Writing Prompts!

[sceneTK421]

Writing Prompt 5.17: You are walking down a back alley,
and you meet Jason from DragonMount. He’s getting
all uppity about how good his submission was. What
do you do to him?

A Prompt Walk Down a Back Alley ...with Jason from DragonMount

I like to walk down alleys. Especially while I'm trying to think about something to write. They're very inspirational. Dark and rough and... Who was this guy? Some dude standing on an apple box wearing a tux. Whose bow-tie wasn't tied very tight and kind of sagged. I thought he looked familiar, but he had his nose turned up, so I couldn't be sure.

“Do I know you?” I asked him.

“Probably not by sight.”

“You look familiar.”

“Its probably the cadence to how I talk,” he said.

“But you hadn't even started talking until after I asked if I knew you.”

“Do you read?”

“Yes.”

“Do you listen to Writing Excuses?”

“YES.”

“...”

“Wait, are you Jason?”

“From DragonMount”

“So this is... the prompt?”

“Yeah.”

“So this is you being all uppity?”

“Yeah.”

“Good job with the no-eye-contact and the acting as if you're tossing your sentences from the heavens.”

“Thank you.”

“Weird, I thought-- well anyway nice to meet you.”

“And...”

“What and?”

“What are you going to do to me?”

“Huh?... Oh, right... um... hmmm”

“Come on man, I have my nose in the air, we're in the back alley, do you have any idea how many people I have to meet tonight in similar alleys to have all sorts of things done to me?”

“How many?”

“Things or alleys?”

“People.”

“Quite a bit.”

“How many exactly?”

“I don't know exactly. The exact count isn't the point... but there's more than you think.”

“OK, well what do you think I should do?”

“To me? Really? You want me to come up with your ending for you?”

“Who says its the ending?”

“I do.”

“Well don't get so uppity about it.”

“...”

“Oh right. Nice job... Alright, I have a great idea on what to do to you.” I pointed. “Stand on that.”

That was a set of these short rods set in the wall. Wooden stumps hammered in-between the rocks. For what, I had no idea, but there were five of them. Set up in an odd pattern, kind of like a Pachinko machine.

“Which one?”

“The one on the top.”

He climbed up. Through much difficulty. I don't know if it was because he refused to lower his nose for the climb, or if he just wasn't an “outdoor activities” kid, but it took him a about five minutes to finally get up there. And of course when he did he popped his chest out. Proud.

I promptly shoved him.

His arms spun in a big flourish of clumsiness. Then his left leg slipped out and hit one of the pegs below. He kind of saved himself in lunge position for a second, but then his other leg went the other way. He banged his shins. Wobbled. Then steadied himself and stood.

“Was that it?” He asked me.

“Yes.”

“What was the point of that?”

“I knocked you down a few pegs.”

His smile returned, that stupid half smile. With his nose literally in the air. He stood as straight as that silly tie sagged. But now he was restored to the height of his uppity-ness. Ready for whatever somebody was going to do to him next.

[lewaah]

Hopefully no one minds that my first post ever is me being more than a little late with a "Brandon's dialog exercise".  I finally got around to listening to the WE episode today and was inspired to write this.  It's a little more meta than anyone else's that I saw, but maybe that's for the best.    Hope you like it.  For what it's worth, my take on this week's writing prompt involves me turning into an ice driad and eating Jason.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"

"You're kidding."

"No!  Wait, darn it!  Wait!  Wait!"

"What is it?"

"Dude, we can't just charge off half-cocked like this!"

"Why not?"

"We don't have any descriptors or blocking or attributions or anything.  We don't even have a plot!"

"So?"

"So?  All we have for a setup is this weak infodump and nobody likes that crap."

"Speak for yourself.  I don't seem to be doing any infodumping."

"The author likes you better, I guess.  I seem to be the one stuck with doing all the exposition."

"What exposition?  You're just whining."

"I'm sorry!  You know I don't like starting off without any idea of where we're going."

"It's called discovery writing, spud.  Free association.  Stream-of-consciousness.  Pantsing.  Call it what you will, it's just a way to get your characters out into the world and see where they go."

"Nice infodump."

"Bite me."

"Seriously.  Is it that hard to build an outline?  Give us some structure?"

"Not all writers use outlines.  Stephen King is famous for not using them at all.  He just starts writing and off he goes."

"And look at what comes of it.  Huge, bloated doorstoppers of books that wander all around and don't really go anywhere in the end."

"You can get those from authors who use outlines too."

"Maybe, but when you have an outline you at least have a basic idea of where you're going, don't you think?"

"I've never really thought about it, I guess."

"That's because you haven't been written as a particularly deep thinker like I have."

"Hey!"

"Please.  We're two-dimensional cardboard cutouts who were put here to do nothing but wander around talking to each other about nothing in particular.  This guy's worldbuilding sucks."

"What worldbuilding?"

"That's my point.  Hey!  Give me something to do!"

"It's a dialog exercise, dude!  What else do you want?  We're not in Lord of the bleeding Rings here.  We don't need a world!  It's not like we're going to march off to Mordor or anything like that."

"We could if we wanted to."

"Stop being petulant.  We could not."

"Sure we could."

"No we couldn't.  We can't do anything like that and you know it.  We do what the author wants us to do and that's all."

"I'm not.  I'm going to surprise him."

"What!  You're off your chump.  You're the one who was so desperate for an outline five minutes ago."

"Outline schmoutline.  This guy's obviously a pantser, so we have to work with what we've got."

"Work with what we've got.  I see."

"Don't take that tone with me.  Haven't you ever heard a pantser say that they love discovery writing because the characters can surprise them in so many ways?"

"Um..."

"'I was writing such-and-such and all of a sudden the character wound up going here-or-there and did this-or-that.'  You've heard it."

"Maybe."

"You won't say it because you don't want to admit that I'm right.  Watch.  I'm going to surprise our author.  I'm going to march off to Mordor."

"Mordor?  Seriously?"

"Seriously.  The noble quest is a clichéd trope, I know, but maybe I can bring something new and fresh to it."

"You're new all right, but I'm not sure I'd call you fresh."

"Oh, look who's got jokes."

"I can't imagine you on a quest, that's all.  What are you going to be questing for?"

"Does it matter?  I'm going to Mordor.  If you're lucky I won't bring back an orc to chop your head off."

"That's it, then.  You're really going?"

"I am."

"So go."

"I am."

"When?"

"Right now.  Farewell!"

"'Farewell'?"

"Hush.  I'm living the trope.  I have to talk like that."

