DOARS- Week 6, Day 1- I Wanna Be A Star

Thanks for coming back!
~~~~~~~

Dear Diary,

I woke up with a start today. I had terrible dreams last night. There were lasers and guns and flooding and ice and tornadoes- oh it was awful! My whole family died and then .... I don't even want to talk about it. It was really horrible, though.























It left me with such an icky taste in my mouth. I flew out of bed to do laundry. What other option was there? This was the only thing that I knew how to do to protect my kids.















With all the laundry I'd been doing, I was a bit surprised that I still hadn't met a gnome yet. I suppose they are pretty rare, though. I would just have to keep to it and not give out before one showed up. I could do that. I think laundry may becoming so second nature to me, that I could do it in my sleep, though.

Cycl0n3 got up not to long later and rushed out the door. I guess he wanted to pick up some things from the grocery store, which I appreciate, except he also partnered with the thing. I mean, that's not bad, but now we're broke again. Which surprised me, because we had around 10,000 or maybe even more in the bank account, but then I went into the bathroom and discovered that the gnomes had been trying to bribe me with an amazing bathtub.

















Whatever was going on in gnome world it must have been really important. They had never been so actively persistent about anything. You remember how it was, a thing here, a thing there for the longest time. Now, though, every day I wake up to some big change around the house. I'm starting to get nervous for the gnomes! I hope they're not in danger. I mean, what could be so important to them that they need me so badly?



















Cycl0n3 was gone for an awfully long time, and he came home with this weird glowing things that he eventually planted. That wasn't usual behavior for him, and it made me nervous. Everything made me nervous, okay? I get it, I get it, I need a new phrase.

Well, if something mysterious was going on with your family and your husband started doing odd things he'd never done before, you'd be nervous too! And suspicious! Is he involved in this thing now?




















The toilet had been moved and it just wasn't acting like I wanted it to, so I took my hammer to it and beat it into submission. It felt pretty good, too. I may have to try this as a stress relief method.












Apparently the bathtub wasn't the only new thing in my house. We also had a lab bench for my son. I don't know what he's working on, but the scary part is that he does. This led me to an inevitable conclusion, that Hector is definitely involved, but unlike me, he actually knows what's going on.

Did you just shudder? I totally did. How did he find out what's going on? Do you think he'd tell me if I cornered him? No? You're right, he wouldn't. I should just be patient and try to draw him out slowly. I really hope he opens up to me and fills me in. I mean, the more I know the better I can protect my loved ones, right?











While I freak out about gnomes and my son makes disturbing potions in his room, my husband and daughter seem to keep themselves out of trouble. They really enjoy spending time together. I think it's because their both so smart. I mean, she's reading a book about logic that's way too advanced for her age and Cycl0n3 is just super talented. I guess it's obvious that they would gravitate more towards each other.

















Speaking of Cycl0n3's talent, the garden thawed out, thankfully, so he got to mess around in it for a while. I wonder what those new plants will do. It's a bit nerve wracking, but if Cycl0n3's the one doing this then I know it will turn out okay.













Apparently at the store he picked up this thing. He said something about having something nice to drink on those cold winter nights. I'm not really sure what he's talking about. Winter? I mean, I haven't seen one of those since I was kid! Surely they don't have that sort of thing here in SV... unless.... Unless, Tony brought it here.

















More laundry! It's either laundry or biting my nails. Is Winter really coming here to SV? I hate winter! Cold, wet, dangerous! Do you think the gnomes can stop it? No? Whatever, what do you know.

But I've come to a decision. I've got to stop worrying so much! The gnomes are probably in trouble themselves, so I should just stop freaking out about every little thing and become the hero that they need me to be. I mean, they've always taken care of me and my family, and they're not going to stop now. So I don't need to go into Mamma Bear mode to protect my family, the gnomes will protect them to. I just need to step it up and help the gnomes. After all they've done for me, this is the least I can do. Right?











