It's not uncommon to fantasize about having a different life than the one we currently live. We might dream of being a successful entrepreneur, a famous musician, a world travelers or a bestseller writer. However, when we become too fixated on these desires, we can lose sight of the reality of our current circumstances. Life is a journey, and we all have our own unique paths to follow. By accepting our reality and making the most of it, we can find happiness and fulfillment, if not right now, then sooner or later. David also had a dream but that dream remains an unlived life.
×××
David sat in his study, bleary-eyed and exhausted from staying up all night to meet his book deadline. The pressure had been immense, and he had worked tirelessly to ensure that every page was perfect. As he sat there, he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him now that it was finally done.
Suddenly, his wife Mia walked in carrying a steaming cup of coffee. "Good morning, honey," she said with a smile. "How's it going? Are you finished?"
David looked up at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of exhaustion and pride. "I did it," he said, his voice hoarse from lack of sleep. "I finished the book."
Mia's face lit up with excitement. "Oh, David, that's amazing!" she exclaimed, setting the coffee down on the desk. "I'm so proud of you."
David smiled weakly, feeling a surge of gratitude towards his wife. "Thanks, Mia," he said, reaching out to take the coffee. "I couldn't have done it without you."
Mia leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "Of course you could have," she said, her voice soft and reassuring. "But I'm glad I could help."
David took a sip of the coffee, savoring the warmth and caffeine. "I just hope it's good enough," he said, feeling a twinge of uncertainty. "I worked so hard on it, but what if it's not what they're looking for?"
Mia placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and read the first lines:
DI Chris Cole sat surrounded by papers, wishing he could just throw them all away. He had thirty minutes to finish a report on a closed case of domestic violence before he could leave his desk. Meanwhile, Chief DI Robert Brown found Cole's meticulousness frustrating but admired his interrogation skills. As Cole was almost done, a woman entered his office, seeking help in finding her missing daughter, Amy Norman.
"David, it's going to be great," she said firmly. "You poured your heart and soul into this book, and it shows. Any anyway, who couldn’t like DI Chris Cole? He is such a loveable character!"
David looked up at her, feeling a renewed sense of confidence. "Thanks, Mia," he said again, his voice stronger this time. "You're the best."
Mia grinned at him. "I know," she said playfully, before turning to leave. "But seriously, I have to get going. Don't forget to take a nap later, okay?"
David chuckled as she walked out the door. "I won't," he promised, feeling a sense of gratitude and love toward his supportive wife. With a newfound sense of energy, he turned back to his manuscript, excited to see where his hard work would take him.
But at that moment, he was struck by a sudden, terrible headache. It was something that he had been experiencing lately - a pounding, searing pain that seemed to be concentrated in the center of his forehead.
He closed his eyes and focused on the pain, pushing it away by pushing everything else out. But images flared behind his eyelids: himself, surrounded by a battle-worn unit of men in brown desert camouflage, moving forward into the burning sun. These visions were slow and faded as they came, like remnants of dreams that had been long forgotten. The smell of guns, oil, smoke and sweat was like heavy perfume.
He had no idea where they had come from or what they meant, but he knew that something was very wrong.
"David, your headaches again?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.
"Yes, but...I don't know what to do," he said, his voice strained. "It's like they're getting worse."
Mia's face softened with empathy. "We'll figure it out," she said firmly. "Maybe it's time to go see a doctor. They might be able to help."
David shook his head, feeling a sense of dread at the thought of going back to the hospital. "I don't want to," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I think it’s just the stress."
Mia looked at him with concern. "David, you can't just ignore this," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "You need to take care of yourself. You know that."
David sighed, feeling defeated. "I know, I know...I will see a doctor,” he said and Mia placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
Joseph Smith worked in a massive office building, surrounded by towering skyscrapers and bustling city streets. His office was located on the top floor, with a view that stretched out over the entire city. Whenever David came to visit him, he always felt a sense of awe at the sheer scale of the place.
As David walked into Joseph's office, he was greeted with a warm smile. Joseph stood up from his desk and walked over to greet him, his hand outstretched in welcome.
"David, my friend, can’t wait to read the latest story about DI Cole!”
Joseph took the manuscript from him, flipping through the pages with a keen eye.
“DI Chris Cole sat surrounded by papers, wishing he could just throw them all away. He had thirty minutes to finish a report on a closed case of domestic violence before he could leave his desk. Meanwhile, Chief DI Robert Brown found Cole's meticulousness frustrating but admired his interrogation skills. As Cole was almost done, a woman entered his office, seeking help in finding her missing daughter, Amy Norman,” as he read, his expression grew more and more excited, until he was practically beaming with joy.
"David, this is fantastic!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with enthusiasm. "This is going to be another great success, I just know it. I just can’t wait for the book launch! Think about it buddy, hundreds of eager readers will be attending the great event!”
David felt a surge of gratitude and relief wash over him. He had worked so hard on the manuscript, pouring his heart and soul into every word. To hear what Joseph had just said meant the world to him.
"Thank you, Joseph," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "That means so much to me.”
Joseph smiled at him, patting him on the back. "You deserve it, my friend," he said, before walking over to his desk and pouring them both a glass of scotch. "Now let's celebrate!"
David took the glass from Joseph but he accidentally dropped the glass of whiskey. He had another terrible headache and the visions came back.
The heat was oppressive, bearing down on them like a heavyweight. David huddled in a ditch with two other soldiers - a man and a woman. They were surrounded by the unforgiving desert, with no cover except for the deep, rocky depression they had found themselves in.
The ditch was long and deep, full of mud, sand, and the shattered remnants of war. Bullets were flying overhead, soldiers run back and forth across the landscape. Smoke and flames marred the horizon. The walls of the ditch were stained with dried blood and littered with weapons and discarded supplies.
The sounds of battle filled the air - bullets whizzing past, cannons exploding, shouting voices of commanders and soldiers alike, distant screams of those in pain. The ground shook underfoot with every explosion and it felt as if the world was coming apart at its seamed.
“Where the hell am I? What’s happening?” David asked in confusion.
“Shut up David, this is not a good place to joke around now!” the woman shouted at him.
David was suddenly jolted by the sound of gunfire. Before he could react, he saw a soldier fall into the ditch next to him, blood spreading rapidly across his uniform. Fear gripped David's heart, and he was overcome with terror at the sight of the fallen soldier.
“Are you all right, buddy?” Joseph asked with worry on his face.
“Yeah, I’m just... these damn headaches,” David replied leaning to the drinking bar.
Joseph then advised him to go home and a rest. Upon arriving home, Dave made his way to his bedroom and settled into bed. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
As he slept, his mind and body rejuvenated, allowing him to wake up feeling refreshed and energized.
As the evening drew near, David eagerly awaited his wife Mia's arrival. When she finally came through the door, he rushed to greet her, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.
"Hey beautiful," he said, his voice filled with love.
"How was your day?" Mia smiled up at him, her eyes shining with happiness.
"It was good," she said, before leaning in to give him a tender kiss.
"I'm just so excited about your book launch." David felt a surge of pride and joy at her words.
"Thanks," he said, his voice filled with gratitude. "I couldn't have done it without you." They spent the rest of the evening together, enjoying a cozy family dinner with their son Carl. As they sat around the table, David couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over him. He had everything he could ever want - a loving wife, a beautiful son, and a successful career.
Later that night, as David and Mia lay in bed together, they began to make love. David felt a rush of passion as they kissed and touched, his body responding eagerly to hers. But as they moved together in a frenzy of desire, David suddenly felt the familiar, searing pain in his head. He tried to ignore it, pushing past the discomfort and focusing on the pleasure of their lovemaking. But the pain only grew worse, until it was a throbbing ache that seemed to consume him completely. He gasped in agony, his body shaking with spasms. Mia looked up at him, her expression filled with concern.
"David, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice laced with worry. David tried to speak, but the pain was too intense. He clutched his head, feeling like his brain was on fire.
"Mia...I...the headache..." he managed to gasp out before everything went black.
The air was filled with the sound of screaming bullets and explosions, rattling metal scraping against dirt and rocks as soldiers move along its sides. It echoed with sorrowful cries, a chorus of desperation and despair, a reminder of the violence that lay just beyond the rim of its walls.
As the sounds of gunfire echoed around them, they huddled together, trying to come up with a plan. But no matter how the man and the woman looked at it, there seemed to be no way out. The enemy was closing in, their weapons raining down a deadly hail of bullets that kept them pinned down.
“Where the hell am I?” David demanded.
“David! What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I have just been in bed with my wife!”
"David, you need to pull yourself together!" the man muttered, his voice strained with desperation.
"Look buddy, I can understand that you are in shock right now but you can’t just sit here and wait for them to kill us."
The woman shook his head, his face was grim. "We can't counterattack," the woman interrupted. "We're outnumbered and outgunned. It's suicide."
She looked up at the sky, scanning for any sign of help. "We need air support," she said, her voice tense. "We have to hold out until they get here."
“Look, I don’t know how I got here but I don’t want to be part of this! If this is a secret government experiment, I will reveal this all to the whole world!” Dave shouted.
“Whatever man, just don’t die for now, okay?” the man replied.
But time seemed to stretch on endlessly, with no relief in sight. The sun beat down on them, making them feel like they were being baked alive. The sound of gunfire was constant, a never-ending barrage that seemed to be closing in on them with every passing moment.
David slowly opened his eyes, trying to remember where he was. He saw his wife Mia sitting beside him, looking at him with concern.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Mia asked, holding his hand.
David tried to sit up, but he felt a sharp pain in his head. "The headache again," he said, groaning.
Mia put a hand on his forehead. "You were unconscious for a while, we had to take you to the hospital. The doctor said they need to run some tests."
David's heart raced as he heard this. "Tests? What tests?"
Mia looked at him sympathetically. "Don't worry, they just want to make sure you're okay. The doctor will be here soon to talk to you."
Just then, a doctor walked into the room. "Mr. Johnson, I have some good news. Your brain looks fine, all the tests came back normal."
David let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. So what was causing my headaches?"
The doctor smiled. "It looks like it was just stress. You've been working long hours lately, and it's taken a toll on you. I suggest taking it easy for a while, maybe taking some time off work."
Mia looked at David, concern etched on her face. "You heard the doctor, honey. We'll take care of you, okay?"
David nodded, grateful for his wife's support. "Okay, but there is one more thing. Sometimes I hallucinate during my attacks. They are very vivid, it’s like I am in someone else’s body in an entirely different place."
“Well, migraines are thought to be caused by changes in blood flow and activity in the brain. During a migraine, blood vessels in the brain can constrict and then dilate, leading to changes in blood flow and activity in certain areas of the brain. These changes can affect the way that the brain processes visual and auditory information, leading to the perception of hallucinations. So I would say this is still normal. I will prescribe something for you that can alleviate the pain and help you feel better,” the doctor explained.
“Thank you, doctor.”
Mia helped him get dressed and they headed out of the hospital. As they walked to the car, David couldn't help but feel grateful for his wife's love and care.
"I'm lucky to have you," he said, smiling at Mia.
Mia smiled back. "I'm lucky to have you too. Let's go home and relax."
David nodded, feeling a sense of peace wash over him. As they drove home, he knew he would take the doctor's advice and take some time off work. He now needed to focus on his health, his family, and his upcoming book launch.
After some time of final preparations, the much-awaited preliminary book launch for David's novel, The Swan Lake Murder, finally took place. Avid readers gathered in droves to catch a glimpse of the author and get their hands on his new release.
The book launch was set to take place at the renowned British Library in St. Pancras, one of the largest libraries in the world, boasting an impressive collection of over 170 million items. David felt a sense of pride and anticipation as he arrived at the library in a luxurious limousine arranged by his agent.
As he stepped out of the vehicle, he was greeted by the sight of numerous posters and huge advertisements promoting his book. The excitement of his fans was palpable, and the air was filled with the sound of cheers and applause and questions from the reporters. David felt a sense of accomplishment and gratitude for the support of his readers, which motivated him to continue writing and pursuing his passion for literature.
David smiled, feeling a sense of fulfillment wash over him. It had been a long journey, but he had finally made it. And with his fans by his side, he knew that there would be many more journeys to come.
Mia rushed over to him, tears of pride and joy in her eyes.
"I'm so proud of you," she whispered, giving him a tight hug.
As David stepped onto the stage, the flash of cameras blinded him momentarily, but he felt the energy of the crowd as they cheered and clapped for him. Mia was standing off to the side, beaming with pride.
"Thank you all so much for coming," David said, addressing the crowd. "I'm so grateful for all of you and your support. It means the world to me that you've enjoyed my books and have been eagerly awaiting the release of the third one."
The crowd erupted into applause, and David felt a lump form in his throat. He had poured so much of himself into his writing, and it was humbling to see that it had resonated with so many people.
"I want to take a moment to read you all the opening lines of the third book," David continued, pulling out a copy of his latest novel. "I hope it gives you a taste of what's to come."
The crowd hushed as David began to read.
“DI Chris Cole sat surrounded by papers, wishing he could just throw them all away. He had thirty minutes to finish a report on a closed case of domestic violence before he could leave his desk. Meanwhile, Chief DI Robert Brown found Cole's meticulousness frustrating but admired his interrogation skills. As Cole was almost done, a woman entered his office, seeking help in finding her missing daughter, Amy Norman,”
His voice was clear and steady, and he could feel the tension in the room as the audience hung on his every word.
But then, he suddenly collapsed as the sharp headache came back. There was nothing he could do and everything went dark.
As they huddled together, they could feel the hopelessness creeping in. It was like they were stuck in a nightmare, unable to wake up.
But just when it seemed like all was lost, they heard the distant sound of aircraft overhead. They looked up, their hearts pounding with hope.
“No, no no! Don’t do this to me! Why are you taking me back here?” David demanded.
“Shut up sergeant and man up! It's air support!" Emma shouted, her face breaking into a smile. "They're here!"
As the planes roared overhead, the enemy fire suddenly stopped. The sound of explosions filled the air, and they knew that the tide had turned. They had been saved.
“This is not real...this is not real,” he repeated and scrambled out of the ditch.
David slowly stood up, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of danger. The air was tense, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Suddenly, he heard a loud bang, and he felt a searing pain in his chest. He looked down to see a bullet hole, blood pouring out of it and pooling around his feet. As David's body tumbled into the nearby ditch, the other soldiers rushed to his side screaming not to get out of the ditch but it was too late.
One of them knelt down and cradled David's head in his lap, trying to stem the flow of blood but it was in vain. A few seconds later, the gunfire slowly died down, the air strike was probably successful. As the gave up saving up David’s life, he noticed a piece of paper sticking out of his pocket. He hesitated for a moment, but his curiosity got the better of him, and he pulled out the paper.
“What’s that?” the woman asked.
“Looks like the beginning of a novel,” he replied and his eyes scanned the words with curiosity.
“DI Chris Cole sat surrounded by papers, wishing he could just throw them all away. He had thirty minutes to finish a report on a closed case of domestic violence before he could leave his desk. Meanwhile, Chief DI Robert Brown found Cole's meticulousness frustrating but admired his interrogation skills. As Cole was almost done, a woman entered his office, seeking help in finding her missing daughter, Amy Norman.”
"So this is the book he mentioned to me. He wanted to be a successful writer one day. Poor him! He must have daydreamed a lot about that life," the woman noted, her voice full of sorrow.
In silence, they were sitting there, wishing him to rest in peace.

