#actua sports

[z2z-gaming-and-random-art-ai]

Actua Sports Series (1998-2007) End of the Gremlin Era ⚽🏒 🎱⛳ 

After Infogrames acquired Gremlin in 1999, the Actua brand faded, though spiritual successors like UEFA Challenge and PGA European Tour Golf were released under the Infogrames label. In 2002, Zoo Digital acquired the Premier Manager franchise, later re-releasing select Actua Sports titles under the "Zoo Classics" budget range.

In 2004 the series did receive another release with Pool:shark 2 releasing for the PS2, Xbox and Windows this was a sequel to Actua Pool which released back in 1999, Actua Pool also released under the titles Ultimate 8 Ball and Pool:shark.

In 2007 a port of Actua Pool was released for the Nintendo DS, this re-release was titled Underground Pool for it's North American release. Several games in the Actua Sports series have also been re-released on Steam in 2022, these include Actua Soccer, Actua Soccer 2, Actua Golf, Actua Ice Hockey, Actua Ice Hockey 2 and Actua Tennis.

A planned revival of Actua Poker in 2013 was announced but never materialized. Despite its eventual decline, Actua Sports remains a significant part of 1990s gaming history, remembered for its innovation in sports simulation.

For the full length video for this short check out this video https://youtu.be/fg1MjsO6GEA?si=7Fs1kZf1vPcEjHe7

For other video game related shorts check out his playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CF5oVPNNxPlLJPambfM5BIj&si=aVU4RB6fm_nCDevz

[retrocgads]

UK 1998

[sc0tters]

https://www.tumblr.com/sc0tters/772152560653090816/because-i-love-hurting-us-imagine-sidney-is

Our brave gal knowing she deserves better!!! She def was crying while breaking up with him but after the fact, she decides to focus wholly on herself as she deserves whether that’s expanding the foundation, traveling, etc

She stood in her office as an angry Sidney came to confront her “I think we are done for the day.” She sent Micheal a sorry smile as he nodded.

He had sensed that Sidney and Alessandra were stressed out and he didn’t want to make that worse “so you get caught and you send him out?” Sidney laughed as he sent the younger boy a glare “actua-” Micheal had stopped to point out the fact that it was Sidney who he would have wanted if he went for someone in this couple.

But Sidney sent him a glare that made Micheal cut himself off “look you don’t get to come in here and be an ass to people.” Alessandra shut her office door and let the glass tint go white so that if anyone else was still in the office they wouldn’t see anything.

It made Sidney scoff “so you get a boy toy and I can’t say shit.” The accusation made her feel sick, it was her father that slept around and tarnished her mother’s reputation.

Alessandra looked at Sidney as she sighed “why can’t you see that you’re the only man I want and will ever damn want.” She almost wanted to pull her hair out at all of his accusations “look Sidney I love you.” Her words made him cup her cheek as he had softened.

Her eyes were full of hurt as they scanned his “but I can’t stand the way you treat me.” Sidney almost wanted to laugh, they have amazing relationship and it was one of the first that Sidney was so comfortable with the world knowing all about it. So in his mind what was not to love “what are you saying baby?” His words were unsure as she sighed pulling away from him.

Tears formed in her waterline “I want you to want to kiss me in public-” Sidney cut her off with an “I do!”

But that made her almost feel worse “you kiss me to show guys that I’m taken, like an object that’s yours!” Alessandra shot back as she let out a laugh “I couldn’t even tell you about Micheal because I knew you’d sit in on every session thinking he would try to get into my pants.” Sidney knew she was right but he couldn’t accept that.

His silence said what it needed to “look in order for this to work you need to trust me and that I will come back to you every night, because I will.” The tears rolled down her cheeks “but until then I can’t keep on going like this.” Her words stung as he too began to get emotional.

Sidney felt everything come to the surface at once “Alessandra I’m so sorry baby don’t say that.” He reached for her hand but she pulled away “we need to do this to make sure we’re right.” She nodded grabbing her bag as she sniffled trying to not pay attention to Sidney crying.

She got to her door ignoring his pleads “Crosby you should check the boards by the way.” Was the last thing that she had said before she finally left to fully cry in the bathroom.

Sidney frowned wanting to go find her but instead curiosity got to him. At the bottom of the board there sat her dream goal in big letters and circled “make a branch to add sport and make Sidney proud.”

[exoluxionlove]

230622 Seoul Subway & Travels As Seen Through the Eyes of SUHO

Many cities around the world have their own metro systems, but the one in Seoul is exceptional. The subway system in Seoul is the most tourist-friendly means of transportation. The Seoul Metropolitan Subway system, which helps tourists save time and energy, will be explored in the company of SUHO, the leader of boy band favorite, EXO.

SUHO, known for his meticulous planning, has curated a special travel course called the SUHO Line for those exploring Seoul. The SUHO Line encompasses various popular destinations in Seoul that SUHO frequents or aspires to visit, all easily accessible via the subway system. Before revealing the SUHO Line, let’s learn more about his typical day in Seoul and what he loves to do in this city.

Q. Where have you traveled to lately?

A. I went to the States for work a few days last year. I was there for about five days after shooting a TV show. I also went to Australia to shoot Besties in Wonderland.

* SUHO gave a presentation at the Korean Studies conference at Stanford University.

Q. Before we get started, what’s your MBTI personality type?

A. I'm ENFJ. I'm extroverted, and I like meeting people. And I love planning (laughter). I like talking to strangers, too. I’m a typical ENFJ.

Q. What are your latest hobbies or interests?

A. I really got into wines about two years ago. I don’t drink wine to get drunk. I guess I'm more of an avid learner. I try to write tasting notes whenever I drink wine, and I like to find new wines that I have never tried before. I'm still learning a lot about wines and enjoy drinking at places with a great atmosphere.

Q. It seems you like to experience new things.

A. I love discovering and learning new things. That’s why I got into wine. Oh, the weather has warmed up now. So, I promised Kai I’d go on a bike ride at Hangang Park soon.

Q. Do you like being active?

A. Yes, I like to stay active. But I'm not really into vigorous sports. I like roaming around to experience things myself.

Q. If you’re into wine, do you sometimes drink alone?

A. I rarely drink by myself. Instead, I watch YouTube videos on wine. Sometimes, I find some wines that look interesting in some of the videos. Then, I try to find places where I can taste those wines. I don’t tend to drink alone, so I call my friends to come and drink with me.

Q. You’re particularly known for the "J" of your MBTI type. To what extent do you plan ahead?

A. I mostly use Instagram to communicate with my fans and post images to become my photo diary later. I pick a few places I’d like to visit whenever I travel. Then, I search hashtags related to those places and see so many pictures uploaded by others. I capture some images that I think have good composition, and I pick the outfit I will wear when I go there. That’s how much I plan ahead (laughter).

Q. Is there a favorite shop of yours?

A. I usually shop online, or I go to select shops in Cheongdam-dong. I want to try out some of the vintage shops as well. I want to visit the vintage shop, Opal, that Chan-hyuk visited on the show, I Live Alone. I’ll pay a visit one day.

Q. Which one do you prefer more, dining or street bar?

A. It depends on my mood, but I prefer street bars when I’m in Korea.

Q. Would you visit street bars when you’re traveling?

A. Definitely. But it isn’t easy to be in public when I’m in Korea.

Q. You will be in public with us though (laughter).

A. It’s certainly easier if I’m shooting.

Q. When was the last time you took the subway?

A. I ride buses sometimes, but the last time I took the subway was three or four years ago in Japan. In Korea, the winter of 2012 was the last time I took the subway.

Q. Is there a part of Seoul you visit often or particularly like?

A. I often go to Cheongdam-dong or Sinsa-dong. I’ve been going to Seongsu-dong a lot lately. Samcheong-dong is a place I’d go for exhibitions and cafes.

Q. What is your favorite food?

A. Burgers. Specially handcrafted burgers. A burger can actually be a healthy food. There are carbs, protein, and veggies. You can ask them to custom make your burger to be less salty and whatnot. I really like this place called Zesty Saloon in Seongsu-dong.

Q. Do you enjoy taking pictures?

A. I can guarantee I’ll take the best picture of someone in less than a minute. Some people take good pictures of you without you actually posing or noticing. And I'm certainly that person. I wish my friends would take good pictures of me when I'm sitting at a bus stop or something, but they don’t (laughter). I have to ask them to take pictures for me, and I pretend I don’t notice them. When I share the pictures I took with my friends, most of them get surprised because they like how they look.

Q. How about you taking pictures of other tourists this time?

A. That’s actually a good idea. I really do take good pictures. I took pictures of Jiyeon Lim when we were in Australia shooting Besties in Wonderland, and she loved them. She posted a lot of them on her social media. Everyone likes pictures where they look good in them (laughter). I can quickly fill anyone’s Instagram feed with my pictures.

Q. Are there any parts of Seoul you’d like to discover?

A. Oh! I was always curious about those people who ride skateboards at Hangang Park. It looks really interesting. I'm quite good at inline skating, but I’ve never tried skateboarding. I want to try those outdoor rock-climbing walls, too.

