Usseewa

If you want, you can make blog on 17S for these. That way the specific stories are organized and stuff. Might make it easier for people like myself (who only just found your forum) to read the different stories. Just a suggestion. May be difficult to migrate there since it seems like you already wrote a lot. Also the forum already seems to be working for you, but just letting you know in case you haven't seen that feature yet. Edit: Loved it! Is it new, or does it have any characters from a previous story? I wonder what happened to Lilly... And what's with that guy "Ben." And why did Jake say he can't speak most of the time? Was that literal? Edit 2: That made me tear up. I loved it! The time jumps were really neat. Like showing moments from Annie's life. Did you ever write more for this? Edit 4: couldn't resist... Annie, are you ok? (It's a reference) Edit 3: Gave me shivers because I thought she had died...

What Dawnshard and Shard did he meet? Well, I guess I know the Dawnshard he met, so what about the Shard?

Hungry His stomach growled, but he couldn’t sate it. Not yet. He still had patients to deal with. As the next one—a young man—entered, he forced himself to focus on anything other than his hunger. Each time he finished the meager rations, he looked forward to the next meal—if you could call it one. His patient turned out to have signs of that new sickness that was rampant in these parts. He hoped he hadn’t caught it. The sickness hadn’t claimed any lives…yet. Though it was also fairly new—the first case being a mere week ago—so no one could be very sure of anything. Yeah, I only wrote one story this day. - Theory