I’m a sole trader and on track to earn about $100,000 this year. I’ve used Hnry for the whole tax year but noticed tax rates charged seemed quite high. I’ve used a lot of tax calculators, aswell as the ATO one and noticed the discrepancy, which I can understand is just to ensure you don’t end up with a high tax bill incase you do earn over the thresholds. Nonetheless, I’ve tried researching how people have found tax returns and haven’t found a whole lot. For those who’ve used Hnry, did voluntary super contributions and had business expenses, how did your tax returns go? From my research, I should be getting back a pretty decent chunk (almost $10k), but I’m honestly just a bit confused about it all. Hnry haven’t offered me a lot of info on this end either. From, The lady who’s in her first year of being a sole trader and STRESSED
tldr; anyone using Hnry get a tax refund?

1. - desync
2. - no rejoin button
3. - constant crashes
4. - SBMM + CSR
5. - SBMM in social
6. - EOMM (Engagement Optimized MatchMaking) making the game not fun for casuals
7. - no player ping in scoreboard
8. - sidekick loadout on BTB
9. - AR + BR on team slayer
10. - Tactical slayer is now objective swat
11. - removing maps from playlists
12. - no slayer ranked playlist
13. - no assassination
14. - mangler is useless after nerf
15. - high ping servers
16. - cheaters
17. - new maps not great for ranked
18. - players lose CSR in 3v4
19. - no battle royale
20. - no push to talk bind for controller players
21. - questionable player respawn
22. - not consistent FPS on PC
23. - random vehicle drop in BTB is awful
24. - hit confirmation delay
25. - no bandit loadout in BTB
26. - gravity hammer range is bad
27. - no progression ranking system
28. - map repetition
29. - queue time is high, but if you cancel the search and start again, you find a match all of sudden
30. - playing with and against same players for many games
31. - no map vet
32. - Scorpion controls on MNK is very difficult
33. - Chasm is a L map
34. - in CTF the flag feels too heavy
35. - weapon jam
36. - lift issue on Empyrean letting people stuck
37. - inconsistent spanker
38. - BTB stockpile should be removed
39. - BTB Power vehicles snot spawning at the same time for both teams
40. - nobody remembers ranked survivors even exist
41. - no warzone
42. - players getting “punished” for being above average in terms of skill
43. - no permanent ranked FFA playlist
44. - no FFA slayer as a core mode
45. - no PVE playlists
46. - no infection
47. - poorly arranged event schedules #
48. - 343 advertising helmet/attachment combos that are not allowed in-game
49. - no default coatings for weapons
50. - customizations vaulted inaccessible to buy
51. - Yoroi body type is changes nothing
52. - Season 3 full of bald helmets
53. - non customizable emblems
54. - lone wolf blue emblem removed
55. - 50% of Mark VII coatings are vaulted
56. - belt is in the same slot as lag attachments
57. - impossible to equip more than 1 item each slot
58. - S1 HCS skins still unable to equip a simple weapon charm
59. - previous HCS coatings not returning to the store
60. - coatings losing quality when in game
61. - Yoroi swords locked on a paywall, and a samurai lives by the sword
62. - cat ears not available in all helmets (this should be a crime) #
63. - remove of glitches removed the fun
64. - no splitscreen co-op
65. - no love for speedrunners
66. - no skull to play multiplayer spartan in campaign
67. - DLC cancelled
68. - bandit not added to campaign
69. - no return of the flood
70. - Campaign feels like a half-baked open world experience #
71. - settings reset all of sudden
72. - not possible to mute players from scoreboard
73. - double XP no longer works with Bot Bootcamp
74. - no option to hide cores in customization
75. - theater navigation menu makes it impossible
76. - custom browser mode not in main menu
77. - long loading time
78. - bookmarks not working
79. - no try on feature in all items
80. - not possible to know if an item in the store is available to all cores/helmets
81. - no option to turn kill effect off
82. - unable to toggle "overperformed" and "underperformed" off
83. - “Ranked queue” and “Input” grayed out and has no meaningful use
84. - can’t rotate screen when choosing stance
85. - “tags” and “credits” tabs on theater match history is not useful
86. - can’t switch battlepass if don’t upgrade to premium
87. - can’t zoom in/out to better look BP skins
88. - we need a youtube tutorial to know how to sign out
89. - not simple path to hide UI in armor hall (should be a simple bind)
90. - last match result not available after a crash or a restart #
91. - FOMO
92. - mouse sensibility changes all of sudden
93. - explosions bring 0 dopamine
94. - running is basically a simple animation
95. - BR out of training mode for the majority of maps
96. - challenges constantly don't progress
97. - PC CPU temperature goes skyrocket
98. - Academy and custom games not working offline on pc
99. - players banned for inactivity because game loads forever
100. - same steam banner since release
101. - superintendent still not fixed
102. - no proper marketing campaign to bring more players to the game
103. - lack of communication with the community
104. - poor decisions made by managers made all your promises become a lie
105. - no cross events (a star wars event would be awesome)
106. - challenge swap slot in the stores is useless
107. - players are full of challenge swaps (I have 78 currently). Stop bringing it to BPs
108. - no proper info regarding when a twitch drop will be in place
109. - no action to avoid the amount of smurf accounts
110. - items overpriced in shop
111. - don’t you dare clicking on anything while the 1, 2, 3 count is running for your next game
112. - getting one extra challenge slot when upgrading to premium makes no difference
113. - rare/epic/legendary cores are unnecessary
114. - we should be able to watch HCS in the main menu
115. - forge maps banned for being too heavy
116. - weekly rewards not worth our efforts
117. - plasma pistols no longer EMP vehicles

They just called me a few mins but I passed since I found one in February: Markup is $2k in case anyone is interested (not sure if negotiable)
Hi this is Toni from Lester Glenn Freehold Chevy. We have a 2023 Bolt EUV that just became available. If you're interested let me know asap as this vehicle will not be here long. price is MSRP plus our $1824 addendum. My direct line is 732-502-4627 Reply STOP to OptOut

Hi folks
Having a clear out and found this old Zipp 100 drive.
Before I dispose of it. I wondered if anyone here might have a need/use for it?
I'm based in the UK so I've got a UK PSU for it (though its only a 5V 1A supply so should be easy to replace).
Also have the original serial cable for it. No hardware available to test functionality so you'd be taking a punt.
Thanks for listening.

This is sort of a broad post with many facets and I don't have a TLDR. I was in a high-control "spiritual" group from age 21-30 and am having some challenges readjusting to many of the "realities" of life. I don't know where to go to for help and would greatly appreciate outside perspectives.
I'm starting my 2nd year as an apprentice plumber after finishing first in my trade school (once I decided to leave said group).
I believe that one of the triggers for addictive/self-destructive behavior is trying to avoid challenging emotions. I struggle with binge eating maybe 50% of evenings and I live with my mother. She has been wonderfully supportive since I decided to make my own decisions in life and doesn't charge me rent, never will and will allow me to stay as long as I want to.
Last year I paid off $7,000 of credit card debt and maxed my new Roth IRA. The year before I paid $6,000 of delinquent capital gains tax. All these debts were due to squandering an inheritance from my grandfather due to me having a good heart, being gullible perhaps and not having any financial literacy until I decided that personal sovereignty was very important to me.
Anyways, living with my mother has allowed me to save a little money, but I'm not happy with the emotional/social dynamic. I don't want to speculate too much, but I think I reject the kind of love my mother wants to give me. She's getting better about seeing me as an adult, but still does things like trying to speak for me to others while in my presence, kind of normal mothering stuff for a little boy, I guess. She's retired and I think sort of has a tendency to live vicariously through others. I don't think it's healthy and so I don't really talk about my life much or communicate much with her at all. I respect her, but we're into different things and frankly, as adults, don't have a lot of common interests, which is fine. Me living with her is putting a fair strain on both of us I think, but she'll never ask me to leave.
We don't eat together for various reasons. Partially it's scheduling, she's more into snacking and I don't like talking while eating. Also, although I don't show it outwardly, I think I get triggered by her questions. I feel like I'm being interrogated and as an adult, I don't owe her any answers.
I think one of my triggers for binge eating is feeling trapped and not in control of my life. I'm wondering if living on my own will help me to "man up" for lack of a better phrase and just make my life work. I've lived alone and with roommates before in many different situations. However I also struggled with binge eating/drinking while living alone in situations where I didn't feel in control, or I didn't like my life circumstances, such as my boss being my landlord, etc. I did learn some independence even though I was in a cult lol. I was told what part of the work to go to, what country to go to, then left and forgotten about. I had to find odd jobs with limited handman/farm skills and couldn't make any commitments. I had to make it work.
I'm hedging my bets that being more independent will help me to overcome my self-destructive habits. Frankly, I've struggled with food addiction before I even got involved in the high-control group. I'm not overweight and am actually very fit, but you know when you have a problem.
I haven't confessed this to anyone in my life, but I started seeing a therapist a couple months ago and have talked about using food to cope. I have a good relationship with some of my family members but I guess I just don't want sympathy. There was a time maybe 12-13 years ago I had a major eczema issue with my skin, lived with my mother and told my sisters I wasn't interested in going to see a Western medical practitioner. Frankly, the crying, begging and emotional strain of having people care about me with good intentions can be a lot to bear. It doesn't always make things better.
I have hobbies, but I don't fully express myself and my interests around my mother and family members. I'm hoping that living on my own (even with roommates), I can focus on increasing my earning potential, work occasional side jobs and focus on my hobbies (singing, Spanish language, martial arts, yoga, etc.) and that this purpose will help me to face uncomfortable emotions and not rely on coping in negative ways.
I'd like to move out of the house and keep reworking my budget, but it's tough. I currently make $21.50/hr. but if I go to another company, I may be taking a pay cut. Although currently, I don't have any benefit package from my job and with a different company, I'd have a package. I currently have about $21,000 in a HYSA that is a combination of an emergency fund and new catruck savings.
I drive a Toyota Solara with 246,000 miles that's been well-cared for. I just put in a new alternator and new tires. Part of my hesitation in leaving my company and current city is that I don't know how much longer this car will last. I don't want to be somewhere I don't know anybody and have to deal with towing a scrap car, potentially missing work at a new company, getting a rental car and finding something reliable with Uber's and whatnot. I don't necessarily NEED a truck but am looking at everything from Tundras to Rangers because it will help me keep options open for weekend side jobs and also to move living situations if I need to.
At my current job, I'm not getting the best training (but it's okay and I can make it work), but I have a company van, they may have given me a little too early (7 months in). So, if my personal car breaks down on a weekend while I have a work van and I'm living with my mother, it's not a huge deal. Problem is, I live in a HCOL area, but I could probably find a roommate and keep my housing/utility costs under $850/mo.
My credit is 694 and I don't want to have a car loan that is less than 91.5% paid off while potentially needing to have a landlord run my credit. 694 should be fine for an apartment, but not if I add a mostly unpaid car loan.
My buddy's mother and her partner have a mother-in-law suite they are trying to rent out in a major city 1 hour away from me. They would charge below market value and there is a good plumbing company in the area I would try to get in with. They are known for having a wonderful paid training program (they actually subcontract out their training). I'd likely take a pay cut but get benefits I'm currently paying for myself (dental, health, retirement). I would probably be someone's helper for 2-6 months before getting my own work vehicle. This is an option.
I guess there's a part of me that feels bad to leave my current company. There is sideways and upward mobility, I have enough say (due to my work ethic and intellect) that I can mostly work with who I want to. They took a chance on me, pay me decently (started me at $20 and now got an additional $1.50 after 10 months) and they make a decent effort to teach me stuff. Problem is they aren't organized with how they bill jobs, among other thing. Some jobs are time and materials, some things are flat rate, some things are a total toss up and some are charity for the church, which takes money out of the employees pockets. At the risk of sounding like I'm slandering them, a good few of the guys are pot heads and even smoke at work. Warnings have been given, but nobody gets fired. If you splash too much water out of a small puddle, I guess you're only left with mud. But I still believe that a company should have standards. Small family company and management doesn't really command respect. We lose money on efficiency and productivity. Guys 6 years in still don't know how to solder and make what I make, some less. One of our lead plumbers makes $.50 an hour more than I do.
So my point is that I could do okay if I stayed in this city with my current job, for now, but I wouldn't be relying on being around people with a growth mindset. I would be relying on my own drive, which is fickle. I'm driven, but I feel like I'm also influenced by my environment. If I stay here, I'd continue seeing my therapist, but if I move to the larger city with arguably the better company, I'd probably find another therapist and would also have access to a couple different men's groups, but nothing like Overeaters Anonymous or Smart Recovery. There are options though for help if I need it, more so in the larger city.
I'll add that my former cult is based out of the larger city with these opportunities. They aren't like a major Church, but are low-key, Christian-influenced Andean Shamanic type people who are followers of someone very charismatic with a few allegations of sexual harassment, although nothing is concrete so far (I think). If I moved there, I may run into the people I left who I was very close to for 9 years. Wouldn't be a big deal I don't think, but I might have to face that.
Budget: $2,900 monthly net income
$693 food (inflated due to not feeling comfortable in my mom's kitchen to cook healthy/cheap)
$541 IRA contributions
$150 catruck savings
$100 gas
$80 clothes/shoe allowance
$80 counseling copayments
$70 health insurance
$70 Verizon bill
$55 car maintenance
$50 supplements
$35 dental insurance
$25 cleaning/maintenance
That leaves me with $951 for rent/utilities, but perhaps more. My food spending should go down substantially if I live alone, but it might not go down if I have to share a kitchen with someone.
I get bonuses at work but don't build my budget around that or anything I make from side jobs.
My mother has decided to pay my car insurance and I won't necessarily complain about that.
Currently Reading:
"The Four Agreements" Don Miguel Ruiz
"Break the Binge Eating Cycle" Sylvana Siskov
The last thing I'll add is that I'm learning to enjoy taking ice baths and am trying to pursue difficult things in order to build up my discipline. If you've read all that, thank you and I hope you can offer some insight that maybe I'm missing. Also, if there's another sub I should post this expression, suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Have a great weekend!

