I used to have a friend named Elliot. Me and Elliot used to be the best of friends, but we couldn't have been more different. I was a confident, Straight A student. Elliot was shy and had ADHD, so he basically had the attention span of a doorknob.
Each day after school, me and Elliot would go to a near by wood to explore. We'd make up somesilly little make-believe play like Lost Pirates or Adventurous Explorers. We were just kids.
I used to sit next to Elliot in class. He refused to sit anywhere else because he had intesnce anxiety. The teacher didn't mind.
One day, 10 minutes before class started, Elliot arrived to class and sat down next to me. We were in 3rd grade at the time. Usually, Elliot would ask me for the maths homework or ask me to explain the German assignment to him. But that day he came, with his head hanging low. He sat down next to me, quiet as a mouse. "What's up?" I asked, trying to start a conversation. He didn't respond. He didn't talk to me for the entire day. Ignored me, even. Finally, he spoke to me
Just before class ended, Elliot whisper to me. "Today...let's play Hide and Seek in the woods." "Oh...ok. why though? Didn't you say you didn't like to play hide and seek in case you get lost?" I asked, puzzled by his sudden words. "I want to."
School ended and we both headed towards the woods. The woods didn't really have any dangerous animals, but it was dense and a 3rd grader could easily get lost. When we got there, we threw our bags of and ran into the trees. We did a rock-paper-scissors match to decide who would seek. Elliot lost and became the Seeker.
I know it sounds strange, but I feel like Elliot purposely lost. When I pulled out paper, Elliot stopped for a second, before taking out rock. But at the time, I didn't mind. I didn't want to Seek.
The first 2 rounds, I was caught pretty quickly. For some reason Elliot refused to Hide and let me be the Seeker. Again, I didn't really care.
"I'm bored. You're so easy of find, with you big, fat head." Elliot said. "Well, why don't you hide for a chan-" "No." Elliot said firmly. "Hiding is no fun. Let's go deeper in the woods. Deeper then before. Somewhere unfimiliar, where I would have a harder time seeking you."
Elliot wasn't like this. He didn't like to brake any boundaries, he was a scared, shy little boy.
"Who are you and what did you do to my friend?" I joked. "I'm Mr. Nobody" he said in a voice which was ment to be funny but, just sounded serious and blank.
He grabbed my hand started to run deeper into the woods. Taking wierd turns and twist. I yelled at him to stop. "How are we supposed to get out of this, you idiot?!"
"Relax" he said, stoping at a tree. I don't know why, but I felt like like he was looking for this exact tree. It was the broadest and tallest there. "Go hide. Now." It was more of a demand then anything. He hid his face towards the tree and started to count backwards from 100. I ran in the direction we came in. If was going to hide, it was as near to home as I could. I managed to retrace pretty much the entire route back, and hid behind a boulder where I usually hid.
Suddenly, I felt as though I couldn't trust Elliot. He was strange and cold and seemed very intent on going deeper, where if we get lost, we could barely find eachother, let alone our way back home. It didn't feel like the sweet, shy Elliot I became friends with. I was glad I decided to hide close to home. I knew I was a long way from Elliot, but thats what made me feel safe.
5 minutes turned into 10, 10 turned into 15. Nearly an hour had passed. Elliot hadn't found me. I'm nor sure If was glad or not. Suddenly I heard a distant yell calling my name "KENN? KENNY? KENNY!" It was Elliot. I yelled back. Again and again. About half an hour of screaming and yelling eachothers names. I found Ell. He was covered in dirt and blood and was limping. One of the lens of his glasses had fallen out, the other was broken.
He crying still telling my name. He jumped into my arms and sobbed. I started to cry aswell. I put Elliot's arm around me and supported him out of the forest. I wasnt lost physically, I was lost mentally. Emotionally.
We didn't talk about the incidence for months.
Elliot lost sight from his left eye. The doctor's had no idea how. When I finally did ask El about the incidence, he told me that made my heart sink. "I wasn't me. It was you. You dragged me to that tree and told me to Seek. You kept telling me you wanted to hide. But I know it wasn't you. You were not ... Yourself."
Apparently we both were having some kind of hallucination. There was something that wanted us to get lost. And that something would have succeed if I had done what it wanted, and had gone deeper in.
Since then, both me And Ell have been having serious blackouts, not knowing what either of us been doing for the past hour or so. Its like that thing is still trying to control us. Control our life. I've moved out and now live in Canada far from my home town. Elliot shifter to Germany to continue his studies. We still keep in contact. Every week or so, we talk about the incidence trying to figure out what was happening.
I think In a way, that thing really did succeed. We never been so lost before.

On my part, I've noticed four exploits in some of my recent singeplayer runs:

1. The protective attitude is a double-edged sword.

(This is actually an exploit for the AI). Sure it says in the tooltip that if a great power feels protective toward you, they will tend to back your side in diplomatic plays and ask you for a subject relationship - which you can always refuse. So you're technically unstoppable, right? The thing is, what this attitude does is that it increases the great power's desire to have you as their subject - much like domineering - it's just that they won't directly initiate a diplomatic play to achieve it. When you diploplay an AI country, they can (and will) sway the great power to their side by offering them to make you a Dominion. Having to fight them when you're still a minor power is a lost cause. So currently, to have a great power feel protective toward you means you're completely paralyzed.

1. Taxes are collected each monday, while law enactment counter ticks each day.

Thus, if your government's legitimacy is near enactment time bonus/penalty thresholds (~25%, ~50%, or ~90%), you can minimize taxes during the weekdays (+10 legitimacy and thus the bonus) and maximize taxes on sundays. This way you can both have much shorter intervals and still collect the maximum amount of tax. I usually do this when there aren't better things to do (like when I wait for infamy to simmer down, loans to be repaid, or a truce to end).

1. Secession movements won't form if the seceding culture's tag already exists (you can look for a list of secession tags here).

This can come in handy for expansion in cultures with vast homelands when you know turmoil will last long, and imo this is the best use for releasing and keeping puppets. Just give them half states and that'll do.

