Tales in My Head

The stories in my head, unfolding for you as they happen. There are/will be several stories here, all their posts mixed up with the others, so just search for a tag if you don't want to dig through them all. (All images link to where I "borrowed" them from. If you see something of yours and want it removed, let me know, and I will do so.)

[talesinmyhead]

echoing waves on distant shores / ringing with the sound of love and life / war and death / stories to captured in a seashell / to put to the ear of children and adults / so they may weep with joy / or sorrow / at tales long forgotten / and beyond the ken of words / waves, crashing ever on

[talesinmyhead]

Notes on a gaming thing I was working on

LOCATIONS

Ageisa – continent; Ageisan

Risam – freemen country; Risammen

Ishon – country; Ishonian

Ghaleress – country; Ghaleri

Aw'Lor – Elven country; Lorienni

Rothd – Dwarven country; Roth-am

Capitol of Ishon

Capitol of Ghaleress

Capitol of Aw'Lor

PLAYERS

MAIN CAST

Kenneth – Ishonian prince

Tabitha – Ghaleri princess

Lance – Ghaleri brigadier

Llewellen – Lorienni queen/refugee

Jasper – Roth-am 3rd son/prince

NECESSARY CAST

15

OPTIONAL CAST

30

NON-PLAYER CAST

Ishonian King (Kenneth's father)

Ishonian Princess (Kenneth's younger sister)

Ishonian Prince (Kenneth's younger brother)

Ghaleri King (Tabitha's father)

Ghaleri Queen (Tabitha's mother)

Ghaleri Prince (Tabitha's younger brother)

Lorienni Princess (Llewellen's daughter)

Lorienni Count (Llewellen's brother)

Roth-am King (Jasper's father)

Roth-am Queen (Jasper's mother)

Roth-am Princess (Jasper's older sister)

Roth-am Prince (Jasper's older brother)

Roth-am Prince (Jasper's older brother)

Roth-am Princess (Jasper's older sister)

Roth-am Count (Jasper's uncle)

Roth-am Countess (Jasper's aunt)

Roth-am Countess (Jasper's aunt)

Roth-am Count (Jasper's uncle)

STORY

PROLOGUE: In which the legend of the two moons is told, as well as the history (both ancient and modern?) of two nations at war.

Legend tells of the two moons, Argar and Serat, ancient lovers seperated by a jealous and vengeful archmage, doomed to dance forever in the skies above Itos. Argar fell into a great depression and plodded his course slowly while Serat, younger and hopeful, raced across the sky to try and catch him, passing him by as she did. But the archmage was crafty and cruel, and made it so that every 100 years they would meet, not to be kind, but so that they will remember that short embrace as they spend the next century missing each other.

70 years ago, the queen of Ghaleress was set to marry the prince of the neighbouring kingdom of Ishon. This union was to unite the two kindoms of Ageisa and bring about prosperity to all. But the prince, hot-blooded and impetious, fled to the arms of a common girl, bringing shame to the queen. The queen had the prince and his lover taken in the night, their heads arriving three weeks later at the feet of the king and queen of Ishon, along with a declaration of war.

Armies and navies were quickly raised and a long bloody war was begun. Several times peace has been pursued by both sides as new monarches were crowned or old ones grew tired of seeing their people die, but always there overtures were met with disaster. A secret assassination here, a rebuked treaty there, and the war raged on.

But now a new promise has arisen, another attempted alliance in the works. The Ghaleri crown princess, Tabitha, is to be wed to the crown prince of Ishon, Kenneth, and the war will end with their union. As the wedding draws near, so does the celestial embrace of the two lovers, Argar and Serat, the two moons of Itos. In two years time, the two future monarchs will marry in the light of the two moons and the armistice will become peace, and a new century will be birthed, not in blood, but celebratory wine.

CHAPTER I: In which a Princess rails against fate and runs away with a Brigadier, and a Prince leaves to visit the enemy, finding adventure along the way.

Scene I: Tabitha in her bedroom, being shown dress materials, vacant blank look as though a wearying task. Transition to the drill field in the courtyard of the Ghaleri castle where Lance commands troops doing drills. Transition back to Tabitha, later in the day, sitting at tea and staring off at distance while the other ladies chat. Transition back to the castle forge, where Lance sits outside of, fixing a strap on his armour. Transition back, to Tabitha, dusk, getting dressed by her servants for bed. Transition back to Lance, now night, hanging up his armour. A quiet knock comes at his door and he moves to open it. Tabitha is there. They pause and look at each other, then she wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him. As she pushes him to the bed, he pushes the door closed. END

Tutorial: Lance on the field, directing troops. "Dialogue" <Battle Tutorial> Tabitha comes onto the field, clapping. "Dialogue" END

CHAPTER II: In which an outcast Elven Queen looks for hope, a Princess and her love become lost, and a Prince is sent to find a Princess.

CHAPTER III: In which a Prince befriends a Dwarven Prince, and a Princess befriends a Queen.

CHAPTER IV: In which a Princess and a Queen find hope in a pair of Princes, and dark secrets are revealed.

CHAPTER V: In which a group of friends save their homes from deadly invaders.

EPILOGUE: In which a group of friends unites a war-torn continent, and find love, happiness, and peace.

