Calories in 1 cup of noodles

A Goth coffee shop called dark Waters, or something &the sizes can range from from minor dark to greater dark or something and if you just want straight black coffee, just call it Abyssal you want espresso how many shots of Umbra is that ?someone else is going to have to come up with cream and sugar. But in the said shop you could sell coffee cups and stuff but the coffee cups are in the shape of like creatures and just call them familiars

In case it helps anyone out there, I have finally found something that personally scratches that itch when my partner has no desire for months at a time. Pole dancing classes (pole work, floor work, chair dance etc) give me a channel for sexual expression that is completely independent from my partner. It feels so good to feel sexy, strong and fierce on my own terms, and look in the mirror in the pole studio and "want myself". I've been going almost every day, and if I miss a day, feel that "urge" coming on. But I know I can always schedule my next class in my workout app, and know exactly the next time I'll get my fix. It helps so much with regaining my sexuality, feeling some sexual fulfillment, and regaining some control in the relationship. Usually the low desire partner controls the relationship, but now I can control whether or not I'm getting turned on when my partner tries to cuddle with me (just to completely ignore me if I try to get more passionate) ! We tried sex therapy together for 2 years, and while it improved our relationship, it didn't make a dent in our sex life. I kept wishing for some tea or pill to kill my libido, because masturbation just didn't scratch that itch for me. I'm so grateful to have discovered pole dancing so I can finally feel some relief and release, and no longer put any sexual pressure on our relationship. I'm hoping one day he might want to have more sex, but until then I feel somewhat confident that the pole will finally be enough.
More context: My partner and I have been together for close to 12 years. We had a great sex life for the first year, and then our frequency died down to once every 1 or 2 months. We were both students at the time and realized he had trouble feeling desire when he was stressed, which was the norm througout his undergrad and grad school years. I had the same level of desire as at the beginning of the relationship, but he would decline when I tried to initiate sex, or pretend like he didn't know I was initiating. Finally 9 years into the relationship he got to a point where he was no longer stressed out regularly, but our sex life still didn't improve. With a lot of persuasion, he finally agreed for us to go sex therapy. It helped the relationship a lot, but not the sex life. Was at wits end because I didn't want to cheat or break up, so pole dancing is a revelation and a god-send!

HBOMAX will be going dark in protest of upcoming Reddit changes (along with thousands of other subreddits). You will not be able to access the sub during this time.
What's going on?
A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.
In addition to providing a better user experience, these apps also help visually-disabled users to access the site through accessibility features not found in the official Reddit app. Third party apps are also used by many moderators of the site, including ones in this sub.
On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.
Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite.
This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.
What's the plan?
On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy, including this one. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.
The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.
What can you do?

1. Complain. Message the mods of reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.
2. Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Meme it up, make it spicy. Bitch about it to your cat. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join ModCoord - but please don’t pester mods you don’t know by simply spamming their modmail.
3. Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit’s competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!
4. Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.

For more information on the protest, visit save3rdPartyApps/

Hello, wondering if someone could weigh in on my situation and point me in the right direction with the plan I have to sell both cameras and one of my lenses to get a used Canon or Sony body.
​
I have both a Canon EOS R and a T6. I have the RF 24-105 L lens and a 100-400 Sigma lens. After selling and trading some equipment I basically own the T6 for free. My total amount invested is around $2300 for the EOS R, 24-105 L. I'm planning on going to one Camera body as I mostly shoot for fun but I've been trying to startup a pet photography business on the side for awhile now. The biggest problem I have with the EOS R is I absolutely hate using the EVF. I prefer optical viewfinders. I'm considering just keeping the t6. I was going to sell the EOS R and the 24-105L hopefully for around $2100, going off ebay sold prices. My plan is to get a Canon 6D MK II with a Sigma or Canon 50mm 1.4F for my portrait and landscape lens while keeping my 100-400 Sigma for wildlife and far away action shots. The T6 could technically get me by for awhile but it has a slow rapid fire shooting and poor low light performance. Is there any other used lens on the market worth switching to with a optical viewfinder?

