Vague Alternative History Ideas

Some vague ideas towards an alternate universe history (and map) of Australia…

1788: The First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay, establishing the the settlement of Port Botany and the Colony of New South Wales.
1825: The Colony of Van Diemen’s Land is separated from New South Wales.
1826: The settlement of Albany is established at King George Sound at the west of the continent.
1825: Founding of Brisbane.
1827: Fort Wellington founded at Raffles Bay on the north coast of the continent.
1829: The Swan River Colony is established.
1832: The Swan River Colony is abandoned.
1834: Albany is proclaimed the capital of the Colony of New Holland.
1835: John Batman founds Batmania on the Yarra river.
1836: The Colony of South Australia is proclaimed. Land east of the Murray River remains part of New South Wales. Settlement of Adelaide.
1840: Colony of New Zealand proclaimed.
1851: New South Wales south of the Murray River is proclaimed as the Colony of Victoria with the capital at Batmania.
1859: New South Wales north of the 29th parallel and east of 141 meridian east is proclaimed as the Colony of Queensland.
1861: The area of New South Wales west of South Australia is transferred to New Holland.
1863: The area of New South Wales north of South Australia is transferred to South Australia.
1901: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Van Diemen’s Land, Victoria and New Zealand form the Commonwealth of Australia. New Holland refuses, but the eastern goldfields declare independence and join the Commonwealth as the state of Auralia with the Capital at Kalgoorlie.
1911: After a decade of acrimonious debate Batmania is declared national capital. The northern portion of South Australia is separated into the Northern Territory with the capital of Raffles Bay.
1927: The Northern Territory is divided along the 20th parallel, creating the Territory of Central Australia, with the capital of Alice Springs.
1933: New Holland votes to join the Commonwealth in a referendum.
1961: Queensland north of the 22nd parallel is separated as the State of Capricornia with the capital of Townsville.

Medieval Holy Land Pilgrimage Monopoly!

It is generally agreed that Monopoly is a terrible board game. It is incredibly long and incredibly dull while at the same time somehow being viciously predatory. It’s the kind of game where you spend hours shuffling bits of paper around while developing a deep and abiding hatred for all the other players, one of whom always wins because they’re so invested in the thing as to have studied the extremely simple yet extremely dull strategies required for a guaranteed win. Burn in boardgame hell Monopoly!

Despite this, my brain has wandered unstoppably down one of those strange little paths of busfuckery that plague me so, and designed a reskin of the game that’s bound to be far more popular than that “Millennial Edition” they’re currently hawking. I have invented Medieval Holy Land Pilgrimage Monopoly!

The streets are replaced with cities on the pilgrimage routes from northwest Europe to Jerusalem. Players collect gold by constructing Inns and Hospices. The railways are replaced with great medieval ports – let’s say London, Venice, Constantinople and Acre – while the utilities are holy relics – perhaps the Spear of Longinus and the True Cross. Players don’t go to Jail, they get captured for Ransom. “Community Chest” becomes “The Knights Hospitaller”, and “Chance” is retitled “Fate” for that true medieval flavour. The playing pieces are – of course – replicas of pilgrim badges.

It will be massive! I await my royalty check from Hasbro.

On Cnossath and its Knights

This post is part of the Skereig Subsector project

Name Cnossath Prime
Segmentum Segmentum Tempestus
Sector Chiros Sector
Subsector Skereig Subsector
System Cnossath System
Population 430,000,000
Cnossath

The Knight World of Cnossath Prime (or simply ‘Cnossath’) was discovered and settled by humanity at some point prior to M23. A temperate world with three major continents and several island chains it hosts three (originally four) Knight Houses that owe fealty to the Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World of Volund Two-Seven.

Crest of House Cashel
Crest of House Cashel

Traditions preserved on Cnossath maintain that the planet was settled by four separate colony ships, each claiming exclusive dominion over a planetary region (the ancient technology at the heart of the three remaining House Strongholds would appear to bear this legend out). Each Colony developed into a nation state ruled by Knights – House Cashel on the western continent, House Ventris on the north of the eastern continent, House Mabb on the eastern continent’s southern peninsula and House Krater on the central islands. The frigid northern continent was claimed by House Ventris but unoccupied (apart from mining colonies) due to adverse environmental conditions.

A peculiarity of the Houses of Cnossath, traceable as far back as the planet’s histories reach, is that the Thrones Mechanicum of their Knight Suits lack the indoctrination protocols found on almost every other Knight World. It is unclear if this anomaly is by design or simply the result of some ancient accident, but it allows a far greater degree of individuality to the planet’s Knight pilots. It has also led to a bloody history of conflict and warfare between – and occasionally even within – the Houses.

Volund Two-Seven Maker's Plate
Volund Two-Seven Maker’s Plate

Cnossath first came to the attention of outsiders in M27 during the Age of Strife. An Adeptus Mechanicus colonisation fleet – dispatched during a lull in the galactic warp storms – settled the world of Volund Two-Seven on the far side of what would – millennia later – be absorbed into the Imperium as the Skereig Subsector. Explorators from Volund soon discovered Cnossath and the Knight Houses that ruled it. The Houses swore allegiance to Volund in return for the knowledge to repair and maintain their Knight Suits, however they retained much more autonomy than is standard in such relationships. An ancient legend claims the Houses traded “a treasure of great price” for this autonomy, a story that has been linked to both Volund Two-Seven’s mastery of unusually strong crystalline alloys and to the unusual nature of Cnossath’s Thrones.

It was the freedom allowed by the Thrones – and the lack of Adeptus Mechanicus control over the houses – that led to the greatest crisis in Cnossath’s history. In 218.M37 during one of the planet’s regular Knight Wars, the Stronghold of House Mabb and its surrounding hive city were destroyed by a titanic plasma breach triggered by a combined bombardment from forces of Houses Cashel and Ventris. The scale of this disaster – and the damage inflicted upon the survivors and their holdings – led to the three remaining Houses negotiating a set of laws governing their interactions and to standardise resolution of disputes – a document they named the Mabb Concordat.

The Concordat replaced warfare with ritual combat between champions and established a system of standard penalties for breaches of honour both between and within Houses. Designed from the outset to be flexible and to expand when necessary, the Concordat ended millennia of conflict, and under its rule both the Houses and common folk of Cnossath prospered.

It is therefore a great irony that while the Knights of Cnossath are free of the burden of conditioning by their Thrones, the ever expanding rules of the Mabb Concordat have created a society every bit as restrictive as on any other Knight World. Over two thirds of all calendar days require the nobles of the Houses to perform certain rituals or abstain from specific behaviours. The wearing (or non wearing) of specific clothing is common, as are restrictions on what foods may be eaten and at what times. Nobles of different ranks may be prohibited from communicating, or may only communicate in strange and roundabout fashions. Certain texts may have to be read out by specific Nobles, many of which are in archaic dialects extinct for centuries. The onerous nature of these requirements are believed to account for the comparatively high numbers of Freeblade Knights hailing from Cnossath.

Also contributing to the number of Cnossath Freeblades is the tradition of the Geas Penitens. A Knight that seriously violates the Concordat may find themselves penalised with the application of a penitent quest. They are ceremonially banished from their House, and assigned a task or series of tasks that must be completed before they may be re-accepted. These tasks usually take the Knight off-world and may take decades to complete. Many Knights so banished never complete their Geas and take up the mantle of a Freeblade rather than try to recover their lost honour.

Rarer than the Geas Penitens is the Geas Portorium. If a high noble of a House finds themselves in significant debt to an individual or organisation they may pay off that debt by assigning a subordinate Knight or Knights to their command. Such deals are a common way of dealing with disputes both within and between Houses, but a Geas Portorium refers specifically to Knights assigned outside of the Houses, and usually off-world. To be assigned to a Geas Portorium is viewed as a great honour, as no House would be so ignoble as to attempt to pay off a debt with any but their best.

A Knight undertaking a Geas Penitens defaces the crest on their tilting plate with a diagonal black stripe and repaints their Knight Suit to obscure all house colours and personal heraldry. A Knight assigned to a Geas Portorium maintains their House and personal heraldry, but repaints their Suit to match that of the individual or body they are assigned to.

