This is going to be long, because I have to go way back in order to describe the situation that I am in. If anyone knows the show 'Shameless' then I can tell you my father is some form of Frank Gallagher minus the drugs, me being Fiona minus the drugs and my brother being Lip minus the alcohol. We live in northern Europe but my parents are from a different country in southern Europe so the language we speak in the country we live in is not their mother tongue. My parents used to have restaurants. When I was born in the early 90s they had a restaurant which went really well but my father was already an alcoholic. He was drunk every day. My mother was the one who did all the work. She had our home always cleaned, cleaned the restaurant and worked there the whole day. Naturally this state of mind made her unhappy and stressed so she was letting it out on us. These are basically my childhood memories. My father being drunk, my mother crying and telling me about her sorrows and how unhappy she is or my mother yelling at us and hitting us out if frustration. We moved into a house when my brother was 2 and I was 4. They closed the restaurant and opened a café/brasserie. However, they started with a debt. My father was charged with tax evasion. He didn't went to jail but had to pay back a huge amount of money. So they had to pay back the loan for the house plus the punishment.
I started to work regularly there around 13. After school and at weekends. I also started to do a lot of my parents' paperwork and translations for them. My teenage years were filled with work, my mother crying and yelling, my father being a drunk and a liar and me developing a problem with authority. I mean at some point I stopped respecting them and seeing them as parents since I wasn't acting like a child. Around 16 it was me who worked until late and sent my drunk father home to bed (we were living upstairs, above the cafe). I closed the café around 2 am. At least at the weekends. Only now I realise how dangerous that was. When I was 17 we lost the house. My father didn't tell us. We found out at Christmas that we are going to be homeless as of January first. That's when my mother really fell into depression. She felt a huge shame which she is still feeling almost 20 years later.
We had to find an apartment quickly, which thankfully we did immediately with the help of the state. However the apartment we are living in. I suppose it would be different if we didn't live in Europe. In my final year in highschool I had 3 jobs to pay our bills. My mother was working full-time but she was crying every day because they were treating her awfully at work. My father wasn't working. Only drinking. More than ever. Once he broke his clavicula because he fell down the stairs. Another time he pissed in the living room, making my brother cry who witnessed it. I have so many stories but anyway. They decided to open a new restaurant but since my parents went bankrupt they couldn't get a loan. So they needed me since I was an adult. They persuaded me. Telling me, nothing was going to happen to me. They would work. I could go to university. Ultimately I did it for my mother. I couldn't stand seeing her crying. I told myself it would be better this way. They took a (private) loan on my name (20k) and opened the restaurant with me being the owner on paper. I had to stay there for another year to work. When I was 20 I finally went off to study. I worked two jobs to pay rent. Since I was the owner of a restaurant, the government didn't help me with university. I was doing fine a couple of months. I was happy. Except when I visited my family. My brother finished school and started working there. My mother became so thin and destroyed her body working from early to late. My father drinking, only drinking. Then one day the bailiff visited me. Turns out my father didn't pay any bills so there were 47.000 € debt on my name. This was in 2011. I stopped studying and tried to work to pay off the debt. I paid off a mere 6.000 € this way. I was nothing. I felt useless. I fell into depression. While another part of me was resilient. I decided for myself, I don't want that to happen to me ever again. So at the age of 22 I started studying law in a different city. A new beginning. This time the government helped me with a student loan and I managed to pause the debt. I went to therapy and got prescribed antidepressants because I had become suicidal. My family looked down on me for it. They didn't explicitly say it but I knew, they thought I was crazy. I stopped the antidepressants half a year later because they didn't really help me. The pain was still there, I was just numb to it. My parents took over the restaurant on their name after their bankruptcy ended. I stopped visiting them in order to heal. Then, when I was 23, my father got cancer. I thought it was time for reconciliation and forgiveness. They moved to a different city, where my father started chemotherapy and my mother found a new normal job. My father survived it. He continued to drink and smoke throughout his therapy and later. At 24 I decided to file for bankruptcy. Fast forward 10 years, now I am 34. My brother lives in the city where my parents live. He has become a police officer and doing quite well on his own. He isn't drinking a drop of alcohol because he hates it. My mother is still working her job and is the one bringing in the money. My father is still drinking, albeit not that much anymore, because he is controlled by my mother and because he simply can't anymore. He is severely disabled after his cancer treatment but he is still working part time. I told him that I forgave him a couple of years ago, because I wanted inner peace. My mother is resenting him and both are toxic for each other. However, she never decided to leave him although I begged her a thousand times. Our lives would have been so much easier.
As for me: I now live 2 hours away from the city my parents live in. I finished law school at 31, worked for some time before I also finished the mandatory 2 years law clerkship, went abroad for some time and now I just started a great job. I'm also in a loving and very healthy relationship with a great guy who comes from a loving and caring and normal family (that was so odd for me to see in the beginning). We live together and we're really happy.
I visit my parents often and I try to maintain a good relationship while still helping them with translations and paperwork and being my mom's therapist and best friend (I'm the archetype of a parentified child).
Two months ago I visited my parents and I realised that my father was really sick. What he had wasn't simply a cold. He wasn't able to think clearly. Didn't know where he was and stuff. I observed it for a couple of days until I decided to bring him to the ER. Turns out he had a severe pneumonia with his being not getting enough oxygen for days. A couple of days more and he would've died. They kept him in ICU for a week and another week at the regular room in the hospital. He survived pneumonia but the doctors told us what we had long since suspected. He probably has dementia. Back in 2022 I had sent him to a neurologist who had scanned his brain for Alzheimer's (his mother died due to Alzheimer's and he was acting really strange). They didn't really diagnose anything and he wasn't willing to visit any doctors, so we left it at that. I wasn't living there anymore and I had to do my clerkship. But I still think it's my fault for not pressing it more. So the last couple of months were difficult. While my father was in hospital my boyfriend and I had a car accident that destroyed the car completely and where I was lightly injured. Nothing really happened but him and I had a shock. We were on our way to my parents and still decided to go. Which was a mistake because I wasn't in the right state of mind to bear the situation there. My mom gave me paperwork and a lot of stuff to do, which made my explode. I yelled and I shouted that I can't to this anymore. It's too much on me. All this responsibility. All these years. I've started feeling like back in 2012. So we left and went home by train. A couple of weeks with no contact and mom and me talked it out. I visited them again. My father promised to not drink and smoke anymore. I told him that I'll give him one last chance. He has disappointed me too often. Always giving promises but never keeping them. Always saying he would stop (on his own, he said he didn't need any professional help, any therapy). I swore to him. Last chance. Or else I'll stop talking to him. He apparently was doing fine.
We went to the neurologist last month. First for the scan, then for another two examinations where the doctor confirmed he had dementia. My mother visited me last weekend. The first day was great until my brother called and told us, that he went to check up on our father and found evidence that my father bought beers. He later found the bottles hidden beneath some washed clothes. My father of course was lying again. Telling us he bought the beer for some construction workers, later telling us he bought them to drink a cold one with his son - who isn't drinking at all. I told him he was dead to me. That I wouldn't even go to his funeral. And then I blocked his number. My mom was devastated. I told her to finally divorce him. All of her life she was living for others. First for her own father who had used her until she met my father and married him after 2 months in order to get away from her broken home. Now she has maybe 20 years left. Please, I was begging her. Live your last years in freedom and peace. I can't do it anymore. I can't let him destroy me anymore. I have given so much all my life. And I can't anymore. I have a good life now. Please. She said she doesn't want to anymore. She is scared of the nightmare that is awaiting her. She's been resenting and hating him for the last 20 years. They're sleeping in different rooms for years now. So together we filed for divorce last Saturday. I was so proud of her. She seemed so convinced. My brother wasn't happy. He said that's my idea. And I'm abandoning our father who is sick and would drink himself to death on his own. This way mom at least can control him and take care of him. But then she met him and explained to him how she felt and he agreed. One day later the doctor told my parents that my father's dementia was really progressed and that it is due to alcohol and that he is harming his brain with every drop of alcohol. My brother and I will have to pay for his treatment if he needs to go in a retirement home. Healthcare doesn't cover all of the expenses. I can't help it. It's the law. Yesterday she called and told me, that she changed her mind. She's scared of leaving him. He would embarrass her and my brother because everyone in the city will know he's a drunk (everyone knows anyway). And this way she won't have to spend money for divorce and to share the money with him. After he dies she will keep the money at least. So she prefers to keep living for others... To look after him although she hates him and takes out her hate on him and crying about it to me. I said she was weak and that I'm done. I told her it was the last time for me. I can't do this anymore. I have my own life. I need to heal. I need to focus on my job. I have that and my partner as a priority. My partner and l want to have children eventually and he told me, he doesn't want me to spend all my energy on my family if we're going to have children. He's been supporting while also telling me to get away from all of that for years. She was shocked and said: you're leaving me alone? You're abandoning me?
I'm so disappointed with my mother. And my brother asked me to try to explain to my father how he is harming himself. Give him another chance. But I said no. I'm done.
So AITAH?

