hewwo there! i'm Novi, as the title says I've been feeling really lonely and i woke up pretty sad, just looking to make some friends that can help cheer me up! i mostly like watching anime and reading manga, i'm currently reading ranking of kings and watching hxh, please feel free to give me suggestions 🥺
its really cold here so im just gonna snuggle up with my cat shaped hot water bottle and drink tea all day.
ㅤ/ᐠ - ˕ -マ hope you have a good day~

hewwo there! i'm Novi, as the title says I've been feeling really lonely and i woke up pretty sad, just looking to make some friends that can help cheer me up! i mostly like watching anime and reading manga, i'm currently reading ranking of kings and watching hxh, please feel free to give me suggestions 🥺
its really cold here so im just gonna snuggle up with my cat shaped hot water bottle and drink tea all day.
ㅤ/ᐠ - ˕ -マ hope you have a good day~

Points I like

• has a tweeter, compared to the mega boom sounds way clearer. -Efficient size, it’s basically a big water bottle, although going a bit bigger might not bother be. -Pretty good surround sound, you can place it in the middle of the room and you can hear it everywhere, it’s not directional.

Points I don’t like.
-Battery life is short, at 6 hours, and the battery has already degraded. I need it as a speaker for a street market so 10/12 ish hours should be good. -Bass… meh. I understand how hard It is to have good bass on a small enclosure and on a 360 degree setting but I’d rather have clarity via a twitter than ultra mega room shaking bass -When maxing out and one step below you can hear that it’s not getting louder, rather compressing the sound, so it looses definition. I should be able to work 80% and be a bit louder than my current option.
Also an attaching point is good , like a d ring or something and has to be backpack sized , not like a Bose small pa speaker, maybe the size of a small loaf of bread? :)
Thanks for helping out.
Bonus points if battery is serviceable or easily replaceable, also cool if waterproof although not necessary

Y'all, 33F here and I'm just tired.
I'm tired of being harassed by the boomer "queen bee" at work (who is not even a supervisor). In the 5 years I've been here she has told me I'd "get fat" multiple times, hassled me repeatedly about why I only wear a wedding band and no diamond ring, given me shit for working from home 3 days a week, and now she expects me to tell her personally when I am taking time off lmao.
I'm tired of my nutjob boomer parents who have become fully embroiled in the whole right wing bullshit. They have been republicans forever, but they have gotten a LOT worse since 2016. You guys know the story. But now, they look for ways to make racist comments and everything is an affront to their "values." Everything triggers them.
Just last night my mom texts me about how Monster High dolls (I used to collect them but now she does) are doing a Pride line and how it is so awful and horrible because children buy those dolls and it's grooming them and think of the children. She proceeds to get mad at me when I try to deflect and not engage.
I'm tired of the average person having no civility or decency. A lot of people go around with this "every man for himself" mentality. They go down the road with a bunch of auxiliary lights added to the front of the vehicle, blinding others. They treat service works like literal scum of the earth. They have feral children they refuse to parent. They litter all over the roads and sidewalks. They holler and yell outside at night while people are sleeping.
I'm tired of living in this capitalist hellhole where everything you buy is made as shittily as possible so you have to buy anothemore as soon as possible. I put on some perfume this morning and realized that perfumes these days have no staying power because they want you to reapply it throughout the day and buy more. A bottle that, back in the day, would last years or even decades will now last weeks/months. I know that is a super specific example, but it applies to most all products now.
I'm tired of our ancient and out of touch politicians selling us down the river in favor of the rich. I sometimes lay away at night thinking about how the 1% want America and honestly the whole world to be one giant work camp where we are serfs with nothing, toiling day in and day out with no protections, pensions, healthcare, or even human dignity for their gain. Literal hand to mouth poverty so they can live on the moon or whatever.
Around 1999-2001 I was really into the idea that the future was going to be so cool and there would be flying cars and no sickness and everything would be perfect. (Does anyone remember that Time for Kids issue that literally told us the future would be this way?) When I was in college, I read all those dystopian novels (hunger games, divergent, etc) because they seemed so far fetched, thus entertaining. But now, we are living in our very own dystopian timeline and it scares the shit out of me.
I'm just so tired.

Only Europe Please - short note - If you're not into reading or receiving long messages,don't read any further + Please If you don't want to read everything because of my post being too long for you & instead of reading It all - ..skip some parts - find another person to talk to.Let's respect each other and our free time. All people criticizing/making fun of me & other people - will permanently be blocked.Pretty much as people questioning my post and giving me unsolicited advice.I'm not here for any conflicts and I know I can't please everyone - I know I never will.. However It's me who should feel comfortable in my new potential friendship & obviously someone interested in being my friend - not the whole world which is why I don't need any advice from people who don't even want to be a part of my life. The amount of rude people on Reddit always criticizing others and making fun of them is unbelievably high but let me tell you something - NEVER let anyone make choices for you and criticize you only because you're different! Always fight for your dreams and never let anyone make you think you're worthless! It's your life and you're the one deciding what's best for you - If you want to judge me despite not even wanting to talk to me or give me avice better block me
Hello guys! 🙂 (read everything before you decide to send me a message) Please send me a message ONLY If you're in the same situation and If your expectations are the same as mine.I want to find like minded people from Europe (Why Europe? Read my post to find out) I'm looking for something permanent (remember - you can feel lonely even If you're surrounded by others - If there's no emotional bond) I'm fed up of meeting people who never make any time for me & only text me once or twice a week to ask me "what are you up to?" Out of boredom.I don't want to meet people asking others a million of questions like "what's your favorite movie?" Just to give you one word answer and ask you another question "and music? Your favorite song?" I'm looking for something "deeper" & different🙂What kind of friend would I like to find? Someone to talk to on a daily basis - Someone who needs It & wants It just as much as me
Do you ever feel like an option? Like a stranger to others despite knowing them for months or years & talking to them quite often? Like there's always something and someone more important than you and you just..don't fit in and no matter what you do - your effort is never appreciated?
​
What are my expectations? I would like to meet someone in a similar situation – why? Because I honestly feel like only a person with the same expectations and a similar outlook on life would get along with me & because I feel more comfortable talking to people like me..Friendless people who need a strong bond - people without friends and without partners..Don't get me wrong…Most people deserve to be happy and It's good to have friends but people who have friends or families in real life are usually more focused on them ( which is completely understandable) & have less time for others + I simply don't want to be replaced by anyone..I kind of envy people who can call others , true friends given I don't have an emotional bond with any of my acquaintances. Whenever I hear that others have friends I simply get sad because (believe it or not) If I had to choose between 20 people to talk to (Acquaintances) and one special person - I'd choose that one special person without any hesitation .
​
I also want to talk to others on a daily basis mainly because..I want to see someone’s effort & be someone's first choice - not another person to have random conversations with..Why I'd rather talk to people from my continent? Well..Mainly because I would like to see someone I'd get along with - In the far future - face to face :) + I don't want to wait any longer than 6 hours to receive a message - Especially given most people are always available on social media sites & keep their phones in a pocket.Once you receive & open my message - get back to me (If you're as serious as I am & really need a true friend) waiting 6 hours to receive a message is more than enough
​
I'm by no means criticising people who don't want to talk to others often / People who really are super busy & People who want to find someone to have non important conversations with - I'm aware that not everyone has the same expectations which is why everything you're reading now - is here for a reason.All I'm suggesting is - I don't want anything temporary and I don't want to be the one always giving more than receiving.Listen people - I used to ignore being..ignored by others..always being just an option to talk to during tough times or moments of boredom.I was too young to realize that I was never important enough for most people that were a part of my life I don't know who needs to hear this but..No one is too busy to make time for you! People make excuses to avoid others because they prioritize everything and (maybe) everyone..over them. It's true that most people really are busy - but It takes only a few seconds to start a conversation (If you're into short messages) and a few minutes (1-10/15) to type a long message Don't let anyone lie to you.
​
Truth is that most people either don't like you enough to make time for you or just simply - feel no need to talk to others often but are they too busy? No..You don't need to send me a message just to ask me and tell me "Do you really want to talk daily? I like long messages but I can't promise to contact you often" If you really are unsure please don't send me a message.I don't need more acquaintances aka people to talk to - occasionallyI'm not trying to sound rude - I just don't want to meet new people and get emotionally attached - only to end up being left alone after weeks or months of daily conversations.I'm sick of that never ending story and always meeting people who ghost me without a single word (even if everything seems to be ok) or people who "change priorities" over time & become like strangers…I don't want to go through this ever again.Let me tell you one thing – A true friend would never just give up on you for no reason :)It’s always possible to find someone to have a random conversation with – someone willing to send you one message once or twice a week..but..It’s almost impossible to find people willing to make time for you.
​
I’m not asking a busy person to make time for me by changing some plans! Absolutely not! I’m here to find someone who wants to talk daily (throughout the day or maybe even night) of one’s own will.Someone looking for the same kind of connection.Strong friendships are based on mutual support. One of the best things you can do for a friend in need, is just to be there for them when they want to talk.I often see posts from people who always say how friendless they are because they don't feel loved or appreciated by their "friends" remember! A true friend - someone who truly likes you or someone who wants to get to know you - will always find time for you. 🙂
​
I'm not really interested in small talk/short messages - I love long and meaningful conversations. It's so easy to find someone who loves abbreviations and questions like "How are you?" How was your day? Or what are you interested in? But so hard/almost impossible to find a person who knows how to keep a conversation going & show others some effort.Building and maintaining friendships takes time and effort.Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relations with other people.Close friendships are so important to us because they are so difficult to form + Having friends can help you feel as if you belong to something that brings purpose and connection to your life
​
• I do NOT respond to any „Hey,hmu” or „u want to talk” type of messages (super short messages or messages full of abbreviations – I literally can’t stand abbreviations and acronyms in text messages) ALL messages full of abbreviations will immediately be ignored.I also don't like it when people ignore everything I say in private messages just to focus on some question or? Start talking only about themselves.. I love conversations with people refering to every part of my messages - not just some question.
​
• No dirty messages PLEASE.I'm not looking for anyone to flirt with and I'm not looking for a partner either. No NSWF profiles..I always check people's profiles (Even comment history) - To avoid guys,trying to get inappropriate photos from adult women or? flirt with them & If your comment history is full of rude comments - you and I wouldn't get along! I can't stand people who judge other people and use vulgar words to describe them or? Make fun of them.Respect is very important
​
• If both (you and I) are from the same country (I live in a non-English speaking country ) - I want to communicate with you in our first language! No - Not because I don't understand English because as you see - I do. Why then? English is simply overrated and people don't appreciate other languages as much as they should. So.. If we're from the same country and you want to talk only in English (which is quite common on reddit) - Talk to someone else. I just simply don't want to talk to a person from the same country - in a foreign language as It's just something I don't understand even If all you want is to practice your english
​
• Please only adult people 18-36 age range (I'm 27)
​
• I don’t respond to messages I don’t find interesting even If they're long - If after receiving and reading your message I don't feel comfortable or think "I wouldn't get along with him/her" I simply do not respond (what I’m suggesting is that I don’t always respond to someone’s first or second message because..sometimes you just know If you’d get along with someone or not- I’d never ignore anyone after days or weeks of daily conversations though) just because I don’t want to do anything forcefully & because I don’t want to lead anyone on. I read all messages but I definitely don't respond to all of them! I want to make it clear because I don't want to be accused of not responding and not reading people's messages! - Some people don't message me back as well and even though It is a bit disappointing I'm ok with that! - as long as there's no emotional bond - I think it's ok to not respond to someone's first or second message If people think they wouldn't get along! I can't stand being ignored after days or weeks of daily conversation and seeing people changing priorities but that's something different - something I don't want to go through ever again for real If I'm really interested in someone's message - I respond within a matter of minutes - max 6 hours (If I'm in bed - just sleeping) you won't even hear from me "I'm too busy" because I know myself and If I really was too busy to make time for others - I wouldn't be here. I either want to talk to someone..or not.I don't want to pretend someone I'm not and always try to find some cheap excuses to avoid others. (unlike some people)
​
• Don’t ask me “Can you tell me something about yourself?” If you really want to get to know me - you can ask me questions :) I'm an open book.
​
• It would be better If you guys were into emojis - just like me - just to describe your emotions through text. Two emojis - 🙂 and 🙁 are completely enough I just don't like emotionless messages.I also don't like it when people say "yeah" or yea"as it sounds dismissively.
​
• I want to talk on reddit first (just to make sure If I'd get along with you ) before moving to Discord or some other app
​
• Time response matters to me a lot! It matters to me whether I get a message back after one hour,three hours,6 hours or..12 hours and even..after a couple of days..And If you're another person just looking for one day conversation and then? "Disappear" for some amount of time longer than one day to come back and apologize me for being busy - don't even leave me a message.I just want to be honest with you from the start.I'm interested only in daily conversations
​
Why can’t you see any of my interests listed down below? Because what really matters to me is..who you are (If you’re honest,talkative,understanding,caring and trustworthy – for example) just simply – It matters to me what you’re like! not what you like.Don’t get me wrong – you can tell me what your hobbies are but in my personal opinion,common interests are important mainly when you want to find a gaming buddy (for example) or If you want to meet someone to hang out with in real life and..go bowling for example.What most people seem to care about are other people's interests – I don’t. I get along with other people despite having completely different hobbies but I absolutely don’t get along with people way different than me (different expectations and outlook on life– way different sense of humor or personality traits – It’s just an example) It doesn't make ANY DIFFERENCE to me If you're a gamer or? Someone interested in photography! It doesn't make any difference - > as long as you're talkative and kind and If you also want to find someone willing to stay in your life..for good - But If you're into small talk and all you want is to...type and receive super short messages or If you're here only because you're bored and don't know what to do + If you're a very sarcastic person - I'm definitely not for you!I don't get along with overly sarcastic people turning everything into a joke. Friendships should be natural – not forced.
​
Both people wanting to be friends should feel comfortable and have something in common. No - not necessarily a similar taste in music or movies but something else..Most friendships don't fizzle out because of people not having the same hobbies but..because they just simply have different expectations when It comes to something important.I'm not here out of boredom and trust me - I'm not here to meet as many people as possible.I choose quality over quantity.I higly value myself and my time & Sometimes one person but a person who makes you feel comfortable and understood - is more than enough :) We ALL can choose what kind of people we’d like to talk to and maybe even become really good friends with and I? I don’t want anyone to be disappointed.We all have some expectations after all.I know that people don't have to talk everyday to be friends but I'm interested only in daily conversations with someone also interested in talking dailyIf you really need someone to talk to due to loneliness and If you have time to talk to me daily (throughout the day and maybe even night)I always make time for others.I'm literally always available.I could even stay up all night long only to talk to someone. I’m ready to commit but only If there’s some chemistry between me and someone else.I don’t do anything forcefully.
​
If you want to talk to me tell me your story - tell me why you're here, what kind of friend would you like to meet :) Et cetera.Such messages are way more interesting to me than...someone's long list of hobbies. I know! It's unusual on reddit but I don't make friends based on hobbies..I want to meet someone with the same mindset as mine to finally feel understood and get close to someone new.You can share your problems with me - I absolutely don't mind "complaining" as I've been through a lot in my life.What do people usually tell you when you tell them that's something's wrong? "Don't complain" or "Life's not over yet - one day you'll be happy" or "There are worse situations than yours" and..obviously "Find a therapist" Life's not a fairytale and sometimes things don't go as planned.Emotions shouldn't be bottled up.I'm sick of people always telling others "everything's gonna be ok" move on " & more..Trust me people - not everyone wants to hear "Just believe in yourself and everything's gonna be ok" Some people take it as reassurance. But others see it as false hope. Imagine being told that things will be okay, only for them to get worse..Do you guys know why telling someone "everything's gonna be ok" Is wrong? Because you can't see the future.
​
You can't guarantee others that one day they'll finally be happy + when It comes to social interactions - We're only responsible for ourselves - not for others & as you guys know people let us down quite often (sometimes even when there's no reason) so instead of telling people how they should move on,forget everything and be happy or asking them to find a therapist - be there for them! Always be willing to listen to them If you really like them or want to get to know them & don't suggest everyone in a tough situation to find a therapist because a therapist won't ever replace a true friend + It's quite normal to be disappointed If people always do something to hurt you.Sharing your hardships with other people in a very similar situation or exactly the same one - is VERY helpful If the other person understands you & wants to start all over by just letting it all out & feeling emotional support instead of always hearing some "positive quotes" or someone saying "Stop complaining let's talk about something else"Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. I appreciate sensitive people who always try to understand others.Empathy is everything
​
Our world needs more peace 🤗 I've seen a lot of rude comments on reddit.If you don't agree with me - OK but please don't criticize me + Not everyone is here to ask for advice.Listen people - I know how different my post is & I know It won't be easy for me to find what or rather who - I'm looking for BUT I always want to be myself instead of pretending someone I'm not and lying to others.I know It would be easier if (like others) I had less expectations but I I know what I want and honestly? If my post was different..I wouldn't be me.Even If I won't meet a person I'd get along with - that's ok! but don't give me any unsolicited advice because I wouldn't change for someone who doesn't even know me pretty much as I wouldn't want to change anyone else.I'm not trying to "fit in" and be like everyone else - just to get more attention.Accept me for who I am or let go - is my motto.I'm not here to argue with anyone and to make fun of others.
​
Please - If you're a completely different person than the described type of person I'm looking for (If you love abrreviations,If you don't need an emotional connection,If you're sarcastic and quiet) or If you simply disagree with my post - don't force yourself to send me a message.I want my new potential friendship,to be natural which is why I want you to contact me If your needs are the same - I don't want you to try to change yourself only to please me - Pretending to be someone you're not - is the worst.I know It's possible to find what I'm looking for as I had conversations with people looking for exactly the same thing and being nice to me - I want to believe in my luck again as I had it a few times on reddit - I've recently lost someone I thought could be a friend of mine (such a perfect match) and I'm sad but I want to finally be happy again & find someone always wanting to talk - sending me random pictures throughout the day - food pictures or pictures of some animals and what is the most important to me? To find people who value online friendships as much as they would value real life ones as there's another human being on the other side
​
No comments please.Only Private messages and chat requests.I don't really like public conversations and I also do not respond to comments so If you want to send me a message just do it without saying "You can DM me" + I'm online almost all the time and yes - I am very selective but If I had to choose between having another (new) acquaintance and being in the same situation as I currently am - I'd always choose second option.I don't need more people to talk to every now and then and any chit chat so please think twice before you decide to send me a message

