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Memory Transcription Subject: Hileen, Krakotl Fugitive Recovery Agent
Date [standardized human time]: November 28th, 2136
It'd been a while since I sat in Marlig's office for a talk face-to-face. Given the agency's secluded location at the edge of the downtown region, it was a chore to drop by when it wasn't for business, but I'd deemed the matter at hand to be worth my time.
I passed by Nampi at her desk on my way to the door and she gave me a coy glare as I carried on. Trying to ignore her risible ear waggle, I turned the corner to the door with my boss’s name painted on the glass panel where I could hear the frantic crumpling of paper.
Quietly, I entered Marlig's office without prompt as I knew he hated to be spooked by knocking. My mentor was surprisingly spry for a bird at his age, sorting through papers with one wing and an eye while using his talons with the other to set away the papers he had splayed out.
“Hileen!” he chirped. “Glad you could make it in today. I was just finishing up my paperwork. Take a seat.”
It was always nice to hear him drop the professional motif for a more grandfatherly attitude when speaking in person. I did as he suggested and took a seat while he grumbled to himself over the sorting. My eye caught a few of the old contracts he was rifling through and saw that some dated back to his days as an agent.
Eventually, he left some sitting out as he sequestered the rest back into their files, sorted by a dichotomy that only he and Nampi could comprehend fully. He motioned with a wing for me to peruse and I turned the first one to face me to find it was my first contract, signed by me in a sloppy fashion. “This takes me back a couple of years.”
“Slick bastard thought he could get away on a forklift but you showed him! Certainly more exciting than my first day!”
“Mm-hmm. And it was when I nearly got impaled that you had the idea to commission all of us utility vests.”
He chuckled, “I really should’ve done so sooner. Cuts and scratches were already a risk, but a forklift was a new one!”
I flipped through the pages of each report, finding that Marlig's notes were filled with praises of my work. There were highs and lows, but I was flattered to find that the grizzled krakotl held my performance in such high regard.
“Flawless interception!” read one footnote about me catching a runner. “Couldn't have done it better myself!”
Marlig waited patiently as I browsed quickly through each page, realizing more and more how the notes also marked improvements in my work. How I found it easier to talk down a rowdy client, or apprehend them in the case that they were beyond helping on my part. Flowery language plastered most pages with him fawning over my work as a doting father would to his prodigal child.
The trend took a sharp turn as the notes became fewer and more critical the closer the dates reached to the present. I brushed the others aside with a wing to peruse the final paper. “And this…”
“Is Tac. Your latest contract. The most recent in a line of declining performance since the interview. This has become a pattern, Hileen, and its consequences are beginning to reach beyond yourself. Paji and Vesek resigned recently for personal reasons, which leaves us even less hands on deck than before. That's four people to cover the entire municipal region, and maybe even beyond, should needs arise. Three, if we include this little probation I have you on.”
“What was I supposed to do? Marlig, these ‘jobs’ you've got us working on overstep the contracts we were signed on with. Our job is to make sure people obey their court-mandated duties, not drag them off to the facilities ourselves!”
“... So the trip we took to the facilities did bother you.”
A sigh clicked in my throat as he reminded me. “Is that what happens to the people we take in, Marlig? Is that what would've happened to your wife?”
His feathers ruffled.
“That's what happens to those who are too dangerous to the general public to be left roaming free. Not everyone we deal with winds up there, but everyone can be subject to it. Miskela sued for her exoneration and proved in court that she was not diseased. I brought you there to show you how it helps the people, but I see now that it was a mistake. I understand why you were so perturbed, really, but it's how things have been for centuries. It's how we've protected ourselves from the dangers out there.”
“You were willing to let Barsul be interned there, too.”
Marlig flinched and sighed as he swept the papers towards himself once I'd signaled I was done. He turned one eye to me while he sorted them.
“There's no room for favoritism, girl. I negotiated for him to be allowed to walk free, and look where that got me. That boy - your neighbor - suffered the consequences of my nepotism. So too would the girl, had nobody intervened.”
“Like Richard.”
“The human, yes. Or you. Or the police. Where does this sudden obsession with humans come from, anyway? I get notifications of you talking about the acceptance of them all the time on forums.”
“Does it even need explaining?”
“Well, I guess not, no, but it's certainly an about-face from the way you used to talk about them with me beforehand.”
“People can change, for better or worse. Which one I fall under remains to be seen.”
Marlig stroked at the plumage on his neck as he finished his sorting. “I hope it's the former, for your sake. Was there any reason you came to talk, or were you just checking that I hadn't gone senile?”
“Well, I was hoping to borrow your secretary for the evening.”
He perked up while his eyes narrowed and he laced his fingers together with curiosity. “You… want to spend an evening with Nampi?”
“It's not what you're insinuating, but yes.”
“I was insinuating nothing,” he warbled coyly. “Go ahead and take her, and make sure to split the bill at dinner.”
“Pain-in-the-ass geezer. I'll keep in touch if your friend causes any more trouble.”
“Keep in touch regardless. Miskela and I get lonely in our old age,” he called back. “Take care.”
I stepped out into the hallway and turned toward the desk where I could hear the secretary's claws tapping furtively at her keyboard. Nampi sat silently with her ears and tail in a relaxed position that implied a bored demeanor. There was barely any response as I stood before her, waiting politely for her acknowledgment that never came.
Hesitantly, I cleared my throat.
An ear raised in acknowledgement, but her focus remained on the screen of her computer. “Mhm?”
“Do you…?”
Her ear rotated toward me, though she still maintained a passive attitude as she continued to glare mindlessly at the monitor.
“Are you free this evening?”
“Well, I'm quite booked, I believe. Why do you ask?”
I was surprised at her curt, dry tone. She hadn't spoken with me like this since we first got to know one another.
“Well,” I started. “I realized something. Every time we went out, whether it was clubbing, or dinner, or even walking around the parks, you always footed the bill. And so…”
Slowly, her other ear perked up and I saw her keystrokes slow down as she listened in.
“I wanted to return the favor?”
Her lips smacked as she opened her mouth, though paused before she spoke. “How could you possibly do that?”
“With a little gesture of friendship.”
Nampi's horizontal pupil turned up toward me and her tail twitched.
I continued, “So that belt you're wearing? It's the same belt you've worn since we first met. And I know you're the pragmatic type who'd never spend a credit more than she needs to, except for all the times you do"- her ears twitched in indignance -"I wanted to see about getting you a little something… extra?”
Her paws raised from the keyboard and she leaned in, resting her snout on her palms. “Go on.”
The bubbly venlil's tail sold out her collected facade as it twitched with anticipation. She was cornered and she didn't even know it yet.
“Well, I found just the place on the other side of town where we can start. It's a place almost as rich and indulgent as yourself.”
“The Platinum Paw? I mean3”
Her ears folded back in embarrassment as she cracked. She wasn't cut out for acting anyway.
“So that's what it's called! Jeez, I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was called. Now what do you say? We go over there and find you something nice—”
I hadn’t even finished my thought before Nampi had grabbed her bag and was out the door, giving me a playful tail flick that said come and get me.

The place I suggested was in a shopping center on the opposite side of town, though easily accessible because of its proximity to the transport rails. Nampi had insisted on grabbing something to eat beforehand and so now gleefully bit into a bundle of stalks that had been “grilled” as explained from the food truck we'd stopped at.