CLASSES

TEIR I

Rogue:

Warrior:

Magus:

Cleric:

Archer:

TEIR II

(Rogue/Warrior) Skald:

(Rogue/Magus) Bard:

(Rogue/Cleric) Monk:

(Rogue/Archer) Ranger:

(Warrior/Magus) Spellsword:

(Warrior/Cleric) Paladin:

(Warrior/Archer) Champion:

(Magus/Cleric) Summoner:

(Magus/Archer) Arcanist:

(Cleric/Archer) Hoods:

TEIR III

Assassin:

Knight:

Archmage:

Avatar:

Deadeye:

TEIR IV

Prince:

Princess:

Queen:

Angel:

Vampire:

Dragoon:

Bishop:

General:

Druid:

Shaman:

ITEMS

WEAPONS

Short Blades

Long Blades

Two-Hand Blades

Blunt (Hammers/Maces/Flails)

Two-Handed Blunt

Staves

Wands

Bows

Crossbows

Polearms

Thrown

Spears

Axes

Other (Blowguns)

AMMUNITION

Arrows

Bolts

Darts

Slingstones

ARMOUR

Cloth

Light

Medium

Heavy

HEADGEAR

Helmets

Hats

Circlets

SHIELDS

ACCESSORIES/MISC.

Gloves

Boots

Cloaks

Necklaces

Rings

Bracelets/Anklets

Eyewear

RESTORATION ITEMS

Health

Mana

Life

Status

BOOST ITEMS

SPECIAL ITEMS

ENEMIES

MONSTERS

Undead

Gruu*

HUMANOIDS

Humans

Elves

Dwarves

Halflings

Orcs

Goblins

Trolls

Ogres

Giants

Tabitha: For seven years our home was beseiged. Seven. Years. The city I was born in, grew up in, that I cherished with all my heart, became a prison. During the worst of it, I wasn't allowed to leave the palace for 6 months. I did not see the sky but through arrowslits or between curtains or shutters. But I knew I would again. I would smell the sweet, fresh air and feel the wind in my hair, the grass between my toes. I had HOPE.

(long reflective pause)

Llewellen: How do you humans do it? How do you keep hope in your hearts in the face of bleakness and overwhelming odds?

Tabitha: ...maybe it is our short lives. (short pause) We are given but a few precious years. We have no time for hopelessness. We must live life to the fullest, to fall in love, raise a family, find happiness... (trails off, reflective pause) To give in to despair would be to waste the one commodity most precious to humans, the one we have the least of...time.

[talesinmyhead]

There are countless stories left to be told. A few of them are yours, a few of them mine. I am going to tell you one of mine. Or maybe it is several. I guess it is all a matter of perspective.

Now, some stories go from point A to point B and on down the line. I am going to try and tell mine in as straight a line as I can, but I am guaranteed to fail. But in that failing I at least hope to get the story told properly. And I hope you are entertained.

My story starts as everyone elses' does, in that I was born. But hold up, that isn't truly my beginning. My beginning happened the night of July 20th, 1982, in a dark hotel room in Houston, Texas, USA. Two very drunk individuals consummated two and a half hours of heavy flirtation.

Enter my parents.

Tom, Tommy to his oldest friends and Thomas to my grandmother, was one of those classic nerds. He worked in the heart of Silicon Valley, during the personal computer boom of the late '70's/early '80's. He got is start at Apple Computer in 1977 at the age of 19. He later was recruited by Microsoft and eventually started a small software firm that was bought out by Microsoft two years later. He worked with some of the true geniuses of that era: Jobs, Woz, Gates. But that is enough about him for now, my dad's story is not this story.

And here comes my mother, Catherine (never Cathy!), a young actress out of Hollywood who was best known as "that one blonde girl who bumped into Robert deNiro in that one movie". She never got the stardom she wanted and was mainly cast in extra roles and TV commercials. At the tender age of 18, the night her and my dad brought me into creation, she had been in only two movies and a handful of TV episodes.

So, how do I know the exact date? Because my parents had that one encounter only and a very special event was just ending, one which the dates anyone can find on the internet. See, my parents met at a Star Trek convention. One of those movies my mother had been in was "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", and she was there not only because she had been an extra in it, but she grew up a Trekkie. This was not her first convention. And nor was it my father's, who, in all his classic nerd-dom, was one of those hardline Trekkers (as he prefers). He has a custom-tailored exact replica of Kirk's classic green v-neck wraparound uniform and replica phaser, communicator, tri-corder, etc., etc.

And almost nine months later? Wham-o! Squishy ol' me. Immediately, upon seeing I was a boy, my parents made eye contact and a sort of mental connection was established, and my fate was decided. Or at least my name. Without hesitation and in perfect synchonisity (at least in my imagination and the 'rents' stories), they declared my name to be James Tiberius. James fuckin' Tiberius... I had no hope.

[talesinmyhead]

The first time I met her, I took a bullet for her.

It was late November, and the weather had started to turn bad. I was still living uptown at the time, and, while I had rode my bicycle all Summer and Fall, it was just too wet and chilly with the onset of Winter. So, I would walk two blocks South to the L-line, take it across town, hop off, and walk another two block to my 9-5. Then I would reverse the process to go home. That day was rather drizzly, windy, and nearly freezing out. I had been stressed because of a meeting I was presenting at, one that possibly meant a transfer and/or promotion into a better position. When the meeting finally went down, I was forced to rush, and I'm pretty sure I botched the presention. On the way back to the L-line to go home that night I was almost run over, splashed with what I can only call muck, and frozen nearly to the bone. Once those sliding doors opened in front of me, I could see the car was packed, and just wished the day would end already. But as I filed in, the people leaving left open a few seats, and I was lucky enough to snag the one closest to the door. It was a relief to get off my feet. And so I sat there and sighed, feeling some of the tension leave me. But two stops later, with everyone that was getting on to avoid the weather, it was coming to the point where you were probably getting a bit more intimate with these strangers than most everyone would be comfortable with. And that is when I saw her. She was a few years younger, that much was evident even behind the tired and disheartened look of her face. And she too was soaked and cold. She shivered as she stood there, hugging the pole, crushed between two rather unpleasant looking men. So I leaned forward slightly and got her attention. She looked a bit frightened and confused and refused me to acknowledge me, so I half-stood and talked near her face, offering her my seat. She had leaned back a bit, bumping the man next to her, and shook her head in refusal. I motioned with my eyes at a young man eyeing the seat I was about to unoccupy and said she had better sit before someone else did, giving her a slightly pleading look with my eyes. She nodded slowly and we ackwardly exchanged places. I wedged my larger frame inbetween the two men, making that three people (they and the previously mentioned young man) giving me dirty looks. But I stood there, hugging the pole closer than I have held some lovers. I cast her a glance, smiling slightly, not trying to creep her out any more than she already was. She mouthed thank you, her lips barely moving, and huddled into her freezing cold and wet clothes. Shortly we came up to next stop. No one moved to climb off our car, and I could see people avoiding trying to climb into it. As the doors closed and the train started to lurch forward, a ruckus could be heard outside said doors, then a flash went off, followed almost instantaneously by a loud report and shattering glass. A white-hot pain dug into my shoulder

