There's a prince, in a fantasy kingdom, who has just turned fourteen. He's a man now, and his father sends him away to sea, the third brother to go. He has six older brothers, and will never be king, but he hopes to be high up in the navy someday. He learns a lot about sailing, but nobody will talk to him as a friend.
He returns home after three years at sea. His father has a quarrel with a priest, and plans to send the prince into the Temple of (A God) as a priest, to make up for this. The prince, horrified at the prospect of a life of celibacy and prayer, runs away. The king, embarrassed, sends his younger sister instead.
The prince decides to return to the sea, but looking like a wanderer can only find employment as a cabin boy. The other boys are younger than him, but he is short. He takes up a false name and grows out his hair, and is not recognised. The merchant ship he is travelling on is captured by pirates, who are quick to recognise his potential. He is 'forced' to become a pirate, and navigates for them.
The captain is a brave and foolish woman, with a magnetic personality. He is with the pirates for several weeks, when they capture a magnificent treasure galleon. They divide the treasure and retire wealthy men. The prince tells the captain that he wants adventure, and the captain agrees. With a like-minded crew, they set off in search of new lands.
The prince makes good friends with the ship's cook. The ship sails for many months, and rations are running low. They are growing desperate, when they finally spot land. They reach a shore, and disembark. It is a plentiful land, and they plan to colonise it. They walk for a week in both directions, and never meet - the land is vast.
They walk through the land, which is apparently deserted. They build a village on a hill, and find an edible plant. The prince reveals great knowledge of science, which comes in very useful. The captain suggests that, after a village is ready, they should return with the ship to find settlers.
The prince and the captain go together to look for humans, after they find a broken clay pot floating in the river. They are caught in a hunter's trap, and he takes them to see the chief. The new society that they find is more advanced than their own, and the prince takes a keen interest in their scientific knowledge.
The captain does something badass and saves the natives from some disaster, finding diamonds in the process. They return home in ships built by the natives (who have explored the archipelago which lies to the east of their island). The prince returns to a troubled land - shadows of war hover over his father's kingdom. He someohow fixes it, shouts at his dad, and gets rid of the stupid old religion. Democracy happens, spearheaded by the combination of the Pirate Code and the ways of the people across the sea.
The prince and the pirate captain get together, and retire off the wealth from the diamonds they found. Happy ending ensues.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Prometheus
Prometheus = Satan
Zeus = God
Fire = Knowledge
Pandora = Eve
The Golden Age = Eden
Hercules = Jesus
There's something there, I'm sure of it.
I'd love for Jesus to save Satan from Hell - I read a book called I, Lucifer which inspired me to start Paradise Lost. Add that to some pretty heavily Romantic leanings and certain atheism, and I'm starting to really sympathise with Satan.
Zeus = God
Fire = Knowledge
Pandora = Eve
The Golden Age = Eden
Hercules = Jesus
There's something there, I'm sure of it.
I'd love for Jesus to save Satan from Hell - I read a book called I, Lucifer which inspired me to start Paradise Lost. Add that to some pretty heavily Romantic leanings and certain atheism, and I'm starting to really sympathise with Satan.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
a modern Faust
Will and his cousin Tim are in the attic on the day before New Year's Eve, looking for an old book of their grandmothers. As Tim finds the book, Will finds a different book - an ancient book, handwritten in Latin hundreds of years ago. He reads it out for a laugh, over the Christian Tim's protests. A demon appears in the attic, billowing smoke everywhere, and the two boys run, terrified. The demon is visibly disappointed by this waste of his time, but suggests that he has an idea to claim Will's soul.
The boys are shaken but unharmed, and they talk through the night. They realise that this proves the existence of God, something which Tim finds inevitable and Will terrifying. They resolve to be good people, and Will promises Tim that when Tim has left for home (in Wales) he will burn the book.
Will means to burn the book, but cannot bring himself to do it. He considers selling it, but does not want anyone else to cast the spell. He puts it back where he found it, too afraid to do anything. He starts going to church, a shocking turn of events for his parents. He questions the vicar ferociously, determined to find out exactly how he should be behaving.
He joins a local Christian youth group where he meets Emily, a girl he grows very fond of. He is doing well and being a good Christian, but finds some passages in the Bible that disturb him. He has a serious conflict of faith, and begins to research other denominations of Christianity. He walks home from school after a heating argument with his friends who think he is becoming boring, and wonders how he never saw God before, with all the beauty in the world.
