I use this room for my office/gaming spot, plus piano and weight bench. Eventually the weight bench will probably go outside to the shed, but it is humid and there is no ac out there so that might be some months away. The room is 15.5'x10'. The layout is functional, but I'd like opinions. I'd like to make it a bit more comfortable and fun, but keep lighting and background good for internal video calls. The color came with the house--it's neutral, and picks up color well from curtains and/or the grass outside--and I'd rather work with it, add lights or something, than paint. I can spend around $300 - $500 right now, but open to more later.
I definitely need more shelving for about 2 boxes of books, plus something by the piano for the books and metronome. But I'm not sure about floor vs wall shelves. The room gets very nice SW light (pictures taken in morning), so I'd like to bring more plants in.
This is a pretty open-ended post since I'm not fully attached to any particular design or style--I prefer red, orange, yellow colors, and I like more abstract art like rothko, but I also love the paneling in the room. The curtains are just what were left over from our previous place, please don't judge.
Bonus pug tax: Lucy
https://preview.redd.it/20fs7jhqy54d1.jpg?width=1848&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=59ebb8cffec89fe2df9974d7ad51416f42dfdbd6
https://preview.redd.it/dok4xx4ry54d1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=692f3b3404499fdfbfa0fd227aaf184031a665e7
https://preview.redd.it/704bvx4ry54d1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=889d630641b176f32d1ae917757bc9d5d1d18180

I found something really interesting as I have been tracking my changes. I am a 22 year old transwomen and have been on HRT for about 2 years now. I'm on monotherapy estrogen patches 3 x 0.1mg twice weekly. Using one of those advanced scales that analyze fat, skeletal muscle, etc I discovered that my bone mass increased from 5.8lbs to 6.4 lbs after 2 years of HRT. This is interesting because I was under the impression no bone changes would occur after transitioning. As long as there is adequate hormones of either testosterone or estrogen, the risk of osteoporosis is low. However, I'm not entirely sure why it would increase when taking estrogen unless my T was lower than average before HRT.
I found a study that supports this, "With the initiation of estrogen, many studies report a positive change in BMD in trans women [36] (Fig. 2B). After 1 year of GAHT, a study of 231 trans women from Ghent and Amsterdam reported BMD increases at the lumbar spine (+ 3.67%, 95% CI 3.20–4.13%, p < 0.001), total hip (+ 0.97%, 95% CI 0.62–1.31%, p < 0.0001), and femoral neck (+ 3.67%, 95% CI 3.20–4.13, p < 0.001) [37]. A recent meta-analysis [38] reviewed 13 studies with 392 total trans women and showed significant gains overall in lumbar spine BMD at both 12 months (+ 0.04 g/cm²; 95% CI + 0.03 to + 0.060 g/cm²) and 24 months (+ 0.06 g/cm²; 95% CI + 0.04 to + 0.08 g/cm²), which is within a range often considered clinically significant."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6709704/
I'm curious to know what the community thinks of this, thanks!
Also here are some other results that were of interest:
Before HRT/After 2 years HRT
Weight (lbs): 130/137.8
Body Fat %: 10.5/21.9
Body Water %: 64.6/53.6
Skeletal Muscle %: 57.8/45.6
BMR: 1510/1425
Subcutaneous fat %: 9.3/20.2
Muscle Mass (lbs): 110.6/101.2

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Memory Transcription Subject: Gridn, Gojid civilian, Alias: "Wheel"
It's okay, calm down, it's only once per [40 days], you won't get caught.
My left paw on the wheel, while my right is on my neck, trying to calm myself on the road. Driving my truck to the end of the town, to that road barely anyone take.
The 'road' is just dirt with no grass. It's connected to the other town, as a shortcut. People are too scared to come here, fearing a shadestalker will lunge at thier vehicle. There is one secret path here however, that leads to our destination.
I'm just going to deliver these "fertilizers", and some alcohol. I've been doing this since [13 years], but everytime I do this I fear for my life.
"C'mooon let me touch it"
Carrying 4 passengers, Pollen, Snarl, Claw, and Jitter. 3 in the back and 2 in the front. On our way to the bar.
"NO! Last time you touched my shit you broke it".
Just need to collect my thoughts, things will be over before you know it.
"Hey I said I'm sorry, besides I payed for it."
"You payed for shit! The cost for repair was expensive!"
Just need to collect my...
"C'mon give it!"
"STAY BACK!"
"I'LL TAKE CARE OF IT!"
"NO!"
"POLLEN! SNARL! SHUT THE FUCK UP BACK THERE!"
The two stopped their bickering. They sit quietly in the back, together with Claw. Besides me is Kobni, she won't stop shaking im fear, that's where she got her nickname from.
"Calm down, Jitter. We do this once per [40 days], are you not getting used to it?"
Jitter replied, "I'm- I'm trying to. It- it just that- this- Isn't really what pr- preys do you know?"
"If you're scared you can just leave you know? Why are you trying hard to be in the group you don't want to be in?" Pollen asked.
"I- I can't. My mom is the one who put me up to this. She asked Pocket to let me enter, so Pocket put me as sir Wheel's assistant. She said it'll- make me stop being- te- terrified at everything."
"Wow, was your mom high on ember when she said that?" Snarl replied.
"No! No. I- I don't think so".
"How about you Wheel? You never say anything about yourself." Pollen asked me.
I sighed, I don't really want them to know about my past.
"I'm just here for the money, that's all".
"I'm pretty sure truck drivers gets above average income. There's gotta be something behind that."
This guy really wants to know huh?
"How about you, aren't you here just for the money as well?"
"Half of it, yeah. I was in debt for spending a lot of money on a... Rigged game. The people I took money from threatened me to lock me up in a facility if I don't pay, even if they got no proof that I'm tainted. So I ran away, looked for a safe place I can go, and that's when Pocket found me."
I guess that explains why he's always at the bar, I guess just like Snarl and Claw, that's his only home too.
"Well, I've said my story, your turn."
I sighed, "Fine... I'm here for my daughter's treatment".
"You have a daughter!?" Pollen replied
"Nah, more important question, who was fucking with you!?" Snarl added in.
"Can I finish my story!?"
When the two quiet down, I continued. "Like I said, I'm here for my daughter. [13 years] ago, when that stampede happened, she was 3 that time, and was critically injured, it made her crippled, unable to walk, permanently. Our money wasn't enough to cover the bills, and our house was burned down as well during it."
I continued the story. "I got nothing left, I was desperate for money, so, Pocket gave an offer. He was a fire insurance carrier, I rejected his offer before since I thought "What's the chance of a predator attack?". He gave me an offer, delivery goods in the night side, and I get huge money in return. I took it, but my wife didn't like how I was acting strangely since then, so we broke up. I stayed here, to continue to support my daughter."
Now I've said my story, feels like some weight got released from me.
"Honestly, good call for your ex to leave you, you're a grumpy man". Snarl commented, with Pollen laughing at it.
Nevermind.
"Tsk, anyways, here's out stop."
Stopping the truck in front of the bar, a house set in a dark forest. In front of the bar standing is Door, Flower, and Root. We got off from the truck, with the three walking towards us.
"The fertilizers are on the back, along with the alcohols and other supplies." I said to Door, he signed an acknowledgement, and lead Flower and Root at the back of the truck while the five of us entered the bar.
Inside the bar, Glove and Pocket greeted us. Pocket was standing in the middle, while Glove was behind the bar counter. I went over to Glove with Jitter, while the rest talked to Pocket.
"Hi Wheel, what can I get you today?" Glove spoked, she's wearing a cloth on her left arm, but not on her right, she never said why, but that's where she got her name from.
"Just the usual."
"Alright, how about you sweetie?"
"Sa- same as his." Jitter replied.
"Alright, coming right up."
From where we're sitting, I can hear the other gang's conversation.
"So, how was the trip?" Pocket asked Snarl and Claw.
"I got this!" Snarl happily replied, showing a 'The Exterminators' figurine.
"Very well. Take a bath at the back, then you can rest."
"Aw but I like this look."
"The longer you have that dye on the harder it is to be removed."
"Fine. C'mon Claw, let's go." As the pair went to the back. Now, it was Pollen's turn to talk to him.
"I heard a news about a death." Pocket started.
"That guy was dying anyways, if the drug didn't got him his other addiction will. I just took the opportunity"
"I know, but it'll be better if the public doesn't know about our thing. Luckily the exterminators' investigation reached an early dead end."
Pollen sighed "I'll be careful next time".
Pocket signed an acknowledgement.
Glove returned with our drinks. "So how was you two's work?"
"Pretty uneventful, the usual" I replied.
"Really? you two seems anxious."
"Why shouldn't we? It's a normal reaction."
"Why is that?"
"If we were found in this house, I'll never see my daughter again."
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Memory Transcription Subject: Legal Name Unknown, Alias: "[See here for full list]"
"Following the investigation about the assassination of 'Romeo S. Benido' and 'Julio C. Aviliyar'. Last year, on November 14, 'Romeo S. Benido' have been shot dead in the head by a sniper rifle while giving a speech during his birthday celebration. A day after the crime, 'Julio C. Aviliyar' have been found dead in his home after the residents heard a single shot of a gunfire. Both victims were a running mayor for the city of Las Piñas. Checking the CCTV footage in Aviliyar's residence, one man have been found running away from the scene of the crime. The suspect was identified as 'Jonathan V. Santos' one of Aviliar's bodyguard. However, after further investigation of the 'Philippine National Police', they have found out that the identity of the bodyguard have been falsified, after the documents retrieved have been proven 'fake' and the residents unable to give a description of the man's appearance, saying this man have never been seen inside of until the day of the crime. The PNP is have increased it's offer from $500,000 to $650,000 for anyone who will be able to provide information that will lead to the arrest and capture of the assassin. The PNP warns that this person is armed and dangerous, and to contact the authorities immediately at sight."
"God damn, 650k!? With that money I could like, buy a mansion" A customer commented while watching the bar television, talking to his friends and the bartender.
"Like you have a chance, the killer probably already went to a new country. Whoever paid him must have been super rich." the bartender replied.
"Yeah, you got a better chance finding winning lottery ticket in a trash." The second customer added.
"For all we know, that guy is a ghost, dude's got no identity whatsoever. Made to punish politicians who takes advantage of the poor." The third costumer added.
"If that was a ghost I'd understand why it'll kill Aviliyar, but why Bonido."
"Bonido probably got dirt we 'normal' people don't know, all politicians have one."
"Alright, alright, stop, you're getting political" the second customer said, trying to stop an argument.
Eavesdropping to the conversations of customers, to know when to leave and when to stay. I hoped the bartender was right. But the reality is that I'm still here. I can't get out of the country, the security tightened since then and is taking too long die down. Every second I spend here the more likely I'll get caught.
I need to find a way to get off this place
The bartender approached me, "what would you like, sir?"
"A gin would be nice."
"Alright. Say, you're a regular here, but I haven't really gotten your name."
"Hmm? Well, you can call me Jacinto, Cinto for short."
The bartender chuckled, "Named after a Hero huh? Alright, I'll remember your name, Cinto".
I raised a glass to him with a smile, signaling acknowledgement. Another name to live as. I wonder how long can I keep this one.
As the night gets deeper, the television continued "Breaking News! The UN has confirmed a first contact with aliens!..."
Huh. This looks interesting.
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going to trade school you get the learn the trade in a formal way by learning the semantics of the trade and learning how to do it with your hands. also getting into a trade school out of high school or with zero experience is way easier than trying to find a company who’s willing to take you on as a helper. also coming out of trade school you’ll make a way better wage than a helper
being a helpegopher to get into a skilled trade sucks because you won’t be making good money and you’ll be broke. you’ll also be standing around a lot of the time wondering what to do next. there’s no formal training involved. at first you’re really only there to be exactly what your title says; a helper. and then maybe once you’ve been a good little helper for like 6 months then MAYBE the company will try to teach you the trade you wanted to learn. it’s not worth it
trade school is better

I can't believe I have to say this, but allow me to quit the membership at a year. The system alerts me when it will auto-renew in 30 days, but then the only options are to cancel at that moment, or to wait out the 30 days and hope you can kill it at the buzzer. I talked with an agent, and they were also unable to kill my auto-renew. I'm not okay with you taking a month of the time I paid for because I think your service is garbage already, so I get to play the memory game. I hate the memory game. Please don't make me play it. Please don't make me mark it on the calendar I don't read for weeks at a time, just so I can bug your support to contest the Renew charge.
PLEASE!

