https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/aberrant-mage/prologue/viewer?title_no=936224&episode_no=1

Recently I’ve been reading the Percy Jackson series, but now I’m approaching the end of them (hero’s of Olympus included) and I of heard of a book called “the rest of us just live here” by Patrick ness. From reading the blurb online it seems like it could be similar to Percy Jackson but I can’t be sure. So can anyone tell me if the Percy Jackson series is similar to “the rest of us just live here” by Patrick ness?

I have read it on webnovel but where i can read it for free.

Hoping you can help.

I read a short story, likely in a short fiction collection from an English class, where the main character is a child. Not sure if the character was a boy or girl, but the story is told twice. Once where the character is riding their bike home and accidentally hits and kills a chicken. The mother gets very angry about this.

The second time the story is told, the character misses the chicken and hurts themselves or wrecks the bike or something. The mother stills get very angry. The point of the story was to illustrate how things can go wrong no matter what you do.

This just popped in my head, and it's driving me crazy trying to find it. If this rings any bells with you, please let me know.

Hey, guys!

Have you noticed that in fantasy universes there's no problem with multilingualism and no need to learn foreign languages?

As a rule in fictional worlds - there's one language for the whole world - even the other races speak it. If a race still has its own language (e.g. elves) - they can still speak the language that everyone else understands. The geography of  "Dragon Heart" book series is unusually vast, a warrior with the Dragon Heart travels to many different countries and even to other worlds.

Hadjar has no problem with not knowing other languages, but he has many other problems - fighting monsters, taking part in dangerous battles, dealing with cunning mages and wizards and many enemies.

If you are interested in such stories, I invite you to read about Hadjar's adventures . 

https://preview.redd.it/abpv44rmtevc1.jpg?width=1506&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2e1460057e1082ead017a6c99531abdc5ba28f01

Last Day of the Immortal

Top 10 best written characters of all time

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Join us as we unravel the complexities of this intriguing universe. Engage with fellow fans, discuss theories, and become part of a community passionate about exploring new and intricate worlds. Your insights could help shape the unfolding story of the "Worlds of Trains." Don't miss this opportunity to be at the forefront of discovering a new epic saga!

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Hi folks.

We received this patron request over a week ago here at our library and haven't been able to find anything, so we are turning to Reddit.

A patron is trying to find a book he read 50 years ago - he doesn't remember the title or author. The synopsis of what he does remember is below - if you know what this book might be OR another resource we can try consulting, please let us know! THANKS!

"It is about a man standing on the seashore along the Mediterranean and he has lost all hope. He has decided to end things by swimming out into the sea until he drowns. He begins swimming, and once he is way out in the water, he changes his mind - he decides he wants to live. He is running out of energy and thinks he is going to drown after all, but he then touches upon an outcrop in the sea and is able to stand and rest. While he is resting, he feels a tentacle rise up and wrap itself around his ankle...and that is how the story ends.

I’m genuinely curious about people’s answers. I don’t have an answer, honeslty, so I’ma just watch the debate that may or may not happen in the comments.

Captains Log #123: After four months of traveling in the black reaches of space, we finally reached our destination in the Guanho System, around 100 light years away from Terra. The crew is restless and longs to just open the door and run outside, but this could be very dangerous as this planet has never before been explored. Initial scans of the planet suggested that the world would be habitable. This planet, which is currently code-named Guanho-02 has almost the same surface temperature and gravity as Terra. The ship touched solid ground on 08:42 EST on March 3rd, 2123. The sensors all around the ship suggest that the atmosphere is not unlike Terra’s. As of now, the plan is to follow protocol for exploring a new planet, however I am enforcing that every scout carry a railgun with them. This world is expected to have life of some sort, so we need to be ready for anything. End Captain’s Log.

