Also - Blog Posts

just saw mickey 17! hooray sci-fi, love me a good clones story! i was annoyed with how long it dragged on, but i was also having reeeeally bad period cramps in the theater so i might be biased.

I feel like Apple and Daring were rlly close when they were little. They were kinda forced to be around each other bcuz of their parents, but I think it turned into a genuine friendship. However as they got older and the pressure to literally be in love with each other increased, they drifted apart. Especially bcuz apple is a lesbian and I hc daring as aroace, so the immense pressure put on them to love someone who they literally could not love romantically rlly hindered their relationship and they felt awkward around each other, only hanging out for appearances rlly.

made an awesome sandwich its time to sit on a steel beam high above thecity skyline and eat it

Bear Wall Organizer // Bear Placemat

part of what makes tragedies tragic is the story being preventable from the outside but unpreventable from the inside

A World Without Him

Chapter 8

(TW minor violence against furniture and some self-loathing thoughts)

Tang could hear the voices through the piles of broken bookshelves and ceiling bits. He didn't think they were hallucinations, as they got more frantic near his safe area and how he heard big pieces being carefully dragged outside.

He didn't know what to do. It wasn't like he could move all the layers covering him himself. Maybe if he yelled out, someone could finally hear him.

"H-hello?! Is anyone out there?!" He shouted with a shakey voice. Almost right after, he could hear the talking stop and someone sprinting over the rubble towards his area.

"Hey there; I'm with the Metrapolis first responders! Where are you?!" A woman yelled out into the crash site.

Tang scrambles up to the edge of his collapsed prison. "I'm down here! There's lots of debris covering me, but I'm alright! Please try digging to my left first. My friend is down there, and please hurry!" He yelled with a bit of desperation.

"Ok, stay there and don't move sir! We'll have more people here soon to clear all this out!" She shouted in response, most likely sprinting towards where the ceiling fell...

Tang decided to stop that train of thought. He needed to wait for the backup to arrive; someone to haul him out of here. Like always, he supposes.

So he waits. The unusual silence gives way to the grating of stone, wood, and drywall as he knows they're digging out Allan. He'll be okay. Tang stopped him from running right underneath the collapsed ceiling, so he's still alive. He must be.

Tang also knew when reinforcements arrived. The harsher steps from heavy-duty boots along with the many steps he hears overlap basically gave them away.

He stayed silent, though, so as not to disturb the now very delicate shell of debris surrounding him.

He waited for a while before he could hear a big chunck getting thrown from his left and on top of his area. The added weight caused pieces to break off and his "ceiling" to give way, now with it barely crushing his skull.

He gasped, then coughed from the debris that was shaken loose, covering him in a layer of dust. Pieces of splintered wood and some jagged metal now stick out in the corners.

More yelling started after that. Tang mostly just focused on his breathing again.

When he got back to his senses yet again, he heard picks and gloved hands clawing at his barrier of debris.

He almost cried in relief as the moonlight stone through the new cracks in his dome. He slowly watched as the hole got bigger and bigger, with more and more hands helping to carefully dig him out.

Once the hole was big enough, someone reached their hand down for Tang to grab. He gripped it tightly as he was slowly risen out of his confines.

He blinked at the sudden change in light, still out of it from his time trapped in that place. He was suddenly coerced to an emergency vehicle in the library parking lot, seeing the many paramedics wheeling in people from the library storage area.

He looked at his surroundings as they walked; he could see the ceiling was in total shreds at this point, with the standing walls looking like swiss cheese.

All the people who made it to the storage unit gained only minor injuries, as they all seemed to be walking, talking, and didn't have any blood on them.

As he continued to move towards the emergency vehicle, the ground covered in rubble turned to concrete as they made it to the sidewalk. He could feel his shoulder throbbing with pain as he sat down for the medics on site.

They did everything routinely, giving him a shock blanket, testing his cognitive ability, and so what. "You're all right, sir. Your shoulder just needs padding, and no sudden movements for it to heal up properly. You're very lucky, and you can go back to your residence now."

Tang just nodded in response, seeing them walk back towards another shock patient. He slumped into himself and took off his glasses, rubbing his temple.

Why couldn't I ever do something right, he thought. His thoughts stirred to Allan. Is he really okay? I should've done better. What if he's dead?! He can't be. He'll be okay. He'll be fine. You'll be fine.

He grumbled to himself, stopping his train of thought. He put his glasses back on and stood up, looking out for any free paramedics to ask about Allan.

He had only taken a few steps before a group of paramedics came barreling into the parking lot, rushing past him with many of them hurrying a gurney to the closest ambulance.

Tang could only catch a glimpse of the patient, but he saw their hoodie. Tang almost threw up when he saw him. It was Allan. Allan, who now had a severed leg. The bloody end of his leg dripped red liquid down onto the ground, with the jagged bone jutting out the end.

"Allan!" Tang yelled out, running up to the gurney. He was held back by the other paramedics, their words becoming jumbled as he only focused on Allan.

The rest of him didn't look much better from what Tang could see. Many scrapes and bruises covered his arms and legs, with debris covering his entire body. His eyes were glassed over with his matted hair falling on top of them. But he still had a heartbeat, even if it was a faint one.

Tang could have sworn he saw those eyes look towards him, but then the ambulance doors were closed before he could do anything else, the vehicle speeding off after they backed Tang away from getting hit.

