Archive | January 2016

Trouble in Cloverleaf? A Storylet of Mike and Luke for @InspectrCaracal

Jan26

This story is of questionable canonicalness – it probably happened, probably about 100 years after Cya & Leo graduate from Addergoole (or about 93 years after the end of the world) – but the exact date is up in the air, as well as some details.

It follows the Apollo/Boom stuff you can find on top on the Boom tag by about 2 years.

Mike was grinning, tanned, and dressed in new, strange clothes when he sashayed into Luke’s office. In green and brown, he looked like he had stepped out of a Robin Hood film – or, knowing Mike, possibly the pornographic spoof of a Robin Hood film.

“Cloverleaf,” Luke guessed. Mike had way too much fun on his little excursions, wherever he went, but only Cloverleaf left him grinning like that. They liked him in the bars there, it turned out, and probably the brothels, too.

(Luke wouldn’t put it past Cynara to have put in brothels just for Mike).

“Cloverleaf. They have newspapers.” He flopped the tri-folded paper down on Luke’s desk.

“All the comforts of the modern age,” Luke muttered. “Next thing we know, she’ll have self-driving cars.”

“Horses do that pretty well, actually. They say the press is pretty free, there. Only a couple rules, if my informant is to be believed.”

“How drunk was your informant?” The paper was called The ‘Leaf Leaves, and the first headline was something about Mayor Collapses? Luke picked up the paper.

“Faiiirly sober?” Mike hedged. “As sober as normal, at least. They like their papers. They like their city, turns out. I mean, nationalism and all, but it’s nice to see people happy in their home. And, ah,” he gestured at the paper. “With their Mayor.”

Luke unfolded the paper and stared. “Mike, what is this?”

“They’ve redeveloped photography,” Mike added helpfully.

“I can see that. What is this?”

“It’s a photo of the Mayor collapsing, like the paper says.” Mike was grinning, damn his soul.

“No.” He stared at the photo. It was grainy and pixelated, printed in four colors with the offset slightly off on the red. But it was very clearly Leofric Lightning-blade carrying Cya Red Doomsday. They were smiling. They were happy. And Leo was wearing a golden collar around his throat. “Mike…”

“Most of the rumors say it’s her collar.” Mike’s smile had vanished, replaced by something strange and thoughtful. “And all of the rumors say they’re happier now.”

Cya Red Doomsday’s best Words had always been Tempero and Intinn, Control and Mind. And she’d always been balanced by Leo’s absolute certainty that he was a good guy. Luke was already headed for the door.

Next: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1057996.html

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1055765.html. You can comment here or there.

Languary Day 22: A bit of a worldbuilding story beginning, with vocabulary

Jan26

haph-Tachie and haph-Fota1 were sixteen years old when the Place found the next pair of twins. They were already past their age of peak usefulness and had been training as acolytes in the Institution for almost a decade, but the arrival of a new set of twin infants meant –

Well, for Fota, it meant freedom. They could go out in the world now. They could explore, they could learn what life was like outside of the Place. Fota couldn’t wait to leave.

Tachie, on the other hand, liked the safety of the place and the comfort of an acolyte’s rituals. She wanted to know what the world outside was like – but she didn’t want to leave the Place, not permanently.

“The Institution will always support you,” the Head Reader of the Place reminded them. “You can do whatever you want with your life.”

“But what I want is to be here,” Tachie insisted. She felt guilty, going against her twin… but the freedom Fota might find outside, she thought she might find in a little bit of separation. The chosen twins were always together, waking and sleeping. And Fota had always been the stronger twin.

1. one-Left, one-Right.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1055678.html. You can comment here or there.

A Week in Alder! (and a few days…)

Jan26

Jan 17th Summary

I took a couple days off for sickness; feeling better now.

Patreon
This month’s theme is Addergoole!
I’m working on Hob’s prompt; if you happen to be a $5 donor, go prompt!

Conlang
I’ve been making sentences in Whispers Drop, my conlang for Languary

Serials
In Edally Academy, Enrie’s troubles just keep going.

Renewal Time!
I’m renewing all my domain names AND paying for the paid DW Account, so I started a continuing story, Sting Marydel and the Cliffs of Anterior to raise funds. We’re up to $20 so far!

Fun
Building the Apiary – Cya builds things
On the Hunt, or not, One of Cya’s descendants, in Addergoole.

Prompt Calls
My December Prompt Call is going to stay open until it stops being fun 😉
The theme is “Prompt something fun for me or fun for you.” Go ahead and prompt something
Stories since the seventeenth are:
Changes and Adjustments, Rozen & Kai post-Apoc Addergoole/Fae-Apoc
Tangled and Tied, a continuation paid for by Rix
Lessons Learned in School, Dragons Next Door

I also still have this Addergoole in the Apocalypse “give me ideas” call open.
I need more prompts!

Coming to School

I reviewed 2015

Offline
I also:
Wrote 450 words on an fdom cyberpunk paranormal romance novella
Wrote 820 words on a secret project
Wrote 50 words of submissions, was paid for a story, and signed a contract for another

I wrote a grand total of 6600 words from Jan 17th-26th!

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1055334.html. You can comment here or there.

Lexember Day 21: A sentence and some worldbuilding

Jan25

I’ve been lax in my worldbuilding with all this WORDbuilding.

Today I am going to go back to a couple words I made earlier,
Ssrussolss, reading-person, and Ssolfutheat, book person.

“A reader, ssrussolss, is one who discerns the ancient texts. A ssolfutheat is one who keeps the books, a librarian.”

The librarian has found a text for the reader.
Has found – the reader for – text, Librarian

Librarians do this; they serve not only as keepers of rare texts (magical, historical, controversial, personal) but also seek them out, perusing the strange corners of the world where books lie.

The readers, in turn, delve deep into these texts, finding meanings from the predecessors, from the Channels, from untrained powers, and divining them for current use.

To find, mafeata
-olp is third person singular present perfect.

futheat is a book, Futheat sha is a text.

cha, chea, choe, chi: for, of, at, in

Mafeatolp – ssrussolss cha – futheat sha, ssolfutheat.

And what will the reader do with that text?

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1055097.html. You can comment here or there.

Sting Marydel and the Cliffs of Anterior, Part 4

Jan25

Part one: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1049125.html
Part two: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1049392.html
Part three: http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1051270.html

Sting was fast with a door slam. He had practiced on ex-girlfriends, bullies, evangelists, and, once, the cops. But the woman from NABU was faster with her foot, at least when she was expecting it, which she clearly was.

“Mr. Marydel, it is very important that you listen to us.”

Her boot was not getting out of the door. Sting opened it again. “What, national security, safety of the world, that sort of thing?”

She smirked at him. “Very few teenagers are all that interested in saving the world these days. Even if we had a true emergency on our hands, we might be hard-pressed to recruit based on young people’s altruistic urges. No. I want to appeal to your vanity and sense of adventure, your desire to get out of your parents’ house, and your clear lack of interest in attending college. No submitted applications,” she answered before Sting could ask.
“And? Why me? I don’t like fighting, I tend to lose.” It wasn’t exactly true. He’d gotten a lot better at not losing in the last few years, but that was a far cry from winning. “I’m not Army material. I told the recruiter that at the booth, too.” Why wouldn’t she just go away? The rain was dripping down her head and down her team’s wires. That couldn’t be good for anyone.

“We don’t recruit from the same pool as the Army, and Army recruits are almost always unsuited to work for us. Tell me, how much do you know about NABU?”

“Enough to know you’re all experimental stuff. Nobody’s making mechs yet commercially, not even in prototype. And ‘unknown power source’ is just asking for trouble!”

“All of this is true. Now, tell me – how do you know all that?”

Shit. Sting swallowed. “Uh… web search?”

