Let's start off with a meme. (This girl is obsessed with memes.)
Except that I can't find the one I'm thinking of. Poo.
Have I any resolutions?
Well, exercise more. Write more. (Vague is bad!) Exercise at least thrice a week; write daily. Better? Even if it's just babbling about Jindal's lovely unnamed world/story.
Also, I need to take more initiative. I don't know how that can be made un-vague.
Finally, R.G. had a very good idea for a resolution: start keeping my cell phone where I can hear it!! We're making that resolution together.
Clearly this girl doesn't feel like seriously thinking right now.
But a lot happened this year.
We moved. That was the biggest. And I haven't had a mental breakdown yet. (Yessss!) No repeat of eighth grade, please and thank you most sincerely.
I freaking babble too much. :C Do you ever want to be taken seriously? (Talking to oneself will not help.)
Siiiigh.
Shall we call it style and move on?
I am... fairly happy here, when I let myself be. Minnesota is not where I would like to be living, but other than the complete lack of AP classes, SHS is... not all that bad. And I have the Table.
If any of you Table members happen to stumble across this... I mean none of this in offense. I love you all (platonically of course), and our little circle (...literally, a circle) helps me a lot.
But... There's always this part of me that wonders if I'm betraying my lunch group from California. The rest of me (the Yomi part, the Miranda part) knows that this is a ridiculous way to look at things, but since that's the part of me that also tries to make me "normal," I'm not used to accepting what she says as reasonable advice. Sigh. Something else to work on in the new year...
God has, in many ways, shown me that He is... well, supporting me, rather than ignoring me. (Here and here, for example.) Even though I'm hardly any real use to Him and can never work up the initiative to change that fact.
Yosh'! 2008. My graduation year! Let's get it started!
12.31.2007
12.26.2007
I'm about to attepmt something interesting.
That interesting thing is watching two more episodes of Death Note. In English.
For your benefit (what? Whose? And how is it beneficial?) I will record my comments HE'A.
First comment: it is so difficult to FIND these freaking episodes. :C Oh, THERE they are. Okay. I should start with the FIRST one I haven't seen.
Load darnit.
Okay fine.
WTH. >_> "L and Chief Yagami look at Light while Light looks at some pretty weak pornography." -twitches hopelessly- Cartoon Network is not my friend.
Wait, I've seen this bit already, haven't I? (Why aren't you arranged by freaking EPISODE?)
L'S VOICE DISPLEASES ME. SEVERELY.
THIS ISN'T IN ORDER. DIEDIEDIE.
Okay you know what. Forget the episode/s that I missed. I'll watch the newest one.
Okay. I'll give you points for the r/l thing on Kira. BUT you lose fifty times that number of points for L's voice.
No, make that like... oh I don't even know. A billion. My ears, they bleeeeeeeed!
Six? Tennis doesn't go to six. ...What?
Oh, that was cute, to have Ryuk jump out of the way. Even though he could just make it go through him. >_> And DON'T say it's because of the speed, bullets are a heckuva lot faster than a tennis ball.
"Wait, that doesn't sound familiar!" "...Oh, right, that's a paragraph I don't read..." Lazy girl. ...But it REALLY doesn't sound famililar... ...Aheheh, yep, that's merely because I haven't been reading it.
I should technically be pinkbooking this right now.
"'A lot' more capable" Come ON, have you no sense of... AESTHETICS?! (That is hardly a valid word to use.) Say "much," at least. And was yuunou...? Okay, that's right. I have to remember that "has brains" means "capable." (Japanese makes sense, except for when it doesn't.)
-scene. D: Don't we get to know that this tennis guy's a playboy?
OHOHOH does that Kyoko girl and her bad-taste friend, do they exist?
Ahahah. That was such twisted thinking. Like that hamburger thing. Dang, can't find it on google. (Google has failed me? D:) But it's like... Light wants fast food. Should he go to Burger King? But no, Kira would want to go to Burger King because of the "king." So he should go to McDonald's. But what if L figures out that he's going to McDonald's so he DOESN'T go to Burger King... and it goes on for like FIVE MINUTES. EDIT: I found it! It's nuts. XD
Oh look, there they are.
Oh right. Another thing I don't read 'cause it's rather... overblown. xD;
It makes me unhappy that L loses. :C Even though it can't possibly be because she said she decided around the end of four. (Who the heck keeps track of these things?!)
So someday I'll get to see that one scene in the rain that doesn't exist.
Am I wrong about "umai iikata" (...-nado? wasureru nante... p'fail.) being sort of a sarcastic "you say what I want to hear"? D: (Oh wait, I haven't forgotten. Umai koto iu na Near... desu ka? Sounds like a negative command... It's not ne, is it? Ahhh, "iu ja nai ka." Well mostly I was talking about the iikata bit anyway.) (Yeah, sure.) (Can we possibly get back to the arc we're on, hmmm?)
I abuse parentheses.
I feel... anti-Wii-ish. (What?) Normally when making an anime they'll flip things, something about drawing or something... but these are correctly oriented.
One thing that makes me sad about watching dubbed anime is that they have to stick extra talking in to make it match the flaps. (Ooooooh, jargon.)
Four creams. XD; But Light should have one... *just spotted this*
I THOUGHT so. The file thing first. :C Actually first of all is the "Sooo why did I tell you I was L?"
Letter, kana, same difference, right? XP Come ON. You're dealing with Note fans here. We're intelligent. Though I've heard that we're picking up some stupid people now that it's on television. Bleh.
Sigh. Grammatically irreconcilable, I know, but to have it dismissed that easily... It's still a valid sentence, though twisted around a bit, in Japanese. What did those two wackos call it? Iku no? Tokyo.
WTH. XD; That was... clumsily done. Oh well. They made it into a sentence, at least, and preserved the meaning.
So they're like LOLOLOLOL who needs filetimes? BD Shine. ...That says shine. Not quite as threatening as I was intending. 死ね！
Countless. Try... *counts on fingers* five. L, I know your mind is beyond human comprehension, but you should try to hold on to basic counting skills, too.
Love, you're supposed to be listening to the dialogue, not the music. You can go and listen to L's Theme B (twitchfest) whenever you like.
Speaking of the twitchfest title. I've been meaning to look into that. I mean seriously. D: You couldn't have called it L's Theme II or something, no, it had to be DISTRACTING.
Yagami Light Yagami Light. It's always full name in his head. He's thinking so there are no flaps. Do it. :C
Did I mention that a few nights ago I dreamt about L's cell phone ring? At least, something that I labeled "L's cell phone ring" in my head. Anyway, I bring this up because I think it really did sound like that. But I hardly remember... Meh, I'll check in a second.
Oh, jeez, that's only half the episode. Look at me babble. Babble, WOI, babble.
"So the doctors think stress was the only cause?" That sounds ridiculous. No, Light, the doctors specifically said that it may be Kira's doing. I don't think that's valid quite yet; we're staying in the first arc, remember? (Jeez, it creeps me out how far the world goes.) (It's "no darou ka" in the manga, no mention of doctors.)
Riyuzaki? Is it THAT hard to say Ryuu? XP
I often wonder if it really is pronounced Luxaky. >___> That odd book...
WTH kind of depressing thing is that to say? It won't be too late to join this when you're done? What? That is what it says, but... sheesh. True or not, that's depressing.
Yes, we know you refuse.
I love that. "Wait, this is too corny... one percent..." Yup, he's a ham actor all right.
Pointy chins~
Oh hey. What happened to the bit about accusing Sayu? L has such a cute, "Don't blame me ;;" look there.
:/ I disagree with that wording. I like the simple, "That feels awful." I'll take the past tense, because it does say narimashita, but... meh. Darn the flaps. (...And the card, but that's another matter altogether, and I've never seen the card.)
Just a point: Dou mite mo Light is not normal.
Lack of seatbelt. XD;
Luee. Might as well give both full names. >____>
Yeah, like I said, Light: dou mite mo, NOT NORMAL.
She-knee-GA-me. Ugh.
Ewww. Demegawa is down there with Takada for least. favorite. characters. EVER. (Takada still wins, of course, or loses, depending on how you'd rather look at it.) Hmm... both television idiots...
His voice sounds familiar. And stereotypical. :C
Oh you're right. That IS too good to be true.
Wait for it, Deme, it'll come. Not nearly quick enough, but it'll come. Mikami's first truly useful action. (Except for that it results in Takada.)
For your benefit (what? Whose? And how is it beneficial?) I will record my comments HE'A.
First comment: it is so difficult to FIND these freaking episodes. :C Oh, THERE they are. Okay. I should start with the FIRST one I haven't seen.
Load darnit.
Okay fine.
WTH. >_> "L and Chief Yagami look at Light while Light looks at some pretty weak pornography." -twitches hopelessly- Cartoon Network is not my friend.
Wait, I've seen this bit already, haven't I? (Why aren't you arranged by freaking EPISODE?)
L'S VOICE DISPLEASES ME. SEVERELY.
THIS ISN'T IN ORDER. DIEDIEDIE.
Okay you know what. Forget the episode/s that I missed. I'll watch the newest one.
Okay. I'll give you points for the r/l thing on Kira. BUT you lose fifty times that number of points for L's voice.
No, make that like... oh I don't even know. A billion. My ears, they bleeeeeeeed!
Six? Tennis doesn't go to six. ...What?
Oh, that was cute, to have Ryuk jump out of the way. Even though he could just make it go through him. >_> And DON'T say it's because of the speed, bullets are a heckuva lot faster than a tennis ball.
"Wait, that doesn't sound familiar!" "...Oh, right, that's a paragraph I don't read..." Lazy girl. ...But it REALLY doesn't sound famililar... ...Aheheh, yep, that's merely because I haven't been reading it.
I should technically be pinkbooking this right now.
"'A lot' more capable" Come ON, have you no sense of... AESTHETICS?! (That is hardly a valid word to use.) Say "much," at least. And was yuunou...? Okay, that's right. I have to remember that "has brains" means "capable." (Japanese makes sense, except for when it doesn't.)
-scene. D: Don't we get to know that this tennis guy's a playboy?
OHOHOH does that Kyoko girl and her bad-taste friend, do they exist?
Ahahah. That was such twisted thinking. Like that hamburger thing. Dang, can't find it on google. (Google has failed me? D:) But it's like... Light wants fast food. Should he go to Burger King? But no, Kira would want to go to Burger King because of the "king." So he should go to McDonald's. But what if L figures out that he's going to McDonald's so he DOESN'T go to Burger King... and it goes on for like FIVE MINUTES. EDIT: I found it! It's nuts. XD
Oh look, there they are.
Oh right. Another thing I don't read 'cause it's rather... overblown. xD;
It makes me unhappy that L loses. :C Even though it can't possibly be because she said she decided around the end of four. (Who the heck keeps track of these things?!)
So someday I'll get to see that one scene in the rain that doesn't exist.
