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Hey all! I’ve been going at this low-UPF thing now for a short while, and I thought I might share some ideas of items that have helped me immensely if you’re just starting out. These are just what work for me, so take everything with a pinch of salt!
1. A Freezer and Freezer Bags
This is probably the most important thing when it comes to actually being able to eat low-UPF while juggling work/school/life. Of course, almost everyone has a freezer, but keeping it in order and stocked with batch cooked meals removes the need for either constant cooking or the kind of preservatives found in UPF which allow the convenience to which we have become accustomed. I have a tiny freezer, so freezer bags have been much better for me than Tupperware at maximising space. If you’re eating low-UPF you’re likely using less plastic anyway, so don’t worry about it too much.
2. Good fridge storage
You’re going to be buying a bunch more fresh fruit and veg, as well as other fresh produce. Storing this well will elongate its life in your fridge, reducing both food waste and cost. Try storing food in containers with kitchen paper and a little water, which can keep food from drying out. This works particularly well for herbs. I like the IKEA 365 range as it’s versatile and will always be available if I need replacements.
3. A good flatbread recipe
I do buy and freeze a loaf of fresh bread from GAIL’s (UK non-UPF bakery) which lasts me about a month honestly. But I’m making flatbreads once a week at least. They’re delicious, they’re filling, they’re hard to find without UPF ingredients, they’re easy, they freeze well, and they make using leftovers easy as they work as wraps. Truly learning to make flatbreads has added value to my life. My husband loves them!
4. A stocked spice cabinet
A LOT of shop-bought sauces and condiments contain UPF. Pre-made marinades and stir-fry sauces are really hard to find too. I’ve been making my own dressings and marinades a BUNCH! Having adequate, delicious spices to hand has been amazingly important. My favourites for a quick easy meal are almost all Middle Eastern: I just find they can make any veg or meat or leftover rice taste good, especially with a little yoghurt and some parsley/mint thrown in. Ras El Hanout, Za’atar, sumac, Baharat, Shwarma spice mix, etc. Go to Indian/Middle Eastern shops to get these at reasonable prices. I mount my spices to the wall which helps with accessibility.
5. A well laid-out kitchen
This seems obvious, but you’re just not going to want to cook in a messy, confused, cluttered kitchen. Try to eradicate gadgets and utensils you just don’t use. Eating low-UPF means a loss of convenience, so you want to make cooking as convenient and easy as possible. Get a dishwasher if you can - you’re going to have more washing up than before. As I said, I mount my spices to the wall and keep NOVA 2 ingredients closely at hand and organised so that I can just cobble something together in 15/20 minutes.
6 - bags of snacks ready to go
For me, this means I keep a few freezer bags of cubed cheese, apple or pear slices and non-UPF crackers in the fridge and just throw one in my bag when I’m heading out. This means I have something to snack on and don’t have to resort to UPF snack options. Other great options are fruit leather (Bear brand in the UK - meant for kids but delightful and compact), nuts, berries, carrots and hummus, chocolate covered raisins/cranberries, veg crisps, etc. just keep them ready to go or you will find yourself hungry or munching on UPF crisps or something.
7 - cordials
One of the hardest things when eating low-UPF is drinks. I was so used to drinking diet sodas it was unreal. Having to suddenly stop and drink just water was sad. I keep a good amount of fresh cordials in my cupboard and add them to soda-stream water. You can also freeze lemon/mint/cordials in ice cubes which I’m told helps. I’m drinking more water than I ever did but it helps to be able to change it up.
8 - tinned fresh foods
Self explanatory really. It’s quick, easy, often has higher nutrient content to the fresh stuff, and allows quick food prep. They shouldn’t contain anything but fresh produce. Tinned tomatoes/passata are a must, and legumes like chickpeas etc are so helpful. Also great for making fresh hummus easily. I adore tinned fish. Cheap, delicious, and non-UPF. Check out cannedsardines for inspo.
9- Air Fryer
Not to be an air-fryer evangelist, but air fryers are fantastic. You can whip up crispy chips or chicken wings in a few minutes so no need for pre-made stuff. Really replaces the convenience that UPF offers. My favourites are crispy sweet potato bites, salmon bits, halloumi bites, potatoes in general, hard boiled eggs (!). I bought mine for £80 and it’s already paid for itself in reduced energy bills from oven usage.
10 - the right mentality
You’re probably not going to be able to 100% eradicate UPF from your diet if you have things to do other than cook, clean up and cook again. That’s ok. Things happen. Birthdays happen. Weddings happen. Nights out happen. Chocolate boxes at your gran’s. A drizzle of sriacha at a restaurant. A hangover. A summer’s day when you just need an ice cream.
UPF is bad for us all and it’s bad on a population level. It’s the single greatest factor contributing to obesity as far as I can tell. We have to be pushing for change and better labelling and policy and education and all the rest of it. But we live in a UPF world. It’s just not tenable for most of us to completely eradicate it. We CAN change our pattern of eating - the 95% of what we take in, to be low-UPF. I’ve done that, and I’m much better off for it. I’ve lost 30lbs without even trying, I have more energy and my relationship with food has never been better. I love cooking, I love eating, I love food and I just want to celebrate it more and love it for what it actually is - not imitation versions sold to me my multi-nationals. I also know I’m not going to be perfect, and that’s OK too. I want to live and eat with joy and freedom too, and I don’t want orthorexia or worse. Be kind to yourself!
I hope my tips help someone. I really have found eating this way to make so much sense to me. I hope it brings you the same joy too.

I see this all the time lately where some rich guru or marketing genius offers advice on how to easily become rich. Having worked directly with a lot of these types of people, they are almost ALWAYS either selling you a service OR they are trying to influence one of your habits.
For example, a certain "billionaire" was recently telling people that buying a house instead of renting is super stupid (the reasons he gave were also dumb as hell). BUT if you look into his businesses, he owns a ton of rental properties...so yeah, of course he would say that so that the likelihood that you rent from him increases / rental prices go up (simplified of course).
Same goes for those marketing or ecom geniuses. Typically, it's them selling their course on how to set up a site in an already oversaturated market and what may have worked for them before all those people followed suit. This also benefits them with assisted conversions as search terms will most likely point to their site rather than the one you just built and may be spending money on to drive traffic. Had this when I worked with a company that had a license to sell Oakley. Initially Oakley didn't care how they sold, so the company ended up buying $millions in inventory and then Oakley (Lexotica) decided to strictly enforce their MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) restrictions that meant anytime the new company spent money trying to sell Oakley's, most people would see the same price on the Oakley store and buy direct (again, simplified, but you get the idea).
So again, always, ALWAYS ask yourself why someone would be "freely" giving you this advice. There are certainly good people out there that honestly are trying to help you out, they are just more on the rare side.

Hi all, long time follower, first time poster.
As the title says, I (33F) embarrassed my friend (23F) at a weekly event that's LGBT+ friendly/safe space and she hasn't spoken to me in two weeks. Which is tough, considering she lives in an apartment above mine.
To preface, we been friends for the past couple years. I know she has anxiety about going to restaurants or asking employees where things are in stores and generally cares A LOT about what people think of her. I, however, didn't think that it really applied to this situation.
So we're at this event, there is an area for the activity and an area for people to chill, have a drink and keep your bags. She told me she was feeling off because her an her SO were fighting. She was sitting down taking a break and I joined her and she told me, quietly, "I just ate shit out there and I swear I almost shit myself!" I replied, in my speaking voice, "What, did your SO use the back door? Is that why you two aren't getting along right now?". She got flustered and said I didn't have to scream it, I apologized and said I just spoke, I didn't scream, but really, if there's an issue, the place across the street has bathrooms." She huffed and I apologized again and left to return to the activity.
When I came back about 10-15 minutes later to gather my things, she came back from an area she likes to go and started packing her things. I asked her how she was doing- no reply. I asked her what's going on, what's wrong- no reply and she got up and left. Our mutual friend we were with told she said she had a short fuse and was going to have her SO pick her up.
I figured she would cool down and we could talk when I inevitably see her, but she avoided looking at me and has been treating me like I don't exist.
I texted her an apology a few days ago and was left on read.
A friend saw her last night and was told that she felt her boundaries had been crossed, she was so embarrassed she feels like she can't go back to the event, and I should know better since I've known her for two years.
My take is that while I feel bad and am sorry for embarrassing her, no one listens to other people's conversations at this place, no one cares or would connect what was being said anyway, and she should get over it. Or at least have a conversation with me like an adult.
She said I have crossed these boundaries in the past, and I can think of one occasion where I may have been insensitive, but either way this felt different, especially because she talks about her sex life to the point that I know way too much about it, this wasn't the same kind of 'public space' like a place of business, and I wasn't talking to or interacting other people. I also don't feel like she made it clear to me that it is a boundary for her to not be embarrassed.
But maybe I'm being an insensitive jerk and deserve this silent treatment.
So? AITH?

We recently moved to SW Washington and have a rather small lawn in our backyard. It’s about 800 sq/ft, and the previous owner did not take care of it at all.
It’s going to be a bit of a project to get it back in shape and I feel like I’ve missed my window to be aggressive with it this season. The thatch is really thick and needs to be addressed.
We have 2 dogs that like to roll around and lay in the grass so I don’t plan on using many chemicals.
All I have been doing at this point is mowing with a reel mower, watering and pulling weeds by hand.
But recently I have started to notice little white flys jumping around when walking on the lawn, and don’t recall ever seeing white flies on a lawn before. On some plants sure.
I could not get them to show on a video of photo. Is this something to be concerned about getting worse that needs to be addressed or will they go away?