First of all English is not my first language so i apologize for any grammatical error. Second of all I'm a pansexual girl and this friend I'm talking about is a bisexual guy. Let's call him B. So B and I met last year at our current job. We became really close at such a short amount of time (bc surprise we're the only gay people at our job) and honestly we hung out even outside of work. A lot. There was a time where I started talking to a girl (didn't work out later on) but B got himself a boyfriend. Let's call his bf J. So J, I really liked him at first, I did everything for him to feel comfortable whenever B did gatherings with his friends right. Even when B told me everything about J and how he can be manipulative and such things. I still tried to look at is "good side"? I guess and befriend him. Whenever we hung out together i didn't see anything bad, I actually did liked him. So fast forward to March. J invited me to his birthday party/ sleepover. That night was such a nightmare. B and J cried aaaaaall night. Why? I had no idea. At the end of the night I was watching B cry like a baby, there was a moment when he even fainted and honestly I was getting tired of it. The thing with B is that ever since he started dating J he started to become more anxious to the point of literally fainting, he would cry for days, have depressive episodes and his mood would change from being such a happy, social and cheerful person to being so quiet and sad for weeks. But back to the party. The next day B woke me up and told me that there was a rumor going around saying that the both of us kissed. It was such a stupid rumor because first of all, I would never, kissing B never crossed my mind. Second of all, why would I kiss him at his boyfriends BIRTHDAY PARTY and third of all J's friends HATE B. They've told J before that they need to break up and that B is such a bad bf bla bla. The three of us and another friend sat together and talk things out. But there was something that J said and it made me mad at the time. He said that he saw a moment where B grabbed my arm and it reminded him of his ex? He still hasn't gotten over his ex and he made it really fucking clear to me and B. I understand people have insecurities and they are valid. But when you still can't get over your ex and all the shitty things they've done why the fuck would you get yourself in a relationship. I'm not gonna go into any more details about their toxic relationship, but that just made me really mad. Anyways that afternoon I went home kind of sad because i just felt bad for J. I didn't want any of that to make him think that B and I would actually do something like that to him on his birthday. But that night B called me and again, everything just went to shit. People kept saying the same things but the story was changing everytime, then they started calling me a bitch. But 2 days later J said that he didn't belive any of that since, again, the stories kept changing and the people that supposedly saw us kissing all of a sudden said they didn't actually saw us kissing? B and I didn't talk much for two weeks. He got himself a break for one week, we did text each other like we normally did but when he came back to work we were awkward and I started hanging out more with my little friends at work. One day the both of us were walking to the bus station, we always get on the same bus so I was thinking about talking things out. But he got on another bus. That felt like a punch to the stomach because to me it meant that he just didn't want anything to do with me anymore. So I got home and received a text message saying that I was such a good friend and hr thanked me for everything etc. At the end he said he didn't want to make me uncomfortable so it was better for us to stay as coworkers. I got mad and I started texting him a lot of things then he started saying a lot of things too. The next day, it was the same awkwardness. Then again, at the bus station i thought "if he goes to another bus, we'll become just coworkers but if we get on the same bus, I'll talk to him". He did, we got on the same bus, and we sat together. I sat there in silence for like 5 minutes then I said to him "do you wanna talk things out?" And we did. Things kind of got back to normal from there, we just couldn't really hang out together outside of work, because J told B about him not wanting us to hang out? Or something like that. But the thing is, a month ago we started to hang out again. And I've been noticing how B always tries to not tell J that he's with me. There was a time where B, another friend and I hung out, then J FaceTime him asking where the fuck he was and with who. Obviously B just said "with S" (the other friend) just her and no one else. I started to feel bad from there but today I felt worse. B keeps telling me to block J from Instagram because he's scared his gonna see a story where the both of are together, so I just started to think about keeping myself away from B. But at the same time he's such a special friend to me and I don't actually want to loose his friendship BUT at the same time I just feel bad. So I really don't know what to do, and also B's mental health is not the healthiest right now so I'm scared to leave him alone at such a time... ugh I just don't know what to do.

This script idea/request was made by u/PossiblyNewts I saw the post and just had to make this script! I hope it came out well and hope that you all also enjoy it.

Credit

Please credit me as "CobWasThere" whenever you give credit for the script. Optional: My YouTube channel is CobWasThere if you want to also add it to the credit.
Also be sure to credit u/PossiblyNewts for the script idea as well!!!

