Love someone so much it makes you cry

Finn Tresscoat, a 20-year-old with short dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a pale complexion, strolled down the sidewalk of his small town. He wore a light brown leather jacket over a black shirt, paired with black jeans and black-and-white sneakers.
As Finn ambled along, he glanced at the many shops lining the main road of the town's bustling center. He wasn't searching for anything in particular; he simply wanted to enjoy the rare day off from his job, one of the most perilous occupations in the United West (U.W.).
"Finn! Oh, Finn!"
Finn turned his head to the right and spotted Ms. Tori Elortor, or simply Ms. Tori as he called her. She was an older lady in her early fifties, though her youthful appearance often surprised the townsfolk. With long white hair cascading down her back, pale skin, and bright hazel eyes, she was a striking figure. Today, she wore a navy blue sundress over a pair of tight blue jeans and brown cowboy boots.
Ms. Tori, the local bakery owner, was considered quite attractive and often caught the eye of the younger men in town. Her curvaceous figure and active lifestyle, including regular yoga sessions in the park, only added to her allure. However, Finn saw her differently. Having known her since childhood and feeling like part of her family, he saw her as a maternal figure rather than anything else. He was also close to her son, Eric, feeling like an older brother to him.
Despite his demanding job, which kept him busy for nearly twenty-four-seven, Finn always tried to visit Ms. Tori and Eric whenever he could. Today was a rare opportunity for him to relax and reconnect.
"Ah, hi Ms. Tori! How are you today?" Finn greeted her with a warm smile.
Ms. Tori returned his smile. "I'm just fine, Finn. The real question is, how are you? I haven't seen you in months!" Her tone shifted to one of concern. "I was worried, and so was Eric. You do have quite a dangerous job for someone so young," she added.
What kind of dangerous job did Finn have, you might ask?
Well, Finn was a "Gaunt Hunter," a member of a specialized group tasked with safeguarding the small towns outside the major cities in the United West from creatures known as Gaunts.
These slim, humanoid creatures had leathery black skin, no eyes or nose, and wide mouths that drooled a strange dark green liquid. They had emerged after the cataclysmic "Decade of Winter."
The Gaunts varied in form and capability. Some were very muscular, while others had bat-like wings, allowing them to fly. They were also cunning, often creating weapons from scavenged materials and hunting in packs.
Disturbingly, these were just the common variants.
There were tales of Gaunts resembling animals and some that could even speak, though Finn himself had never encountered such anomalies.
Despite the ominous title of Gaunt Hunter, Finn's role wasn't as glamorous as one might imagine.
He wasn't a high-tech, gadget-wielding hero. Gaunt Hunters received training similar to regular police officers, focusing on the use of firearms. However, since firearms were not commonly traded or shipped to the smaller towns outside the major cities, Gaunt Hunters were also taught to wield swords, knives, and other melee weapons, as well as trained in close-range combat.
Finn had been trained to fire a pistol but also learned to fight with a machete, which was more practical for their needs than a traditional sword. On duty, he carried a standard-issue Glock-17 and a machete strapped to his side. He also wore the standard protective gear issued to United West Security Forces (UWSF) officers.
Returning to the conversation with Ms. Tori, Finn let out a lighthearted chuckle. "Dangerous for most of the veterans on the job, but I'm young and fit! Practically invincible!" he said with a grin.
Ms. Tori gave Finn an unimpressed look, raising an eyebrow. "Is that right?" she asked. "Then what's this I hear about a Gaunt nearly taking your head off just last week?"
Finn's face flushed with embarrassment as he recalled the incident. A Gaunt had caught him off guard and nearly decapitated him with a makeshift axe. "Okay... yeah, fair enough," he admitted, looking down.
Ms. Tori's expression softened, and she gave him a few light taps on the shoulder. "Oh, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Finn, I'm just reminding you that your job is dangerous… You need to be careful," she said gently.
Finn looked up at her and nodded. "I know, and thank you for caring," he replied. Inwardly, he thought, 'It's not like anyone else does'
"Of course, I care, Finn," Ms. Tori said firmly. "Do you know how devastated I'd be if you got hurt or, heaven forbid, died? I'd be heartbroken,” she told him. “Eric would be even worse off, after all, who would play with him?"
Finn felt a wave of warmth at her words. Despite not wanting to worry Ms. Tori or Eric, it was comforting to know there were people who cared about him, and who wanted him to stay safe and come back home. "I guess you're right," he said with a soft smile. "I'll try to be more careful out there, I promise,”
Ms. Tori nodded, her smile lingering. "Good,” she said. “Now, how many days do you have off?" she asked.
"Not many," Finn replied with a sigh. "Just today,"
Ms. Tori's eyes widened in shock. "Only today? Why?" She asked.
Finn's expression turned serious. "Many of the other Gaunt Hunters are either dead, retiring, or switching to become cops... There are only ten of us left in the entire town,"
Ms. Tori's eyes widened in horror. Gaunt Hunters were the primary defense against the Gaunts. The law across the U.W. dictated that local law enforcement dealt with human issues, leaving Gaunt-related threats to the Hunters. The thought of their numbers dwindling was terrifying.
Each town was supposed to have a contingent of Gaunt Hunters, given that small towns were the primary targets for Gaunt attacks.
Major cities, in contrast, rarely had to deal with Gaunts.
The dense populations of these urban centers acted as a deterrent, scaring off most Gaunt packs. Even if a small group of Gaunts did manage to attack, the cities were equipped with heavy weaponry and advanced defenses, making Gaunt Hunters unnecessary there.
This starkly contrasted with the dire need for Gaunt Hunters in the smaller, more vulnerable towns.
Ideally, each small town would have around fifty Gaunt Hunters, a number intended to ensure adequate protection against the Gaunt threat. However, the reality was far grimmer. The inherent dangers and heavy responsibilities associated with the job dissuaded many from becoming Gaunt Hunters. The perilous nature of the work, combined with the constant threat of death, resulted in a severe shortage of recruits.
As a result, the numbers in many towns had dwindled alarmingly.
"Only ten?" she repeated her voice barely above a whisper. "That's... alarming… What happens if more Gaunts come?"
"We do our best," Finn said, trying to sound confident. "But it's tough… Every day, we’re stretched thinner,"
Ms. Tori took a deep breath, trying to process the gravity of the situation.
Finn felt a lump in his throat. "I promise, Ms. Tori. I'll do everything I can to stay safe," he said, trying to remind her if his promise mere moments ago.
Ms. Tori wanted to argue with Finn's comment, but deep down, she knew he was somewhat right. The town was struggling—trade had slowed to a trickle, and many residents had moved away. The constant threat of Gaunt attacks made living there increasingly untenable. Even Ms. Tori had considered leaving to ensure Eric’s safety and to give him a chance to grow up in a more stable environment where he could interact with other children and experience the broader world.
However, she couldn’t bring herself to leave.
Her late husband was buried in this town, and even though years had passed since his death, she felt tied to the place where he rested. She had loved this town deeply, and in a way, staying felt like keeping a part of him alive.
Seeing the conflict in her eyes, Finn decided to change the subject. "Hey, why don't I come over for dinner?" he suggested with a soft smile. "I'm sure Eric would be happy to see me after so long,”
Ms. Tori was pulled out of her thoughts by his offer. She smiled, grateful for his willingness to spend his rare day off with them. "That would be lovely, Finn," she said with a quick nod.
They walked together to Ms. Tori's home, a modest three-bedroom house with a large attic. Inside, they found Eric sitting in front of the TV, watching cartoons. Hearing Finn’s voice, Eric turned, his face lighting up with excitement. He jumped out of his seat and ran to give Finn a hug.
Eric was about 11 years old, with brown hair like his deceased father but hazel eyes like his mother. He was wearing a dark black and blue striped shirt, dark gray pants, and black slip-on shoes.
Finn hugged him back, smiling. "I've got some stories to tell over dinner," he said, which made Eric's eyes sparkle with anticipation.
He loved hearing about the world beyond their town, even if it was mostly filled with woods and the ruins of an old world.
Finn then followed Ms. Tori into the kitchen to help prepare dinner. He found what he could and handed the items to her, glad to be of assistance. Ms. Tori thanked him and asked if he could help chop vegetables, which he was more than happy to do.
As they worked side by side, Ms. Tori glanced at Finn, her expression a mix of gratitude and concern. "You know, Finn, this town means a lot to me,” she told him “It’s where I built my life with my husband, and it’s where I want Eric to grow up, despite everything,"
Finn nodded, understanding the deep attachment she had. "I get it, Ms. Tori. This place has a lot of memories, and as long as I'm here, I'll do my best to keep it safe for you and Eric,"
Ms. Tori smiled warmly. "I know you will, Finn... Thank you,”
Dinner was a warm, lively affair. Eric listened intently to Finn’s stories, hanging on every word. The laughter and conversation filled the small home, creating a moment of normalcy amidst the chaos of their world. For a brief time, the threats outside seemed distant, and they enjoyed the simple pleasure of being together.
After a few bites, Eric looked at Finn eagerly. "Can you tell me one of your stories, Finn?" he asked, his eyes bright with anticipation.
Finn nodded, swallowing a mouthful of food. "Well, a couple of days ago, I was out with two or three other Hunters, we had just finished fighting off a few Gaunts, once they were dealt with, we decided to explore the area since it was the site of an old abandoned amusement park,” he began. “Some of the rides were still standing, though most were broken and destroyed, it was interesting to see the tech they used to have back then," Finn recounted.
Eric's eyes widened with excitement. "Wow! That's awesome!" he exclaimed.
Finn grinned. "It was pretty cool, but it’s nothing compared to some of the parks I saw in Salton Lake City! Those places are amazing,"
Eric's eyes gleamed at the mention of the nearby city. "Man, I want to go there someday!" he said enthusiastically. "Maybe when I start my training to be a Gaunt Hunter," he added with a big smile.
Finn chuckled. "So, you want to be a Gaunt Hunter, huh?" he asked. "You think you’ve got what it takes?"
Eric nodded vigorously. "Uh-huh! I know I can be a Gaunt Hunter! I bet I can even be better than you!" he declared, pointing at Finn.
Finn raised an eyebrow, amused. "Oh really?" he said. "Who's to say I'm not the best of the best, huh?"
Eric gave him a smug smirk. "Because if you were the best Hunter, you'd have already gotten rid of all the Gaunts!" he said confidently.
Finn chuckled. "Well, you got me there," he admitted. "But hey, if you think you can be the best and get rid of all the Gaunts, then I say go for it, dude."
Eric chuckled and resumed eating, his enthusiasm undimmed. Ms. Tori watched the two with a fond smile, marveling at the brotherly bond between them. It warmed her heart to see how close they had become. She knew that Finn cherished this connection just as much as Eric did, especially since Finn had grown up without a family of his own, raised in the local orphanage.
She recalled those early days when a young Finn would walk into the bakery, clutching a few coins. His eyes would light up with wonder at the sight of the treats and goodies lining the shelves. Something about him had touched her heart, and she began offering him free treats for him and the other orphans whenever he visited. Her late husband had also taken a liking to Finn, treating him like the son they never had. When Finn decided to become a Gaunt Hunter, it was her husband who had helped him prepare for the rigorous training, getting him into shape and offering constant encouragement.
After her husband's death, it was Finn who helped her grieve and find the strength to carry on. She had felt terrible about leaning on him during such a hard time, knowing he had his own sadness to deal with, yet he remained steadfast and strong. He had been there for her and for Eric, helping the young boy understand their loss and navigate the difficult times that followed.
She was truly grateful to have Finn in her life.
Suddenly, Finn's phone vibrated insistently in his pocket. He quickly reached for it and saw a text message from work. He opened it, dreading what it might say.
[~Finn, we need you tonight. Jon and Gary quit out of the blue, so we need someone to fill in.~]
Finn sighed, frustration bubbling up inside him. 'Great, now we're down to eight Hunters,' he thought. 'And Jon and Gary were both my age and in better shape than the veterans at the station.'
Ms. Tori noticed the change in his expression and knew immediately what it meant. "Does duty call, Finn?" she asked gently.
Finn nodded, his expression weary. "Yeah, looks like Jon and Gary quit. They need me to cover tonight."
Ms. Tori sighed, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Finn. I know how much you were looking forward to some time off."
"It's alright," Finn said, forcing a smile. "I knew it was a long shot anyway. The town needs all the help it can get."
Eric looked up, concern etched on his young face. "Do you have to go, Finn?"
Finn ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "Yeah, buddy. Duty calls. But I'll be back, and we’ll have more stories to share. I promise."
Ms. Tori gave him a supportive nod. "Just promise us you'll stay safe, Finn."
"I will," Finn assured her. He stood up, preparing to leave. "Thanks for dinner, Ms. Tori. It was great, as always."
As he left the warm, comforting atmosphere of Ms. Tori's home and headed out into the cold night, Finn felt a renewed sense of purpose. Despite the exhaustion and the ever-present danger, he knew he had to keep fighting. For the town, for Eric, and for the memory of the man who had helped him become who he was.
