• According to experts, having nearsightedness as a youngster may indicate a higher likelihood of having high myopia later in life.
• Myopia may be delayed or prevented in youngsters who take low-dose atropine eyedrops on a daily basis, according to research.
• The results are intriguing, according to experts, but more studies are required to ascertain how well these eyedrops work to cure and prevent myopia.

Nearsightedness, often known as myopia, is the condition in which a person can see up close objects clearly while far ones are blurry.
When the cornea is overly curved or the eyeball is too long, myopia results. Nearsightedness affects roughly 30% of Americans, according to the American Optometric Association.
An early onset of myopia may be a warning sign.Eventually having excessive myopia: Reliable SourceWhen a person needs a spherical correction of -5 dioptres or more, Trusted Source is frequently used as a definition. High myopia patients are more likely to develop vision-threatening conditions such glaucoma, retinal tears, and cataracts.
"It's pretty rare when they happen, but when they do, they're devastating," said Dr. Jeffrey Walline, associate dean for research at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, to Medical News Today.
According to experts, myopia is becoming more common everywhere. By 2050, it is predicted that myopia would affect roughly 50% of the global population.
According to a study by Chinese University of Hong Kong researchers that was published in the journal JAMA, children who take low-dose atropine eyedrops every night may postpone or perhaps avoid the beginning of myopia.
In East Asian nations, myopia is more common in youngsters.
According to Dr. Evan Silverstein, a paediatric ophthalmologist at Children's Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University, "we're seeing some increases in the U.S. population as well." However, the frequency is not as high as it is in East Asia, which is why many of these studies on myopia are coming from this region.

Places I like:

• Jim's Original - Probably my favorite fast food restaurant, the burgers are awesome. They're also open late night. Their next door competitor Express Grill is also very good IMO.
  
• Gharab Naweez - Prices are not bad at all. The biryani plates are very big, enough for two meals if you save half in a takeout box for later.
  
• Mochinut - I like their hot dogs and donuts, with a variety of flavors to choose.
  
• Zeus Restaurant - Their gyros are pretty good, and prices are reasonable.
  
• High Five Ramen - Kind of a stretch, but probably the best ramen around. Pricy though.
  
• Costco - The food court doesn't check membership so you can get food without a membership. Even with inflation, the dog and soda combo is still $1.50. For some reason I also like the taste and texture of their soft serve ice cream.
  

Places I dislike:

• Taco Burrito King - Overrated IMO. Food is mid, tacos meat is very wet and runny and I can't really explain it but the flavor isn't the best. Only good thing is they're open very late and very close walk from ARC.
  
• Joy Yee - I previously went to a different location in the suburbs a few times and the food wasn't that good. The one near UIC recently reopened, so I figured I try it. Pad thai was dry and rather bland, and boba tea wasn't really that good either (maybe better than the MyCha vending machines).
  
• United Table (SCE dining hall) - In fall 2022 semester the food was better. But now they don't change the menu as often as before, and on weekends the food is very mediocre. JST is better IMO, I'll probably write a separate thread about it sometime later.
  

Introduction:
Indore, the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh in India, is a city known for its rich cultural heritage, delectable cuisine, and warm hospitality. Whether you're visiting for business or pleasure, Indore offers a range of luxurious accommodations to suit every traveler's needs. In this blog post, we will explore the 10 best hotels in Indore that cater to the modern luxury lovers, providing a delightful blend of opulence, comfort, and impeccable service.
Radisson Blu Hotel Indore:

1. Situated in the heart of the city, Radisson Blu Hotel Indore offers contemporary rooms, stylish interiors, and state-of-the-art amenities. With multiple dining options, a rooftop pool, a fitness center, and a spa, this hotel ensures a lavish and memorable stay.

Sayaji Hotel:

1. Sayaji Hotel is synonymous with luxury and grandeur. It boasts well-appointed rooms, fine dining experiences, and world-class facilities. The hotel's warm ambiance and personalized service create an inviting atmosphere for guests.

Marriott Indore:

1. Marriott Indore is an upscale hotel renowned for its elegant design and exceptional hospitality. With spacious rooms, exquisite restaurants, a rejuvenating spa, and a well-equipped fitness center, this hotel promises a sophisticated and comfortable stay.

Chokhi Dhani Indore:

1. Chokhi Dhani Indore Hotel offers a refreshing and vibrant ambiance for modern travelers. Built to capture and deliver the rich authentic Rajasthani heritage and cuisine to its guests, Chokhi Dhani Indore proves to be the best travel destination for local and international travellers.

Effotel Hotel Indore:

1. Effotel Hotel Indore is a luxurious property that offers a perfect blend of comfort and convenience. Its well-appointed rooms, exceptional dining options, and state-of-the-art facilities make it an ideal choice for luxury seekers.

Hotel Amar Vilas:

1. Hotel Amar Vilas is a boutique hotel that exudes elegance and charm. The hotel's beautifully designed rooms, gourmet cuisine, and attentive service ensure an unforgettable experience for guests.

The Red Maple Mashal:

1. The Red Maple Mashal is a boutique resort known for its serene ambiance and luxurious amenities. With spacious rooms, a swimming pool, a spa, and an in-house restaurant, this resort provides a tranquil retreat for modern luxury lovers.

Fortune Landmark Hotel:

1. Fortune Landmark Hotel offers a blend of luxury and convenience in the heart of Indore. Its well-appointed rooms, exquisite dining options, and modern facilities make it a preferred choice for discerning travelers.

Hotel Infiniti:

1. Hotel Infiniti is a contemporary hotel that offers a luxurious stay with its stylish rooms, fine dining options, and modern amenities. The hotel's warm hospitality and attention to detail ensure a memorable stay for guests.

​
Conclusion:
Indore's hospitality industry has witnessed a remarkable transformation in recent years, offering a range of luxurious accommodations for modern luxury lovers. These 10 hotels and resort in Indore exemplify opulence, comfort, and impeccable service. Whether you're seeking a centrally located hotel or a serene retreat, Indore has something to suit every taste. So, indulge yourself in the lap of luxury and create unforgettable memories in the cultural haven of Indore.

Visiting for the weekend.
Staying in Las Colinas but no issues driving to FW!
Looking for something going on in town this weekend, the best brewery in this area, restaurants that are an absolute must, etc.
Thanks in advance!

