Eseme's Den

The new journal has its first post, a soon to be heavily edited character sketch (she's going to work in a very different sort of place, so I'll need to write a more fitting job intro).

I've added those who asked to be added. Any others?

Icon is fun. And indeed, although possibly at random knowledge tests.

M and I went down to Five Islands Lobster Co. on Wednesday. Drove all the way down the Georgetown peninsula, until the road ends at the wharf. The food was good (the lobster just overflowed on my lobster roll) and we ate out on the docks, with a good view of three of the five islands that give the place its name. We brought her dog Barci (really Barcelona, but it's such a long name and such a small dog that Barci works better). I'd thought Barci wasn't too well behaved, as every time I'd met her before she kept racing around the room and trying to jump on me. It turns out this is enthusiasm, and she's really trying to get me to pick her up. She's so small (6 pounds) that she's really trying to say "Pick me up so I can get close enough to your face to lick you madly!" Dog tongue up your nose is an interesting experience. She really is a very good dog, as she sat in M's lap and watched us eat, and never begged for anything.

I picked up Changeling: The Lost last weekend while I was in Brunswick for the art fair. It's very green. And I'm nowhere near done reading it - I've barely hit the crunchy bits.

Oh, and for those cool people in New York who read this, you too shall soon know the wonder that is L.L. Bean. There is a factory store opening up near Syracuse in a few months (which will have discounted items) and of special interest to those in the general area of Albany who may be missing their home state *cougheamclarencough* a retail store will be opening in Albany in September. It won't be as big at the one here in Maine, nor have as much stuff, but it will be the real deal.

I blame Jill and Steve. I'm waiting for dishes to dry, and instead of packing soemthing else I am forced to get this idea out of my head and into words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hi there, I'm Wendy." Cheerful, but not too cheerful. Let's see who this is.

"Yes, I've heard every Neverland joke there is. And I know you meant it as a joke, don't look so offended." That was the worst one yet. I'll have to remember to tell Rinaldo, he'll get a kick out of it.

"But that's not how you remember that I'm Wendy. I'm also the Welcome Wagon for these little meetings. Wendy, Welcome Wagon... Anyway, I'm here to get you up to speed on the organization." Oh, a spark of interest there. Hmmmm, let's see...

"We fight the fae, but you knew that. We all have our reasons. Me, I never even knew my parents. It took me a while to get strong enough to fight my way out, but once I did you can bet I wasn't going back to working in the fields again. How about you?"

Ahhhh, laying it on a little thick there... Now, what really happened? ... Well, that's predicatble.

"I can certainly see why you're here. Who recommended you? I can make sure you sit near them if you like. It helps to have a friendly face." Interesting. So that's who sent you.

"Oh, the meeting's about to start. The early stuff isn't going to make a lot of sense at first, so why don't we go over here and I'll fill you in." That's right, this way. You know you want to.

"Now then, as I was saying... Oh, don't look so scared. That's just Rinaldo. He's sort of security here. And yes, that is a gun at your back. I've got one too. And Jaques over there" Come on Jaques, a little faster... there, he's got the sword out, "with the sword. And there are plenty of other folks here who don't need weapons to make your life interesting. Like me, for instance. Now, we're going to go have a little chat. ... And I heard that! You won't be burning this place down, let me tell you. No Fire. There, that's better. Come along now..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wendy, no last name yet, was taken somewhat later in life. She was thirteen, trying to earn a bit of extra spending money babysitting. The next morning, the Pearson's found their two year old girl safe in her crib, but no sign of her sitter. Wendy's face was on milk cartons a decade before computer aging programs, and by now she's a statistic.

What does she do? She reads minds, surface thoughts mostly. But those thoughts tell enough about someone's motivations. That and some degree of empathy.

