Mid-40s, male, employed IT worker with no kids. I make over 50,000 per year. I have lost the best days of my life inside an office and working remotely since COVID. I can't do this anymore. I am overqualified to get a job in other trades or endeavors. I don't have any debts, but I also don't have a lot of savings. What are the options for people in my situation? I wouldn't mind losing a year making minimum wage to learn and get a new direction in life, perhaps through an apprenticeship. I have always wanted to join the military work for the NHS or have a job in the maritime industry but I have been trapped by golden handcuffs for the past decade working with adult males wearing star wars t-shirts discussing video games and netflix shows all day. Need to get a job working with normal human beings outside the digital realms, I'm in good shape physically for my age and wouldn't mind doing something a bit more physical with hands on work. Any ideas?

Let me be the first to welcome you to the MotheOffspring, Nurturing/Support, Teaching/Education Resource Network, or? M.O.N.S.T.E.R. Nursery. My name is Sassy, short for Sasquatch. Yes, THAT sasquatch. Are there other kinds?! I'm a HCC (Healthcare Cryptid) here at the nursery. I also teach humans the survival basics of coming across a baby monster in the woods.
Anyhoo, you're probably wondering why Sasquatch are utilized as Labor and Delivery nurses. It's simple, really. We're natural born mothers. You see, we just love babies! We always have! All of that nonsense about whooping, tree knocking and vocalizations that we do in the woods when you guys are camping? Don't get scared! That's just us shouting out to our boys letting them know we have humans in the woods! Humans could possibly have a BABY with them. Now, I don't like to judge based on looks, but those bald human babies are so ugly? They're cute! Poor little things look like they have mange, though. Who would think a bald puppy is cute? Ew.
I digress. So, when it came to the M.O.N.S.T.E.R. Nursery? We were the natural choice. Even though I happen to be female? History tells us that male nursery nurses happen to have the best bonding with our little devils. Well, little devils and whoever else was born that day. Just look at Chewy over there bonding with that litter of werewolf pups born on the last full moon. He's so maternal? He's practically a breast.
Now, all babies are not created equal. Have you ever wondered which monster's baby is the loudest? I can promise you that you'd rather listen to that werewolf pup litter any day over being 5 minutes late with Baby Siren Head's bottle. I had a headache for a week. When Vlad and Countess Bathory had their little undead bundle of joy last month? You'd be surprised how quick a Bigfoot can prick and milk their finger to get a fresh bottle of nutritious blood for that adorable, pale little parasite. He definitely had a healthy appetite, especially if you were B positive. Vlad and Countess Bathory couldn't have been happier. Patient satisfaction has always been a priority for HCCs (Healthcare Cryptid) since day one! We've never gotten below a 5 on the Jack Link's scale of 0 - 5 jerkies. We are collectively very proud of this fact! It's such an accomplishment for Bigfoot and all of Sasquatch kind.
Okay, I could understand why you think we're a little full of ourselves. I, mean, when Sasquatch are the chosen ones to be the top requested HCC? It's a far fall to the 2nd position. Look, we can't all be God's Chosen Ones. Yes, he exists. Yes, he created us. You're getting distracted, again. We aren't all going to argue semantics on what is Creationism and what is Darwinism and all of that. I'm too busy trying to teach incompetent, um cough cough, INTERESTED humans how to provide the most basic care for any creature's neonates (medical term for newborn) that they might stumble across while enjoying hiking, camping, fishing, etc. The priority? The newborn. Additional concerns?
1) MotheFather finding humans around newborn and attacking them.
2) Humans treating the scenario like an episode of "Jack Ass" and thinking it's a good idea to "mess with" the newborn and? Again? Mom/Dad attacks them.
3) Basically? A human breathing will set Mom/Dad off. Most creatures just don't want humans around. They can't be trusted. Sorry, Guys. It's been that way every since you refused to credit Chewy in the '67 Patterson–Gimlin film.
So? Your first reaction, if you see a baby creature? Look for it's parents. If you see them? Run. Run fast. Like, put Forrest Gump to shame kinda runnin'. Those parents don't want you there for any reason at all. Pick 'em up and put 'em down the whole way back down the trail.
If you don't see the parents? Proceed slowly and with caution. Now, don't let everything I've said scare you into not helping a baby monster. They're babies, after all. Please, check on them. Just be aware of your surroundings so as not to frighten the wood creatures which will, in turn, attack you. Then? It's just a bad day for everyone involved.
So? Depending on the woodland creature? You'll want to know what action you need to take to help the baby and? Hopefully? Survive assisting. The first thing you'll want to do is call out/whistle, whatever you have to do to try to get someone's attention. Look around and listen. What do you see and hear? If it's nothing? Again, proceed with caution. If you hear howling, growling, tree knocking, whooping, any of these things? Leave, either their parents are still around or we're there and will then takeover. I know. It's confusing to try to tell when we're tree knocking hoping you have a baby with you or if we know there's a baby around and we don't want you around the baby. Really, if at all possible, just don't mess with the babies if you don't have to. With that having been said? Let's proceed!
As you cautiously approach? Keep making noise letting everyone know you're there. We don't want to scare the life, or afterlife, out of these little ones. They're at their most vulnerable right now. Let's use Chewy's patients today as an example. You traipse along and stumble over a werewolf den. Well, that's not something you see every day. You hear soft whimpering. About 4 or 5 little werewolf pup heads pop up out of the den. How's everyone looking? Is anyone hurt? No? Then check your supplies. It just so happens you were successful fishing earlier. Werewolf pups love fish almost as much as moonbathing and cutting their baby teeth on a human femur. They'll be thankful, the Alpha male and female will be thankful and you'll really be thankful. You get to walk away, karma and limbs intact.
Next? It would be highly likely that you'd come across a wendigo, skinwalker, rake slenderman, etc. besides just a litter of werewolf pups. Try to prepare yourself as much as possible for these encounters. The better prepared? The better off everyone will be. The best part? These creatures won't want your everlasting soul in infancy. Those challenges don't present until adolescence. So? Enjoy the respite for the moment. Now? No matter what the situation? You'll always want to approach with caution and announce your arrival. It's saved not only many a human? It's saved a lot of cryptids as well. Try to have some sort of food item on you that's rather filling. You'd prefer that over them making YOU the food item.
So, as we proceed down the trail, there's a cabin to the left and it's the last house but do not enter, please. The last good hearted Samaritan did and, well, let's just say he had a run in with a girl locked in the cellar who wasn't quite herself. That's probably about the most PC way of explaining demonic possession. Anyhoo, there was bad press for a year and visitors to the park fell off, it just was a big mess. They ended up doing some kind of cybernetic enhancement and now the good Samaritan has a chainsaw for an arm. He's done a great job keeping them all in line. Overall? That was one we got right.
Since I brought up Vlad and the Countess Bathory's bouncing little bundle of bloodsucker? It's important to know that if you are in your domicile, and R.V.'s count, vampires cannot enter without an invitation from you. So, if you are camping in your R.V. and someone comes knocking late at night? Don't answer. If they aren't a vampire? They can come back the next day. If they don't come back? You definitely made the right decision. Now, the problem is? If you encounter a vampire in the wild. Hopefully? They've already set their sights on whoever they picked that night to be their victim. If not? A dropper of Holy Water as perfume on either side of your neck is a nice deterrent. Again, if the little count is there by himself? He's clearly gotten away from the castle. He needs returned immediately. Go to the nearest tree that displays a "break in case of emergency" box. Break the glass, take the bag of beef jerky out, shake it. Every Sasquatch in a 5 mile radius will come running to you. Point the baby vampire out and we'll be glad to take it from there.
Something I should bring up to our do-gooders ready to risk it all: if you can't swim? Don't try to help aquatic creatures. It won't end well. It never does. Little fry just aren't acclimated to landlubbers. Merpups are tough for even us to handle. They get scared, you can't swim, bad things happen. So? If you're determined to help any baby monster no matter where they reside? Take swimming lessons. You'll thank me. Trust me on this.
Don't let the fae trip you up, either. They're mischievous. They'll also try to sneak a changeling in on you if you do bring your human babies to the forest. If you respect walking around fairy rings and respect mother nature? The fae shouldn't be an issue. If you don't? Well, you were warned.
So, what have we not covered? Flying creatures. Yes, they present a challenge even we Sasquatch find difficult. It's hard to assess the needs of a baby that's wrapped in the arms of a mother flying 75 feet above your head. Even though the task is daunting? It's a challenge we'll definitely take on. We just watch and wait for Mom to go on the hunt and we take a peak at that tiny little velociraptor in that nest, with it's mouth hanging wide open, just awaiting a morsel. Now, the Mothman's baby was an experience. Cocoons are just something you have to see for yourself, especially when they're 6 feet tall. It's truly fascinating!
I think that covers everything for today's lesson. Bear in mind, we're beginning the summer season here in the U.S. Encounters are going to increase between cryptids and humans so be aware and care when it comes to our babies. We're aware and care when it comes to yours. Stay safe and Sasquatch on!