This night was the worst night I’ve had since I started taking this seriously about 2 and a half months ago. I have been out of town for the last week with family so I haven’t been able to have any form of communication with people other than my family which made me feel really rusty. On top of that I have this imagine in my head that I’m a very good looking dude (for reference look up coach Kyle on YouTube that’s kind of what I look like) but the day before I messed up my beard and had to shave a lot of it off which made me feel really insecure even tho I know it doesn’t matter for some reason it made me feel very in my head. So going into the night was very nervous and anxious. Which I haven’t felt since before I started gaming 2 months ago. Still I had a total of about 5-6 sets.
First set was probably the hottest girl I talked to of the night. She was about a 5’7 beautiful Latina girl with thick legs brown/highlight hair with an accent dressed to the 9. I was sitting with friends and one of them commented on her and I knew i had to approach. The first time I tried I pussied out I walked passed her did a turn around, gathered my self and approached. I was super nervous I could tell everything was off my voice tonality, body language, eye contact. Dispit this the first 2 minutes went very well. She was laughing as I was making jokes that pertained to the nights theme. The part that messed me up was giving a false time constraint which in heinsight is pointless in a bar plus her other friend was occupied so no reason to do that. On top of that I was talk vomiting where I kept filling in the space when I should have left some silence. So I said some joke that didn’t really make sense and she could tell I got in my head about it and said, you should go back to your friends (which was my time constraint) in a nice way. up until the last 10 seconds it was going good tho could have flirted more. Proud of myself for opening even tho every inch of my body was telling me not to do it. So good start.
She was 9/10
Second set was a cute faced Latin girl with a petite frame in an orange shirt and had a really nice butt lol. I approached her in the bar she was waiting for her friend to order. We chatted and could tell she really liked me. Asked me questions and displayed a lot of iois. Still rusty tho and for some reason ejected myself from the set for no reason. I notice it’s a trend, especially with last night I did that 5 times. I need to nip it in the butt. Could tell the attraction was there since she kept looking at me all night. Fumbled the bag cause she was def my type.
She was 7.5/10
Third set was a slim tall black haired white skinned Hispanic girl with a pink highlight and pink nose ring which I commented on when she was walking past from the bathroom. I again start off solid, complimenting her nose ring saying I think it’s glowing (cause of the lights in the bar) she began talking and tbh I zoned out got in my head and wasn’t listening so I didn’t know what to say and ended the convo saying have a goodnight. Turned around and I could see her still standing there, I’m confident she still wanted to talk to me. My friend I was with also tells me that she went and told her friend about it so probably a good thing. Again shot myself in the foot. She would had been down to hang forsure. I should have told her let’s go meet your friend and bring my friend along to wing. Smh
She was a 6.5/10
Next set was a group of 3 girls I was walking past leaving the bar and noticed this cute Asian girl. Petite frame super cute face basically just a cute Asian girl wearing a super funny shirt. It said “guys are good as pets “with a hand drawn picture of a girl holding a leash with a guy on his knees being walked around like a dog. I said that shirt is so fucking cool! all the girls got really happy and her friend said she made it which I thought was pretty dope. I then for some STUPID reason said “that’s so cool just wanted to tell you that have a great night.”IM HONESTLY SO PISSED WRITING THIS THINKING BACK SINCE THATS AN EASYYY way I could have sexualized things with her if I would have just STAYED IN THE FUCKING SET! I’m actually really mad now writing this cause she was so cute lol.
She was a 8/10
Another set was outside patio of the bar this very exotic looking Latin girl with hair that looks like she’s from the 80s. I went up and said “your hair looks so cool you look like you’re from the 80s” in which her friend gasses her up saying she does. I then made a comment that she looks kind of like Jenna Ortega. She didn’t really but kind of so I said it and she laughed. I said you should cross play as Wednesday, in which she responded by doing the dance 😂 (this is why I love girls they can be so fun) I then talked about her playing the chello. I could see she kind of gave me the hot girl blasé, (playing hard to get) so I got nervous since I felt she wasn’t into me so I left. my verbal game was on point with her I applaud myself for that. I feel like I lost her interests in the set because of my bad eye contact, and body language. So i defaulted by self sabotaging. Smh
She was a 8/10
Tried talking to this small girl. She was one of those stuck up girls who think there so hot but I approached and she didn’t even really look at me and just said something I don’t remember but could tell she wasn’t intrested at all so I left. Instant blowout which Im proud to say I really don’t have those much anymore so it was kind of weird. No worries tho.
She was a 7/10 ironically lol
Funny enough later on that night there was this trans girl that looked just like her so I tried to reopen thinking it was the same girl and she was obviously really into me from the jump but as soon as she opened her mouth I could hear her voice and I was like fuckkkk 😂💀💀 my friends were with me too and I instantly said bro let’s go get a drink and left. Funny af
Second to last set was a very cute/pretty Latin girl in a green shirt. I commented on it while she was sitting with her friend. She had an adorable smile which I told her. She was interested since at this point in the night I had quite a bit to drink so my eye contact and body language was on point. We went back and forth joking and asking question. And I actually didn’t self sabatoge this time lol. Where I think I lost the set was 1 I could have slightly been slurring my words which Idk how girls feel about that but to me it’s a bit of a turn off so there’s that and also I made the mistake of not introducing myself to her friend. After a few minutes of talking she said I need to get back to my friends now and got up and walked inside. (I guess she has other friends there too idk) I did the best with eye contact and body language here only problem is it happened cause I was drinking. But I mean still good interaction non The less
She was 8.5/10
Last set was a 2 set. They were cousins one was a 6.5/10 my target was a 8.5/10 small petite pretty face nice body. I forgot what I was saying talked about a bunch of nonsense. They were nice but I wasn’t getting any IOIs from my target girl so when I don’t I tend to leave since I don’t want to make them uncomfortable but definitely should have stayed in set since they were cool. I could have definitely turned her around if my eye contact voice tonality and body language were good
Main takeaway.
I need to stop ejecting myself. If I didn’t eject myself it would have been really on with 3 of the girls I talked to that night. I could tell instantly how much they liked me and if I didn’t fuck myself over by being a little bitch I could have possibly pulled or atleast got some very solid numbers. Proud of myself for taking action regardless of how I felt but mad at myself for fumbling the bag so hard all night long. But todays another day.

So I’m young I just graduated junior year and one of my best friends is dating a sophomore.
During most of last year this group of pretty popular girls would harass and laugh at them all the time. The main girl tried to date her bf ( a freshman at the time and a sophomore for a little of it) and I’m guessing she’s jealous.
Being a senior in highschool in going out of your way to bully a younger couple seems like jealousy to me
I told my friend to file a bully report and she did and after that they stayed away and backed off. But now that summer has begun she came to her workplace. They made puking sounds and basically just made fun of her and harassed her while she was working a restaurant window.
They got in a fight over messages and she threatened to come back and she even gave her address and told her to I guess come find her there.
So she’s instigating fights and harassing and bullying her at work now.
What can she do?? I told her next time it happens to maybe record it but I don’t know what kind of options she has legally.
The devil on my shoulder says send the screenshots of the bully body shaming her, and saying tons of insane shit to her college or something or go to her address but because I’m not a criminal or a psycho I will refrain from recommending those options. Any help would be nice

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🌸 Looking for my second player in life! I’m a nerdy black girl from America who enjoys things such as nature, reading, nature and history documentaries, and video games. 🌸
Right now, I work at a fast food restaurant while I’m waiting to go back to school (I’m a biology major). Since people ask, I don’t hate my job at all. I hate the customers. The people at my work are great, sure, my managers could be better but I only stick around because I love the people there. We have a lot of good memories together, especially outside of work. (☆｀• ω •´)ｂ
Anyways, besides that. I would consider myself very extroverted, I am the type of person to make plans with people and get us all together. I tend to be shy and stick to myself, but once I am comfortable I will not shut up. I have adhd as well so my energy levels are usually up and I’m very excitable.
Physically, I find myself attracted towards asian men the most. Not sure why. 😭 I also prefer a partner taller than me (I’m 5’0”). If you don’t hit those boxes though, its not a turn off for me. Just what my silly woo woo brain finds attractive for an idea.
Above all though, I find myself interested in hard working men with ambition. I work very hard between my job and school. I can’t see myself being with someone who doesn’t reciprocate that energy.
Videos of me since I’m 🦋extra🦋
https://imgur.com/HhDmj0w
https://imgur.com/a/mT6Wo92
https://imgur.com/a/dSuoOeF

So I started a job a month ago and the place is a bit disorganized, and when they hired me they didn’t ask if I was planning any vacations, nor did they inform me on their vacation policies. It’s a restaurant job so it’s not a big deal and they know that I’ll be quitting at the end of summer. But my family had a vacation planned for end of July to mid august. I don’t know how much notice is reasonable to give my boss about this? They aren’t the best bosses and they’ve made it clear that they don’t respect my time (making me work on days I had off even when I had important plans), so I don’t really care that much about them and their time. However, I would like to use them for a reference in the future, and I’d rather that they didn’t fire me when I tell them because I need as much money as possible, especially since I’ll be losing out on 3 weeks of work this summer.
Basically; how much notice should I give them about my vacation?

