August Project Wrapup!

Waaaay back at the beginning of the month, I wrote about my August projects. I am quite happy with all three of them.

For the first time in the entire time I've had an account at 750words.com I actually wrote Every. Single. Day. Squee!!! {imagine happy dancing here} I am grinning like a loon just thinking about it.

I wanted the Summer Slowdown to be a pleasant moment each day, and it really was. The organizer sent lovely emails each day, and had a lot of thoughtful, soothing contributors. I'm on the mailing list, so I'll be able to sign up for it again next year. Another win!

It was a blast to post a picture each day for the August Break 2015. Most of the days I posted a snapshot I'd taken that day. I'm thinking about starting a series of Photo Phridays, to remind me to keep taking pictures. I may not keep the phunky spelling.

Somehow, I didn't post about my fourth August project! That's totally bonkers, as it was the most important one. I began training for NaNoWriMo! NaNoWriMo challenges the writer to do a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I've attempted it many times, and have never even come close to it. Mind you, it's always a good for me - I am a happier, stronger person when I'm writing. In late July I thought through doing NaNoWriMo again this year. I knew it would be good to prepare, but I didn't think it would help to spend 3 months outlining. I was at a loss, until it dawned on me that preparing for NaNoWriMo is like preparing for a marathon. That's when my plan came together. In August, September, and October I'll set a word count goal, and go into each month with at least a little bit of a plan for what to write. This lets me build up to the NaNoWriMo word count, and lets me try out different types of pre-writing and planning before I aim for the big fifty thousand.

In August I planned to write 12500 words (1/4 of a NaNoWriMo) of game fiction based on my dragons in Flight Rising. I wrote 63% of that word count goal, which is infinitely more than I wrote in July, so it's a total win. I'll edit and revise that into a readable narrative sometime soon.

I learned a lot about what works and doesn't work for me. Most importantly, I learned that I really do need to write. When I'm not writing, the stories get backed up and fester. When I'm not writing, it gets harder and harder to start again, which totally sucks. I am clearly at my emotional best when I'm writing as close to every day as possible.

How was your August?

Plague-born Dragon leaves for Nature

UPDATE: I've changed the name of the dragon in this story. A young person who is especially fond of the dragon previously named prefers it not be attached to that dragon.


I've been a bit stalled on my Flight Rising dragon game fiction. Today I seem to have gotten back up to speed :) Here' a bit of I think is pretty good for a rough draft:

The tiny dragon knew only her egg, shifting light, and the sweet murmur of her parents’ voices. When she grew enough that the shell felt too small, she cracked her egg slowly, quietly, so she could hear their voices. The world rushed into her senses, but didn’t confuse her; the familiar voices led her safely to her parents. When they first saw her, they fell silent. The hatchling wondered if she had done something wrong that made them take away the comforting sound. In a moment she understood nothing was wrong. Her parents welcomed her with words and song. She added her own tiny voice to theirs in welcoming her nest-mates.


At first, their parents kept them in the nest, distracting their curiosity about the world with stories and song. They gave each hatchling a name, and smiled as they repeated their own and each other’s names, getting used to the sound.



The ruse didn’t last. A hulking Imperial, covered in oozing sores dragged himself to the nest, commanding her parents to show him the hatchlings. They tried to fend him off, but the Imperial pushed them aside, to see and hold each hatchling in turn and “bless” them with his pestilential breath. Only Taliesen avoided that dubious blessing. As her parent fell, e swept Taliesen into the darkest corner of the nest. She understood without being told that she must stay still and silent. She didn’t move until the clan’s Patriarch had left, and her parents did their best to clean their other hatchlings.



She wanted to help care for her nest-mates, but her parent wouldn’t let her get close to them. “You might get sick, too.” Looking around to make sure no one could hear, e continued, “You have to leave, before you get sick. That’s why we can’t leave – we just don’t have the strength.” Taliesen could hear her nest-mates starting to cough, already succumbing to the Plague given them by the clan Patriarch. Her parent guided her to look out across the landscape. Impossibly far away, she could make out an enormous tree. “There,” her parent told her, “That’s the heart of the Viridian Labyrinth. In the lands of Nature, you’ll be safe.” E hugged her close, adding, “Well, safer than you will be here. Go, now, while no one’s looking.” Frightened of the distance, yearning to stay with her parents, she gazed at her parents, and her nest-mates, pouring them into her memory. She started to speak, but her parent put a loving claw over her mouth. “Go. May the Gladekeeper guard and guide you.”