"You do not.  You talk the way the author writes you."

"Nonesense, churl, I speaketh however I chooseth to partake of the language without advisement from the divine hand of our illustrious creator."

"Now you've made him mad.  Or gotten him silly.  I'm not sure which would be worse, actually."

"Forsooth!  I do kindly opportune to express my diction in this idiom of my own volition."

"'Opportune'?  Is that even a word?"

"Verily."

"Can he march off to Mordor now?  Please?"

[datatypel]

I really like what everyone has done so far. here's my go.

prompt: two scientists having to deal with  a life changing situation while they are suspended in the sky


“You worried?”

“About what?”

“You are.”

“Your point being?”

“That you don’t know. And you are”

“Neither do you”

“No”

…

“Well what is your point?”

“That it’s all your fault if it goes wrong.”

“Good one, very reassuring”

…

“You know that one story”

“Oh yes! now that you have mentioned it, title and all.”

“Don’t be so snide!”

“Or?”

…

“Okay I get it. Toss it out.”

“You know how in all of those ancient cultures…”

“That’s deep, can you just calibrate the last ones. We have to run these tests for function control.”

“Shut up”

“You’re the one that was talking about ancient civilizations.”

“About how all of those cultures had a story of some old guy and a boat!”

“You are going wack. I have a really tight schedule. I stick to the schedule I get paid. I don’t meet deadlines, I get pain.”

“You’re concern touches my heart.”

“The one you donated to replace your dogs?”

“You like my dog?”

…

“Those ancient people”

“What about them?”

“Do you really think they all just happened to come up with a story that was all so similar to one another?”

“That is what I was going to ask you”

“You think that it shows a shared history between people”

“No proof, no fact”

“Now you’re going scientist”

“The best way to avoid trouble”

“Demand proof that can’t be provided”

“I am what I am”

“A sicko”

“Learned from you”


“Where’s the proof?”

“You pulled that on purpose”

“Pulled it on you and your method”

“You hating the method?”

“I don’t think it’s so great. Always having to challenge everything, sometimes you just need to accept things without a
question”

“But the method does get you answers”

“The ones you want or the ones that are true?”

“Sometimes both”

“You make it sound so perfect!”

“Oh yeah; that’s the beauty of the scientific method. I mean look at us. We are sitting up here, miles high in the sky. In
our own floating platform. About to do the most important thing in the history for the human race! And most of the
machines and computers that we access were not around just a few years ago. The idea maybe; but the scientist then,
as the scientist now, demands proof”

“Don’t remind me”

“Remind you of what?”

“The floating part”

“You are really afraid of heights”

“I only got this job for the money”

“Well the insurance should take care of your family. That is if this thing doesn’t mess up like it did with the moon.”

“Thank you for bringing up so many of the things that are making me nervous”

“Please. Don’t be honest”

“What?”

“I don’t need any confessions”

“I am not confessing!”

“But you were about to begin delivering some monologue that you have prepared for this occasion about how you wish
you had lived a better life. Had not looked at other women other than your wife, spent time with your children;
worked harder at your job. Been a more honest person.”

“Since you did it for me, that’s a huge relief.”

“Shut up”

“Already told you to do that”

“So?”

“So do it already!”

“Make me”

“Thanks for bringing fourth grade into it”

“Fourth grade? That was like second grade. Is it possible that you were held back a few years by your teachers?

“Funny”

“You laughed”

“When and where?”

“Inside”

…

“Is this really going to work?”

“We analyzed what went wrong on the moon, from the pieces of the machines themselves we found problems that were
easily solved.”

“So no worries? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“The world needs it. I mean look, mankind is not going to survive much longer unless we somehow change things. We
need to eat for one thing, we need the planet to stop moving around so much so that we can live on the surface. We
need to disperse the acid clouds so that clean rain can fall from the sky. And that’s only part of what needs to happen.”

“And this is supposed to do all of that?”

“Yeah”

“You’re totally convincing”

“Thanks”

“But we could shatter the earth just like we tore apart the moon.”

“Small chance. But this has to be done now. We have taken all the time that we can to put this together. The gain is
worth the risk I think.”

“No one asked you. You’re just a low level scientist that can be blamed if everything goes wrong.”

“I will at least be alive to be blamed. To console you however, this platform is a type three shuttle that can survive in
the vacuum of space. So we will be able to meet the other platforms, be picked up by the Lifeboat and go out on plan ‘F’”

“Kinda sad that so many plans have fallen apart, and more often than not they have torn our world apart. Makes me
worried.”

“Told you that you were”

“Your point?”

[madelste]

Loved the writing prompt sceneTK421, you definitely made me laugh and knocking Jason down a few pegs was a nice touch. 

[sceneTK421]

Thanks madelste! I'm glad that you read it and I love that you loved it. 

[amurderofcrows]

@amurderofcrows- No problem. Out of curiosity, have you been building that world for a while, or was it born from this exercise?

Oh no, it's something I'm hoping to move into publishable territory. It's been with me a while.

[MannyBrainpan]

Leewah, your exercise was great. You maintained a decent distinction of characters even though you never said their names. And the only reason I think it worked was because of the conflic between the two. Although at the beginning, the conflict and setup of the conversation is a bit confusing because it jumps right into the self-conscious writing exercise. Plus, anything with a Lord of the Rings reference is instantaneously better.

SceneTK421, your prompt was good too, I thought. The whole "cadence of my voice" thing was especially funny and quickly establishes what is going on with Jason.

-Manny (http://www.brainpan.webs.com and http://www.cafepress.com/brainpanstore)

[lewaah]

Thanks, Manny.  Glad you liked it.

[sceneTK421]

Oh no, it's something I'm hoping to move into publishable territory. It's been with me a while.

Well, it definitely shows. Luck on that!

Manny- Thanks, I was trying to use my brain-pan.

[Perditon]

Ok, so I'm new here, though I'm enjoying reading Brandond Sanderson's stuff. I'm trying to become a SF/Fantasy writer myself, and I liked the idea of writing a dialogue only scene. This is inspired by the novel I'm working on, though it doesn't actually occur in the book. After I wrote it, I realized there isn't much fantasy content, though the novel that inspired it is a fantasy novel...anyway, here it is:

**********************************************************

“What happened to your foot?”

“Nothing.”

“But, it’s all black and blue, and your big toe is all swollen!”

“I got into a fight.”

“A fight? That’s ‘nothing’ to you”

“Well, I won!”

“You won- You’re insane!”

“It’s not like I tried to get into a fight! I was jumped from behind as I was enjoying a nice beef sandwich.”