The Voight-Kampff Test, 2017 Edition

What would you do if Barack Obama came to your house and rang the door bell?
Say “What’s up Barry?”

If Trump is hiding something in regards to his ties to Russia, what do you think it is?
He’s actually a Russian space dog from the 1950s who came back down with enhanced intelligence (for a dog) and a massively extended lifespan. Cosmetic surgery has made him look more or less human, but they could never get the hair quite right.

What are they hiding in Antarctica?
I’ve heard they’ve hoarding 70% of the world’s fresh water down there!

What would a crumpback whale look like?
More crooked than a humpback, but less crooked than a trumpback.

What sport would you consider watching if one rule was changed?
I’d happily watch cricket if whenever a batsman is struck out they release a velociraptor onto the field.

What songs sound like they’re about one thing, but are really about something completely different?
Every Breath You Take – The Police. People think it’s a love song, but it’s actually about the collapse of the wave function on observation in quantum physics.

What is something a Girl did on the first date that shot up a huge red flag?
A drive by on the Soviet Embassy.

What don’t your friends realise you do for them?
Serve as a dreadful warning.

You suspect that your friend is an evil green cat from Mars, who is planning to take over the human race and bring forth the Cat Supremacy. How do you prove your theory and how do you stop your friend?
Well the first thing I’d do is lower the dosage…

Men with great beards, how did you get them?
Paid a bag of guilders to Froði the beard merchant. Best investment ever!

If you could rent a billboard on a major highway for free, what would you put on it?
A picture of Lemongrab captioned “TAKE OFF YOUR THINGSSSSS!!!!”

Why do you think people smear their shit on bathroom walls?
An attempt to define man’s opposition to and yet fascination with the abject while seeking a lost connection to nature but still dominating it by using an organic yet abject, self-generated substance. Or they didn’t take their meds. Whatever.

You die and God chooses you to decide how to world ends. How do you end it?
Millions of ten foot tall, tap-dancing skeletons with top hats and canes dance out of the world’s caves and make their way to Las Vegas, tapping all the way. Once there they congregate around the Luxor pyramid, point their canes at the sky and sing “UUUUU-LAAAAAA!!” in unison. Laser beams shoot from their canes, hit the sun and make it instantly go supernova incinerating the Earth along with the rest of the solar system.

What are the famous places in North America?
Toledo Ohio

A new law is introduced where all items for sale must be priced at cost of production + 20% profit. What are the biggest changes?
Dr Dre would end up homeless on a street corner trying to sell headphones to passers by for loose change.

Dear Americans, are there actually awesome random tree houses around towns like in Stand by Me, Sandlot, Bridge to Terebithia, and Dennis the Menace? Who builds them? Who claims ownership?
No one is quite sure how or why they appear. They just materialise – often literally overnight. Now and then one will suddenly vanish along with any children inside. This is accepted as a tribute to whatever entities construct them and send them to our world.

How much do you love your dog? Would you give up a kidney for them?
Like, for them to eat?

Other than a nuclear bomb, what would it take to remove all members of Congress and the Senate?
A conventional bomb?

How do you restore your soul if you’re dead inside?
Drink the blood of a virile youth (it worked for the Pope!)

Do you ever feel like the birds in your yard where planted by somebody to spy on you?
Ask your Doctor if Professor Pink’s Anti-Paranoia pills are right for you!

What’s your favourite place to dump your victims corps?
Back at the barracks, where they belong.

Who’s your favorite Walking Dead character and why?
That guy who had a beard in one season and didn’t in another, and he was almost bitten by a zombie but just avoided it, and then he had a fight with that other guy.

What have you always wanted to know about tractors?
What advantage does one of these new-fangled “tractors” have over my old mule Clancy?

What herbivore would be scary as hell if it were a carnivore?
Horses. You ever look into the eye of a horse? They’re insane!

What happens to all the kitchenware generated by replicators for every meal in Star Trek?
They throw them out the airlock. It’s one of the main reasons for hostility between the Federation and the Klingons.

How old do you think Earth is, and how old do you think human life is?
The Earth was created last Tuesday with all memories and history intact. Humanity is a little over 12 billion years old. Resolving this paradox is the chief issue facing physics today.

The last thing that injured you was radioactive and gave you appropriate superpowers, what can you now do?
I have the powers of a broken plastic storage tub?

What’s your favourite animal you can find in Georgia?
The North American Trash Kitten

If you had a band what would it be called and what type of music would you play?
We’d be called TRVË BRVTÄL KVLT and perform gentle acoustic covers of Paul Simon songs.

What happens if you use a calculator in a dream?
It turns into a dragon that’s also your uncle even though you don’t have an uncle or at least you didn’t think you did but he turns up in his pickup truck and you have to load the wood into the back but the wood doesn’t want to go in the back and you’re very concerned about the rights of the wood as written in the Constitution which is actually a book you have in front of you but when you try to read it all the words are blurry and somehow they’re also tadpoles and you have to all catch the tadpoles before you can get your foot repaired.

Every X has a Y. What are X and Y?
I think you misheard. The correct lyrics are “Every rose has its thorn”.

What was the number one song the week you were born?
The Ted Mulry Gang!? But they suck!

What method have you found to be the most successful for you to stop seeing dinosaurs in your day dreams?
Every time you think of a brontosaurus get someone to kick you in the crotch.

If you only had $5, what would you buy?
I’d buy you 0.000005 of a monkey (haven’t you always wanted 0.000005 of a monkey?)

What are some things you would learn in an elf defense course?
The correct use of ring-based river control to drive away Nazgul.

Those who have renounced darkness, why did you do it?
Justin’s lycra outfits were just too revealing.

If GWAR is a caricature of metal bands, what bands are caricatures of other musical genres?
KISS are a parody of this rock band from the 70s called “KISS”

What could the word onomatopoeia be an onomatopoeia for?
An empty wooden barrel bounding down a staircase and falling apart halfway down.

Where do we put all the carbon?
Turn it into a giant diamond and put it in orbit around the MOOOOOOON!!!

What’s your best way to get back at a bully?
Conceal a gamma ray source in their bedroom.

What are the kids into these days?
Dabbing and violence gangs.

What’s the one cringe-worthy memory of yourself that continually pops up in your mind?
The one?

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
David Bowie appears and performs Let’s Dance.

Change a word in a movie title to “breakfast”, what is it now about?
Star Wars: Breakfast of the Sith. Anakin and Palpatine sitting on a balcony on Coruscant, eating muffins and drinking tea while discussing the breakfast preferences of Darth Plagueis the Wise for two hours.

When pregnant women go to pregnant women classes, who picks them up?
I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.

What do you think is a good minor for Electrical Engineering?
Theology, so you can construct your own ELECTRICAL GOD!

If you were a wizard, what pranks would you play on non-wizards for fun?
Turn their money into snakes.

What was the most god awful, cringiest part of your life that you want to forget?
Everything from about age 8 to 25?

What would be a good reason to call off your marriage?
You discover your partner is really a giant wasp who only wants to tie the knot so they can implant their eggs in your body.

What’s the best way to build a chicken coup?
El Presidente! The Chickens! They have risen!

You are the first person to land on Mars. What do you say?
“I claim this planet in the name of David Bowie!” Then I click on my walkman and get down like Star Lord, but with Let’s Dance instead of Redbone.

Why don’t you wear overalls?
Because I don’t work in heavy industry and I’m older than 10.

What are people slowly starting to remember?
The 10,000 year reign of the Necro-Mantis.

What started the USA – North Korea nuclear tension?
The last half century of history?

Before Mapquest and Google Maps, how did you navigate when driving?
There was a thing called a “map” which was a bit of paper with roads drawn on it. And there were collections of these maps bound together into a thing called a “book”. And you would keep one of these “books” in your car and find your way by careful scrying of the “maps” it contained.

What are some dark facts about Khan Academy?
Their use of Ceti Eels to ensure compliance.

What would you like to know about Wales?
Is it true that “eisteddfod” is Welsh for “oh God, make them stop”?

