#and like you can take public transport if available or an uber or whatever but. what if you have a seizure there ???? thats so embarrassing | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

moonbeambucky · 5 years ago

Text

Safe

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader Word Count: 4878 Warnings: fluff, angst, attempted sexual assault

Summary: The ride home turns dangerous until you find safety with an unlikely stranger.

A/N: This is my submission for @beckzorz Becca’s 1k Writing Challenge. My prompt was Public Transportation. Thank you as always to my Sam 💕 @buckyofthemyscira for beta reading! gif not mine

Routines have become a healthy part of Bucky Barnes’ life. Not to say his routines are really healthy but he tries. When Bucky’s not on a mission his day is executed the same way; get up, hit the gym, ignore Sam’s bullshit, hit the kitchen, hit the showers, ignore more of Sam’s bullshit, train a bit, hit the kitchen again, clean his guns, threaten Sam with his newly cleaned guns, attempt to learn about modern day media (What’s a mee-mee?), give up and read a book because thankfully those haven’t changed, hit the kitchen again because truthfully he loves eating and finally after getting into his final squabble with Sam he gets in bed.

Bucky doesn’t sleep though, he wants to but he can’t. He doesn’t understand how people can just lay their head on their pillow, shut their eyes and fall asleep. It seems simple and he used to be able to do it but now it would be like asking him to magically transform his metal arm back to flesh. He just can’t.

It’s frustrating. The bags under his eyes have happily settled in, Sam has reminded him over and over again that he looks like shit and even Steve has started to worry. All of these thoughts swirl in Bucky’s head, getting louder by the minute as he stares at the ceiling with eyes wide open.

Has that crack gotten bigger? Why is there a crack in the ceiling anyway? Does Stark know? Is Banner above me? Did Hulk make the crack? Will I wake up to Hulk falling through the ceiling?

Wake up. If only he could fall asleep.

After too many restless nights Bucky decided he’s heading out. He needs to get rid of this anxious energy and walking around the city seems like a good idea. He hadn’t seen much of it since, well since he’s been himself again after everything. There have been times he’s wanted to go out but the Avengers generate a lot of attention and Bucky hates the spotlight.

A dark shirt stretches across his frame and he slides his legs through the pair of jeans that were crumpled on his floor. His feet slide into well worn boots as he shrugs a leather jacket over himself. It’s warm on the streets of Manhattan, even in the middle of the night but he doesn’t mind. The leather is cool and comforting against his skin which always seems to run hot.

On Bucky’s first night out he walked a dozen miles and along the way he found a bar. It was full of people that didn’t know who he was nor did they want to know him. Bodies hunched over, deep set wrinkled mouths sag even further pulling their lips down to a tired frown. They wanted to be left alone and relatably Bucky obliges.

He ordered a drink, savoring the taste as he sat for a bit, listening to music he’s pretty familiar with thanks to Tony. Bucky had heard enough disco courtesy of Steve’s “must do” list, seeking out the sounds of heavy drums and electric guitars coming from Tony’s lab instead. Music brought them closer and although there is a long way to go before they can call each other friends at least their journey will be filled with a great soundtrack.

He walks a bit more until he reaches Lower Manhattan, looking off at the blur that was the Statue of Liberty in the far distance, barely visible through the fog. It’s late and Bucky should be getting back. He feels a bit lazy and doesn’t want to walk all the way back to the Tower.

Descending the damp stairs, Bucky heads into the subway. The turnstiles block his entry to the platform. No one is around and he could easily jump over them but he knows there are cameras and the last thing he wants is to add another charge to the list of crimes he’s committed, especially one as silly as fare evasion.

His finger presses at the screen to purchase a MetroCard that allows him to legally pass through the turnstiles. A few people are spread out across the platform, a young couple smiling at each other as the taller man wraps his arms around the shorter one.

A flash of bright blue catches his eyes from the nurse who shifts the weight of her aching feet back and forth. Despite her earbuds she glances over when the couple burst out laughing. The shorter man shushes his boyfriend playfully, and when they catch Bucky’s eye he gives a friendly smile.

Wind from the arriving train whips Bucky’s hair around which he tries to comb back into place with his fingers. There is a downside to being enhanced as Bucky gets an intense whiff of the foul smelling man passed out on the opposite end of the train.

He passes through to the next train, sniffing a few times to ensure the air quality before sitting in the corner. The ride is pleasant and somehow comforting. By the time Bucky gets back to the Tower he barely takes his clothes off before plopping face first into his bed and sleeping for a few good hours.

This routine continues each night, with Bucky riding the subway for a few hours at a time, back and forth all over Manhattan until the point where he’s lulled just enough to get some rest. Sure sleeping until noon might be a problem, especially if there’s a mission on the horizon but on the bright side he’s seeing less of Sam so this may not be a problem at all.

Moving to New York was Y/N’s dream. While submitting applications for law school she imagined herself sitting in a cafe in the heart of the city, laptop and books sprawled out on the table with a delicious cup of coffee warming her hands as she studied. When she got accepted she eagerly packed her things and couldn’t wait for her dreams to come true.

There were struggles along the way. A glitch in the system caused her to miss out on the already limited student housing and the list of affordable student rentals off campus had no availability. The small amount of money she had in savings served as a cushion for her to get a room rental.

During the day she went to school, at night she worked at a bar and every moment in between she studied until she could barely see, all while pushing the boundaries on caffeine consumption and sleep deprivation. It was worth it though she reminded herself.

She was in her last year of school and soon she’d be living in a real apartment and sleep normal hours in a bed; not facedown drooling on the desk of the library, not on the subway with her head rolling forward and jolting her awake and certainly not standing up behind the bar during work while patrons called for her attention. (She was nearly fired over that!)

Y/N no longer falls asleep on the subway, especially not when she’s headed home in the middle of the night. Sure it would be easier to take an Uber but she can’t afford the cost. Instead she sits in the corner at the end, right across from the conductor booth. Occasionally an MTA worker will pop out and either give a nod her way or ignore her completely as they go to the booth on the opposite end of the train to prepare themselves for the next stop.

Her seat is usually available at this hour which is comforting. Y/N feels safer with her back against the metal wall, with the exits right beside her as she overlooks the rest of the train. She’s on alert at all times, armed with her keys in between her knuckles, just in case.

Riding the subway during the day is a lot better. Sure it’s very crowded and sometimes she struggles to find a seat, occasionally squeezing to a spot in between manspreaders who touch her thigh, by accident. Other times she’s stuck in between a huge group of people, holding on to the pole for balance as someone else gropes her ass, not by accident.

It’s much easier to call out these perverts when the train is crowded; she feels safe. Other people have her back, just as she has theirs in similar situations; everyone working together to scream and sometimes push the pervert off the train at the next stop. Occurrences like these were definitely not part of Y/N’s dreams when she pictured living in New York, but she can’t blame her dreams for the faults of others.

Y/N walked to her preferred spot, the bright orange seat welcoming her under the yellow tinged lighting. At the opposite end of the train is someone else in the same spot. Arms crossed over a broad frame, the hood of a sweatshirt pulled down covering almost their entire face with just a peek of stubble sticking out. She places her keys between her knuckles, keeping her hand in the front pocket of her hoodie and waits for the long journey home to begin.

A few stops later two men get on the train, one is tall and slim with a shaved head and the other a bit shorter with a stocky build and a mess of dark hair. She stiffens in her seat watching as they sit diagonally to her, skipping a seat in between each other and spreading their legs out wide. The bald one leans his head back as he rubs his eyes, listening as the other one turned his head to speak.

The jagged end of the keys scratch in between her fingers as she grips them tighter, watching carefully as the one with dark hair gets up and crosses towards her, eyeing the subway map to her right. Y/N doesn’t make any eye contact with him but she still sees his frame standing there from the corner of her eye. She flinches as he shouts unexpectedly at the rough and shaky ride, swallowing a nervous lump she holds her breath until he sits back down next to his friend, except he doesn’t.

He walks to the door at the end of the train right in front of her and stares through to the next train. Is he looking for someone? Will he pass through? No. He leans against the conductor booth standing two feet away from Y/N, jutting his hips out a bit that are unfortunately at her eye level.

She ignores him, looking towards the rest of the train seeing his friend, now wide-eyed and smirking. Whatever game they’re playing Y/N wants no part of, she just wants to go home.

From the corner of Y/N’s eyes she sees the man in front of her moving his arm. Cautiously she looks, regretting what she sees. He’s rubbing himself through his jeans, eyeing her like she’s a piece of meat.

Y/N looks back to the bald man, his legs are spread even wider, with his hands down his pants. He blows a sickening kiss her way as he twists his wrist up showing the very tip of his erection at the top of his pants.

The man in front of her moans as his own hands travel inside his pants as he starts to rub himself harder.

Panic floods Y/N’s veins, rushing through like a coursing river, drowning her in fear. She’s alone. She’s alone with two men, no– two monsters, who could easily overpower her. She’s alone on this train. The conductor booths are empty, the sleeping man is still asleep and even if she called out to him would he care? Would he help or would he join this group of demons and think with his primitive, carnal brain?

It was humiliating to sit there, knowing what they were doing as she did nothing. The keys between her fingers turned to jelly. She couldn’t fight them, she couldn’t stand up for herself and she hates it. Y/N hates every minute she sits there in silence, wishing she had the help of strangers crowding around her to support the verbal lashing she would give them. Y/N hates that she has to rely on safety in numbers, that she can’t even speak up to stop this.

The train slows down as it approaches the next stop and Y/N decides she’s getting off before they do. She calms her nerves, shifting slightly in the seat so she can briskly leave the train, hoping above all that there are other people on the platform.

An automated voice informs arrival at the station and as soon as the doors open Y/N gets up without looking back.

The platform is empty, not that she expected a crowd but even one person would make her feel more at ease. She heads towards the nearest set of stairs, walking faster as she now hears voices behind her.

Y/N knows it’s them. She feels it in her gut, the sickening feeling, her stomach twisting into uneasy knots at the threat behind her. She doesn’t dare look, she can’t slow herself down in any way.

“Where’re ya going sweetheart? We just wanna talk.”

Y/N moves faster up the second set of stairs. She’ll be safe as long as she stays ahead of them. If she gets to the street she can pop into a deli or a bar, anywhere where there are people, where she’ll be safe.

“Get back here bitch!”

They stampede behind her like wild animals, chasing after their prey. Y/N’s panting, rushing up the remainder of steps, her eyes filling with hope as she sees the metal turnstiles to exit. She’s nearly there but hope is pulled away. They’ve caught up to her, one of them grabbing her leg.

Y/N collapses against the stairs, her arm stinging at the pain of how she landed but she doesn't care. Her keys clang as they drop from her hands.

They’ve got her, pulling her up by the loops of her jeans and back towards them, arms wrapping tightly around her waist. Her skin crawls as she feels the press of his hardness against her but she doesn’t stop fighting.

Her arms try to break the hold, her legs kick wildly as she’s dragged back towards the landing trying to break free. Her cheek collides with the cold tile as they slam her against the wall, holding her arms back so she couldn’t move.

They’re laughing. Y/N doesn’t need to see them to know there’s a smile spread across their faces. They’re enjoying this, enjoying her pain as she bites back a sob.

Tears burn their way to her eyes as she hears a zipper being pulled down, buzzing like a bee in her ear. She braces herself for the sting.

A cry of agony echoes in the stairwell but it’s not hers. The bald man was charged at; a stranger came towards him like a bull, fierce and focused as he speared him down. The other man behind Y/N let go of her arms, quickly pulling his pants up so he could fight.

She moves away with her back pressed against the wall watching the scene unfold like an action movie come to life.

Long, dark hair blankets the face of the man who came to her rescue, who shoves her assailant face first into the wall. Tiles shatter as he crumples to the ground unconscious.

The bald man groaned as he got up, pulling a small knife from his pants but the stranger dodges the poor attempt at an attack. Quickly he disarms the man, retrieves the knife for himself with an expert flick of his wrist, flipping the blade midair to catch it again by the hilt.

He forces the man to the wall with his left forearm, cutting off oxygen as he leans in with extra pressure.

“Think you're so tough, huh? You don't look so tough now," the long haired man snarled, threatening the man’s eye with the blade.

He gasps for breath, begging for his life through fear laden eyes that reveal a deeper truth, he’s a coward. The long haired man knocks him out with a nose shattering punch.

The stranger takes a breath, calming his nerves that were electrified the moment he realized the girl was in trouble. She’s still behind him, he can hear the fast rhythm of her heart, the shakiness of her breathing.

He turns slowly to face her, his heart breaking at the small abrasion on her cheek. He saved her but he wasn’t fast enough, they had still hurt her.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly, keeping his distance because there was no way he was going to force himself into her personal space after what happened.

Y/N was frozen against the wall, wary of the man in front of her. She should be thankful he stopped her attackers but the way he did it… he was dangerous and she’s not sure if she should trust a dangerous man.

She stares him down, her eyes following the curve of obvious muscle even through the thick sweatshirt down to his hands, one tainted red, dripping blood that is not his own, the other a dark metal.

Her brows furrow as her eyes travel upwards to his face confirming his identity. Ocean blue eyes that hold more than a lifetime of memories, good and bad, a soft smile, just a hint pulling at his bright pink lips that stand out against dark stubble.

Y/N’s eyes widen in further recognition. The man who saved her, Bucky Barnes, an actual Avenger was the sleeping man from the train.

“You…” she said, unable to articulate herself further, not when she thought about everything; what almost happened, what did happen. “You were on the train.”

Y/N glances at her superhero savior. She had seen firsthand a small glimpse of his strength and yet he stands before her looking anything but. His shoulders are slumped down, his head hangs low as sadness swims around the deep blue pools of his eyes.

Bucky was her hero but he definitely didn’t feel super.

He was on the train and he could have stopped this sooner if he hadn’t fallen asleep. Bucky’s train rides gave him enough comfort to rest when he was home but never before has he let his guard down like this and fallen asleep in a public place.

The guilt eats away at him and he lets it, offering every part of his aching soul willingly. If he was awake this wouldn’t have happened. He would have tackled these guys to the ground a lot sooner. She would have been safe.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, staring at her shamefully. “It shouldn’t have come to this.”

“Don’t.” Y/N takes a step closer to him, “You’re not responsible for what they did.” She glances briefly behind him, checking that the men were still knocked out. “Thank you Mr. Barnes.”

Bucky smiled softly, “It’s Bucky, and you’re welcome...” he quirked his head, wordlessly asking for her name. “You’re safe now Y/N,” he promised.

Pulling his phone out Bucky places a call, following protocol in the event an Avenger was involved in a civilian altercation. He panics when he turns around not seeing Y/N anywhere until she reappears, taking slow, measured steps down the stairs, still wary of the men on the ground.

“My keys,” she said, holding them up to him; a simple explanation as she had gone to retrieve them but the thought of her disappearing still worried him. Sure there were statements to give but Bucky cared more about her state of mind, knowing this type of situation can have a long lasting impact.

Bucky explained SHIELD would be coming to process the scene, assuring her things would be handled more efficiently than the NYPD.

“You’ll just need to give your statement once and everything will be handled. Pressing charges and all of that… it’s a lot easier ‘cause I got involved.”

The words leave a bitter taste on Bucky’s tongue; the fact that Y/N would get justice easily only because of his involvement. She won’t have to worry about being questioned as to why this happened, as if anything she did or the clothes she wore would ever be justification for this to happen. It’s not, not to her or anyone.

SHIELD arrives quickly after, beginning to take photographs before they handcuff the men. Bucky doesn’t leave Y/N’s side as she details the full encounter, his stomach twisting at what those sick fucks did all while he was asleep. He bites his tongue, swallowing his anger. This isn’t about him.

