#Fall reading

[kwc-reads]

fall book haul pt. 1

first delivery from the book buying spree I went on this week! can’t wait to dive into these

together we rot is my first read from the stack - what should I prioritize after that?

[myst1caltwilight]

SHE (the narrator) IS SO REAL FOR THAT!!!

[morebedsidebooks]

12 Autumnal Reads With Pan Rep

As the days grow longer in the Northern hemisphere we don more layers, grab a hot drink, and say goodbye to summer. While maybe too cuddling up with a book. In similar fashion to the past for Pan Pride Day with wintry stories, and Pan Visibility Day for sunny reads, this time I’ve put together a list of examples offering pan rep set around the autumn season. Across demographics, several genres, and various lengths, the cozy to murderous, feasibly one will fit that next read. But no matter what may suit one’s tastes and whims, as always happy reading! (For content notes please see my reviews on Storygraph.)

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows, boasting a gorgeous autumn leaf themed cover, is a hefty first installment in the fantasy series the The Tithenai Chronicles. An unprecedented surprise diplomatic marriage between nobles Velasin vin Aro (gay) and Caethari Xai Aeduria, (bi/pan) sparks more than attraction. Violence, murder, and a hefty dose of intrigue swirl.

The Adventures of Isabel by Candas Jane Dorsey, the first in the Epitome Apartments Mystery series with a cast of colorful characters, is an offbeat mystery. Opening in September, at its center a coarse Canadian ex-social worker turned clueless amateur detective (bisexual/ambisexual/pansexual). Convinced to investigate the murder of a friend’s granddaughter, more than a case will end up cracking.

All the Things We Do in the Dark by Saundra Mitchell is a YA psychological thriller. Set in small-town Maine in October and told by Ava (pan), a 17-year-old with PTSD who stumbles on the body of a murdered teenage girl. Scared, haunted, and distrustful she’ll sleuth out a killer while trying to hold herself together. Author Saundra Mitchell is also pansexual. Note this is furthermore a title that has been banned in some libraries in the US.

Bride of the Corpse King by Emily Shore is a New Adult dark fantasy retelling of Hades and Persephone. Needing the winnings for her family, Isla Adayra (pansexual) enters the Bone Games. Further to escape a match with a dreadful lascivious Elder, she’ll offer herself to one more powerful the Corpse King. Allysteir accepted his duty of the gods’ Curse, but year after year the cost bearing the spirit of the God of Death weighs heavily. Allysteir doesn’t want another bride, but Isla just might be strong enough to tempt Death and even more.

The Ghosts of Halloweenby Ceillie Simkiss takes a light Christmas Carol vibe presenting three bite-sized Halloween short stories about couple Cora (panromantic asexual) and Elena (lesbian) from the Learning Curves series, I previously mentioned in my wintry post. Expect more of what makes this romance series a treat. Author Ceillie Simkiss is also panromantic asexual.

The Home I Find with You by Skye Kilaen is a hopepunk polyam romance set in the aftermath of a second civil war in the United States. Van (pan) the lead defender for a circuit of towns in rural Colorado with his girlfriend Hadas meet Clark (gay,) after Clark shows up unexpectedly in the aptly named Freshtown. As a previous threat and winter also approach, this is a hopeful title centered on people and kindness in spite of violence that may leave the reader feeling warm inside as well. Author Skye Kilaen is also bi/pan.

How to Find a Missing Girl by Victoria Wlosok, a fresh debut YA thriller, features an amateur teenage sleuth Iris Blackthorn (cis pansexual) with two of her friends, Sammy Valdez-Taylors (cis lesbian) and Imani Turner (non-binary lesbian). The trio forms a sapphic detective agency out to solve the disappearance of two people close to Iris as the clock ticks down during the Louisiana autumn. Author Victoria Wlosok is also pansexual.

Sweet to the Core by Amy Aislin set in a small seaside town in Maine is a romance novel between Dev (gay) who owns his own bakery and his cousin’s best friend Clark (pansexual) a wildlife biologist. Dev’s harbored a crush on Clark since childhood. Clark is usually a no-strings-attached guy. But set aside the pumpkin spice and enjoy another staple of the autumn season— apples. When the two team up entering an inaugural baking contest with a sizeable cash prize, mouthwatering baked goods aren’t the only thing that is very sweet.

Trick or Treat by Sydney Blackburn is good if you’re in the festive mood for a sweet little, short story Halloween treat featuring Drew (genderfluid pansexual) and David (cis bisexual) meeting on All Hallows’ Eve. 

