Woo, nearly had a driver collide with my car yesterday when he decided not to look before changing lanes. And today I'm depressed as fuck to the point I barely did the warm-up at swimming. Hooray, I suck!

She died for war, which everyone expected.

Writing Prompt For Thursday September 11th, 2014

theseventhsanctum:

She died for war, which everyone expected

Falling in love with one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Not exactly one of the expected repercussions of the end of the world. Neither was throwing herself in the way of the attack that might have actually killed the harbinger. But there she was, lying in an ever growing pool of her own blood, not really sure what was going to happen next. Dying during the apocalypse was expected for sure. The wars stampeding across the world had left millions dead and anyone could be the next victim. But dying to protect the very living symbol of War itself? No one saw it happening like that.
Why had she done that? He had hardly noticed her before this, and yet she had followed him across the country, just outside the wake of conflict he trailed behind. She really hoped she hadn’t fallen in love because of his looks. He was handsome, but he was sometimes barely corporeal. That couldn’t have been the reason. Perhaps she enjoyed what he represented. Though she didn’t feel full of blood lust or desire the division of all peoples. She supposed it could just be the resigned and defeated look on his face. This was a task he was created for, but he took no joy in it. The idea that he could feel sorrow for the humans who gladly tore each other apart, yes, that could quite definitely be it.
Whatever the reason, she looked up at War one last time. The few who had resisted his call to fight and built a weapon to kill him were already dead. War had dispatched them quickly and he now looked down on her with sad and confused eyes. ‘He looks as confused as I am. I wonder what he’ll do now?' She let out her last breath in a long sad sigh and moved no more.

Where do I go to ask?

Sometimes, when I want to learn something, I feel like I’m asking the right questions, but google isn’t who I should be asking, so my question is taken apart, and I get answers to the wrong questions. I just want to ask questions about random things. Does photosynthesis require the sun’s light because of light, or is it the heat from the light, or is it both? Can you funnel light through a series of mirrors so that it’s just as bright on the far end? Could you create an underground farm, using said funnel to give plants the light they need to grow? Does anyone else ever have this issue?

Mostly Trains and Dragons

Just a post to write some ideas/questions down.

What is modern train travel like? What about in the winter? Are there still cargo cars, just to hold bigger items, or crates? What kind of trains are used in the majority of the railways? Are the longer lines (in distance) using similar kinds of engines? Passenger cars? Cargo? How much is a ticket? What's it like to ride on a train for multiple days? Are pets allowed on trains, and if so, where do they get to stay? Are there livestock cars that pets would join, or are pets different and get different lodging? When and how were railways expanded in Europe and Asia? Are there any zoos or wildlife preserves on the coasts of the United States that hold larger reptiles, perhaps Komodo Dragons? What are the challenges for keeping such large lizards, and their shelters, and food, and temperature for their cold-bloodedness? Could they have outside habitats for bigger reptiles like that, in case big storms or hurricanes came through? Or would they just have indoor places for them to retreat to? What are komodo dragon eggs like? What are some of the larger reptiles alive today?

(Spaced for a different story's ideas/questions) How were the railroads expanded in the United States? And I don't only mean physically, though that's important too. How was planning done to expand the railroads? (Also, I just noticed I automatically changed from using railway when speaking in terms of Europe/Asia, and railroad for the United States...odd) I believe dynamite was invented before the mass expansion done in the U.S., was it used to excavate tunnels for the trains to travel through? How powerful were these explosions if they were in fact used? I believe I've read about dragons in Native American lore, somewhere. I need to read up on those again. I'd like to explore those myths and legends. The idea is some railroad expansion blasting awakens North American dragons, causing chaos and mayhem, and just exploring where that idea could go.

What a Night

Well, tonight has been just...weird. Quite the sort of adventure. First a huge thunderstorm and hailstorm barges into town just after I've let the other employees out the door at work. This effectively traps my manager and I in the store. The hail was so large and in such great number, I honestly worried about the glass windows of the storefront. We sit at the front doors, looking out, for a good ten minutes as the rain and hail continues to pound the area. In what we thought was a lull, we try to make a break for it.
The only lull was us being lulled into a false sense of security. Not only has the hail not lessened, but we find ourselves trudging through several inches of freezing water that has pooled in our parking lot. It easily came up to my manager's knees and nearly to mine. Now, the plan is to get us both to my car, and I'd take her to her own, which is in the back. But now we just sit in my car while it warms up, hoping to warm up ourselves, and hoping the driving hail lets up a bit and none of it smashes through my windshield.
I slowly drive around to the back with my shoes off, as they're soaked through and I figure my feet will get warm faster without them. (I can actually pour water out of my shoes at this point) She gets in her car and finally the weather dies enough for us to get out of work about half an hour later than normal. As I drive for home, I notice no hail outside of two miles or so from my work. Was it just localized on the store? My town down the road didn't even receive rain.

