No One Hears You Screaming

Do you hear? DO you really hear the screams?

It’s always something with this world. It seems that is something we can bet on. That there always be something with this world. Whether something happens, someone does something that is completely out of your control. Or even if you express your feelings, some of the things that are happening to us can’t be heard. And most of them can’t even be dealt with, because that would mean to inconvenience the other. And that would be tragic. Can you imagine telling someone that you are hurting? Can you imagine their reaction? Can you imagine them accepting those feelings and extending you kindness? I can not. Maybe it is my communication at fault, maybe it’s the people’s problem, it depends who you ask. If you ask a therapist they might say you can’t control how people interpret it. If you ask the person that doesn’t care, they’ll tell you that it is your responsibility to deal with their lack of empathy. But in the end, it’s the same. When everyone screams in pain, no one hears you screaming.

It is deafening to sit here and listen to all the screams of agony coming from every single person. You can see it in their eyes, in their behavior, in the ideas they bring up, that are always filled with some sort of pain, unhappiness, unease or cry for help without them even realizing it. So, while my anger, frustration and sadness is overwhelming, I can’t help it, I can’t stay mad at these screaming people hurting and then bemoaning that someone is screaming back at them. And while I can’t stay mad, it does not mean I have to accept any of it. We all have limits we hit. I can scream, I can throw tantrums, someone that wants to help, listen, be kind and understand, will do exactly that. But when everyone screams, does it even matter? When everyone screams, can you hear what anyone’s saying? Much like a tree falling when no one’s around, the chances of someone hearing that scream of yours are close to zero. So when they scream, can they even hear themselves think? Or do they just survive based on instinct?

But when you scream, and no one hears you. And then you sit in silence, and no one sees you. What does it matter to anyone? When in all honesty they want you to be a NOBODY. Whether it’s in their life, in their anything, as there is no way to scream louder than everyone, nor does it make a bigger impact when you scream. Yet here we all are, screaming, not listening, deafened by the pain we caused. Yet if you try to go against the grain, they’ll blame you. If you follow in their footsteps, they’ll blame you. It’s a lose-lose situation, where everybody screams, no one listens, we’re all hurt, but nothing changes. In the end, the mark remains, as we scream into each others ears, the damage we do is etched into our eardrums, hearts, and personalities. 

And if this is the best we can do, I’d rather remain a Nobody alone…

Value S/D

I value, you value, we value, yet no one’s valued.

What are values worth? Nothing. At least I don’t see much value in having any sort of values. I mean, nothing in my life says that it is worth having values. I don’t know how many people have this problem. But I assume it’s not a few, it’s more than a few. Which is why I keep turning back to this writing thing every single time. There is something that I value here, which makes this something worthwhile, at least to me. Do you see the value? Or do you even know what makes it valuable? Do you know what makes you valuable? It depends on who you are asking. It might be just your labor, your organs, your actions, your words, your something or other. But what do you value? Are those your values? What about what others value about you? Are those the same thing? Who decides what is valuable? See the problem? It’s mostly nonsense.

While the philosophers of old would stay and debate, and use words which would make your head spin. I have an answer. There is no need for debate, there is no need even to think too much about this. Because the answer I will give you, I guarantee you will have no impact over the next person, or even the world in any sort of a negative way. And if you read my other stuff, you’d know that already. Because in all these years, there is always one answer, one value, one thing that I believe in. Because there is no value that we have, that animals also don’t have it. Animals have empathy, animals care for their close ones. Sure, they don’t have the same capacity we have for extremely complex emotion or communication. But, they do more then most people at communicating that they care for you, if it’s a pet, or that they care for their own, if they are in the wild, of course. But either way, animals have empathy, they love, they care, they do what we believe is what makes us humans.

So, then… The answer is simple. Human rights for all, any time, all the time, equally, in equity, by their need, without any excuses. Anyone that is debating you on this, doesn’t have morals or any sort of real interest in human values. So, housing, food, internet, vacations, good paying jobs and healthcare for all, as values is something nice to have, since we’re talking about basic human rights. Then there is empathy, kindness, love, which all encompass the same idea of, we don’t know what this person is going through which is why we should be kind, but it seems, that this is a tad more difficult, since most people can not extend their arm to show that bit of empathy. And of course, you don’t even have to reach out, sometimes you just have to listen and respond with kindness. But basic kindness is something else I feel we’re sorely missing. Not that people don’t value it. They do, and they do take notice of it, when you are doing this. But do not ever expect it back, because it seems it is not a skill that has any sort of value in this day and age for people. 

