*** = listener speaking
Can be monetised, just please link back to either this post or my YouTube!
Gender(s) can be changed if wanted!
~~~
Sweetie!
[grab]
I’ve been looking all over for you! This isn’t your usual area, why are you cleaning up over here?
***
Oh, right, father has guests coming, doesn’t he?
Ugh, that means I’m going to have to make small talk with their daughters instead of being able to hang out with you…
[speaker sighs]
Well, it doesn’t matter right now!
Come on, come on! Let’s go hang out right now! Take a break!
***
Oh, who cares about them?
They might be in charge of the schedule, but I’m in charge of them.
If they have an issue with you taking a much-needed break at the request of the lady of the house, I’ll happily deal with them.
Okay? Now, let’s go outside and get some sunlight!
[walk outside; sit]
Ahhh, it’s always nice to have the fresh air hit your face when you come outside, isn’t it?
I wish your job would let you come outside more often. You’re going to look all washed-out if you don’t get enough sunlight!
That beautiful complexion of yours is a national treasure, it needs to be preserved!
Speaking of preserving your beauty…
[brush cheek]
You’re covered in dust and dirt!
Why do they always seem to give you all the dirtiest jobs?
***
Why should it matter that everyone else is doing the same jobs?
You’re different! You shouldn’t have to get on your hands and knees like the rest of them.
Just so you know, my offer to make you part of my personal staff still stands.
Think about it! No more dust and dirt, better standing amongst the staff, better pay - I’m sure that I could even get my father to give you better wages than the rest of them.
Plus… we’d get to be together even when you’re working.
***
Still no?
You won’t change your mind at all?
Not even a little bit?
***
…Okay.
But - also! If - for some reason - the reason is that you don’t want to work on my personal staff, I’m more than happy to get you any job within the mansion.
And like I’ve said the past fourteen times, my offer is always on the table! For whatever you want, the small promotion, or even just a pay raise!
***
Oh, right! I almost forgot why I needed to see you!
I’ve brought more gifts for you~
***
I know, I know, last time the presents I got you were too elaborate for your tastes.
In hindsight, those paintings may have been too large to hang in your room… and you likely weren’t in a position to take care of a bear cub.
These gifts are far more simple, I swear on my mother’s grave!
Can you take a look at them before you reject them? Please?
***
[happy noise; opens a box]
This one is smaller than the other one - smaller as in importance, not size, I promise! - so I’ll start with this one.
Do you like it?
***
Yes, it’s a necklace! It’s not just a regular one though - have a look at the charm!
I had it custom-made, to make it small enough to wear it under your shirt while you’re working!
***
Well… it isn’t actually my family’s emblem.
See this dove right here?
I had the blacksmith add this in order to represent you.
You’re just as important to me as my family, after all - actually, more so!
Plus, by editing it a little bit, it doesn’t matter that you’re not actually part of the family yet, so no one can tell you to take it off.
***
Okay… I may or may not have had to bribe the blacksmith to make this one.
I don’t get why both you two are hung up about the fact that it’s ‘defamatory’. It’s just an emblem!
What’s so important about a legacy? I prefer to focus on the present… especially since you’re in it.
Life must have been so dull for my ancestors since they didn’t have someone like you around to light up their life. I pity them.
…You’re still looking unsure.
Listen, if anyone says anything, even my father, tell them that I gave it to you.
Admittedly I haven’t told my father I bought it for you yet… he’s still a little upset with me for when I left the prince’s ball to watch the stars with you… but when hasn’t he come around about us before?
Don’t fret over it. …Let me put the necklace on you.
Please?
[happy noise; necklace click]
…It looks wonderful on you.
When it’s just the two of us, make sure you wear it on top of your clothes.
I want to see this sight every day for the rest of my life…
Do you like it?
***
You do? So you’ll keep it?
***
Yes! Finally, I’ve got your gift tastes all sorted!
And guess what - you’re going to like this one even better!
***
I’m glad you asked!
To start off with a little backstory - do you remember that gardener that kept picking on you? The one that kept slipping plants and bugs into your food?
***
Of course you do… sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin the mood.
This present will make up for it, I promise!
***
[speaker chuckles]
I did a little bit more than fire them.
Here - open this box.
[opens box; drops it]
Ah, careful, you don’t want to get it dirty!
Why did you drop it? Were you so happy you stopped functioning or something?
***
Mhm! It’s a heart!
I couldn’t carry all of that gardener around without people freaking out, so I thought this would be the next best option.
Plus… it’s kind of like giving you my heart, isn’t it?
Just ignore the fact that-
***
…Huh?
What do you mean? …Something’s wrong with me?
Is… is there something on my face?
***
What? Why? What’s wrong with me giving you it as a gift?
You told me how much they were bothering you!
I made sure that they would never do anything to you again!
Didn’t you want that? You kept telling me you wanted them gone!
***
Not like this? But… but…
Why don’t you like it?
[speaker starts crying]
I thought… I thought you’d really like this gift…
Would you rather a different part? A finger? A nail?
O-Or do you want me to just tell you that I’d just tell you I’d got rid of a nuisance permanently next time?
***
But if I don’t get rid of people who are cruel to you properly, they might be mean to you again…
Aren’t you worried about that?
***
No?
***
I… I’m sorry.
If you don’t like it, then… I’ll get rid of the heart.
***
Never again…?
…If I promise not to do something like this again, will you stop being mad at me?
I was only trying to do something good for you, not make you mad.
***
Okay! Okay, I promise! I’m sorry, and I promise I’ll always ask you first how you want me to deal with someone before I do anything to them!
I-Is that okay?
***
So… you’re not mad anymore?
***
Phew… thank you.
I thought my world was going to end.
***
Huh? No, don’t go yet!
[grab]
Stay a little longer! I… I want to hug!
We can’t part on a bad note!
***
It doesn’t matter if you have to get back to work, like I said before, I’ll talk to anyone who raises a complaint.
I need you to hug me so I can be 100% sure you aren’t mad at me.
Surely hugging is better than working?
A-And we can even talk about a replacement gift for the bad one! Whatever you want, no matter how big or rare or pricey!
Please… just stay with me a little bit longer.

Ok, so, I used to live in a different (southern) state during my childhood than the one I live in now (I live in the Northern US, originally born in this northern state as well). I lived in this other state from the ages of 6 until I was almost 16, and throughout the entirety of my elementary and middle school years up until the middle of 9th grade (which was at the high school, some start at 10th grade instead of 9th).
There were 2 main bullies that I dealt with starting in 1st grade/first school year after moving to this state, and as the years went on, these two girls (let's call them Marie & Clarisse) would get their friends in on bullying me. I wasn't popular by any means, but my mother always had me in sports and extracurricular activities with these girls, so I could never really escape them. It was just as bad outside of anything school related as Marie has two younger brothers that my brother was friends with, so I had to pretend to be the 'best of friends' with Marie from 1st grade up until about the end of 7th grade since our families drifted apart from being "close friends".
As far as typical bullying goes in elementary school, I dealt with constant name-calling and cruel "pranks", mostly aimed towards my weight, I wasn't fat, but I wasn't skinny either despite being in sports and was always active. However, those incidents extended to my stuff being stolen, like my notebooks I'd use for schoolwork, or my box of pencils/pens/etc., forcing me to constantly borrow from the few friends I actually had or from the teachers. I used to be in band (which started in 6th grade in that school district), and I played the clarinet, my stepdad had bought me a very nice/sturdy and somewhat expensive tote bag to put my clarinet, music stand, and music binders in for easier storage and to keep my hands free when transporting my 'equipment'. Us band kids were allowed to keep our instruments behind the curtains of the stage in the school's cafeteria (the stage was against the farthest wall from the kitchen/lunch lines), and out of the ~20 kids in band, only my expensive/sturdy tote bag was stolen within the last 2 days of 6th grade, of course suspects were Marie & Clarisse (I saw Clarisse using my tote bag that summer, as my now-smudged name had been written in permanent marker on the straps and one of the sides of the bag). I left it be because I didn't want any conflict, my stepdad bought me another one after finding out the original one was stolen in the first place.
Middle school wasn't much better as the name calling got extensively more graphic and consisted of slurs (like the F slur, as I'm proudly part of the LGBTQ+ community, specifically AgendeNon-binary), furthering the self-hurting thoughts that had started in 3rd grade. I had continuously tried to tell my mom and stepdad about it, only for my pleas for help to go unheard until one week during the winter season in 7th grade. I had gotten sick for 2 days and stayed home an extra day to recover, but during those three days, Marie, Clarisse and their friends had made an Instagram account, posting very unattractive pictures of fellow classmates (i.e. purposely taking pictures with very unflattering angles, poor lighting, etc) and blamed it on me since they put my address in the private information into that account. My mom had found the account, immediately asking about if I was the one behind it, she unfortunately didn't believe me until *after* she ripped my phone from me to look through it for "evidence" that I made the account. When I returned to school the following Thursday after recovering from the small cold, I was constantly bombarded by fellow students about the account since Marie & Clarisse were the ones that spread the obvious false rumor that I made it. By the end of the day, I had finally snapped, yelling "I didn't make that f-cking account. Why can't everyone just stop bothering me about it?" Of course, that earned plenty of attention from the teachers and students within earshot (and thanks to the tiled floors and walls, my yelling echoed throughout most of the first floor and partly into the second floor of my school), I ended up having to talk with the counselor about the whole ordeal because of my frustrated outburst, which resulted with very little help from the staff, but after a few weeks, people seemed to forget that the account even existed since it ended up deleted within a few days after my outburst.
That following school year, 8th grade, was even worse. Sure, the slurs, the other name-calling and thievery of my belongings continued (more so the slurs/name-calling), but by this year, I was almost constantly committing the self-hurting since my mother was of no help, my stepdad was sympathetic but always working and the therapist my mother found for me was basically a deadbeat with bullying situations (she didn't seem to understand or even want to actually help me with the bullying as she was more of a family therapist than anything else). For the district curriculum, we are required to take health class in 8th grade, and as we were going over the unit that encompassed depression, self-harm, and su!c!dal thoughts/actions, I constantly had to have another staff member in the back of the classroom to watch over me and take me out of the class if any of the course material triggered an episode. Thankfully the staff member was that was there for me was the school's police officer, let's call him Officer Lennox, he was like a protective older brother, especially after finding out about how consistently I was bullied. Near the end of the unit, we had to watch Ronan's Escape (it's on YouTube), and since I was going through my own version of Ronan's situation, I ended up breaking down sobbing in class, only to be laughed at by some of the boys that were close friends with Marie & Clarisse. Officer Lennox snapped at them as professionally as possible while helping me out of the classroom to go sit with the nurse to have some downtime to stop sobbing before I was allowed back to my classes.
Another situation, which is the worst of it in 8th grade, was this one girl, let's call her Ava. She thought it would be hilarious to eavesdrop into my conversations with my best friend (we'll refer to her as Raven since that was a nickname she used) throughout lunch and shared classes, only to take our conversations completely out of context in order to string up a lie that Raven and I were planning to unalive the principle. Of course, this wasn't true, the principle was an a-hole to everyone, and Raven & I would discuss that we greatly disliked him. Ava mostly got away with spreading this lie as her mom was a higher-up in the school district, forcing Raven and I to entirely change our class schedules so we weren't in any classes with Ava, as well as almost being expelled. Thanks to Officer Lennox sticking up for both of us, we only had to have in-school suspension for 3 days instead of being expelled. Sadly, Ava got very little repercussions from this, but Raven and I grew even closer as best friends after "The Incident" as we still refer to it as almost 10 years later.
Summer rolled through without a hitch, leading to 9th grade, the start of high school. I was given more freedom from my mother (she's a helicopter parent and abusive/narcissistic) to dress in clothing that I preferred in comparison to always wearing brightly colored athletic wear. I completely changed my appearance, chopped my hair from just above the small of my back to a punk pixie-styled cut, and started wearing graphic t-shirts, ripped jeans, combat boots, and leather jackets. On top of that, I started becoming more confrontational/combative towards my bullies, since they still wouldn't let up, I earned a "bad@ass/bad b!tch" reputation, made friends with other rebellious and misfit types of people in the grades above me, and just fully became more of "me" despite the disapproval from my mother of the amount of change I undergone.
Despite being 14 at the start of 9th grade, I began dating, specifically one fellow student that was a very close friend and felon, he went to jail/juvie throughout the 2nd half of 7th grade and all of 8th grade. He came to the high school 3 months after the year started, and our friendship-turned-relationship sparked right back up as if he never left. I had kept my dating life secret from my family, mostly my mother because I know how bad her reaction would've been if I told her. With him almost always by my side (excluding classes we didn't share), my brand-new appearance, and my quickly attained delinquent/rebellious reputation, most of my issues dissipated much quicker than before. In spite of that, Marie & Clarisse kept making their remarks, trying to drag down my new confidence and constantly break my felon boyfriend (let's call him Collin) and I up. They got more degrading and verbally abusive with these antics, I eventually was completely fed up with it all. In the middle of the school year, within a couple weeks after Yule (Christmas for the non-pagans) & New Years Break, Marie, Clarisse and their group of friends had stopped me in the hallway, purposely surrounding me (there was about 30 of them in total) on my way to class, continuing with their shtick as usual, I slipped the pocketknife out of my pocket, flicking it open as I finally gave in and threatened to unalive them and everyone they care for if they don't leave me the f-ck alone. They saw the opened knife and knew then & there that I was 100% serious, I turned on my heels, shoving through them only to notice the principal and school's police officer (not officer Lennox) staring at me with concerned expressions, they also noticed the knife as there was a glint from the blade due to the blindly bright lights in the hallway. Not a word was uttered as they walked away, never sending a call to my mother or stepdad about the weapon or the confrontation as they had seen my progression in attitude and the amount of f-cks I had (which was none). After that day, those girls never spoke to me again, would barely glance in my direction, would purposely take alternate routes to class if they saw me in the hallway (or would keep to the wall if they couldn't move quick enough), and if we shared any classes, they'd be on the opposite side of the room from me and would do everything they could to never be partnered/grouped with me in class projects.
Everything was smooth sailing from then on, and now I'm 22 (as of late April this year), happily living with my bio-dad, my brother and my 2-year-old kitty, Ziggy. My mother is out of the picture entirely as she refuses to change her mindset and parenting style. I'm still confrontational towards anyone that tries messing with me, especially if they're anti-LGBTQ+/racist/abusive/etc. And thanks to my continuation of my drastic change from 8th grade to 9th grade, I'm now considered both the protector and the therapist to my friends, always there for them because I grew up knowing what it was like to not have that kind of support. I hope this story of roughly half my life can provide some sort of comfort or proof that it does indeed get better, even if it doesn't seem like it in the moment.

I’ve sailed on Celebrity (Alaska) and Royal Caribbean (2 Caribbean cruises) and am on the tail end of my first Princess cruise on Majestic (RT from Seattle to Alaska)

based on Reddit recommendations stayed at the Mediterranean Inn. Well located, well priced, super comfortable with a helpful staff and an option to catch a shuttle to the pier
got to the pier at 11a for a 3p departure. Process was smooth and took under 30 minutes even though I was Blue lane (had to pick up my medallion). Highly recommend getting there early to avoid long lines.
keep your swimsuit in your carryon. Seattle was a great day for the pool but our luggage took just long enough to arrive to keep us from enjoying the pool(s)
the staff is fantastic - if they are forced to smile and greet you, you can’t tell - they seem genuinely happy
there are so many activities throughout each and every day it’s impossible to get bored
manage your expectations about the Hollywood Conservatory- I don’t know how early people were waking to claim a cabana but pretty much once someone was in one they stayed there all day. This won’t be as big an issue with sailings later in the season when it’s warm enough to enjoy the outdoor decks/your balcony if you have one
food is good - some meals were amazing, some were blecch, most were good
if you don’t have reservations at Concerto you will be told to come back later. Allegro was always accommodating
the $10 sale had zero clothing items - I was expecting T shirts but it was beach totes, ball caps, costume jewelry, sunglasses and neckties
this was a well-oiled machine: everything was planned out and ran super smoothly

I would be delighted to sail this ship my next Alaskan cruise! I’m actually considering a back to back for a milestone birthday in a couple of years

Hi, just completed the London West 2024 race and thought I would give some advice to anyone looking to do it and give some insight into how it works. For reference, I did the 10+ mile Classic route.