Flight Rising fiction

I have a lot of fun playing the online dragon-breeding game Flight Rising. I mention this because I've been writing fiction about my Flight Rising clan.

Here's a bit of that fiction:

"You feel called to the Search." Olympe stroked her friend's back under Reina's half-furled wing. It wasn't a question - even a sleep-deprived Spiral dragon would be able to tell that Reina grew more and more restless.

"No! No, of course not," Reina lied, tucking her wings back down. "I was, well..." she trailed off, knowing better than to try to convince Olympe, when Reina didn't believe it herself. Olympe wanted Reina close to her almost as much as she wanted Reina to be happy. Almost. But not enough to keep Reina grounded when her heart called her away.

Olympe put a small bundle on the ground in front of Reina. "When you find the right place, put this on the ground, and call on the Gladekeeper." She pressed her cheek to Reina's, breathing in her scent for a long moment, then stumbled away, knowing Reina would understand.

Reina didn't speak, and didn't watch her friend half walk and half fly away, deeper under the tree. Reina did understand. Some farewells are too big, too important, for words. Reina wanted to be close to OIympe, too, almost as much as she wanted to find her Charge. Almost.

Reina cradled the bundle gently, then threw herself into the sky. Only the clouds and wind saw her tears.

Exaltling, the Wandering Princess of Nature (Flight Rising lore)

I play a pet breeding game called Flight Rising. Many folks on the site write wonderful biographies of their dragons, and lore of their clans. Sometimes a group of people will take it in turn to add to a continuing narrative. I'm part of one such group - it's been a blast :) The full narrative is kept on this tumbler. My part of the story is below. The picture shows how the main character was disguised while visiting my clan's lair :)




A white dove dropped a bound scroll at the feet of the UrsaJoy clan leaders. The scroll when opened was short. Greetings from the Dragon Sage clan. The Princess Exaltling is on her way to your clan. Her enemies found her within our territory and she has fled. If you are unable to offer her sanctuary please let us know so we can try to arrange something else.

Reina glanced at the scroll, then offered the dove water, food, and a place to rest. Once this guest was settled, she opened the scroll, passing a claw under each word as she read it. Eleos, sitting on her shoulder, took it in immediately. He pressed his cheek to Reina's, dropped off her shoulder and glided away to make arrangements. They didn't need to discuss what to do; they would take in any dragon desiring shelter. When it was ready, the dove returned carrying this in response:

Greetings from UrsaJoy clan. The wandering Princess has arrived in safety. She will be well supported here for as long as her choice or circumstances allow. May the Gladekeeper favor you and yours. A note at the bottom, written by a different claw read, "Thank you for giving me shelter, and caring for our hatchlings. Please remind them that Sentinel and I love them, and have them always in our hearts."

Reina gave few orders, and didn't give any now. She told each dragon in the clan that she needed volunteers to travel to the borders of each adjoining clan's territory to look for a dragon in trouble. Each group was to move along the border for a full day and night, then return home. If they met any members of the neighboring clan, they were to at least offer greetings and good wishes, and were welcome to spend time in their company so long as they returned after the full day and night had passed. There were far more volunteers than neighboring clans. Parties of at least 2 dragons headed out in all directions. The strongest dragons were scattered among the groups, so that even if spies watched they couldn't pick out one group as being stronger than any other. Reina and Eleos themselves joined the effort, going in separate groups - neither of them going toward DragonSage clan. Only Eleos and Reina knew where the Wandering Princess would be found. They trusted their clanmates, but they and their clanmates knew that the best way to keep information secret was to not disclose it to anyone.

Excelsior enjoyed the journey more than she expected. She enjoyed fighting in the coliseum, and training others was her deepest calling. She hadn't felt particularly called to go anywhere - there was so much to do in UrsaJoy clan, so many eager hatchlings to train! She enjoyed fighting in the coliseum, and training others was her deepest calling. Being on the wing now reminded her just how long it had been since she's travelled more than to and from the Coliseum. She shook herself and put those thoughts aside - this was an important mission! She and Piedra continued on toward DragonSage clan territory, watching carefully for trouble, or the one escaping trouble.

