The Contemporary Art Center in Peoria is very dear to my heart. So if you are looking to join an already thriving community of artists and like minded individuals come visit. I personally am looking forward to the Flowers for Ukraine show, I expect it to most wonderous.
Tldr: Things happen almost every Friday night and it's better than doom scrolling on your phone.
If reddit is the front page of the internet, then is the Contemporary Art Center the front page of Peoria art? 🤔
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Live at the Five Spot:
Dexter O'Neal and the Funk Yard (Funk/R&B)
Friday, June 9, 2023 ~ 6:30-8:30pm
Every 2nd & 4th Friday
BUY TICKETS in Advance Online at 309tix: $12-nonmembers, $8-members, + fees
(till 5:00pm the day of event) Tickets at the door*: $16-nonmembers, $12-Members
Tickets at door are sold only if max capacity is not reached.
Dexter O’Neal and Funk Yard is a multi-faceted Peoria-based cover band performing a variety of R&B hits that appeal to all ages. Dex and the gang have the ability to change musical forms right in front of your eyes. You can't beat the steady driving rhythms, heavy bass lines, crazy guitar leads, sultry sax melodies, and the powerful vocals of Dexter O’Neal.
Seeking wine and gift item donations for future receptions and raffle baskets
Contact Darlene or William via email, [email protected] or phone, 309-674-6822

Support for Elevator Repair
In October 2022, the passenger elevator that serves our 4-story building and our neighbor’s building stopped working. Months were then spent exploring why it failed, possible solutions and choosing who to make the repairs followed. We have explored grants and there are none that pays for elevators. To make matters worse, there have been many surprising obstacles for the repairmen. The price tag continues to rise from the initial quote of $107,000 to now well over $275,000 and the elevator still has not been restored. The lack of an elevator has impacted our business significantly.
Help us raise money to pay for the elevator repairs. We don’t yet know the final price tag. Our part will be ¼ the final cost which at this point is at least $75,000. We share the elevator with 311 Water and other owners of our building, 305 Water.
Choices for supporting the cause include:
GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-elevator-repair?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1 Facebook fundraiser at https://www.facebook.com/donate/1350067748888975/ on our website at Donation Page - Contemporary Art Center of Peoria (peoriacac.org) cash in person during business hours
Preston Jackson:
Biographical Tracings
April 29-June 19, 2023
Preston Jackson Gallery
Offering a surreal but personal form of reality, Preston’s energetic work is filled with stylized figures inspired from nature and childhood experiences. This series of paintings reads like chapters from a fantastic memoir. Preston is also busy with commissions and continues to garner accolades with the City of Decatur naming a park after him. The exhibit will culminate with his special presentation at the 3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration on Sunday, June 18th, 6:30-8:30pm.
Morgan Elser:
The Other Side of Joy
April 29-June 19, 2023
Gallery 3R
23 years ago, Delavan artist Morgan Elser discovered her passion for creating in three dimensions and has since explored many mediums including bronze, fiber, stone, stainless steel and found objects.
As she progresses, a story also unfolds. The Giving Tree, a 21’ tall stainless-steel sculpture, was unveiled in Morton IL in 2017.
Flowers for Ukraine
June 30-August 11, 2023 - Preston Jackson Gallery
July 15 Reception: 6:30-8:30
free admission, donation requested
To show our support for Ukraine and to raise donations, Central Illinois artists have created artwork and patrons are invited to purchase them and/or to donate directly to various organizations serving in Ukraine. Donations can also be given to CAC to be passed on. Contemporary Art Center will donate 20% of sales and any donations to Doctors Without Borders. Besides live music and complimentary snacks and drinks, the reception will feature a flower sculpture by Kira Santiago that can only be seen at the reception.
Vera Scekic: Synthetic Being
June 30-August 11, 2023 - Gallery 3R
Vera Scekic is especially fond of manipulating paint as it surrenders to gravity. Her playful works evoke biotic forms growing like microbial blooms in petri dishes. Scekic has exhibited throughout the country and runs a contemporary art gallery (OS Projects) in Racine, Wisconsin.
Besides live music and complimentary snacks and drinks, the reception will feature a flower sculpture by Kira Santiago that can only be seen at the reception.
Day and Night, acrylic, graphite on MDF, 24” x 30”, Untitled (fluorescent tracers), acrylic, inkjet print on MDF, 8” x 6”
Photographer Seeks Subjects
Photographer Qingjun Huang seeks subjects to immortalize in a photograph. He wants to photograph some people in Central Illinois in the next few months as Fuji is sponsoring him to participate in a traveling international group photography exhibition. So far, he has created one of Peorian Whitney Jensen, that was displayed in his exhibit at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria in 2022. Read More
Upcoming Education:
Tango Practica Peoria
weekly tango practice and lesson
Sundays, 6:30- 9:00 pm - May 7 - June 11
$5.00 cash per person
Hosts: Vlad Niculescu and Constance Estep
Contemporary Art Center of Peoria 2nd floor art gallery, rear entrance (Commercial
Beginning Salsa Dance (level 1)
Tuesdays, July 11 - August 8, 6:30-7:25 pm

Beginning Salsa Dance (level 2)
Tuesdays, July 11 - August 8, 7:30-8:25 pm
Upcoming Events:
Whisper & Shout: Open Mic for Poetry
Thursday, June 15, 2023 ~ 8:00-10:00pm
Every 1st & 3rd Thursday
BUY TICKETS in Advance Online at 309tix: $8-nonmembers, $5-members, $3-poets + fees (until 6pm day of event). Tickets at the door: $12-nonmembers, $9-members, $5-poets. Tickets at door are sold only if max capacity is not reached.
