#tgfos

I posted this on twitter, but I'll elaborate on this more since GFOS is being published here.

What's new?

I have not been regularly/consistently been uploading anything new about The Girl From Outer Space in a couple of months or weeks. This is because college is ramping up again and my alarmingly declining mental health.

What does it mean for GFOS?

GFOS will continue to be written and uploaded onto here albeit at a drastically slow rate. This is to make sure all the chapters are written more carefully and delivered to you all while I am able to focus more on my life and what my responsibilities towards my education and taking care of myself. All of my other projects have been placed on indefinite hiatus until I am able to strike a balance.

Final Thoughts

Good evening! Hope you all have been well!

Recently, classes had started up again on Tuesday so writing on GFOS will be drastically slowed, though nonetheless I will continue writing on chapter 3.

I also have released a short story last night, nothing GFOS related, i just wanted to see if I still write well and just wanted to get something out. It's called The Letter. You can check it out here!

Day Out is still being worked on and a new short story might be in the works, though I need to brainstorm it. I wont say anything else about it until I release Day Out.

Other than that, I will continue to write on Chapter 3. The story is still going!

Silence. Nothing. Absolutely null. It’s very quiet, silent like a church. I’m sure you can even hear a pin drop if you really listen in. I don’t feel cold or hot, just warm. Just right. Though I don’t really feel comfortable in the sense of what else I deem. I sense what seems like warm plastic on my forehead, not exactly what I like. In fact, why am I feeling that in the first place? Why is it dark? Where the hell am I? I don’t like this. Not one bit. It feels claustrophobic, too caved in. It’s like I can’t breathe. There’s no room, no space. I need to get out. I need to…

Suddenly, I gasp for air. I open my eyes to see myself in an empty enclosed space with a table that has a laptop opened to a Word document, a journal pushed to the far edge of the desk, and pens scattered among it. I breathe heavily, the fluorescent light overhead disorients me like a flashbang, forcing me to turn away for a bit. It takes me a few moments for my eyes to adjust and more time to realize where I am. That’s right, I forgot. I was studying in a little study corner for a composition class. Adjusting my glasses, I take a closer look at the clock in the bottom corner of my laptop screen. 9:45 PM it displays.

“Huh,” I say to no one but myself. I almost chuckle before looking away in disbelief. I must’ve slept for an absurd amount of time seeing that I just wasted a good portion of my day. Sighing, I close my laptop and compile all of my things together to fit in my bag. Re-adding the weight that I am oh so familiar with carrying around like a sack of dumbbells. As I open the door to the study room, I slowly walk out and immediately stop in my tracks.

I look left, then right, then left again. Usually, people do this before crossing a street. But the reason why I’m doing this is because of how extremely quiet it is. Usually, this portion of the campus library has people walking around once every so often, but at this time of night, it’s completely mute. Not one single person here to make any noise, no one in the other study rooms and the fluorescent lights that are on the roof make this area more eerie than it already is. Nonetheless, I start walking out of the library to leave campus and go back home. Thankfully, it’s not a completely empty building since you still have the graduate students busting their asses on their research papers or whatever final project they have to do before they finally leave. Luckily for me, I remain a happy little undergraduate going through the motions of life to achieve a mediocre degree in English.

Reaching the main area of the library, I open the entrance door and see the drastic change I was expecting: a night sky above me on empty school grounds. Just several hours ago, the place was swarming with people, and it was as bright as it could be. Now, all you can hear is the occasional crickets accompanied by the night wind breezing through along with the lights illuminating a statue of our mascot in the middle of the plaza. I face left and continue walking towards where I can exit campus and enter the city.

West Lake at night was a whole different world, at least depending on what part of town you were in. If you find yourself on the north side, expect the party of a lifetime. Nightclubs open left and right, and people become moths to a flame. Especially university students who want a taste of what the nightlife is like. In the central area, it’s relatively calm and somewhat quiet. People do some last-minute shopping before closing hours and go out to have a little fun at the amusement park or go out to eat. The south side, however, is where you start approaching the little outskirts leading to the rural parts of West Lake. There isn’t much to do there but take a stroll in a park or go walk the actual body of water that gave this settlement its name. And where do I find myself tonight? The north side.