The captain briskly stood up in his cozy captain’s quarters and looked around the room anxiously. He was convinced that his stir-crazy crew would do something incredibly half-witted and dumb. The captain got dressed in his uniform and hat. He walked out of his quarters toward the bridge expecting a busy, but hopefully exciting, day of work. 
Walking down the long and uniform corridor was all too similar for the captain who had been with the TDEF Navy for nearly 10 years. Not bothering to grab a bite to eat from the mess hall, he turned a corner and nearly collided into Cadet Jeremy. Jeremy quickly stepped back and put his hand to his forehead to salute and said, “Sorry Sir.” 
The captain returned, “At ease Cadet, continue along.” 
Once the cadet started back on his journey the captain spun around replied, “Cadet did you hear any news from Siri?” 
Puzzled, the cadet turned and stated, “No sir, the AI had a whole lot of nothing to report, however, I believe Commander Rachel wanted to speak with you.” 
“Thanks very much cadet, carry-on.” The captain turned back around and continued on his way towards the bridge without running into any other members of the crew, which seemed strange. 
The captain’s ship, the T.D.E.F. Congruence, was a modern spaceship with one of the latest hyperdrives in the Navy. The Terra Defense and Exploration Force was the only major human space organization. The ship was fully manned with a crew of two hundred, as it was approaching five hundred feet long and a hundred feet wide. When the captain entered the bridge, he was greeted by Commander Rachel and the bridge crew of five. Everyone stopped what they were doing and immediately saluted the captain who quickly said, “At ease everyone,” which allowed them to continue with what they were doing. 
“Rachel, status report,” were the first words the captain said to the commander. 
She responded, “All systems are reporting and appear to be in working condition. Scans continue to show that the air is very hospitable, even without a space suit.” 
The captain said, “Rachel, you and I both know that I’m not letting anyone go out there without a space suit, no exceptions.” 
“Yes sir, I will tell the scouts, I was thinking we send out four parties of four. However I wouldn’t be opposed to doing two parties of eight either.” 
Then captain said confidently, “Well that’s up to you. I managed to get us here, and now you’re in charge. Oh, and uh… Cadet Jeremy said you needed to talk to me?” 
Rachel said, “Oh, yeah.” Rachel stepped closer to the captain to speak so they wouldn’t be overheard. In barely more than a whisper, Rachel said, “Captain, as I was looking at the cameras I could swear that I saw some … something.” Rachel paused, “It had to be around five, maybe six, feet tall. It was bright green almost like a plant, and it looked as though it had things growing on it.”
The captain was surprised. It took him a second to reply but eventually managed,  “Rachel do not tell the crew, only tell the scouts. We can not have everyone here on the ship worried.” 
Rachel said assuredly, “Yes! Of course Sir. I will arrange for scout teams to set out in the next ten minutes.” 
To Rachels complete shock, the captain said, “I think I’m going to lead a team, see you when I get back, you are in charge.” Without waiting for a response the captain walked back to his quarters, grabbed his rail rifle and pulled his space suit on over his captains clothes. 
The captain walked into the boarding room containing the two groups of eight. Everyone in the room saluted. The captain stated, “Hello everyone, I do not know if commander Rachel informed you yet, but she swore that she saw a living creature move on the cameras, so you will need to be extra cautious. I need your full awareness of the surroundings. You are never to go more than twenty feet away from your group. I expect a head count every twenty minutes.” The captain took a long and deep breath, and then stated, “Here we go everyone,” and presses the button which lowers the ramp for them to disembark the ship.This was the first time being outside after the many months of being perpetually confined.
As the door lowered, it felt like it took hours listening for the ‘clank’ on the solid ground making everyone aware that it was now safe to walk out. In the air there was immense tension mixed with fear of the unknown. Everyone but the captain was frozen with fear. Because he had done this dozens of times, the captain pretty calmly said “Alright everyone… Move Out!” In ranks of two, the scouts walked down the ramp. Each party had four guns with them, instead of the original one gun protocol, due to the creature sighting. The groups walked down into the barren and rather flat area where the ship had landed. There was no vegetation visible, nor any water. The captain ordered his group to follow him to the nearby caves. The other group was to scan the surroundings and gather samples of the soil for further investigation. 
