Previous / First
Writer's note: The last section has a big time anime trope lol. And the best part is I hinted at some of it a bit in one of the recent chapters.
Enjoy.
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Amina stood nearly six inches taller than Nguyen as she approached and stood directly in front of him.
To his credit, he didn't balk as she glared down at him. He stood tall and straight and met her eye to eye, albeit at an upward angle.
"My husband has, or at least HAD, a lot of respect for you FIRST SERGEANT." She said sternly, ignoring Werner and the other soldier. "He lost a lot of that as a result of your..... inactions.... in the desert."
Nguyen's jaw clenched for a moment. "That makes two of us." He said in response.
Amina stared at him for a moment longer, then nodded and turned back to Werner.
"Arm your people." She said to the Ambassador. Then she looked down at Nguyen again. "Deploy them to the refugee sector to aide in the evacuation. Only fire at any golems that pose a threat or appear to be attempting to escape the perimeter of the cordon." She glanced at the other members of her command staff. "Restraining anklets stay on though. And you are to report in immediately once this has settled down."
Then she lowered herself a bit and spoke softly.
"And if any Earth personnel ever act against my people again. You will not have time to regret it, and you will not need James to be your executioner." She whispered into Nguyen's ears. Then she pulled back and looked him in the eyes again.
Nguyen swallowed, then nodded curtly.
"Understood." He said. Then he looked over at Werner, who nodded.
And with that the two Earth soldiers took off at a jog, leaving Werner behind.
As they turned the corner, one of the junior officers from earlier came running around the corner with a large jar.
"Your pickled onions General." The soldier said uncertainly.
Amina grabbed the jar greedily and moved back to her position in the room.
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Alixan and Veliry, the latter of which had only just arrived, crept through the still hot tunnel carefully.
Alixan, being close to eight feet tall, had to practically crouch to move through the hastily excavated and reinforced earth as he moved. Veliry only had to hunch a bit every now and then when her new antlers brushed against lower portions of the ceiling.
"They summoned an elemental." The Prince said. "In their own control room."
"That's what the our Agent said." Veliry replied.
They had spoken , briefly, to the party of subterranean forces as they'd rapidly evacuated. Many of them had been carried out on litters, their bodies burned from the excess heat and steam that had been created before the doorway leading to the Agency's room had been destroyed.
"Won't be much evidence left then." Alixan said. "Just like last time, unfortunately."
Veliry nodded. A fire elemental was a good way to destroy evidence. Likely the reason the Agency seemed so fond of using them. Though where they were getting them was anyone's guess.
"Still." She said as they rounded the last corner. "We must do our..... dilligence?" She said uncertainly.
The uncertainty was shared by both of the mages as they saw not just a destroyed door. But a second door a few yards away, which was leaning across the hallway. They sensed no magical energy coming from it. And unlike everything else in the tunnel it was neither scorched, nor terribly warm.
Alixan carefully lifted it up and was surprised to find that it had a note on it.
Not written on parchment and tacked to the door.
Not carved into it as if with a knife.
Instead it was engraved into the wood of the door as if it had been built specifically for the task of having the message on it. It was also written in a style of Petravian that hadn't been used in nearly three centuries, though both of them could read it thanks to their studies as mages.

Bother yourselves with us no longer.
We have larger tasks to tackle.
Enjoy the final days of your paltry kingdom in ignorance.
And thank you for ridding me of ambitious fools.