1. You can control IG leaders' succession through generals and admirals.

(Inviting and granting agitators leadership seems like common knowledge so I won't talk about it here). When an IG leader dies, retires or is exiled, the game will search for an eligible non-royal character with positive popularity and belonging to the same IG to succeed him, currently there are only generals and admirals. If there isn't a suitable successor, the new IG leader will be auto-generated. As such, you can spend a few more bureaucracy points to try to influence IG leader selection by going shopping for commanders with desirable traits and ideologies.
I have some suggestions for the developers on how to address these "exploits" tho, as I'm an avid roleplayer myself and knowledge of exploits like these feels very gamebreaking.
As for no 1, I have three approaches:
(1) Rethink it. It really frustrated me when the it says they will likely back you up (they won't, you gotta offer them something just like the other attitudes).
(2) Make it worse. I was frustrated, but I was even more amazed at the fact that the AI could outmaneuver me with such a simple mechanism. Paradox's AI is seldom held in high regards, but you mostly salvage it with muscle buffs (I'm referring to CK2's, EU4's and Stellaris' difficulty bonuses) not mind buffs so instances where the machine outsmarts the human like this are pretty rare. I want to see more uncertainties when I plan my foreign policy. I want to see my friendly neighbor initiate a diplomatic play calling for the total destruction of my country, nothing short of what I just did to my cordial puppet months ago. It would certainly make diplomacy much more fun to do as currently IGs do not have a say on how I conduct diplomacy.
(3) Make it situational. For example let's say the US wants to antagonize France, who in turn wants to dominate Dai Nam. The US should then consider offering Dai Nam protection, as part of their policies against France, not simply out of pure altruism. This works because Dai Nam would risk France on the other side of a diplomatic play whenever they want to expand anyway. When France diverts their attention to other areas, US' protective attitude should then halt.
(Oh and speaking of Dai Nam, can it make it into the base game that their capital during this time period was in Annam, not Tonkin, please? Hue was the capital of the nation from 1786 to 1945, and although Ha Noi is much more prominent throughout history, its highest status during the game's period was being the seat of the Governor-General of French Indochina since 1902)
As for no 2 tho, the current taxation mechanics feel a little bit too unremarkable. I think taxes (and government and military wages too) should have its own enactment counter so that budget reports don't feel like something to toy with.
As for no 3, there's no suggestion. I think this feature is working as intended, though it sometimes feels gamey and leads to some player-induced bordergore.
As for no 4, I recognize the lack of diversity in characters' roles as hints of there being additional roles to be added in the future, so there are no more suggestions than anticipating. Too many generals in executive offices don't seem like a good sight for more liberal systems. I like the idea of having to spend capacities like bureaucracy to try and have a little more influence over how the country is run though.
That concludes my essay. Do you have exploits that you make use of in your runs? What do you think of it?

I'm just over two months into my quit. I still feel pretty meh about most things. I'm irritable and not much makes me as happy as I used to be.
I keep reading that dopamine levels in the brain should return to normal at the three month mark. Now I'm not expecting a mad rush of dopamine to my brain at that point or a complete 180 change of mood, but I am hoping for some improvement to my overall sense of self.
Can anyone whare their experiences here regarding how their moods changed at that three month mark and if dopamine levels started to return to normal at any point? I need some hope and motivation.
Thanks.

[SW 247] [GW 160lbs] [CW 177lbs]
I started my journey about 16 months ago, was super overweight, unhealthy and generally just pretty disgusted with myself.
I started strictly with diet and CICO which worked really well, around July last year I decided to incorporate strength training into my plan too with the help of a personal trainer, I wanted to make a permanent lifestyle change rather than simply yo-yo like I had in the past.
That’s been going really well for the most part and it’s changed my mindset when it comes to losing weight for the better, I’m now more focused on body composition rather than purely hitting a number on the scale and all the variances that come with it.
In August last year however, I unfortunately developed carpal tunnel syndrome in my left wrist which has made life a nightmare since.
My symptoms are mild but everything I hold dear is affected/restricted by it, I’ve been doing physio since it started but it just seems so resistant to treatment and it’s starting to feel like surgery is the only real option anymore. Which I really, really don’t want.
I’m now at the point with it where my ability to lift weights is starting to become affected by it, I have to be careful because if I flare things up bad enough I might have to take time off work, which I’m now at a point where I can’t really do.
This on top of all my other hobbies that are being affected by it is leaving me emotionally drained and miserable.
The result?
I’ve stopped walking as much during the week (which is helping facilitate a small caloric deficit to keep losing fat) and I’ve started saying “screw it” a few too many times the past month. I’ve gained around 2lbs
I don’t think I’m at the point where it’s an actual issue, but I definitely feel “off track” compared to where I was. The lack of muscle stimulation in the gym and this combined past few weeks is leaving me feeling pretty “doughy” and just kinda bleugh.
Despite the weight I’ve lost I still have this damn belly fat that won’t shift so any shift in the opposite direction frustrates me.
Anyone have any tips to keep going or stay on track when it feels like your brain wants the opposite?

Hi! Not sure how active this community is, but I've been looking to re-commit towards (roughly) this way of eating, and I feel like some mildly public accountability / record-keeping might help. I'm reasonably fit and active, I enjoy cooking, and most of what I eat for actual meals is pretty good stuff in my opinion - but I also have a rather sweet tooth, I definitely find it easy to snack in a way that isn't healthy for me, and my weight has been trending up in a way that doesn't feel good. I'd like to make a more concerted effort to do something about that!
​ At least at the moment, I'm focusing mainly on avoiding sweets and snacks during the week - those are definitely the big two for me. I generally trust my own preferences/sense of satiety to enable me to stick to reasonable portions at mealtimes, such that I don't really feel I need to worry about whether or not my food fits on one plate or about meals where I take a conservative serving to start with and go back for seconds if I want a little more of the main dish; plus, as I mentioned, most of what I cook is from-scratch, veg-heavy stuff - not the source of my eating-related worries. For the moment, I'm also OK with weekday desserts in the form of fruit or plain yoghurt or similar. It's the snacking and the super-sugary/processed treats that I really think I stand to benefit from saving for weekends and special occasions. I can always tighten up on these little things later if I want to once I've got those two big ones down as habits.
​ Not sure how I'm going to format this. Maybe this will be the post for my June log and I'll do a comment per day? I'm not a big reddit user so not sure what's likely to work out best. I'll see how it goes. Comments / encouragement / calling-outs from others welcome! :)

My workplace has a very high turnover rate to the point that they could not keep up. Tbh, the SLPs were quitting every month to 3 months. Me and 2 other SLPs recently quit around the same time, so now it was announced the clinic is closing for good. I gave a 4 week notice to my boss to ensure there was enough time for me to wrap up my evaluation reports and progress reports. I made sure to ask for accommodation so that they would not add evaluations to my schedule. What usually happened to previous SLPs is that the owner and clinical coordinator would cancel some of your appointments and then fill up your schedule with evaluation with no report time which would mean that you would end up doing all-nighters at home to complete them. Don't even get started on the verbal abuse or the fact that they start ignoring you. They also usually make you work a full schedule until your last day.
Since I made sure to ask for accommodations they essentially reduced my notice to 2 weeks (technically a week and half since I was answered in the middle of the week) but I still don't have time for my reports. I was supposed to have a newly hired SLPA take up some of my clients caseload but she's a no show (probably quit from seeing how toxic the workplace is) so I still have a schedule that is pretty busy even tho the accommodations that my boss agreed to said I would get reduced hours.
On top of all that, my boss doesn't want me to inform my clients of my departure because they want to personally inform them that the clinic is closing. I have to give reasonable notice but I don't know how to proceed in this situation. I have sent an email asking if I can stay an extra week without compensation to complete my documentation. They tend to ignore my emails at times, so I'm scared that they will not answer. They have not answered the emails about informing my clients of my departure. At this point, I want to make sure my license is not at risk and that my clients are able to have reasonable care.
How should I proceed? Should I inform my clients and risk being locked out of my clients' files so that I won't be able to complete the documentation?
TL;DR: Boss is not letting me have enough time to complete reports or inform clients of my departure while the clinic is closing in a month due to a lack of clinicians. What should I do?

