Nano House Story: A creative writing game

The envelope had her name on it. Her full name. Which was unusual because no one ever used her full name. There were several other envelopes laying on the table with various names scribed on them. Likely they all held the same information.

"Welcome to the House.

I'm God.

Okay, no.. I'm not really. But I might as well be! Everything that happens to you in the House I control. So you best be nice. There's no telling when the power might go out or all the linens become suddenly moth-ridden and smelling of mold.

By the way, you have your own set of rooms, furnished to your tastes. Of course, feel free to explore and check out all the other rooms. There might be a suite you prefer more! Be careful, the current occupant might not be a sharer.

One last note.. Don't open the Door of Regrets. It's the big one to your left with the sign on it.

Love, God."

The blonde laughed and tucked the letter back into the envelope. This trip was turning out to be a great joke. She dragged her messenger bag along by the strap, wandering down the halls. "There has to be a kitchen around here somewhere." Under her breath she hummed, switching between Right 'Round and Lakme's Bell Song.

Sitting in the kitchen, more or less because she had nothing better in mind to do, the demon girl thumbed the envelope she had in her hands. Just what did god have in mind this time?
If she cocked her head just slightly to the right or left, she could feel other presences just starting to make themselves known in this place, and if she listened just so so, she could make out the most annoying humming she'd ever heard in her life. 'Must be a human.' Only humans were tone deaf.
Vomit mused for the moment. This place had a ring of familiarity to it, but it just was not home, and it definitely was not the psudo space of her own creation; that place was small and filled from floor to ceiling with shiny trinkets. Thinking about that made her smile. Such distasteful creatures humans were, but they made the most facinating of objects for her collection.
Sighing, she ran a hand through her green hair, pleased that its shine made her think of fresh grass. How long would it take? She never waited, and this certainly wasn't for her health.

Nano(2007) Dark Ways(Paranormal Romance)
Nano(2008) Insurrection (Horror)
Nano(2009) Shadow Path (Paranormal Romance)

Bo looked at the table and picked up the envelope with his name on it. "ooh, yummy, instructions..." He stuck his tongue out and put the envelope in his jacket pocket. He slid his sunglasses down to the end of his nose and looked around. "Human at three o'clock, demon in the kitchen, cat in the parlour and goat in the garden. Lovely," He walked past the mirror and flicked it off, smiling because the reflection flicked him off. He levitated up the stairs to see the slight form of a young woman enter into a doorway. He took his time as he walked down the hallway opening doors to check the rooms. He looked up at the ceiling. "This isn't going to work." He walked down a spiral staircase and through another doorway. It was startling to say the least. He was given her description, but still seeing a little blue girl with green hair was a bit on the wonky side.
Vomit looked up from her internal litany to see a man looking, staring at her. She curled her lip at him. "Wanna take a picture, it'll last longer?"
"How charming, you must be Vomit."
"Did you figure that out all by yourself or did you have a cheat sheet?"
Bo raised an eyebrow and waited for her to blink. In that fraction of a second he had her pinned to the table. He hissed in her ear. "I've never had blue demon blood before, it might be interesting to see how it affects me." He pulled up just a bit and looked into her eyes. "I'm not a messenger boy but I have a missive for you."
"A what?"
"A message."
Vomit scoffed and tried to push the man away. It was apparent to her he wasn't a human. "Get off would ya."
Bo moved slowly releasing her as he stood. "A young man, a rather large young man asked me to relay a message."
Vomit smirked. "Oh yeah, what did tall red and handsome have to say?"
"Be careful where you tread Kitten, treachery is abound."
The smile left Vomit's face. "Shit,"
Bo lifted an eyebrow as the blue girl seemingly disappeared. Bo turned around to see a thin young woman enter the room. He smiled exuding the charm his race was oh so famous for. "You must be Erika, how simply marvelous to finally meet you..."

The Red Guard - 2007
Precurser to Hell - 2008
Finding Glory - 2009

Do not mess in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup...

TJ sighed after reading the contents of her letter. 'Someone who thinks they're God, rooms I'm not allowed in, and a bunch of people I don't know living with me. This should be somewhat similar to the shelter...' she thought. She glanced at the door of regrets, 'I could fill that room...' she thought and hurried past it, peeping into the common areas out of curiosity. The kitchen looked cozy, and a blonde girl was already rummaging through the cabinets. The couch in the living room looked comfy, although the television was smallish. It didn't matter though, she didn't watch tv. However, she looked fondly at a cat she saw lounging on the recliner as if it owned the place. She kind of wanted to sit and pet it, but as soft as it looked it also somehow looked quite scary, TJ decided that if the cat wanted to be held and stroked, it would ask her. It would be rude to just randomly go up and start touching a human all over, she was sure it was the same for cats. She hoped the kitchen was already stocked, she didn't have much money left for food after having put most of her meager belongings in storage and having to buy new chainsaw blades. She'd make it up in tips that weekend though. She'd already found out she had to entertain 9 bachelor parties that weekend. Plus all the regulars... that should be enough to buy a couple more pairs of boots, get some food, fare to visit Naomi, and even some left to put in savings... if she went on a zombie hunt that weekend too. 'Work, work, work' she thought, climbing the stairs, wondering how she would find out which room was hers.