All Tang could do was watch as they drove away, with another paramedic guiding him to a place to sit down. He had asked where the ambulance would drop off Allan so he could see him, but he was denied as he wasn't a guardian or family member.

So he walked away, back through the now dark sidewalk, and on his way home. His steps were sluggish, moving slowly as his mind went blank.

His body moved on its own as he walked into the building, up the many flights of stairs, and took out his keys to unlock his apartment.

He locked the door immeadietly after he got inside, taking off his shoes and throwing them at the wall. His other things got lost in the rubble...

Yeah, go and worry about your precious sketch book and comics as Allan is in the hospital.

Tang grimaced and looked at his apartment, everything tidy and stacked together in organized piles from his morning spree.

You were a hassle yet again. Always being dragged along because of your own incompetence.

Everything in his apartment seemed wrong. Too clean, too tidy, too nice for someone like Tang.

If you weren't there, maybe Allan would have made it to the storage room.

He didn't like the look of the room.

He could have been safe instead of carrying your weak ass around that library.

He walked up his coffee table, a vase with a single flower, and two stacks of books and papers on top of the brittle table.

He might have made it out alive if you didn't have him die-

He violently grabbed the glass vase and threw it against an empty wall.

*CRASH*

Glass scatters everywhere, some of the pieces embedding into his flimsy walls. Some even nicked Tang, but he didn't notice yet. The water from it coated the wall in a dark color.

It's your fault.

His heartbeat pounded through his ears. He took the pile papers next, ripping his useless scribbles up repeatedly until they became only scraps. His shoulder throbs with pain.

He's injured, and it's your fault.

He runs to his books after, taking handfuls and throwing them in every which way. Some hit picture frames, scattering even more glass, while some hit his other piles, causing them to tip and fall over with books, clothes, and other trinkets.

He's dead because of YOU.

"SHUT, UP!" Tang yelled. He swung his hand down onto the coffee table with startling accuracy. A sickening crunch resounded through his apartment. He could feel his tears run hot against his face.

He gasped.

The coffee table was now split in two, the impact of his hand steaming from small embers on the splintered wood. His eyes widened as he looked to his balled up hand. It had a faint orange hue.

But as Tang blinked, it was gone. Yet, when he looked back at the table, it was still steaming, just now simmering down to a small smoke.

Now, only his labored breathing could be heard as he stood still in the middle of his apartment. He could only stare at the destruction he had caused.

Now this looks perfect.

He smacked his own forehead, dragging his hand down his face. He wiped his eyes as a small breeze blew through the apartment. Maybe one of the windows got dislodged from his episode.

Tang sighed heavily before stepping carefully around the mess he made, flopping onto the ragged couch that somehow survived. His phone jumped up from his added weight before hitting the glass covered floor.

Oh, yeah. I threw it there this morning when it died...

Tang sighed slightly before picking his phone off the floor, dusting off tiny glass shards, and pressing the power button. Nothing came up. He grumbled before trekking over to his bedroom and plugging it into the charger.

He threw his glasses on his bedside table before falling face first onto his bed. The blurred shapes of his room comforted him as he rolled onto his back.

His eyes felt droopy as the colors around blurred even more. They shifted and coerced into a soft sunset orange-

*BANG, BANG, BANG*

"Tang! You better open this door RIGHT NOW!"

Tang sat up quickly, breathing fast as the knocking continued. He scrambled up and out of his bed before running to the front door, careful not to step on anymore scraps on his messy floor.

He opened the door right before his guest could harshly knock yet again. He almost had to dodge the pink fist coming his way before it pulled back suddenly.

Pigsy on all his glory stood outside Tangs door with a very peeved look on his face. Tang doesn't know if he could handle being berated for whatever he had apparently done to Pigsy after everything today.

But to his surprise, Pigsy's expression quickly turned to one of deep concern as he looked Tang up and down. "What is it, Pigsy?" Tang asked in a scratchy voice.

Pigsy didn't respond for a good minute. But when he did, almost nothing could stop that man's wrath as he started to stomp into Tang's apartment. "What the hell happened to you, Tang?! Everyone has been texting and calling you, and you never picked up! And now you look like total shit with your outfit in complete shambles! We couldn't reach you through anything, and I had to come up her myself-"

Tang hurridly pulled Pigsy back from his apartment carpet, with Pigsy now fully aware of the new "decor" he had recently put in.

Pigsy was seemingly about to go on another rant after a brief glance at his apartment, but Tang quickly hushed him. "Please, Pigsy. I don't think I can handle anything else happening today. I feel like absolute shit, I got stuck under a building for hours, and all I want right now is some peace and quiet. I promise to talk to you about this tomorrow, but for now, just give me a day, please."

Pigsy seemed conflicted at this, looking at Tang, and then past him at his apartment a few times. He eventually sighs in defeat but quickly puts up some gusto. "Tomorrow. Come by tomorrow in the morning, and you'll tell me everything. If I don't see you by noon, I'll go here and drag you there myself."

Tang just smiles at Pigsy; it's a bit strained but still genuine. "Thank you." Tang says softly. Pigsy just nodded, looking sadly at Tang as he closed the door.

Tang leaned onto the door, making sure that Pigsy's footsteps were actually leaving before letting out a breath of relief.

When he finally made it back to his bed, Tang was convinced he could drop in a heartbeat if he fell onto his bed right now.

But of course, he never got the chanceas his phone came alight and buzzed like over and over after it finally powered back on. He startled a bit, sighed, and then picked up his phone before sitting at the edge of his bed.