Am I wrong about "umai iikata" (...-nado? wasureru nante... p'fail.) being sort of a sarcastic "you say what I want to hear"? D: (Oh wait, I haven't forgotten. Umai koto iu na Near... desu ka? Sounds like a negative command... It's not ne, is it? Ahhh, "iu ja nai ka." Well mostly I was talking about the iikata bit anyway.) (Yeah, sure.) (Can we possibly get back to the arc we're on, hmmm?)
I abuse parentheses.
I feel... anti-Wii-ish. (What?) Normally when making an anime they'll flip things, something about drawing or something... but these are correctly oriented.
One thing that makes me sad about watching dubbed anime is that they have to stick extra talking in to make it match the flaps. (Ooooooh, jargon.)
Four creams. XD; But Light should have one... *just spotted this*
I THOUGHT so. The file thing first. :C Actually first of all is the "Sooo why did I tell you I was L?"
Letter, kana, same difference, right? XP Come ON. You're dealing with Note fans here. We're intelligent. Though I've heard that we're picking up some stupid people now that it's on television. Bleh.
Sigh. Grammatically irreconcilable, I know, but to have it dismissed that easily... It's still a valid sentence, though twisted around a bit, in Japanese. What did those two wackos call it? Iku no? Tokyo.
WTH. XD; That was... clumsily done. Oh well. They made it into a sentence, at least, and preserved the meaning.
So they're like LOLOLOLOL who needs filetimes? BD Shine. ...That says shine. Not quite as threatening as I was intending. 死ね！
Countless. Try... *counts on fingers* five. L, I know your mind is beyond human comprehension, but you should try to hold on to basic counting skills, too.
Love, you're supposed to be listening to the dialogue, not the music. You can go and listen to L's Theme B (twitchfest) whenever you like.
Speaking of the twitchfest title. I've been meaning to look into that. I mean seriously. D: You couldn't have called it L's Theme II or something, no, it had to be DISTRACTING.
Yagami Light Yagami Light. It's always full name in his head. He's thinking so there are no flaps. Do it. :C
Did I mention that a few nights ago I dreamt about L's cell phone ring? At least, something that I labeled "L's cell phone ring" in my head. Anyway, I bring this up because I think it really did sound like that. But I hardly remember... Meh, I'll check in a second.
Oh, jeez, that's only half the episode. Look at me babble. Babble, WOI, babble.
"So the doctors think stress was the only cause?" That sounds ridiculous. No, Light, the doctors specifically said that it may be Kira's doing. I don't think that's valid quite yet; we're staying in the first arc, remember? (Jeez, it creeps me out how far the world goes.) (It's "no darou ka" in the manga, no mention of doctors.)
Riyuzaki? Is it THAT hard to say Ryuu? XP
I often wonder if it really is pronounced Luxaky. >___> That odd book...
WTH kind of depressing thing is that to say? It won't be too late to join this when you're done? What? That is what it says, but... sheesh. True or not, that's depressing.
Yes, we know you refuse.
I love that. "Wait, this is too corny... one percent..." Yup, he's a ham actor all right.
Pointy chins~
Oh hey. What happened to the bit about accusing Sayu? L has such a cute, "Don't blame me ;;" look there.
:/ I disagree with that wording. I like the simple, "That feels awful." I'll take the past tense, because it does say narimashita, but... meh. Darn the flaps. (...And the card, but that's another matter altogether, and I've never seen the card.)
Just a point: Dou mite mo Light is not normal.
Lack of seatbelt. XD;
Luee. Might as well give both full names. >____>
Yeah, like I said, Light: dou mite mo, NOT NORMAL.
She-knee-GA-me. Ugh.
Ewww. Demegawa is down there with Takada for least. favorite. characters. EVER. (Takada still wins, of course, or loses, depending on how you'd rather look at it.) Hmm... both television idiots...
His voice sounds familiar. And stereotypical. :C
Oh you're right. That IS too good to be true.
Wait for it, Deme, it'll come. Not nearly quick enough, but it'll come. Mikami's first truly useful action. (Except for that it results in Takada.)
12.19.2007
Things I have to do
Primarily, essays to write:
Yale: I forget the prompt.
Middlebury: How the community I grew up in influenced me
Finish editing first essay
-
Submit a college essay to http://campuslife.collegeprowler.com/the_scholarship.asp
...I'm over it. >__>
Yale: I forget the prompt.
Middlebury: How the community I grew up in influenced me
Finish editing first essay
-
Submit a college essay to http://campuslife.collegeprowler.com/the_scholarship.asp
...I'm over it. >__>
12.18.2007
I have to come up with thirty characters.
Thirty. D: Three of whom are main. And of course those three are already created. I have a few others--a crude royal guard (with plot), a vague idea of Sirinka's father (without plot), a name for one of the doctors (Surefdu! no plot), an idea for plot for another part of the doctor family (no personalities).
...
Anyway, Seasons awaits.
...
Anyway, Seasons awaits.
12.17.2007
Argos' Forest is finished... AND I have a story for Jindal... AND I now have a cause.
-deep breath-
In that order:
And. It's true; I have a story for 'dalu. (Yup, that's his nickname!) It involves him being a ghost rather than a weight watcher. (I hate the word deity so much.) And it's really complicated and kind of still undeveloped, so I can't really describe it, but... I'm so excited.
And! I have a cause now.
Let me explain. For a while I have been lamenting the fact that I'm kind of... selfabsorbedandcauseless. Like there was nothing that I've ever been like, "I want to give my heart to that." (excessive misuse of "like," there.)
But today I found something I think I can really... be part of. Here's how it happened.
I update my twitter during my free period. (Bad WOI!) And recently I've started looking at the new LOLcats too. (REALLY bad WOI!) And today I spotted an ad for the Smile Train. (On i can has cheezburger, yes. Random, yes.) (Can we perhaps stop with the parenthetical asides?)
Why haven't I ever thought of this before? I had a cleft lip and palette when I was born. I've benefitted from these surgeries. (Though not from ST, because the US is lovely&advanced.) (Excuse me, parentheses?!)
So that was on my mind. And I've mentioned this a few times in the past, I think, but God likes coincidences. At Esther's Circle tonight, I was doing the whole mental, I know God wants me to use my talents and experiences for Him, but how? thing like I always do. And we were doing this affirmation thing, where we went around the table and commented on what gifts God had given us, and like five people commented on my smile. My smile! The one that took five billion surgeries. The one I've always been so insecure about. My cleft-lip smile.
Does God fix up little coincidences like this in everyone's life, or does He have something special planned for me? Either way, the way He lines things up to drive his point home never ceases to amaze me. He reminds me that even though i am such an imperfect child of His, He loves me.
In that order:
And. It's true; I have a story for 'dalu. (Yup, that's his nickname!) It involves him being a ghost rather than a weight watcher. (I hate the word deity so much.) And it's really complicated and kind of still undeveloped, so I can't really describe it, but... I'm so excited.
And! I have a cause now.
Let me explain. For a while I have been lamenting the fact that I'm kind of... selfabsorbedandcauseless. Like there was nothing that I've ever been like, "I want to give my heart to that." (excessive misuse of "like," there.)
But today I found something I think I can really... be part of. Here's how it happened.
I update my twitter during my free period. (Bad WOI!) And recently I've started looking at the new LOLcats too. (REALLY bad WOI!) And today I spotted an ad for the Smile Train. (On i can has cheezburger, yes. Random, yes.) (Can we perhaps stop with the parenthetical asides?)
Why haven't I ever thought of this before? I had a cleft lip and palette when I was born. I've benefitted from these surgeries. (Though not from ST, because the US is lovely&advanced.) (Excuse me, parentheses?!)
So that was on my mind. And I've mentioned this a few times in the past, I think, but God likes coincidences. At Esther's Circle tonight, I was doing the whole mental, I know God wants me to use my talents and experiences for Him, but how? thing like I always do. And we were doing this affirmation thing, where we went around the table and commented on what gifts God had given us, and like five people commented on my smile. My smile! The one that took five billion surgeries. The one I've always been so insecure about. My cleft-lip smile.
Does God fix up little coincidences like this in everyone's life, or does He have something special planned for me? Either way, the way He lines things up to drive his point home never ceases to amaze me. He reminds me that even though i am such an imperfect child of His, He loves me.
12.16.2007
I just showed Shingo Mama to the table.
Should be an interesting lunch tomorrow, hm?
&&Sakeko sent me Hai, Irasshai. I'm so happy~
Oh but Shingo Mama is terrifying.
I'm cold.
Today I made a bag. Also I had half a cup of coffe, which is half a cup more than I normally have, and I think it just hit, so I'm like shaky and disjointed. Either that or I'm cold. But I do have a headache so it's probably caffeine.
Bleh, I feel odd. And my hands are cold.
Oh. Yesterday. Yesterday I was made to go to the mall w/ B. and S. (er... XD;) to socialize. It caused me to be very tired, even though it was fun. I think my sleepiness cut the evening a little short. Datte nemukatta. I bought gearrings and Oracle of Seasons! Also PRESENTS, but shhh, that's a secret.
I'm nearly done with the Argos Forest picture. Aggh, I'm so over it. All I really have left now is adding the details to the trees, though... I think I'll outline 'em and add those line things... -stares into the distance-
&&Sakeko sent me Hai, Irasshai. I'm so happy~
Oh but Shingo Mama is terrifying.
I'm cold.
Today I made a bag. Also I had half a cup of coffe, which is half a cup more than I normally have, and I think it just hit, so I'm like shaky and disjointed. Either that or I'm cold. But I do have a headache so it's probably caffeine.
Bleh, I feel odd. And my hands are cold.
Oh. Yesterday. Yesterday I was made to go to the mall w/ B. and S. (er... XD;) to socialize. It caused me to be very tired, even though it was fun. I think my sleepiness cut the evening a little short. Datte nemukatta. I bought gearrings and Oracle of Seasons! Also PRESENTS, but shhh, that's a secret.
I'm nearly done with the Argos Forest picture. Aggh, I'm so over it. All I really have left now is adding the details to the trees, though... I think I'll outline 'em and add those line things... -stares into the distance-
12.14.2007
I will write this right after I get back from sitting by the fire holy crepe it's cold
Actually, Cody was downstairs, so I elected to play some DDR. Mario Mix. 'Course, he came upstairs at one point and made me fail Pirate Dance.
I'm warm now, in any case.
I'm afraid I have failed you (dare?)... I have nothing more interesting to say today.
The Argos Forest... did I mention that? For art class, for our "rhythm and movement" project, I'm drawing a picture of trees with eyes. Kinda like that tree in the math quad at LCC, except they're real eyes. Two of them are jaundiced, one is blind. I'm calling it the Argos Forest, like Argos from Greek mythology who had a hundred eyes, all over his body, and never closed any of them until Hermes came and bored him to death. I suppose I can squish it (i.e., flatten the layers) and show you a W.I.P., ne?
