112 Operator
911 Operator
A Story About My Uncle
Action Henk
Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne
Age of Wonders III
The Amazing American Circus
Antagonist
Archangel: Hellfire - Fully Loaded
Ashampoo Photo Optimizer 7
Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan
Awesomenauts Yogscast Pack - Coco Nebulon
Awesomenauts Yogscast Pack - Rocco
Awesomenauts Yogscast Pack - Skolldir
Awesomenauts Yogscast Pack - Ted McPain
The Bard's Tale
Battlerite DLC: YogYog Bear Mount
Bionic Commando
Blockstorm
Boundless
Breach & Clear
Broken Age
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Car Mechanic Simulator 2018
Chime Sharp
Citizens of Earth
ClusterPuck 99
Cook, Serve, Delicious! 3?!
Corridor Z
Crashlands
Crusaders of the Lost Idols - Elite Starter Pack
Crying Suns
Cursed Castilla (Maldita Castilla EX)
Dagon: by H. P. Lovecraft - The Eldritch Box DLC
Dandara
Deadly Sin
Deadly Sin 2
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Defend Your Life: TD
Deponia: The Complete Journey
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Driftland: The Magic Revival
Dungeon of the Endless
Expeditions: Viking
Figment
Figment Soundtrack
The Final Station
Fury Unleashed
Go Home Dinosaurs
Going Under
Golf With Your Friends - OST
GRIP: Combat Racing Artifex DLC
Guns of Icarus Alliance
Guns of Icarus Alliance Soundtrack
Guns of Icarus Alliance Yogscast 2017 Costume Pack
Gurgamoth
Headlander
Hector: Badge of Carnage
Hexologic
HIVESWAP: Act 1
Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms -- Celeste Starter Pack
The Interactive Adventures of Dog Mendonça and Pizza Boy
Iron Danger
Jurassic World Evolution - Deluxe Dinosaur Pack
Last Word
Legacy of Dorn: Herald of Oblivion
Lion Quest
Love Letter
Lust for Darkness
Lust from Beyond: M Edition
Main Assembly
Mimic Arena
Ministry of Broadcast
Mirage: Arcane Warfare
Moon Hunters
NASCAR Heat 2 - October Jumbo Expansion
NecroWorm
Neon Drive (Steam)
Neverout
Neverwinter Feywild Starter Pack
Nex Machina
No Time To Explain Remastered
Offensive Combat: Redux!
Old Man's Journey
On Rusty Trails
Orbital Racer
Out of Reach: Treasure Royale
Out of the Park Baseball 18
Pale Echoes
Pandemic: Roles & Events
Pandemic: The Board Game
Pathway
Pikuniku
Post Void
Radio Commander
Rakuen
Raw Data
Remnants of Isolation
Renegade Ops Collection
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
RPG Maker 2000
RPG Maker VX
Sanctum 2
Say No! More
Scanner Sombre
She Remembered Caterpillars
Shing!
Silence
Slinger VR
Space Gladiators: Escaping Tartarus
Spectrum
Steel Rats
Super Raft Boat
SuperLuminauts
Supraland
SYSTEM SHOCK: ENHANCED EDITION
Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation - Asharra’s Diplomat Pack
Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation - Birdsong’s Entertainer Pack
Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation - Dragonbait’s Dungeoneer Pack
Tales from Candlekeep: Tomb of Annihilation - Tales of Artus Cimber’s Explorer Pack
Tannenberg
Team Fortress 2 badges - Mandrew's Munificent Mug and Israphel's Eleemosynary Expression
Team Racing League
Telefrag VR
Telltale Texas Hold'em
Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure
This War of Mine
Tiltagon
Tiny Echo
Tooth and Tail
Tormentor X Punisher
Toy Odyssey: The Lost and Found
Treasure Hunter Simulator
The USB Stick Found in the Grass
Wanderlust: Travel Stories
Wandersong
War for the Overworld - Yogscast Worker Skin
Wargroove
Warhammer® 40,000: Dawn of War® - Game of the Year Edition
Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide
WARSAW
We Are Alright
West of Dead
World to the West
X-Morph: Defense + European Assault, Survival of the Fittest, and Last Bastion DLC
Yoku's Island Express
Zeno Clash 2
Zombie Night Terror
I also have Humble Choice leftovers from the following that I haven't sorted through yet:
APRIL 2020 HUMBLE CHOICE (Driftland, Turok 2, Truberbrook, Shoppe Keep 2, Capitalism 2)
APRIL 2021 HUMBLE CHOICE (Main Assembly, Rock Of Ages 3, In Other Waters, Aven Colony, Simulcra I+II, Colt Canyon, Skully, Popup Dungeon)
AUGUST 2020 HUMBLE CHOICE (Hello Neighbor + Hide And Seek, Littlebig Workshop, American Fugitive, The Coma 2, A Case Of Distrust)
DECEMBER 2021 HUMBLE CHOICE (Beyond The Wire, The Survivalists, Lacuna, 8 Doors, Greak, Tohu)
FEBRUARY 2021 HUMBLE CHOICE (Moving Out, The Wild 8, Train Station Renovation, Werewolf The Apocalypse Heart Of The Forest, Lovecraft's Untold Stories, Iris And The Giant, Boomerang Fu)
JANUARY 2021 HUMBLE CHOICE (Total Tank Simulator, Song Of Horror, Vampire The Masquerade: Shadows Of New York, Deleveled, The Ambassador)
JUNE 2020 HUMBLE CHOICE (Supraland, Grid, The Messenger, Felix The Reaper, Remnants Of Naezith, Overload, The Stillness Of The Wind, The King's Bird)
MARCH 2021 HUMBLE CHOICE (WWE 2k, Hotshot Racing, Peaky Blinders, Cyber Hook, Pesterquest, Boreal Blade, Ageless)
MAY 2020 HUMBLE CHOICE (Xcom 2, Niche, Swords Of Ditto, Neoverse, Horace)
NOVEMBER 2020 HUMBLE CHOICE (Darksburg, Smile For Me, Rover Mechanic Simulator, Youropa, Townsmen)
OCTOBER 2020 HUMBLE CHOICE (Iron Danger, Autonauts, Shadows: Awakening, Fantasy Blacksmith, The Suicide Of Rachel Foster, Goat Of Duty, The Uncertain, Lightmatter)
SEPTEMBER 2020 HUMBLE CHOICE (Lethal League, Fun With Ragdolls, Evoland, Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair, The Occupation, The Shapeshifting Detective)
SEPTEMBER 2021 HUMBLE CHOICE (Atomicrops, Heaven's Vault, Swag And Sorcery, Fort Triumph, Orwell: Ignorance Is Strength, Framed Collection)
My region is North America.

That's it. I'm finally back to the weight I was before relapsing. My chubby cheeks are back, the fat on my arms is spreading to my chest, my thighs touch, and my collarbones are disappearing. I’m so depressed. I feel like I've undone all my progress. And yet, I still need to gain more weight. How am I supposed to be okay with my appearance when I feel huge even when I'm underweight? It's been getting to me so much that recently, I've been exercising more, using the excuse of "building muscle" due to muscle deficiencies. While that's partly true, the real reason is to burn calories. I'm sticking to my meal plan, but I don't want to. The only reason I continue is because of the people around me. If it were up to me, I would still be starving myself. I would probably be dead by now—and a part of me YEARNS for that. To get as bad as possible. To completely disappear. But now that I look "normal," no one takes my struggles seriously. My parents joke, saying things like, "Are you stuffing yourself again?" They have no idea what I'm going through. They think I’m recovered. Ha! The fact that everyone thinks I'm doing fine only makes the urge to relapse stronger. I want others to see how much I'm suffering. Life felt so peaceful back then. I was numb to everything except calories, exercise, and my weight. I crave that peace again and feel like it's only a matter of time before I relapse. But at the same time, I want to stop before it happens. I don’t know what to do since no one takes me seriously except people who have actually been through it, so I'm writing it here. I have extremely mixed feelings about everything. I would appreciate any advice or support. Thank you.