Vampirella from horror host to heroinesince 1969 has become a sensual pansexual icon enthralling comic readers across the globe. Including me with Vampi having the honour of being the first pan character I knew of. If you need some direction on what to read, SYFY has a Pull List for the Legacy of Vampirella. (Though I’d skip anything by Warren Ellis.)

Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas has Kalyn and Gus two teenagers that become unlikely friends despite a decades old murder that connects them. Set in small-town lush Kentucky autumn with a smell “like sticky cinnamon”, the slow burn here isn’t romance— but a mystery. There’s abundant queerness: Kalyn likes girls. Gus questions and is regarded as pansexual by many readers and critics to quote “When it comes to people, I care about personality before anything else, and gender’s another characteristic that factors into that. Maybe that does land me in one queer realm or another”. Plus, his mother has a female partner. Too note, garnering young adult award nominations, this is another title that has been listed among book challenges.

The Witches of Portland series by T. Thorn Coyle brings readers an urban fantasy with a social justice basis and dash of romance. Each installment focuses on different members of the Arrow and Crescent coven in Portland, Oregon. If you’re intimidated by the full nine-volume set don’t worry, the books also can be read as standalones. Author T. Thorn Coyle is also bi/pan/queer.

By Dusk (Book 7) set around the autumn equinox features coven member Moss (pansexual) an environmental activist working to prevent pollution of the Willamette. And new to Portland, the rich, on the surface carefree party girl Shaggy. The two previously hooked up at a festival but might have more.

By Dark (Book 8) set in the last week of October thru Dia de Los Muertos features coven member Alejandro (bisexual/pansexual) an IT consultant entering a midlife crisis and his likewise polyamorous partner Shekinah (queer) a graphic designer and Kundalini yoga devotee. But when a friend of Shekinah’s starts having terrifying visions that also besiege Alejandro, it’s an interfaith all-hands-on-deck to uncover dark secrets and affect something terrible afoot in Portland.

[bookguide]

“For love is a flower that grows in any soil, works its sweet miracles undaunted by autumn frost or winter snow, blooming fair and fragrant all the year, and blessing those who give and those who receive.”

— Louisa May Alcott, Little Men

[sapphire-imeo]

Catching up on some cozy reading 📖🐈‍⬛️🎃

[mrdrhenwardhykle]

INSERT 25¢ TO CONTINUE : Into the AudoScape- Level 4: "Attack of the Talking Heads!"

Previous Next

To the common man, the evening host of the annual Thanksgiving dinner at the Silverman's flowed flawlessly. There was a slight dimming in the dining room, but the lovely warm theme to the meal was welcoming nonetheless. There were no visible quarrels. Aunts, uncles, a few cousins, and grandparents stomped off the cold frost of the winter with wide open arms welcoming the residential hosts.

Freddie usually got a pat on the back and a conversation about his football team. Allope either got a pat on the head, a smooch on the nose, or a high five from the younger relatives, and Rebecca unusually got a nod, the brief lift of a hand and tightened smile, or a simple and emotionless "hi." The three kids stuck together just out of separate reasons for keeping distance from others.

Freddie was easily exhausted of being framed as just the 'football' guy and hated having to play through the same conversations of pretending to like something he didn't. Relatives would kindly ask him what college he was planning to apply to, to which he would name off a few on his long list of research, but usually being faced with the same reply of "What? Why that one? That team is terrible".

Rebecca kept active for only a little while, but backed out as soon as she caught onto conversations about some unnamed 'distant and ungrateful freeloader,' that her aunt and uncle just couldn't stop gossiping about, other than some weird TV personality that everyone seemed to like.

As for Allope, she was sick to her stomach with the inconsistency that two girls on a commercial couldn't come close to acknowledging her existence, but the artificial man who could clip out of his own body could; even getting to the point where he could possibly see right through the screen. The time for curiosity was behind her; even the thought of walking in front of the TV was like stepping on a minefield. Too bad for Allope, the TV was on all evening,with crowding adults laughing at whatever it said when given the chance.

"Hey, Al. What's up, kiddo?" Reb bumped the kid with her elbow to pull her out of her current habit of spiraling in abstract forms of thought. Sunk deep into her chair, Allope was bursting at the seams of keeping the knowledge of another realm from all those who could listen. "GRAH!-It's that creepy guy on the TV! He's just watching me, I just know it!"

Reb just struck a look of concern while Freddie held in his laughter, "What guy, Allope?" she replied.

Allope performed her sign for the name she forgot, by making an 'm' with her fist and making a 'v' shape around her jawline. They both seemed amused at the charade, but Reb still didn't follow along. "Y'know! The one with the teeth that go-" she clicked her teeth together while making a snarling noise.