His phone had been blowing up with messages, missed calls, and... ads about textbook sales? Tang quickly saved the ad for later before looking through his call list.

Through his cracked phone screen, he just huffed when he saw about 26 missed calls.

Most of them were from Pigsy, with 6 from Sandy, three from Mei, and one from Mk. He hesitated a second before opening his texts. He winced as he saw there were over 40 unread messages.

Some were from the group chat, most of the first ones being pictures of Mk after the library fight holding up cheese tea a block from the library...

Tang scrolled past the pictures and instead looked for his name in any of the unread texts. He found out he was only mentioned after Mk specified where he had his most recent fight.

🌟 The Gang 🌟

8:08 PM

Mk: Yeah! It wss a HUGE guy witha a weird lookin sword this time

Pigsy: you sure you're doing ok kid?

Mk: yes im fine

Mk: the ppace we fought is in way worse shape thogh

Mei: Mk's right. When I went to pick him up, the place had been rly totaled! With the ceiling completely destroyed 'nd the walls left in complete shambles!

Sandy: Was everyone involved okay???

Mei: don't worry sm Sandy

Mei: Mk saw everyone head to the DA shelter, and they all came out fine afterwards

Mk: yeah at least the guy I fought had some sense not to aim for the flor

Pigsy: they had an entire shelter ready? Where did you even fight, kid?

Mk: it was at the Metrapolis Library

Mk: im so sad too because I can't get anymore comics from that place for awhile

Pigsy: Wait, isn't that where Tang started working a day ago?

Mei: oh yeah! I didn't see him come out of the DA shelter tho

Sandy: has anyone contacted him since yesterday?

8:09 PM

Pigsy: everyone try calling him

8:11 PM

Sandy: Tang hasn't responded to my texts or calls

Mk: i ended up having to call after texting him so many times nd he didn't pick up

Mei: he hasn't responded to me either

Pigsy: I'll keep calling him to see if he'll pick up

8:17 PM

Pigsy: he hasn't responded even once

Mk: does anyone know where he is?

Sandy: maybe someone should go to his apartment?

Mei: he has his own apartment????

Pigsy: I'm going up there to see him. I'll tell you guys if he responds or if he's even there

Tang turned off his phone after reading the last text. He could only sigh at the messages before moving to turn off all his lights, sweep most of the scattered glass to the sides, and close the open window.

When he finally got to fall onto his bed again, all he could think about was Allan. If he was okay, if he was alive, and if he could find a way to find him again.

Well, he should try that tomorrow after Pigsy's. I could try to ask about his name in any of the nearby hospitals... maybe if I... try enough of them...

And then Tang succumbed to his exhaustion, falling into a deep sleep as his world went black.

Previous | Next | Start

A World Without Him

Chapter 7

(TW some violence, a collapsing building, and someone having a panic attack)

Tang was back there. Again. The void with the voices, the hands, the dragging, the scraping, the orange.

He was tired at this point. Of every night he spent getting dragged over and over just for someone sick amusement if he had to guess.

Maybe this was his punishment for something in his past life. To take his sanity and break it bit by bit until he couldn't take the sight of this place anymore.

But this time was also different.

Only silence met his ears as he floated. Nothing grabbing, glowing, or whispering in his ears. A sense of foreboding welled up in his chest.

Then he heard sounds. It wasn't anything like the previous encounters he had with this place. Only continuous buzzing reached his ears instead of the usual incomprehensible whispers.

Tang closed his eyes, hoping someone would let him stay away from whatever was making that noise. And as he said previously, he's never been that lucky.

The buzzing suddenly became violent as Tang was pushed upwards by a strong force. He could barely breathe as he clawed at whatever was dragging him up before realizing... they were cicadas. Bright orange cicadas.

Thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of cicadas were swarmed together. They were buzzing and flying around him like a barrier as that thing kept pulling him up.

Tang could hear small whispers coming from them, and he wasn't sure if he was even alive right now as the cicadas landed on his scarf. The whispers loud and clear.

'Stay' 'Don't leave' 'You have to stay here' 'Danger' 'You can't go' 'Danger' 'Somethings coming' 'You won't be able to handle it' 'Stop struggling' 'Danger' 'DANger' 'DANGER'-

'JUST. STAY. HERE.'

The cicadas started to glow, almost radioactive before blinding Tang until everything was just a nice, bright, neon orange.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Waking up in a cold sweat had become a reoccurring thing for Tang as he sat up violently, taking in harbored breaths.

He smacked a palm to his head, rubbing his temple before throwing himself back onto the bed. He had woken up before his alarm again.

So, he had decided to pull himself together and start getting ready. It would give him more time to pack extra snacks for him and Allan, which was a good bonus in Tang's opinion.

When he finally had a plan in motion, he pulled himself up and out of bed. He lazily walked through his small apartment, taking his brush from the bedside table to the bathroom.

And then he sat on the toilet seat while he brushed his hair, not styling it in any way before putting the brush down and taking up a toothbrush.

Now, with his mouth tingling from the toothpaste, Tang went to his fridge to look for something good for today.

He settled for some apple slices, watermelon, and some jumbo blueberrie boxes he had found for 40% off. He threw them into some plastic containers before fixing up a small bagel with green tea to drink later for lunch.

It's about 6:08 AM now, and he's fully ready for work. Which he needs to be at in a couple of hours. And the walk is only 15 minutes...

