I'm Very Close To Reaching A Third Of My Projected Chapter Amount, But It's Looking Like I'm Going To

Don't you just hate it when your Internet goes out for absolutely no reason, only to come back hours later in worse quality?

An encounter that's anything but chance.

"Why are you hiding over here?"

I don't look over as the voice interrupts my thoughts, my gaze remaining on the lake as it glitters gold under the rising sun. The man's question had been innocent enough, but it was the exact reason why I was separate form the others. There's too many questions, too many attempts to get to know me. I don't want to be known. I'd much rather stick to my own, as I always have. It was safer that way. Less… incidents.

He seems curious enough to stay, and sits down next to me, continuing to speak while he lights a cigar. "You're the silent type, huh? That's alright." We sit in silence for a while, the scent of hickory filling the air as the smoke curled and twisted upwards. He takes a long pull, and slowly exhales. "Listen, kid. I'll be honest with you. I know who you are, and what happened with your last Dant."

I glance over at him, unable to hide the fact that he surprised me. I still don't speak, I don't trust himself or myself enough to, but I tilt my head a bit to the side, letting him know that I'm listening.

He smiles at the gesture, his steel gray eyes lighting up. "Ah, that got your attention. I bet you're curious. 'Who is this man, and why is he talking to me if he knows what I've done', or along those lines, right?"

I nod slowly, considering many things before hesitantly speaking, "… Yes."

My speaking only seems to make him smile wider, and he looks out over the lake, breathing deeply as a crack of thunder echoes across the clear sky. "Well, those questions are easily answered. My name is Sergei Repin, and I want to ask you to join my unit."

"Sergei…" I repeat the name, considering it as I consider the man it belongs to. "Rane. My name is Rane."

My writing is going well, but I'm worried about a planned revelation for one of the main cast. I don't really have anyone to ask for advice, and I'm worried that it'd be taken wrong, but I'm also hesitant to ask for advice here, since it could draw the wrong kind of crowd.

I'm really unsure about it, so I'll ask beneath the line.

So, the revelation is planned for later in the story, and it involves a main-turned-secondary character who acts as an early antagonist to the primary main character. He's trans (Female to Male), and because the reasoning behind his behavior isn't revealed until a chapter or two after the revelation that he's trans (I'm doing chapter by chapter), I'm worried that the message will be seen as "He's an annoying/bad/bothersome person because he's trans", and not "He's an annoying/bad/bothersome person, period."

Him being trans isn't a focus of his story arc, and transphobia (as well as homophobia) won't be used as story beats.

I know I can just not say anything about it, but I want him (and other planned trans characters) to be known. I just don't want to imply the wrong message.

I've got the entire story for an original story thought out, I'm making progress on actually writing it, albeit slow progress. The main problem I'm finding is that whenever I want to share the progress I'm happy with, everyone I know is either busy, or "will read it when it's done", which my brain interprets as disinterest and just stomps my motivation into the cold, unrelenting earth.

I don't know why the constitution isn't on the Whitehouse site anymore... other than he fact that it looks like Trump masturbated all over the website.

But if he doesn't want it on the Whitehouse website then that's enough reason for me to share it.

National Archives

The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription

[get-content name="print-page-left" include-tag="false" /] Note: The following text is a transcription of the Constitution as it was inscrib

Here's the Bill of Rights for good measure

National Archives

The Bill of Rights: A Transcription

[get-content name="print-page-left" include-tag="false" /] Note: The following text is a transcription of the enrolled original of the Joint

-fae

I got in an argument with my mother this morning. The context isn't really important, just know it was over it was over politics. But there is one important part that told me what kind of person she is.

I brought up how ICE is targeting schools, and how there's a very good chance that they're taking anyone who looks "foreign". I mentioned that a boy we know could be taken, because he's mixed but looks mexican.

She asked me why I cared so much. She asked me why I cared so much about a boy who's been part of the family since he was a few months old being taken away.

We're not even a month in, and I'm already so tired.

Spider Love Song

#3a273d | #483249 | #f7e6f8 | #d18fd6 | #342538

it solos - Submitted by: fastman27

#0A090B #13121C #1C1733 #43245F #662A7E

A promise broken

The two of us had been walking through the Dex, Sophia's hand warm in mine, our fingers intertwined beneath our over-sized sleeves. It was a cold day, so we were wearing sweaters over our uniforms to keep the chill out. I didn't need one, but Sophia insisted, and I just couldn't say no to her when she brings up my health.

We'd been talking about the weather, and whether it'll snow or not when a shoulder slams into mine. I growl and go to say something, but the words die in my throat when I see who it was, memories dulling my tongue at the sight of her. I mumble an apology, and pull Sophia along, trying to put as much distance behind us as possible.

“Who was that? You two know each other?”

Sophia's question, innocent as it was, brings a torrent of memories from behind the walls I've carefully built. Memories of late nights training, movies we were supposed to watch, secrets shared beneath the moonlight, promises of forever made and sealed with kisses. I shake my head, and glance over, my voice soft, as if afraid of being heard.

“Not anymore.”

I've recently passed 10,000 words in my original story. I honestly wasn't expecting to ever actually reach that number, and I still have so many chapters to go.