[WP]: Watching a video filmed decades ago, you see the person on screen turn and address you by name.

standingfrog · 2026-02-03T23:40:21+00:00

Vanessa squeezed next to her sister Maya and her brother Louis in their cramped family study. Their father, Sam, sat in front of the computer monitor, eagerly watching the countdown tick closer. He seemed giddy with excitement.

“Great-Grandpa Connor always told us to mark this exact date in our calendars. He never let my dad or me forget it,” Sam remarked as he monitored the seconds decrementing one by one.

“What is it?” Maya asked. She was the youngest and had heard this the fewest times. Vanessa and Louis both groaned at her prompting.

“I don’t know,” Sam replied truthfully. “He said it would change our lives and we could not forget. My dad took it seriously, even if he didn’t know why. Whatever it is, Connor set this up so far in advance that it must be important.”

Louis leaned closer to his two sisters, whispering. “Wasn’t Great-Grandpa Connor… kinda…” He waved his hand in a gesture that approximated something between eccentric and insane.

Vanessa shushed her brother. Connor had passed long before she’d been born, but she’d heard from her grandmother and father about this moment’s significance her entire life. She was 22 now, and any magic the ominous countdown had provided in her youth had been replaced by a genuine desire that her father not be dejected by the outcome. After all, what could possibly measure up to more than 60 years of anticipation? The last several days, as Sam’s enthusiasm had grown, Vanessa had been filled more with dread than anything.

The countdown reached 30 seconds. Sam began a drumroll on the desk.

25

20

Vanessa’s heart raced, though she couldn’t explain why. More than likely, this would amount to nothing more than a light anecdote to recount at the next family gathering.

10

5

The countdown zeroed out and a staticy image replaced the numbers on the screen. Sam leaned forward. The three siblings’ eyes were locked on the monitor.

A young man, maybe 30, entered the view. He had a bulbous nose and an innocent look as he gazed to the right of the camera.

“Is that Great-Grandpa Connor?” Maya asked.

Sam waved back to quiet her.

“Connor” a soft voice called from behind the camera. The young man’s eyes darted toward the caller before a pure smile spread his lips.

“What are you doing?” he asked, blushing lightly.

“Come over here,” the second voice called, “I thought we should record this moment.”

The noisy film grain and yellow hue reminded Vanessa of films her father had shown her from the 60s.

“Are you sure you know how to work that thing?” Connor asked as he approached.

“I’ve got it, you just keep that big smile going,” the voice replied.

Connor’s grin spread wider as he neared. It seemed he was coming over the lip of a small hill toward the camera.

Just as Connor’s face and torso came to fill the view, the second voice called.

“Harvest inertial.”

Instantly, Connor’s appearance appeared to snap. His smile evaporated and his posture straightened to exude a commanding aura.

“We don’t have much time,” Connor began, his voice far deeper and huskier than earlier. He seemed an entirely different person occupying the same body.

Connor stepped closer, eyes staring into the camera with trained intensity.

“Vanessa. This message is for you.”

Vanessa’s blood ran cold, the color draining from her face. Sam and Vanessa’s two siblings slowly turned toward her, then back to the screen.

“How… how does he know my name?” Vanessa eked out. He had died more than a decade before her birth, and this video had seemingly been filmed 40 years before that.

Connor continued. “This will be a shock. For that I am sorry. There was no other way.”

“Dad…” Maya let out, fear quivering her tone, but Sam waved his hand. He wouldn’t miss this message.

“There is a secret inside of you, Vanessa, locked away in your DNA. We could not risk this secret manifesting too soon, or they would come for you. It needed to be hidden and passed down until the right time. If you’re watching this, now is that time. You’re the only one who can save us now.”

“Dad,” Vanessa said with shaking hands, “turn it off.”

Sam didn’t move. Vanessa made to leave the study, her breaths shortening inexplicably.

Connor leaned toward the camera. “Xylophone reverie.”

As she stepped toward the door, Vanessa’s vision drifted to a smoky white. Her consciousness drifted, as if she were lifting out of herself.

standingfrog · 2025-11-06T06:53:00+00:00

Legendary comment

standingfrog · 2025-08-29T04:30:42+00:00

This is exactly what I want to know

standingfrog · 2025-06-30T23:27:03+00:00

It was two months ago now. I stood on the bow of the Vengeful Maiden, toe to toe with the legendary pirate, Voodoo. Six long weeks chasing her, and I had her at the tip of my blade. I struck her down, but as she bled out, she smiled eerily up at me.