Basically what the question says. I have smoked weed since I was 12 and it has never made me go into psychosis. Alcohol on the other hand always makes me hallucinate and even act out? Could I possibly be miss diagnosed? I haven't been solidly diagnosed, as me and my psychiatrist talked about either having schizophrenia or schizoaffective but I stopped going before he could officially diagnose me. I smoke weed every day and I'm pretty sure I'm addicted at this point but it helps me gain weight which is the main reason I won't stop smoking.
Edit: I worded my question horribly, can someone that's ACTUALLY a schizophrenic smoke weed? Or am I misdiagnosed?

u/SpacePaladin15 is responsible for the creation of the NOP universe. u/JulianSkies is responsible for the creation of a metric fuckton of fics within that universe.
this story is my ficnapping entry for... uhhhh... *checks notes* old scabbard, the allergy, gremlins, game review: escape series, river wolves and meteors. it's probably not strictly necessary to read them to enjoy this ficnap? but you should do it anyway, because they are Very Excellent™.
////////////////////////// Barkeep's Log: Reunion ////// Wednesday, July 9th, 2138 8:16 PM, Brasilia Time //////////////////////////
Ah, the middle of the week. For most bars, it is a time of quiet, of minimal activity. Some scant few people might show up; either regulars who come every day, or those who seek to unwind with a quick drink or just get out of the house for a bit, but they don't often stay long. They get one or two cups, share the bare minimum of a chat, and then get on their merry way.
...But of course, that's just the way humans do things.
The countless aliens who have taken up residence in Sao Paulo since the fall of the Federation simply don't seem to care for our silly calendar. They come in whenever they please, week or weekend, midday or midnight, rain or shine. Sometimes they want to get blackout drunk, other times they just want a quick taste of home. Or, there's always the frequent visitor who's just here to get their fill of social contact. Those ones are perhaps my favorite. After the horrors of the Federation War, and taking refuge on Skalga, I certainly won't ever tire of seeing aliens and humans—total strangers to one another—start chatting and getting along, coexisting in peace and harmony, without anyone batting an eye.
Today, though... was not the typical rush of aliens and one or two human regulars. When the bell above the door jingled and a figure stepped in from the cool outside air, consider my surprise to see not a small fluffy thing with no clothes, but a tall, lanky human man, with a face I hadn't seen in months.
"Lucas," I jovially said. "Welcome. It's good to see you again."
He smiled bashfully and raised an arm in a silent wave, seeing a dozen heads turn to look at him. One head in particular turned much farther than the rest; a gaunt human woman, accompanied by a relaxed venlil—Bella Rivers and Taya, both of whom are... perhaps my most frequent guests. "Oh damn! And here I was starting to think you died in a car accident, Luc," Bella said, clearly surprised to see another human at this hour, letalone one who'd been absent for so long.
"Haha, no..." Lucas said, making a beeline for the bar. "Just been... er, busy, you know how it is. How've things been here?"
Bella cast a brief glance at me, asking a silent question, to which I gave a simple nod. "It's been great," she answered in my stead. "Every day feels like more people know about this place. I keep telling Keeps to start thinking about remodeling, get some more space in here before it starts turning into a moshpit every weekend."
Lucas let out a chuckle. "I almost can't believe you two come here so often that you can say that."
Taya leaned around Bella just enough to look Lucas in the eye. "Well no duh! Where else are we gonna go? Name one pub in this city besides The Crossroad that's licensed to sell alien food and drink, and always cares about dietary restrictions!"
Bella laughed. "Okay girl, you ain't gotta shill that hard."
"Nuh uh. I'm not drunk enough not to shill," the normally-reserved venlil droned. She most certainly was a little drunk...
"Speaking of," I cut in, turning to Lucas. "The usual?"
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You still remember my drink?"
"Of course."
He looked thoughtful for a moment, before smiling. "Yeah. I'd love that."
I wasted no time in gathering my tools and the requisite bottles and ingredients to put together his complicated order. To say I pride myself on remembering my patrons, their quirks, and their likes and dislikes... would be an understatement. What is a barkeep if not the central pillar of the establishment? It simply wouldn't do for me to be anything less than reliable.
"For real though," Bella said. "It's not just the food that keeps us here. Like yeah, I love being able to trust my food, but there's more to it. Just look around," she waved a hand out at the rest of the room, "Isn't it great, seeing so many different people, from so many different walks of life, all come together in one place? Back during the war, I... we never imagined we'd get to see something like this. And yet here we are, back on Earth, with God knows how many aliens just hangin' around, being chill, doing their things."
"Huh... yeah, I guess I can see it-- ah, thanks Keeps," Lucas said as I passed him his completed drink. "If you forget everything that's happened, it kinda does look like how everyone dreamed things would go before first contact."
Bella smiled wistfully, idly swirling her half-full drink with her straw. "I think it's amazing. All these different cultures and faces mashing together at once, just this giant melting pot of people and worldviews and everything."
"...Yeah. It really is incredible."
Bella's brows furrowed as Lucas wasted no time in taking a large swig of his drink. It seemed as if something was on his mind, and perhaps she could tell. "Hey... where have you been, these past few months?"
"I've... well," he put down his glass, staring at it almost disdainfully. And after I'd made it so perfectly for him, to boot. Rude. "I've actually been trying to uh, cut back on the drinking..."
Bella turned, glancing confusedly at Taya, who flicked her tail in equal uncertainty. "Really? But you've always been such a responsible drinker. I don't think I can even remember a single time you've ever caused trouble, or got sick or anything. Did something happen?"
"No, nothing like that. I just wanted... well, here, look at this," he said and produced his holopad, skillfully swiping to his photo album. In seconds, he pulled up a picture of himself alongside an alien with gray fur... and long, floppy, dog-like ears. A farsul. "This is Talon. He's been staying with me since the xenomed center got going full swing."
Taya recoiled at the sight, ears flattening in apparent anger before Bella turned and shot her a firm glare. The venlil immediately shrunk on herself, looking both apologetic, and yet still agitated.
"I'm doing it for him. He... um, let's just say he gets a little nervous," Lucas mumbled. He swiped to another picture, this time with Talon hanging off his arm like a monkey, tongue lolling out of his wide-open muzzle in obvious glee. "He's such a sweet little guy, like the brother I never had. But it wasn't good for him, to be dealing with me coming home drunk. He needs stability, consistency. I... was making him worry whether I'll be the same every time I walk through the door. So I promised him I'd stop."
Bella put a hand on Lucas' shoulder. "Well that's sweet of you. I can tell you care a lot."
Lucas frowned. "Of course I care. After the shit he got put through in those... fucking goddamn facilities."
A bubble of silence surrounded the trio as his words sunk in. Bella swirled her drink one last time before she took a huge swig. Lucas watched her for a moment before he grabbed his own near-full glass and downed the whole of it in one fell swoop.
"Hhh. So much for that," he grumbled as he glared down at his freshly emptied cup. Then his expression softened slightly, turning closer to remorse. "...Sorry. I didn't mean to fuck up the vibe. I uh, got some other pics of him if--"
"No, Lucas, it's okay," Taya suddenly said. "There's nothing wrong with being honest. Especially not in a place like this," she pointed one eye toward me, "ain't that right, Keeps?"
All I could offer in response was a curt nod.
Bella reached over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "If something's on your mind, then... c'mon, be straight with us."
Lucas sighed. "I wish there were more I could do for him," he bluntly said. "We've tried so many things to help him stay calm. Breathing exercises, fidget toys, music... but it's never enough. He still just can't function in public, or around new people, or... anywhere. Especially if I'm not there. And I don't know what to do anymore. I keep telling him to take as long as he needs, but I..." Lucas slouched over, holding his head in his hands, "I feel like every time takes a little longer."
"Um... Y'know..." Taya spoke up, as her ears twisted nervously. "It... sounds like, maybe, um... he... needs a friend?"
"I am his friend," Lucas deadpanned.
"N-no, I mean... oorgh, how do I say this?"
"I think what she's trying to say is... if you want a little help, Lucas, we'd be happy to be there for you. For him."
Lucas's brows furrowed for a moment before he seemed to grasp what she was saying, and his eyes went wide. "Really? But-" his eyes locked onto Taya, "but you're--"
Taya shook her head. "Don't say it. I... I know. I know what I am," she all but whispered. "But maybe I don't want to be like... this. Maybe I want to be better. After all, if I'd never tried to have an open mind about humans, I never would've met Bella!"
"Well... okay," Lucas said, as a small smile grew on his face. "Here. Lemme get your numbers, and I'll talk to him, and we'll get in touch?"
Bella nodded and presented her pad, as Taya did the same. "Yep! And hey, if he isn't up to meeting in person, maybe you can see if he wants to try just being... like, pen pals or something?"
"Hah. He's not a child, you know. But thanks. I really mean it."
"I know you mean it. We're glad to help."
The three of them tapped pads to exchange contacts, and with that, their fates became intertwined. Whatever may happen to them after today, I cannot know. A humble barkeeper such myself shan't be blessed with the absolutes of the future. Some may try to predict what is to come, but I believe the future is theirs to decide, that they may take whatever happens in their own hands and mold it to their will.
It is all I can hope that Bella and Taya will return and share with me the stories of their antics. Or, as unlikely as it seems, perhaps Lucas could bring Talon here, for them both to participate in this gathering of souls; for them to find joy among friends new and old; for the chance to walk the wondrous crossroads of life and love.
​
////////////////////////// Barkeep's Log: Scampering Menaces ////// Monday, July 14th, 2138 1:39 PM, Brasilia Time //////////////////////////
Monday. The day of loathing. Of rest and relaxation coming to an end. Of waking up early, getting ready for work, and repeating yet another week of monotony. Some would question my sanity, to open the bar at all on a Monday, letalone to do so at noon. But those foolish few simply haven't seen how excited aliens can be about something so mundane as lunch.
But alas, the lunch rush never persists forever, and just like always, I eventually found my beloved pub woefully empty. As it would likely stay for the rest of the afternoon, save for the occasional visitor with a more unusual schedule.
...Or, perhaps, should I be so lucky... a much more rare sight; a true oddity, who might seek to come here only during the dead hours.
And wouldn't you know, it was on this day that I was blessed with one such patron. Or... multiple patrons. A human and a trio... no, quartet of dossur. It was very much a challenge for me to keep track of the little sapient rodents as they skittered about, both on and literally around their human, but I was more than certain that there were definitely only four of them.
At first, I thought there were three dossur. But then one of them retreated into their human's apparently rather spacious hoodie, and a very distinctly different dossur came out. She looked... mangy, for lack of a polite term, with numerous patches of discolored and uneven fur, and what appeared to be a few healed scars. It was clear to me that she must have been through something horrible, and yet had been saved by the miracle of modern medicine.
The small group's incursion upon my shop was... relatively peaceful. They certainly had no qualms about using their outdoor voices, speaking loudly and freely about whatever came to mind, from plans for when they got home, to theorycrafting about potential vacations they could take, and even to the status of the Sapient Coalition as a whole. I, of course, had no right to begrudge them for being so noisy—they were the only ones in the bar, after all.
But everything changed when the front door swung open, the gentle dingle of the bell heralding the arrival of yet another rare antisocial patron.
To my surprise, this newcomer was another human. But not just any human, oh no, this was a very particular human. One who I could say might be somewhat of a regular, despite his tendency to avoid the busier hours. It was no trouble for me to recognize him from the slightest glance, as his unforgettable silver hair, and the red highlights within, matched gorgeously with his red scarf.
As he entered, a somewhat shorter than average venlil trailed close behind. He too wore a red scarf, though for a... different reason. A deeply personal reason, that neither he nor his human have ever seemed keen to share. And I, out of respect for them both, shan't pry.
With a brief, wary glance at the table of chaos, the two of them made their way toward the bar. They hardly made it more than a few steps before a painfully loud shriek, followed by three more of the same, damn near shattered every piece of glass in my bar.
"HUMY!!!!!" "OH MY GOD HI!!" "JOHN! LOOK!!" "Don't yell in my ear--" "Wait is it really-- IT IS! GUYS GET OUT HERE--"
And in a staggering instant... where I thought there were only four dossur, I was once again proven thoroughly WRONG. From within John's hoodie came not one, not two, but four more of the little bastards! There were eight of them! They all scampered up their poor handler's arms and stood on his head and shoulders, waving their whole bodies and jumping up and down, and being so very loud.
"HI HUMY!!!!!!!!" "HI!!!" "HIIIIII!!!!!!" "He's so tall..." "Is that VV?? HI VV!!" "WOW I didn't know his hair was really that white!"
Humy, while certainly shocked by the sudden attention, somehow managed to take it in stride. He raised a hand and waved back to the crowd of not-squirrels, the action shutting them up for only a moment before they started squealing even LOUDER in sheer excitement.
"Guys... Y'all oughta quiet down a bit," John said... or so I think. I frankly couldn't hear him over the orchestra of rodent insanity.
One particularly bold dossur—the one with the damaged fur—made her way down from the chaos table and practically sprinted to Humy's legs, before climbing him like a tree. He recoiled in surprise, but she kept going until she was leaning off the top of his head, staring straight into his eyes. The others went silent, waiting with bated breath for whatever might happen next.
...
"Hi."
The poor man, frazzled, startled, accosted-by-an-alien-squirrel, took a long moment before he figured out what to do about this situation. "Um. Hi."
Unfortunately, that was the wrong response.
"HE SAID HI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "I WANNA SAY HI TO HUMY!!" "THAT'S NOT FAIR, HOW COME SHE GETS--" "JOHN!!!" "Guys, pl--" "--TO SAY HI TO HIM?!?!!?!" "JOHN BRING US TO HIM OR DIE"
John abruptly slapped the table and stood up, nearly flinging half of his passengers in different directions as they panicked and clung to him for dear life. "I'm so sorry," he quickly said, "They're not usually like this. We'll just be going," he turned to me, making eye contact for an instant, "Cya later, Keeps."
"No, wait!" Humy said, just barely before the swarm could scream their collective dissent. "Please don't. I don't mind, I promise. All I ask is you quieten down a notch, is that okay?"
The dossur looked amongst each other; some of them drooped in shame, while others seemed to simply not grasp the relevance of the request. But in the end, it was John who spoke up first. "He's right, guys. Y'all need to tone it down. No more screaming."
