I 34f was 1 of 2 bridesmaids at my close friend's wedding 2 days ago. It was a 3 day event about an hour away from my city. I somehow decided bringing a litre of vodka (JUST IN CASE OF EMERGENCY) would be a good idea to spread out over the 4 days. Drank most on day 1. By the time the dinner started I was sent to bed. I missed the whole dinner and had to be smuggled out of the hotel in the morning with extreme DTs by a friend of mine. She had to skip the breakfast to drive me an hour home and brought me to my parents house. I was shaking violenty. They brought me straight to the dr. I was prescribed 90mg of librium which tapers down for a week to detox. Lost one my main friends, ruined the wedding, boyfriend is gone. Feel like shit now. I'll detox here, start AA and if I fail again I go to rehab. I have no job, no boyfriend, and no hope at the moment. But I'm absolutely determined to do it this time.

My eating schedule is horrible. I don’t have a fixed work schedule and the hours wary. On top of that I’ve got two jobs for the summer. One is retail where I’ll work 4-5 hours, 2-3 times a week (these are mostly closing shifts because of my summer job).
The other I start earlier and work maybe 5-9 hours. It really depends on the day and varies but is often 5 days a week. Though they’re not fixed days but quite frankly the job schedule doesn’t matter much.
Sometimes I go until 6-8pm having eating nothing (on my off days) because I want to shower and lie in bed more in the morning.
For work, I’ll sometimes eat breakfast but the only thing that’s super easy for me is cereal, but I don’t want to eat just cereal every morning, I’m kinda bored of it. Or I’ll have just a granola bar throughout the whole morning and afternoon.
I’m also late often everywhere so I don’t have time to make something or grab something.
The only reason I don’t starve is because I often go out to eat with friends or my family goes out for dinner during the weekends.
I hate all forms of cooking but don’t want to eat super unhealthy foods either. The only thing helping is my mom making whatever she makes for dinner, which I’ll often eat but only if I really like it.
Maybe the better question is what are super easy meals that would get me to eat more but require less cooking time. Also not really into meal prepping, I think it takes too much time.

• Sorry for the length - there is a lot to this event *

This happened about 14 years ago.
Mid November, around 3:10am, in the Hanover, VA area.
I was driving home. I was the only car on the road and it was a cloudless night. I looked over to my left and saw what, I thought at the time, was a meteor falling to earth. It was quite a ways away and it had a bright orange/red tail. I couldn’t keep track of it on the winding roads and houses/trees lining the road. I didn’t think much of it…until. I turned right on the road that led to my neighborhood. The road winds in an S shape, then opens up to a fairly visible area. As soon as I made my way through that S, I looked to the left, and there was - about 2 stories high and 200 feet away - a dark silver UFO.
I froze. I had never believed in aliens or anything like that before. The craft moved over top of my car (about a single story above my car). It was smooth, made no sound, was triangular, and had 3 blue “lights” at each point. I say “lights” because it seemed more like some form of reaction (chemical or otherwise) causing the blue light.
My car is barely moving at this point (my foot is off the gas and my radio had shut off). All I can think is “what the fk, what the fk, what the f**k” when suddenly, flashes of what my house looked liked came to my mind. The number of my house and where it was located came to my mind. As soon as I realized what I was thinking, I immediately was like "what are you doing? stop thinking that!"
As soon as I forced myself to stop thinking that, the craft started to move forward and up away from my car, right in the direction of my neighborhood. I knew they were going to my house. In my gut, I knew.
I was so scared, I drove though the neighborhood, doing laps, about 4 times - trying to see where it went. I didn't see it. I contemplated sleeping in my car, in the driveway - but chose against it out of fear of seeing aliens approach my car while half asleep.
It took every ounce of courage to go into my house. I knew they were in my house when I opened the door and the house was dark and silent. I had 3 dogs (one being a beagle, a basset hound, and a terrier). They always barked anytime the door was opened.
The house was SO dark and SO quiet and I ran down the hall into the bathroom. I locked the door and tried to calm down. I sat in my bathroom for about 20 minutes trying to figure out what to do. Then, I was terrified to open the door. What if it was standing right in front of the door when I opened it? There wasn’t anything I could use as a weapon in the bathroom. I think I grabbed a brush, haha. I then was like “ok, calm down….just brush your teeth, pee, then rush to your bedroom and lock the door”. Which I did.
I immediately turned the lights on and got in bed. I prayed to God to not let me remember anything. I was like “this is already too much for me to comprehend. Please don’t let me remember if something happens. I can’t handle it. It will break me mentally. If they are going to abduct me or whatever, please don’t let me remember it” and then I went to bed.
There have been a few times since that experience where I lost time (once was with someone else - about 8 hours lost for us both) and some experiences where I have woken up with weird markings on my body, but no more UFO sightings.
I also had what seems like a dream - I’m not sure - of a small, about 4 foot tall, being that had this kind of light/dirty brownish color skin (almost like a latte with a lot of cream and milk in it) and it had MASSIVE black eyes. In the dream/fracture of memory I was running down the hallway in my house and ran into the room closest to the front door and went to slam it shut. This thing’s head was caught between the door and the doorframe. And it made this god awful sound (like gurgling kind of) and then I went to punch it and that’s all I remember
After this experience, I spent about two years terrified to go to sleep. I would literally stay awake until I physically couldn’t anymore. About 3 years later, I was diagnosed with PTSD by a therapist (who did not know about this experience). I am in a much better place now mentally than I was 10 years ago. Even though I cannot remember what happened, I still feel this primal fear if I think about it too long. But, I’m not AS terrified as I was back then. I had a lot of things that I had to comprehend and come to peace with (like the fact that aliens are real). But I don’t believe they are nefarious. My best guess is that I was “tagged” - like marine biologists do to whales or sharks - but, I don’t really know.
Thank you for allowing a safe space for me to feel comfortable sharing. I have only told 2 people this my entire life out of fear of ridicule.

Lately (started around may) I can't fall asleep without taking z hypnotics. I've been taking zhypnotics for a month. On weekend I try not taking it resulting in two days of complete lack of sleep. Can't fall asleep whole night. Then fall asleep around 6-7am only to wake up every hour resulting in leaving about around noon. Despite heavy tardiness and dizziness I cannot fall asleep even during the day. Ending in Sunday night to take zolpidem to be able to work next day.
I've always had issue to fall asleep fast (my whole life it took hour to two hours to fall asleep) but I ways fell asleep. My inability to sleep is starting to affecting my life and depression. I have zero stress. I have amazing work, amazing pertner and no money issue. It can't be stress related.
In may i had virus causing mononucleosis and I was sick for three weeks. From that point everything went downhill. Last weekend I had terrible nightmare that haunts me even during the day. I'm starting to hate my bed, apartment and everything. Melatonin doesn't help - makes me feel sick. I read before bed time.
Anyone any tips? Simular experience? Even though I'm massively tired and barely keep eyes open my brain can't shut. I try to sleep but my brain keeps showing me millions images/memories, even thinking about breakfast, games, books movies. I can't stop all the thoughts. I keep switching poses in bed but after while everything seems uncomfortable.