Q. So, the keywords of SUHO Line will be “pictures, Hangang, shopping, and must-eat places.”

A. I guess so. I can’t wait to find out (laughter).

Everyone has different tastes when traveling, but we all like encountering something new. Starting from June 22 until July 13, the Seoul Tourism Organization's official YouTube channel, VisitSeoul TV. will release a new episode every Thursday of the SUHO Line series that features a special travel course curated by SUHO, with the theme focused on unveiling hidden gems. Spot the undiscovered charms of Seoul through the SUHO Line series.

[suckitsurveys]

Are any of your friendships on a fine line? No. One just kind of ended though. I feel a little shitty about it but this girl did NOT respect my boundaries and I tried talking to her about it several times and she refused to listen so I just kind of stopped talking to her and she finally got the hint and deleted me off of all social media.

If I search your room will I find birth control? No.

Do you expect any of your ex’s to call or text you? Nope.

Have you ever witnessed a birth? Yes, my older niece’s. It was wild.

Where’s your favorite place to be when you feel depressed? With Mark and our kitties.

Are you currently looking forward to tomorrow? Nothing really. It’ll just be one day closer to the girls trip we’ve been planning for a year.

When was the last time you held someone’s hand? Yesterday.

Have you ever faked sick? Oh yeah.

Do you wear hoodies to bed? Not hoodies, I’d feel like I was being choked. But I’ve worn crew necks to bed before.

Are you currently wearing jeans? Yes.

Do you buy eggnog around the holidays? Why is this the second survey in like 4 days that’s asked me about eggnog?? Anyway, we usually get some.

Have you gone to a coffee shop within the past week? [i.e. Starbucks] I don’t think I have.

Would you like to be able to read thoughts? If I could control it sure.

Are you often the last one to understand a joke? Nah.

Your first black eye: Did you give it or get it? I’m not sure.

Do you think baseball is a dying professional sport in America? Definitely not in my family.

Does playing the guitar make a guy more attractive? Eh. Depends on the guy.

Have you ever slept in a tent, indoors or out? Yes.

What does your hair look like at the moment? I HATE the color SO much but I didn’t want to dye it and have it fade right away in the sun/chlorine.

Are you mad right now? No, just tired.

Who did you spend your summer with last year? Mostly my family and friends.

Did you eat a cookie today? No.

Have you heard of wreck this journal? Yes, I have one somewhere.

Do you know any one who lives in California? Yes.

Have you ever been told you were a good writer? Yes.

What do you put on your baked potatoes? Butter and sour cream for sure. Sometimes chives and cheese.

Have you ever been on a farm? Yes.

Who are the last three texts/dms you received from? Margo, Lolly, Mark.

What are you listening to? Nothing.

Are you one to take naps? Nope. They make me feel gross.

Did you ever have braces? Nope.

Have you kissed anyone in the last five days? Yes.

Are you afraid of flying? No. It makes me a little uneasy, sure, but overall I don’t mind it.

Do you have freckles? On my arms.

Do you have plans for today? Work and then I have to finish cleaning my dad’s to prepare for my friends staying there this week with me until we leave for the Dells on Friday.

Would you rather date someone five years older or five years younger than you? My husband is 5 years older than me.

Why aren’t you texting the last person you kissed? He’s sleeping or just getting up.

If you had to live off one type of fruit, which would you pick? Probably avocado.

What were you doing at 7:45AM this morning? It hasn’t hit that quite yet lol.

What was the last thing you drank? Iced Coffee.

Where did you get the shirt your wearing? Torrid.

Do you plan on sleeping in tomorrow? Nope, I have work at 6 am.

How often do you drink Monster? Never, I don’t like how energy drinks taste.

Are you easy to get along with? Yeah.

Are you short? 5'2".

Can you ever get enough of mac ‘n’ cheese? Nope, I love mac n cheese.

Are you allergic to nuts or dairy products? Nope.

Do you have trust issues? Yes, in that certain people have let me down time after time when I’ve asked them to take care of something or help me with something.

Is there someone you want to let go of? My fucking brother in law but unfortunately I’m stuck with him.

Do you have any regrets? Eh.

Has anyone ever called the cops on you? Yes.

How old are you? 34.

Did you talk to someone until you fell asleep last night? I did actually. Margo and I were chatting on twitter until we fell sleep.

Do you go to church every Sunday? Nope, I never go.

Can you recall the last time you liked someone? Right now.

Do you like your height? I’m fine with it. It’s never negatively impacted my life.

Is the last person of the opposite sex you texted single? He is not. He’s married to me.

Could you go a week without brushing your teeth? I have before, depression is fun y’all.

What day is it? Monday.

Are you usually awake at midnight? Not usually. I tend to pass out between 10pm-11pm on work nights. On weekends I’ll usually be up until at least midnight.

Does it get really cold where you live? Yes.

When you get home from school / work do you change into your pjs right away? My pants and bra usually come right off lol.

Have you ever been peer pressured to smoke pot? I wasn’t pressured into it, no.

Have you ever played the game Sims 3? Nope.

What is the temperature currently in the town you live in? 64F.

Do you ever actually drink milk alone? Rarely. This was actually in another survey I did recently too. Who is making these? Lol. Anyway, I will drink it with a PB&J or Oreos or something every once in a while.

If you don’t have one already, would you consider getting an iPhone? Nope.

What year were you born in? 1989.

[spurious]

Getting to Know You Meme

Tagged by @audioletter 🧡 who did hers here

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship? m a r r i e d

02) What was your dream growing up? i wanted to be a vet until i realized i would have to deal with animals in pain lol

03) What talent do you wish you had? not to steal audioletter's answer here but also drawing tbh.

04) If someone bought you a drink what would it be? one of those fancy starbucks iced lime drinks with the green coffee beans

05) Favorite vegetable? oooooh hm. broccoli?

06) What was the last book you read? poking at a reread of Catch-22

07) What zodiac sign are you? scorpio sun, gemini moon, cancer rising

08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? several tattoos and 2 ear piercings

09) Worst Habit? according to @audioletter, sleeping diagonally on the bed. according to Lemon, forgetting to refill her automatic feeder

10) What is your favorite sport? i like watching basketball

11) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude? uh. i don't really think of myself as an optimist but i think i kind of am a bit of one.

12) Tell me one weird fact about you. two of my chromosomes are stuck together

13) Do you have any pets? cat & borbs

14) Do you think clowns are cute or scary? if i had to choose one of those adjectives I'd go with scary but i'm not, like, super scared of clowns?

15) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? i would give myself an ass so that i can sit on hard surfaces in greater comfort

16) What color eyes do you have? blue

17) Ever been arrested? no

18) Bottle or can soda? can

19) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it? we haven't left the country since before covid so. plane tickets

20) What's your favorite place to hang out at? home tbh

21) Do you believe in ghosts? not actively but like. i wouldn't be surprised if there were.

22) Favorite thing to do in your spare time? video games, crochet, watching tv, going for meandering walks

23) Do you swear a lot? i don't know what constitutes a lot? i feel like i do.

24) Biggest pet peeve? people who get on a crowded train and stand around by the doors instead of moving into the far less crowded aisles

25) In one word, how would you describe yourself? ummmmmmmm. odd

26) Do you believe/appreciate romance? yes! i'm weird at it but i like it.

27) Favourite and least favourite food? fave: probably cheese. least fave: shrimp

28) Do you believe in God? probably?

29) What makes you happy: sound of the cat purring. sitting in bed with my wife and playing our games and talking. sour candy.

30) Currently listening/the last thing you listened to: The Mountain Goats - Jenny from Thebes

31) Favourite place to spend time: i like! to be! at home!

32) Favourite lyric:

And I am this great, unstable mass of blood and foam / And no emotion that’s worth having could call my heart its home

33) Recommend a film: Clue!

34) Recommend a book: Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides

35) Recommend a band, a song, or album: have you heard of the mountain goats :)

36) Recommend a TV show: Freaks and Geeks

37) Where are you from, and do you still live there? Where have you lived? I'm from metro Detroit, Michigan, and I've lived there, in Ohio for school, and then in Ibaraki, Japan, followed by Osaka where I've lived forrrrrrrr. 13 years or so?

38) Do you have any pets or animals in your life? How did you find/get them? Lemon was found after a typhoon when I lived in Ibaraki. Niles and Nesmith came from the bird store where everyone wanted the fancy baby budgies and they were being ignored for being too Standard lol

39) What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten? WELL. If you don't know, some regions of Japan eat whale meat, and some regions of Japan use whale meat in their school lunch. So uh. One day when I worked at an elementary school I was blithely eating my school lunch only to be asked by one of the kids how I was liking the whale meat. 😐 (it's not even good)

40) How did you 'find' fandom? i actually don't totally remember? my first fic reading experience was cardcaptor sakura, and i think it was on a fansite or something rather than ff.net....and then i found my way to LJ and HP fandom.

