• 56 Posts
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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 11th, 2023

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  • Our guns were no match for their energy weapons. They disintegrated anyone who got in their way.

    We weren’t sure if they didn’t understand us or they just didn’t care.

    We tried to offer them resources but they disintegrated those as well.

    The only thing we knew for sure was that we needed to keep running in order to survive their invasion.

    We thought we would be safe in the caves, but their energy weapons made quick work of our cavernous shelter.

    I was in the back with my pistol, ready to defend the children, when they broke through the last defenders.

    I spent the entire magazine, but nothing could pierce their armor.

    I threw my gun at them uselessly, resigned to my inevitable fate.

    One of them stepped forward, extending a clawed tentacle. The small object at the end of its appendage squawked to life.

    “You…are…John…Berrington… confirm.”

    I glanced at my wife as her eyes went wide.

    They could speak our language.

    I nodded my head.

    “Confirm!” The volume got louder.

    They didn’t know what a nod meant.

    “I confirm,” I said. “I am John Berrington.”

    The silence hung in the air as I waited to be blasted to atoms, but it squawked again.

    “We…have…been…trying…to reach you…about your…planet’s extended warranty.”


  • Mechanismatic@lemmy.mlOPMtoCrows@lemmy.mlCorvid art
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    2 months ago

    It does take a commitment because they have good memories so if they get used to you feeding them, they’ll continue to expect it and they train their younger generations to recognize you. That means having consistent sources of food for them and feeling guilty when you forget to bring crow treats with you when you’re outside. They might also start to follow anyone who they see you with, expecting that they too will have treats.

    That said, it’s great to have crow friends. They follow me around the neighborhood and at work. It makes me feel like a druid with animal familiars. I’ve had crows swoop and squawk at a dog that was barking at me and my dog. The crows left me a stone in the bird bath that they use in my yard.











  • Mechanismatic@lemmy.mltome_irl@lemmy.worldme_irl
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    3 months ago

    When I was a teenager, I felt like 40+ was so old that your life was pretty much over and not worth living, but I’ve done so much self-actualization since my mid-30s that I’m still unlocking many of the things I hadn’t previously thought I could do, like find a job I actually love, create stuff I’m proud of and have gotten positive feedback on, getting recognized for my skills and interests, etc. It’s unfortunate that it can take a while to get around to doing some worthwhile stuff, but it’s better now than later, regardless of what age you are. Thinking there wasn’t much more after 40 was just a limitation of perspective on my part.


  • Mechanismatic@lemmy.mltome_irl@lemmy.worldme_irl
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    3 months ago

    35-40 You realize you’ve spent so much time trying to level up that you haven’t done any of the fun quests and crafting you really wanted to do, so you start focusing on those.

    40-45 You look around and realize you’ve somehow managed to accrue skills and experience and loot and feel cringingly compelled to give advice to other players who are newer to the game. “When I was your level…”