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Lots of thanks to u/Killsode-slugcat for helping me work through this chapter with editing.
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Memory transcription subject: Tevri, Venlil Romanticist
Date [standardized human time]: August 11, 2137
With eyes still closed, I stretched my legs and arms, paws pushing up against the inside of my sleeping bag. A sigh of contentment escaped my mouth.
I let the world in—light falling down in shafts that struck my still-waking eyes. No trees were around to provide cover from the rising sun that hung low in the east. The sounds of life surrounded me, occasionally being broken up by particularly strong gusts as well as a hint of something else.
My head turned to that hint, who still slept somewhat soundly off to my side. Last night Jack had set up his own sleeping bag less than an arm’s length from my own, citing our lack of a fire as the reason to gather closer to each other.
He tossed and turned, occasionally, muttering incoherently. At least he’s found some rest. After carrying me for over half of yesterday, he had certainly earned it.
It was actually quite surprising how well he had managed it all. His slim build compared to other humans that I had seen was betrayed by a hidden strength and incredible endurance. I suppose millions of years of evolution tends to allow such a thing.
Some part of me still felt bitter about what he had done the night prior to our last, but it was clear to me that his apology was sincere. I gave a quiet snort. He probably wouldn’t have carried you on your shoulders if he wasn’t at least somewhat sorry.
The covers of my too-big bag were thrown off and I sat up, holding my knocked knees with my paws.
Rocky rolling hills with low-grown shoots of grass lightly waved towards me. The nearby mountain range looked down upon us with its well-kept snow despite the summer season. Even three days of standing beneath them didn’t eliminate their wondrously looming presence.
I reached over to my nearby pack and grabbed my pen and journal. I clung to every thought that passed its way through my mind, marking them down the old fashioned way. There was something special about writing my feelings down on something physical rather than some pad or computer. It felt real in comparison to the alternative.
It was incredible to me how one of, if not the most dangerous planet to be found within known space was simultaneously one of the most fantastically beautiful worlds I ever had the pleasure of setting foot on. What a travesty it would have been had the federation actually managed to glass the biosphere. Ironically it had been the Arxur that prevented such a disastrous outcome. Those same savages had…
“Gah!”
Jack shot upright from where he had lain. He heaved harsh breaths, chest rising and falling as though he had just sprinted up the incline of a hill. I looked on with alarm, but didn’t think to disrupt the startled man. His eyes stared down at the dirt in front of him as he hung his hands between his legs.
“You okay?” I asked. He whipped to look at me like he had forgotten I was there. Slowly, he turned back to face the dirt. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” He took a curt sniff and ran his hands across his face as he took a deep sigh.
He was lying.
The restless sleep, the violent rise into consciousness, the obvious distress within those wild eyes—all signs of nightmares. It had been years now since I last worried about such things, but I knew all too well how difficult they were to deal with.
A thought, as intrusive as it was unwelcome, pushed its way through the crowded thoughts of my mind, forcing my heart to skip a beat. What would be enough to scare a predator—human—to scare a human within their dreams? Instantly, I shoved it back from wherever it had come. He needs you right now, just like how you needed her.
I gently crawled over to the distraught man and set a paw on an arm while he leaned forward. At my touch, he turned his head towards me, staring with those forward-facing eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.
A slight snarl of a smile crossed his face, but no answer came. Jack stood up and stretched his arms outward, leaning back and forth.
“C’mon, let's pack up and head out. S’always good to start out early.” He extended a hand down to me where I sat still. How could he just brush something so terrifying off so easily? My tail flicked absently I guess they always have been a rather resilient species. Why should they be any different mentally? I relented to his proposal, grabbing his hand and allowing him to pull me upright.
Breakfast—much like last night’s meal—consisted of dry pre-prepped rations. Without surrounding trees from which drywood could be scavenged, we were left fireless. The ‘breakfast bars’ as Jack called them were a sufficient substitute for warm food. Every meal with the human increased my interest in the cuisine of his species. I hadn’t imagined it would all be so wonderfully varied and delicious.
The bar itself was chewy, made of oats, filled with dried fruits and sweetened by sugar. Each bite gave a satisfying crunch as my taste buds reveled in the impeccably delightful taste.
After hydrating and filling ourselves with calories, we set off once more on the trail.
This time, I was actually able to walk properly, though less than an hour after we departed, I was left wishing that Jack could scare me sleepless again—that way I could guilt him into carrying me.
While we continued, I walked without thinking much about the placement of my paws. I worried for my human friend. His mind was clearly plagued by something terrible, but the answer of what continued to evade me. The only lead I had were my own experiences, and in chasing that lead, my mind wandered back to the past.
As I was dragged from our home without protest, Devra lambasted our parents. Velnik cowered to the side as he watched the ordeal, helpless with widened eyes. Dad practically had to peel my sister away from mom as I was shoved into our vehicle. The echo of her shouts faded away.
It was the first time my parents admitted me for predator disease screenings.
An iron grip held my hand and led me forward through the stark featureless halls of the facility. A glance over my shoulder revealed my parents walking along. They dared not to risk a look in my direction. Tears welled at the edge of my eyes as the echoes of distant screams shocked my ears and flooded my brain with fear-chemicals.
My tail wrapped around my body and my ears bent towards the ground. Why did they want to throw me in here with the monsters? All I did was explore.
The facility worker threw me in a chair within a purely white room other than the single large black wall. From the ceiling hung a projector that faced one of the three white surfaces. After the worker left, my eyes floated through the room, narrowing at a sight that practically screamed of its existence. Dark lines were scrawled into the furthest corner of the sterile chamber.
I didn’t have the time to think about its implications when the screen clicked on and the lights dimmed, enhancing the image before me.
The metal chair fell backward with me in it, creating a resounding clang that bounded back and forth across the walls.
My hands slipped and slid across the slick floor, carrying my body backwards. This scramble led the wall to smash against my back. Without a thought, my claws joined the countless other marks of those who had come before me.
A towering, onyx-shaded visage of the malevolent beast prowled beyond the edge of my vision, obscured by tears of terror that practically blinded me. The blood-orange eyes glowed greedily and its mouth was stuck in a perpetual snarl. Viscera of a horrifically familiar color dribbled down its chin from where the meat was in the Arxur’s razor-sharp teeth.
With a click, the sanguine show moved forward to yet another horrific display. Another click. Another. One more. Click. Click. Click. Silence.
My eyes were as raw as my bloodied paws. Their scraping and scrabbling joined me with the other souls who had faced this same experience. When the lights flicked on and the worker came back to collect me, I curled up trying and failing to back away. She stood me up, patting me down before pulling me from the room. Everything was a collective white blur, compressed into a single moment of unfocused voices until I heard the vehicle’s door slam.
The ride home was silent as I leaned my head against the padded surface of my seat. Shallow breaths rose and fell from my chest while Mom and Dad stared ahead. They hadn’t looked at me once since we left the facility—or even talked to me—since we left the facility.
Among the many questions I had, one clung to the surface of my mind before being swallowed by its sea of screams. Why?
When at last we arrived at home, I barely even noticed. Only when the door to the passenger cabin flung open did I somewhat rise from my stupor. A sudden surprise wrapped around me and pulled me from the car, dragging away from my supposed guardians.
In an instant, I was rushed to my room and placed upon the familiar comfort of my bed before being coated by two layers of warmth; one was the plush cloth of a blanket and the other the fluffy warmth of my sister’s fur. “It’s ok, Tev. You’re home. You’re safe.” My empty eyes had no tears left to give, so Devra lent me hers.
You’re home. You’re safe.
“Tev? Tevri?”
My repeated name yanked me from the memory. Ugh, I’ve got to stop wandering off like that.
“You in there sheep?”
With a grumble, I responded. “I told you to stop calling me that.”
Jack uttered a mischievous chuckle. “C’mon, let's get over this next hill then break for lunch. Sure seems you could use a rest.” Despite it going unnoticed moments prior, I now felt my heart pumping hard and each breath heaved just as harshly. A short break will probably do me some good.
Together, we crested the hilltop and sat down both our packs and ourselves. I greedily lapped up water from my bottle while the man beside me calmly took several swigs from his own canteen. The food he grabbed was a pair of packaged items that he called ‘pasta salad.’
The small noodles were coated in a layer of creamy sauce and mixed with a variety of colorful vegetables that I didn’t recognize, but just like everything else cooked up by these humans, it was delicious. The sweet, creamy sauce contrasted nicely with the savory taste of the noodles and the soft texture of the pasta paired with the lovely crunch of the vegetables made for a wonderful meal.
As I munched on my food, the wind lazily played with my tail. My heart drummed onward, steadying into an agreeable rhythm before finally, my breathing leveled out.
A field of purple flowers greeted us, climbing and falling with the rolling land. Down below us was the river we had loosely followed, bordered by nondescript bunches of shrubbery. Rapid white waters splashed up and against rocks, breaking the flow and sending up spray.
When together we finished our food, we sat there, enjoying the world around us. “So, Tevri,” as Jack spoke, I met his forward eyes, “we’ve been out here for two days now and I still know next to nothing about you. Why don’t you tell me a bit more ‘bout yourself.”
The sudden question caught me by surprise, but I tried my best to answer anyway. “There isn’t much to tell. I write stories and poetry about the nature of worlds I’ve visited.”
“Well, you must be one hell of a writer to throw around money like you do.”
At the compliment, I felt a rush of warmth to my face. “I—”
Jack’s calm demeanor became one of surprise in an instant. “Is your face ‘sposed to do that?” A pair of my paws clapped to my face, trying and failing to hide the spreading orange.
“Y-yes!” I squeaked. “It’s p-perfectly fine.”
“Huh, right.” He didn’t sound convinced in the slightest. “Well, uh, what about your family? You’ve met mine already, why don’t you tell me about yours?”
Just as the orange began to fade away, a shroud of mist met my eyes and my voice sunk with my ears. “I’d rather not.” The whiplash of jumping from a sense of contentment, to embarrassment, to sad longing was jarring to say the least.
“Ah.” He held his silence for a moment, allowing the blowing breeze and the distant rush of water to fill the space between.
“I’m sorry.”
“S-sorry? Sorry for what?”
Jack gave a huff. “You know it's funny really. You Venlil, us Humans. I never really saw it before, but even just a few days around you, it’s shown me just how similar our people really are.”
Again, wind and water.
“If it means anything, I’ve felt your loss.”
What?! How does he know? How could he possibly know?
He must have picked up my confusion before he responded. “After the battle of Earth I got used to hearing that answer of yours.”
Oh.
Jack rose, swinging his pack around his shoulders. “C’mon sheep, sun’s not getting any higher. Let's get going.”
“YOU—!” The dour mood was immediately washed away by my guide’s hearty laughter. Again with the emotional whiplash.
It was amazing how easily he managed to do that. Try as I might, I couldn’t stay mad at him. As I shook my head, I followed my guide’s motions and grabbed my bag to join him.
For a while we walked quietly, but once again, Jack tried to strike up a conversation. “So, you mentioned you’ve visited other worlds. What were they like?”
I gave the human equivalent of a shrug with my tail. “Some were better than others, but for the most part, they were quite beautiful.”
“You have any favorites?”
My ears perked up. “Oh yes! The sky cities of Nishtal were incredible. Dwelling among the clouds, it was a rather uplifting experience.” Jack groaned with a smile still on his face.
“That might be one of the worst puns I’ve ever heard.” In response, I simply chuckled.
“Nishtal, huh?” The smile on his face faded. “That’s the world of feathered sacks-of-shit, right?”
“What? The Krakotl? Don’t be dense now, they aren’t all that bad.”
Jack scoffed. “That’s easy for you to say. They didn’t try to wipe the Venlil from existence.”
“If they succeeded during the battle of earth, they very well could have. Not that it matters anymore. Nishtal’s skies are clouded by the ash of their once-lush swamps and their cities have been plucked from the skies. Their world died.”
Jack gave a gruff grunt. “What goes around comes around I guess.”
I was genuinely shocked at what I heard. The anger that began to bubble within me was not the same lighthearted stuff from earlier. “How can you say something like that?”
“They brought it upon themselves,” he barked.
“That bastard Kalsim was the one who brought destruction to his people and you know it. Billions of Krakotl were killed or captured by betterment. Can you honestly tell me, or even yourself, that any species deserves such a fate?”
Silence.
“No. No I guess I can’t” Mentally, I gave a sigh of relief.
With my tail, I gave him a gentle flick. “The Krakotl are functionally endangered now, you know? They may have killed a billion humans, but for each life taken, tens of their own were paid.”
My voice began to choke. “I had—have—friends among the Krakotl. If you think that the mourning you humans experienced was harsh, I just want you to think; how would you feel if less than a percent of your people survived death or capture”
These words of mine were followed by an air of silence. I wasn’t sure what it was exactly, but something I had said clearly struck a chord with the man. Unlike me, Jack seemed to ground himself in reality, but for the first time since I met him, his distant unfocused eyes made it clear enough that his mind was elsewhere.
The remainder of the day flew by beneath this same blanket of silence.
We passed from the wide grassy knolls into a sparse forest that was more brush than tree. The trail led beneath their branches and through the tall shrubbery, rarely veering one way or the other.
When we eventually stopped to make camp for the evening, the sun was still slightly above the horizon. The campsite was similar to the one we had stopped at on our first day. An old steel fire-pit was set in the middle and a steel food container lay to the side.
Even as we set up, the cold quiet remained.
Progress was slow. Jack usually did the majority of the work, but tonight, his movements were taken with less purpose than I was used to. More than once, his hands fumbled, dropping something only for him to robotically reach down and pick it up again.
Once he did finally unpack his belongings, he left to find wood for the fire. At least this time, I found myself less frightened than when he had last done so. The deafening silence of my thoughts was more disconcerting than the idea of any hunters prowling nearby.
Whatever I had said, it didn’t just strike a chord. No, this had shaken him. Not even those nightmares of his had affected him this deeply.
In much the same way that I hadn’t wanted to talk about my own family, it was clear that whatever this was, he had no desire to elaborate further. I did find it odd however that only after mentioning the near-annihilation of the Krakotl did he seem to change. Perhaps it had to do with whoever he had lost? If this was the case, then I couldn’t fully blame him for his hatred towards the Krakotl. Grief is a powerful accelerant for the fires of rage.
On the other paw, my poor heart broke for the poor avians. So many lost. So few left. When the news had arrived back on Venlil prime, I devoted every moment possible to comforting my grieving friends; to Dualo, Oqui, Icatl and Haiula.
For some though, the grief of their new reality was too strong. Several of my dear friends had been unable to overcome that grief. My ears fell and my head bowed. If nobody else would remember them, I would ensure I never forgot them. They deserved that much.
Despite the clouds looming over my mind, my ears perked up at the sound of footfalls and I turned to see a bundle beneath Jack’s arms. Minutes later, a brilliant blaze burned before us.
It felt good to have a fire again. The protective warmth felt like a familiar embrace. From my pack, I grabbed the same blanket my guide had lent me the day before and wrapped it across my body.
While I found myself shrouded in comfort, Jack prepared our food above the pit. It was yet another warm meal of packaged food. The smell of spice wafted up to the tips of my taste buds as he stirred it about with a metal ladle.
The clink of utensils against our metal bowls rose above the crackling flames. Their sun still peeked out from behind the trees, though soon enough, it fell and with it, came the night’s chill.
Countless stars that you simply didn’t get to see on Venlil Prime appeared in the night sky. A glance told me that I wasn’t the only one impressed by their appearance. My wide field of vision managed to capture nearly the entire sky. I wonder, which of those stars is home?
A gust of wind blew by sending shivers down my spine. The effect of the Wendigo’s story hadn’t been completely lost on me, but the terror it inspired had at least died down to a manageable amount. Staying near to Jack certainly helped.
Speaking of him, I’d had enough of this silence.
“Hey Jack, how would you like to hear a campfire story?” I asked, tossing aside the quiet that had covered.
“Hmph. A promise is a promise. Didn’t really have a fire last night to tell a story ‘round did we. Guess it’s only fair to give you a chance.”
My tail gave a flick of excitement at his agreeance. “I must warn you, this is a bit less of a story and more of a poem. It’s one of the last few that I wrote before my travels across the Federation ended. It isn’t quite as long of a tale as that Wendigo story you told me, but it means a lot to me.
Jack gave a thoughtful nod. “Very well, I call this poem ‘The Wandrer’s Curse.’”
“Across the stars we wandrers go, not caring much for threat or foes, The skies we see are not our own, But from them wonder’s always shown.
From Nishtal’s clear and crystal skies, To Fahl where golden deserts lie, And ‘cross the cradle’s fruitful lands, Our own horizons do expand.
It is amidst these very sights, That we the wandrers oft delight, For friends we seek and friends we find, Across the worlds of species kind.
Thru mountains, oceans and the woods, Where those long past once walked and stood, The wandrers seek to find the past; A simpler time, no clouds o’er cast.
Despite the friends which we have made, The clouds above us cast their shade, Upon the surface of our minds, And seek our hearts with chains to bind.
It is our lot to flee from pain, Brought on by smashing, lashing rains. Til weary broken and undone, We fall with legs which fail to run.
But such is life—that beautiful thing, That brings one joy and suff’ring. So with this final cloudless verse, Remember thee, the wandrer’s curse.”
At the end of my poem, the crackling fire picked up where my words left off. My eyes raised to the heavens once more and I realized just how wonderful this life was. There was something truly sublime about existing right here during this exact moment; under the stars, surrounded by trees the whistling, beside a warm fire that staved off the cold.
Sharing it with Jack made it that much better.
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https://pix4free.org/assets/library/2020-12-13/originals/alaska022.jpg (Cover Image)
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March, 1919.
After facing a 9 hours long trip, Viktor arrives at Lucrein and is received by it's cousin Ivan and his old friend Nikolay, both already living in the town for four years. It's safe to say that this town is the most facinating one Viktor ever saw in his life but that doesn't mean that the city was in it's best shape, the war has left deep scars that will take long to heal.
Their new home also wasn't the best nor the worst Viktor has lived in, but the constant water shortages became a annoying issue. After a cold bath and a cup of coffee, the three dressed their uniforms and went to work in a furniture factory, one of the few ones still open. As they arrive, Viktor observes the factory state, a grey, dusty place with old machinery, surely surviving the civil war was a tough task for the small company and it's employees.
Viktor then starts doing his task, maintaining and fixing the machines, initially is hard to understand them but thanks to his past experience fixing agricultural machines for landowners and some advice from older co-workers, he was able to pull it off. When the three arrive home, they have to deal with the fact that the three wages combined barely can cover the bills and food expenses and they have families at home to help, but they won't give up.
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May, 1919.
The three are worried and fear being fired, their april wages were delayed and they already passed through eight days of hunger, they get another cold bath and don't even take breakfast as the three start their shifts at 6:00am and finish at 17:00pm, enduring such long workdays just because there aren't many better jobs around and they need cash to help their families since dustbowl wasn't soft for the small farmer, at least they finally receive their wages this month and decide to celebrate going for a walk in the town.
The night is pleasant, the moon makes a great company and the city lights are brighter as ever, the vehicles pass by and the people in the streets look determined to pass through the many hardships head on, the three go into a bar and drink a little but agreeing to not spend too much in only one night. Finally they decide to finish one of their few celebrative months going to the top of a green hill to reflect and talk about the future, with only the starts and the night creatures as witnesses.
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October, 1919.
They receive the news that Nikolay's sister, Svetlana is about to give birth, after some pondering, Ivan and Viktor decide to join him and, after getting a very needed one-week leave without pay, the three make their way to the Aliev family ranch near Istront. At arrival, they found out that the baby would probably come to this world in two or three days, while Ivan and Viktor helped with the homeworks, Nikolay and the father would assist Svetlana and the midwife in any possible need.
Finally the day arrives, Svetlana sweats and screams, the baby's father and Nikolay seem to sweat even more as they distribute cigars to the family members and friends, preparing to throw a grand welcoming party for the new family member, at some point the two are called inside the room while Ivan and Viktor wait anxiously in the kitchen, after some more screaming, the midwife gives the bad news, the baby was stuck and medical help was needed, Viktor quickly called an ambulance but thanks to another heritage of the war, a destroyed infraestructure, the ambulance would take too long, Nikolay and Ivan even tried to drive Svetlana to the hospital in her husband truck but it was too late, she and the baby unfortunately died at the hospital entrance.
​
November, 1919.
It takes some time for the three to recover from such events, Nikolay, of course, was more affected then Ivan and Viktor as both start to work to ensure the payment of their bills. Rumors of a massive strike are raised through the town and Ivan decides to take part in it while Viktor is more skeptical about it.
Then, on the 11th day of the month, the strike really occurs, Ivan joins the sizeable demonstrations while Viktor stays home with Nikolay, the strike in Lucrein severely affects the industry and services companies and lasts two weeks as soon the demonstrations are dispersed, some achieve to be employed again while others not and the improvements for the workers are minimum and the scale of them differs from factory to factory. Viktor and Nikolay return to their posts while Ivan gets a job in another place.
​
December 31, 1919.
A small gathering of tired workers can be seen at the furniture factory in a New Year celebration, cheap booze and some good food are being served in two tables and the employees, foreman and even the boss himself are cheering and toasting. The three friends toast as the fireworks show starts and everyone goes to the roof to see it, Nikolay, Ivan and Viktor hug eachother and hope their future will be as brighter as those fireworks sweeping the darkness out of the sky.

I’m sharing an experience I’ve kept to myself until now because it relates to the recent Las Vegas sighting that’s been on the news about the tall creatures that a family saw after hearing a craft land in their back yard.
Mangala Ghana is the name of the entity I have seen on and off for the past 25 years. The description of how the entity looks matched almost exactly to what the witnesses saw in Vegas. It is 8-10 feet tall with a slender build and pale grayish skin. It has two black insect-like eyes, and a large mouth. No ears, nose, hair, or eye brows.
From ages 5 - 11 this “creature” visited me every night. It wore a long black robe with a hood covering its face. My dad would come lay down with me to help me fall asleep because I told him there was a monster visiting me. I would hear my dad get up to go back to bed with my mom and then the entity would appear by my door. I would then proceed to get up, close my eyes, and sprint to my parents room in sheer terror. I would do this every single night and sleep with my parents for six years when it suddenly just stopped coming.
Fast forward to the age of 25 (I’m 29 now) I was living alone in an apartment. I woke up around 5am. I looked at my bedroom door and saw the entity standing there. When I was a kid I only ever saw it as a very tall being with a robe on and hood concealing it’s face. It never approached me and I never saw it’s face at all.
This time was different. The creature removed its hood, and I saw the features I described earlier. I also “knew” it’s name, I can’t describe why or how. I was experiencing what some would define as sleep paralysis. The moment we made eye contact I was frozen. I tried with all my will to move but could only move my eyes. It approached me and opened its mouth which was full of razor sharp teeth. It then bit my neck and I wanted to scream from the real pain I felt but I couldn’t.
A moment passed and my eye lids closed involuntarily. I opened them again and it was gone. I could move, I ran into the restroom to check my neck which I was sure would have a mark on it. Nothing. I haven’t seen the entity since then but I wanted to share my experience and hear others thoughts.

