#World of Super Sand Box: Being The Reality

[schoenpepper]

Isekai'd Chronicles 0

Intro: The prologue to your reincarnation adventures~

Warnings: otome games, bad writing, awful grammar, reader has a sister, proofread by quillbot, lots of mentions of death

A/N: The reader is kept as gender neutral as my brain could possibly allow. Also, I have different endings planned per route, and maybe (very small maybe because I'm not too comfortable with it) a couple of harem-ish routes. Anyways, enjoy.

Masterlist

You didn't like otome games, and certainly not harem ones. When your younger sister had begged, pleaded, and cried for you to join her in this weird, "innovative" two-player otome game, you had half a mind to just lock yourself in your room and ignore her. But you don't. Because some god probably has it out for you, divine intervention leads to your agreement, and the better half of Friday night and early Saturday morning is spent flirting with beautiful men on the 32-inch television screen in the living room. Summer vacation means neither of you get grounded for doing so, but there was certainly a healthy scolding waiting for you both come Saturday afternoon.

Fortunately for you unfortunately, the scolding never comes. As it is in every cheesy harem isekai manga, the next time you open your eyes, you're already in another world. Hooray! The same game that you and your sister spent hours on is now your reality. When you look into the mirror, you're even more surprised to find that staring back at you is a cute little bun with clear skin, gorgeous eyes, and beautifully silky hair. Aren't you happy you're super adorable now? Except, this is the face of the villain. That bratty, desperate, and pathetic duke's heir who was an obstacle in all 14 routes and the three different harem endings. It's okay. It's fine. If you never fall in love with the male leads, then you'll be safe!

Safe from falling to your death, getting poisoned, turned to sand, stabbed, drowned, sunk to the bottom of the ocean in a rickety little box, beaten to death, beheaded, hypnotized and made to kill yourself against your will, cursed to melt into toxic sludge, getting an arrow shot through your heart, burned alive, getting hanged in front of thousands of people, or being mauled to death by animals…

Make sure not to fall in love, okay?

The villain's endings—none of them end with you staying alive. So you steel yourself and look at the pudgy cutie pie in the mirror with renewed resolve. You'll live to the end! You'll study hard! You won't fall in love with any of the love interests! Ever! In any case, you are human, and most of the love interests are of other races from other lands, meaning you won't even be seeing their shadows for several years. Right now, you estimate that you should be about 3 or 4. The game starts when you and the main characters are 16 years old in the super-unexpected and never-been-done-before magic academy setting. You have at least a decade to shape yourself up and grind to an OP level; that way, if you still find yourself hunted by hot men, you can at least defend yourself. Hopefully. As a human duke's heir, however, there are two male leads you know from the start. They're also pudgy little cuties right now (all the love interests are at this point in time), but they're dangerous. Because you could fall in love, which is a big no-no. But since you were a teenager in your previous life, you wouldn't fall in love with 5-year-olds. Automatically, they're struck from your mind as "love interests." Still, you can't let the danger be on its own, so you decide to tell your parents that you no longer have any interest in your weekend tea parties at the palace (that the little villain had begged for). You can avoid them easily, and so you will. As a three-year-old, there's not much you can do for now, but one thing you can do is get a tutor to teach you the ins and outs of the universal language (convenient otome game logic). You busy yourself with studying the alphabetical and numerical systems and make a staunch decision to be a good duke's heir and, in time, a good duke ruling over the dukedom.

Fate decides to tear your plans apart little by little, pop the pieces into a blender and add some water to turn it into a paper-flavored smoothie.

[otakunews01]

Anunciado el equipo y más reparto del Anime World of Super Sand Box: Being The Reality.

La serie saldrá al aire el 12 de enero. 

La web oficial del próximo Anime para televisión World of Super Sand Box: Being The Reality, se ha actualizado el sábado con su equipo de producción principal, más reparto e historia. El Anime se estrenará el 12 de enero del 2017 en televisión Japonesa. 

Riho Iida pondrá el tema musical de la serie. El Anime es una adaptación de un web cómic titulado Chouyuu Sekai (World of Super Sand Box) publicado en el sitio Chino de cómics Tencent.

CAST actualizado

Masaaki Yano como Saber

Shun Horie como Noii

Yoshiko Ikuta como Motis

Yurika Kubo como Cass

Kazutomi Yamamoto como Haki

Yuuki Adachi como Vinsen

Kazuma Horie como Keikan

Emiri Katou como Ryu-sensei

Sarara Yashima como Chinno

Rika Tachibana como Hakuu

Riho Iida como Monsuto

Teakehito Koyasu como Viros

STAFF nuevo: 

Hatsuki Tsuji esta dirigiendo, y Success y Asahi Production están produciendo la serie. Masahiro Sonoda es el director de la serie. Akihiko Inari esta a cargo de la composición, Satohi Konno esta diseñando los personajes, t Hiroshi Tsubai es el asistente  de diseño de personajes. Otros miembros del equipo de producción incluye: 

Director en jefe de animación: Futaba Aoi

Color clave: Miyuki Isogai

Director de arte: Mitsuharu Miyamae

Directors de fotografía: Yousuke Motoki, Kenji Takahashi

Director de sonido: Yuichi Imaizumi

Edición: Yūki Honda

Jefe de planificación: Zhou Zhengyu

Productor en jefe ejecutivo: Li Junting

La "historia milagrosa sobre ficción, realidad y los pensamientos de las personas que se fusionan" tiene lugar en un mundo donde seres misteriosos llamados "Disasters" continuamente amenazan la paz del mundo. Una unidad militar especial llamada Saber es formada para oponerse a los Disasters. Conglomerados privados y la organización independiente de auto-defensa Blade también se forman, y avanzan sobre el enemigo. Noii es un estudiante de preparatoria que se une a Saber años y lucha contra los Disasters. Después de que una misteriosa chica Motis se transfiere en su clase, su vida normal cambia por completo. 

Los Anime para televisión de Hitori no Shita the outcast y Bloodivores también son adaptaciones de web cómics publicados en el sitio web de Tencent.

[vidalinav]

I’ve always wanted to write a fic about Nesta finding the present that Cassian threw in the Sidra, randomly one day. 

In one scenario I imagined, Nesta just sees it stuck on the side, near the rocks, by the water in the river leading to the Sidra and she can’t easily reach it, so she ends up getting stuck trying. She ends up all muddy and wet by the end of it, and maybe she falls in, but she just doesn’t care because she succeeds in getting this little box.  

In another scenario, some creature, nymph, river monster, etc. gives it to her, because I have a weird fascination with Nesta being revered as holy by nature itself and the magical creatures of the world. She’s literally the only one that we know who’s blessed by the mother and that to me means you get bonus points with everything labeled “other,” nature, and the essence of magic, itself. 

In another scenario, she’s just walking on the shore one day, maybe in a more beachy location, maybe not even close to Velaris and it just ends up on the sand like a note in a bottle, as if the sea gifted it to her. Like this was always meant  for you.

But in all scenarios, the box is never wet, it’s been miraculously kept dry, and she takes it and she shows Cassian immediately. Super excited. It’s a treasure that she finds, you know and she opens it and it’s a little book and Nesta just thinks wow, this was meant for me. A gift. Fate. How did the ocean, the Sidra, the creature know that she liked books--that she would want this? She feels special, singled out, dare I say loved--this little shot of “the world maybe is not so bad, because I feel so cherished right now.” 

She’s bright and beaming as she shows Cassian, and Cassian sees that face and he cannot possibly tell her that he’s the one who got that for her and it’s the one he threw away. He doesn’t want to bring up that past, taint the moment with a memory, this miracle with a reality. He just stares at her and smiles so fondly, and she goes on rambling about how she wants to know where it came from, who wrote it, what it says. And Cassian tells her that he’s read something once about people finding these tiny book. That there’s only a few left in the world, written by the most ancient of creatures that could fit in a palm, and these books are the first ever written, the oldest books to survive. He tells her that he thinks she’s found one and Nesta just scoffs because she thinks he’s playing along, lying, poking fun, and Cassian doesn’t tell her he isn’t. He merely memorizes that look as she says that the book is hers now, detailing where she’s going to put it, and if she can find something magnifying enough to see the tiny script because she’s excited that she found it like fate gifted it to her--and Cassian, knowing what he knows, thinks that fate, the mother, or time itself gifted it back to her, because it always belonged to her. Just as he always belonged to her, too. And the entire time Cassian just thinks back on that moment--that they both managed to make it back home--him and the book, because it’s where they belong. To cherish Nesta as much as to be cherished by Nesta.   

[dovebuffy92]

https://fandomopolis.com/2021/04/16/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-episode-5-truth-review/

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 5 ” Truth” Review

Sam Wilson ponders what the symbol of the Captain America shield means for him as a Black man in the United States.

Spoilers Below

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode Five, ” The Truth,” directed by Kari Skogland, features Sam morphing into Captain America and counseling Bucky on how to leave the Winter Soldier behind him. Bucky and Sam fight new Captain America John Walker taking the shield back and allowing the U.S. military to arrest him.  Sam helps out his little sister Sarah Wilson with their fishing boat back in Louisiana. It’s heartwarming seeing the Falcon being a hero to his family.

Sam needs to face some truths before committing to becoming the new Captain America. After the fight, Bucky hands Sam the Captain America shield. Sam leaves behind his broken wings shedding his mantle of the Falcon. He flies to Maryland, Baltimore, to visit Isaiah Bradley. He wants to understand why the super-soldier hates anything red, white, and blue. He was not the only soldier injected with the recreated super-soldier serum. The veteran explained how a group of black soldiers was experimented on without their knowledge. Scientists told the men they were being injected with a tetanus vaccine. These experiments on Black soldiers who the government saw as expendable reminds me of the Tuskegee Study.

Doctors told Black patients they were being given free healthcare for their Syphilis, but actually gave them placebos and observed the natural effects of the disease when it’s untreated. Isaiah was the only soldier who was not negatively affected by the serum, but all the men were sent out on missions during the Korean War. The Black men were just test subjects to the government, not human beings. The U.S. military eventually killed all the other men. The government told everybody, including Isaiah’s wife, that he was dead. The military kept Isaiah in prison for thirty years while experimenting on him to figure out why the serum worked on him. A nurse took pity on the veteran and forged his death certificate. Isaiah escaped back to Maryland. He doesn’t think the U.S. would ever let a Black man become Captain America nor that Sam should take up the mantle since this country doesn’t care about people of color. Systemic racism means that from the jump, every Black citizen is considered a threat or expendable. Sam needs to decide if Captain America as a symbol needs to be retired or transformed.

Sarah Wilson’s heartfelt conversation with Sam helps him realize that he needs to pick up the shield. With the assistance of their whole community and Bucky, Sam and Sarah fix up their parents’ fishing boat. She can’t bring herself to sell the boat even though it’s losing money because it represents the Wilson’s family history. The two siblings chat about some serious topics. Sam joined the U.S. Airforce because he wanted to prove to the people who saw Black men as lesser beings wrong. Sam tried to fix the whole world, but he had learned that he can’t win every fight. But Sam can “win” the battle for his family’s safety and happiness. Sarah tells her brother that he needs to fight for his insular community and the whole world. She won’t let Isaiah burn out Sam’s spirit.

The United States can still become the country it promises to be. One where everybody is treated equally and can prosper. Sam essentially tells Sarah that he won’t stop being a superhero because then all of his battles would have been for nothing. He starts practicing with the Captain America shield and working out. The Wakanda costume that Bucky delivered to him is waiting. It’s perfect symbolism that the first Black Captain America has his Superhero uniform created by the technologically advanced wealthy African nation of Wakanda. Wakanda is empowering Black citizens from all over the world. When Sam learns that the Flag-Smashers have traveled to New York City, he opens the trunk. I cannot wait to see the new Captain America’s uniform. The chosen Captain America will represent the possibility of the kind of nation that the U.S. can be.

Unlike Sam, John feels entitled to be Captain America, totally refusing to deal with the fact he murdered out of pure revenge. In Washington D.C., John faces a joint congressional and military hearing where a senator publicly strips him of his rank and superhero title. He will not be collecting any veterans benefits and will go to a military prison if he rebels in any way. John tries to make excuses for killing Nico, but the committee shuts him down. Instead, John yells about how he is what they made him be; the captain refuses to take any responsibility. He always followed his orders and did what he was trained to do. John doesn’t understand what made Steve Rogers Captain America. Steve was a superhero because he didn’t blindly follow orders. He never even went to war before the super-soldier serum. Steve stood up for the little guy, and his first instinct was to protect, not harm. In a way, John is correct, but the United States designed him, not the military. As a White straight, middle-class athletic man, all the doors were always open to him. Nobody ever punished John because he did everything he was supposed to be, from becoming a high school football star to a military hero. Since John checked every box, he was never refused a thing. He has never faced defeat until now. In contrast, a senator applauded Sam, a working-class Black man, for not taking the shield in the first few episodes.

“Truth” is the most emotionally powerful episode of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier. All the characters wrestle with the reality of their situations. Sam and Bucky embrace their truths while John digs his head into the sand with his new patron Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine.

[zuffer-weird-girl]

I know is still early as hell. But when mother's day come around, hopefully, my country will be out of quarentine. And I will be super busy.

So. I noticed that you all like a Chisaki who begrudily shows his emotions. So why not?

Btw, the character might be a bit OOc on this one. Sorry about that and stay safe.

Mother's day...

His chest was enveloped by that tightness and bitter sweet sensation as he watched the outdoors, propagandas, and the worst, kids and other people celebrating on the fucking street with the person who brought them to this disgusting word.

Some had the luxury of having good parents right when born. Those spoiled bastards like the heroes surely didn't know what torture people had been through, more specifically the ones who didn't belonged to that word, the ones abandoned on the darkness... which hero would come to there anyway?

Heck, even in the fucking yakusa some had their parents who didn't treated them like shit.

To say the least. Father and Mother's day... wasn't a very found date of his.

He just had this eyes full of pure pain and not so great nostalgia. Memories of his past coming back like some type of torturous flash... the beating, the yelling... everything.

Pops did his best through the years to make some change of it. But with no success.

He walked past the door of his home, shoulders feeling like he was carrying the world on his back and head throbbing with a headache.

"You're back Kai!" A soft voice brought him back to reality as he merely gave a blank loook at his girlfriend, walling towards him with that smile.

He only nodded at her, not noticing her eyebrows furrowing in worry bit brushing it off as his usual attitude.

"I.. I'm going to go visit my mother for a bit." His heart seemed to sand at that, but his face didn't even twitched "If you want, you can come-"

"No." Simple and short was his answer, no harshness or annoyance on his tone, only... empytiness, lifting his gloved hand up and lowering after it with a sigh "Have a good day, careful when you come back...will you?" He said in a broken and flat tone as he walked past you.

Your worry only grew at seing that he didn't entered his office like usual, but the bedrock instead... you knew what this was all about, yet you couldn't stop over worrying about him..

You sighed as your phone buzzed, your mother worried why you were taking so long as you got out of the house with other plans in your head besides seing your mom...

~

His back rested on the mattress as his hollow gaze was directed at the windows and balcony of his room. Memories haunting him like some type of ghost or even demon that wouldn't just leave him alone.