This is sort of a broad post with many facets and I don't have a TLDR. I was in a high-control "spiritual" group from age 21-30 and am having some challenges readjusting to many of the "realities" of life. I don't know where to go to for help and would greatly appreciate outside perspectives.
I'm starting my 2nd year as an apprentice plumber after finishing first in my trade school (once I decided to leave said group).
I believe that one of the triggers for addictive/self-destructive behavior is trying to avoid challenging emotions. I struggle with binge eating maybe 50% of evenings and I live with my mother. She has been wonderfully supportive since I decided to make my own decisions in life and doesn't charge me rent, never will and will allow me to stay as long as I want to.
Last year I paid off $7,000 of credit card debt and maxed my new Roth IRA. The year before I paid $6,000 of delinquent capital gains tax. All these debts were due to squandering an inheritance from my grandfather due to me having a good heart, being gullible perhaps and not having any financial literacy until I decided that personal sovereignty was very important to me.
Anyways, living with my mother has allowed me to save a little money, but I'm not happy with the emotional/social dynamic. I don't want to speculate too much, but I think I reject the kind of love my mother wants to give me. She's getting better about seeing me as an adult, but still does things like trying to speak for me to others while in my presence, kind of normal mothering stuff for a little boy, I guess. She's retired and I think sort of has a tendency to live vicariously through others. I don't think it's healthy and so I don't really talk about my life much or communicate much with her at all. I respect her, but we're into different things and frankly, as adults, don't have a lot of common interests, which is fine. Me living with her is putting a fair strain on both of us I think, but she'll never ask me to leave.
We don't eat together for various reasons. Partially it's scheduling, she's more into snacking and I don't like talking while eating. Also, although I don't show it outwardly, I think I get triggered by her questions. I feel like I'm being interrogated and as an adult, I don't owe her any answers.
I think one of my triggers for binge eating is feeling trapped and not in control of my life. I'm wondering if living on my own will help me to "man up" for lack of a better phrase and just make my life work. I've lived alone and with roommates before in many different situations. However I also struggled with binge eating/drinking while living alone in situations where I didn't feel in control, or I didn't like my life circumstances, such as my boss being my landlord, etc. I did learn some independence even though I was in a cult lol. I was told what part of the work to go to, what country to go to, then left and forgotten about. I had to find odd jobs with limited handman/farm skills and couldn't make any commitments. I had to make it work.
I'm hedging my bets that being more independent will help me to overcome my self-destructive habits. Frankly, I've struggled with food addiction before I even got involved in the high-control group. I'm not overweight and am actually very fit, but you know when you have a problem.
I haven't confessed this to anyone in my life, but I started seeing a therapist a couple months ago and have talked about using food to cope. I have a good relationship with some of my family members but I guess I just don't want sympathy. There was a time maybe 12-13 years ago I had a major eczema issue with my skin, lived with my mother and told my sisters I wasn't interested in going to see a Western medical practitioner. Frankly, the crying, begging and emotional strain of having people care about me with good intentions can be a lot to bear. It doesn't always make things better.
I have hobbies, but I don't fully express myself and my interests around my mother and family members. I'm hoping that living on my own (even with roommates), I can focus on increasing my earning potential, work occasional side jobs and focus on my hobbies (singing, Spanish language, martial arts, yoga, etc.) and that this purpose will help me to face uncomfortable emotions and not rely on coping in negative ways.
I'd like to move out of the house and keep reworking my budget, but it's tough. I currently make $21.50/hr. but if I go to another company, I may be taking a pay cut. Although currently, I don't have any benefit package from my job and with a different company, I'd have a package. I currently have about $21,000 in a HYSA that is a combination of an emergency fund and new catruck savings.
I drive a Toyota Solara with 246,000 miles that's been well-cared for. I just put in a new alternator and new tires. Part of my hesitation in leaving my company and current city is that I don't know how much longer this car will last. I don't want to be somewhere I don't know anybody and have to deal with towing a scrap car, potentially missing work at a new company, getting a rental car and finding something reliable with Uber's and whatnot. I don't necessarily NEED a truck but am looking at everything from Tundras to Rangers because it will help me keep options open for weekend side jobs and also to move living situations if I need to.
At my current job, I'm not getting the best training (but it's okay and I can make it work), but I have a company van, they may have given me a little too early (7 months in). So, if my personal car breaks down on a weekend while I have a work van and I'm living with my mother, it's not a huge deal. Problem is, I live in a HCOL area, but I could probably find a roommate and keep my housing/utility costs under $850/mo.
My credit is 694 and I don't want to have a car loan that is less than 91.5% paid off while potentially needing to have a landlord run my credit. 694 should be fine for an apartment, but not if I add a mostly unpaid car loan.
My buddy's mother and her partner have a mother-in-law suite they are trying to rent out in a major city 1 hour away from me. They would charge below market value and there is a good plumbing company in the area I would try to get in with. They are known for having a wonderful paid training program (they actually subcontract out their training). I'd likely take a pay cut but get benefits I'm currently paying for myself (dental, health, retirement). I would probably be someone's helper for 2-6 months before getting my own work vehicle. This is an option.
I guess there's a part of me that feels bad to leave my current company. There is sideways and upward mobility, I have enough say (due to my work ethic and intellect) that I can mostly work with who I want to. They took a chance on me, pay me decently (started me at $20 and now got an additional $1.50 after 10 months) and they make a decent effort to teach me stuff. Problem is they aren't organized with how they bill jobs, among other thing. Some jobs are time and materials, some things are flat rate, some things are a total toss up and some are charity for the church, which takes money out of the employees pockets. At the risk of sounding like I'm slandering them, a good few of the guys are pot heads and even smoke at work. Warnings have been given, but nobody gets fired. If you splash too much water out of a small puddle, I guess you're only left with mud. But I still believe that a company should have standards. Small family company and management doesn't really command respect. We lose money on efficiency and productivity. Guys 6 years in still don't know how to solder and make what I make, some less. One of our lead plumbers makes $.50 an hour more than I do.
So my point is that I could do okay if I stayed in this city with my current job, for now, but I wouldn't be relying on being around people with a growth mindset. I would be relying on my own drive, which is fickle. I'm driven, but I feel like I'm also influenced by my environment. If I stay here, I'd continue seeing my therapist, but if I move to the larger city with arguably the better company, I'd probably find another therapist and would also have access to a couple different men's groups, but nothing like Overeaters Anonymous or Smart Recovery. There are options though for help if I need it, more so in the larger city.
I'll add that my former cult is based out of the larger city with these opportunities. They aren't like a major Church, but are low-key, Christian-influenced Andean Shamanic type people who are followers of someone very charismatic with a few allegations of sexual harassment, although nothing is concrete so far (I think). If I moved there, I may run into the people I left who I was very close to for 9 years. Wouldn't be a big deal I don't think, but I might have to face that.
Budget: $2,900 monthly net income
$693 food (inflated due to not feeling comfortable in my mom's kitchen to cook healthy/cheap)
$541 IRA contributions
$150 catruck savings
$100 gas
$80 clothes/shoe allowance
$80 counseling copayments
$70 health insurance
$70 Verizon bill
$55 car maintenance
$50 supplements
$35 dental insurance
$25 cleaning/maintenance
That leaves me with $951 for rent/utilities, but perhaps more. My food spending should go down substantially if I live alone, but it might not go down if I have to share a kitchen with someone.
I get bonuses at work but don't build my budget around that or anything I make from side jobs.
My mother has decided to pay my car insurance and I won't necessarily complain about that.
Currently Reading:
"The Four Agreements" Don Miguel Ruiz
"Break the Binge Eating Cycle" Sylvana Siskov
The last thing I'll add is that I'm learning to enjoy taking ice baths and am trying to pursue difficult things in order to build up my discipline. If you've read all that, thank you and I hope you can offer some insight that maybe I'm missing. Also, if there's another sub I should post this expression, suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Have a great weekend!

The CDTFA randomly audited and claims that from about 12 years ago I purchased a vehicle private party, and they found a discrepancy in what the seller and I claimed in the value. So I owe $1300+$1100 fees/interest in back taxes. Seems predatory to be able to tack on that much interest and fees without me having knowledge of the debt to begin with.
I don’t remember the purchase specifics because I’ve owned about 13 vehicles in the last decade, maybe more. He didn’t provide specifics.
I haven’t lived in California for a couple years. I said on the phone that I don’t recall this transaction, and he mentioned something about reporting this to the banking system etc. I asked about statute of limitations because it was so long ago, and he said 30 years in my case?!
I plan to work on a repayment potentially if I can’t appeal, but what’s freaking me out is I read this tax agency can get court ordered garnishments and confiscate bank funds??

Hey there! My name is Ryan and I'm from St. Louis, Missouri. I'm looking for a long term relationship; the "until death do us part" kind of relationship. I am 100% monogamous and I don't want that to ever change. I know physical attractiveness is important, so here is a picture of me. I'm 6'0", bearded, bald, and with a smile to light up your day!
So you're probably mostly interested in my title. I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when I was 20 years old.
My biggest symptom is that my ability to socialize is pretty shit. I'm just a pretty quiet person.
Most people would not guess that I have Asperger's because for one I am already very high functioning in comparison to most people with it. Second, I have been masking my traits for so long by not talking a lot that being 'the quiet guy' has just become natural to me.
Whenever I do talk, it's like everything goes through a subconscious filter in my head and I do a pretty good job at seeming neurotypical because of it.
If you're wondering if being in a relationship with me means that you have to be some kind of caretaker, you won't. I am 100% independent. I currently live alone half way across the US from family, work full time as a lead, pay my own bills, drive my own car, have my own hobbies, etc..
If you're also wondering if I would be communicative in a relationship, the answer is very much yes.
I've never been in a serious relationship before. The closest thing I have been in is a LDR and had a couple FWBs. I suck at talking to people. Woman or not lol. I was recently hit on at a club (I don't normally go to clubs. It was with an engagement party.), and I didn't realize it until she left. Stuff like this happens at my work too sometimes. Point is to further show that I am socially inept.
I've been typically described as kind, smart, gentle, sweet, caring, compromising, affectionate, clingy (in a healthy way), and loyal. I've taken the love language test before and I found that I love physical touch and quality time spent together. Sex, cuddling, kissing, and hand holding while spending plenty of time together will make me the happiest boyfriend in the world!
Some indoor hobbies I enjoy are PC gaming, programming, listening to music, watching movies/shows/anime. And some outdoor hobbies/activities I enjoy (especially with someone else) are going for walks, working on some kind of DIY project, going out to eat, and going to the park. Honestly I just spend most of my free time coding. I'd like to say I'm too mature for memes but then I end up seeing them every day on reddit.
Some qualities I value would be a good emotional intelligence, the time and ability to put effort into getting to know me, and just being a genuinely kind person. I've found that I can get along very well with extroverted people because they can counteract my quiet nature easily, or introverted people that have similar hobbies.
Other about-me stuff you may find important: I am politically liberal, atheist, and super non judgmental.
An LDR is not entirely out of the question for me. If you really believe that we are a great match, then let's chat. I would prefer you are in the US though.
^{Here's some keywords for people who use the search function: stl, missouri, illinois, stlouis, st. charles, edwardsville, glen carbon, clayton, richmond heights, affton, webster groves}

Right now, you're probably looking at your calendars, realizing what day it is, and figuring out that this post is a joke. "Nice try u/EquivalentInflation" you think. "You'd have to be pretty stupid to think that this is a real sport, you're pretty clearly doing an April Fools day bit. I mean, underwater hockey? Really? At least try for something believable."
Well, joke's on you motherfuckers, because this is 100% real. That's right, I pranked you all by researching and writing an extremely niche writeup! I bet you feel pretty silly now.