“Mmm-hrrm. And that, Mr. Marydel, is why we want you. It’s also why you’re going to end up signing up with us.”

Next:http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1057725.html

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1054666.html. You can comment here or there.

Tangled and Tied, a continuation of Fae Apoc for the Christmas Prompt Call (@Rix_Scaedu)

Jan25

This is written to Rix_scaedu‘s commissioned continuation of Bound Up from the Christmas Prompt Call

Fae Apoc, unwilling Keeping, bondage, nudity.

He had not been this clean since last he knelt to the Gyrfalcon, and he was known as a man meticulously groomed and tidy. She had enjoyed every moment of it, of course, but, in a less common move for her, his former Mentor had made certain that he enjoyed it as well.

“She’s not a bad person, as far as these things go.” She ran a brush through his hair, although it was already smooth and shining. “Not cruel. But she is going to be raw, and you’re going to have to be able to handle her being edgy sometimes, and uncertain others.”

He cleared his throat. “She will Own me. There’s…”

“If I hadn’t taught you how to top from the bottom when your mistress needs, then clearly I haven’t taught you nearly enough. Should I bring you back home, first, and educate you?”

First would mean weeks, months, added to his sentence, more time away from the business. “No, Ma’am. I will do as you say.”

“Of course you will. You’ve always been a good boy.” Her lips brushed damply over his forehead. “Here she is now. Stay there.”

He was bound hand and foot, thigh and bicep and chest and cock. To do anything other than stay there would have been to use Workings, and that would only mean that he’d quickly find himself gagged. “Yes, sa’Gyrfalcon.” He bowed his head as much as he could and listened to her heels click on the floor as she walked away.

She didn’t return. The feet that returned were quiet, sandals or slippers, shushing across the floor as if wanting to be unheard. He held very still.

“Oh.” It was a gasp, just as her feet came into view. Ballet flats, pink. Pink. “Oh, wow.”

Oh, wow. Really? “Mistress?” He didn’t let anything but subservience show in his voice. The Gyrfalcon was listening, he was sure of it.

“Andra?” She knelt down next to him, giving the impression of more pinkness – a dress, gods help him, with flowers – and long hair, dirty blonde. “I’m Deitra.”

What, she wanted to make friends? “Pleased to meet you, Deitra.” The Gyrfalcon was listening. The Gyrfalcon would not be pleased if he was rude.

“You Belong to me now.” She caught up some of the ropes holding Andra, seemingly at random, and gave them a very light tug. “For the next year, you are Mine.”

It wasn’t the most elegant of phrasings, but it avoided some of the things he didn’t really want her thinking about that came with the formal wording. What I have belongs to you… “I Belong to you now.” He comforted himself with the fact that he really had no choice in the matter. “For the next year, I am Yours, body and soul.”

She ran a hand over him, pinching one rope and pulling another. “You’re not very mobile like this. Am I supposed to get to know you here, do you think?”

Yes. Here, where his former Mentor could supervise. “I wouldn’t presume to know sa’Gyrfalcon’s motives.”

“Let me see. If I undo this and this, and this,” she plucked three ropes, “that ought to let you walk. Assuming you can?”

That was an interesting question. “I can walk, mistress.”

“Good.” He never saw where the knife came from, but it dealt with the ropes far too quickly for his comfort. When she had loosened his bonds enough that he could stand and walk – albeit hobbled – she tugged him to his feet. “Come on. It’s a short drive but I’d rather get to it sooner rather than later.”

He swallowed an urge to apologize. “As my mistress requires.”

As he walked with clipped, short steps, he realized he was terrified. Terrified, and so very exposed. How was he going to keep her from ruining him?

How was he going to make her happy with him?

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1054216.html. You can comment here or there.