“You were jumped? While eating a beef sandwich? Why?”

“I was hungry.”

“I figured that! Why were you jumped while you were eating a beef sandwich?”

“Well, it could have been because they were hungry. But I’m pretty sure they just wanted the money.”

“The money? What money?”

“The money Jano and I found in the old abandoned house down Chariot Street.”

“Where old Mrs. Hastings lived?”

“Yeah.”

“Didn’t she die a couple weeks ago?”

“Yeah.”

“And didn’t her kids come by and clear everything out that was usable?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, how did you find money in a cleared out house? Isn’t money generally considered usable?”

“Well, Jano thought it would be fun to go poke around inside. You know, and adventure.”

“That sounds like Jano.”

“Yeah, well, he thought maybe they’d forgotten something, and even if they didn’t, it would give us something to do.”

“So, in this heat, you two were looking for something to do, and rather than going down to the bay and swimming, you decided to break into the home of someone who just died, hoping to find something that was forgotten?”

“Yeah. We were gonna go swimming afterwards.”

“How did you get in? Isn’t it all boarded up?”

“Yeah, but I found a lose board and pulled it off. It was pretty easy to squeeze inside. Especially Jano, he’s so scrawny. I’m beginning to think he’s never going to get his growth spurt.”

“Ok, so you just pulled a board off, and Jano was able to wiggle through. How did you get in? Didn’t anyone walking by on a crowded street say anything?”

“Well, I’m not that much bigger than Jano, I was able to fit in pretty easily, to. I did get this scratch on my arm, though.”

“And then?”

“And then I was inside.”

“Geesh, boys! What did you do once you were inside?”

“Well, I asked Jano to help me with my writing, you know, in the dust on a big table they must have left behind on account of it being so big, you know?”

“Uh huh.”

“And I was able to write my name, though it doesn’t look as pretty as when you showed us.”

“Well, I have a teacher to show me how, you’ll get it eventually, if you just keep at it.”

“How do you stand that?”

“Stand what?”

“Having a teacher to tell you all the things you do wrong all the time?”

“Well, it makes it easier if you don’t keep doing things wrong. And after you start to get it, he starts telling you great you’re doing, and it feels really good.”

“Not when Jano tells me I’m doing good, he always makes it a joke, like, ‘Hey Burin, you’re not half bad if you stick your tongue out and concentrate.’”

“Well, Jano’s just jealous that you reached your growth spurt first.”

“Yeah, he likes to call me ‘Squeaks,’ too.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be squeaking soon, and you’ll still be able to hold him off the ground.”

“Yeah, ha ha.”

“Ok, so, you were in the house writing your name in the dust…did you wipe your name off the table, by the way?”

“No, why?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Lina! Why?”

“Well, it just makes it easy for anyone who goes in there after you to know that you were in there.”

“Oh, yeah, um…”

“Oh, don’t look so scared, you didn’t do anything wrong did you?”

“No! We just went upstairs, and when I got up there, I saw something shining over by the window, in the sunlight, you know?”

“Yeah?”

“It was a whole crown!”

“A crown? As in eight marks?”

“Yeah.”

“As in 192 bits?”

“Um, I guess so?”

“24 bits to a mark, eight bits to a crown. Eight times 24 is 192.”

“If you say so, Lina.”

“I do.”

“Well, we had a whole crown, you know?”

“Yes, you’d mentioned that.”

“Yeah, and I was hungry.”

“That’s not too surprising.”

“That’s what Jano said. Well, I’m sick and tired of always having fish, you know? And we had a lot of money, and so I asked Jano if maybe we could get a beef sandwich.”

“Two street orphans with a whole crown, and you wanted a beef sandwich?”

“Yeah, I was hungry, Lina!”

“You couldn’t even wait long enough to come back here and let me get change for you?”

“Jano wanted to, but-“

“You were hungry, yeah, I get it. So, you tried to spend it and you got robbed?”

“Sort of. Jano knew a guy, Mr. Sinder, who sells beef sandwiches. Mr. Sinder seemed to know Jano, he called him by name, and smiled at us. He was missing a few teeth, but that’s ok, the beef smell was making my stomach rumble.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t actually beef, not from a street vendor with missing teeth.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, never mind. What happened next?”

“Well, Mr. Sinder said it would be two bits for a sandwich. I handed him the crown, and he accused us of stealing it!”

“Well, yeah, what did you expect him to do?”

“Well, we wouldn’t steal nothing from nobody, and if he knew Jano, he shoulda known that!”
“You wouldn’t steal anything from – never mind.”

“Well, Jano gets all angry and starts yelling about how we found the crown and that we didn’t steal it.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Mr. Angrypants.”

“Yeah, and we started drawing a crowd, you know, and I tried to get Jano to calm down. Mr. Sinder must’ve seen the crowd, too, cuz he gave me the sandwich and seven marks and a ha’mark back.”

“Wait, he charged you a ha’mark after he said two bits?”

“Yeah, and Jano sure wasn’t happy about that, neither.”

“I bet not.”

“Well, I was able to get Jano to leave without getting into much of another argument, and we ducked down an alley so I could eat it without everyone seeing me.”

“And someone followed you?”

“Yeah. I was enjoying my first bite, when Jano cried out. I opened my eyes and saw an ugly face staring back at me. I ducked and kicked his knee with my foot. He fell down, grabbing his knee, and the other guy threw Jano down on the ground and started coming after me.”

“He threw Jano on the ground? Oh my, is he alright?”

“Calm down! Yeah. He’s fine. He let me do all the fighting.”

“Figures.”

Well, the other guy told me if I gave him the money, he wouldn’t hurt us, even though we’d hurt his friend.”

“You didn’t believe him, did you?”

“Am I stupid? Wait, don’t answer. I held out my hand like I was gonna give him to money, and as he reached for it, I swung my other hand around and punched him in the side of the head.”

“Oh my!”

“He fell down on top of hi friend, Jano stood up and helped me pick up the coins, though I decided to leave the sandwich on the ground where I dropped it, even though I only got to take one bite of it, and I was still hungry, but Jano didn’t want to stop anywhere and let me get another sandwich, not even a stupid fish one!”

“So you just came back here?”

“Yeah, as we started walking, Jano was telling me about places with round coins, can you imagine that? Coins that can roll away from you? Anyway, we started walking and I noticed my foot hurt.”

“You noticed it hurt? It looks like it’s very painful!”

“Not really, I’ve broken toes before.”

“It’s broken?”