So I am mostly doing this to help people get out of that mindset and bad habits. Alt account and not using any names.
I remember growing up I was always that shy kid, I wasnt able to talk till I was 5 years old so maybe I had autism or adhd idk never went to the doctor to diagnose it and still have speech problems till today. I was raised under very strict parents, my mom more than my dad. My mom had a temper that could break mountains. I was scared shitless of her for well most of my life and I sometimes wonder if she instilled a fear of women in me. it didnt help that in kindergarden(I think thats what its called in english, I went there when I was 5) I was relentlessly bullied by the girls, mostly the popular ones as I was very wierd and gross Ill admit. Those experiences may have instilled a deep resentment of women in me.
from then on I could barely say anything to any women, like every time a women talked to me I had a clothes peg on my tongue and just wispered answers and did fuck all and walked away. I remember I read a book series when I was 10 (its a local series about a group of 4 boys who did crazy shit together and it was always a "boys club" to them) and I just said the whole time "oh girls are a waste of time and money". Although I played toughguy I had massive anxiety every single time I was in the vicinity of a women. In primary school we had double desks and you had a deskmate and that was very important back then as you mostly spoke to your deskmate. I could never speak to anyone and always had these short cutoff answers and was very rude to all the girls. kinda a bastard.
I remember the final year of primary school( we are 13) and I wanna kick myself. I had a black eye and when someone asked of it I ran away screaming. I had a problem with inflamation in my ankles as I grew too fast for puberty and I used these gross AF gelly gooyee gell heeles covered in week olds sweat to chase girls away. I didnt keep contact with anyone in primary school except 1 guy whos still my friend but I am rethinking those choices. Those girls I chased away was nice and friendly and treated me with respect, and I chased them away in the worst way. My eyes were always on those pretty popular girls who always bullied me, and I maybe stared at them wayyy too much and I was such a creed JOH, I cringe just thinking of it. I wondered about some of the other people I chased away. some girls were really nice, friendly and beautifiull people and I just ignored them and was an absolute bastard to them. To this day I barely know anyone from that group of 90 kids in my year and didnt keep contact. Kinda sad of me tbh.
the year after that we went to high school, we were grown ups. We had phones and we were almost 350 kids in my grade, but I didnt change. I was seated next to a girl in "homeroom" (idk what it is in english again) and first things first she asked for my number. My fucking immature ass thought she liked me and bam fel in love. She was just nice to me and couldve been a nice friend but I still kept that bastard tendencies from primary. I hopped around her the whole time but said nothing, absolutely creepy. She stayed after school and I remember still that EVERY DAMN DAY after cricket I rerouted the route from my locker to the school gate just to say goodbye, but that was just a andwave maybe and a mumble, I could not keep eye contact. My sorry ass thought we were inlove and she went on with her life, and I just went "oh shes a thot and bitch" "oh Im a nice guy" and so on but FUCK that was cringe, still barely said anything to her.
I think its ok to say I have a sister, and I was also so cringe to her friends. Like man I had a panick attack every time she had friends over and I was SO MUCH OF A BASTARD to them.
My sorry ass started believing, If a girl just makes eye contact, or she just greets you(even ask to lend a fucking eraser) she was in love with you. That girl I previously mentioned, well she went out with a guy the next year and I kinda made good friends with him, But he was kinda just a cunt. wayyyy too arrogant and also a player but I still simped over this 1 girl that was HIS GIRLFRIEND. Well I sent her the cringiest text 1 night on holiday and probably ruined my chances forver, but she left school halfway through the year and broke up with my friend. I was devastated but thinking back it was actually better for my mental health. I believed I stalked her insta for maybe a year and so, she got a bf who was 5 years older with kids (we were 15) so I maybe dodged a bullet idk, I broke all contact. So I had different crushes every week since then because well, I stated how easily I fell in love and basically COULDNT SAY A WORD to any female.
I basically went like this for 4 years and covid barely didnt help shit. covid hit when I was in gr10 and my country was in complete lockdown. My lonely ass went online and used my creepy incellish texts over snapchat and so. I added random people and when they just added me back, I thought "cool she likes me" and sent the creepiest wierdest most incellish texts immagineable. It was so bad. I deleted that account later. I also developed a porn addiction and continued this thing of harrasing random women online for aknogledging my existence and thought they were bitches for rejecting me. "I was such a nice guy, why couldnt they see it" I thought. It was bad for me, I may have used almost every social media at once for this goal and did it for almost a straight year maybe. I tryed to be cool with this social medias and said I was a cool guy, but was such a creep and asshole, and my addiction didnt help. I just stalked random girls from my school online if they gave me any attention in person, and they almost always had boyfriends, but I though "What do they know. they only like muscles and cool guys with money whos mean to them. Im a nice guy why wont they see it". I was an incel through and through, but I never spoke to girls and expected them to flock to me.
Thinking back this was my lowest point. I was locked in my room for hours watching p*** and couldnt speak to anyone. I got salty and depressed and blamed women for my misfortune in live and so on. In school I had only few friends and didnt talk to any girls, just stared at them like a creep.
Then came my final year of high school, and I believe this saved me as a person. The previous year my friendgroup was joined by a girl and guy, and they became my best friends. this girl became my second sister almost. at first I had a crush on her( AS ALWAYS) and I started wearing that thought down, shes a friend and a good friend at that. a person who will listen to you. I started bettering myself. I got rid of addictions and started bettering myself. I met a girl which I now view as my final incel challenge. she was the first girl to hug me every day and I developed a crush, but that ended by me pushing her away, realising she was using me as kinda a rebound and using my height to have a date to prom and being an all around bitch to me, that lasted months and through my simping to her I pushed all other girls away and was a bastard to them too and thats such a long story Im not gonna tell it here.
I made another female friend and she helped me too and from the second half of the final year I was a better person. I bettered my grades, I improved my attitude and tried going out. It worked and well I got rid of my p*** addiction and realised I didnt have these incellish tendencies. I started going to church and deleted ALL of my social media accounts and apps. From now on I'm me not an internet persona.
then it was the end of that version of me. I got into university for engineering at one of our best universities, and got into a university residence(thats also a long story but has a cultural signifigance in my country). I went on a church camp and made so much friends I forgot half their names. I sokkied and danced with girls for hours. My insecurities and so on is gone and I left my anxiety. I have bettered my relationship with my sister and even her friends, people who Ive shunned for years and Im angry for what nice people I have shunned. I have gone on dates and now, I have to go out if I sit in my room for too long.
I am not perfect though, theres still problems and sometimes come of as creepy and I know that. it is a problem but am working to fix it. Everyone should better themselves as a human being
About now, whenever I hear an incel or feminist or whatever political person speak I have 1 answer. GO OUTSIDE AND TALK TO PEOPLE. your entire perception is based on a minority of people. theres exist much more outside of your room. BE a better human.
​
TLDR: I was an incel, was a bastard and absolute cunt to women, met some amazing people and bettered myself. lifes beautifull and you should embrace it. GO TOUCH GRASS