See my problem? The values I wrote as answers are not controversial, or at least they shouldn’t be, unless you’re something that stinks and gets stuck to shoes. So, why is it that we push back on those values? Why is it that we do not take the same consideration and extend this kindness for literally everyone? Just like we respect, we expect people to respect us. But we do not have the common curtesy to say the most basic things needed. And it is cultural, I fall to this pitfall as well, where I forget to say the thank you or speak in a more polite way sometimes. So what is values are valued? Is this really the best we can do? I have so much built-up frustration, anger, disappointment and sadness just from asking something people asked themselves since the beginning of time. We should be better than this. But then again, do our values really matter? It doesn’t seem so… As we’re not taking them seriously, nor are we applying them correctly. 

(In)Suffer(able)

Judge me if you must, but I am not he who suffers.

Life is complicated right now. Not because it must be, but because the way we allow things to be right now is not really helpful. I don’t know how you see things. I never will. As I am not you, and you are not me. But we, share something. We have something in common. We live here. On this space rock. Not on any other space rock, at least for now, but on this specific rock. And on this one here, well, we do things that do not make sense. Not because we do not know better, but because we are not told there is better. And because we have a long history of doing things the wrong way, we do not really listen when someone tell us there is a right way of doing things. Now, I am not here to talk about how to do things right. I am but a simple person with some simple values. And while they might be simple, they are well defined. No, that is not the problem I will be discussing today. But the effects of this whole mess of the way we do things.

Because we’re all victims. In some sense, it can’t be helped. We live in an inherently violent world, with a violent past we can’t divorce ourselves from because money. But you know that already, but that is not what we are talking about. But, it is the fact that all these factors: violent history and present, ignorance, lack of adaptation and our biology, work against us. Not all willingly, of course. Our brains are programmed a certain way and for most of our history we didn’t really think about how it works or its biology in a real sense. So, most of us are ignorant. Much like our violent history and its consequences and how they are still felt and adapted to today. But, if you put all these things together and really think about it, you can see how we all suffer.  And some of it is by design, as we live in a world of plenty and abundance, yet there are still billions of people living in poverty. What that means on a personal level is that you have suffered, I have suffered, everyone has suffered. Because life is drama, misery, struggle, but by how much depends on luck and it depends on who you grow up to be. But even so, you can be easily drawn into these things, no matter your stature, money and luck. As there are still some guarantees. Sickness, death, mental health issues, and this violent system still existing, guarantees that no matter who you are, you are still impacted by these things.

So, here I am. Suffering. Why? Because I am insufferable. I am human, so I must be insufferable. I am not better than anyone, so I suffer. No, not because I am not better, but because no one thought me how not to or at least how to deal with it. Most people don’t know or have never been thought. Thus I must suffer. Like others have. Like you have. Like everyone before me has. And no, this is not a competition, nor is it a pity party. I am just noticing the obvious. And yet again, that is not the point of this whole thing I wrote here. As we each have our own struggle, our own road, our own lives, the thing that I have yet to learn is how to accept the judgement of those that do not know better. Of those that judge you when you suffer without asking or trying to understand why you are suffering. Why must I accept? Because if they knew better, they’d do better. Not that they are obliged, I simply wish we were kinder. But until they are kinder, I can’t help but be insufferable. As when you judge someone that is suffering instead of reaching out with a kind gesture or a helping hand, you too are insufferable.

Hopefully, one day we’ll learn to be better and kinder…

Success Fully Evil

When failure is the norm, who is to blame?