What happens when an immovable force meets an unstoppable object?
Anton LaVay sings Yes, We Have No Bananas, accompanied by H. P. Lovecraft on church organ.

So, what happened with United Airlines?
They tried to remove a man from a flight and he turned into a Bloodthirster of Khorne which destroyed O’Hare Airport and killed hundreds. United is refusing to pay for the repairs.

What would shock a person from 1957 about 2017?
Jeeze Louise! Don’t nobody wear hats no more?

People sitting in your car in the grocery store parking lot: What the hell are you doing?
Watching you. Yes, specifically YOU.

What time is it?
Hammer Time!

What part of our society was actually just a marketing campaign?
I believe the Nazi party started out as some kind of beer hall loyalty card promotion.

What’s the most metal band name you can think of?
Üüüüääääþþüü. Posers pronounce it as “oo-arth-thoo” but true fans know that it cannot be pronounced by human tongues.

Those who have achieved astral projection, how did you do it? What tips do you have?
Steer clear of the crew that never rests. They’re jerks who still owe me money.

Whobis your most favorite james bond character?
Yes! Evil billionaire Whobis is indeed my favourite James Bond character!

Why is the sky brownish-yellow right now?
WHO CAN POSSIBLY EXPLAIN THIS MYSTERY!?!?

When meeting my girlfriend’s parents for the first time, is it expected that I should bring a gift?
No, but you will be expected to pin her father to prove your reproductive fitness.

If you were forced to open a bakery, what would you name it?
“BEAR BREAD”. If anyone asked why “bear” bread, I’d ban them.

What is the difference between progressive house and progressive trance?
Progressive house goes “der der der der der der” and progressive trance goes “deeeeeeeeeeeeer”

Why are flat Earthers the way they are?
Carbon monoxide poisoning?

Who are these people that keep asking for thinner and thinner phones?
The shadow people. They want phones as thin as themselves so they can co-ordinate their take over of the world.

What’s the weirdest celebrity fun fact you know?
On 9/11 Steve Buscemi threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell, and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer’s table.

Why are people so against letting cats go outside?
They kill wildlife, get hit by cars, get into fights, smoke, drag race up and down the block, read violent comic books, listen to raucous rock and roll records and corrupt the morals of younger children.

Besides money, what is a benefit of running a skeleton crew?
You only have to manage one Necromancer rather than a ship full of fractious sailors.

How do you kill time?
With a dagger forged from pure darkness within the heart of a dead star.

Why do loggers leave large rocks on tree stumps?
Tributes to Geologis, the god of stone who shall one day petrify all wood.

What is the best cordless beard trimmer for men?
The Weasel 5000 Flesh Ripper

Why do we sometimes hiccup when we eat spicy food?
Food is spicy because of the presence of capsaicin, which binds to the vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (TRPV1) in the mucus membranes of mammals, creating a burning sensation by allowing cations to pass through the cell membrane. The cations in question were created by Satan and are infused with demonic spirits, causing your body to attempt an exorcism by strongly contracting the diaphragm and (about 0.25 second later) closing the vocal cords, resulting in a hiccup.

Who built the pyramids?

The Egyptians built the Egyptian pyramids, the Nubians built the Nubian pyramids, the Aztecs built the Aztec pyramids, the Mayans built the Mayan pyramids, the Chinese built the Chinese pyramids, Circus Circus Enterprises built the Luxor Las Vegas and no one built the Bosnian pyramids because they’re not pyramids, they’re just some oddly shaped hills looked at by a nationalist nutcase.

If you went to a bar and order a shot called the trump, what would be in it?
A hairy turd floating in orange juice.

What songs from the 70’s should be in the next Guardians of the Galaxy film?
Bella Lugosi’s Dead. The franchise is going to get really dark.

Why did cricket not become popular in the US given its English history?
The Monroe Doctrine specifically outlawed ‘the effete and unmanly game of playing at crickete’

How long do you think you could last in a rocket before contracting Space Madness?
Is there a jolly, candy-like button for me to guard?

Yes.
Then I wouldn’t make it five minutes.

Which language is hardest to learn?
The language of the Molemen. It’s tonal, has 74 distinct vowels and makes heavy use of the notorious “voiced snore”.

What is the name of the song Snoop Dogg played after thug life compilation video?
I believe it was “I took a trip on a Gemini Spacecraft” by the Legendary Stardust Cowboy.

Why doesn’t Atreyu sink in the swamps of sadness when Artax sinks?
The Swamps of Sadness are lined with horse magnets.

If dolphins are so smart, why do they live in igloos?
For the tax benefits. It’s actually a really smart move financially.

What are your thoughts for or against a large unidentified hominid living in North America?
The President is well identified!

What makes absolutely 0% sense to you?
Investing your self worth in a group people who run around chasing a ball to the extent that when they don’t win at chasing a ball you get all upset and possibly violent.

What is a dark part of your school’s history that they cover up?
That thing with the racist and his snake.

What are some good deep, late night conversation topics?
“Has there ever actually been a pepper-pot polar bear train?”

If your surname was a fruit, what color would it be?

Shoe

In a hypothetical scenario, the population of Planet Earth would be immediately reduced to 1 billion. What would your proposal for who gets to stay alive and who has to die be?
Let’s start with the Juggalos and Juggalo sympathizers/enablers. Then we’ll move on to the Beliebers. Keep moving down the list. Fans of One Direction, people who park at bus stops, Lyndon Larouche, people who put bandanas on their dogs – y’know, scum.

What will happen if a human inhales 300 million years old air?
Evolutionary theory tells us they would instantly devolve into a tree frog.

How would you spell the sound that a dial up connection makes?
doop doopy doop looooooooooop leeeeeeeeeeeeeeep… PEEEEEEEEEE DIB DIB DIB DIB DIB TLANG TLANG TLANG SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Why are you against globalism and trade agreements?
Because once the world is a single, global market the Reptilians will eat our souls with their their communist spambots!

What is the manliest way to bathe?
With a wolf in an Icelandic hot spring under the full moon while bellowing out hymns to Thor.

What time is it?
Time for the Guru!

What has a head and a tail but no body?
A badly mangled possum.

If you ever make a secret society, what would be it about?
We would have all kinds of secret signals and wear robes and masks and make strange hand gestures while chanting in Latin, and then when the outsiders have been banished and doors have been sealed we’d chill out and eat donuts. None of that Krispy Kreme garbage either. Really good donuts.

What makes Toto’s “Africa” such a good song?
The “dum dum-dum du-dum dum-dum” bit and the “dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby doob” bit.

How come you cant open a strip club near a place of worship?
You’d never get the priests out of there to hold services.

How would you react if there was a website you can buy live human sperm?
You mean there’s not?

Who is a villain whose story is misunderstood?
Grendel just wanted a good night’s sleep without being kept awake by the frat-boy Geats next door partying every single night.

What’s going to save us from global warming?
Once the oceans become sufficiently acidic from absorbing CO2 the Deep Ones will emerge and “reconfigure our industry” to make it carbon neutral (ie: kill us all).

What is underneath an escalator?
Piles of highly flammable shit. (Except in the New York subway system where it’s just piles of literal shit)

People who knows Parkinson, how this disease affect you and your family?
It’s rather mean to refer to Britain’s most popular talk show host as a disease!

Where do babies come from?
Baby manufacture was outsourced to the molemen of Agharta in the 1970s. They import by-catch from the South East Asian shrimp fishery, mulch it into amino acids and weave them into children on genetic looms. Babies are dispatched to requesting hospitals via a system of lubricated underground tubes.

What do wild horses eat during the winter?
Snakes.

Why do meth addicts buying cold medicines want the receipt?
For their tax records, obviously.

You just discovered a new species of animal. What does it look like, where does it dwell, what does it eat, and what do you name it?
Looks like a dirty old sock, lives in sock drawers, eats single socks, I call it Sebastian.

What would you do if you had a bodyguard who was a silverback gorilla?
Whatever the hell I wanted.

People who don’t bathe/clean themselves regularly, why not?
Washing removes the natural oils evolved by nature to keep you clean! I haven’t washed in years, so they’re bound to kick in any minute now!