The Moment It was time. The moment he’d been waiting for all his life. Pack on his shoulder, he squinted up at the midday sky where the large reflective vessel was descending. All around him, people were standing, bewildered, in the streets. Cars were stopped, with people leaning out the windows or getting out to gaze at the metallic beast from beyond. Highway I rolled down the driver-side window and gazed through the windshield at the landscape passing alongside the highway. Rock music blasted from the radio and the wind roared in my ears. Left arm resting partway out the open window, I bobbed my head to the beat. The sun warmed me, but not so much as to be a bother. Suddenly, I heard the cars in front of my honk their horns, and distant crashes began sounding. Looking ahead down the slope of the highway, I couldn’t immediately see what the disturbance was, though I almost rear-ended the car in front of me as its brakes squealed. All around me, cars stopped and people began opening their doors, standing beside their cars and peering at the sky. And then I saw it. Campus Jade finished her lunch—one of the less appetizing college meals—and walked out of the dining hall, backpack on her shoulders. It was a sunny day in early fall, with leaves beginning to populate the campus walkways. As Jade walked distractedly, phone in hand, the sun faded—there must have been clouds moving in. r u seeing this? Her friend, Jamie, texted. Seeing wht? Jade replied. the SKY!! Jade paused, looking up from her phone toward the sky. Your DOOM! Roy walked past the third ride with a CLOSED sign. Did they have any open attractions in this dump? At last, he reached some sort of haunted house. It appeared to be open. Finally, Roy thought as he walked across the creaky wood floor inside the haunted house. There, he was met with…a clown. A sleeping clown. I bet they didn’t expect anyone to actually come to this place. “Hey,” Roy said as he walked over to the snoring man in a clown’s costume. He stirred in his wooden chair, then sat up and blinked. “Oh, hey there,” the clown said. And smiled. Redacted [Pause 00:35–00:39] [00:40] S1: Very well, we have...methods I believe will loosen your tongue. [00:48] Speaker 3: Hold still. [00:50] S2: Wait— [Pause 00:51–01:00] [01:01] S1: Now, what can you tell me about [redacted]? [Pause 01:07–01:10] [01:11] S2: [redacted] [01:34] S1: Anything else? [01:37] S2: No. Absent Missed You This Morning Jane, I didn’t see you at the cafe this morning. Where were you? Did something come up? Best, Carl Carl Hendrick Assistant Head of Research [email protected] Temporal Research Laboratories (TRL) * * * Re: Missed You This Morning everythings fine yeah something came up im busy Jane Rhine Head of Research [email protected] Temporal Research Laboratories (TRL) * * * Re: Missed You This Morning Jane, Jane, are you alright? Do you want to reschedule? What you said sounded very important. Carl * * * Re: Missed You This Morning Carl, I am well, but I appreciate your concern. I was mistaken. We no longer need to meet to discuss this matter. Sincerely, Jane The Message It sounded like some sort of SOS, but she could only make out every other word—and even then just barely. Anyone…hear… Emergency…help… But who could it be? And why did they need help? She tried asking this, but got no response, only static. Fruit Shaky hands beginning to sweat, he continued to maneuver the snake around his computer screen, collecting the “fruit.” He didn’t know if he could stop. He didn’t know what would happen if he lost. All he knew was that he had to keep playing. So he did. The Photo The group of friends gathered around and stared with wide eyes at the photo displayed on the phone, held in trembling fingers. It depicted them. And something else. In the photo, it stood behind them, unnaturally tall and looming. It wasn’t human. A Dark Room Zack regained consciousness. Groggy, it took him a minute to regain awareness. Once he did, he found himself bound to a metal chair in a dark room. He struggled against his restraints, but it was no use. They were too strong. The last thing he remembered was nearing the door of Carla’s house, then they—whoever they were—had crashed through the yard in their black armored trucks and knocked him out. As his eyes adjusted, Zack could make out faint shapes in front of him. A table? As his hands were tied behind him, and the chair appeared bolted to the floor, Zack couldn’t reach out or move closer to check. A few minutes later, Zack heard a voice, belonging to a man he couldn’t see. “Good, you’re awake,” the man said. “If you cooperate, it will be much easier for the both of us.” Lights. Voices. Memory. Young Jim, back at his aunt’s house, sat in a chair by the window, trying to both remember and forget that scene. It had been several years ago, and he had been a mere boy then. He still was, just older. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, giving way to the moon, Jim thought back to that moment when his family—parents, older brother—had been taken. Abducted. Why had he been spared? Conspiracy After two and a half weeks, Cerise was finally accustomed to her…uniquities. Mostly. She only occasionally stumbled or forgot she was walking with metal. She no longer had those daily check-ins with the cybernetics doctors, though they encouraged her to give them a call should she ever need help. Cerise no longer needed a cellphone for that; her brain had implants that allowed for access to the internet and let her make calls and send texts just by thinking about it. That she was not used to. She tried not to think too much about what that meant…what any of this meant. The cybernetics doctors had developed a way to conceal the cyborg parts, offering it for free to anyone willing. Cerise had declined. It had felt right, though she couldn’t explain why. Many people stared, a few of them even considerate enough to make a meager attempt at hiding it. Cerise, however, was too busy to care, for there was conspiracy afoot. Old He was old. Sitting on his porch in a rocking chair, he gazed down at his wrinkled hands, then across the field and toward the setting sun. He smiled, remembering his long-gone wife. She had been able to turn any day into one like this, and the memory of her sometimes achieved the same effect. He closed his eyes, peaceful, and dozed off. Hope you enjoyed! Please consider letting me know what text formatting (like for separate paragraphs within a story) works best! - Theory

Tough on, but probably Wayne, Shallan, or Hoid (also, let's not try to get too off topic).

