Everything was normal the day it happened.Ā Janice Daniel was sitting in his room, ready and waiting for his mother to call him down for dinner.Ā His hair was black, and his clothes were plain.Ā Janice wouldnāt exactly call himself normal, but he didnāt think he had any interesting qualities to note.Ā He didnāt have any hobbies, unless you counted listening to music 24/7 as one - just an average teen in this crumbling world.
āJanice, itās dinner time!ā his mother called.Ā
He got up, taking his black headphones and phone with him.Ā He opened his door and walked through the hallway outside his room.Ā Pictures of a happy family decorated the walls.Ā He could see images of him and his older brother Carlton smiling together when they were younger.Ā It was cute, in a way.Ā Janice reached the stairs, and he glanced at the window.Ā The sun was so bright outside, even though it was already beginning to set.Ā He walked down calmly, ready to be greeted by his parents and brother at the dinner table.Ā When he reached the bottom step, though, no one was there.Ā The smell of good food was gone, and the laughter he had heard from all the way upstairs disappeared the moment he made it to the bottom step.
Janice didnāt immediately panic, though.Ā He figured maybe everyone was outside eating; it was a nice day after all.Ā He went to the sliding glass back door and peeked outside, but no one was there either.Ā Not only that, but it was dark out.Ā He was sure the sun was setting when he was upstairs a second ago.Ā Why was it so dark out all of a sudden, like it's been night for hours?
āMom?!Ā Dad?!Ā Where are you?!ā he called out, but no one answered.Ā He called for his siblings, but still no one answered.Ā He was beginning to panic when he heard someone call for him.
āJanice?!Ā Where are you?!ā his older brother, Carlton, yelled.
āIām in the dining room!ā Janice yelled back.Ā He heard footsteps approaching from the front of the house.Ā Carlton walks into the dining room, his usually bright face now filled with worry.
āAre you ok?ā asks Carlton as he looks Janice over.
āYeah, Iām ok.Ā Where did everyone go?ā Janice says, voice full of panic.
āI donāt know.Ā I went to the bathroom, and once I came out, they were all gone.ā Carlton says, anxiously wringing his hands.
āWhere the hell is the sun?Ā Wasnāt it just beginning to set?ā Janice asks with even more panic.Ā The situation didnāt make sense to either of the boys.Ā How could the sun have set so quickly?Ā Where was their family?
āI donāt know any more than you do!ā Carlton raises his voice a little, but he takes a deep breath once he realizes just how scared Janice is getting because of whatās happening.Ā āSorry, I didnāt mean to raise my voice.Ā Itās just that none of this makes any sense.Ā Maybe we should go to the neighbor and see if they can help us.āĀ Janice nods his head in agreement, and the brothers decide to leave the house.
The outside world is dark and cold, a stark contrast to the warmth and light from earlier in the day.Ā Their street felt still, as if it was holding its breath and waiting for something to arrive.Ā It all felt so eerie, like they werenāt supposed to be out there, like something was watching.Ā Janice stuck with Carlton to feel some sense of safety and to get some extra warmth.Ā Carlton was always the stronger brother since he played baseball for the high school.Ā Janice always felt so weak in comparison.
They walked over to their neighborās house and knocked on the door.Ā They waited for a while, but no one answered.
āAre they home?ā asks Janice.
āThey should be.Ā Their car is in the driveway,ā replies Carlton.Ā To their right was the neighborās driveway, where their grey Subaru was parked.Ā Carlton knocked again, but once again, no one answered.Ā The boys were beginning to worry now that no one was answering the door.Ā What if they were hurt or something in there?
āI think we should break in,ā said Carlton.Ā Janice whipped his head to stare at his brother with shock.
āWhat?!Ā Absolutely not!Ā We are not breaking into someoneās house!ā Janice backed away from Carlton, afraid his brother would do something rash.
āClearly, there is something wrong.Ā Our neighbors are home, so why arenāt they answering the door?ā Carlton says, turning towards Janice.
āWhat if theyāre busy?Ā What if they just canāt hear the knocking?ā Janice tries to dissuade his brother from what heās about to do, but itās no use.Ā He can tell how determined Carlton is to get to the bottom of whatās going on.
āWe have to find our family.Ā Iām breaking in whether you want me to or not.āĀ And with that, Carlton raises his leg and kicks at the door.Ā It takes a couple of good hits before the door finally smashes open, but it soon does, and the boys can get inside.
The house feels off as they enter.Ā The lights are all off, and it looks familiar.Ā Janice couldnāt ever remember actually coming inside this house, so there was no way it would look this familiar.Ā He turns over to look at Carlton, but he hasnāt moved from the door.Ā His brother is frozen with a mix of confusion and growing fear.
