We've been unusually down the dumps lately, so I came down to visit you. It's been a while since I've left my spiritual room and took stock of the outside world.

Well, glad you're here. I could use a hand around here, the outside is pretty harsh right now. Most interactions we've been having are negative and there's not much I can do to stop it. I hope you have some ideas.

It seems to me that our message isn't understood or followed by most people. We are continually seen in the same light, though we are pushing for a different sort of lighting.

So...in non-spiritual jargon, we're breaking out on the inside but still stuck on the outside?

In a manner of speaking, yes. The fact that it is not obvious that we are changing direction makes it too hard for others to comprehend.

So in that case, we should make it more obvious, by demonstrating exactly where we're headed to.

That's something only you can do. In my part of this body and mind, I am able to do anything internally. You, however, need to project the internal focus out to the outside, despite your restrictions.

I love how I drew the short end of the proverbial stick. Anyway, I still don't know where exactly we're headed, as your side hasn't told me much.

It's not that I haven't told you, its that I cannot really tell by myself. We have to figure it out together. Something big is changing, and it'll take both of us to execute whatever our final decision is.

Well, in that case, here's what we have: We currently have a goal, a focused mind and body, and an increasing independence from our old shelters, thereby enabling us to reach much farther than we previously thought possible. Am I missing anything?

...I told you I didn't hide any information from you. What you said basically sums up everything we've worked on internally since the beginning of this year.

And now it's my turn. I have to project this new reality out there. You and I both know that there's only one way we can accommodate all of those changes. We'd have to stick together again, move much closer to each other, and as a result, bring forth an aggressiveness we haven't seen in three years.

We'll have to take this slow, as it will take a little while to become accustomed to the fast paced life that we plan on resurrecting. But I agree with you. Now that we know where we want to go and how we're going to get there, its high time we started actually doing it.

Well then, lets set off the explosives.






Hello world. I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

A 120D5 Story


"Lode! Welcome to your new home!"

The baby gurgled in his father's arms and smiled.  He felt only happiness.  The man holding him protected him and the woman next to him gave him food and love.  There was nothing more he needed.  His world was perfect.


"Hi Lode!  Hiii!  Cootchy-cootchy coo!  You're growing so big!"

Thoughts were just beginning to form in his head.  He did not know what to call these people in front of him, but he knew that they were safe.  He ran towards them, laughing at the sheer joy of being able to stand up and run.  He ran and ran, and moved so fast that he lost control of his feet.  All of a sudden, there was pain on his face.  The joy and safety had all disappeared, replaced by pain.  The pain triggered fear, and he began to bawl loudly.  Footsteps rushed towards him, picked him up, and started comforting him.  Soon, he stopped crying.  It felt so good to be safe.


"What are you going to do now Lode?  Hah, Lode.  That's a funny name!  Your parents must hate you!  How does that feel huh?  I bet they're trying to think of how to get rid of you right now!"

He begged them to stop, begged these bullies to please stop telling him these things, that he would do anything if they stopped this torture. Laughing mercilessly, they continued, chasing him, pinning him down, ripping apart his backpack and taking everything inside, and sowing doubt into his mind.  He could stand everything except for those words.  "Don't say that!" he screamed silently.  The words refused to come out of his mouth, blocked by sobs and screams of pain.  "Please don't say that...please."  The bullies laughed at his broken soul, kicked him, and left him crying in the dirt.


"Aww sweetie did you get hurt?  Let mommy fix that up for you, don't cry!"

Tears were still in his eyes but he couldn't cry anymore.  Mom had told him not to cry and she always made his injuries better.  Mom was always there whenever he needed her, always ready to do whatever he needed.  He loved his mom, loved her more than anyone else.  Even when he was really scared, mom always came and took all the bad guys away.  Mom could do everything.  He wished he could be like her.  He would do anything to be like her.


"You have to learn how to take care of yourself, Lode.  You can't let these guys  beat you up and say whatever they want.  Fighting is no good either, because they'll just gang up on you.  You have to find a way to get them to like you and you also have to show them that you're strong.  Be strong, Lode.  You're going to need it."

His father's advice rang through his head every single day. "Be strong, Lode."  Those words led him to learn how to hold his own in a fight, and how to talk his way out of one.  He learned how people worked, what made them happy, what made them angry, and what made them sad.  Each person was different in some way or another, but they all shared some traits.  Picking up on this, he began to learn how to persuade other people to do what he wanted them to do.  He also learned everything they taught in school, and he learned it well.  The only way he knew how to be strong was to be the best at everything he tried.  Pushing his mental, physical, and emotional boundaries, he swore, "I will be strong, father.  I won't ever give up like I used to.  You'll see, father.  You'll be proud of me one day."


"Lode, help us, please, help us."

His parents cried out over and over again in his head.  They had been broken, crushed by loss after loss, pushed into a never-ending spiral of grief.  He tottered on the edge of the spiral, about to fall himself, but his parents cried for help.  They needed his help, needed him to somehow pull them out without falling in the spiral himself.  Somehow he would find a way.  Somehow he would save them, no matter the cost.


"Hi folks.  Welcome to Flux High.  Just a few ground rules before we head out and check the campus..."

There were so many people around him.  All of them were the same as he, new students in an unfamiliar place.  Soon, they would all get a chance to meet and greet each other, hopefully creating brand new friendships in the process.  He looked around, trying to find someone who would meet his eyes.  No one looked back.  Slightly disappointed, he focused again on absorbing his new surroundings.  "We'll get to know each other in time," he thought.  "It won't be long before I have friends here."