I have had on/off driving anxiety ever since I got my license many years ago. My parents both have history of severe anxiety/depression issues that have been passed to me and have the tendency to be VERY risk-averse and overprotective (they are Asian), but I would not say they are overbearing-they allowed me to live far from home and be relatively independent in some ways.
It took me four attempts to pass my driving test and I know my main reason was I was anxious and rushing to take the exam without working through my anxiety and fears, and the examiners only compounded that. Before my exams when I had my permit, I felt my dad seemed somewhat encouraging, his practice was to drive me to areas where are there long ongoing roads. The practice was not bad first few times, but I think it was just literally driving straight for an hour or two (no turns, no actually getting used to parking or whatever). After I failed my tests, my dad let me drive for practice, even let me drive on highways though I know he felt hesitant. I even got used to the route since I did it every Saturday four-five weekends in a row. We got a new car that primarily became the car I'd drive and I felt like my dad's attitude in a nutshell was was partially supportive but partially hesitant.
The first time I decided I'd drive alone was a few months after I got my license and to just a local bus stop. My dad followed me the whole ride even though I insisted I wanted to do it alone.
After that, he slowly let me drive to school which was 40 mins away. However, he refused to let me drive on the interstate because I needed more practice (even though I drove those four-five weekend routes).
I started slowly becoming more confident, took my car to campus. However, I never drove on the freeway. Even though I could disobey my dad and take my car on the freeway, I felt worried about making a mistake and my dad getting mad at me for not listening.
My mom doesn't live in the same state as my dad and I had to drive locally when visiting her because I was taking a community college course. I started driving there too and with her we even made a long road trip on the freeway where I drove 8-9 hours. When I told my dad, he was proud of me and felt that is the way to build confidence. I drove my dad too twice through VERY busy new york city freeways to prove I could drive. I could tell he was nervous and squirming in his seat the whole time but told me later that I am a good driver and that he is just nervous. However, he still did not let me drive alone on freeways despite these things.
Unfortunately, I let my driving anxiety get the best of me and stopped driving all together for a year. I had to start driving again for work purposes and drove familiar routes. When I started feeling comfortable again, I told my dad there is an event going on where I may need to use the freeway and he was like "you don't have to go there if you are not required". He did not feel comfortable with me going on the freeway after my hiatus.
After all of this, again driving anxiety got the best of me. I once drove and made a mistake and slightly bumped into a car when reversing. No damage, but the emotional toll of it made me stop driving completely for 5+ years. I was comfortable not using a car at all.
Then one random day, my dad was like "how about you drive" when we were driving together. I was like no I don't want to but we did. I was uncomfortable but somehow he believed in me.
When the pandemic happened, I realized I need to learn to drive again. By this point, I am in my late twenties and obv don't need my parents permission, but I notice I sometimes I am looking for reassurance. I have had many times in life where people don't believe in me and somebody telling me they believe in me is all I need to feel confident.
My dad said he believes I can certainly drive and even on freeways now after some practice. The first few drives after my hiatus were uncomfortable and it felt like I was a rookie all over again. I also flat out refused to drive sometimes on the freeway, even when my dad was encouraging I do so. However, I got over that and started driving on the freeways too, even driving as far as 3-5 hours in NYC freeways as well.
The thing is, even though my dad has sometimes been encouraging and said "you drive better than most people I know", he still makes a lot of critiques and comments. He also goes overboard to make sure I am "safe". For example, we went to a local farm and we were reversing from the area. It was not tight and there were people and families, but it was like your typical parking lot. He felt anxious that there were so many families and kids, he jumped out of the car and started to guide me out. I felt really bad because I wondered what if I drove here alone, would I even be able to do this by myself? When I went home I told him that and this is crippling my confidence in myself but he felt that it was the right thing to do.
There are times where he has impulsively pushed the steering wheel saying I am too close when I do not think I was that made my driving even more distracting. Thankfully he does not do that anymore. He always makes comments about my lane changing technique saying that I should leave the indicator on "for a longer time" before changing lanes. The thing is, I feel by this point I have gotten the signal, lane change, over the shoulder go technique relatively well (he doesn't look over the shoulder). I do not like leaving the indicator on too long as I think that confuses people or even turn it off and wait. I appreciate his feedback sometimes, but sometimes it can be more confusing for me. I took a refresher course recently and the instructor taught me to drive a little more aggressively than my dad does (it was in a city)-my dad is adament on "slowing down" too much sometimes and he even suggests alternate routes than the GPS says to avoid "certain routes" that may be "trickier". However, when we actually have taken these routes, they are not terrible and I don't know if these are actually coming in the way of my driving anxiety progress. When I was test driving for a new car, he told the instructor "she's unfamiliar with this area, so can we not go too out of the way".
My driving progress was going very well and I was conquering freeways, local roads and all. I got a new car, but VERY unfortunately, I drove at a gas station where there was an angled bollard out of my view and it significantly scraped my car. My dad was with me and agreed that he also was shocked because he didn't see the bollard. I refused to drive for months and we took a while to see how to even get my car fixed. At first, my dad was telling me to sell my car to him as he is fine with driving with cosmetic damage and buy a whole new car to avoid insurance and my rates going up. I cried so hard because it was literally the craziest response I've heard-I had no willpower to go through the buying process again. However, he later said "sometimes I just say things, you don't have to get upset" and we agreed getting the car fixed is the better idea.
Some months later, my car is fixed and now I am slowly starting to drive again. I feel like the thing with my confidence is-some days I feel confident and do want to drive. When I ask my dad about possibly driving alone to a place where there might be more traffic, he's like "well how about you drive with me first, you do not have to push yourself". He keeps saying he doesn't want to push me, which means that he doesn't want me to try to get out of my comfort zone. I have discussed this with a therapist and she said she feels my parents "guard" me quite a bit.
I feel bad for complaining because I am close to my parents and they've let me do a lot more than their own siblings have let their kids too, but I have vented and gotten upset by their behaviors. I feel like the issue is that everytime I express a little anxiety, my parents take it to another level. I don't know what to do. The more my parents baby me sometimes, the more my anxiety and hesitation flares up but sometimes I don't know if I even blame them as parents. Maybe if I were in their shoes, I'd do the same.....I just don't know how to help myself get over this.