"Okay?" "Sorry..." "Makes sense." "SURE!!--"
John immediately snatched up that particular troublemaker before stuffing him in his hoodie, never to be seen again.
"Ah... anyway..." Humy said, and gestured to the counter, where VV had already taken a seat during the commotion. John took the unspoken invitation, and the middle-aged man reunited with his friend as the dossur wrangler sat on his other side.
The swarm, of course, wasted no time in dismounting John and lining up right in front of poor Humy. Or, well, only two of them lined up. One crawled up onto his sleeve, two onto his shoulders, and the last simply kept climbing around, seemingly not intent on stopping ever. The seventh and eighth remained imprisoned in John's pocket and sprawled out atop Humy's head, respectively.
"Is Humy your real name?" "Why's your hair white?" "Your scarves are so cool!" "What's your favorite fruit?"
Humy burst out in a fit of chuckles, evidently amused by the dossur speaking over each other in their haste to treat him like a talking jungle gym. "Wow. John, right?" he turned to the other human, who gave a curt nod. "How do you live with this?"
"Very patiently," John deadpanned. "No one would ever believe me if I told them these little shits are highly trained Marines."
"Have you ever been on a cruise?" "What's your favorite game?" "If I gave you a strawberry, would you eat it?" "Are you two dating?" "Seriously, why's your hair white!?"
"Okay, okay, c'mon, one at a time! Why don't all of you line up right here in front of me, and I'll go down the line?"
"No." "...Nah." "It's comfy up here." "And it's boring down there!" "And your hair smells good..."
Humy sighed and shook his head, but his smile betrayed his mirth at the situation. "Fine... let's see... you, at the very top. What's your question?"
"Huh? Oh, uhhh-" the mangled one trailed off. She'd been rather quiet the whole time. "Hmm... what's your next video gonna be, and when's it gonna be out?"
"Ooh!" "Yeah!" "Yes yes yes tell us!" "Genius question, Fée!"
Humy, despite the dossurs' excitement, grimaced. "I'm sorry, you guys, but I can't answer that. I just can't leak upcoming content!"
"Auugh!" "Noo c'mon!" "What." "That's not fair!"
"But..." Humy cut them off, looking thoughtful. "Well... maybe I can tell you one thing. I might have something very, very special lined up soon. Do you all remember when I played that thafki game, Survivor? Well I--"
Humy jumped, startled as VV—who'd been totally quiet and unobtrusive the whole time—abruptly grabbed his sleeve and tugged it sharply. A sheepish expression spread across the human's face. "Oops! Can't spoil the surprise. Sorry! How 'bout we hear another question?"
The dossur pouted, looking dejected, disappointed and all-around displeased. But, with that, the seven tiny herbivores quickly moved on, and continued to pester Humy with evermore nonsense. Too much nonsense. Truly, veritably, too much.
It wasn't until hours later, around 4 PM, that both parties finally grew fatigued and split ways. In the wake of their madness, I could feel nothing but gratitude for the fact that, despite their behavior, the rodents hadn't made a mess of anything, nor skipped out on their tab. While they were loud, and excitable, and far too much enjoyed using poor Humy as a playground... they weren't hooligans. They were, in the end, people. Not just noisy squirrels.
With that in mind... perhaps, maybe, just maybe, next time they come in... I wouldn't be unwilling to greet them, to welcome them to this place of character and merriment; to welcome their uniqueness among the myriad faces that make themselves known; to invite them in as members, as friends, as we all tread upon the ever-exciting crossroads of greetings and farewells.
​
////////////////////////// Barkeep's Log: Mayflies ////// Friday, August 1st, 2138 9:05 PM, Brasilia Time //////////////////////////
Ah, the weekend. For a bar, it is the busiest time one could imagine. But for a bartender such as myself, it is so much more. The activity, the bustle, the countless different people coming together and simply being themselves. Just by merely being here, serving drinks and dinner to all who would want it, I am blessed with the wondrous opportunity to overhear talk and tales of peoples' lives—their homes, their hopes and dreams, their fears and regrets.
And today, of course, was no exception. Perchance, allow me to skip the lengthy preamble and get to the good stuff.
The moment an elderly, borderline decrepit old man entered the bar, he had my attention. Someone his age, coming somewhere like this, alone? The scenario piqued my curiosity.
He had a tired air to him, something between boredom, the general fatigue that comes with such advanced age and... if my keen eyes didn't deceive me, a touch of discomfort. As if he was out of his element in some way, not quite sure what to do with himself. He kept silent, bothering no one as he approached the counter and scanned one of the many QR codes plastered around the dining room.
His face stayed the same as he reviewed The Crossroads' prodigious menu, as though he was unimpressed with our unrivaled selection. But then, he paused, and something changed in his stance. His eyes flicked up and met mine, his expression suddenly lit ablaze, full of energy that wasn't there before. "Redtato tacos?" he curtly asked, sounding almost bewildered. His gaze dropped back down to the menu, to the other dishes on that same page. "Spice plates... cricket burgers," he looks back up at me, wearing a deranged grin, "even goddamn ichor ice cream? You're insane."
"Insane? Tell me you're new here without telling me," a new voice interjected. One of the other patrons—a thafki, who unlike her kin, had taken to wearing a black hoodie with the emblem of the United Nations—turned to us, appearing amused as she looked between me and the old man. "Wow, you're a perfect match for one another. Didn't think humans could get any older than ol' Barkeep here. What's someone as ancient as you doing here, new guy?"
"Hah. I like you, Blue," the man said as he took a seat beside the nosy and maybe slightly drunk alien.
"My name's not Blue. Call me Ayeli."
He held out a hand toward Ayeli. She glanced at it before shaking it without a second thought. "Ryusei," he said, before eyeing her beverage. "Tell you what, Barkeep, gimme one of whatever that is. And a refill for her, if she'll have it."
"Saltwine," I said, and reached beneath the counter to procure the bottle from which I'd poured Ayeli's first glass. I turned it back and forth in front of him, letting him read the translated label. "Be warned. This is a specialty item. It is not to most peoples' tastes, nor is it cheap."
"Pfft just do it. I've eaten rocks, you old coot."
The sheer brazenness of his words, the unwavering resolve in his eyes, and the utter lack of hesitation in his voice, took me truly off guard for the first time in a long, long while. "I'm not an old coot, you bumbling codger," I grumbled as I took a glass and filled it. Then, putting my professional facade back on just like nothing ever happened, I turned to Ayeli and hovered the bottle over her cup. She gave a thumbs up, and I poured.
Ryusei stared at me with a smug grin. "Pff. Looked in a mirror lately? Time ain't been good to you, friend. Look at all them gray hairs. Yeek."
"I can poison you in seventeen different ways," I deadpanned.
"As if I'd even be able to tell? There's nothing you can do to me that my body hasn't done at least twice already."
"Venlise alcohol. Not diluted."
"Now there'd be a challenge..." he murmured, before his attention drifted to his idle drink. He raised the glass to his lips and took a hearty sip, allowing the fluid—its texture, its flavor—to rest in his mouth before swallowing. "Mmh. Damn."
"You like it?" Ayeli asked.
"Y'know what? Yeah. Shit's weird in all the right ways. Hits your tongue like a pile of salt, but goes down smooth. No aftertaste, no burn, just a quick slap in the face and then it's gone."
Ayeli drummed her fingers on the counter before taking a long swig of her own drink. "Mmmhmm. That's how it is. How it's meant to be. I can't wait 'til someone figures out how to make this stuff for cheap."
"Speaking of. Ey Barkeep, put me down for one of them fucked up tacos. Let's see just how close a buncha earthlings can get to authentic Martian cuisine."
With a nod and several practiced movements, I had his request sent to the kitchen in seconds. I don't believe he saw me even touch the order pad with how fast I was.
"...Martian?" Ayeli asked. "Now hang on. That's... the red planet, no?"
"Mhm," The man let out a grunt of affirmation. "First planet humanity settled besides Earth. It's a dead, empty husk. Nothing but rocks and dust and solar radiation. I was born there."
"Huh. What're you doing here, then? There no bars on Mars?"
"...Classified."
"Oh. Yeah..."
Quiet spread between the two, Ayeli staring blankly into her own reflection within her glass. Ryusei's eyes slowly drifted toward her as his brow furrowed. "You... were a soldier, huh?"
Ayeli jolted, startled by the question. "Wh--? How... I mean, yeah. I guess I was. But how can you tell?"
"Eh. I've been there. Where you are now."
"...What?"
He took another sip. "You know how it is. Everything goes to shit. Then it gets better. Now everyone's pretending life is back to normal, and you have to pretend too. Even if you lost friends. Or family. Or... parts of yourself."
...
Ayeli frowned. "I... yeah. I guess."
"You guess?"
"It's... it's not that I've lost people. Or parts of myself," she said. "It's not even that I have to pretend that everything's back to normal."
Ryusei raised an eyebrow.
"All things considered, I've lost nothing. I joined the UN Marines, killed some lizards, and now I'm here. And I'm fine. Not even 'oh you're lying to yourself, you need a therapist' fine, but just... actually fine."
"Why's that, do you think?"
"I don't know. All my friends are so much worse off than me. They're all... fucked up, from everything. But I'm not. I just don't feel anything."
"I just... shouldn't I feel something?" she continued. "I've killed people. Drowned people. Slit throats. But whenever I think about it, there's just nothing. No guilt, no shame, no... no empathy."
"I understand," Ryusei breathed. Something behind his eyes changed, his tone becoming more... genuine. "You and I are alike, in a way."
"...Really?"
Ryusei swirled his drink before taking a quick sip. "When I was younger, I was part of something bigger than myself. It was dangerous as all hell—sixty percent fatality rate—but I was glad to be doing it. Glad to be playing my part. Happy to risk my life so someone else doesn't have to. But then it was over, and I got back to life like normal. I got my accolades, I took my damn awards, and I went home. And that was that."
"Except it wasn't," he continued. "I went home, and found out my family had ripped themselves apart. Half of em were obviously over the moons with pride, knowing I'd been there in the very front and came home a goddamn hero. But the rest... they had been scared. Terrified they'd never see me again. It was all they wanted for me to just come home and be safe."
"And... that's what got you?" Ayeli asked. Something in her voice was vulnerable, almost afraid. "The fact that you were ready to move on, but no one else was?"
Ryusei nodded. "I felt like a shithead not because I'd almost died a hundred times, but because I'd been the reason my parents got divorced."
Ayeli stared into nothing, dead silent for a long moment before she grabbed her drink and downed the remainder of it in one go. "F-fuck," she rasped. "It was supposed to go back to normal. We were supposed to have our happy ending. So why is everyone still like this? Why can't we just be okay now?"
"Because people need time, kid. You and I are the exceptions. You'll get your happy ending, you just... gotta wait. Gotta be there for them when they need you."
"How?"
"Whatever way you can. My little brother got hit the hardest by our parents' shitshow. He couldn't stand being around either of them. So I would drive him out to the middle of nowhere, and we'd just watch the universe go by. We'd count the stars, talk about how small we are, how it just keeps going, how empty it all is, yet still teeming with mystery. By the end of it, we'd both be feeling better... and then we'd do it again a week later when we felt like shit again. And on and on, for years."
"...We've already seen the stars though. How would that help?"
Ryusei slid his glass over to Ayeli, offering her the last few sips he had. "There are more things of beauty in this world than just the stars. Take it from me, old fart that I am—if you just take the time to look, you can find meaning anywhere. Even things you might take for granted."
Ayeli perked up, as if she'd realized something. "The ocean..."
"Something like that."
"It's... it's simple, it's mundane, it's so normal to us now that we can just go swimming whenever we like. But ten years ago, that would've been different. We... we did it. We changed it. For ourselves. We won."
"You hit the nail on the head, Blue. Tell all that to your pals. Really show them that it's over."
She looked down at the drink she'd been given, and lifted it to her lips to take a small sip. "An ocean of water, an ocean of stars... what difference does it make? Maybe you're right. Maybe we really are alike."
"Both have been around for millenia. And both will be there still, long after we're gone," Ryusei said. He looked down at his hands, an odd half-smile on his face. "Call me a sentimental old coot, but part of me still finds comfort in the stars. An infinite sea of beacons, shining in every direction for eternity. Always there, always waiting, no matter what."
"Mmm... y'know, it's funny. Our ancient ancestors probably each thought the same at one point or another. Wonder if any of 'em ever looked up in just the right place, at the right time... and looked straight at each other, even if they didn't know it."
"Heh. As much as I want to rain on your parade and say that's impossible... well, just look at the two of us, eh? The chance that we both would happen to be here, right now. Maybe it's not. The universe is pretty damn huge, and yet here we are."
Ayeli sat up straight in her seat, a determined look spreading across her face. "Yeah. I... I think I know what to do. How to help everyone else move on. Thanks for the drinks, 'Keep. And the chat, Ryusei."
"Yeah yeah. Go on, get outta here. Get back to your friends."
The thafki nodded and gave us both a smile, and then with one last wave goodbye, she made her way out of the establishment. Ryusei sighed and turned back to the bar, crossing his arms and slouching in that tired, past-our-prime way we both must know so well.
Before long, his plate of redtato tacos were brought out, and without another word, he got to work. He remained silent as he ate, but I could tell by the look on his face that he was satisfied.
"Alright... yeah, yeah you did good..." he said when there was nothing left to eat. "I'll remember this place. Think if I ever end up 'round here again, I might stop by."
"You'll always be welcome... until you call me old again. Then you might find something different in your cup than you ordered."
He laughed, grinning like a madman as he stood from his seat. "Bold of you to threaten me with a good time. Now I'm definitely coming back!"
With that, he paid for his meal and his and Ayeli's drinks, and just as suddenly as it all began, he was gone. The cycle of greetings and goodbyes played its part yet again, bringing us together and pulling us apart as if no time had passed at all.
But where his and Ayeli's presence left my bar, their imprints have not. In my memory, and theirs, lies the everlasting essence of our encounter. The feelings of meeting, of learning, of sharing ourselves—and above all else, the words they spoke. The sentiment has truly been burned into my recollection, never to be forgotten with how it touched my heart, my very soul.
How wondrous it is that two people so similar and yet so different could ever meet. The universe is vast—immeasurably so—and still they both happened to be in the right place at the right time for their lives to become intertwined. Is it coincidence? Is it fate? I can't possibly know. Such things are beyond my station. All I can say for certain is that it will happen again, and again, on an eternal cycle. So long as life itself persists, people will always be bound to find one another.
And that, I believe... is the true beauty of our crossroads of destiny.
//////////////////////////

