I'm (16M) the sole caretaker of my sister N (14F) since the rest of our family was tragically killed a couple years ago.
I was away in town when it happened, but N was there and it definitely changed her. She used to be a quiet, well behaved little girl, but ever since she's been a veritable demon. She has to wear a bamboo muzzle all the time because she has a tendency to bite people.
The country I live in (not the US) is very dangerous. Several people have tried to cut off N's head because they think she's a demon (the laws are different here). We do have a problem with actual demons in my country, so it's understandable, but she's my sister and I feel responsible for her, so I always defend her.
It's very stressful to take care of my sister all the time. She refuses to come out during the day, and she spends all day in a wooden box that I have to carry on my back whenever we go anywhere.
I also have to defend my sister from the people who try to kill her, as well as from the actual demons that seem to be everywhere lately. I even spent a bunch of time training with a sword and learning breathing techniques so I could fend off the demons.
Thing is, sometimes my sister likes to pick fights with the actual demons, and then it becomes my job to cut off their heads and save her. And we're talking some of the twelve most powerful demons around. I often need help from more experienced demon slayers to protect her, and one of them even died trying to defend us all. I could only watch helplessly. If I had joined the fight, I'd only have gotten in the way. I felt guilty, even though sometimes there's literally nothing I can do.
So AITA for not always being able to defend my sister?

I know for a fact 100% I want to do acting and boxing I don’t know which one but I know I am more towards acting. so I may just do boxing as a hobby after I get my GED I want to go to the military that’s another major thing I want to do in my life. make myself a better man and get myself to together for 4 years money I know I won’t be rich. but it’s way better than working bs jobs every now and then fitness investing so I can get financially stable figure out what I want to do with my life.

TLDR: AI is replacing my special interest as an artist and I believe AI programs are going to plunge us further into a dystopia. I am feeling defeated.
I want to preface this all by making it clear that I will NEVER end my own life. Yes, I may feel like doing it, but I ultimately never will as there are far to many people in my life who would be destroyed if I did.
I’ve divided this up into sections in order to make it easier to read.
Introduction
Who am I? I’m a 20 year old lady with mild autism. I am an artist and have known since I was little. I have been working to improve my skills for so many years and am currently in university studying animation. Art and animation are the only things I am really good at. My autism makes life mostly unenjoyable. My art has been the one thing keeping me going all these years.
The Problem
You have all definitely heard of AI art generators by now. I was shocked when Dall-E 2 was unveiled in April last year. We all thought AI could never be creative or make art. Yet all these creative AI’s pretty much came out of nowhere in quick succession last year. Mid journey, chatgpt, stable diffusion, text to video programs, you name it. It just happened all at once.
My concerns should be obvious. These AI systems can make art and even write stories. They can do it at lightning speed and at the cost of electricity. This puts anyone who writes or draws for a living in a terrible position. Companies and individuals will surely go for the quicker, cheaper option. Even if it is slightly worse in quality.
My autism would make getting any other job an actual nightmare so I have been incredibly disheartened by these developments. Not to mention that many creatives are like me and are on the spectrum too. They are often socially awkward and find regular life difficult. Many of them will have their entire future’s ruined by these systems.
I still find it hard to believe that art of all things is getting automated. Art, writing and more. All the creative tasks are getting taken from us. Sure, they can still be hobbies. But that just leaves us with more soul crushing work. And not to mention that future generations will have it even worse. Why would anyone want to bring kids into such a depressing world where all the things we enjoy are monopolized and automated? I was debating whether I wanted to be a mother. I knew my autism would make it very difficult, but these latest developments have pushed me right into antinatalism.
A Dystopian Future
Not to mention the other, possibly worse side effects of this new technology. AI voices, videos and images are getting better every week. Imagine how easy it will be to generate a fake video of someone doing or saying something horrible that they didn’t do. And the technology will likely be so good in just a few years that we will have no way of knowing if it’s fake or not. Sounds like the worst kind of dystopia. Some people may doubt that the tech will ever get that good. Well we never thought that AI would be able to creat art, yet here we are. Just look at how much AI images have improved since April of last year. Or heck, 3 months ago!
But back to job/purpose loss. This worries me just as much as the paragraph above. Art is the only thing I have really ever excelled at. And I am now realizing that I probably won’t be able to make it my career. Yes, I do animation so that probably has a while longer. But at the rate the tech is progressing I wouldn’t be surprised if AI takes over animation and VFX in under 10 years.
Where I’m At
I am not exaggerating when I say I am crushed. Truly this time though. I have been through many things that destroyed my spirit, it’s pretty much guaranteed for people on the spectrum. I was bullied my entire childhood, denied being able to be in a relationship due to my sensory issues, isolated from society and more. Yet the one thing that kept me hopeful was being able to show the world my art and make a living off it.
And now it’s gone.
Now anyone can have top tier skill. Anyone can generate anything in any style. Even if I make a new style, someone can just feed my drawings into a machine and infinitely clone them. My skill doesn’t matter anymore. The one thing I truly had going for me is basically worthless. And if not now, in a few years. I have no purpose anymore. I feel worthless. Even though I have more friends and family that love me then most people, I feel worthless now. Even if there is still room for human artists, we simply can’t keep up with the speed AI produces stuff. We will be drowned out by AI works.
I knew I would likely never make big bucks by pursuing art and animation. Unless you run a massive studio you don’t get mega rich. But I knew I could earn enough to comfortably live off my work. With things like YouTube and Patreon it seemed feasible as long as I worked to become good enough. I wanted to start doing commissions online. I wasn’t expecting to get rich, but I was so excited and happy to get started. Then this all happened. I already see many artists online talking about how they’ve lost their jobs or how nobody commissions them anymore.
People often ask the question "Where would you be and what would you be doing if money didn't exist?". Well, the life I had planned out WAS what I would be doing if money had no value.
To be honest, I don't like where the world in general is going. We're spied on every moment of our lives, people are being increasingly fake and we can't provide for our families. Then there's cancel culture, political correctness, wokeness, decaying attention spans and instant gratification. All of which didn't really exist just a few years ago.
Questions You May Have
I want to dedicate a section to answering some questions I can see people having for me as to clear up any confusion.
“You’re Being Dramatic”
I can see why someone might think that. But imagine if you’re entire purpose and passion suddenly became pretty much worthless and you had to face the rest of your life without it. Seriously, imagine it. You’d be devastated. Also, all the things I’ve mentioned here either already have happened or are likely to happen.
“AI will never be as good as human artists”
Maybe it will never be as good as the top 1% but it’s already better then most artists out there. And if it’s this good now then imagine where it’ll be in 5-10 years. Not to mention that even if it is slightly worse, most people will chose it over a human artist simply due to the speed and cost.
”You Must Adapt And Use The AI’s In Your Workflow”
I will. I will do anything to keep my dream alive. I’ve played around with various AI tools to enhance my workflow. But in doing so, the enjoyment is gone and my original visions destroyed. Not to mention that AI will dramatically devalue all creative works, so I may not be able to earn enough to keep doing art as a career.
“These Are Just New Tools”
Maybe now, but they’re already replacing tons of artists, voice actors and more. Also, the end game for these ‘tools’ is to completely remove the need for any skill or talent. An AI image generator makes all the decisions for you, while you type in a text prompt. These systems are replacements, not tools. If you were a brick layer you wouldn’t see a brick laying machine as a tool. You would see it as a replacement.
"You Only Care About Making Money"
Read the part where I went over this. Yes, I am afraid of not being able to make a career off art. But I'm also scared of not being able to get noticed and having my work devalued. If everyone's an amazing artist, nobody is. Also, my parents are wealthy enough to be able to comfortably support me and my two siblings for the rest of our lives. But I don't want this. I WANT to work hard and feel accomplished for doing so. And These AI systems take that away.
“We Can Fight The Companies Developing These AI’s”
Sure, but what will that achieve? The technology is out there and it won’t go away. Even if every government in the world banned these AI’s overnight then they would still be developed in secret. I know some people are suing AI art generators over copyright infringement for using their art to train the AI’s. I personally do not see the court systems ruling in favor of the artists. It will most likely be seen as fair use.
“There Will Always Be A Place For Human Made Art”
I do agree on this. One tiny positive is that physical art such as paintings and sculptures may have a resurgence due to digital art being devalued. But this will likely be a tiny niche.
“This Is Just Like NFT’s”
No it’s not. Everyone knew from the beginning how stupid NFT’s were. We knew they were a pyramid scheme destined to collapse. And they did. AI art and their similar tools are not something that’s going to go away. They are rapidly developing and getting better. They’re going to be more and more widely used in the future.
”You Only Care When Your Own Job Is Being Replaced”
Not true. I have felt very sorry for those who’s jobs have or are being automated. When I first heard of self driving cars I immediately felt dread for truck drivers and anyone in a similar position. I actually will go out of my way to not use the self service checkout in order to help keep the store employees employed.
”Do You Hate AI Bro’s?”
No. I don’t hate anyone who uses or is excited about this new tech. I can totally see their perspectives and we shouldn’t dogpile them. My issues lie with the developers of this technology and the people online saying “LOL GET REKT ARTISTS! YOU’RE WORTHLESS NOW!”. You’re allowed to love this tech, but actively routing for someone’s downfall is very horrible and childish. I wouldn’t think anything bad of any group of people who were about to have their professions made obsolete.
Conclusion
I am truly broken this time.
No really, that’s my conclusion. I don’t see this getting better. We are entering into an even bigger dystopia then before. I have never felt more hopeless then I do now. I’m only 20 and I’m tired. My spirit has officially been crushed. And yet I’m meant to stay in this game for another 70+ years.
I have been depressed before in life, but this has made me completely suicidal. Never before have I actually felt like ending my life. Yet this has pushed me over the edge. Though I will ultimately never do it.
All of us now just happened to be unlucky enough to be born into the most boring dystopia. I have no idea how to find happiness or purpose in any of this. But I will continue living because what else can I do?
If anyone has any questions or wants to discuss things then I will answer them.

