Newly baptized and chrismated Orthodox here :)
I have read most of my parish priest’s recommended books (the ones I can afford haha) and many of my own picks as I was learning about and joining the church over the past year.
Now I would love some recommendations for books to go a bit deeper into the liturgical year, church services, and theology. I would like to get the Prologue of Ohrid but I am also considering the Menaion, Troparia, and Kontakia. Also looking into the Bible and Holy Fathers for Orthodox. Books from lay authors are okay as well but I would love recs for official liturgical sources, scholarly sources and really deep books that I can go down rabbit holes with 😅 let me know what you would recommend. I will also make a separate comment with books I have already read or are currently reading so there isn’t too much repetition.
Also any podcast recommendations are welcome too, I read much more than I listen but I like listening too, currently I only listen to Lord of Spirits by Fr. Andrew and Fr. Stephen.

Hi guys, i'm a brazilian 17 year old guy that was happy, sympathetic and caring towards others, I am catholic and I participate in Sunday school every Saturday, but since the start of the pandemic in march 2020 onwards, i suddenly became brainwashed and paranoic with Christian conspiracy theories, mainly Qanon, and end times prophecies but in 2022 it only got worse, it all started at school when my sociology teacher who coincidentally was an evangelical pastor started talking a little about the end of times/Ragnarok and my friend said that between 2023, 2024 the apocalypse will begin, or it doesn't happen anything in these years, very probably in 2025 and 2027, and i searched on youtube and i saw various evangelical channels claiming that we are at the end of times and 2030 the world will end bc in that year Jesus will come back to only save evangelical christians and will only save those who are on the Life Book and will throw everyone who's those name wasn't on Life Book burn alive on the lake of fire of the hell alongside the antichrist, false prophet and everyone who followed him and God will destroy the universe and we will be living in the New Jerusalem, and they say repent of sins because the devil exists and they insist on saying that sin and the devil exist even though this has not even been scientifically proven, such as not wearing short clothes like shorts, jeans, not getting tattoos or piercings, not eating meat of pork, prohibiting homosexuality, free will, dating during adolescence and many others, they say that we are experiencing the greatest apostasy in history, which means that people are moving away from faith and and God and ignoring the warnings about the doomsday bc the world is becoming more ''sinful'' and the love between the people has been cooled and we are living like in the antediluvian days when Noah warned about the cataclysm but people ignored, mocked and called him demented and paranoid and instead they were eating, drinking and partying until the flood came and destroyed the world. world and killed everyone, and they keep repeating this saying that this is real even though it has been proven that it never happened and that it is impossible for a storm this strong to cover the top of Mount Everest, they think they are right and scientists are wrong, because science is an ''abominable sin'' against God, They say that God is merciful but he is also wrathful and cruel against those who do not follow his commandments. and they also talk about Jesus' appearance as if it were true at that time even though it has not yet been proven. i've watched some videos of these pastors and missionaries of my country and never got their prophecies and predictions wrong, all of things that have said become true
They say that geopolitical tensions are increasing which will cause ww3, it is no wonder that countless billionaires around the world like Mark Zuckerberg are building bunkers and selling several of their assets, i saw a letter written in 1873 that a American Freemason named Albert Pike who in his letter predicted the first two world wars, and is now supposedly ''predicted correctly'' the third world war, which would begin with a conflict between Zionist Israelis and Arabs, and also they claim that this war between Israel and Iran -Hamas is also the prophecy of Gog and Magog being fulfilled, They also say that the world will enter an unprecedented global economic crisis worse than the great depression, which would increase prices absurdly and this would culminate in the greatest famine the world has ever had, surpassing the great famine of the Middle Age,
They also say that elites such as the World Economic Forum, the UN and the Bilderberg Group will launch a gigantic EMP weapon that will shut down all energy and appliances in the world, and that they will then enact global martial law that will taking citizens off the streets and homes via buses and putting them in concentration camps and killing mainly white and conservative Christian groups and burying them in FEMA coffins which will start the famous New World Order and mass depopulation through the great reset and agenda 2030 and will put an end to all cash and create an electronic currency where payment is made with the global fingerprint, which they also say will replace passports with this global biometric password, they also say that They will do away with clothes and food and will replace them with processed foods made from insects, GMOs and laboratory-grown meats and everyone will be forced to wear the same clothes and have their names changed they also say that they will install government cameras inside the houses to know if any intruder is entering the empty houses
and all of this will begin the antichrist's rise to power, he will be a powerful leader who will unite all sovereign governments into one government and people will worship him and will implant the mark of the beast, where no one will buy and sell without it and will kill everyone who does not accept the mark, which means that everyone in the cities will die, only those who go to the fields or mountains will survive, it is no wonder that they are asking to stock up on water, non-perishable food, batteries , flashlights, medicines especially ivermectin (so much so that I've seen reports of people curing themselves of COVID using this medicine and chloroquine) and radios to survive between 2025 and 2027, because according to them, there will be a pandemic 30 times more lethal than the previous one that will kill almost 400 million people in just two years and that will be the period where seal the seven-year peace agreement between Christianity, Judaism and Islam and will sacrifice a red heifer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where it will be destroyed in sequence to begin the construction of the third temple where the throne of the antichrist will be during the final three and a half years
They also insists that global warming is a lie bc all of these disasters that are happening such as frequent strong earthquakes which happened in turkey, morocco, japan and taiwan recently, floods that left the southern of my country almost destroyed, tornadoes and hurricanes becoming stronger and killing more people and wildfires becoming more frequently is caused by these globalists, for example, the recent wildfires that happened in hawaii, canada and chile was caused by massive lasers coming from satellites and these floods and earthquakes caused by HAARP, and the fact-checking and social media such as reuters and afp is lying bc they are owned by rothschild and george soros for example
And i'm worried to have a cancer or a fatal heart attack when i become 20 years old that they discovered that in the last years have an increase on cases of cancer and fatal heart attack on young people, and they claim that is bc of the vaccines bc they contain aborted fetuses and microchips and graphene
And they also talk about the woke agenda, where defenders of this theory claim that globalists use films, video games and series to misrepresent characters from these entertainment industries to promote progressive agendas such as LGBT, black lives matter, abortion and feminism, for example, they made Ariel from The Little Mermaid black in live-action instead in white, as a way of indoctrinating masses and grooming children to be subjected to being perverse, it's no wonder that Disney is in one of the biggest crises in its history by excessively promoting identity issues in every film they release. And it's also no wonder that the number of abortions in the world increased over the last years
What I am most afraid of is the claim that globalists have knowledge of future events that makes the masses accept the event when a certain thing happens, this is called predictive programming, for example, in many disaster and science fiction films, there is a subliminal message in numbers called ''923'', supporters of this number mean that something very bad will happen on September 23rd, but obviously nothing happens, in White Noise for example, there was a train accident in the state of Ohio and in 2023 a train derailment with toxic products occurred in the same state as the film, Black Mirror ''predicted'' several technological innovations, The Simpsons for example predicted the September 11 attacks and Trump's victory in the elections, The Matrix also predicted predicted several technological innovations, such as the redpill movement and the production of babies in uterine machines. As for the Leave the World Behind', they say that the film predicted the accident of the ship that collided with the bridge in baltimore, Lastly, the film The Knowing is incredibly identical to the plot of the biblical apocalypse, but these claims are already debunked by fact checks
And i became scared of these prophecies that have been ''fulfilled'' such as Ezekiel which mentions that Dead Sea became filled with fishes and signs in the sky and stars disappearing
i will mention some of them:
They discovered recently that the moon have some rust pigments and the sun are frequently producing giant black spots which in apocalypse 6:12-17 means that the sun became black and the moon becoming blood
The days are passing faster, which on matthew 24:22 mentions that unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
The Euphrates River is drying up which in apocalypse mentions that the sixth angel poured his bowl over the Euphrates River and its waters dried up and released four demons who destroyed half of the population
Some Rivers and seas are becoming red, which refers to Apocalypse 16:4 that the third angel poured his bowl on rivers and seas and became red as dead blood
And I started to think that some mathematical calculations they do are simply not coincidences, they took the year the Black Death ended in 1353 with the year the WHO declared a global COVID emergency in 2019, subtracting those years would give the result in 666 (2019-1353=666 to be simpler) which alludes to the number of the beast and nd other math that they also thinks its a proof that we are at the end of times uf we use the word ''CORONA'' as a code where the alphabet is corresponding to its letter in ascending order (for example a = 1, b = 2), it would give the numbers 3, 15, 18, 15, 14, 1 will also give the number of the beast is correct if we multiply these numbers.
I'm trying to follow channels that disagree that we are in the end times and treat people with love, like the method of preterism where it states that the apocalypse happened in the year 70, but they say that this is heresy because in Matthew 24:24 it says that in the last days false prophets will emerge deceiving many people and in 2 Peter 3:3 where it says that at the end of time many will mock and disagree with the imminent Return of Jesus
i'm asked my parents and my friends to repent of your sins and believe in the Word of God, But I bothered them so much that now they don't even want to hear it,
however after all that, I started to think that these evangelical channels only preach fear in people, thinking that Jesus is going to return physically and that I have been superior all the time for no reason at all. I researched these things so much that now it appears when I search for an account on Instagram or YouTube, I would like to thank anyone who could give me some tips on how to get out of this and get rid of these pests, how i do?

