Buffy's Book of Short Stories, Somewhere in Time Options

[Acadian]

Welcome to Buffy's book of short stories! Rather than another chronological saga, this will be a collection of independent (generally short) stories that freely span Buffy's long and ongoing adventuring career. She'll tell you a bit more about that choice of format in her prelude below. One feature of the format she has insisted on is that the stories are not directly linked, sequential or particularly interdependent. While I believe you will find them reasonably consistent with 'Buffy lore', I'm looking forward to what I hope will be quite a bit of freedom and flexibility. The format should also make it easy for any readers who join us in progress or return from an absence, to jump right in with the current story.

For those well-familiar with Buffy, I hope you will continue to enjoy the enigmatic elven mage as she presents selective peeks into her neverending adventures across Tamriel. It is easy for Buffy and I to become emotionally overwhelmed as we contemplate the kind, enthusiastic and encouraging support that many have graced us with over the years. And for that we are profoundly grateful. My fervent hope is that you continue to find our efforts worthy of your valuable time.

For those new to Buffy, please do not let her long history deter you from jumping right in and joining us. While her series of full books are available on the Acadian sub forum, their sheer size makes reading them a daunting prospect. Fortunately, our 'Executive Summary' thread on the same sub forum offers what I believe to be a very effective summary that can easily be read in one sitting per book.

Table of contents

- Hard Crowds and Dancing Whales (1 episode) – post #12
3rd Era. Buffy fills in for a sick bard at an Anvil tavern.

- Unfinished Business – Buffy and the Box (1 episode) – post #24
3rd Era. Buffy finally reports back to Sanguine after inflicting nakedness upon the Courtess of Leyawiin and some of her party guests.

- A Bard’s Tale (5 episodes) – posts #34-66
4th Era. Buffy receives some musical training at the Bards College in Solitude.

- The Case of the Missing Court Mage (2 Episodes) – posts #76-85
4th Era. Buffy helps locate an absentminded missing mage in the Riften area.

Prelude

"Acadian, I don't want to write about the Oblivion Crisis right now." Getting up from the desk, I climbed up atop the corner bookshelf and sat down. "I want to write about being ambushed in the Reach by a Thalmor patrol. Or my first encounter as a Slayer with the vampiric Count of Skingrad. Or how, after I managed to lose Azura's Star, we traveled through time to retrieve it. Or maybe about that time when-"

"Buffy," interrupted the paladin, "all those things can eventually be crafted into your larger, overarching plot such that they fit properly along your timeline."

I hopped to the floor. "No!" Both hands planted themselves on my hips as my chin lifted defiantly. "I want to write about those things when the passion moves me to do so, not wait until it 'fits' into some silly book that's so long and complicated we can never write it. Whenever I write something I want, you complain if it doesn't make 'perfect sense' or that it doesn't fit at this point in our 'chronology'. By the time most of the tales I want to share fit into your unmanageable plan, I've long lost the passion that motivated me to write about them!"

There was a long silence before Acadian dubiously remarked, "Are you proposing a book with neither plot nor timeline?"

"Exactly! I am not a plot. I am an elf who travels, adventures and explores - with you, of course." I spread my arms expansively and twirled all the way around once before seating myself on a corner of the desk. "What's hard to understand about that? And would you rather read a story that I wrote when passion moved me to do so, or one that I had to force myself to write in support of some silly timeline?" I softened my tone. "Look, Acadian, you and I can travel between worlds and even move through time together. Why do my stories have to be 'in order'? When a butterfly moves across a meadow visiting flowers, does she do so 'in order'?"

The old paladin chuckled. "Despite my years and experience, the ability to successfully argue with an impassioned woman continues to elude me. Your butterfly metaphor contains a simple logic that I cannot refute. I will never fully understand the. . . whimsy that drives your choices but, over the years, I have grown to at least appreciate it."

"Does that mean. . . ?"

"Yes," he replied. "You are the true source of our passion for writing. I shall constrain you with neither plot nor chronology considerations."