FAQ

Q: Can I change parts of the script?
A; Yes. Only if the changes are minor and do not change the main plot of the script.
Q: Can I monetize it on YouTube?
A; Yes you can. Please give credit if you do monetize a video using my script.
Q: Can I use it behind a paywall?
A; No. You may not use my script if it is behind a paywall.
If you have any other questions, comment on this post or another post. I will be happy to answer any questions you have.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The Script

[The phone rings and when answered you hear stumbling sounds could be heard in the background]
[In a panic]
Babe!!! Thank god you answered!!! I’ve been trying to call everyone but no one is answering their phones!!! Where are you right now?
At home? Great! Can you please come over and help me? Please!
Everything is fine it’s just I need you right now!
No, I can’t, I just can't! I just want to talk to you right now . Please don’t hang up!!! Im scared!!!
You’re on the way!? Great!! Please hurry!!!
[You gasp in fear and are terrified]
The way it’s looking at me!! The eyes of a bloodthirsty demon!!!!
[Serious whisper toned]
I can’t look away now because I know if I do…The hunt will begin!!!
[Talking and trying to calm yourself]
If I just stay here and assert my dominance, it should leave me alone. If I look away then it might vanish into the void and strike me when I least expect it!!!
I can do this! I got this! I can-
[you scream!]
ITS GETTING CLOSER!!!! WHERE ARE YOU!? AHHHH!!!
[listener enter the room]
HERE! I’m over here!!! Save me!!!
[they look at what’s causing you to scream like a baby and are unamused]
What do you mean I’m being a baby!!! Look at those tiny evil eyes with it’s tiny little legs and teeth!!!
[They explain its just a tiny spider. You’re tone starts to calm down a bit]
Just a tiny spider?!? Look at it!! There’s nothing cute or adorable about it!!! I bet it feeds upon the souls of the innocent!!! But thank you for coming to save me from the demon…
[you say calmly]
Now then…
[you scream]
Kill it!! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!!
[END]

My long term partner & I, dating nearly 9 years, live together in a 3 bed 2 bath 1,240 sq. ft. Apt. w/ my sis. We use 1 room for our office since we both WFH, 1 room for our bedroom, & then 1 bathroom.
This weekend my parter’s mom, 2 sisters (13&5), & cousin (10) came to stay with us to hangout & get haircuts in our town. I am very close to my parter’s family since we have been dating since age 16, so I do get along with his family quite well. The issues I do end up having are often times we have differences in opinion on certain boundaries just based on how we grew up. My family is a little more formal and ridged with each other while his is not. I will admit that growing up in the environment I did, I do have some mild control and OCD issues, (I’m in therapy). The weekends that his mom typically visits are very stressful for me. She is very kind so I’m thankful us getting along is not an issue, but if I’m being honest, it is usually a big mental toll for me when she visits. This is because she typically decides when she wants to visit (often because we have a theme park close by that she’ll plan to sleep at our place afterwards or before), she’ll bring extra guests without notice like nephews and cousins, and finally…. the reason I’m writing this post… she doesn’t leave at a decent time (in my opinion).
I was raised to never stay at someone’s house later than 7pm on a work/school night. My family often would you use that time at night to clean and reset for the week. Over the years I have gotten better with coping with the lack of control and instead making the best of his family’s visits, but this issue is really hard to me to get past. On prior visits, I have been more on edge, but through setting a couple ground rules (ex. washing hands when we get home and after eating, shoes off in the house, our bedroom is off limits, everything gets wiped down/laundered after visit) and working on this in therapy, I truly believe I’ve come a long way and my behavior is within reason now. Along the way, my partner has gotten better at holding my boundaries with me, but it’s been a work in progress for us both. The reason my partner and I have a hard time addressing this is and have not brought this up to her is 1. She doesn’t mean any harm and I truly believe is just acting how their family dynamic typically works and 2. Since my parter was raised in the same environment, he doesn’t always agree with my point of view. This trip I felt like he really supported me by enforcing hand washing, shoes off rule, and grocery shopping specifically so we’d have food for the family without depleting our normal staples we personally need for the next couple weeks. I made sure to compliment and speak on my appreciation for these things before and during their stay.
Now, the night in question… I did enjoy this weekend and hadn’t made any private negative comments about stressors to my partner like I admittedly have in the past. I felt really confident about the way this hosting experience had gone. To end the trip, we had gone to dinner all together and his mother treated us. I’m always very appreciative when she does this and we had a great time with conversation during the dinner. We took separate cars back to our apartment and I asked my partner if he thought they would stay later once we got home. He said something to the effect of “fuck no, I’m tired so I don’t think so”. And I was happy with this because to me that meant we were on the same page. Now in his mother’s defense, we didn’t leave dinner till around 7pm, and it was about a 20-30 min drive back to the apartment. He claims we got back a little after 8pm. By the time we’re back, my partner is showing signs of being pretty tired (he’s diabetic and had a carb heavy meal, blood sugar in the upper 200’s with insulin taken once we got home to combat it). I also don’t feel great (painful bloating) so I lay down on our office couch while he gets on the computer. Now, leaving our guests by themselves might seem a little weird I’ll admit, but it’s a normal thing for my partner to do and I’ve joined in along the way because why am I the one expected to host and not him? I do also hope it signals the night has come to an end. Anyways, I’m assuming that his mom is packing while this is happening. After maybe 30 minutes, I get up to find the girls on the couch (they’ve expressed they’re also tired), and his mother not packed and just sitting at the dining table on her phone, (this is not unusual). I go back into the office to let my partner know that they’re not packing and that he needs to get out there to encourage it and help. At this point he’s playing RuneScape (although he claims he only got on the computer to pay bills…sure.) His response is something along the lines of I should go help if I have an issue, (not a great response but high blood sugar does that). At this point I’m feeling very upset because I thought we were on the same page but nothing is being done. I sit back down in a huff on the couch and decide to wait. A little later his youngest sister comes in and asks if they can go feed the ducks (probably because she’s bored). He decides yes instead of redirecting that they’re leaving soon and should get ready to go instead. She’s 5, fine, he leaves to go down stairs with all 3 of the girls. I remain in the office, still not feeling great. Kids come back, sit back on the couch, I realize at this point that things have been picked up here and there and his mom has folded the bedding they all used (very nice of her to do). I asked the kids if they left anything on the porch, they say no. I say is everything packed up, his mom chimes in and says no. I say girls you can’t expect your mom to pack up all your things, they get up and start. At this point it’s probably around an hour of us being home. Partner is back on the computer playing video games. I feel like I can’t decompress until everyone leaves and I have the house cleaned, (I feel I’ve communicated this multiple times to him in the past), clearly he does not need the same standard to relax. His mom goes into the office and starts up a conversation with him. Fine, but why wasn’t this happening an hour ago? Staying late because we’re all hanging out is one thing, staying late just because is what really gets to me. At this point I just start cleaning up. Starting laundry, loading the sink full of dishes, wiping down counters, putting miscellaneous things away. Finally the crew starts bringing bags to the door and putting shoes on. Now coffee is being made for the road. Fine. My issue is not with any of the things happening, but with how slow and delayed it is! Family leaves at 9:44pm. To me, this is so unreasonable. To my partner, he thinks lowly of me that I’d want to ‘kick his mother out’. We usually can come to understandings on disagreements, but are having a really hard time with this one.
TL;DR My partner and I don’t agree on what an appropriate time for his mother to leave after her visits on the weekends. To me, 9:44pm is too late for a work night. He thinks it isn’t a big deal and I shouldn’t try to kick his mother out.

