This is an old story, like, more than 10 years old, but I occasionally find myself thinking and still fuming about this, and I don't have anyone to tell it to.
I had a job working at a Headstart preschool. It didn't pay great, but I loved the work. Like, to the point that I would sometimes go in when on my days off because it was fun job. I loved the kids, I felt like I was doing something meaningful - we were a preschool in a very low income area, we had kids from the local homeless shelter, new immigrants, kids who had been kicked out of other preschools for behavior issues... we took them all, and it was great.
It was just a satisfying job that was also, somehow, not too mentally taxing. Like, when I went home from work, i was home. It wasn't like when I taught at an elementary school and would go home and do hours of work to prepare for the next day. It honestly was just a joy to go to work, something I know is incredibly rare and I truly valued it.
I had a coteacher, who I'll call Shelly. Shelly and I got along alright, not amazingly, but alright. Although over the years, she changed in some odd ways. The first and weirdest one was she began to smell. Our preschool was not religious, but it was located in a large, old school Anglican church, with very high ceilings, and there were days that I would walk into the church (not our preschool classrooms) and be able to smell that she was there. That's how bad it was. And it was doubly frustrating because we had very different fashion styles. She tended to dress up ,and I always was in jeans and a t-shirt. So while I don't know for sure, I'm would imagine anyone coming into the room would smell the B.O., look at the two adults in the room, and think "well, that must be coming off the woman in the old t-shirt, can't be from the woman in the little black dress."
But I tolerated it because what else could I do? We were a small preschool, no HR department. And I don't know how to bring that up without being super rude.
But that wasn't the thing that ruined the job.
Our preschool had two separate programs, morning and afternoon, with room for 16 kids in each. Because of the neighborhood we were in, there were a lot of kids who would come and go (like, kids from the shelter who would get housing, and move away, that sort of thing), so our supervisor was always out doing community outreach to make sure we were full. We weren't always full, but that was part of her job.
But our supervisor ended up making a financial error, and got fired (she landed on her feet, I still hear from her occasionally, she's fine). The board of trustees offered me the job, but I know I'm not an administrator, so I refused, and they offered it to my coworker Shelly. And she took it. Which initially I was happy about because it would mean she would not be in the classrooms with me, and I wouldn't have to smell her.
One of the first things Shelly did was align our preschool with a large local community center. Which meant we were no longer an independent preschool run by a board of trustees made up of a bunch of old church ladies, we were now a part of a large organization with hundreds of staff. There was a slight increase in benefits, which initially came with a slight decrease in pay, which I remember finding a bit funny, but that was fine.
But almost immediately things got worse at the actual job. Our preschool was maybe a 4 minute walk away from a local library, with no street crossings in between, and we had, for years, taken our kids to the library once a month. We'd usually ask for one parent volunteer for that day, and if we couldn't get one, we'd ask a librarian to come to the preschool and walk with us so the kids would be safe. Suddenly, that was no longer permitted because of safety and liability concerns (the community center was not willing to take the risk).
For years we had had random "water days" in the summer when it was really hot, where we would set up kiddy pools and sprinklers in our little backyard. I had gone and bought a bunch of kids clothes from local thrift shops using my own money and we would tell parents at the beginning of the summer that if the weather was hot, we would have water play day, and then if they were too wet, we would put them in the thrift store clothing, send them home and ask the parents to return the thrift store clothes. We would get about 80% of the clothing back, but it was fine. The kids loved it, no parents ever complained. But the Community Center said that wasn't allowed anymore. We could only have Water Days on preplanned days when the parents could send their own change of clothing. And that effectively ended it because how could we know when the weather was going to be good for it?
We had also done monthly field trips to local museums and parks (again, always with volunteers -- we had 3 volunteers who came on regular days every week, and we would ask for parent volunteers as well). But the Community Center thought this was too much of a liability risk and no longer permitted it. So that sucked.
But then something else began to happen. When we would lose children from the program due to them moving or aging out, they were not getting replaced, and our numbers got really low. This had happened before, but only ever for a month or so. This went on for several months. And of course, the Health Center was super concerned. Because while we were a non-profit, and the parents didn't pay, we got money from the government to cover the cost of each child, and if there weren't enough children, the preschool would actually lose money.
The Health Center started coming down on Shelly after maybe 6 months of this, but it just didn't get better. I arrived one morning to do my morning preparations and I could hear Shelly in the office with someone from the Community Center, and Shelly was yelling something or other, and then I heard her say "Well, maybe I shouldn't be here then", and that was the last I saw her for almost a year. She quit that day.
We got a new supervisor within a week, who did the proper community outreach, and we were filled within maybe 2 weeks again. So Shelly just hadn't done her job. But the problem was that 6 months of not being full had put us very firmly in the red, so the Community Center decided to stop our preschool having 2 programs for the morning and afternoon and reduced us to one full day program. And that's when everything fully went to shit.
When you have a preschool that is open for 6 hours or more, suddenly there are things legally mandated by the government that you have to do. We had to provide breakfast, 2 snacks, and lunch. We had to have a nap time, craft time, and indoor and outdoor playtime (separate times). And this would have been fine except for the fact that the community center had another preschool and so to save costs, they decided to combine the bus routes, which because of timing and schedules meant that our kids were with us for exactly 6 hours.
All of those government mandated things? They take up exactly six hours. So we had ZERO flexibility. I don't know if you noticed, but there was nothing in that list of things that included activities like reading together, circle time, etc. Basically, there was now no real teaching time going on.
Oh, and naptime was hell. People think it would be relaxing, but trying to get 16 kids to go to sleep at the same time is a nightmare. They are not all tired at the same time. Some of them don't nap anymore. Some of them cry, some of them need to be held to fall asleep, and then others get jealous, it was just... the worst. And it was government mandated to be, I think 2 hours? So it was two hours of trying to get kids to stay on their cots. I hated every second of it. We all did.
I was literally sneaking time during this whole ordeal to read and do educational circle activities with the kids. Like, I'm not exaggerating. My supervisor would be out for the day for something and I would think "OH GOOD! She's gone, I can have storytime today! Maybe we can do a counting game! YAY!" Because I would get in trouble if she was around because it was taking away from the things that we were legally required to do. The job went from being super fun, fulfilling and meaningful to feeling like I was babysitting and just making sure the kids didn't die.
I was the last of the "old" teachers to quit. I stuck it out for maybe 18 months. There had been, I think 5 staff from before the Community Health Center. The rest of them all quit within the first year.
Now, this might seem like just a random consequence of Shelly being bad at her job. But here's where it gets worse. Maybe 2 months before I quit ( and yeah, this definitely had an effect on me and wanting to stay), Shelly came back to visit. She and I were having a friendly chat, and I was telling her about the changes and how we were now a full day program and she looks away and says -- "You know, when I started, it was just half day. Not two half day programs, we were only open in the morning. I really liked it then. And I didn't need any more hours, that was enough for me to live on."
I looked at her a bit confused and said "well, I'm glad it was 2 half day programs by the time I started, I could barely make due with that income, to be honest."
And she shrugged, and then said "I kinda thought that if we couldn't fill the two halves, the Community Center would take it back to just mornings. I guess they went the other way."
And I just stared at her. And I think we spoke for a few more minutes and then she left.
She never said it outright, but I'm certain she deliberately tanked the program to try and cut it back to a halfday program but they went in the opposite direction. And made a wonderful job into a miserable one. And I think that was what took the wind out of my sails. I was out of there (and literally out of the country -- I live in Korea now) within a couple of months.