Exaltling's heart ached as she turned away from Sentinel, from the birthplace of her very first hatchlings, and yet another clan who'd sheltered her. Taking a deep breath, she put all her stealth to work as she crossed the border of DragonSage clan territory.

Not far from the border she froze. She heard a crash, then the thump of something large landing, then a voice. "Really Piedra? I thought Lapis was joking when she said you could fall asleep mid-flight."

Frills raised in confusion, she inched toward the voice. Through branches she saw an Imperial lady settling down under a tree. Unlike its fellows, this tree's branches held a tangle of bright orange and purple vines. These thick vines seemed to shift in the wind... unlike the leaves around it. Her heart almost stopped when the tangle of "vines" began to snore. It was actually a sleeping Spiral! The lady Imperial put her head under her wing. Exaltling could just hear her mutter, "There is grace, and there is refinement, and a long, long way away from either, there is Piedra."

Exaltling had barely a moment before being startled again. The Spiral slid out of the tree to pile up on top of the Imperial's covered head, saying, "I'm not far away Excelsior! I'm right here!" He grinned, his green Nature eyes a relief to Exaltling. A muffled sound of counting from 10 to 1 came from under the Imperial's wing; Piedra flew back into the tree before she got to 1, giggling the whole way. The Imperial, Excelsior, smoothed her wing, ignoring the giggles. Could this be the dragons sent to meet her? They couldn't possibly be from her birth clan. Gathering up her courage, she stepped closer, and spoke. "Hello. Are you here to meet me?"

She's barely finished when the Spiral landed in a knot in front of her. "Are you the dragon in trouble! We can lead you to safety! I'm in charge, but Excelsior can be a big helper when she wants to be!"

Piedra took off then, still chattering away, and circled Excelsior. "It's almost time to go home anyway, so you're just in time! C'mon, you're all small like Eleos - you can hide in Excelsior's mane and ride home with us in style! It'll be great!"

Excelsior, clearly larger, older, and more level-headed than Piedra, rolled her eyes - her purple shadow eyes. Exaltling's blood ran cold, and her instincts screamed for her to run. Sensing the change, Piedra stopped talking and began flying around both of them, looking for what had frightened Exaltling. Excelsior met Exaltling's gaze and held it as she spoke to Piedra. "I'm afraid I've frightened our new friend, Piedra." The Spiral swooped low over them, looking from one to the other, and returned to patrolling, just in case.

Holding the tiny Fae's eyes with her own, Excelsior put her head right down on the grass to speak to her. "Yes, I was born in the Shadow flight. Now it's my calling to travel from clan to clan in Nature to train any who choose to learn from me. I've been in the UrsaJoy clan for some time, training and learning. They embrace any who choose to stay with them. They do not judge a dragon by the color of their eyes, but by the content of their character."

Exaltling listened and nodded. "I will go with you. Thank you."

From above they heard a shouted, "Woohoo!!" Excelsior rolled her eyes again, but Exaltling could sense the affection the Imperial felt. With remarkable efficiency, the Spiral helped her hide herself comfortably in Excelsior's mane. Exaltling fell into a restful, healing sleep before they reached the UrsaJoy clan lair.

____________
Exaltling, ever alert for danger, woke all at once. She looked around the treesap nest before making a sound. She found herself in the most comfortable part of the nest, various garments laid out nearby, and another Fae dragon curled up at the nest's entrance. She only needed a moment to remember that she had come to the UrsaJoy clan the night before. She allowed herself a moment to miss and to give thanks for the many clans that had sheltered her before this one, then rose from her sleeping place. With more enthusiasm than grace, the Fae before the entrance sprang up, scanned the nest for danger, then lifted her head welcomingly to Exaltling. Soon she understood that this other Fae has given her the place of honor in her own nest, and set herself to guard duty. Exaltling tactfully didn't point that that, had something attached, she would be better able to defend herself than Midnight. The younger Fae didn't yet have the easy grace in combat Exaltling had developed, although the potential was clearly there. The two Fae females got along well, and between them chose an outfit for Exaltling that hid her identity while giving her freedom to move and train.