Note: This is part 2 to Shiloh's Final Battle
Gomez and Tish pulled into their driveway and heard barking. They'd gotten a German Shepherd pup when Guillermo Del Toro's "The Strain" was on T.V. As a joke, but also because they loved the character? They named him Thomas Eichhorst after the Nazi vampire who was one of Guillermo Del Toro's most powerful villains ever created. No one put much thought into the name choice considering they loved all things horror. "What the hell has Eichhorst going off? He knows it's us!" Gomez couldn't understand why he'd bark at the 2 people he NEVER barks at. "I can honestly say I'm not even surprised after this day." Tish exhaled and proceeded to get out of the car. Eichhorst continued the call of his people. "IKE! EICHHORST! KNOCK IT THE HELL OFF!" Gomez yelled so Eichhorst could hear because he was behind the chain link fence in the backyard. He acted like he didn't hear a word. As they got closer to the house? They noticed Eichhorst was not barking at them. He was barking at the woods BEHIND them. "He sees something we don't." Tish matter-of-factly stated. She & Gomez simultaneously turned to look into the woods. Nothing. No noise. Nothing was there. Eichhorst stopped barking as soon as they turned towards the woods. Everything stopped. "What the hell is going on, Cara Mia?" Gomez was starting to experience what Tish had all day long. "I don't know, Mon Cher. I just know I don't like it." Tish continued glancing into the trees. "Probably time to sit back and relax. You've had a bad day that ended a rough week. It's time to just chill." As if knowing what Gomez had just said? His city issued phone started ringing. "NO. ABSOLUTELY not! I'm off tonight! What is so critical that Gomer & Goober can't handle it?" Gomez could feel his blood pressure start to rise. "Find out what it is 1st, Craig, before you go into a meltdown." Tish always called him Craig when she was irritated. "Hello?!" Gomez did a poor job hiding his inconvenience. "Man, it's Ol Shiloh! You gotta get over here, Gomez. It's bad! It's so bad!" Bubba was inconsolable. He was on the verge of tears. "Whoa, slow down, Bubba. What happened?" Gomez tried bringing levity. "We came by to check on him when we were on patrol. He was in the doorway, he was..." Bubba finally started crying. He hated it. The last thing he wanted to do was cry in front of his co-workers. He just simply could not process what the hell they'd rolled up on. "Wait? Ol Shiloh is hurt?" Gomez was trying to process what Bubba was saying. Tish's brow furrowed. She didn't like what she was hearing. "I mean, if you consider hurt dead with his fuckin' throat ripped out to his spinal cord? Then? Yeah, he's hurt." Bubba's anger at his own insecurities was boiling over onto Gomez. "Look, Bubba. Clearly you guys have been going through something over there. I'm headed that way. For future reference? Don't take your shit out on me. I didn't do anything to you." Gomez scolded. "Sorry, Gomez. It's just so..." and Bubba broke down further. Gomez hopped back into the car. "What's going on? Who was that? Don? Bubba?" Tish was concerned. "Hop in the passenger's side if you want to find out. I have to go." Gomez started the engine. Tish walked around and got in.
They pulled into Shiloh's driveway behind the Eerie, Indiana patrol car. Bubba came running out to greet them. "Don is in there with him. The paramedics just got here a few minutes ago." Bubba proceeded to catch Gomez up. He and Tish had been so busy looking at Bubba and the patrol car they didn't notice the bus parked to the side of the house ready to pick up Ol Shiloh.
Tish & Gomez entered the threshold where Ol Shiloh laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. His throat. Jesus, his throat. It was gone. They both were rocking back on their heels.
"We thought it was a big cat attack. It's not. Those bite marks on his throat? That's human not feline." Kennedy was an intelligent little bastard. Arrogant, condescending and holier-than-thou, but very intelligent. Not only would he inform all of the insubordinates around him about everything they didn't know? He'd do it with one hell of a cocky attitude. Ah, Kennedy, and his unsolicited lessons. Time to sit up and listen in class. ..
"When he opened the door? We thought it was an animal attack. Instead? He must've been attacked by humans. The bite marks definitely indicate human but the vicious nature of how deep the wounds went indicate something much more powerful. This was to his spinal cord." Kennedy didn't look like he knew-it-all. He looked perplexed.
"But how could a human bite that deep?" Gomez asked.
"I don't know. I honestly don't know." Kennedy was lost for the 1st time since becoming a paramedic 7 years ago. He'd never seen trauma of this caliber. He hadn't even seen this level of brutality and he'd rolled up on gang fights.
Don and Bubba were both on the front porch, looking in, mouths agape. Gomer & Goober indeed.
Kennedy loaded up Ol Shiloh's body with the assistance of a new EMT that Gomez was fairly certain Kennedy was banging. I mean, he was a total Chad so why wouldn't he?
Don put the camera away in the trunk of the patrol car. At least he had the presence of mind to get the pictures taken before emergency services hit the scene. This was going to rock Eerie, Indiana's foundation. Murder hadn't happened here in anyone's lifetime so this was a "big city" problem they weren't use to dealing with. Nosey people, scared kids, idiot media, this was not what Eerie needed right now. It certainly wasn't what he needed. He had enough of Allie putting out for anyone that would buy her a 6 pack or some cigarettes. Had he known he could've gotten off so cheaply? He sure as hell wouldn't have married her. Unfortunately, for his dumb ass? He actually fell in love with her. Why? He didn't know. Self esteem was never his strong suit. So? After dating 6 months, her only cheating 3 times, then getting pregnant with his baby? He made the perilous decision to try to make an honest woman out of her. Don sincerely doubted if Allie had ever been honest about anything in her life. Coincidentally? When they came back from their Honeymoon 2 weeks later? She'd miscarried. Well, she claimed she miscarried. Don never saw a pregnancy test nor would he have been 💯% sure the baby was his. He would've actually suspected the baby was not. Looking at all of it now, how did he not see it sooner?
"Get to those pics, ASAP Rocky, Don!" Gomez instructed. "Please, don't be an embarrassing Gen Xer who thinks he's so cool and up to date on all of the current lingo. They laugh at us only a little less than Boomers." Tish was still trying to get a handle on all of this and his Goofy antics weren't really in need right now.
The woods to the side of Ol Shiloh's place was the same as the woods to the back of Gomez & Tish's driveway. Eichhorst couldn't understand why his humans didn't acknowledge his bark. He never barked. He especially never barked at his humans. Why did they think he had? Didn't they see the kids in the woods? The little boy? The little girl? How could they not? As far away as the kids were? They smelled funny. He didn't understand. It was the same smell in the air that he sensed right before thunderstorms began and he hid under Gomez and Tish's bed. Humans don't smell like that. It's impossible to explain ozone to a German Shepherd.
The children watched as Ol Shiloh was loaded onto the ambulance and taken away. The couple were getting into their car and the deputies were already headed down the driveway.
"It has began." The dark-haired pale little girl spoke. "Indeed. It has. Let's see what Venerate has in store for the humans now." The boy replied and they headed towards town.
Eerie, Indiana was like any other Midwest, small town. You had your good ol boys & jerks. You had freaks and geeks. You had Bible thumpers and always humpers. Allie Hoff was the "always humpers" category. No one nor nothing could change that. The girl went through life bartering sex and blow jobs for anything she needed. It was a pitiful existence and she knew it. Unfortunately? She never learned and didn't know another way. With Eerie being so small? She was limited to the same "favor givers" over and over, again. Never any new blood. Never any fresh meat. It really stifled what few prospects she had. She looked up from where she was slumped over the bar, in her barstool, nursing a bottle of beer. She happened to look up to the front door. Who was that? She'd never seen him in here before. He was about 6'3" with dark wavy hair and ocean blue eyes. His skin was sun kissed and the muscles showcased the entire package. Wait. WTF? This dude doesn't belong here. Who the hell is he?
He appeared to glide and almost float towards her. He gestured to the empty bar stool next to her. "Is this seat taken?" He smiled with almost glowing white teeth. She locked up. Wait? He wants to sit next to me?
She just shook her head no because she was too shocked to speak. "Hi, I'm Vinny." He extended his hand and his gleaming smile never faltered. "Allie." She finally squeaked out. Guys like this didn't talk to girls like her. "Nice to meet you, Allie." Vinny swung around and attempted to get the bartender's attention. "I'll have a Jack & Coke. For the lady?" Vinny slyly smiled at Allie and she was entranced. "Same" was all Allie could say. He paid for their drinks and handed Allie hers. "I've never seen you before." Allie just finally came out with it. "No, I'm new to the area. You wouldn't have seen me around here." Vinny replied. "Oh? New from where?" Allie was trying to proceed with caution. She did not want to miss out on the opportunity that was this gorgeous specimen of a man. "You've never heard of it, trust me. No one ever has." Vinny still held his smile. "I'd still like to know." Allie returned a smile that was nowhere near as beautiful as Vinny's. "Maybe when we get to know each other better." Vinny conceded. "Oh? So we're going to be getting to know each other better, are we?" Allie coyly pressed. "If I have any say in it? Most definitely." Vinny winked. Damn. That boy was so fine she'd drink his bathwater if he peed in it. He was the perfect vision of the perfect man. It was as if he were tailor made just for Allie. How, though? How could she actually meet her real life Manic Pixie Dream boy? The one she'd dreamed about when she was a little girl. The one who laughed at everything she said. Listened attentively. The one who only had eyes for her no matter how many "rich bitch" girls were around. She'd treat him like a postage stamp. She'd lick every square inch of him and go back for 2nds on the important parts. "Allie, you strike me as a very straightforward girl." Vinny snapped her out of her daze. "I am. No bullshit." Allie replied. "Then? Allow me to be straightforward by telling you that I want to fuck you senseless." Vinny casually stated as if someone asked him for the time. "Well, that is certainly straightforward." Allie was stunned. She wasn't so stunned that she'd let an opportunity like this pass her by. She'd made up her mind that was going to happen as soon as she saw him. "And your answer?" Vinny inquired. "Anywhere. Any place. Any time Any day." Allie assured. With that? They stood from their barstools and headed outside. He even smelled good but not a typical smell. It was like the air at the beginning of a thunderstorm. He smelled like ozone. Ozone??? Was that even possible?
Gomez and Tish got home and plopped on the couch. Eichhorst came through the doggy door and trotted straight to Tish. "I've got leftovers, Piggy. Give me a sec." Tish opened her container from the restaurant. Eichhorst sat patiently waiting for his command.
"What a fuckin' day." Gomez exhaled exhaustedly. "Yeah. It has been. Poor Ol Shiloh. This is just too much." Tish's head continued to try to find rationality where there was one. "I'm getting in the shower and going to bed. You need anything?" Gomez slowly rose up from the couch, joints popping like a glow stick. "No. I'm probably gonna watch a movie and go to bed after." Tish answered. "Horror?" Gomez queried. "What else?" Tish smiled albeit a tired one. Eichhorst jumped up next to her on the couch and laid on her like a lap dog.
Vinny was walking Allie into their local little flop hotel room. It wasn't like she wasn't familiar with the place. The staff referred to her as "Frequent flier". She didn't particularly like the insensitive moniker but couldn't deny its accuracy, either. He closed the door behind them in one failed swoop. This was a practiced talent she noticed. Didn't matter. He was hers tonight.
"Make yourself comfortable." Vinny gestured to the only bed in the room. Allie took a seat. She looked up at him and noticed the ozone smell becoming stronger. Weird. He smelled good but she had never known someone to smell like a thunderstorm.
"I'm going to step into the bathroom for just a minute. I'll be right out." Vinny stepped into their adjacent bathroom. She heard loud music and laughter from somewhere down the hall but couldn't quite place where. It was for the best. Allie had always been, well, vocal. Normally? If a guy is hitting it right? She hit the vocal range of 2 stray cats screwing. She couldn't help it. She was like this every since puberty. It was all the girl thought about. She figured she was probably a nympho although she was never officially diagnosed. She couldn't hear what he was doing. It didn't matter. It wasn't going to affect her and what she was doing. She walked to the curtains and made sure they were completely closed. Although they were, why did she feel like she was being watched? She stripped down with the efficiency of a HazMat worker decontaminating. She heard the bathroom door opening. She kept her back turned so she could make the surprise last as long as possible. Was this the night? The night she could finally reach sexual satisfaction? Was this the dick that was going to change her life? There was a soft green glow coming from the bathroom. Must be a nightlight? She hadn't noticed before. Was it getting brighter? It looked like it was coming towards her. Was it Vinny? Maybe he's videoing me? Not like I'd care, but he could have asked. "Are you recording me?" She asked as she continued to look towards the window. His breathing was different. It seemed labored and, well, wet. It didn't sound like he did earlier, that was for sure. "You okay?" Allie asked. His breathing was raspier, louder, wetter. She decided to bail on her romantic idea of not turning around before he reached her. She turned around and her playful nature and smile fell away immediately.
Her brain couldn't process what her eyes were seeing. It couldn't be real. God knows along with banging any guy she could get her hands on, she used to hit hard drugs back in the day. This had to be a flashback. It had to be a "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" scenario. This? This "Mars Attacks!" bullshit right here? This is not reality.
It's bulbous head was transparent. It looked like a barrel eye fish that she saw on a nature show she used to blaze and chill to. That also explained the soft green glow. It sounded like and looked aquatic. That's where the wet sounds were coming from. It kept advancing. It had a white upper torso with arms and webbed fingers on each hand. What sent her over the edge? From the waist down? It was a human male. All the important parts and in working condition. How? She had no idea. But? When she meant working condition? It was working it's way right towards her. Wait, this thing is going to still have sex with me?! No. Absolutely not. "No. Stop." Allie feebly tried to resist. It did no good. Allie didn't know she was the reason he was even here. This was the whole gameplan all along. It was never a casual hook up.
Venerate had studied numerous different civilizations but Terrestrials always fascinated him. They were so primitive but also entertaining. The Alliance had tried many different hybrid trials between themselves and Terrestrials. They never made it out of infancy. There was a weakness that need strengthened in their own DNA to combine with humans. They worked on it until their resolution was Venerate himself. He has the best of what their kind has to offer with the malleable adaptivity to change himself into anything he needs to to be able to convince Terrestrials to trust him. It worked. Ol Shiloh thought Venerate was his deceased wife. Allie thought he was her dream man. He needs a human to impregnate. Beggars can't be choosers. It worked out perfectly. Allie took one look at his bulbous transparent head, his lower nontransparent stiff head and proceeded to pass out on the bed. It didn't matter. Venerate didn't need her awake to begin their hybrid breeding program. And? Begin the program he did. Everything was coming to fruition via the Alliance's vision. All of their hard work finally got them here. The pale, dark-haired children stood outside the hotel room window, peaking through the crack in the curtain. They were able to relay the mission a success with Venerate making first, second and third contact. Once the younglings come forth? The Alliance can begin occupation and what a glorious day that will truly be! Everything was going so perfectly. This just had to be fool proof. They walked off into the night, smiling so much those obsidian eyes even looked less demonic. This was the beginning of prosperity. This was the beginning of the end of humanity.
The Windows to the Soul: Allie's Assimilation
END

