The Fractal Heart

CONTENTS

A work in progress, The Fractal Heart is a mix of sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, romance, political intrigue, satire, etc. The largest storyline, 🎲 The Great Game, deals with the conflict between the Vicinese and Fallarian empires, and has many subsidiary storylines. It also links to cosmic scenarios in ⭐️ The Soul Star and 🔮 The Baulomorph, to stories set all over the world in 💍 The Ring, 💚 The Three Graces, 🧚 Fairy Tales, &🗽The Green Lady, and to the predicaments of Matthew, a student in Vancouver, in ✏️ Letters.

Chart∙Characters∙Glossary A-F∙G-Z∙Maps∙Storylines

Main Storyline 🔻 = start of a secondary storyline

◆ under revision & future pages

Chapter One: Lines

🎲 The Great Game: By the Light of Fractals 1: The Orb (Vicino Prossimo, Purple Pulse universe): Talfar takes stock of the situation in the Kraslika cosmos∙💍 The Ring: The Actress∙Equations (Paris): Martine tells her story about ESP to Kenneth, a visiting lecturer at the Collège de France; Kenneth ponders Martine's story, unable to imagine a world with telepathy or angels∙💚 The Three Graces: Di Parma (Parma): Lucia attracts the attention of Gianluca, a curator of celestial art∙🎲 By the Light of Fractals 2: 3 Million Years (Vicino Prossimo): Talfar reviews the history of the Kraslika∙🎲🔻 On Lactar8 (planet Lactar): Qualini the librarian helps K the astronomer interpret strange images of a woman and child∙🔮 The Baulomorph: Dinner Guests from Baulis Prime∙Light∙(Vancouver): Berry wonders what the neighbours would think if they knew he was an alien∙✏️ Letters: The Collected Works of Humpty Dumpty (Vancouver): Matthew is driven by trauma to study literature∙✏️ The Homework Blues: Matthew stares at his final exam, having spent all night studying like a terrified maniac∙🎲◆ The Eggs of Cosmic Chance (The Allspace & Ovular 1): The Looking-Glass Beings emerge from empty space

Changes

🎲🔻 The Big Four 1∙2 (Kollarum, Aatari Lok universe): Farenn reminisces about meeting Qayam at the Language Conference; Tarnar gives Farenn his disquieting take on the upcoming Baulian takeover of Earth∙🧚 Fairy Tales: Beneath the Old Apple Tree (Alberta & Fallar Ultima, Black Pulse universe): Following his Fallarian nature, Antonio adopts the persona of the Devil and plots revenge against his Father∙🧚 Natural Selection∙The Grim Brothers∙Quest (Alberta): Antonio scours Heaven and Earth to find the perfect victim∙🔮 On Becoming Human (Vancouver): Berry recalls the trauma of his infraction, and confesses a soft spot for humans∙🎲 Lingua Franca 1∙2 (Kollarum): Farenn speaks at the Language Conference∙🧚 Seduction∙And Carbunkle His Eyes (Alberta): after using black Fallarian magic to entice Beatrice, Antonio snakes into her rose garden

Discoveries

⭐️ The Soul Star: Antiny the 23rd (Antigua, The Great Void): An alien from the isolated planet of Antigua travels through the Great Void and sees a blip at the edge of his screen∙💚 Pietro Parlante∙I, Claudia (Palermo): Pietro finds a rare mineral and accepts a challenge to find something even more rare; Pietro stumbles upon Claudia, who ponders a life beyond the definitions of her parents∙🎲 Zadar & Qualini∙The Swarm (Lactar): Zadar the Heretic confronts Qualini’s parents and tells her about a Fallarian Swarm∙💚 Clark Kent∙⭐️🔻 The Hidden Star (The Soul Star, Violet Hoop universe): Astronomers from distant galaxies search for the Soul Star∙🧚 Mirror, Mirror (Alberta): Antonio uses a magic Fallarian mirror to hypnotize Beatrice∙🎲 Between the Sheets (Alberta): Antonio spies on Beatrice’s sexual fantasies∙🎲 By the Light of Fractals 3: Sages & Priests (Vicino Prossimo): Talfar concludes his review of the cosmic situation

