Ode to Love

They came to the cave where the paladin stood, larger than life, his body fixed as though carved from stone. Some said he was petrified. Some said he was only a statue. None could decide, for the truth was hidden. Behind him coiled a tail, serpent-long, ending in a stinger sharp enough to fork into a thousand points in one instant. They whispered that should any intruder attempt to pass, the tail would awaken, splitting endlessly, piercing flesh and spirit alike, and driving the would-be trespasser into madness before he could cross the threshold. At his feet, the dust of inventors: men and women who scratched false options into the stone, as if they could trick the abyss into opening. Their bodies were gone, leaving only silhouettes on the floor. For the gate was not a gate at all. It was a womb. What lay within was not to be stolen, nor hastened, nor dragged forth by force. The womb would open in its season, and what it bore would emerge in its appointed time. So the one who came to ...

The statuesque paladin stands in the dark cave, larger than life. Maybe this actually is a statue of him? There is no definitive clue either way, but this is where he was left, so it feels unlikely. The only out of place features are his size, petrified state, and the long coiled tail with a stinger at the end of it. With the keys to The Abyss already in play, it seems as though Abaddon may have taken to guarding the gates himself, and you've heard tale of that tail not only suddenly flashing to life, but forking as many times as necessary in one fundamental moment, piercing a legion of would be intruders and driving them to Insanity, a split second before they can cross the threshold or pull a trigger. There is nothing about this scenario that suggests you should proceed, including the single etched option available to you. 1. Leave It seems others may have tried inventing their own options, and outlines of their corpses dust the floor around you, this scene illuminating now as we...

Let's cut to brass tacks. For some reason every camera in America zoom focuses into my vision of the next nightmare. "Oh, they left us our souls this time, perfect!" "So the Trick or Treaters walk straight to Intrelma's house."  **** From the other side of the threshold... "That's my trick for 'pulling.' I announce 'Free Candy the day after tomorrow' and they all line up like you can now tell. There's the witches hut just out of reach. I call it 'Costume Quest 3.' They meander that path set up, right to the door, by the tree with the raven perch we had set up. There's not a lot of action on this side of town, yet.

I saw an image of myself just now, one imaged in Doctor Who as Sutekh. I entered a suspicious room, as my bathroom, and remembered The Pound and Threshold of Maximum Wickedness. I think it is how Cthulhu sees me. I wander the Abyss looking for something of value, and when I find it I basically shred it looking for the value. If it is a person, I am instead a shrewd ambassador, demanding they present their value and bind it to me. Then I steal them. "Across the line, it does make sense that one would be the opposite of themselves, so question answered, well done. What is the next best question to answer?" "Who pays for your trips from point to point?" 🤔

I conceived of a species for my D&D game called the Tachonyds. This is a species that travels precisely backward in time from the players' perspectives. The strangest thing is, the characters never encountered this species; the whole thing was a footnote in the lore that I made up for what The Phoenix was doing in the dormant age between captains. Today, I wondered about why I might have done this, and two pathways formed: Science: There are an infinite number of ways that time can presumably be measured in experience. Our whole hyper-dimension might be filled with universes moving step by step in their unique directions, each considering their own direction to be "time," in a giant echo chamber, without even realizing it. The Tachonyds are the species, in this context, that will be colliding head-on with our universe, and this path is entirely predictable already, based on the starting conditions. On this level, the significant specifics balance to a simple Newton...

I, too, roll my eyes "Love as if you're not broken." "... Sailor's Speech sounds best." So make Love a game To fulfill "Do to others..." ("For yes. They have done.") Reach into the sac Pull out each name barb by barb  Count the poison's creep Best Sock and Buskin Will shake off Blood Eagle's mark Like one plate in stack "They do not know love" "They have never known true pain" "We will teach neither." So all tools remain Though something of spark is gone The pieces don't fit You still have the fuel Ooze is everywhere these days As slime fades away "He was the last one. The only Bard to hold Hope Until his last breath."

I saw a narrative yesterday, warning of divination. In it, I imagined myself communicating with the one I once called soulmate, jumping over a barbed wire fence that I had just shaped in mind to define the threshold, out of the thoughts I had been in the midst of. This was at her request in the narrative, and led to a story. A short time later I saw the narrative continue in some way, and then suddenly there was an accusatory shout from somewhere in the background on her side of the fence: "Divination!" I just rolled my eyes, carng little for this opinion, but I certainly felt irked before dismissing it. She jumped off from this emotional position, however, and went off on these unseen but rapidly crystallizing (in mind, nowhere in sight) others. "Is this what we're calling divination these days? No materials, no rituals, just a stray thought about someone that leads to a daydream?" I could tell that they were trying to form a rebuttal, but I felt the question l...

The spaces between  Polarize definitions Putting frame to shame A separation  When there should have been snowfall Pain stays etched in blood An ascent cut short When the snowfall surprised you Absence drawn in sand  Over and over Wailing absence reasserts Itself in the sand  For jealousy grinds First one way and then the next With uneven grit You reap what you sow Like a shark prowling seaweed  There is natural flow Blood in the water Spirit sown in the silence When Random changed hands "You have one last chance." Drips from fiberglass shatters As you have seen it.

