Happy Halloween!

I was going to post a bit of fiction, but I got a bit carried away and I think I need to do something else with the bit I was writing. I don't know. I also need to get a good night's sleep and read over it again. Tonight, however, there will be costumes and candy along with ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night, not to mention a lot of updating things and tweaking other things at work. So we'll be back tomorrow with the riveting tale of the first episode of the boys' new Dungeons and Dragons adventure, and in the meantime I hope everybody enjoys my favorite holiday!

Missed Connections: Riverbed

You were the young man in the inner tube. I was the soft touch against your legs underwater. I tried to meet you, but you kept kicking your feet and shaking me off. You should have let my gentle tendrils wrap around your legs. You should have come down. The bottom of the river is so warm and dark and cozy at this time of year. You should have been part of me. I know you're busy now, but maybe we can meet again next summer?

Music: Raymond Chandler Evening

Music by Robyn Hitchcock:

...I think this one requires maybe a little more explanation than usual. I first encountered the song as lyrics; they were included in The Crow -- not the movie, but the comic. So when I recite it to myself, it's something closer to a forceful poem than it is to a song (as it will be here). But it sticks with me, you know? "...And I'd like to reassure you, but I'm not that kind of guy." Yeah. First time I read that, I felt seen.

DnD Boys, New Campaign 1: The Introduction

I'm starting a new campaign for the boys, because I kind of let the other one die of ennui. Well, that and lack of planning. This one at least has a definite direction. So here's their opening:

The city of Stalmont begins at the foot of the great mountain, and climbs the steep slopes to the Royal Citadel at the peak. Dwarves work their mines and make their homes deep in the mountain itself, while humans and elves, halflings and halfbreeds make their homes in the walled tiers of the outer city. At the foot of the mountain, the city sprawls out in a disorganized slum, cut through with the stone-paved trade roads but otherwise changing constantly. To the south, just outside the city, a cluster of gnomish burrows forms a sort of suburb. The valley floor to the south and east spreads out into the farms and orchards and small villages that supply Stalmont with food and raw materials, which the artisans and crafters convert to finished goods.To the north lie the foothills that hold vineyards and herders, and beyond them the old forest that supplies the city's timbers. A wide tunnel through the base of the mountain connects Stalmont to the docks of Tradeport, which sit on the edge of the Inland Sea.

Recently, the merchant-noble Ardivil has put out a call for adventurers willing to explore strange and possibly dangerous places. His workers, it seems, have uncovered the ruins of an ancient civilization in the caves of a nearby mountain, and he wants explorers to examine the site before he risks a full expedition. Each of you, for reasons of your own, has decided to sign up. The money is good, it's a chance to escape Stalmont, and how dangerous could a deserted city be anyway?

The boys have already created their characters. In a bit of a dramatic shift, Firstborn is playing a Paladin -- he wanted a combination of hitting things and healing. Secondborn, meanwhile, has taken over the position of Druid, mainly so he can play a wolf as well. He was very insistent about his character's origin, though: apparently he found an ancient statue, and it gave him Druid Powers. I'm throwing in a DM's character as well -- something I normally wouldn't do, except that it's hard to cover the bases with just two players. So my character will be a half-elf street rat (rogue) who will pivot to Wizard after third level. (He has a sort of mentor figure who's a mid-level wizard, who's been training him.) Beautiful Wife might join in, but I'm not really expecting that and we haven't made a character for her yet.

Music: I'll Kill You That Way

Ladies and Gentlemen and sundry nonbinaries and anyone else: I give you the Slashstreet Boys:

Missed Connection: Ankles

You were the small child up above. I was the thing in the darkness down below. You had the covers over your head, so of course I couldn't see you.

But then you stirred. I felt the bed move above me. You were getting ready to throw the covers back. You were getting ready to move.

I was waiting. I knew where you'd go: the bathroom. Where else would you go in the middle of the night? And you must have badly needed to get there. I had my arms out, just under the edge of the bed.

But you didn't put your feet on the floor. You jumped to the chair, and then all the way to the bathroom door. And then you turned on the light, and oh how it burned.

And the next night, you were gone. It was just a sleepover at your grandparents' farm. But I want you to come back. You have those lovely, delicate ankles... and I have the these long arms and these long, curling fingers, perfect for wrapping around them. Sleep above my bed again. Put your feet on the floor this time. I am so, so sorry that we didn't get to meet properly.

Music: Haunted

From the Poe album of the same name: