The group of helicopters charged forward, crossing into the main main battlefield. Fighter jets and missiles streaked through the air alongside monstrous forms and winged humanoids, their battles sending gouts of flame and smoke through the sky. From below, more explosions and the near-constant rat-a-tat of gunfire melded with shouts an...
2024-03-11 03:27:58 +0000 UTC View PostThe sound of her phone alarm dragged Kaitlyn out of her dreams, thrusting her into the early morning light. She cracked a sleepy eye open before reaching out with one fumbling hand to silence it.
Alright. Today's the big day.
Rolling out of bed, she quietly washed up and got ready. These days, she usually woke up earlier tha...
2024-03-08 17:00:19 +0000 UTC View PostThe Gully's interior was packed to the brim with chattering students, their bodies crammed together in the all-too-small space. The stage at the front of the room lay dormant for the moment, the instruments and microphone stands upon it highlighted by glowing spotlights.
Kaitlyn carefully navigated her way through the crowd with a...
2024-03-06 17:00:12 +0000 UTC View Post/// You could call it late. Or you could call it "fashionably late," which is still late but with cooler connotations.
///
Billowy clouds drifted idly through the sky, their puffy white forms dotting the picturesque blue expanse like ships sailing high above. The sun's rays highlighted their edges, setting them aglow even as the bree...
2024-03-05 02:46:17 +0000 UTC View PostThe first rays of dawn had just begun to peek over the horizon as the bunker's inhabitants emerged. Together, they stood atop the now-cleared foundations of Gram Gram's house, waiting.
A tense silence pervaded the scene as each checked over their belongings. Annie compulsively checked and rechecked her firearms, making sure that each was i...
2024-03-05 02:41:13 +0000 UTC View PostIt took a bit of time to get all of Chad's points assigned. Tammy's insisted on running a whole battery of tests after each point was added.
It was with good reason – Chad could feel the first twinges of that pulling sensation return, especially when messing with his forearm and upper arm. Fortunately, Annie was on hand to help relax his...
2024-03-04 06:22:22 +0000 UTC View PostIt didn't take long for Nick to get completely lost in his gardening. They left him to it, albeit with a few soldiers to make sure he didn't get up to anything too nefarious. But judging by the unbridled joy on the kid's face, he didn't mind a single bit.
"Well," Major Geoffries cleared his throat as they headed toward the bunker'...
2024-03-04 06:21:35 +0000 UTC View PostKaitlyn hunched over her lab notebook, fingers drumming on the bench beside it. For the tenth time, she scanned the list of variables and possibilities laid out before her.
Alright. I've got my control, and I've retested the biggest suspects just to make sure I'm in the same situation as before. The qPCR still isn't working.
Unfortunately, she didn't.
Despite their teamwork, Kaitlyn and Ian couldn't quite pull off a win against Zog and his teammate. But it was close. Very close. Close enough that she thought they'd pull it off next loop.
But in the meantime, she settled for second place in doubles. It was a nice accompaniment to her fifth place ...
2024-02-28 17:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostIt took all of Kaitlyn's willpower to not look up Elliot's dad right there in the career fair. She managed to make it the whole way through, even getting back to her dorm before pulling up the web browser on her phone. Flopping onto her bed, she quickly tapped in the name "Glen Ambrose." But before hitting "search," she hesitated.
Shou...
2024-02-27 05:19:37 +0000 UTC View PostHe was right. They were there for a while.
Tammy continued to measure and evaluate Chad, running him through a battery of tests. Lifting this, catching that, testing his reflexes, and so on. Most of them he ruined in comical fashion. Some of them he simply didn't know what to do with.
Annie watched from the sidelines with am...
2024-02-26 04:29:18 +0000 UTC View PostThe truck came into view of Gram Gram's place just as the sun began to set in the sky. In the time they'd been gone, much of the rubble had been cleared away, but not all of it. The wooden bones of the former house's frame jutted out from the ground amid splinters and damaged furniture.
Chad and the others disembarked near the wreckage, me...
2024-02-23 23:00:04 +0000 UTC View PostThe truck rumbled back toward home, chugging along the country roads. Its interior was packed with soldiers, an arm wrestler, an alien elf, and a parrot -- all but the last sopping wet.
They spent the first part of the trip in silence. The sound of the vehicle made it difficult to talk outside of shouts, but that wasn't the only reason. Ev...
2024-02-23 17:25:42 +0000 UTC View PostThe Bara Ballroom buzzed with activity as Kaitlyn stepped inside. Her ruffled white blouse and black slacks fit in perfectly among the other formally dressed students as they streamed through the auditorium. But for once, she didn't just look like she belonged. She felt like it.
This time, she was here for business.
Her stri...
2024-02-23 17:11:30 +0000 UTC View PostCinnaBun dashed across the crystalline surface of a cave-themed stage, throwing carrot shurikens as she ran. Her steps were interspersed with hops, creating twin rows of projectiles that hurtled over the edge of the stage. Corgo took one in the chest as he leapt toward the edge of the stage, falling slightly below its lip. The rabbit reached the...
2024-02-21 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostKaitlyn sat at her lab bench, fingers steepled together as she pored over her notebook. The soft hum of a centrifuge spinning faded into the background as she focused on the task at hand.
