Jobs hiring near me 16 year olds

24F here. I have been single for 2 years now and am looking to date, but I am not a fan of the apps. Therefore, I have resorted to meeting people naturally & I usually get approached at the gym. However, I have noticed that only men who don't attend my gym location often are the ones to approach me. The regulars that I see everyday/weekly will ignore me like I don't exist. I was told a month ago by a regular that I befriended that I am intimidating and thats why he didnt approach me, but I just don't buy it. There are a few men at my gym in my age range that I would love to get to know, but I am unsure if they are interested and not showing it. And why not just show it??
Note: Please refrain from giving me the advice to approach men first. I am old fashion 😂 Thanks!

Here's a link to either AO3 or Fanfictiondotnet if you wanted to read it over there.
Chapter 18
The ornate trimmings that lined the roof of the Iris dorms came into view as the two Battleships slowly made their way up the long path from the docks.
Long shadows stretched from the old worn out street lamps merging quickly with the surrounding darkness before disappearing completely as the lights flickered to life.
Lost in a daze, a ponytail danced in Massachusetts's eyes. Its ash-blonde sheen dimly glowed, glinting off the light of the old street lamps.
Somewhere in her heart she had hoped this slope would continue on forever, that the warmth around her hand would never disappear, but stopping in front of the marbled steps of the Iris dormitory, that warmth finally retreated.
"Why're you still following me around?" Jean spoke, looking down at Massachusetts from the corner of her eye as she made her way up the steps.
The Eagle Union Battleship hadn't moved from where they parted, staring down at the ground by her feet. Part of her grew anxious, waiting with false hope that she would be invited in.
"I-!" Her voice came out louder than she had intended.
"You've had a long voyage…" Jean interrupted, her words strangely soft, "go get some rest."
"...and besides…" the former Flagship continued, scratching at the back of her head, "I've caused enough trouble for my roommate already…"
"Okay then…" Massachusetts giggled, "goodnight!"
"Hmph!" Jean turned away with a huff, "good-", she went to say back, but peaking back around, the silver haired Battleship had already run off.
"-night… I swear," Jean disparaged,scratching at the back of her head, but unbeknownst to herself, the little smile on her face betrayed any sort of foul mood.
Stepping back into her shared room, Jean looked around for any sign of her Cruiser friend. The darkness that greeted her wasn't unusual as Le Malin was usually lying about asleep most of the time anyway, either on the couch or in her room, but a quick glance only revealed an empty sofa. Peeking her head into her companion's room she found it empty, just as it was earlier today.
"I'm back…" the door to the suite swung open.
The little Cruiser hobbled into the room looking more listless than normal. Richelieu did mention she was out doing something important, but whatever it was, it looked like it took a lot out of her.
"Le Malin! Where have you-" Jean quickly held her tongue as a look of fear crossed her companion's face, "n-nevermind… forget it."
"O-okay…" Le Malin released the breath she was holding, fully expecting a dressing down of some sort. She had been hiding out all day so a level of guilt did hang over her, but it was Lady Richelieu that suggested it to begin with. Plopping herself onto the sofa, Le Malin melted into its cushion as the fatigue of consuming a few pounds of brownies slowly washed away.
"Uwaahhh~" a sudden kneading at her shoulders elicited a sudden moan. These hands felt so good~, "yeah… r-right there~"
The Cruiser's relaxation was cut short as she stretched her neck upward, her eyes meeting those of her former Flagship's staring down at her from behind the couch.
"W-wha?!"
"Relax!", Jean commanded feeling the Cruiser's shoulders tense.
'Relax!? How can I relax?!', La Malin screamed in her head, 'why is she acting like this?! First she was super pissed, now she's being super nice! What's going on?!"
Her heart and her body were in conflict, on one hand Jean's hands were absolute magic, never has a massage ever felt this good. But on the other, this was still incredibly weird. For as long as she's served under her former leader, this level of skinship was unheard of.
"What?" Jean scoffed, still feeling a level of resistance in the little Cruiser's shoulders, "you don't appreciate this?"
"N-no!" Le Malin let out quickly, "I- I mean I do! Its- It's just that this is…kinda…" the Cruiser scrambled to come up with a word, "new… for you."
The little Cruiser chuckled nervously as a silence filled the room. The kneading at her shoulders became heavier. Jean's once delicate touch now much rougher.
"Ow ow ow!" Le Malin cried, "sorry sorry!"
It was only for a brief moment, but she could've sworn she saw a smile on her former leader's face as she squirmed underneath the Battleship's strong hands.
<><><>o7<><><>
"You don't have to come with me," Brooklyn said beside herself, continuing her pace down the hall.
"I-I know, but…" Val gulped down her anxiety, "It's your fault you know!"
"Mine!?"
"You just had to blurt out I was your advisor!" Val said in a harsh whisper, "now I have to keep up appearances with your sisters."
"W-well…" Brooklyn turned away with a look of guilt, "look, it's only for a few days, once my other sisters get here I'll tell them straight up, that…"
"That-" Val parroted after Brooklyn's pause.
"That, we are…"
"Uh-huh~"
"Thatwereengaged," Brooklyn rushed in a hushed voice looking around to make sure no one heard her.
"I still don't get why we have to be so hush-hush about it," Val said with a frown, "are you embarrassed about me or something?"
"W-what?! No!" Brooklyn denied vehemently.
With her head down, the blonde Cruiser says back in a quiet tone, "I just don't want my sisters finding out through hearsay."
"Fine~" Val let out an exasperated sigh before changing the subject to their task at hand, "so anyway… What should I be doing right now? How can I be more… advisor…y?"
"Don't talk like that for one," Brooklyn listed off, "y'know what? Don't even talk, just stand there and nod."
"Am I that unconvincing?" Val says, straightening up her clothes in vain attempt to look presentable.
"On second thought," Brooklyn pinched at the bridge of her nose, "I shouldn't have brought you here, these two are…"
"Huh?"
"Remember what Biloxi said back in Panama?" Brooklyn tries to jog Val's memory, "you have to be cautious around these two, they can be a bit… touchy"
The door to the main office swung open in front of them suddenly.
"Ah! Frau Brooklyn!"
Val stood in shock with her jaw hanging open, unable to turn her eyes away from the bombshell of a woman standing by the office threshold. The smile the woman wore was almost reminiscent of St. Louis' but there was something more behind it, Val thought, like some kind of unquenchable hunger.
"Prinz Eugen," swiftly recovering from her initial shock, Brooklyn greeted back with a curt nod.
"It has been far too long," the Iron Blood Heavy Cruiser stepped past Brooklyn's extended hand before wrapping her arms around the Light Cruiser suddenly.
Val blushed as the silver haired beauty, pressed up against her fiance, her hands roaming a but too close to her posterior.
Before Val could voice some sort of protest, Brooklyn had already pushed Eugen off, keeping the Heavy Cruiser at bay with a firm hand in her face.
"Always playing so hard to get~" Eugen pouted, muffled by Brooklyn's palm.
"And your skinship is as irrepressible as ever…"
Eugen let out an accepting chuckle, finally relenting her attempts at a hug.
"Brooklyn!" Another voice from inside the office greeted, "it's always a pleasure to have you!"
"Wales," Brooklyn dipped her head once again.
"You truly are a sight for sore eyes," Wales takes the Cruiser's hand into her own, before placing her lips upon it. The glint on Brooklyn's finger not entirely lost on the Battleship.
ahem Val audibly cleared her throat.
"Oh dear~,this one appears displeased with us," Eugen held her cheek with a playful smirk, "so~ who is this tasty little morsel?"
"Valentina," Val answered with a stern voice, but even she herself couldn't tell what kind of face she was making as Eugen politely shook her hand, "Valentina Hermosa."
"Ah! So you are miss Val-" Wales went to take her hand as well but Brooklyn quickly brought her lips close to the Battleship's ear.
"If you lay a single inappropriate finger on her," Brooklyn whispers, "I'll be sure to let Hood know the goings on in this office of yours…"
A shiver shot up the royal's spine heeding the Cruiser's words. Everything finally clicked into place as she shakily took Val's hand into her own, feeling the same cold metal band around the girl's finger.
"I-it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." An abnormally stiff Wales greeted, hoping that was enough to appease the Eagle Union Diplomat.
<><><>o7<><><>
Blocking out the sun with her palm, Massachusetts continued to look up. Not at the sky above but at her hand itself. She missed the warmth that had gripped it so tightly last night.
Closing her eyes, she could still see the slender shoulders of the Vichy privateer walking out ahead. To think such a small frame held such a vast amount of power and ferocity. With her thoughts turning back to their brief but intense fight back during war, Massachusetts couldn't help but shudder at the memory of Jean's blood soaked visage, her wavering posture as she struggled to even stand, but even being on the verge of sinking, the almost savage smile that she wore stuck out most to her.
"Oof!" A familiar voice let out as it bounced backwards on the floor.
Lost in her mind, Massachusetts barely felt the impact at her chest, but looking down she found Helena rubbing at her butt after her fall.
"S-sorry!" the girl cried, "I-I wasn't looking where I was going!"
"No. It's my fault too," the Battleship helped the Cruiser off the floor.
"Thanks," the youngest Brooklyn blushed with embarrassment as she dusted herself off, "I was trying to get a list together in my head…"
"A list?"
"Yeah," Helena nodded, "I was headed to Akashi's to pick up some ingredients for Brooklyn's party."
"I can help you out if you need a hand." Massachusetts offered, seeing as how she had nothing better to do today. The Battleship couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched Helena rock her head side to side, contemplating if she should accept her offer or not.
"It'd be no big deal really," Massachusetts reassured.
"It is gonna be a lot of stuff…" Helena mulled to herself, "sure! If you don't mind."
It had been a long while since Massachusetts had been alone with the youngest Brooklyn but watching her from behind as she led the way, there was an air of confidence that wasn't there in the past. Like each step she took was infused with a level of certainty not unlike her eldest sister.
The bell over Akashi's door rang in Massachusetts's ears yet again as she followed the older Cruiser inside. She stood by the entrance watching Helena list off a bunch items at a nodding Akashi. Whatever the girl was planning seemed fairly extravagant just with the sheer amount of things she requisitioned. Massachusetts guessed it made sense, seeing as how this was the first time Helena will be seeing all her sisters in one place after a so long, she couldn't blame her for being a little excited.
"Massachusetts!" Helena called, "did you want anything while we're here?"
"Me?" The Battleship was caught off guard by the offer, "n-no its alright…"
"Aww~" the girl pouted, "I still wanna pay you back since you're helping me out'n all and we haven't seen each other in a while."
"Really I'm good so dont sweat it," Massachusetts smiled back. It wasn't a surprise to see this girl was still so concerned with ever body else and their wellbeing, it was nice to see somethings about her haven't changed.
"As the older one it's only right that I do something for you," Helena puffed out her chest in an attempt to look more authoritative to the much taller Battleship, "I'm going to be baking once I get these ingredients back, so why don't you join me in the mess hall later? I-if you aren't busy."
Helena's home made snacks? How long has it been she's had any? The thought echoed loudly in Massachusetts's head as an eager look crossed her face, "sure!"
After waiting for several minutes for Akashi and her Meowficers to return from the depths of the store, they came back carrying stacks of bags, one on top of the other.
"Sorry for the last minute request!" Helena bowed after seeing the mountain of supplies.
"Its no problem nyah! Anything for one of my best customers!" Akashi reassured.
Attempting to take the stacks of stuff into her arms, Helena starts to teeter along with the goods.
"Woah there," Massachusetts caught the Cruiser by her back, stabilizing her before taking several of the bags into her arms. "I'm here to help, remember."
"He he," Helena chuckled sticking her tongue out like she forgot.
She's still a klutz…
<><><>o7<><><>
"Don't be a stranger now~" Prinz Eugen sang into Brooklyn's ear, her goodbye hug seemed like it wouldn't end until Wales had pulled her off.
"Yes, my door will always be open to you," the royal bowed, nervous to make any sort of physical contact with her two guests, "and since you two are here on holiday, please relax and enjoy all that this base has to offer."
"Of course," Brooklyn smiled back, "I'd like to see where all the budget goes."
With that said Brooklyn and Val disappeared out the office doors leaving just the two prince's inside.
"Even when she's not working she's working," Wales chuckled, allowing herself to breathe now that Brooklyn was gone.
"Something's changed about her," Eugen said next to Wales' ear as she draped her arms over the Battleship's shoulders from behind.
"So you didn't notice it?" Wales brought her own hand up in front of herself, "the ring on their fingers."
"A ring? Oh dear…" The Iron Blood's eyes went wide, "...I fear I have to apologize to little miss Valentina when I get the chance."
"Oh~ So even you're capable of remorse," Wales said with an exaggerated look of shock.
"Hmph," Eugen pushed off the Battleship's back, making her way towards the door, "even I won't be as crass to take something someone has already claimed. Now…" Eugen placed her hand upon the door, staring at it for a bit, "if only someone here wasn't such a coward…"
"C-coward? What do you mean by that?!" Wales shot up from her seat, but her secretary had already left the room.
<><><>o7<><><>
Brooklyn craned her neck upwards, staring up at the team of Manjuu setting down the giant wooden crate she had delivered from Panama.
"So that's supposed to be a gift for Queen Elizabeth?" Val asked as the shadow of the crate passed over her.
"That's what Wales said, yeah."
"Any idea what it is?"
"Probably a statue of some sort," Brooklyn shrugged, "knowing that little Queen."
"Extravagant…"