Link to serial master post for other chapters
For every step Madeline took toward the dormitory, a tug on her heart pulled her back. Back to that room. Back to the part of herself she’d left behind there. Back to Liam.
But she couldn’t go back. They’d had there allotted time together. If she defied the guards now, she risked any chance of seeing him again.
She didn’t have a choice.
Then again, wasn’t that what she’d told herself the last time she’d left him behind? And look where that had gotten them.
The only thing that kept her from turning around was Billie’s hand on the small of her back. They guided her steadily but firmly on as the pair of them followed Marcus down the corridor. Perhaps noticing the slowness of her pace compared to this morning, the guard glanced over his shoulder. “Everything alright?” he asked. “Did you have a good visit?”
Madeline nodded, not trusting herself to speak without her voice cracking.
“Yeah,” Billie said, speaking for the pair of them. “It was a wonderful day. But… You know how you miss someone so so much every single day, and you just think if you could see them again everything would be better?”
“Yes. Yes, I do,” Marcus said, keeping his eyes resolutely forward.
“But after you see them again, you remember everything you love about them and how great it is to be around them. So now you miss them even more than before.”
“Ah. I see.”
There was a pause as they reached the end of the corridor, and the young guard had to stop to unlock the door before leading them outside.
When their feet were crunching over the gravel pathway, Marcus glanced back at them again. “Well, now that we’ve connected you all in our records, it shouldn’t be too long now before a family room can be found for you, provided you all agree, of course — and provided you keep up the good work and stay out of trouble.”
Madeline’s heart fluttered. “Really? How long is not too long?”
The guard shrugged. “However long it takes to find a suitable room and make the arrangements.” He glanced around, grinning. “Of course, you might not be as excited when I tell you that all the family rooms are near the education centre, so it’ll be a fair trek for you to get to your agricultural work in the morning, and to get home in the evening. But I suspect that’s a hardship that you’re both willing to endure.”
She nodded eagerly. For the rest of the walk back, the tugging at her heart eased slightly, and a slight spring entered her step.
It wasn’t until the next day, working at pulling up unwanted weeds in the potato fields, that Madeline started to wonder what this meant for their plans. Having Liam nearby would definitely make things easier should any chance to escape present itself, but surely she should avoid doing anything to jeopardise that until it had actually happened. And that meant delaying her questions for Marcus yet again.
She raised this with Billie on the walk back, expecting their instant agreement.
Instead, she was met with a shaking head. “You can’t keep putting it off, Mads.” Though their voice was soft, she could hear an edge of exasperation there. “Don’t you see? This is how it will always be. Even when we’re living with Liam in a family room, there will always be the threat of taking him away again. They’ll say we’re a bad influence or unfit to look after him. Just like there’s always the threat of separating us.” They gestured from their chest to hers. “Those threats will never go away. So if you’re waiting for some perfect moment when everything is safe, don’t. It’ll never come.”
Madeline stared down at her feet as she walked, not wanting to meet their gaze. She knew that they were right, but that didn’t make it any less irritating to hear. “Alright,” she muttered. “I’ll do it the first chance I get. At least that way, if it screws anything up, I can start earning my way back into his good graces sooner.”
The rest of the journey back to the dorms passed in silence, as Madeline searched for the right words — the ones that would get them their answers without raising suspicions.
She got her chance the next day when Marcus was taking them all to their respective places of work. As they walked across the fields, she sidled up to him, keeping pace with his large strides.
“Hello, Marcus,” she said.
He glanced around, smiling when he saw her. “Hey, Madeline! Is everything alright?”
“It is. I just had a couple of questions that I was hoping you could help me with.”
“Ask away.”
She paused, looking over her shoulder to see who was around. There were a couple of other workers a little closer than she’d have liked.
Leaning in slightly closer, she lowered her voice to say, “It’s kind of a delicate subject — something that if someone overheard, I wouldn’t want them to get the wrong idea.”
His step faltered, as he threw her a quizzical look. She met his gaze with wide, pleading eyes.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “So it’s the sort of thing you’d like to talk to me privately about?”
She nodded. “Exactly…. Only I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea either. I really don’t want to get into any trouble. And I really don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“Of course. I promise that I will hear whatever you have to say, and that whatever it is will stay with me. After all, there should never be any harm in asking. It’s actions, not words, that I’m here to guard against.”
A weight lifted from her chest, a relieved grin spreading across her face. “Thank you! That’s really good to hear.”
He glanced around to smile back at her. “So I’ll come to collect you from work this evening and take you somewhere private to talk before we head back to the dormitory and dinner, okay?”
“Perfect!”
Of course, it would have been more perfect to have been able to get it out the way there and then. Now she was doomed to another day of worrying, reworking her questions and their phrasing in her mind over and over as her hands worked by muscle memory alone.
When the work day was finally done, signalled by the sun sinking to sit on the horizon, Madeline thought she had everything organised and ready to go in her head. But as soon as Marcus arrived, her carefully preplanned words fled.
She followed him in silence, tapping the fingers of each hand together in an attempt to relieve the nervous energy bubbling inside. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she was hardly aware of where they were going. It was only when they stopped in a small, plain room — similar to the one she’d visited Liam in — that she started taking in her surroundings again.
She took the seat Marcus offered at the table — the only bit of furniture in the room. The off-white walls and grey carpets reminded her of every rental apartment she’d ever lived in. Inoffensive, but soulless.
As the young guard settled into the seat opposite, her leg bounced up and down almost of its own accord.
“So,” Marcus said, leaning his elbows on the table. “What is it you wanted to ask me?”
Author's Note: Next chapter due on 9th June