Incredibly things have cleaned up quickly, the only evidence of anything happening was the cracked subway tile. An agent approaches Y/N asking if she would like a ride home. She wants to trust them but she can’t bring herself to.

Bucky sees the apprehension in her eyes. “If it’s alright with Y/N,” he began, looking at her so she understood he knew what she was thinking, “I’d like to personally make sure that she gets home safely.”

Y/N nodded as she looked between the Agent and Bucky, her lips pulling in the faintest smile as she stared at the man she felt safest with.

They were alone again, standing in the silence of the stairwell. Y/N doesn’t know what to say. Bucky’s supposed to be taking her home but the thought of being alone terrifies her. Sure she has roommates and everyone is friendly with each other but they aren’t really friends. They’re not the type you wake up in the middle of the night to tell about your assault on the train and rescue by an Avenger.

Actually they might think the last part is pretty cool but Y/N would much rather be saved by an Avenger for something mundane. The Falcon could save her from a wild cyclist or maybe Iron Man could scan her yogurt and prevent her from eating it past the expiration date, or Bucky… Well, she can’t lie to herself, it’s definitely nice being around him, even if the circumstances were awful.

“I don’t want to go home,” she finally blurted out, her words echoing throughout the empty stairwell.

Bucky understands. He’s had seventy years of suffering he’s still dealing with, the reason for even being out in the middle of the night. He hates knowing sleep will escape her too, that she will beg her brain to turn off but instead it will force her to relieve the trauma.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, happy to see her nodding without hesitation.

They ascend to the street, feeling the cool wind refreshing their skin. The sky is just beginning to lighten, with the darkest, deepest blues retreating, breaking away to give the smallest hint of an orange glow in the distance.

Together they walk silently, with Y/N leaning close to Bucky, bumping into him every now and then but he doesn’t mind; she needs to feel him beside her and he kind of likes it.

“Where were you coming from?” he asked, breaking the silence.

She explained her schedule of school and work, and Bucky wonders if he’s ever been in her bar during one of his midnight strolls. He doubts it, he would have remembered her. He thinks to himself that taking the trains in the middle of the night isn’t safe. No shit Barnes, look at what happened. Instead he asks if she considered taking a taxi home.

“I wish!” she laughed. “They’re too expensive, even Uber. I’m struggling enough as it is.”

Money is a luxury Bucky hasn’t had to think about. Sure when he was younger he started working to help his folks, taking a newspaper route with Steve, working twice as hard that winter when his friend was stuck in the house with pneumonia. Now he doesn’t worry about anything. He has a home, two homes technically, not that he’s been to the compound in a while. Food is always stocked in the fridge and he’s never worried about it running out. Money is just available to him if he needs to buy clothes or the childhood candies he likes to occasionally treat himself to.

Bucky apologizes but Y/N ensures him there’s nothing to apologize for. He may live a luxurious life now but she would not trade her path for his.

A small bodega is the only store open for blocks so they stop in, greeted by a grey and white cat sleeping across the newspaper rack. Colorful packages of candy and chips surround the register, the junk food seems very tempting but before she can pick something out Bucky confirms if it’s alright to place an order for coffee and sandwiches. He pays but can’t leave until the man behind the counter takes a picture with him, excited to have a real “Vengador” visit his store.

They walk two more quick blocks until they reach Battery Park, strolling through the paths until they find the perfect bench to sit on. The coffee is still nice and hot, and the bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches are possibly the greatest thing they’ve ever eaten. A much better choice than the junk she would have chosen.

Napkins sop up the gooey cheesy from the corner of her mouth as Y/N makes conversation. “What were you doing on the train anyway?”

Bucky swallows a mouthful. “Helps me sleep,” he answered, looking at her with big, innocent eyes.

“Like a baby? In a car?”

Bucky nods, “Yeah, somethin’ like that.” He felt embarrassed until he saw a genuine smile pulling at Y/N’s lips as she brought the coffee to her lips.

“When do you finish school?” he asked, wanting to know more about her.

“I’m in my last year, then it’s study for the Bar, hope I pass and then I won’t need to risk my life every night on the subway. I’ll just go back to the daytime groping.”

Bucky stops himself from taking a bite, putting his sandwich back down on the paper in his lap. He shifts himself to turn towards Y/N, “You shouldn’t have to deal with that. I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. Not everyone is as kind as you, then again you’re from a different time.”

Bucky shakes his head. “The time has nothing to do with it, pigs will be pigs. During the war my sister Rebecca went to work. She wrote to me saying how she had to quit because her boss was putting his hands on her. That’s what they taught her back then. Well I’ll tell you, Becca didn’t quit without sockin’ him right in the eye!”

Y/N likes the way Bucky’s face lights up like the sun while reminiscing about his sister. Bucky likes the way she laughs at his story, how a smile suits her face so much more than the anguish he first saw on her.

“It’ll be okay. You’ll be okay after this.” His eyes are determined in that truth and Y/N smiles, wanting to believe him.

They finish their food and sip coffee as people pass them by to jog along the water. Despite the caffeine Y/N covers her mouth as she yawns but Bucky is wide awake, thanks to the coffee and the early morning ass kicking. He supposes she’ll need to go home soon but the thought that she’ll have to repeat this subway routine again tonight makes him uneasy.

“I wouldn’t mind making sure you get home safe every night,” he said, breaking the soft silence between them. “Since I’m up anyway.”

Her lips pull to a short lived smile. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking, I’m offering. As long as I’m here, not on a mission or something, I really don’t mind.” Bucky smiled sincerely, and Y/N saw nothing but truth in his sweet blue eyes. “We could take the train… together?” he suggested, “or I could drive you home.”

Y/N chewed on her lip as she examined the hopeful look on Bucky’s face, patiently waiting for an answer.

“I don’t know… Should I really trust a sleep deprived old man?”

Bucky’s mouth dropped open at her words as she graced his ears with the sweet sound of her laughter. Still, he shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s… that was cold. You been talking to Falcon behind my back or something?” he joked.

“Fine, I will accept your offer of driving.” Y/N yawns again, leaning her head against Bucky’s shoulder. “I don’t think I’ll be taking public transportation at night for a while.”

He’s happy, not that she is avoiding the subway because it shouldn’t have to come to that but because he knows she’ll be getting home safe each night with him.

“Where do you live anyway?” Bucky questioned. “I should have asked this before offering. Hope I haven’t committed myself to driving to Jersey or something,” he scoffed jokingly.

“Brooklyn.”

Bucky smiles, his heart swells like a balloon and he feels like he needs to grip the bench so he doesn’t float away.

“Brooklyn it is.”

They sit for a while longer, putting the long night behind them as the sun rises on a new day.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Reblogs, comments and likes are always appreciated :)

Perm. Tags (open): @all1e23 / @asphalt-cocktail / @badassbaker / @bibibucky / @borkystank / @breezy1415 / @bucky-smiles / @buckybabybaby / @buckybarneshairpullingkink / @buckyofthemyscira / @bvckybarnes / @california-grown / @chameerah / @chrevastan / @crazyfreaker / @crazyinspiration / @driftingtonystark / @fandom-addict-aesthetics / @hana1379 / @his-paradox / @holland-stan-posts / @jaamesbbarnes / @jamesbvck / @jbuckbrnes / @kentuckybarnes / @kenzieam / @mizzzpink / @notimetoblog / @palaiasaurus64 / @prettyyoungtragedy / @royallylazy / @sgtjbuccky / @stanclub / @stevehesaidabadlanguageword / @supernaturaldean67 / @survivalistflowers / @suz-123 / @teamcap4bucky / @theassetseyeliner / @the-wayward-robot / @toongtii / @tropicalcap / @undyingart / @valhalla-ally / @wintersxsoul? / @wonderlandmind4 / @wonderless-screwup

#beccas1kwritingchallenge #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes one shot

2K notes · View notes

bigskydreaming · 4 years ago

Note

I hope you dont take this the wrong way cuz I dont mean to dispute the tags you made on that donation post since Ive never been in that situation but Im just honestly curious, what about shelters? Are they not an option? I guess I just never thought about that much Im ashamed to admit.

Hoo boy. I really, truly CAN NOT express strongly enough how very much NOT an option homeless or abuse shelters can be for a lot of people.

For one, how helpful or useful they are depends ENTIRELY on the people staffing the shelter in the first place. And unfortunately, a TON of people who work at shelters have various white knight or savior complexes and a bit of an ego about it, and I just mean....they bring their own biases to the job while being convinced they HAVE no biases.

So if for whatever reason you fall outside of the group whomever’s staffing the shelter you try to go to has decided they’re ‘okay’ with helping, like if you’re trans or black or openly gay and the snob in charge of literally gatekeeping the entrance to that shelter is transphobic or antiblack or homophobic, or if you’re visibly an addict and they don’t think you deserve their help because of that or that they’d rather save a bed for the next hypothetical non-addict homeless person who might still come along later, or even if just they look at you and decide YOU’RE potentially going to make the shelter an unsafe environment for someone else already there.....you’re shit out of luck right there.

Then there’s the fact that shelters aren’t as numerous as a lot of people assume, and depend entirely on what city they’re in for how plentiful or even ACCESSIBLE they are, period.

Then the fact that homeless people first have to be able to even GET to a shelter - again, with no guarantee that shelter will even let them in the door - and there’s the fact that a LOT of shelters are in parts of cities that have especially high crime rates and are quite frankly DANGEROUS to be trying to make your way towards, especially if you’re obviously exhausted or lacking in some kind of means of protecting yourself....with this ranging from the danger being from other people who victimize others out of their own desperation for food or money, to the danger being from like, violent white supremacists or neo-nazis or gay-bashers who sometimes even stalk the areas around shelters just for the OPPORTUNITY to prey on the disadvantaged people trying to make their way to one’s relative safety. A shelter’s very existence unfortunately is not just a beacon advertising a safe haven to disadvantaged people in need of one....its also simultaneously a beacon declaring a potential pool of disadvantaged people to prey upon.

Then there’s the hell of even trying to make it to a shelter - again with no guarantee you’ll get to STAY at that shelter - if, like a lot of homeless people or abuse victims and runaways - you’re disabled and the ACCESSIBILITY of shelters alone is a key part of the nightmare. Its hard as FUCK to get around a lot of cities when you’re physically disabled, and especially in the midst of a pandemic, most cities’ public transportation is not remotely reliable (also with the added caveat that like, if you’re visibly homeless you have to contend with the question of whether or not even the BUS DRIVER will let you onto their bus). So sometimes even just to GET to a shelter when the nearest one is literally twenty miles away and at least there’s a shitty roach motel down the street from where you are now....you have to weigh the pros and cons of risking wasting however much money it takes to like, Uber to a shelter that may or may not take you in, versus just saving that money to put it towards a motel for the night that you can barely afford but at least can GUARANTEE will see you safely housed for the night as long as you can scrape just enough money together to get in the door.

Then there’s the fact that in a lot of shelters, even the best of them, the safest of them, the ones staffed by genuinely kind and caring people who don’t discriminate against anyone who comes to their doors.....simply DONT HAVE THE ROOM to take you in by the time you even get to one for the night. And in fact, the MORE a shelter is genuinely safe and clean and staffed by people who won’t spit on you for asking if they have a spare bed, the MORE likely it is that its full up and with no room to spare, because homeless people talk to each other, and spread the word about what shelters are safe to go to, etc.

Because then there’s the fact that forget the ones that are staffed by people with white knight complexes and egos about it, there’s also the ones that are staffed by ACTIVELY PREDATORY people. Who are drawn to the positions by their awareness of just HOW vulnerable and desperate everyone who so much as walks in those doors is, and thus can be extorted or shaken down for a bribe to even let them in for the night, or even worse, can be blackmailed or extorted into providing ‘favors’ to the staff in exchange for a bed.

And then there’s the fact that even if you DO luck out and find a genuinely safe shelter with an available bed for the night, you still have the same problem the next day and the same issues with funds, mobility, and like, a need to find some way to bring in more money so you dont have to keep staying at the shelter indefinitely, because even the most kind-hearted staffers will eventually start to hint around that you’ve ‘benefited’ from a month or two there already and the needs of a city full of homeless people aren’t abating and there’s tons of other people who need that bed just as much and haven’t even gotten in for a DAY yet, let alone the month or so you’ve ‘enjoyed’....which means every day you still have to venture forth from the shelter in search of money, but the fact that you DID find a shelter that was safe, clean and comfortable for a night means you now have to weigh the pros and cons of do you dare risk traveling far enough away from the shelter you can’t guarantee you’ll be able to make it back to it later that day/night, or in time to still find an available bed, or do you stick with staying close by while looking for work or begging for money, even if the location you and that particular shelter are in vastly limit your options in finding work or people with money to spare and a willingness to spare it on a homeless person on the corner.

Its....a lot.

And its the exact same issues to consider all over again at the start of each new day, because none of those things are ever NOT an issue you have to carefully weigh and consider.

So unfortunately, for all those reasons and a lot more I’m not even thinking of at the moment....for a lot of people, in a lot of cities, shelters aren’t even a REALISTIC option at all, let alone for any kind of extended period of time.

2 notes · View notes

shortstoriesmk · 4 years ago

Text

Who Called The Uber?

by Massi Kabir

Of course, I could tell you now, that my natural curiosity for everything outside the walls of everyday dullness brought me here. That I love flirting with one of my many fears, seducing her, just to slit her throat during one of our first dates.

I could tell you that I think of my comfort zone as a purple ugly pajama, which, whenever my courage lets me, I happily trade for nudity.

There is certainly truth to these points, and yet, they all would undermine the immense irrational power of a man's lust in his early 30's.

So, if you are really wondering who called that Uber last night, let me tell you:

My dick did.

So this is how it went:

One last check in front of the mirror. I like what I see and tell myself silently, "You look fresh, brother".

It's probably mostly my nerves talking, but yes, I did somehow find that sweet spot between under- and overdressed. I can tell that my white button-up shirt and black leather shoes are happy to know that funerals are not their only reason to exist. I promise them something special for tonight. The casual green jeans and a black blazer add to my contentment and make me put my shoulders back. I do that because I recently read that we, humans, derive from the lobsters. Apparently, their postures tell a lot about their ranking within their dominance hierarchy. Low posture, low rank. A balanced upright posture is supposed to increase serotonin levels, which ultimately results, along with other benefits, in better mating opportunities. I believe that, and hence, push my chest out, eager to kiss the world with my nipples.

Lastly, I grab my deo roller. I tell it that I need some more tonight and that armpits ain't enough. It knows I quit perfume a long time ago and hence, complies loyally doing the extra shift while I take it on an extended trip over my body's skin.

Finally, in the Uber, I count my breaths like a Zen Buddhist despite knowing I'll never be one. I admit to myself that I'm a nervous bloke under the leadership of his lust and throw the driver a grin through his stained rear-view mirror. With every inhale, there is a hail of bravery echoing inside of me. ‘14 minutes till arrival’, says the app that managed to erase my interest in public transport forever. Enough time for me to consider changing the number of open shirt buttons from two to three.

It's a gamble, I know. But, it could pay off. I mean, they will see that my chest has not given birth to much hair yet, but, on the other hand, 3 open buttons demonstrate a sense of willingness and availability. And, in a place like the one I am about to enter, these two attributes are dominating currencies.

So, three it is.

The Uber drops me in front of number 73.

I ring the bell. 80 seconds later, a shrill tone cuts off my stream of doubts, whether this is the right address or not, and lets me open the gate. My balls are hoping it's the gate to heaven. Everything is possible right now. I feel it. I head towards the house.

