"I like to think of myself as one of the happy generations." -Albert Rosenfield
"Coma" picks up with Dale Copper (Kyle MacLachlan) and Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer) going over the murder of Jacques Renault (Walter Olkewicz) and the mill fire. Albert also informs Cooper that his old partner, Windom Earle (Kenneth Welsh), has escaped the mental institution where he had been committed.
Cooper and Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean) visit Ronette Pulaski (Phoebe Augustine) in the hospital. She is unable to speak, but communicates to them that Leo Johnson (Eric Da Re) was not the man who hurt her. However, she reacts violently when Cooper shows her a sketch of BOB (Frank Silva). They end up putting out flyers of BOB across town, asking if people have seen him.
Later, Cooper and Truman meet with Hank Jennings (Chris Mulkey) for his weekly parole check-in and Truman reveals he and Hank used to be friends and Bookhouse Boys together. They get a call from Ben Horne (Richard Beymer) revealing that Audrey (Sherilyn Fenn) is missing.
Donna Hayward (Lara Flynn Boyle) begins delivering food for the Meals on Wheels program. She delivers food to Mrs. Tremond (Frances Bay) and her grandson (Austin Jack Lynch). She suggests talking to her neighbor, Mr. Smith (Lenny Von Dohlen), about Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). Donna knocks on his door, but there is no answer, so Donna leaves a note. That night, while recording a song with James (James Marshall) and Maddy (Sheryl Lee), Mr. Smith gives her a call back to schedule a meeting. Then Maddy has a vision of BOB coming at her and she screams, but the others don't see anything.
At the Double R Diner, Major Briggs (Don Davis) is approached by the Log Lady (Catherine E. Coulson). She says her log is telling the Major to "deliver the message," which Briggs understands. He later visits Cooper and reveals that part of his job is monitoring deep space monitors, which regularly pick up signals of gibberish. They received a clear message the night Cooper was shot, which said "The owls are not what they seem." A later message repeated Cooper's name three times.
Deputy Andy (Harry Goaz) revels that he is sterile and asks Lucy (Kimmy Robertson) how she can be pregnant. She doesn't answer him.
Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) sees one of the posters of BOB and recognizes him as the man who lived next door to his grandfather's summer house. He rushes off to tell the Sheriff.
Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) convinces Shelly (Mädchen Amick) not to give a statement about Leo to the Sheriff, so Leo won't go to jail. Since Leo is in a coma, they plan to bring him home so Shelley can get rich off his disability checks.
Audrey catches Emory Battis (Don Amendolia) in a compromising position at One Eyes Jacks. She gets him to reveal that Ben owns One Eyed Jacks and that they recruit girls through the perfume counter at the department store, including Laura and Ronette. She later manages to call Cooper, but is unable to tell him her location before she is caught by Emory and Blackie (Victoria Catlin).
What Works:
I love the opening of the episode with the conversation between Cooper and Albert. Anytime Albert gets to deliver sarcastic lines, I'm a happy man, but we also get to see behind the wall for once, when Albert checks in with Cooper's physical health. It's a nice moment in a very funny scene.
Donna meeting Mrs. Tremond and her grandson is more of the show descending into madness and I'm here for it. The disappearing creamed corn is fantastic and surreal.
Major Briggs has a fantastic episode in only two scenes. I love his interactions with the Log Lady and the compassion and understanding he shows her in their conversation. I also love his conversation with Cooper near the end of the episode and the reveal of the deep space messages.
Leland seeing the poster of BOB is a chilling moment that works even better when you know all of Leland's character arc. It's a small moment, but it's very effective on the rewatch.
Finally, Maddy's vision of BOB is one of the most frightening moments in television history. Frank Silva is always incredible, but more importantly is how it's shot. It looks like BOB is breaking through various barriers on his way to Maddy and the viewer. By the end of it, it feels like BOB is going to break out of the TV and get you. It's absolute nightmare fuel and one of the scariest moments of the series.
What Sucks:
We really have to earn seeing the vision of BOB because just before that is one of the most infamous scenes in Twin Peaks. The song James, Donna, and Maddy sing almost defies description. It's so bad that all I could do was laugh. It comes out of nowhere with literally no setup and it's just a terrible song. It's one of the most painful moments of the series.
Crystal Coffee:
The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode. For "Coma," I'm giving this award to Major Briggs for the compassion he shows the Log Lady and for understanding and delivering the message to Agent Cooper. This is his first time winning this Award.
Verdict:
This is an iconic episode for good and bad reasons. The song is painful, but it's worth it for Maddy's vision of BOB. We also get some really awesome and sometimes creepy and chilling moments from Albert, Major Briggs, Mrs. Tremond, and Leland. This episode has absolutely got it going on.
9/10: Great