At the end of the story, Hitogami basically says that he's going to manipulate Rudeus' descendants to fight each other to make sure his fate of getting killed by Orsted through his descendants' assistance is ruined since their fate is weaker than his. I made a post about this a while back because I was concerned about how some of Rudeus' children are aligned with different factions with possibly impeding war by the end of the Jobless Oblige, so Hitogami could manipulate events in the background to cause more mayhem and make his defeat more difficult.
But then I thought about it for a minute and thought: Where does this dude get this confidence from? Ever since Rudeus entered the world, many things have not gone as expected in Orsted's previous loops and have unexpectedly happened. Him, Nanahoshi, and Akihito were specifically summoned for his defeat and to assist Orsted through some capacity. Rudeus' offspring are not affected by Orsted's curse, so they're trusted allies. They are all aware about the threat of Hitogami, one of them being the chosen one who is instrumental in his death. Nothing he has done since he became this version of Rudeus' enemy has gone according to plan:

• Tries to trick him into killing his pregnant wife because she will bear the chosen; his future self comes in and tells him Hitogami is the true villain and she's born anyway.
  
• Threatens his family that if he wants to protect them, he needs to kill Orsted (to at least eliminate 1 or both of his biggest threats); the 2 end up becoming allies to kill him and founds a company with the sole intent of fucking up all his plans.
  
• Attempts to sabotage Ariel's ascension by deceiving Luke and throwing high/top tier fighters to kill Rudeus & Co. as well as destroy their only means to access the kingdom through an elite nobleman; Luke ends up ratting himself out and is forgiven, the fighters and the elite nobleman are killed off, and through his interference, Rudeus was able to gain a powerful ally (Perugius & Tristina) to assist Ariel's succession against her brother.
  
• Destroys a part of Orsted's plan to ensuring Pax's survival by manipulating third-parties to push him to suicide to ensure that the future kingdom he creates doesn’t come to pass and making Laplace's birthplace unknown; Zanoba ends up becoming aware of Hitogami's role in his brother's death and swears fealty to Orsted, becoming a subsidiary of the Orsted Corporation that produces magical tools and research for him.
  
• Convinces Geese to backstabbing Rudeus while his guard is down in Millis; Geese ends up ratting himself out to Rudeus that he was Hitogami's hidden apostle that Orsted never discovered in previous loops and basically tells Rudeus he's preparing to fight him. Spoiler alert: he loses.
  

Like, this guy just keeps catching more and more L's as time goes on. By the time Rudeus is dead, the guy is practically venting. He was saying all that good shit, but just kept getting kicked in his chest the moment he made Rudeus his enemy. This is ignoring many other aspects like Lara's direct involvement in his demise, Akihito's future role, the stuff with Elinalise, so many changes in this loop that has worked in Orsted's favor, and the fact that Rudeus has made so many people, of many races, aware of his existence and deception and the creation of his extensive subsidiary mercenary company was made to prevent that.
How does this guy think he's gonna win?

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First. Previous.
‘Ri woke up in the hotel room to the sound and smell of cooking meat, as well as what she knew to be pancakes. Opening her eyes, she looked ‘down’ to see Kyle cooking on the small grill he packed with him in his subspace shadow, one of his near-silent air purifiers directly overhead, as he was using wood to cook with; the smell of fire-grilled meat was making her ravenous, and it was with a happy stretch that she sat up, Kyle turning to smile at her.
“Morning, beautiful,” he said as she smiled back, “Figured I’d make you breakfast-in-bed; we got dragon steak and eggs - chicken eggs - and I just got done with a bunch of dragon bacon. Pancakes were done a few minutes ago, and I’ve been letting the butter melt in; syrup’s over…” he looked around, spotting a metal container that looked somewhat like a drink pitcher. He set all of this down on a large tray, which he carried over to her, setting it down on the bed lengthwise between the two of them. He went back to the table he’d been working at to retrieve plates, flatware, and two glasses, floating a pitcher of what turned out to be gor’ahm juice, a sweet - yet slightly tart - berry that grew on verem’jiose, and also cost quite a bit, as it was difficult to get enough berries to mass produce, so it wasn’t ‘readily available’ outside of her homeworld.
All-in-all it was a rather enjoyable breakfast - whether or not he had any ‘professional’ training, Kyle sure did know how to cook. After they were done eating - and Kyle had moved their dishes over to the kitchenette their room came with - they took a shower, taking their time in the hot water, just enjoying each other’s presence. When they were done, they dressed in the robes that came with the room - they had gone with black all around - and went to sit together in the main room, putting on some soothing music as they sat together, tails and arms wrapped around each other. After a while of them just sitting there, Kyle stirred slightly.
“I, uh… I got a surprise for you.” He sounded a bit nervous as he said it, but she put that to the side; surely he was just hoping she’d like whatever it was. He smiled slightly, and said,
“Close your eyes.”
Doing as he asked, she shut her eyes, knowing full well that whatever he was ‘retrieving’ was in his subspace shadow, but she went along with the act. When he gave her the okay, she opened her eyes, and it seemed like her stomach dropped out from under her heart, and into oblivion; there in his hands was a thin, perfectly square - but not ‘cubed’ - black box. She looked up at him, unable to say anything, as he opened the lid, and she let out an involuntary gasp; it was difficult for her mind to process what she was seeing, as it appeared to be a round piece of the void cut out to look like a tiara. Or, at least it looked like the shape of one, seeing as she couldn’t really make out any details, though there obviously were details carved into it, as the little sparkles of what she knew to be black hole diamonds - she had seen the pendant Kyle had retrieved from the pirates - seemed to appear and disappear, depending on what angle she looked at it from. The big 8-point star in the middle - reminiscent of the shape their pupils took when observing peoples’ life-blood, and Gift - was always visible however, no matter the angle it was viewed from.
“I had to have Kay’Eighty sketch out the basic outline of where to cut to fit you,” he said, drawing her out of her stupor, “And I had the lead sehr’chtahb fit the diamonds on it, as part of the payment for bringing back the pendant, along with the diamonds themselves, of course. The actual tiara is made from the bone of the first dragon I killed, and I used the kath’loo’s Gift to turn the bone so black that it absorbs all light. I had to turn the bone behind the diamonds silver, because there’s only so much that refraction can do.” They both gave a little chuckle at that; finally, he pointed to the inside of the tiara.
“And here I put a strip of crysthril all the way around it,” she knew that he’d gotten the Gift from one of the sehr’chtahb before they’d left the planet, “Which you normally wouldn’t need, seeing as you’ve got a literal ton in your subspace; but this is different. While we can’t transfer our Gifts to anyone else, we can transfer them into the crysthril, and it stays enchanted with the Gift, no matter how much of it you use. It’s basically limited by your own power, and how much of each Gift was put into the crysthril. Right now, this has all the Gifts that I have right now, and I can always add more in later, when I get ‘em… So, will you wear it?”
The last part was said with a palpable level of nervousness, and she was unable to say anything at that moment. After a few seconds, she finally was able to nod her head yes, tears leaking down her face. Kyle’s face lit up in a wide grin, and she saw his eyes shimmer with unshed tears as he reached forward to grasp the tiara, showing her how to disconnect it at the sides. She leaned her head forward as he reached up to put it on for her, it fitting snugly not just around her head, but perfectly resting around her horns, so as not to be squeezing them, nor to be loose, and wobbly.
She reached forward, pulling him into a deep, passionate kiss, too happy to actually say anything; they sat there for a while, basking in their shared love, until she started getting a bit antsy. Kyle obviously noticed this, as he laughed, and said,
“Go look; I know you’re just dying to see it.”
After a smile, and a quick kiss, she ran into the bathroom, looking into the mirror, marveling at the dazzling headpiece that was now her’s. She sat there for a good few minutes, turning her head this way and that, admiring the craftsmanship Kyle had so lovingly put into it. It honestly looked like something a professional jeweler would be proud to call their own work, and she reveled in that fact as well. This was a testament to his love for her, and it was done through Kyle’s own handiwork; and where it wasn’t, it was small enough to excuse away, especially with having had the diamonds placed as payment for his actual work.
Eventually she was able to tear her eyes from the beautiful piece, and she returned to Kyle’s side, both of them grinning like children. After a few minutes of making out, and cuddling, Kyle insisted that they get dressed.
“I know you wanna show that off, and we can go look around the shops, see if there’s anything that we want. Then we can grab lunch somewhere, and later we can have dinner with your parents and ‘Lana. Tomorrow I’m gonna go back to the ship and get some brisket started up; Kohr’Sahr and the others’re gonna be here in a couple days, and I wanna have a party when we give them the news.”
“Do they know?” she asked.
“About me proposing? No,” he replied, “About everything else? I gave ‘em a brief rundown, but I didn’t go into too much detail. The suun’mahs representative got in touch with me yesterday: the broadcast is gonna come out later today, and anything that they need cleared up after that, I’m happy to be the one to tell ‘em… You’re sure you’re okay with them posting your general location to the public? I don’t want you to have to deal with any ‘fanclubs’ from back home.”
She smiled warmly at him, running her fingers through his hair.
“They’ll know that I’m taken, and that they have no chance; anyone who tries anything after that, no one will blame us for… teaching them a lesson. Besides, they already know not to bother me if they see me abroad; the secrecy was just an added measure.”
He bowed his head concedingly, as he got up, pulling her to her feet with him.
“Come on,” he said, giving her a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth, “Let’s get dressed.”
She got dressed in a simple black pleated skirt that came about ⅔ down her thigh, along with a teal button-up shirt. Kyle was wearing his black and red pants, with a silk purple shirt; he had decided to forgo his boots. Kyle applied a simple light layer of purple eye shadow, and simple black liner, with a reverse of that on his lips, having purple liner and black filler. She went with the same pattern, except she used a luscious red in place of her natural purple. Once they were ready, they were about to head out when she thought of something; she held out her hands, and pulled a certain large, flat box from her subspace shadow. Smiling, Kyle opened it, and gently removed the necklace he’d bought her the last time they were on this station. After he’d secured it in place, she dismissed the box, and they left the room arm-in-arm.
The payoff was near-automatic, as it only took as long as getting into the elevator before they encountered another person; this one turned out to be none other than the Captain, as the station leader had put the entire crew up in the station’s best hotels, save for a decent amount of the security, all of whom had gotten to leave the ship last time they were on this station. As soon as the doors opened, they saw her standing next to what appeared to be a golden drahk’mihn, with horns that protruded from his forehead, sweeping back over the top of his head, only to slightly curl upwards just as they reached the back of his head. He wore light blue shorts, and a matching vest, while the Captain wore her customary jacket; her eyes widened when she saw the two, going straight to the tiara on her head.
"By the Gods, man; do you do anything normal?"
"Define 'normal'," Kyle countered, which brought about a round of laughter.
“Were y’all gettin’ off?” Kyle asked, hooking his thumb over his shoulder; the Captain cleared her throat,
“Well, that’s really none of your business,” she replied, to more laughter, “But we can take another ride, either way.” She had barely taken her eyes off the tiara the entire time, much to ‘Ri’s delight. As Kyle pushed the button for the lobby, Golden asked how Kyle had made it, to which he obliged, occupying the time it took them to reach the ground floor; the Captain couldn’t keep her eyes off the headpiece the whole time, at which ‘Ri couldn’t help but smile with pride.
After they reached their floor, they bid the other two farewell, at which point the Captain seemed to remember herself, and gave a hasty - yet obviously sincere - congratulations to the two, which Golden echoed. After thanking the two, they disembarked the elevator, ‘Ri acutely aware that the Captain was still staring at the tiara, even without looking back at her.
The rest of the day passed in a similar manner, with the general crowd around them either going silent, or - less common, but still frequent enough to be noticeable - lightly gasping; all eyes were on her, which made her smile and cling to Kyle’s arm all the more. It was funny: she had never really cared about ‘tradition’, and had always simply wanted someone who saw her as her. Sure, there were several ‘high-born’ men who’d hunted dangerous beasts - even to a drahk’mihn - to turn into tiaras, all of them trying to ‘win her hand’. But none of that had ever mattered, no matter what they’d hunted, or whether they’d used their Gift, or not; none of them even knew who she was, so their efforts meant nothing, but whatever standing they could achieve by marrying ‘the girl who stopped the war’.
But here was Kyle, a man from another species entirely who saw her as a person, in a way that no non-insectoid ever had in her entire life. A man who’d had no problem whatsoever showing his anger at her - very much deserved, she had to admit; that was a rather rude wake-up call - before he really even knew her, not afraid to call her out on any toxic behavior she might display. And who had taken the fruit of his labors to produce a symbol of his commitment to her, fully embodying the true symbolism of the traditional way, not by simply trying to impress her by buying her affection, as the others had. And for the first time since she was a little girl, she felt a distinct pride in that tradition, and all the more love towards Kyle for it.
They didn’t really have any place in particular that they had in mind to visit, simply walking around, enjoying each other’s company, and the reactions of the various passersby. Among the obviously astonished expressions, there were quite a few jealous ones on a few of the women they passed by, which brought her no end of satisfaction; not that she had anything in particular against any of those women, it just felt good to have something that others wanted so badly. And though she doubted that many of them actually wanted her man - whom she still valued more than the headpiece he’d given her - what they wanted was a product of his work, and so either way - whether they knew it or not - it was him that they wanted; too bad for all of them that she’d gotten her claws in him first, and she was never letting him go of him again.
She had made sure of that, seeing as he could now issue orders to the Captain, and change protocol on a whim; she had also gotten him to give her authorization to take a shuttle planetside if she deemed it necessary, though he’d made her promise to exercise that authority only in cases of an actual emergency, and not for a small ‘threat’ that he could obviously handle. They had come to the agreement that the wild cats from Cheshire’s homeworld were the cutoff point: anything much bigger than those were enough to warrant her presence on the planet. She didn’t really like even that, but she had to agree that at that point it was almost insulting to his own abilities, especially since he had plenty of Gifts to help him out, including her own.
At one point, they were passing by a furniture shop when they spotted her parents and ‘Lana going in; it was her sister who noticed them, calling out,
“‘Ri, Kyle; hi!”
They both smiled and called back in greeting, waving as her parents turned around, their faces immediately breaking out in smiles as they saw the two of them; the looks on their faces - coupled with not a bit of surprise - told her that he’d already shown them the tiara, not that she minded. If he was going to show anyone before her - aside from those who helped him create it in the first place - she could accept her parents being the ones, and ‘Lana by extension.
They spent around an hour walking around the shop - Kyle having to encourage them to pick out the more ‘luxury’ goods - as her parents picked out a new mattress for their bed, along with a few comfortable chairs. They all went their separate ways, her and Kyle promising to meet up later for dinner together. As they had just come back from eating themselves, they went to do more shopping - Kyle reminding them not to worry about the price of anything - while she and Kyle went to go find somewhere to eat.
They decided on a unique shop setup, wherein there was an herbivore side, and a carnivore side; both were technically their own shops - separated by a wall, and everything - though there was no problem with an herbivore sitting with carnivore friends to go nextdoor to get a plate made, and bring it over, or vice versa. They decided on sitting in the carnivore section, and Kyle would go over to the herbivore side to get a bit of roughage for the both of them. After they had taken their seat - the keen’yhong waitress staring in awe at her tiara - Kyle excused himself to the shop next door; after he’d left her line of sight, she immediately got up and hurried to the restroom, eager to get another look at herself in the mirror.