I just had a dream where I was walking back home when suddenly the ground opened and I felt into some kind of wornhole and suddenly woke up as myself but my 15 year old body, back in 2016.
I decided to start repairing things about my life that I regretted, or at least start plan to repair everything. I went to school and started doing friends, and studying. In college I don't have much problems making friends but in school I spent a lot of recess time alone, most of the reason for it was my uninviting personality and embarrasment, and lazyness. Also I wasted A LOT of my time playing shitty mobile games, or watching anime. Since I already saw all of those, I instead spend my time studying. 2016 was also the year I failed 3 classes and had to repeat the year because I spent all of my time watching anime instead of studying.
I warned my family about "small" stuff that could happen, my grandma breaking her hip by being distracted while going down the stairs, or my dad being scammed by buying stuff from a "friend", I told my sister and cousin about what they did chose as a career in the future, so they could consider that as an option, back then they were very lost so they were happy I told them.
I don't remember what my grandpa's brother died of, but I do remember the reason why he got sick was because we hired a nurse to take care of him, and the nurse was later revealed to be an antivax, so she didn't gave his shots to my grandpa's brother and he passed away.
Back in 2015 was when I used to practice takewondo but I was a prick who thought could never be beaten, and in a tournament, got literally a tooth broken from a kick to the face, so that made me spiral into depression and gaining 80 pounds that I'm still struggling to lose, so while I did stop going to taekwondo, the classes were expensive as f#%$, I didn't stop exercizing, so I didn't gained much weight.
Also before meeting me, my gf had an abusive boyfriend. I found her and met her, making her my friend and at least preventing her to meet that guy, though I didn't stopped her from doing anything else. I still liked her, but thought that mentally I was 22 and she was 15, so it felt weird to ask her out right then and there and stayed as only a friend of hers for the time being.
In the dream, 2 years passed, of me repairing my mistakes, we were in 2018, I started my job early since I already knew what to do. The other big mistake was still years apart, so I was enjoying life. My only fear then was somehow falling into another wormhole, and having to go back to my normal body, were my mistakes were still there, or going into an unknown place or time. When I was thinking about that, one of my friends showed up, hit me in the head with a stick, I can't think of a reason why, and I woke up.

Greetings GoG. I've come here with a humble request for Persona 3 Reload on Steam, which is currently on sale for roughly ~$60 (or 15% off) on GameBillet.

What is Persona 3 Reload

Persona 3 Reload is a remake of base Persona 3 with several changes:

• It's remade on Unreal 5, with modern new visuals, new lighting, and a stylized UI inspired by Persona 5
• Several QoLs from later entries. Other than the ability to directly control your teammates in battle, you can now choose which skills to inherit when you fuse a Persona ^{Anyone remember spending 10 to 30 minutes resetting the fusion to get the skills they want?}
• Remade/Rerecorded and new songs. Although I haven't heard all of them, they sound distinct enough from the original material to hold on their own. That said, I'm not sure if it's nostalgia or something, but I'm impartial to some of the changes, such as this one
• Rerecorded lines and new voiceovers. I do wonder whether all of Igor's previous voices from the PS2 games were used in this one
• A unique looking Tartarus. Since you'll be spending more than half the amount of the game in it, the change to each section makes them more memorable
• New animations, and lots of them
• The epilogue named The Answer from FES will be an DLC story; I wonder if they'll release FeMC from Portable as well

Will I enjoy it?

Although I haven't played many JRPGs, as they tend to be quite time-consuming, I really like Persona games. From the social life aspect to the motif tackled in each entry, they somewhat impact the way I see life. I also enjoy RPGs (some examples are Kingdom Hearts, Rune Factory). I love story-rich games, especially games with great and unique soundtracks: I don't really have a genre, but there's always that one soundtrack that sticks in my head when I think of one. I've finished both Persona 4 & Persona 5 and spent around 150h each. I also noticed that when I played them, I was a bit too engrossed in them that I didn't play anything else until I finished them.
I'm looking forward seeing Elizabeth goofing around in glorious HD the most. Second to it are the character interactions, Reload makes them more personal as you can see more than basic body movement/face expression (or even just up to your imagination) which are integral to the other half of the game: the social aspect of it.
Comparing the mechanics to Persona 5, two things come to mind:

1. There are fusion skills (or theurgy) from what I saw. It's a gauge that fills up overtime/ with attacks? so you can do some special skill if you meet certain conditions. I think it works like in Etrian Odyssey or even Persona Q
2. Physical type attacks are now 3 instead of 2. Strike wasn't added back in 5 oddly enough (P4 unified phys. atk into just one for simplicity I believe). Also, no Psychokinesis or Nuclear magic skills.

Why can't I buy the game?
Money is a little tight at the moment as a university student, between living expense and food, I don't have that much money to spend, but I save what I can little by little. And I would like to wind down a bit on playing Tekken. I've already spent the 1$ trial on Palworld, and the recurring cost of subscription (10$/month) doesn't suite well with me. If anything, please try the game (even the non-remake) out if you haven't tried JRPGs before, it will be worth your time.
My Steam account.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and have a beautiful day or evening. In case you need soundtracks for your next study session, may I suggest you some of them here. I don't know how to convey my love for the Persona series, but I'll gradually update my post with each new attempt.

Spoilers Fri 24th to Thurs 30th May streaming (Mon 27th to Fri 31st E4)
Source - https://twitter.com/Team_Stames/status/1791347277967053120?t=JQBJ2t2YfFOwHmEkKAwzkA&s=19

Hi!! This little problem has been on my mind recently, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or ideas on how to not be so upset about it.
For some context, I’m 21 now, and I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 17/18 years old, and a tic disorder and bipolar disorder later that year. Around this time last year, I decided I was going to go through testing and evaluation to see if I also (or if I only) had autism, after compiling a bunch of research and “preliminary” tests that I hoped would help me know how to articulate what is going on in my life in words that wouldn’t make me seem like I was trying to “fake” anything. After (not even) an hour appointment with a psych, I took the tests a week or so later. When I got the results of those tests, the psych essentially said that because of the fact I acted primarily typical in my appointment, she couldn’t give me any diagnosis (including my current ADHD diagnosis) because I hit so many factors in the tests that she believed I was “faking” or trying to force my neurodivergence.
My biggest concern now with all that information is that I now work in an environment where control is hard to obtain, I am constantly overwhelmed from outside sources, and I’m wanting to stick with this job because I love it and the work I do. However, I’m having a hard time rationalizing asking for help or possibly even accommodations because I am worried that without a diagnosis, it won’t be received well. As well as that, because I haven’t gotten any help medically for these situations, I’m not exactly sure what I can do to assist myself in regulation and general accommodation. Does anyone have any tips or advice on these situations? Thank you!
TL;DR: What are some things I can do to help myself regulate and ask for accommodation as an undiagnosed person?

