Cobweb's Stories

Major Arcana: Tarot Ficlet Challenge

2008-07-15T23:07:40Z

This is my first challenge, so I wanted to make it a good one. I think it’ll be fun.

There are basically three rules to this challenge:

1. Each ficlet should have a title in the form of “Part 1: The Magus” using any tarot card you like from the list below.

2. Any prequels or sequels should be in numerical order. Feel free to start with whatever card you want here, as long as you go in order when prequelling or sequelling other ones.

3. Each ficlet should use the tarot card of the title as inspiration, using the symbolism, etc. So for example, Part 7: The Chariot could be a chase scene or Part 1: The Magus could introduce a character with some special knowledge. The Rider Waite deck is a good one to use.

And lastly, the Challenge: To get at least one full story with beginning, middle and end. Let’s see if we can get at least one string of ficlets going from part 0 to part 21. Can you help me? I hope I don’t have to do it all myself!

Card list for reference: http://icanhaz.com/tarot

Any questions?

Recognition

2008-07-09T01:12:06Z

“Wait, who are you?” Ethan stumbled back, disengaging from her. The spell was broken, the moment changed in an instant of suspicion and doubt. The air darkened, as if a storm cloud gathered overhead, pregnant and seething with intentions.

He knew the moment she said it, perhaps even a millisecond before, that he was being too trusting. The potion, the vulnerable nakedness, talking about the Firewall as if it didn’t matter. He would not make those mistakes again, but it might not even matter at this point, he thought.

A feeling of acceleration came over him. Perhaps the shock of realizing what he’d done triggered some kind of, he shuddered at the thought, biological reaction that catalyzed the potion. Or maybe it just took that long to kick in.

She smiled toothfully, rows and rows of jagged bone one on top of the other going all the way down into the darkness of her throat.

“It’s ok, relax.” She said. “I’m not going to bust you, or anything.”

“I have to go now.” Ethan said, putting on his glasses.

Circling the Prey

2008-06-27T04:41:40Z

On the other side of the firewall, the feedback would have spiraled them both into an instant orgasm. Propelled by each others lust they would have quickly reached a crescendo and gone about their business.

The way Rachel looked at him, Ethan felt like an antelope about to be taken down by a cheetah. She sized him up sexfully, and he had no idea what she was thinking which only frustrated him further. He thought about throwing her down and plugging directly into her head right there, but that would be unseemly.

Ethan pressed a sweaty thumb into her palm, getting goosebumps himself as he felt her shudder. She was clearly much more comfortable in her body than he was. He guessed she’d been over for 50 years at least, based on the complexity of her teasings.

Other couples walked in and out of the room, but neither of them gave any heed. Sweat dripped from their bodies to the velour floor.

“There’s something I have to tell you first.” She said.

Mesmerized, Ethan watched her lips as she spoke.

“I knew you.”

A Seduction

2008-06-19T02:28:05Z

Something that intrigued Ethan about life on this side of the Firewall was the smell of things. His life before had been a sterile white realm of pure thought and total understanding, devoid of any physical sense or pleasure. The Sangha had outlawed such things centuries ago.

But here with Rachel? Things were different. He could smell the skin of her bosom, a complex warm fragrance that he wanted to drink down even as the naked physicality of it unnerved him. He was helpless before her, but why? The potion he drank? That was part of it, he supposed. Goosebumps rose on his skin, spreading out from his stomach to his face, chest and other tender parts.

Would Francesca forgive him for what he was about to do? Surely. They had led a nearly perfect symbiotic coexistence in his other life, but what would she think of this place? She would probably be even more disoriented. She could even be here, she could be Rachel for all he knew.

“Kiss me.” She said, pulling him down against her.

He did, with enthusiasm.

Crushed Flowers

2008-06-18T00:51:57Z

“Crushed Damiana, Turkish Hash oil, honey, dried P. cubensis, cane sugar, lavender, at least one secret ingredient, and other natural flavorings.”

“Well it tasted pretty good. Was there alcohol in it? I feel kind of strange.” Ethan’s stomach fluttered, as if he were falling from a great height.

Her face flushed with pleasure. She was like a purring kitten, her eyes closed and that smile that never left her lips. “No, there’s no alcohol. But it is a powerful aphrodisiac.”

“What?” Ethan blurted out, “Are you… but, I’m m-married!” Sweat beaded on his upper lip. The sensations starting to spread through his body were not unpleasant.

“Relax.” she murmured. “Half the people on this boat are married.” She fell back onto a deep red divan that materialized out from the cabin walls. “Why are you here?”

Ethan went to her, letting her arms envelope him. “Ziyi said that…”

“Ziyi? I must send her my thanks.”

“Why? Do you..”

“Shh.” She silenced him with a finger to his lips, which he took into his mouth.

