Thursday 26 September 2013

Down but not out: Hope on the Horizon

Hello my faithful and incredibly disappointed reader(s)!

So yeah, I suck. I'm trying out the whole "productivity" thing with regards to my school work this term, and it's proving to be a bit heavier of a responsibility than I anticipated. I don't really have the time to dedicate to writing right now, which is unfortunate for me (and you, I guess, if you're reading this).

The good news is that I have NOT given up on this initiative, and when I stop being horrible at life and have caught up a bit I'm going to try and push out a few more entries. I might toss in a D&D character at some point as well, as I made a whole bunch of them that still don't have stories. I was going through a phase...

Anyway, to the point. Were I you, I wouldn't check back regularly, but I would expect some content to pop up relatively soon; probably around Thanksgiving. If I have the time I will push out as much content as possible then to make up for the lack of content preceding it.

Uselessly yours,
~Dom

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Thing 42: Something you've always regretted saying.

Hello everyone,

It's been a long, long time since my last post. I could make the excuse that I've been busy with school and my fraternity, but where there's a will, there's a way, and frankly I've been willing other things. Regardless, I'm taking the time tonight to add another passage to my collection. Let's see what the book has in store...

Thing 42: Something you've always regretted saying.

"Take a seat, John."

John Sanderson, a mousey man in a worn down suit, took his place across from his smartly-dressed colleague. He seemed utterly out of place in the leather chair he had been offered, its opulence standing in sharp contrast to his modest demeanor. Despite this, a smile sat comfortably on his face. Material things rarely found the opportunity to dismantle his genuine nature.

Tobias Schmidt -- prim, proper, prudent -- sat opposite. The warm light of his office shone in sinister relief within the gel of his hair. His coif, his dress, and his demeanor were immaculate; calculating. Here was a man who left nothing to chance, and who desired all things. He deserved them, after all. His ego would allow for no other reality.

"Lovely office you have here, Tobias. It's very regal."

The slightest hint of a smirk crept onto Tobias' face. It was a small gesture whch cast a large shadow, veiling the peasant before it in disdain. "Why thank you. I like to think of it as a reflection of myself."

John smiled and leaned back in his seat. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Tobias removed his hands from the arms of his chair and folded them deliberately in his lap. "Yes, let's cut straight to it, shall we? How are things with Evelyn?"

"Oh, things are wonderful!" His eyes looked distant as he thought about the girl he loved. "I think I'm really smitten. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"And you're close?"

"Certainly. I'm meeting her tonight, in fact." John's expression turned quizzical after a brief flash of thought. "Why do you ask?"

Tobias' eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he allowed the tension in the room to build. Silence was his weapon, and he wielded it with deadly intent. When he thought John could take it no more, he provided sweet release from the vice of anxiety.

"Don't you think you're being a bit selfish?"

Taken aback, John's eyes widened. "Whatever do you--"

"Think, John. Look around you." A single, slender hand motioned to the plush decor with a dismissive wave. "You say that she's the best thing that's ever happened to you. Do you think there might be a reason for this? You," another dismissive wave, "are a nice man, but a woman like Evelyn needs more than nice. She needs stability, drive, eloquence; all traits you lack. She is a delicate flower, ready to bloom but for your lack of poise.

"Think carefully about what you are. Could you ever provide her the future she deserves? You can barely take care of yourself. How do you expect to take care of her?"

Again, the silence. It thickened, festered with disdain and uncertainty. The mousey man sat before a dragon, and felt the full weight of his own inadequacy.

"Should you enact your intentions, she will likely follow. Too pure is she to reach for that which she desires, and so she would live in squalor to suit your needs. She deserves better than what you could provide. If you feel the way you claim, then provide her the opportunity to spread her wings. If you love her, set her free."

The dragon clenched its jaw, and the mousey man's heart, trapped within, burst into a thousand screaming pieces.

"I... I don't..."

"And you never will."

