Cast of framed by my sister

I’ve been on elvanse for 2 months now, currently at 60mg and I’m still not sure if it’s right. OR if this is how adhd meds are and this is as good as it gets.
The meds have been great for motivation, and I find I am doing small things like taking my coffee mug back to the kitchen once I’m done with it instead of leaving it there for days. Things that involve me physically moving to start and complete big and small tasks no longer feel like a chore, which has been great. The house has never been cleaner.
BUT, what I was really hoping for was motivation and focus for my business, which involves lots of time looking at a laptop, or just basic organising of my life:
Some examples of what I hoped it would help with: - Answering emails promptly - procrastinating and adhd paralysis - Not getting side tracked or overwhelmed by what I’m doing - Planning basic things like meals for the week etc.
None of that has really improved. Very little has been ticked off my to do list. But the motivation and focus is there, just for other things.
So I’m wondering if it’s time to try a different medication? Or stay with this and try and find other tools to help.
I can’t imagine another stimulant making that much difference but then I don’t know? Anyone had this?

This isn't a joke or shitpost. I'm actually doing this and want to get the word out in case I don't make it.
I've been sexually obsessed with Vicky from the Fairy Godparents since I was 7 years old. I haven't felt the same for any other person real or fictional. At first I hated her character because I thought she was an ageist stereotype, but this was around the same time I started noticing females and something clicked inside of me. Whenever I watched the show and there was a scene with her in it, I would get flustered and butterflies would erupt in my stomach. I would fantasize going into the show and meeting her.
Eventually my family started noticing and would laugh and go "look, there's your girlfriend" whenever we watched the show. This embarrassed me greatly, and I started receding into myself, both at home and school. I also tried suppressing my crush on her by but I couldn't no matter how much I tried.
My school had to intervene and have teachers and psychologists sit me down and tell me it was OK to be like this, and told me about their own toonophiliac crushes on characters like Tarzan, Jessica Rabbit and Betty Rubble. I took this an invitation to go hog wild on my obsession with her.
The thing is I don't even like the Fairy Godparents. The animation always drove me to overstimulation and the writing I always thought was stupid and sexist/ageist, but at the peak of my obsession I would watch 20 episodes a day just to get closer to Vicky. I also read every fanfiction about her I could. I thought and still think about her more than the average person thinks about their parents.
Unlike many extreme toonophiles I tried to keep my obsessision on the down low, but last year my co-workers found out about my enamoration with her. Nobody gave me anything more than a light teasing, and some people even admitted to being toonophiles and congratulated me on having "good taste" (this disturbed me more than any potential shaming). Still I realized how bad this was for me and I need to stop, but no matter how much I tried I couldn't. This left me with only one option.
In my room right now I have a pair of yard clippers to do the dirty deed, along with sleeping pills to numb myself during the operation, a string to tie around the sack to prevent excess blood from pouring, and Isophyr alcohol to sterilize the clippers. I know that I may lose my life from complications of this, but I would rather be dead than be obsessed with an underage cartoon character like I have been for most of my life. Toonophillia is a horrible vile affection and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. The animation industry really needs to be held accountable for this. I was only into American cartoons not anime but I know its way worse over in Japan and the studios over there make millions of dollars exploiting people like me. The people on waifism and the like are wrong and misguided. If you feel like you have a sexual obsession with a cartoon, seek mental help.

I stopped flat ironing at the salon and started doing my own hair when covid started. I've got both autism and ADHD, and it's difficult for me to wash my hair at all most times. Wash day is every other week for me since that's what I can personally handle and because my hair never needed more than that. Recently, however, I've had more shedding, breakage, and tangles. I got a trim for the first time in years recently, but I'm still having issues, and seeing more hair in the sink when I detangle is starting to freak me out.
My routine is a biweekly basic wash and go with a shea moisture deep moisturizing shampoo, shea moisture coconut hibiscus conditioner, followed by Aunt Jackie's Quench as a leave-in. The shampoo recently changed its formula, and the hair trouble started quickly after that. No idea if it's a coincidence or not. Touchups between washes are a gentle comb detangle with a spritz bottle and Knot On My Watch detangler, sometimes also with a curl cream and edge control.
I've been trying to research what to do for my hair, and as far as I can tell the best plan is to try a clarifying shampoo and/or to deep condition. Clarifying is simple enough, but deep conditioning is AWFUL for me. I can't stand the feeling of sitting in a disgusting wet plastic cap clinging tight over my head for twenty minutes. The thought of it makes me want to shave my head. I remember as a teenager, my stylist would condition me under the dryer and the sensation of that wet cap and loud enclosed dryer was almost worse than the old relaxers. Even with a more comfortable cap, I just don't think I can do it. Especially not when it means I also have to get in and out of the shower while waiting, or stand around being wet because not only is that going to feel incredibly gross no matter what, I don't know if I have that kind of patience.
Are there deep conditioners with short wait times? Do I HAVE to use a cap with it? If I only wash bi-weekly does that mean I need to deep condition every wash day or do the equivalent of someone who washes weekly and do it like every four washes? Would shedding for seasonal or health reasons also cause more breakage? I don't know if I should mess with it more or if sudden changes to my routine will make my hair even worse.
Sorry if this was a little all over the place. Wash day is approaching fast, and I'm kind of scared and at a loss. Any help or advice is very appreciated.
My hair is 3c/4a, medium porosity, fine, and dense.