"Whoever they are, something tells me that they're being sincere." Alixan said after he read the message, and Veliry felt inclined to agree with him. "And that makes me more than a little concerned."
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Even with his inhuman speed, the excitement was over before James got to it.
He felt the intense magical heat dissipate, then disappear entirely, when he was only a block away. Golems he had passed on his way over were already on the ground dead, their amorphous forms melting to reveal the lifeless bodies within. James felt pity for the former refugees, who had moved into this are of the city for a chance at restarting their lives after the previous devastation, only to be violated by the Agency.
When he got to the sight of all the action, he was surprised to find that it wasn't a building. Instead a large cluster of Petravian soldiers and mages were clustered around the entrance to some kind of cellar, or crypt or something. A lot of the mages were helping to heal people who looked like Petravian soldiers, but with what he recognized as mining gear. Many of them were burned, and the few mages that were among those being healed had the tell tale black veins of magical overuse.
He found himself standing next to a rather oddly clothed pair of were-folk, who he looked at curiously as he recognized the rotary grenade launcher that one of them was wearing on a shoulder strap. And also the DMR equipped CT-6.5 that the other was holding loosely. They looked at him in mild shock and his eyes widened as he saw the goggles on their faces, which looked familiar even though he'd never seen them before.
Then the crowd around them quieted. The tall fox-like one's head snapped up and looked over James.
"Chief!" The were-squirrel next to the fox said as they, evidently a woman if James's ears were correct, moved to run over to the figure emerging from the tunnel.
"Chief?" James asked as he turned to follow the squirrel's movement.
"Holy shit." The fox said as he too moved to approach the newcomers.
"Goddam." James said as he saw them.
One of them was a tall, if somewhat gangly looking, man in armor of a brilliant blue. It looked like the highest quality plate armor James had ever seen, though it did not cover their hands or feet. And yet even as he watched, the armor seemed to melt away, leaving behind water and vapor as it did.
James's head quirked to the side as he recognized the person underneath, though he'd never seen him like this before.
"Marcos?" He asked.
The old man, and Royal Arch Mage, was nothing like James was used to seeing him. Typically he was a hunched over, robed, geriatric who looked one hard fall away from death. But as James saw him carrying out the limp, burned, form of a were-person of some kind, he looked like a warrior. The grey tunic he wore was wet from the melting armor, and revealed musculature that surprised James. His sleeves looked to have been burned off, revealing wiry arms with whipcord musculature. He also wasn't hunched over anymore, and as a result he seemed to be close to six feet tall.
"I need healers." The old man said. The slow, almost halting, speech pattern he normal spoke in all but gone. Then he held up the burned form in his arms. "This man is very nearly dead."
"Chief Vickers!" The squirrel exclaimed again as she and the fox ran over.
"Vickers?" James asked silently as he saw the people around begin moving to help.
And he realized that Vickers was the burnt body Marcos was carrying.
"Oh.... Shit." James said as he moved to join everyone.