If I had to summarize Tough Mudder, it would be this: "If you're ever doubting humanity, do a Tough Mudder" The community of people are the nicest I've met, both staff and runners. From the start, you're reminded that it's not a race, but a challenge, and you're to prioritize helping your fellow mudders than your run time. It works. Everyone is willing to help you on the obstacles, chat to you while walking, running, or anything really. I talked to two people in the queue at the start, and ended up running and chatting with them for the whole 10 miles. Don't worry about running solo, you'll meet a lot of really great people.
You don't need a lot, in terms of prep and gear. A set of clean clothes and a towel, along with some plastic bags for wet stuff, is all you really need to bring in a bag. The bag drop system is great, as are facilities to change afterwards and get food and drink to replenish calories and electrolytes. With lots at the starting areas, there are also portaloos on the course at the various water and food points. The food and water points have water and electrolyte drinks being served in small plastic cups by staff, as well as (at most) protein/energy bars which definitely help! Depending on the course/length, you'll have anywhere from 2-4 of these stations along your route. It's all well thought out and a breeze on the day.
The running. A good strategy to keep to (with exceptions ofc) is 'jog the straights and downhills, walk uphill'. This way, you won't get too exhausted and can pace yourself nicely, regardless of route length. Wear supportive footwear as the terrain can be quite precarious, with ankle injuries likely being the biggest fear. Simple shorts and a T-shirt will suffice, although scrapes from the various obstacles will occur. For me, 10 miles sounded daunting, but if you simply think about it as getting from one obstacle to the next, don't look too far ahead, you'll be fine. The first stretch will likely be running, just to space out the pack and allow the fast runners to leave the slower ones to their own devices. This is arguably the hardest part but it ends soon enough, an hour went by in what felt like 20 minutes!
The obstacles. The worst, personally, are the electric wires ones. Forgetting the name, one obstacle had us swimming in shallow water, with electric wires a few inches above the water. Swimming it submarine-style is an option, but the shocks if you get hit are powerful, akin to being punched. During my run, I got shocked twice in the lower spine on this, dived down fully, and swam underwater the rest of the way. These ones ARE optional, advised to avoid if you have any medical conditions, but for how short they are and how great a story to tell after, I'd suggest giving them a go. Train a decent amount of upper body before hand, as they can be quite intense on these muscles, but not a significant amount of gym training is required to be able to complete the run. The state you'll be in afterwards is another question (I'm writing this day-of, so I'm dreading tomorrow!) but give them all your best shot and it'll be fine, the worst you'll get is a little muddy and wet. The longer routes will include more obstacles, I personally feel I would have been unsatisfied with the shorter course, but that is completely based on individual ability and comfortability. They put more of the obstacles in the latter sections, so the former is more running-focused, but each section will go by incredibly quickly so it's not a big problem.
Spectators. Hearing various accounts, the signage is less than optimal, and you're not able to see many of the obstacles. The later ones are opened up to the spectators (their route passes the later ones more) but most of the earlier obstacles, spectators won't be able to see you. There are tons of photographers on-site and at most obstacles who are taking tons of photos, so the photo-packs may be a good purchase if you want a nice variety of pics.
At the end. You'll get a medal, a T-shirt, and a headband, all very nice quality. I'm not sure about other locations, but we got given a beer too! You get to choose the size of shirt, don't worry! As mentioned before, there are changing and rinse-off areas, women being given a closed-off section to change, while guys just wrap a towel around their waist and sort themselves out! There are plenty of food stands available, with most of the drink stands being free (I was given several energy drinks, thank God!). There is some seating available but the grass is perfectly suitable, or just stand (although that may be troublesome depending on how far you've run!).
Overall, it is one of the best experiences I've had. I'm 20, but the age range at the event, for all the lengths, were incredible diverse. Everyone is welcome, the atmosphere and comradery is infectious, and ultimately instills confidence in your fellow man (as cheesy as that sounds!). While you probably want to spend a couple weeks prior in the gym or going for runs, I know many people out there today ran it with little to no prior training, so don't be daunted. I hope this was helpful, it's probably very disjointed as I've kind of typed flow of consciousness, but wanted to cover everything that I had been concerned about prior to taking part in the event. Push yourself, you can probably do a lot more than you give yourself credit for.
Definitely doing next year 😁

TL;DR I injured my back because of ridiculous uniform rules and 0 health and safety, I was lured into a meeting under false pretences and lied about, then fired.
on a 2 month contract, working the post room for some awful private school that charges £50k a year when most of the school budget seems to be spent on marble topped desks and shoddy artwork
I thought I'd be walking around with a trolley delivering letters but my job was actually ferrying 20kg+ worth of parcels from one end of the school to the other, dragging them along the floor in a bag. I would then organise them, catalog them and contact anybody who had a package, so lots of lifting and carrying. Any other department would be allowed to request the estates team to carry packages, who would wear appropriate, comfortable, unrestrictive clothing and use a trolley to transport them. Me, it was slim fitting suits and shoes only.
A week later I changed to my normal clothes, this was very much not allowed so I changed back to shirt and trousers, just not so slim-fitting. Nobody said anything against it, my manager in fact commended me for dressing appropriately. I started to notice teachers, other admin staff, anybody really, wearing trainers, these were all people that faced students far more than me, they also dealt with the principal, parents of students whereas I didn't really, I spent most of my time in a room at the back of the school, a dusty little hovel that had lift-up windows that were sealed shut. One rule for me, one rule for everybody else.
There was a large, plastic box that held exams, it was wider than me, heavy alone but would be much heavier depending on how much is in there, and would have to be placed on top of a cabinet that was nearly a foot taller than me. I was hurting my shoulders constantly doing this, and I was not provided with a step ladder to level out the height, in fact it was such a small space the myriad of amazon boxes that were delivered were often in front of that cabinet, making it more difficult.
I put the box in an area on the floor, my heel caught it and the force went straight up my back, and I now have muscle damage in my lower back. I went home early and had a total of 1.5 days off. I was interrogated over the phone, and the day I went in my manager immediately tried to paint it as my error, i disagreed.
Lunch time came, I was lured into an office for a 'back to work meeting' where HR was on Teams, and I was told my work ethic was poor(nobody said anything previously, I was consistently told I was doing a good job), my personal presentation was poor (by the same woman who thanked me for dressing appropriately) and that I had lied on the phone about hospital opening times (how could she know? she didnt even know the name of my hospital, I had to repeat it to her 3 times on the phone, so there is no way she could have told me the operating hours)
I was offered no representation, no time to prepare, I was lied to about the reason for the meeting. And worst of all watching her face smirk when she felt she had caught me in a lie made my feel physically sick (she didn't btw, she lied about me calling her at a certain time, I have screenshots proving there was never even a phonecall at the time she stated, I had been calling starting 90 minutes before she said)
She was so smiley and nice up until the morning when she tried to make me blame myself for my injury, when I said 'well it's not like there's much place to put the box' which she then stormed out and an hour later I was lied about and fired. In the meeting she told me they had THEIR health and safety person do a risk assessment, conveniently they had removed nearly all documents from the box and calculated the weight down to the individual sheet of paper and then used it against me. This does not negate the fact I had to lift it onto something taller than me without the aid of a step ladder (which I also have proof of)
The only upside is that when she tried to break the news that 'it's just not working out' I just said ok bye, walked out and got my things. She followed me into the office and said 'I need your lanyard then I need you to LEAVE.' It is amazing how this subsection of the mildly educated, overfed middle classes will patronise you, treat you utter contempt, outright lie about you, smirk in your face while doing it but two simple, non swear words send them into a self-righteous frenzy.
All of it is he-said-she-said and I'm acutely aware that her words have far more authority, but the two things that do have proof are her lies about the time I called, and the state of the room I worked in as I took a photograph.
If it wasn't obvious already, I live in England

today was the last day of one of the most difficult kids i've worked with in my career. he's known for such moments as "the time he chased a girl with a stick while yelling 'come here, bitch' after hitting her" and "the time he systematically ripped apart the outside toy shed after being asked to line up". it's been extremely difficult to teach the other kids, and multiple parents have come to my director saying that their kids are scared of him (i can't blame them, he hits and slaps them on a dime and screams in their faces. we've been redirecting, having him regulate, and having a staff member watch him at all times-- all to no change.)
all that said, when i heard his family was moving, i was a bit relieved. they're moving somewhere they'll have more support, and i won't dread coming to work every day. unfortunately, on monday, they also told him it was his last week 🙃
i understand wanting to be honest with your kid, but it made this last week a nightmare. he's pulled down other kids' pants, slapped people across the face, run away and hid when asked to sit for circle-- this week alone, i've filled out more incident reports than the whole rest of the year so far. whenever he was told to stop or take a moment to calm down, he said "i'm never coming back here again, i don't care". it's pretty par for the course for a neurodivergent kid about to experience a big change (moving cross country and leaving his school), but that didn't make it any easier to deal with.
i'm always the one who closes, usually alone, so by the end of today, i was exhausted and frustrated. he'd just shoved bark chips down another boy's shirt and pushed him to the ground; i wanted to give up. i wanted to set him up with an activity away from everyone else, no more chances, and just wait for his mom to get there. then i imagined being him. four years old and about to move away from everything he's ever known, about to go into kindergarten, wanting very badly to connect with others but not able to slow down or communicate in a way that isn't seen as "bad". i thought about how he might remember his last day at preschool, sitting away from everybody else, lonely after a day of being told no, stop, catch your bubble, don't do that.
so i pulled myself together and called him over. i don't know what well of patience i drew from (i was sure i was at the end of my rope), but i did it. for the last half hour, we sang call-and-response songs, and played games, and he didn't have a meltdown. he did somersaults and ran in circles while he sang; that was perfectly fine by me. when his mom came to pick him up, he was smiling and laughing, i raced him and his brother to the stairs up to the porch. pickup went really smoothly-- the first time this week that he hasn't cried over having to go. i wished them good luck on their move.
i'm so, so incredibly glad that i managed to pull it together; he left smiling and excited, and hopefully that's how he'll go into kindergarten this fall. i can also sleep at night knowing that i gave him a good memory to look back on, and let him know that he's loved, and that he can have as many second, third, fourth, fiftieth chances as he needs until he can do it. he deserves all of them, and i hope that he succeeds in everything he puts his mind to. i'm incredibly proud of us both for making it through, and for making that last half hour a good one.

Hi everyone,
I just made a quick burner for this because I use my main Reddit account for job-related stuff.
I (22F) am enrolled in Spring/Summer 2024 courses, and one of them is a required course with Prof, who I've had several classes with in the past. My program's pretty small, so it's standard to take different courses with the same teacher.
I've built a pretty positive rapport with Prof because of this. I'm entering my fourth year, and I've had a class with Prof at least once a year; he remembers my name, regularly asks me how my other classes are going, and is generally friendly. We engage in plenty of conversation and I pop into his office hours quite a bit. Overall, just trying to paint a picture of why this sudden behaviour change is so jarring to me and why I think something is wrong.
My boyfriend (26M) lives in an apartment building about 15 minutes from my university, which he also attended. I've started spending 4-5 days a week there, since he's way closer than I am. He makes a lot of jokes about how I'll probably start running into my teachers too, since apparently a few staff members rent in this building.
Well, it happened two weeks ago. As my boyfriend and I were waiting for the elevator to go back upstairs after picking up our food order, Prof walked into the lobby. I greeted him, and he sort of just had this blank look on his face and then blurted "what are you doing here?"
I answered with "I live here for most of the week" and gestured to my BF. Prof said hello to him, then spent the ride up on his phone. I said goodnight as he got out, which he vaguely acknowledged with a wave.
Maybe he was just in a mood or something, or rightfully caught off guard by running into a student at his place of residence. That was until the next class. I walked into his class and greeted him with a good afternoon, which he usually returns, but this time he just nodded at me.
I thought again that maybe he was just in a mood or there was an incident in his personal life, but throughout the class (it's heavily discussion based) he didn't call on me once. I had my hand up for every question, and he didn't choose me, even as he chose others multiple times.
My friends in the class pointed out that it was kind of weird, since he usually calls on all of us (who want to speak) at least once before doing repeats. He was also laughing and chatting like he usually does with other students before/after class.
This has happened for every class afterwards (we meet twice a week). I've now given up and I'm just not participating in class. I don't know what could have possibly happened. The common denominator here is that it started right after I ran into him at his building, but I don't really get why?
I mean, he wasn't doing anything bad. He was literally just in an elevator. If I caught him with a partner or drunk or something then I'd completely understand feeling embarrassed and worrying about gossip, but literally nothing happened. We just discovered we live in the same place.
The only other thing I can think of is my boyfriend's presence, really. He doesn't look a lot older than me, but when we went down to get our food he had just gotten home and was still in his fancy clothes, so a full suit, dress shirt, nice shoes etc while I was in bright PJs and a literal fuzzy headband to keep my wet hair out of my face LOL.
My BF was also on the phone talking to his mom about how he was called to the bar. Maybe Prof thought he was way older than me, but even then 1) I'm an adult and 2) it's not like I was dressed all nice with a very obviously older man in a way that would suggest I'm an escort or sugar baby or anything crazy.
Some of my friends have suggested that maybe he doesn't like my BF, and maybe he was in one of Prof's classes from before I was enrolled? Even then, I highly doubt he'd remember an old student like that unless they did something horrible, which I find unlikely considering my boyfriend's a law school graduate. He also maintains friendships with some of his own undergrad professors, so he's not the disrespectful or hated type.
Brought it up to my BF, who said he remembered Prof from a class he took in his like 2nd year but they didn't really interact. It was a larger elective so he usually just attended lectures, did his work etc and that was it. Nothing else.
I guess I'm just at a loss on what to do? I thought maybe I was being paranoid and imagining things until my friends pointed out how weird it was that he hasn't been calling on me. Now I'm stressed because we've got a pretty big essay due soon, and I planned on attending office hours for some clarification on my topic. I'm too nervous to do that now.
Is there a respectful way for me to bring up why he's acting so different? I honestly cannot think of anything that would possibly warrant this sort of behaviour. Should I mention it in office hours, or maybe over email?
I don't want to overstep boundaries but I really need help with my essay and I'm freaking out a little bit about my grades suffering as a result of this. Thank you guys so much, and I'm sorry if this is too long of a post.

Standing in a desert with no one but Solomon and me, a quiet fear had me scratching the top of my hands. Snapping his fingers, the scene shifted to the president’s house. Staring down at my outfit, a frilly wedding greeted my trembling palms. Stepping back with a rounded eyes, his elbow hooked around mine. Leaning down to kiss me, a clammy sweat drenched my skin. Pushing him away, his claws sank into my arms. Shaking me while yelling at me, a scream burst from my lips.
