I was posted Are We Dating The Same Guy NYC (or at least I'm 90% sure I was). I'm not doing well.
Background and Dating
I am new to the dating game after a recent divorce. Using Hinge and Bumble has always been a nice way to date casually and to build up my confidence again. I've been on dozens of wonderful dates and met lots of really great people. There have been some fleeting hookups, some months-long relationships, and plenty of matches that don't advance past the first date. In all, my experience on Hinge and Bumble has been very positive. It's been a nice way to put myself out there, visit great restaurants and bars around the city, and strike up chemistry with women who I thought were way out of my league. From a rock bottom self-esteem after the divorce, the apps helped me regain some confidence. Somehow I kept having great dates with great people.
As a previously married guy, I have prided myself on knowing how to interact with women. I don't send lewd messages on apps. I try my very best to be respectful of other's time. My aim is and always has been to date conscientiously and respectfully. Consent is of the utmost importance - and it starts from the first message. From a date to a kiss (or more), engagement should always be affirmative and enthusiastic. Though I have dated around, I'd like to think that I haven't wronged anyone. I want nothing more than to share nice meals and laughter with any date. And if it leads to more, great.
Things Getting Weird
About 2 months ago, things started to get weird. It started with a woman I was seeing at the time. We had been on maybe 3-4 dates. She texted me one day to break things off. Her text basically said: "I didn't realize you were talking to other people and that doesn't work for me. Bye." A string of similar instances happened after that. I would plan dates and then be mysteriously unmatched. I would receive day-after messages like "I had a great time with you, but this isn't going to work. Thanks!" That happened several times. My strong hunch is that I've been posted in the AWDTSG NYC group. Maybe once, maybe twice, maybe more. I don't know. I don't know how the page works or how easy it is to search people on it, but I've convinced myself that I'm on it. I feel like I've been marked with a red flag.
Mental Health Nightmare
I'm an introverted guy. I don't want to be in the public sphere. I don't want people to know who I am. And now this. I can feel a pit in my stomach imagining the comments posted about me. Me.
Ugly. Short. Creepy. Too much baggage. Divorced. Out of shape. Only looking for sex. Self-centered. Doesn't look like his pics. Gross. Horn dog. Red flag. Ugly apartment. Weird. Douchey. Dumb. Rude.
I hate, absolutely dread, the idea of those things being said about me. It makes me want to pack my bags and leave this big dumb city forever. It makes me want to break down and cry. It makes me want to delete these fucking apps and become a recluse. It makes me terrified about professional repercussions. It makes me feel like when I go to the grocery store, people know who I am. It's a combination of fear, shame, disgust, depression, embarrassment.
I am not doing well... at all.
The thing is, I'm too scared to look. I have several female friends who are in AWDTSG NYC group--we've talked about it before. But I don't want to ask them. I don't want them to see (if they haven't already). And more importantly, I don't want to know the vile things that might be said about me.
I've been cooped up in my apartment the past few days. I don't want to leave. I don't want to open the apps. I don't want to do anything. I feel a profound sense of despair and malaise. I hate this.
What's Next?
The last time I checked, there are currently 113,000 members or so in AWDTSG NYC Facebook group. There are about 100 posts a day. Thousands of new members are added each week. I realize that my story is not unique. Any posts of me will eventually be buried, but that doesn't make it any easier in the short term. I am OK with sitting around and waiting out this storm. It might take a few months, a year. I don't know. In the meantime, I'm just going to sit around and wait. Despondently, that is.
In the meantime, could anyone provide some context about this page actually works? Do you search men by first name and last name? Do you search by phone number? Does it show your full Hinge profile? I'm just curious what the functionality is like on the inside.
If you're in a similar situation, I sincerely wish you the best. Prioritize your mental health. Wishing you all love and peace.

Hey everyone! Our family is moving to Melbourne from Canada and hoping to do the big move with just 4 suitcases. While we have a long term accommodation set up, we are renting a camper van for a week to explore Tasmania and other nearby cities before settling into our rental.
Where would you recommend storing suitcases for about a week? That’s safe and affordable?
TIA!

June 10th, 327
It’s been a bit since I’ve written here. I decided to give Augustine a looser leash and I allowed him to explore the outside world as long as he knew what he was doing.
June 11th, 327
Augustine said he had something to tell me later tonight, he’d been exploring almost every day now, the active sense of adventure that boy has honestly impresses me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A: Hey Zach
Z: Hey what’s up?
A: I wanna tell you about something I found while I was exploring the other day.
Z: Spill then.
A: Alright, so as I was playing around with my long distance teleportation spell and I ended up on the base of a large mountain range. It was strange as I couldn’t teleport all the way to the top, it was like something within the very mountain’s mineral makeup was negating my attempts to teleport up to its peak. So I decided to scale the mountain the old fashion way: climbing it. Thanks to the enhancements given to me by that project I scaled the mountain in no time, and the other side? It was like nothing the world has ever seen, the mountain range was hiding a large gulf of water, a large island placed just within the gulf, lush forest and 2 large mountains towards the center, a place that seemed untouched by time itself. It could be the perfect place to permanently hide from the Templar, after all we can only hide in this cabin for so long before they eventually find us.
I was certainly surprised at the fact that he was able to scale an entire mountain with seemingly very little effort, but what interested me more was the island he discovered. He claimed it looked “untouched” but the higher ups at the Templar claimed they have colonized nearly all the available land in this world so to have an entire island be left untouched is almost like foreign concept, something of legend.
Z: An untouched island? Not only untouched but also unheard of. The Templar said they’ve colonized all known land in this world.
A: I know! But I couldn’t see any mana towers among the trees or any humans from the peak of the mountains.
Z: Well if still untouched after all this time, chances are that they won’t find it anytime soon.
A: exactly! A place where the Templar will never reach…solemn look
Z: What's wrong Augustine? The memories and thoughts haunting you again?
A: yea, I’m sorry to constantly bother you with them but I’ve kept them contained for too long
Z: Hey, hey it’s alright. You’ve never been a bother at all, helping you deal with your issues is what friends are for.
A: I appreciate it Zach, for the longest time Elock was really the only friend I’ve ever had so it’s enlightening hearing someone else say that, to this day I still wonder where she is today and if she’s even alive! I used to have nightmares where I would meet her again just to discover that she’s-
Z: it’s alright, I’m sure she thinks about you every day too and most likely wonders the same every night.
A: Yeah I know, but it’s hard remaining optimistic in this world with the whole war between humans and keidran going on.
Z: Well to me that island sounds like a great place to start.
A: agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Augustine and I agreed to visit the island he found beyond the mountains tomorrow, he thinks it’ll be the perfect place to hide from the Templar.
June 12th, 327
Augustine said that the mountain range was incredibly far, about days worth of running in Augustine’s estimation, so teleporting there is just another thing to add to the list of things he impresses me with. While the material the mountain range is composed of prevents any magic from directly interacting with them, they don’t extend beyond that, so Augustine offered to fly us up there using a telekinetic spell.
Turns out Augustine is only used to telekinetically lifting one item, how do I know? Because he accidentally dropped me. Luckily I landed in a tree. After traversing both sides of the mountain and making it across the water, we arrived on the island at last and man Augustine wasn’t lying. It truly was beautiful, lush fruit bearing trees, 2 large mountains and not even the smallest hint of Templar interference!
We headed further inland and decided to stay at the valley between the 2 mountains with Augustine immediately getting to work and hacking away at the tree with the guard’s sword. After a few hours of work, Augustine already had a large pile of planks with me barely keeping up and Augustine teasing me about it, oh I’m sorry not everyone is a magically enhanced super soldier.
It was beginning to grow dark and we made the decision to head back to the cabin for today and continue the build some later time. Augustine made a waypoint in the cabin so getting back was easy though it had some issues as it took a while to activate. I took a rock sample from the mountains to analyze back at the cabin.
June 13th, 327
This was fascinating! The rock sample I took had incredibly unique properties never before seen! Its primary ability was “absorbing” sources of mana. I had stabbed one of our mana crystals into the rock and I observed as it broke down the crystal over the course of an hour! This explains why Augustine couldn’t teleport up the mountain. So even if the Templar did find the mountain they would never get over it, even with the most powerful mages magic.
Augustine had gone out to town again, he said it was to pick up building tools to help shore up the house we were building. He claimed he could handle it on his own and despite me wanting to protest, I let him go through with it. Unfortunately the town we went to around a week ago didn’t have a hardware store as any construction must run through Lulio first, so Augustine had to head to the neighboring town to see if he could find anything there.
~~~~~~~~~~
(Cut to Augustine’s pov)
Thoughts: “ugh cmon how hard could a hardware store be to find, it feels like I’ve been searching for hours already!”
sees sign with a hammer on it
“Gah! Finally!”
heads inside
Shopkeeper: Greetings sir! How may I assist you today?
“Uhh it’s alright I can handle it on my own, thanks for the offer though!”
Thoughts: this time the illusion should last longer as these mana crystals are fresh rather than being recharged.
grabs a large amount of nails, 2 hammers, some axes to preserve his sword, saws, sand paper, and stone blocks
Shopkeeper: Oh my sir, this is an awful load that you’ll have to carry on your own, are you sure you can handle it?
“Yes I’m sure…”
Shopkeeper: Are you sure? We have a policy that allows you to rent slaves to help you with whatever you’re working on.
“No, n-“
(Shopkeep rings a bell to send a slave to the front before Augustine could interject)
Thoughts: are you kidding me? Gahhh cmon Zack is waiting for me and I don’t wanna keep him on the line!
Female voice: coming!
Augustine: frustrated and staring at the floor
Shopkeeper: How about this one? Hard worker she is, very cooperative, very friendly.
Augustine: looks up
Elock: hello sir! How may I assist you today?
shivering
Thoughts: E- Elock?! When?! How?! I thought you worked for a farmer?! I can’t say anything, it'll reveal my identity to the worker! Okay, okay, okay just keep it calm!
“I- uh stuttering I changed my mind! She can help me, I’ll take her!”
Shopkeeper: I’m not surprised, she’s gone from owner to owner as she’s quite a hard worker, she’s worth a lot of money after being traded so many times before ending up at my place. 1000G for 7 days.
“I- yes I’ll take her”
Shopkeeper: perfect!
exits with supplies and Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock looking at Augustine’s wanted poster: solemn
“Something wrong?”
Elock: oh! N-nothing! It’s just these ropes binding my hands are just a bit tight! And W-where are we heading sir? We’re outside of town at this point and I- uh-
A: chuckles a bit you’re still just as bad as ever at hiding your nervousness Elock
Elock: Ah- I- how do you know my name?!
A: unties the rope and disables illusion It’s been a while, wouldn’t you agree?
Elock in shock and on the verge of tears: I…A…trembling, mouth slightly ajar in shock
A: what? Cat got your tongue? Well I guess that’s true consid-
Elock: pounces on him AUGUSTINE! I’ve missed you so much!How have you been?!Where did you- starts talking so fast that even Augustine couldn’t keep up with what she was saying and weeping happy tears profusely on his shirt
A: slightly choking from how tight she’s hugging him it’s okay, it’s okay! I’ve missed you too. I almost thought you were gonna be de- ow ow! Stop it I was kidding!
Elock: blep I know. Not a single day went by where I didn’t think about you! And say weren't your eyes brown before?
A: I’m flattered that you still remember and well…it’s kind of a long story…but first let’s retreat to safety. teleports with Elock
~~~~~~~~~~
A: …and then I ended up here
Elock: That’s incredible! You sure had been on a wild cart ride while I was gone! I wish I could have been there.
A: It's not as glamorous as it sounds, that experiment was agony incarnate, it’s a wonder I survived! In fact I was the only one who came out alive, though the powers I got bestowed with are certainly nothing to complain about but still the effects after we’re brutal.
Elock: glad you did, the way you and Zach escaped the facility was incredible.
A: well he can tell you all about it points to cabin we’ve arrived
Zach opens door
A: Hey Zach, I’m back from my shopping spree.
Z: Augustine what took you so long? The plan was to just get the supplies and get out.
A: I know! But I got a bit off track. I found someone very special.
Elock: pokes head through the door Mrow?
A: meet Elock, remem-
Z: her! The keidran you met when you were 10?
A: yup to Elock it’s alright Elock it’s fine he won’t bite.
Elock: H- hello sir.
Z: please call me Zach. It’s a pleasure.
shakes hand
Elock: it’s a nice place you 2 have here.
A: It was by sheer luck that we found this place actually.
Z: Yeah, the blast was much larger than we’d anticipated and even if my house remained intact, they’d still come searching for me.