My wife and I have been together for almost 10 years, married for about 5 years, and have a 1-year-old son. We both work typical 9-5 office jobs and our son goes to daycare during the week. We have lived in our house for nearly 4 years, and have really worked hard to make it a home for our family. We had a great relationship as husband and wife before our son was born, but we have hit a rough patch in recent months.
The first few months of our son’s life were very difficult and stressful. He wasn’t sleeping more than 1-2 hours at a time and was often sick. My wife was able to stay home with him for the first 3 months while on maternity leave, and I would come home to a very distressed situation on a daily basis during that time. I know it was challenging for her to take care of him full time, and I would take over baby duty after work and often let my wife sleep all night so she could get some well deserved rest.
This pattern continued for a while as we became more and more sleep deprived, and chores and other responsibilities around the house fell to the wayside. We ended getting in a bit of a disagreement around the 6-month mark where she expressed that I was not helping enough around the house and with the baby after she went back to work and that she felt unappreciated for all of her efforts. My wife typically does all of our laundry, takes the baby to and from daycare (which is on her way into the office) and does a great job budgeting and planning most of our family activities. My responsibilities include caring for the outside of the home (landscaping, lawn mowing, etc.), as well as cooking, doing most of the other household cleaning, caring for our pets, and completing household projects and renovations when we had time.
Unfortunately, I did, and still do believe that there was validity to her argument. I was beyond tired, stressed from work, money, and just generally being overwhelmed by all of the stressors that come with being a working first-time parent. I did neglect my duties as a husband to my wife, and I promised to her as well as myself to make a better effort to be there for her.
I genuinely do appreciate all that my wife does for our family and she really shines as a mother. During this same argument, I also expressed my feelings about that status of our relationship. At the 6-month mark after the birth of our son, we had not had sex since his conception, probably about 16 months at that point. We did not have sex at all during the pregnancy, which was a little over 10 months. I told her that I did not feel that she was attracted to me, and reminded her of just how infrequently she would show me any type of affection. Kisses were no more frequent than goodbyes before work or goodnights before bed. Hugs felt cold, and any advances toward intimacy I attempted were shut down as quickly as they started. I told her that this made me feel unloved, unappreciated, and crushed my confidence. Throughout our nearly 10 years together, my love language of physical touch and high sex-drive were both well established, but she seemed surprised by my feelings.
She defended her actions by saying that her hormones were wreaking havoc, she was too tired,and that she was not confident with her body enough to share it with me anymore. She also said she was often “touched out” from holding our son and didn’t want to be touched in any capacity. I completely understood the hormone angle, as this can take over a year to regulate postpartum. However, I reassured her that even though her body may not be the same, I had never been more attracted to her than I am after seeing her become a mother and my desire for her has not diminished at all. Hearing the “touched out” sort of felt like she wasn’t considering my needs at all, and honestly hurt emotionally, especially after I voiced my thoughts on the subject. It really felt like a complete dismissal of my feelings.
After the argument / discussion, I really made a conscious effort to work on being a better husband and addressing the needs she expressed to me. I more or less took over getting up with our son in the middle of the night, getting him ready in the morning for daycare, making his bottles, feeding him dinner, putting him to bed, and gave her time to even get back into a workout routine. I started to help with laundry, and even cleaned the house during the week if I worked from home. All of this was in effort to address her needs from me, let her get some rest and personal time, and perhaps selfishly, try to get the physical component of our relationship back on track.
She has since hit her goal (pre-pregnancy) weight and looks amazing. I don’t even think she looks any different than she did almost 10 years ago. Myself, I may only be a 6.5/10 on a good day, but I had also been dieting and have gotten in the best shape of my life. I am 30lbs lighter than when we were first married, and I feel / look so much better.
At any rate, I do not think my wife has made any effort in the 7 months since that discussion. Though I have made attempts to romance her, surprise her, be spontaneous, and initiate, we have not had sex for nearly 2 years. She has not made any efforts, and has turned me down at every instance. She generally seems uninterested in me at all. I feel lost, and don’t know where to turn.
I have broached the subject a few times since during this time span, and even suggested scheduling sex and counseling. None of my suggestions gain any traction with her, and I’ve honestly given up hope at this point. I have stopped making attempts at initiating any type of physical touch. Going without has gotten easier as the repeated instances of rejection compiled. I feel depressed, and have had to seek therapy recently for the first time in my life.
She talks about wanting another baby, but I don’t know if I can keep living this way. I want to be there for my son, and I can’t stomach the thought of not being able to see him every day if we were to separate or divorce. I especially do not want to bring another child into the world with someone who may have fallen out of love with me. It would not be fair to the future baby, our son, or to ourselves if we are not able to resolve our issues and stabilize our future together.
I love my wife and son more than anything, and my wife has really stuck by me during some tough times in years past. That being said, I am done feeling as though I am being tolerated and want more than anything to feel wanted again by the woman I married. I miss it. I yearn for her and her touch, but I also have needs of this nature that she is unwilling to meet or even try to meet. I know that I am a good dad to my son, and I know that I can be, and am a good husband deserving of love and affection.
My therapist told me that journaling and collecting my thoughts could help me find some answers. Since I’m not one for journaling or keeping a diary, I decided to post on here for the first time ever. I’m hoping that someone who reads this may be able to provide some perspective and maybe even share their own experience and advice for the future. Any support, advise, criticism, and even reality-checks are all welcome.

Just witnessed a woman at Walmart get irate with the self checkout system and ask for help from an employee. The employee asks how she can help and the women says “I don’t know! Scan everything for me?? Handle a kid??” She had 3 kids in her cart and one standing next to her, all under 8. My living nightmare.
First employee just walked away and another eventually came up and the woman asked him to hold her kids hand so she could scan her items. I apologized to the first employee as I walked out and she just shook her head.