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Hey there, I’m a longtime player that recently returned to the game after about a 10-year hiatus.
After being traumatized by the experience that is the online discord Roll20 community, I decided to try my luck at some good ol’ fashioned in-person D&D.
My latest online campaign hadn’t been going well for a few sessions after the DM took control of a dragon we were supposed to fight and started using it to awkwardly flirt with the only female player while the rest of us spent literal hours perpetually failing our saves against a fear aura with a seemingly unbeatable DC. The female player’s druid was okay though with her 28 Wisdom, and wearing enough artifact-tier magic items to probably qualify as an actual construct.
Anyway, there were probably some red flags I should have picked up on earlier… But by this point my standards were so low that as long as the DM could demonstrate some frontal lobe development and an absolutely basic understanding of the rules, that was good enough for me.
Regardless, all of this is irrelevant to my current predicament.
A bit of background on me. Most of my experience comes from playing 3.5 in college. The culture was a bit different back then, with less focus on player power fantasy and more on brutal campaigns with tactically difficult encounters (at least that’s how we played)... This will be somewhat relevant later.
Anyway, on with the story.
Our tale begins at the local game store with an experienced, older DM. He’s been playing D&D for much longer than me, and I get excited as we start talking about 3.5. The current campaign is 5e, which I don’t like as much, but everyone plays it and it’s fine.
We start in a default Forgotten Realms setting at level 3. The other players are: Gnoll Rogue, Orc Fighter, Halfling Cleric, Human Bard and me (Human Sorcerer).
We roll for stats, which is a red flag, and of course almost everyone cheats, but whatever… That’s just a given. I put a 16 in CHA and garbage for almost everything else, while everyone except the Bard has like, at least 2 17+’s and everything else above 13. Strangely, the DM doesn’t seem to even notice or care.
Regardless, the first session actually goes well. We introduce ourselves and meet up to guard an outpost on the edge of town from bandit raids, and fight some easy combats.
Anyway, session two comes along and the problems start.
We are wandering through the woods and suddenly get ambushed and put in an impossible combat. They have at least 5 mounted fighters, a cleric, a handful of archers and an arcane caster that nukes half the group with a fireball on round two, downing two players. They also have a ton of cover because we accidentally stumbled upon their secret camp or something, while we have none.
I’m ready for the TPK when the bandits surround us and demand our surrender, which of course we do. They say they’ll let us live if we give them all our gold, so… That happens.
We tend to our wounds and stumble back to the outpost, report our failure and everyone generally feels like shit… But the outpost commander pays us each about half of what we lost for ‘finding the location of their camp’, which feels lame, but okay.
And then the game continues… And pretty much every combat from then on starts to turn into a repeat of this scenario.
I quickly notice that monsters have widely inconsistent stat blocks. One encounter we’ll fight 5 goblins that go down without a fight - and the next they’ll have multiple attacks, magic weapons and armor, absurd saves, advantage on pretty much everything, 30+ hit points each, etc.
We actually had a combat where I upcasted my Sleep to second level and affected literally 0 goblins. The DM said they worked for a powerful wizard who gave them focuses to make them immune. I then wasted a turn casting Web in an advantageous spot, and all 8 goblins passed their save without fail (except for one) over three rounds… Which is pretty much statistically impossible even for creatures with moderately high reflex saves.
To make things worse, the encounters seemed to be specifically tailored to counter our party. Whenever we found a strategy that worked, the monsters magically either spontaneously happened to have a solution, or the next fight was even worse.
One time the entire party was routed fighting a bunch of dumb melee skeletons, and so I made myself levitate 15-feet into the air and blasted them with cantrips until they were all dead. The next fight, the skeletons were flying.
Another time, the Fighter ate an attack of opportunity from a large Owlbear so the Bard could get out of melee, only to find out that this Owlbear had multiple reactions for some reason.
Our summons would also be turned against us by ‘powerful wizards’ in the area, and on more than one occasion, when we were winning, a group of enemies were straight up teleported into the middle of our group from outside of combat and got a full round of attacks against us.
I think some of us were suspicious that the DM was just straight up cheating on rolls as well, but a few players were unfamiliar with the rules so they kinda just trusted everything. I started writing down how much HP each monster required to take down, the number of passed and failed saves, etc., and yeah - it became obvious pretty quickly, I think, that the DM was just fudging everything on his end.
And look, I’m no stranger to impossibly difficult combat or campaigns - but at least in those cases the DM was playing by the rules, so even losing could still be fun… But when my actions have no actual impact on the outcome of the battle because nothing is real, I might as well do nothing at all.
But the DM never actually killed anyone, although sometimes I kind of wished he would kill me.
The typical combat would usually go something like this: some weak monsters show up, we start fighting, are suddenly ambushed by much stronger enemies out of nowhere, which then either let us escape or just leave once we are dying and trying to escape.
And the constantly making us feel like shit extended to the story as well. There was no overarching plot. We weren’t the heroes, or even important at all, but just a ragtag band of irrelevant drifters barely scraping together enough gold to not starve.
Not only were we complete losers that could only succeed at quests by getting our asses handed to us and returning with ‘information’, but every decision we made came back to bite us in the ass.
One time we helped a poor villager woman find her son who was lost in the woods, only to be hunted down in a completely different province by a band of extremely powerful cultists who had marked the kid as a sacrifice.
Also, the Gnoll had been eating the corpses of our enemies and generally acting like a murder hobo… And originally our party had a problem with it, but the player got very defensive OOC whenever our characters (IC) tried to stop him and claimed we were ‘ruining his RP’. So I think we all kinda gave up and just ignored him.
So yeah, it turns out he ate the son of some influential noble and we were hunted down by extremely powerful bounty hunters (we were level 4 and they had a wizard who could cast 6th level spells). We frantically escaped and managed to find a body part of said noble. The DM graciously let us resurrect the kid at a church, but we had to fork over literally all of our money and almost every magic item we had earned by that point.
So on top of everything, the party was starting to fall apart. The Gnoll wanted to kill and eat just about everyone, which the Orc thought was funny… But it also made doing any sort of quest just about impossible.
By level 5, we started breaking out into PVP about once a session (usually everyone vs. the Gnoll/Orc)… In response, the Gnoll and Orc (who were newer players) started asking the DM for extremely powerful abilities (that were either incredibly vague or straight up didn’t make sense within the context of the rules) or insane equipment that they ‘should’ have because of their race/background/heritage or whatever just to get an edge - which, to his credit, the DM denied (although the Orc randomly found a +1 Flametongue Greatsword in a cave somewhere).
I do not know why I am still in this game. The DM is nice, friendly and has a very passive demeanor. He also clearly has a very deep understanding of the game across multiple editions, so I’m honestly mystified as to what he is getting out of this - as he doesn’t appear to take any kind of pleasure in just torturing us. He keeps telling us that the early game is ‘hard’ because we are just starting out and making a name for ourselves, but it never gets any easier.
I still have fun hanging out with some of the players and interacting with NPCs, but any time it comes to combat, I keep hoping in vain that this time will be different only to be slapped in the face again.
Anyway, I feel like now I know how the humans in that Ellison novel who were eternally tormented by AM must have felt.
Admittedly though, it’s still a better experience than anything I’ve found in the online Roll20 community.
Please help me.

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I always considered myself terrible at taking care of plants, but Iove of they look inside the house. I love nature and animals, but I'm very uncomfortable with some type of insects and things like rot and mold. This makes me sad because this often gets in the way of me being able to enjoy myself in some outdoor setting. Like, we have a nice and private outdoor space that I was SO excited for but almost never use because I feel uncomfortable seating on our outdoor furniture. I bought a very simple reclining chair because I thought I'd feel more comfortable with its simple design: just a metal frame and a see-through mesh, so no cushions or thick wood frame with cracks and nooks for crawlers to hide in. But the second time I went to use it, I saw a small spider crawling on the back, and now I haven't gone back out there and it's been weeks. It's not that I'm terrified, but I just... don't feel like dealing with it?
Anyway, few months ago, I got very excited at the idea of adding green plants to my house and I bought * hundreds * of dollars of indoor plants. And of course, I went against my better judgement and choose plants based on how they looked instead of how easy or hard they are to care for. I'm not super consistent with watering, but I downloaded a few apps to help me stay on top of it, and I've done much better than expected.
Except, that it's not good enough. I have overwater some plants and basically killed some others by placing them in spots that were too dark. I should have trusted my apps about insufficient light, but for some reason I couldn't believe that my new place still doesn't have amazing perfect light for plants because I went from a dark appartement to what * I * feel is a light-filled house with huge windows. The plants disagree.
The very first plant I ordered was pretty much dead on arrival. Either due to transportation conditions or due to spending an unknown number of hours right outside of my front door because I missed the delivery notification. I got store credit for the damaged plant and used it to order another plant (which was probably the beginning of the end). But I didn't feel right throwing away the almost-dead plant, so I stubbornly tried to save it. It is still alive, surprisingly, but it developed a gnat infestation that spread to the other plants in the house.
Then, a couple of days ago, just as I thought I had finally squashed the gnat infestation after MONTHS of efforts, I discovered that at least some of my plants are now infested with tiny red ants. Fine. I ordered new products to take care of that amd didn't let myself get too discouraged. Until today.
I have been using a tool to measure th amount of light in different spots in my house, and finally accepted that the window I was using for some of my plans did not have the appropriate light exposure for them. So I moved them to a different window next to what I thought what a plant that had been doing pretty well the whole time. Still, that plant had some yellow leaves that I decided to clean-up. I went to work at it, and by the time I just had a few dead leaves left to cut at the top of the plant, I was feeling pretty accomplished and proud of myself. That's when I discovered the thin webs. And the tiny mites crawling all over.
I just can't take it. That's my limit. I scrubbed my arms with soap like a crazy person, but I still feel like I have tiny mites crawling all over me. This is hitting at my contamination phobia (probably not a medical level phobia), and I know I cannot do what needs to be done to save the plant(s). I need to carry them outside and spay them with water, possibly repot them. I'm already low-key afraid of soil, but I just can't take the idea of hundreds of tiny little insects coming out of everywhere.
My husband asked if he should take over the plant care, but I don't even know anymore.
Sorry, this is so long 😔

Hi there ! I’ve worked here at walmart for 4 years, and I wanted to express my opinion on this subject, post switching jobs from OPD to the remodel crew. I was fired from my position in OPD because of “occurrences”. In reality it’s directly a result of me holding my coach and team leads to a higher standard than they want to be at. Metrics were not being met so i consistently voiced my concerns to him and the managers in my area. Our coach took this as me trying to “pretend” i’m a team lead and tell others what to do including him when “i should be focused on my individual metrics” and I got fired for occurrences. Everyone else (over 20 associates) has OVER 5, gossiping, lallygaging, also stealing freight and time, yet numerous ethics complaints and reports to our market managers leads to my termination. After talking to the store lead she moved me over to the logistics division of Walmart to remodel my store. She understood my argument of how I was the only occurrence marked person to be fire. Remodeling and logistics is a separate division of Walmart that works directly with and under cooperate HQ. These leads explained that as long as communication and contact was made about an occurrence that they would be taken care of. After talking to these people, some have earned hundreds of occurrence points but only have 0 people of that communication. Why can’t all stores have these high standards and truly listen, and care about the individual employees situation. Statistically we’re bound to have more than 5 life changing events a year that may require a day of focus, so why is it shunned upon to have that within a 6 month period. These home office cooperate people really showed that they will always be an event in your life that will prevent you from working, if you work hard you’ll be taken care of, and that has work really can be rewarded. The way these people act (even though they’ll be held to a higher standard than store level,) really reveals to me that you can work you ass off for his company and you’ll be rewarded greatly. But managers at store level have full power to take advantage of you and do whatever they please because it’s YOUR income at stake, not theirs.

so back during either 2015 or 2016, i was on the google play store on one of my old tablets. I found this dress up character creator type game, kind of simliar to the lunime gacha games but the characters had more simplistic designs but i remember the outfits having slightly more detail. the company producing the games had several different games with the same premise and art style but every game had a different theme. there was a beach one with swimsuits and a pop star group, but i remember the halloween one the best. it had this storybook type option i dont think the other games had, it inserted the characters you had made into the story and i remember it being about everyone going trick or treating with the final panel being your characters sitting around what i believe was a large pumpkin with round stomachs from eating all the candy. There were a TON of these games too, i think there were about 20 of these games on the play store. Like the lunime gacha games you could have several different characters at once. This has been driving me nuts for a few weeks now, and I really wanna find these games. Thank you.