Emily gets cancer, and Will at first refuses to believe it. He visits her in hospital every day, bringing flowers, sweets, books and a card from the youth group. He prays for her to live. She gets weaker and weaker, and doctors are pessimistic.
Weeks pass, and Emily is close to death. Will makes all sorts of promises to God - he swears to be good, and give to charity, and volunteer, and become a human rights activist, or a monk, all sorts of things. When Emily's parents tell him that she has lost consciousness and is likely to die soon, he goes home and breaks down completely. He is distraught, and furiously angry with the cruelty of God.
Will decides that, whatever his own beliefs, his utmost concern is for Emily. He summons the demon again. The demon suggests that he come back later, as necromancy is wonderfully evil. The demon says that Will can have 24 months of all the powers of hell, in exchange for his soul. He reluctantly accepts.
The demon then tells Will that he can only do evil things. Will is shocked and furious. The demon mocks him, and Will tells the demon to kill himself. The demon says that he wishes he has that power. Will tells the demon to return to hell, and the demon says that he brings hell with him.
Will realises there must be a loophole. He tells the demon that Emily's mother had accepted her death as the will of God, and that curing her would therefore thwart God's plan. The demon replies that, for all they know, everything is God's plan. The demons themselves do not know if they are not just some tool in the divine plan: they disagree with God whatever he says: they do not know what he wants them to do, but they suspect that they always do it. Will is fascinated, but determined to find a way to save Emily.
The demon is impressed, and says that Will reminds him of someone he used to know. He says that love for one person, selfish love, is a great product of hell. He suggests that 'Thou shalt not kill' could be seen as applying for individual cells, and that he could therefore go and kill a part of Emily. Will, ecstatic, commands it at once, and thanks the demon.
The demon comes to Emily in a dream, and tells her what has happened. She is surprised to be addressed, and horrified at what Will has done. When she wakes up she tries to avoid him, which confuses her parents.
Will comes to see Emily, thrilled that she is alright. She is less enthusiastic, but realises that he does not intend to tell her the truth. She accepts this, and decides to stay close to him, in the hope that she can save him.
The demon argues with Satan, telling him that the cancer was not part of the plan: Will was supposed to fall for selfish reasons. Satan tells him that Will is being selfish - and that God is the one who is cruel for allowing him to do this.
Will does good things through loopholes, working together with the demon - 'Make him discover the cure for AIDS, so we can all have UNPROTECTED SEX!', 'If he's busy solving world poverty, he will NEGLECT HIS FAMILY!' etc.
The end of the time approaches. Will comes to Emily, determined to come clean and tell her the truth, just as their relationship has become sexual. She reveals that she always knew, and she is sure that if he repents, he can still be saved. Will does not believe that this could happen.
Will continues with his work, but cracks appear. The world is as complacent as the Gotham City Police Department, and there are no easy solutions.
The demon tells Emily that Will cannot repent, because she is alive. She tells him that she loves him, and then kills herself.
Thinking Emily is still alive, Will asks to speak to various people. The demon can summon illusions, but can only summon the real person if they are in hell. Will speaks to several notorious figures. The demon is revealed to be taking the form of Judas when Jesus arrives, invited but not summoned. Jesus and Will argue, and Jesus essentially storms off.
Will says that he would go to hell before supporting God. The demon reveals to Will that Emily is in hell. She is summoned and they talk. She convinces him that God is good and kind, but that she made a mistake in thinking that killing herself was a solution. She urges him to save himself, while he can, like Lazarus. Will repents, and weeps, sobs, and prays God to deliver Emily from hell, having realised that dying of cancer would have sent her to heaven.
Will is instantly returned to when he summoned the demon deliberately for the first time. The demon suggests that he come back later, as necromancy is wonderfully evil. The demon says that Will can have 24 months of all the powers of hell, in exchange for his soul. Will asks for a few days to think about it, which the demon grants.
Whilst thinking in church, Will has a vision of the events which have happened. He thinks it is a warning, and decides not to summon the demon after all. He thinks it is worth the risk of him going to hell, but not for Emily. Emily gets better, and they live good Christian lives. Secretly, Will considers this his failure.