Harry's been through a lot of crap in his short life, but it wasn't all bad. He was raised by people who hated him and locked him in a cupboard, but now he has friends and a true home at Hogwarts. Sure, Hogwarts life is far from peaceful, be he managed. He had his friends to rely on, after all. He didn't expect to encounter a troll, a dead unicorn, a jinxed broom, a dangerous series of magical trials or a teacher possessed by his parents' murderer during his first year, but what can you do?
A house elf trying to keep him away from school and trying to 'help' by putting him in danger was inconvenient. The bloody writing on the wall and petrifications was worrying. The social ostracism after accidentally outing himself as a parselmouth hurt. So did losing Hermione to petrification. Seeing his best mate's sister was a bit traumatising. So was fighting a freaking basilisk and nearly dying after getting bitten. But it was fine. It's all over now and everyone got back together, safe and healthy.
Finding out there was a mass murderer on the loose was alarming. Even more so when he heard the maniac was probably after him. Facing dementors and hearing his mother's last moments was horrible. Them costing a quidditch match and his prized broom was just rubbing salt in the wound. Seeing a strange dog lurking around while a teacher enthusiastically predicted his death was a tad disturbing. Finding out his teacher was an old mate of his dad's was a surprise. So was finding out his 'murderer' godfather was a decent bloke. Losing the real traitor and a chance at a new home stung. That was a rough year, but at least he managed to learn the patronus charm and keep his godfather's soul intact. The dementors were sent away, surely things would get better next year...
... Or not. He dreams of an old man's murder and the much anticipated Quidditch World Cup is soured by a terrorist attack. Then a deadly tournament is revived and he is entered against his will. He's shocked, but some part of him thinks he should be used to facing mortal peril now. He's a pariah at school, just like second year. This time, the media is up in his business and Ron doesn't believe him either. That really hurt. He apologised eventually, but to forgive is not to forget. At least now he isn't fighting with his friend while worrying about an assassin. The tasks go as well as they can, until they don't. He just wanted to share the victory. He didn't plan to end up in a graveyard. Cedric is dead and a monster had himself resurrected with Harry's blood before torturing him. No one is meant to endure such things. He manages to get back to the safety of Hogwarts, only to be cornered by a Death Eater posing as a teacher. After everything is said and done, Fudge denies everything. You-Know-Who can't possibly be back. Harry's experience means nothing.
That summer, Harry crumbles. His mind keeps replaying that terrible night, over and over. He wonders what he could have done differently. He wonders if Mr Diggory blames him for his son's death. He wonders what Voldemort will do now and if there's an attack waiting just around the corner. His relatives offer no comfort, not that he expects them to. He did think Ron and Hermione would have been more supportive, but their letters don't soothe him at all. They were busy, but wouldn't say with what. It wasn't safe. They would see him soon, but wouldn't say when. It wasn't safe. They were doing something together, but he was left completely in the dark. Sirius wasn't much help either. Sure, he sympathised with Harry's frustration at the lack of news, but he wasn't offering any answers either. Harry gets the impression no one really wants to talk to him. It isn't safe. He isn't safe. How many times had his bad choices, his mere presence even, put his loved ones in danger? Voldemort had just returned, of course they'd be hesitant to associate with his primary target. It got Cedric killed, after all. Even before all this mess, he was probably too dangerous to be around. Why else would Lupin have taken so long to reveal himself as a friend of James, rather than a regular teacher? Was a letter too much to ask? Maybe he blamed Harry for his best friend's death. It made sense, to Harry at least.
Things get worse. Harry hears the crack indicating someone has apparated or disapparated. He doesn't know if it was friend or foe, and the uncertainty sets him on edge. Later, dementors attack. Despite his depressed mood, he manages to fend them off only to find out he's been expelled for underage magic. The ministry wants to snap his wand. The thought breaks him. His friends won't talk to him and he'll never see Hogwarts again. The news that he can attend a hearing to argue his case doesn't cheer him up any. He's a useless wizard. A burden, a danger, a liability. Strangers were spying on him, always watching but never reaching out. It wasn't safe. Old Mrs Figg had kept tabs on him for years without saying anything. Mr Weasley and Sirius had sent letters. They didn't ask if he was okay or offer any reassurance, just warned him to stay put and not do magic. They were probably mad at him for being so reckless as to use magic out of school. Though he logically had no choice, it was his fault for luring the dementors in the first place. He was a trouble magnet, everything was always his fault.
Several days pass, and Harry has sunk further into depression. He doesn't eat much and hardly leaves his bed. Sometimes he thinks about the night at the graveyard. Sometimes he stares blankly at the wall, not really thinking about anything at all. Sometimes he waits, though he's not sure what for. He hasn't gotten any more mail and still doesn't know what's going on. He doesn't really care anymore. He is taken to Grimmauld Place by members of the Order of the Phoenix, buy no one notices until after they arrive just how subdued he is. He doesn't ask questions. He doesn't demand answers. He didn't protest when he was nudged toward the room where Ron and Hermione waited. He just did what he told, too tired to argue and not wanting to mess anything else up.
Ron and Hermione are quicker to notice something is wrong. Harry doesn't return Hermione's hug. He doesn't greet his friends, smile or say much. They apologise for not writing more, but he doesn't accept the apology as he thinks they have no reason to give one. Dumbledore said they couldn't write to him. It wasn't safe. Dumbledore knew best, after all. Harry's not angry about the lack of communication. He's not really worried about the dementors or hearing either. He doesn't really feel much at all anymore. Even the misery had mostly given way to numbness. He's not allowed at the Order meeting, so he goes to bed. He's tired and not hungry anyway. His friends bring their concerns to the adults, who are surprised and worried. They expected an annoyed, frustrated teenager to beg for information, not a quiet boy who barely interacted with anyone.
Harry continues to be distant and withdrawn, and the Order starts to realise it probably isn't a good idea to isolate a traumatised teenager. They apologise for the secrecy. They try to include him in activities and conversation. Some offer physical gestures of affection. Harry doesn't respond to any of it. He still thinks it's too dangerous to associate with them. Everything they did was all for the best, he won't waste their efforts now by asking questions and getting attached. He helps with cleaning because he is told to. He occasionally sits at the dinner table because he is told to, but he can't bring himself to really eat anything. He spends the rest of his time in bed, though he rarely sleeps. Guilt is eating away at the people who see him like this. They almost wish for an angry teenage outburst, it had to be better than this shell of a person. Harry was broken, and it was all their fault for not being there when he needed them.
Harry's hearing goes as well as it can, but he's not thrilled. He's not safe. Hogwarts isn't safe. Maybe it would have been better if he was expelled after all. The school year starts, and he's pretty much unresponsive to everything. He doesn't react to the slander by the media and students. He doesn't argue with Umbridge. He barely acknowledges Snape's criticism. Those who pay attention don't know what to make of it. This isn't the Harry Potter they knew.
So... I got a bit carried away but I'd love it if someone could flesh this out a bit. I keep seeing stories of Harry where he's loud and yells at everyone after abandoning him all summer, or some where he's still angry but less explosive. I can't blame him given all the crap he's endured, but how does he have any fight left in him after all that? The kid went through the worst experiences possible, and no one thinks it's a bad idea to leave him alone in that state of mind? It annoyed me how quickly he forgave in canon, but maybe I'm just petty and don't understand how important companionship is for those who've been deprived of it. Anyway, I want to see a version of Harry that's given up and is completely dead inside, one that manages to make people feel bad despite doing what he's told and staying out of trouble.

