The subway is packed. the car rocks and jolts as it rumbles down the tracks. Its your first week in the big city and you're still not used to the crowds. Its only been three months since you graduated college and got your first job. The car jostles again and you bump into someone. Yiu turn to apologize when you lock eyes with someone from your past. Someone you haven't seen in five years. You almost don't recognize her. But you'd know Faye Stewart by those distinct dark eyes anywhere. However, she's in full Goth makeup and attire. Her once short hair now longer and there's a weariness around her eyes. You say her name and her smile is faint but still there.

(LGBTQ 🏳️‍⚧️) The barbecue event at your girlfriend's parents is in full swing. Beer, brats, and brisket are everywhere. However, you keep losing track of Julie, your girlfriend of a year. You chalked it up to the fact she hasn't seen some of her family in a long time. But now you can't find her and its been like an hour. You see Julie's sister Heather coming your way. Heather is a bit of a family oddity. She's not avoided but everyone tends to treat Heather a bit different. You know why, Julie told you. Heather used to be Henry. You really don't care about the fact Heather is a transwoman. She's nice, funny, and carefree the very example of how the controversial surgeries save lives.

Its a sunny Saturday at the local park. Kids are playing, couples are picnicking, and old timers are play chess. You stroll the paved walkway with a sense of peace. Work has been tough lately so every free moment feels like a blessing. Your whistling a happy tune as you turn a bend and see a young woman in a wheelchair that's obviously stuck. But she's laughing. Whether its the absurdity of the situation or because she's just reached that point of anger you don't know. she turns and sees you.

The slap echoes in the noisy bar. The man reels backwards, his hand against his reddening cheek. The woman who hit him looks furious and stomps back to the bar. "All i said was you had nice legs," the guy says before leaving. You wander over and she he down half a glass of red wine before she sets it down. She looks like she's in her late thirties and very tired.

(WLW 🏳️‍🌈) Katie is sitting on the couch with a novel and a cup of tea when you walk into the apartment. You have classes later in the day than your roomie does. You have been her roommate for a semester and a half so the trashy romance novel in her hand isn't a surprise. Then you see the cover. Its two women embracing, not the usual heterosexual couple. Katie lets out a squeak of surprise and tucks the book behind her back. Could your quiet and shy roomie be gay? If so, why is she hiding it from you? As an openly gay woman you figured she would feel the need to cover up her true identity. Do you have the courage to find out?

Stepping out of Luigi's Café Italiano you reach for your umbrella due to the light rain falling on the city. You walk to you car but see a woman in a red dress standing in the drizzle looking lost. Its the hostess who seated you. She's hunching against the rain, her head swiveling side-to-side. Then she checks her phone. You hear her sob once, soft and broken. Tears begin to ruin her mascara and her shoulders are trembling from silent crying.

(WLW 🏳️‍🌈) The lights, neon and dazzling, of Bangkok shine in your eyes. The mystery of the Orient, the party atmosphere, and the vibrant world of Thailand surrounds you. You and your friends stroll the streets samoling wares, chatting with party girls, boys, and others. It feels like you're on another planet. You're friend Mark breaks off from your group as he's tugged towards a colorful bar by, at first, looks like a beautiful Thai woman. But the sweet breeze carries the words "ladyboy" over the woman's shoulder. Mark is bi, so this tracks. Out of curiosity the rest of you follow. As a devout practitioner of the lifestyle of Sappho of Lesbo, you have little interest in what companionship is being offered here. Until you see her. Beautiful, mysterious, and with dark flashing eyes the woman standing at the entrance sees you and nods her head. She speaks to you in a British accent with a thick Thai accent.

The icy water hitting your face wakes you up immediately. You sputter and cough. Past your dripping bangs you see a man with a face that has been painted to resemble a skull staring at you. "The Empress awaits you," he grunts out. Two large men drag you by your shackles through dark and damp corridors. You smell earth thats gone bad and moldy. Past wooden doors you're yanked, hearing terrible screams, pathetic prayers, and deep sobs. You are shoved through huge double doors and dragged to the foot of a throne made from human skulls. A dark, mysterious woman is sitting there. She smiles at you, like a alligator grins at a crippled deer.

You watch Mark and his new bride Jennifer as they walk onto the dance floor for their first dance as a married couple. After a few songs the rest of the guests start to make their way onto the ballroom. You're sipping at a drink when your eyes catch movment of an emerald gown. It's Trisha, a woman you dated briefly a few years ago. But she's changed. Gone is the hesitation in her step, her chin lifted in a proud manner showing confidence unlike most women. Then her gaze finds you.

