CINXE.COM

<!doctype html> <html xmlns:og="http://opengraphprotocol.org/schema/" xmlns:fb="http://www.facebook.com/2008/fbml" lang="en-US" class="touch-styles"> <head> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge,chrome=1"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">  <base href=""> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <title>NORTH OF REALITY — NORTH OF REALITY</title> <meta http-equiv="Accept-CH" content="Sec-CH-UA-Platform-Version, Sec-CH-UA-Model" /><link rel="icon" type="image/x-icon" href="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/1464238315374-CIFSFW7GJH0PU5LGYDB1/favicon.ico?format=100w"/> <link rel="canonical" href="http://www.northofreality.com/tales/2016/7/21/north-of-reality"/> <meta name="google-site-verification" content="9ggCzOnPh5ma4aWKt34K5fI4fOt61b_1ZQ2ZiQ86kis" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content=" NORTH OF REALITY"/> <meta property="og:title" content="NORTH OF REALITY — NORTH OF REALITY"/> <meta property="og:latitude" content="40.7207559"/> <meta property="og:longitude" content="-74.00076130000002"/> <meta property="og:locality" content=""/> <meta property="og:url" content="http://www.northofreality.com/tales/2016/7/21/north-of-reality"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:description" content="The captain’s wrist bore a living tattoo of a compass rose; as the icy waves tossed her vessel about, its ink contorted so that its longest petal would always point north. Its pigment conspired with the iron in her blood to reveal the world’s magnetic winds. It hadn’t yet proven useful on this journ"/> <meta property="og:image" content="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/t/574680f6859fd08a23a00606/1464238327943/North+Logo.png?format=1500w"/> <meta property="og:image:width" content="1280"/> <meta property="og:image:height" content="1280"/> <meta itemprop="name" content="NORTH OF REALITY — NORTH OF REALITY"/> <meta itemprop="url" content="http://www.northofreality.com/tales/2016/7/21/north-of-reality"/> <meta itemprop="description" content="The captain’s wrist bore a living tattoo of a compass rose; as the icy waves tossed her vessel about, its ink contorted so that its longest petal would always point north. Its pigment conspired with the iron in her blood to reveal the world’s magnetic winds. It hadn’t yet proven useful on this journ"/> <meta itemprop="thumbnailUrl" content="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/t/574680f6859fd08a23a00606/1464238327943/North+Logo.png?format=1500w"/> <link rel="image_src" href="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/t/574680f6859fd08a23a00606/1464238327943/North+Logo.png?format=1500w" /> <meta itemprop="image" content="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/t/574680f6859fd08a23a00606/1464238327943/North+Logo.png?format=1500w"/> <meta itemprop="author" content="UEL ARAMCHEK"/> <meta itemprop="datePublished" content="2016-07-21T00:15:20-0500"/> <meta itemprop="dateModified" content="2016-07-21T00:24:07-0500"/> <meta itemprop="headline" content="NORTH OF REALITY"/> <meta itemprop="publisher" content=" NORTH OF REALITY"/> <meta name="twitter:title" content="NORTH OF REALITY — NORTH OF REALITY"/> <meta name="twitter:image" content="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/t/574680f6859fd08a23a00606/1464238327943/North+Logo.png?format=1500w"/> <meta name="twitter:url" content="http://www.northofreality.com/tales/2016/7/21/north-of-reality"/> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"/> <meta name="twitter:description" content="The captain’s wrist bore a living tattoo of a compass rose; as the icy waves tossed her vessel about, its ink contorted so that its longest petal would always point north. Its pigment conspired with the iron in her blood to reveal the world’s magnetic winds. It hadn’t yet proven useful on this journ"/> <meta name="description" content="The captain’s wrist bore a living tattoo of a compass rose; as the icy waves tossed her vessel about, its ink contorted so that its longest petal would always point north. Its pigment conspired with the iron in her blood to reveal the world’s magnetic winds. It hadn’t yet proven useful on this journey, as the tramontana had been making itself obvious for weeks, yet she knew that it would soon become a necessity." /> <link rel="preconnect" href="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com"> <script type="text/javascript" src="//use.typekit.net/ik/s4yQqmbyVUfBf9FmM5POk2uURPZlu9TujRIlvKm6yHSfeGG2fFHN4UJLFRbh52jhWD9uFQyKwRB8ZQsKw26hZ2ZcFQ6XFR93Zg7bMPG0iAmCOABkjAuR-emnO1FUiABkZWF3jAF8OcFzdPUCdhFydeyzSabCdcNkieyzZ148jAUTiYq0jhNlOYm8dfuyScBljhy8-koDSWmyScmDSeBRZPoRdhXCiaiaOcozS1sGdhZkZABC-WsoOcFzdPUaiaS0iAmCOABkjAuR-emnO1FUiABkZWF3jAF8OcFzdPJwSY4zpe8ljPu0daZyJ6Tl-AoTdhtlSY4zH6qJ73IbMg6gJMJ7fbRKHyMMeMw6MKG4fHvgIMMjgfMfH6GJCwbgIMMjgPMfH6qJnbIbMg6eJMJ7fbKOMsMMeMS6MKG4fHqgIMMjffMfH6qJCMIbMg65JMJ7fbK4MsMMeMq6MKG4fJ3gIMMjIPMfH6qJGQ9bMs6IJMJ7fbKLFsMgeM96MKG4fHJuIMIjgKMfH6qJ129bMs6YJMJ7fbKpFsMgeMt6MKG4f4XuIMIjIPMfqMY27Odsgb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript">try{Typekit.load();}catch(e){}</script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Lato:wght@400&family=Playfair+Display:ital,wght@0,400;0,700;0,900;1,400;1,700"> <script type="text/javascript" crossorigin="anonymous" nomodule="nomodule" src="//assets.squarespace.com/@sqs/polyfiller/1.6/legacy.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" crossorigin="anonymous" src="//assets.squarespace.com/@sqs/polyfiller/1.6/modern.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript">SQUARESPACE_ROLLUPS = {};</script> <script>(function(rollups, name) { if (!rollups[name]) { rollups[name] = {}; } rollups[name].js = ["//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/extract-css-runtime-069e2954daea8a620b50-min.en-US.js"]; })(SQUARESPACE_ROLLUPS, 'squarespace-extract_css_runtime');</script> <script crossorigin="anonymous" src="//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/extract-css-runtime-069e2954daea8a620b50-min.en-US.js" ></script><script>(function(rollups, name) { if (!rollups[name]) { rollups[name] = {}; } rollups[name].js = ["//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/extract-css-moment-js-vendor-6c569122bfa66a51a056-min.en-US.js"]; })(SQUARESPACE_ROLLUPS, 'squarespace-extract_css_moment_js_vendor');</script> <script crossorigin="anonymous" src="//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/extract-css-moment-js-vendor-6c569122bfa66a51a056-min.en-US.js" ></script><script>(function(rollups, name) { if (!rollups[name]) { rollups[name] = {}; } rollups[name].js = ["//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/cldr-resource-pack-32136deb9638cc6130b2-min.en-US.js"]; })(SQUARESPACE_ROLLUPS, 'squarespace-cldr_resource_pack');</script> <script crossorigin="anonymous" src="//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/cldr-resource-pack-32136deb9638cc6130b2-min.en-US.js" ></script><script>(function(rollups, name) { if (!rollups[name]) { rollups[name] = {}; } rollups[name].js = ["//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/common-vendors-stable-61293f01d648eef165fc-min.en-US.js"]; })(SQUARESPACE_ROLLUPS, 'squarespace-common_vendors_stable');</script> <script