Hi there! I’ll try to cut a long and complicated story down. I do Moving labor services (loading/unloading) and we were removing someones washer. There was a pipe behind the wall, unable to be seen (covered by drywall) that broke. After seeing pictures once the wall was removed, it was corroded with rust etc in between the threads and broke really easy. A perfect split between the thread where rust was. I went to twist the valve and it was already off then went to take off the water hose (without a tool) and it just split like butter. I feel like this would’ve happened to anyone and was an accident waiting to happen. It was an old unit that they’d lived in 30+ years. The water went down to the lower unit (who I wasn’t even being paid by) and their insurance has covered the repairs. Now they’ve sent me a subrogation claim for $18k and claim I’m responsible. Unfortunately, we’d gotten dropped by our insurance 5 days prior because they no longer service Moving labor since there is no truck involved, not full service etc. We finally found someone that would insure us but of course this happened during the gap.
Any tips on how I should proceed? I feel like I wasn’t negligent in any way considering I didn’t recklessly try to remove it and it broke very easy. Also, shouldn’t they be communicating with the upstairs owners insurance instead of someone who was doing work for a totally different party? Any tips appreciated and an attorney is supposed to reach out to me to give this a look.

Hey everyone,
Selling a few items to cleanup my closet.
1) Asus X570-i - $150 shipped, $130 Local
Works perfectly. Have just been trying to reduce the number of machines I have. This was in my personal SFF that I just took apart. I can't find the original packaging, but I will ship it in a different itx mobo box. The bios has been updated to support Ryzen 5000.
2) Asus X370-A Prime - $50 shipped, $30 local
Works perfectly fine. Was using it with my R3 1200 as a small HTPC.
3) Ryzen 3 1200 - Included for free with either mobo.
4) OLO 2x16GB 3200 C16 RAM - $50 shipped / $40 local (will also deduct $10 if bundled with a mobo) Interesting design and has RGB, but it gets the job done.
5) Xbox Wireless Headset - $50 shipped / $40 local
Got it with my Xbox but used it maybe 5x max. Just haven't needed it.
Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/joGaoxK
I am local to the SF / Bay Area. Please comment before pming.
Thanks!

My Wishlist
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Willing to trade multiple key for one game
​
My Games -
Automachef
Behind the Frame: The Finest Scenery
Bendy and the Dark Revival
Broken Age
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Builder Simulator
Crown Trick
Dead End Job
Deadly 30
Dear Esther: Landmark Edition
Dishonored
Doom 2
Draw Slasher
Drawful 2
Dungeons 3
El Matador
Eldest Souls
Emily is Away <3
Everhood
FARMER'S DYNASTY
FLING TO THE FINISH
Fallback: Uprising
Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark
Go Home Dinosaurs
Going Under
HIVESWAP FRIENDSIM
Hexologic
Hexus
Hob
Hotshot Racing
Hue
Ice Lakes
In Sound Mind
Inside My Radio
Instant Artist: Puzzle Mashup
King's Heir: Rise to the Throne
Legend of Keepers
Little Nightmares
Max Payne 3
Metro 2033 Redux
Mind Scanners
N++
Namariel Legends: Iron Lord Premium Edition
NecroWorm
Omno
Operation: Tango
Orbital Racer
Orwell: Ignorance is Strength
Peppy's Adventure
Pikuniku
Pixplode
Planet Surf: The Last Wave
RETROWAVE
ROGUE HEROES: RUINS OF TASOS
Ring of Pain
Roarr! Jurassic Edition
Roki
Rustler
SYBERIA 3
SYSTEM SHOCK
Smoke and Sacrifice
Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition
Supraland
Sweet Lily Dreams
TOHU
The Ascent
The Game of Life
This War of Mine: Complete Edition
Toejam & Earl: Back in the Groove
Torchlight
Treasure Hunter Simulator
Valfaris
Wandersong
Wargroove
West of Dead
When Ski Lifts Go Wrong
Windjammers 2
Yoku's Island Express

I'm seeing a job posting the Toronto website looking for Solid Waste Collections Operator and I'm wondering if anyone here does the same job and if so how are the hours like? I'm already in the waste industry so I know what the job entails. Will be commuting an hour to work if I end up going for this job so I want to know if its worth it.