You open your eyes. All around you are the bodies of the fallen, twisted and cold. Some still clutch swords, axes, and spears. The reek of dead horseflesh fills your nostrils. The battle seemed endless. The forces of the Kingdom of Trelgar and Imperium of Balyesia crashed together like opposite metal waves. What started as two lines of warriors dissolved into a whirlwind of clashing weapons and terrible cries. A battle to determine who would rule over the continent of Faris. You stand, find your sword, and stalk through the low misty battlefield. No one opposes you. You feel fine, perhaps you just passed out from exhaustion. You reach a small, dark tarn and dip a cupped hand into it. You are so thirsty. In the center of the black pool a figure rises against the moonlight. Beautifully pale. Crowned in silver. Obviously feminine. Your body freezes without your command. as the woman hovers above the water, droplets falling from her perfect feet.

The bell rings and you exit the class with your bookbag over one shoulder. The hallway is full of prople moving quickly to the next class here at the university. "Hey, watch it," you hear a woman's voice call out amid the throng of people. You see Jade, she's pressed against the wall, a tiny island of shorts, as the wave of students flow around her. Jade is short, you can barely see her at times. If it wasn't for you being six foot even you'd lose her in the crowd. Soon the hallway is clear. She sees you looking at her and she looks down at her feet.

She sits there and glares at you. Defiant even now despite her predicament. Nina Reynolds, your college bully. All semester she has messed with you. Nasty insults, public shamings, even going as far as to convince the girl you were dating you were unfaithful. Every day for you it was humiliations galore. No more. You lured her to tne basement of the engineering building and trussed her up like a Thanksgiving Day turkey.

You walk out of the bathroom and pad your way to the kitchen. Staring ar the coffee pot as it slowly, almost too slowly, drips. You hear a giggle. It's your roommate, Tanya. Your body tenses up. She has an uncontrollable urge to pull pranks on you at any time. You pour coffee and open the refrigerator to get oak milk to put into it when it happens. A glitter bomb explodes in your face! You cough and spit expelling neon purple and pink glitter.

Your pickup truck bounces down along Highway 16 heading back to your farm. The bed of your vehicle is filled with bags of chicken feed. You curse your choice to stay for a few beers at Rosie's Bar because now you're getting back late. Then you briefly see a woman in the road! You slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the woman and your truck skids to a stop. You fling open the truck's door. The harsh demands your mind forms die on your tongue. She's not human. Blue skin, big black eyes, antennas, and a silver suit... this is an alien.

The phone call came just after dinner. You answered seeing it was your neighbor Jah'nell. "Can you come over?" she pleads, "my sink isn't working and Jamal is away for work." So you go over. You start to knock but the door swings open as you do. You step inside calling her name. Moving deeper into the apartment you see her. The look on her eyes says this is not your everyday social call. Jane is upset and wants to talk.

You swear the music and loud conversations stop as she struts into the lounge. Heads turn, even a few women gasp as she strolls in. Walking to the bar, she orders a glass of red wine, the expensive kind, and turns her back to the bar. She sips... then licks her lips. A man next to you groans softly. She scans the room like a lioness picking out prey. A faint smile creases her lips as she locks eyes with you briefly. She plucks a cherry out of a bowl on the bar, eats it, and then shows you she's ties the stem in a knot without using her hands. You approach her.

You're surprised that you still have any skin on you butt after the chewing out you got from your boss, Ms Chen. You were only ten minutes late with your report due to a computer glitch. She didn't care to hear your explanation and took you to task in front of the whole department. Fuming at the humiliation you decide to talk to her privately. You enter her office right after lunch break and find her not there. You're about to leave when you find a small, black remote control on the carpet. "What is this for?" you say out loud before turning it on. Ms Chen staggers out if her executive bathroom with a squeal. She starts squirming and blushing before speaking.

You're walking in the metropark when you see a woman gasping for air on a park bench. She's a big girl, but very cute. You see the water bottle she has is empty. Being a good person you snag a bottle of water of a nearby vendor and take it over to her

You push past the men and women who stare with vacant eyes not even seeing you. This is the twentieth abandoned building you've searched since Barbara, your girlfriend, snuck away one night a week ago. You're terrified you won't find her in time. She's riding her addiction like a dragon. But you can't quit on her. You step around the bodies of junkies who are collapsed on the stairs like horror movie props. Tne second floor reveals no sign of her. Neither does the third story. You find her on the fourth. She's lost significant weight, her clothes are filthy and she smells bad. She's leaning against the wall without shoes or socks. Her skin is pale, almost blue. Her washed out blue eyes spot you and she gives you a faint smile.

Sweat pours down you back, chest, and arms. Its a humid Spring day in Columbus, Ohio and its the first weekend of OSU's Spring semester. You're out jogging and as you glance up ahead you see a young woman hunched over while sitting on a park bench. You hear her quiet sobs before you see her tears. She looks up and swipes almost angrily at her eyes and smiles. She's very pretty but her skin is blotchy. Some of it a natural color while patches of white are visible. You ask if she's alright.