Oh, I started a sentence up there and neglected to finish it. The Argos Forest is coming along nicely. I want to use it as a setting for something...
(Well, that's certainly a much easier way to move a picture about... move the html, duh!)
Other than that... I want to write something new, but nothing's coming to me... well, now something is, but it needs development before I can write it. :x Involving Italian masks and a sweet sixteen and... all maybes.
I could write that story I had in mind before Hieronymus moved in, but... I feel less inspired by that now. :C
I'm warm now, in any case.
I'm afraid I have failed you (dare?)... I have nothing more interesting to say today.
The Argos Forest... did I mention that? For art class, for our "rhythm and movement" project, I'm drawing a picture of trees with eyes. Kinda like that tree in the math quad at LCC, except they're real eyes. Two of them are jaundiced, one is blind. I'm calling it the Argos Forest, like Argos from Greek mythology who had a hundred eyes, all over his body, and never closed any of them until Hermes came and bored him to death. I suppose I can squish it (i.e., flatten the layers) and show you a W.I.P., ne?
Oh, I started a sentence up there and neglected to finish it. The Argos Forest is coming along nicely. I want to use it as a setting for something...
(Well, that's certainly a much easier way to move a picture about... move the html, duh!)
Other than that... I want to write something new, but nothing's coming to me... well, now something is, but it needs development before I can write it. :x Involving Italian masks and a sweet sixteen and... all maybes.
I could write that story I had in mind before Hieronymus moved in, but... I feel less inspired by that now. :C
12.13.2007
Nothing like a fictional character's birthday...
...to get one back to one's blog.
Today is Mello's birthday. Happy birthday love. Yesterday I wrote you a fanfiction with "experimental" grammar. It's on the USB stick which is currently in the other computer which is in use. So I'll copy-paste that tomorrow morning or something.
It's filled with angst because Mello is almost never happy. Also that's practically all crazy WOI writes.
I don't really have anything interesting to say, I suppose. Oh! But you should all read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. It's the last book of the "American Experience" unit we're doing in English and it's about the Vietnam War. COME BACK. I lied. That's what I thought it was about, and I wasn't looking forward to it at all. But it's about people (who were in the Vietnam War, yes, but... that's the point and at the same time it's not the point) and it's amazing. I love the writing style and it's amazing. Read it.
I shall try to have more for you to say tomorrow.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that I have taken up coloring things with paint.NET, seriously. Some things I've colored are in this facebook album.
Mello's happy birthday fic... which isn't happy and doesn't happen on his birthday, but whatever. Please ignore the formatting, because I have no time to fix it right now.
--
Today is Mello's birthday. Happy birthday love. Yesterday I wrote you a fanfiction with "experimental" grammar. It's on the USB stick which is currently in the other computer which is in use. So I'll copy-paste that tomorrow morning or something.
It's filled with angst because Mello is almost never happy. Also that's practically all crazy WOI writes.
I don't really have anything interesting to say, I suppose. Oh! But you should all read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. It's the last book of the "American Experience" unit we're doing in English and it's about the Vietnam War. COME BACK. I lied. That's what I thought it was about, and I wasn't looking forward to it at all. But it's about people (who were in the Vietnam War, yes, but... that's the point and at the same time it's not the point) and it's amazing. I love the writing style and it's amazing. Read it.
I shall try to have more for you to say tomorrow.
EDIT: I forgot to mention that I have taken up coloring things with paint.NET, seriously. Some things I've colored are in this facebook album.
Mello's happy birthday fic... which isn't happy and doesn't happen on his birthday, but whatever. Please ignore the formatting, because I have no time to fix it right now.
--
“It’s my fault those gang members died.”
He was sitting on her couch and staring up at the ceiling, eyes narrowed very slightly as if in thought, when the words fell from his mouth. No tone in his voice, no regret or scorn or anything else. Just the cold hard facts.
Halle turned her face towards him and said what came to mind: “Kira would have gotten them eventually, anyway.”
It was true and it should have displaced some of the guilt. But it wasn’t comforting.
“They were terrible people. Murderers, rapists, thieves, druggies. But I knew them.” Mello said to the ceiling. “And then they died.”
Halle ventured a question. “You chose them for that reason, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Mello confessed. “I did.” He looked at Halle, inquisitive. “Is that worse?”
She gave a shrug. How was she to know? She had lost her sense of ethics, of morals, when she’d first gotten involved in this insane game. She was always telling herself that sacrifices were necessary, but how many sacrifices did she mean?
“Yagami’s death, too.” The ceiling was Mello’s priest again. “Was my fault.”
Halle was the one who had told him of Soichiro Yagami’s death. She had just given him the information, back then, and he had just taken another bite of his chocolate bar. Now, he said:
“I regret that.” And he gave a sigh, deep and sincere, and he tilted his head back so that he could only see the ceiling, pure and white, without seeing the limits of it. “He was an admirable old man.”
It was just short of admitting that he had admired Yagami.
“Of course, he was a fool.” And so easy to manipulate. “But a fool with ideals. The purest kind of person.”
The kind of person who should never have gotten involved in this filthy game.
They were both thinking it.
They were both filthy with sin and neither had any intention of stopping until the game was over, if then. They told themselves it was necessary, and on good days they believed themselves. On good days, Soichiro Yagami’s death was convincing evidence that fools with ideals could achieve nothing in this game.
On bad days, they remembered that Yagami had fought Kira for six whole years and had caught one of the people who had played that role.
“He had never killed anyone, you know,” Mello told Halle, sitting up then and reaching for a chocolate bar.
Halle watched his inscrutable face. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
11.18.2007
I REACHED 50K!
I did! Hurray!
Granted, I'm not sure I like the last ten thousand words, but now that that scene's in there I don't think I can take them out... oh well.
I'm actually nowhere near the end of my novel, though--there's something I still want to include and they have to travel for a day or two to get there. So that's one thing on my list of things to do now that I've reached 50k.
Other things:
a) Give Jindal some attention, the poor dear.
b) Work on Blood-Red Sun. I've been having more ideas for it recently (when I should have been brainstorming my novel)
c) Start dealing with college stuff again. (This should probably be first on my list.)
d) Design and draw a picture for a Christmas card. This is highly tentative.
...My brain hurts.
I'll try to grab a fictionpress account and toss the story up on there sometime soon.
Granted, I'm not sure I like the last ten thousand words, but now that that scene's in there I don't think I can take them out... oh well.
I'm actually nowhere near the end of my novel, though--there's something I still want to include and they have to travel for a day or two to get there. So that's one thing on my list of things to do now that I've reached 50k.
Other things:
a) Give Jindal some attention, the poor dear.
b) Work on Blood-Red Sun. I've been having more ideas for it recently (when I should have been brainstorming my novel)
c) Start dealing with college stuff again. (This should probably be first on my list.)
d) Design and draw a picture for a Christmas card. This is highly tentative.
...My brain hurts.
I'll try to grab a fictionpress account and toss the story up on there sometime soon.
11.05.2007
Jindal needs to be taught the facts of life. Also, remember remember.
Also, he needs to SHUT UP BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO WRITE A NOVEL HERE, but mostly he needs to be taught the facts of life.
Word count: 13779
Two things happened today. Well, more than two things, I suppose.
First of all, it was the fifth. As is fitting I wore black. Yuck. Remember remember, the fifth of November... did you know we the L fans adopted that? Yes, I am fairly certain that we did.
It was the first day of the new quarter. I am now in R.G.'s English class! Also in Elements and Principles of Design. Gah. Can we get to the DRAWING bit already? This is boring!
ALSO WHITE THINGS FELL FROM THE SKY. NOT VERY MANY WHITE THINGS, BUT DEFINITELY WHITE THINGS. It is only the fifth of November. T_____T Why should snow fall from the sky now?
Finally, Jindal and his Twili history are preying on my mind. Jindal revealed to me yesterday that he is very fond of Dawdon. Very fond. In fact he's saying that Dawdon is his beloved. This is a problem; Dawdon is male. Jindal is male. Midna is supposed to be Jindal's greatgreatgreatgreat etc granddaughter.
SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE.
Several times I have told Jindal that in order for this all to work out, he has to express interest in someone who HAS A WOMB. *shakes head wearily* Look, I know that Dawdon is dear to you, but... this just doesn't work, darling.
Anyway, here's what I have so far, continuing from an earlier entry, I think... Twilight Princess spoilers, of course.
--
Word count: 13779
Two things happened today. Well, more than two things, I suppose.
First of all, it was the fifth. As is fitting I wore black. Yuck. Remember remember, the fifth of November... did you know we the L fans adopted that? Yes, I am fairly certain that we did.
It was the first day of the new quarter. I am now in R.G.'s English class! Also in Elements and Principles of Design. Gah. Can we get to the DRAWING bit already? This is boring!
ALSO WHITE THINGS FELL FROM THE SKY. NOT VERY MANY WHITE THINGS, BUT DEFINITELY WHITE THINGS. It is only the fifth of November. T_____T Why should snow fall from the sky now?
Finally, Jindal and his Twili history are preying on my mind. Jindal revealed to me yesterday that he is very fond of Dawdon. Very fond. In fact he's saying that Dawdon is his beloved. This is a problem; Dawdon is male. Jindal is male. Midna is supposed to be Jindal's greatgreatgreatgreat etc granddaughter.
SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE.
Several times I have told Jindal that in order for this all to work out, he has to express interest in someone who HAS A WOMB. *shakes head wearily* Look, I know that Dawdon is dear to you, but... this just doesn't work, darling.
Anyway, here's what I have so far, continuing from an earlier entry, I think... Twilight Princess spoilers, of course.
--
Consciousness came back to me slowly. You… have never felt being a spirit, correct? We all did that day. It was like being only half-there, like having pieces of your soul break off and disintegrate. I was unwilling to move, even when I had regained full consciousness, and instead I stayed lying where I was. I, the prince of my people. I didn’t yet know I would soon be their ruler, but still, I could have been stronger.
I did not get up until a man came running up to me.
I had seen him before. He was one of the strongest warriors of our tribe, and father had commended him once or twice.
“Prince,” he said to me, looking anxiously into my face, “there is something I must show you. Come with me.”
He offered me his hand to help me up, and I stared at it for a moment. Pathetically, I did not want to get up. I just wanted to lie around until I felt better, and if I never felt better then I was fine with staying where I was until I died.
But he said “Prince, please,” and grasped my arm, half-forcing me to stand. So I went with him.
Around me, things looked strange. The light seemed… uncertain of itself, if that makes any sense at all. It seemed dirty, hazy. The sky was a strange color. When I looked around, it seemed that the land we stood on was an island, floating in… nothingness.
All in all, it made me feel sick to my stomach.
