Dipping Into The Blogpond

I knew him as Jacob. Jacob was a man of ambition, drive, and a relentless thirst for success. He was a well-educated, well-spoken man with a head for numbers and a mind for strategy. He was the kind of man who always seemed to have a plan, a scheme, or a grand design that would catapult him to the top of the financial world.

It was no surprise that he was successful in his career, rising through the ranks of his company and making a name for himself as a shrewd investor. But Jacob wasn't content with just a modest level of success. He wanted more. He wanted to be rich, to be famous, to be the envy of all who knew him.

And so, he began to invest in high-risk, high-reward ventures. He poured his money into start-ups, risky stocks, cryptocurrencies, and untested business ideas. And for a while, it seemed like his gambles were paying off. His portfolio grew, his wealth increased, and he felt invincible.

But then, something changed. The market shifted, and the investments that had once seemed so promising began to fail. Jacob watched in horror as his wealth evaporated, as his grand plans crumbled before his very eyes.

He tried to salvage what he could, but it was too late. He had over-extended himself, taken too many risks, and lost everything.

It was a devastating blow, one that shook Jacob to his core. He was a man accustomed to winning, to always coming out on top. And now, he was a failure.

But in that failure, Jacob found something that he had never experienced before. He found humility, empathy, and a newfound appreciation for the people in his life who had supported him through the good times and the bad.

He also found a renewed sense of purpose. He realized that his obsession with success had blinded him to the true value of life. He had been so focused on achieving his goals that he had forgotten to enjoy the journey.

And so, Jacob started over. He went back to the basics, started small, and worked hard. He rebuilt his wealth, but this time, he did it with a different mindset. He invested in things that he believed in, that he knew had real value, rather than chasing quick profits.

He also took the time to appreciate the people in his life, to spend time with his family and friends, and to give back to his community. He realized that there was more to life than just money, that true success was measured by the impact you had on the world around you.

In the end, Jacob became a better man, a more fulfilled man. He learned that failure is not the end, but rather, a chance to start anew. And he knew that no matter what the future held, he would face it with humility, gratitude, and a renewed sense of purpose.

You ever hear the story of the woman who stared too long? It's a cautionary tale, one that reminds us of the dangers of obsession.

You see, this woman, let's call her Alice, was a curious one. She had a fascination with all things mysterious and unknown. And so, when she heard rumors of a strange, ancient artifact hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest, she knew she had to see it for herself.

Alice spent years planning and researching, and finally, she embarked on her journey. She hired a team of local guides and set out into the jungle.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. The journey was treacherous, with dangers lurking around every corner. But Alice persevered, driven by her obsession with the artifact.

And then, one day, she found it. The artifact was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was a small, intricately carved stone, with symbols and markings that seemed to glow in the sunlight.

Alice was entranced. She couldn't take her eyes off the artifact, couldn't tear herself away from its beauty. And so, she stared at it, for hours on end.

But something happened. Something that Alice could not explain. As she stared at the artifact, she began to feel a strange sensation, like something was pulling her in, drawing her closer.

And then, she was gone. The artifact had consumed her, taken her to a place beyond this world.

Nobody knows what happened to Alice. Some say she disappeared into another dimension, others say she was consumed by the power of the artifact. But one thing is for sure, she was never seen again.

The story of the woman who stared too long is a warning to us all. It reminds us that obsession can be a dangerous thing, that sometimes, it's better to let go and move on.

But for those brave enough to venture into the unknown, to seek out the mysteries of the world, the story also offers a glimmer of hope. It reminds us that the world is full of wonders, waiting to be discovered.

So, the next time you find yourself staring too long at something, remember the story of Alice, and think twice before you let your obsession consume you.

Minecraft, as most everyone knows, is a very popular sandbox-style game that has been around for nearly a decade. It's an open game and most people who spend a lot of time playing it do so because they like to create. That got me to thinking that Minecraft could also be used as a platform to set the scene for original stories.

Some players of the game already do that via Minecraft-themed fan fiction, usually involving the default characters, Steve and Alex.

Here is a collection of some Minecraft resources to help you get into creating your own Minecraft-inspired stories.