"Quite…" the Light Cruiser disparaged the Royal Navy's callous use of funds.
With a thump, the large crate came to rest at the center of the circular path, kicking up some dust in the process.
"So this is what they had you carry?" Massachusetts said from behind the pair.
The Battleship had dozens of bags hanging of each arm as well as stacked above them, making it hard to see her face.
"That's what I was carrying," Brooklyn said back in surprise, "but what in the world is all that?!"
"Just some supplies!" Helena had poked her head around Massachusetts from behind, startling her older sister a bit.
"She was gonna carry them all herself," Massachusetts tried gesturing to the Cruiser behind her.
"I told you to let me carry some at least!" Helena pouted at the Battleship.
Brooklyn froze up for a second, as a memory of the old Helena overlayed itself into her mind. Whether or not there was an old Helena, Helena is still Helena and it wouldn't change the fact that the girl standing in front of her is her little sister.
But she wasn't expecting to run into her sister so suddenly. Of course she wanted to see her but her nerves weren't quite ready. Brooklyn did mean what she said the other day when she first saw Helena again after four long years, that she looked good. Too good for someone who could barely crack a smile at the time. Watching her banter with Massachusetts now, it's as if she hardly had any trouble at all. Helena has grown so much, and she didn't need the help of her older sister at all…
"One step at a time… remember?" A memory of Val's voice echoed in Brooklyn's mind.
If she wanted to be a part of her sister's life as she once was, it would have to begin right now. Missing this opportunity would be something she could come to regret for the rest of her life.
"H-how about this?" Brooklyn grabbed half of the stack from Massachusetts arms before distributing some to Helena and a few to Val, "we can all help carry some."
Helena pouted even further as she stomped her foot at her older sister. "Brooklyn~" she whined behind her stack, "this is supposed to be for you! So you should let us handle this."
"If that's the case," Brooklyn already started walking off, "then that's all the more reason I should be helping out."
"And besides," Brooklyn yells already a distance away, "I get to spend time with my little sister!"
"Geez~" Helena burrows her face in the bags she was carrying, the tips of her ears glowing red.
Val quietly laughed to herself, knowing Brooklyn was probably too embarrassed to say that to Helena directly.
"Brooklyn! Wait!" Helena shot her head back up.
"Uh uh!" Brooklyn refused from a distance, "I'm helping and that's that!"
"No! You're going the wrong way! Helena shouted again, "we're going to the mess hall!"
Massachusetts and Val broke out in a snicker as Brooklyn stopped in her tracks, laughing all the while as the off duty diplomat swiftly about faced, retracing her steps in a hurried fashion.
<><><>o7<><><>
"So~" Wichita said over the rhythmic clinking of whisks beating against the walls of several bowls, "Cleveland…"
"Hmm-" the Light Cruiser hummed, not looking up from what she was doing, "what's up?"
"Whatcha workin on?" Wichita poked at the blonde's cheek trying to get a reaction out of her, "Helena's got you helpin her again?"
"Helena hasn't got me doing anything," the Light Cruiser said with a huff, "I'm helping out because I want too."
"Okay okay…" Wichita backed off.
"Why are you even here?"
"Everyone's busy doing something and I'm bored."
"Then why don't you put on an apron and help me out?"
"Hahaha!" The Heavy Cruiser's boisterous laughter startled the Manjuu in the kitchen, "y'know me! I prefer eating my food to cooking it!"
"Then just go sit down and watch!" Cleveland said more than a little annoyed.
Wichita held her arms out in front of her to calm the Light Cruiser down as she did what she was told, but sitting around calmly fiddling with cooking utensils could only placate the Heavy Cruiser for so long.
"Pst… Cleveland…" a small smirk formed on Wichita's lips as she just thought of something that was for sure going to get Cleveland to react, "psstt…"
"What?!" The blonde snapped with a harsh whisper, matching the Heavy Cruiser's attempt at trying to be discreet.
Tugging at Cleveland's apron, Wichita's smirk only widened, "say~ why don't we surprise Helena?"
"And do what?"
"And by we, I mean you," the Heavy Cruiser spoke into Cleveland's ear from behind, playing with the hem of her apron, "you could try greeting her in nothing but this apron~ I'm sure that would totally make her day~"
Cleveland's brow furrowed trying to make sense of Wichita's words. Why would she greet her in nothing but an apron? Nothing… but… an apron. Nothing…
"W-w-why would I do that?!" Cleveland's face glowed a bright red finally catching on to Wichita's dirty joke.
"Hahaha! Oh man!" The Heavy Cruiser nearly doubled over in laughter, "the look on your face!"
Cleveland did her best to ignore Wichita's teasing but the bowl of cream she was working at was whisked way past its intended consistency.
"I bet Helena could pull the look off," Wichita wiggled her eyebrows at Cleveland, "she does have that rockin' body~"
No sooner she said that, the sound of a bowl clattering onto the countertop rang throughout the kitchen. Wichita's laughter had transcended past the audible seeing as how Cleveland's entire face lit up all the way to the tips of her ears like a beacon.
"W-w-what are you even saying?!" The Light Cruiser whipped the whisk in her hand at Wichita, flicking batter in her direction.
With an audible splat, the creamy batter dripped down the Heavy Cruiser's face.
"Oh~ you've done it now!" The chocolate covered lids of Wichita's eyes slowly cracked open. Scooping what she could in her hands, the Heavy Cruiser slung it straight back at a still flustered Cleveland.
Before long the Manjuu in the kitchen scrambled out for the sake of their own safety.
<><><>o7<><><>
The mess hall should have stayed the same as Helena left it, quiet and calm. With the busy chatter and commotion that came during lunch still a few hours away. But the panicked Manjuu huddling near the entrance to the kitchen and the loud clattering coming from within betrayed any sense of tranquility.
"What's going on?" Val had asked Helena who had been beside her the whole time, but when she turned her head, a gust of wind had blown in her eyes and the Light Cruiser was gone.
Val's eyes darted around, spotting Helena already by the kitchen's entrance. There was a good seven ~ eight meters from where they first entered and she couldn't recall Helena even moving in the first place.
"Ya can't hit me throwing like that!" A familiar voice can be heard yelling inside.
"Wichita…" Brooklyn shook her head, watching helplessly as Helena slammed the kitchen doors wide open.
The two sole occupants inside turned towards the door in shock. The heavy overwhelming pressure radiating from the kitchen's entrance freezing them in place.
"Y-yo~ H-Helena!" The hand full of chocolate batter had dripped off Wichita's fingers. The audible splat it made filled the silence that fell over the mess hall.
"I-I was just h-helpin out… y'know…" The color from Wichita's face had drained, stuttering her words as she forgot how to breathe.
"T-take it easy n-now…" the redhead tried to back away as Helena slowly approached, but her feet wouldn't budge.
"I-I'll help you guys clean up!" The Heavy Cruiser's voice sounded almost desperate as Helena closed the distance.
"W-wait! T-think about this!"
That was the last everyone heard from Wichita's mouth as a loud thud echoed from the kitchen.
Brooklyn and Massachusetts winced as Helena emerged back out, dragging an unconscious Wichita by her collar out of the kitchen.
"Looks like I have a little cleaning to do before we start," Helena sighed, dragging Wichita to a nearby wall, letting the Heavy Cruiser's body slump to the ground after letting go.
<><><>o7<><><>
Cleveland counted herself lucky she didn't end up like Wichita. For a second there, she thought, that she too was done for. Closing her eyes bracing for a knockout, all she got was a towel to the face as Helena tried to clean the mess that she found herself coated in.
"Geez~" Helena frowned at the blonde, "it's my fault for leaving you guys alone."
"N-no!" Cleveland let out, "it's my fau-"
"It's fine~" Helena giggled as she wiped a glob of chocolate batter off of the blonde's nose, "Just help me clean up!"
Cleveland's face grew a little red as she watched Helena lick her fingers clean.
"Mhmm~!" Helena beamed, "that's really good!"
"I-I was only following the recipe on the note…"
"Dunkerque really knows her stuff…" Helena rubbed at her chin as she tried to analyze the flavor in her mouth.
"Dunkerque?" Brooklyn asked as she plopped down the supplies on a clean spot on the counter, "I didn't realize she was at the Joint Base."
"No. She's not," Helena shook her head, "Richelieu gave me one of her recipes."
"That's rare…" Brooklyn said to herself, knowing that Battleship wasn't known to just hand out her treasured recipes so easily, "so what's the occasion?"
"It's probably not much of a secret, but…" Helena furrowed her brow deliberating whether or not she should say or not.
"It's fine~ whatever you say won't leave this room," Brooklyn smiled before turning to the other girls in the room for confirmation, "right girls?"
Val and Massachusetts both nod.
"They're for someone's launchday," Helena, still reluctant to give up all the info.
"Intel is power," Brooklyn held up her finger, "so if you've got some to share…"
"But…" saying it would be like betraying Richelieu's trust.
"Jean Bart…" Massachusetts spoke, coming to a sudden realization.
"H-how'd you know?!" Helena panicked.
"I-" the Battleship blushed, "I just happened to remember… just now…"
"Oh ho~" Brooklyn and Val shot a knowing look towards Massachusetts simultaneously.
"She's that girl you were with last night," Val said, "hand in hand…"
"Oh ho~" Brooklyn said louder in surprise, "you work fast."
"I-I was just walking her back to the dorms…" the normally aloof Battleship fidgeted in place staring a hole in the ground by her feet.
"I didn't know you guys were friends?" Helena asked, "but that's great! You could help us bake some Pain au Chocolat for her if you want."
"Y-yes!" Massachusetts agreed a little more enthusiastically than intended.
"I could help out too if you don't mind," Val raised her hand, "if you don't mind an extra hand in the kitchen."
"Sure! I didn't really want to bother anyone else but we do have a lot to prep for."
"Val is one of the best cooks I know~" Brooklyn vouched.
"Is that right?!" Helena enthused, happy to meet someone else who knows their way around the kitchen.
"Well~" Val chuckled, not used to the attention she was receiving, "I'm definitely better than your sister here."
"That's not saying much…" Massachusetts laughed.
Cleveland couldn't bring herself to join in on the conversation seeing as how she was largely responsible for the mess they currently cleaning. And now that they had to start from scratch that feeling just compounded itself.
"Hey Helena," Brooklyn called, "where do you keep the extra aprons?"
Aprons, Cleveland blushed, cursing Wichita for putting weird thoughts in her head. The younger Cruiser's cheeks darkened even further not even realizing she was staring at Helena as she carefully hung her apron around her neck. Watching intently as she deftly tied the knot behind her back, before pulling her long and beautiful hair out from underneath. The air in Cleveland's lungs grew thin, watching in slow motion as Helena's hair fell back down, like some kind of swan decending upon a lake, framing her body like an exquisite portrait.
Cleveland wasn't blind, she was always aware just how beautiful her best friend is but she always tried to push it into the back of her mind. An act she was almost always successful at, but Wichita's recent words did wonders to destroy that. The Brooklyn sister's uniforms were quite the sight to behold and Helena's was no exception. Cleveland thought she was used to it by now, given how often the two were together, but she was finding it difficult to pull her eyes away from her best friend's figure.
"Clevie?" Helena said a little worried, "what's wrong? Your face is all red."
"N-nothings wrong!" The shorter blonde let out a nervous laugh, "Just Wichita putting weird thoughts in my head!"
"Great… what'd she say this time?" Helena said, all too familiar with the Heavy Cruiser's antics.
Cleveland would sooner scuttle herself than reveal the whole truth of what Wichita said, "It's… just forget I said anything…"
"Alright…" Helena pouted, a little disappointed Cleveland wouldn't tell her.
<><><>o7<><><>
With the clean up done, the girls were finally able to start their prep work. With each of them in their own little station responsible for each step of the process.
Val stared at the little note Helena had shown her committing the directions listed to memory. It was a shame she couldn't tell anyone else about this apparent super secret recipe but she figured it wouldn't be a problem if she used it for herself every now and again.
Helena and Val moved about the kitchen like some kind of synchronized, well oiled machine, stunning the rest of the girls as they struggled to keep up the pace.
Brooklyn was always fascinated with the way her sister and fiance worked, but seeing them both at it together all at once was something else.
Cleveland at the best of times could barely keep up with Helena when she was in the zone, but now, with Val involved, there was absolutely no hope.
Massachusetts was off in her own little corner making almost as much of a mess as Wichita did, whisking her bowl with a little too much force.
The team of Manjuu worked like an assembly line, rolling the dough that would become the pastries base.
"Hey Helena," Val called to her newly found cooking partner, "you think you could give Brook a hand? She looks a little confused as to what to do next."
"Brooklyn?" Helena turned to her sister who had just begun pouring the molten chocolate into each mold.
"W-what? I'm good," Brooklyn answered back, slightly confused as to what Val was doing," I don't ne-"
"-Here like this," Helena cut in, guiding her sister's hand as she helped to evenly pour the chocolate.
Val smiled to herself, knowing her fiance didn't really need help, and if she did she herself could step in lend a hand, but if she could engineer a way to get Brooklyn to spend some quality time with her sister she would take any opportunity she saw.
<><><>o7<><><>
Denver and Colombia could barely contain a snicker as a red faced Wichita sat down on the floor with her arms and legs crossed, still coated in a fine layer of chocolate, doing her best to ignore the two Light Cruisers.
"For a second, we thought you just came from the Iron Blood dorms, pfftt" Colombia broke out into laughter.
"Oh, its only chocolate…" Denver said in relief as she swiped some from the Heavy Cruiser's face.
"What the hell did you think it was?!" Wichita lost her temper as the two ran for cover inside the kitchen.