Jerking awake in my chair, the other’s watched me with deep concern. Wiping my tears away, a wave of my hands shut them down. That monster was never going to be my husband, my teeth gritting. Rubbing at my dark bags underneath my eyes, that nightmare had been occurring too often. Jack’s words of comfort falling on deaf ears. Day two of a major migraine had me massaging my forehead, the lack of sleep leaving me feeling less than my usual self. Sinking into my seat, my fingers brushed against my chains. Another mission to a heavily populated planet had us rushing to aid those trapped in a discreet servant trade, my heart aching for them. Images of dead parents haunted me, the poor children probably sitting in cages. Remembering Scampy and Basy’s smile merely brought more unfiltered rage, the raw hurt of how they ripped me from my life biting my heart. Ignoring everyone through the long hours, we descended into the dark side of a mining planet. Undoing my harness, I dropped my helmet over my head. Everything doubled, Jack grabbing my shoulder the moment I snatched my staff off the wall. Mission first, then we can talk about my feelings. Although, the desire to talk about any of it wasn't there.
“What is going on with you lately?” He asked with an annoyed huff, my hand slapping his hand away. “You need to talk or you could compromise this mission.” Rolling my eyes, all of this was becoming too much. Icy and Whiskers joined my side, the conversation ended like that. Running in the shadows, the oxygen kicked one. Cloakie radioed me personally, his voice crackling in my ears. What did he want? Feeling cranky from my migraine, everything seemed to be a nuisance.
“Even I know that you aren’t okay. Talk to me while I hack into the system.” He spoke sternly, the corner of lips curling into a tired smile. “Don’t get me started on your lack of sleeping at night.” Digging at the light green sand, he had a point. Then again, would it be fair for Jack not to know what was going on before anyone else? His rights as a husband required that, my heart wanting to give him such a simple conservation. Alas, it was not a simple task to my anxiety- ridden mind.
“It’s nothing.” I spat impatiently, the three of us coming upon a clear dome protecting the kids. “Leave me alone.” The heavy door groaned open, Cloakie chastising me. Sprinting in, the door slammed shut behind us. Hiding behind a big rock, dirty kids walked by with carts of precious metal. Remembering the trauma that I was put through, horror rounded my eyes at the impaled parents on wooden spikes. Jack shook with raw fury behind me, my hand on his arm shutting him down. Turning on my radio, the boys shook their heads in protest at my order.
“Get the kids out of here. Pull the ship, Cloakie! I have a problem to deal with.” I ordered sharply, my concise words affirming my position on the matter. Skidding out of my hiding spot, golden energy glowed at the end of my staff. Missing my pets, my scaled ladies were on my ship waiting for my return. Think of something nice. Think of something nice to keep me calm.
“Come on out, Master Fachork! Face me like the man you aren’t!” I challenged him, his snake alien men looking up from what they were doing. “I suppose an appetizer is in order. Come and get me.” Sprinting into the mine, the ten henchmen crunched after me. Building up golden energy around my foot, a swift kick sent a cart clanking down a tunnel. Hiding in a large crack, the glow from my golden staff died down. Watching them crash down the tunnel with headlamps, the next step had to be completed. Coming out of my hiding spot, the number of casualties had to be kept to a minimum. Creeping out of the entrance, the pale moonlight of five moons gave me the light I needed while making my head pound harder. Sprinting towards a sea of tents, big eyes watched me skid into the tent. Jack appeared over the hill with about thirty children, the ten behind me cowering. Crouching down to their level, their breath hitched the moment I took off my helmet. Cupping the nearest child’s cheek, tiny tears dripped off of my fingers. The poor things had nothing to worry about in our care, a few of the homes opening up for them when we got back.
“You need to go with the blonde haired man. He is the way to safety.” I promised them sweetly, all of them running towards Jack. Pushing the flap out of the way on my way out, a big worn tent glowed in the distance. Hearing the ten men I ditched crunching behind me, time wasn’t on my hands. My footfalls echoed in the canyon, an elbow to each guard’s face had them hitting a patch of light green rock. Letting myself into the tent, a snake alien in a beat up leather suit placed his whiskey glass gingerly on a coaster. His neon green scales shimmered in the light of the flames, his golden snake eyes tracking me. Must they always be this creepy.
“Long time, no see. What has brought the great captain to my tent.” He commented casually, plucking a cigar from the case next to him. “Solomon said that you would come. Why don’t you want to be his bride? You could have all the riches in the world. After all, you are only a mutt.” Shrinking back, his words stung harder than usual. Slapping my cheeks to snap me out of it, I placed my helmet on his desk as gingerly as he placed his cup. Lighting up the cigar, he snapped his fingers. Solomon sauntered in, his arm yanking me close to his waist. Jamming a needle into my neck, my shaking hands shoved my staff into my belt before I went limp. Throwing me onto the bed, his steady hands chained me to the pole in the tent. Noting his horrid burns, our battle on that planet left a few scars. Smiling to myself, some damage had been dealt.
“Why am I not shocked at your survival? I should have known that my little prize had a way out.” He mused playfully, his finger tucking a loose piece of hair behind my ear. Shuddering involuntarily, my nightmare became one step closer to becoming reality. Plopping down next to me, he crossed his hands on his lap. True terror swelled within me, my plan of attack biting me in the ass again. Why couldn’t I ask for help like a normal person? Turning his head to face me, he plucked dust bunnies off of his expensive ivory suit. Smirking cruelly, his palm rested on my thigh. Silent tears stained my cheeks, a bomb rolling in giving me reasons to cry harder. The lack of beeping would be my undoing, my cleverness with my weapons not helping. A loud boom had the toad’s venom splashing onto us. The pure agony of it searing my face canceled out his drug, one solution remaining. Yanking on the pole with the chains holding me prisoner, a thud had the canvas falling over us. The end of the pole had been upended, my muscles protesting as I shimmied down the pole. Hitting the sand with a gruff groan, Master Fachork rolled around a few inches from me. Army crawling over to me, his eyes widened at me draping my chains around his neck. Hissing had my ears perking up, Ratalia slithering in. Venom flowed freely from her fangs. Sinking them into the soft spot on his throat, foam frothed around his lips. Seizing until his hand dropped to the sand, Ratonia lowered a healing potion into my mouth. Biting the glass, the thick liquid coated my throat. Spitting out the glass shards, the cuts on tongue would heal in a moment. Scooping me up, her tongue flickered against my face. Rubbing her scales, her eyes flitted over to Solomon. Wiggling my toes, enough feeling was back for me to walk. Sliding off of her with a kiss, my eager fingers curled around my staff. Steadying my legs, ice shot out from underneath me. Melting it with my golden energy, this was about to be a death trap for him. Electricity crackled to life around his palm, another wave of ice foiled my plans. Cursing under my breath, my scaled pets whisked me out of the tent. Setting me down, Solomon pulled himself out. His staff glistened in his hand, a malicious grin twitching on his lips. Charging at each other, our weapons locked in a position of power. Pushing each other back and forth, his hissing skin peeled off of his arm. Jamming my knee into his stomach, his body smashed into the rocks. Coughing up a fountain of blood, a couple of his organs had burst. Icy tossed me a vial of the venomous oil, Solomon charging at me. Wondering if the oil would burn him, today would grant me my answer. Rubbing the oil into the metal tip, my gloves protected me from its negative effects. Catching my reflection in the ice, faded scars covered my cheeks. As if I couldn't get any uglier, I cursed bitterly to myself. Screwing the top back on, a throw behind me had Icy catching it. Spinning my staff in my palm, Solomon appeared over me with electricity crackling over his staff. Blocking his strike clumsily, my body hit the sand. Rolling around to avoid his blows, my free hand grabbing a big old handful of sand. Throwing it in his face, a thud announced him hitting the ground next to me. Jack called for me to hurry up, Icy tapping his foot with a mixture of anxiety and impatience. Putting my hand in the air, I raised my beat up staff over my head. Slamming it into his head, his tongue rolled out of his mouth. Ratalia rolled my helmet over to me, a quick peck on her cheek had her rattling her tail with joy. Sprinting next to Icy, the others yanked us onto the ship. Tired children were strapped to the bars, Icy throwing me into my chair. Guiding my snakes into their harnesses, the door shutting had him leaping back into his seat. Hooking everything up, Jack backed up a bit before zooming into the inky sea of diamonds. Working the switches, a wormhole hummed to life. Flying in without thinking, he rode the waves of energy with ease. Skidding onto another one of the many jungle planets, the neon trees shooting from the ground. Not recognizing this planet, our coordinates had to be further out. Slowing to a stop, Jack killed the engine. Undoing my harness along with my pets, my snakes couldn’t be happier to be free. Typing at the keyboard, my ship did a run through of the oxygen levels. Watching the bar move up and down, a sigh of relief flooded from my lips at it falling well within the safety zone. Ditching my suit, curiosity had me running towards the door to explore. Typing in the code to open the door, my heart ached for the poor orphans we rescued.
“Whiskers and Jack will take care of you. I have to go make sure we are safe.” I announced with a bright smile, the kids cheering up a bit. “Cloakie and Icy! Come along!” Smoothing out my mechanic’s suit, Jack’s protests fell on deaf ears. The door hissed open, Icy’s helmet resting on a seat. A sickly warm breeze lashed at my cheeks, Icy laying his hand on my shoulder.
“Maybe you should talk to Jack. He wouldn’t stop talking about how worried he is about you.” He suggested with a cautious grin, his words holding weight. “Do it for me if you can’t bring yourself to do it.” Pushing me towards Jack, Jack ran his hand through his hair. Yanking me closer to his hips, his forehead pressed against mine. Rocking back and forth for a minute, a hallucination of Solomon had me leaping back. Apologizing pathetically as I ran off the ship, Cloakie and Icy had no choice but to follow me into the lush neon blue and pink vegetation. My pets slithered to my side, the company feeling welcome. Icy cleared his throat as a bloody Bogs waved at me from behind a tree. The color drained from my face, a clammy sweat drenching my skin. Fighting back tears, the scientists from the bomb project had silent tears staining my cheeks. Something seemed off, the scent of deception poisoned the air. The dirt crunched behind us, Jack fussed with his leather jacket. Grinning ear to ear maliciously, a gun glinted in his hand. The others stared at me with odd expressions, my boots pounding deeper into the jungle. Running until I couldn’t, a spike cut my palm. Strange neon pink sludge oozed into my palm, a rough darkness stealing me away.
Standing in the lab of my bomb building project, the scientists waved at me as I crossed the threshold. Happy to be working for me, long emerald waves brushing against the top of my hand spoke of better times. Remembering what day it was, the petite mouse alien dropped the nuclear material onto the floor. A blast knocked me out of the space, a burnt scientist slamming the door shut to prevent a nuclear leak. A ringing in my ears mixed poorly with the rushing sounds of my burst ear drums, officers rushing in around me. Touching my forehead, blood painted my finger. Jack rushed up to me, his words sounding as if he was under water. Reaching for the door, a pool of blood hit my boot. All of them were gone, tortured wails bursting from my lips. The commander marched up to me, her hand pinning me to the wall. Her face blurred, her beratement fading in and out. Jack began to argue with her, a punch sending him into the wall. Kneeing her in the gut, she had no damn right. Dropping me to the floor, the crack of my skull plunged me into darkness.
Groaning awake in her secret torture chamber, the vodka was hot on the commander’s breath. Leaving me alone with someone else, terror had my muscles shaking like a leaf. A thick cloth covered my eyes, Jack’s screams shattering what composure remained. Chains rattled as I realized that a cage surrounded me. A familiar voice had chills running up my spine, Solomon’s claw tracing my cheek. Shivering with fear, my burst ear drum gave me a small bit of relief.
“The commander promised you to me. Together we can destroy all that is around us.” He bragged gleefully, his bright tone frightening me further. “We are the same age and from the same town. Let’s just say I am simply obsessed with you. Too bad the commander is under my control.” Laughing maniacally, the door blew open. Snapping her fingers, the heel of his boots clacked to the other side of the room.
“Do you know what you have done!” She roared thunderously, her slap had a stream of fresh blood dripping down my cheek. “The president wants my head.” Unlocking the cage, she ordered Solomon to follow her out. Too feeble to move, the image of blood pouring out from underneath the door haunting me. The door squealed open, Jack staggered in with bruises all over his face. Leaning down to check up on me, his arms draped me over his shoulder. Too weak to fight back, violent sobs wracked my body. Closing the door to our room, the lock clicked shut. Laying me down on my bed, he collapsed next to me. Burying me in a desperate embrace, my emotions soaked his blood soaked shirt. Apologizing profusely, his finger lifted up my chin.
“It was all an accident.” He wept as hard as I was, several of his friends being caught in the blast. “This isn’t your fault.” Unable to speak, his lips brushed against my forehead. Neither of us spoke of the feelings passing between us, a deep despair silencing our hearts.
Sitting up with a deep gasp of air, the streaks that were stars told me that we were heading home. The medical room greeted me, my frantic eyes flitting between the details. Wiping the tears from my eyes, every breath grew shorter. Violent sobs wracked my body, the memory of my friends getting disintegrated breaking me all over again. Cupping the sides of my head, a broken scream exploded from my lips. Jack burst in, his wet eyes glimmering with relief and a dark worry. Sweeping me into his arms, he buried me into a desperate embrace.
“They died because of me! They died because of me!” I cried into his chest, my breathing growing faster. Hitting his back repeatedly, I wanted to be anywhere but here. Letting me work through my panic attack, his finger lifted up my chin. His tears splashed onto my face, the corner of his lips quivering. Why was I so messed up?
“Like I said before it was an accident.” He assured me with his real smile, my muscles giving out. “You worked yourself up again. My friends died that day but they shut the door so you didn’t die. They knew what they were getting themselves into. I love you with all of my soul and I need you to know that I am here for you.” My tears raced down his arm, the inability to smile back scaring me. Attempting to smile, his head shook.
“Stop trying to smile when you can’t. The depression doesn’t go away but what you are doing is dangerous. You can’t keep shoving it down or things like this will keep happening. Please talk to anyone if it can’t be me.” He pleaded with another one of his loving smiles, his lips pressing against mine tenderly. “Let me see your palm.” Lifting up my palm gingerly, the infected cut oozed. Scooping me into his strong arms, my heart fluttered at how handsome he looked. Gathering his supplies with his free hand, he sat me down on the bed. Working on my wound, something had to be said.
“I hate myself every day. People like Bogs died for me and I can’t live with that.” I admitted brokenly, his lips pursing into a playful smirk. “I want to get better. This depression is drowning me but everyone keeps me going.” Finishing with my wound, his hand cupped my cheek. Jack was my rock and I really needed him in this vulnerable moment.
“I hear you. You aren’t the monster you think you are. We all love you. Get some rest.” He returned sweetly, kissing the top of my head. Turning to leave, I leapt onto his back. Begging for him to take me with him, a warm yes had a bit of life returning to my eyes.

The results are in for Match 21. The winner is…
Mahimit was dragged across the battlefield by ｢Young Lives｣, the Stand filling him with a vigor to fight, to please his father who was watching from above—and that vigor filled him with each slash of its claws, keeping the son awake as he was marched down towards the trailer.
The two Stand Users had made their way down there last—secluded within a small container, cornered. The Stand’s puppet had been worn down for certain, but this was the time to finally finish things. As they approached, they saw through the window the older woman pull out her phone, and immediately Mahimit’s arm was raised to aim his gun right for it. As they made him pull the trigger, he couldn’t fire before she had spoken to her allies on the other end:
“Yeah, we figured out who the perp is, it’s Thomas Kent. Singh didn’t even show up, sent a lackey instead. He should be…”
The rest of her sentence faded out as Mahimit stalled…stopped.