“Pretty sure, yeah. So, we get here and Jano sees my foot, and he’s all worried, like you are, and he says he wants to get a doctor or something.”

“You should see someone!’

“No! All they’ll do is tell me stay off of it, and then give me some horrible tasting stuff that doesn’t do anything but make me tired. I’m not going to do anything on my foot, trust me.”

“Boys! If you’re sure…”

“I am! Anyway, Jano ran out to get a bandage to wrap around the toe. That’s all I need, and he should be back pretty soon.”

“Really? He’ll be back soon?”

“Yeah, unless he decides to go on another adventure without me, but he doesn’t do that very often. He says he gets us into things and I get us out.”

“Well, I’ll let you rest then.”

“Don’t you want to wait for Jano to get back?”

“What? No, no, tell him I said, ‘Hi’ though.”

“Ok.”

“And um, tell him if he wants to come to me and my mom’s rooms, I’ll teach him more history and stuff.”

“Sure thing, Lina, I’ll tell him.”

“Thanks, Burin! Good bye!”

“No problem, see ya later! Huh, don’t you think it’s obvious that you want Jano to come visit? Why don’t you just tell him yourself?”

“What? I didn’t hear that with the door closing.”

“Oh, um, nothing, Lina. Bye.”

[sceneTK421]

Writing Prompt 5.18: Start with hard science-fiction, move to werewolf romance.

THE WOLFROSE
(Excerpt from the novel)

       Nanotechnology is so clunky. Its true that without nanotech we wouldn't have The Explorers and without The Explorers we wouldn't have had e-nanotech and then we would never have had B. Gregory George Gaines pivotal book “The World Inside the Atom”, but that doesn't make the fact that nanotech is clunky any less true.

   I'll always remember when Gaines' book came out. It was all over the news and the nets with its suggested impossible thought of moving inside an atom. Then R. Portis Einstein actually did it. He keremerged the atom, looked inside it, then actually got inside it. And discovered the truth of the atom. It was a building block, sure, but it was also an entire universe, and it was nothing. It was why each thing was why it was. Which opened up the possibility of manipulating what was inside, to change what was outside. Because that's what we do. Us humans. We manipulate. And thus eatomtechnology was born.

   Of course there were groups that were against it, some religious, some not. Some said it was like dissecting God or it was a slight against him and his masterpiece of life. Some said that it was worse than splitting the darn thing and would destroy the whole world. Some thought it would open a gate to another world. Some thought it would save us all. When they announced that they would be applying it to humans everyone speculated on what this meant for us. How would it change the human? Where would this take us? What would we be like in the future?  It would eliminate disease, some said. It would eliminate obesity. It would make us live forever. It would this. It would that.

   Concerning the elimination of disease, that hope was only half true, but the half truth was better than the hope. It didn't destroy disease, eatomtech used it to make us stronger. The more diseases that you had, the stronger you became. It did eliminate obesity and braindisease. It made us all the best we could be. It opened up parts of our brains that we had never known. It added a hundred years to our lives. And most importantly, it didn't make us lose the individuality that some thought was inevitable.

   No matter how far you went down inside the atomiverse. Whether it be in the ekeyatoms or the lessor. We did not change. Which made a great argument for the evidence of the soul. Which, in turn, made some religious groups press harder with the atomists to delve deeper into the atomiverse and brought the late question of whether an atomiverse was filled with other beings. People predicted a lot of what went on after eatomtech was developed, what seemed like every result possible, but one result they could not predict was the werewolves. And one thing that I could not predict was how deeply I would fall in love with one of them.




I wrote this as 3 paragraphs originally, but it seemed to flow much better as 5

[dhalagirl]

Yes, I borrowed "Brandonium" from the podcast, but I'm only using it for this exercise.  The finished draft of this novel will have something else in its place.  Yes, it's longer than 3 paragraphs, but there's no way I could do a respectable job and keep it that length.  I also tried to keep the romance elements PG.

Writing prompt:  Start with hard core sci-fi and move to werewolf romance

I’m not your bitch
I braced myself against the Captain’s console as another plasma torpedo struck the port side.  A chorus of groans from both the crew and the ship rang throughout the bridge.  The shields were holding for now, but if we keep taking hits like this, they won’t for much longer. 

“What do you mean we’re out of fuel?   That’s impossible!”

“No, just highly improbable.”  Johnner replied dryly.  How can he be so calm when Baumen pirates are on our tail?

“But Brandonium self replicates!  That’s what made it the perfect fuel for star craft in the first place.  You can’t run out of gas!”

“You can when it’s accidentally jettisoned before warp.”  Johnner answered sheepishly.

“Please tell me you didn’t.”

“I can say it if it makes you feel better, but it would be a lie.”

Another torpedo struck and warning clarions blared to life.  A list of damaged or impaired systems appeared on my console.  The shields are now down to thirty percent and a few minor systems are fried or non-responsive.  “Were you trying get us killed?”

“No, I was trying to jettison the cargo but I accidentally pushed the wrong button.”  Jettisoning the fifty head of cattle in the hold would have been a relief to my nerves and a mess on the Baumen view screens.  It could have given us the few precious seconds we needed to jump into warp.  Too bad Johnner botched it.

“Captain, we’re being hailed.”  Kali called over her shoulder from the com station at the bow.

I schooled my features as best I could before responding.  “Put it on screen.”

An image of the Baumen Captain appeared on screen.  He wore a black shirt that was so tight, it looked like it would rip apart if he breathed wrong.  I could see every ridge and valley of his taught pecs and washboard abs.  Like most Baumen Captains, he kept his dark brown pelt trimmed so close to the skin that it may as well not have been there at all.  It was supposed to make them look more human, but it didn’t quite work. 

I’ve heard rumors that their hair is as soft as silk, but I’ve never been close enough to find out.  I wonder what it feel like to run my hands over all that yummy muscle.  Hmm….No! Stop and focus.  You’re in a crisis and he’s a different species. 
The Bauman are classified as humanoid since all of their parts are arranged in the same manner, but that’s where the similarities end.  Their head is slightly elongated because of the fuzzy pointed ears perched on top.  A short snout, similar to that of a Terran dog, protruded in the front.  Seeing his sharp canines and silver eyes made my heart stutter.  The Captain spoke in low guttural tones, but it was more growl than vowel and was impossible to understand.  “Kali, why is the translator program not working?”

“Working on it, Captain.”  Blast it all!  Why is everyone calm but me?  It took a couple of seconds for Kali’s lightening fingers to get the program working again.  Kali gave me a thumbs up, our signal that a two-way communication link is open.  Throwing all decorum out the window, I interrupted the Bauman Captain.

