Cute paris france sayings

Introduction
The Seven Years' War (1756-1763) and the development of the Periodic Table of Elements are two significant milestones in history, each in its own realm—one in the geopolitical sphere and the other in the scientific world. The Seven Years' War was a global conflict that realigned international power structures, while the Periodic Table, developed in the mid-19th century, revolutionized the understanding of chemical elements and their relationships. This essay explores the impacts of both these events, highlighting their roles in shaping the modern world.
The Seven Years' War: A Global Conflict
The Seven Years' War, often considered the first "world war," involved major European powers, including Britain, France, Spain, and Prussia, and their respective colonies and allies. It was fought across multiple continents, including Europe, North America, Africa, and Asia, with profound and lasting consequences.
Causes and Major Battles
The war's primary causes included colonial rivalries, territorial disputes, and alliances formed by competing powers. In North America, the conflict is known as the French and Indian War, where British and French forces, along with their respective Native American allies, clashed over control of the Ohio Valley and other territories.
Major battles such as the Battle of Plassey in India, the Battle of Rossbach in Europe, and the Battle of Quebec in North America were pivotal in determining the war's outcome. These battles showcased the military strategies and capabilities of the involved powers and significantly influenced the war's progression.
Outcomes and Consequences
The Treaty of Paris (1763) concluded the Seven Years' War, resulting in significant territorial changes. Britain emerged as the dominant colonial power, gaining control of Canada, Florida, and territories in India and the Caribbean. France ceded most of its North American territories but retained a few Caribbean islands and trading posts in India and Africa.
The war's outcomes had profound implications. In North America, British dominance set the stage for colonial discontent and the eventual American Revolution. In Europe, the war altered the balance of power, leading to shifts in alliances and subsequent conflicts. The war also strained the finances of the involved nations, contributing to economic and political challenges.
The Periodic Table: Organizing the Elements
While the Seven Years' War reshaped geopolitical landscapes, the development of the Periodic Table by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869 transformed the scientific understanding of chemical elements. Mendeleev's work built on earlier efforts by scientists like Johann Döbereiner and John Newlands, who recognized patterns among the elements.
Development and Structure
Mendeleev arranged the known elements based on their atomic weights and properties, revealing a periodic pattern in their behavior. He left gaps for elements that were not yet discovered, predicting their existence and properties with remarkable accuracy. This approach not only organized the elements into a coherent system but also provided a predictive tool for discovering new elements.
The Periodic Table's structure, with elements arranged in rows (periods) and columns (groups or families), reflects recurring trends in chemical properties. This arrangement allows for the classification of elements into metals, nonmetals, and metalloids, and highlights the relationships between atomic structure and chemical behavior.
Impact and Advancements
The Periodic Table revolutionized chemistry by providing a systematic framework for understanding the relationships between elements. It facilitated advancements in various scientific fields, including atomic theory, quantum mechanics, and materials science. The discovery of elements predicted by Mendeleev, such as gallium and germanium, validated his model and underscored the Periodic Table's predictive power.
In the 20th century, the development of quantum mechanics and the understanding of atomic structure further refined the Periodic Table. The concept of atomic number, introduced by Henry Moseley, replaced atomic weight as the organizing principle, leading to the modern Periodic Table we use today.
Intersections and Influences
Although the Seven Years' War and the development of the Periodic Table belong to different historical contexts, both events significantly influenced the course of modern history and science.
Shaping Modern Geopolitics and Science
The Seven Years' War reshaped geopolitical boundaries and set the stage for future conflicts and revolutions. The resulting shifts in colonial territories and the rise of British global influence had lasting impacts on international relations and the development of nation-states.
Similarly, the Periodic Table's development provided a foundational framework for modern chemistry, influencing scientific research and technological innovation. The systematic organization of elements enabled breakthroughs in various fields, from pharmaceuticals to materials engineering, contributing to the rapid advancement of science and industry.
Reflecting Human Endeavors
Both the Seven Years' War and the creation of the Periodic Table reflect the human drive for understanding and control—whether it be over territories and resources or the fundamental building blocks of matter. These endeavors highlight the complexities and interconnectedness of human history and scientific discovery.
Conclusion
The Seven Years' War and the development of the Periodic Table are monumental events that have left indelible marks on the world. The war's geopolitical reshaping set the stage for future international dynamics, while the Periodic Table provided a crucial framework for understanding chemical elements and their interactions. By examining these events, we gain a deeper appreciation for the forces that have shaped our modern world, both in terms of geopolitical landscapes and scientific knowledge. The interplay of conflict and discovery continues to influence the trajectory of human progress, underscoring the enduring impact of these historical milestones.

Hi all, before you grill me on the age gap, my bf and I have been together for 3 years, living together for over 2. We have a cute apartment, good jobs, fun hobbies, and an adventurous lifestyle. Try to approach like any other post. Recently, my family invited us on vacation to Hawaii. We had been planning it for 7 months. My partner and I had a place to stay off the resort for half the trip, and it was pretty magical. Totally fit our outdoorsy vibe, it was like a honeymoon beach cottage with an open air kitchen and bathtub, cozy fire pit and lots of privacy. On night 4, we returned to the resort with my family. I got to spend some time with my siblings who live back home. My parents followed me west and live down the street from me so I see them all the time. We were all packed to head to the next island, my dad and boyfriend brought a few suitcases to the car ahead of time. My dad came back alone, frustrated and agitated. I said "Where's (boyfriend)? What's wrong?" He said "You deserve someone better." And then stomped off! My mom fetched him and said "What happened?" He said "He is wasted, he fell off the tram to the parking lot twice." What? He wasn't drunk when he left the hotel, but WHERE IS HE? My dad said he didn't stick around. So now I'm panicking, I called but his phone was in the hotel room with me. He walked through the door 5 mins later, he seemed fine. I asked, "did something happen with my dad?" He said no. "Was there a fight?" No. "Did you fall out of the train?" No. So I told him! "My dad burst in here and told me that you were so drunk you fell out of the train and now he's saying that I deserve someone better. There was no fight? No argument? This is out of nowhere?" Y'all, when I tell you he lost it, he lost it. He unpacked my carryon, took all my clothes out of it, and said he was leaving for the airport. He said I was a loser, a joke. He said I'd die alone and it's just going to be me and my parents together forever. He said I was selfish, that I should have done something more to defend him. He said he didn't want to be around people who treat them nice to their face and lie about him behind his back. I begged him to stay, I was totally blindsided, bawling my eyes out. He said he has to beat up my dad or leave the trip and end the relationship. I felt so caught between my family getting hurt (which is weird because he's never laid a finger on anyone, he is a very calm person) and losing my whole relationship on an otherwise perfect trip. I was emotionally exhausted, he left the hotel room with my bag and came back saying that he will stay if I tell him how he's supposed to feel. I didn't understand why the ball was in my court. The next morning he said he would stay. I told him to finish packing up our stuff. He did not, I had no clothes for the rest of the trip. I was floored, I had dresses planned out for dinner and photoshoots, swimsuits, my favorite cowboy shirt and hiking pants for horseback riding. My SD card that was packed was also missing, so we lost three days of footage. I was totally heartbroken... And really upset with my partner. Here's where I'm stuck, folks! This guy blames my father for the missing clothes and SD card. He blames him for the name calling, for threatening to leave, for unpacking my stuff, for everything. It wouldn't have happened if my dad hadn't talked crap, sure. I'm sure the Butterfly Effect makes sense here. But those are my bf's actions, not my father's, that resulted in my pain and loss. My family is pissed at me since I spilled the beans. My bf is pissed at me for not doing more to stand up to my parents. I feel caught between two parties that clearly don't like each other, but are making me responsible for their crap. Now let's address the elephant in the room: the age gap. Yeah, that didn't go well with my parents in the beginning, but my parents spend time with us all the time. They're weird, quirky, sometimes psycho. I've spent a lot of money in therapy learning how to set boundaries since they moved close to me. They can be financially manipulative, and my bf isn't afraid to point out when I might be getting taken advantage of. He is older, but I've learned a lot about healthy relationships from him, and I've tried to put them into practice as best I can. Bf is making the argument that I will side with my parents even when they're being toxic. I don't feel that way about this situation, I don't know why my dad said what he did, even after confronting him a second time. Bf is upset that he doesn't see dad have any consequences, so I guess therefore the consequences have to be mine to bear. I disagree. So the question remains for me: Are my bf's actions HIS fault, my dad's fault, or my fault? Did I cause problems when I told my bf what my dad said and assume all responsibility for everyonw's actions? Should I have done more to defend my boyfriend from the beginning?
Tldr: My dad talked crap about my bf, I told bf because I was concerned that an argument happened, bf blew up and threatened to leave and lost my belongings. Bf blames dad, dad blames me, I blame bf. Who is at fault? If none, what do I do?
It's been three days since we returned from Hawaii and bf is ready to leave. Thanks in advance for your help, everyone.

