MidnightDaybreak

[Song Inspiration: I Want It That Way - Backstreet Boys] Riley moaned as the dark elf prince shoved them roughly against the wooden planks of their room at The Zoog’s Folly inn, their lips pressed firmly together. It had been months since the two had formed a party and started adventuring together – and weeks since they became even more on the shore of the River Skai near the edge of the Forest of Parg – and they had just finished their biggest job yet. Well, mostly finished it anyway, but they wouldn’t be making the drop to their contact until the next morning; which meant the pair had all evening to “celebrate”. Nalkéth trailed his ebony fingers from Riley’s messy bob of black hair down along their jaw, along their throat, the beaten leather armor that clung to their chest, their bare midriff, finally coming to rest on their waist, just above the set of belts holding his partner's weapons and gear; and pushed his own hips insistently into theirs. “We did it,” the dark elf said

That's all. I just needed it to be out there. It's not an easy thing for me to admit, and I don't really want anyone to know. But I think I need it to be out there in order for me to fully grasp it myself; which is why I'm putting it here. It's out there now, but it's in a place where no one will really see it. I can come to terms with it without worrying about more people than I'm comfortable with knowing it. The last 20 months have been a slow, steady downward spiral. From one single event I feel like I've lost... direction. And what's really frustrating is that it was a direction I didn't even realize I was following until it was long, long gone. Even now I'm not 100% certain that's actually the case, but; everything started there. Not to mention, 2020. That year didn't do my mental health any favors. I don't know who I am. I don't know where I'm going. And I don't know what I'm doing. All I do know is that... I'm not okay. I haven't been for so long, and it's only going to get

I hate how cyclical this is The cycle inevitably becomes a spiral And the spiral's always down Circling from bad to bad Until the darkness consumes me And I begin to drown

[Song Inspiration: Killing Strangers – Marilyn Manson] It was supposed to be easy. Just a routine traffic stop to close out the shift, and then a nice long three-day weekend… Spend some time with the fiancée… Watch some football with a couple close friends… Maybe fire up the grill one more time before it got too cold… Three whole days off. Just a routine traffic stop. It was supposed to be easy. Officer Maxwell was staked out between the north and southbound lanes of U.S. Route 27 near Decatur, facing north. It was dark – the middle of the night or early in the morning, depending on one’s perspective. All of his lights were off; a simple but effective speed trap for the hour. The night had been uneventful – quiet – and he was fine with that. Why get worked up before a long weekend? He was just finishing off the last off his lukewarm coffee when the red BMW M6 whizzed by, making him fumble his thermos. “Son of a bitch!” he shouted, shaking off the mess and switching his lights

I decided to do a thing, because tedious tasks like this help me feel productive, which I'm hoping will help motivate me back toward writing regularly. As I've said many times, pretty much 90% of my writing is set in the same universe: the UnAVerse. (UnAVerse is a play an "universe" and AV, the abbreviation for the neglected novel series at the center of the UnAVerse, Alberi Ventosi.) Most stories take place on Earth, which itself is divided into two societies; the Human World (which is basically the real world) and the secret Mythical World (which is where all the fantasy/scifi stuff takes place, and can extend outside the Earth or to other realms). Some of the stuff I post here on DA or my Tumblr are short stories that mostly stand on their own (particularly those set in the Human World), but a good chuck of them actually tie into other stories or to the AV novels themselves to some degree. Sometimes its small (a passing reference to a character or event, or maybe a cameo), and

Lionheart Kids [Ch. 28] Halestorm Pt. 8 The front window of Gregory’s Hobby Shop was anything but impressive. It’s exterior looked just like the rest of the town did; old brick and stone covered with dirt and moss. The only difference was that the brick and stone around the large front window seemed to have slightly less dirt and moss on it; like it was still really old, but not quite as old as the rest of the shop. “Hobby shop, huh?” Corey acknowledged, taking a nonchalant sip of his coffee. The more he drank of it, the more he enjoyed it. Maybe he could become a coffee-drinker after all. “This is… really cool.” He really hoped he was coming off as facetious, like he meant, and not rude, like he probably sounded. Sierra laughed and elbowed him in the side, making him choke on his drink. “Shut up. It’s not about the store; it’s about the history. This,” she gestured lightly at the front window, “Is where it all started.” “Where all what started?”

Lionheart Kids [Ch. 27] Halestorm Pt. 7 Jack sighed boredly as he scrolled through his Tumblr feed without looking at anything. He’d met up with the girls at their fourth dress shop, but hadn’t actually seen any of them yet. All three of them were hidden behind changing room doors with the maximum number of garments the store would allow them, while he sat on an uncomfortable plastic chair outside. At least he wasn’t alone. Several other boys sat on matching chairs to both his left and right. Some of them were chatting together, but most were looking idly at their phones like he was while they waited on their dates to make a selection. He kinda wished he was alone. 'Thanks for bailing, Corey,’ he mentally grumbled, cursing himself for not being a little more selfish and asking his friend to stick with him. ‘Should’ve at least brought my DS.’ He skimmed over the games on his phone, and even opened up Google Play Store for a minute, but he didn’t really feel like

Lionheart Kids [Ch. 26] Halestorm Pt. 6 Core-sama: [Where should I meet you?] Sierra: [I’m heading to the Starbucks on the corner of Gray and Kingston.] Core-sama: [Omw] Sierra: [What’s your order? My treat.] Corey didn’t know how to respond to that. He wasn’t a Starbucks regular; or even a coffee-drinker. He’d hate for her to get him something and not drink it because he didn’t like it, but he also worried that turning down the offer might be rude. He decided to be daring. Core-sama: [Surprise me >:3] Sierra: [LOL You asked for it] He was apprehensive about what that might mean, but figured he’d find out when he got there and Googled direction. The town was small enough that nothing was too far away, but the fifteen-minute walk felt like an eternity thanks to the butterflies flittering wildly in his stomach. It would only be the second time they had hung out outside of class; and the first time had been so brief that he could hardly even consider it really hanging