Getting sod was crazy difficult:

1. All their websites look like they're from the 90's
2. I submitted requests through forms on the site and never heard back from most
3. When i did get in touch with company's it was tough to get accurate pricing without them coming out to my house

All I really wanted were some ball park estimates for getting the sod and I knew I would probably install it myself but also was curious how much that would cost.
​
Anyway, as a software engineer I thought it would be a fun weekend project, so I built sodcalculator.com
​
It takes into account:

• how much is the sod based on the type of grass
• how much is installation
• how much is laying new soil
• how much is removing old grass
• how much is regrading

It's pretty crude right now but hopefully it's helpful for some of you. I don't require any signup or anything and don't make any money off of it, so hopefully this isn't perceieved spam, just genuinely looking for feedback.

Hi all, lots of people gave me planning tips so I wanted to return the favor by summarizing my trip, in case it’s helpful. I traveled with my wife. We live in So Cal so we drove to the park the morning of. We did not buy any add ons (like Genie Plus or Lightning Lanes)
Rope drop: my wife and I went straight to Adventureland and boarded Indiana Jones (20 minute wait)
Immediately after, walked onto Jungle Cruise (no wait). Then walked into Pirates (no wait, but broke down for ten minutes). From there, got a churro (no line) and walked onto Winnie the Pooh (no wait).
Walked to galaxy’s edge. Lines were long so went to cantina (walked in without reservation, then left after a few minutes after the stormtroopers came in).
Went to Fantasyland. Rode Pinocchio (no wait), Snow White (ten minutes), the carousel (five minutes), and the storybook river cruise (five minutes). Then walked onto Small World (no wait).
This is when the park started filling up somewhat (around 11am). After, headed to Tomorrowland and rode Star Tours (25 minutes) and Buzz Lightyear (35 minutes). Got a pretzel (no wait) before hopping into Star tours line.
Crossed back to adventure land to get some dole whip with mango chimoy (can’t mobile order, so waited about fifteen minutes and soaked in the vibes). Then snacked on beignets at hungry bear (mobile ordered - no wait).
At this point, rise of the resistance had broken down. We went back to galaxy’s edge and ate lunch at the restaurant (I think it’s called landing port). Food was excellent. Atmosphere was amazing.
Then went to smugglers run (45 min wait). As we neared the end of the line I saw on the app that the wait ballooned to 180 minutes. Meanwhile ROTR was still closed.
After, went to chill in galaxy’s edge. Saw the mandalorian. Walked past ROTR. The cast members at the entrance were letting people in and told us the wait would be 40-50 min. In actuality the ride was still broken. As we waited, many park guests exited the line from the front. Several said they had waited two hours. We waited for an hour and then bailed. I checked the app throughout the day after and the ride stated down for another two hours or so.
After leaving ROTR, we veered to frontier land because we hadn’t seen it yet. We browsed the shops for a while, then went to Main Street to get coffee at Starbucks (15-20 min wait). It was definitely worth the wait because we were really tired and needed the coffee. We sipped our coffee and relaxed, pursuing the main street sites, shops, and exhibits.
After, we did the tea cups (10 or 15 minute wait). Then the parade marched past us, so we got to see the parade. We didn’t have the best view (we were near small world), but we got a pretty decent view of everything and enjoyed the parade.