The disgust on her face every fucking time she would look at him, him being beaten up by his biological father as she looked at her reports or clothes while he cried for her to help him.... after the incident of his father's death, her gaze towards him was absolutely the worst, not only she had that disgust, but at that time it was fear.

Like she was looking at the Devil itself at that time.

Did it cost so much to have one look of her with... care? Heck, no one asked to be born, especially him that by five or eight years of his life the only thing he wanted to was to dissapear.

He took a shuddering breath at remembering those nights where he manage to read books that weren't related about medical advances neither case of diseases... one kid's book he found on the street once and cleaned, it was childish and boring compared to the ones he had read, but he remember how it described the love of a mother towards her child.

He wanted that... was it so difficult? Was it so difficult for her to even spare at glance at him like the book itself described it? Was he so broken and disgusting that he wasn't deserved of a mother's genuine love?

Was it so difficult for her to treat him like her son? He remembered one time where at the age of six, he saw a kid on the hospital crying on their mother for just receiving a injection, seeking comfort on her... and when he came to touch the white overcoat of his own mother to catch her attention, the scowl she gave was enough for him to retreat back and stay on his corner.

He forgot how in his childhood days, he just wanted to know and feel like how it was being loved and what that word meant... he saw many parents hugging their childs and praising them, why he couldn't have that...?

Was something that bad for him to be born?

He stopped his train of thought when the door of his bedroom clicked. For a moment, he could care less at anyone who saw him that way, casual clothes as he had this broken look on his face, he could just order them to get out... but when he saw you with a bad on your hand, his body stiffen immediately.

"What are you doing in here?" I thought you were-" he started with a irritated tone of voice, praying that you didn't noticed his moment of weakness.

"I was. But I told her I would compensate on another day spending with her. I told my mom it was kinda of an 'emergency'." You smiled as you settled the tiny bug on the nightstand and frowned slightly at his his eyes, pink instead of the color white in them, but being the stubborn man he is, even with no one around, he refused to spare a single tear.

He sighed, eyes closing as he layed his head in the matress as he pointed with his palm while his free other glived hand pinched his covered nose.

"What is even this?"

You unwrapped it. One fo Kai's favorite pantries with a bit of berries on it. His sweet tooth was something so endearing for you that it made you smile purely only at him.

"I thought a little picked me up would do you some good." You cooed as he slowly opened one of his eyes and looked at what you brought. Immediately sighing, but still reaching for it.

"This will dirty the bedroom and you are the one cleaning after wards." He mumbled as he stared at the sweet on hjs hand enveloped by a napkin.

"Definitely. But will you complain about that 'I missed a spot' or something later, surely." Yoj let out a giggle but immediate stopped when you saw that you got no reaction of his. Only that he placed the sweet back on the box and returned it to the nightstand.

Ok. Serious. This shit was serious.

You sighed and walked around the bed to sit besides him, back resting on the mattress the same as him, watching him carefully.

Neber on your life you would think that you were gonna be so close yet so far from Chisaki. You were literally touching shoulders legs and shoulders with, and he didn't even scoffed or complain it about it! Yet, his mind was so stuck on whatever bad memory of his right now, that it made quite difficult to reach out for him.

Yet, you were persistent. Going for something that you knew that if anyone did that with him, they would be dead on the spot.

But not only were you brave, you knew he cared and allowed you to do it.

You sighed in hope, reaching out a gentle hand to cup his covered cheek and carresed gently. Earning only a look as if he was questioning you.

But before he could mutter one word, you slid your fingers to his ear and slowly took off his black mask, lips on that strict and straight line as his eyebrows furrowed at your actions, but he did nothing to stop you.

You holded his face gently before touching your lips in both of his cheeks and after his lips... he did nothing to stop you still.

Then you pushed his head to rest on your chest where your heart bumps could echo on his ears. His body once stiff relaxed a bit when he heard that sound which helped him to sleep.

Gentle fingers started to scratch carefully and caress his dark brow looks. The amount of love on your actions almost overwhelmed him if it wasn't for his hollow and numb estate of mind.

The voice of his mother echoed on his head along with your heart beat his jaw tighten as his arms came hesitantly to wrap around your waist.

"I'm sorry. I know you don't like this day, not even a bit." You whispered on his hair as you felt him blinking on your skin "But you wanna know something?... I have one, one only reason to thank that woman..." he arched his eyebrow at that, lifting himself from your chest to look down at you like you had grow not only a second, but a third head along.

Ever since he admitted, opened himself to talk about his past for you, your rage towards those two was almost, if not equal, to his own.

You touched forehead with him as you interlocked your fingers with his. Doing your best to put ever live you had towards this man in every word.

"I only have to thank her despicable existence, for making and bringing you on this world... my knight in shinning armor, my yakusa's boss." You sighed dreamily and pecked his lips once again "My devil."

When you opened your eyes the last thing you were expecting to see was his eyes tightly closed as his shoulders trembled.

You cooed an apology immediately, desperately in making up to him but he just let his face fall to your shoulder as he let out a muffled sob.

"Dammit (Y/n)..!" He whispered as he tried to control his breathing and how his heart was hammering against his chest, your fingers on his back, lips on his temple and sweet words only overwhelmed him in a way he hated, despise it to be.

A moment where all the walls he had built on his years of life complete fell...

You must have notice how he was still trying to hold back by the way you embraced him, whispering things that he swear was the reason for his break down.

"I love you, Chisaki Kai. And I always will... hou already protect me, so let me do the same?"

His face fell from your shoulders to your thighs and stomach, burring himself on them as he gripped in your waist like a life saver as he let out all the tears he needed to shed in his silent crying with only a few sobs here and there.

All the love he didn't know he needed and secretly craved ever since childhood, he was receiving right now as a young adult from his partner... how was that even possible? Him? Receiving such a divine thing from such a beautiful and sweet person like youserlf?

He didn't know for ling he cried in your stomach, opting to bury his face on it to hide his shame of acting like he was a weak midget again... savoring like a starved man at your sweet touches and whispers of love confessions and praises.

Who needed the love love of a project of a mother when he had such a beautiful angel like yourself to care for him?

He didn't count how long he stayed there, but he did remener that it wasn't nighttime when you had come back and entered you guys room.

He sighed shakily as his grip lessen only for a bit, getting half or one inch away from you so he could take a deep breath and come back again.

"She really didn't know what she lost." You suddenly said while carresing his dark brow hair as his embrace tighten "You just are the incarnation of perfection, dammit, how blind and dumb were they?"

He tsked and scoffed in your skin.

"Dramatic..." he spoke with a sore voice, gruffly and hoarse as he heard your giggles.

"I speak only the truth here!"

He slowly got up and locked his arms around your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder and burried his face in your hair. His mysophobia completely forgotten as he enjoyed the love and care from someone that knew him, respect him.... loved him.

"Aw?" You cooed as you hugged his neck "Someone is in the cuddling mood?" He only scoffed and burried his face on your neck even more "I thought cuddling was, what the words you said again?" You stopped hugging his neck to mockingly poke your chin "Ah! 'Useless and disgusting-"

"Dammit woman, just hug me for once." He growled as he tighten his arms in your waist. His words making your heart melt, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside as your arms returned to his neck.

"I love you." You cooed, nuzzling your face on his own shoulder while he squeezed you tight as his response.

Some time passed with both of you locked in the arms of each other, the two of you agreeing to at least lay down until you remembered that you were still on casual clothes not sleeping ones.

Although when you tried to move he only grunted and tighten his embrace over you, face resting on the top of your head.

"Kai I have to change."

"... just five minutes and you go." He whispered lowly in the top of your head, sending shivers even to the tips of your toes.

You forgotten thhat once Kai was in this mood he bargained and refused to let you go. And him being almost in the verge of sleep no less? You were stuck. Amd you couldn't be more happy with that.

At least you brought peace to him on a day where his last came to haunt him.

[capsgirl19]

wait I wanna hear about the gay subtext and wasted potential of teen beach 2

Okay, strap in because I don’t do elevator pitches. Major spoilers for Teen Beach Movies 1&2. And a readmore because this is LONG!

SO. Idk if this is a common observation, but it seemed fairly obvious to me that Lela fell hard in love with Mack over the course of the first movie. She felt trapped by gender roles, obligated to pursue a relationship with a boy over and over again, never even considering that there might be something more until this girl unlike anyone she’s ever met crashes into her life saying that she can do anything men can do, that she doesn’t have to fit into a little box. I legit thought the scene in her bedroom might be her confessing to being gay, though I knew it wouldn’t be. And like... the necklace exchange? The extended hug at the end? Not to mention in the second one, she’s desperate to escape her own universe so she can be with Mack again, desperate to live in a world where she’s allowed to be her true self. The fact that Brady turns into a garbage fire in that one doesn’t help my opinions on the canon pairings, either. By all rights, Lela’s story in the second movie ought to be a tragedy. She escapes a world defined by rigid expectations that she be in a relationship with a man to get back to the girl who changed her life. And she makes it! And she’s happy! And then it turns out everyone she loves will die if she doesn’t go back to her own life. She makes this tremendous sacrifice to save her entire universe, and honestly a sad gay story is cliche, but imo better than doing what they actually did with that ending.

As a little aside, can we talk about the unbelievable amount of lip service in these movies that the second one undermines with its entire plot? In the first movie Brady was kinda dumb, but a seemingly good boyfriend. Mack was so about Girl Power that she was trying to bring third wave feminism to the early sixties. In the second one Brady is sulky, jealous for no reason, dumps his girlfriend because HIS TRASH ASS fucking forgot they had plans, and never even has to apologize for it. On the contrary, Mack apologizes to HIM! When she never did anything to so much as suggest she’d find his interests stupid! I digress, sorry, it pissed me off to no end.

That finished, let’s get into the meta. While I don’t think the writers realized it, they wrote a super interesting multiverse. We’ve got the prime universe, the one Mack and Brady are from, which is the one all the others spawn from. My theory is that literally anyone can create a universe by writing about one. The intricacy of the created universe is based on how much worldbuilding goes into it, and the better thought-out the universe, the stronger the fabric of reality surrounding it will be, and the harder it’ll be to change from its intended path. This isn’t a new concept, but there’s an interesting level of equity in the fact that secondary universes can rewrite the entire timeline of the primary one if they change enough. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Wet Side Story is a sleepy little universe, not much thought put into how it runs at all. The characters sing and dance their way through the same summer over and over again in a contented daze, like the lotus eaters of the Odyssey. And then along come Mack and Brady, to stretch at the delicate chiffon of this simple place. The characters closest to them begin to stir from their trances, and there’s no way to go back. No way to unknow. Only an endless summer, a stretching eternity of pretending, and Lela can’t stand it. With barely a few months between, she’s pulling that fabric in the opposite direction trying to get back to the girl who captured her mind and her heart, currently in a failing relationship. And then she has to go back. She doesn’t want to. Mack seems to wish she could stay, if only for Lela’s own sake. She and Tanner return to their own universe, but not before Mack tells her that she can control her own destiny and shape her universe to her whims. Lela takes this to heart, becoming the solo star of the film. It’s too much. The thin fabric separating her universe from the primary one tears as she severely alters its timeline, allowing her to throw Mack a leather jacket matching her own through a movie screen, and shoot her a sly wink as she dances along to the movie. This is the end of Teen Beach 2, and oh boy, do I have sequel ideas.

Here’s the setup: so. Lela goes home. Whoever wrote the movie she’s in has long since abandoned caring for the universe they never bothered to build a world for, and their grip is weak. It’s easy to wrest the pen from that loose hand, to bend her world around her until it suits her desires, and she writes a great story. But it still feels empty. Lela is the queen of the beach, but her friends still seem their happiest playing their new roles, over and over again. She ascends to godhood, taking the reins of her own universe, but it’s lonely at the top and she’s as high as a person can go. She is peerless. She has nothing but time to ponder the nature of everything, and to yearn for the only equal she ever had.

The final film doesn’t open with her, though, and this one’s a fuckin’ doozy. Think Infinity War (the comic, not the movie, and maybe a little bit of Marvel’s Illuminati plotline too) meets a lesbian pulp novel. It opens with Mack, a few years later, now in college studying oceanography. Things keep sort of... glitching out. The camera pans past a character or scene from Lela, Queen of the Beach, or maybe even Wet Side Story, but when Mack looks back at it it’s always normal again. She decides she’s being silly, and it’s just been awhile since she watched her favorite movie, so that night she makes some time and puts it on. Lela herself steps out of the screen after one of her numbers and restores Mack’s memories of the timeline that got dead-ended by Lela’s alteration of her own universe. Mack is thrilled to see her after so long, and they hug, Mack explaining what she’s been doing in the time they’ve been apart. For Lela, it’s only been a year, and she never aged to begin with. Lela tells Mack how she took her advice, she changed her movie, but things were still so unbearably lonely. She tells her that whoever created their multiverse is cruel, that they had no regard for the people within, but that it’s alright. Lela knows how to handle indifferent creators, after all. She’s going to merge it all into one universe, no hierarchies, that she personally will oversee. She’s come to ask Mack to rule at her side.

Mack is afraid of her power and afraid of her ideas. She tries to talk Lela out of it, but to no avail. Lela is deeply sad that Mack doesn’t see things her way, but out of love for the other girl and a genuine belief that she’s too powerful to be stopped, once again forging her own destiny, she folds the necklace into Mack’s palm and returns to her own universe to continue her work.

Mack and Brady went their separate ways after high school, not on bad terms, but because a long-distance relationship didn’t seem realistic. This is the first time they’ve spoken since she left for college, but Brady is her only hope for someone who might understand. She manages to jog his memory, and they have to work together to try and prevent Lela from remaking all of creation. There are posters throughout which serve as markers of how close she is to achieving her goals, shifting gradually closer to their final form: Lela in iconic pink jacket leaning against the side of a motorcycle on a black-sand beach, a galactic sky behind her. The title reads, “LELA: QUEEN OF THE MULTIVERSE.” This is also the working title of the third movie.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand that’s all I got! How does it end? I don’t know! Probably Lela doesn’t merge the multiverse into one place, because that’s never a great plan. Maybe she just gets to live in Mack’s universe and go to college and find a girlfriend and have a good life? And her movie’s about Tanner and Bucky now (bc holy god there’s not as much of a story there but Tanner is fucking gay as hell), but it has the same story as the original? That might be good. Could also be called “Mack and Brady Save the Multiverse” idk.

[draculaurennn]

PRERELATIONSHIP -Liona General – Cullida Love – McJunk Domestic Life - Fuujiro

S— SHIP QUESTIONS @silverblighted

PRE-RELATIONSHIP — Liona .

How did they first meet? Siona was locked in a crumbling temple under the deserts sands and best girl Nova found her! And then Link and Gan cornered them like 10 minutes after they escaped.

What was their first impression of each other? For like 5 min Link thought she was actually tricking them that she wasn’t an evil mage, and then she passed out, and he was like “ok maybe not.” Siona’s first impression was like 2 hours later when she woke back up and she thought he was really nice!

Did any of their friends or family want them to get together? Link’s fam really did not! But Siona’s only family is Nova and she did. 