Once at the station, Finn entered and immediately spotted Dick Cortez, a veteran Gaunt Hunter who had been safeguarding the town for as long as Finn could remember. Dick, now in his 50s, had graying hair, deep-set wrinkles, and perpetually tired eyes. He was wearing the standard-issue armor that all Gaunt Hunters received, though each Hunter was allowed to customize their armor with different colors and modifications.
Dick's armor consisted of a high-collar black shirt beneath a modified, pure black chest plate that covered his upper abdomen, along with similarly-colored bracers. Both the chest plate and bracers were trimmed with white and featured matching shoulder pads. He also wore gloves with small metal plating on the fingers, dark navy jeans, black and white metal knee pads, and dark brown boots.
Dick noticed Finn and offered a small smile. "Heya, Finn," he greeted.
"Hey yourself, Dick," Finn replied with a nod.
"Sorry about having to bring you in on your day off," Dick said, his tone genuinely apologetic.
Finn walked over to his locker, where his armor and weapons were stored. He glanced at Dick and shrugged, giving a small smile. "It's alright, Dick. I understand why, and I'm not angry—well, not at you, but at those two," Finn said, referring to Jon and Gary.
Dick nodded in understanding. "Trust me, I'm disappointed in them too, but I can see why they left so suddenly," he said.
Finn nodded back, opening his locker to reveal his armor. His armor was similar to Dick's but differed in color and the clothing underneath. Finn wore his usual attire beneath the armor, which consisted of a dark brown chest plate trimmed with black, matching bracers, shoulder pads, knee pads, and gloves.
He took the armor out and quickly dressed, securing the pieces in place. He then grabbed his Glock and its holster, strapping it around his waist, and added his machete in its sheath. Once fully suited up, he turned to Dick with a raised brow. "Which side of town am I patrolling tonight?"
"Outer wall, west side," Dick stated, his voice firm.
Finn nodded, mentally preparing himself for the task ahead. The west side of the outer wall was notorious for Gaunt activity, a hotspot for their attacks. It was going to be a long night.
As he headed out, Dick called after him, "Stay sharp out there, Finn. We can't afford to lose any more good Hunters."
Finn turned back and gave a resolute nod. "I will, Dick. See you in the morning."
Once outside the city, Finn couldn't help but take in the grim sight of the outer wall. It was marred with deep scratches and chips from relentless Gaunt attacks, stained with the dark green goo that dripped from their slavering mouths, and speckled with bloodstains that would never fully wash away. The stark contrast between this battered exterior and the inner walls of the town was striking. Inside, the walls were adorned with chalk drawings from children and vibrant murals from the town's artists. These cheerful images served as a reminder of what he was protecting, and why he had chosen to become a Gaunt Hunter in the first place.
Reaching the west side of the wall, Finn began his patrol, moving back and forth to ensure no Gaunts were attempting to scale the barrier. For now, the night was quiet, and he hoped it would remain that way.
As he walked his beat, his thoughts drifted back to dinner with Eric and the boy's enthusiastic declaration about becoming a Gaunt Hunter. While part of him felt honored by Eric's admiration, another part was deeply troubled. The life of a Hunter was dangerous and filled with horrors that no one should have to witness, let alone a young boy like Eric.
Finn's mind flashed back to a particularly gruesome memory from a past patrol. He and another Hunter had been called to assist in repelling a large pack of Gaunts. They had rushed to the scene, only to find their comrades dead, slaughtered in horrific ways. One Hunter's skull had been cracked open, with Gaunts eating from it as if it were a bowl of grapes. Another Hunter, still alive, was being disemboweled and devoured. Finn could never forget the man's agonized expression as he watched his own entrails being torn apart and consumed. The sight had been so revolting that Finn had vomited on the spot, paralyzed by shock until his partner snapped him back to reality.
Then there were the stories he had heard from veterans like Dick. Dick once recounted an incident where a Hunter had been speared to death by multiple Gaunts. They hadn't even eaten him; they had just impaled him repeatedly, leaving his body to rot in the woods for days. Such tales highlighted the Gaunts' malevolence and complete lack of empathy.
Finn shuddered at the memories. He didn't want Eric to face such nightmares. The boy was full of life and potential, and Finn couldn't bear the thought of him enduring the same horrors he had.
Since that harrowing incident and the chilling story Dick had shared, Finn had sworn to himself that he wouldn't meet a similar fate. He vowed to go out fighting, to not end up like those other hunters. He couldn't bear the thought of becoming another victim, especially after what happened to his sister.
The sudden howl nearby jolted Finn out of his grim thoughts. The sound was close—too close. Instantly alert, he scanned his surroundings. Just then, something whizzed past his face, slicing his cheek. He turned to see a makeshift arrow embedded in the wall. Spinning back around, his heart sank as he saw ten Gaunts emerging from the tree line.
"Shit!" Finn cursed, his eyes widening in horror. This was a dire situation. He quickly drew his Glock and aimed at the advancing creatures. Before he could fire, a sharp pain seared through his left side. He glanced down to see a small dagger lodged in his torso.
'What the hell?' Finn thought, bewildered. 'Did one of the Gaunts throw this?'
"Sorry, but it's nothing personal," a strange voice echoed through the darkness.
Finn's gaze snapped forward, and he saw a figure emerging from the shadows. They wore a long black cloak that seemed to envelop them completely, giving the eerie impression that they were gliding across the ground rather than walking.
The figure approached him, their face obscured by the cloak's hood. "My, you are a handsome young man," they purred in a sultry tone. "Such a fucking shame that my babies must eat. We've been on the run, and they haven't had a chance to rest and eat until we saw you." They giggled, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Finn's spine.
Fear gripped Finn, but he managed to look up at the cloaked figure with a raised brow. "W-Who are you?" he stammered, his voice wavering.
The figure tilted their head slightly as if amused by his question. "Who am I?" they echoed. "I am their mother, their caretaker. I ensure they survive, even if it means feeding them humans like you." The figure leaned closer, and Finn could just make out a twisted smile beneath the hood.
Finn's mind raced. He needed to think of a way out, and fast. The Gaunts were closing in, and he was injured and at a severe disadvantage. Summoning his remaining strength, he clutched his Glock tighter and tried to steady his breath. He couldn't let this be the end.
The figure's giggle echoed eerily through the night, sending a shiver down Finn's spine. "Oh! Now I'm regretting stabbing you," they remarked with a twisted amusement. "It's not every day a handsome young man asks me my name, you know? Most prefer a no-name policy." Their tone was cryptic, and Finn couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in his gut. "While I would love to give you my name in far better circumstances, I'm afraid I don't have the time," they continued, their words dripping with urgency. "As I said, we're on the run from a rather unpleasant girl."
Finn's confusion only deepened. The figure's response didn't provide any clarity, leaving him even more perplexed. As the figure began to back away, Finn's eyes widened in shock as the Gaunts beside them moved in unison. ‘She can... control them!?’ he realized, disbelief washing over him.
"Go ahead, babies... EAT!" the figure commanded, her voice chillingly calm.
With a sickening lurch in his stomach, Finn watched as the Gaunts surged forward, their hunger palpable in the air. Determination surged within him, driving him to fight against the odds stacked against him. Ignoring the searing pain from his wound, he raised his gun and fired at the approaching Gaunts. Despite his efforts, only one was hit, and even then, it didn't slow down.
Finn gritted his teeth, preparing for the inevitable close-quarter battle with the monsters. "Come on!" he growled defiantly. "I'm right here!"
The Gaunts closed in, their predatory instincts driving them forward. Just as they leaped toward him, ready to strike, something unexpected occurred.
Thorny vines erupted from the ground, snaking around the Gaunts with incredible speed. Finn's eyes widened in astonishment as the vines ensnared the creatures, halting their advance. The vines twisted and contorted, slamming the Gaunts into the ground with brutal force, tearing at their flesh and rendering them helpless.
" Damn! How did that bitch already find us!?" the figure exclaimed, frustration evident in their voice.
Finn's gaze followed the figure's gaze as a new figure emerged from the shadows.
Her appearance was striking, to say the least. With a spiky red Mohawk and piercing red eyes devoid of any white, she exuded an aura of fierce determination. Smudged mascara framed her intense gaze, adding to her wild and untamed appearance. Her lips were painted black, a stark contrast to her fiery red hair and eyes. Clad in a black leather crop top vest that accentuated her slim, athletic frame, she exuded an air of defiance. Arm bands encircled her wrists and biceps, resembling the wraps worn by boxers, hinting at her combat prowess. Around her neck, she wore a large choker, adding to her rebellious demeanor. Her attire was completed by tight leather pants and high-heeled platform boots, giving her an imposing presence.
"Found you, ya freaking cunt!" she spat, her voice laced with venom.
The cloaked figure retreated, increasing the distance between them and the girl. "Ugh, don't you ever give up?" they retorted, their tone tinged with irritation.
The girl leveled a fierce glare at the figure. "After the shit you've done!? I ain't letting you go!" she declared, her voice dripping with disdain.
The figure let out a mocking giggle. "Is that so?" they taunted, gesturing toward Finn who lay wounded on the ground. "Not even to save his life?"
The girl's gaze shifted to Finn, her expression softening momentarily as she registered his injuries. Before she could react, a shrill howl pierced the air, drawing their attention back to the figure.
"What the hell did you do!?" the girl demanded, her voice trembling with rage.
"Oh, just called in a few friends over for dinner," the figure replied casually.
"You bitch!" the girl seethed.
With a swift motion, she thrust her hand forward, summoning a massive vine with thorns protruding from its surface. The vine lunged toward the figure, but they evaded the attack with agile grace, darting away through the forest.
"Have fun~!" they taunted, their laughter echoing through the trees as they disappeared into the darkness.
Driven by determination, the girl pursued the figure, her footsteps echoing through the forest. However, her path was suddenly obstructed as a horde of Gaunts emerged from the shadows, blocking her way with menacing snarls and bared teeth.
"Get out of my way!" the girl cried, her voice ringing with determination.
In an instant, a smaller thorned vine shot out of the ground with startling speed, piercing through the approaching Gaunts like a bullet. Lifted into the air by the force of the vine, the creatures were hurled aside, crashing into trees with bone-crushing force.
As more Gaunts emerged from the shadows behind her, four shots echoed through the air. Finn's aim was true, striking the advancing Gaunts and causing them to writhe in agony as they fell to the ground. The girl glanced back to see Finn's timely intervention, offering a silent nod of acknowledgment before focusing her attention back on the remaining threats. Summoning more vines, she ensnared the creatures, tearing them apart with ruthless efficiency.
Satisfied that the immediate danger had passed, the girl turned back towards Finn, who was now sitting against the wall, applying pressure to his wound.
Bending down beside him, the girl flashed a smile, revealing sharp triangular teeth reminiscent of a shark. "Nice shooting there, dude. Really saved my ass back there," she remarked.
Finn managed a weak chuckle. "I should be thanking you. If you hadn't shown up, I'd be Gaunt food," he admitted.
"Let's call it even, then, eh?" she suggested. "What's your name?" she inquired.
Finn met her gaze, taking a moment to catch his breath before responding. "Finn, Finn Tresscoat," he introduced himself. Curiosity burning in his eyes, he posed a question in return. "Who are you? No... What are you?" he asked, unable to shake off the mystery surrounding her.
The girl maintained her enigmatic smile, meeting his gaze with her striking red eyes. "The name's Rachel Rose," she revealed. "As for what I am, well... I can answer that once you're all patched up," she added cryptically.
Summoning another vine, Rachel gently lifted Finn to his feet, supporting him as they began to make their way back towards town. With each step, Finn's mind buzzed with questions, the mysteries surrounding Rachel and her abilities swirling in his thoughts. Who was the cloaked figure? How did they control the Gaunts? And most pressing of all, who—or what—was Rachel, and how was she able to command those vines with such ease?
As they walked back toward town, Finn couldn't help but feel the weight of exhaustion settle upon him, both physically and mentally. His thoughts swirled with questions about the events that had just transpired—about Rachel, the cloaked figure, and the unsettling abilities they both possessed. Yet, amidst the chaos of his mind, one pressing question emerged, demanding attention above all else.
'When the hell am I gonna get another day off? Because I can sure as hell use it right now...!' Finn thought to himself, his weariness palpable.
Rachel, walking beside him, seemed to sense his inner turmoil. Casting him a sidelong glance, she offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Finn. You'll have your chance to rest soon," she assured him, her voice carrying a note of empathy.
Finn managed a weary smile in return, grateful for the reassurance. Despite the gravity of their situation, her words offered a glimmer of hope amidst the uncertainty that loomed over them…

