Damn I Am Pretty Art Laboratories

The mind wanders sometimes.  The sky doesn't abate.  It just is.  The earth doesn't stop.  It just is.  But the mind?  It wanders. It creates things from nothing.  Somethings from nothing.  That's the art of the mind.  The Naming Mind makes things out of nothings.  The imagination crystallizes concepts from nothing into being.  Time is one of those things.  It doesn't exist, except where the mind has imagined it. Another year has past.  Yet the mind imagines that.  The sky and the earth don't care.  Time doesn't bug them.  The mountain doesn't think, perhaps that's why it seems to beautiful to us. Thoughts On 2015 Well, another year hasn't past.  Not yet. We still got a few days left. It's easy to think of New Years as a time of regrets for me.  Add on top of that the failures of humanity.  Wars.  Corruption.  Corporations. Climate change.  The mad stupidity human...

Here is part 3 of #Holiday.  Zara Gates must deal with being alone on #Christmas, in the year 2100.  It's a #shortstory of regrets, and how Zara has to deal with how she's gotten there.  This is the last part.  If you enjoyed it, great!  Please share it.  If you have suggestions to improve it, those are welcome too.  ;) This story is an attempt to address loneliness and depression during this time of year.  If you have suicidal thoughts or that sort of dark emotions, there are people who can help you online to deal with that.  Don't think you have to suffer.   Part 1 | Part 2 Holiday Part 3. Zara walked out of the Crossway in Helena at sunset.  Christmas eve.  Every breath foggy she exhaled felt ragged. She didn't bother with turning on her cochlears.  She just wandered around outside the Crossway station.  She didn't know what she was supposed to do.  She'd never spent a Christmas alone.  There ...

Here's part 2 of Holiday.  Set in the 2100, this is the #shortstory of a #Christmas an elderly woman, Zara Gate spends alone- the time when the cold cuts harder is when you have no one to share the holiday with.  A story about regrets and how one deals with a Xmas alone, the regrets of things both personal and grand.  If you enjoyed any bit of this tale, let me know!  Please share and I'm always glad to find ways to improve on these things. Beginning of the Story  | Part 3 Holiday, Part 2 It took a few moments of silence before the male nurse's voice spoke up. "My apologies ma'am... I'm sorry for your loss.  He died in his sleep, so it had been painless." The voice just echoed in Zara's mind.  Little Mark dead in his sleep.  Her body shook. "I...  That's..."  Zara stumbled over her words. "Well, if there is anything you need, Miss Gates, you can reach me-" Zara ended the call.  She couldn't listen to anymore...

Holiday is a #Shortstory I've decided to do for the sake of Xmas.  #Christmas in the year 2100, as an elderly woman rides a superfast train to see her only remaining family- a reflection on the desolation of the world she's grown old with, and a reflection on the regrets her own decisions have made for her. Holiday Zara blinked her weary eyes open.  She could see the shining crags of the Rockies and the fresh green of trees below. "Two hours by Crossway."  Zara told herself.  "I'm too old for this." Christmas.  She rode the Crossway so she could spend Christmas with her only living family.  Her brother.  She hadn't seen him since the year prior.  The only reason for me to leave home. My eye gazed through the transparent wall of the Crossway.  The faster-than-a-bullet train kept throttling toward Helena.  We were passing over Glacier National Park.  What used to be Glacier National Park.  There were no glaciers down ...

Owing to being sick, I missed my Friday post.  And almost missed Monday's too.  So, here it is.   I've read a bunch this year.  A eternal part of me always trying to learn something more before moving onto the next.  I read print and listen to audiobooks.  This year wasn't much different.  I've gone through a huge variety.  And in previous Reading Materials I've touched on books I've read this year.  Still, here are the five ones that I liked most.  This isn't ordered, nor are all of these "2015" books. Regardless, this is meant help me to at least order my thoughts on them.  Lists seem to be in fashion this time of year, so why not go about this in list fashion? The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. Generic fantasy that sort of hit a itch I didn't know I wanted scratched.  I say generic, but the Goblin Emperor kind of felt like it's own unique journey of a book.  I found myself enamored by its anxious protago...