So he decided to busy himself with menial tasks he never got around to doing, like piling his books by genre and author or rearranging his closet of knick knacks from over the years. Anything to keep his mind and hands busy.

He was waist deep in the closet when his alarm suddenly went off next to his ear, making him jump and smack his phone with a good amount of force. "Owwwww," Tang whined as he picked up his newly cracked and dead phone.

He cursed as he tried all the buttons, nothing turned on, then walked to his couch, and threw it on the cushions. He sat himself right next to it as he stared up to the ceiling again.

He laid there only seconds before sighing heavily and popping himself back up, grabbing his messanger bag and walking out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The walk to the library was uneventful; it was plain, even. Nothing caught his attention, and everything seemed eerily calm with only one or two people out and about like him.

It was probably because he left earlier than usual, but Tang still had a bad feeling.

Maybe it was because of the lack of commentary his thoughts usually made. No snark comments or observations popped into his brain like they usually did for the past weeks.

He's glad they're gone, to be honest. He thought he was going insane for the first few round of them, and this probably means he's getting over whatever he was stuck with.

The library slowly came into sight as he continued to walk. He was almost right on time as he unlocked the doors, letting himself in with his badge.

He walked steadily to his desk, throwing his messanger bag to the side and plopping himself in his chair, mentally readying himself to start opening up the library.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Allan came about 10 minutes later, surprised at Tang arriving before him and even starting to power up the library's computers.

"Hah! Nice to see you up and early!" Allan greeted him as he went towards the back to put away his backpack and jacket.

Tang snorted before answering. "Heh, not by choice for your information." He jested, followed by a quick laugh from Allan.

Allan came back fairly quickly, walking up to the front of Tang's desk. "So, what are we doing today?" He asked.

"It's about the same, just without the overwhelming decor and crowds of children like yesterday," Tang replied, getting up from his spot to start looking for the carts.

Which... he forgot where they were located. He internally sighed before looking back to Allan. "Do you remember where the carts are?" He asked in a grated tone.

Allan just laughed at Tang's crappy memory and gestured to follow him through the shelves.

After they got the carts and put up the assigned books, not much else was left for them to do. Nothing was missing, broken, or in need of reorganizing.

Tang was fine with this as he just pulled out some books from his messanger bag to read, but Allan became restless. He kept pacing through the library, seemingly in need of something to do.

When he finally sat down next to Tang after wearing himself out, Tang thought of a way to help. "Hey, Allan?" He asked.

"Yeah?" Allan answered, a bit absent-mindedly. "Do you like Monkey King?" "Monkey King? Well, uh, yeah, I like to read a bit of fiction based around him." Allan said quickly, seemingly not ready for the question.

Tang smirked before pulling another book out of his bag. "I have an extra book here called Monkey Cop: the Scarlet Tape. It's a mystery/action comic based on Monkey King as a cop, solving crime. It is a bit bloody, but it has amazing art and a good storyline. This is the first from the series, and I can bring the next editions if you like it."

Allan seemed a bit hesitant, staring at the comic for a hood second. Tang huffed, amused, before speaking again. "It's not like we have anything else to do, kid. And besides, I've been waiting for someone else to get into this series for a while so I can rant about theories with them."

Allan sighed before taking the book out of Tang's hand and opening up to the first page. "Okay, okay. I'll read this. It does seem interesting, but if it turns out trash, never recommend me a book again." Allan half joked.

Tang laughed at his declaration, turning back to his own book. "Sure, but I promise it's good."

Time passed by as the duo just read in each other's company, Tang having to pause and bookmark a couple of times to answer questions or check out books.

Allan started reading out of boredom but eventually seemed really invested, mu.bling theories and audibly gasping at some scenes. Tang took it as a win before reading a passage from his own book again.

About an hour and a half had passed before Allan closed the comic dramatically, slamming it on the desk and leaned back in his chair.

Tang calmly closed his own book before looking back to Allan. "Sooo~ what did'ya think?"

"That book is a freaking rollercoaster. Like, the police captain being in cahoots with the criminal undercity was wild." Allan finally answered.

"Haha, yeah. I was so shocked when I first found out. I'm just glad he isn't immeadietly offed in future chapters." Allan twisted his head to Tang. "Wait, he doesn't get killed from being revealed? I thought for sure he would be dead by the next book."

"Heh, nah. He goes through his own character arc, too. I can bring the rest of the current series if you're interested." Tang offers. "Really?! Oh my gosh, thank you!! I just need to find out how Monkey King finds the real culprit behind the Scarlet tape murders!"

He has lots of energy, just like Mk. Tang thought. He chuckled to himself as Allan continued to ramble to him about Monky Cop, adding his theories and opinions about the series here and there.

"And what even happened to the junior officer they lost during the scuffle from chapter 17?! She just disappears, and no one talks about it?!"

Tang replied with the same amount of enthusiasm. "That's what I've been saying! She barely gets referenced in the future books, but she seems to have so many questions and mysteries around her. Apparently, she wasn't even registered at the station-"

BEEEEEP, BEEEEEP, BEEEEP-

An alarm sounded from Allan's phone, shutting down the conversation. Other alarms also sounded throughout the library, echoing through the quiet halls.

Allan quickly checks his phone as his smile drops. "Crap, it's a DA alert." Tang frowns at that. "Another demon attack already?"