Hey! I'm 23 years old and I'm from Europe. Lately I've been feeling pretty lonely. I really want to find someone that I could form a genuine connection with, to talk about our days, our dreams, life in general and to bring a smile on each others' face :).
I'd describe myself as a smart, funny, loving, honest, determined and adventurous guy. I'm passionate about geography, astronomy, history and things that add to my general knowledge, even random stuff that aren't of much use haha. I also love coding, I work as a developer. At first I might seem a bit distant maybe?, but once we get to know each other and I feel comfortable with you, I become pretty outgoing. I enjoy watching movies/documentaries and listening to all kinds of music genres. I'm a big mixed martial arts and boxing fan as well.
I'm not perfect, many times I'm an overthinker and sometimes I allow my worries to get to me too much. It'd be nice if I could find someone to help me balance that and I'd do the same for that person. I'd have your back and you'd have mine, type of thing.
I'd like someone who is emotionally available, that is willing to put in the time to get to know each other on a deeper level and who would be open to a relationship if we get to that point.
I'm looking for someone who is between 19-24 years old and straight. Looks are important to me but I don't have a type. The only thing I prefer is that you're in shape.
I'm 1,90cm tall , slim, green eyes, pale skin and dark blonde hair. I take care of my physical appearance and health. I'm also a Christian.
If I sound like your kind of guy and I somehow resonated with you, send me a message with an introduction of yourself and of course, ask any questions you have :).
Thanks for reading my post!