Only Europe Please - short note - If you're not into reading or receiving long messages,don't read any further + Please If you don't want to read everything because of my post being too long for you & instead of reading It all - ..skip some parts - find another person to talk to.Let's respect each other and our free time. All people criticizing/making fun of me & other people - will permanently be blocked.Pretty much as people questioning my post and giving me unsolicited advice.I'm not here for any conflicts and I know I can't please everyone - I know I never will.. However It's me who should feel comfortable in my new potential friendship & obviously someone interested in being my friend - not the whole world which is why I don't need any advice from people who don't even want to be a part of my life. The amount of rude people on Reddit always criticizing others and making fun of them is unbelievably high but let me tell you something - NEVER let anyone make choices for you and criticize you only because you're different! Always fight for your dreams and never let anyone make you think you're worthless! It's your life and you're the one deciding what's best for you - If you want to judge me despite not even wanting to talk to me or give me avice better block me
Hello guys! 🙂 (read everything before you decide to send me a message) Please send me a message ONLY If you're in the same situation and If your expectations are the same as mine.I want to find like minded people from Europe (Why Europe? Read my post to find out) I'm looking for something permanent (remember - you can feel lonely even If you're surrounded by others - If there's no emotional bond) I'm fed up of meeting people who never make any time for me & only text me once or twice a week to ask me "what are you up to?" Out of boredom.I don't want to meet people asking others a million of questions like "what's your favorite movie?" Just to give you one word answer and ask you another question "and music? Your favorite song?" I'm looking for something "deeper" & different🙂What kind of friend would I like to find? Someone to talk to on a daily basis - Someone who needs It & wants It just as much as me Do you ever feel like an option? Like a stranger to others despite knowing them for months or years & talking to them quite often? Like there's always something and someone more important than you and you just..don't fit in and no matter what you do - your effort is never appreciated? What are my expectations? I would like to meet someone in a similar situation – why? Because I honestly feel like only a person with the same expectations and a similar outlook on life would get along with me & because I feel more comfortable talking to people like me..Friendless people who need a strong bond - people without friends and without partners..Don't get me wrong…Most people deserve to be happy and It's good to have friends but people who have friends or families in real life are usually more focused on them ( which is completely understandable) & have less time for others + I simply don't want to be replaced by anyone..I kind of envy people who can call others , true friends given I don't have an emotional bond with any of my acquaintances. Whenever I hear that others have friends I simply get sad because (believe it or not) If I had to choose between 20 people to talk to (Acquaintances) and one special person - I'd choose that one special person without any hesitation . I also want to talk to others on a daily basis mainly because..I want to see someone’s effort & be someone's first choice - not another person to have random conversations with..Why I'd rather talk to people from my continent? Well..Mainly because I would like to see someone I'd get along with - In the far future - face to face :) + I don't want to wait any longer than 6 hours to receive a message - Especially given most people are always available on social media sites & keep their phones in a pocket.Once you receive & open my message - get back to me (If you're as serious as I am & really need a true friend) waiting 6 hours to receive a message is more than enough I'm by no means criticising people who don't want to talk to others often / People who really are super busy & People who want to find someone to have non important conversations with - I'm aware that not everyone has the same expectations which is why everything you're reading now - is here for a reason.All I'm suggesting is - I don't want anything temporary and I don't want to be the one always giving more than receiving.Listen people - I used to ignore being..ignored by others..always being just an option to talk to during tough times or moments of boredom.I was too young to realize that I was never important enough for most people that were a part of my life I don't know who needs to hear this but..No one is too busy to make time for you! People make excuses to avoid others because they prioritize everything and (maybe) everyone..over them. It's true that most people really are busy - but It takes only a few seconds to start a conversation (If you're into short messages) and a few minutes (1-10/15) to type a long message Don't let anyone lie to you. Truth is that most people either don't like you enough to make time for you or just simply - feel no need to talk to others often but are they too busy? No..You don't need to send me a message just to ask me and tell me "Do you really want to talk daily? I like long messages but I can't promise to contact you often" If you really are unsure please don't send me a message.I don't need more acquaintances aka people to talk to - occasionallyI'm not trying to sound rude - I just don't want to meet new people and get emotionally attached - only to end up being left alone after weeks or months of daily conversations.I'm sick of that never ending story and always meeting people who ghost me without a single word (even if everything seems to be ok) or people who "change priorities" over time & become like strangers…I don't want to go through this ever again.Let me tell you one thing – A true friend would never just give up on you for no reason :)It’s always possible to find someone to have a random conversation with – someone willing to send you one message once or twice a week..but..It’s almost impossible to find people willing to make time for you. I’m not asking a busy person to make time for me by changing some plans! Absolutely not! I’m here to find someone who wants to talk daily (throughout the day or maybe even night) of one’s own will.Someone looking for the same kind of connection.Strong friendships are based on mutual support. One of the best things you can do for a friend in need, is just to be there for them when they want to talk.I often see posts from people who always say how friendless they are because they don't feel loved or appreciated by their "friends" remember! A true friend - someone who truly likes you or someone who wants to get to know you - will always find time for you. 🙂 I'm not really interested in small talk/short messages - I love long and meaningful conversations. It's so easy to find someone who loves abbreviations and questions like "How are you?" How was your day? Or what are you interested in? But so hard/almost impossible to find a person who knows how to keep a conversation going & show others some effort.Building and maintaining friendships takes time and effort.Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relations with other people.Close friendships are so important to us because they are so difficult to form + Having friends can help you feel as if you belong to something that brings purpose and connection to your life • I do NOT respond to any „Hey,hmu” or „u want to talk” type of messages (super short messages or messages full of abbreviations – I literally can’t stand abbreviations and acronyms in text messages) ALL messages full of abbreviations will immediately be ignored.I also don't like it when people ignore everything I say in private messages just to focus on some question or? Start talking only about themselves.. I love conversations with people refering to every part of my messages - not just some question. • No dirty messages PLEASE.I'm not looking for anyone to flirt with and I'm not looking for a partner either. No NSWF profiles..I always check people's profiles (Even comment history) - To avoid guys,trying to get inappropriate photos from adult women or? flirt with them & If your comment history is full of rude comments - you and I wouldn't get along! I can't stand people who judge other people and use vulgar words to describe them or? Make fun of them.Respect is very important • If both (you and I) are from the same country (I live in a non-English speaking country ) - I want to communicate with you in our first language! No - Not because I don't understand English because as you see - I do. Why then? English is simply overrated and people don't appreciate other languages as much as they should. So.. If we're from the same country and you want to talk only in English (which is quite common on reddit) - Talk to someone else. I just simply don't want to talk to a person from the same country - in a foreign language as It's just something I don't understand even If all you want is to practice your english • Please only adult people 18-36 age range (I'm 27) • I don’t respond to messages I don’t find interesting even If they're long - If after receiving and reading your message I don't feel comfortable or think "I wouldn't get along with him/her" I simply do not respond (what I’m suggesting is that I don’t always respond to someone’s first or second message because..sometimes you just know If you’d get along with someone or not- I’d never ignore anyone after days or weeks of daily conversations though) just because I don’t want to do anything forcefully & because I don’t want to lead anyone on. I read all messages but I definitely don't respond to all of them! I want to make it clear because I don't want to be accused of not responding and not reading people's messages! - Some people don't message me back as well and even though It is a bit disappointing I'm ok with that! - as long as there's no emotional bond - I think it's ok to not respond to someone's first or second message If people think they wouldn't get along! I can't stand being ignored after days or weeks of daily conversation and seeing people changing priorities but that's something different - something I don't want to go through ever again for real If I'm really interested in someone's message - I respond within a matter of minutes - max 6 hours (If I'm in bed - just sleeping) you won't even hear from me "I'm too busy" because I know myself and If I really was too busy to make time for others - I wouldn't be here. I either want to talk to someone..or not.I don't want to pretend someone I'm not and always try to find some cheap excuses to avoid others. (unlike some people) • Don’t ask me “Can you tell me something about yourself?” If you really want to get to know me - you can ask me questions :) I'm an open book. • It would be better If you guys were into emojis - just like me - just to describe your emotions through text. Two emojis - 🙂 and 🙁 are completely enough I just don't like emotionless messages.I also don't like it when people say "yeah" or yea"as it sounds dismissively. • I want to talk on reddit first (just to make sure If I'd get along with you ) before moving to Discord or some other app • Time response matters to me a lot! It matters to me whether I get a message back after one hour,three hours,6 hours or..12 hours and even..after a couple of days..And If you're another person just looking for one day conversation and then? "Disappear" for some amount of time longer than one day to come back and apologize me for being busy - don't even leave me a message.I just want to be honest with you from the start.I'm interested only in daily conversations Why can’t you see any of my interests listed down below? Because what really matters to me is..who you are (If you’re honest,talkative,understanding,caring and trustworthy – for example) just simply – It matters to me what you’re like! not what you like.Don’t get me wrong – you can tell me what your hobbies are but in my personal opinion,common interests are important mainly when you want to find a gaming buddy (for example) or If you want to meet someone to hang out with in real life and..go bowling for example.What most people seem to care about are other people's interests – I don’t. I get along with other people despite having completely different hobbies but I absolutely don’t get along with people way different than me (different expectations and outlook on life– way different sense of humor or personality traits – It’s just an example) It doesn't make ANY DIFFERENCE to me If you're a gamer or? Someone interested in photography! It doesn't make any difference - > as long as you're talkative and kind and If you also want to find someone willing to stay in your life..for good - But If you're into small talk and all you want is to...type and receive super short messages or If you're here only because you're bored and don't know what to do + If you're a very sarcastic person - I'm definitely not for you!I don't get along with overly sarcastic people turning everything into a joke. Friendships should be natural – not forced. Both people wanting to be friends should feel comfortable and have something in common. No - not necessarily a similar taste in music or movies but something else..Most friendships don't fizzle out because of people not having the same hobbies but..because they just simply have different expectations when It comes to something important.I'm not here out of boredom and trust me - I'm not here to meet as many people as possible.I choose quality over quantity.I higly value myself and my time & Sometimes one person but a person who makes you feel comfortable and understood - is more than enough :) We ALL can choose what kind of people we’d like to talk to and maybe even become really good friends with and I? I don’t want anyone to be disappointed.We all have some expectations after all.I know that people don't have to talk everyday to be friends but I'm interested only in daily conversations with someone also interested in talking dailyIf you really need someone to talk to due to loneliness and If you have time to talk to me daily (throughout the day and maybe even night)I always make time for others.I'm literally always available.I could even stay up all night long only to talk to someone. I’m ready to commit but only If there’s some chemistry between me and someone else.I don’t do anything forcefully. If you want to talk to me tell me your story - tell me why you're here, what kind of friend would you like to meet :) Et cetera.Such messages are way more interesting to me than...someone's long list of hobbies. I know! It's unusual on reddit but I don't make friends based on hobbies..I want to meet someone with the same mindset as mine to finally feel understood and get close to someone new.You can share your problems with me - I absolutely don't mind "complaining" as I've been through a lot in my life.What do people usually tell you when you tell them that's something's wrong? "Don't complain" or "Life's not over yet - one day you'll be happy" or "There are worse situations than yours" and..obviously "Find a therapist" Life's not a fairytale and sometimes things don't go as planned.Emotions shouldn't be bottled up.I'm sick of people always telling others "everything's gonna be ok" move on " & more..Trust me people - not everyone wants to hear "Just believe in yourself and everything's gonna be ok" Some people take it as reassurance. But others see it as false hope. Imagine being told that things will be okay, only for them to get worse..Do you guys know why telling someone "everything's gonna be ok" Is wrong? Because you can't see the future. You can't guarantee others that one day they'll finally be happy + when It comes to social interactions - We're only responsible for ourselves - not for others & as you guys know people let us down quite often (sometimes even when there's no reason) so instead of telling people how they should move on,forget everything and be happy or asking them to find a therapist - be there for them! Always be willing to listen to them If you really like them or want to get to know them & don't suggest everyone in a tough situation to find a therapist because a therapist won't ever replace a true friend + It's quite normal to be disappointed If people always do something to hurt you.Sharing your hardships with other people in a very similar situation or exactly the same one - is VERY helpful If the other person understands you & wants to start all over by just letting it all out & feeling emotional support instead of always hearing some "positive quotes" or someone saying "Stop complaining let's talk about something else"Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. I appreciate sensitive people who always try to understand others.Empathy is everything Our world needs more peace 🤗 I've seen a lot of rude comments on reddit.If you don't agree with me - OK but please don't criticize me + Not everyone is here to ask for advice.Listen people - I know how different my post is & I know It won't be easy for me to find what or rather who - I'm looking for BUT I always want to be myself instead of pretending someone I'm not and lying to others.I know It would be easier if (like others) I had less expectations but I I know what I want and honestly? If my post was different..I wouldn't be me.Even If I won't meet a person I'd get along with - that's ok! but don't give me any unsolicited advice because I wouldn't change for someone who doesn't even know me pretty much as I wouldn't want to change anyone else.I'm not trying to "fit in" and be like everyone else - just to get more attention.Accept me for who I am or let go - is my motto.I'm not here to argue with anyone and to make fun of others. Please - If you're a completely different person than the described type of person I'm looking for (If you love abrreviations,If you don't need an emotional connection,If you're sarcastic and quiet) or If you simply disagree with my post - don't force yourself to send me a message.I want my new potential friendship,to be natural which is why I want you to contact me If your needs are the same - I don't want you to try to change yourself only to please me - Pretending to be someone you're not - is the worst.I know It's possible to find what I'm looking for as I had conversations with people looking for exactly the same thing and being nice to me - I want to believe in my luck again as I had it a few times on reddit - I've recently lost someone I thought could be a friend of mine (such a perfect match) and I'm sad but I want to finally be happy again & find someone always wanting to talk - sending me random pictures throughout the day - food pictures or pictures of some animals and what is the most important to me? To find people who value online friendships as much as they would value real life ones as there's another human being on the other side No comments please.Only Private messages and chat requests.I don't really like public conversations and I also do not respond to comments so If you want to send me a message just do it without saying "You can DM me" + I'm online almost all the time and yes - I am very selective but If I had to choose between having another (new) acquaintance and being in the same situation as I currently am - I'd always choose second option.I don't need more people to talk to every now and then and any chit chat so please think twice before you decide to send me a message