Laughter escaped from Fred as he made an attempt to cover his face, "She's talking about Max Headroom. It's these clips of a computer generated AI; basically an artificial person, like a robot. He sometimes shows up between music videos from Channel 4. Allope was sneaking around and got into some troubles with her new headset last night. She just got freaked out when she saw him on the TV right after taking the set off, that's all."

Allope glared at the opposer in the corner of her eye, lifting the brand new Max Headroom-brand dishware that their mother with 'classical taste' so happened to choose for this year. Not only that, but weighing alongside the fact that almost the only brands they chose to use for dinner had the face of Max Headroom in front of his distinctive, shifting background lines right on the cover alongside some corny pun or catchphrase here and there.

"Yeah, that is a little weird", Reb agreed without either side fully catching on to who she believed the most, "Are you kidding? It's a robot. It's programmed to say all those things to please us. Maybe if they like it so much, it's just doing its job. It's in their name, ya know? They're supposed to serve man; we have souls and a consciousness, which always puts us on the top. But even when it comes to those things; we haven't gotten close enough to replicating life like this. It's likely just some guy in a,mask or clay or something-" Freddie argued.

"A-Ah. Yes; it's always just 'my life for you,' isn't it? I mean, what else was somebody like me made for?"

The group's attention turned towards the other room. Most adults were dogpiling on the chairs and couches facing the blaringly-loud TV. The dim lights included the living room as well; however the television emitted a bright, sickly, turquoise radiance that permeated through the darkness.

"A-A-As your entertainer, I serve nothing more than to-... well-[heh]... entertain. But also-But also-But also- as your entertainer, I should serve as a source to find happiness, should I not? [hm!] Th-is holiday season  might I suggest  helping out our sponsor by beating a bop by Big Burger Bobby's; back to bring a bright and brand-new smile to yo-yo-yo-your face!

Try now their new b-butter?Buh...

[[Oh N-N-N-NO! NO! You somehow managed to mess up the teleprompter, AGAIN! DAMMIT, MARTY!-

'Don't you just know the menu'  D-D-D-Does it look like I can eat? Aha-And I tell you if I could,-I wouldn't be at some greasy low-rate-]]

[Ah-hem], sorry about the  interruption ; it looks like there's technical difficulties. Bu-but don't worry! This old gun always has  a big shot left  to  fire!  [isn't that right, Marty?]"

He looked to the right glaring and smiling passive-aggressively as the intermission closed. The adults chattered and repeated the words everyone else heard as if they didn't, and as if it was their own joke, just before walking away when a music video started to play.

"Allope," Rebecca spoke in a hushed tone as she tugged on the kid's shirt. Freddie was far enough away not to hear them, as he was still distracted by the television.

"Yes?", Allope looked up at her cousin.

"Don't doubt the impossible when it comes to that stuff. You'll wish you knew better if you do," Rebecca allowed herself to reveal a layer of honesty through her hushed tone. Allope was haunted by this sudden change, but nodded and gave a little "okay" anyways. Rebecca propped herself in her chair in a lese tense manner, "Plus, I know we can't really get rid of that box, but Fred said it can change the channels without even touching the tv, right?"

"Right-"

"Right. And then maybe it's of use to us. Just... Be careful for now-with everything. At least until we know a little more about that device, and maybe even where it came from."

The three kids had no idea what to make of the tv's response, but took this as a good sign to stray away from the TV when it was turned on. The tactic worked enough for the afternoon to follow along smoothly once again as everyone decided to return to their houses.

Sleep was never a problem for Allope before, so why would it be now? Though always feeling as if she was not getting enough rest at night, she hardly broke her dream-state; wandering in and out between vivid images of static and collaged photos shifting on a colorful pattern. She would always take naps during the day, but was still absent at night. Her dreams felt almost exactly like the virtual world, but in so many different visual qualities and styles. Minnie accompanied Allope on her exploration across the electrical patterns. The more she dreamt, the more she suddenly learned about her set in real time; even to the point of noticing buttons and switches on her set that she had not noticed before. She at least assumed that these recurring situations were all a fantasy, as she felt like she was somebody much different. She was taller, a little braver, and broke the laws of physics by clipping through as many walls as she could. Unlike her real controls, in her dreams she could go blocks away from her house without climbing down the stairs or even opening a door; it was all through the lightbulb to her Rainbow Brite and Twink shooting-star-themed lamp.