Attractions

🎲 One: The Water Damsel (Vicino Prossimo): On the first day of university, Talfar sees Thalphemera from his kitchen window∙🎲🔻 The Blue Bubble (Kollarum): Qayam the host spies a dangerous Fallarian in his bar∙🎲🔻 On Meliflorium (Pink Sea universe): The decadent X tells the conservative Y about his interest in a Fallarian Swarm∙🧚 Prester John (Alberta): Antonio enacts his evil plans, while Beatrice takes advice from Prester John, the town priest∙🎲 The Lady with the White Fangs (Kollarum): Dactalla exerts her Fallarian charms on Qayam the host∙🧚 On Becoming Alien (Alberta): Prester John’s theology resembles science fiction∙✏️ My Own Personal Rheinmaiden∙Constellations (Vancouver): A desperate Matthew enlists the help of water spirits, Norse gods, rheinmaidens, & Sylvia; Matthew confronts his desire for Sylvia 3:08∙🎲 Two: Golden Letters (Vicino Prossimo): Talfar and Talphemera discuss the infinitesimal∙✏️ J. Alfred (Vancouver): Matthew watches as Old Rex and Juniper go at it∙🧚 The Mothership (Outer Space): Prester John finds himself in a Heaven of sorts∙🎲 Spectra & Sentience (Kollarum): Qayam and Dactalla are immune to what’s around them, but not to each other

Schemes

⭐️🔻 Fra Sole (The Nexus): Fra Sole dices Earth into shape∙🧚🔻 The Blue Dreamers∙Black Diamond Arts (Alberta & Yunnan): Ragor the Clerk’s home world, Premium Blue, sends him to spy on the humans; Ragor spies on Antonio, who yearns for an heir∙✏️ J. Alfred & the Great White (Vancouver): Matthew recalls watching Old Rex wrestle with Moby Dick∙🧚 The Little Merman (Alberta): Baldric makes his first epic sea journey∙✏️ Ulysses, Son of Laërtes (Vancouver): Old Rex tries to land Moby Dick∙🧚 The Brave Little Tailor (Alberta): little Baldric outwits his parents∙🎲 The Tarry Dot (Aatari Doom): Qayam finds himself in a planetary death cult centred on the planet of Tarry Dot∙🎲 Poetry in the Deep (The Great Void): Antiny sees a tiny blue dot from deep within the Great Void∙🎲 Escape from Aatari Doom (Aatari Doom & Ataari Prime): Qayam and Esther makes their way to Ataari Prime∙🎲 The Best Laid Plans (Fallar Discordia): Knifestream’s little experiment is over∙🔮🔻 The Ascendancy of Baulis Prime (Baulis Prime, Orange Hoop universe): The Baulians rise from the Pink Well to create an Empire

Out of Country

🧚 Maria de Tondo∙The Narrow Road to the Deep North (The Philippines): Ragor meets Maria and travels around the islands∙💍 The Enigma∙The Academic (Paris): Ken and everyone else finds Martine impossible to understand; Ken waits for Martine and curses Antoine∙🧚 Across the Street∙🎲 Three: At the Caffè ∙◆ Four: Auberge Espagnole (Vicino Prossimo): Talfar and Talphemera meet Farenn, who adapts to life on Vicino Prossimo∙🧚 Alicia∙Alicia del Espejo∙Spin the Bottle (Alberta): Baldric talks to the girl of his dreams∙⭐️ The Flight of the Chronus (the Great Void): Antiny the 23rd makes contact with the Wizard of a Looking-Glass ship∙💚 The English Garden (Palermo): Claudia attends the lectures of a visiting scholar; Pietro squares off with Claudia’s Superman

Masters of Chance

🧚 Dreamer: Baldric follows Alice into his own subaquatic Wonderland∙💍 Probabilities: Kenneth thinks about probability while still waiting for Martine∙✏️ Hammerfest (Vancouver): Matthew ponders the magic of Black Metal∙🎲 In the Contabri Bar (Kollarum): Qayam and Dactalla get to know each other∙🎲 Venus & the Fly (Kollarum): Venoozia gets the attention of Horsefly∙🎲 A Tale of Two Worlds (Kollarum & Skrakta): Horsefly and Venoozoa tell their tales∙🔮◆ Fractal Masters & Fractal Mystics (Baulopolis): Rablanar considers a frightening possibility∙🧚 The Tyrian Corridor∙At the Pangolin Gardens (Alberta & Yunnan): Baldric lies in a Chinese dormitory, thinking about his recent travels; Baldric gets heartburn at a restaurant and hallucinations in a cafe∙🎲◆ The Nature of the Game (Diopolis, Black Pulse universe): Players compete in a cosmic game∙💚 Di Firenze (Florence): Lucia suffers from a rare condition∙🧚 The Bright Hills of Yunnan (China): Baldric encounters aliens and a hill-tribe girl∙🎲 The Chancemasters of Die (Diopolis): The head croupier eyes a famous player∙⭐️ And Yet (The Soul Star): Algotodo tries to make up for the loss of the love of his life

