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 |  All the GoT stuff, 2024. |
| Apparently this is going to be a load of writing of various types - stories, poems, reviews and, no doubt, just about anything else you can think of. I'll probably update this when I know more. |
| Submarine Ping the steel walls close in sweating with the breath of bodies crammed in sardines in darkest deeps sunless and pressing the ocean tightens grip Ping trembles the riveted floor the engines urgent belly expelling water as harboured air forced into the tanks the dial creeps round its sweep a promise to the surface Ping pressure easing now metal singing in relief human tension easing as up periscope rings and the smooth cylinder rises to offer its single eye to sighted captainās will Ping then up she rises rolling now in boisterous swell first conning tower then curving flanks to break the swirling seas hatch released with splash and scent of wild sea air. House Martell Line count: 32, word count: 114 For {{item:got} The North Remembers, Under the Sea 46 Prompt: First time in a submarine. |
| Dawn Thereās nothing quite like being trapped in a soap. Itās not that there arenāt other occupations when every day seems identical and you meet the same people all the time in your tiny little neighbourhood. Swapping round the faces, forming new patterns of relationship, only to come round to the scenario that looks oh so familiar. But the soap is king of the interminable. The only escape seems to be to die. I thought so anyway, until a few days ago. That was when I had a really weird experience I think of as the glitch. It was as though Iād frozen for a moment, everything gone black, and then, when time returned, the script had missed out on a few lines and I had to improvise until I caught up. That was only the first time. I put it down to something Iād eaten and soon forgot all about it. But then it happened again. A bit longer this time, even though it wasnāt quite so dark. More like falling into this sorta grey mist. It must have lasted longer as well because I was further behind when I regained consciousness. Geoff Ginglick persuaded me to see the doctor about it. The on-set one, of course. Maybe that wasnāt such a good idea. He poked and prodded me for a bit, listened to my heart through that stethoscope heās always wearing, and shone a light in my eyes. Says he canāt find anything wrong. I wasnāt surprised, seeing that he hadnāt done much of an examination at all. But, fair enough, I figured it couldnāt be too bad in that case and was just about to leave, and he leans over to say into my ear, āIām not really a doctor, you know.ā Actually I didnāt know that. I was going to ask him what he meant but he was out of that room like a scared rabbit. Havenāt seen him around since. What was he doing in that case? Pretending to be a doctor? Didnāt make sense. Well, you know me - Iām not one to worry myself to death, so I put it on the back burner until I had time to see a real doctor. Like we have loads of time to ourselves in a soap. Of course, it wasnāt long before it happened again. Everything going along nicely and then, whoosh, Iām in grey country again. Bit lighter that time, and I begin to see shapes moving about in the fog. But I canāt move, itās like Iām glued to the spot, and then whoosh again, Iām back in the soap. And way behind in the conversation. People were beginning to notice and Kathy came up to me afterward and asked if I was okay. She reckoned Iād had some sort of a stroke and couldnāt say a word for a couple of minutes. I fobbed her off. But that wasnāt going to last forever. It seemed to be getting worse and now even I was beginning to worry. Started thinking about where to go to find a decent doctor and then dropped into a really big glitch. This time everything was much lighter and I could see that the shapes were people. And I could move! I walked toward them and their faces coalesced out of the murk. I could recognise them, I tell you. I knew them. Kathy was there and Mark with old Harriman in the background. It occurred to me that it was just like what was happening when I flipped out. They were all carrying on as if nothing had happened to me, chatting away and laughing the way they always do. I grabbed Kathyās arm and she shook my hand loose. āWhat the hell you doing, Bob? Youāll ruin the scene.ā āI donāt understand,ā I said. āWhatās going on? And why canāt I think of how to get back to you guys?ā āAre you having one of your turns?ā she asks, and then Mark leans in and says, āYou bloody idiot - you know we canāt do another take. Youāre wrecking the scene.ā āThe scene?ā I think. āWhat scene?ā I look around and realise thereās people Iāve never noticed out there. People with earphones on and carrying big cameras and stuff, booms with microphones on the end and loads of weird gear. Thereās some guy just getting out of a chair, face all red, and heās shouting something as loud as he can. Only I canāt hear as Iām fading, fading, and everythingās getting misty again untilā¦ Iām back with real life and everyoneās stopped and is looking at me. Mark grabs me and yells, āYou damn fool, do you realise youāre behaving like a drunkard? Waving your arms about and asking weird questions? Whatās wrong with you , man?