it can be any animal of any species that does not already communicate with humans in the way that humans communicate with humans. this includes house pets as well. nothing else inherently changes about their intelligence other than the fact that they can make the connection in their heads to access a phone and dial 911 to make a prank call.

I hate the way I look, I hate that I'm not skinny enough or fit enough to fit society's standards, but I'm also not so fat that people just say they're worried about my health. I'm in a healthy weight, but it looks disgusting. I have a terrible body type, my hips and thighs will always be full no matter how much I work out. And there's the thing - I don't work out, at all. I don't want to, I hate it so so much. I always try to go for it again and again and after a week I give up. I feel pathetic, I wish there was something I could do so I'll get immediate results. I can't even go on a diet since I have a history with eating disorders and the therapist said that it might make it come back. I just don't know what to do, I wish I was skinnier immediately. Does anyone have any advice? Maybe someone that went through the same thing?

Is that our Godzilla or a different member of his species being depicted fighting Shimu?
If so, then considering the fact that Shimu has remained completely dormant/inactive in the Hollow Earth up until this point, while Godzilla has clearly been very active, wouldn't that imply or suggest that, just like Scar King, Shimu too has fought and been defeated by Godzilla in the past?
If that actually is the case, how do you feel or what's your take on that? Personally, I don't really know how to feel. On the positive hand, the alleged "alliance" between Shimu and SK would make a lot more sense to me because now, not only do they both have a legitimate reason to go after Godzilla, but it'd also sort of explain why a Titan such as Shimu would be so open and willing to work together with, or "allow" Scar King to have control over him. Because I don't know about you guys, but it never made any sense to me for SK to somehow just be capable of controlling Shimu right out the gate. Maybe they're able to form a bond of sorts and relate to one another through the fact that they've been in the exact same boat for so long. Both defeated and subsequently trapped in the HE by the very same Titan. It would give a bit of depth to these two, which I would definitely like.
However, on the negative hand, I think it would lower the stakes significantly. The synopsis speaks of a colossal threat, that's what we've all been told and have been expecting, something that legitimately could be the end for both humanity and the Titans. If this truly is something that poses a threat that extreme, we should actually feel that way when we're watching the movie. If we already know that Godzilla can and actually already HAS defeated BOTH of the movie's villains on his own in the past, I believe that takes a lot of that feeling of impending doom we should be feeling away. Sure, these encounters would have taken place thousands of years ago and it's not absurd to assume that they've somehow become more powerful since then, but clearly so has Godzilla, and he has Kong on his side this time around too