[talesinmyhead]

And at night, as I lay awake / I dream of you, there next to me / The clouds part, your light shines though / Banishing from me all the dark dreams / And I sigh in relief, knowing you are there

there is no pain / nor joy nor sorrow / just a grey void / an inescapable monotone / my life has become

[talesinmyhead]

Of Freedom Born (the remainder of what I had written and never posted)

Harriet sat down on her favourite bench, the one with the plaque that read 'Dedicated in the memory of Dale Horvath', which was next to a weeping willow and the small, clear pond in the Peacock Park. The park was one of several spread around the zoo, a nice place to relax in some shade and maybe enjoy a snack or some lunch. Even though it was named after the lovely, lively coloured peacocks that roamed around, there were also duck, geese, squirrels, and even a few swans. Most were tame and would come around anyone that sat on the benches or grass looking for hand-outs. The concessions near the parks sold some seed as well as bread crumbs. Harriet looked hungrily at her sandwich, her eyes bloodshot and her hunger picking up, as she had stopped at her car before heading to the park to eat. Despite being determined, she still felt nervous about what her and J.J. would be doing lately, and the pot eased her nerves. She looked at the time on her phone and frowned slightly to herself, the ham and cheese sandwich laying untouched beside her as she waited for J.J. It was almost thirty past noon. Finally she reached down, pulled back the wax paper, and bit into the sandwich, keeping an eye out for J.J. and his son. About half-way through her sandwich she finally saw J.J. and his son walking toward her. She took a drink of water and waved, as though she hadn't expected to see them there. She could hear J.J. talking to John Junior as they walked up. "You remember Harriet, don't you, Junior? She runs the Rainforest Adventure." "Yes, I remember dad. Hello, Ms. Harriet." The young boy held out his smooth, caramel-coloured hand to her, and she smiled and shook it. "Now go play, Junior. I'm going to talk to Harriet about the party tonight. Here, go feed the birds." J.J. handed his son a small bag of bread crumbs and watched as he moved off to try and entice a goose with his bread. He turned back to Harriet, who took another another drink of water. "May I sit, Harriet?" "But of course, J.J. Would you like a chip?" She offers him the open bag of baked pita chips as she continues. "Skeller wants to meet by the East Gate around 10:30. That should be plenty of time for people to have had a few drinks. The cubs should be ready to move. They will be drugged. All you have to do load them in their cages and take them to the gate. I will have it unlocked before the party starts." J.J. motioned at her with his hands. "Whoa, whoa, slow down. How will I get into the habitat and..." Harriet patted his hand and talked over him. "Everything has been thought of. I made you copies of the keys you need and marked them for you. Now, when I give my toast, that will be the signal. I also took these for you." She hands him a small, cheap, digital camera that she had bought the week before. "It has photos of each key and what door they go to, as well as a picture of Skeller and his men. Remember, he will give you the money AFTER you give him the tigers." Harriet looked at her phone as it vibrated on the bench, then sighed. "My lunch break is over, so I have to go. Do you have the plan down?" J.J. nodded. "Yeah, we have gone over most of this before. Can I trust this Skeller?" Harriet had stood, and now looked down at J.J., resting a hand on his shoulder. "If you want that money, you have no choice." With that she walked off toward the offices and her car beyond that in the parking lot, where she felt she needed to have another hit off her pipe.