The captain’s group started on its way with the captain ‘leading the charge.’ The whole group approached the cave very carefully and quietly so as to not disturb any potential creatures. They walked under the cover of the hill and started to descend the almost stair-like floor into the depths of the cave. The deeper the group went, the narrower the passage became leading them to continue single file down into the cave. Luckily for the captain, he had a flashlight and noticed that a mere step or two ahead of him was a steep drop of at least twenty feet. The captain used his right hand to signal a full stop to his fellow soldiers. He wandered up to the edge of the drop and saw that it was not ten or twenty feet, it was well over fifty feet. The captain stepped back and away from the edge and turned his flashlight to max power which quickly illuminated the small chamber. With the new found light, it was pretty obvious that this was a dead end, that is until a little piece of metal shone back to the captain. It almost looked like it could be a door handle of sorts, but it was on the other side of the gap. 
Seeing that they were alone, the Captain ordered his troops to enter the chamber that had opened up from the small passage. “Hey guys, watch out for the gap in the floor, and step carefully.” The room was not by any means massive, but it was plenty big to fit nine people, even  nine people in space suits. With the extra eyes in the room, one of the soldiers called out that there was a large, flat piece of metal that appeared to be painted black. This piqued the captain’s interests and he made his way over. Back home it would have been completely normal to see a sheet of metal, but here, it was certainly a special event. 
The material scientist of the group quickly identified the sheet of metal as being aluminum, a metal which had been considered obsolete for years. The captain and scientist could not think of a way as to how it got there. They also noticed that it was the perfect fit to the cut-out shape on the edge of the gap in the floor, as if it was a bridge.
A brave soldier said, “Well sir, if you agree, I say we put it in the ground and walk across.” 
The captain responded, “I most certainly agree, we did not come all the way out here for nothing. Since it was your idea, I say you be the one to place it.” 
The soldier quickly nodded and said, “Yes sir.” He grabbed the sheet of aluminum that weighed around twenty pounds, walked over and gently placed it in the cut out. There was a loud bang as the metal crashed against the rock of the cave, everyone stood in silence, waiting for something to happen. Seconds turned into minutes. Nothing happened, then all of a sudden, the captain’s light went out. All the flashlights went dark.
The room went pitch black, no one in the group could see anything! In under five seconds, all the lights turned back on. It was like the lights never shut off. When the soldiers eyes re-adjusted to the light, they saw a mysterious humanoid shape lurking on the other side of the bridge. The captain closed and opened his eyes quickly thinking he was just imagining things. Then he pointed at the creature, “Identify yourself now! We are from the Terra Defense and Exploration Force, and mean you no harm.” 
Silence quickly swept over the room and filled every nook and cranny, until the creature’s mouth moved and sound filled the awkward silence. It was not some random series of clicks or noise, instead, it was English. The whole group of soldiers including the captain could not believe it. They were a hundred light years from Terra and the local creature was speaking English. The response from the creature was orderly and extremely proper, “I am the commander, or was the commander of the U.S.S.F. Expedition, the first ship sent to Alpha Centauri. What year is it? By my accounts it must be like 2070, right?” 
The captain still could not believe it, but responded, “No. It is the year 2123. Everyone thought that the first expedition crashed into an asteroid while traveling faster than light. You’re Commander Jones?” 
Jones was not expecting the captain to know his name. “Y-Yes, I am commander Jones of the United States Space-Force, and, No. We did not hit an asteroid, our ship’s nav computer just randomly changed course one day, and when we tried to return to Alpha Centauri, it simply wouldn’t do it. We even sent someone on a spacewalk to physically push the engine back into place but again, but still, the engine wouldn’t budge. Finally we accepted defeat and waited for our arrival to this planet.” 
As the commander was telling his story, the captain and everyone else listened intently. The commander continued, “When we landed on this barren planet all we had was a few weeks of food and water, and a small bio lab which we managed to convert into a small greenhouse. But while we hustled about trying to find ways of acquiring food we started to notice certain movements, certain things that were not merely wind. Only one of us saw it at the beginning, and no one believed him, but then people started disappearing.” The instant that he finished speaking, the radio buzzed to life from the other group. The connection was very poor. Being deep inside the cave, they could barely hear through the screeching of white noise. 
They were able to sort-of make out, “Help HELP, Were being … AHHGHGHH Tssk click tssk.” 
The commander recognized the noises instantly and visibly shivered in fear. “Thats it, it’s attracted by all electrical signals, turn everything off NOW!” The captain trusted him and told all of his soldiers to follow their lead. However, he quickly sent a message back to the ship warning them to lock the door, activate defenses, and turn on the shield. 