Her tail flicked back and forth with her usual enthusiasm as we entered the massive complex of stores. The roofless plan allowed the natural, orange sun to flood the upper levels while artificial lighting illuminated the ground level wherever the light couldn't reach.
The place was built in the last decade by the previous City Magister in a bid for popularity, though ultimately for naught as he would lose the vote following a scandal involving an iftali priestess and a carved bar of soap. I had to say that despite being sick in the head, he sure had a great sense of decor.
Nampi snacked away, joining me in admiring the scenery as we continued to the place I’d planned out for us. Aimless chatter all melded together into a single, thrumming murmur as pedestrians navigated the many levels and stores offered in the place.
A troupe of children passed by us, held in a chain of tails and arms as they were escorted by a pair of venlil who I assumed were students and teachers on a school trip. I caught a whiff of a sweet, aromatic breeze and found it to come from a perfume shop on the same level as us; naturally, venlil were not to be found inside.
We passed a fountain where a couple sat on the edge, their tails twined together as they giggled and flirted. I turned and caught Nampi watching them as well, though she awkwardly returned to sucking the remains of her meal from her claws when we made eye contact. Her ears lifted when I raised a wing to signal to the store we were going to stop at first.
“Platinum Paw, The Greatest Fashion Emporium For Everyone!”
The title alone was painfully cliche, taken to the tenth power by the brightly lit store taking up three department slots. Despite the flashy exterior, though, it was the best place to shop for belts, brooches, and bracelets alike. Customers who looked like they earned my yearly salary in a week browsed the higher end brands while I brought my friend to the section I wanted to show her.
Her ears were held up as we stood together next to a shelf chock full of fashionable bags and bandoliers of every variety.
“Pick one,” I told her.
Nampi's ears shot to a straight pose in surprise, “Any?”
“Within reason. I've got a few extra credits to blow and I know nobody better to spend it on.”
With an inviting headtilt, I let Nampi peruse the shelves at her leisure. Her lips pursed together and her tail flicked with glee as she fingered at every piece that caught her eye. I chuckled at her outburst of enthusiasm while turning to find my own items to gloss over.
A breeze from outside nipped at my beak while I considered what I’d like to purchase. The place dripped with an atmosphere of faux hospitality, from the bright blue-stained floorboards to the radio prattling off advertisements in a sickeningly sweet tone to the faint, fruity aroma of scented cleaner. It was oppressive as only a fissan-owned company could be to the senses.
What I wouldn’t pay to see how a human would fare in such an environment.
I knew they were social creatures at least, but I had no doubt that the predatory senses of a human, so honed to hunting, would get overstimulated in this center of gaudy indulgence. Knowing I was something of a predator myself made me sympathize provided that even I had to squint to keep the pale lights inside from searing my eyes. I could only imagine how the arboreal eyes of a Terran would fare. I was so lost in thought imagining how lost the Terrans would be that I could almost ignore the obnoxious giggling and metallic rattling coming from behind me.
Risking a peek at the source, into my sight came a pair of venlil, one a male carrying a pair of bags as well as a couple more strapped to his belt. The bored expression in his eyes was not one of a man who was in high spirits. The other venlil was a woman who was the source of the noise.
Her mottled gray pelt was accented by a tasteful belt design, free of almost any practical functions but not flashy or excessive in garnishment either. At least, that’s what I would say, were it not for the braid of beads that dangled on the belt, jingling with each bounce of the lively woman’s stride. It was clear that such a gaudy accessory was intended to draw attention to her, though why was a mystery. Certainly, the shiny braids seemed designed as decoration first and practical second.
She turned about and I faced back to my browsing before she could catch me staring. Nampi was nowhere in sight, though I figured she was somewhere behind the shelf, sifting through every accessory on the section I'd suggested.
Clink.
Something pelted to my immediate right. I tilted my head to spot a tree nut shell clattering to the floor. Without being able to guess where it came from, I had to wonder what could've launched it over this way. Even with my keen eyesight, nobody in the crowd seemed to be a suspect.
Clink.
Another shell pelted my vicinity, ricocheting off of the floor and hitting the shelf I was standing next to. I ruffled my feathers in frustration - clearly, someone was trying to get my attention, though I couldn't make out who it was. Out of the corner of my vision, the woman from before eyed me curiously as I looked about, though I wasn't interested in engaging with her.
Thwack.
One more shell came flying and, unfortunately, the aim on this one was true, nailing me on the beak. Irritated, I stormed out of the store to find the source of the instigator. I scanned over the bodies to find anyone who could've been responsible for this indignity, eventually concluding that it came from the dining area across the walkway.
Whoever was responsible was in for an earful and I was already structuring which of the offender's family members would be acceptable as fodder for stray words. As I approached, I found the tables were mostly empty save for one, which made my heart begin to drop as I met eyes with the only occupant. Suddenly, I was much less inclined to hurl insults.
“Oh, hi there!” Qitel called out in a sickly sweet tone. “Come, take a seat! We have much to discuss!”
The Exterminator clutched a bag of tree nuts in his claws, a pile of discarded shells already gathered on the table next to him. He grabbed another as I approached, effortlessly prying the shell in half between two claws and tossed the contents into his mouth. “Good protein, these,” he commented as I sat down.
“Must be for that good arm you've got there,” I mumbled. I caught sight of a couple of bags beneath his chair, seemingly from one of the tech stores contained within the center.
“Bah, it's guesswork. So how are you? I haven't heard from you since we worked together!”
“I was just spending time with a friend, shopping and enjoying my time off.”
“Your time off? Oh, am I interrupting something?”
His snide tone irked me, though now wasn’t the time for interjections. “You are, Qitel,” I replied with no shortage of vitriol in my tone. “But I see no harm in chatting for a bit.”
“Good, because I have some merchandise”- he reached into his belt pocket and deposited a couple of items onto the table -“and you’re just the person to look into it, human sympathizer.”
I drew a terse breath in shock, but my worries were quelled when I considered that if Qitel had the power to do anything about it, he would’ve done so instead of approaching me so discreetly. A glance down at the item on the table showed that he was presenting what looked to be a tracker as well as a personal drive. “Found in the garbage,” he told me.
“The guild resorts to dumpster diving when they already have such a bloated budget now?”
“No, featherbrain, I have decided to keep this for myself. These items were found together, sealed in a plastic pouch, and placed in a garbage bin. The city has bans against electronics being placed into public bins, and so I was curious why this wound up in there. Managed to get my coworker, a techie, to crack it open and…”
Qitel reached into his belt again, glowering at me with the same condescending gaze he’d given me when I first saw his face. He seemed to revel in digging for the item as slowly as possible to waste my time. Finally, he found whatever he was looking for and revealed it as a printed piece of paper, folded into eighths. The snobby yotul threw the unfurled paper on the table and rolled it toward me.
I craned my neck to look at the parchment, though I was immediately perplexed by the text on it; it appeared to be some sort of form, going by the boxes with words on the inside, followed by blank lines. “Found on the drive, here,” Qitel told me, jabbing a claw to the storage. “Translator shows it as Terran writing.”
Drawing my holopad from my satchel, I held it over the paper with the translator to get an understanding. Surely enough, the language on it came up positive as a variant of Terran writing and I was affirmed in it being a form of some sort based on the wording of the text. The boxes seemed like an odd sort of job application, asking for the typical name, contacts, and prior work experiences, but quickly took a strange turn as it began asking for where their home on Earth was prior to arrival, what family they had on Venlil Prime if any, and where they worked, implying that they were seeking individuals who were already employed.