So I have a question for anyone and everyone. If you could have a bottle of any whiskey, within reasonable bounds, for your wedding, what whiskey would you choose?
For context: my wedding is coming up in August and my birthday is roughly 2 weeks before that. I’ve told my fiancée that what I want for my birthday is a good whiskey (mostly a bourbon/rye drinker) that I can bring to my wedding to crack open and share with my favorite people.
I already have a few ideas of what my “to look for” list might be, but I’m wondering if anyone has some other good suggestions that she should look for or even tell me what you had at your wedding!

The concierge at the condo we are staying at in Puerto Vallarta next week connected me with a company that makes medicine deliveries to resort areas. I was able to order Ozempic 3 red pens, 5 blue pens, and 3 bottles of 14 mg Rybelsus. They said there are no yellow pens in Mexico.
I am hoping to get back in a few months to purchase the injectable, but wanted to have the pills as a backup.
It was expensive, but I expected that with demand. The concierge called all the major pharmacies in PV for me (Ahorro, Costco, Walmart, etc.) and they all said they didn’t have it. I paid $107,000 MX total, which is about $6,100. That’s a lot but my insurance won’t cover it and will charge me $1700 a month out of pocket.
The company is based in Mexico City and I had a brief call with a doctor before ordering. Then we discussed what I wanted via WhatsApp and I got a link for online credit card payment. They initially wanted a bank transfer but I wouldn’t do it in case they don’t come through. Credit card charges are easier to dispute. I’ll comment on this post and let you all know if it gets delivered and add company name and number. I don’t want to share them yet I’m case they don’t deliver.
I bought this combo of pens to be able to give myself two injections to titrate up to 2 mg of injections. And if I have to switch to the pills, I can take two of those. Novo Nordsc has put in for FDA approval of the higher doses.