Back in the room, the commander had grabbed and lit a torch, before saying, “Everyone follow me. The last person needs to lift that bridge, trust me.” Without looking to the captain the soldiers walked across the bridge, waited for the captain to cross and then lifted the bridge. The commander then grabbed the door handle thing on the wall revealing an ‘ancient’ and ruined space ship hidden deep under rocks. Everyone walked in. The commander closed the door. In scarcely a minute, while the soldiers were exploring the ancient ruins we started to hear, “Tssk, Click, Tssk,” coming from behind the door. The room went silent from the small-talk starting between the commander and the captains crew. The commander put his finger to his lips to make sure we knew not to make a noise. 
There was a small peephole that the commander slowly peeked through. There it was, the large black-scaled beast with four arms and a blood red belly, but the red color wasn’t the creature’s skin. The creature, neigh monster, looked around the cave, knowing that there was an electrical pulse that originated from inside the cave. It searched and looked up and down, left and right, but didn’t see the handle or the sheet.  
For what seemed to take hours, but actually occurred in less than a minute, the creature accepted that there wasn’t anything there to eat, and abruptly exited the cave. What took the people twenty minutes time to walk into the cave, only took the creature twenty seconds. The commander gave the all clear signal and everyone gave a big sigh of relief. Springing to action, the captain started to plan a way to get back to the safety of the ship. He queried the commander about how and when the monster comes out, and the commander said that it only ever comes out when there is a power source. So with this, they decided that, from the relative safety of the cave, the captain quickly pulled his radio out of his belt and radioed the ship letting them know that they were approaching, but to keep the defenses on and powered up. The ships defense system was very weak compared to a TDEF battleship, but its guns can make a twenty foot wide crater, so it could be helpful. 
Meanwhile on the ship, commander Rachel got the distress call from the other team and was able to watch them with the camera. All that was visible, was the large black creature tearing apart soldiers, who only had seconds to react before being ripped to pieces. Everyone in the bridge was watching the camera footage of the soldiers, while their friends were being torn into bits. This caused commander Rachel to break protocol with new species, and ordered, “Open fire on the creature.” The soldier on the bridge, who was responsible for the weaponry, obeyed orders, aimed the cannon and pulled the trigger. 
There was a loud BANG from the cannon on the ship, and milliseconds later, there was a plume of smoke right where the creature was. Using the IR sight, the soldier saw that the creature was hit. However, it did not kill it. It did not even break its black scales. The soldier was amazed and quickly put the feed that he saw on the main screen so everyone in the bridge could see it. Rachel was awestruck as to how this creature so easily survived a direct hit. She ordered all guns on the creature and to fire a full blast from all four of the cannons on that side of the ship. In unison, there was another deafening BANG causing an even larger smoke cloud. The creature stood there as if nothing happened. 
The creature, nicknamed, the Klicker, by commander Jones, turned and stared directly at the ship. The cannons were reloaded, aimed, and fired again. Bang! The smoke rose, and the creature, now many feet underground stepped forward and started walking leisurely toward the ship. The ship had one last layer of defense, if the creature got within five hundred feet of the ship it had a laser capable of melting through feet of solid concrete, and ultra-steel instantly. Luckily for the crew, the creature kept walking. It was nearing five hundred feet away. The laser was already armed and waiting for it to come closer. At exactly five hundred and one feet away from the laser, the creature firmly planted its feet to the ground and stopped moving. Commander Rachel exclaimed, “What happened? Did the camera cut out?” 
The officer on the bridge retorted, “No ma’am the creature stopped at exactly five hundred and one feet. Our laser can’t fire that far, its specially designed for under five hundred feet and if we try to push it, it will most definitely not work.”
On the same screen that the crew is staring at, the words, “Leave me alone, leave this world, leave, or your lives will end.” Nothing else was on the screen, nothing at all, then the IR camera feed turned back on. It showed the creature disappear from sight. Then the creature went to the captain and his group. Rachel tried to radio the captain and finally manages to get a connection. Rachel tells the captain, “Captain, you and your group need to get back NOW! There is a monster here, we need to leave.” The captain responds and lets Rachel know that they already know all about the monster, and provide a quick summary of what had happened. Commander Jones listening to the radio call, says that the creature told his crew to leave using only words on a screen, to which no one believed. For a short while, people stopped disappearing. 
Almost entirely out of desperation, the captain ordered his crew to leave the ruined space ship, and to return to their ship. He tells everyone to have their guns ready and loaded at all times. The crew rushes out of the room and then out of the cave.  The captain was following the group, but the commander decides not to leave. The captain insists that the commander returns with them, but he refuses, and closes the door on the captain. 