"Hey, Harriet, how was lunch?" J.J. looked up as he heard Lenny talking to Harriet. They exchanged a few more words, then Lenny once again started heading toward the bench J.J. sat on. By this time the camera had disappeared into his pocket and Junior had exhausted his supply of stale bread. His son and his friend arrived at the bench at almost the same moment. "Uncle Lenny!" his son exclaimed as Lenny sat beside J.J. and, reaching out, picked the boy up into his lap. "Hey, little Johnny. How's life?" The boy beamed. "I am out of school for the Summer!" Lenny chuckled and patted the boy on the back after he had slipped back to the ground. "That sounds fun. I hope to see you here every day!" At this it was J.J.'s turn to chuckle. "Well, I don't know about that, Lenny, but you will be seeing him a lot. How are you?" They both watched as the boy saw some peacocks and took off after them. "Don't tease the peacocks, Junior!" Lenny unwrapped the hamburger he had pulled from a brown, paper bag and took a bite. "Oh, I'm fine." he said around a mouthful of food. "Have you heard from Dani yet? Any word on the interview?" J.J. shook his head and looked at the clock on his phone. "No, but she should be finished any time now. How are the cubs doing?" Lenny shrugged irritably. "The boy started puking this morning and his sister and mother started going crazy." Lenny took another bit of his burger, washing it back with a swig of bottled tea. "So, we had to sedate all three. We are running blood tests and checking the vomit and all that stuff, but it takes a bit to narrow these things down." J.J. watched him, nodding to himself as he listened to everything Lenny was saying. "Did you see Harriet, J.J.?" "Yeah, she was here when me and Junior..." J.J. was cut off by a delicate hand smelling like lavender lotion slipped over his eyes from behind. A sweetly feminine voice spoke up from behind the bench. "Got you, boys! If I were an assassin, you'd both be dead!" Her laugh, Dani's laugh, rang clear as J.J. slipped his fingers around hers, pulling the hand away. He saw that she had covered Lenny's eyes with her other hand, almost knocking his glasses off. He was in the process of straightening them when Dani moved around the bench and urged her husband to scoot over so that she could sit down. She smiled past him at Lenny a moment, then looked J.J. square in the eyes as he asked her how the lunch meeting went. He saw the disappointment before she even opened her mouth. "Viacom said that, while I was plenty qualified, that in fact they wanted to hire me, they had just recently had to make...cut-backs." J.J. leaned in to kiss her as Lenny reached behind J.J. to pat Dani's hand that rested on the back of the bench. J.J. and Dani's lip pressed together and he felt her relax a little as they pulled apart. Lenny was back to his burger and the onion rings he also had in the sack. "How was lunch, at least? I fed Junior

[talesinmyhead]

These are notes for a story I was planning called "The Interlopers". It is about three women who found each other after having shared similar experiences. They are drawn together and called upon to be heroes for many different worlds.

Dorothy Gale – 26 (June 10th, 1986). Community/charity worker. Single, no children. Blog: Over the Rainbow, Beyond the Clouds. Screen name: NotInKansas. Visited Oz when she was 15, stayed for nearly six months. Hard working, not afraid to get dirty. Bi-sexual.

Alice Pleasance Liddell – 23 (May 4th, 1989). Post-grad (in Philosophy)/Photojournalist. Engaged, no children. Blog: Down a Rabbit's Hole. Screen name: EatMe_DrinkMe. Visited Wonderland twice, age 11, for two weeks, and just before age 13, for ten weeks. Logical, no-nonsense. Atheist.

Wendy Moira Angela Darling – 32 (February 4th, 1980). Astronomer. Single. One daughter, Petra Mary Jane Darling, age 7. Blog: Of Faerie Dust and Spaceflight. Screen name: Starling_Darling. Visited Neverland when she was 13, stayed for almost a full year. Dreamer, romantic, motherly.

The Cowardly Lion: A great lion and a king. Known as cowardly for retreating from the Wicked Witches' armies. A gentle leader, yet fierce and loyal in battle, willing to sacrifice himself for his friends and followers. Sworn sword to Lady Ozma. Goes with Dorothy to ask the Wizard for help against the Wicked Witches.

The Tin Woodsman: A knight sworn in service to Lady Ozma, and later Dorothy. Came out of retirement to accompany Dorothy to see the Wizard. Feels as though he is getting rusty in his old age.

The Scarecrow: A confused man, a deep thinker and a philospher. Is prone to long bouts of fugue, often while standing in a field or sitting by a stream, studying and contemplating the nature of the things around him. Follows Dorothy out of curiosity.

Lady Ozma: Ruler over several of the Kingdoms of Oz. Blessed with eternal youth. Sends Dorothy to the Wizard to ask for help. Lover of Dorothy.

Starling_Darling: I once loved a boy. And despite all the years since then, I still love him. And he is still a boy. They say all children grow up, but one refused to.

Starling_Darling: It is not so easy to fall in love.

EatMe_DrinkMe: I'm afraid we may all be a little mad.

[talesinmyhead]

I am the man that lives thousands of lives each day in his head, but not even one outside of it.

The snows fall, cold and silent / The earth adorning her winter coat / A sea of white / And the fresh smell of pureness / The sky's frozen tears, flurried, unrushed / Dancing on the wind / Melting on upturned faces / And warm, pink tongues / As we sway to the tune of life / Moving beneath the quiet snow / As the snows fall, cold and silent

Spinning, dancing, brilliant in blue / Around and around she goes / A jewel, bright / Mother of man

In the silent hours / While the world slumbers and men dream / I see the totality of space and time laid out before me / Truth is just a fiction / Perpetuated by the vision of limited scope / And I weep in the knowledge / That others will never see what I see / The beauty of chaos / The infinite reaches that have no meaning / The euphoria washes over me / And I weep / As the world sleeps on

"Here With You" The sunset on the ocean / Casts us into flickering shadow / Juxtaposed by the bonfire on the beach / Our limbs tangled, entwined / The darkening sky in our hallowed eyes / The sussurant crash of the waves on the still warm sand / The first star high above / But our wish already true

The night falls like a blanket, dark and comforting / Holding the earth in a close embrace / Stars, like water droplets sparkling in the sun/ /Watch over the dreamers, the lovers, the children / Quiet / The still of eternity / The whisper of time / Night comes again, to sing us to sleep

A lifetime to dream, a lifetime to die and awake anew to you again.

Our time in this place / Soon to pass / No warm embrace / Just words in glass / But forever my memory / Will hold true / How wonderfully spent / My time with you

[talesinmyhead]

Notes on another Fiasco story I was working on, "Fall of the House of Heather"

Michael Heather: Patriarch. 73 years old. Michael was born in Heather Falls and raised there. He was educated by private tutors flown in from around the world. He is highly intelligent and very charismatic. Has been wheelchair bound since the accident that killed his wife. Supposedly has never left Heather Falls.