It'd been a busy week. She'd practically begged the clock to go faster at work this afternoon, knowing full well she had the weekend off. Being a police dispatcher? You needed those "mental health breaks" that so many sing virtues about. It'd been a rough mental health week, for sure.
Tish recognized the number on the caller I.D. lt was Ol Shiloh. He'd been a paratrooper in Vietnam, and he came back stateside without so much of a scratch on him physically. Mentally? He saw "gooks" (Ol Shiloh's completely politically incorrect term for the Viet Cong as well as the eponymous Charlie) at the bottom of the basement stairs and in the shower waiting for him to enter the bathroom. As a little girl, Tish knew Ol Shiloh had a good heart but a feeble mind. His visual and auditory hallucinations made him the laughing stock of many of Eerie's child residents who pointed, snickered, and rolled their finger at the side of their temple, indicating he was crazier than a shithouse rat. Ol Shiloh sounded legitimately scared when he called, though. This was not an emotion Tish was familiar with. Nothing rattled Ol Shiloh even with his advanced case of post-traumatic stress disorder. He'd known Tish's parents, and? Oddities aside? Ol Shiloh was a good man. So? Speaking to him had never presented a challenge until today, and, Oh, what a challenge it was...
"Eerie 911. Will this be police, fire, or medical?" Tish had picked up on the 2nd ring. "Ginny? Ginny Lynn? Is that you? " The normally loquacious Shiloh queried. "Shiloh? Hey! Is everything okay?" Tish inquired. Tish was the nickname given to her by her boyfriend, Craig, who Ginny never called by that name. His nickname was Gomez. They were the local Halloween decorating contest champions and adored everything scary, thus the nicknames given to each: Gomez and Morticia from Addams family fame. "Naw, Ginny girl. Ain't okay at all." Ol Shiloh was not himself. "What's happening?" Tish's mounting concern was palpable. "Nothing right now. It was last night." Ol Shiloh spoke, barely above a whisper. Remaining ever so patient, Tish replied, "What happened last night, Shiloh? You don't sound like yourself, and it's worrying me." "Ginny, don't you worry your pretty lil head about me. Harry & Virginia did a fine job raising you. Guess it didn't take in your lil sister, considering she turned out to be the town doorknob. Everybody's had a turn at that girl." Granted, Ol Shiloh was never known to mince his words, but this was strong even for him. What was even worse? He wasn't wrong. Time to get him reigned back in. "Well, I don't think you called to talk to me about my sister's promiscuity. What's going on with you, Shiloh?" Tish was sensing his reluctance to just "spit it out. " It was as if he was having 2nd thoughts about placing the call to begin with. "I had visitors last night." Shiloh barely spoke above a whisper. "Visitors?" Tish queried. Ol Shiloh never had visitors. Hell, he'd been living all by himself every sense Rose died. His saintly wife was married to him 50 years, only a month before she passed away from a fatal heart attack. To say Ol Shiloh was lost? That was an understatement. Shiloh was nothing without Rose. He met her in August of 68, right after he came back stateside from Vietnam in May of that same year. It was love at 1st sight for Ol Shiloh, but Rose needed convincing. She mistakenly thought Shiloh was "a Mama's boy" because he worshipped the ground Rose walked on. He was not. He was simply in love for the 1st and last time. Tish was really surprised with how well Ol Shiloh was able to pull through the 2nd roughest time in his life with the aid of Eerie's townsfolk. And? As Elton John famously quoted? When it comes to Ol Shiloh? I'm still standing. This? This was different. This was not the Shiloh she'd known for the last 53 years of her life. "Ginny, they were kids. Well, they looked like kids, but..." Ol Shiloh trailed off. He shut down again. "Looked like kids? What made you think they weren't kids, Shiloh?" Tish was nervous and ancy. This felt wrong. Something was off. "There were 2 of them. A boy, dark hair, pale skin, and probably about 12 years old. He had a lil girl with him about 7, also dark hair & pale skin." Shiloh was intrepid. Tish quietly listened as Gomez and some of the other deputies were laughing in the office behind her. She gave them a scornful look, and the guys piped down. "They'd knocked at my front door about an hour after the sun went down. I didn't have the porch light on. The screen door was shut and locked, but the wooden door was open. I turned the porch light on so I could see them better. They were both looking down at their feet. The boy whispered something but I couldn't hear, so I asked him to speak up," Shiloh let the flood gates burst forward. "Sir? May we use your phone? We've gotten lost and are scared. We need to call our mother. Please, let us in." The dark-haired boy requested. "I've not seen you kids around here before in my life. Who's your parents?" Shiloh knew everyone in Eerie, Indiana, but he'd never seen these odd looking kids. "Sir? Please, let us in. We need to call our mother. She'll be so worried." The dark-haired boy practically recited word for word what he'd already previously said, which really riled Shiloh up. "Boy, you deaf?", I asked, "Who's your folks?" Shiloh continued to give Tish the play by play. "Sir? Please. We are cold. We are hungry and we are scared. Please, let us in." The dark-haired boy sounded rehearsed and mechanical. "NO! There's something not right here." Ol Shiloh didn't survive a hot tour in the jungle because he didn't have good instincts. "Sir, please, if you could just let us in." The little dark-haired girl then chimed in. Ol Shiloh knew instinctively not to trust these 2 but found himself being drawn to them paradoxically. His hand reached for the storm door to open it even though every fiber in his being told him not to. "What the hell are you kids cause you ain't human?!" Ol Shiloh was more nervous now than when he was a tunnel rat. Both children looked up and to Shiloh simultaneously. What he saw scared him worse than any night he'd spent in jungle. Their eyes were black, not just the pupil. The Iris, cornea, and pupil were all black but not just any black. The deepest black, pure obsidian. The answers to all of the galaxy's most burning questions were in those pitch black bottomless depth eyes. "Shiloh Svengaard, let us IN!" both children stared into Shiloh's pale milky blue eyes as he stared back into their black ones. "NO. NO, NOW GO AWAY!" Shiloh slammed the wooden door and locked it. He watched as the black eyed children walked to the end of his driveway and onto James Dean Boulevard. They went off into the night and Ol Shiloh didn't see them anymore. "So, you thought they'd return?" Tish was a tad overwhelmed. Ol Shiloh had audio and visual hallucinations but it was always fellow soldiers, the Viet Cong or the North Vietnamese Army. It sure as hell wasn't black eyed tweens. "Ginny girl, I don't think they'll return. I know it. They're coming for me. I know they are." Delusions of persecution certainly isn't anything new to Tish when it came to Ol Shiloh but this was different. Shiloh was full of doubt and self defeat. Never in his life had Ol Shiloh backed down from a fight. This? This was uncharted territory. "Want Don to swing by on patrol tonight? Craig and I are having a lil evening out so he won't be on. Don would be glad to do it, Shiloh. Really." Comforting and reassuring Ol Shiloh was Tish's main concern at the moment. "Yeah, Ginny Girl. Have Don cruise by my place if he would. Maybe a patrol car will keep these evil fucking little bastards away from me and my house. Best part of those lil sons a bitches dripped down their Mama's leg when she was getting pregnant with 'em!" Ol Shiloh always had a way with words. "Okay. I'll tell him but remember to use the non emergency line next time, Shiloh. Can't tie 911 up with non emergent calls." Tish gently scolded. "Fuck that non emergency number, Ginny girl! It prompts me to press 1 for English and 2 for the ESPENOIL (pronounced ESPN OIL) and bullshit! I just call 911 and get ahold of you!" Shiloh wasn't about to call an automated line. That just wasn't how he did things. Tish was the one that could handle his problems. She was the good sister. "Okay, okay, Shiloh. I'll tell Don. You just take it from me. Rose wouldn't want to see you like this." Tish was truly concerned. "Ginny girl, my Rosie can't see anything anymore." And with that? He hung up the phone. The guys were still hanging out in the office, albeit much quieter. "Sorry 'bout that. We didn't know you were on the phone. We wouldn't have been telling jokes if we knew you were on the phone." Gomez sheepishly looked down at the table where he was seated with 2 other deputies, Don & Bubba. "It wouldn't have mattered. Ol Shiloh was ranting so much he didn't even hear you guys." Tish dismissed. "Ol Shiloh? What put a hair across his ass?" Don asked. "He said 2 kids came by last night about an hour after dark, wanting to be let in the house. He was uncharacteristically afraid. He said they just kept repeating to let them in so they could call their mother. He felt something was off, something wasn't right." Tish trailed off. "Kids? Whose kids?" Gomez spoke up. "He didn't know. He even asked the kids who their parents were but they just kept asking to come in the house." Tish replied. "Anyway, he said when he really got scared was when both kids looked up at him and their eyes were black. Their eyes were completely black." Tish kept relaying