'Is this a magical place?' she wondered. She didn't believe in magic, but then again she killed zombies for half her living, so it couldn't be too impossible... especially since she'd found out her roomies were vampires and demons. She wasn't sure what to think, but it couldn't be worse than living with the homeless. Surely her roomies would smell better at least. Do demons have to bathe? She also wondered if she would be able to sneak past her roomies to the bathroom covered in bright pink zombie guts night after night. What if they wanted to use the bathroom while she was washing the gore from her body? What if someone was in there when she came home from work and she had to stand in the hall covered in bubblegum colored zombie goo? Would it stain the carpet? But these were questions for later. She found her room. It said TJ on the door. 'Duh' she thought, and went inside, and let go of her bags, which clunked loudly on the floor because most of them were filled with heavy stripper boots and heels, and also her chainsaw equipment. The room was exactly perfect for her. Not too much, not too little. Just enough. A bed with a comfy looking quilt and one pillow, a large mirror, a rack for her shoe collection, and a blade sharpener for her chainsaw. There was even a picture of her and Naomi on the desk, which she thought was very odd, because she thought she'd lost that picture many years ago. 'This is a magical place' she said to herself. She looked at her watch and realized she only had a couple of hours before she had to be at the Pink Tiger, she needed to eat and then get ready for work. 'Time to socialize' she said as she left the room, and began the decent down the stairs to the kitchen. 'I hope I don't get eaten or possessed... My boss would hate that...'

- MayNoWriMo 2007 - Petite Muse - lost
- NaNoWriMo 2007 - Nightmare - really really really lost
- NaNoWriMo 2008 - Last First - really lost
- NaPoWriMo 2009 - 30 Poems, 30 Days. Won Big Time!!
- NaNoWriMo 2009 - The Lola Fund - Determined to win this

"Yes, I am.." She wasn't sure how he knew her name. Or what the 'finally' meant. But she let him take her hand, shaking his with a firm, yet feminine grip. Blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders as she moved over towards one of the cabinets. It was filled with tins of Fancy Feast in nearly every flavor variety. "Hm. Someone has a pet here."

She moved over another cabinet and glanced over her shoulder at the man who'd greeted her. He was watching her with what she could only describe as a 'hungry' expression. Eyelashes lowered and she gave him a seductive smile. Maybe being in the House wouldn't be so bad after all. "I didn't catch your name." Nothing of any interest in this cabinet either. She growled a little and dropped down to open the fridge. "Aha!" Celery. Loads of it. She grabbed a few sticks and rinsed them in the sink, shaking the excess water off before munching on the ends like a rabbit, ruby nose stud wiggling as she chewed.

Erika moved to lean back with her hips against the edge of the counter, one foot helping to prop her up. "So what are you in for? I don't know about you but I'm convinced this is some kind of government conspiracy. Seriously.. A letter from God? Who even knows about this place. I don't remember packing. Or getting driven here. Just walking into the foyer. And what is up with the regretful portal? Or.. whatever." She shrugged, humming again under her breath as she took another bite of her snack. "Dunno. Something weird is going on. Or maybe I'm just paranoid."

William found himself standing outside of a large human dwelling. How he arrived was a mystery. But as he did not find any new urges as a result of this particular phenomenon (only the familiar Virgilian itch in his hoofs), and given the comparative warmth of his new surroundings following a lifetime of Yorkshire chill, he accepted the change of scenery with decided equanimity.

The goat could smell humans in the house, but after an afternoon spent listening to the loud fishmonger complaining to his drinking fellows about the disastrous fluctuation in cod prices, the absolute scandal of the vicar's daughter's sudden marriage, and the grim certainty of an early winter frost, the idea of spending time amongst the two-legged struck him as an exceedingly unpleasant proposition. So he ambled into the back garden, and after munching disinterestedly on a few daffodils, began to kick the earth in the familiar, relaxing rhythm, one letter after another:

Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris
Italiam, fato profugus, Laviniaque venit
litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto

Now brian.never.ends

Bo smiled at the young woman. "I am Nicholai Boze, but you may call me Bo." He scratched the tip of his nose as he watched her eat the celery. Ruby wasn't her color, she probably would have looked better with a sapphire stud but he kept that to himself. "I am in for the duration. Like you, I have no recollection of getting here, only that I'm here and aware of certain 'rules'." He moved to stand next to her and leaned against the counter. He could feel the delicate flutter of her heart quicken as he moved. "I'm not sure about it being a government conspiracy though." He wondered just how easy it would be to get her to give a donation. He wasn't hungry yet, he had time, plenty of time. He looked towards the table and saw the aura of the little blue demon girl move. It still might be interesting to taste her, in more ways than one. His attention turned back to Erika when she nudged him holding out a piece of celery.
"Want some?"
Bo took the proffered vegetable. "Thank you." He nibbled the end of it. Nasty stuff. "So, what shall we do next? Shall we explore and see if we find more cast away's or, find something more, interesting to do?"

The Red Guard - 2007
Precurser to Hell - 2008
Finding Glory - 2009

Do not mess in the affairs of dragons for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup...

Vomit chose this moment to make herself visible. She had been startled by what the vampire man had said to her, but it passed without so much as an afterthought. She knew where the message had come from, and like any message that came from that particular person, it was usually more fluff and confusion than actual warning. Besides, she didn't feel anything out of the ordinary about the human blonde, and she was more than a little intrigued with Bo.
"Anything more than celery up in those cupboards?" The thought of eating the vegetable seemed about as appealing as the face Bo made in secret as he nibbled on the end of the one the girl had given him.
The two looked at her, though the only one surprised by her appearance was the girl. Ah, well, her invisiblity wasn't a complete thing anyhow; anyone who was capable of seeing energy could spot her trail wherever she went. It just meant she had to mind her energy level.
Ignoring the looks, she continued on with the pair's conversation, "I say we tie the human up by her feet, and then the vampire man and I can find out where she's ticklish." Vomit turned her eyes to the girl, who, despite facinated, looked completely horrified. She neared her, lifting a hand, tracing a line along the side of the girl's face. Vomit sighed, dropping her hand, saying, "Just kidding. Bored now," she hopped up on the counter.
"The name's Vomit. I'm a demon. Blah, blah, blah." She stuck her tongue out at Bo. "Maybe later you can find out if demon blood is to your liking." She saw the response in his eyes. Not at all unlike an acceptance to an invitation.
Vomit turned her attention back to the girl. She seemed to be the only one, other than that weird human girl roaming around somewhere, that wanted to find out what this place was all about. And, she had heard her little quip about God. She said, "I wouldn't be so eager to find everything out. There will be plenty of time for all of that. And, my advice--don't so easily disregard the existence of God. She doesn't like it." She continued after a second, seeing the girl's mouth open, "I've had dealings with God. She's a bitch, a sadist, and not beyond the petty amusements of torturing her loyal children.' She shrugged. "But then again, I really only care about self preservation. Particularly my own."

Nano(2007) Dark Ways(Paranormal Romance)
Nano(2008) Insurrection (Horror)
Nano(2009) Shadow Path (Paranormal Romance)

Magnum took off his black helmet, subtly reminded why he keeps his hair in a military buzz cut. No helmet hair, nuff said. He kicked the stand down for his onyx colored NINJA motorcycle and parked it on the side of the street. One look at the house, and Magnum knew, this wasn't going to be the normal job. The house was a few stories tall, hard to tell if it were two or three because the windows were randomly placed along the exterior, and the structure was erratic and reminded him of something he read in a Lemony Snicket novel.

"This the right place," he thought as he puled the invitation from his pocket. Magnum couldn't help but chuckle at the "Love, God," ending. "Who ever's behind this is either off his rocker, or trying to keep us off ours," Magnum decided before opening the attache case on the back of his bike, revealing two 1911 45 ACP handguns, fully loaded with two spare magazines for each. After concealing the spare ammo and firearms into his vest, Magnum donned his black cloak and pulled the hood over his head, the brim going below his eyeline and ended right above his nose.

"Time to say hi," He said, walking to the front door. Magnum felt a deep premonition, there was something he had to do, something important, otherwise, why would he be here in full combat gear? As he contemplated these thoughts, Magnum didn't see the animal contentedly chewing on grass and kicking his feet. He became well aware of its presence after he tripped over its body and fell flat on his face. "Ok, maybe the eye-covering hood wasn't that great of an idea."

Quote of the week: "You know why I like being an assassin? It's twice the ASS!"