Helena Heather née Shipman: Deceased wife of Michael Heather. Died in an automobile accident that also left her husband crippled.

Jeanétte Boucher: 32. Personal nurse of Michael Heather.

Thomas Heather: 38. Grandson of Michael Heather. Served as an Army officer in the Great War. Suffers from shell shock. Abusive and an alcoholic.

Rebecca Heather née Lowell: 33. Wife of Thomas Heather. Meloncholic.

Timothy Shipman: 27. Cousin to the Heathers. Episcopalian clergyman and family confessor. Daniel Heather: 18. Twin son of Thomas and Rebecca Heather.

Florance Heather: 18. Twin daughter of Thomas and Rebecca Heather.

Henrietta Waller: 53. House manager.

Paul Santiago: 66. Butler.

Julian Waller: 31. Son of Henrietta. Stablehand and hound master.

Clarissa Reasor: 25. Serving girl/house maid.

Heather Falls: A large estate and the surrounding land. The main house consists of 3 stories, plus an attic and a basement/cellar, comprised of 43 rooms. There is also a stable, a small "boarding" house that the staff live in, a chapel, a repurposed bath/outhouse, and a repurposed smithy. Beside the chapel there is a family cemetary. There are two hunting cabins a few miles from the house.

In 1941, the great manor house of Heather Falls burnt to the ground, finally ending the legacy of the Heather Family. Though it had sat empty for nearly four years, it had loomed over the neighbouring town of Sparrow Bridge, haunting it with the memory of the town's founding family. No one knows what happened to the Heathers, at least those that survived, after the spring of 1937. Perhaps they strove on under different names, with different families, in the hopes of outliving the curse that swept over them.

September, 1936

Michael Heather sat in his study, a small room with dark wood panelling, though for the manor house of Heather Falls, small was quite unlike what most would consider it. The room sat at the corner of the house, and two of the walls consisted of large windows, around which were hung dark and heavy drapes. Near one of these windows, currently open to let in the late afternoon breeze and the dying sunlight, stood a gilded chess table with a single chair beside it, though it stood empty. Michael Heather was crippled, his longs legs twisted now beneath a throw blanket, and as such spent all his time in a wheeled-chair. Michael sat in his chair straight-backed, his long fingers folded in thought before his strong chin, head bowed slightly so that his gaze swept over the top of the eloquently carved ivory and ebony chess pieces, to a point just beyond the chair opposite him. His dark eyebrows were knit in thought over his piercing blue eyes, which slowly went from unfocused to bright recognition of the faint knocking at the study door.

[talesinmyhead]

A Blanket of Jewels

The engines shuddered and, with a great groan as though the death-rattle of a dying beast, powered down. Several seconds passed before a series of ignition clicks indicated that the back-up power supply had kicked in. Warchovsky looked over to the co-pilot chair and nodded, his fingers moving across the control panel in front of him.

"The batteries and sub-generator seem to be in working order, Planter. Barring any collisions, or the Chtang finding us, we should float comfortably for almost a year." A grim expression crossed his face as he unbuckled his restraint harness and stood slowly.

"Planter, I'm going to go check the cargo. You keep working on that communications array. If we don't get a signal sent, we are as good as dead." With that he ducked his head and passed through the door of the cockpit into the living quarters. He stopped a moment, his hand to his forehead, eyes closed, and took a deep breath. In the cockpit, Planter unharnessed as well and climbed under her own control panel. Multi-hued wires of all sizes hung there, some split, some spliced. She flicked on the LED light built into her suit's collar and, picking up the multi-tool laying on the deck flooring, started again to work, uselessly she knew, on fixing the communications array. She hummed lightly to herself, a habit of hers, and in the silence of the small craft, Warchovsky could hear her even back in the cargo hold. Warchovsky knew it was useless as well, but if you didn't keep busy at a time like this, you were prone to fall into despair. Warchovsky stood next to their cargo, a rather unwieldy metal box with an instrument panel on the side and attached to its own quantum generator. He pulled on a special glove and wiped a layer of frost from from the panel. Even with the special thermo-insulting of the glove it was painfully cold. But everything read fine and he quickly put the glove back in its container and moved out of the cargo bay back into the living quarters, rubbing the cold from his bones after sealing the door.

"I don't think there is anything we can do, Warchovsky" Planter said from the cockpit, sitting up and stretching out her arms. "Communications are shot, though we still have telemetry and navigation. If we can figure out a way to get a message off, at least we'll know where to tell them we are."

Warchovsky again put his hand to his forehead and sat down on his bunk.  

[talesinmyhead]

black charcoal scratch-marked lines / ancient marks of mystic origin / speak of darker unknown things

[talesinmyhead]

a cloud swirls around my head / full of words and pictures, ideas manifest / and I pluck one, trying to hold it, like a freshly caught fish / wriggling in my fingers, itching to be written down / before it jumps away again to swim / in the cloud around my head

[talesinmyhead]

Bleargh

So, I've been sick. I know, I should write anyway, but fuck you. I lost the other story. In my head, not on my computer. I had a few scenes more that I never put up on here. Maybe sometime else. I think I'm going to go bigger and badder with this next one. A couple more characters, a couple more other...things. Whatever. I'm getting better, so I will try to write a bit each day, and when I am better, get back to doing at least 3 or 4 scenes a day. *shrug* Whatevs, I hate being sick.

