Archives 21 Questions (Role Play Edition)

      Naturally, you were disappointed when you found out he had a girlfriend and, yes, you were a little jealous of her.   Okay, a lot jealous.   Like, a lot lot.   But that was five years ago and, while you still find him undeniably attractive, you had no choice but to move on from your unrequited crush when you realized that absolutely nothing would come of it.   Adam is the committed, relationship type; a thing you both admire and lament because you’re not the one… Read More

      The melded smell of fresh paint and heated rubber fills your airways as you step inside the unfinished building, the compact space teeming with the energy of a typical South Oakland afternoon—save for the sounds of power drills and hammering mingled with the yells of construction workers.   You bypass a few vaguely familiar faces, nodding in acknowledgment as you walk toward the single elevator. You hit the button pad a few times, frowning when it doesn’t light up—until you see the tiny “Out of Order” notice… Read More

      You pop your knuckles, your arms stretching as far as they can go as a tired yawn escapes you.   Finally…   Almost another hour later, you hit ‘publish’ and watch your post go live, exhausted beyond belief.   You can, without a doubt, call it a day now.   A sense of relief washes over you for what you’ve accomplished for the day, but you also feel overwhelmed by what you still have left to do. Not to mention, the aftermath of the interview. The anticipation… Read More

      Relief washes over you as you turn the key in the lock, finally standing in front of a door that you’re actually eager to walk through after the day you’ve had.   A hyper, endearingly-obnoxious cat greets you as soon as you push it open, purring at your feet.   “Hey, sweetheart,” you murmur, stroking his shiny, pitch-black coat when he paws at your leg repeatedly.   You step inside your apartment, closing the door behind you. The lights are on. Michaela, your roommate, cousin, and mother… Read More

        Yup.   You’re twenty-three years old, currently reside in California—aka the “State of Fornication”—attend a run-of-the-mill college, live with a stripper…and still haven’t “done the do” yet.   If one were to inquire why that is, they’d most likely get varied answers that range anywhere from, A: You must be some sort of uptight prude or B: You’re archaically saving yourself for marriage to C: You’re a closet lesbian and D: You’re just really, really awkward around members of the opposite aforementioned.   All depending on… Read More

        Two Weeks Later…       The air conditioner hums in the distance, the cool interior a stark contrast to the sharp, blazing sun outside. It’s unusually hot. Uncharacteristically humid. Yet another byproduct of global warming.   Even so, you’ll take it over the depressing blizzard weather back in Salina this time of year any day.   For the very first time, you sit at a corner of the dainty, independent café you’ve been waiting tables at for almost three years.   As a customer.  … Read More

      You pace back and forth, your legs propelling you like turbines as they practically swerve across the carpet.   You can’t stay still, restless with barely-contained excitement for tomorrow. A billion thoughts race through your mind, all surrounding the newest major development in your life, the most pressing of which you’re currently focused on:   What the hell you’re going to wear.   You stand in front of your tall mirror, the single item in your bedroom that looks like you spent a hundred times more on… Read More

      You inhale, long and deep, your eyelids fluttering in tandem with your heart as you watch the sign in front of you get larger and larger.   You walk ahead, still in utter disbelief as you near the acclaimed building.   Earth Capital.   Holy.   Freaking.   Crap…   You’re actually here.   For real, for real here.   After a relatively smooth, twenty-minute commute, you arrive at the physical pinnacle of your dreams over an hour early thanks to the trial run you did yesterday…. Read More

      In another moment, you’re standing in a new hallway; that of Earth Capital’s Biodiversity department. The one you’ve envisioned since you switched majors.   You walk through the corridor, slower this time, as if all the pores on your body are trying to absorb every bit of this space. Every bit of this moment. And you take it all in, embracing the present like you never have before…   Until you get to office 319.   Your countenance falls as you regard the door in front of… Read More

        Suspension. Total, utter suspension. That’s the only way you can describe this feeling.   This…phenomenon.   Everything suddenly hits pause. Your lungs. Your limbs. Your heart. Even time itself.   A severe, almost animalistic glare fills your entire line of vision, peering down at you. Scrutinizing. Examining. Penetrating.   For seconds without motion or measure, you stare speechlessly into the most exceptional, breathtaking eyes you’ve ever seen…   And the stunning face of the man they belong to.   A solitary, singular thought comes to mind:… Read More