Minecraft Maps

Every Minecraft game takes place on a map, and there are lots of custom maps that you can download and install to help inspire the plot for your story. The best source for Minecraft maps is the aptly-named MinecraftMaps.com. Here are a few other ideas:

• Horror Maps in Minecraft
• Survival Maps in Minecraft
• Different Kinds of Minecraft Maps (Adventure, Survival, etc.)
• Guide to Minecraft Villagers
• Nautical Maps
• Minecraft Map Tools
• Setting Up a Minecraft Server

And here are a few other lists of things that could be useful for your Minecraft stories.

God Names

Need an omnipotent God in the story? Who doesn't? Here's a list of possible god-like names for your supreme being.

• Grandmother Breathsoul
• Lady Voidfist
• The Ark Of Minds
• The Chanting Uncle
• The Codex Of The Eye
• The Desired Bird
• The Emperor Of Lynxes
• The Emperor Of Moths
• The Gem Of The Womb
• The Hand-father
• The Hareseeker
• The Key Of The Hand
• The Lightmouth
• The Luminous Song
• The Sister Of The Mouths
• The Sword Of Minds
• The Uncle Of Cats
• The Uncle-becoming-the-brother
• The Worm Of The Fist
• The Worm-lady

Settings and Places

Your Minecraft-inspired story needs a setting, and a setting needs a name. Here are some possibilities:

• Astral Crag of Annihilation
• Bloodstained Islands
• Caves of Terrible Spirits
• Demonic Gauntlet of the Sorceror
• Durance of Hate
• Ever-changing Cave
• Grotto of Ice
• Hellish Keep
• Island of the Inferno
• Twisted Ossuary of Illusions

Here's another short batch of ideas that I'm kicking around for a short story or two.

Emily Goes Underwater

Emily has an underwater job being a scuba-diving welder, oil-rig repairman, and a part-time marine archeologist. She goes underwater for the first time after her child drowns in a swimming pool and deals with the psychological impact.

The Soap Man

A man who manufacturers custom high-end soap and sells it online has gossip spread about him one autumn that he has a taste for children. He retreats in shame and disgust and becomes obsessed with washing the rumors away with the perfect soap formula.

High Above in the Branches

Eustace, and elderly woman, sews two hammocks together to create a chrysalis high in a tree in order to protest a political movement, and the press flock to cover her. She is protesting chemical companies and the devastating impact they are having on the butterfly population.

Molly Ferguson looked at the minuscule newspaper in her hands and felt relaxed.

She walked over to the window and reflected on her urban surroundings. She had always loved wild San Diego with its prickly, pretty parks. It was a place that encouraged her tendency to feel relaxed.

Then she saw something in the distance, or rather someone. It was the figure of Forest Butterscotch. Forest was a virtuous lover with vast eyelashes and curvy fingers.

Molly gulped. She glanced at her own reflection. She was a stingy, gentle, wine drinker with wobbly eyelashes and ruddy fingers. Her friends saw her as a shaggy, spluttering saint. Once, she had even saved a silky baby that was stuck in a drain.

But not even a stingy person who had once saved a silky baby that was stuck in a drain, was prepared for what Forest had in store today.

The moon shone like gyrating mice, making Molly calm.

As Molly stepped outside and Forest came closer, she could see the barbecued glint in his eye.

"Look Molly," growled Forest, with a mean glare that reminded Molly of virtuous donkeys. "It's not that I don't love you, but I want a wifi code. You owe me 4284 euros."

Molly looked back, even more calm and still fingering the minuscule newspaper. "Forest, I just don't need you in my life any more," she replied.

They looked at each other with relaxed feelings, like two mutated, mushy mice bouncing at a very snooty snow storm, which had trance music playing in the background and two tight-fisted uncles giving each other computer advice in the rain.

Molly regarded Forest's vast eyelashes and curvy fingers. "I don't have the funds ..." she lied.

Forest glared. "Do you want me to shove that minuscule newspaper where the sun don't shine?"

Molly promptly remembered her stingy and gentle values. "Actually, I do have the funds," she admitted. She reached into her pockets. "Here's what I owe you."