After, we stopped by toon town just to take in the sites. Rodger rabbit had an hour wait, but we didn’t want to go on it. The new Micky and Minnie ride was not taking standby wait anymore (just lightning lane). But toon town was really cute (spent about ten minutes just walking around).
Next, we headed to the Mark Twain for a sunset cruise. It was a highlight of the day. Really nice ride. Very impressive ship.
Then we hopped off and walked around New Orleans Square at night. Really beautiful when sun sets. Then, we did the same for Galaxy’s edge. We bought some dinner (sausages - pretty delicious and no wait) and then took in the sites. We also checked out the gift shop. (By this time ROTR was reopen but the lightning lane was over an hour wait because the ride had essentially been broken all day)
We ended the day by walking around fantasy land, through tomorrow land, to the front of the castle. We arrived around 9pm and waited for the fireworks show. We got a great spot and enjoyed the show.
After the show, we did some last minute shopping in Main Street and downtown Disney. After waiting out the crowds for a bit we took the tram back to the parking lot and were out of the parking lot around 10:30/11pm.
—————— Biggest tips: Be at the parking lot no later than 7:30am and make sure you rope drop. We got on pretty much every ride.
Don’t expect to get on ROTR or the new Micky and Minnie ride. It’s slammed. If you really want to go, you have to prioritize it and recognize you’ll have to pay for extras (stay an extra day, buy lightning lanes, and/or buy genie plus) or you’ll have to be willing to go on fewer attractions so that you can make it in one of these two rides. You also need a little luck - the reason I didn’t rope drop ROTR is because everyone rope drops it and because it’s often broken down at the beginning of the day. So I didn’t want to roll the dice and risk losing that two hour window where few people are in the park.
The rides are fun but definitely pick and choose what you go on. If a ride doesn’t interest you very much, then don’t spend an hour waiting for it. For instance, we skipped a few rides like Autopia because we didn’t care for that ride. Same with some roller coasters (they’re cool but my wife doesn’t like roller coasters and Disney coasters aren’t worth waiting more than an hour, to me. But I’ve been going for years so I’ve been on all the coasters a million times.)
Instead, one of the best parts of the park is soaking in the good vibes, hanging with a snack, and just appreciating all the immersive decor.
Similarly, I recommend revisiting parts of the park during different times of day. The ambiance totally changes at sunset and then during the evening. The best examples are Main Street, Galaxy’s Edge, and New Orleans Square.
I think one of the best things we did was rope dropping adventure land. Most people rushed to ROTR or Space Mountain, which had pretty big wait times. If you were one of the lucky few who made it to the front of the line, it may have been worth it, but most people probably had to wait a while. By contrast, rope dropping adventure land enabled me to go on a bunch of rides in the first two hours. It took stress off the second half of the day. I also saw that many of these rides had huge lines after eleven.
Bring a backpack. Pack an extra pair of shoes, water, and sunblock.
Lastly, I recommend doing a river cruise through the Mark Twain at sunset. I also recommend getting to the fireworks show at least 30 minutes early, but no more than 45 minutes early.
A final tip - research before you go. Familiarize yourself with the park layout, get the app, watch YouTube videos, and get a game plan. You should have a sense of what you want to do and how you’re going to accomplish it.

