Tag Archive | prompter: thnidu

Æ is for Ash

May9

From [personal profile] thnidu‘s prompt here in honor of the Things Unspoken landing page

They called it the Unburnt Tree. In Corthwin, which had burned thrice in known history, and, from the records in the places not yet rebuilt, appeared to have burned at least three times before they began counting such things, there stood an Ash Tree. It was unbelievably tall – the tallest thing in the city – and incredibly wide. And nobody built within a hundred meters of its spread in any direction.

They called it the Unburnt Tree for good reason. By all indications, the tree had been growing for longer than Corthwin had stood. In a city which had burned so many times, in a land where massive forest fires had once ranged, the Unburnt Tree stood. When the Empire had taken over the nation of which Corthwin was a major city, the Unburnt Tree stood, unharmed, untouched, even when the catapults flung burning pitch over the walls. When an earlier Emperor had, soon before he was quietly helped to the next life, sought to eliminate sources of “superstition” throughout the Empire and ordered the Unburnt Tree cut down, the axes had bounced off.

What was more, scions of the tree or seedlings grown from its seeds, all of those that survived to be saplings or larger took on the properties of their ancestor. Now, surrounding Corthwin, there grew a wall of trees, some no thicker than a finger, but all of them bearing the promise: the world might burn, but these trees would not. And, what’s more, all those who sheltered under their leaves would be safe.

The Unburnt tree could not protect all of Corthwin. But with its children, it could protect the people.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/936661.html. You can comment here or there.

Prince Rodegard Considers His Situation

May7

First: Prince Rodegard Visits the Imperial Capital

Previous: The Merger of Railways

To [personal profile] thnidu‘s commissioned continuation.

Rodegard knew he wasn’t considered the brightest candle. He was big, enthusiastic, and sometimes clumsy – “like an overgrown puppy,” his father liked to say. His skills didn’t help, either: even though their nation desperately needed it, being good with the earth was considered a low skill, a dumb skill.

But he could read which way the river was flowing, and he could see the spaces where his minder wasn’t saying things. He let the train roll by. He let his breath steady. He watched Kneginja Esedora watching him.

“So you’re preparing me to be Empressina Nadia’s consort.” He found the idea neither terrified him nor thrilled him nearly as much as it should.


If you want more – and I’m pretty sure this wants to be a full-length romance novel – drop a tip in the tip… handcuffs 😉

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/935069.html. You can comment here or there.

The Border, a continuation of “Itty Bitty Package” and “Courier Duty”

Dec14

After Itty Bitty Package ane Courier Duty. To [personal profile] thnidu‘s commissioned continuation.

Want to bring a specific more, please to my attention? Go here.

Pregnant? Pretza was unsure if she was more surprised at that or at his correct assessment of her as female. It must be the way she was carrying her package, against her stomach and chest and under her clothes.

It was a gift, and she should not kick the tires on a gift rover too much. “Sir.” It was no trouble at all to make her voice sound tired or stressed. “I need to get -“

He dropped his voice to a whisper. “Where everyone with any sense needs to get, of course. Orion Free Territory is just over that hill. But there’s a Corbetian contingent between here and there, girl. And you may not be my daughter, but I won’t hand you over either way.”

He took her hand. “This way.”

Tip Package 😉

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/865297.html. You can comment here or there.

December Meme – Day Eleven (Yesterday) Roll dem bones.

Dec12

(reference: http://gosimpsonic.tumblr.com/post/54091186115/roll-them-bones)

The Meme

Today’s prompt is from [personal profile] thnidu: Rolling the dice.

Oh ho ho I could go so many… okay, two or three ways with this.

The first that comes to mind is the literal. I have, like any good pen-and-paper gamer, a bag full of dice, most of which have more than six sides (I have some D4s because they amused me; I don’t think I’ve ever used them in a game).

The thing is, although I’ve been playing tabletop games on and off since college, and although I learned HOW when the kid down the street ran D&D for me back in high school (My guy friends who had a regular game wouldn’t let me play with them. Seriously), most of my gaming career has been LARPing.

No, not like that movie. Well, maybe a little bit. (Not like the Supernatural episode, either.)

I did World of Darkness (Vampire, Werewolf, Changeling, Mage…) LARP, which wasn’t boffer and was rock-paper-scissors. No dice involved! I tended to describe it, offhandedly, as “I spend my weekends pretending to be a vampire. Or a werewolf.” And it really is just make-believe.

You see, I never outgrew make-believe. Other kids stopped playing with me, but I kept thinking up the stories. Once I found out I could get other people to write stories with me – or read and engage in those stories – I was right back on the playground, having the time of my life.

So rolling the dice comes from, for me, a very similar place as writing. I’m playing in a fictional world, and I love it.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/864808.html. You can comment here or there.

Other Duties As Needed, a story for the Giraffe Call

Oct7

“Miss Myers, when you I said I was willing to do anything…” Danny wiped sweat from his brow. He should just shut up. He kept talking. “I suppose the tone of your voice led me to think that, maybe, since you were looking for a ‘personal assistant’ and it was going to be work in my degree field…”

“You thought perhaps the work would either be sexual or related to business. I understand.” Lilliam Myers sat down on stone wall with a practiced skirt-smoothing gesture that did not help Danny’s concentration. She was fifteen years older than him and a thousand times richer and more successful. And he worked for her, and she was talking about sex. “You weren’t expecting to be laying walls and mowing my lawn. It doesn’t appear to be forwarding your position any, am I right?”

“Exactly.” He picked up another brick and slotted it into place.

“But you did say you’d be willing to do anything.”

“I’m doing it, I’m doing it. It’s just – “

“Not what you expected.” She was laughing at him, wasn’t she? He should have stayed quiet. He should shut up now.

“Not really, no.”

“So what you want is the ability to climb in society, not to build the walls that holds society’s lawns together. But in reality, all that we do is build walls for other people to sit on.”

Danny finally listened to his inner voice and shut up.

“We do a lot of dirty work. Yesterday, while you were working on the bushes, I know you heard the entire conversation between Mr. Donaldson and myself.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He hadn’t known that she’d noticed him.

“And did you learn anything?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“There will be a quiz later. For now, go use the bathroom next to my bedroom and clean up. The wall will still be here tomorrow… and, in a couple hours, we have a charity ball to go to.”

“In a…” The look in her face was unmistakable. “Yes, ma’am!”

My Dungeon & Cave Call is open!

If you’d like to see more of this story, I bet there’s more to be written. Just drop a tip in the the tip handcuffs:

Written to [personal profile] thnidu‘s prompt.

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/824469.html. You can comment here or there.

Being A Samurai Takes Work, a drabble of Doomsday Academy for the Giraffe Call

Aug29

A commissioned continuation from (I believe) [personal profile] thnidu.

After Gonna Be a Samurai

and Going to Learn How to be A Samurai.

Being a samurai took a lot of discipline. That’s what the books had said. Discipline and hard work and kimono and…

And apparently it took math classes, too, history classes, watching tv shows called anime from before the collapse, and, peh, being nice to all his fellow students. Even the silly ones.

And it took listening to Miss Ascha as if she were his sensei. Which, Austin supposed, she really was. And that meant more math and history and geology and, well, more being nice to his fellow students.

He bowed very politely to Sianna. If she wanted him to learn how to waltz, well, he guessed he was learning the waltz with her.

I don’t have a strong mental image for Austin yet (except touseled light-brown hair), but Sianna looks more or less like this

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(the tip jar is a kitty for reasons)

This entry was originally posted at http://aldersprig.dreamwidth.org/796682.html. You can comment here or there.