Hopefully this is the right sort of place to post this, i wasn't really sure where else to go and don't have a whole circle or groupchat of stays to talk to...
so i've been working out an idea for a sort of D&D inspired AU and i need some input/ideas on basically what the major plot line will be... it's pretty much entirely D&D, BUT i'm not being super strict about it because rules and keeping track of a lot of shit can get really confusing, i love D&D and have read a lot about the game in general and watched playthroughs and stuff but i don't have a lot of working/technical knowledge in my brain because i haven't played myself much and it would just become such a pain and messy if i tried to REALLY stick with it y'know? so otherwise just general high-fantasy type story, probably gonna have some lord of the rings inspiration, too. pretty much just gonna be D&D with some creative liberties, which... i guess is kind of just normal D&D in a way LOL but anyway, I've got classes and races assigned for everybody and I'll list those just for funsies later in the post though that's not really the part i need help with, but commentary is still appreciated. where i'm stuck on is what i'm gonna make the main plot/the quest, which is... kind of an important part of a story 😅 What I really wanna do, is have Chan get a magic compass (haven't decided how it was acquired/who gave it to him yet, either, input definitely appreciated on that) that leads him to each of the members (in order of when they joined stray kids lol) first to get them to join him in his adventure, but then i'm not entirely sure what the driving force/motivation behind the compass is or like what it'll lead him to after he gets all the members... honestly, might just have him be gifted it mysteriously or by like a dying family member or something that tells him to follow the broken compass, but i think i'd like there to be a liiiittle more to it than that. i was kind of thinking of doing something with like the sound monsters like in the noeasy trailer, or something similar like a mind flayer that's stealing people's voices? idk, obviously u can see why i'm asking others for input and help because i have this whole world in my head and i have various things i've imagined for them, but it's literally the biggest part of the story that i can't decide on and it's driving me NUTS!!
Anyway, here's their classes, just for funsies:
Chan: Paladin (Guardian/Oath of Protection), Human Minho: Druid (Circle of the Shepherd)/Ranger (Beast Master, of course he will have a panther along with the journey and many cats at home, and he'll be an archer because of the idol olympics), Human (though i've debated making him elf/half-elf) Changbin: Champion Fighter, protection style, human Hyunjin: Sorcerer, Wild Magic, High Elf Jisung: Rogue, Arcane Trickster, Tiefling Felix: Monk, Way of the Sun Soul Seungmin: Wizard, School of Transmutation (I've gone back and forth on subclass/school for him, so input appreciated for that!) Jeongin: Life Domain Cleric, Human
Thank you for any help/input!

Heyhooo,
I wanted to ask you guys how you handle Periods in your life where its hard to truly focus to be in the Moment, be aware and work on yourself. I'm meditating regularly since 15 months. I stick to my Practice because I know its good for me and i dont have problems to go for it. Nevertheless it seems as its harder to go into deeper meditation states. In the beginning i experienced very intense Moments. I thought i know how to do it and that my life will turne out fine from now on because i had this connection to my inner self that i never experienced before. I shifted habits and felt so good. But I couldn't hold this shift. I turned back to bad habits, doubts and my thoughts are Spinning again. In my opinion this belongs to the Process, can be seen as a test. But actually its hard. I dont have a Bad time in my life. I just dont have that much time for my self but still good things happen to me and i try to appreciate and honor them. But it seems as my connection to myself is Kind of Lost in the moment and i'm controlled by everyday lMoment feel like i have the knowledge on how to shift my consciousness again but i cant do it in the Moment. I stick to the practice and hope that someday i will overcome this phase. Did anyone of you guys experienced the same and how did you behave and how did you handle it?

I've lived in Pune all my life but it feels like the PMC takes us for granted. I don't understand how Pune being the second biggest city in terms of both GDP and Population after Mumbai in Maharashtra, manages to get the shorter end of the stick when it comes to infrastructure.
A bit of rain and the sewage system in the city gets blocked, spewing road blocking levels of disgusting gutter water everywhere.
New issue of power cuts during summers. Everyday we've had power cuts ranging from 10-15 mins to 4-5 hours. This is apparently everywhere in Pune. This wasn't the case just 3/4 years ago.
Trees have been cut off by the thousands adding to the intensity of summer heat. I know summers have gotten hotter but I see less and less trees everywhere I go. Rich areas like Prabhat Road still have a comparatively higher density of tree cover than others.
Urban planning makes no sense: They are always digging up roads 6 months before they intend to fill them back in. Even the new roads disintegrate when monsoon comes up.
How can we citizens demand better infrastructure from the PMC. Is it a lost cause? I feel like we've just given up and accepted the reality. I want Pune to be better but it feels like our leaders and representatives don't give a rat's ass because Pune is already on an good trajectory of growth because of our good manufacturering and IT economy.

Well, if you must know, May is packed with movies and web series that we have all been waiting for a very long time. Last month, films like Siren, Farry, or Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya and Amar Singh Chamkila even made their way into our living rooms; loads of new movies are back on OTT again- if you missed going to theatres- they have come to you! And the Bridgerton fans also have something good coming.
And so in the spirit of all this let’s scroll down and check out all the movies and web series that we are looking forward to on OTT in May. Mark these dates down and get notifications ready to catch them first day of release.

Heeramandi 01 May 2024 Netflix

One of the most anticipated shows by famous Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is Heeramandi. As Imtiaz Ali’s debut movie for OTT –Amar Singh Chamkila became memorable– it is time for our director with grand sets and heart-touching tales to make his grand debut on OTT as well! Set in pre-independent India, the show has an ensemble star cast that tells the story of courtesans who lived in one of the wealthiest courtesan houses called Heeramandi.

Hacks Season 3 02 May 2024 Jio Cinema

A drama about a female stand-up comedian who teams up with a young writer struggling with her career for creating more funny scripts and bringing back her popularity- well as they say story worked like magic on people! At last, another comical season by this duo is here with stories that will thrill everyone watching them. You should not miss watching this movie rated at IMDb 8.2!
Also Read: Ginny & Georgia

Manjummel Boys 02 May 2024 Netflix

A survival thriller about a group of friends who go on an adventurous road trip from Kochi to Kodaikanal. But soon this fun trip became a question of survival. A real-life story that has received critical and viewer acclaim plus 8.6 IMDb rating- there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be streaming this thriller that will leave you breathless by the time the last scene rolls out! Watch it on Netflix beginning 2nd May.

T. P Bon 02 May 2024 Netflix

An anime adventure comedy series about a young high school kid who meets some cool time travelling agents and becomes part of their team! It is up to these agents to save them from dying during major historical events in different regions, over continents, eras, times or dates all across the universe’s face of earth. So if you love adventures- jump right into the shoes of Bon with his friendly gang and let’s go back in time!

Shaitaan 03 May 2024 Netflix

A supernatural horror movie, where Ajay Devgn and R. Madhavan play good and evil spirits respectively. Starting off with a simple trick of hypnotizing- he does this to a teenage girl who live with her family. However, things turn nasty when he orders her to do dangerous stuff and put herself in danger until the family is killed. Every time you see something new, your heart beats faster!

Tattooist of Auschwitz 03 May 2024 Jio Cinema

This Holocaust film, based on Heather Morris’s novel, tells the story of Lale Sokolov- A Slovakian Jew whose duty is to tattoo identification numbers onto prisoners being taken into concentration camps. The movie features his relationships as well as heartbreaking events as seen through his eyes over the years.

The Atypical Family 04 May 2024 Netflix

It will be released on Netflix on May #th .Whereas this fantasy drama series is about a man who has been endowed with the ability to resist his past; however, he can only use it whenever he feels happy. Therefore, today’s stress and depression have taken away its worth just like other members of their family did before him too.Nevertheless since Do Da He came into that house as a young lady; then his power started rejuvenating.

Monsters at Work Season 2 05 May 2024 Disney+ Hotstar

An animated adventure comedy series that is loved by most of you! Its second season is coming up and Mechanic Tylor Tuskmon might have some new members or want to increase his rank in Monsters Inc., again? Whatever for which reason- we are prepared for viewing adorable people working at Monsters Inc., having funs inside no-peopled world unlike ours we always get lost in due to their funny antiques. Therefore, ready to watch this adorable animated series that is also rated 7 on IMDb?

Bridgerton Season 3 16 May 2024 Netflix

Bridgerton- a romance drama which is set in a historic fairytale world- no kidding! It’s about Bridgerton family consisting of eight children—each looking for true love in their lives. Well, the third season will continue the story and bring new love stories to you. There are 8 episodes in the third season that will be released in two parts- first four episodes will be released on May 16th while others are going to be out by June 13th,2024.
Are you addicted to OTT platforms watching shows and series all the time? Then remember to set it so that you do not miss any one of them.