Hey so more detail here. I’m 29M and she is 31F. We started out with pretty open communication, she said she wasn’t looking for anything serious and whilst I am I thought no harm in seeing what happens. She knows this too.
Fast forward 8 dates or so and we have such good chemistry and incredible sex (she’s said so herself on both fronts). I was happy to just leave the conversation and see where things go but she mentioned recently that I’m really lovely and she wants to keep seeing me but still isn’t ready for long term.
Question is. Do I just keep seeing her as we have a good thing going and just see where the cards fall? Or do I end it here?
Part of me wants to shake her a little bit and say it’s ok, we have a great thing here, let yourself in and enjoy it (and be together). I’m in no rush to label things though and genuinely enjoy her company. But I’m wondering if she has this stance (which she has communicated so no ill will) am I stupid to hang in there? Or perhaps the best thing to do is ‘rip the bandaid off’ as it were.
I know this conundrum has been on here a million times but I’d really appreciate some feedback.

Hi!
Around 8 years ago when my son was 1 I was unfortunately not able to fully support him financially for a period of approx 12 months. I have always been there for my son, and whilst I was able to take him out for the odd treat Im ashamed that for his first year of his life he received very little financially from me. Thankfully I found myself employment and have supported him financially for the last 7 years through Child Maintenance Services. CMS are aware of the missed payments and have added this debt on to what I owe in outstanding payments. I am obviously fine with this, they were missed, they're owed. No issue with that at all.
I pay through direct pay with CMS which means they do an annual review of my earnings, having access to my P60 each year and they calculate the amount that payments will be to my ex partner until my next annual review. I make them aware of bonuses etc and this is also factored in my payment. Included in this payment is an installment to paying off the outstanding child maintenance (~£1200). I have no input towards the figure that CMS provide to me. If my sallery goes up, so does my payment - absolutely fine.
My ex partner has now filed with a small claims court saying she wants the debt repaid in full. I would love nothing more than to pay her it in full, unfortunately I am not in the position to pay it in full. The instalments that the CMS have provided are accurate in reflecting what I can afford to pay each month in regards to paying back the debt. We had the mediation call yesterday where I tried to explain this the best I could - obviously mediation was unsuccessful and now I'm told it will have to go before a judge. I am a bit perplexed as to how this can happen when I am paying back the outstanding monies at a rate that has been laid out by CMS through a service that I pay for to directly try and avoid things like this happening. Again - I have no problem with paying this money back, I am more than happy to pay it back but paying it back in a lump sum or in installments higher than what I currently pay will leave me in great financial difficulty. I spoke with CMS about this and they agreed that they were also unsure as to how this could go before a judge. The agent stating 'anything we say trumps what she says' (unsure as to how true this is TBF). I suppose my question is, could it get dismissed by a judge? Could it be settled without us having to attend court?
I don't know if it's worth noting, but my ex partner tried something similar to this previously about 2 years ago. She claimed that I was paying the incorrect amount in child support in relation to my wage. Again I tried to explain that this payment is literally worked out for me, but it still ended up in front of a judge. In a hearing that she did not attend in person or bother to attend even by video link the judge very quickly ruled in my favour when I presented my evidence.
I've had to take unpaid leave from work yesterday for the mediation call and fear I will have to do the same again for who knows how many upcoming dates, as was the case the last time she did this. This ordeal, as with the last one is leaving me losing money and really taking it's toll on my mental health. If there is any advice anybody could offer me I would be extremely grateful. Thanks for your time
EDIT: I'm in North Wales she is in England.

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The W Dallas Victory offers a chic and sophisticated experience in the vibrant Victory Park neighborhood of Dallas. This stylish hotel is known for its luxurious accommodations, exceptional service, and stunning views of the city skyline. The W Dallas is a premier venue for events in Texas, boasting versatile meeting spaces and state-of-the-art technology. Guests can enjoy the hotel’s rooftop infinity pool, world-class dining options, and proximity to popular attractions such as the American Airlines Center and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
Charleston Marriott Town Center, Charleston, West Virginia
Located in the heart of downtown Charleston, West Virginia, the Charleston Marriott Town Center offers modern amenities and convenient access to the city’s top attractions. The hotel’s spacious guest rooms and suites are designed for comfort and relaxation, featuring plush bedding and ergonomic workspaces. With over 17,000 square feet of event space, it’s an ideal venue for conferences, weddings, and other special events. Guests can enjoy the hotel’s indoor pool, fitness center, and on-site dining options, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable stay.
Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, Texas
Situated along the iconic RiverWalk, the Marriott Rivercenter San Antonio offers luxury and convenience in the heart of the city. The hotel’s elegant guest rooms and suites provide stunning views of the River Walk and downtown San Antonio. It’s a premier venue for events, with over 60,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and a professional event planning team. Guests can explore nearby attractions such as the Alamo, Hemisfair Park, and the bustling River Walk, making it an ideal choice for both business and leisure travelers.
Renaissance Dallas Addison Hotel, Addison, Texas
The Renaissance Dallas Addison Hotel offers a blend of modern elegance and Southern hospitality in the bustling Dallas suburb of Addison. The hotel’s spacious guest rooms and suites feature contemporary design and luxurious amenities. With over 100,000 square feet of event space, it’s a top choice for conferences, weddings, and other large gatherings. Guests can enjoy the hotel’s rooftop pool, on-site dining options, and convenient access to the Dallas Galleria and other local attractions.
Sheraton Suites Plantation, Plantation, Florida
Located in the charming town of Plantation, Florida, the Sheraton Suites Plantation offers a tranquil retreat with easy access to the vibrant city of Fort Lauderdale. The hotel’s all-suite accommodations provide ample space and comfort, making it a perfect choice for extended stays and family vacations. Guests can relax by the rooftop pool, enjoy a workout in the fitness center, or explore the nearby shopping and dining options. The hotel’s versatile event spaces and professional staff make it an excellent venue for meetings and special events.
Hyatt Place West Palm Beach Downtown, West Palm Beach, FL
The Hyatt Place West Palm Beach Downtown offers contemporary accommodations and modern amenities in the heart of West Palm Beach. The hotel’s prime location provides easy access to popular attractions such as the Norton Museum of Art, CityPlace, and the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Guests can enjoy spacious guest rooms with separate living areas, complimentary breakfast, and a 24-hour fitness center. The hotel’s flexible meeting spaces and professional event planning services make it a top choice for business travelers and event organizers.
JW Marriott Washington DC, Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C
Situated on the prestigious Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., the JW Marriott DC Pennsylvania offers luxury and convenience in the nation’s capital. The hotel’s elegant guest rooms and suites provide stunning views of iconic landmarks such as the White House and the National Mall. It’s a premier venue for events, with over 37,000 square feet of meeting space and a dedicated event planning team. Guests can enjoy fine dining at the hotel’s restaurants, relax in the indoor pool, or explore nearby attractions such as the Smithsonian museums and the Washington Monument.
Sailport Waterfront Suites, Tampa, Florida
Perched on the edge of Bay, the Sailport Waterfront Suites Tampa offers a unique blend of comfort and scenic beauty. The hotel’s spacious suites feature fully equipped kitchens and private balconies with stunning waterfront views. It’s an ideal choice for extended stays and family vacations, providing a peaceful retreat just minutes from downtown Tampa. Guests can enjoy the hotel’s heated outdoor pool, private beach, and complimentary shuttle service to local attractions. The hotel’s versatile event spaces and professional staff make it a great venue for meetings and special events.
The Breakers on the Ocean, Spring Lake, New Jersey
Located on the picturesque Spring Lake beach, The Breakers on the Ocean offers a charming and elegant seaside escape. This historic hotel features beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites with stunning ocean views. It’s a popular choice for weddings, conferences, and other special occasions, with its grand ballrooms and scenic outdoor spaces. Guests can enjoy fine dining at the hotel’s oceanfront restaurant, relax by the outdoor pool, or explore the charming town of Spring Lake with its quaint shops and historic sites.
Sheraton Arlington Hotel, Arlington, Texas
The Sheraton Arlington TX provides contemporary accommodations and easy access to the best of Arlington, Texas. The hotel’s spacious guest rooms and suites are designed for comfort and productivity, featuring plush bedding and ergonomic workspaces. It’s an ideal venue for events, with over 21,000 square feet of flexible meeting space and a professional event planning team. Guests can enjoy the hotel’s outdoor pool, fitness center, and on-site dining options or explore nearby attractions such as AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Park, and Six Flags Over Texas.