Chapter 4: The Dew
We have a new cast member for this chapter! Her name is Molly, and let’s just say she’s the MVP.
It was almost noon when I woke up. Faaaaack! I scrambled to get dressed, slap on a little makeup, put my hair in purple pigtails, ask myself whether I was dolling myself up for FPB or for Axton... Yeah, that was a no-brainer. I engaged in basic some humaning (brushing teeth, applying deodorant, etc.), spritzed on some men’s cologne called Spicebomb (FPB really was kind of right about that), put on my new shoes, and dashed out the door. I looked at my phone to see if I had a missed call or an angry text from FPB. Nope. Good! He must have still been passed out.
I Ubered to FPB’s place to get my car, then I drove back to Sage’s house and parked on the side of the street. There were four Molly Maid vehicles in the driveway. I checked the door. It was unlocked. Was it possible that my absence might have gone unnoticed? As I entered the house, I could hear one of the professional cleaners yelling at Sage. I’ll call her Molly.
Molly: I’m charging you TRIPLE! I had to call in SIX extra girls. We clean up vomit, pee pee, poo poo, and your house smells like a distillery! You are nasty, nasty people!
I was damn near pissing myself laughing. One of the professional cleaners swooped past me, and I felt embarrassed to even be associated with these nasty, nasty people (even though all of them except for FPB had been super nice to me).
I found my way into the kitchen and accidentally interrupted Sage and Athena arguing over who was going to pay the cleaning bill. Sage was in favor of splitting it between the chummers, and Athena was in favor of sticking Mori with the bill since his nasty, nasty rules caused the nasty, nasty mess.
I cleared my throat so it didn’t seem like I was eavesdropping.
Athena: OP! Hey! Where have you been all morning?
Me: I ran home to get some sleep. The snoring was pretty loud...
Athena: I hear ya. We sleep in Sage’s bedroom, but Mori makes all the others sleep in the War Room or on the porch. You might be able to convince him to let you sleep in the guest room tonight?
Me: Isn’t it your house, Sage? I’ll play by your rules.
Sage: Yeah, but Mori’s in charge during Shadowrun weekends.
Damn, this really was starting to feel like a fucking cult. But I still found Mori hella amusing despite all his absurdities.
Me: Hey, guys? How much hell am I about to catch from FPB?
Sage: That would be... none. He’s still passed out in the backyard.
I made my way to the porch. I guess the cleaning crew hadn’t gotten there yet. There were toppled cups, empty liquor bottles, and several piles of puke on the porch; and the distinct scent of boozy pee clashed in an act of olfactory violence with the scent of stale vomit. I didn’t even want to take a single step outside. I was wearing my brand new shoes, after all! But the rest of my outfit was blissfully casual.
FPB’s absurdly formal clothes were draped over the hammock, and he was sprawled across a lawn chair in nothing but his black boxer briefs, snoring like a freight train.
Axton was sitting on a dry patch of the steps that led down to the yard, smoking a cigarette, and drinking what I hoped was coffee. Snorlax was passed out in the inflatable kiddie pool. And Mori was nowhere to be seen. Axton turned around and noticed me. Surely he didn’t remember trying to kiss me the night before. I mean, I kind of hoped that he did... but it would make my life a whole lot easier if he didn’t.
Axton: OP! Where did you run off to after you put us to bed?
Me: I went to sleep.
Axton: Where?
Me: Ummmm...
Axton: I won’t say anything to FPB, don’t worry.
I wanted to believe him. “I went home. I wanted to sleep in my own bed, and I wanted to have my car in case I get tired again. I seriously can’t keep up with you guys.”
Axton: That’s probably not anything to be ashamed of. Wanna come sit? Have a smoke?
I scanned the porch. “I’m not sure where it’s safe to step.”
Axton put his cig in the ashtray and stood up. “Combat boots to the rescue.”
He crossed the porch, picked me up, and carried me to the puke/pee/booze-free step. As he was putting me down his hand very deliberately grazed the length of my spine. Guess he remembered... I couldn’t seem to pull my hand off his shoulder, nor could I seem to take my eyes off his lips. But just then, FPB stirred. And he roared, “UNHAND MY GIRLFRIEND, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!”
He tried to stand, but his tall, hungover ass just withered to the ground.
Me: Good morning! Don’t worry. He was just helping me protect my new shoes.
FPB: So help me, Pretty Boy. If you touch my girlfriend again, I WILL END YOU.
Axton: Just trying to be gentlemanly, buddy. You want some coffee?
FPB grunted.
Axton turned to me. “You want some, too?”
FPB: DO NOT SPEAK TO HER, YOU FUCKING SKIDMARK.
Me: I’m good. I’ll hit Mori up for some coke later on.
Axton laughed and headed to the kitchen.
FPB: YOU WILL NOT GET COKE FROM MORI. I WILL LITERALLY KILL HIS (expletive slur deleted) ASS IF HE GIVES YOU COKE.
Snorlax was stirring in the kiddie pool.
Snorlax: FPB... Chill, bro. Seriously. God damn. You’re gonna pop a vein in your forehead.
Okay, it’s finally time to pause and give you guys some background on my relationship with FPB. It might be mildly triggering for some, so apologies in advance.
He repulsed me at first. I thought he was a snob, I hated his beard, and his circus freak height intimidated me a little. But he managed to humanize himself. He feigned vulnerability. He was attentive and affectionate (at first). And when we finally went on a proper date, it was actually pretty romantic. Plus, he had cool Bioshock tattoos! I wouldn’t find out about his Shadowrun tramp stamp until a bit later.
And I felt like I was gaining some maturity by looking past the unsightly beard, the constantly furrowed brow, and the shocking amount of time he spent standing on the most random soapboxes one could possibly imagine. I’ll also shoehorn in the fact that he had been “dating” a possessive, obsessive legbeard and I found myself feeling like a white knight for helping him out of that annoying situationship.
FPB’s triumphant, and probably fabricated, stories of his past facilitated empathy. He had dropped out of college to join the Peace Corps. He once pulled over to save a child from a burning vehicle. He had been bullied in middle school for being the only boy in the Color Guard. Blah, blah, blah. It was mostly a load of bollocks, and I’ll save the ridiculous details for another story. But his displays of affection in the early stages of our cursed courtship seemed sincere, and I believed him when he said that my “being there for him” was helping him grow as a person. What a rube I was.
The emotional connection gradually ran deeper as a result of FPB’s exceptionally well-rehearsed vulnerability act, but it was hardly a romance novel. After several relatively normal “getting to know each other” months, I discovered that FPB had been notoriously promiscuous in the past. A lothario, through and through. Many women apparently knew all about the “ladies’ man maître D” in midtown Wellsprings who would go home with absolutely ANYONE.
And I soon figured out that he had not left his promiscuous past behind him... at all. But even if I hadn’t become aware of his reputation, I could often smell his sexual escapades once he felt confident enough to interact with me immediately after he’d gone muff diving. His beard stank like a turtle tank, with heavy top notes of body odor and microwaved fish, and undertones of stale urine, dingleberries, and sometimes a gentle waft of rotting tampon.
He’d also had to treat his foul flavor-saver for pubic lice on a few occasions. I know I mentioned his beard crabs earlier, but it bears repeating (if only for the cringe). I can’t even begin to explain how humiliating the state of his beard was for me. I take care of all manner of personal hygiene, and I’ve certainly never had CRABS. To be known as the girlfriend of such a nasty beardo must have caused at least a few people to reasonably assume that I had a crab-infested crotch and a serious case of junk funk. #notmyjunk
Hindsight tells me that I didn’t care about his philandering because I wasn’t in love with him. His company wasn’t particularly enjoyable since he spent most of our time together complaining about “losers” on the internet and lambasting the insufferable management at the restaurant where he worked. But he could carry on lengthy conversations about luxury fragrance, which was... harmless. Plus, I enjoyed the idea of having a “boyfriend” since I was approaching 30.
And FPB could convincing behave like the *perfect gentleman* on the rare occasions when we attended respectable social events together. So all of my friends thought I’d won the dating lottery by landing myself a quirky, intelligent, polite, and visually striking boyfriend. This dreadful dating experience tempts me to spout some unsolicited advice along the lines of, “Wait for the right *connection* with a person who makes your life more enjoyable, and don’t get hung up on your relationship status... YOU are enough.” But perhaps that’s something we all have to realize for ourselves.
Aside from the philandering, things ran pretty smoothly back when FPB was still keeping “the crazy” under wraps. His goblinization unfolded in tiny, almost imperceptible increments. And by the time he had become a full-blown possessive lunatic, every attempt to end things with him resulted in death threats, slander, vandalism, bomb threats, or false police reports. I could easily write an entire lengthy story about every disastrous breakup attempt. But they wouldn’t be amusing stories. At least this current story has moments that I can try to frame as humorous, largely thanks to the Shadowrun crew.
I suppose the most honest answer as to why I had given FPB chance after chance is that I had absolutely NO prior experience being emotionally close to severely mentally unstable people. I’m one of the lucky ones who has never suffered from mental illness aside from occasional situational depression and some mild body images issues when I was a teenage girl on the high school drill team. I grew up in a loving family. And the only other serious romantic relationship I’d had prior to FPB fell apart because we were just in different stages of life (he was quite a bit older), and we eventually found ourselves unable to relate to one another. Nothing horrifying.
FPB was much closer to my age, we had common interests, and he was a (seemingly) genuine gentleman at first. Our relationship was like Beauty and the Beast... in reverse. I’m not so much comparing myself to Belle as I’m comparing FPB to a kind-hearted prince who gradually transformed into a stomping, snarling, tantrum-throwing BEAST.
Any desire that I’d ever felt for him died from poon fume inhalation. And FPB was pitifully butt-hurt when I closed the cookie to him. And despite displaying no interest in showing affection towards me, despite having countless randos at whom he could wiggle his whisky wang, despite griping incessantly about my terrible personality, my wretched taste in music, and my annoying sense of humor, he refused to end the relationship.
But if I so much as spoke to another man, FPB would call the police and report him as a TCAP Story, vandalize his property (usually with poop and/or semen), stalk him relentlessly, or make a slanderous website, crudely photoshopping the poor guy’s face onto obscene images that he got off the deepest, dingiest, most dumpster-fiery recesses of the dark web. This “retaliation technique” would eventually get his ass incarcerated, but not until many, many unfortunate girlfriends later.
Everyone had always told me that, “Relationships are HARD.” Guys, gals, non-binary pals... if you ever feel the need to cough out this fetid tonsil stone of “wisdom,” please operationally define the word “HARD.” If a relationship feels like a prison sentence and you find yourself fearing for your safety or for the safety of your loved ones, that isn’t “hard.” That is coercive control. RUN. But never forget that running is often much, mucheasier said than done. There’s no shame in getting help from friends, family, and law enforcement.
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So, where were we? Snorlax was telling FPB to chill out, Axton was going to get some coffee for the lanky, bearded ball of rage, and I was standing on the one clean step, hoping the cleaning crew would come outside and save us all.
FPB was flailing about, trying to achieve a sitting position. Snorlax seemed to have gone back to sleep. And Axton returned to the porch with a cup of coffee and a bottle of water. He made his way down to FPB.
FPB: You’d better stay far, FAR away from her for the remainder of the weekend.
Me: Funky, he’s helping your hungover ass. And he hasn’t been inappropriate towards me in any way.
(That was kind of a lie. But I suppose it all depends on what you consider “inappropriate.”)
FPB harumphed.
Me: I promise you that I’ll punch him in the face if he makes me uncomfortable. Otherwise, please let me get to know your friends. You said that was an important part of the weekend.
Axton sat down the hangover remedies next to FPB’s lawn chair.
Axton: You want some Advil?
FPB nodded, and Axton took the pills out of his pocket and handed them over. FPB washed the pills down, took a few sips of lukewarm coffee, and leaned back in the chair, groaning miserably.
I sat down on the clean step and lit up a cigarette. Axton left FPB to his own devices and approached me cautiously. I gestured for him to come sit next to me. Axton grinned sheepishly, took his cig out of the ashtray, and sat down on the step. I wanted to keep FPB under control, so I said under my breath, “We’d better sit about two feet apart.”
Axton and I both scooched away from one another, the ashtray serving as a buffer, and we continued to speak quietly so that FPB’s hungover groans would drown out our conversation.
Axton: Are you really gonna punch me?
Me: Are you gonna make me uncomfortable?
His grin faded a bit, “Have I made you uncomfortable? If I did, I’m so sorr...”
I made eye contact with him and held it for about 3 seconds longer than I would have held friendly eye contact and replied with my own sheepish grin, “Not at all.”
​
Snorlax was sitting up by that time and he seemed to be in a world of hurt as well.
Axton: Yo, Snor! You need some hangover helper, too?
Snorlax (groaning): Pleeeeeeease.
Axton got up to fetch Snorlax some coffee, water, and pills. Those combat boots were going to need to get hosed down before he went back inside. Especially with Molly and her pissed off crew still at the house.
In fact, I could hear Molly screeching at Sage again.
Molly: There’s more mess on the porch? What sort of mess? More poo poo? A lake of liquor? You people are ANIMALS. I’m never cleaning your house again!!!
Sage: Ummm... I think it’s just booze and pee. You should be able to just power wash it.
Axton: There’s a ton of puke out there, too.
Molly: Jesus, save us all.
Axton ran to Snorlax and delivered the hangover helper.
Axton: Dude! The maids are on their way, and they’re pissed off. We gotta disappear.
I put my cigarette out, stood up, and dashed over to FPB, who was still reclining in the lawn chair with a pained expression on his face.
Me: Funky? The maids are coming. We need to get out of here.
FPB: And go where?
Me: I don’t know! I’ve never done this before. I think Axton knows, but I’m afraid to talk to him.
FPB: HEY, FUCK-FACE. Where are we running off to?
Axton: Garage! Go around the side of the house.
Axton helped Snorlax stagger around to the garage, and FPB managed to wobble to his feet. As he was standing up, I noticed a whisky wee aroma and an extra dark patch of fabric near the crotch of his black underpants. While I guided him to the garage, I tried my darndest to keep his wet boxer briefs away from my clean shirt. His crotch was level with my mid-section, so I curved my body away from him and let him basically use my shoulders and arms as a walker. In the end, we all managed to enter the garage though the side door. It was dusty, musty and stuffy, but it was blissfully devoid of puke and pee. Well, aside from FPB’s underpants.
Sage must have anticipated that we’d take shelter from the angry maids in the garage because he came out from the house and opened the garage doors for us, letting in a nice breeze.
Sage: You guys good?
We all indicated the affirmative.
Sage: Excellent. Mori should be back from the liquor store pretty soon. And he’s picking up hangover food, too.
Snorlax: What’s he getting?
Sage: Taco Bell.
Seriously? Not only were they having to restock the booze, but they were also planning to chow down on Taco Bell to help with the hangovers? There was no way in hell that was going to help.
At any rate, FPB and Snorlax were chugging the remainder of their hangover helper and seemed to be gradually getting their sea legs back. Axton had apparently been awake a little longer than they had, so his hangover seemed to have passed. I’m just assuming this since I was forbidden to speak to him. And with the only two non-hungover people there forbidden to speak to one another, the garage was eerily silent.
We were all sitting on the dusty floor and FPB, still wearing nothing but wet boxer briefs, tried to pull me into his lap.
Me (getting up and crossing the room): HELL NO. You peed yourself. I’m not sitting in your lap until you go wash up and put on some clean underpants.
FPB: It’s not pee. It’s dew.
Axton: It’s piss, bro. I can smell it.
FPB (snarling): You shut your fuck-nugget mouth, Asshat.
Wow, Axton’s ability to exhibit no reaction at all to FPB’s venom was impressive. I might have to try that and see if it would work for me.
Snorlax: He’s right. It’s definitely pee. No shame, though. I wet my pants, too. I had to get up and change at like... 6 in the morning. It sucked.
FPB: OP, please get over yourself and come sit by me.
Me: No lap sitting.
FPB: Fine.
Me: Do you want me to go get your backpack so you can change?
“Chill out, Miss Uptight! We all wet our pants every weekend. It’s tradition,” he said as he wound his long arms around me from the side.
I felt like I was in a cage. I rolled my eyes, and I think Axton noticed my exasperated expression because I could see him snickering.
FPB: What’s funny, you DICK?
Axton composed himself, and Snorlax gallantly stepped up to save us.
Snorlax: He’s laughing cause I farted. Sorry.
Always a sucker for bathroom humor, I burst out laughing. Axton started laughing again, Snorlax started laughing, lifted a cheek and really did rip one this time. The butt wind even kicked up a little dust from the garage floor. That made all the reasonable people in the garage laugh even harder. But not FPB. No, he was fuming.
FPB: What the hell is really so fucking FUNNY? Someone fess up to me or I’m gonna start flaying you bitches.
Axton: Dude. For real. We’re laughing at a fart. (more laughter)
Snorlax (also laughing): Yeah, just the thought of Taco Bell gave me gas.
FPB’s fury just made it even funnier, and all of us were in stitches.
FPB: I know you’re all laughing at ME.
Yeah, I guess it did kind of start off that way. But by the time his rage was hitting the boiling point, we really were just behaving like overgrown children and laughing hysterically at a fart. And everything was ten times funnier because we had this “stick in the mud” sitting there getting outrageously offended by the laughter. You know the feeling, right? When you’re not supposed to laugh at something, it becomes even harder not to laugh? Or is that just me?
FPB: I’m getting dressed now. OP, come help me. You two jabronis can stay in here and laugh at each other’s farts.
Instead of heading to the hammock in the back yard where FPB’s clothes presumably remained, he entered the house through the garage door and headed straight for the guest room to retrieve his backpack. Good. Maybe he was at least going to put on some clean underpants.
But, no. He wasn’t. That would have taken away from the repulsive debauchery that his whizzy boxer briefs allowed him to revel in. He really needed to settle on a story. Was he such a wild, crazy party boy that he was too cool to care that he’d wet his pants? Or was he a pathetic drunk who’d passed out and managed to collect afternoon dew in the crotch of his boxer briefs (and nowhere else on his body)? We’ll never know. His Shadowrun tramp stamp was in full view as he bent down and grabbed his wallet from his black leather backpack. He then marched into the kitchen and told Sage, “Bring me a maid.”
Sage: Ummm... they’ve got their hands pretty full at the moment.
FPB produced a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet. “I want my clothes steam cleaned. And I’ll need them spritzed with perfume. Athena’s got some here, doesn’t she?”
Sage: Yeah... But you’re gonna have to ask HER if you want to use her perfume. And you’re gonna have to ask the cleaning crew to steam your clothes. They’re all pretty annoyed with me over the condition of the house. There’s a new head maid. I’m having to pay TRIPLE the normal cleaning fee, dude.
In my mind, the considerate action would have been to forego the steaming and offer the cash to Sage, since FPB’s sparkle vomit and spilled liquor definitely contributed to the mess. Instead, FPB exited through the front door, made his way around to the backyard, and began removing his clothes from the hammock. The maids shrieked. FPB ignored the shrieks, gathered his clothes, and sauntered back into the house. Once we were back indoors, we could hear Molly going over the bill with Sage.
FPB: AHEM. Madam, I need these clothes steam cleaned.
He thrust his suit and the hundred-dollar bill in her direction.
Molly: Excuse me??? We were hired to clean this disgusting house. You want your clothes steamed, go to the drycleaners.
She sniffed the air.
Molly: And go take a shower. You smell like a diaper.
I stepped in. “Hey. Sage? Do you mind if I steam FPB’s clothes in the guest bathroom?”
Sage: Fine by me.
I pulled FPB aside. “Give me your clothes. You peed in your sleep after you took you suit off right?”
FPB: IT’S DEW.
Me: It doesn’t matter. Your underwear’s wet and you need to put on a dry pair. In the meantime, I’ll go in the bathroom, hang your clothes up, get the room steamy from the shower, and then they’ll at least be a little less wrinkled. We used to do it all the time in college.
FPB: But those bitches have professional equipment. If they can steam carpet, they can steam a suit.
Me: I think it’s a different type of steamer.
FPB: Oh, you’re an expert on steamers?
Me: Not the Cleveland kind.
Damn it, Mori would have appreciated my attempt at an obvious dirty joke.
FPB harumphed, and I put the plan into action. I turned the shower on as hot as it would go, sifted through FPB’s suit components carefully to make sure his pants were dry. Fortunately, they were. I hung the clothes as close to the shower curtain as I could without getting them wet and sat down to try and enjoy the steam room and the solitude. Maybe it would make me feel refreshed? But the sweetness of the solitude wouldn’t last, as I could hear a conversation taking place just outside the door.
Sage: What the hell, man? Why are you guarding the bathroom door?
FPB: I don’t want any of you pervs trying to walk in on my girlfriend while she showers.
Sage: Okay... I think she’s just in there steaming your fancy clothes.
FPB: She might be taking a shower, too. NAKED. I have to protect her from the male gaze.
Sage: Well... I’ve got a girlfriend. Mori’s not here, and Snorlax and Axton are both stand-up dudes.
FPB: I don’t trust Axton. I caught him picking her up on the porch, and then he tried to TALK TO HER.
Sage: “Picking her up” as in the crap you pull at work all the time? Or literally “picking her up” so she didn’t step in puke?
FPB: Uh... he made some lame excuse.
Sage: So... Picking her up so she didn’t step in puke. What a jerk.
FPB: Right?!
Sage: Listen, man. The door locks. And she’s a grown woman. Leave her alone for five minutes, for fuck’s sake. And put on some clean underwear.
FPB: IT’S DEW.
When I couldn’t take the steam anymore, I turned off the shower, retrieved FPB clothes, which did look spiffier, and opened the door to inhale the fresh, cool air. Ahhh! And the lovely cleaning crew had managed to get rid of the “poopy-pee-puke-pizza” pungency.
Apparently, being lightly mocked by the “vice principal” had embarrassed FPB enough to make him go find something better to do. No one was outside the door at that moment. I gathered FPB’s clothes, carried them to the guest room, and laid them out on the bed.
Now to find my seething anger ball of a boyfriend. Best guess? He was back in the garage, yelling at Axton and Snorlax. So that’s where I checked first.
I entered the garage from the house, and found Sage, Athena, Axton, Snorlax, and Mori all sitting around enjoying some Taco Bell and drinking beer. No FPB.
Me: Hey, guys! Have any of you seen a tall, angry guy in wet boxer briefs?
Mori: He’s on the back porch. Said he had to call his work.
Ah, yes. “Work.” That meant he was texting one of his randos. Probably the one who showed up at Sage’s house late last night.
Me: Beer me?
They all answered with a validating chorus of “Hell yeah,” and, “Go girl!”
I grabbed a beer from the cooler and scanned the room for a place to sit. Axton stood up and led me over to his spot.
Axton: Hey, guys! Who am I?
And then he pulled me onto his lap, wrapped his arms around me and started shouting in a caveman voice, “MY GIRLFRIEND. MINE. NO TALKING TO HER. DON’T EVEN LOOK OR I’LL STAB YOU IN THE EYEBALL.”
Everyone, including me, found this incredibly funny. And I was pleased to see that the whole team was acknowledging FPB’s absurdly possessive behavior. Maybe if the people he respected most in this world called him out on his insane possessiveness, he would reflect? Yeah, let’s see how that goes...
I stayed in this far too comfortable position for a minute or so. Axton was more muscular than FPB and he wasn’t “circus-freak tall,” so his lap was a much better fit. But I knew that if FPB rounded the corner and caught me sitting in another guy’s lap, he’d flip. Especially since my position in Axton’s lap had happened purely to make a mockery out of FPB. I leaned into him for a few more seconds, then slid over into my own cold, hard, lonely space.
Guess I needed to do some reflecting, too... Not because I was finding myself attracted to a guy who wasn’t my boyfriend. My boyfriend was a psycho and I needed to reflect on why I hadn’t been able to find an exit strategy that didn’t lead to terroristic threats or stalking.
Mori: I think I’ll add a new punishment tonight. But only for FPB. If he glitches, he has to sit in my lap and let me paw all over him. See how he likes it.
Me: Be sure to get a raging boner and jab him in the hip with it.
I couldn’t tell if the laughing that ensued was because I’d made a crude joke to the perfect audience or because I had unintentionally “called” the inevitable.
Mori (in a deliberately creepy tone): Oh, that won’t be a problem.
We laughed again.
And then, all the fun was sucked from the garage. FPB entered from the driveway and demanded to know what was funny.
Sage: Mori’s cooking up new punishments.
FPB: That’s... terrifying.
Me: Hey, I put your clothes in the guest room if you want to get dressed.
FPB: M’kay. I’m getting a beer first.
He cracked open a beer and headed inside. As he towered in the doorway, he turned to me.
FPB: You coming?
Mori: You need your girlfriend to help you put your clothes on? Are you in kindergarten?
FPB: Eat a dick, Mori.
Mori: Sounds delicious.
FPB shuddered and trudged inside. He hadn’t made any more demands that I accompany him, so I let him go put on his big boy pants all by himself.
*end of Chapter 4
As always, thank you so, so much for reading!
Hope to see you back for The Lap of Luxury!

I made an error with the title in my previous post, and didn't put the age in there. Sorry about that.
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Hey there! Apologies in advance for this really long-winded post.
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I'm a weirdo looking for a fellow weirdo to share his life with (then again aren't we all weirdos in our own little way, eh?!).
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I tried to keep the details as bullet points so it's easier to read while providing as much info as I could without turning the post into *too* much of a clod of text pollution, but I know it's still a lot!
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About me:
- 28M, 5ft9in (175cm), and fluctuate anywhere between 135lbs-140lbs (61-64kg). I would describe my body as thin but muscular
- Asian-American (American born Chinese, to be more specific)
- Non-religious, but agnostic
- Strictly monogamous
- ISTJ (if that matters to you)
- Liberal/left-leaning/progressive
- Working as a statistician, and also pursuing my (second) Masters while I work! I formerly worked as a biochemical engineer, but I grew to learn that I hated working in the labs
- Superficially, I have been often described as "what every Asian parent wants their daughter to date," if that helps to paint anything helpful. I'm not really that...especially since I'm childfree.
- Snipped and confirmed sterile! Drug and disease free, and fully vaxxed with booster (with proof for all to boot!)
- Can't drink due to crappy genes (but I don't mind if you do in moderation), don't smoke.
- Bilingual, but working on trilingual with Spanish! I currently can communicate at a CEFR B1 level, which means I still need to suck less.
- Outside of Reddit, I don't use any forms of social media. I find it's a lot better for my mental health, plus not a fan of the lack of privacy. With the new policies Reddit is implementing, it may be another one I'm going to be allergic to.
- Instead of the weird cat lady trope you hear about, I'm the whacky chicken man! Yes, I do raise chickens (as pets, but eggs are an added bonus!), but I like both cats and dogs too!
- I really enjoy cooking! While my cooking style originates from Chinese and Asian cuisines, I really like trying and cooking different foods, especially traditional Mexican and Peruvian dishes. To say the very least, I am NOT a picky eater at all
- I exercise. *A lot*. By that, I mean exercise at least 2 hours a day, distance/trail running, skateboarding (I wear protection!) and (poorly) surfing. For me, exercise (especially the running aspect) gives me time to meditate and self-reflect, and being out and about while doing that really helps me to do that and understand/control my emotions. Distance running allows me to do trail running as well and enjoy the sceneries that are otherwise harder to access. I'm slowly getting back to my old running distances after a nasty fall lead to a broken ankle 🥲.
- I still enjoy spending time indoors, however! Once I have more time, I'd really love to get into sewing my own clothes to suit my wonky tastes, and I'd *love* to grow my own garden of produce and natives.
- My humor can probably be best described as a bit...crude and "degenerate." Think It's Always Sunny in Philadephia, toilet humor and farts
- My main love language is quality time, followed by a balanced mixture of acts of service, words of affirmation, and physical touch. Not really a gifts person
- I take hygeine very seriously. Some may consider me as a bit of a clean freak, but I sweat a lot because of exercise, and because of my sensitive nose! Consequently, that also means I take COVID rather seriously. With a lot of my hobbies requiring me to be at a certain level of fitness, I'm not particularly willing to find out whether or not I will be affected by potential long term effects of COVID, especially with how little understanding we have of it. If that bothers you, please move on.
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What I am looking for in a partner:
- Child free (I think that's rather obvious though...or I'd hope it would be)
- Age 24-34. While I can be somewhat flexible about this, I would prefer not deviate much as people tend to be in dramatically different stages in their lives. This is particularly with the lower end of the age limit.
- Relatively liberal/progressive
- Someone who is relatively physically active/fit. As a person who really values physical fitness and quality time, it would be nice to travel and spend time together exploring trails and going the distance to view great sceneries in the outdoors. That being said, I have absolutely no expectation for one to exercise at the level that I do, as what I do is somewhat extreme
- BIG plus if aren't afraid to express yourself! This can be through means such as tattoos, the way you dress or present yourself, etc. Confidence and self-expression is sexy~
- Someone who is open with their communication. Please, please, please, if something is bothering you, let me know and don't let it fester and worsen over time. Being communicative with each other and dealing with the problem together is paramount for a healthy relationship. Likewise, if something were bothering me, I would do the same, and communicate it as well
- Someone who is independent and describes themself as self-sufficient. Self-care both internally and externally is important, and it's important to love yourself! Otherwise it won't be healthy for the mind or body
- Someone who also self-reflects and values self-reflection. It's important to examine our own shortcomings and continue to grow ourselves as individuals.
- Drug and disease free
- I have just a *slight* preference towards Asians due to similarities in culture and upbringing, but I'm honestly open to anything as long as we both are open and willing in learning each others' cultures and backgrounds!
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While I would prefer to remain local, I understand that the child free pool is quite small, and mine and everyone else's preferences and characteristics are unique, so I am not opposed to the idea of long distance, with the intention of closing the distance. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack! I don't intend to stay in the DMV area long term, and plan on moving to the West coast (or even past the West coast). A lot of my hobbies (both current and future) I have found in my experience were more suited there.
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For the sake of privacy, I won't post pictures of myself in this post, but I am happy to share pictures together through DMs/private messages! (either by Discord, Signal, or Reddit while I use it, etc.).
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Although I absolutely do not intend on having children, I'm not the sort of person that hates children. Rather, I'd prefer to be the cool uncle. The only exception is if a kid is really badly behaved, but that's also on the parents for letting their buttheaded kid act this way.
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Again, I am strictly monogomous. I'm not looking for anything regarding polygamous relationships, and I'm not interested in anything casual/FWB.
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While it would be nice to find partnership and share each others lives with each other, I will note that I am happy single, and by the end of the day I'd rather have no company than bad company.
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I know that this post is really long, but if you managed to read through all of it and if this post resonates with you, feel free to reach out! Or if you just have shared hobbies and walk to shoot the shit about that, feel free to hit me up too!
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P.S. A note to those others also looking: I know that searching for a partner is hard, especially as child free, so hopefully this can inspire some hope to you all. Stay persistent, but remember to take care of yourself and make yourself happy! I actually did meet and was in a relationship with someone from this sub, and while in the end it didn't work out, we ended it on friendly terms, and I still do truly wish the best for her. What I'm trying to say is that if you persevere and remain patient, you can find success!