What is success? Well, success depends from person to person. For me, is me being happy. Having the time, energy, resources to do what I want and when I want. And I am not talking here about yachts, a Rolex and billions of dollars. I am talking a big enough house so if I have kids, each person in the house can have their own room. And money so I can afford at least two vacations a year, to afford the games I want to play, and the gadgets to play those games on. I’d say that is reasonable. As long as I am loved, I can love, and there’s a safe space where I can express myself, I would call all this a success. Some, might look at that and not agree. Some might be more ambitious. Some might want more. But that is why I said that success depends on each person. Thus I have no real problem with success, I am as close to the success I wish for myself as I ever was. But if you look closely at my success, I never mention that I want that success to come at the price of someone else’s failure, suffering or by taking part in this system that rewards hyper-individualism and violence. Nor do you see me look at others that want less than me, or that have never gotten their success, and say that they are less. A reality of ours that we keep forgetting is that 99% of us are going to lose in this system. And that is by default how the system is set up. And as much as I do not know what you’d call such a system, I’d call that system evil. So, what happens when you are successful in such a system? But before that, I have another question…

What makes one evil? Well, the disregard of suffering, meaning the lack of empathy. Most evil starts there. The moment one turn towards themselves and disregards anyone and everyone else, that person becomes selfish. And there is a big difference between someone needing to heal and protecting their core values, as long as those core values do not infringe on someone else’s rights, but when someone that turns inwards in order to fit into a system that rewards selfishness and hyper-individualism. And when you do that, and you rid yourself of empathy, evil takes root. And when you are successful in such a violent and evil system, then success is a poisonous pill you are ingesting. And it is a pill that blinds you. As any criticism of the system that made you successful, or of your actions, or of who you’ve become turns in your head into a personal attack, rather than a concerned and accurate observation. And we all know when you are too huffed up on your own fumes, and you feel attacked, you turn even more inwards, build even more walls, and the finger comes out behind the wall to point and deflect from your own shame.

So, at least for me, it is rather hard to see how bragging about success and then pointing to those that failed is anything but evil. What you are showing is that instead of an empathic response, what you do, is indulge yourself with that poisonous pill. Hamming fist after fist in your mouth, drooling at the thought of your money, houses, jobs, fame, or whatever you deem your success. Pushing people away that do not feed into your now over inflated ego, calling them envious bastards for not appreciating your success when you kept mocking their failures without any hint of empathy or delicacy in your approach towards those that were vulnerable. And then you wonder, ‘Why won’t they talk to me anymore?’ Well, not that you care, you have better things to do than to have any sort of self-reflection. Now poisoned, all that matters is that you do whatever you want, and the rest are sore losers that couldn’t be fucked and we shouldn’t care about, because if they wanted to, they could have… It doesn’t matter now, that the wealth inequality is bigger than it was during the French revolution, or that we are three generations in where the younger generations are less wealthy than their predecessors. What matters is that you are doing well, and the rest are losers because they’re not as good as you. Doesn’t matter the context, the nuance, the place, poisoned blind and with an inflated ego, you tell yourself that if you managed it, everyone should have. 

It is at this point, that a good person dies. There is no more good in such a person. No matter the charity, no matter the intention, no matter what they think. A person that attacks those they deem lesser because they have less success or other types of success, lack empathy. A person that think they know better without taking into account the real situation of the person suffering and giving them “advice”, all they do is nothing but self-serving theater, because they’re selfish. They have no time, no energy, nor any empathy for you. Why? Because they’re self-serving, shallow and selfish. But these types of persons are mostly immature and have a lot of unresolved issues that they have never worked through. Thus they lie to themselves, so they expect you to do the same and accept the sweet lies they tell you in order for them to remain in a somewhat good looking light. And you can see these people now being wildly popular since forever. Whether on social media, or on tv, or in the white house, they are everywhere. And they’re all successfully evil…

In Sanity

The Greatest lie ever told was that there is a “normal”.