The Stand roared in panicked fury as its user lowered his gun, unable to control them with the ease it once had. Mahi barely noticed—neither did they react to Windy’s warm, draining embrace of as ｢Young Lives｣ attempted to claw her off of him. As his eyes began to close, the longcoat of his Stand’s prior form disappeared and revealed the real one beneath, he managed one thought before falling into a deep sleep.
Of course he didn’t. Why did I think otherwise…

Sonika Singha and Windy, with a score of 72 to Mahimit “Hira” Rākin’s 56!

Category	Winner	Point Totals	Comments
Popularity	Sonika Singha and Windy	27 (14+2) - 3 (0+2)	A shutout victory for the players!
Quality	Mahimit “Hira” Rākin	17 (6 5 6) - 20 (7 7 6)	Reasoning
JoJolity	Mahimit “Hira” Rākin	18 (6 6 6) - 23 (8 7 8)	Reasoning
Conduct	Tie	10-10	Nothing to report!

The results are in for Match 22. The winner is…
Club Naraka, the site of a hellish pile of bodies and accidents, was practically on fire that night. Thankfully, Sulka, along with a group of armed guards, had brought a fire extinguisher with them. They stormed the ground floor, taking a moment to spread themselves out. “Alright, we’ve-” A hail of gunfire cut the man off. “—THEY’RE HERE!”
A few of the nameless guards rushed in towards Sulka, to catch any strays that might come his way. Sulka himself pulled the nozzle end up, and heard another single shot fire from another nearby pillar. “There’s an accomplice, circle—” Something crawled up his thumb, and bit into the extinguisher, just as a stray bullet drove a dent into the metal casing. “—AUGH!”
The fire extinguisher burst in his hands, filling the room with a heavy white smog. The hip-firing moved, and it came long, low, and in mobile spurts. “Fire back—” As if on cue, fire jettisoned into the cloud of smoke, “—SPREAD OUT, QUICK!” Through blurred vision, Sulka watched one of their own leave through the front door. “Not that far, damnit!”
With the guards spread out along the floor around him, some wearing gouts of fire, some drenched in the liquid refuse of their extinguisher, and others still riddled with bullets, Sulka turned to one of their dead men, and ripped a pistol from their side. They watched the last moving object head for the door, and pulled the trigger, twice. An employee badge caught the edge of his blurred vision.
The cool night air filled the ground floor, and fed the flames atop the burning men. Sulka’s arm fell to his side, letting the gun clatter against the floor.
A spiral of thoughts took him. First, he’d need to make a casualty report, followed by a loss statement. The sheer number of clients who may not come back after an incident like this would likely drive the place out of business. Between that, the viscera, the dead workers, the dead clients, and all the ammunition costs—let alone the licenses he’d have to put in for—his head shrieked at him. For once, he shrieked back.
It was a low, horrid thing, much like a growl or snarl, but loud enough to make itself known against the billowing call of night. A cool hand slicked his hair back, and the night air stopped pouring in through the shutting door. He turned to one of the guards, who’d taken to putting out another with a blanket. “Take everyone alive and go look for everyone else alive.” Sulka sauntered away. “I’ll be in my office.”

Reese McGuffin, with a score of 72 to Markov's 69!

Category	Winner	Point Totals	Comments
Popularity	Reese McGuffin	13 (3+2+2) - 17 (5+2+2)	An even voting period right up until the very end!
Quality	Markov	23 (7 8 8) - 22 (7 8 7)	Reasoning
JoJolity	Tie	23 (8 8 7) - 23 (7 8 8)	Reasoning
Conduct	Tie	10-10	Nothing to report!

Somewhere in the night, a Club Naraka coat and hat, usually only worn by guards, lay in a trash can. A woman, caked in blood and all manner of horrors, pressed herself against the wall beside it, and fished through her pocket for a coin. She’d found it there, in the elevator, on her way to her shift. Moonlight danced across its surface, letting the coin shimmer madly in the low light. ”Hah… you… y-you saved me…” Emile was shuddering, clutching the golden coin tight, for fear of dropping it. “I-I don’t know why, but… w-whatever you want of me, I’ll gladly give it in return… p-please, tell me…who…who are you?”
“…aha!” the voice chuckled. “How…terrible of me! In all the commotion, our…introductions com-pletely slipped my…mind.”
The air in front of Emile began to shift and shimmer. As she pulled her gaze away from the coin, she saw something phase into existence—a feminine form, long purple wires for hair, and a peering red eye gazing back at her beneath them.
It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“My name is Markov. And your ad-mir-a-tion is payment…enough.”
Emile stared, gazing in wonderment at the hovering figure. Whether from exhaustion or reverence, she dropped to her knees, tears beginning to streak down her face. She thought of the ordeals she’d just faced. The people she’d passed. The people she’d fled. The people she’d killed. There was something else, though—the figure’s eyes seemed to- “That…hole in your shoulder.” Emile’s own head turned to match the figure’s gaze. “Do not fret. I can…teach you how to…take care of that.”
From the roof above the pair’s heads, one couldn’t hear the quiet murmurs and shivers of a woman ripping apart her own viscera-caked clothes to seal her wounds. Other things were certainly on the mind of its occupant, one Reese McGuffin.
Before him were two rats. Before them was a whole litany of ghostly creatures. His hand pointed towards the rat to his right, “Alright everyone, this is Splinter—” before it moved to point at the rat on his left, “—and this is Remy!”
Remy waddled up to a Utahraptor first, and started sniffing at it. “Oh, lemme introduce you to pieces, Remy!” Reese put a hand between the ghost animals, and casually shuffled it back and forth as he spoke. “Remy, Pieces! Pieces, Remy!” He turned on his heel to see Splinter eyeing up Finn, the shark. “Hey! He’s a friend, not food!”
A comforting quiet filled the night air as the ghostly animals circled one another, introducing themselves in their own little ways. The only thing left on Reese’s mind was a single odd question, one that had been eating at him since he left. “Where did I put that coral?”
Slowly, Mahimit awoke to the morning sun’s light. They could have sworn that they had a nightmare that night, but they felt refreshed as if waking from a peaceful slumber…
That wasn’t a nightmare, was it? He thought he could manage it all but in the end he just…broke as soon as he saw Ajay lying there with a bullet through his shoulder—wait, is he okay? Was he brought to safety? Did the Suite now think he was involved?
“Hey, don’t worry—you're safe here.”
Mahimit blinked, finally taking note of their surroundings. They were lying in a plain white bed, first aid boxes and equipment scattered about—the architect remembered the claws raking at their back throughout the night. Their torso had been bandaged up thoroughly: their long coat was laid out across a table, while their shirt was currently in Windy’s hands, who must have paused in stitching back up one of the tears when she noticed them awake.
“W-where am I?” Mahi asked. “Is Ajay safe? Where is he?”
“Jon got him to a hospital as soon as he could,” a voice called out from the door. Mahi looked over to see who looked like a detective walking in, followed by the two he recognised having gone after Zafar back then—no, not Zafar. “Had to be more careful with you given how well known you are, Mahimit—or do you prefer Hira?”
The architect sighed with some relief at that, not finding any deceit in the answer. “Either’s fine…not sure which one’s more ‘me’ anyways.” He looked around at the group settling into the room. “…Where’s the other person who was with you? Is she okay?”
A silence filled the room as the four recalled what Windy recounted once they regrouped—Sonika had lost hope, and ended up attempting to kill an unconscious Mahimit before she was stopped by Windy which caused the PI to run off.
Steric didn’t look it, but he was probably one of the most affected within PINDROP. While diving into his work wasn’t the healthiest coping mechanism, he had been increasingly concerned for Sonika’s health and disposition—so to hear that she not only ran off, but wanted to dispand PINDROP was crushing. “She…she ended up leaving.” He refocused onto Mahimit. “You said you’re unsure about yourself—would you be willing to answer why?”
Hira chuckled. “I guess I do owe you some answers. Well, I first went out as ‘Hira’ right around when I manifested my Stand—but then I ended up going out as them more often. Started to look into stuff about myself without the pressure of being the perfect son on my back…haven’t felt I’ve had the chance to really do so since I came back to Rakin.”
“Because of Zafar?” Inago asked, taking a nearby seat. “You don’t have to answer more than you’re comfortable with, but…you only went berserk after you thought he had just shot your friend.”
“Yup,” Windy nodded, setting aside the shirt and needle. “And I couldn’t help but notice ya stopped letting that Stand control ya once Sonika said out loud that it wasn’t your pa.”
Mahi winced. “…Yeah, I thought it was Zafar. He was a great parent and I never wanted to let him down, but things got so out of hand that when that last piece dropped I just…shattered, I guess. Though even if he was told it probably wouldn’t matter…”
“And why’s that?” Steric asked, jotting down some notes.
“He’s stubborn, sticks to how he thinks things are. If anything challenges his view on a friend or ally of his, he’ll just ignore it and carry on. He’s going to learn that I was Tamas and he’ll shrug it off and forget about it, as usual. Probably the sole reason he’s still in the Metro is because he truly believes that they’re doing what’s best for the city—something I found quickly wasn’t the case.”
Drippy stepped forward. “About that: why were you in there in the first place, and for how long? And what do you know about the Middleman?”
“…I can’t tell you anything about them.” Hira spoke, eyes glancing away from her.
“W-why!?” Drippy almost yelled out. “What reason do you all possibly have to not want them stopped?!”
“Well, you plan on killing them once you know, aren’t you?”
“Yes! Perhaps if you actually told us then maybe we could see why we shouldn’t put down this person taking utmost glee in murder. I don’t get why you and Rasna are willing to protect this guy.”
“…Trust me, if I could have stopped them I would have years ago. But if Rasna’s refused to tell you, you should be able to figure out why, right?”
“…they’ve suffered a lot, haven’t they?” Inago asked somberly. “That must be why they’re how they are today.”
“Oh, so they can get off free after everything they did?” Drippy retorted.
Steric put his hands between the two lest things escalated. “We can discuss this later—at the very least that is a lead.” He turned to the guest. “As for the other questions?”
Mahi nodded. “It was a month or two after I began working towards getting into the City Planning Board. Things weren’t looking as good as I hoped, when my father decided to bring me down to see these friends of his. I was offered a deal: they would pull some strings to help get me onto the board as long as I was willing to put forward some things they wanted…even then I figured something was off, but if it meant I could help this city I thought it was worth it. Oh how wrong I was…”
Steric sighed, finishing up with his notepad before putting away his pen. “I think that will be all then…thank you for your time. We’ll leave you to rest now.”
Inago followed the PINDROP members out, looking over his shoulder one last time: “Before I forget, anything you want for breakfast?”
Mahi thought for a moment. “Pancakes?”
Windy hopped off her chair and walked closer to Hira. “You’re a kind soul deep down, aren’t ya? Even as violent as you were, ya never tried to kill anyone…”
“But I just tried to kill you! It wasn’t me but it was born from me…messed with my thoughts as well as my body. So glad my therapist is a Stand user, thank fu—dge.”
She chuckled at the self-censorship. “But you fought back in the end, didn’t ya? I think I understand the feeling of getting puppeted though, and I know Luna and Alex should be able to help with the memory stuff. If you ever want to talk about it, feel free—we’d be happy to.”
“Sure,” Mahi nodded, lying back down into the bed as they allowed themself to smile. “…Thank you.”
Scenario: Verve Residence, Sapatibhatt — 10:23AM
Clink.
The teacup rattled against the table, empty. Idly, Gioia Arancini glanced over the lid, curious to see the shape of her future reflected in the tea leaves. She didn’t believe in that stuff, but Fate had taken stranger forms. Besides, Evergreen had done a lot these past few weeks. She couldn’t help but wonder…
“You were right, Gioia!” Soichi piped up from beside her, sipping on his own cup, “this is really good!”
In front of them, Vasant Verve sheepishly wrung his hands, giving them both a little smile. “I’m glad I haven’t lost my touch, haha…! It really is the least I can do, while you’re here.”
They could not meet at Urban Hymns, as the estate had been closed since Gioia and Charvet fought the man a few weeks prior. Though she had expected the two of them would get arrested, Verve himself had told the authorities that he would not press charges. In return, Gioia had been checking in with him, making sure he was back on his feet, and that ｢Cage The Elephant｣ was well and truly gone.
“Mm,” Gioia nodded, “give Vasudha my thanks as well,”
“No problem, dear!” a woman shouted from another room. Verve had little desire to return to his cabin, so in the meantime he was staying in his younger sister’s house.
For a moment, there was silence. Verve was perfectly still, as if one wrong move would shatter this tenuous peace. Soichi was content to drink in the cozy atmosphere. Gioia was staring at the tea leaves. What shape did they form?

The peace on Mount Parapollah was just as tenuous. Muuru had returned to the mountain now that the sand worms slumbered and the shifting had stopped. There was once a being who was to the Mountain as Muuru was to the City. The being was gone, now, and the Suite was filling in the gaps with trucks and bulldozers. As Muuru watched, a woman with a flute sat down beside him and smiled. Whatever happened next, the Mountain and the City moved together.

Gioia was drawn back to reality as Soichi spoke. “So, what have you been doing during your time off?”
“Oh?” Verve blinked. “Not much, I suppose! Just some odd jobs, here and there, mostly in the South. Just trying to help the rebuilding efforts, you know? Fix what I broke.” He grimaced a moment, before deflecting back to Soichi.
“What about you? It’s usually just Gioia checking in, I haven’t seen you since, you know…”
“The whole New York thing?” Soichi chuckled. “I’ve been alright, yeah. As rough as it was, we ended up making friends with those Riders! Sometimes you need an unlikely situation to help you come together, you know?”
Evergreen had certainly faced unlikely situations before. Gioia mused on this as she looked at the leaves.

The flute was not the only instrument that echoed through Rakin. As Deacon Blues wandered through the Sapatibhatt, the song of his trumpet followed behind. The land, once torn apart, was being rebuilt. The scars from his battle with the weaponsmith were fading, but the man still taught him a valuable lesson. The hand that wields a weapon can also wield a tool. Maybe this was the nature of potential. Whatever it was, Deacon figured it was worth a song.

Gioia glanced up from the cup, giving Verve a smirk. “Tough times help you realize who your real friends are. You’ve realized that too, I’m sure. Thanks to our efforts, the Metropolis Suite is having a tough time of their own. I wonder how quickly they’ll turn on each other?”
“Xen was already convinced they were out to get him. He kept going on about this Stand, ｢Diamond Life｣. No matter what he did for the Suite, it never told him who its user was. It drove him crazy–I think he was trying to solve that one himself.”
“Did he succeed?”
“I don’t think so. It’s not like he could strike a deal with The Gossip, he didn’t have anything ｢She｣ wanted. I’m sure that drove him crazy too.” There was still a sorrow in his voice.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Soichi smiled quietly, patting the man on the arm. Gioia nodded in turn, before she continued.
“Have you had any contact with him?”
“Not really. His assistant texted me, apparently the folks at Hymnal are on indefinite paid leave, until I figure out what to do. I guess that’s on me.” Verve paused a moment, grimacing. “Apparently he might still be at the cottage? I don’t know—I’m not going to—I’m not ready to talk to him, yet.”
“You don’t ever have to talk to him again,” Gioia responded. “I’m sure he’s cowering in the dark now that we’ve exposed his true nature. The other members of Metropolis should realize they’re soon to follow.”
Indeed, the members of Evergreen might not have the same methods…but they were united in this cause. Would this define their future? Gioia glanced over at the tea leaves.