"Thank you, my paladin." I crossed my dangling legs, folded my hands in my lap and smiled. "I know that I can sometimes be a little, well, erratic or even elusive."

Acadian sighed. "Like a butterfly in a thunderstorm, my bowgirl."

"This will be fun!" I chirped.

[Acadian]

The prelude above addressed what has been a big impediment to our writing. ‘Unfettering’ Buffy and fully embracing where her whimsy wants to take us does indeed seem to be helping.

Another problem we have faced is a three-pronged challenge from Skyrim - for that is where Buffy's game and heart reside.

1. Introducing TES dragons into where there was only Acadian's noble ice dragon. Buffy is not the Dragonborn, but we've deconflicted things enough to proceed.

2. Big game mechanics changes from Oblivion to Skyrim. This has been our most vexing challenge to writing. When we try to write Buffy in Cyrodiil using Oblivion mechanics, it feels foreign, dispels our passion and we quit. Our solution is that the ‘mechanics’ we use in Buffy fiction going forward will much more resemble those in the game of Skyrim than the game of Oblivion. The word ‘Skyblivion’ comes to mind but, in truth, her fanfic range now includes Elsweyr, Valenwood, Cyrodiil and Skyrim. But the tools, mechanics, magicks and trappings that she uses will be the same that we use everyday in our modded Skyrim game. This change seems to have really ignited her passion to revisit Valenwood and Cyrodiil. Horse archery with a mystic bow on the plains of the Gold Coast!

3. The time change. Buffy can magically pass both ways through that barrier. How she does so might indeed make for a fine story sometime. It is important now to simply recognize that when she is in Skyrim, it is the Fourth Era and those who play Skyrim will recognize familiar faces and events. When she is south of Skyrim, she is in the late Third Era and those who play Oblivion will see SkyBuffy interacting with familiar faces and events from the game of Oblivion.

As a result of all these changes, Buffy is indeed prolifically scribing away with a rather frighteningly large number of open drafts. I do note that some of them are growing quite a bit longer than I expected. Having learned to . . . adjust to the fickle elf, I have removed the ‘book number’ from this thread. My plan now is to keep this open for short stories, but when one of them gets to be more than a handful of episodes in length, to pause this thread and fully post any longer story we produce as its own smallish book (Book 2, 3, etc).

Thanks all, for the heartwarming encouragement as we dip our toes back into the arena of fan fiction!

DE- I’m so glad you noted the ongoing significance of butterflies to Buffy. Thanks!

SubRosa- Thank you. Your inspiring skill and the unwavering support you have given Buffy for many years have certainly helped us return to writing.

hazmick- Thanks! Your wonderful efforts with Haa-Rei’s adventures have helped inspire Buffy and I.

mirocu- As you know, Buffy runs on passion. I’m so glad you clearly ‘pictured’ her, even in the prelude. Thank you!

Kazera- I’m so pleased to have you join us and thank you for endorsing Buffy’s approach. I think Adryn could do anything/anywhere she wants – her captivating internal voice and endearing character shine through regardless of what she’s doing.

Renee- Why thank you! Buffy is shaped to some degree of course by her long history, but the details are not critical to where she’s going. Really, she’s just like the girl next door who carries a 50 caliber sniper rifle.

mALX- Seven years, my friend. That’s how long Buffy and I have basked in your enthusiastic support. And I treasure it.

Lopov- Thank you. I’m really hoping Buffy’s ‘Girls just wanna have fun’ approach will help get things going. I’m pleased that she’s already considering some longer stories.

ghastley- I loved your Tove the Unrestful reference. Just one of his numerous head-bending comments: "I'll talk to you some more yesterday."

Grits- You words carry a magic that always eases my trepidation whenever Buffy and I embark on something new or different – thank you. I have grown to love Skyrim, but sorting out the challenges I detailed above has been a struggle. Especially for a little elf who has trouble deciding which pair of shoes to wear, then turns around to go back and change them as soon as we start out the door.