ā And Iām confused and donāt know whatās happening and then it hits me like a freight train in full blast. This isnāt reality. Shit, we even call it the soap. Weāre all just characters in a play, man. Iām shouting the words at Mark, tearing my arm from his grasp and trying to get through to him, anyone, that thereās a real world out there and we donāt have to be trapped in this farce any longer, we can be free and our own persons and find something worthwhile to do with our lives, if only we let go of this pretence and make believe. But itās too late and theyāre fading away and the light is becoming stronger. And my heart leaps for joy. Iām going back to life at last. Iām free of the soap, free of lines written for someone who doesnāt exist, Iām truly, truly free! House Martel Word count: 948 For "Game of Thrones"  The North Remembers, Mirror MirrorPrompt: 18 Write a story about a character who is experiencing glitches in their reality. Prompt: 36 Write a story where the characters start to realize that they are, in fact, just characters. |
| House of Black and White, Door 6 Tell us a little about yourself Born in Coventry, England, in 1948, I consider myself more English than the English, mainly because I grew up in Africa, where the only defence against the heat was to imagine oneself designed for a much cooler climate. The result was a romantic view of the island of my birth that was outdated even as it took root in my head at a very early age. When I left Africa in 1976 and returned āhomeā (as we called England in the colonies), my eyes were opened in unexpected ways. It was indeed steeped in history and the physical evidence of events going back thousands of years. The countryside was greener than I had thought possible (in Africa, grass is a dirty yellow) and the towns were absolutely filled with people just like me - slightly withdrawn and mindful of their privacy, long-suffering but ferocious when finally goaded to action, and utterly convinced that their sense of humour was better than anyone elseās. It was also a land of incredibly pointless strikes by the workers, politics that centred on the price of a pint of beer, and the famous class system. On this last, I found that I fitted none of the definitions of class and so was acceptable to all the various shades and nuances of British society. My accent, the product of the vast mixture of tongues in southern Africa, years of elocution lessons insisted upon by my parents (who were horrified to realise that I was āgoing nativeā), and time spent in different countries, was unplaceable to the Brits (I had one guess at Antarctica, which I thought pretty imaginative) and so I had a free pass to anywhere. But it also meant that, in some ways, I was a stranger in my own land. It saddened me at times that, in spite of my fierce love for the land of my birth, I did not really fit in. I was happiest in the company of working class people but even then, there were things I had to hold back for fear of distancing myself from them. Not that it was difficult - we Brits are trained to keep ourselves to ourselves. I ramble on too long. You wanted to know about goals and aspirations and thatās easily dealt with, since Iām far too old to have any truck with such things. I have practised to be content all my life and Iām pretty good at it now. And I should shut up now since you said, ātell us a little.ā 2. Pick a member from your team and tell us about them. I chose Lornda  , House Martell leader and the one I call capting, my capting. Thatās just my little joke - I only know her a little through WdC and now GoT, but we get on very well. She has been endlessly patient with my stumbling around in the mists of GoT, explaining the complex and cheerfully encouraging the troops.Before GoT, I saw Lornda around and about in WdC but I wouldnāt go so far as to say I knew her well. Just by watching her, I knew that she was a tireless worker, dedicated to the task of helping others. She is, of course, a leader of the WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group, for which I have done all my reviewing over the last few years. In that role too, she is indefatigable and encouraging. What more can I say? She is indeed a worthy capting of House Martell! Oh, and I found out sheās Canadian. No wonder sheās so nice, eh. 3. Pick a member from an opposing team. Another Canadian! Itās Jayne  ās turn for the spotlight. Applause, please.I first came to know Jaeyne through the live videos of the Quill Awards Ceremony when she and her fellow officials would sit in front of their monitors, dispensing justice and results to all and sundry. How we hung upon their words with anticipation! Jaeyne was, of course, quite dazzling in her finery, often changing during the breaks so that we were always impressed with her expression of haute couture as well as erudition. Since those days, I have come to know Jaeyne for her wit and intelligence, as well as her acknowledged talent as a writer. It is indeed an honour when she visits my humble blog to make a comment or two. Finally, I have to mention that her bio says she watches WILTY. That fact alone is enough to convince me of her excellent taste and insight. Bob Mortimer is the finest Englishman alive! House Martell Word count: 768 For "Game of Thrones" House of Black & White, Door 6 |