crossorigin="anonymous" src="//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/common-vendors-stable-61293f01d648eef165fc-min.en-US.js" ></script><script>(function(rollups, name) { if (!rollups[name]) { rollups[name] = {}; } rollups[name].js = ["//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/common-vendors-be0091dc488b10891ed6-min.en-US.js"]; })(SQUARESPACE_ROLLUPS, 'squarespace-common_vendors');</script> <script crossorigin="anonymous" src="//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/common-vendors-be0091dc488b10891ed6-min.en-US.js" ></script><script>(function(rollups, name) { if (!rollups[name]) { rollups[name] = {}; } rollups[name].js = ["//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/common-2d1a2dc371a8de03ebe4-min.en-US.js"]; })(SQUARESPACE_ROLLUPS, 'squarespace-common');</script> <script crossorigin="anonymous" src="//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/common-2d1a2dc371a8de03ebe4-min.en-US.js" ></script><script>(function(rollups, name) { if (!rollups[name]) { rollups[name] = {}; } rollups[name].js = ["//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/performance-d9f618c1beaea97b6499-min.en-US.js"]; })(SQUARESPACE_ROLLUPS, 'squarespace-performance');</script> <script crossorigin="anonymous" src="//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/performance-d9f618c1beaea97b6499-min.en-US.js" defer ></script><script data-name="static-context">Static = window.Static || {}; Static.SQUARESPACE_CONTEXT = {"betaFeatureFlags":["campaigns_thumbnail_layout","pages_panel_v3_search_bar","toggle_preview_new_shortcut","campaigns_new_image_layout_picker","is_feature_gate_refresh_enabled","hide_header_footer_beta","i18n_beta_website_locales","marketing_landing_page","visitor_react_forms","nested_categories_migration_enabled","fluid_engine_clean_up_grid_contextual_change","blueprint_content_replacement","enable_css_variable_tweaks","campaigns_black_friday_banners","commerce_clearpay","order_status_page_checkout_landing_enabled","unify_edit_mode_p2","hideable_header_footer_for_courses","hideable_header_footer","campaigns_discount_section_in_blasts","accounting_orders_sync","campaigns_import_discounts","fluid_engine","commerce_site_visitor_metrics","campaigns_discount_section_in_automations","hideable_header_footer_for_memberareas","hideable_header_footer_for_videos","contacts_and_campaigns_redesign","campaigns_global_uc_ab","gdpr_cookie_banner","scripts_defer"],"videoAssetsFeatureFlags":["mux-data-video-collection","mux-data-course-collection"],"facebookAppId":"314192535267336","facebookApiVersion":"v6.0","rollups":{"squarespace-announcement-bar":{"js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/announcement-bar-abc247145d9c909b7ca1-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-audio-player":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/audio-player-ef238f99d44a3bdc6fbe-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/audio-player-7b2d6f5ce8ae62cf892f-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-blog-collection-list":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/blog-collection-list-8ec841cacfb75d4282f4-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/blog-collection-list-44fda292525bdeb0ee8a-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-calendar-block-renderer":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/calendar-block-renderer-b15e2d46a617c8add4b4-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/calendar-block-renderer-ba9e797b1c6edb9a3bac-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-chartjs-helpers":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/chartjs-helpers-9e75b5d75bb5cb4c1f67-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/chartjs-helpers-6f4b03f58cff68354645-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-comments":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/comments-a0d9356d7c1596ab2c53-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/comments-80a567d7afca7ea1dbfe-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-custom-css-popup":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/custom-css-popup-d6e0f953c836d9289b10-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/custom-css-popup-2e8bb2097a78eeeb6383-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-dialog":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/dialog-2dcac307baebe70727dc-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/dialog-dbb8daeadaf90e62b274-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-events-collection":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/events-collection-b15e2d46a617c8add4b4-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/events-collection-297bf44c7cd0c7f15d78-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-form-rendering-utils":{"js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/form-rendering-utils-a92219a77cf6d4679390-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-forms":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/forms-b952cddb94c5d471b8d3-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/forms-49fd9d5237aa589917dd-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-gallery-collection-list":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/gallery-collection-list-8ec841cacfb75d4282f4-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/gallery-collection-list-dabc951e1bbbe8467525-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-image-zoom":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/image-zoom-8ec841cacfb75d4282f4-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/image-zoom-485cb3cf26fda8199e47-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-pinterest":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/pinterest-8ec841cacfb75d4282f4-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/pinterest-7ad9f70c56d9c6b0ae65-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-popup-overlay":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/popup-overlay-e89b4cc96c222ed66c64-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/popup-overlay-ece7db5c4bfceb54a50a-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-product-quick-view":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/product-quick-view-2f87c3dcb76ca485179d-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/product-quick-view-3c6b64e906196e37ee93-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-products-collection-item-v2":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/products-collection-item-v2-8ec841cacfb75d4282f4-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/products-collection-item-v2-1ed64b36a5caefb0bf3d-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-products-collection-list-v2":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/products-collection-list-v2-8ec841cacfb75d4282f4-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/products-collection-list-v2-91090125416a47e4fecb-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-search-page":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/search-page-917382e71b023cec7555-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/search-page-9f4098985bf13af25db5-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-search-preview":{"js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/search-preview-4e7434a694d83d8766a0-