Growing up, i have been an introvert and shy and would have a hard time initiating conversations with people. At some point, i guess when i was a teen, it was just so bad that i would not even be able to ask questions to storekeepers, waiters, or anyone on the phone. It has always been all the more challenging to do things to be seen in bigger social gatherings. I happen to shrink myself and really don’t know what I should do to be seen. Because of my tendencies, i feel like while all my colleagues have a go-to person at work, i am nobody’s go-to person or office bestie. We went on a little office trip recently and everyone had someone to talk to and hang out with while i was mostly just awkwardly alone. That is a problem because then you’re seen a certain way by the manager even though it’s not exactly your fault. I genuinely try to have conversations and be nice to people but i am just not seen or feel needed. It’s not like i am a shitty person. In fact, i am mostly approached by some of my friends when they need non-judgmental ears to vent out to.
Now what’s interesting (if you may say that) is that i have this other side to me that is extremely witty and knows exactly what to say when I interact with one person at a time and mostly a person with whom i share no common friends. I am outspoken, lively, and very expressive. I can make small talks, deep talks, every kind of talk. Comes very naturally- both these tendencies.
I think in groups i come across as timid despite what i say or do while in one on one conversations, the person gets the chance to actually see me for who i am. This is just my guess. To be honest, i dont understand why i am unpopular and feel not needed. And honestly, i dont have a problem with it at all. It’s just that when this happens at work, everyone notices and it impacts how you’re perceived and your promotions.