In our stories and dreams, sometimes we think of places that aren't.  They don't exist.  But we humans have these strong collective mythologies.  We even craft physical embodiments of them in the real I'm a monist.  I don't believe in the supernatural.  For me, these fictions are always that: fictions.  They don't exist. world.  Places that mirror the imagined locales in our minds. There is no such thing as a spirit of a place or thing.  There is no metaphysical entity that actually does the things that are done by such things.  They don't exist. Yet we still require to alter the state of a place to fit the dreams we imagine.  What creatures are we, that such things need to be?  Why? I've visited some of them.  There is something important about such things humans craft for the sake of dreams and whimsy.  Disneyland.  The Pyramids.  The Statue of Liberty. I've also visited natural places.  Wild lo...

Here is a bit on the Jotnar Tribe of humans in #Crux .  They and Ice Giants have formed a society dominated by space-bending, teleporting witches.  In Bor, they've clashed with Ursyklon and the neighboring Jarn.  But with their unique magic and culture, they've got a cultural solidarity few other Human tribes can match. The Jotnar or the Icefolk of Bor I locked the door behind me.  I returned back to my book.  At least some diversion from the day I'd been having.  Sometimes the City of Curses asks for more than you have to spare.   I sat down, got comfortable.  I opened Of Blood And Prudence  back to where I'd left off.  I didn't get to have more than a moment with it. An owl hooted.  I looked up to see a white owl with glowing blue eyes perched atop my bookshelf. "City of curses!  Where the hell did you come from?"  I didn't have a window open.  Everything should've been locked. "Rarl."  A fam...

Tired.  This is shorter than I want it to be.  But it's a start on me thinking through how some of the different faiths work in #Crux.  The Church of the Twins is a diverse and popular faith.  This means it has plenty of different sects within it. Apostles of the Twins Sects of the Church of the Twins (Geminism) differ based on their founding messenger.  The Apostle who founds their sect serves as the source of their name.  Othebes, for instance, founded the Othebean branch of Geminism.  Apostles are sometimes recognized by other branches of the faith.  Some are seen as prophets of equal veneration.  Other sects treat different apostles as villains or antagonists. Othebes The Angel Othebes introduced Geminism to the lands that would later become the Divine Kingdom of Othebea.  The kingdom so venerated the angel that they named their nation after it.  Othebes created the monarchy, directly interfering with politics to drasti...

Previous | Start | Index  | Next #InTransitMonsters is a #firstdraft #novel about Technology as Messiah.  Humanity is about to fall, and is forced to create monsters to save itself.  Can these giant monsters succeed, or will humanity's old ambitions damn the species to extinction? Morgan Hobb (H minus One Day) My footsteps echoed.  The concrete in the abandoned parking garage looked cracked.  Roots pierced the ceiling here and there. I adjusted myself.  Choosing to be Morgan today sort of took less effort than the previous weeks.  It felt right.  But a part in the back of my mind still wondered:  Maybe I'd gotten used to it.  Or, maybe instead, I just wanted to be the man who fathered Charlie. Damnit Ghale, I thought.   So angry at Miri, but still too scared to actually talk with our child. Ghale always hesitated in her personal life.  Even having the abortion whacked her.  She didn't want to do it, and ye...

Here is a bit of #Flashfiction from #Crux.  The City of Curses , told from the point of view of a cursed Ghostwalker.  Nike Pandoretzi, a Ghostwalker reaching the end of her years, makes a mistake.  It might cost her, in ways one might not think of as a cost.   Glad to get some fiction out of my head for this sort of thing.  Hope you enjoy!  :D  Remember, Demonwalk is but around the corner!   Please share if you enjoy, always looking for eyeballs for this sort of thing.