Cat stared bitterly at the letter clinched between her paling fingers. At least, she thought, she would be able to relax. Trying to lead the normal life of a teenager was difficult enough and Catalina still had to push through vampire training and the fact that in just two short years, she would fully wedge, meaning, become part of the undead. Away from the hustle and bustle of Durham and from the Sweeney's, as much as she adored them, she'd be able to regain her usual harmonious mood...she hoped.
Hopefully this would be a relatively normal 'house'. Hastily she moved toward the door, her duffel bag bounced rhythmically against her thigh as she moved up the small set of steps and gripped the door handle. Pushing the old door open she first noticed a small note resting on a tiny wooden table that rested just inside the doorway. "Catalina" it read in big bold lettering. Timidly I opened the small piece of decorative stationary. "Downstairs. Third door on your left. Watch out for the demon. Doesn't like loud neighbors. Figured being downstairs would assist your 'wedging'. Signed, God".
"No..." she groaned. Even on this makeshift vacation she couldn't get away from the supernatural. As frustrated as she was by this fact Cat was slightly excited. A demon...she'd never met one, the closest one she'd seen was Saleme...and he couldn't possibly be a reliable source for stereotyping, she thought grinning.
Carefully she made her way through the awkwardly silent house. Surely others were here by now, she'd noticed the dark coal colored motorcycle parked on the side of the house. But it was ominously silent, even with her acute hearing she could not attend the heartbeat of any creature, much less voices.
She reached the bottom of the staircase and followed the note's instructions to the third room on her left. A piece of paper was taped to her door, the messiest handwriting she'd ever seen filling the page.
"Welcome vamp heir. Keep you're fangs off my crap and we'll get along just fine."
Tapped to the page was a root beer flavored tootsie pop. "Oh," Cat whispered, a sneer on her lips. "I'm going to get along great with my new neighbors". She popped the lollipop into her mouth before opening her door.

Life's a bitch because if it were a slut it would be easy.

Jason waltzed into the house, carelessly swinging his envelope-laden hand around, as he spoke seemingly to himself as he passed by a goat-man combination on the ground.

"Benevolent god-like authour type individual, what are you making me do this time, huh? Are you tired of tormenting me along the usual paths? I guess that you must be a sadist, or something along those lines. At least make this place interesting, okay? He hummed as he passed by the ominously named Room of Regrets and laughed, pausing his walking and humming.

"What, is this a room full of your old story lines you never got written? Characters you never fleshed out fully? I know why you do not want me in there, you are embarrassed, and do not pretend to be otherwise, okay?" He stuck his tongue out and continued walking, coming to his room. He looked at the ceiling before entering, hoping (or, as he called it, being compelled to hope) that it was to his liking.

"The author is kind today," he said softly, as he looked around the room. "They were quite Spartan last time. Oh well." He explored his room for a while, sitting on the bed and other furniture to test them out.

"Very nice," he thought out loud. "Now, my common sense is tingling, which means it is time to meet their other denizens." He sighed as he stood up, walking briskly to the kitchen where he stood in the doorway, tilting his head at the room's occupants.

"I suppose a multi-authour universe is possible. Consider me panauthouric and consider my chief authour to be quite boring. Why can I not be a demon or vampire or have cool hair, huh?" He said to the ceiling, hands clenched to his sides in fists. He shook his head.

"I am Jason, how are you characters?"

When Capable, Appear Incapable

Erika seemed to have blanked out. It happened a lot more than she'd like to admit. She blamed it on an oxygen allergy. She swallowed the thoroughly masticated celery in her mouth and grinned, looking from one handsome fellow to the other. "Well. This House is certainly turning out to be more enjoyable than I'd hoped." A vampire and a.. well he appeared to be human. But one could never tell.

One shoulder shrugged "I'm doing just fine. I've got two good looking guys paying attention to me. Who wouldn't be happy?" She grinned, tongue sticking out at the newcomer teasingly. "Name's Erika. This is Bo. And he just suggested we find something a tad more... entertaining to do." Eyebrows lifted and her grin widened as she leaned into the vampire at her side. "Care to join us?"

Jason smiled at Erika as he leaned against a wall, testing it for absurdity and ensuring that the authour truly meant for the wall to be there.

"Nice to meet you Erika, Bo. I believe that the expositional stage of my so-called life, if we shall, determines that I do accompany you to this more entertaining activity. Authour-willing, it will not be as dull or worthless as, say, watching paint dry or rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic." He giggled to himself as he wandered around the kitchen, spying a nice cherry coloured wooden ladle. He picked it up and twirled it about in his hand.

"This would make a good cover and binding colour choice for a book, no?" He said, waving the ladle at the ceiling. "Take note, unless you already have, in which case why bother, eh?" He set it back down and looked at Erika, his head tilted to the side.

"So, are you a protagonist, antagonist, or just flavour character? I think I am static with fluid choices." Jason wandered closer to the pair, resting a hand inside of a pocket. "So, what is this activity, ye of water-based vegetable eating choices?" He glanced at the silent Bo and winked before looking back to Erika.

When Capable, Appear Incapable