Saturday, December 3, 2005

   How Otakus will rule the world.
Pokemon, Digimon, and Yu-Gi-Oh cards go first. They might as well go to good use before they die, y'know. Oh, and don't forget Sailor Moon. *insert evil laughter*
They are followed by Mechs, Gundams, and EVAs. Whiny boys in robots are the
next to be destroyed; we won't miss them when they're gone (although we might keep the mechs for decoration and entertainment).
If that isn't enough, it's time to get out the big guns. All we need to do is manage to get a couple of those schoolgirls taken hostage (be sure to include Kagome, Miaka, Rin, and Kanami, although adding Tohru Honda, Sakura, and the DNAngel girls wouldn't hurt... or maybe would, however you want to look at it). Doing this will effectively cause ultimate destruction in the form of a gigantic throng of incredibly hot, highly skilled and extremely
angry guys, often with demonic or magical powers and large weapons. This fight, stretched out over as many episodes as possible, will not only provide for the eradication of the enemy, but also for KILLER FANSERVICE!!
If, somehow, impossibly, this also fails, the next on the line would be wolves, girls who think they are wolves, witches, computer freaks, alchemists, mamodos, any remaining genetically engineered people (including cyborgs), vampires, demons, guys with big swords, and a pink-haired
alien wielding a bass guitar. Make sure not to crowd them all on one target, or they might end up conflicting with each other. *starts singing* Total
slaughter, total slaughter...*
Okay... if that STILL fails...
Sephiroth time. Hmmm... well... if the PLANET disagrees with that for
some reason and survives... I guess we have no choice...
... it's time to send in...

VASH THE STAMPEDE.


See? Otakus will win either way: death and destruction OR love and
peace!!
WE WIN!!!!!
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Wednesday, November 30, 2005

   Chapter 18: Flight to University (part 1)
The next day passed the same way, except that they could follow the river for a good deal of the journey. This was, by no means, an easier road, but it gave the kids the comfort of knowing that they were on the right path.
Around noon, Lucifer started to get very uneasy. He talked little and constantly seemed to be staring off into space while he walked faster and faster, starting almost to run until Raine pointed it out to him. They all knew what he was worried about, but it wasn’t until yet another night fell, and they made camp over the river again, that he finally spoke up.
“I’m going to keep going,” he told them all as they settled down for dinner. He had helped them gather some food since Aurora had awoken for a few minutes and he tried to get her to eat something, but it was in vain. She was simply too weak; after swallowing half a cup of water, she fell back asleep. Lucifer had chowed down some mushrooms before he picked her up again. “I can’t risk another night… we only have two days left, at the most…”
“You can’t go alone!” Tory cried, rising to her feet.
“I don’t have any choice,” Lucifer yelled, his anger starting to rise inside him again, like some kind of deadly, hidden monster. “I have to make it to University, or Aurora will die!! What are we doing, sitting around here for, just wasting time like this? She doesn’t have time!”
“We know that, Lucifer,” Raine broke in, stepping up to him. Just as Lucifer was burning with anger, Raine blazed with control, countering the black-winged angel. “But we don’t have any choice, either. You know that.”
“I have to try!”
“You cannot go alone.”
“Shut up!!” Tory screaming, cutting through their words like a knife. “Shut up, both of you!” As silence fell around her, she met Lucifer’s almost-black eyes with her own pink ones, and refused to let him look away. Tears began to drift down her face. “I don’t want Aurora to die either,” she wept quietly. “I didn’t want any of this to happen. But I won’t let you go alone into the wilderness to die, too.”
A deep, heavy silence fell at her words, holding them all under its spell. They became lost within their own thoughts; Lucifer hesitated between leaving and setting Aurora down. He simply couldn’t decide which mattered more: Aurora or his other friends?
“You don’t need to decide,” spoke Pen, coming toward them from the shadows of the forest. A slight smile played on his face, so slight that a stranger to Pen might not even have recognized it as one. But his friends knew better.
“Pen!” Tory exclaimed, clapping her hands in relief.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said. He gestured to Lucifer. “Come, and bring Aurora with you.”
“Where’re you going?” asked Tory.
“To University, of course,” the boy with the black eyes told her. “I’ll come back to you again soon, but, until then… take care of the Caravan for me, okay?” The last part of the statement was directed at Raine. The half-dragon nodded.
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Friday, November 25, 2005