Hi there,
Please brace yourself, this is going to be a long one and I'm going to try and be as objective and as eloquent as I possibly can. P.S I've never used Reddit before but have seen these type of content reshared on YouTube.
Alright. Let's go! So, my husband and I dated 8 years ago, and 2 years ago we decided to get married. For the story's sake, let's call him Dennis (31). Dennis was from a different country and we are the same race of people (different nationalities). He is the love of my life, I love him dearly - he is everything little me dreamed out, he's... im tearing up just thinking about how much I love him, there are no words to describe.
Now, Dennis parents rarely visited when we were dating, most of the getting to know my in-laws/introduction to the fam happened online and I don't know why I didn't see the things clearer (probably jacked up on love) that I brushed things off.
I made it clear, from our third date to Dennis that I don't want kids, never wanted them and its not something I'm going to change my mind on. I wanted him to know this from the get-go so we don't hit roadblocks and him trying to persuade me... yada yada yada. He eventually told me that the more thoughts he "thunked" on this subject, the more it made sense to not have kids and so, great! We started dating and the rest was history.
Now, about 6 years in, I went on a vacation with his family cause' well, I wanted to know them better and on Christmas Day, Dennis's father, we'll call him Tom (Ancient), sat me down in front of his 2 brothers and wife and told me how disappointment he was in me that I was not going to have kids. He then followed it up with and I'm quoting "A woman's duty is to have kids...." I blocked the rest out because I was TRAUMATIZED by these words. His family also weren't vaccinated (anti-vax) and everyone ended up getting Covid. I have Asthma (like rushed into the ICU twice and put on a ventilator bad) and though Dennis and I were vaccinated, the others weren't.
This trip ended up being one of the major hurdles both Dennis and I had to navigate through because he did not say anything, he didn't stand up for me, he basically didn't do anything. Though, he told me to not let he's father's words affect me cause who cares what he thinks and that at the end of the day it was our lives, he said and I quote "It's word fodder, tune it out" but I couldn't let it go and my view was that I was not close enough to his dad for him to be talking to me about my reproductive organs/purpose. We took a mini break but got back together with Dennis agreeing to be more aware and present when he's father pulls another one of this episodes.
Fast forward to current day - my younger sister and Dennis younger brother got together during our wedding (A whole nuanced convo for another day) and I was pissed because we were really going through a tough time financially and this mini wedding was supposed to be something nice for the both of us. My in-laws attended the wedding and added so many decorations on top of the ones Dennis and I had, my MIL put fairy lights on the tables and they had 2 huge flags of the country Dennis was from and we didn't see any of this because we were getting ready. Even during the ceremony when it was time for one of my cousin to give her speech, they hijacked the whole thing by doing some ceremony of their own. I decided to let it go because... well, Dennis and I were both so fucking tired. My wedding day was the saddest day of my life. When I look back, I cannot recall a single happy memory - I know they are there but I just... I can't look past what they did, ya know?
Anyway, 2 days after the wedding, my in laws threw a dinner for Dennis and I, we attended and Tom starts expressing his grievances as to his experience at our wedding and starts telling me that I need to start distancing myself from my family because I have now become a part of theirs - I told him no, although I am a part of his family, I will NEVER ever stop being involved in mine (I'm the oldest sister). He then proceeded to call me "damaged" because I was raised in a broken family because my parents are separated. Dennis stepped in and he quickly got shut down with Tom yelling verbal abuse at him. By then, even I knew it was time to shut our pie holes and live to fight another day.
Fast forward to present day, we have both moved to a different country and are thriving. We've never been more financially stable (I got my dream job...pinch me!), we go on coffee dates, life is good except... except for when Tom comes over to stay. He comes over twice a month and is constantly talking about masculinity and femininity and how we ought to implement it in our lives. One time, Dennis tried to stop him and Tom almost got physically abusive so I decided that instead of hiding behind my husband, I shall speak and let him know exactly what I was thinking. The next time he came over, he started talking about the same thing, imagine someone regurgitating podcast bro word vomit over and over again on an endless echo chamber? Yeah - the same talking points! So i told him that he is free to implement whatever he wants in his household but in ours, we do things differently. Tom asked me to explain and I did and he called Dennis a "simp". Dennis was not in the vicinity of the conversation at the time.
Oh yeah, one time when he came to visit, I went to the gym and I was on the treadmill doing 12-3-30 and fighting for my life when Tom decided to jump on the back of the treadmill to startle me. I had my fist rounded to punch him but stopped when I realized who it was. Slight detour, could someone explain to me what thought process goes through one's brain before deciding to jump someone?
Jokes aside, the last weekend, my sister called Dennis to mediate a fight she'd been having with my Brother-in-law. I didn't want to be a part of it but eavesdropped anyway - their fight was about my brother-in-law not feeling like he's doing feminine work when he cleans the house etc and he blamed my sister for being career driven, he said it was too masculine. Dennis in his infinite patience was trying to mediate the dumpsterfire (god bless him) but it all come to a close when brother-in law told my sister "no man is ever going to love you if you're this masculine". She immediately hung up (so proud!)
Now, she wants to break up with him but he refuses to answer her call.
Fast forward to the present day, Tom constantly shares videos to the family whatsapp group about men silencing women and how feminism is bad, blah, blah, blah... and how birth rates are falling. It's a constant thing. I've. muted and archived the family group (You gotta love technology).
Tom has also recently wrote a book on the importance of being a dad and the role a man should play within the family dynamic. It's horrendous! I read the draft and it was like watching a dead animal being plowed through miles and miles of tar. I'm not just talking about his ideologies, I'm talking about his writing style. It sounded very similar to my diary entries when I was 9 (I might come off as a little standoff-ish but I assure you, I am of quite intelligent).
Between being called "damaged", my wedding day, verbal abuse inflicted on my sister and being jumped on the treadmill (Look at that, I too do have infinite patience) I decided it was time to instead of putting band-aids on a burning fire to find a permanent solution to end this once and for all. I told Dennis that he is free to fly back to visit his parents whenever he wants to and on special occasions but I don't think I can at least for now. I told him about how I don't feel safe around Tom and his brothers and their ideologies and i implored him to understand, he gave me a huge hug and said he does and he will never force me to spend our hard earned savings and time and energy on something I don't want (What a catch!). I can't help but feel guilty because well, Dennis grew up around his family and though he spent more time in my country surrounded by my family, his family is still his. Will this create a rift in our marriage? Is this how resentment starts? I want nothing more than to see my husband laugh his heart out, and experience life for all the wonderful things it is. I have to know if he's not going to be thinking of his family and how he misses them and wants to be with them, etc. So, reddit, AITA?
For some more context, I grew up in a fairly progressive neighborhood and hosuehold. Ngl, I grew up extremely privileged and my dad often sent us to summer camps through the British Council to expand our worldview. At home, we often engaged in fierce debates around religion, worldview, politics and drugs. Hint, my dad is actually a fan of legalizing it. :) My parents eventually separated as most of ours do but I don't think we are "damaged" because of it. <3
There, I hope there is enough context.

Summary: Your childhood friend has returned to apologize for disappearing without saying goodbye. You have a note that you wanted to give them before they left.

• Ok to monetize

This is my first ever attempt at writing something like this. It's very short, about 550 words.
Feedback is welcome since I am still learning how this creative process works. I can’t really say that it’s finished. I know it says completed scripts but I am unsure.
Script Start
(Typical thunderous rain outside and a knock on the door, door opens)
Hey,
Thanks for waiting…I know it's been an hour since I called and 10 years since…well you know.
I am sorry it's been so long. Can I have a hug?
(hug pull back examining) Wow look at you all grown up!
I'm not crying…you're crying!
But seriously it's been forever. And it's great to see you again
—(asks to take your coat and come in)
Sure yeah thank you…the rain really wouldn’t let up.
It's been like this for weeks now. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it.
—( door close sfx, listener offers hot chocolate)
I would love some hot chocolate thank you.
—(walk a few steps to the kitchen, it’s an apartment, background of cups and pouring, small torch sfx, walking steps toward speaker, hands cup to speaker)
Ah, thank you, after being in the rain… this is the perfect treat.
You’ve always been so perfect…well to me at least.
Almost too perfect actually. *sip*
Ahhh this is the best cup of hot chocolate I’ve ever had.
I bet there are so many best things about you I missed out on. *sip*
Even the marshmallows are lightly toasted, how cool *sip*
Like…what did you do after school?
...
Mmhmm
…oh… *sip*
hahaha no way!....I never would have guessed. *sip*
Did you finally play that cool game you always talked about?
With the character who has cyberware and rides a badass motorcycle…gosh I can’t remember the name…
Which is why I have felt so guilty about leaving you out of my life for so many years.
It’s not as if you did anything wrong.
I just felt…working on myself…was not worth the support of friendship.
It's selfish of me to think that, because of how patient you are. *sip*
I really couldn’t tell you how many times you were willing to help me but I refused.
If only I could relive those days with memories of you…
that would have made this healing process better. *sip*
Like… more rainy days drinking this amazing hot chocolate with you.
—(listener says a kind gesture)
A friendship like ours never goes out of style?
Did you just make that up? Hahahaha
See, this is what I knew I was missing.
Thanks for the Great hot chocolate by the way.
…
Oh...haha I did? Well it's so nice I had to thank you twice.
Is there a secret to your amazing drink?
—(listener tells secret)
Oh you melted milk chocolate chips into it…mmm delicious.
Your talents still have no bounds…that's awesome. (laughs)
Although, I don’t miss your talent for kicking my but during game nights haha
Gosh I missed you.
And I am so so sorry.
(crying a little)
You had a note you wanted to give me?
---paper rustle from note passed to speaker--
You want me to read it…now?
...
ok…
Don't give up on forgiveness.
Forgive yourself
Forgive others
Grant yourself this one kindness.
You are loved and liked and wonderfully made.
Thank you for being my friend.
(speaker puts cup down goes for a long grateful hug)
—listens to the rain a bit and fade out—
END