I’m sharing an experience I’ve kept to myself until now because it relates to the recent Las Vegas sighting that’s been on the news about the tall creatures that a family saw after hearing a craft land in their back yard.
Mangala Ghana is the name of the entity I have seen on and off for the past 25 years. The description of how the entity looks matched almost exactly to what the witnesses saw in Vegas. It is 8-10 feet tall with a slender build and pale grayish skin. It has two black insect-like eyes, and a large mouth. No ears, nose, hair, or eye brows.
From ages 5 - 11 this “creature” visited me every night. It wore a long black robe with a hood covering its face. My dad would come lay down with me to help me fall asleep because I told him there was a monster visiting me. I would hear my dad get up to go back to bed with my mom and then the entity would appear by my door. I would then proceed to get up, close my eyes, and sprint to my parents room in sheer terror. I would do this every single night and sleep with my parents for six years when it suddenly just stopped coming.
Fast forward to the age of 25 (I’m 29 now) I was living alone in an apartment. I woke up around 5am. I looked at my bedroom door and saw the entity standing there. When I was a kid I only ever saw it as a very tall being with a robe on and hood concealing it’s face. It never approached me and I never saw it’s face at all.
This time was different. The creature removed its hood, and I saw the features I described earlier. I also “knew” it’s name, I can’t describe why or how. I was experiencing what some would define as sleep paralysis. The moment we made eye contact I was frozen. I tried with all my will to move but could only move my eyes. It approached me and opened its mouth which was full of razor sharp teeth. It then bit my neck and I wanted to scream from the real pain I felt but I couldn’t.
A moment passed and my eye lids closed involuntarily. I opened them again and it was gone. I could move, I ran into the restroom to check my neck which I was sure would have a mark on it. Nothing. I haven’t seen the entity since then but I wanted to share my experience and hear others thoughts.

This is probably going to cover a wide range of stuff going on in my life including progress, good stuff, bad stuff etc so might end up as a bit of a wall of text. Also going to be a bit of dumping and ranting but here goes.
So the positives first:

1. I'm in a fairly good spot in life. Just started a job recently that's paying well enough for me to move out of a not so comfortable home situation (lots of past trauma and general lack of privacy among other issues)
   
2. I have really good friends who care for and love me and someone I've been with for the past 7 months or so after a fair bit of drama involving an open relationship from both sides into a bunch of weird stuff and annoying arguments due to anxieties and other past trauma for both of us earlier last year, but it is in a very good spot now and we are planning to move in together soon.
   
3. I mainly game or listen to music during my free time but also occasionally read random stuff, books, novels, manga, news stuff etc. Also going to be picking up playing and making music again soon (plans to get a guitar this weekend or during the week)
   
4. Despite past traumas and issues at home, parents and family do love and care for me a lot and try to understand me and my situation as much as they can. They're old so it's sometimes hard to connect, but they try.
   

Now on to the not so good. Most of these are internal and the annoying voice of anxiety in my head along with being unable to sleep with these thoughts plaguing me perpetually.

1. I'm a bit concerned about performing at my new job. I know I am very competent and have recently finished education and studies during which I specifically spent a lot of time focusing on this career path, but due to past career failures I'm always worried if I'm going to fuck up and mess things up again.
   