   Writer's Block
>.< O.o @.@ X.X -.-

I've been fighting it for the last few days and it's PISSING ME OFF!!! *ahem* sorry about that. Hopefully it will pass soon, but if anyone has any suggestions for inspiration (aka jump-starting my brain) please let me know!!
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   Chapter 17: Pen's Herd (part 4)
Pen left Lucifer and Raine with the girls and wandered around the Caravan. He silently told all of the Letheans to awaken their children as he strode past them, heading to the far end of the camp. There, the elf-soldier with blue hair sat, watching the kids as he chewed absentmindedly on his berries. Behind him, in the shadows of the wood, stood the largest Lethean doe of the entire herd.
“Hi,” Pen said as he drew closer. “Is she faring okay?”
The elf nodded. “The Letheans seem to be surprisingly skilled with the care of our people,” he said. “It’s hard to doubt the fact that we used to be close allies in the past.”
“Are you content with the way this is turning out so far?” Pen asked, almost carefully. “I’m sorry if you find it… sketchy to be entrusting them with some of our greatest warriors.”
“No, it’s quite alright. I don’t find it sketchy at all. Just look at the way they’re taking care of the Caravan! We couldn’t have asked for anything better in the circumstances.”
There was a short moment of silence.
“May I borrow your Lethean for the day?” Pen questioned him, gazing at the creature in the shadows.
“Certainly, assuming that we will not be riding them. What for?”
“There’s an arrangement I need to make,” he answered. “I believe that she will be able to help me. Actually, I’m sure of it.”
“Are you leaving the Caravan?”
“Got to. But I’ll be back soon, of course. There’s no time to loose.” With those words, Pen trotted to the Lethean, laid a gentle hand on her chin, and together they walked off into the still-dark forest.

Only minutes later, Chella broke through the clouds over the western mountains, shining her warm rays across the trees. The Caravan gathered together everything they had left—clothes, the occasional item that was saved from the river, and the kids themselves—and prepared to leave.
Raine’s Lethean—the one with the broken horn—was the oldest of them all. She led the way into the forest, closely followed by Ed, Tari, Yatii, Tory, and their Letheans. Lucifer also walked amongst them, carrying Aurora in his arms. He refused to let anyone else do it, human or beast; he didn’t want her to leave his sight.
The Caravan did not question Raine’s lead. He and his Lethean steered the way up rocky inclines and huge boulders until the trees thinned at the summit. Then, they worked their way down again, carefully avoiding the big drop-offs, fast and dangerous streams, and the highest peaks. In that fashion, they cut straight across the bend in the river, meeting up with it again by nightfall.
They camped among the trees at the top of a cliff overlooking the water. Here, the river was so narrow that they would have had to travel in a single file, and the current was as swift as ever. The Letheans showed them edible mushrooms, berries, roots, and ferns, which they washed in a small, glacier-fed stream that fell into the Lethe. Some of them they ate for dinner; others, they saved for the morning.
There was still no sign of Pen.
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Thursday, November 24, 2005

   Happy Thanksgiving!!

(image by mitzy)
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Wednesday, November 23, 2005