AU where Anne notices Andrias attempting to attack Marcy, her powers flare back up long enough her to push Marcy out of the way and into the portal, taking the blow for her while Marcy and the Plantars are warped back to Los Angeles.
• Before the portal warps Marcy back instead of the "I-I'm sorry... for everything." that Marcy gives, Anne tries to comfort Marcy, saying "D-Don't worry, M-Mar-Mar... I probably w-would have done the s-same if I had to be separated from y-y-you and Sash...".
• While back in Willow Brooke, Marcy can't bare to confront her parents so she decides to stay with the Boonchuys. Obviously, after she explains why she ran away and her need to get everyone back home, they let her and the Plantars stay as long as they need. Marcy tells them about Amphibia but, like Anne, leaves out the parts about the evil king....... and the fact that she saw their daughter get stabbed through the torso and possibly die... instead she lies that Anne is still perfectly fine back in Wartwood.
• Marcy is more angsty about this whole thing than Anne appeared to be in canon. Made even worse by the fact that every time she sees the people she now lives with, she is reminded that her cowardice cost them the most important person in their families. She also finds being the only one of her friends to make it back to the place that she tried so hard to run away from as a form of twisted irony. A cosmic punishment for tampering with a mystical artifact that was far beyond her understanding, leading to her friends and their loved ones paying the price for it.
•A lot of the same plot beats still happen such as Fight at the Museum, Fixing Frobo, If You Give A Frog A Cookie, and Mr. X but episodes such as Thai Feud and Temple Frogs don't due to Marcy obviously not having the same familial bonds as Anne and Adventures in Catsitting due to The Boonchuys being unable to schedule a dentist's appointment for a child that is not under their legal guardianship.
• Marcy wears her blue Newtopian cloak even with her casual clothing just in case she sees her parents and needs to hide her face from them under her hood so they don't recognize her. (There is a running gag through season 3 where she has to make sure she doesn't stand under any sprinklers in case her cloak spontaneously combusts.)
• Back in Amphibia, The Core, now no longer having Marcy, decides to take Anne. Now calling themself Dianne, they use Anne not for her mind... but instead for her power and to use it for it's namesake.............. to bring about Calamity.
• Andrias still sends out the Assassin bot to Willow Brooke to kill Marcy and the Plantars in order to tie up any loose ends in his plans.
• Marcy's Calamity powers awaken while protecting the Plantars in the Supermarket and finds that her powers allow her to use magic though the use of any staff-like object. In this case, a metal pipe in the storage freezer that she was going to use to bash in the robot's head, and summons a blast of energy to send the Assassin bot packing. Marcy later buys a foldable walking staff from a drug store and carries it around in her satchel in case of "Magical Girl emergencies" as she calls them. (Her powers are an homage to Matt's original idea for Marcy to be a sorceress.)
• In this version of Anne-sterminator, it's laundry day and since Marcy can't go back to her house to grab clean clothes, she has to wear some of Anne's, namely her iconic St. James Middle School uniform. When the Assassin bot comes to kill Marcy, it sees Marcy in Anne's clothes and gets confused allowing everyone time to escape. In the junkyard, Marcy whips out her staff and uses her Calamity powers to cast an Anti-gravity spell on the Assassin bot, launching it into orbit where it's bomb detonates. Marcy finally has to come clean about Andrias and what happened to Anne. While the Boonchuys are devastated about Anne, they know that Anne would have wanted to get the Plantars and Sasha back home and use that as motivation to keep going.
• While in The Core, Anne's Fantasy world is one where Amphibia and Earth are merged into one and she doesn't have to choose. (A tongue in cheek mocking of Star vs' ending) She gets sus when she notices everyone acting off. When Anne calls bull on the whole thing, The Core leaves her in the darkness with only the light of her phone containing her real memories to keep her company.
• During The Core's invasion, Dianne uses Anne's Calamity powers in their fight against Sasha making it far more of a brutal beat-down than a proper 1v1. When Grime sacrifices himself, it causes Sasha's Calamity powers to awaken, making it a fair fight.
• While battling Andrias, when Marcy starts running low on Calamity juice, Andrias starts mocking her. Telling her that "If she wants to, he'll gladly let her use the music box to take her to another world where she can run away from her problems.... again.**" and this, along with the Boonchuys playing "As If It's Your Last" by Blackpink over the city's loudspeakers to remind Marcy that she's doing all this for Anne leads to an epic tear filled "I'm... Done... Running..." as she twirls her staff around, her powers flare back up, and she gets her second wind.