I knew little about human employment methods, but I didn’t imagine that sourcing individuals from other jobs was the most efficient way to gain a workforce. Terran service industries already dotted the planet while many humans also found work in local environments. So what was the angle that the creator of this application was going for?
Most concerningly was that the paper had no insignia, identifying marks, or noted address to return the form to. “And where did you find it again?”
“In the garbage, alongside this intact tracker that was activated at the time of recovery. Y’know, when I was dumpster diving. Text on the document showed it was addressed to one ‘Choctaw Nexus’.”
“A pseudonym of some sort?”
“Clearly. Short sorting through the archives shows the first name traces back to the group out east - perhaps you've heard about them. How the name and the items we have here are connected is beyond my understanding, but-”
“Well, this has been an absolutely riveting discussion about your collection of trash, Qitel,” I told him as I stood up to leave. “But this really sounds like an issue to be resolved by your fellow guildsmen.”
The sound of another shell splitting rang out as I turned away.
“I'm not through talking with you, predator.”
The sting as a piece nailed me in the back of the head prompted me to whirl back around, sticking my beak in the insolent yotul's snout. “Perhaps you've forgotten, little man,” I cooed in an equally bittersweet tone to the one he gave me before. “The krakotl never had a problem with settling issues the old-fashioned way before the interview. Try me and find out why I'm in the line of work I am.”
“Oh, we wouldn't want that in such a"- he waved his paw to a group of passersby who had stopped to gawk at my display -”public forum. Please, contain yourself.”
I had to force the feathers on my back to settle and I raised my head away from him. “What else is it you wanted, then?”
“Well, I'd appreciate if you took this merchandise off my paws,” he told me as he brushed the electronics and printout toward me.
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you're closer to the humans than I'd ever care to be, and may be able to find out who this Choctaw Nexus is. Something about the package just feels… off. And I know when to trust my feelings. Besides, we both know that you know where Tac is, don't we?”
“I don't-”
“We have videographic evidence that you conspired with a human - of the aforementioned squatters, no less - and let the kid escape. You're not as sneaky as you think, and if we find this ‘Choctaw Nexus’ turns out to be a bad actor that can be traced back to them - and by extension, you - well, there’d be no talking down my boss from having you dealt with. By helping me find out who this is, you may yet be able to clear your name of any wrongdoing.”
I clenched my beak tightly to maintain a straight face. Qitel stood up with a flourish and discarded the bag he was carrying in a bin.
“See, the krakotl were never special for using threats and bullying to get results. It's because you were good at killing predators,” he jeered. “Now, if you don't mind, this primitive has appointments to attend to… old lady who got trampled courtesy of the humans and all. You stay out of trouble, Hileen, and stay in touch.”
The self-assured marsupial melded into the crowd in a matter of seconds, leaving me with a table containing dumpster trophies and a pile of shells. Reluctantly, I swept the shells into my wing and dumped them into the bin before gathering the other two items he'd left me and stuffing them into my bag. I'd been gone from Nampi long enough and she would notice my absence before long.
Crossing the walkway again, I could spot from where I stood that Nampi was indeed still in the Platinum Paw. I approached, and soon I found that while she didn't seem to have noticed me stepping away, she was definitely in a soured mood based on the sagging of her ears and tail. With my talons clacking on the floorboards, I hustled to her side and her mood chippered up ever so slightly as she heard me approach.
I chimed in, “Find anything?”
“Everything. I want everything, Red, and I can't decide on what I want. They all just look so great!”
From behind, a voice called out, “Nampi!”
We both jumped at the exclamation and turned about to spot the venlil lady I'd seen before spring from behind the shelf. The man poked his head from behind the shelf too, though less enthusiastically and with yet another bag in his clutches. My friend's eyes widened in surprise with her tail and ears perking up in kind. With a light in her eyes, she exclaimed, “Nalek!”
The two embraced with shrill squeals and laughter as Nalek's accompaniment and I traded awkward glances.
“It's been too long!”
“You never stayed in contact!”
The women exchanged giddy greetings and the pompous stranger turned to me, leering over me as though she was sizing me up.
“Who's your friend here?”
“Oh she's actually my-...”
Nampi paused for a moment, looking back to me.
“Yeah, she's a friend.”
“A friend,” Nalek repeated while her eyes flicked between Nampi and I. “Right.”
Somehow, I get the impression that that was judgemental.
“I'm Hileen, by the way,” I chirped, “if names are to be exchanged.”
“Hileen, that's a lovely name! And such plumage to match, it's a wonder you aren't swarmed by suitors!”
Internally, I groaned at the notion. The idea of being approached by someone to state their interest in me made me queasy, to say the least. Thankfully, I never had that issue growing up as most of the other drakes in school were too busy chasing girls who didn't have a lousy pigmentation mutation such as myself.
“I'm flattered,” I told Nalek before turning to the man whose name had yet to be introduced. “May we get your name?”
“Sask.”
His response was succinct and tonally flat, though there was a brief silence as I expected him to elaborate. Nalek's beads jingled as she lashed him on the calf with her tail.
“I'm Sask, Nalek's fiancée,” he added, throwing her a look to see if she was satisfied.
Nampi gasped with her paws over her snout. “Fiancée! Nalek, you're getting married and you never even told me!”
“Well, I felt a little guilty since it technically broke our pact we made when we were pups. You remember that?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I? ‘Let she who bonds through betrothal first be cast out unto the world for all to admonish her!’”
Sask and I both gave inquisitive expressions. “You two spoke like that as pups?” Sask asked.
“Well, I'm paraphrasing,” Nampi admitted with a playful ear waggle. “But you get the gist.”
“Indeed, they do, sweet Nampi. Now, may I ask what you're doing bringing your avian friend here into this store on this fine claw?”
“Oh, no no, she's the one treating me! Isn't that right, Red?”
I saw her tail twitch and was sure it took restraint not to tickle my neck with it as we stood before her old friend.
“She's been a good friend,” I explained. “So I wanted to reverse the roles for once and treat her to something myself.”
Nampi skipped over to me and wrapped her arm around me, glancing back to her old friend. “See? We'd all be so lucky to have a… friend like her.”
“So I've witnessed. But perhaps you're a bit stuck, as I've seen you prancing up and down these aisles for a while, no? Maybe you don't know what you want?”
“Nalek, you know I've never been good about making my mind up.”
“Some things never change, you ditz. Tell you what: you and Sask go find us a seat and we can catch up all we'd like when we're not taking up aisle space, yes? So shoo! I'll help Hileen here pick one out for you!”
With a bored grunt, Sask made off with the goods he had strapped to himself, followed by Nampi who gave me one more playful tail flick before dashing off into the crowd. I looked back to the mottled snout of Nalek who watched her friend wander off with a wistful glance.
“She was my first, you know.”
“Your what now.”
“Love. Way back when we were growing from pups into young adults back in private education, we explored much together. We saw each other through a lot, including the less savory parts of finding a mate. When Nampi realized it wasn't the boys she was into, she turned to me, and I offered my hand as her stalwart companion… to a point.”
“You weren't interested in her the same way?”
“I'd grown up seeing her as a sister of sorts, so ultimately, when we split it off, we stayed close as friends and she never seemed to be bothered by it. She struggled to find others in school who had the same interests as herself, but she never fussed about it.”