My GF (34) and I (33) have been together for 4 years. We have a son together. I have to highlight how loyal she has always been. She is a big introvert and I have NEVER been having any doubts about, nor have I ever been jealous... until now!About 2 years ago my GF got a new job in a company that has a lot of branches around in other countries. Due to this, she is travelling from time to time (lets say 3 times a year), and I have never had any reasons to be paranoid of insecure about it because of the way she is, she is not keen on the travelling because of the type of a person she is, she is not good at smalltalks or bonding with colleagues or people in general.
About 5 months ago she came to me telling me that her boss wanted her to go to (lets say) Paris for 3 days for a project that she had been working on since starting that new job. I knew she was working with a male co-worker on the project because that has never been a secret, she has always told me he was a very nice guy, very helpful and good at the job, but always assured that he was married with kids, and very not charming or her type at all. However, about 2 weeks before the trip I started noticing that her private phone became a lot more secret, but I wasnt sure if this was just myself telline me this, or if it was actually true because I would never expect something like this from her at all. She has very little friends, and she is barely ever on the phone (unless its family) and certainly not hiding it from me. I let it go until about 3-4 days before the trip. I was lying in bed reading when she got back home late (fitness class), she took her phone and sat on the couch in the living room and suddenly I could hear that she was texting with someone, like a lot (I know because she is one of those people who has the sound on when typing) for a long time (about an hour - 1,5) before I couldnt bare it anymore so I went out and confronted her asking who it was.
She almost jumped out of the couch almost as if I had just busted her in the middle of a murder, confessing that it was him, but that he was just a friend, saying he was not her type, he was married etc etc etc. basically defending herself. I was in shock and kinda blacked out so I dont remember much of that talk / discussion, but shortly after she "had" to urgently go for a shower, funny as she had been home texting with him for more than an hour, but suddenly shower couldnt wait. I was paranoid, insecure and afraid of what was actually going on. I couldnt believe it. next morning during work she wrote to me not to be worried and that it was just nice to have a "friend". I asked her if he was flirting with her, and she told me she did not feel like he was. I did not talk to her for 2 days after that before she came to me one evening saying that she missed me and that she was ready to have a second child with me (Something I have wanted for a very long time so that was a big thing for me) and suddenly everything had changed.
Monday morning she left for Paris and I didnt hear from her ALL day despite the fact that she knew exactly how worried I was. That evening around 8h00!!! pm ish she sent me a text saying she would call in 20 min. More of an "in 20 min, I have a bit of time so be ready!" in a very stressful way. We had a video call for about 20 min and I could sense immediately that she was tipsy if not drunk! and she told me they had just gotten back from work, and that they (according to her, another female colleague, the guy and herself). however, we spoke for about 20 min, she told me she missed me and loved me and it made me feel very good. I slept okay that night.
Next day (last full day in Paris) I didnt hear from her at all again. In fact I texted her during the afternoon that I felt a bit ignored, but again she told me they were busy and that I had nothing to worry about. That evening it was same story. around 8 pm she calls me, I didnt pick up because I was driving, and she asked me when I would be available for a call, again in a very stressful way, so I texted her asking why it was so urgent to which she answered and I quote "We worked so much all day, and I just want to see you because Im so tired I might fall asleep any minute".. AT 8 PM!!! on a business trip... I knew that was bullshit, but I chose to believe it. We had the call as I got home, and after 20 min she says the same, that she had to go to bed because she was so tired, lying on the bed in clothes.!
Next day she had to travel all day back home, this was on valentines day (very ironically), and again I barely heard from her all day. We had agreed long in advance that she would pick up our son and take him home before going to a fitness class (very expensive one that she had paid for in advance). Before arriving home I went for roses since it was valentines day. I got home just in time to see her before her class. She told me she had missed me and that she would never go back to that place, and that she would most probably dump that entire project. She went to her class, but left both her private and her work phone at home. I have never done anything like this before in my life because I had never had reason to do so. But my gut and my intuition told me that something was wrong. I opened the screen on her private phone and could see that she ofcourse had messages from him. I didnt manage to guess her pin code and instead I took her work phone, guessed the code first time and saw the very first message in their chat on Zoom. It was from the night she had told me about the second baby (only 2 nights before the trip) and I quote "Peace has been reinstated at home by a miracle, I will see you Monday"......... My heart pumped harder than ever before and ofcourse it caught my curiosity and I HAD to see more. For weeks, maybe months they had texted nonstop, all day during work via Zoom and evenings and weekends via whatsapp. Now, again my GF is not flirtatious at all so to her defence I would say most of her messages was simple answers which can be interpreted in both ways whereas he was very offensive, at one point very shortly before the trip she even asks him if he is flirting with her to what he is answering "I will let you decide that" and to which she replied "it doesnt bother me at all". I also found out that the night we had a video call when she told me she was too tired, while I was on her screen she had sent him a text sayin "ready to go"
She came home, I confronted her, she begged me to give her another chance assuring me nothing happened physically at all, and that they just had drinks. Next morning we both took off from work. I was exhausted and still in shock. That morning she called in sick, told him that she needed to talk to him in person and they had a call. She told him to stop texting her, and that what they have been doing was wrong and crazy and he agreed, but it didnt stick for long. Only a few days later he sent her messages saying that he missed talking to her and that it was all a misunderstanding, that nothing happened that can be considered cheating etc etc. I know that because she showed it all to me. She didnt reply to his messages.
Its been 4 months now, and I have had some really difficult days with bad thoughts and worries because they still work together which is really hard on me. We still talk about it from time to time when I need to share my worries. She keeps assuring me that they are strictly professional, and that they do not talk about anything but work. They have stopped communicated on whatsapp during evenings or weekends, that I know for sure, but about 1 months ago I felt so insecure that it got me to take her work phone again, and as I wanted to snoop I found that she had changed her pincode again which ofcourse sends me a signal that something is going on (at least in my head). What I CAN see are only the zoom messages on the start screen that he is sending to her (the notifications she is not removing from the start screen), but I cant read the messages she is sending back to him. I check the phone almost every evening since then, and funny enough she ALWAYS without exception has messages from him and it is very rarely something about work, it is not flirtatious either, but it is personal stuff that is not related to work which she promised me they wouldnt. For example her work requires her to work one weekend every 3 months and even saturday 10 pm he asks her if she needs any help and I know that he only does so to start a conversation with her, I mean 10 pm at night on a saturday you sit with your work phone in hand asking your colleagues if they need help?
I almost feel stupid for asking because, especially now that I have been writing it all down and read it through, it seems very obvious to me that I cant trust her, but I would like to hear your take on this. Should I be worried still? Can I trust her, should I leave her?
Should I confront her about the snooping ?

Thank you for this universe!
And many thanks to for being a full co-writer on this project!
Kaeden and Vichee belongs to and I thank them so much for working with us! It was an honor!
Sven belongs to Bjorn the Copper Paladin from Discord. I hope to do more with them in the future, and have tons of fun!
And don’t you worry about that final in the title! We have some news at the end!
[First]- [Prev]- {Next Story!!}

{Is the reason that everything happened to Tarlim in the first place?}

{Only up to the ramps, mostly. Trying to impress upon people the importance of accessibility for those with extenuating circumstances. At least according to the records I have access to.}

{The average person knows as much about his friends as they do about Mike Collins.}
<...Who?>
{Exactly. 20th century human spaceman, was there for their first lunar landing. Didn’t get to put boots on the ground, and nobody remembers his name now.}

{Hell, I didn’t even know about him until I put in a search query of niche historical figures just to give you an example. Yeesh…}