This world and its system is in such a way crafted that you are either insane or in sane, with no in between. You, your values, your personality, actions, words, either are for decency or indecency. It is rather hard to believe when you look at people, for a myriad of reasons, that there is anything more than this binary. Because anything against decency is indecent. Anything besides any of the minimum basic decency of what constitute basic human rights for all, is pro-discrimination. There is no world where you can have any sort of decency and argue against that. Yet somehow, at some point, those indecent folk managed to turn gullible, naive, ignorant people into their weapon of hate, discrimination and insanity. And yes, that is one extreme of this whole debacle, there are still plenty of insane people that consider themselves to be of sound mind and reason, that discriminate yet call themselves people of common sense. All of which wouldn’t be a problem if our systems worked. But these insane people are in power everywhere. And they’ve been in power ever since humans have gathered into what we call societies today. Which can only drive decent people insane…

Reading is not enough, nor is knowing history not enough. In all these activities in a world of insanity, knowing something or reading, does not mean much if you do not teach yourself to think. Insanity, much like any other sort of delusion or psychosis ingrains itself in people that do not use what they have. As they use a grain of truth to full you into eating a plate of hate that fills your anger. As this grain takes root into a person, they turn blind. That blindness turns their anger into fury, which turns into acts of aggression towards anyone they hear disagree with them. At that point that person is lost to their insanity, as no reason, no logic, no anything will reach them. The roots of that grain grew to envelop their hearts in darkness and evil. Their blindness infects their ears when it comes to common sense or any sort of self-criticism. They’ve become something worse than human, they’re a monster with the appearance of their old shell. As no human is evil, and anything that is evil, is not human. 

These non-humans try to fool us into thinking we are just like them. And that their world is normal, and ours is not. They try to spread self-doubt, and bring you to their side. Only a fool would look at them and see their darkness as light. Yet there are plenty of fools that have no forethought as they can survive without it that take the plunge into something easier, not thinking. As in order to think, you need to be enlightened and see even in their darkness what they actually sell you. Otherwise, you will find yourself that you have sold your soul to the devil, your body to the machine and your mind to those monsters that want you to hate and fight your brothers and sisters.

The solution? Is not hope, it’s not promises, it’s showing that there is an alternative to all that. Otherwise there is no antidote to the poison they are selling. When the algorithm feeds your addiction, and you have no self-control, you blame the algorithm, a cabal that want to control you and anyone and anything you do not like. Yet you yourself are feeding upon the slop and poison they are presenting you without any sort of self-reflection upon what it is you put in your mouth. When you waver on whatever it is you consider decent or right, you are indulging yourself into feeding the grain that poisons you. And when the whole history of humanity is full of people engrained in this ideology, blind to their own behavior, there is not much hope for those in sanity to keep fighting those insane.

So, in order for change to occur all people should first and foremost look upon themselves with the same critical eye they look upon others. As without this, there is no world where insanity can be vanquished as the wheel of violence wheel keep on turning as there will be plenty of monsters to run upon the will and keep it spinning until we die out due to our own hubris and ego that kept that grain of hate well fed and alive.

What's Lacking

Look around, what do you see?

Much like you, I could write an unending list of humanity’s failures. Corruption, greed, murder, wars, genocides, man-made famines, and the list could go on and on and on. So why?

Why write? It makes no money.

Why create art? It makes no money.

Why sing? It makes no money.

I know why. We have to. There is no pretending to be human without art, whether it’s song, sonnets, stories, photos, drawings, animation or sculpture.

And you might have heard this before, but I don’t think you have.

I don’t think you heard me at all. The title isn’t rhetorical… And we don’t just do art because we have to, it goes deeper than that.

What do you see? Around you, realistically, objectively. Wealth inequality, another genocide or two, wars, housing crisis, global warming, rising fascism, the fall of an empire or two, for whatever reasons men have a loneliness epidemic they can’t seem to figure it out. And what do all these have in common? No love.

No one that loves kills, genocides, makes others suffer for their own benefit. No one that loves, blames someone else for their own failures as a human being. Sure, you can broadly gesture to the whole system, but blaming all women for your loneliness, that’s on you, not the system.

At the core of everything what is lacking is love. We have no education about love, how to deal with it, how to create it, how to cherish it and how to give it in a healthy way. And love is in all our lives. Whether you love a movie, tv show, animation, character, book, piece of music, person, animal, tool, accessory, piece of clothing or shoe. You can not escape love. And when we do not know how to deal with love, we do not know how to deal with much of anything, really. So, we shun it.