Nalek's claws browsed over a set of pouched bandoliers made with intricate embroidering. “Have you two… spent the night together? Alone?”
Spiritually, I reeled from the inquiry. The whiplash from that question was equitable to being smacked by a human. “Wha- why? How's that pertinent to the subject at hand?”
“That sounds like a ‘yes’ to me,” she purred with a smug glance my way.
I didn't need to begin to list the different ways such a question was violating to our privacy, and yet this woman was treating it like a game.
“Not really your concern, ma'am.”
Nalek chuckled as she picked out one of the bandoliers and inspected it with her claws. “I'd like to think that she and I still have that old connection, despite everything. And to that end, I know that she's no slag and doesn't trust easy. To see her be so vulnerable around you and to talk so highly of someone who's clearly below her income level as a predator…”
She stretched the bandolier out to appreciate the design in its entirety.
“Well, that's something special. Here"- she foisted the accessory into my wings as I stood gobsmacked -"this just screams her name.”
“This is, like, double my budget.”
“Love don't come cheap, darling. You wanna see good things happen, sometimes you've gotta step out of your comfort zone and grasp for it!”
“I'm being lectured by a rich woman on finances.”
“It's a philosophy that goes beyond money, ‘Red.’ The humans have a saying, in their horrendously predatory nomenclature, that contains a kernel of truth: ‘you miss every shot you don't take’.”
Yep, that's definitely a human phrase.
Nalek's steely braid rattled with every flick of the tail as we proceeded through the checkout.
“You want things to change between you and her?” she continued. “Don't just wait for it to happen.”
She let the conversation rest there as we finished the purchase, possibly to let me recuperate mentally from the damage done to my account. Outside, we found our respective partners sitting at a table with Sask looking up in boredom as Nampi chatted away, though she immediately shut up and turned to me with excited flicks of her tail as she saw what I was carrying.
I held it toward her and she happily shot to her feet, effortlessly removing the tags with her claws and clipping it to her belt. Nalek clapped and waggled her tail as the giddy lady did a whirl about to let us admire the accessory. While I'd have preferred one with pockets to give it a more practical use, I decided to let Nalek have the victory as our mutual friend clearly enjoyed it.
The rest of the paw was a blur as the two friends chatted without end until Sask eventually reminded his betrothed that they had a schedule to attend to. Though Nalek offered to call us a taxi home as a gesture of kindness, I saw through her ruse to determine that she was trying to pull a fast one on me - the clever ear flick she gave as we boarded the automated vehicle sold it for me.
We sat in the seats as the vehicle took the express ride home.
Nampi cleared her throat before she spoke, “Thank you for taking some time to spend with me, I know you've had a lot less free time as of late.”
“It's a prison of my own design, if I must be honest. A feedback loop of working a job that doesn't guarantee a paycheck to pay for rent that keeps going up, and thus needing to work more.”
The venlil giggled and chided me, “You really should've stayed in university.”
“There's a lotta 'should haves’ that've led me to this point. No use wondering what could have been.”
“There's always a use for wondering what could have been, Hileen.”
She wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
“Every decision I make, I always wonder what I could've done differently that it'd have turned out better,” she explained as she waved her free paw to the sky. “It's how you grow as a person, Red.”
Her silky pelt felt heavenly in contrast to the chilly air from outside, making it hard to let her words sink in.
“You rich types seem chock full of philosophy. I wonder if I'll become a brooding orator when I get some cash to my name.”
The cab filled with laughter as we veered around the final corner to my neighborhood, as it was the closest stop. The door popped open accompanied by a chime from the drone, signaling for me to depart.
But before my talons could even hit the pavement, I felt Nampi's scrawny arms wrap around my waist and she let out a pitiful mewl again.
“You don't need to get off here,” she told me with a pouty expression. “We can spend the rest of the paw at my place.”
“I'd love it, but I need to water my plants and get the month's bills sorted before they're due. Again.”
One claw at a time, I plucked her paws from around my waist and the childish venlil conceded, giving me another ear waggle as I departed. “I'll see you tomorrow?” I asked her.
“If you still have eyes by then, then you can bet your ass!”
“I still don't gamble.”
“You'll come around to it eventually.”
I shut the door to the taxi and watched as it carted away the one venlil who I ever truly felt on the same wavelength as. Fiddling with the lock felt like more of a chore than usual at this time as I felt a little voice tugging at the back of my head.
“You miss every shot you don't take.”
The lock felt jammed as I began to jiggle it more vigorously with the electric key. Either the RFID or NFC readers were messed up, as the lock refused to accept my key. I looked up and down the street, though Nampi was now long gone for me to rescind my earlier rejection.
“Every decision I make, I wonder what I could've done differently.”
The door rattled as I grew more and more infuriated with the lock. Qitel's smug expression as he threatened me so boldly in public played back in my head, and I wondered what would've happened had I decided to go through with insulting his mother. Better yet, I wondered what could've been had I not backed down in the face of his unflinching confidence.
Bzzt. The lock rejected my key again.
“Raagh! You fucking useless hunk of junk!”
I squawked in anger and kicked against the door, careless of the consequences of having Markol back down here to admonish another of his tenants for causing a ruckus. The walls were surprisingly sturdy for how ineffective the venlil architecture looked on the surface and I reeled back in pain as my leg throbbed.
Click.
I looked to my left to see that it wasn't my door that came open, but that of the twins. The door cracked open ever so slightly, no doubt nudged by the force of my tirade and I sighed. Nobody was expected to be home at this time, with Vili being away and Luka leaving early to get a head start.
Luka had been given a stern talking-to by the landlord for allowing one of those cats into his apartment through neglect, and I was disappointed that he seemed to have not learned his lesson this time. In fact, it seemed he hadn't even thought to lock the door this time.
I took it upon myself to shut the door for him before turning back to my own apartment door. Grasping the key with one talon, I turned it ever so gently, though the lock still refused to give in.
With a bit more force, the torsion applied to the key felt as though it should've snapped it by now. Markol sure didn't waste any expense for the security for this place, doubtlessly as a result of his history in electronic security, but I wished now that he had provided a way in that didn't rely on privately sourced locks.
Considering my options as I stood trapped outside, I realized that I had never gotten around to paying for a new lock for Tadi. I'd considered contacting her to inform her that Tac had made it out of town safely, but that'd involve also telling her that her son was now in the care of humans, as if that was a better outcome to her.
Stepping out front, I realized that there was one more option I hadn't considered: my window. I usually forgot to lock it after I was through letting air circulate and I was silently grateful to myself for this absentmindedness now more than ever. Sticking a foot on the threshold, I lifted myself in a way that'd allow me to have leverage to force the window open.
The window made me fight for every inch, but I felt a strange satisfaction as it slowly opened up into an entrance that I could squeeze my way through. I let out a sigh as my talons clicked against the cool floor and slid the window shut.
I laid my satchel on the couch and turned back to the door, ready to unleash my fury on the disobedient object. But as I reached for the lock to manually open the door, I noted that the lights on the RFID interface both flashed at once, blinking erratically. Red and green flickered without rhyme or reason, indicating that it was both active and inactive.
As pretty as the colors were, I now knew that Markol's locks were not as reliable as he had touted them about: typically, such would not occur unless the device was damaged deliberately, and yet nothing indicated that I'd had uninvited guests. One could pray that those cats didn't secretly know how to cobble together an ECM jammer, but my personal wager was on faulty equipment.
