u/quick_nut_

We've been struggling financially since he quit his part-time job that originally was full-time and a management position. He went down to part-time and then quit altogether after 3 months to pursue streaming. That didn't work out well but he got into developing for SecondLife and has been trying to make items/worlds/games? and hasn't made much money but wants to buy a full world/land that's $380 up front and 200/month. I'm frustrated with him because we are barely making rent/bills and trying to dig ourselves out of this hole and he won't accept that it's not a reliable source of income. I want to be supportive because he's passionate about it but he won't find a way to make money while he pursues it and I'm the only one working and going to school.

At what point would it be wrong to tell him that this is kind of ridiculous and he needs to find viable employment.

P.s. I'm a man. So fortunately don't have to worry about unexpected pregnancy. Although I would like a child one day and can't imagine it raising one in this environment.

I got to thinking yesterday how a lot of North Dakotans are closer to Winnipeg/Regina than a large US city/metropolis. Do you find yourself travelling into Canada to visit a city, or do Fargo/Bismarck suffice? I've met a lot of folks here in GF that've never been to Canada, but it was one of the first places I visited when I moved here. Then again, I've always had a bad case of wanderlust haha

Was it a slow realization or did something happen that made you realize transitioning wasn't for you?

For context, I began my transition when I was 19 and detransitioned at 22, then met my now partner at 23.

When we met we both identified as gay guys. He knew I had been on E in the past and about how I was convinced it would fix my mental health problems (at the time I had a therapist in my ear about how a lot of my social anxiety, agoraphobia, panic disorder, etc. were linked to gender dysphoria and my place in society). Turns out most of my problems are just part of being on the spectrum (I was diagnosed with Asperger's at 12, but the therapist was 100% convinced it was gender dysphoria).

My partner was a pretty feminine guy, but I would say he leaned masc in presentation. He said he didn't experience dysphoria and liked being a feminine guy, didn't have a bad perception of his body, and was a very confident guy. It was nice dating another guy who wasn't in their head about gender norms/roles. The relationship felt super authentic and whimsical. Did I mention I was the primary bottom in the relationship? lol

Two years into the relationship he got super involved in online spaces like VR chat and SecondLife and began IDing as non-binary. Then after 6 months came out as trans and soon after started HRT. From there things have devolved rather quickly. She has no motivation, never wants to go anywhere or do anything with me anymore, never helps with chores, she hasn't had a job in two years, and her libido completely evaporated. She spends all day on the computer in virtual worlds with other trans people.

From what she has told me, I feel like her reason for transitioning is internalized misandry and idolizing women. She grew up in a very repressive place (Alabama) and most of the men in her life were toxic neanderthal men.

I feel like I'm watching someone make the same mistake I did and I couldn't talk them out of it even if I tried, same as how people couldn't talk me out of it. I went from being with a super confident, outgoing, motivated, loving guy to an insecure, depressed, unmotivated, superficial girl.

We're both almost 30, so not like this is a teenager being a punk ass.

Last night I was on my laptop in the living room, and my girlfriend was on her computer in the bedroom. She was in a group call on Discord with a few other people and she called and asked me to join. There was another guy in the call who is a bit overweight and apparently his room/place is a bit messy. My girlfriend and her friend were both making fun of his weight and room. They flat out called him fat and made jokes about his chin and whatnot and said his room looked like it smelled bad.

The thing is he wasn't making any jokes about them or saying much other than "I just cleaned, I clean the other day", etc. He kept smiling and hiding his face. As a guy who has 1.) always been small/looked young for his age, and 2.) on the spectrum, I know what it looks like when someone grins and bears the abuse. Shortly thereafter I left the call. This isn't the first time she's done this either and she's always justified it by saying "they were making fun of me first/being transphobic/whatever else.

She actively seeks out toxic online spaces to argue with people, and I know that because she told me she finds it entertaining, but it's not reasonable debate, it's being cruel to one another and makes me feel alienated from her. How do I talk to her about this without upsetting her. I also don't want to control what she does online, but I don't know if I can stick around and listen to her be as cruel as she was last night.

My partner (mtf) began medically transitioning a year ago and came out as trans about 6 months before that. They've always been gender nonconforming, much like me. When we met we both identified as gay men and anytime the topic of transitioning came up she (then he) told me they'd never transition because they love their body.