“You’ll have to repeat everything you just said.  Your torpedoes fried half of our computer.  We just got our translator program back on line.”  All right, I was stretching the truth a bit, but he didn’t need to know that.

His ears perked up a bit.  “A female Captain?”

I whispered to Kali as loud as I dared.  “Is the link audio only?”

Kali spun her seat around to face me and shrugged her shoulders.   “I guess so.”  She whispered back.  Thank the stars for one miracle.

“Yes, I am a female Captain.  You got a problem with that?”

“No problem at all.”  He grinned.  I didn’t know if it was supposed to be disarming or frightening, but it certainly had the latter effect on me.  “I was saying that you are surrounded and it would be in your best interest to surrender.”

“I’d rather not.”  I replied as calmly as I could.

“You do not have much choice since you have already jettisoned your fuel tank.  A curious move, I must admit.”   

“There was a malfuncion.”  I glared at Johnner.  He slumped down in his seat, which made me feel a little better. 
I racked my brain for some clever ploy I could use to finagle our way out of this mess.  A hull breach wouldn’t work.  Their sensors would prove me a liar before I could finish a sentence.  It was hard to think with both my crew and the Bauman Captain staring at me.  It would also be easier if those cursed cattle weren’t making such a ruckus in the hold below me.  I could hear them through the steel bulkhead.  The cattle!  That’s it! 

“Can I interest you in an exchange instead?”

“What sort of an exchange?”

“If you return our fuel tank, we’ll give you the twenty head of cattle in our hold.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and thought it over.  “Thirty head.”

“I don’t have thirty head to…”

“Our sensors say otherwise.”

I leaned back in my seat and muttered a few choice expletives.  It figures they would have bio-scanners.  Pirates always have the tech that honest people like myself can only dream of.  “Twenty-five and not a head more.  I can’t show up with less than half of my shipment and still get paid.”

“You can if you want to arrive at all.”  He replied smugly.

I cursed again.  We’re helpless and he knows it.  Well, it’s time to lay it all on the line.  “Fine.  Shoot us down.”  Johnner and Kali started shouting protests over each other.  I raised my hand to silence them.  “I mean it, Captain.  Twenty-five is my final offer.  Take it, or shoot us down.”

The Baumen Captain threw his head back and made a strange huffing sound.  Is he laughing?  “Deal.  But only if you accompany the cattle aboard.”

Kali looked at me pleadingly.  Johnner stared blankly at his boots.  He knew me well enough to guess my answer.  “Deal.”  I signaled to Kali to cut transmission.

“Captain, you can’t go!”  Kali protested.

“It’s too late now, I’ve already agreed to it.”

Kali turned to Johnner for help.  “Say something!  You can’t just sit there and let her do this.”

Johnner turned back to his console and started lowering the shields for the cargo transfer.  “After we drop shipment, I’ll plot a course for Red Star 6.  We’ll wait for you there.”  Kali started shouting some rather nasty things at him.  I took the opportunity to sneak out of the bridge.  I had preparations of my own to make.
         
An hour later I exited my cabin armed to the teeth.  There was a lazer pistol strapped to each thigh, a ceramic knife at the small of my back, another inside my right boot, a mini EMP in my coat pocket, and my lucky headband.  I hoped that I wouldn’t need any of them, but there was no way I was going to set foot on a pirate vessel unprepared.
Johnner met me in the corridor outside the cargo bay.  “Kali is just about finished re-installing the fuel tank and the first ten steer are nearly through.”

“Good.  Don’t give them any more.”  He raised an eyebrow at me.  “I’m going to try to pull a crazy rabbit.”

 “Look, I’m sorry for screwing up, but you don’t need to pull a stupid stunt like this to get back at me!”

“This is the best chance we have of salvaging this run.  If I’m not back in ten minutes, break seal and burn starlight.” 

“Aye, Captain.” He said quietly.  I turned to go but Johnner caught my arm.  “Kali left something for you.”  He handed me a mini translator.  “She only had time to program it for Bau.  It won’t work for any other language.” 

“Pray I don’t need any more.”  I clipped the translator to my ear and walked into the cargo bay.  On the far side of the bay was the pen where the remaining forty cattle stood.  To my left, the docking hatch hung open and a long tube connected us to the Baumen vessel.  I stood at our end and gazed across the dark cold expanse.  A tall, well-muscled figure stood at the other end.  The Captain.

“Permission to come aboard?”  I called out.

“Granted.”  He barked back. 

Good.  The translator works.  Sometimes Kali’s “upgrades” didn’t work so well.  I crouched down with my foot on the hatch seal and pushed off hard.  The momentum sent me flying head first through the tube and the weightlessness of space at a fast clip.  When I reached the other side I grabbed the top hatch and held on so as my body entered the artificial gravity of the Baumen vessel I could change my body’s angle and land on my feet instead of my face.

Immediately after landing, two thugs seized my arms tightly.  Another crewman stepped forward, but the Captain called him off. 
“This honor is mine.”

He knelt before me and slowly removed my lazer pistols, holster and all.  The howls of mirth from the crew were humiliating.  It almost made me wish that the translator didn’t work, but knowing what they said wasn’t half as arduous as withstanding the Captains ministrations. 

He caressed my thigh with one hand while the other gently coaxed the strap out of its loop.  The heat of his gaze was too much to bear.  I tried to focus my fiercest glare on the crew, but the flaming blush and racing pulse I couldn’t control sabotaged my intent.  After he finally finished removing the holsters his meticulous search moved up. 

Every curve of my body was thoroughly patted down and fondled.  He found the knife at my back and the EMP.  The headband he let me keep.  Don’t panic yet.  You still have your lucky charm and the knife in your boot.  You’re not out of options yet.  After he finished inspecting every strand of hair on my head, he lazily traced a finger down my neck.  He pulled out the silver chain tucked into my shirt, revealing the tiny charm that hung from it.  A glowing grin spread across his face when he saw it.  Weird.  Has he never seen a silver rose before?

“Are you finished.”  I said vehemently.  With a nod he called off the two thugs and I was finally able to massage my sore wrists.

“Prepare to break seal.  We have our prize.”  The Captain ordered.  He grabbed my butt and tried to pull me against him.

“I’m not your bitch!”  I shouted as I wound my arm back and punched him in the jaw with all my might.  His teeth grazed my knuckles and made a couple of them bleed, but I didn’t let that bother me.  For a final touch I kicked him hard in the groin before running for the hatch.