I (22F) am struggling with really bad tactile sensory issues (not sure if stand-alone or caused by anxiety), as well as really bad anxiety surrounding decision making and overthinking. These issues have had an overwhelmingly negative effect on my social life, work, and overall satisfaction/ happiness in life, and have resulted in depression. It took me a long time to finally seek help, but I finally started therapy a couple weeks ago.
After my first session with my therapist, she mentioned that medication might be helpful to me, and asked if I would be open to taking that route if she gets to know my situation better and makes a referral to a psychiatrist. I said yes… I just want to stop feeling like this so, so badly. At the very beginning of my third session, she told me that she would like me to see the psychiatrist for medication. And so I did.
After talking to the psychiatrist for 30 minutes or so, she prescribed me viibryd, which she thinks will help with my anxiety/ depression without too many side effects. Sitting here an hour after this appointment, I am suddenly being hit by a wave of second thoughts. After sitting down and reading about the side effects and withdrawal issues people have with antidepressants, I’m feeling hesitant and a bit shocked that my therapist was so quick to recommend medication. I mean…. how do providers decide if anxiety/ depression can be “fixed” with lifestyle changes or if it’s truly caused by chemical imbalance that requires medication to help? I’ve barely scratched the surface with my therapist as far as implementing lifestyle changes and trying to reframe the way I think, so how can she be so sure? Perhaps if I knew for certain that this would fix all my problems and make me as happy as I once was again, I’d do it without so much hesitation. However, I know that’s not how these things work, and it kind of seems like a crapshoot.
Another thing on my mind is the fact that I’m so young, and the prospect of becoming dependent on a medication for happiness for potentially the rest of my life is somewhat overwhelming. Are there long term side effects to these drugs? Another (less important but still prevalent) hesitation I have is that, as a young adult, I do enjoy going out and drinking socially. I forgot to even bring this up to the psychiatrist, but now that I’m researching on my own, it appears that it is not advised to drink on Viibryd, or most other antidepressants, for that matter. I enjoy drinking socially and do not want to give that up, especially if I have yet to exhaust other options. So, once again, yet another hesitation.
Anyway, I’d really appreciate people’s honest thoughts and suggestions on my predicament.

I am in 7th grade and have science class last period. My science teacher is an old lady who is nice but also very strict when it comes to school rules. The class next to ours sometimes lets students leave early. The back door to our classroom opens right by the front of the other 7th grade science classroom. The other class got let out early, but had to stay near the door until the bell rings. Two rules at my school are: no chewing gum, and no phones. One of the students from the other class was chewing gum and took his phone out of his bag. My teacher saw and told him to come into our classroom. She wrote him a referral and told him that she would have to confiscate his phone and would give it back to him at the end of the school day. Just then, the dismissal bell rang. The kid grabbed his phone and left. I don’t really understand why my teacher took his phone when his class had already been dismissed and there only like one minute left in school. 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you can give me some advice, please do!
I have severe social anxiety. It works in weird ways, because yes, I have traveled a lot and went many different places but I STILL fear the possibility of being put in an awkward situation.
The lengths I will go to, to get out of a social situation if I feel it might be awkward for me, are deep.
My sister is very close to me. She has a new boyfriend, and he's a really great guy. But I'm tired of all the time they've been spending together. (This is selfish, I know, but really good because it means they're really into each other and my sister deserves that.)
I'm at her house a lot lately. He has a kid and he brings him over and my nephew plays with him, and its a lot of cute family time moments. But these are people I do not know well.
So, I'm really nervous.
I also have fathetrauma issues which might contribute to my being nervous around men more than women.
Anyway, they want me to go to a comedy club with them. It'll be dark inside the club, they'll be laughs, drinks, fun. They want me to get out the house. I think my sister worries about me staying inside all the time and her boyfriend as well.
I'd rather stay home and babysit my nephew and sigh in peace at being alone. (My nephew is six and it is surprisingly way less exhausting being just with him.)
I do not want to go. I'm desperate not to go. I'm scared to be around my sister's boyfriend. He's a really great guy and has given me no reason to be afraid or nervous around him. And, I really, really like him for my sister. I don't want to appear like I don't like him by being standoffish.
But I don't feel like being in a social situation that might be awkward. I might do or say weird things I don't mean to do, because sometimes I'm unsure how to respond well in social situations. I'm terrified of that happening. I have to copy other people and what they might say or do, and I don't do that well. Sometimes it comes out wrong.
So, I have a plan. I could let my mom do my hair and join them for the comedy club. Maybe have some fun, interact with my sisters boyfriend and maybe it won't be so bad.
OR: I could call my mom and tell her to come by later at 6pm and take as long as she likes doing my hair so I can miss going to the comedy club. I'll tell her I have things to do and can only get it done at 6pm. (She's braiding my hair and it does take awhile but not THAT long)
A part of me feels like because I feel so afraid of going, that maybe I should try to make myself go. That I'll always be afraid if I don't push myself, and I shouldn't live life that way.
Any advice?

