Michelle Franklin's Blog, page 8

Story for the Day: The Morning Business

A morning micturition was never so strangely interrupted:

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Story for the Day: Taking an Ear

Though Danaco threatens his crew with taking a toe or a finger for poor conduct, he hardly ever acts on his promises; he does not need to, really: the threat of being slashed by the captain's sword is far worse than what any physical punishment can offer.
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Story of the Day: The Rules of the Game

The Old Lucentian game of Machanabi  has many rules, and while the game easily played, it is not so easily won, as Peppone soon finds out:
                The turn was passed to Bartleby, who drew a tile he did not want, grieved about it, and tossed it out. Danaco drew a tile he knew he would not need and therefore hardly looked at it before passing it over to Ujaro, who picked it up and put it in his hand, though...

Story for the Day: A Gentleman's Game

Machanabi is one of the oldest games in Lucentia. It was invented by the Ruvani, and once the kingdom was taken over by the Elves, the game became confined to the Old Lucentian dens and gaming parlours, where high-rollers could be screwed out of wagers and into poverty. Not many play the game outside of its home, but on the deck of the Myrellenos, a few rounds are known to be played:
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In Memoriam: P.E. Bartleby Crulge on the Death of Stephen Hawking

"Esteemed ladies and gentleman of the house, or whathaveyou in this circumstance, director of the Academy, students and novitiates:

As head of sciences, the duty of announcing a passing in our community, as they call it, naturally becomes mine, though I'd rather it belong to someone else. Being a herald of death is an office no one should ever look forward to, but never mind that now. I am asked to do it, and so I will and have it over.

The greatest cosmologist, and perhaps one of the greatest...

Story for the Day: The Bramble

There is always a bigger fish.
There are also always older Gods.
For however powerful the Four Sons of Diras promise to be, there is always one who reigns supreme over them, one whom Baba Connridh dotingly calls 'The Bramble'.

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Story of the Day: Comminatory Company

Many of us might wish for Divine Interference, but for someone like Baba Connridh, who is regularly visited by the whole pantheon, godly visits are never worth their weight in pie:

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Story for the Day: Just Visitin'

Normally, Baba does not like visitors to her farm. She goes to many lengths to repel anyone from trying to leap over her fence and approach the house, but for those who know how to navigate the minefield of bear traps and pitfalls, the best dinner a day's work can afford lies within...

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A Legend Passes into the Realm: #RIPUsulaKLeGuin

While there are many fantasy books and many authors of speculative fiction, very few with legendary status ever live so long, and if they do, they often leave their fantastic worlds earlier than situation and health allows. Pratchett unfortunately died early, Eddings abandoned his original universe to fly to more scientific heights, White traded Arthur for Lilliput, and Howard was swept away by mental illness before he could see his Hyborean Age leap to international and universal acclaim, bu...

A new Baba Connridh book comes...

Frewyn's farmers are the nation's backbone. In a largely agrarian society as Frewyn is, most farmers expect to work either until someone in the family takes over the business or the resident farmer on a given plot of land dies. Retirement is not a word that belongs in Tyfferim, and for those like Baba Connridh, the idea of not working the land is one so foreign it belongs in Gallei.

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