The man led me down a narrow stretch of land; and after we had walked for a few moments, I saw my mother and father. It could only be them, but there was no way for me to actually recognize them. Their bodies had been burnt—charred black in punishment for setting foot into the Sacred Realm. They no longer looked human. I fell to my knees in front of them as tears began to pour from my eyes. I tried to shut my eyes to keep the tears in—but then the warrior gasped. “Prince!”
I opened my eyes again, and through my tears I watched as my parents began to emit a strange, white-greenish glow and floated several feet off the ground. I watched in confusion and horror. The light emanating from their bodies grew brighter, brighter, too bright; I looked away. Then suddenly there was a rushing noise, and I looked back to my mother and father—but they were gone, and in their places floated two orbs of light.
Curiously, the light from these orbs refreshed and strengthened me.
By now you have figured out, of course, that these were the Sols, our version of the sun, which give energy to the world we now call Twilight. Very few of my people know of the origin of the Sols. It would be best that you did not tell my Princess.
The Sols, these orbs of light that had only moments before been my parents, floated higher and higher until they shed light on all of us.
“My king…” said the warrior, still next to me. His voice sounded stronger than it had before.
I pretended—or maybe it really didn’t even register, I don’t remember—not to know that he was talking to me; I looked towards the orb that had been my father.
“My king,” he said again, touching my shoulder. I shook my head.
“He’s your king,” I said, pointing. “I am the prince.”
“No, Jindal, you are king now,” he said, his voice softer on my name as if he feared I would be offended by his using it. “You are our king now.”
“My father—” I began, but I knew it was useless. The Sols shone and strengthened me. I swallowed the rest of my sentence. “I will rule, but I will always be the prince,” I said. “We must never forget what happened to my parents.”
And we never have, of course. My Princess said as much. The shame and horror and pain that result from rising against the goddesses are burned into every Twili soul. If a Twili were to think of defying the goddesses—it would be an anomaly in itself, but the Twili would be terrified of the idea. It’s part of who we are.
But I get ahead of myself again. I had no way of understanding any of that on the first day, or even at any time during my natural lifespan. Not until the goddesses infused me with the light of the moon, the sun’s inconsistent, muted cousin, could I step back from what I felt well enough to understand what had happened to us.
Back then, I tried to act kingly. “Warrior,” I addressed the man who had brought me to my parents, “you have shown great strength in bringing me here; I am impressed. What is your name?”
“Dawdon, my prince,” he replied with a bow.
“You show the potential to serve our tribe very well. Will you lead my royal guard?”
“I will, my prince.” He looked so noble and proud.
“Dawdon…” I whispered, my kingly attitude suddenly evaporating. “Will you support me?”
He knew I was not referring to my political ideas or my rule. I meant like a crutch. I was asking if he would hold me up, and he knew it.
“I will, my prince,” he said kindly, and he offered me his hand so I could stand.
11.04.2007
Did you miss me?
I am now eighteen, there was only one passage on the listening part of the Japanese SAT II that killed my brain, and I am currently sitting pretty at 11330 words, about three hundred words away from being ahead of Wednesday. Life is good.
My novel is pretty full of nonsense. And an inordinate number of inside or just plain self-referential jokes. I'm trying to quell that--I mean seriously, maybe there might be NaNoers who would find the idea interesting, but if it's only about you!--but I'm having a hard time of it. Oh well... the point is to write, not to write well...
When I tell people, they ask me, "How many pages have you written so far?" How the taco should I know? "I'm on so-and-so words," I'll tell them, but it only occurred to me to check pages today... twenty-five, if you're curious. But I mean why would that even matter. 11k words; that's what matters.
Oh, I got a sewing machine.
My novel is pretty full of nonsense. And an inordinate number of inside or just plain self-referential jokes. I'm trying to quell that--I mean seriously, maybe there might be NaNoers who would find the idea interesting, but if it's only about you!--but I'm having a hard time of it. Oh well... the point is to write, not to write well...
When I tell people, they ask me, "How many pages have you written so far?" How the taco should I know? "I'm on so-and-so words," I'll tell them, but it only occurred to me to check pages today... twenty-five, if you're curious. But I mean why would that even matter. 11k words; that's what matters.
Oh, I got a sewing machine.
10.31.2007
L's birthday and Halloween and the day before NaNo.
-explodes-
I wore my Boogiepop costume to school today. I really wish people would stop trying to figure out what it is. They have no chance, and it's really annoying to explain over and over again to blank looks.
In any case, much of today's freep was devoted to an attempt to think of an L fanfiction idea, for his birthday. Finally with about fifteen minutes left I got one. Wrote about 250 words of that at school and will attempt to finish it right now. I have no idea where it's going, but the nice people who live in the NaNo forums say that this is just fine... @_@
--
Today was one of L’s “normal” days, which he occasionally took provided that first, he could afford the time and second, he felt like it—he did not always feel like having normal days. But every now and then he did, and on those days he would leave his computer (securely locked, of course) and go out and make-believe that he wasn’t the world’s greatest detective or even a detective at all. On those days he was Luke, or Levi, or Lowell, or whatever other name he could think of beginning with L.
He was, no matter what, an L.
Today he was going for a walk in the crisp, late autumn air. He took particular pleasure in crunching the leaves, brightly-colored in their decay, beneath his feet. With each step he kicked some up, intentionally, like a child. Ahead of him, there was a cat sitting on a wall. It was a dark gray cat, and its back was to him. It must have heard him crunching the leaves as he walked, but it didn’t turn to look at him at all until he said, “Hello, kitty.” Then it lazily rotated its head, looking at him the way that cats do, eyes half-lidded in an expression of bored superiority. L reached out to let the cat sniff his hand, which it deigned to do, giving the hand a single lick. Then L pet the cat, running his hand through its short fur.
It was supremely uninterested in him.
~
...
I have no idea what to write. I don't know where I'm going with that at all, so... yeah.
*kowtows* Gomen nasai, L! T^T *fails miserably*
I wore my Boogiepop costume to school today. I really wish people would stop trying to figure out what it is. They have no chance, and it's really annoying to explain over and over again to blank looks.
In any case, much of today's freep was devoted to an attempt to think of an L fanfiction idea, for his birthday. Finally with about fifteen minutes left I got one. Wrote about 250 words of that at school and will attempt to finish it right now. I have no idea where it's going, but the nice people who live in the NaNo forums say that this is just fine... @_@
--
Today was one of L’s “normal” days, which he occasionally took provided that first, he could afford the time and second, he felt like it—he did not always feel like having normal days. But every now and then he did, and on those days he would leave his computer (securely locked, of course) and go out and make-believe that he wasn’t the world’s greatest detective or even a detective at all. On those days he was Luke, or Levi, or Lowell, or whatever other name he could think of beginning with L.
He was, no matter what, an L.
Today he was going for a walk in the crisp, late autumn air. He took particular pleasure in crunching the leaves, brightly-colored in their decay, beneath his feet. With each step he kicked some up, intentionally, like a child. Ahead of him, there was a cat sitting on a wall. It was a dark gray cat, and its back was to him. It must have heard him crunching the leaves as he walked, but it didn’t turn to look at him at all until he said, “Hello, kitty.” Then it lazily rotated its head, looking at him the way that cats do, eyes half-lidded in an expression of bored superiority. L reached out to let the cat sniff his hand, which it deigned to do, giving the hand a single lick. Then L pet the cat, running his hand through its short fur.
It was supremely uninterested in him.
~
...
I have no idea what to write. I don't know where I'm going with that at all, so... yeah.
*kowtows* Gomen nasai, L! T^T *fails miserably*
10.30.2007
I don't really have anything worthwhile to say today.
I need to come up with an L fanfiction plot FAST (like, now) and write it and... GAH.
Here, have a haiku. This was inspired by HEY, IF YOU INTEND TO TAKE RKA'S COLLEGE ENGLISH CLASS BUT HAVEN'T TAKEN IT YET YOU CAN'T READ THIS NEXT PART.
Right, I'm sure that worked wonders.
This was inspired by a question on the Odyssey test (which was easy to the point that I almost found it... enjoyable). The question was something like,
"Long journey at sea
Odysseus, home at last.
Death to the suitors!"
There were some pretty amusing joke answers on that test. Ahhh... good times, good times.
(You're talking about an exam! Are you crazy, woman?)
Here, have a haiku. This was inspired by HEY, IF YOU INTEND TO TAKE RKA'S COLLEGE ENGLISH CLASS BUT HAVEN'T TAKEN IT YET YOU CAN'T READ THIS NEXT PART.
Right, I'm sure that worked wonders.
This was inspired by a question on the Odyssey test (which was easy to the point that I almost found it... enjoyable). The question was something like,
"The Odyssey is this type of literature.Anyway, c made me snort. So I wrote this.
a) Novel
b) Epic
c) Haiku
d) Chick Lit"
"Long journey at sea
Odysseus, home at last.
Death to the suitors!"
There were some pretty amusing joke answers on that test. Ahhh... good times, good times.
(You're talking about an exam! Are you crazy, woman?)
...So, an idea has occurred to me.
I... don't even know how practical it is. In fact I am pretty sure that it's not practical.
But, a few days ago an idea occurred to me.
I thought, "I would like to own a publishing house that translates Japanese light novels (young adult novels, generally fairly short--LABB and Kino both fall into this category) into English."
Now, it's an interesting idea, but I'm a little frustrated with it. It's so impractical! The idea of me starting a business... And this isn't even a simple home business like, "Oh, I have some cute screen-printed T-shirts. Buy them!"
Oh, no, it's nothing like that.
I'd have to acquire the publishing rights. (Requires money & interaction)
Translate it.
Have it printed. (Requires... well, something, and I don't even know what)
Market it. (Again... I have no idea how to do this. I do know that it would require money)
It's nearly impossible that it could all be done by one person; certainly I would have to spend a while struggling before it took off, IF it took off. But Seven Seas has dropped its novel line (to my great frustration--I wanted to read Boogiepop at Dawn!), Viz shows signs of not being very confident in novels (at least, this thought is recorded in my head. I forget if it was only caused by LABB, which would now make the thought invalid, or not), and Tokyopop... well you saw my issue with Tokyopop in the last entry. -_-
But in my mind... In my mind, I'm thinking, "Maybe they're marketing them wrong."
See, here's the thing. I hate saying this because it makes me sound like that evil man, but maybe the "manga crowd" that they generally market to doesn't really read as many novels. I mean, especially if they just got into manga because it was right next to the comics, or because they got into it through anime.
So if I didn't place the emphasis on them being Japanese novels... But then I risk over-localization which would cause me to explode in a fit of self-loathing.
Sigh.
But, a few days ago an idea occurred to me.
I thought, "I would like to own a publishing house that translates Japanese light novels (young adult novels, generally fairly short--LABB and Kino both fall into this category) into English."
Now, it's an interesting idea, but I'm a little frustrated with it. It's so impractical! The idea of me starting a business... And this isn't even a simple home business like, "Oh, I have some cute screen-printed T-shirts. Buy them!"