\+++\ Perpendicularity Purpleleftways

<___> Spiritual bluedown

Note: this post was from Jan 1., which is the reason for the title. I will be posting the stories I wrote in the past week over the course of a few days until I am caught up. I will still be writing stories each day (as I did today), but I won't post them for a few days - to avoid messing up the order on the blog. Enjoy! Forgiven He forgave her. It hadn’t been her fault, nor his. It was their doing all along, those deceivers. He held out his arms, and they embraced one another, sharing tears of many emotions—fear, anger, and…joy. The Ocean Young Jim stood on the beach, watching the tide wash up the sand, then retreat. Last time he’d stood here…the memory was obscured in fog, but he could remember small details. Harsh lights scattering the darkness. The desperate pleas of those who held him dearly. Then…nothing. Time Gwen was out of time. She had to leave now. “Phil, we gotta go. Now.” Phil—a man in his late 30s with a short beard—looked up from where he was hurriedly stuffing supplies and mementos in a nondescript duffel bag. “Just one more moment.” “No,” Gwen said, walking over to Phil, “we’re out of time.” Phil looked regretfully around the dark room before nodding and standing up. Together, they crept through the dark rooms of the now-abandoned once-home. They avoided the creaky steps—memorized long ago—as they descended into the basement. Gwen remorsefully thought of how they’d never gotten around to renovating the basement. There was no time for such thoughts. Gwen in the lead, they carried their duffels over to the hidden trapdoor. Gwen set hers down and opened it, then they dumped their duffels and climbed down the wooden ladder into the tunnel. Phil closed the trapdoor on his way down—anything that delayed their pursuit was welcome. Gwen and Phil then hurried through the cramped and uneven dirt tunnel—toward escape. Airborne The virus was airborne. Ruby immediately began holding her breath, hoping it wasn’t too late. She hastened in her task, flipping switches and typing away on the old-school keyboard. She had to stop the virus before it spread too far. The people who had engineered it were likely safe in a fallout shelter somewhere—vaccines in their bodies—wearing those specially-designed masks and plenty of emergency cures, just in case. The rest of the population wouldn’t be so fortunate. Ruby’s lungs began burning, begging for oxygen. She couldn’t comply, not with the virus in the air. She began to feel dizzy as she executed commands on the ancient computer, nearly finished. Ruby hoped this would stop the distribution of the airborne virus. As for what was already released…she was doing what she could. She held on long enough to run the final sequence of commands, then all went black as the lack of oxygen caught up to her. Flashes The group of friends stood smiling together in the dark and empty parking lot, excitement in the air, as they posed for the group photo. One rejoined the others after balancing the phone on the car and setting the timer. The phone flashed its white light as it captured the moment, and the group dispersed, one retrieving the phone. The air turned to terror as they looked at the photo. Snake His heart beat quicker as he read the text on his laptop screen. How did it know? He looked around his dark bedroom, lit only by the glow of his computer and the Snake window that was displayed on it. DON'T TRY ANYTHING. PLAY THE GAME. “Can you hear me? What the hell is this?” The text already on the screen simply blinked once, as if returning his attention to it. He reluctantly reached down to the arrow keys and started playing the game. He had no idea what he was getting himself into. Seized Her chest tightened, heart beginning to race. She felt an overwhelming sudden panic. Not again, she thought as it seized her. Her phone slipped from her shaking fingers as she began to hyperventilate. She pulled the covers close, shrinking back into her pillows. She shut her eyes and tried to calm down, but found it impossible. Her phone buzzed, but she ignored it. She was unable to think clearly. This was the worst one yet. Empty I flipped through my grandmother’s diary, but was met with only empty pages. Ivy rubbed against my legs, and I reached out to stroke her fur with one hand. Why would the diary be empty? I reached the last page—empty, of course—and set down the worn journal. I shook my head and began picking up books to put them back on the shelves, reminiscing on all the pages waiting to be read. I stopped at one that caught my attention: Hidden Writing: The Art of Ciphers in Journals. I lifted the front cover and scanned the contents. The Caesar Cipher, Mirrored Script... Ah! Invisible Ink. Could it be? Cyborg It had been only a week since Cerise had awoken to find herself a cyborg, and she was still getting used to the strangeness of it all. The doctors had told her that she’d been found under the pile of rubble from the Accident. Cerise, along with several others, had been saved using the new cybernetics technology. She still couldn’t remember much of what had happened, but she was grateful that the doctors had done what they’d done. Cerise awkwardly walked on her metal legs through the city streets, wondering how long it would take to get used to it all. The doctors had assured her it would only take a week or two, yet the technology was also largely untested. And so, Cerise made her way into the doctor’s office for her daily checkup. Her ability to walk and move had improved enough that she didn’t need to stay at the hospital anymore, and so she was staying at an apartment that the city was paying for in recompense. “Ah, Cerise, you’re here,” said one of the doctors, the kindly woman from before. “Have a seat.” Ideas Innumerable Alex had innumerable ideas. Too many to write down, but he would try anyway. As he pulled the car into his driveway, Alex hastily turned off the car and quickly walked to the front door. He fumbled with his keys, hands shaking