Something about the idea that Lisa and Bonny Red might be in any kind of regular communication was… I don’t know. Disturbing. If I had to say it was comparable to anything I knew, the only near example was finding out that Fauve was hiding harassment from [Wolfbeard’s] friends and associates. That’s not even quite right, but… it was just the idea that there was some talk in reference to me that was absent me was just… strange.
Like a vague ominous feeling, almost like a conversation in another language that I don’t speak, spoken in my presence with expressions and gestures hinting that it was about me specifically that the discussion was being had.
It was probably nothing, and I dismissed my own thoughts on the matter, one thing I noticed about the females of both species is that it is sometimes difficult to quite comprehend their thoughts from the male perspective. Disturbing as this instance might have been, on the whole, I found that difference between the sexes to be almost refreshing.
There is something to be said for mystery, for having company that is apart from one’s self. Which does bring me to one other small point about the xenophobes that rose and fell. Their male membership on the whole seemed to hold the females of their species in the highest contempt. The very fact that Fauve was a woman, well, a young girl, was held against her.
In a way, a defining feature of these extremists was that everything had to march in lockstep together, else it had to be subdued or destroyed. In all the reports I read, in all the stories told to me by those who raided their headquarters and training centers and other lairs, only a handful of women found positions of note in their organization. This wasn’t to say no women agreed with these men, but they were all but locked out of participation in any direct manner, more than a few evidently had evidence of abuse on their person.
In a very real sense, the ability to thrive in this world now, was intrinsically tied to our ability to engage in that which made us differ from one another, between our species and our sexes alike, we were happier in just being ourselves.
I doubted xenophobes were ever very happy for very long.
I remained at her apartment that night after a quick call to the Walkers to let them know what I was doing, I still had work to do of course, even though I had AI management tools to do most of the day to day administration of my organizations, I still had to actually handle approvals, but since everything was mobile now, more or less, I could work from damn near anywhere.
I’d borrow some talent from the Barnum Cooperation to handle things while I was away, of course. At least for the last few weeks once we got to our destination.
But until then, this was super easy, barely an inconvenience, as the humans are fond of saying.
Of course, Lisa had questions about what the reason was for me going away. She asked me that, later, and I stretched out and answered her as truthfully as I could. “I can’t really tell you that.”
She cocked her head and raised her eyebrow at me as if to say, ‘Really? After all this?’
So I elaborated, “It’s one of those kinds of things. I’d rather not be a criminal on two worlds, you know. It’s bad enough that somebody on my homeworld has decided I need to be ‘expended’.”
That had her attention. “What’s that?” She asked, why I was leaving was now a secondary concern to her.
Honestly, thinking about it in retrospect, I should have been a lot more afraid than I was. After all, getting rid of ‘problems’ was as humans say ‘par for the course’ for a lot of governments. I had my suspicions about the Earth government’s quashing of the Earth First movement being even more obscure and black operated than I already knew about in the Silent Civil War. Not that I could prove anything, and if I’m being honest, after what they wanted to do to my humans, not that I cared.
It’s a universal truth of all governments that when it comes to their security, they do not mess around, and disruptive elements tend to get some form of unpleasant treatment, even in a near utopian or utopia aspiring state. There’s always something unpleasant in the foundations that nobody sees. How much moreso in the dystopian world of Dlamias?