The Sims 7 has just been announced. Cindy has taken Andrew back for the 84th time. She deletes her channel, then restores it a week later as she cries on stream about how he left her again.
Andrew has a 10 year old son, a 7 year old daughter, and a 4 year old son. All with different women. They all still want him. He is completely bald. The reflection of the sun in his bald dome is so bright that it starts a forest fire. The entirety of Colorado is in engulfed in flames. Cindy drives 14 hours through the blazing inferno because she found out about his 23 year old mistress. She races the other 3 mistresses on the street, dodging embers from the fires.
When she arrives, she convinces him to come back to Arkansas with her. He obliges. He says he needs to go out for milk. He never returns. Cindy livestreams “My life is over: part 85.” She decides to order a pizza so she can find another lover.
“What the hell is a King Gizzard?” the 20 year old pizza delivery boy says. “And besides, I thought you didn’t want mushrooms? You ordered just pepperoni and sausage. No dough or sauce or anything...”
“No, I meant I want YOU to do mushrooms with ME.” She replies.
“Lady, aren’t you like 50?”
“Just forget it!” she shouts as she grabs the box of loose meat toppings and slams the door in his face. She pours herself a glass of Jack and Coke Zero™️ and begins composing an email to Andrew.
Ah shit, here we go again.

I grew up in a small Asian country, and lived in the suburb. Our town was pretty safe, so we always walked school, and took bus to other after school lessons alone. I started taking buses alone since I was 8.
This happened during first year of junior high. I had a strict and somewhat crazy teacher that required us to be at school for extra study time by 7am, instead of the regular start time of 7:30. My older sisters went to the same school but they were often late, so I would walk to school alone basically every morning.
I started seeing this old man that would be lingering around a street corner on my way to school. I was taught to be polite to the elders so I would nod and say "good morning." Usually he would wave and say good morning back. Then as time went by, he started to make small conversations. I was quite naïve back then so whatever he asked, I answered, like what year I was in, how I like/disliked school, friends, etc. I knew enough not to tell him exactly where I lived.
One morning, the owner of a nearby breakfast stand called out to me, and told me that she noticed the old man stopping me for conversations. "Be careful, he's weird," she said. I thanked her and kept going.
Few days later I saw him again. This time he reached out and grabbed my arm, and pulled me closer to him. As skinny and short as he was, he was surprisingly strong! I couldn't shake his hand off. His face was suddenly so close to mine, I could smell his foul breath! "Give me a smooch" he said. "OMG WTF is happening?" was all I could scream internally. I used all my strength to pull back and screamed "No, get away from me!" and ran off.
I heard shouting as I passed the breakfast stand but didn't stop nor look back. I ran all the way to school.
For the rest of the week I walked a slightly different route, which added 5 minutes to the walk. By the following week I felt that it should be ok to take the old route, so I did (so I could sleep 5 extra minutes). Walking with my guards up, I didn't see him. I said hi to the breakfast stand owner, and she asked me if I was ok. Then she told me that she and her customers saw what happened and ran him off and told him not to show his face around again.

So I 25m and my gf 26f have been together for just under 5 years. We met in college but only casually dated for the first two months before we fully committed to each other. Now even before we started dating and we’re just friends she new I have zero interest in ever getting married or having kids. I’ve known this ever since I was a teenager and every time I’ve said it when people talk to me about my future they say the same things like I’ll change my mind when I’m older or I meet the right person. But I’m a fully functional adult and I still feel the same. Continuing to the story. We have been committed to each other for years now and I am extremely happy with the relationship both of us have discussed marriage and kids before. But I continue to make my position on the matter clear but that I understand that if she’s not okay with it we can break up. She previously told me she’s happy with how we are and doesn’t care about any of those things. However, over the past year she has kept bringing it up and trying to convince me, and I just keep telling her that I feel the same. Well this last week my birthday rolled around and we had planned to go out in the early afternoon and be together all night. We had a late dinner at a restaurant I really like then went for a walk along the river near my apartment. Well as you can tell from the title at the end of our walk she proposed to me. I was extremely shocked at first and then incredibly upset because she has known my feelings on the matter for a long time. I’m thankful that it was late at night because there was nobody around to see me say no. She started crying immediately and slapped me really hard before running off. I felt awful and figured I’d give her awhile before contacting her to talk but I guess she told both of our families and all our friends what she was doing and what happened so less than an hour after I said no I was bombarded with messages telling me I’m a piece of shit and an asshole. It’s almost been a week since that night and I’m still getting messages from even my own family telling me I’m an asshole and haven’t been able to contact my probably ex gf now. So Reddit am I the asshole?

Should I be upset ?
I (26f) was minding my business working at my desk today when one of the board members comes in and ask me about my 10 month year old son born in August 2022.
He(70m) asks “How is your son?” “How old is he?” Then he proceeds to ask me if I wanted more children and I pointed at my stomach ( meaning I am having another child due August 2023). This individual proceeds to say to me “I know what your doing when your not at work” & “we need to go ahead and get you fixed.” I didn’t even say anything cause it was such unexpected commentary. This individual only knows me because of where I work .
I just want to know if I should be upset or if this individual is allowed to say these things to me.
I have already had a tough time accepting this pregnancy because I was literally just pregnancy & it feels like I have been pregnant for 2 years.
This literally makes a big difference as to how I feel about coming to work.

I need answers. My 35 year old identical twin nieces are exhibiting mental issues and their mother and I are at a loss at what could be going on.
It started with just one of them 2 years ago. Her personality shifted entirely so much that she is acting like the complete opposite of her normal self. She has also stated numerous times that the aliens and a “AI robot parakeet” have been talking to her and teaching her how to see the future. Her mom has found her standing in the yard for multiple hours just staring up at the sky. Carrying on a conversation with her is incredibly difficult because the things she says makes no sense such as people having “golden hay” and other nonsensical words. She will no longer leave her house if she sees her mom outside (she lives next door to her) and will no longer answer her phone. Her mom chalked all of this up to maybe long covid psychosis until this past year when my other niece started acting paranoid and strange.
With her it started off with her legitimately getting hacked but that progressed into accusing me, her mother and the rest of her family into being the hackers. She claims that someone was flying a drone in her room while she was sleeping, someone breaking into her house to move her underwear and a hat to a new location in her room and to steal her socks and other personal items. She believes that someone is going into her attic and staying there but that and the other things are almost impossible because she also hardly ever leaves the house and she has cameras and the doors to her home are almost always locked ( the only attic door is inside the house so no outside access). Now she is claiming that she has been sexually assaulted while sleeping numerous times but she hasn't awakened for any of these encounters and has no physical marks on her body. She told us that she is going to go to the FBI with all of this information.
They're both married but their husband's act like it's not a problem and refuse to try to talk them into seeking help. We are especially concerned with the 2nd niece because she has her child in the home with her, her husband works out of town for the majority of the time and she has access the guns (we live in Texas).
What could be causing this with them and what could their mother possibly do to try to help them. Please we are desperate for answers. Thank you for any helpful responses.