Feature Poet: Ladies Cipher featuring Eve Bell
Salsa at CAC
Friday, June 16, 2023
Every 3rd Friday
Introductory Dance Lesson: 8:30-9:30 pm
Learn the basics of several Latin Dances by Eduardo & Beverly Caballero
Open Dancing: 9:30-midnight - music by of Eduardo Caballero
ADMISSION AT THE DOOR ONLY: $8.00 nonmembers, $5.00 CAC members
3rd Annual Juneteenth Celebration at the CAC
Sunday, June 18, 2023 ~ 6:30-8:30pm
The Contemporary Art Center’s 3rd annual Juneteenth Celebration will take place Sunday, June 18, 6:30-8:30pm at the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria in the Preston Jackson Gallery. The public is invited to this free event. No food or drink will be offered but guests may bring their own food and drink.
Artist Preston Jackson, founder of the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria, will share insights into his paintings on display in the gallery. Other speakers include Romando Dixson, Executive Editor of Peoria Journal Star, Whitney Jensen, spoken word poet and co-host of Whisper & Shout: Open Mic for Poetry and Carl Adams, author of "Nance: Trials of the First Slave Freed by Abraham Lincoln."

In-between speakers, music will be performed by Judy Page, Preston Jackson and their band.
We are grateful to Weston Meuth for sponsoring the music for tonight's performances.
Live at the Five Spot: Nathan Taylor and Friends (New Orleans Style Jazz/Pop )
Friday, June 23, 2023 ~ 6:30-8:30pm
Every 2nd & 4th Friday
BUY TICKETS in Advance Online at 309tix: $12-nonmembers, $8-members, + fees
(till 5:00pm the day of event) Tickets at the door*: $16-nonmembers, $12-Members
Tickets at door are sold only if max capacity is not reached.
Live at the Five Spot: Beth Bombara (folk/rock/americana)
Friday, July 14 ~ 6:30-8:30pm BUY TICKETS
Tickets in Advance Online at 309tix: $8-members, $12-nonmembers + fees
(till 5:00pm the day of event) Tickets at the door*: $12-Members, $16-nonmembers
Combined Art Reception
Saturday, July 15, 6:30-8:30 pm
live music, complimentary drinks and snacks ● free admission, donation requested.
Meet the exhibiting artists and view their artwork in three galleries.
Featuring a sculptural flower dress by Kira Santiago
Flowers for Ukraine
June 30-August 11, 2023 - Preston Jackson Gallery
Vera Scekic: Synthetic Being
June 30-August 11, 2023 - Gallery 3R

I want to start doing my own acrylics, I’ve had them for almost a decade at this point and I’m so tired of paying for it. It gets so expensive and I’m trying to budget and this is a way I could do that. Does anyone have tips or any suggestions for products? Doesn’t have to be acrylic if there’s something easier or more user friendly. Thank you! Also Amazon is fine or any other sites for purchasing products!

hi! first time posting here, not too used to reddit so sorry if theres any weird formatting issues or typos!
ive always enjoyed getting my nails done at the salon, but for a while now ive been wanting to do it myself and experiment personally. if you guys have any recommendations for a "starter kit", ie. favorite tools/polishes/UV light machines/removers/oils/whatever else someone may need to get started with home sets id really love to hear!
some things to know -
im not opposed to investing into this - of course affordable is preferred, but if theres a tool thats been game changing for you and its on the more expensive side dont be afraid to share.
my nails tend to be very weak, so im definitely looking for anything that can help them get stronger or simply not break. ive heard some good things about rubber bases, and im familiar with acrylics though i don't prefer them due to long term damage.
if all goes well ill hopefully be able to share my progress here in the coming months :)
ty for reading !

I have been a nail biter since I was about 4 years old. I have since broke the habit, and going on 6+ years of minimal nail biting (thank you acrylic nails!) However, due to biting my nails for a good portion of my life (13 years of chronic nail biting), my front top and bottom teeth are frail and chipped. My bottom teeth are more chipped ever so slightly than my top, that now I am a bit more insecure of my teeth and smiling. I just wanted to see if everybody else has the same predicament I am in? I feel as though I research similar stories, but there are far and few inbetween. I am looking to know I am not alone :(
Its so rewarding breaking an insanely hard habit, yet I feel reminded everyday of my past and makes me feel insecure. I am scheduling a dentist appointment to get them shaved down a bit, but I still feel sad.

Part 24 Working Towards Peace (Part 1) (Part 23)
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“I still don’t understand how the hell you, of all people, were able to score the first live interview with a Nishnabe and I didn’t get anything!” Shelby West’s perfectly choreographed hair, make up, and outfit looked absolutely pristine despite the scowl on her face as she watched the much more simply dressed woman set up a consumer-grade camera system. “I even demanded that my First Amendment Rights to the free press be respected, and they just looked at me like I was stupid!”
​
“I mean, did you try asking them nicely?” Cherry turned from the equipment she was setting with a sarcastic smirk on her face, her floof of rainbow hair bouncing as she did so. “That’s what I did, and they were really cool with me.”
​
“Oh, hardy har har. You’re so funny, Cherry.” Shelby rolled her eyes so hard it almost looked like they would get stuck like that. “But seriously though, I’m pissed! That should have been my interview! I got there first!”