"Yeah, apparently." Allan huffed out, shaking slightly as he and Tang stood up together. "Of course now we have to go through the DA protocols." Tang sighed before turning on the library intercom.

"Okay, everyone. A demon attack has been spotted in the city. We advise everyone to follow the yellow arrows stuck everywhere in the library. It'll lead to stairs going down to a reinforced storage-"

The ground suddenly shakes beneath Tang and Allan, causing some books to fall off shelves and the intercom to shut off. "Please go fast!" Yelled Allan as he took Tang's arm and started to quickly maneuver through the books.

Key word tried, as another, more violent shake toppled over the shelves, blocking their way. "Ugh, we need to go the scenic route through the back sections!" Tang shouted, letting Allan drag him again.

They twisted and turned between the layout, trying to get to the room quickly through the enormous building. Small shakes continued, shoving more books to the floor and making the old building creak with every tremor.

"Go left!" Tang yelled out directions as he knew these back sections of the library well. Dust and small debris landed on them from the displacement of the old and unused spaces.

Suddenly, a large tremor came again, knocking even more shelves down with it, some cracking into pieces. Tang and Allan also lost their balance, falling to the floor with a large thud.

"Aw, shit." Tang groaned as he propped himself onto his elbows. Allan was in better shape, just landing onto his back and sitting up right after.

"We have to go now!" Allan yelled, panicking as he grabbed Tang's arm again, ready to sprint off.

But Tang doesn't move from his spot. "Don't. Move." Tang orders Allan, pulling him down to Tang's level. "What are you doing!? We need to run-" "It's almost here. We won't make it time." Tang interrupts, quickly looking over the walls and ceiling.

Allan just stares at him before protesting. "What are you even-"

*BANG*

The loud sound shocked Allan into silence as he looked to the source. A giant hole was suddenly in the library ceiling, with debris falling into the lobby.

Then he noticed what caused the hole. A giant gray demon, at least 8 feet tall, holding a massive sword, fighting against a kid with a red staff.

"Is that...?" Allan trailed off, staring at the standoff between the Monkey kid and that demon. "We need to hide." Tang suddenly whispered as he dragged Allan behind a toppled bookcase.

They can only wait as the fight continued in the library. The gray demon had a knack for dodging Mk's staff, directing sharp slashes afterward when Mk was vulnerable. All those attacks only sliced walls or bookshelves in half, though, luckily missing Allan and Tang.

Then Mk seemed to direct the demons' attacks upwards, probably so they didn't hit any more of the library. However, the ceiling started to crumble from the constant sword strikes, eventually causing one side to start collapsing.

Bigger and bigger pieces of drywall started to surround Tang and Allan. The walls start to crack with the ceiling falling in chunks. "We can't stay here!" Allan shouts, trying to stand up but stopping his efforts after a chunk nearly misses his head.

"Then what are we supposed to do!?" Tang shouts, still in his crouched position behind the acrumbled bookshelf. The rumbling got worse and worse as more pieces started to fall.

"I don't know, but we have to do something!" Allan shouts as he stands up. "We have to go back to the entrance!"

"What!?" Tang shouts, alarmed. "But that's in their fighting path! We might get hit with all those extra ceiling bits crashing down, or worse!"

Allan doesn't say anything in response, just staring at the exit. Tang can't focus, only taking in panicked breaths. But, what can they do? They don't have any protection or powers to get through that. It'll take a miracle to survive!

Tang looks up at the cracked ceiling that's slowly caving in closer and closer. But, if they stay here...

Another sword slash hits the wall above them, having it crack at an alarming degree.

He looks back to Allan. "If we do this, we have to go right now!" Allan's eyes widen before shifting to a look of determination.

Allan grabs Tang's arm again before bolting, trying his best to dodge the falling debris and attacks from the fight in the middle. Him and Tang gained small cuts and bruises from the rocks they couldn't dodge, one certain chunk hitting Tang straight in the shoulder, but they kept running.

They jumped through the splintered frames and piles pieces of wall, ducking under odd stick-outs from the walls or collapsed building. His glasses got cracked from being snagged when ducking under debris, but they still had to keep running. To make it back to the entrance.

When the light from the open doors reached their vision, Tang almost cried in relief. It was still a good bit away, but it was in their sights!

They kept running, even when their legs felt like they would fall off at any moment, when they felt like they were going off fumes.

The entrance was almost 20 feet away now. A small rumble from an attack, cracked pieces of the building falling down, the splinyered bookshelf frames blocking their way.

He was almost there. They were almost there! Tang couldn't believe it, but it was right in front of him-

'Stop.'

Tang faltered slightly, tripping over a piece of drywall, but recovered quickly.

'Stop running' 'There's danger!' You have to stop'

Oh great, now they're back and trying to get me killed-

'STOP' 'YOU HAVE TO STOP' 'HE'LL KILL YOU' 'STOP NOW' 'STAY THERE' 'STOP RUNNING' 'STOP STOP STOP STOP-'

Tang jerked his arm away from Allan, stopping in his tracks and reaching to his head. Allan ran a good few feet ahead of him before stopping and turning back to yell. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

Suddenly, the ceiling had been struck a final time, sending most of it to the floors below. Tang stared in horror as he saw it fall near the entrance. "ALLAN-"

But he was too late. Allan started to run again, but he was too far away from the entrance to get out in time. Rubble filled Tang's vision before he could see what happened.

"Allan!" Tang shouted as he tried to run towards the entrance. But the next part of the ceiling suddenly collapsed, sending straight for where he was.