Essay to write on why I love reddit 1- it helps me to uncomplicate my subconscious thaughts 2- it gives chance to meet new and different cultural background of people 3-it helps me to view the world from various views of philosophy which I didn't know earlier 4- it helps me to follow nofap and to take action in my life 5 - it helps me to deal with my severe loneliness and zero social interaction daily routine 6 - lastly I love reddit because reddit loves me

I love following Hearthstone pro-players and this past few days I catched up on Dreadeye, who was so tired of the game that he announced his retirement. A few weeks after this "detox" he achieved triple #1 legend.
I wrote an article about it if you want to read and check out his decks: https://esports.gg/news/hearthstone/dreadeye-from-hearthstone-retirement-to-1-legend-in-every-serve
Probably, by now someone has already taken one of his #1 spots on every server, but is interesting to see how much "the grind" ends up affecting negatively even pro-players.
Have you ever experienced this overwhelming feeling about the game? Hope you enjoy the article.

I actually played a fair bit of Destiny 2 earlier in its lifespan, albeit pretty casually (enormous fan of Destiny 1, though). It's obviously been a while, but I wound up being unable to play for most of the Season that Saint-14 was introduced, which having been a Defender throughout most of the first game, was obviously a super exciting thing.
But, well, I missed out. Both on the story experience, and on some cool Saint-14 themed armor.
It wound up being such a bummer, it kind of dampened the whole experience of Destiny 2 for me. I've tried coming back a few times over the past few years, but every time I've logged in, it's just always felt like "I've missed out on all this cool stuff that's gone now". So it sort of feels like starting a movie or TV show somewhere in the middle.
Particularly as someone that really enjoys "collecting" stuff, it bums me out knowing there's all kinds of cosmetics that are no longer accessible. I'm still a bit salty that nothing carried over from the first Destiny (I freaking loved my Titan and all the cool shit I'd collected), particular when so many of those items seem to have been recycled, but also knowing that some items seemingly came and gone? That's a bummer.
It also kinda sucks from the story perspective. I honestly can't quite remember where I'd left off on the story, it's all kind of a blur and jumbled up in my head. But I do remember being really excited about Saint-14 returning, but by the time I was able to play, dude was just a regular NPC standard around the Tower, no indication what the hell had happened. Or there was also like a... second Tower location? And suddenly some Fallen were friendly maybe?
I still have nothing but great memories of the feel of the gameplay, I personally think Crucible was one of the better competitive shooters I've ever played. I also really dug the original Gambit (didn't they do some weird changed to it, too?).
But yeah, I think at least for myself, the whole "FOMO" thing has really turned quite sour for me. I feel like I've already "missed out" on so much content, I'm better off just... not playing, and either hoping for a sequel, or something like the finale of the first Destiny, where virtually everything was available.

Currently playing FM21 in League One with a promotion playoff team. Right now I’m watching my team lose 7-0 to bottom of the table who was also on a 9 game losing streak.
We just lost to Liverpool 2-1 in the FA cup so I assumed that this game would be a good bounce back.
Idk what happened my team just forgot how to play. Before this game we won 5 in our last 7 games.
So, what’s your biggest ‘WTF is happening’ loss?

I've got my provisional for almost 2 years, moved houses 1.5 year ago, passed theory in January and had 3 instructors by now, none of them has urged me to change the address on my license. Test coming up in 20 days, should i risk changing it now online? What are the wait times these days? Thank you.

Im new in stardew valley and I hate Haley She is so rude I give her a gift but she said "is this some kind of joke" so rude and Im in year 1 spring 7

I’ve just come home from a new vet, it is my first visit taking my 94-day-old male kitten in to get an exam as the Humane Society recommended I should. They also gave him his FVRCP and Strongid as he was 2 days past-due for that. They did that, but it was also a weird visit because the vet was in renovations and didn’t offer we should go into exam room with her and so we didn’t and just waited in a waiting room.
Kitten has emitted a small amount (1-2 mL - half a teaspoon) of foam. He didn’t actually gag or make any noise, it just sort of fell out of his mouth onto the strap of his carrier as he scampered around and atop the carrier once he realized he was back in his sanctuary room.
It’s been ~30 minutes we’ve been home. He seems normal, in his usual perch of the cat condo, sleeping the afternoon away.
But I’m wondering if other cat-parents have had something similar happen after a kitten’s first FVRCP vaccination. Is it just a response to the taste of the tablet?
Should I try to take him into another vet right away? Or should I monitor him for the next few days to see if any of the other potential side-effects develop before taking him to a new vet?