Later I had to go pick up some friends who were out drinking and needed a ride. After picking them up through the dense fog that has arisen from the sublimating hail/snow, I'm driving along a very empty road. Just as one of my passengers asks me if he can open his window and I begin to fiddle with the air conditioning, a massive stag appears from the mist in front of us. I manage to slow and swerve into the empty oncoming lane, and it darts back into the field from whence it came, but still harrowing.
It was like this night was out to get me. I half expected we'd arrive at my house with just enough time to put out a fire that started while I'd been away. Thankfully no new disasters awaited.

Six Words

"Thank you." Says a voice behind me.
"Pardon me?" I turn. Oh, it's her.
"I was told you were using the tubes to send out apology letters. I haven't yet received mine, but thank you even so."
I gesture at the pile I have left. "Only a few more to do, though I've been saving yours for last. I'm not quite sure what to write."
"You don't?"
"The problem lies in how little sincerity it would contain. You see, what I did to you felt completely and utterly justified, and I stand by that decision even now. I've managed to narrow it down to three letters." She's moved close now, close enough I hear her swallow before speaking
"What...what are your choices?" I still feel angry, so I tell her.
"The first letter would seem the most genuine, if any of the sentiment were true. It looks like most of the other letters I've written today. The only difference is the platitudes would be truly insincere. I don't know if I could feel good about sending out such an obviously false apology.
"I could write an apology that, to anyone outside our peculiar relationship, would seem like an ordinary apology. In truth it would be full of scorn and snark and sarcasm. You'd be able to tell just by looking at it. I would for certain write down 'I'm sorry' but it wouldn't feel true to you. And in truth would most likely fill you with an equal sense of loathing as the satisfaction that would fill me.
"Finally, the third letter would be six words."
"Six words?"
"Your name. I'm sorry. My name."
Her glare could cut butter, and if she doesn't release that breath she's holding she's bound to turn purple. Though that would suit her better than the red currently adorning her face.
She grabs an empty and thrusts it toward me.
"Fine! That last one! Write that. Do it now and I'll take it and you'll be done. But we'll talk about this later." I scribble down the six words, hand it to her, and watch her leave the room in a quiet storm.
I turn to finish the remaining letters and go to inform my teacher I'd finished.
"Did you write one to her?" I didn't need her to define which 'her' she meant.
"I did. She even came to collect it personally, though I was not done with it when she arrived. She waited until I had completed it and took it without reading it. I assume she waited until she reached her room."
It was good enough and I was allowed to return to my room. I laid on my bed and let myself believe that would be the end of it for a while.

A/N: Sorry a lot of this is vague, it was written down post haste after waking so it wouldn't run away. Please ask questions so I know what to expand on.

Guardian Shield

I have an idea for a sad origin story for a hero. His powers extend to manipulating shields he creates. He can create the shield at pretty much any size, any shape, can manipulate it how he likes. Unfortunately, it draws off of his own energy, and the bigger and more complicated it is, the more energy it takes. His shields are pretty much invulnerable, can’t be pierced, as long as he’s got the energy to maintain them.

He’s been traveling the world, and is currently staying in a small village in a remote region of Earth. He's helping them recover from a recent natural disaster. He wasn’t there for it, but decided he should help. He meets up with another Powered individual, named Conduit. That’s the name she took, anyway. She won’t give her real name. She’s good at siphoning and redirecting energy. She understands and speaks the language and so is often his translator.

One day, he wakes up to find the sky a strange color, and a glowing orb overhead. It is not the sun. Using an emergency radio, Conduit discovers it’s an asteroid that had been hurtling toward Earth for a long time now. Governments worldwide had tried to stop it, and when their efforts failed, kept quiet to prevent panic. Now the rock was here, and the planet had little time left.

Conduit looks to him and asks him if his shield could deflect it. He scoffs, saying that it could if he had enough energy, but that it would surely kill him in the process, even if he had. Dispirited, Conduit goes through the village sharing the news with the frightened villagers. Now, they’ve seen his abilities. He’s held up houses that were collapsing until supports could be put into place. They all know his strength.

Slowly, the entire village gathers in the center of the square he’s standing in, still watching the asteroid. Conduit approaches him and asks him to try turning the asteroid away. He turns to look at her, and states again that he doesn’t have the energy to create a shield massive enough to deflect it. She responds by telling him he doesn’t have enough on his own. Suddenly he feels the eyes of every person there, looking at him. Her idea clicks into his mind and he staggers back, horrified.

She explains that the people had come up with the idea together, asking if there was anything they could do to help. “How could I tell them no? Let us help you deflect it.”

He shakes his head violently. “Don’t you understand? If I could kill myself off by using too large a shield, it would kill them too. No. No, no no no no no…”

Conduit sniffs, wiping at tears. “Not just them, redirecting that much energy would fry me too. But I’m willing to do it. And so are they. Please, take it and use it to save the world.” He’s fallen back to the ground, and tears run unhindered down his face.

"I…I can’t…" But he sees their eyes, sees them clasp hands. Men, women, children, all linking together. As the last of them grasp Conduit’s hand, and she extends hers toward him, his resolve shatters. With people this brave behind him, how could he be any less?

He reaches up and takes her hand.

Days later, a small recon team from an unrecognized government agency descend on the village. As the asteroid diverted from its disastrous course, an energy surge was detected and located. Upon arrival, they discover the source of the redirection, digging hundreds of graves.