[ioMu]

lol@TK421: That made me laugh.

Dhalagirl: Really enjoyed that.

Last week's prompt (it's a bit long so here's the link): http://bit.ly/hJ9Gro

This week's prompt: Writing Prompt: Pick a typical promise that a child might make, and use that as the promise you’re making to your readers.

The Promise of Pizza

Billy notices a strange woman doing strange things on his front lawn. He goes outside to inquire “Excuse me, what are you doing?”

“Hi Billy”

“Do I know you?”

“Billy!”

“Carlie?  Carlie Smarlie Barley and Rye?”

“Yes, it’s Carlie”

“How have you been?”

“I’m doing very fine. I see you’re doing well for yourself, Billy Cranston”

“Can’t complain. So er…why are you measuring my house?”

I like things to be done properly.

“Landscaping?” Billy asks. “Survey?”

“Pizza”

“Pizza?”

“Mrs. Graham’s pizza party.”

“I remember that…I got sick that night. But what does it have to do with…”

“You ate so much pizza.”

“I guess I did”

“You ate Eddie Mitchell’s slice and Janice Brown’s slice”

“You have a great memory”

“They were my friends”

“They must have been my friends too…to give me their pizza”

“You took their pizza”

“I did?”

“Yes. You ate my slice also”

“I took your pizza?”

“No. I gave it to you”

“We were good friends”

“No. You made a promise”

“I did?”

“Of course you did. If I gave you my pizza you would make me a pizza pie bigger than your house”

Billy chuckles “That sounds like something I would have said”

“You did say it”

He continues to chuckle until it hits him that Carlie had never been the humorous type and that she now stood before him, measuring tape in hand. “Hey, let me buy you a pizza.”

“That’s why I’m here. 45 by 65”

“What’s that?”

“That’s bigger than your house”

Billy looks at the woman before him. 30 years had changed her. People become psychopaths in less time than that, he thought. He remembered, again, how she never laughed…maybe she had always been one. “How much money will a pizza this size cost?”

Carlie takes a calculator from her pocket. “Eddie wants pepperoni. Janice wants extra cheese and assorted vegetables. I take mine plain”

Billy shifts, searching for a relaxed pose to hide his uneasiness “You guys still friends…that’s great”

“Of course we are. We play Scrabble every Tuesday” She continues to calculate “have you considered which flour you’ll be using?”

“Flour…no. I haven’t considered that”

“That has to be factored in.”

“Why don’t I just give you a round number. Round up if you like.”

“I don’t want money. I want pizza. Pizza bigger than your house.”

“Carlie. How do you expect me to do that?

“You made the promise, Billy Cranston, you’ll figure it out. I’ll be back next week.”

“Right. Next week.”

“I never noticed that before, Billy.”

“Noticed what?”

“The twitch. You didn’t have that in 1st grade, did you?”

“No I don’t think I did. Nice seeing you Carlie. Say Hi to Teddy and Janice.”

“Eddie. Eddie and Janice”

“Right. Eddie and Janice”

Carlie walks off.  Billy returns to his house, locking the door behind him. He watches her through the blinds.

“What are you looking at, Dear?” His wife asks

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“The kids want Pizza for dinner”

“Pizza? Sure. Pizza is fine.”

[joboofoo]

Hello everyone.  I just found this site yesterday while looking through Brandon's blogs for WoT info when I saw his suggestion for a dialogue only writing exercise.  I sat down and wrote one, hope you enjoy and tell me what you think.

********************************************

Title: Dialogue Writing Exercise (couldn't think of anything, thats what the doc is )
(There was a bit of profanity in there that I had to edit out after reading the terms while registering, changed some of the back and forth a bit  )


“What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“What…are…you…doing?”

“Oh… Nothing.”

“I can see you’re not doing nothing.”

“I’m not doing anything.  Leave me alone.”

“Wha’cha got there?”

“What?  Nothing, go away Mike.”

“Let me…”

“Hey!  Give that back!”

“What the…”

“Stop it!  Give me that!”

“Shut up.  What kind’a…”

“Give it back!  You can’t even use it!”

“Oh really?  I’ve used power stones before.  I’m not an idiot.”

“Just give…”

“Oh shut up… Hey.  Where’d you go?  Jack, what’s goin’ on?”

“Shhh!  He’ll hear you.”

“What?  Who are you, man!”

“Shhh!  You gotta be quiet.  He’ll hear you!”

“What…”

“I said be quiet!”

“Hey!  Get off’a me!”

“Shut up!”

“Get…off…of…me!”

“Son of a…”

“What’s goin on!  Where’re you going!  Hey!”

“HAHAHA!  ANOTHER TOY!  HOW WONDERFUL!”

“What… Oh my god!  What is that!”

“IT’S TIME TO PLAY TOY.”

“Jack!  Jack, where the hell did you send me!  Jack!”

“HOHOHO.  COME HERE TOY.  I WANT TO PLAY.”

“Oh god!  Get away from me!”

“THERE IS NO GOD HERE TOY.  COME BACK.  IT IS TIME TO PLAY!”

“Help!  Somebody hel…uhg.”

“Shhh!”

“WHERE DID YOU GO TOY?  I WANT TO PLAY! TOOOOOOY!”

“Wha…”

“Shhh!  He can’t really see good, but he’s got damn good ears.  You have to be quiet.”

“What was that?”

“We have to go.”

“Hey, what was that thing?”

“You don’t know?  You translocated yourself here without knowing which Daemon is around?  Moron…”

“I what?  What are you talking about?  I didn’t transl…whatever myself here!”

“Right… You just randomly popped into the Underworld.  On accident.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.  I don’t… That son of a…!  Jack!  I’m going to kill you!”

“Shhh!  Are you that stupid!”

“That little punk, when I get my hands on him…”

“For the love of… Just shut up!  We’re almost out of his domain.  He won’t be able to come after us.”

“TOY!  WHERE ARE YOU, TOY!  I’M HUNGRY!  TOY!”

“You moron!  I almost had it!  There was a perfect deposit right there.  Then poof, you fall right in front of me and stir him up!  What were you thinking?”

“Hey!  Stop hitting me!  I don’t know what you’re talking about man!”

“Arrrrr!  Now I have to wait ‘til he settles down again.  Great!  Do you know how long it took me sneaking around to find that Pyroglia deposit.  Fffff!  He’ll be looking for you for days.”

“Where are we?”

“I’m suppose to be back with that load tonight.  This is just great.”

“Hey, where are we?”

“What?”