I've been off sick for nearly a month now and fully intend on resigning as soon as possible. The place I work at is awful, and I have an interview lined up for a training contract to be a solicitor. I have a diagnosed mental health disability, and my workplace is the direct cause of exacerbating the symptoms I have, which I have told them before being signed off by the doctor. I have not had to take time off due to the disability before.
I am very worried that if I get a job offer, and sickness days are asked for in the references, that the job offer will be withdrawn?
I have not had to take time off for this before and it wouldn't be a regular occurrence, my performance at my job is strong and I am very capable - I got promoted within 5 months of being there before my probation was up!
How often are sickness related days asked for? Would I have a chance of explaining the situation? It's honestly been a culmination of issues ranging from sexual harassment at an xmas party, to not being paid on time and being reliant on the money coming in when it was supposed to, re-organisation in the company which meant I'm not actually doing the job I signed up for and am now in a different team + we're on our third wave of redundancies with more to come, despite us being told there won't be anymore changes each time!
For what it's worth, my manager is amazing and very supportive and he knows that I've had a pretty shit time as well so I don't think he'll be surprised when I go.
The disability is EUPD - my symptoms are usually managed very well, I've been through therapy and I'm on medication for it, but this job has just cracked me over the course of the last 6 months of being there.
Thanks!

Hey, guys! I'm (22M) coming back to Bhopal on 3rd June and will be moving to Pune in July to start my first job, but till then I've got nothing to do and gonna be extremely bored. I live near Lalghati area and like football, F1. If you wanna hangout and chill, DM me.

Hi! Theres a local deal on a MR 762 near me and ive been thinking about swooping it up. Ive heard HK says to not suppress these but was wondering what kind of effect I would have with my new flow through KAC suppressor I have incoming.
EDIT: ( I meant its the CRS QDC, PRG)

5 years ago I was in love with a guy, the interest was mutual, I was at a very vulnerable time of my life so he led me on growing the relationship emotionally and suddenly he ghosted me. We always somehow worked together so he was around but we never had real contact. I get past that and I was living my life with my son like home, work, beingmom, very quite life, i was very active at work, i had ambitions and even though I wasn'tlooking for it activwly i was hopeful to be in a loving relationship. Suddenly 2 years ago he took over the company I was working at and started to build the friendship again. Suddenly he was giving me lifts, following me to office get together and pulling me out early. Started to discuss a side business.. In short he was coming on very slowly but surely. He had alot of time to study me. And he proposed. I was floored. After that everything was very fast we got married in very short time. What I wanted was very simple I wanted a family and a man to protect me, before any Andrew Tatu guys came along let me tell you I am doing very good at work and I certainly don't need the financial support. What I needed was the man to show me he is the head of family. So I kept on working. When though he used to say his wife cannot work. He was covering whole our expenses so it was not money issue. I realized he was not happy around me and always escalating situations to fights, not by me but by refusing to sooth my feelings. Cuddling is a problem, ok don't cuddle but let me be near to you, I live off touches no that is a problem too. He divorced me very swiftly after a fight, not consulting anyone, no reconciliation. 1 month of ghosting and then talak.
Looking back I am not delusional the relationship could work. He wanted me intimately and this was his sole reason to marry. I even feel liberated because I don't get tense around someone I supposed to be relaxed and playful.
What I can not forgive after nearly half a year of divorce is that he knew what he wanted was not what I wanted but he went with it anyway.
I feel like I was robbed of my hopes and dreams.. Tuesday was my birthday and I fell sick because of all these thoughts. I turn 42. He stole every little bit of I once had. I was alone but I had my dreams. Now I barely function, I keep going to work, I take care of my son. Everything is bare minimum.
Before I told him I forgive him but I kind of take it back. Is it bad?