A plum, too dry to open doors like that, welcomes me while I gaze at her face. The sperms I brought, that a minute ago were still arguing about who would be the first in line, suddenly start to sympathize with the idea of retreat. Within seconds, the old lady's hands swallow my €80 while her noisy décolleté goes fishing for my eyeballs. My deep Zen breathing turns all the sudden shallow and, my pulse climbs a little mountain, while my face tries its best to not give it away. Then, I stare through the second entrance door, which is out of glass. I already get the feeling that it probably does a better job of serving as an exit.

Whatever. It's too late to get my bucks back and too early to decide to remain clothed, so vamos.

I'm somewhere in the outskirts of Lisbon inside a villa that will probably never live up to that title.

The smoke in the air forms a maze for my vision. But, it's ok. It doesn't take much vision anyway to understand that pants are outnumbering skirts in this cave that smells like filth. During its amateur application process for this event, I raised the question on WhatsApp of how many people would attend.

‘100’ was the answer. Now, finding myself looking at an empty dance floor, I feel this strong urge to sue the former math teacher of whoever typed that ridiculously inaccurate reply.

The plum, sensing the swelling of my disappointment, urges me to come with her for a little house viewing before I start mingling. If her whole outfit wouldn't scream so loud, "Please, fuck me!" I might have understood her real name when she mentioned it earlier on my arrival. The syllables of her name, however, got swallowed instantly by the kanon that her different overexposed body parts sing tonight. Off-key, sadly.

I follow her walking up the stairs. Her moment to wave her ass cheeks right in my face. She knows what she is doing and does so in pride, reminding me of a patriot waving his country's flag. It has to be a patriot from somewhere within the European Union, though, ‘cause, something is telling me that the borders of her ass must be equally open. The upper floor is dark and arranged with cold walls that shape rooms that are meant to host strangers engaging in the warmest act that God has ever invented for us.

In the aisle, we pass a closed wooden door. "We can't go in here, right now," she informs me, "there are people inside, fucking!" She says that in a fashion more causal than a 'Fruit of the Loom' shirt. In particular, the word "fucking" and the way it sounds trespassing her slightly chapped lips has me irritated immensely. I mean sure, there is not much romance to the word by default anyway, never was. But her tonality and the way she lets the word roll over her tongue makes me somehow want to commit to vanilla sex for the rest of a monogamous life.

The tour through the upper floor continues. She calls it her 'dream villa'. I get introduced to Dark room, glory whole wall, various single rooms, two open fucking spaces, and a little cage. Except for the one room that was closed, it is all still empty here; no sweat yet, no moans, no ripped condom packages. She goes on about how she built it all on her own, how this is all a product of her imagination, and how it took her 6 years to bring this place to where it is right now.

I pretend caring while she keeps massaging her ego. I am too caught up to be real with her. I am still disturbed. I mean, why would she treat the word "fucking" like that? It was this cold aggression in her voice that bugged me. As if she had stored it inside the bottom freezer box of her vocabulary's fridge and made it a habit to bend for it whenever she felt like rebelling onto the world. The hobby psychologist inside me senses that trauma made her a rebel – a rebel that fights with the weapons of vulgarity, just to cover up scars of a past encounter with a cheap replica of love. We all have been there, some way or another, so I try my best not to judge her. And still, I hate her.

The f word always was something holy for me, especially out of a woman's mouth. A real lady chooses to use it scarcely, and that's where the magic lingers. Only when a man has already done the necessary, to own the right to hear her language go south, will she choose to dip her words in dirt. Nothing is sweeter for a man than having a well-spoken lady using the f word for the first time while whispering in his ear the request to penetrate her so she can lose her brain. Needless to say, this plum seems to have lost its sweetness a very long time ago.

We go downstairs again, and I drop my blazer at the cloakroom. Her "see you later" is featured by a gaze of her eyes that tells me that she has plans to liberate me from more than just my blazer at a later point this night.

With her leaving my side, I have finally arrived at my first swinging party. Officially. I welcome myself with a beer that I order from the bar. I speak from my balls while I do so, oiling my vocal cords with some fabricated confidence. The truth, however, is I am nervous.

I came alone tonight in order to not to be alone tonight. I came to let my lust off its leash. Yes. Nobody can see it, but I wear a mask at this moment, one of my favorite ones; it's called anonymity. I am leaning at the bar facing the dance floor and nervously swim in this sensation this mask provides me with, all while sipping on this lukewarm beer. Being anonymous means being a nobody to everybody. It's a chance to flip your skin and dance life with a different set of steps for a little while. You can be a dervish under the disco ball of life, at least temporarily.

But here is the downside: anonymity is a very fragile phenomenon, it cracks the longer you stick around. People get to know you, open their boxes and throw you inside one of them, without caring if you break or not. This makes life easier for them and harder for you.

Right now, however, leaning on this bar, sipping on this bottle, I can feel that I am box-free. I can be whoever I want to be, or better, whoever I am.

This sense of freedom, mixed with the alcohol that starts curving through my veins, calms me down, and I decide to make my way to the other end of the room. My chest stays out, of course, it's mingling time.

I scanned the room already for all its potential and could only find one young lady that I really desire to undress instantly. I am heading towards her, and position myself next to her, and her male companion, who could be her husband, it's hard to tell. Sure is, they are close to each other and seem to have found a nice way of throwing and catching each other’s smiles. I can tell by the way they treat each other. It looks like love that already ripened for some years. 'Their sex must be good', I am thinking. At the same time, I wonder, 'Why are they here then? Why are they not at home with some candles and a record player spinning a Marvin Gay vinyl?’ They are in their early 40's, I am guessing, which makes me wonder if they have children. If so, what did they tell them where they are going tonight? Theater? Cinema? Dinner with friends? And did they hire a babysitter? The nerd in me wants to know now how many millions have been spent in the history of the world on babysitters so parents can go and exchange body fluids with strangers in a place where glory holes adorn walls. 'The world is sick,' I am thinking, 'in a sweet way. And so am I.'

I heard once that one should always stick to the '3-second rule' when planning to approach his object of desire. That means it should be avoided at all cost to spend more than three-seconds contemplating on the execution of the approach. Now all this thinking got me already to second 42 and I am feeling how hesitation gets the better of me. What if they reject me? What if they don't speak English? What if I am not their type? What will the others think of me when they see how I am getting rejected? All these amateur questions start to vomit over my mind and leave me crippled in the corner, three meters away from the couple my dick would like to have a threesome with.

I tell myself, 'there will be another, better chance later' and shift my focus back to the poorest dance floor I have seen in years.

There is some movement happening. The light is getting dimmed and the plum tells people to make some space for what is about to come. Then she starts speaking with a man whose size reminds me of a vintage wardrobe. His arms are filled with ink and his veins tell an ugly story about steroids. All of a sudden, mid through the conversation, she starts pointing at me and explains to him eagerly something which clearly involves me and my presence. After her briefing, he promptly makes his way towards me. While he does so, he reminds me of a big dog who is going for his bone, which Mama just threw for him. His eyes are getting bigger and there is a rising amount of saliva flowing in his mouth. I dislike the fact that she chose me to be the bone in this scenario, but I guess our brief sighting-seeing tour made her believe that we have a special connection or something. My fault, I should stop being nice to people I hate.

I'll never know his name, but there is a 99% chance that his name is Joao, Pedro, or Miguel. The Portuguese are special people, very sensitive and creative. I love them. But when it comes to naming their children, it seems like creativity and originality are two players they constantly put on the bench.

The walking wardrobe, who looks like a 'Pedro' to me, reaches me and screams in my ear:

"Come! She wants you to come."

Maybe he even said:

"Come! She wants you to cum."

Not sure about it, but honestly, in this place, these two sentences point in the very same direction. His right palm eats my left arm as he tries to pull me closer towards his plum, who is waiting on the edge of her small yet still under-crowded dance floor. I brush his hand off my limb and tell him to chill, asking what he wants from me. Pedro repeats his sentence in his broken English and lets eventually go off me. There is some tension between us, I can tell, and so can the few people around us. I'm not a short bloke, but Pedro's height exceeds mine by minimum seven centimetres and he is certainly physically stronger than me. Now that he is so close, I can witness the distinctive features in his face and start reading a bit of the story that is written inside his mime. It's a story of pain, I can tell by the tension of the muscular tissue in his face and the corners of his mouth, which seem to travel more often south rather than north.

I always thought of pain as a huge house, something like a villa. And if sadness is the main hall inside that villa, then aggression is something like the entrance hall or lobby. Behind aggression always lives sadness. Behind every fist always hides a tear. Looking at Pedro now makes me believe that he somehow got stuck in that lobby of pain and that for every tear he swallowed, one of his enemies had to swallow one of his jewelry-adorned fists. I don't want to swallow his fist. Not now, not here, not in this filthy cave that he calls his kingdom.

So, I walk up to the plum with him and ask her, “What's the matter?” She tells me: "You are way too sexy to be standing there all on your own, honey. Sit down here next to my friend". She points at the small sofa next to her, right on the dance floor. Her friend is a lady in her late 30's, a couple of years older than me, who refuses to hide her crooked, brownish teeth, while she grins at me. A small wave of disgust breaks inside me. I usually feel great sympathy for people who carry their imperfections with dignity and some sort of pride because it can show confidence, and confidence has always been a sexy thing to me. But like with everything, there is a line. And unfortunately, her set of teeth is crossing that line by miles.

Despite the lack of resonance I'm feeling, I decide to sit down next to her. I guess Pedro and the plum left some sort of intimidating impression on me, otherwise, I can't tell why I would ever sit on this couch. On her right sits another man, roughly my age, who seems, besides me, to be the only man that picked a white button-up shirt as his attire for this night, which was supposed to be a glorious one. He looks happier and way more at ease compared to me. 'Why am I sitting here? What the fuck am I doing here?' I'm asking myself, while I feel this pressure inside my body. In my mind, I'm comparing this pressure, with how a woman must feel when she is pregnant. I came here, being impregnated by lust, trying to give birth to one of my shadows that lingers in a room inside of me, where society and all its conventions have no access to. But now, sitting on this damn couch, getting my thigh stroked by a woman that never believed in dentistry, I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that tonight, this pregnancy is about to end in a miscarriage. ‘What the fuck am I doing here?’

My pulse climbs again this mountain as I'm starting to understand what is about to happen here. The light is being dimmed, even more, a new song, even worse than the one before, is being played and the plum approaches the pole, which is decorating the center of the dance floor. Her time has come. The plum strip show is about to happen. Finally or, sadly. Depending on whom you ask in here. I stay with my opinion that she is way too old for these type of things. There should be a universal pole dance law in place, forbidding women with a certain amount of wrinkles in her face to ever touch a pole and charge money for it, I'm thinking. I reminisce about my €80 entry fee and what else I could have done with it. There was a commercial by a charity, which I spotted the other day, claiming it would cost only €40 to save a life in Africa. And here I am now, watching these two old white breasts stroking a pole in an unpopular swinging club, somewhere in Portugal, all while I could have saved two beautiful black twins, somewhere in Africa. Bravo!

The strip show continues, and I'm carefully watching her movement and the way she carries herself, sliding around this pole with her 10 cm high heels on. I need to give her some credit even though I struggle somehow finding the right words for it. Maybe for the effort. Or maybe, for the past potential that used to be there. I can imagine how, at a time, when her body didn't show any plum resemblance yet, this pole and these heels used to be her key into a world full of decadence and successful businessmen, who liked to spoil her with material things, after they got their naked part of the deal. Time took this key from her one day like it does to all pretty ladies. Time threw that key overboard into the inevitable ocean of evanescence, and she jumped right after it trying to catch it again and again, without notable success to this day. No anti-aging cream, no surgeon, and no dance pole can prevent that key from hitting the ocean bed. Thinking about this, I almost feel sorry for her. Maybe, it was not her fault. Maybe, we are to blame; we men, by tricking pretty ladies into betting all their chips on their beauty, and making them believe this winning streak will last forever. Sadly, it doesn't.

Physical beauty serves the eyes. And the eyes of humans are little hungry monsters. Monsters that like to eat only one thing and one thing only: Symmetry. Like a dog loves to chew on a bone, our eyes enjoy chewing on symmetry; the more, the better. We simply can't get enough of it. Take the face of Kate Moss, for instance. It's like a five-star dish for these two monsters inside our face, especially for the heterosexual men among us. Scientists discovered that the length and width of a face, as well as the distance between and women's mouth and her eyes, determines how attractive she is to men. Ms. Moss apparently got extremely lucky the day that God handed out facial length and width measures because the distance between the middle of her eyes and her mouth is about 46% of the width of her face, which is supposed to be the "golden ratio". The face of this pole dancing plum in front of me, however, has, apart from those oval over-sized earrings hanging from her lobes, literally nothing golden to offer any more. Time has eaten her symmetry.

As she continues to chase her younger self on this pole, with movements that were not invented for a body aged like hers, she starts looking in our direction. We, the three people on this purple couch, are having the courtside seats in this arena of filth. No one is closer to the action. I'm feeling a bit like Jack Nicholson in the Staples Center or Spike Lee in the Madison Square Garden. Probably more like Mr. Lee, to be honest, since the Knicks seem to have performed equally bad in recent years, just like the plum is now. She starts walking up to us. I'm surprised how stable her walk is, considering her age in combination with those stupidly long heels she is wearing. Personally, I never had a thing for heels; it never did much to me, seeing a girl walking around all stiff and unnatural like that. Marilyn Monroe supposedly said once, "We owe the man who invented high heels so much." I never had a clue what she was talking about until I read again about some scientists that claimed high heels make women's feet look more petite and therefore overall, more attractive to men. Well, I'm a man, and one of the coolest girls I ever dated, came in flip flops to our first date, and instantly gave birth to a butterfly in my belly. But that's maybe for another story. Sure is, I would have made Marilyn wear some Birkenstock's before starting to penetrate her.

So, as the plum arrives at the sofa, she grabs the hand of the other guy and pulls him towards a chair that Pedro, in the meantime, has put right next to the pole. A new song is being played, and she starts lap dancing on the guy who might share with me the affinity for white button-up shirts but certainly not the taste in women. Some people start whistling and yelling little sounds of excitement while her ass takes a hike up his lap, planting a little lump between his legs. I stare at the grin he parked in his face and discover, to my surprise, that it's really a genuine one. The muscles in our face have always fascinated me; they are like a lie detector. I can always tell by someone's facial expressions how close they live to authenticity in a given moment. A fake smile relaxes fast, too fast. On a genuine smile, the corners of the mouth go back calmly and smoothly, to its neutral position, it relaxes slowly. As I keep witnessing this, for me, rather tragic performance, I can clearly see that the guy is genuinely happy and pleased. Pleased by a woman that I named plum the first minute I caught sight of her; a dry plum to be exact.

I feel like an alien that is stranded on a planet that is illiterate to the language of sex and erotic. Where lust is a hyper-inflated currency, making anyone a millionaire, whipping his ass with bills whenever his hormones hand him a dose of horniness. An alien always feels lonely. A feeling of loneliness can only flourish when there is, for whatever reason, no ground or space for sharing. We share by communicating, mostly through language, which is mostly transmitted spoken or through our bodies. My genitals clearly speaks Suaheli compared to the others in here, so how on earth would I ever be able to communicate and share anything in this cave?

Next to me, still sits the lady with the crooked smile, still rubbing my thigh, still refusing to see a dentist. Just like the interior design of her mouth lacks order and alignment, I am starting to lack some patience. Nothing of what my five senses have been absorbing in the last 70 minutes has been really to my liking, and something is telling me that the worst is yet to come if I don't take immediate action. The little mathematician inside my currently confused brain starts doing his job and calculates the probability of me being next in line for a lap dance, like the one I am forced to watch right now. Considering the fact that I'm the only remaining male on this couch, which feels like a substitute bench, the chance of me being the next player on the lap dance field seems alarmingly high. So high that my heartbeat starts mimicking some dub step rhythm and I actually start feeling a bit scared. "I need to get the fuck out of here" is what my inner voice starts shouting. The thought of me sitting in the middle of this dance floor, being watched by all these horny eyeballs while a dry plum slides down my crotch, lets my heartbeat go even higher, approaching more and more the tempo territory of some ‘drum n bass’ track. This cocktail of emotions my spirit is sipping on right now doesn't taste well- I feel scared, disgusted, and ashamed all at the same time. Not good. I need to leave. Now!

