Footsteps echoed through a long hall of polished pearl and wood, papers scattering across the floor. A tall, handsome man with red skin and black hair burst through large wooden double doors, out of breath. A measured tapping of a pen could be heard on the desk in front of him as he panted.
“You’re late…” the voice boomed. “Like always…”
He held up his finger as he composed himself and straightened his suit.
“That doesn’t matter. Where are they?” His black eyes met a large figure cloaked in white.
The white figure raised her eyebrow and turned a page, her voice measured and calm.
“Well, they certainly aren’t here,” she stated. “Most of them go into limbo nowadays.”
“Don’t play games with me. My numbers are down, and jobs are going unfilled in my realm!” The red figure clenched his fist as heat waves rose from his shoulders.
“Well, that’s exactly why I called this meeting.” She flipped a page from the book in front of her. “It seems we have to intervene again…”
“Again?” The red figure rolled his eyes. “Because last time worked so well.”
She looked up from her book. “Last time, I was a lot more like you…” She sighed. “Nonetheless, you know the contract—”
“I know the contract. I wrote half of it!” he interrupted.
Her eyes glowed like the sun for a brief moment before she continued.
“And as you know, if we both don’t get our numbers up, we’ll be in for a performance review.” Her calm demeanor showed a hint of frustration.
The red figure let a smile slip slightly across his lips. “And what are they threatening this time? I swear they think they’re better than us, despite us all being gods.”
“Reassignment.” She paused as the red figure scoffed.
“They wouldn’t do that again…”
“Oh, but they did. And the punishment was light, comparatively. This time they plan on wiping our memories and making us live a few lives in the mortal plane. Now, I don’t know about you, but the last time I was there, they hung me up on a cross.”
The red figure’s defensive demeanor shifted into worry for a moment before he gathered himself.
“What do you suppose we do?”
“Well, I know how much you like games, so I have a friendly competition in mind—something to motivate us besides the whole ‘forced to the mortal plane’ gimmick.”
“I’m listening…” He cocked his head in curiosity.
“We start orphanages. You’ll have your own, and I will too. We’ll influence the children to live the lives we desire, so our numbers go back up.”
“Why orphanages? Why not influence the ones who are already grown or close to crossing planes?”
“Many mortal adults don’t listen to anything other than their own ego, stuffing it to the brim with self-satisfaction. However, the children are still willing to take in outside information and follow examples. Probably why we are here in the first place…”
The red figure raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a slow smile.
“So… we’re recruiting children to settle a cosmic performance review?” He let out a low, brief chuckle. “I can’t decide if that’s brilliant or pathetic.”
The white figure shrugged. “Perhaps brilliant, perhaps pathetic, perhaps both. Do you have any better ideas?”
He tapped his chin with a long, black nail. “I suppose not. And what do I get if I win your little competition? What’s in it for you?”
“How about if one wins, they get to ask the other any favor their heart desires?”
“Any favor?” The red figure raised his eyebrow as multiple fantasies popped into his head of what he’d ask his business partner—and rival.

Verse 1:
I walked through towns with stories untold
Words behind my back, like knives--
So cold
Tried to box me in plastic and grace
Yet, I made my own place
Yeah, my own place

Chorus:
Turning up eyes to the skies today
Because abusers feel no shame
No, they feel no shame
Breaking chains with thunder, not blame
Fill the silence with our names
Abusers feel no shame

Verse 2:
The moment you stop shrinking,
Burn bright through the pain
The chains don’t fall--
You tear them with flame
They said I was fragile, they called me by name
But I rose like thunder--and I’ll never be the same
The same

(Chorus)

Bridge:
Let them name your fears, burn those years
Every scar’s a closing door
You call it weakness, I call it war
No more—no more

(Chorus X2, Bridge)

Verse 3:
They try to bury you,
Show them you bloom
Grow wild in the places
They once called tombs
You carry the fire, you carry the flame
No one who sees you will leave the same

A rabbit hopped through the forest, grazing upon the grass when a venomous snake appeared nearby. "Come with me, little rabbit," he hissed, "You will never have to graze again or wander the forest in fear, I will protect you."

The rabbit looked at the snake, unsure of his words. "I've heard stories of you and how you **** my brethren, what you speak is not true!"

"Do not judge me by my brethren's actions, I am different from the othersss, I will not harm you" the snake's tongue flicked wildly as it slithered closer to the rabbit. Her heart beat faster, something inside her telling her to not go near the snake, but the prospect of safety too tempting to pass up.  

The rabbit hesitated before moving closer to the snake, but a bear rumbled "Stop, little rabbit, the stories you have heard are truth, you know it's truth too. Do not let him draw you in like he did your fallen kin" the bear points to the grass near the snake's tail. When the rabbit looked, she noticed a tuft of fur  wafting in the breeze. The snake hissed

"Simply a tuft in the grass that could have come from anywhere!" his body wriggled in frustration.
The rabbit noticed this and backed away
"Notice how he becomes impatient the more this conversation goes on. " the bear pointed out, "Why do you think this is?"

"I simply wish for my new friends safety! The longer we talk, the longer your safety is unsecured!" The snakes tongue flicked as his patience grew thinner.