So, my boyfriend Travis and I decided many years ago to have a science baby together. After getting back from the clinic we got more than we bargained for--twins!
I am a professional musician, and Travis brings in extra money as a freelance programmer. Before the kids, we had plenty of time to be romantic with each other (which worked out well, as I tend to be a pretty "romantic" guy! 😉
But after Lauren (F) and Chase (M) came into our lives, things changed. We built an addition onto our small home for them, moved to a bigger house after they started elementary school, and added onto that.
Money has been tight, bills have been MUCH higher, Travis has had to take on more work, and I've been painting a lot in my free time to help make ends meet (despite the fact I am furthering my career). We've been fine, but Travis and I have to be more... intentional about our relationship, you know?
So, this brings us to the incident in question: I recently took PTO so Travis and I could spend the day together at home. Nothing fancy--we just spent a date-day together. After getting a little frisky (several times!) we decided to dance naked together in the living room to some alternative music.
...Then the kids came home. They're in high school, so they can walk the short distance from school--no car or bus to warn us. We have 2 front doors, and they chose the one we were standing RIGHT in front of.
Needless to say, we were all embarrassed. My daughter went straight to her room to set in on her homework, and still won't look me in the eye.
I'm a little surprised about Chase though, as Travis had "The Talk" about woo-hoo with him a couple nights earlier--in front of their childhood friend, and over dinner, no less!--and he seemed fine after the initial awkwardness. He's also a total "bro", and doesn't wear a shirt at the gym. For that matter, all of us are pretty athletic (Travis hates working out, but hits the weights and treadmill regularly!), and the kids grew up learning they shouldn't be ashamed of their bodies.
So why the dramatic reaction? AITA?

I’ve 39 )f) been dating my boyfriend 33(m) for about two years. He can be very kind but in a way. The problem is he either expects me to make a plan to do something or I’m just supposed to go to his house and we watch whatever movies or sports he wants to. I never get a choice. He is protective of me which I like, but tells me outright he hides his feelings. So I do the same and he says it makes him withdraw. It confuses me. When we speak on the phone he is always doing something else, and expects me to carry the conversation. I have to say I am becoming bored but I don’t know how to bring it up because he might think I’m commenting on his financial state (he barely supports himself and I help him but I have a lot of money that he seems to enjoy). I’m used to dating older guys who want to be equals or take care of me (not that I need it). He treats me like my former boyfriends (in terms of bossiness and taking me for granted) but also makes me pay for everything. Maybe my friends were right and it is too much of a class difference to succeed. I know money isn’t the most important thing but he treats me like a sugarbaby (and I don’t think sugar babies should be bossed around either) to assert some kind of masculinity that feels inauthentic.
Should I talk to him? I’m afraid he will become angry and morose. Should I ignore? I’m not sure there is a future. Should I end it?
Just for context, I’m a barrister and he works part time in a shop. We do not live together and don’t have kids or pets.

We’ve known each other since freshman year of college (13 years). We see each other once or twice a year and the only reason why I’m calling it a situationship is because we have had feelings for each other in the past and they haven’t really gone away on my end and I think he still has feelings for me too. We both definitely still see other people but we don’t bring up hook ups or if we’re dating anyone in any conversations. We talk on the phone/FaceTime every single day. He calls me on his way to work and on the way home. He calls me when he’s running errands and when he’s going anywhere. Some would think we are just best friends which I agree, we are. We tell each other basically everything. But he will randomly (not super often) make sexual jokes or say something about wanting to hookup, etc.
It’s getting to a point where I don’t know how long I can take this. As I type this out it seems silly but I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I feel like he gets all the emotional support of a partner without actually having one. How should I confront him? I obviously want him in my life but if he doesn’t want a future with me then I need to say something. I’m at a point in my life where I’m able to move and work from wherever and I would be willing to do that if he wanted to take things seriously.
Is it worth it to even have that conversation? I’m a firm believer in the saying “if he wanted to, he would” and it’s been playing in the back of my mind for 6 years…..and he’s never made and comments about wanting to be together.