Each dream, though different in location and adventure, would all end with her staring into a lone reflection left into a dark abyss, gazing upon the disfigured and indecisive face of somebody or something else; some nights appearing clearer than others. Allope had no clue of what it meant, but always took note of how odd it felt; as if she died and took the place of somebody from another planet-or even universe! But when she woke up, it always felt as if she was absent from her original state of skin and bones; as if she was resurrected. These dreams cost Allope sleep; daily dragging herself everywhere with one eye pried open more than the other. This feeling of fatigue wasn't natural in the slightest; it weighed like an anchor with the feeling as if her soul was being cut and broken away into little pieces like a pie. Each slice of energy was borrowed rather than eaten up, and would come back briefly in the evening.

Her mother attempted to drag her into shopping in the upper level of the mall during Black Friday. Allope stayed awake by focusing on little things like only jumping on the colored diamond-shaped floor tiles, attempting to make a tune out of the soft echoing speakers, as well as involving herself to whatever the elongated screens stuck onto the walls beneath and between the crosswalks on the upper floor said.

"Hello fellow foodologists, Nation-Wide trusted spokesman, Ma-Ma-Ma-Max Headroom here to inform you the importance of your child-child-child-child's  fundamental brain-development . Creativity. We can all agree that CREATIVITY is an important factor in your kid's transition to adulthood. Bu-u-u-u-u–u-u-u-u-ut answer me this; how-how-how-how can your child or a fine adult such as yourself be confined to the horribly bleak concept of minimalism? So why waste your time by  EXPOSING  you and your children to the con-con-con-con-confinement of boring circles and shapes in their everyday junk food, when they could have the wide open world of cheese crackers in the shape of ASTONISHING HISTORICAL ICONS [such as yours truly]  [hah~]  Buy now for the greater good [[unless you wish to doom your child to the latter]] Starting at the low-low price of only  $9.99  at your local food stores and outlets!"

Allope shrieked loudly, while maintaining eye contact with the disturbing computer man. She tried to run while dragging her mom behind. Her mother stood her ground to stop Allope, tugging her hand; "Allope, what is it, sweetheart? Do you see something you want?"

Allope tucked in her lips and widened her eyes; scanning each shop for an excuse to change their surroundings. A sparkling glimmer of starlight, sprinkles, rainbow, and forgotten children's hopes and dreams filled the coloring of her eyes when taking in the glorious view of a toy store with an endless shelf line of the brand-new 'Advanced' Limby Friends. "What are you looking at, Allope?" her mother asked.

"My Christmas list," she replied.

She barreled into the store with her mother following closely behind. To her relief, the enemy likely didn't catch sight of her presence. 

[teachingforthesoul]

Just finished: A River Enchanted By Rebecca Ross

4.5/5 stars

An interesting Celtic fantasy novel that was the perfect beginning of fall read.

[schatz-e]

If there's a way into hell, someone will always find it.

T. Kingfisher, The Hollow Places

[confessions-of-a-teenage-girlll]

Reading List For September

Mathilda- Mary Shelley

Frankenstein- Mary Shelley

Ethan Frome- Edith Wharton

The Enchanter- Vladimir Nabokov

Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma- Claire Dederer

White Oleander- Janet Fitch

[kwc-reads]

part one of my autumn tbr list (not counting upcoming releases)🍁

what would you add to this list?

[myst1caltwilight]

ITS HERE ITS HERE ITS HERE YAYYY :D I’m on page 21 already and I’m liking the book so far and it’s kinda funny.

[zirielladior]

autumn reading list !

the turn of the screw : henry james

girl in pieces : kathleen glasgow

frankenstien : mary shelly

if he had been with me : laura nowlin

the goldfinch : donna tartt

twilight : stephenie myers

little women : louisa may alcott

the vine witch : luanne g. smith

northanger abbey : jane austen

harry potter (series) : j.k. rowling

dead poets society : nancy h. kleinbaum

the secret history : donna tartt

a good girl's guide to murder : holly jackson

dracula : bram stoker

coraline : neil gaiman

the shining : stephen king

if we were villains : m.l. rio

[herchillinglibrary]

My favorite book from last fall. A cute little witchy rom-com. I can't wait to read the sequel, Kiss Curse this October 📖🍂✨

[bookguide]

Thank you all for 1,200 readers! I’m not sure where this blog would be without all of you.

Each page turn is more exciting knowing I get to share my literary adventures with you all!

Lots of love,

Sophie ☕️🍁

[rockislandadultreads]

Spooky Reading Recommendations!

Death Overdue by Allison Brook

Carrie Singleton is just about done with Clover Ridge, Connecticut, until she's offered a job as the head of programs at the spooky local library, complete with its own librarian ghost. Her first major program is presented by a retired homicide detective who claims he knows who murdered a much-loved part-time library aide who was bludgeoned to death fifteen years earlier. As he invites members of the audience to share stories about Laura, he suddenly keels over and dies. The medical examiner reveals he was poisoned and Carrie becomes determined to discover who murdered Laura and the detective. 

