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Birthday Arrival1,783 words
Realism Of Cartoons2,112 words

Birthday Arrival

In a lone cabin, up north in the forest with several other cabins just a few yards away, Zam just came home after a long day in middle school. Tomorrow is his thirteenth birthday, but he had little reason to celebrate with his friends, especially with how exhausted he was. When he walked up to the front porch, he opened the door and noticed that his parents weren't saying hello to him.

“How was school, kiddo?” His father asked, while reading the newspaper.

Zam didn’t respond, whilst taking his shoes off, even with his friends at school trying to cheer him up, it simply wasn’t enough. “Nothing special.” He answered.

“Zam, tomorrow's your birthday, you should at least be a little bit excited.” His mother responded. “If this is about you not getting into anything that's not digital or video game related, then what are we gonna do with you?”

With the limited options he has, he just can’t make up his mind for his birthday tomorrow. His brother and sister have many ideas to cheer him up and he does appreciate what they do for him. However no matter how hard he tried to, he can’t even give his family the credit they deserve.

“Maybe going somewhere? Like a place I never went to before?”

“You had so many walks on the streets with us, I can’t even pick which location you would prefer to go to.” His father replied.

“Can you at least pick one activity that’s not television related, or video game related?” His mother offered.

“I would, but I just couldn’t do it, if only my expectations weren’t so subverted in the wrong way.” Zam placed his backpack by the kitchen table. He may have no homework for the night, but he always spent his time alone in his bedroom. Upon heading upstairs, his brother walked past him, noticing his little brother had the same day for the past few months.

“We really need to make his birthday really memorable tomorrow.”

“Let’s face it, it will always be a waste of time if he never has high hopes for anything.” His father placed his newspaper on the table.

Zam’s brother remembered the convention advertisements he came across in his high school. The guests who will appear at the convention are one of the cartoon characters Zam is familiar with. “I have an idea.” His brother walked down the steps. “There’s a convention just forty five minutes away from here. I think Zam will enjoy his time there.”

He showed the convention poster to his parents with the characters on it. There was Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony on the bottom, Anne and Sprig from Amphibia by the left, three pokemon from the fourth generation from the right, Lapis and Amethyst from Steven Universe in the middle of it all, and finally, Sonic The Hedgehog on the top of the poster.

“All of these characters are gonna appear in the convention?” His mother asked.

“Yes and there will be more, but mostly for autograph signings and pictures.” The brother answered.

“Are these the same characters he watches online?”

“It does feel like they’re the same characters he watches.” His father looked straight at the characters from the poster.

“The convention will begin at seven in the morning. I will be able to afford everything, just for him to meet these famous people.”

With zero plans for the mother and father tomorrow on their day off, they make their decision to go with their eldest son’s plan. “You should tell Zam about this.” His mother gave the order to the brother.

Inside Zam’s bedroom, he was writing his personal feelings in his journal he keeps to himself. Usually he would do these when something actually happens in his life, but he was days away from catching on due to his depression constantly getting in the way.

However when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, he immediately put his journal away. “Zam?” His brother walked inside. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Only a little, today wasn’t any different.” Zam replied. His brother closed the door right behind him while sitting next to him. He showed Zam the poster of the cartoon characters appearing at the convention. “Cartoon Pandemonium?”

“Trust me, it would be exciting to meet these characters in person.”

“I thought cartoon characters are nothing more than a drawing on paper.”

“That’s what I thought when I was your age.” His brother gave him the poster while giving him some experience from his past. “When our dad told us he would love to meet Thor in person, I thought he was referring to Chris Hemsworth. But unfortunately, he wasn’t messing with us.”

Zam had never met a celebrity in his life, but learning that a celebrity being portrayed by a character who has a life in the real world just seemed too unrealistic. “How can I believe that when he never showed me a photo of him and Chris?”

“It was from 2012, when you were four during the time.” His brother responded. “Yes the MCU Infinity Saga is over, but when I meet one of the cast members, they sometimes head to different...places that no other person went to.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Zam placed his hand on his head.

“Believe me, that’s what I thought when I only knew very little of the information.” He took a deep breath, trying to get back on track with Zam. “Please, I promise tomorrow will make your birthday the best you had in years.”