TW: animal death, mention of gore, mentions of suicide attempts CW: me being dramatic and wordy lol
A few years ago, when I was constantly suicidal and in and out of the psych ward, I was driving down a pretty remote, winding road surrounded by a wooded area in my hometown. I came across a dead raccoon. It was gruesome but not flattened, and right in the middle of the lane, so I thought it might be a hazard. I got out and picked up a stick to try and push it over to the grass, but when I pushed it, I only succeeded in rolling over a portion of its body and revealing its guts. Even though I’m somewhat used to roadkill I was extremely shaken by this. I panicked and became overwhelmed with intrusive thoughts about self harm, suicide, and other gross, painful, awful things. I don’t remember the immediate aftermath, but I know at some point I got back in my car and drove away.
I begin to associate raccoons with my suicidal part and with self-destructiveness in general. I took a long break from IFS (former therapist who didn’t respect my boundaries kinda left a bad taste in my mouth about it) but since then have always pictured a raccoon when trying to deal directly with my suicidal part(s).
Today I was driving down that same road and I saw a raccoon run halfway across. I stopped my car and just stared for a while— normally I’d honk, but there were no other cars on the road. I was shocked and wanted to watch it. It stared back, eyes glowing under my headlights. We made eye contact for a few seconds, and then it went down into the woods, and I drove on.
I’m not spiritual/religious and don’t really believe in signs as far as things sent by a higher power, but I do believe most things in life can have meaning if you allow them to. In the past 6 months or so I’ve been seeing a new therapist who I really like and, in the midst a long string of triggering events and circumstances, I’ve gotten a little better at advocating for myself and working through hopelessness and suicidal thoughts. I’m not exactly doing great, but I haven’t attempted suicide in at least two years. I feel like maybe my suicidal part is more able to look me in the eye and pause for a moment before running away to safety, and I feel like maybe I can do that with my suicidal part too. This meaningful coincidence with the raccoon makes me feel more hopeful than I have in a while. I’m glad I got to see it, and I’m glad it knows its way back to the woods, where it can be safe from cars and well-intentioned people with sticks.
Or, as Robert Frost puts it:
The woods are lovely, dark and deep But I have promises to keep And miles to go before I sleep And miles to go before I sleep

I had a S&D from Safeway today. 30 trip, 3.3 miles.
I didn’t realize until after I finished checking out that I was at the wrong Safeway. The other one was about 4 miles away.
The delivery location was literally right up the street from me so I proceeded to screenshot the drop off info and delivered the order. I took a photo of the groceries at their door and also took a photo of the receipt. I tried to call Support, but it was outside of hours so I waited and waited and waited and eventually got through to someone on chat.
After taking FOREVER to get back to me and multiple times of “I just need two more minutes,”the agent STILL was not understanding the issue I was having. She said she was going to cancel the order. I said NO. DO NOT cancel the order, I just shopped at a different location and I just need to be able to move forward in the app because I’ve already delivered the order. She proceeded to cancel the order anyway and I haven’t been paid and I’m not sure what to do from here.

For the VA: You are playing the role of "Rem", a living dream that exists within the listeners mind. You've been fine with your circumstances until you've been noticing signs that you and your dreamer might be separated forever.
Unsure of what's going to happen to yourself, you've been doing your best to just try and accept your fate, and cherish your remaining time with your dreamer.
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All sound effects are encouraged, but still optional.
Feel free to change the dialogue to your liking, or even completely improvise. Whatever you need to make the lines feel more natural. What matters is keeping the general story the same.
You may absolutely monetize this, but if you should place this product behind a paywall, I would appreciate a copy of the performance.
Feel free to ask any questions or bring up any concerns, should they come up.
___________________________________________________________________________
Context: While resting in bed, you feel a blissful pull on your mind into the darkness of sleep. To your surprise, you hear a voice calling out as clear as day, and you feel compelled to respond.
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​
Rem: (Softly) "Baby? Are you here?" (Relieved on finding the listener) There you are! It was pretty hard to see you this time."
[Listener: "Who are you? Where am I?"]
Rem: (Light chuckle) "You're dreaming again. Don't worry though. It normally takes you a little while to get your memory back. It's kind of my favorite part of the dream. I like seeing you react to things for the first time all over again.
Oh! But do I look familiar? Even if you don't remember me, I should look familiar at least.
(Smug chuckle while she gives the dreamer a moment) No? Don't worry. I can see your eyes light up when you look at me, even if you don't think you remember."
[Listener: "Why is it so dark then?"]
Rem: "Its always been this dark in the beginning. You always meet me here at the first stage of REM sleep. Actually, that's why we thought "Rem" would be a good name for me!
... (Bashful) I'm glad I'm the first thing you think of when you fall asleep."
[As if cutting off the dreamer]
Rem: "Shh! Hold that thought! Look! You're starting to dream! Well. Dream more.
(Curious) What is that anyway? A road?"
[Splashing sounds]
Rem: "Oof! Am asphalt road on water. What the heck? Hurry! Get on the road!"
[Dreamer talks]
Rem: "Why is there a road on the water? Like I said, it's a dream. This is far from the weirdest thing you've dreamed about. (Mischievous giggle)"
[Dreamer: "What else did I dream of?"]
Rem: "You wanna hear one? Hmm... There was this time that we were in a school together, but the classrooms were modified to be pig pens. And your old classmates, from elementary school, were still kids, and still bullying you. They tried to get you to go down a drain in the pens? I don't know. It was weird. You ended up flying away anyway. I guess you took the roof off the building, because I don't remember crashing through any ceiling!
(Laughing) What? You asked! I'm just a dream along for the ride! I have no control over the weird plot twists the other dreams take."
[Seeing something nearby]
Rem: "Oh! Look! A car! A Ford Model T, but still a car. We can probably get out of here if we take that. Don't worry. I'll drive."
[Dreamer talks while the two get into the car]
Rem: "Yup! That's another way you found out I'm real; I know some things you don't. I guess I just like vintage cars more than you?"
[Starts with any car engine sound and begins to drive]
Rem: "I don't remember anything before your dreams, but I know things about the world that you don't. We felt this confirmed that I'm alive. A "real dream". Just not a dream-come-true..."
[Dreamer talks]
Rem: "That's what I said, actually! You were the one who pointed out that, no matter how lucid the dream, you could never alter me in any major way. Go ahead!
(Proudly, playfully defiant) I am immune to your power!"
[Dreamer: "Do you call me dreamer?"]
Rem: (Softly) "Yeah. I do call you dreamer. See? You're remembering! Do you remember why?"
[Dreamer doesn't, so Rem begins humming the song 'Beautiful Dreamer' for a moment]
Rem: "The song, Beautiful Dreamer.
(Enamored) You... You sang it to me after you realized I was real."
[Dreamer: "On our first date."]
Rem: (Gasps in surprise) "You remembered! Yes! On our first date.
(In a monotone voice) That makes you my dream girl!
(Normal voice) Nice try, buster. You say that line each time.
(Giggling) But it always makes me smile."
[Stopping the car]
Rem: "After you sang to me I told you that I'm a dream, not a dreamer. You didn't like thinking about me like that though, so I started hammering it into your head over and over again by calling you the dreamer. And it stuck at some point. But with a fondness I feel for you."
[Dreamer asks why they stopped]
Rem: "What? We've driven far enough that I'm sure nothing new is going to happen, so we can just park it for now. And while you were busy marveling at your exceptionally beautiful girlfriend, I noticed the water started to act up around us. Rocks and waves are showing up out of the water."
[Dreamer: "How long have we been together?"]
Rem: "I was worried you'd ask how long we've been together. Ugh. I suck at math. How long have we been together in real time? About two years, four weeks, and five days."
[Sounds of crashing waves and seagulls in the background]
Rem: "How long have we been together in dream time? Over forty years, I think?"
[Dreamer says something causing Rem to burst out laughing]
Rem: "Wait! I just told you that we've been dating for over forty years and you just noticed I look like your ideal partner? That's what I was saying when I asked if I look familiar. Why did you realize it just now?"
[Dreamer: "I was imagining how lucky I am to spend forty years with you."]
Rem: (Hitched gasp, followed by light crying) "No! I'm sorry. That was really sweet of you to say. I-I'm lucky to have spent these past few decades with you too!...
(Sniffle) I-it's just... Um... I don't want it to end..."
[Dreamer talks]
Rem: "No. I'm not talking about you just waking up... When you wake up, I'm still here, somewhere in your daydreams... It's just... The dreams have been getting shorter. Really short... We think it means... Well..."
[Dreamer speaks]
Rem: "... Yeah. That we might never see each other one day. We don't know if I'm dying, or if a dream's fantasy is just coming to an end... We're not sure of much about it.
(Sniffles) You've been a dream come true to me. And I don't want it to end... But I don't think you'll remember me entirely before you wake up."
[Dreamers hugs Rem, causing her voice to tremble with sorrow]
Rem: "Th-thank you, Dreamer. Even with all of this, I still feel better in your arms."
[Deep sigh, and a slightly more cheery tone]
Rem: "No, really. I do feel better. It's just... I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now."
[Dreamer: "Maybe we can get someone to help?"]
Rem: "Dreamer, I love you, but you ask that every time. I know you can't help it, so I'll just keep it simple; Who could possibly help us? Whenever you wake up, you forget everything that happened. Sometimes you remember bits and pieces, and you get the cutest smile on your face, even when you can't remember why you're so happy.
(Sigh) We've spent years trying to think of a way out of this, so please, just let me... Let me enjoy the time I have left with you."
[Dreamer agrees]
Rem: "Thank you, baby."
[Deep breath to compose herself]
Rem: "So! What are you dreaming about now? No offense, but this kind of looks... Boring? Its a pretty night sky, a full moon, some rocks near the road- OH! I think I see mermaids!"
[Pointing out]
Rem: "There! See?...
(Confused) What?
(Playfully annoyed) Oh puh-lease! I literally look like your ideal woman. Between me and them? It's no contest. Just look! They're singing something, I think. I can't hear anything though... You can't hear them either? Huh. Not the weirdest thing you've dreamed of."
[Rem suddenly remembering]
Rem: "Oh! Do you wanna know what the weirdest thing you dreamed of was?"
[Dreamer replies]
Rem: "OK, so! Do you remember that little house you grew up in when you were little?
[Sound begins to fade away for a time skip]
Rem: "Right! Well, part of it was a castle in a swamp, and- Shush! I know it doesn't make sense, let me finish the story!"
[Sound fades back in as a unknown amount of time has passed]
Rem: "So you put me in your satchel, and jumped out of its mouth, but for some reason, my top half couldn't go all the way into the satchel this time.
(Laughing) Yes! So you do remember! Oh my God! I was so pissed off after my head bumped into its teeth. The teeth broke, but I had such a bad headache after that, I just couldn't keep my eyes from watering."
[Dreamer talks]
Rem: "No! I wasn't crying! Don't you think if I was crying I would've worked out as many pity points as I could get from you?
(Smug chuckle) Yeah, OK. Pity points got us into that mess, but I really wasn't crying! We'd have missed the dance if I wasted too much time."
[Dreamer talks]
Rem: "Right? That was so fun! I'm not even a fan of disco, but I had to see that through."
[Laughing before letting out a deep and happy sigh]"
[Dreamer: "Wow. Can I get tired in dreams?"]
Rem: (Sadly) "Yeah... You can get tired in dreams. It happens right before you wake up."
[Dreamer talks]
Rem: "No. Its not like when you're awake. You can't force yourself to stay awake. Eventually you'll fade back to reality."
[Dreamer replies]
Rem: "I don't want you to go either!... But I don't want our last moments to be desperate and scared.
[Dreamer kisses Rem, allowing her to let out a relaxed sigh]
Rem: "Thank you, baby. [Pleased giggle] Here. Why don't you lay your head on my lap?"
[Interrupting Dreamer]
Rem: "Shhh... Don't worry about that right now... Thank you."
[Giggling again as Dreamer rests their head on her lap]
Rem: "Yeah. You probably couldn't do this in a regular car, but this isn't a regular car. Comfy? Good!..."
[Deep breath]
Rem: "Even the sun in here is starting to rise... Yeah. It's OK. Just relax..."
[A moment goes by before Rem begins to sing Beautiful Dreamer, but gets interrupted partway through with a whoosh, as Dreamer vanishes]
Rem: (Urgently) "Dreamer? Dreamer!"
[Rem begins to cry, but tries to compose herself by singing again. She changes the first few words to 'Beautiful Dreamer, don't forget me', and the audio fades to an end as she continues to sing through her tears.]