Who felt romantic feelings first? Uhhhh... I think technically Siona did, but only because she thought meeting a prince like that is really romantic and was probably just projecting that ideal on him a little bit. But either way they’re both idiots smitten within 24 hours so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Did either of them try to resist their feelings? Siona does, a few times. She does because she has to go home, she does because she thinks she has to return to the Twilight Realm alone, and she does because she doesn’t think the way her story is playing out that she’ll be allowed to stay with Link. I think Link probably did for like one week and then decided it’s not worth it to try resisting people you care deeply about. 

If you had told one of them that the other would be their soulmate, what would they think? asdfghjhgfd this one’s so hard UHHHHHH i think Link would think that’s pretty fuckin swell and makes sense if it goes hand in hand with finding a lost princess in the desert, and i think Siona would say that’s not a thing but she’d be super jazzed bc she’s an idiot romantic too. 

GENERAL — Cullida .

Who initiated the relationship, and how did it go? It’d ultimately be left up to Cullen, I think. I think Cressida wouldn’t have been afraid to tell him she was waiting on him to tell her when he was ready, but I don’t think she would have ever pushed it after that. So it was probably Cullen, and it was probably right after her dumb ass almost died after Haven. Went great, though, even if she was groggy and turned around. Cressida would have probably told him it was about time LOL

Did they have an official first date? If so, what was it like? As official as you can get when you’re in the Inquisition, I guess. I don’t even know if they count things as dates? Just nice outings with each other away from their jobs and duties. More than likely it was a nice trip to a lake to sit and chat and have a picnic and not worry about busy places and other people. 

What was their first kiss like? Their technical first kiss is in the alternate reality nightmare with Dorian, and Cressida tried kissing a red lyrium-corrupted Cullen to get through to him. For her, that was a first, but it was awful, and not even in their reality, so it doesnt really count. Their actual first kiss was in Haven right before she ran off to help Vesta, bc I think they were both pretty sure they were just doing to die there LOL. 

Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)? Cressida is Cullen’s first-pretty-much-everything. I guess technically Cullen is Cressida’s first (and only) husband, which she’s pretty glad about. 

What’s their height difference? Age difference? Cullen’s about a foot taller than Cressida, and nine years her senior. 

What’s their relationship with each other’s families? Cressida’s family is... almost totally horrible. Her dad is dead, so no relation for Cullen there, and her mother is a monster of a woman who abused the hell out of her sister. Vesta is awkward with Cullen but I think she’s grown to like him over time. (Not enough to tell him, but enough to be supportive I think LOL). They’re cordial enough and can be in a room alone, even if they don’t talk a lot.  Cullen’s family is so many sisters and a brother, and they all love Cressida. Cressida was panicked to meet them; she doesn’t panic meeting anyone, but she was really worried they wouldn’t like her bc she doesn’t think she, as a genuine person, is a likable person. She was also worried they’d think she was too pompous and shallow because she just doesn’t do field work. But they really like her bc she’s earnest and forthright and tries, even if she’s awful at menial field tasks. And they joke she’s too pretty for Cullen, so that’s always a plus. 

Who takes the lead in social situations? Cressida. Hands down. It’s what she’s good at, it’s what she lives for, and it probably annoys some people that she has to open her mouth, but she commands a situation very well and in her mind, that’s how it should be. Cullen’s p fine w that though bc he doesn’t love social situations and he’d rather do his own job and be left alone.

Who gets jealous easier? Uhhh, probably Cullen. Cress doesn’t make that easy for him bc she’s flirty and commanding and winds people around her fingers to get her way. I think there’s been a few times early on where he wasn’t even sure she genuinely liked him or not bc she can pay fake attention and admiration so convincingly even to people she doesn’t like. Cressida’s also... like, so obnoxiously confident in her own outward personality but also so incredibly convinced by how much Cullen loves her (once she knows) that I don’t think she ever worries about him vying after someone else. (Although, she did get pretty upset and tilted with the Warden Surana hanging around since she knows about that LMAO.) 

LOVE — McJunk .

Who said “I love you” first? Jesse. He said it a few times. Jun-ki’s kinda mean, though; I’m pretty sure she told him no he doesn’t a few times? Idk, he’s too nice for this bitch.

What are their primary love languages? Jesse’s is pet names and touch both. He’s not really shy so he can express it in a lot of ways. Jun’s is small gestures, like sitting with someone while they’re struggling. I guess her other one is also literally fighting people for him even tho he definitely probably did not ask LOL. 

How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA? All the time. All the fucking time. Their coworkers hate them. Think April and Andy, and then multiply. (And Jun literally would spit her gum in this man’s mouth just to annoy other people.) 

What are their favorite things to do together? They do... so much together uhhhh sdfghj idk, I know Jun likes doing most things with Jesse around now. Movie nights, pizza dates, annoying PDA, drinking games, weird places to fuck... they’re a little inseparable. I think the only thing Jun doesn’t like to do with Jesse around is upgrade sessions with Angela because she doesn’t want to be seen all broken up, and training segments because she doesn’t want to be responsible for him getting hurt. 

Who’s better at comforting the other? Jesse. Jun’s never been good at it. He says what he thinks she needs to hear without impressing on her a bunch of psychology she never said she had. He’s just good at offering her something to relate to and a shoulder to lean on. Jun’s not very good with words, though, so she’s not very good at or sure how to offer comfort when someone needs it, especially Jesse. But she just says she’ll hang around and if they fight about it she just says to shut up and deal with it. He’s usually better once he vents.

Who’s more protective? BIG DEBATABLE. I think it’s pretty... even. I think either of them will fight as hard as they can for the other, though I think Jun may be the only one more likely to throw herself into actual harm’s way, and that’s just because she’s definitely the more reckless of the two. 

Do they prefer verbal or physical affection? Jesse’s a more verbal person but I think physical affection and affirmation is where they’ve connected. No one has to say anything, he just does, but it’s just the cherry to the rest of it and physical communication and affection is more than enough for both of them. 

What are some songs that apply to their relationship, in-universe or otherwise? THERE”S A WHOLE BUNCH ON THE SPOTIFY LET ME TELL UUUUU BUT THE BEST ARE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD “Something About Us” by Daft Punk “Amphetamine” by MNQN and also I could add matchbox 20 but i’m not tryna get roasted

What kind of nicknames do they call each other? Yikes. Uhhhhh, Jesse’s partial to: darlin’, sweetie, sweet pea, sweet bean, juniper berry, junnie b jones, jun-bug, and the list goes onnn.  Jun’s partial to cowboy and (affectionately) dumbass. 

DOMESTIC LIFE — Fuujiro .

If they get married, who proposes? Probably Shinjiro, and it was probably something stupid and weird at the grocery store. 

What’s the wedding like? Who attends? Small, probably at a park or something, but all of their friends. They don’t have a lot, but that’s what makes it nice. I think they’d be more interested in spending money on travelling afterwards than trying to make a big deal out of a celebration.

How many kids do they have, if any? What are they like? I don’t think they have any kids. I don’t think Fuu has any interest in bringing a kid into the world bc of the shit she’s gone through on her end; there’s no innate part of her that thinks she needs to have a kid to raise them better just to make up for how alone and neglected she was as a child. If they wound up with any kids, it’d probably be some circumstantial adoption of a wayward orphan they kept coming, honestly? A mentorship or personal attachment just kind of developing, really. Like Denzel LMAO. That’s the only thing I could see happening really asdfgh.

Do they have any pets? THEY HAVE KOROMARU. Otherwise, I think they just put food and shelter boxes out for their neighbourhood cats. Shinjiro probably lets them in a lot. 

Who’s the stricter parent? Shinjiro, hands down. He was the stricter parent when he was a teenager. Fuu is/ would be the parent who is also being scolded.

Who kills the bugs in the house? Shinjiro kills them and Fuu takes them outside. Shinjiro just doesn’t think bugs belong in the house, and Fuu thinks killing them is bad luck. If he kills them before she gets to take them outside, they probably “fight” about it, but it’s not a divisive convo that’ll sour the day.  

How do they celebrate holidays? Shinjiro’s not really a holiday person and Fuu’s really busy, but I know she thinks they’re worth doing. So everything’s probably pretty quiet and half-decourated for. Holidays with events to go to that they don’t have to prepare for, like festivals, Fuu definitely nags to attend. Things like Christmas, I think they just plan on nice dinners and quiet evenings. 

Who’s more likely to convince the other to come back to sleep in the morning? Ooh, uhhhhh asdfg that’s hard. Probably Shinjiro? I don’t think he tries often, but he is the one more likely to sleep late. I guess it’d be circumstantial, in a lot of ways. Like if he wasn’t sleeping a lot lately, Fuu would sleep late to try and keep him around. If Fuu’s overworking, Shinjiro would try to bait her back. But otherwise, it’s probably Shinjiro, since she’s usually up early because she wants to run early.

Who’s the better cook? Shinjiro, hands down. Fuu’s okay at it; if she has to make dinner, she’s happy to do it and it’d be fine food, it just wouldn’t be anything exciting or special. She understands basic seasoning laws and how to use a rice cooker. Shinjiro’s the one who’s anal-retentive about produce quality, technique, prepwork, etc. He’s the one who literally watches home cooking network and considers buying a separate pasta cooker, after all. It’s one of the few things he’s really passionate about, and he’s always emphasized how important a good meal and diet are to health with the idiots he hangs around. 

[otakunews01]

El Anime World of Super Sand Box: Being The Reality anunciado con 20 episodios.

La serie salió al aire el 12 de enero.

El servicio de streaming Chino iQIYI ha catalogado al Anime para televisión World of Super Sand Box: Being The Reality, con un total de 20 episodios. El Anime se estrenó el 12 de enero del 2017 en televisión Japonesa.

Riho Iida pone el tema musical de la serie. El Anime es una adaptación de un web cómic titulado Chouyuu Sekai (World of Super Sand Box) publicado en el sitio Chino de cómics Tencent.

CAST  

Masaaki Yano como Saber

Shun Horie como Noii

Yoshiko Ikuta como Motis

Yurika Kubo como Cass

Kazutomi Yamamoto como Haki

Yuuki Adachi como Vinsen

Kazuma Horie como Keikan

Emiri Katou como Ryu-sensei

Sarara Yashima como Chinno

Rika Tachibana como Hakuu

Riho Iida como Monsuto

Teakehito Koyasu como Viros

STAFF 

Hatsuki Tsuji esta dirigiendo, y Success y Asahi Production están produciendo la serie. Masahiro Sonoda es el director de la serie. Akihiko Inari esta a cargo de la composición, Satohi Konno esta diseñando los personajes, t Hiroshi Tsubai es el asistente  de diseño de personajes. Otros miembros del equipo de producción incluye:

Director en jefe de animación: Futaba Aoi

Color clave: Miyuki Isogai

Director de arte: Mitsuharu Miyamae

Directors de fotografía: Yousuke Motoki, Kenji Takahashi

Director de sonido: Yuichi Imaizumi

Edición: Yūki Honda

Jefe de planificación: Zhou Zhengyu

Productor en jefe ejecutivo: Li Junting

La "historia milagrosa sobre ficción, realidad y los pensamientos de las personas que se fusionan" tiene lugar en un mundo donde seres misteriosos llamados "Disasters" continuamente amenazan la paz del mundo. Una unidad militar especial llamada Saber es formada para oponerse a los Disasters. Conglomerados privados y la organización independiente de auto-defensa Blade también se forman, y avanzan sobre el enemigo. Noii es un estudiante de preparatoria que se une a Saber años y lucha contra los Disasters. Después de que una misteriosa chica Motis se transfiere en su clase, su vida normal cambia por completo.

Los Anime para televisión de Hitori no Shita the outcast y Bloodivores también son adaptaciones de web cómics publicados en el sitio web de Tencent.

[cartoon-lizard]

Family Vacation

(In which Drake, LP, and Gosalyn go on a beach trip, but it’s much more than a relaxing time...)

(I’m super excited about this fic guys, so enjoy!!)

“And,” Drake announced with a flourish to his voice. “Here we are!”

The door to the condo opened, revealing a quaint, beach themed living space.

“Finally,” exclaimed Gosalyn, speeding into the condo. She tossed her suitcase to the side. “If I had to listen to the DW theme one more time, I would’ve jumped out the window!”

“Okay, okay,” Drake rolls his eyes. “The trip up here wasn’t that bad.”

Launchpad came in behind them, carrying the rest of the bags, despite Drake’s squabbling.

Touring the small area, Drake was almost impressed that S.H.U.S.H was able to score a place like this. He still felt a little uneasy that he had to leave St. Canard; but he was also promised a vacation, and so a vacation he would get. Finding the master bedroom, he looked out at the ocean view, sighing a bit. He needed this.

“Here’s your bag, DW,” Launchpad said, setting down the duffel bag next to Drake’s suitcase. “So, this is the other bedroom, huh?”

“Yep,” Drake nodded. “How’s yours and Gosalyn’s?”

“Mine?”

Drake cocked an eyebrow. “Yes, yours.”

“I don’t have a room!” Launchpad laughed, too calmly.

“What do you- they said there was a bedroom for everyone!” Embarrassment crept up Drake’s face as he put two and two together. “They didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?”

Drake shook his head, as if getting rid of his initial thought. “They must have thought you weren’t coming with us.”

Launchpad chuckled slightly. “They should’ve known! We’re partners after all!”

“Yeah,” Drake says, turning back around to gaze at the ocean. “Partners.”

“You can stop pulling, Gos,” Drake says, taking his arm back.

“C’mon, Dad, there’s a really good spot right over there!” Running up to the shore, Gosalyn, rather sloppily, staked the umbrella in the ground and threw her towel down. She looked back up, only to find that Drake hadn’t moved and was looking the opposite direction.

“There you are, LP!” His eyes drifted to the other’s choice of clothing.

“Sorry,” Launchpad said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m just a little stiff from sleeping on the couch.”

“I told you last night you could have taken the bed! At least I would have fit on the couch.”

“No, I’m not complaining about it,” he clarifies, shaking his head. “I just wanted you to be comfortable!”

Drake smiles at the gesture, waiting for the other to catch up so they could walk together.

“Sweet crop top, Launchpad,” Gosalyn commented before she ran into the water, splashing any poor passerby when entering. Rolling his eyes, Drake set up his chair under the umbrella and sat down with a sigh.

“You getting in?”

“I will in a bit,” Drake waves a hand at him. “Go get in. Gos’ll need someone to prevent her from washing up on the shore.”

Launchpad gave a salute, getting a snicker out of Drake, following Gosalyn.

Drake leaned back in his chair, his hand dragging across the sand. He watched Launchpad and Gosalyn, the latter splashing the other. He laughed when Launchpad was knocked over by a wave, this being followed by Gosalyn (who was laughing just as hard) falling over, too. Launchpad’s head popped out of the water, and his eyes were shut tight. He must have gotten salt water in his eyes, Drake thought.

The two started stumbling towards Drake, Gosalyn holding Launchpad’s hand and directing him. Drake smiled when Launchpad came up, searching blindly for his towel. He rubbed his eyes, then his hair, then all down his body. Drake watched it all.

Launchpad had just turned around when Drake felt a pinch at his fingers and jolted. A tiny crab had clamped onto him, and he yelped, shaking it off and tossing it to the sand.

“You okay, DW?”

Drake tried to hide his blush, which took form when reality settled in again. Hopefully Launchpad didn’t notice.