People on reddit who also hate animal torturers, and love animals. And want to defend them and kill those people who torture animals, oh man. I love those kind sweet people. I love them so much..... But if they hate God.. then I don't love them...
I don't care for humans dying. Idk why. Unless it's like a specific story, of let's say, a sweet innocent person tortured and abused that's messed up. Or a guy who's wife stole all his SAVINGS he worked his life for, and gave them to her lover she cheated on, I feel bad for him even if he killed his wife and himself. He will get riches in Heaven tho it's okay..
But generally.... I don't care for Gaza.. I don't care for any of them who die. They love to play victim.. Cheered on October 7th.
Muslims murder Christians every month in Nigeria,, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Indonesia.. and kidnap Christian Egyptian girls and make them their bride, and then they play victim on Gaza.
I don't care I have no sympathy like at all. But for animals. Sweet innocent animals..... My heart is for animals........ They just are so innocent and cute... their faces everything about them isn't cringe and human toxic.

Since the Constitution went into effect in 1789, the US has been involved in several military conflicts. Many if not most of them have been controversial. Even the Civil War caused widespread dissent against the Union in the North. What in your opinion were the most and least justified wars in US history? Here are my thoughts:
Most justified:

• WWII. This one is easy. America was attacked without provocation by Japan, and Germany declared war 4 days later. America had avoided being a belligerent in the war for over 2 years, until the most evil alliance in history decided to wage war. There should be no question that this was a just war from the American standpoint.
• The Civil War (from the Union standpoint). The United States was attacked at Fort Sumpter by a pro-slavery rebellion. Lincoln had taken an oath to uphold the Constitution and to enforce it he needed to militarily suppress the rebellion. If Lincoln had not acted then this would have set a precedent allowing other states to secede when they didn't like who won an election, and it would have allowed slavery to continue in the South indefinitely.

Least justified:

• The war in the Philippines. The Philippines expected that the US would give them freedom from Spain, but McKinley betrayed their trust and made the Philippines an American colony instead. Hundreds of thousands died in this unjustified war of imperial conquest, and in my opinion it was the least justified war in US history.
• The Vietnam War. FDR had planned to recognize Vietnamese independence before he died. Truman helped France recolonize Vietnam, sending the first US military advisors there and bankrolling over 80% of the French war effort. After France lost Eisenhower divided Vietnam and set up a corrupt puppet government in Saigon. The 1960s US war in Vietnam was simply a continuation of European and Japanese colonialism, but the government misrepresented it to the public as a twilight struggle against communism. In particular, LBJ lied to Congress to give him a blank check for war following the Gulf of Tonkin incident. Ultimately, over 3.5 million people died in the Vietnam War and Saigon fell to the Viet Cong anyway. My grandfather was a WWII vet. He told me that the US should never have been in Vietnam at all, and he was right.
• The Iraq War. After the incompetent Bush administration failed to get Bin Laden in Afghanistan, they looked for another enemy to satisfy America's need for justice after 9/11. The Bush White House found shaky intelligence that suggested Saddam Hussein was building WMDs, and they misrepresented it to the public and the world as conclusive proof that Saddam had WMDs already. Even though world opinion was hostile to an invasion of Iraq, the US and the UK violated international law by invading Iraq in defiance of the UN Charter which says that states may only use force to defend themselves from an armed attack. Ultimately no WMDs were found in Iraq and the war produced the ISIS terrorist organization.
• I would also add the various internal wars that the US fought against Native Americans, which resulted in millions of deaths and mass theft of land.

https://www.radiofrance.ffranceculture/podcasts/les-nuits-de-france-culture/la-dissolution-du-reel-a-travers-les-ecrans-une-mutation-anthropologique-selon-jean-baudrillard-6263651
I can't help but make a connection with our condition. Article is in French, so I translate it :
In 2005, the philosopher Jean Baudrillard, author of “La Société de Consommation” returned to his analysis of the disappearance of reality by seeking to make its ins and outs known. Reality being dead, we only live in falsity, a hyperreality which takes itself for reality.
The murder of reality? A perfect crime, without motivation and without perpetrator. This is the hypothesis defended by the philosopher and sociologist Jean Baudrillard. In 2005, in the show "Premier Pouvoir", he was questioned by Elizabeth Lévy with Gérard Casanova, Jean-François Colosimo and Antoine Perraud on what he analyzed as an anthropological mutation.
The media creates a global illusion
There would be a form of metaphysical imposture: the illusion that Jean Baudrillard calls hyperreality takes itself for reality, and thus imposes itself on us as the only accessible world. There is no longer any room for an imagination clearly distinguished from a truth: everything is confused, and the whole world is accessible to us through the media which now create meaning, create events but no longer represent them adequately. When Baudrillard says, with his legendary sense of provocation that the Gulf War did not take place (title of a collection of texts published in 1991), it is because it did not take place in the way which the media have represented: every image, every story is part of this global illusion that we now take for reality.
The individual confronted with the submersion of the virtual
The disappearance of reality, the passage from the mirror stage, that of representation, to a screen stage, is a mutation in anthropological terms. Depth disappears in favor of extension, total extensibility. We find ourselves confronted with the excess of everything, with the excess of communication, with information, with messages, with the excess of possibilities. The virtual is something in which we are immersed. According to the philosopher of hyperreality, it is this profusion that is deadly. We are no longer in the mental, physical, intellectual state to satisfy this profusion. We are faced with a state where no human being is capable of confronting all these possibilities. And it is then the beginning of a real panic in the pathological sense and critical intelligence fails in the face of this new situation.

