OMD:

POST UNDER CONSTRUCTION - COME BACK TOMORROW

WIP: A Little Bit

Can I just say - I'm not all that inspired to write anything today?

It's rainy out, gloomy, cold and I have been hiding inside watching videos online while resolutely avoiding work of any kind/form.


As it is work in progress week I will add a few poems, and a little snippet of the latest workings on. Leave a comment with anything you're working at this week.

“Erik, this is stupid, why do I even have to be here?”

“You’re the owner – the whole benefit is for you.”

“Great,” I muttered under my breath.

He opened the door to the ballroom and I had to stop for a moment. The whole place looked like a swanked night club. I went in and was soon swallowed by the higher end of society. 

Rich socialites and bachelors were breathing down my neck, offering me their word of support.  A few offered me drinks. I looked over at the bartender and was relieved to find Tom there. Each glass that came my way would be perfectly 100% alcohol proof.

Thank you, Tom!

The night went on. I danced with a few billionaires, forcing myself to be nice and participate in their almost drunken behavior.

“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?”

I looked up at the stage. The DJ cut the music and there was an MC there, looking about as steady as a sailor on dry-land. I watched with mingled curiosity as the assembled crowd grew quiet. Erik sidled up to me. I gave him an equally curious look, and then felt worried when I saw him grin.

This, can’t be anything good.

“As you all know, this benefit is to help support the Destler theatre. So far, through your generous donations, we’ve managed to raise that bar a little higher.”

There was polite applause.

“Erik,” I whispered, “what the heck –”

“And now, for the highlight of the night,” I turned back to the MC. “Gentlemen, open your wallets and bid generously. It’s time for the auction!”

There were hearty cheers around the room.

Auction?

“Our first lady is one the move affluent models in the city –”

I tuned the MC out and fully focused on the musician.

“Erik, you never said a word about an auction for women!”

My voice was low, whispered, hardly heard above the din of bids ringing above my head. I was furious and was almost positive he knew it.

“It’s just an auction for a date, nothing illegal about it.”

I glared back; I opened my mouth to protest when the MC shouted.

What are you working on lately?

Book Nook - A Tale of Two Cities

With the new semester in full swing and my forty-five minute commute in full effect I chose a new novel to listen to while stuck behind drivers going ten below the speed limit.

Novel: A Tale of Two Cities

Author: Charles Dickens



Originally published as a serial in the newspaper, chapter by chapter in 1859, it follows the lives of people living in London, and Paris. Spanning the time of the French Revolution it entwines around the lives of both Enslighmen and Frenchmen.

Disclaimer: I won't get too much into the details of the plot. After all, no one likes a Spoiler.

Cast of Characters:

Charles Darnay: The Marquis Evremonde
      A man who changed his name and left France because of the injustices done by his aristocratic family. He chose to live in England as a teacher, only returning to France to help another man in need.


Sydney Carton
      A man who prefers to drink his life away, with no real prospects of life. He works with Stryver in the law offices and helped acquit Darnay when he was first accused of treason in the British courts. Darnay was left off due to the striking resemblance between him and Carton. Throughout the novel he transfers from a negligent drunk and scoundrel to that of a man surpassing Darnay in qualities.


Doctor Manette
      A brilliant physician. When he was younger he helped an aristocrat and was rewarded with 18 years in the Bastille. While there he learns to make shoes to pass the time he's imprisoned. When finally reunited with his daughter, he proves to be a kind, loving father.


Lucie Manette
      A French woman who grew up in England, raised as a ward of Tellson's Bank. She is the archetype of compassion in the novel, the basis of all the good things that come about. She is referred to as the "Golden Thread" (though that could be an allusion to her hair color as well). Her love is shown as a transformative power to those who meet her: her father turning from a man without hope to one who lives and laughs; and Sydney Carton, who goes from scoundrel to hero.


Monsieur Defarge
      The man who used to be a servant to Doctor Manette, and took care of him after his release from the Bastille. He is the owner of a wine shop, intelligent and committed to the revolutionary. He is a compassionate man, turned leader in the revolution. His wife sees his compassion as weakness.


Madame Defarge
      The wife of Monsieur Defarge, she is far more blood thirsty for the aristocracy. She knits the entire novel, knitting the names of those who must die for the revolutionary cause. She is unrelenting in her thirst for blood.


Jarvis Lorry
        The businessman from Tellson's Bank who helped Doctor Manette and Lucie first reunite. He is a bachelor with a strong moral sense. He has a good, honest heart and proves trustworthy and loyal. He is a personal friend to the Manette family.


Jerry Cruncher
        An odd-jobs man for Tellson's bank. He is seen as a short-tempered, superstitous, and uneducated man (in the book sense). His main job is as a "Resurrection-Man" - someone who digs up dead bodies and sells them to scientists. He is shown as a good man throughout the novel, though at odds with some of the other characters.


Miss Pross
        The woman who raised Lucie. She is the epitome of an English woman: brusque, though, and fiercely loyal. She personifies order and loyalty.




With a long list of characters, this novel delves deep into the world of Revolutionary France. Taking a more layman view of the events that changed the French government. This novel has every character you'd want in a story.


At the time it was written, Charles Dickens was paid by the word, making this a tedious read. Listening to it in the car while traveling made it easier - and the world came alive. I do intend to re-read this at some point in the future.


If you're looking for a good read (not quick!) then pick up a copy of "A Tale of Two Cities".





What are you reading this month? Leave a comment and let's discuss books!

Too Exhausted - Trying to Travel

Right.