Forest looked happy, his wallet blushing like a tan, tight torch.

Then Forest came inside for a nice glass of wine.

This weekend, I had a chance to catch a local performance of a new play called, When the Robots Come, Will They Wear Hats?It's a little taste of avant-garde theatre that at once is both entertaining and yet very likely to remain off-off-off-off-Broadway. It steers clear of mainstream tastes. Very clear.

The story begins in a dark corner of a house. A young child, the precocious Lucinda Nevenka, is playing video games on her computer with friends and is teasing them by changing her voice into a robot with a chat program. They're having fun and this sets off the play's one and only musical number, If I Were a Robot.

Without revealing too much of the plot, this opening scene sets of a series of events where Lucinda, for want of real connections and utter loneliness, builds her own robot and teaches it to speak and move like a human. They form a strong and beautiful bond, until the robot one day decides to annhilate Lucinda, her entire family, and nearly everyone in the town.

It's here that the play gets messy, both in a literal sense and in the plot. It is intended to be ridiculous, but it goes to great lengths to do so, defying nearly every known writing and playcraft convention.

If you're in the mood for something truly weird, check out When the Robots Come. But don't feel too bad about skipping it.

September is underway and I've gotten to thinking about more story ideas. Here are seven more that have helped me to get the creative juices flowing into overdrive.

1. A group of university friends fly to New Zealand for the summertime for an epic surfing trip. What goes incorrect, and how will this check their friendships?
   
   
2. A woman absolutely against any kind of contraceptive recently gave birth to her sixth kid after needing only 4. What does she perform to resolve the strain between her beliefs and her desire never to get pregnant again?
   
   
3. A professional contemporary dancer with an abusive guy struggles with workout bulimia. What will she perform to curb it?
   
   
4. A man and a female meet: A guy who sings everything due to his horrible stuttering, and a blind girl who clicks her tongue to create it echo off items like echolocation. What goes on when the girl can’t hear herself due to the man’s singing, and the man’s singing is normally disrupted by the clicking?
   
   
5. A guy hiking off trails in a remote control mountain discovers a shiny spherical object how big is a little car. What goes on when a vintage man who promises to end up being the “guardian” of the thing shows up, and what's the object?
   
   
6. A lady pianist who has transitioned right into a man keeps getting calls from a blocked amount, asking her to play the piano at their funeral. What person in her past is normally behind the calls, just how do they understand they'll die soon, and just why does this person wish her to play?
   
   
7. An absent father attempts to reconnect along with his teenage boy by firmly taking him to baseball video games and teaching him the activity. How do they relationship over the overall game of baseball, and what's the largest resentment the boy has against his dad?

A few more story idea to tickle your fancy. Not that you necessarily want your fancy to be tickled. No matter, it's all just simple entertainment to take your mind of what President Trump is doing to the planet.

• This is a satire with a strong theme of friendship and how people are a lot alike. The story is about a charismatic beastmaster and a pessimistic CIO who is stalked by an occultist. It takes place in a camp in a barren police state. The story begins with a shopping trip, climaxes with a slip of the tongue, and ends with a wedding.
• This is a tale about death. The story is about a compassionate gym teacher, a private nuclear engineer, an acrobatic seer, and a construction worker who is constantly annoyed by a focused priestess. It takes place in a large city. The story begins with a flashback and ends with an engagement.
• This is a story about ignorance and the nobility of man. The story is about eight tired knights. It takes place in a hideout in an outpost. The master villain of the story actually must be defeated in several different forms.
• This is a tale about the need for intelligent analysis. The story is about a stressed fighter pilot, a talk show host, a stingy project manager, and a monk. It starts in a world-spanning nation on a war-scarred planet. The internet plays a major part in the story.
• This is a surreal comedy. The story is about an inhibited herbologist, a treasure-hunter, and a princess who is stalked by a necromancer. It starts in an intergalactic theocracy. The critical element of the story is the failure at a test. The future of peacemaking is a major part of this story.
• The story is about a clumsy circuit priestess, an acrobatic astrologer, a stupid paladin, and a promiscuous hermit. It takes place in a world-spanning nation on a mountainous planet. The story climaxes with a war.
• The story is about an advertising executive who is best friends with a composed psychologist. It starts aboard a space station used for on a deep-space probe. The effect of globalization on culture plays a major role in this story.
• The story is about a confident gladiator. It starts in a military town. The blurring of the boundaries between man and machine is a major part of this story.
• This is a dark comedy. The story is about an astrologer, a dissatisfied chemist, and a duke. It takes place in a galaxy-spanning federation. The story begins with a death, climaxes with the passing of a test, and ends with someone doing laundry. International commerce plays a major part in this story.
• The story is about a hacker. It starts in a poorhouse in a small town. The story begins with an argument, climaxes with a legal dispute, and ends with a birthday celebration. The issues of faster-than-light-travel and its effects on politics is a major element of the story.