The Bike Curious Ride meets every Sunday, in the parking lot on the west side of Browning Hangar (between Airport Blvd and the Hangar), currently at 5:45pm with wheels down at 6:00pm!
Our start time is adjusted seasonally.
We visit parks, parking garages, bakeries, and convenient stores as we ride around appreciating art. We typically ride about 10-15 miles, not too many hills, but you never know.
Note that this ride is a no drop ride, meaning everyone sticks together, and no one gets left behind. All skill levels are welcome.
This Sunday, June 11th, our end stop is at The Kebab Shop (1201 Barbara Jordan Blvd #200, Austin, TX 78723).
WHAT YOU NEED: Lights, Locks, Water, Wheels, an ID, money for food and drinks, and your friends.
HOW: Social Cycling Austin rides AS traffic and NOT AGAINST it. We stop at red lights, yield the right of way and let cars pass as best we can. We don't block intersections. We are nice to both our fellow riders and the other traffic on the road. LISTEN TO the volunteers helping to lead the ride. They are some nice folks and have you best interest in mind. If you have any questions about the rules, we suggest you check here: http://bicycleaustin.info/laws/austin.html
REMINDER: The goal has always been to create a safe environment for all riders, but we cannot control, nor do we desire to, every rider's behavior. We promote personal responsibility, and it is each rider's responsibility to take care of themselves, and if they choose to ride with us, then they accept those risks inherent in riding a bicycle with a large group of other people riding bicycles.

I (23F) met a new dom (43M) for the first time this week. It was a great session; I got to try a lot of new things and we got along well. We're planning to hang out again. I have a hang-up, though, that he clearly finds annoying. It is sort of needlessly picky, but I really don't want to wear leather cuffs. This dom makes the cuffs himself; they come in different sizes, colors, and he has vegan ones. They're very well made, which I told him, but they're not my style. I'm very anal about aesthetics, to the point where I take jobs based off the workplaces' interiors. I have to match my underwear to the rest of my outfit, or I don't think I'd be able to leave the house.
Sometimes I find some of the 'look' in BDSM a bit scary. I like choking, hair pulling, spanking, spitting, biting, age play, but none of these require props. Things like vibrators, strong restrains, clamps, make my body feel good, but they also don't please my eye and that distracts me a great deal. I'm a little. I like to feel at play, and these cuffs remind me of dilapidated psychiatric wards. That being said, this dom is justified in preferring the cuffs, because they are safer. We used sort of a squishy rope (not sure what it's called... it had a little bounce to it), but I tug a lot on my restraints, and he had to stay very conscious of my circulation. In the past I had somebody use silk scarves, but those were simple wrist restraints and this current dom and I are looking to step it up a notch or two. I want to work together to find a material/ restraint that works. But I also feel sort of sad that he thinks I'm just being ultra bratty, and close-minded. Because it really does go deeper than that, and I don't know how to explain that to somebody I just met.

