy
6. AP Scholar with distinction

Letters of Recommendation
Teacher: (7/10): So after browsing through this subreddit, it seems like people often overinflate their rec letter ratings. I'd have to say though, my teacher recs must have been pretty good since they won me that NASA scholarship (and the team specifically said that it was the rec letters)!
Counselor: (3/10) I'm just giving it a conservative rating... anyway, this is one thing that was really out of my control, and it's honestly kind of a sad story. My school assigns counselors by name, and I had a counselor that I was particularly close with and would meet with frequently. It was really sad to see her go in my junior year, and so one of the other counselors (still a nice guy) was forced to substitute as ours instead. Needless to say, I didn't have much time to connect with him as much as his other students, and I'm not sure if his letter could have stood out too much from other students that he knew much more.
Interviews
Harvard (1st cycle): (6/10) So, as a first interview, I thought it went quite well. We laughed together and shared our stories of how we grew up and connected through that. It started slightly awkward (video isn't the ideal form of communication) but otherwise went well. Lasted substantially longer than the scheduled time.
UPenn (1st cycle): (5/10) Pretty standard interview. The interviewer was very enthusiastic, but the conversation was a bit more formal and less exciting. Got to know a lot about the school though, so that was good. 45 minutes, not bad.
Dartmouth (2nd cycle) (8/10): Probably my best interview. He shared a lot in common with me and we were able to talk a lot about our cultural similarities and how Dartmouth would be a great fit. It lasted almost 2 hours and we had a great time!
A bit surprised by the lack of interviews, but maybe this is normal.
Essays
I feel like while I thought at the time my essays were good, in hindsight, they probably weren't. I'm inclined to think that my writing ability is not that great, but I tried and gave it a lot of time. For the personal essay, I first wrote about how Japanese calligraphy had given me a new way to see the world, but looking back, I may have looked a bit introverted from the way it was written. For the second cycle, I talked about sports, which looking back I felt was even more of a cliche. I only chose to write about it because at the time it was suggested to me and I thought it could work. I will say, however, that my supplemental essays were probably much better and very school - specific.

Decisions (indicate ED/EA/REA/SCEA/RD)
FIRST CYCLE: EXTREMELY TOP - HEAVY, DON'T DO THIS UNLESS YOU'RE PREPARED FOR REJECTION!
Acceptances:
UMD (EA) (originally committed but was denied to defer acceptance to next year)
Waitlists (honestly surprised that I didn't get more waitlists):
UChicago (RD) (later rejected)
Rejections:
Berkeley
Caltech (RD)
Columbia (RD)
Harvard (RD)
Johns Hopkins (RD)
MIT (RD)
Princeton (RD)
Stanford (RD)
UCLA
UMich (EA, defer - reject)
UPenn (RD)
Yale (RD)
SECOND CYCLE: Still top - heavy but more balanced with a mix of safeties, targets, and reaches
Acceptances:
Baylor (RD, 23k scholarship), rejected BS/MD
CWRU (RD, 31.5k scholarship) (committed, but may just go to CC tbh), rejected BS/MD
Purdue FYE (RD)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RD, 36k scholarship), rejected BS/MD
SUNY Stony Brook (RD, 28k scholarship), rejected BS/MD
University College London (school in the UK)
Wayne State (RD, 6.5k scholarship), rejected BS/MD
Waitlists (honestly surprised that I didn't get more waitlists):
GWU (RD) (declined waitlist offer), rejected BS/MD
UChicago (RD) (later rejected)
Rejections:
Brown (RD), rejected BS/MD
Cambridge (in the UK)
Cornell (RD)
Dartmouth (RD)
Duke (RD)
Harvard (RD)
Harvey Mudd (RD)
Johns Hopkins (RD)
Northwestern (RD)
UMich (RD)
UPenn (RD)
Vanderbilt (RD)
Also got straight up ghosted by UMD 💀
Additional info/Final thoughts (IMPORTANT):
Extra things that I thought would help me stand out:
I took AP Calc BC in 8th grade and scored a 5 on the AP test (lol this might already give me away), and my middle and high school had to make a special curriculum/arrangement for me (and potential future students who were advanced in their classes).
Also, I was the only person to have dual enrolled in math, after literally running out of math courses to take at my already competitive high school. Diff EQ was no joke, but it was a really useful class and I did very well.
Took every double period and AP science course at least one year ahead of my peers.
I also talked extensively about traveling to Asia in my gap year, and how I utilized my language skills to interact with people. I talked about how it has opened me to new perspectives and how interacting with communities broadened my outlook.
FINAL THOUGHTS: after two years of straight rejections from top schools, I have to say I've been extremely invested in this process, if not anything more than for the sake of my younger brother, who is gonna need as much advice from me as possible given the fierce competition.
So yeah in the end college admissions cooked me to a crisp. Besides my unremarkable personal statement and (possibly) mediocre counselor rec, I really can't understand what went wrong. Maybe this year was just too competitive with test - optional policies, and I'm pretty sure there are kids with <1400 SATs from my school who went TO and got into top schools. Also, I will say that evidently, top schools couldn't care less about your course rigor, at least beyond a certain amount. They don't care that you took AP Physics C in elementary school or can speak 10 languages. I went in with the mindset of "all it takes is one", though I guess even that was too much to ask for :/ Anyway, my #1 piece of advice?
APPLY EARLY. Seriously, I think this was my biggest downfall. I can't believe I didn't learn from my first application cycle, but too late to change that now. THIS APPLIES ESPECIALLY IF YOUR SCHOOL REGULARLY SENDS STUDENTS TO TOP SCHOOLS. It doesn't matter if you have new stuff that you want to show by the regular decision deadline. You can always update stuff in your portal later. If you apply RD, universities may already have selected their share of students from your school. Honestly given how UChicago heavily pads their yield, I might have been accepted had I applied ED there. Or maybe JHU. I don't even know :/
I will say though, I think Purdue was an interesting outlier. Even though their engineering program is quite competitive (especially OOS), they specifically reached out to me and asked for my CC dual enrollment grade which no other university did. I think that compelled them to offer me admission, and turning them down was a really hard decision that I still don't even know was the right move. I am extremely grateful for that though.
Still, I'm honestly feeling quite lost considering all my work, but looks like I might just go to CC atp. What makes it even worse is that it's looked down upon by every person in my school community and even by my parents and relatives. At least I'll save money, right?
Also remember if you're reading this and you didn't get into a top college, DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED. This sub has an INSANE amount of response bias, and post titles like "clutching an ivy" or "scored a miracle" just aren't representative and you shouldn't compare yourself to them. Not everyone gets a satisfactory outcome and you aren't alone. For the sake of your happiness, if you're applying to top universities, just expect to get rejected from all of them. Don't bank on getting into one of them even if you think you are talented or extraordinary in some regard. Chances are that they just don't care. And unless you think you can do something remarkable in a gap year, don't take one just to reapply. It's just not worth it.
Anyway, vent over. It doesn't really matter anyway, I'll crush those transfer apps 😌