Oh, no, it's nothing like that.
I'd have to acquire the publishing rights. (Requires money & interaction)
Translate it.
Have it printed. (Requires... well, something, and I don't even know what)
Market it. (Again... I have no idea how to do this. I do know that it would require money)
It's nearly impossible that it could all be done by one person; certainly I would have to spend a while struggling before it took off, IF it took off. But Seven Seas has dropped its novel line (to my great frustration--I wanted to read Boogiepop at Dawn!), Viz shows signs of not being very confident in novels (at least, this thought is recorded in my head. I forget if it was only caused by LABB, which would now make the thought invalid, or not), and Tokyopop... well you saw my issue with Tokyopop in the last entry. -_-
But in my mind... In my mind, I'm thinking, "Maybe they're marketing them wrong."
See, here's the thing. I hate saying this because it makes me sound like that evil man, but maybe the "manga crowd" that they generally market to doesn't really read as many novels. I mean, especially if they just got into manga because it was right next to the comics, or because they got into it through anime.
So if I didn't place the emphasis on them being Japanese novels... But then I risk over-localization which would cause me to explode in a fit of self-loathing.
Sigh.
10.28.2007
So... I think I shall finally submit that Kino fic.
Aheh.
Also, I'm reading that Piper story I started to write a long time ago. Other than a few things (for example, this sentence: "He dug into his steak with extreme vigor, perhaps imagining that it was rat-flesh he was tearing."--what, is he going to eat rats?), it's rather nice. And it's like reading something that someone else wrote... I don't remember this at all. Ahaha. I never really wrote much of it... Dang, how was I going to end it? I wish I could remember.
Anyway, I have jibun no um (titled it back when I didn't know the word monogatari, ha) open because I had forgotten about the story I'd written based on Andersen's Little Match Girl. Like, completely forgot that I'd written it at all. So let's see if it's any good at all.
After I finish submitting the Kino fic, that is.
(I'm quite proud of the Kino fic. I mean, it's morbid, but it... I like it. I think it fits well with the series.)
(Gah, why did I kill Koshakk? That was so mean of me!)
(That was the point, you silly girl.)
Ahh, that's better. I even ranted about the move of Land of Adults. That's always fun, ranting about translation/editing things I don't agree with. I can always end my rant with, "And that's why I need to hurry up!"
*mutters something about February*
Oh, squee, I did like this story. I suppose it's a bit saccharine, but... I always loved the Match Girl. Squee.
Anou... mitai no darou ka. >> <<
--
Also, I'm reading that Piper story I started to write a long time ago. Other than a few things (for example, this sentence: "He dug into his steak with extreme vigor, perhaps imagining that it was rat-flesh he was tearing."--what, is he going to eat rats?), it's rather nice. And it's like reading something that someone else wrote... I don't remember this at all. Ahaha. I never really wrote much of it... Dang, how was I going to end it? I wish I could remember.
Anyway, I have jibun no um (titled it back when I didn't know the word monogatari, ha) open because I had forgotten about the story I'd written based on Andersen's Little Match Girl. Like, completely forgot that I'd written it at all. So let's see if it's any good at all.
After I finish submitting the Kino fic, that is.
(I'm quite proud of the Kino fic. I mean, it's morbid, but it... I like it. I think it fits well with the series.)
(Gah, why did I kill Koshakk? That was so mean of me!)
(That was the point, you silly girl.)
Ahh, that's better. I even ranted about the move of Land of Adults. That's always fun, ranting about translation/editing things I don't agree with. I can always end my rant with, "And that's why I need to hurry up!"
*mutters something about February*
Oh, squee, I did like this story. I suppose it's a bit saccharine, but... I always loved the Match Girl. Squee.
Anou... mitai no darou ka. >> <<
--
The Organ-Player
A scrawny waif wandered the streets on that cold New Year’s Eve. She was dressed in thin rags, and she had no home. She was trying desperately to find a place to sleep that night. But her search was almost hopeless; everything had been touched with snow, which was quickly turning into slush as a cold, steady rain fell.
She knew that she had to find somewhere warm to sleep, or at least to stay briefly. Even a few minutes would do her well and keep her hands and face from freezing completely. At that moment, the desire for warmth was even stronger than her constant hunger, for earlier that day she had found a table scrap that some wealthy family had thrown out. It had been the leanest part of a roast goose, unseasoned, already filthy in the streets, but even so it had tasted heavenly to the poor girl. Though it hadn’t satiated the girl, it had served to lessen and divert her attention from her hunger.
The cold, however, could not be countered so easily. The girl’s thin gown had been completely soaked through and her long brown hair was plastered to her doleful face. Every exposed inch of her skin was either chaffed red or quickly turning blue. She shivered constantly, and every now and then she would give an intense shudder as a gust of wind blew and dashed cold raindrops against her face.
Through the streets she kept walking, one foot in front of the other with a trance-like motion. Something told her that if she kept moving, she would stay warm. But oh, how she longed to find an iron stove somewhere and lie down and curl up in front of it and let the waves of heat roll over her! She tried to imagine such a stove, as if imagination alone could bring the precious heat to her.
In the distance, there was the faint song of an organ. Some holy song was being played, and it struck the girl as familiar. It was not so long since she had attended the church daily; but now that her parents were gone, she was ashamed to be seen in her one ragged dress while all the other ladies dressed so finely and beautifully.
However, today the girl was so desperately cold that she found herself moving towards the organ song anyway, haltingly. She passed several houses on the way, glancing enviously into the warm yellow windows. Just a few more steps, she told herself, and she too would be in a warm place.
Finally she reached the great, heavy door of the church. It took all her strength to pull it open, and the metal handle bit her hands with cold. She stepped in and smiled at the satisfying warmth, letting the door swing shut behind her. The only other person there was the organ-player, who had her back to the girl.
The drenched girl began to move forward, towards the sanctuary. The warmth of the church was tangible; she could feel it rubbing against her skin comfortingly, like a cat. But she still shivered. Muddy water dripped from her hair and clothes. She was silent as she went; for a moment she entertained the notion of speaking to the organ-player, but something held her back. Instead, she knelt down in one of the aisles—not in the pews, for then she would get them wet and filthy, which would be disrespectful to God and his worshippers.
The organ’s song was beautiful. It reminded the girl of the days when she had come often to church, with her parents. And after the service, they’d leave the church all bundled up in thick, warm clothes and rush home to a hot, filling meal. Ah, to be that warm and full and happy again! How bitterly she wished that those days had never ended.
Back then, she would not have knelt on the ground near the back of the sanctuary; she would have sat in one of the front pews, kept warm between her two parents. And there would have been many more people. Now there were only the shivering girl and the organ-player and God.
Silently, the girl clasped her hands and bowed her head, as she had been taught, and silently she prayed to God. She prayed first for her parents—she always prayed first for them, for their souls and their happiness. Usually that prayer was followed by one for her own safety, for food and warmth, but today, in the presence of God and in his grand house, such a prayer seemed selfish. So instead, piously, she prayed for the souls of the others on the street as she shivered.
She did not notice when the organ’s song ended, nor did she hear the soft, padding footsteps of the organ-player as she approached. The shivering girl only looked up when she had finished her prayer; and then she stared at the organ-player without speaking.
The organ-player was no older than her, and had golden hair that framed her pale, pretty face in curls. Her clothes, like the girl’s, were thin, and she wore no shoes. She looked at the girl solemnly for a moment; then she quietly said, “Welcome to the house of God.” Her voice was sweet and warm, like cream. She knelt next to the girl and continued, “You’re very cold and hungry, aren’t you?”
The girl nodded slightly, hands still clasped in her lap. It seemed almost blasphemous to address the organ-player, the one who had provided such holy music, but the girl couldn’t keep from adding, “I’m mostly cold. It’s so cold outside.”
The organ-player gave a small smile that lit up her face. “I may be able to help that,” she told the girl. She reached into her apron and brought out a handful of matches.
The girl brought the corners of her mouth up in an appreciative smile, but shook her head inwardly. It would take many, many small matches to warm her shaking body. A handful would never suffice.
But, her smile now a little more mysterious, the organ-player struck a match against the polished wooden floor of the church. For a moment, it sputtered; then it burned clear and bright—and so warm!
Somehow the warmth from the small match surrounded the girl’s whole body, settling around her shoulders and head like a heavy blanket. Amazed, the girl reached out for the match. The organ-player gave it to her readily, and the poor girl held it up, studying it. How could one small match warm her so completely? It seemed a gift from God!
The match went out. The blanket of warmth disappeared immediately, but the girl found that she was not as cold as before. She opened her mouth to ask the organ-player about the matches. Before she could do so, though, the organ-player struck another match.
“You’re hungry, aren’t you?” she asked, holding the new match out before the girl. “This one will help.”
The girl again looked to study the match, but—behold! As she looked into the flame, she fancied that she saw inside it a long, fine table with a great banquet spread out upon it! The girl’s eyes were as wide as saucers as she took in everything on the table, and her stomach growled conspicuously as she took a deep breath and smelt the food. There were five loaves of bread, two whole roast geese, and more fruits and candies than she could count. Steam still rose from the bread and the geese.
The girl stared at the glorious vision in disbelief, salivating. It all looked so delicious, the perfect New Year’s feast, just as she used to eat with her family. But it was no more than a vision, the starving girl told herself unwillingly; it would not satisfy her.
The organ-player lit another match with the flame of the current one, which was close to dying. The vision inside the flame stayed. “Eat,” the organ-player encouraged softly. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“But it’s just a vision,” protested the sad little girl, nevertheless still entranced by the grand banquet.
“Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn’t,” the organ-player answered mysteriously. “But if you eat, at least you will be happy in that vision, will you not?”
Such simple logic was all that the girl needed to convince her; she ran forward to the table and immediately began reaching for food. She briefly noted the odd fact that the food had substance under her fingers, but quickly became more interested with the substance it had in her mouth. How wonderful it was to take such large bites and feel those bites slide down her throat, filling her stomach! The girl couldn’t even remember the last time a meal had satisfied her so well. And the taste—the taste! The goose was perfectly roasted, the bread just slightly sweet. It was like a meal from heaven.
As the girl ate, the organ-player kept lighting matches, perpetuating the vision. She waited patiently for the girl to finish. Finally, the child wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin and smiled. The organ-player let the last match die, and as the flame sputtered the feast faded from view.
It was cold and dark in the church, but now the girl did not notice. She stared at the organ-player for a long time as rain lashed against the stained glass windows. Finally, the girl whispered, “What was that?” The vision was gone, but her stomach was still full. She could still taste the sauce from the goose.
The organ-player smiled. “It was a gift for you.” She stood, brushing ashes off her apron. “I have to go home now. Grandmother might worry.”
She left the church. The girl stayed. She curled up on the floor of the church to sleep and dreamt about the organ-player girl and her matches.