   Time for Change
What do you think of my new background and avi? I just noticed that my site had been unchanged for probably nearly an entire year. It was long overdue for me to wipe the dust off.
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   Chapter 17: Pen's Herd (part 3)
Raine woke up next and did the same as Lucifer had; with one branch for himself and two for the Caravan, he helped them set up the breakfast. Before long, they had completed their task.
“It shouldn’t have taken so little time,” Raine noted, brushing his silver bangs out of his face.
“The Caravan suffered a terrible toll,” Pen pointed out. “There’s only fifty or so kids left now.”
“What about the soldiers?” Lucifer brought up. “Come to think of it, what happened to Nano and Panda anyway?”
“They are taken care of,” Pen said. “I made sure of it.”
“What do you mean by that?” Raine asked, unsure how to interpret the words. “They’re dead?”
Pen shook his head. “They all survived, including Keion and Lyanni, but not unscathed. I handed them over to the Letheans, and hopefully they will return to us someday.”
The half-dragon nodded. “Sasheeta should be waking up soon,” he said after a moment of thought. “I should probably go check on her.” With those words, he returned to the tree beneath which the pseudodragon still slept; a Lethean with one broken horn awaited him there, her bright, intelligent eyes filled with kindness.
It took them a second to realize that Sasheeta was sitting on her back, watching them intently with the same draconic smile that they had all become so familiar with.
“Sasheeta, you’re up!” Raine exclaimed in surprise, snatching her up into his arms. She squeaked in protest. “Sorry. How did you get up there?”
“Hey, I might be short a wing, but I’ve still got four good legs,” she said. Since Raine was holding her on her back, she twitched her limbs just to make a point. “That thick Lethean fur makes a nice ladder, you know.”
Raine laughed and cuddled her tightly to his chest.
“MAAAKKK, YOU’RE SQUISHING MEEEE!!” Sasheeta swalked, wriggling in his grasp.
“Give her here,” Lucifer suggested, coming forward to them, a smile dancing on his face. Raine handed the little dragon over to him.
There was a short moment of silence. Then: “Awww, I’ve missed you so much!!” Lucifer growled, giving the cute little dragon a bear hug.
“Oh no, not again!!” she exclaimed. “Someone, PLEASE HELP ME!!!”
Lucifer released her and sat her down on his shoulder, where she playfully whimpered, “I get so much abuse by you guys.”
“Oh please,” Lucifer told her. “Raine did save your life, you know.”
She bowed her head theatrically to the silver-haired fellow. “I am indepted to you with my life, oh half-blood kin, my master—“
“Spare me,” Raine interrupted. “The least you could do is be a little more careful with yourself. We don’t want you to break your neck next time.”
“As you wish, sir of the bicolored swormmmwmmm—“
Lucifer had closed two fingers on her mouth, shutting it on her tongue. She glared at him indignantly, but he pretended not to notice. “So, where were we? Oh yeah, getting on the move…”
“MMHMMMHMMMHMMHMM,” Sasheeta said significantly.
“… it looks like most of the Caravan is starting to wake up now… We could start going within half and hour or so…”
“MMMRRRMMMRRRR,” the dragon was starting to get really aggitated. “MRRRHHRR!!”
“Uh, Lucifer,” Raine said pointedly. “I think Sasheeta wants to say something…”
“Oh, I guess so!” Lucifer noted sarcastically, still smiling brightly. He finally released the dragon’s mouth. She shook her head and tongue, getting out the cramps. “There, now isn’t that better?”
“Jerk,” she said, and jumped to Raine’s shoulder.
“Ouch.”
Suddenly they realized that there was laughter over by the trees. Tari, Tory, and Ed were sitting there, trying not to die from amusement. The eyes of their Lethean mother, who were standing above them, also danced gaily with inner delight.
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Monday, November 21, 2005

   Chapter 17: Pen's Herd (part 2)
When he awoke at the light of Arigato, Lucifer remembered little from the day before. He was laying beside Aurora, warming her with his body from the chilly morning air. He listened to her steady, calming, gentle heartbeat and allowed himself to become immersed in its comfort for a blissful moment. Then, he sat up and looked around himself.
Much of the Caravan—exhausted from the day before—was still sleeping. The children were curled up at the bellies of their Lethean mothers, looking more warm and relaxed than in a long time. A strange peace lay over the camp as kids and Letheans slept side-by-side; the atmosphere of family hung in the air.
“Hey, good morning!” exclaimed an unusually cheerful voice. Pen came over to him and pulled him to his feet. “We have no time to loose today.”
“Huh?” Lucifer asked, mesmerized. His head felt heavy and slow. Pen did not answer; he only dragged his friend a little ways into the forest, where they came upon the branches of a wild berry tree, piled together and heavy with ripe, red berries. Lucifer heard his stomach growl aggressively and was suddenly reminded of his hunger.
Pen chuckled softly and handed him one of the branches. “Here. I know it’s not much, but it might help keep your body from complaining a little.”
Lucifer gratefully accepted the food and began to eat, stripping the red berries off two at a time. They tasted sweet and—perhaps aided by his hunger—more delicious than any fruit he had ever eaten. “Wow! These are really good!” the black-winged angel exclaimed.
“I’m glad you like them. I was just starting to hand these out to the rest of the Caravan, but I figured that you could help yourself, since you were already awake,” Pen said. He picked up two branches in each hand.
“Do you want me to help you?” Lucifer asked. “I can eat while I do it.”
Pen shrugged. “If you want to.”
With his free hand, Lucifer gathered up two more branches and followed Pen back to the Caravan. They distributed the berries so that each child had two branches laying before them. Most of the Letheans had awakened already, so they snorted with satisfaction at the boys.
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Saturday, November 19, 2005