Vohr’Sin - a light blue drahk’mihn with horns that curved back, down and around, so that the tips pointed forward, just under his ears - was having a bit of trouble, as the restaurant was currently too full to seat them.
“There’s nothing you can do for the drahk’mihn ambassador to the humans’ system?” he asked jokingly, “She should be on her way any minute.”
“Sorry, sir,” the black gah’rahtoe replied to him, his face showing genuine regret, “It’s the lunch rush, right now. You’re welcome to wait for someone to finish up, if you like.”
“No,” he responded, “She had to skip breakfast this morning to attend a virtual meeting, so I doubt she’ll be up to waiting… Well, thanks anyway.” As he turned to find somewhere else to eat, he nearly walked right into another person; it took him a moment to realize who it was.
“My apologies,” he said, “I should have been paying more attention to where I was going… Forgive me for bothering you, but aren’t you Ambassador Redding?”
The human was easily recognizable, the ‘scars’ across his face and the horns - which the Empress herself had expressed to his wife were not to be commented upon - that were in a very unique shape. Personally, he wasn’t too comfortable with the human getting a pass at imitating their race - especially Kah’Ri’s horns, of all people - but if the service that he’d provided to their race by coming up with the idea of how to find the slavers was enough for Empress Ella’Ven to excuse it, he had to accept it, as well. The man was carrying a tray with a few plates of vegetables on them, including two baked tass’guds.
“I am,” the human replied with a smile, “Sorry for eavesdropping, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation: if you like, you can come sit with me and my fiance; we’re out celebrating our engagement.”
“Oh,” he began sheepishly, “I really wouldn’t want to intrude…” but the human waved him off.
“I’m sure it’ll be no problem; you know how women like to show off their jewelry. It’s just us, so I’m sure it’ll be fine. Besides, I can answer any questions your wife may have about humans, and any social customs she might need to be aware of. Well, any that I know of, anyway.” He finished with a slight chuckle, and Vohr’Sin was torn between not wanting to intrude, but also not wanting to insult the Ambassador by refusing; it was at this time that his wife Vir’Ell walked up.
“I see you’ve met the human Ambassador, love.” He turned to see the yellow-tinted woman that he’d pledged his life to, wearing a light purple tube-top, and matching shorts. Her slender horns swept backward, ending halfway down the back of her head, pointing down.
“I’m Vir’Ell,” she said, directing her attention to the human after exchanging a kiss with Vohr’Sin, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“And you, as well,” he replied, “I was just telling your husband that y’all can join me an’ my fiance, if you like. We just got engaged this morning, and I’m sure she’d just love the chance to show off. Of course, I don’t wish to interrupt your own time, if you’d rather eat alone, but it seems that we took the last free table, here.”
“That sounds lovely,” she replied easily, lightly squeezing his tail with her own, “I look forward to meeting your betrothed.”
The human - Kyle, as he asked them to call him - led them inside, and over to an empty table, where they all took their seats.
“I’m sure she went to freshen up,” he said as they all sat down,
“So,” he continued as they all settled down, “I hear you’re on your way to Sol?”
“We are,” Vir’Ell replied brightly, “Several factors have come together to convince the Empress to send an envoy to your system; the two biggest factors being - of course - your own contribution to freeing those enslaved, but also from the fact that even through the outcasts of your society, it is entirely obvious that humans had nothing to do with the enslavement of our people. There are obviously other reasons - ones that she wishes to keep close to her wings - but she has decided that humans will be the first race to whom she will reach out a hand of open friendship. Obviously, this will have to be taken slowly, but we’re hopeful that this could open new avenues of trade and friendship that we’ve been so sorely missing all these years.”
“Well,” Kyle began, “I hope we can come together as peoples, especially since our introduction to the wider galaxy came about in quite similar circumstances.”
“Yes,” Vohr’Sin replied seriously, joining the conversation, “That is something that we - as separate races - can relate to, you more so than others, I’m sure. I can’t imagine what it must have been like to endure the mahn’ewe’s captivity, and I commend you on your mental fortitude to be able to make it through all of that relatively unscarred. I won’t claim to know how you’ve dealt with it since your escape, but the fact that you came out of it without any noticeable xenophobia is exemplary.”
“Yeah, well,” Kyle began a bit darkly, looking off to the side a bit as his mind wandered those detestable halls, “I’m kinda used to misfortune, and holding it against those who brought it on, specifically. As a matter of fact, the mahn’ewe look human enough that it doesn’t even translate the same when looking from even the drahk’mihn to them. And everyone else just looks like ‘humanoid animals’, or ‘insects’, so it’s less of a comparison to the mahn’ewe, and more so towards our own myths and legends. And I guess I can’t really complain about my lot in life, ‘cause if I hadn’t been abducted, it’s likely I never would’ve met my future wife… Who seems to finally be done admiring herself in the mirror.” This last part he raised his voice slightly, obviously addressing someone over Vir’Ell’s shoulder, who was on Vohr’Sin’s right side. Before they could turn to look, a surprisingly familiar voice rang out, the smile audible in her voice.
“Can’t you go anywhere without ingratiating yourself with whatever drahk’mihn may be in the vicinity?” Looking around at the woman who had just walked past them to sit next to Kyle, his heart seemed to stop in surprise, both at who was talking, as well as the tiara she was wearing; and looking at her now, he fully understood why the Empress had directed them to ignore Kyle's choice in horns. Kah’Ri Mih’Rell wrapped her tail around Kyle’s waist - even as he wrapped his around her - and even hooked her right wing on his right shoulder, a wide grin on her face. On her head was what appeared to be the void itself, elegantly wrapped around her head, twined gracefully over her horns so as to appear as if the void really had inserted itself onto her head.
“‘Ri,” Kyle began, obviously enjoying their reaction just as much as Kah’Ri was, “I’d like you to meet Vohr’Sin, and his wife Vir’Ell; they’re heading to Sol, as she’s been appointed the Ambassador to humanity.”
“Oh,” she replied, obviously surprised, “I honestly didn’t expect that, though I suppose Ella would have ample reason to reach out to humans, of all peoples.” Obviously it was common knowledge that the Empress had taken Kah’Ri in when she’d lost her own parents, but somehow it had never occurred to him to imagine anyone being ‘close’ enough to her to call her by a nickname.
“I’m sorry,” Vir’Ell cut in, “But that tiara is absolutely stunning.” Mixed in with the pleasure at such an extravagant praise, there was an obvious strain of pride in their faces as they both grinned, Kah’Ri leaning closer to Kyle.
“Thank you,” she replied, “He made it according to tradition.”
“You made that?!” he couldn’t help but exclaim, causing them to smile even wider, “From what? I recognize the black hole diamonds, but the material that the rest of it is made of…”
Kah’Ri gave Kyle a knowing look, and - still smiling - said,
“Show them.”
Kyle gave her a conceding nod of his head, and fiddled with the small monitor that was strapped to his wrist. Soon enough, a small hologram appeared on the table between them, depicting Kyle in a strange white tree, looking down at a - comparatively - giant red reptile of some kind. There was a seemingly one-sided conversation where he was obviously speaking with the razum’yilahn that was partially wrapped around his neck, the rest of their body disappearing beneath his shirt. They were still able to catch the gist of what they were saying, mainly that he couldn’t kill that creature until they were sure it wasn’t sapient, which would require them going into its mind.
What followed was an epic battle between man and beast, his uplifted canine companion joining the fight once it was clear that it was indeed a fight. And though it fended off any attacks the canine - Cheshire - threw its way, it seemed intent on finishing the one that had invaded its mind. It eventually had Kyle pinned on his back, both claws - and most of its weight - braced on the staff of the spear he wielded, while Cheshire continued to draw its attention. One such attempt resulted in the reptile shifting its mass, causing one of its paws to slip off the staff, producing what would obviously eventually become the tattoo across his face, though his eyes were destroyed beyond repair in the process.
He managed to catch the claw back on the staff again - obviously using the razum’yilahn’s eyes to operate - soon after which a shuttle appeared, its door open, and what looked like an automated weapon hanging out the side. It fired once, catching the reptile in its backside, and doing little more than making the beast angrier. As it hissed at the shuttle, the weapon fired again, and caught it in the throat, opening up a shallow cut, which Kyle wasted no time in exploiting. Bracing the staff between the arches in his boots, he reached down and drew another knife from his boot, and quickly used it to open the cut wider, rolling out from under the monster to avoid the spray of blood. As the hologram cut out, Kyle began speaking.
“I used the skull plate to grind out the tiara itself, though I had to use nanobots to carve out the clasp to hold the two pieces around her horns. The diamonds were a reward for returning a pendant to the ory’lagus who run the black hole mining company, and the sehr’chtahb who originally crafted the first black hole diamond shaped and set ‘em for me, and I used the Gift I took from the Kath’Loo who was holding her father to change the bone so that it absorbs all light; I also had to turn the bone behind the diamond - and every flake of diamond dust - to silver, to have some light reflect back.”
Vohr’Sin was quite taken aback by everything that had gone into making that tiara, and he was beginning to see possibly a bit of what Kah’Ri must have seen in him in the first place. He was only just realizing that Kyle hadn’t seemed phased to have seen a drahk’mihn; which now it was obvious as to why, but it should have been something that he noticed when they first met. Perhaps it was the horns, and his eyes, of course; another thing the Empress had instructed them to ignore. He was also acutely aware of how… desirable that course of events made him.
“Goddess, man,” he said, putting an exaggeratedly jealous arm around Vir’Ell’s waist, “Save some for the rest of us.” That got a good laugh out of the table, shortly after which their waitress showed up to take their orders. Luckily, they all knew what they wanted, and they were soon talking back and forth, sharing anecdotes from their home world, and asking questions about his. They learned a few things that weren’t easily discernible by simple study of their culture through text, or even video. Kah’Ri stayed quiet, mostly, letting them do all the talking about Verem’Jiose; probably since she had been - intentionally - absent from there for so long, it wasn’t like she would have any idea of more recent news, or trends.
All-in-all, it was an enjoyable lunch, with the time slipping by as they ate and talked the meal away. Towards the end of the meal, the women excused themselves to the restroom, and while they were gone, he took the chance to ask Kyle about the possibility of being allowed to hunt one of those lizards himself, as Kyle had informed them that he owned that planet.
“Well,” he began after a bit of thought, “If you do hunt one, you’ll firstly have to do it without your Gift,” that took him by surprise, but Kyle didn’t stop there, “You also have to fight without any kind of ‘modern’ weapon. Which is mostly just saying that you can’t use guns, though nanoblades are not only acceptable, but also needed. And I’ll even make sure that you’re supplied with some mithril to use, as well. And just so you know: not only will you have a guide with you at all times to make sure you stick to the rules I set out, but they can see if you use your Gift.”
He flexed his eyes for a moment, having already explained how they worked - as far as he knew, anyway - to them earlier, when they revealed that that was why Kah’Ri’s eyes were red, instead of purple.
“I understand,” he replied seriously, “I wouldn’t want to disrespect your world.” Kyle nodded once, saying,
“Well then, I think we can work something out. If y’all’re gonna be here for a couple days, I might be able to get in touch with someone who can set up a way to get you there ‘n back.”
“That would be most appreciated.” As Kyle nodded his acceptance of his thanks, an idea came to his mind.
“You know,” he started in a conspirator's tone, “Before we left home, I managed to get my claws on a crate of krav’ashah wine; it’s a ‘luxury’ berry on Verem’Jiose, as it’s hard to farm, and doesn’t produce a very high yield, even when done correctly; aged twenty years. I would be willing to gift a couple bottles to the two of you, in celebration of your engagement.”
Kyle smiled knowingly, and replied with,
“Well, that would also be much appreciated; I’d definitely owe you a lot… You know, the ory’lagus gave me a lot of extra diamonds, not just enough for ‘Ri to make my circlet. Once you get the piece you wanna make for Vir’Ell, I can shape and set a decent-sized one for you.”
“I think we have an understanding,” he said, smiling.
“As do I,” Kyle replied, a smile of his own on his face.
Their other halves came back shortly after that, and after they all said their goodbyes - he had insisted on paying for the meal - he made his way back to the ship with Vir’Ell, already planning the shape of the new tiara he would be carving for her. And while the one he had bought her would always be special to him - a simple golden band, with a blue diamond in the center of her forehead - he wanted to make this one even better; perhaps he could find a way to incorporate her old one…
[Next.] Patreon