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Hi everyone.
To Kill a Predator is a work of fan fiction set in the Nature of Predators universe originally created by SpacePaladin15 whose Patreon you should subscribe to.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Depiction does not equal endorsement.
Hope you enjoy it!
[First] [Previous]
---
Memory transcription subject: Martin Russo, Human Refugee
Date [standardized human time]: January 10th, 2137
​
Without the girls, life settles into a boring rut. I talk to them as much as I can on the pad, but they’re busy on Earth, hitting the ground running.
There’s been a lot of ground to cover before they’re caught up to where everyone else will be, particularly for Vilek. She’s often had to pull double-claws of studying, working her fluffy ass off to gain a baseline understanding of psychology in record time. Thiva’s classes on VP by contrast have prepared her well for humanity’s relatively simple technology.
That, and they’ve had to get used to Earth. Earth food, Earth culture, and a planet full of omnivores with forward-facing eyes. I’ve been doing what little I can to help coach and encourage them.
For my own part I’ve been restless. Given that I’m not able to look for a job yet, that physical therapy kicks my ass every other paw, and that I’ve got nothing to do other than look forward to a half-hour of chatting with my friends… I’ve started up on software again. It’s something I can do even while laying prone. Particularly since I have a way to write without using my hands.
What do I do with that, anyway? I can read minds. I can even use the raw data from a full brain scan to extract memories. There’s got to be something useful to do with this. It’s practically the only part of this entire debacle I haven’t bothered telling the UN about.
Honestly after what I’ve been through, I can’t imagine trusting them, or the Venlil government, with this. Bastards would be prosecuting thought-crime by the end of the week.
​
Jarkim’s opened his business a couple of weeks back. Without an actual office, since he plans to simply operate out of Slavik’s farm. As I understand they tolerate it as long as he also helps out in return for food and board. I hope the arrangement works out for the both of them.
I gave Jarkim some help with his online presence. He wasn’t initially sure about the black and white picture of him in a fedora and a tie, or about the business name “Jarkim Krakotl, Private Eye”. But as soon as humans heard about Venlil Prime’s only Krakotl detective they’ve ended up coming to him with their problems.
He sent me a picture of his first solved case, some runaway kid who got lost and reunited with her mother. He was still wearing the hat. No tie, though.
​
Today is my paw off from Chasa’s torments, and it coincides with the launch of another exciting new business venture. So I take the time to visit Mosun.
“Hey Martin! Hold on a minute!” I see the Yotul wrangling a bunch of foam mats around the large, empty room. And its wall-length mirror. Fittingly the place look like the midway point between a dance studio and a martial arts dojo, except for the soft and spongy floor. It’s meant to safeguard against falls.
I glance around the room while he huffs and plops the last few ones down. There’s perhaps thirty-five or forty foam mats scattered on the floor. “So are you being optimistic, or did you get a good reception?”
He looks at me, bouncing with excitement. Though his ears signal a bit of nervousness. “Five Yotul have signed up so far! That’s almost half the Yotul in the entire town! And almost twenty humans! Hanya’s bringing a couple of Gojid friends too, and we’ve got a few Venlil coming along with their humans… Oh, and an Iftali, that was a surprise. Honestly I may be a little in over my head here; I’ve never taught crowds before! I’m not even sure how much will translate across species!”
“So you’ll be learning on the job. I have complete faith in you. Are the Exterminators going to give you any trouble?”
He barks a laugh. “Hah! No, Jarkim had a talk with the magister. I got permission from Vaska’s office to teach the classes in the name of cultural preservation, so those motherfuckers can’t touch me!”
I laugh as well. “You might need to censor your language a bit as a teacher.”
“Combat Dancing is about honesty and expression, Martin. If I can’t live it, how am I supposed to teach it?”
Well, he got me there. “Anything I can do to help?”
He glances at me, his voice gets a little uncomfortable. “Um, I don’t know. Can you carry heavy stuff right now?”
I shrug. “Probably not, no.”
“Then I’ll be fine. You’re not interested in taking the class?”
​
