Astral Chaos

Excerpt from the public response of the 147th Elder of the Order of the Tesseract to the publication of a newsgrid advertisement for a weekend course in Astral Travel:

Beyond the reach of Time and Space, the undying worlds arise. Undying, unborn, infinite and yet without extent, ever they arise, and ever they fall, vanishing even as they emerge, emerging even as they fade away, for time has no grasp, space no expanse, order no scaffold on which to build. The Immortal realms are not places of timeless order and perfect beauty, as many speculate. Rather, they are as many imagine them. Do I contradict myself? Is this confusion, or worse, madness? No, far from it. The reality is just as I say; ignore it at your peril. If I cannot prevail upon you to heed my words, perhaps those of my predecessor, who saw two-thirds of the candidates to our Order lost to those realms, will suffice:

All things that they contain are one, no "yet to be" and no "long done", all times, all places, forms, and spaces: the one who travels there embraces all at once, or else erases all the self. Like spirit traces, the myriad ejections and detections, connections and projections of ten trillion million minds combine; all that has been, all that will be, all we hold, and love, and flee, all horror and all beauty fused, all logic bent, reason bemused, the distant future and the past, present - an eternal blink, in singularity made fast; all we dream, and all we think, have thought, the swirl of mind and soul, is not completely under our control - it's fraught with currents from the timeless lands, but almost no one understands.

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This short piece wears a number of different hats: it is a little bit of Nine Worlds mythological and historical development, it is the "A" entry for the April A-Z Blogging Challenge that I am not yet certain that I am actually participating in, and it is a response to one of the Creative Prompts over at The Burning Zeppelin Experience. (Many thanks are due to Old School Heretic for the great links!)

Succinctly yours: "Cater"

This series of posts is yet another microfiction exercise, this time from Grandma's Goulash.


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Despite the spectacular view she was giving up, Genvieve always preferred to use the window as a light source, to cater to her bibliophilia.

Expansion Joints: "Pass"

The "Expansion Joints" series of posts consists of responses to the "Expanders!" micro-fiction challenges, which began over at Porky's Expanse!, but are now hosted here at Nine Worlds, Ten Thousand Things.

Feel free to use any of my posts tagged as Expansion Joints in an epos.

Here are my responses to the March 27th, 2011 challenge:

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Everything closing in, he felt himself fading.

Suffocating?

Nothing left but to pass the torch.

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She had been able to pass before.

Now, a world's fate hung on the outcome.

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Expansion Joints Challenge: part 5, "Pass"

If you aren't familiar with the Expansion Joints project, it all began over at Porky's Expanse!.

The rules are just as they are described over at Porky's: as much narrative as you can cram into fifteen words, one of which must be the word of the week.

This can take the form of

1. An epyllion,or litle epic, a stand-alone fifteen-word narrative, or

2. An epos, or 'epic'. Instead of an independent 15-word story, you can choose to develop someone else's story from a previous week, or extend your own story from week to week. Just write the next installment. If it has 15 words, uses the word of the week, and continues the story, you've done it.

There are two important things to think about if you choose epos. First, you should have the permission of the person who wrote the story you will develop. If anyone writes a 15-word epyllion or adds to an epos and is happy for others to develop it later, please say so, with something like 'for use in an epos'. Second, by using specific elements of someone else's story, we technically create a derivative work, so it's best to avoid this.

There are a number of generous contributors who have given express permission to use some of their writing as the basis for epos:

Porky, the founder of the project, offers up food, fort, stuff, and elf.

GDMNW has opened up the three stories here.

Dave G_Nplusplus makes any of his Expanders! stories available for use in an epos.

Jim Hale has an epos running on his Expanders! page, and he has graciously extended permission to play with any or all of the contributions there.

And, as always, feel free to use any of the stories on this blog that are tagged as "Expansion Joints" in an epos.

When you've finished writing your entry, either post your 15-word story directly in the comments here, or leave a link in the comments to the blog page where we can find it.