I stand up, fast and assertive. In doing so, I brush off the lady's hand of my thigh, who then tries to stop me by reaching for my wrist, while mumbling some, for me, indigestible syllable salad. She is obviously trying to convince me that I should be staying. That I should be patiently waiting for this present they got prepared for me. I quickly look back at her and can tell by her surprised look that she has no clue of how I'm feeling. She must really be thinking that I'm letting go of some sort of once in a lifetime chance here.

I rush to the cloakroom, just to find out that it's locked. Fuck. I just want my blazer and escape this place. I look around, trying to find someone who could help me with my dilemma, and see Pedro approaching me. He must have seen how I rushed off the couch and also seems surprised about my sudden change of plans. "What's wrong, my friend?" he asks. For a split second, I'm considering to tell him, that we are further away from being friends than the pope from ever using a pack of condoms in his life, but then, discard that idea quickly and just reply: "I need to leave. Can you open the door? I need my blazer." He pulls a set of keys out of his pocket and opens the door, visibly disturbed by my ambition to leave his cave. He almost seems to take it personally and wants to know, "Why do you want to leave? You don't like it here? What's your problem, my friend?" As I take my blazer off the hanger, I tell him that he doesn't have to worry about my problem and that all he needs to know right now is that I need to leave. He senses that I'm serious and decides not to continue his Q&A session with me. He assists me to the exit, where I decide to turn around for one last time and give this place a final look. One last observation that shall be burned into my memory forever, reminding me what I don't want in my still young, erotic life.

I look at the men in here, who are all still excitingly following the narrative of the plum's strip show. She seems to have found another victim that she is now arousing with her clumsy movements. It's a man in green shorts and a blue tank top, who reminds me again of the fact that I'm embarrassingly overdressed tonight. He also seems to have the time of his life, receiving what is, in my view, still Portugal's poorest pole dance performance. I stare at his happy face one last time, observing this sincere, lustful joy that is being displayed in there.

A line from my favorite rapper comes to mind and I whisper it to myself while I finally walked out of my

first swinging party:

"One man's pain is another man's pleasure.

One man's trash is another man's treasure."

Outside, I button my shirt all the way up to the collar button, grab my phone, and open the Uber app.

This time, it's me who orders the Uber,

not my dick.

#shortstory #intrigue #literature

1 note · View note

brittapcrrys · 4 years ago

Note

# # #

send me a # to learn an unusual hc about my muse / ASK

MILA SRIDHAR

16. do they prefer taxis / buses / subways, etc? or none of the above?

Mila’s hasn’t really got particularly strong feelings about modes of transportation. The upside of public transit and ride-sharing is they get to think about and use their hands for whatever they like during the course of the trip, and that’s broadly applicable across the board. The people-watching available on a bus, train or streetcar is fun, though. The privacy of a taxi or Uber is sometimes preferred, but for the most part, Mila does enjoy being part of the hustle and bustle, the freedom of anonymity that comes with being one of many random people riding the bus or on the subway.

26. what are they most passionate about? what could they debate about for hours?

Working in Lori’s bookstore, Milaia has learned to love discussing literature, authors, and storytelling. There’s always been some interest in reading and stories, in discussing what they’d read or hearing about their friends’ and siblings’ latest reads, but their knowledge base has expanded, which is useful when you’re trying to convince a socialiser or window-shopper that, actually, we do have a few books that sound a lot like this old favourite you keep mentioning, complete with that depth of world-building I know is a major element in that author’s works, if you’d follow me to these shelves...

And if anyone’s brave (or foolish) enough to ask about the custom tea blends, they’d better have the time and the attention span to hear all about how Mila developed, tested and perfected it, and the ways it can help the mind and body, and how the take-home loose leaf parcels are 10% off if you drink a cup in-store -- 20% with proof of book purchase from the other counter across the store!

28. do they have kids? do they want kids? if so, how many?

No, Mila doesn’t have kids, and it’s not something they’ve particularly envisioned for themselves yet, or planned for. They love children, but so far keeping the care and interaction to part-time has worked very well, and they don’t feel strongly enough to see the point in changing that right now, or in the near future. They do sometimes wish things with their own siblings were a little better, so they could spend a more significant amount of time with their nieces, nephews and niblings, but the time they do get is cherished... But, so is being able to say farewell knowing they can return to a quiet home where the only person they need to care for in that time is themself.

#orthographewrites #answered.#ask meme.#CH ; Mila Sridhar #they're still New so this maybe doesn't go as deep as it could but Oh Well #thank you!#uploading this gif was a fckn Task And A Half btw WHAT is up with this new update #uhh i put the read more after the gif but it's hiding the whole damn answer what's going on @ staff huh ??!?? hUH ???!

1 note · View note

kae-karo · 6 years ago

Note

Katie I’m about to fly completely on my own for the first time this Friday and I’m pretty anxious about it. Do you have any advise you could give me about flying/the airport/packing/anything really? Thank you in advance :S x

hi b! ooooookay wow finally the 38 flights i went on last year will come in handy!

packing:

okay traveling by yourself if you’ve never done it before won’t necessarily impact your packing - just be sure that if you have a small carry-on bag that you don’t have any liquids over 2.5oz and remember that like. if you forget something, a lot of hotels (if that’s where you’re staying) will have stuff you can use for free, just ask them. worst case they usually have some stuff you can buy but most places are like really nice. if you’re staying with friends/family, just ask if you forgot something!

most people usually do like a carry-on bag and a checked bag, but just do whatever you normally do, and then make sure your carry-on has your id/passport, your phone, a charger for said phone, your wallet, any meds you have or anything you can’t go for the entire flight without, and then something to do on the plane (book, game, laptop, tablet, etc)

my necessities: phone, wallet, passport if i’m going international, keys cause i usually have to get back in my house after lmao, laptop, chargers for laptop and phone, a portable charger, headphones

here’s the hard tip: acknowledge that you probably will forget something. i literally travel almost every month of the year and i forget one thing every time. but it’s gonna be okay. as long as you have your id/passport/wallet and phone, things will be okay

before you travel:

okay so i have the apps for like all the major airlines and i usually try to check myself in right when i’m allowed to (24hr before). if you’re on southwest, set yourself a reminder so you can check in exactly 24hr before the flight and make sure you get a decent boarding number cause they do it on first come first serve

otherwise, just check in and save a screenshot of your boarding pass to your phone. i usually just do everything with the boarding pass in the app or saved to my photos but you can get a paper copy at the airport as well, and don’t stress if you lose it or w.e once you’re past security cause the gate attendants can print a new one (or you can just use the mobile)

oh the other thing here is you can sometimes choose a different seat whilst checking in? so if you see the one that’s assigned to you and you Don’t Like It, see if any others are available that you might prefer. i always go for the closest aisle seat to the front when traveling alone

and ofc you’ll want to make sure you have some kind of plan for once you arrive at your destination for how you’ll be getting wherever you’re going - taxi, uber, ride from friend/fam, public transport, whatever, just kind of have an idea what you need to do so you’re not stressing once you land

this one is one that doesn’t apply to me, but definitely something to check and look into if needed: if you have any special requirements or needs whilst in the airport or flying, ie wheelchairs or special accommodations or w.e, make sure you know what you have to do when you arrive

leaving for the airport:

okay first and foremost, depending on your airport, you’ll want to be sure you arrive at least 1.5hr early (this is like my personal rule of thumb bc i usually fly in and out of moderately large airports and i have Massive Paranoia about traveling for some reason?? even though i take like 12+ trips a year? but most places require no less than 40ish minutes ahead of time, that’s like super tight though i do Not recommend) - keep in mind like. traffic and stuff, if you’re going to the airport during rush hour or w.e make time for that

if you’re not familiar with your airport and like getting in (bc there’s usually a massive amount of like exits and ‘turn here for this’ sort of things) talk to someone who is familiar with it or like. google maps it ahead of time and street view walk yourself through it, whatever you need to do to feel comfy so if you’re the one driving, you know where to go to park/etc. if you’re ubering or having someone drop you off, just be sure you know which airline you’re on as they’ll drop you off in the right place

checking in:

okay if you’re already checked in and you don’t have a checked bag, you can head straight to security, but if you do need to check your bag, use the kiosks they’re always faster and you don’t have to wait in line. it’s pretty self-explanatory, usually, just enter the identifying info and it’ll probably note that you’re already checked in and just say you have a bag to check. you can also print a physical boarding pass here if you want. the kiosk will print out your luggage tag and just follow the instructions to attach it to the bag. there’ll be like a drop off point (they’re usually p well-labeled) up by the actual people at desks so just head up there and have your id/passport and boarding pass ready cause they’ll want to check them

security:

okay 9 times out of 10 you probably will Not have tsa precheck but if you do, it’ll be somewhere on your boarding pass and you should look for/ask someone about the nearest tsa precheck line. it’s just convenient, cause you don’t have to remove laptops or take your shoes off and it’s usually the shortest line

if you don’t have tsa precheck, just find the nearest (and shortest) security line and have your id and boarding pass ready. if you’re using a mobile boarding pass, lock your screen rotation if you’ll be using the picture you took instead of the app (this is the most annoying thing lmao i’ve done it too many times and usually just try to use the app when i can cause it’ll lock the rotation and go full brightness automatically). then you’ll have to put the phone on the lil scanner and it’ll beep when it’s scanned and done

now, again, if you have any special needs whilst going through security, you’re probably familiar with what you’d have to do if it differs from the standard procedure, but otherwise just go through as you normally would

between security and boarding:

do whatever u want basically. get food, if you need it or if you think you’ll need it whilst on the flight. drinks are usually hella expensive so i try to bring my refillable water bottle (empty!) and then refill once i’m past security

basically how you spend this time is totally up to you. i usually grab food as needed then go chill by my gate, if it’s an airport i’m familiar with and i know how long it’ll take to get wherever i need to go, but you may be more comfy just finding your gate first and then sticking nearby to get anything you need. also i’m a big fan of the charging areas which a lot of airports have now, so if u wanna charge up i recommend

boarding:

every airline is different but there’ll usually be some kind of boarding group or order listed on your boarding pass, so just keep that in mind (ie american has like,,,,6 boarding groups? united has 9, southwest has their whole a/b/c groups, etc etc etc i think one even has like a 2a 2b or something idk that might’ve been in the uk but just look on your boarding pass) if you’re confused or w.e don’t be afraid to ask one of the gate attendants that stand at the front

basically nothing here is all that different if you’re alone, just pay attention when they start boarding and listen for your group, same rule of thumb goes with turning your phone on screen-rotation lock when you go to scan your boarding pass (if it’s the mobile pic you saved)

the goal here with boarding is to go as quickly as you can, but don’t stress if it takes you a second to get in your row! it’s okay, people aren’t as in a rush as they seem. definitely try to fit ur stuff under your seat cause otherwise it’s a pain to get up and get it from the overhead bins

the flight:

honestly just sit back relax and do whatever u normally do! usually there’s no reason this would be any different when traveling alone. aside from sitting near strangers which is annoying sometimes but in my experience if u pop some headphones in everyone leaves u alone

after the flight:

i mean generally just head out into the airport u landed in and look for baggage claim signs - regardless of whether u checked a bag or not, most ground transport out of the airport is near the baggage claim. so just follow signs (and generally the people leaving the plane) and make your way there. if you get lost, again, don’t feel bad abt asking someone to point you in the right direction

if u have a bag, most places have a display board that says which baggage claim you’re at (if they didn’t announce it on the plane when you landed) and you can wait there

once ur done, depending on your mode of transport out, you can follow signs! many of the bigger airports now have designated sections for rideshares like uber and lyft as well

i hope that helps b! you’ll be fine, don’t stress too much :) i hope you’re traveling for a good/fun reason at least!

#travel #advice #anon #ask #kt

23 notes · View notes

arguably-so · 3 years ago

Photo

[Image ID: A twitter screenshot of a tweet by @MetroUK, which reads “Uber will soon know if you’re drunk and could refuse to pick you up.” Underneath this text is an image of a man’s hand all the way to the left, holding a smartphone with the Uber logo on its screen. In the background is a row of three men in suits, clearly in the middle of taking alcohol shots, the shot glasses empty. The man in the middle has the shot glass still in his mouth. Another tweet is below the image, by twitter user @mckenziedenisee, which reads “....that....defeats,,, the whole point of Uber???” End ID]

There was an article about this in 2018, which means that we in 2021 (nearing 2022) may be seeing a rollout of this feature relatively soon, as alpha and beta stages of something like this can absolutely take about 4 years of development.

Not only does this defeat part of the main purpose of Uber (which is to have a sort of taxi service available with a more individually rated driver), this could lead to ableism of multiple sorts, as whatever “drunk” test they have may also falsely list people with certain disabilities as drunk.

Quoting from the article...

“The patent imagines a world where you might stumble out of a bar at 2 a.m. and the app will be able to know if you are drunk based on the angle you’re holding your phone, how you are walking and how you are interacting with the app compared to other times you’ve used it.

“For example, the app will be able to register the speed at which you switch through pages and type directions — skills that are normally impaired after too much alcohol.”

[end quote]

Now, yes, it supposedly tracks differences in your personal average, but especially for temporary or new injuries, or episodic issues flaring up, or even balance issues, or issues that only affect one side of the body, this feature could be absolute hell. Good examples of disorders or injuries in this category would be permanent differences in movement caused by concussions or brain trauma, nervous system issues such as neuropathy, chronic fatigue syndrome, episodic multiple sclerosis, stroke, ehlers-danlos, cerebral palsy, and many, many more.

This feature is not only basically the opposite of the point of ride services like this (especially in areas where taxis or public transportation are nearly nonexistent), but is (hopefully unintentionally) extremely dangerously ableist. If implemented, there will be a huge influx of disabled and/or injured persons who will suddenly regularly be denied rides.

You may also say “but it specifies bars and times!” Well, they did not say that your current location or what time it is is specifically tracked by the drunk system. Even if they do, though, chances are they also assume that coming out of a home late and hoping to go to a bar or to another home may yield similar results. Alternatively, the person in question may have just gone to an open-late restaurant, which often tend to be the bars anyway. Sleep phase disorder is extremely common alongside other disabilities, especially in ADHD, Autism, anxiety disorders, and visual impairments, meaning such people also tend to be awake at strange times.

Again, quoting from the article...

“If it appears that a customer is impaired, the app will match them with a driver ‘with experience or training with users having an unusual state,’ according to the application filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office.”

[end quote]

Now, this would sound much better, right? No. These drivers will be much rarer, and thus wait times would be much longer for these “impaired” customers, if such a driver is available in their area at all. That means that in many places, such drivers will definitely NOT be available. It also means that these drivers will be more likely to automatically assume you are drunk whether you are or not. The disabled already regularly get infantilized, and assuming they are drunk will only make things worse.

Please, Uber. Don’t implement this.

#ableism #uber

22K notes · View notes

precisionbackgroundscreening · 6 years ago

Text

Spring Break Safety Tips

Spring break is practically universal for “let loose and go wild.” But while you’ve earned your right to have a fun, relaxing, and exciting week off from school, it’s important not to ruin it by throwing all caution to the wind. Before you head out for your vacation with friends, arm yourself with these 10 tips for ensuring a fun and safe break.

