Torn World Muse Fusion report

In Which the Dandelyon is Tired!

I woke up earlier than planned, because the covers had been pulled off half of me and my arm was Cold, and because my CPAP was out of water. Now, those two things were fixable, but I was also awakened from a dream where I'd been captured by this female serial killer-psychopath, and though I had plans to get away while I was in the dream, once I pulled the covers back over me, I started to slip back there, and realized that was NOT how I wanted to start my day. 

So I got up and made food, and made up a list of names that fit Torn World language rules.

Once Ellen opened the Muse Fusion, I started writing, interspersed with silly things like shoveling snow and mopping up cat puke. Oh, and calling a lady who sent me an e-mail about setting up a job interview. Naturally, all I got was her voice mail.

But back to Torn World.

Today I wrote the following:

An excerpt from a Southern book entitled Moon Myths of Assimilated Peoples of the Empire, which includes a children's song named Birash and Darash. I plan to post this as my freebie.  This was written from a prompt by valdary .

Building a Home, a short story set in the south, highlighting some of the conundrums posed by their licensing system (which is the way the state raises what we would call taxes, in addition to regulating behavior), from prompts by haunted_blood and allykat , and sponsored by allykat .  The characters in this story are Dini, Lalya, and Filor.  It is 1414 words long.

Alligator's First Midsummer Dance, from a prompt by kelkyag , and sponsored by Mikka.  This is another tale of the animals in the Riilass Swamps, where Skycat appears, but as a supporting (though not supportive) character.  It is 850 words long. 

An Afternoon Made of Stories, from prompts by tonithegreat , kelkyag , haunted_blood  and padparadscha .  In this story, we see Ivara as a young ranger, out riding with Dlameda, Marai, and Inama; we find out how Dlameda got that bearskin--and that's not even the exciting part. This one is available for sponsorship at $30, and is 1900 words long. 

Stillborn Dreams, from ysabetwordsmith 's prompt.  I like writing stories with happy endings, but this title just kept haunting me.  It's a 30-line poem, $9.

An Afternoon Made of Stories and Stillborn Dreams will be submitted as "subscriber only" material on the Torn World website if not sponsored here. 

There's still a bunch of really interesting prompts; I wouldn't be surprised if I wake up with another story in mind.  Though I have to get packed for Capricon.

Speaking of which -- is anyone looking for a couple of roommates at the con?

Torn World Muse Fusion report

In Which the Dandelyon is Tired!

I woke up earlier than planned, because the covers had been pulled off half of me and my arm was Cold, and because my CPAP was out of water. Now, those two things were fixable, but I was also awakened from a dream where I'd been captured by this female serial killer-psychopath, and though I had plans to get away while I was in the dream, once I pulled the covers back over me, I started to slip back there, and realized that was NOT how I wanted to start my day. 

So I got up and made food, and made up a list of names that fit Torn World language rules.

Once Ellen opened the Muse Fusion, I started writing, interspersed with silly things like shoveling snow and mopping up cat puke. Oh, and calling a lady who sent me an e-mail about setting up a job interview. Naturally, all I got was her voice mail.

But back to Torn World.

Today I wrote the following:

An excerpt from a Southern book entitled Moon Myths of Assimilated Peoples of the Empire, which includes a children's song named Birash and Darash. I plan to post this as my freebie.  This was written from a prompt by valdary .

Building a Home, a short story set in the south, highlighting some of the conundrums posed by their licensing system (which is the way the state raises what we would call taxes, in addition to regulating behavior), from prompts by haunted_blood and allykat , and sponsored by allykat .  The characters in this story are Dini, Lalya, and Filor.  It is 1414 words long.

Alligator's First Midsummer Dance, from a prompt by kelkyag , and sponsored by Mikka.  This is another tale of the animals in the Riilass Swamps, where Skycat appears, but as a supporting (though not supportive) character.  It is 850 words long. 

An Afternoon Made of Stories, from prompts by tonithegreat , kelkyag , haunted_blood  and padparadscha .  In this story, we see Ivara as a young ranger, out riding with Dlameda, Marai, and Inama; we find out how Dlameda got that bearskin--and that's not even the exciting part. This one is available for sponsorship at $30, and is 1900 words long. 