This is the first volume of "The Haunted Library Mysteries" series.

Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

Single mother Kate Reese is on the run. Determined to improve life for her and her son, Christopher, she flees an abusive relationship in the middle of the night with her child. Together, they find themselves drawn to the tight-knit community of Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. At first, it seems like the perfect place to finally settle down. Then Christopher vanishes. For six long days, no one can find him. Until Christopher emerges from the woods at the edge of town, unharmed but not unchanged. 

Weyward by Emilia Hart

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she begins to suspect that her great aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. As a girl, Altha’s mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence for witchcraft is set out against Altha, she knows it will take all of her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family's grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives - and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word "weyward" scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May

On Crow Island, people whisper that real magic lurks just below the surface. But magic doesn't interest Annie Mason. Not after it stole her future. She's only on the island to settle her late father's estate and, hopefully, reconnect with her long-absent best friend, Beatrice. Yet Crow Island is brimming with temptation, and the most mesmerizing may be her enigmatic new neighbor. Mysterious and alluring, Emmeline Delacroix is a figure shadowed by rumors of witchcraft. Soon, Annie is drawn into a glittering, haunted world.

[mrdrhenwardhykle]

INSERT 25¢ TO CONTINUE : Into the AudoScape-Level 2: Cade Craze

Previous Next

The Arcade itself was an add-on building hidden underneath a large mall. They found it by traveling through the underpass that stooped and curved all the way down, passing the families entering and exiting the mall, as well as a long line of young women in short pants and roller skates. Through the isolated and constantly appearing space-themed decorations, our group knew they were finally almost there. Parking in an area close to the entrance, our group finally found themselves in the local haven for misbehavin' teens and children alike. The entrance was guarded by four tall golden statues of typical uncanny sci-fi-styled animals and creatures, alongside truck stoppers sloppily disguised as planets. The building itself was colored in dark blue and magenta tones sprinkled in with the imagery of stars and constellations, giving the illusion of looking up at the sky at night. Beyond the doors roared the loud and lively chatter of youth, excitedly tossing their coins in the machines to get their fill of playtime before the upcoming holiday break fully hit.

Allope's eyes widened at the wondrous sight of the larger-than-life establishment in all its spaced-themed glory. Making a run for the closest cool attraction, Rebecca managed to snatch her by her oversized jacket before she was out of sight. 

"WOAH-WOAH-WOAH!-Here-" Rebecca intervened, gifting Allope with a heavy quarter-filled sock, "Don't whack someone down with it...unless you have to, of course!" giving a grin and wink. The little girl existed loudly by swinging around the sock while charging at the games like some sort of barbarian.

"That was a lot of change, wasn't it?..." Freddie spoke his concerns, "Do you even have enough for yourself? How did you even get that much-"

"Relax," the teenage girl interrupted, "I'll be fine. I have my ways. I'm just going to disappear over by that room," she pointed to a dark corridor across the concession stand. Rebecca spotted her desired group of friends immediately as if she knew, leaving Freddie to play 'friends' by spotting any of the local jocks hanging around the arcade machines. 

Freddie didn't want to spend time with the jocks on his football team, nor did he ever find much excitement in playing virtual games; rather he looked forward to getting this anxiety fest over with, just to see his father's satisfaction in his son when he asked how the night was. Being gruff and damaging the brain that could lead him into the right college wasn't the most ideal future for Freddie, but he could at least pretend well enough; so there's no issue there, right? For the most part, he'd just stoop down to the jock's level well enough that they would never guess to how much he really despised being around them. Deep inside, however, Freddie would much rather stick with Rebecca or just always be there for Allope, but hated the thought of others lowering or increasing how they saw his security and masculinity. But perhaps if it weren't for Rebecca's odd habit to fall down unfamiliar rabbit holes of mystery and paranoia,  or the embarrassing thought of ever admitting to pretty much being Allope's 'third parent,' Freddie would have considered dropping the act.

For what felt like a lifetime away from her two companions, Allope greatly contemplated choosing the first game to play. Just like being left in the middle of a brand-new candy store, all of her options looked too good but too unfamiliar to figure out which one she should experience first.

"The art on the side of that one looks cool,"

"Oh but that one looks cool too!"

"Oh-Oh! Frogger! I like frogs!"

"All those kids seem to like that one, should I like it too?"

"OH! LOOK! PINBALL!....What's Pinball?"

Stumped, Allope considered stopping to take a full view of her surroundings. Suddenly, a black hole opened up from the wacky planet-themed carpet and sucked away all of the machines in question, except one: "Dragon's Lair."