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-simple-liking":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/simple-liking-4279cc7bb78333b8db43-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/simple-liking-f5b368f59d68ab9f9480-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-social-buttons":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/social-buttons-3a7d186e7e5e3b30911b-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/social-buttons-b71ef5af6c65212fb342-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-tourdates":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/tourdates-8ec841cacfb75d4282f4-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/tourdates-22e5cff21f07efe64af0-min.en-US.js"},"squarespace-website-overlays-manager":{"css":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/styles-compressed/website-overlays-manager-efd3c12d460f58781eb3-min.en-US.css","js":"//assets.squarespace.com/universal/scripts-compressed/website-overlays-manager-db7ec709521a62f0b755-min.en-US.js"}},"pageType":50,"website":{"id":"5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d","identifier":"uel-aramchek","websiteType":1,"contentModifiedOn":1618385332536,"cloneable":false,"hasBeenCloneable":false,"siteStatus":{},"language":"en-US","timeZone":"America/Chicago","machineTimeZoneOffset":-21600000,"timeZoneOffset":-21600000,"timeZoneAbbr":"CST","siteTitle":" NORTH OF REALITY","fullSiteTitle":"NORTH OF REALITY \u2014 NORTH OF REALITY","siteTagLine":"An explorable fiction space written by Uel Aramchek.","siteDescription":"<p>Short works of speculative fiction written daily by author Uel Aramchek. Stories featured here often fit in the classification of flash fiction and microfiction.</p>","logoImageId":"577b4fc3ebbd1a47dbf17a61","socialLogoImageId":"574680f6859fd08a23a00606","shareButtonOptions":{"3":true,"8":true,"1":true,"4":true,"2":true,"7":true,"6":true},"logoImageUrl":"//images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/1467699139344-HY8ZPS511MI5XS8JYYEA/North+Logo.png","socialLogoImageUrl":"//images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/1464238326056-IJ76RW0016AK27FR3H21/North+Logo.png","authenticUrl":"http://www.northofreality.com","internalUrl":"http://uel-aramchek.squarespace.com","baseUrl":"http://www.northofreality.com","primaryDomain":"www.northofreality.com","socialAccounts":[{"serviceId":4,"userId":"1013634234","userName":"ThePatanoiac","screenname":"Uel Aramchek","addedOn":1448167711620,"profileUrl":"https://twitter.com/ThePatanoiac","iconUrl":"http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/651225031024898048/dhcTAqXs_normal.png","collectionId":"5651491fe4b02fdfadb41ecc","iconEnabled":true,"serviceName":"twitter"},{"serviceId":20,"userId":"uelaramchek@gmail.com","screenname":"uelaramchek@gmail.com","addedOn":1432959624863,"profileUrl":"mailto:uelaramchek@gmail.com","iconEnabled":true,"serviceName":"email"}],"typekitId":"","statsMigrated":false,"imageMetadataProcessingEnabled":false,"screenshotId":"b36b1cfb","showOwnerLogin":false},"websiteSettings":{"id":"5558b21ee4b086d6f584650f","websiteId":"5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d","type":"Personal","subjects":[],"country":"US","state":"CA","simpleLikingEnabled":false,"mobileInfoBarSettings":{"style":1,"isContactEmailEnabled":false,"isContactPhoneNumberEnabled":false,"isLocationEnabled":false,"isBusinessHoursEnabled":false},"announcementBarSettings":{"style":1,"text":"<p>The deadline to sign up for Cryptofiction #9 is October 1st. Click here to learn how to have secret fiction signed and delivered to your door.</p>","clickthroughUrl":{"url":"http://northofreality.com/secrets","newWindow":false}},"popupOverlaySettings":{"style":1,"enabledPages":[]},"commentLikesAllowed":true,"commentAnonAllowed":true,"commentThreaded":true,"commentApprovalRequired":false,"commentAvatarsOn":true,"commentSortType":2,"commentFlagThreshold":0,"commentFlagsAllowed":true,"commentEnableByDefault":true,"commentDisableAfterDaysDefault":0,"disqusShortname":"","commentsEnabled":true,"contactPhoneNumber":"","storeSettings":{"returnPolicy":null,"termsOfService":null,"privacyPolicy":null,"expressCheckout":false,"continueShoppingLinkUrl":"/","useLightCart":false,"showNoteField":false,"shippingCountryDefaultValue":"US","billToShippingDefaultValue":false,"showShippingPhoneNumber":true,"isShippingPhoneRequired":false,"showBillingPhoneNumber":true,"isBillingPhoneRequired":false,"currenciesSupported":["USD","CAD","GBP","AUD","EUR","CHF"],"defaultCurrency":"USD","selectedCurrency":"USD","measurementStandard":1,"orderConfirmationInjectCode":"","showCustomCheckoutForm":false,"checkoutPageMarketingOptInEnabled":false,"enableMailingListOptInByDefault":true,"sameAsRetailLocation":false,"merchandisingSettings":{"scarcityEnabledOnProductItems":false,"scarcityEnabledOnProductBlocks":false,"scarcityMessageType":"DEFAULT_SCARCITY_MESSAGE","scarcityThreshold":10,"multipleQuantityAllowedForServices":true,"restockNotificationsEnabled":false,"restockNotificationsSuccessText":"","restockNotificationsMailingListSignUpEnabled":false,"relatedProductsEnabled":false,"relatedProductsOrdering":"random","soldOutVariantsDropdownDisabled":false,"productComposerOptedIn":false,"productComposerABTestOptedOut":false,"productReviewsEnabled":false,"displayImportedProductReviewsEnabled":false,"hasOptedToCollectNativeReviews":false},"minimumOrderSubtotalEnabled":false,"isLive":false,"multipleQuantityAllowedForServices":true},"useEscapeKeyToLogin":false,"ssBadgeType":1,"ssBadgePosition":4,"ssBadgeVisibility":1,"ssBadgeDevices":1,"pinterestOverlayOptions":{"mode":"disabled"},"ampEnabled":false,"userAccountsSettings":{"loginAllowed":false,"signupAllowed":false}},"cookieSettings":{"isCookieBannerEnabled":false,"isRestrictiveCookiePolicyEnabled":false,"cookieBannerText":"","cookieBannerTheme":"","cookieBannerVariant":"","cookieBannerPosition":"","cookieBannerCtaVariant":"","cookieBannerCtaText":"","cookieBannerAcceptType":"OPT_IN","cookieBannerOptOutCtaText":"","cookieBannerHasOptOut":false,"cookieBannerHasManageCookies":true,"cookieBannerManageCookiesLabel":"","cookieBannerSavedPreferencesText":"","cookieBannerSavedPreferencesLayout":"PILL"},"websiteCloneable":false,"collection":{"title":"Tales","id":"5558bbe7e4b0607a0baeecd4","fullUrl":"/tales","type":1,"permissionType":1},"item":{"title":"NORTH OF REALITY","id":"57905939d482e96f971763dc","fullUrl":"/tales/2016/7/21/north-of-reality","publicCommentCount":1,"commentState":1,"recordType":1},"subscribed":false,"appDomain":"squarespace.com","templateTweakable":true,"tweakJSON":{"aspect-ratio":"Auto","gallery-arrow-style":"Circular","gallery-aspect-ratio":"16:9 Widescreen","gallery-auto-crop":"true","gallery-autoplay":"false","gallery-design":"Slideshow","gallery-info-overlay":"Always Show","gallery-loop":"false","gallery-navigation":"Thumbnails","gallery-show-arrows":"true","gallery-transitions":"Fade","galleryArrowBackground":"rgba(255,255,255,0.7)","galleryArrowColor":"rgba(102,102,102,1)","galleryAutoplaySpeed":"3","galleryCircleColor":"rgba(255,255,255,0.8)","galleryInfoBackground":"rgba(255,255,255,0.7)","galleryThumbnailSize":"100px","gridSize":"350px","gridSpacing":"20px","maxNumberColumns":"1","minColumnWidth":"230","tweak-blog-list-grid-alignment":"Masonry","tweak-blog-list-grid-narrow-columns":"false","tweak-blog-list-max-width":"Wide","tweak-crop-images":"None","tweak-infinite-scroll":"true","tweak-product-item-image-zoom-factor":"2.5","tweak-product-list-item-hover-behavior":"Fade","tweak-product-list-items-per-row":"3","tweak-related-products-items-per-row":"3","tweak-related-products-title-spacing":"50px","tweak-show-progress-indicator":"false","tweak-user-account-link-position":"With