2. It's nobody's responsibility, but I constantly feel like I'm... Not important? Or like I'm always forcing people to spend time with me, or butting into groups and trying to fit in? On top of that, the stupid anxiety always makes me feel like I don't quite get the same kind of attention that I give people. I know this is absolutely bogus because these people have all made it extremely clear to me how much they care, but with how deeply I focus on body language and reactions and the way people talk and respond to me, overanalyzing overthinking... It becomes a mess in my head. This also extends to the person I'm with. We both spend a lot of time together (online and as much as possible in person) but we have a bit of distance between us and that's a bit annoying. But these nasty thoughts keep hitting me that I'm not receiving as much as I'm giving. This is also bogus because I know how much they've done and do for me, even now. I've talked to them about this as well and they constantly reassure me that they care and want to be with me long term.
   
3. I've lately begun to feel kinda empty about my hobbies. There aren't any particular media or games that are really drawing me in, and since I started gym and stuff I've been feeling too physically drained to focus and try new stuff. This paired with sleep issues... Not fun. And it's making me feel like I'm wasting a lot of time.
   
4. Family is very nosy and pokes into every detail of my life, and we've had a few fights recently (and not so recently) which have led me to realise what their true thoughts on many matters are as well as how they actually see certain things. As a result, even if they show care and support me through a lot of things, it often feels like they're just fulfilling an obligation. It's caused a lot of negative thoughts including being one of the main reasons I've tried so hard this past year to make things work out so I can leave home.
   

A bunch of dumping but there's probably a lot of context missing. Just really needed somewhere to let out all my thoughts right now and everyone's kinda asleep or busy or going through their own stuff. Back to bed now, hoping I can fall asleep because I need to be up early tomorrow. Thanks.

i (16f) and my sister (18f) are really close we hang out whenever she’s in town and we are almost always texting or calling each other
my dad (37m) sees my brother (10m) as the golden child if he does anything wrong either i get the blame or “it’s not a big deal” my mother (34f) has treated all of us the same
(my parents are divorced , all of my siblings ,except my sister who is in college, stay with my mom during the weekdays and stay at my dads in the weekends but sometimes my brother stays with my dad for a whole week)
a few weeks ago me and my brother were staying at my dads house during the weekend we arrived really late since my brother packed later than usual so we went to bed straight away
the next morning i woke up the last one while my dad made eggs for my brother and i made cereal for myself
we spent the morning telling our dad about school and life in general he mostly listened to my brother and then i would talk after him
after breakfast my brother ran upstairs ,me following him , to show my dad something when we ran back down my brother accidentally fell hitting his back against a table and making a photo frame fall causing it to break (my brother is fine he just had a little bruise)
my dad ,who saw what happened, started to yell while my brother started to cry he comforted my brother then told him to leave the room because he had to talk to me
after my brother left my dad started to yell at me about how i broke the photo and how he wants me to pay for it i then told him that he saw everything happen and my brother did it not me so he should get the blame since it’s his fault
he then explained how i should have told him not to run and should have caught him before he fell so in the end it’s my fault entirely
i stood there in shock for a few minutes then told him that i will not be paying for the photo frame and if he really sees that i’m the person to blame in this situation then i’m sorry but it’s not my fault it’s his golden child’s fault then i ran upstairs before he could say anything more
later that day my brother and dad went out to a amusement park near by to cheer my brother up and i stayed home
i messaged my sister after about an hour passes my sister called me and we talked she asked me how my dad is doing and what’s going on
i then started to cry telling her what happened as she listened
hours later my dad and brother come home and we have dinner
then we go back to our moms a few days later
that was weeks ago and now my sister refuses to speak to our father until he apologises to me and my dad blames me for telling her saying that i shouldn’t have and now i destroyed their relationship
am i the asshole?

Last night, my boyfriend and I decided to go out for drinks. I started getting ready and when I started trying on outfits, I started feeling extremely insecure and frustrated because nothing looked good. I kind of shut down and became quiet, which he picked up on. He asked if I still wanted to go out and I, stupidly, said yes. I’m aware that I should’ve communicated better and told him how I was feeling at the time, but I thought I’d feel better once we were actually out.
I was wrong. Once we got in the Uber, I started to have a panic attack. He didn’t realize this because when I get panic attacks, it’s not really obvious. My chest gets really tight, I start fidgeting with my hands, my eyes well with tears, and I become incapable of speaking (not actually, but it feels that way). Essentially I just shut down. However, my boyfriend just thought I was giving him the silent treatment for some reason, which made me even more anxious because I couldn’t (or felt like I couldn’t) communicate to him why I was actually being quiet.
Once our Uber dropped off, my anxiety became 10x worse. I still felt bad about myself, but now I felt overdressed for the place we went to and very uncomfortable. I wanted to leave as soon as we got there. We ended up awkwardly sitting at a table for about 10 minutes, in silence, and quickly finished our drinks so we could leave ASAP. At one point, he asked me in a snippy tone (again, I understand why), “Are you gonna say anything? You’ve barely talked to me all day. This is extremely uncomfortable.”
I just stayed silent because, again, I was having a panic attack.
I was also confused by his wording “all day.” I didn’t think I’d been quiet at all prior to this.
We got home from the bar and he started watching TV. I cleaned up the house a bit and then sat down next to him. Again, neither of us said anything.
He went to bed shortly after and I joined him. He was scrolling on his phone for a while and I was crying but trying to be quiet and not make it obvious. Eventually it became obvious because of the sniffling. He still didn’t say anything to me.
I finally was able to get out “I’m sorry for tonight” but it came out all sad and croaky. He was quiet for a while, then said “it’s fine.” Clearly it wasn’t. He just rolled over and went to bed while I continued to cry.
Fast forward to today, I’ve been trying to act normal and nice towards him. I did all of the laundry, cooked him breakfast, and cleaned the bedroom (which are things I normally do every day, but still), but he’s now giving me the silent treatment. He said one lighthearted thing to me this morning about what was on TV, but he’s become more and more distant throughout the day.
An hour ago, we were sitting on the couch watching TV and I was looking at him for a solid two minutes. Normally he’d look back at me right away, but I could tell he was clearly trying to avoid making eye contact with me. I asked him if something was wrong. He said no. I asked if he was sure. He said yes.
I said he’s barely looked at or talked to me all day. He said I barely talked to him last night. I said that I apologized for that already. He didn’t say anything.
I left him alone and went into the bedroom. He’s only come in here to grab something and tell me he’s taking the dog for a walk. Nothing else.
I realize that I should’ve communicated better last night, but at least I recognized it, apologized, and tried to make it up to him today.
How can I get him to talk to me if I’ve already tried flat out asking what’s bothering him? There’s so much tension being here right now and I’m at a loss for what to do.
Tl;dr I had an anxiety attack because I felt insecure about myself last night and ended up unintentionally giving my boyfriend the silent treatment as a result. I apologized for my behavior, but today, he’s giving me the silent treatment and refuses to talk about what’s bothering him.
EDIT: I just now tried to talk to him and told him that I was being quiet because I was feeling bad about myself and was having a panic attack. He said I should’ve told him. I said it’s hard for me to communicate when I’m having a panic attack, and he scoffed and said I could’ve at least told him I wanted to go home. Doesn’t seem like this is getting anywhere, but at least now he knows why I was quiet.

Of course, trigger warning, stay safe everyone!!
So recently I have started a recovery plan after officially being diagnosed with AN. I've also very recently started seeing a guy that I go to high school with, and that I am interested in.
Now a few days ago the two of us met up to watch a movie at the cinema, as well as for him to meet my older sister (since she is usually the one to judge wether my partneres are good for me or not). There, he ran into a buddy of his and ended up talking with him while me and my sister were buying tickets, out of earshot.
Today we met up again, just the two of us, and while we were talking he mentioned how when he met that buddy of his, his buddy asked him which one of the girls (me and my sister) he was seeing. Then, before waiting for an answer, he said, and I quote : "I hope it's the taller one (my sister), she's waaaaayyy prettier."
And that was it. He didn't say how he defended me from his buddy or how he doesn't think that, (idk is that entitled to say??) he just ended it with a comment about how he thinks my sister is too good for his friend anyways. Is it wrong to feel hurt that he made no attempt to imply he doesn't think that? I know my sister is pretty, but it's making me feel less about myself. What's worse, is that it's making my ED voice louder again, making me feel as if me attempting recovery is the wrong choice, about how if I was starving myself again, and skinny, I would be enough for anyone again
It also doesn't help that he openly brags about how little he eats, whenever we are together. Now I understand him, he used to suffer from BED, and then he started "eating less and exercising more" but to me it just sounds like he's struggling with an ED himself and doesn't want to admit it.
I wanna help him, but it's making me feel ashamed everytime I eat in front of him and judged, as if I am doing something wrong. Everytime I eat something he makes a comment about how "he's eaten nothing" or "he skipped breakfast" and he feels awesome, and it's seriously making me doubt my recovery.
I don't know how to approach this. I also suffer from BPD, so I am wondering if it's all in my head and I'm just taking it too hard because of that. Idk Am I wrong? What do I even do in this situation, I can't help him if I myself am suffering!