No, seriously, this is real

Originally known as "Octopush", underwater hockey was created by a British diving club. It was a method for their members to train during the off season, while also having some fun. There are false rumors that it originated to train British commandos. While this would be very cool, no legitimate source for this has ever been found. Also, if this is really how the British military trains, I might understand why their empire fell apart.
Each team has six players (some variants have ten), each of whom is equipped with a snorkel, fins, and a small curved stick. The goal is to slide the puck across the ground into the opponents' goal. There are no goalies or even strongly defined positions besides a basic "forward" and "defense" arrangement -- and even then, everyone stays in motion, and positions shift, with strategies being very fluid. Unlike regular hockey, underwater hockey does not allow physical contact or fighting because they're cowards. Now, six people on each team in such a small area may seem like a lot, but you're forgetting one crucial thing: humans are massive crybabies who "need to breathe oxygen". At any given time, a decent amount of both teams are floating near the surface, taking a breath and watching for an opening to dive back down.
My pathetic words can't truly capture the majesty of this sport, so you can see some gameplay here.
The sport's popularity was originally hampered by the slightly inconvenient fact that it was incredibly boring to watch. You would just sit on the edge of a pool, see vaguely blurry shapes deep underwater, and every so often be informed that one of those blurry shapes had scored. Riveting. The other option was for spectators to also be in the pool, with goggles and snorkels of their own. This was better, but still heavily limited crowds. Recently, with modern improvements, underwater cameras which can capture the game are actually a possibility (although it's still difficult).
It's also remarkably egalitarian. Athletes don't become worthless once they're past their early 20s, and teams often compete with mixed genders. It's a sport where skill, quick thinking, and breath training are prized, meaning that it's far easier for the average person to be competitive than it is in, say, basketball.
The sport is experiencing a remarkable rise in popularity among many developing nations, especially in Asia. It makes sense: the sport requires some developed infrastructure (a pool is generally considered important), but has far less expensive equipment than many other sports. They also don't need to spend time playing catch up to international teams which have been competing professionally for decades, like they would with football or baseball. Finally, sort of like baseball in the US or hockey in Canada, it has become a source of pride, a sport which they are very good at, which other nations aren't as great at. It's also quite popular in Australia, likely due to the fact that they can spend up to 17 hours underwater without going up for air.
There has also been a long and sustained push to get underwater hockey into the Olympics. Many of the sport's biggest contributors have worked tirelessly for this, believing that it will give them the legitimacy they need to kickstart an underwater renaissance. It's already a part of the Southeast Asian games (SEA), as well as some other international competitions. However, the idea pretty much only ever comes up when a sports website or newspaper needs some filler, and report that "Hey, these guys want to be in the Olympics". 90% of those articles basically go "Hey, did you guys know this exists? Weird." So yeah, their quest for Olympic recognition isn't going great.

OK, but this isn't HobbiesExist, where's the drama?

There may be a followup to this post, as apparently the governing body of underwater hockey was shattered by vicious infighting in the early 2000s. Unfortunately, very very little of it has ever been recorded. Probably because, y'know, it's underwater hockey, and no one recorded the five whole people who cared).
But as I painstakingly scrape together every social media post I can find, and scour the Internet Archive, there is a far more intriguing story. Well, stories, because believe it or not, this has happened multiple times.
In 2003, Canada women welcomed their Moldovan sisters with open arms. They had purchased a Moldovan flag, and were ready for Moldova's first female underwater hockey team to compete in a tournament. With epic sports music playing faintly in the background, this ragtag team of misfits went on to win the entire championship.
Except they didn't. Because they never actually showed up. As it turned out, the entire thing was a ploy to get them into the country in order to claim asylum status. We're not going to dive into the complex geopolitical realities of post-Soviet Eastern Europe, but suffice to say that Moldova can be Not Super Great, and a lot of people want to get out.
But this case involved far more than just a simple lie. According to an anonymous, snorkel masked source, who identified themselves as (and I shit you not), "Deep Trout", the entire scam was orchestrated by former "people movers" from the Soviet Union. They had built careers out of smuggling people out from under the noses of the Stasi. But this job required them to face their greatest foe yet: middle aged volunteers running an amateur sports event.
Supposedly, the team (which included women who could not swim, and did not know how to play underwater hockey) was taken by these people movers to Egypt. There, they could pretend to have gone through training as a team, so that everything would appear normal. This gave them the legitimacy needed to get travel visas to Canada for the event, after which, they immediately skipped the event and applied for asylum status, seeking new lives in Canada.
You may be thinking, "Wow, what idiots. I mean, how could anyone fall for that?" But you see, it gets better. Because this was the second time Moldovans had pulled this trick. In 2000, a men's team from Moldova competed in an Australian underwater hockey tournament. Reportedly, they did not know how to put their fins on, and although they actually competed, they then lost 30-0 and 23-0, to Columbia and Argentina respectively. Immediately afterwards, the entire team applied for (and received) asylum.

OK, so that's kind of funny, but where's the drama?

Obviously, for most of us, this is just a funny story, with the added emotional satisfaction that these people were able to escape to a better future in the single most creative way possible. But many people in the underwater hockey world were less than thrilled.
As has been mentioned earlier (and probably should be self evident), many organizers of underwater hockey feel like their sport isn't viewed as legitimate or treated with respect. This is likely because most people don't view it as legitimate, and don't treat it with respect.
They were concerned that these events could further damage their reputation, and ruin their shot at being in the Olympics. After all, "sport which is only used to flee to a new nation" doesn't exactly scream "legitimate peak of athletics". Even just the optics of it was bad, let alone the worry that more states might start denying travel visas to underwater hockey players
Although the Moldovan women's' response was never recorded, it was likely something along the lines of "I lost my family in the riots when we broke free from the USSR, and was in constant fear of being kidnapped for sex trafficking, but I'm really sorry that people might make fun of your sport now".
Fortunately, in the end, all was well that ended well. People wrote a few news articles, and wrote a few jokes, but the prophesied destruction of the sport never came true. In the end, it was all just water off a puck's back.

A brief word

Before I close, I just want to make something clear: Yes, I have made a lot of jokes about underwater hockey throughout all those. Partly because that's what I do, but also because it is a genuinely ridiculous concept. However, none of that is meant to be malicious. Researching this writeup, I found out more and more about a community that seems genuinely welcoming, which loves their sport, and which has a tremendous amount of skill and effort involved in it. At the end of the day, underwater hockey isn't inherently weirder than a sport like baseball. They just got the short end of the stick, and made up their weird rules too late. And it's not their fault that they can't afford to freeze the water they're playing in.

Info: I (F 35) have not lived with my family since I was 18. I currently live 2 states away. My sister(F 30) has an immune disorder and has pretty much always lived with my parents (M&F 63). My Dad and sister don’t speak at all and haven’t since Christmas 2019 when they got into a verbal and physical altercation. After that incident my sister and I decided to stand together and ask my mom to choose between us or him and so she made my dad move out. They have been separated since then but do not plan to divorce. During these 3 years mine and my mom’s relationship with my dad has slowly improved ever so slightly as he’s worked to atone for his mistakes. My mom is also immune compromised, quite severely. The pandemic was very difficult for her and my sister to deal with on their own. Although my father still 100% financially supports both of them and their household he has not been allowed to move back in and my sister has made it very clear that she will never allow him back in her life. I completely respect and support this. As does my mom and the rest of our extended family. About my fathers abuse. Despite my own difficult relationship with my father after years of emotional mental and some physical abuse when I was teenageyoung adult - I have finally witnessed him making a huge effort to change these past few years. Being separated from his family was apparently eye opening and motivated him to see doctors and therapists so that he could make enormous life changes. He has apologized to my mom and I and he has made respectful efforts to show us that he is working hard to change. We all wish this would have happened sooner of course. My mother feels enormous guilt for not doing more to put herself and her daughters first. I do not resent her, as I am working with my own therapist to process and resolve all of my feelings about my parents and my childhood. I do not expect mine or my mother’s relationship with him will ever be fully healed but we are both working with him to navigate something healthy for our individual futures as well as our future as a family. My sister however is not. I believe my sister when she says he is “dead to her” and I do not see that changing now or ever. I have not and will not push the issue with her. It is her right and her decision to have and hold onto that personal boundary. Now to the main issue. Next year my partner(M 46) of 8 years and I will be eloping. Just the two of us and a photographer. The following year we will host a small/medium sized reception on our 10 year anniversary to celebrate our love with our family and friends. I already promised my sister that our father would absolutely not be invited or welcome at the reception. However, here’s when I might be the asshole, I think I would like to invite my dad to my elopement. So he can “give me away” as a sign of appreciation and gratitude for his hard work to be better. He was a loving, supportive and present father through most of my childhood. I have many more good memories than bad. He had his own demons from his childhood which he failed to deal with before having children and I know now how much he regrets not seeking help sooner. I do not fully forgive him, yet, but I recognize his immense efforts. I think I want to honor these efforts with this invite. My partner does not want to sway my decision. He said he supports whatever I want to do, but he did say he thinks having my dad at the elopement and then everyone else at the reception is a good and fair solution. My best friend and my aunt/godmother think I should choose to support my sister and said that if I had my dad at my elopement it would be a “dick move”. I mentioned this all casually and gently to my mom. She was moved and very supportive but she cautioned me that if my sister ever found out she would probably cut me off permanently. Which is exactly why I decided to post here seeking input from strangers on Reddit. Am I the asshole?