Zam looked at the poster again and the advertisements available at the convention. He can tell there’s a lot going on tomorrow even if it’s not in one of the biggest buildings in town. “I’ll probably get an autograph and maybe a picture with one of the guests.”

“And maybe you should do one of the activities like, playing band lessons with Anne. I don’t know if Sunset Shimmer’s gonna be there.” His brother heads out of the bedroom, about to order the tickets before they’re sold out completely.

Zam can’t even decide if he’s making the right choice or wasting not only his time, but also his family’s time. He took out his journal and wrote down how tomorrow could make his birthday different, but in a spectacular way.

“I need not only my family to be pleased, but also the guests at the convention.”

On the morning of Zam’s birthday, after eating breakfast with his family, they all head inside the car to make their way to Cartoon Pandemonium. It was a long drive for Zam’s brother and sister but it didn’t phase him in the slightest. He has some expectations, but not like before.

“Tell me Zam.” His sister called. “If one of your favorite cartoon characters is there, everyone enjoying themselves, what would they feel if they saw you not excited?”

When Zam looked away from the window, he gave his sister his honest opinion. “Maybe give me a candy bar?”

“I’m not joking.”

“And if you're gonna say, they’ve seen a few people in the crowd not having a great time, that’s completely false.” His brother chimed in.

“You know, you're not giving me opinions about what I’m really feeling!” Zam retorted.

“Guys!” Their mother looks at them through the rear view mirror. “Please, this is supposed to be a great day, meeting guests in a convention isn't everywhere every day.”

Upon taking deep breaths to calm himself down, Zam looked out the window again. “Yeah, I’m just not ready when opportunities like this come up.”

“Zam, you’ve always said that about past opportunities.” His father responded. “But this is the first time you've ever gone on a trip to a convention.”

“We’ve been to conventions many times, simply to have a happy experience.” His sister commented.

“And we’re gonna take you to where most of the autographing sessions take place.” His brother added. “We’re only three miles away from the convention. Just keep an open mind.”

Zam wanted to believe his family, but during his perspective on any media he watches, is never like anyone else at his school. Telling the truth is one thing, but expressing it in front of the guests could lead to severe embarrassment.

Upon entering the town itself, the family saw a few limos parked with security cars protecting them. “Seems like the guest stars have arrived.” His father looked through his window.

Upon parking along with the other cars, the family got out of the vehicle while heading to the convention. While heading to the entrance, they saw a purple pony using her horn to give the fans wristbands.

“Enjoy your time at the convention.” She smiled.

“She seems nice.” Zam’s mother commented. “Have you seen her from one of the cartoons?”

“Yes.” Zam replied. “Her name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Do you think she might appreciate someone new like you?” His brother added.

“Not sure.”

After waiting in line for about ten minutes, the family walked up to Twilight. “I haven’t seen a family like you before.” She then turned her attention to Zam which caused him to shy away. “Especially a kid like you.”

“Yeah…” Zam responded meekly, trying to look towards the purple alicorn.

“This is his first time attending a convention.” His father responded. “Can you please give us a map?”

“Sure.” Twilight took out a map from her saddle bag and gave it to the father. “By the way, make sure you have your youngest son meet one of the other guest cartoons.”

“Guest cartoons?” Zam blinked. “Wait, you're not an advanced hologram?” Just when he’s about to touch her horn, his sister stopped him.

“We should probably get going.” She kept Zam away from Twilight.

“Yeah, just keep him occupied.” Twilight smiled while she got back to her job.

As they enter through the main hallway of the convention, they’re are so many stands available. A We Bare Bears simulator, an arcade of Nintendo and Sega games installed, and the autograph tables.

“So your first priority is getting an autograph right?” His mother asked,

“Yes, but how am I supposed to believe the guests are real?” Zam asked, being a little confused.

“We’ll talk about that later.” His sister let go of him. “Let’s just pick the person you want to give an autograph to and do the activities in the stands.”

Zam can’t even get over the fact that Twilight wasn’t fake upon meeting her for the first time. And knowing there’s more guests just like her, he wanted a straight answer from one of them. Once he sees them signing his autograph, that’s what he’s gonna do.

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