Tales

🧚 The Ancient Mariner∙Claudine de Montréal∙Yunnan Gold & the Madeleine∙All the Tea in China (Alberta & Yunnan): Gavan wonders what his neighbour Ragor is up to; Ragor waylays Baldric with memories and prophecies; Baldric meets a pretty girl from Québec and travels downward in time, just as Ragor said he would∙🔮 The Stories They Told Themselves (Vancouver): Berry puzzles over the human addiction to stories∙🎲◆ The Librarian’s Tale (Kollarum): Qualini tells her story while Qayam falls further for Dactalla∙💚 On the Rebound (Rome): Claudia realizes Clark Kent isn’t who she thought he was∙🧚◆ The Waitresses of Chengdu (Sichuan): Baldric travels to Chengdu and has culinary visions∙⭐️ Antiny & the Wizard Ship of Albinon (The Great Void): The Wizard travels to the last known location of LGB 822 & Antiny makes first contact ✏️ The Völva: Matthew journeys into the misty realms of Norse myth∙💚 Infraction 101 (Rome & Outer Space): Clark Kent reveals his true nature∙🎲◆ Bar Songs (Kollarum): Qayam hosts Qualini, Zadar, X, Y, Talfar, Galdrimera, and Dactalla

Girls Who

🎲 Spirals (Kollarum): From deep cover, Dactalla communicates with a Demon Priest∙🗽 The Green Lady: The Political Climate (New York): Curtus Rufius monitors the political scene from New York 💍 Lestatique (Paris & Tokyo): Ken mocks Antoine’s cartoon universe∙🎲 The Finest Ear-Muffs Money Can Buy (Fallar Discordia & Aatari Lok): Knifestream, Dactalla, and Farenn of Caldemar swap data∙🔮 At Sea (Vancouver & Vicino Lontano, Purple Pulse universe): Berry pities humans and their belief systems∙🧚🔻◆ The Belle of Bel-Aire∙⭐️ The Book of Fractals (The Soul Star)∙🎲 Dance of the Seven Veils∙Five & Six∙The Seventh Veil (Fallar Discordia): Knifestream recalls his first encounter with Dactalla, who reminds him of his mother∙✏️ Back to Black (Vancouver): Juniper re-arranges the brain of Old Rex, and Matthew laments the death of the epic∙ Lindisfarne (Vancouver): Matthew breaks the news about the Greeks to Old Rex∙🎲 Two Friends (Kollarum): Farenn meets with Dactalla and Qayam∙✏️ The Girl Who (Vancouver): Juniper gives a presentation on feminism and Lord Byron∙🎲 White Light on Fractal (Vicino Prossimo): Talfar ponders his next move∙🧚◆ The Valley of Paradise∙🎲 The Great Assembly (Kollarum): Aliens debate the fate of the cosmos

Other Girls Who Do Too

🗽🔻 Jason (Florida & NYC): Remy and Françoise take their kids on a trip to Disney World∙💚 Roma I∙Roma II: Sandra reflects on the allure of difference and recalls a previous attraction∙🔮 Still Waters (Vancouver): Berry contrasts human and Baulian views of outer space∙🗽Fax Americana: Curtus Rufius editorializes on history and American power∙🎲 Farenn (Kollarum): Farenn assures the Assembly they can count on the Fallarians∙✏️ Times New Roman (Rome): Matthew contemplates the future of writing while on a Roman holiday∙🗽Medea (Florida & NYC): Françoise feels ambivalent about her family∙💍 Madame Dupont: Madame Dupont, an elderly French widow, returns to the Collège de France∙✏️ The Monkey King (Vancouver): Matthew threatens to globalize the Epic∙🧚◆ 25 Russian Dolls∙🗽The Elkbalam (Washington, D.C.): Molotova plots the fall of the new regime∙✏️ 1825 (Vancouver): Matthew introduces Odysseus to Hrothgar∙🗽Proust in the Morning: Curtus fantasizes about billable hours and his secretary Phyllis∙✏️ Drive Our Ships to New Lands (Vancouver): Matthew gets a job as a conductor on the doomsday train∙🗽Molotova the Whip (Washington, D.C.): Molotova keeps the Revolutionary factions in line