Bonny Red and her crew were all meant to die in the void, I, had I not gone a different route, would have been offworld for centuries and not brought back until I was old and set in my ways and easily compliant. Even my sister, who more or less slipped under their radar, was put into a job where she would have her spirit essentially eroded.
I don’t know about our father, but as for our mother, I will only say I had little hope that she was living any better now than she was before.
So I took this understanding that I was now an ‘undesirable’ in stride. Not to be overly dramatic, I am not saying my whole government was after me, just that somewhere a bureaucrat decided that it would be better if I were chosen for more ‘dangerous tasks’ and that if something happened to me, things might be ‘safer’ overall. As far as I knew, nobody had been sent to eliminate me personally, though if a team were sent to get in my way eventually, that wouldn’t be a shock.
I looked over at Lisa and my ears all drooped as I explained all that, “You’re not going to have to worry, you’re not in any danger. But… my people have focused on stability for so long that disruptive elements are ‘pruned’. We’re not as crude as humans… as far as I know. I don’t have to worry about being,” I made air quotes, “black bagged, and disappearing into a shallow grave somewhere. It just means that I can start expecting my government to start making more dangerous requests of me until something happens. It’s a very practical way to get rid of trouble, especially since they can’t exile me while I’m elsewhere already anyway.” I huffed, I had to laugh at the situation, I could picture the conversation now…
“Can we exile him?”
“He’s doing this from another planet already, what are we going to do, double exile him?”
“That’s… shocking. I’m… I didn’t know your people could be like that.” Lisa seemed genuinely shocked and the sheets rustled as she brought her knees up to her chest, a genuinely worried look settled on her face.
“We didn’t become the strongest Empire in the galaxy because we’re gentle.” I said and put my hand on her shoulder, “It will be fine. I doubt they’ll do anything overt, I have a practical usefulness to two different governments right now, it’s just one of them is willing to risk losing me. Change is… well it’s hard for us sometimes, and I’ve been introducing a lot of it.”
“So you’re like a scientist bringing technology to the stone age and being declared a witch.” Lisa declared, it was an apt analogy that I would think about quite a lot as time went on. For all my people’s advances, we missed the very idea of therapy and psychiatric treatment, and I still hadn’t forgotten the team of therapists who so bluntly diagnosed my species in a general sense.
In a very real sense, by bringing my people happiness, a concept of wellness, even for all the clear and obvious good it was doing across the board, I might as well be a witch bringing unknown magics to a primitive and superstitious, anxious people.
If I may speculate for a moment, I have seen that humans who struggle most, often mistrust happiness, finding it to be suspicious, waiting for the other shoe to drop, as if happiness is just a setup for the pain to come. As I thought about Livingston, joyless, direct, having nothing but his work… how must it been for him when he first bonded with a human and found that someone genuinely cared for his wellbeing?
Maybe what made me an outlier was that I wasn’t suspicious of happiness, but embraced it, while many of my species, once they found it, didn’t know what to do with it and treated it as a danger. Maybe… Maybe I have grown, just a little.
As I’d let go of my bitterness about what our ancestors did to us, I felt no bitterness or anger toward the nameless background figure who decided my life is best spent at risk. He, like so many others, was so afraid of being taken in by contentment, that he wouldn’t be taken out of whatever darkness held him back. They were clinging to their chains even while I worked to cut them.
That was something to be sad about, more than anything else.
Lisa brightened up. “Well then, if you’re a wicked witch, how about you cast one more spell over me.” She teased, and then her face went blank and eyes unfocused. “Your hypnosis spell hits with a D20, your target is now hypnotized, what do you do now?”
I rolled my eyes, she could never take anything too seriously, even death or danger. It’s no wonder I like humans as much as I do. Even half dead they’re more alive than most of my whole damn species. So…
[Redacted]