Elock: Well lucky you found this place when you did.
A: Are you hungry Elock? We have some steak leftovers.
Elock: oh, I am actually, thank you!
Z: say Elock…
Elock: yes?
Z: Would you mind telling us your journey? I’d love to learn.
A: Zach!
Z: Right, sorry.
Elock: No, no Augustine, it’s alright. I don’t mind in the slightest.
Life in the rainforest regions was paradise, plenty of food, clean sources of water, plenty of building materials, and a beautiful sight to wake up to everyday. My parents worked directly under the matriarch, Lektra(keidran for bolt/thunder) so me being born was almost as exciting as the coronation of the matriarch herself. Unfortunately that swiftly came to a close when Lulio decided to use our home as farmland and despite protests from Lektra, Lulio still went through with the plan. In a flash everything was pretty much destroyed. Our warriors tried to fight back but were eliminated instantly, I was about 3 when this happened and the memory still burns strong to this day.
Augustine: muttering under his breath psychotic bastard…
Elock: I know how you feel, Augustine, trust me I do.
A: I know, I’m sorry
Elock: holds his hand It's alright.
After the destruction of my people and my home, I was sent into the town and stayed in a keidran only home until my 4th birthday. Instead of pleasant accommodations like human orphan homes, all we got was a pillow and some sheets to make ourselves comfortable with, most of us slept on the hardwood floor and it was unbearable. Lulio passed a law where keidran as young as 4 would be eligible for work. After my 4th birthday I was almost immediately whisked off to work on a farm, while the job was tough, they at least gave me my own room and bed, one of their guests even took a small liking to me but tragically he died of a lung infection.
Z: I lament your journey and loss Elock, I can’t imagine how tough this was to bear all at once.
Elock: please it’s okay, you don’t have to apologize for anything. None of this is any of your wrongdoing.
Z: You said your people were killed but what about your parents? Did they survive too?
Elock: Oh right! My parents were spared as they opted to surrender peacefully and they were sold to different owners. I used to occasionally see them from time to time but after I moved I had to say a tearful goodbye to both them and Augustine. playfully pinches his cheek
Z: You’re strong for getting through that, not many could take that much.
Elock: I appreciate that.
Z: Do you have any idea where your parents are right now?
Elock: I think they’re still in the same tow- Augustine? Are you okay?
A: on the other hand gripping the table so hard that it was gonna break, eyes with a look of both confusion and rage
Elock: Augustine?
A: I- I saw them…
Elock: What do you mean?
A: They were there…in the same room.
Elock: Are you talking about the operation?
A: Y- yes…I saw them, both of them. They were in the operation too, part of the 10 keidrans selected to be in the experiment. I briefly saw them looking at me, they were scared but I couldn’t do a damn thing to help them and now they're dead! slowly growing hysterical
Elock: Augustine!
A: snaps out of his hysterics
Elock: it’s not your fault! Neither of you have to feel guilty!
A: I know, but I just wish I could have done something to help them, but I was just a powerless child.
Z: Augustine. We all wish we could have done something to stop Lulio’s plan, we all feel the same way just please don’t put all the blame on yourself.
A: I know, I'm sorry…
Elock: it’s alright…we’re all here to support you, you got hit the hardest out of all so you should be the one to be the one who receives sympathy.
A: …thanks guys, It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve heard something so comforting.
Elock: don’t worry, we’ll never leave and when we do, we’ll leave together.
A: …oh! Elock, I hate to do this but would you mind helping us with something? We found a place that could be our key to salvation.
Elock: Of course! I don’t mind in the slightest.
A: teleports all 3 of them via waypoint
~~~~~~~~~~
Elock: in awe of the island I…this is incredible! It reminds me so much of my home! And you were right! There’s no hint of Templar activity at all!
A: We were just as shocked as you are right now when we first found it. I mean like Zach said, the Templar claimed that they have settled on all available land in this world.
Elock: Well then, let’s make good use of this place, so let’s get to work!
A: I couldn't have said it better myself.
hours later, the trio had finished building a moderate sized wooden house
A: woo! Not bad for a day's work, am I right?
Elock: Mrrrr…man that was a nice workout!
Z: Tell me about it!
A: So Elock, should we tell Zach?
Elock: I think so!
Z: Tell me…what?
A: Well…on the way here, Elock and I started thinking and we were thinking of a way we could free other slaves from their captors.
Z: sigh… well at this point, I know better than to criticize your plan before even hearing it so go ahead, spill it on me.
A: Operation: torchwick
—————

1. Elock would be our messenger, using her spare time to get any other slaves on board with the plan, amassing as many as possible.
   
2. On the large hill next to the town, we plant a large amount of gray mana crystals. Where downhill wind will carry the effect down into the town
   

(Gray mana crystals were created for a special purpose, making large smokescreens on the battlefield)

1. I would then use a spell that emits a light that can’t be perceived by humans but can be seen by keidrans and basitins alike, Which would act as the signal to go for it.
   
2. The group would then head towards the light where we would then break for the mountains as fast as possible.
   

(Unfortunately the waypoint spell barely lasts for even a few days, and teleporting a large group of people via waypoint could be tough even for me)
I would then use as much of my power as possible to telekinetic lift as many refugees as possibl-
Z: Yeah…considering that you almost dropped me off the side of the mountain, I think even you would have trouble lifting a bunch of slaves.
A: hey!
Elock: Mreeheehee!
A: anyways! After we figure out a way to get everyone up there, we’ll be untouchable!
Z: huh…well from one chaotic strategist to another, it’s worth a shot.
A: Perfect! See Elock?
Elock: mew?
A: I kept the promise I made, all those years ago! when we meet again, it’ll be your freedom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also for anyone who wants to know a bit more about Elock:
Name: Elock of the rainforest leopards
Species: rainforest leopard
Languages: human, keidran
Physical characteristics: yellow fur, black nose marking, black rosettes running down back and onto tail, unusually big and poofy tail, butter yellow hair with black streaks, faint outline of heart pattern on her behind
Height: 5’4”
Age: 9 years(was 4 when she met Augustine)
Eye color: emerald green
Mental characteristics:
-Quick learner
-Eager to help
-Bad at hiding panic
-Imaginative
-Heart of gold
-Shy but slowly growing out of it
-Optimistic
Likes: adventure, rain, storytelling, being adored, helping, hugs(especially from Augustine), pouncing on people she cares about.
Dislikes: slavery, Templar(although not as intensely as most others)
Unlike most, Elock had the ability to both read and write prior to slavery, being taught by both her parents and Lektra herself. Spending most of her time reading and drawing using whatever material she could find.

Sorry, it’s a long one.
As the title says, I’ve been thinking about breaking up with my girlfriend of a little over a year. We’d been great friends for a few years prior and when we got together we both thought it was perfect. Obviously it was the whole “honeymoon phase,” or whatever, but it did genuinely feel good to be away from the bad relationships I’d been in in the past and finally in a good one.
As the environment in her apartment got pretty bad with her roommates she no longer felt safe there and so, quite soon into the relationship, she ended up moving in with me. In turn, we split my rent which helped me stay in the big city even with a very sudden increase to my rent. I honestly thought that us living together was the best situation for us both: we could stay together in a place where we both felt safe and loved.
Unfortunately, not much later on, I found out that there was a lot more in store for me than I’d originally anticipated.
She has always had some mental health issues which she was always seemingly in control of and, before we dated, had gone through a lot of therapy and gotten the help she needed to overcome her issues. That said, it seemed to get worse again while dealing with a plethora of issues including but not limited to financial problems concerning her ex-roommates and especially issues surrounding work and her family. Throughout all of this, though, I was there for her.
While dealing with these very difficult situations she became increasingly depressed and even s***idal. Nevertheless, I encouraged her to seek help again in any form she might need and tried to give her ways of coping. None of this advice she took and, on several occasions, has outright refused to access special services offered to her for coping during crisis. When I suggested I talk to her family for help, she begged me not to for fear of them bringing her back home and away from me (she is from another country).
This continued for some months with ups and downs and plenty of hospital visits. There would be weeks which would be pretty bad but there was some genuinely excellent days which, realistically, is likely why I’ve held out. I’ve been speaking to a therapist myself ever since this started in order to finds ways to cope (and perhaps impart this wisdom on her when she needs it) but she doesn’t know I’ve been talking to anyone.
That said, she does an incredible job of keeping all that stuff hidden and downplaying it in front of our friends. Whenever we’re out you might hear her crack the occasion self-deprecating joke but she will walk around with utmost confidence as if she’s totally fine. This is often stiffened with alcohol. As soon as we’re alone, though, she immediately goes back to being upset and refuses to tell me why if I ask her what’s up. Sometimes I wonder if she’s serious that she’s not doing so good or if she’s just playing it up in front of me so that I care about her and/or give her the attention she wants - as if I wouldn’t anyway. I suppose that’s a sign of something else entirely though.
We spoke about communication but she isn’t interested and never takes my thoughts into account. I just want her to talk to me so we can get past whatever she’s going through. She says she can’t do it.
It became harder through all this to see friends on my own without her getting herself into a panic about one thing or another. I think it’s separation anxiety but it’s to a ridiculous degree that’s unhealthy for either of us. She doesn’t have a lot of her own friends to turn to or hang with either but we do share some and the few she does have of her own are genuinely great people… she just doesn’t want to spend time with them. When she does, I’m usually forced to be there too.
It also got harder after this for me to pursue music. To be perfectly honest, there’s not a lot of people to pick from within our circles that can play an instrument and so I play in her band as well as a couple more. I try to split my time equally as all the bands are fun for me and I’m happy do my bit, expand my playing across the genres and whatnot… but she doesn’t like that. Instead, she finds it’s threatening that I’m in any band that isn’t hers in case I lose interest in hers or in case I sideline her band which she desperately wants to make work (despite me having to book gigs and organise rehearsals for her). I’m often guilted into not going to rehearsals that aren’t for her band but, when I do, she comes with me and gets annoyed/upset if I look too happy or interested.
I have expressed that I would like some more freedom but it doesn’t seem to matter as, in every way, I’m supposed to pity her and console her for not being as outgoing which basically means in the end I have to stay in with her instead. I can’t even go out for a drink with my friends after work without her freaking out that I’m going to be home late and we won’t have time together. While I could understand this if I didn’t spend any time with her… we live together, wake up together, cook and eat together, go out together, play music together and fall asleep together. I don’t get any time away from her besides going to work.
On top of all this, there’s an unhealthy amount of alcohol being consumed to boot and sometimes even Xanax because she “likes the taste”.
This is all without a bunch of stuff that would make this already essay-long post a lot longer.
I’ve tried talking to her but I just don’t think I can do it anymore. She doesn’t care to listen and I kind of doubt she respects me at all. The negatives have all been far outweighing the positives recently. I can’t cope with the strain that dealing with this relationship is putting on me.
Do I cut things off now before it gets any worse or do I try again to get her some actual help? Am I being harsh? There are some days where we are great but they’re just so rare, everything seems to be an issue for her. Where would she go if we split? I can’t afford to live here alone, where would I go? I still love her so the last thing I want is to hurt her or make things any more difficult for her.
Any advice on how to handle this situation or prepare/approach the breakup will be ridiculously well received. Again, sorry for the long post and I appreciate if you took the time to read and help.
TL;DR: Girlfriend has a bunch of mental health issues and is hard to live with. How do I break up with her to help us both?

The Hedgewitch of Huntington

(Fairy Dust - Book 1)

By J. S. Lynch

Chapter 1: Alex

Alex stared out the window of the Greyhound bus, watching the scenery change from urban to rural. She saw nothing but a blur of green and brown as if someone had smeared a dirty paintbrush across a canvas, with the occasional flash of red and yellow breaking the mottled monotony. Coupled with the drone from the bus’s AC and with the steady rumble of the tires on the blacktop, it would almost be enough to lull her to sleep. Except, she wouldn’t let herself fall asleep. The last time she dozed off, she had a nightmare: her mother being dragged away screaming by men in white coats. Technically, that was a memory, but at least she could force herself to not think about it while she was awake.
The scent of gasoline and sweat permeated the air. Alex’s mouth felt dry, and her saliva tasted bitter. She knew she had a bottle of water in her backpack, but it was too much of a hassle to dig it out from under her seat. Someone behind her sneezed.
Gross.
The air felt so stale and suffocating. She wished she could just open her window and get some fresh air. When she tried to pull it open earlier, the window jammed, leaving it just open enough to create a disproportionately annoying whistle for the rest of the trip. Alex was pretty sure the rock-hard seat digging into the back of her legs would leave a bruise. She felt trapped. She felt like a prisoner, being transferred to death row.