In the General Direction of Doom

🎲 Talfar (Kollarum): Talfar addresses the Assembly∙🧚 Güsfreude (Alberta): Güsfreude gives advice & confronts her destiny∙🔮 Virus (Vancouver): Berry reviews the case for not exterminating humans∙🗽Twilight of the Idols (NYC): Curtus is scandalized by parody∙✏️◆As Loki Steers Us (Vancouver): Matthew sets off from scorched Earth on a westward journey∙💍 All Shook Up (Paris & Tokyo): Kenneth botches a lecture at the Collège de France & Akiko encounters the Devil∙✏️ Transcanada: A Dream of Combustion (Vancouver): Mathew, Sylvia, & Loki go on a road trip∙🧚◆ Bien Fou∙🗽The Storm Troopers Return (NYC): Conflict brews in the Big Apple∙🔮 Alien Extraction (Vancouver): Berry feels conflicted about the value of humanity∙💚 Di Roma (Rome): Lucia and her boyfriend stroll into the Pantheon∙✏️ Total Collapse (Victoria, B.C.): Earth gets visitors∙🗽 The Luxorium (NYC): Curtus climaxes at an opportune moment∙💚◆ The Anunnaki (Rome & Vicino Concordia): Lucia and Sandra find themselves far from home∙✏️ An Elusive Metaphor (Victoria): Matthew tries to grasp the moment

Earth 2.7

✏️ Screen Time (Vancouver): Matthew realizes he didn’t have a poetic death after all∙💚◆ In the Field of Flowers (Rome): Lucia and Sandra take stock of their situation∙💍 Les Mouches (Paris): Kenneth and Madame Dupont find themselves on the banks of the Seine∙💚 In the Seventh House: Lucia, Sandra, & Claudia meet again∙✏️ Dear Matthew (Vancouver): Matthew receives information about his new life∙💍 At First Sight (Paris): Madame Dupont walks to Notre-Dame∙💍 First Contact (Paris): Madame Dupont meets the new master race∙🔮 In the New Beginning (Vancouver): Berry starts to live a double life∙🔮 En Route to the Old Cafe (Vancouver): Berry contemplates his next move∙✏️ The French Maid (Vancouver): Matthew meets Baulixia, a French maid∙🗽Rablanar & the OC (NYC): Rablanar worries about the hidden powers of Occasional Cortez∙💍 La Vie en Orange (Paris): Martine decides it’s time to let Kenneth know what’s going on∙✏️ Au Bord de la Seine (Paris & Vancouver): Paris gets a makeover, and Matthew decides to write a story∙💍◆ The Soul Star (The Soul Star): Madame Dupont goes to a novel reunion; from The Book of Fractals∙⭐️◆ Algoritmo (The Soul Star)∙✏️ The Baulomorphs Get It On (Vancouver): Matthew gets scriptor interruptus and goes to an alien sex party 🗽◆ From the Battery (New York): Remy meets Francine for lunch

New Lines of Control

🔮 Rule 2.7 (Baulis Prime) The Baulian High Council passes Rule 2.7, allowing Earth to continue in its violent and chaotic ways ∙⭐️ The Crazy Diamond (Vicino Lontano & the Soul Star): While intergalactic cosmographers speculate on the nature of the Soul Star, its nature is described in The Book of Fractals∙🎲◆ The Condensation of Demon Saints (Fallar Discordia): Farenn gives counsel to the Demon Saints of the Black Horde∙◆ 🎲 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Alive (Fallar Ultima): Farenn gives confusing counsel to the Black Horde∙🧚◆ The Ties That Bind∙The Bind That Flies (Alberta & the Soul Star): Güsfreude determines to help Beatrice; Antonio scours the skies for a glimpse of the Soul Star∙🎲◆ In the Ephemera Café (Vicino Concordia & Fallar Discordia): Talfar sips claret in the Hanging Gardens and visits an old friend∙🧚◆ The Monster in the Manor (Alberta): Antonio lounges from his temple to his living room, where he awaits Güsfreude∙🎲◆ The Golden Hill (Vicino Concordia): Thalphemera, a Magnet Dreamer, tells the Bright Council about her travels

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Table of Contents - Chart of Contents - Characters - Glossary - Maps - Story Lines