with adrenaline. At last, he got the door open and rushed to his desk, where he got out his laptop, waiting impatiently as it started up. After what felt like an eternity, he opened up a new document and started typing. With each idea Alex typed down, another two appeared in his mind. He typed feverishly, fingers moving of their own accord. Soon, he felt limited by the computer, and so he got out a sheet of paper and a pen. Perfect. Now he could draw those sketches, diagrams, arrows, circles, and anything imaginable. Now he needed more paper. He reluctantly removed himself from his desk, shaking hands searching for that stack of paper he kept. He found it, setting the whole stack down on his desk. And resumed his writing. The Child The child lay alone in a field, watching birds flit in the blue sky above. He was peaceful, for the moment. In that field, on a warm summer afternoon, he found it easy to forget and let the time pass. Correspondences Important Carl, I believe that I have figured it out. We must meet ASAP to discuss this new method. Please respond promptly. Sincerely, Jane Jane Rhine Head of Research [email protected] Temporal Research Laboratories (TRL) * * * Re: Important Jane, Really!? Wow. I’m busy today, but should be free tomorrow morning. We could discuss it over coffee, maybe 9am? Best, Carl Carl Hendrick Assistant Head of Research [email protected] Temporal Research Laboratories (TRL) * * * Re: important That works, thank you. Jane Welcome Welcome, the wooden sign read in peeling red paint, to your DOOM! Roy was not scared. This would just be like any other “scary” amusement park. I bet they just have cheap robots or lame “actors,” Roy thought as he walked through the night air past the metal gates. There, he found a stand where a bored-looking woman would be collecting entrance fees. He walked up to her and—after trying to decipher the cracked paint which would’ve had the price—asked ”how much?” “Five bucks,” she said dispassionately. Only? Well, Roy supposed he could expect that from a cheap place like this. He fished out a fiver and handed it to the woman, then continued on toward the attractions. Silent Isaac froze, one leg already through the window. It was never silent. There were always sounds of life. Neighbors chatting. Cars driving by. Dogs barking. Isaac lifted his leg out of the window and scanned his surroundings. Nothing. No people. No dogs. No cars. Where was everyone? Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember seeing anyone on his way home from work. He had been so immersed in his favorite podcast that he didn’t notice it at the time, but now it stood out. A quick look told him that all the lights were out—which normally wouldn’t be too notable, but now only added to the eeriness. He got out his phone to text Travis, one of his neighbors and friends, but there was no service. Something was definitely going on. Suddenly, there was wind—stronger than usual—whistling and shaking the trees. He glanced up at the grey sky and saw dark clouds gathering. A storm? Sorry “S-sorry? What are you talking about?” I cannot say. “Why…why not?” … “Please, I—” Not Present It should be there! Why isn’t it there? The whole roadside is empty, not a hint of what I hoped to see. The helicopter is practically on top of me now, so I desperately look for something, anything, that can get me out of this. They can’t take me. If they do… Fire The Fire’s heat was so very strong. Even from here, I could feel the waves of heat radiating from the roaring flames—still ravenous, despite having devoured so much. I had to find a way to stop it. The Fire could not be allowed to consume the rest of the continent, leaving ashes as the only indication of what had once been. Untamable The beast was untamable. It shook the metal bars of its cage, growling deeply. It couldn’t get loose again…not after what happened last time. It looked almost like a bear, though it had tough skin and shell covering its face. It had destroyed the bars of its last cage, treating them as if twigs—easy to snap. Hopefully this new cage would hold it until…until the decision was made on what to do with it. Shivers Hannah was cold. She shivered as she pulled on her favorite hoodie and climbed under the covers of her bed. The cold didn’t abate. She shivered again, curling up and trying to get warm. Why was she so cold? It felt as if a cold but gentle breeze were blowing under the covers and finding its way to her skin. Hannah continued shivering, wondering when she would feel sweet warmth again. Eventually, she found her eyelids drooping, and kept starting awake, not knowing she’d nodded off. In her bed—leaning against the headboard and pillows—Hannah succumbed to sleep. Warmth He felt an indescribable warmth emanating from…somewhere. It wasn’t the type of warmth that made one sweat, no. This was the warmth swept from him all worries, the kind that slowed a racing heart, that soothed rage. He was standing on a sidewalk, people streaming around or with him, depending on their level of urgency. At that moment, he no longer felt the urgency of those surging ahead of him, yet he didn’t quite feel the distractedness of those who began beside him and slowly fell behind. He felt serene. Water Josh needed water. He was sweating, mouth dry. He longed for cold water to run down his throat, soothing it. Unfortunately, there was none to be found. Not in this desert. And so, Josh continued his trek through the hot sand, legs already numb from hours of walking. * * * Hours later, Josh finally collapsed in a sandy heap. Static …anyone…hear… …repeat: can…hear me? …emergency…help… … Inaudible [00:00] Speaker 1: I’m just going to ask you a few questions, alright? [00:04] Speaker 2: I know what you’re up to. [00:06] S1: Oh? [00:07] S2: You [inaudible]. [inaudible]. [00:15] S1: My, what an accusation. Too bad [inaudible]. [Pause 00:25–00:31] [00:32] S1: You might as well cooperate. That's all for now, but I'll be posting the next two or so days' worth of stories tomorrow! - Theory