This story happend a little less then a year ago, I've posted it before in another subreddit but I stumbled across that post again today and it made me smile again so I thought I might share it here as well.
I work for a fastfoodchain with a big shiny yellow M on the roof and back then I just got promoted to manager like 1 or 2 months before this little story happend. A few trashcans in the kitchen were broken and since I was the only manager present with a car another manager asked me if I maybe wanted to go to a store to buy some new ones. - it was a beautiful summer day say ofcourse I said yes to the oppertunity to go out for a bit. So hopped in my car to the shopping center parked my car, walked to the store and bought 2 new trashcans. Due to the great weather I didn't wear a jacket or anything, just my work clothing. So I walked pass this random store where they were doing some sort of constructions and two lady's were smoking infront of the store. So I walked pass them and all of the sudden I heard "wait! Do they have an Mcdonalds here!?" But the shopping center didn't have one, my work is like a 15 minute drive. So I smiled to the 2 woman and explained where my work was located and had a little chat with them. At the end of the conversation one of them said something like "to bad, I really would've liked some chicken nuggets right now." We said goodbye and I drove back to work to finish the last two hours of my shift.
On my way home I still thought about the two woman and suddenly I was like "let's get them their nuggets!" - hoping they were still there - but I didn't wanna drive back to work so I drove to another Mcdonald's bought two 20 nugget boxes and drove back to the shopping center. Walked back to the store where the two woman were before and REALLY hoped they were still there. And yes! They were. This time I saw them before they saw me so I walked into the store and shouted "suprise! Nuggies arrived!" They looked up a little surprised, then saw me... and then the bag full of nuggies and started to scream of exitement - I've never seen someone so happy for nuggies before - so I gave them the food and had another little chat with them. And after them saying thank you so much for another 10 times we said goodbye again and I went home with the biggest smile on my face.
And even though I never saw them ever again this story still gives me a big smile on my face everytime I think about it.
So remembee people; sometimes its just about the little things to make someone happy :D

This story happend a little less then a year ago, I've posted it before in another subreddit but I stumbled across that post again today and it made me smile again so I thought I might share it here as well.
I work for a fastfoodchain with a big shiny yellow M on the roof and back then I just got promoted to manager like 1 or 2 months before this little story happend. A few trashcans in the kitchen were broken and since I was the only manager present with a car another manager asked me if I maybe wanted to go to a store to buy some new ones. - it was a beautiful summer day say ofcourse I said yes to the oppertunity to go out for a bit. So hopped in my car to the shopping center parked my car, walked to the store and bought 2 new trashcans. Due to the great weather I didn't wear a jacket or anything, just my work clothing. So I walked pass this random store where they were doing some sort of constructions and two lady's were smoking infront of the store. So I walked pass them and all of the sudden I heard "wait! Do they have an Mcdonalds here!?" But the shopping center didn't have one, my work is like a 15 minute drive. So I smiled to the 2 woman and explained where my work was located and had a little chat with them. At the end of the conversation one of them said something like "to bad, I really would've liked some chicken nuggets right now." We said goodbye and I drove back to work to finish the last two hours of my shift.
On my way home I still thought about the two woman and suddenly I was like "let's get them their nuggets!" - hoping they were still there - but I didn't wanna drive back to work so I drove to another Mcdonald's bought two 20 nugget boxes and drove back to the shopping center. Walked back to the store where the two woman were before and REALLY hoped they were still there. And yes! They were. This time I saw them before they saw me so I walked into the store and shouted "suprise! Nuggies arrived!" They looked up a little surprised, then saw me... and then the bag full of nuggies and started to scream of exitement - I've never seen someone so happy for nuggies before - so I gave them the food and had another little chat with them. And after them saying thank you so much for another 10 times we said goodbye again and I went home with the biggest smile on my face.
And even though I never saw them ever again this story still gives me a big smile on my face everytime I think about it.
So remembee people; sometimes its just about the little things to make someone happy :D

I’m trying to share this memory as best as I can so please excuse me if I wander off topic or diverge, I’ll try to stick with it as best as I can.
Years ago I was living in a village called Slaidburn in Lancashire, England and was on my way back home from the nearby town of Clitheroe. On the way up the valley I got fixated on these flickering orange lights I could see out of the right hand side window over the hill; Waddington fell, I was the only person on the bus and was sat behind the driver who I had known well for years, a lovely Pakistani gent who is one of the nicest people i’ve ever known, anyway, he saw what I was looking at and said “you’ve seen the lights then? I’ve seen them every night this time for the past month, I wonder what they are?”
I didn’t really reply or if I did I can’t remember, but what I did is the next time I got a chance to go for a walk I detoured to go down a road called the ‘Skaithe’ where I knew I would have a great view of the fell where I saw the lights, (coincidentally the road where the famous ‘Bentham incident’ happened) I had my camera and tripod with me and there is a video on YouTube which I’ll try to find and link to this post when I’ve finished writing it, although I’m very hesitant to do this as A: it’ll dox me B:I’m embarrassed about it and C: it’s not a very good video
Anyway the lights were just flickering globes or spheres over one part of the hill, appearing and disappearing, sometimes changing colour but mostly orange or white, sometimes there was about 8 or 9, then there would just be one or two, they looked like they were hovering too, not whizzing about the sky or anything, also no noise.
The part of the fell they were over is where, in 1994, I found a really odd patch of flattened rushes which were flat in about a 12 ft spiral like something heavy had turned around on them in a clockwise manner and squashed them all down. It’s also locally infamous for being treacherously boggy and you can see marsh lights or ‘willow-the-wisps’ there, I’ve seen those elsewhere on the fells they are very creepy to see, I think very, very few people have seen these but you have to have been out in the dark long enough to have developed a kind of ‘night vision’ to be able to see them anyway and have to be out in the pitch black night and when it’s very still weather, I was out walking a lot at night because my parents were fighting.
I did warn you I might digress! At the time I was seeing the orange globe thingies I mentioned them to a few of locals I knew and trusted, old time farmers and gamekeepers and they said they’d always seen them at this time of year and that they’d seen all sorts of stuff, these are very trustworthy down-to-the-earth men who don’t mince their words and who you could trust your life with, they just brushed it aside like nothing.
One night I went down to the house of a girl I was having a relationship with in the village and after we’d had some drinks and dinner and stuff together we went out into her garden for a smoke and I realised her garden had the best view of the fell in the whole village and we sat together for two hours watching these orange globes floating and disappearing and re-appearing and we didn’t say anything about it and i twigged that she’d been watching this for years and didn’t really think much about it at all,
In conclusion I found it really uncanny that no-one I met who had seen this phenomenon thought it was as unusual as me, in fact I had to temper my excitement just to not seem weird, but they’d all seen exactly what I’d seen which was most definitely very unusual, also there are very ancient lead mines under that bit of the hill which I think maybe has something to do with it? Maybe like piezoelectricity or something?
All in all it was a very strange serious of events and the nonchalant reactions to it creeped me out a lot, it was a very strange place to live in to begin with but the whole ‘yes there’s ufos so what?’ I found very odd, thank you for bearing with me here I’ll try to find the video in a moment