We've been living together for 3 months, been dating for 11 months. I've (F23) realized our (M24) compatibility is just terrible. I was lying to myself trying to see it work and I now know it's just not worth it. Our moral values, religion, emotional connection, things you should do as a couple, and just someone I'd want to marry is not him. I wouldn't want my children to be raised with him. And the way he is is just normal to him because of how he's raised. It's not his fault entirely. (Especially with me being religious and him not) But I don't hate him. I know we're very much not compatible cause of the way we were oppositely raised. I realized the only reason I've held out this long is our s*xual relationship. That's not healthy and I want to be happy. So I always have to think of that.
My issue with all these things is breaking up with him, but trying to do that is hard. I'm an emotional person so usually I write stuff down. That's sounds insensitive but it's the only way I've been able to do it with genuine feelings. It feels more respectful than texting.
He's going on a trip for 5 days and my friend brought up moving out, writing a letter, and putting everything in a storage unit before he gets back. But that seems kinda extreme. He's completely forgotten my emotional and normal needs of a relationship, yet I always cater to his. He's never cared when I've brought it up SO MANY times. So she said it's kinda what he deserves. I still want to tell him what's leading me to this, and I'm certain of my standings, but I know it's gonna crumble when I just start crying in front of him. This is the longest relationship I've ever had and I don't want to just end it in a letter unless I have to; even though it's my strong suit to just write stuff out--cause I know I'm gonna cry.
I have a place to stay and plan for moving out quickly so everything's all put in place when I need it. But I'm more worried about telling him and how. I've been putting this off for a month now cause I can't find the right way to do it. Also I just found out yesterday he got fired from his job. I don't want to bring him more issues now whens he's stressed. The world isn't giving me a win.
Tl;dr: How to break up with someone you aren't compatible with anymore, but struggle with crying when u do it?

i hate how hard it is to make friends these days. I've been trying to much lately but it's so hard. it's an endless cycle of getting to know someone > awkward first greetings > getting close to someone > them losing interest > back to step one and meeting someone else
I've tried with coworkers, discord servers, reddit subs, bumble, everything..
i really dislike small talk and one day conversations. i know not everyone's gonna click together but damn. i want friends to play games with and chill on discord all that. I reach out to the people I meet and they never reply or always give me shady answers when I ask to hangout. like why even give me your number or add me on discord if you're never gonna have time to do anything? everyone has their own friend group and it feels impossible to make anything that last. I'm lonely as hell honestly and feeling a bit defeated.

Edit: I see everyone else is already on the train. Well, this sucks!!!
Sign the petition: https://chng.it/GxWnvsvw2F
Hello! I'm user @SizzlePop on Quotev, otherwise known as Rello. I'm sure everyone has heard about the recent changes. I don't want them to take away messages! It would be years of memories and roleplays taken from me. I've been on Q since 2017 and I'm still active there. Losing messages would make all the conversations I've had with the friends I've made disappear.
This may not be worth it, but we have to do something! If you want to keep messages around, sign this petition. It already has over 2000 signatures.
Thank you so much!!

It's a common talking point to avoid Ultra-processed foods. The problem is that food processing accounts for a large variety of steps to prepare food; some are probably bad, and others are probably good. The definitions used are broad and inconsistent. It is concerning that they are widely used, given how little sense they make. We should stop talking about whether something is processed but rather how and why it was processed.
Studies like this group all steps and motivations for processing into 1 category: link When you go into this particular meta-analysis the only processing cutoff for analyzed studies is that they use the NOVA system link, which classifies foods from group 1 to 4 for level of processing. Most of the studies it looked at were other meta analysis or epidemiological studies based on surveys like in this study link .
The NOVA system often used to judge processing is arbitrary and is a way to obfuscate and appeal to tradition and nature. You can define foods as processed or not but if the lines drawn are so weakly founded, studies based on this are studying the system more than the foods. It would be a bit like if I could get the 168 food question survey raw data the second study linked, I could list food color per food and p hack my way into finding which colored foods are healthiest. This would not mean food color causes health outcomes and people should start talking about the color of their food...
Under the NOVA system, a Twinkie and a soylent bottle are equivalent in processing. The Twinkie was processed to increase the concentration of fats and sugars while maintaining soft consistency to make people buy and consume more than they should. A soylent bottle was processed to mimic a balanced meal. I'm not saying either is good, but there is a clear difference between encouraging overconsumption and replacing snacks with a more balanced food.
The study above shows associations, but how can you find causes without separating different motivations or processing techniques? How does studying one group that eats twinkies vs one that does not say anything about the health of soylent? Without better less arbitrary definitions or of what these foods have in common, it is a hopeless task, and avoiding processed foods will be a meaningless virtue signal.
For 10,000 years, we have genetically engineered cows with selective breeding to turn them into meat and dairy production machines. These machines take stuff from plants, extract and concentrate it for us to eat, while this extraction and concentration processing fits under the NOVA group 4 definition, it is included in group 1. Presumably as the processing is excused due to its similarity to how we used to eat. The whole widely used system used to analyze this processing is built on a fallacy.
Finally, is it a good rule of thumb? Sometimes.. When it makes someone avoid the Twinkie, that's awesome; when it makes someone avoid fortified foods, as I have seen IRL, probably not. And even if it works as a rule of thumb some of the time, we should remember its just a rule of thumb.

I don't know what's your reaction when hearing this. I just felt angry.
It is JUST as hard for a girl to get a boyfriend or a girlfriend as it is for a guy. I understand perfectly well. I’m in college and have never even had my first kiss. All three of my mild little crushes this semester are already in relationships. I do all the cliche stuff, nice appearance and hygiene, making jokes/striking up conversations, etc. Not to sound femcel-y but none of that has really worked for me. I am shy and have already been rejected so it’s hard for me to make my feelings clear but I guess my point is: BOYS, girls are just like you! Awkward and lonely and trying their damn best! I wish I could just round up all the guys with this mentality and tell them, “Please don’t put us on pedestals. We aren’t all beautiful and charismatic and guy-magnets”. We’re just like you and we know exactly how it feels. That’s pretty much it but I kind of had to let that out.
By the way, how could I find a good partner? It's really hard for me.

Just wanted to share our experiences post 2 MMC (1st in January, 2nd in April). For both, I found out around 8-9 weeks that fetus had stopped growing and had no heartbeat around 7 weeks. The second pregnancy, we did a few Hcg level blood tests and progesterone also (everything looked perfect on those!) and we had an early US at 6.5 weeks and saw the heartbeat. That second US at 9 weeks (where there was no heartbeat) was a gut punch😣😖 I had D & C procedures for both.
For the second procedure, my very supportive and understanding OB (she has had 2 mcs herself and has 2 kids) encouraged genetic testing of the fetal tissue (“products of conception”). It was sent to a lab and took about 2.5 weeks for her to receive results. It was Trisomy 15 (extra chromosome on number 15, incompatible with life).
The next step was genetic counseling. As hard as this all has been, I know obtaining as much information as possible is helpful for our future. I know I want to have children and do all I can to make it happen. I am 39 (F) and my partner is 33 (M). We met a year ago and we both are both so hopeful we can have children. IVF is not an avenue that we can realistically afford, so I’m just hoping we can do this naturally. I have learned so much in these past 6 months. I didn’t know how ovulation worked or anything 6 months ago. I certainly didn’t know what a “missed” miscarriage was! Jeez… I wish I could go back sometimes. I know you all feel me on that. I’m SO thankful for this sub and for the wealth of knowledge, support, and advice. This has been the most difficult period of my life.
For the genetic counseling appointment, it was at a fetal diagnostic center, so lots of pregnant people around the office and babies😕 I filled out some paperwork about my pregnancies, etc. We both went in the room to meet with the counselor. He asked us all about our families and basically made a family tree with all of our information. We were asked info going back to grandparents and all the way out to cousins. Any pregnancy losses, health conditions, genetic conditions or congenital conditions. For example, I have a cousin with a hole in her heart. My partner’s grandmother had a stillbirth. My grandmother also had one. I also knew about one of my auntie’s miscarriages. Of course we don’t know everything, but we shared what we knew.
He said, based on all of this information, it’s unlikely that we are carrying anything that is causing chromosomal abnormalities. A balanced translocation is highly unlikely. These are rare and I had read about them previously. He estimated based on our backgrounds, family history, and age that there’s a 3% chance (1 in 29) that this could happen again (a mc due to chromosomal abnormality). He also shared that insurance can be tough when doing genetic testing (actually sending our DNA to a lab) and that based on our backgrounds it’s highly unlikely anything is going on there. Maternal age is definitely a factor.
Overall, I feel good having this information. I have been taking supplements like COQ10 since my first mc in January and trying to do all the things I can. It will be a risk getting pregnant again. I do have a lot of fear around getting excited again. I almost think that next time, I might just wait until 8-9 weeks to go for an US. I don’t know if doing all the Hcg testing before is helpful as I’ve learned that things can still happen after seeing Hcg rise and even after seeing the heartbeat. I’ll make another post about that.
Tysm for reading! Sending love and hope to everyone out there in this mc club. It sucks. So thankful for all of you. I hope this helps someone.
TL;DR Read paragraph 4 & 5 for info specific abt genetic counseling appt. experience :)