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One thing we love about the summer season are the new shows and movies that premiere! Because, not everyone goes out of town. Instead, many of us enjoy a few days or more at home, unwinding and relaxing, while catching up on our favorite shows or enjoying a new movie. Or both! This is the perfect time to catch up on movies or a series you haven’t watched before. To us here at Hidden Remote, binge-watching movies is our idea of fun! So whether you are new to the Transformers movies or are already familiar with the franchise, this is a great movie series to check out ahead of the Rise of the Beasts release.
Still Now Here Option’s to Downloading or watching Transformers: Rise of the Beasts streaming the full movie online for free. Do you like movies? If so, then you’ll love New Romance Movie: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. This movie is one of the best in its genre. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be available to watch online on Netflix's very soon! Want to watch 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' on your TV, phone, or tablet? The Autobots and the Maximals are teaming up to face an all-new threat.
Is Transformers Rise of The Beasts streaming? How to watch new movie? The Transformers 7 release date is upon us, with the new movie set to bring metallic mayhem. Here's how to watch Rise of the Beasts on streaming services. With the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts theatrical release date only a few days away, fans wonder when the latest Transformers movie is coming out to streaming services like Netflix, Paramount Plus, and so on. Here’s the need-to-know info on streaming Transformers 7 and how to watch it.
What started out as a popular toy line has quickly become one of the biggest action movie franchises on the planet. With a total of 6 Transformers movies in the franchise and a new film on the way, the series is showing no signs of slowing down. With Transformers: Rise of the Beasts arriving later this week, you may be wondering where you can stream all of the movies online before it arrives. We've compiled a list of where to watch every Transformers movie in the series in June 2023.
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There are multiple new movies on the way in the ever-bombastic and explosive world of the Transformers franchise, with the Transformers One release date set for 2024. Before the Transformers movies return to the world of animation, though, we have the Transformers 7 release date to look forward to. Fresh from Bumblebee, which was definitely one of the best movies the franchise has delivered, we’ve got another sci-fi epic. This time, Creed 2 director Steven Caple Jr. is at the helm of the twisted metal and unstoppable carnage. Here’s how to watch Transformers Rise of the Beasts, and whether it’s available on the best streaming services yet.
​
Beast Wars is finally coming to the big screen, as the live-action Transformers franchise has decided to embrace the storytelling possibilities of a massive, robotic gorilla. We can’t wait to see it.
​
Here are all the ways to watch Transformers 7 Rise of the Beasts.
​
When Is the Release Date for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts?
Transformers 7 had its premiere at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on May 27, 2023, and is scheduled to be released in the US, CA & UK on June 9, 2023, by Paramount Pictures.
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When it launches on June 9, 2023, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be exclusive to cinemas. The movie was originally scheduled to premiere on June 24, 2022.
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Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in Theaters?
Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film arrives in theatres June 9, 2023. Those eager to see their favorite action figures come to life for the seventh time in live-action won't have to wait much longer. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be racing onto screens as early as Friday, June 9, 2023. Additionally, Collider is also hosting a free early screening of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on June 7 at 6 pm, in Los Angeles. The event will also include a Q&A session with Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime, and you can learn more about the screening here.
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Will Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Release on Streaming?
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be racing onto screens as early as Friday, June 9. While Paramount has announced no streaming plans at this time, big-budget blockbusters like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts typically become available on streaming roughly ninety days after their theatrical run begins. Given that the Transformers franchise rights currently belong to Paramount Pictures, it's more than likely that we'll see the next Transformers film come to Paramount+ once the movie decides to indulge in a streaming release. While not every film from the franchise is currently available on the service, it's hard to imagine that Paramount wouldn't put a big recent release like this onto their own service.
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No, Transformers Rise of the Beasts is not yet streaming, so you’ll need to zoom your way to the nearest cinema if you want to see it. We’re sure that you’ll be able to stream Transformers Rise of the Beasts eventually, but Paramount has made it exclusive to cinemas for now. After all, that level of destructive action is best witnessed on a massive screen and through booming speakers.
​
Where to Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Transformers Rise of the Beasts lands explosively in cinemas on June 9, 2023, and it’s a theatrical exclusive for now. If you want to bear witness to the Beast Wars and the threat posed to Earth by Unicron – a planet-devouring contender to be one of the best movie villains ever – then you’ll need to head to your nearest multiplex. In common with the rest of the best action movies in this franchise, it’s theatrical or bust to begin with.
​
There are currently no platforms that have the rights to Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Movie Online.MAPPA has decided to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts the movie only in theaters because it has been a huge success.The studio , on the other hand, does not wish to divert revenue Streaming the movie would only slash the profits, not increase them.
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As a result, no streaming services are authorized to offer Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Movie for free. The film would, however, very definitely be acquired by services like Funimation , Netflix, and Crunchyroll. As a last consideration, which of these outlets will likely distribute the film worldwide?
​
How to Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
To find out if Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is playing in a theater near you (and if it's available in IMAX near you), click on one of the following links below to find showtimes and advanced tickets for the upcoming film:
​
Below, you'll find a number of top-tier streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription alternatives - along with the availability of 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into the fundamentals of how you can watch 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' right now, here are some details about the Skydance, Paramount, di Bonaventura Pictures, Bay Films, New Republic Pictures, Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production, Hasbro Studios, Entertainment One, Amblin Entertainment adventure flick.
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Where To Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Online:
As of now, the only way to watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is to head out to a movie theater when it premieres on June 2, 2023. You can find a local showing on Fandango.
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'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Disney Plus, Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC on Demand, DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, and YouTube .
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When Will Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Be Available On Netflix?
When Will Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Be Available On Netflix? Unfortunately the movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is not yet available on Netflix. Follow us on Facebook to see when Transformers: Rise of the Beasts becomes available on Netflix!
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Transformers Rise of the Beasts is too busy shaking cinema walls to be on Netflix just yet. But we’ll keep an eye on the streamer’s catalog and let you know if the new Transformers outing does show up in the future. The streaming giant has a massive catalog of television shows and movies, but it does not include 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.' We recommend our readers watch other dark fantasy films like 'The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.'
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Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts coming to Disney Plus?
Transformers Rise of the Beasts is not on Disney Plus, and we doubt it will end up there any time soon. The new Transformers movie is a Paramount production, so it’s not likely to end up on the streaming arm of a rival studio. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the latest installment in the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts franchise, is coming to Disney+ on July 9th! The simple answer is, probably not, since Paramount Pictures make “Transformers” films, and so this means that the new movie will be streaming exclusively on Paramount+, following a theatrical and digital release.
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However, the previous “Transformers” films are spread around a number of different streaming services, depending on what country you are in, due to long-running contracts between the studios and streaming platforms.
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Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on Amazon Prime?
We think Transformers Rise of the Beasts will be available on Prime Video before the end of 2023, but it’s not there yet. The other Transformers movies are available to rent or purchase on the Prime Video platform. Amazon Prime's current catalog does not include 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.' However, the film may eventually release on the platform as video-on-demand in the coming months.fantasy movies on Amazon Prime's official website. Viewers who are looking for something similar can watch the original show 'Dororo.'
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Will Stream On Paramount+
Transformers: Rise of the Beast is expected to be available to watch via streaming on Paramount Plus by September 9, 2023. Paramount+ is where Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will stream upon its release. Paramount has been in charge of the Transformers movie franchise since it began in 2007 and thus is responsible for releasing every entry in theaters. While the studio might have previously sent its movies to other streaming services like Netflix, the shift to focus more on the development of its own streaming service Paramount+ has changed this tactic. That is why Paramount has released its other major recent blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick or Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on Paramount+ after their theatrical runs conclude.
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Want to know how to watch the Transformers movies in order before Rise of the Beasts roars into theaters? You've come to the right place. The seventh entry in Paramount Pictures' Transformers film franchise arrives in cinemas worldwide on Friday, June 9, so you don't have much time left to watch its predecessors at home. But, if you're planning to cram them all in before catching Transformers: Rise of the Beasts this weekend, we're here to help you work out how to watch them in chronological and release date order, and we'll also tell you which of the world's best streaming services have them as part of their movie libraries.
​
So, if you're ready to be reunited with Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and company – and get the lowdown on every Transformers film to be released so far – read on.
​
Here's How and Where You Can Watch All of the Transformers movies
The best place to start is finding out where you can watch all of the Transformers movies in order in the comfort of your own home. If you're subscribed to Paramount Plus, that's your answer – well, for five of the six films, anyway. Paramount's primary streaming platform is home to the Michael Bay-directed trilogy – Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The streamer's film library is also home to the two Mark Wahlberg-starring flicks, Transformers: Age of Extinction and Transformers: The Last Knight.
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● Transformers (released on July 3, 2007)
● Revenge of the Fallen (released on June 24, 2009)
● Dark of the Moon (released on June 29, 2011)
● Age of Extinction (released on June 27, 2014)
● The Last Knight (released on June 21, 2017)
● Bumblebee (released on Dec. 21, 2018)
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Potential users looking to watch this quintet of movies will want to check out our Paramount Plus price guide to see how much it costs to sign up. Alternatively, you can get the lowdown on whether a Paramount Plus free trial is available, so you can try the service out without paying any money to stream the movies. Unfortunately for Paramount Plus UK and Australian-based users, the sixth entry in the action sci-fi franchise, 2018's Bumblebee, isn't available on British shores as part of the package.
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US subscribers can catch Bumblebee on Paramount Plus (and Fubo, for what it's worth), but UK and Australian fans will have to look elsewhere to get the full Transformers movies in order experience. Here's where UK and Australian viewers can watch Bumblebee instead:
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● Australia – rent or buy via the Amazon, Apple TV Google Play, Microsoft, or YouTube stores
● UK – rent or buy via the Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft, Rakuten, Sky, or YouTube stores
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Will Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Be On HBO Max?
No, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will not be on HBO Max since it’s not a Paramount Pictures movie. Last year, the company released its films in theaters and on the streamer on the same day. However, they now allow a 45-day window between the theatrical release and the streaming release.
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Disney may have made billions with last year’s mega-blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water, but for now it’s going to share the streaming success. The Steven Caple Jr. directed sequel is coming to streaming on September 11 and though the film was distributed by Disney, Disney+ won’t be the only place to see it. You can see it there as well as Max, aka HBO Max.
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Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Available On Hulu?
Viewers are saying that they want to view the new animation movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on Hulu. Unfortunately, this is not possible since Hulu currently does not offer any of the free episodes of this series streaming at this time. It will be exclusive to the MTV channel, which you get by subscribing to cable or satellite TV services. You will not be able to watch it on Hulu or any other free streaming service.
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No, 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' is unavailable on Hulu. People who have a subscription to the platform can enjoy 'Afro Samurai Resurrection' or 'Ninja Scroll.'
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Release in the US
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits theaters on June 9, 2023. Tickets to see the film at your local movie theater are available online here. The film is being released in a wide release so you can watch it in person.
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How to Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts for Free?release on a platform that offers a free trial. Our readers to always pay for the content they wish to consume online and refrain from using illegal means.
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How to Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Online For Free?
Most Viewed, Most Favorite, Top Rating, Top IMDb movies online. Here we can download and watch 123movies movies offline. 123Movies website is the best alternative to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) free online. We will recommend 123Movies is the best Solarmovie alternatives.
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There are a few ways to watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts online in the U.S. You can use a streaming service such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. You can also rent or buy the movie on iTunes or Google Play. You can also watch it on-demand or on a streaming app available on your TV or streaming device if you have cable.
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When Will Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Be on DVD and Blu-ray?
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will likely be coming to DVD and Blu-ray around the same time as the streaming release. With theatrical films, on average, coming to streaming sooner than ever (usually ninety days after theatrical release), we'll likely see Transformers: Rise of the Beasts get a DVD, and Blu-ray release no later than Fall 2023. Transformers Rise of the Beasts isn’t on Blu-ray yet but will join the rest of the franchise on disc before the end of 2023. There are plenty of fancy releases and box sets of the other Transformers movies, so we’re sure this one will be available to buy in all of its 4K glory very soon.
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts cast:
Some familiar voices can be heard as the titular robots-in-disguise in the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts cast, like Transformers legacy actor Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, as well as new cast members like Peter Dinklage and Michelle Yeoh voicing new Transformer characters:
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● Anthony Ramos as Noah Diaz
● Dominique Fishback as Elena Wallace
● Luna Lauren Vélez as Mrs Diaz
● Tobe Nwigwe as Reek
● Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
● Pete Davidson as Mirage
● Liza Koshy as Arcee
● Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal
● Michelle Yeoh as Airazor
● David Sobolov as Rhinox
● Tongayi Chirisa as Cheetor
● John DiMaggio as Stratosphere
● Peter Dinklage as Scourge
● David Sobolov as Battletrap
● John DiMaggio as Transit
● Michaela Jaé Rodriguez - Nightbird
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What Transformers: Rise of the Beasts About:
Optimus Prime and the Autobots take on their biggest challenge yet. When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, they must team up with a powerful faction of Transformers known as the Maximals to save Earth. For a while, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts looked like it might be another Bumblebee--a Transformers movie that lacks any of the pizzazz of the Michael Bay flicks but which actually tells a decent story about characters you actually care about. For the first 45 minutes to an hour, we get the most compelling and relatable version yet of the story about a regular person accidentally becoming friends with an alien robot who was secretly a car. But then the plot really kicks in, and suddenly we're watching a Michael Bay Transformers movie--but without Bay's skill as an action filmmaker.
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It’s a tale as old as time: A human character stumbles upon a group of Transformers that includes Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and Bumblebee (voiceless yet again), and gets roped into their battle with an evil faction, which inevitably involves a race for a piece of Transformers tech that has the power to destroy the world. [[INSHALLAH]]