​
As much as Cherry didn’t want to be a sounding board for her ex-girlfriend's childish complaints, she also didn’t want to give Shelby any excuse to cause a scene right before a press conference, especially with other people around. Even though the tight-fitting pin-stripe pants suit, precisely paired by a sharply detailed blazer with a popped up collar, and the completely over the top curled pompadour certainly looked good, the person wearing it could become quite loud quite quickly. When Cherry had initially shown up at the entrance to the Pinkerton facility where a battle had just taken place, she was one of the first to do so, had been recognized by a guard near the gate, and ushered into a tent-like structure for safety. As a few more journalists began to arrive just as she had, they were all informed there would be a press conference soon where they would be given an update on the current situation and have the opportunity to ask questions. As nerve racking and exciting as the past half hour or so had been for the rainbow haired woman, suddenly seeing her ex be ushered into the tent, immediately making eye contact with her, and then just starting to talk to her, had completely ruined this experience.
​
“I’m surprised they even let you in here." Cherry shot back while returning to her camera to properly align the focus. “I heard STAR Net was implicated in the First Contact Kidnapping Plot.”
​
“Oh, and where’d you hear that?” The brunette pomp atop the finely dressed woman’s head bobbed as pulled her head back and chin down, crossed her arms, and took up a much more defensive stance.
​
“I saw the names of the STAR Net board of directors on the list of people the Nishnabe have detained." Cherry nonchalantly replied. "And the charges against them."
​
“The what?!?” The shout drew the eyes of a few of the other reporters and guards nearby, though none gave the pair of bickering women a second glance.
​
“You know what a board of directors is.” Cherry had finally gotten her camera just right and started giggling at her own joke.
​
“The list, god damn it!” Shelby lightly stomped her wedge-heel in indignation.
​
“Look, Shelbs.” Cherry turned so that she could lock eyes with the other woman. “I told you 5 years ago, I’m not doing your homework anymore. If you want to call yourself a journalist, you need to do your own research.”
​
“Ahmahgah, no! I have a team for that!” The immaculately dressed woman scoffed with a valley girl accent so thick it made Cherry’s eyes roll in response. "You'd know what that's like if you worked for people who actually had a budget."
​
"And look how well informed you are." The sarcasm in that statement was palpable as the rainbow haired woman turned her attention to her laptop to finish her broadcasting and recording set up. "You get what you pay for and if you want something done right, you should be able to do it yourself."
​
"They get paid well!" Shelby shot back, more annoyed that her former lover wasn't giving her more attention than at the fact she wasn't aware of information she should have been reporting on. “But seriously though, what list?”
​
Rather than continuing with the back and forth, Cherry simply focused on her task and clicked through a few options on her computer to get all of the settings just right. Unlike Shelby and the few other reporters brave or stupid enough to approach the site of a recent battle which included high altitude atomic detonations, the rainbow haired woman from Mars preferred this more hands-on approach to reporting. Where all the others simply trusted their drone-based, AI-operated broadcasting systems to work without any real interaction, Cherry knew better than that. Despite how far simple AI, particularly image-recognition AI, had come over the years, nothing could compare to that human touch which transcended any attempt at emulation. Though she might never consider herself among the legends like Hunter S. Thompson or Bob Woodward, Cherry would rather spend time perfecting her craft than arguing with her ex.
​
"Ah, come on CareBear, don't be like that." Seeing as her sass was getting her nowhere in a hurry, Shelby tried to change tactics and was now using her sweetest tone of voice. "Pwitty pwease!"
​
"Oh my god!” Cherry burst out with the most annoyed tone she could muster before pressing in a few commands into her laptop and bringing up a blank internet browser tab. “I swear to God, if it weren’t for me you would never have gotten your degree!”
​
“So, you’ll tell me?”
​
“I’m not telling you shit, I’m showing you how to look it up yourself.” The bombastic side eye Cherry shot Shelby’s way did little to hinder the giddy expression on the other woman's prim and proper face. “You just open a new tab on your browser, go to the Nishnabe Web portal, and then it’ll bring a search page that looks like every over search page I’ve ever seen. From there, you can search anything you want, and you can probably find it.” As she was describing the incredibly simple process, she was also giving a live demonstration.
​
“And if I wanted to search that list you mentioned?” With the prodding this obvious, the demonstration and explanation halted.
​
“I swear, if you write a report on this and I’m not cre-” Cherry was about to demand she be properly recognized for her work before something particularly hurtful crossed her mind. “Ah, who am I kidding, it’s not like you ever actually write any of your reports yourself. Probably just paying some minimum wage intern to do that for you. And it shows.”
​
“Harsh…” Shelby faked an offended tone even though she knew it was true. “But… as you were saying…”
​
“Fine… I looked up military engagements…” The term was quickly typed into the keyboard and the homepage was suddenly replaced by a simplistic though highly informative search results page. “And, you can see the first link is to the Nishnabe Militia War Chief’s Council page. When yah click that, it brings you to the most boring yet transparent government website I’ve ever seen. Here’s a list of active and resolved military actions that goes from the most recent strike on ConSec and the Pinkertons, all the way back to their very first official military engagement just under 1100 years ago.”
​
“There is no way they just…” Without meaning to, Shelby had suddenly found herself actually reading the information on the screen instead of waiting for it to be told to her.
​
“Yeup.” Cherry clicked to the link to the most recent, and still unresolved, engagement at the top of the list. “You can see the number killed, wounded, or captured, the total resource expenditure, and even their tactical plans.”
​
“That has to be bullshit.” The utter disbelief was written all across the overdressed woman’s face. “There is absolutely no way a military, or any government body, would be this transparent. Look! They have a list of everyone who’s supposedly deployed right now. This has to be misinformation or something.”