My place of education is located in that section, so I always pass by the lines of people getting into the various clubs that are currently open. It’s becoming a routine at this point. I study, get too caught up in my work and find myself in the darkness. I head over to the bus stop as per usual, walking by a club that had already closed its doors. I can hear the sound of hard EDM music blasting through the walls. The neon signs shine bright beyond attention-grabbing. It’s impossible to ignore them. And I guess it worked, because midway through my walk, I found myself peeking through the windows to see hundreds upon hundreds of people just having the time of their lives. I then back off from the giant glass display; it’s not my crowd anyway. I can’t see myself taking the time to get ready for something like this. Especially for how busy I am.

I turn back to face the bus stop but I halt again. I don’t really feel like going home. At least… not yet, you know? I start walking away and just roam the busy streets of the north area. The roads are bustling with cars and party-goers. It’s peak hours for these types of people. I’m usually home by now, but tonight is one of those nights where I kill time and loiter around like some delinquent. I wander. I put my hands in the pockets of my jacket as my eyes focus on whatever is grabbing my attention. At first, it’s the two drunk college guys miserably attempting to get back home, then it’s a couple of girls getting denied to a club, and after that, a couple holding hands as they walk down the sidewalk to wherever they’re going. For some reason, my eyes linger on them for a bit longer before I move on to focus on another group of people causing a commotion as a cop tells them to quit and disperse. I start feeling something weird within me. I can’t describe it but I’m fairly confident that it isn’t anything serious.

Strolling past what seems to be endless amounts of bright signs and neon lights, I end up walking into the central side of West Lake. Things are calmer for a change, not as many cars cruising around, and it’s just people going about their own lives. Might I say it’s a bit lively as well? That thing from within me earlier hasn’t left yet, but I sense myself easing up a bit more since it’s not as chaotic here as where I just came from. Roaming the area, I look around to see a couple of restaurants, a venue featuring a few local bands, a jazz club, a popular retro arcade area and a big plaza with a fountain in the middle of it. Looks like I’m in the leisure district.

Tugging on my hefty bag, I start viewing what I can do around here to kill time instead of just full-on loitering. I’m starting to grow a little sick of just standing around doing nothing. I walk the sidewalks of the district, looking at the many places I could go. I come across the restaurants, they vary in what they are, as one of them is a steakhouse, another one is a French place known for its cuisine, and one of them is a deli known for its sub sandwiches. Unfortunately, none of them is grabbing my attention at the moment. I’m not really hungry anyway.

Turning around, I look over to the venue. I automatically want to avoid it, I already know it’s going to be too much noise, and I don’t think I can really handle all of that, to be honest. Maybe that jazz club could soothe whatever is going on with me. Facing the lounge, I start approaching the entrance, opening the doors to find the place relatively full and a little group that’s performing right now. Finally, something good to ease the end of my day. The song they’re playing is nice, slow. Relaxing even. For once, I’m genuinely starting to feel okay. I can really get used to this.

I close my eyes and let the music take me away to a peaceful plane in my head as it hypnotizes me a little. What I was feeling earlier was slowly submerging, and I could go ahead and just let everything from the past 2 weeks to now fade away. As soon as I hear them finish the song they’re playing, I open my eyes. I can see more people walking up the stage, and I start thinking that they might play something a bit louder. It’s evident because they’re pulling out more instruments and setting up really fast. Deep down, I start praying it’s another calming song. I don’t need it to get loud here, not when I just settled down. Unfortunately, I was right, the group almost immediately sets up for their next song to play, and right after someone counts to three, a sudden burst of a large group of brass starts the performance, and I am immediately jumpscared by the sudden introduction.

Damn it, not even one sliver of peace anywhere in this city! I can’t stand the music anymore. What sounds like a wonderful performance to everyone sounds like a cacophony of sounds piercing my eardrums. As bad as I feel, it currently feels like nails on a chalkboard. I quickly walk out of the lounge and end up back on the sidewalk. I start walking further away from the central area and skipping the arcade, I am NOT in any mood to play games.