From the East Liverpool Historical Society:
"The body of a nude young woman was discovered along State St. in the East End in 1944, and neither she nor her slayer were ever identified.
An 18-year-old River Rd. youth found the corpse June 5 around 7:30 am., wrapped in two green blankets and unclothed except for a torn pink slip around her shoulders.
Sam Winters, a high school football player, was on his way home from Crucible Steel Co, at Midland where he worked overnight. He had left a bus at Mulberry St and was walking along State St. when he noticed a pair of bare feet extending from blankets.
He ran to a nearby site and telephoned police.
Apparently strangled, the victim lay on her back in a cluster of weeds about eight feet from the roadway. The blankets were secured to the body with a seemingly little-used clothesline.
The woman was between 25 and 30, with dark brown hair and brown eyes, about 5 foot 6 and weighing around 125 pounds.
County Coroner Arnold Devon reported no marks on the body other than a discoloration on the left shoulder at the base of the neck The body was still warm when found, and Devon estimated the time of death around 5 a.m.
Sheriff George Hayes made plaster casts of tire tracks in the cinder road for possible future identification of the auto used to transport the body. All city police were called to duty in a hunt for clues and visits to restaurants and taverns to locate someone who would recognize the victim.
The following day - Sunday -- an East End man hunting for canvas to build his children a play tent, rummaged through trash at Columbian Park where a carnival had played the previous week. He came across a torn dress and another dress and skirt with rips.
It was discovered that the dead woman resembled one of the five girls in a picture of the Sheesley Carnival's "Gay New Yorkers revue. Sheriff Hayes traveled to Lima where the carnival was playing, but telegramed city police, "Girl in question was on show last night."
Meanwhile, the body was interred at Spring Grove Cemetery after a brief service at the Dawson Funeral Home where some 1,500 viewed the victim out of curiousity or in hopes of recognizing her.
Later the funeral home officials barred anyone from visitation other than out-of-towners sent by police.
Dozens of calls were received from relatives seeking a missing relative or friend, and from law agencies asking a description.
Her fingerprints were sent to the FBI at Washington in hopes that she made have worked in a war industry and identity could be made. But Director J. Edgar Hoover notified Police Chief Hugh McDermott there was no match.
More clues turned up. A St. George St. man putting away his car at 4:10 a.m. saw a driver switch off the lights of his auto as he pulled onto State St. at the railroad underpass. He was positive the license was not a blue and white Ohio tag.
OTHER LEADS died out. A woman who had quarreled with her husband in a hotel at midweek and disappeared from the show was found at her home in North Carolina.
Benwood, W. Va., police were looking for a missing woman with a leg scar. A Shadyside Ave. girl who had not been seen since Friday night in a Wellsville tavern did not match the body description of "Miss X.
Cincinnati police thought she may be a missing 20-year-old girl, but she had false teeth and the slain woman's were natural.
Today, the only known traces of the victim exist within a Spring Grove Cemetery plot, on police and funeral home records and in yellowing newspaper accounts."
WARNING:POST MORTEM PHOTOS IN THE FOLLOWING LINK: http://www.eastliverpoolhistoricalsociety.org/cargrl.htm
Can someone contact the local coroner's office or Sheriff and ask them to put this woman into NAMUS? I did some digging but couldn't find any contact info that was concrete and for sure, only stuff that was outdated. There are entries on NAMUS and the DN much older than this case, and just because this woman has gone unidentified for 79 years doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to have her name back.
​

I’m close to buying my next car and have the Audi SQ5, Porsche Macan, and Stelvio quadrifoglio shortlisted. The first two I’ve driven, and I’m renting a Stelvio on Turo on a weekend trip in a couple of weeks. I owned Alfas back in the Netherlands, so I have an affinity for the brand. But I now live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and my nearest dealer is in Dallas, Texas (around a 4 hour drive). Porsche and Audi have local dealers.
So my question is whether that’s going to be a dealbreaker? I have a couple of local shops that work on European cars, but I’m wondering if there reliability of 2020+ is better than the first few years of Stelvios, and whether they are allowed to work on them under warranty.
Does anyone have a similar situation in the US?

Has anyone made any real progress in decoding the coordinates in GOTG3? I searched but haven't found anything beyond a few wild guesses from a month ago.
As a reminder:

• KNOWHERE: M21I R516XS16C + 16151MW
• COUNTER-EARTH: K20H MW1748P2S + 5M5P0Z4
• ORGOSCOPE: A41P P2326Y430 + 174144V

Anyway, here's my best shot for the Orgoscope:

A41P P2326Y430 + 174144V = ADAM W'S DNA BEACON

• A = A
• 4 = D
• 1 = A
• PP = M (turn two Ps on their sides and get two humps of an m -- a stretch I realize)
• 23 = W
• 26 = Z
• Y = BE (Y = 25 = BE)
• 4 = A (similar appearance)
• 3 = C
• 0 = O
• 17 = N (turning the "7" on its side forms an "N" with the "1")
• 4 = D
• 14 = N
• 4 = A (similar appearance)
• V = a caret, moving it before "BEACON"

My probably far-fetched theory:
In Phases 4 and 5, we're seeing a series of beacons getting triggered by specific events:

• In Shang-Chi's end-credits scene, we learn that Shang-Chi wearing the 10 rings for the first time triggered "a beacon," which I'm guessing some Kang variant is going to detect. There was something special about Shang-Chi specifically wearing the 10 rings that didn't happen when his dad wore them for 1,000 years.
• In Loki, Loki and Sylvie's romance ("that little look by the lake") on Lamentis triggered a beacon--in the form of a completely unexplainable nexus event--that allowed He Who Remains's TVA to locate them before the planet was destroyed, ultimately leading them down the road He Who Remains paved for them to find him beyond the end of time.
• In Quantumania, the entire movie is caused by Kang the Conqueror finding Cassie Lang's beacon (her quantum "satellite" device sends a signal down to the Quantum Realm to map it out)
• In GOTG3, the Sovereign/High Evolutionary created the perfect genetic being in Adam Warlock, whose perfect DNA is a beacon (according to my theory) for some Kang variant to find.
• Perhaps there are beacons in other phase 4 and 5 projects that are less obvious than the ones above. Like maybe Ms. Marvel's time travel, and Scarlet Witch's destruction of Mt. Wundagore. Who knows. Kangs use these kinds of beacons to navigate the multiverse.

I welcome any just criticism and unjust praise.
​

Hello ebike subreddit. I ordered a biktrix juggernaut classic duo today after deciding a mid drive was what I needed for the hilly area I live in. It seemed like a decent price ($2699 in Canada) and I was excited about hopping on the ebike bandwagon.
I got a call this afternoon from the local shop and was told the bike I ordered was out of stock with the website incorrectly displaying stock. I was offered an upgrade to the biktrix juggernaut ultra duo 2 for $800 more and I'm wondering if it's worth the extra money for the upgrade. My wife and I had chatted about getting ebikes for a while then last week we decided let's just do it, would make it easier to tow our toddler than the road bikes we currently use. We've been talking about getting into light mountain biking as we back onto some trails.
Any advice or suggestions for other bikes are greatly appreciated!