Now her libido is totally shot, she eats way less, she's always tired and unmotivated, and it's really bothering her. She's always been tiny, even as a boy. When we met, he ate way more than I did and still only weighed 110lbs. Now he's barely at 100.

Her main reason for wanting to transition is hatred for the societal expectations of what a man needs to be. She grew up in a really regressive, backwater town in the Deep South and was constantly put down for being a small, feminine guy. They became interested in transitioning shortly after getting involved in a hypersexual online environment that fetishizes everything under the sun (SecondLife), so don't know if that played a part in it.

I'm not a trying to be a critic or gatekeep, I'm just worried about her because her main motivation for transitioning is a hatred for all the toxic men she's known, the association she had with them as a guy, and gender norms. She has no sex drive and can't really even get aroused anymore, and she acts depressed, never wants to go anywhere, has no drive, and she doesn't tell the doctors any of that and they don't even ask, just write up the script and throw it at us

Sub here. I'm really concerned about a 5-year-old student that attends the school in our neighborhood. I've subbed there plenty of times but hadn't seen him much in school since he was in kindergarten and I tend to sub 3rd and up.

This is my first summer in this district and I learned he and a bunch of other students live on the same block as me and will greet me if they see me out riding my bike/gardening/etc. Last night I was working on my car and some of the kids came and told me he'd crashed his bike and was hurt so I ran with them and found him a block away at one of the busiest intersections in town. People were speeding by and all I could think is where are his parents and why the hell is a 5-year-old riding his bike next to a highway at rush hour???

I picked up his bike, and we walked together back to my house, and I ran inside to get my first aid kit while his friends stayed outside with him. This is all at almost 9:00PM! (Sunset isn't until ~9:30 this time of year.) While I gave him the wipes and Band-Aids I asked what time he needed to be home and where his dad was and he said he doesn't have a time and sometimes he just spends the night with friends if he can't get in. Did I mention he also never has shoes or a shirt on, even when riding a bike? I know my dad wanted me to be barefoot outside sometimes, but not while I rode a bike or played in the street where there's oil, glass, God knows what lying around. I walked him home and he showed me which house was his because prior to yesterday I didn't know and I have seen police (on duty, lights on, responding to a call) show up to that house a lot in the past. He went in and didn't see dad but wanted to introduce myself and let him know what had happened but wasn't around.

Even if I weren't a mandated reporter, I still would want to report this because the kid liable to get hurt or worse playing around next to that highway. How should I approach this?

About two weeks ago my GF met a guy on SecondLife and has been talking to him every day for hours, even more than her other friends on there. She has been trying out sex animations with him and swears he's not into it and it's just for content/pictures.

I went into her Discord last night and saw that he'd been sending her sex animations to try out and she's been messaging him saying she "feels sexy and wants to hang out" *kissing emoji*.

I confronted her last night, and she said she plays it up because he buys her stuff in-game, but then also went on about how she hasn't been happy in the relationship with me for a long time, so that was the biggest red flag. She also said he's attractive IRL and that he's seen her nude on cam, but it was in a discord call with her other girlfriends.

How do we move on from this as a couple? I feel like I'm being played and she swears it's how she acts with all of her friends and is only roleplaying with this guy and her "real-life self" doesn't want to be with him.

All estimates of Jesus' height place him under 5'7, most likely under 5'5.

Consider Isaiah 53:2, which reads:

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

So, Jesus grew like a root that didn't get much water/nutrients (may be implying his build or his growing up impoverished or both), and nothing about his appearance was outstanding or desirable.

The average height of a man at that time in the Near East was 5'1" to 5'5" (155 cm to 165 cm).

So why on Earth would anyone who identifies as a Christian ridicule a man for being short???

My s/o and I (both 28) have been together for 4 years and we both have our own issues mental health-wise. I was diagnosed adhd at 7 years old and with a panic disorder and OCD/health anxiety at 12. She was diagnoses with BD II and is also undergoing MtF hrt.

Throughout the relationship, anytime something upsets me she immediately gets defensive and addresses her problems or suggests breaking up. Lately, her mood has been extremely inconsistent and mood swings are a daily occurrence. Some days she wakes up angry and annoyed and wants left alone. Other days she wakes me up in a manic episode talking a mile a minute and demanding my attention and lashing out if I don't match her energy or take interest in what she's doing.