Hi, i've been feeling super lonely these days, i'm going through a lot of things lately and i really have no friends, no partner who i can talk to, destress playing some games or watching an anime or a movie.
A little bit about myself:
Call me rizzio, I'm 26, almost 27, I'm a videogame developer prior to graduate from university. My goal is to become a level designer or a 3d modeler in the industry, move to any country in the world that it's not latin america and get a family and get a bestfriend for life. My hobbies are Playing Videogames, designing some levels (but university drains me so much i have no time or motivation right now so i play instead) and sometimes making some 3d models. I like anime but i'm not watching them right now.
English is not my first language, it's spanish, so if you're a little uncomfortable that i make mistakes writing and spelling i'm sorry, i'm trying my best to get better each day.
I stream on twitch almost everyday at night just to pass the time of being alone. I play almost anygame, As a Developer i often love many genres out there and i don't say no to try new games, as they can give me ideas or knowing borders i never played before. So if you're a gamer we can definitively play some games together. I play mainly on PC but if the game has crossplay i have no issues on playing! i'm not picky at all.
What am i looking for? I just want to get a friendship or a relationship with someone that truly cares for me, gives me attention and wants to spend time chatting or playing. For myself i am a caring, loving person, who gives a lot of interest if you do the same for me. i don't care about the looks, but i do on how your personality is and if you make me feel loved.
Here's a pick of myself