“I think my dancing days are over, for the foreseeable future.” I wryly lift my cane and wave it as a small reminder. It’s wood, and I’m quite fond of it. Chasa found a Venlil craftsman who wanted to be the first to make one for a human, and he made it out of the wood of some kind of tree called Lampan. The color reminds me of mahogany.
His ears droop a bit. “Ah yeah. How permanent is that looking?”
I shrug. “Finger dexterity on the right hand’s likely never going to be the same, but I’ll be able to play video games. Left arm should recover enough for daily use. Leg should get a full range of motion, but I won’t be going jogging. Thankfully I look dignified with a cane.”
He wags his tail teasingly and cocks his head as he regards me. “Do you? …Must be a human thing.”
“Piss off. Mind if I sit in on the class?”
“Of course not!”
Turns out first class of Yotul Combat Dancing is a quick demonstration, and then Mosun talking to the quite large and varied crowd. He talks about the history and cultural significance of Combat Dances to the Yotul, the philosophical underpinnings of the artform, and the mentality to be cultivated in practitioners.
Everyone is listening with rapt attention, and a few of the humans are even taking notes. When he opens the floor for questions, a Venlil asks “Isn’t this an expression of Predator Disease?”
To which Mosun answers “No. Next question?”
Which is honestly as much of a response as that warrants.
I talk with Hanya briefly after the class. She says that she’s been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and that human therapy is helping her out. She even talks excitedly about piloting shuttles again, someday soon. I’m glad for her.
​
Once I get back to the house, there’s a man in a suit waiting for me. He’s tall, bald, and has very dark skin. I don’t recognize him. He extends his hand toward me, and I shake it. He speaks English with an African accent, instead of letting the translator handle it. I’d guess western Africa, but I’m hardly an expert. “Bamidele Adeyemi.”
“Martin Russo. Can I help you?”
He indicates the door. “May I come in?”
“Sure. My Venlil hosts aren’t home right now.”
“Of course.”
Once he’s been let in, and I’ve given him something to drink, I wait patiently for him to explain his presence.
“I am the UN liason to the district magister’s office.”
I keep my tone neutral and politely curious. “What happened to Robert McGinley?”
He keeps his tone neutral too, but friendly. He smiles at me. “It was decided that he should be replaced.”
Oh no. Anyway. “Alright. But… No offense mister Adeyemi, but why are you here?”
​
He takes out a pad. “I have some documents that the UN and the District Magister would like you to sign.”
I sigh inwardly and make a quite heroic effort to not sigh outwardly. I look at the pad briefly anyway. As I expected, it’s about making myself legally liable should I speak up about what I’ve gone through. “I’m afraid you are wasting your time. McGinley told me to sign papers like this too, and I told him ‘no’.”
He nods, entirely unsurprised. “I understand you signed similar documents over a smaller… altercation with the Exterminators. Why the difference of response, if I may ask?”
“Because the first time he threatened to have me thrown out of the refugee center if I didn’t.”
Bamidele’s eyes widen briefly. “I see. That does explain why you told him to ‘fuck off’.”
“Yes.” I pause briefly. “…You’ve been polite enough that I don’t want to use the same language. But.”
He laughs briefly. “Haha, yes, I understand. Different circumstances, yes? My predecessor tried the stick. I am here to try the carrot. So tell me, mister Russo, what will it take for you to sign?”
“There’s nothing that…” I pause.
I sit down. I’m briefly quiet. I miss my friends so goddamn much. I swallow, mouth feeling dry as I tentatively reach for the proffered lifeline. “I… hear Sweden’s lovely this time of year.”
He flashes his teeth at me in a broad smile and chuckles pleasantly. “Hehe, I thought you might say that. But… You do realize it is January?”
​
​
Date [standardized human time]: January 12th, 2137
​
The thought of leaving this wretched planet and its wretched food and its wretched government and its wretched ever-present sun makes me feel like I’m already back in Earth’s lighter gravity.
I ended up paying Chasa back for all the pain and suffering she inflicted on me: The largest gift basket I could find online, filled with fruits, candies, and preserves of both Zurulian and human origin.
When I wake up at the start of the paw, my arch-nemesis has sent me two pictures. The first one is a schedule to keep for the next couple of months. In the second picture she’s put pillows and blankets in the basket and is using it as a bed, a paw raised in goodbye.