What goes up in the sky when the rain comes down? An umbrella
In this rainy day I hope to find a kind single childless marriage minded man, who will have place for me under his umbrella.
Please, no low effort messages, fed up with one line messages, it's disrespectful and will be ignored.
Europe, 35 y.o.,168 sm/64 kg, pale skin, average building, long hair. Not too ugly. No kids. No bad habits. Hobbies: books, old movies, cultural events (museum, gallery, theatre). I search for intelligent ma rriage minded man, who has time, romance, opportunities, interest and efforts for me. Who will not demand sex before marriage. Who will never make me to feel, that I'm not good enough for him. Who has respect and will not hurt me. Who is able to take initiative and to write first always or at least tend to it.
I sincerely don't expect other people to live up to my expectations. Those, who seemed to be very close to my description at first, gave the worst contact later, we stopped talking in 5 minutes. Those, who were far from my description (not absolutely far, but didn't match in some points), were very pleasant people. That's why this description is not strict demand in most of points. But definitely that can be red flags for some people, maybe, I'm not good for you, so I just save your time, in case if we are too different.

1. That one, who will want to ma rry me and will be able to meet in real life soon. Please, write in your FIRST message, when you are able to meet, if we match. Yes, it's silly to ask, when it's not clear, if it's worthy to meet in general. But why to start conversation, if no opportunity to meet in foreseen future? Relationship with a big distances demand permanent efforts. 99% of all dialogs will end in houday/week. Maybe, in your current life situation relationship are not priority and you have no time to stay in touch. Then better even not to start.
   
2. I wish to meet that man, who is stable both psychically and in his work. Often someone writes, starts conversation, but later his bad mood, difficulties at his work, unstable psychic begins to ruin conversation. It ends with his ghosting and his "offends". If you can't stay stable for me, please, even don't start. I used to work at very stressful job and understand, how strong pressure and responsibility can be. If you can't control your mood, don text.
   
3. You can live anywhere, if you are ready to make efforts for meet in real life. If you are not ready to make any efforts, date locals. Obviously, when there are real feelings, there is wish to make efforts, but there is certain type of people, who will never do anything, they just entertain here without anything real in mind. Even not able to write adequate first message. They send short one line messages and wait, that they will be pursued, what is maximum disrespect.
   
4. Very important! You are officially single, not in any form of relationship and don't have kids. No exceptions from this rule. For a pity, many people are not honest and hide their status. Relationship, that started from lies, will end soon. Please, don't lie.
   
5. Expect, that I'm not from your country and you will have to travel. If you date only girls from your own country and can't travel, please, don't text. I wish your documents are in order. I wish you have passport or can get it soon.
   
6. I search for honest serious, quiet, logical, intelligent man, who has own place or plan to have it soon and can be a provider. Your age, appearance are not important. I prefer older person, who already knows, what he wants, who's love language is acts of service, not just words. Honesty is extremely important.
   
7. You shouldn't be pushy about having kid fast. If you want many kids, please, don't text. You are heterosexual, no exceptions. Sex is not a main thing in relationship for you. If it is, please, don't text.
   
8. You shouldn't demand to share expenses, because I wish to be stay at home wif e (though I have high education and work experience).
   
9. You can take my problems, as your own and will not run away, when know about my health problem, that demands surgical help (not plastic surgery, but more serious. Not in urgent condition, but if not to do anything, then can become urgent. All papers are on hands, ready to prove that need, when we meet, both in papers and in together visit to surgeon). Why do I mention this? Because 99% of men expect to build relationships with successful, healthy woman without any problems, who will never need any help from him, who will not be a burden in any way, who will stay young, sexually active and healthy forever. Most of men event don't have an idea to do anything real for her. They call that "to be with a girlfriend". So I just save your time in case, if you "want a girlfriend experience" without any responsibility.
   
10. You are able to make voice and video calls in teleg r1am, when I ask for it (of course, after work). If you can't for any reason, please, don't text. Some people are not able to use that messenger for many reason and they tell, they don't have camera, microphone, phone or something else. Before texting, please, check, if you can have it. No, I will not ask you to get any cr1 ypro cur rency and your num ber is not needed there.
    
11. I am very introverted by nature and when like someone, this person becomes almost a center of my world, I don't need any other men, I'm one-man-woman. I wish someone, who is same, one-woman-men. I'm jealous and will not forgive lies and cheating, even very light things like flirting with others. I will not run after any man and will not beg for attention. That means: it is you, who is expected to develop conversation, to text first and to offer something. If you are more in passive position and expect me to pursure you, then please, don't text.
    
12. You will get your own space and time, I try to be respectful and understanding to your needs (until it doesn't include other women).
    
13. Often people hate those, who are different from them, simply just for fact of their existence. So I need someone, who will not be irritated with my existence and hobbies (mentioned it in the beginning). I don't expect you to share these hobbies, but I just ask to be ok with it. It's difficult to imagine, that someone, who is deeply in gaming, sport, cosplay, k-pop will accept me as I am. I can't share mentioned activities, just not my thing. But I definitely will be ok with you doing your hobbies. Even if I can't join.
    
14. Very important ! Low efforts message will be ignored. First message MUST have at least 10 sentences about you and date of possible meet, if everything works. Respect my wish, please. You don't have to be big conversationalist, but a short message is a personal disrespect for me. Hope, you are respectful gentleman and will make efforts.
    

If you feel something common and think, you can be that man, then, please, write me about yourself and let's start our conversation. Thanks for your attention.

I was with the same psychologist for therapy for over 8 years. We met bi-weekly or weekly for most of that time.
Last fall, I lost my job, and she doesn't take Medicaid, which I have temporarily until I get a job. That's understandable, and she told me her cash price is $200 an hour but offered a discount at $150 an hour.
When she told me this, I was getting $300 a week from unemployment. There was no way I could afford it, so I said I'd get in touch when I had regular insurance again.
That was at the end of November. For context, the past year has been the worst year of my life, stuck in an abusive relationship with someone who refused to move out of my house after we broke up, and he only left when I finally got a protective order and he had no choice.
So it's been over 6 months since I've had any contact with my therapist. It feels pretty awful, and honestly I'm surprised she hasn't so much as sent a text to see if I'm alive. I had her number but it wasn't the kind of relationship where I would call her in crisis, we'd just text about appointments if something came up. But obviously, she has my number, and my email, and I feel really hurt, but I don't know if I should.
Does this sound weird to y'all?
Therapists, would you have checked in at some point throughout this time? After over eight years together, I'm honestly shocked. It really feels like she doesn't care and doesn't want to see me anymore. If that's the case, that's okay. I know these relationships often have an expiration date and if we reached that, I can accept it, but I need to know, and I think I need at least one appointment for some kind of closure. I might reach out for that at some point, but I just want to know if I'm wrong for feeling this way.

I grew up as an only child, and at 19, I fell for the wrong woman, who contributed to me becoming an addict. This led me to become estranged from my family and lose my friends. We split up when I was 26, but we still spoke daily. However, she overdosed when I was 29, and by then, I was too ashamed of myself - a constantly unemployed alcoholic and pill junkie who bounced between my mom's couch and my grandparents' shed - to try to make friends. I was also on my way to becoming a meth addict for most of the year because I couldn't afford booze and pills, and I knew people who smoked it with me. This led to severe isolation.
Luckily, I was arrested in another state at 30, which ultimately led to me being clean for 7 years now. I still drink occasionally, but it's no longer a problem. However, years of self-isolation have taken a toll on me. I'm struggling to make new friends. I only have four people I consider 'close.' Two are women I work with, who showed me concern, kindness, and pursued me as a friend. Unfortunately, outside of work, we don't talk much, and our common interests are limited. In reality, the only things we have in common are that we all like women, and two of us used to be junkies. Besides women tend to want to talk, not listen (no offense, ladies). I know we care about each other, but our relationship is still superficial.
The other two are my cousin, who's like a little brother, and his best friend, who grew up with us and lives with him now. However, my cousin is terrible at responding to texts, so we typically only talk when I stop by. He's a bit of a drinker, and we like drinking together, which happens most times. Again, I know we care about each other and are close, but I'm always the one who has to reach out. I can't remember what it's like to have someone initiate a conversation with me just because they want to talk. It's been that way for years, and I can't see anyone being genuinely interested in what I'm thinking about anymore.