Nav"},"templateId":"54d3906fe4b04c1c9981b00e","templateVersion":"7","pageFeatures":[1,2,4],"gmRenderKey":"QUl6YVN5Q0JUUk9xNkx1dkZfSUUxcjQ2LVQ0QWVUU1YtMGQ3bXk4","templateScriptsRootUrl":"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/ta/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/4947/scripts/","impersonatedSession":false,"tzData":{"zones":[[-360,"US","C%sT",null]],"rules":{"US":[[1967,2006,null,"Oct","lastSun","2:00","0","S"],[1987,2006,null,"Apr","Sun>=1","2:00","1:00","D"],[2007,"max",null,"Mar","Sun>=8","2:00","1:00","D"],[2007,"max",null,"Nov","Sun>=1","2:00","0","S"]]}},"showAnnouncementBar":false,"recaptchaEnterpriseContext":{"recaptchaEnterpriseSiteKey":"6LdDFQwjAAAAAPigEvvPgEVbb7QBm-TkVJdDTlAv"},"i18nContext":{"timeZoneData":{"id":"America/Chicago","name":"Central Time"}},"env":"PRODUCTION"};</script><script>Squarespace.load(window);</script> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS Feed" href="http://www.northofreality.com/tales?format=rss" /> <script type="application/ld+json">{"url":"http://www.northofreality.com","name":" NORTH OF REALITY","description":"<p>Short works of speculative fiction written daily by author Uel Aramchek. Stories featured here often fit in the classification of flash fiction and microfiction.</p>","image":"//images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/1467699139344-HY8ZPS511MI5XS8JYYEA/North+Logo.png","@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"WebSite"}</script><script type="application/ld+json">{"name":"NORTH OF REALITY \u2014 NORTH OF REALITY","url":"http://www.northofreality.com/tales/2016/7/21/north-of-reality","datePublished":"2016-07-21T00:15:20-0500","dateModified":"2016-07-21T00:24:07-0500","headline":"NORTH OF REALITY","author":"UEL ARAMCHEK","publisher":{"name":" NORTH OF REALITY","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/t/577b4fc3ebbd1a47dbf17a61/1618385332536/"},"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Organization"},"image":"http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/t/574680f6859fd08a23a00606/1464238327943/North+Logo.png?format=1500w","@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"Article"}</script><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/sitecss/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/211/54d3906fe4b04c1c9981b00e/57462ebb22482e16ca098ce3/4947/site.css"/><meta name="google-site-verification" content="KkqxmqcZsMnD2MuTpb3uMqdmk2r8VdIfGLn8sy78CX0" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@ThePatanoiac"> <meta name="twitter:title" content="North of Reality"> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Short works of strange fiction by Uel Aramchek."> <meta name="twitter:image" content="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/t/561f2280e4b0285569fd28e0/1444881273707/?format=100w"><style> .sqs-block-content { text-align: justify; } </style> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary"> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@ThePatanoiac"> <meta name="twitter:title" content="North of Reality"> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Short works of strange fiction by Uel Aramchek."> <meta name="twitter:image" content="http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/t/561f2280e4b0285569fd28e0/1444881273707/?format=100w"><script>Static.COOKIE_BANNER_CAPABLE = true;</script>  <script> (function(){ var touchTest = 'ontouchstart' in window || navigator.msMaxTouchPoints; if (!touchTest) { document.documentElement.className = document.documentElement.className.replace(/touch\-styles/g, ''); } })();</script> </head> <body id="item-57905939d482e96f971763dc" class="tweak-header-background-color-on tweak-main-blocks-full-bleed tweak-underline-body-links tweak-ui-icon-weight-light tweak-navigation-link-spacing-small tweak-hide-right-nav-column tweak-site-branding-borders-none tweak-site-branding-layout-inline tweak-show-search-in-header tweak-show-social-in-header tweak-user-account-link-position-with-nav tweak-quote-block-alignment-center tweak-blog-list-grid-alignment-masonry tweak-blog-list-max-width-wide tweak-crop-images-none tweak-show-excerpt-on-blog-list tweak-infinite-scroll tweak-blog-text-alignment-left tweak-blog-promoted-meta-none tweak-blog-date-style-above-title tweak-blog-item-banner-image-width-normal tweak-show-blog-item-author-profile-hide tweak-template-social-icon-style-regular event-show-past-events event-thumbnails event-thumbnail-size-11-square event-date-label event-date-label-time event-list-show-cats event-list-date event-list-time event-list-address event-list-icalgcal-links event-list-like-and-share-buttons event-icalgcal-links event-like-and-share-buttons event-excerpts event-list-cta-button event-item-back-link gallery-design-slideshow aspect-ratio-auto lightbox-style-dark gallery-navigation-thumbnails gallery-info-overlay-always-show gallery-aspect-ratio-169-widescreen gallery-arrow-style-circular gallery-transitions-fade gallery-show-arrows gallery-auto-crop tweak-product-list-image-aspect-ratio-11-square tweak-product-list-item-hover-behavior-fade tweak-product-list-meta-position-under tweak-product-list-mobile-meta-position-under tweak-product-list-meta-alignment-under-center tweak-product-list-meta-alignment-overlay-center-center tweak-product-list-show-title tweak-product-list-show-price tweak-product-list-filter-display-left-side tweak-product-list-filter-alignment-left tweak-product-item-nav-show-breadcrumb-and-pagination tweak-product-item-nav-pagination-style-previousnext tweak-product-item-nav-breadcrumb-alignment-left tweak-product-item-nav-pagination-alignment-split tweak-product-item-gallery-position-right tweak-product-item-gallery-design-stacked tweak-product-item-gallery-aspect-ratio-11-square tweak-product-item-gallery-thumbnail-alignment-left tweak-product-item-details-alignment-left tweak-product-item-details-show-title tweak-product-item-details-show-price tweak-product-item-details-show-excerpt tweak-product-item-details-excerpt-position-below-add-to-cart-button tweak-product-item-details-show-share-buttons tweak-product-item-details-show-variants tweak-product-item-details-show-quantity tweak-product-item-details-options-style-rounded tweak-product-item-details-show-add-to-cart-button tweak-product-item-details-add-to-cart-button-style-solid tweak-product-item-details-add-to-cart-button-shape-rounded tweak-product-item-details-add-to-cart-button-padding-small tweak-product-item-image-zoom-enabled tweak-product-item-image-zoom-behavior-click tweak-product-item-lightbox-enabled tweak-related-products-image-aspect-ratio-11-square tweak-related-products-meta-alignment-under-center tweak-product-badge-style-circle tweak-product-badge-position-top-right tweak-product-badge-inset-floating newsletter-style-dark hide-opentable-icons opentable-style-dark small-button-style-outline small-button-shape-pill medium-button-style-outline