The immortal had lived through countless riots, but the Bedtown Takeover was one of his favorites. He had returned to the area, replaying his grand speech, looking at the bloodstains that marked this territory. Sure, now that Aco’s child had appeared, VULTURE was considering new leadership. But that didn’t matter to Ouroboros, content to remain the (Self-Appointed) Secret Lord of Bedtown. Behind him, Honeydew was simply content to dismantle car batteries.

Gioia glanced back at Verve to see his brow furrowed.
“I can’t believe I ever got involved with those bastards,” he scowled. “Deep down, I knew they were trouble—I talked to Xen about Sing Now!, he just said…sometimes the only way to reach a common goal is to work with people you don’t agree with. He almost made it make sense.”
“He was a smooth-talking control freak. I’m sure you’ve realized how empty those words were.”
Verve rested his chin in his hand, staring into his own empty cup. In the end, all he saw were scattered leaves. No one was guiding him now. No one but himself. “…That’s not all he was. I think he really believed it, you know? That he was doing good. I wanted to believe it too, more than anything. But I think he was just trying to justify it to himself. Even when he had his doubts.”
Gioia curled her fingers around the teacup. “What about you, Verve? What do you think ‘good’ is?”
At this, the man laughed bittersweetly. “You think I can answer that? I thought Xen had the answer, and look where that got us. If you think you’re the only guy who can change the world, you’ll just make it worse.”
He looked up at Soichi. “We saw what his world looks like,” then to Gioia, “he would have trapped us both inside, if not for you.”
It seemed the Suite had a lot of cities within cities, living symbols of their control. Gioia took one last look at the symbol in her cup.

Disco D Lune had been keeping up with her contacts at the military base, catching up with the most recent happenings. Apparently, there had been a falling-out between the general and his child: an opportunity to sew doubt and dissent amongst the ranks. Disco had already designed new buildings to replace this one, and they were beautiful.

“You’re a free man, Verve,” Gioia concluded, staring him down. “So what will you do with that freedom?”
Verve looked between the two, but found no answers. Now, his choices were his own. In the end, the answer was simple.
“…I want to make things right. The Suite they… they ruined my home, they ruined him, they ruined me. I’m tired of seeing kids get pulled into this. Rasna, Ichi, and now poor Mahamit…” Behind him, warm air sang with the soft trumpet of ｢Bitter Sweet Symphony｣. “It needs to end. Those kids, my nieces, all of them, all of us. We all need a city that we can call home.”
Gioia smiled, closing her eyes contentedly as she felt the heat roll over her. Beside her, she could feel Soichi resting a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t even need to see his smile to feel its warmth. She didn’t need to see the leaves to know the shape of her future. She had known many homes, many stories, many tragedies and triumphs. But right now, home was a tree, Evergreen. Seasons changed, and yet its leaves would always flourish.
Soichi glanced at the cup in her stead. To him, the leaves just seemed like a weird square. But soon that shape was washed away, as he poured them all another cup of warm and fragrant tea.
“Well said! This calls for a toast. To new friends!”
Clink!

Scenario: Hymnal Bazaar, Reshmerasta — 8:58 PM
The market was closed for the evening. This curfew was in place ever since the Middleman attacked. The Bazaar was already struggling—if people were too scared to walk around at night, then why bother staying open? Even when the Bazaar was open, the stall for Urban Hymns stood empty. But for a broom, only a lone figure stood there. Verve used to sweep while his employees handled everything else.
His boyfriend once asked him why he did that.
’It makes me feel like I’m doing something–” he had laughed, “I’m leaving this place better than I found it!’
Verve had a lovely laugh, the figure recalled, staring at the broom.
Slowly, he knelt down to pick it up.
Then, Xenagoras took a deep breath,
and swept the streets that he used to own.

Scenario: ???, ??? — 9:07 PM
“It’s simple, gentlemen…”
The sound of chatter and slow music. The smell of pristine tobacco and the clinking of glasses. This outlined the leadership of the Metropolis Suite, holed up in a skyscraper that overlooked the whole of Rakin. To their right, a window—one that replaced the whole wall, showing the nighttime lights. It almost looked like an alien world, the way the dark purples and reds of the late sunset stretched across the blinking gleams of windows and signs. A single man spoke, an esteemed guest trying his best to rise in their ranks: Luiviton.
“With a little bit of push, we could completely criminalize a number of traffic violations. Of course, they’re already illegal—but I’m talking perfect driving. Instead of community service, we give fines that cut chunks out of bank accounts. Instead of towing cars, we give jail time. I have contacts in the private prison industry who would be willing to pay us good money to multiply the conviction rates~! All it takes is a little bit of sacrifice from Rakin’s people.”
The table was silent. A voice piped up- that of Sing Now!, media conglomerate CEO and one of the Suite’s primary figures of authority. “That’s an awful idea, Luiviton.”
He blanched. “E-Excuse me?” He asked, flabbergasted. “We could stand to gain-”
Sing Now! interrupted him swiftly and curtly. “It doesn’t matter how much we ‘stand to gain’ from selling our city’s soul to prison moguls. You’re a good friend, but everytime you come up here with a suggestion it’s always some kind of short-sighted scheme to make money. That’s not what this thing of ours is about.”
That earned a couple of nods and a “Damn straight.” from Zafar at his left.
He continued. “If we overcriminalize poor driving, what we’re doing is sacrificing Rakin’s workforce in exchange for…nothing. We would completely freeze important institution who are suddenly bleeding key figures and employees who’ve made simple mistakes. We’re not parasites or petty tyrants. We’re leaders. We do these backdoor deals not to increase our wealth, but our resources which we must use for everyone’s benefit. We must direct the people, not root through their pockets.”
Conversation erupted, primarily economic in nature. Some offered to take care of the market in Xenagoras’s stead. Others offered grants to the arts. Others pointed to the need for construction and repairs. Some tried to give statistics on rising rates of crime and discontent within Rakin’s citizens.
One key figure of the Suite, however, was absent. She stood a few meters away, staring out the window at the city below. Her stance was relaxed, yet firm. As if she was on guard against some invisible threat. She held a small glass of scotch in one hand, occasionally sipping from it. She seemed tired. Very, very tired. This was Zhengqi Dianyou, the CEO of the Rakin Rail Corporation. Occasionally, she’d let out a yawn.
Sitting on a loveseat nearby was Ichi Ni San Go—the charge of Sing Now! who was currently too distracted to really remember she existed. Without a babysitter, she was content to simply exist next to Zhengqi, looking out the window with her at the beauty of the city and occasionally asking simple, childish questions.
They were approached by a figure, glowing in the light. Someone followed close behind.
｢Diamond Life｣, the Stand of the every-mysterious head of the Metropolis Suite. Said user hung close behind. Zhengqi always found her boss’s habit of speaking through their Stand peculiar; she understood it as a security tactic, but it often came up even in casual scenarios. “Enjoying the event, you two?” It asked. Its tone was genuine—the Stand could be a tool of intimidation whenever its user willed it so, and this wasn’t that.
Zhengqi just grunted, turning around and finishing off the scotch. She set the glass down on a nearby table, looking at ｢Diamond Life｣. “I’ve never understood how it’s so easy for you to talk through that thing—”
｢Diamond Life｣ shot forward with incredible speed, shushing the name with a single finger gently placed on her lips. “Careful, Ms. Dianyou. The end of the table. Do you see him?”
Her eyes crept towards the table, landing on a man nodding idly to the talk. Iron Butterfly was a member of the Suite who often remained in the background; to her understanding, he helped keep the Suite in control over a good deal of the crop farming in the more rural parts of Rakin. She looked back at the Stand, and it elaborated: “He’s wearing a wire. Loose lips aren’t ideal tonight.”
Zhengqi just sighed, running her hand through her hair as her other put ｢Diamond Life｣’s hand back down. “I’ll take care of him after the meeting.” She offered. ｢Diamond Life｣ chuckled, willingly pulling their hand back.
“I’d appreciate it- I had originally planned on handling the issue myself. You’re always putting your best foot forward with us—it’s something I value.”
She gave a weak smile. “It’s nothing, really. Just me giving back for everything the Suite’s done for me.”
Ichi piped up, eagerly watching the conversation. “I think Ms. Dianyou works too much…she’s always so tired and never has any time to play games or watch cartoons or do anything!”
Zhengqi did her best to put on a friendly smile. “Ichi…when you get older, sometimes you just don’t have the time for-”
｢Diamond Life｣ interrupted her. “She’s right, you know. You overwork yourself. I was being polite about it before, talking about your best foot forward- but I do worry.”
She looked at ｢Diamond Life｣ sternly. “We don’t exactly have the time to rest. I’m certain you’ve seen the news. People are starting to figure out we exist. People are hiring private detectives and holding protests. Things are starting to unravel. We need to act before things break so hard they can’t be put back together.”
｢Diamond Life｣ stood up straight, looking her in the eyes. “Trust me. I have plans, and they involve you. Both of you.”
Ichi immediately raised a little in her seat, glowing a little. “Me~? Really~?”
A friendly chuckle escaped from ｢Diamond Life｣’s nonexistent lips. “Yes, you.” A dour look plastered across its face as it looked back at Zhengqi. “I’m going to need you to handle…key targets. I want certain people out of the way and key infrastructure mapped and maintained for your “ability”—it’ll be valuable to us should the ire of the populace come to a head. Past that, rest. Allow your subordinates at Zuantou Rail to handle things. Take a long holiday. We don’t need an exhausted zombie, we need you.”
Zhengqi could only reply with silence. She knew better than to argue with ｢Diamond Life｣, but to stop working? It felt alien to her. She was tempted to clutch at her sternum from the thought.
“As for you, Ichi…” The Stand continued. “I want you to gather info for me on some of the Stand users around the city.”
Ichi innocently kicked her feet. “How am I ‘sposed to do that? I dunno any cool spy stuff, and Daddy said-”
“I’ll handle your father, don’t worry.” ｢Diamond Life｣ said, walking forward and cupping Ichi’s cheek in their clawed hand. “I just want you to make friends, okay? Go out. Explore. Meet people, as many as you can. Participate in their lives and conflicts. Tell me everything you see and hear, okay?”
Ichi just nodded, smiling widely.
“Perfect,” replied the Stand. They drew their arm back, clasping their hands together. “But enough about work. Have you two tried the finger food that’s been provided? It’s truly divine.”
Scenario: Mili's Diner, Mist City — 7:37PM
The bell above the entrance rang late into the dusk, announcing the arrival of a certain happy customer. He hummed cheerily to himself, taking a seat behind the counter and giving her regards to the woman behind the counter. His order was the same as it was every time he came here, and yet he always flipped through the menu anyway. He was a cheerful, easygoing man, despite everything.
His name was Steric Lou Farin, recently self-appointed head of PINDROP. He hadn’t been planning on it, but with the sudden departure of Sonika, the team needed someone to step up fast. He was the most experienced in the field of investigation and had the sort of charisma the role required. He didn’t mind taking the lead, either. If anything, it made his work a little easier.
Speaking of work, that was the reason for this visit—good as the food was. He glanced over to the other two customers, talking quietly amongst themselves, and smiled. Both were of particular interest.
The first was one Brighid Rhodes. He’d sparred with her a few months back, and an exchange of business cards had proved extremely wise when he needed assistance in dealing with one Texas Aco. She was the one to finally calm her down in the end—albeit forcefully, but all’s well that ends well.
Speaking of which, Texas Aco sat at the counter now, talking in hushed mumbles to Brighid. The notable thing there being that she was talking now. She had been silent in the immediate aftermath of her rampage, but after spending some time at Brighid’s, Steric had gotten the call today that she’d been ready to speak.
“I hope you all had a safe drive here,” he chuckled to himself. “It’s awfully rainy out, isn’t it?”
“Nothing too bad.” Brighid exhaled, and Texas nodded with her, sipping on a chocolate milkshake. Her misshapen insect arm was hidden under a worn old coat draped over her shoulder. Brighid gave the detective a particular glance, and Steric took that as a sign to get to questioning.
“So, Texas…” He cleared his throat, making sure he had the girl’s attention. “I’m sorry for calling you out so soon. You ever want to stop talking about all this, let me know. I don’t want to do you any harm.”
“Mmm.” Texas nodded again.
“Now, I understand you’ve had, er, a difficult last few months.” That was no understatement: she’d been directly responsible for an attempted VULTURE mutiny. It failed, and drove her off into hiding god-knows-where. “In particular, I’d like to ask you about your relationship to VULTURE. It’s a piece of the puzzle here I haven’t entirely been able to ascertai-”
“I’m taking over VULTURE.” Texas deadpanned. Brighid sighed.
“I told you that isn’t the best idea.” The lawyer attempted to flick her on the forehead. “That’s too dangerous. No way you can get it done on your own.”
“No, I mean, like-” Texas grumbled. “She literally told me I could have it. The old boss.”
Brighid blinked a few times. She hadn’t heard about that. Steric nodded.
“Ms. Kaliya told me she’d been in contact with you. She said you’d been pretty against taking the leadership role, though.” Steric raised an eyebrow. “What changed?”
“…It sucks here, man.” Texas smirked. “Even with all the bullshit charities, shit’s gone bad after Rasna left. I’m sure you caught wind of that. Guys turning up dead left and right—there was a fight at a funeral, right? Whole place got blown to smithereens. What the fuck, man.”
“Ahah, yes.” Steric winced. “Quite the festivity, wasn’t it.”
“The place needs someone to step up. And with that little rampage I went on…” She looks embarrassed, for a moment. “I think I’ve got the rep to fill her shoes. Er. Maybe. I’m not really that scary, but, uh…”
“Ms. Kaliya told me you weren’t of that sort of opinion before.” Steric raised his eyebrow again, tapping his pen against his notepad. “What changed?”
“…Nothing, really. I just.” Texas chuckled, reclining on her stool. “I don’t really think anything I’ll do will have any difference. But I can’t stop myself from trying, either. I don’t think she’d want me to, either.”
Brighid placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, glancing down at her. “Long as you come back to my place when you’re done. I trust you, but you should have a bed to sleep on.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Steric grinned. This was a good development! A bit risky, sure, but it gave him in an in. “Say!” He stopped absentmindedly chewing on his pen’s tip. “Y’think you’d be willing to help us out? VULTURE’s assistance would be a great help…and something tells me we’ve got a common goal.”
“I’ll think on it.” Was Texas’s only response. Brighid flicked her on the forehead again. “Ow! Okay, fine, yeah, I’ll help. You guys don’t seem that bad.”
Steric clasped his hands together. One step closer. “Ah, and you too, Miss Rhodes.”
“Hah?” Brighid scoffed. “I don’t think anyone with me is gonna be much help-”
“I think that’s, er, preposterous.” He tapped his notepad a few times. “I did some looking into the work your people’ve done recently. For museum staff, you folks sure are prolific. A boat raid is quite the accomplishment. Hmm, hmm~.”
“Well, er…” Brighid sighed. Her group had had a history of engaging in combat. Entities like Paranoia and Markov were practically built for it, but her group had had similar exploits recently: Ruby’s left her fight with the swordsman at the art college relatively unharmed, and Roxanne had managed to charm an ex-member of Metropolis. Despite how weird all of them were, they were useful in a variety of ways; it made sense Steric wanted their assistance.
“Alright. I’ll get them to help out.” Much as she didn’t trust some of them with heroism, Brighid found herself more involved than she’d anticipated—and getting into the action herself meant she could help keep Texas as safe as possible, despite everything. “But you gotta help out with the museum. We’re, uh, still working on reconstruction.”
“No worries. I think I’ve got a few artifacts here and there. They’d be fit for your collection.” Steric’s phone buzzed—he rose and nodded at the two. “It’s been a pleasure, folks, but the life of a detective is ever so busy. Be seeing you.” With that, he grabbed his coat and strode away, leaving a good third of his burger.