I’ll keep this short… we didn’t go to university together but we bonded because we both had the same major and wanted the same type of job in a fairly specialized STEM field
She graduated 2 years before me. We both barely scraped by our masters degrees and we bonded over that too, we both have lots of anxiety.
I searched hard for a job, and I took a kind of crappy entry level position that isn’t even in my field, but it’s adjacent. After that I started getting more responses to applications, and 9 months after graduation I landed my first job in our field, it was also a bit crappy but I was willing to start from the bottom… 6 months after that I got a promotion and I am truly in my (beginner version) of dream job
My friend loved commiserating with me during my job search but she’s been more and more distant. She won’t take a job unless it checks all her boxes. She’s been unemployed for 3 years. She trauma dumps on everyone and blames everything else but herself. I am never critical and always try to support her, a while back I stopped giving her advice bc she doesn’t seem to like hearing it (I would tell her to just take any job, or send her postings, help with her resume).
How can I salvage this relationship? Honestly at this point I believe she has too much anxiety to succeed in most jobs, but I don’t know if she can get over comparing us, especially if she still doesn’t find anything.
TLDR: friend jealous of my career and i might lose the friendship

I was taking my girl (JRT, 3F, inherented from my late mother) on a walk.
Apparently someone down the road thought it be a good idea to let a dog they know is agressive and that they never take outside be outside unleashed while they chatted with friends.
I didn't even see their dog until it started snarling and charging mine. I scooped my girl up, the owner came, picked the dog up by the neck (I'm hoping there was a harness I just couldn't see under all the fluff, not that animal control will do anything if there wasn't given that the goal was clearly to get the dog under control), went home.
Their dogs are a high energy, intelligent breed- the kind of dog that need a job and need it to be demanding. They don't even get to go outside on walks, one of them is so bored he I can literally see him getting exited to see another dog and spinning when I walk past their house.
I'd bet they'd both be real good dogs if they had better owners. Poor dogs must be so bored and scared because they never get to experience anything and don't know how to process it.
It sucks that being that bad of a dog owner is legal.
I'm just hoping this hasn't ruined other dogs for my girl - we generally keep a respectful distance unless the other owner OKs it but I still need her to be OK with other dogs.

Hello again everyone! Hopefully I am doing this correctly, but I am reposting my post from last night with a 25% price reduction for what is remaining. Please let me know if I am doing anything incorrectly!
Now that my first sale has gone swimmingly (thank you u/Flimsy_Narwhal_4543), I am ready to put up a few more blades for your consideration...
~~First, I am putting up my Benchmade Mini Adamas (SV:180).[SOLD]

1. Edge Condition - Factory edge that is very sharp despite the (well-known) thickness of the blade.
2. Ownership - I am the first owner.
3. Centering - Perfect centering in my opinion.
4. Lockup - Very small amount of up/down-play as is typical with Benchmade axis locks, but it is solid unless you are really cranking on the tip (insert joke here).
5. Condition - Blade and body are in perfect condition as I only carried this knife a few times.
6. Included - Original box and pouch.
7. Modifications - None.
8. Disassembled - No.
9. Action - A little stiff, could be broken in more
10. Blade Steel - CruWear
11. Handle Material - Red/Black Micarta~~[SOLD]

~~Second, I am putting up my Bastinelli PiKa Picoeur Karambit (SV:80)[SOLD]

1. Edge Condition - Factory edge with the sharpest point I have every felt.
2. Ownership - I am the first owner.
3. Condition - Blade has some snail trails from coming in and out of the kydex sheath. I've never used this knife to cut anything and has only been used as a talking point.
4. Included - Kydex sheath. I no longer have the box, tek-lock, or card that it originally came with. I will ship the knife in a Kansept Hellx box with a microfiber cloth.
5. Modifications - None.
6. Blade Steel - N690~~[SOLD]

Third, I am putting up my Fixed Benchmade Adamas (SV:WAS-135, NOW-100)

1. Edge Condition - Factory edge. This came decently sharp but could use a touch-up from someone with experience.
2. Ownership - I am the first owner.
3. Condition - Blade coating has a couple small scratches which I tried to highlight in the pictures. Otherwise, the blade is in great condition and has only been used once to poke into a container for fun.
4. Included - Original box and kydex sheath. No longer has the tek-lock or original paracord unfortunately.
5. Modifications - None.
6. Blade Steel - D2

~~Fourth, I am putting up my Kershaw Lucha (SV:75)[SOLD]

1. Edge Condition - Factory edge that is very sharp (ask me how I know...).
2. Ownership - I am the first owner.
3. Centering - Perfect centering in my opinion, but hard to say considering this is a balisong.
4. Lockup - Solid lock up with the pin is engaged in both open and closed positions.
5. Condition - The pivot on one of the handles likes to loosen up after flipping for a while, so it could use a touch of love. One of the handles has a very small spot of rust/smudging up by the blade that rubs right off. Blade is in perfect condition and has never been dropped.
6. Included - No original packaging. Will ship in a kizer yorkie box.
7. Modifications - None.
8. Disassembled - No.
9. Action - Smooth as the dickens
10. Blade Steel - 14C28N
11. Handle Material - Stainless Steel~~[SOLD]

~~And lastly, despite how much I love this knife, I am putting up my Vosteed Nightshade Limited Edition (SV:WAS-140, NOW-105)[SOLD]

1. Edge Condition - Factory edge that has been touched up on a honing ceramic rod.
2. Ownership - I am the first owner.
3. Centering - Perfect centering in my opinion.
4. Lockup - Solid lockup.
5. Condition - Blade and body are in perfect condition.
6. Included - Original box, taco pouch, tin, and paperwork.
7. Modifications - None.
8. Disassembled - No.
9. Action - Smooth as you can imagine
10. Blade Steel - M390
11. Handle Material - Micarta~~[SOLD]

Although I am mainly looking for money at the moment, I am open to trades for

• A Spyderco PM2
• A Spyderco PITS
• A Griffen Scout 2.5
• A Spyderco Shaman (Preferably not the S30V version)
• A AD20.5 Shark Lock in 3V

Thanks for looking, and please reach out with any questions! Knives will ship on Monday if payments are received by tomorrow (6/3/23) night.
​
TS/Picture: https://imgur.com/a/bnyygVX

