Welcome to the Arid Zone - it's been a long, strange trip.

Okay before I post any storylines I might do, why don't I introduce you to the cast?




Everyone on this list is real. The names have been changed to protect the innocent and give the author some way to plead insanity when they come in force to hang 'em...


MAIN CAST

Cal - 29 year old slacker. In and out of jobs, a lot, consideres himself a writer/musician. Actually does have talent if he just applied himself. Major gamer on anything that you can put games into. Doesn’t realize his self worth many times. Is a Christian

Rob – Don’t call him Robert! His name is Rob. A few years younger then Cal (27), they’ve been friends since they were teenagers. Because of this there is often a weird sort of short hand they use, confounding many around him to what was actually said. His life is a bit more stable then Cal’s. He works on the A/V Side of a local college, inflicting damage where it needs to be and fixing what he has to. He is a Christian and currently engaged to Jessie.

Ben – Ben is a newer acquisition in Cal’s life. Met through his neice, they both found out quickly there was a bond through table top RPG’s, Video Games, and random Violence. He’s a bit older then Cal, but no one could tell by looking at him.. or hanging out with him for any length of time… He’s married (10 yrs) has three kids. Christian.

Doug – Cal’s Older, yet some how less mature, brother. He has been used by Cal many a time to fix a car he’d have to take in to an actual shop and pay money. He wants the best for Cal, although he doesn’t know how to show it at all times. Married 10 yrs, he decided to get a divorce. Cal decided to help him through it by helping Doug with his 3 kids. . . 3 years later Doug met a girl off the internet and decided to get married.
He’s currently in Kingman enjoying the fruits of that relationship. He and his new wife are Christians. (Let’s call her Mae)

Ronald – Former marine married to a Filipina wife. Although a Christian, his violent ways some times get in the way of his good intentions. He spent time in the marines and uses these skills to his advantage. A good artist, he spends most of this free time perfecting his 3ds ‘skillz’. Has four kids from 1 ½ years to 12 years.

SOMEWHAT MAIN CAST

Jessie – Rob’s fiancé. After vowing not to marry anyone, Rob became enamored with a woman a bit younger then he is. (By about 10 years.) She is a quiet girl, shy, but with a ferocious desire to read. Fiercely loyal, she will come out of her shell long enough to de-skin anyone that attacks her husband to be. She is a Christian and likes to read.

Charlie – The little seen friend of Ben’s. Like the infamous Big Foot, he is rarely seen but often talked about. One time call did catch a glimpse and came away with the impression of a wookiee crossed with a hell’s angel. Christian

Missy – Ben’s wife. Pleasant and agreeable, one raely sees her in a bad mood. However we know she has a high tolerance for everything. (She did marry Ben…) known to have a good right hook, it is also rumored that she can hit a fly with a pistol from 200 paces. A Texas native, she and Ben met in his abortive attempt at college. Ben and Missy have three kids: Justin, Jonah, and Carrie. Christian

Reginald – Next door neighbor to Rob and Cal, he thinks he is more intelligent then he actually is. They stay friends with him for no apparent reason that they know of and are often at odds with him. He uses education and sarcasm to hide the frighten little boy he actually is. Having a bone disease doesn’t help; he often wishes he were back in Oregon where he grew up. He doesn’t like much of anything, Rob and Cal wonder why they hangs around with him. Complains about everything

PEOPLE AT BEN’S WORK

“Him” - The boss. Often maligned, no one really knows his real name. He raely comes out of his office, and when the inside is seen, it is usually filled with both a foreboding Darkness and the mystical lights of “bejeweled.”

Patti - The Hispanic Secretary. Her main motivation is he work is harassing Richard. Sarcastic and bitter, it is thought she keeps her job mainly through threats and black mail.

Richard – Over thirty and unsure of his place in the universe, he is both childlike and trolllike at the same time. Jelous and perverted, he uses porn and video games as an blind for his problems. Often at odds with Ben and the rest of his office, he never less thinks his Job is secure. . .

Jamie – Pronounced “HIGH me” he is a young latino lad in search for the truth. He thinks he’s found it, but unfortunately only goes by what his family has tought. Funny and sarcastic, he has a lot going for him. About to get married to a fellow gamer, who happens to be female.

Julie – A gamer from way back, she uses her education to mask her insecurities. She isn’t the biggest fan of the more masculine gender and has often been seen at odds with them. In an ironic fashion she resembles them more then the fairer sex. . .


Cal’s Online Friends

Kero – Online friend for over five years. He’s seen her go from teen to an (somewhat) adult. She is currently in college for graphic design. She is six feet tall, red headed, with a firey temper to match. Very emotional she is often referred to as an Elf.

She is also the queen of the fictional land of her and Cal’s design called Minority. (There are only two people in it you see…)

Desert Dawn – Romance writer. Been on Cal’s list for as long as Kero. Once a native of the same state as Cal, she is now on the east cost. She says she has a husband, but Cal isn’t sure. Often wonders if the ‘husband’ is a figment of her oft romantic imagination.
She has 2 kids, both boys. Christian


That's pretty much it for right now. I'll add and remove people at random (heh.) Also I do have a full cast, but not all will be used at all time. The story will focus on those mostly in the main cast...although you never know what will happen...
Thursday I'll post some of my first story ideas... really... I promise ;-)