Settling in, I browsed my favorite soaps on the television. For what was intended to be a day of relaxation and show of affection for a friend, I found myself rather wound up over all the things that added up. Couples threw around flowery words and swooned over one another on screen as I felt the tension diffuse. My holopad rang and I turned it over to spot that Nampi was informing me that she'd arrived home safely.
>>> Feels empty here, all alone.
She made sure to drive the point home with a sticker of a venlil making a pouty expression.
Next time, I thought to myself, I'll get it right for you, Nampi.
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WIBTA If I tell my cousins Bf that he cheated (Please help, I need advice!)
Hey Reddit or tiktok I honestly don’t care if this spreads I need advice and validation.
No keep things anonymous I will be using fake names,
Noah my cousin has been dating Anthony for the past year, and Anthony is in the Air force and is stationed in Germany and is planning to come back and marry my cousin next year. But here’s the thing I’ve been sick of Noah’s dumb ass, stupid ass, fuckery that I’ve witnessed because he says that Anthony and him have worked it out but now it’s gotten to far!
My other cousin Violet had a graduation party and it was fun, until Noah invited this guy called Ethan. Now Noah and Ethan were upstairs the house alone for a while during the party for 30 mins. I checked up on them and they were alone a lot. My cousin’s Noah excuse was “ I invited Ethan because he knows how to do drag and I am surprising Violet with a drag show.”
And to be quite fucking honest, the makeup wasn’t even that god damn good, and it took them 2 HOURS! TWO FUCKING HOURS! Other girls were going up and down the levels to help with the makeup after the 1st hour. But whenever I even went upstairs to check. Ethan would hold onto Noah’s waist and would blow on his neck for makeup to dry. This dude was so close to my cousins neck like it was Edward was to Bella! Like WTF
My cousin Violet, girl of the party was concerned why Noah was alone with Ethan for so long and pulled me aside to get something off her chest, we get to the bathroom and she confessed that earlier when setting up the party, Noah and Ethan were in the house. Noah confessed to Violet that he and Ethan were on the bed and things happened and they made out!
I was fucking livid, thankfully my boyfriend was there to calm me down, I didn’t want to ruin Violets day of her collage Graduation in front of her friends. So I didn’t say much. But the drag show went on and it was fun, but still, seriously, 2 hours for makeup that looked like it would take 30mins!
And mind you other guest were actually suspecting how they were close. Also since people were drinking people were staying over the house. So NOAH AND ETHAN SLEEP IN THE BASEMENT ALONE!!!!
Yes alone! Also Noah met Ethan on Grinder so that makes things worse. I face time the girl cousins confessing how I’m sick of Noah’s shit and I don’t care if it ruins my relationship with him and if I do something it’s not against h them, and they agreed. But I told them how Noah during the first few months of dating Anthony, Noah would go to his ex’s work and ask in person if they could play overwatch, while in the side lines his actual bf would ask to play games! Noah gas also go to his ex’s job to just “hang out” and eat while his own bf was overseas in the Air Force. This guy, his ex then bought my cousin a 400, yes 400 tv just because . Months later his ex has the confidence to ask my cousin to leave his bf for him…. I told time he should block him and never should’ve done this in the first place, because what his ex did was disrespectful and honestly noah was cheating to, but noah said that he still wanted to be friends and a clear boundary to not hate on who he decides to be friends with even if they are exes…
But here’s what happens if I become the asshole. Violet doesn’t want to be involved but she’s the only person that Noah told that he made out with Ethan. She doesn’t want me to use her name, but obviously it would all lead back to Violet. My Boyfriend said if I say something I technically throw violet under the bus and ruin all of these relationships and friendships.
But Anthony needs to know what my cousin has done. He has done more. And I wish I could type more but I will in comments.
So WIBTA if I tell my cousins bf that my cousin cheated on him
TLDR: my stupid ass cousin admitted to my other cousin that he made out with a guy he invited to a party and I want to tell his bf he cheated. There’s more my cousin has done and I’m fine ruining this relationship. I actually want them to breakup .
Edit to add: noah used 2000, yes two thousand! Not two hundred but 2000 dollars of Anthony’s credit card money on the party and personal uses… soooooo yea.

I've dumbed down my phone, (grayscaled, deleted all my social media, and installed AppBlock and BlockSite). No problems, I'm loving having no distractions in my day to day life. Yes once in a while I wish I could click into the Exact song I want while I'm out and about, but I'm not giving Spotify my money haha.
The problem is my PC. On my PC I've downloaded StayFocusd, the issue is, Google Chrome has this ridiculous feature where you can simply click into GuestMode and completely bypass everything. Hello three hours of Youtube shorts. Is there any way I can disable Guestmode?
I've clicked thru this Reddit Thread, that suggested this method, but it seems that is outdated because I just got error messages when I tried. I also don't have a Chromebook, which seems to be the only thing I can find official by Chrome on how to disable it ...

hiii!!! I’m 17F/genderfluid (fem leaning), and looking for new friends!! my online nickname is Bug but if we get to be friendly enough i might share my first name with you =) i’m looking for friends 15 and older! I’m hoping to transfer to discord at some point, so it’d be much better if you’re cool with that:))
I would adore friends to vc, play games with, and just talk about random shit or whatever else friends do. i’m totally cool with you having a life n stuff but if you decide to dm me and we’re talking consistently please don't leave me on read for 48+ hours w/o an explanation! A bit of abandonment issues resurface after a while >< i often need reassurance and good communication so if that’s not you, i dont think we’d be a good fit. It’s nothing against you–i’m just pretty sensitive & dont wanna waste your time or mine!Actual stuff about me now! I use they/them pronouns mainly but im not super picky about the pronouns you wanna use unless i specifically tell you otherwise :3 i’m an age regressor (its sfw dont be a weirdo) so bonus points if i can regress around you. I ride horses, have a few pets, all that stuff. I adore talking about cats btw and i use cat gifs OFTEN so 🤷be prepared for that i guess 🤭ummm i do online school so im around a lot & school ends in like 5 days anyways so 🤷im around a good amount. For gaming, i use xbox (be nice! I dunno why ya’ll hate on it so much) and my pc! I mainly play my cute lil animal type games, minecraft, fallout, rdr, etc. not a huge uh.. Gun boom whatever you call it gamer >< if you do play with me with some of my soft games i will maybe play a few of your scary gun games (but you better be real nice when i get killed every other minute….) umm i guess that’s most of it? Im also super into music, lots of genres, so that’s something!!