The finality of it hit John like he imagined a train might. His shortcomings weighed upon his soul, dragging it to the murky depths of anguish.

In John's mind, a single image shone bright and clear: Evelyn's smile. The innocence and purity of it made his heart soar, struggling against the anchor of his own emotions. A single tear formed on his cheek at the thought of it.

Eyelids closed, shutting out the fanciful room and leaving only Evelyn's shining profile, but the more desperately he grasped for it, the farther away it became. The chains tightened and tugged and ripped and tore.

"You are not worthy, Jonathan. Set her free."

John's mind raced with and endless torrent of dreams he could not fulfill, luxuries he could not provide. One by one they assaulted him and tore him down. He was putty before the dragon.

He was bested.

With a sniff and a brave clearing of his throat, mouse met the dragon's eyes. "You're right, of course. I supposed I dared to dream." Another tear appeared as he rose from the leather chair and straightened his jacket. "I shan't dare to do so again."

Tobias said nothing. Having accomplished his goal, he was more than content to allow his prey to leave. Weak men would forever remain weak, and to him they were nthing more than an obstacle to be discarded.

Outside the office, John slowly pulled his phone from a pocket in his frayed coat. A moment of contemplation forced resolve to overtake despair.

If you love her, set her free.

Before he knew what was happening, a familiar tone rang through the receiver, as if the phone had dialed itself. Unblinking, he raised it to his ear, awaiting the fateful moment to come.

"Hello, Eve. I was hoping we could talk."

Monday 9 September 2013

Thing 41: What would you run out of the house with if your house caught fire?

Well, school's back in. I'm hoping hat having responsibility again will keep me motivated rather than barring my creativity, and as such I hope to produce more regular content. Here goes nothing...

Thing 41: What would you run out of the house with if your house caught fire?

It starts as but a hint of sensation. The warmth creeps over you, gentle and inviting. It is a childhood friend, a beloved pet, a pleasant memory sparked by a wayward dream.

But the warmth grows more bold. A rivulet of sweat provides evidence that perhaps the warmth is not coming from within. Your covers, so tightly wrapped about you, become a prison. Their comforting protection against a night of terrors is now a suffocating burden.

You open your eyes, trying desperately to clear the fog clouding your mind. The world is a blur, and your senses are assaulted by phenomena beyond understanding. Around you echo inhuman screams, cloaked in a synaesthetic nightmare of red and orange.

Each frantic blink washes away another layer fog. Your room slowly comes to focus as your haze is banished. The screams reveal themselves as the piercing ring of the fire alarm. The colours reveal themselves as the hungry tendrils of flame consuming the life you've built around you. For a moment a pang of despair consumes you as your belongings are consumed. All you've worked for, gone in an instant.

Despair turns to panic, for your life is in danger. Your belongings may soon be followed by your person. The flames grow ever closer, and you are a fragile being. Should you remain it would surely mean your doom.

Panic turns to resolve, for you realize that there is another in this place; another whose precious life must face the perilous flames.

It is the one you love. Above all, this one must be saved, for your life is nothing before theirs.

You fly out of the comfort of your bed, for no blanket can hold back the beast you now face. Arid smoke enters your lungs and burns your pupils, but you ignore it. It will not deter you from your goal.

With gritted teeth and firm resolve, you rush forward, into the clawing flames.

They must survive.

Sunday 8 September 2013

Story Challenge 4: Shades of Ignorance [Part 2]

Part 1: http://idlemindunhinged.blogspot.ca/2013/09/story-challenge-4-shades-of-ignorance.html

This story's pretty weak. I'm sorry. I should have chosen some more outlandish topics to write about, but once I get an idea in my head it's hard to shake it sometimes. In any case, part two below. I doubt there will be a third.

----------------------

Hayden shook his head in dismay. "'Unlawful use of internet resources?' Really?"

"Unfortunately," responded Jorge, standing before his comrades, "they've made blogging illegal. Apparently content like Mr. Nye's webisodes are cluttering up their valuable server space."