I've got what I think is a mostly exhaustive list of the new fiction podcasts that came out this month, which may be of interest to those looking for new shows. Feel free to tell me any I've missed, and I'll update it. (Note, "new" here means that the Ep1 of the RSS feed was released.) Listened to any of them that you would recommend?
I've given up trying to include the full list here, as it's increasingly large, and reddit keeps throwing problems. So the full list is here:
https://www.thecambridgegeek.com/posts/2023/04/20230401-a.php
Previous months are available here:
https://www.thecambridgegeek.com/results.php?proof=Releases&tag1=Audio%20fiction
​
And the ongoing updates (just in case you don't want to wait for the end of the month) are available here:
https://twitter.com/AudioDramaDebut
https://podvibes.co/@audiofictionuk#
​
Want a weekly email newsletter of all of these as I find them? Join my patreon to get access to that:
https://www.patreon.com/thecambridgegeek
(Please join, it's only £1/month and I currently make a loss with some of the resources I pay for to do this.)
​
And the full database is searchable here by a number of tags:
https://audiofiction.co.uk/search2.php
​
Want an RSS feed of new fiction podcast trailers to sample what's out there? Try this:
https://audiofiction.co.uk/trailers.php
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African Story Magic with Gcina Mhlophe
Audio Book - Fables and Fairy Tales and Folklore, Storytelling
Step into the wonderful world of African storytelling with Gcina Mhlophe. In African Story Magic, a new East Coast Radio Podcast, Gcina shares many of the tales you grew up with plus new stories – so we can keep the magic of African storytelling alive for new generations. Listen in English or isiZulu and let's keep the magic alive!
First episode: 2023-3-1
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FuturePast
Audio Drama - Adaptation, Science fiction
Adapted stories of Science Fiction from the public domain.
First episode: 2023-3-1
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Gaming Theater RPG
Audio RPG - Multigenre, Comedy, Fantasy
Welcome to Gaming Theater RPG, where members of the Gaming Theater crew get together to play a tabletop RPG. Our current setting is the ACPD, where our players try to maintain law and order in the fantasy city of Andrea's Cauldron. They'll have to deal with bar brawling adventurers, underground chimera races, magical murder mysteries, and more! Come watch our heroes triumph over evil… or fail spectacularly! Whichever outcome the dice decide.
First episode: 2023-3-1
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Greyshading
Audio Drama - Multigenre
An anthology series about the black and white of life, and all the grey in between.
First episode: 2023-3-1
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Hot Dice: Actual Play
Audio RPG - Crime and Mystery
Hot Dice: Actual Play is exactly what it sounds like. We create fun actual play series using different RPG systems. Our first audio campaign, Revelations & Redemption, is an actual play, Monster of the Week podcast, following 5 guests and a stowaway at a lavish dinner party hosted by billionaire, CEO & cocaine addict, Jeffery Hudson. Our guests have ulterior motives tonight, but so, it seems, does someone else.
First episode: 2023-3-1
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Minds Never Matter Podcast
Audio RPG - Fantasy
Welcome to the Minds Never Matter Podcast! We are a group of 5 friends who wanted to share the story we create while having fun along the way. I know, I know, everyone is creating TTRPG podcasts these days but we are just here to have a reason to bring us together whether its just a few or if it grows to hundreds of people. The current session we are running takes place in the fantasy world of Divitotum where four aspiring adventures take on their hardest challenge yet.... The Adventuring College of Elona.
First episode: 2023-3-1
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Penault Pest & Protection
Audio RPG - Horror
Penault Pest & Protection is a monthly audio drama created through tabletop roleplay based on the 2d6 system Monster of the Week. Follow Tiffany, Aisling, Clara, and Seilbh as they struggle to gain a footing in the world of Taranis.
First episode: 2023-3-1
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Poltergeist
Audio Book - Horror
Poltergeist is a podcast where we write and read original spooky stories to our audience. Our goal is to provide short story writers a chance to have their work featured on the show, and to give listeners an opportunity to experience new and exciting stories.
First episode: 2023-3-1
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TUDO QUE EU QUERIA DIZER ANTES DE MORRER
Audio Book - Slice of life
EPISÓDIO NOVO TODA QUARTA-FEIRA! Podcast de ficção em formato de cartas. É um dia difícil e Ofélia tem vontade de sumir. Fecha os olhos e tenta imaginar como seria outra vida que não essa. Depois do pequeno devaneio, não dá prosseguimento à rotina como fez outras tantas vezes. Junta toda coragem que possui e vai embora. Ela abandona tudo e todos: troca de trabalho, de cidade, de estilo de vida. Mas, embora esteja decidida a deixar para trás aquela que foi um dia, ainda não é possível. Para seguir, precisa falar. Com vocês, os desabafos de Ofélia. Segue a gente no insta: u/dizerantesdemorrer
First episode: 2023-3-1
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Vier Weekenden
Audio Book - Romance
Een podcast over een klootzak met een droom door Dario Goldbach. Het verhaal van een jonge twintiger die verward na een relatie met een psychopaat op zoek gaat naar de perfecte liefde en een uitweg. Een uitweg van zijn kutbaan, zijn uitzichtloze leven, zijn doelloze bestaan. Ervaar vier weekenden in vijftien hoofdstukken.
First episode: 2023-3-1
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Los sueños cuentan
Audio Book - Multigenre
Un pódcast de relatos inspirados en el universo de los sueños, se trata de un espacio íntimo y emocional, donde intercambiamos técnicas narrativas y conceptos básicos de escritura creativa. Creado y narrado por Andrea Oryza, producido por La Resortera.
First episode: 2023-3-2
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Tales After Dark Erotic Audio Dramas
Audio Drama - Erotica
Sexy, Erotic Tales told through a female gaze. Brought to you by the Tales of the Forgotten Fiction Network, Tales After Dark is an anthology series. With new episodes dropping weekly, every month we bring you a different story, and some may have subtle connections to other Tales of the Forgotten Shows.
First episode: 2023-3-2
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Thirteen: A Fallout Podcast
Audio Drama - Fanfiction, Post-apocalypse
War. War never changes. In 2161, a lone vault dweller sets out into an unforgiving wasteland on a mission to save his Vault. His travels across a broken post-apocalyptic California will shape history itself for years to come. This is the story of Albert Cole, the Vault Dweller from Vault 13. Thirteen is the story of Fallout 1, given new life in the form of an audio drama. Whether you’ve played the game yourself, or are just now consuming the tale for the first time, we invite you to join us on a journey to find the water chip and save the vault.
First episode: 2023-3-2
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Tune Tales
Audio Drama - Comedy
Tune Tales with Kit’n’Tenders is musical story-based podcast for kids exploring the world of classic kids songs. Each episode, our heroes, the girlband, Kit’n’Tenders aka Gabby La La and The Ukulady, meet famous characters from the classic kids songs, like, the Muffin Man, Twinkle the Little Star, Miss Mary Mack, etc… all played by real celebrities! Tune Tales is chock-full of songs, jokes, trivia and fun for the whole family!
First episode: 2023-3-2
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Turning Tables
Audio RPG - Fantasy
Turning Tables is a weekly actual play D&D podcast with a twist. You can expect each arc to be DM'd by one of 3 DM's, meanwhile, the other 2 play as characters.
First episode: 2023-3-2
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Worlds Beyond Number
Audio RPG - Fantasy
Brennan Lee Mulligan, Erika Ishii, Aabria Iyengar, and Lou Wilson hang out together and use games to make up stories. It's pretty good.
First episode: 2023-3-2
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Zom-com
Audio RPG - Post-apocalypse
Zom-com är en rollspelspodd med komiker som spelar Skjut dom i huvudet. Och dör man så dör man. Här råder strikt PERMADEATH! När, en spelares karaktär dör så byts spelaren ut.
First episode: 2023-3-2
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Black Box - A Science Fiction Horror Podcast
Audio Drama - Science fiction, Horror
The Homing Box of the U.N.S.E.A. exploratory vessel Bly has returned to Earth after twenty-four years of silence. An investigation has been launched into uncovering what happened to the ship and her missing crew.
First episode: 2023-3-3
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Koffer 23
Audio Drama - Crime and Mystery
De Nationale Postcode Loterij heeft een feest georganiseerd ter ere van een nieuw seizoen Miljoenenjacht. Het decor: een afgelegen, oud kasteel. De gasten zijn medewerkers, relaties en bevriende BN'ers. Linda de Mol houdt een gezellig praatje en speelt ter vermaak één rondje Miljoenenjacht met André van Duin. Maar wat blijkt: koffer 23 is verdwenen, met daarin 10.000 euro. De deuren gaan direct op slot. Niemand mag weg voordat deze zaak is opgelost. Tygo Gernandt wordt als detective aangewezen en heeft vijf verdachten op het oog: Nasrdin Dchar, Tina de Bruin, André van Duin, Edson da Graça en Nicolette van Dam. Detective Gernandt heeft zo zijn eigen manier van verhoren, die jammer genoeg niet leidt tot het vinden van de dader. Hij draagt daarom gefrustreerd en moegestreden het dossier over aan jou, de luisteraar. In dit dossier zitten de verhoren met de vijf verdachten, een reconstructie van de avond en andere zinnige of zinloze observaties. Jij kan op basis hiervan de zaak misschien wél oplossen. Help Tygo, vul jouw antwoorden in op www.koffer23.nl en maak kans op 10.000 euro.
First episode: 2023-3-3
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Risky Standard
Audio RPG - Science fiction
Risky Standard is an actual-play podcast featuring a group of rowdy best friends playing a variety of tabletop role-playing games to tell stories set in original worlds. Currently playing Beam Saber (by Austin Ramsay) to follow the adventures of a squad of mech pilots fighting for an anarcho-socialist space federation in a revolutionary war against encroaching empire.
First episode: 2023-3-3
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Stories From: The Low Season
Audio Book - Multigenre
Stories From: The Low Season is an anthology fiction podcast inspired by the album The Low Season by POOLSIDE. Each song serves an inspiration for a short fiction piece, and the original song is reworked as a dreamy underscore.
First episode: 2023-3-3
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End City - A Cyberpunk Red Mini-Series
Audio RPG - Cyberpunk
Welcome, chooms, to our Cyberpunk Red mini-series 'End City'. Things go awry for a group scraping med supplies from the largest corporation in the city... Join CG (Choom Guide) Justin and some truly wonderful friends as we hit the gritty corporate dystopian streets and try to earn a living under the boot of governing forces.
First episode: 2023-3-4
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Stories From The Shore - A Modern D&D 5e Mini-Series
Audio RPG - Fantasy
Things have felt a little different in Null Shore lately... things seem a little darker... you catch movements out of the corner of your eye but never see what caused it... and the people... the people have been going missing a lot more frequently lately. Welcome back to the Shore. Join us as we revisit Null Shore with a brand new cast of delightful characters. This mini-series will feature our amazingly skilled friends from Charisma Saving Show and Gut Punch RP.
First episode: 2023-3-4
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The Magpie Catalogue
Audio Drama - Experimental and Surreal
Welcome to the Harper Foundation! The most sophisticated organization for storing and categorizing the paranormal in all of New England! But, do be warned... not everything around here is as it seems... Follow the story of a group of researchers trying to solve the mystery of their Boss Henry's mysterious disappearance, where behind every door is a mystery, adventure, and...Violence!
First episode: 2023-3-4
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Void: Coriolis Actual-Play
Audio RPG - Science fiction
Coriolis is a beacon of something fresh for politics, trade, and “quality of life”. Others see it as cultural imperialism. Nonetheless, the Icons stir. They are jealous. The Zenithian’s new way beckons the Darkness Between the Stars. Even ghosts from planet Xene currently observe the Council of Factions. The new governor, Kamal Dargosian, is only a year into office and the people are already secretly questioning their capabilities. But amidst this political battlefield is an even more pressing matter -- there is currently a high-rolling contract issued by the Consortium to hire a Free Trader group willing to investigate the Taoan system. As of 2 weeks ago, all contact was lost.
First episode: 2023-3-4
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Escuadrón Ifreann (Audio-Libro)
Audio Book - Occult and Supernatural, Thriller and Psychological
Tras diez años trabajando para la Iglesia Católica como investigador paranormal, Sebastián Ifreann profesor de Historia y experto en Demonología, ha perdido el sentido de la vida y las ganas de seguir, comenzando a cuestionar sus capacidades. A pesar de esto, sigue con la rutina de recibir solicitudes de investigación, junto a su equipo de la Parroquia. Hasta que un día aparece un caso que reactivará al equipo, llevándonos a un viaje por los miedos y pesadillas de Sebastián, que lo harán reencontrarse con su pasado y hallar las piezas del rompecabezas de su vida. Escuadrón Ifreann es un viaje por la mente y las vivencias de un joven que se entregó al servicio de luchar contra el mal. Todo lo que leerán es ficción, pero es mi verdad...
First episode: 2023-3-5
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Hörspiele sehen – Der Theater ex libris Podcast
Audio Drama - Adaptation
Hörspiele lassen fantastische Welten in unseren Köpfen entstehen: das nebelverhangene London, ein Piratenschiff im Sturm, die Weiten des Weltraums – alles wird vor unserem inneren Auge lebendig und das nur durch die Kraft von Stimmen, Geräuschen und Musik. Beim Theater ex libris kann man Hörspiel sehen - live auf der Bühne. Mit Live-Musik, einer aufwändigen Bildpräsentation und stimmungsvollen Lichteffekten verwandelt das Ensemble Literaturklassiker und eigene Geschichten in spannende Live-Hörspiele. Björn Roguzska (Smackboom) blickt mit Theater ex libris-Gründer Christoph Tiemann hinter die Kulissen der Hörspiel-Shows. Wie spielt man mit fünf Sprecher:innen zwanzig verschiedene Rollen? Wie macht man aus einem fünfhundert-Seiten Roman ein Skript für zwei Stunden Lesezeit? „Hörspiele sehen“ stellt in jeder Folge ein neues Hörspiel aus dem Programm von Theater ex libris vor – und begrüßt als Gast ein spannendes Ensemblemitglied.
First episode: 2023-3-5
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Meaningless Problems
Audio Book - Thriller and Psychological, Comedy, Science fiction
An original short story by Doe Wilmann every single week for at least a year. I wanted a platform where I could communicate directly with all the people who like my writing. And yes, I could have invited both of them out for a coffee but they don’t get on. So I’m doing a podcast instead. Will I keep it up? Will anyone listen? Does it matter either way? A mix of styles, genre and quality. Some will be comedies, some will be dramas, some will be sci-fi, and some will be rubbish. Common topics/ themes: The absurd Consciousness Free will Artificial intelligence God The Afterlife Non Duality Eternalism Haircuts Benches Sheds You’ll like this if you like…. Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror Sum: Tales of the Afterlife by David Eagleman Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads Julian Barnes Kazuo Ishiguro (I realise I’m now just listing writers I like…) Margaret Atwood Oscar Wilde Anton Chekhov George Orwell This is my challenge to write, record and produce a short story every single week for a year. If you’re looking for quality, suspense and intrigue, I’m not making any promises.
First episode: 2023-3-5
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Altered State of Affairs
Audio Book - Thriller and Psychological
Altered State of Affairs, the novel, is a tale about an audacious kid from Cleveland Heights who unites in France with a beautiful Mossad agent and an eyeless doll for an adventure of a lifetime. The novel is now a podcast. This is Altered State of Affairs, The Podcast. The show is where the author, Jerald Kasimov, reads from certain chapters of his books and that has conversations about selections and fascinating topics in that specific reading. Here's a summary of the novel: Steven, a freshly-minted Army Ranger and aspiring badass, can’t wait to go after some bad guys—and maybe some bad girls, too. Fortunately, a Soviet master scientist has just defected and is hiding somewhere in the rugged French Pyrenees, and Steven must find him before a sadistic terrorist does. Along the way, he meets a traitor in a field of red poppies, a beautiful Mossad black-ops agent, some delicious cassoulet, and Cindy, the telepathic, eyeless doll. It’s time for Steven, an atypical hero, to man up, but nothing is as it seems—least of all, Steven. The story winds through time from adolescence in 1960s Cleveland Heights to the rigors of present-day Army Ranger training in Fort Benning, non-stop death-defying action, the delights of Israeli cooking, and the tragic yet triumphant history of the Jewish People. Oh, and there’s that beautiful Mossad agent…. But first, Steven has a world to save from a horrific weapon of mass destruction!
First episode: 2023-3-6
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Cede Malis
Audio Drama - Horror
Cede Malis is a choose-your-own-adventure surrealist horror podcast in which you have been lured into a house of supernatural horrors by someone who was once your best friend. Now you must make the right choices to survive the eerie night.
First episode: 2023-3-6
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Dungeon Calling
Audio RPG - Fantasy
A real-play D&D podcast of high fantasy and low humor. It’s the 1980s, and four almost friends navigate middle school in a small, strange, low-budget town. Can they survive social minefields and the occasional eldritch horror without being expelled, or possibly sued by the Duffer Brothers? Will there be music? Listen to find out.
First episode: 2023-3-6
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La Notte più Lunga
Audio RPG - Horror
Un podcast di actual play viking horror ideato da Lotofurente e prodotto da Forgia Storie, direttamente dalle vostre fantasie dell'incubo.
First episode: 2023-3-6
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Saga Of The Sages Narrative Podcast
Audio Drama - Fantasy
The Saga Of The Sages Narrative Podcast is a multi-series/multi-season story exploring the histories, lore, and happenings of the ancient civilization known as the Anu. The Anu last reigned 11,600 years ago, before they were wiped off the face of the Earth. Now all we have is the records of their history, and artifacts they have left behind, for the chosen few to discover. Come with us on the journey, that is, the Saga Of The Sages.
First episode: 2023-3-6
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The Saga of the Three Bears
Audio Book - Historical
From the idyllic settlement of The Valley, the three children of Chief Ty Williams set out into the wild world with very different hopes, dreams, goals, and plans. Each week, a new chapter of the Saga of the Three Bears is released in audio-book form.