On the planet teeming with eight billion others, I was just another face in the crowd, navigating the tumultuous corridors of high school. Today, we were ticking off the second to last day of the school year, and we had the liberty of a half day, making lunchtime the closing bell.
At fifteen, I was awkwardly wading through the stormy seas of adolescence, complete with the scourge of hormonal surges and the unfortunate sprinkling of acne dotting my face. My world was wonderfully wrapped up in a corner of our high school cafeteria, a realm presided over by Emila. The dazzling subject of my dreams, she held me under her spell with her enchanting beauty. Her hair, a river of glistening platinum, formed a comforting canopy around me, filling my senses with a tantalizing mix of coconut-scented shampoo and the memorable reminder of our gym sessions.
“Alex, come back to Earth!”
My Emila-infused daydream was interrupted by Elijah, my only friend in a table full of acquaintances.
“Did you see the TikTok I sent?”
He asked, a twinkle of devilish delight dancing in his eyes. I fumbled for my phone, eager for a dose of Elijah’s promised comedy, only to find the video was no longer available with unsurprising speed.
“Man, it was comedy gold! Imagine Thanos, asscheeks and all, telling the most offensive Holocaust joke. Legendary stuff”
Elijah chuckled heartily, his laughter echoing around the room, amplified by his own creative narrative.
“Sure sounds like it”
I muttered, my gaze returning to Emila. Her attention was stolen by my older brother, the infamous Mikey, whose joke had her laughing. Mikey, a final year student with a solid record of academic underachievement and a proclivity for marijuana, was a walking, talking, stoner stereotype. What was unsettling was his inexplicable charm with the wide-eyed freshman girls, a twisted hobby that gave him an unusual sense of satisfaction.
As the bell shrilled, signaling the end of the school day, Mikey abruptly stood up, the metal chair beneath him screeching in protest. His next words, a slurred mix of colloquial slangs and contemporary cuss words, were aimed at summoning his freshman fan club, a motley crew of wide-eyed youngsters who clung onto his every word like bees to honey. At the same time, he bumbled out a half-hearted invitation for Emila to join their quest for illicit pleasures. Emila's reaction was a fusion of disgust and amusement, an expression I decided to commit to memory for my poetry. She gracefully declined his offer with a well-rehearsed flip of her hair and a disdainful wave of her hand, then she returned to her conversation, laughter pealing from her like sweet music, completely oblivious to my heart hammering in my chest.
Around me, chaos broke loose as the cafeteria, now released from the clutches of academic torture, transitioned into a war zone of wild whoops, boisterous laughter, and the smell of overly sweet cafeteria food. At the corner of my eye, I caught Elijah's failed attempt to record a TikTok, where he took on the guise of a chicken playing Mozart's fifth symphony on a battered keyboard. The sight of him clucking passionately amidst a cacophony of piano notes sent me into a fit of laughter, providing a much-needed dose of comedic relief after the annoyances of my school day. The last sight that graced my eyes as I exited the cafeteria, was the bewildered expression on the face of our school janitor, as he stood paralyzed amidst the storm, mop in hand. It was a fittingly ludicrous end to another thrillingly mundane school day. With that, I picked up my bag, donned my headphones, and began my solitary trek home.
The burden of unrequited love weighed heavily upon my weary shoulders as I trudged homeward. In dire need of a chill-out moment, I fumbled for my go-to vape, only to be met with the light show of a dead battery. Just another bump in the road that is the teenage rollercoaster ride. As I hit the 7-Eleven on my route, I was looking forward to seeing Antonio, the ageless dude who seemed more interested in cracking jokes than caring about checking IDs. But instead of Antonio's playful smirk, I came face-to-face with a new character, with wrinkles that told stories of time gone by. A wave of disappointment washed over me as I nabbed a bottle of Dr. Pepper and headed for the cash register.
"What happened to Antonio?"
I asked, putting my drink on the counter for the mystery guy.
"Who?"
He muttered, his focus on the soda can he was sliding under the scanner.
"Antonio, the guy who's usually here in the evenings"
I explained, a hint of irritation in my voice.
"Dunno. I only started here last week. I just know the young girl who takes over when my shift ends"
He responded, his words leaving a gap in my world, like a punch in the gut of my usual routine.
Taking a bubbly swig of my Dr. Pepper, I tried to swallow the truth of teenage life. It was like walking into my favorite cozy room, only to find the furniture rearranged haphazardly. The change was unexpected, and unwelcome.
Finally trekking my way home after sitting on a bench listening to music for what Must've been hours. I walked under a sky that seemed to be experimenting with shades of orange and purple, I felt a strange kind of solitude sneaking in. My thoughts kept playing a merry-go-round with Mikey, Emila, and now absent Antonio - the trio that had become the stars of my high school drama.
My front door protested loudly under my foot's frustrated kick, and a slurred
"WHAT THE FUCK!"
Bellowed from the living room. My mother, ensnared in an alcoholic haze, lounged over the couch, her shaking finger accusingly pointed in my direction.
"Did you forget that I get migraines?"
The smell of tequila permeated the air, filling my nostrils as soon as I crossed the threshold. I sighed, hoping for a lifeline.
"Is dad home?"
My mother sank back onto the couch, her voice a whisper
"No."
My father, the only one who occasionally lent an ear when I complained about Mikey, was perpetually chained to his cubicle, another cog in the corporate machine.
I ascended the stairs, each creaking step a harmony to the melancholic rhythm of the dark. The silent house held the weight of my unease, my chest tightening with an indescribable yearning. Tucked away in the solitude of my room, I pulled out my phone, the screen's glow illuminating my apprehensive features. I typed out a tentative message to Emilia, a small confession of the feelings that had long been gnawing at my insides.
"Hey, Emilia, I..."
First message sent. But before I could finish my second text, the dreaded words - 'Message Failed to Send' stared back at me. My heart sank. Was it a sign? Maybe the universe was intervening, telling me it wasn't the right time, or perhaps, it never would be. Disheartened, I slung my phone aside, letting the unsent feelings hover in the digital void. Slipping under the comforting shroud of my blanket, I drifted off into a sleep, with dreams tinted in hues of Emilia and unspoken words.
The next morning started out ordinary until it was splattered with the color of angst when I pleaded with Mikey that morning to stay away from Emila. His response?
"Amelia, the freshman? Didn't know you had a thing for her."
His nonchalance was maddening.
"Emila. As your brother, I'm asking you to back off"
I clarified, hoping it would penetrate his stubborn exterior.
His perplexed expression turned into a nonchalant shrug.
"Damn, been saying her name wrong the few times we spoke, and she never bothered to correct me."
Mikey shrugged and walked away, leaving me feeling dismissed and unheard.
Feeling a mix of frustration and confusion, I left for school and shook off the encounter with my brother and headed to my first-period class. As I stepped into the room, I expected to see my usual teacher, Ms. Thompson, waiting at her desk. However, to my surprise, it was someone else entirely—a teacher I had never seen before. I had really liked Ms. Thompson too so to see she got a substitute on the last day was dissapointing. Yet his resemblance to Ms. Thompson was uncanny, from the way he held himself to the tone of his voice. I knew something was off.
I glanced around the classroom, taking in the unfamiliar arrangement of notes and papers hanging on the walls. The subjects and diagrams were foreign to me, not matching the usual decor that adorned this space. It was as if I had entered an alternate dimension, where everything seemed the same yet completely different.
As the class went on, the new teacher droned on with the same monotony I had grown accustomed to, but it felt hollow, lacking the genuine concern and passion that Ms. Thompson always displayed. The other students seemed oblivious to the change, talking and cutting up as if nothing was amiss. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
Throughout the rest of class, my mind wandered, retracing the events of the past few days. Antonios unexpected absence, the failed text to Emila, Mikey's nonchalant reaction to my warning about Emila, the strange teacher in place of Ms. Thompson—it all felt like pieces of a puzzle that didn't quite fit together. For the first time, I realized how little attention I had paid to the details of my daily routine. But now, with this subtle shift in my surroundings, I couldn't help but question everything.
As the class finally came to an end, I gathered my things and made my way out.
The unfolding of the remaining classes before lunch did nothing to alleviate the paranoia that was steadily creeping over me. In my second-period class, usually dedicated to cleaning out the science lab, I noticed a set of instruments that we'd never used before. My peers didn't bat an eyelid, but to me, the incongruity was unsettling. Then in English, our final class reading didn't correspond to the assigned book. The text seemed different, as though it had been subtly altered.
Physical education, typically a free play session on the last day, was different too. Coach Peters was blowing a whistle I'd never seen before, its pitch more grating than the usual. And just before lunch, during the end-of-year assembly, the principal's speech, usually so predictable, seemed off. It contained references to events and achievements that didn't match my memories.
As lunchtime arrived, a mix of anticipation and anxiety filled the air. Even with my world falling apart I found time to worry about Mikey's presence around Emila. However, Emila was nowhere to be found. When I mentioned this to the group as I took my seat, my words were met with silence, as if I had become invisible.
Sitting alone at the edge of the table, I sought solace in our group pictures, hoping to catch a glimpse of Emila. I opened Snapchat and scrolled through my camera roll until I found my favorite picture of her. But to my surprise, Emila was inexplicably absent from the image. I blinked in disbelief, rubbed my eyes, and questioned my own perception. How could she have vanished? In the photo, my arm had once embraced her, but now it hung empty at my side.
"Guys, where's Emila?"
I asked, passing my phone to Elijah. He stared at the screen for a long moment, as if emerging from a trance.
"Who?"
He finally responded absentmindedly, his attention quickly diverted by a video shared by another friend.
Taking back my phone, I desperately searched for more pictures, only to find that they had vanished—her Instagram, Snapchat, even her parents' Facebook profiles. Panic gripped me, and I screamed
"WHERE IS EMILA!?"
My voice resonating through the cafeteria, reverberating off the walls. The entire room fell into an eerie silence, and all eyes turned to me, their gazes fixed with a mix of curiosity and concern.
"Her social media is gone. I feel like I'm going insane, and none of you even acknowledge me!"
My voice cracked with desperation as I pleaded for answers.
Mikey and Elijah rose from their seats, their expressions filled with compassion, ready to console me. But I couldn't bear their pity, their feeble attempts to calm my tormented mind. Their words would be meaningless. With a surge of frantic energy, I pushed my chair back and fled the suffocating atmosphere of the cafeteria.
As I stumbled out of the school, my surroundings blurred in a whirlwind of confusion and distress. The world itself seemed to warp and twist, mocking my feeble attempts to comprehend the inexplicable. Thoughts tumbled through my mind, colliding and fragmenting like shattered glass. Where had Emila gone? How could she vanish so completely, leaving no trace behind? Was I losing my grip on reality?
A light drizzle began peppering the surroundings, setting a somber atmosphere. Hours slipped away as I aimlessly wandered, searching for answers. Maybe someone had slipped me acid-laced food, or perhaps I was crazy like my mother. The thought of my brother's affinity for drugs crossed my mind, but I had never dabbled. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to find a sense of respite in my vape once again.
Entering the 7-Eleven, a chilling sensation overcame me as I discovered the same elderly man behind the counter. Without uttering a word, I hopped over the counter, desperate to find any clue.
"Kid, you can't be back there!"
The man exclaimed, attempting to restrain me. Swiftly, I pushed him away, unearthing the work schedule from the wall.
"Where's Antonio?" I stammered.
The old man, seemed to recognize me.
"I asked about that. Antonio doesn't work here"
He said, struggling to regain his footing. Overwhelmed with a sense of paranoia, I bolted out of the gas station, gasping for breath only when I reached the safety of my home.
In the dim light of the early evening, I found myself sprawled on the unkempt grass of the front yard. The recent rain had left the ground sodden, but I barely noticed the wetness seeping into my clothes. As the rain mingled with my silent tears, I heard the familiar rumble of my older brother Mikey's truck pulling into the driveway.
"Hey pussy"
He exclaimed, pushing his rain-soaked hair back from his forehead. His voice carried a light-hearted jest that felt foreign amidst the somber atmosphere. He was always like this, quick to crack a joke even in the gloomiest of moments. It was his way of diffusing tension, I suppose. He reached out, pulling me up and leading me towards the house. Once inside and in his room, an aroma filled my nose – a peculiar mix of stale pizza and mildewy old books – that somehow comforted me in a strange, indescribable way. It was an olfactory reminder of a time before things got so complicated.
Catching my eye, Mikey reached into his drawer and withdrew an intricately designed glass bong. I had seen it before, on one of those rare occasions when Mikey would let me into his private world. Now, he was extending the invitation again. He passed me the bong, a knowing smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
I hesitated for a moment, my mind flashing back to times when mom would sit us down in front of the TV after school, her kind and comforting presence a strong reassurance of love and security. That was before the alcohol took over, before the comforting light in her eyes had been replaced by a glassy, distant look. The thought of her brought an odd sense of calmness, as if her spirit was there with me, in Mikey, guiding me through this haze.
Taking the bong from Mikey, I let out a nervous chuckle, matching his playful demeanor. As I took a hit, we fell into a comfortable laughter, punctuated only by the deafening theme song of Family Guy playing on the large TV in the corner of his room. The memory of our shared laughter resonated deeply within me, a balm to the churning unrest I had been feeling.
"It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and -"
Suddenly, the television vanished, replaced by a weathered dresser that had been stored in the attic.
Mikey's phone suddenly blared a familiar jingle.
"Ah, man. One sec, bro,"
"-sex on TV." My brother's phone blared at maximum volume.
"Sorry, bro, my friend texted me"
He explained, placing the phone between us.
"Where's the TV?"
I muttered, the words hardly audible. As the high intensified, the room started to spin, the familiar comfort of Mickey's presence fading away. I reached out in a futile attempt to steady myself but fell onto the cold, hardwood floor. The room seemed to swirl around me, familiar objects distorting into unrecognizable shapes and colors.
Pulling myself up, I lurched out of the room, navigating the labyrinthine house as fragments of memories flooded my mind. It felt like I was walking through a dream – a vivid, disorienting journey through time and space. Stepping outside, I saw the lawn had morphed into a neatly trimmed landscape, A new 'For Sale' sign swaying gently in the evening breeze, dissolved away as quickly as I noticed it.
The sounds of laughter drew my attention to the house. The windows were aglow with warm, inviting light, revealing an unfamiliar family engrossed in their game night. Their joy was a stark contrast to my growing desolation.
As days rolled on, my world reshaped, transforming from the familiar to an enigmatic panorama. Faces blurred, places mutated, my identity itself seemed to wane, fading into oblivion.
Caught in this mutating reality, I felt a quiet observer, my existence phasing out into the ether. Friends, family, Emila - all were melting away into the canvas of my evaporating memory.
Then, amidst the dissolving haze, clarity dawned, presenting a profound revelation. Our Earth was yearning for equilibrium, burdened with the weight of 8 billion souls, a possibly infinite and cruel humanity, now quickly seeking balance before it was too late.
We had pushed our home to her brink. Now, a beautiful transformation is underway. Smiling strangers began to color my world, their joy reflecting the Earth's newfound harmony. Merchandise, once an extravagant luxury, now seemed accessible to all. The battlefield in Ukraine had given way to peace, a testament to the world healing its wounds.
As I type this out in a clean and rather nicely lit alleyway. I find myself blending into the cosmic expanse, my hands and arms fading away before returning as if the universe wants me to finish. As I turn from a solid entity into an echo of existence. The world moves on, its stride unperturbed by my fading presence. Yet, in my diminishing, I realize my contribution to Earth's balance.
Earth is in the midst of achieving perfection. Many of you won't make it and will be gutted like myself, some of you will stay. The rest of you, I catch glimpses of as I fade, timeliness unaffected and left to die without God.
My final thoughts are not of sorrow, but of serene acceptance and profound understanding. As I phase into the ether, I became a cosmic whisper, a gentle reminder of the necessity for balance and respect for our fragile planet.