I (33F) dating (31M) for over two years now. We have up and downs during the whole relationship but we get through it. I am in a residency training which is an intense training and involves longs hours; usually 12 hours shift 6days/week. We only see each other once a week or sometime once every 2 weeks. Recently I am in night-shift rotation. Due to abrupt change in sleep schedule and work related stress, I got into a lot of arguments with my bf. Every week we have a tiny arguments here and there. Two days ago my bf told me that he is not as excited to see me as before. We have two arguments in one day the weekend before but we talked things out and solved immediately in the same day. But i sensed that he seems not happy around me these days so I called him, explained how I feel and pressed him so he finally admitted that he is not excited or looking forward the weekend we spend time together anymore. He said Weekends usually involves long hours drive nearly an hour or more drive from his place to mine, and going to groceries with me is not funs for him. He said it’s hard for him to concentrate and listen to my work related issues which he doesn’t care much about, but he let me vent because it helps me relieve stress. Also since English is not my primary language, I usually go through a long story about the issue which hard for him to concentrate to the point since he has ADHD. he said he understood the amount of stress i am going through, and he doesn’t want me to change anything but this is how he truly feels. He said he mean it when he told me he is happy to help me with groceries shopping which help me prepare for the whole week meal plan, but just not funs for him. He said he has to be very careful around me not to make me upset since I’m under a lot of pressure and stress already. I asked him what do you think about our relationship, will this be working out between us? He said he thought about this before, the thought of not being with me make him upset and it will be very hard for him to not see me anymore. That’s why he wants to continue to keep trying. After a long conversation he said everything is fine, he think it is just a phase/time period that he feel excited to see a person vs not as much excited to see a person. But I can’t shake this feeling off my chest. I don’t know what to do or how to proceed with this relationship. Am I too much? Am I in wrong ? What should I do?

What this game means to me.
Hello, my name is Rio, and I’m pretty new to this sub-reddit, so this is my first post. This probably isn’t the first post to be anything like this, so I apologise in advance for the inevitable lack of originality with this posts’s content.
But, aside from that, I want to talk about my undying love for Life is Strange. Particularly regarding the first game, as it is my favourite of the series (although, I have also played BTS, and thought it was great!). There has never been a single game in my life, that I have played that’s affected me as much as LIS; other games I’ve played have made me feel things before like sadness, fear, joy, and so on, but Life is Strange made me feel those same emotions, but amplified them all to a thousand.
I played the first episode all the way back in October of last year I think; I had already known of the game’s existence, and I was curious to see what it was like. After playing the debut episode of the game, I was instantly enticed, and my heart was demanding for more. Days after, I’d bought each episode individually, and within minutes of purchasing them, I’d already been loading into the first cutscene, anticipating the story that followed ahead.
As I played through the whole game, I became so much more emotionally attached to the characters, and maybe even the setting; there was something about this game which really made me adore it, and for the longest time I’ve been speculating on what that could be. And I think it’s due to the fact that this game seems to have a relatable nature of sorts, at least to a certain audience.
I think the reason this game really affected me, and others alike, is because of the fact that we not only relate to some of the characters, or maybe just one, but also because we relate to the actual theme as well: Nostalgia.
At some point in our lives, we’ve always wished to travel back in time, and relive our old memories and rejoice with old faces who we once knew. And Life is Strange captures that wish in such a beautiful, yet poignant way. I cried twice playing this game, and I remember for days after, I was constantly dwelling on everything about this game, and what it was trying to say.
I’m not sure if I even put any spoilers in this, but I put the tag just in case, but I think this game has a message about nostalgia. I think it’s trying to tell us, that nostalgia is toxic, that holding onto our memories for too long will eventually wear us down, and cause us to become trapped in our own love for what once was. I can go into it with more depth in the comments if anyone should wish, but I fear this post may be becoming too long. I’m really grateful for anyone who read this whole thing, and I seriously do thank you!
P.S
I read through to look for errors, and I was a bit general with this praise post. I’m worried of spoiling this masterpiece for anyone, even though I think I haven’t, but I’m keeping the tag up just in case; you sometimes can’t trust me with these things; I’m a bit of a dummy.

• Rio.

Reached out on a support sub for those looking to quit drinking, looking for support and advice in quitting and how to explain my decision to my partner & my fears in quitting, also just looking for encouragement that i was making the right decision despite my fears. Was basically told by a mod that my post wasn’t relevant enough and should be in a “relationship sub” since I asked how to have a “I’m quitting drinking” conversation with my partner?? And then was told basically that it doesn’t seem like I have a bad enough problem to quit.. obviously I didn’t get into every detail of my drinking habits just the one most relevant to my decision. But regardless, I don’t think you should have to hit rock bottom to be allowed to seek help, or maybe people just don’t want to share their low, but it’s a WILD take to just discredit someone because it’s so hard to reach out for help at all.
Just had to get this off my chest because I am just gobsmacked that I reached out to a community for support to quit drinking, that says they welcome “everyone looking for support to quit drinking” and was basically told I wasn’t welcome.. So apparently they don’t welcome posts from those just looking for support, looks like they only actually accept those with rock bottom stories or success stories.. I mean, way to do the exact opposite of the subs intention and make me want to keep drinking. It took all of my inner willpower to even make that post seeking help and encouragement and acknowledging my drinking was causing a problem for me and I was turned away. If anything has ever made me feel like I should just keep drinking this is it! If anything has ever validated all those voices in my head justifying my behavior this is it!
Not looking for advice and I’m not trying to slam a sub, that’s why I don’t name it here, i just needed to vent about how alone & isolating & dejecting it feels to FINALLY reach out for help on something you’ve struggled with for a while just to be rejected I guess.. Can’t talk to anyone in my real life about it bc they don’t know my feelings about quitting (hence why I turned to an online community!) so I guess I’m just venting here to get it off my chest and move on. Even if I don’t know what moving on from here without help looks like yet.