I'm taking a leap of faith today, hoping to find someone special who shares my love for life's little joys and appreciates every small thing that life gives to us.
I'm 30 and currently living in Israel, but I'm thinking about relocating sometime. I hope you don't mind my awful accent! Here's some information about me: I'm the nerdy type, skinny, with dark hair. I like to watch anime and TV shows, but I'm very critical and love to discuss them. I'm always down to play video games with friends and I wish to have someone to play Divinity with me, roleplaying our characters.
I enjoy cooking and do it with love and passion. I'm very creative even with simple ingredients. Lately, I've decided to make changes in myself by preparing healthy dishes and engaging in sports and biking rides.
I am a very caring, open-minded, and introverted person. I like to share my feelings and moods. Sometimes people say that it's too feminine, but screw them.
More than anything, I value genuine connections built on trust, respect, and open communication. I aspire to find a kind-hearted woman who embraces her own quirks, passions, and vulnerabilities. Together, we can support each other's dreams, create a safe space for shared experiences, and nurture a love that stands the test of time. I hope to find a serious relationship, including long-distance relationships.
I do know that no one will read until this line, but if you really did, thank you!! You are amazing! I hope to see a message from you.

I am writing this because I have read so many comments on here of people still struggling to sleep after quitting caffeine. What's suggested in this post may not be relevant to most people because everyone's body varies and has different needs/deficiencies, but I want to share my experience just in case it can help someone who's struggling out there.
Background: It's been 9 months + since I've quit and up until 4 days ago my sleep still sucked (my sleep has sucked for almost 10 years). One of the biggest reasons I quit coffee and caffeine in general was to increase my sleep quality. I thought that eliminating caffeine would finally enable me to sleep deeply. After I hit month 9 I was still waking up multiple times during the night and not entering deep sleep for longer than 30 minutes at a time. Without coffee I am much more able to function throughout the day even while feeling tired, but feeling sleep deprived day after day just flat out sucks.
One of the lifestyle changes I adopted after quitting caffeine was eating cleaner and adding more protein into my diet, this helped me have a bit more energy during the day but I still felt tired most of the time and it did not help me get less restless sleep. So despite quitting caffeine, eating whole foods, removing processed foods from my diet, keeping a consistent wakeup and bed time routine, along with all the other recommended sleep habits (getting sunlight in the morning, putting away electronics in the evening, sleeping in dark room etc), I still felt like an insomniac until...
I made a few changes in my lifestyle and almost immediately, after years of shitty sleep, I am finally getting consistently good sleep, not amazing but 10x better than before and each night's sleep is getting better than the night before. I am sitting here writing this with so much energy in the afternoon I just can't help but share!
So 4 days ago I started eating breakfast within an hour of waking up. Before quitting coffee, I would drink 2 cups on an empty stomach and not eat breakfast until around 11am/noon. After quitting coffee, I still kept the habit of not eating breakfast until the afternoon (intermittent fasting). A friend recently commented on this behavior and mentioned that I may be harming my metabolism and stressing out my body by not eating anything until lunch time. This led me to investigate how my metabolism works, and after reading all the symptoms of a slow/dysfunctional metabolism I was ready to experiment with some changes.
So 4 days ago I started eating shortly after waking up (within an hour) along with eating more calories (nutritious whole foods) throughout the day in an attempt to boost my metabolism and just after one day of doing this my sleep started improving. Nothing else has changed in my lifestyle, and after 4 days of eating 30 minutes of so after waking up my energy during the day has been off the charts. It's important to note that I have already been eating really clean and nutrient dense food (lots of fruits, grass-fed animal protein, grass-fed dairy etc).
I think a big reason why these changes of eating earlier in the day and eating more is working for me is that when you are in a fasted state your cortisol levels increase in your body and this stress can really slow down your metabolism and mess with your circadian rhythm. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8419605/#:~:text=For%20humans%2C%20cortisol%20begins%20to,levels%20%5B80%E2%80%9382%5D.
I am going to keep trying this routine of eating breakfast shortly after waking while eating more healthy meals throughout the day to see if my sleep keeps improving.
I wanted to give up and go back to coffee several times after quitting because I wasn't able to feel awake during the day. If you're currently struggling to sleep after quitting coffee AND you do any intermittent fasting or eat a late breakfast it may be something worth experimenting with.