(Program Selected.)
(Resume Selected Media? [Y])
(Playing…)
Archived Closed Circuit Security Video - Establishment: Exterminator’s Office - Dawn Creek Division - Subbasement - Date Recorded (ST): OCT 31, 2136 - Timeframe (ST): 11:42 - 11:45
The parking bay is silent. Vans are parked neatly in their spots which frame the hallway to the armory and fuel storage for the camera. A ding is heard and something moves in the hallway. Five fully suited Venlil and a Zurulian step out of an elevator and run towards a van. The sound of a door slamming open comes from the hall roughly 6 seconds later. A stream of Exterminators pour out into the hall from the stairwell.
Their voices are indecipherable as they speak over each other. A Sulian runs into the armory and reappears with a huge flamer tank on their back. Another Zurulian can be seen with an extinguisher tank, but a Venlil bleats at them and tosses it aside. They drag the quadrupedal alien quickly into the parking garage before physically throwing them into the back of a van.
From the back of the hallway, a fluid can be seen spreading across the ground. A trio of Venlil back out of a room while holding their flamers up. They are unlit, instead spewing fuel out of their nozzles. The trio twirl around in an overly animated manner as they walk down the hall to the parking garage. A van pulls out of its spot with windows down so the passengers could let out a cheer.
A black-suited Venlil runs up to the spraying trio while waving their arms to get them out into the garage. The microphone just barely manages to catch him saying, “We need to save some for the predators!” One of the other Venlil replies, “Yes sir, Mafchi!” A short flurry of curses is heard as the gathered exterminators pile into the three other visible vans. Two of the vans speed out of the garage, forcing some other Venlil exterminators to dive out of the way in the process.
The black-suited Mafchi picks up a fuel canister that had been dropped and twists off its cap. He slings it under his shoulder and pours a line of fuel. He marches straight to the final van and hops up into the open rear. The van backs itself up to turn out of the garage. The fuel canister clatters to the ground as it pulls away. Before it clears the view of the camera, the Black-suited Venlil is seen standing in its open back. He is holding what appears to be a flare gun.
The flare sails through the air shortly after the van leaves the frame and impacts the ground. It bounces and rolls until it touches the fuel and ignites it in an instant. A small wall of fire proceeds down the provided trail into the hallway, igniting more fuel as time passes. The hallway is quickly engulfed in vividly red fire. Thick black smoke begins to pour out into the garage as the fire inches closer to the primary fuel tank.
Movement can be seen in the hallway between the flickering flames. The silver form of a Venlil Exterminator is seen rushing out of the stairwell and fighting to head towards the fuel storage room. Before they reach, a white flash fills the screen. The feed goes dead, the error code consistent with electrical interruption.
(Specified Media Concluded.)

{Who was what? Mafchi?}

{Hmmm, there aren’t any tags embedded for them. The suits do a rather good job at making the officers anonymous. Let me see…oh.}

{The, uh… the employment records for that Office were…terminated.}

{It looks like…yes, here. Record wipe in 2497. Media with less than 1 bistandannual visit were removed to save space on the university’s central server. It’s…they’re gone, gone gone.}

