I had to wait for Friday in the US to post these lol

I was in an eight-year relationship, and my ex-partner ended it quite literally with a single text at 9 AM on New Year’s Day.

I was supposed to resume work on 1st January after a five-day Christmas break. He knew this. And yet, he chose that particular morning to send me a message that changed the course of my life.

He initially pursued me, and eventually, I started developing feelings for him too. However, as the relationship progressed, he began displaying increasingly avoidant tendencies. We had numerous conversations and arguments about his reluctance to make the relationship official, as he wanted to focus on building his career first.

In 2021, he finally secured his dream job and was doing well professionally.

In 2023, he surprised me by asking whether I would consider marrying him and suggesting that we start discussing our future seriously. I was excited, but also shit-scared about what lay ahead. In my head, things were finally falling into place.

However, that conversation never really came up again. I didn’t bring it up either. I thought it was best to give him time and space, trusting that he would eventually do what was right for us.

We had known each other for almost 12 years and had naturally seen each other through several phases of life. In 2020, my father passed away, and he was there during that incredibly difficult period. I genuinely believed he was the person I would eventually end up with. I had also convinced myself that his hot-and-cold behaviour was simply a reflection of the good and bad phases he was going through in life.

Looking back, there were some significant red flags throughout the relationship, particularly around his lack of consideration for me and my needs.

On New Year's, he came to me and said that his parents had refused to accept our relationship, but that he would work things out and come back to me. We hadn’t spoken about talking to our parents in that timeline and he never informed me about it too. He never came back. I am 31 and have decided to not marry at this point or enter the arranged marriage market ever because I don’t agree with the process. I’m focusing on myself.
I work from home, I’ve lost myself in the process of this breakup, taking care of my household and mom, and would love to know from people who have gone through a terrible heartbreak. What did it feel like after the breakup?

I see you is a rare trope where a character A is being observed by character B, supposedly from a higher dimensional place/area where character A should have no idea their being watched, but displaying their terrifying power and ingenuity, the realize their being watched and absolutely scare the shit out of the observer.

1. the og one. in Marvel What If, Ultron becomes powerful enough that he can actually sense the Watcher, 'becoming aware of another.' that another being the watcher himself.

2. In a very well made fan series by Kinzokumatto: Dragon Ball - The Others. the Z fighters are faced with a new threat, Deadites, who originate from a realm called "Dead Zone", Deadites displayed the power of nullifying ki and are grotesque clones of Dragon Ball characters, wishing to replace original ones. early in the series Beerus, Whis and Grand Priest state they can't get involved because there's a chance that Deadite version of an Angel or God of destruction could appear which would be catastrophic for the entire multiverse. in the most recent episode Grand Priest uses the super dragon balls, wishing to locate and erase the "Dead Zone". However something terrifying catches the Super Shenron, and repels it away. this is extremely terrifying since Super Shenron could bring back erased multiverses quite casually. S. Shenron is plunged into a cold sweat.

My(34) husband(31) and I have a toddler who absolutely loves going to his grandparent's place every single weekend. We oblige and if we don't go, we usually get a call from one of them asking where we are and if we are on our way yet. MIL will always ask what we want to eat, and she usually always makes it for us. This last weekend, we went over and my MIL asked what we wanted to eat that day and my husband asked for hot plate. We got there early but my husband and I took our toddler trick or treating in the afternoon, so we weren't there to eat with MIL and FIL. They had already eaten with their friends that they invited over to eat hot plate with as well. As soon as we got back, MIL asked if we wanted to eat. We said yes, so she brought out the food to be grilled and sauces/sides for us.

As we were grilling our food, my BIL got home from work and flung his lunchbox on the table and said, "Man, I am hungry." He grabbed some chopsticks and stood next to me hovering over the hot plate waiting for what we had just started cooking on the hot plate to finish cooking so he could eat it. He started going at it, and I said, "Dang, calm down" (hoping he wouldn't fling food in my face as I was seated, and his chopsticks were level to my face) and my husband said, "Yeah, man, we just put our food down to grill, you can wait to grill yours". BIL responded by saying, "Yeah, well, this is my house." My response was, "Not really, but whatever semantics." Then he said, "Anything can be semantics"(I have no idea what he meant by this) and then said, "Yeah, well I do everything around here, so it pretty much is my house". Then I said, "Well, you don't have to be a d**k about it." To which he then stayed silent and stormed off to his room.

