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xinoehp512

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  1. xinoehp512
    Hello everyone! I, uh, need to go to sleep now. Fortunately, it seems I already have a vote! I'll trust that past me knew what he was doing.
  2. xinoehp512
    Bacon flinched violently. "Don't- look, it's not money. It's ideas. That... entity didn't understand why other people's ideas were important. Can you think of anything more horrifying than that?"
  3. xinoehp512
    "Trust me," said Bacon darkly. "The creation of such an entity would have consequences too dire to even consider. Possibly even more dire than if the paper were to be taken." "I would appreciate it if you didn't attack me," said Bacon politely. "It would ruin my face, you see."
  4. xinoehp512
    "Exactly," said Bacon with a nod. "We'll have to find another way to get past-me on board."
  5. xinoehp512
    "The plan is to prevent it from happening ever. If you want to know exactly what, check page 2756. And whatever you do, don't mention it! You might speak it into existence." "No, I'm sure you could get in and out, and with the paper too, if you tried hard enough! I mean, look at me!" Bacon produced a wonky trombone from his suitcase and played it rather badly.
  6. xinoehp512
    "You don't want to know," said Bacon with a shudder.
  7. xinoehp512
    Bacon exhaled. "I... really don't think we should try to compete with my past self in this manner. He is not one to take losing well. The risk is too high that he will become something too horrible to name."
  8. xinoehp512
    "It's possible," allowed Bacon. "But risky. Other-me will be able to tell that she has nullite on her."
  9. xinoehp512
    "Kidnapping the clone isn't going to do us much good," said Bacon heavily. "He's a Narrator too, remember? He's not going to let himself get trapped. Until we can integrate him back into me, we aren't going to be able to force him to do anything. And if we tried, we'd likely just turn him against us."
  10. xinoehp512
    "I was the author of her story. Nothing more, nothing less." Bacon gestured at their surroundings. "I was the author of all of this, a long time ago. Back when I was much less wise."
  11. xinoehp512
    Where is Cricket here? "Oh, I'm sure you could figure out a way in if you tried hard enough," said Bacon airily. Other-Bacon paused, tilting his head. "What?" he exclaimed. "Are you bored of the story already?" He narrowed his eyes, then shrugged. "Ah, well. You're more or less all caught up to now: I suppose you'd rather see it play out in reality, hmm?" He smiled, then walked away, his haunting music continuing to play. The ending? replied Bacon. Well. He may be the author of this tale, but the ending is stranger and more painful than even he knows. For him... and for everyone else. His gaze drifted briefly to Selene as he spoke.
  12. xinoehp512
    "Ow," said Bacon. Bacon's face grew grim as the story continued. It seemed this was a tale he had heard before.
  13. xinoehp512

    Page 258

    xinoehp512 posted a blog entry in An Unwinding Thread

    There was but one road through the Dark Forest, and it was this road that brought the vast majority of customers to the doors of the Rough Stone Inn. Despite its perilous surroundings, the road was well built and well established; few travelers fell victim to the mysteries of the Forest any longer. Nonetheless, there were always tales of strange events and stranger creatures to be found among the visitors. “I swear,” said a traveler one day, “it was the strangest beast I’d ever seen. Skin like a snake, but it had legs!” “So a lizard, you mean?” said another traveler, a man with a patch over his eye. “I’ve seen ‘em before. Common as dirt, they are.” “Ah, but was your lizard as twice as tall as a man and three times again as long?” The one-eyed man grunted in concession that the lizards of his homeland had not quite attained that stature. “It snuck up behind me. Quiet as a mouse, I swear. I turned around and there it was, staring me dead in the eyes! I thought I was tree food for certain, but it just sat there and looked! After a few minutes- or maybe it was an hour? - it spat some kind of green smoke and then left. The moment it vanished, I ran and never looked back! It was only when I ran out of breath that I realized what it did to me stick.” With exaggerated theatricality, the man thrust his walking stick forward. It seemed just like any other walking stick, except that it had a number of vibrant green leaves sprouting from its surface. The one-eyed man snorted. “So you tore a branch from a tree?” “It was me walking stick, I swear it! And it was dead. The creature put some life into it, somehow. Put some life into me feet, too- I ain’t ever run that fast!” “You ain’t ever run at all, Simon,” said one of the would-be storyteller’s companions, and the table erupted in raucous laughter. Each member of the group proceeded to tell of their own encounters with the Dark Forest, each tale growing bigger and grander long into the night. The tables were particularly clean that evening.
  14. xinoehp512
    Bacon was listening to the tale, his expression still unreadable. Selene- along with the other patrons of the inn- seemed to be ignoring the strange bard entirely, as if he were invisible. The other-Bacon continued his tale.
  15. xinoehp512

    Page 257

    xinoehp512 posted a blog entry in An Unwinding Thread

    One day, a curious Selene asked her father whether he knew any stories about the creatures of the Dark Forest. In answer to her question, Petrus took her down to the foot of the mountain, where the kingdom’s borders ended and the Dark Forest began. “Many years ago,” he told her, “in this spot, a friend of mine entered the trees on a dare. He was bold. Stupid. Part of him made it out. Not all of him. He never did tell us what he saw in there, but he had nightmares about it. Still has them.” He turned to Selene. “Don’t go into the forest. Do you hear?” Selene nodded, her eyes fixed on the hungry darkness between the trees, both fascinating and horrifying. It seemed to draw in the light, as if eager to consume it. “Promise?” her father emphasized. Selene shivered and looked away. “Promise.” “Good lass,” rumbled Petrus, embracing her. “Let’s go home.” Selene thought about her father’s warning often, too. But her interest in stories of the Dark Forest did not diminish.
  16. xinoehp512
    It's a real place (as real as any place in TLT). Bacon is just being poetic.
  17. xinoehp512
    other-Bacon began his tale. What does Taeidin want?
  18. xinoehp512