10.27.2007
AUGH, MY TOES!
How can I have worn two pairs of socks to the game and still have feet this cold? Gah! I HATE pep band for football! I hate football in general! I don't care what you say, Willa Cather; yes, Tolstoy and whoever else you mentioned are brutal as is football, but that was great literature and this is a freaking pig skin. Not a suitable comparison.
My toes. ;;
Today I had to spend an extended period of time thinking about 99 and that made me grumpy. Also Matt has green hair in the anime. Again, grumpy. (Honestly, did the animators never even take a looksie around the internet?)
Ummm, relevance, relevance... Nothing relevant really happened today. Yesterday I downloaded the Nanoisms book and I nearly choked to death laughing while reading it last night and this morning. So hazardous, especially when you're slightly sleep-deprived--lately when I've been waking up at odd times (today it was shortly before 3:33), I have a very hard time getting back to sleep. Well, if this continues to November at least I'll have something to do with myself at those times... but it's not a good thing.
My toes. ;;
Today I had to spend an extended period of time thinking about 99 and that made me grumpy. Also Matt has green hair in the anime. Again, grumpy. (Honestly, did the animators never even take a looksie around the internet?)
Ummm, relevance, relevance... Nothing relevant really happened today. Yesterday I downloaded the Nanoisms book and I nearly choked to death laughing while reading it last night and this morning. So hazardous, especially when you're slightly sleep-deprived--lately when I've been waking up at odd times (today it was shortly before 3:33), I have a very hard time getting back to sleep. Well, if this continues to November at least I'll have something to do with myself at those times... but it's not a good thing.
10.26.2007
Okay... I'll post.
Yesterday I did not post because we went to C&T's semifinal soccer game. They lost and it was cold and I had to spend a long time on the bus, but it wasn't as bad as I'm making it sound.
But it was cold.
Today I discovered that Christopher Ott (and by conscious extension, his real-person Chris Rubinsky) speaks in Cockney rhyming slang! I had no idea! This guy is amazing. It was his sky-snake Quartz that claimed its existence and encouraged me to further develop the crew of the Daedalus, resulting in the continued importance of sky pirates. Hurray!
In econ we did a rather interesting activity, led by a speaker from the Minnesota School of Business (look, a link)--"The Cost of Independence." It was about budgeting and how much one needs to make to be independent... I'll only need to make $16.98 an hour to live--with nice standards--independently witha roommate.
...That sounded just a little stupid, but whatever.
It was rather uplifting.
Also, I finished the picture of Eddis so I am presenting those to Sounis right now. Oh, would you like to see them as well?
But it was cold.
Today I discovered that Christopher Ott (and by conscious extension, his real-person Chris Rubinsky) speaks in Cockney rhyming slang! I had no idea! This guy is amazing. It was his sky-snake Quartz that claimed its existence and encouraged me to further develop the crew of the Daedalus, resulting in the continued importance of sky pirates. Hurray!
In econ we did a rather interesting activity, led by a speaker from the Minnesota School of Business (look, a link)--"The Cost of Independence." It was about budgeting and how much one needs to make to be independent... I'll only need to make $16.98 an hour to live--with nice standards--independently witha roommate.
...That sounded just a little stupid, but whatever.
It was rather uplifting.
Also, I finished the picture of Eddis so I am presenting those to Sounis right now. Oh, would you like to see them as well?
10.24.2007
We got a shock collar for Cody today.
We haven't put it on him yet, but it's because I took him for a walk and he decided to go for a run through the neighborhood. *wry smile*
So today I have been drawing Eddis. It's going... all right, I suppose. The curls look vaguely similar to curls. I suppose. But she's trying to be pretty! And she won't listen when I tell her she can't do that. >< *headdeskheaddesk*
I worked on my essay today~ I revised the structure, and it should work fine now.
Hrm... yep, I think those are just about the only interesting things that happened. We went to Anton's, which has spectacular food.
Sya--Yay for NaNo birthdays! When's yours? :D
Yeah, but at least it's SAT IIs and I won't have to write anything.
By the way, what is your NaNo name?
So today I have been drawing Eddis. It's going... all right, I suppose. The curls look vaguely similar to curls. I suppose. But she's trying to be pretty! And she won't listen when I tell her she can't do that. >< *headdeskheaddesk*
I worked on my essay today~ I revised the structure, and it should work fine now.
Hrm... yep, I think those are just about the only interesting things that happened. We went to Anton's, which has spectacular food.
Sya--Yay for NaNo birthdays! When's yours? :D
Yeah, but at least it's SAT IIs and I won't have to write anything.
By the way, what is your NaNo name?
10.23.2007
I don't know if you've noticed this, but...
IT'S ALMOST NOVEMBER.
It's one of those busy times again:
10/31: Halloween/L's birthday/Significant Person essay due.
11/1: NaNo starts.
11/2: My birthday. (Also Wedy's.)
11/3: SAT-IIs. Literature and English.
11/4: Ahhhhh, relax.
11/5: BLEH.
I think after that, it calms down, other than the whole NaNo thing. Ahahaha. OMG must knock on wood. *knocks*
Let's see, I know you can be calmer than that! *takes a deep breath*
Today I asked my band teacher if I can do any extra credit because of my A-. He said, "The computer calculates grades until the end of the quarter. Then I calculate them."
...
Okay. So it's based on effort and paying attention. I'm safe there.
Still... I would really like to earn it (because then I could guarantee it would bump up to an A... panicky-WOI worries that he considers an A- just fine which doesn't even make sense because I SAID I had an A-...) But yeah. That is a load mostly off my mind.
What else happened today? Well, in econ I very nearly fell asleep in the computer lab. Clearly someone didn't get enough sleep last night. In English I started my Sig-Person essay. It's going pretty well... I have a situation, but now I need to turn it around so it actually shows what happened. Plenty of rain, now I need to show the rainbow... but the rainbow didn't happen within those fifteen minutes. Sigh.
During freep I continued the essay and planned a bit more of my novel. *mild explosion because that's NEXT WEEK HOLY CREPE* Yep... that was pretty much my life today.
Oh! It was my brother's birthday. He got a soccer goal for the backyard. Currently, Cody wishes to go outside to bark at it, so I'd better take him.
It's one of those busy times again:
10/31: Halloween/L's birthday/Significant Person essay due.
11/1: NaNo starts.
11/2: My birthday. (Also Wedy's.)
11/3: SAT-IIs. Literature and English.
11/4: Ahhhhh, relax.
11/5: BLEH.
I think after that, it calms down, other than the whole NaNo thing. Ahahaha. OMG must knock on wood. *knocks*
Let's see, I know you can be calmer than that! *takes a deep breath*
Today I asked my band teacher if I can do any extra credit because of my A-. He said, "The computer calculates grades until the end of the quarter. Then I calculate them."
...
Okay. So it's based on effort and paying attention. I'm safe there.
Still... I would really like to earn it (because then I could guarantee it would bump up to an A... panicky-WOI worries that he considers an A- just fine which doesn't even make sense because I SAID I had an A-...) But yeah. That is a load mostly off my mind.
What else happened today? Well, in econ I very nearly fell asleep in the computer lab. Clearly someone didn't get enough sleep last night. In English I started my Sig-Person essay. It's going pretty well... I have a situation, but now I need to turn it around so it actually shows what happened. Plenty of rain, now I need to show the rainbow... but the rainbow didn't happen within those fifteen minutes. Sigh.
During freep I continued the essay and planned a bit more of my novel. *mild explosion because that's NEXT WEEK HOLY CREPE* Yep... that was pretty much my life today.
Oh! It was my brother's birthday. He got a soccer goal for the backyard. Currently, Cody wishes to go outside to bark at it, so I'd better take him.
10.22.2007
This will be brief.
I just am stressed and feel like banging some things out on the keys. Lunch is in like five minutes.
I currently have an A- in band because, as was previously established, I did not do well on the playing test. A C-, in fact. The rest of the semester's points--class participation and pep band attendance--I have completed, so I have 100% in both of those categories but a 72% in the test category. I don't know what to do! An A- wouldn't really bother me except that here, it does affect GPA. So I'm freaking out--I've had a perfect GPA all throughout high school, pleasantly weighted when that counts, and now this? Sob! So yes, that is stressful. ;_;
I don't know what I can do to make up for it. My only hope lies in the fact that the category is called "Improvement" so perhaps we are supposed to play it again near the end of the quarter? >< And my teacher isn't here today so I can't ask then! Criescriescries. I'm so stressed. This is completely ruining my freep.
Ding-dong! Lunch time.
I currently have an A- in band because, as was previously established, I did not do well on the playing test. A C-, in fact. The rest of the semester's points--class participation and pep band attendance--I have completed, so I have 100% in both of those categories but a 72% in the test category. I don't know what to do! An A- wouldn't really bother me except that here, it does affect GPA. So I'm freaking out--I've had a perfect GPA all throughout high school, pleasantly weighted when that counts, and now this? Sob! So yes, that is stressful. ;_;
I don't know what I can do to make up for it. My only hope lies in the fact that the category is called "Improvement" so perhaps we are supposed to play it again near the end of the quarter? >< And my teacher isn't here today so I can't ask then! Criescriescries. I'm so stressed. This is completely ruining my freep.
Ding-dong! Lunch time.
10.21.2007
Well I have little better to do right now...
Technically I COULD be reading The Odyssey, but that's not due for another week...
I stole this from Sya, who stole it from this thread on NaNo.
1.) What is your character's name? Hieronymus Bisby.
2.) What does he/she look like? Short brown hair and a moustache. Average height--about 5'7. Weight is normal, and no, I don't have an estimate on that.
3.) Where does he/she live? I actually have not figured this out yet. I really should, since he's going to be road-tripping to where I live... How about a suburb of Chicago?
4.) How old is he/she? Twenty-seven.
5.) What time period does he/she live in? Modern.
6.) Does he/she have any relatives? Hmm... parents that he calls about once or twice a month? No siblings.
7.) What is his/her favorite color? brown or navy blue.
8.) What is his/her favorite food? No idea.
9.) What types of clothes does he/she wear? On the weekends, usually a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. On weekdays, nice pants, collared shirt, and a blazer. Usually somewhere i the brown/tan spectrum
10.) Describe his/her pajamas: t-shirt and boxers.
11.) What is his/her favorite book? Hmm... something classical, something he would have read in school. I'm thinking Hemingway, but I've never actually read anything by Hemingway... (eep! Need to do that.)
12.) What is his/her favorite song/music genre? I'm really bad with genres. Slow rock? What does that sound like?
13.) How often does your character shower/brush his/her teeth? Showers every day before school. Brushes his teeth three times a day, including at school after lunch because he doesn't want to teach with crap stuck on his teeth.
14.) When was the last time he/she went out on a date? Hmmm... he dated another teacher-to-be for a while when he was a sophomore in college. They broke up because... Well, they didn't really break up. It sort of faded.