Tang could only try to take refuge in the dark corners of the library, against the wall holding his head in his hands.

He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, pumping erratically as he took uneven breaths. He knew he was shaking as tears rolled down his face.

Tang didn't know how long he was in that position for, only focusing on his breathing and trying to avoid the falling pieces of ceiling...

Wait. His breathing slowly steadied as he came to realize everything was silent. No rumbling, no breaken glass or large thuds from falling debris, no sounds of a fight or falling books.

He slowly raised his head to his surroundings. He was completely encased in broken bookshelves and broken pieces from the walls and ceiling. Slivers of light shine through the holes to his small area of refuge.

He was almost completely unharmed, except for the throbbing pain in his left shoulder and head. All he could hear from outside honking horns and a strong breeze flowing through the wreckage.

Tang just put his head back into his arms, letting tears roll down in this complete silence. He really didn't know what he did to deserve this.

Previous | Next | Start

Life ramble

So, I'm at my dance class right? And I have a 1 hour break between classes, so I can just hang out. I'm in a certain seat for a while, and then get thirsty, so I get up to go to the water fountain for a few seconds. And when I try to go back to my seat, an old lady is sitting in it, while watching the class, which a bit understandable. I was just gonna blow it off when she STARTED TO PLAY CANDY CRUSH. IN MY SEAT. NOT EVEN WATCHING THE CLASS. AND SHE JUST SAT THERE THE ENTIRE REST OF THE BREAK. PLAYING CANDY CRUSH.

AU where Mrs Cormaci more-or-less adopts the Bane and he lives in Ares's cave and visits regularly in order to feed him and take care of him and he grows up in a safe and loving environment and he doesn't become a villain and everyone else has a heart attack when they find out.

IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING YOU WRITE!!💖🎃💖

🎃Tickletober🎃

Day 1- Anticipation

Lee: Leo💙

Ler: Donnie💜

Donnie's an evil older brother, so of course he has to make things difficult for Leo! He shouldn't have been in his lab in the first place.

Everything's gonna be days late. I got hit by a fucking hurricane, lost power for a week, and had my entire property destroyed °v°

“Give that back you gremlin!” Donnie hissed, shoving back from his desk and leaping to his feet as Leo jumped back, holding his screwdriver with a taunting smirk.

“Actually I'm a turtle,” Leo teased with a smug grin, “Wow, and you're supposed to be the smart one!”

“You-!”

“Me!? I already know I'm the smart one!” Leo laughed, jumping away when Donnie lunged for him.

“Give it back, Leo!”

"Nah, think I'll keep it,” Leo grinned, “Buuut I'll give it back on one condition!”

“And what's that?” Donnie asked, beyond exasperated and wanting to get back to working on the drive.

“You leave your lab for a few hours and eat dinner,” Leo said, and watched in real time as Donnie's face shifted into an even angrier glare.

“I have work to do!”

“Guess you don't need this for it!” Leo taunted, sticking his tongue out at Donnie and sprinting for the door.

“LEO!”

Leo yelped as a weight bearled into his shell, making him crash onto the floor. He quickly flipped over, shoving the screwdriver in the pouch on his back and grinned triumphantly.

“Try and get it now!” Leo taunted, laughing at the fed up look on Donnie's face.

“Give it back,” Donnie hissed, snatching Leo's wrists into one hand and trying to roll his most annoying brother over.

“Leave the lab then!”

“No!”

“Then cowabummer bro, you're not getting it,” Leo said firmly, and he could see Donnie thinking up a plan.

“You're going to give it back,”

“Only if you leave the lab,”

“I think I can change your mind,” Donnie said with an evil, mad scientist grin.

“Sure,” Leo said, rolling his eyes and grinning cockily, “I'd like to see you try.”

His arms were suddenly pinned above his head, robotic arms having come from Donnie's battle shell to pin them.

“This won't work!” Leo said frantically, eyes widening as Donnie did a corny evil scientist laugh.

“Then suffer!”

Leo squirmed violently as Donnie raised his hand high above his stomach, wiggling his fingers menacingly.

“Donnie- don't!” Leo squeaked, squirming and kicking his legs to try and get Donnie off of him.

“The screwdriver!”

“Not till you leave the lab!”

“Fine then!”

And Donnie's hand shot down. Leo squealed, his eyes scrunching shut and giggling loudly.

Nothing.

He peaked one eye open, seeing Donnie's hand where it was before, but moving slowly down, his fingers wiggling.

“Donnie- DohohoHOHOnie!” Leo giggled frantically, squirming and arching around.

He squeezed his eyes shut as Donnie's hand almost touched his stomach, squealing loudly and gigging hysterically.

Again- nothing!

Leo's eyes shot open and he gasped as he saw Donnie's hand high up in the air again.

“Juhuhust gehehet ihit ohohover- snrt! Wihihith!” Leo exclaimed between his frantic giggles.

“I haven't even done anything yet, calm down,” Donnie said with a smirk, and started slowly lowering his hand again.

Leo squealed, doubling in his frantic squirming and laughing and kicking frantically.

He looked at Donnie's hand, glaring through the flush on his cheeks as he saw it was back where it'd begun.

“What's wrong, 'Nardo? What's so funny to you?” Donnie teased meanly, wiggling his fingers and grinning as Leo giggled more.

“StahahAHAp! Juhuhust do ihit ahahalreheheady!” Leo squealed, throwing his head back and cackling hysterically.