The boys are shaken but unharmed, and they talk through the night. They realise that this proves the existence of God, something which Tim finds inevitable and Will terrifying. They resolve to be good people, and Will promises Tim that when Tim has left for home (in Wales) he will burn the book.
Will means to burn the book, but cannot bring himself to do it. He considers selling it, but does not want anyone else to cast the spell. He puts it back where he found it, too afraid to do anything. He starts going to church, a shocking turn of events for his parents. He questions the vicar ferociously, determined to find out exactly how he should be behaving.
He joins a local Christian youth group where he meets Emily, a girl he grows very fond of. He is doing well and being a good Christian, but finds some passages in the Bible that disturb him. He has a serious conflict of faith, and begins to research other denominations of Christianity. He walks home from school after a heating argument with his friends who think he is becoming boring, and wonders how he never saw God before, with all the beauty in the world.
Emily gets cancer, and Will at first refuses to believe it. He visits her in hospital every day, bringing flowers, sweets, books and a card from the youth group. He prays for her to live. She gets weaker and weaker, and doctors are pessimistic.
Weeks pass, and Emily is close to death. Will makes all sorts of promises to God - he swears to be good, and give to charity, and volunteer, and become a human rights activist, or a monk, all sorts of things. When Emily's parents tell him that she has lost consciousness and is likely to die soon, he goes home and breaks down completely. He is distraught, and furiously angry with the cruelty of God.
Will decides that, whatever his own beliefs, his utmost concern is for Emily. He summons the demon again. The demon suggests that he come back later, as necromancy is wonderfully evil. The demon says that Will can have 24 months of all the powers of hell, in exchange for his soul. He reluctantly accepts.
The demon then tells Will that he can only do evil things. Will is shocked and furious. The demon mocks him, and Will tells the demon to kill himself. The demon says that he wishes he has that power. Will tells the demon to return to hell, and the demon says that he brings hell with him.
Will realises there must be a loophole. He tells the demon that Emily's mother had accepted her death as the will of God, and that curing her would therefore thwart God's plan. The demon replies that, for all they know, everything is God's plan. The demons themselves do not know if they are not just some tool in the divine plan: they disagree with God whatever he says: they do not know what he wants them to do, but they suspect that they always do it. Will is fascinated, but determined to find a way to save Emily.
The demon is impressed, and says that Will reminds him of someone he used to know. He says that love for one person, selfish love, is a great product of hell. He suggests that 'Thou shalt not kill' could be seen as applying for individual cells, and that he could therefore go and kill a part of Emily. Will, ecstatic, commands it at once, and thanks the demon.
The demon comes to Emily in a dream, and tells her what has happened. She is surprised to be addressed, and horrified at what Will has done. When she wakes up she tries to avoid him, which confuses her parents.
Will comes to see Emily, thrilled that she is alright. She is less enthusiastic, but realises that he does not intend to tell her the truth. She accepts this, and decides to stay close to him, in the hope that she can save him.
The demon argues with Satan, telling him that the cancer was not part of the plan: Will was supposed to fall for selfish reasons. Satan tells him that Will is being selfish - and that God is the one who is cruel for allowing him to do this.
Will does good things through loopholes, working together with the demon - 'Make him discover the cure for AIDS, so we can all have UNPROTECTED SEX!', 'If he's busy solving world poverty, he will NEGLECT HIS FAMILY!' etc.
The end of the time approaches. Will comes to Emily, determined to come clean and tell her the truth, just as their relationship has become sexual. She reveals that she always knew, and she is sure that if he repents, he can still be saved. Will does not believe that this could happen.
Will continues with his work, but cracks appear. The world is as complacent as the Gotham City Police Department, and there are no easy solutions.
The demon tells Emily that Will cannot repent, because she is alive. She tells him that she loves him, and then kills herself.
Thinking Emily is still alive, Will asks to speak to various people. The demon can summon illusions, but can only summon the real person if they are in hell. Will speaks to several notorious figures. The demon is revealed to be taking the form of Judas when Jesus arrives, invited but not summoned. Jesus and Will argue, and Jesus essentially storms off.