Stillborn Dreams, from ysabetwordsmith 's prompt.  I like writing stories with happy endings, but this title just kept haunting me.  It's a 30-line poem, $9.

An Afternoon Made of Stories and Stillborn Dreams will be submitted as "subscriber only" material on the Torn World website if not sponsored here. 

There's still a bunch of really interesting prompts; I wouldn't be surprised if I wake up with another story in mind.  Though I have to get packed for Capricon.

Speaking of which -- is anyone looking for a couple of roommates at the con?

Torn World Muse Fusion

This is the Torn World Muse Fusion Freebie, an excerpt from a book that truly exists only in Torn World. I imagine it as a large old tome, covered in purple leather, with a gilded depiction of the three moons on the cover.  The depiction is both traditional and scientifically accurate, the primary moon at its zenith, with the much smaller secondary moons in their permanent orbital spots, 60 degrees East and 60 degrees West of the primary.

For more details on Torn World's astronomy, there's a wiki-style article on tornworld.net
_______________________

Moon Myths of Assimilated Peoples of the Empire

By Science Leader Emoses Fijoji of Affamaarg


Chapter 23

Birash and Darash

In the Breida mountains, there is a series of tales about of two siblings, twins, Birash and Darash, who came out of the womb pulling each other’s hair. In the tales, this is merely a warning of their fights as they grow. They have an older brother, Atailesh, and a mother who despairs of raising any of them to responsible adulthood. According to the tales, the two girls were at each other’s throats, taking up all of their mother’s time and attention, allowing their brother to get into bad habits and finally to fall to his death in a drunken stupor. When the two girls keep fighting even over his grave, the Gods take pity on the mother, give her a serene resting place in the sky, able to see her remaining children, but not having to worry about them fighting.

Historians speculate whether Atailesh* represented an active volcano visible in the distance during the sundered times, or possibly a comet.  The traditional interpretation, however, is that there were originally four moons, and it was Atailesh falling to the earth that caused the Upheaval.

The people of the valleys used the Birash and Darash stories as an example of everything children should avoid doing, showing not only the girls’ ultimate exile to the sky, but also more immediate consequences, in hilarious detail. Although most of the stories end with their mother cleaning up the messes they made, there was always an assurance that, having heard how the Birash and Darash stories end, the listeners’ mothers knew better than to shield them from having to clean up their own messes.

The following is a children’s song from that region:


Birash and Darash

Birash and Darash, why can’t you play nice?
Your Mother is frantic, she’s yelled at you twice!
And your neglected brother is playing at dice.
Birash and Darash, why can’t you play nice?

Birash and Darash, your Mother can’t rest
One of you runs east, the other runs west
And neglected big brother is failing his test.
Birash and Darash, your Mother can’t rest!

Birash and Darash, your Mother is pale
Your brother is drinking the cheapest dark ale
Then climbing the treacherous cliffs of Midral
Birash and Darash, your Mother is pale

Birash and Darash, Oh, you’ll never learn
The closest you’ll get is to each take a turn
Your Mother is lonely, she’s destined to yearn,
Birash and Darash, Oh, you’ll never learn!

Birash and Darash now run through the sky
With Mother between you so lonely and high
And brother is buried; oh, hear Mother sigh!
Birash and Darash now run through the sky

*Atailesh comes from ataile, restless.

Torn World Muse Fusion

This is the Torn World Muse Fusion Freebie, an excerpt from a book that truly exists only in Torn World. I imagine it as a large old tome, covered in purple leather, with a gilded depiction of the three moons on the cover.  The depiction is both traditional and scientifically accurate, the primary moon at its zenith, with the much smaller secondary moons in their permanent orbital spots, 60 degrees East and 60 degrees West of the primary.

For more details on Torn World's astronomy, there's a wiki-style article on tornworld.net
_______________________

Moon Myths of Assimilated Peoples of the Empire

By Science Leader Emoses Fijoji of Affamaarg


Chapter 23

Birash and Darash

In the Breida mountains, there is a series of tales about of two siblings, twins, Birash and Darash, who came out of the womb pulling each other’s hair. In the tales, this is merely a warning of their fights as they grow. They have an older brother, Atailesh, and a mother who despairs of raising any of them to responsible adulthood. According to the tales, the two girls were at each other’s throats, taking up all of their mother’s time and attention, allowing their brother to get into bad habits and finally to fall to his death in a drunken stupor. When the two girls keep fighting even over his grave, the Gods take pity on the mother, give her a serene resting place in the sky, able to see her remaining children, but not having to worry about them fighting.

