I awaken with a gasp. The air feels somewhat heavier this time. The 5th time. There's nothing. Nothing but my own rushing thoughts. With my eyes I see bleak darkness, but in my mind I see my memories come flooding. I have relived

They say all men yearn for power and control. That's not true. Some men yearn for power and control. It consumes them. Changes the very fabric of their being. They are not anyone if they don't have power. They use any means

As long as the fire has oxygen, heat and fuel - the fire triangle - it can burn forever. But all fires are not the same. Some fires are wildfires that rip nature apart, some fires are contained so as

I remember rolling, and falling. I remember the light disappearing. I remember the feeling of movement. Then nothing much. Nothing but darkness and silence. Nothing but my own thoughts and four walls. The box made me think things I'd never thought before. It made

They say purgatory is the grey between heaven and hell, the limbo a soul is caught in before it leaves this world forever. Purgatory is not as simple as people think it is. There is no monotone field where people flock

A doctor is supposed to help, aren't they? A doctor is suppose to take away an ailment, treat the wounded, fix the broken? I'm broken beyond repair, and no amount of scans, or pills, or treatments, is ever going to fix me. But

A man and his son were walking through their orchard one day. The son, being a child of only six, was bumbling along after his father, laughing and frolicking as his father surveyed the land. The father picked an apple, buffed

I once heard of a family here in Arcadia. They were quite well to do, not from the Slums, and they had been sold this idea. I can't remember how it came to pass, but we were sat, one night,

'Hush little baby, don't say a word Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird' As a child, my mama would sing to me, to soothe me into sleep. Her voice was as sweet as any bird, mocking or otherwise, and it was

Powered down. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. No- A flash of light, and the spark returns. Ocular receptors back online, taking in images from the surroundings. Audio fading in. The muddled sounds starting to take formation into actual words. Blink. Breathe. Live. My hands shake, but they're my hands. Or are they? They

It can be lonely on the roads of Arcadia. I've spent most of my time the only human visible for miles in any direction. I've spent most of my time alone. I'm used to it. I only have Colt to keep me

I've always found it easy to look after myself. Spending all this time traversing the levels of Arcadia, and figuring out its dark and dangerous secrets, my life is in danger more often than you'd think. That's why I have

I once visited a level, years back, where I met a man named Claude. Claude, a kindly, gentle man by all accounts, was a community man - a man of the people. He loved to arrange and put on community

A man who lived on his own lit a candle one day. He took the last match in the pack, struck it against the ignition patch, and lit the wick. This was the last match he had, and he knew it

There are many who claim to be the saviours of Arcadia. Some of them want to save the whole god damn place. Some of them want to save their own level. Some just want to save their family. Each of these who

I've always found the forgin' of metal to be such an interestin' process. The blacksmith takes the iron as it comes, heats it up nice and hot in the forge, and then applies force by the way of a hammer,

The model catches the eye of the audience with their beauty, entrancin' them to believe in the world they portray. There are many that would say the model is the ultimate bein', adored people from all levels of Arcadia, but what

I ain't never met a policeman with a good heart. The thing about the police is they're great actors. They pretend that they're in this for the community - they're doin' their job to protect us out of the goodness of

On a warm and bright summer's day, two children played in the tall grass. Hide and seek, tag, all of the usual games. After their games, they dumped all of their toys, includin' a detectives play set down on the

As human beings with consciousness, one thing we all have in common is these brains of ours, and the memories they store within 'em. But what we don't have in common is which memories are stored and how they're stored. Sometimes

A blank canvas is nothin' but boundless potential, and a piece of art is just the limit we place on that canvas. Art has always been subjective, because it's hard to quantify art. What is art? What makes good art?  What if

It's far too easy to carry around the burdens of life. I see it happen all the time. I see people, laden with their past, struggling to continue. A man I once met up on level designation 82 told me that

The levels of Arcadia are vast and unknowable. But one thing I know is that there are people of all types here. People who sing for a livin'. People who kill for a livin'. People who scheme for a livin'. But

There are many creatures found in the depths of Arcadia. Some of these creatures are disruptive. Some are destructive. Some are downright dangerous. But Arcadia, for all it's faults and foibles, has a softer side. There are some creatures in certain levels

Out in the wilds of Arcadia, there were times when I felt that my life would end. And even when it become clear that I had escaped once more by the skin of my teeth, it felt like I'd never

There's certain things that make you think of goin' to see the doctor. Sterile rooms, lined with people coughin' quietly into their hands so people don't think they're contagious. A loud tickin' clock. A lollipop or a sticker for the

They say fashion is an art form, well ain't no room for art in this world. And ain't no room for fashion either. Fashion is the use of clothin' and accessories to style yourself with no objective other than to

I once met a man, on level designation 93, who was a little insane. His years if livin' on that level of Arcadia had driven him to be somethin' close to primal. He retained his humanity but he was just

I remember the day I found out I had to climb my first mountain. I was filled with equal measures of excitement and nerves. I'd never attempted anythin' like it before, and I had no idea what to expect. But

On the road, there's nothin' so important as a pair of comfortable, hard-wearin', warm boots. Aside from Colt, they're the first thing on my list when I'm plannin' my next journey. Y'see, as a traveller, the miles you walk are your

There are many barren lands in Arcadia. Some have been barren as long as humankind can cast back it's mind. Maybe since the dawn of time itself, some would say. Some became barren through some kind of action, or inaction, of