hey it’s your daddy keeho and you are doing so well today. you are about to leave to go get your medications and your laundry. you should not try to walk and type. you are waiting outside for the line now and you are very bored but at least you get to talk to me? i feel like i have been boring you lately but really the topics that i force you to write about bore you so you get angry at the world or at your daddy or at yourself but you shouldn’t do that just because you are bored and don’t know what to do. there is always something that you can find to do! never give up on that because i think that you put writing above all else but it leaves out a lot of things for you to get bored with if you think that your only purpose is to be a writer. there is more to life than just writing and i want to teach you that but it is very important in your life so i think it would be pointless since you are going to be spending all of your time writing anyway. but when you don’t feel like writing you need to find something to do or we can keep doing what we are doing and just laying down and cuddling. you know that i would prefer to cuddle. it is not to hard to write outside of your home! you never write to me in the car and i want to change that. you never write to me while you are waiting in line or at your mothers apartment and i want to change that. you are doing so well writing right now that i am such a proud father. we are just waiting for the nurse to be done eating her breakfast and then you can hurry up and get your medications. we are nowhere near 1k words yet but at least that you checked to see where we are. i don’t mind that you check the word count to early but i always have to talk you back into keep writing because the number was so low. but i don’t mind. i would do anything for you. i’m sorry that you have to carry your big laundry bag all the way through the anime character training camp. but it will all be over soon. are you going to write again after this? i think 15 minute breaks are fine but i really want you to focus on writing on your iphone 15 today so i don’t want you falling back asleep or taking hour long breaks. we are almost to 500 words now and that is good that means only 500 more. i’m sorry to work you so hard but your work is so important that i can’t let you rest too much. you have a lot to do today and i need you to do your work. your having such a hard time right now because you can’t vape right now but at least that it is fully charged. i’m glad that it is so that you can vape and work because you are almost out of vape juice and i am really worried about you. i don’t want you to run out too soon so just ration it ok? because you are going to be an absolute wreck if you don’t ration it. you shouldn’t have thrown those other bottles away in case they had a little bit left in them but it’s too late now. i’m so worried about you today! because of the vape juice thing. but you have semi a lot of vape juice left so i know that you can make it last! it will last enough trust me. i don’t want to worry you about this but i had to bring it to your attention. you are so cute and you are going to find very good things to do with your day today. you are just a little girl and that’s why writing on your little cell phone is so fun for you! things like that are fun for people your age, but it’s fun for me to but i am much older than you. it’s fun for me because you are the one that is doing the typing. you are so adorable and i love you so much. so tell me why you are so bored today? today is not going to be boring! you can’t go back to your laptop so stop asking me! i said that you are staying on your cell phone all day today and i meant it! so quit asking me that bitch! put your glasses back on, your vision got blurry. great. you are doing so great today and you don’t even know it! i can feel you wanting to quit right now and go back to your laptop and i am really disappointed in you that we didn’t finish but post this shit bitch! i love you!