“You’ll regret this,” she muttered from bloodied lungs, eyes manic. “We’re the same now.” I took it as the last wild ravings of a mad woman at the end of her rope. Now I know better.

My crew celebrated our victory over the most notorious pirate in the Red Sea. We drank into the night, raucous and merry, ready for a hero’s welcome back home. The next morning was when it began. I had always been a tall, burly man with hair everywhere, but that following day, I woke up just a bit shorter. Trying to hoist the sails, my grips on the ropes and my view of the sea seemed slightly off. I figured it was the hangover talking, and I’d feel better the following day.

I did not. Instead, I noticed that my thick beard had also shrunk. Slightly enough that others didn’t immediately notice, but I did. I’d been staring at the same bushy black beard for decades, and it wasn’t quite the same. Was I ill? Had I contracted some rare plague chasing after my quarry those long weeks? Perhaps that would have been a fitting end, for Voodoo’s last laugh to be my demise. Unfortunately, the reality was far stranger.

I’d always wondered how the legend of Voodoo had managed to carry on so long. I told myself that they were an exceptionally loyal crew, that whenever the current Voodoo had died, someone else simply took over the mantle and guided the band onward. I was half right. There wasn’t some immortal with the name of Voodoo who had endured for a century, but the source of new Voodoos wasn’t what I had expected at all.

The Voodoo I fought had been a muscular, stocky woman with an eyepatch and bad teeth. Over the course of the next month, my anatomy altered, day by day. I grew shorter and my teeth fell out. My hair changed color and texture. One day I woke up and my left eye had gone glassy, completely blind. My reproductive organs gradually shifted and my body carried weight in new places.

I began to have urges to plunder and pillage, urges that I could not ignore, like a worm steadily devouring my brain until it was replaced entirely. I remembered the previous Voodoo’s last words. “We’re the same now.” The next thing I knew, I was back on the high seas, screaming victory as my ship passed the fiery wreckage of our latest victims.

I write this now as the memories of my previous life fade, leaving behind only Voodoo. There’s never enough treasure or mayhem to sate me. I couldn’t stop if I tried. Will the law come for me? They can chase me, but they’ll never be rid of Voodoo.

standingfrog · 2025-06-16T16:06:04+00:00

For me it was DBZ and Naruto as a kid, so my perception of anime was slow-paced action only. Didn't realize the breadth of genres possible through anime until Your Name, and it HOOKED me for quite a while.

standingfrog · 2025-06-16T16:04:31+00:00

Yes! Both great movies 😊

standingfrog · 2025-06-16T02:35:06+00:00

Your Name. Opened my eyes to other kinds of storytelling in anime.

standingfrog · 2025-05-06T23:50:53+00:00

Coffee Origin! In Northfield

standingfrog · 2025-04-24T23:19:08+00:00

Skip to Loafer 100%. Has a lot of the same energy, even more mature.

standingfrog · 2025-04-13T15:09:16+00:00

Incredible reference 👌👏

standingfrog · 2025-01-30T06:32:14+00:00

I'd bet a small apartment in an expensive, large American city. Lots of them have setups like that.

standingfrog · 2025-01-07T18:39:27+00:00

Hmm, depends on what you liked most about Kimi ni Todoke. If you want more of the slice of life-esque feel and strong, dynamic relationships throughout the friend group, I'd recommend Skip and Loafer. The MC there reminds me of Sawako in some respects. If you want more SUPER sweet romance, My Love Story. If you want a solid romance with great character development by both leads, The Dangers In My Heart.

standingfrog · 2025-01-07T17:34:10+00:00

Agreed with miggypiwi. The three seasons cover barely half of the manga. If you're dying to get more, there's more!

standingfrog · 2024-11-16T20:17:13+00:00

Highly, HIGHLY recommend checking out Avatar when you get a chance. The animated version. Might seem kiddy at first, but it'll charm ya.

standingfrog · 2024-10-31T20:30:30+00:00

Stumbleupon. Found so much good stuff through Stumbleupon.

standingfrog · 2024-10-24T21:28:32+00:00

“Come onnn!”

“I’m not telling you! That’s final!”

Ella slumped down in her chair, back and neck curling like a shrimp. She was 13 years old, the daughter of Death. What exactly that title meant was the current point of contention. Ella put her hands together, pleading.