I’ve never been a “girlfriend guy”, if you know what I mean. I’ve always had an independent streak, and no problem being alone. My past relationships didn’t exactly blossom. Love and vulnerability are scary. Recently, I’ve discovered something scarier: loneliness.
Also, dating at 30 lol…
So here I am, looking for something real on the internet, and if you’re reading this, so are you. God help us.
A little about me: I’m a musician. I play the drums and some keyboard. Love the outdoors, but I’m not a huge fan of travel. I guess one of the (only) perks of living in PA is that Mother Nature is right at your doorstep! I’d really like to get into bicycling; there’s some great trails around me. You know anything about it?
I’m a huge tv/movie buff, not in an annoying snooty way, but more of in an appreciative way lol isn’t it so cool that we have the oldest human tradition of story telling literally on demand at our fingertips?! I like all genres - I’d love to share favorites with you!
I’m a huge sports fan, particularly soccer and football. Go Union/Go Birds. As far as music goes, I like most everything, from Slipknot to Glasper. And my food, I like it spicy. Very spicy.
Uhh what else? Right - what I look like. 5’11, white, brown hair, well groomed beard, not fat, not skinny. I’ve been told my best feature is my blue eyes. Happy to trade pics or FaceTime or whatever.
What am I looking for in you? Shit idk lol I’d be surprised if this even gets me any messages. But if it does, I’ll guess I’ll see you there!

I’m on the older side of life and have always had many interests. Diagnosed with ADHD in college, but following graduation I never needed support or meds, even when I did a graduate degree.
I’ve always sort of admired my wide array of interests and passions even though I never stuck with anything for long. I noticed that recently I won’t allow myself to get into new things because I know it’ll fizzle out in a month or two.
Lately I’ve been thinking that this issue of changing interests is actually a problem because it extends into my idea of who or what kind of person I want to be. Some weeks I want to be an academic, usually paired with an idea of enjoying things like classical music and museums or being “cultured”. Other weeks it’s being outdoorsy and active. Other times it’s being a naturalist and enjoying birds and nature. Some times it’s being into my looks and dress. This week it’s being a yogi and enjoying relaxation practices. These all just cycle around depending on what I see around me or feel like. I like all these things and they all represent who I am, but I’m wondering about why they are all so separate and fragmented.
My guess is that I wasn’t really allowed to be who I was when I was growing up. Something I only really felt after age 25. Unlike most people who experience growing older as a positive for knowing who you are and what you want, I went the other way, with each passing year feeling less and less accepting of who I am and feeling the need to be someone other than myself.
Long story short, I’m wondering if this is some sort of mental health issue, if it’s ok to keep cycling through interests and if anyone else experiences this later in life. Specifically I’d love to read any material or self-help resources that might shine more light on this.

Welcome to CF Lounge, our weekly off-topic discussion thread.
Feel free to talk about what's going on with you this week, what you did, your hobbies, pets, cars, travels, whatever you like. Discover new members, make friends and connections all over the sub. Share great news, get an ear and shoulder to cry on for not-so-great news.
This is also the place to post rants that aren't childfree related and/or aren't long enough for their own post.
This post will be up all week for your enjoyment. Have fun!

You can go to my profile for a picture of me!
I am 22 years old and living in Europe. I have West Asian ethnicity. I am studying in university and my major is business and economics as I want to work in the field of accounting. 😊
I am into anime, chess, superheroes, mobile games, talking about random stuff and also going into deep conversations, spending time with friends and family and have my alone time as well. I am a bit of an introvert so I don't expect me to be too much outside. I am mainly in my room and I would therefore like to find a woman I can spend time with and just get to know. I want someone who I can treat right and just make my queen! ☺️ I am into monogamous relationship and I am possessive and can be obsessed over you when I really fall in love. I want to make sure that all of your needs are taken care of. I am also open for calling on the phone when we get more comfortable.
I don't have any requirements and I am very much open for anything as long as you are over 18 and you are ready for something serious and not just to waste mine or yours time. If you want to ghost then please stay away and spare me the time. Be respectful and also a nice person!
Send me a picture of yourself and also a short introduction and I will get to you 😊
Thank you for reading and I wish you a very good day/night and hope you may find your love ❤️

