to: everyone;

[stations]

Hi, everyone. My name's Jack.

Some of you know this already, but I'm a writer. I kept a blog back home, and I was working on adapting it into a book series, but that didn't really pan out, considering the whole... temporal kidnapping thing. Several months ago I started writing for a few periodicals, and then eventually published my first real book here in Thorne shortly after. Which is pretty cool! But not really what I came here to talk about.

Writing, for me, has always been a kind of coping mechanism. I'm not always very good at analyzing things real-time, my brain works much better in hindsight, and sitting down to recount the things that I've been through helps me process it all in a way that's easier for me to really understand on a deeper level.

Also, for full transparency, it helps me keep a check on my sanity. It started as a suggestion from my therapist, actually, which is a much longer story that I won't bore you all with right now. The point is, having a written account of things that have happened, which are verifiable and which line up with my memory of events months or years later, has really helped me.

So I was thinking, after everything we just went through, it might help some of you guys, too. I want to put together an anthology series. If you're not familiar with the concept, it's basically a book, or several books, containing a combination of works from different writers or artists all revolving around a central theme — in this case, the theme would be surrounding our shared alternate reality. I thought maybe if we all had the ability to write stories, or poems, or make art, or just express ourselves about the absolutely unbelievable events of eight hundred years of interconnected lifetimes, maybe we could all understand each other (and ourselves) a little better.

At the very least, maybe some of us would feel better.

You don't have to use your real name, you can take as much artistic liberty as you want. It could be a story, or a song, or art, or whatever you need to do in order to express yourself. And then, eventually, when everybody's finished, I'll put it all together and make sure anybody who wants a copy gets one.

So, yeah, that's it. If you're interested, just let me know, I guess.

( ooc: I've gone ahead and created a master post here for anyone who wants to contribute to this! Each comment would essentially act as another section or chapter of the book. You can either have your character actually write out a story, or you can provide a summary and link directly to a thread if you'd rather handwave the retelling! You're also welcome and highly encouraged to have characters submit poems or in-character artwork! Feel free to hit me at paingravy or find me on Discord for any questions or suggestions! )

Comments

private

[ushiri]

I can't write like that, and I draw worse than most children, but would you include me in something you write?

You don't have to make me a dashing hero this time.

[ It can be honest. ]

[nomnoms]

ME ARTIST
ME MAKE ART
YOU GIVE ME DRAW

( ooc: do you want bad stick figure art of your characters or their cr to go into the book? please leave IC suggestions here!! )

[blackeyedprince]

This is a great idea. Sign me in.

[exuviage]

I didn't observe most of the dream that others did so I cannot contribute much, but I would like to read it when you're done, if it's all the same.

[thoughts]

you won't print it, will you? i don't want them to know

[ "them" being the abraxan natives. she doesn't want them to find out what happened during their time in the crater. ]

[aquilus]

This seems worth doing.

[That sounds like only faint praise. It's really not.]

I'm not one for fiction, though.

[ordinar]

Does it matter if it's actually good or not?

[satanicpanics]

how are we feeling about a limerick

[ You know, the "there once was a man from Nantucket" sort. ]

[tedandroses]

[immediately after he gives a formal introduction]Hi, Jack!
Sorry. Sorry. Jesus. I'm bad at not thinking loudly.

[after the rest, and long enough to read it]
Actually I think this is a really, really great idea, both from the standpoint of someone who'd like to contribute, what I can, and also, sort of -- academically? If that makes sense? The structure itself of separate, similar but individual creations is so excellent for the theme of a shared reality that was only kept together by all of us believing it -- annnd, I'm going to stop Lit Major-ing at you. Just take my word for it that somehow this ramble would turn into a thing about storytelling and creating histories.

It sounds like the way you journal (is that a fair word? recount?) is similar to what I do with lyrics. My perception and my memory, especially, can ...also be unreliable. Writing helps. It's been hard to have things I remember, so many things, and even have other people remember them, and have to categorize them as not real?

And it's...The part of it where we all forgot things. It's important to me not to lose the memories of that place now that we're back here. I think choosing not to forget is meaningful.

Besides, maybe there's more to find out about that reality that we won't even know until we start reading multiple of our stories.

Anyway this is a lot to think at you. Just -- this is a very cool idea.

[OOC: holy late response batman! don't feel obligated to respond!]