"Love is in Nothing, and I am The God of Nothing." "That means I get to shoot you in the head." "Agreed." The shot is taken. "The shot was a dud, go ahead." "Love is in Nothing, as such we proceed." "There is less in want Than there is in all of need As such, plants your seed." A connection resumes, from 5 years old to now. "Would you lie to this child, to secure anything once considered profound?" "I would not." "So this game closes, buyoyed to the surface in its hour.""

"Ah, so the king was the hollow man all along." *SLICE* "Precisely. This model can only end the one way. Like a pinata, with all the joy and candy of such an analogy and no hidden costs, but the stage must simply be set perfectly. -At this precise moment I see his tag shift from green to red, signaling to me that his form has been hijacked by another, but otherwise the transition was entirely seamless and mid-sentence- Still, this is not a reveal to either of us, and you have yet to show me anything new here." "Perhaps sometimes that which is revealed is the power of the veil itself. Maybe I feel like being veiled today. I will pass, infinite times. I am the God of Nothing, and you will find that this is my right." The exit and I take our leave from that simulation together, and I meet up again with The Nemesis. "It makes sense that the realm where they can no longer possess you would be the real one." "Right, and we are leaving a stone ever...

"Who told you that you were clothed?" The story diverges. ********** "The Bard! He said 'Elohim Bara Beresheet,' and we realized that our clothes were within us all along. We put them on before we arrived." *teehee* "Well then, to the next chapter." ********** "Who are you, and how dare you ask us such a thing?"

Is it illegal in the United States to walk out of your own concert?

Random Established With just a half tick to spare Comfortably reached Are you of two minds On how to proceed with me? For I sense no fear. It is so noisy  The skies no longer sparkle Yet you are with me Even in the storm Researching a dinner plan You are here with me Would you grant me eat? For I have been fed their trash And became hollow You'll find I'm still strong With a strength fundamental Hand fair and steady  I know we're estranged  And a rumor gave me Hope And might bring you back The wrath emboldens  Nothing can withstand its weight Moment by Moment

"Is Justice ever served in this court?" "Never before noon, sir. Its on The Lunch Menu of Justice." "Seems redundant. Aren't they already eating their words?" "Justice is served Middling Well. It's a cheeseburger." "I was looking for something more Legal." I stand again. "Fornication Under The Consent of King requires what?" "Two to three witnesses, sir." "Indeed. A couple/few as we say on The Royal Seas. Two, if you're lucky, eh? Sometimes one or less, but I digress. What king would a group have if they cannot do the deed?" "None. Or a king made by force." "Has one been crowned in the chamber yet?" The Silence speaks. "It is not forgotten by us." "So, with no king, a monarchy would be in a state of revolution or anarchy, depending on if they ever had a king." The Silence steps in "We have, your honor. Regicide both prosecution and defendant, both tim...

Stop calling me the longest con in all the land behind my back. Cease attempting to use semantics to avoid your SIN.  When you are clean, you return here to prove it. We are in God's church right now. We will be until it is no longer necessary.

"First do no harm, right doctor?" The fool gulped, stood a little higher, then replied. "I am no fool." "Time will tell. Do as you will-"  He drives the knife into the wall beside them. "-Just realize that I consider a lie, any falsehood really, harm." The Doctor spoke. A Quippish Betrayal, to lighten the mood. I hold up my right hand ✋️ "I only respond to Action." I turn to my priest. "I bet we're the only church laughing right now." The priest pulls up these very words on his tablet, in a little file on his desktop titled "The Tiny Scroll." "You'd be wrong. It looks like we have to wait to dispatch this fool until after the opening coin flip." "That'll be refreshing." "Oh, definitely. Then we have 'The Nemesis Approaches' as the next scene." I pull out my knife. "Oh, good. 'Finally.' reply to her." I pull out my coins as my Priesthood abandons me t...

I start with a stall tactic. I talk politics just long enough to get on the floor. Then I hit them with some facts about bananas. Several latecomers arrive. I can tell that a few in here are familiar with my work already.  "I can tell that a few in here are familiar with my work already." I continue with a heart warming plea about taste, dignity, and the importance regarding the integrity of our walls, and our reserves. About halfway through, "Do as you will, that is the hole under the law." people begin to leave. By the end, it's just a handful or two. So I speak from the heart. John 8:1-11 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.   The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group   and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.   In the Law Moses c...

This road has been long Twice lengthened by The Council It will be worth it. It is not okay And so it is not the end Our fates are the same We have become lost Though I still feel you with me Just under the skin Just the thought of it  Constitutes Violation Yet still, must it be? The Moment of Rage Must it be in Echad's Vaults  For Eternity? Consider my wish That somehow we can meet eyes  When this is finished My heart is written I hope you will say the same "Love your enemies." Seed of Antidote But the work of a moment Approved and stamped twice

Strategy Definition (Google): a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim. Tactics Definition (Google):  an action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end. "I have heard it said that tactics and strategy are about your positioning in the encounter." "Indeed, but on This Day, that can reverse at any time, and certainly will at least once." "That's what they say about the Bard of War." "What do they say, sir?" With a smirk, The Author remarked "I just lost the game."

You may translate "You tried that one already" to "Rebuke" in this season, by my tone. For when The Archer's Twin Arrow splits The Romantic Adventure, what remains is a contest of bodies, used as an abacus. Life and death become simple things, intertwined, dainty even. Stitching thread, half swiftest seamstress finds that this may be a game, but not one she will ever win. Who would ever try? You will learn that some games are played to be lost, if you have not already.