A short list of seven simple story concepts. They're ready to leap off the page and be told.

1. A trombonist in local ska band decides to start a worldwide society of trombonists. What sort of difficulties does he have in creating this, and what does he want to do once he unites trombonists worldwide?
2. A self-proclaimed “Professor of Assology,” who has written 3 books with techniques to pick up chicks, and who speaks at fraternities to teach them the secrets of seduction, discovers that he’s impotent. Who does he confess this to, and how does this change his perspective on women?
3. At a polygamous wedding, where a man is marrying two women simultaneously, the police show up and try to stop the proceedings. What does the groom’s brother do, and why does this make one of the brides doubt her decision?
4. A teenager creates a new set of amazing Minecraft maps. What kind of maps are they, and how does this change her or his life?
5. Have a wife commit an act of civil disobedience that her husband does not agree with. How do they resolve this tension between them, especially if the wife is jailed?
6. A young boy starts up a dog-walking business, but gets in trouble when he falls in love with the rival starting to take away business. How does he resolve his business with his heart?
7. On a tourist trip to Paris, a woman falls in love with a bookstore owner. How does she reveal to her son that she no longer loves his father and wants to date someone else?

The children huddled together under the awning as the rain drops pelted down from the sky. The storyteller drew a deep breath and then began his tale...

Intuitive Harriet Thomas

Jenny Thornhill was thinking about Harriet Thomas again. Harriet was an intuitive lover with pretty feet and red fingers.

Jenny walked over to the window and reflected on her beautiful surroundings. She had always loved derelict Athens with its relieved, rare rivers. It was a place that encouraged her tendency to feel stable.

Then she saw something in the distance, or rather someone. It was the an intuitive figure of Harriet Thomas.

Jenny gulped. She glanced at her own reflection. She was a cute, mean, beer drinker with pretty feet and moist fingers. Her friends saw her as a manky, mighty muppet. Once, she had even helped a hungry kitten cross the road.

But not even a cute person who had once helped a hungry kitten cross the road, was prepared for what Harriet had in store today.

The sleet rained like laughing mice, making Jenny sad. Jenny grabbed a ribbed sausage that had been strewn nearby; she massaged it with her fingers.

As Jenny stepped outside and Harriet came closer, she could see the teeny glint in her eye.

"Look Jenny," growled Harriet, with an admirable glare that reminded Jenny of intuitive monkeys. "It's not that I don't love you, but I want justice. You owe me 5842 pounds."

Jenny looked back, even more sad and still fingering the ribbed sausage. "Harriet, you must think I was born yesterday," she replied.

They looked at each other with shocked feelings, like two sweaty, smelly snakes gyrating at a very brave engagement party, which had trance music playing in the background and two articulate uncles dancing to the beat.

Jenny studied Harriet's pretty feet and red fingers. Eventually, she took a deep breath. "I'm afraid I declared myself bankrupt," explained Jenny. "You will never get your money."

"No!" objected Harriet. "You lie!"

"I do not!" retorted Jenny. "Now get your pretty feet out of here before I hit you with this ribbed sausage."

Harriet looked ambivalent, her wallet raw like a noisy, nasty newspaper.

Jenny could actually hear Harriet's wallet shatter into 5842 pieces. Then the intuitive lover hurried away into the distance.

Not even a drink of beer would calm Jenny's nerves tonight.

THE END