And what do you do in the fae realms to get such skills? Why, what Wendy was doing the night she was taken: Babysitting. Fae take babies and children, for their beauty or for amusement... but those children still have diapers to be changed, make messes when they eat, and need to be watched over. Few fae have the temperament, or the desire to put up with human bodily fluids. The obvious solution is to take humans to watch over the children when they aren't in court. Wendy slaved over a steady stream of infants and toddlers. Once they got old enough to have control of their bodily functions the fae whisked them off for whatever strange destinies awaited them, while Wendy watched in dismay and then went to clean up this morning's vomit or was handed a new little bundle of joy.

She learned quickly not to get too attached, and that the security was absurd and punishments were worse. She was given a little talent- extra empathy so she could sense the moods of her charges. Reading emotions allowed her to determine the difference between hunger, other discomfort, and tiredness. Gradually, this evolved, and Wendy realized after what felt like years that she could read the thoughts of the babies under her care. Sometimes, she could even change those thoughts, make a crying baby all smiles and laughs. She became known for her "magic" touch with children.

This eventually lead to her fight through the thorns. She was able to overhear the thoughts of the fae, and hiding near a door got her the password. She has vague memories of clutching an infant to her chest and running for days... a tall figure before her... her voice shouting "We were never here!"... more running... And Wendy eventually found herself in a world that was very definitely not 1982 (more like 2003).

The baby made it to a hospital (left on the steps like orphans of old), as a now seemingly twenty year old Wendy had no idea how to care for herself in this strange world, let alone another.

She found others, and the terrorist organization Never Again. So many children. So very, very many children are taken, and Wendy has a better idea than most of the sheer numbers.

She works (after receiving the training needed in this world) at a daycare, and is very watchful for changes in any of her charges.

She also works for Never Again, as the first defense against spies, betrayers to the fae, and investigative reporters. She reads minds, influences thoughts, and can gauge emotions. She had had some combat training, as all cell members have, but is most often used in interference raids as a soothing presence for the children who are rescued, and a numbing balm on their troubled thoughts.

UBCon has a big announcement. We know this news comes very close to our convention dates, but we just got permission for the event this week:

Saturday April 14 from 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Reading from Changeling: The Lost with special guest Jess Hartley

Event Description:
White Wolf has a new game coming out this August: Changeling: The Lost. Although they've been being pretty quiet about it so far, Jess Hartley has been working on the core book and first supplement. White Wolf has given Jess permission to do a short reading from the Core book at UBCon. This will be the first time in the world this material is being shown to the public in this quantity for this game. The reading will take half an hour to an hour, and then Jess will answer questions about Changeling and the other White Wolf projects she has worked on. Please remember that Jess is under non-disclosure agreements with White Wolf, so there will be some questions that she can't answer. NOTE: This event will run one hour from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM.

This event will be followed by a book singing session with Jess Hartley. If you don’t know Jess, please visit her website at http://www.jesshartley.com

UBCon takes place at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and runs Friday the 13th of
April through Sunday the 15th. Our con schedule will be up on our website shortly. Be sure to check
http://wings.buffalo.edu/sa/sarpa/SARPAWEB/index.php or http://www.ubsarpa.com for our schedule and
pre-registration information.

The cost to attend UBCon is $15 for the whole weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). We also have daily
rates, $4.00 for the one Friday session, $9.00 for the three sessions on Saturday, and $6.00 for the two
sessions on Sunday. If you are only interested in attending this one event and the other panels Jess Hartley will be on before it, you can pay for one four hour session for $4.00 a-la-carte (the Saturday 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM session), and go to the book signing and the dealer’s room.

We invite Changeling fans from all over New York and neighboring states to come to UBCon for this amazing
opportunity. If you are interested in attending UBCon for more than one day, the University at Buffalo has
an excellent visitors’ page with directions and lodging information at http://www.buffalo.edu/directions/ The closest and least expensive hotel is a Motel 6 on Maple Road. We do not have a special con rate, however rooms start at $40 a night. To contact the hotel:
Motel 6 - Buffalo/Amherst
4400 Maple Rd
(716) 834-2231
1-800-466-8356

Please use the official UB website for directions, however due to the event being on a weekend, the normal campus parking restrictions described on that website will not be in effect.

Please feel free to ask any questions you have.