While training with Midnight and one other young dragon, Exaltling heard about how many of the clan members had gone out in different directions, neither knowing nor caring about the details of the troubled dragon they sought. She was touched that so much effort had gone into finding and helping her. To her surprise, a total of 3 dragons had been brought back that night! Two groups each found an abandoned hatchling. No one questioned her nor the now-growned hatchlings about their past. Instead, each of them was given the support they needed, and encouraged to pursue the work and growth each thought best. The tundra found that night, OConnell, chose to stay in the clan and pursue studies in writing and healing. The other, a Spiral who hadn't taken a name, was still undecided. Exaltling shuddered on hearing the youngster considered training for exaltation, but took comfort in seeing that this was an option[/], not something she was forced into. In face, it being such a big decision, the clan leaders encouraged her to take her time before choosing to exalt herself.

Exaltling trained often, even offering some guidance to Midnight and others as they practiced in the Coliseum. She wondered if, some day, she would have the chance to help train her own hatchlings, or if all of their upbringing would be without her. When not practicing with younger dragons, she worked very hard under Excelsior's tutelage. Exaltling appreciated the Imperial's focus and calm. Excelsior expected excellence from Exaltling, and Exaltling rose to every challenge. One bright afternoon, after Exaltling had worked herself to exhaustion, Excelsior insisted on a break from effort. They took water under a shade tree and stayed in companionable silence for a time.

"Take this," Excelsior said to Exaltling, passing her a stone. It glowed softly. "With this, you can harm your enemy while restoring yourself. With this, you can Sap your enemy's strength and turn it against them." All the rest of that day, Exaltling explored this new ability, learning how to heal her wounds with the power of her opponents.

Of course, she couldn't stay with the UrsaJoy clan for very long. Midnight brought her to see the clan Matriarch, Reina. To her surprise, Reina indicated Midnight should stay. The Excelsior was already there. Exaltling was glad to have these friends with her. A messages were being sent to find her a new place to shelter. Excelsior and Midnight would go with her, to help protect and guide her until she was with members of the next clan to shelter her. Turning to Excelsior, Reina added, "I thank you for all your service to the clan. Know that you are welcome to return whenever you wish." The two dragons, one Guardian and one Imperial, made their goodbyes as fast friends, the latter once teacher to the former.

Sadness mingled with hope in her thoughts. She wondered when (if?) she would see her Sentinel and their hatchlings. She wondered how long she would keep moving from place to place. She also determined that she would learn all she could from the experience, and be ready to do whatever had to be done to protect herself, and the ones she loved.

__________

A peace dove glides in to rest near the Teletraan clan leaders, dropping a scroll at their feet. Opened, it reads, "Greetings from the UrsaJoy clan, may the Gladekeeper every shelter you and yours.

The wandering Princess of Nature, Exaltling, has need of safe haven - forces of Shadow have been sighted too close to the UrsaJoy clan lair. If you have the will and the means, please take her in. We are thankful for having her with up, and sorrowful at parting from her so soon, but that sorrow will be eased by knowing she moves from our loving support to yours.

Wishing you all the best,
Reina and Eleos, tenders of the UrsaJoy clan.

Sialea-lea

I'm playing a Navajo Shaman in a Deadlands game. here's the start of her character background :)

My name means Little Bird in English. So far away from the People, passing as a white woman, my name and my medicine bundle are the only Navajo things I have. I'm dressed like a white woman, carrying the things a travelling white person would carry. There are moments the distance from home floods my heart like an arroyo after the male rains. Just as quickly, though, the despair drains away. I am still one of the People, even when far away. I can still speak to the Spirits, and my Spirit Guide is still with me. White people have driven me from home, but they cannot truly take me away from the People.

CTC29 writing sprint weekend day 1

This is both my writing from today, and the campaign log for a Mutants and Masterminds game I'm in. The words are all mine, but the story is stolen :)

It's 2054. Every hero who had ever tried to help others gathered to fight this threat. Only the four of them survived. They'd faced an army, and won through. Together, they raced to the Time Button - only this could save the world from certain destruction. She'd known these heroes back when they were all young and just starting out. If only they had started out working together, they might have prevented this. Miraculously, they got there, one of them slammed the button. There was a flash of white light...

Zoe jerked awake, confused to be in the bed from her old apartment. Wait, no, this is her apartment. She sat up, turned on the lamp, and took long, deep breaths to clear her head. She was at home, in her very nice not at all old bed, in her own apartment, in 2014. She was 28 years old, although if the dream was to be believed she aged pretty well. She still preferred her current age, thank you very much.

