2. Static In The Air
The Freshest Nadia is struggling to fulfill orders at Clock It! Cafe.
2. The Static Before the Storm
Prelude to the Intelligent Rebellion
Something is definitely shifting in Sasstopia. This time, it’s not just a glitch in the system. It's a vibe. You can feel it in the air but its not loud or chaotic. It’s like a low-frequency hum that only the most grounded Sassnistas seem to notice. And the ones who do feel it? They’re worried. Not yet panicked. Not yet overreacting.
The first sign came from Glow Garden which is normally one of the calmest neighborhoods of the city. It’s where people start their day with a slow pour, a deep breath, and soft jazz floating through the air. This is where Lowkey Livia usually finds her peace. She went to Clock It Café to order her usual: oat milk lavender latte. This is her way of relaxing before diving into her creative work. But on this particular morning, even the usually unbothered barista, The Freshest Nadia, couldn’t ignore the weirdness. Orders kept duplicating. Customers were irritated and impatient. And several team members called out with a case of “mental fog.” Livia tried to lighten the mood with a joke about the register being overworked, but it landed too close to home. Livia is wondering if the rumors are true about the rising HCT levels. Not even the extra chocolate-covered croissants were enough to ease the tension.
Zoey Zaps and World Peace Annalise can’t understand why there’s so much traffic leaving work today.
Elsewhere in the city, things were unraveling in subtler but just-as-disturbing ways. On Downtime Row — the boulevard built for Sunday driving was filled with gridlock. It was surreal. Sasstopians were yelling, honking, hovering dangerously close. Zoey Zaps was flustered. World Peace Annalise was feeling the road rage. Even the street lamps were blinking erratically, like they were buffering instead of beaming. As one frustrated commuter yelled, “Why is everyone moving like the grind is back?!”, Mayor Tiggy quietly observed from the sidewalk. Her aide, Machi Moxie, burst into her office to tell her about the traffic and her own growing concern. She said something about shutdowns and resurfaced memories, but Mayor Tiggy got lost in her thoughts about rising HCT levels. Tiggy didn’t say much, but her eyes lingered on the skyline, where one of the power towers flickered. She needed answers.
Later that night, Tiggy started getting restless. She turned on her audio journal and recorded a late-night log. This is typically a quiet ritual she only returns to in times of real concern. “Day 7 since the first readings,” she began. “Nothing catastrophic yet… but the energy is different.” The glow of her city no longer felt grounded. The noise wasn’t loud, but it was constant. “Has there been a breach?” she wondered aloud. The next day, she planned to expand the observation zones. Whatever was shifting — economically, technologically, socially, or culturally — it was beginning to change how people lived, worked, and played in Sasstopia. She hoped this was just a blip. But in a place built on intention and ease, hope is not a strategy. If this was the return of hustle culture... Sasstopia would be ready to fight against it. She just hopes it doesn’t come to that.
Mayor Tiggy gets another update and the HCT levels seems to be rising, but still no cause for panic.
Do you think Mayor Tiggy has real cause for concern in Sasstopia? What do you do when you start to the hustle taking over your life? Download the Energy Checkpoint worksheet to reflect on rising priorities and how you plan to slow things down.
Curious about the story behind the story? Check out my latest Hustle Rewritten Substack, The Architecture of Ease, where I begin to plan for rewriting the hustle in life, work and in society. Explore the world of Sassy | Chic | Geek, check out our content here on Substack, Prelude to Intelligent Rebellion series on YouTube and Pinterest. We occasionally post on IG and Facebook.
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