{Maybe, but that’ll do us no good if we don’t know their name. And because of the chaos of that incident, nobody has been able to accurately reconstruct where every individual was in that office. We’d have to already know who they were to find them.}
<...I guess that’s another person I’ll have to remember then, huh?>
{...Guess so. Speaking of remembering, perhaps you should check out Tarlim’s view again? Seeing how we were just talking about him.}
<...Sure. At least people remember his name, right?>
(Command: [exitprogram])
(Are you sure? [Y])
…
{-Program Selected-}
{-Restart From Last Playback Point? Y/(N)-}
{-[USERID-11229KMD]: procViewHist -}
{-Retrieving Transcription Viewing History…-}
{-List Retrieved - Select Desired Subject: (Tarlim)-}
{-Restart From Last Playback Point? (Y)/N-}
{-Playing…-}
Memory Transcription Subject: Tarlim, the Venbig. Date [Standardized Human Time] October 31st, 2136
No matter how much Sven and Anso griped about it, having them leave and return with the trailer was a great idea. The humans who had gone with them the first time were, to my dismay, excited to try and ride in the back. I had at least been able to impress on those four that I couldn’t let anyone else ride like that, and that they were to help with rigging a trailer with some seats.
I had to admit; they did a good job!
Several couches sat bolted to the floor of the covered trailer and even had some ropes that could be hooked across the armrests as impromptu belts. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it would work as well as any bus or short train ride! Certainly superior to jumping in the bed of a truck.
I strode out into the parking road and swayed my ears to greet Anso. Sven had stayed behind here to meet with the humans and entertain the kids, a job which he was slightly less unenthusiastic about compared to last time. “Greetings, Anso! Have you made the necessary preparations for the humans to leave with you?”
The Yotul hopped out of the truck bed and bounced to me. “We have! I have to say those humans were great workers to have helped get this whipped up so quickly! I hope Sven has been behaving himself?”
I let my tail wag behind me remembering my last glimpse of him. He should really secure his sheath straps! “He has! Been entertaining the refugees while I made sure they all had their belongings ready to go. Come on inside, let’s go gather them.”
I guided him with a wave of my arm as we turned back to the door. To be truthful, I hadn’t expected Sven to win the humans over as quickly as he did. Needless to say, his primitive attire seemed to spark joy within them, a joy sorely needed amidst the sadness of recency.
As we entered the building I noticed something, or rather, the lack of something. When I had exited only a few [minutes] prior, the building had been full of life and noise. Now, it was almost dead quiet, save for the sounds of a holovision coming from the lobby. Rather heated sounds, at that.
“I didn’t think it was already main rest claw,” Anso mused as he, too, recognized the aggravated voices coming from the lobby. “And what are they watching in there? Sounds…angry.”
“Yeah…” I trailed off as I followed the noises. As I approached the lobby, the sound of what I assumed was a Gojid yelling. “You know nothing about my family. TALK, JUST FUCKING TALK, NOW!” My ears pinned back at the foul language at play, hoping that Sven and the children were somewhere else.
As I entered the room, I saw that I was only half right. The children were thankfully nowhere to be found, but Sven was obviously present, as was most of the facility staff. I was about to ask what was going on before another voice drew my attention to the holovision, the same as everyone else. The voice of none other than Chief Nikonus.
“There were three of us who laid out the groundwork for the Federation. When Kolshian explorers came in contact with the Farsul, more than a thousand years ago, the galaxy was young. We were the first in this sector to escape our gravity well. You know about the founding of this institution, but I reiterate it just in case.”
“The Krakotl were the third,” another voice piped up from behind the camera. I thought it might’ve been another Gojid, but the voice was far too breathy. Harchen, maybe? I wasn’t given a chance to consider it further as Nikonus continued. “Yes, they were a problem from the start; aggressive, disagreeable. We tried to identify the problem, and why they were so ill-equipped for spacefaring.”
“We learned they were scavengers, who would occasionally go for fish as well.”
His next line was rendered inaudible by the shocked gasps of both the refugees and residents in the room. I was no different, drawing in a sharp breath at the abrupt admission. I remembered that Arvi had said some aliens were revealed to have eaten meat in the past, but was this the way it was decided to be revealed? With such abject callousness?
Nikonus continued to speak, looking not just proud, but smug with his words. He went on about how the Federation had saved these aliens with their manipulations, but the entirety of his body language seemed to indicate he reveled in how devastating this information would be to the people he was speaking to. How they manipulated an entire culture, a RELIGION!
What if they did the same to ours?
That horrifying thought struck through my mind like a derailing train. I had relied upon the Tenets in some of my darkest moments. Found comfort in them when there was none elsewhere to be found. To have such a comfort revealed as a lie in its entirety, used only for some other group to control you…
The voice of Nikonus hit my ears again. “Oh Sovlin, I already told you. For the small minority of species who don’t find herbivory alone, we teach them the right way. Doesn’t the religion against predators sound familiar?”
The Kolshian was insufferably proud of those words. There was no doubt in my mind now; this was mocking. Mocking a Gojid for following The Protector. For being a predator. For being different, but expecting to still be treated as a person. The Gojid were predators, they couldn’t help it, and they were already being mocked for it.
What might happen to all the other species?
I shifted my focus away from the screen to the crowd, searching for one in particular. Vichee, a Krakotl already so different from everyone else, and now my concerns for them were multiplied with every word that fell from Nikonus’ mouth. Were they okay? They had come in here to see Sven, I had seen them. Where are-
I spotted Kaeden in the corner of the room. Next to him, slumped against the wall, was Vichee. The dual colored Krakotl’s eyes were glazed over as they stared at nothing. I strode over quickly, my instincts wanting to comfort them. Kaeden was simply standing there, it was confusing that he didn’t seem to be comforting Vichee at all. As I got closer, their head tilted up to me, regarding me with an unfocused eye.
“He was right.” They said quietly. My implant almost didn’t pick it up over the sounds of the lobby. “Kaeden had asked me soon after our first meeting if Krakotl had once been meat eaters. Said it was the shape of our beaks. ‘More suited to capturing small wriggling prey than filtering algae’. He told me. I nearly flew away right then… If I had, I would have been alone with this news.”I listened, kneeling down to be closer to their level. “You’re not alone, your herd is here. Right Kaeden?”
He looked over at me and nodded. “Vichee was there with me when Earth was attacked. I’m here for them now. Kaabra and Venik are… together, elsewhere at the moment. But they will be here too.”
I flicked my ears in understanding. “Then I hope they may help in hugging Vichee until their tears are dry.” I turned an eye to Vichee. “Please, I just want you to know that you are still you. What your body does has no effect on your personhood.”
Vichee still sat, their mind still likely whirling with the new information. They lifted their differently colored wings. “I’m well aware. This lesson I already learned. But thank you, I understand what you mean.” Kaeden nodded slowly and Vichee returned to their thoughts.
“There’s going to be trouble soon, Tarlim,” Kaeden stated gravely. “News like this? Nothing good will come of it. I can already tell this won’t go over well. Keep your eyes open.”
As if in response to his words, the sound of clanking metal hits my ears. They shoot up, pivoting to locate its source. There, dashing towards the door, was the armored figure of Sven. I didn’t know him enough to know how this broadcast would affect him, but running was never the best sign. I flicked my ears goodbye to my friends and rose, following after the metal man. In my periphery, I saw the television screen had shifted to show Rolem moving onto the stage. I would have to miss whatever it was he had to say, so ducked through the doors and continued to follow the sound of metal.
As I exited, I saw that I wasn’t the only one to see Sven’s actions. Anso was bounding behind him, shouting something I couldn’t hear. Sven didn’t seem to either as he kept running, but his gait wasn’t one of fear. He looked purposeful, sprinting in a straight line. A line pointed right towards-
Towards the observing Exterminator Van.
The metal Venlil didn’t even hesitate at the presence of the fence. He leapt up in a display of strength and agility, vaulting over the barrier and continuing his beeline into the van. It was like phased through the doors with how fast he moved. There were sounds of commotion that followed his entry, and soon two Exterminators fell out of the van. One Venlil…and one Krakotl. I wonder how Kalek is taking things.
I, too, cleared the fence with only a high step and reached the van, peering in to see Sven at the controls. “Sven! What are you doing?” I asked, the Krakotl officer shivering on the ground in my periphery.
“They got my girl!” He huffed, “She’s a Gojid, they got her, I can’t let them do anything worse to her!” He tried to activate the vehicle to no avail, but his words brought up something that I hadn’t thought much over. I remember hearing about temporary emplacements that were being set up. Paly had texted me about exterminators bringing people there. Her too. And that would mean-
-THOOOOOOOMMMMM-
The wind hit me like a truck and rocked the van I was standing next to. Sven even stopped trying to fiddle with the controls to see what had just happened. In the distance, near the center of town, an enormous black cloud rose into the air, the vestiges of fire still burning in the suspended embers. I couldn’t look away from it as my mind raced with horrible possibilities as my mind tripped over itself trying to concoct a plan of action.
I wasn’t given long to think before the radio in the van crackled to life, startling both Sven and myself. “Attention all True Exterminators! The truth has come out about the taint in our midst! For too long we have lived with its danger in our presence! If any of you still hold the safety of The Herd in your hearts, come join us so we may burn ALL the predator taint from this District! Rendezvous at Vulen’s apartment complex, we shall start our cleansing there!”
The name of one of my landlords sparked familiarity in my mind. They had been working to build a series of new apartments to add to his old, and if I remembered, had agreed to house the Gojid refugees. The Gojid! Paly was housed with them!!
In an instant, I reached into the van and grabbed Sven by the arm. He tried to pull away, but my grip was too strong. “Sven! They’re gonna kill the Gojid! They’re gonna burn Paly!”
He finally managed to shake himself free as my paws became jittery from stress. “I gotta save my girlfriend! She’s in a facility! I gotta save her!”
“But they’re gonna burn people here!” I protested, “we have to do something! We need- We need People who can fight them! Kaeden! I need to get Kaeden! We can save them!”
I pulled myself away from the van and spotted Anso nearby. He must have had to go through the gate, but this was good timing. I pointed a claw at him. “Do Not Let Him drive off before I get back!”
I didn’t give him, nor the Exterminators who had recovered from their shock, time to ask questions. Paly was in danger, as were who knew how many others. I faintly heard my data pad chime from within my shoulder bag, the signal my heart was beating too fast, but I couldn’t deal with it right now. I could get the heart rate under control during the drive. Right now I needed Kaeden, he knew how to fight! How to save people when others were trying to kill them!
My paws guided me and I was back in the cafeteria before I knew it. Some of the crowd had dissipated, but Kaeden and Vichee were still in the same corner I had left them in, but with their Venlil friends now joined. Without leaving time for protest, I grabbed Kaeden’s arm and pulled him away. I heard Vichee squawk behind me, but I was in too much of a hurry. I can’t let her get hurt. I Won’t.
Kaeden started to slap my arm as I dragged the soldier across the lobby. “Tarlim! What the fuck are you doing?? What’s going on?”
“No time, they’re going to burn everyone,” I breathlessly said as I burst the facility doors open to get him to the van.
“What? Who?” Kaeden questioned, still resisting my pull. I could hear a tinge of worry in his voice, and I knew he would understand. Anso looked back from his position as he heard my approach, and upon seeing me dragging Kaeden along, he grew visibly concerned.
“On the radio, something about True Exterminators,” I attempted to explain to him as we neared the gate doors. This time, I simply spread them apart with my free paw, metal screeching against itself as the gate was forced open. “They’re going to burn every cured species they can find, and That Means Paly. I Won’t Let Them.”
Kaeden had stopped struggling as I explained the bare essentials to him, and once we approached the van, he finally had enough sense to ask the right questions. “So what exactly is the plan to stop them? We’re strong, sure, I could probably take most of them. But just two of us against a wall of those flamers?”
“Not two,” I corrected, letting go of his arm and throwing open the back doors of the van. Still seated in the drivers side was Sven, who looked back once he heard me permit entrance into the back. “We have him too.”
“Wh- the LARPer??” Kaeden asked incredulously. I wasn’t familiar with the term he used, but his tone told us all we needed to know. Sven’s eyes narrowed at the perceived insult, but Kaeden continued. “Do either of you have any formal military training?? Rushing down there is only going to get you both killed along with the others! For fucks sake, slow down! We need a plan!”
“T-There won’t be t-time f-for one,” a voice peeped in from behind us. We all turned to face the source, and we found it was the Venlil Exterminator. They recoiled under the sudden gaze of our entire party, but they managed to continue. “I-I recognized the v-voice. It w-was one of the n-new recruits. They m-might as well be Y-Yulpa. If you w-want to stop them, it’s now or n-never.”
We all stared at them for a moment in disbelief that they’d willingly hand over that information to us. They were Exterminators, weren’t they? They should be allied with the voice on the radio! Kaeden, after considering the information, gave voice to my confusion. “And why are you telling us this? You’re an exterminator, shouldn’t you be trying to help them?”
“M-My husband is the Krakotl that was in the van with me!” They yelled back, stamping their footpaw on the ground in agitation. “I-I don’t care what his ancestors did a t-thousand years ago, I will not stand for those zealots burning who knows how many people! We’re not all the same, h-human!”
I was taken aback by their words. I had given up hope that there were any redeemable souls amongst the ranks of those silver-suited brahkasses, but living proof of the contrary stood before us. Their breathing was only matched by mine as my pad continued to chime in my pack. Maybe there’s hope after all.
Kaeden started frantically looking all around, his focused gaze falling on the facility, the exterminator in front of us, and the rising smoke in the distance. After a moment's hesitation, he growled to himself and shook his head. “Fine! Fucking- if you want to prove you’re different, you and your partner stand guard at the gate! They’ll probably try to send a division here, so keep on guard! And for the love of God, go ask for help if that happens!”
My tail wagged behind me as I interpreted what that meant. “So you’ll help us, Kaeden?”
He paused for a second, an agonizing second as he fully took in the situation in his mind. But ultimately, he nodded. “Let’s go, we can figure things out along the way.”
Seizing the moment, Anso quickly jumped into the van and pushed Sven out of the driver's seat, much to their visible frustration. Kaeden quickly hopped into the passenger seat, leaving me with the problem of finding a space that would fit me. I stepped over to the back of the van and threw the doors open.
The flamers and their fuel tanks were useless to us, easy to toss all three sets out onto the ground behind me. I made sure that the flamers were disabled first, of course. Just had to snap the pilot lighters and slice a hose with my claw. Even if these two said they weren’t like these “True Exterminators” I didn’t trust them one bit. I crawled inside the cramped vehicle and wiggled myself to close the doors behind me.
As I got myself settled, I watched as the Venlil Exterminator started to inspect the destroyed remains of their weapons. I squinted a glare at them and positioned myself so they couldn’t enter with me. “You two aren’t coming,” I hissed. “You know why you’re not. Try anything with the humans, and they will stop you.”
I slammed the doors shut as their expressions fell, just in time for Anso to get the van into gear. I curled myself up against the wall of the van, watching out the back window as we sped down the road. We were on our way now. On our way to save Paly and all the people gathered because their ancestors ate meat. My heart hammered in my chest, but I would need to control it for what we were about to do. I needed to focus. I needed to breathe. I needed to be calm.
Focus. Breathe. Calm
Focus.
Breathe.
Calm…
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Memory Transcription Subject: Sol-Vah, Fleeing Predator. Date [Standardized Human Time] October 31st, 2136
My legs couldn’t carry me anymore. I had to keep going, but I didn’t have the strength. My pants became wheezes as my body struggled to keep up with the physical exertion of running almost halfway through town. I hadn’t even looked up before now, at least with eyes not blinded by tears. The pain of Mute’s rejection still stung in my soul, a pain so visceral it threatened to rip me apart worse than any Arxur. Protector, what did I do to deserve this? Is there even a Protector, or did the Federation just- just make that up?
I didn’t have time to think about that now, I needed to get to the office. From what little I caught of the broadcast, Nikonus had said they saved us before. I knew what it likely was, but…I was desperate. I just wanted to go back home and have him embrace me like he did before. The safety and love I had felt from him was still fresh in my mind, and if there was any chance I had to get it back?
I’ll happily take it.
As I approached the office, however, something seemed off. I could smell soot in the air, but not the kind of soot that came from our flamers. This was- was…dirtier smelling, as if the fuel had been impure. Upon looking up, however, I saw something that made my stomach drop. A huge plume of smoke, billowing up into the sky. It shadowed the sun itself with its immensity and hate. Did the Exterminators burn more drugs? Or…or…
I felt a renewed vigor as I started to run towards the plume, hoping against hope that I was wrong. As soon as I turned the corner, though, my worst fears were realized. Where the office once stood now sat a burning stack of glorified rubble, every single window in sight shattered and multiple holes in the outer walls. The building was split, it was as if a giant knife had come down and sloppily sliced off its front half to spill flaming debris everywhere.
I stood in front of the building I had once called my home, surrounded by screams and the awful sound of flames roaring. I knew now there was no hope of salvation, no way this could ever be undone. I would never be able to go back to the way things were, never feel the happiness I had for that brief time. I was doomed to this life, abandoned by my love, and forced to live as an abomination devoid of a home.
I suppose that’s all a predator like me deserves.
[First]- [Prev]- {Next Story!!}
You read it right: This is going to be the final chapter of "Of Giants and Journalists." With the conclusion of Sharnet and Vekna's adventure, we will now take the time to show how this announcement has affected our characters and the galaxy at large. We're excited to announce our new series, Nature of a Giant: Aftermath! This series will not be quite as in-depth temporally as Of Giants and Journalists was, mainly because not as much will be happening in as short of a time. Rest assured, though, there will still be plenty of action across the board! You just won't have to deal with over half the story only covering a week of time!
In that vein, we are also excited to announce we are working on another bonus series, one that was teased a long time ago, Venric Lawven: Legal Legend! It will be filling the gap for content while we work on the first few chapters of Aftermath to make sure the scenes are as quality as they deserve, but will have a reduced upload schedule to once a week to accommodate for writing two series at once. On behalf of both of myself and , we'd like to thank all of our readers for sticking with us on this journey. It's hard to believe this series has been going on for over a year in one form or another, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Thank you all again for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you again with Legal Legends! And then...
The Aftermath!!