* * *

Hard Crowds and Dancing Whales

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Maenlorn’s announcement was interrupted by derisive guffaws. The Bosmeri innkeeper’s serious demeanor deftly transformed into a mischievous grin and he tried again. “Pirates and wenches!” this time his words received boisterous cheers of approval. As the noise subsided, he continued, “Freya, our regular bard, will be late this evening.”

“Boo!”
“This tavern’s goin’ ta ‘blivion in a fertilizer cart!”
“Freya git sick from eatin’ yer leek soup?”
“That Nord wench can’t sing but she sure do fill out the little dress she wears.”
“Did she fall over from bein’ top heavy and hurt herself?”
“Nah, she woulda bounced.”

Undeterred, Maenlorn held up a hand. “Chance smiles upon us, my friends, for we are joined this very evening by a young lady who has graciously agreed to take Freya’s first set.” The grumbling stopped as many in the tavern looked around curiously.

“She’s an elf with a magical voice,” promised Maenlorn. “We are lucky indeed that she has just arrived in Anvil this very day for a brief stay. Fresh from the forests of Valenwood, please give a warm Flowing Bowl welcome to Buffy the bardic Bosmer!”

As I stepped up onto what served as the tavern’s small performing area, there was some light applause. And a few comments.

“What’s a Buffy? Sounds like a snack on the menu.”
“Mebbe she strips down to the buff when she sings! Haw!”
“Shaddup and give the poor elf a chance!”
“Don’t gotta worry ‘bout bein’ top heavy, do ye!”
“She be a pretty li’l thing though.”
“Probably gots a good voice ta compensate fer bein’ scrawny.”
“Hey, I said shaddup! Let ‘er sing!”

“Thank you for that kind introduction, Maenlorn, and I’m pleased to be here,” I began nervously. “I discovered some time ago that I have an ability, via song, to share images and impressions of places and events I’ve experienced during my travels.” The tavern had grown awkwardly quiet. “Through practice, enhanced by the magical school of illusion, I’ve been able to refine this ability into something that I hope you will find pleasing.” My hopeful look met more blank stares than smiles of encouragement.

“I-I wasn’t expecting to be performing tonight,” I continued to the bored faces in front of me, “so I must ask that you bear with me as I retrieve my lute.” There were several groans and complaints. More than a few patrons went back to their conversations. “It’ll only take a moment – I promise!” I opened my fingers to release a fistful of magic and closed them around the still materializing neck of my lute. There were several ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’. As the swirling tendrils of magic faded, the lute in my hand now looked rather mundane, save the slight bluish glow to its strings and tuning keys.

I hopped up onto the stage’s lone barstool and crossed my dangling legs at the ankles. Realizing how childlike that probably looked, one foot quickly sought and found a crossbar to rest upon and I recrossed my legs at the knee - like a lady. “We’re all familiar with the majesty of the Gold Coast, for who here in Anvil has not been captivated by an Abecean sunset?” I paused to smile, noting what seemed to be interest, or at least curiosity, on the faces of several customers. “I expect many of you draw your very sustenance from the sea?” There were numerous nods, a few affirmative grunts, and several in the audience raised their sloshing tankards in acknowledgement.

I was beginning to feel a bit more confident. “How many have seen the Sea of Ghosts and the haunting beauty it displays as it crashes against the northern coast of Skyrim?” Not a single hand rose, but most eyes were now upon me. “I’m not surprised, for her sights and secrets are well-guarded by many hazards.” I counted myself lucky that I was, for the most part, now holding the attention of these hard-drinking seafarers. After all, I knew from my travels in Skyrim that a big-breasted Nordic bard with an average voice generally kept the attention of tavern goers better than an elven songbird. “But it is also a place where majestic whales dance, and mountains of blindingly blue-white ice grow right out of the sea! Birds with fins instead of wings fly through the water, and giant guardians cloaked in white fur patrol the coast.” I raised my lute into position. “If you’ll permit me, I’ll show you.”

My fingers strummed gently a few times, grateful that the magical instrument easily translated my skill with a bowstring to the strings of a lute. “As I sing, allow yourself to visualize the images carried by my voice.” Focusing on the ruggedly frigid coast of Winterhold, I began - 3:50 You Tube music vid