Nathan and Kira went to a different diner for lunch this time. It wasn’t like anything in particular stood out about it though, a lot of diners just sort of meshed together. The most unique thing about this one was the light 50s theming, mainly from the abundance of Elvis songs being played on the speakers. Clearly the owner of this place was a big fan.

No, Nathan wasn’t crazy. To say he was WOULD be crazy. He was a very well adjusted man.

He was just frantically scouring the internet for any evidence of magic being real.

The part of him that still wanted to be rational was thinking “of course magic isn’t real, that’s ridiculous, you’re being ridiculous”. And he was being ridiculous, magic was not something that existed in the real world, and it certainly wasn’t something that sensible, level-headed adults believed in.

First half of this is another brand new scene, I hope you all like it.

Alright so a few things. First off, Desyi being brought back might be seen as cheap or a deus ex machina. I understand that viewpoint but at the same time I really have no idea whether Ruexin’s original intention was to bring her back. I killed off Raycern to bring her back so we still had one character death in order to make it feel as non cheap as possible. Also it just kind of fit.

Second off, the anti capitalist messaging may be seen as shoehorned in because the original story had nothing to do with capitalism. So, okay. I tried to make the anti capitalist stuff as minor as possible, but I still think the story needed a nice and uplifting ending. And this was what I thought worked the best.

UPDATE AUGUST 2024: Again, a lot of this was written when I was a new writer. You don't have to cut 2022 me slack if you don't want to, but I will.

The Time of Void Skies brought death and destruction all across Vanasia. Memorials were set up across many towns, honoring those who had lost their lives in the tragic event.

The Lyceum had the largest memorial of all. Thousands of names were listed. It didn’t matter if they were rich, poor, a criminal, or someone who had died of causes unrelated to the event. If they died during it, their name was listed.

“Natalie: Do you remember our visit to our parents and Kate? Do you remember when I talked to them, Mom specifically? Do you remember what she said to me? She told me about you, and how in elementary school, you cried because you thought you were ugly. She said she tells that story every time you call yourself ugly. EVERY TIME.

Nathan, how many times has that happened? Why do you think you’re ugly?”

“Natalie: I’m sorry Nathan, I really am. I don’t know how many times I can say that. I just can’t do it anymore. I remember thinking at the time that I couldn’t go back to my old life because it was fake, but now… I don’t know what to think. Everything’s starting to blur together. Me and you are starting to blur together. It’s all so disorienting.

I don’t know what I need to do in place of this, but whatever it is, it can’t be this. God, can it not be this.

I’ll get back to you when I find something.”

***

“Natalie: I’m still thinking about what Kate said to me yesterday. It’s been making me think about a lot, which is something I really needed.

I know what happened to us was bad, and in a perfect world, it wouldn’t have happened. If I had the opportunity to go back and erase all the trauma he caused, I would. But I can’t. Astian did what he did and now both of us have to live with it.

Nathan ran a hand through his hair, organizing it, straightening it, all while looking into his phone camera, just to make sure he looked presentable. He’d been doing this since he first rang the doorbell, which had to have been minutes ago at this point.

He put his hands in his pockets nervously. What was taking them so long? He didn’t want to drive all the way to his parent’s house for forty-five minutes only to learn that his family didn’t trust him anymore. They couldn’t have given up on him that quickly. Didn’t he deserve a chance? If it were them, he would’ve-

Nathan and Natalie alike made sure to make good on that hope, every time a new switch occurred. When recording on a computer became too inconvenient for them, a file of the increasingly long video was sent to their phone. They could then record their speeches on their drives, on their breaks, anywhere they wanted.

tw // depictions of suicide

A harsh, unrelenting pounding hit Geisinger’s head with full force every second. Everything around him was blended together into a blur. He couldn’t make out anything, not with his eyes, nor with his ears.

He tried to move his head and look down at himself but he couldn’t. He was paralyzed. Nothing would move, not his head, arms, or legs.

Where was he? What was he doing?

Sierra examined her face in the mirror as Elise pulled into Amanda’s driveway

“I think my makeup’s finally faded.” She said, rubbing her chin.

“Yeah, sweat’ll do that to you.” Amanda said. “Believe me, I know. Those girls on the team who wear makeup, I’ll never understand them.”