I've had great experiences on here before, so I'm back again to try my luck. I'm 35, male, 5'7(exactly, no lying here), Asian-American, decently fit. Think a cross between a powerlifter and body builder. I am single and have my own place! I'm really looking for in-person sessions and connections, but if you're online only I'm not opposed to chatting and seeing how we click.
I'm a very gentle daddy type, but I do enjoy being rough mean and nasty ONLY if that is a kink that gets you extra turned on. A few of my kinks are: Spanking, making u beg and call me daddy, humiliation, deep-throating, bondage, spitting, cnc and more. I also enjoy pleasuring my sub, so that could include body worship, fingering/eating you out, using toys on you, fucking, etc. I'm huge into verbal expression, so you'll be hearing a lot of "good girl", etc, throughout our conversations and sessions. My ideal mate is a girl who gets off being pleasuring me. But also can be the focus of my attention too.
Vanilla me: Currently employed, but about to switch jobs/careers. I am probably most available to talk later in the evening. I don't mind a little travel, but I have my own apartment, so it is most cost effective if we play at my place. But I do prefer to meet in public first, for your safety and mine. I also love daytime dates, so brunch, coffee, or shopping is always on the table. My hobbies include playing video games(League of Legends is my main), going to the gym, and working out. I'm looking for someone that wants to build a connection inside and outside of kink.
If you don't live near me we can still chat too! I am super into sexting, specifically video or voice chat. I love showing off and having girls watch me jerk off and cum, but of course you have to earn it ;)
Shoot me a message or a chat with a little about you and what you're looking for! Feel free to ask me any questions as well.
Thanks and hope to talk soon!

Hey yall, here's some basic information about me so you better recommend cars
-Im an 18yo going into college in New Jersey, and I will be using this car to commute 15 miles total everyday. We get a moderate amount of snow over here in the winter as well. -my parents are buying me this car. 12-25k is the budget, but preferably lower.
-here is my criteria, but most things Im willing to change. Im not very picky, I just want something fun.
Make: Doesn't matter
Type of car: Sedans > Convertible> Coupe> Wagons
Reliability and Practicality: Im willing to sacrifice some Reliability and practicality for fun but not a lot. I do not want a deathtrap car either which is known for being unsafe.
Age: Has to newer than 1997
Transmission: Parents want an Auto, I want a manual.
MPG: Can be low but ideally not below 18 (Im paying for gas anyways, so it MPG isnt all that important to me)
Power: Betweeb 250-500hp. I dont want to accidentally kill myself.
Engine: It doesnt really matter to me, but Id prefer something with 6 cylinders. 8 is fine but a little much. I say this because of insurance premiums.
Modding: Ive done some work on cars before but I wouldnt say I know exacrly what Im doing either. I want something that can be tuned and modded in the future once I have the money, something that can help me learn more.
I know that sounds like a lot or that Im picky but it really doesnt matter to me. As long as Im not driving something like a 2013 Corolla who's sole purpose is to get me from point A to point B. I want something that had some fun and performance without being overkill. I dont know what that might entail. Ive been looking at a lot of different cars, from Camry's to M cars. I love the idea of a BRz but Ive driven one and its underpowered for my tastes. I was thinking a Wrx, Evo X, E90 335i, Gen 4 mustang, an amg car, any Audi really, G35/37/Q50/60, a Panamera, or an old E39 M5, and many many others. Let met know thoughts and recommendations yall. I have a wide range.

31m here. Posted a lot before closer to the time it ended months ago, done all the letter writing, inner work, soul searching and country song listening a man can do to move on. Honestly never been as broke up over a girl, a lot of it is ego being bruised but the woman was an old friend/crush and for years I had always felt she fancied me… the fact that it didn’t work out when it came down to it and was so messy when situationship ended has really had a profound effect on me. Feel like I’ve learned huge lessons on ego and being your best self and recognising becoming too attached… got all sorts of adventures planned, been trying to distract myself meeting other girls but I’m rather picky and I find it hard to meet kind of women who interest me (probably need to move)….
Anyway, I guess had it ended amicably I’d be in better shape, but I’ve been lucky before in every fling/gf before there wasn’t nearly any amount of this kind of feeling or blocking games that this one played. Just not used to knowing how someone is not right for me, yet she’s all I want. Am I broken? 😂 Heartbreak and ego attachments are like a fart in a sauna that never goes away…
Howling into the void here as who can afford therapy right?