Our LO was born small for gestational age at FT. After 5 days we found out she had lost too much weight and immediately had to start triple feeding every 3 hours - forcing her to wake for feed - documenting how long she fed for, how much I pumped, much she had by bottle, how many nappies, etc... It was exhausting and seemingly never ending. Switching, compressions, this new language understood. This continued for the next 2 weeks until we finally found a position she could now latch in, but she was still too weak to feed for long enough. In this time, she was now back at her starting weight, and we could start feeding responsively - a new form of terrifying clock watching, worrying if she's leaving it too long between feeds. Roll on another FIVE long weeks of slowly reducing triple feeding to switch back to EBF. This week for the first time she refused a bottle. Today we found out she has gained weight being EBF and we have permission to continue solely EBF! They will watch her weight over the coming weeks. HAPPY TEARS!
In the early days the process took 90mins every 3 hrs, so you have 90mins 'to yourself' before the next cycle began. As we moved forward, we got it down to 60mins and following her lead for feeding. Then, thankfully due to my supply (freezer full and ready to donate), we could reduce the number of pumps daily.
I've felt trapped, not able to enjoy the newborn bubble, not able to go for walks, stressing about how to pump on the go, how much milk to take with us, the worries were endless. I almost 'threw in the towel' daily for weeks, only the support of my partner, experts and friends kept me going.
Today, I am so proud of this journey. I feel that there is a new freedom being allowed to me. Yes, we are still being watched and trying to make sure we keep doing this safely, and yes things can change in an instant, so we will not get ahead of ourselves.
To any parents triple feeding, you can do this, it is tough, but there is light. Seek out support groups and experts, but be careful of taking on too much advice. Follow one strategy at a time and slowly amend this. Follow your babies lead. Equally, set yourself a target, know when you feel you have tried enough, and that is absolutely good enough. As we always say, fed is best, and a growing healthy child, absolutely must take priority, as must your own mental health.
Good luck.

Hey everyone 😸 me and my friend have been super into this YouTube channel about digging through old dump sites to find vintage bottles. Is there anything like this in Connecticut. I have tried looking through my town records at the library but I can’t seem to find anything. If anyone has any leads please let me know! We live in Fairfield county but are willing to drive anywhere in ct for a good find 😄 Thanks!

The traditional way of valuing any asset is the price the highest bidder is willing to pay for it. This applies for houses, cars, stocks when they’re trading under normal circumstances, and pretty much anything else you can think of.
There are very few instances where the seller gets to determine the price. This only happens when the buyer is forced to buy the asset, they have no other option.
Think of someone selling bottles of water to someone stranded in the desert - they can name their price. They buyer has no choice.
In a short squeeze, the price is determined by the seller - as shorts desperately attempt to close their runaway losing positions, paying whatever price they have to. And to add fuel to the fire, they have to compete with FOMO longs desperate to get in on the action.
When Bobby finally launches, never forget that you are fully in control. You own an asset that the shorts will be desperate to buy. Forget about meme numbers like $69 or $420. Hold to make them suffer for the years of theft we’ve witnessed day in, day out.
Fuck all of them.

On Monday night while I was winning at Code Cragor 3, my fiancée Montana sat next to me folding more of those damn origami cranes. As soon as she finished one, she'd add it to the growing pile on the floor and start again. Fold, fold, fold, flick. Fold, fold, fold, flick. She'd been doing this since I proposed a week ago. She said the birds meant “happiness” so they’d be our gift to our wedding guests. I hated those demon birds.
She stopped folding long enough to ask when the town justice was showing up on Thursday. She meant for our wedding. Except I hadn't booked the justice. I said I left a lot of messages and didn’t get a call back. That was sort of true, I did leave a message at the town court. I left a wrong number for them to call back. She didn’t need to know all that, though.
She said I was too relaxed about this, like I didn’t want to get married. I didn’t, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. Last week she said she wasn’t going to keep cooking and cleaning unless I proposed. Well, she cooks, she cleans, why would I want her to leave? I proposed. I didn’t “set a date.”
Montana doesn’t like when I don’t answer her. She started flicking birds at me. I kept gaming. Flick, flick, flick. I don’t remember how many she flicked at me before I called her uncle, Sam Orrs. He’s the mechanic for our town manager. Uncle Sam had the connection I needed to ’prove my love and commitment’.
With Montana listening to every word, I described a bunch of phone calls I never made. I laid it on thick for over an hour. The overwhelming incompetence of town court staff infuriated Uncle Sam. He promised he’d work it out with the town manager and call me back Tuesday afternoon.
As soon as I hung up, Montana started talking again. Something about her ‘wedding jeans’ and how we had to get the marriage license in the morning. That killed my interest in finishing Code Cragor 3. As I turned off the console, she asked if her ‘wedding jeans’ made her look fat.
I said yes.
She left the house holding three pairs of shoes and two large overnight bags. She said to call her at Uncle Sam’s when I was ready to get the license.
As soon as her Uber turned the corner, I dumped several handfuls of those demon birds into our trash can. There were so many of them, I couldn’t fit the lid on. Oh well. I was sure most of them would stay in the can until the next trash collection day, whenever that was.
Although I went to bed right after that, I had trouble staying asleep. I hoped Montana couldn’t sleep either, so she’d come back right away.
Uncle Sam’s text-a-thon woke me at two o’clock the next afternoon. He said Montana was fine and he had "worked it out" with the town manager. He also said sit tight and wait for more. Who knows what old people mean when they text. I microwaved hot dogs, finished a bag of chips and tore through three rounds of BulletFold (new release!) before going back to sleep.
A couple of hours later, a weird noise woke me. My neighbor was sanding their floors. Roar, swoosh, roar, roar. Why are people so loud? Close your damn windows. I threw on a Pomplamoose playlist, extra loud, and held Montana’s pillow over my head until I got back to sleep.
That worked well until I woke up hungry and in the dark. Now my neighbor was doing something swooshy and crunchy. Why are people so damn loud? Close. Your. Windows.
I wandered down to the kitchen for something substantial that didn’t require cooking. Took a while to find it: two boxes of chocolate chip cookies in a cupboard and a stale donut in the fridge. Ate the donut on the way upstairs and ate half a box of cookies before getting back to sleep.
A couple hours later, I’m not sure exactly when but it was still dark, noises woke me again. This time it was my stomach rumbling. I finished the cookies and the bottle of soda I found by my closet doors. Not really filling but I was hoping Montana would smarten up right away and gets back here to cook again.
Wednesday morning I woke up around ten o’clock. Why go downstairs when I could eat in bed like a king? Okay, my emergency stash of chips wasn’t as filling as a full breakfast, but Montana hadn’t moved back yet. I watched TV until I couldn’t hear it over the sounds of my stomach grumbling, then I went down to the kitchen again. There was nothing to eat without cooking it. I made toast with peanut butter and took it, with a can of soda to my sofa.
After a couple hours of BulletFold, I still heard grumbling. It was still quite dark outside. There was nothing else to do so I went to sleep on the sofa, clutching a pillow over my head to block out noises.
This morning, I woke up hungry again. Montana was being stubborn and, in a way, that suited me just fine. If she stayed stubborn for 24 more hours, we’d miss the “wedding date” she wanted, and we’d have to start all over again. But I couldn’t wait to eat so I ordered from EatFleet, whose motto is “Delivery half an hour or half off.” With nothing else to do, I waited by the door. Twenty-eight minutes in, my phone rang. I was sure it was delivery, begging for an extra minute or two.
How wrong I was. The driver said she was outside my place and had left the bags on my front walkway. She said she couldn’t get past the birds. I said bullshit. I couldn’t hear any birds and I was waiting at the door.
The driver insisted hundreds of birds were surrounding my house. She made it clear she’d delivered on time and brought the bags as far as she could, meaning no discount.
Then she added one more weird factor: She said my house looked just like it did on local news. That was it, she ended the call. I was so angry, I didn’t want to throw open the door and risk losing my temper at her. Instead, I went to the closest window to see if I could at least describe her car to the cops.
I pulled back the curtains and saw – white. Hundreds of white origami cranes were pressing against the window. I couldn’t see the ground or the sky. This made no sense.
I ran upstairs to the bedroom window, hoping to see where the pile of birds ended, and how far across the front they went. The birds didn’t stop. There were birds past the top of the second floor windows and birds at every window, front and back of the house.
Remembering the delivery driver’s words about local news, I turned on the bedroom TV. Local news was showing drone views of my house. My house, covered by white demon birds. Reporter Gary Moovilon was right outside my house. He called me 'home owner, Dirk T Wadder.' The jerk said my name like it was Dirty Water. He said I'd broken off my engagement with less than a week’s notice. What was a rejected bride-to-be supposed to do, he went on, except get revenge?
I had suggestions. She could calm down and stop obsessing about getting married. But Gary didn’t even bother to come to my door. He wondered if a helicopter had dumped thousands of birds on the roof. He called me Dirk T, saying it like Dirty. He was clearly doing it on purpose. I decided to sue him and the station. He wondered how I managed to sleep through the noise of a helicopter. He tried to talk to my neighbors about his ideas. No one wanted to get on camera.
I didn't hear any such thing. And even if there was a helicopter, how did the birds stay in place? Did someone apply glue to each bird, or are they magnetic, or -- who cares. Less thinking, more action. I ran downstairs to start Operation Remove the Birds.
Since I was doing this during daylight, it would be best to at least pretend I was going to recycle all that paper. My hands were shaking and I realized my breathing was shallow. Last time I felt like this I was seven years ago and had just finished watching A Nightmare on Elm Street. I haven’t been seven in – a lot of years! -- no adult should be scared of paper birds, c’mon now!
It took half an hour but I found the box of recycling bags Montana got a few months back. I stuck a few bags under my arm and grabbed the broom before returning to the front door and turning the handle.
Nothing happened.
I pushed my full weight against the door.
Nothing happened.
I don’t know how much thousands of origami cranes weigh but I do know it was enough to stop me from opening my door. For a second I thought about trying my first-floor windows, but all three of them open out. If I couldn’t push a heavy wooden door into the birds, there was no way I would risk pushing glass into them.
I ran to the bedroom window -- it opened up, not out -- and pulled a fistful of the little bastards inside. The rest of the wall should have collapsed.
It didn’t.
I grabbed more of them. I pushed against the birds that remained.
The wall or birds stayed in place.
Something was very wrong. A wall of paper birds couldn’t be stronger than me, could it? There are things that defeat paper. Like water! I dumped out the bedroom trash can and filled it with cold water. When I got within throwing distance of the window, I picked up the can with both hands and aimed for the opening.
Water went everywhere. It made no difference. I pushed, poked and pulled at birds that were wet and unmovable. I only stopped because paper dust caused my eyes to tear up. I mean, that had to be it, no way I was crying at the thought of being trapped forever.
A man knows when it’s time to admit defeat. I called Montana's Uncle Sam and asked for help. He said he had proof Montana hadn’t left his house so this wasn’t his problem. Even if it was, he said, he didn’t know what to do. He said to call emergency services.
Emergency services said they came here after they saw my house on lunch time news. They soaked the birds with fire fighting foam. The foam didn’t make any difference. They said don’t cook anything until I can get air flow in the house again. I said I can’t get food delivered through the birds. They said good luck and hung up.
I went online for two hours and couldn’t find anybody who’s been trapped like this. By this time, my throat felt like it was on fire and my eyes were producing extra water to put out the flames. That’s when I realized I was dying. I was going to starve to death, if I didn't run out of air first.
I called Montana's Uncle Sam again. I didn’t care if he got a helicopter to remove the roof, just get me out. I didn’t care if I had to wash his car every week for the rest of my life, just get me out. I begged, I pleaded, I told him I would do whatever he wanted me to do, just get me out of here!
He was direct. “I want YOU,” said Uncle Sam, “to marry Montana, today.”