Several oversized flies crawled out from beneath Texas’s coat, nibbling on the leftovers. “You really okay with me, uh, y’know…” Texas made a few vague gestures with her hands. “It’s a big thing to, uh, undertake. I figured you’d try to stop me.”
“I doubt I’d be able to.” Brighid chuckled. “‘Sides, you’re a pretty tough kid. I was pretty rough and tumble when I was your age, and look how I turned out. I’m a lawyer and everything.”
Texas nodded, returning to her milkshake. She was an ant under an elephant’s foot—she’d become well aware of that. But even so; even an ant had its resolve, and a swarm could pick apart a carcass. Even if it was only delusion, she’d do what she could. Mom would’ve liked that.
“Mmm.” She grinned. “Here goes.”

<=TO BE CONTINUED==

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I (23F) have been working as an Optician at an Optometrist’s office in NYC for almost three years, where I’ve been sexually harassed and assaulted by the owner, who is also the doctor. Since it’s a small medical practice, there is no HR department to report to. It began with what seemed like accidental bumps and touches to my breast and butt. However, over time, these incidents became more frequent. He started asking me to “hang out” after work, offered to drive me home, and called me at 8 pm insisting that it was work-related, which I declined. Throughout my three years of employment, he found any excuse to get me into his office, where he would sexually assault me. He has attempted to kiss me, forcefully pull my shirt to expose my breast, pressured me to have intercourse, and had a boner on several occasions. He would also forcefully hug me by pushing me into a corner of the room (he is 6’1-6’3 while I am only 5’0), using his body to block the door each time I tried to leave. The list goes on.
On one occasion, two of my coworkers and I discovered a hidden camera inside a bucket covered by a mop in the bathroom. It is the only bathroom in the office, used by both patients and staff. The camera was aimed directly at the toilet seat. I feel disgusted just thinking about the fact that he might have recorded us using the bathroom. When we confronted him, he claimed that he misplaced it. One time, he mentioned that girls, specifically Caucasian girls, are “the prettiest at 17 years old”, moaning a little while saying it. We see many underage kids, and he sometimes suggests the parent not to come in the examination as the child is “old enough to be alone.” I hope he is not sexually touching these kids as well. If you have kids, please do not let them go into the examination room alone.
For those who are wondering why I didn’t quit a long time ago…….
Attending Optometry school was always one of my goals. I wanted to gain experience and needed a recommendation letter for my application. My harasser also has many connections with the optometry school I was looking to apply to. Therefore, I was afraid that reporting him would ruin my chances of getting in. However, I eventually quit on April 29, 2024 and I reported him to the Division of Human Rights and Civil Rights. I tried to file a report with the EEOC, but there’s no available date for an interview, so my report could not go through. I only have evidence of him apologizing and admitting that he crossed the line on text messages.
As someone who has experienced sexual assault at a young age from cousins, family friends, grandpa, etc. I hate myself for putting myself through this as an adult. I am mentally and physically exhausted. Every night, I have nightmares about being back at work, trying to escape from being sexually assaulted. I hate that I am suffering mentally while he’s continuing his life without any consequences to what he did to me.

Hi everyone,
Here's the summary/outline for the first half of Day 2 of Safe House! I'm sorry it got so long; it's partially because today was actually a full day as opposed to the first day which was only a half day, and also because a lot more interesting activities and conversations happened today, so I wanted to try to translate and transcribe some of them for you all. I hope this is is helpful!
Video 1 Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/C13r3ScN0L4?feature=shared

• Luke is the first one up and about. At around 9:30, he apologises for the lull and says that "the kids" should hopefully be up and about soon.
• 11:45 Neo reads a letter saying that the losing team from yesterday's game has to prepare breakfast for the whole house within 15 minutes.
• 13:00 Luke reassures the audience that he's not by himself because he feels isolated from the rest of the guys or anything; he just wanted to wake up early to exercise, and now he's doing some light reading while waiting for "the kids" to wake up and get ready
• 15:00 The cooking team enter the kitchen and start planning what to cook. There's no rice ready in the rice cooker, so they'll serve bread/toast as the carbohydrate. They want to make eggs, so they decide to make scrambled eggs because of the time restriction. They also decide to make sausages and bacon
• 22:00 Neo and Mix make toast and make another wordplay joke (verbs related to preparing food that rhyme or sound similar, basically. Kind of translates to "cook (usually as it pertains to grains), warm up, stew, boil, and steam")
• 24:00 Luke tries to explain the difference between scrambled eggs and a similar preparation of soft omelette in Thai cuisine
• 28:00 Pond and Neo go to wake up Earth, Gun, and Khaotung with some musical style. They're basically singing to stop being lazy and go downstairs to eat. It's taking longer than 15 minutes to prepare the food, but it's fine.
• 32:00 Gun and Khaotung slightly sarcastically thank the sponsors for the opportunity to sleep as comfortably as they did and then to be awoken by the sight and sound of Neo
• 38:00 Mix makes fried eggs
• 41:00 They start to sit down to eat. There's no jam or any typical spreads for the toast, so they'll have it plain today. Luke starts eating the salad leaves, not knowing that they haven't been washed yet. Neo tries to get people to compliment the toast because it was his contribution to the meal preparation.
• 50:45 PD greets everyone and asks Neo to collect a box containing the next mission from the front door. At 55:00, Neo reads the cards which says that from today, they will do a short challenge each morning which will determine the "King of the Day," which comes with a photo-op and some small perks when it comes to the rest of the games and activities that day.
  • The challenge today is to produce the loudest chicken noises they can, first in pairs, and then the winning pair will compete between them to determine the King of the Day. They pair up randomly by doing the hand game (sorry; I don't' know how to call the game in English, but basically, you choose whether to show your hand with the palm facing up or down. It's like rock/papescissors, but usually used as a first round when there are more than 2 people to choose between. When playing, the players call out "noi aok," which means that the minority hand position goes out)
  • 1:12:00 King of the Day photo-op

Video 2 Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/NEbQ_IZiQTQ?feature=shared

• Gun takes the viewers on a guided tour of the house. We start at the pool, where Neo, Luke, and Khaotung improvise a song on the spot. They name the song "We Love You."

Video 3 Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/UsQj1v25xv4?feature=shared

• 4:00 They print out and frame the photos they took yesterday (product plug for Canon)

8:30 Earth and Mix make coffee (sponsored by Super Coffee). Includes product endorsement, and a reference to the fact that this brand also sponsored Tale of Thousand Stars. They try to recite the lines from that scene. They also plug that the company are doing a sort of lottery promotion where if you save and mail in the empty sachets, you can be entered for several prizes. They privately plan to make as much coffee for the rest of the house as possible during this week so they can collect have as many sachets as possible. At 14:30, Earth misunderstood that it was a private plan, so he tells everyone else to help collect the sachets, and Mix tries to stop him.

• 16:30 PD announces the next competitive game. King of the day gets a wastebasket full of random items, and PD instructs him to assign each item to one person and to make up a good reason why he's assigning them thusly.
  • Egg carton: for Phuwin because he likes to cook eggs (Luke makes a pronunciation error while saying "egg" (khai) to make it sound like Phuwin makes food that is ill with a cold (khai with a different tone), and they joke about it. Neo builds on the joke and asks "Makes food with whom? (who=krai->khai in colloquial Thai, which is yet another tone from the previous two)
  • GMMTV Yearbook: for Gun because he's the eldest. He wants him to look at the photos and remember everyone
  • Electric mosquito swatter: for Earth because he recently mentioned that he wanted to hit Neo
  • Flip flops: for Neo because his feet look a bit dirty (Luke also learns the Thai term for them)
  • Leaf/branch from a fake plant: for Mix because he wants him to plant it. It's a silly reason, so he adds some fluff to say that he hopes that Mix stays alive and well as long as the fake plant that he plants
  • Shirt: for Pond because Luke wants him to wear it to go exercise with him tomorrow
  • Wok spatula: Luke doesn't know what it is or its purpose at first, so they guys explain that it's used to make food. He decides to assign it to Khaotung because the "Khao" in his name is the same "khao" used in one of the Thai words for "food."
  • Wastebasket for Luke because it's the last thing left, and he can use it for basketball

21:00 Everyone wonders what the items are for. Gun guesses that maybe they're supposed to literally do what Luke told them to do when he assigned the items. He immediately hopes that's not the case because it's unmanageable to memorise everyone's name/face from the yearbook. Mix says that his task is even more impossible because Luke wants him to plant the fake branch and watch it grow. PD tells them to bring their items to the Play Zone.
38:30 PD invites everyone to the kitchen to collect their lunch. Menu is a choice of fried rice or (they think) yellow curry with rice. Neo asks everyone for donations of cucumber because he loves cucumber (he mentioned this at the first meal last night)
53:45 PD announces (and startles the guys) that the winners of the last game will get dessert, and it can now be collected from the front door. It's doughnuts. The guys who lost are a bit sad about the doughnuts, but the winners offer to share with them
1:01:00 Relaxing time.
1:37:00 PD announces that all the guys were previously instructed to bring one item of sentimental value with them to the house, and now is the time to bring those items to the larger bedroom to present them
1:54:00 They suggest playing a typical Thai game; the name roughly translates to "live fish, dead fish." It's a game that involves moving and freezing. (The person who's "it" is blindfolded and has to order all the other players to move (live) and freeze (die). In the frozen periods, the blindfolded person moves around needs to find and and successfully identify each of the other players just by touch. This game can be played on the ground or in the water.)
Video 4 Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/Op_kJG20Jag?feature=shared

• Gun and Luke feel like eating something, so they round everyone up to go eat some som tam (green papaya salad) by the side of the pool.

! ALL OFFERS ARE WELCOME WORST I CAN SAY IS NO !

✓ Open To Bundle Deals ✓
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3 types of budget available (50$,120$,200$)
BASED IN EU (Shipping to USA takes 3-5 Days)
LAST 3 PIECES: CHROME HEARTS x Off White 2018 Hoodie. SLR batch (Best Batch). Size M(x1)-L(x1)-XL(x1) available. Literally can't get this rep elsewhere. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/bSmu666 $120 Shipped. Fastest buyer gets better price
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● CH CROCODILE GUNSLINGER BELT (Bespoke/custom made in Italy). Length: 105cm. https://imgur.com/gallery/1u1lCLw 85$ (paid 300 euro)
SHIPS tracked and signed within 1H AFTER PAYMENT
Tag & timestamp: https://imgur.com/gallery/BdsjWYp. Paypal invoice only.

! ALL OFFERS ARE WELCOME WORST I CAN SAY IS NO !

✓ Open To Bundle Deals ✓
https://imgur.com/gallery/W2hPCRX
3 types of budget available (50$,120$,200$)
BASED IN EU (Shipping to USA takes 3-5 Days)
LAST 3 PIECES: CHROME HEARTS x Off White 2018 Hoodie. SLR batch (Best Batch). Size M(x1)-L(x1)-XL(x1) available. Literally can't get this rep elsewhere. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/bSmu666 $120 Shipped. Fastest buyer gets better price
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● (Retail) Y Project airbrush Crewneck 10/10. Fits size tts M. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/E5cRHfI 15$
● Vintage "Spoiled by God" Tee. DSWT. SIze 2xl fits tts. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/GUW5NIW 15$
● mkszy Wu-Tang t shirt, weighs 400g 10/10 fits size 2xl $15
represent t shirt thick blank very nice in hand fits size tts L 10/10 $15
prada rare bucket hat 1:1 see pics DSWT $30 Shipped
Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/HaZkR0U
● (Retail) Balenciaga Ghesquiere era sleeveless graphic t-shirt 9.5/10 cond fits regular S-M PIcs: https://imgur.com/gallery/rVvQUt5 40$ STEAL its like 240 on ebay atm
● (Retail) Supreme leather patch jeans 9.5/10 really used like twice got too many jeans like this Very nice piece if u have brown or black timbs. size 30 fit like levis 501s. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/w6Kuw6Z 30$
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● Ambition Nike mini swoosh hoodie. khaki and tiffany available. Size M. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/LAdbyBi $15
● Supreme FW17 black shoulder bag. 20$ Shipped. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/JvL3SCQ
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● Vintage Marilyn Manson "S3x is dead" T shirt size L Pics https://imgur.com/gallery/svrWELf m manson 30$
● (Retail) Helmut Lang 1990s OG Dirt Wash jeans size 33 10/10 flawless pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/yjYwIlh 49$ Shipped
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● https://imgur.com/gallery/SqBpXhb CHROME HEARTS STAFF Leather Jacket. Size XL fits size L-TTS XL Slightly cropped (best for around ~6ft/180cm). $130 Shipped fast deal. 1:1 Rep.
● CH CROCODILE GUNSLINGER BELT (Bespoke/custom made in Italy). Length: 105cm. https://imgur.com/gallery/1u1lCLw 85$ (paid 300 euro)
SHIPS tracked and signed within 1H AFTER PAYMENT
Tag & timestamp: https://imgur.com/gallery/BdsjWYp. Paypal invoice only.

! ALL OFFERS ARE WELCOME WORST I CAN SAY IS NO !

✓ Open To Bundle Deals ✓
https://imgur.com/gallery/W2hPCRX
3 types of budget available (50$,120$,200$)
BASED IN EU (Shipping to USA takes 3-5 Days)
LAST 3 PIECES: CHROME HEARTS x Off White 2018 Hoodie. SLR batch (Best Batch). Size M(x1)-L(x1)-XL(x1) available. Literally can't get this rep elsewhere. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/bSmu666 $120 Shipped. Fastest buyer gets better price
1-50$
● (Retail) Y Project airbrush Crewneck 10/10. Fits size tts M. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/E5cRHfI 15$
● Vintage "Spoiled by God" Tee. DSWT. SIze 2xl fits tts. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/GUW5NIW 15$
● mkszy Wu-Tang t shirt, weighs 400g 10/10 fits size 2xl $15
represent t shirt thick blank very nice in hand fits size tts L 10/10 $15
prada rare bucket hat 1:1 see pics DSWT $30 Shipped
Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/HaZkR0U
● (Retail) Balenciaga Ghesquiere era sleeveless graphic t-shirt 9.5/10 cond fits regular S-M PIcs: https://imgur.com/gallery/rVvQUt5 40$ STEAL its like 240 on ebay atm
● (Retail) Supreme leather patch jeans 9.5/10 really used like twice got too many jeans like this Very nice piece if u have brown or black timbs. size 30 fit like levis 501s. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/w6Kuw6Z 30$
● https://imgur.com/gallery/p1fjNbz Chrome Hearts Silicone Necklace various colours (Purple, Pink, Green, Burgundy, Black & Blue currently available). OG Dustbag & all extras included. $24 Shipped
● Ambition Nike mini swoosh hoodie. khaki and tiffany available. Size M. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/LAdbyBi $15
● Supreme FW17 black shoulder bag. 20$ Shipped. Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/JvL3SCQ
50-120$
● Vintage Marilyn Manson "S3x is dead" T shirt size L Pics https://imgur.com/gallery/svrWELf m manson 30$
● (Retail) Helmut Lang 1990s OG Dirt Wash jeans size 33 10/10 flawless pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/yjYwIlh 49$ Shipped
● ARC'TERYX Veilance Shell Size M color navy blue 100% waterproof 10/10 cond Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/RvBoeCq $50 Shipped
● Chrome Hearts MADEBYBUER batch carpenter pants size 32 Brand New Pics: Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/OnN9yfb $75 Shipped
● (Retail) Dolce & Gabbana 2000s stacked jeans ultra rare fits size W29 L34 10/10 cond Pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/a13JkdV 80$ Shipped
120-200$
● https://imgur.com/gallery/SqBpXhb CHROME HEARTS STAFF Leather Jacket. Size XL fits size L-TTS XL Slightly cropped (best for around ~6ft/180cm). $130 Shipped fast deal. 1:1 Rep.