• For more details on these venues and to discover additional options, visit the greatevent.com website.

More Information:
https://www.greatevent.com/user-register
[sales@greatevent.com](mailto:sales@greatevent.com)

Heads up: I’ve wanted to post somewhere about all this for the past 2 months but was unable to find the courage in fear that I’d accidentally misunderstand and break subreddit rules, but I think this is the best place available to post this story since I am between therapists/health insurance right now, and it’s too long winded to explain to my family in a way they would understand. I might even delete this later out of shame since it’s not what I usually post on Reddit and I have Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria. But for now, here goes:
I (24Transmasc) have been really down in the dumps since my birthday because of a user that caused an incident on my discord server. Maybe that seems like a trivial issue since a primary rule of the internet is that not everyone you interact with is going to be nice, but hear me out.
Before I explain what happened, let me offer a bit of background context. I live a pretty secluded life since I suffer from a number of mental health issues and developmental disabilities including Anxiety, Depression, ADHD and Autism to name a few. I do not have many IRL friends. In 2019 I joined Discord as a new way to meet people and find others who share the same special interests. In 2021, me and two friends decided to build our own discord server together. We all met on a server for “Star Trek” and since we all liked talking about Original Characters and storytelling, we decided to make an “Star Trek” text based Roleplaying Group. We made it LGBTQ+ inclusive and SFW as many of our members including myself were part of the queer community. We prided ourselves on being open a server that was open different kinds of creative ideas with simple character templates and guidelines that weren’t overly restrictive like many others that I had tried out in the past.
In January of 2024, things were doing pretty good. My two co-creators had to drop from their positions due to IRL adult responsibilities, but the server had gained almost 70 members. I have a personal track record of having ambitious project ideas that fail, so it felt really good to have achieved something that I could consider a success. We had a dedicated group of active users and we all got along with minimal issues. As a full time Senior attending University, (I have since graduated) it was always nice to have a chill place to hang out. But then. I made a mistake… kind of.
January was also my Birthday Month. On my birthday I logged on to say hello to everyone and share the birthday presents that I got since a few were Star Trek themed. My mistake was mentioning the item that wasn’t Star Trek themed. My family surprised me with a copy of the game “Hogwarts Legacy” and as someone who is also a Harry Potter fan, I was super excited and wanted to share. I guess I shouldn’t have done that because despite being so innocent, it caused “shit to hit the fan.”
Due to the ongoing conflict between the LGBTQ+ community and JK Rowling, I immediately started getting backlash. While I do understand the conflict, it also really hurt because I wrote a sappy heartfelt message about how the series helped me through a lot of childhood trauma when I was younger. I ended up venting on a separate server in a private channel because it was far from the first time I’d seen people with completely unsympathetic reactions to very emotional moments and it was very upsetting to see it happening again, this time to me personally. My friend, (let’s call them “Jake”) who was one of my moderators was also upset about this, and saw that one of the user’s who reacted negatively was another one of my moderators. (Let’s call him “Bob”) We chatted and I decided not to “rock the boat” by making a huge deal about it, and chose to try and move on. I say “try” very purposefully because it got worse.
Some days later, Jake messaged the private channel revealing that he was having trouble with Bob over on a separate third server that Bob owned. Jake blocked Bob because he needed some time away to formulate how to address the situation. A whole week passed by and Bob had noticed the block and asked me what happened to Jake. Jake then figured that he’d have to confront Bob eventually and told me he messaged Bob about their isolated quarrel and also mentioned how the Harry Potter incident on my server made his anxiety even worse. Bob messaged back saying that Hogwarts Legacy was bad, citing a bunch of reasons connecting to the problems surrounding JK Rowling. Their conversation apparently got super heated as Jake was trying to defend me and my childhood trauma, while Bob insinuated that doing so automatically made him a supporter of the author as well. Bob asked Jake to never talk to him again. This made Jake further upset because he wasn’t as fully educated on the state of JK Rowling, had never played the game, and he felt that Bob didn’t even take the time to understand or explain anything.
Through all of this aftermath, I assumed that Bob would reach out to me in one way or another. Either to confront me directly about the Harry Potter incident, or to tell me that he and Jake were no longer on speaking terms to figure out what to do since they both were moderators on my server. As it were, I was late to find out about the aftermath myself. I always figured that my moderators would come to me when issues arose. I didn’t think I was supposed to seemingly find out myself and then chase them for an explanation. Another week went by and I heard nothing from Bob. He didn’t leave my server and he hadn’t blocked me either, but the whole debacle was continuing to eat away at my mental state. I ultimately summoned the rest of my moderators and we all voted to remove Bob, since others noted that a majority of other minor squabbles also involved him in some way or another. Maybe I shouldn’t have acted so hastily but I thought I gave Bob ample opportunity to have a conversation about this and by the time I removed him it had been three weeks since it all started.
When Bob was removed from the server, a few members who were Bob’s friends went with him. That wasn’t too surprising, but my server continued to slowly rot away. A month later we found out that before being removed, Bob had left a defamatory review on our public server listing. It ruined us. No one joined. We had to take down the listing because the admins of the server listing site refused to take down the review even though it counted as doxing. I’ve been struggling to remain motivated to “keep the lights on” in my discord server. We have lost 30% of our members, and two of my mods silently quit without saying anything.
I have been stuck in a depressive state ever since, going through all the emotions. Guilt tripping, wondering if it could have gone differently, and feeling horrible because I ruined something nice I had going yet again. It’s also made me question my position as a LGBTQ+ Harry Potter fan. Back in the day it was my very first hyperfixation. Then the news about JK Rowling made me push it away. I tried to ignore it. I still try to enjoy it, but it doesn’t feel the same. I still want to enjoy Harry Potter, but I feel like there’s always someone trying to control how I’m supposed to enjoy it at every turn. I’m always getting alternative links to eBay and Etsy for merch shoved in my face. Heck, I don’t even know anyone else who likes it anymore. It’s made it really difficult. I’m not hurting anyone, but I now have this level of fear that liking it makes me a bad person, and a bad representative of the LGBTQ+ community. I am also sad that people of the community, which was built on ideas of love and acceptance, can still be so cruel. I feel ashamed, alone, and hurt that the community I spent 3 years building and maintaining is dead.
————————————
Bob, I hope you’re happy with destroying the only place I felt like I could connect with other people, and making me feel like a horrible person. Congratulations. /s