“Where…”

“Are you simple?  You can’t get here without knowing what this place is.  Seriously…? You really don’t know…”

“…”

“Wow…  A kid huh…a magiology student I bet.  Went snooping around somewhere you shouldn’t and found a Bindle Stone or Port Key.  Idiot…  This…is…the Daemon Plain, the Underworld.  The Dominion of the Damned, and what not.”

“How the hell did I… How did Jack get a…a whatever stone?”

“A Bindle Stone.  You don’t get Bindle Stones or Port Keys you make them.  It’s hard as hell to get the reagents so if you make one you're not going to just let go of it.  So… Where is it?”

“What?”

“Whatever you used to get here.”

“I don’t have it!  Jack grabbed it before I disappeared!”

“Huh.  Looks like you’re screwed, man.”

“What!”

“Good luck getting out of here without it.”

“What are you talking about?  Don’t you have one?  You gotta get me out of here!”

“I don’t got to do a damn thing, kid.  You pop out of no where, get Kharuzul there all riled up, screw up my harvest, and now you expect me to help you.  Screw that!”

“You can’t leave me here!  Fff…I…dude!”

“You probably deserve it too.  Messing with stuff you shouldn’t.  I should leave you here just for that.  Actually…”

“Hey!  Where’d you… You can’t leave me here!  Come back!  Please!”

“Hey, I’m right behind you.  I’m just messin’ with you, man.  I wouldn’t leave anyone here, this place is hell.”

“You jerk!”

“Heh, tell you what…” 

“You’re a punk, man.”

“…help me get what I came here for and I’ll see if I can’t find someone with a Port Key that can carry more than one person.  Send ‘em back for ya.  Name’s Jim by the way.”

“Fine.  Mike.  Whatever I gotta do man.”

“Alright.  We’ll have to distract him to get to the stones.”

“How’re we gunna do that.”

“Well…he’s looking for his toy right?  Looks like you’ll have to go and play…Toy.”

“What…no!  That thing wants to eat me!”

“You want to get out of here or what… Okay then.  All you have to do is call him by his name and challenge him to a game or something.”

“What?”

“You challenge him to a game, or a contest or whatever.  Then I can…”

“Are you crazy!  He’ll just eat me!”

“Nah, if you say his name and challenge him, he has to accept.  It’s… it’s some sort of code they got.  If you beat them you get to live…I think.”

“Screw that!”

“Its that or nothing man.”

[LiquidWeird]

Hi all. New here. I’ve been wanting to do a dialogue exercise, and since I see others are still turning in some, I thought I’d go ahead and post two of my own. These are both from the same story, but only one character is common between them.

 

So, here goes:

Dialogue Exercise One:

---------

"That's not how it works."

 

"W-who?"

 

"Stop that. You're not an owl."

 

"What?"

 

"Better. I said you're doing it wrong. You did it so much better back there in the depths when that priest was chasing you.

 

"Who are you? How do you know about that? Can you get me out of here?"

 

"So many questions. Who I am is complicated. But you can call me Victoria, if you like. As for how I know about what happened to you, it's simple. I watched you. "

 

"What?"

 

"I. Watched. You. Really, I know you can hear me and if you don't become a better conversationalist quickly, I'm going to become cross with you."

 

"I... I'm sorry. I'm kind of distracted locked up in this cell, sentenced to be burnt at the stake..."

 

"Yes. Nasty business that. Not a pleasant way to go."

 

"Thank you for the observation. I hadn't considered that..."

 

"Well you should. Really, that priest was young and not particularly strong or he would have blasted you to ashes you where you stood. The stake fires are a lot hotter."

 

"I am trying not to think about that. These burns are bad enough."

 

"If you're lucky you'll suffocate to death on the smoke before the flames kill you."

 

"Lovely."

 

"Not especially.  I'm not fond of fire myself."

 

"It's really very disconcerting to talk to you like this. Could you come out where I can see you to talk?"

 

"I could, certainly.  If you'll stand in the torchlight in front of the door for a moment."

 

"What, why?"

 

"There you go with the questions again. If you must know, I need the shadow of a living being to step from. I can't just pop out of any old shadow. It's bad enough talking and watching through them."

 

"Shadows? You're a... a... voidwright?"

 

"You could say that."

 

"I don't think I should talk to you... The Church..."

 

"The Church might lock you in a cell and burn you at the stake in the morning? Hmm. Probably so. Oh well, we can't risk that, now can we?"

 

"Fine! fine! I see your point. Just come on out."

 

 

"There. Better?"

 

 

"Much. Forgive me for staring, I..."

 

"No need to worry. I admit I made a bit of an entrance."

 

"Indeed you did."

 

"I'm glad you liked it... Stinks in here. Musty. I suppose that's to be expected."

 

"Um, you're not here to tempt me for my soul, are you?"

 

"Why bother?"

 

"Then why are you here?"

 

"Well, because you asked me to come out to talk. Surely you remember?"

 

"I meant, why down here in these cells, how did you watch me, and what was all that with the shadows back in that chamber, and the metal skeleton and that spear... and the priest throwing fire... It's like the old stories come to life. Even now I'm beginning to doubt my own memories. It's just too inconceivable. People can't throw fire from their hands, or step into shadows...or..."

 

"Hmm. I see. So all the legends you grew up hearing were just childrens' fancies and none of this can be real."

 

"Well... yes."

 

"It's real.  Pyromancer priests are real.  Voidwrights are real. Thatchgrumbles..."

 

"Thatchgrumbles? Seriously?"

 

"Well, no. Not Thatchgrumbles. Some things really are just children's stories. But the important thing for you is that you are now a Voidwright. Master of shadow and ice, stealer of sins and hand of the Void. Or you will be if you can avoid being burnt to death in about, oh, four hours or so.

 

"What about that priest?"

 

"Obviously he can summon and cast flames, also craft illusions with light, read the flames. Pyromancers can do a lot of other things, too. Some they've probably forgotten. Most of them just plain unpleasant to anyone on the wrong end of them."

 

"Wow. With that sort of power I could just blast my way out. Or slip out hiding behind illusions. I wonder why the priest didn't get himself out of that room that way?"

 

"Maybe because he's a priest, and is honest, devout, and remorseful for breaking his Church's greatest taboo?"

 

"Are you saying I'm not an honest man?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Oh. Well. That's all right then."

 

"I suggest you keep your mind on your current situation. Now is not the time to muck about. Hurry up and figure out how to get out of here. There are plenty of shadows here, if you have the wit to make use of them. Remember, the trick is simple. You're not trying to get in, you're trying to get out."