“Just give me my screwdriver already!” Donnie retorted, moving his hand slowly towards Leo's stomach.

“NO- NOHOHO! SNRK! DOHONNIE!” Leo squealed, throwing his head back in hysterics as he squirmed and cackled.

Donnie grinned, lifting his hand back up, “I'm going to do it this time! I'm going to tickle your wittle ticklish tummy!”

“DOHOHN'T SAHAHAY THAHAT!” Leo squealed, face turning bright red in embarrassment and squirming around violently as Donnie's hand got closer and closer to his stomach.

Leo's squeezed his eyes shut, then squealed when he felt hands scribbling along his underarms.

“AHAHA- WHAHAT!? YOHOHOU SAHAHAID-!” Leo cackled, squirming as Donnie tickled his underarms.

“Oh you're going to get it now!” Donnie threatened, slowly tickling down Leo's ribs and making the slider squeal.

He was right about to tickle his stomach, and Leo was squirming violently and cackling and snorting frantically.

And then Donnie started pinching at his thighs instead.

“DEEHEHEHE! STAHAHAP!” Leo squealed, drumming his feet on the floor and laughing loudly. His hands flapped from where they were trapped.

“Stop what? Didn't you tell me to get it over with?” Donnie said meanly, pinching Leo's hips and making his younger brother shriek.

“DAHAHA- YOHOHOU! NAHAHA- EEEE! DOHOHOHOHNNIE! SNRT!” Leo screamed, cackling like mad as Donnie tickled his hips.

Donnie grinned as Leo's eyes squeezed shut and he lightly skittered his fingers over Leo's belly.

“AHH- AHHAHAHA! DEE- PLEHE- EEEHAHAHA! STAHAHAHP!” Leo shrieked, the ticking sensation across his tummy made a thousand times worse from all the anticipation of being tickled there.

“I CAHAHAN'T! STAHAHAP! OHOHOKAY!” Leo squealed, “YOHOHOU CAN SNRT TAHAHAKE IT BAHAHAHACK!”

“I dunno,” Donnie mused, skittering his fingers all over Leo's tummy as he shrieked and squealed with laughter, “How do I know you won't take it back?”

“I WOHOHON'T! I WOHOHON'T! PLEHEHEASE! DAHAHANNIE! PLE- SNRK! AHHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Leo squealed, snorting loudly between his laughter.

“Fine,” Donnie relented, not wanting to accidentally kill the slider, “But one last thing!”

“Wha- OHOHOHO MY PIHIHIHZZA SUHUHUPREHEHEME! STAHAHAHAHAAHAHAP!” Leo screamed as Donnie started blowing raspberries all over his tummy.

Donnie drew back as Leo's laughter had started going silent and wheezing, and he grinned at the slider, “You alive?”

“Noho! I'm dehehead!” Leo said dramatically, curling up as his hands were finally freed.

Donnie took the screwdriver from the couch, tossing it onto his desk with a smug look and bringing Leo a bottle of water from the mini fridge underneath it.

“Will you come up for dinner with us? For your favorite twin you almost killed?” Leo asked with puppy-dog eyes.

“Ugh- fine,” Donnie groaned as Leo cheered, “This is not good for my bad boy image.”

Guess who just finished '03.. I love those guys so much

(I talk about the episode a little in the tags, so if you don't want spoilers don't read them)

Jekyll: I wonder who’s ruining my life. Jekyll: *looks in the mirror* Jekyll: So we meet again.

time to see if my old mpreg player works ahhh!!!

vegans make peace with honey

no shut up do it

I’d ship it.

Ughh….. nah man I can’t drive. Fucked up on jasmine rice right now.

More characters in my style !!

he/they, bisexual etc etc

It is inherently fun and sexy to say statements that swap the traditional genders of pronouns and terms mid-statement, such as: "I'm going to make him my wife" "She's my boyfriend" "Who says a guy can't be a pretty princess?" "That girl's the coolest dude I've ever met" "She's a madman who has to be stopped" "It's not his fault he's a material girl" Gender is a set of watercolors and the prettiest shades come from mixing the paints together.

DAY 9: THE ACADEMY

featuring an OC I don't think I shared on Tumblr yet? She's the Alpha Sculptori, better known as Professor Tori. She's a senior sorcerer who specializes in mineral manipulation magic. Though she's specifically good at manipulating calcite based minerals, like marble and limestone!(and teeth.)

shes a super old granny who throws rocks at her students sometimes but she's chill ngl.

Also hey I made this

The Contell emblem is meant to resemble Polaris' shield. It everywhere at the academy. In the halls, in the committee room, and even the shield itself is displayed to honor the late sorcerer. He has to be reminded of Polaris every single day, and everywhere he goes in the academy. The only place he can remove it from is where it sits over his heart on his uniform. RIP bro sounds like a skill issue

There's like. One piece of official art where he has the badge on his uniform. except I refuse to believe that piece counts cuz his hair isn't even rainbow in that artwork 😤

Me: Is way behind in WIPs and everything

Also me: Starts drawing this instead of sleeping.....

I was deadass too lazy to draw his clothes, I’m not even sorry...Childe’s scarf and shirt have to be enough

Writing for a MadaTobi Week entry and only realized that I have stuck 6 grown people into a normal sized car just now when I was thinking about writing a little scene in there auwusjhfiuzwhfskjehwfkj

Head PLS stahp—or better yet—please start working

I once saw this edit of Ninej to “Good Luck, Babe!” And I’m trying to hunt it down it was so good.