And now, what you've all* been waiting for: the word of the week! This week's word is "pass".

I'll be away from my computer until Monday, but I'll be posting my story then, and I'm looking forward to reading all of your latest efforts. If past quality is any indication, I'll be in for a treat!

*(Okay, not all of you waited - the clever among you probably just read the post title and started writing. Almost all? Some? One or two?)

Flash Fearsday: Surprise

Birthday dinner out?

No lights, our car in the drive.

Strange one at the curb.

Surprise party?

Step into black.

Muzzle flash shows her body.

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This is my response to the March 24th, 2011 Flash Fearsday exercise over at Porky's Expanse!, which challenges you to write a short story in exactly 140 characters.

Expansion joints: part 4: "Rogue"

This series of posts consists of responses to the "Expanders!" micro-fiction challenges over at Porky's Expanse!.

Feel free to use any of the posts tagged as Expansion Joints in an epos.

Here is my response to the March 20th, 2011 challenge:

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Was Sommers mad?

Seemed likely...report said "Airlock seals sabotaged."

Must ask...

"Why?"

"Rogue elephants!"

Flash Fearsday: Nightmares

Nightmares again! Eyes straining, wide open in the dark, she listens for his breathing. There, beside her...steady, deep, regular - not his!


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This is my response to the March 17th, 2011 Flash Fearsday exercise over at Porky's Expanse!, which challenges you to write a short story in exactly 140 characters.

Pathfinders: What's cooking? (Porky's Fantasy Blogwalk)

The door flies open, revealing an athletic, dark-haired woman in a flour-dusted red, white, and blue apron wielding a wooden spoon in one hand and a large chef's knife in the other. The tiara and heavy bracelets she wears, encrusted with what appear to be spatters of flour and molasses, are oddly out of place with the rest of her garb, which seems more suited to humble housewife than princess or noble. The kitchen behind her is cluttered with innumerable dishes in various stages of completion. The mat lies rumpled on the floor beside her, twitching and growling, seeming to advance and then retreat at irregular intervals. She looks you up and down imperiously. From beneath arched brows, she asks, as if talking to an errant child, "Well, what are you waiting for? Come in. You're late."

Do you:

Follow her inside?

Try to explain that you are not who she is expecting?

Attack?

Flee back down the corridor?


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This post is part of Porky's Fantasy Blogwalk, a collaborative cross-blog Choose Your Own Adventure narrative. If you have an idea for what comes before, write it, post it on your blog, and link to this post in one of your action options. If you have an idea for what happens next with one or more of the options (or if you have an idea for what happens with another action not yet listed) write it up and leave the link in the comments here. I will add the link to the appropriate option. Be sure to check out some of the other paths.

Expansion joints: part 3, "Elf"

This series of posts consists of responses to the "Expanders!" micro-fiction challenges over at Porky's Expanse!.

Feel free to use any of the posts tagged as Expansion Joints in an epos.

Here is my response to the March 13th, 2011 challenge:

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Struggling to untangle the cables, she cursed the evil elf (or careless human) undoubtedly responsible.

Pathfinders: The Pause That Refreshes. (Porky's Fantasy Blogwalk)

Your path brings you back to the quiet spot high in the tree where you first felt so rejuvenated. The leaves emit the same gentle, soothing light which felt so healing before. Your aching muscles and your weary mind respond with relief again, perhaps even more quickly this time. As a sense of peace and contentment pervades you, you feel like you are coming home.

Do you:

Stay awhile?

Return to the base? Blog one

Leap from the tree?

Explore further? Blog one


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This post is part of Porky's Fantasy Blogwalk, a collaborative cross-blog Choose Your Own Adventure narrative. If you have an idea for what comes before, write it, post it on your blog, and link to this post in one of your action options. If you have an idea for what happens next with one or more of the options (or if you have an idea for what happens with another action not yet listed) write it up and leave the link in the comments here. I will add the link to the appropriate option. Be sure to check out some of the other paths.

