1. There was a brown paper wrapped package waiting on the front porch when they came home. There was no return address and their address was written in somehow greasy looking marker.
A. There was a brown paper wrapped package waiting on the front porch when they came home. There was no return address and their address was written in somehow greasy looking marker.
Sasha circled the package curiously and finally braced her booted feet wide so she could lean close to the label. “Who could have left this here? It doesn’t have any postage marks.”
“Sasha, honey, get away from there,” Natalia ordered. When Sasha didn’t move fast enough, she dashed forward to grab her daughter by the arm and pulled her away.
“Mom! What’s wrong with you?”
“Quiet. We need to get away from here and call the police.”
“What? Why?” Sasha asked.
“I think it’s a bomb.”
2. The toys arrived in a discreet brown paper wrapped package.
A. The toys arrived in a discreet brown paper wrapped package that he opened in the bathroom. He could hear his wife moving around in the living room and hoped that she would like the surprises he’d gotten for them both.
Reaching under the counter, he got out the large bottle of sex toy cleaner. By the time she came to bed he would have everything clean and ready to go.
It sent a warm thrill through him to imagine the look on her face when she walked into the bedroom. He’d seen her window shopping their favorite sex toy site and hadn’t missed the way her eyes had lingered, coveted, and regretfully moved away.
He’d do nearly anything to make her happy. Even this.
3. She tied the brown paper wrapped package with string and set it with the others waiting to be mailed.
A. She tied the brown paper wrapped package with string and set it with the others waiting to be mailed. She had three more orders to fill before she could leave for the day. If she was lucky, she’d make it home in time to take a shower before going to the movie.
Her lips curved in a smile and her thoughts drifted to her evening plans. Even as her hands continued to write out calligraphy address labels and wrap packages, she let herself fantasize a bit about her night to come.
You know, I’m getting tired of people telling me what I am and am-not concerned about, especially when it comes to my personal security.
“Look, nobody cares about my taxes.” Does something that’s equal measures wacky, horrifying, and war crimey. “See, nobody cares about taxes.”
“Nobody cares about their personal security.” Sells everyone’s metadata to Russia, but not China, since China already stole everything by state-sponsoring the Yahoo hack. “See, everyone’s information is out there. Nobody cares. Everyone’s still alive and operating normally. Ignore those dudes using your private information to steal your identity and spoof your friends. It’s cool, bro. The coolest.”
“See, somebody hacked the Social Security information of all federal employees, and look, nobody cares!” Waves hands wildly above head to show just how much nobody cares. “It doesn’t matter that you were born while your father served in the Army so your social security number was on file too. It’s not like anyone’s going to use that and your mother’s maiden name to steal your identity or the identities of your children. It’s cool, bro. Let it go. There’s nothing you can do to fix the problem.”
Our government fucked up. And now they’re fucking up again.
But don’t worry. They say everything’s fine. Keep drinking the Kool-Aid, it’s delicious, don’t look at the man behind the iron curtain, and certainly don’t question that individuals in the highest levels of government have ties to a hostile foreign government. Certainly don’t wonder if they’re being coerced to betray the American people.
Everything’s cool.
They’re just going to be selling our metadata to private companies, injecting malware into our browsers in the form of directed advertising, and maybe even slowing our Internet speed whenever we look at sites they don’t approve of. Everything’s cool.
It’ll be just like having a nosy parent that doesn’t feel any compunction or shame about sharing all of our personal details with a bunch of strangers.
1. Outraged parents began contacting the school board at record rates. The principal had been selling drugs to some students and using others as dealers on the street.
A. Outraged parents began contacting the school board at record rates. The principal had been selling drugs to some students and using others as dealers on the street. It was the biggest scandal the county had ever seen, and nobody was happy about it.
Dozens of middle school children were going to be attending court mandated drug management programs. The principal, the Teacher of the Year, a janitor, and the cop that had accepted bribes to look the other way were all going to prison. And the once idyllic town dealt with the aftermath of a school that had taught their children how to use and sell drugs.
Things were never going to be the same.
2. It was the fourth day in a row that her children came home with unfamiliar toys. When she asked where they came from, she was surprised to hear that the children bought them from their principal.
A. It was the fourth day in a row that her children came home with unfamiliar toys. When she asked where they came from, she was surprised to hear that the children bought them from their principal. She pointed out that they didn’t have any money when they went to school.
“But Mommy, Mr. P said we didn’t need any money. He just wanted a little favor.”
Her stomach sunk. She could feel the blood flooding heat into her face, throbbing in her neck and forehead. “A favor? What kind of favor?”
3. Even knowing it was against district policy, he couldn’t help himself. He began selling things to the students, small things at first, then bigger and bigger.
A. Even knowing it was against district policy, he couldn’t help himself. He began selling things to the students, small things at first, then bigger and bigger. He knew he was in trouble when he sold a 3D TV to a 15-year-old. Because that’s when the phone calls started. That’s when the parents started taking notice of what he was doing and had already done.