Deadlines for applying for Jan 2025 Intake in CS
I have given my GRE and got a score of 312 (153 Verbal + 159 Quant + 3.5 Analytical). My TOEFL exam is in a few days.
I am not happy with my GRE scores and would like to give the exam again, mostly by the end of June. I wanted to know if it would be too late to start sending out applications to Universities by then or not. I know that for Spring 2025 (Jan 2025) intake, applications have started in June.

The Impel Breakout 2
Marco decides to call up the rest of the old division commanders who plan a rescue mission of Weevil, but decide to team up with Buggy as well

1. Weevil will be revealed to have fought and lost a lot of weight revealing he looks just like a young whitebeard which makes the other WB commanders cry.
   
2. Weevil finally matures and apologizes to the other whitebeard captains and accepts them as his siblings.
   
3. Bon Clay returns.
   
4. Little Oars Jr comes back and helps the crew escape.
   

Buggy's Arc and Smoker's Journey.

1. Buggy will get his time to shine and show that his Potential shines the same as Shanks. We will get flashbacks of Buggy's childhood as well and his relationship with the Roger pirates as well.
   
2. Crocodile will meet and fight his Seraphim, remembering what a pain his childhood used to be.
   
3. Smoker is revealed to have been wanting to after Cross Guild and make them pay for placing Bounties on Marines.
   
4. Smoker will fight with Crocodile and for real earn his victory rather than it being fake.
   

5.Buggy will Awaken the power of his Chop Chop fruit through sheer will alone.

1. Mihawk will show off his sword skills even more and give hints of what caused his isolation in past. he will also show off advanced Observation Haki as well by fighting against S Mingo and S Bat.
   
2. Mihawk and Crocodile give their begrudging praise to Buggy
   

Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates

1. Shanks and the red hair pirates are listening to the broadcast, Shanks looking Nostalgic wishing he could have gone to Laughtale with Roger and the others.
   
2. Shanks reveals the reason for hunting Blackbeard and how he won't allow him to be King of the Pirates and says the only one who will be King of the Pirates will be Luffy.
   
3. Shanks says if his crew is still with him to the end, and they laugh saying til death do them part.
   

Blackbeard

1. He returns to Hachinosu and finds the place completely destroyed, he's so enraged he causes a slight earth tremor and Burgress warns him not to do that because the world is already having enough problems.
   
2. He calms down and realizes that the one behind it was Garp and they captured Koby but Blackbeard laughs knowing that this is even better because now they have the hero of the marines with them.
   
3. we finally get a good look at the Saber of Xebec and Blackbeard reveals his admiration for Xebec and how he seeks to carry on his will.
   
4. Van auger and Devon arrive back with Caribou and Caribou does a Bartelomeo which Blackbeard finds annoying somewhat. But Caribou says that he knows of the Ancient weapons Poseidon and Pluton. Blackbeard finds this interesting because now he has what he needs and laughs saying that its celebration time. so the Blackbeard Pirates decide to party it up.
   
5. Garp is Locked in a cell on the island, with Kuzan stating why he left the marines in the first place because he found no Justice there. Garp remembers Dragon saying the exact same thing.
   
6. Perona and Moria reunite with Moria crying saying she doesn't deserve this hug but he can't help but hug her. Together they escape and Moria states that whatever is coming to the world is more horrifying then anything he could create.
   

Other interesting predictions
Koby and the others have listened to the Broadcast, and just happen to run into Newkama land, and meet with the revolutionaries. Before any fighting can begin, Bogard steps forward and talks with dragon. Dragon is actually happy to see Bogard and Bogard gives the bad news of Garp being captured which causes Dragon to look somber.
Koby meets Sabo and Koby reveals his friendship with Luffy to Sabo, they talk about Luffy and how crazy he can be. Koby says that he really does miss Garp and his usual antics.
Helmeppo is unnerved by the island and the Newkamas there.
Dragon decides to not to tell them the truth of Imu because he doesn't want to start a Panic in the Marines, Bogard states that the reason he didn't come and help Garp was because Garp stated that he is a relic of the past and the future of the marines is the young people.
Scopper Gaban comes out and reveals he is the man marked by flames, the black ship is actually the Oro Jackson and the whirlpools that appear are due to a Pet Sea King that he has.
The God's Knights decide to make their advancement should any more intruders invade Mary Geoise, Garling stating how frustrating it is. Garling then says that this kind of thing never once happened but those damn revolutionaries messed up the entire city there. Garling also wants to set an example if any more celestial dragons want to show kindness to the lower scum of the world.

I have given my GRE and got a score of 312 (153 Verbal + 159 Quant + 3.5 Analytical). My TOEFL exam is in a few days.
I am not happy with my GRE scores and would like to give the exam again, mostly by the end of June. I wanted to know if it would be too late to start sending out applications to Universities by then or not. I know that for Spring 2025 (Jan 2025) intake, applications have started in June.