    Page 256

    xinoehp512 posted a blog entry in An Unwinding Thread

    Once upon a time, there was a girl named Selene. “My beautiful daughter of the moon,” her mother, Helen, murmured as she cradled her newborn in her arms. “Yes,” agreed her father, Petrus. “Beautiful.” Privately, the name made him a little uneasy. The moon, while radiant, was notoriously variable- and Petrus had no business with things that could not be depended upon. But he loved his wife, and so kept his opinions to himself. Thankfully enough, his misgivings proved to be entirely unfounded, for Selene was as diligent and dependable as any parent could hope for. Before she even learned to read, she would seek out ways to help around her father’s inn- sweeping floors, washing tabletops, and even helping her mother sew quilts for the beds of the guests. This last one was her favorite, as Helen loved to stitch stories into the fabric of her creations. From pieces of cloth she would form images of the strange and fantastical beasts that inhabited the Dark Forest, and the daring and bold heroes that ventured forth to confront them. As she pieced them together, she would recite their stories out loud to an eagerly listening Selene. “Have we ever had a hero stay here?” Selene asked her mother one evening after a particularly exciting tale. Her mother paused mid-stitch, expression thoughtful. “I don’t know,” she replied. “Perhaps we have! It isn’t always easy to tell whether someone is a hero just by looking at them. We may have served one without ever knowing it! Isn’t that exciting?” Selene couldn’t agree more. Any of their guests could be a hero in disguise? How thrilling! “How do you tell who’s a hero?” she asked. “Well,” answered Helen slowly, “a hero is kind, selfless, and brave. They put the needs of others before their own. They treat every living thing with respect and dignity. And they always stand up to protect people from danger, even when they are afraid.” “What about fighting monsters?” asked Selene. Her mother laughed. “Not all heroes fight monsters, my dearest. And when they do, they don’t do it just to fight monsters. They do it to protect the people they love.” “Oh,” said Selene. She was quiet for a moment as she processed this. “Are you a hero?” she asked. Helen laughed again and swept her daughter into an embrace. “I try to be, my dearest daughter,” she answered. “I will keep you safe, to my last breath. I promise.” Selene thought about her mother’s words about heroes often, although she retained a keen interest in stories about the creatures of the Dark Forest.
  19. xinoehp512
    "What!" exclaimed the other-Bacon, leaning back on a stool that hadn't been there a moment ago. "Surely you don't mean to turn down a story, freely offered? Why, that would be terribly impolite!" He smiled. His teeth were pearly white. "Of course your story is welcome here," said Bacon, expression reserved. "Please forgive my companion's... hesitance." "Well!" said the other-Bacon. "I suppose I can't fault them for that! The Dark Forest is a dangerous place, after all... one where only the wary survive, and even then not always. It is old, you know. Older than you, older than this inn, older than this kingdom. Even these mountains were not, when the Dark Forest first was. But our story does not start there. It does not start with this kingdom, a sanctuary from the darkness paid for in blood. No, our story starts with a girl. Her name was Selene."
  20. xinoehp512
    The music grew louder. The player approached their table. He held the instrument, but despite the haunting melody, one could not see his fingers move. He stopped at Bacon and Erryins table. His hair and eyes were black, and his clothes - other than his hat - were simple and formal. But despite all that, his face was unmistakable. "Tell me," said Bacon's clone, "would you like to hear a story?"
  21. xinoehp512
    A man in the corner wearing an elaborate hat began to play a stringed instrument. Haunting music filled the room. "This place," said Bacon. "should not exist. It was destroyed a very, very long time ago. Now, it is just a memory." He pulled out a mug and took a sip, face pensive. "But whatever it is you did... it brought that memory to life." "It will never work, you know," said Bacon. "Deals with Fate never do."
  22. xinoehp512
    "Excellent!" boomed the innkeeper with a smile. "That will be 5 silver, please. And an additional 2 copper for dinner. I imagine you're famished after your journey!" Bacon, who still seemed a bit dazed, pulled some coins out of a pocket and put them on the counter. The innkeeper pocketed them deftly. "Feel free to relax and enjoy the music," he said. "I'll have your food out in no time." "On the contrary! It would revolve even more around him." Bacon sighed. "And you think it just might work for you, huh."
  23. xinoehp512
    "Well," said Bacon, scratching his head. "I mean, it would more so shift more focus to both holders of the Plotblades." "No, but thank you." As the pair entered the inn, the rich scent of cooking meat washed over them. At the bar, a burly man was cleaning glasses. He looked up as Selene called out. "Greetings, travelers," he boomed. "I take it you are here for rooms?"
  24. xinoehp512
    "Indeed, although it is both more and less." Evening. "Perfect!" said Selene. "Follow me, please!" She moved off down the street, moving quickly, shooting a glance back every so often to make sure Bacon and Erryin were still following. After several turns, the party arrived at a rather sturdy-looking building with a wooden sign proudly proclaiming it to be the "ROUGH STONE INN". Selene pushed the door open and called inside. "Father! Customers!"
  25. xinoehp512
    "Well, I can't be sure yet," said Bacon. "But... I fear the copy may have been incomplete in a very specific way. You see-" "I'm sorry to interrupt," interrupted Selene, leaning in, "but do you have anywhere to stay for the night? I know a good place for weary travelers." "Uh..." said Bacon, scratching his head. "It possesses the power to warp the story around the holder?"
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