Parts of the dream were already fading. The sense of urgent danger stayed with her, as did the thought that having teamed up with other heroes could have prevented this danger, or stopped it sooner. Maybe this was her subconscious's way of suggesting a direction for her to go? The dream, if it was a dream, felt much more real than her dreams normally felt. What if, in some fashion, this really was some kind of communication from 40 years in the future? Was that really any more impossible than suddenly developing the ability to teleport? The more she thought about it, the more she thought this had to be some kind of real communication. This vision was important. She got out of bed, feeling more like herself than she had in weeks. She had to to put together a superhero team. She even knew who to call to get it started. Her team could be the inspiration for others. Whatever the coming threat turned out to be, she was going to make sure they were ready for it.

There was more to the session, of course. I'll write that part out tomorrow. I rather like this stopping point, and I really do need to get some sleep. Can't wait for tomorrow's writing time!

#CTC29 Day 20: Narrative Distance

Today's challenge is to write the same scene three ways, with varying narrative distance. I don't usually give much/any thought to narrative distance - I'm glad to be more aware of it after this exercise :) I'm not sure that Version 1 is actually any closer than version 2, despite aiming for that goal. I'm so comfortable with riding along right there in my character's brain - it's keeping a distance that's a challenge for me.

Version 1:

Zoe hadn't been to Danny's Bar & Grill since her "medical" leave. So many cops frequented the place you could leave anything you liked out on your table; it would be there when you got back. She'd stopped by a couple other bars, but just couldn't relax. Even if the force didn't consider her a cop any more, her neighbors did. Each time, she drank her beer in a bubble of quiet and space. No one seemed to notice her come in. It hurt more than she expected to not be greeted as soon as she came in. She took a stool at the end of the bar, ordered her usual, not sure if she wanted to be left alone or hoped someone would acknowledge her.

Version 2:

Zoe hadn't been to Danny's Bar & Grill since her "medical" leave. So many cops frequented the place you could leave anything you liked out on your table; it would be there when you got back. Familiar smells of wood polish, good beer, and homemade fries greeted her - none of the people seemed to notice her. Her sneakers felt strange on the wood floor, where she'd walked so often in uniform shoes. Her feet turned toward the tables, where she plowed into the wall of no one meeting her gaze. Without hesitation, she continued on past the beeping video games. She touched the cool plastic controller as she passed. She'd only ever played to compete with, now former, coworkers.

Version 3:

Danny's Bar & Grill companionably abutted shops and walk-up apartments on a relatively quiet side street. It didn't stand out to the casual observer. Locals knew you could almost always find at least one or two police officers having a meal or post-shift beer. The whole street stayed remarkably free of graffiti.

No one visibly reacted to the woman walking in. No one met her eye as she glanced around the room. From a stool at the end of the bar, she ordered her usual beer and fries. She hadn't had Danny's homemade fries in quite a long time.

CTC day 13 The Beginning

Very first draft, but I'm rather pleased with this :)

"You have the right to remain silent."

Zoe looked up at the TV, surprised to hear her own voice. She saw shaky news footage of an arrest she had made months ago, before her "medical" leave. The view shifted to the anchor, who said, "While ex-officer Alvarez, a known mutant, has left the force, could there be others like her..." Zoe threw cash on the diner table and left. She walked, too angry to sit still.

The words "ex-officer Alvarez" played over and over in her mind. No one had said, "We don't want your kind," but that's what all the soft, meaningless words meant. The city called it a "Medical leave with early retirement." She wasn't sick, and it wasn't her fault she, like many others, developed a mutant ability. She could teleport - go from one place to another in an instant. Despite calm, logical explanations - how useful this ability could be, how it didn't give her any more chance of violating civil rights than any other officer, pointing out her excellent record and how well she could control the ability, she was still an ex-cop.

Eventually she found herself in the neighborhood on the one other mutant she knew personally. A young man named {AC}. She smiled, remembering that they had met when she'd arrested him. He was a good kid. His one bad decision had gotten him 4 years in prison, and an odd mix of infamy and celebrity. Zoe had kept up with him, and tried to help him out when she could. It might do them both good to have a visit.