But maybe she deserved it; after all, this was her fault. It was her fault that her mom was gone; it was her fault that she was now on a bus to nowhere. Guilt warred with bitterness in Alex’s heart. On the one hand, she had just left behind everything she knew in Baltimore: her mother, her home, her school, her friends. On the other hand, it’s not like she had that many friends. Or a real home. Or a good school. Or a loving mother. But still, it was familiar. It was hers. And Alex had just flushed it all down the drain.
And now she was heading to Huntington, West Virginia, to live with a stranger. A stranger who just happened to be her biological father. A stranger who had abandoned Alex and her mother before she was even born. A stranger who had no idea who Alex really was, much less what he was getting himself into.
Alex glanced at the woman sitting next to her. Ms. Jones, a kind-faced woman with mocha skin and dark, curly hair that seemed to have a mind of its own, sat, sorting through some papers and humming to herself. She had a gentle voice and a friendly energy, but Alex didn’t trust her. Alex didn’t dislike her, she just couldn’t trust someone who acted as if they cared just “oh, so much.” But Ms. Jones was there to help her- she knew that. She was Alex’s caseworker and had been nothing if not kind to her since her mom had been committed.
Ever since I got her committed.
She stopped that train of thought immediately. There wasn’t much point, thinking about that now.
“Are you okay, Alex?” Ms. Jones asked, noticing Alex’s waning gaze.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Alex lied. She wasn’t, but it’s not like that mattered.
“We’ll be there soon,” Ms. Jones said, trying to sound reassuring. “Your father will be waiting for us at the bus station. I’m sure he’s very excited to meet you.”
“Yeah, sure he is,” Alex muttered under her breath.
Ms. Jones sighed and turned back to the folder on her lap, rifling through the papers.
“Here are some documents I will need you to look over,” she said, handing Alex a few papers. “They’re just formalities. You can look them over now, or we can go over them together once we meet up with your dad.”
Alex took the papers and scanned them briefly. They seemingly covered details about how the transfer would be expected to go and how CPS would follow up to ensure Alex was adjusting well and being taken care of. After skimming the papers for a few minutes and pretending to skim them even longer, Alex passed them back to Ms. Jones, who smiled and slipped them neatly into her folder. Alex gave her a tight-lipped smile in return.
“Thank you, Alex,” she said. “You’ve been very cooperative. I appreciate that.”
“No problem,” Alex said, shrugging and looking away.
Ms. Jones checked her watch and looked out the window.
“We should reach the rest stop in a few minutes,” she said. “Are you hungry? Do you want to get something to eat?”
“No, I’m okay,” Alex said, shaking her head. She couldn’t eat even if she wanted to. Her stomach felt like she had swallowed a brick of lead.
“Well, okay. Maybe later then,” Ms. Jones replied.
“Sure.”
Alex closed her eyes and pressed her head against the window, the pane of glass a little warmer than the air. Everything was just too overwhelming. There were too many noises, too many people. Too many thoughts and feelings were running through her head, not all of them her own. Occasionally, she would catch a glimpse, a fragment of a foreign thought or memory, or a quick stab of a random emotion. It was exhausting. It was painful. Alex wished they would all just shut up and leave her alone.
— — —
The intercom crackled, snapping Alex out of her stupor. The bus driver’s voice came through it, a rich and gravelly sound as if she had been smoking a pack a day since birth. It was weirdly comforting.
“Attention, passengers, we’ll be stopping soon to fuel up and let everyone stretch their legs. Please stay seated until the bus comes to a complete stop,” She intoned in a practiced-if-exasperated cadence. “We will be stopped for twenty-five minutes, and any passenger not on the bus by the time I close the doors will be left behind.”
As the driver spoke, Alex opened her eyes and looked around. They were pulling into the parking lot of some podunk truck stop in some nowhere-town.
“Would it have killed them to stop somewhere a little nicer?” Alex muttered to herself sarcastically.
As the bus rolled to a stop, Ms. Jones tapped Alex on the shoulder.
“Come on, Alex,” she said with a gentle smile. “Let’s go stretch our legs and get some fresh air.”
Alex nodded and followed her to the front of the bus. They stepped off the bus and into the gas station’s parking lot. It was a small, shabby place with a few pumps and a convenience store. An unlit sign read “Tony’s.”
Ms. Jones took out her wallet and handed Alex some money.
“Here, take this,” she said. “At least get yourself a snack or something to drink, okay? I’ll be right back.”
She then marched double-time toward the restroom, leaving Alex alone.
Alex looked at the money in her hand and felt a surge of bitterness. She didn’t need her pity or her charity- she didn’t want it. Stuffing the money in her pocket, she looked around at the people milling about the gas station: a couple of truck drivers filling up their tanks, a family with kids buying snacks at the store, a young woman with a dog sitting on a bench.
Alex wondered what their lives were like. Where were they going? Where did they come from? What sort of things did they care about? What kind of secrets were they keeping?
I could find out…
She glanced back toward the bus. The door was open and the driver was nowhere to be seen. Alex figured she would probably be smoking behind the store.
Walking toward the road, Alex stared at the cars and trucks rushing past along the highway. She could try to flag someone down and hitchhike. Or maybe she could pay someone at the gas station to give her a ride, to take her somewhere else. Somewhere far away from here. She retrieved the crumple bills Ms. Jones gave her from her pocket. Ten bucks. Alex sighed and put the money away. Maybe if she just made a run for it? Alex wondered how long it would take for Ms. Jones to come back.
Alex took another step toward the edge. Then she stopped, hesitating.
“How long would it be before anyone noticed I was gone? Would anyone even care?”
She stared down at the speeding traffic, the creeping realization that she had nowhere else to go pressing on her mind. She had nowhere to go, no one who cared about her, and there was nothing she could do. Nothing except go to Huntington and meet Noah.
She tried to swallow but found her mouth still dry. There wasn’t any point in trying to run away, not anymore.
Resigned, Alex walked back toward the store. She might as well use that ten bucks.
— — —
As she entered, she was greeted by a blast of cold air and a jingling bell. The store was small and cramped, with shelves full of junk food, drinks, magazines, cigarettes, and lottery tickets. A TV mounted on the wall played some news channel.
She wandered around the store, looking at the items with little interest. She didn’t want anything, but she figured that buying something would at least get Ms. Jones off her back. Maybe just a candy bar or a soda.
She picked up a chocolate bar and examined it. A thin film of dust covered the wrapper. It must have been older than she was. Dropping it, she moved to the coolers. She scanned the shelves, but nothing looked good.
She wandered the aisles, eventually picking up a magazine. It was one of those gossip rags that had pictures of celebrities and their scandals. Flipping through it, she saw a headline that read “Hollywood’s Hottest Couples: Who’s In and Who’s Out?” She rolled her eyes and tossed it back on the rack.
She felt the faintest hint of a prickling at the back of her mind, barely an itch. Someone was watching her. Looking up, she saw a girl standing at the other end of the aisle, near the counter. The girl was about Alex’s age, maybe a year or two older. She had long blonde hair that fell in waves over her shoulders, blue eyes that sparkled like diamonds, and a perfect smile that showed off her white teeth. She wore a pink tank top that hugged her curves, denim shorts that showed off her legs, and flip-flops that matched her top. She had a silver necklace around her neck and a gold bracelet on her wrist. She looked like she had stepped out of one of those magazines Alex had just discarded.
The girl was holding a bottle of water and a pack of gum. She smiled at Alex and said, “Hi.”
Alex managed a meek “Hi” before quickly walking away, her cheeks burning red.
She felt like she had just seen everything she wasn’t, someone who was beautiful, confident, and happy.
Alex looked down at herself and felt ashamed. She wore an old T-shirt that was too big, jeans that were too tight, and sneakers that were too worn. Her face was plain; her short brown hair was messy and dull and desperately needed to be cut. She wore no makeup or jewelry except for a cheap watch that barely worked.
She headed towards the restroom at the back of the store. She needed to get away from everyone and everything for a while.
The women's restroom was occupied, so she slipped into the men's room instead, locking the door behind her. The room was small and dirty, with a sink, a toilet, a mirror, and a trash can. There was graffiti on the walls and stains on the floor. It reeked of piss and 409.
She felt exhaustion and despair wash over her and walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. She splashed water on her face and stared into the mirror. Tired, brown eyes stared back at her. She saw a girl who looked lost and powerless. A girl who had no control over her life. A girl who had no future.
She hated what she saw.
She wished she could change it.
She wished she could change everything.
— — —
Back on the bus, she sat quietly, listening to music on her iPod Nano. It was three more hours before they reached Huntington. Ms. Jones tried making small talk a few times, but Alex wasn’t in the mood. The minutes, hours passed. Alex woke with a start when Ms. Jones shook her, not realizing she had even fallen asleep. At least she didn’t have the dream this time. Small blessing.
“Sorry, Alex, I didn’t mean to startle you. We’re here,” came Ms. Jones’ voice, muffled through Alex’s headphones.
Alex stopped her music, got up, and followed Ms. Jones off the bus, resigned to whatever fate awaited her. The bus station was small and crowded, with only a few benches and ticket counters. The air was thick with the smell of exhaust fumes and stale coffee. Alex looked around at all the people scurrying about. She idly wondered which one of them was her father. Obviously, not the angry mom arguing with the clerk. Not the little boy crashing toy cars together at her feet. Hopefully, it wasn’t the raggedy, older gentleman sleeping with his head on his suitcase. She figured it probably wasn’t the black guy in his early twenties playing games on a DS.
She wondered what he would look like, what he sounded like, what he acted like. She almost started to wonder if he would be anything like her mom but stopped herself, digging her nails into her palms.
Ms. Jones took out her phone and loaded a picture of Alex’s father. She scanned the crowd for his face, looking anxious. The older woman showed the picture to Alex and asked her to help look for him.
A wave of disappointment crashed into Alex when she saw it. He was a middle-aged man with brown hair and blue eyes. He had a scruffy beard and a crooked smile. He wore a work jacket and a faded blue Baltimore Ravens baseball cap. He looked like a loser.
“See him yet?” Ms. Jones asked after a few minutes of searching.
“Nope,” Alex said, shaking her head.
“Well, he was supposed to meet us here at the station,” Ms. Jones said, looking displeased. “-holding a sign with your name on it.”
Alex looked around again but didn’t see anyone with a sign. “Maybe he’s late,” Alex said, secretly hoping he wouldn’t show.
“Maybe,” Ms. Jones said, sounding doubtful.
Ms. Jones sighed and put away her phone. She put her hand on Alex’s shoulder with a gentle squeeze.
“Hey,” she said softly, “how are you feeling? Are you okay? Are you nervous?”
Alex shrugged off Ms. Jones’ hand and looked away.
“I'm fine,” she said, maybe a little too irritably.
Ms. Jones frowned and tried again.
“Alex, I know this is hard for you. Believe me. I know you’ve been through a lot. But this is a chance for you to start over. To have a family again.”
Something in Alex snapped.
“A family!? Do you really think I’m gonna live a Brady Bunch life with this guy? He left before I was even born! He didn’t even know I existed until, what? A few weeks ago?”
Ms. Jones opened her mouth to say something, but Alex cut her off.
“Just stop it,” she said bitterly. “I don’t wanna hear your promises about how I’m gonna have this perfect fairytale life from now on, okay? I’m just so sick of everyone lying to me!”
Ms. Jones closed her mouth and looked hurt.
“Alex,” she said softly. “I’m not lying to you. Please, just trust me on that. I won’t promise that everything is gonna be okay from now on ‘cause I have no idea how it’ll turn out. But you’re one of the toughest kids I know, Alex, and I know how much you’ve been hurt. You deserve a chance to start over and have an easy life, and this guy might be able to give you that. He signed the paperwork saying he wanted to be your parent, so can you at least give him a chance to try?”
Alex felt her rage falter like a rug had been pulled out from beneath her. It was weird to hear Ms. Jones speak so honestly, and it had disarmed her. Alex felt a little embarrassed- ashamed, really.
“I’m… I’m sorry,” Alex sputtered out with a sigh. “You’re right.”
“And if he turns out to be a jerk, I’ll let you help me kick his ass, okay?” Ms. Jones said with a conspiratorial smile. “We got a deal?”
“Deal,” replied Alex, with her own small smile.
“Now, where the hell is he?” huffed Ms. Jones as she began to look around again.
“Maybe he died,” Alex said with a wicked smirk and a shrug.