what if there was a dumb guy
and the dumb guy was really, really profoundly dumb
what if he was so dumb he spent all day every day all his life pooping himself and playing with his poop
what if he spent so long pooping himself and playing with the poop that he pooped
so very very long pooping himself and then playing with the poop that he accumulated that magic malcolm gladwell 10,000 hours, and then still way even more hours than that, under his belt, of self pooping experience
and in the course of playing with his own poop the dumb guy learned to make intricate and baroquely ornamental poop sculptures from the poop
like some kind of a poop savant
and sometimes the dumb guy tries to show the poop sculptures to people because they're so beautiful and ornate
but everyone runs away. because no matter how exquisitely formed all of the poop is it is just too disgustingly smelly
but one day someone with with a little curiosity and a strong stomach strays a tad closer to the dumb guy than most do
and that someone is perceptive and sensitive enough to notice that there may just be something special here about these poop sculptures, that the dumb guy may well have something to give, if only his poop didn't stink so bad
so the someone takes a deep breath, puts a clothes peg on their nose, and says Yes i would love to look at your poop sculptures tell me all about them
and the dumb guy is overjoyed beyond words. he is swept away with ecstasy at his undreamt fortune. a non-dumb person who doesn't play with their own poop wants to talk to him and be his friend and be interested in the poop sculpting together
the someone, in their turn, is graduallly captivated and charmed at the dumb poop guy's endless passion and enthusiasm and willingness to share it. they even think things to themselves "i wish i loved anything as much as this dumb guy loves playing with his own poop"
but the peg stays on their nose, of course
the someone also knows the pain the dumb pooping guy feels from his isolation. the someone thinks it isn't fair. the someone wants to fix it. the someone wants to help.
so the someone goes to the art supply store (they cannot take their dumb friend there, obviously) and at their own expense they purchase a smorgasbord of workable material: polymer clay, beeswax, silicone resin, salt dough and more, in all the colors of the rainbow
and with extremely tactful and diplomatic grace, they carefully broach the possibility of the dumb guy exploring different mediums to display his sculpture skills in
specifically, odorless ones
well, the dumb guy is intrigued. he is a bit confuzzled about why exactly anyone would want to make sculptures out of anything aside from one's own poop; but the someone is his best friend now, and if it makes the someone happy for some reason he's right on board
the dumb guy launches himself into his new task with gusto. it's heavy going at first, and there are some false starts; the consistency of the odorless clay is not quite the same as that of his poop, and he can't quite make it do the same things. compared with his poop sculptures, the new pieces are honestly quite mediocre.
but the someone tells him they're wonderful and he should be proud of them. over and over. and even in his profound regardation he can tell something is changing with them. he doesn't know why, but the more time he spends on making the bland and indifferent clay sculptures, and the less time he spends masterpieces out of poop, the happier they seem and the more time they want to spend together
one day, the someone even takes the peg off of their nose. by now, the dumb guy barely smells of poop at all
they come up with a suggestion: it's time to open the doors and introduce the world to the newly clean guy, whom in the absence of any poop stink it is questionable to even call dumb anymore. an grand exhibition, open to one and all, of the plain old guy's normal-smelling masterpieces in various plastic media
it's a little scary but it's exciting too. the guy is so grateful to the someone for helping him and putting the time in when no one else would. that long standing ache in his heart is almost gone. privately, he has absolutely no idea why the someone thinks his new stuff is so incredible; but he still wants to show his friend, and the world in general, gratitude and beauty by making the best pieces he ever can
so while the someone is busy with all the invitations and arrangements, the guy plans a suite of last minute adjustments and reornamentations so his gallery will be as stunning as it can possibly be
and he gets down to it
yes he gets down to it
on the day of the grand exhibition, a crowd has formed outside the grand hall. there is an anticipatory hubbub in the air. the someone proudly cuts the ribbon and throws open the doors
and their noses are powerfully assaulted by a tidal wave of stench. the stench of pure poop.
all of the mediocre and uninspired clay sculptures have been transformed into rancidly putrid masterpieces, by the addition of intricated and delicately sculpted layers of the dumb guy's poop. poop is his best medium, and the public deserves better than mere clay
in the middle of it all is he, squatposed, smeared even more deeply with poop and being more gross and dumb than he ever was before
in that moment the someone's heart breaks and shatters into one krillion seventy eight kajillion brillion tiny little bits. and with no words, no words at all, not even the cries of horror and disgust emanating from the rest of the crowd, they leave and run far far away and never come near the dumb guy ever again
and the dumb guy doesn't understand. he has no idea what he did wrong. no matter how much he thinks, it just doesn't occur to him that poop smells bad and people don't like it
because he is too dumb
grieving the loss of this deep friendship is an extremely painful and lonely process for him but he manages to make it and bounce back, by the sole means of - you guessed it - pooping and playing with his poop and making even more wonderfully accomplished poop sculptures
after all, the only possible reason everyone ran away from the exhibition must be that his poop sculpting skills weren't up to par. that's gotta be it. gotta spend more time poopsculpting. poopsculpting, poop grinding for the rest of his life. one day he'll make it. one day it'll all go right. just gotta keep pooping.
so yeah what if all of that happened

I’ve never been a “girlfriend guy”, if you know what I mean. I’ve always had an independent streak, and no problem being alone. My past relationships didn’t exactly blossom. Love and vulnerability are scary. Recently, I’ve discovered something scarier: loneliness.
Also, dating at 30 lol…
So here I am, looking for something real on the internet, and if you’re reading this, so are you. God help us.
A little about me: I’m a musician. I play the drums and some keyboard. Love the outdoors, but I’m not a huge fan of travel. I guess one of the (only) perks of living in PA is that Mother Nature is right at your doorstep! I’d really like to get into bicycling; there’s some great trails around me. You know anything about it?
I’m a huge tv/movie buff, not in an annoying snooty way, but more of in an appreciative way lol isn’t it so cool that we have the oldest human tradition of story telling literally on demand at our fingertips?! I like all genres - I’d love to share favorites with you!
I’m a huge sports fan, particularly soccer and football. Go Union/Go Birds. As far as music goes, I like most everything, from Slipknot to Glasper. And my food, I like it spicy. Very spicy.
Uhh what else? Right - what I look like. 5’11, white, brown hair, well groomed beard, not fat, not skinny. I’ve been told my best feature is my blue eyes. Happy to trade pics or FaceTime or whatever.
What am I looking for in you? Shit idk lol I’d be surprised if this even gets me any messages. But if it does, I’ll guess I’ll see you there!

