l.j. swann
Bio
PA based aspiring author
i’m probably crying over an empty page
Twitter - @eeljeel
Stories (19/0)
I'll Ask the Questions
"Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say." They say it so fast that it almost sounds like one sentence rather than two conflicting opinions. And it has me leaning backwards out of their line of sight, has me settling into the couch's threadbare cushions for the long haul, because if there's one thing I know about the twins, it's that they're nowhere near 'two households, both alike in dignity' levels of comparison. No. They're rough edges and polar opposites and, honestly, if I hadn't been friends with Javi first and known that he had identical twin sisters, I would never guess it by looking at them. Sure, the baby pictures are identical and they have the same crooked smile, but Grace has more freckles on her right arm, and Xeda has a seatbelt scar on the left side of her neck. They couldn't be more different, even if they were wearing someone else's face. But right now, both of them practically foaming at the mouth, Grace and Xeda going head-to-head, I've never seen them look so alike.
By l.j. swann2 years ago in Fiction
ACKLIN-GIORDIANO STAR BRIGADE
"Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say." The recruitment pitch starts the same way every time. We're at a bar, or in a dormitory lobby, or even running alongside gurneys as our prospective team member is being rushed towards immediate medical attention. It doesn't really matter where we are, just that me and Matty are ambushing one of the brightest minds of a generation and are undoubtedly going to walk away with a resounding, "I'll think about it."
By l.j. swann2 years ago in Fiction
If I Die By Choice
I've learned a lot in my twenty years of life; things like how to read, and how to fight, and how to speak multiple languages-- the basics, really. There's also the more unconventional topics, like how to harness ancient and forgotten powers, and how to utilize the innate supernatural abilities that exist in the 'real world'. It-- that unconventional education-- might've been a regional thing, or maybe a family thing. All I really know about it all is what I was taught, what I learned, and what I grew up doing. All of that is just to say that I know things, I've seen things-- I'm a self proclaimed expert on most things un-freakin'-believable.
By l.j. swann2 years ago in Fiction
An Extensive List of Universal Rules
The world has rules. That's kind of a blanket statement, I know, but brings about the idea that cities and houses and people operate the same way, that every individual or group has a 'code of arms' of sorts. The world having rules means that there is a right and a wrong way to do things, and every variation of these rules tangle together into the fabric of the universe and make up the world as we know it. Long story short, without rules, there is no world-- and yeah, that's a bit out there (read: kinda freakin' insane) in the grand scheme of things, but thinking in extremes is how we survive. (It's a rule.)
By l.j. swann3 years ago in Fiction
A Pinch of Grief and A Dash of Mourning
This cake is going to kill me, just like it killed her. Jeez, I sigh. That's a little dark don't ya think? But it is kind of true. This stupid cake killed her and now she's gone and I'm stuck with nothing but bags of cake mix and now the cake is killing me too. Or the lack of cake, really. It's stupid. And confusing. And probably an overreaction on my part. All I really know for sure is that she was fine when she was baking, life was normal when a fully decorated cake graced the kitchen counter every couple days, but now she's gone and there hasn't been cake in months and there's too much paperwork on the counter to allow room for a cake stand anyway.
By l.j. swann3 years ago in Fiction