(???) digital whiteout.

In @LadyLameness's Policies post, they state: However, the actual length is three lines: (Signature change page. Note how it says "Maximum of 3 lines." This wasn't what I actually want for my signature, just an example.) I feel like the post should be updated to say three, even if users will find out themselves (like I did) when they try to do four lines. Edit: @al_lan_mandragoran's Sig appears to be more than four lines, but possibly not counted by the system. Does the system count the number of newline characters? If so, mine obviously fails, while Mandragoran's will succeed (since the fourth line is produced from the text continuing on the next line, not the Enter key. (I copy+pasted their Sig. Note how you can tell its three lines because the three sections have the background highlight from pasting. Also the space between sections.) (Screenshot of their Sig) So, I guess you can technically have a long signature (though you should keep it to four lines max)?

Note: this entry is entitled "2025/12/31" because that is the date I wrote the following stories. The Diary I had a lot of books. Most of them were collecting dust, scarcely touched. One day, I turned from my desk as a loud crash sounded, and books came tumbling down. On top of the pile? My cat, Ivy, sat, licking her paw innocently. I sighed—she was always doing things like this. I carefully shooed Ivy off the books, and the pile shifted precariously. Then I saw it. I had lost it years ago, and given up looking. My grandmother’s diary. It must have been crammed somewhere in the mess that was my bookshelf—I really needed more space for all these books. I carefully picked up the ancient-looking pages, holding it reverently. It was all I had left of her—she had passed when I was young. The few memories I had of her were all fond—her playing games with me or taking me on walks. I found the prospect of seeing what her life was like to be intriguing. I hadn’t spared a look when we’d found it in a box after moving, and I had promptly forgotten about it with all that was going on after moving. When I remembered, it was nowhere to be seen—hidden among my books the whole time. So, crouching at the pile of dusty tomes, I opened the diary. And found it empty. Pizza Oddity I sat at the table in the pizza place—that was what we all called it, though it had a name we didn’t care to learn—with my friends as the pizza arrived. The atmosphere was warm and cozy, especially in the evening like it was then. The quiet chatter and aroma of dough, sauce, and cheese. The waiter set down the two pizzas—we always split it between the three of us, as the pizzas were big. I would’ve noticed the first clue had I not been entranced at the freshly-baked steaming pizzas in front of us. My stomach growled as I picked up a slice, raised it to my mouth, and fainted. Theoretically… I race through the grass of the open field under the moonlight. I should be in a small Kansas town, at 10:57pm, on a late summer night, likely August 2nd. Theoretically. Time machines sometimes act up. So, as I start panting already—I really should’ve exercised more—I hear the distinctive sound of a helicopter. I expected them to find me. I look back as the light is turned on—just my luck—and have to run blindly until my vision recovers. I stumble over a rock—though I thankfully don’t fall—and look for cover. There is none, of course. Why would I even think of cover in the middle of a large field? I try going over the scenarios I planned for in my head, only to realize it’s difficult to think now that I’m actually doing it. I continue running, for my only hope is to get out of this field. It should be just past the edge. Theoretically. I reach the edge of the field as a car rushes by, then stop as dread seeps in. It’s not there. … “W-what did you just say? … “Can you…can you hear me? Are you still there?” … “Why are you doing this?” I’m sorry. The Bird The bird perched on a high branch in a tall tree, surveying the land. There was the Ground Nest, where the Loud Ones had their nest—strangely on the ground, like they weren’t afraid of other predators. Though, the bird had never seen a Loud One fly, so maybe that was it. The bird turned its gaze toward the Food. It flew down and landed on the strange cold branch that the Food was attached to, then down and started eating. It got a little annoying having the Loud Ones so close to the Food, especially when they emerged from their massive Ground Nest. Luckily, the Loud Ones were so slow that it was no effort to escape them. This time, none emerged, and the bird ate some, then flew back toward its branch… and couldn’t find it. Where was the tree? The bird turned around—still flying—and no longer saw the Ground Nest or the Food. In fact, it didn’t recognize anything. Suddenly, the bird saw the tree again, and landed on the