The commander’s response was, “Go, save yourself, this is my life now, I can’t go back to Terra.” With his heart saddened slightly, the captain makes a mad dash to catch up to his group waiting at the end of the cave for him. The ship was a short sprint away from the cave, and the group ran, ran like their life depended on it, because really, their life did depend on it. As they got under the ship, the ramp lowered quickly, and the soldiers rushed inside and shut the door. The instant that the ramp was securely closed, everyone relaxed and took a much needed deep breath and then hurried to take off their space suit. The captain was not able to relax though, as he needed to command the ship, and fill everyone in on what happened. Once the ramp shut, the captain rushed up to the hyper-lift and then up to the bridge. At this point the crew didn’t even salute the captain, which he didn’t even notice. The captain told the navigator and Siri, the AI, “Get us the hell out of here.” And with that, the navigator lifted the ship up and accelerated into the sky. As the ship was flying away, it appeared as though there were flashing lights on the planet. The captain sat in his chair and looked outside the window, he could not tell if they were real or if he was just seeing things, and he did not report the sighting. The ship was flying out of the atmosphere, and was moving very quickly into space. Knowing that the rest of the crew must be in utter fear and confusion, the captain grabbed a microphone and started talking across an open channel inside the ship for everyone to hear. The captain started, “Hello crew of the Congruence, this is your captain speaking. To answer your question, Yes, it was a very dangerous environment. There was a single creature that took nine shots to its body without flinching. We still do not know what it was and probably never will, but we know that it is far too strong for us to even stand a chance with conventional weapons. It is to my utmost regret that I report that the entire B team was eliminated.” The captain paused for a moment of silence and then continued, “On the planet, the A team, along with myself, found the commander of the U.S.S.F. Expedition from over fifty years ago. His ship did not hit an asteroid. Instead, some kind of alien technology manipulated his ship, forcing it to land on that planet. Their entire crew was killed except for him. Sadly, he refused to leave that planet, and the remains with his ship.” The captain paused again, as he thought about what to say and finally deciding upon, “Crew, we are going to return to the nearest military frontier outpost, about two weeks time from here. The universe as we know it is going to change, We are definitely not the most powerful species out here. Although no one wants to be confined in this ship anymore, it is definitely better than certain death.” The ship’s course was adjusted to reach the outpost. All the preparations were in order. However, two weeks later when the ship came out of faster-than-light travel, they were shocked! In front of them, and surrounding all sides of the station, was a fleet of massive alien battleships. Once communications were online, the Congruence received a signal from the outpost station commander which said, “Congruence, this is the outpost, these ships… they just appeared out of thin air, no radar signatures, nothing. All the data screens on the bridge are displaying the words ‘Leave me alone, leave this planet, leave, or your lives will end.’” Almost immediately after receiving the first message, another message came through, “We are not going to leave. This station has some of the best armor and weaponry in the entire navy.” This message was on open channels for all to hear. The shout of refusal was not received well, as the klicker ships opened fire on the station. The first shot from the alien ship produced a massive explosion large enough to split the station completely in two. The second shot destroyed the bridge and its inhabitants. The station was no more. Everyone on the TDEF Congruence witnessed the attack, and in that moment, they realized humanity was in serious trouble.