I'm super distracted right now. I had something all planned out, but in the end it's the end of the day and this is all I've got.


So much school.

So much work.


Yes, I'm grateful to be busy.


Side note: I'm going to start a GoFundMe sometime in the near month. I'm trying to do a semester abroad and the fees are.....insane.


That's all I've got.


Now I've got to get some laundry done, pack and prepare for a trip.



Suggestions?

Fifth Tuesday - Now what?

Every month there's a fifth Tuesday I always get confused by what I should write about.

Well, I think I may have found something to chat on for a little while.

While taking classes yesterday we had to do a writing assignment. Take the same character, same setting, and same general scenario but write it in three different genres: horror, romance, and comedy. Sadly I didn't make it to the comedic aspect - ran out of time - but I did get the first two down. It was a great little writing experiment.

While I don't have the two little blurps with me right now I will try and post them on this journal entry later on.



Have a fantastic last two days of January!


(.....holy crap we're almost done with one month this year!)



Query: What is your favorite genre to write in?

OMD: Quest for Camelot

Welcome to Obscure Movie Day.

I actually had to go back and triple check that I hadn't done this one before.

Title: The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot
Release Date: May 15, 1998
Time: 86 minutes

This is one of my favorite films based around the Arthurian legends.



Back in the 90's everyone was trying to cash in on Disney's renaissance: animated movies with strong female roles, musical numbers, happily-ever-afters, villains trying to take over something.

And yes - Gary Oldman as Rubar knocked it out of the park.

(You will never hear Sirius Black the same way again.)


Not only that, but it is where we get this gem of a song from:

(I kid you not.)



With many A-list actors cast such as Cary Elwes, Jane Seymour, Pierce Bronsa n, and Gary Oldman this is one of the best flicks to come out of the '90s that wasn't Disney related.



The basic premise:

Girls father is a knight in King Arthur's court. He leaves when she's a child because they are going to divide the kingdom into equal shares.

Rubar interrupts with claims he should get more. A fight ensues and Lionel sacrifices himself to save Arthur.

Song montage as Kayley grows into a teenager who wants to leave the farm and become a knight. Her wish comes true as Rubar takes over the farm, creates an evil army and uses her mother to get into Camelot to kill Arthur.....after he finds Excaliber which his griffin stole and lost over the Forbidden Forest.

While there Kayley encounters Garrett, a blind man who used to be a stable boy in Camelot before a fire took his sight. Kayley's father helped him out and he feels obligated to help her find the sword and return it.

After finding the sword they enter the Dragon territory and team up with a two-headed dragon - parts played by Eric Idle and Don Rickles.

Kayley and the sword are taken by Rubar just before the caravan from home enters Camelot. They let them in because Juliana was Sir Lionel's widow and Arthur had a soft spot for his best friends wife and family.

Kayley escapes and the big fight ensues.

Rubar used evil magic to attach Excalibur to his arm, which cannot be undone without some serious mojo.

Please go watch the movie to see how it ends!


Also: this completely Awesome music!

What's your favorite movie from the 1990s?

See you next week!

WIP: The Alley

A little something I've been working on. Accents are not my forte in writing yet - I'm still working at them.

‘We have to find him – quickly.’

Confused, I looked around, ‘Find who?’

I turned around, but I couldn’t see who I was with, if I was with anyone at all. Whoever was there didn’t respond again. I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone took my hand. I was led through a wooded area and into a small village. The set distracted me enough from my escort. It wasn’t large enough for an actual town, and calling it a village almost seemed almost too kind. There were a bunch of little cottages built really close together, a few larger houses in the middle of the square. He pulled me forward again and all I could see was the back of a black cloak. He led me through the back streets, avoiding all the main roads that passed through. Each time he heard someone coming down the street he became ancy, almost nervous. When another person turned down our alley, he quickly pulled me close, bringing his large cloak up to surround us – making us blend in with the shadows around us. I continued to follow him, keeping one hand on my large skirt to keep myself from tripping on the hem.

‘Wait here.’

I paused. He left me standing in a darker alley, cut off from the rest of way. I watched him, curious, as he climbed up onto the roof of the house to my right. A moment later he disappeared over the other side. I shrank back into the shadows, feeling suddenly exposed and vulnerable. I found small comfort there with the darkness closing in on me.

‘Miss, can ye ‘elp me?’

I nearly cried out in alarm, jumping. Spinning in a full circle I found a small boy standing in the doorway across from me. He shrank back, quivering. I could barely see him – his skin was dark; almost exactly like Brian’s.

‘Wh-what is it?’

I shook, wondering where on earth Erik was.

‘I – I’m lost – an’, scared.’

I bit my lower lip. I wasn’t sure what I should do. Erik had told me to wait there for him until he came back from wherever it was he went. Waiting intoned the notion of not moving from the position where one was left. I couldn’t risk going off, but I couldn’t just leave the child there. That was irresponsible.

‘Where are your parents?’

His eyes grew dark, he almost started crying, ‘I don’ ‘ave  any.’

I felt my heart wrench from the tone in his voice. He was all alone in this world – defenseless.

I bit my lip again, mulling it over before making a decision, 

‘Alright, come with me. I’ll take you somewhere safe.’

I moved out of the shadows and stepped close to him, reaching out. He was timid, shy. At first he moved away, then slowly reached out and took my offered hand. The instant we touched a chain leapt from the dark and wrapped itself around my wrist, snaking its way around the boy’s, linking us together. A splint of shock ran through me as I heard dark, almost maniacal laughter coming from out of the darkness to my right.

How about you? What are you working on this week?