So due to my job I spend over 250 days a year in a hotel. I have been Titanium Ambassador Elite with Marriott for a few years now. However, I have some co-workers who swear by Hilton, so I tried them and at first I was impressed with how many promotions and bonus points they seem to give out. I looked at Nerdwallet and other places which say they are on par or even better than Marriott rewards. So I was all excited until I started to notice a few things.
First, most properties I’ve been at look and feel a bit worn and tired. I personally don’t really care that much as a room is a room, but going from a Homewood Suites to a Residence Inn is a pretty stark contrast in room quality. I decided to overlook this because I was getting more points and the breakfast was just better than what Marriott offered.
Then once I started to use my points things really started to go sour. At first I thought it was awesome how points were built into my Amazon account as a payment option until I saw how many points it was per dollar compared to Marriott. I still gave them the benefit of the doubt because I didn’t have to wait on gift cards. Figured it was the price for convenience.
I felt that way until I decided to book vacations/trips for the family. Hilton on average was 3x more expensive than comparable Marriott hotels/resorts for almost every vacation location I looked at. Beaches, Mountains, National Parks, it didn’t seem to matter.
For example, I have been working in Chesapeake, Va for a few months and thought it would be fun to have my wife come out to be with me. My company pays for our hotel normally, but I wanted to see how much a beach front hotel would be for the 10 days. Marriott offered Beachfront 330k points for the entire trip. Hilton wanted between 100-200k per night. This same trend occurred almost everywhere I looked. Even non vacation destinations were much more expensive. We were gonna stop by Lynchburg Va on our way home for one night. Hilton wanted 40k for every hotel and 176k for a Hampton Inn for some reason!? I got a suite at Marriott Residence Inn for 15k points.
At this point I am trying to understand if I am just missing something? Can someone explain how Hilton is on par or better than Marriott? Is it a regional thing or something? Thanks!

Soooo.... I felt pretty crook the other night. Just minding my own business, getting ready for bed, when a sudden wave of nausea just about dropped me. I lay down hoping it would go away. Nope.
Mad dash to the dunny, holding my hands over my mouth. As you do. Hugging the bowl, wondering WTF??? Wave after wave just kept hammering me, then, my stomach made a horrendous noise. Which proceeded to escape my ass, making me bolt up to sit on the dunny to let it rip. Hence the vomiting into a towel. IT then Begun.
Holy money, I felt like I was dying, that maybe I had become septic from my recent double mastectomy. I'm getting fluid build up drained tomorrow. Maybe I ate something that my body obviously wanted evicted asap. Maybe I got a bug.
I was sitting on the dunny hunny, And It was far from funny.
Vomiting bile into a towel.
Contemplated calling an ambo. Feeling like I'm going to pass out. Phone is in other room, I'm sweating, trying to ensure that I don't fall off or faceplant into the towel.
Random Thought.....
WHAT IF I DIE ?
My house is a mess. Dishes piled up, washing hanging on backs of chairs, kids toys everywhere, dirty clothes on bathroom floor.
Lol
Good news, I didn't die. Yayyyyyy. I lay back down and it eased off so I didn't bother with ambo run.
And yep. Got the house tidied up again. Just in case I nearly die again.

I woke up in the morning to the smell of something cooking.
That was definitely off. I stretched out in my bed, “I’m finally going to be done with all that bothersome ‘work’.” I told myself with a smile on my face as I eased myself out of bed and rose to my feet.
A quick burning hot shower, and I was content, all was right with the world again.
I threw on my ‘outside clothes’ and emerged to find the cause of the odorous disturbance in my domicile…Celia was standing at an oven I’d never touched in my entire life.
“G’morning.” She said. She was still in her child sized shape, and dressed in something akin to pajamas… no, they ‘were’ pajamas. Ones covered in little animal patterns.
“Uh… yeah… it is, I guess, considering that I’m awake instead of asleep, I guess it’s fine but…” I yawned and rubbed the back of my head, “Why are you up so early, and what’s with…?” I looked her up and down.
“What’s with what?” She looked over her shoulder at me with a little smug expression on her face.
“This?!” I said and waved my other hand up and down in front of her.
“Oh.” Celia’s expression never wavered.
“Well, I did a little research on Earth after my last visit, not much, but I figured I should know how to dress at least.” She pinched the soft cloth of the yellow pajamas and gave them a little tug, “These really are comfortable, by the way, you were not wrong about humans being good at comfort.”
“And your… tiny self?” I asked, and she chuckled.
“Oh, well you are the one who said I was your niece, after all. So now I suppose I should play the part. Besides, you are a lot older than I am, by what, a few hundred years?” She asked. She spun around with spatula in hand and held it up at her side like a soldier’s sabre and struck a stiff pose. “As my senpai, I think that is the word, I must look to you for guidance and instruction, and rely on you to take care of me while I am unfamiliar with everything…”
She was not sounding like a normal swapper. Then it hit me, she was much younger than I am. Young swappers are often prone to adopting the characteristics of what they imitate, we all are, really, but the younger they are the more true this is.
Another sneaky suspicion struck me, “How long have you been awake for?” I asked.
“About six hours.” She said, “I’ve been binge watching a lot!” A giant grin came over her face. “I was watching this one thing about a boy who lived with two girls, one of whom was his sister and he didn’t know which one… all the shenanigans!”
“Oh.” I dragged my hand down over my face, “Celia, how long do you usually take on the forms of other races for?” I asked.
She tapped the tip of the spatula against her cheek, “Um, I don’t know, a few hours, just long enough to do a job, I don’t do my own scouting, I’m too new for that so… maybe a tenth of this time, why?”
“Oh my… um… can you… do something for me?” I asked.
“Like make breakfast? I’m already on it, aunt Kayobi!” She laughed and spun back around and began stirring something up in whatever pan was on the stovetop over the oven. “I saw this thing where a dragon girl kept making omletts and they were too big, so I decided to try my hand at making them. Thankfully you had some stuff I could sort of improvise… I don’t know much about taste but-” She was rambling, I had to cut her off.
“That’s fine.” I interjected, “But… hasn’t anyone ever told you that you shouldn’t ‘swap’ for this long without going back or at least going to something else?”
“Yes, but it’s no problem, this is a human body after all and humans are super easy. It’ll barely be an inconvenience to shift to anything else. After all, they’re sort of shaped like us, who knows, maybe they’ll evolve into swappers too one day, if that healing factor of theirs keeps improving at least.” Celia said, she didn’t see the concerned expression on my face.
‘This is not good. No, this is definitely not good. She took on the characteristics of a child, a human child, and those are reckless, negligent, have horrible survival instincts, and routinely dismiss danger or problems to an absurd degree. It would be exactly like a human child to neglect the obvious in favor of just doing nothing…plus she’s young so she’s even more vulnerable to these things…’ I had to suppress my groan.
If she couldn’t swap back, she couldn’t go back. Not in the ‘oh no she’ll die’ sense. Not in the ‘she’s violated a law sense and will be harshly punished’ sense either.
No… no. If word of this got back to the others, she would be absolutely disgraced and shamed beyond all reason. It’s not as embarrassing as say, waving back at someone who wasn’t waving at you. It’s a thousand times worst.
It’s more like… if a human lost control of their bowels at their job where friends and family worked. At that point you might as well quit, change your name, and start your life over in a whole new place in the world.
Celia would never be able to look at the rest of her coworkers again without a sense of disgrace… and I know Celia. She’s a nice one, sort of sensitive about even asking for help, kind of insecure, really. She wouldn’t be able to handle it, she’d have to quit.
I sat down at the table. “Celia, I want you to do something for me, and I don’t want you to panic.”
“I know, I know, you want some red peppers added on top of your omlett, don’t worry, I saw you didn’t have any, but I saved some from the pizza last night, they included a couple of packets. I didn’t throw them out, so I’ll just add those real quick to your omlet and…”
I cleared my throat. “No, no, that’s fine.” I said.
“Oh, then here you go.” She said and slid the omlet onto a paper plate and handed it to me along with one of my many plastic forks.
“I want…” I started to say, and she leaned forward, her dark hair tumbled down behind her, she was waiting for me to try her food.
I stopped. I looked down at the dish. It actually smelled really good. I usually cooked bacon in the microwave, it seemed she’d chosen to use the oven, and that paid off. I could smell the bacon inside, and my mouth began to water.
I cut into the yellow goodness and then raised a bite to my mouth, the cheese within stretched into tiny strings and I put the morsel onto my tongue.
Flavor exploded. “This is amazing!” I shouted.
She grinned ear to ear and waited for me to take a second bite. I stopped myself, I set the fork down and set my palms flat on the table. “No, no Kayobi, don’t get distracted.”
“What?” Celia asked, “You said it was good, right?” She asked.
“Yes… and it is. But I need you to do something else… something not food related.” I said, and her mouth closed before she could ask whatever was on her mind.
“Try to swap back to your natural form.” I said.
“But that’s-” She started to object.
“Just do it.” I said.
She shrugged. “Fine.” She breathed out the annoyed sigh of every teenager in the history of humanity.
I waited.
She looked down at her hand. Her feet. She looked at her reflection in the glass window on the wall. She gritted her teeth and clenched her jaw and began to grunt and groan.
“I…what…” Celia’s eyes went very wide, she kept trying.
But she also kept failing.
“I’m… stuck.” She whispered.
“Yup. Looks like.” I said, and she looked at me with an expression of horrified shame as if she’d shat herself in front of me.
I held up a hand to stop the horrified apologies or bawling or whatever.
“Relax, nobody else knows, I won’t tell anyone, and I’ll help you get back to normal.” I promised.
A few minutes later, I knew what tears of relief on a human looked like when she was asking…
“You’re really not going to tell anyone… you’re going to help me get back to normal and never say a thing, you promise?” She asked.
“Yes.” I answered.
“Thank you…” Celia whispered and began to wipe her nose, I shrugged off her thanks and took another bite of the omlet.
“Don’t worry about it but… can I have another one of these before we get to work?” I asked, and a smile slowly came back to her face as she got up to make another.
“Do you know how to fix this?” She asked.
“Nope. But I have a clue.” I said as she opened the fridge to get out more eggs, cheese, and bacon.
“How?” She asked tentatively, looking over her shoulder at me while she rummaged.
“We wing it.” I said, and for good measure, brought wings out of my back in the hopes of making her laugh.
It got a little one, and that was a start, at least.