“Is that something you’d like to do again?” Elise asked.

“Of course!” Sierra said excitedly without thinking. She let out a forced cough afterward. “I mean, well, yeah… I think I’d like to do it again.”

Securing the top button on her shirt, Natalie examined herself in the mirror, managing a smile at the sight of her face.

She was right, Nathan could look good, provided he looked after his appearance. With his hair brushed like this and his facial hair more neatly managed, he was quite handsome. He didn’t even look chubby with this shirt on.

Natalie’s smile soon dropped as her hands fell to her sides.

The pen on the other side of the table tapped constantly against the cold wood beneath it. With it, Natalie’s legs bounced, restless and anxious.

“So, Nathan.” The interviewer said. “Tell me about yourself.”

In the past, Natalie had never been one to struggle with that kind of question. She always aced it without a hitch.

Now, of course, things were very different.

A dreamless sleep awaited Natalie once she entered the mirror. And after all she had to endure the previous few days, she wanted nothing else. Short, easy, noninvasive, that was all she needed to be satisfied.

Here she was, finally, in the other timeline. The original timeline.

The real timeline.

“What the hell is this?”

Jacqueline had vigorously scrubbed the toilet bowl to the point where her arm and wrist were blazing. But in spite of all her efforts, there was something that was simply refusing to come off.

Jacqueline groaned, setting the toilet brush aside and getting down to eye the foreign substance for what could have been the millionth time.

It was a tricky thing to catch, simply glancing at the bowl would not reveal it. Jacqueline herself hadn’t noticed it until she began cleaning. And soon it became impossible for her not to notice it.

“Jacqueline, meet me at the abandoned warehouse when you come home. I’ve got a surprise you will not believe.”

Jacqueline had lost track of how many times she’d read that text. She still wasn’t sure if she should reply. Ben never texted anything else after it. Every time she checked her phone, that’s where their texts ended.

Jacqueline put her phone down. She knew it was only a matter of time before she pulled it up again, doomed to repeat the seemingly never-ending cycle of reading that same text over and over.

“Hey, Jacqueline. Something happened to me during the mission today. I don’t know what it is, but it shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

While in the Forbidden Cave I was transformed into a woman. I’m not sure how or why it happened, but it did. I was cleared of having any serious curses or corruption, but for some reason I can not change back. Apparently my soul is ‘rejecting’ the magic, and leaving me stuck like this.

Yeah, I don’t get it either.

Natalie had been led back to the psychiatric institute. Specifically, back to Sara’s office. She could see Sara typing something onto her computer as she sat in the chair in front of her.

“Thank you.” Sara said to the person who found Natalie. They smiled, then promptly left the room.

The things we do alone in our bedrooms, locked away from the rest of the world. ***This story includes an AI generated section by ChatGPT***

Autumn’s story had started a chain reaction. Pretty soon everyone in the room was taking turns talking about what had led them into becoming the women they now were. Not everyone spoke about it, so far two women had declined, but most of them did. And as they did, Natalie’s suspicions were slowly but surely confirmed. They had all been men in a past life, and each had varying levels of remembrance of it.

One awful side effect of being unemployed is how much it fucks up a sleep schedule. Falling asleep in the very late hours of the night and waking up in the afternoon felt so horrible and wrong on so many levels. In Nathan’s case, it made him feel like a slob.

Thankfully though, every morning Astian made sure to come to his room to wake him up, usually just by shaking him.

Nathan pretended to still be asleep when he heard Astian come into his room. He just needed a few extra minutes to rest.

Somehow, in the midst of her crying the night before, Natalie was able to fall asleep. She didn’t know how, the adrenaline rush she got from her suicide attempt had to have been enough to keep her awake and alert, but whether she wanted to or not, she fell asleep.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

Ben looked all around him as his body rose upward. There wasn’t any voice he could hear that told him that. He only had the knowledge that something, somewhere said there was beauty, and that he should appreciate it.

“So, so beautiful.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed as he took in his surroundings. He could see nothing but the sky and the clouds. The only thing he felt was the wind that occasionally blew past. His body was entirely suspended in the air, and every second he could feel himself slowly ascend toward something.

“Look.”