The two policemen waiting in front of the school when he arrived Monday morning were the nails in his coffin. He saw them standing there, and something in him broke free.
It’s gardening time again. I’m not the best at it, but I keep trying.
Things I’m growing so-far:
JalapeƱo
Cherry tomatoes
Lettuce
Bell pepper
Pumpkin
Watermelon
Pet grass
Strawberries
I’ve got tons of other seeds, but I lack the space to grow them in once they’re big.
“Don’t plant where I gotta mow.”
“We don’t need a bunch of holes in the yard.”
So I’m looking at container plants, and I’ll maybe use a corner of my uncle’s garden. But small and sustainable is what I’m looking at.
I also need to look around for a safe moth spray. They come and lay their eggs on the fruit trees. If they can, they try to get their babies amongst the blossoms. It’s awful.
*
Stuff I’m working on:
ATR and Tuesday Night, of course.
Plus drawing and painting so my Ren’Py game will be awesome. People like graphics in games *shrug*.
I’mma be throwing Overwatch[1] to the public. There was some interest, and I do need to expand the details of the Kanon-verse.
*
[1] In Tuesday Night, the Teen Demis and many other superhero groups receive orders and oversight from Overwatch. Attached to the CMPF and the budding Metahuman Affairs Bureau (MAB), Overwatch is an organization setup and funded by the Tobias Foundation.
Started by Warrick Tobias upon the diagnoses of his brain tumor[2], Overwatch was founded in memorium of his long-time friend Blue Ice. Killed the year before in battle against the Hammer of Doom, Blue Ice had been one of the nation’s most beloved superheroes.
In honor of Blue Ice, many superheroes volunteered their time and expertise to the Overwatch program. It became the place where superheroes unfit for the field could still serve. Guiding, helping, and reining in the next generation.
Overwatch is a long-time organization in the Kanon-verse
*
[2] Dr. Zee had to get those brains from somewhere. And as the Kanon-verse operates at a different time-rate to the Heroes & Villains universe, Kanon-Warrick suffered some irreparable brain damage before he met Vereint. Very sad.
As such, Starburst was enrolled in so-called Charm School, where his psionic metability was studied and honed. By the time the side-effects were discovered, it was too late. Starburst had renamed himself Darkstar and half of Megacity was in his thrall.
The Wall surrounding and segregating Darkstar’s Megacity was built in record time. The Omega-class metahuman stood on the tip of the tallest rooftop spire and watched the construction. It was a relief when he didn’t intervene.
Supplies are delivered daily to the four Gates built into the Wall. As the agreement stands, as long as the Darksters never leave their walled city, they will receive all they need to survive and serve their “Dark God[3].”
Heroes & Villains, by Harper KingsleyHeroes & Villains, by Harper Kingsley
Warrick Reidenger Tobias was packing for a business trip to Chicago when it felt as though the world suddenly whirled around him. He staggered against the bed, dropping the navy silk tie he held as his hand lost all strength. Multicolor lights flared behind his eyes.
He didn’t realize he’d dropped until his knees hit the floor. His head bounced against the carpet. His body twitched and shivered uncontrollably.
It was his first seizure.
It wasn’t his last.
~ ~ ~
The doctors didn’t know what was wrong with him. Dozens of specialists and days spent in drafty paper gowns having his blood sucked out by needles and his brain scanned by machines. He felt like a lab experiment.
And at the end of it all, there were still no answers, just speculation.
He hated feeling helpless. But there was nothing he could do.
So he continued with his life and pretended that everything was all right. As though faking normal would *make* everything normal.
He did such a good job at pretending that he started believing it after awhile. As though the past few weeks had been a dream and he was finally awake.
He was free to go about his regularly scheduled life of superheroing and presiding over a large and powerful company.
And then there was another seizure and another one and another one, so rapid and close together that he didn’t recognize what was happening until after the third one, the BIG one. The one where he finally had to admit there was a problem because Caspian had seen and just wouldn’t let it go.
/EXCERPT
*
[3] Which is an irony, as I’ve been considering having the Kanon-Darkstar go on walkabout after ATR. Events progress, time gets wacky, and the God of Light comes into being.
After a timeless eternity floating through the nothingness, he. creates Sindarek, his brother and the God of Chaos, and later a sister, Goddess of the Night.
Events are explained when Rue’s Chosen enact the Play of Light in his honor. But basically Sindarek gets jealous and attacks the God of Light, destroying his physical form, and beginning his cycle of wearing human avatar bodies (like Rue). During the fight, there was a tear in spacetime, and the God of Light’s blood ended up in Universe A, creating the human gods.
Due to the humans of Universe A spreading from their now-hostile universe to neighboring realities, where they are gods in human form, there is a contamination of multiverse not just with the introduction of the human gene mutation known as the Nor-gene (resulting in metahumans) there is also the spread of the nectar bee mutation caused by the multiversal adventures of the superheroine known as Blue Devil aka Blue Fairy aka Fairy Godmother aka The Godmother of Horns.
*
Anyways, I’ve got stuff percolating in my brain, and I’m trying to get them all down on paper.