• How old are you? What's your gender? Give us a general description of yourself.
I am a 27 year old African-American Male. I have been told I have a friendly aura. I am generally a pretty quite chill guy but have had periods of my life where I have been outgoing and adventurous.
• Is there a medical diagnosis that may impact your mental stability somehow?
No
• Describe your upbringing. Did it have any kind of religious or structured influence? How did you respond to it?
My mother had me when she was very young so my grandmother raised me for the first years of my life. She was very religious. My fathers mother was also very religious. I spent many of my early years being terrified of going to hell. I tried very hard to be a good boy. I was very timid and polite and tried not to cause trouble. Later I moved in with my mom who is more loosely religious and my step dad who was an atheist (not sure now). After listening to there religous debates through the walls I had an existential crisis at the age of 8 or 9 and began questioning the validity of religion becoming agnostic from that point and as I grew older more of a follower of eastern philosophies. I didn't and don't totally hate religion but I did see how it formed some unhealthy perceptions within my family so I kind of avoid talking to much about it or being open with my views. In general though I have still been very polite but perhaps a bit less timid as I was no longer in fear of going to hell for doing anything wrong. I questioned more things I questioned everything often but never outwardly at home. But I was very outspoken amongst friends and classmates often to the point of putting my foot in my mouth and being judge for it later. So I learned to hold my tounge even more to the point where I needed some kind of outlet for my feelings and ideas. That was music.
• What do you do as a job or as a career (if you have one)? Do you like it? Why or why not?
I have a couple of jobs I load trucks at fedex as a main income source currently but I also give guitar lessons and teach music production to under privileged youths. Fedex is ok I don't hate it it's just pretty boring. I love teaching guitar and music production it is very rewarding to empower young people with a creative outlet. Ideally though I want to transition in to making my own music as a main source of income.
• If you had to spend an entire weekend by yourself, how would you feel? Would you feel lonely or refreshed?
I would feel very refreshed especially if I get create something new by the end of it. I would feel very refreshed, I feel like i am always around people andI am very comfortable being alone.
• What kinds of activities do you prefer? Do you like, and are you good at sports? Do you enjoy any other outdoor or indoor activities?
Most of my activities of choice would be indoors however I do love a good long walk outside and being in nature. But nothing for me beats playing guitar, singing, and performing with a band which i suppose can be in doors or outdoors. I'm not big on sports but I wasn't the absolute worst at them when playing in school. I love board games though especially ones that require you to think outside of the box or have some humor to them.
• How curious are you? Do you have more ideas then you can execute? What are your curiosities about? What are your ideas about - is it environmental or conceptual, and can you please elaborate?
I'm pretty curious. I can execute most but not all of my ideas. I'm curious about the nature of reality and conciousness and how the mind can be transformed in a way that transforms reality. I'm curious about why people think the way they think and do the things they do, and why I think the way I think and do the things I do. I'm curious about the things that exist beyond human perception, the things that cannot be measured. I'm curious about how someone can become like Jesus or a Buddha. I'm curious if humans and artificial intelligence will merge in a way that ascends us to basically become gods on earth. I think my curiosities may be more conceptual.
• Would you enjoy taking on a leadership position? Do you think you would be good at it? What would your leadership style be?
I have been in a few leadership positions. I think I did well. I'm put a lot of faith and trust in the people I lead and give them minimal instruction. I provide guidance when needed and work with them to solve their problems. I'm pretty hands off unless I clearly see they need help or if things are going very ineffeciently. I like to lead by example and work with everyone on as an equal.
• Are you coordinated? Why do you feel as if you are or are not? Do you enjoy working with your hands in some form? Describe your activity?
It depends on what I'm doing I was pretty uncoordinated as a kid too the point of not being able to open doors for much longer than I should have. But palying instruments has improved my coordination extremly. I am a very graceful performer but pretty awkard outside of that. Playing instruments is how I like to work with my hands especially singing while playing them I feel like the instrument is an extension of my body that makes everything else just click.
• Are you artistic? If yes, describe your art? If you are not particular artistic but can appreciate art please likewise describe what forums of art you enjoy. Please explain your answer.
Yes! Music (if you couldn't tell by now) is my art of choice. I like to write songs, perform music, improvise with friends, and produce. Producing and songwriting are my favorite parts because it combines all of the musical skills I have learned with my life experiences and it captures it freezes it in time. I also love how perception of time and space can be manipulated through sound it fascinates me.
• What's your opinion about the past, present, and future? How do you deal with them?
The past is funny because we think it doesn't change but it actually is ever changing because everything is always being recontextualized by current experiences. Difficult experiences can become beautiful lessons that changed your life for the better or those times you thought were great can be the point where somethings started to go wrong.
The present is where our power to affect reality lies. It is where we can start to change the things of the past that no longer serve us. It is where everything starts and is the only thing we can really be certain of if we can really tap in to it. It's were we lay the bricks of the future
The future is the unknown and mysterious. But when you feel like you can see it it's very difficult to find others who can see it with you. To manifest the unmanifested is the duty of man and mankind is at it's greatest when we can work towards a vision of the future in unison. No great things are done without some type of forsight. But there is only so much you can plan for and that's the beauty of the future.
• How do you act when others request your help to do something (anything)? If you would decide to help them, why would you do so?
I usually say sure and kindly help them unless I am being interrupted in my own work then I say sure and help them slightly less kindly. I help others because I know how it feels to need help. However I have had to learn when to discern between someone genuinely needing assistance and someone taking advantage of your kindness.
• Do you need logical consistency in your life?
I don't NEED it but I like for things to at least make some sense even if it only makes sense to me.
• How important is efficiency and productivity to you?
Depends on the day but I do feel pretty bummed when after wasting too many days in a row or not making time for working for future goals. I don't like to waste energy so doing things efficiently is just a way of conserving energy.
• Do you control others, even if indirectly? How and why do you do that?
I don't think I control others but I have maybe manipulated peoples perceptions of myself. Showing people only what I want them to see maybe my one way of being controlling. But I don't like making people do things I will ask them for help directly if I need it but it's not really in a controlling way.
• What are your hobbies? Why do you like them?
Besides musiclal things I really love watching all kinds of content especially movies and anime. I love watching things that make me feel a lot of different emotions. I also enjoy yoga and meditation idk if those count as hobbies but they really help me feel grounded and centered. I used to really enjoy playing video games but I haven't in a while, I liked it because it was a chamce to get good at something.
• What is your learning style? What kind of learning environments do you struggle with most? Why do you like/struggle with these learning styles? Do you prefer classes involving memorization, logic, creativity, or your physical senses?
I like to absorb a lot of information in kind of a passive way I don't really intentionally try to memorize things. I also absorb information better when I can immediately do something with that information. I struggle classes focusing on regurgitating information or writing things in a particular structure and heavy research. I prefer classes that engage my senses my logic and creativity and physical senses.
• How good are you at strategizing? Do you easily break up projects into manageable tasks? Or do you have a tendency to wing projects and improvise as you go?
I'm decent at strategizing when I need to be. I would have difficulty actually finishing anything without breaking it up in to smaller task so I think I have gotten pretty good at that out of neccessity. I think I come up with a big idea and general steps twoards making it happen pretty easy however I fill in the blanks as I go.
• What are your aspirations in life, professionally and personally?
Professionally I want to be a succesful music producer and performer. I want to create art that can improve peoples lives and empower them. I want to connect with audiences worldwide and make them see themselves in everyone else. Personally I just want to live freely and self sufficiently. I want to have the resources to do as I please when I please and be able to take care of myself and family with out struggle. I would also like to activley improve my communtiy and other communties through programs of providing food and shelter for those in need.
• What are your fears? What makes you uncomfortable? What do you hate? Why?
My fears are being stuck in life with no direction, losing the ability to express myself through my art, being betrayed by those close to me, life being meaningless. Being forced to make a decision quickly and being rushed makes me uncomfortable. I hate bullies because making people feel disempowered is one of the shittest things you can do.
• What do the "highs" in your life look like?
Having healthy relationahips that are mutually supportive. Being driven to accomplish goals. Being willing to connect with others authentically. Sharing the things I create with people and being appreciated for it.
• What do the "lows" in your life look like?
The lows in my life are feeling like no one really likes me and I am a failure. I can't accomplish anything and I don't trust people. I have done drugs to escape reality and responsibility. I become dishonest with myself and others until my lies all blowup in my face at once. I get taken advantage of then I shut everyone out.
• How attached are you to reality? Do you daydream often, or do you pay attention to what's around you? If you do daydream, are you aware of your surroundings while you do so?
I go back and forth between being very present and in the moment to being totally absorbed into my inner world. I daydream fairly often but I like to believe I can easily tap into my reality. I wouldn't say I'm particularly attached to reality but I can be very aware of it if i focus. When I daydream I would say I am aware enough to not crash a car on the highway but I may miss an exit if I let my mind go too far.
• Imagine you are alone in a blank, empty room. There is nothing for you to do and no one to talk to. What do you think about?
I would probably try to see how long I could go without thinking and attempt to reach true inner stillness. If there is nothing to do the there is nothing I need to figure out no puzzles to solve. I would just try to let go of all my thoughts and reach a state of nirvana.
• How long do you take to make an important decision? And do you change your mind once you've made it?
I can take quite a while to make a decision especially if it affects multiple people. My personal day to day decisions that affect only me require little thought. But big decisions that could have long term consequences if the wrong choice is made are more difficult and I can often let life choose for me by waiting to long to decide. However if I do make one of these decisions I stick to it forever.
• How long do you take to process your emotions? How important are emotions in your life?
It can take years or it can be instant really depends on the layers if emotions triggered by an event. I do find deeper emotional wounds take a particularly long time to unpack especially in periods of my life where I have been emotionally closed off or have concealed my true emotions for an extended period of time. Emotions are important in my life as I am a sensitive soul but I have learned to not let them make every decision because I can see how at times my emotions can be immature.
• Do you ever catch yourself agreeing with others just to appease them and keep the conversation going? How often? Why?
I only agree with others to appease them if I don't know enough about the subject to argue or if don't feel strongly about the subject one way or the other. However I often choose silence in these situations and don't outwardly agree or disagree and just pause for reflection. I do try to see were they are coming from but will present alternative ideas in a kind way if I sense they are open to it. I usually can see why they think what they're thinking so I don't feel bad humoring them if it's too much energy to argue or outwardly disagree.
• Do you break rules often? Do you think authority should be challenged, or that they know better? If you do break rules, why?
Not often but when they are hindering my progress or slowing me down. Authority figures do not always know better so I see no issue with them being questioned. However I often won't outwardly question authority and will typically follow rules unless I see no one else is follows it. If it doesn't hurt any body I dont see a problem in breaking a rule.