Monster Curry-Purple Potatoes and chickpeas Monster Cake-Chocolate cake, chocolate and ube frostings Monster Rice Balls-Purple food coloring (because I couldn't find purple rice near me) Fairy Tonic-Watermelon juice and pink luster dust

My ex, who dumped me over a month ago, contacted me when she was drunk asking if we could “talk about us” and that there’s “a lot to say”. The next day I messaged her and her replies were blunt, she said at some point she wants to talk, then she didn’t reply to my last message. That was 4 days ago.
Feel like I got my hopes up only to have them crushed again. My energy was getting really good and I feel so weak and tired again, I’m trying to get stuff done, exercise, good diet, and working on some projects but I’m not doing anywhere near as much as I want to. Am I being too hard on myself or do I need to push harder.

I just watched the new episodes 3&4, and I felt like there were a lot of moments that reminded me of the first season more so than the first two episodes. For example the instructional song, very reminiscent of “Makeover, Makeover”. And the parts with Scudsworth are more whimsical and cartoony like they used to be.
The part that made me think about this was when joan was saying “I’m gonna get hit by that parade float!! …in a couple of minutes…”. Reminded me of the season 1 joke “The shopping cart is moving really really slowly just reach out and grab the handle Abe!”
I hope the show runners move more in this style. The comedy still works today, even if it is obvious they’re appealing more to the Gen Z humour with things like Flip Flop or Abe’s lighthouse impression. But they’re still doing a really good job satirizing newer trends and not just making base level “how do you do fellow kids” type jokes, which is what I was worried might happen.
TL;DR: I er uh like this season a lot!

I’m 22/F and graduated a year ago from college. I’ve been feeling a bit bored.
I’m commuting to work in NYC and living at home with my parents. All my friends have boyfriends and don’t really want to do fun things. I’m feeling like I need to do something fun and cool while I can, I don’t feel like there’s anything to miss here back home.
I know eventually I’ll want to come back here to be near family, but does anyone have any ideas of what they would do in this situation? I was thinking of moving to a new state but I have to be in NYC for work 2x a week. My company has offices in California and Florida I could try out for a year possibly. I’m planning a couple of trips but I’m limited on PTO and money.
I was thinking of taking a week here and there to work virtually in a new state. I’d have to do it alone which kind of scares me but seems like the only option. I’ve also been trying out new hobbies and went on Bumble BFF for new friends, but I feel like it’s hard to keep up my ideal lifestyle while living in my parents’ house. It’s too expensive in nyc to move out for me right now so I just feel stuck.
Anyone else in this situation?

I was in a mono relationship for eight years, always wanted a poly one but thought mono was the way to go. I dropped hints about opening up our relationship and one day I told him that I can't take it any longer and that I want a non mono relationship. I knew that this could have ruined my relationship with him but our realtionship was barely a relationship at all for the last three years. So yeah, I wanted to keep him if possible because I loved him. Long story short we talked it over and decided to give it a go. In the beginning it was quite good, my sex drive came back and we spent more time together. Then I met someone online and it suddenly shifted. My original partner went crazy and snapped every time we spent some time together. It really got ugly between us to the point where I didn't want him to come near me anymore. We talked it over and decided to try again but I feel like something broke and that I lost interest in him. I know that it is normal to feel the butterflys for someone new but I don't know. I really wish that the love for my nesting partner would come back. Did anyone feel the same or does anybody have some tips for me?