Ms. Jones grimaced and shook her head. She checked her phone, noticing a missed call from her office. She hurriedly punched in a phone number and hit the call button. A staticky voice picked up on the other end. Alex couldn’t hear what the other agent was saying, but she could tell by Ms. Jones’ expression that it wasn’t good news.
The older woman frowned and began to pace. Alex only heard Ms. Jones’s side of the conversation, “What? How? Why? Oh, gosh. What do we do now? Another placement? Okay. Alright. Thank you, I’ll talk to her..”
She ended the call and looked at Alex with a sad and sorry smile.
“Alex,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I have some bad news.”

Chapter 2: Noah

A hateful sound, like that of a tone-deaf bell with a personal vendetta, jolted Noah awake. He shot up and immediately regretted it when a searing headache threatened to split his head open. Vertigo overtook him, and he had to fight down… whatever he had eaten last night. A barbed wire and sour milk stew? That was his best guess, based on the pain in his gut. He heaved. With his eyes shut so tight that it started to hurt, Noah took a very, very deep breath.
And then another.
And then another.
Slowly, he tried to open his eyes. Why am I on the ground? Noah blinked away the spots, rotating his head at a glacial pace. When his eyes finally focused, he saw Doris, a plump, older woman who worked at the-
Shit.
He finally noticed the metal bars separating him and Doris. Judging by the way she swiveled her head and smiled, Doris had noticed him noticing the bars. She took a satisfied sip from her big, metal mug. She had a glossy name badge hanging from a Bengals lanyard that read “Dispatcher.” Noah squinted when it caught the light.
“Heeyy, you. You finally awake? Get enough beauty rest?” She asked in her lilting, sing-song tone, which Noah learned long ago meant she was being condescending.
“Doris. What the hell happened?” Noah asked as he gently shifted to a sitting position. “What time is it?”
“It’s just after nine.” She answered. Then with a snort, she added: “And you got your ass beat, that’s what happened.”
“That doesn’t sound like me,” Noah said with a small laugh.
Then the amusement left her eyes. A frown settled on her face as she tilted her head ever so slightly upward. “What the hell, Noah? Why are you here?”
“I- I don’t know,” Noah shook his head. Bad idea. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is: you’re a thirty-four-year-old man, not some frat boy, so why the hell are you getting into bar fights?”
Oooohh…
The previous night’s events slowly returned to him, meandering through his hazy mind. He had gone out drinking, and a fight broke out. He had been hit, so he hit back. And then he got hit again. And again. Which probably explained why everything hurt so much.
“It wasn’t my fault- some asshole punched me. I was just defending myself.”
“Yeah, I know. Bill and them got the security footage about two hours ago,” Doris huffed, seeming annoyed.
Bill was the local police chief, a pudgy, straight-laced kinda guy. Noah didn’t strictly dislike Bill. He knew the man was just doing his job, but he also knew he and Bill wouldn’t be sharing a milkshake with two straws anytime soon.
Doris continued: “They watched the video, took a statement from anyone sober enough to talk, and booked the guys who started the brawl. Everyone else is getting processed out.”
“What about me?” Asked Noah as he wiggled, trying to crack his spine.
“You’re toward the bottom of the list, and they’re short-staffed today, so it’s gonna be awhile.” Her demeanor softened. After a short pause, she sighed and added: “I’ll let ‘em know you’re awake. Someone will grab you and take your statement.”
“Thanks, Doris. Have I ever told you how much I love and appreciate you?” Noah teased.
Doris frowned, and Noah got the sinking feeling he had just made a mistake.
“Didn’t you have something important to do today?” She asked with a chiding undertone.
“What? No. I don’t think-” Then the memory resurfaced and hit Noah like a brick.
Shit.
“Shit.” Blurted Noah as he scrambled to his feet and to the bars. “Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit! Doris, I fucked up. You gotta let me outta here!”
“You know I can’t do that, Noah,” Doris said, flinching when Noah grabbed the bars. “Why? What’s going on?”
“My kid! I was supposed to pick up my kid today!” Noah shouted. He slowly sank to the ground, muttering to himself. “Oh, my god. Doris. Oh my god, this isn’t good. I’m so screwed.”
— — —
Noah stared down the clock on the wall, and the clock stared back, ticking, unblinking. A tiny part of Noah’s mind acknowledged how this felt like one of those stand-offs from old cowboy movies. If the rest of his mind hadn’t been focusing on stopping him from blowing a hole in the wall and running away, he probably would have been screaming his head off, trying to get someone to let him out.
Instead, Noah sat and waited. And waited. Watching the seconds tick slower just to spite him. He was seated on the bench, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped in front of his mouth.

Hi there ebikers! I'm looking for recommendations for my next ebike.
I currently ride a Swagtron EB-12, (my first ebike) but after over 4 years of year-round commuting and a rear tire rebuild, she's started losing spokes pretty regularly and my bike shop guys suggest upgrading. I LOVE this bike, so I'm basically looking for the tougher, longer lasting, more expensive version of her.
What I'm looking for:

1. Stealth, I bike commute to my work (~30 mins round trip) and do all my chores on my bike. I would like something that blends in with non-ebikes in order to reduce the chance of theft when I leave her parked outside a store or bar (I do have Fuggedaboutit locks - u lock & a chain, but I live in a big city and am cautious). I store my bike inside my apt overnight however, so I have some wiggle room on this.
2. Lightweight. I carry my bike up 1 flight of stairs to my apartment and frequently take her on busses & the subway, so I'd like my new bike to stay in the 35-45 lb range.
3. Tough. I ride year-round, rain or shine, to commute to work. I live in the PNW so that means cold and rain, little to no snow, but our roads aren't the best. I do most of my shopping on her, and I am on the heavy side - ~190 lbs, and my commute has a good amount of cracks and potholes along the way.
4. Easy to fix. I have a great mechanic that I'd love to keep - so I'd like to avoid any bikes that have any sort of proprietary elements that would make it tough to fix basic things (brakes, flats, etc) at my local shop.
5. No apps or nonsense - I have a 7 year old phone, I don't want to have to get a new iphone to be able to ride my bike. I don't care about color displays or tracking calories burned or cross-syncing with an apple watch or anything like that, I just want to get from point a to point b.

Things I'm flexible on:

1. Removable battery, I currently have one and like the flexibility, but it's not necessary since she lives inside.
2. Speed/PoweRange. I mostly bike w/o using pedal assist at all, but I live in a very hilly city (similar to San Francisco), and need the assist for hills, but otherwise prefer to bike without it for exercise. So, I'm happy to sacrifice power & speed for stealth and weight.
3. Price: Obviously, would love a deal, but since I use it to commute I am willing to pay for quality. Max I would say is maybe $5k?
4. I would prefer disc brakes, but it's not a deal breaker

Bikes I'm looking at are:
Flx Babymaker
Propella 9
Propella 7S
Ride 1 Up Roadster
​
I would love to hear your recommendations or feedback about the above bikes. Thank you for taking the time to read my post!

Company Name	Title	City
City of Gillette	Police Officer	Gillette
Weeg & Bradford Trucking	Truck Driver	Newcastle
BANNER HEALTH	NEUROLOGIST (Generalist): Seeking Neurologist with Entrepreneurial Drive to helpbuild Center of Excellence in Casper, Wyoming	Casper
BANNER HEALTH	FAMILY MEDICINE PHYSICIAN: Join the Growing Primary Care Team with a Top-5 LargeHealth System in Casper, Wyoming!	Casper
US Customs & Border Protection	Border Patrol Agent, Entry Level	Cheyenne
Alternate Perspectives Inc	Career Technical Training Instructor-Petro	Riverton
Big Lots	Retail Store Associates and Stockers - 4444	Casper
Menard, Inc	Part - Time Outside Yard & Receiving	Casper
Dragline Service Specialties	Yard Coordinator	Casper
Hercules Industries, Inc.	Delivery DriveWarehouse Worker	Casper
Manpower USA	Manufacturing/Shipping & Receiving	Casper
Dragline Service Specialties	Forklift Technician	Casper
Boot Barn	Receiving and Inventory Specialist	Casper
Butch's Propane, LLC	Propane Bobtail Driver	Cheyenne
Liberty	Warehouse I	Cheyenne
Harbor Freight Tools	Senior Retail Stocking Associate	Cheyenne
Big Lots	Retail Store Associates and Stockers - 4678	Cheyenne
Laramie County School	Warehouse Delivery Driver	Cheyenne
GoExpedi	Warehouse Associate - Starting at $16/hr - 4 weeks PTO	Cheyenne
SWI Wyoming	Shop Warehouse Attendant	Cody
Usagov	Supply Technician (office Automation)	Fe Warren Afb
Usagov	Materials Handler (fork Lift Operator)	Fe Warren Afb
Admiral Beverage Corporation	Warehouse Laborer F/T Gillette	Gillette
Dragline Service Specialties	Warehouse Technician	Gillette
Unifi	Ramp Supervisor - ($29/hr + Housing Stipend + Flight Privileges)	Jackson

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings , feel free to comment here if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

Company Name	Title	City
Fidelity Investments	Financial Customer Associate	Omaha
Student Transportation of America	School Bus Driver- Omaha South	Omaha
Manheim Auto Auction	Immediate Openings SERVICE TRUCK OPERATOR Immediate Opportunity Omaha	Omaha
Prompt Care Companies Inc	Warehouse Technician (Homecare) - FT - Omaha, NE - $1000 SIGN ON BONUS	Omaha
GT Sales & Manufacturing Inc	Warehouse Team Member	Omaha
GXO Logistics, Inc.	Forklift Operator - 1st Shift	Omaha
Compass Group	Warehouse Stocker - Charles Schwab Field Omaha	Omaha
Genuine Parts Company	Warehouse Associate (Full-Time)	Omaha
Mattress Firm, Inc	Warehouse Associate	Omaha
Epsen Hillmer Graphics Co	Shipping and Receiving Associate	Omaha
SpartanNash Company	Forklift Operator	Omaha
Foot Locker	Stock Associate	Omaha
SpartanNash	Warehouse Order Selector	Omaha
Southwest Airlines	Ramp Agent	Omaha
Big Lots	Retail Store Associates and Stockers - 4544	Omaha
UniFirst Corporation	Warehouse UnloadeLoader	Omaha
Nesco Resource, LLC	Warehouse	Omaha
SpartanNash Company	Warehouse Maintenance Mechanic	Omaha
The Judge Group Inc.	Supply Chain Director	Omaha
Panera Bread	Immediate Openings Assistant General Manager Omaha	Omaha

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in omaha. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

https://minimalfreaks.co/2023/06/ibiza-2023-house-party-playlist-by-simon-field/

1. MK, Dom Dolla – Rhyme Dust 03:01 128bpm G
2. James Hurr & Simon Field – Vibe Like That (feat. Georgia Meek) 03:23 bpm
3. Gorgon City – Voodoo 03:33 bpm
4. Anyma (ofc) – Explore Your Future 03:40 124bpm
5. Calvin Harris, Ellie Goulding – Miracle (Mau P Remix) 03:37 128bpm Cm
6. Simon Field – Rock with Me (Radio Edit) 01:57 126bpm A
7. Fred again.. – Danielle (Smile on My Face) 03:21 130bpm F
8. Ferreck Dawn, Jem Cooke – Back Tomorrow (GUZ Remix) 02:38 124bpm Gm
9. jaded – Lost Myself Again 02:52 125bpm Em