Here’s options for downloading or watching Transformers: Rise of the Beasts streaming the full movie online for free on 123movies & Reddit including where to watch the Paramount's live-action Transformers franchise movies at home. Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 2023 available to stream? Is watching Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on Paramount Plus, Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, or Amazon Prime? Yes, we have found an authentic streaming option / service. Watch Transformers 1080p, En-HQ.
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Paramount Pictures! Here are options for downloading or watching Transformers: Rise of the Beasts streaming the full movie online for free on 123movies & Reddit, including where to watch Paramount's latest live-action adaptation movies at home. Is Transformers 7 available to stream? Is watching Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on Peacock, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Netflix or Amazon Prime? Yes, we have found an authentic streaming option/service.
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Watch Now🔸>➡Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Full Movie!!
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be in theaters beginning June 9. If you're wondering how and where you can watch it yourself, take a look at the information below.
​
One thing we love about the summer season are the new shows and movies that premiere! Because, not everyone goes out of town. Instead, many of us enjoy a few days or more at home, unwinding and relaxing, while catching up on our favorite shows or enjoying a new movie. Or both! This is the perfect time to catch up on movies or a series you haven’t watched before. To us here at Hidden Remote, binge-watching movies is our idea of fun! So whether you are new to the Transformers movies or are already familiar with the franchise, this is a great movie series to check out ahead of the Rise of the Beasts release.
​
Still Now Here Option’s to Downloading or watching Transformers: Rise of the Beasts streaming the full movie online for free. Do you like movies? If so, then you’ll love New Romance Movie: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. This movie is one of the best in its genre. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be available to watch online on Netflix's very soon! Want to watch 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' on your TV, phone, or tablet? The Autobots and the Maximals are teaming up to face an all-new threat.
​
Is Transformers Rise of The Beasts streaming? How to watch new movie? The Transformers 7 release date is upon us, with the new movie set to bring metallic mayhem. Here's how to watch Rise of the Beasts on streaming services. With the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts theatrical release date only a few days away, fans wonder when the latest Transformers movie is coming out to streaming services like Netflix, Paramount Plus, and so on. Here’s the need-to-know info on streaming Transformers 7 and how to watch it.
​
What started out as a popular toy line has quickly become one of the biggest action movie franchises on the planet. With a total of 6 Transformers movies in the franchise and a new film on the way, the series is showing no signs of slowing down. With Transformers: Rise of the Beasts arriving later this week, you may be wondering where you can stream all of the movies online before it arrives. We've compiled a list of where to watch every Transformers movie in the series in June 2023.
​
There are multiple new movies on the way in the ever-bombastic and explosive world of the Transformers franchise, with the Transformers One release date set for 2024. Before the Transformers movies return to the world of animation, though, we have the Transformers 7 release date to look forward to. Fresh from Bumblebee, which was definitely one of the best movies the franchise has delivered, we’ve got another sci-fi epic. This time, Creed 2 director Steven Caple Jr. is at the helm of the twisted metal and unstoppable carnage. Here’s how to watch Transformers Rise of the Beasts, and whether it’s available on the best streaming services yet.
​
Beast Wars is finally coming to the big screen, as the live-action Transformers franchise has decided to embrace the storytelling possibilities of a massive, robotic gorilla. We can’t wait to see it.
​
Here are all the ways to watch Transformers 7 Rise of the Beasts.
​
When Is the Release Date for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts?
Transformers 7 had its premiere at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on May 27, 2023, and is scheduled to be released in the US, CA & UK on June 9, 2023, by Paramount Pictures.
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When it launches on June 9, 2023, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be exclusive to cinemas. The movie was originally scheduled to premiere on June 24, 2022.
​
Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in Theaters?
Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, the film arrives in theatres June 9, 2023. Those eager to see their favorite action figures come to life for the seventh time in live-action won't have to wait much longer. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be racing onto screens as early as Friday, June 9, 2023. Additionally, Collider is also hosting a free early screening of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on June 7 at 6 pm, in Los Angeles. The event will also include a Q&A session with Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime, and you can learn more about the screening here.
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Will Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Release on Streaming?
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will be racing onto screens as early as Friday, June 9. While Paramount has announced no streaming plans at this time, big-budget blockbusters like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts typically become available on streaming roughly ninety days after their theatrical run begins. Given that the Transformers franchise rights currently belong to Paramount Pictures, it's more than likely that we'll see the next Transformers film come to Paramount+ once the movie decides to indulge in a streaming release. While not every film from the franchise is currently available on the service, it's hard to imagine that Paramount wouldn't put a big recent release like this onto their own service.
​
No, Transformers Rise of the Beasts is not yet streaming, so you’ll need to zoom your way to the nearest cinema if you want to see it. We’re sure that you’ll be able to stream Transformers Rise of the Beasts eventually, but Paramount has made it exclusive to cinemas for now. After all, that level of destructive action is best witnessed on a massive screen and through booming speakers.
​
Where to Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Transformers Rise of the Beasts lands explosively in cinemas on June 9, 2023, and it’s a theatrical exclusive for now. If you want to bear witness to the Beast Wars and the threat posed to Earth by Unicron – a planet-devouring contender to be one of the best movie villains ever – then you’ll need to head to your nearest multiplex. In common with the rest of the best action movies in this franchise, it’s theatrical or bust to begin with.
​
There are currently no platforms that have the rights to Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Movie Online.MAPPA has decided to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts the movie only in theaters because it has been a huge success.The studio , on the other hand, does not wish to divert revenue Streaming the movie would only slash the profits, not increase them.
​
As a result, no streaming services are authorized to offer Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Movie for free. The film would, however, very definitely be acquired by services like Funimation , Netflix, and Crunchyroll. As a last consideration, which of these outlets will likely distribute the film worldwide?
​
How to Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
To find out if Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is playing in a theater near you (and if it's available in IMAX near you), click on one of the following links below to find showtimes and advanced tickets for the upcoming film:
​
Below, you'll find a number of top-tier streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription alternatives - along with the availability of 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into the fundamentals of how you can watch 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' right now, here are some details about the Skydance, Paramount, di Bonaventura Pictures, Bay Films, New Republic Pictures, Tom DeSanto/Don Murphy Production, Hasbro Studios, Entertainment One, Amblin Entertainment adventure flick.
​
Where To Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Online:
As of now, the only way to watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is to head out to a movie theater when it premieres on June 2, 2023. You can find a local showing on Fandango.
​
'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Disney Plus, Apple iTunes, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC on Demand, DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, and YouTube .
​
When Will Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Be Available On Netflix?
When Will Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Be Available On Netflix? Unfortunately the movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is not yet available on Netflix. Follow us on Facebook to see when Transformers: Rise of the Beasts becomes available on Netflix!
​
Transformers Rise of the Beasts is too busy shaking cinema walls to be on Netflix just yet. But we’ll keep an eye on the streamer’s catalog and let you know if the new Transformers outing does show up in the future. The streaming giant has a massive catalog of television shows and movies, but it does not include 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.' We recommend our readers watch other dark fantasy films like 'The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf.'
​
Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts coming to Disney Plus?
Transformers Rise of the Beasts is not on Disney Plus, and we doubt it will end up there any time soon. The new Transformers movie is a Paramount production, so it’s not likely to end up on the streaming arm of a rival studio. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, the latest installment in the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts franchise, is coming to Disney+ on July 9th! The simple answer is, probably not, since Paramount Pictures make “Transformers” films, and so this means that the new movie will be streaming exclusively on Paramount+, following a theatrical and digital release.
​
However, the previous “Transformers” films are spread around a number of different streaming services, depending on what country you are in, due to long-running contracts between the studios and streaming platforms.
​
Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on Amazon Prime?
We think Transformers Rise of the Beasts will be available on Prime Video before the end of 2023, but it’s not there yet. The other Transformers movies are available to rent or purchase on the Prime Video platform. Amazon Prime's current catalog does not include 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.' However, the film may eventually release on the platform as video-on-demand in the coming months.fantasy movies on Amazon Prime's official website. Viewers who are looking for something similar can watch the original show 'Dororo.'
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Will Stream On Paramount+
Transformers: Rise of the Beast is expected to be available to watch via streaming on Paramount Plus by September 9, 2023. Paramount+ is where Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will stream upon its release. Paramount has been in charge of the Transformers movie franchise since it began in 2007 and thus is responsible for releasing every entry in theaters. While the studio might have previously sent its movies to other streaming services like Netflix, the shift to focus more on the development of its own streaming service Paramount+ has changed this tactic. That is why Paramount has released its other major recent blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick or Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on Paramount+ after their theatrical runs conclude.
​
Want to know how to watch the Transformers movies in order before Rise of the Beasts roars into theaters? You've come to the right place. The seventh entry in Paramount Pictures' Transformers film franchise arrives in cinemas worldwide on Friday, June 9, so you don't have much time left to watch its predecessors at home. But, if you're planning to cram them all in before catching Transformers: Rise of the Beasts this weekend, we're here to help you work out how to watch them in chronological and release date order, and we'll also tell you which of the world's best streaming services have them as part of their movie libraries.
​
So, if you're ready to be reunited with Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and company – and get the lowdown on every Transformers film to be released so far – read on.
​
Here's How and Where You Can Watch All of the Transformers movies
The best place to start is finding out where you can watch all of the Transformers movies in order in the comfort of your own home. If you're subscribed to Paramount Plus, that's your answer – well, for five of the six films, anyway. Paramount's primary streaming platform is home to the Michael Bay-directed trilogy – Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The streamer's film library is also home to the two Mark Wahlberg-starring flicks, Transformers: Age of Extinction and Transformers: The Last Knight.
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● Transformers (released on July 3, 2007)
● Revenge of the Fallen (released on June 24, 2009)
● Dark of the Moon (released on June 29, 2011)
● Age of Extinction (released on June 27, 2014)
● The Last Knight (released on June 21, 2017)
● Bumblebee (released on Dec. 21, 2018)
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Potential users looking to watch this quintet of movies will want to check out our Paramount Plus price guide to see how much it costs to sign up. Alternatively, you can get the lowdown on whether a Paramount Plus free trial is available, so you can try the service out without paying any money to stream the movies. Unfortunately for Paramount Plus UK and Australian-based users, the sixth entry in the action sci-fi franchise, 2018's Bumblebee, isn't available on British shores as part of the package.
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US subscribers can catch Bumblebee on Paramount Plus (and Fubo, for what it's worth), but UK and Australian fans will have to look elsewhere to get the full Transformers movies in order experience. Here's where UK and Australian viewers can watch Bumblebee instead:
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● Australia – rent or buy via the Amazon, Apple TV Google Play, Microsoft, or YouTube stores
● UK – rent or buy via the Amazon, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft, Rakuten, Sky, or YouTube stores
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Will Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Be On HBO Max?
No, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will not be on HBO Max since it’s not a Paramount Pictures movie. Last year, the company released its films in theaters and on the streamer on the same day. However, they now allow a 45-day window between the theatrical release and the streaming release.
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Disney may have made billions with last year’s mega-blockbuster Avatar: The Way of Water, but for now it’s going to share the streaming success. The Steven Caple Jr. directed sequel is coming to streaming on September 11 and though the film was distributed by Disney, Disney+ won’t be the only place to see it. You can see it there as well as Max, aka HBO Max.
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Is Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Available On Hulu?
Viewers are saying that they want to view the new animation movie Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on Hulu. Unfortunately, this is not possible since Hulu currently does not offer any of the free episodes of this series streaming at this time. It will be exclusive to the MTV channel, which you get by subscribing to cable or satellite TV services. You will not be able to watch it on Hulu or any other free streaming service.
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No, 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' is unavailable on Hulu. People who have a subscription to the platform can enjoy 'Afro Samurai Resurrection' or 'Ninja Scroll.'
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Release in the US
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits theaters on June 9, 2023. Tickets to see the film at your local movie theater are available online here. The film is being released in a wide release so you can watch it in person.
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How to Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts for Free?release on a platform that offers a free trial. Our readers to always pay for the content they wish to consume online and refrain from using illegal means.
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How to Watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Online For Free?
Most Viewed, Most Favorite, Top Rating, Top IMDb movies online. Here we can download and watch 123movies movies offline. 123Movies website is the best alternative to Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (2023) free online. We will recommend 123Movies is the best Solarmovie alternatives.
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There are a few ways to watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts online in the U.S. You can use a streaming service such as Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video. You can also rent or buy the movie on iTunes or Google Play. You can also watch it on-demand or on a streaming app available on your TV or streaming device if you have cable.
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When Will Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Be on DVD and Blu-ray?
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will likely be coming to DVD and Blu-ray around the same time as the streaming release. With theatrical films, on average, coming to streaming sooner than ever (usually ninety days after theatrical release), we'll likely see Transformers: Rise of the Beasts get a DVD, and Blu-ray release no later than Fall 2023. Transformers Rise of the Beasts isn’t on Blu-ray yet but will join the rest of the franchise on disc before the end of 2023. There are plenty of fancy releases and box sets of the other Transformers movies, so we’re sure this one will be available to buy in all of its 4K glory very soon.
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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts cast:
Some familiar voices can be heard as the titular robots-in-disguise in the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts cast, like Transformers legacy actor Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, as well as new cast members like Peter Dinklage and Michelle Yeoh voicing new Transformer characters:
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● Anthony Ramos as Noah Diaz
● Dominique Fishback as Elena Wallace
● Luna Lauren Vélez as Mrs Diaz
● Tobe Nwigwe as Reek
● Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime
● Pete Davidson as Mirage
● Liza Koshy as Arcee
● Ron Perlman as Optimus Primal
● Michelle Yeoh as Airazor
● David Sobolov as Rhinox
● Tongayi Chirisa as Cheetor
● John DiMaggio as Stratosphere
● Peter Dinklage as Scourge
● David Sobolov as Battletrap
● John DiMaggio as Transit
● Michaela Jaé Rodriguez - Nightbird
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What Transformers: Rise of the Beasts About:
Optimus Prime and the Autobots take on their biggest challenge yet. When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, they must team up with a powerful faction of Transformers known as the Maximals to save Earth. For a while, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts looked like it might be another Bumblebee--a Transformers movie that lacks any of the pizzazz of the Michael Bay flicks but which actually tells a decent story about characters you actually care about. For the first 45 minutes to an hour, we get the most compelling and relatable version yet of the story about a regular person accidentally becoming friends with an alien robot who was secretly a car. But then the plot really kicks in, and suddenly we're watching a Michael Bay Transformers movie--but without Bay's skill as an action filmmaker.
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It’s a tale as old as time: A human character stumbles upon a group of Transformers that includes Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) and Bumblebee (voiceless yet again), and gets roped into their battle with an evil faction, which inevitably involves a race for a piece of Transformers tech that has the power to destroy the world.