When I was 14, my teacher gifted me a very beautiful book titled "Before I Wake" written by Dee Henderson. I loved the thrill, and I fell in love with Illinois at the time. I still hope to see what it looks like one day.

When I turned 16, my brother borrowed the book and that was the last time I saw the book. He lost it. I am thinking about it today and I wonder if I can find another copy of the same edition.

Free for 4 more days @ Amazon.

Amazon.com: Emma in the Zone eBook : Hight, David: Kindle Store

[FWIW, this is a recent continuation of the same "Zeus & Ganymede" series, which sounded a bit too affected, and drew zero commentary, even negative. I PREFER not splashing about any so-called "credentials," as this is experimental fiction, for me. It's been fun to write, if nothing else. Thanks for putting up with me. PS, I realize this sub is bombarded with more tedious crap than mine, a thousand times an hour, probably. Either give it a try or go stare at my dick. I'm not picky.]

Warhead,

This is probably the longest time we've gone without speaking, in some way, for almost two years (barring technical difficulties and necessary DOC stuff). I don't like it, at all. You should never think that I do.

I'm not talking to anybody, right now, if I can help it. My finances have me so low-key terrified, I can't think straight, and even my dreams have become rather annoying.

I suppose they'd be nightmares, to other people, but that's not how my brain works. Mostly, they've been about "my family getting back together," and they really suck. It's almost like I can't even escape the reality of being awake; I have to be annoyed while I'm sleeping, too. Ugh.

While my anger IS diminishing, it's like being constantly prodded by bullshit, whenever I feel like I'm starting to relax and let things go.

You can add to this the CA request I got on Sunday (five from that [username] person), and the fact that you didn't call on my birthday, yesterday. I'll read your letter, before sending this.

[Edit: I read your message. I know you don't mean that. You're not bonkers, or hateful.]

I'm just hoping you didn't do it on purpose. I really don't think you would.

Warry, you are really one of the few good things I can point to, in my life.

I realize you can lash out or try to punish me and others, if you feel that you're being let down or put down, but you seldom look back far enough to accept where your own decisions and actions cause this.

As I have told you, endlessly, I CAN'T hate you.

That doesn't mean that I'm such a wonderful person, bursting with love and compassion, constantly, that I can just keep giving and giving until I have less than nothing. That's where I am, now, and I did what I could to stop it.

You didn't.

It's really as simple as that.

I don't know how many times anyone needs to tell you, "No. Please, stop. You are hvrting me," before you see that their needs might occasionally outweigh your wants. I'm not interested in finding out.

I'm also NOT getting rid of you, and NOT breaking my promise to accept you into my home when and if you're released, which is supposed to be a month from today.

You ALSO remember holidays, birthdays, and other meaningful dates, whether they necessarily matter to you directly or not. It is that part of you that I refuse to let go of. I'm not digging around in your brain or experience for something that isn't real and possible. It's right there, readily available, and you keep shoving it down.

Partly, I do understand, it's because of where you presently are, but temporary unpleasantness doesn't define who we are, and doesn't truly mold our character. It either brings our true abilities closer to the surface or, in some cases—like our own, at different times—we try to hide the good things we have left, from people who would take everything, and be rude about it. I have given you a lot more than money, and I believe you deserve it.

What you fear from others, you have done to me.

From another perspective: I have understood how deeply you hurt, and how angry you are, but I couldn't give you enough, not in several lifetimes. Nobody could. I promised to stick around, and I'm still here. I don't evaporate because you insult me...but you know I'm no doormat.

You have basically "cost me" something close to $2K per week. My father, from his own accounts, got $400/mo. I could have lived comfortably for another ten years (hoping that horrible man would croak, in this time). Now, I cannot.