Shareholder Loans (Anti-Avoidance) Bill

A

Bill

to

make provision for further anti-avoidance measures in relation to Section 445 of the Companies Act 2006 .
BE IT ENACTED by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
Section 1: Amendments to Section 456 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010
(1) Clause 4 of Section 456 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 is amended as follows:

(4) Condition A is that—
a. the amount of the loan or advance does not exceed £5,000, and
b. that amount does not exceed £5,000 when taken together with any other outstanding loans and advances which were made to the borrower by—
i. the close company, or
ii. any of its associated companies.

Section 2: Amendments to Section 457 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010
(1) Clause 2 of Section 457 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 is amended as follows:

(2) Relief is to be given from that tax, or a proportionate part of it, if—
a. the loan or advance or part of it is repaid to the company, or
b. the whole or part of the debt in respect of the loan or advance is released or written off, and;
c. no new loan or advance to the recipient is established within 2 years of the original loan date.

Section 3: Commencement, short title and extent
(1) This Act will come into force on the 6 April 2024
(2) This Act will extend to the entirety of the United Kingdom.
(3) This Act shall be cited as the Shareholder Loans (Anti-avoidance) Act 2023
This Bill was submitted by His Grace Sir Rea-wakey KCT KT KD KCMG KBE MVO FRS, Duke of Dorset, Secretary of State for the Home Department, on behalf of His Majesty’s 33rd Government.
Opening Speech:
Deputy Speaker,
I now present the second of the anti-tax avoidance laws that I wish to bring to the House, this one tackling the Section 455 avoidance measure.
Under previous laws, it was a known tax avoidance scheme for employed shareholders of a business to extract profits in the form of a “shareholder loan”, which in effect operated as a tax free dividend to shareholders. While successive Governments have tried to curb this avoidance measure over time, including through amendments to the Companies Act 2006 to include Section 455 and it’s related clauses, a number of issues remain. Firstly, the existing anti-avoidance measure fails to tackle loans of less than £15,000, which is not an insignificant amount of money on which tax should otherwise be due. Therefore this Bill reduces that threshold to £5,000 in line with other tax legislation to ensure that only trivial loans which would be expected in the normal course of business (e.g corporate credit cards) are incurred. Secondly, despite the anti-avoidance legislation a tax avoidance known as “bed and breakfasting” remains prevalent - these transactions are carried out around the end of the accounting period to prevent the loans etc appearing on the company’s Balance Sheet but it may also be done around the date which is 9 months after the end of the accounting period as that is the trigger date for liability to the charge, thereby meaning that a temporary repayment of the same loan and the return of these funds 9 months after the end of the accounting period mean that the funds remain not taxable on a technicality. Finally, given shareholder loans are not subject to interest, even if these loans are eventually repaid the present value of the loan value will be lower when such profit is formally extracted and therefore taxed by HMRC, which the legislation fails to prevent. To tackle these issues, this Bill also creates a measure in which any repaid loans made within 2 years of a previous loan being made are treated as though the original loan remained outstanding, and therefore taxable under the Section 455 clause of the Companies Act.
It is the position of Her Majesty’s Government that shareholders must extract profit from their business through a legally authorised and taxable dividend, and we will do everything in our power to remove the opportunities for avoidance.
In combination with the other two pieces of anti-avoidance legislation I will be/have submitted to the House, these measures are collectively expected to raise £3.4 billion. This proposed revenue generation and these Bills were raised at Her Majesty’s Budget Committee and unopposed. My thanks go to my friend the Right Honourable Phonexia2 for their assistance in costing.
I urge the House to rally behind this Bill.
(M: These costings are calculated as 40% of the tax gap for “Evasion” and “Non-payment”, given the difficulty of calculating the actual revenue generated from these measures).
This reading will end on Tuesday 13th June at 10PM BST.

Some of you may recall that I posted a few months ago about a new SB who turned out to be my son’s math teacher. We’re still seeing each other a couple times a month. I told her a while ago that if she needed any ‘guy stuff’ done around the house she could call me.
Thursday night she called me, sounding like she was on the edge of hysterics. She told me that a big snake was in her house, she had called a couple pest control companies but it was after 9 pm and her calls went to voicemail. I told her that I was on my way, grabbed my snake stick, and drove over.
She and her kids said that it was last seen in the living room and I got enough of a description to be fairly sure it wasn’t venomous, but I was still cautious. I found the snake under the couch, and when I started to move the couch it went up into the couch. I moved the couch and flipped it over. The snake turned out to be a Western Rat Snake, about five feet long and pretty feisty. I got it out of the couch and got control of it, and got musked in the process.
After I had control I did a little show and tell with her kids, boy and girl, both under ten. They were fascinated by the snake; their mother, not so much. She had the willies from just being in the same room.
I had never been to my SB’s house before. She lives in an older subdivision that dates to the 1970s; lots of trees, shrubs, and big yards. On the other side of her backyard fence is one of the creeks that run through town. I let the snake loose in the creek bed and went back inside. I talked with the kids briefly about the local venomous snakes and how to identify them, and how to be safe around snakes. My SB sent the kids to bed and invited me to use her bathroom to take a shower while she washed my clothes. I ended up spending the night in bed with her.
Yesterday morning during breakfast her son asked me if I was his mom’s new boyfriend; she and I exchanged glances, and I told him yes. He seemed to take that pretty well, and after the kids left the table she told me that her son generally had difficulty with her dating and she had been prepared for him to react negatively, because he usually didn’t like her boyfriends.
After breakfast I called a pest control company and had them send a guy over. He and I talked about reducing the snake friendly habitat in the backyard, but there’s nothing we can do about the creek because it’s city property and natural habitat. He looked for ways the snake might have gained access to the house, for signs of rodents, and he looked in and around the house and yard for the possibility of snake eggs. I don’t know enough to be able to tell the difference between a male and a female snake, and it didn’t cross my mind on Thursday night. He advised me that this time of year is when rat snakes mate and they lay eggs and leave them. I did NOT tell my SB about the possibility that she might see some baby snakes in several weeks. Based on how she reacted last night I wouldn’t be surprised if she moved into a hotel for the rest of the summer. I paid the pest control guy to seal up some possible access points into the house and to reduce some of the potential snake habitat in the yard, and I called my yard guy to add her place to the weekly service. Her backyard is fairly overgrown, and it’s going to take some work to clean up.
It didn’t occur to me until this morning that I might owe her a PPM for Thursday night, but on the other hand coming over to catch a snake in her house at 10 pm, paying a pest control service to come out, and adding her to my yard service might be considered payment in kind.