Languary Day 20: some more rain

Jan24

I continue to pull sentences from here: https://web.archive.org/web/20130307020009/http://fiziwig.com/conlang/syntax_tests.html
The rain came down.
(came down rain)
The kitten is playing in the rain.
(playing rain-in kitten)
The rain has stopped.
(stopped rain).

fetha, verb, to rain
fetham, noun, rain
felashef, noun, kitten (youth-cat)

dithasha, verb, to descend
hetheta, verb, to play
thea, in
ithtutha, verb, to stopped

Past tense, third person singular is still -iln

The rain came down, Dithashiln fetham

Present tense third person singular is -art

The kitten is playing in the rain, Hethetart fetham-thea felashef

-olp is third person singular present perfect.

The rain has stopped, Ithtutholp fetham.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1054192.html. You can comment here or there.

Languary Day 19: playing with sentences

Jan24

I continue to pull sentences from here: https://web.archive.org/web/20130307020009/http://fiziwig.com/conlang/syntax_tests.html

It’s raining.
(is raining it)

The rain came down.
(came down raining)
The kitten is playing in the rain.
(playing in rain kitten)
The rain has stopped.
(stopped rain). (these 3 later)

fetha, verb, to rain
-am, turning a verb into a noun
fetham, noun, rain

THIS is the interesting part, because both the English and the French for “it rains” use a general pronoun. Il pleut, It/he present-tense-rain
Spanish skips the pronoun, as they often do:
estĂĄ lloviendo Formal second-person singular to be, present-tense-rain

BUT I think there should be a word indicating the environment is doing something. SO.
fut, here-now place (“it”)

Edited to add: Syntactic Expletive and Impersonal verbs seem to cover this phenomenon.

Present tense third person singular is -art

Present tense, surrounding:
-artfea

It’s raining, Fethartfea fut.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1053890.html. You can comment here or there.

Lessons Learned in School, a ficlet of Dragons Next Door for the Giraffe Call

Jan22

written to kunama_wolf‘s prompt. DnD, new character.

In first grade, Aliany’s classmates included a centaur, three pixies, a harpy, a wood-elf and five other human children. Their school stood at the border between Smokey Knoll, the magic district, and Alton Heights, a human neighborhood, and as such was an integrated classroom.

Aliany’s parents hadn’t been sure, but Aliany was thrilled by her classmates. She wore paper wings to class for a week after Ogarna, the harpy child, showed her how she flew. She turned a pair of her boots into hooves. She made clay tips for her ears. Her teachers, a dweomer-elf mix who could’ve passed as human, spoke to her parents, concerned.

Her parents just smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with aspiring. Even if it’s impossible, you learn something along the way,” her father insisted.

Aliany’s mother bought her a pair of costume pixie wings that year for Christmas, and a children’s alchemy set. “There is magic even for humans,” she assured Aliany, “and flight, and mystery.”

In second grade, Aliany shared her class with a dragon, and her parents, with a cheerful sigh, began building a fireproof rec room in the basement.

Want more?

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1053539.html. You can comment here or there.

Languary Day 18: More sentence construction

Jan22

More from https://web.archive.org/web/20130307020009/http://fiziwig.com/conlang/syntax_tests.html

The kitten jumped up.
(Jumped up kitten)
The kitten jumped onto the table.
(Jumped table onto kitten)
My little kitten walked away.
(Walked away kitten-little my)

Verb Object (Object adjective) (adverb) Subject (subject adjective)

Kitten, jumped, table, walked. And Up!

So a kitten is a shefeen, a small cat, or a felashef, a youth-cat.

to Jump: phanfisha

Past tense, third person singular is still -iln, phanfishiln

Table table table. Table is palan

Up is fot

Phanfishiln fot felashef.

Onto, oh Lord… /runs away/ /comes back/

Over, onto, under, shab, shem, shosh

Phanfishiln palan shem felashef.

Towards, away, thim, threm

crap, forgot WALK.

Walk is ssetsse

and my -ro

Ssetsselin* threm felashefeen-ro.

Ssetsselin* threm Lyn.

* because it’s irregular 🙂

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/1052990.html. You can comment here or there.