Hello everyone, I'm not even sure exactly what I need to work on, but I figured having some outside perspective may benefit me to some degree so here I am. I feel like I have done nothing since graduating high school 10 years ago, especially when compared to peers. This may be long and convoluted, as I chronologically recount my experiences, so bare with me. I appreciate any advice I get here!
I did finish a science degree at a local university, which I regret in retrospect due to the lack of resources and lack of pushing me out of my boundaries. I had social anxiety that affected me functionally back then and also a few bad experiences, which resulted in a bad first year gpa-wise. This really shot me down and I struggled to raise my GPA to a competitive mark for vet school, which I was initially seeking. I started with signs of depression and feeling inadequate to my peers who seemed to be doing fine that year. I also had very little guidance in terms of university. My father tried to help, but his experiences were different from mine. The academic advisors at my university were also a 'revolving door' and so were often new and unfamiliar with the university and programs. Approaching graduation, I really thought If I made it out with a degree, I'd have decent career opportunities, which didn't happen. I tried applying to multiple places, but I am in a bilingual city and am not bilingual, so all I could manage were minimum wage jobs, while many friends were bilingual and at least got into government jobs. I graduated with no student debt, but ultimately felt frustrated at being unable to obtain a career. Luckily I do have great parents who have been awesome supports and encouraged me on.
I spent a gap year working and then went back into university under a different degree, hoping to raise my grades this time to apply to medical school. I obtained a scholarship that covered part of my tuition. I did actually do well, but then the pandemic hit- this combined with multiple projects and part-time jobs I was juggling spiraled me into burn out. I also got into a new romantic relationship and although he was a great guy, he demanded more of me than I could give and I realized we wanted different things, so I broke it off. Simultaneously, I dealt with a few situations that spiraled me into deeper depression. I cried nearly every other day for 3-4 months. I lost a few friends who I had realized were not good friends and pretty self-centered. However, that also meant I only had two friends left, who were not close by. Following the burn-out, I knew there was no way I could write the MCAT and go through the admissions process, so I applied to an accelerated nursing program and was accepted. I liked that nursing provided a definite opportunity for employment, as well as travel and flexibility in a shorter period of time.
Here is where I am at now:
I am half way through the program and nursing is not what I thought. I plan to continue the program as I think not having a career at this point is contributing to my depression and I hear nursing is different in real practice. We have unions for nurses here and it is a good career nevertheless. But I do feel a sense of loss for what I want to be and really struggle with retrospections, regretting previous choices. I want more for myself, but at this point, my depression has caused me to be constantly tired and worn out. I also feel that my memory has gotten bad. I feel as if I am a burden to my parents and wish I could do more for them. They have been so good to me and have worked so hard that I wish I could treat them instead of having them look out for me. I feel a sense of shame with having no career accomplishment nor significant other and this holds me back from connecting with peers, as I assume judgement or no commonality.
I don't really have a social life anymore. The one friend whom I have been close with often compares our situation these days (as far as looking up a nurse's salary) and that really does hurt me. I don't think it comes from malicious intent, but it has kept me from reaching out to her and I'm finding myself slowly closing up from other potential friends. I struggle with romantic connection. I am not really sure why, but I am extremely cautious in romantic relations and struggle finding someone I am truly attracted too. I did start with romantic relationships later in life than many.
My 10 year HS reunion is coming up this summer and I am absolutely not going; however, this has just made me feel a pit of despair concerning my choices and current situation. At this point, I'm just a professional student and I can't believe 7 years of schooling has gone by seemingly so fast. My depression has just been spiraling the past 2-3 years and it is something I constantly fight. Therapy is unfortunately not an option, as I don't have the finances for it. I truly think that if I hadn't such kind, understanding, and supportive parents, I would have become suicidal. However, sometimes I feel I don't deserve their unconditional love because I have done nothing to be proud of. I have even avoided going to family events, as I fear comparison to my cousins, who I deem more successful than myself.
I really do want to get better and strive for better. I have worked through my social anxiety, which no longer impedes me like it did in my early 20's. However, now it is feelings of despair and inadequacy that plagues my mind and causes me to be excessively tired with anhedonia on many days.

I dont know if I have BPD, i’m not here to self-diagnose cause that’s dangerous but I feel like I have traits/symptoms related to BPD? and i’m pretty young (16f) so I wanna be careful. I hope im not being offensive i really need help
Anyways, I got into an argument with my boyfriend and I started shutting down, I kept telling him to leave me alone and I didn’t wanna talk to him. This isn’t a first time thing, i’ve done this to him around 30+ times, broke up with him but he always saw past it and stayed with me and calmed me down. Despite our relationship being toxic and him cheating on me (twice), I still stayed with him cause I have attachment issues that i’ve been trying to break.
Well this time it was really bad, I blocked him and begged him to go away cause I felt like I was going crazy and that he’s always gonna cheat on me and abuse me and hurt me, I had 5 panic attacks in 2 days over this and I was physically ill. He tried to reassure me that he wasn’t gonna hurt me but I kept calling him a liar and bringing up stuff he done then when I calmed down, I came to my senses that I was thinking really emotionally and apologized. he’s still willing to give me another chance but I feel so terrible and he won’t let me go. anytime I mention breaking up he says no and tried to calm me down by sending me pictures of frogs or dogs