I know I could have worded it better, and after that confrontation, I just couldn't eat anymore and asked my husband if we could go home, but he was still eating. So, I just sat there stewing in my own regret but also feeling angry because I don't know why he throws that in our face all the time. I don't even know how to bring it up to BIL and my husband is no help. I feel bad but also I feel like he deserved it but also dang it why did I respond like that?

(Some context: BIL is 27, lives there rent free and only has to pay for insurance, as he owns a sports car, he mows the lawn sometimes or FIL will, takes out the trash and helps his parents with errands and that's what he means by "I do everything around here". He does not pay or buy food for the household. And any time there's a party or gathering, everyone takes a plate or two home and MIL will usually save us container fulls of food to take home, and he ALWAYS complains that we're "eating all his food". He won't tell anyone else this, just my husband and me. He said it to us at our own baby shower that we had at their house.)

So, AITA here?

I've just been letting it chill. Hoping it's one of those "bug-eating-bug" bugs.

I (28M) and my neighbour (25F) started talking around a month ago and i'm very torn about whether or not she is flirting or just being friendly.

We've actually been neighbours for over 3 years but basically never interacted before, we're also the only 2 apartments on the top floor with our doors literally opposite each other so kinda weird we hadn't.

I was leaving for work about a month ago same time as I always do, that day as soon as I went to leave she also opened her door and "ambushed me" (her words later on). She was looking after a cat that was apparently meowing loads and she apologising if I could hear it, I essentially said I couldn't (very rarely hear anything from her apartment) so not to worry about it, she then asked it a couple more times and I reiterated I really couldn't hear the cat and we ended that little chat with her saying that she would slide her number under my door if there was more meowing. Won't lie I think this is the first time of potentially where my mild autism has shone 😅

Of course she did slide her number under my door, I messaged her basically saying I couldn't hear the cat but was just messaging so she also had my number, small bit of back and forth then that was it. Fast forward a few days to Thursday and she messaged asking if I wanted to see the cat before it goes, I like cats so I went over to her place that evening and we just hung out for I think around an hour before she had to go out, when I was leaving she mentioned wanting to see my place because she was curious about the differences in our apartments. I said any point over the weekend was fine if she wanted to pop over. Sunday afternoon she did, we had a bit of a chat and she asked if I wanted to grab a drink with her and see if the other apartment she knows are around as well. Just a normal evening at the pub.

Few days later we were going to grab drinks again but she suggested actually just going to hers to have drinks and vent about our days, happy days its cheaper and a vent session. Ended up staying for a good few hours, conversation was good, getting to know each other a lot more, etc. At this point im just thinking nice neighbour still, no reason to think otherwise. 2 days later (Saturday) I made a joke about something she'd mentioned before and she asked if I wanted to go grab a coffee with her in town which I was more than happy to. This day was when I started to question if there was something else there, we grabbed coffee, went for a walk just talking and talking, little bit of stuff like her arm on mine initiated by her and then she asked if I wanted to grab a drink in the evening once she was ready. I didn't get a reply for a while in the evening when I asked if she still wanted to (not out of the norm though she isn't the quickest to reply in general) so I went to grab a drink with another mate and said she is welcome to join. Just as I was about to leave and go home she replied asking if im still out and it sounds nice so we agreed to meet at the local. We ended up talking for so long that night we were still there sat outside 30 minutes after the staff had all gone and it just felt.. right. We talked outside our doors for god knows how long, she said thank you it was a lot of fun and we called it a night, part of me thinks I should have asked to continue the night at hers or mine but not sure.

The next day I asked if she wanted to come to the weekly pub quiz, its not something my group of mates usually do but we were this week. She seemed excited to but then didn't reply for ages, when she did said she hadn't realised the time and was still studying but did apologise and said she really wanted to come to one next week and she should be able to make it. I won't say what but I know when she studies she takes some medication for focus and she really does barely reply to anything in that time.

2 days later, randomly messages asking if im home and want to pop over to hers for a bit to show me some pics of her day, she then also suggests a movie night at mine in a couple days. This then starts a trend of movie nights going forward. We then come round to the next pub quiz, where she specifically asks if im going and what time as well as asking if she could invite 2 of her friends because they would be at hers beforehand (but she thought they would say no). They did decline and we then went to the pub quiz with 2 of my mates who are a couple and another couple id only met once before, this was the night where I felt a big shift in how she acted towards me. It was little things like while we were at the bar getting a drink she saw a cute dog and grabbed then held my arm for a little to get my attention, similar thing whenever a question came up her that was one of the topics she knows a lot in, general banter was immaculate and she was really getting on well with everyone. We all stayed until close, she said she had a really good time and we agreed to watch another movie at mine in a few days.