medium-button-shape-pill large-button-style-outline large-button-shape-pill image-block-poster-text-alignment-center image-block-card-dynamic-font-sizing image-block-card-content-position-center image-block-card-text-alignment-left image-block-overlap-dynamic-font-sizing image-block-overlap-content-position-center image-block-overlap-text-alignment-left image-block-collage-dynamic-font-sizing image-block-collage-content-position-top image-block-collage-text-alignment-left image-block-stack-dynamic-font-sizing image-block-stack-text-alignment-left button-style-outline button-corner-style-pill tweak-product-quick-view-button-style-floating tweak-product-quick-view-button-position-bottom tweak-product-quick-view-lightbox-excerpt-display-truncate tweak-product-quick-view-lightbox-show-arrows tweak-product-quick-view-lightbox-show-close-button tweak-product-quick-view-lightbox-controls-weight-light tweak-share-buttons-style-icon-only tweak-share-buttons-icons-show tweak-share-buttons-counts-show tweak-share-buttons-standard-background-color native-currency-code-usd view-item collection-type-blog collection-layout-default collection-5558bbe7e4b0607a0baeecd4 mobile-style-available" data-controller="SyncHeader, AddScrollingClass, HeaderScroll, BodyMinHeight"> <div class="nav-close-overlay"> </div> <div class="nav-close-toggle-wrapper" id="navCloseToggleWrapper"> <a class="nav-toggle-close-label responsive-position--left" id="navCloseToggle" data-controller="NavToggle"> <svg class="Icon Icon--close close-icon" viewBox="0 0 18 18"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#close-icon-line"></use> </svg> </a> </div> <div id="sideTrayWrapper" class="sidetray-wrapper"> <div class="main-nav-wrapper responsive-padding--top responsive-padding--bottom" data-controller="NavOverflow"> <div class="nav-blocks-wrapper"> <nav id="mainNavigation" class="main-navigation" role="navigation" data-content-field="navigation"> <div class="nav-link--collection" id="id-55e1ff40e4b09472b9d31c92"> <a href="/history"> <span>Fiction</span> </a> </div> <div class="nav-link--collection" id="id-55e202c1e4b06620ed807bf4"> <a href="/secrets"> <span>Secrets</span> </a> </div> <div class="nav-link--collection" id="id-55b3adcfe4b06441e2c63676"> <a href="/world-index"> <span>Worlds</span> </a> </div> <div class="nav-link--collection" id="id-5588da88e4b0a99e30661510"> <a href="/twitter"> <span>Twitter Fiction</span> </a> </div> <div class="nav-link--collection" id="id-57e6a4b2893fc04435823292"> <a href="/about"> <span>About</span> </a> </div> <div class="nav-link--collection" id="id-5755140920c6478394a7d457"> <a href="/find"> <span>Search</span> </a> </div> </nav> <div class="sqs-layout sqs-grid-1 columns-1" data-layout-label="Nav Blocks" data-type="block-field" data-updated-on="1467822553432" id="navBlocks"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-1 span-1"><div class="sqs-block newsletter-block sqs-block-newsletter" data-block-type="51" id="block-yui_3_17_2_12_1467698230895_19887"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="newsletter-form-wrapper newsletter-form-wrapper--layoutFloat newsletter-form-wrapper--alignCenter " > <form class="newsletter-form" data-form-id="577b52f31b631b9be11a2eef" autocomplete="on" method="POST" novalidate onsubmit="return (function (form) { Y.use('squarespace-form-submit', 'node', function usingFormSubmit(Y) { (new Y.Squarespace.FormSubmit(form)).submit({ formId: '577b52f31b631b9be11a2eef', collectionId: '', objectName: 'navBlocks' }); }); return false; })(this);"> <header class="newsletter-form-header"> <h2 class="newsletter-form-header-title">Mailing List</h2> <div class="newsletter-form-header-description"></div> </header> <div class="newsletter-form-body"> <div class="newsletter-form-fields-wrapper form-fields" style="vertical-align: middle;"> <div id="email-yui_3_17_2_12_1467698230895_19894" class="newsletter-form-field-wrapper form-item field email required" style="vertical-align: bottom;"> <label class="newsletter-form-field-label title" for="email-yui_3_17_2_12_1467698230895_19894-field">Email Address</label> <input id="email-yui_3_17_2_12_1467698230895_19894-field" class="newsletter-form-field-element field-element" name="email" x-autocompletetype="email" autocomplete="email" type="email" spellcheck="false" placeholder="Email Address" /> </div> </div> <div data-animation-role="button" class="newsletter-form-button-wrapper submit-wrapper" style="vertical-align: middle;"> <button class=" newsletter-form-button sqs-system-button sqs-editable-button-layout sqs-editable-button-style sqs-editable-button-shape sqs-button-element--primary " type="submit" value="Subscribe" > <span class="newsletter-form-spinner sqs-spin light large"></span> <span class="newsletter-form-button-label">Subscribe</span> <span class="newsletter-form-button-icon"></span> </button> </div> <div class="captcha-container sqs-form-rendered " data-theme="" ></div> </div> <div class="newsletter-form-footnote"></div> <div class="hidden form-submission-text"><p>Thank you for reading! You can unsubscribe at any time.</p></div> <div class="hidden form-submission-html" data-submission-html=""></div> </form> </div> </div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div class="sidetray-blocks responsive-padding--top responsive-padding--bottom" data-controller="SidetrayBlocksOverflow"> <div class="sidetray-blocks-wrapper"> <div class="sqs-layout sqs-grid-1 columns-1 empty" data-layout-label="Sidetray Blocks" data-type="block-field" data-updated-on="1467778027877" id="sideTrayBlocks"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-1 span-1"></div></div></div> </div> </div> </div> <form class="header-search-form" id="headerSearch" action="/search" method="get"> <input class="header-search-form-input" name="q" placeholder="Search" type="text" spellcheck="false" value="" autocomplete="off"> </form> <div class="mobile-social"> <nav class="sqs-template-social-icons sqs-svg-icon--list" data-content-field="connected-accounts"> <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePatanoiac" target="_blank" class="sqs-svg-icon--wrapper twitter"> <div> <svg class="sqs-svg-icon--social" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use class="sqs-use--icon" xlink:href="#twitter-icon"></use> <use class="sqs-use--mask" xlink:href="#twitter-mask"></use> </svg> </div> </a> <a href="mailto:uelaramchek@gmail.com" target="_blank" class="sqs-svg-icon--wrapper email"> <div> <svg class="sqs-svg-icon--social" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use class="sqs-use--icon" xlink:href="#email-icon"></use> <use class="sqs-use--mask" xlink:href="#email-mask"></use> </svg> </div> </a> </nav> </div> <div id="site" class="site-container clearfix"> <div class="sqs-announcement-bar-dropzone header-announcement-wrapper responsive-padding--left responsive-padding--right" id="headerAnnouncementWrapper"> <header id="header" class="site-header loading" role="banner"> <a class="nav-toggle-label flex-item" id="navToggle" data-controller="NavToggle"> <svg class="Icon Icon--hamburger nav-toggle-label-icon" viewBox="0 0 26 18"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#hamburger-icon--even"></use> </svg> </a> <div class="logo-wrapper flex-item"> <div class="logo-image branding" data-content-field="site-title"> <a href="/"><img src="//images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5558b21ee4b086d6f584650d/1467699139344-HY8ZPS511MI5XS8JYYEA/North+Logo.png?format=1500w" alt=" NORTH OF REALITY" /></a> <div class="site-tagline-logo">An explorable fiction space written by Uel Aramchek.