I'm (32yo HLM) a longtime lurker in this sub under a different name (people IRL know my Reddit username). My wife (28yo LLF) and I have been married seven years, with a DB for the majority of that time. I think the best we've done outside the first year of our marriage is maybe 3-4 times in a single month. If every month was like that I would probably be pretty satisfied but it's usually much less frequent than that. It reached a point last year that I started seriously contemplating divorce. So much that I actually brought it up to her. She handled it surprisingly well and we both re-committed to each other and our sex life. I was feeling positive, and we'd been seeing a therapist for a while. We refocused our sessions to be devoted to our sex life... for a few weeks.
I'm feeling like we're right back where we were now, with one exception. I also recently reconnected with an ex, and decided the smart thing to do to protect myself from the possibility of adultery and just fucking my whole life up was introduce her to my wife. They actually hit it off incredibly well the first time we hung out--so well, in fact, that there were VIBES. (My wife is bisexual)
Those vibes have gotten stronger at an alarming rate. Our relationship with this ex has developed to the point that the three of us have explicitly communicated that a threesome in our future is almost definitely going to happen. This has brought up a shitload of very complicated emotions for me. On the one hand, I could have a sexual experience from my wildest dreams. It would take a ton of work on my marriage in order for it to happen in a healthy way, though. My wife and I have communicated this to each other, and she says she's willing to put forth the work it would take to bring our sex life and marriage in general to a level that she would feel comfortable inviting someone else into our bed. Unfortunately, she has a pretty serious track record of making sexual promises and failing to deliver. If I had to be honest, I would probably say she has a 20% follow-through rate (this has improved recently, but I'm not sure how relevant that is). I feel guilty being upset about this because her sexual hangups are mostly trauma related.
An additional wrinkle to this situation with my ex is that as we've gotten closer with her I'm realizing more and more that she's my ideal woman. We dated in high school and were both too immature (and religious) to really even figure out what our chemistry might be like. Since our conversations with her are often sexual, learning her sexual preferences and what turns her on has been very eye-opening. She seems perfect (I am aware that my current dissatisfaction is surely affecting this). She essentially seems to meet every criteria that I feel my wife is lacking, which makes me feel like an absolute piece of shit. I've entertained ideas of trying to date her again if I were to divorce my wife, but she ADORES my wife and I have a hard time believing she would go for it for that reason alone. Not to mention I feel like co-parenting our kid together would be a fucking nightmare if I was dating/married to someone she considered a very close friend.
My wife also sends mixed signals. She is easily the one who refers to and jokes about us having a threesome the most often, and yet seems the least interested in it. My ex and I have both communicated to her that we're ready yesterday, but there is no pressure to do it before she's ready (in fact neither of us is even interested if she isn't 100% on board).
I made a commitment to myself that I would stick it out until February 2024 (maybe it seems silly to y'all but that was my therapist's advice haha) but I would cut the cord early if I felt too overwhelmed by the absolute deadness of my bedroom.
My hangups are purely logistical/utilitarian. We just signed a lease on a new place we absolutely love (probably not a good idea if I'm considering divorce but our old place was fucking horrible for our mental health) so one of us would have to live here, and frankly as much as it pains me to admit it I think she would be the one staying here until the lease ends even though I'm the only one who works. I don't want to be living in some shithole apartment barely able to afford rent because I'm not only paying child support (and possibly alimony) but also I'm paying for my ex-wife to live in this apartment.
It just feels like I'm being pulled in so many directions that it's hard to know what the best decision would be. I'm not necessarily in a rush to make a decision now, but if things don't improve between my wife and I in a meaningful way soon I don't know if I'll make it to February (let alone the threesome that might happen at some unspecified date in the future). It is so overwhelming that it has caused me panic attacks, and I find myself isolating more and more because I don't want to let on that something is amiss beyond being horny and unsatisfied. This is obviously an unsustainable situation.
I feel like I'm rambling so I'll just end it here. Thanks for reading if you've gotten this far.
TL;DR: I (HLM) am torn between divorcing my LL wife because there's a (small) chance I could end up having a FFM threesome with her and my ex if I stay and we work out our problems, even though nothing seems to have worked in the past.

Fair warning: We're both in college and are in no way planning on having a child nor are we ready.
When we started our relationship back in highschool, both of us had similar views on parenting and having kids in general. We wanted none.
Recently, I have found myself having a change of heart regarding the same. I didn't know how to bring it up. Our plan was to always abort the child if I got pregnant by accident but now I don't think I could. We were laying in bed after having sex and I told him that if I ever got pregnant, I wouldn't be able to go through with the abortion.
To be honest, I was expecting a very apathetic or a logical response, something like, well we wouldn't want kids and that we're not ready or something that would be a long the lines of trying to brush the topic away.
What he did instead was really unexpected. He looked at me, kissed me and picked me up to be in his arms and whispered in my ears that he wouldn't want that either. I was so happy when I heard that, I hugged him and started crying. He said, if it was a child with me, he would love that child to no ends. He proceeded to say that we'd be great parents and told me he has been dreaming of a family despite what we had planned in the past. It made me unbearable happy that I still smile with giddyness when I think of how he said it.
This has been on my mind for so long but I didn't want to say anything to other friends of mine because a lot of them are single or just went through a break-upband don't really like talking about their relationships.