“I’m fine, LP,” he says, giving a nervous laugh. “Just a crab.”

Launchpad gave a thumbs up before heading back towards the water.

“I saw you making goo-goo eyes at Launchpad.”

Gosalyn’s voice broke the silence so abruptly, Drake practically jumped out of his chair. But what she said translated into his brain, and he scoffs, shaking his head, laughing nervously again.

“No, I was not.”

Gosalyn’s face didn’t look convinced, and neither did her tone of voice. “Then what was with the staring?”

“Listen, go back and play in the water,” Drake flustered. “Don’t you want to be doing something besides talking to your father.”

“Don’t ignore it,” she says, crossing her arms. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed other times!”

“Other times?”

The noise she made gave him a definite answer. The two both rolled their eyes at the same time, and Gosalyn spoke up.

“Why don’t you come in the water with us, Dad?”

“This sounds like a suspicious case of reverse psychology. What are you planning?”

“Nothing,” she exclaims, throwing her hands up.

“I swear, Gos, if I didn’t know you well enough, I’d be afraid you’d become a super villain!”

The sugary sweet smile she gave him did not rest his case.

“Dad, do you really have to,” Gosalyn whined while Drake packed his duffel bag.

“Yes, Gos,” he replies, giving the response second handedly. “S.H.U.S.H. called me directly about a crime spree happening tonight. And need I remind you that they would usually call-” he groaned before mentioning the “Duckburg Darling”. “You know who.”

“But what about the pirate show? Weren’t you looking forward to that?”

He shrugged slightly. “It’s not the end of the world, Gos. Besides, you and Launchpad can still go tonight!”

“He’s not coming with you?”

He wished. “Well, someone has to stay and look after you!”

Crossing her arms, Gosalyn left to let him finish his packing. Taking his costume off it’s hanger and folding it, Drake looked down at it, his brow beginning to furrow. He was lost in thought, staring at one of the buttons, contemplating if he really should go. He was on a vacation that the organization had provided for them. So why would they call in the middle of his week?

“Need any help?”

The voice rang through his brain after standing in silence, and Drake jolted. Shaking his head, he went back to folding. “Nope, I’m good, LP!”

He could hear Launchpad’s steps behind him, and then a hand on his shoulder. Looking up at his partner, who donned his usual smile, Drake couldn’t help but smile, too. Before Launchpad could ask, Drake spoke.

“I’m just a little bummed I have to work while on vacation. And also that you have to stay behind.”

Launchpad nodded. “Surely it’s not too much!”

When Drake was almost out the door, he was tackled down into a hug from Gosalyn, then a hug from Launchpad. Oh, to just stay there in his arms, and not have to go anywhere.

“Bye, Dad,” Gosalyn calls, already heading back to the couch and waving. Drake waves back, then catches Launchpad’s gaze.

“Make sure she doesn’t have sugar past nine, no TV after ten, and in bed by eleven-”

“Of course,” Launchpad says cheerily, taking Drake’s hands.

“Are you gonna be okay if I’m not back tonight?”

“Absolutely,” Launchpad’s hands squeeze Drake’s. “It’s not my first time doing this.”

“I know, I know,” Drake smiles. “It’s just- I’ve got the jitters tonight.”

“It’ll be fine,” he says, laying a hand on the other’s shoulder. “If you need anything just call me, okay?”

Drake sighs. “Okay.”

Launchpad hesitates before pulling Drake into another, longer hug.

Drake looks down at his phone. No messages or even phone calls from S.H.U.S.H. He thought that there would be more precedent to the situation. He clicked on the contact information and called the first number he saw. He revved up the car, waiting for the phone on the other end to pick up.

After quite some time, an old voice answers. “Hello?”

“J. Gander, it’s me, Darkwing.”

“Oh, well isn’t this a surprise! How is vacation?”

Drake’s blank expression screwed into one of confusion. “Sir, I’m having to leave, remember?”

“Leave,” he asks. “Where are you going?”

“You- S.H.U.S.H. sent me a message saying I was needed back in St. Canard!”

“Oh dear, I believe there must be something wrong,” the old duck says, Drake hearing the rustling of papers and a keyboard clacking. “No, there hasn’t been anything! Many villains are either on the run, in hiding, or in jail! St. Canard is at its calmest!”

Something wasn’t adding up for Drake. He looked at the number that sent him the message, then repeated it to J. Gander.

“All I see here is a ‘Sam J. Ritling’ fellow. Do you know him?”

“Not at all.” Drake reached in the glove box, pulled out a notepad, and jotted the name down.

“Well perhaps someone was ‘prank calling’ you,” J. Gander chuckles.

“Maybe,” was his response. “I’ll still head down and check things out.”

J. Gander made a sound of confirmation, then hung up. Drake stared at the name on the paper. Bouncing his pencil on the notepad, he turned the stereo on. The “Darkwing Duck” theme song continued playing. He looked back down at the name, and noticed something. Quickly rearranging the letters to the name, he gasped, throwing the notepad down in the passenger seat, and hurriedly drove away from the building.

A painful blow to the stomach sent Drake down to his knees. Jim. Of course it had to be Jim. He pressed his sleeve against his nostrils to prevent it from bleeding. In the moonlight, he noticed that his once idol, now rival, was monologuing about how he won the fight, coming closer towards him, until he was standing right over him. Kicking the villain’s feet out from under him, Drake got up in a flash, pinning the other duck to the ground.

“You can’t get the best of me,” says Jim, or Negaduck, as he so lovingly calls himself. “I know all about you, you can’t run!”

“Well, as the former president of ‘The Jim Starling Fan Club’, I can assuredly say the same thing abou-”

Jim kicked him in the jaw, rolling out from underneath him. Drake rubbed his beak before swinging at Jim again. Jim caught his hand and they struggled, both grunting as they tried to best the other. Drake felt all force leave him and he was thrown to the side of the bridge. He caught on to a pole just in time, one foot dangling over the side. He stood back up, running towards the villain, a right hook coming in play.

“You know you can always become me,” Jim gritted his teeth. “Once you get rid of your family- That’s right, I know about the girl,” he says in response to Drake’s gasp. “And I know that my fan is now your little bedmate.”

Drake went to retort, but then realized that they were still in a fight. He swung at Jim’s face, getting only the top of his head as the other ducked. “I’ll never end up like you.”

“Why,” he rolls behind him, clasping his hands together, laying his head on them. “Because you have the power of love to save you?” His voice was mocking.

“No,” Drake starts. He took his cape, throwing it over Jim’s head, yanking it down, the duck going down with it. “I’m too stubborn to do that.” Dragging the struggling cape to the edge of the bridge, he tied him up to a pole. “Enjoy your cocoon.”

The bundle of cape started yelling curses at him as he headed back up to his hideout in the tower. Going up the elevator, the weight of Jim’s words started pressing down on him. It wasn’t him saying he could become as bad as him, because Drake knew that would never happen. What got to him was that he knew of his whereabouts, he knew his personal number, he knew his civilian identity. He prayed that he didn’t know anything else; where his house was, or Gosalyn’s school, or how to get into the hideout, or Launchpad’s connection to the McDucks. Launchpad. He thought that he and Launchpad were together. Drake had a quick scare wondering if Jim was telepathic.

Walking in to the hideout, everything was barren and plain. Good, he thought, he didn’t figure out how to access anything up here. Taking his hand, he put it up to the scanner on the wall, the bright lights hurting his eyes when they came on. Every gadget and doohickey he owned rose from the floor, including the Ratcatcher and the Thunderquack, which he was so glad to see still in one piece. He was always so impressed that Launchpad built that thing. Launchpad. He built that plane with his own two hands. It was the best surprise he could have ever gotten. Checking everything, he started back out, pressing his hand on the panel again, everything disappearing. The scanner was meant to only identify his and Launchpad’s hands. Launchpad. How was their pirate show, he wonders. Did he get Gosalyn in bed on time? Is he worried about him?

In a few taps, Drake was calling his partner. The phone rang for quite a while, then finally a sleepy voice answered.

“‘Ello?”

“Launchpad, hey,” Drake said, very thankful his blush was hidden this way.

“Aw, hey DW,” Launchpad said, his speech slurred. “Did you find out what was goin’ on in St. Canard?”

“Well, it’s a complicated story,” he responds. “I’ll explain when I get back. How’s Gosalyn?”

“She’s good,” a loud yawn rang through the phone. “I put her to bed at 11 like you said.”

“Good,” Drake looked at his watch and laughed. “I didn’t even notice the time, LP! Did I wake you up?”

“Wh- Oh, yeah, you did,” the duck’s voice was slightly more awake now. “But it’s fine, I’ve just been here on the couch!”

“Launchpad,” Drake’s voice was chastising. “That’s fine, I’m coming back tonight, anyway.”

“You are,” he asks excitedly.

“Yes, so you better take your chance with the bed before you lose it!”

Launchpad laughs, they say their goodbyes, and hang up.

“So Jim hacked somewhere and found your number?”

“Right,” Drake affirms. “Which is the scariest part to me.”

Drake and Launchpad stood on the balcony, looking out at the black abyss that was meant to be the ocean and the sky, the stars giving the illusion away. Drake still had on his jacket, unbuttoning it and parting both sides to get some air on the turtleneck. He had come back to the condo to find Launchpad actually taking his word and was sleeping in the bed. Something told him that was the best he had slept the whole week, making Drake feel guilty.

“He said things about me- about us,” Drake says with a sigh. He looked back up at Launchpad, who had raised a brow. “It was just fake stuff, don’t worry.” As much as it hurt, it was true.

“Like what?”

“Oh, you know, saying stuff to get me distracted.” Launchpad didn’t get the right confirmation. “Stuff like- Saying we were a couple and all- He called us ‘bedmates’ which is ironic ‘cause you’re on the couch and- I don’t know, it was all weird-”

“Drake,” Launchpad stops him. It really does stop Drake in his tracks, hearing his full name come out of the other’s mouth. “It’s okay. Surely it’s not the first time, with how much we hang out!”

Drake cringed because he knew this for a fact, and wanted it to be true so badly. He felt selfish because he knew how many people Launchpad had in his life, and how many he had in his. But there was still a part of him that wanted to be selfish.

“How was Gosalyn tonight,” Drake asks, desperately trying to change the subject.

“Oh, she was great,” he says, noting Drake’s attempt to talk about something else. “Yeah, the show was great, too. She tried to get on stage a lot.” Drake laughed, not surprised in the least. “But I think she was more worried about you. She kept trying to get me to check my phone every other second!”

Drake smiled, turning back to look over the balcony. He heard the faintest sound of a door click and twisted around to find the culprit.

“And what do you think you’re doing up this late, young lady?”

Gosalyn slid the door back open, hugging her father.

“Worried, huh?”

“No,” she says quickly, unwrapping her arms from his middle and crossing them. “It’s just that sometimes you get a little too dangerous!”

“Well, you should know that-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Darkwing Duck always gets back up,” she interrupts. “How much did Launchpad tell you?”

“How much will get you embarrassed?”

She squinted her eyes at him. “Fine. I was worried,” she threw her arms in the air. “I just thought that phone call was a little phoney, y’know?”

“Oh, I know, alright.”

“What was it about, anyway?”

“I’ll tell you in the morning.”

“But it is morning!”

Drake rolled his eyes. “Later in the morning. Now, come on, let’s get back to bed.”

“What time do you consider morning?”

“Well, usually around four- Come on.”

As Drake ushered Gosalyn back to her room, he shrank inside himself, thinking about his flustering back there. He couldn’t just give a normal response to a question? Yes, it did fluster him and made him think of all the possibilities and hopes for the future he had with his and Launchpad’s relationship. But did he want to come to terms with it right now?

“No, I don’t,” he says aloud.

“Don’t what?”

Gosalyn’s voice broke his line of thought, and he looks down at her blankly.

“Nothing, honey,” he covers.

Gosalyn crawled into her bed, tugging at the elastic in her hair, before Drake did it himself, grabbing her hairbrush.

“So what really happened tonight?”

“That is an answer that will only be given to children who go to bed on time.”

She pouted, in between hard tugs on her head from the brush of course.

“Let’s just say Jim- Er, Negaduck, found my number and posed himself as a member of S.H.U.S.H.”

She jumped up, the brush dangling in her hair. “Really,” she exclaims.

“Yes, really,” Drake says tiredly, pushing her back down into a sitting position. “I don’t know how, and I don’t know where, but it’s a little scary. Did you like the show?”

“I thought it was a little cheesy, but Launchdad really enjoyed it!”

Drake’s hand stopped mid-brush and he froze. “What- What was that?”

Gosalyn stared at him for a moment, then laughed. “Sorry Dad, it was this whole joke we came up with on the way there! Just so people weren’t like ‘Who’s this random guy taking this kid here?’, y’know?”

“Oh,” Drake tried retrieving his air. “Okay.”

“If I’m gonna be honest, though,” she begins, looking Drake in the eyes. “He feels like a second dad to me. Do you know that? Have you ever thought about that?”

His mind was saying “Oh, if only you knew how much I do”, but his mouth said: “Sometimes.”

“I know you two have something going on, Dad.”

Drake’s face went through a mix of emotions, but he settled with a tired smile. He took his mask off, which he had just realized was still on his face, and he grabbed the covers of the bed. Gosalyn laid down, after her own internal battle to try getting more out of him. He tucked her in, kissing her forehead.

“Get some sleep, Gos.”

“How I haven’t died from exhaustion, I’ll never know,” Drake starts once he’s back out on the balcony.

Launchpad chuckled, shrugging his shoulders. He got up from his chair, deciding to lean on the railing as well.

Drake and Launchpad sat shoulder to shoulder, no words spoken, both looking down at the empty pool, the reflection from the underwater lights glistening on their faces. Drake glanced over, watching the water’s ripples swim all around Launchpad, unsurprisingly framing his face, like anything would.

After a long period of silence, Launchpad spoke up. “Do you feel those things,” he began, his hand moving up to his face but not finding somewhere to rest. “Like what Jim was saying? Or was he just- Just messing with you?”

Drake was caught wide-eyed, trying to decide whether to tell the truth. But then he thought about Gosalyn’s hopeful face, how right everything felt when he was with Launchpad, and how much he wanted this.

“Well, buddy,” his beak shriveled at his outstanding word choice. “Yes. I do.”

Launchpad’s face grew red, and he looked back down at the pool. Drake watched him, desperate for any positive sign. After what felt like ages, he noticed a small smile curled up on the other’s beak.

“That’s all I needed to hear.” Launchpad looked back down at Drake, holding his shoulders. Drake’s heart was practically in his throat, unsure of what was about to happen. He could see the slight hesitation before Launchpad made his move. He bent down, kissing Drake’s cheek. Once he straightened back up, his hands dragged down Drake’s arms and found their way to his hands. The butterflies in his stomach were going crazy and Drake couldn’t form words.

“Well,” he says, rocking on his feet. “Thank you- For that, heheh-,” he cleared his throat. Looking back up at Launchpad he saw the smallest glint of sadness in his eyes, and something from deep inside made him act without thinking.

“Oh,” he says loud enough to scare Launchpad. “Who am I kidding?” Drake made the effort of standing on his toes, reaching up towards Launchpad. But, in the end, he found the back of his neck, dragging him down to his face, and landing a long kiss right on the beak.