There's been much talk about BL's potential as a driver of tourism. And it's evident, as some of you have shared your stories here in this sub, while others have asked for help planning upcoming trips. But there still appears to be a lack of easily accessible information for people visiting Thailand for the BL. Here's an attempt to remedy that, with this guide to visiting Thailand for BL fans. I've taken the liberty to incorporate suggestions from several previous threads here, as well as various other sources, so thank you to everyone who's contributed to the discussion.

First things first

This will only touch on things specifically of interest to BL fans. For the other aspects of your trip, including most basic planning stuff, please consult the usual travel resources.
That said, firstly you'll want to consider the purpose of your trip, and how much of it you want to dedicate to BL stuff. Do you just want a regular vacation, with a side stop for some merch, or are you here to relive the all the scenes from your favourite BLs? It's very possible to come up with a weeks-long itinerary of nothing but BL locations, and you could spend as much time mall-hopping to catch artist appearances, but Thailand also has a lot of other things to experience, whether you want to stick to the major attractions or go off the beaten track. It's all up to you.
Also, this probably goes without saying, but if you want to attend a specific event, be sure to plan around it and make travel arrangements accordingly. Concerts and fan meetings usually have tickets go on sale a couple of months in advance at most, so you'll want to have flexible options if you book your travel and accommodation before then.

Destinations

Most of the BL-related things you can do will be concentrated in Bangkok, so it's where this guide will be mainly focused, but there are also several provincial locations that have featured in BL, especially Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in the north and Phuket in the south, all of which are major tourist destinations in their own right. Series have also spent time at plenty of beaches and resorts (particularly around Hua Hin and several towns in Chonburi province) as well as other popular excursions, most of which are short trips from Bangkok. Further out are the island resorts of Koh Samet, Koh Tao and Koh Lanta. The north-east Isan locations are rather off the tourist trail, but could well be worth the experience if that's your style of travel.

Getting immersed

Arriving in Bangkok, one of the first things you'll notice as a fan of Thai BL (or Thai dramas in general) is that you're surrounded by familiar faces everywhere, on banners and billboards and the back of tuk-tuks. Although BL actors aren't that well known among the general public (a surprise to some), the better known ones have a ton of brand endorsements and appear in ads for all sorts of products. Even if you're not planning your trip around BL, spotting actors you know in ads and fan projects can be an entertaining pastime.
Head into a 7-Eleven and you're pretty much guaranteed to see faces you recognize, perhaps on products you're already familiar with from all those series sponsorships and product placements. If the advertising worked and you're dying to know what that bottled green tea or that seaweed snack tastes like, this is your chance to give them a try.
Speaking of tasting, you'll probably be sampling plenty of Thai food while here, so why not include some of the food and drink items from the series you remember, be it som tam from What Zabb Man, the traditional desserts from UWMA, or the famous pink milk, known here as nom yen?
Meanwhile, if taking public transport, spend some time watching the people and see how BL imitates real life. Do you recognize the colours of the school uniforms? Or the university students in their white shirts and black slacks? You might even come across some engineering students in their workshop overshirts.
If you miss hearing the Raikantopeni disclaimer at the beginning of shows, be sure to turn on the TV to catch it as they air live. Be aware though that following shows in Thailand will be more difficult than at home, as they won't have subtitles on TV or on most local streaming services, so you'll likely need a VPN.

Merch stores & fan hangouts

This might be a bit of a letdown, but apart from GMMTV's, there aren't really any physical stores for official merchandise. But since you'll be in the country, you could check with your accommodation to see if they can arrange to accept local package deliveries for you, so you can place some online orders and avoid the international shipping fees. Be sure to check the processing and delivery times - this might be tricky (and won't work with pre-orders, only in-stock items).
GMMTV's shop is not a traditional giftshop as one might assume, but more like a kiosk at their office on the 30th floor of the GMM Grammy Place building - there's just a small product display and a cashier window. Apart from buying products, there's a good chance of running into some actors when visiting, though you're not allowed to linger and there's nowhere to hang out apart from some cafés on the ground floor. You will likely spot some fan-project displays (as mentioned above) outside and in the building, and the cafés will often have cup-sleeve giveaways by fans. Here's a very helpful guide by u/snuffles005: How to visit the GMMTV building and shop
Elsewhere, there's Wab Cafe' and Friends, by the Studio Wabi Sabi people. It's a café, so you'll be buying drinks there rather than merch, but it's very much a space created for fans, and there will often be something going on like fan projects and giveaways, or maybe mini-events with actors making an appearance. It's in RCA, Bangkok's main clubbing neighbourhood (and home to studios where many productions hold their workshops), which takes a bit of an effort to get to, but it's also probably the most dedicated hangout space for BL fans there is.
From Star Hunter, there's Hunter Village, a studio space (mostly used for dance classes) in MBK Center, one of Bangkok's most popular malls. It's a mostly open space, so you'll be able to see if there's someone coming in or something going on, but I'm not sure if it's really somewhere you can hang out at.
Other than that, quite a few actors have their own cafés or some other business, which you might want to visit to support them directly. Clothing and fashion items (perhaps from brands with your faves as presenters) may also be something you'd want to go shopping for.
For manga and anime (including BL/yaoi) there's an Animate store (the specialty chain from Japan), also at MBK Center. In addition to imported works, they also have an extensive Thai section, with both translated and original works.
If you want to observe the Thai novel scene, just walk into any major Thai book store, where you'll likely find rows, maybe entire shelves, of BL novels, prominently displayed - BL has very much gone mainstream in the Thai publishing industry. You'll also find glossy magazines featuring actor photoshoots here. You'll have less luck finding English translations, though, as most translated works are e-book only. For English-language (and Japanese) books in general, your best bet is Books Kinokuniya. They do have Japanese and Chinese translations of some Thai BL novels, as well as the English manga versions of SOTUS and Manner of Death, at international prices.

Catching events

Seeing actors up close (or at a distance) in real life will probably be the BL highlight of your trip for many of you. And unless you're ultra specific as to whom you want to see, there are ample opportunities to catch these actor appearances.
The biggest experiences will of course be the major events - concerts, fan meetings, and the like - that you'll have to buy tickets for. As mentioned above, you'll have to plan around them if you want to attend (which also limits how long you can plan in advance), and make sure to actually get those tickets. They're usually announced very publicly, so it's hard to miss them if you follow the usual news update channels. If you're around when one takes place but can't attend, it can still be worth dropping by if you want to get hold of the merch or just check out the crowds.
For more casual fans, you'll still have plenty of chance to see actors at smaller events, as there's pretty much always something happening somewhere, though there might not be much choice on who you get to see. These events vary a lot in scale, and can be anything from product launches to movie premieres. Most artist's agencies will announce them on their social media channels, usually on a weekly basis, and fan accounts may help share and/or translate them. You'll have to follow them to keep updated.
Most of these events will be held in Bangkok's plethora of malls. The biggest ones are mostly lined along the BTS Skytrain's Sukhumvit Line, so if you plan to do a lot of mall-hopping, whether for events or just shopping, consider getting accommodation with easy access to the BTS for convenience. Here's a great post by u/BumblingWombat that describes the experience in detail: What it's like to go to BL events in Thailand (Oh yeah, there are also top-spender events, which I won't go into, as I don't know anything about them. Those who're aiming for them probably won't need this guide anyway.)
Aside from these specific events, there are also annual book fairs that are partially or directly BL-related, where actors from various agencies may make appearances. The mainstream National Book Fair and Book Expo are usually held at the beginning of April and some time in October. Since last year, BL novels and publishers have had a large presence there, and GMMTV actors made daily appearances with fan gatherings in the car park. There are also smaller book fairs directly focusing on BL: Y Book Fair in July, and International Novel Festival at the end of November. They also feature actor appearances, but can also be worth seeing just for the atmosphere if you're interested in experiencing the literary BL scene here.
On the other hand, to experience more of the community side of the fandom, you might want to check out some fan-held events, such as the birthday projects that fan clubs often do, which may be in the form of café galleries or mini-gatherings. Info will mostly be on Twitter, though it may not be readily translated.

Visiting filming locations

If BL inspired you to make the trip to Thailand, no doubt you'd be interested in visiting some of the filming locations yourself. But while some of them are traditional tourist attractions in their own right, most aren't normally on the radar for general visitors, so it'll take a bit of investment (in time and travel) to include them in your trip.
If there's a single most iconic location to recommend, it must be the Rama VIII Bridge over the Chao Phraya River, which shows up in more BLs than anywhere else. So far, it's been seen in SOTUS, SOTUS S, Gen Y, Tonhon Chonlatee, I Promised You the Moon, My Ride, Enchanté, Cutie Pie, KinnPorsche, Even Sun, 2 Moons: The Ambassador, and Boyband. It's not really a tourist attraction, but it's a major landmark of modern Bangkok that everyone knows, and isn't too hard to get to. It's a bit of a walk (some 15 minutes, or just take a tuk-tuk) from either the Phra Athit or Thewet Pier if you're coming from the main riverside attractions and use the Chao Phraya Express (or Tourist) Boat. If you're into financial history, the Bank of Thailand Learning Center and museum is right next to the bridge. Otherwise, Suan Luang Rama VIII Park by its base is also nice, and also a filming location. The bridge itself is most photogenic at night, but make sure you have transport back if you stay late. Consider one of those dinner cruises if you want to experience it from the same angles as KinnPorsche and Cutie Pie.
For other locations, you'll need to do some research. If there's a specific series you want to follow, try searching to see if someone has already compiled a list of locations, which is likely the case for the more popular series. Most info will be on Tumblr or Twitter.
Filming locations may be public places, shops and businesses, private establishments, or purpose-built or converted studios, so remember to think of their ability to welcome visitors. Dress appropriately for the venue, take care to respect their regular functions, and be considerate to other people. Some of the most familiar locations are university campuses, and the grounds will generally be open to the public, but they're not usually equipped to deal with large numbers of visitors. So if you do visit, have fun reliving those memorable scenes but make sure not to disturb the real students who are there for class. Meanwhile, cafés, bars and restaurants would surely welcome your patronage, but please do not snoop around private offices or people's homes. It all boils down to following common sense, really.
A lot of the locations will be quite spread out and some distance away from downtown, so you'll have to plan carefully if you want to hit more than a few. You might want to hire transport for the day, but also take the traffic into consideration.
If you've always wanted to sleep in the same room that your favourite characters lived in (or at least an identical one), you might be in luck. Some of the apartment locations may have rooms available for daily renting, so check with them. As above, though, their location can be rather inconvenient transport-wise. On the other hand, you might want to opt for the hotels and resorts that featured as locations, which will be better equipped with tourist facilities.
For houses specifically, I have a post on The houses of Thai BL. Most of them are private property rented out as studios, but some will be happy to accept visitors (for a fee) on their off days. Contact their management to see if a something can be arranged. Or if you're serious about it and ready to pay, just rent the place at full price for your own personal photoshoot. If you try it either way, do let us know how it turns out. On the other hand, Wawa House (To Sir, With Love) has a café for visitors, Slōlē (Golden Blood, Bite Me, Enchanté, The Tuxedo, The Eclipse) is a real-life café when not filming, and Red Brick Kitchen (Not Me, KinnPorsche, War of Y) features a chef's table dining experience (reservations only, 4 persons minimum).
If you're just looking for some usual attractions that happen to have BL appearances as a bonus, here are a few (very non-exhaustive) suggestions for Bangkok:

• Temples & shrines
  • Wat Arun (KinnPorsche)
  • Wat Kanlayanamit (KinnPorsche)
  • Rong Kueak Shrine (Our Skyy: Pete-Kao, Our Skyy 2: Never Let Me Go)
• Museums & art galleries
  • Warehouse 30 (Theory of Love)
  • Bangkok Sculpture Center (Vice Versa)
• Historic buildings
  • Hua Lamphong Railway Station (Theory of Love)
  • So Heng Tai Mansion (Our Skyy: Pete-Kao)
  • Neilson Hays Library (Enchanté)
  • The House on Sathorn (functions as a restaurant) (KinnPorsche)
• Zoos, aquariums & other activities
  • Sea Life Bangkok Ocean World (UWMA, IPYTM)
  • Flick Skate Park (Cutie Pie)
• Themed markets
  • Asiatique The Riverfront (Why R U?)
  • Kwan-Riam Floating Market (My Engineer)
  • ChangChui Creative Park & Plane Night Market (Vice Versa)
• Bridges & Parks
  • Rama VIII Bridge & Park (see above)
  • Memorial Bridge (& Chao Phraya Sky Park) ('Cause You're My Boy)
  • Bhumibol Bridge (& Lat Pho Park) (Not Me, KinnPorsche, LITA)
  • Chong Nonsi Skywalk & Canal Park (Chains of Heart, Bed Friend, The Promise)
  • Queen Sirikit & Wachirabenchathat (Rotfai) Park (Cutie Pie, My School President)
  • Benjakitti Forest Park (Vice Versa)
  • Suan Luang Rama IX Park (Vice Versa)
  • Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park (Vice Versa)

While Bangkok's malls are very much major attractions by themselves, I didn't include them as their appearances are quite too numerous to list.
Outside of Bangkok, each series will mostly feature locations relatively near each other (except Cupid's Last Wish, which went all over the country), so I'll just list the series by destination without going into each location's detail.

• Chiang Mai: Manner of Death, Triage, Dew, Grey Rainbow, Sky in Your Heart, On Cloud Nine, 180 Degree Longitude, A Tale of Thousand Stars, everything by Wayufilm
• Chiang Rai: A Tale of Thousand Stars, The Love of Winter
• Lampang: Bed Friend
• Khon Kaen: Love Mechanics 2022
• Chachoengsao: Remember Me
• Chonburi: KinnPorsche, Star in My Mind, Never Let Me Go, Moonlight Chicken, Cutie Pie (Bira Circuit), My School President (Institute of Marine Science)
• Koh Samet (Rayong): Hard Love Mission
• Amphawa (Samut Songkhram): Together With Me
• Kanchanaburi: UWMA
• Hua Hin & nearby (Prachuap Khiri Khan): Bad Buddy, My School President
• Koh Tao (Surat Thani): Even Sun
• Phuket: ITSAY
• Koh Lanta (Krabi): Why R U, Why You... Y Me?

Further resources & suggestions

The Let's Talk BL podcast hosts talked about their experience in Thailand last year, covering a lot of the above points over several episodes at the beginning of season 3. Be sure to check them out if you want all the details, especially S3 EP3: Tips & Tricks for the perfect BL experience in Bangkok. Some of their main tips that I didn't mention above are not to overstretch yourself trying to go to everything, and to use a map to plan your days.
Colourme-feral on Tumblr has an incredible Google Map that plots locations from several series, and more in their blog, which a lot of the above is sourced from. For Bad Buddy specifically, Telomeke-bbs on Tumblr has a series of posts that analyse the locations at an insane level of detail.
I'm sure I haven't covered nearly everything in this post, so please feel free to add your suggestions in the comments. (I'll try to expand the locations list as I get around to digging for more series.) If you have questions or need help identifying a specific location, feel free to ask! (Though no guarantees there.)
For full disclosure, I'm receiving no compensation whatsoever for writing this. Any biases or omissions are purely unintentional.

Edit: I can’t change the post title but I’m talking about the bottles with bright colors that are marketed as “hydration drinks”. They don’t claim to be energy drinks actually (my fault on title)
I’m looking at the nutrition info, I don’t get it. How is it sooo sweet. There’s nothing listed. But it’s like kool-aid! The kids are instant addicts. Does anybody know what’s in it?? Are you avoiding? Any substitutes?

PART EIGHT HUNDRED AND THIRTY-NINE
[Previous Chapter] [The Beginning] [Patreon+2]
Friday
A few minutes later, the front door to the living apartment opened, and both men slipped inside as if they were wayward teenagers coming home after curfew rather than adult men returning home. Both had their shoes in one hand and, while Boyd cautiously closed the door behind them, Lucas crept into the living area to search for any sign of an ambush from their fellow roommates. Too many of them knew about Lucas’ proposal plans (that is: Robbie would’ve told everyone by now), and they wanted to spend the rest of the night alone instead of facing a detailed inquisition by the name of Charlotte.
The TV was on, and some of the ironing was hanging up, which meant Robbie was around somewhere. Also, Lucas saw Sam’s office door firmly closed with the light illuminating the bottom edge. The rest of that side’s hallway had their lights out. Without looking over his shoulder, Lucas gestured for Boyd to follow him in but to be quiet doing so.
He felt Boyd’s hand slide into his, and the pair snuck down the corridor, pausing at each bedroom on the off-chance that someone was awake on the other side and just about ready to step out. He heard Ben snuffling at the gap under the door and slid his fingers through for the Rottweiler to smell who was there. “It’s just us, boy,” he whispered quietly. “Go back to bed.”
The Rottweiler whined and then padded away.
There was no movement whatsoever from Brock’s room, and once they passed Robbie and Charlotte’s door, it was a straight line to their bedroom, and the pair hurried the short distance with Boyd shutting the door firmly behind them.
Lucas made quick work of his jacket and shirt but caught the hmph of surprise uttered by his fiancé. “What?” he demanded, removing the badge from his belt with one hand while the other worked the buckle.
“Robbie’s upgraded our room,” Boyd answered, stepping aside to point out the sleek metal rectangle that was attached to the door. “I’ve never needed a lock before now, but I guess he’s getting ahead on the inevitability of Sam’s little brothers and sister getting curious.”
“Bullshit!” Lucas snorted, dropping the belt and badge on top of his shirt and jacket on the floor. “That’s not for the kids. That’s to stop Charlotte from busting in here and giving us the third degree.”
“But check this out. The design’s so damned simple.” He flipped the metallic handle until it curled in on itself and locked against the inward swinging door. “That’s it. The only way that door opens now is if we flip this back out like that.” He made a show of pulling it the reverse way so that it tucked flush against the wall. “It’s a super latch.”
“Wonderful,” Lucas grumped, then pushed himself between Boyd and the door and locked it once more without ever looking at it. “Now,” he said, grabbing the hem of his fiancé’s shirt and hauling it over his head. “Where were we?”
* * *
Robbie sat cross-legged in the middle of his bed with a huge smile on his face as the tumbler to the living apartment’s front door barely made a sound, and two of the larger men in the apartment (next to Llyr) tried to slip through the apartment undetected. He’d already heard/felt them in the hallway outside between the studio to the living apartment when he and Sam had been passing the time watching TV (with Charlie passed out on the couch under the fish tank).
After silently shoving Sam’s shoulder, Sam launched himself to his feet and realm stepped away, probably to his room, while he pounced on Charlie.
Despite the lateness of the hour, she’d tried to wait up for her brother, determined to hear how it went. Robbie was just as adamant that that wouldn’t happen, and before she was fully awake, he abandoned his ironing, scooped her out of the couch in a bridal carry, and realm stepped into their bedroom. From there, he dropped his weight into the middle of their bed and positioned her with her back to his front. He grew extra limbs to hold her perfectly still, with another hand over her mouth for silence.
“Ssshhhhh,” he shushed as she squirmed and screeched into his hand, growing in volume when even she heard her brother and his fiancé creeping down the corridor and disappearing into their room. He nuzzled her neck through her hair to distract her. “This is their night, and it went well.”
Charlie nipped his hand, then turned in his arms when he loosened them. “How do you know?” she huffed once he freed her mouth. “What if Lucas is just feeling horribly dejected and not realising that the best thing for him right now is family?”
“Because they didn’t plod their way through the apartment like the world was going to end, and they didn’t go into separate rooms. You know as well as I do that they want privacy, Missy-Mo, and you’re going to give that to them, even if I’ve got to wear you out first before I get back to the ironing.”
Charlie twisted until she faced him. “What a hard life you lead.”
His grin was instantaneous, and he waggled his eyebrows for good measure. “I know, right?”
* * *
Hours later, Boyd searched through his studio’s storage room for the perfect timber options. He himself was leaning heavily into snakewood, but he wanted Lucas to have the final say and brought out both cubes of timber for him to choose from.
Thankfully, he decided the dark brown, nearly black grain of the Lignum Vitae would look too much like a thick O-ring that his sister had plenty of in her garage. By contrast, the snakewood had a rich red base spotted with dark red splotches that gave it its name. As it already had a very high resin content, the challenge to carve something so intricate and personal to Boyd was not insignificant but worth it for a one-of-a-kind engagement ring.
The workbench only had one stool set up for Boyd, but as he tried to push Lucas into the seat, Lucas refused and squirmed until he eventually had the table between them. “You need to be comfortable doing what you do,” he insisted. “So I’ll watch from over here. I spent more than ten hours a day on my feet, so trust me when I say this is no hardship to watch you work.” He looked up at Boyd, then back at the wooden cube gripped in the vice. “Besides, this is not a piece you’re allowed to mess up.”
Boyd nodded and settled himself onto his stool, gathering up the first of several knives that he knew would have to be replaced in the morning due to the hardness of the timber. Normally, people watching him made him nervous, but with Lucas, he found it grounding. As if he could sink further into the project because he didn’t have to look out for ugly opinions designed to tear him down. With Lucas watching over him, he truly had nothing to fear.
And, as his right hand carved away large unnecessary chunks from the block, his left hand reached out and retrieved a sloyd knife to follow his right hand as it creased the wood, preparing it for the next pass of the larger blade. The motion was like a song being played in Boyd’s head, with his hand movements that of a conductor.
Blades were switched out constantly until a smaller sloyd and a hand gouge took their place. With these, he scooped a small ring around the central mass as a guideline and worked his way down while his other hand bevelled the outer edge, using the strength of both hands to offset the work of the other.
Small and smaller, each blade became until he split the barrel into two rings which he then shaped in a slight curve to match the one on his own finger. The final step was a light sanding in pumice to give the surface grain a denser coat as the resin was spread before the first layer of linseed oil could be applied.
Knowing whichever one he varnished would be wet for the next few hours and unable to be worn in the morning, Boyd picked up one of the rings and carried it to Lucas’ side of the table.
“You carved that from memory,” Lucas said, watching the bare ring slide into place on his left ring finger. He then lifted his hand and flicked his thumb against the ring. “How did … it’s a near-perfect fit,” he gasped.
“It still has at least four coats of shellac before it can be brought to a full shine,” Boyd explained. “And I’m going to do both exactly the same, so you’ll never tell them apart just by looking at them. I’ll know, but that means you have a question to answer by tomorrow morning.”
Lucas stopped admiring the wooden ring and looked up at him. “What?”
He pointed at the ring still on the workbench behind them. “That one will have its first coat put on tonight and will be ready to wear by tomorrow night. But the one you have on now will then need to be coated.”
“Still not seeing a question.”
“Which one do you want to wear to work in the morning for all your workmates to see for the first time? The one you’re wearing now that won’t have any extra protection even though it’s already harder than most metals or the one that’ll have a slightly greasy feel until I seal it tomorrow when you get home from work?”
“What difference will the two make?”
“Not a lot. As I said, there’s a ton of resin in snakewood, so it has a good lustre by itself. Someone like me will notice the difference, but no one else. It just depends on which ring you’d like everyone to notice in the morning as your engagement ring.”
Lucas glanced at both rings. “This one,” he said, shaking his left hand to waggle his selection after a few seconds of thought. “This is the real one. It’s the one you gave me first, and it’s the one I’m going to show everyone.”
Boyd nodded, knowing he would never mix them up, despite being carved from the same two-inch cube of timber. “Then tomorrow night, as soon as you get home, we’ll swap them then, and you can wear the spare one to bed. By lunchtime the following day, it’ll have the linseed and shellac coats on that one and protect it for the next eighty years as well.”
Lucas grinned at him. “Eighty years, huh?”
Boyd smirked as well, stealing a quick kiss before returning to his stool and pulling out a small bottle of linseed oil and a soft cloth. “And not a minute less,” he promised, wiping the linseed oil into the ring from all sides before using the dry corner to wipe away the excess. “This one will go in the room overnight to dry, and by the time you get home tomorrow, the shellac will have set.”
He saw the moment he lost Lucas’ interest in the varnishing process and smirked to himself. “This is tiny and easy. Just give me a minute to clean up, and then we can revisit step one of our master plan for coming home.” Utterly wrecking our bed.
“I’d like that.”
* * *
((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I'd love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗))
I made a family tree/diagram of the Mystallian family that can be found here
For more of my work including WPs: Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here.
FULL INDEX OF BOB THE HOBO TO DATE CAN BE FOUND HERE!!