Ok, so this is quite a long and crazy story, so buckle up!
For context, this took place in a very difficult time in my life last year and my judgement may have not been the best.
I (20f), went through my first break up early last year and it was really tough as I had to work (and still do) with my ex (20m, we'll call him Ben) but don't worry, we make it work by ignoring each other lol, the relationship lasted about 2 years. About 6 months later, I decided to get back on the horse. I reconnected with an old school mate. This guy (20m, we'll call him Jay) was someone that I knew of from school, he apparently had a crush on me since 7th grade (keep this in mind for later), I would become his first girlfriend (also keep this in mind).
About 2 months go by and Jay and I had been on a few dates, I had made it very clear to Jay that I was not interested in rushing into a relationship because of my previous one and wanted to take things slow. Jay had some minor red flags at the beginning but noting I couldn't live with or discuss with him if it was really bothering me. These included pushing me to keep going at physical tasks when I said I'd had enough (this resulted in an injury for me, don't worry it was just a strained tendon),not having eye contact when talking to me (I know some people get nervous but this was really bad), and talking to me in a baby voice (this was a major ick for me and I had spoken to him several times about how gross it made me feel).
During this 2 month period, Jay went to the UK to visit family. Jay would face time me and whenever a family member caught him on the phone, he would lie and say I was one of his guy friends. He also tried to pressure me into letting him call me his girlfriend, so he could tell his parents and it would be "easier" for him. I told him it was a firm no as we aren't dating, so why should we lie? On this same trip he confessed that he had strong feelings and admitted his crush that he'd had since school (I was already aware of this). At this point in the dating timeline we had been on 2 dates and he flew over to the uk about a week after (we had been talking for about a month). I was slightly uncomfortable as my feelings were not on the same level and I had to make it clear to him that my feelings were not as strong and understood if he didn't want to continue but he did. As I look back, I now see that I could have been leading him on and should have just ended things but I liked hanging out with him and how chivalrous he was compared to Ben.
When Jay got back we continued going on dates and he formally asked me out. Silly me was swept up in his love bomb and was blind to the fact that he refused to let me meet any of his family and kept me like a dirty secret from his friends and family until we were dating. I was not allowed to be seen out front of his house picking him up for dates and my sister (who had an out door ed class at his work) was not allowed to talk to him or about him being with me whilst she was there cause his work couldn't know. This behaviour continued even when we were in public togther and he saw someone he knew, he would make us hide. Flash forward to when we're official, I was allowed to meet his parents and sibling (who seemed to have a totally normal relationship with her partner btw) but he still kept his friends and work colleagues knowledge to a minimum. However, I received a range of follow requests and random messages from his female "friends" wanting to know more about me, they were annoying and ignored them per his request.
I was invited over to meet his family (mum, dad and sister), this is when I started to notice the weird family dynamic. His mum had a firmer handshake than his dad (do with that info what you will). The mum was nice but incredibly nosy and the dad seemed stern and quiet, the sister seemed nice but Jay would constantly pick on her for no reason, he did this to the mum too (I'm saying like actually sly comments, not family bickering). This was another red flag.
Flash forward another month and things got weirder. I was constantly asking him to stop the baby voice (I was starting to think he was doing it to annoy me). I had sustained an injury in both of my knees and was finding it difficult to stand or sit, I was told to get as much rest as possible by my docs and was booked in for a MRI (more important info for later). Knowing all of this, Jay continued to pester me to go out or come over (my parents don't like people over all the time, which is why he couldn't come over) I told him I couldn't and he would blame me and make feel bad for being injured.
My 20th birthday rolled around about the same time and I had just found out my Dad's mum (we have no contact with her) had been diagnosed with breast cancer and my sister and I might have to be tested if it was genetic (thankfully it wasn't, she is now in remission but ladies you should always check!), Jay had the opportunity to meet one of two of my best friends. I had talked him up and she (20f) was excited to meet him. Jay also had the chance to meet my grandparents and a couple of my family friends (he already met my parents). This was a relatively small gathering of kind people, who all introduced themselves to him. I had noticed that Jay would just follow me around and would not speak unless spoken to by others and once again not have any eye contact. I totally understand having social anxiety and the pressure of making a good impression but he had met most of these people before. I was later told by my friend that when he popped inside with her to get a drink, my mum introduced him to my grandad as "Ben", she was mortified at what she had done but hoped he didn't recognise the name (at the time I thought he didn't but I now realise he must have based on later events). My friend and I were having a convo with my Nanna that he was apart of, joking about when we have our own home, we will have such cute decore and what not.
A couple of days later I found out that convo upset him because apparently by having had a dream to move in with my besties (who I've know longer and had this plan for years) meant that I saw no future with him. He also continued to shame me about not being able to go out. I would just like to point out that after my birthday party, I collapsed on the floor bawling my eyes out cause of the pain I was in from my knees after everyone left. Jay then proceeded to make fun of me being crippled and made a wheelchair joke( I despise wheelchair jokes cause my Great Nanna who I was close with had MS and was in a wheel chair most of her life, Jay knew this). He laughed at his own joke and I stayed quiet,he was just trying to make light of the situation I guess. I told myself that I was just being silly and misreading everything, but I did warn him that I was still not matching his level of feelings intensity and that I wasn't sure if I ever would. He persuaded me to keep going and give him another chance but I said I'd know for sure soon if I wanted to continue. He later messaged me begging for more time to "prove himself" cause I can't go out much. I said that you can't put a time constraint on these things, I will know when I know.
He had also tried to coherse me into saying I love you with a word puzzle a few weeks before, Ben also did this and I felt robbed of having said it, so I wanted it to be right this time and was furious when he did this. I explained that you should let that happen naturally and not force it. A lot of this relationship felt forced in the end.
On our final outing togther with his family, he proceeded to once again lie to me about plans (these were often subtle but common) and try and guilt trip me into changing my plans that were on his birthday (they had been arranged since before we started talking/dating) and involved a large expense so I couldn't change them. He did have plans to go camping with his fam but that's what he tried to lie about, saying they were all going camping without him (his dad later confirmed this was a lie at the dinner).
This was his sister's birthday dinner and he proceeded to belittle her and his mother (yes, out in public). There were so many things wrong with this night, including him saying he wanted to sleep in the same bed with seperate covers (I'm sorry but what? I know that I have more experience than him in that area but that's weird right?), I have to skip forward to going back to his place to set up the sister's cake. We were waiting on his fam getting home so we went to his room, I thought we'd chat or put the tv on but no. He proceeded to lecture me about not posting him enough (I posted him more than he did me) and how we only took photos with him leaning on me (weird, I know) I said thats odd but whatever and he took photos of us (another thing to keep in mind). He then leaned on my shoulder and started stroking my hand and, this is where it gets weird, he starts signing twinkle twinkle little star in that stupid baby voice! I pushed him off of me and said you need to to stop, you're giving me the ick, he then kept going and sang "shake it off" (knows I like TS). Talk about saved by the bell cause the rest of his fam arrived. I could not get out of that room fast enough.
After cake I asked him to take me home and faked my knees playing up, cause he was wanting me to stay. He took me home and I can not say how awkward the goodbye was. I went inside and knew I would be breaking up with him and this relationship wouldn't last till the two days later when he wanted are next date to be.
The next morning rolled around and he was nagging me to hang out, I had enough at this point and knew it was time to end it. He had left a dish here and needed to pick it up. So, I decided he could come pick up his dish since he wanted to see me so bad and I could end things. He arrived and met him at my front fence. I broke things off slowly and respectfully as I could, knowing he had strong feelings and not wanting to be a heartless bith (in hindsight, I should have been). He cried crocodile tears and loudly, even my dog was looking at him like wtf dude? He was grappling at access to me asking to still be friends and go out the following day like we had planned. I said no to the plans and said we will see what the future holds to being friends but right now I need space. Now this is where I f'd up, I offered him support for when his friend with cancer passes (this was a mistake cause I barely knew this person unlike all his family did), his friend also had the same bday as him, which was in a week. I know this was wrong of me but it felt like the kind thing in the moment. He continued to "cry" and ask me for kisses and hugs, I gave him one hug to say sorry (the most I ever got from him was a peck on the check btw) and said it was time for him to go. He sat in the drive way for a few mins (likely to collect himself which is fair) and I walked away, silently hoping to never hear from him again.
Boy was I wrong.
I'm going to leave it here cause it's already gone way too long. Please let me know if you would like to hear part 2, it's even more manic and involves stalking and harrassing.

hi friends. just wanted to see if anyone has the same feelings. met my gf in college in 2019 and we’ve been together ever since and we’ve been long distance since 2020. just had a week long vacation with her (she’s from france and i’m from the us) and it’s been about 6 months since we last saw each other — pretty privileged i know — and it just does not get easier saying goodbye. i’ll see her again in four months as i’m moving close to france for school but damn i cannot really trick my mind into thinking it’s that soon. ugh. need love from my siblings in this thread.

20M UK Looking for a cute ass maniac to take on the world with
Heya, I don’t mind dating and getting serious, but if it results in just having a pal or and odd someone to talk too every now and then I’m cool with that
Anyways about me, I game (playing fallout and black ops 3 atm), make shitty beats every now and then, (attempt to) draw, and like to mess about in public, and eat, man I love food. personally I’m looking for those who just live in the uk, play some games, hang out, whatever is cool
Look truth is, you’re either gonna find me attractive or ugly, I’d say I’m an acquired taste, but that implies that I’m a delicacy.
I don’t actually like using reddit and would rather hang out in public or in games
No pressure, if shit doesn’t work out it doesn’t work out :P