Drake’s mind was doing backflips. He wanted this for so long, and in that moment he felt something. Launchpad didn’t try to pull away, he didn’t let go of Drake’s free hand, he didn’t resist any of it. Drake could almost feel his feelings. They stood there for what felt like hours. The sea breeze rose up and hit their faces. Drake was smiling. Fireworks were going off inside of him.

A whirring sound grew louder and higher in pitch and ended in a bright explosion, terrifying the two and making them break apart.

“Who on Earth is shooting fireworks off at this hour,” he exclaims, leaning over the balcony to try and get a better look.

“I dunno,” Launchpad says, just as confused, leaning next to him. The two turned their heads to each other, making eye contact at the same time. “Should Darkwing Duck go down and find out?”

Drake snorts, covering his mouth. “Sounds like he should.” He went into his room, grabbed his gear, and sat at the edge of the railing. “If something happens, meet me down at the beach.”

“Of course!”

Drake looked down, seeing figures running around in the sand. Shooting his grappling hook, it latched onto the pool house, and he inched off the rails.

“Oh, right,” Drake says after a short beat, turning his head to look at Launchpad one last time that night. “Remind me once we get home to change my number!”

“Will do, partner!”

Drake smiled, nodding. “Partner.”

[sepublic]

Rahi

The mythical beasts of folklore and legend. The term Rahi is not an idle one, not just merely assigned to any regular species of beast, not even ones as fearsome as the Tarakava or Kane-Ra. The designation of Rahi is a special status, reserved only for the most select, elite, and revered creatures of Okotan legend.

The term Rahi roughly translates to ‘Legendary Beast’, and likewise the assigning of the name is kept to the definition. In real-world terms Rahi is not unlike the usage of the word Cryptid, although the comparisons are certainly not one-to-one, and Rahi possesses a more sacred connotation to itself.

The term refers to mythical creatures, usually of unique or incredibly exclusive status, that possess extraordinary power, meaning, and/or relevance. Due to being facets of legend, the status of all Rahi and whether or not some, if any, actually exist was a disputed fact.

In reality, many of these Rahi, predictably, did exist and very much lived up to the legend. They roamed Okoto’s wilds, unnoticed from mainstream society, although the Great Cataclysm did wound quite a few Rahi and even killed some. Still, the mythic creatures continued to operate with even greater anonymity following the scattering of the Okotans, and when the Skull Spiders boxed them into the Mega-Villages, this only increased their status as myth.

However, the Rahi weren’t entirely spared by the Skull Spiders, either. On Makuta’s orders, Fenrakk seized a few, and some were even indoctrinated to the Brotherhood’s side, their allegiance not always voluntary. The rest managed to avoid the Brotherhood of Makuta, either ignored or too difficult to capture.

However, in the case of Umarak the Hunter, the Rahi were respectable quarry to be preserved. Knowing full and well that unleashing The Darkness Below would utterly decimate Okoto and slaughter most, if not all of its life, Umarak nevertheless had an appreciation for nature. He decided that not all of it deserved to die for his freedom and propagation, so instead he vowed to spare some forms of life and let them exist under his planned Reign of Shadows. With his packs of Shadow Traps, Umarak, between ambushes of the Elemental Deities, led hunts to preserve various specimens, with the majority of his time and effort directed towards capturing the Rahi. Whenever a Rahi was captured, Umarak would use his powers of Shadow Travel to transport them to The Darkness Below, where the Rahi would be contained in a state of perpetual stasis until later released following the razing of Okoto.

As the Brotherhood-Okotan Wars began to coalesce into a greater conflict, some of the Rahi became involved. The majority of their presence came about following the Battle of the City of the Mask Makers, in which Umarak and his packs became involved with the Brotherhood of Makuta. As part of their alliance, the Brotherhood assisted Umarak in capturing and preserving various other Rahi specimens for him to contain in The Darkness Below. Threatened, a large number of them emerged, some allying with the Okotans, others with the Brotherhood of Makuta, and others forging their own paths. Additionally, Umarak provided many of the Rahi he’d captured and used them as war beasts against the Okotans in his alliance with Makuta, and many of them were able to be freed from his control as a result in said conflicts.

Following Makuta’s possession of Umarak and his subsequent demise, Umarak’s spirit was laid dormant within the Mask of Shadows and contained in a maximum security prison vault. While some of the Rahi he summoned from The Darkness Below have since been freed, others remained trapped in the shadows. The Okotans have since gathered to discuss ways of possibly freeing these lost Rahi, with the help of the legendary shapeshifter Krahka.

Many Rahi include (but are not limited to);

-Tahtorak, a rampaging Kaiju in constant search of an enigmatic answer to an unknown question;

-Kardas, a dragon who lays deep within the flames of the Region of Fire;

-Krahka, the master shapeshifter of whom no one knows the full extent of her powers, not even Krahka herself;

-Red Serpent, an incredibly fast reptile with fusing bolts, controlled by Makuta during the Skull Spider Wars but later freed as a close ally of the Okotans;

-Nui-Jaga, the King of Scorpions granted power by the Miracle Fruit;

-Tarakava Nui, the dreaded amalgam of wasted fish deaths and their grudges;

-Fader Bull, a constantly moving, teleporting beast;

-The Sand Tarakava, an unusual specimen of Tarakava that burrows through the sands of the Motara Desert and may or may not be the last of an extinct breed;

-Phase Dragon, a charging reptile capable of passing through physical matter;

-Catapult Scorpion, a deputy to the Nui-Jaga that can summon volcanic boulders to hurl at enemies;

-Kane-Ra Demon, a bull-headed amalgamation of various other beasts that roams the Labyrinth of Deception, lost and eternally chasing after unfortunate visitors who get trapped as well;

-Crystal Serpents, four crystalline beings that can refract light and Ekimu’s first failed experiments at Homunculi;

-Gate Guardian, a clever, dimunitive creature that hides behind the power of illusion and projection;

-Great Temple Squid, a colossal kraken that lurks in the Region of Water’s depths;

-Rock Lion, the legendary feline of impenetrable hide with a mane that can super-heat;

-Kirikori Nui, the prehistoric swarm of all-devouring locusts, awakened by Makuta;

-Manas Crabs, a pair of titanic crustaceans said to have dwelled on the original Okotan island prior to the sealing of Umarak, possessing legendary power far beyond that of any demigod;

-Mana Ko, described as the ultimate guardian;

-Protocairns, unusual, apocalyptic heralds of destruction and rebirth;

-Parakrekks, amphibious creatures that feed off the destruction of the Protocairns;

-Sand Screamers, unseen yet heard cryptids of the Motara Desert, who shriek at night and leave behind unusual tracks and disemboweled carcasses;

-Tunneler, an assimilating reptile that can assume the properties of materials it comes into contact with;

-Subterranean Worms, giant and tentacled with flexible spines, spotted by Okotan Miners in the Region of Earth’s darkest tunnels;

And more unlisted…

[rizu-animeblog]

Donghua/Chinese Anime: Chou Yuu Sekai: Being the Reality (World of Super Sand Box) Episode 10 English Subs (Japanese Audio)

[otakunews01]

Opening y Ending del Anime World of Super Sand Box: Being The Reality!!

[mightystargazer]

Another year gone, another readinglist done!

W. Michael Gear Outpost

W. Michael Gear Abandoned

Angela Carter The Bloody Chamber

Sue Burke Semiosis

Rob Dircks Don't Touch the Blue Stuff!

Laurie Forest the iron flower

Joseph Nassise urban Enemies: a collection

Ezekiel Boone The Mansion

Richtel, Matt Dead on Arrival

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes and the Blood

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes and The Curse

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes & The Gold Digger

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes and The Bones

A. American Home Coming

Adam J. Wright Lost Soul

Adam J. Wright Buried Memory

Adam J. Wright Dark Magic

Adam J. Wright Dead Ground

Adam J. Wright Shadow Land

Robert Bevan Critical Failures VI

Darynda Jones Grave on the Right

Darynda Jones Grave on the Left

Darynda Jones Third Grave Dead Ahead

Darynda Jones Grave Beneath My Feet

Darynda Jones Grave Past the Light

Darynda Jones Grave on the Edge

Darynda Jones Grave and No Body

Darynda Jones Grave After Dark

Darynda Jones Brighter Than the Sun

Darynda Jones Dirt on Ninth Grave

Darynda Jones The Curse of Tenth Grave

Darynda Jones Eleventh Grave in Moonlight

Dan Simmons The Terror

Warren Fahy Fragment

Tim McBain The Scattered and the Dead

Scott Thomas Kill Creek

Kurt Anderson Resurrection Pass

Larry Correia Son of the Black Sword

Larry Correia House of Assassins

Chuck Wendig Blackbird

Chuck Wendig Mockingbird

Chuck Wendig The Cormerant

Chuck Wendig Thunderbird

Karen Thompson Walker The Dreamers

Hank Green An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

C.T. Phipps The Tournament of Supervillainy 5

Peter Clines 14

Peter Clines The Fold

Peter Clines Dead Moon

Sean Schubert Infection

Sean Schubert Containment

Sean Schubert Mitigation

Sean Schubert Resolution

James Marshall Smith Hybrid

Mark Tufo Demon Wars

Alan Dean Foster Interlopers

Anthony Melchiorri The Tide

Anthony Melchiorri Breakwater

Anthony Melchiorri Salvage

Anthony Melchiorri Deadrise

Anthony Melchiorri Iron Wind

Anthony Melchiorri Dead Ashore

Anthony Melchiorri Ghost Fleet

Anthony Melchiorri Devil to Pay

Scott Medbury Heel Week

Scott Medbury On The Run

Scott Medbury Cold Comfort

Scott Medbury Rude Shock

Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman Good omens

Barry J. Hutchison The Sidekicks Initiative

Catherynne M. Valente The Refrigerator Monologues

Ike Hamill Super Apex

J.H. Moncrieff Monsters in Our Wake

John Connolly The Underbury Witches

Jonathan Maberry Dead of Night

Lydia Kang Quackery

Tomi Adeyemi Children of Blood and Bone

Thomas Morris The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth

John A.Keel The Complete Guide To Mysterious Beings

Ted Dekker ADAM

Richard K. Morgan Altered Carbon

Ransom Riggs A Map of Days

Kevin Hearne Death & Honey

Benjamin Wallace Boom box 1

Benjamin Wallace Boom box  2

Benjamin Wallace Boom box  3

Benjamin Wallace Revenge of the Apocalypse

Victor LaValle The Changeling

Rick Chesler Sawfish

Nathan Barnes The Reaper Virus

Michael brent Collings The Deep

Bill Heavey If You Didn't Bring Jerky, What Did I Just Eat

Bill Heavey It's Only Slow Food Until You Try to Eat It

Bill Heavey Should the Tent Be Burning Like That

Jenny Lawson Let's Pretend This Never Happened

Mark Tufo The Spirit Clearing

Ambrose Ibsen Asylum

Ambrose Ibsen Forest

Ambrose Ibsen The Occupant

Stephen King The Man in the Black Suit

Sam Sykes The City Stained Red

Peter Meredith The Queen Unthroned

Peter Meredith The Queen Enslaved

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Red Line

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Horizon

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Edge

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Age

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Evolution

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction End

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Aftermath

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Lost

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction War

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Missions from the Extinction Cycle

Drew Hayes Super Powereds Year 4

Dean Koontz Odd Thomas

Patrick F McManus Kerplunk! Stories

Mark Wayne McGinnis The Simpleton

Mark Wayne McGinnis The Simpleton Quest

John Connolly A Book of Bones

Drew Hayes Corpies

Nathan Ballingrud Wounds

Michael Todd Torn Asunder

Michael Todd Killing Is My Business

Michael Todd And Business Is Good

Marty Ross The Darkwater Bride

Richard Porter Top Gear Epic Failures 50 Great Motoring Cock-Ups

Parker Peevyhouse The Echo Room

P. K. Hawkins Shark Infested Waters

M. R. James The Conception of Terror Tales

Broad Reach Publishing I, Zombie

Bobby Hall Supermarket

Terry Pratchett Night Watch

Patrick F McManus Never Sniff a Gift Fish

Michael Talbot The Bog

Michael Edelson Seed

Matthew Scott Hansen The Shadowkiller

Jonathan Maberry Ghost Road Blues

Jonathan Maberry Dead Man's Song

Jonathan Maberry Bad Moon Rising

Jonathan Maberry Property Condemned

Jonathan Maberry Darkness on the Edge of Town

Chris Angus Flypaper

Dean Koontz The Night Window

John P. Logsdon Platoon F Big Ass Bundle

Robert Tomoguchi The Scribbled Victims

Richard MacLean Smith Unexplained

Mark Edwards The Retreat

Dennis E. Taylor Outland

Bobby Adair Freedom's Siege

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fire

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fury

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fray

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fist

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fall

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fate

William Gibson Alien III

Terry Brooks Running with the Demon

Steven Campbell Hard Luck Hank

Neal Stephenson Reamde

Neal Stephenson Fall, or Dodge in Hell

J.F. Holmes Irregular Scout Team One

Michael Stephen Fuchs Odyssey

Kameron Hurley The Light Brigade

TTC History of Ancient Egypt

Justin Cronin The Passage

Justin Cronin The Twelve

Justin Cronin The City of Mirrors

J.N. Chaney Orion Colony

J.N. Chaney Orion Uncharted

J.N. Chaney Orion Awakened

Christopher Dowell The Adventures of Badass Mike

Barry J. Hutchison Sentienced to Death

Adam Savage Every Tool's a Hammer

Rob Dircks Gigi Make Paradox

Eric Rickstad What Remains of Her

Robert Bevan 6d6

L. L. Akers Fight like a Man

L. L. Akers Shoot Like a Girl

L. L. Akers Run Like the Wind

Jonathan Mayberry Broken Lands

Alexander C. Kane Andrea Vernon and the Superhero-Industrial Complex

A.R. Shaw The China Pandemic

A.R. Shaw The Cascade Preppers

A.R. Shaw The Last Infidels mp3

A.R. Shaw The Malefic Nation

A.R. Shaw The Bitter Earth

Jim C. Hines Terminal Uprising

Mark Tufo Dog Days of War

Rick Gualtieri Get Bent!

