Crossroads—2026-06-22 (Patreon)

FREE for everyone.

This post includes some content that is EXCLUSIVE to Patreon

Some posts and sections of some posts are reserved for Supporters. AGI Stories content almost always appears on Patreon first, ahead of all other platforms. You get it first!

Chapter 3.1.04: DAILY GRIND by Hannah Madison

Monday has arrived and finds us back in the daily grind. I used that term with hesitation. It often seems negative, but I don’t mean it that way.

Merritt and I stopped for coffee on our way back to Crossroads Phase II, which, you may recall, is across the street from where we live. We were supposed to go to different places this morning, do different things, and then stop back at the Crossroads site at the end of the day.

New plan.

I suppose I—we could roll our eyes and complain, but that wouldn’t help. Our job is to design things, then see to it that those designs become something of lasting quality and inherent safety. That means responding to issues as they come up.

The idea of the daily grind sometimes implies drudgery or dull routine. But sometimes it implies hard work and ongoing effort.

For some, “always grinding” means pushing through each day toward their goals. Being “on the grind” can mean the deliberate act of working through the stages between where you are and where you want to be.

In that sense, today is another grind. Merritt and I have our eyes on a goal. Five years? Seven? We’re on our way.

But work alone isn’t a full life. It’s part of one, but Merritt and I try to balance it with relaxing, helping others, and taking in the sights. Perhaps the counter cliché to “always grinding” would be “stop and smell the roses.”

Or sit down and enjoy some Ruffles.

Help AGI-Stories grow… If you’re enjoying the stories, please tell others. Word of mouth referrals and your endorsements are the best way for things here to grow!

Support AGI with:• one-time contribution through TipTopJar.• one-time contribution through Throne.• Patreon Membership.

All characters in this story are fictional characters, their images generated with AI for AGI Stories. They do not represent any real person, nor is their appearance based on any real human.

Chapter 3.1.05: AMAZED by Liza McDuffey

I just had a weekend I’ll never forget. I’ve never even flown anywhere before, and my first trip was aboard a luxury corporate jet.

I had a meeting with a man named Eric Marsten, who explained that the people I knew as Mara and Evan are actually Shay and Devon. Shay comes from one of the richest families in the world. Devon is a boy from the Bronx who makes her happy. No, Mara and Evan aren’t their real names. They’re simply the names I knew them by.

I actually got to meet the real Mara and Evan, who work as decoys. They look remarkably similar, which is fundamentally the point.

There were two weddings in Memphis. A man and a woman I’ve met but really don’t know—Paul and Rebecca—got married first. Then Emma and Noah got married right afterward. Emma and Noah are moving to Memphis…

I’ll miss Emma a lot. She grew up, as I did, without much. She understands what a ride on a luxury jet means to someone who didn’t even always have money for the bus. I said maybe someday I’ll come visit her, but I don’t really know how that could happen.

Caleb, my boyfriend, said he’d go with me, so maybe…

I spent most of the weekend with Caleb and his sister, Chloe. I shared a room with Chloe, just so I’d have company. Shay paid for the whole weekend and would have booked separate rooms, but Chloe and I agreed we’d rather share.

I bet I ate enough to gain a pound, too!

The whole thing was amazing!

Now, I’m back at work. I graduated about a month ago—not exactly—and I’m working for a great company—NYC SysCo. I’m still in the new construction department, which means I spend a lot of time traveling from Manhattan to job sites in the other boroughs.

My boss is Jason Harris, and he has given me my first design assignment on one of our projects. It’s an underground piping system designed to carry rainwater from the roof away from the building and parking lot.

It might sound dull, but I’m excited. I get to begin with a site plan and start drawing!

I’ll end by saying that I feel good about where I am—which is a long way from where I started. Thanks for reading this.

Message to Paying Supporters:

Thank you for helping support AGI Stories. I always consider you—the paid members—when deciding how content is shared.

As of now—late in June, 2026—between donations here and Instagram monetization, about 70% of the software costs are covered. That's huge, and it is because of you.

Because of your generosity, I am able to keep going.

~AGI Original Stories & AI Images