(This story is unnecessarily long cos it's kind of part rant, sorry)
So some background last year my mum sent me this poster advertising a youth trip to Rwanda that she thought would be fun for me to apply for. I agreed, applied and unfortunately couldn't go cos another trip came up which would be really good for me career-wise but needed to raise a lot of money for. So when the organiser for the youth trip contacted me to see if I would still join them I was honest and said there was something else that I was waiting on and if that didn't fall through then I would join them. Thankfully I got the money and my visa and went for the alternative trip.
I notified them and they said it was okay, but I felt bad like I was misleading them. So I made the decision to apply this year and even in the application I said I was sad I couldn't go last year but now I'm excited to go, and I am, I was idk. also important, my mum had been pushing me to apply for this so I assumed she would cover me with no issue(I'm still heavily dependant on my parents, this is completely normal where I come from). So I'm thinking it's cool she's talked to my dad about this there's no problem whatsoever I'm going. But now my graduation is coming up, and I realise I don't want a party, I didn't make many friends in uni and generally it was a pretty bad time and I'm just happy it's over. I want to go on a trip instead: Cape Town, South Africa. My mum's like that's great we can even go all together as a family.
I bring it up at a dinner conversation with my dad(he's the main breadwinner) and he's totally fine with that swap; trip instead of party. He even sends me some posters of travel packages to cape town and encourages me to look for a good deal. Then my mum says at the table, 'So you're letting go of Rwanda then', my dad looks confused and I realised she hadn't told him. I say no, I was hoping to go for both, I give a shoddy summary of the youth trip to my dad and then my sibling chimes in to say Cape town is better but I tell him fair but I was already starting arrangements for the youth trip and had even started talking with the organisers about accommodation and such. The topic switches and the night ends.
Two days later, I get a message from the youth trip organiser, it's the same woman from last year, she recognised my name and was happy I applied again. She tells me of this good deal for accommodation and I forward it to my mum(I had been updating her on this since the new application) she texts me back saying 'You're still pursuing this? Didn't you tell your father you wanted to go to cape town? what am I supposed to do with this?' that really fucking hurt. Guess I'm alone. Anyway, I text my dad a proper explanation of the youth trip and the fact that I've been communicating with the organisers under I guess the false impression that I was going for about three weeks now. I tell him that I still do want to go to Cape Town still but I understand if I can't do both and if I were to pick one it would be the youth trip cos it already feels like I've been leading these people on for too long. It was a very long text. He said to just tell him what I need from him. I didn't understand that, I guess he meant just send the bill to pay for or sth instead of rambling. Sigh.
Anyway, I was talking to my little brother yesterday and the topic of cape town came up, I told him that might not happen now, will probably be Rwanda. He looked at me like I was crazy and said Rwanda is super easy to get to you can go there practically any time, GO TO CAPE TOWN. Now that got me thinking on the one hand, I've basically promised these Youth Trip guys that I'd be joining them, signed up for a hike on the last day, gone back and forth on accommodation, done nearly everything but actually pay. Also it's a 2 week long trip. On the other hand, Cape town looks really cool, and I know it's a lot more touristy but based on those travel posters my dad had shared, they were like 4/5 day long trips. I don't know what to do, I don't want to regret this decision because I won't get another like it anytime soon, and as much as I really want to say I'm gonna land a great paying job after graduation and fund my own trip to wherever before the year ends, that's probably wishful thinking. I feel betrayed and frustrated, if I knew my mum was gonna switch up on me then I wouldn't have even bothered applying for the youth trip, those people are so nice and don't deserve this nonsense.

Dating rule for NYC. Don't make one of your favorites a go to place for dates. Find a new place together. Just in case it doesn't work out.
Brooklyn Museum -> Botanic Garden -> food in Prospect Heights/Crown Heights would be solid. Some trees are starting to bloom at the garden right now. If it rains (and FWIW chances look low in the afternoon), just stick to the indoor greenhouses, which are awesome.
Go climbing, go to fat cat and play ping pong or scrabble or something, go to a museum, take a dance class together, list goes on and on...
IE, ask yourself what you would find fun and then ask her if she wants to go along.
Nitehawk Cinema. Cool movie house, good film selection, and the option for neat bites and drinks during.
It’s coming up on cuffing season, and we don’t know about you, but we’re ready to find that special someone!
However, as exciting as first dates can be, we’re aware they come with a ton of questions to answer: what am I going to wear; will we get along; where should we go? And though we can’t help you choose your outfit or ensure a compatible personality, we can definitely let you in on the best spots in NYC to go on a first date.
From cute places to dive into personal traumas over drinks to outdoor activities for nature lovers (or a quick escape if you’re not into it), see all of the best first date spots in NYC below.👇
First Date Bars & Restaurants
Sometimes you just need a little liquid courage to shake the nerves of a first date. Not to mention, restaurants and bars provide a perfect atmosphere to engage in conversation and always have a bathroom you can escape to when you need to update the group chat on how it’s going. So we’ve compiled the best bar and restaurants in NYC for date night.

1. Dining in the Dark

You’ve heard of blind dates, but what about blind folded dates? Dining in the Dark will awaken every one of your senses but sight as you try dishes from a mystery menu inspired by the flavors of Southern Italy or Japan. It’s definitely a fun and unique way to get to know a stranger. Plus, you don’t have worry about how you look eating in front of them on the first date! Make a reservation here
Where: Leuca Restaurant, New York or Sushi By Bou at Hotel 3232, New York

1. Tiki Chick

If you’re looking for a laid back, go with the flow vibe, we definitely recommend meeting your date for a drink (or two) at Tiki Chick on the Upper West Side. Sip on their fun and unique tropical-inspired cocktails that come in funky glasses, and don’t pass up their $5 chicken sandwiches!
Where: 517 Amsterdam Ave

1. Sake Bar Decibel

If you’re looking to impress your date with an under-the-radar spot, we suggest you meet them at Sake Bar Decibel. The unassuming, underground (literally and figuratively) bar located in the East Village is marked by an “On Air” sign. Once you head down the stairs and enter into the dimly-lit space (perfect for a romantic vibe or obscured visibility if they end up not looking like their picture), you can choose from an array of incredible sakes and order some lite bites to share. Plus, if you go from 6-7pm, you can take advantage of their happy hour deals.
Where: 240 E 9th St

1. Twins Lounge

This bi-level joint in Greenpoint has everything you need for a perfect first date, from a pool table (to get a little competition going) to cozy booths that are great for conversation. If all goes well you can even memorialize the night by ending it in the photo booth to take home adorable pics of the two of you. But remember, it’s cash only!
Where: 732 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn

1. Dante

One of NYC’s most renowned bars, both Dante locations are effectively elegant without being pretentious. The bar’s great lighting will give you and your date the opportunity to stare into each other’s eyes while you sip on some of the best cocktails in the city. Too much for a first date? Get another cocktail then!
Where: 79-81 MacDougal St or 551 Hudson St

1. Mister Paradise

This casual but elevated bar off 1st Avenue is cool enough to make the Instagram feed but not an overwhelming choice for a first date location. It’s funky bench seating provides ample opportunity to focus on your date, or eavesdrop on your neighbors if you get bored. But in all seriousness, you can never go wrong with a visit to Mister Paradise.
Where: 105 1st Ave, New York

1. Ye’s Apothecary

Another spot set to dazzle your date, Ye’s Apothecary can be found off of Orchard Street. Travel underground to the beautifully decorated space that gives off a moody, yet romantic feel. Do not skip out on the food here! Though the drinks are delicious and they specialize in gin-based cocktails, the dishes are a definite must.
Where: 119 Orchard St, New York
Experiences
When you’re not in the mood to stress about spilling on yourself or getting food stuck in your teeth during a meal, taking your date to an experience is a great alternative. Plus, dating experts always say that trying new things together is a great way to grow your bond with someone. See the top activity date ideas in NYC below.

