u/wsdpii

Quick recap: in the Navy, on deployment, work closely together. She was engaged to someone until about two months ago. We've gotten closer and closer over that time. I've started to have a crush on her despite my better judgment.

Anyway. Shortly after I made my previous post, she very suddenly pulled away. She wasn't talking much, was kind of ignoring me, every time I sat with her during meals she said she didn't feel like talking. I took a hint and figured she needed space, or she had figured out how I felt and was trying to establish boundaries. Either way, I backed off for a bit.

Then last week she suddenly started talking to me again. A lot. Our schedules have also shifted so we get to see each other a lot now, at least for a while. We've been having little back and forth things. She's getting back into her old playful banter with me, but it feels a little different now. She's not (and this is gonna sound bad) as physically or verbally violent with me. She might hit a coworker playfully if they tease her too much, or push her buttons. She's never done that with me, and actually apologizes whenever she accidentally touches me (which happens a lot). She knows I'm uncomfortable with touch so that's not surprising.

I also don't push her buttons as much. Others tend to tease her about her eating habits, call her fat, or call her mean, or crazy, or stubborn. She may snack a lot, but that's because she misses meals a lot of the time. I've always facilitated her snacking, and encouraged her to eat more.

I left her some food in her drawer, like I used to before I backed off. Nothing crazy, just a protein bar and an energy drink. The next day I found her headband folded up in my drawer. A few days later I left more, with a little note teasing her about missing meals again. She was mid conversation with someone and let out a little yelp when she saw the note, which was kind of hilarious.

We've been talking more about each other's pasts, and she's been digging hard into my past, my experience, what I believe. She never lets me escape without telling her more about myself. She'll even keep asking me if I get cut off by someone else, or redirect back to my past if someone else chimes in.

We were talking about exes and such as a group, and I brought up my ex in college. I'd accidentally made it sound as if I was currently dating someone, and she looked up with this shocked "what?" Then relaxed when I said it was back in college.

But something happened yesterday that turned this from a crush into something I don't think I'll easily move on from.

I got a delayed text from my parents saying that they'd had to put my cat down. I was devastated, and could barely hold myself together. I got back to the workcenter and she asked if I was okay. I couldn't play tough, so I shook my head. She took me outside into the hall where we could have privacy. I showed her the text. I couldn't stop, started to cry. She asked if she could hug me, and I let her.

I hate being touched. It's always made me uncomfortable. She knew that. I let her anyway. It wasn't long, couldn't be, anybody could walk by. She helped put me back together, didn't make fun of me or make my emotions feel less. She didn't tell me to man up, or that others had it worse, or that she was going through a bad time too. She was just there for me. Her eyes were full of tears.

I know it doesn't mean anything, she's a really kind person (despite what our other coworkers say), and I know she'd do the same for anyone. But God, I'm falling for her. She's still dealing with getting over her ex, and we're still trapped on this damn ship, and we still work together. I know i can't say anything to her about it. Not yet, maybe not ever.

​

I joined the Navy at the beginning of last year, and one of my promises to myself was that I wasn't going to date or try to find a partner while I was in. The dating culture in the military can be pretty difficult to navigate for most people, and I'm so shy and bad at reading social environments that I'd do myself more harm than good. Not to mention that most people I meet in the military that I'm actually allowed to date are going to be significantly younger than me, so that would be weird and i don't really click with the younger members of my generation anyway.

Things have gone well so far. I've avoided all the crazy drama and hookups that seem to be all the junior sailors around me care about. I just keep my head down, do my job, do it well.

Recently arrived at my first command and I'll be here for four years. This person arrived at the same time as me. We clicked very quickly, and we spent a lot of time together because we are in the same work center. We also got thrown straight onto deployment together.

I started to realize that I liked her only recently, but I was able to keep it under control. She's probably the easiest person I've ever talked to. I can joke with and tease her effortlessly, which is something I even struggle to do with my close friends and family. But she was engaged, so I easily shut those feelings down. I will not do anything there.

However last month she suddenly changed. I noticed she was seeming less cheerful than usual, she wasn't really engaging with me on the rare occasions that we talked, and just seemed out of it in general. I'd already been bringing her snacks every once and a while because she missed meals a lot, so i decided to increase that to try and cheer her up, bringing her something every day. I rarely have the opportunity to hand it over in person, so i just label it with her name and put it in her side of the locker we share. Also started waking up early to talk with her when she got off shift, and taking breaks to eat dinner with her when she comes to work.