What a night in the life of Allope! Discovering a new world, one spectacular step at a time. The demo seen from the screen displayed what seemed like a movie. "But why would they ever put buttons and levers on a movie?" Allope pondered. Questions were answered as the demo came to a close, with the silent main character making an attempt to kill a swarm of skulls, but failing by being knocked down and potentially killed by a hoard of them. "Woah!" Allope exclaimed loudly as passing children looked at her oddly. No thoughts other than "Waste all my money on this one game" came over her as she hurled herself towards it.

"OUCH!" a young girl shouted as Allope blindly barreled into her, knocking both down on the gritty carpet.

"OH! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! Sorry! Please don't tell my brother!" Guilt fell upon Allope once she was able to put herself together.

"Oh um, it's okay!" The young girl looked about a few years older than Allope. She seemed hesitant over meeting someone so forward; as that didn't often go well with the impatient teens and kids that usually hung out at the arcade. Allope held the girl's arm as they both got up, "You're pretty fast," The girl remarked,"I was just about to play that Dragon game, and I didn't even see you there."

"You're pretty quick too! I didn't even see you there! I was just about to do the same thing!"

Both girls gave a look of sudden realization, "Oh..." the young girl replied, disappointed.

"OH! What if we help each other play, and take turns?", Allope suggested.

"Oh yeah- I like would that! I didn't want to have to end up fighting over it with somebody again. It's never fun to do. That would just take the fun out of playing it," The two girls made a truce, so one would patiently wait for the other to lose all 3 lives for their next turn.

Five stages strong, Allope pushed through far enough on her 4th quarter. Across the bridge, past the falling room, the magic wall, and beyond the trial of burning ropes, Dirk the Daring found himself in the middle of a predicament when the floor itself gave way under his feet. Becoming a true victim to gravity, Dirk's final chance of survival is to jump off quickly once an opening is spotted. "Now- Now!", her cade-companion demanded once hearing the hint's sound effect play off. Allope didn't budge to make the move, queuing in footage of the falling platform and Dirk suddenly crashing into the floor. Allope chuckled at the lack of help, as Dirk was last seen with a look of disappointment on his decaying face, just before disintegrating into dust and a pile of bones.

"Ah, man. I didn't see it, did you?" Allope grumbled while trading places.

"Yes!" the slightly-older girl exclaimed while maintaining eye contact, "It made the blinky noise, didn't you hear it? I even told you when to jump!"

"It makes a sound?! I didn't hear that, or you!" Allope exclaimed, instantly feeling regret in bringing light to her once friendship-ruining 'issue'. Now it was the young girl's turn, so both kids swapped sides. "Well-okay. See this thingy on my ear?" Allope asked, "My momma gave me this when I was really little and it became super hard to hear one  day. Ever since then, even with this thingy on, it's very difficult to hear people or things around me if I'm not lookin' at 'em. I can make it out better if I'm reading your lips."

"Really?" the young girl questioned, "-...but you're just a kid... Things like that usually happen to old people in retirement homes or kooks who hang around explosions. You didn't explode your house did you?"

Allope giggled, "I lost it when I was three, so I don't remember what I exploded to be like this. But momma says it's "geny-tick" and poppa says the hearing fairy came by one night and took it away cause' I was naughty."

"WHAT?! THEY CAN JUST DO THAT?!" exclaimed the young girl, cuffing her ears. They both laughed. At that moment, Dragon's Lair fell victim to the suffocating grip of the black hole in the carpet just like its brethren, allowing for the coolest thing in this whole building to be '... uh... whoever this is-'.

"You're so nice with everything I just said about myself! Kids I meet just think I'm some weirdo. What's your name?" Allope felt a deep need to ask.

"Huh? Yeah! I'm Jaquie, but I just like to be called Jack," Jack held out her hand to formally shake, for Allope to just lo-five it. "Hah-you know, I kind of know how you feel about that. My mom would probably kill me if she knew I was racing around here all crazy-like. My legs used to give up on me a lot when I was super young and I had to take lots a pills n' junk for it. They still do that sometimes when my body or brain get too much goin' on with em'. But it sucks for me because all I can think of is growing into the world's best athlete. All I want is to watch and do all those things, but mom won't let me anymore because it 'gives me bad thoughts'."

Both girls wadded up their small pile of tickets and took a small stroll down the aisles of machines and games. The lack of dinner beforehand caused Jack to feel very weak during their long-winded string of conversations. A rush of forgotten information came flooding back to Jack on a whim. Jack tugged Allope by the arm all the way to the shiny white and silver-colored concession stand. The adventure stopped right to a table seated by a peculiar boy.