10. Milk & Sugar – Let the Sun Shine (Purple Disco Machine Remix) 02:46 123bpm B
11. Jamie Jones – My Paradise 03:31 128bpm Bbm
12. Simon Field – Diamond 02:36 124bpm D
13. Todd Terry, Riva Starr – This Is The Sound 03:12 126bpm Gm
14. Honey Dijon, Channel Tres, feat , Sadie Walker – Show Me Some Love (feat Sadie Walker) 03:52 126bpm
15. Dombresky – Soul Sacrifice 03:52 126bpm E
16. Dom Dolla, Clementine Douglas – Miracle Maker 03:08 128bpm Bb
17. Jess Bays, Poppy Baskcomb – Temptation (feat. Poppy Baskcomb) 02:52 125bpm Ebm
18. D.O.D – Every Step 02:39 bpm
19. Eats Everything, Shezar – Get Up 03:06 159bpm F
20. Nimmo, St. Panther – When I’m With You 03:41 157bpm Bbm
21. Audio Bullys, Michael Bibi, KinAhau – Different Side 03:13 128bpm C
22. Cevin Fisher, Micky More & Andy Tee – All About The Culture (Simon Field Remix Edit) 03:31 125bpm Cm
23. Aluna, TSHA – Killing Me 03:14 124bpm Ebm
24. Claptone, LAU.RA, James Hype – Beautiful (James Hype Remix) 03:04 126bpm Am
25. ACAY, Lauren L’aimant – Hold On (Radio Edit) 03:36 126bpm Bbm
26. Robbie Doherty – It’s My Beat (Radio Edit) 03:51 130bpm Ebm
27. Kaskade, deadmau5, Kx5 – Escape feat. Hayla (John Summit Remix) 03:46 126bpm Am
28. Rudimental, Marshall Jefferson, House Gospel Choir – FWD 03:01 128bpm Am
29. MistaJam – Nothing Else Matters 02:36 bpm
30. Bob Sinclar – World Hold On feat. Steve Edwards (FISHER Rework) 02:58 127bpm Abm
31. Café Du Midi – Sweet Deep (Radio Edit) 04:14 123bpm Am
32. Ferreck Dawn, Jem Cooke – Back Tomorrow 01:58 125bpm Cm
33. D.O.D – Set Me Free 03:00 bpm
34. Essel – Lennon 03:25 128bpm Gb
35. Curtis Richa, Teo Mandrelli, Tristan Carmichael – Fever 02:53 125bpm Cm
36. The Blessed Madonna – Serotonin Moonbeams 04:49 65bpm Abm
37. Simon Field – Gack Gack (Get Down) (Radio Edit) 02:45 123bpm Cm
38. Simon Field, The Endorphins – Out of the Blue (feat. The Endorphins) (2023 Version) 03:25 123bpm Dm
39. Mirko & Meex – Take Me Away (Qubiko Remix) 03:20 bpm
40. Movada – Level Up 02:28 bpm
41. Marten Hørger, Tchami – The Calling 03:17 125bpm Db
42. TCTS – Never Know 02:55 128bpm Bm
43. James Hype, Miggy Dela Rosa – Ferrari 03:06 125bpm Dbm
44. Steve Aoki, Regard, mazie – New York ft. mazie 02:12 105bpm A
45. Tinlicker, Helsloot, Hero Baldwin – Tell Me (feat. Hero Baldwin) 03:23 124bpm Gm
46. Fatboy Slim – The Rockafeller Skank (Jay Robinson Remix) (Radio Edit) 03:32 124bpm Gm
47. The Shapeshifters – Lola’s Theme (Radio Edit) 03:27 124bpm Gm
48. Aluna, MK – Kiss It Better 04:17 127bpm Em
49. Random Soul – Just Bounce (2023 Rework) 04:41 125bpm Bbm
50. Gorgon City, Danny Howard, Sonny Fodera, Stevie Appleton – Remember (feat. Stevie Appleton) 03:20 160bpm Cm
51. Hugel, Westend, Cumbiafrica – Aguila feat. Cumbiafrica 02:48 125bpm Gbm
52. Paul Mayson – Have It All 02:43 125bpm Am
53. Tobtok, Arinn – Satellite (feat. Arinn) 02:43 124bpm Cm
54. MK, Burns, Teddy Swims – Better 03:02 125bpm Gbm
55. Goodboys, Leftwing : Kody – Only You 02:49 126bpm Bbm
56. Riton, Oliver Heldens, Vula – Turn Me On 03:28 124bpm A#m
57. Dutchican Soul, Husky & Elly J Devon – Higher 02:53 bpm
58. Franky Wah, ACO – Under The Sun 03:28 122bpm Gm
59. Alex Mills, Eden Prince – This Feeling 03:14 126bpm Bm
60. Purple Disco Machine, Sophie and the Giants – In the Dark (Oliver Heldens Remix) 04:27 124bpm Dbm
61. LF SYSTEM – Afraid To Feel 02:57 128bpm Ebm
62. Tube & Berger, Alegant, Armaja – Imagine 03:38 125bpm D
63. Stone Van Brooken – The Otherside (Radio edit) 03:10 123bpm Em
64. Burns – Burning In My Arms 03:31 125bpm
65. Jack Kelly, Bertie Scott & Lauren L’aimant – Backwards 03:28 bpm
66. SverreV – You Make Me (Oh Oh Oh) 02:26 123bpm Am
67. Simon Field, iiola – Where Are You Now 03:42 123bpm Gbm
68. Calvin Harris, Dua Lipa – One Kiss 03:34 124bpm Am
69. Fisher, MERYLL – Yeah The Girls 03:14 126bpm Ebm
70. Nihil Young – Believe 03:33 122bpm F
71. Petrona Martinez, Simon Field – Las Penas 03:06 126bpm B
72. Ella Henderson, Nathan Dawe – 21 Reasons (feat. Ella Henderson) 02:35 124bpm Ebm
73. Karen Harding – Back To You 03:03 124bpm A
74. Tube & Berger, Frank Sonic, Goatchy – The Future 03:31 123bpm Dbm
75. David Guetta, Becky Hill – Remember 02:40 124bpm Eb
76. Fred again.. – Billie (Loving Arms) 03:37 128bpm Bb
77. James Hurr, Moya – We’ve Got The Time (Radio Edit) 02:47 124bpm Bbm
78. ESSEL – Love Vibration 03:00 bpm
79. John Summit – La Danza 02:37 126bpm Dbm
80. Drama, Gorgon City – You’ve Done Enough 03:33 125bpm Cm
81. Kaskade, deadmau5, Hayla, Kx5 – Escape 04:00 126bpm Am
82. David Guetta, Becky Hill, Ella Henderson – Crazy What Love Can Do 02:49 123bpm Em
83. The Blessed Madonna, Fred again.. – Marea (we’ve lost dancing) 04:45 123bpm Fm
84. Milos, Simon Field, Magnus Foss – If I Don’t 03:28 120bpm Cm
85. Paul & ME, Ryan Spicer – Can’t Break Again 02:53 124bpm A
86. RAYE, Disclosure – Waterfall 03:52 128bpm Bm
87. Nihil Young, Crimsen, Rodrigo Serna – Sirens (Radio edit) 03:26 93bpm Gbm
88. KREAM – Take Control 02:47 123bpm Bbm
89. Glen Horsborough, MVTTIE – What It Means To Me (Zsak Remix) 03:08 126bpm Cm
90. Zedd, Disclosure – You’ve Got To Let Go If You Want To Be Free 04:13 124bpm Am
91. Tube & Berger – Waterfall feat. Goatchy 03:26 123bpm Am
92. Westend – Get This Party Started 02:40 126bpm B
93. Doja Cat – Streets (Disclosure Remix) 04:14 117bpm Em
94. Serra 9 – Save Me Now 04:12 115bpm Dm
95. Simon Field, SverreV – La La La (Verano 2018 Remix) 02:24 120bpm Dm
96. Michael Gray, Brutha Basil, Tatiana Owens – In My World 02:57 122bpm Dbm
97. Sonny Fodera, Danny Howard, Gorgon City, Stevie Appleton – Remember (feat. Stevie Appleton) (Hannah Laing Remix) 02:44 132bpm Cm
98. Elton John, Britney Spears – Hold Me Closer (Purple Disco Machine Remix) 03:38 126bpm C
99. Jamie Jones – Lose My Mind 03:01 124bpm Gm
100. Bob Sinclar, A-Trak – Deep Inside Of Me 03:01 125bpm Ebm
101. Gorillaz, feat , Tame Impala, Bootie Brown – New Gold (Dom Dolla remix) 04:34 127bpm
102. Manodom – Be Funky (Sebb Junior Remix) 03:33 124bpm Bb
103. Giant, Ferreck Dawn, DAIJAH – Free Candy (feat. DAIJAH) 02:48 128bpm Gbm
104. Dave Lee & Omar – Starlight (Grant Nelson Mix) 04:42 bpm
105. C’mon, Mat.Joe, Otistic (DE) – Hypnotized 06:15 124bpm Dm
106. Da Lukas, Mandy – West End Girls (Mark Picchiotti Remix) 03:30 121bpm Em
107. LF SYSTEM – Hungry (For Love) (Paul Woolford Remix) 04:01 130bpm Gm
108. Joeski – Afro Latinism 06:54 125bpm A
109. Franky Rizardo – Whatchagonnado 04:37 128bpm Db
110. Mau P – Drugs From Amsterdam (Armand Van Helden Remix) 02:36 130bpm Bb
111. Idris Elba, Solardo – Big Talk 02:40 128bpm Dm
112. Miguel Migs, Martin Luther – Restless Nights feat. Martin Luther (Dutchican Soul Mix) 03:20 125bpm Em
113. Gilbert Le Funk – Outside 05:14 124bpm B
114. Saison – Feel This 06:07 126bpm C
115. Bob Sinclar, Salome De Bahia – Outro Lugar (Bob Sinclar Remix) 03:40 123bpm Gbm
116. Kim English, Schak – Moving All Around (Jumpin’) (John Summit Remix) 03:26 128bpm Bbm
117. Dirty Channels – Make You Cry 04:11 126bpm Em
118. Tensnake – Coma Cat (Chloe Caillet Remix) 03:35 125bpm Gb

As day turned to dusk, the reality of the situation Mike had found himself in was starting to dawn on him. It was already established he was in monster central, and in another world, and alone, and had no idea what was going on around him, but after the initial need of not getting spotted and probably mauled was satisfied, a whole new slew of problems were arrayed before him. Where would he eat? Drink? Sleep? If he injured himself, where could he get medical supplies? Where was he going? How could he get back home?
Could he get back home?
A stiff wind blew around him and stole the heat from his body, leaving him cold in an encroaching dark. 'How do I know I can even get back?' besides knowing it existed, Mike knew nothing about magic. He was fairly certain that kobold had sent him back the first time, but by the looks of it they had also summoned him in the first place. Something else pulled him in the second time, so there was a very real chance that he wouldn't be able to do anything. 'and of course, that all comes before the fact I have no idea how to find the little lizard.' Mike ducked into an alley to avoid some kind of flying fish as he considered his situation. Hopeless as it was, finding a needle in a haystack was the only option to present itself, so he reluctantly chose his only option.
Things hit an all time low as Michael sat under a bridge that would serve as his shelter for the night. Sure, there were plenty of haunted houses to choose from, but they all ran the risk of him being found by the monsters that lived in monster city. The bridge was a solid piece of work, being composed mostly of concrete and some kind of wood, and it passed over a wide river that was pretty turbulent for its size. Mike was suprised by the lack of metal, but it seemed to be holding up well enough so he let it go.
Slinging off his backpack, Michael decided to occupy himself by taking stock of his inventory and situation. Laying everything out, he had:
The gym clothes he was wearing, just a tee shirt and shorts. They were sweaty, dirty and didn't cover much
His regular clothes, thick jeans, another tee shirt and an over shirt
His phone, which had no service and 67% battery life. 'yeah, let's turn on airplane mode and the battery saver.' it wouldn't last long, but the calculator, flashlight, stopwatch, notepad and compass tools could all be useful.
Earphones, 'ha! I downloaded all my songs and can listen to them forever if I find a charger! Suck on that Spotify elitists!'
Shoes, nothing special about them
A bag of chocolates that monsters think they're too good for
An almost empty water bottle. 'pro tip, if you're lost in the desert, conserve sweat, not water.' Remembering that bit of survival trivia, he downed the last few gulps.
His pocket knife, score! The salesman had told him this thing could withstand his own weight on the blade, and Mike had really put it through its paces to confirm that claim. It was also a swiss army knife and had several tools in it, even a firestarter! That alone tripled his chances out here.
His wallet, full of useless bills, coins and cards
A gym membership, also useless
Ankle and wrist weights, with detachable pieces of metal to change the weight. 'Should I keep these on or off?' On one hand, he would like to be as physically capable as possible for whatever was coming, and the constant work out would only help with that, but on the other, they would slow him down and tire him out. Not good without a food source. He took them off for now.
And a gym bag, which is always good to have.
The first thing Mike did was change back onto his normal clothes. They would keep him a little warmer and weren't so smelly, which would be good for werewolves that might sniff him out. Walking down to the river, it seemed clear, so he filled his bottle - he could always not drink it later - and began washing the gym clothes.
As he scrubbed his mind moved onto the situation he was in. Another world, monsters, magic and local superpowers are all established. Judging by the state of things, that being the ruins and monsters, this was probably once a thriving nation that had since been overrun and was now populated with the monsters that did so. The biggest concern that came out of that was that this clearly hadn't been a medieval society. True, just about everything was alien to him but he could recognize a TV screen or a car, this place was just as if not more advanced than earth, and they still got wiped out by monsters.