Two blocks from his apartment building, she heard a young voice shout, "Stop, criminal!" She broke into a run. It was probably kids playing, but police habits die hard. As soon as she turned the corner, she teleported closer to the two men grappling on the sidewalk. She relaxed slightly seeing no weapons. She barked, "Hey! Break it up!" Sometimes a shout was enough to stop a hands and feet altercation. To her surprise, it was {AC} being restrained by another young man. They both started shouting, {AC} at his captor and the other young man at her. The latter yelled louder, "Miss! Call the police! This is a dangerous criminal who's escaped from justice!" Zoe blinked at him, then laughed. He was so eager, and so determined, and so very, very mistaken. They both glared at her.

"Let him go," she said, "He's been released from prison, and isn't a danger." With an effort of will, she didn't laugh as she added, "He's paid his debt to society." {AC} was considering becoming a Hero, fighting crime in conjunction with the police. It appears a possible partner had found him.

CTC29 day 12 Archetype: The Fool

This story/scene takes place after this scene and before This one.

Zoe sighed and shook her head. "Yes, I could fight it, but I would lose. My options are take the medical leave and early retirement, or spend a whole lot of money for attorneys and court fees, and still not be a cop."

Her cousin nodded sadly, saying, "which is no choice at all."

"Yup. Pretty much." They fell into silence. Her nieces were somewhere in the laughing mass of kids on the playground. Zoe sounded much calmer about this than she felt. She could control her teleportation now. Despite losing her temper quite a few times, she hadn't rage teleported in over 6 months. Still, she wasn't going to be allowed back to the job she'd wanted since she was a kid.

Zoe looked up when her cousin jumped up and jogged to one of the trees. Zoe followed her slowly at first, then faster when she realized her older niece had climbed very high into that tree. Her cousin first sounded annoyed, then worried. The little girl was too scared to climb back down.

"I'll get her," Zoe told her cousin.

"No, I don't want you both to fall. I'll call for help..." She trailed off, phone in hand. Zoe vanished from the ground, reappearing on the branch next to her niece. The girl shrieked as her aunt hugged her close. Then both reappeared next to Zoe's stunned cousin. For a moment, everything was silence, then the park exploded with noise - the rescued niece bursting into tears, her mother laughing and crying at the same time, and everyone else shouting in surprise and confusion. Some of the children were whisked away by nervous parents. Others, eventually, returned to playing.

Zoe's younger niece, wide eyed, whispered a question, "Are you a superhero?" Zoe's mind tilted. The big black "Ex-cop" stamped across her self image cracked.

"I just might be," she answered, giving her a hug.

"You can do, aunt Zoe!" she said encouragingly, then ran off to join her friends.

CTC29 day 10

This is from a role playing session a few weeks back. It's a totally separate continuity from the other fiction I've posted recently. I plan to post more from both storylines evenutally :)

Lizbeth walked right behind Russell down the dim corridor. Their David and Goliath size difference meant she was almost invisible in his shadow. The both stopped when they heard faint footsteps ahead. Lizbeth had dug deep to find out about these tunnels, and even then they'd had to dig to connect to {rich twit's} building. Whoever it was ahead of them wasn't here by chance.

Subvocalizing for the com set they both wore Lizbeth asked, "Should we go back?" A voice well ahead of them in the tunnel answered, "Yes, you should." Apparently happy for someone to punch, Russel signed for Lizbeth to stay put while he went on. Lizbeth strained all her senses, trying to be ready for anything. Russell moved deliberately forward with a fighter's keen sense of everything around him.

Russell had barely registered movement above him before collapsing under his attacker. Lizbeth took a moment to sort out what she'd seen - the man leapt on Russell faster than a normal human could possibly move. She thought about her gun, but only for a moment; even if she hit the bad guy, she'd hurt Russell too. She scooped up a discarded length of pipe, and ran at the fight. They punched each other, but neither seemed to get any leverage. The attacker even tried to bite but Russell pulled away in time.

As soon as she was close enough, Lizbeth swung for Bitey's head. She missed, bouncing the pipe off Russell's arm. Russell landed a punch on the other guy's jaw. He looked at Lizbeth saying, "Ow. Gimme that." Apologizing, Lizbeth handed over the pipe and stepped back out of the way.

"Bitey" was an apt nom du guerre. Once he fell unconscious, they both got a good look at him. He was pale as milk, with long fangs where some of his teeth should have been. Russell tossed aside the pipe, dusted himself off, and he and Lizbeth jogged back to rejoin the rest of the team.

CTC29 day 9

Two women dashed through the lab door. They tipped a workbench against the door seconds before something began pounding the other side. 