First episode: 2023-3-6
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Alpha 8 - The Audio Drama
Audio Drama - Science fiction, Storytelling, Thriller and Psychological
Alpha 8 is a family-friendly sci-fi adventure podcast that explores what happens when a desperate alien from another planet body-swaps with a struggling mom to understand the meaning of family to save her own kind from extinction. We produced the pilot, but need your support to finish the season.
First episode: 2023-3-7
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Bird in the Storm Presents
Audio Book - Fantasy
Literary works presented by Bird in the Storm Publishing
First episode: 2023-3-7
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Ellen Vahr - Gaven
Audio Book - Historical
«Gaven» er en roman basert på livet til Anne Brannfjell, husmannsdatteren som ble Norges mest kjente kloke kone. Den er en fortelling om frykt og fortielse, men også om kjærligheten og tillitens plass i våre liv, og om mulighetene som åpner seg når vi våger å stå ved oss selv. Siden hun var liten, har husmannsjenta Anne visst at hun er født med en gave, en evne til å se, og et kall til å hjelpe syke og lidende. I stedet for å være stolt over denne gaven, gjemmer hun den bort. Hun vil ikke være annerledes. Vinteren 1841 reiser Anne fra Vardal til Christiania for å tjene hos byens mest berømte gullsmed og hans unge, vakre kone. Hun har valgt den veien hun tror er den rette. Det eneste hun har med seg er noen tørkede planter, en sort bok og en hemmelighet. Livet i Christiania er ikke som hun hadde trodd, og det er først da hun tror at hun har mistet alt, at Anne finner kraften til å stole på hvem hun er. «Gaven» handler om Annes kamp for å finne sin egen vei - og å våge å gå den. Det er en historie om dyp fattigdom, svik og krenkelser, men det er også en kjærlighetshistorie om mot, håp og om å finne veien hjem. Ellen Vahr er Anne Brannfjells tipp-tipp-oldebarn.
First episode: 2023-3-7
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L'appel de l'enfance
Audio Drama - Slice of life
Une fiction qui met en scène les tribulations d’un personnage confronté quotidiennement aux dérives de la société actuelle. Avec François SARANO,Céline COUSTEAU, Matthieu RICARD, Miguel BENASAYAG et Katie MAGGS. Trente ans après l’avoir perdue de vue, Jean-Baptiste retrouve par hasard sur le net une amie d’enfance anglaise qui a connu les mêmes souffrances que lui. Sa solution pour recouvrer son équilibre : se baigner chaque matin dans la mer Celtique et rechercher en permanence ses sensations d’enfant. En raison des restrictions sanitaires, Jean-Baptiste doit attendre deux ans avant de pouvoir aller lui rendre visite en Cornouailles. Pendant ces deux années, s’enchaînent pour Jean-Baptiste des rencontres inattendues avec différentes personnalités qui réagissent aux problèmes auxquels il est confronté. Chacune apporte son éclairage sur ces maux sociétaux et avance ses propositions pour sortir de l’impasse. Peu à peu, un changement profond s’opère en Jean-Baptiste, dont l’aboutissement coïncide avec son séjour tant attendu en Cornouailles. Au retour de ce voyage, l’écart entre ce qu’il est devenu et son mode de vie le conduit à un burn out, qui vient confirmer la nécessité de changer de vie. Les souffrances évoquées dans cette série sont soit largement couvertes par les médias (environnement, covid) soit plus insidieuses (la mal-bouffe, le manque d’altruisme, les conséquences de l’utilisation maladive des portables, etc.) Au fil de ses échanges avec les différents intervenants, le personnage fictif opère un changement intérieur complet, amorcé par la première de ces rencontres : celle avec l’océanographe François SARANO, collaborateur du commandant Cousteau, qui lui glisse la phrase suivante : “Pour changer, il faut d’abord se retrouver avec soi-même, se reconnecter avec la nature et, enfin, s’engager.”
First episode: 2023-3-7
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Popcorn for Dinner: A Podcast Sitcom
Audio Drama - Comedy
Popcorn For Dinner, narrated by Ciara Bravo, is a first-of-its-kind audio sitcom that follows four friends in their early 20s as they try to make it on their own, despite the fact that none of them know what that looks like...at all. Packed with all the enduring elements that make classic sitcoms identifiable (yes, even the laugh track), the show invites you to laugh at both the gang’s hijinks and the format itself.
First episode: 2023-3-7
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Sraxital - The Undying Isles Podcast a TTRPG Live Actual Play
Audio RPG - Fantasy, Adventure, Storytelling
This Live Actual Play Tabletop role playing game (TTRPG) Podcast is set in a home brew water world, with continents and isles spread all across the world. Here we have amazing adventures with a group of gamers who enjoy RP and share a love of the game.
First episode: 2023-3-7
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Aslak Nore - En norsk spion
Audio Book - Spy-fi, Thriller and Psychological
Spennende og aktuell innsidefortelling fra norsk etterretningstjeneste! En rå agentfortelling med en fargerik og varm beskrivelse av et krigsherjet Afghanistan. Peter Wessel er norsk etterretningsoperatør som arbeider undercover i verdens farligste område. Wessel kommer over brennbar informasjon - et parti våpen som skal rettes mot norske interesser, er smuglet ut av Dubai og på vei til Afghanistan. Vil han og makkeren finne våpentransporten i tide? Det blir en eksotisk og nervepirrende nedtelling. «En norsk spion» er Aslak Nores første thriller. Her benytter han sin førstehåndskunnskap om soldater i utenlandstjeneste og fredsnasjonen Norge. I forbindelse med research til boken har Nore reist flere ganger til Afghanistan og til Dubai og Irak.
First episode: 2023-3-8
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Assetati d'amore
Audio Book - Comedy, Crime and Mystery
Assetati d'amore è il primo volume della trilogia Crimini, amori e commedia, scritta e interpretata da Giorgio Ganzerli. Tre storie semiserie che, usando come pretesto improbabili eventi delittuosi, indagano l'animo umano e i sentimenti. Le musiche originali e il sound design sono a cura di Stefano Cattaneo.
First episode: 2023-3-8
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Celebrity Whodunnit
Audio Drama - Comedy, Crime and Mystery
Imagine Clue but with your favorite/least favorite celebrities. Every week, fake Private Investigators, Payton and Ry, take on a new fake mystery involving Hollywood's elite. This radio play styled podcast features entirely fictional whodunnit style stories with the most random groups of celebrities at the most random locations you could imagine.
First episode: 2023-3-8
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Dark Lantern
Audio Book - Occult and Supernatural
In the basements of the Buffalo Central Library, a very special collection awaits. The Curator would like to share it with you, if you dare.
First episode: 2023-3-8
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Forever Foreign
Audio Drama - Slice of life, Comedy
The Forever Foreign podcast is a fictional story following the audio diary of one English teacher and his friends in Japan. It’s whimsical, sometimes funny, and it’s often based on real experiences from people who’ve lived in the land of the rising sun.
First episode: 2023-3-8
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IDM Roleplay
Audio RPG - Horror, Urban fantasy
Welcome to IDM Roleplay! We are a tabletop actual play podcast where we play a number of different games including, but not limited to, Vampire the Masquerade 5th Edition, Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, Masks: A New Generation, and more! Come listen to our zaney crew as we make our way through different campaigns all for your entertainment! Please note this podcast is marked as explicit because some of our shows we deal with adult topics like violence, seduction and fade-to-black type sex, drug use, and in the vampire game, lots of discussion of blood. Nothing is too crazy, but please be aware and if you aren't comfortable with any of that, maybe we aren't the show for you.
First episode: 2023-3-8
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Magnus West Media
Audio Drama - Multigenre
Do you like listening to audio dramas? Do you want to listen to some wonderful, home produced radio plays performed by a talented cast of actors? Well look no further! Here at Magnus West Media we have a range of productions; both long and short to interest all sorts of listeners, from an episode of the famous radio broadcast Five Minute Murders to a modern day take of the classic Father Brown story: The Blue Cross.
First episode: 2023-3-8
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Pallium
Audio RPG - Horror
Le monde que nous connaissons est une illusion. Et derrière ce voile se cache quelque chose qui se tient prêt à nous dévorer. Pallium est un podcast suivant plusieurs campagnes de jeu de rôles privilégiant l'immersion, la narration et l'atmosphère. Afin de rendre l'écoute le plus agréable et immersive possible, chaque épisode a été monté pour se rapprocher le plus possible d'une fiction audio, illustrée par la musique de Siarys. Nous utilisons le système et l'univers de Kult : Divinité Perdue, un jeu de rôles horrifique se centrant sur les traumas des personnages et une approche viscérale du surnaturel. MISE EN GARDE: Pallium privilégie une atmosphère sombre et immersive, focalisée sur les traumatismes des personnages, la violence psychologique et physique, et des thèmes adultes.
First episode: 2023-3-8
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The Sir Bernard Moore Show
Audio Drama - Comedy
It's 1992. The Doomsday Clock is the furthest it has ever been from midnight. It's the safest, most peaceful and contented time planet Earth has known since the invention of atomic weapons. But not everywhere is as safe as everywhere else in the world . . . Here we are in Hobsick. Population: 2,001. A secluded village located somewhere just south of the north of the midlands. Seven miles to the east, a busy dual carriageway barely acknowledges that Hobsick exists, pointing any potential traffic down a sinister, unnamed B-road. To the west of the village sags the overgrown, potholed remains of twelve miles of another dual carriageway, as good as severed from civilization by a landslide in 1967.
First episode: 2023-3-8
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Bee Dubs AI Labs
Audio Drama - Science fiction
User 74680 signed up for a premium membership with Bee Dubs AI Labs gambling artificial intelligence to help him win a few bets. Follow our premium member as his new AI subscription takes over his life and reveals its dystopian plans for humanity.
First episode: 2023-3-9
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Darlings
Audio Drama - Urban fantasy
Et lyddrama for ungdom i tre deler. 15 år gamle Tone oppdager at hun har hypnotiske krefter når hun legger ut ASMR-videoer på YouTube. Med de nyoppdagede evnene sine kan hun få til hva som helst! Men, hypnotiske evner kan gi en farlig makt som ikke nødvendigvis gjør livet lettere. Darlings handler om å ikke passe inn, om å stikke av og om behovet for å ha noen nære som bryr seg. Og hvis ingen bryr seg - hva gjør man da?
First episode: 2023-3-9
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New Eden - A Cyberpunk Podcast
Audio Drama - Cyberpunk
Plot: The Human Race have taken refuge on the dusty sibling planet of Mars. Such a curious debacle we find ourself in once again. After the warming of The Earth became too much to bare, we looked to Terraforming the Red Eden just a hop, skip and an intra-solar jump away; Such Hubris is laughable in hindsight, but one thing I can assure you is that the Human race will survive even if between the slimmest margins, and curiously enough, that is where we find ourself today. 2078 Earth years is equivalent to 1104 Martian years. Meanwhile, back on earth, a forbidden paradise is being created. The human race has abandoned their home planet, leaving behind a utopia of comfort and abundance. But the inhabitants of this paradise are not the same people who left it; they are refugees from of the Eruptions, the Steam storms, the shifting of the plates, the melting of the poles, and the ensuing Ice Age. The True Earthlings closely guard this paradise, with only the elite of the elite in their respective fields being allowed to return, and offer their skillset to the Greater Good of the Restored Gaia
First episode: 2023-3-9
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The Four Boys Club
Audio Book - Multigenre, Slice of life, Storytelling
The Four Boys Club (sometimes not-so-fondly called Quartet of Mayhem) is a podcast of a series of short stories, which covers the worlds of four 15-year-olds: Shanky Vai, Baalan "Bandem" Asra, Ankur "Anpag" Benza, and Mompy Arda. Part coming-of-age and part drama/suspense, it has been inspired by Stephen King's The Body (and its movie adaptation, Stand By Me).
First episode: 2023-3-9
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Une vie brisée
Audio Drama - Thriller and Psychological
Une vie brisée retrace le parcours imaginaire d’un jeune migrant qui, parti du Niger aurait eu la chance d’atteindre sain et sauf les abords de la mer du nord. Inspiré par la lecture de Terminus Shengen, livre du poète - géographe Emmanuel Ruben, ce projet remet l’ humain au centre de cette tragédie, sans esprit polémique ou partisan. Derrière les chiffres de migration, de décès, il y des personnes, des sentiments, des angoisses, des espoirs aussi. Et derrière ces espoirs, il y a tant de vies brisées dans leurs élans, brisées par les pièges tendus sur ces chemins d’exode, chemins de peine, chemins de croix. Aventures imaginaires d’un parcours incertain, Une vie brisée a pour souhait d’aider à la compréhension et à l’acceptation du phénomène des migrations, de la détresse humaine. Tout simplement.
First episode: 2023-3-9
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Déjà-You
Audio Drama - Slice of life, Comedy
A slice of life, comedy podcast featuring two teenagers that have been fated to live a linked life... Sam, a relatively confident guy studying at the University of York, England finds himself experiencing increasing bouts of Déjà Vu after a fateful night at a chinese restaurant. Sammy, a relatively confident girl studying at York University, Nebraska finds herself experiencing increasing bouts of Déjà Vu after a fateful night at a chinese restaurant.
First episode: 2023-3-10
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Else og Liv - Kjærleik i koronaens tid
Audio Drama - Thriller and Psychological
Koronatiltaka hadde menneskelege kostnader vi aldri fullt ut vil kjenne følgene av. Else og Liv er historia om to menneske som treng kvarandre. Dei har vore tette før, og opprettar no kontakt igjen på grunn av krisa. Samtidig truar den same krisa med å skilje dei, før dei når kvarandre heilt. I ein kjenslemessig berg- og dalbane av ei historie følger vi dei frå dei første forsøka på å nærme seg, til dei blir stilt andsynes kvarandre i val som vil prege resten av liva deira. Skrive og regissert av Aslak Moe Lyddesign: Kato Ådland Dramaturg: Solrun Toft Iversen Musikken er frå Universal Production Music Else : Ragnhild Gudbrandsen Liv: Reidun Melvær Berge Sjukepleiar: Christine Hope Polititenestemann og drosjesjåfør: Sigmund Njøs Hovind Doplangar og sjukehusresepsjonist: Reny Gaassand Folgerø Lyddramaet ligg ute til 12. mars 2024. Produsert av Det Vestnorske Teateret, i 2023
First episode: 2023-3-10
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The Fall Of Runeterra a D&D Campaign
Audio RPG - Fantasy
This is a D&D campaign based off using the lore of League Of Legends. It won't be 100% accurate but it will be as close as I can get it.
First episode: 2023-3-11
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3 DMs and a Tale
Audio RPG - Fantasy, Multigenre, Adventure
Hello, my name is Aaron. This is my Improv Show called 3 DMs and a Tale. I decided to put 4 Dungeon Masters in one room and make them dance for me. In each episode, a Head DM is selected by a d4. The remaining 3 DMs become players and without any prep, they will all have come up with everything on the spot: the world, their characters, and everything else you can imagine. Come join the fun!
First episode: 2023-3-12
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Hipersensorial
Audio Book - Horror, Occult and Supernatural
Bienvenido a un lugar en donde tus sentidos se activarán a su nivel máximo. Escucha las historias más intrigantes y escalofriantes del mundo de la ficción, el suspenso y el terror. Abriremos una puerta hacia lo paranormal. ¿Estás listo para cruzarla?
First episode: 2023-3-12
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British Spy Stories
Audio Book - Spy-fi
Weekly Serialised British Spy Stories
First episode: 2023-3-13
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Cuba 58: El último gran premio
Audio Drama - Historical, Thriller and Psychological
1958 en La Habana, Cuba: La ciudad se prepara para recibir el Havana Grand Prix. Sin embargo, un día antes de la esperada carrera, dos jóvenes subversivos secuestran al piloto campeón de la F1, Juan Manuel Fangio. La vida de Fangio se ve envuelta entre las crecientes tensiones políticas entre el gobierno del dictador Fulgencio Batista y el “Movimiento 26 de julio” liderado por Fidel Castro. Cuba 58: El último gran premio es un thriller basado en el día en el que se encontraron la Fórmula 1 y la Revolución Cubana, dejando en las manos de una carrera el futuro de un país entero. Una producción de Sonoro, protagonizada por Manolo Cardona, Maclovia González, Carlos Ballarta y Axel de la Rosa.
First episode: 2023-3-13
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Into the Portal
Audio Drama - Science fiction
Into the Portal is a family-focused podcast that tells an exciting adventure. After finding a mysterious bracelet, Dex is transported to a strange world alongside a young girl named River. Together, they must escape danger and solve the mysteries that reveal themselves once they travel Into the Portal. Join Dex and River as they hunt down the Portal Stars and uncover the secrets behind the universe’s biggest mysteries. Into the Portal is the first chapter in the story of the StarKeepers Saga, a sweeping story of intergalactic heroism, bravery, and adventure.
First episode: 2023-3-13
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Mayhem
Audio Drama - Science fiction, Comedy
It has been over one thousand days since we have been liberated, ladies and gentlemen from the tyranny of freedom. This is your daily reminder of how good you have had it since the Artilean extraterrestrial invasion and subjugation, which succeeded after a battle with human forces lasting roughly eleven and a half minutes. All Hail Artilea! All Hail the eyes in the sky! Here’s how good you have it today.
First episode: 2023-3-13
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おばあちゃんの旅 by AudioMovie®
Audio Drama - Crime and Mystery
「進化系ラジオドラマ」AudioMovie®シリーズ。新潮社との共同企画で、作家の松尾由美が書下ろした小説「おばあちゃんの旅」が原作。Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Google Podcastなどポッドキャストサービスで無料配信。【2023年3月14日（火）配信開始／毎週火曜日更新予定（全3話）】 亡くなった祖母の遺品整理で見つかった8年前の新聞記事。点と線をつなげるために孫娘がたどる記憶の旅。1千万円の現金。おばあちゃんは特殊詐欺の加害者なのか、被害者なのか8年前にかかって来た電話から物語は動き出す。 主人公のおばあちゃんを演じるのはＴＢＳラジオ『赤江珠緒 たまむすび』の「えなばあちゃん」としておなじみ、俳優の「下川江那」
First episode: 2023-3-13
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Basilisk Hill Breakdown
Audio RPG - Fantasy
An Actual Play podcast, using the Old School Essentials Ruleset, of mid-level hexcrawling and sandbox exploration. Episodes drop every two weeks, and recaps of the sessions can be found at https://www.thirdkingdomgames.com/blog/categories/actual-play
First episode: 2023-3-14
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DERAILED: a fictional mystery podcast
Audio Drama - Crime and Mystery
Just when you think you’ve figured the story out, DERAILED: a fictional murder mystery podcast throws you off track and draws you in even deeper into its twisty turny world.
First episode: 2023-3-14