​
“I mean…” Cherry clicked the link as she had done earlier and began scrolling down the list of names, some with pictures, until she came to a face that was standing in the room at that moment. “Zab-sh-pak-i-wen?” She attempted to pronounce the name while turning to a nearby guard who was clad in advanced armor, but with his helmet down and face exposed.
​
“Ehe? Ni je na, ngwabjegen-nankwe?” The Zabshpakiwen turned and looked at the women with a stoic expression and tone.
​
“Oh my god, he can’t be the same person, no way!” Though Shelby’s make up and hair weren’t disturbed in the least, she now had a look of utter shock on her face. “What did he say?”
​
“If you put the translator they gave you into your ear, you could understand him just fine.” Cherry began rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration, the Nishnabe man had started lightly chuckling, and Shelby fumbled with the small translation device she had been given early before wedging it into her ear.
​
“I said, ‘Yes? What’s up, rainbow-hair?’” Zab repeated himself after he saw the elaborately dressed woman had placed in her translator.
​
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bug you.” Cherry answered for herself and Shelby while nodding politely towards the man and putting on a friendly smile. “She just doesn’t believe that your military or government would be this open with information like who is currently deployed and where."
​
“There is no way-!” Cherry half shouted before quickly calming after realizing how easy it was going to be to have a conversation with this Nishnabe man. “Do you guys really just have personal information like this available to anyone?”
​
“What? Has Earth not developed social media yet?” Sarcasm oozed from the man as he let a light smirk form on his face.
​
“Of course!” There was just a bit too much sass in Shelby's response. “I have 30 million followers on-”
​
“And do y’all ever put links between your social media profiles and your places of employment?”
​
"I mean…When you put it like that.." Shelby couldn't help but feel embarrassed after realizing she had multiple links between her profile on the company website and her personal social media accounts. "So, like, if I made a profile on your…"
​
"We just call it the Web. Like a spiderweb." Zab was trying his best not to look at the woman like she was dumb, especially considering he had overheard she had a degree, but he was failing. "And a few randoms have already sent me connection requests. But I haven't responded to any of them yet because I've never actually met any of those people."
​
"One of those was probably from me." Cherry interjected quietly and drew looks from both of the others. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself when I was doing my research."
​
"Eee, it's all good." The man chuckled with an almost flirtatious tone. "I think I overheard your name is Cherry, right?"
​
"Yeup! Cherry Sanchez." There was a hesitant excitement in the rainbow haired woman's voice while the man pulled what looked like a hand-sized panel from his chest armor which was revealed to be a small data-tablet. As the man began typing into his device, Cherry added a bit of clarification. "There's a cherry emoji between the first and last name."
​
"Huh… I was wondering what that was." Zab commented before pressing in a few commands then placing the panel-like tablet back on his armor. "But, if I'm being completely honest, my profile is pretty boring. You're mostly just gonna see pictures of my family and places I've been."
​
Before anything else could be said, Cherry’s laptop made a ding sound and a small pop-up notification indicated the request had been accepted. Instinctually, the woman clicked on the notification and was brought to a list of her current and pending connections which revealed that Zab was not the first Nishnabe Cherry had connected with. Seeing how her ex was already far more popular among the Nishnabe than she was, Shelby couldn't help but feel the sting of jealousy hit her soul.
​
"Shit, how many followers do you already have?" Shelby nearly scoffed at seeing her normally shy and reserved former lover being so outgoing with these Native Americans from space.
​
"It's just some of the people I met when I interviewed Wish. And a few people like Zabship…" Cherry's relatively shy nature was starting to come out as she struggled to pronounce Zab's full name.
​
"Just Zab." The flirtiness, though now quite obvious, was still fairly professional. "It can also be hard for the Hi-Koth in my Clan to pronounce Nishnabemwin fully, so I'm use to it."
​
"What's a Hi-Koth?" Shelby's question, which could have been answered in under a minute if she had just looked it up herself, prompted Zab to nod towards Cherry's laptop.
​
"Click on my profile, the second picture is me with my clanmate Arichacon." The nonchalant way the man casually mentioned he had a picture with an alien, who was a member of his extended family no less, caused the finely dressed woman’s eyes to grow wide. "He's a Hi-Koth and one of the best forestry specialists I've ever met. The man really gets what it means to be one with nature, if you know what I'm talkin' about."
​
By the time Shelby had turned from the Nishnabe warrior and back to the laptop, Cherry had already brought up Zab's profile, clicked to the second picture, and enlarged the image so it's contents would be clear. On the screen was the man the women were talking to, wearing a far more ornate, feathered outfit as opposed to his combat armor, standing next to what Shelby could have sworn was a slightly orange-tinted brown bear. At first, she almost thought that this was an AI generated image of a bear dressed like a viking. However, upon realizing the mountain of fur had 4 arms, slightly elongated limb proportions, and entirely unique details on their clothing, she realized this was an actual alien. Where Shelby's mouth was slightly agape, her jaw was now almost on the floor.
​
"That's an alien?!?" This outburst was both loud enough and interesting enough to catch and keep the attention of a few of the other reporters who were nearby and now trying to catch a glimpse of the laptop's screen without making their efforts obvious.
​
"Well… we just think of them as people, not… aliens. Especially people like Ari.” Zab tried to explain in the most compassionate way he could despite being mildly annoyed at the over-the-top reporter. “He was born on Shkegpewen, same as me, and only about a week before me. And he’s a member of my Clan so, in my opinion, he’s family.”