Even before hrt she struggled with emotional regulation. She struggled with keeping a job because she would end up hating her coworkers and she would s-h or threaten s-h if things didn't go her way. Since she's begun transitioning, she's 1000x more insecure about her appearance and presentation, she spends a lot of time online in SecondLife arguing with people or looking for attention from other men.

She's neglected her bloodwork appointments and has only had two tests in the last year and a half, and I've begged her to follow up with her provider, but she doesn't take it seriously and I'm worried her levels are out of whack, hence the mood swings.

I'm posting this now because since she's started HRT good days are seldom and my panic attacks are coming back with a vengeance. I want to stay in the relationship and be there for her but doing so is running me ragged. I'm worried if I end it and leave, she will end up homeless or hurt herself. I'm the only person she has in her life since she burned a bridge with her family a couple years ago, she doesn't have a job, no car, and we live over a day's drive from either of families.

We've been together for almost 5 years now and have lived together for the majority of our relationship. We've talked about marriage, kids, a future together, and even moved across the country (US) together.

For the past year we've experienced a bit of financial instability due to my medical problems and her mental health. She is diagnosed bipolar II and it's affected her throughout our relationship and before. She has months where she's depressed and has a hard time planning, taking care of herself, sleeps 12+ hours, etc., and then a short time where she's really happy, motivated, and stays up for 30 hours and crashes.

In the past year she's kind of given up on working as a team. She quit her job a year ago and hasn't found something else. Some days she helps around the house or shows me attention, but most of the time I clean, cook, run errands all by myself. Most of her days are spent on the computer in SecondLife or playing games or sleeping. She takes meds but I don't think they're helping, and she won't talk to the psych about it because she says nothing is wrong and that's "just who she is".

Today, she acted annoyed when I interrupted her gaming to ask if she wanted anything from the store and she said I "never give her space". I hadn't talked to her in over 12 hours. That always happens when she's in SecondLife or gaming and I pop in to ask if she wants dinner or if she wants to go to the park or whatever, she scoffs and acts annoyed, but happy and lighthearted with her internet friends.

I'm worried that it's less about the bipolar and more of an intermittent reinforcement thing, her giving me attention and being sweet then flipping on me and calling me a loser or that I'm controlling. My therapist told me she thinks that's what it is, but I don't want to jump to conclusions or assume and be wrong and it's actually the bipolar/depression/etc.

There are kids that live on my block that call me by my first name since I met them a while back outside of school. There are also kids I've had as students that call me by Mr. _________ when they see me out and about.

Yesterday a group of kids saw me taking out the trash and some of them I recognized from subbing for their class. There were two boys with them that I hadn't met, and when they asked me my name, I didn't know if I should tell them my first name or teacher name, since I don't have them as students. I ended up just saying "you can call me Jordan, but at school I go by Mr. _________."

I'm still in my 20s so telling every child outside of school to call me Mr. ______ seems a bit too formal given my age.

For much needed context. I am American and was born in the US. When I was younger, I had a noticeable speech impediment in which I would drop most of my R's (yesterday became yestuhday, summer became summuh, etc.) Needless to say, I was bullied regularly for this. Never physically abused, but ostracized by my peers, called the r-slur, that sort of thing.

When I was around 12-13 years old, I began watching a lot of BBC programs and nature documentaries and imitating the narrators. I would record myself speaking and play it back, giddy at the sound of my newfound voice. I continued consuming British media to expand my vocab, learn new lingo/colloquialisms, learn the pronunciation of cities/towns there, etc.

When I started high school, my family moved me to a different state (New York), and I kept a slight accent in my everyday life. The students at the new school assumed I was from the UK and I neither confirmed nor denied this presumption. My knowledge of British topography, politics, culture, and having a last name that's common in the UK helped my case, I'm sure. If people pressed me on it, I would lie (I know, shame on me) and say I was born in Kent but moved when I was young. I went from being "the kid with the lisp" to being treated like everyone else but people think I'm a Brit.

Now I'm 30. I do the same thing to a lesser extent these days as I figured out how to enunciate words with R's more clearly, though the cadence has stayed and I've been told by people online that I sound like I'm from the West Country.

That about sums it up. What started as a clever trick to mask my speech impediment became a habit that has stuck with me for 18 years and counting. Thanks for reading my confession.