Top of the Day for 20/05/2024

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^{Times shown are in UTC and dates are formatted as Day/Month/Year.
On mobile you can scroll and slide the tables to reveal more info.}

Most Upvoted Posts of the Day

Place	Title	Author	Subreddit	Score	Posted
1st	Uber driver took advantage of my friend when she was drunk	u/shad121	london	50,999 Upvotes	19/05/2024 12:53 UTC
2nd	That's why we love them	u/Same-Witness6056	wholesomememes	49,946 Upvotes	19/05/2024 15:23 UTC
3rd	Meirl	u/blaze_uchiha999	meirl	49,924 Upvotes	19/05/2024 15:28 UTC
4th	My grandpa was too sick to attend my college graduation, so I surprised him at his house after the ceremony	u/Sav_Raeee	PhotoshopRequest	48,040 Upvotes	19/05/2024 03:22 UTC
5th	Footage of meteor that was seen last night in Portugal.	u/rohan_-17	nextfuckinglevel	46,443 Upvotes	19/05/2024 08:11 UTC

Most Upvoted Comments of the Day

^{Note: These may not be entirely accurate. Currently these are out of the comments taken from the top 5 submissions.}

Place	Body	Author	Subreddit	Score	Posted
1st	For those asking in the comments, washing machines are located in the kitchen in the UK because their law doesn't allow electrical outlets in bathrooms. So they couldn't install a washing machine there even if they wanted to. Meanwhile kitchens have plumbing and electricity and space for a dishwasher and sometimes space for washing machine too, so either or both are plumbed into the kitchen.(...)	u/Sensei-Hugo	meirl	5,848 Upvotes	19/05/2024 16:03 UTC
2nd	Who in the fuck has a washing machine in their kitchen?	u/sehwyl	meirl	5,766 Upvotes	19/05/2024 15:35 UTC
3rd	Mate there's 0 chance any roadworks ever would justify this insanity. Past Romford? The journey was near Islington FFS. There's no chance theyre so thick the think this was justified. Don't stop disputing.	u/bobbuildit779	london	3,754 Upvotes	19/05/2024 13:14 UTC
4th	I always imagine myself as an ancient person viewing these events. Like this and the total eclipse. How fucking mind blowing it would have been to have no real concept of what is happening, yet continue to see and hear about wild shit in the sky. It's not hard to make the leap of why you might think there was a magical supernatural being controlling things.	u/MarjoriesDick	nextfuckinglevel	2,902 Upvotes	19/05/2024 08:24 UTC
5th	If I were her then I'd keep disputing it because that's ridiculous.	u/rabbles-of-roses	london	2,852 Upvotes	19/05/2024 13:02 UTC

My fiancé told me that he has a porn addiction and that is why he does not want to be touchy with me often. He is not in the mood. I always wondered if it was something he watched. But I just assumed no or at least not often because we live together and do it often enough. Of course when he told me I thanked him for being so honest about it and said we would work through it together. I guess now that I have thought about it I am also just feeling insecure. It does bother me that he seeks pleasure from watching other women. I think of all the times he mentioned how if I went to the gym my butt would get so big or how he would love for me to dress more revealing. All of these things I feel like they make sense now. I know this is a common topic and everyone feels differently about it. But I am seeking advice on how to go forward with the situation. How do you help someone with an addiction in general? And how exactly normal is it to be watching porn in a relationship?

Lately life has been feeling kinda blah! I’d love to find some people to chat with to make the day feel more fulfilling. “fill the void” as some say on here haha. I’d like someone to share things with. if you’re interested, send me a message! :)
About me - I’m female, 27, living in Canada. I’m married. I have no kids or pets. I like watching movies and mindlessly scrolling on reddit. I don’t have a lot of hobbies, sadly, but I would love to hear what you have been up to lately! I’d prefer to chat with people over the age of 25, please! Thanks for reading :)

Prologue: The Catalyst Awakens

Rochester, NY had always been a quiet town, but all that changed when The Catalyst, a super mutant x-gene, began to spread. This gene transformed ordinary people into extraordinary beings with abilities beyond imagination. For some, these changes brought about prosperity and power, but for others, it was the start of a nightmare.

Chapter 1: Esther Elkind

Esther Elkind was a small, fragile girl with a heart of gold and an unyielding spirit. As a Jewish girl in Rochester, she often found herself the target of bullies who didn't understand her kindness or her faith. Esther’s days at school were filled with dread, as each day brought new torments from the mean kids who found joy in her suffering.

Chapter 2: The Storm Drain

One cold, rainy day, the bullies decided to play a particularly cruel prank on Esther. They blindfolded her, telling her it was a game, and led her to the edge of a storm drain. Before she could react, they pushed her into the swirling water below. As Esther was swept away by the raging currents, the bullies laughed, not realizing the severity of their actions.

Chapter 3: The Search

Bystanders who witnessed the horrific act immediately called the police. The bullies were arrested and charged with assault, but despite an exhaustive search, Esther’s body was never found. Her parents, devastated and desperate, refused to believe she was gone. They searched the sewers day and night, praying for a miracle.