As Mike started wringing out his shorts, his introspection was interrupted when he heard voices overhead. He immediately stopped and turned his head up. It was getting dark by now and whatever was above him had a light, he couldn't understand what the two, no three voices were saying, but he didn't like the tone or the fact that the light source seemed to be getting closer to the side of the bridge. He tensed, and slowly put his sopping clothes into his bag as quietly as he could.
With a loud grunt, whoever has the light jumped over the edge of the bridge, still out of view behind a support but that was as close as he was willing to get. Mike took off as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the ravine the bridge crossed. The ones still on the bridge pulled out another light and called out to the one on the ground, who growled a response back. 'crap, crap, crap!' rang through Mike's head as he put on more speed, the sounds of pursuit not far behind. Between the weights and wet clothes, Michael was worried he might have to ditch his bag again, but it wasn't weighing him down nearly as much as the thought it should. 'just wish adrenaline would come this easy at the gym!' he was making good speed all things considered and was glad to hear his pursuer falling behind.
His hopes of escape were shattered however as one of them proved able to fly, because he heard a screech overhead and saw a silhouette giving away his position! Come on, that's not fair! He had to lose the little cheater and soon, otherwise the others could just run him down at their leisure! Mike turned, slipping on the grassy turf as he aimed to go back in the city. If the universe would just throw him a bone for once, there wouldn't be many other monsters, and he could shake these jerks.
He ducked into an alley, left onto a street before swinging behind some buildings again. Looking up he could still see that cheeky little spy plane was still on him, and from the sounds of the voices, the ones on foot were taking a direct route instead of weaving around, they were closing in. Thanking the universe for actually not putting other monsters in his way, Mike ducked into another alley and saw what he was looking for; a dumpster (he assumed) right under an open window. The only issue was the chain link fence between him and it. 'Really though, who sets up a fence right in an alley like this?' another call from above reminded him of his situation. 'right, deal with it now, ponder neighbors who probably hated each other later.' despite his dismay at the obstacle, he practically leapt over the fence, which was at least 6 feet tall. Adrenaline was one hell of a drug, but there was no way he could do that!
He mentally stored that away as well as he hopped on the dumpster and into the window, waited a couple seconds and hopped back out. He couldn't see the spy anymore which meant they couldn't see him either. He just managed to crawl down a basement window of a building on the other side of the alley before his pursuers burst into the alley as well.
Watching through the window, Michael finally got a good look at the one on foot. That was a big guy, like 8 feet tall and built like a truck kind of big. He was the one with the light in his hand, a glowing ball that floated in his palm, and it cast a rather terrifying shadow over his crocodilian face. He was a crocodile man, no other way about it. Thick tail, heavy green scales that are more yellow on the underside, whatever you're imagining is probably right. The teeth didn't look too sharp but they made up for that in size and number. Besides, if he was anything like earth crocs he had enough bite force to make gums probably work.
Mike was thanking his lucky stars he hadn't been caught when suddenly a second head popped out from behind the first, and he realized the croc had a bucket strapped to his back with something poking out of it. After a bit of chatter, a second creature slithered out of the bucket and onto the ground. It was... Strange to say the least.
The creature stood at four feet tall, and was clearly an aquatic being, being covered in fins from head to toe to tail, along with burgundy scales so small he might've mistaken them for skin. Looking at its head it was decidedly a moray, with a mouth full of sharp teeth and an eels... Tail? Body? Let's say tail, coming out of the back of its head. Or would it be a humanoid body coming out of the moray's neck? 'This thing is weird to look at! Why do you need two bodies!?' Michael mentally screamed at the merfolk. He was just getting a grip on his mental image of it when the merfolk threw a wrench into his poor brains attempt to understand it, by flying. Well ok it wasn't flying flying, but with a little hop and spreading its wing-like fins it was able to glide along while hardly touching the ground. 'well this just keeps getting less and less fair.'
A call from above, undoubtedly from their flier, probably told Mr. Crocodile that Mike was in the building that he double backed out of, because his made some growling sounds of their own before he and the merfolk entered in through the window. Mike released a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding and took a look around the room he was in. It was dark in here, with only a bit of light coming from the twilight of a single window, but he could see place was almost empty, with little more than the occasional rug or bit of furniture that had been strewn about and a bit of debris by the stairs.
Seeing his way out, he ran to the stairs before noticing that there was more debris in the way than he saw in the dark. Turning on the flashlight on his phone, his hopes were dashed as he saw that the upper floor had caved in, blocking his access out. He hadn't seen the flier come down to enter the other building, so they were most likely keeping overwatch in case he tried to give them the slip, which he already kinda had, but he needed to make the same trick to work twice, and that always goes well.
Peeking out the window, Mike caught sight of what he assumed to be the flier making rounds overhead. There were only a few seconds on the far side that line of sight was broken, not enough time to run, but there were other hiding spots. Taking a chance, Mike crawled back out of the window as soon as the flier was out of sight and hopped into the confirmed dumpster. It was around now that he realized he didn't exactly have a plan, and his situation wasn't exactly improved either. 'I'm just making sure that I'm not cornered in case they find me. Yeah that's it!' now he had a plan, and his situation had improved too! Sort of, stop asking questions. A few seconds later he was out and under a shutter, and on the next loop he was out of the alley.
Turns out, it's not that easy. Mike had thought he was safe, after rounding a corner he ran until he was sure he'd lost them, only to hear more footsteps from behind. The flier must have seen him and Mr Croc was in pursuit again, at least Mike had enough of a lead he couldn't see them yet. Testing a theory, Mike found a balcony and jumped for it. Yep! Lower gravity was confirmed as he made it nearly two meters off the ground! He also undershot it and smacked his head on the underside of the balcony, eliciting a (hopefully) dignified shriek, ruining the momentous occasion. Still, he was able to hit the ground running and made for another escape.
It had not taken long for a pattern to establish, Mike would hide and lose pursuit only to be spotted by the flier as soon as he got any distance. His best bet was, somehow, to stay close, under the radar so to speak and lead them away. He wasn't sure how they always knew what direction he was in, considering how well he kept out of sight, until he saw Mr. Croc kneel down and sniff a footprint. Ahh, they were tracking him.
That might actually be a blessing in disguise, because they were moving from an abandoned looking residential area to an industrial complex that was more populated, seeing a bit of foot traffic and lights in windows. He just might be able to lose them in there. Mike had a bit of a laugh at the fact that monsters were living on a jobsite when there were some perfectly fine - ok dilapidated, but so is everything else - houses a few streets over. He snapped his attention back to the situation at hand, he was still being chased after all, and now he planned on escaping by walking through Monster City night life. 'how did I let this become my best option?' there was nothing for it though, he just had to hope he could still keep out of sight.
After a couple close calls where Mike had turned a corner only to see a wall or monsters that somehow hadn't noticed him, he got enough of a lead that he could try hiding. Finding a road with hundreds of footprints up and down it, he backtracked a few meters before diving behind a couple pipes that were sticking out of a building.
Mr. Croc showed up not long after with the eel in tow, and signed the flier to come down. He could finally see that dirty little spy plane! It was a... Moth! 3 feet tall with big black eyes, droopy antennae and some soft looking fluff on its head and body, Mike would have thought it adorable if it hadn't been snitching on him!
Being unfamiliar with monsterese, Mike had no idea what was being said, but the body language made it clear they were arguing. It actually looked like a parent scolding their children, with Mr. Croc being 8 feet tall while the others were in the 3-4 foot range. That didn't stop fire being flung both ways as the small pair clearly gave the kind of back talk that would have gotten the taste slapped out of Michael's mouth if he tried it on his dad. With someone saying something the conversation suddenly came to an end with Mr. Croc spitting on the ground and turning away. He fiddled with a latch on his chest and the bucket on his back came loose, hitting the eel on the head and soaking it, undoubtedly on purpose. With a few snide remarks the three went their ways, leaving Mike gracefully alone.
...In the middle of monster city.
Why did the universe insist on not improving the situation? 'Ok that wasn't fair universe, you're trying very hard, and I appreciate you getting me out of that.'
Karmatic retribution for his insolent thoughts hopefully averted, Mike got moving again.
.
Much to his own chagrin and with a hint of irony, Mike found himself tailing Mr Croc. Looking back it was ridiculous that nobody had noticed him running through the streets but he was found squatting under a bridge. Mr. Croc clearly had a reputation of some kind, because people seemed to avoid him like the plague. When Mike tried to backtrack he found himself relatively surrounded by monsters compared to the empty streets he was chased through, and he ended up finding sanctuary in the invisible bubble of Mr. Croc's presence, causing no end of irritation on Mike's end.
.
After nearly an hour of following, Michael's blood was boiling. Maybe because it was due to the lack of sleep, maybe it was due to being chased for hours for no reason, maybe it was due to being forced to hang around his least favourite semi-aquatic reptile. Or maybe it was because he was witnessing a mugging.
While sneaking along behind his quary, Mike did his best to hang back aways and keep an eye out for an escape route. They were still in the industrial complex, but must have been leaving the populated area, judging by the fact that fewer and fewer monsters were coming out after the crocodile had passed. Michael was just about ready to finally get away from him when he spotted someone walking in their direction, clearly having missed the memo to stay away.
The Croc was on them in a flash and the old bird -that's not an insult, she had feathers and a beak- tried to run but didn't get more than a couple steps away before the Croc had gotten a hold of her. Michael watched from the shadows as the bird lady was shaken, growled at and nearly had her head taken off by the snapping maw of an Egyptian god who had a chip on his shoulder. She was panicked, trying to run and begging, but the actual monster had her arm in a firm grip, and with his other hand he grabbed a pouch of some kind of the lady before shoving her onto the ground and walking away like nothing happened.
Michael was fuming. All that just to snatch a purse!? This thug who had chased him all throughout town, acted like he owned the place, who could probably rip Mike in half, did all that over a freaking handbag! His anger froze cold as the victim slowly picked herself up. Now that she wasn't being actively assaulted he could see she really was an old bird, with patches of feathers, wrinkles, generally frail looking, he was looking at someone's grandmother! And that crocodile... No, he would not get away with this!
.
Michael's anger had been subdued by the realization of what he was doing, now tailing the 8-foot lizard man a lot closer than before and armed with a pocket knife, one that felt a lot smaller in his hand as he realized what he was doing, he wasn't sure how to actually do this. The bastard deserved what was coming, but after cooling off Mike knew rushing in was a bad idea. Luckily this industrial complex, or whatever it was, was packed with rails, pipes, and other things so tightly there was practically a second road overhead. Mike's plan, if you could call it that, was to jump down onto the guy and take him out before he even knew what was happening.
Michael barely made a sound as he went up and over, stopping only when his target looked around. It seemed he could tell something was off, but wasn't ready to act on the feeling just yet, which wasn't the kind of opportunity that Mike was one to waste. He dropped, silent as a shadow.
The crocodile may have been 8 feet tall, built like a brick and was in a lower gravity setting, but the simple fact was that he wasn't ready for someone to suddenly land on his neck. He went down like a sack of potatoes with Mike clinging on, the tumble having left him momentarily disoriented. Still, he quickly righted himself, this needed to end fast, or it would turn into an actual fight where he would have the disadvantage. Wrapped around the monster's head Michael brought the knife to its neck and... Hesitated. Mike had been in fights before, but those were scuffles in the school yard, now he was about to kill. He knew his opponent deserved nothing less, but that seemed to fade in the face of taking a life. It was enough to take the fire out of him.
And so, instead of pushing the blade into his windpipe he only pressed it to the Crocs neck instead. "Alright listen up you big bastard," but the big bastard did not listen up, a fact made clear when a large hand grabbed and threw him off. Mike rolled as he landed and quickly got his feet back under him, knife luckily still in hand. The croc slowly stood up, cracking his neck as he did so before speaking. "Ev'uoy tsuj edam ym yad." It said with a toothy grin. Mike just glared from his crouched position. 'different language, nice to know I wasted my time!' kind of obvious in retrospect, but there's nothing for it now. Mike kept low to the ground, with a two foot difference in height he wouldn't even try to match his opponent in strength or reach, so he opted to keep low.
The Croc tensed for a moment before lunging at Mike, maw open and ready to swallow him whole. Mike lunged himself, keeping low to the ground and barely ducked under the attack and swiped at the exposed neck. He didn't expect to land the hit, but his opponent was taken off guard by his offence and didn't quite pull back fast enough, taking a superficial cut below the chin. Shock flashed in the croc's eyes and he lept back, lashing out with claws to keep Mike at bay. Unfortunately for him, Michael knew that playing fair was for suckers, and that you kick opponents when they're down, so he didn't let up. He was moving forward before the Croc had even landed, stayed below the counter and was in his guard again.