My husband and I will be out of the country for two weeks and are disagreeing on what the best option for our cat is while we are gone. Info/background: She has a water fountain and an automatic feeder with a camera, as well as two litter boxes and we will add at least a third box for when we are gone. We close off our attic and the one bedroom with our plants in it but she otherwise has access to the rest of the house. We adopted our cat about 2.5 years ago and she is 7 and healthy. I work from home so our cat is my shadow most days and very clingy, she is also pretty playful and really only likes my husband and me. When we go away on long weekends and have friends check on her, she is normally skeptical of them and will come watch them from a distance but if they try to pet her she hisses at them.
Option 1: We would have friends come by once a day to scoop her litter boxes and try to play and put a couple treats in her puzzle mat. My parents said they could come stay at our house for a night or two in the middle of the trip to keep her more company, our cat does like my parents but they are not pet people. She has met each of the friends that would be coming by and is okay with some of them, but the visits would mostly be shorter stops to clean her litter boxes. I do have at least one friend that will play with her for probably an hour and can come by a couple times.
Option 2: My parents live 2.5 hours away and they said they could watch our cat at their house but she has never been to their house and my dad is allergic to cats. It makes me nervous for her to have such little interaction with people for two weeks but I also know she won’t like being at my parents.
What option would you choose? Is there anything else we could do to make her time less lonely?

So, I realize this question sounds out of place, but I do feel my autism might be contributing? Some fellow employees at my job are causing a LOT of drama, and it’s affecting me pretty badly. I’m trying my best to stay out of it, but keep getting stuck in the situation just due to the fact I work there. My emotions with the whole situation are starting to overwhelm me. I’m not in the position I can quit the job right now, so I’m trying to deal with it, and not let my emotions show, but I’m finding I’m losing a grip? I have no “breathing space” to step aside either due to hectic schedule and very little breaks. Management won’t do anything about the situation either, and are essentially turning a blind eye (so it feels). It’s getting to a point I can’t control myself anymore, and accidentally have outbursts. Would you’ll have any suggestions on situations that overwhelm you? Thanks.
(TLDR: workplace is dragging me into their drama, and I’m getting overwhelmed and having accidental outbursts. Management won’t handle the situation, and I’m currently stuck in the job. How can I handle the situation?)

Important Notes:

• I do my best to include every sale, but at the same time I focus on sales that are worth a mention, meaning sales start with at least 20% and up. I usually skip anything below that unless it's a worth while title.
  
• Click on the price to visit the store page for that game.
  
• The end date of the sale isn't mentioned, you can check the store page to see it.
  
• All of these sales are based on the US store front, so some sales may not be available depending on your country.
  

~ PSN ~

(On Mobile please Swipe left/right to see the prices and tags)

Game	Price/Link	Tags
Persona 5: Ultimate Edition	$16.99 $84.99	Turn-based/Modern Japan setting/School life simulatoMystery/Monster CollectoGreat Music
STRANGER OF PARADISE FINAL FANTASY ORIGIN PS4 & PS5	$31.99 $39.99	Action/Dark Fantasy setting/Expansive skill tree/Class mechanics/Nioh-like/Loot Tiers
Final Fantasy VII Remake	$29.99 $59.99	Action/Sci-fi setting
FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster	$12.49 $24.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Expansive skill tree
South Park™: The Stick of Truth™	$7.49 $29.99	Turn-based/Modern Day setting/Comedy/Mature/Dark HumoNudity/Fart Jokes
KINGDOM HEARTS III	$29.99 $59.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Crossover of Disney and Square Enix characters
ONE PIECE World Seeker	$8.99 $59.99	Action/Anime Adaptation/Open World/Beat'em up
Yakuza Kiwami	$5.99 19.99	Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World
Yakuza Kiwami 2	$5.99 19.99	Action/Modern World setting/Organized Crime/Comedy heavy/Drama heavy/Mini-game Heavy/Beat'em up/Open World
Yakuza: Like a Dragon PS4 & PS5	$14.99 $59.99	Turn-based/Contemporary Japan setting/Yakuza life/Open World/Heavy on Drama and Comedy/Heavy on Mini-games/Class Changing Mechanics
STAR OCEAN : INTEGRITY AND FAITHLESSNESS	$11.99 $29.99	Action/Sci-fi mixed with Fantasy setting/Space travel/Resource gathering & Crafting/Social link mechanic between party members
Dragon's Crown Pro	$3.99 $19.99	Action/Beat'em up/Fantasy setting/Online Multiplayer available/Loot focused
Tales of Zestiria	$5.99 $59.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Anime style/Local Co-Op/Fantasy Adventure
Wild Arms	$6.99 $9.99	Turn-based/Wild West Fantasy/Puzzle heavy
Wild Arms 2	$6.99 $9.99	Turn-based/Wild West Fantasy/Puzzle heavy
Sword Art Online: Lost Song	$8.99 $59.99	Action/MMORPG Setting/Online MultiplayeDating-sim/Tiered Loot/Dungeon Crawlers/Boss Raids/Kill & Fetch Quests heavy
Ys Origin	$4.99 $19.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Great Soundtrack
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA	$19.99 $39.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Base Building/Great Soundtrack
Valkyria Chronicles Remastered	$5.99 $19.99	Tactical Turn-based/World War Militar setting/Tactical mixed with real-time elements/Sketch or "Canvas" art style/Build your Army with character customization/Mission based story progression/Army management
Valkyria Chronicles 4	$5.99 $29.99	Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy Sci-fi World War setting/Tactical mixed with real-time elements/Sketch or "Canvas" art style/Build your Army with character customization/Mission based story progression/Army management
Cris Tales	$7.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Time-travel setting and mechanics/Female Protagonist/Timed-presses combat mechanics
The Alliance Alive HD Remastered	$19.99 $49.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Expansive Skill Tree/Character customization
Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia	$24.99 $49.99	Tactical turn-based/Grand Strategy/High Fantasy setting/Choose a Nation to play as/Conquering the world is the end goal
The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure	$31.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Science Fantasy setting/Great Soundtrack/Police/Story and Lore heavy/War and Politics
Trails of Cold Steel III Digital Deluxe Edition	$35.99 $79.99	Turn-based/Great Soundtrack/Fantasy High school life setting/Dating Sim/Story and Lore heavy/Military and War
Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time	$14.99 $49.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Female Protagonist/Beat 'em up, Anime series Original source material/Magic Academy
Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force	$5.99 $19.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Anime style/Comedy/Dark story/Good English dub/Power Ranger Transformation/Fan-service/Dating-sim
Demon Gaze II	$3.99 $39.99	Turn-based/First Person dungeon crawleDark Fantasy setting/Monster collection
Absolute Tactics: Daughters of Mercy	$19.99 $24.99	Tactical Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy/Class changing mechanics
Omega Quintet	$9.99 $19.99	Turn-based/Modern Japanese Fantasy setting/Idol group manager life/Fan-service
Dodgeball Academia	$12.49 $24.99	Action/School Life Sim/Sports (Dodgeball)/2D Hand-drawn Cartoon Art style
Super Neptunia RPG	$11.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Side Scroller PlatformeFemale Protag/Comedy/Fan-service
The DioField Chronicle PS4 & PS5	$29.99 $59.99	Real Time Strategy/Medieval fantasy setting/Military & WaClass mechanics
Dusk Diver 2	$34.99 $34.99	Action/Modern Taipei Ximending setting/Female Protagonist/Beat'em up/Anime visual style
The Caligula Effect: Overdose	$19.99 $49.99	Turn-based unique combat/School Life setting/Persona-like/Great Soundtrack/Female and Male Protagonist choice
The Caligula Effect 2	$29.99 $49.99	Turn-based unique combat/School Life setting/Persona-like/Great Soundtrack/Female and Male Protagonist choice
Monster Crown	$11.99 $29.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Monster collectoPixel Graphics/LGBTQ+
Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising	$8.99 $14.99	Action/Medieval Fantasy setting/Character collectoCity BuildeSider-Scroller
GrimGrimoire OnceMore	$39.99 $49.99	Real-time Strategy/Medieval Fantasy setting/Female Protagonist/Magic School
Tactics Ogre: Reborn	$32.99 $49.99	Tactical turn-based/Medieval fantasy/Choices MatteMultiple story routes/Class system/Dark/Politics/Remake of the SNES original
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout	$29.99 $59.99	Active time battle/Fantasy setting/Mainly about crafting (Alchemy)/Chill and Relaxing/Wholesome/Heavy on Resource gathering/Heavy on Character Interactions
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy PS4 & PS5	$29.99 $59.99	Active time battle/Fantasy setting/Mainly about crafting (Alchemy)/Chill and Relaxing/Wholesome/Heavy on Resource gathering/Heavy on Character Interactions
CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION	$13.99 $19.99	Turn-based/Sci-fi Fantasy setting/Choices MatteMultiple Endings/2 Games in 1 bundle