Alright. It's go time.
After a few weeks of work, she'd finally established enough rapport to run her own experiments. A few of them, at l...
2024-02-19 17:00:19 +0000 UTC View PostChad had gotten fairly used to holding back his strength. Whether it was hurling objects, punching monsters, or launching himself across the ground, he had come to more or less understand what an appropriate amount of force to use in a given situation. But now? Now, he let loose.
Time seemed to move in slow motion as the turtle's shell cru...
2024-02-19 03:36:20 +0000 UTC View PostThe massive Tortimer turned to meet Chad's gaze, its movement sending more waves through the lake. It wasn't a turtle, not exactly. A closer look revealed spiky jaws and stalactite-like protrusions all across its body. It made the creature resemble something closer to a battleship crossed with a mine.
The first round of waves reached the e...
2024-02-19 03:35:17 +0000 UTC View Post/// HOO BOY
It's been a week. No excuse for getting these chappies out to yall so late, though. Thanks for being patient. Hopefully it's a good binge!
///
As Chad navigated back to the lake with the others, he checked over his newly available skills. He left the stat points alone for the moment, still not entirely sure where he...
2024-02-19 03:34:26 +0000 UTC View PostThe game began. Both Kaitlyn's Corgo and Ian's CinnaBun loaded onto opposite sides of the stage – a lush, grassy field with platforms floating on clouds above. As soon as they touched ground, they sprang into action.
CinnaBun began to charge up a shuriken, just as Kaitlyn had expected. Her Corgo darted forward with a small hop to fire of...
2024-02-16 21:14:11 +0000 UTC View Post/// HAPPY VALENTINES DAY YALL
I wish I'd had the foresight to make this post line up with an ending, but nope. No such luck. BUT at least it's a post! Hope yall have a great day with your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse, or whoever -- and if you don't got anyone, then there's always pets and post-Valentines discount chocolate day. :3
/...
2024-02-14 17:00:21 +0000 UTC View PostSoftware Engineering turned out to be in the same lecture hall as her Algorithms class had been – something for which Kaitlyn was incredibly grateful. The relatively modern space was home to the most comfortable seats on campus. The opportunity to take advantage of them almost made the class worth taking on its own.
The ones in Calcu...
2024-02-12 19:19:32 +0000 UTC View PostMajor Geoffries and his men were tense as they faced Chad's group. They eyed Nick with suspicion as the kid continued to stare forward in shock.
Chad patted him on the shoulder. "This is Nick! He's a gardener. Nick, this is Major Geoffries and his soldiers."
The elf said nothing.
"A gardener…?" The Major asked with a frown. "...
2024-02-12 05:17:53 +0000 UTC View PostChad watched as the cloud of incoming insects arced over the treeline. Their long, thin bodies and vibrating wings cast a shadow over the clearing as they flew.
Locust Swarm (Lvl 13)
"Oh," he sighed. "It's just some locusts. They don't even eat meat."
"Maybe they'll pass us?" Squawkers whispered hopefully. "May...
2024-02-09 17:49:38 +0000 UTC View PostSunlight peeked through from behind Kaitlyn’s closed eyelids. She let out a long sigh, then rolled out of bed.
The last loop had been nice. Hanging out with Vinny for a little while had been a welcome change of pace, while hanging out with Heather had proved unexpectedly fun. Exhausting, but fun.
How does she manage to cram in ...
2024-02-09 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostKaitlyn had spent a long time being bad at classes. Even after she'd finally overcome them, the amount of time it had taken to master the subjects made it clear: her success was due to sheer determination rather than any kind of talent or smarts of her own. To make things worse, she'd followed it up by jumping straight into new courses that felt...
2024-02-07 17:05:31 +0000 UTC View PostChad, Squawkers, and the blue-skinned elf all stared at each other in silence for what felt like an eternity. Squawkers was the first to act.
"Watch out, Chad!" The parrot's head whipped around the clearing. "It's an ambush. It has to be! Get ready!"
Snapping himself out of the daze, Chad began surveying the area as well. But he saw ...
2024-02-07 05:12:40 +0000 UTC View Post"Omigosh, hi!"
Heather greeted her with an overly-enthusiastic hug at the door. Large hoops dangled from each ear, her clear blue eyes alight with unbridled excitement.
"Nice to meetcha!" The blonde girl chuckled. "Finally! It's like, sooooo weird to meet my roommate halfway through the semester, y'know? I like, wasn't sure ...
2024-02-06 05:53:00 +0000 UTC View PostNih'iquel'zan looked out over the forest clearing, admiring his work. All around him spread a veritable carpet of flowers in every color. Blues, pinks, yellows, and reds swayed in the breeze, all neatly arranged in a beautiful tapestry of a garden. The riot of colors was hemmed in by the earthen browns and greens of the treeline.
He took a...
2024-02-05 05:55:45 +0000 UTC View PostOver the weeks, something strange began to happen. Something Kaitlyn had hoped to avoid.
She began to feel restless.
It wasn't some kind of manic, subconscious need to escape her problems, though. This felt more like an impatience to move forward and do something. Something substantial and meaningful. Something other than ju...
2024-02-02 17:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post