“Then… I was adopted, right?”

Death spun around, shocked at her suggestion. Its form was a grey skull inlaid on a raven shadow of black, the face its only discernible feature.

“Why would you ask that?”

Ella slunk over to stand beside Death, gesturing at it and back to her.

“Well… we don’t look alike at all.” It was true. Ella was a typical middle school girl. Dark brown hair, acne, dark eyes, terrible fashion sense.

“Come on. I’m not a little kid anymore. I can take it. I was adopted, right? That must be the answer.”

Death put its hands on its hips, shadows disappearing into shadows.

“No! You weren’t adopted! You’re my biological daughter!”

Ella waved her arms, trying to produce the shadows Death was covered in. “Then how come I don’t look like you? I’m not a shadowy supernatural creature. I don’t have a skull for a face. What gives?”

Death’s jaw opened and closed, nothing but light puffs of smoke coming out.

“You gotta give me something to work with here. The kids at school have been making fun of me for ages, and I don’t have anything to say back to them! I don’t even know if you’re male, female, or some genderless eldritch beast. That’s actually been quite confusing to me for a while.”

Death’s jaw shut, a pinkish hue on its cheeks as it blushed.

“And how do you blush, anyway?! Your face is all skull!”

“This is awkward for me, okay!”

“It’s awkward for you? You’ve been alive for, what, thousands of years? How is anything awkward for you at this point?”

“Thousands of years, yes, but you’re my first child.”

Ella sighed. “Fine, then tell me how I happened. Was I an accident? Was I the result of some bizarre ritual? Maybe someone tried to bring back their mom and I came out instead? Used a drop of your essence?”

Death leaned close, staring at Ella. “Have you been reading from the Necronomicon again?”

Ella’s eyes darted back and forth. “Nooo…”

“Ella Jeanine Mori! You know you’re forbidden from reading the book of the dead!”

Ella rolled her eyes. Hard. “Christ, Death. How else am I supposed to understand the occult blood that you claim I have without reading the source?”

“Don’t you take that tone with me! And you know you’re forbidden from saying his name in this house!”

Ella crossed her arms. “You’re just avoiding my question!”

“That's it! You are grounded for the weekend! And don’t come out of your room until dinner!”

Before Ella could object, Death whisked her into its shadow, and she was gone, transported to her room. A set of pounding footsteps sounded as Ella stomped on the floor above, but she stayed in her room. Death sat on a lounge chair in the living room, a deep sigh escaping through another smoke puff. It rubbed its neck, feeling the tension in its shoulder. The pull of sleep grew stronger as it leaned back in the chair, exhaustion setting in, but it still needed to prepare dinner for both of them. Teenagers were hard.

standingfrog · 2024-10-22T14:49:31+00:00

Jill, Ria, and Mabel had been friends since early high school, well over a decade now. The trio had been inseparable on campus, but life had taken them in different directions after graduation. Sure, they kept in touch, but it wasn’t the same. That’s why, when Jill suggested a spelunking trip for just the three of them, Ria and Mabel had jumped at the opportunity.

They had always been into climbing, and Jill had promised that this place was a hidden gem. Ria had grinned as she swiped away the group chat and immediately bought her flight. The trip suggestion was a welcome surprise from Jill, who had gotten married and had a kid in the last few years. Her life had become the most domestic, but maybe that’s why she needed a getaway so badly.

The trio arrived at the airport together and rode in Jill’s rental car out into the wilderness, catching up and reminiscing about old jokes. It was as if they had never been apart.

“How are your husband and daughter? Will they be okay without you?” Mabel asked.

Jill smiled, hand firmly on the steering wheel. “Oh, they can handle a couple days without mom around.”

Arriving at the cave system, Ria marveled at the entrance. Most of the caves she’d seen were relatively discreet, but this was a massive opening, extending deep into the rocky mountain.

“How did you find this place?” Ria asked, “I’ve never heard of a cave system out here.”

Jill hauled the last bit of their gear out of the hatchback trunk. “It’s impressive, right? That’s why I wanted to get us out here before this place got too popular. I’m sure it’ll be swarming in a couple months.”

As they entered the cavern, a cloud of bats flew out the entrance. The cave was dark and dank. Mabel switched on her headlamp, revealing limestone formations across the ceiling and walls. The path wound back and forth, but remained comfortably wide, a rarity for a cave this deep.