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SUBJECT-DESIGNATION: Admiral Marcus Miller
LOCATION: Earthen Orbit, Atlantic Citadel
DATE: EARTH-TIME [Wednesday, August 23, 2186]
---
I stood above Earth, gazing down upon her bright blue brilliance from the comfort of my personal quarters.
It was odd to think that just five hundred years ago, humanity had been scared of the darkness that lingered at the forest’s edge. I couldn’t imagine that those born during that time could have ever imagined the heights which we would rise to. My only hope was that our vast distance from the ground of primitivity wouldn’t lead to a devastating fall.
Already it felt like a lifetime ago that my crew and I had braved our own dark forest—the endless expanse of space beyond our system’s heliopause. Now we knew of the devils that rested at the edge of those shadows. The fires of Sol and the shield of our Oort cloud were all that now stood between us and them. At least in the process of our journey, we had met another group of weary travelers. We now knew that we were not alone.
The reaction to our discovery of the Khimrox—or perhaps their discovery of us—had actually gone over quite well with the global population, though some fringe groups chose to remain skeptical for reasons I couldn’t fathom.
Following the acceptance of the Khimroxian people as refugees, I was rather quickly promoted to the position of admiral. Despite it being an honorary title for the time-being, it was one that I wore with pride. Besides, considering how things were currently going among the leadership of the UEN, it was my guess that we would soon need all of the fleet commanders we could get.
Being separated from my crew though, it was certainly an ordeal. For over a year, we had trained and prepared for our journey aboard the Challenger, all the while forming a strong bond—the bond of a crew. It was them who had kept my mind from plunging into the hopeless darkness that threatened to envelop my mind back aboard the ruined wreck of our exploratory vessel.
Liz and Garth had been reassigned to finally fulfill their true calling as biologists. Together, they dove head-first into in-depth studies of Khimroxian anatomy and physiology. Sid had opted to assist in the deconstruction of the Ignis, allowing its analysis by a team of scientists that included Lee. As far as I was aware, they had so far produced staggeringly impressive results in regards to potential military applications. Jake was probably the wisest among us, choosing to enter an early retirement, which I quite honestly considered the smartest move. Each member of the Challenger had essentially become an influential celebrity overnight. If any of us chose to, we wouldn’t need to work another day in our lives.
Nia had taken an extended leave of absence following our return and chose to take up temporary residence within the Khimrox colony. Darius was perhaps the only one that had stuck with me. Due to my request, he was to be the chief navigational officer of a brand new fleet that had been promised to me—an experimental UEN fleet by the name of Vengeant Dawn.
Though word hadn’t yet officially been released, some part of me could sense the storm approaching on the horizon. War was coming. The only questions that remained were when and how it would be waged, one of which we were currently working to answer.
Some remained skeptical, but me, I had been waiting since the day I first heard of that wretched name, the one which hid behind a thin and lustrous coat. They would pay in blood for what they had done to our Khimroxian friends and to all of the scion species that they considered beneath them.
Speaking of those pricks… I turned from the window to look back at the objects of interest.
We had already begun to install improvements and replacements for our own technology from what we had researched so far. The holo-table of my room was one such improvement.
Atop it, hovered three ire-inspiring figures—the bastards of the Orion Arm.
One was what looked to be a molluscoid. Twelve long and winding tentacles stretched from its body. The creature’s skin could possess a wide variety of colors, but this one took on a dark shade of blue. Atop its head—or back, I still wasn’t entirely sure—was a large circular shell that spiraled backwards. The shell itself was fairly reminiscent of an ammonite, with the notable exception of its golden sheen. A green pair of eyes with slitted black pupils could be found at either side of its face. At the end of each of its limbs were a strange bunch of contraptions that were barely recognizable as the manipulators they were. To support its spineless body—and perhaps its brazen cowardice—was an exoskeleton which covered the length of its tentacles, allowing it to rise to an ironically respectable height. The Dodektopi.
The second was a shape that made no sense according to what little we apparently knew regarding the formation of life. The figure of flames was somewhat humanoid in shape, but distinct enough to separate it from ourselves. A frenzy of dancing plasma licked across the surface of its shape, occasionally whipping out from its body in flares of solar activity. Centered within the fiery specter’s face was an unfamiliar symbol forged out of a sleek black metal that did not burn with the being’s body. Its hands and feet that connected the body were made of similar steel and seemed to hold the shape together with the help of the head. The Novari.
Last but most certainly not least was a chillingly familiar shape. It was an ancient and terrible legend made manifest. The draconic figure before me bore ebony-black scales. A wicked pair of gold curling horns rose from the tyrant’s skull, covered in rings of that black metal that wrapped around them. Cryptic runes—whose mere existence denoted their ancient nature—were etched into the bone of these very same horns. Surrounding its head were countless quills that reached back behind the skull. From its oddly placed back pair of shoulders sprouted leathery wings that curled around the body, nearly encircling it in a hug. A long tail whose spiked end was covered in yet more of those sleek black rings fell behind them. The creature wore nothing more than a red ornamented kilt, bearing the same symbols as those etched upon its body across the sashes which held it in place. Its imposing physique was proudly put on display and an amber pair of greedy eyes rested behind its black maw of terrible teeth.
At the second and frontward pair of stubby shoulders, a shimmering pair of auric arms, engraved with yet more of those runes. I could have recognized their design anywhere. They bore an uncanny similarity with those utilized by our Khimrox friends. The three primary differences between those of them and those that belong to our friends were the sheer quality of the design, the notable exception of their shimmering sheen and their lethal talons that had been sharpened to a shining point. The Aeryvyn.
The terrible triumvirate mocked me with their mere presence, but I couldn’t tear them away from my sight. It’s fortunate that something else did it for me.
A ping that rained from the speakers in my ceiling heralded the incoming message. “All UEN personnel with alpha clearance please report to the briefing room.” Two more times, the soft and purposefully inoffensive voice repeated itself.
With a sigh, I shut off the display and marched to don the new garb that matched my position. When my door slid open, I saw several others stride through the long hall of yet more doors that matched my own.
The familiar scent of ozone had been a relief following the unnaturally clean air of the Ignis. That ship was no longer the home of the Khimroxian refugees, so I had little care for its continued existence. By now, it was a skeleton of alien alloys.
Our straight, gray walls and steel-vented floors were showered in warm light. Compared to the Ignis where the too-white surface where wall and floor blended together, the scenic viewing ports and recognizable craftsmanship felt like the warm embrace of a long-lost friend.
Speaking of friends, I wonder if I’ll see Saffan. Weeks had passed now since I last saw the captain-ambassador. His new position ensured this was so.
A stream of gray-coated senior staff flowed through the doors to the briefing room. At the entrance, a full complement of soldiers outfitted with Styx suits stood guard. That generation of armor would soon be outdated in comparison to the schematics I had seen prepared.
My heart warmed involuntarily as I entered the room. Saffan’s bright eyes of perpetual wideness stared back at me. I shouldered my way through the convening crowds of admirals. Each spoke with a weight of self-importance that I couldn’t have cared less for.
When I finally reached him he called my name. “Marcus!” The captain extended a hand. Wait, what? I wasn’t sure whether to be more confused by his use of the gesture or his new set of arms. They were admittedly simple compared to the prior pair and they were coated with a blue shine that matched his eyes. The digits no longer took the shape of those reptilian claws, instead forming an approximation of human fingers.
The hands locked perfectly with my own. “Saffan, good to see you again. How are things going?”
“Wonderfully. Though I must say, you humans seem to have more countries than you know what to do with.” Saffan folded his arms. “I’ve visited thirteen nations already and I still have over a hundred that have sent me visitation invitations.”
A scoff escaped my throat. “Yeah, that’s us for you. Needlessly overcomplicated.”
I took a step forward and placed a hand on a brilliant blue arm. “And these! When did you get these?” Saffan practically beamed at my inquiry.
“Elizabeth and Garth actually helped design them! They’re exceptionally lightweight compared to my last pair and they can fold to not hinder flight.” As he said this, the two artificial limbs pressed up against his body as he fully folded his wings in a similar manner. With both arms and wings folded, he would have looked like a great horned owl if not for the obvious discrepancies of his size, his horned head and the swirling patterns that covered his wings.
“That’s enough about me though, how have you been? What have you been up to?”
“Ah, not much,” I said, rubbing the back of my head. “Paid the family a visit a week back for the first time since the Challenger. For the most part though, I've been training on the battle sims these last few weeks. If I’m to be an admiral, may as well try to play the part.” Saffan slowly nodded. I got the feeling that he too sensed the approaching storm.
“This family of yours, I’d love to meet them some time.”
“Oh, I’m sure they’d love to meet you I…”
“Attention!” The stern sound cut me off. The rippling chorus of speech died down almost immediately as the call demanded our undivided focus. I could’ve recognized that voice anywhere.
“Thank you for joining me, my friends.”
“You’re a smart bunch of people, so I’m sure you’ve gotten the sense for what’s been going on by now.” Redd took a deep sigh and looked around the room at the entirety of the UEN navy’s command structure.
“Ever since the Khimroxians arrived, we’ve been faced with a choice—a choice that must not be taken lightly.” The captain turned our way and gave Saffan a nod.
“When the brave souls aboard the Ignis saved the crew of the Challenger, they showed the true character of their people. They were faced with hard decisions—for our people and theirs—but they chose to push forward and in so doing, saved not only the lives of those aboard the Challenger, but all of Earth from falling subject to their lords. After due deliberation with the council-members of the United Earthen Nations, we have decided to follow in the footsteps of our friends and take such a risk.”
“As of right now, we are at war with the Alliance of the Aurum Arm.” The room fell into deafening silence.
“Each member-state of the UEN will alert their people in due time, but for the moment, not a single word heard within this meeting must be uttered outside of this room.”
Admiral Sturm, the very man who had been my commander not all that long ago, spoke up. “With all due respect, Director, we don’t have the means to wage such a conflict.”