41) Make a list of 5 things that you see without getting up. I'm at my desk at work so: rainbow glitter fountain pen, ps5 devkit, photo from our wedding, coworkers, "everything is fine" 10 of swords card from the modern witch tarot deck

42) How do you style your hair? currently a bob with bangs. i have started carrying a little comb in my handbag for this

I'm gonna tag people!

@alienfuckeronmain @sga-owns-my-soul @stargatebarbie @texasdreamer01 @acrowbyanyothername

@colonelshepparrrrd @queen-x-ishtar @hearteyesmcgarrett

[justinssportscorner]

Emily Stewart at Vox:

The first time I found myself wondering what the deal was with Aaron Rodgers was when his brother Jordan appeared on season 12 of The Bachelorette, which aired back in 2016. The quarterback skipped the all-important family visit, raising some questions, but instead of glossing over it, the show insisted on leaving an open seat at the table where he could have been. Reality TV’s gonna reality TV, I guess. Before that, in my world, Rodgers had simply been my team’s star quarterback, the one who took us to a Super Bowl victory in 2011. I do not claim to be the world’s biggest football knower, but when you grow up in Wisconsin, you sort of have no choice but to love the Green Bay Packers. Sundays in the Badger State are for two things: church and the Pack … and also beer and cheese, so, like, four. (As an aside, the Packers are the NFL’s only publicly owned team, another reason to love them.)

Family dynamics can be hard, I thought at the time, and really it was none of my business. But at the very least it seemed a little sad to think Rodgers was estranged from his family, and I did wonder why. Cut to about eight years later, and the quiet suspicion that maybe Aaron Rodgers is a bit strange has morphed into a very public, very loud conversation, now that we know, well, a whole lot more. Rodgers didn’t get the Covid-19 vaccine and misled people about it by saying he was “immunized.” He’s talked openly about getting into psychedelics and doing whatever a “darkness retreat” is. He’s had a string of relatively short-lived public romantic relationships, which is normal and fine, though his last girlfriend was maybe a witch? He regularly spouts conspiracy theories about Covid and vaccines and UFOs, among other items, and is chummy with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaxxer and presidential candidate. Last year, he challenged Kansas City Chiefs tight end and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce to a debate about vaccines that was also supposed to include RFK Jr. and Dr. Anthony Fauci. Kelce declined.

Much of this oddball activity and commentary has taken place on The Pat McAfee Show, where Rodgers appears for “Aaron Rodgers Tuesdays.” Disney reportedly paid $85 million for a licensing deal to air the daily sports talk show on ESPN, which it owns. The Pat McAfee Show was the setting of the latest “Aaron Rodgers said what now?” incident, when on January 2 he basically implied that ABC late-night talk show host — and also a high-paid Disney employee — Jimmy Kimmel is a pedophile. It’s been a whole thing, with back-and-forth between Rodgers and Kimmel and ESPN and Disney, for days. Kimmel called Rodgers a “hamster-brained man” and threatened to sue him. An ESPN exec called Rodgers’ comments “dumb.” Rodgers refused to say sorry and responded that the exec’s comments weren’t “helping.” None of it was. [...]

The Jimmy Kimmel dustup is really just the latest in a stream of ??? what is up with this man

So, let’s get back to the Kimmel thing. In early January, Rodgers suggested the comedian had ties to the disgraced financier and late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Referring to a since-released set of court filings about Epstein that have been branded the “Epstein list,” Rodgers said, “there’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, that are really hoping that doesn’t come out.” There’s previously never been any speculation that Kimmel had ties to Epstein — but he has been trading barbs with Rodgers for a while, focused on the athlete’s anti-vaccination stance. Kimmel was not thrilled at Rodgers’s little Epstein theory. He clarified on Twitter/X he never had any contact with Epstein, said the remarks had put his family in danger, and threatened to sue. Kimmel also did a monologue about the sports star. Rodgers responded on McAfee. He said he was glad Kimmel wasn’t on the Epstein list and isn’t “stupid enough” to actually accuse someone of pedophilia without evidence. Rodgers didn’t apologize, but he did offer up a strange but fairly accurate self-assessment. “I’m not a super political person, okay? Do whatever you want. Conspiracy theorist? That’s fine, because if you look at the track record of conspiracy theorists in the last few years, they’ve been wrong about a lot of things,��� he said. And then he complained about the media and cancel culture and said he does not “give a shit” about what people say about him, which … sure. Finally, on Wednesday, January 10, McAfee said that Aaron Rodgers would no longer be appearing on his show for the rest of the NFL season. He said the show was “very lucky” to get a chance to talk to Rodgers and that he’s obviously a “massive piece of the NFL story” and acknowledged “some of his thoughts and opinions … do piss off a lot of people.” McAfee sounded relieved to be away from the drama. “I’m pumped that that is no longer going to be every single Wednesday of my life, which it has been for the last few weeks of my life,” he said.

NFL star QB Aaron Rodgers has been getting into hot water in recent years, and it's because of his off-field activities such as trafficking in COVID conspiracies and anti-vaxxer nonsense. At least some of these were said on The Pat McAfee Show, where he is a regular guest.

[crystalninjaphoenix]

The Last Summer Hunt

Paranormal Preteens AU: Episode Ten

A JSE Fanfic

With this, the first “season” of PNPT draws to a close. And I mean that both in the sense of a story arc and in the sense of seasons in the year XD Summer’s drawing to a close and the boys decide to hunt down the monster dog while they still have an excess of free time. They find it—along with that shadow that’s been following them. Things don’t go exactly to plan. But at least they made memories along the way :)

++++++++++++++++++++

One week passed. One week, in which the boys tried to catch and somehow defeat the monster dog that had once attacked them. The plan was simple, and easy to execute: Drive around town looking for it, and if they find it, somehow lure it away with some steaks Jackie bought.

The whole group was involved. Chase convinced Mom that he and Schneep should be allowed to be out in the evenings because school was starting soon, and they wanted to get as much free time as possible. She agreed only as long as they head straight to bed once they returned home. Chase assumed that Marvin and JJ had managed to do the same thing with their parents. Jackie explained that he didn’t really have a bedtime as long as he was home before “curfew,” whatever that was. His real problem had been persuading his dad to let him use the car every day until further notice. But whatever he did must have worked.

One week. And there were no signs of any monster dogs. In fact, there were no signs of anything weird or supernatural.

It was really starting to get boring. There was only so much to do when driving around for a couple hours every day. Marvin seemed to be able to talk endlessly, but Chase wasn’t able to listen endlessly. And the whole group quickly grew tired of hearing the same songs over and over, so Jackie stopped putting on his CDs and just let the radio play. That didn’t make it any less boring.

At least Schneep was talking again. After Chase and him had the conversation about his parents, and after Chase had confirmed that Schneep didn’t have to leave, he’d returned to his usual self. If anything, he was chattier, joining in on the talks between the group more. His random science facts and strong opinions on the cartoons Chase watched made the long hours in the car more interesting.

But beyond the boredom, the group was also running out of time. School was starting in just one more week. Just two days ago, Mom took Chase and Schneep on a shopping trip to find all their school supplies. And JJ was frequently complaining about his parents doing something similar, buying him a thousand different outfits for the new school year. It doesn’t even matter! he signed furiously. We all wear uniforms! I’m not even gonna use half the things they buy!

Chase knew that they could continue the search for the dog and other weird stuff during the school year. But it would be harder. They wouldn’t be able to stay out all day every day. There would be classes and homework and maybe sports, if Chase felt like trying out. Not to mention the twins would be in a different grade with more schoolwork, and Jackie would be in another grade with even more schoolwork. It would be hard to find time for them all to get together.

So they needed to do this before the 15th, when school would begin. They needed to send summer off right.

On day eight of Operation Fetch, as the boys had decided to call it, Jackie picked up the others as usual, promising their parents that this was good, wholesome fun, and that he was a responsible adult to look after them. “Not as responsible as I should be,” Chase heard him mutter when they all got in the car. Then, it was off to search the neighborhood again. This new area they were driving around was known for being near not one, but two churches. Something that Marvin pointed out wasn’t too unusual, as even their small town had about five different churches.

“The second one isn’t a church,” Jackie explained. “It’s a synagogue. I hear that it’s actually not all that common to have one near a church, especially in the UK, so, uh, fun little detail about our hometown.”

“Oh very exciting,” Marvin muttered. “Come to Hollewych! Our tourism appeals include having a synagogue! And also there’s weird shit in the library, the pool, and the second park!”

“Hey Jackie, you’re older,” Chase said. “Do you think, like... God would be mad if we searched a church for a monster dog?”

“I am not talking about religion with 12-year-olds,” Jackie said firmly.

“You know, I don’t think there’s really a god out there,” Marvin said. “At least, not like they say in church. Mam and Dad do, but I just don’t get it. There’s probably something out there. Maybe multiple somethings. But I think church is lying.”

“Nope.” Jackie shook his head. “Not involving myself in this.”

“JJ likes church, though,” Marvin said. “Right?”