How come my wife’s feet stink so bad?
Um, yeah. That’s not your wife, it’s a coyote that randomly wandered in. You should probably get your eyes checked.

It is the year 4000 AD. What is the 21st century remembered for?
The 21st century was a time of myth when legendary figures such as Kimshonoon, Bu-Tin the Great and Tedonnal burnt the Earth with nuclear fire! Of course no one these days takes such stories seriously.

How does it all work?
It’s the molemen! And their ancient Hyperborean beam-ray machines!

What one rule would you add to any gameshow to make it more popular?
If you want to buy a vowel on Wheel of Fortune you have to fight a wolverine for it.

When you’re making a sandwich, are you supposed to butter both slices of bread or just one?
Both you heathen!

Guy Fieri arrives at your door unannounced and orders you to cook him a meal. What do you make him?
I throw some beans, ketchup and cheese in a pot along with an entire container of chili flakes, heat it up, throw it on the floor and yell “Eat this like the pig you are Fieri!”

Gordon Ramsay tells you that you’ll never amount to anything. What do you say?
“Yes Chef!”

What historical events have been hidden from man?

The centuries long rule of the Necro-Mantis.

How come people with Aspergers tend to have better pattern recognition?

I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill your mirror neurons.

Will I still be alive when china makes a new fireman suit will they tell me in a vidio?
Son, I’m only going to tell you this one time. If you want to keep working here, stay off the drugs.

Steve from Blue’s Clues is now your boss. What is life at work like now?
Pretty good, except he keeps telling everyone they’re a mighty little man.

Introverts, what is the answer to the question ‘Why are you so quiet?’
“Because I’m plotting the destruction of your pathetic species, human.”

Why are dinosaurs so intriguing?
Their finely nuanced views on politics.

Who will be my Venus?
No one?

Aliens come down and say that we have been living in a simulation. What would of been a clue?
All those dead pixels on the sun (sunspots my ass!)

Why is your religion right?
Because God comes to visit us regularly and accept our sacrifices. When you see that big ol’ head hovering above you, spewing out guns and saying that the penis is evil, you’re gonna believe!

Why Germany don’t own NAZI Germany anymore?
Churchill and Roosevelt punched Hitler in the face and he fell to the ground crying like a little girl and then De Gaul kicked him the balls while Ghandi made him punch himself in the nose while saying “Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!” and then Curtin came and dropped a koala on him which pissed everywhere and then they (except Hitler) all went off for lunch together and laughed at how much of a pussy Hitler was and Ghandi had the samosas. So in conclusion it’s not quite a mop and it’s not quite a puppet, but man!

Who is the most terrible person in the whole world?
William Costa Evans of Churchill Gardens in Margate in the United Kingdom. His depredations would be legendary if the press were not too intimidated to report on them.

what to do noticed that im having much more fun jerking off rattler than going out?
It’s a brave soul who’ll try to jerk off a rattler.

What comes immediately to mind when you think of Indian people?
Their insane lust for nuclear weapons.

What popular classic movies and books do you know of but you really aren’t clear on how the actual story goes?
Well, in Casablanca there’s a woman who walks into a bar, and a guy who plays the piano again, and a plane full of midgets and possibly something to do with a hill of beans.

What are some examples in contemporary society of Contact Theory successfully being practiced?
When Jodie Foster got in that big machine and it went woooo woooo woooo and she met an alien who looked like her dad but really she didn’t go anywhere and no one believed her so she had to go and live in the woods and make all these weird noises and I spilt my popcorn and they wouldn’t give me any more 🙁

What is your favorite memory of the future?
The one about The Big Goodbye where the gangster called Wil Wheaton a fag because he didn’t play football.

What is the greatest thing mankind has ever achieved?
Those guitars that are… like… double guitars

What is the most scary,or creepy story you know?
There was this dark, dark wood with a dark, dark, house full of nested stuff that was also dark and dark and if you went through all of that shit you’d eventually find something really scary like… a scorpion or something?

Why do you sometimes randomly get a ringing sound in your ear?
Probably one of Insects from Shaggai flying in or out of your brain.

Where’s the best place to get a bloatware-free high-end gaming PC that won’t be obsolete in a few years?
Narnia.

What is your favorite Star Trek race?
Bajorans. They have very cute noses.

Why can’t I see the Supermoon?
The supermoon only reveals itself to the virtuous.

You are a ruthless dictator in today’s society. Which annoying every-day acts are now punishable by death?
Confusing turtles with tortoises or blimps with airships.

What do you need to build a meth-lab?
A poor sense of self preservation.

Which are the top ten giants contributing to the net GDP of the world?
1: Fionn mac Cumhaill
2: Pantagruel
3: Gargantua
4: Gog
5: Robert Wadlow
6: Magog
7: Paul Bunyan
8: Ginormica
9: Apache Chief
10: Ultraman

What is something wrong with Yankees?
Their habit of confusing fashion accoutrements with pasta.

Why am I attracted to shirtless hunks even though I’m not gay?
Yeah, you’re probably a bit gay.

Why does “texas” have all the same letters as “taxes” just 2 of them switched around? What’s REALLY going on here?
Keep asking questions like that and they’ll take you off to Denver Airport

What Harry Potter house do you think you belong to? Why?
Ravenclaw because I’m not an everybody-gets-a-prize tryhard, a quidditch obsessed glory hound or an arrogant backstabbing shitlord.

What are you looking forward to in 2020?
World takeover by Megacorps, cheap cybernetic limbs, aerodyne ambulances, compulsory mirrorshades and lots of Japanese neon signs everywhere.

Why did millennials let this happen?
Given the chance, Millennials would kill you and everyone you care about!

Is it unethical to put 5000 mcg of LSD in my boss’s coffee?
Not if he really deserves it.

How you deal with your stupidity?
I rely on the Dunning-Kruger Effect to shield me from knowledge of it.

What are your thoughts on Vulcans?
Hawt.

What are the chains on the undercarriage next to the wheels on an ambulance for?
Emergency restraints for injured supervillains.

If you mutated into a Marvel hero, what would your power be if it were based on your weird quirk or talent IRL?
I would be able to project my depression into other people. Try and take over the world when you can’t crawl out of bed Magneto!

On a scale of potato to box, how sexy are you?
Pepsi?

What would be the plot and/or hit song from a Disney movie based on your life?
Disney would take one look at my life and throw himself into the ocean.

Which free lancing sites are beneficial?
Free lancing?! I have to pay to get my boils lanced!

Why can’t america just take over every country and just make the whole world america? Wouldn’t this solve, like ALL the world’s problems?
Oh good lord.

Has a T.V. channel rerun an already finished show, but treated it as if it was a new show?
Welcome to Australian television!

What are the two large visible balls under my jawlines?
They’re just your Progenoid glands. When they reach maturity (or when you’re killed in action – whichever comes first) the Apothecary will remove them to provide gene-seed for the next generation of your Chapter.

What’s your favourite stupid drunken purchase?
Louisiana.

If you had a chance to become a vampire or a werewolf, which would you choose?
“Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die.” – Sounds like hell, I’ll take werewolf.

How can a rock get wet?
Hand it over to Andrew W.K.

What makes your day?
The rotation of the Earth around its axis.

What is something to look forward to in 2017?
In mid August President Trump will finally allow kerosene heaters to be installed in the internment camps! Sheer luxury!

Serious saitama vs Gurren Lagann piloted by war arc naruto and sasuke. Who will prevail?
Um… Domo Arigato Mr Roboto?

Who will play Trump in the TV movie chronicling the 2016 election?
I’m sure Weta Workshops will be able to build something.

Where did the term ‘snake oil’ come from and what does it actually mean in context?
In the olden days the main source of fuel for cars was melted down rattlesnakes. When Thomas Edison invented gasoline he started a publicity campaign that derided the old snake-based fuel as “Snake Oil” and it was so successful that the phrase came to mean anything unreliable or fraudulent – which is ironic as rattlesnake drippin’s actually have a much higher octane rating than petroleum based fuel.

How does one get baby spiders out of one’s rectum?
Give them access to a more attractive rectum.

What do you do every night before you sleep?
Pray to Shrek, thanking him for the life I’ve been given

How did you find yourself?
Looked behind the sofa. I was there all the time!