“That's why we’ll create the means. For once, I’m glad to say something good came out of the Kuiper War.” This derived a few nervous laughs from the audience. “With the production facilities appropriated from the (x corporation), and with a few adjustments, we have the potential to create the most powerful fleet of human-made ships to ever enter space.”
“Unfortunately however, we do not have the means to reproduce the white hole drives utilized by the Aurum vessels, or even the dark matter used to stabilize the damned things.”
“Saffan, this is where you and your people will come in. If we are to stand a chance of waging war on such a scale, we will need intelligence and lots of it.”
“As difficult as it may be, we need information; without it, we’re dead in the vacuum of space. We will need volunteers to go behind enemy lines and retrieve plans, schematics, layouts, anything that we can get a hold of that may provide us an advantage both strategically and technologically. Would your people be willing to go to such lengths?”
All eyes in the room turned to the ambassador-captain. “I—I don’t know. I will consult with them, but do I have your permission to speak freely about what you have told me?”
The aging man rubbed his orange-brown beard. “Yes. Yes that would probably be for the best wouldn’t it. Very well, just do your best not to allow it to reach other ears.”
“Yes sir.”
“As for the rest of you, allow me to detail the plan we have so far.”
“Though most of the security council members are not tacticians, they have agreed to the plan that I and a few of my most trusted consultants have prepared. Right now, the nearest sector with a habitable planet is known as Mortamis. This was the last jump point for the Ignis before it intercepted our distress signal. The tentative plan is to begin our expansion across their territory with the capture of this world to act as the staging grounds of our forces. However, until we receive more information regarding the exact layout of their defenses, we cannot commit to such an invasion.”
“From there, we will split up the UEN fleets into separate groups across the Orion arm and take out these tyrants by bleeding them of their most precious resource. Scions. Every world we take is an addition to our numbers, our production capacity, and our ability to fight.”
“Our end-goal is to capture the planet-capital of the alliance, Petris, and demand liberation of all species under control of the Aurum Alliance.“
“We do have a few major concerns however. According to the information provided to us by the Khimrox, a majority of Aurum vessels contain some form of scionic crew complement. Under no circumstances unless express consent is given by the command admiral of the fleet are we to attack a vessel with the intent of destroying it. We must first weaken and disable the ship’s defensive systems before boarding and liberating the captives.”
“I know that this flies in the face of all conventional battle tactics, but this is no conventional enemy that we’re fighting here. If we do not adapt, we will fail and all of humanity will be forced into scionship.”
“Keep in mind, this is a very brief version of our prepared plan. Each and every aspect of it is subject to change. We will discuss this in further detail later, but for now, that is all. Any further questions?” Once again, silence. “Very well then. This council session is now adjourned.”
Other than the shuffling of feet exiting, all was silent. We had known it was coming, but to hear it confirmed…
“Marcus.” The director approached, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Go ahead and join Ambassador Aeax, why don’t you? Might help some of those Khimrox to see a human face that they’re familiar with.”
With a snappy salute, I responded with, “Yes sir.” His words were certainly a surprise, but a chance to join the Khimrox that had saved us was not one I would pass up easily. He may as well have just given me a week of leave considering the excitement that bubbled up within me.
Together, I and Saffan made our way to a nearby shuttle bay headed directly to the Khimroxian colony. Surprisingly, I hadn’t yet paid a visit to the settlement placed within the province of Hunan, but I had seen some images on several media platforms.
The trip was a quick one. Our transport plunged into the atmosphere, kicking up flames all around the outside of the cabin. Soon enough though, the flames of our descent died out and were replaced by the darkness of night.
Even with the slight turbulence, Saffan seemed deep in thought as his eyes stared at nothing in particular.
“Hey, you good?”
That seemed to snap him out of it. “Wha—oh yes, sorry.” A look of focus still remained on his face. For a moment, he continued in his silence before posing a question. “What if my people decide not to volunteer? This entire plan could fall through in an instant.”
“You don’t give your people enough credit, my feathered friend.” Saffan gave me a narrow-eyed look before letting out a cluck of a chuckle. “Redd was right in what he said. I’m sure your people will make the best choice for all of us.”
“For both our sakes, I can only hope that you’re right.”
Our Harpy gently sailed over mountains and treetops, slowly sinking to a stop within a secluded area of trees that were foreign to me.
Only I and Saffan left from the Harpy’s bay and stepped off onto the tarmac. Behind us, the cargo-door closed with a hiss. As we stepped out from underneath our cover, light droplets of water pattered against my skin.
Seconds later, the Harpy’s thrusters kicked in and the ship took flight. The heavy hum and glow of burning hydrogen accompanied the bird as it flew away. In mere moments, it was gone, though the distant boom of it breaking the sound barrier was audible enough.
Looking around, I saw a few of my fellow men and women unloading supplies from a parked Harpy onto a militarily designed transport truck. Dimly lit orange lamps shone down and around us, illuminating nearby hangar bays with their closed doors and rounded ceilings of corrugated metal.
“Let’s get going. I’m sure you don’t want to stay in the rain long.” The rain was enough to notice, but it wasn’t unpleasant. I gave a brief nod and we set off on the nearby road.
Though clouds of rain covered us, the light of the moon joined us as we walked to the village. The setup looked pretty standard from what I knew of modular UEN architecture. It was clear however that great care had been put into its construction. The rain kept most of the residents indoors for the time being, but through the windows of nearby buildings, I saw the illuminated interiors of cozy hostels where families and friends gathered together.
We passed another Khimrox while wading through the rain—one who held its head and horns high, walking with a cheery gait despite the gloomy weather. Compared to the stale and oppressive atmosphere aboard the Ignis, the settlement brimmed with life, even amidst the darkness of both night and storms.
Saffan led me forward to a quaint home with a metal awning that covered the railed porch. We walked up the steps and Saffan rapped on the door with his cobalt colored knuckles.
I hoped for Nia’s sake that her time away from the military had treated her well. Lord knows she deserved some respite. The door opened and Nia's face peeked out to greet us. “Saffan! Marcus! What are you two doing here?”
Saffan answered as I silently sat by. “Oh we were just passing through. Thought it might be a good idea to stop and pay you a visit.”
“Well don’t make yourself strangers. Come on in!” Saffan sat behind as I walked forward and gave his whole body a shake. Droplets flew from his body and slid off his slick feathers.
The home was a simple one, consisting of a main living room joined together with a kitchen. In the back of the home was a short hall leading to a middle door that stood between a pair of two others. In the living room, perched Tokieran, the same physician who had plunged into my mind to extract our language.
Immediately, he rose from where he rested and turned to face Saffan, “Captain!”
“Can’t be a captain without a ship, Toki.” The former captain waved away the words with a hand. “Saffan will do.”
“Oh. Uh, well, it's good to see you again, Saffan.”
“Likewise my friend. I’m certain you haven’t seen much of me considering your position during our time on the Ignis. It’s a shame we didn’t brush wings more often. You seem like a fine fellow.”
As the two avians got to talking, Nia gave me a light punch on the shoulder. “So, how’ve things been going for you admiral?” It was at this moment that I realized I was still in full military dress. Rather sheepishly, I pulled the hat from my head.
“Fine.” I muttered “You?”
A smile met her face. “Best I’ve felt since I enlisted.” She gave a look towards the two conversing Khimroxians. “It's still hard to believe any of this is real sometimes, ya know?”
I nodded. “Yeah. The Challenger, the Ignis, all of it. Feels like a dream now.”
Nia’s eyes stayed upon the owl-folk. “One of those dreams you don’t really want to wake up from.”
I gave a grunt of agreement. “I only wish all of the Khimroxians could share it with us.” This turned her towards me. Her smile curved down somewhat and she gave a slight nod.
What the hell. She’s going to learn it soon enough anyways. Rubbing the rim of my hat, I spoke softly. “Maybe soon, that will be possible.”
“What?”
“The council’s declared war.”
Her eyes snapped to mine, the smile fully gone. The room fell silent. I hadn’t hoped the others would hear me, but those Khimrox had an impeccable sense of hearing. I shouldn’t have expected any less from them.
All eyes turned to me. “The Aurum Alliance is a threat to humanity, the Khimrox, and all of the other scions that we haven’t even met yet. I think we both know this was inevitable”
“No, I get it, it's just… Wow.” The woman ran a hand through her black, tied-back hair as she heaved a sigh.
This facade dropped almost immediately and Nia’s mouth turned into a wonderfully devilish grin. After a few light chuckles, she said, “Better late than never I suppose. Those spineless sons-of-alien-bitches’ll never know what hit ‘em!”
The expressions on the faces of both Saffan and Tokieran showed no less resolve. Even the formerly jumpy physician proudly displayed a newfound sense of will. “The triumvirate operates under the expectation that we won’t fight back,” said Toki. “They see us as little more than animals and It's time we took full advantage of that fact.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” remarked Saffan.
If these willing warriors were in any way representative of the entire Human-Khimroxian collective, the battle against these golden tyrants would be over before we knew it.
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I found a cat hiding under my car in a grocery store parking lot. I sat with her and pet her for a while before getting her a can of food. She followed me everywhere I went. She was starving and covered in fleas. She was very sweet so I assumed that she must’ve had an owner. I took some pictures of her and posted her on my towns Facebook page. Six days went by and no response from the owner. I bathed her, bought her food, and bought her a collar. I was just waiting for the owner to claim. I get multiple frantic messages on Facebook from this lady saying that I have her cat and I need to give her back and how she can’t live without her cat. I respond with how happy I am that she messaged me and tried to arrange a time and place to return the cat to her. She wanted me to deliver the cat to her apartments, but I wasn’t comfortable with that so I asked if we could meet in a more public area. Her story was that she had the cat in her dads truck on a harness and she got the zoomies and ran away a day before I found her. There were comments on the Facebook post I made that said they’ve seen the cat running around the complex the owner lives in months ago. She was furious that I suggested another place to meet up and started threatening to beat me up and telling me I stole her cat and am refusing to give her back. A lot of insults were thrown at me and she started messaging some of my family members she found on Facebook telling them I stole her cat. I told her that she can let the cops deal with it because I refuse to meet with her. I can post or send the screenshots of our messages to anyone who wants to see them.