This line of thought actually stemmed from a science fiction novel. I can't even remember what it was called now. I didn't like it and I don't think it was ever very popular. The premise was that a meteor storm was going to hit earth and there were various projects to preserve humanity. The project at the focus of the book 'saved' people by re-creating their consciousness inside a computer. I hated it. The process involved 'uploading' consciousness into the computer then the people that were uploaded took poison to kill themselves. They didn't save anyone. At best, they created copies. The people still died. I had a very negative reaction to the idea. I don't remember the title of the book but I do remember the feeling of disgust when I understood their idea of 'saving' people. I'd have been more open to the idea if the uploaded consciousness left the body as an empty vessel, but that wasn't how it worked in that book.
I was reminded of this yesterday. A friend asked me if I'd ever have an animal cloned. My family and I have a lot of animals. They're all rescues. Not just dogs and cats, we take in any animal we're capable of caring for. I adore them. We have a lot of chickens now because of one single chicken that just showed up one day. We looked outside and saw a white chicken eating underneath one of our bird feeders. We absolutely love her. She has a morning routine that starts by making a lot of noise at the door then running into the house. The chicken 'coop' is a room built onto our house. One door opens to the outside, the other door leads inside the house. Oscar hangs our for about 2 hours then my mom yells 'I hear a bird' from upstairs and Oscar flies up the stairs squawking. She loves my mom. Yes, Oscar is a she. We thought she was a boy until the first egg. After discovering how loveable chickens are, we adopted more from a charity that saves chickens at the end of their 'laying' lives from battery farms.
I get very upset when I lose an animal, but cloning wouldn't fix that. Just as an example, I could adopt a cat identical to a cat that passed away, but I would love the new cat as an individual, not a recreation. I don't know how a clone is different than identical twins. Not that I ever intend to try cloning if it somehow became a service for pet owners. There are lots of animals in need in the world. No need to create more intentionally. I wouldn't feel less grief if I had a clone of a cat that passed away. A clone isn't a replacement. A clone of a human certainly isn't a replacement either. I feel like the entire idea is offensive.
I brought up that awful book when we were talking about cloning, and my friend laughed at me. He said I"m more religious than I think because the sense of individuality I was referring to is actually a soul. I"m not against the idea of a soul. A factor in my antagonism towards organized religion is the attitude towards non-human life that's very common among religious people in my local area. They use the idea of man's superiority as an excuse to do whatever they want with no regard for other forms of life. Some of them even sneer at the idea of animal cruelty by dismissing it as a concern at all. Our local tri-county newspaper prints the same letter to the editor once a year. The letter is a lecture combined with advice to stop children from 'humanizing' animals, such as 'have fish sticks for supper after watching Finding Nemo and other animated sea life. "Only watch Bambi during hunting season.' "Have pork chops, bacon and other pork products at meals while children read 'Charlotte's Web' at school.' I realize that isn't universal, but I thinks it's fairly common. I"ve seen a lot of arguments against environmentalism and conservation because 'nature and animals are here for humans to use.' I'd be more open to the idea of religion in general if that wasn't such a pervasive idea.
My question is, does believing that every person, and every living creature, is an individual that can't be recreated mean that I'm actually more accepting of religious beliefs than I previously realized.