Apparently, they meant to test my new resolve, though. Raquel was searching the sky. Not my little girl, not her, too. Were we all involved? Were we all pawns in this big war between the gnomes and Tony?

I took a deep breath, if we were all somehow needed, then it would be okay. My little Raquel is incredibly special. It's no surprise that they'd want her to help, too. If I was in danger and I needed a family to help me fight off a malevolent influence, I'd definitely want Raquel to help me. It's going to all be okay. It just has to be.

















In happier and less nail bitingly anxious news, today was my first game as the team captain and we won 8-4. My entire family even showed up, too. Which was really lovely. My kids were so excited for me, and I was happy that we could all get out of the house and leave the gnomes behind for a little bit.












Only for a little bit, though, because once we got home I got right back into the game. I've got to learn how to stop questioning what's going on and just roll with it.











Meanwhile, Cycl0n3 got invited to the restaurant again. I think he advertises for them more than I do, honestly. He left kind of late, so I made sure the kids got to bed just after he left.

























I tried to wait up for him to come home, but the weather channel was only so interesting, I started falling asleep while watching it, so I just went to bed myself.

I hope Cycl0n3 makes it home okay.

-Lynn Sw0rd













































"How much do you think she knows?"
"Just enough to be dangerous" the yellow clad woman responded.
"Watch her like a hawk."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

O.O

Ada and Susan, what? How are *they* involved?

DOARS- Week 5 Day 7- I Wanna Be Famous

Welcome to Week 5, Day 7, aka Plot chapter 2. :D

And just as a warning to all of you, since my gameplay is close to a week ahead, DOARS is now a candidate for a posting spree.

I know that I didn't think I'd be writing for a while, but I've got to take things slower this week (in rl) so until I'm good and healthy again, DOARS will probably be overwritten.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Dear Diary,

Waking up next to my husband wasn't as comforting as it used to be. It was nice, sure, I'm not going to say that it meant nothing to me, but it didn't cheer me up like it usually did. I had been so earnestly hoping that a good night's rest would ease my mind and help me to feel comfortable with the changes going on in this family. It didn't.





I used to love doing laundry, but as soon as I realized that my family was getting involved, now I just dread it. I have to get this ambassador as quickly as possible. I just want to be done with all of this.

The gnomes are trying to make up for it, though, I think. I mean, look, we have a living room area now! I must admit that I do like that. We even have a tv (not pictured). I don't want to sound ungrateful for all that the gnomes have done for us, but I just wish I had realized that washing their laundry wasn't going to be sufficient. I mean, maybe that way I could have been preparing myself for what lay ahead, but now, I don't know. I guess I'm just feeling icky about this whole thing because it caught me off guard. It was like in the span of 24 hours, my entire world was suddenly flipped on its head and I felt no bigger than an ant. And I'm Lynn Sw0rd! I'm MUCH bigger than an ant! And I'm famous!




On a secondary note, I must not have slept very well, because I was up a good hour before anyone else got up. Maybe I should have gone back to bed....












Well, Cycl0n3 got up and immediately fed out little girl. I love Raquel and I love Cycl0n3 and they're even better when they're together. They're both so safe right now. Hector and I may be getting involved in this mess of a situation, but these two aren't. I hope I can keep it like that.














Even though it was mid fall, the ground was starting to freeze. That had never happened before. It made me nervous. I know, I know, you're probably saying that I'm always nervous. Well, that's perhaps true, even if I don't always show it, but before you decide that I'm going crazy (or gone crazy) just hear me out.