Hey ladies! My name is Kevin, and I’m a big nerdy goofball, and by big I mean both tall and chunky as well as well, just nerdy. Any love for the dad-bod physique? I am also a huge animal lover, and I’m here looking to find a regular (Discord) chat partner. I’m open to any race/ethnicity, but would prefer someone around my age and within a few time zones of GMT-5.
I’m very left leaning, child-free and non-religious. I love board games, television and film, history, animal care and food of all kinds. I am a big proponent for being active in local community support organizations as well as being an upstanding ally. I have recently become much more active in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights. Counter-protest date? I’m far from perfect, but making other people laugh or smile is what makes my day!
I do some freelance work here or there, but mostly I’m focusing on myself (physically and mentally!), my community, and more recently, fostering cats! Helping socialize semi-feral cats has become a passion of mine and something that I find incredibly rewarding. My first foster was just adopted! Yay Paddington!
I’d love to meet another animal lover, as my eventual dream would be to open up an animal sanctuary that doubles as a therapy center for humans. I have an unbreakable love for animals, and faith in their ability to help us heal. I think seeing a battered, scarred or withdrawn animal come out of their shell, seeking love, attention and comfort is one of the most rewarding things on the planet.
I’m a sucker for a cute giggle or laugh, freckles, curly hair and genuine passion about what interests you. Intelligence and emotional maturity are big things for me, but I’d also love someone to watch trashy reality TV with! Tell me about your pets, your D&D campaign, your favorite movie, or your dirty little secret! Let’s get to know each other. Please give me more than ‘hey’ or ‘how are you’ to work with!

Here’s what I look like: (https://imgur.com/a/QWQaZE3) I’m pretty tall (6’3”) with a lean build.
I’m a central Long Islander who’s just looking for good vibes with someone down-to-Earth, and hopefully also located on Long Island. Someone I could share memes and watch movies with. Someone I could talk to for hours into the night and share music and memes with. Weebs and gamers are especially welcome. If you’re on the awkward or introverted side, it’s far more likely to endear you to me than turn me away. I deal with demanding people and responsibilities being dumped on me at home AND at work, and nothing would make me happier than to meet someone I can let my guard down and decompress and geek out with.
I got promoted to project manager at the testing lab I work at about a month ago, and have been working long hours to acquaint myself with the position and get comfortable. In addition, I teach weekly ESL classes to Spanish and Haitian Creole-speaking locals. I’ve had to financially support my mom (long story short: my father is a complete non-factor in my life) and manage our home for the past few years, which has locked me into “workaholic” mode. With the promotion/raise, Mom’s health improving, and less need to work long shifts now that I’ve got my shit together though, it looks like I may be free to start relaxing and enjoying myself. Free to “live” a little, so to speak. My ultimate goal, career-wise, is to break into financial or managerial accounting, but hopefully not be married to my work and have time to take things easy and enjoy the little things in life between work.
Just about anyone who knows me would describe me as calm, collected, blunt, and generally on top of things. I don’t mince words when I see that something is wrong, and I like to see issues resolved or at least communicated as quickly and thoroughly as possible. I have a dry, sarcastic sense of humor that a lot of people seem to find hilarious. For anyone who cares (I personally don’t), I’m a Libra and apparently an extreme ISTJ. (A buddy made me take a test) Outside of my work and personal responsibilities, though, I tend to be pretty relaxed and unconcerned about most things. A lot of stuff just isn’t worth losing sleep over, you know? That aside, I tend to appreciate the more quiet and simple things in life, so I tend not to get along with loud or materialistic people, or people who always need drama and noise in their lives.
Just a few things I like to indulge in, when I can:
- Going out for excursions and exploring Long Island (lately I’ve been interested in exploring new parks and restaurants)
- Learning about animals and watching animal/pet videos
- Reading/Literature (I’m on a hunt for rustic, realistic/historical fiction kind of novels like Pearl S. Buck’s “House of Earth” trilogy or more psychedelic or dark works like Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore or Ozamu Dazai’s No Longer Human.)
- Documentaries about history, social phenomena, true crime, and nature
- Studying foreign languages (I know 4) as well as learning about foreign countries’ history, culture, and recent/current goings-on
- Anime and manga. Thoroughly familiar with Naruto (not Boruto, though), Dragon Ball Z, Fullmetal Alchemist, One Punch Man, My Hero Academia, and Attack on Titan, but now I’m more interested in more experimental, dark, and lesser-known/standalone works like Samurai Champloo or Texhnolyze or Mushishi. My most recent readthrough was Holyland.
- Gaming, although I’m as casual as it gets. I only have a Switch at the moment, and mostly play Smash, Saint’s Row, Animal Crossing, Sifu,and Street Fighter, although I’m getting more and more interested in fighting games by the day. I’m hoping to get a PS4 sometime in the future. Also currently replaying Pokemon HeartGold and Black 2, so Pokemon nerds, feel free to hit me up!
- Putting together folders of cool images, backgrounds, aesthetics, and scenery.
- Listening to music and putting together playlists. I’m super into metal, alternative, bossa… Anything on the mellower side, I guess, although I’ll listen to just about anything besides country. Tell me all about your favorite artists.