1. Happy Medium

Done with getting to know people over dinner and drinks? Try something a little more creative like an art experience at Happy Medium. This art café offers a menu of art experiences from clay to collaging, watercolor to pastels. Not to mention, you have a little memento to take home afterwards.
Where: 49 Market St, New York

1. The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club

Another alternative to conversations over cocktails is a good old fashioned game of shuffleboard. Head to the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club to put your skills to the test. And if you end up missing the cocktails, don’t worry, they serve a selection of tropical boozy drinks to choose from.
Where: 514 Union St, Brooklyn

1. SPiN

If you’re of the competitive sort, it might be fun to challenge your date to a few rounds of table tennis at SPiN. This is also a great idea if you’re trying to plan a double date because table reservations are open to anywhere from 2-10 guests.
Where: 48 E 23rd St

1. Area 53

Bring out each other’s daredevil and head to Area 53, a 40,000-square-foot indoor adventure park, for roller skating, rock climbing, a ninja course and more. Read about all they have to offer here.
Where: 616 Scholes St, Brooklyn
Nature
If first dates feel confining to you, and you’re more concerned about how to make an exit if need be, there’s nothing more comforting than being in the great outdoors. From breezy strolls to picnics in the park, having your first date in nature also creates great talking points with so much going on around you. Here’s our recommendations for dates in NYC when you want to be surrounded by nature.

1. New York Botanical Gardens

We’ll set the scene: you and your date are getting along great, having a laugh as you stroll through blossoming flowers. The sweet smell of orchids add to the vibrant atmosphere as you both gush over the surrounding beauty (we’re talking about you, not the flowers!). But in all honesty, NYBG makes a memorable first date and a cheap one too if you go on Wednesdays from 10am-11am (regardless of residency) when Grounds Admission is free.
Where: 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx

1. Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Live closer to Brooklyn? Then check out Brooklyn Botanic Garden instead. We recommend you stop by the Rose Garden and Native Flora Garden for stunning sights.
Where: 150 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn

1. Picnic

Who doesn’t love eating…or people watching…or soaking up the sun? To be honest, picnicking is the ideal first date situation, and lucky for us, NYC is home to a plethora of parks to enjoy. Whether you want waterfront views or a castle in the background, find some of the best spots to picnic in NYC here.
Where: Various Locations

1. The High Line

If first dates make you antsy, suggesting a walk on the High Line might be the perfect solution. This way you guys can get to know each other without the pressures of sitting at a table, all the while getting a little exercise in. If the walking becomes too much, you’ll be able to take a seat on one of the many public benches located on the elevated park. And if all goes well, you can end your route at Chelsea Market and grab a bite to eat!
Where: Gansevoort Street and Washington Street, New York

1. Kayaking

Brooklyn Bridge Park’s free kayaking has returned for the summer and what better way to test if someone is compatible by seeing them in various environments? All kayaks and equipment are provided, with everyone from amateurs to professionals welcome. You’ll both enjoy incredible city views from an entirely new perspective, and no one has to fight over who’s paying.
Where: 10 Montague St, Brooklyn

In the beginning of my relationship(31F), he (32M) had told me things about his last long term relationship and his past that I now question if they were true.
A bit of background to how I came to this thought:
Tonight I caught him in another lie. I found his fake Facebook account where he’s been looking up exes and their family members for a while. Which didn’t bother so much, sometimes I look up exes too. What does bother me is that he saved a picture of his ex in a bikini holding her son (obviously non sexual) and has been looking her up pretty regularly and lied about it. When I confronted him, he denied he knew the password, that he’s never looked people up, said he hates social media and doesn’t use it, tyada, yada… obviously not realizing that I screen recorded his activity history on Facebook and that I’m not dumb enough to believe someone else/Meta is using his burner account to look up people he knows… duh.
But it reminded me that he told me he served as a Marine after high school. I’ve never seen any memorabilia, paperwork, VA stuff, old war buddies, etc. One night we were having drinks with some people that we went to high school with that he stayed in contact/friends with consistently since then. I brought up the Marine thing and the person there looked very confused and said something along the lines of I don’t know about that. The night devolved, which ended with me drunkenly sobbing on the way home about how he’s not real, I can’t look him up on social media and I don’t anything about his past because I can’t find it on the internet.
I’ve been suspicious that he’s a pathological liar for a long time but have been too afraid to ask anyone if he was really a Marine. It would be kinda messed up to reach out to family and ask. But with the cheating and lies I’ve been finding since DDay, it’s hard ignore. Lying about being in the military is wild.
The real question: Should I reach out to his ex who he was with during that time?? He said that she cheated on him with his best friend and now they are married with kids. (I know she’s married and has a kid, but that’s about it)
I feel like I’m ready to figure out the truth, but I also feel weird about messaging someone I’ve never met to find out if he’s really as big of a mess and liar as I worry he is; she has obviously moved on with her life and is probably happy.
(Small edits for spelling errors)

Idk why but I just get sad, most of the times I just wish people would be happy for what I do or how I have fun because I just want people to be happy for being me. I just feel that recently most people just end up wanting to jar me up or put me down. I wish I had a supportive family, friend or just stranger in general to make me feel happy, but I just feel that everyone has something to say. When I do feel happy in the moment I would want people to be proud for being happy. I just feel my happiness in general just seems like a big disappointment to others and it just makes me think that I don’t really deserve it. Ik I’m not the best person, but in my lifetime, I feel I never done anything truly bad, maybe some words have been tossed here and there, but I try my best to be good to the good, and even though I’m not good to the bad. I feel like it should’ve been enough to be fulfilled.

xI Lights Rebellion lx is recruiting for endgame PvE players. The type that like to grind out raids, dungeons, Grandmaster Nightfalls, etc. We also go for whatever titles/seals there are to acquire in the game as well. Also, if you're a hardcore PvP player but want to start getting in the PvE endgame side, check us out.
We are mainly based in the US, however, we do have a handful of people located in the UK/EU timezones as well. We are a cross platform clan, so your system does not matter at all. We have a Discord set up for comms and to set up activities, like raids, dungeon runs, etc. It is required to join the Discord server upon entering the clan, because if you don't, you'll just end up missing out on everything, as where Discord is where all the members chat. We are also a clan that likes to joke around and have fun, so we may end up roasting you/each other, all in fun though. We are a dysfunctional bunch that have lots of laughs together.
On top of that, we have an Among Us clan night about every 3 or 4 weeks where it's just a bunch of chaotic fun in Among Us. And several players in the clan are now playing Diablo 4. As well as playing Borderlands 3 together. So we have a small variety in the clan, it's not just Destiny all the time.
Quick rundown of some things we do:
⚪grind out raids, and eventually earn the seal dedicated to the raid (ie: Fatebreaker, Disciple-Slayer, Rivensbane, Dream Warrior, etc.)
⚪ Will be grinding out Pantheon and for it's Godslayer title, once it drops on April 30th.
⚪Sherpa people through raids/Dungeons if need be. We have several members that are always happy to be a teacheguide.
⚪Run dungeons, for either pinnacles or to farm armor stats or weapon drops.
⚪Focus on gilding Conqueror whenever Grandmaster Nightfalls roll around.
⚪We also play Iron Banner and Trials of Osiris as well.
⚪Peak play times; Monday-Friday: usually 3pm-8pm Est, sometimes later on Friday. Saturday & Sunday: random times throughout both days, sometimes starting at 12pm Est or a tad earlier.
⚪Among Us clan nights where players are very sus and trust is broken. As well as grinding out in Diablo 4. A few even play Call of Duty, whether it's multi-player, Warzone, or Zombies.
If you're interested in joining, let me know. https://www.bungie.net/en/ClanV2?groupid=1991382