Hello! I need some advice here. My mom has been through a lot of shit lately (her brother took his own life, my grandma has a bad heart illness, my dad lives in another country so she basically does all the house stuff by herself, we're doing a renovation now so the house is pretty messy, and also works in a pretty toxic environment, she's a teacher so she also does a lot of work at home + the 40 hours at school).
Anyways, she is stressing a lot for everything I've mentioned before. And she's always moody for something, she's either sad, stressed or mad at something. And it is getting to the point that it is affecting all the houshold (2 sisters and me).
Today she had the day off from work, so she decided to do a full house clean up, and I just went by with my regular weekday routine. I usually go to the library at 10am and stay there till 1pm. Before going I asked her if she could boil us some veggies and eggs for lunch, she refused and told me I could do it myself. I was like fine no problem.
Then I get home after studying, and she wasn't home (turns out she went grocery shopping) so I continue doing my things aka making lunch for me and my sisters. And once she comes home she's again mad, I'm already used to that as you can see, so I kept doing my thing.
And after a couple hours, she just randomly exploded at me, telling me how she does it all and I literally don't give a shit if I see her breaking down, and she kept telling me I'm not like her because I am extremely insensitive and I just do my own stuff and not care about anyone else while she suffers to keep this house "afloat". I told her that I won't let her do that to me (bc she kept asking me if she was right about all of this).
I don't know guys, I feel like she can say absolutely everything to us (without even thinking about how we'll feel) and we can't say anything or else she uses the card of "you have to respect me because you're still living down my roof".
She makes me feel like the worst person on earth, and maybe she's right I don't even know anymore. Sorry for the long rant and thank you for reading to whoever got here.

I’ve had Raynauds my whole life but only got diagnosed in 2021 but I’ve felt with climate change things have been getting worse and I can’t live my life because of it. I’m in South Africa and we’re moving into winter as of June and the whole of May I had a lot of raynauds attacks causing me to be late to appointments and not being able to work as much. Today I had two hair appointments to get as well as a tattoo appointment and had to cancel because I’ve had two attacks so far. I’m currently in so much pain going from my hands mainly and my feet are tingly and numb and had blotches of purple before I put a hot water bottle on them. I haven’t had it this bad since I got diagnosed like my toes are still ice cold to the touch despite the fact that I had thick socks on before having this hot water bottle on. I keep having bouts of cold throughout my body too despite wearing many layers and a fleece. I don’t know is this is also because I have Autism Spectrum Disorder and the thing with ASD is gets in the way of your body struggling to regulate your temperature sometimes so I feel like it’s a double whammy. I also might have an autoimmune disease that I needed to get additional testing for. Idk, I’m a bit worried I won’t be able to live my life properly until September when it gets warmer. How do you guys manage it?

I hope this is the best place for this
I wasn’t expecting an easy game. But does anyone get frustrated by many things? From Link’s garbage running speed, to his garbage movement speed with heavy weapons, to the extra spaced out towers, to the tasks required to activate a dysfunctional tower, to the certain things you can’t skip….and one thing that entirely boils my blood is the tired speed…when link runs out of stamina…MY GOD I WANNA THROW MY SWITCH ON THE FLOOR….
And does anyone get infuriated when there’s several enemies and you wanna start swinging your heavy weapon around in circles but link takes 20 years to do so, so the enemies attack you and take 99.9% of your hearts while knocking you back 10 miles and then it takes you 5 years to FINALLY get back up, sometimes longer if you’re endlessly rolling down a hill..???
Or how sometimes you press SHIELD but Link doesn’t take it out because he’s holding a heavy weapon so you get damage???
I guess this one’s really my fault but when you’re in the middle of fighting and accidentally press in the L joystick so Link crouches and then you get killed because the monsters caught up to you…ugh
I think I just played for waaay too many hours today that I’m so angry
I’ll put it away now

THE BACKSTORY
I haven’t talked to him in a long time maybe like 7 years or so but we hung out quite a few times and he was always the one who stuck out to me. We would usually hang out with two other guys and my other friend who’s a girl. We’ll call her Martha.
Anyway We would hang out around our city like it was all ours. Driving around to some spot to smoke, and drink taking in the years of our youth just being dumb kids you know?
Within the whole group he always seemed to have the better head on his shoulders, always was the most reasonable, sensible, aware, kind of quiet but when he would speak he was outgoing and was always heard you know?
He would also tell you straight up if something wasn’t hitting him right, like this one time he told Martha “hey listen you’re a cool person, I like the times we’ve shared together but I can no longer be your friend. I need to focus on such and such etc”. (She wasn’t a good fruit bearer)
Oddly enough I’d randomly think of a memory of him here and there throughout the years, up until recently I must have spend a good fraction of the day just thinking about how we went to this secluded area with everyone at night and had a bottle and some blunts. How he told us “it would be so cool to yell right now” so my other friend did but not as loud and then he goes “no, not like that I mean from your gut, you gotta mean it. like this.” And yells loudly.
THE CRIME
Come a few weeks ago I heard from a friend of mine about some commotion going on in my town and I look it up to hear this guy army vet has a rifle and something about the swat team at a stand-off. Streets closed off, houses evacuated.
Later I hear his name, I see his face and my jaw drops. My chest gets cold and there’s a pit in my stomach.
He shot at a family. No one died thankfully it ended peacefully too but now he’s facing life. They said he was having a mental breakdown, i guess he lost his sister. I saw a video of him in court the other day and he looked at the camera and I felt like he was looking right at me i know he wasn’t but ah, I just felt devastated cause it looked like when someone made a terrible terrible mistake and they know it.
Idk it’s all so weird and idk how to feel about it. I just needed to get it off my chest cause I have no one to really talk about it to.
Anyway thanks for reading this.

I’m having some nostalgia kicking in and now I can’t remember the product nor find it anywhere. Circa 2006, Banana Boat or some adjacent brand had an after sun lotion that smelled so good.
Large, clear pump bottle with white lotion, wanna say around 30 fl oz. It smelled like piña colada, was lightweight so it didn’t make you feel sticky. Thinking there was some orange or yellow labeling on the bottle?
I’m not positive, but I don’t think it had aloe in it. Certainly didn’t smell like it because all other aftersun lotions have that aloe smell, and I don’t care for it.
Help!
Edit: now I’m thinking it was Ocean Potion? Maybe it did have aloe?