We are a cloud only environment that has never had LAPS before. I have enabled LAPS in intune. I created a security group and added my laptop. I created the policy and assigned the sec group with only my laptop in it. It appears to have worked, password was stored in azure.
I added 4 more devices to the group. The policy applies successfully to all devices in the group but no passwords are stored and I am unable to have my laptop update it's stored password again.
A manual rotate password command has been pending for 24 hours. Event viewer shows that the devices are able to check in every hour and successfully update their policies. I can't see any errors or conflicts.
Does anyone have any suggestions? This is driving me nuts.

Three days ago, my housemates were alive.
And I wasn't losing my fucking mind.
Three days ago, I awoke to my housemate, Misty, shaking me.
“Get up!!”
Misty was usually the last to roll out of bed out of all of us, so I figured it was something important. My housemate wouldn’t get out of bed for nothing. She valued her sleep—often comparing her bed to a safe haven. Her place of solitude. I was right there with her, until she startled me out of slumber. I opened my eyes to find her face roughly three inches from mine, her expression lit up with excitement I couldn’t justify this early in the morning.
She smelled of toothpaste breath and her raspberry scented body wash. Her thick black curls framing her face were still damp from what I presumed was a shower, hanging in tangled knots in front of wide, almost unseeing eyes. When I first met her, Misty Kang had been my crush for a while. With a Korean father and a Texan mother, she definitely caught eyes when we hung out. We had a thing in freshman year, which quickly fizzled out once we started living together. Never date your housemates.
I will just say that.
Over the last few years, Misty has become one of my closest friends.
When she knew I was at least conscious, my housemate was grabbing my arm and yanking me out of bed. “Get up!”
I was barely awake, and those were the only words I could fully distinguish.
I shooed her away for a moment and swung my legs out of bed, taking a minute to blink sunlight out of my eyes coming through the blinds. “Sam.” Misty was in front of me again.
I don’t think she understood the concept of being half asleep.
She wouldn’t leave me alone, waving her arms wildly. Her shadow under the soft morning light almost reminded me of one of those inflatable tube guys.
“Huh?” My voice was a low croak, and her smile widened.
“Guess who’s just scored tickets for an actual screening of the first five minutes of gameplay for the most anticipated game of the decade?”
“What?” Her string of words wasn’t making sense in my caffeine deprived mind. It just sounded like gibberish to me, initially.
Like we were in some cheesy commercial, she was the lead, and I was the confused NPC with the WTF expression. But when I went over it in my head, words started to slide together like a jigsaw puzzle. Misty didn’t get excited about video games. Well, she did. Though, my housemate was one to get excited on behalf of someone else. After living with her for a while now, I had concluded she was a follower.
By that, I mean whatever others thought or did or said, she copied it. If her Twitter followers were mad at bad takes, she would drop all of her own opinions on said follower and focus on what other people said. We had Korean barbecue for takeout the other day, and Misty clearly did not like it from the creased look on her face, and her very obviously spitting it politely into a napkin.
Jay, my other housemate, liked it.
And so did I. So, naturally, Misty announced she wanted more.
I had to watch her suffer through two more portions before she excused herself—presumably to throw up. Blinking at my housemate who was clearly excited for Jay, I resisted the overwhelming urge to roll my eyes.
“Slow down. What game? What are you talking about?”
I got out of bed and threw on my robe, half aware of the mess from last night on my desk. Another attempt to finish an essay which just wasn’t happening. The monster energy cans and takeout Chinese wrappers were embarrassing. I got a basic run-through as I headed downstairs with Misty right behind me, practically breathing down my neck. From what I understood, there was a Reddit post.
That was all I got from Misty’s squealing. She leapt down the stairs after me with a spring in her step. The clock above the front door told me it wasn’t even 9am. The smell of bacon, however, was quick to arise me from the dead.
Jay was in the kitchen making breakfast. I noticed his laptop was open on the table, and every so often he’d peer at it with wide, almost disbelieving eyes. Jay and Misty were complete opposites, which made them great people to live with. Jay was a quiet book who was slightly on the pretentious side, routinely quoting something philosophical to piss me off.
He had rich parents on the other side of the world, but the guy himself was fairly humble and had mostly detached himself from said family.
My housemate was usually well put together. In fact, I barely saw him in his pajamas, excluding game nights. That morning, however, he was a disheveled mess, still in yesterday’s clothes.
He offered me a grin. I glimpsed sauce from last night’s dinner still staining his chin. Jay hadn’t brushed his hair or even put on deodorant.
I caught a whiff of BO when he ducked in front of me, his gaze glued to his MacBook. It was rare when Jay ignored basic hygiene, so yeah, I was going to guess this was a pretty huge thing. “I did tell her not to wake you up, y’know.”
His slight aussie accent was always refreshing on a morning. Born in Australia and moving to the states when he was ten years old, Jay still had a slight tinge in his accent. I had seen pictures of his family, and the guy had definitely gotten most of his dad’s genes, thick brown hair, and freckles. While his dad was built like a pro wrestler however, Jay was leaner like his mom.
I shrugged. “I was already awake.”
“Liar.” He didn’t look away from his laptop.
Looking closer, I glimpsed the Reddit homepage.
“So, you have won something.”
Jay didn’t answer. I could tell he was excited by the way he could barely keep still, bustling around the kitchen, barefoot. “Coffee?”
His voice was more of a Misty-like squeak, and I half wondered for a moment if they had switched bodies, or he had at least become one with my other housemate through a chemical explosion. In our kitchen, which was yet to be cleaned after a cooking disaster several nights ago, I wouldn’t be surprised if something was living on the countertop. I nodded, slumping into a chair. “What’s going on? Why is Misty freaking out?” I nodded at his laptop. “She said you’ve won something?”
As if my housemate couldn’t hold it in anymore, he nodded, turning his screen towards me. “You know____, right?”
“Yes.” I sipped my coffee, eyeing a toaster strudel sitting on the countertop. "You mean the game which has been coming out for a decade."
He ignored that. “Well, what if I told you one of the developer’s posted on the official sub this morning?”
“For _____?"
He nodded with a grin, and I wondered it this was one of those rare times when Jay was blindly looking through a red flag to see what he wanted. I had heard of these types of scams, and Reddit was a breeding ground for them.
Gamers were pretty intense. I didn’t realize I was pulling a face until I caught his lips curving into a smile. Jay was usually the skeptical one.
“You don’t believe me.”
I downed my coffee to avoid replying. When I had drained the cup, he was still staring at me with amused eyes.
“What?”
“You think it’s bullshit.”
I shrugged. “You said it,” I said. “I’m pretty sure that game isn’t even partway through development. Didn’t Twitter leak a still last year? Also, they’ll be bringing out a new console before that game comes out.”
I leaned back in my chair. “It’s more of a pipe dream, at this point.”
“The leaks were fake,” Even he didn’t look sure. “Anyway, that’s not the point. One of the dev’s posted on the official sub this morning. He asked if we were all excited for the new game, asked if we could post some of our favorite NPC dialogue, and he’ll DM winners.”
“Uh-huh.” I nodded at the screen. I had already checked my phone for an internet meltdown concerning this post, but there was nothing. “And where is that post now?”
Jay didn’t look at me. “It was deleted. So it only reached a certain number of people.”
“Oh, it was deleted?” I couldn’t resist a smile. “What a coincidence.”
When I laughed, Jay scowled, showing me his screen—navigating his trackpad to his Reddit DM’s.
To my surprise, there was actually a message from what I guessed was a throw-away account.
While I was skim reading the DM, Misty hurried in, all dressed and ready for the day. I peeked at her outfit from Jay's laptop. Cute.
Extravagant, but cute. My housemate cranked the radio up before bouncing between us, a toaster strudel hanging out of her mouth.
Misty was a living animated character. Ignoring her wide smile, I turned back to the screen. “Congratulation!!” The DM started with capitals.
It took me reading it twice to realize there was a clear spelling mistake. I sent Jay a pointed look, but he was too busy practically vibrating with excitement. If the guy had any more caffeine, he was going to explode. “Since when did winning DM’s start with a typo?”
“I knew you were going to say that.” Jay curled his lip. “They were clearly excited when typing the message.”
“But this is supposedly an official,” I said. “Surely they would make sure it’s professional?”
My housemate didn’t reply, shooting a look at Misty, who rolled her eyes.
“Wow.” I squinted at the screen. “I am so sorry for caring about your safety. You do realize these types of scam’s usually end up with you being sold on the black market, right?”
I shuddered. “I’ve heard horror stories about underground markets specializing in illegal organ harvesting.”
“Or…” Jay’s eyes were glued to the screen. “You could be happy for me?”
I frowned at the rest of the message, which was just a capitalized freak-out about the upcoming release of the game, before inviting Jay (and a friend!) to a five-minute preview of gameplay, as well as a Q&A. There was a location and a time, which was brow-raising. “10 at night.” I said. “Who hosts a gaming convention at 10pm?” I leaned my chin on my fist. “Unless they wanted to lure as many gullible people as possible, and ship them to some organ harvesting factory on the other side of the world.”
Jay scoffed. “That’s dark.”
“You’re actually considering going to a 10pm gaming convention in the middle of nowhere. I’m trying to wake you up.”
Jay nudged me that time. “It’s real. Relax.”
“And.” I pointed to the screen. “No phones? Why would they ask you not to bring your phones?”
“To stop us filming content,” Misty sang. “Duh.”
I groaned, leaning back in my chair. “You’re on his side? This is clearly shady!” I didn’t get mad unless something was seriously pissing me off, and this was one of those times. Jay was a smart guy. There was no way he was falling for this bullshit. I thought he was joking around when he spent the day tracking the location on Google Maps. I went to class like normal and got updates through text. At lunch, Jay agreed with me and said it was in fact shady, and he wasn’t going. By afternoon classes, he was texting me in paragraphs explaining his own skepticism but had found several “friends” on an online forum who were also going and had changed his mind once again. The guy couldn’t make up his mind. He was driving me crazy.
Misty sent me several videos of Jay pacing the kitchen with his MacBook in his hands. She was broadcasting his mental breakdown via Instagram stories. But then she started to send me pictures of herself in different outfits, asking me for my opinion on each one. At that point, I turned my phone off. My housemates had lost their fucking minds. I did my own research though, just to make sure I wasn’t actually going to lose them to a shady cult.
I searched for the game itself, but just as I thought, it was shown as still in development. Every “update” was just fan speculation.
There were YouTube videos and TikTok’s of fake leaks, but nothing was real. It was either AI generated, or badly edited. By the time my classes had ended and I had turned my phone on, I had a barrage of missed calls and texts.
Most of them were from Misty with her outfit changes, and Jay changing his mind again.
This time he was convinced it was all a scam, his texts full of typos and crying emoji's which he never used. Before it hit me that Misty was most likely using his phone to text me.
I was right. When I walked through the door, I was greeted by both of them sitting on the stairs. Misty was scrolling through Jay’s phone, while the boy had his head in his hands. According to Misty’s last text, he was back to being excited to go.
From the look on his face, eyes shadowed with sleep circles, light brown curls slipping from under his hood, I wasn’t sure what Misty meant by “excited”. The guy looked the complete opposite. His mind had been consumed by the game, and the idea of seeing new content.
When I dropped my bag and folded my arms, fixing the two of them with my best disapproving parent look, Misty jumped to her feet. “Sam!” she waved Jay’s phone at me. “Did you get my texts? We’re actually going now!”
The 100+ texts on both messenger and iMessage said otherwise.
I nodded, my gaze on Jay. “Both of you do realize it’s a scam, right?” I softened my tone despite growing progressively more irritated. We were grown adults, not kids. I could understand a group of teenagers falling for it, but two twenty-three-year-olds?
This time, I ducked in front of Jay. “Hey.” I pulled down his hood, and he groaned, burying his head in his knees. “I don’t want to freak you out, so listen to me, okay?”
I exhaled out a breath. “I’m not saying something bad is going to happen to you, because it most likely won’t—and yes, I admit I’m being paranoid.” When he lifted his head, blinking through bedraggled curls, there was a faint smile on his lips. “But.” I said. “You are most likely going to end up disappointed. Which I don’t want, because you won't shut up about it for weeks."
I was only partly joking.
For a moment, I thought my housemate was going to wake up, and nod, laughing at how crazy it was.
Before shook his head and jumped up.
“I’m going to take a shower, alright? I should start getting ready."
I admit, I exploded at him.
We argued while he was in the shower, and I paced up and down the hallway, coming up with multiple reasons why he was definitely going to die, and only two positives if it was in fact real. In the end, I gave up worrying all together. I didn’t say anything when the two of them were hurrying around looking for shoes and missing car keys. I didn’t realize they were gone until the door was clanging shut, and a text was coming through. I didn’t look at it until an hour later, and I had calmed down.
Jay: 1h ago: Stop worrying, lmao. We’re good! I’ll keep my phone just in case. I’ll make sure to avoid the organ harvesting 😉
Another from Misty a few minutes later: “Love you! Chillll, kay? 😭😭 It’s going to be fun! I’ll take pics!”
…
Followed by: “Oh shit, we can’t. I’ll try to sneak some!"
Attached to the text was a photo of the two of them. Misty with a wide smile and a peace sign, and Jay who looked like he was mid-shout, his eyes on the road.
Those texts were… at least comforting, I guessed. Maybe they were right. I figured I was paranoid, and they in fact would really be okay.
But that didn’t stop the anxious coil in my gut when I tried to force down takeout pizza. I attempted to focus on my essay to distract myself, but I couldn’t stop glancing at my phone, and checking Twitter. There was a hashtag on the DM, which was just “PlayStationGO.” When I searched for it, however, nothing came up.
Sure, it was a private convention and only a select few knew about it, but nothing could escape Twitter.
Somewhere, someone must be talking about it. After scrolling through endless tweets though, I realized I was wrong. There was nothing.
That put a bad taste in my mouth.
10pm came, and I held my breath all the way through a Netflix TV show I was forcing myself to watch, half asleep, slumped at my desk.
I could barely distinguish the plot.
I just had a vague idea of the character names, and some of their motivations.
Midnight passed, and I was struggling to stay awake.
I glanced at my phone.
No messages, just a notification from Spotify reminding me my favorite band was playing nearby.
1am.
Still nothing. I fell back to sleep.
2:48am.
This time, I stayed awake for a few minutes glaring at my phone before my eyes grew heavy.
3:16: am.