My sweet long-haired chihuahua crossed the rainbow bridge this morning around 11:30am, six days before his 10th birthday.
I wasn't able to be there because I was at work and training a new hire. I knew there was a possibility he would be put down today, but we found out only an hour before we had to come in. I wanted to be there, but I just couldn't call out. I made sure I said goodbye to him before I left for work, in case it happened while I was gone. I also spent hours the past week just laying with him on the couch, which he always loved to do with us. He would always lay against my chest and sleep with me.
I feel like I'm still in shock at how quickly it happened.
We found out about the lump under his left front leg only a week ago. 7 days ago. He had been going to the vet prior to that to treat a skin condition, and no one there had noticed it. We only had 7 days from the time of tentative diagnosis to death. The biopsy finally came back today: multicentric lymphoma. But we already knew what it had to be. It was so aggressive and so horrifying to watch how quickly he withered away into a shell of his former self.
I can't express enough how pure of a soul he was. Chihuahuas raised with love and care are some of the sweetest beings to ever exist. He was light. He was love. He was everything good in this world. He always shared his snacks with our other dog, let our other dog eat and drink first, was my mom's trusty little sidekick. Would kill for our family even though he was never big and strong enough to. I will spend the rest of my life missing him.
In a weird, almost twisted way, I feel like his death happening so quickly was a blessing. It would have been so difficult to see him slowly decline over a period of months. It hurt so much to lose him so quickly, but we knew it was time. We didn't want to see him suffer any longer. He had a seizure yesterday and was starting to lose control over his bowel movements. He was so lethargic and started having trouble walking after another seizure today. The cancer had spread all over his body. It was time.
I hope you're running around, happy and healthy as can be, in doggy heaven, little guy. You will always be our baby. I'll see you again someday.

New here ✋🏼Thanks to this community I have started seeing results, the tips, the motivation, will keep it up to monitor progress. Have a wedding to attend in July as MOH so want to look my best. ☺️
Posting to continuously keep myself accountable, but also to share my experience so far so other PP moms out there can have some reference as I myself did a lot of search here to find good references to get started.
*Disclaimer: this is specific to my body and I find it’s working well without impacting my supply after a slow decrease in CI and choosing better food source, baby’s height and weight are at > 99 percentile consistently, so grow has not been impacted, please use my experience as reference only, I was very fit pre-pregnancy and worked out throughout so I did retain a good amount of muscle to restart. This amount of calories may impact your supply so please please rigorously monitor your supply, baby’s growth, talk to a dietitian or professional.
Stats: Starting weight of when I started to take things seriously: 140lbs Current weight: 136lbs Current Body fat (US Navy Method): 26.9% NSV: 1) Mommy pouch is reduced 2) fit into some of my old clothes 3) back into the unassisted pull up games Height: 5’4 PP: 2 month Postpartum
What I am following:
Calorie intake: 1500 on rest day 1700 on active day Formal Exercise: Deep core exercises + Zone2 30min treadmill inclined walk + Weight training (Upper, Lower, Full body split), 6 days a week, done mostly at home except for Z2 cardio Informal Exercise: my baby doesn’t do well napping on the go but I try to get in as many steps as possible, ranging between 3000-6000 only at the moment, hoping to increase
I always loved exercising so motivation to get moving hasn’t been an issue, three major changes I made though that finally gave me the result:

1. I kind of ditched HIIT because it makes me very hungry afterwards since it burns more carb than fat for fuel, doing once a week now VS. 4 in the past, since switching to inclined walk at zone 2 heart rate, I find myself feeling great, get a nice amount of steps and sweat in, and not hungry afterwards like I feel after HIIT. Nursing moms know how crazily hungry breastfeeding can make you feel. Z2 burns fat more efficiently. As your HR goes higher, your body draws more energy from carb than fat based on my understanding. I found Mike Diamond on YouTube and he changed my old perception of “intensity = result”.
   
2. Recently I set a new rule for myself - as long as it’s going into my month, I need to log it. I had to be honest with myself that in the past I often snack here and there, and don’t log because they are “insignificant” or I wanted to put my head in the sand. Now with my new rule, I still snack but I choose better options because I know I have to deal with the consequences of logging it and confronting my choices. I focus on low sodium, high protein, high fiber food. Getting 1g of protein per lb of my BW. I plan my food the day before and work my “not so healthy but I really wanna eat” food in there without compromising my protein and fiber goal, and of course, stay within the caloric goal.
   
3. Two points above play a big part in me stopping binging late at night as my hunger isn’t as crazy, I feel a major difference in hunger throughout the day when I do HIIT. And since I am taking logging seriously and not cheating myself, I switch to a cup of decaf tea after kids’ bedtime to curb my late night binging tendencies, which had always been my ultimate downfall.
   

Hope someone find this info helpful and just know even though nursing moms and postpartum moms are swimming upstream against hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, you too can do it!!

“Persistently Petitioning”
Welcome to another edition of a random card being turned into an EDH Deck! Every Friday I create a budget (<$100) EDH Deck based entirely around a random card that I pull from scryfall.com (or that is suggested by someone else, either way it’s still random to me). I would love it if anyone has any suggestions for future random cards/decks or just wants to share their own experiences with any cards or decks discussed, I think this is a ton of fun.
[Random Card of the Week](https://cards.scryfall.io/png/front/7/1/718c7383-d2e0-449b-b5b5-378d7c6e1fcb.png?1651655178) (Image Download Link)
[Random Card of the Week](https://scryfall.com/card/nec/6/drumbellower) (Scryfall Link)
[Deck List] (https://scryfall.com/@13poynz/decks/1de167de-059d-4d96-8f7f-e9e3a0ffbbaf)
[Deck Tech/Gameplay Video:](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4faNujvT1k) (Tocasia, Dig Site Mentor vs Breeches, the Blastmaker vs Ryu, World Warrior vs The Ur-Dragon)
This week’s deck uses [[Drumbellower]] as our random card and [[Tocasia, Dig Site Mentor]] as the commander. Drumbellower is a card that untaps all our creatures in each upkeep so the first step is to throw in as many other ways to do the same thing, right? [[Seedborn Muse]], [[Murkfiend Liege]], and [[Quest for Renewal]] give us the option to untap all our creatures multiple times a turn cycle. The next step is to figure out what the best creatures are to constantly untap and, for that, I settled on [[Persistent Petitioners]], 27 of them specifically. If we have a Drumbellower in play with 4 Petitioners then we can mill a total of 48 cards in one turn cycle. Unfortunately, since that's only half of a player's starting deck, we would need to do that 6 times to mill out the entire table and that's not exactly a feasible plan. Instead, we're focusing on milling ourselves so we only need around 8 Petitioner activations to remove our entire library. After that we just want to try to win with [[Laboratory Maniac]] or [[Jace, Wielder of Mysteries]]. Additionally, we don't really want to wait for two full turn cycles to try to mill ourselves so, instead, we're loaded up on untap effects to try to do it all at once. [[Vitalize]], [[Call to Glory]], and [[Energy Arc]] are all efficient untap effects that allow us to activate the Petitioners multiple times a turn.
Once we've got our plan in place we just need to find it, which is where [[Bring to Light]], [[Shared Summons]], and even [[Shamanic Revelation]] come in. Letting us tutor up a win condition or draw into one is very relevant when we want to put our entire library into the graveyard. I also want to highlight a few individual cards that don't really fit a theme but are just good value. The first card is probably the most obvious one: [[Thrumming Stone]]. Being able to cast a single Persistent Petitioner and then Ripple into every other copy is the quickest way to guarantee we win the game. The next card to mention is [[Elven Chorus]]. Elven Chorus gives our creatures the ability to tap for mana which can allow us to almost storm off with untap effects to generate an absurd amount of mana to cast our entire hand. Finally, the last card I want to mention is [[Harvest Season]]. Searching up a land for each tapped creature we control is incredibly powerful when we want to flood the board with creatures that like to tap. Regardless of how we get there, there should be plenty of ways for this deck to take advantage of Persistent Petitioners and untap effects.
In the end, this deck came in at $91.27 with [[Eladamri's Call]] being the most expensive card at $8.48. Eladamri's Call is another way we can find any of the pieces we need but since it is so expensive, and we have backup versions that do the same thing, you can always cut it for an additional Petitioner to trim the budget pretty significantly.
On the other hand, if you want an out-of-budget upgrade as well as the card to take out for it then I’ve got you covered. That’s why I’d recommend putting in [[Conduit of Worlds]] ($4.20) and taking out [[Felidar Guardian]]. The downside of building some of these decks so far in advance is that I sometimes forget what I was thinking while actually building the deck. In this case, I don't remember why Felidar Guardian is in this deck. There aren't a ton of ETB effects that benefit from it and it doesn't synergize with the rest of the deck in a way that's immediately obvious. So, to that end, I'd recommend swapping it out for Conduit of Worlds, which is an incredibly efficient way to play lands and cast spells from our graveyard. Since we want to mill our entire library, being able to re-use any cards we accidentally mill is an invaluable ability.
Thanks for checking out the deck and reading about it/watching the video! I hope you all like it and if you think there are improvements to be made, if you have suggestions, or just want to chat about it, then let me know. Also, a quick plug: if you want to guarantee that your suggestions get turned into decks or a variety of other benefits (including access to a discord channel to play in the games, help build the decks, getting the decklists a week early, and one of the random cards shipped to you every month) then check me out on www.patreon.com/dungeonlearnersguide or consider becoming a channel member over on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/dungeonlearnersguide.