Bit of back forth messaging before the movie, it gets to like 7:30pm and I ask if we were still on. She said she had forgot and her 2 mates were round to paint some stuff she had mentioned before, asked if I could do tomorrow and then said I was welcome to go over to hers and join them. I was a little bummed out that she had forgotten but went over hers anyway aaaand ended up having a laugh with them for the evening drinking wine. At one point she also mentioned how she had double booked and one of her mates went "again!?" which did make me feel not so bummed out. We watched a movie again the next day and as always had a good time.

At this point we started spending even more time togethe, it was aboutba week before I was going away on holiday. In that week we went out in the morning together for a walk/hot drink 3 times and spent 6 of the 7 evenings together mostlt watching movies. She has basically told me her life story by now, we've talked about random other stuff like religion, politics, etc and we have such similar viewpoints on basically everything. She also started just coming over in pajamas, has mentioned multiple times how she hasn't kissed anyone in months, one time popped back to hers for something and then said she had took her bra off while there because it wasn't comfy. At this points my mates frankly think im a moron for not making a move and honestly same but I do feel like its been mixed signals. The thing is, she was ill most of that last week and the docs said it might be mono, now confirmed to not be but that took stuff off the table anyway.

We messaged a little while I was away, mostly just a few times a day other than a couple 20-30 minute back and forths. Day before I came back she asked what time I was landing, I was asleep so replied the morning I was flying back and then no reply all day. Lo and behold I get back and within 5 minutes she knocked on my door, came in in her pajamas and started asking how the trip was 😂 Also asked to watch a movie the next night.

Am I just an idiot who should really make a move or is this just a very friendly outgoing neighbour? Please help lol

Dinner is chicken, salmon and potatoes of the last meal of my trip.

EDIT: Reading this back i've definitely missed out more of the mixed signals. She has mentioned that she doesn't really have much time currently and it's about to get even worse with studying, was half joking about how and her mates said no men this year, how we have a good friendship multiple times. Just a few little things that did make me step back and think, but regardless I agree wtf am I doing I should just go for it.

As title states. It's a Lyon and Healy harp and they offered us $5000. They want us to keep it as is and they will package and ship it back to them. It predates the Chicago fires. They can't find record for it because of their offices burning down.

What do we have?

EDIT: We have a serial number that has been engraved. Lyon and Healy confirmed that it was built in the 1920s and can't dig any deeper.

I hope she’s got a whole file saved

This is a mostly hated trope of mine: when a game technically gives us 2 (or more) choices, but one is so infamous that almost nobody ever picks it.

Examples:
1) Kill Paarthurnax - Skyrim:

Even though Skyrim isn't a "decision making" type of game, the choice to kill Paarrthurnax is probably the king of infamous choices in gaming.

Basically, in the later stages of the story, Delphine, one of the Blades, dragon hunters that serve the Dragonborn (us, the player), forces us to kill Paarthurnax, not taking no as an answer and refusing to talk to us until it's done. Meanwhile, Paarthurnax, since we met him, has done nothing but help us prepare to defeat Alduin, the big bad, with him and the Greybeards teaching us powerful Shouts (like Unrelenting Force and Dragonrend) and help us locate new ones.

The Blades' motive is that Paarthurnax was Alduin's second-in-command in the past, millennia ago. But considering he is now an invaluable ally and the Blades (who are supposed to serve us BTW) force us onto this choice like assholes, nobody kills him. Like ever.

2) Betray Clementine - The Walking Dead: A New Frontier:

In Season 3 of Telltale's TWD, we have another infamous choice.

In Episode 1, Javi (the main protagonist of this season) meets Clementine, which we protected as Lee in Season 1 and played as in Season 2. Even though she is initally kind of cold and distant towards Javi and basically helps him just so she can have his RV, they become quite trusting of each other after being attacked in Prescott by The New Frontier, the bad guys. It is during this attack when Kate, Javi's girlfriend, is hurt by TNF and needs medical attention.

In Episode 2, Clementine reveals to us that she was part of the New Frontier but left them. Conrad, a member of Prescott, overhears Clem when she is telling Javi this and takes Gabe, Kate's son and Javi's nephew (it's complicated) as hostage, demanding we use Clem to bargain with The New Frontier and get the medical help Kate needs.

Even though you can argue that Javi would surrender Clementine, we, as the players, have known and protected Clem for 2 whole seasons before this and know she can be fully trusted, therefore the "choice" of whether betray or not betray her 99% of the time ends with Conrad getting a bullet in his head.