I tried to attempt on the 27th, like at 2AM.i took a few pills and went to sleep thinking it'd be successful. No, I woke upike an hour or two later and let me tell you I was disappointed. I felt that if I told my bsf or bf I'd just be annoying and a burden but I told them anyway. They were caring and supportive but ever since I felt like my bf and I are talking a bit less, I'm probably being annoying or just draining idk.
I understand that he has his own life, friends, etc,. I'm not trying to hold him back or make it all about me, I just feel like I did something wrong or something changed between us because of my mental health.
I overthink a lot, so I ask if I'm annoying or if he's losing interest but he says he's not and I know that, I know that he cares and everything, ig it's just anxiety idk.
Sometimes I don't even want to be here, I feel miserable all the time, every day feels the same, like I'm in a loop. I try to watch South Park, scroll on my phone, do things I used to like to distract myself but that's not really working, still feel miserable as fuck and I hate it. I try to go to sleep so I don't have to be awake and be with myself but I have a hard time sleeping.
On top of that, I have a ton of school work to catch up on, my grades are dropping, the quarter ends tomorrow and I have no motivation to do anything or even try to pay attention in class. Ik ima have to stay up tonight trying to catch up and study but at this point I really don't give a fuck about my report card- I just don't want to have any missing work, even if it means I get an F.
Keystone testing is in a month and I don't know shit of what we've been doing in class and I'm dreading going to a public site for testing and testing. I have spring break soon and I just wanna spend it staying in bed doing nothing- I don't wanna clean, go out, I don't wanna do anything. I have no motivation at all and I'm hating everything rn.
My mom told me that im not trying and that she can't be the only one trying- like dude don't even say that to me rn. I can't even do dishes and my brother calls me lazy when he has no fucking clue what I have going on- it's been like this for years off and on. The bathroom is getting dirty, I need to deep clean my room since my cat is gonna have kittens, my mom wants to decorate and renovate this stupid house, especially in the summer and I'm so tired and everything seems so stressful and overwhelming.
My mom only knows abt my sh, but my family doesn't and ik they're gonna ask n shit when they see it in the summer and ik ima feel so embarrassed, exposed, and ashamed. She's gonna make me wear summer clothes, I had to lie to her a few days ago bc she wants me to put on lotions to help my scars fade but I don't want them to. I didn't like lying to her about that but I don't want them to fade, I don't want to wear summer clothes- idgaf if I'm dying in the heat wearing a sweater and long pants.
But hey if my family sees and they ask l, judge me or just stare, it is what it is ig.
I'm lying to my bf and my best friend about my well-being, I'm saying I'm doing ok but they tell me to be honest but I "reassure" them bc I don't need them to worry aboue even more, and they probably have their own things going on and I don't want to add onto that.
I can't even sh any more bc ik my mom will probably be doing checks on me to see if I have. Like throwing it away and all isn't gonna do shit or not make me not want to sh. I'm a week clean, I've never been a week clean before and I feel like ima relapse soon. I miss sh, the feeling it gave me. I felt relief and it gave me a release, it made me feel better and I know it's unhealthy and bad-i don't wish that upon anyone but I honestly don't regret it anymore and I don't see the problem with it.
I can't tell my mom why I sh and I can't tell her anything, I'm too scared, I'm scared she'd get mad but she's been caring and supportivr all this time. But sometimes it does feel like she's mad at me for it but ik she's just frustrated bc I can't let her in. I don't wanna go to counseling, idk if I'd be able to open up- especially about my secret failed attempt. I'm scared I'd be sent to a hospital or psych ward tbh. I haven't seen my family in like 2 months and when I saw my grandma the other day I said hi to her and then my cousins and now I hear that my grandma is spreading lies and n shit about me saying that I ignored her when I fucking didn't. I said HI TO HER WYM? my mom was there and bruh she saw that I said hi- hate when my grandma does that tbh. We live right next door to her, my cousins live across the street from us. My grandma always goes visit our cousins and go to other people's houses and calls them but never us. And she'll never understand the social anxiety, depression, and anxiety I have, my grandparents can bring very toxic and are super religious so I'm sure you can imagine how that'd go.
I'm honestly thinking of attempting again or relapsing soon. I took a few pills but it didn't work and I felt nauseous the next day and some slight stomach pain which is still going on but I'm ok lol.
My family sees me as the "smart" one and I feel like the only thing that I'm good for is music, art, and academics since I draw and play piano, etc. I feel like I need to be perfect and know everything but idgaf, school is shit, I'm tired of it and stupid biology. I can't bring myself to do work and actually try and study for it, ik its lazy and if I wanna actually do well I need to try but I literally can't do it. Idk if you understand.
As I stated previously, I try to do things I used to have interest in to distract myself but it's not even working anymore, I don't feel good watching South Park anymore even though it's hilarious at, same with scrolling on tiktok and drawing or playing piano. I still feel fucking miserable, and oh my counselor suggested that whenever I feel like self harming, I go to my art and music but BRUH I ALREADY TRIED THAT WAY BEFORE I MET YOU AND YOU TELLING ME THAT!!!
It's wtv I guess lol. BTW, don't think that me saying lol or lmao is me thinking it's funny n shit, it's not, I just "joke" about it to cope ig and I'm being sarcastic like none of this is funny. I'm truly hating my life rn. I know I have everything I want, I have it easy while others are really struggling but still yk?
Sometimes after a crying for like 20 min straight, or thinking abt all this, Im all like hold on- this is kinda cringe. Idk if that's just me😭
But ye, just a lil vent ig lmao🤭

When I messaged her first, I asked if she wanted to kick it/smoke sesh. She agreed and we set it up for that following Sunday. The day comes and I msg her to confirm if we were still good to go out. At first she did try to bail saying that she didn’t have anything to smoke and that she felt “icky” from work, so maybe rain check. However I was able to convince her to go, saying that all she had to worry about was getting ready and that I would take care of taking stuff for our smoke sesh.
When I messaged her that I was on my way. She then asked if I could bring my dog ( I have a cute dog) and I said yeah. When I got to her place, she even decided to bring her dog as well. After that we went to a park near her house, walked the dogs for a bit, talked, and then stopped on this one bridge to smoke a joint. (One thing tho is that while we were talking she did mention her past (2) boyfriends. The first time she was telling me that she made fun of one for not knowing how to park (lmao). The other one I will say is a friend of myn and someone she still friends with. She just told me she hanged out with him the day before and if I had talked to him recently )
After that we decided to go get some food, so we dropped off the dogs at her house. Then we were driving around for a bit trying to find something to eat since a lot of restaurants were already closed and decided to stop at a small mall near her place. We walked around for a bit looking at stores. There was even a small arcade that we went into and were there trying to win a plush from one of the claw machines. After that we went to go get food. After we ordered we had gone into a store to see if she could use the restroom. While we were there, she had seen a poster for the new Mario movie and suggested that if it was out already we would’ve gone to watch it. So I said if she was down to go watch it when it comes out and she said she was down.
After we got our food, we went to this park she knew about that had a nice looking fountain/waterfall. When we got there we smoked for a bit, ate, and talked some more. When we were ready to leave, I asked where to now, and she said home, so I took her home. As we were getting to her house, she actually straight up told me that she tried to bail on me but that shes glad she didn’t and that she had fun. And that if I wanted to sesh again to just hit her up. When I was dropping her off, after she had said bye to my dog and everything she looked at me, and I guess she got nervous and gave me first bump hand shake.
A couple of days later I had msged her again if she was down to get some food. She replied saying that she was too broke to go and that she was sorryyy. I told her since I was the one inviting that I would pay. She has yet to reply to that.
And that’s pretty much how the first date went. I know this might seem childish but I really like this girl and don’t wanna mess it up with her

Title. Let’s be honest we all know the power creep is real and some weapons feel underwhelming. But I feel like I can viably use a variety of builds and weapons in content and have fun; and the content is difficult but rewarding. The first time I flawlessed a lost sector on legend after a few hours of trying, I felt so accomplished. I think a few adjustments to overtuned classes and weapons and bring some of those underwhelming weapons up would put the cherry on top. And before I hear that it’s too hard to reasonably complete. My best friend that has never played destiny before in his life started playing at the start of light fall and has completed most legend content in the game already, and he’s looking to start master content. As a new player, it’s not that hard.