I think that’s it :3 whether it be talking about random shit, fighting over something silly, or deep talks/venting, i’m here!! Send a dm with you name, pronouns, and age and i’ll respond asap!! Oh oh and i’m EST time!! :D also hoping we can exchange face pics at some point so i can verify you’re a real person, but no real rush :P

hiii!!! I’m 17F/genderfluid (fem leaning), and looking for new friends!! my online nickname is Bug but if we get to be friendly enough i might share my first name with you =) i’m looking for friends 15 and older! I’m hoping to transfer to discord at some point, so it’d be much better if you’re cool with that:))
I would adore friends to vc, play games with, and just talk about random shit or whatever else friends do. i’m totally cool with you having a life n stuff but if you decide to dm me and we’re talking consistently please don't leave me on read for 48+ hours w/o an explanation! A bit of abandonment issues resurface after a while >< i often need reassurance and good communication so if that’s not you, i dont think we’d be a good fit. It’s nothing against you–i’m just pretty sensitive & dont wanna waste your time or mine!Actual stuff about me now! I use they/them pronouns mainly but im not super picky about the pronouns you wanna use unless i specifically tell you otherwise :3 i’m an age regressor (its sfw dont be a weirdo) so bonus points if i can regress around you. I ride horses, have a few pets, all that stuff. I adore talking about cats btw and i use cat gifs OFTEN so 🤷be prepared for that i guess 🤭ummm i do online school so im around a lot & school ends in like 5 days anyways so 🤷im around a good amount. For gaming, i use xbox (be nice! I dunno why ya’ll hate on it so much) and my pc! I mainly play my cute lil animal type games, minecraft, fallout, rdr, etc. not a huge uh.. Gun boom whatever you call it gamer >< if you do play with me with some of my soft games i will maybe play a few of your scary gun games (but you better be real nice when i get killed every other minute….) umm i guess that’s most of it? Im also super into music, lots of genres, so that’s something!!
I think that’s it :3 whether it be talking about random shit, fighting over something silly, or deep talks/venting, i’m here!! Send a dm with you name, pronouns, and age and i’ll respond asap!! Oh oh and i’m EST time!! :D also hoping we can exchange face pics at some point so i can verify you’re a real person, but no real rush :P

hiii!!! I’m 17F/genderfluid (fem leaning), and looking for new friends!! my online nickname is Bug but if we get to be friendly enough i might share my first name with you =) i’m looking for friends 15 and older! I’m hoping to transfer to discord at some point, so it’d be much better if you’re cool with that:))
I would adore friends to vc, play games with, and just talk about random shit or whatever else friends do. i’m totally cool with you having a life n stuff but if you decide to dm me and we’re talking consistently please don't leave me on read for 48+ hours w/o an explanation! A bit of abandonment issues resurface after a while >< i often need reassurance and good communication so if that’s not you, i dont think we’d be a good fit. It’s nothing against you–i’m just pretty sensitive & dont wanna waste your time or mine!Actual stuff about me now! I use they/them pronouns mainly but im not super picky about the pronouns you wanna use unless i specifically tell you otherwise :3 i’m an age regressor (its sfw dont be a weirdo) so bonus points if i can regress around you. I ride horses, have a few pets, all that stuff. I adore talking about cats btw and i use cat gifs OFTEN so 🤷be prepared for that i guess 🤭ummm i do online school so im around a lot & school ends in like 5 days anyways so 🤷im around a good amount. For gaming, i use xbox (be nice! I dunno why ya’ll hate on it so much) and my pc! I mainly play my cute lil animal type games, minecraft, fallout, rdr, etc. not a huge uh.. Gun boom whatever you call it gamer >< if you do play with me with some of my soft games i will maybe play a few of your scary gun games (but you better be real nice when i get killed every other minute….) umm i guess that’s most of it? Im also super into music, lots of genres, so that’s something!!
I think that’s it :3 whether it be talking about random shit, fighting over something silly, or deep talks/venting, i’m here!! Send a dm with you name, pronouns, and age and i’ll respond asap!! Oh oh and i’m EST time!! :D also hoping we can exchange face pics at some point so i can verify you’re a real person, but no real rush :P

This is mostly a very opinionated post, but not for a lack of experimenting. I've played with some of these stratagems enough to know what needs fixing, and what I feel would be the best course of action. You're free to disagree, but that's not my problem. I like sharing ideas, and this is gonna be a long post.
The Spear - Despite popular opinion (I think), I believe the Spear needs some improvements in regards to its damage as much as it needs improvements to its lock-on. Improvements: Increase the Spear's damage to 1-shot Chargers, Tanks (Obliterators and Shredders), Hulks and Automaton Buildings regardless of where it hits. Reduce the Spear's lock-on reticle so it can be more accurate to what you're trying to lock onto, and reduce the effects of foliage and fog. Reasoning: The Spear is an amazing anti-super heavy unit weapon, but it lacks that similar treatment against regular Heavies. While it can 1-shot a Charger, Tank or Hulk, you need to somehow aim the rocket in a way that it hits them in their weak spots, otherwise it merely scratches them, or leaves them hanging on a limp. For a weapon that is this slow to use and inspired by real anti-tank technology, it's disappointing that an anti-tank weapon can't actually just destroy tanks.
Orbital Gatling Barrage - Arguably the most unused stratagem next to the Smoke Strikes. I'm almost certain everybody uses it just once and goes "Eh, I prefer this other thing." Improvements: Increase the rate of fire of the gatling barrage as well as the total amount of rounds fired, increase the affected area (not the explosion radius, just the spread of the bullets) and increase damage on direct impact. Reasoning: While currently mediocre, I believe the idea behind the Orbital Gatling Barrage is to be a medium entity handler. It's a suppression tool that's made to clear out light-medium units while damaging heavier units, if not kill them if you get a few lucky hits in. That being said, as it is, the Gatling Barrage doesn't fire fast enough to have the desired effect, and the damage is too low to deal significant damage required to actually clear medium sized targets clearly, like Warriors, Hive Guards and Hive Commanders.
Orbital Railcannon Strike - Despite its popular usage, I still believe this stratagem could be made better and more fitting of a playstyle that is more skirmishy and hit-and-run. Improvements: Reduce the cooldown to 120s (108s with Ship Module upgrade) Reasoning: While it's an amazing anti-heavy stratagem, that's almost exclusively what it is. It's a single, high-powered shot that will usually 1-shot almost everything it shoots. However, the cooldown is far too high to be useful when compared alternatives that can do the same effect just as fast, more consistently and/or with less hassle over a cooldown. Reducing the cooldown makes the Stratagem fit more in builds that are more reactive than proactive, as I believe it was intended to be.
Orbital Smoke Strike & Eagle Smoke Strike - If I had to guess, both of these are probably the most unused stratagems in the game. This is by virtue of the fact that they really don't work as people would expect them to. Improvements: Increase the power of the smoke strikes by confusing enemies when it lands. If the smoke strike blocks enemy LOS on Helldivers (players), then it should stop them from acting against players until LOS is reestablished. This includes shooting for Automatons, and chasing for Terminids. Reasoning: I don't think you need to be a mega-genius to understand that Smoke Screens are mostly use to cover approaches and retreats. They're extremely defensive by design and help to confuse enemies more than anything. By that virtue, I believe that the intended usage of this stratagem is to be both proactive and reactive, to help players get into range on an objective, or escape a tricky situation.
Eagle 110MM Rocket Pods - Another stratagem that is deceptively strong, but in practice is actually almost useless. Improvements: Increase the accuracy of the Rocket Pods so that they're practically guided onto the target, rather than being a high-powered and highly focused strafing run. Add an aiming reticle similar to the Railcannon so players can expect where the rockets are aiming for. Reasoning: While the damage is currently quite insane (it can 1-shot a Bile Titan), the reliability of this stratagem is extremely poor. It almost always misses, is incredibly hard to actually land on a desired target and there's no actual indication of where your rockets are going. Improving responsiveness by making the rockets more accurate and giving players an idea of where the rockets are going would make this stratagem more popular, if a little bit overpowered unless they nerf the damage so it can't just 1-shot Bile Titans.