15.) Does he/she have allergies/asthma/some strange disease or susceptibility to disease? Nope.
16.) Does he/she play an instrument? No.
17.) Does he/she collect items? Nope.
18.) Does he/she have any friends? A few college friends, I guess... I guess I should probably involve one or two...
19.) If you could place your person in a high school, which groups would he/she "click" with? He's in a high school... but as a student, he'd probably gravitate towards the nerds/geeks without really standing out as one. An amateur geek.
20.) What hair styles does your character have? Boring ones. A little messy. I don't know how to describe guys' hair. ><
21.) If your character got lost in a forest, what would he/she do? Hmm... and this might actually turn out to be an important factor. He'd probably call someone and tell them, whether they could help him or not.
22.) If your character got flicked off by someone, what would he/she do? If it was a student, he'd probably discipline them by sending them to the principal or something. From one of the teachers, he'd feel hurt, possibly inadequate.
23.) If your character was asked out on a date by a random person, what would he/she do? ...He'd refuse, because he still has feelings for that girl he was going out in sophomore year, just because they never stated that it was over. Yeesh. (Some quick decisions about the girl: she studied abroad somewhere in Europe and got involved in a cushy ESL/teaching English as a language class over there, so she hasn't come back.)
24.) Does your character have any phobias? Nope.
25.) Does your character have a job/profession? Student teaching English at a high school.
26.) Is your character a morning person, or a late-night person? Both, he's still a student. xD;
27.) If your character met you, what would he/she say/do? Ahahahahahaha. I can't write that out, I need to wait. xD
28.) When is your character's birthday? I have no clue.
29.) What habits does your character have? Rubbing his temples when he's frustrated. He's a spectacular pencil-twirler. :D
30.) How would a character in your book who does not like this character describe him/her? A boring teacher. Despite his enthusiasm, he hasn't really developed a teaching style yet, so he's kinda boring.
Okay, I don't know where that girl came from. (Or, for that matter, where she is. Part of me wants to say the Netherlands.)
I stole this from Sya, who stole it from this thread on NaNo.
1.) What is your character's name? Hieronymus Bisby.
2.) What does he/she look like? Short brown hair and a moustache. Average height--about 5'7. Weight is normal, and no, I don't have an estimate on that.
3.) Where does he/she live? I actually have not figured this out yet. I really should, since he's going to be road-tripping to where I live... How about a suburb of Chicago?
4.) How old is he/she? Twenty-seven.
5.) What time period does he/she live in? Modern.
6.) Does he/she have any relatives? Hmm... parents that he calls about once or twice a month? No siblings.
7.) What is his/her favorite color? brown or navy blue.
8.) What is his/her favorite food? No idea.
9.) What types of clothes does he/she wear? On the weekends, usually a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. On weekdays, nice pants, collared shirt, and a blazer. Usually somewhere i the brown/tan spectrum
10.) Describe his/her pajamas: t-shirt and boxers.
11.) What is his/her favorite book? Hmm... something classical, something he would have read in school. I'm thinking Hemingway, but I've never actually read anything by Hemingway... (eep! Need to do that.)
12.) What is his/her favorite song/music genre? I'm really bad with genres. Slow rock? What does that sound like?
13.) How often does your character shower/brush his/her teeth? Showers every day before school. Brushes his teeth three times a day, including at school after lunch because he doesn't want to teach with crap stuck on his teeth.
14.) When was the last time he/she went out on a date? Hmmm... he dated another teacher-to-be for a while when he was a sophomore in college. They broke up because... Well, they didn't really break up. It sort of faded.
15.) Does he/she have allergies/asthma/some strange disease or susceptibility to disease? Nope.
16.) Does he/she play an instrument? No.
17.) Does he/she collect items? Nope.
18.) Does he/she have any friends? A few college friends, I guess... I guess I should probably involve one or two...
19.) If you could place your person in a high school, which groups would he/she "click" with? He's in a high school... but as a student, he'd probably gravitate towards the nerds/geeks without really standing out as one. An amateur geek.
20.) What hair styles does your character have? Boring ones. A little messy. I don't know how to describe guys' hair. ><
21.) If your character got lost in a forest, what would he/she do? Hmm... and this might actually turn out to be an important factor. He'd probably call someone and tell them, whether they could help him or not.
22.) If your character got flicked off by someone, what would he/she do? If it was a student, he'd probably discipline them by sending them to the principal or something. From one of the teachers, he'd feel hurt, possibly inadequate.
23.) If your character was asked out on a date by a random person, what would he/she do? ...He'd refuse, because he still has feelings for that girl he was going out in sophomore year, just because they never stated that it was over. Yeesh. (Some quick decisions about the girl: she studied abroad somewhere in Europe and got involved in a cushy ESL/teaching English as a language class over there, so she hasn't come back.)
24.) Does your character have any phobias? Nope.
25.) Does your character have a job/profession? Student teaching English at a high school.
26.) Is your character a morning person, or a late-night person? Both, he's still a student. xD;
27.) If your character met you, what would he/she say/do? Ahahahahahaha. I can't write that out, I need to wait. xD
28.) When is your character's birthday? I have no clue.
29.) What habits does your character have? Rubbing his temples when he's frustrated. He's a spectacular pencil-twirler. :D
30.) How would a character in your book who does not like this character describe him/her? A boring teacher. Despite his enthusiasm, he hasn't really developed a teaching style yet, so he's kinda boring.
Okay, I don't know where that girl came from. (Or, for that matter, where she is. Part of me wants to say the Netherlands.)
10.20.2007
I love my muse.
I love her I love her I love her.
The Heroic Quest is going to involve steampunk LARP-ing. With the sky pirates used in the OMWP dare. Yay for the crew of the Daedalus! I am so psyched.
Ahhhhhhh.
I'd better get back to designing them, then, since they're actually going to be rather major...
The Heroic Quest is going to involve steampunk LARP-ing. With the sky pirates used in the OMWP dare. Yay for the crew of the Daedalus! I am so psyched.
Ahhhhhhh.
I'd better get back to designing them, then, since they're actually going to be rather major...
10.19.2007
So-far soundtrack to Hieronymus Bisby:
Hieronymus Bisby: It’s a Holiday Tomorrow (?), Rustle
Yeah, Right:
*Calli: You Mean, During the Break?
Miranda: Supper of the Old Days (?)
Miranda’s Irritation: Hello, Kitty Girl
A Heroic Quest: Brave Willing & TP Medly
Crazy School: Of All Circumstances, Hang On
Penguin Stampede: Miss Yukari Goes Wild 1&2
Once More, With (Sky) Pirates!: Naval Affair
Meeting the Author: Pone, Refrain of Memory, Family Portrait (lain)
Reaction to a Dare: …Well, It’s a Tightrope,
>>Also used for discovering what WallofIllusion writes
Class Discussion: What Are You Talking About?
Jindal (if they meet him): Misty, Strange Dimension
Mostly Azumanga Daioh and Last Exile stuff, with a few others. I need to go through the Azu again to find out which one will work for "Yeah, Right" (I have the tune in mind, but I don't remember what it's called), and Calli's theme is uncertain. She's the one I'm having the most trouble with... I sort of want to make it some indie-pop song, but lyrics would distract me, and unless they're exactly fitted to her personality, it'll just be impossible. So at the moment she gets one of the upbeat break themes.
...Yeah, it really doesn't fit. *headdesk* Back to the... listening board? A DJ Tsar song, perhaps... and I want to be high-pitched and fairly bouncy... No, I know most of those already! Maybe something J-pop-ish? *walks off muttering*
I do rather like "Hello, Kitty Girl" for "Miranda's Irritation."
EDIT: Okay, I've got a more solid list now.
What else I did today: I started writing a history of the Twili from the perspective of Jindal, as told to Anachron. I guess you wouldn't mind seeing that, huh? ("You" tte dare nan da yo.) I'll type it up at the end of the entry, spoilers as usual...
We also went and got passports today. That was long... and after that we went shopping. First at TJ Maxx--I got knit armwarmers with removable gloves. How much does that ROCK? Oh, and I got a shirt. Then Barnes&Noble, where I got Reborn 5. Ranking Futa for the win! You know, this author really can create lovely characters. And then off to Kohl's, where I got several long-sleeved shirts. Stocking up for the winter.
And then I came home and did ^that. :3
Okay, so the Twili history dealio. The spoilers start here.
...Oh, and by the way, I don't own the Legend of Zelda franchise. I don't think I've been disclaiming anything in here. Sorry for misleading you.
~
We were not kind people.
You know enough to know that, right? We tried to take over the world. But even before we tried to force our way into the Sacred Realm, we were warlike, ruthless. Little better than a tribe of wandering raiders.
For example: I learned to use a knife when I was three and was a master by the time I was five. It wasn't an uncommon thing. Everyone in the tribe could fight.
And then there was the magic.
You've seen our destructive magic--utilized it. My Princess has remembered it, though generation upon generation has forgotten. I don't know how she remembered it... I can't know. There are things I can't do despite the divinity I've been granted. Semi-divinity, I suppose. But I'll get to that later.
Do you understand? All of us, even the children, made our living by killing and stealing. We were cruel, immoral. And power-hungry, as you know.
I became the prince of the tribe. Became. I wasn't born into the role, just as my father wasn't born into the role of king. Father took that position when I was six--murdered the former king of our tribe. And Mother and I helped finish off the royal family.
...You are disgusted. Would it calm you at all to know that I am, too? What my parents and I did was despicable. A few thousand years in the light of the Sols has ground that knowledge into my mind.
But I said am, not was--I was not disgustedwith my actions at the time. I was... vicious. Energized.
You look rather ill; shall we move on?
I apologize. The history of my tribe is not pleasant.
My father--we--did not exterminate the previous royalty without... reason. He had an idea for our tribe to gain more power--yes. It was my father who came up with the plan to break into the Sacred Realm. The previous ruler wouldn't allow it--but don't assume it was out of wisdom that he refused. He was unambitious, yes, but obsessed with his own power. Miserly--despicable.
But then, my father was despicable as well, and I.
We're pathetic people.
As for how we [intended to get? got? I forget] into the Sacred Realm, I can't really tell you. I don't remember--the goddesses made sure to wipe that particular memory from our minds, along with our ambition and cruelty. In their mercy.
All I know is that it involved combining* our power in support of Mother and Father, who were the ones to actually trespass in the Secred Realm.
And of course you know the outcome of that attempt.
I do remember some things--most thoroughly, pain. That has always bothered me the most. I don't remember what it felt like to be as focused as I was, but occasionally, back when I could still sleep, I would remember in dreams the pain of that focus being broken. It was like a knife going through my forehead. The pain drove everyone to unconsciouness.
~
*This turned into a nanoism when I was handwriting it: combing, rather than combining.