Hey! I'm 23 years old and I'm from Europe. Lately I've been feeling pretty lonely. I really want to find someone that I could form a genuine connection with, to talk about our days, our dreams, life in general and to bring a smile on each others' face :).
I'd describe myself as a smart, funny, loving, honest, determined and adventurous guy. I'm passionate about geography, astronomy, history and things that add to my general knowledge, even random stuff that aren't of much use haha. I also love coding, I work as a developer. At first I might seem a bit distant maybe?, but once we get to know each other and I feel comfortable with you, I become pretty outgoing. I enjoy watching movies/documentaries and listening to all kinds of music genres. I'm a big mixed martial arts and boxing fan as well.
I'm not perfect, many times I'm an overthinker and sometimes I allow my worries to get to me too much. It'd be nice if I could find someone to help me balance that and I'd do the same for that person. I'd have your back and you'd have mine, type of thing.
I'd like someone who is emotionally available, that is willing to put in the time to get to know each other on a deeper level and who would be open to a relationship if we get to that point. I'm looking for someone who is between 19-24 years old and straight. Looks are important to me but I don't have a type. The only thing I prefer is that you're in shape.
I'm 1,90cm tall , slim, green eyes, pale skin and dark blonde hair. I take care of my physical appearance and health. I'm also a Christian.
If I sound like your kind of guy and I somehow resonated with you, send me a message with an introduction of yourself and of course, ask any questions you have :). Thanks for reading my post!