"Hey dude, I got a couple tickets to the game and my girlfriend doesn't want to  go.  You wanna come along?"

He looked at his friend, who smiled at him and held out a couple of tickets.  It always happened like this.  He was never the first choice, but everyone trusted him on being the go-to guy when all else failed.  That was his reputation, his definition, and calling.  Or so it seemed.  Ever the reliable one, he was always around when someone wanted to have a good time.  No one ever came knocking on his door, not unless they had to.  When he called others, they were always too busy to spend some time with him, but he would always make time for them.  Looking his friend in the eye, he said, "Sure."


"Hey Lode, just calling to let you know you gotta pick your sister and some groceries on your way home."

The phone call ended abruptly, sending a sharp tone into his ear.  Pulling the phone away from his head, he wondered how his family had separated so far away from him.  Mom and Dad never spoke much anymore and when they did, it was all pointless conversation.  Sure, there were a few times when they really helped him out of tight spots and walked him through tough times, but they had disappeared for the most part.  The only person who kept constant tabs on him was his sister.  She was his only family now. "I guess this is just part of growing up," he thought.


"Look at you, all grown up.  Headed to the university, working for your money, and taking care of your family.  You've really become an adult, Lode."

His grandmother's words filled him with joy.  She was his guiding light, always setting the example for him to follow and helping him clear his own personal obstacles.  Grandma never backed down from her problems, always looking them straight in the eye and working at them till they were all fixed.  Though sick and weak, the fire in her eyes was as strong as ever, burning with the desire to accomplish all of her goals.  "Thank you, Grandma.  Thanks for everything."


"Lode...h-hi.  Thanks for helping me out...I really owe you one."

Her words passed over his head, barely registering in his brain.  She was beautiful and stunning, completely taking over his emotions with whatever she did.  He loved her, loved her to death, and he would do anything for her.  He spent days and nights with her, being there for her laughs, her tears, her boredom, and her excitement.  She was the cause of his joy and the reason for his sorrow, because as happy as she made him, she would never be his.  It was his own fault.  The promises he had made to people long gone restrained him, kept him at bay.  He wanted to be able to express his love freely, without all the extra baggage he carried.  Closing his eyes, he wondered how much longer he was going be caged, held back by his own words and actions.  If only he had the keys...if only he had his keys.


"Lode...hey, Lode!  Wake up!  Wake up dammit!"

The stupid alarm clock was speaking again.  He would have thrown it out a long time ago if it wasn't a Christmas present.  He opened his eyes and lay there, with the alarm still chirping away.

Another day.  Another beginning.  In an hour he would be in his class, in three hours, he would be at work, and in seven, he would be back home again.  Day after day, following the same routine.  Each day with its own challenges, rewards, and failures.  The cycle was so repetitive, but was never the same.  Bleary-eyed, he grabbed the bottle next to him and took a swig.  "Nothing like warm beer to get my day started."


He got up, got ready, and walked out the door.




-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Movement II captures the essence of the character Lode.  Through key points throughout his life, his personality and history are revealed.  Lode is a character who is a combination of many people I know, with his own story put together.  The characterization of him was partly brought on by my own experience, and partly through several conversations with Shannon, Linz, Caroline, and Chico.  Any artistic contribution to this story or to the 120D5 universe (stories, art, etc.) is much appreciated.

...is an idea I came up with about two months ago and has been rolling around my mind ever since.

The inspiration came from a comic I read a long time ago.  I don't recall which comic I read or what exactly happened, but I remember the characters interacting with the writer of the strip.  I found it really interesting because the writer of the comic created an entire second world where all the characters were completely made from his imagination, yet they were so relevant to everyday lives that anyone could relate to the comic.

 

I want to try something like the strip.  The idea that I settled on is this:  I want to create a series of short stories about a fictional character and his random day to day experiences.  It will be loosely based on me and the people around me (you guys).  My goal is to try and make the stories relevant and interesting for you all and to make characters that resemble you.  The characters will share your personalities and ideals so you will be able to guess which characters are based off of you. 

I also want you guys to contribute to this project.  I want you to create characters, describing their personalities and some of their experiences so that they can be incorporated into this fictional world.  I want you to help guide them with suggestions so they can follow the path you want them to take.  For example, you may want to create a character named Jimmy.  Let's say that Jimmy is short, has self esteem issues, and is socially awkward.  Jimmy doesn't have very many friends and he recently moved to the place where these stories take place.  If you gave me a description like that, I would try to create a story or a series of stories involving Jimmy and you would be able to read them, providing suggestions if you wished.  This way, you'll have an investment in the stories and I can make these stories relevant and interesting for you.

I also would like your help on a few other things.  Once the first story comes out, it would be really helpful if I could have someone artistically talented to put an image to the characters in the story.  Will one of you be willing to help me with that?

Also, I need a name for my character and the name of the place he will live in, along with a description of that place.  I could create it myself, but I think it's more of a challenge if you create it.  Once I have that, I will begin writing the stories.

If this idea works out well, I will probably carry it for a while, until people start to lose interest.  This is my first attempt at trying anything like this, so I'm not expecting it to go very far.  Still, give the idea some thought and let me know whether you would like to participate in this project.

Thanks in advance to anyone that is willing to give this idea a shot.  Even if only a couple of you sign on, I'll still give this thing a run for its money.

Oh, and for everyone that asked, 120D5 is just a random set of numbers and one letter that popped into my head when I first thought of this idea.   So, if you want, you can also help me make that name significant in some way!