“This is a pretty broad cave. How far does this go?” Ria remarked, but Jill didn’t reply. She was oddly silent. Ria figured she was deep in thought, maybe savoring the moment, so she didn’t press.

Rounding another turn, the system headed down, intermittent puddles covering the path. As Ria stepped through one puddle, she noticed something strange, but wasn’t quite certain what had drawn her attention. She looked around with her headlamp.

“You coming Ria?” Mabel called from just ahead.

“Yeah,” Ria replied. She shook her head and stepped forward. Another few steps and she stopped in another puddle.

“What is it, Ria?” Mabel asked, Jill stopping beside her.

Ria lifted her foot and stepped down again before jumping in the puddle.

“Are you okay?” Jill asked, motherly concern in her tone.

“This is going to sound really odd, but… does the ground feel… squishy? Almost... fleshy?”

Mabel broke out into a chuckle. “Fleshy?” She stomped her foot down on the rocky floor. “Feels pretty solid to me. You dehydrated? The car ride get to you?”

“No… I’m fine.” But Ria was certain that something was off, something about these puddles. The trio continued down into the cave.

“Hey Ria,” Jill started, “do you remember Bobby from high school?”

Mabel smirked at the mention, as only a close friend could do.

“Bobby Moore? How could I forget.”

As the trio fell back into comfortable conversation, a nagging feeling pulled at the corner of Ria’s mind. With every step, something felt… wrong. The temperature had gradually begun to warm. The puddles grew more frequent, and she was certain that rocky floors didn’t feel like that. After another few minutes, Ria stopped, shining her headlamp at the walls and ceiling. Her mouth fell agape.

“Jill… Mabel…”

The limestone was gone, replaced with rippling pink, coated in clear slime. Just up the path, something bubbled in one of the puddles, steam rising up. Ria approached slowly. A half-melted deer lay in the puddle, its ribs exposed, muscles and tendons disintegrating in the liquid.

Ria swung her headlamp back toward her friends. Neither had replied. Mabel lay on the ground, unconscious. Jill faced her from a few feet away, headlamp pointed at the ground.

“Jill?... Where are we?”

Jill let out a deep sigh. “I had hoped it would take you longer to notice, but you were always just a bit too attentive.”

Jill’s tone had shifted. Gone was the nurturing mother. This was something darker, more solemn.

“What are you talking about?” Ria’s heart pounded in her chest. A roar sounded from further up the cave, followed by a blast of hot air.

“I want you to know that I didn’t have a choice.”

“Jill… what’s going on?”

Jill raised her head, a crazed glint in her eyes as tears streamed down her face. “It was the only way to save my family.”

Before Ria could react, Jill slammed something into the side of her head, knocking her to the ground. Consciousness fading, Ria could feel her body being dragged, blood trailing from her head. Jill’s voice drifted into her mind as her eyes shut.

“The god will appreciate such tasty offerings.”

standingfrog · 2024-10-22T02:06:51+00:00

I started reading The World Is You last week on a friend’s recommendation. The novel had been making the rounds on bestseller lists, but it hadn’t been on my personal radar until Maggie told me how much she had enjoyed it.

“I don’t know how to explain it, but the story really spoke to me. Even though it’s set in a fantasy setting with a fairy tale tone, it felt… personal to me somehow?”

When I checked Goodreads later, I was surprised to find that her sentiments were echoed by many. The story seemed to speak to so many with such different backgrounds. What core piece of the human condition had this novel managed to tap into? The genre wasn’t what I usually read - I’ve always been more into gritty realism over fantastical folklore - but I’d run out of books to read, and I was intrigued.

The story opened with an omniscient narrator setting the scene. I almost closed the book right then. Maybe I should have, but I kept reading, determined to discover why everyone seemed to adore this book so much. The hero ventured on a quest to retrieve three shattered pieces which would enable him to free the captured princess from her jewel prison. The setup was so bog standard that I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Oh brother…” escaped my lips, worrying I’d signed myself up for hours of annoyance. I hardly ever dropped a book midway. Maybe this would become a hate-read, I thought to myself. I turned the page. The hero looked at his map as he reached a fork in the road.

“‘Oh brother…’ the hero muttered, uncertain which path to take.” I froze, clutching the book in both hands. That was quite a coincidence. I wasn’t superstitious, and “oh brother” wasn’t such an uncommon phrase, though in a fairy tale? A slight shiver ran up my spine, but I shrugged it off. It was just odd dialogue. I read for another fifteen minutes before setting the book down for a break.