Catherine leaned over to address the rest of the group to her right. "Why would they go after blogs? I mean, there's like a billion porn sites that take up way more space."

As she opened her mouth to continue she was interrupted by Jayne's condescending chuckle. "There's money in porn," he explained. "Besides, people might get a little snippy about losing blogs, but they'd be up in arms if you took their precious porn away."

Conceding the point with a nod and a shrug, Catherine leaned back in her chair and looked once again to Curtis. His silhouette cut an imposing figure before the armed men on the screen behind him.

He let the silence thicken in the air about them as their thoughts stewed on the events unfolding around them. When he felt they could bear it no more, his steely voice shok them from their contemplation.

"Our information indicates that the NSA's African data farms are nearly saturated. Pretty soon they'll be looking to expand, and so they're clearing space on the cloud the sow the seeds of expansion. It's a digital empire, and pretty soon it will cast its shadow over all of us.

"With the US government at their back, they are expanding virtually unopposed. Nobody wants to risk starting a war that they don't think they can win, and no other intelligence organization can match the NSA for resources or manpower.

"We are the only thing that stands in their way. If we fail, the NSA may very well take over the entire world."

Gerald's scowl sat in harsh contrast the the solemnity splayed across the faces of the others. "So what exactly are we supposed to do? Neither the KGB nor the MSS can stand against these guys. What do we have that they don't?"

"Easy," replied Curtis. His smirk sent a chill down their spines. "Home field advantage."

Thursday 5 September 2013

Story Challenge 4: Shades of Ignorance [Part 1]

It's time for my next STORY CHALLENGE! Sadly I don't think this one will be as outlandish as the others, I have compiled my favourite suggestions:

- An episode of Bill Nye gone horribly wrong
- Blogging is now a criminal offense
- The NSA have used up all of Africa as a data storage centre and need a new continent to hold their records
- An intriguing political thriller about the expansion of empires
- A conspiracy

Without further ado, let's have an adventure.

Web pages used in this writing:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_transitional_fossils#Dinosaurs_to_birds
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_Rights

Part 2: http://idlemindunhinged.blogspot.ca/2013/09/story-challenge-4-shades-of-ignorance_8.html

-----------------------


The mood in the room was tense as dinosaurs and microscopes flashed haphazardly across the screen, its flickering light illuminating the seven solemn faces assembled before it. The room remained silent save for Bill Nye's familiar theme song. As it ended, the show's namesake faded into view.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to Bill Nye's Science Revival, where I, Bill Nye, answer your questions about the wonderful world of science! We've had a lot of great suggestions for this week's installment, so let's jump right in to episode three!

"PaleontologistBoner69 asks: 'Can you talk a bit about transitional fossils? I'm particularly interested in links between dinosaurs and birds, such as the Archaeopteryx.'

"Well I'm glad you asked, PaleontologistBoner69! Despite your unfortunate screen name you've touched on a topic that has had scientists and historians alike excited for a very long time. Fossils such as the Archaeopteryx are called transitional fossils because they provide evidence of a link between two unique sets of organisms, in this case dinosaurs and birds. This link implies that the creatures from the first set, over time, have adapted and evolved into creatures from the second set, in essence providing some concrete evidence for the theory of evolution. Now, what I find to be particularly interesting --"

A sudden crash shocked him out of his monologue as heavily-armed officers burst into his home. Within seconds he was surrounded by the foreboding matte of dozens of rifles and the stern men holding them

"Bill Nye, you are under arrest for unlawful use of internet resources. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in the court of law."

The flickering of the screen stopped as the pause icon appeared. From his seat, the group's leader walked to the centre of the room, the terrified face of Bill Nye in stark relief above him.

"This was posted two days ago. They're getting bold."

-----------------

I know this is disappointingly short, but honestly after PaleontologistBoner69 most of my immediate creativity has been lost. I started writing this yesterday, and this is all I've come up with, so I'm going to post what I have and work on making something half decent in the next installment. Sorry.