My phone buzzed with a text from Jay, but I could barely desipher it: "can't feel help my head hurts Canshdhsn727272_6798mi/!! _&go home please. (Sent from: PlayStationGo™️ BETA)."
3:27: am.
3:54: am. I was wide awake, blinking at a notification which had popped up from an unknown number. I was trying to figure out what number it was, when my phone vibrated again and I almost jumped out of my skin.
After a moment of hesitation, I answered it.
I was trying so hard not to think of the possibility of it being the emergency room, or even worse, the cops.
All of my worst nightmares had come true in a single second.
“Hello?” I whispered in a croak.
“Are they in the house with you?” The stranger’s voice came through in a hiss of interference.
His words sent my mediocre dinner lurching back up my throat. “What?” I managed to get out. “Who?”
“Your friends.” He said, and I leapt to unsteady feet, my gut twisting and turning.
“No.” I found myself taking slow strides toward the window, brushing back the curtain and peering out into the night. “Why? Did something happen to them?” I paused.
“How did you get my number?”
“That does not matter.” His voice rattled in my ear as I rushed downstairs, almost stumbling down the bottom two. “I need you to get out of that house. Now. Get as far away as possible.”
I could hear his rapid breaths.
He was driving. I could hear the rumble of the engine. With my phone pressed to my ear, I obeyed his instructions, pulling open the door and stepping out into the cool night, a brisk breeze grazing my bare arms was just enough to stop my thoughts spiraling.
I was barefoot, in nothing but a robe, staggering down the driveway. The night was calm and silent; our neighborhood was asleep, each window drowned in darkness. I couldn’t breathe, my clammy fingers wrapped around my phone, as this stranger broke down over the phone. “Whatever you do,” he gasped out.
“Do not, I repeat DO NOT remove the PlayStationGo—shit!! He hissed out, static rattling the call. The guy seemingly got ahold of himself, and the wheel, and continued. I started to walk—where I was going, I had no idea.
The stranger lit a cigarette. I heard the click of a lighter and his exhalation of breath. “It was a BETA version, but we had to rush it. This was not my idea. My boss is a greedy man. He wanted to release the game last year, which would have meant widespread infection. Luckily, that did not happen. We did manage to delay it, but only by a year.” His words barely made sense to me as I struggled to get a word in, peering in the dark. “It was supposed to be a virtual experience of the game—a whole new angle of gameplay. But testing was difficult. First, on monkey’s, we lost multiple subjects. Tonight was supposed to be a…well, I guess you could call it out first attempt on human subjects,” his laugh was bitter. “I knew the tech wasn’t finished. And I tried. Believe me, I fucking tried. I tried to blow the whistle, but these bastards know where my parents live."
Something squirmed its way down my spine.
“So my friends were lab rats?” I said stiffly. “You used them?”
I fucking knew it.
I knew it was too good to be true.
“Yes and no. Listen to me, the people I work for are hunting them down. Trust me, I don’t want my bosses to find them because a life of experimentation will await them. Torture. Do you hear me? It does not matter if subjects fail. They don’t care. As long as there is at least a light at the end of the tunnel for them, they will see it as a win, and bring the publication date closer. They will not be treated as humans. Your friends signed a contract before trying out the tech, where the small print stated that, under section 3, player engagement, all subjects must agree to offer themselves as participants in later updates. I silently cursed Jay for always skipping the terms and conditions when buying games." The man stopped to breathe.
“I have told you multiple times, and I won’t say it again. Get as far away from that house as possible. I will take care of them. I will make sure of it." The sound of squealing engines, and I stopped power walking, coming to an abrupt stop. The silence of the night around me, compared to the sound of the highway he was on, traffic horns and the wind rushing through the window was an eerie contrast, a disturbance to the heavenly bubble we were trapped in.
“What do you mean ‘take care of them?” I had to swallow a yell. “Hey! What are you talking about?
“I’m sorry.” Was all he replied with. “I’m afraid it is too late. There was once an opportunity to save the mind during the initial level of the demonstration. However, once the PlaystationGo has been fully attached to the base of the subject, we no longer have control of it. Once integrating itself into the cerebral cortex, the PlayStationGo can only be removed by signing out of the player’s account,” his breath was heavy. “On this unfortunate occasion, however, your friends are unable to navigate the system due to a malfunction which scrambled their brains,” He trailed off. “Which has left them stranded in the game."
I let out a breath. “Right.” I said. “That’s.. bad. I mean, it’s a fucked-up piece of technology, but they’re just playing a game, right?”
There was a pause, before the man laughed.
“Young man, I don’t think you understand,” he said. “The PlayStationGo was created to give the player a full virtual experience of our game. The PlayStationGo is not a physical object. Created with nanotechnology, it attaches itself to the subject’s brain and is supposed to create a personal gaming experience for each player. As I said, however, it is not finished. It is yet to be released to the public, and of course, we are expecting certain ethical arguments due to the controversial—”
I pulled the phone away from my ear, shaking my head. I didn’t need to hear his attempts at trying to save his own skin.
“You need to help them,” I whispered. “Do you hear me? Can you do that? Can you help them?!”
“That is what I am trying to tell you,” He said.
“I know you are upset and confused, and believe me, I offer my apologies. But you need to listen to facts. During initial testing, our subjects were conscious enough to know where their home was. We are unsure why this happens, though we have linked it to territory, as well as the main character of the game heavily influencing their actions. I have been tracking them from the testing facility, and they are incredibly close. Please get as far away from there as possible. If you are no longer in the vicinity of the house, I can end this quickly and quietly before we gain attention.”
I wasn’t sure what I was going to say. Maybe start fucking screaming at him, because he was talking about getting “rid” of my friends, after their mistake.
“Do you understand me?” He said, when I couldn’t reply. “Your friends are lost causes!”
Before I could answer, though, headlights were suddenly coming around the corner, and I found myself paralysed to the spot. The car which swerved twice, crashed into several trash cans, before reversing and coming straight towards me, was not Jay’s car. Jay’s car was an old hunk of junk he’d gotten from a scrapyard. Jay’s car had doors which were practically hanging off, and a stereo which exclusively played either static gibberish, or old tapes I had no idea how to use. This car was bright yellow, and definitely had an option to drive itself. When the car came to a stop, inches from careening into me, I lost all control of myself.
I was vaguely aware of my phone slipping from my fingers and hitting the sidewalk. But I was too busy staring at the two shadows in the front of the car. The driver, and the passenger.
And the muffled screaming coming from the trunk.
When the door swung open, a figure stepping out, I did not recognise my housemate.
The stranger told me I wouldn't, but I didn't believe him.
Jay had left the house in casual jeans and a sweater, bearing the game's logo.
Now, I found myself face to face with a man with my housemate's face and features, his smile and eyes-- but something had been severed in his eyes and twisted in his expression. For one, Jay was wearing a suit I knew he couldn't afford, the sleeves torn, collar pulled open, smears of red staining the front.
His pants had cufflinks, and the Rolex on his wrist had definitely been pulled off someone's corpse.
The silver was stained a revealing scarlet. Drinking in his face, he looked like Jay. His curls hung in front of his eyes, freckles speckling his cheeks, but everything else wasn't. It wasn't until I was glimpsing what was moulded into the flesh of his hand, did I remember how to move. But then I was taking all of him in, everything my mind had intentionally skipped, because I didn't want to believe the stranger on the phone. Nanotechnology, the man had said in a hiss.
Fiction, I had thought.
Before I saw the reality of it, a writhing metallic like substance glued to the guy's temple, and slowly, very slowly, inching down his cheek, already forming around the bridge of his ear, a very faint blue light flickering.
Something must have alerted him. His cavernous eyes left mine, and he twisted his head—and I heard the sound of his neck snapping, his head lolling to the left slightly, his eyes flickering. I watched his whole body seem to sway back and forth, ready to fall forwards.
Before the newly formed device on his ear turned red, then green.
It was almost like he was… rebooting. As if coming back to life, Jay lifted his head at an awkward angle, before looking straight through me. The blood vessels in his eyes had popped, rivulets of red beading down his face. He should have been dead, I thought. No. No, he was dead. That… that thing was keeping him alive. “Well, shiiiittt,” he said. I could sense the game dialogue which had taken over him, forming on his mangled tongue.
“I’m a man on a mission.”
In jerking movements, he turned and marched back towards the car, opening the door, and sliding into the front seat.
I remembered how to move, ducking to grab my phone, before something slammed into the back of my head—and I saw stars.
I didn’t remember hitting the floor, only the soft sound of her voice, a seductive murmur repeating NPC dialogue, and her kitten heel sticking into my spine, forcing me onto my face.
Misty. I was expecting her to get it over with. But when she dragged me to my feet, sticking the barrel of a gun into the flesh of my neck—I figured she was still playing the game.
Twisting around to meet her eyes, lifeless and empty, only filled with light from the device which had taken over half of her face, I felt sick to my stomach. This thing wasn’t a games console or a virtual reality headset.
It was an attempt at coercing and programming something you already don’t understand, to do something impossible.
I could see that in the way the things had visibly chewed and eaten through her flesh, devouring her from the inside and out. I could see what was left of the dress she had worn earlier, but something must have gone wrong with her too. Because Misty had thrown on another outfit over the top, a diamond necklace hanging from her neck.
I caught a thin river of red pooling down her right temple, trying to ignore the twitchy way she moved, just like a character. From the way Misty walked, stumbling, I already knew she was gone. My housemate had newly acquired strength, throwing me in the trunk of the car where three other hostages were, and slamming it shut on my attempts to reason with her. She didn’t tie me up or restrain me.
In the dim light I could just make out though passing streetlights, I could see the trunk opened from the inside. Which was too easy.
Still though, Jay was driving recklessly, and every time I tried to throw the damn thing open, I was knocked backwards, rolling into a screaming girl, who was bound by her hands and feet. It took me multiple attempts before I had the trunk open, freezing cold air blasting me in the face. I untied the other hostages, but when I told them to come with me, they just stared blankly at me, and continued begging for their lives—and it only took me glimpsing what was attached to their temples, a familiar writhing metal plate, for me to understand. They too were playing the game. This time, as NPC hostages.
I found myself gingerly touching the trembling metallic flesh of the girl's fingers bound in rope. It had a slimy consistency, and I swore, I felt something bite into me.
No way, I thought.
This thing was sentient, yes. But it wasn't living.
Listen, I wish I could tell you what it was like to jump out of a moving car, but I can’t.
I remember it as lunging out of the trunk, hitting the freezing cold air, before hitting the ground head first, neutron star collisions exploding in the backs of my eyes.
What I do remember is waking up on the side of the road. Hours later. The sky was bright blue, a scorching sun blinding me when I managed to force my eyes open.
The early morning rush hour flew by as normal, and I wondered how ignorant American people had to be to ignore someone knocked out on the side of the road.
It’s not like I was nowhere near civilization. There was a fucking Subway right next to me.
When I had gathered myself, I remembered I had no phone. I couldn’t go home in fear of running into my rogue housemates playing their own fucked up version of _____ in their head. My plan was to try and find my phone, get in contact with the stranger who blew the whistle on my friends being dangerous, and find them. They couldn’t be far., right? And even if they weren’t themselves… someone would be able to save them.
If someone could do this to them, surely they could reverse it.
I felt sick, tired, and I was starving.
So, with some loose cash I’d found in my pocket, I bought a Subway and a Coke.
The woman at the counter smiled widely at me. She leaned forward, with a wink. “Nice cosplay!”
Cosplay?
I didn’t understand what she meant until I swore I felt something… move its way up my pant leg. I ignored it, and it happened again, this time it felt like something was… biting.
A bug, maybe? I had been laying on the side of the road for around six hours.
When I went to the bathroom, though, I found myself staring at an all too familiar glint of silver creeping its way across my temple. Like it was sentient, parts of it sider webbed towards my ear while the rest writhed into my hairline.
I pulled up my pant leg again, and there it was, a fungus-like metal substance which had already formed in two solid metal masses on my knees. I remember grazing two fingers across the thing beginning its slow feast of my flesh. I remember trying to pull it off, hissing in pain when I risked ripping off my own skin with it. I remember shaking my head and being in denial, even when the lights dimmed above me, and the bathroom door in front of me became more of a shadow. When I strode back through the Subway store, I began to see slight flickers of light above each person, highlighting something not quite there yet.
I could see it already starting, beginning to take over my thoughts. Cars which sped past were suddenly highlighted, and at the corner of my eye, if I concentrated, the outline of a map was starting to appear. Even now, when the room is almost completely taken over by shadow, and my thoughts are half my own, and half not—when a metallic device is beginning to form over my eyes—I know if I hold on, this thing won’t take me. I have considered killing myself, but that wouldn’t… be right.
How could I kill myself when there is so much left to do?
This developer was right. I don’t even know where I can sign out. There’s what looks like the beginning of some kind of index when I look up, but it’s not… finished. I can still see entangled pieces of code struggling to load what I’m guessing was log out. Whatever this thing is, it’s taking over me. Fast. Like a fungus, like a virus, it will not stop until it’s dragged me into the game, until it's leeched itself onto me.
I can feel it happening right now. It's been slow.
Almost painfully slow.
But maybe that is the point. Maybe part of the game is to feel my own thoughts beginning to unravel in favor of something else entirely.
Fuck.
Time is going by…. Fast.
Five minutes ago… I was trying to get home. But I can’t remember where I live.
I can’t concentrate.
I can’t think straight.
I have a phone—but I don’t know how I got it. Did I steal it?
Every time I move, the slowly emerging map comes to life at the corner of my eye jerks with my movement. There is a car parked nearby.
I know it belongs to the man with a child.
But a confusing blur of light is highlighting it to be something of importance. Reality is crashing in front of me, replaced with contorting shapes and bursts of color I have to blink through.
I keep hearing... sirens.
Jay is messaging me.
On what, I'm not sure.
But I need to find him.
I’m sure one mission won’t hurt, right?