So there are a lot of variables in play here and multiple sides of the story so I understand that I am only giving my perspective of things but here it goes (apologies for it being so long)...
A few years ago my wife and I BOTH came to the decision that I should leave my current career (which has been so stressful and time consuming that it was causing significant medical problems for me) and start grad school to change to a career which I would be happier with and allowed me to be more present with my family.
We jointly agreed for me to leave my high paying, 70+ hour a week job and start graduate school. Almost immediately from the start, I realized that people SAYING they would support my decision and ACTUALLY supporting my decision were two different things. I became very isolated and alienated from my family as my spouse never supported it and always complained that it took too much time and getting mad at me when I would confide that I had a stressful assignment or class coming up. My mother-in-law would actively snort or laugh whenever I mentioned that I had a big assignment due or something that I had to take care of for school.
It's at this point that I should say that the job I got while in grad school was a lot less hours (still full time) but didn't pay anywhere near what I was making but made me VERY happy. As a result, my spouse started keeping a ledger of what I wasn't able to pay and shared this constantly with my mother-in-law. I agree that I took too long staying at the low paying job, but once it clicked that my spouse was struggling more than I was aware, I quit that job and went back to my high-stress, 60+ hour work week so that I could regain the ability to fulfill my financial obligations. My spouse still said that I need to pay every penny back from what I wasn't able to pay and I started feeling financially doomed and started running behind on a lot of critical things (e.g. car payments, credit card bills, etc.) all the while the disdain for my schooling was becoming increasingly aggressive and mocked) I started feeling very lonely and even more isolated. We had our first son after the first year or so of grad school and everything fell apart.
It's at this point I should say that I have struggled with sex addiction for years. While I never physically cheated on anyone, I would engage in internet or chat based sexual experiences. This picked up even more while I was married and even more while I was in grad school. I'm not proud of it, and I understand how much it hurt my spouse when they found out. It's easy to say that I honestly thought in a weird way that it wasn't cheating because I wasn't physically with anybody or even somebody that I knew, but I realize now that's not the case. It may be pointless to say this but I was also a very lonely person and the gratification I felt helped me feel at least momentarily better about myself.
About a year ago my wife found out about this and, understandably, I was kicked out of the house for about 4 to 5 months and came extremely close to losing her and my family. Thankfully, with a lot of therapy and work on myself, we were able to get past my indiscretions and start rebuilding our relationship. As part of this, I agreed to take a year off from graduate school. I restarted this past fall (a semester early only because I was required to by my program or face expulsion) with only 1 class as I had to be a registered student to start the process of applying for a program required internship to complete my grad degree. During couple's therapy we talked about how internship would somewhat remove me from time spent with the family and that I would only do it if everyone agreed it was doable and ok. Everyone agreed. I brought up how alienated I felt by everyone laughing and sneering at something that was so important for me... Then I asked again, several times, making sure everyone was comfortable with this process. Everyone agreed I should do it.
During this time, my partner brought up the fact that they really wanted another baby (which I did too but felt it was still early on in the rebuilding phase of our relationship). We had gone through IVF and had several fertilized embryos just waiting. We decided to have another baby who is due at the end of June. "We" also decided that it was a good time to sell our house and move (keep in mind we didn't have the finances for it, something which I brought up vehemently time and time again...like, "How can we do this? How will we pay for everything?")
Part of the agreement on another baby was moving closer to my in-laws so that they could help with the kiddos. My in-laws had several conversations with my spouse that I wasn't part of saying that they would help financially with a new house or rent until we could get our current house sold and get settled in a new place. Part of the reason for the move was also to be closer to them so that they could help with our two little boys. At this point I should say that we rely heavily on my in-laws because I don't have any family that could help or be responsible enough to be trusted (mom passed away after battles with substance use, bi-polar disorder, and suicide, and dad is on the autism spectrum and battles a substance use disorder which sees him in and out of addiction programs several times a year).
So fast forward another 9 months and we are ready to have another baby but out of nowhere 4 days ago, my partner tells me that they want me to take ANOTHER year off to be present with the family and help. I admit I was angry because, while to some it may not be a big deal, for me, it's one of the first things in my life that I have felt I have accomplished on my own as well as something that makes me happy and not constantly weighed down by stress, anxiety, and depression.
Against my wishes, because I care for my family, I agreed to ask for another year off. I met yesterday with a facilitator of the program and they said that pushing off internship another year would not be a big deal. Today I received an email from the department saying that I can take a year off, I just have to remain a registered student (because I can't take another leave without being kicked out of the program). This means finishing the 1 class I am in this semester, and taking 1 simple class next semester so that I can restart the internship process in January 2024 to obtain an internship by next year - July 2024. This is their process and I cannot change it.
After being devastated that I had to do this in the first place, but understanding why, I spoke with my spouse today and showed them the email. They immediately became inconsolable because they said this isn't a full year off and that I won't be present with the family and the new baby (which I WOULD be but also a reason why we were moving closer to in-laws to begin with). After a little bit of conversation, they also let slip that they talked with my mother-in-law today and, without even bringing up that I may have to take another class before internship starts, they said that if I take any classes AT ALL, they will NOT provide the significant financial support they agreed to so that we could move to an area closer to them (an area that they chose because they don't want to drive far and also an area that is VERY expensive). The kicker is, we just signed a 12 month lease for a house to rent while we sell OUR house and we move in to the new house in 2 days. More upsetting, is the fact that we will have to pay our mortgage AND rent until our house sells which we ONLY AGREED was a good plan BECAUSE our in-laws offered (we didn't ask) to provide significant financial support to make it possible...without it we are royally screwed and will probably lose the house.
So I am sitting here, understanding everybody's point of view, but feeling like like personal future has just been relegated to working in a career that will probably kill be by the age of 50, being forced into a situation which will make me quit my grad program AT THE VERY TAIL END OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS, as well as leave me about $70k more in debt than I started with for something that I won't even get all the while feeling as though I have no say in how my own life turns out...
Everybody literally called me crazy because I dared voice concern that I didn't feel like anyone supported my being in grad school even though they said they did and I am also being made to feel like I don't contribute to anything (which I am now back to working 60 hours a week with an hour commute each day 5 days a week while paying for a lot of stuff, now more than my half (which for the record I am totally ok with for that last part, still doing grad school AND still being a good parent to my son and helping with household chores (my partner doesn't clean, do laundry, or dishes AT ALL...It's all on me to get done and always has been).
If anyone bothered to read this whole thing, does anyone have any advice or words of wisdom on how to move forward?

