Story: "Two Spirits, One Past" (Part 6 of 12)

This story fills a square on my card for the hc_bingo fest. This fest encourages the creation of boundary-pushing material that explores what happens when things go horribly wrong and people actually care about each other. Remember, things always go wrong; what matters is how you deal with that. Some of the content may be NSFW. Read the FAQ and rules here. The signup post is here. I'm hoping to attract some new readers.

The following story belongs to Schrodinger's Heroes, featuring an apocryphal television show supported by an imaginary fandom. It's science fiction about quantum physics and saving the world from alternate dimensions. It features a very mixed cast in terms of ethnicity and sexual orientation. This project developed with input from multiple people, and it's open for everyone to play in. You can read more about the background, the characters, and a bunch of assorted content on the menu page.

This is a crossover with the Hulk from The Avengers. So it doesn't match up exactly with the various Hulk movies, and Bruce Banner is played by Mark Ruffalo. The storyline goes into alternate-universe mode after the lab accident while Bruce is running from General Ross but before Bruce meets any of the Avengers. Read the beginning of the Schrodinger's Hulk storyline in "Safe Keeping."

Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.  Skip to Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12.

Fandom: Hulk / The Avengers / Original (Schrodinger's Heroes)
Prompt: Nervous Breakdown
Medium: Fiction
Wordcount: 13,000
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: References to child/domestic abuse in Bruce's childhood and further mistreatment by General Ross later. Reference to minor character death, in that Bruce's father murdered Bruce's mother. No other standard warnings apply.
Summary: Bruce struggles to adapt to a new dimension that is almost like his home dimension. The trouble is, no matter where you go, there you are with yourself; and when your key problems are internal rather than external, there's no way to run away from them. Unexpected aspects of Bruce's identity shake things up for him. Ash and Quinn help Bruce start figuring out how to untangle the whole mess.
Notes: Angst. Fractured identity. Dealing with loss. Coping mechanisms (functional and dysfunctional). Trust issues. Survival issues. Control issues. Paranoia (justified and otherwise). Friendship. Family of choice. Sex/gender crisis. Safe places. Comfort food. Nonsexual intimacy.

( Read more... )

Watch "Paperman"

If you missed seeing it as the short before "Wreck-It Ralph," you can now watch "Paperman" online.  Very sweet romantic cartoon.

Followup Naming Poll

msstacy13 has narrowed it down to eight names, with a new poll for people to choose the one they like best.  I like "Barker" as a reporter's name.

LAST DAY for Rose & Bay Nominations!

Today is the LAST DAY to make nominations for the 2013 Rose & Bay Awards for excellence in crowdfunding!

Art:  ysabetwordsmith  Nominate art!  (5 nominees)
Fiction:  ysabetwordsmith  Nominate fiction!  (7 nominees)
Poetry:  kajones_writing  Nominate poetry!  (5 nominees)
Webcomic:  ysabetwordsmith  Nominate webcomics!  (5 nominees)
Other Project:  ysabetwordsmith  Nominate other projects!  (6 nominees)
Patron:  kajones_writing  Nominate patrons!  (4 nominees)

Voting will open on February 1.

As you can see, we still need nominations in all categories, but especially in Patron, which has the fewest.  Please drop by to nominate your favorite crowdfunded patrons or projects from 2012.  Post about the award in any relevant venue to help alert more people.

If everyone would nominate at least one favorite project, and those of you running projects would nominate at least one of your patrons, we'd have a lot more activity here.  Please pitch in.

Poem: "The Janardanakavita"

A couple weeks ago, I posted about the economic impact of Smaug in my journal.  The ensuing discussion inspired a fantasy world plagued not by a single dragon, but by a mass migration of them, hence the series title "A Conflagration of Dragons."  I have spent the intervening time doing some heavy-duty worldbuilding.  A very brief thumbnail to set the scene ... 