~ Switch ~

Game	Price/Link	Tags
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition	$9.99 $49.99	Turn-based/Cyber World setting/Monster Collector & Raising sim/Combat heavy/Satisfying grinding loop/2 full games in 1 pack
CRISIS CORE –FINAL FANTASY VII– REUNION	$34.99 $49.99	Action/Sci-fi setting
DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT + A NEW POWER AWAKENS SET	$19.79 $59.99	Action Fantasy/Semi-Open World (zones)/Anime story adaptation/Beautiful animations
Megadimension Neptunia VII	$8.99 $29.99	Turn-based/Female Protagonist/Comedy/fan-service
Super Neptunia RPG	$7.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Valkyrie Profile-like combat/Sci-fi setting/Female Protagonist/Comedy/Parody/Fan-serivce
Children of Zodiarcs	$5.39 $17.99	Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Female Protagonist/Card Based/Deck Building
CHRONO CROSS: THE RADICAL DREAMERS EDITION	$13.99 $19.99	Turn-based/Sci-fi Fantasy setting/Choices MatteMultiple Endings/2 Games in 1 bundle
Death end re;Quest	$11.99 $29.99	Turn-based/Cyber world setting/Female Protagonist/Dark Fantasy/Gore/Fan-service
Death end re;Quest 2	$14.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Cyber world setting/Female Protagonist/Dark Fantasy/Gore/Fan-service
Mary Skelter 2	$9.99 $39.99	Turn-based/First-Person View Dungeon CrawleDeep & Full party customization/Female Protagonist/Multiple Endings/Horror
Mary Skelter Finale	$19.99 $49.99	Turn-based/First-Person View Dungeon CrawleDeep & Full party customization/Female Protagonist/Multiple Endings/HorroFan-service
Astria Ascending	$21.99 $39.99	Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy setting/PlatformeFemale Protagonist/Class system
Fairy Fencer F™: Advent Dark Force	$8.99 $29.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Anime style/Comedy/Dark/Good English dub/Fan-service/Dating-sim
Redemption Reapers	$29.99 $49.99	Tactical Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy setting/Dark Fantasy
Arc of Alchemist	$15.99 $39.99	Action/Fantasy/Female Protagonist/Fan-service/Base-Building
Shadows of Adam	$7.49 $14.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Retro Pixel Graphics
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout	$29.99 $59.99	Active time battle/Fantasy setting/Mainly about crafting (Alchemy)/Chill and Relaxing/Wholesome/Heavy on Resource gathering/Heavy on Character Interactions
Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy	$29.99 $59.99	Active time battle/Fantasy setting/Mainly about crafting (Alchemy)/Chill and Relaxing/Wholesome/Heavy on Resource gathering/Heavy on Character Interactions

~ Xbox ~

Game	Price/Link	Tags
Child of Light®	$4.49 $14.99	Turn-based Fantasy/Female Protagonist/Beautiful Hand-drawn/Side Scroller
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling	$12.49 $24.99	Turn-based/Paper Mario-like/Comedy/Adventure
Digimon Survive	$41.99 $59.99	Tactical turn-based/Modern Japan setting/Monster CollectoMostly VN/Multiple Routes & Endings/Anime style/Social Link system
ONE PIECE World Seeker Deluxe Edition	$8.99 89.99	Action/Anime Adaptation/Open World/Beat'em up
DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT Deluxe Edition	$21.24 $84.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Semi-Open World (zones)/Anime story adaptation/Beautiful animations

~ Steam ~

If you want to check the games yourself:

~ Link to the JRPGs on Sale list ~

Steam Deck Icons (As explained by Steam itself):

🟦 Verified: Means that the game is fully compatible and works with built-in controls and display.
🟧 Playable: Means the game is Functional, but requires extra effort to interact with and configure .
"--" Unknown: Basically unconfirmed or still under-review.

Game	Price/Link	Tags	Steam Deck
ASTLIBRA Revision™	$19.99 $24.99	Action/Medieval Fantasy/Hack n Slash/Resource gathering/Expansive skill tree/Learn skills by mastering geaRewards grinding/Dark Story/Side-Scroller	🟦 Verified
Cosmic Star Heroine	$3.74 $14.99	Turn-based/Cyberpunk setting/Female Protagonist/Pixel Graphics	🟧 Playable
Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen	$47.99 $59.99	Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Great World Building/Fan-serivce/Comedy/War & Politics/Lovable Characters/Mystery	🟦 Verified
Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception	$31.99 $39.99	Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Great World Building/Fan-serivce/Comedy/War & Politics/Lovable Characters/Mystery	🟦 Verified
Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth	$31.99 $39.99	Tactical Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Great World Building/Fan-serivce/Comedy/War & Politics/Lovable Characters/Mystery	🟦 Verified
Septerra Core	$1.99 $4.99	Turn-based/Sci-fi setting/Female Protagonist/Isometric	🟧 Playable
Shiness: The Lightning Kingdom	$1.49 $9.99	Action/Fantasy setting/Martial arts/Puzzles/Anthropomorphic Characters	🟦 Verified
This Way Madness Lies	$7.49 $9.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Female Protagonist/Lovecraftian/Comedy/Pixel Graphics	🟧 Playable
Redemption Reapers	$29.99 $49.99	Tactical Turn-based/Medieval Fantasy setting/Dark Fantasy	--
ONE PIECE ODYSSEY	$38.99 $59.99	Turn-based/Anime Adaptation	🟧 Playable
Nexomon: Extinction	$7.99 $19.99	Turn-based/Fantasy setting/Pokemon-like/Monster collector	🟧 Playable

​

~ General Recommendations (All Consoles) For Anyone Who Can't Decide ~

First off, I won't recommend big or famous games like Final Fantasy or Persona, this is more for lesser know, hidden gems, or just games where it's hard to find someone talking about them.
​

[Valkyria Chronicles]

[Valkyria Chronicles 4]

This one is really hard to explain through words alone, but just in case, the VC series is a World War 2 military setting story, where you act as the lead of a squad and take mission to drive back the enemy. The story is drama heavy and the gameplay is tactical turn-based, but it's mixed with real-time third person shooter.
You can also make your own army by recruiting different types of solders, training them and upgrading their gear. From rifles to tanks, this is a game you have to experience to understand.

[Wild Arms 1 & 2]

Great classics, and are now sold for dirt cheap, though even their full price is also a steal. If you're looking for great stories, and really interesting characters, combined with truly great puzzles, then don't miss on these 2 games. They started an entire series, and are classics for a reason.

[Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition]

2 full games in 1. If you're a fan of the series then this is a must play, it dives into the lore more than a lot of the previous games, and also has one of the biggest Digimon rosters till to day.
Even if you're not into the Digimon series, if you're looking for your next fix of Capture/Evolve/Fusion -> Grind -> Capture/Evolve/Fusion -> Grind while you listen to your favorite podcast/music, then no need to wait anymore, with hours upon hours you can easily spend just grinding and completing the game's various content from side-quests, rare monsters, arena, and even tamer team fights. The gameplay is simple, which is a great way to keep your brain off, yet it still has challenge battles now and then to make sure you're doing your job grinding and raising your Digimons.

[ASTLIBRA Revision]

If you are still itching for side-scroller action JRPGs with a good loot system and a good story and world that you can sink your teeth into, then look no further. A game that was 14 years in development and an extra year to work on this remastered version, was more than worth it. The action is meaty and satisfying, the loot is great with each item having the potential of changing your fighting style, and just so much content to explore and have fun with.
Then you add to that fantastic art work by Shigatake of Vanillaware, he worked on games like Odin Sphere, GrimGrimoire, Muramasa: The Demon Blade and others. Then you finally throw in a huge amazing soundtrack, and when I say huge I mean HUGE. With all of that together you have a really great title that any action JRPG fan shouldn't miss.

[Atelier Ryza]

Ryza can be considered a big turning point for the series, mainly because it threw out a lot of old gameplay and story elements that were trademarks of the Atelier series. For starters, the entire sub-series is about Ryza and her friends, instead of the usual way where each title in the sub-series had a different main character. Then as you have noticed, it doesn't use time limits, nor does it have multiple endings. Then add the fact that the battle system switched from turn-based like it was in the entire series until now, to now being Active Time Battle system. Finally, while the Alchemy mechanics always changed between sub-series and games, Ryza has the biggest change in crafting mechanics since Atelier Shallie.
All of these changes, plus being a game with almost no fan-service and the one with good graphics, animations, and so many new different methods being added in how you gather resources, makes it a great starting point for someone who wants to dip their toe into the series and be see if it's something they might like.

[Utawarerumono] series

This fantastic visual novel style tactical game is one hell of a ride from start to end. If you're looking for a fantasy JRPG with amazing world building and an epic of story that expands three whole games, there is no reason to not get this whole series. Drama, Comedy, Mystery, Action, Horror, Fan-service, Betrayal, Revenge, Adventure, etc... This is the whole package here when it comes to story, world, and characters. Just don't expect it to be heavy on gameplay and combat.
Prelude to the Fallen is the first game story-wise, the 2nd game is Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and after that is Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth.

[Rune Factory 4 Special]

Don't even think too long about it, a fantastic game and a great port too, so much you play it easily with mouse and keyboard or controller.
The characters are fun and lovable, the story is interesting, and most of all, the loop is very varied and enjoyable. So much to do:

• Farming
• Cooking
• Monster Collection and Raising
• Dating and Marriage
• Dungeon Crawling
• Blacksmithing and a deep weapon upgrading system
• Fishing
• Festivals
• Town Management
• House decorating
• Resource gathering
• Monster Mounts
• Mastering different weapon styles
• Mastering Magic

And so much more. Not to mention that everything you do has a level and so no matter what you spend the day doing, you'll always be leveling something and getting better.
Do you want a game where you can cook horrible burnt food, then take said food and use it as a weapon to beat bosses, and even have said bosses then till your farm and water your crops while you're out riding cows and fighting giant chickens the same time you're on date with your favorite NPC ? Then yea, RF4 got you covered. The only thing you'll miss, is sleep while playing this gem.

As always, please do add your own recommendations, and let me know if there is mistake or if something was missing, and have a nice day.

Hi, I'm Spoon, 37yo male living in New England so I'm EST. I'm a published author and if you let me I will talk your ear off about that. I write in 3rd person past tense as I find it really weird to try and become my characters. I guess I need that separation in my life.
I love creating characters. I love worldbuilding and creating all sorts of drama for our characters to navigate. I like all sorts of things from wholesome hallmark type romances to darker stories that belong on investigation discovery. I adapt my style to fit my partner. You like quick rapid fire responses throughout the day? I got you. You like longer novella responses I also got you.
What I would like from you: Be over 18 though if you're in your late 20's to 30's its prob best Respond in 3rd person I'm looking for a longterm partner and friend Be friends ooc, lets gush about our characters, post mood boards and music. Lets get involved in the story, laugh, cry etc
I have a few partners already and I'm not looking to replace anyone. That being said these are a few ideas I would like to explore.
The fight of your life: My character is Jeremy Draven. He’s a pro boxer and former olympian. The only problem is he’s never made it to the big show. There’s a lot going on. His father left when he was 16 and his younger brother hates him for it. His manager is stealing all of his money but Jeremy doesn’t suspect anything. He’s a big dummy with a heart of gold who just needs someone to support him. I’m in love with a stripper: This one is pretty straight forward. Your character is a dancer, why she is doing it is up to you. My character is in a local band. He’s very sex drugs and rock and roll but one night he goes to the club and sees her. She quickly becomes his muse.
The prince of Hell: Every 2000 years Lucifer is able to walk in the mortal realm for 666 hours. What would he get up to? What would happen if he were to meet the first mortal who has interested him since Lilith. What would he do to keep her?
Send me an Angel: My character would be a demon called Azoriat. He's a low ranking demon in Hell and he's looking to do something big to impress his father. He cooks up a hare brained scheme to try and kidnap an angel but what happens when his cruelty is met with kindness. Can she break his walls down? Will they find that maybe they have more in common than they think?
Stranger Things: Ok so I'm awful at playing Canon characters but I really enjoy the setting of Stranger things. Our characters would be OCS in Hawkins during the first season, mostly this will be an 80's themed SOL but we can add some ooky spooky elements to it. My idea for my character is a senior, one of Eddies friends who will ultimatly graduate before him. He'd be in the Hellfire club. I liked the dynamic of Eddie and Chrissy, that bridge between the popular girl and the outcast guy.
SOL: Give me some cheesy hallmark tropes!