Hi there!
I'm 28 years young, (going on 29!) 6ft, currently living in the South of England. Not nearly as posh as it sounds, there's a lot of potholes and it's constantly wet, so there's that. I'm currently a server in a traditional English pub. I essentially make people happy as I put food in front of them, so that's my job description. I get good tips though, so it's not all bad.
In my spare time, I love listening to ambient music as I read, or play video games. Basically, I love detaching myself from reality and can find good ways about it. I also love looking at (often out of my budget) places to visit, and often thinking about what those places would be like. I miss travelling all over and am getting back into the swing of it though. Let's share travel stories! I'm also a pretty big fact nut, so quiz me on things! My speciality is flags, so be sure to ask!
I'm looking for someone who is kind, caring and will put up with my kookiness! I don't mind on location, if we live on the opposite sides of the world and fall for each other and I have to relocate, then that's okay with me! Photos are available on request, don't worry!
Anyways, I hope you have a nice day! And maybe chat later? I'm mostly online, so feel free to message me whenever!
https://ibb.co/album/RjRWYd - here's me! I'd love a photo of you back, although if you're super shy, you don't have to!

I feel like the more I look around my life, the more I realize how my standards fell in every aspect while drinking.
Relationships, self care, professional, my home, my car, my yard, my marriage, my WHOLE LIFE was being negatively impacted and I didn't realize it.
Well that's not true, I think if we are all honest we know alcohol negatively affects basically everything. I knew it while I was drinking, I guess I just didn't understand it.
Now that I have been sober for a minute, I have been looking all around and fixing things I neglected. Lately, this has translated into home improvements. Some little, some big. I re-finished my back deck, re-seeded my back lawn, stuff like that. My husband (also sober same time) has started picking up more duties around the house and with logistics. We realized we hadn't been eating as a family in years, we were making sure everyone was fed but no one was eating together, so we bought a dining room set secondhand. We rearranged the dining room to fit it, got rid of some old furniture, and reorganized all of the things! Now we can have a goal of everyone actually sitting together and eating at the same time so we can all connect and share about our day.
I guess my realization is, why didn't any of this stuff that has been slipping bother me when I was drinking? It's like we were so stuck in "survival" mode, just trying to keep our heads above the water, never realizing we can just get out of the fucking pool.
If your struggling, just know that even if it is confusing and hard and complicated and a struggle, you can always just GET OUT OF THE POOL. It takes a while to dry off and get your feet under you, but none of the things your struggling with because of alcohol can drown you if your not swimming in it.

Some background: I’m staying with my parents while I attend some schooling for a month. My dad is a truck driver so he’s only home on the weekends. My mom works from home, so her daily routine is to start the day from 6 AM on her work computer. After she finishes work, she has a women’s prayer group she meets with daily, that she spend the rest of her time with or doing things related to that that. So basically all day and most of the night, usually until about 10 pm or so and prayer group does a meeting again at 4 AM. So essentially she spends all day on her computer literally. To say that it has been a point of contention for my family is an understatement because my mom has used her computer activities to justify not leaving home to do basic tasks when someone else is home, even going so far as not to cook, but expects my dad when he’s home or me to go and buy meals or cook instead. My mom also has gotten so she expects for us to come running when she calls to do menial tasks so she doesn’t have to leave her computer.
I often cook at home. The general rule is if you cook, dishes get done the same night. Here’s the problem. I knew we were running low on dish liquid so I made a mental note to pick up some from the store. Long story short, between my commitments between school, watching my sister’s newborn baby, picking my sister up from one job and dropping her off at another - because she doesn’t have a car and lives 45 minutes away from both jobs, and still finding time to go the gym on top of studying in the evening for class, I forgot to get some, so one night, the dishes didn’t get washed. My mom tells me the next day that she has a new bottle stored in a different place we previously kept it and I get it. Another day goes by and dishes aren’t washed, but used. I should have washed the dishes, but I chose to use the free time I finally had once I completed all my tasks - to include going to get dinner for my mom because she didn’t want to eat the food I cooked, for the day to study at around 10 pm. This morning I tell my mom I’ll do the dishes when I return from class since I’ll have more free time than normal. She says ok. I come home, and the dishes are done. She goes into a fit that she didn’t like that the kitchen was left dirty (the dishes not being done meant the kitchen was dirty), and dishes sat for 2 days undone. I pointed out to her we have a brand new dishwasher, but she refuses to let anyone use it because, “it’s for decoration.” I also told her that I had told her I’d take care of them when I got home around noon, a mere 3 hours earlier. She stated she had to stop work to take care of her kitchen because she felt like she had waited long enough. We ended up in this back and forth and now we’re both mad. I’m not mad she did the dishes, I’m irritated she picked a fight about it after I told her I would take care of it at a specific time and then accused me of being lazy.
AITA for waiting longer to do the dishes and being annoyed she picked a fight with me?