This time he didn't hesitate, and plunged his knife in the croc's side eliciting a shocked gasp from the titan and, keeping his momentum, moved just beside his opponent's shoulder before jumping just a little higher than intended and striking again. Still reeling from the first stab, the croc had only managed to make eye contact as Michael's knife sought his throat again, and this time did not stop. Michael landed on his feet as the croc sunk to his knees, blood leaking freely from his neck as he tried to stop the bleeding with his bare hands but it was already done. The crocodile was dead before he hit the ground, and Michael breathed a sigh of relief.
.
That purse wasn't the only property Mr. Croc had appropriated, as Michael found plenty of interesting things on his person. His things now, as he had no way of returning them. Despite the haul, his mind was elsewhere as he walked.
That guy did not know how to fight, probably used to just intimidating people around him. When an actual fight came he was honestly kinda sluggish, and didn't even think to use magic or the shiv that was in his pocket. Even so, that was a dumb thing to do. What was he thinking, attacking someone like that? What if he had known what he was doing!? Mike could not afford these kinds of mistakes in a survival situation, even if he did get lucky, even if he somehow got out unscathed! You just don't rely on that happening, and Michael resolved to remember that in the future.
Finding a good spot, he set the purse down in the middle of a road and retreated to a hiding place. Soon enough the bird lady passed by even slower than before, the only reason Mike got ahead of her was because she was slowly limping along. Seeing that made his hatred flare up again, but his anger faded away as with a shocked look, the bird lady found the purse, looked inside and sagged with visible relief before looking around suspiciously and continuing with just a bit more pep in her step. 'Well,' Mike thought, 'maybe that wasn't such a dumb move after all.'
____________________________________________________Author's note
Alright part 3 is out! Hope y'all enjoy.
In case anyone had missed it, large portions of Reddit will be going dark in protest of the removal of third party software on June 12th. I had originally planned to join the protest, but then I read the HFY 's official take on the matter (remaining neutral to act as an escape from stressful situations like this) and decided that's worthwhile. As such I will continue posting but otherwise will be off of Reddit in protest.
The first shall be previous and the next shall be in a week or so.

My family is headed to Duck, NC, in July. There's like 15 people going. We rented a house for the week.
Family vacations are important to me. Life is short and I want to spend it making memories with those who mean the most to me. After brainstorming ideas on what to do this summer, the Outer Banks is what the major decided on.
Problem is, I'm not really a fan of the beach. I love the water, but only for so long. I have hyperactive ADHD and bore very easily. Sitting somewhere for hours on end is not something that's easily doable for me unless I'm hyperfocusing on something. I can hardly make it through movies. I'm not really into fishing either (just too much sitting and waiting for me).
I agreed to go because I know my wife and son were really looking forward to the trip. Wife said we could do something else if I wanted, but like I said, family trips are important to me and this is what the rest of the family wanted to do this year. We usually only go our separate ways if the family splits and doesn't go somewhere together.
With the trip getting closer, my anxiety is kicking up. I worry I'll turn miserable and become agitated. I worry about the weather too. If it rains, then what? The whole trip depends on nice weather. We had 1 yr in Clearwater, FL, where it rained all week, but thankfully there was plenty to do there when the beach wasn't an option.
Is there anything to do in Duck besides go to the beach? Some quick research tells me there's not much besides a couple little shops and restaurants, but I wanted to ask the locals. What do people do down there in bad weather? How far is the nearest big city? If I get THAT bored, is it a long drive up to Virginia Beach? I think there may be a little more entertainment in VB, no?

Company Name	Title	City
Incyte Corporation	Principal Biostatistician (PB-KKW)	Wilmington
United States Secret Service	Criminal Investigator	Wilmington
Harrison Senior Living of Georgetown	RN Unit Manager	GEORGETOWN
Harrison Senior Living of Georgetown	Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)-$2500 sign-on bonus	GEORGETOWN
WALGREENS	Pharmacist - Sign On Bonus Available	Hockessin
Encompass Health	Registered Nurse	Middletown
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company	Claims Appraiser - Auto Estimatics - Wilmington, DE	Wilmington
US Customs & Border Protection	Border Patrol Agent, Entry Level	Wilmington
Premier Inc.	Vice President, Supply Chain Management	Dover
Food Lion	FT Receiver	Dover
Big Lots	Retail Store Associates and Stockers - 5333	Dover
Kraft Heinz Company	IBT9 Palletizer Operator POST 2019 DOVR	Dover
Ferguson	Warehouse Associate	Lewes
Integrity Staffing Solutions	Forklift Operator - Sit Down	Middletown
Mountaire Corporation	Regional Sales Manager - Export	Millsboro
Mountaire Corporation	Sales Manager - Export	Millsboro
BJ's Wholesale Club	Retail Associate - Stocking	Millsboro
The Boston Beer Company	Packaging Tech (Full-Time) (Milton Brewery)	Milton
Core & Main	Seasonal Warehouse Associate	Milton
The Boston Beer Company	Shipping and Receiving Coordinator (PT Reg)	Milton
ABC Supply Co. Inc.	Warehouse Material Handler / Roof Loader	Milton
Alsco External	Counter-Sorter - Production Worker - up to $15.05 an Hr.	New Castle
Saia	Dockworker	New Castle
Macy's	Retail Receiving Support Associate, Christiana - Full Time	Newark
American Eagle Outfitters Inc.	AE - Stock Associate - Evening (Off-Hours) - US	Newark

Hey guys, here are some recent job openings in de. Feel free to comment here or send me a private message if you have any questions, I'm at the community's disposal! If you encounter any problems with any of these job openings please let me know that I will modify the table accordingly. Thanks!

My wife (40F) and I (34M) have been married for 10 years, have 2 kids under 6. We just had our 10th anniversary, and are just all kinds of struggling with NM right now. Note that she has ADHD that was diagnosed at age 38, and has severe trauma from having two drug- addict parents and having to emancipate herself at 16.
TLDR - my wife has a partner with whom she asked to open our relationship to sleep with and is increasingly breaking boundaries in a way that is putting severe strain on her and my relationship. Mostly around condom usage and lies by ommision, but most recently, she also decided against my objections to leave and have sex with a partner multiple times during our 10th anniversary weekend.
Context: I'll try to keep this as fact based as I can
-In 2020, mid pandemic, she asked seemingly out of the blue hypothetically if I would be ok with her sleeping with other people. I told her yes, I was not jealous, but didn't want to know about it. From my end, it was a dismissive answer (and yes, we had many issues at that point around my dismissive avoidant response to her worsening ADHD/anxiety/childhood trauma journey - I felt they were suffocating me and I turned to work as something in my life I felt I had control over). There was no further conversation about opening
-The next conversation came in summer of 2022, where we more or less formally agreed to be open. Again, no couples therapy, no reading on my end (I didn't even know about ENM or much about poly at that point outside of Ethical Slut). She disclosed that she had been texting with an ex and wanted to start sleeping with him
-In December 2022, I told her about the two women I slept with since summer of 2022. She told me she had slept with aforementioned ex. It felt like a good conversation, and we decided to create accounts on Feeld, start doing reading on ENM. I started seeing a solo therapist (she has been seeing a therapist for over 5 years already). We talk about boundaries - my only one is to use condoms for all penetrative sex and request recent STI test results from all new partners. Hers is for me to shower and get smells off before I come back to her.
-Jan 2023, issues start to creep up around boundaries. My wife loves to sext and send pics/videos of her masturbating, etc to guys. She's also very careless and regularly sends content to the wrong people. She accidentally sends naughty pics to the father of our son's best friend. Caused some strain in their marriage, but we all talked it out and got through it. But instead of recognizing that she triggered some deep lying issues for this guy (his parents split up due to infidelity, and he did not know we were open) alongside fear in his wife (and her close friend) that she was trying to snake her husband with non-consensual sexual images, she is resentful of them for not accepting her for who she is.
-Feb 2023, she goes to meet her ex (he's a comet partner and lives in another city, so they travel to meet up). We had talked extensively about condom usage, she bought condoms. I noticed she did not take them with her. I asked, she told me he brought his own condoms. She's a bad liar, I pressed, she admitted to no condom usage. We agree to start seeing a couples therapist
-March 2023, she meets up again with her ex. Again, we agree to condom usage and she texts him and he agrees to it as well. I sense a bit of distance when she gets back. In the next couples therapy session, she drops that they didn't use condoms because in the moment she just wanted him raw. Before the following therapy session, she asks to separate. I reluctantly agree, although I have a severe trauma reaction due to some childhood abandonment I experienced. She tracks back over the next few sessions citing her ask came from her trauma self as she continues to work through healing from the extensive childhood trauma she experienced. She also reveals the full extent of her relationship with him, including the fact that she had been having an emotional affair+sexting him starting in 2019, that they had never used condoms (she got tested regularly and relied on him being honest with her about seeing other partners), and that they had been having sex since after our conversation about opening in 2020. She had definitely been trickle truthing me before, and the lack of informed consent around her unprotected sex with him feels not great, but my mindset is that I don't control her and as long as we are honest we can keep building together.
April 2023. Our relationship feels stronger than ever, and we are really leaning into each other. She is shocked by the amount of personal growth I have gone through emotionally since I started seeing my solo therapist, and that also played a big role in her realizing she doesn't actually want to separate. She is extremely remorseful about the hurt she caused me, and adamantly agrees to condom usage going forward. I tell her that I feel she is prioritizing his sexual wants over me, that my insistence on condoms comes from generational trauma of my mother losing two siblings to HIV/AIDS contracted from spouses who had been sleeping with women outside of their marriages, and multiple other family members who have HIV. Condoms are my only boundary. No problem with emotional connections, overnights, etc. Just as long as I feel prioritized as a primary partner, I'm ok with whatever.
-May 2023. We have our 10th anniversary. Her ex will be in town that same weekend. She asks me how I feel about her meeting up with him the day after our anniversary. I tell her very clearly that I'm not comfortable with that. She pressures me, I keep telling her how it would make me feel shitty. She relents and asks him to meet a different weekend. It appears they have a blowup because of this, and she comes crying to me about how he doesn't respect her outside of the sexual fantasy, and shows me some really mean texts he sent her. I go on a business trip out of country. While I'm gone, they make plans to meet the day after our anniversary, and she tells me of this a few days before our anniversary. I tell her that I'm not comfortable, and it would make me feel shitty, but that she's free to make her own choice. She goes ahead with the plan even going so far as having a special session with her solo therapist around boundary setting. The day of, her credit card is maxed, so either I pay for her hotel + trip to the sex store or she cancels (and feels resentment towards me). So I paid. Before she heads out to meet with him, she lovebombs me hard and it feels fake and performative. She lovebombs me more when she gets back. I tell her afterwards about how emasculated, cuckholded and humiliated I felt about her disregarding my feelings about leaving space for our relationship around this milestone anniversary and having to pay for the whole thing as well. She acknowledges not using condoms either. She feels guilt and shame hard and says her ex is like an addiction for her - and that a big part of the appeal is that she feels free to let herself go because his emotional unavailability and lifestyle make actually leaving me for him not a sustainable thing (reassuring, right? the only reason she won't leave me for him is that it wouldn't work out), and immediately joins an ACA (adult children of alcoholics) 12 step program, and shares with me the Laundry List.
-June 2023. At our followup couples therapy session, our therapist gently calls her out, particularly around this ex taking up too much space since most of our sessions are dominated about discussions around this guy. She and I have had a few followups since then. I told her that it would make me feel better and more secure in our relationship if she broke things off and went no contact, and she agreed to do that. There was no ultimatum. However, we do have an overseas 10 year celebration trip planned, and I don't think I would be able to enjoy myself if I don't see actual evidence (screenshots, I guess?) of her breaking up, telling him the truth (she lied to him about my level of knowledge and consent about their relationship since back in 2020) and him acknowledging that. I need to feel secure in my relationship to feel happy, otherwise its just this gnawing pit in my stomach just waiting for another bomb to drop.
I'm prepared to act if I don't see tangible steps from her around rebuilding trust. I don't want to hold this over her or for her to feel guilty, I just want to be sure that my wife is willing to show up in our marriage and be there for me the way that I have been for her since I've started therapy and gained greater depth of relationship with my emotions. As I mentioned in the beginning, she has ADHD and in the middle of a transformational inner journey around the massive traumas she experienced as the child of two meth addicts and that has also severely impacted her last few jobs - so it's not just her marriage but her career that's also under stress due to decision-making. So I also recognize that she needs help. I've been through a similar journey through depression/PTSD after witnessing a friend get murdered in my early 20s.
Super long, I know, but I just needed to vent a bit and hear some outside opinions.