1989 my two beautiful boys, age 7 and 9 were playing in the yard when an intoxicated man decided to drive his car, fell asleep and take their lives. My world changed at that moment. Family drama with shame and blame didn't help but I made it through the necessary acts to bury my boys. I froze up. I simply froze up. I took a leave of absence from my job as an RN in a hospital, my supervisor was so understanding and supportive. At home I had paint and covered with windows to let no light in and I sat in darkness for a year never leaving the house. My friends were wonderful, they fed me. They went shopping and brought me food, I ordered pizza. I sat in the dark not knowing if it was night or day. My friends never pushed me to do more than I could, they just fed me, visited, brought groceries and items I needed and let me work myself out of being frozen.
A year later, I was watching a talk show one morning. I didn't have cable so I had to only watch local stations. I was laying on the living room sofa and noticed some sparkling lights up in the corner of the room. I thought it was an electrical fire and sat up quickly to get a better view. It looked like sparklers burning, lots of them, beautiful white lights growing larger and in number until they were about a yard wide and 2 feet tall, a bundle of thousands of white, silver like sparkles flashing brightly. From this light source I clearly heard the voices of two men, maybe both upper 20's in age, very articulate, well educated and professional. They both took turns talking to me, very abruptly, sternly, with force, meaning and impatience with me. It was like I was being severely reprimanded. In part they said, "You have been holding us back from very important business we MUST attend to. We can not do the work we need to do that is so very important as you are constantly holding us back. We can not allow this to continue, you have to let go of us so we can move into our jobs and do the work we are suppose to be doing. Your constant attachment and holding on has stifled our ability to work and what we need to do is so very important. You just have to let go and let us move on. You are in the way of the great work we are assigned to do." I was being sternly spoken to by my two boys that now sounded like young executives. The only 'nice' thing they said to me was one of them said, "We appreciate what you did for us but now you just have to let us go."
I was berated on and on, like I was in court or in trouble at work in an HR meeting. It was not pleasant but it got my attention pronto. I replied, "I'm so sorry, I had no idea, yes, of course I'll let you do what you need to do. I miss you both so much but I had no idea I was holding you back from what you needed to be doing." It was like being pulled over by the cops, and told I did something wrong and I was trying to make it right. I admitted I was holding on to them but had no idea it was causing them grief from where they are now. Their voices stopped, the sparkling light diminished in size and brightness into just being a plain corner of the wall. I put my hand on that spot, it felt like a normal wall.
I got in the shower, got cleaned up, had to call someone to jump my car as it's not been started in over a year and drove to my old work place to put in an application again. My supervisor had moved on. I did a quick interview and got hired again. I started orientation the next day.
The encounter with my two boys was a jolt to my system. I went from frozen to thawed quickly. My deep mourning of my sons immediately changed to missing them, in a healthy way. There was no thinking about it, the stern talking to I got, the lecture, the demand that I let them move on let me move on, too. Giving them their freedom to do the work they have to do gave me the freedom to do the work I have to do still, too. I enjoyed letting the light back into my house as I slowly started using a razor blade to scrape the paint off the windows. It took months but it was so healing to turn from darkness to light again.
Hospice concepts were coming to America at that time, from the UK. I followed up with a local hospice and soon was the charge RN a 10 bed inpatient unit for terminally ill patients. I was a Hospice RN for 17 years, including 5 years as a pediatric Hospice Nurse. The loss of my children gave me the insight to support others that are transitioning into their next life, or career as I see it now. I had many, many amazing experience with many of my patients spreading their wings and practicing moving on before and after their deaths. My experience with my boys gave me the strength to support my dying patients and the family and friends they were leaving behind.
I've not seen my boys since. I don't want to disturb them from the work they need to do. That lecture I got that day was enough!! Of course I think of them so often but never clinging, but now knowing they matured, grew up, and have important work they do that is valuable to them wherever they are. That makes me smile. I hope my story can brighten someone else. We go on, there is no end.
I did an interview about being a Hospice RN and some of the spirit encounters I've had, including this story about my boys. I'm sharing the link on Youtube. https://youtu.be/CFcD1XRwP6s

Hi there. I am now two weeks post-Nuss procedure. My index was 3.8 and I received two titanium bars, one stabilizer, and cryo. I’m 20 years old, home for the summer. Overall, I feel pretty decent. I am able to comfortably move around and walk with relative ease. My surgeon gave me the okay to drive, but I’ve only gone locally. The seatbelt is a real annoyance stretching across the chest and every bump in the road sends a jolt of pain. Other than that, no complaints.
My overall pain is nearly gone. Not taking any narcotics, just Tylenol and Aleve. Here and there I get a random sharp jolt. It still hurts to bend down and tie shoes or put socks on.
Question: 24/7 I can feel the bars beneath my skin. Is this normal? It’s not really painful but just really uncomfortable. It feels like a constant strong hug. Strangely enough, the feeling is more prominent on the left side of my body where I have a bit of rib flare. I guess this is correlated? I also feel them when I bend down or sit down. I’ve been sleeping in my bed, lying on my back at about a 15 degree angle and that’s when they’re most prominent. Should I switch up? Curious to hear thoughts and suggestions.
Another question: sneezing. I can’t. It hurts so bad. Is this also normal?
One more: physical exercise. Does anyone have a spreadsheet or workout regime to start post operation? I’m a very skinny guy, about 6’1 and 145lbs and think building some muscle will decrease some of the discomfort from the bars.
Thanks a ton! I’m beyond satisfied with my results. Seriously a huge difference for those unsure

So I have a job dilemma.
I am currently teaching part time as the gifted pull out teacher where they leave me alone and let me do my thing. I have an almost 4 year old that will be enrolled in preschool and an almost 2 year old that my neighbor watches when we need her to.
I went for an interview at a private school that is departmentalized and caps at 15 per class. Teaching only science and social studies (so fun!) To all kinder and Pre-K students. It would be a full time position and I would also get 50% off tuition for my kids. I honestly didn't think I would get the position!
My thoughts:
1) we are thinking about having another baby so do I want to go back full time to just go on maternity leave? But what if we end up not being able to get pregnant? Then waiting was for nothing? I mean not nothing, I would spend more time with my 2 year old.
2) is the grass greener? Do I jump ship and go back full time to find out it sucks? Or maybe it will be the best job ever?
3) I planned on eventually going back full time but will this opportunity come my way again later down the road or do I just take it now?
4) Will I have more stress which is the reason I left my full time job after having my second kid? Or will this job be less stressful because I'm only planning two subjects and I have each class for 48 min. 3 times a week.
5) I want both jobs...
6) If I turn down the job will they not hire me later down the road because I turned this one down?
I'm not sure what to do. My husband says whatever makes me happy will make him happy so I need to figure it out. Any thoughts, suggestions, or just good vibes sent my way? I know I should be happy that I have options but I'm just stressed because I think I would love both jobs.