And thus we shun art. Art is nothing but love, expressed through a myriad of ways. And when we make an enemy of art, we make an enemy of love. Whether we vilify it and call it a political stance, or woke, it is never a good idea to vilify art nor love. When you do, you shun your humanity, as there is no part of your life that must not have love for others, nature, and everything that is good in this world.

There is no other way to look at it. To look at those that are doing everything that is morally apprehensible and not to see their lack of love. For their neighbor, for their families, for those less fortunate, for those that need some help, for those having a bad day, or for anyone that is not them themselves enjoying the wrath of their villainy. And what is villainy if not the lack of the compassion love brings in a person?

I tell you… Look closely… Who hates? Who creates all this chaos, badness and evil fuckery in this world? Look closely at what they enjoy. Look at their relationships, what fruits they bare, what love they bring, how they communicate with their close other. What their topics of discussion are, if those discussions leave you refreshed or drained. Look at their actions when they’re not with you, or around you. Look at everything they are telling you. And I can bet you, that they lack a healthy relationship with love. Whether it’s loving themselves, accepting other's love, their learned toxic relationship with love from their parents or from somewhere else. Most obviously, the easiest way to see where they stand is their relationship with art. What they consume, what their relationship is with that art? Is it a healthy one? Or is it a getekeep-y/toxic one? 

That is the easiest way to find what’s lacking… What is your relationship with art?

Not All That - Story 2 - End of M

It’s not about that…

SOMEWHERE ON EARTH

But why not give us another day? asks the Brave Arachnid. Why would we? You had twelve thousand years to do the right thing and figure it out. In the past one hundred and fifty years you have had a marvelous revolution upon revolution that has brought so much wealth, so much information, so much good… Yet all was used for war, in the name of misery. In the name of subjugation of other people. You have been preaching the words of a god of peace, love and kindness, and used it for violence, for genocide, for hate against the other which was just as you were. Whose fault is that? How can you preach for love and fight against your neighbor? How can you go to a place of worship and beat your wife and children? How can you pretend to love anything yet despise anything that isn’t just as you are? And then the age of heroes arose. Wish after wish for these people to be saved by someone, by some heroes. Their prayers answered, they’re third chance at a normal life realized. And with all that power, what have you done? With all that intellect what have any of you done to save these people that were suffering? Some of you have wealth beyond comprehension, yet you use it for your own personal gains without a care in the world for those suffering. Most your so called villains are but victims of the status quo you are defending with your lives. Some of them are the direct consequences of you, heroes. And what have you done? You have jailed them, you have punished them for fighting back against that was turned them into who they are in the first place.  

The Brave Arachnid looks down in shame. We are not here to preach upon your failures as heroes or as human. But the wildlife, the fauna, the atmosphere, this planet is innocent compared to the crimes humanity and its heroes committed against itself, the aliens explain. But we can be better, the Brave Arachnid interjects. It is not about what you could be, it is about what you are right now. And it seems none of you really understand what we have been trying to tell you. Each of you have your share of responsibility. Whether it’s what happens to your own selves, to those around you or to the environment around you. There is no such thing as pure innocence in this day and age. Whether ignorant, a fool, evil, if you defend, stand by, and do nothing about the injustices that are committed against yourself, you are as much to blame for what happens as those villains that have put you in this situation. And that is especially true of those that have awoken with power or knowledge, as in those that know better should use their powers. And not to just protect themselves, but those closest to them, at least. And if you look around, most people can’t even take care of their own selves, caring about anyone else isn’t even a possibility. And you heroes, should have helped with that. Yet most people suffer. Most people are having a hard time existing, living, using this excessive wealth that has been created and hoarded by a few. And of those few, some call themselves heroes. 

