look west – K. M. Alexander

Old Haunts — Vignettes and Visions from the City of Lovat

October 1, 2020October 1, 2020

Old Haunts: Licensed Directory Agents

Unknown Warren, Level Three, Late Night

“The directory agents were a necessity born of desperate need in an ever-changing city. With so many businesses moving in and out all the time it was impossible to keep track of it all and even harder to inform every citizen. Instead of printing compendiums of information, the directory companies opted for agents placed around the city, offering location services for a small fee. It kept printing costs down and made them a hell of a lot of money.”

—Waldo Bell, Red Litten World

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Credits:

Audio from Freesounds, special thanks to: 15gpanskasupsakpatrik, bolkmar, hendmik, kyles, morgantj, nahlin83, o-ciz, rabbydaw, socializeddartist45, and theshuggie

Broll provided by Videezy

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September 14, 2020

Old Haunts: Local Service

Martello Warren, Level Four, Mid-Day

“I leaned my head against the monorail window and watched buildings flash past. I felt sick, lost, and lonely. I was terrified. I had started to shake after collapsing into my seat. Too focused on fleeing, I had skipped buying a ticket. I hoped the conductor was feeling lazy and wouldn’t pass through the car.”

—Waldo Bell, The Stars Were Right

Visit Previous Haunts:

Study Related Ephemera:

Explore Distant Margins:

Credits:

Audio from Freesounds, special thanks to: emirdemirel, epicdude959, erh, ianstargem, kwahmah-02, miastodzwiekow, mycompasstv, nahlin83, nathan45100, trautwein, and yuval

Broll provided by Videezy

September 12, 2020September 12, 2020

A Telegram Arrived

Time spins outward. Old doors close. New gates open. What worked in the past turns to dust in the future. Those who seek must learn to adapt.

An urgent telegram has arrived for you, its source seems familiar and I think you’ll find its message fascinating.

There are portents hidden in plain sight, revealing much to those brave fools willing to study the signs. The repository is the simplest way to track those elements which have come before, but there are other sources as well. Take heart, my friend, in time much will be revealed.

See you soon, roader.

August 13, 2020

Old Haunts: Serenade on Two

Martello Warren, Level Two, Late Night

“Putting my failed telegraph behind me, I made my way to a small consignment store down the street. The waters that flooded the Sunk lapped against the edge of the pavement. Higher up, you’d find guardrails keeping citizens from tumbling over the edges of levels, but the police, politicians, and the more elevated class preferred to ignore Level Two’s existence altogether.”

—Waldo Bell, The Stars Were Right

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Related Ephemera:

Credits:

Newsie: Will Munn

Other audio from Freesounds, special thanks to: benboncan, burghrecords, carminooch, ecfike, emirdemirel, jmehlferber, juskiddink, klangfabrik, kodack, nahlin83, and sean-sd2007.

Broll provided by Videezy

July 14, 2020August 10, 2020

Old Haunts: Rhapsody

King Station Warren, Level Four, Early Evening

“Yes, I’m Hagen Dubois, and this is Saint Olmstead Religious Antiques.” He waved his hand around, moving automatically into his pitch. “We specialize in pre-Aligning antiquities, though we do carry all manner of holy and consecrated objects; for the more discerning customer I have access to all manner of items I can get delivered. Now, introductions out of the way, can I help you?”

—Hagen Dubois, The Stars Were Right

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Lucky Star: Denny Lake Warren, Level Four, Midmorning

Related Ephemera:

Credits:

“Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin

Other audio from Freesounds, special thanks to acclivity, larasark, mzui, qubodup, scream studio, straget, theshuggie, and zevcuk.

Broll provided by Videezy

July 5, 2020July 14, 2020

Old Haunts: Lucky Star

Denny Lake Warren, Level Four, Midmorning

“The long-dead engineers who designed Lovat’s superstructure made its massive floors and ceilings hollow. A lot of these hollows are crammed with the things that make a city livable: sewer pipes, air ducts, electrical lines, generators. Others are empty intermediate spaces. Some are occupied with shanty towns packed cheek by jowl, some are filled with trash, some harbor narrow mushroom gardens, and a small number have become storefronts. Cedric’s operates in the latter. An in-between place for in-between folks.”

—Waldo Bell, Red Litten World

This vignette (and those that will follow) were initially created for my Instagram account (they loop a bit more seamlessly over there.) But, I’ve had too much fun creating these to hide them away on social media so expect to see them here as well.

If you like this and are hungry for more of the Bell Forging Cycle, there’s plenty more out there for those of keen mind and stalwart heart.

Credits:

“You Are My Lucky Star” by Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra

Other audio from Freesounds—special thanks to jrsandoval, kangaroovindaloo, ludwigmueller, nahlin83, splicesound, be-a-hero-not-a-patriot, kiloton, theshuggie, microsoftsam, kodack, craigsmith, and jackbhandersen.

Broll provided by Videezy