Dreams.

Children are the masters of dreams.

They strike up fantasies from muddy sticks and an ant hill, from lazily floating bubbles, and gnarled trees.  They do not wait for your troubles to be dealt with, nor do they prioritize the world as you do.  As a group, they are like running water, always with you, yet always moving ahead.  Alone, they are curious kittens–batting at your heels, fussing over details you might not have noticed in your busy adult life.  And all the while, they dream.

My job as an afterschool program leader started last week, as some of you may know, and I think it’s had an effect on me.  On the one hand, I feel older–like someone jaded by time.  My “adult” concerns are off-set by the simplicity of the children.  People say that kids don’t know what they want.  This isn’t true.  They DO know what they want, but their interest is sometimes short-lived and their expectations undermined by reality.  Their desires are innocent, even when they’re being mischievous, because they don’t get the extent of their actions.  Faced with their drive to have recess, or their motivation for a lollipop, I become filled with envy.  They are absolutely sure that all they want out of life is to have fun.  There are times when I haven’t the slightest idea what my top priority is.  Probably because I find myself too concerned with the “bigger picture”.

On the other hand, the kids can sometimes make me feel younger.  They’ve uncovered a sense of positiveness and energy that I didn’t think I had anymore.  They make me laugh, and as dumb as it sounds, I feel really glad that they turn to me for help before everyone else.  I mean, I know I’m their program leader, but it feels like such a switch:  from a person who wasn’t certain if she could handle kids, and who was regarded as immature and ineffectual by her elders, to that position of trust and authority.  Even now, I scratch my head at it.

Everyday I face challenges at work.  Those kids (hoo boy) they keep me on my toes!  But I think, in this short span of time, I’ve already learned something from them.  Dream, dream, dream.  And take things one day at a time.  It’s helped me a lot, and my overall mood and energy has improved.  In the Wind and the Web, some of you may take note of how my epiphanies have further influenced themes in my writing.

This week was the first week of Fall Semester classes at my community college, too.  I’m taking two classes–World Religions and Introductory Algebra.  So far, work and school have not served as a problem, but this week I didn’t get any homework.  Next week will be the real test.

So today I managed a MASSIVE amount of writing, which is good. (3,339 words so far!)  This last intermission is largely finished–just needs to be polished.  Next week, we return to the main story, and begin Part 2…of which I still have not come up with a name for.  (Ack!)

To innocence!  To dreams!

To LOLLIPOPS!

And now for intermission.

I shouldn’t be excited that I actually managed to update on time…

But I’m excited that I actually managed to update on time!

(nevermind that it’s just intermission)

This week’s update comes straight from the pages of Tobias’ book. If you’ve already read it, you know that it is the story Nyx tells Elmiryn at the end of Part 1–the tale of the Spider of the West. It’s one of the few stories in Tobias’ book that is written from the perspective of Earth. Actually, it is the last story to be found out of a total of five. Nyx hasn’t finished the book, but she’s read all the tales. The rest of the book comprises of poems and musings. (Nyx skipped these. Not that she disliked them, but because she found the stories to be a little more cathartic.) Later on, you’ll get to hear her opinions on the stories in-canon, as Elmiryn has started to take an interest.

I found writing this story to be incredibly easy. Perhaps because there was no prior set-up to answer to, I had a lot of creative freedom. The other part of it may very well be my familiarity with the characters. Though still unknown in Eikasia, these characters have been with me for years, and I’m delighted that they finally have a proper story to call home. I look forward to writing them more in the future, and I hope all of you enjoy them as much as I do.

“The Wind and the Web” will continue for one more update. Then…well, I’ll see what I’ll do. I adore the idea of doing an abstract piece, but still have yet to come up with something good enough. Next week I return to work, and the week after that fall semester classes start up, so whatever I come up with will likely be very simple.

Currently, I’m distracted by a great backlog of movies that demand my viewing, as well as a brand new video game–Fable 2. I can see why the latter has good reviews, but again, I feel Lionhead will come just short of what I was hoping for in this new game. I haven’t progressed far. I’ve got a female character, and I’m tempted to make her like Elmiryn. I’m popular with the ladies, anyway.

That’s it for now! I hope you guys enjoy this little intermission. It may just end after “The Wind and the Web” if I feel I can start Part 2 without any trouble.

…

P.S.

Ha ha, sorry, I’m such a stinker. Here’s the real link: really! (wakka wakka wakka)

Tributaries is Finished!

So with the posting of Chapter 8.4, “Part 1: Tributaries” is now officially done!  What does this mean?  Well, while I get ready for Part 2, Eikasia will have a temporary intermission.  This doesn’t mean there won’t be an update this week.  It just won’t be the main story.  You folks get to hear the tales of Earth and Wind in detail, and possibly a humorous abstract short featuring Elmiryn and Nyx (yes, it’s the same one I mentioned before.)

I’ve also been considering renaming Part 2.  “Hawks, Cats, and Dogs” doesn’t seem to do the overall idea justice anymore.