Hi all,
Please be 21 to purchase and know your local knife laws. Price includes shipping (US only, please). I reserve the right to sell to whomever I choose, but generally the first "yolo" here followed by a chat gets the knife. PayPal F&F please, no comments. By buying, you are certifying that this is legal for you to own. No trades.
Timestamp / Photos: https://imgur.com/a/7fGCc7r
Para 3 FACTORY SECOND, Maxamet: I picked this up with a Maxamet PM2. I had originally intended to keep this and use the crap out of it, but then I went and bought a few other knives... so I'm gonna pass this one along to make up some funds. I'm the second owner (original purchased directly from Spyderco), no use/carry/sharpening. Edge is factory. NO box. Screaming sharp. Nice action. It is a bit off-center, and I'm guessing this is a second due to blade finish. It doesn't have the more heavily bead-blasted finish that I've seen on most Maxamet PM2/Para3's.... it's got a blast on it, but the grind lines still show through a bit. I think that plus the centering is what puts this into the second category (I guess?), but everything else seems good. This would be a killer user for someone who isn't picky about the blade finish or centering, get it cheap for $110. Thanks for looking! SOLD

So before jumping into the whole i just wanna say this is the very first time I'm opening up about this in my entire. I'm 21 years old and punched my father right in the face when I was 18.
So a little backstory, Ever since i was a boy I've always seen my father around the house while other kids parents went to their work. As i became older i realised my dad was unemployed by choice ( he didn't wanna get a job) and it was mother who was paying the bills and looking after us.
The thing is my dad used to own a business back when I was baby but it went bust coz he trusted the wrong ppl. He never got another job or started another venture , he was constantly dreaming of building something big but he never wanted to work for it. He always wanted the easy way out.
Time and again my mother got him some jobs so as to help pay the bills. But he lied to my mom several times, saying he went to work but instead he was fooling around. Ever since i was 6 i saw my parents having arguments which usually ended up with my dad hitting my mum.
My mum she tolerated this hell for several years for us( my sis and me ). Things got so bad that we were in severe debt due to my father's shameless borrowing. My sis didn't have a choice but to do odd jobs after college. I feel bad for her. Out rent was due , the house owner cut our electricity all while I watched dear dad eating food without worry. One day he had a fight with my mom and just left. I was 15 at the time , the next time I saw him was after 3 years. During these 3 year, i thought enough was enough, my mom was small time tution teacher but she didn't know much.
I joined her when I was 16. I'm a nerd and pretty good at math and kids kinda liked the way i taught. Soon we had a lot of kids coming in for tutions and finally we were happy for a while me, my sis and my mum. But then COVID struck. Lockdown was pretty chill for us since we already had some money saved up . And one fine day after lockdowns eased my father came home.
None of us knew how to react , but all 3 of us knew we didn't want him there . But we had know choice he was frail ,he had no money, no one in this world except us. But he never got rid of his narcissism and ego. Still acted like he ruled around.
On an evening my mom snapped for something he did ( i was in the bedroom) and he just slapped her. Watching this boiled my blood , everything he ever did, how my family was humiliated everything flashed infront of my eyes and I PUNCHED HIM. He was left speechless, my mum was shocked and i had tears running down my eyes. That was probably the last time I cried. Everything turned numb after that.
He's still living with us. We still fight a lot, he refuses to admit what he did. Time and time again there's exchange of cuss words and shoving . He's 60 and I'm not proud of my behaviour. It's not who i wanna be but i just can't bring myself to control this side of me. There's this rush of rage i can't seem to control. I'm generally a charming kid other and ppl around me have expectations from me . They all say I'll ended up in big leagues but I'm uncertain of my future and a part of me is scared I'll just end like him.

