Erik Amundsen's Blog, page 65

The Trifle (setting/story seed)

Where'd we leave the trifle the trifle the trifle?
Where'd we leave the trifle?  Find it, please.

I saw the trifle up in a tall tree
a tall tree, a tall tree. 
I saw the trifle up in a tall tree
up in a tall tree among the bees.

That's not a trifle it's only an orange roll
an orange roll an orange roll,
that's not a trifle, it's only an orange roll
or else my dog* has fleas.

So where'd we leave the trifle the trifle the trifle?
Where'd we leave the trifle?  Bring it here.

I saw the trifle down by the river,
down by the river, down by the river,
I saw the trifle down by the river,
down by the river with the deer.

That's not a trifle it's only an angel cake
an angel cake and angel cake,
that's not a trifle it's only an angel cake
or else my bull's** a steer.

And so on.  Sort of a kid's rhyming game.  And, in a weird sort of way a hunger game, in the sense that these are fancy desserts that the kids singing the song are likely to have never seen.  Some might not even be possible to make where the singing is taking place, what with things like cocoa and oranges being long-distance imports in a world where long distance anything isn't really possible anymore. 

Lines in black are song by the whole group, lines in purple by the challenger, lines in blue by the answerer - both the challenger and answerer have to come up with things that rhyme.  If either fumbles or takes too long, they are stuck singing as the chorus for the rest of the game.  The answerer becomes the challenger on the next verse, pointing to the next answerer when they come up with there request for trifle.  You can't point at the person who challenged you last unless they are the last one still in. 

*Mumma, if you're one of the bad kids.
**Dad, if you're one of the really bad kids.

Bicycle

Six and a third miles.  A lot of it was pretty easy, but whatever.  I ♥ my bicycle.

Run Blogging

The daily 5K, done slower than ever, but done at all, so go me.  Saturday was Erik v. Lawn and Sunday was SWIMMING.  I am tempted to Scooby-Doo out of here a little early to jump in Miller's Pond before going to Eburg dinner.  We shall see if that works.  Now, water for my insides.

Reader my Con

I am on the programming!  This is where I must be:

Thursday July 14 8:00 PM    F    Mastering the Puppets. Erik Amundsen, Gwendolyn Clare, John Crowley, Mary Robinette Kowal (leader), Barry N. Malzberg. Catherynne M. Valente uses the phrase "touching the puppets" as critical shorthand for protagonists--and, by extension, stories--interacting with fantastical elements rather than merely coexisting with them. Copious puppet-touching creates an inherently speculative story (e.g. City of Saints and Madmen), but plenty of stories with speculative settings succeed despite leaving the puppets relatively untouched (e.g. Star Wars, in which the droids could be people and the lightsabers could be swords without changing the story at all). What makes those stories work for speculative fiction audiences? What are the advantages and disadvantages to touching the puppets, and what drives an author to go one way or the other? Friday July 15 6:00 PM    G    There's a Robot in My Bestiary!. Erik Amundsen, David Boop, Jeffrey A. Carver (leader), Michael Swanwick, Sonya Taaffe. Elves and dwarves are out; golems and garuda are in. The inhabitants of early 21st-century fantasy are distinctly different from their 20th- and 19th-century predecessors. Conscious automatons, cyborgs and chimerae, and interstellar travelers in fantasy settings suggest a quiet wave of emigration from SFlandia. What makes these characters so resonant for today's readers? What are their unique contributions to fantasy narratives, and what struggles do they face in their new homes?

(Also Interstitial Arts Exchange, and if time_shark   needs me, the Poetry Slan).

I didn't get the "Setting as Character" one, which is a tiny disappointment, because I feel most confident and qualified to speak on that, but the ones I got are cool.  I need to get researching to get my thoughts, so I can put them in order.  Otherwise, you can find me tagging along with kids cooler than myself.

Run Blogging

The Brand New Heavy.  This would technically be the fifth time, but I think I want to run it 5 more before I try 10K/

Lula

My boon companion, lo these many years.  Central storage for all my files, some of which I probably didn't back up elsewhere, fool that I am.  Sole source of music.  She's giving me the Red X of Death and making hard-drive clicky noises.  Good night, sweet ipod, may flights of angels make use of your rare-earth elements.

Bicycle

A little bit more than 5 today.  Slightly more challenging route than my usual 5 at the outset, gets less challenging for the 3rd quarter.

Random Targets/Practicing What I Preach

So, the explanation for the numbers.  Pretty soon, Black Gate Blog will be hosting the fourth installment of my Fantasyscapes blog series, concerning Dark Worlds and Mirror Universes, and one thing I find myself doing with each of these posts is exhorting any writers who might be reading to think more about these places, put them into stories and make them pop.

It's time for me to be the change I want to see. 

I have four articles, each with Swamps, The Road, Wastelands, and Dark Worlds.  I also keep a stock of images that I pick up on the internet that I think might be cool to turn into stories, and most of them are even SFW.  I asked people here on LJ to give me numbers that I counted down in the Story Seeds file, and people on Facebook to choose from my Character Seeds file.  Each one in order of when it was recieved, matching Story Seed, Character Seed and Fantasyscape in the order that the Fantasyscapes came out.  Then I am going to make stories out of them.  Probably in the short, short range.  If I am very fortunate.

This is what I got (images under the cut, Safe for Work)




A benefit poster for the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  This is a good time to mention that I don't intend to take these images literally.  I do not have the right skillset for making topical stories.  (Chosen by rowanda380  )



Motorized Skateboard kid (I probably found this image on BoingBoing).   (Chosen by divideby0  , who probably would have chosen it even if he knew what he was choosing.)



2. At the Crossroads



Okay, there's nothing to say about this one.  One of my favorite images ever.  (Chosen by mydwynter  ).



Fashion designer Johnny Weir and friends.  Yeah.  This is going to be interesting.  As a note, fashion shoots often come up with some pretty striking images.  Those photographers know their stuff. (Chosen by darkpaisley  )



3. The Wasteland



The euthanocoaster, which, if real, would kill you to ride.  (Chosen by asakiyume  )



This formidable looking woman, found somewhere in the internets by sevenravens  (Chosen by Ally Miller)


4. The Dark World



Muppet D&D Alignment Chart.  (Chosen by waylandsmith  )



An itinerant Hindu pilgrim (I think also found on BoingBoing) (Chosen by Sarah Herrick).

Wildcard



An image in case one of them just does nothing for me.  (Chosen by sovay  ).

There is Never a Plan

Give me a number: 1-45.
First 4 numbers given are winners!  In my brain!

Run Blogging

O Hai.  I was lazy for the last 5 days, so, unsurprisingly, my legs crapped out at just about the mile marker, but then a strange thing happened.  A thing called Florence, and I decided that, if I was not going to run far, I should try to run fast.  It even sort of worked.  2 miles in only a little more than 20 minutes.  I may go over to speed this week, over distance, and then try the distance thing again.