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Memory transcription subject: Reno, Yotul Weapons Specialist
Date [standardized human time]: December 4th, 2136
The sun of Sillis was starting to cast its first rays across the landscape of Tepisil, and the hatchery before me was still standing. My legs still hurt. My paw still ached. My mind was tired from everything, but it was like my body refused to listen.
I could feel the wounds in my legs now, quietly throbbing. The foam Dusty had stuck inside them was wondrous, but apparently its numbing effects were starting to fade. It stung slightly to walk, but I could run if I needed to.
Luke had wanted me to get rest, but I flatly refused. He wasted a lot of effort trying to change my mind. I knew I wouldn’t get any sleep after what almost happened to me. Hell, I hadn’t even felt tired since I came out of that bloodied, overturned van.
I felt disgusting. Even though I was able to wipe myself off with a rag, I didn’t have access to any running water to wash myself of the misted blood. It was still on me. Its claws were still in my wrist, holding me up, its eyes looking at me like I was nothing more than a meal. My own blood had left stains, sickly lines of green that traced down my limbs.
Every time I thought about it, my legs throbbed with pain. Each time I closed my eyes, I could only see its slitted gaze. My arm still felt wet from its fetid tongue. Even laying down only reminded me of sitting on awkward corners of the weapon crates, its horrid maw inches from my leg.
If I had been a single second slower, I would be dead.
That is what they are scared of. For centuries, they’ve been in this war… Born into it with no choice…
A voice startled my thoughts. “Damn, you’re still awake?”
I cocked my head at Luke, who was in the doorway. “Yeah. What did you think?”
“I thought you would’ve passed out a little after Dusty did.”
“I said I wasn’t tired.”
“And now I have no reason not to believe you.”
“So you stayed up to keep an eye on me?”
“Hey, do you blame me? You’ve got two holes in your legs.”
“I do blame you.”
“Alright. Well, just pretend I’m not tired either. How about that?”
“That works.”
He smirked, taking a spot on the floor next to me. “Hell of a view you’ve got here.”
Luke was right. The building we were in was almost twice as tall as the previous one around the now vacant Bunker Four. It offered us a view across the roofs of the buildings in the medical complex, only interrupted by the slightly taller buildings on every side of it, creating a sort of bowl with the complex in the center. The view stretched into the farther and less grand outreaches of Tepisil, now all being painted yellow and orange by the blooming daylight. It revealed all of the clouds in the sky in a brilliant way, giving each one a slightly different gradient. It was almost enough to inspire hope.
Moreso, it served as a reminder that we were still stranded on this planet after an entire night with two bunkers gone. The UN still hadn’t responded to any of our calls, and any information about what was happening in orbit was limited to what little ground communications we had.
I tilted my head. “It would be a lot better without everything else.” Without me.
“Lots of things would be,” Luke responded. “Are your legs and arm feeling better?”
“No. The numbing agent wore off.”
He shrugged. “Better off than the bastard with a hole in his chest.”
“It’s not something to celebrate,” I spat. I shut my eyes, drawing a shaky breath and reliving that moment for the hundredth time. “I barely managed it in time. It… held me up. It tasted me.”
Understanding washed across his features as the mood quickly plummeted. “They… didn’t even wait?”
“No.”
His face seemed to shift through several different emotions, none of which I could decipher in time. “I’m… so sorry.”
“I’d rather not talk about it. Just be glad I’m here.”
“Damnit, no. I should’ve been there. Shit, if I didn’t just assume everything was going to work out, that wouldn’t have even happened.”
“It’s not your fault,” I muttered. “We were going to run into some grays eventually.”
“That’s not the point. You almost died, and there was something I could’ve done to prevent it. I wasn’t there.”
“The monster got a fucking hole put through his chest, and now we’re safe. That’s all I care about.”
He let out a sigh. “Alright, I’ll take the hint.”
I forced myself to nod. “Good.”
His frown didn’t leave his face. His gaze wandered across the buildings and landscape, his eyes catching unfeeling light and reflecting them with a dour mood. “So, um… What was on your mind? Before I… y’know.”
“Why do you think anything was on my mind?”
“I mean, you’re staring at the sunrise. And given everything else that happened, it would be crazy if you weren’t thinking about something.”
“If you were seconds away from being eaten just a few hours ago, what would you be thinking about?”
His face tightened, and his gaze drifted down.
My ears drooped. “Sorry, I didn’t mean… Just change the subject for both of us.”
“No, it’s fine. I should’ve… whatever.” He shook his head. “I’ve… uh, actually been wanting to hear more about what it was like, before the Federation came.”
“Why? You grew up with so much more than anybody on my planet. There’s nothing interesting about having to walk outside the house for water.”
He pursed his lips. “I haven’t told you about camping, have I?”
“...No, you haven’t.”
“Basically, some people find it fun to go out into the wilderness, the mountains or wherever, and spend a few nights living out there. Completely away from civilization.”
I twitched an ear. “That… doesn’t make any sense. What joy is there in manual labor? Having no proper shelter? That’s worse than what I lived like.”
“Not worse. Different. It’s fun to get away from ‘proper’ living for a while. Makes you feel alive. At least for me, and a lot of other people.”
“It… would be nice to get away from the Federation for a while…” To feel alive for once.
“I guess it applies to that, too. We would start a campfire every night. Oh! You should try a marshmallow some time. It’s basically a puffy ball of sugar.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
He chuckled. “It comes in spreadable form, too. Heh, shit, I remember trying to suck some of that crap through a straw once.”
I tilted a confused ear. “How thick is it?”
“Very. I tried for a good few minutes and only managed to get it halfway through the straw.”
I let out an amused puff of air, imagining the human trying to suck his form of sugar syrup through a tiny tube, with his flabby cheeks all puckered. “Why would you do that?”
“I dunno. Why not?”
I shook my head. “I… guess you have a point.”
“You ever do anything dumb like that?”
“No. I’m not a deranged primate.”
He snorted. “Go to hell. Seriously, though.”
“I don’t think so.” I felt my ears droop. “I didn’t really… get to do much stuff like that.”
His smile faded, the mood quickly dropping. “Right.”
I absently scanned outside the windows. There was no movement, no signs of life at all. Luke had distracted us both for a short time, only for a harsh snap back to reality at my own doing.
“I still remember the first day they came,” I started. Luke remained silent, but I could tell he was listening. I debated saying more or not, but it wasn’t like I had anything else to lose while I was on this planet.
I took a deep breath. “I was in town with my father when I saw one of their ships. It was as big as the buildings around it, resting on the ground like it had been there for years. Before I even got close to it, it flew away like gravity didn’t exist. It wasn’t much different from plain magic, what they could do. I had so much… wonder about them. A whole galaxy, full of species and things I could never imagine.”
“I can imagine that feeling. It lasted for all but a week before we learned what the Federation really was.”
“We weren’t given that mercy. They hid their true intentions. Unlike me, my parents were apprehensive, and so was my brother. It got worse with time. I’m sure you’ve wondered how I became a so-called ‘weapons specialist’?”
A frown had already formed on his face. “I have, but I don’t know the whole picture.”
“I left to learn what the Federation had to offer. They showed me amazing things, hiding their real intentions under the guise of ‘advancement’ and ‘progress’. Out of everything, out of all of the things that might as well have been magic, I gravitated towards their weapons. I guess they made more sense than anything… I don’t really remember why.”
“Did you do good with them?”
“Too good for my own wellbeing. I wanted to prove myself, and they… fucking shipped me off to some place. I… made my own model, far more suited more for a Yotul than what they ever showed. You can guess what those fucking colonizers thought about it.”
He kept his eyes on mine, waiting for me to continue.
“Then I made the only mistake they would allow me. I ‘acted like a predator.’ That’s when they shipped me off with a bottle of pills I had to refill every so often.” I took a shuddering breath. “After that… I-It all becomes a blur. Teaching people, managing stock, and whatever else the bastards had me do for them.”
“What happened once the Federation was forced from Liern?”
“For me? I went straight to the only people who could ever get back at them.”
“What… What about your family?”
I took a deep breath. “My f-family never knew where I went.”
“Your dad… You mean, never?”
I flicked my ears. “When the Federation came, they didn’t see what I saw. Rather, I didn’t see what they saw. I was so stupid. One day, I just ran away. And the Federation didn’t care about it one bit. Neither did I, until it was too late.”
“You never talked with them afterwards?”
“Why would they want to? After what I did? Once they learned of what I did for the Federation? What I did to the younger Yotul who didn’t know any better? They hated the Federation, and I worked for them.”
Luke was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Do you know that for certain?”
“What do you mean? Of course I do.”
“You know for certain that they would never want to talk to their son who simply vanished one day? They wouldn’t want to know he’s alive?”
“If they wanted to, they could’ve found me.”
“After twenty years? With how the Federation took over your planet?”
“Not in the beginning,” I spat. “They could've eventually.”
“Do you think the Federation would’ve helped them find-”
“Fine! You want to know the real fucking reason? It’s shame. First it was because of the fucking medication, and then… everything I did while working for those bastards… I couldn’t bring myself to even… try to look for them once I was free of it. It shouldn’t surprise you. Once again, it’s my fault.”
Luke pursed his lips. “You have a nasty habit of blaming the wrong people. The Federation sedated you for twenty odd years, and you expect to just jump right back into things like that never happened?”
“I joined the stupid exchange program, didn’t I? It was basically the first thing I did. I tried my chances with aliens before I even thought about my family. Just like I did the first time.”
“Your second chance still isn’t gone.”
“Look around you.”
He shook his head. “You look around. We’re still alive, and I intend on keeping it that way.”
“Yeah, sure.” I wiped my eyes with a huff. “It’s too fucking late for that. For any of that.”
“Reno, I’m going to make you a promise. When we get off this rock, we’re going to find where your family is, and we’re going to go see them.”
“You s-say that like I’ve already agreed to it.”
“And you say that like you haven’t disagreed to it.”
I buried my face in my paws. “I… T-They think I’m dead.”
“Then what a welcome surprise it will be.”
“H-How can I face them after so long? They w-won’t even recognize me. W-What if-”
“I couldn’t tell you how they would react. What if… you think about the good memories. About you and your dad making those grain chunks. Anything else like that. Would they want to see you again, even just the smallest amount?”
Would they even accept what you’ve become? All of the choices you made? Would they look at you now and see their son, or a corrupted vessel of the Federation’s fear and hatred?
Moments turned into minutes where a few quiet sobs broke free. It would've been easier to let the ruminations take control, but I didn’t want to. I couldn't. I'd been pushing my problems away for so long, and it only put me where I was now.
I slowly pulled my paws off my face. “I… M-Maybe…”
Luke nodded. “And we are getting off this planet. No matter what happens with that hatchery down there.”
I looked out the window. That cursed building, the one that started all of this. Or am I blaming the wrong thing again?
Luke suddenly stuck his outstretched hand at me. “So? What’ll it be?”
I regarded his hand. “A deal? What will what be?”
“You gonna make me spell it out? We help each other get off this planet, and we go to Leirn.”
I slowly shook my head. “Let’s just… stick with the first part for now.”
He shrugged. “Deal?”
With a flick of my tail, I gingerly stuck my paw into his grip. “Fine. Deal. Though I still don't get why you put so much effort into me. We both know this is a one-sided relationship.”
He shrugged again. “Maybe. Not from my perspective. Maybe it’s just the fact that I’ve put in too much time into you to quit now.”
“You joke, but I’m serious. Why?”
“Maybe it’s easier to talk about someone else’s problems. Or maybe, find something where nothing is.”
“You’re being subtle.”
An empty smile tugged at his lips. “Didn’t I ever tell you I was born in New Brunswick? Moved around a lot after I joined the UN, but a lot of my family used to live there. Visited them when I could.”
Used to. My ears drooped as I understood. “That was… one of the cities, wasn’t it?”
“It was New York they were targeting, but… the blast radius was big enough.”
“Why don’t you ever talk about that? I… I never meant to-”
“I’ve thought about it. A lot. Every night when I go to sleep, I think about it. I guess I really am lucky, in that respect; it doesn’t bother me, not negatively, not as much as it could. Sometimes I think I should be more bothered by it, but then I look at you.”
I angled my ears. “You see what hatred does when you look at me.”
“No!” he waved a hand. “Not at all! That’s what Dusty is for. Hell, even she’s not even a tenth as bad as some others… nevermind. What I see when I look at you is someone who makes it all worth it.”
“I still don’t follow your logic. It’s my fault we’re here.”