There are six races, all of them humanoid and none of those human, dwarven, or elven.  They are unique designs, each based on an affinity for two of the four elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water).  They only sort-of get along with each other, with some alliances and a lot of rivalries.  Also unlike most fantasy settings, there are no prevailing religions; the cultures focus on different philosophies instead.  This causes about the same amount of tension as religions, just minus the personification.  

Dragons are a single species, all able to breed with each other, but they have different color phases.  That relates to which toxic elements they use best and can find most, thus influencing the style of their breath weapon.  The basic phases are red, blue/green, bronze, and black.  These dragons are stupendously powerful; an adult has approximately the same ecological footprint as a volcano.  Consequently they've adapted so that they can go dormant if the environment can't support them anymore.  That can happen on an individual cycle, but also groups of dragons can hibernate together, creating the conflagration effect when they all wake up.

Here, then, is the first poem in the series.  "The Janardanakavita" marks the end of the Golden Age and the beginning of the Conflagration.  It introduces three of the six races: the Madhusudana, the Imran, and the Shu.  It's written in couplets in a form inpsired by Hindi poetry; but I'm breaking the lines into half-lines so they'll work onscreen, as indicated by the indentations.  The kavita form is designed to accommodate that.  I'm planning to do each of the six poems about the fall of the capitol cities in a different form.  Names of characters, races, cities, etc. are taken from famous works of literature and mythology, a different one for each race, so you might recognize some.

This poem also fills the "first time" square on my Dark Fantasy Bingo Card.

Title:  "The Janardanakavita"
Fandom:  Original (A Conflagration of Dragons)
Characters:  Atemu, Janardana, Puru, Yaqub, Zabur
Pairing:  None
Prompt:  First time
Medium:  Poetry
Wordcount:  945
Rating:  PG-13
Warning:  Character death.  Graphic violence.  Doom, destruction, and despair.  Helpless to stop destruction.
Summary/Preview:  The rulers of different lands like to show off their treasures to each other.  While this is going on, a dragon arrives.  Nobody is remotely prepared to cope with the level of carnage that ensues.

( Watch the world burn ... )

Poem: "Faith as a Grain"

This poem came from the January 22, 2013 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from thesilentpoet and Dreamwidth user Avia.  It has been selected in an audience poll for sponsorship out of the general fund.  This poem belongs to the series Fiorenza the Wisewoman.  You can read more about Baba Yaga and the Bible verse that inspired the title online.

( Read more... )

Poem: "Buon Natale"

This poem came from the January 22, 2013 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from wyld_dandelyon and Dreamwidth user Cadenzamuse.  It has been selected in an audience poll for sponsorship out of the general fund.  This poem belongs to the series Fiorenza the Wisewoman.  You can read more about Italian Christmas traditions and holiday foods online.

( Read more... )

On Ghazals and the Ghazal Sonnet

Here's an interesting essay about ghazals, a form of Arabic poetry.  Some poetic forms cross easily over language barriers; others do not, if they tie tightly into the particular features of the source language.

The khazal form in which I write much of my desert poetry was inspired loosely by ghazals.  For an example, see "The Pear Gate."

The kavita form, which I designed for writing "The Janardanakavita," was inspired by the shloka form used in the Mahābhārata and many other Indian epics.  Because English has a very different structure than Hindi, I took some features from the shloka and some from heroic couplets and other sources, to create a form that would carry hints of the classic Indian flavor yet still work gracefully in English.

Poll: Open an Epic

Based on the previous poll, I have posted "Faith as a Grain" and "Buon Natale"  in full.  You have $36.50 left in the general fund with which to open a new epic for microfunding.  Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll.  I will leave it open until at least Friday night.  If there's a clear winner then, I'll close it.  Otherwise I may leave it open a little longer.

There are three epics left: "Her Crystalline Voice" ($56.50), "The Mystery of the Worn-Out Slippers" ($75), and "A Comedy of Craft" ($78).  To see where those fit in the series chronology, visit the page for Fiorenza the Wisewoman.  To see thumbnails, visit the unsold poetry post.

[Poll #1893674]