● CH CROCODILE GUNSLINGER BELT (Bespoke/custom made in Italy). Length: 105cm. https://imgur.com/gallery/1u1lCLw 85$ (paid 300 euro)
SHIPS tracked and signed within 1H AFTER PAYMENT
Tag & timestamp: https://imgur.com/gallery/BdsjWYp. Paypal invoice only.

Packing up a bag to solve one of the jobs that had been on the back burner, the island overrun with zombies was getting resolved. Checking the contents over one more time, the raw pain of losing Croak drove me to this point. The twins’ hopping down the stairs had me grumbling under my breath, both of them bowing to me. What kind of childhood did they have if they felt the need for that type of behavior? This was irritating the shit out of me. Perhaps it was everything else.
“May we come?” Travy inquired with a nervous smile, her sister holding onto her arm. “I want to destroy what my mother built. Forgive a girl for dreaming.” Both of them looked eager, her usual white suit contrasting her sister’s frilly pink number of a dress ironically. Mulling over her reason, the vows would serve to protect me from assassination. Rolling my eyes, I couldn’t believe what I was about to say.
“Fine but I will be keeping a sharp eye on you. No funny business.” I spoke sternly, zipping up my bag. Whispering among themselves, the talking behind my back is not what I signed up for. Clearing my throat, the twins’ straightened up. Saluting me, this stiff behavior was wearing on my nerves even more. Marching up to them, little to no protest met me lowering their hands. Abuse had led them to such behavior, my task of undoing the learned behavior would be a tedious one.
“Please stop doing that. I want you to respect me by calling me Corpsy, ‘kay.” I pleaded with my genuine smile, both of them attempting to bow again. Catching their foreheads, enough was enough. Parting my lips to speak several times, my expression softening further. Pushing them back into the attention position, they needed to let their guard down. What do you say to a couple of traumatized individuals?
“I don’t bite unless I have to.” I promised them with a hearty chuckle, the edge coming off of their expressions. “Let’s go kill some zombies my pals kept contained for me. Splattered brains and skulls will feel like confetti at this point.” Rolling the transportation spell ball in my palm, a drop of my blood was all I needed. Extending my claws, the tips sank into the tender flesh of my palm. Blood coated my palm, the clear ball glowing to life. Clinging to my arms, a blinding light whisked us to an abandoned city. Fussing with my simple black tank top and cargo pants, this environment had me twisting my waves into neat french braids. Decaying skyscrapers towered over us, every building seeming to be a new level. Chewing on her lips, Saly had true fear in her eyes. Sniffing the air, the remains of a curse had me thinking a witch was in charge here. The true question was where was she, ghastly groans rang out from all around us. Rotting corpses at varying points of decay limped out, the smell sickening the three of us. Spinning on my heels, Saly and Travy waited patiently for orders.
“We are going to slice our way to a necromancer and execute her. If I am correct, we might even get some clues relating to your mother’s plans with Stormana. Sounds great?” Shooting me shaky thumbs up, a kick had my dagger into my eager palm. Extending my blade to its full length, the fun was set to begin. Remembering that Roseworth asked me to do this a while back, she would be proud of me. Spinning their blades in their palms, sly grins illuminated their features. Croak’s smile flashed in my mind, an arrow striking my heart. Croak had been my friend in the dark, the silence killing me every time I hopped into the hearse. Swinging away, heads rolled to my feet. Lightning crackled along the cars, Travy pointing to the closest skyscraper. Leaping over the zombies, shadow snakes slithered down my arms. Sending them out to find the necromancer, Saly pushed me into the glass doors. Locking the doors behind us, eyes glowed around us. Ordering them to shut down their lightning, too much power could bring the building down on us. Rubble covering us was the last thing we needed in this mission, the girls flashing me pleading looks.
“We need to get to the rooftop and get off the ground.” I ordered with a tired smile, my team members nodding with eager grins. “Cut your way to the stairs.” Moonlight bathed the lobby, color draining from my face. A thousand corpses surrounded us, the three of us standing back to back. Admiration burned in their eyes, an honest smile curling on our lips. Three stairwells seemed to hide from us, my snakes slithered over the sea of feet to tell me where our target was. Brushing against my arms on the way up, their hisses told me that she was several buildings away. Whipping their heads towards the clearest path, the twins picked up on it. Covering each other, sludgy black painted our faces with every swing. Jumping over the dropping bodies, relief flooded from our lips upon contact with the first step of the stairs. Three zombies lingered on the next landing, their lack of brains preventing them from going down the stairs. Sending Saly ahead, her skirt floated up with every swing. Crashing up the stairs, the grunting noises soon became the background soundtrack with every second closer to the rooftop. Kicking the door open, harsh air nipped at my cheeks. Black ash drifted like snow, the ash reminding me of a Gothic blizzard. Asking my snakes where to go next, their tails pointed towards the skyscraper twenty feet away from me. Backing up to the edge, our feet pounded together across the helicopter pad. Pushing off the edge, a quiet terror dimmed my eyes at the foul stench blowing my braids about. Landing gracefully, the endless sea of zombies on the streets had me shuddering. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, a couple of hisses had me stopping at the rooftop of an art deco skyscraper. Massaging my forehead, we needed to get in. The usual growls and snarls had us shifting our attention to changed zombies, something seeming off. Cocking my head to the left, horror rounded my eyes at the chains holding them groaning in protest. Nudging my comrades, their terrified eyes met mine. Time for them to let some frustration loose.
“Cut them down before we have an issue.” I whispered loud enough for them to hear and for them to hear alone. Flipping over to the poor souls, lightning bounced off of their blades. Watching them work like a well oiled machine, the image of Croak’s smile in the early morning light had tears welling up in my eyes. A chill ran up my spine, the energy shifting. Glancing up, storm clouds rumbled to life, heavy rain washing the blood and guts off of us. The door into the building clicked open, caution giving me honest hesitation. Urging me to move ahead, it was almost as if I could hear Croak. Hollow footfalls thumped up the stairs, the color drained from my cheeks at a rotting Croak reaching out for me. Opening her mouth, maggots splattered onto the concrete of the rooftop. Stumbling back, the twins caught me before I fell off the roof.
“What’s the matter, love?” She inquired in a gritty tone, her sweet smile sickening me. “Don’t you want to hug me? You did get me killed after all.” Inky splotches dotted my trembling hand, the rain darkening to demon blood. Violent sobs mixed with shortened breaths, my heart seconds from beating out of its chest. Struggling to find any air, her hollow footfalls thumped closer to me. Pausing in front of me, her hands cupped my face. Raising her foot slowly, she kicked us off the roof. Zooming towards the sea of hungry zombies, a numbness came over my face. My comrades begged for me to snap out of it, Croak shifting into a woman with a golden silky bob. Violet eyes twinkled with malice, her spike covered leather dress matching flawlessly to her combat boots. A silver staff glittered in her palm, the skull resting on a carved bone handle. Snapping awake at her chanting, a pool on the roof of one of the other buildings caught my eyes. Building shadow energy at the tip of my blade, a flick of wrist smashed the skyscraper into smithereens. Using the energy to send me back up closer to her, the twins grinned ear to ear at the water flooding the streets. A jolting experience was scheduled for her friends.
“Get the necromancer. We have a shocking gift to jolt those souls awake.” Travy giggled maniacally, her sister joining in with giggles. Smashing more skyscrapers around us, the water flowed like a wild river. Kicking me closer, my trembling fingers snagged on the edge. Lightning lit up the stormy sky, Saly and Tavy winking as they slammed the tip of their blades into a metal skyscraper’s roof. Showing me their rubber boots, pride glistened in their eyes. Pulling myself up with a gruff grunt, a snarl met my broken but defiant smile. Shaking off my fraying nerves, the base of my anxiety remained. Spinning my blade in my palm, the necromancer tapped her staff on the rooftop. A straight blade the size of mine cut my cheek with its expansion, haughty laughter tumbling off her slick tongue. Bad guys needed to calm down with the cockiness, my eyes rolling at her next outburst of frustration.
“Why must you be so insistent!” She growled through gritted teeth, my fingers playing numbly with the cut on my cheek. “Wake up and fight me.” Her chest puffed up and down, frustration darkening her eyes. Rolling my eyes, someone thought highly of themselves. Snapping my head in her direction, an iciness came over me. No one called me out without having their flaws being pointed out as well.
“Fuck you for that trick. Clearly you don’t have a conscience. How many people had to suffer for you to play your stupid game?” I snarled bitterly, a shadow growing behind me. “We let you play for a little too long. Time for you to die.” Charging at each other, sparks danced in the air with every violent clash. Everything doubled, her head cocking to the left creepily. Smashing her fist into my stomach, a splash of blood exploded from my mouth. Sinking to my knees, several organs had burst. Struggling to my feet, she wasn’t going to win. No! This nuisance wasn't going to survive my retaliation.
“Give up already. Your boss left me unchecked for way too long.” She bragged with a Cheshire Cat grin, my hand holding my stomach. Wheezing through the raw agony, my blade trembled uncontrollably. Leaning onto my blade, her hit had some spice to it. Screw her for breaking my insides!
“Never. I would lay down my life the world. Not to be a bitch but you are pissing me off.” I wheezed between words, more blood pouring from the corner of my mouth. “Don’t act all high and mighty with that fucking bullshit that you believe. The dead should stay dead.” Shivering as I raised my blade, my blood painted her face. Slapping my cheek to get myself to focus, shadow snakes hissed to life around me. Swinging her blade towards my head, sparks danced in the air with the violent clash. Pushing her back, the puddle of blood splashed around my feet as I crashed into her building. Sliding down the railing, my feet touched a plush carpet. Spicy wit would have to be my friend, Croak’s real energy raising the hair on the back of my neck. Opening the door, her translucent form sat on the bed. Locking the door behind me, the building rattled. Burying her spirit into a hug, my tears cascaded down her form. Releasing her, her cold thumbs wiped away my tears. Wishing that I didn't have to leave her, too many words bounced around the tip of my tongue.
“Why are you here and not in Heaven?” I asked feverishly, holding her hands like my life depended on it. “Please tell me that you didn’t come here to draw me here.” Averting her gaze to the golden wall, the door began to rattle violently. Cupping my face, the words couldn’t come to her lips. Shaking like a leaf, this couldn’t be real. Speak! Speak, damn it! What I wouldn't do to hear her voice one more time.
“I was stolen from Heaven to this bloody place. Can you free me one last time? There is a deal I made and it has not been fulfilled yet.” She wept dejectedly, my heart breaking for her. “You look like you are doing alright, love.” Uncontrollable sobs wracked my body at how she spoke the word love, the door bursting open. Rising to my feet with a true defiant grin on a determined face, her reign of terror was over. Spinning my blade over my head, the twins paused in the doorway.
“I burn everything you created for what you have done!” I wheezed once more with tears hitting the carpet, hating her for everything she stole from everyone. “You stole someone important from me. Croak was like a fucking goddamn sister to me and you denied her happiness. Fuck you! Get to safety, you fucking idiots!” Running towards the window, lightning lit up the room as they ran down the building. Hoping that survived this, something told me that I might not make it.
“What are you planning to do?” She questioned icily, Croak standing up behind me. “She was easy to capture on the way up. Maybe I wanted to get the bounty on your head by the dark gods. Who wouldn’t want immortality?” Was that really the prize over my head?
“At least it's a steep bounty.” I retorted sarcastically, the corner of lip twitching into a half-smirk. “You wouldn’t be the first person who wants my head on a wall. Too bad I don’t fucking care. Time to bring the big guns.” Shadowy snakes held her in place, her blade rolling over to my feet. My patience had worn thin, my hands picking up her staff. Snapping it in half, it melted into a puddle of boiling hot silver. Panic rounded her eyes, her sinister grin fading for but a second.
“I don’t usually break out my fire powers because the damage is immense.” I growled through gritted teeth, black flames crackling to life as I marched towards her. “Look at you getting the special treatment. Shrinking my blade down to dagger form, black flames devoured my hand. Slamming it into her chest, my fingers curled around her heart. Extending my claws into the tissue, her fingernails scratched at my arm. Shrill shrieks pierced my ears, flames cooking her from the inside. Burning to a pile of blackened ash, Croak covered her mouth. Collapsing to the floor, my muscles had chosen to give out at the worst possible moment. Cursing under my breath, the building groaned in protest. Every attempt to move had me crying into the carpet, Croak begging for me to get up. Shaking my head, every muscle refused to comply with my desire to rise to my feet.
“I can’t.” I snapped into the carpet, my own blood pooling around me. “I used up all of my juice. Be a pal and stay by my side. You know, for old times’ sake.” Coughing up more blood, my claws dug into the floor. Images of Miles running around with my girls had me smiling to myself. Must life always flash before one's eyes. Croak plopped down next to me, her hand taking mine. Tavy and Saly skidded in, Tavy tossing me over her shoulder. Hating for a second that I was going to survive, my hand reached for Croak. Holding on for a second, her warmth felt like her embrace.
“I am not letting you die today, boss.” She chirped cheerfully, tucking my dagger into its case. “Sal, cover our asses.” Sprinting down the halls, Croak waving as she rounded the corner. Watching her spirit float into the sky, silent tears cascaded from my eyes. Letting them rip me from one of the only friends I had ever had, time slowed as they leapt into the crashing waves. Keeping me above the waves, black flames devoured every building. Debris whistled over my head, the lost souls floating into the sky. A wave of exhaustion crashed over me, a rough darkness stealing me away.
Groaning awake on a sandy beach, my wounds had been repaired. The empty vials shimmered next to me, a migraine throbbing to life. Tavy was cursing tersely over a fire that wouldn’t start while Saly struggled with a makeshift fishing pole. A fit of laughter exploded from my lips, a wry smile lingering on my lips. Fishing around my pockets while they rushed over to fret over me, their mother taught them nothing about survival. Sitting up with another groan, the pile of rubble had me tearing up for the millionth time. Stop crying was all I could yell at myself. Plucking my phone from my pocket, the waterproof case had it working. Dialing Morte’s number, he would get the coordinates and come get us. Getting the answering machine, a low growl rumbled in my throat. Rising to my feet, the trees blurred. Running up to me, my palms caught their foreheads before they could bow.
“Treat me like a friend, not a tyrant.” I spoke warmly, the girls straightening up. “Let’s go home. There might be a town not far from her. Dusting off my outfit, I buttoned up the leather jacket to hide the bloody tank top. Undoing my braids, perfect waves floated around my shoulders. Flaking the dried blood off of my face as we hiked, a small town with a single gas station came into view. Spinning on my heels, they shot me a thumbs up. Walking casually into the gas station, colorful snacks lined the shelves. Grabbing a ginger ale on the way to the counter, Tavy slid a couple of candy bars onto the gaudy counter covered in different lighters. Of course, they were hungry. How could I forget?
“Excuse me sir but you know where we are? Our car ran off the road and my cell phone broke in the accident.” I choked out with fresh tears in my eyes, the twins matching my energy. “I need to call a tow truck and I need to know what town we are in.” Sliding over his phone, he gave some a common town name in the United States. Leaving us in privacy, he wouldn’t accept our money. Pretending to dial a number, I hung up and left a wet twenty on the table. Cracking open my soda on the way out, the cool liquid felt nice going down my throat. Turning to face them, a plan had to be formed. Please don't be a daft one.