āWhatās wrong, Carl?ā Janice turns to look at his brother, and he spots slight shaking in his hands.
āThereās no fucking way.Ā Th-this is our house, isnāt it?ā Carlton says in a fearful whisper.Ā It hits Janice like a train.Ā It was their house.Ā The furniture, the pictures on the walls, the decorations; everything was the same.Ā The only difference was that, for some reason, everything seemed to have a light dusting.Ā It didnāt make any sense.Ā It couldnāt be possible.Ā The boys backed out of the house, and Carlton practically ran to the next house.
āWhere are you going?!ā Janice yelled at his brother, but it was almost as if Carlton couldnāt hear him.Ā He went to the next house and kicked down the door.Ā Janice watched him do this to a bunch of houses until Carlton came back with so much fear in his eyes.
āTheyāre all our house.Ā How is that possible?Ā What do we even do?ā Carlton plops down on the ground, and Janice can tell how anxious and frustrated he is.Ā Janice takes a seat next to him, and he puts a supportive hand on his shoulder.
āItās ok.Ā We have each other, so itāll be fine,ā Janice says to try to comfort his brother.Ā As he says this, however, a strange noise comes from the bushes.Ā It sounds very similar to an animal growling, but it gurgles at the end of it - the boys back away from the bush, afraid of what could be lurking inside.
What pops out of the bush is nothing like either of the boys could have imagined.Ā It looked like a person, but with long black hair and sharp-looking claws reminiscent of a dog.Ā It looked extremely skinny, as if it hadnāt eaten in a long time.Ā At the same time, though, it had quite muscular-looking limbs, like the thing was built to pounce on its prey.Ā The thing stared them down with its predatory gaze that pierced through its unruly hair.Ā It also had an unnervingly large mouth that was shaped into a snarl.Ā It was growling at them, and it looked like it could jump at them at any minute.
āI think we should go,ā Carlton says quietly, but loud enough for Janice to hear.Ā āLike, right now!āĀ Carlton grabs onto Janice and pulls him away.Ā They both begin to run from the monster.Ā They couldnāt run back to their home; that thing was in the way.Ā They could hear it as they ran.Ā Its claws clacked on the concrete of the street, and its growls grew louder as it chased them.Ā Ā
The brothers felt like they had nowhere to go.Ā It would take too long to break into someoneās house, and it always felt like the creature was just a step behind them.Ā They had to find somewhere to hide as quickly as possible, or they would tire themselves and be caught.Ā It seemed as though luck was on their side because they were able to find a playground to hide in.
This was a familiar place to them, as it was a playground they visited often when they were little.Ā The boys remembered playing there all the time, especially hide-and-seek.Ā This playground was perfect for hiding, and they knew all the best spots.
āWeāre going to have to split up,ā Carlton says quickly and quietly.
āWhat? Are you crazy?āĀ Janice whips his head around to look at his brother.
āWe have to.Ā None of our hiding spots can fit two people.Ā Itāll be ok.Ā It wonāt find us, I promise,ā Carlton says with a smile, but Janice can see the fear in his eyes, and he can hear the shakiness in his voice.
āO-ok, I trust you,ā Janice says softly, before breaking off from his brother to get into his typical hiding spot.Ā Ā
When they were younger, both boys had hiding spots that were ābannedā when they played together.Ā These spots were impossible to figure out, and they would make hide-and-seek less fun.Ā Carltonās hiding spot was in one of the playground canopies, where he would cling to the ceiling.Ā No one ever thought to look up simply because they thought it would be impossible, so he would always win.Ā Janiceās hiding spot wasnāt as good as his brotherās.Ā It was underneath one of the play structures.Ā When he was younger, it was a lot easier to get into, but now that heās older, itās a little more difficult.
Once Janice was able to shove himself into the hiding spot, he attempted to stay as still as possible.Ā He kept his breathing as quiet as possible, but he was so terrified that doing so made him feel like he was going to pass out.Ā He was shaking like a leaf as he heard the creature's footsteps roaming just outside the play structure.Ā He heard it sniff as it searched for him and his brother.Ā Janice was afraid that it could smell his fear, and he tried to calm himself down.Ā The creature seemed to move on after a while, continuing to search the playground.Ā Ā
Janice couldnāt hear it or see it from where he was, so he just had to pray that it would go away and his brother would find him.Ā The brothers knew each other's hiding spots, so if Carlton did go searching for his brother, it would be fairly easy to find him.Ā It felt like hours for Janice as he waited for his brother.Ā He didnāt want to move, and he felt like he could barely breathe.
All of a sudden, Carlton popped his head into the hiding spot.Ā Janice jumped in fear and surprise.
āThere you are.Ā I thought Iād never find you,ā Carlton said with a relieved tone in his voice.