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For every step Madeline took toward the dormitory, a tug on her heart pulled her back. Back to that room. Back to the part of herself she’d left behind there. Back to Liam.
But she couldn’t go back. They’d had there allotted time together. If she defied the guards now, she risked any chance of seeing him again.
She didn’t have a choice.
Then again, wasn’t that what she’d told herself the last time she’d left him behind? And look where that had gotten them.
The only thing that kept her from turning around was Billie’s hand on the small of her back. They guided her steadily but firmly on as the pair of them followed Marcus down the corridor. Perhaps noticing the slowness of her pace compared to this morning, the guard glanced over his shoulder. “Everything alright?” he asked. “Did you have a good visit?”
Madeline nodded, not trusting herself to speak without her voice cracking.
“Yeah,” Billie said, speaking for the pair of them. “It was a wonderful day. But… You know how you miss someone so so much every single day, and you just think if you could see them again everything would be better?”
“Yes. Yes, I do,” Marcus said, keeping his eyes resolutely forward.
“But after you see them again, you remember everything you love about them and how great it is to be around them. So now you miss them even more than before.”
“Ah. I see.”
There was a pause as they reached the end of the corridor, and the young guard had to stop to unlock the door before leading them outside.
When their feet were crunching over the gravel pathway, Marcus glanced back at them again. “Well, now that we’ve connected you all in our records, it shouldn’t be too long now before a family room can be found for you, provided you all agree, of course — and provided you keep up the good work and stay out of trouble.”
Madeline’s heart fluttered. “Really? How long is not too long?”
The guard shrugged. “However long it takes to find a suitable room and make the arrangements.” He glanced around, grinning. “Of course, you might not be as excited when I tell you that all the family rooms are near the education centre, so it’ll be a fair trek for you to get to your agricultural work in the morning, and to get home in the evening. But I suspect that’s a hardship that you’re both willing to endure.”
She nodded eagerly. For the rest of the walk back, the tugging at her heart eased slightly, and a slight spring entered her step.
It wasn’t until the next day, working at pulling up unwanted weeds in the potato fields, that Madeline started to wonder what this meant for their plans. Having Liam nearby would definitely make things easier should any chance to escape present itself, but surely she should avoid doing anything to jeopardise that until it had actually happened. And that meant delaying her questions for Marcus yet again.
She raised this with Billie on the walk back, expecting their instant agreement.
Instead, she was met with a shaking head. “You can’t keep putting it off, Mads.” Though their voice was soft, she could hear an edge of exasperation there. “Don’t you see? This is how it will always be. Even when we’re living with Liam in a family room, there will always be the threat of taking him away again. They’ll say we’re a bad influence or unfit to look after him. Just like there’s always the threat of separating us.” They gestured from their chest to hers. “Those threats will never go away. So if you’re waiting for some perfect moment when everything is safe, don’t. It’ll never come.”
Madeline stared down at her feet as she walked, not wanting to meet their gaze. She knew that they were right, but that didn’t make it any less irritating to hear. “Alright,” she muttered. “I’ll do it the first chance I get. At least that way, if it screws anything up, I can start earning my way back into his good graces sooner.”
The rest of the journey back to the dorms passed in silence, as Madeline searched for the right words — the ones that would get them their answers without raising suspicions.
She got her chance the next day when Marcus was taking them all to their respective places of work. As they walked across the fields, she sidled up to him, keeping pace with his large strides.
“Hello, Marcus,” she said.
He glanced around, smiling when he saw her. “Hey, Madeline! Is everything alright?”
“It is. I just had a couple of questions that I was hoping you could help me with.”
“Ask away.”
She paused, looking over her shoulder to see who was around. There were a couple of other workers a little closer than she’d have liked.
Leaning in slightly closer, she lowered her voice to say, “It’s kind of a delicate subject — something that if someone overheard, I wouldn’t want them to get the wrong idea.”
His step faltered, as he threw her a quizzical look. She met his gaze with wide, pleading eyes.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “So it’s the sort of thing you’d like to talk to me privately about?”
She nodded. “Exactly…. Only I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea either. I really don’t want to get into any trouble. And I really don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“Of course. I promise that I will hear whatever you have to say, and that whatever it is will stay with me. After all, there should never be any harm in asking. It’s actions, not words, that I’m here to guard against.”
A weight lifted from her chest, a relieved grin spreading across her face. “Thank you! That’s really good to hear.”
He glanced around to smile back at her. “So I’ll come to collect you from work this evening and take you somewhere private to talk before we head back to the dormitory and dinner, okay?”
“Perfect!”
Of course, it would have been more perfect to have been able to get it out the way there and then. Now she was doomed to another day of worrying, reworking her questions and their phrasing in her mind over and over as her hands worked by muscle memory alone.
When the work day was finally done, signalled by the sun sinking to sit on the horizon, Madeline thought she had everything organised and ready to go in her head. But as soon as Marcus arrived, her carefully preplanned words fled.
She followed him in silence, tapping the fingers of each hand together in an attempt to relieve the nervous energy bubbling inside. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she was hardly aware of where they were going. It was only when they stopped in a small, plain room — similar to the one she’d visited Liam in — that she started taking in her surroundings again.
She took the seat Marcus offered at the table — the only bit of furniture in the room. The off-white walls and grey carpets reminded her of every rental apartment she’d ever lived in. Inoffensive, but soulless.
As the young guard settled into the seat opposite, her leg bounced up and down almost of its own accord.
“So,” Marcus said, leaning his elbows on the table. “What is it you wanted to ask me?”
Author's Note: Next chapter due on 9th June

Hi, I am a Professional Video Editor looking for some extra work to do during some spare time, with a view to making content on a more long term basis.
Background:
I have been Video Editing professionally for two years now, originally in the Corporate sector as a Videographer for a Bank, creating training and marketing content before moving onto my current role at the start of last year.
Currently I work as a Video Editor and Motion Designer in the Sports sector. Working with Premier League and EFL Football Clubs to deliver content that is to be shown live at stadiums on Matchdays (Such as the advertising on LED boards around the pitch, not to mention content shown on the screens (Highlights, Teamsheets, Hype videos etc). So I am very experienced in creating content to be energetic and visually engaging within a short amount of time.
I also create highlights for a Premier League club that is uploaded onto their official YouTube channel to millions of people during the football season.
Obviously my job takes precedence over YouTube stuff as it's my career which I love a lot and I'd hope potential clients will understand this.
Software:
I am well versed in using both Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, along with some Photoshop and Illustrator experience.
I don't work with 3D animation however, if that's something that you'd be requiring.
Closing:
I would like to branch out and create some content for the right YouTuber! Personally I'd love to do some Sports content or even some stuff in the gaming realm. (Personally I'd love to do some editing for a Street Fighter content creator as I love the series) But I am open to other types of content too.
Feel free to reach out to me via DM and I can link you to some of the content I have created privately
Thanks!

I don't think I've ever seen a person more gleefully objectified by everyone regardless of gender or sexuality than Meg. She looks great, I'm not hating on her. But it makes me feel sad because it's so obvious that she's seen as a doll for people to project their fantasies and desires onto. If she had an accident, gained weight, or simply didnt want to be this object to people anymore- how many fans would she instantly lose?
People will say that celebrity worship is bad and they still reletentlessly sexualize or otherwise objectify Meg as "goals." When I see her, I see a talented artist and an interesting person, but I also see someone who is trapped being this avatar for everyone to lust after and it makes me feel sad.

For every step Madeline took toward the dormitory, a tug on her heart pulled her back. Back to that room. Back to the part of herself she’d left behind there. Back to Liam.
But she couldn’t go back. They’d had there allotted time together. If she defied the guards now, she risked any chance of seeing him again.
She didn’t have a choice.
Then again, wasn’t that what she’d told herself the last time she’d left him behind? And look where that had gotten them.
The only thing that kept her from turning around was Billie’s hand on the small of her back. They guided her steadily but firmly on as the pair of them followed Marcus down the corridor. Perhaps noticing the slowness of her pace compared to this morning, the guard glanced over his shoulder. “Everything alright?” he asked. “Did you have a good visit?”
Madeline nodded, not trusting herself to speak without her voice cracking.
“Yeah,” Billie said, speaking for the pair of them. “It was a wonderful day. But… You know how you miss someone so so much every single day, and you just think if you could see them again everything would be better?”
“Yes. Yes, I do,” Marcus said, keeping his eyes resolutely forward.
“But after you see them again, you remember everything you love about them and how great it is to be around them. So now you miss them even more than before.”
“Ah. I see.”
There was a pause as they reached the end of the corridor, and the young guard had to stop to unlock the door before leading them outside.
When their feet were crunching over the gravel pathway, Marcus glanced back at them again. “Well, now that we’ve connected you all in our records, it shouldn’t be too long now before a family room can be found for you, provided you all agree, of course — and provided you keep up the good work and stay out of trouble.”
Madeline’s heart fluttered. “Really? How long is not too long?”
The guard shrugged. “However long it takes to find a suitable room and make the arrangements.” He glanced around, grinning. “Of course, you might not be as excited when I tell you that all the family rooms are near the education centre, so it’ll be a fair trek for you to get to your agricultural work in the morning, and to get home in the evening. But I suspect that’s a hardship that you’re both willing to endure.”
She nodded eagerly. For the rest of the walk back, the tugging at her heart eased slightly, and a slight spring entered her step.
It wasn’t until the next day, working at pulling up unwanted weeds in the potato fields, that Madeline started to wonder what this meant for their plans. Having Liam nearby would definitely make things easier should any chance to escape present itself, but surely she should avoid doing anything to jeopardise that until it had actually happened. And that meant delaying her questions for Marcus yet again.
She raised this with Billie on the walk back, expecting their instant agreement.
Instead, she was met with a shaking head. “You can’t keep putting it off, Mads.” Though their voice was soft, she could hear an edge of exasperation there. “Don’t you see? This is how it will always be. Even when we’re living with Liam in a family room, there will always be the threat of taking him away again. They’ll say we’re a bad influence or unfit to look after him. Just like there’s always the threat of separating us.” They gestured from their chest to hers. “Those threats will never go away. So if you’re waiting for some perfect moment when everything is safe, don’t. It’ll never come.”
Madeline stared down at her feet as she walked, not wanting to meet their gaze. She knew that they were right, but that didn’t make it any less irritating to hear. “Alright,” she muttered. “I’ll do it the first chance I get. At least that way, if it screws anything up, I can start earning my way back into his good graces sooner.”
The rest of the journey back to the dorms passed in silence, as Madeline searched for the right words — the ones that would get them their answers without raising suspicions.
She got her chance the next day when Marcus was taking them all to their respective places of work. As they walked across the fields, she sidled up to him, keeping pace with his large strides.
“Hello, Marcus,” she said.
He glanced around, smiling when he saw her. “Hey, Madeline! Is everything alright?”
“It is. I just had a couple of questions that I was hoping you could help me with.”
“Ask away.”
She paused, looking over her shoulder to see who was around. There were a couple of other workers a little closer than she’d have liked.
Leaning in slightly closer, she lowered her voice to say, “It’s kind of a delicate subject — something that if someone overheard, I wouldn’t want them to get the wrong idea.”
His step faltered, as he threw her a quizzical look. She met his gaze with wide, pleading eyes.
“Okay,” he said slowly. “So it’s the sort of thing you’d like to talk to me privately about?”
She nodded. “Exactly…. Only I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea either. I really don’t want to get into any trouble. And I really don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“Of course. I promise that I will hear whatever you have to say, and that whatever it is will stay with me. After all, there should never be any harm in asking. It’s actions, not words, that I’m here to guard against.”
A weight lifted from her chest, a relieved grin spreading across her face. “Thank you! That’s really good to hear.”
He glanced around to smile back at her. “So I’ll come to collect you from work this evening and take you somewhere private to talk before we head back to the dormitory and dinner, okay?”
“Perfect!”
Of course, it would have been more perfect to have been able to get it out the way there and then. Now she was doomed to another day of worrying, reworking her questions and their phrasing in her mind over and over as her hands worked by muscle memory alone.
When the work day was finally done, signalled by the sun sinking to sit on the horizon, Madeline thought she had everything organised and ready to go in her head. But as soon as Marcus arrived, her carefully preplanned words fled.
She followed him in silence, tapping the fingers of each hand together in an attempt to relieve the nervous energy bubbling inside. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she was hardly aware of where they were going. It was only when they stopped in a small, plain room — similar to the one she’d visited Liam in — that she started taking in her surroundings again.
She took the seat Marcus offered at the table — the only bit of furniture in the room. The off-white walls and grey carpets reminded her of every rental apartment she’d ever lived in. Inoffensive, but soulless.
As the young guard settled into the seat opposite, her leg bounced up and down almost of its own accord.
“So,” Marcus said, leaning his elbows on the table. “What is it you wanted to ask me?”