</div> </div> </div> <nav class="header-special-social--shown-on-collapse sqs-template-social-icons sqs-svg-icon--list"> <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePatanoiac" target="_blank" class="sqs-svg-icon--wrapper twitter"> <div> <svg class="sqs-svg-icon--social" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use class="sqs-use--icon" xlink:href="#twitter-icon"></use> <use class="sqs-use--mask" xlink:href="#twitter-mask"></use> </svg> </div> </a> <a href="mailto:uelaramchek@gmail.com" target="_blank" class="sqs-svg-icon--wrapper email"> <div> <svg class="sqs-svg-icon--social" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use class="sqs-use--icon" xlink:href="#email-icon"></use> <use class="sqs-use--mask" xlink:href="#email-mask"></use> </svg> </div> </a> </nav> <div class="header-special flex-item"> <div class="social-search-wrapper"> <div class="social-ellipsis" id="socialEllipsis" data-controller="SocialToggle"> <svg class="ellipsis-icon" viewBox="0 0 100 24"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#ellipsis-icon"></use> </svg> <svg class="social-close-icon Icon Icon--close" viewBox="0 0 18 18"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#close-icon-line"></use> </svg> </div><nav class="header-special-social sqs-template-social-icons sqs-svg-icon--list" data-content-field="connected-accounts"> <a href="https://twitter.com/ThePatanoiac" target="_blank" class="sqs-svg-icon--wrapper twitter"> <div> <svg class="sqs-svg-icon--social" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use class="sqs-use--icon" xlink:href="#twitter-icon"></use> <use class="sqs-use--mask" xlink:href="#twitter-mask"></use> </svg> </div> </a> <a href="mailto:uelaramchek@gmail.com" target="_blank" class="sqs-svg-icon--wrapper email"> <div> <svg class="sqs-svg-icon--social" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use class="sqs-use--icon" xlink:href="#email-icon"></use> <use class="sqs-use--mask" xlink:href="#email-mask"></use> </svg> </div> </a> </nav><a href="/search" rel="search" class="header-search" data-controller="SearchToggle"> <svg class="Icon Icon--search search-icon" viewBox="0 0 20 20" shape-rendering="geometricPrecision"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#search-icon"></use> </svg> <svg class="Icon Icon--close search-close-icon" viewBox="0 0 18 18"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#close-icon-line"></use> </svg> </a> </div> </div> </header> </div> <main id="page" class="site-page loading responsive-padding--left responsive-padding--right site-page--blog-item" role="main" data-content-field="main-content" data-controller="FadeInContent"> <div class="blog-wrapper" data-content-field="main-content" data-item-id="57905939d482e96f971763dc"> <div class="blog-item-title blog-item-title--top"> <time class="dt-published date-callout" datetime="2016-07-21" pubdate> <div class="date-wrapper"> <span class="month">Jul </span><span class="day">21</span> </div> </time> <h2 class="entry-title entry-title--large p-name" data-content-field="title"><time class="dt-published date-highlight" datetime="2016-07-21" pubdate>Jul 21 </time>NORTH OF REALITY</h2> <div class="meta-wrapper"> <div class="blog-meta-item blog-meta-author"><a href="/tales?author=5558b21ce4b0c104f8293482" class="blog-author-name">UEL ARAMCHEK</a> </div> </div> </div> <div class="main-content blog-view-item clearfix"> <input id="show-comments" type="checkbox" /> <article id="article-57905939d482e96f971763dc" class="entry--item h-entry clearfix hentry tag-july-2016 tag-hyperborea tag-further-north author-uel-aramchek post-type-text"> <div class="blog-item-content-wrapper" data-controller="BlogProgressBar"> <div class="pie-wrapper" id="pieWrapper"> <div class="pie pie--left" id="pieLeft"></div> <div class="pie pie--right hide" id="pieRight"></div> <div class="mask mask--right hide" id="pieMask"></div> <div class="mask mask--left" id="maskLeft"></div> </div> <div class="blog-item-content e-content"><div class="sqs-layout sqs-grid-12 columns-12" data-layout-label="Post Body" data-type="item" data-updated-on="1469078120669" id="item-57905939d482e96f971763dc"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-12 span-12"><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-83d106ccd2c00bd195d8"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p>The captain’s wrist bore a living tattoo of a compass rose; as the icy waves tossed her vessel about, its ink contorted so that its longest petal would always point north. Its pigment conspired with the iron in her blood to reveal the world’s magnetic winds. It hadn’t yet proven useful on this journey, as the <em>tramontana</em> had been making itself obvious for weeks, yet she knew that it would soon become a necessity.</p><p>She was searching for a land further north than North itself: the kingdom of Hyperborea. Those who sought its cities of gold and glass told tale that no compass could be trusted to lead the way; in the deep north, beyond the guidance of the stars, its needle would lie so as to bind humanity the world below. So long as she served as her own compass, however, no such deceit could take place.</p><p>She sailed past Greenland, past Svalbard, past Nova Zembla, following the secret north inscribed into her flesh. She docked briefly in Thule, as she had always wanted to visit someplace that didn’t exist, and spent the last of her money on supplies. Then, she continued sailing northward, past monoliths of ice and violet snow, until her ship could take her no further.</p><p>The north wind continued to oppose her as she set out across the glacial expanse that remained. She could feel tension in her wrist, as the ink had come to a disagreement with her blood, and no longer wished to serve her will. Even so, her conviction held it steady, for she only had one desire left. She knew that if she found nothing, there would be no food or water for a return journey. Even if there were, she doubted that her frostbitten body could carry her that far a second time.</p><p>As she at last arrived at the world’s northernmost pole, she found that every angle of her tattoo was labeled with an “N.” A ninth had emerged, leading north of the planet itself, rising from her skin and pointing upwards into the starless sky. North was everywhere; it opposed itself in all directions, and collided with itself at right angles. It ensnared the world and escaped from it in equal measure. </p><p>She fell to her knees, and thought about giving in to the cold. Her plan had failed. There was, perhaps, no True North, and no Hyperborea to be found beyond. North had no meaning in this place; it could not survive its own absolution. It was nothing more than a contradiction born of cartography's assumptions.</p><p>Then, she thought about her blood, and felt a spark of hope. She remembered what it was that had brought her this far. Then she closed her eyes, and followed the compass inward.