The Taste of Time

2008-06-17T22:26:47Z

“I’m Rachael.” She said, dragging him to the next cabin. “And you’re Ethan.” She said it matter-of-factly, as if he might not know his own name.

“You’ve been aboard for three local hours and haven’t said a single word to any other passengers.” She said, “so there has got to be something interesting about you.” Her ruby smile was crooked, and clashed deliciously with her mauve hat.

Ethan eyed her suspiciously. “How do you know my name? I’m just trying to…”

She rolled her eyes. “Your name tag? Please don’t tell me you’re just another tourist. Come. Have a drink with me.”

“But.” Ethan looked down at the copper nameplate pinned to his brown wool jacket. “Alright, fine.” He said, giving in. “What do you have to drink?”

She sighed. “You really are new here aren’t you?” Rachael produced a thin crystal flask from her bodice and handed it to Ethan.

“What is it?” He asked.

“Well it’s not poison.” She said, snatching the flask and drinking half the contents. “Here, drink the rest.”

He did. “So, what was it?”

Dizang

2008-01-25T01:07:21Z

Hello? If this is yet another Sim I may go crazy. Something tells me this is a real outlet, that this time I’m getting through to someone, so I’m just going to vent here until I learn otherwise.

My name is Lia. I’ve been trying to contact Real Earth for I don’t know how long. It’s hard to judge time here. Something is wrong with this place.

In 2012, as you should well know, a planet was discovered orbiting around the star 19 Scorpii. Advances in interferometry, high powered orbiting telescopes and other technology allowed us to gather information about this planet, which as it turns out was very earthlike. The Chinese called the rock Dizang.

Some elements of the Chinese government weren’t satisfied with the swarm of robotic probes that were sent out by the US and Euro space programs. Some of the instruments might reach Dizang in time for us or our ancestors to see the pictures sent back, but it wasn’t enough.

I was one of seven hundred recruited as part of a secret mission to create an extrasolar colony.

Dak the Seducer

2007-10-12T23:59:49Z

“One thing most people don’t know about elvish women,” Dak said, “is that they are absolutely insatiable.”

He looked at his audience: a filthy gnome in a stocking cap, a leathery hill dwarf and a foul smelling human with a face like an open wound, all leaning forward across the cracked granite table to hear more of his tales of sexual exploit.

“Most people figure a roundeye doesn’t have a chance to get in there with an elvish princess, but it’s not so.” Tendrils of smoke wafted from Dak’s nostrils as he paused for effect.

The leather faced dwarf with the lazy eye looked at him suspiciously, “You mean to say,” he said, spittle collecting in the corners of his mouth, “you banged one of them delicious pointy ears?”

“Shut yer face, Kerrik.” The gnome said, “I wa’ ta hear ‘is story.”

“Elvish women,” Dak continued, “are born with a certain… enthusiasm. Problem is, elvish men are so uppity that it can take decades to train one.”

“We humies however,” He said with pride. “Are always willing to please.”

Henry Ford was a Jerk

2007-10-09T15:36:28Z

FADE IN :

INT . DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ART – RIVERA COURT – MORNING

The museum is empty save three figures: a well dressed blue haired DOCENT and a young man, HOWARD , docent in training are speaking near the composite image of Henry Ford / Thomas Edison. An OLD MAN shuffles slowly towards them.

The OLD MAN examines the fresco with a wry smile.

OLD MAN
That guy was a bastard.

DOCENT
Oh? Did you know him?

OLD MAN
My father was one of Mr Ford’s first one hundred employees. That man was a bastard.
(beat)
Mr. Ford I mean, of course.

(HOWARD looks on in amusement)

DOCENT
There are certainly a lot of stories to that respect.

OLD MAN
When he finally kicked off, they don’t tell this story in your movies or what not, but his family had to post a guard twenty four hours a day on the old man’s grave. Every last one of his workers wanted to piss on his grave, he treated them so badly.

Malasomnus

2007-10-08T21:01:00Z

I woke up in darkness. The street light across from my house cast menacing shadows on the bedroom wall, energized by the cool wind.

There was a sound from the basement, a clicking noise filtered up through the floor. Throwing aside the sheets, I stepped into the hall dodging imaginary phantoms on the way.

As I reached the top of the basement stairs I heard the noise again.

grind, pause, click!

“Philip?” I called below. My husband had not been in bed with me. Maybe he fell, he could be hurt.

Wait, I have a husband? I descended the staircase and stepped down to the left, turning several times in a spiral on the way down. This wasn’t my house.

Strange.

“Philip, is that you?” I called.

grind, whirr, click!

I flicked on the light at the bottom of the stairs and a heap of torn, bloody canvas moved in a corner just out of pool of light.

“Help me..” Philip gurgled.

I woke up bathed in sweat. I was on the floor next to my bed.

Oh god, I was tired.

I looked up to see him in the doorway.

“Who are you?”