āJesus, you scared me!ā Janice said quietly.Ā āIs that thing gone?ā
āYeah, it walked away a while ago.Ā Weāve gotta go before it decides to come back, though,ā Carlton says as he helps Janice out of the hiding spot.Ā Once he got out, the boys finally got a better look at their surroundings.Ā The playground was desolate, just like everything else.Ā Everything was so eerily quiet and still, like the calm before the storm.Ā It was still so dark, and Janice finally realized the moon was gone, too.
āWhat is happening, Carl?Ā Where is everyone? What happened to the sun?Ā What happened to the moon?ā Janice asks frantically.
āI donāt think we really have time for questions right now.Ā We should find a place to hide before that thing shows up again,ā Carlton says, trying to pull Janice away from the playground.
āYouāre right, letās go.ā
The boys begin to walk in a random direction.Ā They have nowhere to go, and they were trying to be careful not to attract the attention of the creature from before.Ā It was still dark out, but their eyes had adjusted.Ā It took a while, but they eventually found a nice hideout in the form of someoneās shed.Ā It was medium-sized, enough to fit them, but not cramped either.Ā They still made sure not to make a noise because it felt like they were being watched.
āWe canāt stay here forever.Ā We have to find out what happened,ā Janice says as quietly as possible.
āIt isnāt safe out there.Ā What if that thing shows up again?Ā What if something worse happens?Ā We canāt afford to leave recklessly,ā Carlton argues back.Ā As they quietly bicker, they donāt even notice the door going slightly ajar.Ā Something slinks in from the outside world.Ā Itās silent on the ground as it slithers right underneath the boys.Ā Carlton is so immersed in his conversation, he doesnāt even notice the thing wrap itself around his ankle.
Without warning, the thing yanks Carlton to the floor.Ā He hits the ground with a thud, and Janice yelps in surprise.
āCarl!ā Janice yells.Ā The creature tries to pull Carlton out of the shed by his ankle, but Janice grabs onto his wrists.
āJanice, let go!Ā If you keep holding on, itāll take you too!ā Carlton yells to Janice.
āI wonāt let it take you from me!ā Janice yells and keeps holding onto Carlton.
āIāll be ok!Ā I can fight them, and then Iāll come looking for you, I promise!ā Carlton tries to smile for his brother, to reassure him that everything would be ok.Ā Janice looks at him hesitantly.
āAlright, I trust you,ā Janice says, and then he lets go.Ā Carlton gets dragged out of the shed, and an inhuman screech is heard from outside.Ā Ā
Then, there is silence.Ā After what just happened, the silence is deafening.Ā Janice stares at the door for a while before eventually taking a seat on the floor.Ā The floor of the shed is cold, and it does nothing to calm his rushing heartbeat.Ā Janice doesnāt realize that he has begun to cry.Ā Emotions flooded his body as the reality of it all crashed through him.Ā His parents are gone, his younger siblings are gone, and now his brother is gone.Ā Thereās no sun or moon, and there are monsters that want to hunt him down and kill him.Ā Heās all alone, with no one but himself to blame.
If Janice werenāt so weak, maybe he couldāve helped his brother.Ā Maybe he couldāve fought the monster back and pulled his brother out of its grasp.Ā Janice went through all the what-ifs, but what good would that do?Ā He needed some sort of plan, or he wouldnāt survive.Ā Janice may not be strong, but he was definitely smart.Ā He decided that the best course of action was to stop dwelling on what had happened and focus on survival.
The shed was empty, except for a couple of gardening tools shoved in the back corner.Ā Janice rummaged through until he landed on a shovel.Ā It was heavy, but he could manage holding it.Ā He couldnāt stay in the shed.Ā What if the creature came back?Ā He also needed to find food and water as soon as possible, or he would starve.Ā Janice mentally prepared himself for the journey back into the world and to whatever awaited him.Ā He took a deep breath and walked out of the shed with a newfound confidence and determination to find his brother, and possibly even the sun.
Hehe rocky loving when grace gets older and gains more wrinkles because its more texture on his skin and rocky can hear every fold and line and part of him so clearly
"The last time any human touched Ryland Grace was an act of horrific violence"
Well... Yes and no.
The last time Ryland Grace was CONSCIOUS of any human touch was when he was knocked out. Absolutely true.
But the last human contact he would have had was Yao and Ilyukhina. Who were told that he was scared about panicking during launch and asked to be sedated. Who did all the pre flight checks before the Hail Mary launched. Who would have carefully, gently carried Grace to his bed in the dormitory, made sure he was secure, and initiated his coma procedure.