First Chapter Here
Previous Chapter Here
My other story, Going Native Here
Hey look, a chapter released in a somewhat reasonable timeframe! As always, thank you for reading and let me know what you think!
*****
Faye hadn’t noticed right away that Meechie missed her regular stop. The pair had been standing in relative silence, Faye’s thoughts drifting off to debate whether or not she would go to the next movie night at the Library, and it was several stops before she realized that she hadn’t said goodbye to the Rakiri. It was in a bit of a brain fog that Faye half-turned, figuring she should hurry and say it now before Meechie got too far away, but instead she jerked her head to find the brown-furred woman staring directly at her.
“I am still here,” Meechie said quietly, a small smile causing the fur on her cheeks to bristle.
“You are,” Faye agreed. “I thought I missed seeing you off.”
“I am accompanying you to the library,” the young woman declared. Faye tried not to read too much into vocal cues, especially when she had little-to-no experience with the species in question, but there still seemed to be something nervous in Meechie’s voice. Nervous and pleading.
“I don’t need a bodyguard,” Faye said cautiously. “And I definitely don’t need someone making a decision like that for me.”
That seemed to strike a nerve. Meechie slunk back as if hit, causing some grumbles from the other passengers. The Rakiri took a moment to smooth out the fur on her face with one hand before replying.
“I did not express myself well. I wished to visit a library after work, and as you work at one I thought it would be nice to travel alongside you.” Meechie’s eyes lowered. “I should not have presumed.”
As if on cue, the bus slowed to its next stop and Meechie moved to leave. It would put the furry young woman at a corporate business park near absolutely nothing of interest. Faye shot out a hand and grabbed Meechie by the shoulder. The Rakiri froze mid-step as if turned to stone.
“Don’t!” She tugged gently and Meechie shifted back to Faye’s side. “No need to run off. Sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”
“I…” Meechie seemed to be glancing everywhere except at Faye. “It’s alright?”
God damn was this poor girl shy. “Yes, you can ride to the library with me. I just wish you had mentioned it earlier; we don’t have a lot of time to talk shop now.” Faye considered Meechie again, clothes that looked brand new and not a speck of grease to be seen. “Is that why you got all dressed up?”
Meechie nodded, still keeping her eyes somewhere to the left of Faye’s face. “I normally go straight home, but it wouldn’t do to soil any of the books.”
“The books and I both appreciate it.” That earned Faye a smile, at least. “What are you looking for? I didn’t take you for much of a reader.”
“I like adventure stories,” Meechie replied.
“Hmm…” Faye tapped a fingertip to her lips as she thought. “Historical? Big battles?”
“The fighting isn’t what’s important.” Meechie stopped, eyes drawn to the motion of Faye’s finger, and she self-consciously brought her hands back down to her sides. “It is more about the people the hero meets on his travels.”
His travels?
The pronoun threw Faye for a bit of a loop; she was so used to hearing the feminine form used as the general that it stood out. It only took a moment for her to understand. Faye grinned.
“Romantic stories?” She asked the question in a faux whisper, slightly teasing, and Meechie immediately went wide-eyed. Her freshly-cleaned fur puffed up in what could only be panic. Faye reached over and gave Meechie a couple quick pats on the shoulder before leaning in.
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
—
“...should have what you’re looking for. I’m going to be upstairs at Archives, but the help desk can find what you’re looking for if you get lost. And remember, no judgment.”
Mahnti glanced across the lobby more out of instinct than anything else. Hearing Faye’s voice simply drew his attention, especially considering he didn’t think her shift had started yet. His eyes quickly picked her out as Faye turned away from the entrance and towards the hall that led towards the employee lounge. He also took note of who she had been talking to.
Rakiri weren’t uncommon in University City, but the way this one stood in place, staring at Faye’s back with an unnerving intensity, was setting off alarms all down Mahnti’s rather sizeable spine. He began to make his way on an intercept course towards Faye, trying to imprint the furry girl’s look into his memory just in case. Brand new clothing, still showing the creases of packaging. Not quite the right fit for the woman’s frame, and she moved like she was profoundly uncomfortable in them. Dark brown fur that seemed to puff up as she stared at Faye, then flattened as she noticed Mahnti watching her.
The Senthe flared his hood slightly, emphasizing his size instinctively as he narrowed his eyes. The Rakiri stared at him unblinking for a moment, then turned and wandered off towards the main stacks. It only took another moment for him to catch up to Faye.
“Who was that?”
Faye jerked slightly, then stopped and turned with a small smile decorating her lips. “Good morning to you too.”
“Yeah, yeah, good morning and all that. Was that your bus Rakiri?”
Faye nodded, the smile fading as she picked up on Mahnti’s unease. “Yeah. Why, do you know her?”
“No, nothing like that.” Mahnti sighed. He didn’t want to cause problems, but he also had some serious bad vibes going. “She was just standing there staring at you. It was pretty creepy.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed her doing that a lot. I think it might be a Rakiri thing? Meechie seems to have latched on for whatever reason.” Faye shrugged. “I don’t think she has any friends.”
“I’m not surprised if that’s her way of making them. She seriously looked like she was about to attack you or something.”
“Doesn’t know anybody, trying to figure out how to socialize with people…” Faye shrugged again, adding a lopsided smile. “I can relate. She seems harmless enough, even helped protect me the other day.”
Mahnti slumped a little. “I suppose. I just… be careful, okay? I don’t want to have to frame another dent in a wall.”
He also didn’t want to have to worry about Faye bleeding out in some dark corner somewhere. She could outrun a Shil, but a Rakiri with ill intentions would be a far more dangerous proposition.
“After what happened before, I’m not taking chances.” Faye patted the side of her purse conspiratorially and Mahnti could see the outline of a cylinder. It seemed to be a fair bit larger than the grinshaw spray he carried in a vest pocket, but that could have just been a trick of the bag it was in. Regardless, he felt a little better knowing she had something. It wasn’t until he saw the fear she was tucking down behind her smile that he suddenly realized just how vulnerable Faye must feel.
She was smaller and weaker than a Shil’vati, easy to pick out of a crowd and easier to pick on, and with the way she dressed and styled herself Faye really was priming the pump for trouble. A random attack at her place of work had nearly killed her and, less than a week later, here she was trying to take it in stride. All while knowing that the chance of it happening again was approaching certainty.
“Come on,” Mahnti said quietly. He took one of Faye’s hands and pulled her deeper into the hallway, away from prying eyes and towards the break room. He almost told her that she was safe here, but that was a lie. Nowhere was safe if you stood out, and he knew that better than anyone.
–
Ib’aest Jamia, chronic layabout and day manager at the Jamia Library, hoped he didn’t look too guilty when Faye’s face poked through his office doorway and interrupted the scandal rag he was reading on his pad. He slipped his pad face-down into his desk drawer in a single smooth motion and slapped on his second-best friendly but not flirtatious smile.
“Hey Ibby.” Faye seemed suddenly nervous herself, glancing around the room as if to ensure that it was just him in his office. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Is it work related?” Faye shook her head in the negative. “Then of course! Come on in and shut the door.”
Faye followed his lead, latching the door and stepping gracefully to the chair he indicated on the other side of his desk. It was odd, watching the way she moved. Too graceful for most women he knew, but still nervous. Faye sometimes seemed to approach the world as if everything was made of glass. Or perhaps that she was.
Ibby looked the girl up and down, trying for a “kind older friend” vibe. The Human was dressed simply in one of the outfits she seemed to have a knack for throwing together. He knew he had seen at least some of it before, the tights and the skirt at least, but the overall effect was new to him. She struck such an odd balance, clearly a woman but throwing off such a distractingly masculine vibe. In this one person Ibby had a real empirical example of the strange dichotomy that made Humanity so interesting. That said, there was really only one reason for a young woman to ask to speak to an older man in private. At least, only one he figured Faye would be up for.
“Boy troubles?”
Faye blinked at Ibby, confused for a moment. “Kind of, yeah. I guess you could call it that.”
Ibby ran through the list in his head. Mahnti was the obvious first choice, but the way that pair seemed to be getting along he didn’t think there would be any trouble he’d have to intervene with. Besides, the Senthe had said they weren’t doing the perpendicular poke. At least not yet. Faye also knew Tevor, but Ibby had yet to see anyone aside from Sade who could pull that poor kid out of his shell. Maybe Iora over in Digital Media. Did Faye even know Iora?
“Have you ever been to any fancy dress parties?”
Ibby’s racing mind slammed into a drift, changed gears, and nearly ran headlong into the answer. “You’re going on a date with that reporter!”