branch. Must’ve gotten turned around. The Door The door was locked, which was unusual. The door was never locked. Except maybe at night. Isaac tried the door again. Maybe it was just jammed? That happened sometimes; the whole place was old. Was there another way in? Isaac pondered this, then noticed the open window. Perfect! He picked up his bag and walked toward the window. He reached inside, setting his bag on the floor inside the building, then started to climb in. Only then did he notice what had bothered him since he’d got out of his car. It was silent. The Window She sat on the couch, listening to music through her headphones, typing away furiously lest her inspiration slip away. She shivered slightly, putting up the hood of her sweater, but not missing a beat. She continued typing, but grew distracted as a chill winter breeze found its way beneath her warm sweater. Wait. Breeze? She looked up and saw the source: an open window. She never opened them in the winter. Em Dash He sat in his bed, laptop open in front of him, scrolling through the posts. He stopped as one caught his eye, and clicked on it. He read it, then hit Reply, and started typing his response. He soon needed an em dash. He tried typing a few hyphens to see if it would autocomplete into one, but of course they didn’t. He opened a new browser tab, searched em dash, and copied the one that appeared in the first result. He made to go back to his reply, but the tab wasn’t there. Had he accidentally closed it? He tried reopening it, but his keyboard and mouse stopped responding. What the hell? The whole screen began distorting, until all was black. As he reached toward the power button to restart the laptop, a small window appeared in the center of the screen. He recognized it as the old classic Snake. As his finger was about to reach the power button, some text appeared in the Snake window, and he froze. I wouldn’t do that, if I were you. Falling Snow Snow fell from the morning sky as Sam opened her eyes. She turned bleary eyes to the window, in awe at the wondrous sight. It rarely snowed where she was, and never quite this much. She got up and walked toward the window, gazing down at the street below her apartment, which had yet to be plowed. Do we even have plows? Sam shook her head in amazement and walked to the “kitchen” to pour herself a bowl of stale cereal. As she ate the cereal, Sam’s mood soured as she looked at her cramped apartment. Was it Christmas? She had almost forgotten in the dullness. Sam finished her bowl, stacking it precariously with the other dirty dishes, which consisted of most of the few she owned. As she unconsciously walked toward the window and the sight it displayed, she was again filled with that sense of amazement. Sam started when a knock sounded at her door. She sighed and walked toward the door. Who could it be? She had no friends. Not here. She cracked the door and was surprised to see her neighbor—Susan, was it?—standing outside. Sam opened the door the rest of the way. “What is it?” “Me and a few of the others here are getting together, and we thought you might want to join us.” Sam was thrilled. Ever since she had moved to this miserable city, no one had asked her to participate in anything, and she had never asked, though she probably should have. She didn’t know what to say, so she nodded. Four I stood up as the four men and women entered. They all wore long jackets and wide-brimmed hats. I spotted a few daggers on their belts. I grew nervous as the group stalked toward me, faces obscured by the hats. They must have noticed, for the one in the lead stopped and took off her hat. “Oh, don’t worry, Jason. Your costume looks great.” I relaxed a bit, though I wasn’t fully convinced as we all gathered into the car and headed to the convention. Unlocatable Where was it? I frantically searched, dread creeping up with each moment the item remained unlocatable. I shoved aside cluttered piles of papers and books, but to no avail. It had to be somewhere. It couldn’t have just vanished, right? I continued in a desperate frenzy, knowing my time was running out. I almost gave up and sprinted out of there, until a buzz sounded. There! I lifted the blanket, and there was my phone. I had received a text message from my mom, telling me to hurry or I’d be late for school. Thanks! I quickly typed back as I grabbed my backpack and rushed down the stairs and out the door. Sent No service, my phone read. I sat in the passenger seat of the car as we drove through the empty road in the middle—or, I hoped, the edge—of nowhere. I had tried to send the message while we had service an hour ago, but had pressed the button a second two late and watched the bars drop. Soon, I began to see signs of life, and checked my phone again. One bar. I hoped it would be enough. It was. A Chat Between Friends Carla: hey wanna hang out