Category Archives: Stories

Calliope’s Reach … pathfinder

Mediation, Musings, Stories, , , ,

Teaser

Calliope’s Reach
(do magpies dream of Calliope?)

© 2026 John Healy
Draft 8-23-2026

Epigraph

Here rise to life again, dead poetry!
Let it, O holy Muses, for I am yours,
And here Calliope, strike a higher key,
Accompanying my song with that sweet air
which made the wretched Magpies feel a blow
that turned all hope of pardon to despair

– Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy (1321), trans. Anthony M. Esolen, “Purgatorio”, Canto I, lines 7 to 12.

Prologue

Ted was mindful of his family line. It was a weight which occasionally surfaced, nagged, butted into his musings.

His genetic code allowed entry into the archives, into the remembrances of some of his ancestors’ long lives, at least the ones that were literary, those who journaled to learn from their pain, to examine the dots and dashes of life. Especially trajectories left unresolved, untidy loose-ends, the indeterminate half-lives of half-cocked decisions.

And he was a child of such a decision. An offshoot of an illegitimate liaison somewhere between the Earth and the stars. He’d always felt like a black sheep. That was the vibe of the voices in his head as a child, reinforced by the indifferent care he received from place to place.

Now, while in a dark patch between jobs, he wondered whether he had a future in space, where his ancestors had gazed.

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Clara’s world – context and characters

Mediation, Musings, Poetry, Stories, , , , ,

I’m still building out Clara’s world: framing, context, characters, throughlines, homages, scientific & literary references, phrases & terms. And sketching out scenes (sort of story boarding).

Gemini chats are helpful (sort of workshopping).

Much of this background (like a story in itself) will be part of appendices.

Here’s a chat session about throughlines and characters, plus a touch of seasoning.

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Beyond A Good Place 10.0 – workshop blueprint

Musings, Stories,

[A chat with Gemini – executive summary]

Beyond The Good Place (The Architecture of 10.0)

by nobody+0

Workshop Blueprint [2.0]

I. Executive Summary: The Structural Critique of The Good Place

The Good Place achieved a rare feat in network television by utilizing the bright, high-stakes scaffolding of a sitcom to explore 2,500 years of moral philosophy. However, looking through the dual lenses of advanced storycraft and non-dualistic philosophy, the series hit a terminal narrative ceiling in its fourth season.

The Core Deficiencies identified:

  • The Erasure of Friction (The Janet Problem): By creating a cosmic concierge that eliminated all physical resistance, chores, and material scarcity, the writers inadvertently designed a system that eroded human agency. In Aristotelian terms, virtue is a habit (hexis) formed via resistance; removing friction removes the crucible of soul-formation.
  • The “Glassy-Eyed Mush” Paradox: The series correctly identified that a Western, consumerist fantasy of eternal leisure results in existential stagnation (typified by the lobotomized residents of the actual Good Place).
  • The Failure of the Exit Door: Because the writers could not conceive of an eternity that did not rot into boredom, they introduced the “Final Door” of total dissolution (the wave returning to the ocean). This represents an escape hatch—a narrative surrender—rather than an asymptotic acceleration of identity.
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Beyond A Good Place 10.0 – transcript

Musings, Poetry, Stories, , , , ,   3 comments  

A chat with Gemini on 6-8-2026 – raw transcript

The Good Place 10.0 Analysis

[Segment 1: The Initial Inquiry]

[Prompt]

I’d like to explore the American fantasy-comedy television series The Good Place, all 4 seasons, as if you are an expert (professional) in storycraft and moral philosophy, as well as versed in religious mythology, theology and history. Here’s some context.

I’m interested in key takeways from the series and how effective its storytelling (dramatization, visualization) was in conveying those takeaways, particularly as an on-ramp into complex topics; or, generally, as a tutorial for comprehending the moral mystery of life, making sense of such a “whale” one bite at a time.

Also, what questions really were not addressed (loose ends), as if left as a homework for the viewer or for further discussion.

As well as what simplifications or oversights were made in scripting the series for the sake of accessible, engaging entertainment.