"You done already, Jack?!" A bratty-lookin' kid with a large amount of poofy-curly hair attempting to escape his red, netted cap.  Alongside the he wore a pin-ridden jean jacket, he was sporting a baggy and worn-out Spiderman shirt. In his hand, the little sneak was covering a coin tied to his ring finger.

Pulling Allope's attention to her, Jack introduced Allope to her close friend, Dewly. Dewly said his 'hellos' just to chatter on about something for a bit, making it very hard for Allope to decipher what he was saying because of his quick and exaggeratedly hyper tone of voice. He seemed to talk on for a bit, but the most she read from his lips was something about "drums", "bike", and "Master of the Arcade;" those were the words he seemed to pronounce and mention the most. Jack gave out a laugh she must have given out hundreds of times before, with Allope awkwardly laughing as if she understood every word. He stood up quickly, leaving his half-eaten pizza to shake Allope's hand like a pure madman; it was assumed at this point that this kid had a lot of energy.

Despite their disruption to verbal communication, both parties began to become very fond of one another right away. Allope chose a moment to break whatever subject he was going on about to talk a little bit about herself to Dewly, soon after Jack described something about Allope to Dewly to make his eyes widen in realization. "IT IS VERY NICE TO MEET YOU, ALLOPE!" Dewly cuffed his mouth to make a tube shape with them and shouted, attempting to over pronounce every syllable as much as possible.

"THANK YOU!" She shouted even louder.

Dewly finished up his slice, but caved in for an excuse to get another because Jack was hungry. With her mom's spare cash, Jack was able to pay for all three of them to get a slice of their own. Allope's piece tasted like the chef melted cheese over a piece of cardboard, as well as the pepperoni looking and tasting like no other pepperoni she'd ever tasted before. She ate what she could to please her new friends, and threw the rest of the horrible cuisine away in a nearby decorative pot when the other two weren't looking.

Jack suggested they move into the "Party Room," a section across the way. Behind the arch, all Allope could see was a few glowing decorative stars and ufos,  but by closer inspection she spotted a band of slouched-over creatures, with pulled, wrinkly, flesh-like latex faces, and human-like eyes slightly detached from their sockets. The cartoony likeness of these creatures didn't soften the uncanny, creepy feeling that their eyes, teeth, and rubbery skin gave off. This sight gave Allope the feeling that she might get eaten up or taken away if she got any closer to them, so she made an excuse to head back to the game room immediately. They exited the little offside area into the main play zone. Although the other two didn't take much notice, Allope was bothered by the detail that the room is a tad darker than it was before, just like if a row of lights gave out when they weren't in the area. It wasn't blatantly obvious to the average viewer going about their visit.

The group was led by Dewly, who gave attention first to Centipede. Ducking down and shifting his head from side to side for clearing, Dewly inserted the coin attached to his finger and gave it a pull once he heard the game's start up theme. The quarter came out soon enough as Dewly jumped back up on his feet. Allope didn't know what to make of his actions, while not fully realizing that he was stealing, she contemplated as she never thought of using a shortcut like that herself. Dewly was locked in, he was able to move the cursor flawlessly without getting hit for about 7 levels. The thought that kids much like her not being fairly new to these alien mechanics was a distant thought to Allope until this very moment. That coin on his finger must have been pulled dozens of times before for him to be this good at something that looks so impossible. 'He must have the smartness to another world that I've always wanted to have!' Allope pondered.

Dewly quickly had become bored of playing with Centipede, and ran toward the front in search for something much better. Passing rows of good-looking games, Dewly seemed displeased with all of them, just as if he played them all to death already. At long last, the sight of a typical racing game caught his attention. "Oh yeah! This one!" He exclaimed while in the process of bending down to insert his lucky coin.

Allope, as bored as Dewly was with every other game in the arcade, was bothered as she suddenly remembered something very important, causing her to spot her brother's ride outside of the glass doors. She didn't think of it it until now, but she wasn't sure why she had just thought of it, as if its presence in the world had finally become disturbing to Allope as she stared at the immobile vehicle behind the glass doors. To a sudden, the vehicle itself gave an eerie green glow, as the space themed synth music over the speakers was interrupted by the blaring of a disembodied voice she might have heard once in Freddie's car. 'Maybe it's linking to the radio-' She thought as the lights flickered rapidly. Jack shielded her eyes and fell down to her knees in disturbance by this. "Freddie?!" Allope screamed in a panic.