I wouldn’t say that, JJ said carefully. Chase watched his signs in the rearview mirror. I think... it can be good. And they’re probably onto something. But I don’t think they’re entirely right about things.

“Chase, what do you think about church?” Marvin asked.

“Uhhh I dunno. I’ve never really... gone.” Chase twisted around to look at Schneep, sitting behind his seat. “What do you think?”

Schneep paused. “It is a nice thought. But I think they are wrong. There’s no proof out there. And besides, if there is an all-powerful... being out there, making sure everything goes right, why do bad things happen?”

“Guys, seriously, let’s stop with this,” Jackie said. “You can pick it up some other time, when we’re not actively searching for something supernatural.”

“Right.” Chase didn’t turn back around. He and Schneep stared at each other for a moment. Then Schneep coughed, and made a little ‘go ahead’ gesture. Chase turned back to face the front again.

They drove for a while more before Marvin said, “Alright. I’m reaching my fucking limit. Pull over.” Immediately, Jackie pulled over to the side of the road. Marvin had done this every day on their search. He couldn’t handle being in the car for too long, so Jackie said that he would pull over and let Marvin hop out, along with anyone else who wanted to. This usually happened around the halfway mark of their search. Today, everyone piled out of the car, even Jackie himself. They were all tired of being cramped. After a week, it was really getting old.

Marvin ran onto the nearest grass lawn and flopped on his back. He pulled a rock out of his pocket (one of his collection, which had helped them fight off the mushrooms on the camping trip) and placed it on his chest. For seemingly... no reason. Jameson started stretching, reaching up to touch the air then down to touch the ground. Schneep crouched by the curb and watched the occasional car go by. Chase found a bit of old concrete and started tossing it into the air, trying to catch it, usually missing and letting it hit the sidewalk. And Jackie looked up at the sky. “Definitely getting dark earlier,” he muttered.

Chase paused in his rock throwing to look up at the sky as well. It was that golden pink color of sunset, orange painting the edges of the few long, skinny clouds that drifted across the dark background. “It’s pretty,” he said, and resumed tossing.

“Yeah, but your parents are gonna be worried,” Jackie said. He paused. “Maybe we should cut tonight short.”

“What?!” Chase looked at Jackie. Then the concrete he’d just thrown in the air landed hard on the brim of his cap, pushing it over his eyes. “Ack! Crap! I’m blind!”

Schneep laughed. “Be happy it wasn’t your head, dummkopf.”

Chase pushed his cap back to normal. “I’m not a doom-cough. You’re a doom-cough.”

“I am not the one throwing rocks at myself.”

Chase didn’t respond to that because he knew he didn’t have a good comeback. Instead, he said to Jackie, “We can’t cut it short! We don’t have that many days left to find the dog!”

“Don’t worry, we can start earlier tomorrow,” Jackie reassured him.

“But that doesn’t change that we won’t get the same time today!” Chase protested. “We might miss another animal attack! And miss our chance! Jackie, please!”

“I can’t upset your mom, little man,” Jackie said sadly.

“But—! But—! Gah!” Chase kicked the concrete bit across the sidewalk. “It’s not fair!”

Before Jackie could say anything else, Chase heard something... slide? And then a voice shouted, “What’re you doing on my front lawn?”

Chase spun around. As did the other four. Jackie had parked the car in front of a house, and they’d been hanging out on the house’s lawn and sidewalk for the past few minutes. Clearly, someone inside had noticed them. And that someone was... one of Heather Westing’s sidekicks. Pink Glasses. She’d slid open the front window of the house and was now leaning out. White-blonde hair framed her signature pink glasses, and she was wearing a shirt with some Barbie character on it. From inside the house came the sound of a little kid’s TV show, with high voices speaking slowly and the occasional sparkly sound effect.

“Uhhh...hi.” Chase waved.

Pink Glasses stared at him. “Chase Brody? Why are you in front of my house? And why’d you bring your friends?” She gestured vaguely at everyone. Marvin had stood up and was quickly backing off the lawn’s grass. Schneep had also stood up and moved next to Chase.

“Um...sorry?” Chase said. He glanced at Jackie for help, but Jackie looked like he’d been caught stealing snacks from the kitchen. “We were just, uh, driving around, and uh...stopped.”

“You stopped,” Pink Glasses repeated.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Marvin doesn’t like to be stuck in the car for too long.” Chase looked at Marvin for help.

“Isn’t she the friend of that girl you hate?” Marvin asked.

The exact wrong thing to say. Because he said it loud enough for Pink Glasses to hear. “Excuse me?!” Pink Glasses gasped. “You hate my friends?!”

“Y—No! No no no, I just—” Chase shook his head. “Look, Pink Glasses—”

“Excuse me?!” Pink Glasses gasped again. “Do you not know my name?!”

Chase blinked. “Should I?”

“We were in the same class last year! We did a history project together!”

“...right.” History was not Chase’s strong suit. He felt slightly guilty for that, because he probably didn’t pull his weight in whatever project they did. “Uhh... it was on Egypt, right?”

“Mesopotamia,” Pink Glasses corrected.

“Right. And you’re...” Chase stared at her. He was sure he’d remember those glasses. “...starts with an E...”

Pink Glasses rolled her eyes. “My name’s Stacy. Stacy Siegel.”

“Oh! Wait! Yeah!” Chase nodded fast. “I remember now. You had longer hair! And no glasses! And there were two others in the project group, uhhh, what were their names?”

“Omg, you are really bad at this.” Pink Glasses—Stacy was stunned at the terribleness of Chase’s memory. “Ugh, whatever. Why are you and your friends, who I don’t hate like you do mine, driving around?”

Marvin started to speak. “We’re looking for a—” Then JJ reached out and clapped a hand over Marvin’s mouth. Marvin pulled it away and stuck his tongue out at him.

“A what?” Stacy prompted.

“It’s not important,” Chase said. “You know. Boy stuff. You wouldn’t get it.” He hesitated, then continued on. “And I don’t hate Heather or your other friend, but you guys clearly don’t like me, so, you know, why would I talk to you?”

Stacy gave him a weird look. He didn’t quite understand what it meant. Was it...sad? No, that couldn’t be. Maybe he was just too far away to make it out clearly. Then her eyes flicked away from Chase, landing on each one of his friends, and then drifting beyond... And she tensed up. “Wh-what the heck?”

She was looking at something behind them. Chase turned around, as did all the others.

The street had emptied out. On the other sidewalk, sniffing around the base of a telephone pole, was an dog as tall as the twins, with matted fur in shades of black, brown, and white, its ears floppy, its tail long and snake-like, and its eyes glowing such a bright green that it was visible across the street.

“That’s it!” Chase shouted, running for the car’s hatchback trunk. “Jackie! The boot!”

Jackie jumped into action immediately, reaching into the car to grab the keys from the ignition. Marvin, JJ, and Schneep were a bit slower to act, but act they did, running for the door to the backseat. They scrambled to grab the items they’d shoved to the floor, stored in bags and backpacks. Marvin grabbed a plastic bag full of rocks, Schneep grabbed Chase’s baseball bat and Nerf gun, and Jameson grabbed a knife. Because of course he did.

The dog’s ear twitched. Then it raised its head and stared at them. Stacy shrieked and slammed the window shut. Chase grabbed the trunk’s handle and tried to lift it. But it was still locked. “Jackie!” he shouted.

“Got it!” Jackie pointed the car’s key fob at the trunk and pressed the button. There was a clunk! sound and Chase immediately tried the trunk again. It lifted slowly, revealing a red plastic cooler. Chase threw the cooler open and grabbed one of the raw steaks stored inside. Then he whirled around and threw the steak towards the dog.

Luckily, Chase had a really good arm. The steak landed on the street asphalt with a splat, about five feet in front of the dog. Instantly, it lunged on the steak, licking it to see if it was really edible. Chase looked at the others. “Marvin?”

“We got it.” Marvin looked down the street both ways. The road was clear of cars. So he and Jameson immediately ran out into the middle of the road, slowing as they got closer to the dog. Luckily, it seemed more concerned with biting chunks off the meat. Jameson stood slightly in front of Marvin, holding out the knife, while Marvin crouched down and put a rock on the ground. He’d spent forever in the car going on and on about which ones he’d chosen for their hunt. Ones that were supposed to “clear negative energy.” They looked pretty enough, with stripes and spots of color, ranging from fist-sized to bouncy-ball-sized.

Chase wasn’t sure if these rocks (or crystals, whatever, most of them didn’t look like crystals) could really fix the monster dog, if it could even be fixed in the first place. Not because he doubted that rocks could be magic. After all the things they’d seen that summer, he couldn’t really say that. No, he doubted because Marvin admitted that he just picked most of them up off the ground and was just guessing at what type of rock they were. If these really were special magic rocks, wouldn’t they be in museums or something?

His doubts were being proven right. Nothing had happened after Marvin put the rock on the ground. They all waited, staring, for a few seconds. And still nothing happened. Marvin reached into the plastic bag and pulled out another one. He looked at Jameson, who nodded, and the two of them moved a foot closer, putting down the next rock.