If the medi-teddies ever learn to weaponize their cuteness, humanity is in real trouble.
Packing is easy. I don’t have a lot. A band shirt from when I went to see ‘Where Angels Fear’, a few bad sketches of fruit, my dad's chess set, my pad, and a neural scanner.
​
Date [standardized human time]: January 13th, 2137
​
The space flight actually lands directly in Sweden, somewhere north of the polar circle at a place called Esrange. I immediately realize that winter’s back on the menu, as the cold makes my left leg and arm ache like hell. It’s the dead of night, too… But I’ve missed night. So has everyone else, as despite the cold people are walking straight out into the snow to just stare up into the starry sky and stare in open awe at the sky, where the stars form a backdrop for the northern lights. I join them.
A poetic whimsy falls over me, making me grin at the cheesiness. It’s like the sky itself is welcoming us back home.
From Esrange we take cars to Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost city. From there it’s a long train ride south. I’ve gotten a sleeper cabin. With the generous stipend from the UN, I have no need to scrimp.
Even so, it takes significantly longer to travel 1400 kilometers across Sweden than it did to travel 16 light-years from Gliese 832. I’ve got almost twenty hours to appreciate the irony.
​
Date [standardized human time]: January 14th, 2137
​
I’m met at the train station in Lund by a man holding a sign with my name on it. His car takes me directly to the university. Everything feels very… ordinary, except I’m a bit dazed at having so many humans around me again.
We arrive a little before 8 in the morning. Excited students scurry to and fro, eager and hopeful for the first day of spring term. The driver is named Markus, and very kindly helps me find my way to my meeting. I’m left outside a door, standing around awkwardly.
The man I’m meeting with is Jonas Falck, and he’s the head of the department of computer science. While the UN has ‘encouraged’ the university to take me in despite it being so close to the term start, the decision remains with him.
I really wanted to see the girls first, but the meeting time was set for me. I desperately wish I had thought to shave beforehand. I’ve been using my beard to hide my weak chin, but it probably looks more unprofessional than-
“Hey, are you Martin Russo?”
Ah, I see.
Mister Falck is holding two cups of coffee and offers one of them to me with a smile. He’s got a full beard, a full belly, hair past his shoulders, and a pink hawaiian shirt to go with his khaki shorts and flip-flops. This man is clearly one of the most talented professionals working in the field today.
​
“So, do you mind if I ask…” He motions to my cane while I take a seat.
“How that happened?”
“Yes.”
“That’s classified. I’m not even joking.”
He nods once, like that was more or less what he expected to hear. He leans back in his chair, which creaks a bit, and takes a slow drink from his coffee while reading on his computer. “So you studied at Columbia University before the Bombing?”
“Yes.”
“And your family lived in New York?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” He doesn’t say it unkindly, but he does say it as rote. ‘Oh you’re from one of the places that doesn’t exist anymore? Sorry to hear that.’
I nod awkwardly. “Yes.”
“And you were focusing on studying brain-computer interfacing?”
I feel like a recording. “Yes.”
“It’s very uncommon to add a student this late. The term begins today.”
“Yes.”
“We can’t provide housing for you on such a short notice, for one.”
“I have that handled, sir.”
He scrunches his face up. “Jonas, please. Americans are so formal.”
“Alright, er, Jonas.”
“So, Martin, what I’m asking for is a reason. To take you in right now, I mean, instead of next year.”
I nod. This is thankfully something I had planned for. My hand slips into my pocket, fingering the box holding the scanner electrodes. “Well, Jonas… I think there’s something you should take a look at.”
​
Handling paperwork and basic orientation takes most of the morning. I manage to get morning-and-evening classes to share my time off with the lambchops. That only works because most people don’t want evening classes. Evenings are for partying if you’re a student, so late classes are mostly for adults with jobs.
I end up standing around nervously by the entrance to the university building, counting down the time. I watch people passing by as calmly as I can, still checking my pad every minute or so for any messages and jerking my head around like a bird at anything that’s even a bit of a shade of gray.