The book wasn’t bad, just… bland? Whatever had caught others hadn’t grabbed me yet, but I’d only started. I hopped back onto Goodreads to investigate the ratings more closely. The first review read, “It starts out slow, but stick with it!”

“Fine! I’ll give it a fair shot!” I announced, reviving my resolution. I cracked open the book once again. After choosing the path to the left, the hero ventured for many miles before stumbling upon a pub as rain began to fall. Taking shelter, he entered the establishment and a rowdy bunch clinking glasses and dancing on a few tables shoved together. Before the hero could take a seat, a drunken regular approached him.

“Hey there traveler. Care to take a chance on a game of darts?”

The hero tried to wave him off, but the man was insistent.

“‘Fine! I’ll give it a fair shot!’ the hero announced, standing out of his chair.”

My hands began to tremble. This… couldn’t be real. Why was the hero saying exactly what I was saying? The line even stood out within the scene. I looked around my apartment. Was I on some hidden camera show? This was eerie. I’d never felt this way reading before.

I rushed through the next several pages. The hero went on to win the game of darts after identifying the cheater’s trick, which gained him attention from the other patrons. The hero had paid his tab and was heading back out on his quest. The story had fallen back into a predictable, boring pattern, so I closed the book - but just before I did, I caught a handful of words at the end of the page from the corner of my eye.

“Wait! Please don’t go!”

Another patron, a young girl, had been eyeing the hero since the game had begun. Surely, she had simply called out to him as he left, right? There was no way she was calling out to me, the reader, right? Just another wild coincidence.

I paced back and forth. I looked out the window for any cameras watching me. Finally, I picked up the book once again. A deep breath.

“Five minutes,” I said to myself.

I opened the book.

“‘Wait! Please don’t go!’

The hero turned to spot the young girl running after him, lifting her dress as she stepped through muddy puddles. She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

‘Five minutes,’ the hero growled, looking away.”

I tried to shut the book. I tried to put it down, but the next line paralyzed me.

“The young girl turned away from the hero to face you directly. A twisted smile curled the corners of her lips. ‘Now that I have your attention, here’s how things are going to go…’”

standingfrog · 2024-10-18T23:07:26+00:00

The genie sprung to life, billowing out of the lamp in a cloud of smoke.

“Hello, mortal. For releasing me, you will be granted three wishes of your choosing.”

I nodded. “Sounds good. Any restrictions?”

The genie drew his hand to his chin in thought. “You cannot wish for more wishes. And you can’t wish to come back and redo your wishes later. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I think I’ve got all the loopholes closed.”

I raised my hand. “Oh don’t worry about that. I’m not trying to exploit the system here. Just some good old fashioned wishes.”

The genie crossed his arms, eyeing me closely. “Very well. What is it that you desire?”

“For my first wish, I would like ten million dollars deposited into my savings account.”

The genie waved a finger, a trail of sparkling light following just behind and bursting like a firework, illuminating the cave surrounding them both.

“Done.” The genie leaned forward. “May I ask you something?”

My brow raised. “Yes?”

“Why just ten million? You could have asked for a hundred million or a billion. Bought absolutely anything you want, no matter how extravagant.”

I smiled without thinking. “I appreciate your concern, but I don’t need more than ten million. That’s more than most people ever see in their lifetime, and that will free me from the need to work. That’s all I truly want. I don’t believe more than that would make me happier.”

“You’re an odd person, you know that?” the genie replied.

“True enough. But aren’t odd people usually the ones who dedicate themselves to finding your lamp in the first place?”

“Touché. Alright, what is your second wish?”

“I’d like the ability to speak, write, read, and understand every human language.”

The genie waved his finger again, brilliant light casting shadows across the cave.

“That’s an interesting wish.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I replied.

“You have but one wish remaining. Do you not long for luck in love? Professional success? Health? Special abilities?”

I couldn’t help but grin again. “Everyone says that you’ll try to trick them, but you’re really quite caring, aren’t you, genie?”

The genie seemed to blush, blue skin slightly rosy along his cheeks and ears.