The rabbit stepped back further, her breath unsteady. She glanced at the tuft of fur again, then at the bear, whose eyes held no flicker of deceit, only concern and strength.

Despite the rabbit's fear and the bears wisdom, the rabbit moved towards the snake. As she did, she could see his den nearby and looked deeper into it.
The closer she got, the clearer the den and inside the den became.

The snake followed her closely as the bear quietly growled. Before she stepped inside, she saw something in the den. A curved white object came into her view, it jutted out of the ground, splintered, drawing her eyes in as if it was a final warning of the snake's true intentions.

The rabbit backed away from the den, "What is that poking out of the ground?" She asked. The snakes tounge flicked through the air, but he had no answer. The rabbit feared the worst, turned towards the bear and ran to him.

"Where do you think you're going?" The snake hissed, the rabbit had no response as her legs moved for her. The snake struck at her and grabbed a tuft of fur, the rabbit narrowly escaping.

She hid under the bear as the snake sputtered and coughed. "You insolent fool!” the snake hissed. “My trust is destroyed because of you!”

The rabbit, catching her breath beneath the bear’s warm fur, stared him down.

“You’re wrong. I escaped your lies and your maw. You don’t lose trust when someone runs from your bite—you lose control.”

The snake reeled at her words, his coils twisting in rage. With a final hiss, he slithered away into the brush, eyes already scanning for another easy heart to devour.

The bear curled protectively around the rabbit, his breath slow and steady.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” he murmured. “I feared losing you.”

The rabbit nuzzled into his fur, her body trembling with release. The forest, once thick with deception, now felt quiet. And for the first time, she felt safe.

It started with a dream and a few little seeds.

Creating something new—something truly yours—is never an easy road. There are no guarantees, no promises. But if you don’t try, how will you ever know what might have bloomed?

So I took my seeds, wrapped them in damp paper towels, and began my journey.

Within a couple of days, a seed or two had already popped. It was exciting—but with that excitement came pressure. Pressure to do it right. To keep them alive. To prove that I could do this, first try! (Because for some reason, that's how my brain works)

A few more days passed. Nothing changed. The paper towels had dried out despite my efforts to water regularly.

I thought I’d failed them. The sprouts looked brittle, barely holding on—and in that moment, it felt like my dream was slipping through my fingers.

But then I handed them to someone who had walked this path before. He looked at them, then looked at me and said:

“They’re still alive.”

And just like that, so was my dream.

Have you ever seen a person drown?



You fight, muscles straining as you reach--flailing helplessly toward what you need most. You can't stand it anymore as your body screams for oxygen. You gasp-- hoping, praying this is a dream, but a searing burn rushes down your throat and through your lungs as water floods in. It shouldn't be there, you know it-- every cell screams but it's too late, the water is inside and keeps flooding in. You reach for the light one last time, it filtering and bending into bright rays around your fingers. Your vision grows dull, your muscles no longer respond to what your brain is telling them to do. The light growing dimmer and dimmer as the last bubbles float to the surface. One last ray of gold slips through your fingers... Then nothing...



It's to be expected for any animal to struggle as much as possible while drowning in the water. Some will put others of their kind underneath them, just for precious moments of rest and survival.
So what do you do when you find a person overboard, drowning in the sea of black?
Naturally, I throw the life preserver in hopes that they will grab onto it and I can save them.

Remember what I said when some creatures will force their own kin under in order to live?
Well, what do you do with a creature like that?
Eventually, it's you or them. At this point, it's natural to choose you!

I was trapped in a cycle of abuse at one point in time.
I didn't see it for years as I grew, but then something snapped.

Call it destiny,
Call it the right time and the right place,
Call it having my mind open to change,
Call it whatever you want.

Either way, I saw what I was doing, not only to the ones I love, but also to myself

I noticed now I'm so used to the abuse, I take a minute to compute when I'm met with my lover simply just talking to me.

The comfort in their soft embrace feels like no other. The deep affection and freedom has become like a soft blanket

I was told marriage is a chore,
It's something that you're forced to do and the spark will die
But who made it that way?

I can't help but feel like our love, our spark will never die, I suppose time will tell, but I can tell there's something completely different now and I never wish to return to the old in physical space.

If you feel lost, confused, or afraid, maybe I can help, maybe I can't. Hopefully I can at least help by continuing writing. I'm not sure what the future holds for me, but my life feels okay right now and I treasure this moment.

For I don't know how long it will last,
Nor do I know if it is truly real
All we have is now
I just wish I saw it sooner

"I had a dream someone took you away from me"
"I had a dream that a family member died"

It's intriguing where our dreams take us, sometimes it's adventure, sometimes it's our worst fears.
A glimpse into the deepest part of you, the part no one can ever see.

What's truly behind it, I wonder...

Science says they are a series of thoughts, images, sensations. Research suggests that they are essential to the mind's ability to process, problem solve, and consolidate memory.

Some people believe it is simply a playground for your consciousness, the subconscious creating the slides. Keeping our conscious occupied while our bodies rest.

Others believe it's a connection to the great beyond. The infinite stream of knowledge, data, particles... Our ties never severed from our origin.

Either way, dreams are still a mystery to this very day, no one has yet to pinpoint what they truly are. Maybe one day we will know the answers. Maybe we were never meant to truly know...