Previous | Start  | Next | Index #InTransitMonsters is a #firstdraft #novel about Technology as Messiah.  Humanity is about to fall, and is forced to create monsters to save itself.  Can these monsters succeed, or will humanity's old ambitions damn the species to extinction? Ghale (H-Day minus two days) "Sometimes I wonder why anything comes out of my mouth at all."  Charlie told me.  She floated beneath the catwalk. My heart pounded at the familiar thought. "Life is hard like that.  Not everyone can know what you are thinking."  I said.  "I'm sorry.  Charlie, I should- I didn't know that Miri had-" Crunch . My head spun to one end of the catwalk.  The dark metal at one end lurched.  My gaze locked onto a blue and white shape.  The long form wrapped itself around the catwalk.  The tranparent glass on the sides of the catwalk kept it from entering the catwalk.  A snout and a pair of jaws snapped at th...

#BlackFriday is a #ShortStory about a white witch trying to retrieve her sister from the darkest, most horrible, day of the year.  It is one the time in the modern world that praise to the Demon Mammon over runs the thoughts and urges of people.  In the United States, we call this horrid holiday Black Friday. This is the last part of the story.  Eek, the ending is messy.  Still, glad to go back over this old tale.  If you enjoyed Black Friday, I recommend sharing it.  Feedback is always welcomed, even if it seems like I never do anything with it.  This story is released under a creative commons license, see at the bottom for more info. I believe the holidays and gifts are for creating strong, happy bonds.  Shopping isn't a part of that.  The mad fury of Black Friday always reminds me that our society has things that need improving.

#Crux post for tonight.  Sects within the Church of the Wolf-Mother.  These are the first few I decided to do writings on.  All of the faiths in Crux are intended to be broad and unaligned.  Each has room for folk of all nine alignments.  The core tenets are the same, with individual sects taking them in their own favorite directions. Wolf-Mother Sects. The many different Totems of the Wolf-Mother are her many spirit children.  Each has their own cult Like any faith, one who worships the Wolf-Mother will often pray and respect multiple totems in their daily lives.  Those dedicated to specific totems in their lives tend to be specialists of some sort, not necessarily priests.  Priests and Druids of the Wolf-Mother honor multiple totems, but very rarely dedicate themselves to a individual totem.  They honor totems and the Wolf-Mother. and sect that surrounds them.  Here are a few of the notable sects within the Church of the Wolf...

More revised for the Friday post.  Sophia finds where all those coins were going in GenMart on #BlackFriday.  This #Shortstory originally was written back in 2013.  I've decided to go back, try to pretty it up, and repost it. Black Friday, why must you serve Mammon so? Please share this story if you liked it.  Also, as always, thanks for reading! :D

Well.  Things have been getting delayed a bit this week.  As it is #Thanksgiving, it means tomorrow is #BlackFriday.  I don't like that holiday.   I associate it with Mammon.  The greedy demon?  Yeah, that one. So two years ago I wrote this short story, inspired by my low opinion of holiday shopping.  It's about a young white witch, Sophia Clas, trying to find her sister Lucy who supposed to be working Black Friday at a dark and foreboding big box store known as Gen Mart. This is a revision and a bit of a repost of the first part of the story.  If you enjoyed it, please let me know, or better yet, share it with others who might like it too.  I plan to revise the rest of the original story, at least to make satisfy me. Enjoy!  And remember, Mammon's Day but comes once a year...

Previous | Start  | Next | Index Charlie (H minus Two Days) I floated.  The ceiling of the facility felt comforting.  After the weeks of being in sand and heat, the past two weeks back home felt welcoming.  The fear of being away had gone. I just basked in it.  Things were going to get worse.  I didn't let myself fall into a dream. "I wish I could capture this."  I told the icy-glass, giant ferret Whiskey had made.  Kyra scurried from down the wall and sniffed at me.  "Yeah.  I think you know what I'm talking about." The weasel swam over to me.  It made the strange noise she always made.  I'd connected with her mind a few times.  Those had been the strangest of dreams.  Machine images, throbbing with the urges of an animal. Kyra had become kind of useful.  Although tiny compared to my size, the goetic bot still was gigantic compared to most humans.  She could squeeze into spaces we couldn't. ...