I'm in a friendly league and my next matchup is against a World Eaters player. He might bring Angron, but I think it's more likely that he'll go with the Lord Invocatus route. It's a 2000 point game and I'm expecting just a ton of 5-man Eightbound units, Exalted Eightbound, and 5-man Berserkers. I'll be playing Emperor's Children.
Only one of the other guys in the league has managed to beat him, and so I grilled him on how he did it. He plays Tyranids, and said that he stacked his army with 3-wound weapons so that he could pop the Eightbound with single shots when they fail their saves.
I'm trying to figure out what I've got in my arsenal that I could use to take him down.
Forgefiends have the Ectoplasmic Cannon which does 3 wounds, but Unitcrunch is telling me that a single Forgefiend doesn't have the firepower to take down a unit of Eightbound in one volley. I've got lots of Obliterators but likewise even a unit of 3 is unlikely to take down a whole unit of Eightbound per turn. I usually run a big blob of Terminators but I'm not sure how effective they'll be this time around.
Based on the sheer number of powerful melee dudes running directly at my face, I need something that can pop one of his units per turn and come in at under the cost of his units, and I'm not sure if I have access to something that'll do the trick.

I started playing this game on and off since 2016. I mostly played 2v2 with a friend and we had a gratifying (albeit slow) climb in our ranks since then. As we progressed we noticed our increase in ability both technical and tactical and the game was always fun to play even when we lost cause we could always learn from the mistakes we've been making.
I've noticed however, mainly starting from last season and into this one, that the game is now pretty much smurf ridden in the rank that we happen to play (mid Champ 1). Noticing this, I started tracking our opponents and almost every single one of them is playing on secondary accounts with few and fewer wins and reaching even higher ranks than we are. Some games I can tell that the smurfs must be slightly above our rank because we don't notice such a difference in ability, but more and more I've been experiencing that I enter a game where I am completely "owned" and I am not AT ALL at the level of my opponents and in almost all cases it is accompanied with these accounts with almost no wins.
Last days we happened to play one of these games, where we felt completely "owned" by our opposition and still barely won and then to cope with this the game slapped even more depressing matchups to which we are completely incapable of dealing with the level of play.
I never played this game to reach this or that rank, but defeats used to be such an important aspect of the game where we could learn where were the mistakes being made. Being stomped hard doesn't lead to any kind of learning aspect and just brings frustration to a game it is supposed to be fun to play in our free time. And as the free time begins to shrink due to adult responsibilities I no longer feel that the game is worth playing even though I love it to death (at least 2v2s).

I just bought the magazine and read the full interview, it's long, 5 pages, mainly about his composition for the Mythologies ballet. Some interesting parts:
About the orchestral composition
"I went into total immersion. [...] I started to read and reread sheet music, and many treatises on orchestration, like the one from Berlioz."
"(The composition) is a solitary work, which is then supported by 20 dancers, 55 musicians and 40 technicians. [...] A human undertaking, opposite to technology-based experimentations."
"I invited Guy-Manuel and other friends to see the ballet in Bordeaux."
About future projects
"I am always working on new projects. Of course. [...] Exploring and researching stuff is what gets me out of bed in the morning."
"I was 18 when we started Daft Punk [...] 46 when we stopped. All those experiences accomplished with Guy-Man, today it interests me to explore with other artists and alone, to dig and see what can come out. [...] I prefer the idea of artistic creation which asks questions rather than the idea which brings answers."

throwaway. yesterday was a weird one. i (26f) live in a busy city and was waiting outside a cafe with my dog when a strange man stopped in front of me on the street, maybe 2 feet away, and stared straight into my eyes. i said “hi” then “what’s up?” and he didn’t respond, just kept staring straight at me. i averted my gaze and waited for him to leave bc i didn’t want the situation to escalate. there were a lot of people around so i felt relatively ok. he walked away after about 30-45 seconds. i kept a lookout to make sure he actually left and just continued waiting by the cafe (i needed to use the printer inside and it had a line). oddly this has happened to me once or twice before so i was creeped out but not that phased.
so i told my bf (25m) and he immediately launched into “did you look really good?” “this doesn’t happen to ‘ugly’ girls or to guys” and then when i said “that’s not the point/that’s not true” and “no i was dressed normally,” etc. he said “do you have pepper spray?” knowing i don’t carry any. i said that wouldn’t have helped the situation and he said “i know but you should get some.” i said “we’ll see” not wanting this situation to escalate further. he said “when you say we’ll see that means no. i know how you are” and “i don’t want to talk about this if you’re not going to do something about it” i said “okay then yes” and then i had to go. he said love you back at the end of the call but really slowly like he was obviously upset. this is a pattern where i confide something in him for sympathy and it somehow comes out seeming like i’m this helpless, naive person. i think he is trying to compliment me in some messed up way & communicate he thinks i’m pretty but i just feel so misunderstood and belittled.
my friends i saw last night (m/f 25-27) say he was victim blaming (ik nothing actually happened, thank god) but my family would say he’s just protective. what do y’all think?? is this a big deal and worth bringing up to him?
disclaimer: we have other issues, i’m not a perfect partner, and there is of course nuance to our relationship. just looking for input on this pattern.

Things I think work

being successful, always works,, fulfill rule 1,2 and you dont have to read this post.. and in case youre getting there slowly, have a read..