Welp. Here I am questioning my damn sexuality. Now I saw a vid that was like "Am I Bi or a lesbian". She said that the point's she will say there are only what helped her and that it could also help you the viewer. Now there was a point like "If you found a guy hot and he would find you hot too would you go on a date with him or would you just wanna by friends. Like is it that you can see if a person is hot but you don't want them to be something more then friends" Or something like that. Now I pictured that moment and I told myself no. No I wouldn't want a guy that I find hot to be my partner like nice abs there friend. And that's it. And then I wondered the same about women. AND THIS IS THE PART I GOT SO FRICKING CONFUSED. I pictured the same thing and.
I DON'T KNOW. Like I just start overthinking it and then I am like "but you also kinda overthinked the men part!" AAAAH I AM SO MESSED UPPPP. Help me. Please. Lol *dying*. So I wondered in that moment. If I really am a lesbian, or a bisexual. Becouse like. I don't think I can say yes to dating a girl yet I don't think I can say yes to dating a boy either. I am confused and becouse I am still very young I feel weird asking like an adult "why do you date guys?". Yet I feel kinda pressured to figure it out. Like a had a lot fo stuff on top of me and I feel like everyone wants me to grow up when I am still a so fricking young. Like I want to run around in the park like small kids I want to have outside breaks when I run around doing stupid shit but now when I do that people are like "How old are you?" I answer "(my age)" "Well you should behave like an (example: tweny year old! But my age)" And I am saying in my mind. 'I am not an adult parent. I still wanna run around doing stupid shit my sibling had this freedom so why cannot I have that?? Why am I pressured to grow up while my sibling had the sweet time??'
So. How did you figure it out? How did you sayd to yourself "Yup I am this. I like this I am attracted to this." Becouse I would really wanna prove that I am strong enough to figure it out.
That's all. Have a good rest of the day.

I've been practicing leetcode for over a month and it's hard. Sometimes it takes me a long time to write a bug-free optimal solution for easy problems. I can usually only solve a medium problem optimally if I've solved a similar problem in the before.
While I do think I could eventually work my way up to pass FAANG level interviews, it will take me a lot of time and effort. I'm guessing nearly a year of consistent effort. I'm having a really tough time with two pointer and sliding window problems in particular.
Do FAANG engineers need to dedicate a huge amount of time preparing for interviews before landing their job? I have a hard time believing that the average engineer at these companies spent a ton of time grinding leetcode considering I rarely hear about it in real life. Are they just naturally gifted?

I'm mainly a lurker, but this recent event has really made me upset.
Recently, my friends (we are all around 20 years old in age, so very young) and I got in a pretty big argument over whether or not pits are dangerous and why they may attack.
TRDL: Friends tried to back up their pro-pit argument by claiming that their behavior is because of how they are raised. I argued that while this could be a contributing factor, there is a genetic component to why they attack. They denied my argument and accused me of wanting to hurt animals. Now I feel isolated and disrespected from the people whom I considered my friends.
The conversation (summarized) ------------------------------------------------------------------
It started with someone (we will call A) sending a picture of pitbull in our group chat, saying that the pit was so nice so how could anyone hate them (A knew that I have a negative opinion of these animals). I responded saying that one individual cannot represent the population as a whole, and just because one of these animals is nice doesn't mean that this is (and has been) the most deadly dog breed. That's where things started to blow up.
B, C, and D all started responding, saying that its all in how these dogs are raised, saying that they are the most abused dog breed in the world (which is fact, they are the most abused breed, however I think there is more depth on why they might attack someone), and thus, if they are to attack, it's because of the way they are raised.
I responded saying that yes, abuse can be one of the factors that may cause a dog to attack, however, this certainly is not true for all attacks, and that there is a "genetic component" (which the FAQ for this subreddit also states) that cannot be ignored, backing up my claim with the breeding history of pits and other fighting dogs, and how, like several other species, these animals were just doing what they were bred to do (I used examples regarding several breeds of herding dogs, hunting dogs, etc, and how they were bred for these specific traits).
Of course, B, C, and D denied that genetics had any part in why pits might attack and continued to ignore my argument, then kept insisting that I didn't understand their argument. When I brought up the amount of people they kill per year (this is only reported deaths, not even attacks), D said that they had only killed about 300 people globally on average per year (i was INFURIATED because according to what D said, that is about 300 people PER YEAR who have died due to these animals, and D was treating it as if it was absolutely nothing). C also brought up an article which was from the ATTS (which the FAQ addressed to be useless and even said that the ATTS admitted that "the breed rankings are "not a measure of a breed's aggression," are not scientific, and hold no statistical significance"). C also equivalated the banning of gay marriage (C and I are both homosexuals) to pits bulls being banned, and just did not seem able to understand that pitbulls and humans are not the same.
B then ended the conversation by saying that I was twisting B's words into what I wanted them to say, and that I promote an agenda that wants to hurt and kill animals (which i thought was very hypocritical of B to say, considering that B was upset that I was apparently putting words in their mouth, which is then what they proceeded to do to me).
End of conversation ------------------------------------------------------------------
Honestly, what went on in the argument isn't even important. I just feel disgusted, upset, and like an idiot by people who are (were?) my friends. The fact that they all literally "pitted" against me and denied my argument which I thought I had supported very well, even acknowledging their perspective, only to be entirely disregarded an treated like I was evil and an idiot.
The thing is, I wish I would have never even mentioned my opinion towards pits to them (I had mentioned that I disliked pits a few months prior, and we had seldom talked about it until now). I thought that as my friends, they would have the capability to accept that I have a different opinion (they wouldn't even have to necessarily agree with my argument), but instead, they ignored anything I had to say, disrespected survivors/victims of pitbull attacks, and just accused me of wanting to hurt and kill animals. These were my friends whom I trusted and I shared a great bond with, but the fact that they could be so blind disgusts and hurts me, and I can only imagine how the survivors and victims of pitbull attacks may feel, as well as their friends and family.
I feel that my bond with these people is permanently damaged, just based on the way they treated me and just how much they could be hurting others. I feel so isolated by them, and I think that a lot of respect they have for me and I have for them is gone. Whenever I think of the conversation, I feel sick at the thought that my own friends believe that nothing is wrong with these animals and now instead think I am an evil person who hates animals and wants them to be hurt and killed (which is not what I believe; I believe that we should stop the breeding of these animals and allow this dog breed to die out. This would not harm any existing pitbulls nor would involve abusing them).
Thankfully, one of my friends (who we will call E) messaged me later and told me that they thought I made some very good points, and while E might not agree with all my opinions regarding pitbulls, E still supports me. I am very thankful for E, even with B, C, D, (and even perhaps A) "pitting" against me.
I just can't help but feel like a bit of a horrible person (ironic right?), especially since B, C, and D think I would promote animals abuse. Of course, this has not changed my opinion on these animals, but I still feel so isolated from my friends, the people I so deeply trusted.
This experience truly has enlightened me in how people who defend these animals think. They literally denied evidence of these animals being inherently dangerous, disregarded the true impact of these animals to people, and even related pitbulls to humans in a way that they knew would affect me, then twisted the argument so that I was the bad guy.
Just so you know, I truly admire this community and those who have been affected in some way by these animals. I am so sorry to the survivors of these attacks, to the friends and family who have had a loved one affected by these animals, but know that I hold the upmost respect towards you.

So I’m just a 19 year old dude, not a whole lot of experience working or doing anything, working on getting my license (low key suck at driving tho) and I don’t have a lot of passions or drive, I don’t care for a family in the future and I kinda don’t got a reason for money other than my own survival. So I don’t think I need to aim for the stars but my father and I both agree that there’s no reason to low ball myself, I just kinda don’t know what to do. I’m not offended at going to college or something but I ain’t too keen on school but idk how college is, I’m not very physically powerful and not super smart- pretty average for both. Any advice or ideas? I was thinking something calm like a desk job but I don’t know many of those that pay well.
Thank you in advance :)

To the jackass who stood near me for over five seconds, without unhooking me, watching the fucking door, while we were without a shadow of a doubt in sprinting distance of the door if you'd let me take a protection shot, WASTING THE TIME WE HAD LEFT BEFORE THE ENTITY KILLED US,
Good job. You're an absolute buffoon.