1. Embrace the buddy system.

When traveling with a group, it can be easy to lose track of each other here and there, especially in bustling spring break locations. Though it may seem juvenile, setting up a buddy system of sorts with your friends will help make sure you’re all accounted for at all times. Stick with at least one other person throughout your trip, whether you’re at a pool party, swimming in the ocean, or out at bars. Tempting as it may be to go off with a new friend or fling, it’s not worth it to risk your safety. Fight Back on Spring Break, an arm of Girls Fight Back advises on its website to “Come with your friends. Leave with your friends... We need to look out for each other and if you see someone not in your group in a potentially bad situation, look out for them too. Being an active bystander is the best way we can work together to end violence of all kinds.”

2. Protect your assets.

Make copies of your credit cards, ID, and passport (if traveling abroad), and keep one of each in the hotel safe at all times. Leave your flashy jewelry at home: Not only can it be tough to keep track of those things when traveling, but you also don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to yourself. Spring break destinations can be a pick-pocketer’s paradise, so be extra vigilant with your belongings. When you’re out and about, keep your money, camera, and ID as concealed as possible — make sure you have a purse that zips shut, and keep it on you at all times. If you want to be extra safe, consider something like this bra pouch for discreetly and securely carrying your hotel key, ID, and money, or a small lock for your backpack zipper.

3. Do your research.

Prior to your trip, read up on where you’re going and any destination-specific tips. Pre-arrange transportation from the airport, or research the safest and most reliable options for when you get there. “At the airport, always use approved taxi services,” notes Fight Back on Spring Break. “Ignore people who approach you offering rides.” Look online, and check with your hotel concierge, for key safety information once you’re there. Is public transportation safe? Are taxis reliable? Are there any neighborhoods you should avoid? Check for travel alerts and warnings from the government, and read up on common travel scams. The more information you have, the less likely you’ll be to end up in an unsafe situation.

4. Stay alert.

When you’re in an unfamiliar location, or out partying with hundreds of other spring breakers, it’s crucial to be alert and aware of yourself, your friends, and your surroundings. In general, stick to well-lit, well-populated areas, whether you’re sunning, partying, or getting from point A to point B. When you’re in a cab, Fight Back on Spring Break recommends following along with the navigation on your phone to make sure you’re going the right way and to the right place. And if you use Uber or Lyft, double check that the license plate of the car you’re getting into matches the one on your app, and the driver matches the photo. When you’re out, keep an eye on your friends, especially for signs that someone has had too much to drink, or that they might be getting too close for comfort with strangers. During the day and at night, keep an eye on your belongings and on the people around you — if anyone or anything makes you feel uncomfortable, relocate.

5. Keep your hotel room to yourself.

When checking in or out and about, avoid saying your hotel name or room number out loud. “No one outside of your group of friends needs to know your exact location,” Fight Back on Spring Break notes. If you and your friends want to hang out with other people, the American Safety Council recommends doing so in a well-populated place like the pool. And if those other people aren’t already guests of your hotel, don’t bring them onto the property — stick to public places like restaurants for your get-togethers. For added security, Fight Back on Spring Break recommends requesting a room higher than the first floor.

6. Drink wisely.

Always keep an eye on your drink, whether it’s alcoholic or not. Don’t put it down and turn away, don’t leave it on your table when you go to the bathroom, and don’t accept drinks from strangers — if it didn’t come directly from the clerk or a definitively sealed bottle or can, don’t drink it. And if you're over 21, keep in mind that you can have fun without binge drinking, too. Know your limits when it comes to alcohol, and don’t feel like you need to “keep up” with anyone, or give in to the pressure of spring break boozing. Also consider delegating one member of the group to be sober each night so that there’s always someone with their wits about them to make sure everyone gets home safely.

7. Plan ahead.

Before you go out for the day or night, have a plan for where you’re going, how long you’ll be out, and how you’ll get back to the hotel. Make sure you and your friends are all on the same page, and agree on check-in times and meeting places in the event you get separated. The American Safety Council also recommends creating hand gestures or code words that you and your friends can use if you’re uncomfortable or need help. Ask your hotel concierge for a business card with the address and phone number — something especially helpful in a foreign country; if there’s a language barrier, show your taxi driver the card and he or she should be able to get you back.

8. Stay healthy.

We’re not talking about eating your vegetables. When you’re on a fun trip with friends, it can be easy to forget about simple safety precautions like sun care and hydration, but a nasty sunburn or sickness could ruin your whole trip. When you’re outside, whether sunning on a beach or exploring a city, don 100% UV protection sunglasses, make sure to wear sunscreen (the CDC recommends at least SPF 15), and reapply often, especially if you’re sweating or going in and out of the water. Take occasional breaks from the sun, especially in the middle of the day when it’s the most intense. Hydration is also key: Keep a water bottle on you at all times, and drink it constantly throughout the day and night. If at any point you feel faint or light-headed, seek shade and air conditioning (if possible), and again, drink more water.

9. Keep your guard up.

It’s easy to get swept up in the surreal, almost fantasy-like feeling of spring break, but it’s important to keep your wits about you and not put your trust in strangers. If you’re talking to someone who makes you at all uncomfortable, use any excuse you can to get away — even if it’s a lie. As the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network notes, “It’s better to lie and make up a reason to leave than to stay and be uncomfortable, scared, or worse.” Many spring break destinations foster a hook-up culture, but know that you have every right to say no and get away from anyone who pressures you or makes you uncomfortable. Just because you’re flirting or dancing with someone does not give them the right to take it any further. “At Girls Fight Back, we define consent as giving permission for something to happen and that permission must be given freely and is never coerced,” the Fight Back on Spring Break website notes. “Consent must be given verbally. Silence NEVER equals consent…consent should be clear and that applies to all kinds of contact. If it’s not a definite yes, it’s a definite no.” And if you do choose to engage in any sexual activity, make sure it’s protected — and don’t depend on your partner to provide anything; if you plan to have sex on your trip, bring the necessary protection, i.e. condoms, with you.

10. Stay connected.

Keep your phone fully charged at all times, and carry a back-up charger in your bag just in case. Download an app like Witness that lets you discretely notify your emergency contacts if you find yourself in trouble. Provide someone at home with your hotel information and ways to reach you if your phone dies or you have bad service. If you’re traveling to a foreign country, RAINN suggests buying a pay-as-you-go phone, or contacting your cell provider to activate international coverage for the time you’re away. Though that’s typically an additional charge, it’s worth it to be connected. Remember that in foreign countries 9-1-1 won’t be available, so do some research on if there’s a similar service where you’re going and, if not, what steps you should take in an emergency.

Whatever your plans, we hope you have a fun and safe Spring Break. If you found this information useful, please check out our blog for more articles like this.

#SpringBreak

1 note · View note

eleanor-writes-stuff · 7 years ago

Text

red lights mean you’re leaving [one-shot]

In a city the size of Coruscant, it should be mathematically impossible to keep getting the same Uber driver. Kylo's tempted to believe that maybe the fates have something big in store for him and the driver he knows only as Rey, but first he needs to stop putting his foot in his mouth every time they meet.

(Also known as: three times Uber brought Kylo and Rey together, and one time the fates did.)

Also available on AO3.

Kylo Ren is the kind of person who’ll turn his nose up at seven out of ten restaurant suggestions, the kind of person who scoffs at the idea of taking public transportation, the kind of person who’s built up a reputation at work primarily to scare people out of sharing an elevator with him.

And yet here he is, getting into a vehicle that isn’t his own and paying to put up with the presence of a stranger for at least half an hour, because Kylo Ren is also the kind of person who doesn’t have any close friends he can call upon for a ride to work when his car refuses to start one fine Tuesday morning.

The thing is, for a while there it almost looks as if this whole ‘summoning a total stranger from the Internet and getting into their car’ thing might work out just fine. The car appears around the corner, a worn but obviously well-maintained Toyota, and just seconds later he opens the backseat door to find a clean-enough interior and a friendly but not chatty young woman behind the wheel. They exchange quick good-mornings and she double-checks his destination as he does his best to fold his long legs into the backseat, and then they settle into a relatively comfortable silence the woman doesn’t feel the need to fill. Everything appears to be going smoothly, right up until–

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the woman – Rey, according to the app – says as he reaches for his coffee, catching his eye in the rear-view mirror and flashing him what appears to be a genuinely apologetic smile. “Could you put that away, please? It’s just, I’ve got a strict no food, no drinks rule. Learned my lesson pretty quickly on that one,” her eyes are back on the road, but he can hear the grimace in her voice.

And he can empathize – he really can, after all those childhood road trips with his Uncle Chewie, the messiest eater he’s ever known – but surely she can be reasonable. “It’s a spill-proof lid, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Kylo assures her.

Her eyes dart to the mirror for barely a second, but it’s enough for him to see the way her smile has turned tight to match the hint of annoyance coloring her voice. “That’s great, but it’s still got a hole for you to drink from and this road is particularly bumpy, if I remember correctly, so I’d just really appreciate it if you could put the drink away for the rest of the ride.”

“But it’ll be cold by the time I get to work,” he points out, the beginnings of a scowl tugging at his lips. “Besides, I’m an adult. I think I can handle a to-go cup of coffee in a slowly-moving vehicle.”

“I would expect an adult to understand and abide by rules,” Rey snaps as the car slows to a stop by a traffic light, giving her the opportunity to level a glare at him through the mirror. “So please, respect my rules, be an adult, and put the damn drink in the cup holder.”

He’s sleep deprived, still grumpy over his car, and he hasn’t had nearly enough coffee to deal with this – thanks to her. The ridiculous thing is, he probably would’ve been done with his drink by now if she’d just been the tiniest bit reasonable about this. “Or what?” Kylo retorts, fingers curling stubbornly around his cup. “You’ll kick me out and risk a bad review?”

“You know what?” Rey pulls closer to the side of the road and flips on her emergency lights. “Yes, I will. Not like I actually need this job,” she mutters, most likely to herself. In a firm voice she adds, “So either you put the cup down, or you get down.”

They hold eye contact in that godforsaken mirror for a good twenty seconds, as cars speed by them with displeased honks and her lips begin to curl into a smirk. Something about that, about the way she challenges him, prompts a belated observation on his part: she’s attractive, this ridiculously stubborn Uber driver of his. He’d noticed her earlier, of course, filed her under pretty when she flashed him a smile the way most people reflexively and unwittingly categorize every new face they come across, but now she’s all determined eyes and smug smirk and attractive.

But Kylo Ren is not one to be cowed by a pretty face – not even one with a smirk he’d like to wipe away with a kiss – so he maintains eye contact with her as he brings the cup up to his mouth, raises it at her the way one would a glass of champagne during a toast, and takes a good, long sip of lukewarm coffee he’d spit out onto the sidewalk if he could.

It had taken him nearly twenty minutes to give up on his car and another ten to get an Uber; at least ten minutes have passed since then. He wishes he’d remembered that before committing to this particular course of action, because now there’s nothing to do but swallow a mouthful of bitter, almost room temperature coffee and call upon every bit of self-control to keep his face from twisting into obvious regret and disgust.

Instead he makes a show of finally placing his cup in the provided holder and leans back into his seat with a lazy smirk.

“Fucking arsehole,” Rey fumes – quiet enough to pretend it was meant for her ears only, loud enough for the both of them to know exactly who it was meant for – but she turns off her lights and starts driving again anyway. The rest of the ride is tense and uncomfortable the way he’s used to, the way long stretches of silence between two strangers should be.

Rey doesn’t speak again until they pull up to his office. “This was… kind of ridiculous, if you think about it. We both behaved like children,” she admits sheepishly, and Kylo should not be able to picture the embarrassed little smile he just knows she’s wearing right now.

He doesn’t dignify her comment with a reaction as he gathers up his things.

“Look, it was nothing personal, okay?” Rey persists, a hint of her earlier frustration seeping into her voice as he opens the door and steps out of her car. “It’s just a ground rule, that’s all.”

It’s clearly an olive branch – albeit one offered with a growing scowl – and he knows he should accept. He could say it’s okay, he understands, he’s the exact same way with his own car and really, this whole thing was ridiculous, maybe he could make it up to her sometime is she free tonight can he have her number –

But he’s had a shitty morning, and he’s probably never going to see her again no matter what he says, and he’s better off taking his frustration out on a stranger rather than a coworker he’ll have to deal with for the rest of the day.

“Whatever,” Kylo scoffs without so much as a glance at her, slamming the door behind him for good measure. His memory and imagination team up to supply him with an image of what her pissed off face might look like, and for just a moment he sees them as they’ve never been and never will be: standing so close he can feel the warmth of her skin, her face scrunched up at him until he leans down, a quiet laugh rumbling in his throat as he presses a placating kiss to that adorable nose of hers to smooth away her irritation.

In reality, he looks up just in time to see her peeling away from the curb in a sudden and reckless burst of speed, twin red taillights searing themselves into his memory as the last page in a very, very short book that could’ve been a heavy tome in a different lifetime.

In a city the size of Coruscant, it should be mathematically impossible to get the same Uber driver twice. So when a familiar name pops up in response to his request for a car just three days after their initial meeting, Kylo can’t help but wonder if maybe there is such a thing as fate after all.

After Tuesday’s fiasco, he’d been pleasantly surprised when his car started up just fine the next day and even the day after. But here he is on a Friday morning, running late yet again (except not really, it’s hard to be late when you’ve specifically tailored your routine to get to the office two hours before everyone else), cursing his car and weighing the pros and cons of having his father take a look at it while he waits for his second chance with Rey.

Judging by her barely muffled groan at the sight of him, she A) probably hadn’t expected to ever see him again either and B) is significantly less pleased by this turn of events. He silently vows to make it up to her, placing his cup in the holder as soon as he’s in the car.

“Sorry about last time,” Kylo tells her as he settles in, a slight wince marring his apologetic smile. “I’m a dick when I’m caffeine deprived. Even more so than usual, I’m told.” His attempt at self-deprecation earns him a short burst of laughter, and Rey turns around to offer him a blinding smile in person.

She’s back in her seat before he can react, and he’s left looking to the rear-view mirror for glimpses of her once again. “So, are you sufficiently caffeinated for this ride, or am I going to have to pull over again at some point?” Rey asks almost… playfully, he realizes. Teasingly, with a grin to match.

“Sufficiently caffeinated and on my best behavior, I promise,” he assures her in his best attempt to match her tone. It must be a decent attempt, because she’s smiling as she pulls away from his building and merges into traffic.

The silence is comfortable again, in a way he’s rarely ever experienced with anyone else. Maybe he will ask for her number this time, just to see if the fates have actually done him a favor for once with this act of serendipity. It would be a first for him, and she’s certainly nowhere near the type of woman he’s found himself with in the past, but she’s proven that she can go toe to toe with him, and each glimpse of her smile causes an unfamiliar tightness in his chest, and she has the most adorable way of bobbing her head and tapping her fingers to the beat piping from her speakers.

But first he’ll have to actually make conversation – if he doesn’t want to come across as a total creep, at least – and a quick glance out the window tells him they’ve got maybe ten minutes left. He wastes another two minutes casting around for a possible conversation starter, and in desperation finds himself blurting out, “Hey, would you mind turning that off?”

Rey’s eyes momentarily flit to the mirror. “The music?”

“Um…” There’s no time for hesitation or awkward pauses, not with their time running out. “Yeah, the music,” Kylo reluctantly says, suppressing the urge to tug at his hair in a combination of nerves and embarrassment. Maybe with the music off, she’ll be more inclined to talk to him?

“Do you have something against rap or…?” she asks slowly, eyes completely focused on the road as she turns the volume down but leaves the music on.

He realizes in that moment that he’s probably dug himself a grave he can’t possibly crawl out of, not with only five minutes of his commute left. “They just…” The stupid thing is, he doesn’t even mind rap, not really. And she’s got decent taste in it, lyrics that actually mean something rather than verses upon verses of empty threats and brand names.