This is sort of a broad post with many facets and I don't have a TLDR. I was in a high-control "spiritual" group from age 21-30 and am having some challenges readjusting to many of the "realities" of life. I don't know where to go to for help and would greatly appreciate outside perspectives.
I'm starting my 2nd year as an apprentice plumber after finishing first in my trade school (once I decided to leave said group).
I believe that one of the triggers for addictive/self-destructive behavior is trying to avoid challenging emotions. I struggle with binge eating maybe 50% of evenings and I live with my mother. She has been wonderfully supportive since I decided to make my own decisions in life and doesn't charge me rent, never will and will allow me to stay as long as I want to.
Last year I paid off $7,000 of credit card debt and maxed my new Roth IRA. The year before I paid $6,000 of delinquent capital gains tax. All these debts were due to squandering an inheritance from my grandfather due to me having a good heart, being gullible perhaps and not having any financial literacy until I decided that personal sovereignty was very important to me.
Anyways, living with my mother has allowed me to save a little money, but I'm not happy with the emotional/social dynamic. I don't want to speculate too much, but I think I reject the kind of love my mother wants to give me. She's getting better about seeing me as an adult, but still does things like trying to speak for me to others while in my presence, kind of normal mothering stuff for a little boy, I guess. She's retired and I think sort of has a tendency to live vicariously through others. I don't think it's healthy and so I don't really talk about my life much or communicate much with her at all. I respect her, but we're into different things and frankly, as adults, don't have a lot of common interests, which is fine. Me living with her is putting a fair strain on both of us I think, but she'll never ask me to leave.
We don't eat together for various reasons. Partially it's scheduling, she's more into snacking and I don't like talking while eating. Also, although I don't show it outwardly, I think I get triggered by her questions. I feel like I'm being interrogated and as an adult, I don't owe her any answers.
I think one of my triggers for binge eating is feeling trapped and not in control of my life. I'm wondering if living on my own will help me to "man up" for lack of a better phrase and just make my life work. I've lived alone and with roommates before in many different situations. However I also struggled with binge eating/drinking while living alone in situations where I didn't feel in control, or I didn't like my life circumstances, such as my boss being my landlord, etc. I did learn some independence even though I was in a cult lol. I was told what part of the work to go to, what country to go to, then left and forgotten about. I had to find odd jobs with limited handman/farm skills and couldn't make any commitments. I had to make it work.
I'm hedging my bets that being more independent will help me to overcome my self-destructive habits. Frankly, I've struggled with food addiction before I even got involved in the high-control group. I'm not overweight and am actually very fit, but you know when you have a problem.
I haven't confessed this to anyone in my life, but I started seeing a therapist a couple months ago and have talked about using food to cope. I have a good relationship with some of my family members but I guess I just don't want sympathy. There was a time maybe 12-13 years ago I had a major eczema issue with my skin, lived with my mother and told my sisters I wasn't interested in going to see a Western medical practitioner. Frankly, the crying, begging and emotional strain of having people care about me with good intentions can be a lot to bear. It doesn't always make things better.
I have hobbies, but I don't fully express myself and my interests around my mother and family members. I'm hoping that living on my own (even with roommates), I can focus on increasing my earning potential, work occasional side jobs and focus on my hobbies (singing, Spanish language, martial arts, yoga, etc.) and that this purpose will help me to face uncomfortable emotions and not rely on coping in negative ways.
I'd like to move out of the house and keep reworking my budget, but it's tough. I currently make $21.50/hr. but if I go to another company, I may be taking a pay cut. Although currently, I don't have any benefit package from my job and with a different company, I'd have a package. I currently have about $21,000 in a HYSA that is a combination of an emergency fund and new catruck savings.
I drive a Toyota Solara with 246,000 miles that's been well-cared for. I just put in a new alternator and new tires. Part of my hesitation in leaving my company and current city is that I don't know how much longer this car will last. I don't want to be somewhere I don't know anybody and have to deal with towing a scrap car, potentially missing work at a new company, getting a rental car and finding something reliable with Uber's and whatnot. I don't necessarily NEED a truck but am looking at everything from Tundras to Rangers because it will help me keep options open for weekend side jobs and also to move living situations if I need to.
At my current job, I'm not getting the best training (but it's okay and I can make it work), but I have a company van, they may have given me a little too early (7 months in). So, if my personal car breaks down on a weekend while I have a work van and I'm living with my mother, it's not a huge deal. Problem is, I live in a HCOL area, but I could probably find a roommate and keep my housing/utility costs under $850/mo.
My credit is 694 and I don't want to have a car loan that is less than 91.5% paid off while potentially needing to have a landlord run my credit. 694 should be fine for an apartment, but not if I add a mostly unpaid car loan.
My buddy's mother and her partner have a mother-in-law suite they are trying to rent out in a major city 1 hour away from me. They would charge below market value and there is a good plumbing company in the area I would try to get in with. They are known for having a wonderful paid training program (they actually subcontract out their training). I'd likely take a pay cut but get benefits I'm currently paying for myself (dental, health, retirement). I would probably be someone's helper for 2-6 months before getting my own work vehicle. This is an option.
I guess there's a part of me that feels bad to leave my current company. There is sideways and upward mobility, I have enough say (due to my work ethic and intellect) that I can mostly work with who I want to. They took a chance on me, pay me decently (started me at $20 and now got an additional $1.50 after 10 months) and they make a decent effort to teach me stuff. Problem is they aren't organized with how they bill jobs, among other thing. Some jobs are time and materials, some things are flat rate, some things are a total toss up and some are charity for the church, which takes money out of the employees pockets. At the risk of sounding like I'm slandering them, a good few of the guys are pot heads and even smoke at work. Warnings have been given, but nobody gets fired. If you splash too much water out of a small puddle, I guess you're only left with mud. But I still believe that a company should have standards. Small family company and management doesn't really command respect. We lose money on efficiency and productivity. Guys 6 years in still don't know how to solder and make what I make, some less. One of our lead plumbers makes $.50 an hour more than I do.
So my point is that I could do okay if I stayed in this city with my current job, for now, but I wouldn't be relying on being around people with a growth mindset. I would be relying on my own drive, which is fickle. I'm driven, but I feel like I'm also influenced by my environment. If I stay here, I'd continue seeing my therapist, but if I move to the larger city with arguably the better company, I'd probably find another therapist and would also have access to a couple different men's groups, but nothing like Overeaters Anonymous or Smart Recovery. There are options though for help if I need it, more so in the larger city.
I'll add that my former cult is based out of the larger city with these opportunities. They aren't like a major Church, but are low-key, Christian-influenced Andean Shamanic type people who are followers of someone very charismatic with a few allegations of sexual harassment, although nothing is concrete so far (I think). If I moved there, I may run into the people I left who I was very close to for 9 years. Wouldn't be a big deal I don't think, but I might have to face that.
Budget: $2,900 monthly net income
$693 food (inflated due to not feeling comfortable in my mom's kitchen to cook healthy/cheap)
$541 IRA contributions
$150 catruck savings
$100 gas
$80 clothes/shoe allowance
$80 counseling copayments
$70 health insurance
$70 Verizon bill
$55 car maintenance
$50 supplements
$35 dental insurance
$25 cleaning/maintenance
That leaves me with $951 for rent/utilities, but perhaps more. My food spending should go down substantially if I live alone, but it might not go down if I have to share a kitchen with someone.
I get bonuses at work but don't build my budget around that or anything I make from side jobs.
My mother has decided to pay my car insurance and I won't necessarily complain about that.
Currently Reading:
"The Four Agreements" Don Miguel Ruiz
"Break the Binge Eating Cycle" Sylvana Siskov
The last thing I'll add is that I'm learning to enjoy taking ice baths and am trying to pursue difficult things in order to build up my discipline. If you've read all that, thank you and I hope you can offer some insight that maybe I'm missing. Also, if there's another sub I should post this expression, suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Have a great weekend!