Jackie tensed. He reached into the open trunk of the car searching for something to grab. Apparently his dad kept a variety of tools in the back. That included the shovel, a hammer, a crowbar, and a wrench. The shovel was the longest, so that’s what Jackie took. Meanwhile, Schneep walked up to Chase and silently handed him his gun, keeping the baseball bat for himself.

It still looked like nothing was happening. The dog was almost done with the steak, so Chase pulled out a second one and threw it over Marvin and Jameson. It landed right next to the dog’s head, and it switched its attention to the new meat.

The twins walked two feet closer and put down another rock.

Then they walked three feet closer and put down another. 

Nothing.

“Come back,” Jackie said. He didn’t shout, afraid of the dog looking away from the steak and noticing the twins. But that meant the twins didn’t hear him either. He raised his voice just a bit. “Come back!”

Marvin looked back at him. Then at JJ, who nodded and signed something about safety and trying the other plan. Then Marvin turned back around.

“Come back,” Schneep whispered. He was holding Chase’s baseball bat in a white-knuckled grip. Chase could practically feel him trembling next to him.

Marvin didn’t go back. Instead, he took a step forward, trying to go around Jameson—

Jameson shot his arm out to prevent him from going forward. Unfortunately, Marvin was in exactly the wrong spot when he did this, and Jameson actually ended up punching him in the arm with enough force to almost knock him over. Marvin shrieked in surprise, and Jameson hurried to help steady him, signing Sorry! as he did.

And as soon as Marvin let out a sound, the dog’s head snapped up, glowing eyes landing on the twins. It growled, tail going from gentle wagging to completely still.

The twins froze. Then Marvin panicked and threw a rock right at the dog, hitting it in the face.

The dog barked and lunged forward. Jameson leapt at Marvin, knocking him to the side, the two of them barely avoiding the snap of the dog’s teeth. They scrambled to the side, starting to run, and Jackie sprinted into the street with shovel raised, ready to defend them. 

But he didn’t need to. The dog suddenly froze. It looked down at the rock that had hit it. Unlike the three other rocks that Marvin had put in the road, this one was sharp, more deserving of the name “crystal.” In fact, it was sharp enough to cause a little cut on the dog’s muzzle, a tiny, barely visible amount of blood on its edge. But Marvin and Jameson could see the blood. And they could see when the crystal suddenly started to glow green from within.

“Holy crap,” Chase whispered, stepping into the street to get a closer look. Schneep hesitated, then followed, raising the bat defensively.

The green glow consumed the crystal. And then a faint line of green light appeared on the ground. Not like a laser. Less... concentrated. Like a ray of sunlight. The light led to the nearest other rock Marvin had placed down, and that started to glow. And another ray of light appeared on the ground, tracing to the second rock, then the first, forming a green connect-the-dot line.

Everyone’s eyes were locked on the glow. Including the dog’s. And slowly, the unnatural glow in the dog’s eyes began to fade, revealing normal brown dog eyes. The dog started to shrink. It was gradual, but unmistakable, like watching a reversed timelapse of a growing flower. The boys noticed this and soon their eyes were fixed on this incredible sight.

“What the hell?” Jackie whispered.

“Nicht zu glauben,” Schneep muttered.

“So I was right,” Marvin said, with a surprised but smug grin on his face.

“Hey, wait a second.” Chase gave the dog a closer look. Now that it was smaller, he recognized it. “That’s Ms. Kennedy’s dog. She lives a few houses down the street from me. The tail is new, but it’s definitely her dog. I thought it ran away.”

“It probably did,” Jackie said. “And somehow... found something that did this, I guess? At least that explains why it’s been running around your neighborhood. It’s the dog’s home area.”

What do we do now? JJ asked, awkwardly signing with the knife still in his hand.

“I guess we wait for it to go back to normal, then...I don’t know, give it back to the owner?” Jackie figured.

Chase nodded. “I think Ms. Kennedy would like that. How do you catch a dog, though? Lure it with the rest of the steaks?”

“Might as well try.” Jackie shrugged.

The boys all cautiously approached the dog, but it didn’t move as it shrank. They gathered in a semicircle around it, still keeping their distance, watching. Seconds passed. It just kept getting smaller. The green glow from the crystals slowly dimmed, the lines connecting them fading away.

The dog was almost the size of an average beagle and the snakelike tail was starting to shrink. The green glow was barely visible.

And then someone laughed.

Chase stiffened. He spun around... and there it was. There he was. The shadow. He looked more solid than ever, like a person painted black. Where the eyes should be, there were instead two glowing green circles. He was standing next to the last rock in the line, the first that Marvin had put down. His head tilted to the side, and he raised his hand and waved.

“Chase, what are you looking at?” Schneep turned around, and froze. He went pale. “That—that is the—the—”

Jackie and the twins turned as well. They’d never seen the shadow before, but they saw it now. Jameson gasped. Jackie opened his mouth, but no words came out. Marvin shouted, “Whoa, what the fuck?!”

“Hello, Chase,” the shadow said. “Hello, Schneep. Hello Jackie, Marvin, Jameson.” He waved again. “Having fun?”

“What... are you?” Jackie asked in a strangled voice.

The shadow laughed. “I’m Anti!”

“Anti?” Chase repeated. The shadow had a name?

“Anti!” The shadow grinned. There was no other way to describe the green light that suddenly split its face. “You didn’t answer my question. Are you having fun?”

“I...” Chase looked back at the others, but they looked just as confused as he was, if not more so. Was there supposed to be a right answer to that?

What do you want? Jameson asked.

“Me? You’re talking about me?” The shadow—Anti leaned forward, but didn’t move his feet. “I don’t know. Well, not important. You can’t just not answer a question, you know. Are you having fun?”

“...yes?” Marvin said hesitantly.

The grin grew wider. “Would you like to have more?”

In a single casual motion, Anti kicked the rock by his feet away, breaking the line of faint green light.

For a split second, everything was frozen. Then the line of green light grew brighter. And brighter. And brighter. Behind them, there was a growl, and the five boys whirled around in unison. The dog was growing bigger again, its eyes glowing once more. The crystal by its feet was emitting a mist that glowed so bright it was hard to look at. And that mist was swirling around the dog’s legs faster and faster.

“Oh shit.” Jackie grabbed the nearest other boy—Marvin—and started backing away slowly. Jameson, Chase, and Schneep began to back up as well. The colors on the dog’s matted fur were shifting, the brown and black consuming the white. Its teeth were gleaming white as they grew sharper, sticking out of its mouth. The tail suddenly had scales, looking even more snakelike, and bone-colored spikes appeared along the dog’s spine and shoulders.

More of that laughter. Somehow, Anti had instantly gone from standing behind them to standing behind the dog. He walked around it, patting its side as it grew bigger still. In one hand, he was holding the rock he’d kicked aside, and it was glowing bright, a line of light connecting it to the crystal still on the ground. “This is great,” Anti said. “Who knew rocks could concentrate greenlight? Isn’t that cool? Isn’t that fun?”

“Boys,” Jackie said quietly. “Run to the car. Now.”

The four of them broke into a run. The dog lunged forward. Jackie swung the shovel he was holding and whacked it in the head—which was not easy to do, as the dog was now six inches taller than him. In any case, he didn’t wait to see how long the dog was stunned. He smacked it, then ran for the car.

The boys scrambled inside, instinctively going to the same seats they’d been sitting in earlier. Jackie leapt over the hood of the car, skidding along it, and landed next to the driver’s side door. He threw it open, jumped inside, threw his shovel on top of Chase in the passenger seat, and closed the door just as the dog rammed into the side of the car. Its barking was deeper and louder. Marvin and Jameson covered their ears.

“We didn’t close the trunk!” Chase shouted.

“No time!” Jackie shoved the keys into the ignition and turned the car on, immediately shifting into drive and peeling down the street. The three boys in the back seat were all shoved to the side, as they hadn’t yet put on their seatbelts. The dog howled and ran after them.

“It’s chasing us!” Marvin yelled, turning around to see it. “It’s fucking chasing us!”

“There is the cooler of meat in the back, maybe if we push it out it will stop to eat it?” Schneep suggested.

“I don’t know if that will work,” Chase said. “Dogs chase cars all the time! For no reason!”

It’s worth a try, Jameson said.

“How are we gonna do that?!” Marvin protested.

“You are already looking behind,” Schneep said. “Get up and lean over the seats into the back!”

“What?! There’s no fucking room for that! I’ll get stuck in between the ceiling and the seat backs!” Marvin gave Schneep a quick glance-over. “You’re skinnier than me, you do it!”

“Fine, I’ll try.” Schneep got out of his seat. “Hold my bat,” he said, shoving it at Jameson and awkwardly turning around.

“Guys, wait, there’s a bend in the road!” Jackie shouted.

“I am already over the seats!” Schneep shouted back, leaning over the seat backs and reaching for the cooler in the trunk.