I have always been more of a introvert, prefering to be by myself and liking my alone time. However when me and my gf started dating we pratically became inseperable. In the sense that I would be over at her place everyday after university and only leave when I need to go back home to sleep. On the oppsite side of the spectrum however, my gf has alot of friends and a active social life (compared to mine at least) but she still tries to squeeze me into her day no matter how short of time she has me for because she wants to see me everyday. I don't believe im currently codependant on her because I still appreciate the days where I dont see her (usually work or school) and have time to myself or but I feel like Im solely relying on my gf for all social interaction (apart from family and talking to an occasional online friend). At the same time however I dont really feel the need to make new friends, although I would like having more in my life currently, Im far too burnt out mentally to go out and make new friends. My gf is just as reliable on me as I am for her, apart from the occasional night out, she wants to spend every moment with when she can and even went out of her way spend entire days just to sit with me while Im doing schoolwork at my campus (long train ride after work). So its clear that the attention is equally recipocated however I still fear that I might end up relying on her too much as the relationship is still very much new (nearly 5 months). Is this unhealthy?
tldr: Even though me and my gf are find with constantly being around each other, im scared I me be becoming dependant on her since I dont have any friends

I'm at my wits' end after fighting with insurance daily for the past month. I've decided to just purchase the device outright.
My sleep study recorded an AHI of 14 so mild apnea, and my provider prescribed an Auto CPAP. I called their office today to check which one to get and they couldn't provide much guidance, and said usually the DME company chooses but most of their clients use Resmed Airsense 10 or 11.
I called a DME company near me and they offered an Airsense 10 with modem, masks, tubing and 1 month worth of supplies for $1050. I'm waiting to hear back on their price for the Airsense 11 as they needed to contact the manager to see if they sell those without insurance.
My Pulmonologists office said it would be best to go through a DME company since their office can adjust the device. That said it looks like I can get the Airsense 11 for about the same price I am being offered the 10 with modem on CPAP.com and a few other sites.
That said I'm not sure what I would do if pressure settings need changed etc. Does anyone have any advice on what device to go with/where to go about procuring one/what type of addons/additional equipment needed?

Been to a few barbers near me n it’s been costing me an arm and a leg. Any suggestions would be class, cheers folks.
Edit: (Central/West End preferred)