Hi everyone.
To Kill a Predator is a work of fan fiction set in the Nature of Predators universe originally created by SpacePaladin15 whose Patreon you should subscribe to.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Depiction does not equal endorsement.
Hope you enjoy it!
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Memory transcription subject: Martin Russo, Human Refugee
Date [standardized human time]: December 14th, 2136
​
The initial search through the offers is not going well.
“What about John Hopkins University?”
“Pre-approved for their internal loan program.”
“University of California Berkeley?”
“Pre-approved for their internal loan program.”
“Dartmouth?”
“It’s pronounced Dartmouth, and they’ll help talk to the bank to take out a loan.”
“Are there any universities in your entire tribe that don’t want us to take out huge expensive loans?!”
“No.”
With a frustrated yell, Vilek throws herself on a chair. Thiva sighs and crosses more names off the list.
I was expecting this. The US and its wretched predatory profit-based educational system is a non-starter. I am not saddling the lambchops with about a million dollars of debt. Each.
At least I’m unlikely to have to pay my own student loans back, what with my debt holder being a smoking crater.
“Hey, this is promising!” Thiva’s ears perk up. “I told Johan we were looking into education on Earth and he said he’d see if he could talk to some people at Lund University. They sent us an offer, check it out!”
“Lund University. That’s in Sweden…” I’m reading the letter rapidly on Thiva’s pad and getting more excited the more I read. “They’ve got both therapist and engineering courses. And they’re willing to transfer your credits and give you both full-ride scholarships, as long as you’re willing to start the term early and ‘establish a baseline of knowledge’. And they’ll split your classes into morning and evening so you don’t have to run double-claw studies like we usually do… And they’ll even have the UN pay for housing and transportation to Earth? Jesus Christ, that’s… really damn good.”
Vilek perks up too, both of them watching me closely now with wagging tails. “So what’s the catch?”
I read it again. Slowly and carefully. And I find myself faced with a bastard of a choice. “Well for a start… this says nothing about me.”
​
Vilek and Thiva are running the math. It’s not looking good. “What if we sell your house? That should give us plenty of money, right?”
“Vansi still owns it, even if she’s never setting foot there again. How about a loan?”
“Nah, that was the first thing I checked. Banks aren’t issuing loans right now. Even taking out any money is hard. With the economy in freefall they don’t want to encourage a bank run.”
I chime in unhelpfully. “And I don’t think they want to give out a loan for a one-way ticket someplace they can’t make us pay it back.”
Thiva pouts with frustration. “That too. Ughh, this was such a good opportunity, too!”
“It is. So maybe you girls should go anyway.”
Thiva’s eye locks onto me right away. “No.”
“I’m just saying-”
“No, I’m not leaving you alone here! I can just finish school here, and…”
“…and leave Vilek alone on Earth instead? No, you two should stay together. I can house-sit Thiva’s place and try to find a job. Maybe get enough money for you girls to head back during summer and winter breaks.”
“I told you it’s not my place, it’s Vansi’s.”
“And she’s welcome to it as soon as she gets out of jail.”
Vilek flicks her tail-tip with uncertainty, ears moving thoughtfully. “…Are you sure this is our best bet?”
“I’m pretty sure it is. And we don’t have a lot of time to look for alternatives. Says here you guys will be working with a pair of tutors to make sure your knowledge base is up to spec, and that’d start in just a few days.”
They’re my friends, and they have an amazing opportunity here. I have to be strong. It’s what’s best for them. It’s just a year or two.
It’s not like I’ve barely survived the last month and a half on this wretched rock.
​
Date [standardized human time]: December 15th, 2136
​
Today’s physical therapy session is in my room. If I were hoping that’d lead to less pain, I would’ve been wrong. “C’mon, keep pulling your leg back! That’s the way!”
My arch-nemesis is currently leaning on my leg and levering it back toward my torso with her entire weight, and is encouraging me to pull back with both arms too. I’m pulling like a beast, teeth gritted so hard I think they might crack. “don’t… fucking… say it…”
My vision is blacked out from the sheer goddamn agony, while Chasa cheerfully encourages me. “Gold star, Martin! Do it for the gold star!”
But it’s the only way I’ll be able to restore a normal range of motion without lopping my limbs off and going for prosthetics. “mother… fucking… hate you…”
Which I can’t afford. And besides, upper prosthetics are nowhere near as advanced as people think. “That’s the way! Alright you can let go now, you did an amazing job!”
I collapse back immediately and straighten my leg. Opening my eyes I can see white stars dancing in my vision. Chasa pads up the bed and licks her paw before stroking it through my hair, giving me another cowlick. “Good boy, I’m so proud of you!”
I am defeated. “…thanks.”
“Hey, uh, is this a bad time?”
I blink at the familiar voice and turn my head. Mosun’s standing there with a confident expression, and Jarkim is right beside him. They both look good, far better than me at least. Jarkim’s got bandages on his leg and Mosun’s got a clavicle brace, but they’re both mobile.
Chasa gingerly climbs down from the bed and moves over to my file. “Nope! We were just done for the paw, except I was gonna give Martin his gold star~! He loves the gold stars!”
“…I am going to eat you.”
Jarkim squawks with alarm at my threat to my Zurulian nemesis. She is undeterred and cheerfully says “No you’re not.”
Jarkim speaks up. “Aren’t you… concerned, about him using that sort of language?”
Chasa stretches idly before placing the shiny sticker on my file. I’ve still got one for every session. “Nah, he doesn’t mean it. Threats and cursing are proven to help human pain responses, that’s all! He’s a big softy; I’ve got him eating out of my paw.”
I try to sound disagreeing but it comes out as a rather pathetic whine. “…I’m an apex predator…”
​
“So you were both discharged?”
Mosun flicks his ear affirmative. “I was in for a paw longer than Jarkim was, but we’re out and healing now. It’ll be another thirty-ish paws before my collarbone’s fully fixed up, but I can return to daily life.”
That’s an insanely short time to recover from a shattered collarbone, but I suppose the medi-teddies are the leading health care providers in the galaxy for a reason.
I nod. “Well, that’s good. The rest of the posse doing okay?”
Jarkim moves a wing in the positive. “Hanya got in contact with that human you mentioned, doctor Eriksson. She seems positive about it. Slavik’s back on their farm.”
I nod. “So what are you guys gonna do? I, uhh, I don’t know what you do for work, Mosun, but I think Jarkim’s out of a job.”
Mosun grins, before getting a thoughtful look and tapping his leg a few times on the floor. “I drive around stocking vending machines, so nothing that matters. But I’ve been teaching Hanya a little, like she asked. And I think… I think I’d rather like to start a Dance school. So I’ll be saving up a bit and getting it set up while I heal.”
It’s clear he doesn’t mean ballet, but I make sure to censor myself around Chasa just in case her cheerful disposition toward humans doesn’t carry on to ‘primitives’. “I think that’s a fantastic idea. I know there are a ton of humans who’d be lining up for a chance to learn your culture’s Dances. Yotul too, obviously. And Hanya’s shown there’s interest from other sapients too…”
Jarkim clacks his beak twice before speaking. “I’ll go work on Slavik’s farm for a while to pay them back, and to stay airborne. But after that… I want to help people. And I’ve still got contacts. So I was thinking of setting up a sort of troubleshooting agency. People could come to me with problems, and I’d try to help them out.”
I laugh, but quickly reconsider as my body protests the action. It’s the most stereotypical ex-cop thing he could do! “You’re gonna become a freaking private eye?!”
Jarkim looks me dead-on and deadpan. “…What’s a private eye?”
​
Date [standardized human time]: December 19th, 2136
​
My fingers run through Vilek and Thivas’ fur slowly. I have been discharged from the hospital, but I’m still going to be in for physical therapy every other paw for the foreseeable future. Right now, though, I am relaxed. “How long, now?”
Vilek answers. “Half a claw.”
That’s not a lot of time, but I am determined to not ruin it with a foul mood. “Mm… You girls all packed?”
“There’s not a lot to pack. We’re getting most everything once we’re there.”
“Mm.”
Thiva’s currently quietly crying onto my shirt. “I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, lambchop. But I’ll feel better with you two together, and doctor Eriksson is in Lund, so you can have in-person sessions.”
“And you’re sure you can’t come with?”
I shake my head. “Unless you got any new ideas. Besides, moving between human nations is a pain in the ass. I can’t get in as a refugee. Sweden’s been strict about refugees since before the Satellite War: I set foot on Venlil Prime first and VP’s been willing to house me, so that means according to Sweden and most other nations that I have to stay here until I can go back to the US.” Fucking ‘first safe harbor’ laws. “And since I’m a citizen of the United States of America I can’t move to Sweden on my own anyway. At least not without having a job or family or something there.”
Thiva looks up at me and says softly “…We’re family, right?”
Oh, wow, okay. I bite my lip for a second to keep from crying. It mostly works. “Yeah, of-of course we are. But that’s not how they see it. Don’t worry, we’ll try to figure something out. We just need to be patient.”
She gives a soft and sad sigh. I scratch behind her ears and look over at Vilek.
​
Vilek gives a soft beep and leans her head against my other hand. “Do you know a lot about the place?”
I shake my head. “Almost nothing. Lund’s a city in Sweden, and Lund University is around five hundred years old. Before going to Venlil Prime I had never left the US, which is almost as far from Sweden as you can go before you start getting closer again. But it was practically untouched by the extermination fleet, and the people are famous for being friendly.”
Even that much I had to search online to learn. The stereotype that Americans can’t tell Swedes from Swiss might not be true but it’s apparently not as far off as I thought.
“You’ll be studying one claw, then a break claw, then another claw of study, then you have three claws off. These six-claw periods are a day. You’ll study five days, then have two days to yourselves.”
Vilek whistles a soft laugh. “So there’s a lot of time to recover.”
“Remember, humans tend to sleep for eight hour stretches. So most people sleep eight hours, study or work eight hours, and have the remaining eight for transportation and personal stuff.”
“Hopefully that’s not going to be a problem…”
“I managed to adjust to VP’s time, I’m sure you’ll manage Earth’s. Worst case scenario, there’s coffee. Every student lives on coffee. And there’s soda, and potato chips, and curry. There are so many tasty things that you girls will adore trying on Earth.”
Thiva wags her tail softly, looking up at me. “You make us sound like gluttons.”
“No, I’m saying I miss those things because Venlil food sucks.”
Both girls play-push me and bleat with protest, making me laugh.
Mary mother of God I am going to miss them.
“Speaking of that, it smells like the food’s done.”
“Huh? I don’t smell anything?” Thiva gives me her most deadpan expression of confusion, and I roll my eyes at her and gently pinch the tip of her ear to pay back her jest. That elicits an adorable little squeak, and I smile while I get up and grab my crutch. I won’t be able to walk unaided for a long time, perhaps ever. I’m okay with that. I kinda want to have a walking stick anyway. A classy wooden one, like Tom’s.
Maybe I can be the first human with a walking stick made from Venlil wood?
​
I put out the spread. Cooking has been an extra pain in the ass with my injuries, but I’ll be damned if that’s going to stop me.
I present the plated-up meal on the table by the couch with a small flourish. “Here we go, girls. This is the meal I was going to make for you before things got… hectic. Tomato focaccia and pasta alla norma. And to drink, wine. That’s a fermented drink from the juice of grape berries. This particular wine is a variety called Nerello Mascalese, from my family’s ancestral home of Sicily.”
Vilek wags her tail as she leans forward. “This focaccia looks sort of like Strayu, but with a bunch of stuff on top?”
“It’s a sort of bread, almost all human cultures have some variation on bread. I’ve topped it with cherry tomato fruits, rosemary herbs, and kosher salt.”
The lambchops look at it with excitement, and Thiva’s the first to tear off a bit and place it on her outstretched tongue. She rolls it into her mouth and starts chewing, and her ears perk up and her tail wags at once. Her eyes half-close and she looks like she’s melting. “Ohhhh Protector… it’s so sweet, and salty, and juicy, and-and-and-”
Vilek excitedly tears off a piece for herself and plops it into her mouth. I’m rewarded for my hard work with an adorable squeal of joy from her, and she takes a second piece and shovels it into her mouth too. Only after swallowing does she focus an eye on me. “If I didn’t already want to mate with you beforehand, this ‘focaccia’ would’ve sealed the deal!”
I find myself blushing rather hard, and simply take a small bit of the bread for myself wordlessly. Thiva and Vilek both whistle a laugh.
​
After having thoroughly sampled the bread Thiva pokes at the pasta dish with a claw. “So what’s this other stuff? It looks utterly wild!”
I smile at the two, letting my explanation cool my jets a bit. “Pasta is made by combining a ground wheat powder with water, and then shaping the resulting dough and boiling it. Here I’ve combined it with a sauce made with tomato fruit and herbs, as well as a spongy and nutritious plant called eggplant. You guys don’t seem to mind bitter plants, so I figured it might be a good idea. Finally, it’s got a vegan ricotta made with almond nuts, lemon juice, and garlic powder… and basil, a wonderfully fresh leafy herb. This is a classic meal from Sicily, modified the tiniest bit for my herbivorous lambchops.”
The two take a pair of spoons and scoop up some of the mixture, making sure to get a bit of everything. They look at each other and, on an unspoken signal, put the food in their mouths.
They squeal and gasp. Vilek even squirms happily in her seat, while Thiva just wags her tail rapidly and moves her ears in slow little circle motions as she chews. Vilek’s the first to speak up. “…this is absolutely crazy, there are so many flavors… all at once! But I can taste each one…”
I pour some of the wine into their glasses, wincing a bit at having to awkwardly brace the heavy bottle in both hands.
I know the Venlil can hold their alcohol well enough to make the Irish blush, so I’m not concerned about that part. Having tried Venlil drink once, I am mostly curious as to if the lambchops will be able to appreciate the complexity of something that doesn’t taste like everclear and paint thinners.
As they take small sips, I needn’t have worried. Thiva in particular bleeps with joy and perks her ears. “Oohh… that’s rich! There’s sweetness, and acidity, and a sort of dried herb taste underneath it all?”
Vilek adds her own opinion, but is slower with it. “There’s a sort of earthiness… and I can taste it a little differently just by holding my mouth near the glass… that’s wild. It goes really, really well with the food too…!”
I laugh quietly. “Heh… I’m glad you girls enjoy it. Just make sure to leave some room for dessert. There will be chocolate cake.”
Thiva tilts her head. “You humans have meals for after your meals?”
“Only for special occasions. Don’t worry, you’ll love it.”
​
“It looks like dirt.”
“Wet dirt.”
I wait patiently with a small smile. They load their spoons with some of the moist, spongy chocolate cake and the rich frosting that I’ve so lovingly slaved over. And into their mouths it goes. I wait for the reaction.
It does not disappoint.
“MMHH!!!” “MMFF-MFFH!!”
They immediately start devouring their dessert, while I grin. “Well girls, If you don’t want the ‘dirt’ I’ll be glad to take it off your paws.”
They quickly protest. “Don’t you dare!” “Yeah, we’re keeping the whole thing! This stuff is better than mating!” “How would you know? You’ve never even done it!” “Yeah okay, but am I wrong?” “…I didn’t say that!”
Laughter and whistling fills the room. As far as last meals together goes, this one is going about as well as I could’ve hoped.
​
We’re standing outside. We’re beside the politely impatient cab driver that’ll take the girls the first leg of their journey to the space port and on to Earth. Thiva’s crying again and clinging to me. It hurts, but I grin and bear it.
Vilek smiles, the human expression looking a bit foreign on her face. “…You promise you’ll be okay? I… I need to hear you say it.”
Thiva flicks her ear and tail. “Yeah. W-We can still change our minds, if… If you need us.”
I have no goddamn idea what I am going to do after you girls step into that cab.
I smile at my beloved lambchops, give them a warm hug, a pair of quick kisses on their cheeks.
And I lie to their faces.
“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine without you.”
---
This is the penultimate chapter of this story. Thank you for reading so far!
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