“It’s NOT a date. I have gone to great lengths to make that clear to both of us.” Faye’s voice was firm. The girl was apparently a better liar than Ibby thought. “He invited me out to go see a play being performed in English at a fancy theater.” Faye pulled out her pad and showed Ibby a copy of the playbill.
“Ooh, the Icosahedral Garden. That’s a great venue.” Ibby considered. “I assume he’s dragging you out to dinner first?”
“I guess? I didn’t really think that far ahead. I just realized that I have no idea what’s culturally acceptable to wear to an event like this.” Faye blushed prettily. “I don’t want to show up in a ball gown and have it turn out to be more of a spikes and corpse paint thing.”
“I… what?”
“Nevermind. Just making a joke.” Faye shrugged, eyes drooping as her expression soured. “It seems like I make a scene no matter where I go. It would be nice to blend in for a change.”
Fat chance of that, Ibby thought. Still, he could be of some help. “What would you say to another shopping excursion? I wouldn’t mind helping you out.”
Faye nodded, relief washing over her. “I would appreciate that. I have an errand to run tonight and plans for tomorrow, but how about the day after? I’m free all day and that will still give me plenty of time before the show.”
“It’s a…” Don’t say date, you idiot. Poor girl is nervous enough as it is. “..plan. Truth be told, it’ll be nice to show you the sights properly. Most of your new friends seem to be more of the indoor sort.”
Faye snorted back a laugh. “Ain’t that the truth.”
–
…Really?
Faye tilted her head to one side just to give her eyeroll a running start. The sign hanging above the shop door was written in a rounded style made to emulate the shape of English letters despite being Shil’vati script. Through the window she could see an assortment of Human snacks, assorted tchotchkes that somehow made her feel victimized on behalf of every race and culture involved, and an embarrassingly large amount of soft-core pornography.
"Chad Nova’s Human Emporium" was probably the single cringiest store that Faye had ever seen, and she distinctly remembered hanging out at the mall back when you could get jeans with pockets big enough to hold a CD player. It didn’t help that, while Faye was standing in the mall concourse staring at the store, the clerk inside was staring right back. That girl seemed to consider blinking an afterthought.
After a moment to square her shoulders and pat the side pocket on her purse reassuringly, Faye entered the store. It was a riot of mismatched goods, poorly made display swords and replica firearms tucked alongside “authentic” Polynesian nose flutes and decks of playing cards. After accidentally locking eyes with what she was fairly certain was an Abraham Lincoln body pillow, she decided to simply accept that this was what her species boiled down to.
“Can I help you, miss?” The voice was high and cracked around the edges. Faye turned to look at the clerk, a Shil’vati girl barely out of school with a face still lightly dusted with acne. The girl seemed to be about ten seconds from exploding in excitement.
“Actually, yeah. I was wondering if you do special orders.” Faye pulled out her pad and started tapping at the screen. “I brought some sundries when I moved out here and I don't know what I’m going to do when I run out.”
“Moved, like from Earth?” Make it five seconds.
“Yes, and to answer your next question, yes, I’m a Human. Nobody decided to bleach a Helkam or anything like that.”
Four… three… two…
The Shil girl turned away and ran to the back of the store, sliding to a stop in front of a rather tacky looking beaded curtain hanging next to an “Employees Only” sign. She shoved her head through the beads.
“MOOOOOOOOOOM!!! HUMAN!!”
Faye took a moment to collect herself. She glanced around, cataloging the strange array of goods. There were some things that clearly fell into similar themes, like the large snack section or the graphic novels (emphasis on graphic), but much of the place was simply a cacophony of crap. She noticed a stuffed doll of the Statue of Liberty fallen over into a container of brightly colored, thumb-sized plastic crucifixes. All the little Jesuses seemed to be staring in mute, cross-eyed horror at the plushie green giant.
“Oh! It’s you!”
Faye turned away from the plastic Jesusai and saw that the young Shil’vati clerk was now accompanied by another woman. Definitely not old enough to be the clerk’s biological mom, but with how things tended to go with Shil families and how long lifespans could get it wasn’t the most surprising. If the clerk was a Human seventeen, she’d put this new one at twenty three or twenty four.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Faye replied to the stranger with a shrug.
“We saw you on the news, but…” the young woman trailed off, her black and gold eyes focused on the still-fading bruises on Faye’s face.
“Lost a fight,” she said curtly. Anything to move this along. “Some friends of mine recommended this place to get Human snacks, and I figured if you’re getting regular imports you might be able to get me some other stuff.”
“..Ah. Oh! Yes!” The woman blinked, then looked at her daughter. “Can you go grab my order book?” Turning back to Faye, she continued, “What sort of things did you need? We have quite a collection here.”
“You certainly do.” Faye tried to focus on the woman, but her eyes kept getting drawn off to the side. An anime-style wall scroll of a mostly-naked, hugely muscled brown-skinned man was staring at her, and she couldn’t place who it was supposed to be. Bob Sapp maybe?
“Mostly I was thinking about makeup, maybe some comfort food. Stuff you probably don’t stock but I can’t afford to import on my own.”
The young woman nodded, her dark hair bouncing. “I’m sure we can work something out. You’re lucky; most Human stores are part of a chain, but we’re independent. We’re not confined to ordering from just one catalog.”
As if she was just waiting for her cue, the Shil kid arrived and plopped an oversized binder into her mom’s open arms. She placed it on a table and flipped it open with a thump.
It was like someone tried to print the Internet. The woman quickly fingered her way through hard-copy recreations of digital storefronts while Faye groaned inwardly. She liked paper more than most but this just seemed so awkward. An alien luddite.
“My brother-in-law’s cousin-in-law works on Earth at one of those new superconductor factories. They ship a lot of materials here, so I was able to negotiate a good deal to take up their extra mass allotment for cheap.” The woman stopped on a page, then pointed. “Something like this?”
Faye leaned over the book and looked. It was the digital storefront of one of those corner store and pharmacy chains that sells makeup on top of everything else. Not exactly top of the line, but better than the dollar store.
“Perfect.” Faye started noting individual things she’d like and the woman dutifully started marking things down on a scrap of paper. The big items on Faye’s shopping list were more foundation and concealer, but she picked out some blush, lipstick, and eyeliner pencils too; she was leery about trusting Shil makeup in general. It was hard enough to find brands that didn’t make her skin break out into an oily mess without getting alien biochemistry involved.
“We can order whatever you like, but the fewer stores you have to pick from the better. I would hate for our buyer to get pissy because she has to run too many errands on the hot guy planet.” The clerk paused for an eye roll. “Also, keep in mind that these prices aren’t what you’ll pay; there will be an additional convenience fee.”
Faye nodded. “Of course. What are you thinking?”
“Hmm…” The woman looked Faye up and down in a way that suddenly made her feel a lot smaller and more vulnerable. While this stranger wasn’t particularly tall for a Shil, that still made for a five or six inch height difference. “You are pretty cute…”
“Dad said no more cute discounts!” Faye’s attention was drawn to the younger girl, who had been watching the whole exchange from a few steps back. The darkening purple blush on her face matched Faye’s own red one.
“You’re no fun!” The Shil mock glared at her (step?)daughter, then turned back to Faye. “Seriously, though, as long as the mass and volume are small the cost to get this sort of thing here isn’t too bad. Say twenty percent. It'll be more if you want anything big or our buyer has to go to a specialty store, but we can do that too. It will still be a lot cheaper than trying to import anything yourself.”
“Twenty percent isn’t bad.” It was a great deal, honestly. Faye doubted they’d be doing much more than breaking even on her little orders. She closed her eyes for a second, clearing her mind. She could feel the spray canister in her bag, pressing against the inside of her arm. Its presence was reassuring. “Can I add an absolutely no flirting policy to our agreement?”
The woman nodded, suddenly looking abashed. “Sorry, I forgot Human women aren’t normally into other girls. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Whether or not Faye was into girls was irrelevant, but she wasn’t about to get into an argument about it. Instead, she turned a few pages back and forth, adding a few more odds and ends to the list that she hadn’t been able to find in University City. Much of the list consisted of condiments and seasonings that might help make the Shil instant meals Faye had been purchasing a little more palatable.
By the time they were done, Faye had an order totaling a couple hundred credits and a promise that she would have her goods in three to four weeks. Before she left she made a point of stocking up on junk food and picked up a few English-language graphic novels that looked interesting. She rounded out the visit with a couple decks of playing cards. Tomorrow was game night, after all. She should be at least somewhat prepared.
****
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This is a fanfic that takes place in the “Between Worlds” universe (aka Sexy Space Babes), created and owned by u/BlueFishcake. No ownership of the settings or core concepts is expressed or implied by myself.
This is for fun. Can’t you just have fun?