| The Invaders "Sammy, we need to talk about why you're here." Dr. Newman rolled a pencil in his fingertips as he watched the asylum's longest term inmate. Sammy looked away under his gaze. "You know why I'm here, Doc. It's because I'm crazy." "We need to be a bit more specific than that," said the doctor. "I can hardly write that as my medical opinion, now can I?" "Well, just say it's because I think you're all aliens then. That's crazy enough, isn't it?" Sammy tried to hide the sneer on his face but the doctor caught the expression and sighed. "Actually, Sammy, that is one of the things I want to discuss today. You've been with us since 1974 and I think it's time you got over this problem. Tell me again about these aliens of yours." Sammy shook his head. "What's the point, Doc? If you are aliens, you're not going to let me go. And, if you're not, anything I say confirms that I'm crazy. Let's just say I've changed my mind and I see the truth now." "But you haven't changed, have you, Sammy?" For a moment Sammy stared out of the window, wondering what was the right answer to the question. It was true that he was still convinced that the doctor, the staff and the inmates of the hospital were all aliens, but he was old and tired now; all he really wanted was to be allowed to leave and enjoy his last few years far away from the whole messy business. Crusades against alien invasion were all very well for a young man, fresh and full of hope. With age came the desire for peace and rest, a weakening of the need to save his race and planet. So how could he answer? The truth would ensure he lived out his days a prisoner but a lie would not be believed. It was the perfect paradox, a question without a correct answer. Turning back to Dr. Newman, Sammy shrugged and said, "You tell me; you're the doctor." There was silence then as the two regarded each other. They had known each other for so long and been through the story so many times that they could be said to be old friends, were it not that one considered the other a captor and a jailer. In the intervening years their relationship had gone from all-out war to a resigned acceptance that stalemate had been achieved and there was nothing more to be said. Their sessions became no more than old men's reminiscences of days gone by. Finally, the doctor broke the silence. "All right, Sammy, I think for once I will do the talking. It's time you heard my assessment of you anyway." He sat back in his armchair, steepled his fingers and began. "My opinion, Sammy, is that you still believe that we are aliens. I have seen nothing to convince me otherwise. And that fact alone is sufficient cause for me to keep you here until the day you die." He paused for a moment and then went on. "Which would be a pity in a way because I know that you're not insane. In fact, you're one of the most stable and intelligent people I know. It's rather like the old question: are you still paranoid if they really are out to get you? To which my answer would have to be no, since a belief in the truth must surely be evidence of sanity. You see, Sammy, the funny thing is that you're quite right. We are alien to this planet and you are the only human in the hospital." Doctor Newman waited for a reaction. But Sammy gave him none, still suspicious that this was a new trick to confuse him and put him off his guard. He stared back at the doctor and said nothing. And the other sighed and continued. "It's the truth, Sammy. We're through playing games with you; there's no longer any point in that. While you've been locked away, our numbers have multiplied and we have, as you would say, won. There's nothing you can do to stop us now. The war, if that's what it was, is over." Sammy had decided how to approach this and now he interrupted. "Okay, let's say for argument's sake that I was right all along and now you've decided to come clean. What I want to know is why? Why would you suddenly admit your plan to me, why this complete turn around?" "Ah," said the doctor, "I was coming to that. You see, when I said that we've won, that was something of an understatement, Sammy. The fact is that you're the only human left. On your own and as old as you are, you couldn't possibly hurt us. It just seemed that it was time to end our charade and let you go free." "You expect me to believe that?" Sammy was certain now that this was a psychiatrist's ploy to get inside his head. "How could I be the only human left? There's millions of us on this planet and you can't have killed us all. And why not kill me too and be done with it? It's just ridiculous, Doc, and I'm not buying it." Doctor Newman shrugged. "That was always your mistake, Sammy. You looked on us as an invading force and assumed we were here to wipe you out. That was never the intent. We needed humans to enable us to breathe this atmosphere and