I… You’re right, says The Brave Arachnid. It is not about being right. It is about the minimum of decency. And then there’s the following question. If we give you one more day, will you do the right things because it must be done out of your own free will? Or will you do it just because you are under the threat of annihilation? To us, our intervention was never about negotiating, it was about taking a decision. As the moment we intervened it was clear to us that it was too late for heroes, and humanity as a whole to have any chance at survival, the aliens explain. But what about the children? The babies? What about them? They haven’t been tainted. They don’t know any better, says the Brave Arachnid. You are not wrong, babies are pure, some children are already a lost cause. As we will not force them into the cruelty of reeducation camps, they will follow. You can blame the parents, you can blame us, we do not care. But if humanity is to survive, a reset is non-negotiable, the aliens explain. But they are still children, they can still learn, the Brave Arachnid interjects. Most humans could learn something all their life. Yet we do not see humanity as kind enough to live with a sudden change brought on upon them by an outside force. As such, we bid you farewell, as this age of so called heroes and old humans will draw to its end. And no other human will have to survive to feed themselves, to house themselves, to work themselves to death, without fear of exploitation, hate crimes, or wars. 

As most humans and superheroes are pulverized in an instant, silence falls upon earth. All machines stop, the lights come on, the streets now empty, the cries of pets and babies echo. Why are we alive? a few hundred thousand people ask themselves. We need someone to take care of the babies. We need someone with the same values of equity, equality, love, compassion, empathy to shape the new world. To help heal humanity, as the cancer was cut out. Now the planet will breathe again, you will be able to breathe again freely without the knee of the oppressors pressed upon your necks. And you few, are those that do not just believe in these values, but apply them to every part of your lives. Now go, take care of all these babies, pets, and this world. All the doors are open. The end of maltreatment has been enacted, you now have your second chance. We have but one request. Please, do not ever mention us, or what happened here today. 

This is the second and last part of the Not All That mini-series. Hope you liked it. And you can read below the second part of the exclusive mini series about horoscope signs in The Horrorscope - Sign - Series on the Nobody The Extra Blog.

The Horroscope :SIGN: Capricorn Part 1

When love bears fruit, miracles happen.

202X, long before the story of The Horrorscope

Do you remember when we first met? You annoyed me so much, she says smiling as she looks down. Yeah, that was mutual, he responds as he gives her a kiss on her forehead. I am scared now, she says. It’s fine to be scared. It’s not like anyone can prepare you for this. And this is the first time we are going through something like this. I am scared as well. Will I be good enough? Will be able to do the right thing?  He asks as he holds her to his chest with his right hand combing through her hair. I didn’t even have time to think about that, she says while sighing. Maybe that’s better, he says with a smile. We figured it out until now, we will probably figure it out from here on as well, she says. I think this is the first time we actually had a minute in these past six or seven months where we could take a minute to actually talk, he says. Without needing to take snap decisions? Absolutely, she says. It feels good to take a moment for ourselves, he says. I can’t believe the life we’ve lived. And we’re what? 30? It doesn’t feel real, she says. Yeah, after that rock hit the ocean, and hundred million died, including our families, and our homes. I don’t know how we even got here, he says. Agreed, it feels like a blur. I wish they were here with us in this moment to see this miracle, she says as tears start to run down her face.

Ten years ago… 201X

I am afraid, Damian, she says. What? That asteroid? They haven’t confirmed that it will hit. And, you know that we need this vacation, he replies. I know. But I can’t help but worry. Both our families are near the coast. And if it hits in the ocean, what if it creates a tsunami or something and it hits while we’re gone? she asks. I don’t think that will happen. From what they said, it was a small one, and even then, they are quite inland. And might I remind you, that it’s still a few days away before anything is confirmed. So, we might get back home before anything happens, he says. Okay, you might be right. But I read the horoscope and they said that something big is going to happen for each and every sign, that’s the first I have ever seen something like that happen, she says. Lupe, I know you are anxious, and for good reason. This is the first time in our modern history an asteroid is confirmed to hit somewhere on this planet. But until now the horoscopes weren’t that accurate, so whatever might happen, we will deal with it right then and there, says Damian. You are right, let’s just enjoy this short vacation. We’ve earned it.

The two board the plane. Hand in hand they look at each other as the plane takes off. After three hours of flying, the sky turns dark for a brief second as a loud whooshing noise is heard by everyone on the plane. A large burning asteroid is seen entering the atmosphere. As everyone starts screaming, the asteroid lands in the ocean. Second after a booming noise is heard, as a strong wind knocks the plane spinning off course, directly into a river.