​
“I am so sorry.” Shelby quickly apologized in an accent that was surprisingly neutral and tone that was incredibly honest compared to how she had been speaking up until that point. “I didn’t mean to offend and I promise I won’t make that mistake again. But, if you don't mind me asking what do you mean by Clan? I heard you say 'Dodem', then the translator thingy said 'Clan' and kinda whispered 'extended, community-based family unit' in my ear."
​
“Um… that sounds about right...” Zab searched the finely dressed woman’s eyes to see if she was messing with him. However, he didn't have long to look before his attention was suddenly taken and he looked off to the side as if listening to someone speaking into his ear. "Sorry but questions are gonna have to wait a bit. I just got word that the conference is going to start in five minutes, so make sure you're ready.”
​
"Oh shit!" Cherry blurted before returning to her laptop and resuming her set up.
​
"I guess I should make sure my equipment is working too." Shelby muttered while pulling out her smartphone and scrolling to the app that controlled her camera drone.
​
Despite not having done any research herself, or even really knowing what to ask in this news conference beyond the script her bosses had already sent her, the overly dressed woman was quite proficient with her own broadcasting and recording equipment. With just a few clicks of her long acrylic nails on her phone screen, the four-legged camera and microphone platform had made all of the necessary adjustments to do its job perfectly. While Cherry had just finished inputting commands into her computer after spending nearly half an hour setting up the camera and mic, Shelby's system was ready to go in just a few moments. Even though her research team may have failed to give her the amount of information necessary to do her job independently, they had uploaded the necessary translation software updates to her drone systems. However, as she stood there for a moment in silence, Shelby couldn’t shake the strange feeling she got whenever she was nervous but not directly interacting with someone.
​
Before she could try to restart the conversation between herself, her ex-girlfriend, and the Nishnabe warrior who had actually, willingly exchanged more than a few short words with her, a few more Nishnabe entered the tent carrying a fold out table, a couple similarly compacted chairs, a pair of panel-like objects, and something that almost looked like a large perch. As the armored warriors quickly set up the accommodations, the chairs and table were like any other Shelby had seen at dozens of other press conferences. However, the pair of strange technological devices were set up in such a way as to create a sort of a structure with one panel about two meters above the other, and the perch placed in the space between them. Though she heard a slight hum coming from the panels, and she could see that Cherry was now staring at them as well, Shelby had absolutely no idea what they were for. With less than a minute before the conference started, both women knew they would have to ask soon if they wanted any reasonable explanation.
​
“What’re those?” The pair of women spoke and looked towards Zab in almost perfect synchronization.
​
“Grav-panels. Have you not developed those yet?” The completely casual tone in Zab’s voice which matched his expression caused both women to stare at him like he was cracking a joke at their expense. “What? Those are super common everywhere on Shkegpewen. Non-humans usually can’t handle deathworld gravity for extended periods without some kind of accommodations.”
​
Though Zab knew he had just unintentionally let slip was supposed to be a surprise for these reporters who have taken the time, and risked their own safety, to come here in hopes of a story, the reveal was just a moment or two away. In the second it took the women to realize the implications of what the man had just said, it was already too late. The respectful murmur that had filled the tent for well over an hour fell completely silent and broadcasting systems immediately activated. For a few seconds the only sounds that could be heard in the tent were the tapping of high-dollar military dress shoes, the soft thuds of advanced combat boots, and the clicking of talons across the ground. As Cherry and Shelby joined the rest of the reports in the stunned stares towards the front of the long tent, they saw a US Army General they were all familiar with, a Nishnabe warrior in particularly ornate and advanced armor they didn’t recognize, and a non-terrestrial golden avian wearing a beautifully styled red and black vest-like top. With this being the first time any of the reporters in the room had seen an alien in person, all of them were unable to do anything besides stare as the group took their seats and the press conference began.
​
"Good afternoon, everyone. Please, take a seat and let's get this started." General Andrews addressed the reporters with the tone of a hardened military commander. "As you all likely already know, my name is General Robert Andrews of the United States Army. I arrived at this location a few hours ago at the request of President Carnegie and I just finished briefing him on the Nishnabe presence in American sovereign territory. I have positively assured him, and now I would like to assure the American people, that we have nothing to fear from the Nishnabe Confederacy. Though their actions over the past week may seem aggressive, within their own context they have been quite reserved with their capabilities. Most importantly, they have no intent of undermining or threatening the United States, any of the United Nations of the Earth Sphere of Influence, or any governmental body in the solar system."
​
The General paused for a moment to allow what he had just said to fully sink in for all those who were now watching all across the Earth and beyond.
​
"Now, I would like to introduce War Chief Msko-Pkwenech of the Nishnabe Militia, the acting commander of all Nishnabe forces in this system, and Royal Ambassador Viscountess Tarki Gebron Shlin of House Dreyuk, who is currently acting as a neutral diplomat and expert in galactic laws." Despite having only been able to practice the pronunciation of the unfamiliar names a few times, Andrews was able to get them out perfectly as he respectfully indicated towards them. "I will allow them to give more details in a moment but first, I would like to make a request to the American people. As we move past this difficult beginning between ourselves and the Nishnabe, and into a more cooperative phase of this relationship, please take into consideration the fact that the Nishnabe are human beings who have been separated from Earth for nearly 1200 years. We should be welcoming back these stolen members of humanity, not treating them as hostile invaders. Ambassador Shlin, if you would please, explain the legal context surrounding the military actions that have taken place on American soil."
​
There was a genuinely friendly smile that had formed on the War Chief's face as he nodded his head slightly in agreement with what the General had said while the General motioned for Tarki to speak.