Chapter 4: The Transformation

Deep in the sewers, something incredible happened. The Catalyst, a mysterious force, saved Esther. She emerged transformed, her body now a sad, dripping form that cried softly in the darkness. She could hear the world above, but no one could see her. Her cries echoed through the pipes, haunting those who listened. She took the name Kezpul, a name that seemed to resonate with her new existence.

Chapter 5: Echoes in the Dark

Kezpul wandered the sewers, her heart aching with loneliness. Her cries for her parents could be heard faintly through the pipes, but she dared not emerge, for fear of the reactions to her new form. The sewers became her home, a dark, damp labyrinth where she could hide from the world.

Chapter 6: A Parent's Love

Despite the warnings and the dangers, Esther's parents never gave up hope. One day, as they listened to the faint sounds of their daughter’s cries, they decided to venture into the sewers themselves. Equipped with flashlights and hope, they navigated the twisting tunnels, following the echoes of Kezpul's voice.

Chapter 7: Reunion

"Here, Mommy. Here, Daddy," the faint voice called out from the darkness. Guided by the sound, Esther's parents finally found her. Kezpul stood before them, a vision of their lost daughter, but changed. They embraced her, their love overpowering the smell and the fear. In that moment, Kezpul felt a sense of peace she had thought lost forever.

Chapter 8: The New Beginning

With her parents by her side, Kezpul began to explore her new abilities. The Catalyst had given her powers beyond her wildest dreams, and with her family's support, she learned to control them. They helped her find a way to live both above and below ground, bridging the gap between her two worlds.

Chapter 9: Acceptance

Word of Kezpul's story spread throughout Rochester, and slowly, the community began to accept her. The once cruel bullies were replaced by friends and allies who saw the strength and resilience within her. Kezpul became a symbol of hope, showing that even in the darkest of places, light could be found.

Epilogue: The Echo Lives On

Kezpul’s journey was far from over, but she knew she was not alone. With her parents and new friends by her side, she faced each day with courage and determination. The echoes of her cries still resonated through the sewers, but they were no longer cries of sorrow. They were cries of hope, strength, and the enduring power of love.
And so, the story of Kezpul, the girl who became more than just a victim of bullying, but a beacon of resilience and transformation, lived on, inspiring all who heard her tale.

How do I tell my friends I don’t want to play DnD with them anymore?
tl;dr: I’m really unhappy after a finished oneshot, DM and two other players made me feel like an NPC through the game, I want to quit playing DnD with this group but I’m worried it’ll impact our friendship negatively.
Ok, so now a bit of context:
Me and four of my friends started playing a DnD oneshot some time ago. It was my and another person’s first time playing, DM’s first time DMing, and for the most part, it was a lot of fun.
The DM was doing a lot of things on homebrew rules and giving us a lot of freedom, which was cool, valuing our creativity more even if it meant bending the rules. They also gave us permission to have “solo” and “duo” sessions if we wanted to, so not everyone in our party had to be there the whole time.
The “oneshot” turned into a full blown campaign and I noticed that because of the solos, my character (and that of the other first time player) soon became more and more distant from the main group.
This was, in hindsight, encouraged by the DM. We weren’t missing sessions because we didn’t want to be there, but rather in-game circumstances would cause it. For example, an NPC asked my character for a private conversation, and while that convo happened, the rest of the team was captured and I couldn’t re-join them until a few sessions later. It happened a couple of times, both to me and the other first time player.
Point is, by the end, it really started to feel like the two of us were add-ons our DM had to put in daycare while she and the other two players went off to have fun.
Finally, today we had our final session of the campaign and… well.
The two players and the DM are delighted. They got a lot of resolution to their arcs, got a couple NPCs who are willing to die for them, all the good stuff.
The other first time player checked out at one point and is talking about maybe changing characters and during epilogue he didn’t really interact with anything or anyone and just told us he’s glad the campaign’s over.
I’m… unhappy and dissatisfied. Not only didn’t my character get anything from the whole adventure, but the other two PCs and some of the NPCs are now openly hostile towards them. This is entirely because my character voiced their distrust of one of the other PCs, who tried to betray everyone during the campaign. The NPCs who are actually on my PC’s side and happy with her are all currently having a crisis as the actions of the rest of my team hurt a lot of them and people they cared about.
Because of this, our final session was… really emotionally taxing and unpleasant for me, and it made me realize I… don’t really want to continue playing this campaign with these friends anymore.
I love my friends, and I doubt they wanted to make me feel this way. I was approached by the DM and one of the other players at one point and asked to change my character because she’s “too good” and continuing with her in the party would require some work as at that point she really doesn’t want to continue on with these people, but it just feels like I’m being asked to give up playing a character I love so that the two of them can continue with theirs guilt-free. I should add I initially did think about it and even created a character whose morality would be more suited to our now definitely more evil-leaning party, but I realized I… didn’t want to play evil. And that even creating that character made me uncomfortable, especially when other players and DM commented on what I should change in them to fit the party even better, personality-wise.
It felt like I’m an accessory and not a player to them.
At the same time, these weekly meetings were what really brought us together as a group of friends and I feel extremely sad thinking I’d just. Not have that anymore.
It’s too early for it right now, as we just finished the campaign, but I know once I calm down I'll need to talk to them about it… I don’t really see a way to keep playing with them, but, I don’t know. Am I overreacting? Do you have any advice on how to let my friends know I’m no longer interested in playing DnD with them without making it sound like I don’t want to hang out anymore?