Why did you get Tinder?
So if I’m stuck in the wilderness it’ll be easier for me to start a fire.

Is it safe to drink off of cans of pop or whatever from gas stations?
No it is not. Many gas stations remove the tops of the cans, insert dead rats, then seamlessly reseal them using special equipment. (No one is quite sure why they do this – it may have something to do with the Shriners).

Why women give love to the men who punch the shit out of them and let me alone and forced to visit prostitutes?
No one is forcing you to visit prostitutes. The prostitute thing is entirely voluntary on your part.

Who was that musician who was also a scientist that supposedly invented a super efficient experimental engine that was later stolen and got him killed?
Are you sure that wasn’t a dream you had?

What is neutron in election?
Last I heard, electoral franchise had not been extended to sub-atomic particles.

Why do you have trouble sleeping at night?
Gnomes coming out of the walls and trying to steal my breath.

What scenario best describes Irony?
Singing a massive hit song on the subject of irony that contains comparatively few actual instances of irony.

What are the realities of law and order in our society today?
They’re really running out of good plots and Mariska Hargitay is looking more and more tired each season.

What do you want for Christmas?
Hermione Granger and a rocketship!

Do white girls like it when cute Indian guys eat egg curry while making gainz?
Sure, why the hell not.

What is the most profound utterance in the history of mankind?
“Movin’ to Montana soon, gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon” — Frank Zappa

What is the best Dutch fairytale?
Jan van der Berg and the Windmill of Doom

If you could spend 30 seconds on the phone with any living person, who would you call and what would you say?
Madonna. Then as soon as she came on the line I’d say “I don’t have time to talk to you” and hang up.

What’s the name of that thing invented in America?
Obesity?

How would you feel if you walked in on your partner having sex with Pikachu?
I have a partner and Pokemon are real!? This is the best day ever!!!

Why do u think the people dont know how to add and subtract when they are eating a blowjob?
Eating a blowjob?

What is your favorite part in bee movie?
I like the part where Jerry Seinfeld says “Bee”.

What do headaches actually feel like?
Like an Objectivist gnome has crawled into your skull and is beating on the inside of it with a copy of Atlas Shrugged.

What is the most unusual thing that has happened to you at the time of reading a book?
Does a comic book count? ‘Cause I was reading one in a diner and a hand came out and pulled me in, and then we got chased around by some evil bikers with a pipe wrench and I only just escaped and there was this catchy Scandinavian music playing that went “Doo-doo-doo do-do do-do-do-do-do, doo-doo-doo do-do do-do-do-do-do”.

What would you like to see the media cover instead?
Dachshund races. The world would be a better place with more news on dachshund races.

In English, what feeling currently lacks its own word?
When you’re driving across the salt flats at somewhere over 150 kmph and your suspension is kind of shot so you’re really feeling it and you can’t really see where you’re going because you’re injecting heroin into one eyeball and you did the other one five minutes ago and the focus is going in and out and you think the hyena in the back seat is getting lose, but you’re pretty sure you tied the knots tight so it might just be the Fear and then your phone goes off and it’s your accountant screaming and pleading with you to come back but all you can think about is whether you put enough stamps on that package last week and if not what Amy is going to do on Saturday without her hat and then you lose control and spin out and in that final second before you plow into the ground and light up the entire playa in a glorious fireball of destruction you unaccountably remember that time when you were ten and your xylophone broke and the look on her face when she saw it. That feeling.

You’re now a Pirate, what do you get instead of a hook hand?
A plunger. ARRRR! EXTERRRR-MINATE MATEY!

What’s an interesting bit of trivia about a popular (or not) entertainment franchise (movie, show, game, etc)?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Nick Fury wears dentures because he carved a chess set out of his own teeth.

Why don’t monkeys wear hats?
Monkey aint’ got no time for hats. Monkey just got time for monkeyshines.

How do you plead?
Funky!

Why so some elderly people walk so slow?
When 900 years old you reach, walk as fast you will not.

What sort of sticky situations has your robot clone gotten you into while you were fast asleep in the middle of the night?
He started an underground boxing club that was actually a front for an anarchist terrorist organisation. Took ages to clear that mess up!

What is the biggest problem in America?
Badgers. Nixon let them in and they’ve been stealing silver from the Archbishops ever since. The Eastern conference alone has lost millions and has had to go into hock every Labour Day for the last 28 years. Liberace tried to stop them, and you know what happened to him! Bloody Hildegarde and her pop-pop boats!

Why c.h.e.a.t. people in the name of .g.o.d. ? if you dont b.e.l.i.e.v.e. in g.o.d. ? then w.h.y. do you write on dollar *In God We Trust* ?
Your punctuation makes me not believe in god.

What is it called if you believe that other people aren’t real?
Being Jaden Smith

Toilet paper users, what do you think of bidets?
Corrupt bathroom fixtures of the bourgeoisie!

What do women really want?
Women want to be free. They want to be free to do what they wanna do, and they wanna get loaded, and have a good time. That’s what they’re gonna do, they’re gonna have a good time, they’re gonna have a party!

How does one get a girlfriend in college?
Speak to your student advisor, they’ll provide you with the appropriate requisition form.

When someone tells you the earth is flat how do you react?
I have no idea as I don’t hang around with morons.

If you could make someone “magically” disappear, who would it be and why?
Does “magically” mean some men come around with a roll of carpet and a car with a big trunk and in 40 years time they find a skeleton while demolishing a football stadium?

What insect disgusts you the most?
Barry. He leaves his dirty dishes in the sink and never empties the ashtray on the balcony

Which country is god from?
According to Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, Guatemala.

What are your thoughts on armadillos?
Armour plated leprosy lizards.

When you look in the mirror and tell yourself “Oh heck yeah, I’m looking good/sexy tonight…” isn’t that hidden homosexuality?
Yes, which is why I’m always careful to look like crap.

And you’re doing it really well!
ARE YOU HITTING ON ME!?

What is the one couple (whether fictional or not) that makes you believe in love?
Justin Hawkins and the giant space squid.

What are some positive things about a Trump presidency?
He can’t kill us all in only four years.

What common forms of white men do racism face?
I’ll take confused babbling for $400 Alex!

Which is your luky clour?

Is that some kind of pokemon?

What is your reaction to darkness?
Start singing along! “Black Shuck! Black Shuck! BLAAAAACK Shuck!”

Why did rose throw the necklace into the sea at the end of titanic?
‘Cause she’s a basic bitch.

You walk into a strip club and Stone Cold Steve Austin is on stage pelvic thrusting. What do you do?
Go home and think about my life.

What is one show that ended too soon?
They could have easily got five or six more seasons out of the Drew Carey Show. Like, what if Drew got turned into a moose? Or got a job operating a hot air balloon? Or killed himself and went to hell where the devil was a bad boss?

What is Mele Kalikimaka?
The Indonesian name for Mortal Combat.

What is your favorite rodeo event?
The Hobo Parade.

What about the future frightens you the most?
The return of the Necro-Mantis

Let us not got to Colorado Springs. It is a silly place.

Every episode of Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman ever…

A group of strangers roll into Colorado Springs. They are Jews/Poles/Gypsies/Ex-Slaves/Mormons/Circus Freaks/etc.

Dr Quinn: Welcome to Colorado Springs!

Old Shop Keeper: I ain’t sure ’bout these folks…

Surly Drunk Guy: (Snarls) We don’t like their kind round here!

Sully: (Says nothing because he’s off with the Cheyenne Indians learning ancient wisdom and modern environmentalism.)

Some time later

Surly Drunk Guy: (Snarls) We gotta send a message that we don’t like their kind round here!

Townspeople: We are easily led and will do whatever the surly drunk guy says!

Old Shop Keeper: I ain’t sure ’bout this…

Townspeople punch strangers and set their carts on fire

Surly Drunk Guy: (Snarls) We don’t like your kind round here!

Shortly…

Ex-Slave Blacksmith: Dr Mike! Come quick! There’s a riot! Again!

Dr Quinn: What are you all doing? These are people just like you! You should be ashamed of yourselves!