Why do i have this in my drafts??? Is this for a fanfic? A prompt?? Did i make a copy-paste or..? Just what is this???

I'm not even into writing about Nancy, don't get me wrong, i like Nancy, but my brain cannot work into something that isn't somehow related to Steve, the "Eddie Munson and Sandwiches" post that i made was a miracle. Honest.

So i know that it was something Steve-related but i don't remember how...

Anyways.

Sometimes it’s not fair being the eldest. There is too much responsibility in it

I think that the Power Fantasy wants us to understand the characters as they are in 1999. They know what happened, they know the world made it out alive, and thus so do we. But they also look back upon the past through the lens of the present.

We see the Tokyo event as Masumi does; an episode of dissociation, Etienne reaching out to her, and violence instilled into a single memory.

The Cuban missile crisis and New Mexico festival massacre are seen through Valentina's eyes, as remembered in the present.

The killing of the Major is seen through Jacky's eyes, and thus there is an emphasis on the violence of the act, and on the elements that will come to make him regret it. And obviously, Jacky's memories of the early Pyramid is distorted and simplified, not quasi-photorealistic like the other, more flashblub memories. Eliza is pure white.

And, of course, knowing how the crises of the past went puts us into the headspace of the superpowers in the present; neither they nor us know if this crisis is one they will get through. Compare the hypothetical linear Power Fantasy; crisis after crisis is resolved without the destruction of the world. What would mark the 1999 crises as any different?

I was talking to some people about the narrative effect of the issue #3 timeline in The Power Fantasy and the phrase that comes to my mind is "disaster voyeurism". If the story had started in 1945 and proceeded linearly, we'd arrive at each of the events on the timeline and not know what would happen or even if the world would survive. But with TPF's actual nonlinear structure, we know the world persists at least until 1999, and also that it faces these very specific crises.

I feel like that shifts the whole tone of these events. I know they're going to be awful, but I'm also really curious what happens, and the knowledge that "the world and all the main characters survive" puts a little distance between me and the nerve-wracking suspense of not knowing what happens. Someone on Discord described it as "anti-immersive"- not the exact word I'd choose, as I do feel immersed in the story in a lot of ways. But I see what they mean, in that I can look at past events with mixed eagerness and dread, rather than just dread like the characters must feel.

Also @fran-valz

In regards to the radiation and pollution on Bet, that was directly addressed in the epilogue; New York Bet is protected by a forcefield. It’s set up to be the final oasis on Bet. And threats like the Machine Army don’t just stop at Bet, so abandoning NY-B achieves nothing unless you close all portals to Bet, which I’m fairly certain they didn’t do.

And even if you abandon NY-B, while would the settlements in alternate New Yorks be abandoned?

New York, in the process of being rebuilt.  Dust and ominous clouds were being held at bay by a thin forcefield, and the city stood in the center of a brilliant sunlight.  Where glass had broken and where oils had risen to the tops of city streets, things almost glittered.  A shining city.

Does Ward ever explain why they went from rebuilding New York on Earth-Bet to living in 'The City' on Earth Gimmel? Or does it just do that and leave us to wonder as to the answers?

My god, did Wildbow even re-read the epilogues before he wrote Ward? Like, I knew he didn't re-read Worm as a whole, because his characterizations of Amy in Ward are like, frozen in Arc 14 for most of the text but did he not even make the effort to at least re-read the last couple of chapters?

What the fuckberries? How is this the first I'm hearing, in all the complaints I've seen about Ward, and 'The City', that they were GODDAMN REBUILDING NEW YORK CITY after Golden Morning?

Me: *has a GI stomach bug,aka:is sick*

Dad: have you fed the rabbits?

Me: no, I've been throwing up and my body aches, and I don't want to move.

Dad: well you better go see how many of them are dead, then.

Me, internally: it's only been two days? I'm sick?? Why is that no one else can do it??? Literally, you can do it???? IM SICK?????

Why even kidnap a medic when you don’t even listen to his advice

I’ve been thinking about how birth happens for sparklings with no physical bodies, I’d imagine it would be a lot easier?

Ahh classic Megatron having a more difficult time then he has too because he won't listen to other people

Newborns feed directly off their creators spark which will be slightly modified to accommodate something feeding off it, they also can move freely on their parents armor, if placed on the ground they can’t move and will eventually fizzle out of existence if left alone long enough

Sparklings grow from a ball of electricity to a ball of electricity with limbs that can move without their parents, eventually forming a soft frame when they’re old enough, that armor then flakes off over time for bigger armor or they do it all at once, like a crab (I still haven’t decided). Once they shed into their final size it is totally safe for them to modify their frame

So I revived this wip I had for so long cause it actually fits one of the scenes for a fic I loveeeeeeed to read so now it’s fanart muahah

Go read it, It has mistletoes, it’s cute and pure and beautiful and klance and I’m weak asdsaddf

Love so soft by @queerklancing

Michael met the younger boy’s eyes steadily. “You’re not touching him,” he said, voice calm. If Edgar tried, he was going to take that pointy wooden stick and ram it somewhere unmentionable. David was defenseless and he wouldn’t have it. 

Inspired by Not Idly on the Shore by @enquiringangel

Such an amazing story with delicious hurt/comfort 🤌 This was definitely a challenging drawing but fun too ♥️