Photo selection-

• Should not be repetitive, every photo should be about another dimension of your life
  • first photo should be of you alone, nice backdrop, nice outfit
  • one can be you engaged in a passive activity - daily work, hobby, gaming, ye wo,
  • one can be an active photo - gym, track, adventure sports, trip.
  • one can be a social photo - restaurant, dinner, ye wo
• do not overdo photos,
  • its not a rishta profile, and even if it is,, its still not it dude, do not show off that suit you bought for your didi's shaadi artificially, or those gym gains by standing half naked in front of a mirror. poor suit photo example; poor gym photo example
  • a photo should feel as natural as possible, good suit photo example good body flex example
• Photo Quality - preferably high,
• Captions on photos- give some context to the photos, write a 5-7 word story about that photo for ex- "the party wasnt as sober as this pic might suggest"/ "had river rafting on my bucket list for so long," / "if youre looking for the best pizza, you gottta try this place once"

Conversations

• case 1 - responding to an incoming like
  
  • lmao, tu kyu pad raha hai, tujhe konsa like aaya?
  • jk, if its a like on the photo, try talking about the caption/event in that photo
  • if its a like on a prompt - try building a convo around the prompt
  • if its a message, you already know what to do..
• case 2 - sending a convo starter
  
  • hey, hi, sup? no dude, doesnt work most of the times; instead send something that warrants a reply -
  • example can be - if its a food photo - you can send - looks amazing but what side dish would you order with this? /i hope you did not make your company wait long enough to get this perfect shot of the meal. / etc.
  • basically be active, its a distorted market, try to capture attention
• other suggestions
  
  • pick up the style of talking of your match - use the same emojis in a subtle way, if she is a lol girl, dont go hahahahahahahahahah, if she sends 2 msg at a time, reply w 2 at a time, if she sends a small para, respond with a small para
  • do not start with innuendos ever,, unless ofcourse, you are sure that you can pull that off, talk normally a couple of times, after that drop a very harmless innuendo, gauge the response, if it is positive, wait for the next time to make another, do not get stuck up in a series of sex jokes, they are dead deal.. and if the reply is negative, do not push it again atleast youre good friends with her.
  • asking for socials - good opportunities - when the conversation is going quick back and forth messages, or multiple messages replies - "ugh, hinge sucks for not letting us reply to individual messages";; when youre talking about something - "wait, i saw something about this the other day, i cant send it here but, hinge doesnt support attachments, socials?"

BF lives in our hometown (Im in another city) and we went to HS together. he's part of a big friend group, we all went to HS together. his best friend is A. before this all of us got on really well and would drink/hang out together anytime I was in town. all was well
for context, A had recently started dating a girl we also went to HS with, AGF
getting to the issue, my career is in animal shelter welfare, been in this industry since I was 16. it's my life passion and I love my job. currently a tech in the clinic at a DFW animal shelter which specializes in medical cases (parvo, orthopedic cases, needing eyes removed, etc) and I was just promoted to lead (yay!). when jobs came up at a party BF started bragging about my promotion (I love him) and got congrats from the group. great, if not a bit embarrassing lol. I was fine with the topic moving on
but AGF chimes in, "is your shelter no kill?"
I tell her we dont use that term, but dont euthanize animals for time/space/breed and have a live release rate of over 90%
she goes on to say we should because "I dont know if I could work at a shelter that isnt no kill, thats how you know it's a good one. I couldnt kill helpless animals". I'll admit, I got annoyed
explained to her as politely as I could that "no kill" is a bogus term that absolutely doesnt indicate if a shelter is "good" or not and is incredibly easy to achieve if you know how to game your live release statistics. examples being only taking in the most desirable, healthy, easy to adopt out animals and forcing more borderline animals to open intake municipal shelters, refusing to euthanize animals that are suffering/dangerous so they dont negatively effect numbers, or instead of euthanizing an animal they transfer them to another shelter who they know likely will, but it wont effect their numbers
AGF was upset and just said that doesnt change what she has seen online about what "those other shelters do" and every shelter should strive to be no kill and if we werent then it probably meant people would think we're "animal killers"
I snapped that our shelter has saved the lives of so many animals that needed treatment the overcrowded city shelters and even many "no-kill" shelters couldnt provide, and even if they ended up having to be euthanized, at least we knew we did everything possible to try and ended their suffering, and I am proud of the work my shelter does. regardless of what clueless keyboard activists like her think
she got teary and yelled that I was a bitch and "this is why no one liked you in highschool either". I have to admit, I kind of laughed and said it was really sad to have to bring highschool into this when we are all grown ass adults. she got more upset, BF and I made a quick exit to a bar near his house. he supports me but is in a weird spot because A is his best friend so he feels caught in the middle. but I wont apologize for explaining facts to someone and I can tell he is annoyed at me for this
I really am not sorry, and I refuse to give a disingenuous apology, but things are kind of a mess now because I guess she was doing a lot of crying and yelling after I left. BF hasnt explicitly told me I have to apologize but I can tell he wants me to due to his friendship with A. Im staying with my BF at his house and A is his roommate so things have been tense. AGF does bot live here. how should I approach/deal with this?