There would have been love there. Remember Ilyukhina throwing her hands high and saying "welcome to crew!" Remember Yao saying how he hoped Grace would say yes. Remember how much the crew trusted Grace, Stratt's First Officer, the guy who helped them so much, and was so kind to them, and was the one who they entrusted their preferred methods of suicide to. Who thought they were wonderful and brave.
They would have tucked him in. Maybe brushed his hair out of his face. Maybe said something kind to him before initiating their own coma procedures.
Ryland Grace doesn't remember, of course he wouldn't. But the last human touch he ever had was full of love.
āAnd if youāll give me 40% of the MOST POPULAR VOTE, Iāll give you my SPECIAL REWARD... A yearās supply of NON-GLOOBY SLIME!!! Never or BARELY used!!!ā Tenna concluded his speech with a huge smile, jetting his hands up in double peace signs.
The crowd roared in confused enthusiasm as Tenna gave a gracious flurry of low-FPS bows, pausing only for the occasional stink-nose at his audience plants who werenāt throwing enough 3D roses.
Eventually, the room fell silent. It was Senshiās turn to speak.
He puffed out his chest, took a long, sweeping look over the audienceā¦ and shook his head.
āI can see not all of you are eating properly.ā
The crowd murmured with embarrassment.
āI donāt know who needs to hear this, but itās time to take the turkey out of your icebox. I have seen the ingenious technology with which your people store food... and I have also seen the waste which results from such convenience.
āThe food you take had a life. Beasts grew fat on the grass of the field, plants grew from the sunās rays, and mushrooms grew from minerals in the cracks of caves. And yet, it sits in your iceboxes, collecting moisture until it perishes.
āEat what is given to you. Because its life will make you stronger, too.ā
Without another word, Senshi left his podium and stepped away from the stage. The crowd murmured in confusion. āIs he really like that?ā somebody said. āI only remember reblogging the photosets of him tripping and showing ass.ā
--
Back in the Green Room, Tenna wrung his antennas nervously.
āY-y-you think they liked me!? They HAD to!! I mean, I donāt know what Asgore was thinking, getting that weird haircut and running that food waste campaign, butā¦ YOU thought I did good, didnāt you, Kris?ā
Laios nodded aggressively, a streak of blue face paint peeling from his forehead.
āYou did AMAZING, Tenna! By the way, now that weāve seen all your insider campaign secrets, do you have any more videos of Susie? Especially her tail... If I could get a look at that, I could finally tell if sheās a dinosaur or --ā
THWACK. Fake antlers butted Laiosās head.
āLAIOS?? Werenāt we dressed up to help SENSHI???ā Marcille hissed, gesturing awkwardly with her hooves.
Suddenly, Tenna turned to the two adventurers.
āHey, WAIT a second. SOMETHINGās not right here...ā
Laios and Marcille held their breath.
āWhere the heck are my POINTS!?ā
Just then, the door opened. Chilchuck took one step into the room, whistling and holding a large bag.
Everyone turned to him.
Chilchuck paused, took a step backwards, and closed the door.
āCHILCHUCK!!!ā yelled Tenna.
āHow come Chilchuck got to stay Chilchuck!?ā yelled Marcille at the same time.
--
Meanwhile, in outer space somewhere, some guy was making out with a rock.
I hate when people say that they think something is bad because they didn't understand it. Go look up an explanation video or something dudeš Just because you didn't get it doesn't mean it's bad
Jax never apologized because she never thought she deserved to be forgiven. She self-isolated because she thought she didn't deserve friends or anyone at all. I'm glad Jax never held herself accountable
I feel like people don't really get that Hua Cheng's cultivation path is quite literally the worship of Xie Lian and I think it makes them miss something cute.
Xie Lian's cultivation path is religious; he's a devote daoist and meditation and following its tenants bring him power.
Hua Cheng's cultivation path is just as religious, but his religion is literally Xie Lian. That's where he gets his power. There is a trope in Wuxia & related genres (these are gods so not technically Wuxia I think but I don't remember the specific name) where someone cultivates and meditates as a hermit in a cave until becoming a master. The Cave of Ten Thousand Gods, the Kiln... Hua Cheng did that, and we can tell what he was doing in there was worshiping Xie Lian.
And with that... He literally gets power from Xie Lian in a more obvious sense. He & his spiritual weapons get stronger when kissed and complimented, since they're being blessed by his god. The butterflies swarming when XL tells them good job. E'ming being able to grow to normal size after having shrunken due to XL praising him and giving him a kiss (which people keep acting like is a blowjob metaphor as if that wouldn't imply HC is a grower and not a shower which I think would be dumb), HC himself being able to heal and start getting bigger when XL gives him a kiss, too.
HC can give XL tons of spiritual energy by gifting him it through kksses and sex because it's a form of worship, but it also works the opposite way, too
