Today is both my Friday at work and the penultimate day of Blaugust. I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t grab at least one writing prompt just for fun, and since tomorrow I’m doing my wrapup post looks like I’m doing one today!

[Bonus thing: Two of my backer rewards for Sunless Sea were a physical map…and a geographic feature named after me. Hence, Darkgryphon Straits.]

1. I joined the Army after high school and my original shipdate for Basic Training was September 11, yes that one.

I never really planned on going into the military while I was in high school. Both my parents were in the Navy, I have other family members who were in the military, my brother was in Civil Air Patrol…but none of that ever seemed right for me. Plus I was only moderately physical, I’ve always had trouble breathing when I run no matter how many techniques I try.

Soon after I graduated high school (I was 17 at the time), I met a young woman who had just recently finished her training and was helping the local recruiter. I don’t even remember how or where I met her, but I was sort of fascinated seeing a woman of about my own age who had completed training. She was in the National Guard (they go through the same Basic/AIT as regular Army, with the same standards) and I started thinking about how amazing it would be to have a chance to really help people during natural disasters. Continue Reading