Original post incase you haven't read it and have a LOT of time on your hands:https://www.reddit.com/MensRights/comments/11tvihs/ive_been_accused_by_two_people_i_thought_were_my/?sort=confidence(You don't really need to read it you can kind of gain the rough outline of what happened with this post)
So I had an idea. I was falsely accused of terrible things (namely sexual harassment, regular harassment and "the intention of murder" (whatever the fuck that means))And well...It has had some consequences on my school life. A friend of mine told me some of his friends called me a rapist and tried to convince him to ditch me and I was actually confronted by two people in the bathroom recently. All is well now I guess they said they'd leave me alone but the looming feeling of everyone thinking I'm a rapist is fucking me up. I need to bring the two cunts responsible to justice. At first I thought this a fruitless indevor but I've since amassed a...considerable ammount of evidence against them. I'm going to name them here and I'd just like some of you to tell me whether it's a good idea or the dumbest you've ever heard. Trust me I've gotten both reactions often.I'D ALSO LIKE TO MENTION SOMETHING: I was planning on making this post later but yesterday I got a message from someone about my last post and I fucking ignored it like an idiot accidentally. If you're seeing this, sir...Please send it back it was actually cool.With all that out of the way, this is a list of the evidence I've ammased SO FAR:
- A screenshot of Anne (kind of) admitting she was verbally abusing me and also implied the reason being my former romantic interest in her (which she would later refute) This is tough evidence because she would later claim her mother wrote those messages but went on to tell me her mother said what she wanted to tell me. So I suppose it still counts
-A (semi) reliable witness. He is a close friend of mine but used to hang out with her as well and witnessed her messages to me when she admitted she was being "mean" and outright said the reason was because of my former romantic interest.
-Two more witnesses who I asked to listen in to some of our conversations to see the extent of her rudities and they told me they noticed she was incredibly rude to me and I was above and beyond kind (at least compared to the way I treated other people)
-A screenshot of the "traumatizing" image (a meme with a cat with an airsoft gun to it's head) with proof I sent a message telling her I sent it accidentaly and proof that it's as idiotic of an accusation as can be.
-Proof she purposefully spread false rumors about me in an attempt to ruin my reputation and proof it had serious concequences.
-My own memory of many of her lies (Probably not going to be believed but hey at least I know more than anyone just how much of an asshole she really is)
For anyone wondering about "Amy". The only evidence I have that she lied is my own sharp memory (seriously I can name SO MANY details) and one witness who doesn't really want to be involved who knows she's lying.
But here's the problem: I am so scared of doing this. I'm not going to bring her to court but I might tell the principal about this and show her my evidence. But in doing so I would be admitting I sent a message to her after she told me not to. Which could sink me.But another hurdle are just my second thoughts. My doubts. If I do this, and I win, she'll most likely get kicked out of the school and will have a hard time getting into any schools there after. It could RUIN her life if she's unlucky. And well...I don't know if I can do that. I don't know if it's right to meet an evil with an even greater evil. But then again it was pity and giving her a chance that got me into this. Because I felt bad for her and she took advantage of that to manipulate me. I'm having a hard time going through with this, I'm hoping I can negotiate with the principal to keep her in the school, I hate her sure but I truly can't live with myself giving her a punishment she might not deserve. Maybe it's just because I used to love her but I just can't bring myself to do this.
So I'm asking a few questions here: Is it worth it? Is it too risky? And most importantly would I become the bad guy they saw me as? Is this really a good idea?
It's not about revenge anymore. I can't let them get away with this and spread. I can't let them do this to another poor guy. This is a matter of justice. But I can't stop shaking from the fear this might have concequences too vast for me to handle.
I'd also like to remind about the bit about the message I got from the start of the post.
Anyways...What do you think?

Welcome to this week’s Stellaris Space Guild Help Thread!
This thread functions as a gathering place for all questions, tips, bugs, suggestions, and resources for Stellaris. Here you can post quick-fire questions for things that you are confused about and answer questions to help out your fellow star voyagers!
GUILD RESOURCES
Below you can find resources for the game. If you would like to help contribute to the resources section, please leave a comment that pings me (using "u/Snipahar") and link to the resource. You can also contribute by reaching me through private message or modmail. Be sure to include a short description of what you find valuable about the resource.
Stellaris Wiki

• Your new best friend for learning everything Stellaris! Even if you're a pro, the wiki is an uncontested source for the nitty-gritty of the game.

Montu Plays' Stellaris 3.0 Guide Series

• A great step-by-step beginner's guide to Stellaris. Montu brings you through the early stages of a campaign to get you all caught up on what you need to know!

Luisian321's Stellaris 3.0 Starter Guide

• The perfect place to start if you're new to Stellaris! This guide covers creating your own race, building up your economy, and more.

ASpec's How to Play Stellaris 2.7 Guides

• This is a playlist of 7 guides by ASpec, that are really fantastic and will help you master the foundations of Stellaris.

Stefan Anon's Ultimate Tierlist Guides

• This is a playlist of 8 guides by Stefan Anon, which give a deep-dive into the world of civics, traits, and origins. Knowing these is a must for those that want to maximize their play.

Stefan Anon's Top Build Guides

• This is a playlist of an ongoing series by Stefan Anon, that lay out the game plan for several of the best builds in Stellaris.

Arx Strategy's Stellaris Guides

• A series of videos on events, troubleshooting, and builds, that will be of great use to anyone that wants to dive into the world of Stellaris.

If you have any suggestions for the body of this thread, please ping me, using "u/Snipahar" or send me a private message!

First off I’d like to note that I have a ohio medical card but am not the age to buy rec up there. I will be comming up from sw ohio for two weeks this October and two weeks in November to see the Wolverines demolish ❌su and Indiana. If anyone has had experience using an Ohio card in Michigan and or have any suggestions for Medical dispensary’s in Ann Arbor please let me know. Would like to know if I will have to bring stuff from Ohio up before I leave. Thanks in advance and Go Blue.

Full disclosure I have never had sex or been in a relationship and I am in my early 30s. I get sexual aroused by both men and women, but I only have sexual and romantic fantasies about men. I think I want a relationship with men, but every time I look on dating apps or someone brings up the idea of actually going on a date with a guy I am just not interested. I flip through profiles of men and rarely find one that peaks my interest. And I am always distracted by women...I seem to see women everywhere and I automatically check them out. And I often get this deep down in my soul feeling I am on denial.This is why my brain screams I am Lesbian! But I know that I am sexual aroused by men and in my thoughts I want to have sex with them and I don't really want to have sex with women. I think I was/am in love with my bedt friend who is a guy. Unfortunately he does not feel this way for me. I keep obsessing over whether I am projecting my feelings onto him and am faking my attraction because I can't accept my true sexuality. I think about him romantically/sexually constantly to remind myself that I actually am attracted to men and that the husband/boyfriend I always thought I wanted is not just a figment of my brain. If I was truly a lesbian, why did I fall in love with him? Why would I still be obsessing about this for the 7 years? Why haven't I made a move to date a women than? Or a man? I know I don't want to be alone. I know I don't want to be a virgin. I am just to afraid to actually pursue any guy because I am terrified it will confirm I am actually just not into them. Help?