I was even forced to beg him for help, and was basically denied, but both he and my brother now get to feel better about themselves, because they can use it to look down on me as a failure.

I know it's not true, and I don't regret helping you, but this was never about whether you had money hidden anywhere, or could repay me quickly. Why did you want to do that, in the first place? Because you wanted to equalize our standing, between each other?

I have always attempted everything I know, to explain how that's not necessary (the equalizing, not the repayment). I think you do many things more effectively than I do, you are capable of different and valuable insights, and you are much better looking, if nothing else. I'm not putting myself down. These were, and still are, logical assessments. I stand by them.

I have always known more about you than you give me credit for. This fact doesn't make me better, or superior in any way. It has even allowed me to trust you in ways that I've never trusted anyone else, ever, and to feel things for and about you that I found unexpected, delightful, and fascinating.

That's really what some folks want from life, you see. You might not know that, because you've had far less experience (which is incarceration, mostly), but you tried to make up for it all by packing a lot of severe experiences into the short periods you've had on the streets, among other people.

That needs to stop.

I don't need to tell you to "be a better person," or "keep your promises, at least to yourself." I really don't HAVE to tell you much of anything, which is one of the many things I like about you. Of course, I have entitled you to ASK me whatever you want, without fear, recrimination, or judgment. That's the sorta world I always wanted for you...whether I'm in it, or not.

I suppose, in writing to you now, I would still like you to be a part of my life. Nothing has really changed about my feelings, because I've learned nothing new from whatever has happened recently. It's only been four days. It's merely the stress of situation, and that's not all about you. FWIW, 4/15 is "Tax Day" AND my father's release.

I feel like I'm going to be destr0yed, and there's only one person I want with me.

While, for pretty much everybody, you could expect a certain amount of distress and discomfort, mine is rather grotesque, and I'm definitely not exaggerating my circumstances. I have loved you more than anyone I've ever known, and I'm grateful for that. I'm not "stealing my prize and running away."

NOW is when shit starts to get real.

You have always attempted to pass yourself off as such a "tough guy." You literally altered your whole body to demonstrate your commitment to that front. It never fooled me. I think you're beautiful, intelligent, and kind. If you wanna waste our time pounding that drum forever, then I don't need to fight against it. I have given all that I have, but not all that I am.

NOW is when your decisions matter more.

It's not because you can't come to my home in the middle of withdr@wal. It's not because I would LIKE you to try out some meds, eventually, but can never demand it. It's also not because I think you're just a juvenile delinquent I can manipulate, forever (yes, I do think about the ways OTHER people might see my behavior).

NOW is the time to either let me help you in a REAL way, or you're just giving up...and I'm not prepared to do that.

I cannot command you to do, say, or think anything...and wouldn't WANT to, if I could. Whatever you've "discovered" about yourself since November of 2022, it's entirely your own brain and abilities. I realize how both have let you down, in the past. But how should they have done otherwise, when that was the examples that you were given?

You are too old to blame them, anymore. At some point, we ALL have to take responsibility for who we are and what made us. It doesn't mean we have to OWN the bad shit, forever. It means we can finally GET RID OF IT.

You keep stopping yourself. I suppose I do, too (with my recent drinking habits). You never have to "admit" another thing to anyone else on the face of the planet, but I've done the work to earn myself a place where you CAN speak...but not always vent and scream. That's not as productive as you seem to think. I will ALWAYS honor your privacy, even if it is to my detriment.

In the same way that you've been conducting that "slow-motion bank r0bbery," I've been slo-mo screaming at the entire world, with my art. And, the bigger targets, the better. I know I can't change that much of everything, particularly not now, but I've altered my approach.

NOW, instead of terrifying everyone by holding up a well-written mirror, it does me some small good each time I realize that I might have given someone hope, even if I don't know them.

I do know YOU.

If you would do to my heart what you have done to my bank account, then that's not going to be allowed. You already know I have enough self-respect to stop it, too. I'd rather make these so-called mistakes WITH you than without you. I realize that's a strange thing to say, but it does represent my feelings.