Back in 202X

A miracle, yeah, you could call it that, says Damian. To land exactly on a river and miraculously for everyone to survive, is a miracle, says Lupe. And now look at us, you are pregnant with our child, we have a family, the world finally feels like it makes sense again, says Damian. Oh, says Lupe. What? asks Damian. My water broke, says Lupe. Okay, okay, we’ve practiced for this. I know what to do. Don’t move! he exclaims with joy. The two get their stuff as an ambulance arrives. They get taken to the hospital. I think I decided on his name, she has through the contractions. Which is? he asks. Keiteki, she answers. Love it, he says as he holds her hand. The both enter the birthing room, together with the doctors after waiting in the waiting room for another four hours, as she was dilating. Half an hour later in sweat she screams as the doctor keeps instructing her to breathe and push. I can see the head, the doctor says. Come on, sweetie, a bit more, just push a bit more, says Damian. She lets hour a giant scream as she pushes, the doctor falls on his back. Lupe keeps pushing as the doctor gets up rapidly to hold the baby’s head. Damian stands up not knowing what to do. The baby starts crying, Damian sighs with relief, Lupe’s head hits the pillow with exhaustion and the doctor with a terrified look on his face gets up with the baby in his arms. He hands it to the nurse. The nurse with a shocked expression hands it to Lupe.

A scream echoes throughout the hospital as a goateed and hairy baby cries in the hands of her mother.

This is the first part of a 4 part monthly series that will be exclusive to Nobody The Extra blog about each zodiac sign in The Horrorscope world.

Not All That - Story 1 - Bad

Something, something, responsibility… Something, something, power.

Somewhere on Earth

We are an intergalactic alien species and we are here to cleanse this planet of humans, a disembodied voice is heard in every human language across the world. Hearing this, the world’s greatest super heroes from all around the world gathered together to fight the invasion. Much to their surprise their enemies have joined them as well. We might be bad, but what’s the point in all of that if we die and there’s no one left? A voice representing the evil doers reasons with a smirk as they ally with the heroes. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, rationalizes a hero as the villain next to him thinks it’s the smartest thing he has heard. Thus, the fight against the invasion begins. It was something from legend. Gods trying to protect people from an extinction level event. The fights were hard fought, many casualties on both sides. And after three days, and three nights, a hero seeing the destruction, the death, the toll it took on everyone put a pause to it all. We need to stop. We can’t keep fighting like this. They seem intelligent beings, why don’t we try to reason with them? asks the brave hero. Why should we? They’re trying to exterminate us, responds another hero that runs really fast. I want to know why. What did we do wrong? asks the first hero. There’s no point in asking why. You don’t look at an invading nation and try to go ask them why, you fight back, says Hootab Man as he pulls out his hootmobile with a hootremote. Fine, I am going to swing there on my own, says the Brave Arachnid. 

The Brave Arachnid makes his way through the city and our towards The Mothership. You don’t have to do this, Brave Arachnid. You can just ask, and we will answer for all to hear, says the disembodied voice. Wait, how did you know? asks the Brave Arachnid. Each of you have a phone, or some sort of transmitter and receiver on you. We are beings able to do intergalactic travels. We as you can imagine have also access to all those transmitters and receivers, thus access to every bit of knowledge and technology you posses, explains the disembodied voice. Then why didn’t you launch or detonate the nukes? ask the Brave Arachnid. It seems we were not clear in our communication. We are here to hurry the extinction of the human race and its silly little super off-shoots. Not every race. Thus nuclear or other such heavy weapons are not to be used. Which is why we have locked your leaders out of every single system that could do untold damage to the environment, explains the voice. So, you want to conquer this place and get rid of us? asks Brave Arachnid. No. We do not wish to conquer this planet. We wish to get rid of you. That is all, explains the disembodied voice. As every human and hero listens, the fighting stops as they are all bewildered by the responses of the aliens. And all had one question on their mind…