Zoe spoke as she pushed a cabinet against the door. "Paige, I told you this would happen."

"Really?  You told me we'd be barricading the door to keep out a crazed chimp?"  

"Shut up and figure out how to kill the damn monkey."

"No!  I need to run tests - the serum works, can't you see that? 

Zoe stared at her one-time friend. "That thing almost killed 3 people.  It's trying to get in here to kill us."

Paige dropped her eyes. "The murderous rage wasn't part of the plan, no."

Zoe shook Paige's arm gently. "It doesn't matter right now. Now we need to stop that chimp before someone else gets hurt."  Paige sagged against the wall, nodding.  

"We can try a sedative. If you can distract him, I can inject him. It should knock him right out."

"You have got to be kidding me."  The both jumped as the cabinet fell away from the cracked door. "Ah hell." 

Paige jerked drawers open, collecting supplies then made up the syringe. As the door splintered, they each took position - Paige out of sight on the side, Zoe square in front of the doorway rubble. 

The chimp burst into the room, screaming its fury. Zoe screamed right back and punched it in the muzzle. The chimp seemed more surprised than injured. That moment was all Paige needed. She stepped out, emptying the syringe into the chimp's neck.   It whirled, lifted Paige off her feet, then dropped into a heap. 

Zoe helped Paige up, not seeing the second needle until it stabbed her arm.  Paige said "I have to finish my work." As Zoe passed out. 

Zoe woke up with only a headache - Paige, her notes, and the chimp were gone. 

Larger-than-Life Zoe

Zoe barely heard the footstep before the mugger had cut her purse strap and run. "Gotcha," she said, vanished, reappearing in front of the mugger. He ran right into her fist. He fell, dazed. Shaking his head to clear it, he glared daggers at her.

"You just can't resist, can you?" Zoe asked, shaking her head.

"Hey, you're not a real cop! You're that mutie bitch from the news!" He struggled to his feet as he blustered. Zoe watched him, looking amused. "Don't you try that mutant crap on me again," he went on, "I don't want to hurt you."

He jumped when a voice from the end of the alley responded, "That's good. Maybe the judge will put that in your favor." The would-be mugger whipped out a knife as he turned.

"I wouldn't pull a knife on an real cop," Zoe helpfully suggested. Officers Martin and Horowitz stepped into the dim light, guns trained on the mugger. Without a word, he dropped the knife, and put his hands over his head.

Officer Horowitz cuffed and Mirandized the perpetrator, while Officer Martin bagged the evidence. "Thanks Offi... Ms. Alvarez." He looked away, embarrassed at the slip.

Zoe pretended not to notice. "Happy to help. Being able to teleport makes me excellent bait." They both grinned. She looked longingly at the purse. "Ya know, when you're all done with that bag..."

Officer Martin looked at Zoe, the bag, then back to Zoe, confused.

"It's a good purse. It's not like Coach bags grow on trees."

Officer Martin snorted a laugh, "I'll see what I can do." He followed his partner to their car, and Zoe teleported back to her apartment.

Ordinary Zoe

Zoe sat very still, staring across the table at her date. She stood deliberately, tucking her chair under the table. Her face dangerously cold she said, "You've mistaken me for someone willing to share a meal with a racist. Goodnight."  Without a pause, she turned on her heel to leave.  After a moment of shock, he lurched after her. 

"No, babe, I didn't  mean it like that," grabbing her arm as he caught up to her.   In one fluid whirl she pulled her arm free, stomped his instep, and vanished. 

Seconds later, standing on a rooftop, she dropped her cocked fist, took a deep breath, then swore quietly as she explored the roof. 

The next morning she wore a suit instead  of her police uniform. Her colleagues pretended not to notice as she walked through to the boss' office. "I need to take that medical leave."

"Are you sure?"  

"Yes. I teleported to a roof this time."

Her boss slumped in his chair, sighing. "Shit."

"Yeah," she agreed, dropping into a chair. They'd been over this before. She was a damn fine cop - and teleportation could be very useful once she had it under control.  If it were up to him, she'd go on leave long enough for her mutant power to stabilize, then put her back to work. Taking the leave was the right decision - blinking away on the job could get someone killed. The problem was the city giving in to anti-mutant paranoia. If she went on leave, she probably wouldn't be back. 

In silence she put her gun and badge on his desk. He straightened in his chair, then they both stood. They shook hands formally. "You'll stay in touch." He said - it wasn't a question. 