Townspeople: (Shuffle feet and stare at the ground)

Old Shop Keeper: (Shuffles feet and stares at the ground) Sorry Dr Mike…

Surly Drunk Guy: (Snarls) You need to keep your nose outta other people’s business Micheala! (Slinks away)

General Custer: (Glares threatening from the shadows)

The End

Let us not got to Colorado Springs. It is a silly place.

Clerihews

Dr Johnathan Dee,
Spy and alchemist was he,
Who kept his life merry,
By swapping wives with Edward Kelley,

Nicholas Culpeper,
Was a herbal prepper,
A demon he did see,
In a gem from Dr Dee,

General Erich Ludendorff,
When young, probably couldn’t of,
Foreseen that the National Socialists
Would end up his political associates,

Battery Bear Hustle

Battery Bear Hustle: Instructions for Play

It’s 1972 and your bears have been making a killing selling illegal car batteries. But now the IRS is on your case! Your only option is to evacuate the parking structure and fly away, but can you get enough bears to your UFO before President Nixon catches you?

SETUP
1: Place your bears at the top of the parking structure.
2: Place the IRS agents on their Vans
3: Randomly distribute the Skateboards, Flamethrowers and Peerages by rolling two dice for each, and placing them on the corresponding parking space
4: Place President Nixon and the Lame Duck beside the board
5: Each player rolls a dice. The highest roll goes first

RULES
1: Each turn you may move your bears up to five places within the parking structure. You may move one bear five spaces, five bears one space, or any combination between.
2: Two bears may not occupy the same space without Fighting
3: You may not fight your own bears
4: A bear may move through another bear as long as the owner of the bear allows it. Otherwise a fight starts
5: When bears fight, each player rolls a die. The highest die roll wins the fight. In a draw, the attacking bear wins.
6: The losing bear is sent back to the top of the parking structure.
7: If a bear enters a space with a Skateboard, Flamethrower or Peerage they take the item and their movement ends.
8: A bear with a flamethrower rolls 2 dice when fighting
9: A bear with a skateboard may make one free move down the parking structure each turn
10: A bear with a peerage counts as two bears when entering the UFO.
11: If a bear enters a space with a disco ball, the player may roll one die and move an IRS agent up to that many spaces.
12: If an IRS agent enters a space with a bear, the bear must surrender a Flamethrower, Skateboard or Peerage. If they cannot, they are sent back to the top of the parking structure. The item they have surrendered is placed randomly on the board as during Setup.
13: If a player rolls two sixes and President Nixon is not on the board, they may replace an IRS agent of their choice with President Nixon
14: If a player rolls two sixes and President Nixon is already on the board, they may swap President Nixon’s position with that of any IRS agent
15: President Nixon is treated the same as an IRS agent, but two dice are rolled for his movement
16: If a player rolls two ones and President Nixon is on the board, replace President Nixon with the Lame Duck.
17: If a player rolls two ones and the Lame Duck is on the board, replace the Lame Duck with President Nixon.
18: The Lame Duck never moves
19: The first player to move ten bears into their UFO wins the game.

Hallo Good This Him

Well, all sorts of things have been going 0n. Some good, some not so good. I should get some write ups done soon, but in the meantime here’s another piece of Stand Still, Stay Silent fanfic that I whipped up for a challenge on the fan forum. It will not make a huge amount of sense if you’re unfamiliar with the source material, but it’s got to be better than nothing, right? 😉


Prompt: An expedition and/or refugees from a safe zone somewhere beyond the ocean land in Iceland, where Reynir is tending his sheep.


Hallo Good This Him

Even the most optimistic of individuals would be hard pressed to describe watching sheep in a safe zone as an exciting way to spend a week.

There had never been any wolves in Iceland. Even before the Illness. The winters were too harsh for wild dogs to get established and the foxes and ravens were only a threat to sick or newborn lambs. A beast of some kind might occasionally lumber out of the ocean or sneak in in the hold of a cargo ship, but the Coast Patrols and the Customs Cats reliably took care of those. Iceland was safe, safe as could be, and the only threat to its sheep was their own stupidity. And – taken as a whole – they weren’t terribly stupid.

Which made Reynir Árnison wonder why his parents were so insistent on sending him out to watch them for a week.

“It’s time you got some fresh air young man!” they’d said, pushing him out the door while shoving a sheepskin bag full of food into his arms. “How long has it been since you’ve spent any time with the flocks?” He’d protested that he’d been getting plenty of fresh air doing the farm chores and he’d spent several days minding the flocks just that week, but they’d refused to listen and ordered him to take the animals on a week long walk around the moors, firmly shutting the door behind him. He’d spent the first two days wondering why they were so insistent, and eventually decided they just must have wanted some time alone.

Which was well and good in principle he supposed, but after days of watching his woolly charges munch on grass and low shrubs, and throwing sticks for Bjössi the sheepdog, he was rapidly approaching his boredom limit. The most exciting thing to happen all week was a ewe tumbling down a slope and being either too stunned or too woolly headed to find its way back up. He’d briefly considered herding the entire flock to the top of same hill in the hopes of a few repeat performances, but decided it would be unnecessarily cruel.

Today, on the leg of his trip that took him closest to the ocean, he’d herded the flock into a small valley, set Bjössi to watch them and sat down in some hillside rocks to concentrate on his carving.

He’d taken up carving the previous winter and was finally reaching the point where the results resembled what he’d envisaged, rather than a potato confounded by witchcraft. Currently he was finishing up a kitten. It was posed in a crouch with its nose to the ground and its rear end and tail up in the air. Overall it was looking quite good he thought.

He was just cleaning up some details on the paws when Bjössi let out the quiet “voff” that meant “strangers”. Reynir looked up, expecting to see an errant naturalist or a wandering shepherd from one of the neighbouring farms, but instead beheld three strangely dressed figures walking down the opposite side of the vale.

They were garbed more or less identically in what looked like some kind of military fatigues made of a heavy, dark fabric. Each was adorned with a series of pouches and bore a large pack – with a rifle strapped across it Reynir noticed slightly nervously. Their heads were encased in hoods with large glass portholes that glinted in the sun. One of them was waving a metal rod – attached to their backpack by a wire – around in the air, staring closely at it, then waving it around again.

Reynir didn’t think they’d seen him. After thinking about it for a minute he stood up, and waved.

The trio halted. They seemed to confer and after a few seconds one of them waved back. All three resumed walking, straight towards him.

Reynir waited, swallowing hard as he wondered if he’d made the right decision.

As the trio drew closer Reynir could make out more details. They were definitely dressed in uniforms, with badges glinting on their collars and chests. They wore heavy boots and gloves, and some kind of breathing apparatus was attached to the front of their hoods. A blue and white insignia was stitched onto their shoulders although he couldn’t quite make out the details.

Coming up the hillside, the lead figure – whose collar Reynir noticed was decorated with a pair of golden leaves and a crown – raised his hand in what was clearly a greeting. Reaching Reynir’s position he pressed a button on the side of his breathing mask and an amplified voice rang out.

“Hallo!”

“Hello!” responded Reynir.

“Parleh vuh fronseh?”

“Uh….”

The figure sighed. He (it was a he Reynir thought) turned towards the other two and gave a surprisingly expressive shrug. He turned back to Reynir and spoke again, seemingly with some reluctance,

“Duhyuh spick hingleesh?”

“Uhhhh…. no…?”

Reynir wasn’t entirely sure, but he though the man seemed somewhat relieved. He turned to the taller of his companions and muttered something that sounded like “Fotreh door shone poll”.

The tall figure nodded and stepped forward, pulling a small, but nonetheless fat notebook out of one of his pouches. It looked well used, with a fraying cover and various loose sheets and cloth markers poking out from between the pages. As the man flipped rapidly back and forth through it, Reynir noted that among the badges pinned to his chest was one shaped like a book – although a much neater one.

Apparently having found what he was looking for, the man pressed the button on his mask and cleared his throat, and commenced speaking in a loud and slow voice.

“This us some ocean having crossed between elected soil of holy river lor-rence bring this him hallo good this him those enslave this we discussion about desire big do”

He peered at Reynir hopefully.