everything Ol Shiloh told her. Gomez, Don & Bubba looked at her as if she'd grown a 2nd head. "I'm just telling you what he said." Tish defended. "When he saw those black eyes? He panicked, slammed and locked the wooden door and told them to go away. They did." Tish finished. "So what does Lt. Dan want us to do with a couple of kids with colored contacts pranking the local crazy Vietnam Vet?" Don sighed. "I offered for you to swing by his place on patrol tonight. He was pleased with that." Tish informed. "FFS. Fine. Bubba and I can swing by a few times tonight as long as it shuts that old crazy bastard up." Don resigned to his fate. "You know, Don? No one will ever accuse you of being too caring." Tish just rolled her eyes. "BTW? What was the joke you guys were laughing at?" Tish suddenly remembered. "There was a young Indian warrior who asked the tribe's chief one day how he decided on all of the babies' names when they were born since he was given the honor of naming all of the children"... Bubba began. "He said, "My son, if there is an eagle flying over when a child is being born? I call that child Eagle Flying Over. If there is snow gently falling when a child is being born? I call that child Snow Gently Falling, but tell me, Two Dogs Fucking, why do you ask?" Bubba finished to a 2nd round of uproarious laughter. "For Christ's sake, Bubba. You ain't got a lick of sense!" Gomez wiped a tear of laughter from his eye and proceeded to leave he and Don in charge while he and Tish left for the day.
They got into the SUV and headed towards the Blue Bayou Creole restaurant. Most quaint and quirky hometowns have that one little restaurant everyone loves. The Blue Bayou was Eerie, Indiana's version. The seafood buffet on Friday nights were always a hit. As much as Tish & Gomez were home bodies? They did enjoy an occasional night at the Blue Bayou.
Bubba and Don drank coffee and told more dirty jokes. Swinging by Ol Shiloh's place a few times tonight will help break up the monotony. Poor ol bastard didn't mean any harm. He was just messed up in the head. Kids with all black eyes? What the hell was that all about, anyway?
Ol Shiloh really wanted to believe Tish. He really did. He knew, deep down inside, if Ginny, Craig and the boys at Eerie PD couldn't help him? No one could. Well, he has his shot gun on the rack, but who would threaten to shoot children? He saw enough of that shit cleaning out villages of their denizens back in jungle. He never intended to live that kind of hell, again. Strange looking kids or not, they still at least looked like kids. He just couldn't bring himself to shoot a child.
He was nodding off in his recliner. The sun was dipping below the horizon.
Tish & Gomez sat and ate and caught up with the day's activities. "Ol Shiloh was really that scared, huh?" Gomez asked Tish in a low voice so others couldn't overhear. "Yeah. Yeah, he was. It was unsettling." Tish was clearly still bothered. "I'll remind Don later on tonight when I check in, I promise." Gomez reassured. "Please, do. I've never heard fear in his voice before. It's really got me shook." Tish slowly relaxed and let the stress melt away as she took another spoonful of gumbo. "Consider it done." Gomez smiled and began eating as well.
Was it a knock? He couldn't be sure. The house was dark but Shiloh knew his own home. He slowly got up from the recliner and proceeded to the door. Could it be? He hoped not. Even as much as he knew those little demons were going to return? He had really hoped he'd be wrong. One quick look through the glass of the wooden door proved he was not. There they were: same dark-haired pale boy and girl but there was something different this time. There was a 3rd party out there but the darkness prevented him from making out who it was. This 3rd party was taller and bigger, clearly an adult but that was the only clear thing.
"Please, Shiloh, let us in. We're cold. We're hungry. Our mother is worried." Both children said in unison. The 3rd party waited in the wings. "I don't know you little mother fuckers so how did you know my name?" Shiloh raged. He was still scared but more angry now.
"Rosie told us." Both children simultaneously chirped happily.
Wait, what? Rosie? Rosie as in my Rosie? The Rosie I cruelly lost just 4 January's ago? "ROSIE? What the hell you mean Rosie?" Ol Shiloh thought that he'd lost what little mind he had left. Just then? Something happened that flipped Ol Shiloh's world upside down.
"Shiloh Shenandoah? Is that you, my love?" Rosie. It was Rosie. Bigger than shit, it was his beloved wife of over 50 years. How, though? It couldn't be. He saw her on the slab in the morgue when he had to identify her. It couldn't be. She was 4 years in the ground! Yet, there she stood behind the black eyed children looking at him with the same set of obsidian black eyes.
"Rosie? That can't be you. You died a month after our 50th wedding anniversary! You've been gone 4 years!" Ol Shiloh's mind was reeling and he didn't know what to do.
"Don't you love me, anymore, my dear? I thought you'd be so happy to see me." Rosie smiled a smile that would have otherwise been beautiful if it weren't sitting below 2 pitch black eyes.
"Don't ask silly questions, Rosie. You're the only one for me. You always have been. You always will be." Shiloh was opening the screen door. The dark-haired pale children grabbed the storm door from the other side and pulled, Rosie with her sinister grin and black eyes moved forward.
"Let us in, Shiloh." The children and Rosie crossed the threshold and, immediately afterwards? Shiloh let out a scream coming from the death throws. As painful as it was? At least the ripping out of his throat by the children's mouths was, mercifully, quick.
"Bubba! You are one redneck, peckerwood cracker!" Don rolled his eyes as he drove along at a steady pace patrolling. "You know I'm right! You just don't want to admit it!" Bubba was getting equally irritated with Don in his response. Don's wife, Allison, was, indeed, Tish's little sister. She was also "the town doorknob" as Old Shiloh not so eloquently called her. She was well known to everyone as Eerie's town slut even though she married Don 10 years ago. Guess it's true what the song says, you can't turn a ho into a housewife.
"Dude, I know you love her but she's always gonna be the town whore, Man" Bubba tried backpedaling at least some.
"Will you shut up? Will you just shut the fuck up? I'm tired of hearing this shit!" Don lost it and blew up on Bubba. Bubba, in turn, shut down and stopped speaking.
They rolled onto James Dean Boulevard and proceeded to Ol Shiloh's place. It was dark, lonely and isolated. Shiloh was never one for neighbors, but something seemed even more off. Something just didn't seem right. Isn't that what Tish described earlier when Shiloh spoke to her on the phone? She said she heard fear. They'd never known Ol Shiloh to be fearful. Today? All of that changed.
Don & Bubba slowly crept up Shiloh's long driveway. Don tried rolling the spotlight on the cruiser up onto Shiloh's front porch. It was still a weak beam of light but was getting brighter. "What the fuck?" Don hit the brakes. "What is it?" Bubba looked at Don like he was absolutely crazy. "The door is open. Actually? Both of them are." Don shone the spotlight onto the open screen and wooden doors. They could tell both doors were open but could see nothing else due to the darkness.
"I don't like this, Bubba." Don was intrepid and softly pressed on the accelerator.
"Don, should we call Tish & Gomez? I mean, I know it's their night out but..." Bubba trailed off.
They sat in the driveway next to Ol Shiloh's porch. Other than both front doors being open? They couldn't see a thing.
Don and Bubba slowly approached the porch, guns drawn. It was dark but something was lying just inside the open front doors. As they advanced? It was boots. Jump boots that had a high polish shine. Those boots were connected to legs. Shiloh's legs.
"Jesus Christ, call for a bus!" Don yelled for Bubba to radio in for an ambulance.
Shiloh laid at the entrance to his home, flat on his back, staring with dead cold wide open eyes straight to and through the ceiling. A look of abject horror plastered all over his face. His throat was ripped out almost to his spinal cord.
"Oh, God, I'm gonna puke!" Bubba ran back outside where the evening's coffee went all over the sidewalk.
"Call the coroner, too. This is gonna be a God damn circus!" Don didn't attempt to get a pulse considering Shiloh's carotid arteries and jugular veins had been viciously ripped out.
Bubba wiped his mouth and started calling all of the necessary people. Don stood next to Shiloh with his hands holding his head in disbelief.
"Our 1st kill was a success." The dark-haired pale boy said to the creature that looked like Rosie.
"It was this time. We must improve. We must refine. If we don't evolve? We wither and die. What would the point be to just stop at the 1st kill? The colony could never advance if we never pursued other avenues to further our agenda." The creature that looked like Rosie opined.
The dark-haired pale boy and girl nodded in sync with everything the creature that looked like Rosie said. Is this how their occupation of Terra was really going to commence? Given everything the Alliance taught them? They thought the humans would be more violent and aggressive. Perhaps? The distant study of the Terrestrials proved incorrect in practice in comparison to theory. Perhaps the Terrestrials will gladly cease resistance when they realize just how futile it will be.
PART 1: The Windows to the Soul: Shiloh's final battle END