[talesinmyhead]

About This Writing Thing

Ok, so, as it seems, this is going to be bigger than I thought. Or maybe I am just getting more into each it than I though. Anyways, I can get about four scenes out in a day (I procrastinate) if I write about 3-4 hours. I could probably double that if I focused more. But, I am me. Anyways, it looks like I will probably be getting out, at this rate, a story every 5-7 days. Maybe less. I still have a few hours before bed, so I can definitely write more, but I don't want to burn out early, especially on an exercise. I'm thinking I may post up a story a week (assuming the basic structure I used with this one. Four scenes per character (4) with a setup beforehand and an Aftermath montage at the end.) and on the other days I'm not writing this put in some dedicated work on another project or two. I may change up the process after I finish the first one, to possible stream-line the process, but I want to get the first one out as I have said I would and see how it works. *shrug* So, yeah, the first half of the first Act is up. Comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged, let me know what you all think.

~~Samm

[talesinmyhead]

Of Freedom Born

Act I, Scenes 1-4

It was May 5th, the last Saturday of the school year and the last weekend of Spring. It would be the last days before the Summer rush started and Harriet knew it would be her last chance to grab Rogers and Hammerstein get out of town. She looked in the mirror, taking a long moment to study herself as she was now, the keeper of the Rainforest Adventure habitat at the Brookmarket Zoo (she refused to call it the "BroMar", much like she refused to call National Geographic "NatGeo" or any other unnecessary shortening the fast-paced youth of today preffered), 52 years old, though with her full head of long, black hair, high forehead and cheekbones, and killer smile, she could easily pass as 45, despite having put on a few extra pounds in the last years. She finished buttoning her khaki-coloured shirt brushed some cat hair from the front of her skirt. She took one final look, wondering if she would be the same after tomorrow, when everything was over with and she was officially guilty, at least in her own mind. The drive took about 15 minutes to get to work. Which was surprising for a Saturday morning. She pulled her old Taurus into her spot in the employee parking lot and killed the engine. She pulled her pipe from the little hidden compartment in her dashboard and filled it halfway with cannabis. She took out a matchbook, expertly opening it with one hand, bending back one of the paper matches, and struck it between thumb and scratchpad, all in one smooth motion. It was something she learned from her grandfather and father. She touched the small flame to the bowl and inhaled deeply, taking the sweet, slightly tangy smoke into her lungs, and shook her matchhand slightly to extinguish the match. She took a few more tokes, then broke out her cell phone. She pulled a business card, that she had stuck in-between the phone case and phone, free and dialed the number in blue penned on the back. After 2 rings a groggy male voice answered. "J.J.?" "Who else? What do you want Harriet?" the male voice responded. "It will be happening tonight. I've already called Skeller. Why don't you and your son come visit your wife at work today? I'll be taking my lunch in Peacock Park around noon. Remember the bench?" J.J. sighed on the other end, mumbled something she couldn't make out. "What was that, J.J.? I didn't quite make it out?" "Yeah, I'll be there, Harriet. I'll be there. Goodbye." "Goodbye, J.J." Harriet ended the call on her phone with a touch of her phone and glanced in the rearview mirror, smiling to hearself.

J.J. pressed the end call key and absent-mindedly lay the phone back on his bedside table and moved his hands up to his face, rubbing his eyes, sighing slightly. A rustle off to his left and a female's head pops out of the open bathroom door there. "Who was that, hon?" His wife smiled at him, affixing a small metal dangling...thing to her ear. J.J. pushed himself up to a half-sitting position and moaned slightly as he felt a twinge in his painting shoulder. He reached up with his right hand to slightly probe/massage the shoulder as he watched his wife walk back into the bedroom and sit on the bed to put on her shoes. Dani's hair was of midling length, 'dirty'-blonde hair brushing the gentle jawline that caused her to giggle when he kissed it. Her skin was fair, bordering on pale, like it was every Spring after a Winter spent indoors. "Oh, an out-of-town buyer for the Rothschild. She didn't realise how early it was, I guess." J.J. yawned and sat further up in bed, reaching out to take Dani's hand, but before he could grab it, she stood up, turned around, and leaned over to kiss him quickly. "Sorry, John, I have to be at work in an hour and I am already running late. We have a big meeting this morning about the new re-branding campaign." J.J. swung his feet over the edge of the bed and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "Sounds like a busy day. What do you think about Junior and I coming down for lunch? It'll allow you to take a break, clear your head, relax for an hour." Dani, who had moved back into the bathroom to put on lipstick, frowned slighly and made a noise of dismissal. "I'm afraid I can't, John. I have lunch with that headhunter. He says that Viacom might have a position for me. Sorry, hon." J.J. had stood and walked over to the bathroom door while she talked and now he moved her up against the doorframe, his mouth moving to cover hers. They kissed, a passionate moment between long-time lovers, and she made a small sound of surprise at the back of her throat, as well as a slight, happy sigh as he pulled back away from her. He smiled at her. "How about me and the boy come by after your lunch then? It's his first day of Summer break, and you know how much he loves seeing all the new baby animals. What do you say, Peacock Park, around one?" She smiled up at him. "That sounds wonderful. I'd love to see my two favourite men." He smiled back, kissing her again. "Perfect. Oh, you may want to fix your lipstick, it's a little smudged." Dani laughed lightly and swatted his chest playfully as she pushed him away and turned back to the mirror.