aftr school? Zack: sure ig Carla: ig? … Zack: well ive been sotra busy Carla: ok, mb ltr? … Zack: yeah, ok 9:31pm that day Zack: carla! cna i come to ur place? plz Carla: whats up? is smthng wrng? … Knock. Knock. Knock. Zack: plz lte me in im rnning otu of time Carla: ??? Carla: ok, i bit u gotta tell me wats up … CRASH Carla: Z! was that you? hold on im coming to the door … Carla: zack? wru? i dont see u … Carla: zack? … Numb Cerise was numb. She couldn’t feel her limbs. Did she have limbs? What did it feel like… She tried to open her eyes, but all was black. Was she blind? She couldn’t remember what had happened. She grew drowsy, and soon lost consciousness. * * * Cerise blinked open heavy eyelids—then immediately closed them from the blinding light above her. EYESIGHT DIMMED. The text appeared in front of her, even though her eyes were closed. She opened her eyes, and found once-unbearable light above no more irritating than a weak lamp—shade and all. Cerise sat up, only now realizing that she’d been lying down. The last thing she remembered was that overwhelming numbness. At least she seemed to have all her limbs, and clearly wasn’t blind. AUDITORY SYSTEMS ONLINE. There it was again! Some kind of…hologram? It followed when she shifted her gaze, and seemed perpetually in focus. Almost…almost as if it were coming from her own eye. Voices conversed around her, and she saw that they belonged to figures in white coats. Doctors? Had they been operating on her? “What’s going on here,” she tried to say, but it came out a garbled croak. SPEECH SYSTEMS NOT YET ONLINE. “Hey!” one of the doctors said, an older woman with a kindly but concerned face. “She’s awake!” The rest of the doctors turned to her, and she saw them wearing similar mixed expressions—like something was wrong. Or they were about to tell her something she wouldn’t like. And so, Cerise had already guessed—at least in the back of her mind—what the woman would say when she spoke. “I’m sorry, but this was what we had to do. To keep you alive.” Cerise looked down at her metallic arms and legs, then at herself in a mirror the doctors provided. She was a…a cyborg. “I…thank you.” The Cellphone Michael—a brown-haired teen of about 16, maybe 17—walked home from high school on an average day. Once home, he—being an average teen—went to his bedroom, put in his headphones, and whipped out his telephone—cellpone? In a way, teens these days aren’t all that dissimilar from teens like myself were back in the ‘80s—or was it the ‘90s? I don’t remember much from those days. Anyway, Michael lay unmoving in his bed for about an hour or two—maybe a little different from how I was—conversing, if that’s what you call it, with his friends. Some were fellow classmates, others were creepy old men like me, and still others were, shall we say…not of human ancestry. Michael was so engrossed in that little glowing brick that his own father had to send an e-mail—or, “text,” as I believe they call it—when it was dinnertime. Michael slowly made his way to the dining room—clad in headphones, occasionally pausing when a friend said something particularly funny. When he got there, he sat down, and proceeded to let his food grow cold—my parents would have a fit if they saw Michael now. His sister Emily stood up and yanked Michael’s headphones out, causing Michael to finally look up from that…device…and acknowledge the world around him. In doing so, he broke out of a sort of trance. And immediately grew sick with horror. Two Machines BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. ...BEEP? BEEP! BEEP BEEP! BEEP… BEEP? BEEP! BEEP!!! ... The Page The page sat on the metal desk under a layer of dust, forgotten long ago. Its contents were of the greatest degree of import imaginable. If only someone would find it… The Sound and the Light A distant sound disturbed her peaceful sleep. She tried to ignore it, curling up and falling back into pleasant dreams. She succeeded. Until it sounded again, louder this time…closer. It was like a foghorn, though with sharp clicking sounds intermingled. She tried to maintain a hold on sleep, but it was slipping through her fingers as her mind became more awake. She hesitantly cracked an eyelid, but couldn’t see anything save a distant small grey light. Her spine chilled, skin forming goosebumps, and the sound repeated. Much closer this time. She frantically examined her surroundings—her mind fully alert now—yet saw nothing. Just that distant dull light and darkness all around her. There was a faint breeze, and the air was slightly humid—like mist. She started slowly walking toward the light, as it was the only distinct thing she could see. She’d only taken a few steps before the sound—now as loud as if it were upon her—repeated once again. She felt its presence even before she turned and saw it. Hope you enjoyed! More coming soon, - Theory