The ground has never froze before, and yet now as the war between Tony and the Gnomes is heating up- it suddenly freezes? That's awfully suspicious! Is Tony trying to kill us with ice? Is he trying to freeze out our food supply? Or even worse, us? You have to admit that this is pretty concerning.

On a happier(?) note, Hector is more devoted to his telescope than ever. I used to think that would keep him out of trouble, but I'm not so sure anymore. There's something fishy about it.... But, I'm not going to worry, I'm going to force myself to be happy and think about other things, like the fact that Cycl0n3 got the chance to work out together, which is always a highlight of my day.












My little Hector seems a bit eager to drive! I think I prefer him sticking to the house than to a real car! I hope that this interest in driving doesn't have anything to do with the gnomes and what's been going on. The implications would be a little frightening, I think.
















Raquel is being sweet, though. She always is, of course. I wonder if that block tastes like lime....













Today is my first day as Team Captain. I get to call the shots around work, that's pretty great. With my life being... well, I've complained about it for the last two days, let's just say I'm glad to go to a place where I'm the boss. It's a refreshing change of pace.

I did notice, though, that it's raining, very foreboding with the freeze earlier, is this Tony's ice attempt on our lives?












While I was gone my kids played together. That's sweet, I'm glad they're bonding. I hope Hector feels protective of his innocent little sister. If she's got a strong older brother to protect her, then I don't think I'll need to worry about her. Not that I won't worry about her, but I won't need to.
I hope he's teaching her to build things with the blocks, though, and not eat them.
















Hector apparently thought that Saturday was for family bonding! I happen to agree to a certain extent. I'm awfully proud of my little boy! First playing nicely with his little sister, and now hopscotch with his dad? That's awesome! Maybe the gnomes really aren't using him to do anything. Wouldn't it be great if he could just be a kid and worry about kid stuff?

After I got home, though, Cycl0n3 told me that Hector had been saying some really interesting things about the stars. Something about there being life out there and aliens. I guess my hopes of normal kid stuff for Hector were misplaced. Aliens? If you had asked me three days ago if aliens existed I would have sworn that they didn't, but now?

I don't know! Everything is different. Do aliens exist? Are they part of this war between Tony and the gnomes, and if so what side are they on? Are they good? Are they evil? Will my family be okay?













Well, tonight my baby became a child. I knew she was going to, but I don't think I was quite prepared for it. She's a little version of myself, only good. I hope that means that she'll turn out okay.














For either of my kids to be okay, though, I've got to step it up and get the gnome thing resolved. I'm going to do laundry every spare moment that I can find any to wash. I'm going to do it for my kids, for my husband, and for the world. Whatever is going on apparently needs this gnome ambassador to be sent to us, so I had better make that happen, and as quickly as possible.

I think I'm going to need more laundry detergent, though....












Hector had been quiet and dodgy for a few days, so I sat down with my kids as they were eating their very late dinner to see where their minds were at. Raquel went on and on about computers and cds and software, it was adorable, really, but Hector just stayed quiet.

Well, he might not have said anything, but I think because I spent a little time with them, he'll feel like opening up eventually. I mean, sure he's never told me everything, but he's never kept anything big from me before, and I'm getting nervous. Or, well, I'm already nervous, but it's making me more nervous.













Just after dinner, though, the kids were tucked in, and it was bed time over here in the Sw0rd house.

Hoping that a second night's sleep will put my mind at ease,

Lynn Sw0rd

DOARS- Week 5 Day 6- When I Grow Up...

Time to flop the DOARS on their head! Also, this is probably the last post today because my head is protesting.

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

Excerpt from Hector's Diary

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

Dear Diary,

Today I found my purpose in life. I know what people say, I've seen my mother and father's looks. They don't understand me. They're afraid of me and what I might become, but they shouldn't worry, because next to my new found purpose in life, the most important thing is not becoming a disappointment to my parents. 