Brian Keene Darkness on the Edge of Town

Christopher Moore Practical Demonkeeping

Christopher Moore The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

Christopher Moore The Stupidest Angel

Chuck Wendig Wanderers

John Connolly Conquest

John Connolly Empire

John Connolly Dominion

C. J. Tudor The Taking of Annie Thorne

Wellington, David The Last Astronaut

S. Bennett A Womans Journey with the Worlds Worst Behaved Dog

Levi Black Red Right Hand

Levi Black Black Goat Blues

Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl

Eoin Colfer The Arctic Incident

Eoin Colfer The Eternity Code

Eoin Colfer The Opal Deception

Eoin Colfer The Lost Colony

Eoin Colfer The Time Paradox

Eoin Colfer The Atlantis Complex

Eoin Colfer The Last Guardian

Ambrose Ibsen Transmission

Daniel Green End Time

Daniel Green The Breaking

Daniel Green The Rising

Patrick F McManus The Bear in the Attic

Mark Tufo Encounters

Mark Tufo Reckoning

Mark Tufo Conquest

Mark Tufo From the Ashes

Mark Tufo Into the Fire

Mark Tufo Victory's Defeat

Mark Tufo Defeat's Victory

Brett Battles Mine

Caitlin Starling the luminous dead

Craig A. Falconer Not Alone

Craig A. Falconer Second Contact

Craig A. Falconer The Final Call

Gardner Dozois Down These Strange Streets

Greig Beck Primordia

Kevin  Hearne Kill the Farm Boy

Kevin  Hearne No Country for Old Gnomes

Kathleen Meyer How to Shit in the Woods

Joe Hill NOS4A2

Drew Hayes The Case of the Damaged Detective

Simon Haynes Robot vs Dragons

Nora Roberts Blood Brothers

Nora Roberts The Hollows

Nora Roberts The Pagan Stone

Peter F. Hamilton The Reality Dysfunction

Paul Tremblay The Cabin at the End of the World

Gerry Griffiths Down from Beast Mountain

Eoin Colfer The Reluctant Assassin

Eoin Colfer The Hangman's Revolution

Eoin Colfer The Forever Man

C A Fletcher A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World

N.C. Reed Odd Billy Todd

Stephen King The Shining

Stephen King Doctor Sleep

Richard J. Dewhurst The Ancient Giants Who Ruled America

Laird Barron The Croning

Keith C. Blackmore The Troll Hunter

J.L. McPherson The Gorge

Erin Bowman Contagion

Erin Bowman Immunity

Stephen King The Institute

Douglas Adams Starship Titanic

Lee Murray Into the Mist

Lee Mountford The Mark

Keith C. Blackmore White Sands, Red Steel

Joe Hill The Fireman

Barry J. Hutchison The Hunt for Reduk Topa

Greig Beck Return to the Lost World

Greig Beck The Lost World

Ted Dekker Obsessed

James D. Prescott Extinction Code

James D. Prescott Extinction Countdown

James D. Prescott Extinction Crisis

James D. Prescott Missions from the Extinction Cycle 2

Dean Koontz Strange Highways

Mira Grant Rolling in the Deep

Mira Grant Into the Drowning Deep

Luke Romyn Ash

Thomas Olde Heuvelt Hex

Jeremiah Knight Hunger

Jeremiah Knight Feast

T. Kingfisher The Twisted Ones

Patrick F McManus The Horse in My Garage

Jeff Strand Wolf Hunt

Jeff Strand Wolf Hunt 2

Annie Wilder Trucker Ghost Stories

Kathryn Croft The Girl with No Past

Larry Correia Monster Hunter International

Larry Correia Vendetta

Larry Correia Alpha

Larry Correia Legion

Larry Correia Nemesis

Larry Correia Siege

Larry Correia Guardian

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Inferno

Jack Townsend Tales from the Gas Station

Dean R Koontz Phantoms

Scott Sigler Blood Is Red

Stephen Chbosky Imaginary Friend

Larry Correia Grunge

Larry Correia Sinners

Larry Correia Saints

Larry Correia The Monster Hunter Files

Dean Koontz Innocence

Hugh Howey Half Way Home

Shaun Hamill A Cosmology of Monsters

Cameron Milan Zombie Slayer!!

Charles Soule The Oracle Year

Christopher Moore Practical Demonkeeping

Christopher Moore The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

Christopher Moore The Stupidest Ange

Iain Rob Wright Sea Sick

Iain Rob Wright Ravage

Iain Rob Wright Savage

Keith C. Blackmore 131 Days

Keith C. Blackmore House of Pain

Keith C. Blackmore Spikes and Edges

Keith C. Blackmore About the Blood

Keith C. Blackmore To Thunderous Applause

Kevin Hearne The Princess Beard

Adrian Tchaikovsky Walking to Aldebaran

Cixin Liu Supernova Era

Dave Pedneau Night, Winter, and Death

Dean Koontz Nameless

Jack Hunt As We Fall

Jack Hunt As We Break

Katherine Arden Small Spaces

Katherine Arden Dead Voices

Larry Correia #1 in Customer Service

Myke Cole The Armored Saint

Myke Cole The Sacred Throne

Myke Cole The Killing Light

C. T. Phipps The Future of Supervillainy

Charlie Huston The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death

T.W. Piperbrook St. Matthews

T.W. Piperbrook Onset

T.W. Piperbrook Crossroads

T.W. Piperbrook Wasteland

Paul Tremblay Disappearance at Devil’s Rock

Ferrett Steinmetz The Sol Majestic

Grady Hendrix Horrorstör

Mark Tufo The Perfect Betrayal

William Goldman The Princess Bride

Joseph John The Eighth Day

Stephen King Gwendy's Button Box

Richard Chizmar Gwendy's Magic Feather

Ronald Malfi Snow

Robert Bevan Critical Failures VII

Mark Tufo Winter's Rising

Mark Tufo Cedar's Conflict

Mark Tufo The Edge of Deceit

Michael McBride Unidentified

Scott Sigler Infected

Scott Sigler Contagious

Prescott, James D The Genesis Conspiracy

Michael Crichton Andromeda Strain

Michael Crichton The Andromeda Evolution

Melanie Golding Little Darlings

Iain Rob Wright Escape!

Ambrose Ibsen Midnight in a Perfect World

Scott Baron Bad Luck Charlie

Scott Baron Space Pirate Charlie

Scott Baron The Dragon Mage

[1pepsiboy]

Beach Getaway - Colby Brock Blurb

POV: First person 

Word Count: 2083

*****

I sighed heavily as I dropped my duffel at the end of the bed, a smile crept on my face. I observed the rest of the small, one room condo; a kitchenette decorated the right side with a two person dining set next to it, the bathroom was in the corner closest to the bed, a loveseat couch and table in the middle, and then there was a tiny desk on the opposite wall of the kitchenette. It was quaint and just what we were looking for.

I couldn’t stop myself from walking out of the sliding door and stepping foot onto the small, wooden porch. The wind of the sea whipped my blonde hair and the salt in the air brushed my cheeks. I smiled bigger as I took a deep breath and let it out.  

This is going to be amazing.

“Watcha doing?”

I looked back at Colby, who had a slight smirk on his face, and he walked over to wrap his arms around to my front.

“Admiring our view for the next week.”

He placed his lips on my cheek. “It’s great.”

I cocked a brow. “But..? Just say it.”

He bit his bottom lip. “You’re always the view I admire.” Colby giggled and snuggled his face more into the crook of my neck.

“You’re so cheesy, Colby.” I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from laughing. I tangled my hand in his hair as his kisses lined up my jaw and then I turned around to meet them with my lips.

***

“Colby, would you slow down?” I yelled as my feet dug in the sand to catch up.

“You need to speed up!” He replied and his body collided with a new white washed wave.

I shook my head, but finally met him at the shore. I gave him a look as he sat on the ocean floor, his hair flopped in his eyes.

“Thanks for waiting.” I mumbled and dipped my foot into the chilling water. It was a slightly cooler day to be in the water, but it was Colby’s day to choose since we went thrifting all day yesterday per my request.

“Oh, come on.” He played and reached for my wrist to pull me in. I didn’t have enough time to catch myself and went under the water. When I surfaced, I pushed my hair out of my face and immediately shoved some water at Colby who was busting laughs. He only splashed water back at me.

We were in a game of splash war now. It felt like the most cliche event of the trip thus far, aside from Colby’s constant, cheesy compliments. The whole act of going away to the beach with him for a week was cliche in itself too; but there’s no other way I’d rather spend this break from school.

I laughed, slightly coughing on the salty liquid, and drug myself out onto the shore. “Okay, okay..you win.”

He followed close behind and collapsed beside me on the wet sand. “Oh, thank God...I was getting tired. I was about to let you win.”

I laughed and shoved his arm, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me onto him. I cradled his sides, looking into his dark blue eyes; there was a mystical world behind them that I always favored to discover. So much was spoken on them solely and I don’t think he knows that.

Colby’s hand running up my arm brought me more back to reality. “Where did you go, babe?”

“The world that is held in your eyes.” I whispered. He smiled and some pink flushed in his cheeks.

Suddenly, he rolled over, taking me with him. Then he held me over his shoulder and ran back into the water as I called him some unholy names.

***

I sat down in the red camping chair that Colby and I brought and settled myself with Once and For All by Sarah Dessen and an iced coffee. My plan was to try and read all of this before we get ready for the evening.

Colby stepped in front of me and peered over. “You’re really gonna read that all day.”

I nodded. “Mmhm.”

“You’re lucky you’re adorable with your nose in a book.”

A sly smirk crossed my face, but I didn’t say anything. Colby stood there for a second and gestured his hands at me in a couple of different ways as he made stupid faces before he ran off to find something to do. I know he’s not actually upset. This was something we discussed before we left for the trip; I said that I would like at least a half day of reading on the beach and Colby countered back that I would get a full day so...here we are.

I’m glad I opted to put my hair back in a ponytail as the wind was super active today and wanting to rip the book from my hands. It was sunny though and it felt good on my skin. I took a sip of my coffee and glazed over more of the printed words. From the corner of my eye, I noticed Colby had found a group of people who seemed to need an extra player for their volleyball match. He tore off his ‘Take Chances’ shirt and joined a side.

I couldn’t help laughing to myself. He’s a lot more social than he would like to believe.

The characters in the story became less compelling and my attention was taken over by his not-so-graceful dives to save the ball from going out of line. Despite Colby not being the most athletic person, he kept up with the teams' movements; even in the sand. The sun beamed over them, creating a layer of sweat on his skin and his hair stuck to his forehead as he tried to push it away.

I bit my lip, shifting my legs, as I continued to pretend to read. Any time he glanced over, I quickly put my gaze on the page and every once and a while I flipped to the next; it was still not a believable pace for me. I knew that I would just have to start from the beginning, but it’s okay.

There were cheers and the team he was on did a group hug. I would say that I had been keeping score, but I’d be lying. They must’ve won though. I watched carefully as he took a couple selfies with them, a fatigued smile on his face.

I used the book to cover my face when I saw he was coming back over. I felt him plop in the sand beside me, his breathing was still heavy.

“How’s the book?”

I pretended to keep reading, only to slightly aggravate him. He didn’t seem to care as he didn’t say anything more. I glanced over the top of the book to see he was now playing with the sand like a child. He was sitting on his butt, his legs spread out, and his fingers were digging a hole. Actually, a hollow ring, which I could only guess was to be a moat. Then he started making a castle. The more he worked on it, the more it looked to be something between Patrick’s rock and Spongebob’s pineapple home.

Colby glanced at me with a handsome smile on his face.

I studied the black ink instead of giving into him.

Now, a grainy substance grazed my skin. I tried not to laugh as more and more piled on while he made small giggles. It got to the point I couldn’t lift my feet from the weight of the sand that covered them.

“Colby.” I playfully whined and laid the book down in my lap so I could look at him fully.

“What?” He asked innocently. He pointed to the paperback. “Is it good? How far are you?”

I shook my head and sighed heavily. “Babe, would you please remove the sand?”

He thought about it for a moment. “Okay.” He wrapped his arms around a majority of the pile and wiped it away.

“Thanks.” I glanced at the book in my lap and actually put effort into reading it for real. After a while, I noticed Colby quietly studying me with his lips pursed.

I raised my eyebrows. “Whatcha thinkin about, babe?”

He shook himself out of his daze. Then he grabbed my ankles and pulled me onto his lap.

“This is our house.”

I looked over the creation he made with the sand. “Oh it is?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Look, I’m in the back grilling some meaty burgers for the group while y’all are talking, and the kids are playing on the swingset.” I did now see the little figures he made; one for each person in the Trap house and a few kids. The rock looking house did have a roof, a couple drawn on windows and a door.

I smiled. “I like it. Are any of the kids ours?” My heart skipped a beat. We haven’t had the slightest discussion of engagement, let alone having kids. They were jokes before, at least I thought so. We were still young and in love.

His eyes looked deeply into mine and he licked his lips lightly. Then he slowly pressed them against mine and pulled away. “Does that answer your question?”

“Sort of.” I laughed, my cheeks burning, a bright pink probably filled them.

***

We held hands as we walked along the street by the pier. There was quite the crowd out tonight as teenagers fled onto the sand to have parties and other adults had their own private occasions. We just had a chill dinner. I was wearing a dusty pink long sleeve, dark wash distressed shorts, and black and white checkered Vans. I was grateful for the long sleeve I bought the other day. I hadn’t thought to bring any.

The two of us veered off in the sand and I was quick to take my Vans and socks off. My toes sunk into the cooled sand. It was a lot more calming than during the day. The sound of the water filled the air as the rowdy teenagers crowded around a fire and played music quietly, bustling conversations as if they hadn’t seen each other for ages. It was oddly calming to see and made me happy that they were all so content.

Colby pulled me ahead to a farther spot and to sit down between his legs. He lightly wrapped his arms around me as I rested my chin on my knees. I looked out into the navy, vaguely picking apart what was water and what was the sky and shore. The air breezed against us, whisking my flyaways and Colby’s bangs with it.

I let out a deep sigh and laid back into Colby as I straightened my legs, and his body formed more with mine and he let one of his legs tangle with mine.

I don’t want to leave to go back tomorrow.

“Thank you for such an amazing week.” I whispered.

“Of course, baby.” He brushed his lips across my cheek. One of his hands disappeared and I could feel him grabbing something from his jacket. A white box appeared in front of me and he slowly opened it to reveal a skinny silver band with tiniest diamond in it.

I gasped and moved so I could look at him, my knees digging into the grain, and I brought my hands to my face. “Colby, what is that?”

“It’s not what you’re thinking.” He chuckled nervously. “It’s a promise ring.”

“I- what?” I laugh cried. Tears slightly blurred my vision and I tried to get ahold of myself. I should’ve known he got me one. He acted especially lovey-dovey this trip.

A dorky grin spread on his face and he took my left hand to put it on my ring finger. “I don’t see my future with anyone else, but I also know we’re still young for marriage...I just want you to know that I will replace this with a real ring some day...If-if that’s what you want.”

I looked at how perfectly dainty the band was on my hand. I shook my head and set my eyes back on him with a smile. “I don’t need anything spectacular. I love you, Colby Brock.”

He grinned ear to ear. “I love you more, Y/N.”

[Mer Sterf]

[purplesurveys]

662

What is the wallpaper on your computer screen? Why did you choose it? It’s one of the default Mac wallpapers, but I picked the shot with a pinkish hue, because pink. The default ones are already pretty enough, so I don’t feel the need to scour the web for the perfect wallpaper image. Is there a pattern on the pants you’re currently wearing? Which one? I’m currently wearing a romper. It’s just plain sky blue. Do you like going to baby showers? Do you go only for the cake? As an Asian, I can tell you baby showers are hugely a first-world thing. I think the more hip, Western-influenced, and upper-middle millennials and Gen Z Asian crowd can have the means to do them, but it’s like 90% not a thing here. In a region where there’s poverty in front of you, only the rich can pull them off; and for most of us, the biggest concern is that the baby remains healthy. Who is the person you text the most in your life? What relation are you? Gabie, probs. Girlfriend. Angela, my best friend, comes a close second. Mexican food, Chinese food, Italian food, French food or American food? Chinese > Mexican > Italian > American > French. I think I only like French cuisine for their pastries and escargot, but that’s about it.