Historians speculate whether Atailesh* represented an active volcano visible in the distance during the sundered times, or possibly a comet.  The traditional interpretation, however, is that there were originally four moons, and it was Atailesh falling to the earth that caused the Upheaval.

The people of the valleys used the Birash and Darash stories as an example of everything children should avoid doing, showing not only the girls’ ultimate exile to the sky, but also more immediate consequences, in hilarious detail. Although most of the stories end with their mother cleaning up the messes they made, there was always an assurance that, having heard how the Birash and Darash stories end, the listeners’ mothers knew better than to shield them from having to clean up their own messes.

The following is a children’s song from that region:


Birash and Darash

Birash and Darash, why can’t you play nice?
Your Mother is frantic, she’s yelled at you twice!
And your neglected brother is playing at dice.
Birash and Darash, why can’t you play nice?

Birash and Darash, your Mother can’t rest
One of you runs east, the other runs west
And neglected big brother is failing his test.
Birash and Darash, your Mother can’t rest!

Birash and Darash, your Mother is pale
Your brother is drinking the cheapest dark ale
Then climbing the treacherous cliffs of Midral
Birash and Darash, your Mother is pale

Birash and Darash, Oh, you’ll never learn
The closest you’ll get is to each take a turn
Your Mother is lonely, she’s destined to yearn,
Birash and Darash, Oh, you’ll never learn!

Birash and Darash now run through the sky
With Mother between you so lonely and high
And brother is buried; oh, hear Mother sigh!
Birash and Darash now run through the sky

*Atailesh comes from ataile, restless.

Fireborn: Echoes of Reality

It seems like just yesterday I was posting fiction. Oh, yeah, I was. But if I don't post this today, it'll wait until after Capricon, which would be officially late. So, here's the next chapter of Fireborn.

Oh yeah--for my new friends and readers, Fireborn starts with Wings on His Fingers.
______________________

ORCHID

Orchid had jammed her claws deeply into the tree, and her wings and legs ached. She was drifting in and out of coherence, and dreadfully thirsty. Her mother appeared, hovering just a few feet away, and Orchid loosened one hand and reached for her, but felt only leaves. Mist wavered in the air as Orchid moved, then vanished. “Mom!” Orchid called, but her voice was barely a croak. She reached out and ended up swinging from the tree

The swinging made her nauseous again, and the heaves cleared her head a little. If she could imagine Mist was there, she could dream she was nestled in her pillows at home, and let go of the tree. And fall, without the sense to spread her wings and fly. Carefully, she loosened her feet, and then her other hand, and started to climb down.
( Read more... )

The story continues with Footprints in the Sand.
_______________________

I love to hear from my readers.  Thanks in advance (since I probably won't be able to respond to your comments right away this week) for your comments.

Thank you, again, very much to my sponsors. 

Fireborn: Echoes of Reality

It seems like just yesterday I was posting fiction. Oh, yeah, I was. But if I don't post this today, it'll wait until after Capricon, which would be officially late. So, here's the next chapter of Fireborn.

Oh yeah--for my new friends and readers, Fireborn starts with Wings on His Fingers.
______________________

ORCHID

Orchid had jammed her claws deeply into the tree, and her wings and legs ached. She was drifting in and out of coherence, and dreadfully thirsty. Her mother appeared, hovering just a few feet away, and Orchid loosened one hand and reached for her, but felt only leaves. Mist wavered in the air as Orchid moved, then vanished. “Mom!” Orchid called, but her voice was barely a croak. She reached out and ended up swinging from the tree

The swinging made her nauseous again, and the heaves cleared her head a little. If she could imagine Mist was there, she could dream she was nestled in her pillows at home, and let go of the tree. And fall, without the sense to spread her wings and fly. Carefully, she loosened her feet, and then her other hand, and started to climb down.
( Read more... )

The story continues with Footprints in the Sand.
_______________________

I love to hear from my readers.  Thanks in advance (since I probably won't be able to respond to your comments right away this week) for your comments.

Thank you, again, very much to my sponsors.