I'd like to preface this that I don't use Reddit much. I looked for alternative ways to do this with less publicity and more of a direct line to BlueTwelve, but I couldn't find any, but the option of not doing it at all feels wrong for how much it means to me. I don't know if anyone from the studio will see this, but I really hope you do.
When I bought and played your game, I did so during the worst time of my life. My 12-year old cat had just passed away after just going from healthy and normal to.. well, excruciatingly and visibly unhealthy in the span of a single week. When the time came to finally let him go, I was a mess. I couldn't even function. I couldn't go a single hour without bursting into tears. I missed my best friend so much. But the first time after his passing that I could go for longer than an hour without turning into a crying mess was when I bought and played your game.
I played the game in one sitting and during that time, I couldn't even imagine doing anything other than playing it. In a way I imagined it was my cat living through the game, somehow. I completed the game without a single game over as well, and for some reason that was extremely important to me.
When I finished the game, my mind started drawing all sorts of parallels to my friend's life with us. How he came, how he was, how he went.. He came to us by surprise at a dark time and he brought light to all of us. I hope people who finished the game can sort of see where I'm coming from.
And ultimately, in that time, your game helped me move on. It was the single best thing that could have happened to me. I just hope you guys know how much you did for me.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Here's to hoping we get to see the conclusion of our orange tabby friend's story as well.

Heyyyy lovely people how are you all doing. Im okay i just feel rather lonely lately and would love to make some new friends so... Here i am.
A bit about myself. My name ia danny im 21 and from the netherlands. I am talk active and a good listener. I love to talk to everyone and get to know all of you lovely people. I love nature, science, animals, random facts, lego's, and meeting new people. Im also a very caring and always want to help people by listeninging to them or give advise soo if you need any advise or just a vent than im all ears.
Im just looking for some new friends to talk to around the day. So message me my dms are open and i would love to hear from all of you!!

So I took coaching classes for an exam and the results came out pretty well. Upon sharing it with my teacher few days ago, she asked for a treat (jokingly), which I agreed to.
Excerpt of our convo today:
Me: Are you free tomorrow? My treat!
Teacher: Busy till evening.
Me: Alright, dinner it is.
Teacher: Okay…
Me: Do you know any good place?
Teacher: I don’t go anywhere. Don’t think too much. No need of treat.
Me: No way! I didn’t expect such results in exam. Will find a place.
Teacher: Okay
My dilemma: I only want to treat her because she helped me ace an exam I didn’t expect to. The relation is purely of a mentor and mentee with no romantic angle, but she is married and according to my friend, the way I approached is creepy. I’m really hoping she gives one more excuse so I can cancel the plan.
Questions:
1) Did I overstep my boundaries by ignoring her mild denial in confirming the plan?
2) Is it acceptable to go out for a meal with a teacher?

I've been relatively down on Nu Giant Bomb between the layoffs and departures, and I really want to give Jeff Grubb, Jan, and the entire crew tremendous credit for last night's stream. Much better produced than I expected (Jan is an absolute hero), Grubb was a terrific host, a good mix of guests, and a tremendous choice to have the Friday Night Forkin guy do the breaks. It all sounded good, the set looked great, and the guest lineup was diverse and interesting.
I have been watching since the early Ryan days, and I really thought after Gerstmann left that they would not be able to recapture the magic. E3 Giant Bomb has always been my favorite Giant Bomb.
They basically did last night, and it gave me more faith in Giant Bomb than I've had in a while. As someone who basically grew up on Giant Bomb, that means a lot to me. I am honestly kinda stunned by how great it was, and I can't wait for tonight and Sunday.
Thanks everyone. This was a really pivotal event and you all fucking nailed it.
Edit: i also thought it was sweet that Jeff Grubb reference Jeff Gerstmann's interview with Phil Spencer from ten years ago, felt touching in a weird way

Sudden influx of rats recently, nearly got chased out of my sister's garden by a few. All round king furlong and festival place.

She ended up being horrifically abused by her carers. I believe her parents had left town for the circus. The female victim ran into her sister at one point, who she told about the abuse. The sister didn’t believe it to be as severe as she was being told. The victim later dies of her injuries