Reynir considered this stream of heavily accented gibberish and came up with the best response he could.

“Sorry?”

The book man’s shoulders slumped. The other two exchanged what seemed like meaningful looks and the one with the metal rod stepped forward and ran it up and down Reynir’s braid. It beeped.

“I’m sorry, I only speak Icelandic” Reynir explained, doing his best to ignore the person with the rod who was now waving it around a politely intrigued Bjössi. “Ice-land-ic“.

The book man held up the notebook,

“Best Icelandic having” he explained grimly.

“Do you speak Norwegian, or Swedish, or Danish? We could go back to the farm and I could find someone, there’s a Dane at the Gunnarsson farm I think, or there was last summer and…”

“Best Norwegian, best Sweden, best Dane” the book man interrupted holding up the notebook again. “Stitching is this him words through books and elderly broken”.

Before Reynir could decipher this, the leader – he’d decided that the man with the crowns had to be the group’s leader – stepped forward and grabbed the notebook from the book man’s hand. They proceeded to have an animated discussion involving a lot of arm waving and shouting, at the end of which the leader violently shoved the notebook back at the book man – who was some kind of Skald Reynir now reasoned – and strode off several metres, staring at a distant mountain and muttering darkly. The Skald turned back to Reynir with an apologetic expression.

“That him” he nodded towards the leader “need think, is this the place monsters and want vomit?”

Reynir considered this.

“Well…” he started “There’s no monsters around here. Usually I mean. And if he needs to… vomit… I guess there’s the bushes?” he pointed to a low clump of vegetation being gnawed on by a ewe. The wand bearer – who Reynir was mildly surprised to realise was female – rushed over and waved the wand around the branches. It made a series of beeping sounds which she seemed to find dissappointing. She started waving it around the ewe instead.

“Want vomit” the Skald elaborated “Uh…” he coughed theatrically and mimed frantically scratching his arms and neck before raising his hands into claws and growling.

“You mean the Illness?” realised Reynir “No! There’s no Illness in Iceland. Ever!” The Skald looked blank. Reynir tried again “Iceland no want vomit. No no want vomit!”

“This Iceland no want vomit?” asked the Skald, obviously catching on. “This Iceland no never no want vomit?”

“No never no want vomit!” confirmed Reynir “Iceland no monster, no want vomit. And it’s not want vomit, it’s the Illness“.

Thee-eel-ness” repeated the Skald, pulling out a pencil and making a note in his book. He walked over to the leader and they had a brief conversation, during which the Skald pointed at his hood.

The leader exchanged a few words with the wand-woman and then shook his head. The Skald sighed.

“That him not specificity this speed” he explained.

“Ah” Reynir sympathised.

The leader spoke up again. The Skald consulted his notebook and translated.

“Where place the head?”

“Uhhh…” Reynir commented while trying to process the sudden change of subject “On a pillow?” he finally suggested.

“Onapillo this the head?”

“I don’t have a pillow with me, but you could roll up my cloak and use that if it would help? That’s what I usually do.” Reynir suggested.

The Skald considered this and apparently decided to try again.

“Ray-kee-a-veek the head?”

“Rey-kee-a-veek…” Reynir had a sudden burst of understanding “Reykjavík? Do you mean Reykjavík?”

The Skald’s eyes lit up with excitement

“Rey-kee-a-veek! Hwee! Rey-kee-a-veek! Where place this Rey-kee-a-veek?”

“It’s…” Reynir paused, his excitement fading. “I.. I don’t actually know. The coach road goes there but I don’t even know how many days it takes.” He muttered miserably “I’m sorry! I’m terrible…”

The Skald looked sympathetic. He pulled a compass out of a pouch.

“This Rey-kee-a-veek northing, south, east and easting?” he pointed to the markings on the compass.

Reynir pulled himself together. He knew the right direction even if he wasn’t sure of the distance.

“West” he said firmly, pointing at the appropriate marking, which for some reason was labelled with an ‘O’.

“Easting?” asked the Skald.

“That’s west” Reynir corrected. “West“.

“Bee-en sewer!” muttered the Skald, slapping his forehead theatrically and making another pencil note “Hwest!”. He walked back to the leader and they had another short conversation during which Reynir could make out the repeated words “Reykjavík” and “kapitaleh”. The wand woman, apparently running out of things to wand at, walked over and joined in. After a minute or two the leader nodded. The Skald walked back to Reynir.

“This us turning again across vessel, sheets to Rey-kee-a-veek.” He pointed towards the coast. “This us thanking this him”. He nodded politely and started striding away towards his companions, who had already set off and were halfway down the hillside.

Watching the strangest – but at the same time most interesting – people he’d ever met walking away, Reynir was struck with a sudden notion. “Wait!” he shouted. The group paused as he ran up to them.

He reached into his bag and pulled out the wooden kitten. “Take this. For luck!”

The Skald took the kitten and looked it over closely. He showed it to the others, then placed it gently in one of his pouches. He then pointed to his chest. “Shone Poll” he pronounced carefully

“Reynir” replied Reynir, pointing at his own chest.

“Mersee Renee-a” said Shone Poll. He reached up and unclipped a pin from his collar and held it out. Reynir took it.

“Thanking this Renee-a. This banner for bringing good happen this you.” He saluted.

Reynir – much to his own surprise – saluted back. The leader and the wand woman both nodded to him, and the group moved off, heading down the hill back towards the other side of the valley.

Reynir watched them go. Once they’d passed over the ridge of the far hill he looked down to examine the pin. It was a deep blue flag decorated with a white cross – centred, unlike the ones was used to – with a small white flower in each of the quarters. A large leaf, looking not unlike one of Bjössi’s paw-prints, was overlayed in the middle, picked out with silver.

He clipped it to his cloak and ruffled Bjössi’s head.

“Well.” He reflected. “That was… interesting”

A pathetic bleat rang out. Reynir looked down to see the same sheep that had rolled down the hill, now with its leg inexorably stuck in a rabbit hole.

Strange visitors or not, sheep were still sheep. He sighed and started down the hill.

Too Much Turkey

Ack! Long time no blog. Pushing through to the end of the working year drained me to the point where I was running on fumes with just enough energy to make it through each day without complete mental and emotional collapse, so writing witty blog posts was completely beyond me.  But I’ve rested up for a couple of days, eaten some turkey and banished all thought of work to the land of wind and ghosts, so should be right for a while now.

Anyway, as my previous post suggested I have fallen deeply into the Stand Still Stay Silent fan community. Well, deeply for me, which means I lurk on the fan forum and occasionally pop up to make inane comments. A couple of these inane comments (and too much turkey) have led me to perpetrate an awful crime against the noble art of fan fiction, which I have decided to present here so the world may judge it and decide on an appropriate punishment.

(It goes without saying that it will not make much sense unless you’re familiar with the comic. Frankly it may not make much sense even if you are familiar with the comic, but at least you’ll know who the characters are. Also in SSSS the new year is in Autumn, which is why August comes after October.)

So here we go. I have no title for it, but then it probably doesn’t deserve one…

——————————————————————————————————-
——————————————————————————————————-
SAIMAA – OCTOBER, YEAR 78

The door flew open, letting in a gust of cold wind and a swirl of snow. Lalli, who had been practicing some simple spells by the hearth, leapt up as his grandmother staggered in, grabbing at the doorpost for support.

“Grandma..?” he started uncertainly.

“Lalli! Oh Gods Lalli! Where are your cousins?” Grandma staggered across the cabin towards him but collapsed onto the table halfway. Lalli ran to her and helped her to her feet. “Where are your cousins child? Quickly!”

He hesitated “I.. I don’t know Grandma. Onni said he was going hunting…”

“You have to find him. And Tuuri! It’s not safe!”

Lalli helped Grandma into a chair. She sagged forwards, burying her face in her hands as he ran across the room and pushed the door closed, jumping up to pull the latch firmly shut. He ran back to the chair and knelt by her side.

“What’s wrong Grandma? What happened?”

“I… I thought maybe I could teach them!” she moaned “There were books I read, as a child…”

“Teach who? What did you try to do?”

