spikala

That's Okay Depression—I have it. And that’s okay. It doesn’t make me whiny, or an attention-seeker, or a loser. It’s not a reflection of my character, my life choices, or the people in my life. It just happened. And that’s okay. I’m on medication for my depression. It doesn’t make me a drug-hunting stoner or lessen me. It’s not a crutch or an ‘easy way out’. Taking meds doesn’t mean I’m weak. I need it because I’m ill, fullstop. And that’s okay. I will have my bad days when I slip back into that black hole and having to choose between juice and water can

Standing in the rubble that used to be an intersection, Flash reflected that he was probably not going to be that popular with the ladies today. Even if he had just helped to take down a massive sewage monster that had threatened to destroy half the city, gratitude only went so far. Filth dripped off him, puddling at his feet in an irregular blob of unappealing goop. Heated by the summer sun that was beating down on them, the smell was indescribable. Flash gingerly swiped at residual patches of brown that clung to his uniform. This one was going in the fire for sure. The rest of the league didn’t look—or smell—that much be

It was a beautiful day in Central City; sunny, with a breeze winding through the skyscrapers, and a few puffy white clouds sailing serenely through the air. The peaceful scene outside belied the battle that was happening in a non-descript brick apartment complex where Flash, a.k.a. Wally West, was deeply embroiled in his weekly struggle. There were times when being a superhero with a secret identity and a nifty costume that appeared out of an inconspicuous ring was a right pain in the butt. The hardest part of having a costume, once you'd picked out a suitably cool one, Wally decided, wasn't the upkeep. Sure, if he wasn't trying to sew up h

Sergeant Jud It was hugs all round when Ril was reunited with her people. Fitch was a tad bemused by the tears and noise. He'd heard about people crying tears of joy, but seeing, and unfortunately hearing it, was something else entirely. For one thing, he hadn't imagined it would be so… high-pitched. The instant they had set foot in the cave, Ril had been charged by a skinny blonde and a young man who both seemed determined to hug her, cry over her, and generally inspect her for damage. Fitch half-thought he would hear a rib crack under some of those hugs. The rendezvous point had turned out to be a small cave nestled halfway up one

Treetop Breakfast The dawn chorus was well underway by the time that Ril awoke. It seemed strange that even after her life had been turned upside down, existence went on as normal for every other animal on the planet. Amazingly, she had managed to get a decent night's sleep despite the fact that they were in a maimai halfway up a tree. After the first nightmare, she had slept deeply without any more dreams. Remembering her conduct last night brought heat to her cheeks. Did soldiers have nightmares like that? If so, Jud had been kind enough not to say anything. Ril wondered briefly whose maimai it was? Most of her friends enjoyed hunting do

Settling in for the night It was getting dark. The beams of sunlight that lanced through the canopy were becoming paler and the dapples of sunshine that blanketed the undergrowth were surrendering to shadow. The forest around them was taking on an almost monochromatic look, everything fading into a greenish grey. Jud checked on his companions behind him; frowning slightly. The other two had bunched up. There was supposed to be a ten metre gap between each person, just in case they ran into droids. As he watched, he saw the woman stumble, but Fitch steadied her before she could fall. Jud figured that would explain why he was sticking so clos

Ril, Jud, and Fitch Even hidden under a bush, Jud could see the thick black smoke from the base billowing into the air; a tombstone for those who'd fallen defending it. He hadn't seen the battle, but the sounds of blasters, grenades and the cries of his brothers echoing in his bucket had painted a gruesome picture in his head. Their sacrifice had worked though. Once they'd silenced the last gun and torched the FOB, the droids had headed back to wherever they'd come from. It was just too bad that they were still sending out patrols. It was the third time that he and his charge had needed to dive under cover as B1 droids buzzed by on STAP's.

The Clanker Welcoming Committee Jud watched as smoke and flames billowed through the tree canopy, announcing the location of the crash site to all and sundry. The whole thing felt surreal. He was in the simulator at Kaliida Shoals again. Any moment, his HUD display go blank, that one beautiful word – endex— would pop up, telling him that this whole horrible nightmare was over. He would see Hops would be standing beside him, complaining about getting killed again, Dale would come out of the observation booth and start lecturing them both about their mistakes. It had to be a sim. It had to. This was not him. It was not his friends

Larty Down Having solved the problem of the children, Jud began looking around for more refugees to herd towards the LAAT/i. There should only be a few left now. He started back down the path of the fire fight coming across more bodies—armoured and not—sprawled like so much debris over the battlefield. It looked like Meer and Digger had already been this way, the only civilians left here were beyond help. "Full up for the moment, lads." Jud heard the loadmaster say over his com-link. "Another LAAT/i will be here ASAP. Stand by and be ready for an immediate dust-off. You boys seemed to have annoyed the local tinnies somewhat."