Will says that he would go to hell before supporting God. The demon reveals to Will that Emily is in hell. She is summoned and they talk. She convinces him that God is good and kind, but that she made a mistake in thinking that killing herself was a solution. She urges him to save himself, while he can, like Lazarus. Will repents, and weeps, sobs, and prays God to deliver Emily from hell, having realised that dying of cancer would have sent her to heaven.
Will is instantly returned to when he summoned the demon deliberately for the first time. The demon suggests that he come back later, as necromancy is wonderfully evil. The demon says that Will can have 24 months of all the powers of hell, in exchange for his soul. Will asks for a few days to think about it, which the demon grants.
Whilst thinking in church, Will has a vision of the events which have happened. He thinks it is a warning, and decides not to summon the demon after all. He thinks it is worth the risk of him going to hell, but not for Emily. Emily gets better, and they live good Christian lives. Secretly, Will considers this his failure.
Monday, January 17, 2011
dream of a blue dress
The girl is a baker's daughter, who discovers that she is actually a princess, switched at birth with the baker's son because the queen was desperate to provide the king with a son. She goes to the palace to ask for treatment for her mother, who is possessed with a spirit and cannot travel to seek a healer. When she reaches the palace, she is kept waiting for an audience with the royal physician for many days, as the king is ill. Whilst waiting, she makes friends with a count, who discovers that she is the princess. He is the member of a powerful family whose influence is on the wane due to poor performance in the wars overseas, and he plans to marry her to his brother and then reveal her identity, so that his family can have control over the throne.
Meanwhile, a young servant girl discovers that she is a witch, and practices her magic in secret. Her skills would be well respected, but she does not want to have to leave her job in the palace stables, where she is often able to see the prince, whom she loves. He tells her of his troubles with untrustworthy courtiers and his father's illness and increasing emotional distance. She supports him as he increasingly feels that he is unable to cope with his responsibilities.
The count's brother, the earl, struggles to keep control over his followers, and worries that his younger brother is beginning to eclipse him in power.
A duke is abroad, fighting in the war and distinguishing himself. He receives regular updates from his spies, and has them also communicate their knowledge to the young prince. He also sends false information to the enemies of the prince. He collects books, and prevents soldiers from burning down a library.
One morning, the girl is surprised to see her family gathering in a hall in the count's house. She runs down to them, but finds the doors blocked. The count explains the situation to her: how the hall is scheduled for demolition, but will be destroyed later if there is a wedding taking place. She must marry the earl to save her family. Horrified, she eventually agrees.
Just as the sermon begins (the priest mindful of the children whose lives are in danger) the prince and the servant sweep in. The servant uses her magic to freeze the fire, and the wedding is called off. All hell breaks loose. The prince declares which men have been conspiring against the king, and they are imprisoned. The count escapes, but not before transforming the earl into a large slug, in an act of extreme spite.
'Why waste a wedding?' exclaims the girl's mother, and the king agrees heartily. They accept, and are married. 'Treat him well,' the witch whispers to her before vanishing.
They try to fall in love, but it is difficult. The prince is always busy and making excuses, and spends all his time riding and hunting. The girl tries to ride, and fails both spectacularly and hilariously. They have a heated argument, during which he accidentally reveals his love for the servant girl. The princess sneaks away and tells her this, and promises that she will not interfere so long as they do not publicly humiliate her.
The duke returns to the capital, mindful of the count's plotting and desiring the ear of the king. He tells the aged king that the prince and princess will rule well together - one has royal blood, the other a royal upbringing. He makes him see his daughter. They have an emotional father-daughter moment, and he dies. The prince is resentful that he was not there.
The prince is crowned king, and his wife is queen. The count comes to him, telling him that the only way to be happy is to be with his love publicly. He suggests thaat he murder his wife. The count is sure that once the direct royal line is extinct, he will be able to seize power in a coup, and claim power for his nephew.
The duke's spies hear of this, and he hastens to warn the princess. He spirits her away to a safehouse, after she tells her husband that she intends to retire to pray for children. They fall in love, and begin a passionate affair.
The king refuses to kill his wife, and says that nobody's life is less important than his own happiness. He wants to do what is right for the country, and continue the royal bloodline through their heirs. The count blackmails him, threatening to reveal his affair and damage his already unsteady position as king. They are at a stalemate, and neither side attacks.