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
Okay this is weird. So, this story is a long time ago, like 6-7 years ago, but its also in the future for us…
German has a specific tense for this, but English has no tense for this…
So, I guess welcome to the close past of the far far future?
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
The bus bumped and jostled over the lumpy dirt road.
Inside bodies swayed and juggled back and forth, ramming into walls and steadying themselves against the antiquated seats before them. The bus was old, older than a large portion of dirt, old enough to have rubber tires, shitty suspension, and foam back seats, nothing like the sleek magno buses they used these days.
Clearly their program wasn't important enough to acquire a real transport vehicle.
Their ride from the airport had been nerve wracking to say the least, and only some of it had come from the imminent threat that the bus would disintegrate into its component parts, most of the rest of it had come from the slow building of nervous energy felt by all the young teens as they waited to begin their first day at training.
There were forty of them in all, though less than half of that was predicted to make it through the training and actually become pilots from the program at Trans Space Combative Aviation Academy. Of course, the Academy didn't have its own location, as new as it was and untested as it was, the burgeoning UNSC wasn't likely to spend a ton of funds on a group of untested children. So, they had been shipped onto Del Rio, Texas where the air force flight academy was located, and had been allocated space, some instructors, and a few classrooms to get started.
Adam had found the other recruits from the program nervously waiting outside with their duffel bags and clothing. None of them were over the age of fifteen, and they consisted almost equally of boys and girls.
Adam was displeased to find himself the shortest among the boys, and about mid pack among the girls, a good portion of them probably weighing a good ten pounds more than he did, though none of them were out of shape.
He tried to ignore that, doing his best to make friends with the other nervous recruits, determined not to be the loser this time. Just as long as he didn't show his weirdness to them straight off, maybe he was going to be fine.
It seemed to be working, at least until the bus pulled up, and the group of them stared on with shock and disappointment at the monstrosity before them.
A centuries old bus.
They sort of hoped it wasn't for them, but the ACU clad, army man stepping out of the door and onto the pavement dashed their hopes.
And soon they were on their way, jostling down the highway, eventually cutting through manned security gates, patrolled by armed guards, and finally onto the backroad that was taken around the airfield. Adam had his face pressed up against the window, watching as a set of jets took off, leaving trails of white behind them in the great blue sky above.
The implant in his arm buzzed, and he looked down to see a text from his mother asking if they had landed yet.
He had to apologize for forgetting and assured her that he was, indeed, landed and on his way.
The further they went onto the base, the more people they could see, large muscular men and women running in formation, wearing the same light grey T-shirts tucked into blue canvas shorts.
Voices roared past them as the men chanted in time with their cadence.
Low lying buildings pulled up on the horizon in front of them, crouched together in stumpy lines. Yelled commands wafted through open windows as more recruits rolled past kicking up dirt clouds as they went.
Adam grew nervous upon seeing them, big and adult.
He glanced down at himself and his baggy T-shirt, and jeans held up only by a belt, the cuffs folded up over his shoes.
They belonged to his brothers, but were still too big for him.
The bus rolled to a stop just then, jostling him forward so his face nearly rammed into the seat in front of him. A dust cloud billowed up around them obscuring his vision for a moment. At the front of the bus, the driver reached out and cranked the handle to the door, manually forcing it open.
"Wow, this thing is a real piece of shit."
Someone muttered, while boots thudded onto the stairs, and the entire bus went quiet as a man stepped onto the front of the bus. He was tall, and serious faced with thick eyebrows and what appeared to be a shaved head, though it was mostly covered by a wide brimmed dumbass hat in dark, clashing seriously with his patterned ACUs.
They all waited on the edge of their seats.
Adam shrunk down into his expecting to get yelled at.
That's what all the old army movies told him was going to happen.
Instead, however, the man smiled.
Adam didn't buy it for one second.
"Welcome recruits to the first TSCA Academy class of 4013. I am Master Sergeant Kimball, and I will be one of your MTI (military training instructor) during this program. If you need to address me at any time during this course, you will call me Sir or Master Sergeant Kimball. Now I understand that you may all be tired from your flight. We have recruits here from all across the world coming in right now, so hopefully, today will be easy and relaxing."
Adam eyed the group around him, watching as the others began to relax.
Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all?
Perhaps because they were kids, they had been given some leeway during the training process?
I mean, were they really going to yell at a group of kids barely out of their teenage years?
Surely, they wouldn’t…
"Alright everyone, Unload!"
There was a collective shuffling around the bus as the group of them took to their feet and began slowly shuffling towards the exit. Adam pulled his bag over his back, nearly tipping over backwards as the weight pulled his small frame off balance. Someone put a hand on his shoulder,
”Whoa."
He glanced over and thanked the girl who had helped him, hurrying off the bus and down the stairs into the hot as hell Texas heat.
Stepping off the bus he found Master Sergeant Kimball standing next to two other MTIs, who were smiling at them, though their smiles seemed more wolfish than reassuring.
My what big teeth you have, he thought idly to himself, stepping to the side so the others could walk through.
One boy came trudging down the steps last, lugging an absolutely massive suitcase as a few of the others flopped to the ground, resting against their bags, eyes closed, basking like lizards in the sun.
Sgt. Kimball stepped forward towards the last young man.
"Here let me help you."
The boy seemed rather grateful, handing his bag down to the MTI, taking some weight off his shoulders.
That was until Sgt. Kimball grabbed the zipper, opened the bag and dumped the entire contents of the suitcase into the dirt. He then got right up in the boy's face and shouted.
"NOW WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK DO YOU NEED A BAG LIKE THAT FOR!? CHRIST SON, I COULD USE IT TO SMUGGLE YOUR CORPSE OUT WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU."
The entire group jolted with surprise, all of them bolting upwards.
Even Adam was startled, and he had been expecting it. The poor kid was scrambling around in the dirt trying to collect his things,
"GET YOUR ASS OFF THE GROUND YOU SORRY PIECE OF SHIT."
The two other MTIs bore down on them, their charming smiles revealed for what they really were.
Wolf in sheep's clothing, snarling ravening beasts.
More bags were dumped on the ground, turned over, emptied until the contents mingled with the dust on the ground. The female MTI leaped over, ripping Adam's bag off the ground and tossing its contents into the dust. She reached down, picked up a book and chucked it at him, hitting him in the chest as he stumbled back.
"YOU THINK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TIME FOR READING!?”
She moved on to the next student.
One of the recruits had burst into tears, and the MTI's descended like vultures. One of them grabbed a water bottle from the ground and shoved it at the crying student.
"BETTER GET STARTED ON CRYING ME A RIVER!"
Adam was scrambling to pick up his stuff and shove it back in his bag.
"GET ON YOUR FEET!"
He bolted upright to find Sgt. Kimball in his face, or more looking down on him. His face was red and as he screamed, little droplets of spit flew from his tongue. He gave Adam one long look over.
"GOOD LORD BOY, I'VE TAKEN SHITS MORE SUBSTANTIAL THAN YOU!"
"GO ON CLEAN UP THIS SHIT, IT'S FILTHY! WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING!? THEN GET YOUR ASSES DOWN TO INTAKE."
He scrambled to put his things in his bag, the MTI's shouting at him the entire time. He nearly tripped over himself multiple times, falling flat on his face in the dirt much to the amusement of the MTIs.
"LEAVE YOUR SHIT HERE!"
He tripped and wobbled, running after the others as they ran towards the building that had been pointed out to them by the screaming MTIs. A few of the other recruits were crying, but Adam, well he had sort of expected it, and honestly, he would have been disappointed if they hadn't. In fact, he found himself grinning from ear to ear as he walked into the equipment room behind a line of other recruits.
The equipment officer turned around from his desk to glare at them. He was a heavy-set man in his late forties with biceps as big around as tree trunks.
He looked them over with a frown before jabbing his finger at Adam.
"You there, smiley. Small or extra small?”
He blushed,
"Errr... Extra... Small?”
"At least he's honest."
The man grouted, turning around to rifle through his equipment, coming back with two pairs of everything in stock. He stacked it on the counter in front of him.
"Two PT uniforms, Two ACUs, two shirts, sweatpants, jacket, gloves, hat, and…"
He pulled up a set of tan combat boots then glanced him up and down.
"What is your shoe size?"
"Er..."
More blushing,
"Six."
The man grunted, ducked back behind the counter,
"We only carry eight plus in men’s, but a seven in women's should work."
He tried not to wilt at the reminder of how small he was.
The man turned away again and motioned him off. He clambered to pick up everything he needed and wobbled away, juggling the boots the pants and the jacket with some difficulty, dropping a glove on the floor and nearly dropping everything else when he went to pick it up.
Walking outside he was met by another MTI, who yelled at him to get his ass to the barracks to change and put all his shit away. He hurried to do as he was told, running and nearly dropping everything again as he made his way through the doors into a large room, lined along either side with beds, a single trunk at the base.
He ran to one of the beds at the far end, opened the crate and placed his things inside, struggling to pull on one of the PT uniforms as the others ran into the room to do the same, throwing their things in the lockers at the base of the beds, as the MTIs continued to scream at them.
It was only as he was running out of the room that he noticed the horrible terrible thing.
Oh no…
Please no…
The extra small pants...
They…
They were too big.
He tried looking for a drawstring to make them tighter, but they were canvas with an elastic waist, and they did not go any tighter. He turned in his spot, trying to figure out what to do, but as soon as he slowed down, another MTI was screaming at him to get back onto the field and line up.
So, he chickened out, holding onto his pants for dear life, as he raced back to the training ground.
Upon making it there he helped the other students line up into evenly spaced rows, thinking that the MTIs might be impressed with them if they were to do that.
They did their best to stand like they were supposed to, though all of the instruction they had ever gotten was from old war movies, and they were all doing it horribly wrong, a fact for which the MTIs noticed and yelled at them for with great glee as soon as they noticed. Of course, they were eventually whipped into shape, standing in line in straight rows, heels together hands at sides, shoulders back.
He could feel his pants slipping, though he was too embarrassed to say anything.
Sgt Kimball stepped out in front of them, hands behind his back.
"What did I say!? Didn't I say we were going to have a fun relaxing day!? Are you having fun!?"
He was right in one of the recruits face, now bellowing almost at the top of his lungs. He moved onto the next student.
"Aren’t you relaxed!?”
Adam didn't think the kid looked particularly relaxed. In fact, he looked so tense, that if he squeezed any harder his spine was going to go shooting out of his ass.
"Well!?”
There was silence on the grounds.
"WELL!?”
Adam scrambled his brain not entirely sure what to do before squeaking out.
"Yes sir."
The MTI leaned in.
"Why don't you try and communicate in normal ranges of human hearing, son. I am not a bat!"
He looked back up at the rest of the group.
"WELL!?"
"YES SIR."
"That's better."
He turned to stalk away from Adam, pacing up and down the line.
"I will be straight with you when I say that today IS going to be fun and relaxing compared to what you will be going through in the next few years. If you manage to make it into this program, I promise you we will destroy your social life, you will have time for nothing other than this program and sleeping, if I decide to allow you to sleep, that is."
Adam was grinning.
Unfortunately, that caught the Sgt's eye.
"THE FUCK ARE YOU SMILING AT!?”
He waited.
Adam just stood there.
"ANSWER THE QUESTION GODDAMMIT!"
"Yes sir, sorry sir! I thought it was a rhetorical question."
"HEAVENS ABOVE HAVE MERCY ON MY SOUL. I SAID ANSWER THE QUESTION!"
His mouth opened then closed,
"Er..."
"THE HELL KIND OF ANSWER IS THAT!"
"Um."
"Sweet Jehova did you come out this stupid or is it a family tradition, a side hobby?"
"I'm sorry sir, I forgot the question."
He lowered his head with an exaggerated sigh rubbing his temples,
"Forgot the question. FORGOT THE QUESTION!? I'VE MET GOLDFISH WITH BETTER MEMORIES THAN YOU! I SAID WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SMILING!?"
He blushed,
"Oh... Um."
"HURRY UP!!!”
"BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE FOR YOU TO RUIN, SIR."
That seemed to take the man back, and he simply sat there, staring at Adam with a bemused expression.
*"If you were any more pathetic, smiley, I might just cry for you. Honest to god, if you get any more pathetic, I will cry real tears for your shame." *
He turned away.
"Now everyone get on the ground and give me FIFTY."
At least everyone seemed to know what that meant, though pathetically enough his arms were wobbling at twenty.
"JUMPING JUPITER RECRUIT, I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO MAKE ME CRY IN THE FIRST HALF HOUR. MY COUSIN COULD DO MORE PUSH-UPS THAN YOU AND HE'S GOT NO ARMS!"
The Sergeant seemed to have a lot of disabled relatives.
A blind granny, an armless cousin, a nephew with a pole up his ass from a tragic fishing accident.
By the time they were done, Adam was quite nearly ready to throw up.
"ALRIGHT FIFTY BURPIES GO,GO GO."
Oh no, anything but that!
He paused, but was almost immediately screamed at to get his ass in gear. He knew what was coming before it happened, but he couldn't stop it.
So he accepted his fate…
So long self worth!
As he jumped down into his first plank and then back up, he could feel the waist on his pants slipping, at first just a little, but then, as his feet left the ground there, they went right down around his ankles.
At first, he thought he was at least lucky to be in the back row, but then scrambling to pick his pants back up, he realized none of that was going to matter.
Sgt. Kimball was staring at him, cheek twitching.
He himself was blushing excessively.
He was quiet for a very long time before.
"CONTROL YOURSELF RECRUIT, THE LAST THING I NEED TO SEE IS YOUR CHICKEN LEG FLAT ASS KIDDIE JUNK ON MY TRAINING FIELD. Fuck, as small as you are I'll probably be indited for CP. Now go get some new fucking pants before you blind us all for a second time. And, since it seems you've never seen leg day, I want you to cluck like a chicken all the way there. Let everyone know the pantsless chicken boy is coming!”
He did as he was told, rose red the entire time and beat red on his way back, seeing as, they had given him the smallest size available in mens, so instead he had been given a pair of woman's shorts, which, due to the cut, tended to ride up in very uncomfortable places of his anatomy.
It was a very good thing he was used to embarrassment.
Or this was going to be a very long couple of years…
Hell even with being used to embarrassment this would probably be some interesting years..
[…]
Commander Adam Vir blinked and put a hand to his head, boots throwing up little puffs of dust in the Texas heat.
"You ok Commander?"
He sniffed at the air and took in a deep breath, hands on hips.
"Ah, the memories!"
”What are you remembering Sir?”
”Good times… good times…”
And with these words he stepped out of the hovercar, mumbling to himself.
”I wonder what’s up with Sgt. Kimball, is he still training new recruits? Maybe I’ll see him again…”
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.