Dani sped along in her hybrid Prius V, amazed at the lack of traffick on the highway. She smiled to herself, thinking about J.J. this morning, his milk chocolate skin smelling of the bedclothes with a slight twinge of sweat, his sweet, full lips on hers, his strong and graceful artist hands caressing her arms and neck. She shivered unconsciously at the thought, then turned her attention back to the road. She was already at her exit, which she took smoothly, her foot off the gas. She slowed enough to easily swing into the employee parking lot of the zoo and pulled up to her usual spot near the rear office entrance. After she pulled her laptop cose of the back seat, she looked up to notice Lenny Mertz standing across the parking lot, locking his own car up. She smiled wide and lifted her hand in a wave, which he returned before starting to walk over to her. He stopped at a waste bin, finishing the coffee from the cup in his hand, which he tossed in said waste bin, and continued toward Dani. She met him, matching his stride to his, her arm hooking around one of his. She was always slightly surprised to feel the muscle there, under the thickness of the sweaters he liked to wear until full-on Summer reached them. She was taller than him, but only by two inches, and that was because of the heels. She remembered him in high school. She had hit a growth spurt before him and by the time they had dated she was taller than him standing flat-footed. Of course he had his and they now stood roughly the same height. He still looked like he did in high school, short, curly, reddish hair, small squared-lensed glasses, and a gentle, easy smile. Just a bit more fit and a bit more older. "Hey, Dani, you look exceptional today. All dressed up for party tonight already?" She laughed and walked in the door he held open for her. "Nothing like that, Lenny. I have a lunch meeting today..." "With the headhunter?" Lenny interrupted. She widened her eyes and gave him a Look, then ushered him into her office, looking down the hall before closing the door. "Shh, Lenny, shush! I don't want upper managment to get wind of that!" She unnecessarily straighted her silk blouse, running her painted fingers over the smooth material. She took a deep breath and let it, smiling once again at Lenny. "But...yes, it is with the headhunter. He says that Viacom might have an opening for me." Lenny smiled at her and sat on the small settee in the corner, reaching under his leg to dig out a Crayon that John Jr. had lost there. He smiled and tossed it at her. She ignored it, letting it land on her desk as she sat at it. "Just a moment, Lenny, I have a call waiting." She smiled as he nods and lifts the receiver to her ear, pressing the button for Line 3. A husky, slightly gruff voice answered after a moment. "Mrs. Jerkins?" "Yes, Mr. Schneider. Is there a problem?" She looked at Lenny, pantomiming headhunter to him, realising she probably looked a bit goofy doing so. He just smiled and gave a double thumbs-up. "No problem, Mrs. Jerkins. I was just calling to confirm our lunch and ask if you mind me bringing a third." She looked slightly confused, her delicate eyebrows scrunching together slightly. "Who..?" "An executive at Viacom happens to be in town for lunch and would like to meet for a casual pre-interview lunch." Dani pulled the receiver from her face, covering her mouth with the other hand as she does, trying to prevent any exclamation from escaping, the swallowed, breathed, and put the receiver back to her mouth. "Yeah, I mean, yes, that will be fine. Same place and time?" She hung up the phone a moment later and looked at Lenny, her eyes wide and bright and a smile held back. He looked at her with questioning eyes, adjusting his glasses in the enduring way he did. "An EXEC from Viacom wants to meet at lunch with me!" He smiled, standing and moving over to the desk. "That's great, Dani. Really super. Things are looking up for you. But, hey, your lipstick is bit smudged." He grins at her, his hand dropping to rap the knuckles once on the wooden desktop as he turns to leave. "But, I have to go. If I leave those teenagers alone too long, the tigers won't get fed." "That's ok, Lenny..." A pause as she looks in the compact she pulled from her desk drawer. "I have a meeting to get to. Oh! John is coming after lunch with Johnny Junior. You should come by and say hi. Around 1, Peacock Park, got it?" Lenny looked over his shoulder as he opened the door to her office. "Got it. I'm sure I can get away for a bit, maybe take my lunch late or something like that. See you then." Lenny stopped in the employee lounge, dropping quarters from his pocket into the drink/snack machine and punching the code for the bottled ice tea they carried. He bent to retrieve the tea, twisting off the cap as he stood and drinking from the glass bottle. As he turned to leave he saw Harriet Olivier walk in, her uniform perfect as always. A scent tickled his nose and he half-smiled as he looked up at her eyes. "You look pretty baked already, Harriet. Long day planned?" She took a moment to recognise him as she was looking at the phone in her hand as she walked in, but when she did she smiled and patted his hand. "Well, last weekend before the summer rush and the big party is tonight, don't forget! I may have to take a few 'cigarette' breaks today. How are you this morning, Lenny?" Lenny laughed and leaned back against one of the tables, resting his hands on the scarred and stained surface. "I am doing just fine, Harriet, and yourself?" Harriet lightly smacked the machine as it once again spit out her crumpled dollar. "Oh, I'm fine, Lenny. Hey do you...? Oh, thanks." She turned to give him the dollar and ask for change, but he had already dug out a few quarters and dumped them in her hand as she did. She tried to offer him the dollar and he refused it. "No need, Harriet, no need. So do you think we'll get attendance back up this year? With the birth of the twins, I think we'll see a boost in the younger crowd." Harriet cleared her throat and, after retrieving her soda from the machine, shrugged, then straightened she shirt. "I am not sure, Lenny, I..." A commotion in the hall caused her to trail off. A young man skidded into the room, his sneakers squeeking on the tile as he came to a sudden halt. He took a quick breath. "Mr. Metz, there is something wrong with Rogers! He puked then collapsed. His mom and sister are acting rather protective and we can't get in the cage to him. We really need you out there." Lenny's spine seemed to snap rigid and he pushed away from the table. He looked at Harriet with an apology in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Harriet, I have to go take care of this. Have a nice day!" He followed the teenager out the door with a hurried step, not even noticing that he left his tea bottle on the table. Harriet picked it up, turning it over to look at it as she walked out of the break room and toward her office.

