Want some fun mixed into your diagramming inspiration? This is part two in our “Adventures of Diagramming” story, a serialized fantasy story playing out over the next few months. Be sure to read part one here.
Four tech employees, spirited away to a wondrous new world and stuck in completely new bodies, face off against their dubious patron. Now equipped with heroic abilities, this week we learn how they attempt to master the overwhelming change of scenery. As the King wrings his hands restlessly and his men behind him nervously tread water, the only sound in the room is a faint cough from one of the guards. When Gaudenz again tries to address his “guests,” Caroline steps firmly forward to meet him.
King Gaudenz raises his grizzled hands in a soothing gesture and starts to address the people who are to save his kingdom. “Please, I understand…”. Caroline stops the old man and thrusts one of her newly armored boots in an energetic step forward. Her feet hit the stony floor with a loud rumble, the sound echoing through the deserted throne room like thunder. The guards behind Gaudenz both flinch and stumble over their own cloaks, catching themselves and taking a few fearful steps back. The robes of the King bellow in the shockwave while dust rains from the masonry above, but his face retains its welcoming expression.
“Are they afraid? Of me?”, Caroline thinks to herself.
The former PMM looks down at her newly armored feet in confusion and sees small cracks forming in the floor under her boots. Her eyes widen with disbelief.
She turns her gaze back to the apparent king before her, clearly having trouble staying calm. “Why are we here? What’s this all about, explain yourself!” The King swallows hard and gathers his thoughts, but Caroline catches a spark of hope in his eyes as they dart to the cracks in the floor. “Please, allow me to show you. After all, visualization speaks louder than any words I might have for you.” Gaudenz makes a welcoming gesture and strides past the group to a large, glass balcony door, which apparently leads outside.
Caroline sighs and looks at her group, where Marcus is busy taking a closer look at Angie. “Can you handle that door up ahead, Angie? Or are you just going to sit in front of it when we open it for you?” Angie raises her face from her paws and gives the dwarf a disdainful look that quickly turns into slight amusement. Before Angie can respond, Caroline gestures for her friends to follow the king. The guards exchange doubtful glances with each other, undecided what to do, and finally follow at an appropriate distance.
The small procession follows the monarch into the midday sun warming the palace’s spacious balcony. Far above the city below, a medieval panorama opens up before the new arrivals. Gaudenz turns to his reluctant rescuers, his eyes full of sorrow as he faces away from his city. “Look at it, witness the suffering of my people”. Moved by the king’s emotions, Marcus steps forward and stares intently into the streets of the metropolis. “Well, I don’t see anything” says the dwarf, puzzled. “That’s exactly the problem” says Pauline next to him, who with her sharp elfin eyes sees everything clearly . “This city is completely empty, nothing is moving at all down there. Look at the marketplace, everywhere are stalls filled with goods, but everything is moldy or rusty. It’s a ghost town!”
The empty city’s ruler stands next to Pauline on the ornate border of the balcony, his knuckles turning white as he grips the balustrade. “My wonderful Connectalot! Something evil has descended upon my realm and carried off my subjects. One by one, they have disappeared overnight, and the few that remain have taken refuge in the chapel or are behind you in the halls of my palace. No one has ever seen anything, and everyone I sent out has met the same fate, disappeared from the face of the earth. I am at the very end of my means. That is the reason why I have sent for you, strangers. You who work together as a team like a single entity, who have internalized cooperation to the utmost order. I know about your work, you are familiar with all types of creatures! If the individual falters, the collaboration shall not fail”. Angie, who has stopped feeling her now pointed ears, looks at the king in bewilderment. “But we’re game developers! What we do is all made up, none of it is real. We don’t have a clue about fighting monsters.”
“It is what you can already do that makes you unique, the rest you will get from your new physiques”. The royal bows slightly to the newcomers. “Please, we have need of you, I promise I will not impose on you. If you reject my plea, I will send you home safely”. Pauline sees hope flicker again in the eyes of the bowed monarch. Moved by the display, she tries to answer, but Marcus jumps in first. “I think I speak for my friends when I say that we are deeply touched by your sorrow”. The now dwarf puts an armored hand on Gaudenz’s shoulder. “But this is bigger than the four of us. We are not fighting heroes, we are not the help you seek. I wish I could stand by your people, but we are not who you think we are.”
The King straightens up, his face reveals a mixture of sadness and fear. “Very well, I will keep my word, please allow me to…”,”FIRE!” exclaims Pauline looking at the horizon. “Back there, that big building is set ablaze”. Gaudenz whirls around, his face turning white. “That’s the chapel, Father App and the rest of my subjects!” “An Appfire?”, whispers Marcus as he himself watches the black smoke rising up to the sky like the hateful fist of a gargantuan monstrosity.
This week’s diagramming inspiration
The multitude of possibilities can often have a paralyzing effect. With a clear table, this paralysis can be remedied and can also be shaped creatively!
Why did Gaudenz make our PMM Caroline a fighter? And what did he think or see in the process? With a convenient table, this decision would certainly have been a lot easier for him.
Want to power-up your next meeting with a draw.io whiteboard? You can try draw.io for Confluence or Jira free for 30 days, just visit the Atlassian Marketplace to start your evaluation.
Need more inspiration? Check out these resources:
- Blog – How to Collaborate with draw.io’s Whiteboards
- Blog – Use the draw.io Board Macro in Agile and Scrum meetings
- Video – How to use whiteboards in draw.io
- draw.io Whitebaords Landing Page: https://drawio-app.com/draw-io-whiteboard/
Last Updated on August 1, 2023 by Admin