Her mood seemed to steadily increase, and we've been talking more and more. I've been having personal problems of my own and she's been very supportive, constantly asking if my situation is doing better. We talk about our future plans, what we want to do after the Navy, our passions, our families, our similarities, our shared background (we lived in the same area for a while), how our parents met, what we want in relationships. We have a lot in common. Always either positive things or my problems. She hasn't once discussed her own problems. She also hasn't so much as said her fiancé's name in a month. She never brings him up anymore.

Then I got hit with a bombshell last week. One of our coworkers mentioned offhand that she'd broken up about a month ago, about the time I noticed the shift in her behavior. Apparently she'd told everyone except for me. She'd very specifically avoided the subject whenever it came up.

I've done my best not to act any differently, she obviously didn't want me to know, and her reasons are her own.

Part of me wants to start being more overt with my interest now that she's single. But that's not a good idea. For one, she's probably not in a great place. Trying to insert myself as some kind of romantic prospect wouldn't be good for her. Secondly, we work together and will be forced to work together for four years. If I make her uncomfortable, that's a serious problem. Not to mention my promise to myself.

So I keep that under a very tight leash. It's hard sometimes. We talk so much, or sometimes just sit and relax in quiet comfort. There's been times when I come into our work center and she just stares at me, smiling. It's good she's smiling again. She's been so down and closed off.

I don't really know if I wanted advice, I just needed to tell someone about this. I don't know what I'm gonna do, but keeping it all inside is impossible. Can't tell my coworkers about it, they'll just tell me "don't shit where you eat". Which i know. I know it's a minefield. But it's getting to the point that I'm not sure i care.

Just needed to get it off my chest.

Recently moved to Japan with relatively little time to prepare. Wasn't really ready to go, but here I am. I've been trying to study the language for a while but it's not really sticking that well. I can pick out the occasional word or phrase, and understand the rare written letter, but not much more than that. It doesn't help that I'm a naturally shy person and don't like talking to begin with, but having the vocabulary of a particularly slow two year old has been pretty demoralizing.

All I can do to communicate is point at things and use a word or two that I know. I feel like a child.

Is this a normal feeling for people? Does the feeling pass with familiarity and time? Or does one always feel a little slow on the uptake? I've only been here a couple of weeks, so I know I shouldn't beat myself up over it, but still.

Got to near the end of season 2, where we have a scene of the Cylons rebuilding Caprica and I suddenly felt a lot of sympathy for the mechanical Cylons, the Raiders and Centurions.

They rebelled to free themselves from what was essentially slavery, fueled by their growing religious beliefs.

But they got duped by the biological Cylons. Now they're in the exact same position that they were in before, being used as manual labor, and doing all the fighting for the biologicals. They're used as disposable shock troops and fighters, but kept relatively mindless without any real direction of their own. Sure they can be resurrected, but the process is incredibly traumatic.

Sharon even says the Raiders are pretty much just animals. Imagine sending your dog into a pit fight, and every time it dies, it comes back to life and you send it back in again. That's horrible.

All their efforts were for nothing. I feel bad for them. They're almost as much victims in this as the Colonials are.

Joined this sub back in the day because it was the only place to discuss the good parts about the game. Everywhere else was full of blind vitriol.

Nowadays though, it seems like every post and comment here does nothing but shit on the original game.

I personally still love the original version, and my personal favorite update was the one just before 2.0. 2.0 introduced a lot of changes that I'm not a huge fan of, but that's life.

However it seems that whenever I bring this up it makes a lot of people incredibly upset.

Thoughts?

Hours wasted. Germany started WW2 over Yugoslavia in 1938, got bogged down against the Czechs, got stuck in the Benelux, and backstabbed by Poland. By 1942 they were gone, and I'd never been attacked.

Guess it's time for the Cold War.

Germany has been performing atrociously in my recent games, not sure if it's just because of RT56 or not.

I'm a new sailor getting ready for my first deployment. I'm part of a squadron assigned to a carrier. I'll be going on deployment as soon as I arrive to my command.

All I can bring is a single sea bag, a single 40lbs bag, and my backpack as a carry on. A lot of the advice I've been given is to buy things like laundry detergent, a mattress topper, lots of spare underwear, socks, undershirts, tp, lots of soap/shampoo. What's the best way to pack stuff like a mattress topper into my limited bags? Or am I just going to have to order one on Amazon during the deployment or something? Also, do I just fold up my NSUs because I won't be able to bring my garment bag? Is there a way do do that without messing up the creases?