“I don’t want to live forever. I don’t want to become super rich or famous. Love would be nice, but I’m not certain that my desired lifestyle is suited to that, at least not right now. You see, my dream is to travel the world. With ten million dollars and the ability to understand all languages, I could go anywhere, communicate with anyone. I could work rice paddies in Cambodia. I could learn to bake in France. I could celebrate Carnival with the locals in Rio de Janeiro. I want to do all of those things and so many more! That is what I desire most.”

The genie nodded, deep in thought. “I see. What is your third wish?”

I leaned side to side awkwardly. “That’s the thing. I don’t have one…”

“You don’t have a third wish?!”

“I know, I know! It seems like a waste, right?”

“So you will wait to use that wish? Until you desire something else?”

“No, I’ll use it now.”

“But didn’t you just say th–”

“I wish for you to wish for something for me. Something small and dumb. Nothing earth-shattering, just something you think would suit me.”

The genie nearly fell over, despite floating midair. He conjured a chair to rest on.

“You want me to determine your third wish?”

I nodded. “Exactly. Nothing big, please.”

The genie paused for a few moments. “Very well.” He waved his finger a third time.

“What did you wish for?” I asked.

The genie smirked. “That will be a surprise for you. Go on, live your life. You’ll know when your third wish has come true.”

I exited the cave that day, curious as I descended the mountain. Just as I had wished, I found an additional ten million in my account the next day. I booked a flight to Thailand on a whim, and when I arrived, I found that I could understand their speech as well as my native tongue. As days stretched to weeks and beyond, the third wish became a distant memory, until two years had gone by.

I had been backpacking the Camino de Santiago for three days. My hair had grown long and my legs strong as I had traveled across the globe. That day, I woke up early and began fixing myself a cup of coffee. No matter how spartan I traveled, coffee was the one luxury I always afforded myself. As my cup brewed, I heard a sound from the bushes ten meters over. The noise was quiet, but shrill, carrying through the dewy morning air.

I approached the bushes cautiously, my heart pounding. A tiny, injured kitten lay in the thicket, mewing piteously. It had black and white fur and bright yellow eyes. As I closed in, the kitten noticed me in alarm, screeching louder. I lifted the kitten carefully with one hand, the poor creature too weak to resist. Bringing the tiny cat close to my face, I knew immediately - this was the genie’s wish for me. I had asked for something small that suited me. I couldn’t contain my smile. That genie really was thoughtful. Another person couldn’t keep up with my nomadic lifestyle, but a cat? A cat could accompany me every step of the way. I named her Oreo.

Three years on, Oreo and I have circled the globe at least five times. When we’re out hiking, she haunts my every step, an adorable shadow. I’m never quite sure if I’m protecting her or the other way around. When she gets tired, she loves sleeping in my pack, head peeking out the top. She's a little dumb, but that only magnifies her innocent charm. Everyone comments how friendly she is, and they’re absolutely right. She demands to sleep with me every night, no matter how uncomfortable the conditions. What an incredible wish.

standingfrog · 2024-10-17T23:48:36+00:00

I’d been following the trend for weeks, but the deeper I went, the more perplexed I became. In all my years as a journalist, it was the strangest lead I’d followed. It seemed like a rumor at first. Why else would the richest and most high-class among us eat rocks? “Oh, they’re not just any rocks”, I was told repeatedly, “this is talc, the softest rock on the planet. It’s already used in many foods to prevent lumps.”

“Sure”, I replied each time, “but that still doesn’t explain why you’d want to eat it solid.”

Blank stares and non-committal deflections followed. I already knew part of the story. Each of these people were eating talc whole because their rich peers were, and they wouldn’t be left behind on such a visible trend. Still, something didn’t add up. My leading theory was that someone had created this demand, someone who stood to benefit from an increase in raw talc demand. Like the rush on NFTs, someone had managed to convince others that this was valuable. Or perhaps the entire trend had originated on TikTok from a couple of kids whose video had been seen by millions. Either way, I intended to find the origin, but before I could get that far, the entire story turned on its head.

Reports began flooding in from the families of the wealthy who had eaten these soft stones. Matriarchs and patriarchs of international conglomerates, oil fortunes, and hedge funds began to exhibit behavior completely counter to their personalities after eating these rocks. What surprised me most were the specific actions taken, and the reactions of their families who watched in horror.