Hey everyone, I'm writing this post because I need to share what happened to me last week. I've been trying to make sense of it all, but honestly, I feel like every time I start to understand, I end up more confused and terrified. I don't know if any of you have experienced anything similar, or even if you'll believe me, but I have to get this out there. I work... Nah, I WORKED for a security firm that specializes in reviewing security footage for libraries and museums across the globe. I loved it, honestly, because I've always been a fan of history and literature, and the job allows me to work from home, which is a huge plus.
Pretty standard gig really - outsourced security, means these places don't have to pay for many night-guards and the like. If there's an alarm triggered we have the on-hand team to notify the cops. My job was to review footage after the event if something had indeed gone down.
Anyway, let me get to the point. Last week, something really fucking fucked happened. I was going through my usual routine, checking the specialist software that automatically alerts me of any suspicious activity in the libraries and museums we cover. Out of nowhere, every single alert went off at the same time. I'm talking dozens of museums and libraries, all around the world. It was insane. At first, I thought it had to be some kind of glitch, so we rebooted the system to see if that would fix the issue. I was then asked to review some of the footage, just in case, even though it seemed impossible that every museum and library could have been broken into simultaneously.
That's when things got really fucking weird.
As I went through the footage, I started to notice something. There was a brief glimpse or a shade of something in each video, lasting only a few frames. It was present in literally every feed I checked, multiple instances in the same buildings and all. I had to slow some of the footage down to spot it, but eventually, I realized it was present in every single video, at the exact moment the impossible simultaneous alerts came in.
The figure... I don't even know how to describe it, but it sure as hell wasn't human. It was vaguely human-like in appearance, wearing an old-time gray suit like something they'd wear in Peaky Blinders of Boardwalk Empire, but there was something deeply unsettling about it. Instead of a human head, this thing had a giant ear where its face should be. The ear was grotesquely proportioned, far too large for the relatively thin body it was attached to. The earlobe hung low, almost touching the creature's collar, and the outer ear was twisted and gnarled, like the tumorous roots of an ancient dead tree.
It was the details of the ear, though, that really got to me. The skin was a sickly pale shade, like a corpse left to rot in the moonlight. It was covered in a network of pulsating veins, so dark they almost looked black in contrast to the pallor of the skin - like they'd been tattooed on by the most sadistic tattoo artist in history. The worming capillaries seemed to throb with a sinister energy, as if they were channeling some unholy power. The inner ear was even worse. It was a cavernous abyss of darkness, a swirling vortex that seemed to suck in the light around it, threatening to swallow everything whole. There were no hairs, no ridges; just pure, unadulterated darkness.
I couldn't tear my eyes away from the figure as it loomed in the footage, and the more I stared, the more uneasy I felt. It was like my sanity was slowly eroding, crumbling away in the face of something so unnatural and terrifying. My heart raced, and my hands shook as I tried to keep my focus, but it was impossible. The sheer wrongness of the figure's existence was like a weight on my chest, making it difficult to breathe. I could feel my mind starting to fracture, splintering under the pressure of trying to comprehend something that simply should not exist.
The strangest part, though, was that the figure seemed to be aware of my presence, even through the screen. It was as if the monstrous ear was somehow listening to me, attuned to my every thought and fear. The more I watched, the more I felt an overwhelming sense of dread creeping in, like I was being consumed by some ancient, malevolent force that had set its sights on me.
I knew what it wanted, too, somehow. It was looking for something, something it didn't have but should - and was furious about it.
That fury… I felt it only for the briefest moment, but it was enough to make me know no human being in history knows what true anger is. Our minds simply deep enough to hold such rage.
I knew I had to do something. I couldn't just sit there and let this thing destroy me. So, I sent an email to my boss, attaching screenshots and explaining everything I'd seen. I hoped that maybe they would have some answers, or at least be able to tell me that I wasn't losing my mind. But I never got a response.
The next morning, I woke up to find that the company I worked for had seemingly vanished from the internet. All the downloaded videos that showed the ear-faced being were gone too, as if they had never existed. I couldn't find any trace of my employer, or any record of the security footage I'd been reviewing the night before. It was like the entire ordeal had been wiped clean from existence.
I'm terrified, not just because of what I saw, but because I don't know what this means for me. I'd worked at that place for five years, and it's just vanished. None of my team are in LinkedIn anymore, or any socials (not that I was close enough to follow them, but I knew where they were - where they still should be). What if the ear-man got them? What if it was the government? Did I stumble upon something I wasn't supposed to see? Are there consequences for having witnessed this fucking thing? What does it want?
I've spent the last week researching and trying to understand what I encountered. I've pieced together bits of information from ancient texts and obscure forums, but I've got nothing. I don't know if there's any way to protect myself from the being or the consequences of having seen it. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forget the twisted visage of that monstrous ear, or the way it seemed to reach into the very depths of my soul.
I do know that I can't keep this to myself any longer. I need to share my story, in the hopes that someone out there might understand, maybe even explain what this fucking thing is and why I keep seeing its eyeless gaze on me from at least one window on every street I've walked down since.

I am the eldest daughter of six siblings. I have an older brother. When our dad passed when I was 15, my mother dumped myself and my four younger siblings at our grandmother's(dad side) house and left with my brother. She cut all contact with us. Since my grandmother is old, I had to give up on school and work multiple jobs to keep us all alive. My younger siblings were all smart and got scholarships, so I only needed to earn money for our daily expenses.
For years, we didn't hear anything from our brother or our mom. Fast forward to 10 years later, I managed to get a proper job despite having no degree, and have been promoted to a supervisor. I was making enough money to get us by without struggling. Out of nowhere, my mom reaches out on Facebook and she says she found me through common friends who were relatives. She says she's "coming home".
It turns out, she left us years ago because she knew she couldn't afford to support all of us and she made the difficult decision to choose to support our older brother because he was the man of the house. Unfortunately, my older brother got married straight out of college and told her he couldn't afford to support mom now that he has his own family.
Despite everything, I take her into my house where I live with my four other siblings. Our grandmother had passed by then. It got very toxic very quick because she expected that I would hand over the management of the household expenses to her now that she's back. (Meaning I give her my salary and let her manage it.) I refused and this resulted in her throwing a long-term tantrum of nitpicking everything in the house and telling me every day that I did a terrible job of raising my younger siblings.
There was constant fighting between her and us on a daily basis. Worse, she started taking our stuff and selling them. Including my sister's laptop which was just loaned to her by a nice professor. It came to the point that I would sleep in the office and my siblings would sleep in dorms or their friend's place just to not to have to come home.
After a few years of this, our older brother comes in and saves the day. He is pretty well off now. Our mom had been crying to him for years about how horribly she is treated in our home and he will now be taking her back. Yey!
Fast forward to now. My brother experienced being locked down with our mom and their relationship has been strained to say the least. His wife and daughters hate our mom and has put their foot down. They want her out. As for myself, I have also gotten married and have two children of my own. My brother wants me to take our mom back as it is my duty as the eldest daughter.
I refused. I will not expose my children to her toxicity. I told him I will pitch in so he can get her an apartment. He says it's unacceptable for our elderly mother to be living on her own or with a (caregiver). This has been long so, AITA?

I (26f) have a decent life. I make $58,500 doing as a research coordinator. Do a pretty good job of saving. I even get to do a lot of fun things. The biggest issue is I live with my parents. It’s not that I want to though. I plan to go back to school next year full time for a direct entry masters program. With this program, it’ll be like being in undergrad again because it’s in person only and I will only be able to have a part time job. I thought, I may stay home until I start school.
Well, I don’t have the best relationship with my dad. I borderline hate him. He’s said and done a lot of really fucked up things to me over years, has never apologized, hasn’t been there for me even since I was kid, and expects a lot out of me in return. I’ve been SA’ed and he even told me it was my fault.
Every Sunday, I meal prep. I clean up and I put the dishes in the dish washer. I have an air-fryer that’s kind of like an oven and I put some of the trays in the dishwasher. My dad asked me to move the air-fryer (my parents don’t like it being in the kitchen because they don’t know how to use it). I told him I would once the trays have been cleaned. He said “ok.” The kitchen is clean, only thing thats left out if the air-fryer so I decide to Uber a bit to make some money in between while I wait for the trays. While I’m Ubering, I get all these texts from dad saying the kitchen is a mess and to move my air-fryer. I literally tell him again, I will as soon as the trays finish washing and drying. He ends up texting me to not leave the kitchen a mess like my life and room.
For a little context, my room is a mess. I’ve really been struggling with depression and idk why, but it’s only my room I struggle with keeping clean, everything else is clean and fine. It’s no excuse but he’s aware of my depression and I ask for an apology. He told me “take it anyway you want” and that he’s not apologizing.
I come getting ready to put the trays and air-fryer away. I ask for an apology again telling him he hurt my feelings. He said he has nothing to apologize for. He and my mom are at their breakpoint with me and that I need to move out.
I genuinely don’t know what I have done for them to feel that way. I literally work then come home. No staying out late. I don’t even talk to them when I’m home because I try to avoid situations like this.
Anyway, I agree it’s time to move out. I’ve been able to save $750 every paycheck. I was saving for home, but I know I’ll eventually be able to buy a house, so I have $9500 in savings. I’m currently looking at 1-2 bedrooms for $1300-$1400. I go on 4 tours today. I’m very nervous for this next chapter of my life. If you have any advice or words of encouragement, I would really appreciate it.