The count plots to marry her, claiming her as the widow of his brother. He has the duke kidnapped, knowing her weakness for helping others in danger. She is found in her safehouse, and also taken to the count's castle. However, she manages to escape with the duke, and they return to the king. The king declares that this is too much, and that the count must be stopped. To safeguard his position, he decrees that, since they are adopted siblings and both recognised as children of the king, their marriage was unlawful.
The count's leverage gone, he is soon apprehended by the witch and the queen, working together as good friends. They intend to capture him, but he will not be taken alive, and he dies in an explosion that takes the whole castle down. His final act is to apologise to her. She denies him forgiveness.
She marries the duke, and he marries the witch. She lives as the duchess at court, and the king rules well. When the king has a son he abdicates in favour of his adopted sister, who becomes queen.
Meanwhile, a young servant girl discovers that she is a witch, and practices her magic in secret. Her skills would be well respected, but she does not want to have to leave her job in the palace stables, where she is often able to see the prince, whom she loves. He tells her of his troubles with untrustworthy courtiers and his father's illness and increasing emotional distance. She supports him as he increasingly feels that he is unable to cope with his responsibilities.
The count's brother, the earl, struggles to keep control over his followers, and worries that his younger brother is beginning to eclipse him in power.
A duke is abroad, fighting in the war and distinguishing himself. He receives regular updates from his spies, and has them also communicate their knowledge to the young prince. He also sends false information to the enemies of the prince. He collects books, and prevents soldiers from burning down a library.
One morning, the girl is surprised to see her family gathering in a hall in the count's house. She runs down to them, but finds the doors blocked. The count explains the situation to her: how the hall is scheduled for demolition, but will be destroyed later if there is a wedding taking place. She must marry the earl to save her family. Horrified, she eventually agrees.
Just as the sermon begins (the priest mindful of the children whose lives are in danger) the prince and the servant sweep in. The servant uses her magic to freeze the fire, and the wedding is called off. All hell breaks loose. The prince declares which men have been conspiring against the king, and they are imprisoned. The count escapes, but not before transforming the earl into a large slug, in an act of extreme spite.
'Why waste a wedding?' exclaims the girl's mother, and the king agrees heartily. They accept, and are married. 'Treat him well,' the witch whispers to her before vanishing.
They try to fall in love, but it is difficult. The prince is always busy and making excuses, and spends all his time riding and hunting. The girl tries to ride, and fails both spectacularly and hilariously. They have a heated argument, during which he accidentally reveals his love for the servant girl. The princess sneaks away and tells her this, and promises that she will not interfere so long as they do not publicly humiliate her.
The duke returns to the capital, mindful of the count's plotting and desiring the ear of the king. He tells the aged king that the prince and princess will rule well together - one has royal blood, the other a royal upbringing. He makes him see his daughter. They have an emotional father-daughter moment, and he dies. The prince is resentful that he was not there.
The prince is crowned king, and his wife is queen. The count comes to him, telling him that the only way to be happy is to be with his love publicly. He suggests thaat he murder his wife. The count is sure that once the direct royal line is extinct, he will be able to seize power in a coup, and claim power for his nephew.
The duke's spies hear of this, and he hastens to warn the princess. He spirits her away to a safehouse, after she tells her husband that she intends to retire to pray for children. They fall in love, and begin a passionate affair.
The king refuses to kill his wife, and says that nobody's life is less important than his own happiness. He wants to do what is right for the country, and continue the royal bloodline through their heirs. The count blackmails him, threatening to reveal his affair and damage his already unsteady position as king. They are at a stalemate, and neither side attacks.
The count plots to marry her, claiming her as the widow of his brother. He has the duke kidnapped, knowing her weakness for helping others in danger. She is found in her safehouse, and also taken to the count's castle. However, she manages to escape with the duke, and they return to the king. The king declares that this is too much, and that the count must be stopped. To safeguard his position, he decrees that, since they are adopted siblings and both recognised as children of the king, their marriage was unlawful.
The count's leverage gone, he is soon apprehended by the witch and the queen, working together as good friends. They intend to capture him, but he will not be taken alive, and he dies in an explosion that takes the whole castle down. His final act is to apologise to her. She denies him forgiveness.
She marries the duke, and he marries the witch. She lives as the duchess at court, and the king rules well. When the king has a son he abdicates in favour of his adopted sister, who becomes queen.
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