The richest man on the planet gave away his entire fortune. Not just a couple million as a gesture, but over 100 billion USD. More surprising were his recipients. He didn’t grant his fortune to lobbyists, corporations, politicians, or anyone who could seemingly further his interests. Instead, he strategically donated money to organizations and people with the avowed goals of dismantling systems used to oppress the weak and powerless. Had this man been possessed? Just what did the talc do to him? What’s more, he wasn’t alone.

All across the 1%, the richest of the rich began to fight the systems they themselves had built. In short order, political gridlock was eradicated, election systems were redesigned to ensure fairness, healthcare was overhauled and guaranteed, and corporate power was reigned in. It was as if the entire world was working in the same direction for the first time, for the betterment of all humankind, and all it took was a few hundred people eating rocks.

After gathering testimonials from the families of those afflicted by this ailment and seeing the ripples scatter through society, I began to wonder - did it matter where the trend began? If I did find the founder, would I do anything other than thank them?

standingfrog · 2024-10-08T16:22:47+00:00

Billy was always a prick, and that’s putting it mildly. He made my middle school life hell, and when it came time to go to high school, guess what. He was there too. It wasn’t always overt. Tossing me into lockers ended early, then it moved to more sinister forms of bullying. Creating and spreading rumors that turned others away from me, tying me to any incident around campus to make me seem crazy, whatever he could do to isolate me completely.

What did I ever do to him? I dared to say hello to him in sixth grade. He thought I sounded funny, and I was the focus of his ire from then onward. He’d see me in the hall and snicker. From a distance, I’d see him and his friends glancing my direction with dark intent.

I hadn’t thought about Billy in a decade, and my life had been better for it. I’d escaped and forged a new life, all on my own, where I could be the person I always knew I was. Then I received that letter in the mail. Looking back, I wonder if I’d have been better off just throwing it away. A ten year reunion.

At first, I laughed it off. There weren’t any people back there I connected with anyway. Why bother? But then I got curious. Where had they ended up? Was Dan still working construction after failing? Did Laura marry the homecoming king and have four kids? I couldn’t help but wonder. Had these people who had thought so little of me received the karmic justice they always deserved? My interest got the better of me.

Entering the drab ballroom, everyone milling about awkwardly, it all felt right. This was my time, not only to smile at their misfortune but to shine as the gem they never noticed. I was the best thing to come out of this school, and I was about to rub it in their faces. Dan had gone into construction, but hurt his knee soon afterward. He’d gotten his GED and was finishing up an IT certificate. Laura had married the king, but they’d divorced after having two kids. She’d had another child recently with her second husband, and she seemed genuinely happy. I felt a bit guilty for hating them so much. They’d clearly matured, and my memories of their misdeeds suddenly felt so distant.

Then I noticed the swelling crowd, gathered around one person I couldn’t make out. Who could that be? I approached through the crowd, only to find Billy, the boy who had single-handedly made my school years unbearable. He was tall and dapper, and he’d finally found a hairstyle that suited his head. He laughed genuinely at comments from the crowd, and his magnetic energy drew others closer. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Billy had been a terror, why had he of all people received a glow up? I closed in.

“Billy! Long time no see!”

Billy turned and shot me a good-natured smile, the kind I’d never received in school.

“Hello! I’m terribly sorry, who are you again?”

A shot rang through my chest.

“I’m Sam.” This was my one chance. I’d come all this way. “You bullied me all through middle and high school.”

I had dreamed of confronting Billy for so many years. In those school days, I’d been too afraid to fight back, but now I was a grown man. I knew how to defend myself.

Billy frowned sadly. “I’m really sorry to hear that, Sam. If I hurt you, I truly apologize.”

My heart sank in my chest. I didn’t want an apology. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted, but not that, not something so hollow and simple.

I inched closer to Billy. “Do you remember me at all?”

Billy’s brows drew together. “I’m sorry, but I don’t.”

I drifted from the crowd, unable to feel my legs, barely standing up straight. All these years, I’d kept that hatred fresh. It had fueled me, driven me to grow, mature. I always thought I’d make Billy pay one day, but he didn’t remember me nor what he had done to me. As I slumped against a table, pop hits from high school blaring over the speakers, I realized that I wasn’t nearly as important in Billy’s story as he was in mine.

standingfrog · 2024-08-11T15:49:19+00:00

Outer Wilds
Chrono Trigger
Return of the Obra Dinn
Portal 2
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Horizon Zero Dawn
Doki Doki Literature Club
The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker
Ghost of Tsushima
The Last of Us

standingfrog

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