He furrowed his eyebrows together in thought. “It’s hard to describe… I know I’m running away from the crater in New York, from all that death, and trading it for more death. You were one of the first people I actually talked to after Earth. It’s like… if I never moved on, I never would’ve met you.”
I opened my mouth, but he caught me before I could put a word out. “And before you say ‘look where it got you,’ that was before Sillis, even. And now I know more about you, and we’re here, that feeling isn’t gone really, but it is distinctly different. A week ago, a month ago, you were a reminder that I should move on, that there are small pieces of hope in the stars. Now, after everything, knowing what you’ve gone through, you’re a reminder that I need to keep on moving. Even if that means that I’ll only make the tiniest of differences.”
I sniffed, shaking my head. “I-I still don’t understand. I-I’ve done so little for you.”
“You’ve helped me through it, more than you think. Hell, more than I think, probably… It's weird. It’s like you remind me of someone I’ve never met. You make me laugh, smile, all that. You’re smart, sometimes. You’re a stubborn asshole. All the qualities of a good friend.” A small smile tugged at his lips for a split second before it faded.
“That was before I caused us to be stranded. I can get you not wanting to leave me for dead, but I’m not worthy of your friendship.”
“That’s fucked up, I could never just drop you like that. You're as stuck to me just as much as I’m as stuck to you, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Yours might be green, but we share the same blood.”
“You humans are loyal to a fault.”
He shrugged. “It’s gotten us this far.”
I allowed my ears to twitch with a flicker of amusement. My head felt like mush with all the chemicals I wasn’t used to feeling pumping through my skull. I was beyond tired at this point, but still, my body refused to listen. My legs felt restless, thoughts still lingering. I owed Luke almost everything I had. Nothing I said would express that, and even less would show my regret.
“Luke… for what it might be worth, I’m sorry.”
His face softened. “Sorry for what?”
“My mood earlier, and the things that don’t need to be said.”
“You can apologize once we make it out of this. If you need to hear the words, I forgive you.”
I flicked an ear. “You don’t sound convinced.”
He shook his head. “It’s been a long day. I doubt I sound convinced of anything at this point. Besides, of all the people to be stranded with, you might be one of the best considering our current position.”
I shook my head. “I can’t offer anything other than my aim.”
“You put yourself in a room full of exterminators. I can’t imagine that was easy for you.”
“I did it because I didn’t want to ruin anything else. I hate them.”
Now who doesn’t sound convinced?
Luke sighed. “I don’t blame you one bit. How do you think I felt, walking into their office? I wish I could just tell you to forget it, even just until we make it out of this, but you probably shouldn’t. Not saying to dwell on it, but to just… accept it.”
I was painfully aware of the pit in my being. “How? How can I accept what happened? Nothing was right. It should’ve been different, all of it.”
“It isn’t, and you can’t change it now, so-”
“What’s the difference between accepting what I did now, and what happened twenty years ago? Would you be able to? To just accept the twenty years of watching your planet be stripped of everything that made it unique? Accept what I did to myself? I look at them and… everything’s so fucking messed up!”
“That’s not what I’m saying. You, them, me. We’re all just… victims of the Federation in one way or another. I understand how badly we want to put a face to all the evil. You have to be careful who that face is. More often than not, it’s the wrong one.”
“I… I thought I should’ve felt good. You always tried to avoid violence. I was waiting for the opportunity. I didn’t even want to give those exterminators a second thought after I killed them. They didn’t have lives, or feelings. They were evil. They were the Federation, the same ones who did this to me. And that’s what I tricked myself into thinking, all because I wanted to have a sense that I wasn’t the one responsible for my own tragedy.”
Luke’s eyes were watering. “Reno-”
“I hate the Federation. I want to see it burn to the ground, but then people like Von, or Herq, or whoever the hell just go and fuck it all up! The rest of the bastards want to kill us on sight, but they just—” I hissed through my teeth in frustration, my leg thumping violently, the pit in my soul raging.
“They’re good people-”
“It shouldn’t matter! They didn’t try to kill us, but they still share responsibility. I hate them, but they’re trying their best to change it, and… I don’t fucking know!”
“It’s a clusterfuck,” Luke admitted. “Nobody is expecting you to like them. Hell, the bugs are hardly even tolerating us humans. Just… go easy on them. And more importantly, go easy on yourself.”
I tried to calm my thumping leg. “It… was so much simpler before everything.”
“You have more in common with them than you might think. Their culture was completely erased. They used to eat meat before the Federation did their thing.”
“Don’t compare me to them,” I hissed, pinning my ears back. “They know the truth as well as you and I do, but they still hold onto lies.”
“They’re trying. Just remember the person.”
It was easier when I didn’t.
I had nothing else to say. The weight on my mind was still heavy, the pit still as deep as ever. And Luke had made his promise.
Another thing I don’t deserve. I’ve ruined every chance I’ve been given, and the last one I’m offered is an impossible task in the middle of an invasion, soaked in blood and hopelessness.
Luke’s radio suddenly cackled with Frankie’s voice. “Hey, Luke. We’re about a block away from your building.”
Luke scrunched his eyebrows together, reaching for the device. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? How did the final group go?”
“Just like the others. Our truck is quite empty now.”
“No Arxur? Really?”
“Oh, they’ve seen them alright. No cattle ships, though the last team had some… bad news about Dirlsil.
Luke sighed. “So I’ve heard.”
“We’re pulling up to the parking spot now. We’ll be up shortly… floor eight, right?”
“Correct. Talk soon. Out.” Luke hung up the radio.
I flicked an ear. “Dirlsil… Even with all the weapons the UN left behind.”
“It’s just the one team for now, and nothing concrete.”
“You’re grasping at empty air.”
He shrugged. “I’ll grasp at whatever I can as long as we don’t have any of the bastards to deal with on our end.”
Luke got up and waited at the stairwell. We had made sure they were blocked, as we did in our previous building. The extra levels offered a greater buffer against any intruding Arxur and a higher vantage point for sniping. Combined with the traps, the Arxur would have a rough time getting to us, and an even rougher time trying to get into the hatchery unharmed with our vantage point.
It didn’t take Frankie long to get up eight flights of stairs. I faintly heard the ruckus of chairs and desks being moved around. I propped myself against the door frame once Frankie emerged from the stairwell, hardly winded and holding two crates. Herq came up shortly after, practically huffing and puffing. I noticed his exterminator vest was gone, only his belt remaining.
“Mornin’ Reno.” Frankie greeted me.
“Hey.”
“Dusty asleep?” he asked.
“Yeah. In the room over there.”
He yawned. “Gosh. Think I might join her. Long night.”
Luke waved a hand. “Go ahead.”
The burly human shuffled off, while Herq stood awkwardly.
“Damn, it’s late. Or early. Whatever.” Luke yawned, turning to me. “Reno, you wanna try to get some sleep?”
I shook my head. “I'm still not tired.”
“Welp, I tried. If you're absolutely sure, I'm going to join Frankie and Dusty.”
“Fine by me. I'll keep an eye out, as usual.”
“Good.” He clapped my shoulder. “Nighty night. Even though it’s morning.”
I offered him a nod and watched as he left. I walked back to where I was beside the window and sat down, heaving a heavy sigh. I was only given a few moments to myself before Herq tepidly came in and settled on the opposite side of the room. Apparently, he wanted to be alone with me.
He pointed an antenna. “I take it you aren't tired, either?”
“No.”
He awkwardly clicked his mandibles. “Yeah… I don't know how they can sleep after everything that happened.”
I hated that I agreed with him. “Neither do I.”
“Sometimes I wish we could go back to simpler times.”
I held my tongue. Easier times, he means. The times he could have watched humanity die without a scrap of emotion.
His antennae drooped in my silence. “I would like to apologize for earlier. Tensions were high. I shouldn't have pressed it as far as I did, after what you went through.”
I lowered my ears. “What I went through? You have no fucking idea what I went through.”
“...I was talking about the Arxur.”
My gaze shot to my bandaged appendages. Of course he was. “The hell do you care? A few days ago you would've been fine seeing every human dead. The only reason you're here is because they're your only chance at making it out of this alive.”
“Wouldn't you do the same? And don't think I'm so selfish. When… Poccel was sending people away, I turned to humans, because they were the only ones who could make a difference. The situation now is no different.”
“You turned to humans because you’re a coward that can’t fight for yourself, or even others. I don’t give a shit if you’re comfortable around their scary predator eyes, you still haven’t done anything.”
“Those words are truer than you might think… I feel completely useless to everything. I’m doing what I can.”
“What has ‘doing what you can’ amounted to, so far? Have you actually done anything except hide behind Frankie?”
His mandibles clicked with frustration, but he steadied himself before replying. “I’m here because I wanted to offer you an apology.”
“And I’m telling you to spill your empty words on someone else.”
“I haven’t done anything to you, and this isn’t even about anything that might have happened more than a few hours ago.”
“Then you clearly don’t remember what you said.”
“I didn’t mean to insinuate anything-”
“I don’t fucking care. I’m not taking any shit from you or any other stupid Fed.”
He pulled himself back into a more guarded position. “The Federation is evil. It makes me sick to think that I’m associated with it.”
I took a moment to steady my discordant thoughts. “That’s exactly the fucking thing. You were still complicit in it all, weren’t you? You can’t just say a few words and have all that shit magically disappear.”
“I’m doing what I can. Do you believe it is fair to ask more of me?”
“With how much your people have done? Of course it is.”
Herq lowered his antennae ashamedly. He stayed quiet for a while, like he was expecting something.
“The hell are you here for?” I snapped. “I won't mirror your worthless apology, if that's what you're waiting on.”
His antennae twitched. “I wasn’t, though I guess… it’s easy to see why you wouldn’t.”
I snorted. “Sillis isn't even half of it.”
“I did listen to what you said… about the medication for twenty years.” He paused for a moment, as if expecting a reaction. The gesture, whatever it meant, made me want to crack his chitin. “I’m realizing more and more the extent of the Federation’s influence… I know any apology I could offer would be less than empty, for many reasons. I could offer you sympathy, but I’m sure that means very little coming from me. I guess… I can be here to listen.”
I rolled my eyes in a human gesture. “Do you want to listen to more insults? I have plenty.”
“If… that is what it takes.”
“The hell do you want from me?”
“It’s clear how much hatred you hold for the Federation. Not long ago, I was happy to go along with it all… but we both know what has happened. My intention is to show you that I regret the things the Federation did.”
Dwelling on the past will accomplish nothing.
I ignored the intrusive thought. “Then why don't you do something? Even now, when you say that you’ve seen through all the lies, you circle right back around to wishing for ‘simpler times’. Rather than trying to right your wrongs, you cower in fear of everything you've done. It’s fucking pathetic.”
He shrunk back, his antennae lowering dishearteningly. “Some wrongs are impossible to right.”
My voice caught in my throat, though I didn’t let myself dwell on his words for long. “You just want to ease any tension to make things easier. Seeing as how you’ve stuck yourself to Frankie to survive, that shouldn’t surprise me.”
“You’re oversimplifying it, I-”
“So you can feel slightly better about yourself? That’s cute, but no thanks.”
“I want to be better than them,” he hammered out. “I don’t want to freeze or run away anymore. This… is how I want to start. I want to face past mistakes.”
What you do now is what’s important.
I pushed the nagging voice aside once more. “Nothing you do can change what happened.”
His antennae sagged. “I… understand.” His voice dripped with sadness and sincerity. As if he actually took what I said to heart. As if the words he spoke weren’t completely empty.
The exterminator got up and slowly made way for the door. I found my voice, right as he was exiting. “Herq.”
He paused in the doorway, tilting an antenna.
“I…” My voice caught in my throat.
Thoughts were racing by at light speed, and I couldn’t settle on any one thing. It was like a dozen people were all shouting, trying to satisfy a hundred different emotions, trying to acknowledge thousands of days of pain and fix a lifetime of mistakes with a single statement.
Nothing I say to him will fix anything.
“…I don’t want anything to do with you. You’re here because Frankie and Luke want you here. If things were any different, you’d be dead with the eleven others. And I wouldn't have cared at all.”
He flinched when I said that. I instantly felt a sharp stab of regret, realizing too late the harshness of my words. Even if I didn’t truly mean it, the result was still the same.
At least it will drive him away from me. It’s better if he puts his effort into someone who deserves it.
A moment later, I was alone in the room, and my only company was the sun. Staring back at me. Waiting.
—
[First] - [Prev] - [Next]
Thanks to u/WCR_706 for proofreading. And, of course, thanks to SpacePaladin15 for the wonderful universe.