 
-----------------

Dialogue Exercise Two:

 

"Hey! Hey you over there! Why aren't you eating your porridge? Is it not good enough for you?"

 

"Who is there?"

 

"My name is Vincenzo."

 

"You are the defiler! I have nothing to say to such as you."

 

"Hey! Listen! If you don't want that porridge, could you maybe find a way to scoot it over here?"

 

"Hey, you're that Priest, aren't you?"

 

"Hey! Hey in there, you burned me pretty badly. Don't you feel bad about that?"

 

"Hey, why did they lock you up? You caught me after all. I thought you were one of theirs?"

 

"Be silent, Voidwright! I've heard enough of you already, singing, shouting down the halls, talking to yourself. I don't know why they won't end this. We should both be ashes by now. Especially you."

 

"Me? That's not a very priestly thing to say. Why not ask the gaoler?"

 

"He's a monk who has taken a vow of silence."

 

"That would explain it. Listen, if you're not going to scoot that porridge bowl over this way, at least explain why you aren't eating it yourself."

 

"Not that I expect a man like you to understand, but I don't deserve food or water. I stay awake by the door, praying for forgiveness, until sleep takes me. I have become a wretched thing, deserving of the stake and the flame. My only hope is that the purifying flames of the execution pyre will cleanse my sins and that Sol Invictus and his Angel will receive my soul into heaven, though I am an unworthy wretch."

 

"So I'm eating better than you and sleeping more comfortably. I actually feel better about that. At least someone has it worse than me. Sure we're both going to be burnt alive, but at least I can do it on a full stomach. You'll be so hungry you might not notice the fire."

 

"The pains of hunger and thirst are part of my penance. You should do penance, too, for the sake of your soul. Heaven is beyond your reach, surely, but perhaps you can redeem yourself enough in your last hours here that Sol Invictus, in his mercy, will simply obliterate you rather than send you to the icy wastes of Hell. Give up your evil Void-blighted magics and beg for forgiveness."

 

"No thanks. I think I'll enjoy my crust of moldy bread."

 

"So be it then. It is your choice."

 

"Seems so. So, what is your name?"

 

"Wilhelm. I am Patre Wilhelm, unless they have revoked my Ordination. It would be within their rights abjure me so."

 

"So all that fire you threw at me..."

 

"Do not speak of the Holy Arts with your foul tongue, Voidwright!"

 

"You're free with those terms, but would you mind explaining them?"

 

"You take me for a fool. I saw you step into your own shadow and clamber out of mine. "

 

"I have no idea how that happened."

 

"You lie."

 

"If I had the slightest idea how all that worked, do you really think I'd have been caught?"

 

"You must have been caught on purpose to...."

 

"Really? Think that through for a bit and you'll see how ridiculous that idea is."

 

"Oh, all right then. So you did not plan it. How did you get so far into the Cathedral without raising an alarm, if you didn't use evil void-wrought arts?"

 

"If you must know, I was chased into the catacombs by Gravesmen and a city guard intent on bashing in my head.After that, I did it the old fashioned way. By sneaking and hiding. Sometimes even in shadows. Most of the time, actually, but not using any sort of 'dark arts.' Heh. Dark Arts. That's kind of funny, now that I think about it."

 

"There is nothing funny about Dark Arts! Perhaps you have stumbled upon those abilities somehow, unwittingly. I still urge you to renounce them before you die."

 

"I'll think about it."

 

"Good. See that you do.  The workings of the Void and its Void Angel are anathema to all life."

 

"Oh, and fire isn't?"

 

"Fire is the life bringer! Fire gives warmth and light, and holds back the Dark.  Fire is the gift of the Sun."

 

"Fire can also burn and kill. Your fire didn't exactly do much to bring me life. Quite the opposite in fact."

 

"Fire also purifies the impure, and destroys the evil of the Void."

 

"And anything else that spends too long in contact with it. I don't think fire cares much one way or the other what it burns, so long as it burns something. Whether it's a 'creature of evil' or a good man, or a house, or a brothel, or a church."

 

"You speak blasphemy!"

 

"Is truth blasphemy? You can't deny that fire is dangerous. Cities have burned, thousands killed. Are you prepared to say that every single person who dies by fire had it coming in some way?"

 

"Of course not. It's a force in the world. The capacity to use it is the gift of Sol Invictus."

 

"So there goes your argument about its inherent goodness. It's a force. It just is. So it stands to reason that these Shadow arts might also just be a force, and not inherently evil."

 

"I am not going to sit here and let you twist my faith with clever words.  The fact is that you were in a sacred place, The most sacred place. It is a blasphemy and a sacrilege for anyone save the Pontifex himself to go there. For that crime, there is only one just punishment, and that is to be burnt at the stake. That doom is on both of us.  The fact that you compound that crime and sin with those of using forbidden evil arts merely makes your execution even more imperative.  It is unfortunate that you can be burnt at the stake only once."

 

"Well that's cheerful. Thank you for that. Aren't you priests always saying 'justice for crimes, forgiveness for sins'?"

 

"There is a distinction yes. That is why I was urging you to renounce the void and its arts, turn from your sinful ways, and beg Sol Invictus for mercy for your soul.  Your crimes will be met with justice on the stake. Your sins may be mitigated or forgiven."

 

"I'll be dead either way."

 

"Yes."

 

"So why bother?"

 

"To avoid eternity in the icy wastes of Hell, where the Sun is a mere point of light in the distance, where He does not cast his warmth and love. Where every drop of your blood freezes to sharp ice crystals, which shred your flesh from within while driving winds scour your skin with ice from without, and your flesh freezes to the ground tearing away with every step, and every touch of the hand. Where your eyes freeze solid and burst from the cold, and where there is no rest, only torturous freezing cold and the all-consuming Void. Where the wails of the shadows of the damned echo for all eternity."

 "Sounds lovely. I think I'll pass though."

 

"Good. So you will renounce the Void, forswear the evil powers the touch of the Void has instilled in you, and beg Sol Invictus for mercy for your soul?"

 

"No. I think I'll pass on being burnt at the stake. Save Sol Invictus the trouble of sending me to Hell and save me the trouble of a horrible fiery death."

 

"That is not a choice available to you. Any moment now, the Palatine Guard will drag you out to the pyre. Heed my warnings and repent!"

 

"Ehh... I'm not much one for repentance. That would involve my being sorry or somehow remorseful."

 

"Then you will burn. May Sol Invictus look with pity on your spirit. I doubt he will, but I can hope. For your sake."