A like 7m+ titan just has the human sitting in the nape. But there’s no way a human fits inside the nape a tiny titan like the one that tried to kill Sasha.

I'm absolutely ecstatic about the sequel of my favourite game ever coming out, and I loved Road to Genehha just as much as the base game, it's just so beautiful and I loved all the thoughts on imprisonment and community building and The City and everything!! And the pyramid of IAN is actually mentioned more than once there, so I'm very convinced that it's the pyramid from the trailer.
What I'm saying, do you think we'll see the familiar bots again, the ones Uriel has saved? The game usually views humanity in a very evolutionary way that spans its whole history, so it would be logical if we saw the new civilization a thousand years after it was founded, but who knows how long their lifespans are? It would be so nice to see or hear something about the beloved Gehenna crew.
What I've always wanted to see in media is robots building their own society that's not based on masquerading as humans and The Talos Principle is the one game I trust to do it right.
By the way, do you think the Milton ending is canon? Maybe he became the Human History Museum guide!

I just don't understand all those people who weep about their inability to establish social contacts. I understand that human is a biosocial being and all but if you take a minute (in my case it took a couple years) to think about it it appears that necessity of regular social interaction is forced onto us from our very childhood. I find it quite dumb to depend on others. Afterall our society is based on rivalry. Just like ecosystems. If you want to make a living you need money. Most common way to earn money is work. If you got a job it means that you was better than other applicants. The thing is that you can easily find yourself in a bad situation. And no one will care. People have their well-being as their main concern. They will abandon you or exploit you for their own benefit. You just have to accept it and move on. And life became a lot easier for me once I abandoned my futile attempts to find friends or even love. I just stopped caring about others, just like most of the rest. All humans are selfish. Someone just good at supressing it. Don't be stuck in your own head because life has a lot more to offer than bunch of traitors and deceivers.