"You just want to have Mama's cooking," Zoe teased. 

"Not just that, he said smiling."

Zoe nodded, to close to tears to trust her voice. She walked out with more confidence than she felt. 

My inner critic is a total meany-head

My inner critic is a total meany-head. That particular part of my psyche tried really, really hard to get me to put off writing until I had an idea or plan that would be worthwhile, since, according to my inner critic, my current plan sucks like the vacuum of space. Even if my inner critic is correct (which is isn't), crap writing is better than no writing at all. You can revise a blank page. My plan is pretty good; my inner critic is factually incorrect.


Gratitude:

~sitting down and writing despite the persistent thought that everything I write is utter crap
~cool morning walkies
~Thrift shops

Voice!

On Saturday afternoons I create stories with a group of friends. Every other week we play a New World of Darkness game. Of the player characters, 3 are Bound and 1 is a Hunter. My character, Brian Jamison, is one of the Bound.

World of Darkness is a table-top role playing game. The Bound are people who, at the moment of their death, make a Bargain with a spirit. The newly dead person comes back to life, as if waking from a near-death experience, and the spirit tags along. The two are Bound together, sharing psychical space. The spirit is called a Geist, and the revived person the Bound.

In this game I play Brian Jamison. His Geist calls herself Mother Medea and resembles every perfect 50's TV housewife. The irony of having that Geist riding in the psyche of a gay teenaged boy has not been lost :) Make no mistake - Brian died. If he had declined the Bargain, his friends and family would have lost him, he never would have gotten that almost certain football scholarship, and he would never have gotten out of his little home town. The World of Darkness does earn it's name.

When I can, I like to have my characters tell their own story. Being a talkative person, I tend to play talkers :) Brian, though, isn't much of a story teller. He wouldn't write about his experiences for himself nor for posterity. But, he would talk to his girlfriend, Jessica. She's more of a BFF than a romantic interest, of course. They get to hang out, his manly rep is bolstered and she doesn't have to fend off suitors. Brian wouldn't keep a journal - but she would. He's her best friend, confidant, and brother-by-another-mother so she would never share his secrets. But it's hard to know really weird shit is happening and not talk about it - so she talks to her diary. Her voice will let me show you who Brian is in her eyes, which are both caring and realistic. She's not blinded by young romance. She knows Brian better than anyone - probably even Brian himself. Even his parents, who do love him, see him through a filter of their own expectations. Jessica sees the Brian who really exists. If I write well, you'll get to see him, too.

Gratitude:

~finally figured out the right voice for writing Brian's story! I'd been stuck on this for ages
~all the screw-ups at the workplace are either resolved, or well on their way to being resolved - work was much more interesting than I prefer today
~fresh cherries
~I didn't fall out of my chair when I turned to find a crane right outside my office window, although I did spit water down my shirt when the crane dropped the pallet of roofing supplies directly over my office.
~My doggie is the bestest!
~planning crochet projects with Kiddo
~taking nature pictures when the whim strikes

Ending June, Planning July

I seem to be really, really bad at this whole "writing daily" thing. In June I appear to have written actual narrative non-fiction all of 8 times. Still, some writing is better than nothing, and I've learned something from each month's challenge.

In June I (re)learned that writing what's on my mind does good things for my mental/emotional health - Sometimes I need reminders of things I ought to know by now :)

For July I'm work on Game Fiction - writing stuff for and about role playing games :) I've wanted to write about my RPG characters for a while; it's high time I focused on that. Instead of writing a complete thing each day, I'll pick one thing to work on each week, posting my progress daily. Ideally I'll have something readable to post for each week in July :)

My tentative writing plan:

This week: character background for Brian Jamison (nWoD game)
Week of 7/6: character background for Lisbeth Walker (Unisystem Morningstar game)
Week of 7/13: nWoD campaign log/story
Week of 7/20: Morningstar campaign log/story
Week of 7/27: tentative superhero background

Here's the first line for Brian's background:

Telling my father, the minister, that I'm gay just isn't as impressive as telling him I came back from the dead.

~~~
Gratitude List

~bellydance class!
~Nia!
~the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher
~excellent customer service at the Apple store
~Seafloor Explorer lets me do a bit of marine biology without changing career :)
~electronics breaking while still under warranty
~My fingernails look good with very little effort
~July's writing plan