My head clears up a little, I’m too busy trying to relax my mind to the point I almost trip over a bench. I catch myself by grabbing onto it, and then taking a look at where I’m at. I’ve ended up close to the lake once more since I was, again, preoccupied. Since I’m here already, I decide to take a seat on the wooden pew and just finally unwind for once.

I sigh out of tiredness, rubbing my face under my glasses while staring into the lake, and just overall feel like complete shit. The strange feeling from earlier came back, and it’s stronger. What the hell is even this feeling? Why do I sense it? It’s like it kind of hurts me inside. Like an aching sensation. This isn’t even the first time this has happened! It wasn’t much of a problem two weeks ago, and it wasn’t one a month ago.

This bag isn’t doing me favors right now. I move the straps off my body and walk towards the lake. The water is near my shoes, but not near enough to get them wet. I decide to take a rock from the shore and try to make it skip on the water while also attempting to get my thoughts together. I don’t like whatever I’m feeling, and it’s more emphasized whenever it’s quiet. Even if there are people around me, their talking is background noise to me. It’s not the same as someone who’s actively talking to me.

I toss the rock in my hand towards the lake, but it doesn’t even skip at all, leaving me a bit more disappointed. Speaking of talking to me, I can’t really think of anyone who genuinely does. Not even from my school. And I find it hard to even be on the same level as the people there or anywhere else. My major shouldn’t be this hard, but unfortunately, I just had to try hard in high school and get into the honors college program with ease. Usually, that’d be a good thing for a lot of people who did genuinely try. For me, though, it’s not. I barely have any time to even socialize with anyone, and I don’t even have time to go out and enjoy myself in this town.

Hearing the natural noises from the lake, I actually hear the contrary. The stillness in the air emphasizes how much I can hear the ripples and the small waves crashing on a much louder scale. This itself should “soothe” someone. But no, it doesn’t. It doesn’t soothe me at all; it just emphasizes how… alone it is.

I stand there for a brief moment before slowly backing away and sitting back on the bench once more. I just sit there, letting it all sink in. A breeze flows through, albeit a small gust of wind. It makes the water in the big lake ripple as small waves crash with the help of the wind. These pleasant sounds grow loud. They don’t sound lovely if they’re this noisy. The emotion I was experiencing earlier doesn't hurt anymore, but it washes over me in a melancholic wave.

The realization of what I’m going through hits me like a truck. I think deep down, I might’ve known what this could’ve been. But I didn’t really want to face it. Avoiding it didn’t help. Running from it didn’t do anything; it just made this whole thing a hell of a lot worse. And you know what, I wouldn’t be doing this if I had someone to hear me out, but I don’t know anyone who would want to do such a thing.

I have never felt this disconnected in my life…

Minutes feel like hours, and hours feel like eternity. My trance towards the great reservoir feels unbreakable, as if whatever abyss the water contains stares back at me. I am forcibly snapped back to reality, though, as I felt something land on my forehead. I tap with my right middle finger to see a single water droplet. I look up to see that the overcast weather is now fully cloudy, and from the looks of it, they look like rain clouds. It’s going to be a wet walk back home.

Standing up, I take my bag and start walking back to a nearby bus stop. I got up as soon as I could; surely I can return home without being too soaked. I take out my phone from the pocket of my pants and check to see the nearest bus stop. To my utter disappointment, the nearest one is back in the leisure district. Putting my phone back, I begin my walk down the trail and towards the stop. As the sprinkling droplets turn into drizzle, I can tell the weather is really going to come down soon, and I am dead in the middle of it. I bring up my bag above my head and start jogging back, but my attempt to stay dry is futile as the drizzle now becomes a downpour.

By some miracle, I make it just in time with the bus driver accepting the last handful of people for the night. Not giving a crap about the dangers of running on the sidewalk while raining, I dash towards the bus and get in just before the doors close. I take out my bus card and pay for the fare by tapping it onto the scanner before uncomfortably walking down the aisle and sitting down in the back, drenched in rainwater. I’m not gonna bother complaining because at least I’m making it back home tonight. That’s what matters most.