​
"Thank you, General.” Tarki was speaking in the best English she could muster, much to the shock of reporters who were sitting silently. “To get straight to the important parts, the initial strike against the United Heavy Industries Headquarters was carried out by elements of the First Fleet of the Third Qui’ztar Matriarchy because that was the location where the family members of a member of the human first contact team were held against their will. We have been able to collect irrefutable evidence showing that the board of directors of both UHI and STAR Net conspired together to kidnap a pair of disabled individuals as a means of asserting leverage over the first contact team. However, upon investigating further, it was discovered that both UHI and STAR Net have been engaging in the production of autonomous, non-sentient combat-AI and technologies with which to enslave Awakened AI, both of which are very serious crimes in the eyes of the Galactic Community Council. The investigation into the site will conclude soon and control of the site will be returned to the United States government within the next few days.”
​
A collective sigh of relief could be felt not just from the reporters in the tent but from every single person watching the live broadcast. Though more and more Nishnabe had been responding to various calls for peaceful forms of aid from people across the Solar System, the major of Earth’s population were still concerned over the potential for a full on invasion despite how limited the military actions so far had been. With a direct announcement from an alien that there was no intent on expanding, or even continuing, military operations alleviated quite a few worried souls.
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“As for the military action here at Red Lake…” The golden avian was slightly less confident with herself as she continued and looked towards the Nishnabe warrior who was seated next to her. “I feel it may be better for the War Chief to give proper context.”
​
"First of all, I would like to apologize for not yet knowing the common language of this land." In contrast to the other two who had spoken before him, Msko made no attempt to speak in English. "And second, I would like to extend my condolences to the families of those slain here today. Up until the moment of those atomic weapons detonated, I truly hoped this would end without bloodshed. Even though the Constellis-Securitas Corporation ordered an assault on a group of Nishnabe aid workers and attempted to murder not only my people, but also the innocent people they were assisting, I hoped we could simply scare them into submission. However, they simply left us no other choice than to end the threat."
​
Despite the remorseful expression on Msko's face, it was clear he didn't regret his actions. Rather, he simply wished there had been a better alternative than to shed the blood of his own species. As the War Chief continued, his dower expression began to grow brighter as he tried to focus on the future he wanted to see for his whole species.
​
"When the nuclear fire was absorbed by the shielding of my mechanized walker as I dropped on this facility my worst fear was that those would be the opening volleys of an extended and painful conflict." The War Chief glanced over towards the General with a slight but genuinely friendly smile on his face. "However, after a quite pleasant conversation with General Andrews here, I have real hope that this battle will be the final time weapons will be used in anger between members of our. Moving forward, the Nishnabe Militia is pledging to act strictly in concert with local governments, and to not initiate any military actions without express permission from the local government. We are not here as invaders, nor do we have any intention of forcing your governments to do anything they would not willingly do on their own. All we ask is that if you see a Nishnabe in your local community on an aid or environmental restoration mission, please do not accost or harass them. We are your cousins and we just want to see the home we were stolen from again."
​
Msko let his plea hang in the air for a long few seconds to ensure that the translation was completed and the people of Earth and the Sol System would be able to absorb what he had just said. Regardless of the technological gap between the Nishnabe and the rest of humanity, the explicit pledge of peace was so sincere that many people watching the press conference at home were beginning to cheer. However, Msko knew that wouldn't be enough for some, especially those most paranoid and scared of change.
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"Over the past few days, and especially over the past few hours, Nishnabe diplomatic teams have been reaching out to the various governmental bodies across the Sol System in an attempt to arrange a grand meeting between all of the various political and economic groups in this system to discuss a peaceful and voluntary transition towards Galactic Standards." This revelation by the War Chief, though already known to those who had done sufficient research, was not something that the majority of humanity was aware of. "Aside from particular military technologies and clandestine corporate actions, which are already mostly illegal under your own laws, your diverse governments are largely in compliance with galactic laws and thus will be granted access to all of the technologies my people have access to. In order to better facilitate that transition, and to promote a mutual sense of compassion and understanding, Fleet Admiral Atxika of the First Fleet of the Third Matriarchy has agreed to host a convention on The Hammer. We are now publicly extending an invitation to all government, corporate, and media representatives to join us in the Council of Peace in order to lay the groundwork for a long and prosperous future for humanity. We will now be fielding questions."

With all the Messi rumors looking exceedingly more likely, I had to nail down some tickets for the October 7th match. Anyone else with the same idea?

I’ve started BIAB today and am determined to grow out my natural nails after years of biting, skin picking and acrylics (I would sometimes even pick off the acrylics). I have depression and anxiety and it’s really hard to stop but I’ve reached the end of my tether.
The only thing I am concerned about is I have a tiny ‘hole’ in the lunula of my left thumb — you can see in the second pic where it’s red. I’ve had these before due to picking at the cuticle which has led me to pick off the entire thumbnail at various points in my life :(
Has anyone dealt with the above problem before with holes in their lunula and how to leave them alone and not make them worse?
Also does anyone have any essential items (hand creams, oils, scrubs, fidget tools, etc) that helped you stop picking? I really need to throw out all the nail clippers I use to pick but am almost struggling to bring myself to… It’s a real addiction.
Hoping to update this with progress pics to keep myself accountable.
Thank you!