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It’s pride month and I have been trying to become more involved in the community as of late. Trying to put myself back out into the world after my previous relationship of 7 and a half years ended pretty abruptly. I just was looking for a sense of belonging and community and decided to go to a pride crafts market to just…see what it was like. It sounded pretty rad. 100+ artists and vendors in a pretty large event center in my city.
It felt like a more noncommittal way to acknowledge, at least to myself, my identity. I’ve always struggled with self-loathing and self-hate because of my sexuality. I never felt like I belonged anywhere. Never felt like I could relate to my peers when it came to love and romance. When my relationship ended in part because of my sexuality, like how I knew all along it would, it’s just rekindled these feelings perhaps tenfold. I just wanted to not feel like a broken outcast for once. So I went to the market.
Honestly, the market was beautiful and amazing and such a wonderful celebration of the community. The energy in the room was vivacious. Music pumping throughout the hall along with background murmur of hundreds of voices. Streams of people wandering rows of booths all bedecked with bright artwork and eclectic goods. I wandered, alone, through the throngs of people searching for something…anything with the flag’s colors. Black, grey, white, purple. I scanned the room twice over. Stopped by every stall. 100s of artists. Pride flags for just about everyone. Rainbow candles and decorative tapestries of pinks and oranges…soaps in the shape of our state in white, pink, and blue… pins. bandanas. feather jackets. lingerie. cookies. I just wanted something.
One sticker. It felt pathetic. Embarrassing. Or, maybe, I was embarrassed. Ashamed. I didn’t buy it. And I get it. You can choose whether or not to tack on a A at the end of the rest of the alphabet soup if you feel like it. It’s optional. Certainly not profitable. Like… we’re maybe one percent of the population, and who knows if any of that one percent is going to show up and buy a $1 sticker. It wasn’t going to be me. I felt guilty enough to be there in the first place. I felt naked and alone and at any moment someone was going to see me with a pathetic little sticker in my hand and say “you don’t belong here.”
And I know the problem is me. In my head. I know it’s ME. If I ask any of my queer friends they’ll say that I belong and am valid but I DON’T feel that way. I look at the stupid $1 target section flag on my desk and I feel ashamed for having to hide it when my family visits. When friends visit. When am I going to stop being ashamed to be me?
I went home and googled a list of asexual characters. I wanted to see the part of myself I hate in something positive. Some story of someone like me. The Wikipedia page is not long after you weed out the nonhuman and minor background characters. I mean, I guess that’s how most people probably see us? A nonhuman, inconsequential “other.” Not really worthy of our own story, not really allowed to discuss publicly this part of ourselves, just sort of speculative projection on a character that’s shaped like a sponge? Or a platypus? Or some sort of demon thing… Or when there’s an actual human, they’re usually the butt of the joke? Like haha asexual? How weird! Haha
There are thousands of ways for you to imagine your life when you’re straight. Media can show you a million different love stories and ways of life just being you. Hundreds, when you’re gay. When you’re asexual, you have to be creative. Try to imagine what your life could be like since you’re not a sponge, or a detective platypus, or a fucking superhero in a comic book. I don’t need representation to live the life the way I want, but it hurts so much that I can’t just turn if the tv and see asexual people being happy with their identity in some mundane slice-of-life sitcom.
I thought I had exhausted the Wikipedia list but discovered Koisenu Futari. My eyes are so swollen from crying but for the first time ever….I see myself, my struggles in someone on the screen. And they thrive! They find their own way of living life as who they are and they are all happy. For the first time… I feel that maybe I can find my happiness and my own family too. Someday. I don’t need a sticker for that.

Hey guys,
This is just a post to vent about the situation I'm currently involved in. First year teaching for me, it's been an hell of a ride. With ups and downs and everything inherent to the profession.
For more context, I'm a french history and geography teacher, I've been teaching mostly in HS this year and it's been great with the kids and colleagues. I love my job.
However, this May, I haven't been paid. The human resources department isn't of much help, they told me it was a perfectly normal phenomenon and I should expect my salary to be paid around the last days of June.
This situation puts me at financial risk, I can't pay my rent, can't put gas in my motorcycle to get to school and can't put food on the table. I already reached to an union and I'm waiting for their advice.
To be honest I feel like crap, I don't know if I can do this anymore. My sanity has never been so low, I've still got mountains of papers to grade because the school year ends next week, but I don't have any motivation to do so. The only thing I still care about are the kids, I'll do my job for them but I'm on the verge of breaking down.
Thanks for reading me, i hope your schoolyear ended smoothly or that your summer break is going great

Hey there! We're on the lookout for a talented 2D artist who can create awesome character sheets as references for our flat shaded 3D character models. Our game is an RPG set in a magical and medieval world with a strong emphasis on storytelling, creating a more serious tone.
As an artist for our game, you will be responsible for designing both human and demi-human characters, showcasing Renaissance-style attire with a touch of fantasy. We encourage you to let your imagination soar and conceive unique and captivating characters within this thematic framework.
Just a heads up: this project will involve a good amount of NSFW content. However, please note that explicit material is not required or expected from you as an artist. We want you to be aware of this aspect, particularly if you plan on referencing this project in any way.
For starters, we need you to create two character sheets featuring front and back views.
This is a long-term gig with recurring work and no strict deadlines. You can work at your own pace and fit it into your schedule.
If you're interested in this opportunity, please share a link to your portfolio so we can check out your relevant anime art styles and any previous character design experience you've got. If you happen to have experience with stylized VFX, that's a big plus! It would also be super helpful if you could give us an estimated cost for creating a character sheet.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and we look forward to potentially collaborating with you!

Hey Stepparents,
If you've been here for awhile, you are aware of the existence of Saferbot on our sub. If you aren't aware, we break it down in the wiki. Take a moment to review it!

What the Bot Does

Saferbot is a history ban bot. It bans users who participate in known troublesome subs that have a history of harassing users here and brigading our posts.

How it Works

Saferbot monitors the other subs and immediately bans anyone who comments there. Please note, human beings are not doing the banning. We have neither the time, nor inclination, to monitor other subs. Saferbot runs on its own with only instructions from us on what subs to add to its list.

Why We Use It

We intend for this sub to be a safe space for stepparents to discuss their issues and struggles without being told they are literally The Worst for existing. Sometimes we experience jealousy, resentment, and other not pretty feelings. We have a right to express them in a healthy way without a bunch of assholes scolding us for being human. And unfortunately, the subs we've had to add to the ban list have a history of users strolling in here giving people grief for being a flawed human being with feelings they are trying to sort through.
The mod team does not take these decisions lightly and we often let things ride for a bit before taking drastic actions. But seeing users repeatedly delete their accounts after being harassed, or having to clean up increasingly rude and hostile comment chains from people who literally have no idea what your life is actually like, has prompted us to take action.

Notes

Meta posts asking about this will be removed. Comments about this, other than those on this thread discussing the issue, will be removed. Vile mod mail will be reported to Reddit.
Please do not link to the subs mentioned in the wiki. They are linked for transparency and we don't care to have ongoing discussions about them.

How to Appeal

If you are a stepparent and you've been caught up in the ban, and you want the support that this community offers, reach out to the mod team. If you can show us where on reddit you are discussing being a stepparent, we'll do our best to work with you. To be perfectly clear, if you aren't a stepparent, or we review and see we've had to remove comments from you in the past, we are probably not going to lift the ban.
Reply to the ban message and let us know that you'd like to appeal. Include link(s) to any unedited posts or comments that you made prior to the ban indicating that you are a stepparent. The posts or comments do not have to be on this sub specifically, but show us where you have indicated that you are a stepparent somewhere on reddit prior to being banned. This will save us time and eliminate the need for a mod to attempt to scour your post history.

Reading this I was reminding of the kind of language used decades ago when ignorant people used to confuse pedophilia and homosexuality and get away with it.
And here we are in 2023 with a uk govt reviewer of terrorism laws publicly wondering how to protect society from neurodivergent people!
The paragraph "The government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation admitted he was increasingly concerned by the scope for artificial intelligence chatbots to persuade vulnerable or neurodivergent individuals to launch terrorist attacks."
The full article : https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jun/04/ai-poses-national-security-threat-warns-terror-watchdog