I wipe my glasses clean with the hem of my turtleneck and put them on, looking out the rain-stained window and just seeing the buildings that I have walked through pass by. I can’t help but feel my eyes get droopy, but I don’t give in. Not until I take the hottest shower in the world and lie down on my comfortable bed.

It feels like forever, but the bus eventually stops near my house and I finally get off. I have never felt this eager to go back home in my life. And once I make it to my front door, I immediately rush to my room where I throw my bag on the floor, along with my green field jacket, and head to the bathroom. Everything that I was once wearing on my person is on the floor, my glasses are left on the sink as I turn to the shower and turn the knob towards the red line. Hot water has truly never felt this amazing in my life. I just stay there, standing in the comfort of the hot water. Like if it was a warm hug from someone. I eventually wash the day off of myself, and let me say, this is the cleanest I have felt in a long time. That’s how good this shower feels. I turn the knob back off and leave the shower to dry up, brush my teeth, and put on an oversized shirt and some shorts. The walk to my bed has never felt sluggish, but I toss my wet clothes into the laundry before plopping down on my bed and pulling the covers over myself. I think back to that moment at the park as I slowly drift off to sleep. What I was experiencing might have gone away for now, but I doubt that it won’t come up again. It’s something I don’t want to think about. Not now… Not ever…

I bid this day goodbye.

Follow the story of a struggling college student overcoming the stresses life brings her before her once mundane way of living is drastically altered by the discovery of a crash-landed UAP in her backyard.

Hey you all, Adrielle here!

I just want to say that Late Night has been complete and in the process of getting the scene drawn for it. Took me a while, but I finally got it done. 2955 words have been written and I can't wait for you all to read every single one of them.

If you're curious on what it is, it's basically a short story about Meadow and how her life was before the events of the main story. Not only did I have a lot of fun writing it, but I decide to start drafting another one in order to flesh her out since, fun fact, Meadow is a relatively new character I created and one that I haven't immediately shoved into a game project. I won't summarize this new one just yet since I'm putting it in the back burner, but this will certainly add more to her.

On another note, Chapter Three is being drafted right now! I am very excited to write and continue the story of these two. Just like my friend, I have been non-stop thinking about this story and for what I have in mind about the characters involved.

That's it really, I will be creating a masterlist for every chapter and short story for the project so it will make it easier for you all to navigate.

If you haven't already or if you're new, the Prologue + Chapter One, and Chapter Two are available to read right now!

Have a good one!

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   ...Meanwhile, in a universe much like the one Fred inhabits, on an Earth much like her own, only with the absence of goldfish visitors from outer space.  In a rundown apartment in a poor neighborhood, a thin redhead sits, hunched over her laptop, furiously typing away.  The room is mostly silent, except for the frequent clicks and clacks made when her long, bony fingers would make contact with the well worn keys.  She rarely looks up from the screen, only pausing to readjust her thick glasses, which continuously slide down her large, prominent nose.  Nearly an hour passes before she sits up, stretches, lightly sighs, and reaches for her cup of coffee, taking a sip while scooting her chair away from her desk.    She was thankful for caffeine, it along with a manic energy that had recently been coursing through her veins had been the only thing keeping her going for the past week or so.     “Hm, now that this essay is out of the way, I should relax a bit, take my mind off of things,” the redhead says to herself, or maybe to her calico cat, curled up in a box in the other side of the room.  Her cat looks up at her, blinks, and then resumes bathing itself.  It was of no matter, as the redhead didn’t acknowledge her furry companion, and had instead opened up another word document on her laptop.  Her eyes skimmed over the document, she lightly shook her head.     “What the fuck was I even thinking here?,” she mutters to herself.  Her right pinky finger once again reunites with its lover, the delete key on her MacBook Air, and a few paragraphs disappear.  She then stands up, walks over to her dresser, and takes out a small tin.  She opens it, removing a plastic baggie with a small amount of weed, and a small wooden pipe.  She loads the bowl, grabs her lighter off the side of the desk, and takes a hit.     “Inspiration, fill my veins and take over my mind,” she says shortly after inhaling.  Her posture instantly relaxes, she sinks into her chair, grabs a pencil and a notebook, and starts to write, humming happily to herself, enjoying her creative release that she'd type out later once she'd sobered up...

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