The coin fell in on its own while Dewly was distracted, and was held onto by the shredding machinery. "It's stuck. It won't get out! Help!-HELP!" he cried out as the machine pulled in the string. Allope tried to help him, but was thrown out of the way by a strange figure in a weird-looking animal suit with a football-shaped head. Out of a hidden pocket, the mascot pulled out a pocket knife that was sharp enough to easily cut the string. "Thanks, Comet Cliff!" Dewly chuckled in an awkward guilt. The man proceeded to take off his mask, revealing a disappointed middle-aged man that Dewly seemed to recognize. "Oh.." he said upon realization of being busted by the staff once again.

"This is your last warning, Dewly. Now get out of the establishment!" he said while angrily pointing towards the door. The man placed his mask on once again, and stood back behind the prize counter. Dewly began his embarrassing exit with Jack following behind. Turning back to look upon Allope, Jack waved goodbye and wished to see Allope at Cliff's sometime again. Before she knew it, Allope's brand new friends were gone, last seen riding on their bikes with front lights past the door.

"Allope!" exclaimed Freddie in a dreadful panic, and Rebecca followed closely behind, "Did you scream?! What happened?"

Allope, exhausted in the typical droopy-eyed little kid fashion, stood in disappointment as she stared a hole through the doors. "Ah... What? No- I'm sorry, just- A kid almost passed out, and then another got stuck in a machine- and I just-"

Freddie placed his hand on her little shoulder, and looked proudly into her eyes, "You panicked, that's perfectly fine. You did good. But it's all taken care of then?"

The night's excitement was over, nothing held as much importance as it did a few hours ago. "Yeah. They're fine," She said in a monotone voice, "Uhm. Do you mind if we go home now?" She fell onto Fred's shoulder, as if she couldn't stand the arcade and its excitement any longer.

"Of course. I think it's about that time anyway." Freddie picked up Allope and headed out, with Rebecca following shortly behind, but not before claiming needing to  'fixing something' up before they went back home. The trip back went smoothly this time; however, Allope still found it hard to rest with how uncomfortable sitting in the middle compartment was. She couldn't remember much that happened the whole ride back, or at least until she was carried inside her house by Freddie. It was agreed that Rebecca and Freddie would deal with the object to Fred and Allope's parents in the morning, as it was much too late to explain it now. To his assumption, his parents were fast asleep already. Oddly enough, the lights and TV in the front of the house were left on; perhaps prepared beforehand for the kids to veg out once they came home. Freddie liked the channel it was left on, finding interest in the cool-looking music videos and graphics. Setting a sleepy Allope down on the couch, Freddie planned to catch up on the latest after he got ready for bed. Freddie sat down next to Allope in his oversized shirt and shorts, and invited Rebecca to join him.

"No thank you! I appreciate the offer n' all, but I don't think I'm ready to do that just yet, you know?" she replied fairly quickly. Though she despised discussing it, Rebecca Ashley Silverman found no interest in television or radio since the strange incident that caused her to lose her parents. Those with one glance of the situation would assume it was a for of self-sabotage or a sudden attack, for two people to just suddenly fester into a gruesome sight while watching television; but Rebecca always felt as if she knew better. Their compulsion became bigger and bigger each day; up to the point of forgetting to provide food for her or even taking her to school. The pure thought of this random occurrence happening once again filled Rebecca with a selective dread from head to toe, so she avoided the television completely. Years later, she had given up on attempting to convince Fred or his parents to be careful, and remained somewhat quiet about it. Forever still, she could not distance herself from the household enough to vanquish the fear of being alone.

Allope fell into a deep sleep and woke up naturally in the middle of the night with the lights dim, but the television still running. To her right was Freddie, who fell asleep while watching his usual programs. She was wide awake now, wasting time watching the strange shapes on the TV pass by, as she waited patiently for sleep to come upon her once more.

Even thinking about sleep was not an option from time-to-time, however, whenever the program was interrupted by the most bizarre sight the little girl had ever seen. Staring straight at her was a boxy-looking man wearing a suit and sunglasses, who appeared to be very uncanny. Behind the man was a backdrop of lines that would constantly shift and distort. He looked real sometimes, but not really. She didn't know how, but the lighting was off and made it seem almost like a clay sculpture or computer of some kind. His animation bugged at specific parts, yet she could easily tell what he was saying just like any other person.

"No-no-no-no-no-no-no-I'm not saying television c-created society, I'm just saying things just got a little more interesti ng one-once man decided to put down his spears and clubs just to change the channel and watch a  little Johnny Carson instead-instead... [hah]"

It took a few hours for Allope to finally get some rest by this point. Eventually she did resume her good night's rest, but was frequently disturbed by bizarre dreams and vivid thoughts of Ken doll-like men with shapeless teeth accompanied with twisted latex cartoon animals needlessly watching and laughing maniacally at her.