</p> </div> </div></div><div class="sqs-block horizontalrule-block sqs-block-horizontalrule" data-block-type="47" id="block-yui_3_17_2_5_1469077752624_7063"><div class="sqs-block-content"><hr /></div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-yui_3_17_2_5_1469077752624_7144"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p><em>There's more than one path to <a href="http://www.northofreality.com/tales/2015/7/5/the-curtain-of-myth">Hyperborea</a>, though all are equally treacherous.</em></p><p><em>Inward paths can lead out of any <a href="http://www.northofreality.com/tales/2015/11/4/the-minotaurs-meditations">labyrinth</a>, as well as any <a href="http://www.northofreality.com/tales/2016/7/1/a-coyotes-meager-enlightenment">desert</a>.</em></p><p><em>The <a href="http://www.northofreality.com/tales/2016/5/18/the-mirror-whale">mirror whale</a> is commonly spotted in the waters surrounding Thule.</em></p><p><em>This is the 200th entry in North of Reality. Thank you for reading.</em></p> </div> </div></div><div class="sqs-block horizontalrule-block sqs-block-horizontalrule" data-block-type="47" id="block-yui_3_17_2_5_1469077752624_7932"><div class="sqs-block-content"><hr /></div></div></div></div></div></div> <footer class="blog-item-footer"> <div class="footer-meta"> <div class="blog-meta-item blog-meta-author"><a href="/tales?author=5558b21ce4b0c104f8293482" class="blog-author-name">UEL ARAMCHEK</a></div> <div class="blog-item-tags"> <a href="/tales/tag/july+2016" class="blog-item-tag blog-item-tag--july-2016" rel="tag">july 2016</a><span class="blog-meta-delimiter">, </span><a href="/tales/tag/hyperborea" class="blog-item-tag blog-item-tag--hyperborea" rel="tag">hyperborea</a><span class="blog-meta-delimiter">, </span><a href="/tales/tag/further+north" class="blog-item-tag blog-item-tag--further-north" rel="tag">further north</a> </div> </div> <div class="blog-item-actions blog-item-actions--footer"> <div class="blog-item-actions-wrapper"> <div class="Share sqs-share-buttons" data-item-identifier="57905939d482e96f971763dc" data-item-path="tales/2016/7/21/north-of-reality"> <div class="Share-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.northofreality.com%2Ftales%2F2016%2F7%2F21%2Fnorth-of-reality" class="Share-buttons-item Share-buttons-item--social" target="_blank" data-service="facebook"> <svg class="Share-buttons-item-icon" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use xlink:href="/universal/svg/social-accounts.svg#facebook-icon"></use> </svg><span class="Share-buttons-item-label">Facebook</span><span class="Share-buttons-item-count">0</span> </a><a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.northofreality.com%2Ftales%2F2016%2F7%2F21%2Fnorth-of-reality&text=The+captain%E2%80%99s+wrist+bore+a+living+tattoo+of+a+compass+rose%3B+as+the+icy+waves+tossed+her+vessel+about%2C+its+..." class="Share-buttons-item Share-buttons-item--social" target="_blank" data-service="twitter"> <svg class="Share-buttons-item-icon" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use xlink:href="/universal/svg/social-accounts.svg#twitter-icon"></use> </svg><span class="Share-buttons-item-label">Twitter</span> </a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&source=+NORTH+OF+REALITY&summary=The+captain%E2%80%99s+wrist+bore+a+living+tattoo+of+a+compass+rose%3B+as+the+icy+waves+tossed+her+vessel+about%2C+its+...&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.northofreality.com%2Ftales%2F2016%2F7%2F21%2Fnorth-of-reality" class="Share-buttons-item Share-buttons-item--social" target="_blank" data-service="linkedin"> <svg class="Share-buttons-item-icon" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use xlink:href="/universal/svg/social-accounts.svg#linkedin-icon"></use> </svg><span class="Share-buttons-item-label">LinkedIn</span><span class="Share-buttons-item-count">0</span> </a><a href="https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.northofreality.com%2Ftales%2F2016%2F7%2F21%2Fnorth-of-reality" class="Share-buttons-item Share-buttons-item--social" target="_blank" data-service="reddit"> <svg class="Share-buttons-item-icon" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use xlink:href="/universal/svg/social-accounts.svg#reddit-icon"></use> </svg><span class="Share-buttons-item-label">Reddit</span> </a><a href="https://www.tumblr.com/share/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.northofreality.com%2Ftales%2F2016%2F7%2F21%2Fnorth-of-reality" class="Share-buttons-item Share-buttons-item--social" target="_blank" data-service="tumblr"> <svg class="Share-buttons-item-icon" viewBox="0 0 64 64"> <use xlink:href="/universal/svg/social-accounts.svg#tumblr-icon"></use> </svg><span class="Share-buttons-item-label">Tumblr</span> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="blog-item-author-profile blog-item-author-profile--footer responsive-margin--top"> <a href="/tales?author=5558b21ce4b0c104f8293482" class="author-avatar content-fill" data-controller="SimpleImageLoad" data-tweaks="tweak-show-blog-item-author-profile"> <img class="author-avatar-image" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v2/namespaces/memberAccountAvatars/libraries/5558b21ce4b0c104f8293482/c1ca040ede51450583ae709b5ee0ddee/c1ca040ede51450583ae709b5ee0ddee.jpeg?format=300w" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v2/namespaces/memberAccountAvatars/libraries/5558b21ce4b0c104f8293482/c1ca040ede51450583ae709b5ee0ddee/c1ca040ede51450583ae709b5ee0ddee.jpeg?format=300w" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" data-load="false"> </a> <div class="author-name"><a href="/tales?author=5558b21ce4b0c104f8293482">UEL ARAMCHEK</a></div> </div> </footer> <section class="blog-item-comments"> <div class="blog-item-comments-toggle-wrapper"> <label for="show-comments" title="Show/Hide Comments" class="blog-item-comments-toggle"> Show 1 comment </label> <div id="blogItemCommentsContent" class="blog-item-comments-content"> <div id="comments-57905939d482e96f971763dc" class="p-comment"> <div class="squarespace-comments" id="comments-57905939d482e96f971763dc" data-item-id="57905939d482e96f971763dc" data-public-comment-count="1" data-comment-state="1"></div> </div> </div> </div> </section> </div> <aside id="blogItemSidebar" class="blog-item-sidebar"> <div class="blog-item-author-profile blog-item-author-profile--sidebar"> <a href="/tales?author=5558b21ce4b0c104f8293482" class="author-avatar content-fill" data-controller="SimpleImageLoad" data-tweaks="tweak-show-blog-item-author-profile"> <img class="author-avatar-image" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v2/namespaces/memberAccountAvatars/libraries/5558b21ce4b0c104f8293482/c1ca040ede51450583ae709b5ee0ddee/c1ca040ede51450583ae709b5ee0ddee.jpeg?format=300w" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v2/namespaces/memberAccountAvatars/libraries/5558b21ce4b0c104f8293482/c1ca040ede51450583ae709b5ee0ddee/c1ca040ede51450583ae709b5ee0ddee.jpeg?format=300w" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" data-load="false"> </a> <div class="author-name"><a href="/tales?author=5558b21ce4b0c104f8293482">UEL ARAMCHEK</a></div> </div> <div class="sqs-layout sqs-grid-12 columns-12" data-layout-label="Blog Item Sidebar" data-type="block-field" data-updated-on="1426103623593" id="blogItemSidebarContent"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-12 span-12"><div class="sqs-block image-block sqs-block-image" data-block-type="5" id="block-4e0626ba3570c82c5e78"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class=" image-block-outer-wrapper layout-caption-below design-layout-inline " data-test="image-block-inline-outer-wrapper" > <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:1100px;" > <div class="image-block-wrapper" data-animation-role="image" data-animation-override > <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element has-aspect-ratio " style=" position: relative; padding-bottom:77.54545593261719%; overflow: hidden;-webkit-mask-image: -webkit-radial-gradient(white, black); " > <img data-stretch="false" data-src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/1426103598991-L89U2R6M40HKHXTRY6PF/image-asset.jpeg" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/1426103598991-L89U2R6M40HKHXTRY6PF/image-asset.