"Lights," I said softly. This had become my favorite word over the past week. In my mind, it had become synonymous with freedom.

I've retroactively made all that wasted time rotting my brain into research. It makes me a hypocrite when I try to tell my own daughter, "I don't know, I think we've played a little too much Mario."

You’re evil, you know that?” I said. She grinned and shook her head. “Chaotic Neutral, sugar.

I feel like I was hit by all of geek culture at once while I was growing up in the '70s and '80s. Saturday morning cartoons like 'Star Blazers' and 'Robotech.' Live action Japanese shows like 'Ultraman' and 'The Space Giants.'

As we continued to talk, going through the motions of getting to know each other, I realized that we already did know each other, as well as any two people could. We’d known each other for years, in the most intimate way possible. We’d connected on a purely mental level. I understood her, trusted her, and loved her as a dear friend. None of that had changed, or could be changed by anything as inconsequential as her gender, or skin color, or sexual orientation.

The clans began to bombard the outer force field with rockets, missiles, nukes, and harsh language.

I've heard Stephen King say that when you write a novel you end up revealing everything about yourself.