But, like… Why? asks Brave Arachnid. A loud sigh echoes throughout the world. Your planet is no value to us. The resources it has, are at best primitive. The technology you have is rudimentary. The human philosophy, morality and action is still prehistoric in our view. There is not much value to this planet or this race for us in order to do anything but liquidate humanity, explains the disembodied voice. But why? We’re humans, sure, we all have our faults, but we’re really trying and not all that bad, says the Brave Arachnid. Are you not that bad? You produce more food than you need, yet you have starving people and everyone knows of them and sees them. You have space and resources for shelter, yet there are people that have none. You have the technology and knowledge to change that, yet you torture yourselves at the behest of the richest humans. You have the capacity for morality, yet you choose to selectively enforce it or ignore it. We have watched you for the past two thousand years. The changes have been incremental. The brutality you have been treating each other has become more cunning. You have the treatment for most of your diseases, yet you decided that not everyone deserves to get access to it. You have nothing but killed this planet and have done untold damage to it and its environment. Every single time there is a threat to the status quo, you and your other so called heroes rush to defend all this. All this? Really? And they are the bad guys? You and others like you walk amongst people like gods stepping next to ants and you decided that with your powers, instead of changing the world for the better, you are upholding and enforcing this world upon others. That is cruel. So, please do remind us. How are you not all that? asks the disembodied voice.

Give us one more day, says the Brave Arachnid as the questions from the aliens echoed throughout the world. If you need the threat of punishment to do the right thing, then you are no more, no less than a mindless drone with no value to us. While we appreciate that you came to talk to us, we can not in any good conscious accept this following result as anything positive. Morals, love, respect can be thought, that much is true. Yet to enact these one needs to understand what they are doing wrong, that they are bad, what their privilege is and what work needs to be done. Thus we have decided that it is time for a new start.

To be continued…

Only Once

I will not lie to you…

The following post is just a confession. Nothing but a confession. Not a confession you’d expect, but one that would make sense. As long as you continue to read, you will start to understand that what you are about to read and the confession I am about to make, is going to make sense…

It is nothing new.

I you could have guessed this already.

I have told you some of this.

As long as I have been alive I have struggled to be understood, or when I was understood, I struggled to find much acceptance. This is both bad and good. Bad, because it does affect your psyche to be told no. Good, it makes you work hard to better yourself and your arguments. As some things might have sense to you, but if you don’t know how to explain them or express them, it’s going to create problems. And as I have told you, it is a reason, one of many, I started this here blog. It was not just to let out the thoughts and voices I had in my head and get something off my chest. But it was in a way therapy. Therapy I couldn’t afford. So, if you want less people like me to think they’re writers, having mental health professionals at hand for everyone would help. Who knows how many authors and writers less would we have today if we actually cared for mental health care for all…

But, all this writing is also a symptom of this world. We create a violent world which pushes us inward. Thus our apprehension when it comes to honesty and honestly presenting ourselves outwards to people. And in a world of weirdos, pushing people to try to stick to the norm, is quite confusing. So as I write this, I feel an urge to be as weird as possible, but while this is not my confession, I do think this world creating such restrains when it comes to anything we do, that doesn’t harm someone, is bad. Maybe a reason why I do what I do when it comes to writing and trying to stick out of the norm, when there is barely any norm, no matter what category someone will invent to put any art into its little box. And this bad can be seen in formulaic content, low hanging fruit that can be easily consumed and the leisurely walk to the bottom as season 3 of MILF Manor hits Netflix. We do not accept each other, we can’t accept ourselves, yet we celebrate the outstanding.

So it all feel arbitrary to me. We have no real values to what we do, when we do it, why we decide to do it. Yet, at the same time we pretend we have some moral authority and standard over art. My art is bad because my art isn’t how art should be. Your art is better because it sells more than me. But are those really things that matter? Even if we talk about impact in history, there are authors that were best sellers during their life times and are all but forgotten. At the same time there are so many authors simply forgotten that made no impact. You can not tell, nor will you ever be able to tell in your lifetime the impact you have, in a hundred years, or in our forever history. So why should I look more than just once at what I write here? Why should I do more than what I have been doing? I have brewed these thoughts to hell and back. I did not just open my laptop and start writing this only to the pleasure or displeasure of someone. I have edited these feelings to the point of nauseum. And while structurally, yes, I could do better. What does it matter? If you can’t tell this apart from Rebel Moon or anything written with AI that has 4.5 stars on Amazon, what’s the point?

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