I’m an elder FTM with a good job, homeowner, rural property owner and nice decent guy.
I went on a casino weekend staycation trip with a female friend and we shared a room with 2 queen beds. She’s been divorced for a while and I am single and looking for a long term relationship. I came out to her a month before the trip and she was surprisingly understanding.
The first night at the casino were drinking and she asked about my surgeries, I explained Meta phase 1. I told her I look like a girl in front, have balls in back and no vagina. I explained the use of a strap on there’s other ways to have sex without a penis.
We went down to pool at night and starting messing around. In the hotel room we had some more messing around and then no more. I went back to my bed and throughout the weekend she was very stand offish. On the last day she told me she wanted to be only friends. We both live in city of the casino and arrived separately so I just told her to check out by herself (as it was last day and we were at pool) and that I was going home.
I got my feelings hurt as I think we are a good match. I also think that the reason she didn’t want to take it further was because I don’t have a dick. It just sucks sometimes to be me. She just wants to be friends only and that’s fine. Adults need to respect no and be able to take rejection. I just feel like I got the wind kicked out of me. I just got my feelings hurt.

Timestamp/Pictures
Have come to the realization that 60% is not really compatible with my day-to-day, and so I'm getting rid of the two remaining 60%'s in my collection. The moontower w/ the CEM3 PCB and half plate is the nicest typing experience I've had on an MX board by a wide margin. I am the original owner of it since winning the raffle, and it pains me to let it go, but I have not typed on it in almost a year at this point.

Item	Details	Price
Moontower	Satin cerakote. Small chip in coating on front rail (in pictures), small finishing imperfection on bottom. Comes with original PCB which has been mostly mill-max'd w/ 3305 sockets (the corners, mods, and a few along number row need to be soldered for the gasket to work). Additionally, comes with Hiney's CEM3 h60 built on a blue alu half plate that was part of the carolina mech palmetto GB soldered w/ gazzew boba LTs lubed lightly w/ 205g0, and TX stabs w/ XHT on wire. Will additionally come with an unopened blue h60, the original o-ring, a 65a duro graveshift o-ring, a POM half plate, a full CF plate w/ two flex slots - both from prototypist, as well as the original full alu plate	1300$
Navy WKL Midway 60	From the original GB. Never built. Comes in all original boxes w/ accessories, a half and full alu plate, and two PCBs. There were a decent number of dead PCBs during the original GB. I only purchased one PCB during the original PCB, which I had taken out and tested to make sure it works (it does). Additionally, Bolsa ran a PCB GB more recently, and I joined and purchased an extra PCB from that. That PCB is unopened and untested. Bolsa also had some QC issues during the run, and thus, I never received a DB in the original shipment. Therefore, a hiney DB will be sent instead.	$400
GMK Seafarer	Sealed Base + Spacebars	$130
GMK Polybius	Sealed Base + Spacebars	$130

Shipping is included in all prices.

If you're looking for a straight up no bullshit company who pays you as an independent contractor(self employed) let me know!! Good luck and be safe out there!!
Anyone who is looking to run as a team driver for an independent contractor who pays each driver 1/3rd of the trucks profits per driver, let me know. Send me a private message and I will give you our company's owner's info. P.s. if anyone happens to live near west central florida area, I'm looking for a co-driver to run on my truck with me.