I’ve bee with my boyfriend for over a year. It started out long distance. The second time I visited him it was for my birthday (this time last year actually) and on the day of my birthday, he made a comment about someones ass. I cried, yada yada, but when I went back home and we would stream movies together, I noticed he would only really engage when there was a sexual moment or any bit of nudity. Like we’d be on discord and he would have his camera on. At this point I start to realize he might be a womanizer.
He’s made comments about women when I would visit. I try to shrug it off but always mention that it makes me uncomfortable. Now I’ve moved in, it’s month 3, and he would always have a nice ‘glance’ at girls. The most recent being a girl with her luggage at our apartment “I heard a strange sound I wanted to know what it was.” It takes context clues or a 1 second look though. He saw me walking yesterday and when we got home he made a comment, something along the lines of “I looked at this girl because she was wearing a cute skirt and it was you!” I know that it was ME, but I feel so uncomfortable when he looks at other women.
I also discovered his reddit page recently on my computer when I was googling something. He was logged in, and as I’m reading the answer I see a long list of his communities. Full of porn to the brim. I felt so sick to my stomach. He says he hasn’t touched those communities since he was single, that he doesn’t know how to leave. I can’t even touch his phone anymore. Not that I have ever snooped, I’ve only used to it do a quick google, use his flashlight or camera.
I just feel so sick to my stomach and I don’t know how to get around this.