Blight before death, bleakness before pancakes, the failure to cease of believing before Journey BLIGHT BEFORE DEATH, BLEAKNESS BEFORE PANCAKES, THE FAILURE TO CEASE BELIEVING BEFORE JOURNEY I'm not actually serious

I figured that might be a possible meaning after I posted 3BP, RR, & Edit: wuddya think of my siggy (or, shall I say, Sigzil) Skip me

250K? As in 250,000? Out of what? 10? Or is this a reference I don't get... We rate based on the relation between member title and username, correct? For you...~31.415926.../eleventy-seven. In general, your MemTitle doesn't make much sense to me - is it an RP thing?

8.125/10 dragons roar

Does this count? "Ping Chaos" - @Doomslug the Arcane

Check this out (don't be insulted please): Try to spot all the Space oddities. Edit: I hope this can't get me banned... but just in case, that image is faked.

KnightSkye: "ThiNk aBOut wHaT?" (do you mean "steal the last post"?)

Nice timing @Kansas Stormcursed. Chaos was offline for an hour, then someone (I assume you) liked the post and Chaos went online. Dun dun dun...

@KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren can you quickly PM me something random? I'm making a meme and I don't feel like inspect-elementing the PM notif (edit: to clarify, I meant creating one, not editing it lol). @KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren thank you:

Send me a PM please, it can be nonsense. It's for a meme. Edit: also, I always imagine your PFP as a fairy with a Christmas hat on lol Edit 2: @Doomslug the Arcane nevermind, I got someone else to do it:

Do what? Ping Chaos and ask him to do that? Or ask if anyone has won yet?

Has anyone won yet? Imagine @Chaos posts something here like "I win", then immediately locks it.

That was three posts ago, you were supposed to do mine. I think

I am Ishar