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.

My sweet healthy husband was in the ED last night and sent home after 6 hours. Not feeling much better today, we’re resting for a bit and plan to return later this afternoon or sooner if pain worsens. Can’t make sense of his symptoms.
37 healthy, training for half Ironman (many competitions in past). 6’1” 220 lbs. non smoker, rare etoh, rare cannabis. Takes adderall 15 mg for adhd. Works desk job. Active outside of work, stoic.
Was in his usual state of good health and Thursday night he went for a 7 mile run after work. Saw what looked like dark blood in his urine after the run. Felt fine but thought was probably dehydrated. Drank some water. Went to bed, had a normal Friday, ate well, drank a lot of water. Bowels were a little softer than usual, urine was clear. Some lower bilateral abd cramping.
Woke up 1 am Saturday morning with urge to have a bowel movement, strained a bit, felt unwell and passed out. I woke to the sound of the fall and found him diaphoretic on the bathroom floor, very pale, unconscious for a few seconds. No head trauma. He Felt confused but able to get him to the car and to the hospital. Said his lower abdomen was cramping worse, 8/10 pain.
No nausea, vomiting, or blood in stool.
At the ED: Afebrile, normotensive, normal pulse. Sinus rhythm on EKG. Normal CBC and CMP. Urine with 1+ blood and SG >1.030 Negative/normal aortic ultrasound. Negative/normal US bladder.
Received 2 L fluid and felt somewhat better. Pain in lower abdomen reduced to 3/10.
Sent us home.
He’s rested a bit but abdominal pain is worsening. Now 6/10. Ate breakfast, drinking fluids. Took some Tylenol.
He feels that something is off and I believe him. Do we push for an abdominal CT? What could be the cause if normal labs?
He had another BM this morning which made him feel presyncopal again when he strained. Softer than usual, no blood.
We have a kid in daycare but no recent illnesses, no travel, meds, drugs, no new sex partners.
I’ve been up for 12 hours watching the family and can’t wrap my brain around this, thanks!

If you've ever wondered if there was a way to make it easier on yourself to take care of your mouth, then you need to keep reading. There are many tips and tricks available, from selecting the right toothpaste to choosing the right dentist. Keep reading to find out more about making your job easier.
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Flossing is just as important as brushing your teeth. If you do not floss after every meal, bacteria will build up between your teeth and damage them. Take a few minutes to floss after you eat, and you will notice a difference. Your teeth will look whiter after a few months of flossing on a regular basis.
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If you are having a hard time brushing your teeth efficiently, you should consider getting an electric toothbrush. These devices are very efficient and will allow you to clean your teeth thoroughly without having to brush vigorously. This is your best option if you have arthritis or if your children do not brush their teeth properly.
https://www.dr-fadi.com/
To help whiten your teeth brush using baking soda. Baking soda is known for its disinfecting and cleaning properties. To use simply sprinkle a small amount of baking soda in your hand and dip your wet toothbrush into the baking soda. Then, gentle brush your teeth for at least two minutes.
You can efficiently prevent tooth decay by using a mouth wash that contains fluoride. You should check the labels of the products you buy and look for fluoride. Do not take a fluoride supplement if you decide to use some mouth wash or toothpaste that is already enriched in fluoride.
If dental veneers are only going to brush twice a day, do it when you are first getting up and when you finally go to bed. Early morning brushing gets rid of morning breath and deals with anything that settled in during your sleep. Brushing at bedtime helps your plaque-fighting saliva out, since it is going to dry up overnight.
It's important to brush your teeth at least twice a day. The first time should be after breakfast to get rid of all the gunk on your teeth from your meal and from sleeping overnight. The second time is before bed, ensuring that you clean off dinner detritus and daily build-up.
Considering getting your tongue pierced? Think over this again. Mouth piercings are breeding grounds for bacteria, and no amount of dental hygiene can completely negate this fact. Additionally, an oral piercing can wear down tooth enamel, leaving the area vulnerable to infection. If you don't get this checked out, getting rid of parts of your tongue may be your only option. This should make you think twice.
To keep your teeth healthy and free of cavities you should avoid drinking flavored fruit juices. Fruit juices contain tons of cavity-causing sugars. In fact, although fruit juices sound as if they are good for you, in reality, they have just as much sugar as soda pop. Drink water instead.
Nutrition is important to dental health. To help ensure that you are getting the necessary nutrients eat a well-balanced diet based on the USDA's food pyramid. Your diet should consist of low-fat dairy products. This will help ensure that you are getting the necessary amounts of calcium. Calcium is one of the primary building blocks of healthy teeth.
Brush your tongue. Your tongue needs attention just like your teeth and gums do. Use your toothbrush and brush your tongue just like you brush your teeth. Not only is this good for your dental health, but it can help with any bad breath you may be experiencing, too.
If you suspect something is wrong with your teeth, take care of it immediately. Dental problems can be major ones. Some can even be life threatening. Be sure to take your dental health seriously. Don't avoid the dentist. If something is clearly wrong, make an appointment as soon as you are able.
Now that you've read this article, you're more equipped to handle decision making when it comes to the cleanliness of your mouth. You can make your dentist's job much easier and your life much better by taking a few more steps to make sure that your mouth is well taken care of from now on. You can do it!

I hope to find a kind-hearted woman to build a lasting relationship with. Genuine and kind, someone I can talk to about anything and everything. I want a partner who's excited to share their knowledge and experiences with me, grow together, learn new things from each other, and connect on a deeper level. You can share your thoughts and ideas with me, and I'll be happy to discuss all kinds of topics. I want us to build a wholesome relationship where being there for each other is enough.
This part is about what I'm looking for in a relationship: - Mutual love and respect and care, my chest will be your pillow while we binge episodes and watch a lot of things while cuddling, romantic dinners, cooking together, enjoying life to the fullest , holding hands while walking , going to the beach, traveling to new places, trying new things and experiencing what life has to offer together :) . Being there for each other through good and bad times . You can always count on me and tell me everything, I will be the shoulder you can lean on. I'm very romantic and I have a lot of love to give. When we are together expect me to always hug you, kiss you on your forehead, hold your hands and express my love to you and how much you mean to me while I look deeply into your eyes . Romantic moments and lovely things like giving each other pet names, making you bed surprise breakfasts. Tons of Cuddles and hugs . I will always sheer you up, motivate you, and help you . I'll always be there for you.
Currently located in Morocco and I work in IT field. I'm looking for someone 20 or older who's okay with long-distance until we figure things out.
As for my physical attributes, I have light brown skin, black hair, and brown eyes, average looking guy. I used to train in calisthenics and weightlifting, but I had to stop due to shoulder injuries. Personality-wise, I'm an ENFP MBTI type with a bubbly, caring, affectionate, patient, and ambitious personality. I'm easy-going, non-judgmental, and an ambivert depending on the day. I have a good sense of humor and always make my friends laugh. My hobbies and sports include running, calisthenics, cycling, cooking, and hiking. I enjoy reading, playing video games, traveling, camping, watching movies, TV shows, documentaries, and anime.
I can speak four languages fluently and hope to learn more in the future. I love to do many activities like having long walks and exploring new places. When it comes to indoors, I'm very creative at finding ways to enjoy our time. I love discussing all kinds of topics; we can talk about anything from history, geography, cinema, sports, religion, philosophy, languages, food, politics, spiritualism, video games, travel, cultures, technology, and more.
Regarding religion, I'm agnostic, and I don't believe in any religions. I'm still searching for the truth, so I don't have a problem with you being from any religion.
When it comes to films, TV shows, and anime, it's hard to pick favorites, so you can ask me later. As for music, I enjoy classic hip-hop, rap, rock/post-rock, jazz, 80s music, some metal, classic, ambient, pop, and soundtracks. I used to watch anime growing up, and I still enjoy it, but I don't watch it as much as years go by, still watching certain weekly releases.
Thank you for reading through all this! If you're interested, please contact me through DM or chat. Introduce yourself and tell me a bit about you, write more than Hey.