Okay, this may be a bit of a lengthy post, but I had to really reflect on this date before I could properly articulate my experience.
For context and history on this saga you can check out my "Perfect first date" reddit to get familiar. Also "Date 2" for a follow up.
Okay, so this past Saturday I went to the beach with my lady and her two daughters. We had planned on a beach day earlier in the week and I was really looking forward to it. The plan was to spend the day together and just enjoy sand and sun. When I arrived at her place to head over to the beach, I noticed that her and her daughter had already formed an inside joke about me always wearing black. It was nice to be a part of an inside joke.
Anyway fast forward to when we arrive at the beach. Mind you this is my first time ever doing anything like this with a significant other. The most I have done is go to the lake with someone. So my mind was going through all types of thoughts and feelings. When we laid out on the beach and I saw my lady in her swimsuit I just felt very blessed to have a great woman who likes me with a great body. She asked me to rub suntan lotion on her back, and I was definitely feelin myself lol. We laid and talked to each other while her girls were goofing around. It was such a pleasant day, and I felt that I definitely get used to doing this regularly with them. We got in the water for a bit and her daughters laughed at me because I had no idea what I was doing on the boogie board, but was having fun regardless. It felt like I had my own family. It felt good.
After the beach we decided to get some dinner and chill out. We go to this cool spot and I realize I am getting a lot of looks from patrons. I figured maybe it was because my beach attire had me looking like I was about to go sailing in the Hamptons, not a beach day in South Carolina. Anyway, it was happy hour so I decided to get some drinks and chill out. We got a nice spread and those drinks hit me pretty quick so I was a jolly dude the rest of the night. One thing my gf mentioned was that the waitress liked me, to which I didn't even notice. She said the waitress gave me Happy hour prices way after happy hour but wouldn't give her the same deal. I had no idea and was totally oblivious to it. It probably comforted my gf a bit because I am ignorant to that stuff, so she doesn't even have to worry about me doing anything dumb. But all in all dinner was great and we had a fun time together.
Sitting there with her, I felt a growing sense of adoration for her. She thanked me for dinner and hanging with them, to which I thanked her for bringing me along. She told me "I am a part of the family now", and proceeded to post some pics of us together on the beach on social media (and tag me as well). So yeah she let the world know that I am hers now. Such a great date.
Thoughts and reflections:
- I definitely know I love her and her family. I may not have said it in person yet (I gotta work up the courage for that),, but I know it in my core this is my feelings towards her and the family.
- It was a lot to take in. But I think the biggest thing was being so unused to someone genuinely caring about me who wasn't my mom or sister was a bit overwhelming in a way. Feeling this makes me happy I finally get to experience it, but maybe a bit sad that it took 37 years to find it.
- Her girls and my daughter will get along great. I was veery touched at how quickly they took to me. Her youngest (11) gave me a big hug when I was getting ready to head home. It definitely made me misty eyed. Melted my heart. I look forward to them hanging out and getting along.
- This puts a lot of things into perspective. My future plans may need to be adjusted and reworked a bit, because after this beach date, I think I really need to plan for the future and actively start getting shit done. This is pretty much looking like it is going all the way, so I need to be mindful of how I move going forward.
- I came home to messages from friends and fam about being tagged on socials with her. I know they were surprised because I never post and then poof I am on the beach with a beautiful lady. It felt good being with someone who wants to show you off.
- Remember the waitress that liked me? Well I thought she looked kinda familiar but was foggy. She had asked my gf at one point if she was from a certain state because she looked familiar. Well I spent time racking my brain on why the waitress looked familiar, then it dawned on me. A long time ago I had matched with her on OLD. We talked a bit, but never went out and she just ended up ghosting me. At the time I had no clue who she was, but it makes sense why she "liked me". She remembered we matched a long time ago. But it was nice to be with my gf whom I love. I didn't even notice.
- We get along great, and this trip put a lot of things into perspective for me. I know there is work to be done, and I am laser focused on getting where I want/need to be to take this to the next level. I will continue to stay the course and I will love and adore her throughout the journey. I'm really surprised that FB dating came in so clutch with her. Granted she definitely activated her inner Steph Curry when shooting her shot. She hasn't missed yet. I look forward to learning and growing with her.
Sorry for the super long post, but I figured it would be good to share a success story after being a hot mess over this woman. I appreciate the fellow redditors for giving advice and support. I will continue to keep the updates coming. I seriously think I may have found the person I can face the inevitable with. I am looking forward to many days together.

I've prepared a message for my friend from our mutual friends group roughly explaining why I'll be taking a step back from them and why I cannot talk to LO anymore. This is also the only person who'll know. Won't tell LO anything. I was wondering if it's maybe possible to keep hanging out with the rest of them when LO's not there, but I don't think I can do it without everything and everyone reminding me of him, which sucks so so much. The way this has taken over me, I guess I cannot afford to take risks because I feel like I need to move on RIGHT NOW, but I will miss them all so much :/
I've totally neglected myself and my life since I started feeling this way. He is on my mind so much that I cannot find any will to deal with any small but neither really important things. I feel like I'm on some kind of a downward spiral and I'm not feeling good at all, kind of like losing myself altogether or something like that.
I do hope that after I take some time and get better, I'll be able to at least get back together with them. And through some rose coloured glasses I really hope I'd be able to have a purely friendly relationship with my LO down the line, but realistically I don't think this will ever happen.
I worry though that me stepping away like that will make people forget about me and I'll lose the friendships for good. I also worry that this will happen again next time somewhere else, because fixing the childhood wound that makes me feel these things seems pretty impossible so far. Fingers crossed I guess

So, basically I can manage and cope with my intrusive thoughts during the day pretty ok, but when it comes to bedtime, I'm just so tired for any way of coping but my brain keeps tell me that I should go and close that door 'in a right way' which causes some problems with falling asleep, I can't visit a therapist at the moment(I probably will later) and I've never had this problem until now. Any advice?

I am a 34 year old woman, mother of two married, and I have tattoos. I have a couple of random pieces and then a half sleeve on one arm and a full sleeve on the other arm. I also have random tattoos of my legs and torso.
My mother doesn't like tattoos she's got a very particular idea of what a woman's body should look like my body has never ever ever looked like it, and she has never been shy about letting me know that Part of the reason I started getting tattoos was the suggestion of a therapist who was helping me deal with my body, dysmorphia and eating disorder . In an oversimplified way, it's decorating my body so that I like the way that it looks.
I am about to go visit my family for a week where I am absolutely positive that many comments are going to be made about my tattoos by my mother.
I feel like the response of saying this is how I decorate my body so that I actually like how it looks is I'm gonna be on the mean side. I do have the option of using what we started saying in front of heto her in regards to my children which is we don't talk about other peoples bodies but I'm honestly not really sure how to handle the situation and keep the peace. We have a pretty good, kind of relationship going right now mostly because of how far away from each other we live so all visits are generally pretty controlled, but they are also usually in my environment. This is going to be the first trip and two years but we are taking up to their house.
I am looking for any suggestions on how to handle this in a way that will make it stop at the first comment, but also not cause unnecessary strife during the visit .