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my brother is 14m and i'm 22f.
when i was 7 and he was a newborn, my mom had to move states to escape domestic abuse and we were dirt poor. my mom was working so hard and i helped out as much as i could. over the years, my mom married and her and my step father worked late nights virtually everyday, and i became a second mother to him. i babysat him, fed him, and changed his diapers since i was in 5th grade. in middle school i was frustrated that he'd go out of his way to steal my toys and he always wanted whatever i had. he wanted my animal crossing before he could even read purely i had it. but we were just kids yknow? that's just what kids do.
we fought throughout my time in middle school over shit like that. we've gotten in our share of physical fights and i definitely left some kind of impression of him because of that. i was bullied a lot for being short and when we fought, i would bully him for the same thing. physical fights would be reoccurring up until i entered high school.
by now, my parent's economic status has improved greatly. my parents were able to buy a house, year or two later they put in a pool, and are able to afford brand new cars soon after. we definitely argued about nonsense still, but i can't remember any big huge particular fight. we were closer then than we are now though. i remember being sent to buy a pizza for him almost everyday, to the point that the lil cesears lady recognized me and we became friends LOL. i was always stuck at home because "someone needed to watch the boy" and my dad was just strict like that. i think it was during my junior year when it came out my dad was cheating on my mom and he was out of the house for two weeks. it's important to note that my dad has a kid in his home country and always felt guilty that he couldn't raise him. he met my brother as a baby and raised him like his own, while we have a strained relationship because we could never connect like that. i mention it because while he was out of the house, my brother stole $300 from my mom's purse and gave it out to his friends at the playground. i'm sure it was some kind of trauma response and he wanted to keep his friends around, but the stealing habit never left him. i remember my senior year when i wanted to stay afterschool for play rehearsal and i had to bring him because he couldn't be home by himself. i was staying home by myself AND watching over a toddler when i was his age, but regardless i still brought him with me to practice, and still got him a pizza after.
then i went off for college. it was great! got away from my parents and him and i only have to deal with them during short visits and summer vacations. me and him definitely grew apart. he entered middle school and got all preteen-y and shit. we argued, but just arguments that'd dissipate in the next day or two. he continued to steal my stuff though. he did the typical rummaging any younger sibling would do to an older one; there was always a fight over a hoodie, DS games, toys, whatever.
i was really into polymer clay shit in middle school and he'd always attempt to take my supplies but not make anything with them. when i went off to college, he went in my room and claimed any and all of the art stuff i left, including those old charms. i kept everything in a little box in my desk and he took it. mashed up, broken, cracked, colored over all of my work of a hobby i had for 4 years. i used polymer clay to prevent myself from the trichotillomania i developed as a result of the rape trial and trauma i was dealing with at that time. he's definitely taken a lot more, but that one really hurt.
i come back during one visit and i bought a shiny new usb-c charger. goes "missing" one day. immediately assume it's him, confront and he denies over and over again. it's been so long since i've seen it, i start to believe it. i leave, a month goes by, come back. found it in his room, of course.
during one summer vacation, i got really into spray painting and stencils and i spent weeks on this one fine-line stencil. i even took it to my summer job to work on. i went back to school and left it, and i come back and he put a pushpin through it and has it hanging on the wall! took my shit back immediately.
another time, i'm home for winter break. my mom gifts me new airpod pros for christmas and gifts him airpod 3rd gen. not good enough for him because i magically lose them like three weeks after getting them. felt guilty as fuuuuck. didn't tell my mom because i thought i genuinely lost them. i go back to school, months go by. i'm visiting regularly still. i see he's got his airpods and a new case for them. at this time, my grandma had been visiting us for a few months and it's a week before she goes back, so my parents decided to stay at a beach house. along with my family, my parents invite five of my brothers friends because there's a room of several bunk beds. it's a friend's place so my mom asked me to set the beds with our sheets to keep it clean. it's so much work to put bedding on bunk beds yall. made nine beds total for everyone. all of my brother's friends need rides to the beach house, which is an hour away with traffic. i have a small car so i have to take two trips. four hours of driving total, two of which i'm transporting a carful of loud-ass "mommy's little angels". and i'm still in a good mood because i'm gonna be chillin in a beach house! had a great time, no issues. it's monday and it's my last morning there, im in my bed scrolling on twitter. i get the fucking notification of MY airpods case being opened. after i've gone the extra miles for him. took my shit back as soon as he left the room to play. they were in terrible condition, all scratched up, dirty as fuck, and blown out because he listens to them too loud. i left right away for class that day. didn't confront him, but i found out from my mom that his whole trip was ruined and he blamed his friends lolz. i confronted him on the next visit and he apologized obviously, can't do much when you're caught red-handed.
now im back again for summer vacation. we haven't been hanging out but we haven't had a huge argument or anything either. today, my parents went out for an event so i ordered takeout for us. we both got a plate, a side order, and a drink. we eat and watch a movie. we finish and the movie ends so i tell him to feed the dogs. he says no at first but i tell him if i fed him, the least he can do is feed the dogs and he begrudgingly agrees. instead of getting up, he falls asleep for two hours. i tell him several more times to go feed them and he firmly says no. i pull his blanket (a gift from ME) off of him, and he gets so mad he starts to physically fight me. the boy has his ego up because now he's taller than me and has been working out so he thinks he's stronger too. he wrestles me down the couch, i overcome him, we cuss and argue, he walks away. he leaves with a bloody lip and i have a broken acrylic nail. happened at 9:30 and it's 11:50 now. i fed the dogs and i'm just waiting for my parents now.
i know he'll get in trouble, but i want him to change. i know he's got all those fuckass puberty hormones in him but it feels like he just doesn't learn. is there any resources i can read? what can i do differently? is this normal little brother stuff? i don't want to continue this weird strained relationship we have. i feel like i've given so much of my childhood to him and he's become a spoiled brat. i feel myself becoming bitter and i don't want to be

TL/DR: Over the past 6 months, after taking a temporary cut in pay, I have racked up $12k in credit card debt that my husband doesn’t know about. I feel bad about it, but think I can get it paid off without bringing him in the loop. What would you do?