[talesinmyhead]

The Zoo: Of Freedom Born

The Zoo: Of Freedom Born

1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6 (these are my original rolls. the underscoring is how I kept track of what numbers I had used easier)

Char1: Relationship w/ Char2 – (6) The Past; Relationship w/ Char4 – (1) Keepers; Object1 – (5) Lost and Found; Define Location1 – (2) Peacock Park

Char2: Need – (3) To Get Away; Define Relationship w/ Char1 – (5) Went to high school together; Relationship w/ Char3 – (4) Romance; Define Object1 – (4) Camera full of incriminating photos

Char3: Relationship w/ Char4 – (5) Illicit; Location1 – (2) Grounds; Define Relationship w/ Char2 – (1) Spouses; Need – (2) To Get Out

Char4: Define Relationship w/ Char3 – (6) Animal Smugglers; Define Relationship w/ Char1 – (6) Rainforest Adventure keeper and Safari Adventure keeper; Need – (2) To Get Out; Define Need - ...of the country with your prize

Char1 & Char2: Went to high school together

Char2 & Char3: Married/committed relationship

Char3 & Char4: Animal smugglers

Char4 & Char1: Rainforest Adventure keeper and Safari Adventure keeper

Oject1: Camera full of incriminating photos

Location1: Peacock Park

Char1: Leonard "Lenny" Martz – Lenny is a single man in his early 30's. He started at the BroMar (Brookmarket) Zoo his junior year in high school. After a few promotions and graduating high school, Lenny turned his attention full time to working at the zoo, and went to college part-time at night. Eventually, Lenny received a degree in Animal Husbandry/Managment and finally got the promotion he was looking for, that of head keeper of the Safari Adventures habitat. His best friend since high school is Dani, who he met in drivers' ed and briefly dated their Sophomore year.

Char2: Danielle "Dani" Jerkins (nee Santiago) – Dani is 32, married to J.J., with one child, a boy of 8 named John Jr. Dani has worked at the zoo since she was 25. Dani, who has a Master's in Communications, lost her job when the advertising company she worked for went under. Through he connection with Lenny, she was hired at the Brookmarket to coordinate on a new campaign to bring in more visitors. With rumours of the zoo closing down for good, Danielle justs wants to get away from the BroMar and into a new job (and maybe a new city?) with her dignity intact, rather than being let go by ANOTHER failed business.

Char3: John "J.J." Jerkins, Sr. - John, known as J.J. to his friends and family, has been married to Dani since she was 22. J.J. and Dani met in college at an Arts Dept. function/mixer, she 21 at the time and he 24. A talented artist, J.J. paints and owns an art gallery, A Study In Blue. Because of the recent economic troubles, art isn't as big of a seller as it once was, and J.J. finds himself struggling to make money. While they could live off of his wife's salary for a few months or a year, Dani recently told him that she was going to quit her job. J.J. decided to find a way to make some money, and at a recent fund-raiser for the zoo, hatched a plan with Harriet to sell an animal or two on the black market, each making enough cash to fulfill their desires. J.J. just wants to provide for his family and will go to almost any length to see that he does.

Char4: Harriet Olivier – Harriet Olivier, 52, is head keeper of the Rainforest Adventure, is on the board of directors for the zoo, as well as a strong advocate for animal rights. Her name has also been tossed around recently in regards to the now-empty position of Chairman of the Zoo Board. Harriet, though, has other plans. After the rumours of the zoo being sold, she hatched a plan to sell an animal or three on the black market (to other zoos or refuges, some place the animals would be well cared for), to pocket the cash, and move to the Amazon to start a animal refuge and protest the deforestisation of the rainforest. Harriet met J.J. at a zoo fundraiser through Lenny (who she mentored for many years when he first started and suggested him for the head keeper promotion) and, after hearing about J.J.'s troubles, offered to cut him in (and maybe set him up as a fall guy if things went sideways), 65/35. The two quickly hatched a plan and, in the chaos of the possible expansion and/or selling of the zoo, Harriet has decided now would be the time to act.

[talesinmyhead]

New Things Are Afoot

Ok, so, here's the deal. I am going to try and start writing in here. On a daily basis even. Since I rarely feel inspired anymore, I am going to be using a co-operative storytelling game, Fiasco, to help me come up with plots an everything and then hopefully that will get the gears spinning and I will write some truly wonderful capers, or I can at least use what I have to force out a story that doesn't feel too shitty and fake. Meh, whatever, right? If I want to be a writer, I need to write, so I am going to be doing this. I may also start another forced-writing project to accompany this one if I start getting really bored or frustrated with this one. For now, I'll talk a bit about how I plan on doing this. As I said, I will be using Fiasco to set up the structure of the story. It is a really great role-playing that focuses more on telling a story than fighting monsters and gathering loot. Normally this is a co-operative thing and not a solo experience, but for now it will only be me. Maybe someone will want to collaborate? Anyways, I will roll up a Setup (#'d as #Setup and #Fiasco as well as a #<Story Name>) and post that first, with maybe some extra notes on characters or whatever. Then I will start writing scenes, and these may be part descriptor sets, part character conversation. Imagine more of a script than a story. I will try to make things as story-like as possible, but especially in the early scenes or stories, they may be a bit disjointed. I haven't tried yet, so I don't know how it will work out. I hope to do a complete story a day, but if something is especially complex or just not clicking, I may do part of a story one day and the other part the next. Each of these stories will be marked as #Fiasco and #<Story Name>. You may see recurring characters/plots/locations/mcguffins/what-have-you. So, yeah. Here's to a new experiment that I hope proves worthwhile!

~~Samm P.S. Check out Fiasco here --> http://www.bullypulpitgames.com/ While you do have to purchase the corebook, they release free playsets all the time. I highly recommend giving it a look.