Rey still isn’t looking at him, but it’s pretty clear that she’s expecting an answer. “They just sound so angry,” he finally says, his weak tone giving the words an almost questioning inflection. Kylo knows it’s the wrong thing to say the moment he says it, and not a second before.

“Angry?” Rey echoes disbelievingly, and in the mirror he catches a glimpse of her setting her jaw. “You try being born into a prejudiced world, a system that’s rigged against you, where you have to work two times as hard as the average person to make something of your life and three times as hard just to be taken seriously. And even when you finally succeed, you still have to watch the rest of your community continue to struggle against an unfair system. You try going through all that and not sound angry about it,” she concludes forcefully just as his office comes into view.

So he’s managed to annoy her yet again, a solid two for two when it comes to being an idiot and saying something dumb. “It’s just music,” he mutters tersely to himself, because how the hell had he managed to mess up something as simple as small talk? What kind of jerk gets in someone else’s car and asks them to turn off their music, anyway?

Because the universe hates him, Rey mistakenly assumes his words were directed at her. The car jolts to a sudden stop in front of his office, and she takes the effort to turn around and glare at him in person. “It’s not just music to me,” she fumes.

“No, that’s not what I–”

She pointedly unlocks the car and crosses her arms, a clear dismissal. He can’t even bring himself to feel the slightest bit of irritation at her behavior, not when he’s the childish dick who refused to follow a simple rule the first time around and then ruined his second chance by criticizing her music.

As he watches Rey’s car disappear into traffic once again, Kylo realizes that this was never an act of serendipity. It was an act of kindness, the fates saving him from days or even weeks of hopeless pining and impossible daydreams and pointless what-ifs.

It shouldn’t be too hard to forget an Uber driver he’s spent a grand total of one hour with, right?

Two weeks later, he’s no closer to forgetting Rey than he had been the second time he watched her drive off in anger. It’s embarrassing, really, that he’s so obviously pining that even Hux can tell something’s off about him.

So Hux does as Hux always does when it looks like the closest thing he has a to a friend might be going through something: he drags Kylo to a bar, pays for all of their drinks in lieu of offering actual emotional support, and then bails less than two hours later to go meet his girlfriend.

“What the hell, Hux? You said you’d give me a ride home,” Kylo protests, watching his colleague settle their tab. “I could’ve just driven here.”

“No, because then you would get it in your thick head to drive home,” Hux replies patiently, tapping away at his phone. “And we both know you’re in no condition to get behind the wheel. Come along now, I’m calling a car for you.”

“Fine,” he huffs, downing the last of his whiskey. Hux leads him out of the bar and bids him good night as soon as he’s secured an Uber. Kylo watches him disappear down the street where his car is parked, and spends the next five minutes checking his email while he waits for his ride to arrive.

There’s an email from his uncle that he really should get back to immediately, but a familiar car pulls up just as he hits reply and the email is promptly forgotten when an exasperated voice cries, “You again?”

Twice might be a coincidence, but thrice has to be some kind of sign, doesn’t it?

“Hi,” he says, not quite looking Rey in the eye. Even from his periphery he can see how her features are all twisted up in irritation. “I’m sorry, my friend used his phone to… I swear, I didn’t know it was you.”

She doesn’t look convinced, and Kylo would be offended by the implication if he hadn’t spent the last two weeks trying to calculate the odds of finding her on the app again. “Anyway,” he shoves his hands into his coat pockets and fixes his eyes on a distant point beyond her car. “You can leave, if you want to. You probably wouldn’t have accepted if you knew it was me, so… it’s okay. I can just get another ride.”

Kylo keeps his eyes on the flickering lamppost, waiting for the sound of her car to fade away so that he won’t have to watch her leave. A few seconds later, he hears her voice instead.

“Just get in,” Rey sighs, unlocking the car. “You’re my last ride of the night, and you’re on the way for me anyway.”

He should ask if she’s sure she doesn’t mind, reiterate his offer to let her go on her merry way and just get a different ride. But Kylo Ren is a selfish and greedy man, and he isn’t about to walk away from a third chance he knows he doesn’t deserve but desperately wants anyway.

“Okay,” he agrees quietly, and Rey doesn’t so much as spare him a glance while he gets into her car. He wonders what it would be like to sit next to her instead, wonders what it would be like to have her in his car the way he’s spent the last two weeks wondering what it would be like to have her in his life. In the short amount of time between him getting into the car and Rey driving off, he sees impulsive road trips and annual drives to his mother’s place for the holidays and a thousand routine visits to the grocery store.

The sound of her shifting gears pulls him back into reality, where they’re just two strangers who can’t seem to get along no matter how hard he tries.

“Rey,” he begins as they make their way across town, traffic practically non-existent at this hour on a Thursday night. This can only end in disaster, if their previous encounters are anything to go by, but he can’t not try. “About the other day–”

“No, don’t,” she interrupts before he can get an apology out. “As always, it was as much my fault as it was yours. We just seem to bring out the worst in each other, don’t we?” The smile she offers him in the mirror is tinged with underlying sadness, and the resignation in her voice leaves him restless.

“That’s not… it’s not us, I’m the one who keeps messing up,” Kylo insists. “I mean, it’s so stupid. I don’t even mind rap music,” he admits. “I don’t know why I said that to you.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have gone off at you like that,” Rey says firmly. “I just… Can I tell you why I relate so strongly to people who’ve had to struggle all their lives to succeed?”

“Please do,” he rasps, his throat drying up at the idea of her willingly sharing personal information with him.

Rey catches his eye in the mirror. “I should warn you, this story contains some Very Sad Backstory,” she tells him, her serious look at odds with the way her eyes seem to sparkle with a joke. “Are you sure you’re ready to get that personal with your Uber driver?”

Most definitely would probably be coming on too strong, and I want to get as personal with you as two people possibly can would just creep her out, so Kylo settles for a nod. “Yeah,” he adds a second later, because he doesn’t want to look desperate but it won’t do to seem uninterested either.

“Okay,” Rey makes a show of inhaling deeply and bracing herself. “Here we go. Once upon a time–” her lips twitch with a grin, and it only grows wider when she finds a similar expression on his face. “Once upon a time, there was a little orphan girl in London.”

He loses his smile.

“The girl had to work twice, sometimes even thrice, as hard as everyone else her whole life, because she was an orphan and poor and a girl, so the odds were pretty much stacked against her right from the start. She lived in a terrible orphanage, run by a man who cared more about exploiting free labor than he did about children, and she saw how even the people who had long since come of age continued to work for the man anyway because they had no other choice. Good luck finding even a minimum wage job if you’re a dropout or failed your GCSEs – the only two outcomes when you work for Unkar Plutt,” Rey spits the name out with a bitterness he wouldn’t have thought her capable of, not with the sunny grins and cheery disposition he’s glimpsed. “Everyone’s so busy earning their keep that there’s hardly any time to study, so all the kids either fail or drop out, and then they’re stuck working for Plutt for pretty much the rest of their lives.”

“Anyway,” she clears her throat and dives right back into the story, leaving him to marvel at her almost flippant tone. “The little girl grew up working for Plutt, thinking this would be the rest of her life, thinking she had no other choice. One day she found an old CD player – they were starting to go out of style, and whoever had thrown this one out hadn’t even bothered to remove the CD inside. It was a mixtape, a compilation of songs that spoke of tragic backstories and humble beginnings and overcoming the odds. Those songs opened up a whole world of new possibilities for her, and the rappers were success stories, role models, hope.”

Kylo’s so lost in the picture she’s painting that he doesn’t even realize they’ve reached his building until Rey turns around. “So yeah, that little girl grew up to feel pretty strongly about rap music,” she shrugs, a slow grin tugging at her lips. “The end. Any questions?”

He leans forward, getting closer to her than he’s ever been before. “Just one,” Kylo says quietly, searching her eyes for any hint of discomfort. He doesn’t want to go too far, doesn’t want to push her after how well the ride has gone, but–

“Did things ever get easier for the little girl?”

Rey’s smile softens, her eyes almost warm as she nods. “She worked her butt off in school, got a scholarship here in the States, and found her grandfather. Things are pretty great for her now.”

“I’m glad,” he murmurs, his eyes flitting down to her lips for the briefest of seconds before he realizes what he’s done. “I, um… I should go.”

“You should,” Rey agrees, and god, he prays he isn’t imagining the reluctance in her voice. “Good night, Kylo,” she says gently, her voice barely above a whisper.

She draws away then, moves back into her seat and flips the lock, and it’s not the cold dismissal she’d left him with the last time but it’s still a sign. He’s not going to be the man who makes something out of nothing, the creepy stranger who can’t take a hint and asks for her number when she clearly wants him to leave.

Maybe this is all the fates can offer him: a chance to make things right, a chance for them to part on a civil note and move past this odd, fleeting acquaintance. At least this way he’ll be the man she trusted enough to share her past with, not the asshole she kept bumping into.

“Good night, Rey,” he tells her, and they share one last smile in her rear-view mirror before he gets out of the car and shuts the door behind him. In the darkness of a moonless night sky and dim streetlights, her taillights burn so much brighter, leaving an imprint of red seared into the back of his eyelids long after she’s disappeared into the night.

It’s not the happy ending he wanted, but at least there’s some sense of closure, and a soft smile he can keep in his memory, and a warmth in his chest that he hasn’t felt in years.

A month later, the fates start a new chapter.

He’s on his way to meet his uncle for lunch, a bundle of nerves and shame and gratitude, too focused on his near future to pay much attention to his present and the woman who’s come to an abrupt stop right in front of him to fish her phone out of her bag.

“Sorry, it’s my fault, I wasn’t watching where–”

The woman turns around, and he loses all coherent thought.

“Kylo?”

It’s Rey. Rey, in a nice blouse and a pencil skirt, her hair pulled back into a bun and her face carrying the faintest hint of make-up.

“Oh my god, it is you!” Rey’s whole face lights up, there’s no other way to put it, and her smile brings back every ridiculous daydream and fragile hope he’s tried so hard to bury this past month. “This is incredible. I mean, what are the odds, right?”

What are the odds, indeed, and how many more chances will he get before he runs out? “Rey,” he croaks, and she waits while he clears his throat and collects his thoughts. “Rey, I’ve been meaning to ask you something and I’m sorry if it’s weird, I know it’s crazy, we barely know each other and you’re just an Uber driver–”

Her smile disappears and oh god, he’s done it again. “Just an Uber driver?” Rey scowls. “First of all, not that it’s any of your business, I actually work here,” she points out the building they’re right in front of, the building that houses his uncle’s company. “My boss made me take a sabbatical so I joined Uber to keep busy. But the point is, what’s wrong with being just an Uber driver? It’s a living, an honest one at that, in a broken system that doesn’t always give people good choices–”

How has he fucked up again and why is she so beautiful like this and shit, he’s never going to get another chance at this so–

“Please have dinner with me,” Kylo blurts out unthinkingly, cutting Rey off mid-rant.

“You–” She sputters, eyes wide as saucers. “I–” Does she even know that she holds his heart in her hands right now, that she could tear him down with just one word? “What?” Rey finally settles on, staring up at him with a look of utter confusion and not much else, not even the slightest hint of her feelings on the matter.

Kylo braces himself; this is it, his last shot. “You’re incredible,” he tells Rey, lips curving into a smile despite his nerves, “and passionate, and thoughtful, and God, you’re gorgeous. And I’m an idiot who keeps putting his foot in his mouth but what I meant to say was it’s insane for me to feel this strongly about someone who’s just my Uber driver, it’s impossible for me to miss someone I’ve only met three times. And yet I’ve spent the last month praying I’d see you again, and now here we are, impossible as it seems. So if you don’t hate me, even though I was probably the worst passenger you had to deal with, will you please go out on a date with me?”

Rey is still for the longest moment, seemingly frozen into place as she processes his impromptu speech. And then –

“Give me your phone.”

He furrows his brow. “What?”

She laughs, shakes her head at him fondly and holds out her hand. “Give me your phone, Kylo, so that I can add my number to it.”

“Oh. Oh,” he hands over his phone as soon as his mind catches up to her words, and he can barely breathe as Rey pulls up a new contact and programs her number into his phone for the express purpose of having him set up a date.

“So just shoot me a text or something, and then I’ll have yours,” Rey tells him, their fingers brushing as she hands the phone back. “For now I’ve really got to go,” she says, her reluctance painted all over her face, “or I’ll be late for lunch.”

“Are you heading in?” Kylo points at Skywalker Engineering, desperately hoping to prolong their time together. Rey nods, and he can’t help the relieved smile that stretches across his face. “Can I walk with you? I’m supposed to meet Skywalker for lunch, so…”

Rey frowns. “But Luke told me we’re having lunch with his nephew about the new legal department he’s setting up.”

“Um, yeah, about that–”

“Ben!” A familiar voice draws their attention to the front door, where a beaming Luke stands with an armful of folders. “You made it! And you’ve met Rey, that’s great. I’m just going to drop these off and then I’ll join you.”

He disappears back into the building, leaving Kylo with a stunned Rey.

“My real name’s Ben,” he explains, nervously rubbing the back of his neck as he observes Rey’s reaction. With his luck, she’s probably heard all about how he disappointed Luke and ran away from home and sold his soul to Snoke’s law firm. “I wasn’t lying to you or anything, I promise. Kylo Ren is the name I usually go by at work, but I hate it there so I’m leaving and Uncle Luke just so happened to be looking for–”

To his amazement, Rey bursts into laughter. Giggles, almost, her eyes dancing with mirth and delight. “You’re Ben Solo? The prodigal son and naughty nephew Leia and Luke have been trying to set me up with for years?”

Naughty nephew? He should probably talk to Luke about that but for now – Rey, British orphan, found her grandfather… How has it taken him this long to put it all together? Rey isn’t even a common name. “You’re Rey Kenobi!” Kylo realizes. “You’re Old Ben’s long-lost granddaughter.”

“Oh my god,” she gasps between bouts of laughter. “You’re named after my grandfather,” her laughter dies down as she scrunches up her nose. “You’re named after my grandfather,” Rey repeats, quieter this time. “How do I feel about that?”

“That could be weird,” Kylo acknowledges. “You don’t have to call me that, though. No one ever does, aside from my family.”

“Never mind that,” she says, suddenly impatient. “Do you know what this means? Your family has been trying to set us up for years!” Rey points out, her earlier grin making a reappearance.

The fates indeed, he thinks to himself. “You know, I thought it was unlikely enough for me to get the same Uber driver three times in a city this big. But now that I know who you are and how long the universe has been trying to bring us together, I’m pretty sure it’s fate.”

Rey smiles, a coy thing he’s never seen before and immediately decides he’d like to see a whole lot more of. “Are you saying we’re meant to be?”

Kylo moves closer and offers her his hand. “Only one way to find out.”

Her hand in his shouldn’t feel this familiar, this right. But everything about Rey throws him off balance in the best of ways, and Kylo wouldn’t have it any other way now that her fingers are laced with his and she’s giving him that soft, warm smile he holds so dear.

If Luke thinks it’s weird that they hold hands all the way to the restaurant, he makes no mention of it. . . .

Well, he mentions it eventually, but only when Ben officially brings Rey to Sunday dinner as his girlfriend two months later.

This was meant to be 3000 words at most but here we are, because I have no self control and I’m extraordinarily long-winded.

I hope you guys liked it. As usual, I’d love to hear from you if you have any comments/thoughts on this piece.

#reylo #kylo ren x rey #kylo x rey #ben solo x rey #modern au #star wars #rey #kylo ren #ben solo #fic: red lights mean you're leaving #fic archive #my fics

15 notes · View notes

torontotravelblog · 4 years ago

Text

Guide to Toronto: Top Tips to Help on Your Visit

Toronto is a fast-growing city, with new skyscrapers constantly appearing. The city is big but straightforward and also has gained from pretty good city planning. Below are leading suggestions for checking out Toronto for the first time, including getting around, taking in the sights, purchasing, WiFi and more.