Simtog looked in the mirror his dark pupils set within a pale face lined with scales, his race evolved from a small reptilian creature. Well this is it he thought to himself, years of training finally paid off. Today Simtog will be a member of the star corps and serve the All Star Galactic Republic.
A chime came from the door “Enter” the door opened and a being very much like himself stood there he was a little smaller and more nervous. “Oh Sion, I see you got ready too all dressed in your new uniform?” Sion smiled “yyeah I knew you look great in your uniform too? Oh so this is the difference of an officer rank uniform?” Simtog looked in the mirror to straighten out and picked up his cap. Walked towards the door.
“Yeah that’s right look here on the shoulders you can see the star that means I’m a commander, by the way when is the shuttle due to leave?” Simtog tapped his arm device and looked “hmm not for another a quarter of a cycle.
As the shuttle approached the star system, Simtog’s green eyes widened, they managed to get to the shuttle and took the 20 lightyear journey, it only took them half an cycle to get there, now the great hub of the Star Corps. A huge space station orbiting a small dead world of XP-09 better known as the forge this is where he was first sent to train and learn how to fight, now it’s station is the place he’s going to, finally he will be sent to a ship and serve his captain.
The shuttle docked and the station was busy with life different races all working together, like the Kurn 5 foot beings that has rock like thick skin, short tempered but brilliant shock troopers.
As the main celebration began the two stood there ready to walk towards the main arena to stand in front the main chain of command.
Simtog looked at his friend and said “You ready?”

So sorry to waste your time...

This is gonna be a lot, and you, of course, are not force to read this. I was just looking for something, if anything, regarding an answer to a question I am going to have to face because of my own actions. I understand that if you do choose to read all of this and reply to me, you may wish to berate and insult me. By all means, do so, I deserve it. I don't mean to write a sob story so people will sympathize will me, I don't need people's attention, I'm not coping.
For a bit of context, I am and always have been a burden on myself and those around me. I've been nothing but lazy and useless my entire life. I was the kid that never did his homework, ever. I thought it was stupid and that was my justification to not do it. I was that kind of garbage. I hated when things imposed on my happiness and freedoms, and I resented things that did that to me, like homework. I have always been told that I am full of talent and that I'm so smart or whatever, but it has never translated in my studies. I have always gotten low marks in my courses, always because of homework. If there was a way to flunk out of high school, I would've flunked out a long, long time ago. I'm so pathetic, all I've ever cared about are the things that I enjoy and not the things that are important.
So like the idiot I am, I chose to go to college knowing the kind of person that I am, telling myself I would change because college is serious and what not. Spoiler alert, I didn't. I'm a piece of garbage and all I've ever done is waste the time and resources of those around me. I'm so fortunate that my parents paid for my college, but they said they would kick me out if I failed and all. I believed in my talents, but not in my work ethic. Sure enough, coming out of my first semester in college, I failed two out of the 5 courses I took and that put me on academic probation. Why did I fail? Well, I failed because of my crappy work ethic. I could've passed these courses with high marks if I had done my homework given that my test scores were always high or solid. As you would expect, my parents wanted to kill me, I was mocked and laughed at by my siblings, and I really didn't have a support system, not that I deserved one.
Miraculously, I was given a second chance to fix my predicament, and I honestly felt I was doing better. I was struggling to get my work in on time, but I was still making the effort to do it (Nothing to be proud of considering it wasn't on time). This semester, although spent in the comfort of caring friends who wanted nothing but the best for me, was extremely depressing and part of me wants to blame my shortcomings on that. Mentally, this semester was really rough for me and even though nobody knew it, I was going through a really, really hard time. The other part of me knows that blaming my mental health on my shortcomings is nothing but a cop out and I would just be making excuses for myself like I always do. Anyways, looking at my grades coming out of this semester, once again, I have failed two courses, one of which was inevitable, and the other, I am currently fighting for despite grades being posted. I want to really cling to the hope of the mark being changed even though my situation really won't change much, but if it is impossible, then I will give up right there.
As you can see given what I have provided above, it should be clear how much of an idiot I am. I have been nothing but a failure, a disgrace, a sloth, and a piece of trash. I have wasted the money of my parents, the energy of everyone who believed in me, and my own time. I should've known I would never amount to anything. If I want to keep living, I'll be homeless and left with only the few thousand I have saved from working my summer job as a lifeguard. I have been nothing but pathetic my entire life, and honestly writing this all out makes me tear up a bit. It kind of hurts that I want to cut my life short not because I hate my life, but because it feels that there is no other options left for me to progress forward. I have given myself nothing to use to go forward because I have been nothing but my own worst enemy. I am lazy and a waste of air. I truly wish to apologize to everyone whoever believed in me, I wish I could man up and just tell it to their faces, but I am too ashamed to even turn off my computer screen and see my reflection. The grades will come in soon, and my family will know, and that will be the end of me. Right now, I plan to run away from home soon and either try and find somewhere to go or just jump off a bridge, I guess (I haven't really thought it out, it's not something I really want to think about).
Some of you, who may be nice enough to reach out, may say that my best bet would be to negotiate with my family, or perhaps seek a job in trades, or maybe even consider community college. I can only refute those as my parents are not the negotiable type, even if some of you insist they will be. As for trades, it is something looked down upon by my family, by my friends, and it's rubbed off on me too and I have come to loathe the idea of it. Perhaps it will be my only option, but something I've never wanted for myself was to work day in and day out breaking my back in physical labor like that. As for community college, I would not be opposed to it despite friends and family looking down on it too, but even if that was the route I decided to go down, how would I do that? Once my parents see these pathetic grades, I will be kicked out and maybe even disowned right after I get beaten half to death. Some of you should now be realizing the piece of garbage that I am for saying that, and you have every right to take back any sympathy you may have had for me. I do not deserve any help, any support, and sympathy, or advice. Honestly, I'd rather the option of suicide be validated so I can just get on with it. I think it is finally time to put my pathetic life behind me and release the burden of knowing me off of so many people. All I have ever done is hold myself back and hold others back too. All I've ever done is wish I could be better but then never would I act on it. I wish a work ethic came naturally to me like everything else, because that's the one thing that has kept me from ever succeeding. But because I'm pathetic, I could barely bring myself to succeed at having a good work ethic for more than a week. I hate myself, I truly do.
Despite how I feel about myself and my life, I do want to clarify that I don't hate my life. I am so grateful and thankful that I have met the people that I have and I am thankful I had parents who were willing to support me. Everyone around me is better than I am and I'm so happy I got to be around such amazing figures, I just wish I could've been like that and committed to that. I'm pathetic, I have no more excuses. But I do have the question that I propose to any who have read this far: Do I stick it out, or do I just end my life already?
For all who read all of this, I appreciate you more than you will ever come to realize, even if you read it to laugh at me or so that you could have the knowledge of my story to berate me. You guys are everything, and I can only hope the best for you all. Please never end up like me, you're all surely so talented with bright futures ahead of you, I'd hate to see you be like me. Love you all!
I'm sorry for the giant wall this post is, and I'm also just sorry in general. So yeah, sorry.