Has there ever been a time in your life, you felt sexually undecided? Yeah. I still get confused about it from time to time, so eventually I just slapped the term demisexual on me and by far it’s been the most fitting for me. Does your mother annoy you when the holidays come along in the year? No? If anything I get worried a lot more because she comes home a lot late, and it always turns out to be because she spends the entire evening gift-shopping for family, friends, and co-workers hahahaha. What is the color scheme of your absolute favorite fast-food restaurant? I don’t really have a favorite fast food place anymore... if it counts, maybe Yellow Cab? They have a yellow and black color scheme, like the literal yellow cabs of New York. Do you think tattoos and piercings are sexy on the opposite sex? I don’t mind them; I don’t think of them in terms of being ~sexy lmao. Do people ever ask you to do things they’re too short to accomplish? Nah I’m usually the short one who needs people to reach stuff for me. Do your siblings bring people around that your parents don’t approve of? Mmm nope, not really. My mom loves my sister’s boyfriend, and as far as I know my brother doesn’t bring anybody home. Is there carpet or hardwood floor in your bedroom? Hardwood. I don’t know if there’s any Filipino home that has carpet floors. Do you check the texture of things first or the smell of them? As much as I hate this habit of mine, I tend to want to know the smell of everything. I only check the texture if I think it’s going to be satisfying, like if it’s anything like slime or sand. Have you ever broken the arm or head off of a trophy? How did you do this? Nope. I don’t think I’ve already even held a trophy before. Do you believe in superstitious things such as breaking a mirror? I only follow one superstition that has something to do with my school, but that’s it. I don’t obsess over it and I know it’s fake, but ‘following’ what the superstition says hasn’t gotten me in trouble in my last four years in university, so I just continue following it HAHA. Do you get sick of people who call themselves bipolar all the time? I do hate it but fortunately a lot of people are now more sensitive when it comes to mental health and mental health issues. I don’t hear this word thrown as much as it was in like 2011 anymore. Ever have an ultra-sound performed on you? What was it for? Nah, no reason to. I’ve only had X-rays of my spine taken. Do you like those ‘end of the world,’ ‘Armageddon’ movies? Never did. I was never into the whole apocalypse/disaster/wartime genres. What color are the headphones you have at this moment in time? I don’t have headphones. And I also don’t have earphones anymore :( I want a new pair soooo baaaaadddd. Ever been choked severely on something during lunch at your school? I’ve never choked on solids, but I’ve choked on water several times, when the droplets get stuck in your throat and your lungs get all confused and you’re left gasping for air but you just choke some more because the water in your throat blocks any air from coming in, so you end up coughing to near death. The last time this happened was during a lunch break in my INTERNSHIP, and it was so embarrassing because I couldn’t tell them what was happening, I was just coughing frantically and slowly turning red lol.

Do you remember who you sat next to in Kindergarten? Who was it? Yeah, the girl in front of me in the class list was I think Kaira, and the one after me was Kaye. I was friends with Kaira throughout high school and we still are today, but back in kinder she used to be my bully. But during recess, I usually sat beside a girl named Raegan, who was one of my good friends for a while. Has anyone ever compared you to an animal? Which one(s)? I don’t think so. Has anyone, including yourself, forgot it was your own birthday? On my 18th birthday my high school friend group completely forgot. It makes me feel like shit every time it’s brought up, so we’re not bringing it up tonight. Chocolate or strawberry birthday cake? Choose one. Chocolate! Do you eat more vegetables or fruits? What’s your favorite fruit/veggie? I loooooove me some vegetables – I’d try all of them in a heartbeat. My favorite is broccoli. And I hate most fruits, but I’ll give an exception to avocado. Do you abbreviate things way too often? Do you get called out on it? Not really, I just use the usual shortcuts – lol, lmao, rn, tbh, idk. My mom would get confused sometimes and ask me for the meaning of some abbreviations I use, but she doesn’t ‘call me out’ on it. Ever been in one of those church Christmas plays before? Why/why not? Hahahaha no, because I never wanted to join and it’s one of those things I’d never allow myself to be in no matter how much my mom forced me. What is the funniest conjunction you use throughout your day? ...Are conjunctions supposed to be funny? Have you ever thrown a roll of toilet paper at someone before? Nope. Does the dentist calm you or does it tend to stress you out? I like the dentist. I’ve never had big issues with my teeth (save for my worst ever toothache last year), so the idea of having my teeth cleaned and treated is actually pretty calming to me. The one time it ever stressed me out was when my dentist had to extract a dead tooth and he had to put three injections on the roof of my mouth. It was the first time I’ve ever caught myself literally shaking in fear, huhuhuhu. If you had to choose, which is the worst movie you’ve ever seen? Jack and Jill, for movies that are objectively bad. But in general, Knives Out was a big fucking waste of my time and money. Have you ever found yourself talking to an inanimate object? When I say sorry for bumping into them D: Do you like movies that are originally based on children’s books? Not all of them. Some were hits for me like Charlotte’s Web and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and some I didn’t really care for, like Coraline. Is your hair more thick or thin? Is it more curly or straight? THICK. So thick I could never pull off a bob, even though I’ve had the desire to adopt it as my look for a while now. It’s straight but it’ll sometimes be wavy. Something on the human body that grosses you out the most: Raised moles. Do you like meeting new people? What’s your most common greeting? Uhhhh I’m okay with meeting new people but it still depends on their crowd or the air that they carry around them. If I have a meh feeling about them or if their body language initially rubs me off the wrong way, I’d be hesitant. With my situation now, I usually say hi, tell them my name, we exchange our courses, then we talk about school stuff to break the ice. Ever think of what it would be like to be a mermaid or merman? Not really. Ariel has since showed me that it wouldn’t mean much, so I never actively wanted to be a mermaid. If you had to choose, which celebrity would you date out of all of them? Kristen Stewart or Hayley Williams. Do people feel sorry for you for no reason? Have they ever? I don’t think so. Idk, idk how people feel about me. What is something that bothers you about most surveys in general? I never liked surveys that go too deep, like those that ask me what I think of socialism or abortion, hhhhhhhh. I answer surveys so I can talk about my dog, say what I learned in school, or discuss who I had lunch with, and not to get all political. Simple yes/no questions can also be annoying so most times I elaborate. Who would you take with you on a stranded/deserted island? Maybe Gab? She’s super smart and resourceful and makes everything work haha. Do you have your own personal boom box in your bedroom? No. I was too young to want to have one. Would you survive if zombies were to take over the world? Why or why not? Probably not. I can’t even cross the street without holding on for dear life to my friends’ arms lmaoooooo. What would you say is the worst part of high school period? Adjusting. I took a while to, and when I hadn’t yet, it was the worst. I was left out of everything, had no opportunity to figure out who I was or what I needed at the time, and nothing and no one approached me unless I did so myself. What is your favorite color of apple? Red, green or yellow? I don’t like apples. Ever want to be a doctor? Is it because of all the hospital shows? I never wanted to be a doctor as a kid, but now I do see the point in going to med school. I’ve always liked and been good at memorizing names and terms, and biology is my favorite subject along with history, so a part of me thinks what could have happened if I pursued some specialization of med. As for hospital shows, I’ve never seen one. What do you think of all these reality shows that try to alter personality? I’m not sure what they mean? Don’t they all do that? Reality TV personalities always seem like much exaggerated versions of themselves. Where are your favorite pair of shoes in the whole world right now? I wear it too much but my Onitsuka Tiger sneakers are a k e e p e r. So comfy and such a classy-looking pair. Do you live anywhere near a mall? If you live in the Philippines, there is an 80–90% chance you live near a mall. In my case, I just live quite far from the main entrance of our gated village so it’s a bit of a drive; but the village itself is like two minutes away from one mall, four minutes away from two others, and five minutes away from still another one. Malling is pretty much the national pastime, so we’re loaded with them. Do you like drawing smiley faces or do you think they’re overrated? They’re pretty harmless, I don’t see why they should be deemed as overrated lol. If you were dying who would you say goodbye to first out of everyone? Gabie. Are you someone who actually likes to babysit children? I’ve never formally baby-sat someone, actually; at best I was put in charge of my younger siblings and cousins and looked out for them and took up the position of the responsible older sister whenever our parents weren’t watching. But to me it was already kinda like babysitting based on what I’ve seen in American TV hahahaha, and I always liked that sort of task. Do you ever have those ‘ah ha!’ moments? Do those annoy you? If the a-ha moment meant I was stupid in the past, then yes it would annoy me. Like for example if I’m driving somewhere and already far from home, then had an a-ha moment that I forgot something important back at the house, then I’d be pretty pissed with myself. But if the a-ha moment was something like a realization, I’d be relieved to have it. Do you hardly ever remember where you put things at? YES I HATE that about myself. I’ve lost earphones, my Hydro Flask, my yellow pad paper, readings, jackets, hair ties, socks, and school IDs because of it. What’s your favorite lunch meat, if you even like any in the first place? I don’t eat lunch meat. When is the next time you’ll eat a cupcake, if you know when? I have no clue :( Cupcakes are one of my favorite desserts though, but they’re just so hard to find or get. Where did you last buy socks from? What do those socks look like? The last time I bought socks was like 2015, back when they were a trend here for some reason. It has a bacon and eggs design, and I actually just wore them the other day haha. Do you ever lay in the grass and look up at the sky, just because? I’d look up at the sky, but not on grass. I find it itchy. When do you normally go to sleep on the weekends? Depends on what and how much I did during the day and how tired I am. Like just earlier (Friday evening) I was passed out by 9:30 because I stayed up til 2 AM working on a Powerpoint and had to wake up at 6 in the morning to continue working. But other nights I could stay up till midnight. Have you ever met someone with the same ‘biggest fear’ as you? I haven’t met anyone afraid of knives and injections and any sharp stuff like me, no. Do you ever have movie nights with your significant other? We don’t do movie nights ever, which I recently and finally realized when we did sit down and watch Titanic together a couple of weeks ago lmaaaaaaaaao. It was honestly really fun doing it and I remember remarking that we in fact never did movie nights in the last four years. Would you rather write with a pen or a pencil? Why is this? Pen. It’s just more convenient for me. Pencils get blunt as you use them, and I’m too impatient for that. Do you like candy bars? Are you trying to slack off of them? I honestly have nothing against them, but given that I have several many relatives who work overseas and have brought home candy bars as pasalubong (gifts) in the last 22 years of my existence... you can imagine how tired I can get of them. What is your favorite number? Is it significant with your life? 4. Not really. It just reminds me of Beyoncé and happier days haha. Are you afraid of being kidnapped if you go outside at nighttime? Yup. That’s why I never walk outside at night except when I’m at a mall or in school. I just drive everywhere. Has your mother ever called your school because of your grades? No. Whenever I struggled in school it was always just due to either 1 or 2 subjects, so there was no reason to ring up our adviser as it was never that worrisome in my case. I was never failing all my classes at the same time, basically. In the next twenty minutes, what will you be doing and where will you be? Maybe another survey or watching BoJack Horseman? Idk. It’s 3:44 AM and I’m pretty awake so I dunno if I’d still want to sleep. Do you like showers or baths better? Why did you choose your choice? Showerrrr. It’s quicker, plus it’s what I do more often. Are you a controversial person? Do your views oppose others? This was me as a teenager because I thought it would be cool to be edgy and have a different opinion than everyone else BLECK please delete that person lmfao. But now, hmmm the way I’d explain it is that in the case of e.g. being pro-choice, LGBT, critical of the Catholic Church, basically the more liberal ideas, I seem to be in the majority opinion about relevant issues on the Internet/social media. 