Strategically, I cannot do anything I've already planned until you're safe. After that, if you don't wanna be here, then you're on your own. You will never be alone again, and I can't change how I feel about you, even if you do a buncha dumb, obvious shit to make me dislike you.

I absolutely refuse to hate you.

That's not how anything really works.

I'm not writing you to prove anything. This isn't a lesson. It's not a punishment. While you may lack the experience—the literal, physical time outdoors, among other things—I KNOW that you intuitively understand what's good, and what's wrong, or merely ineffective.

I gave up trying to represent the evil that folks projected on me, or expected of me. That sorta liberation can be yours, now...and it doesn't matter where you are, as long as you're still breathing.

I've been to the alternative, three times. There's absolutely nothing to recommend it. You simply END. No fanfare, no parades, no lasting laments. In my case, it was, "BLOOP. Yer gone. BEEP BEEP. He's back." There was nothing, in between.

I know some people will strenuously argue that it's "not your time," and there's some revelatory experience we can't access. I've never bought that, not even since I was a kid. Which is exactly why I know it scares everyone.

The only thing I'm afraid of, currently, isn't my father, money, or politics (tho the last one is going to get worse, before it gets better). It's the idea of not having YOU in the world. Even if we never speak again, or some other unexpected nonsense happens, I think my existence is better with you in it.

The rest is up to you.

What happens...when you basically tell someone to fvck off, and they DON'T, but are just sitting there, looking directly at you, and they're not sad or angry?

Love, — palephx

Hey, guys!

Kiril Klevanski's "Dragon Heart" series is coming to an end. But... the last page hasn't been written or read yet.

And we still have time to feel the heat of the Dragonearted Warrior's breath.

The penultimate book in the series, "Last Day of the Immortal", will be released on Amazon on April 10th, 2024.

All the storylines are coming together, and soon everyone will read incredible epic conclusion of the entire series, which spans 2000 chapters and 22 books.

Our  pre-orders, stars and comments are the best reward for Kirill Klevanski and his big team.

Let’s support him.

https://preview.redd.it/k573q3ivu6sc1.jpg?width=853&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eceae8f16ed7c6feb4040d4bcb71166b00313767

Last day of the Immortal

Why do heroes always have way worse motives for what they do then villains?

Like half the heroes i can think of had their parents or friend die and give em some wisdom that somehow translates into saving people while villains always have good motives like restoring balance in the universe (Thanos) simply being a sociopath that was bullied by the world into hating everything and everyone in it (joker) being sent by your race to conquer the planet to become part of the empire (omni-man or any viltrumite for that matter) a psychotic superhuman that grew up in a test lab for a corrupt company to be molded into the perfect media machine (homelander) and countless others i just can't think of right now.

I heard about the web novel Little Mushroom, which is a BL about a humanoid mushroom of some kind and I wanted to know if there were any other works about mushroom humanoids. It seems like an interesting premise

Hello, got a pretty interesting question for you. What universe of fiction would you want to be teleported to. I will first explain some rules.

1: The in-universe logic of the piece of fiction you choose will apply the same way to you. For example let's say you like Pokémon and would want to go there, you might get worried that if you get electrocuted if a Pikachu attacks you, but for this experiment will say that you could survive this, just like all of the other character in Pokémon. However you are not invincible, if you go to Game of Thrones you can't just stand in front of dragon and expect you to be save.

2: Your arrival in the universe will depend on the piece of fiction that you choose. For example if you choose for a series that for the most part takes place in the same place (Like The Office) then you will be transferred to that specific place. So if you choose The Office you will be send to the place where The Office takes place. But if you choose an universe where the place you want to is basically everywhere is special (Like Star Wars) then you will be send to a random place somewhere in the galaxy of Star Wars.

3: You will be transferred to place that is 'safe'. If you would want to go One Piece for example you wouldn't be transferred to some random place in the ocean, you will be placed somewhere on the land.

4: You still have all your knowledge from the time before you got transferred.