When to Go

I would certainly suggest visiting Toronto between May to early November. This is when the city will certainly be greener as well as warmer, in contrast to the winter season which is extremely cold, commonly with snow as well as sub-zero temperatures. Head to Holiday-Weather. com to see the temperature standards throughout the year.

Visas for Canada

To see Toronto as well as Canada you might require a visa or a sophisticated travel authorisation (eTA). Head to cic.gc.ca/ english/visit/visas to inspect what (if anything) you require.

TIPIf you would certainly like some aid with your visa after that another way to apply is by utilizing a service such as iVisa.com. This would certainly come with handling costs, but can often assist make the procedure simpler.

Transportation

Here is some information pertaining to taking a trip to as well as from Toronto, as well as within the city.

Between the Airports

The city has 2 airport terminals, Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal (YYZ) and also Billy Diocesan Toronto City Flight Terminal (YTZ). Toronto Pearson is the main and also biggest flight terminal offering most global trips, whilst Billy Diocesan (or the Island Flight terminal) serves more domestic trips with Canada. They do additionally have some connections to cities in the USA, such as New York as well as Boston.

To get to/from Toronto Pearson you can do this inexpensively utilizing the TTC, which entails getting bus # 900 to/from Kipling or the # 52A to Lawrence West. You then continue on the metro to your destination as well as this will just set you back the cost of a solitary price. Or you could take the Union Pearson Express which supplies links from the airport to Weston, Bloor and Union, with Union remaining in the heart of downtown Toronto.

For Billy Bishop airport you'll discover this located in downtown Toronto. You can conveniently obtain below making use of the free shuttle bus, or by travelling on a Street Vehicle or Bus. For complete directions and also info head to www.portstoronto.com/airport.

Within the City

The format of streets in Toronto is a grid type system, with roads going eastern and also west, as well as north and also south. The majority of Torontonians will describe roads as well as roads with just the main name. Ie for "King Road" individuals will certainly refer to the street as simply "King". You'll additionally find people commonly refer to junctions. Ie "King as well as Spadina" which is the joint where "King Road" as well as "Spadina Avenue" cross.

TTC Transportation Network

The major transportation network in Toronto is run by the TTC (Toronto Transit Payment). Navigating on the TTC is done using the subway containing 4 lines, Street Cars (trams) and additionally buses. When utilizing the TTC you can acquire solitary prices, symbols, or buy travel cards for regular or monthly travel.

Use Uber to get around

Uber is another means to get around the city and is generally quite cheap as well as easy to use, although you would require WiFi when reserving.

Toronto Bike Share

Another nice way to travel around is by using Toronto Bike Share. These are public bikes that you'll find at docking stations as well as can employ for tiny periods of time. As soon as you've finished with the bike you can then return it to an empty docking terminal. The bikes are intended to be utilized for brief periods, so for one hour the usage costs are $1.50, but for three hours it increases to $21 as well as raises rather quickly. You'll also need to pay a day pass cost on top of this. Head to bikesharetoronto.com/plan-details to learn more about the pricing. Note: Pricing correct sometimes of publishing, check online for up to date prices.

Download and install offline maps

If you are not going to have a constant web link then consider downloading offline maps, such as on Google Maps. This will mean you can find your method around a whole lot much easier. You can not search effectively on the offline maps, however the map still offers great deals of details as well as certainly aids.

Where to Remain

It's great to stay rather central in Toronto as well as close to a Train or Street Automobile quit. This will certainly make it easier for you to navigate the city. Within Toronto, you'll find luxury resorts such as the Ritz-Carlton, Thompson and also Paradise, attractive store resorts such as Drake, Gladstone and also The Ivy at Accuracy, as well as mid-range resorts, affordable hostels as well as Airbnb leasings.

You'll find tons of terrific choices on websites such as Booking.com and Airbnb. The interactive map below assists you to begin your search:

Sightseeing

Purchase a City Pass for tourist attractions

The City Masquerade Toronto allows you to see five tourist attractions in the city. These are the CN Tower, Casa Loma, the Royal Ontario Museum, Ripley's Fish tank of Canada, as well as either the Toronto Zoo or Ontario Science Centre. The pass is made to save you money on sightseeing, so if you were to make use of the card to go to all these locations, it would certainly be less expensive than paying for individual tickets at each place.

Another wonderful benefit of this card is that you do not necessarily need to see everything within 24-72 hrs, as with lots of various other city cards. You in fact have 9 successive days to see whatever from the first day of use.

To get more information concerning the City Pass as well as see rates head to citypass.com/toronto

Research study attractions in advance

Toronto has plenty of things to see and also do. Such as directing the CN Tower, going to museums, heading over to the Toronto Islands, unwinding on among the city's lots of beaches and also a lot more.

Think about reading Toronto-- 10 Top Things to See as well as Provide for some tips. You'll also discover whole lots extra info online and might begin by utilizing online search engine such as Google to look. A few highlights to get you began consist of:

Checking Out the Royal Ontario Gallery

Cruising around the Toronto Islands

Directing the CN Tower

Seeing Ripley's Fish tank of Canada

Seeing the sky line from Center Island

Taking place an excursion to Niagara Falls

Scenic tours and Activities

You'll discover different trips offered for Toronto which assist you be familiar with the city, and also discover a few of the highlights beyond the city. Below are a couple of choices readily available via our recommended supplier getyourguide.com.

Digital photography places

Toronto has great deals of wonderful places to take pictures and catch the city. Head to Ideal Instagram and Photography Spots in Toronto to find the majority of the best locations.

Niagara Falls

Along with points to do in the city, a great excursion is to check out Niagara Falls. Read about how to reach Niagara Falls from Toronto.

Dining establishments as well as Food

Toronto is great for food as well as numerous dining establishments around the city deal delicious and innovative dishes.

Great areas for food:

You will find excellent restaurants all throughout the city, a few especially good locations consist of:

Around King and Bathurst Road: A stylish area with lots of terrific restaurants.

Spadina Opportunity: Head right here for Chinese dining establishments.

Little Italy: On University Street in between Ossington Opportunity and also Bathurst Street are great deals of great Italian dining establishments.

Roncesvalles: If you check out High Park in west Toronto, after that a wonderful area to opt for lunch/ dinner later on would be along Roncesvalles. This road is likewise quite rather with even more old and standard style, rather than the modern high rises you'll see in downtown.

Danforth Method: For some excellent Greek food head to the Danforth which remains in eastern Toronto.

Canadian meals

There isn't a dreadful lot of famous foods as well as meals in Canada, although Poutine is possibly the most popular. This dish which isn't healthy and balanced does preference tasty! It consists of fries, cheese curds as well as gravy. Other popular food includes Butter Tarts as well as Syrup.

For Coffee

Throughout the city, you'll locate lots of terrific independent coffeehouse, along with great chains consisting of Tim Hortons as well as Secondly Cup. For independent areas head to www.blogto.com/cafes to begin browsing.

Tipping

The basic quantity for tipping in Toronto is 15%. For teams of 6 or even more 18% is included instantly. Tipping is normally expected in Canada when eating at dining establishments, although you don't need to tip in stores and convenience food joints.

Shopping

Toronto is a great location to store, with numerous purchasing streets, along with large shopping malls. Below you will certainly locate a few pointers on locations you can go:

Purchasing Areas:

A few good areas/streets for purchasing include:

Along Queen Road in between Yonge Street as well as Bathurst Street. In between these 2 streets is Spadina Method, and you'll discover extra boutique shops west of Spadina, as well as east of Spadina are a lot more commercial brands.

Bloor and also Yorkville in between Method Road and Yonge Street is high-end mainstream designer shops, and also north right into Yorkville more premium shop brand names.

Ossington Opportunity has a great hipster mix with both dining establishments as well as stores.

Kensington Market is a much more unusual place and also has numerous markets and thrift shops.

Malls/Shopping Centres

There are lots of big shopping centers throughout Toronto which are great for buying. Some of the greatest consist of:

Toronto Eaton Centre-- This is just one of the largest and located downtown between Municipal government as well as Yonge-Dundas Square. When showing up by metro get off at Dundas on line 1.

Yorkdale-- One more large shopping center north of downtown. If heading right here by subway most likely to Yorkdale station.

Sherway Gardens-- This Shopping mall is most likely the hardest to reach by public transportation as there's no metro quit. Nevertheless head to their web site to see the various other alternatives offered such as using the GoTrain, buses or driving.

Most of these Shopping centers include food courts, where you can buy fast food from lots of different foods and also for a good rate. You will certainly commonly find lots of healthy and balanced choices as well. It's worth keeping in mind that Sherway as well as Yorkdale have in current years undertaken major restorations to include many more stores as well as enhance visitors shopping experiences.

WiFi

WiFi is simple to discover in Toronto and is normally available at restaurants, coffee bar, the flight terminals and also on the TTC Metro Network (at terminals).

Money

The currency in Toronto is Canadian Bucks and also most places take cards and cash money. For cash you would primarily be making use of 50, 20 and also 10 dollar notes, in addition to two dollars (toonie), one dollar (loonie), 25, 10 as well as 5 cent coins. There is no more 1 and 2 cent coins, and also must your bill call for those (ie an amount not dividable by 5), then your expense will be round up or down by a couple of cents.

Tax

When purchasing anything in Toronto, including food, drink, garments, anything truly, then remember that you have tax obligation on the top. This is 13% as well as the price you see of things on the shelves, in food selections etc, will generally be gross.

The article “ Guide to Toronto: Top Tips to Help on Your Visit “ was seen originally on Travel and Destination

Intravenous Hydration Clinic Toronto Ontario - Dr. Amauri Wellness Centre - Dr. Amauri Caversan, ND

0 notes

psychologistmimi · 7 years ago

Text

I unabashedly a New Yorker. I grew up singing the tune of “I love New York”. I unapologetically love the city and no one can tell me New York isn’t great. With that said, I have lived in 17 cities, So, obviously I am not wedded to staying in NYC. And, obviously I have much data from which to compare New York. Again, I have lived in 17 cities and I am open as to what is great about other cities. But, I will note nothing compares to NYC. Am I biased? Sure. A little. But I also have more data than most other people out there.

Walking everywhere. A recent study found that walking really helps your health. What better place than NYC to walk around and take it all in.

A good quality of life. There are a lot of people out there who truly believe that living in a city is bad for your health. However, that is not necesarily true. NYC residents live about two years longer than the national average. In 2010, a New Yorker’s life expectancy at birth topped out at 80.9 years. Wow. Maybe it is due in part to having availability and access to vast resources? Plus, walking is good for you.

Public transportation. It goes without saying that the public transportation in New York compared to other American cities is unbelievable. Sure, New Yorkers complain aboyt the subway all the time. But that is because we can. While it is great, we know it can be better compared to itself. While living in Los Angeles I have horribly missed New York’s public transportation as it is abysmal out here. People out in Los Angeles look upon public transportation with complete disdain. Not that many believe in it. Yet, so many claim to to care about climate change. Whatever.

Seasons. Sure,warm weather is desirable. Well, for many people but not all. For example, my son prefers cold weather. He loves the snow. I am not too huge a fan of snow. But I do miss it. I miss variability. And, let me just state for the record the weather in San Francisco sucks. It is gloomy most of the time. Yuck. Los Angeles goes down to 50 or 60 degrees at times and there is June gloom here. It’s not perfect as many would lead you to believe.

Twenty-four hour access. Maybe you don’t need cough syrup at 3am. Maybe you don’t feel like eating greasy pizza at 2am. Maybe you don’t feel like clubbing all night and going straight to work after a night out on the town. But, in New York, you could do all that and more at all times of the day.

Diversity. Part of the reason I love the public transportation in NYC is because even the Mayor rides it. And, you see all cultures, ethnicities, nationalities and religions there. I love my son being exposed to so many different types of people.

Crazy cab drivers. I try to avoid getting into a cab in new York as I suffer from severe motion sickness. And when you get into a cab in New York be prepared for what is ostensibly a rollercoaster ride. However, when I do get into one it is bound to be interesting, crazy and memorable. Also, you can almost always get a cab. Of course, Uber has changed that dynamic up a bit. And I love Uber (well, not the bad PR it has gotten lately). However, there is something about a NYC cab ride.

Weekend getaway trips. Sure you can go to many small towns within California from any California city for the weekend. But I am, honestly, bored by that. In NYC, you can go to many different countries, including Iceland, for a quick weekend trip and not suffer from jet lag. That’s unbeatable. I miss the ability to travel that way.

Faster trips. Even going to Japan is faster from NYC than from Los Angeles. Don’t believe me? Look it up. Not that you can go to a weekend trip there but it’s faster. That’s a win in my book. Oh, I also forgot to mention that we have four major airports in the area and we have the ACELA amtrak. There’s always a way to get away. And get away fast.

A gorgeous skyline. I miss the tall buildings I know that sounds odd to many. But I find beauty in the skyscrapers.

There are still bookstores. Many cities have lost almsot all their bookstores. And, yes, NYC has lost bookstores. But you still have the Strand and it warms my heart that it is often packed. People still read books! There is also the Mysterious Bookstore. Murder mysteries galore. Yah! And, they have a sense of humor about their specialty bookstore. “Nobody shoplifts from a store that knows 3,214 ways to murder someone”. Hmm.

Music. Which band doesn’t perform in NYC? Also, great music genres come out of NYC. You have heard of rap music, right? It started in my beloved Bronx. You also have musicals galore here. I’m not a major fan, per se, but I appreciate that it is here should I desire to catch one. Also, songs about New York are uplifting.

Never tire of the natural history museum. I don’t know what else to say about this other than NYC has great museums. And if you are a kid at heart, the Natural History Museum is awesome.

Bagels and Pizza. Other cities just do not have good bagels. They also forget the cream cheese. As for Pizza, so many other cities have restaurants that claim to have NYC pizza, But they don’t. And, what does it tell you that all these other states want to have NYC pizza. might as well go to the course.

Shopping at Macy’s. The store in Herald Square is fantastic as there are constant sales and it has an old school feel to it still. Where every store is starting to be minimalist it is fun to go into the messy, crazy Macy’s on 34th street.

Christmas Markets. They are not as robust in NYC as in Europe but we still have those pop up Christmas market stalls. The ones in Grand Central and Union Square warm my heart. You can but art from local artists before they hit the big stage.

Homeless shelters. I am going to get serious for a second here. I currently live in Los Angeles, where the number of homeless is just mind-boggling. There are tent cities everywhere; even near Beverly Hills. They just don’t have enough shelters here and they allow people to sleep day in and out on the streets in tents. New York is not perfect and can surely improve its social services. However, there are shelters and attempts made on a daily basis to get people into one each night.

Now why did I go through this exercise? Because no matter where I am in the world, New York is where I belong. As John Steinbeck has been quoted as saying, “Once you have lived in New York and it has become your home, no place else is good enough.”

My love letter to New York: How I miss thee I unabashedly a New Yorker. I grew up singing the tune of "I love New York".

#bagels #commentary #DP Challenge #life #love letter #shopping

1 note · View note

capitalism-and-analytics · 3 years ago

Photo

Okay- why would you compare it to different kinds of debt?

Because it should be considered as a form of debt and treated as such, we addressed the main characteristics for affordability for the associated demographic, new graduate.

What level of income are the students taking out student loans?

Not really necessary because payments aren’t required until after graduation. Yes, it would be beneficial to pay them off early, but it’s not necessary and in the scheme of hardships, it does not impact them until after. Ultimately, even if we assume worst case, the individual can’t pay any of it until after graduation, it’s still easily affordable as I explained in my prior post and below.