I'm fortunate then, that I've decided to dedicate my life to helping others. Namely, my new friends.

His name is Rommich Thobanob and I'm going to save his dying race. That's my purpose in life.

He told me of the delicate truce he and the gnomes had, and of his people's plight. He told me everything that I needed to make my decision. He told me I could make a difference, and then he told me that we would need my mother's cooperation.
Now I don't know about that.. Why would we need my mother? She doesn't know anything about the gnomes or about the great nemesis that Rommich told me about. I mean, how could she know that the planet we lived on was trying to genocide an entire species of alien? She couldn't! She's just my mom. She's a sports star. Half my teachers and classmates are in love with her, but she's nothing special. Why would the aliens need her?

Well, Tech Thobanob told me that he'd give me a week to talk to my mom about it, or if I didn't, then we had to find a real life gnome to bring into the picture. I guess I had better talk to my mother, because a real gnome, in the flesh, hadn't been seen in over 7,000 years, how in the world would we get one of those?

The gnomes and my mother, those were just piddly the details, I could worry about what to do about them another day, but the importance of what had just happened was not lost on me. I was going to save an entire race. I may be downright bad to the core, but mom taught me the difference between what I want to do and what I ought to do. And this time, I'm going to do what I ought. It's my mission in life, after all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
End of excerpt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Diary,

Today I woke up and I knew what the laundry meant yesterday. I don't know how I knew what it meant, but I did. The gnomes wanted to send me an ambassador. They wanted to open a dialogue. And apparently what I had to do was the laundry. Lots of it. I'm not sure about the details, but I think if I just do enough laundry, we'll figure it out.

And apparently as an incentive, during the night they had redone most (if not all) of our house.

Raquel now had her own room, and quite a lovely room it was, too. I think she'll love it.

We also had a new bathroom, it was attached to Raquel's room, so I'm guessing it's for her, which is good because before too long (but hopefully not too quickly) she'll be a teenager and I must confess that I was really not looking forward to sharing a bathroom with a teenage girl.

Probably most shocking of all the renovations was Hector's room, though. It was done in the color that he tells me is his favorite, in a pattern that his darker nature I'm sure loved. It unsettled me. Why did the gnomes want to encourage this side of my son? Why couldn't they put him in a bright room that would help him to be good? Just what did they have planned for my little boy? And what did they know that I didn't?

Well, I wasted no time it going through with my side of the bargain. If you could call it a bargain... Anyways, whatever, I started the laundry right away.

My son was oddly quiet and pensive that morning. I mean, Hector isn't usually a gibbering mass of energy, but he usually did say 'good morning' and engage in some small talk, but this morning he didn't. That worried me. This gnome thing was setting me on edge. I hate being in situations that I don't understand and right now I don't understand what's going on. It's soo unsettling. What could they possibly want with my son?

In other gnome news, we have a dryer. That is exciting, and not surprising. I've heard rumors and whispers that the way to find a gnome is through the dryer, so I guess things are getting serious now. Why do I feel like I'm being groomed to do something more important than laundry for the gnomes? It makes me nervous. The gnomes and I have always gotten along, or almost always. We've had a truce for a while- I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine, that kind of thing, why does it have to change? I just want it to stay the way it was! It was safe, it was comfortable.
 I've got to stop thinking about it. I need to go check the stove and the sink- and make sure we're not all about to die.

 And all the while Cycl0n3 has no idea what's going on. I think I want to keep it that way. I want him to stay blissfully ignorant of this entire confusing mess. I can do that for him, right? I can keep him out of a messy situation and preserve his peace of mind. Is that the right thing to do? It is, right? I'm soo confused! This is miserable. Maybe I should tell the gnomes that I'm out. They should find someone else to do their dirty work.

 ... but I can't, because Tony is targeting my son. I see that clearly now. The only hope I have of keeping my family safe is the gnomes. I guess I just have to trust them. They've been helping us for 5 weeks, and I just have to hope that what they have in store for me and Hector is for our own good. That's what you would do right?
