This week, chinese proverbs and houses, because they have both been on my mind this week. And if you’re not inspired by the end, it won’t be my fault.
A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song.
CC via Cuellar
Whoops! I completely forgot to schedule this post this week. Sorry!
Today we’re going to look at mythological symbolism as a source of inspiration.
CC via Mike Baird
Birds assume a variety of roles in mythology and religion. They play a central part in some creation myths and frequently appear as messengers of the deities. They are often associated with the journey of the human soul after death. Birds also appear as tricksters and oracles. Ravens and other species that feed on carrion, the flesh of the dead, may be symbols of war, death, and misfortune, as well as mediators between humans and the supernatural world. Other birds represent strength, love, and wisdom (from Myth Encycopedia). Continue reading
This week, with the upcoming focus on characters, I thought I would list some odd occupations you might try for your characters.
CC via Josh Liba
Chimney sweep. Yes, they still exist, though the job is a little more professional these days. Chimney sweeps supply full-service to their customers with diagnosis and documentation, chimney cleaning, animal control, masonry work and other necessary services. It is not a good career choice for anyone that does not like to get dirty or dusty. (from Job Profiles). Continue reading
This week we’re going for mad aristocrats. Because who doesn’t love an eccentric?
CC via Ciro
Emperor Ai of Han was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty. He ascended the throne when he was 20, having been made heir by his uncle Emperor Cheng, who was childless, and he reigned from 7 BC to 1 BC. Furthermore, Emperor Ai was highly controlled by his grandmother Consort Fu (consort of his grandfather Emperor Yuan), who improperly demanded the title of Grand Empress Dowager — even though she had never been an empress previously and therefore did not properly have that title, and this led to the unprecedented and unrepeated situation of four women possessing empress dowager titles at the same time—Empress Wang (Emperor Cheng’s mother and Emperor Yuan’s wife), Empress Zhao Feiyan (Emperor Cheng’s wife), Consort Fu, and Consort Ding (Emperor Ai’s mother). Continue reading
Whoops! It says something about the state of my week that it’s 7:30pm on Saturday before I remembered I have a post to do today. Both the men in my life have man-flu, while I make do with codral and, lets be honest, one too many glasses of wine tonight. So. Tonight a collection of prompts based on fear, for reasons that will become apparent tomorrow.
CC viq Iko!
Just out of Canberra, on the way to Sydney, there’s a huge lake, called “Lake George.” Many people spent fun summers fishing and swimming there, but not everyone had such happy times. Many people lost their lives there, and there are stories about ghostly sightings that go around Canberra. One of the best-known is that if you drive past the Lake George at night by yourself and look in the rear-vision mirror, you’ll see someone sitting in the back seat of your car (via Short Scary Stories). Continue reading
CC via Arthur Chapman
This week’s story ideas are brought to you by man, in all his constructive, social glory. I bring you – the city-state!
A city-state is an independent country whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as part of another local government. Whereas nation-states rely on a common heritage, be it linguistic, historical, economic, etc., the city-state relies on the common interest in the function of the urban center. The urban center and its activity supplies the livelihoods of all urbanites inhabiting the city-state (via Wikipedia). Continue reading
To match the state of my brain, it’s weird week this week. Enjoy!
Creative commons via Fugazi
Creative commons via Maciomhair
Briton Robert Dee, feeling humiliated at being called the “world’s worst tennis pro” by London’s Daily Telegraph (and other news organizations) sued the newspaper for libel last year. After taking testimony in February 2010, the judge tossed out the lawsuit in April, persuaded by Dee’s having lost 54 consecutive international tour matches (all in straight sets). Fearful of an opposite result, 30 other news organizations had already apologized to Dee for disparaging him, and some even paid him money in repentance, but the Telegraph had stood its ground (and was, of course, humble in victory, titling its story on the outcome, “‘World’s Worst’ Tennis Player Loses Again”) (via News of the Weird).
Creative commons via Abulic Monkey
SPOOKED telcom bosses suspend number after every single person assigned it dies. (via the Courier Mail).
Creative commons via Crash Bang Squeak
Bolinas, Calif., north of San Francisco, is famously reclusive, even to the point of residents’ removing state highway signs pointing to the town, hoping that outsiders will get lost enroute and give up the quest. It limits its population to about 1,500 by officially fixing the number of municipal water hookups at 580, but in April, one of the meters became available when the city purchased a residential lot to convert to a park. The meter was to be sold at a May auction, with a minimum bid of $300,000 (via News of the Weird).
Creative commons via DerrickT
He’s in critical condition after bailing out of the moving car, but he obviously felt that he had to take that chance–anything to get away from his wife’s incessant yapping (via The Leaf Chronicle).
Creative commons via MDanys
Who knew? The District of Columbia government gives away condoms by the handful, but the men and boys of Washington are apparently such fussy préservatif connoisseurs that they’re demanding Trojans, and especially Trojan Magnums, instead of standard-issue Durex. (via Washington Post).
Creative commons via Claudia Castro
The character approaches their own front door. It opens, and a woman walks out, holding a candle and shielding the flame with her hand. It is broad daylight.
A cup, a sword, a tree and a green hill.
In a small country town, a young boy finds a child’s porcelain doll wrapped in newspaper.
Creative Commons via Eduardo Amorim
His pain was like a desert…
The story is set during a jailbreak. The story must have a banshee involved in the middle. The story must involve a deck of cards in it. (via Seventh Sanctum.)
Ring, casket, drug, butterfly.
A woman discovers she is dying and goes searching for a new wife for her husband.
A STUDENT has been saved from a vicious assault – not by the boys in blue but the men in black. Ninjas scared off three thugs who had the misfortune to attack the 27-year-old medical student outside their warrior school. (via Courier Mail.)
Creative Commons via Aitor Escauriaza
The mystic balance is threatened by a vengeful demon that controls a space base and a legion of spirits (via Sentai Story generator).
Creative commons via Patrick Q
A research group led by immunobiologist Ty Lebsack at the University of Arizona has discovered that spaceflight changes the activity of genes controlling immune and stress response, perhaps leading to more sickness. Between spaceflight affecting a crew’s susceptibility to infections and previous observations of sickness-causing microbes thriving in a near-zero gravity environment, long journeys to far-away destinations such as Mars pose a big challenge to manned space missions (via Science Daily).
Creative commons via Mohamadali
A broken gem, a funeral, summer rain, a man in red motley (via my dreams last week).
TEENAGER arrested after digging up and stealing a foot from a grave says he just really “wanted it”. (via Weird True Freaky).
Creative commons via Gigi 62
30. AMBITION. Elements: An ambitious person, a thing coveted, and an adversary (via Callihoo).
The kingdom is threatened by a legendary entity that controls a secret city and a legion of aliens. Our heroes are a group of students, led by a determined military commander. Drawing their powers from hope, can they save the day? Strange disasters threaten everyone as the battle commences (via Sentai Story Generator).
IT left Earth 33 years ago, now it’s claimed the Voyager 2 spacecraft may have been hijacked by aliens after sending back data messages NASA scientists can’t decode (via Courier Mail).
Some 20,000 pieces of mail – many more than a decade old – have been recovered from a postman’s garage in the US city of Philadelphia (via BBC News).