Shield Generator Relay - Next to the Smoke Strikes, I believe this is one of the least used stratagems in the game, and for good reason. Improvements: Increase the duration from 30s to 60s if we're feeling ballsy) and give it the ability to block enemies from entering the shield. Reasoning: The Shield Generator Relay feels to me like a reactive "oh shit" stratagem, used particularly in defensive missions or in situations where you really need a spot to reload, heal and return fire without being at risk of getting killed in the process. Increasing the duration of the shield and giving it the ability to block enemies would go a long way in improving its usability and situational utility.
Anti-Personnel Minefield & Incendiary Mines - While I don't think either of these stratagems are extremely bad, I think their usage is just generally confused in the eyes of many who tried to use them, besides the fact that they're amazing at killing teammates more than they are at killing enemies. Improvements: Increase the APM's direct damage to enemies that step on mines, while keeping the explosion damage similar, if reduced. Increase the Incendiary Mines' explosion radius to cover more enemies in flame, and increase the flame DOT slightly if necessary. Reasoning: Now I'm not sure what the developers' intention was with these two, but here's my idea: the Anti-Personnel Minefield should be an amazing anti-medium stratagem. Giving it increased direct damage on explosions can make it an amazing stratagem against swarms of Warriors, Hive Guards and Hive Commanders, while less desirable against lighter units. On the flip side, Incendiary Mines should have a greater blast radius to increase its effectiveness against lighter units, given that they are the weakest to being burnt to death.
"Guard Dog" - Yes, the Liberator one. The reason I think people use Rover over the 'normal' variant is because Rover is just more efficient: it doesn't reload as often, it can kill enemies just as well as the 'normal' Guard Dog can, and it's less at risk of accidentally killing you instantly. Improvements: Increase the "Guard Dog" weapon's armor-piercing capacity and increase its damage, giving it the ability to kill Hive Guards and Hive Commanders more quickly. Remove its ability to lock on to light enemies other than Hunters. Reasoning: Very similar to my argument about the Anti-Personnel Minefield and Incendiary Mines, I believe that both "Guard Dogs" should fill niche roles. The Rover should fill the anti-light niche, where it deals with scavengers, spitters and hunters most effectively, but struggles against Warriors and Hive Guards. Meanwhile, the 'normal' variant has increased firepower against medium enemies, but lacks the lock-on required to shoot lighter enemies, so you can focus on taking are of those.
Rocket Sentry - Unfortunately, this little guy suffers too much in underrelevance compared to the bigger, badder sentries. Compared to the Gatling Sentry and the Autocannon Sentry, it just lacks the fire rate, turn speed and general firepower of both to be worthwhile. Improvements: Rework the Rocket Sentry to have lock-on rockets. Reasoning: I don't believe the Rocket Sentry can compare to the Autocannon Sentry and Gatling Sentry. It has a better turning rate than the Autocannon Sentry, but lacks its insane firepower. It also doesn't have a fire rate fast enough to rival the Gatling Sentry, so there's nothing special there; it's just a worse version of the two. My idea is to give it a role that is direly needed in Helldivers 2 right now: Anti-Air. Giving the rockets the ability to track their target will give it the ability to deal with those pesky gunships and shriekers better than any other turret currently can. It also increases its accuracy and will potentially make it more useful in general situations where sentries tend to be less than desirable in accuracy.
I'm avoiding to mention the Ballistic Shield Backpack because... really, this thing doesn't belong in the game.
Let me know what you agree with, disagree with, really like or really dislike about my ideas. I'd love to have a proper discussion with some of you.
Also, yes, I'm completely aware that all of this is hypothetical and very unlikely to make it into the game. Like I said at the beginning, I just like sharing things.

exactly what it says in the title; my pc has never been particularly fast, but it was at least passable, until a transformer decided to explode for no reason while i was writing something. this happened a bit ago, im only now posting here due to the fact that i am currently trying to install a game that shouldnt be that labor intensive and probably would have taken maybe thirty minutes before, and yet has been installing for about an hour, and still isnt done the only thing ive done to try and fix this is mess with the little antennas on the back (dont know what theyre called, only that theyre used for wifi), bcus im way too afraid to actually open up my pc and mess with it info that might be useful: - it is an ibuypower pc - its at least a few years old, probably more than five, as it was a handmedown from my uncle - it has 105 gb of used storage, and 117 gb free - the windows specifications say "Windows 10 Home" and version "22H2" - the processor is "Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9700K CPU @ 3.60 GHz" (it says the ghz part twice at the end, i only typed it once) - its 64 bit i dont know where to find any other system info, despite my best efforts (those efforts being googling how to find this stuff, trying what two different sites said, and then getting so much information that i couldnt tell whats relevant and what isnt) once i finish installing this game, i am going to fully shut off my pc for a few minutes, as that has fixed problems in the past (such as it randomly losing power, or it not being able to find any wifi network), so i will update you all on if that works thanks in advance :3

My bf Max (18 M) and I have been dating for 10 months through all of our senior year of high school, and it has been insanity.
My parents were never supportive of me dating anyone before graduating high school but caved when I started dating Max. Things were okay for a little bit but then it became clear that they didn’t like them. I couldn’t understand why as I felt so happy to have someone like me and carry about me. Soon my friends started to not like him and when I defended him they decided to end the friendships with me.
A few months into our relationship we started to have s*x. We did it unprotected because we were afraid someone would find out and we were stupid. Twice we thought I might have become pregnant because of how foolish we were. And that the first time I decided to break up with him.
I didn’t like that I had become a bad example to my younger siblings and broken rules for myself that I had been sure about. My parents took me to see a religious leader when they found out and the guilt that I felt was crippling. I broke up with Max but found myself crawling back within a week. He became very dependent upon my texts, calls, and squeezed ever ounce of energy I could put into him out of me. It was exhausting.
This cycle of being together, realizing I was being stupid, breaking up with him, and crawling back after a short time. Every time we broke up he would threaten to kill himself and remind me of all the money he had spent on me, buying expensive gifts that I was uncomfortable accepting. I would feel so terrible for abandoning him and lonely without “my person” that I came back.
In February I finally broke things off for real. I blocked him on all platforms, told his parents, and tried my best to keep away. He continues to follow me around at school and events. He acts like nothing has changed and tries to kiss me, hug me, and act like we’re together. It makes me uncomfortable and hard for me to move on. He’s also planning to attend the same college and even live in the same apartment building as me. I’m scared I may never escape this relationship and don’t know what to do.