Last time I was on here I didn’t give all the details of what pickle I’m in and some help.
I 18f have been talking to this guy who we will call John 18m for around a month, when we started talking (snapchatting) everything was going well we talked all the time and then we went on our first date. (I’m naturally a shy person and I told him that before the date) the date didn’t last long but I would say I went alright for my first ever. Anyways he asked if I would want to go on another and I said yes before we parted ways. Later that night he asked again if I would actually want to go on another and my answer didn’t change his didn’t either. But a few days later he went really quiet taking hours to message and when he did it would just be a snap or a compliment. I tried to communicate but let him have space. Anyways a few days ago he messaged saying that he’s been really busy and that he’s sorry for not talking and after that we talked and it seemed like everything was good. He then said he wants to ask me something. It’s been days and he still hasn’t asked. He’s gone back to not snapping for hours and I’m really confused. What do I do? Should I confront him? My friends say I should just ignore him back but I don’t want to be rude. If hes not interested I wish he would be honest about it.
(I didn’t know where to put this in there but one minute he’s acting interested and the next he’s not, he calls me pretty, cute, hot.)

I have an excel that is tracking countries/cities people went to, sometimes its labeled as France, sometimes Paris, sometimees Paris-France, I had previously asked how to get the count for them as seperate values, but i've just been told i should combine them (ie 'Paris'/ 'Paris-France' shouldn't be tracked individually but should be tracked with France). So looking to combine the three categories into one cell, and not sure how to proceed as how i've done it gives me just the count for "Paris-France"

1. That’s the number of games I have played in Enlisted. At 2790, I’ve officially finished all nation tech-trees and unlocked every non-premium unit, vehicle and squad in the game. I never expected to play this game that much but it scratches a very particular itch for me. I figured I should write something about it, maybe share some insight to help other players..

Logistics of how I play:
I always have “premium” running and 90% of the time I finish in the top three slots on my team. My win rate average is around 73%. I run BR2, BR3 and BR5 armies but like most, generally bounce between BR2 and BR5. I also run the Elite BattlePass. (You buy it once, as long as you complete it, you get enough gold to buy the next one. It’s $10 USD.) Enlisted usually has a Black Friday sale (November) and I buy an annual pass for about 30 USD. I play on XSX and have been playing since the beta. So generally I spend about 30-40 dollars a year on Enlisted. When I get a battle pass or daily XP boost, I always use it and generally push it towards things I don’t like. (Get through it faster.) I don’t own any premium squads but have a bunch of event stuff.
How I level up squads:
My general strategy for leveling up squads. I go straight down the SQUAD/BLUE Tree getting only the XP boosts. (Basically go right down the middle and don't add anything.) Then I go straight down the SOLDIERED tree and do the same thing. Once I have all the XP boosts, I go back to the Blue and fill out the squad. I always do the WEAPON/YELLOW tree last. There are some exceptions to that but that’s generally my plan.
Also, I generally don’t level up guys I know are going to be removed from the squads.I also don’t spend any real time leveling intermediate weapons and units. I just push through until I get to a weapon/soldier worth upgrading.(There is some argument against that, just my own preference.) For soldiers I focus on health recovery, stamina, reload speed and rank to 5 stars. Weapons that are going to be used long-term get upgraded to 5 stars.
Army Roster Breakdown:
Each nation is a little different but generally here’s what I run. (This doesn’t include extra slots)
2x Assault Squads
LMG Squad
Flame (BR3+) Arty if BRII
Tank
Fighter Plane
Transport
*All squads have AT and Engineers in them.
*In USA BR5 I run 2x LMG and 1x Assault
I don’t run Snipers or Infantry squads. Sometimes I’ll add a sniper into my Arty squad but that’s about it. I also may have a medic in a squad for extra SMG but don’t use them as a unit. Don’t generally use dedicated engineers or AT units either since every squad has one.
For gear, Dynamite, TNT are the standard for me but have a mix. I don’t run any kind of mines. (I forget to put them down.). I don’t run the double-weapon kit and generally go with lower pistols and ammo bags. (I think that’s cheaper actually.)
Uniform Customizations: Even I don’t have enough tokens to customize every single army. It’s sort of a joke. With that said, my Italians and Germans are fully customized. Everyone else has bits and pieces. Customization is the end game.
What BR Ratings do I play:
I bounce around and depends on the nation.
USA/Allies: I have a fully geared British BR2 that I play a lot. BR5 is fun but I prefer the Tunisia British maps. 60% is BR2. (This is largely due to a couple of maps in BR5 I don’t like.)
RUSSIA: BR5 is great. This was the last army I leveled so there may be some recency bias but
BR2 Moscow maps are solid.
JAPAN: T4/5: I only play the high tier in this one. The Japanese really struggle with the early BR(s) but they’ve gotten a bit better through some weapon ads.
GERMANY: I have an all ITALIAN BR2 army that I really like. It’s great to see those blue uniforms! I play 50% BR2, BR5. (I also have a BR3 I occasionally play.) My BR5 army is fully customized.
I think the end state I’d like to see is BR1-2, BR3-4, BR5. There is some great stuff in BR3 and BR4 that gets lost in the shuffle.
Faction Balance:
Each army has its own strengths and weaknesses. I think the key here is to play to the strengths (At any BR). Having played through every nation and unlocking every unit, they’re not wildly different. Although some nations clearly have the advantage in certain categories.
USA/Allies:
Good: LMG, Planes, Rifles
Okay: Tanks (Pershing can one shot a Tiger2, btw.), SMG.. Thompson struggles compared to others
USA Final thoughts: Great Normandy and Pacific Maps. You can build a UK army in BR2! The M1 Carbine is one of the most underrated weapons in the game. The Slow-Auto function on that BAR is great. I fear nothing in a P51-D (BRIII). Great fully functional army can hang with anyone.
RUSSIA:
Good: I think they have an amazing final weapon set. SMGs across all tiers are elite.
Okay: Tanks are decent but early on a little underpowered compared to the Germans. With that said they are 100% functional and can usually hang. Planes, Rifles are both functional. At the high tier an IS2 (1944) can pen a Tiger2 with one shot.
Russia Final Thoughts: Solid across the board. I would argue they are the most balanced in the game. Planes, Tanks, and the RD-44 which is the best LMG in the game, imo. Best SMGs in the game also. PPSH and the AS-44 are AAA.
GERMANY:
Good: Rifles, SMG, Tanks, Rifles (G43, FG42)
Okay: Planes, LMG
Germany Final Thoughts: Like Russia these guys are really solid across the board. Pretty much everything is okay or better. I would describe them as balanced with AAA weapons hidden throughout the BR(s). BTW, the VG1-5 is way underrated. It’s great. It’s like a semi-auto STG.. Also if they ever offer the G43 Kursk Cartridge rifle in the store, get it immediately.
JAPAN: This is my lowest win rate across all armies.They are the most difficult army to play.
Good: SMG(s) You can run that 50 round MP28 all the way through to the Tokyo Arsenal (BR4). SAMURAI SWORDS need I say more?
Okay: Rifles are decent. Type-Hei is functional but the Garand and carbine are better.
Bad: Worst Tanks in the game. They are trash. Planes start bad but eventually even out.
Japan Final Thoughts: This is the toughest nation to consistently win with. Early weapons are not great. Late T4/5 start to catch up and they become solid. Except for tanks.
Random Gameplay Thoughts:
At the end of the game, the #1 stat I look at is the Attack/zone defense kill count. Get into the zone and lock your AI guys down to a spot. Then use whoever you are playing to surge back and forth. Smoke is big, especially on big open Grey-zone friendly maps. Also, for the love of god, please stop calling bombers. They are a waste of time, 95% of the time. Use your artillery. Smoke or bomb grey-zone tanks. (Don’t Arty-smoke your own team.) As a general rule, If you look at the map, there is a red arrow. This is where the enemy is coming from. Put your arty between that and the objective. Volume with Arty is often more important than how precise it is.
Build Rally points around 50-70 meters from target. Once spawned, leave the RP as soon as possible so you don’t lock it. If you are calling for a RP and don’t have engineers in every squad, that’s your next move.. Speaking of engineering, razor-wire is great! With that said, always be sure not to block your team's entry points especially when playing defense.
All basic stuff. If you have any gameplay questions or want me to share anything I’ll do my best to answer. The most grindiest game ever but I love it. I’d like to see Vietnam or maybe France. I think the game needs new armies and fronts. Maybe a new war.

i was exploring with my friends when during wondering through a wheat field we see a building from behind which we go around to see it almost looks like a library which my friends see a paper that says going in will help with any problem and is phenomenal but when we entered it looked all long, dark, loopy and liminal so they keep going but i say to stop lets exit this place but when they keep going we see entities or creatures or even monsters that chase us around so we run and hide many place, i feel like i hear a calling to go closer and enter into the backside of the place but i run out the building saying come on guys but by the time i escape out they already got hypnotized to go in and i jump out which i must've been there a while cuz they dont escape i know they most likely died and so i with my hoodie on just looks forward with my feelings going away then in the corner of my eyes i see 2 asian girls talking but im too upset and struck to care so they jog away from the wall of the building and ask if im okay which i just lok a bit up slowly and dont respond so they show me a paper that shows the name of the place and how its a good time but when they flip the page they give it to me and its all the torture machines they build them into like dislocate their body into wooden items or whatever seeing this i get more upset knowing that my last grip of hope they didnt die and they let them live was gone i knew they truly died and were abominations as well as knowing i lost everyone i loved before, so i put the paper down and look up with tears in my eyes but not shedding like a man and i look so upset and depressed the girls say its alright do you need help and i just say their gone when they give me their hands and pick me up so we can go away from that awful place and talk more so i start a small sentence with them and they start talking and talking about the events and how its alright while i say i felt like depressed omni-man and now i know how he feels and im like "that's season 2 if you guys had seen it" then they start holding up on me and one on my left is shorter then me and shes cute, she starts walking and cuddling with my arm and im like yeah as i put my arm around her, your pretty and then i say but as i look to my left i see the other friend thats taller then me and i have to look up to see her and i state i also think shes pretty and snuggle with her so both gurls decide to have me and one on my left is like aw come on, i wanted him like for herself i guess then she points us to the right where a fancy restaurant is and is like how about you guys go in there so we get closer and It ends in which it rewinds to the beginning where my my dad is like wait wasnt i already here so when it crashes again we get out he goes to a hole and says oh ho i remember what to do here and jumps down, when a rebel jumps down and takes him or my one of my friends and he runs out, i cant catch him so i go with my friend out to go find him and while going we go we find a store that looks like a library, so it all starts again.