As I continue my therapy, more and more memories of being abused are resurfacing. I was 14 and late August..i was going to start High School. No uniforms yet no jeans. My mom insisted I meet her at a downtown Toronto department store for the best selection. I told her that I was fine..return in 30 minutes. I picked out 4 pants and shirts (must have collar) Have to be let into change rooms as staff count items. Young Asian sales person takes me to last room and is inside to help me out. He turns away as I remove pants and can't get the first pair on. Quickly has measured my waist and inseam in my underwear as he groping my bum and brushes my growing bulge. " oh you like it" I froze He helps me with 2nd pair .they are ok. Again hands every where on my body. As he removes pants underwear accidentally get pulled...exposing my erection. Immediately try to fix..hands down my underwear... Not anybody around as this change room is a good 30 ft from locked door. He takes my hand to feel how nice his dress pants are..touchinghis erection and ass. My underwear are down as he kneeling gives oral as masterbating finishes all over me. He leaves to let someone else come in. Came back I was going out. Too scared again to report it thinkingthatIcausedit.

I’ve been living in Melbourne for study and for work, and being Japanese I’ve realised something pretty funny about my fellow Asian people in the city.
We love to queue up for restaurants. Could be any restaurant and there will be dozens of Asian people queueing in long lines for what I feel is like hours on end. I’m not different as well, which I believe is why I think it’s so funny.
I lived in France for a lot of my childhood also and looking back I never noticed Asian people there doing it, but in Melbourne on any street at any given time there will be large groups of Asian people queuing for restaurants, and I love it.

Oh my. This is my first Reddit post ever! Sorry this is pretty lengthy, trying to be thorough! I got so much help from reading through this sub that I felt compelled to share. I got tickets to see LCD Soundsystem over Memorial Day. It was my first visit to Red Rocks. I was very excited but pretty nervous. I adore live music but am also a highly anxious person. Unknown situations can really overwhelm me. I need to feel prepared when I visit new places. I am a fat person and a flatlander who is out of shape so I was extremely worried about how hard it would be to navigate the venue. I did many deep dives on this sub and others and am happy to report I had the perfect visit. Just wanted to share some info for those nervous Nellies like me.
My sister and I stayed at a Holiday Inn in Lakewood. This is far from the Denver Airport but a 15 minute drive to Red Rocks. It is a suburb - there were plenty of chain restaurants, coffee shops, and a Trader Joe's. While not overly exciting or interesting, it was very convenient and met our needs. Also! I highly recommended A Taste of Denmark, an absolutely devine Danish bakery.
We rented a car via Turo and decided to park at the venue. We went at 5 pm (doors at 6 show at 7)and parked in the Upper South Lot. Parking was easy and quick, the staff were friendly and helpful. There was a line of 50-100 people waiting by the fence for when the doors opened. We scoped things out around the parking lot. People had little screen tents, bean bag boards, and camp chairs set up. Since we weren't local/flew in we didn't have camp chairs, but if we had it would've been totally fine to set up by our car and chill until the doors opened or even wander around and talk to people. A crazy swirling dust storm whipped up for a few minutes so we just chilled in the car until the doors opened.
The entrance to the amphitheater from the Upper South lot is via a walk up a ramp that is STEEP but doable. Even my sister, who is in good shape, got a little winded. There was plenty of space and time to step to the side and catch our breath. Nobody was pushy or annoyed. We waited in line on the ramp for maybe 15 minutes and then were able to move through security. There were steps up to the security screening that were fine to navigate and not too difficult. Time to walk from car (front/middle of Upper South Lot) to security check point was less than 10 minutes total (not including wait time on the ramp).
I brought a draw string backpack (like the ones they give away at business conferences 😂). I had most of my things in a bunch of smaller bags and satchels-security didn't ask to go through any of the smaller bags. They had me open the top of my bag, kind of felt around, and asked if my water bottle was sealed. Easy peasy. There was a merch table to the left immediately upon entering. They were busy when we got in @ 6 (an hour before the show) but didn't have crazy long lines.
There are really nice bathrooms to your left as you walk towards the venue from this entrance. They are all gender bathrooms with big tall wooden doors/no gaps. It's like your own personal bathroom. These are the only bathrooms I used at the venue, before and during the show. I never waited more than 5-10 minutes in line.
The seating was broken up into GA sections and Reserved Seating sections. It was all clearly marked with ropes. We were in row 29, so not front row but not at the tippy top. The stairs are challenging, but again, we had plenty of space and time to stop and catch our breath. There are some hand railings on the left side but they do not go all the way up the amphitheater. So be aware that you may have to traverse stairs without the assistance of a railing.
My sister brought a picnic blanket that folds up with a handle. We unfolded it on our seats which was great to have this set out for once the shows got going and we wanted to sit and rest. We went right to our seats upon arriving. We really just took in the venue-the views and the vibes. The people watching is great. Each of us had time to check out merch, grab a drink, etc. I was not bored at all and was glad we went as early as we did. It made for a long day but it was worth it.
We only purchased 1 alcoholic seltzer and a bottle of water which were obviously expensive. I brought in 1 bottle of water (they have to be sealed) and wished I had brought 2. Everything is cashless-cards only. We did not try any of the food, although I saw a couple people go by with some tasty looking tacos and other fair style food. It would also be totally legit to throw a granola bar or sandwich into your bag if you think you'll need food (would definitely recommend if you are drinking). We ate right before we went to the venue and hit up a fast food drive thru at the end of the night and that was fine for us.
We had a group of people next to us-it was clear some of the friends had purchased Reserved tickets and their friends had GA tickets but were just going chill with their friends @ their Reserved seats - stacking each other 2-3 people deep per seat. They were nice and respectful. And during the openers I honestly didn't care. But before LCD started I did ask who all had tickets as the group was kinda jamming us up (they were obviously getting more and more intoxicated and dancing wider and wider into our seats). The guy who had the Reserved seat TOTALLY got it. I shared that we had come from out of state, paid for the reserved seats and this show was very important to me. He and his friends immediately apologized and had everyone on their best behavior, nobody was stepping in front of us during the show. We even kinda made friends with the dude and chatted a bit. His friends said something along the lines of 'oh we've only EVER been to GA shows so this assigned seating thing is hard.' 🙄 We had several people who were too drunk/high or trying to scam folks by being lost and unable to find their seats. They apparently decided to look for their seats 15 minutes into the LCD set. At that point in the game you are just out of luck. The seat numbers are on teeny tiny plaques that are not lit up. Figure out where your seats are before the chaos starts. We had to shoo them along because they were interrupting the show and weren't super aware of their behavior or surroundings.
I've read multiple articles and subs that have said marijuana is illegal to use in public! You can totally be arrested! This is definitely not the case. Everyone, everywhere was freely using drugs. It smelled of marijuana the whole show. Just a heads up if that bothers you. It is constant and potent. You can't get away from it, even in an outdoor venue! I had no problem with this but some people might care.
The show was at the end of May. I wore mid weight long pants, a t-shirt, and medium weight sweatshirt. This was the perfect outfit. No sweating and no shivering. We had a light comfortable breeze all night. It was a dream! I had packed a light jacket and rain poncho in my pack but didn't need either. This was easily stowed underneath our seats. I wore comfy running shoes. They aren't the most stylish but there is lots of uneven ground to traverse and you spend hours standing on cement which can be hard on the body and joints. Forget the cute heels for Red Rocks.
We stayed until the very end. MANY people left before the last song, I'm guessing to beat the traffic. Exiting the venue was slightly chaotic but uneventful. It took us 10-15 minutes to get back to the car. The ramp on the way back down is steep. I chose to use the hand railing just to be safe.
And then we zipped out of the Upper South Lot and down into Morrison in not even 5 minutes. We barely had to wait. I was expecting to sit for hours to exit per all the info I've read about parking at Red Rocks. It was a great surprise and a perk of going early!
I know this is a lot. Thanks if you read it all. Hoping by sharing I can inspire others to go. I was second guessing myself and my abilities prior to going and I'm so glad I didn't cancel! It was truly a once in a life time experience. Thanks to the info I found on reddit I felt pretty prepared and comfortable!