   New Post and New Fanart
Yep yep, I have a week of no school and this means I will be going back to my normal writing schedule. *phew*

Oh, and sorry about the last post. I didn't want to accuse people of being busy like me... I was just testing if people were actually still visiting my site. Please forgive me!!! *runs away and hides*
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   Chapter 16: Call to the People (part 4)
Out of the shadows came Pen. A wave of gasps filled the Caravan as he walked slowly forward. There was a sad, deep, powerful smile on his face; it seemed as if the shadow itself was flowing around him. The kids parted to let him come forward to Lucifer.
He held out a friendly hand to him and helped him to his feet. Immediately, the last remnants of anger appeared to flow out of Lucifer; his eyes became gentle and friendly again.
At that same moment, light blossomed in the forest behind Pen. The kids moved back further, their eyes and mouths wide. The boy with the black eyes took two steps back and spread out his arms. To the kids of the Caravan, Pen was no longer a boy. He was a god.
Creatures stepped from the darkness. The moon embraced their white coats and made them shimmer like spun silver; their proud manes rippled like water over their muscles, covering their necks and shoulders. They were huge like war-horses. Each cloven hoof, as large as dinner plates, moved without a sound above the ground. Their heads were those of deer, fair and gentle, but they were crowned with long, slender horns. They had tails like lions, tipped in a flame of white fur.
The Letheans had heard Pen’s call. And they had answered it.


Chapter 17: Pen’s Herd

The Letheans flooded around the Caravan like white water. They did not speak, but their eyes were filled with kindness that said more than words. At first, the kids shied away from them, frightened. But the Letheans herded them and nudged them as they would their own children. They were all does; had it been a different year, they would have had kids of their own.
It was not long before everyone of the Caravan recognized the creatures’ good intentions. They allowed the Letheans to circle them and nuzzle them, until each mother had chosen her own child. Pen watched, a spark of a smile deep within his eyes, as the mothers prodded and pulled their kids closer to their deep, warm mane. Fascinated, the children buried their cold hands inside the white fur.
There was only one standing among them who had no mother. Lucifer was still frozen right where Pen had helped him to his feet. He was staring at somewhere unseen.
“Lucifer,” Pen said, breaking him out of his trance. “Lucifer, go take care of Aurora, okay?”
“… What did I do?” Lucifer asked, not even hearing Pen’s request. He spun around and faced his battleground, where Sharp and Nomei were sprawled among flecks of blood. His mouth dropped open in disbelief.
Pen came forward to him, but he did not speak.
One of the few remaining elf-soldiers came to Nomei’s side while they watched. He quickly sent her a small spark of magic—just enough to stop the bleeding and make her awake. She opened her eyes, groaned, and fell back into a deep slumber. The side of her face, beneath the blood, looked strange and disfigured. Lucifer flinched and looked away when he saw it; even the best healing magic would not be able to revive her formerly lovely features.
But she was still better off than Sharp.
The Havoc graduate lay still and unmoving, his entire body distorted by shattered bones, some of which had even broken through the skin. His red armor—ruined beyond repair—lay scattered around him.
Lucifer stared for a long, long time.
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