This is just a message for whoever doesn't know, the city of Davis has a serious black widow spider infestation. I see hundreds of of them on my bike rides around town. Nearly every block and several houses on each block have them. If you see webs that are 1-2 feet tall connecting to the ground and look like shattered glass that is a black widow spider web. Come back and night with flashlight and you'll likely see a big spider with a red hour glass on its stomach in or very nearby (that is the female and is the venomous one, the males look different). They are on tons of cars bumpers, sewer drains, trees, around foundations, rock walls, etc. Use caution. Do not destroy their webs if you plan to remove the spider. Destroying the web makes it exponentially harder to find and remove them. Just leave the web and come back and night and you'll see the spider.
Maybe someone more knowledgeable about this can add to this...

I'm preferably looking for the 2023 codes from my ISO list. My ISO list is at the bottom of the list, titles in bold are my top wants.
UNTOUCHED: 20th Century Women - VUDU - HD A Quiet Place: Part II - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Adaptation - MA/VUDU - 4K Alice in Wonderland (1951) - MA/VUDU - HD Alita: Battle Angel - MA/VUDU - 4K Ambulance - MA/VUDU - 4K American Psycho - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Amsterdam - MA/VUDU - HD Antlers - MA/VUDU - HD Assassination Nation - MA/VUDU - HD Atlantis: 2-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - HD Avatar: The Way of Water - MA/VUDU - HD Babylon - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Beast - MA/VUDU - HD Black Adam - MA/VUDU - 4K Black Widow - MA/VUDU - 4K Bodies Bodies Bodies - VUDU - 4K Boy Erased - MA/VUDU - HD Brother Bear: 2-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - HD Bullet Train - MA/VUDU - HD Chaos Walking - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Christopher Robin - MA/VUDU - HD Cinderella: 3-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - HD Cloverfield - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Cool Hand Luke - MA/VUDU - 4K Creed III - VUDU - 4K Cruella - MA/VUDU - 4K Daybreakers - VUDU - 4K Dear Evan Hansen (Studio Code) - MA/VUDU - 4K Death on the Nile - MA/VUDU - 4K Disobedience - MA/VUDU - HD Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - MA/VUDU - 4K Don't Worry Darling - MA/VUDU - HD Downton Abbey: A New Era - MA/VUDU - HD Dumbo (1941) - MA/VUDU - HD Dune - MA/VUDU - 4K Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Edward Scissorhands - MA/VUDU - HD Encanto - MA/VUDU - 4K Eternals - MA/VUDU - 4K Everything Everywhere All At Once - VUDU - 4K Evil Dead Rise - MA/VUDU - HD Fantasy Island - MA/VUDU - HD Father Stu - MA/VUDU - HD Firestarter - MA/VUDU - HD Freaks of Nature - MA/VUDU - HD Free Guy - MA/VUDU - 4K Gallipoli - VUDU or iTunes - HD Green Book - MA/VUDU - HD Green Lantern: Beware My Power - MA/VUDU - 4K Halloween Ends - MA/VUDU - 4K Halloween Kills - MA/VUDU - 4K Highlander - VUDU - 4K Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Honest Thief - MA/VUDU - HD How to Talk to Girls at Parties - VUDU - HD Indignation - VUDU - HD Interstellar - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Jackass Forever - VUDU or iTunes - HD/4K John Wick: Chapter 4 - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Jojo Rabbit - MA/VUDU - 4K Jungle Cruise - MA/VUDU - 4K Kingsman: 2-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - 4K Last Christmas - MA/VUDU - HD Last Night in Soho - MA/VUDU - 4K Leave No Trace - MA/VUDU - HD Let Him Go (Studio Code) - MA/VUDU - 4K Lightyear - MA/VUDU - 4K Love, Simon - MA/VUDU - HD Mad Max: 4-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - 4K Memory - MA/VUDU - HD Men - VUDU - HD Missing - MA/VUDU - HD Mission: Impossible - 6-Movie Collection - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Moonfall - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Morbius - MA/VUDU - 4K Mortal - VUDU or iTunes - HD Mortal Kombat (2021) - MA/VUDU - 4K Nomadland - MA/VUDU - HD Nope - MA/VUDU - HD Once Upon a Deadpool - MA/VUDU - HD One Ranger - VUDU or iTunes - HD/4K Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Ordinary People - VUDU or iTunes - HD Orphan: First Kill - VUDU or iTunes - HD/4K Paranormal Activity: The Ultimate Chills Collection - VUDU or iTunes - HD Peter Pan: Return to Neverland - MA/VUDU - HD Peter Rabbit: 2-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - HD Plane - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Polite Society - MA/VUDU - HD Professor Marston and the Wonder Women - MA/VUDU - HD Rambo: 5-Movie Collection - VUDU - 4K Ratatouille - MA/VUDU - 4K Raya and the Last Dragon - MA/VUDU - 4K Ready or Not - MA/VUDU - HD Red Eye - VUDU - 4K Red Rocket - VUDU - HD Redeeming Love - MA/VUDU - HD Renfield - MA/VUDU - HD Repo! The Genetic Opera - VUDU - HD Reservoir Dogs - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Rocky: The Knockout Collection - VUDU - 4K Rogue (2020) - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Ron's Gone Wrong - MA/VUDU - 4K Saint Maud - VUDU - HD Scream (2022) - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Seriously Red - VUDU - HD She Said - MA/VUDU - HD Sleeping Beauty (Signature Collection) - MA/VUDU - HD Soul - MA/VUDU - 4K Spell - VUDU or iTunes - HD/4K Spider-Man: 3-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - 4K Spider-Man: No Way Home - MA/VUDU - 4K Spies in Disguise - MA/VUDU - 4K Spinning Gold - MA/VUDU - HD Spirit Untamed: The Movie - MA/VUDU - HD Spontaneous - VUDU - HD Stillwater - MA/VUDU - HD Studio 666 - MA/VUDU - HD Swiss Army Man - VUDU - HD Teen Spirit - MA/VUDU - HD The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection - MA - 4K The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection Vol. 2 - MA - 4K The Amazing Spider-Man: 2-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - 4K The Aristocats - MA/VUDU - HD The Art of Self-Defense - MA/VUDU - HD The Banshees of Inisherin - MA/VUDU - HD The Batman - MA/VUDU - 4K The Best of Mickey Collection - MA/VUDU - HD The Black Phone - MA/VUDU - HD The Bob's Burgers Movie - MA/VUDU - 4K The Cabin in the Woods - VUDU or iTunes - 4K The Card Counter - MA/VUDU - HD The Craft: Legacy - MA/VUDU - HD The Dentist Collection - VUDU - HD The Exorcism of God - VUDU or iTunes - HD The Fabelmans - MA/VUDU - 4K The French Dispatch - MA/VUDU - HD The Green Knight - VUDU - 4K The Grudge (2020) - MA/VUDU - HD The Hunchback of Notre Dame: 2-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - HD The Invisible Man (2020) - MA/VUDU - HD The Invitation - MA/VUDU - HD The Jungle Book (1967) - MA - HD The Jungle Book 2 - MA/VUDU - HD The Killing of a Sacred Deer - VUDU - HD The Last Duel - MA/VUDU - 4K The Lion King: 2-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - HD The Little Mermaid - MA/VUDU - 4K The Lobster - VUDU - HD The Lodge - MA/VUDU - HD The Lost Boys - MA/VUDU - 4K The Lost City - VUDU or iTunes - 4K The Maltese Falcon - MA/VUDU - 4K The Man Who Invented Christmas - MA/VUDU - HD The Marksman - MA/VUDU - HD The Menu - MA/VUDU - HD The Monster - VUDU - HD The Night House - MA/VUDU - HD The Prestige - MA/VUDU - 4K The Princess and the Frog - MA/VUDU - 4K The Remains of the Day - MA/VUDU - 4K The Rescuers: 2-Movie Collection - MA/VUDU - HD The Shawshank Redemption - MA/VUDU - 4K The Super Mario Bros. Movie - MA/VUDU - 4K The Terminator - VUDU - HD The Unholy - MA/VUDU - HD The Whale - VUDU - HD The Woman King - MA/VUDU - 4K Thor: Love and Thunder - MA/VUDU - 4K Ticket to Paradise - MA/VUDU - HD Tolkien - MA/VUDU - HD Turning Red - MA/VUDU - 4K Umma - MA/VUDU - HD Unbreakable - MA/VUDU - 4K Uncharted - MA/VUDU - HD Underwater - MA/VUDU - HD Vivo - MA/VUDU - HD Voyagers - VUDU or iTunes - 4K Wall-E - MA/VUDU - 4K Wander Darkly - VUDU or iTunes - HD West Side Story - MA/VUDU - 4K Where'd You Go, Bernadette - MA/VUDU - HD Wreck-It Ralph - MA/VUDU - 4K X-Men: Dark Phoenix - MA/VUDU - 4K Yesterday - MA/VUDU - HD You Were Never Really Here - VUDU - HD
SPLIT: 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure - GP - HD Bambi II - MA/VUDU - HD Danger Close - VUDU - HD Spies in Disguise - MA/VUDU - HD The Book of Henry - iTunes - HD The French Dispatch - MA/VUDU - HD The Guest - iTunes - 4K
MY ISO LIST: 2023: 65 / A Good Person / Maximum Overdrive / Creed III 4K / The Running Man 4K / Shazam! Fury of the Gods 4K / Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania 4K / The Italian Job 4K / Moving On / Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre / Knock at the Cabin / Superman I-IV 5-Film Collection 4K / Champions / Deep Impact 4K / Supercell / Jesus Revolution / The Man Who Fell to Earth 4K / Magic Mike's Last Dance / Marlowe / Righteous Thieves / Transfusion / Confess, Fletch / Mickey and Friends: 10 Classic Shorts / Warner Bros 100th 25-Film Collection, Vol. One, Two, Three, Four / Missing / Plane / Babylon 4K / M3GAN / Seriously Red / Alice, Darling / A Man Called Otto / The Whale / Women Talking / B'Twixt Now and Sunrise / Devotion / Puss in Boots: The Last Wish / Rocky: The Knockout Collection 4K / Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody / Empire of Light / The Inspection / The Old Way / The Price We Pay / The Remains of the Day 4K / 3 Days of the Condor / The Fabelmans / Strange World / Mickey and Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts / Spoiler Alert / Big Night / Bones and All / The Diving Bell and the Butterfly / Event Horizon 4K / Gallipoli / Young Sherlock Holmes / Mindcage / Rock Dog 3: Battle the Beat / Violent Night / Double Jeopardy 4K / Till / She Said / Armageddon Time / Prey for the Devil
2022: Tár 4K / Gigi and Nate / American Murderer / Call Jane / Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile / Ticket to Paradise / 48 Hrs. / Another 48 Hrs. 4K / Adaptation. 4K / Amsterdam / Better Off Dead / The Warriors / Don't Worry Darling 4K / Bros / The Good House / The Inhabitant / Jerry and Marge Go Large / Three Thousand Years of Longing / Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm / Saturday Night Fever 4K / The Classic Christmas Specials Collection 4K / Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. / The Polar Express 4K / Columbia Classics Collection: Volume 3 4K / The Invitation / Fall / Mack and Rita / Orphan: First Kill / Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank / Rumble / Beast / Frankenweenie / The Limey 4K / Paranormal Activity: The Ultimate Chills Collection / Universal Classic Monsters: Icons of Horror Collection Vol. 2 4K / Catch Me If You Can / DC League of Super-Pets / Mean Girls / Vengeance / Fatal Attraction 4K / Real Genius 4K / Where the Crawdads Sing / Minions: The Rise of Gru / Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris / American Carnage / Stalag 17 / Event Horizon 4K / Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts / Lilo and Stitch: 2-Movie Collection / Vivo / The Bob's Burgers Movie / Angel Heart 4K / Galaxy Quest / Memory / After Yang / The Bad Guys 4K / Cinderella / Giant 4K / The Emperor's New Groove: 2-Movie Collection / Father Stu / Fatherhood / The Rescuers: 2-Movie Collection / 1776 4K / The Untouchables 4K / Malignant 4K / Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse / Umma / Extreme Prejudice / Infinite / Top Secret / The Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection Vol. 2 4K / Dog / Blacklight / The Outfit / Cyrano / The Exorcism of God / The Humans / The King's Daughter / C'mon C'mon / Marry Me / Ordinary People / Red Rocket / Redeeming Love / Rugrats 3-Movie Collection / Belfast / Escape from L.A. 4K / Looper 4K / Almost Famous 4K / Clifford the Big Red Dog / The Addams Family 2