Hi guys, i'm a brazilian 17 year old guy that was happy, sympathetic and caring towards others, I am catholic and I participate in Sunday school every Saturday, but since the start of the pandemic in march 2020 onwards, i suddenly became brainwashed and paranoic with Christian conspiracy theories, mainly Qanon, and end times prophecies but in 2022 it only got worse, it all started at school when my sociology teacher who coincidentally was an evangelical pastor started talking a little about the end of times/Ragnarok and my friend said that between 2023, 2024 the apocalypse will begin, or it doesn't happen anything in these years, very probably in 2025 and 2027, and i searched on youtube and i saw various evangelical channels claiming that we are at the end of times and 2030 the world will end bc in that year Jesus will come back to only save evangelical christians and will only save those who are on the Life Book and will throw everyone who's those name wasn't on Life Book burn alive on the lake of fire of the hell alongside the antichrist, false prophet and everyone who followed him and God will destroy the universe and we will be living in the New Jerusalem, and they say repent of sins because the devil exists and they insist on saying that sin and the devil exist even though this has not even been scientifically proven, such as not wearing short clothes like shorts, jeans, not getting tattoos or piercings, not eating meat of pork, prohibiting homosexuality, free will, dating during adolescence and many others, they say that we are experiencing the greatest apostasy in history, which means that people are moving away from faith and and God and ignoring the warnings about the doomsday bc the world is becoming more ''sinful'' and the love between the people has been cooled and we are living like in the antediluvian days when Noah warned about the cataclysm but people ignored, mocked and called him demented and paranoid and instead they were eating, drinking and partying until the flood came and destroyed the world. world and killed everyone, and they keep repeating this saying that this is real even though it has been proven that it never happened and that it is impossible for a storm this strong to cover the top of Mount Everest, they think they are right and scientists are wrong, because science is an ''abominable sin'' against God, They say that God is merciful but he is also wrathful and cruel against those who do not follow his commandments. and they also talk about Jesus' appearance as if it were true at that time even though it has not yet been proven. i've watched some videos of these pastors and missionaries of my country and never got their prophecies and predictions wrong, all of things that have said become true
They say that geopolitical tensions are increasing which will cause ww3, it is no wonder that countless billionaires around the world like Mark Zuckerberg are building bunkers and selling several of their assets, i saw a letter written in 1873 that a American Freemason named Albert Pike who in his letter predicted the first two world wars, and is now supposedly ''predicted correctly'' the third world war, which would begin with a conflict between Zionist Israelis and Arabs, and also they claim that this war between Israel and Iran -Hamas is also the prophecy of Gog and Magog being fulfilled, They also say that the world will enter an unprecedented global economic crisis worse than the great depression, which would increase prices absurdly and this would culminate in the greatest famine the world has ever had, surpassing the great famine of the Middle Age,
They also say that elites such as the World Economic Forum, the UN and the Bilderberg Group will launch a gigantic EMP weapon that will shut down all energy and appliances in the world, and that they will then enact global martial law that will taking citizens off the streets and homes via buses and putting them in concentration camps and killing mainly white and conservative Christian groups and burying them in FEMA coffins which will start the famous New World Order and mass depopulation through the great reset and agenda 2030 and will put an end to all cash and create an electronic currency where payment is made with the global fingerprint, which they also say will replace passports with this global biometric password, they also say that They will do away with clothes and food and will replace them with processed foods made from insects, GMOs and laboratory-grown meats and everyone will be forced to wear the same clothes and have their names changed they also say that they will install government cameras inside the houses to know if any intruder is entering the empty houses
and all of this will begin the antichrist's rise to power, he will be a powerful leader who will unite all sovereign governments into one government and people will worship him and will implant the mark of the beast, where no one will buy and sell without it and will kill everyone who does not accept the mark, which means that everyone in the cities will die, only those who go to the fields or mountains will survive, it is no wonder that they are asking to stock up on water, non-perishable food, batteries , flashlights, medicines especially ivermectin (so much so that I've seen reports of people curing themselves of COVID using this medicine and chloroquine) and radios to survive between 2025 and 2027, because according to them, there will be a pandemic 30 times more lethal than the previous one that will kill almost 400 million people in just two years and that will be the period where seal the seven-year peace agreement between Christianity, Judaism and Islam and will sacrifice a red heifer in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where it will be destroyed in sequence to begin the construction of the third temple where the throne of the antichrist will be during the final three and a half years
They also insists that global warming is a lie bc all of these disasters that are happening such as frequent strong earthquakes which happened in turkey, morocco, japan and taiwan recently, floods that left the southern of my country almost destroyed, tornadoes and hurricanes becoming stronger and killing more people and wildfires becoming more frequently is caused by these globalists, for example, the recent wildfires that happened in hawaii, canada and chile was caused by massive lasers coming from satellites and these floods and earthquakes caused by HAARP, and the fact-checking and social media such as reuters and afp is lying bc they are owned by rothschild and george soros for example
And i'm worried to have a cancer or a fatal heart attack when i become 20 years old that they discovered that in the last years have an increase on cases of cancer and fatal heart attack on young people, and they claim that is bc of the vaccines bc they contain aborted fetuses and microchips and graphene
And they also talk about the woke agenda, where defenders of this theory claim that globalists use films, video games and series to misrepresent characters from these entertainment industries to promote progressive agendas such as LGBT, black lives matter, abortion and feminism, for example, they made Ariel from The Little Mermaid black in live-action instead in white, as a way of indoctrinating masses and grooming children to be subjected to being perverse, it's no wonder that Disney is in one of the biggest crises in its history by excessively promoting identity issues in every film they release. And it's also no wonder that the number of abortions in the world increased over the last years
What I am most afraid of is the claim that globalists have knowledge of future events that makes the masses accept the event when a certain thing happens, this is called predictive programming, for example, in many disaster and science fiction films, there is a subliminal message in numbers called ''923'', supporters of this number mean that something very bad will happen on September 23rd, but obviously nothing happens, in White Noise for example, there was a train accident in the state of Ohio and in 2023 a train derailment with toxic products occurred in the same state as the film, Black Mirror ''predicted'' several technological innovations, The Simpsons for example predicted the September 11 attacks and Trump's victory in the elections, The Matrix also predicted predicted several technological innovations, such as the redpill movement and the production of babies in uterine machines. As for the Leave the World Behind', they say that the film predicted the accident of the ship that collided with the bridge in baltimore, Lastly, the film The Knowing is incredibly identical to the plot of the biblical apocalypse, but these claims are already debunked by fact checks
And i became scared of these prophecies that have been ''fulfilled'' such as Ezekiel which mentions that Dead Sea became filled with fishes and signs in the sky and stars disappearing
i will mention some of them:
They discovered recently that the moon have some rust pigments and the sun are frequently producing giant black spots which in apocalypse 6:12-17 means that the sun became black and the moon becoming blood
The days are passing faster, which on matthew 24:22 mentions that unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
The Euphrates River is drying up which in apocalypse mentions that the sixth angel poured his bowl over the Euphrates River and its waters dried up and released four demons who destroyed half of the population
Some Rivers and seas are becoming red, which refers to Apocalypse 16:4 that the third angel poured his bowl on rivers and seas and became red as dead blood
And I started to think that some mathematical calculations they do are simply not coincidences, they took the year the Black Death ended in 1353 with the year the WHO declared a global COVID emergency in 2019, subtracting those years would give the result in 666 (2019-1353=666 to be simpler) which alludes to the number of the beast and nd other math that they also thinks its a proof that we are at the end of times uf we use the word ''CORONA'' as a code where the alphabet is corresponding to its letter in ascending order (for example a = 1, b = 2), it would give the numbers 3, 15, 18, 15, 14, 1 will also give the number of the beast is correct if we multiply these numbers.
I'm trying to follow channels that disagree that we are in the end times and treat people with love, like the method of preterism where it states that the apocalypse happened in the year 70, but they say that this is heresy because in Matthew 24:24 it says that in the last days false prophets will emerge deceiving many people and in 2 Peter 3:3 where it says that at the end of time many will mock and disagree with the imminent Return of Jesus
i'm asked my parents and my friends to repent of your sins and believe in the Word of God, But I bothered them so much that now they don't even want to hear it,
however after all that, I started to think that these evangelical channels only preach fear in people, thinking that Jesus is going to return physically and that I have been superior all the time for no reason at all. I researched these things so much that now it appears when I search for an account on Instagram or YouTube, I would like to thank anyone who could give me some tips on how to get out of this and get rid of these pests, how i do?