It was morning. Around forests and meadows. Summer was slowly beginning. Only a month has passed since the end of the war. The crisp Andaroln air was in the air. On a chestnut horse, Lord Kylian Tarington came to the city of Lira. A city that, several years ago, still belonged to the Sundaroln Empire.
During the war, it was taken over by the Kingdom of Andaroln. And the lord of the city was Silas Tarington. Then in the war with the Kingdom of Ithrandil, the elves occupied this city and it was occupied for years. The stalemate caused by losses on both sides prolonged the war. The Andarolians would not be satisfied with peace if even part of their territory remained in the hands of the Elves.
Now that the borders are back to what they were before the war and no one has gained anything, Kylian has returned to the city where he spent his teenage years. His father died in the war Lira belongs to him now. He was a thin man in his twenties of medium height, with a round face, a low forehead, a small potato nose, large, prominent ears, short black hair, and a goatee. He wore a simple leather vest, trousers and boots. He was looking at the city with a happy look from his small green eyes.
It was a city surrounded by a wall, but at first glance, the glory days of the defensive structure are over. The once black wall, made of Sundaroln bricks scorched by fire magic, had gaps that were only partially filled with simple ordinary stones. The Sundaroln magic strengthened the wall, but the Andaroln stonemasons could not recreate it. Andarolian stone walls were up to thirty feet high. The Sundarolians could build three times as tall.
The Lord's companion was his Father's steward, Sir Thalis. A man in his fifties with short blond hair and green eyes, a wide mustache and a small rounded nose. In steel mail and half helmet.
— Sir Thalis, you have always been faithful to my Father, but I am a completely different man. Will you be faithful to me even if I turn my Father's legacy upside down and make it mine? — Young Lord asked.
— I will follow you, my Lord, whatever your beliefs, I swore to you and before that to your Father Silas — Sir Thalis replied.
They entered a gate guarded by guards. It resembled an arch. There were neither bars nor a wooden gate with bolts.
— Lord Tarington — the guard bowed when he saw the Hare Crest on the cloak thrown over the horse.
— It's a pleasure to welcome you to Lira.— He added.
— I will go to the palace at once, I would like to receive my advisers at once. — He said to the guard and left.
They passed simple wooden huts. Some of them were burned, and some were crushed by the stones from the catapults that flew over the wall during the assault. Fire was burning in some of the fireplaces. Driving down an unpaved road. They passed through the northwest gate of the city and found themselves in its northwestern part. This part was inhabited mainly by Andarolians and Andarolian buildings prevailed here. The townspeople looked at them curiously. The city was divided into four parts and was the second largest city in Andaroln. Separated by the crossing of the Iliana's River with the Tascal's River, which is a kind of border between the Sundaroln Empire and the Kingdom of Andaroln. The Lord's Palace was located in the south-eastern part of the city. That's where he was heading.
As they approached the bridge. A paved road appeared, and houses from wood scorched by fire magic appeared. Sundaroln buildings prevailed here. They were black, but with beautiful clay tile roofs and glass windows, not just wooden shutters for holes in the walls like Andaroln homes.
Now the looks of curiosity turned to contempt. There were many Sundarolans in the city who did not feel Lira belonged to Andaroln. In addition, due to the slightly darker complexion of former Imperial citizens, the inhabitants could easily recognize the origins of other inhabitants. And that just gave them more reasons to hate themselves.
They finally reached the Palace. A beautiful marble building with soaring towers and huge red glass windows. The roof was also covered with clay tiles. The palace was surrounded by a ten-feet-high marble wall. More of a fence than a fortification. Two guards stood at the gate to the wall. Armed with spears and a round wooden shield bearing the Crest of the Kingdom of Andaroln.
They bowed as Kylian and Thalis rode in. Then they entered the palace as the grooms took the horses from them. The young Lord walked the red carpet towards the throne, passing the rows of marble columns of the great throne room. Even the throne rooms in the palaces of the Sundaroln Empire were made as if the Emperor himself would sit there. Behind the throne hung a great Banner with a white hare on a blue background. Kylian sat on the throne. Lord Thalis stood at the steps to the marble throne. The two guards who guarded the throne bowed as their Lord passed them.
Soon the advisers arrived, they were nobles in beautiful furs and leather boots. One of them came out against the Lord. It was immediately apparent to Tarington that they were all Andarolians. An older man with long, well-groomed gray hair and a gray beard stepped ahead of the rest.
— Your Lordship, we are glad to see you back. — Said the adviser.
— Joren, what can you tell me about the current situation in the city? — Lord Kylian asked.
— Well, Your Lordship, the wall of the city is destroyed, we are effectively pacifying the Sundaroln independence movements. There is drought and food shortages. — Joren replied.
— Then I have a task for you, gather the guards and find any representative of this resistance, tell him I want to talk to him — Lord Tarington ordered.
— Lord, do you want to talk to these people who kill our people in dark alleys, burn granaries, and contribute to all sorts of crimes? — the advisor asked incredulously.
— I gave you an order, Joren. — Kylian answered him briefly, annoyed.
— Yes, Lord — The adviser left, not looking thrilled.
— There are supposedly elves here, is that true? I'd like to see them — Lord Tarington said.
— Follow me, please — one of the guards said. Kylian and Thalis followed him. To the left of the throne. To the stairs down. The guard began to speak, he was an Andarolian about Kylian's age. He wore tabard mail and a half-helmet like most of Lira's guards.
— In the dungeon under the palace there are important Elven commanders who ruled Lira, they are powerful mages, so they are guarded by our mages. Overall, there are over two thousand high elves in Lyra, but those are the ones your Lordship wants to talk to, right? — Guardsmen asked.
Thalis was a bit struck by the fact that some guard started a conversation with the Lord so uninvited, without even asking permission. However, Lord Tarington took no notice of it.
— Yes, I want to meet them. — He responded.
They passed rows of empty cells. Bars and only small covered windows through which you can't even stretch your hand. The dungeon under the palace is a dark room lit by torchlight. The air was heavy and smelled like death. Five mages in blue robes stood at the end of the hall, accompanied by two more guards, guarding the cell. They bowed as the Lord came. A baby's cry rang out. Kylian hadn't expected to hear him in a place like this. In a slightly larger cell, he saw about ten High Elves, including a woman with a small child. They had small straw beds on the stone floor and five buckets. They were all handcuffed and dressed only in linen tunics. They had silver skins and all kinds of hair colors. Their eyes shone with different colors of yellow and green. Tarington looked with disgust at the conditions in which the starved elves lived.
— Why are they so crammed into one cell? — Kylian Asked.
— We don't have enough mages to keep an eye on each one individually — one of the magicians replied.
— Take this woman, find her a chamber in the palace until we find an alternative — Kylian ordered.
The guard took the keys and opened the cells. He went inside. And he went to the elf, grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the cell. One of the elves aggressively ran to the bars.
— Where are you taking her? — He asked. He had long hair the color of dried grass and yellow eyes. Like most elves, he was slim, tall, and narrow-shouldered.
— To a better place, somewhere where she she will have a bed and can wash up, you'll come with us. — the Lord answered him, and the attendant guard seized him by the arm.
— What is your name? — he asked the elf
— Tommen — He replied. They returned with the Elf back to the throne room. However, Kylian did not sit on the throne, he stood face to face with Tommen.
— Uncuff him — He ordered guards.
— I don't think that's very reasonable, you know I'm a mage — replied the elf contemptuously.
— You're so starved that you won't even let out a spark, I know a thing or two about magic, listen, I can't let you go. — Lord Tarington said.
— I'm your prisoner why would you do that? — said the Prisoner.
— I can't let you go, because even if I do, you won't cross the east pass anyway, they're building a castle there, there's a lot of Andarolians there, and as prisoners you're completely useless. — Kylian replied
Meanwhile, several Sundarolans entered the throne room, accompanied by Joren and the city guards.
— You are not interested in farming, you want our knowledge and magic, we will not pass it on to the Andarolians, you are our enemies. — said the elf.
Lord Tarington spoke loudly — Not to the Andarolians, but to the people of Lira, today it will not mean the same thing, if you want to get out of these dungeons and become citizens of Lira, you must give something in return. The Lira has burned too many times, I'll make sure this was the last time. To achieve this, we need to repair the wall, I know you know barrier spells that will harden it, we need weapons, and we need to solve the drought problem. For this you need cooperation. — he paced the room and looked at the Sundarolians now. — Yours too, can you fix the wall? — He ended with a question.
— Why would we repair the Andarolian wall? — replied a middle-aged Sundaroln man with dark eyes and black hair. Dressed in linen clothes.
— Because the southern one is whole, and that's where the Empire is, after all, the northern one is for defense against Andaroln, that's also in your favor, isn't it? — Kylian asked. The Sundaroln fell silent.
— Believe in me and I will believe in you — Lord Tarington began, and turned back to the Elf. — I know you don't like this lifestyle, in Ithrandil you are guardians of the balance of nature and you live in harmony with it, but you have no other home — He said.
The Andarolans present in the hall were shocked..
— Joren, have the townspeople gather at the palace, I have a speech to give — Kylian ordered.
— He didn't ask me if I agreed — Tommen said to Thalis.
— Consider it respect to you, no Andaroln Lord would ever offer it to you, they just thought you were too smart to turn down the offer. — Thalis replied to him.
— We're not some Fall Elves to be driven by money and power.. — the Elf added, but he knew that Lord Kylian was right. They will not return to the Elven Kingdom. And what he wants to create may turn out to be good
Two hours later it was noon. Lord Tarington was standing on the balcony of the palace. It was a Sundaroln thing. The palaces had balconies so that you could speak to the people from them. Outside the walls of the Palace, there were a lot of people. Were all the inhabitants really here? Everywhere he looked, the streets were packed. He spoke.
— Dear people of Lira, I am your new Lord, so I want to announce the changes that are coming. Today is an important date, in about a year you will choose a new ruler of Lyra. — conversations began in the background — For the city from this day forward will be called the Free City of Lira, no Kingdom, or Andaroln, or Ithrandil, or Empire of Sundaroln, none of them has kept you safe. You have suffered sieges and occupations again and again. If they can't keep us safe, then we have to do it ourselves, and to do that, we have to build our city together across divisions such as race and ethnicity. We will use the common knowledge that diversity allows us to do. We'll make it strong. We need schools that will teach young generations, not only to write and read, but even magic, because here in our Lira, access to magic and science will not be determined by social status, long live free Lira — he shouted at the end and raised his fist in the air.
The crowd fell silent. People looked at each other. Finally someone broke out of the crowd and also raised his fist in the air. — Long live the free Lira — He shouted. More and more people started joining. Finally the crowd started chanting "Long live the free Lira"
More as alwyas on my Wattpad. Please share If you like it.

Hi just sharing tips that I found out playing the game, I've seen lots of talk about the limeware plate in the beginning but did you know, in the other room where the knife is stuck in the note on the table, you can literally take everything in that room without being caught and also the little room with a bedroll and few sacks in it too, if you sell your cheapest items first one at a time, the traders disposition towards you increases by 1 everytime you trade with them as along as you don't exit talking to them,(continue doing that until they are 100 disposition) then sell the more expensive items to them, doing it that way will get you alot more money for your items and better prices at the beginning of the game with no skills or personality required