How much are they making right out of college?

Provided that in my prior response: $55,260 upon graduation.

What other debt are they needing to take on after they graduate?

Are you talking about in general or specifically for individuals after graduating? There are no other forms of debt that are required upon graduation when compared to their non-college graduate counterparts...

If you’re referring to budgeting in general, then I’m addressing it in a later point

If you’re referring to some other common debts associated with graduating, then let me know.

How long is it taking the average college student to pay off the loans and why.

Ehhh, I agree with you on understanding the why, but the average time to pay off a student loan isn’t as relevant. Contrary to popular belief, having debt isn’t inherently a bad thing and in many cases is less beneficial to pay off early. It really depends on the person.

To your point though, we should assess whether students upon graduation are struggling to afford their student loan payments and if they are, what is causing it. For the average student, it is extremely affordable, which can be calculated using the average debt upon graduation $39,351, standard student loan terms of 4.5% interest for 10 years, and the average salary upon graduation $55,260.

$400 a month is a lot for a recent college graduate if they don’t have help from family. If some college students are on their own and having to pay their way, vehicle loans, rent, and all. It makes it difficult.

No it isn’t. The average pay of someone 25-34 years old (similar age group of college graduates) with only a HS diploma is $35,000 according to the BLS for 2019. Ignoring income taxes and annual raises, this means college graduates have about $20k more on average to spend. If we subtract the student loans, then that leaves them with about $16-17k~ of excess income.

Rent, food, utilities, etc. aren’t mandatory increases upon graduation compared to non-graduates. What does happen though is that people voluntarily choose to “move up”, i.e. get a nicer apartment, go out more, get a newer car, etc. Those decisions are what would be considered living beyond one’s means if it causes financial hardships, but that doesn’t mean student debts are unaffordable or a “crisis”.

Like I said, there are numerous exceptions to this, but for the average graduate, it’s not difficult to afford.

You say there is an increase of remote jobs, but those jobs don’t apply to everyone. Not everyone works in an office environment.

I’m not sure of the relevance because even with the mark-up on cars, the average college graduate doesn’t have to buy a new car anyways and with the increase of remote jobs, this will have only decreased.

There is indeed a vehicle crisis-remote jobs available or not. There’s a real vehicle shortage and dealerships have increased the price of the vehicles on their lot. Try coming to my town and visit the dealerships around, you can’t buy a vehicle off the lot. Good luck if your car breaks down. But I digress.

I mean, you’re really dramatizing the situation with atypical characteristics of new graduates, but whatever...

There is public transportation, shared transportation (uber/lyft), shipping cars to your location (which usually take less than a week and cost a few hundred bucks on top of the tag price), short-term friends/family, etc. For the sake of argument though, let’s say you have to buy a used car and get it shipped, that’s $16k with a mediocre credit score and no down payment, that’s about $300/month. The average graduate making $55k can still afford that easily.

You say that salaries on average have increased, I read the source you provided and these mostly applied to technical and medical jobs.

I mean the report summary lists some stuff specifically for technical/medical jobs, but the statistic I quoted and the report the summary is based on is for far more than technical/medical jobs.

And because you said you like data/statistics, here you go :)

Can’t just compare apples to oranges there. I threw out those statistics and numbers because they show the student loan amounts and what students owe on average. That’s it.

I agree with you, except I compared student loan debt in particular to auto loan debt, which coincidentally you too point out as an important debt to be considered for college graduates. They may be different, but in the context of determining impact of financial burden, loans are all but the same when broken out by their terms and the individual’s financial ability to pay.

Furthermore, just to conclude, you absolutely should also include all forms of debt because you also included graduates and postgraduates who have those debts as well. $1.7 trillion is not exclusive to bachelors and including graduate and postgraduate degree holders will only increase the starting salary, so it makes it even more affordable.

Also, I just wanna allude back to your prior point, “any smart individual will pay off their credit card at the end of the month“, this is an example of what is the actual crisis IMO. So to your point, we should look at what is happening. Many people (college graduate and not) lack personal finance acumen and live beyond their means, instead of the conclusion that people aren’t able to afford it.

69 notes · View notes

ajapablog · 5 years ago

Text

Corona Chronicles II

Today was NOT a day of social isolation or distancing. I had to go to a meeting at work and it was nerve wracking! I was hoping that the meeting would get cancelled and I did consider emailing/calling and saying I was too scared to come in. But I went in anyway. I needed to get some books and xerox copies of archival documents from my office. I did not go to the gym to get my running shoes but I can live without those. The meeting turned out to be just like the meme going around saying that this virus has made everyone realize that every single in-person meeting could have been done over email or skype. Honestly, what a waste of time and unnecessary exposure to contagion. I think my body does not do well to stress and drinking copious amounts of coffee because now I’m nursing an upset stomach. I mean, what else could it be? I can’t blame it on anything else except... unless... wait....some public health experts do list diarrhoea as a “rare” symptom of Covid-19. Shits. Literally! Every physical discomfort creates a wave of anxiety: “Do I have a fever? Am I slightly warmer than usual? Is this what fatigue feels like? Does my throat feel funny?” The amount of bodily self reflection I engage in borders narcissism. So to deal with the stress of potentially being infected in a more healthy way, instead of searching up symptoms on Google, I decided to sleep—a great way to de-stress and give your immune system a chance to work. Healing in the Household Today, I also made a soup that I think is a cure to every single problem on the planet. Just a few things from every South Asian pantry thrown together, really. So basically what you do is:

1. heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pot 2. throw in two teaspoons of jwano/ajwain/caraway seeds/bishop’s weed/carom (whatever you want to call it) 3. throw a tablespoon of minced garlic and a tablespoon of minced ginger 4. add two tea spoons of turmeric (it kills everything that needs to die) 5. add two cups of chicken broth and salt to taste 6. let the concoction simmer for 10 minutes I know this works for a cold and it potentially works for stomach-related issues. So my philosophy in life is that turmeric basically saves lives. As I was slurping down this hot golden goodness of a soup, I imagined the yellow carcumin in the turmeric coating my mouth, my food pipe, and all the organs in my digestive system. I harboured the image of betadine coating a wound and it made me feel like I will survive this shit storm. In honour of this edible liquid gold— my answer to the dreadful coronavirus of 2019-2020— I give you Coldplay’s beautiful classic: Yellow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKNxeF4KMsY (By the way, I now have a designated yellow tupperware to consume all my turmeric laced foods in—it’s totally worth it!)

In the News:

California Goes into Near-Lockdown Bay area counties: San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Contra Costa and Alameda have ordered residents to “shelter in place” which basically means that unless they need to get food, seek medical attention or are in some dire situation cannot travel by public transit, car, bicycles, scooter, automobile and foot! I think it is coming to Chicago soon—a FEMA issued curfew is most definitely on it’s way. The interesting thing about lockdowns is that how it plays out is tied into the culture and the politics of a place. One of the reasons South Korea, Taiwan and China have done so well in containing the spread of this virus is because: a. they already had strong mechanisms of surveillance and monitoring b. they have a culture of compliance to state authorities. I heard Britons are being really blasé about following rules of social distancing and Britain is doing a bad job of telling its citizens to stay put. I don’t know how Americans will respond to similar measures. But curfews are on their way. See: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/03/16/coronavirus-bay-area-residents-ordered-shelter-place/5061938002/

The virus spreads fast in London This one is more of a continuation of the previous news of how some countries are failing miserably to respond to this. I heard Britons are still going to their damn horse races and their games and stuff like that. Apparently, there was this idea going around that if everyone just went about their lives, they’d develop herd immunity. I guess they realized soon enough that it wasn’t going to fly so they changed their approach. See: https://www.vox.com/world/2020/3/15/21180414/coronavirus-uk-herd-immunity-vallance-johnson

Idris Elba tested positive for the virus Tom Hanks and Sophie Treaudeau didn’t bother me as much as the news of the veritable god-like and utterly delicious 47 year old actor testing positive for the virus. He says he’s doing alright. This definitely flattens my morale but you know, by the end of this, 70% of humanity will have caught the virus so what can you do and celebrities are a part of humanity, right? What is slightly annoying is that they have access to tests when the rest of us don’t. See: https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/16/entertainment/idris-elba-coronavirus-trnd/index.html The US does miserably with testing: If there was a test available I would take it. I mean, I don’t have symptoms per se but my my stomach is upset, my throat feels slightly scratchy and I do feel tired and exhausted all the time. But the US is doing terribly in terms of rolling out the tests and there is really no way of monitoring the extent of this pandemic and enforcing effective quarantines and treatments unless there is testing. In South Korea, they have drive through testing :( So here’s to staying at home and hoping for test kits to be more widely available. See: https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/what-went-wrong-with-coronavirus-testing-in-the-us

Nepal surprisingly doing well against the virus When I talked to my dad this morning, he insisted that there are very few cases in Nepal because the government is doing a good job of monitoring and containment. He said that the government in the presence of a WHO official tested over a 100 people who were possibly exposed and all the tests were negative. In a kind of desperate anti-scientific logic, for a moment, I wondered if there is something in the genetic make-up of Nepalis that makes them immune to this dumb virus. I know, dumb logic and like my friend Surabhi says, I have no idea how viruses work. But let’s hope things stay this way in Nepal. The growing cases in Pakistan are alarming. See: https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-to-transform-3-hospitals-into-treatment-centres-for-coronavirus-patients-286787

Touching in the time of Corona I took an Uber to UIC and I travelled on public transport on my way back because my advisor and my co-TA said that it wasn’t so bad on the CTA. I don’t know if I should have listened to them. I was so wary of everyone on public transport and people were really not exercising caution: coughing and sneezing all around, touching their face, laughing. What a horror! I will NOT go out there again and I am rooting for a curfew. I think we really need to not touch other humans for a while. I was raised by parents very comfortable with physical contact —hugging and kissing all the time—and I have never been averse to human proximity. But I’m also a deeply suspicious person and sadly (I hate saying this but maybe fortunately for these terrible times), I am a Brahmin who was at the end of the day brought up with ideas of barriers to touch as a fundamental social organisational principle. So contrary to my own idealized conceptions of myself as someone having issues with all this distancing, and fears that I would crave touch, I found myself actively moving away from other humans walking on the streets. I found a corner in the CTA and put on a face that said: stay off. If I do have the virus, I think I did a good job of making sure no one got it from me. There is a lot going around in the internet about how all this distancing is going to make us more isolated and more averse to company and that our bodies will move differently in the world. I don’t think we have to fundamentally become non-touchers and get used to and enjoy not touching each other. But just for now, let’s not touch each other and our faces. When all this is over, I do want to touch other humans though, just saying, at the end of the day, everyone needs a human touch. Love

0 notes

krystangreen-blog · 5 years ago

Photo

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is an animal, thrill-ride, and marine park combination that appeals to all ages. Older kids and adults love the roller coasters, but there are family rides and plenty of animal encounters for those who prefer a tamer day. Whatever your speed, know that there are several ways to buy discount Six Flags Discovery Kingdom tickets.

Shortcut to the Most Popular Ticket

Two Park Pass (ages 3+) Saves $37

Get admission to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor

Important Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Tips

Check Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Hours

When planning a visit to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, be sure to check their calendar for opening dates and hours. The park isn’t open every day and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom hours are subject to change. They suggest checking hours on the morning of your visit as they may shift a little on opening days.

Read the Terms and Conditions

Before purchasing Six Flags Discovery Kingdom tickets, be sure to read all terms and conditions which should outline expiration dates, refund policies, and transfer policies.

How to Get to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is located in Vallejo, California in San Francisco’s North Bay area.

While one can drive over to Vallejo, of course, you can also take public transportation to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

A ferry to Vallejo departs from Pier 39 San Francisco. Once in Vallejo, take a bus or an Uber to the park.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom parking currently costs $30 per car when purchased online.

Three Types of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Tickets

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom currently offers three types of tickets: Single Day Tickets, Season Passes, and Memberships.

General Admission

At-the-gate ticket pricing for a one-day ticket is currently $71.99 for ages 3 and older. Children ages 2 and under are free.

Season Pass

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom offers a number of Season Passes as well. Season passes provide unlimited admission through the end of the calendar year of purchase. These may be the best option for those who intend only to visit the park more than once during the current calendar year, but perhaps not again in the following calendar year.

Seasons Passes do not come with discounts and benefits on select other a la carte options and purchases throughout the park.

Memberships

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom also offers Memberships that provide unlimited admission during a 12-month commitment in addition to other discounts and benefits including free parking.

Memberships may be best for visitors who intend to visit at least twice during a 12-month period, and who are likely to make use of member discounts and benefits throughout the park.

1. Go San Francisco Pass

The Go San Francisco pass saves up to 60% off of admission to over top San Francisco attractions including Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, California’s Great America, Exploratorium, San Francisco Zoo, and more in three simple steps:

Choose the pass option that best suits you (All-Inclusive or Build-Your-Own) and buy your pass in advance.

Access your pass on a mobile device or print it at home.

Show the pass at any eligible attraction, and you’re in for free.

The passes are available in 1, 2, 3, and 7-day options, each at different prices. Make sure the attractions you’d like to visit are listed on the option you buy. You may also build your own pass including only the attractions you’d like to visit.

See also: 10 Go San Francisco Pass Benefits For Sightseeing

2. California Explorer Pass

The California Explorer Pass offers savings for those visiting Los Angeles and San Diego attractions (San Francisco, too). Explore 3, 4, or 5 major California attractions over 30 days. Participating attractions include:

Universal Studios Hollywood

LEGOLAND California

San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Warner Brothers Studio Tour

Knott’s Berry Farm

Knott’s Soak City

Six Flags Magic Mountain

SeaWorld San Diego

Belmont Park

California Academy of Sciences

California’s Great America

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Exclusive La Jolla Mom Discount

Click here to apply 10% off the California Explorer Pass Offer expires January 1, 2020.

3. aRes Travel

aRes Travel is a San Diego based, authorized ticket seller to major California attractions. They offer discount tickets to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and other famous attractions such as the San Diego Zoo, LEGOLAND California, and Disneyland. aRes Travel charges a $2 convenience fee per ticket, but you will still likely come out ahead.

Right now, they are offering hotel packages and the combo deal for two parks below.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor (Concord) Combo Deal

Bundle and save on 1-Day admission to both parks. Go straight to the gate.

4. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Hotel Packages

Bundle your hotel near Six Flags Discovery Kingdom with discount tickets for extra savings. The good news is that many of them offer free breakfast and parking.

5. Bring a Can of Coke

Bring a can of Coke to save $15 at the gate! But, be aware that you can skip the hassle of waiting in the ticket line with your can by purchasing tickets online.

6. Costco

Search Costco‘s theme park section online or in your local store to see if they are selling discounted tickets for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.

7. AAA Discount

Through the “Show Your Card and Save” program, AAA members receive $5 off on up to six Six Flags Discovery Kingdom tickets when presenting their membership card at a ticket booth. AAA members also receive 10% off of merchandise purchases of over $15 in the park.

8. Group Discounts

A group discount is available for purchases of 15 or more tickets. Details are available on the park’s website in the FAQ section.

9. Season Passes and Memberships

Frequent visitors should definitely consider a Seasons Pass or Membership.

Which of the four Membership options you choose depends on your budget, how often you visit Six Flags parks, and whether you value the premium add-ons included in the higher-tier memberships.

Yes, a Membership provides admission to all 26 Six Flags theme parks and water parks. Prices range from $6.60 per month to $17.60 per month. You may cancel any time after the initial 12 month period.

A Season Pass to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom entitles the holder to unlimited park admission through the end of the calendar year in which it is purchased. The price changes throughout the calendar year but it is currently $78.99.

How do you buy Six Flags Discovery Kingdom discount tickets?