“Well hang on!” Jackie spun the steering wheel, once again sending all the unbuckled kids sliding to the side. Jameson hit his head against the car window and grimaced, while Marvin grabbed onto the door handle to avoid getting kicked by Schneep’s legs.

“I have the cooler!” Schneep said. “But I cannot reach inside!”

“It’s a bust, then!” Chase grunted in frustration. “Is it still coming after us?”

“Very definitely!” Schneep shouted. The dog was easily keeping pace with the car. In fact, it might have been a little closer.

“Shit!” Jackie pressed down on the gas and the car went faster. “We gotta take care of this. We almost fixed the dog!”

“Maybe—maybe if we try again?” Chase asked. “Can we go somewhere and set some sort of trap?”

“How would we set a trap?!” Jackie cried.

Schneep wriggled back into his seat, arm still awkwardly thrown over the back because he didn’t want to let go of the too-big cooler. “Do you have better ideas?”

Jackie hesitated. “Okay, fine! We need to get some distance between us, then! I think I know what to do. Everyone make sure you have seatbelts on!” And he took a sharp right at the upcoming intersection.

The green hatchback car swerved and squealed across the nearly-empty neighborhood streets. The dog never gave up the chase. When Jackie tried to lose it around corners, it took them in stride, barking and howling as it followed them. The four other boys didn’t dare to say anything. They didn’t want to distract Jackie, whose clenched teeth and beading sweat showed his concentration.

It took a good few minutes, but eventually the dog started lagging behind. It wasn’t fast enough to keep up with a speeding car. Jackie waited until it had disappeared from the rear-view mirrors to head to their destination. A destination that became clear soon enough, as the steeple in the distance grew closer and closer.

Jackie turned into the church parking lot, going half-over the curb in the process, and slammed the breaks. Everyone lurched forward, seatbelts cutting into chests. “Ow...” Chase groaned.

“Sorry,” Jackie said. He unbuckled his own seatbelt and pressed a hand to his own chest with a grimace. “I must’ve broken like...a million speeding limits. If anyone knows about that, I’ll never get my license. I pray to god that nobody recognized Dad’s car.”

“Well... this is the right place to do it,” Marvin said, looking out the window. “Why the church?”

“I wanted a wide-open space.” Jackie opened the car door. “I thought a car lot would work, and this was the first place with a car lot that I thought of.”

“Because we were talking about it earlier?” Schneep asked.

“Maybe.” Jackie paused. In the silence, all of them heard the distinct barks of the monster dog. “I think it’s still close. We need to hurry. What trap are we gonna set up?”

There wasn’t much time to discuss it, so they all threw together a plan right away. Schneep dumped the steaks from the cooler onto the middle of the parking lot. The hope was that the dog would still go for them, even with its more monstrous appearance. Marvin and Jameson then set up all the rocks and crystals Marvin had brought along. Eight lines of four rocks, since that had worked earlier, radiating out from the steaks in a sort of sun design. Jackie was worried the dog would go for them, not the steaks, so Chase suggested they take refuge inside the church. It would be easy to see the trap if they looked through the narrow windows by the door.

By the time all of that was decided and set up, the dog’s barks were echoing from just down the street. Jackie hurriedly ushered everyone inside the church, and they clustered around the windows to keep watch. Each of them held tight the makeshift weapon they’d chosen earlier.

Marvin turned around to look at the interior. “You know...I do think they look nice,” he said slowly. “The rows of benches and tall ceilings. The stained glass at the end is pretty. What does that design mean? I’ve never seen it before. Looks like a bunch of rope in a pile. Or maybe like a Celtic knot? And some roses around the edge. Do you think the colors are symbolic? Also, why was the door unlocked? I know that not a lot of people would steal from churches, but there are some out there, and you’d think the priests wouldn’t want—”

“It’s coming,” Chase whispered. And Marvin immediately shut up and turned back to the window.

The monster dog almost barrelled right past the entrance to the church parking lot, but it stopped just in time. Pausing, it sniffed the ground. Then raised its head again, its glowing eyes landing on the car. It lumbered into the lot, head lowered, growling so loudly the boys could hear it through the church walls.

Is it bigger? Jameson asked.

Jackie shook his head. “Just looks that way,” he muttered.

The dog’s coat was now fully black. The sun had set, so its edges bled into the darkness between the circles of light cast by the overhead lights in the parking lot. It would have been tough to spot, but those glowing eyes gave it away. The teeth in its mouth were almost too big for it, forcing its muzzle into a permanent snarl.

Chase could hear Schneep breathing heavily, could feel him shaking a bit. He put a hand on his shoulder and drew him close.

Slowly, the dog walked up to the steaks lying on the ground. It sniffed them. Licked them. Then began to eat. The boys waited in the church with baited breath... but nothing happened.

“Did we do something wrong?” Marvin whispered. “Maybe we should’ve just stuck with one line of rocks?”

Jameson started a bit, eyes widening with realization. The rocks didn’t start to glow until you threw one at it.

“Holy shit, you’re right. Wait, hang on.” Marvin dug into his pocket and pulled out a smooth black stone the size of his fist. “We had an odd number of crystals. This one was left over.”

“Someone needs to throw a rock at it?!” Jackie hissed. “That’ll draw its attention!”

Chase looked at the stone in Marvin’s hand. Slowly, he nodded. “I’ll do it.”

“No you won’t!” Schneep grabbed onto Chase’s arm, squeezing tight.

“I have to. I’m good enough to hit it from the entrance. And if we miss, it’ll hear the sound and we’ll lose it anyway.”

“Chase, what if you—what if it—” Schneep stammered. “I—Nothing can happen to you!”

“Nothing’s gonna happen to me.” Chase pried Schneep’s hands from his arm, wrapping them both in his own. He stared into Schneep’s eyes, which were wide enough to see white all the way around. “I’m not gonna let this dog wander around where it can hurt people. I’m... not gonna risk letting it hurt you.” He pauses. “Or, uh, anyone else.”

Schneep stared back at him. Then he nodded. He slowly extracted his hands from Chase’s grip. “Alright. Go do it, then. Fast.”

Chase grinned. “I’m very fast.” He looked at Marvin. “Rock, please.”

Marvin handed it to him. “I think it’s onyx,” he muttered.

“Cool.” Chase held it tight in his hand. He looked out the window and saw the dog still eating the steaks. They were nearly gone. He stepped away and turned to the front doors. “Wish me luck,” he said. The others muttered quiet “good luck”s, and he pushed open the door.

Luckily, these double doors weren’t as heavy as the sturdy wood made them look. They’d also been installed with door stoppers on the bottom at some point. Chase flipped the stopper down with his foot, keeping the door open. His eyes locked onto the dog. He took a deep breath and raised his hand, gaging the distance with his eyes and figuring out how much force the throw would need. He tucked his nerf gun into his pocket, saving it for just in case. Then he wound his hand back and whipped it forward again, letting the rock go.

It was a perfect throw. The rock smacked the dog’s side and fell to the ground.

And nothing happened.

The dog’s head instantly whipped towards Chase. Its tail stopped wagging and it growled.

Chase gasped. He scrambled backwards, hurriedly flipping the stopper back up and pulling the door closed. “That didn’t work!” he shouted, turning to the others.

Jackie—still staring out the window—gasped. “Chase watch out!” He ran at Chase and shoved him—

Then the doors broke apart as the monster dog lunged through them. Pieces of wood hit Chase’s body, and he raised his arms to protect his head from the worst of it. He heard Schneep scream. Then Marvin shout. Chase sat up and looked at the scene.

The monster dog was in the church. It had broken through the doors to get in, and in the process it had knocked Jackie down, who was lying still on the floor. Now the dog stood in the aisle between the pews. It spun around at the sound of Marvin and Schneep, eyes locking onto them, and Jameson who was nearby. It growled, and jumped.

Marvin pulled Schneep to one side and Jameson ran to the other—running all the way out the broken front doors. The dog landed right where they’d been, barely avoiding running into the wall. Schneep was frozen, so Marvin dragged him to the left side of the pews, quickly putting the benches between them and the dog. The right move. Because the dog then jumped again, knocking the rows of benches into each other as it ran for the two fleeing boys.

“No!” Chase shouted. He scrabbled to his feet. “Hey, you big dumb mutt! Leave them alone! Come get me! The loud one!”

The dog didn’t pay attention, eyes fixed on its visible prey. Marvin took the baseball bat from Schneep, who was white as a sheet and holding it loosely, and threw it right at the dog. He missed, but the dog followed the motion, and actually ran after the bat. “Yeah! Fetch!” Marvin shouted. Then he darted back the way he came, leaving Schneep alone.

“Schneep!” Chase ran for him, passing Marvin on the way. Schneep was standing still, limbs locked, eyes fixed forward. Chase skidded to a halt next to him. “Schneep, look at me.” He grabbed him and spun him around, shaking him a little. “Stay with me! Okay?!”

“Chase, Ich...” Schneep said weakly. His eyes flicked to the side, and he screamed again.