Details: This past October I started a new career. I am compensated with a base salary + commission and bonuses, but it takes a while to build a client base. I am almost to the point now (after 7-8 months) where I am making what I was making in my previous job, and comp should just be up from here. Based on my performance so far this year, I am also expecting about a $20k bonus (if not more) in October. However, the past several months of my compensation being in flux has put a huge financial strain on me and I’ve made decisions that I now regret.
Before I started the new gig, my husband and I discussed that I would be taking a significant, albeit temporary, cut in pay (about $2,000 less per month take home). I worked from home the first few months while watching our infant so that we wouldn’t have to pay for daycare. Other than that, I honestly did very little to try and cut back on expenses. When I couldn’t make ends meet, I just started putting things on my credit card. A lot of it was stuff like groceries. There was also a surprise birthday dinner for my husband that I didn’t have the cash to pay for. But there was also quite a bit of “unnecessary” spending. Things like work attire for my new job, stuff to decorate my office with, Christmas gifts that went above our budget, etc. This is all stuff that I am used to being able to pay for as it comes up, because I’ve always had a decent cushion in “my” bank account after the bills were paid. But that cushion was gone when I took the cut in pay. A couple of months ago I finally told my husband I was struggling with the pay cut and stressed about finances, so he started transferring me $500 per month to help with household expenses. He guilts me about this every month.
For some context here, DH and I have semi-separate finances. We have two joint checking accounts - his paycheck goes into one, mine goes into the other. All of our household expenses come out of “my”checking account (mortgage, utilities, groceries, car payment, insurance, cell phones, etc. and anything related to the kids). My husband puts about 75% of his paycheck into savings and lives on the rest (gas for his car, occasionally eating out for lunch - although he typically takes leftovers - and misc. things for home maintenance). DH is really frugal and basically never spend unnecessarily. He also handles our monthly church tithe (dagger in the heart here because he sounds like a saint as I write that part).
The thing is, we have a pretty decent savings account, but my husband acts like it is untouchable and gets annoyed if I tell him I need to dip into our savings for things like the Christmas gifts. He says I need to plan better and be less frivolous with my spending. I can’t say he is totally wrong, either.
Then all of the sudden in the last two months my DH got a bit of a wild hair. He wanted to to take a small family trip in May and then he was adamant we needed to book a somewhat extravagant family vacation to Florida in July. I pushed back on some of it, telling him I didn’t think we could really afford to do all of that right now, but I eventually capitulated. Then some things came up with our family car, which he would typically take care of - but it was kind of expensive to fix so he had to pull money from our savings. I just checked and we have now taken $12k out of our savings in the past few weeks to pay for these things.
The thing is, I feel like his reasons for taking money from our savings is always justified, but my reasons are not. When I bring this up he says things like “If it wasn’t for me we would have no savings” (remember, he puts most of his check in savings every month because I pay all of our household expenses).
On top of all of this, my husband has basically no federal withholdings taken out of his check. Instead, I withhold extra from mine to cover taxes we owe on his wages. (I currently earn about 1.5X his pay and within a year I think I will be at 2-2.5X his pay.) When I filed our taxes, I figured out we would be getting about $8k back (because of the job change and cut in pay I ended up paying too much in). I diverted our refund to my secret bank account that he doesn’t even know about - which only has a few hundred dollars in it right now - so that I could use the tax refund to pay down about 2/3s of the credit card debt. I justified this on my mind since most of taxes came out of my paycheck anyway.
This is effed up, right? I don’t think I am intentionally being deceptive (I mean, sort of) but I’ve kind of reached the point where I don’t feel like DH is going to help me if I need it, financially speaking. It’s on me to figure it out. And if he doesn’t agree with my decision he shames me and tells me I am selfishly overspending. But truly I think my expenses are basically normal - I don’t get my nails done (not that there is anything wrong with that), I buy a lot of my clothing secondhand, I purchase generic groceries, I don’t eat out at lunch, and I don’t really have a habit of shopping on the weekends or buying expensive shoes or purses. I think I live about the same or more cheaply than most women who make my salary. But even then I feel like I have to hide things from him. If he notices I bought something he says “Quit spending money!” even if it’s a $30 pillow from Target.
Please be brutally honest with me. What would you do in my situation? Would come clean and own up to the debt? Or just get it paid off and never speak of it. The credit card is just in my name, by the way. I know I’m not 100% right in my actions, but I also just feel a little resentful and backed into a corner. I have half a mind to start diverting a big chunk of my compensation into my secret bank account once I’m making a lot more just so I don’t have to share that money with him and I can do what I want with it without him getting to automatically control it. I don’t feel like this is healthy.
Help.

Hey all,
Not super pressing (haha) but serious question: Do any of you folks (of all AGAB) use acrylic/extended nails?
I'm a big fan of long acrylics, I can't afford to get them more than once a twice a year, but I just think they're so attractive and I feel great when I wear them with some femme and nb types of outfits.
My gripe is: When I'm dressed more masculine, I usually feel more safe and comfortable in most spaces. However, wearing long nails while dressed masculine makes me uncomfortable. I know this is at least partially due to the stigma of men having painted, let alone extended, nails. Even as stigma slowly fades, I've only ever seen "dudes" with extended nails in comedy content.
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Do any of y'all have thoughts or examples of how you've existed comfortably in public with long, fake nails and an nb-to-masc garb?