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="1100x853" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/1426103598991-L89U2R6M40HKHXTRY6PF/image-asset.jpeg" width="1100" height="853" alt="" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" style="display:block;object-fit: cover; width: 100%; height: 100%; object-position: 0% 0%" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/1426103598991-L89U2R6M40HKHXTRY6PF/image-asset.jpeg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/1426103598991-L89U2R6M40HKHXTRY6PF/image-asset.jpeg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/1426103598991-L89U2R6M40HKHXTRY6PF/image-asset.jpeg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/1426103598991-L89U2R6M40HKHXTRY6PF/image-asset.jpeg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/1426103598991-L89U2R6M40HKHXTRY6PF/image-asset.jpeg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/1426103598991-L89U2R6M40HKHXTRY6PF/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/1426103598991-L89U2R6M40HKHXTRY6PF/image-asset.jpeg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs"> </div> </div> </figure> </div> </div></div><div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-4553b55c289ac0113879"><div class="sqs-block-content"> <div class="sqs-html-content"> <p>Cras mattis consectetur purus sit amet fermentum. Integer posuere erat a ante venenatis dapibus posuere velit aliquet. Aenean eu leo quam. Pellentesque ornare sem lacinia quam venenatis vestibulum.</p> </div> </div></div></div></div></div> </aside> </article> </div> <section class="blog-item-pagination"> <a href="/tales/2016/7/22/strange-loops" class="blog-item-pagination-link blog-item-pagination-link--prev"> <div class="blog-item-label"> <svg class="prev-icon" viewBox="0 0 50 100"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#thick-arrow-left-icon"></use> </svg> </div> <span class="pagination-title-wrapper"> <h2 class="blog-item-pagination-title"><time class="dt-published date-pagination" datetime="2016-07-22" pubdate>Jul 22 </time>STRANGE LOOPS</h2> </span> </a><a href="/tales/2016/7/19/the-styx-process" class="blog-item-pagination-link blog-item-pagination-link--next"> <div class="blog-item-label"> <svg class="next-icon" viewBox="0 0 50 100"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#thick-arrow-right-icon"></use> </svg> </div> <span class="pagination-title-wrapper"> <h2 class="blog-item-pagination-title"><time class="dt-published date-pagination" datetime="2016-07-19" pubdate>Jul 19 </time>THE STYX PROCESS</h2> </span> </a> </section> </div> </main> <footer id="footer" class="site-footer responsive-margin--top responsive-padding--left responsive-padding--right responsive-padding--top responsive-padding--bottom" role="contentinfo"> <div class="sqs-layout sqs-grid-12 columns-12 empty" data-layout-label="Footer Content" data-type="block-field" data-updated-on="1469510034356" id="footerBlocks"><div class="row sqs-row"><div class="col sqs-col-12 span-12"></div></div></div> <div id="footerNavWrapper" class="nav-wrapper footer-nav"> </div> </footer> </div> <div id="mobileBar" class="mobile-bar" data-controller="MobileOffset"> <a class="nav-toggle-label nav-toggle-label--mobile flex-item" id="navToggleMobile" data-controller="NavToggle"> <svg class="Icon Icon--hamburger nav-toggle-label-icon" viewBox="0 0 26 18"> <use class="use--odd" xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#hamburger-icon--odd"></use> <use class="use--even" xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#hamburger-icon--even"></use> </svg> </a><div class="social-ellipsis social-ellipsis--mobile flex-item" id="socialEllipsisMobile" data-controller="SocialToggle"> <svg class="ellipsis-icon" viewBox="0 0 25 6"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#ellipsis-icon"></use> </svg> <svg class="Icon Icon--close social-close-icon" viewBox="0 0 18 18"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#close-icon-line"></use> </svg> </div><div class="search-cart--mobile flex-item"> <a href="/search" rel="search" class="header-search header-search--mobile" data-controller="SearchToggle"> <svg class="Icon Icon--search search-icon" viewBox="0 0 20 20"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#search-icon"></use> </svg> <svg class="Icon Icon--close search-close-icon" viewBox="0 0 18 18"> <use xlink:href="/assets/ui-icons.svg#close-icon-line"></use> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <script src="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/ta/54d39057e4b01a0da310c80f/4947/scripts/site-bundle.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-63437903-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <script async src="//genius.codes"></script><script data-sqs-type="imageloader-bootstrapper">if(window.ImageLoader) window.ImageLoader.bootstrap({}, document);</script><script>Squarespace.afterBodyLoad(Y);</script><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1" style="display:none" data-usage="social-icons-svg"><symbol id="twitter-icon" viewBox="0 0 64 64"><path d="M48,22.1c-1.2,0.5-2.4,0.9-3.8,1c1.4-0.8,2.4-2.1,2.9-3.6c-1.3,0.8-2.7,1.3-4.2,1.6 C41.7,19.8,40,19,38.2,19c-3.6,0-6.6,2.9-6.6,6.6c0,0.5,0.1,1,0.2,1.5c-5.5-0.3-10.3-2.9-13.5-6.9c-0.6,1-0.9,2.1-0.9,3.3 c0,2.3,1.2,4.3,2.9,5.5c-1.1,0-2.1-0.3-3-0.8c0,0,0,0.1,0,0.1c0,3.2,2.3,5.8,5.3,6.4c-0.6,0.1-1.1,0.2-1.7,0.2c-0.4,0-0.8,0-1.2-0.1 c0.8,2.6,3.3,4.5,6.1,4.6c-2.2,1.8-5.1,2.8-8.2,2.8c-0.5,0-1.1,0-1.6-0.1c2.9,1.9,6.4,2.9,10.1,2.9c12.1,0,18.7-10,18.7-18.7 c0-0.3,0-0.6,0-0.8C46,24.5,47.1,23.4,48,22.1z"/></symbol><symbol id="twitter-mask" viewBox="0 0 64 64"><path d="M0,0v64h64V0H0z M44.7,25.5c0,0.3,0,0.6,0,0.8C44.7,35,38.1,45,26.1,45c-3.7,0-7.2-1.1-10.1-2.9 c0.5,0.1,1,0.1,1.6,0.1c3.1,0,5.9-1,8.2-2.8c-2.9-0.1-5.3-2-6.1-4.6c0.4,0.1,0.8,0.1,1.2,0.1c0.6,0,1.2-0.1,1.7-0.2 c-3-0.6-5.3-3.3-5.3-6.4c0,0,0-0.1,0-0.1c0.9,0.5,1.9,0.8,3,0.8c-1.8-1.2-2.9-3.2-2.9-5.5c0-1.2,0.3-2.3,0.9-3.3 c3.2,4,8.1,6.6,13.5,6.9c-0.1-0.5-0.2-1-0.2-1.5c0-3.6,2.9-6.6,6.6-6.6c1.9,0,3.6,0.8,4.8,2.1c1.5-0.3,2.9-0.8,4.2-1.6 c-0.5,1.5-1.5,2.8-2.9,3.6c1.3-0.2,2.6-0.5,3.8-1C47.1,23.4,46,24.5,44.7,25.5z"/></symbol><symbol id="email-icon" viewBox="0 0 64 64"><path d="M17,22v20h30V22H17z M41.1,25L32,32.1L22.9,25H41.1z M20,39V26.6l12,9.3l12-9.3V39H20z"/></symbol><symbol id="email-mask" viewBox="0 0 64 64"><path d="M41.1,25H22.9l9.1,7.1L41.1,25z M44,26.6l-12,9.3l-12-9.3V39h24V26.6z M0,0v64h64V0H0z M47,42H17V22h30V42z"/></symbol></svg> </body> </html>