The dog was charging at them, jumping over pews and effortlessly knocking over the ones it didn’t clear. Chase fumbled for his pocket and pulled out his gun. He fired the trigger, but the foam dart bounced harmlessly off the charging dog.

“Leave them alone!” Marvin was by the front entrance, kneeling over Jackie. Behind him, Jameson was running back into the church from outside.

No time to stare at them! Chase pulled Schneep to the side, the two of them barely avoiding the dog’s attack. They ran for the front of the church, but the dog spun. Its teeth bit the air inches behind them. Chase turned sharply, running along a row of pews, and that seemed to slow the dog as it scrambled for purchase on the polished church floor. But it kept running.

They reached the central aisle. The dog was right behind them. Chase glanced over his shoulder to look at it—

Something flashed, and the dog yelped, skidding to a halt. An object clattered to the floor: a kitchen knife, with a hint of blood on the blade. The dog turned. Then froze.

Chase and Schneep turned as well. Jameson was standing at the end of the aisle, one hand outstretched. He’d thrown the knife he’d brought along. And in his other hand was... a rock. A rock that was glowing slightly green from the inside. He dropped it. The moment the rock hit the floor, a line of green light shot from it and out the front doors. He looked at Marvin, then at Chase and Schneep, and gave a small smile. Thought it was worth a try, he signed.

Inches from them, the dog was shrinking.

It happened a lot faster than before. The eyes’ green glow vanished, the coat shifted back to its regular colors, the spikes and abnormally large teeth receded. Within a minute, the dog was... normal. Just a normal beagle, with normal eyes and a normal tail. It stared at Chase and Schneep, and then walked away, heading down the aisle towards Jameson. JJ gave it a slow, unsure pat on the head. The dog’s tail began to wag.

“Impressive.”

Chase spun around again. Schneep did the same, Jameson looked up, and Marvin stood. All of them saw the shadow—Anti—at the same time. Sitting on the white-clothed-covered altar at the front of the church.

“Did you know the blood would draw the greenlight or were you just trying to stop it?” Anti asked. He looked different. Most of him was still shadowy, but not all of him. His hands were normal-looking pale skin—though the nails were long. And his neck and head were normal-looking, too. He had wild brown hair, and a hint of stubble on his face, around a wide, but human, grin. But his eyes were less human. The white parts were black, and the irises glowed green. A red line drew across his neck, and it took Chase a moment to realize that it was a bleeding wound.

But the most surprising part about Anti’s appearance was that... he was Jackie’s age. Maybe a year or two older at most. Chase didn’t know why that was shocking. He just... assumed the shadow person watching them would’ve been older.

“Wh-what do you want?” Chase asked.

Anti shrugged. He said nothing more, just smiled.

“He asked you what you want!” Marvin shouted.

“Were you scared?” Anti asked.

Chase blinked, confused. He looked back at Marvin and Jameson. “Uh...”

“Yes,” Schneep whispered.

Anti’s smile widened. “That’s good to know. Do you know what the greenlight is?”

Nobody answered. Until Jameson slowly shook his head.

“I can’t believe it!” Anti laughed. “You fight the effects sooooo good!” His laughter died down. “You’re gonna find out more about it. Everyone is. It’s... what’s the word?” A pause. “Oh, yeah. Inevitable.” Then, between one blink and the next, Anti was gone.

The four of them stood there silently for a moment. Then Jackie groaned. They all gasped in unison and rushed over to him. The beagle dog also ran over and started licking his face. “Noooo...” Jackie moaned, pushed the dog away. Then he seemed to realize that it was weird a dog was there in the first place, and he sat up straight. “Ow!” He pressed a hand to his head.

“Jackie, are you okay?!” Marvin asked.

“Everything hurts, especially my head,” Jackie grumbled. He looked around. “Oh. This place is trashed. Probably a bad sign.” His eyes landed on the dog. “But...it’s all fixed?”

Marvin instantly burst into chatter, filling Jackie in on everything that happened while Jameson went over to grab the knife and rock he’d dropped. But Chase, once he knew Jackie was okay, turned his attention to Schneep. “Are you okay?” he asked.

Schneep nodded slowly. “Chase, I... I do not like dogs.”

“Really?”

Another nod. Schneep glanced at the others, then leaned close to Chase, lowering his voice. “We had a dog when I was little. It was bigger than me, a-and very loud, and... and it didn’t know how to tell play-afraid from real-afraid. Papa always left it in my room with me if I... took anything without asking. They got rid of it, but Mama would tell me we would get it back if I made trouble.”

Chase inhaled sharply. None of the others seemed to have heard this. “Well... let’s go outside, then,” he said. “Away from the dog.”

“But we have to take it back to the owner, yes?”

“We’ll put it in the boot of the car. And you can have the front seat so you’re really far away.”

Schneep nodded. His shoulders slumped. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Chase smiled. “No problem. C’mon, let’s go.”

The two of them walked out through the broken front doors. They sat on the asphalt of the parking lot and looked up at the sky and the few stars visible through the light from the city.

“Schneep...” Chase said slowly. “I... I like... I... Me and Mom care about you a lot, you know?”

“I know.” Schneep rested his head against Chase’s shoulder. “I feel the same. This... all of this strange stuff going on, the... supernatural... it’s scary, sometimes. But it can be fun. And it’s... less scary when I know you are there. Things are safer when I’m with you.”

“I’m... I-I’m glad,” Chase said in a strangled voice. “I... I’ll be here to make things safer. When you need me to.”

“For what I can do, I will be there, too.”

They fell silent.

Soon, Jackie and the twins would walk out. Marvin would gather up his rocks, and Chase would have to go back into the church for his bat and foam darts, telling Jackie about Schneep’s fear of dogs as he did so. The whole group would pile into the car and drive to Ms. Kennedy’s house to tell her they found her missing dog. Then Jackie would take Chase and Schneep to their house, dropping them off. Mom would complain about it getting dark soon, and tell them she was worried, but then serve them dinner with a soft smile, and insist they go to bed. They would go to their rooms, and Schneep would sleep with his bedroom door closed for the first time, telling Chase he was welcome to walk in any time, and Chase would promise to always knock. They would fall asleep at the same time, though they wouldn’t know it.

But for now, they sat in the parking lot and stared at the dark sky together. Feeling the weight of each other resting against them. Silent in their shared comfort.

[thenightlymirror]

The last year of living by myself has really made me feel like maybe I could live anywhere. I really wasn’t sure. My life is entirely my job now. When I go to see friends, it’s just the people who hired me.

I am a little surprised how few people I know despite the fact that I basically live in the same city I’ve lived in all my life. I go out on the weekend to get a slice of pizza, and other than the kids working behind the counter, it’s just me. Sitting in my car in the parking lot, it’s just me. Napping in my easy chair in my apartment for two days waiting for Monday, just me.

When I was feeling woozy and nearly passed out alone in my apartment two months ago, I drove myself to the ER in the hopes that I wouldn’t have a stroke and crash on the way there. Nothing happened. I just got fed up after waiting in the lobby for an hour and a half and drove back home, and felt woozy for another week or so after.

I just finally had some tests done and I’m fine. I’m very anemic. But, I think I probably just had inner ear vertigo from being out in the cold for several hours the day before.

A digression on anxiety. I know I spent about a year of my life being gaslit that I wasn’t dying when I was, but I feel like maybe I can account for some of my ailments as just anxiety if I can expand the term to include more than I intuit.

I know what anxiety feels like, I assume. An anxious person is easy to spot. Flittering about. Second guessing. Hesitating. Picky. Makes things difficult and needs things to be their specific way which sometimes makes them an asshole with or without any self-awareness of this fact.

I have a certain thing that happens to me, where I feel some ineffable problem coming on, like I’m going to lose control of my leg, or my arm. I imagine a blood clot roaming around, in my gut, in my neck, my eye. Losing focus briefly and thinking, “It’s in my brain now.” I woke up twice before my pulmonary embolism with my leg paralyzed. I think what I imagine is that I’m about to lose some part of my body from the map of my mind. Nothing ever happens. I guess that one time I felt like I was going to fall down, but I didn’t. For several days, I felt almost stoned. Like my consciousness was just “off”.

Is that anxiety? Maybe.

It could just be that my anxiety manifests itself in this very specific worry. It isn’t necessarily Multiple Sclerosis.

I’m when I felt that strange vertigo, I just told myself, keep walking, nothing will happen. And nothing did. After another two weeks (two weeks!) it went away.

I know there’s other things. I supposedly have social anxiety, though no one has ever seen it. When I had a therapist, she said my alienation from other people was trauma from being bullied as a kid. Otherwise groundless. Could you imagine? Anthony Cox has no grounds for feeling alienated from other people. He just has trauma from being bullied as a child. What if that was true? Could you imagine?

That makes me think of the last time I saw my brother’s wife. She was with us in Wisconsin when I went canoeing with my parents and some of their friends down the Namekagon River. She’s my parents’ age, scientist. (Church of Christ, Scientist.) Smarter than most people. She had no problem talking to my parents’ friends from the bar. Sports or TV or whatever. I hardly remember. But I tend to be sort of quiet and miserable in those situations. I really don’t want to be, or come off that way. This is almost ten years ago now. I don’t feel any differently now.