“You can’t transport or anything?” One of them asked cautiously, my eyebrow twitching at the question. Transportation was out of the question right now with my lack of powers, neither of them needing to know that. Walking into a small park, the early afternoon sun painted the water a nice purple. Dialing my phone again, Morte didn’t pick up. What the hell was he doing? Dialing Wut, he didn’t pick up. Why wasn't anyone picking up!
“Pick up the damn phone, you idiots!” I shouted out of the blue, the others jumping ten feet into the air. “Sorry, my bed is calling me.” Yawning groggily, every muscle in my body ached fiercely. Typing in ways to get home, a bus station wasn’t too far from here. Checking my wallet, I had enough for three tickets home. Marching over to the bus station, the elderly clerk looked me up and down before accepting my money. Sliding over our tickets, the strangers shot us odd looks as we sank into the seats in the back. Trees turned into buildings and back into trees, the four hour bus ride giving me plenty of time to fume. Parking on the edge of the town of my business, another hour passed before I kicked open the door. Everyone looked up, Morte’s damn phone was in a bag of rice. How the hell did that freaking happen?
“Who the hell didn’t pick us up!” I roared thunderously, Morte putting his hands in the air. “I have been calling and calling! I needed someone to talk to. Fuck all of you!” Stomping upstairs to get changed, a new dress waited for me with Roseworth sitting on the bed in one of her usual onyx lace dresses. Folding my arms across my chest, it was her fault I didn’t have a return spell. Who sends someone on a mission without a way back!
“I solved your fucking problem!” I spat viciously, fighting another wave of tears. “Death almost claimed me again. I understand that it needed to be done but I have one damn question! Did you know that Croak was there? Is that why you sent me? That was a freaking joke and cruel at best. I loved her like a sister.” Covering my mouth, tears dripped off of my hands. It hurt to say that out loud, a bit of shame dimming my eyes for a second. No, an explanation was deserved.
“As long as I have lived I have never ever been put through so much mental pain! If you want to continue to be in my life, then secrets don’t exist! Am I understood?” I continued hotly, the guilt in her eyes softening my expression. “Sorry for yelling. I have had a rough day. What’s with the dress anyway?” Bowing her head while collecting herself, a bright smile met my busted expression. Shit, did I go too far again?
“We were going to surprise you for your birthday and our phones all got dropped in water. That is why we didn’t pick up.” She admitted with wet eyes, the guilt creeping in from my outburst. “I did know but I thought you could see her one last time. Sorry for trying to help a grieving sister. I don’t have much either now. All I have is my nieces and you.” Plopping down next to her, my arms buried her into a bear hug. Apologizing profusely, her emotions soaked my shirt. Holding her until the tears dried up, my hand cupped her cheek. The good intentions canceled any rage.
“Thank you so much.” I mumbled with another sad smile, rising from the bed to get changed into the lovely emerald dress. “I love you like a sister as well.” Snatching the dress off of the bed, the reflection in the mirror had me shrinking back. A zombie would have looked better, the door creaking open as I cleaned up a bit. Morte poked his head in, my eyes refusing to meet his. Hating that I lost on him, he must despise me.
“I would have gotten you if my phone was working. I am sorry.” He apologized sincerely, helping me take off my filthy clothes. Sure, everyone really seemed sorry. Maybe I was sick of hearing the word. Helping me get my dress on, the zipper went right up. Tracing the black lace covering the fifties style dress, Morte spun me around to face him. Lifting up my chin, his crooked grin made my day a bit better. Kissing my lips tenderly, my face was still puffy as hell. Lost between a state of panic and euphoria, the combination had a sickening effect.
“You have never looked more beautiful.” He sang with his natural smile, my heart fluttering. “The kids wanted to throw you a surprise party so act surprised.” Uttering a single yes, he offered me his elbow. Sliding on my boots on the way out, we paused in front of the living room door. Opening up the door, everyone shouted surprise. Donning my genuine smile, the girls and Miles smashed into my legs. Thanking them with a flurry of feverish kisses, their smiles couldn’t be any bigger. A bit of life returned to my eyes, my kids giving the flames of hope another boost.

Throw away because reasons.
I quit my prior teaching job near end of November and its a story that has tainted my life.
I was at my last school for 3 years. Beginning of a new year had started and the admin really wanted to enforce a dress code and pushed it on us hard. Obviously cause they were told to. So I played along and dress coded even though i mostly don't care about dress codes. Had one student one day who had a bra cup showing. Which was 100% a dress code violation. When the student came back to me, she was still wearing her shirt in the same manner. I gave her my patented thousand yard stare and she immediately told admin said it was okay. So i called up tweedle dee and asked him and sure enough she went to him and he said it was okay. I told him the student is coming back and she is not welcome in my room till the issue is addressed. I told the student you aren't the problem I'm not mad at you, we have good rapport and she went back to the office and i didn't see her till lunch.
Lunch time she and some others come into my room to get help with some math work. She is still wearing the same shirt and her bra cup is still visable. I was fuming. So i emailed admin and said if we were serious about dress code or not. Stated that the student has been sent up twice and this issue hasn't bee resolved. I said "I feel like I'm fighting the crusades for an atheist"... which wasnt wise but i was mad.
So its a friday i hear nothing back from admin. Till I'm going to leave at the end of the school day and Tweedle Dumb stops to talk me about the dress code situation. I'm like sure fine this will be fun.
He said some wish washy stuff about sometimes someone sees something and its dress code sometimes someone see it and its not. Then bro pulls out his phone and says i tool a picture of the girl to show you how its not dress code and he just shows me a picture that is basically just the students cleavage. Which is disgusting and awful on many levels, he made up something about her agreeing to it and it was friday at the end of a long work day. I was tired i didn't think about how awful this was in the moment. So he shows it to me and we have a manray and Patrick ass conversation over the image.
Me: The students bra cup is visible in the picture.
Admin: Yep.
Me: School dress code states that undergarments cant be visable..
Admin: Yep
Me: and the bra cup is part of a bra which is undergarment?
Admin: Yep
Me: So its a dress code violation.
Admin: Nope!
To which i put my hands in the air said okay cool awesome great whatever have a good weekend and i walked off.
Monday at Lunch. The student comes to me and talks about her encounter with tweedle dumb. She told me he ask to take the photo she said no. Then he coerced her into agreeing. Never mind the fact that a minor cant give concent. That was when it went from being ew gross to holy shit he might just be a child predator. I didn't fullly grasp how bad this was on Friday but better late than never.
So i had the student fill out an "anonymous tip form" that is suppose to go to the D.O. and i know the student got pulled out of classes to write about what happened. In my mind it would be taken care of from there and i mostly forgot about it and moved on.
The rest of the year I was harassed by admin. Constant "random" walk throughs. Was frequently being singled out and if ever tried to say anything back they would call me into a meeting where i would bring my union rep and i would just sit and try to work things out with them. After the second one i recognized they weren't listening to me. So i shut down and just started saying okay like a broken record. Which they thought was disrespectful and said told me i wasn't listening to them and i said well neither are you.
This put a lot of stress on my work day, compounded by the fact that i had 14 out of 120 students passing with a D or higher. While being as accommodating as possible. Led to me having a mental break down in class. I slammed my arm into a wall said something to effect of "nothing i do fucking matters, anyone could do my job" i then sat down at my desk and just started bawling. I was put on admin leave for 2 days. Had an hr meeting and went back into work.
When i got back i apologized to my class and spent the day explaining to the rest what happened and just talking with the students. I told them how i have no job fulliment how i find it painful to teach math to students who don't care about themselves as much as i can about them. I told then how i hate living so far away from friends and family. I hate the 40 minute drive in addition to that and cant live near the school cause I don't like the area. I couldn't tell them about the admin part because he was in the room the entire day.
Next day at lunch union rep and prinicpal walk in at lunch time while i am helping students and tell the students to clear out cause we are going to have a meeting. I tell the students not to leave its my lunch time and i aint having no meeting turning lunch. The union rep says tells me the meeting needs to happen so i tell the kids to leave and that I'll see them later or whatever. So the meeting is basically I'm going on indefinite admin leave while the district investigates. Note that its been 4 days since i slammed a wall and all that. I've already spoke to hr and just owned what happened what changed? Well i wouldn't know till like 9 months later.
I tried to find a new school all summer but apparently other districts can know you are on admin leave? So basically i was on everyone's dont hire list for all summer. So the new school year is starting and I'm still on admin leave. However the D.O. decides its time. To bring me back in and they give me a list of 14 things that i did wrong. #1 was that i was a math teacher which made me laugh. They spent 9 months putting this documentation together and all of this resulted in 14 bullet points which i get a week to respond to. I while reading about this with HR i noticed that one email was left out. The email about the dress code incident how weird. So much to the Union Presidents dismay. I tell HR there actually should be a 15th thing. I would like it ammended to your list. And i bring up the email. Apparently neither of these two knew about the dress code situation. What had me fuming while i was on admin leave was that i did basically nothing (not saying what i did was good or that i should do it) and i disappeared for 9 months and admin who sexually harassed? Assualted? A student didn't even leave for a day. So i explained everything that happened to them. I was allowed back on campus but was given the shortest of leashes you could imagine i was handed a list of like 20 things that i couldn't do and if i did any of them within the next half of the school year i could be fired.
So i figured i needed to detatch myself from caring about my students do not get upset. So i did the bare minimum. I became worksheet man. Then i had students saying i didn't care about them anymore that iwas a good teacher and now I'm not. Admin was stopping by all the time i was getting written up for being seconds late to contract time (everyone showed up late), I started showing up early and logging everyone elses arrival times in case i needed them for court. Which then made some teachers curse me out. They said i was going to ruin everything for everyone and that i should suck it up and take it like a man. Worth noting our contract start time was 6:50 and everyone basically lived 40 minutes away.
So this ate at me so bad I'd wake up get out of bed get on the floor and sob and call in sick. I physically couldn't will myself to work most days. Then when i got on campus I'd be in near tears and would struggle through the day. Now i couldn't quit because they would go after my credential so i was trapped. I felt caged in and stuck. Somewhere around 2 months in the admin creep got removed from campus for "personal reasons" they moved him to an elementary school. I was hoping that would help my mental state but it didnt.
The new interem principal who is my hero in this story had a talk with me at one point. I don't remember what happened but i was called into another meeting for something i did or said. The interm principal asked how she could help me feel better. I explained that i felt trapped and i was under so much scrutiny that it felt like i was playing an impossible game. I'm being set up to fail. She reached out to the D.O. and probably pulled some strings but the D.O. gave me a limited time offer to resign and walk away. So i took it, got in writing that they wouldn't come after my credential or interfere with my future job searches.
I moved back in with my parents and was able to get a temp gig from march till the end of the year. Which is where i am now. I fell in love with the school, the students, the staff and wanted to stay here. However this district is releasing of their temps i found out about 3 weeks ago. They won't be keeping a single one.
So now i feel lost. I came in and did an amazing job with these students. I blew everyones expectations out of the water. I wanted to show that i wanted to be here and how good I am. All of that just for nothing.
Now I'm like giga depressed because i have to return to job hunting. I was fed these lies that math teachers are in high demand, that new teachers are quitting, there is a teacher shortage and oh no we have emergency credential people.
I hate interviewing and i must be bad at it cause i dont get jobs from it when I do. I never get feedback on job interviews either so how am i suppose to correct whatever I'm doing wrong? My mom says its always about who shows up. Well who the fuck is rolling up to math teaching jobs with more than 5 years experience? Where is the job they left behind then? I'm now sitting in a different classroom feeling like i did before. I feel hopeless like nothing i do matters.
I want to progress my life, i want to find the school, in a city i want to settle down in, i want to be out of my parents house again. If this summer comes and goes and I don't have a job i don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Someone suggested I substitute which made me mad. Like i didn't work this hard to be as good as i am at what i do to substitute. I don't want to walk into a classroom and be thinking to myself this should be mine.
I'm just exhausted. I'm tired of jumping through hoops like a damn dolphin. While other people get to do it like a show dog and get better if not similar results. I'm tired of living.

I don't really know if this is the best place to post this, but I couldn't think of anything better, and I want to let people going to the next stops on the tour know about this issue.
I attended the Tacoma Dome stop of TXT's Act: Promise tour a few days ago, and overall had an excellent time. My friend and I purchased tickets for a little over $100 each, which was a very expensive purchase for the two of us, and wanted to buy merch at the venue. I, as well as a few other friends at the show, wanted to buy the S/S T-Shirt, which was grey with white contrast stitching and had little orange stars on the front. We got into the venue and immediately went to the merch line, which wasn't clearly labelled, and the staff weren't very helpful with finding it. When we reached the front of the line, I asked for the S/S shirt and the white crop top, but was denied the opportunity to take them out of the bags and check sizes, and was not offered a receipt. Okay, there's a lot of people, so I got my things and left. But upon arriving at home, I realized that the S/S shirt I received didn't match the product photos or physical product samples. This shirt has no contrast stitching, and looks more green-gray than the product samples and photos showed. I texted some friends to check this out, and they all received the incorrect product too. So we've dug a little bit, and this is what we've figured out.

1. This shirt was changed to a new design specific to the US leg of the tour. The contrast stitching is exclusive to Korean shows and to Weverse, where it is sold out.
   
2. The marketing, both online and in the physical product samples and lists presented at the show, still shows the shirt with contrast stitching. Nobody knew that the product was different until after they'd bought it and opened the bag. The shirts were also folded in a way that the stitching wasn't able to be seen. The members of TXT were even wearing the shirts with contrast stitching during the encore, enforcing the idea that our shirts would look like that.
   
3. Refunds are apparently only available at the venues, which is difficult for a few reasons. You have to go wait in line again, and I know that many people, myself included, don't check merch, or aren't able to check their merch, until they're home, making it hard to know to get a refund.
   

I know that this may not seem like a big issue for some people, but this was an expensive shirt. I'm a student and am unable to work for large parts of the year, which means that I have an extremely small budget for these sorts of fun purchases. I'm also dealing with unexpected issues that have cost me a lot of money right now, and this shirt was a carefully thought out purchase with a lot of maneuvering behind it. For it to be a completely different shirt with subpar quality is extremely disappointing and frustrating. I emailed the venue before I'd figured out the design change, and I'm not hopeful of getting an answer or solution. It seems that I'm the sucker in this situation. But hopefully someone going to a later show sees this and doesn't spend their hard-earned money on a shirt that doesn't match the product they actually wanted.

The problem is I also like staying out late when in Vegas, haha. But I love the feeling of rolling out of bed at 6 in the morning, pulling on a shirt and shoes, and heading downstairs, giving a groggy smile or two to the early morning housekeeping or maintenance staff.
I head straight for the nearest coffee place, and grab a large one to go. I walk through the nearly-empty casino. Most of the machines and tables are deserted. Sometimes there’s a table of craps players still in their jackets and slacks from last night, still yelling and cheering drunkly, riding their luck on into the morning hours.
I head outside, and the sun is just beginning to rise over the towering hotel behemoths. The warmth is delicious after the freezing, empty casino I just walked through, and it’s not hot enough yet to be miserable outside.
As I sip my coffee, I head south down the Strip and walk with a little more pep in my step. I pass a handful of workers making their deliveries or sweeping the entrances of the buildings. Sometimes a jogger or two runs by, getting in their miles before it becomes too crowded to do so. Occasionally there will be someone passed out drunk in the bushes, not having yet been discovered and asked to leave or arrested. What a beautiful morning!
Anyone else like this?