Ok.  With Desert Bus going on, and my own lead up to other things getting weird, I figured I should do a more rambly kind of blog blog.  So let's go into random thoughts after playing Pandemic Legacy. Wanderings. Pandemic Legacy have been stirring up weird ideas for me.  Pandemic Legacy has this nice effect.  It makes a favorite board game of mine (Pandemic) feel more like a RPG than anything else.  As a GM, it kind of just makes my heart go a-flutter. I realized the other day that Pandemic Legacy makes telling a narrative better than other board games I've played.  Others have tried to inject flavor into them, like Eldritch Horror.  Eldritch Horror has diminishing returns on its narrative for me.  Especially after playing Pandemic Legacy.  Some mechanics work well.  But others don't, and the story of one session doesn't carry on.  Worse, sessions can be erratic if you don't go out of your way to parse and control what cards g...

Previous | Start | Next |  Index Ghale (H minus 2 Days) Martin cleared his throat.  Despite it being a Dreamspace, he still had his avatar portray him as accurate as possible.  The gesture had meant to gather attention. He looked like a relic from a different era.  Which he was.  His generation had thought their world was going to end, like ours only recently had come to terms with.  For Martin, it had been the world humanity had poisoned.  For us, it had was our only encounter with a intelligent, extraterrestrial civilization. "Thank you for coming."  Martin began.  Press Avatars stared without blinking.  Thousands of screenshot prompts hit the dreamspace. Martin looked up from the podium to the rest.  We'd already sent out a press release.  We'd opted for using a dreamspace press conference.  I started to wonder about that choice.  It had been a security concern.  A way to reduce the chance of the jo...

The Demons. Demons are what you make of them.  Devils exist in opposition to Angels, having fallen from the heavens.  Devils have an order, and the many Hells they tend are dark abodes.  Demons are what you make of them. Devils make deals.  They will appear when Angels come to destroy or decimate, and offer refugees a chance out.  Demons don't make deals.  That isn't what they do. Demons are what you make of them.  They become whatever people fear.  They become whatever punishment the sinful imagine.  Demons are the dark mirror, trapped in images imagined by those they will never meet.  Demons are souls who've become the suffering they imagined in life.  They also become the monsters others dream of. Among Demons this means most seek out ways to share their communal suffering.  Theirs is a existential pain.  Spiritually scarred by the weight of others, each Demon is weak to a form of forgiveness. Shedim The S...

Rebooting Crux for it's second season- despite awkward timing stuff- felt like it was a success.  At least in my goals.  Having a session where you more or less do a conversion to altered rules, advance the time and all of that, carries certain risk about them.  Luckily my group places some trust in me. I had multiple sections of what I call questions.  I asked the group questions, but the purpose of each set of questions were different.  These were key to what I thought the session had to do.  The group needed to have idea of what the game was about and what kept their group together.  We'd questioned it prior to it. So questions seemed apt. Same Page Questions The first section of questions weren't character centric.  They were game and group specific.  The urge to just leap in and crack characters without no bigger framework wouldn't help.  The questions about the game as a whole were just reconfirming things we'd already be...

Previous | Start | Index  | Next Dayvd Whyte (H minus 3 Days) I tapped my palm lightly on the Conjuring Box.  The signal activated it, calling forth the next programmed order.  My Daemon programmed that order, never with my consent. #Conjuring Beverage. My Daemon ordered a drink for me.  Grape juice.  Like I always would have.  Predictable.  As the Daemon was supposed to function. I gazed at the purple fluid in the glass. "Davyd?"  Rahm's voice shook me from the reverie. "Ah.  Yes.  The last bit of planning."  I took a sip.  My paranoia about the Daemon still held from the previous months.  Tiny things the Daemon shouldn't have gotten wrong.  Tiny slips or mispredictions. Errors.  I'd scrubbed that Daemon and had it replaced with a new one.  Reprogrammed.  New heuristics, re-tuned to me and my social media.  Then the errors appeared again. So I replaced that Daemon with anothe...