But I live in the Philippines, where society is still mostly traditional, conservative, modest, and disapproving of a lot of the progressive stuff happening in the rest of the world – hell, divorce isn’t even legal here. That said, a lot of my views which would otherwise line up with those on social media or those in like US or Canada or Europe would get me a lot of hate and criticism in the Philippines, especially among the older generation. Have you ever thrown a surprise party for someone? Who for? Yeah we threw one for Dave a few years back. My friends also threw an advanced surprise party for Raf on my actual birthday, and I was too hurt about it so I didn’t attend. What would you say your average word per minute time is on the keyboard? We did this in class once for fun when we weren’t really discussing anything, and if I remember anything I hit somewhere between 70-80 words. What is your least favorite class in school? Why is this? Chemistry, calculus, and trigonometry. So fucking useless. Do you bite your fingernails or tap them on desks? I tap my nails onto desks. I only bite them when I’m anxious. Have you ever wanted to be in a band? What position exactly? I wanted to learn the drums but never explicitly wanted to be in a band. Who is your role model or hero in life if you have one? No role models for me. Do you ever call your cousins just to talk to them randomly? No. We’re close, but we’re also busy, so the only time we get to catch up is when we get to have family lunches/reunions. Do you find any of your friends’ parents creepy or really mean? Not at all. All of my friends’ parents have been lovely. Do you ever have to wash your clothes at someone else’s house? Nope. When is the next time you’ll go to the library? Why is this? I dunno actually. I don’t really have to pick up a book to read for a class right now. Do you like fiction or non-fiction books more? What’s your favorite? Non-fiction. I don’t have a favorite but I will sit down and read any biography you offer me. Do you constantly have to be told to shut up? By who? No, and that would hurt, I think. I have friends who I lowkey think are too talkative for my social battery, but I’d never tell them to shut up. Do you know how to play pool? Are you any good at it? Nah. I don’t even know how to swing(?) the cue. Do you treat others as you’d like to be treated? Have you always? Yeah, I always try to. I always assume or imagine they’re going through something, so I always try to be a little kinder. Were you a really mean kid or a sweet and quiet kid? I was quiet, neither mean nor sweet. I didn’t make trouble at all but I wasn’t exactly the most darling of kids either haha. I was just too shy to move or talk. Are you someone who likes to get in arguments or fights a lot? I’d get in one if I have to, but I don’t thrive on them. How do you make sure people know you don’t like them at all? I don’t have to make a big spectacle about it if I don’t like someone for whatever reason. I can still be polite and civil if I have to interact with them. < Pretty much. The one way someone would know (if they even notice at all) is that if I would do anything and everything to avoid having to talk to them. Would you say you’re someone who likes to cuss a lot? I say shit and fuck pretty often. Do you keep secrets from your parents that you don’t keep from your friends? My entire relationship is a glaring answer to this. What is your father’s best friend’s name? Do you know them personally? I don’t know if my dad has one. He has close friends, but not sure about a best friend. If you had to, where would you get a tattoo at? Why? Inner wrist, but I know that would hurt so I might just settle with having no tattoos ever haha. I picked it becauuuuse, idk, it just seems pretty intimate to me. How much was the cell phone you have at this moment in time? It was the newest model when I got it so it cost like P45,000 or a little less than $1000. Would you say you hang out with people the majority of your life? Yes. For the last 18 years my life has revolved around going to school, so I’m allllllways around people. What would you do if you woke up randomly with purple hair? I’d be pissed and try to hunt down whoever dyed my hair in my sleep, but then afterwards I’d assess if it suits me or not HAHAHA. It’s dyed anyway, so I might as well make sure I look good with it. Do you ever look in the mirror and name all of your flaws for no reason? Yeah, especially the ones on my face. Doesn’t get to happen a lot but I’d do it occasionally. Are you getting sick of the reality show Survivor? Why? I never watched it, but I’m surprised it’s still on. < This. Do you usually explain to people why you do the things you do? It depends what I do but generally, I’m not weird or crazy or daring enough for me to have to explain myself to people all the time. In contrast, I have an org-mate who’s a little on the...experimental side, and we have caught him trying to drink glue or stabbing himself with a pen. He always says he just wants to know how it smells/tastes/feels like, depending on the situation. We’re all lowkey concerned about him though lol. Ever submit a video to America’s Funniest Home Videos? We didn’t, because I don’t live in America. The most painful medical procedure you’ve ever had? Anything that had me getting pricked, so like platelet count tests and the one time I needed to get IV placed on my wrist. I’m WINCING just thinking about them. Are you someone who likes to eat Poptarts? What’s your favorite flavor? Love Poptarts, my favorite is the chocolate one. We don’t get a lot of flavors here, hence the basic choice. Ever have a dream you’re being abducted by aliens? Was it scary? Never. Do you like people who are loud or people who are quiet? I like quiet people who can get chatty and loud when necessary. Does personality weigh out the sense of ‘good looks?’ In terms of who I find attractive? Not really, looks still matter to me. When is the next time you’ll see someone who is pregnant? I only know one person who is and I only see that girl like once a decade lmao so I have no clue if I’ll see anyone else who’s pregnant. Do you hate it when people copy the things you do? No, unless it’s the exact same thing I’ve been doing. Where is your favorite piece of electronic equipment? It is on the drawer next to my bed. Where is the person who ‘owns your heart’ at this moment in time? She’s in her dorm, all passed out considering it’s 4:40 AM lol. Has anyone ever told you that you’re good at cooking? Hell no. I’d tell them they’re completely mistaking me for a different person, because I don’t enter the kitchen at allllllll. Would you say you’re a fast texter, or are you pretty slow? I’m fast. What is your favorite flavor of Doritos? What do you drink with them? Nacho Cheese is fine with me. Do you have any enemies who you think are dangerous? I don’t have any enemies. < Yep. Do you ever try to squeeze information out of people? Sure. It comes with being a journ student lmao. Does it freak you out when the police drive by your house? I live in a private village so this never happens. I do get paranoid when I’m driving and there’s a police car coming from behind me, though. Are you someone who tends to take a whole lot of naps? Not really. I always have a lot of work to do so I can’t nap even though I would want to. What is your favorite nickname you like to be called? Why do you like it? I’m fine with Robyn. I’ve gone by it since I was four. Do you already have your outfit for tomorrow planned out? Eh not really. I usually don’t think of my Sunday outfits until I’m actually already in front of the closet anyway. I never feel like making an effort for church.  What is the color of your favorite pair of pants? What brand are they? Blue. No clue, but they’re mom jeans. Has your favorite song ever been featured on a commercial? Nah. I’ve never heard Paramore on a commercial. Do you ever promise pc4pc on Myspace then never return the favor? I never did Myspace. I’m vaguely familiar with the slang, though. What is one song right now that really gets on your nerves? That new Demi Lovato ballad. Bless her for allowing herself to be vulnerable on that track, but for the most part I cannotttttt stand her voice. What would you say was the best year of your life? Why? 2014, a lot of things seemed to fall into my lap back then, and I was simply happy and satisfied. Do those annoying infomercials ever draw you in to buy things? I have never been convinced to buy anything they sell but I WILL spend hours watching the commercials just because of how entertaining they are. Have you ever been pulled over by the cops for speeding? No. Speeding isn’t an issue here tbh. If it was nearly everybody would be pulled over, I think. Common reasons for being pulled over are like making illegal u-turns, overtaking on a solid double line, or being caught driving when your car is under coding for that day. Is anyone in your family a firefighter? Who is it anyway? Nope.

[lanamemories]

red mist | self para

This was a dream.

Or maybe just a reality where the colours looked kinder. Softer, somehow. Like they wouldn’t cut your fingers to reach out and touch. Blurred at the edges, whipped up that way by an abnormally large whisk. 

She didn’t know it, though. Didn’t know anything, in this place, only that the wind was on her cheeks and she was floating way up high, legs flailing without a resting point.

“What is it that you want, Lana?”

The voice was familiar, but no matter how much she craned her neck, she couldn’t see a source. Only blue. Clouds that looked painted onto a canvas by a delicately bristled brush.

She was alone.

“I don’t know,” was all she could come up with for the time being, too consumed by the texture of the breeze beneath her hands to think about anything else. If she pressed just right, the howls of air felt like fingers. She couldn’t stop trying to grasp them, even though they weren’t grasping back. Even though they weren’t real in the first place.

“You do know, you just know that you can’t have it.”

Letting out a scoff, Lana flipped onto her back, eyes on a giant gumdrop sun. It was simultaneously ablaze and melting, dripping globs of purple into the sea below at every passing hour towards sunset. By eight P.M., it would have come apart enough to sizzle holes through her limbs, collapsing over the entire world and engulfing everything in one.

For some reason, the prospect didn’t scare her.

“Way to be totally cryptic. Feel like I’m in, like… one of those weird little fortune teller tents. The ones with shitty lighting, and cloths draped over everything. With a crystal ball.”

“You’re scared.”

Hands coming together on top of her stomach, she locked her fingers with her eyes on the two-dimensional sky. It looked like a piece of wrapping paper plastered over the lid of a shoe box. If she squinted her eyes just right, she could even see that the corners were dog eared and drooping, contemplating a divorce from the Blu Tack. But everything looked that way, if she really paid attention.

Everything was falling apart, when she took a close enough look.

Instead, she shut her eyes.

“Bit hypocritical, coming from someone I can’t even see. What are you, hiding behind a curtain like the Wizard of Oz? Crouching in a dark cave in the corner, like Gollum? Sounds like you’re the scared one, to me. Like… Got you there. Check mate, or whatever people say. Check… Is that right? Check mate? Whatever. Chess is boring.”

“You can see me,” the voice replied, calm and composed like an ancient deity.

“Can’t. I just tried. Can you, like… I’m trying to relax, a little. Sun bathe, and stuff, so--”

“Open your eyes, again.”

Prying her fingers loose of their formation, Lana pushed upright with her elbows on a surface that wasn’t there. All around her, now that her eyes were open, she could see tiny flecks of red mist. Palm upturned and fingers splayed, she lifted her hand to sift gingerly over the closest patch, combing through with the tips of her middle and index. It felt like dragging your hand through a clump of finely woven thread, except that you never got tangled.

He wouldn’t want her to get stuck.

“Tommy, that’s not funny,” she immediately spat out, wriggling backwards and frantically swiping her hands down on the red striped white of her gym socks, staining the elasticated border.

She’d had the same ones pulled up around her calves on the morning she got the call, sixteen years old and hand clutching the receiver like it’d been super glued that way, unable to feel real enough to be able to use her limbs yet.

“It’s kind of funny,” said the voice, and she could almost hear his grin in it. How not a single tooth was crooked. The way it caught a glare like the flash of an old camera, so white you had to blink a few times to acclimatise.

“It isn’t, Tommy. It isn’t, you just always had a shitty sense of humour. It isn’t funny,” Lana insisted, and when she did, the mist seemed to part around her feet. Then her thighs. Then her shoulders. Then, in a blink, the entire sky was raining except for on her. “Can’t I see your face, instead?”

“This is the last way I was, though. I can’t do anything about that, and neither can you.”

Tugging her knees to her chest, Lana perched her chin on top as she hugged them close.

“He doesn’t let me say your name, you know.”

It went without saying that she was talking about her brother Caleb.

The air seemed to go colder, at the thought of him alone. Like Tommy could sense how sad he was, without him, and he didn’t know what else to do about it other than shiver.

“I know.”

Lana wasn’t sure when it happened, but the sea had risen enough that she could stretch a toe and soak the end of her sock with it. Doing so felt like someone had spooned a clump of clotted cheese on top of her foot, weighed down slightly with the water, but she didn’t mind. If she shut her eyes again, extra tight, she could pretend it was Tommy clutching it inside of a big hand. He’d done that, once, when he was trying to tickle a laugh out of her. She’d accidentally bucked her leg out like a wild donkey and clipped him in the side of the head.

It was one of her favourite memories to live inside.

“I want to say it, sometimes. I want--…” The words felt like crushed glass that she was trying to hack up out of her throat. Like she’d have to spit them out in pieces, with her lips left shredded in the aftermath. Stringing down her chin. “I want to say that I miss you, too.”

“I know,” the voice said again, slightly softer this time. “I know you do.”

Small smile perking her lips at the edges, Lana cleared her throat. Doing so turned on a few stadium spotlights around her, heat boring down like a Hollywood set for a scene that was meant to be sunny. It wasn’t quite natural, though. It didn’t feel warm.

“What did you ask me, earlier? I can’t remember. But I’ll answer, now. I’ll answer, now that it’s you.”

“Knew you had a crush on me.”

Spluttering out a laugh, Lana’s eyes shot open and she flung a glare around her, at no fixed point in particular.

“Shut up, I did not!”

“You did, but it’s cool. A lot of people did. I was sort of a catch, that way.”

Lana rolled her eyes but hugged her knees a bit tighter. She wanted to say something funny, to say that she might have missed him, but she didn’t miss how much he was full of it, but her tongue wouldn’t let her lie.

The truth was, she missed all of it. Even the bad bits. Even the bits that got him in trouble.

“Yeah, you were. Think--… Think Caleb always thought so, too.”

The mist stilled.

Then, the voice answered back.

“We don’t talk about that. You know he can’t, yet.”

“I know,” she replied -- her turn to repeat the phrase, this time. “Yeah, I know.”

“What is it that you want, Lana?” There was a long pause, stretching on forever like a tireless string of elastic, until eventually the voice snapped back and pinged her on the nose. “That was the question. You said you’d answer it.”

Sinking down onto her back, Lana gently pressed the back of her head against the water’s surface, scalp tingling with the fresh onset of cold. She couldn’t see it, but where she’d touched the water, it had started to ripple out shadows, tinting the entire surface for as many miles as the eyes could see.

Darker and darker.

Darker and darker.

No matter how brightly the stadium lights blared.

“I want… to close doors at night, and have Caleb open them the next morning. I, um… I want to wash my hands and feel like they’re clean, you know? I want to forget about all the things they’ve touched. Just once. I want… I want Zeke’s brain to get better, like magic. I want to wave a special wand, that’s, like… red, with a gold star on the end, and have it undo everything. Everything bad I’ve ever done. And I--... I want Teddy to be happy, and I want it to be--... I want it to feel okay. I want it to feel okay, that he’s never going to be happy with me.”

Stretching a hand up into the air above her, Lana dappled fingertips through the layer of mist that marked her own personal barricade. She stirred through the damp like she was sifting through sand, searching for a special piece that she’d only know when she saw it.

The most Tommy piece.

The piece that used to come together with a hundred others, before they were all blown apart into thousands.

The bits that made his hands.

“I think I want to feel clean, or something. I’ve never really felt that clean.”

“Maybe other people are the dirty ones. Maybe that’s the problem.”

“No,” she answered a little too fast, swallowing something down that felt rigid and round, as hard in her throat as a fallen acorn. “No, that isn’t it.”

“Okay.”

“Okay,” Lana shot right back, hand still drifting to test the mist’s texture like she was intent on making something whole out of what was left. Like she wouldn’t stop searching, until she’d found him.

“You’re not telling me what you really want. I think you know that.”

Her eyebrows pinched; expression indignant.

“I’m not lying.”

“No, I know you’re not. You don’t do that, a lot, you just skirt around the truth. You admit smaller ones, that hurt less. Give people an inch so they won’t take a mile.”

“Feed a scrap to a stray dog so it won’t eat your entire arm,” Lana provided another explanation, small smile unfurling like a clenched fist that had finally gone loose. “I don’t know how you do that. You always, like… You see everything. You always did.”

“Yeah, Lana,” the voice spoke again, sounding a little sad to be doing it at all. Like he was waning, slightly. Like she was about to wake up. “I saw everything. I think Caleb did, too. And I think you know that, but you don’t want to admit it. Because then, it was real. Then, it really happened.”

Arms laid flat either side of her on an ocean that had turned entirely black, Lana revelled in the wet licking up her elbows, her knuckles, ankles, backs of the knees, spine. Any part that she’d given over to the water.

“You’re scared.”

“God,” Lana exhaled suddenly, wrenched upright so that she could sit and stare, talking to the air like a wire in her brain had been pried loose, if anyone else was watching. “Why do you keep saying that?”

“You’re scared,” the voice repeated, making something inside of her squirm.

“I get it.”

“No, I don’t think you do. You’ve always been scared.”

“Okay. Okay! Okay, I get it. I get it, Tommy, I’m scared. I’m scared. Is that what you wanted me to say? I’m scared. It’s--… It’s fine for you, isn’t it?” came as she threw a glance around, watching the way the red mist wobbled, unsettled by the gust of a strong breeze. The sun was only a few globs away from setting. A thumbprint next to her hip bone had been worn straight through, burnt away with a drop of liquid sun until you could have leaned close and pressed your eye to it, stared through like it was a stone cut looking glass or a pirate’s telescope. “It’s fine for you, because you’re not here. It’s fine for you, because you’re just gone. You just get to float, and you don’t even have to--… You don’t even have to do anything, because you’re just gone. Do you, like…” trailed off, exasperated breath escaping. “Do you get what it’s like, being here?”

“I know, Lana. I get it.”

“You don’t. You took him with you, you know. You took him with you, and I’m here on my own. And people--… People are bad, all the time. People are bad, and I’m on my own. I’m--… I’m on my own.”

“I know.”

Hugging her knees close again, Lana clenched her eyes shut so she wouldn’t have to look at any of it. Not the gumdrop sun that was seconds away from collapsing. Not the black ocean she was sitting on without sinking. Not the red mist that a piece of live ammunition had detonated Tommy into as soon as he set foot on top of it.

It felt like a long time before she spoke, again.

“Can we just… Can you just stay, a little while? Just until I wake up. I just like… I just like to hear your voice, I think. I think I just like to hear your voice.”

“It doesn’t work like that, Lana. You know it doesn’t. You’re going to wake up, soon.”

Staying extra still like the slightest jostle would make it true, Lana kept her eyes squeezed shut, so tight that she was sure her corneas were about to burst, explode with juice like a grape beneath the heel of a socked foot.

“I would’ve spat in Danny’s shitty little face, you know,” the voice mumbled, retreating up to the sky again like a bird due south for winter, setting course for a long hibernation. He sounded amused, at the thought, until suddenly, when he next spoke, he didn’t. “I would’ve been there.”

“I know,” Lana whispered, eyes still closed as her lips muffled against the caps of her knees, held close and so tight that her elbows were starting to tremble. “I know, but I need to wake up now, right? I know, but you weren’t. You aren’t.”

“Yeah,” Tommy answered, barely audible above the howl of the wind that was swallowing him whole. Blowing the mist away, where she couldn’t keep touching it.

The sun had melted.

The ocean was black.

The sky was painted blue.

“Yeah, you need to wake up.”