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A Clear Way for LA – sweeping away homelessness

Mediation, Musings, Stories, ,   3 comments  

[Draft 5-24-2026]

A Clear Way for LA
sweeping away homelessness
by nobody+0

Act I: The Visual Fix

Marcus Vance knew how to frame a shot. It was a skill honed over a decade running a boutique Westside public relations firm before he realized that the city of Los Angeles was just a massive, poorly managed brand waiting for a reface. At forty-two, with a shock of prematurely silver hair and an uncanny ability to look intensely listening even when he was calculating his next tweet, Marcus had coasted into the mayor’s office on a wave of pure, unfiltered optimism.

His campaign slogan had been painted in bold, sans-serif font across a hundred billboards: A Clear View for LA.

To the voters in Bel-Air and Hancock Park, it meant clearing the tents. To the voters in Echo Park and Venice, it meant compassion, progress, and modern efficiency. Marcus didn’t see the contradiction. To him, politics was a design problem. The city was beautiful; its presentation was simply cluttered.

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‘to process difficulty without being consumed by it’ – EI, EQ

Mediation, Musings, Stories, , , ,   1 comment  

This article (cited below) – on emotional intelligence (EI/EQ) – advanced my understanding of why so many conversational disconnects reflect divides in breadth of vocabulary. A spectrum of emotion-rich & word-rich language. And levels of emotional intelligence.

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Beyond happy – a resonant reality requires resistance

Mediation, Musings, Stories, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,   2 comments  

Introduction

idyllic_moment.jpg

Attaining (whether by pluck or luck) a seemingly friction-free life is a seductive notion. A state essentially without complaint. Something to yearn for, strive for. Perhaps achieve via a life of effort, as a well-earned place. Or a heroic reward. A validation of righteousness.

Such is this notion portrayed in mythology and modern lore … as haven, heaven, Elysium Fields. A refuge with resistance in remission … gnawing doubts gone … sorrow set aside. A friction-free liberty.

Yet, I’ve always wondered about the dynamics of such a space. Who or what services that realm? What individual or collective agency pertains there?

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feather & fur – a 21st century fable, part 1

Mediation, Musings, Stories, , ,

[Draft 11-3-2025]

feather & fur – parting ways

a 21st century fable

Copyright © 2025 John P. Healy

(humility’s hard done by)

Claws in the night

In the murky stillness, something sharp hit his head, knocking him to the ground. Rising to his knees, claws tore into his back. He howled in pain. Then there was just chatter. A voice said, “Zach, are you okay?” His fur was wet with sweat, not blood. The dream was over.

But later Zach was not so sure …

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Owl & rabbit – a 21st century fable

Musings, Stories, , , ,

[Draft 3-21-2025 – teaser]

Owl & rabbit – a 21st century fable

(a matter of fidelity)

Part 1

For a village with little complaint, the night was sprinkled with screams. Those nights. These were not timbres of terror. These were shouts at someone, shrieks about one’s situation.

The unrest reached the nearby forest, to the ears of a particular animal, attentive to nightly things. An owl, Dr. Nolan, for whom those sounds signaled “I’m not going to take it anymore!” With an undertone of banging doors, rending of hearts. Would there be more business at his door, “Wise Wellness Therapy” …

Yet … those days … the animals were a scene of industry, of busy purpose, aspiring agency.

And in the day, another animal, a rabbit, was attentive to that scene. Rising from his deep burrow, sheltered from the nights, he only felt hints, fading dreamlike haunts, that something was amiss. And business was brisk at Dr. Larry’s “Cuddly Bunny Counseling” office.

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Fox and the ants – a 21st century fable

Musings, Stories, , ,   1 comment  

Fox & the ants

(interdependency)

It was a lean season in the valley. Even an abandoned scarecrow had been stripped of its straw, ripped to rags moving in a dry breeze. Faceless.

A solitary, scrawny fox had slowly descended into the plain. Hunger gnawed at Jasper, but also the pain of separation from his skulk in another valley. He’d been banished, called a “veggie vore” for eating mostly fruit (especially grapes) and vegetables, and for spending hours every day listening to bird chatter rather than learning to hunt.

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