I've been analyzing random stuff at random times since I was a little kid. I also used to want to know everything about the world and how it worked. Like I could just be in art class and I'd be thinking "If 8+8=16 and 8-7=1, that means 8+7=15." I've also always had a desire to be right about absolutely everything, and I still do. Is this Ti, Fi, Ne, or Ni?
As a child, I used to be quite sensitive to criticism and I was often verbally abused by my mom for this. I was also kind and curious with a strong sense of justice, sometimes getting in trouble for standing up for people. This is often an Fi or Fe trait. However, other than being sensitive, I usually felt nothing and had trouble expressing my emotions, along with trouble comforting people, which is often a Ti trait. Am I an IxTP, and this was a manifestation of my inferior Fe as a child? Or am I actually an INFJ, and it was my auxiliary Fe and tertiary Ti?
Ever since being ostracized and taunted as a kid, I always fantasized about comforting and befriending fictional characters I related to, especially if they were also ostracized. I also fantasized about insulting and beating up any other characters who bullied or were even remotely mean or rude to them. I thought all of these were the right things to do. Is this Fe, Fi, a different function, or could this happen to anyone who was ostracized?
I also have always randomly had trouble paying attention to my surroundings, due to being focused on my thoughts, imagination, and daydreams. However, I'm usually in tune with my surroundings. I'm also sensitive to physical stimuli if I'm not expecting it, and I also like external sensory pleasures--junk food, perfume, certain clothes, wearing makeup, seeing the world, amusement parks. Is this Inferior Se or Auxiliary Se?
Sometimes I'll even make weird jokes. One time I jokingly called milk "cow juice" and coffee "magic black caffeinated elixir" to make my dad and I laugh. I'll also call any cute animal "baby creature", simply for the sake of being weird. Is this Dominant Ni or Tertiary Ni?
I also used to be easily manipulated and my values easily changed. When I was little, I sometimes mimicked the same verbal abuse I received from my mom, and would do it to classmates. I also had a friend who said "C'mon (my name) let's be meanie girls" and I instantly agreed. I wasn't necessarily a bully, but I teased and taunted the people my friend teased and taunted. Is this Inferior Fe being easily manipulated due to moral flexibility? Or could any type uneducated in proper morality do this?
Since I was around 10-12, after getting bullied, I began people-pleasing and always frantically apologizing if I was scolded, if I stepped on someone's foot, made a mistake, etc. However, I would still draw little comics of my daydreams and prevent anyone from seeing them, openly singing songs from media I consumed, and I also still expressed an odd sense of humor (running like Naruto, screaming "yeet", "ree" and "reet", a combination of "yeet" and "ree".) This stopped when I was around 12 1/2. Is this a trauma-induced Fe grip, or am I just an INFP or INFJ going through any ordinary cringe phase?
Ever since I was around 12, I wanted to be strong, intelligent, cold, unemotional, tough, mysterious, beautiful, and rebellious. I also wanted to be intimidating towards morally bad people, specifically bullies, abusers, bigots, and anyone who disliked my friends or I. I was very insecure and I thought of myself as weak, stupid, ugly, and overly-obedient. I began talking back to authority, wearing makeup and black clothing, and saying harsh insults to anyone who I thought was trying to hurt me or I thought was a bad person, no matter how old they were (like if they were even simply yelling at me, scolding me, insulting me, making bigoted jokes, or insulting someone who I think didn't do anything wrong.) I stopped this when I was around 12, and instead, started acting kind and pretending to be agreeable, but I'd still be loud and weird because I thought it was funny, I'd still verbally defend myself or other people, if the person I thought was a bully was a kid or another teenager. If it was authority, I'd mind my own business because I viewed it as pointless. I also made self-depricating jokes when I was asked about my self-esteem by a random person, and even said I shouldn't be here, out of fear of looking narcissistic. Is this Fi demon mode, corrupted dominant Fi, an Ni-Ti loop, or something else?
When I was 14, I debated putting on 2 different facades, and I went with the latter. Facade #1 was a kind, quiet, and well-behaved but confident girl, who read books, dressed elegantly, and only spoke when I was spoken to. Facade #2 was still kind and confident, but my volume and energy would change depending on who I was talking to, I'd brutally defend myself or others, I'd usually speak in an unemotional voice, and make sarcastic, blunt remarks while giving them a dirty look if I felt threatened. If I was insulted or called for, let's say, being late to class, I would give them a dirty look and say, "I don't care." in a somewhat annoyed tone and go to my seat. I would also never, ever make self-depricating jokes, because others could use that against me. I also usually dressed in a street wear style. I'd act behaved in front of adults, but still sarcastic, blunt, and I'd still make those weird jokes I mentioned above (calling milk 'cow juice' for example). I think I've gotten into the mindset of the second facade, and I actually like being like this. I'm also only 15, so this may affect my typing.
As for enneagram, I relate to sp/so9w8, sp-dom4w5, and 6w7, both sx and sp

Hello! 👋
I'm asking for advice on how to attend pride with mobility aids, particularly a manual wheelchair.
I am ambulatory (I don't need my wheelchair 24/7/365) and last year when I went to pride I was nervous about ableism and also general accessibility so I just went with my cane. I ended up having to leave super early from disability complications I could have avoided with my wheelchair. The problem is my wheelchair makes me like 4 foot tall and easy to lose in a crowd and getting stuck on a curb often means I get stuck for a while in crowds or strangers just...try to move my chair without saying a word to me first.
I was wondering if anybody had any tips on how to make me/my chair more visible in a crowd, but also cute, and how to make it clear I'm grateful for help but ask first?

so how is met this guy was i (15) posted a video on my tiktok, and he (which i later found out he was 17) dm’d me saying that he wanted to be friends, which i responded a day later and i didnt think it was a bad idea to be friends with them cause they seemed cool. i started talking to him for a few minutes and i started to think that he was really funny and interesting because he had my type of humor, and online personality. eventually i got his socials and we started talking from there.
this might sound really weird but oh well what can i do? i think that on the second day we started chatting he started to ask for photos of me, and complimented me. not in an overly flirty way, but just a simple compliment. he eventually sent photos of himself and i found him really cute, which to me, funny guy with a similar personality to mine, who was kinda cute? it seemed like it was perfect. but throughout the days we started talking, he frequently started to ask for photos of me, and then voice recordings of me. at which point he started to beg for, and when i said i couldn't, he would say things like "fine" or "i guess you hate me". but aside from all that, to me he was kinda sweet.
shortly after, he started calling me his wife. in a joking way of course, but he's really grown into it now, calling me cutie, and mama. and he keeps making dirty jokes like "lets make babies" "breed with me" "lets get freaky", and at one point he told me he was "getting freaky" to the thought of me, and im thinking probably also my photos. he has also said things about waking up 'hard' to me in the morning. ive told him that i didnt really feel comfortable and we did talk it through but he seemed to really express that he was guilty, and i mean to the point where i start to think he's trying to guilt trip me or something. he would constantly say "im the worse" and constantly neglect himself.
recently my grandfather passed away and ive been in a really bad place. my family and i have been trying to figure out plane tickets to go see family for the funeral and things get tough because of how toxic my family can be. i often look after my younger brothers so i never get time to talk to friends, so thats when he starts to get annoyed that im not talking to him, i explain to him my situation and he listens to what i say, but i dont really think he has done anything to change his behaviour. ive thought about it and i dont think this guy is the right approach, i think about how my parents met and got married and this is exactly the situation. they turned out to have a really toxic relationship which made one of my biggest fears, becoming like them or having a relationship like them.
how should i go about this? I don’t wanna lead him on, but i dont want this to add to my problems.