“…they seem so much like us in so many ways. I didn’t think the illness had changed them as much as the others…”

Lalli was frightened now. No matter the problem, no matter what went wrong, Grandma always knew what to do. Seeing her so confused, so frightened shook his world to its core. He threw his arms around her legs and buried his face in her lap.

“Grandma, what should we do?”

He felt her take a deep, shuddering breath and shift upright. When Lalli looked up, the calm, strong Grandma he’d always known had returned. She pulled him to his feet and looked him in the eyes with a sad smile.

“It was a mistake. I should never have tried it. It was a terrible mistake and now we have to make it right.”

She took Lalli’s hands in hers.

“I need you to go and find your cousins. We’re going to have to leave this place. But before we do, there’s something I need to teach you…”

——————————————————————————————————-
NORTH SAIMAA – AUGUST, YEAR 78

There was a space under the jetty just big enough to hide in and stay dry.

It was Lalli’s favourite place. He’d found it not long after they’d arrived at the village, three months back, and he retreated there regularly – particularly when Onni wanted him to do chores.

Today he was using it as a hideout after stealing a fresh bread roll from the village bakery. He knew that Grandma wouldn’t approve, but…

He paused, his thoughts halted by a pang of sorrow. Grandma wouldn’t have approved. It was Onni who was in charge now. Grandma’s plan to lure away and then outrun the… the thing, had worked, but at a dreadful cost.

But things were slowly getting better. Almost a year of running from village to village had ended. They’d found a home. Onni was working hard to earn them a place here, Tuuri was learning weird foreign languages at the school and Lalli – Lalli was training as a scout, stealing rolls and hiding under a jetty where he could eavesdrop on his fellow villagers with little chance of discovery.

Two of those villagers, both fishermen, were walking up the boards from their newly landed boat. Lalli tuned in to their conversation as he chewed.

“Did you hear that racket last night?”
“What racket?”
“Out in the woods past the south wall, you seriously didn’t hear it?”
“You know I’m a deep sleeper”
“You’d have to be. Weirdest damn noise I’ve ever heard, and it went on forever.”

Lalli stopped eating as a wave of foreboding swept over him.

“Probably just some troll”
“Not like any troll I’ve ever heard”
“Well, what’d it sound like?”
“Well first of all there was this deep humming sound, like standing next to a hive of giant bees…”
“There you go, it was just a hive of giant bees!”
“Shut up! Then over the hum there was this horrible, high pitched wail, like someone was strangling a pine marten.”
“Well, maybe that’s what giant bees do for fun!”
“Are you taking this at all seriously?”
“Nope!”
“You’re an idiot.”

The two walked away, continuing their banter as Lalli cowered under the jetty.

It had found them again.

——————————————————————————————————-
KEURUU – YEAR 84

Lalli had been sitting, staring at the blank report ever since he’d made it back through the east gate just before dawn. What could he write? Onni had been clear when they’d first arrived at the base – if the authorities found out just what had followed their family halfway across Finland they’d be out of Keuruu faster than a Grade A feline pouncing on a rat-beast. He could probably make something up, but what would prompt an appropriate level of caution without giving away exactly what…

“Lalli!” his thoughts were interrupted by Tuuri, scurrying across the compound and waving vigorously despite juggling two steaming wooden bowls.

“Welcome back!” she exclaimed, plonking onto the bench opposite and setting down the porridge. “I bought you some breakfast since I thought you wouldn’t have…” she saw the look on his face and paused. “It’s not…” she began.

“Yes” he replied.

Tuuri paled and pushed the bowls aside.

“But we’ve come so far!” she whimpered “You’re sure it wasn’t…”

“Yes” he interrupted.

She buried her face in her hands for a full minute as Lalli sat in silence.

“We have to tell Onni” she finally whispered “But if we do he’ll only want to move us again, and there’s nowhere else to go!” She took a deep breath and looked up at her cousin. “The spell. The one that Grandma taught you, will it keep it away?”

Lalli thought for a few seconds. “Yes”.

“And the walls here are strong. If you can force it to keep its distance, Onni might never hear it. He’ll think it lost our trail after all. Could that work?”

“Yes”

“Good!” She jumped to her feet. “I’ll go remind him how terrible the outside is and how he should never leave the base! He already mostly thinks that, so it won’t be very hard.” She turned to go, then turned back “And don’t tell anyone about this! Ever! Understand?”

“Yes”

Filled with determination, Tuuri strode rapidly away in the direction of their quarters.

The sun rose slightly higher. Lalli was just finishing his bowl of porridge when he spotted the Scout Sergeant striding across the compound.

“All night scout summaries are due now! Don’t make me ask again, people!”

Lalli scribbled down the first thing that entered his head and ran off to submit the report, pausing only to grab the second porridge bowl as he did so.

——————————————————————————————————-
THE DREAM REALM – YEAR 90

“No” said Onni “I’m ordering you to not step outside your perimeters again until I say you can. It’s not safe.”

“I – ” began Lalli

“Don’t argue…” Onni paused, closed his eyes and turned away. “It’s looking for us again”

——————————————————————————————————-
COPENHAGEN – YEAR 90

This was it. No more running. It was going to end tonight in the ruins of this weird, scary, foreign city.

He’d known it was coming, ever since Onni had warned him. It might seem impossible that the creature could follow he and Tuuri across the entire world, but it had tracked them for over ten years and across most of Finland, so whatever strange force linked them was clearly not hindered by distance.

It had been lurking at the edges of his dreamscape for at least a week, getting stronger each time he spotted it from the corner of his eye. So tonight, under the cover of scouting a route for the morning, Lalli was on the hunt.

It would be near the water of course. Fresh water. And to intrude on his dreams so strongly it couldn’t be far away. He’d examined the map that the crazy Norwegian lady was always waving around and decided the most likely place for the beast to be lurking was the weird, star shaped lake in the north of the ruins.

He’d carefully made his way to the southern point of the star and had sat quietly in wait for several hours. But it was getting late, and there was no sign of the beast. If this was going to be over tonight, he had to take a chance.

With a whispered prayer to the Gods, he picked up a rounded stone and stepped out into the open.

With one swift motion he hurled the stone. It skipped across the water, bouncing several times before sinking into the depths with an echoing plunk.

Nothing happened.

Silence.

Lalli’s shoulders fell.

But then, a stream of bubbles rose from the depths of the lake. The stream elongated, heading across the water towards the shore where Lalli stood. He stepped back, drawing his blade.

As the bubbles drew close the dark bulk of the creature rose up from the murk. It had grown since Lalli had seen it last outside the walls of Keuruu. Its black skin glistened in the moonlight and it wheezed as it hauled itself onto the land.

The drone began. The deep thrumming buzz that had driven so many to madness since the day twelve years ago when Grandma had made her terrible mistake. Then the high pitched, piercing, demon-wail. Lalli resisted the seductive urge to block his ears and flee and instead summoned his internal strength. Raising his hands he intoned the last spell Grandma ever taught him,

Musiikki on kamala,
Sinun pitäisi,
Tuntea huonoa!
Mennä kotiin norppa,
Olet humalassa!

The beast paused, its infernal cacophony dying away as it pulled its head back and upwards – almost as if it was offended by the words of power. Taking his chance, Lalli lept forwards, stabbing his knife upwards into the creature’s bloated air-sack.

The beast let out a high pitched squeal and fell back towards the water, trying to shake Lalli off. But he kept hold with an iron grip born of twelve long years of fear and rage. The creature’s flippers beat at him, but he refused to let go, tearing at the cursed thing that had started all the madness. As the first glimmer of light crept into the pre-dawn sky he tore it loose, and the beast let out a wail of defeat, falling back into the black water with a great splash and rapidly swimming away.

Lalli collapsed onto the snowy ground, gripping his prize. It was over. The long nightmare was over. He pulled himself to his feet and began the walk back to the tank.

Never again. Never again would the Hotakainen family – or anyone else – have to fear the sound of a beastified seal playing Pomppufiilis on Grandma’s old bagpipes.

——————————————————————————————————-
——————————————————————————————————-

I am most dreadfully sorry!

Close Bitnami banner
Bitnami