Pathfinders: Out On A Limb ( Porky's Fantasy Blogwalk)

Refreshed now, you feel the urge to explore the tree further. Everywhere you turn, your senses are soothed and delighted. The softly luminescent leaves release a sweet, spicy scent that is both calming and invigorating. The bark on the younger limbs here is smooth without being slippery, and you are able to move easily through the broad canopy of the tree, almost without thinking. The sense of belonging and well-being that you began to feel earlier is deepening, and it seems you can hardly imagine wanting to be anywhere else. As you follow intricate, interlacing natural paths through the immense span of the branches, drinking in the beauty of the foliage, immersing yourself in the half-seen patterns all around you, you notice small clusters of soft, silvery berries scattered here and there among the leaves. You can't quite tell whether they are growing from the tree itself or from the numerous small vines that trail along the branches here. You are suddenly aware that it has been hours since you have eaten.

Do you:

Keep exploring?

Sample the berries?Blog one

Look for a bird's nest in hopes of finding some eggs? Blog One

Return to the area where you rested before? Blog One

Go down the tree? Blog One

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This post is part of Porky's Fantasy Blogwalk, a collaborative cross-blog Choose Your Own Adventure narrative. If you have an idea for what comes before, write it, post it on your blog, and link to this post in one of your action options. If you have an idea for what happens next with one or more of the options (or if you have an idea for what happens with another action not yet listed) write it up and leave the link in the comments here. I will add the link to the appropriate option. Be sure to check out some of the other paths.

Flash Fearsday: Echoes

Sounds, they say, go on forever, only fading with time and distance, never disappearing. Could ancient echoes remain, re-coalescing somehow?

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This is my response to the March 10th, 2011 Flash Fearday exercise over at Porky's Expanse!, which challenges you to write a short story in exactly 140 characters. This response is complete in itself, but also works to extend Porky's own contribution for this week. Feel free to expand on it, either in combination with the first one, or by itself, if you'd like.

Pathfinders: The Hole Thing (Porky's Fantasy Blogwalk )

As you climb over and between the roots of the tree, you find yourself descending into what appears to be a natural opening in the earth, and notice that it gradually widens out, slowly showing signs of being worked. Moving down the tunnel, which has widened to about 6 1/2 feet high by about 4 feet wide, you begin to notice buttresses and braces supporting the roof every few feet, then, further in, brickwork on the walls, and finally flagstones on the floors. A faint smell of warm apples and cinnamon wafts through the tunnel. It intensifies as you continue forward, until you reach an iron-bound oaken door which bars your way. There is a brightly-colored rectangular mat lying on the floor in front of it. You can hear a voice coming from the other side of the door, muttering in sing-song repetition: "Apples or prunes? Apples or prunes? More importantly, how many spoons?"

Do you:

Knock on the door?

Try the handle? Blog one

Kick the door in?

Stand and listen?

Retreat back down the tunnel? Blog one

Look under the mat? Blog one


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This post is part of Porky's Fantasy Blogwalk, a collaborative cross-blog Choose Your Own Adventure narrative. If you have an idea for what comes before, write it, post it on your blog, and link to this post in one of your action options. If you have an idea for what happens next with one or more of the options (or if you have an idea for what happens with another action not yet listed) write it up and leave the link in the comments here. I will add the link to the appropriate option. Be sure to check out some of the other paths.

Expansion joints: part 2: "Stuff"

This series of posts consists of responses to the "Expanders!" micro-fiction challenges over at Porky's Expanse!.

Feel free to use any of the posts tagged as Expansion Joints in an epos.

Here are my responses to the March 6th, 2011 challenge:

"Stuff it!"
The general stormed out.
The taxidermist shook, eying the Emperor's still-warm corpse.

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Tears streaming, she stood before the smoking ruin. "All you've lost..."
The abbot shrugged. "Stuff."

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The stuff was incomprehensible.
"Does this mean..."
The wizard laughed. "Meaning's your domain. I do."