Rejection

2007-10-08T15:47:53Z

Consume, consume, consume.

Some days it feels like that’s all I do. Sit back and let the television wash over me, bathing in the subliminal messages.

Reading is a little more active, and so many people do say that a writer is always first a reader, but it’s still primarily a consumer activity.

Hush darling, just keep going.

It’s not that I don’t have the energy to create, I do. It’s just that I am that easily distracted. Ten twenty four characters daily, four times daily, sixteen sixty six words daily, nothing. My target changes every day.

“What do you think?” I said. “Is it too obtuse? Some people say it’s jargony and hard to read.”

Revise, keep going. Try again. The voice in my head. At least it’s saying encouraging things.

“Well, I’ll be honest with you,” Mr VanMeer said. A curl of smoke twisted from his pipe as he set it down next to a crystal ashtray. “It’s not that it isn’t good, it’s just not what we’re looking for here.”

“Thank you for your time.” I started to head for the door.

“Wait.”

Sea of Night

2007-09-26T00:33:45Z

It wasn’t sailing as Ethan remembered it, but it operated on some of the same principles. The cabin he was seated in evoked something of the Nautilus from Jules Verne, from the intricate whorls designed into the mahogany chair, to the tiny polished brass portholes that looked out into the night.

The ships’ means of locomotion, he had been told, was a metallic sail a million kilometers square that propelled the ship forward. Steering was accomplished by manipulating a magnetic field in some way, and he understood none of it, but all of the comforts of a normal sailing vessel were here.

The other passengers smiled and nodded at him, amused at his wide-eyed wonder.

“How long have you been on this side?” said a pretty face from beneath a hideous Victorian hat adorned with peacock feathers and fluff.

“I’ve only been here for a few days.” Said Ethan. “Does it show that much?”

“It’s alright.” She said. “You’re managing better than most.” The ruby lips curled in a smile and she reached out a lace gloved hand.

Getting Settled In

2007-09-21T14:50:42Z

It had to be done. The old life wasn’t working out, so Ethan emigrated here to what was supposed to be a perfect utopia. His only regret was that it had to be done so quickly. He hadn’t had time to say goodbye to his wife and daughter before he was forced to hit the eject button.

Well, they would show up here eventually. Everyone would. Hopefully the two that mattered would remember him when they came over.

“You ok?” Ziyi said, breaking his reverie. “You looked far away there for a minute. Thinking about your other life?”

He nodded.

“Well it’s best to try and focus on what’s going on right here and now, you can’t go back there anymore, you know.” She looked to Ethan as if she really were concerned for him. “That world doesn’t exist now.”

“So what do I do now?” He said.

“Go out, meet new people. Get used to being in a body. Find something you are good at and practice doing it for a while.”

She smiled. “Have you ever been sailing?”

“Sailing?” Ethan used to sail regularly, two lifetimes ago.

Pleasant Dinner Conversation

2007-09-19T23:21:19Z

“Anyway, that’s why I’m here.” She said. “As your patron, it’s my job to fill you in on the niceties of society on this side of the Firewall.” She stirred her drink lazily, and the turbulence between the cream layer on top and the brown sweet liquid on bottom created a row of perfect little swirls.

I appreciate that, he thought.

“Speaking of which.” she said, “You’re going to have to get used to speaking out loud. People around here prefer doing things the mechanical way. The whole instantaneous silent communication thing is a bit too personal for most people. Maybe when you…” she blushed visibly, ”...get to know someone a little better you can try that out.”

“Ah. Terribly sorry.” Ethan stuttered, “I did not mean to give offense. I have not been in this body for very long, and this place is very different than what I am used to.”

I’m dying over and over and over and over again.

Ethan shuddered involuntarily as he recalled the image of his former body lying slumped in a gutter, lifeless.

Office of Codes and Cyphers

2007-09-17T18:38:30Z

His eyes squinted behind brass goggles as Fitzwilliam handed the parchment to the skinny red-haired one.

“Oh looka me,” the man mocked to his fat companion, “oi’m an offeecer of ‘er Royal Airforce, hand oi have desperate needs of yer Aetherwebs.”

“Can you please just do the decryption? Mr. um,” Fitzwilliam examined the man’s arachnid shaped badge, “Mr. ‘Cornelius’ if that is your name.”

“At’s wha they coal me. Pulz step back in let th’experts andle fings from ‘ere. Kaythanx.”

Leftenant Fitzwilliam wrinkled his nose at Cornelius and watched as he and his rotund companion punched the random-seeming digits into the Aetherwebs machine.

“Beerb with yore eyem, guv.” Cornelius disappeared into a back room and left the portly Edward to man the counter.

“Eez a bit daft,” Edward said, finally speaking up, “But eez a right competent hacksore. You’ll see.”

Ever since Fitzwilliam took on his position at the Office of Codes and Cyphers he’d been trying to piece together why the General had placed him there.