I (21F) met this guy (21M) off of a dating app in September of 2022. He had gotten out of a 3-year-long relationship 3 months prior and I had also gotten out of a much shorter (3 months) relationship around the same time. I wasn’t technically looking for anything serious at the time because I had gotten brutally cheated on and planned on just kind of having fun and getting back out there but after hanging out with this guy quite a bit, I caught feelings for him. After about a month of talking and going on dates, we both began introducing our friends to each other. One night we decided to introduce some of our friends and we all hung out together. (Side note: before I had met him he had been on a couple of dates with one of my friend's other friends whom I had only met a couple of times and was never close with)
During the night he ended up talking to my best friend and she ended up asking him if he was planning on asking me to be his girlfriend since things were getting more serious, he replied that he didn’t know what to do because he had just gotten out of a relationship and felt that it was still really early. Which I totally understood. During that night I later found out that he had talked to my other friend whose other close friend he had previously gone out with. At this point he was really drunk and ended up asking her about the previous girl and if she knew why she stopped talking to him and that he had really thought things were going to go somewhere with her, as well as some weird questions asking if she had talked about him and if she thought the sex was good. Knowing I would be upset by the fact that he was asking my friend about another girl my friend decided to wait until the next day to tell me. I was obviously upset but ended up deciding to sit on it before bringing it up to him. That night I was out with a friend and I showed her a picture of him and she had said that she matched with him on a dating app a couple of days prior. I was hurt and confused, he was actively on other dating apps and drunkenly asked one of my friends about another girl. I realized that I hadn’t really asked or talked to him about commitment and I had just assumed instead of asking so I technically couldn’t be upset about the dating app situation. But I was extremely hurt about the fact that he was asking my friend about another girl so I ended up cutting him off. This was very short-lived and I ended up going back. After about 3 weeks of doing this, I finally realized and decided that it was doing more harm to myself to stay in this situation than leave. So I ended up ending things He was very understanding and apologized that he couldn’t give me what I wanted. (I ended things around mid-December).
Flash forward to February: I had been doing really good and started to move on from him and the situation. I had opted for no contact and had not spoken to him since I had ended things. Right after Valentine’s Day, he called me. I honestly thought we had butt dialed me or something simply because of the fact that we hadn’t spoken since I ended things, so I answered. We talked on the phone for about 30 minutes and he said that he didn’t like how things had ended and he wanted to take me out to dinner. I was very hesitant and made it clear that I didn’t want to get hurt and he said that he knows and wouldn’t have reached out for no reason. Before going out to dinner, he had asked to come and see me and asked if I would go to the grocery store with him. I agreed and he came to pick me up. He ended up coming inside my apartment before we went to the store and immediately initiated sex (which I did give in to but also played my part in initiating it). A couple of days later we went out to dinner. It was an EXTREMELY nice restaurant that was very very expensive. We ended up having a great time. About a week later everything is going really well so I decided to stay the night over at his house. The following two days after he barely talked to me, he responded maybe twice to me over the span of 2 days while being very active on social media. This enraged me. I send him a long message about how I had told him he only had one more chance and that I wasn’t going to be used for sex and that if he could’ve communicated that he was busy or talked to me, I would’ve been fine. He read it and then never responded to the message. I removed him from all of my social media and kept no contact.
Flash forward again to May 29th he texts me saying that he just wanted to reach out and hoped I was doing well. I didn’t plan on responding to him but I ended up giving in and responding. He asks me if he could take me out again, and I said “You pissed me off last time”. He responds that he thinks we should just go out and have fun with no expectations and I respond that it is a good way for me to get my feelings hurt. He asks what situation will allow him to take me out again and I say that I wasn’t sure if there even was one and said that I couldn’t keep my feelings out of the situation like he could which he says “Well I keep coming back to you so false” I start getting angry and say that the only reason he keeps coming back is that he and I have amazing sex and he hasn’t found anything better and he says “That yes the sex is amazing but you fucking know I like seeing you, don’t bullshit me, you know I like being with you.” I then say "What happened last time then?" And he says “You were mad at me cause I was not texting good and was distant. I wanna see you though it’s that simple” I ended up ignoring those texts and he texted me a couple more times by which I ignored for a day or two until I finally decided to answer. I told him that I told him last time I’d only give him one more chance. I didn’t ask him for much and that maybe if he had really wanted me in his life, he would’ve gotten it right when I made it clear I’d only give him one more chance. He ended up responding and said he wish he had more of an explanation as to why he wasn’t responding and that he wasn’t planning on going anywhere, that he was having fun seeing me again but that I wanted to stop. I told him he put me into a situation that gave me a choice between being disrespectful to myself and allowing my needs to be brushed off or respecting myself and prioritizing my needs. Although he may not have planned on going anywhere and I didn’t think that he wanted our relationship to progress further than what it was He then said I didn’t give him the chance to explain what he wanted and he didn’t see why we couldn’t talk things out and see if what we want aligns together and that he would love to see me and talk things through even if it means moving slower and talking through next steps. So I eventually agree to talk to him which is supposed to happen in two days.
I’m really hesitant and I’m scared I’m going to get hurt again. He is a good person and I really do see potential in our relationship, I just don’t know if he actually sees that too.
I really can’t tell what his intentions are, he said he knows that he’s going to have to work and show me how serious he is for me to even consider us trying things let alone even having sex. Maybe it is obvious from an outside perspective but do you think he really wants to commit to me or do you think he is playing games and saying what he can to hook up? I’m nervous that he’ll just end up saying what I want to hear and not actually follow through with it. I know that last time I didn’t make it very difficult for him to get in my pants and I also initiated it but do you think him waiting and showing me with his actions will prove that he doesn’t just want sex or do you think he’ll do just about anything to get what he gets what he wants? He is a very very attractive man and I know he could easily just go get sex anywhere else, so I question if I'm just convincing myself that he just wants sex (I've been deceived and used in the past before so I question if that is interfering with this situation). Do men ever go back to someone just for sex if that person left them because they wanted a relationship? What kind of things should I ask him when we talk that might help me figure out if he is being genuine? Am I being dumb giving him another chance? I honestly just need advice and thoughts from an outside perspective.

My husband and I currently rent an adorable and peaceful little back cottage/ADU in Eagle Rock, and we are looking for someone to take over our lease on July 1st.
Rent will be $2250/month - including utilities! It’s also pet-friendly with plenty of private outdoor space for endless zoomies. The location is fantastic as well - it’s extremely safe, quiet and nicely tucked away in the gorgeous hillsides… Coming home feels like an escape from the chaos of LA, yet it’s only a 10-20 min drive to DTLA or Pasadena. You’ll also be close to so many great shops, restaurants and hiking trails. Eagle Rock is a true gem.
Like most studios, the cottage would be ideal for one person. But hey, we managed to make it work! So it all depends on your needs and living preferences. And since it’s a standalone unit located behind a main house that’s currently vacant (and available as well), you’ll have tons of privacy and no shared walls, as well as having the sweetest, friendliest neighbors you’ll ever meet. The cottage also has a gated parking spot, but street parking is so plentiful that we’ve never even needed it. The inside is bright, modern, stylish and recently renovated. You’ll have a massive attic for storage space, a big picture window (our dog is obsessed with it!), and washedryer hookups. To save you the hassle, you may purchase our current washedryer at a massive discount since we can’t bring it with us. We also have two big dressers we can leave behind for more storage as well.
As bittersweet as it is for us to leave, we had the best experience living here and we are now looking for a responsible new tenant who will enjoy and appreciate this rare and wonderful little cottage as much as we have. So if you’re interested, please DM me for more details! We are having a pre-showing this Sunday for serious applicants who have reach out to us directly After that, our landlord will open it up to everyone and list the place on Zillow. So I highly recommend beating that crowd by getting in touch with us beforehand!