Long story short, we were stuck in traffic for hours on the way to my dads house, my truck decided to break and I needed it repaired the following day, and then I was meant to take a trip to the campground we go to every summer; and the entire time up at the campground my sister didn’t stop harassing me by asking what was wrong or if I was okay.
You may think that this was nice of her but no, it was every single time she walked from her campsite to mine (which my site is the main hangout for everyone, so let’s say every hour she would ask.) Every single time I’d tell her I’m fine, just relaxing but she didn’t believe me. So she ended up calling me after we were all already home, and mentioning it again but when I try to explain anything to her she interrupted me and went on a rant.
She kept making backhanded “compliments” by saying something along the lines of “Your a great mom but you’re not doing enough for kiddo.” I’m sorry that in the five minutes you came back to the camper you didn’t see me fully engaged with my child, but the hour or two you were gone I was walking with him, I was singing to him, I was signing to him, I was engaging with him. I’m sorry that I wanted everyone who doesn’t see him often to take him to play so they can too bond with him.
She has two kids, and they’re both typical children. I have a special needs child, who just learned to walk the week before so besides that he was extremely overwhelmed by the amount of people there, my kiddo needed downtime too where no one touched him and he had mama’s phone to watch ms rachel. She walked over every single time he needed that downtime, and she’d complain. She works with special needs kids (not actual kids, they’re all 18 - 21 years old) so she thinks she knows everything there is to know about them. Which might be true, but she doesn’t know how to raise them, just how to teach them. I think she saw that when she made my kid cry when he was overwhelmed, and she started singing to him.
I don’t know, let me parent my kid and she should parent her extremely wild 4 year old that she lets run around like a mad man. My 21 month old is scared of her 4 year old, and was trying to climb into his play pen to get away from him, and to feel safe.

Can someone help me?
I have a question. I have a relationship for 11 year and I was 18 when I met my boyfriend. I have the best boyfriend and I love him very much! We have it so good together. But I keep dreaming about other boys, somthing about having sex and somthimes about a new beginning of a relationship and I found that very exciting. But I don’t wanne feel that. I dream sometimes a lot about it and something a long time not. Also I saw a tv series and there was a couple and they were totally in love because they now eachother for a short time. And then I think about that feeling and think oh that is so nice I would like to feel that again and then that scares me. And think that I have that that it is not good. That I miss something. But I know for sure that I wanne stay with my boyfriend and I don’t understand why my head is so bizzy with it. Can someone help?

Note: This is not a troll post or to belittle X. If you look at HS photos of boomers and X they all look older than millennials and zoomers. It's not just their fashion sense but their facial features are also older or more mature looking, giving the perception that they aged quicker than the later gens.
Even when boomers and X were in their 20s their facial features just looked more mature and older. It's like their less youthful looking looking compared to 20 somethings today. The same applies to those born pretty much earlier.
My cousin was born in 1972 and when he was in his 20s in the 90s he also had that same mature looking facial features look. I can't describe it but he looked less youthful and more manly, if that makes sense.
It seems that since the 80s kids and young adults' facial features have steadily gotten more youthful. This is especially evident with those born in the 90s onwards. Less manly and more youthful retaining. I'm speaking on average so obviously there are going to be plenty of exceptions.
Look at photos of young people in the early 20th century or late 19th century. a lot of them have old looking facial features that you just don't see as often anymore. your average 20 something today looked facially different compared to young people back then.
It's not a bad thing it's just an observation I've noticed.

Hi all!!
I am a researcher at Stony Brook University conducting a study on sexism in the gaming industry; I’m recruiting women and non-binary people who regularly play multiplayer games (at least three times a week). I was curious if anyone was interested in filling out a 15 minute questionnaire to share your experiences with sexism in the gaming community.
This is my final thesis for my degree, so it’s incredibly important that I have a wide population of varying ages, races, and backgrounds. It’d help me substantially if you considered sharing your experiences and passing the study along to others. Your participation is important and will help change industry standards to promote equality in gaming!
All your answers will be anonymized and contribute to a research publication on diversity and inclusivity in male-dominated spaces.
The questionnaire will be open for approximately three weeks. Let me know if you have any questions or issues.
Please DM me to receive a link to the study. To those who decide to contribute, thank you SO much for helping make the gaming community a safer place for all! ❤️

I have had so many people halfway shaming me for expecting support from loved ones in this sub. To be clear, i haven’t expected responsibility from anyone else. Ever. Support and responsibility are two different things.
If i have willingly made a commitment to support someone in a specific way and I fail to do so, that is MY responsibility. It doesn’t mean i’m responsible for someone elses struggles, but if i fail to follow through with something i’ve promised to do, it is my responsibility that i have let someone down. Because I PUT that expectation there. Not them! There’s a clear difference between being responsible for someone’s disorder, and being responsible for their feelings in regards to an expectation you, yourself have set, that you aren’t following.
In my situation i have been very severely underweight and had absolutely terrible experiences with the healthcare system in my home country. Some here might immediately think i wasn’t «accepting the treatment» but this is incorrect. I’ve filed a big complaint through a secondary system where they have reviewed my case and confirmed i did in fact recieve horrible treatment.
So, my situation lately has been very difficult. I haven’t had a security net with a good psychologist and i’ve moved far away and are currently waiting to recieve help. In this process, to keep me from losing weight, my bf has offered to make meals for me as that is very hard for me. And somehow people in this sub are making me feel guilty for that? As if i’m not feeling guilty enough?

1. I DON’T enjoy someone else making food for me for this reason, i am actually very good at cooking and have enjoyed it a lot in the past.
2. I DON’T want to need someone else to help me with literally ANYTHING. If i could do everything myself, i would. And that IS my goal in regards to my ED. But i’m currently not there yet.
3. If someone cooking for me helps me eat, WHY is that a bad thing??? It’s not like it’s optimal or a long-term solution, but seriously, if it helps and makes someone who is severely underweight eat, WHY not?

We all struggle in different degrees and in different ways. One of my major struggles has been making myself the food i am gonna eat because i truly don’t feel like i deserve it. Crying and getting lots of anxiety trying to prepare a meal often has me so overwhelmed that the eating part is impossible. Doing this 4 times a day is so exhausting, and truly i don’t have a lot of energy saved in my body so being low on food and being so exhausted just feeds my ED even more. So having someone help with that part is honestly helping a lot, because all the other parts are tough enough to battle through.
I also just wanna say that, when someone is sick with depression, cancer, a broken leg etc… a major thing people can do to help them and support them is by bringing over food. Because it is exhausting to do stuff like that when you’re struggling. And with an ED you’re exhausted from struggling, and on top of that it’s food you’re struggling with…
So why does so many here think cooking for someone with an ED is bad and «something you should do yourself». I mean, I personally would have a much easier time making myself food if i only had a broken leg, or the flu, than an ED.
I think it’s very unfortunate to «support shame» people in this sub. What works for you may not work for others. And although independence is a goal in this disorder, you can’t expect people to just get there over night. People learn walking again after breaking their backs with their families holding them up on that journey. It doesn’t mean they are doing it «for them». It’s help and support and whatever works should be positive. If weight restoration is in most cases priority number 1 for being underweight with an ED (like literature says), then independence should be beneath that.
I wish there was more support to get from this sub when i’ve posted lately, but i feel worse after posting here because i get told i can’t expect anything from my loved ones with regards to my ED basically. I truly have never expected anyone to be responsible for my struggles. But if i got in an accident and couldn’t walk for 6 months, should i not expect my longterm bf to help me with daily stuff? Clearly not everything, but you really think you shouldn’t expect anything?? What even is love if there is no sacrifice. If you think i shouldn’t expect loved ones to help me in any way when i’m struggling and am unable to do something myself, it’s honestly just another way of saying i’m not worthy of someone else’s sacrifice.
And if you think that making food and eating it when you have an ED is «just a choice you gotta make», you are misinformed about what an ED really is. It is NOT a choice, and most people need professional help to get better. If you wanna go against literature, then fine. But save it for yourself only and don’t shame others here for being unable to make that choice.