<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><channel><title>SFT on Gromet's Plaza Archive</title><link>/authors/sft/</link><description>Recent content in SFT on Gromet's Plaza Archive</description><generator>Hugo</generator><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Sun, 30 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="/authors/sft/index.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title>Vacuum Packed Dolly</title><link>/stories/2011/01/30/vacuum-packed-dolly/</link><pubDate>Sun, 30 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2011/01/30/vacuum-packed-dolly/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;rsquo;t know how I get roped into these things.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Spring cleaning, she called it. But there wasn&amp;rsquo;t that much cleaning involved. Instead, I was tasked with packing up her winter clothing, vacuum packing them into plastic bags, putting those plastic bags into plastic bins, and then transporting those plastic bins into her side room.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, she had the opposite job. She was retrieving a different set of bins from that same side room, unpacking clothes from plastic bags, and placing those clothes into her wardrobe and closets.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>A Gift for Him</title><link>/stories/2011/01/03/a-gift-for-him/</link><pubDate>Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2011/01/03/a-gift-for-him/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Commentary:
I&amp;rsquo;ve been starting to think the females in my stories have been, well, flat. They only exist largely to service the plot, and have few real characteristics. So, in this one, I&amp;rsquo;ve decided to see if I could figure out the personality and motivation of a female. (Expect unrealistic shit. :)&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;hr&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;ve always hated her.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She was so self-obsessed. Never had time enough for people. Always doing things that would affect later, never now.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Some Assembly Required</title><link>/stories/2010/12/24/some-assembly-required/</link><pubDate>Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2010/12/24/some-assembly-required/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;rsquo;t usually put up a Christmas tree.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I guess one of the reasons is that our place was so small. The other reason was that there were only two of us, and it seemed almost presumptuous to put up a tree when we&amp;rsquo;d only be exchanging gifts with each other.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This year was different, though. She was insistent that I get one and put it up, and wouldn&amp;rsquo;t hear otherwise.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Guessing Game</title><link>/stories/2010/12/13/guessing-game/</link><pubDate>Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2010/12/13/guessing-game/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;So, it was a new game today.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;On the bed, resting up against the pillows, were two dolls.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;One of them was #4, the result of months and months of planning and work. The culmination of my dreams and fantasies formed into a single, living doll.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The other one created by #4 herself. She never let me see her work on #20, as she called her, and now the reason was obvious.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Doll in the Corner</title><link>/stories/2010/11/26/the-doll-in-the-corner/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2010/11/26/the-doll-in-the-corner/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I awoke with a start.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I tried to focus my eyes, but there wasn&amp;rsquo;t anything to focus on. I was surrounded by bright white.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;After a moment, the surrounding luminance began to fade softly into details, as my eyes became accustomed to the brightness. I resolved out white walls, a greyish carpet, and a ceiling made of light. No obvious exits.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Figurine</title><link>/stories/2010/11/26/the-figurine/</link><pubDate>Fri, 26 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2010/11/26/the-figurine/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I have this one figurine.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;m not much of a collector, really, but this one I just had to have. Something about it just spoke to me. It was fairly normal, as far as figurines of anime characters go. A girl in a schoolgirl outfit in a fairly neutral pose, legs crossed, head tilted slightly downwards, holding a schoolbag out in front of her.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Doll in the Apartment</title><link>/stories/2010/11/09/the-doll-in-the-apartment/</link><pubDate>Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2010/11/09/the-doll-in-the-apartment/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;A good friend of mine was leaving the country, for reasons she never wanted to get in to. She said she would be gone for a year, and that during the interim I should check up on her apartment, and make sure everything was okay there.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Apparently she just wanted to disappear. She never went into why. I respected her need for privacy, and didn&amp;rsquo;t question it.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Blind Date</title><link>/stories/2010/10/04/blind-date/</link><pubDate>Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2010/10/04/blind-date/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I wasn&amp;rsquo;t much for blind dates, but I figured I had nothing to lose by trying.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I had just mentioned to this good friend of mine during an otherwise normal conversation that I was looking for someone. We&amp;rsquo;d known each other for a while, and I figured she knew enough about my specific tastes and quirks that she would be able to pick out someone I would be a good match with.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>My Perfect Little Doll</title><link>/stories/2010/10/04/my-perfect-little-doll/</link><pubDate>Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2010/10/04/my-perfect-little-doll/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I took her plastic face, carefully positioned it, and locked it into position with a soft click.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She was finished.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I&amp;rsquo;d seen her before, many times, but all those times were only in dreams and imaginings.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;But now, after months of preparation, expenses, and work, she stood before me.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;My perfect, cute, little doll.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It took a lot of time and preparation to get to this point. Her skin, her face, her clothes, all of these things had to be shipped from overseas. I took extra care to make sure they came in ordinary looking boxes with generic sounding company names listed on the invoices, so no-one would suspect what I was creating.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Doll in the Park</title><link>/stories/2010/08/24/the-doll-in-the-park/</link><pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2010/08/24/the-doll-in-the-park/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I was taking a stroll through a small public park when I spotted her.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She was sitting quietly, relaxing underneath a tall tree, and thinking to herself. From a distance, she didn&amp;rsquo;t seem to be all that unusual, except for the maid costume. A carefully detailed maid costume, probably a cosplay outfit purchased from one of those stores which sell them in bulk. There were a lot of people who bought them, but rarely wore them outdoors or outside a convention. Still, besides that one oddity, nothing else out of the ordinary. Just a girl who decided to have a nice private picnic by herself.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Doll in the Room</title><link>/stories/2010/08/06/the-doll-in-the-room/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2010/08/06/the-doll-in-the-room/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She had asked me to meet her there at five sharp.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It was coming up on six, but she didn&amp;rsquo;t seem to be around.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I looked around me, examining the room she had asked to meet in. It was a blank, bare room, no table, no tasteful accessories, just a door, a chair, and a curtained window.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Girl inside the Doll</title><link>/stories/2010/08/06/the-girl-inside-the-doll/</link><pubDate>Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2010/08/06/the-girl-inside-the-doll/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;This story is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (&lt;a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" title="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/"&gt;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&amp;ldquo;You have to see her!&amp;rdquo;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She had talked about her &amp;ldquo;creation&amp;rdquo; non stop for the last three days. I wasn&amp;rsquo;t really big into fashion, much less doll making, so I hadn&amp;rsquo;t really been paying attention. I was just practicing my smile and nod techniques whenever she talked about it.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;She was insistent I see it, though, so after several prods and pushes I finally came by to see this glorious thing she had created.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item></channel></rss>