But my brother’s wife’s impression was that I’m insecure because I’m fat. Haha. You know, that her grandma was fat, and everyone loved her. So I shouldn’t feel so bad about it. Hahaha I DON’T. Hahahah I have never known anything else. I know my perception of human nature is probably a bit different from most people’s because I have never been treated nicely just because I was good looking to anyone. Amazing to me that anyone on Earth exists that can take this for granted, but it’s actually most people. Most people walk into situations with strangers and the strangers do not secretly find them horrifying. They walk into situations and 20% of the time, someone could imagine having sex with them. Or something like that. Some people might walk into situations and most people treat them nicely because they would like the opportunity to fuck them, or respect the fact that other people would want to fuck them. Absolutely wild to me.

But most people aren’t totally fascist or so victimized that they are ever even conscious of this. Every once in a while they just see an unpleasant looking person, cross themselves, and put it out of their minds.

Anyways. All I know is that most people bore me to death, and this boredom is, worst case scenario, probably something that precedes people and their interests. My boredom comes first, and it finds reasons later. I become interested in things that are obscure and I like them because no one notices them. And then I feel isolated when no one can relate.

But I’m not sure I’m even interested in things anymore. Culturally, Harper is interested in pretty basic stuff. Star Wars and anime and stuff. But she can have a conversation about anthropology or linguistics or music theory or Palestine. That means a lot to me. It feels like I live in the same universe.

Or, the other thing. I’ve been listening to Otherworld and just constantly in this paranoid twilight zone where I feel the schizophrenic color of life turned way up all the time lately. Is that just anxiety? A very specific kind of anxiety. But I’m just some kind of snowflake and I think my anxiety is special? I’ve got 12-dimensional anxiety.

I guess I feel a deep loneliness around people who don’t feel any anxiety. What the fuck is wrong with them? And I don’t even like to feel vain anxiety. I’m pretty chill honestly. The world’s just fucked and I’m pretty calm about it, considering. Sometimes people channel this anxiety into very specific vices and scapegoats and that can be boring too.

I try to be very tolerant and forgiving with all of it. I think there’s other people alive in this world, somewhere, a lot less tolerant and much more happy than myself. Never the twain shall meet. Some other universe, these people. A little self-respect and a lot of petty snobbery and they’re living off pure sweet fat of the hog, posting liberal memes on facebook somewhere. Drinking at the bar watching the Lion’s game. Doing the same shit as everyone else anyway.

[cryptonewsroom]

Crypto News Room: Stay Updated with the Latest Crypto News and Market Trends

The cryptocurrency market is hastily evolving, with new developments, rules, and technological improvements shaping the destiny of virtual property. Whether you're an investor, trader, or blockchain fanatic, staying knowledgeable approximately the present day crypto news is critical.

Crypto News Room is a relied on source for real-time updates, expert analysis, and in-depth market insights. In this text, we will cover the most latest traits, regulatory adjustments, and most important market moves impacting the sector of cryptocurrencies.

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Crypto News Room reports that Bitcoin has maintained sturdy guide above key resistance tiers, with analysts predicting a capability rally if market sentiment remains fantastic. The growing acceptance of Bitcoin ETFs and growing institutional hobby ought to further increase its fee within the coming months.

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Crypto News Room highlights that Ethereum's ongoing community trends are attracting more decentralized programs (DApps) and developers, solidifying its function as a main clever settlement platform. With decreased gas charges and enhanced security, Ethereum is about for lengthy-term increase.

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Crypto News Room reports that even as a few guidelines bring clarity, others create uncertainty for buyers and groups. The advent of clearer pointers for crypto companies ought to pressure in addition institutional adoption and market stability.

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Crypto News Room maintains readers informed about these regulatory shifts, making sure they stay in advance of the converting criminal landscape.

Institutional Adoption and Mainstream Crypto Acceptance Bitcoin ETFs and Corporate Investments One of the most tremendous developments within the crypto space is the approval of Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). Crypto News Room highlights that several foremost monetary institutions are actually imparting Bitcoin ETFs, permitting conventional investors to gain publicity to BTC without at once purchasing it.

Additionally, agencies like Tesla, PayPal, and Visa preserve to integrate crypto payments, similarly promoting mainstream adoption. As institutional adoption increases, the crypto marketplace is anticipated to advantage more credibility and stability.

DeFi, NFTs, and Web3 Innovations Decentralized Finance (DeFi) and Its Impact Decentralized Finance (DeFi) has revolutionized the monetary enterprise by means of disposing of intermediaries and supplying financial services immediately to users. Platforms like Uniswap, Aave, and Compound are leading the DeFi movement.

Crypto News Room covers the state-of-the-art DeFi traits, which includes yield farming, liquidity swimming pools, and staking opportunities, helping users navigate this rapidly growing zone.

NFTs: More Than Just Digital Art Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have extended past digital art, locating applications in gaming, actual estate, and entertainment. High-profile NFT income and celebrity endorsements preserve to force interest on this space.

Crypto News Room provides insights into the NFT market, overlaying upcoming tasks, investment possibilities, and the future of digital possession.

Web3 and the Future of the Internet Web3 represents the following generation of the internet, constructed on decentralized standards. With blockchain-based totally programs, decentralized social networks, and metaverse developments, Web3 is reshaping virtual interactions.

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Conclusion As the cryptocurrency industry maintains to adapt, staying knowledgeable with reliable information sources is important for making smart investment choices. Crypto News Room presents real-time updates, professional opinions, and particular evaluation on Bitcoin, Ethereum, altcoins, regulations, and rising tendencies in DeFi, NFTs, and Web3.

For the modern crypto news and market insights, maintain following Crypto News Room to live in advance in the ever-converting virtual asset panorama.

[z2z-gaming-and-random-art-ai]

Actua Sports Series (1995-1998) Soccer Golf & Tennis Beginnings⚽🎾⛳ 

Actua Sports was a sports video game series developed by Gremlin Interactive in the 1990s, aiming to rival EA Sports. The name "Actua" was a play on Sega's "Virtua" branding. The series began with Actua Soccer in 1995, notable for its fully 3D graphics, a first for home console football games. Expanding beyond football, Gremlin introduced Actua Golf in 1996, followed by Actua Tennis and Actua Ice Hockey in 1998. The series was known for its realistic gameplay and motion-captured animations, often collaborating with professional athletes to enhance authenticity. 

For the full length video for this short check out this video https://youtu.be/fg1MjsO6GEA?si=7Fs1kZf1vPcEjHe7

For other video game related shorts check out his playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFJOZYl1h1CF5oVPNNxPlLJPambfM5BIj&si=aVU4RB6fm_nCDevz

[retrocgads]

UK 1998

[hospitalitycareerprofile]

India, China full disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC | Newest Information India

https://www.hospitalitycareerprofile.com/?p=26826 India, China full disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC | Newest Information India India and China have accomplished the disengagement train within the Depsang and Demchok friction factors on the Line of Precise Management (LAC) in jap Ladakh. The troops of the 2 nations are actua Read More :- https://www.hospitalitycareerprofile.com/?p=26826 #india #viral #meme #usa #trending #sport #politics #news

[gplayr]

Exclusion Zone Gameplay Trailer Showcases Creepy Environments, Twisted Foes, and Extra Even with its flaws, Chernobylite was a sport with loads of potential, so the prospect of a sequel promising to make good on that potential and produce its justifiable share of enhancements is actua... https://blog.gplayr.com/exclusion-zone-gameplay-trailer-showcases-creepy-environments-twisted-foes-and-more/ #Chernobylite2ExclusionZone #PC #PS5 #TheFarm51 #XboxSeriesS #XboxSeriesX

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Saturn - Actua Golf

Title: Actua Golf / アクチャーゴルフ

Developer: Gremlin Interactive

Publisher: Naxat Soft

Release date: 4 April 1997

Catalogue No.: T-18710G

Genre: Golf

The first of two Actua sports games from British software developers Gremlin Interactive who are probably most famous for their Top Gear (Top Racer in Japan) games on the Amiga and SNES. Actua Golf looks wonderful in stills. So good in fact that you'd easily mistake the Saturn version for the PlayStation version. Unfortunately, Actua Golf is quite slow, and things can get a bit ugly when you're close up to them. Still, it does play a good game of golf if not a little simple by today's standards. Check it out if you ever get a chance.

[altadensidad]

Actua Sport amplía la producción en vivo con LiveU para cobertura récord de los campeonatos europeos de atletismo

El experto en producción en vivo Actua Sport ha recurrido nuevamente al innovador EcoSystem de video IP de LiveU para mejorar su cobertura de deportes en vivo, esta vez en el Campeonato Europeo de Atletismo, que tuvo lugar en Roma del 7 al 12 de junio. Por mandato de la Unión Europea de Radiodifusión (UER), Actua Sport funcionó como emisora ​​anfitriona para este evento de seis días con cifras de…