Wait! Why am I asking you? You've given me nothing but trouble for a long time! I'm Lynn Sw0rd, and even though I might always sign my name as Lynn Winslow the first time, and have to white it out and change it to Sw0rd, I'm still a Sw0rd and we Sw0rds are amazing. We can do anything we set our mind to. Don't worry, there's no need to be jealous, it won't make you any cooler or do you any good. Some people are just more talented is all.

 Thank goodness Raquel is still too little to be brought into this mess. She's my little angel. She's so good, it's impressive. She always says something sweet to me and brightens my whole day.

After an hour or so with her, feeding her, I just had to clean the house. The filth was driving me crazy!

Cycl0n3 didn't ask me about it, though, which I was thankful for. If I wanted to have a mini freak out and clean the whole house, then that was just fine with him. That's sweet, right?

 We had a mysterious package in the mail today. It was addressed to Hector. I didn't know what to do with it, I mean, what was I supposed to do with that sort of thing? I panicked, I hid it. I just couldn't give it to him right now. What if it hurt him? What if this package got him involved in something dangerous? I can't allow that.

 To keep myself busy, I ran on the treadmill. It was relaxing, it helped ease my mind. I had Cycl0n3. Everything was going to be okay, as long as he was by my side, everything would work out just fine.

 And I had work, lovely work, to keep me occupied. I really love working, have I mentioned that lately? Work had rules, concrete guidelines, real unquestionable laws that governed behavior. There was none of that irritating and overwhelming guess work.

 While I was at work, Tony struck again. I knew that he had been too silent, but things were ramping up drastically. Two attempts on my family in one day was unnerving, or maybe just downright scary. I don't feel like I'm in control anymore. Until now my life was in my hands, but now.... I just don't know. This uncertainty is killing me.

 Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Hector wasn't involved. Now I know what you're saying, "Lynn's gone off the deep end, if anything weird is going on, Hector's not involved! Where did she even get that ridiculous notion- just because his room was decorated to his style and he got a package in the mail? Good grief, woman, get a grip on reality!"
Well that is just plain rude, and not helpful at all. I hope you're right, of course, but you could have seasoned your words with salt, you know. Just sayin'.


 Cycl0n3 had put the kids to bed before I got home around 8:30. I loved that he was such a good father. If anything happens to me, they'll be taken care of. That's comforting. I know, I know! I'm being paranoid, I know that, but I can't help it! I'm just so scared, I hate the unknown! I just have this feeling of foreboding! Something awful is going to happen, and I can't ignore that, how could I? I have two young children to protect. If you were me, you wouldn't ignore that, either.

Well, just because I couldn't control the gnomes or Tony, didn't mean I couldn't fight back. It was time to stop feeling sorry for meyself! Tony's piddly menacing warnings to me and my family were going to go unheeded. Like I'd listen to a little dishwasher flooding? Ha! We're the Sw0rd family, Tony's going to have to do a lot better if he really wants to get to us.






















While mopping up the pathetic death trap, I heard my baby whimpering and moving around, when I knew she was supposed to be asleep.

She looked fine, but something was off about her. She wasn't normally fussy, and she usually slept just fine. My poor little girl. I held her and calmed her down before putting her back to bed.

 Cycl0n3 had a booking with the restaurant (seems like we go to the restaurant every day!) and convinced this hippie ghost to try eating there. What would a ghost even eat, anyway? Did ectoplasm need nourishment? Whatever, apparently Charles is such a big fan of me and my husband that he'd eat (pretend to eat) anywhere we recommended!

Trying to stick my heels in the mud,

Lynn Sw0rd

(P.S. I totally didn't write Winslow this time! Yay!)


~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt from Hector's diary
~~~~~~~~~~~

Mom and dad think I sleep at night, ha! I'm never going to waste another night in such a boring activity! I can sleep at school. My nights are going to be occupied in a much more important assignment from now on.

This is gonna be so epic.







~
Say what? What has a plot? The DOARS? Yup, you got that right, I've got a plot lined up for Hector. :) I'm still not sure about all the details, exactly, but I'm getting excited!

So what did you guys think? Do you like that we're going to have a plot- or do you think I should keep the DOARS light and casual?