I can tell the alien girls are coming even before I see them, since everyone is glancing curiously their way. I straighten my back and shift my weight from foot to foot. I feel like a dog at an airport, waiting for the return of its owner.
They’re looking around as I see them, and Thiva’s the first to spot me. Her ears perk up and Vilek immediately looks to me as well. As they speed up into a sprint, I’m a bit surprised to see them both wearing clothes. Both girls are wearing custom boots made to fit their digitigrade legs.
They’re both wearing coveralls, Vilek’s in a hospital teal and Thiva’s in a bright red. It’s been explained to me that many at the university have a student culture of wearing colorful coveralls that they decorate with patches, called ‘Ovve’, and that Thiva’s red marks her as a mechanical engineering student. Vileks’s teal, presumably, mark her as studying healthcare. Or specifically therapy, perhaps. I need to look it up.
Seeing as computer science students are apparently expected to wear pink ones, I’m thinking I might sit out this grand and colorful tradition. On the other hand according to the Internet it’s an informal rule to cut a bit from the ‘Ovve’ of anyone you’ve exchanged body fluids with and patch it onto your own. So I suppose I could be convinced.
The girls collide with me, thankfully gently. Their tails are wagging like crazy out of the back of their outfits, and they’re clinging to me. I inhale deeply, take in the distinct and pleasant scent of my cute Venlil friends, and cling to them as well. My fingers stroke through their thick fur, and I hear their happy wordless bleating and whistling.
I close my eyes and enjoy the moment, not giving one whit for the passersby watching the scene.
“Oh, girls, I-” Vilek punches me in the arm unexpectedly. The right one, thankfully.
“Ow!”
Even though her ears signal joy and her tail is wagging, her voice is still stern. “We learned what ‘lambchops’ means!”
Ah.
​
The student flat isn’t very expansive, but it’s larger than the one we shared on Venlil Prime. Probably because humans are just plain larger.
It’s currently sparsely furnished. There’s a couple of desks, a couch, a table, a beanbag chair, and a bunk bed. I take my shoes off in the hallway, as the girls do. When in Lund.
They help me unpack. There’s not a lot, but they had already set aside a little corner for me. I’ve got the beanbag chair instead of a desk, which I’m perfectly fine with.
I sigh and lean against a wall briefly. “I’m… so glad to be home.”
Thiva turns her head a little, flicking an ear in question. “You missed being on Earth?”
I chuckle, and pinch her ear-tip lightly. I lean over to give Vilek one too, for fairness. It earns me a pair of bleeps from them, and I go on the offensive to rub their heads and scratch their ears and do everything I can to make the lambchops squeal happily. They thankfully oblige. “I missed being with my herd.”
My friends are safe, they’re here with me, and we all have paths forward. I’ve fought and bled for this opportunity. I’m allowed to enjoy it.
I sit down on the couch with a quiet groan of satisfaction, finally getting to put my cane aside. “So, girls… how are you feeling about Earth so far?”
They grumble immediately. “It is so freaking cold!” “Snow! We do not like the snow!”
“It’s only for another couple of… Months.” They’re undressing right in front of me. I am left briefly stunned.
Oh right they don’t normally wear clothes.
Reminding myself of that doesn’t help. The context is what it is. They’re my best friends and my two favorite girls and they’re stripping naked before me.
My brain fails me. “…Okay, so, uhh. Um. Hmmh. Huh.”
Mother of God there’s nothing different! They’re naked. They’re always naked! It hasn’t been a problem on VP, it won’t be a problem here! Man up!
I take a deep and steadying breath and resolutely refuse to think of patches of white and red on a set of pink coveralls, with pink patches on their matching ones.
“I guess we should… buy some food? And some clothes for me to use? And…”
And they turn their heads toward me, staring at me with one eye each. Side by side. Making me feel like I'm being stared down by a single creature. One with forward-facing eyes. And an orange blush.
They take slow steps closer. Thiva speaks first with an amused lilt to her voice. “Or maybe this is a good time to talk. You know, about the house rules.”
Vilek speaks as well, moving her tail sinuously in a teasing motion. “Relationship statuses.”
Thiva comes in with the finisher, practically purring. “Sleeping arrangements.”
Ah.
​
---
And that's the end! Thank you all so much for reading, and check the comments for a small request from yours truly!
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