merely merged with them so that we became new creatures. It may seem a little invasive but really it's more of a mutually beneficial arrangement. The human side of us gets the benefits of our technology and we have been able to escape our dying home planet. Everybody wins." Here he looked sharply at Sammy. "Except you, of course. To be quite honest, you've been a pain in the neck to us with your refusal to see anything but evil in us. Oh, I'm not denying there was some resistance in a few, but they all gave in once they saw how much better a world we were building. And only Sammy Jenkins has beaten us with his obstinacy. You're a marvel, Sam; we've tried everything to break you down and still you resist." He shook his head in renewed wonder at this single human's determination to remain himself. "You're free to go. I think you've earned it." Sammy gave no sign of hearing the words he had longed for all the years of his captivity. He sat on in the chair, his mind racing as he tried to understand the devilish purpose behind the doctor's announcement. It made no sense. He was completely at their mercy; they could dispose of him any time they wanted to. So why this unlikely offer of freedom? Why the double bluff of admitting the truth and his sudden release? There had to be a trick in it somewhere but he could not imagine what they were up to this time. In the end, it seemed that there was nothing for it but to play along with them. If it amused them, he'd try to leave the hospital and then see what they had planned. No doubt he'd be back inside before he'd taken a dozen paces. Or dying in a gutter after serving as some twisted form of target practice. He was too tired to care anymore. "All right, Doc," he said, "I'll play the game with you. What do I do, just get up and leave?" Doctor Newman laughed. "That's the general idea, Sammy. If you call at the front desk, they have a suitcase for you with clothes and necessities in it. You'll need some money, of course, and we've prepared a wallet with cash and some credit cards for you. There's a phone box just outside the gate and you can call a taxi from there. I think you'll find that we've thought of everything to give you your life back. Even booked a room for you at the Hilton in town." "So that's it? I'm a free man again?" Sammy wanted so desperately to believe it in spite of his determination not to be fooled. "Yes, Sammy, it's all over," replied the doctor tiredly. "In a way, I'll be sorry to see you leave. You gave me a hard time but you also taught me a lot about humans. Now get out of here and start to live, you crazy old bastard." A few minutes later, Sammy was standing at the gate, looking out at the world. Every inch of the way there, he had expected to be seized by the guards and dragged back to his room but nothing had happened, just the long trudge along the gravel drive and now this: freedom beckoning to him from outside. It looked no different from the way he remembered it. A car went by and it was still recognizably a car, a streamlined metal box with four wheels. Across the street there were open fields and trees, green with the heavy heat of summer; children were playing soccer some distance away and their shouts and laughter drifted to him, bringing pangs of memory to his mind. Freedom was very beautiful. He saw the phone box huddled against the wall of the asylum but made no move towards it. For a long time he stood there unmoving, looking out on the world denied to him for so long. It was as though he watched a movie, observing but not part of the scene. And then at last, as the day wore on towards evening, he turned and walked back up the drive towards the house. At the door Doctor Newman was waiting, as though aware already of the reason for his return. He watched as Sammy plodded towards him and then set down the suitcase. "No go, huh, Sammy?" Sammy shook his head. "Nope. It's no good, Doc, I can't do it. There's no fight out there; how can I live like that? Let me back in and we can pretend that today never happened. Only I won't be so miserable this time, I promise." Doctor Newman smiled and shook his head. "Damn, Sammy, you're a fighter. Never known anything like you..." House Martel Word Count: 1,724 For Westeros, Citadel Task # 59 Prompt: Write a mixed-genre story (science fiction, psychology, philosophy) with a min. 1000 words. Points: 4,000 |
| Relief Green valley, bowl in the mountains, the stream a cold, dark, and bent streak like a brandy stripe through the high marshes, on all sides the peaks, white with spatters of snow and grey their stony faces, while overhead the sky, blue canopy the roof of the tiny tent, our little encampment. Thus Chimanimani, a dream in the heart of Africa, cool refreshment from the vast grassland, ever present, dry and dusty in the sun, while on the mountain the thin, cool air in lungs desperate for this escape. Oh, highland balm on sweating brow too long in tropic lands. House Martel Word count: 100 For "Game of Thrones" Westeros, Citadel Tasks # 65Prompt: Write a descriptive paragraph without using any verbs. Points: 2,000. |
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