Before the divorce, my exhusband wouldn't care about anything in regards to our son or me for that matter. We'd barely see him during the day, despite him being home without school or work.
I've insisted on him only visiting our son or us visiting him, as I know he's unable/unwilling to actually take care of him.
Now that he's moved out he's pretending to be the perfect dad and constantly asks me how our son is or if I've managed to make this sleep for his nap and insist he wants to see him more. However, the moment he does see him, the first 20 minutes is about the boy, after that he'll do pretty much anything to get to talk with me, even though I've asked for space. Once I told him that I would be home during his visit (my mom lives with me, so he still wouldn't be alone with our son) and he absolutely lost it. He got so angry that I wouldn't be present. Insisting that I'm making things more difficult, just because I can, because he refuses to understand that his actions post me asking for a divorce and before as well, has made me highly dislike him and makes me extremely uncomfortable around him - to the point I have anxiety attacks before hand. From my point of view, he should just be happy that I'm not present and he gets the boy to himself. Who would want to spend time with their ex like that all the time anyways?
Right now, our son is sick and I've asked to postpone the visit till he's better. However, my ex in complaining about it, saying as long as the boy isn't puking it's fine. The way I see it though, is that the boy won't get anything out of the visit, before he's better.
On top of that, he keeps asking for stuff. Like do we have some so-and-so and can he have it? All sorts of stupid things. Even the locks on the back of earrings.
He's driving me absolutely mad. He continues to attempt to make demands of me, threatened to take me to court, even threatened "doing something drastic" to himself if he doesn't get to see our son more often and gets to stay at my home pretty much all day (9-5, which is ridiculous as the boy sleeps from 12-2.30/3).
I don't even know if anything I wrote even makes sense, I'm just so done with his BS.
Oh and BTW everything above is followed with him not wanting to pay childsupport ("its so expensive" its about 215 usd a month). My country does it different than the US, if I apply for it, the government Will pay me, regardless of whether or not he sends them the money, but he will he owing government the money instead and that's never pleasant. He's gonna flip out, when I apply for it, but then again, he always does.
I'm not really looking for advice, mostly because we do things very different in my country and it voids a lot of the suggestions in my experience. I just needed to vent, I feel bad for my friend always being the one I unload on.

I’ve spent hours lurking here since I got my abnormal pap results a month ago and figured I’d share my experience in hopes it will ease someone else’s anxiety! I’m 12 weeks pregnant with my first baby and my doctor did a pap smear at my first pre-natal visit on 5/2. I’ll admit I was a few years overdue. My pap results came back abnormal, specifically HSIL. I immediately started spiraling and blaming myself for not keeping up on my paps. They scheduled me for a colpo on 5/25. My doctor said the cells looked abnormal and she took 2 biopsies. It was uncomfortable and I was really scared but I had virtually no bleeding and the recovery was pretty easy.
During the colpo, my doctor basically told me the results could be CIN 1, 2, or 3, or full blown cervical cancer. She said she was worried it was CIN 2 or worse. She even mentioned possibly having to terminate the pregnancy if it’s cancer. To say I was absolutely spiraling out of control is an understatement. I was never told that it was possible the biopsy could show that I don’t have pre-cancerous cells at all. Fast forward the longest week of my life and I finally got my results. They showed NO LESIONS!!!! My results said “glandular mucosa with changes suggestive of exogenous progesterone effect.”
I have never felt so relieved but also feel misled by my doctor. If I knew it was possible the biopsy could show no lesions at all, I could’ve at least hung on to that bit of hope while I was waiting! Anyway, I’m just happy that baby and I are healthy. Just wanted to share that this is a possibility! Try to stay calm after colpo/biopsy because it could end up being nothing.

I've recently re-watched this film after like maybe 15 years... It hit me pretty bad, much worse than when I was a kid - probably because I understand the message much better now and the whole social/psychological context around it. It was a much easier watch when I was a child though!
The main thing that bothers me - and I'm sure I'm not alone - is that I don't understand why the Ed-Kim relationship cannot continue in some form. There are so many different ways in which I could have worked out (with obvious obstacles) and I think that's probably why the ending leaves most of us pretty unsatisfied.

1. They could be meeting in secret - yes, it would have been risky and what not, but it was certainly possible for Kim to do it unnoticed, say, at night. It didn't even have to be particularly regular.
2. Presumably at some point the people who hated Edward passed away or were to ill / old to do anything - so that would have been the perfect opportunity to get him back there again, or at least for her to start visiting again.
3. She could have got him out of town to a doctosomeone trusted who could have helped him - he didn't need to stay there.
4. I realise that practically, their relationship would have been pretty difficult. It would all need to be kept in secret etc and I guess she would probably want to go to uni/get a job/move out at some point. A few options would have been possible: a) go to uni, keep meeting in secret, get him out once you're settled somewhere, b) take him with you, presumably whilst living with friends, c) don't go to uni, settle somewhere else and take him with you. He was ultimately capable of making some money with his scissors, and even without them, I imagine he could be re-socialised or get a job somewhere.

So ultimately, it strikes me that rather than the story being about them being forced to stay apart, they actually both decided it wasn't worth it/didn't make sense, and that it was better for them to continue living apart. That includes Edward who I suppose could have come down again at some point and was the first to say 'goodbye' to Kim. It's a slightly different take to the usual interpretation of them somehow being forced to separate, and it looks more like a conscious choice for both of them.
Anyway, the ending is pure agony so I thought I'd jot down a few things if anyone has similar thoughts...

Hi guys
I'm a 16 year old student and i really need help and advice about a few things. A few months ago i was beaten up and harassed by hijras. I was walking outside nexus mall with my friend and 3 hijras came to me and asked me for money. I had never experienced seeing hijras before and talking to them, i really didnt kno w much about what they do. I said "mere paas nahi hai bhaiya". After that the hijra who asked me called like 3 others and just started beating me (prolly cuz minor idk). They started slapping me and saying lots of shit about my mom and all. I didnt fight back because there were 3 of them. It was a sat evening so pretty crowded. No one helped me. everyone saw them scream and hit me but no one helped me. (fyi i said absolutely nothing to them i swear)
I ran to the traffic cop over there and asked him for help and they followed me. He said, and i clearly remember "get lost". I was kinda shocked, shit was abt to get serious when they took of their chappals and shit. I didnt take out my phone to call anyone cuz i figured theyd take my phone.
My auto came and i just ran into it. I was so fucking distraught i agreed to thge auto guys demands to cancel the ride and pay the fare to him :/ . When we reached he asked me for 750 (ola was 130). I was like nah fam u aint gonna get all that cash from me. In the end i paid him 200.
Ive lost complete trust in the police and law enforcement of blr and i try my best to stay away from thse kinda people. this whole incident has given me shit loads of trauma and at this point i dont even watch funny reels which have hijras and shit in them. im scared to get in an auto because these guys have these fucking auto unions which control the fucking police.
what can i do when hijras approach me? what do i say to avoid any incident like this?