The Game map. Playing as doctor.
Killed Vittorio on hook because no one unhooked him after his first and only hook.
Hooked Feng, who had been unhooked twice by Vittorio.
Downed a Kate with boil over while she was trying to unhook Feng, who had spent half the game jumping in and out of a locker, picked her up but put down because couldn’t find a hook.
Leon goes in to the area that they’re both in, let’s Feng die on hook, spent half of the game tbagging whenever we got in a chase, did not heal Kate and instead just ran around her, and I literally waited a minute or so to see if he was gonna get her up but nope he continued jumping over a pallet to draw attention.
So I down him in the same area Kate was in, he had boil over too and same scenario no nearby hook that I could see and someone had petrified oak so I left him downed mainly because he hadn’t helped his team mates, and was pissing around.
Kate ended up dying, and unfortunately the Leon managed to crawl and get hatch as it spawned right near him I play on console and Leon went as far as to message me saying “karma” bc he got hatch 😂
Karma for what? Letting him die?? Is that not part of my job as killer? Was he not supposed to have healed Kate? Or unhooked Feng? I was baffled. Still am. AITA? Where did I go wrong lmao

I’m 24 years old. I went to my gynecologist and she ordered a transvaginal ultrasound because my periods were irregular, then they saw a cyst on one of my ovaries and she suspected cancer and I also got an endometrial biopsy because my endometrium being thick and having masses. Then after 2 months I went back to her to repeat transvaginal and thank you Jesus what she was suspecting to be cancer turned into a simple cyst, and biopsy results were good as well. But what I don’t understand is where all my bloating, both ovary will hurt sometimes, occasionally lower back pain, urinary retention, and constipation/diarrhea are coming from. I’m a very stressed girl, so many things happening to me lately, got in a really bad car wreak and almost died, and I’ve been putting so much pressure on myself to finish college and other things, besides androgenetic alopecia and tellogen effluvium hair loss won’t help at all, so people keep saying that my emotional could be causing some of that, and also I have no energy to do physical exercises, so I usually neglect my physical health. I have no clue if I have IBS, but I’ve had some symptoms during the past years. What you guys think all this could be? I’m so worried 😱

I (22F) am a third year pharmacy student. I like it but I do not love it and even though I consider this an interesting field, I always loved medicine.
I knew I wanted to be a doctor since 9th grade (so at the age of 13) and all trough high school. I still decided to go to pharmacy college and not medicine because I was advised so by many people including my family.
I thought I would let it go and be happy with where I am since it is a hard college in our country and it is considered to be comparable to medical college.
But... three years in and I can't stop thinking about going to study medicine. I even considered going abroad, paying a tuition (I don't have to pay anything in my home country), learning german so I could study in Austria (I am already an intermediate german speaker, but I would need to expand my knowledge, especially on medical expressions), working a job next to studying; basically I would do anything just to become a doctor.
I have been working a lot while I was in high school and in college so I have some money saved, but going abroad I would need a whole lot more.
So, my question here is; should I do it? Is it worth following your dreams?
I believe I would be a very good doctor (actually my end goal is surgery), I am relatively smart (I did get into an appreciated college, have good grades here, speak 5 languages...), and I am ready to put as much work as it takes and study like crazy.
I want to save lives, help people, maybe include my pharmacy knowledge to do some research, go on doctors without boarders.. I may sound like I am not aware of the difficulty of my chosen path and it seems like I think it's just flowers and sunshines, someone who has watched too many medical dramas, but I know all the risks, the physical and emotional tool it takes to be a good doctor, the the sacrifices you have to make and the amount of work you have to put into it. I get so excited just thinking about working as a doctor and I believe someone with a deep desire for something like I have it for medicine could do a lot of good.
But do you all think this is a smart move? A lot of people think it is not worth it, I would be broke for the next 10years or so, I would be a student till I was 30, I couldn't really have a family, that I should just finish what I started and not take any risks because "what if I change my mind while studying" and so on. Even if I do change my mind, I think it is still better than to not try at all and regret it for the rest of my life.
My family doesn't think it's a good idea and they think I should just finish pharmacy because it is less stressful and a "nicer" profession. They also can't support me financially so I would have to pay the tuition and all the living expenses myself.. I don't expect them to, I never did and I have been supporting myself since high school. But I know they love me a lot and if I decided to do it they would support me unconditionally.
So reddit, what do you think? Should I put my effort into following my dream or accept reality and finish what I have started?

My parents (40s) are amazing people, individually. Together, however, they are just not happy. Like ever. There are a few core issues I can identify.
My dad's job and my mom's workload - this has been the bone of contention between them for years now. Luck has never been on his side in the matters of employment. He has tried a lot to get a good paying job with regular working hours, but it just doesn't seem to happen. My mom on the other hand is the bread winner of the family and because she gets home earlier, she bears the brunt of the house chores as well. My dad though helps, but my mom has the sole duty of the mental workload as well, which makes her bitter when he doesn't know what has to be done. My dad obviously has some internal feeling of not being able to provide for the family, and it hurts him.
My mother's overthinking and my dad's nonchalance- My mom has to deal with my extended family. She has all the mental workload of that as well. Taking care of the elderly grandparents, keeping in touch with the aunts and bear their gossips and schemes. She, thus, tends to overthink things. If my grandma. For instance, shall make a snarky remark (she does that a lot), my mom will think it over for days and try to discuss it with my dad who is very nonchalant about it because he doesn't have to deal with that.
Different temperaments - My mom has the attitude of finish everything before relaxing, while my dad likes to relax while working. He enjoys staying in bed till later and then getting up at leisure and listen to music etc. While my mom wakes up hours before him, cooks breakfast and lunch separately for each person in the house (everybody wants something different) and my dad, though helps, acts as an underling and needs to be told what to do and even then he'll spend a lot of time on his phone while doing that which my mom doesn't like
My mom's insistence on doing things a certain way - She does not like to go against the grain in any way. She will not allow my dad to cook or clean because she believes that's a woman's job, so my dad has to do other chores like clean up the messy rooms. He, however, doesn't mind a little mess, while my mother is adamant about having everything in the perfect order. ("What if guests come over suddenly?" which they never do)
They are not willing to change - She doesn't understand that some things are out of her control (I guess, so do I - trying to fix them), she'll constantly badger dad about being late or not having the ideal job etc. which he has no control over. He, on the other hand, enjoys his 'me time' more than spending time with her - probably because she keeps bringing up issues that have no solutions. This makes my mom very lonely. My mom will not let go of her incessant nature, and my dad refuses to spend time with her. When they do spend time together, my mom starts talking about her woes and my dad retreats to his phone and the fighting ensues.
My role in this - I have a younger brother(16M) whom I love dearly, they have left him to my care for years now. They, of course, provide for him and me, but are not very emotionally available for us, nor do they try to push us in our studies, yet they do expect good grades. My mom always talks to me about her woes in her marriage, I see her lonely all the time - she has no hobbies or friends. My dad too also talks to me about how much of a nag he finds mom. They fight all the time, when they are not fighting, they are just not speaking to one another. They make passive-aggressive remarks constantly. I don't remember the last normal conversation they had. Their fights seep into my life all the time, I am the one who breaks up their fights, I stay in the room whenever they are together to convert their passive-aggressive remarks to normal sentences. I protect my brother from their nonsense, specially because he is studying for his exams. I am tired, I have to study too. But, that always takes the backseat, I sit next to my ADHD (not diagnosed but its very clear) brother so that he focuses on his studies all day, in the evenings, I spend time with my mom because she gets lonely, and I can only study at night which is marred half the times when my parents start fighting, and I have to break it up. Sometimes I try to set up dates for them - painting tonight - but my dad declares that he is not interested, and my mom starts fighting with him over how I want them to do it. They do not let things go, when my mom is mad at my dad, for example - she takes it out on me as well. I need to shield my brother from this behaviour - I try to teach him that this is not the norm, fighting so constantly and that he should take them as an example of what not to be, but I am worried that he will learn from their behaviour.I am tired of being their therapist, I am tired of the mental workload, I am tired of playing the mental gymnastics of talking to both of them separately and placating their anger and sadness. I am of sitting in between them when they talk to convert their passive-aggressive remarks into normal sentences so a fight doesn't ensue. I am emotionally burnt out over their childish behaviour. Most of all, it is affecting my studies and mental health. It is affecting my brother, as much as I try to make it not so. Please help me, guide me in what way I can make it work. How to fix them and how to protect my brother and myself and our studies?
Note - Our culture does not permit divorce, therapy, children moving out before marriage. My extended family will eat us alive if any of the above happens.
TL;DR my parents fight constantly and use me as a therapist. How do I fix their marriage and protect my brother?