Please note that when Jindal refers to things as "my," he's not really being loving/respectful like Gen saying "My Queen." Think more along the lines of Gollum's myyyy preciousssssssss.
Yeah, Right:
*Calli: You Mean, During the Break?
Miranda: Supper of the Old Days (?)
Miranda’s Irritation: Hello, Kitty Girl
A Heroic Quest: Brave Willing & TP Medly
Crazy School: Of All Circumstances, Hang On
Penguin Stampede: Miss Yukari Goes Wild 1&2
Once More, With (Sky) Pirates!: Naval Affair
Meeting the Author: Pone, Refrain of Memory, Family Portrait (lain)
Reaction to a Dare: …Well, It’s a Tightrope,
>>Also used for discovering what WallofIllusion writes
Class Discussion: What Are You Talking About?
Jindal (if they meet him): Misty, Strange Dimension
Mostly Azumanga Daioh and Last Exile stuff, with a few others. I need to go through the Azu again to find out which one will work for "Yeah, Right" (I have the tune in mind, but I don't remember what it's called), and Calli's theme is uncertain. She's the one I'm having the most trouble with... I sort of want to make it some indie-pop song, but lyrics would distract me, and unless they're exactly fitted to her personality, it'll just be impossible. So at the moment she gets one of the upbeat break themes.
...Yeah, it really doesn't fit. *headdesk* Back to the... listening board? A DJ Tsar song, perhaps... and I want to be high-pitched and fairly bouncy... No, I know most of those already! Maybe something J-pop-ish? *walks off muttering*
I do rather like "Hello, Kitty Girl" for "Miranda's Irritation."
EDIT: Okay, I've got a more solid list now.
Hieronymus Bisby: Of All Circumstances
Yeah, Right: Somehow
Calliope: Forest Cake
Miranda: 期待
Miranda’s Indignation: Hello, Kitty Girl
A Heroic Quest: Brave Willing & TP Medly
Crazy School: Hang On
Penguin Stampede: Miss Yukari Goes Wild 1&2
Once More, With (Sky) Pirates!: Naval Affair
Meeting the Author: Pone, Refrain of Memory, Family Portrait (lain)
Reaction to a Dare: …Well, It’s a Tightrope,
>Also used for discovering what WallofIllusion writes
Class Discussion: What Are You Talking About?
Jindal (if they meet him): Misty, Strange Dimension
What else I did today: I started writing a history of the Twili from the perspective of Jindal, as told to Anachron. I guess you wouldn't mind seeing that, huh? ("You" tte dare nan da yo.) I'll type it up at the end of the entry, spoilers as usual...
We also went and got passports today. That was long... and after that we went shopping. First at TJ Maxx--I got knit armwarmers with removable gloves. How much does that ROCK? Oh, and I got a shirt. Then Barnes&Noble, where I got Reborn 5. Ranking Futa for the win! You know, this author really can create lovely characters. And then off to Kohl's, where I got several long-sleeved shirts. Stocking up for the winter.
And then I came home and did ^that. :3
Okay, so the Twili history dealio. The spoilers start here.
...Oh, and by the way, I don't own the Legend of Zelda franchise. I don't think I've been disclaiming anything in here. Sorry for misleading you.
~
We were not kind people.
You know enough to know that, right? We tried to take over the world. But even before we tried to force our way into the Sacred Realm, we were warlike, ruthless. Little better than a tribe of wandering raiders.
For example: I learned to use a knife when I was three and was a master by the time I was five. It wasn't an uncommon thing. Everyone in the tribe could fight.
And then there was the magic.
You've seen our destructive magic--utilized it. My Princess has remembered it, though generation upon generation has forgotten. I don't know how she remembered it... I can't know. There are things I can't do despite the divinity I've been granted. Semi-divinity, I suppose. But I'll get to that later.
Do you understand? All of us, even the children, made our living by killing and stealing. We were cruel, immoral. And power-hungry, as you know.
I became the prince of the tribe. Became. I wasn't born into the role, just as my father wasn't born into the role of king. Father took that position when I was six--murdered the former king of our tribe. And Mother and I helped finish off the royal family.
...You are disgusted. Would it calm you at all to know that I am, too? What my parents and I did was despicable. A few thousand years in the light of the Sols has ground that knowledge into my mind.
But I said am, not was--I was not disgustedwith my actions at the time. I was... vicious. Energized.
You look rather ill; shall we move on?
I apologize. The history of my tribe is not pleasant.
My father--we--did not exterminate the previous royalty without... reason. He had an idea for our tribe to gain more power--yes. It was my father who came up with the plan to break into the Sacred Realm. The previous ruler wouldn't allow it--but don't assume it was out of wisdom that he refused. He was unambitious, yes, but obsessed with his own power. Miserly--despicable.
But then, my father was despicable as well, and I.
We're pathetic people.
As for how we [intended to get? got? I forget] into the Sacred Realm, I can't really tell you. I don't remember--the goddesses made sure to wipe that particular memory from our minds, along with our ambition and cruelty. In their mercy.
All I know is that it involved combining* our power in support of Mother and Father, who were the ones to actually trespass in the Secred Realm.
And of course you know the outcome of that attempt.
I do remember some things--most thoroughly, pain. That has always bothered me the most. I don't remember what it felt like to be as focused as I was, but occasionally, back when I could still sleep, I would remember in dreams the pain of that focus being broken. It was like a knife going through my forehead. The pain drove everyone to unconsciouness.
~
*This turned into a nanoism when I was handwriting it: combing, rather than combining.
Please note that when Jindal refers to things as "my," he's not really being loving/respectful like Gen saying "My Queen." Think more along the lines of Gollum's myyyy preciousssssssss.
10.18.2007
Well, at least you listen to HIM...
That's what a fanfiction in my head said... probably won't go anywhere. If he doesn't want her to know why he ripped his room to shreds...
...Am I going to be flayed? O_O
Anyway, today I relaxed a lot. A LOT. We didn't have school because of MEA. Whatever that is. It was lovely. Did some work on the Attolia picture... All that's left to be done is her jewelry. Why oh why did I add the necklace? Seriously. I could-have-should-have stopped with the headband and the earrings.
I'm going to draw Eddis next... because Mom wants to see what I'd do with her. Eddis... is not pretty, but she has a beautiful smile. And curly hair, and a broken nose.
I'm going to die.
I drew a sketch at the restaurant we went to after C&T's soccer team CREAMED the other team (6-0, and it was rainy and wet and icky). Twice she tried to become pretty, but in between those odd moments, I had this conversation with myself multiple times.
"Gah! She looks like a guy!"
"Yes. That is a good thing."
"asdfghjkl;."
Good night.
...Am I going to be flayed? O_O
Anyway, today I relaxed a lot. A LOT. We didn't have school because of MEA. Whatever that is. It was lovely. Did some work on the Attolia picture... All that's left to be done is her jewelry. Why oh why did I add the necklace? Seriously. I could-have-should-have stopped with the headband and the earrings.
I'm going to draw Eddis next... because Mom wants to see what I'd do with her. Eddis... is not pretty, but she has a beautiful smile. And curly hair, and a broken nose.
I'm going to die.
I drew a sketch at the restaurant we went to after C&T's soccer team CREAMED the other team (6-0, and it was rainy and wet and icky). Twice she tried to become pretty, but in between those odd moments, I had this conversation with myself multiple times.
"Gah! She looks like a guy!"
"Yes. That is a good thing."
"asdfghjkl;."
Good night.
10.16.2007
I'm going to finish my NaNovel.
I know this with absolute certainty. You see, today I promised myself that I'd get myself King of Attolia in Japanese if I finish.
This is an almost ridiculously effective bribe.
Today in English, we got our Significant Event essays back. I got an A. And the teacher from the college (since it's college English, you know) read it out loud. Even though it's so... passive. I mean, other people wrote about breaking bones or catching important passes or family members dying... I wrote about finishing translating a book! It's so... devoid of action!
That said, I may use it as a basis for my college app essay. Mother wants me to write something about my surgeries and how they've shaped me... Except that I don't think they have, and those don't have anything to do with my major-to-be.
My fingers are quite cold right now.
Oh, I spent much of the day shading a picture of Attolia. It's a different one from the one I started on Sunday... I finally admitted to myself that I didn't like the look of the first one. This one's going quite well though, except for the fact that I'm shading it rather than leaving it blank to attempt to color on paint.NET. Oh well... I'll find something else to color with that.
This is an almost ridiculously effective bribe.
Today in English, we got our Significant Event essays back. I got an A. And the teacher from the college (since it's college English, you know) read it out loud. Even though it's so... passive. I mean, other people wrote about breaking bones or catching important passes or family members dying... I wrote about finishing translating a book! It's so... devoid of action!
That said, I may use it as a basis for my college app essay. Mother wants me to write something about my surgeries and how they've shaped me... Except that I don't think they have, and those don't have anything to do with my major-to-be.
My fingers are quite cold right now.
Oh, I spent much of the day shading a picture of Attolia. It's a different one from the one I started on Sunday... I finally admitted to myself that I didn't like the look of the first one. This one's going quite well though, except for the fact that I'm shading it rather than leaving it blank to attempt to color on paint.NET. Oh well... I'll find something else to color with that.
10.15.2007
Break down and tell, break down and tell... that you are
I have basically had that song in my head all day, because part of it reminds me of the Queen's Thief books.
(This is where you ask why I'm saying that here, not in Sounis.)
Because I'm shy and also because I don't feel like finding or typing out the lyrics right now.
What else happened today? Well for most of my freep the library computers were in use. *wince* Seeing as how that's my main plan for getting my NaNovel done... I might wind up hand-writing a bunch. DX Augh! Hand-writing things that then must be typed in a hurry is such a pain. You get in a hurry and your hands hurt and they keep hurting even when your friend nearly falls out of her chair in shock. [/oddly specific]
I'm getting plenty of pleasant reviews on my still-untitled QT fanfiction. ^_^ Which is nice, because the night before I actually submitted it I dreamt that I had submitted it and got two unhappy ones. Guess what was on my mind that night.
(This is where you ask why I'm saying that here, not in Sounis.)
Because I'm shy and also because I don't feel like finding or typing out the lyrics right now.
What else happened today? Well for most of my freep the library computers were in use. *wince* Seeing as how that's my main plan for getting my NaNovel done... I might wind up hand-writing a bunch. DX Augh! Hand-writing things that then must be typed in a hurry is such a pain. You get in a hurry and your hands hurt and they keep hurting even when your friend nearly falls out of her chair in shock. [/oddly specific]
I'm getting plenty of pleasant reviews on my still-untitled QT fanfiction. ^_^ Which is nice, because the night before I actually submitted it I dreamt that I had submitted it and got two unhappy ones. Guess what was on my mind that night.
10.14.2007
I have a random pep band song in my head.
Seriously. I don't even remember which one it is.
Yesterday I chatted. :o About... well, not about the Attolia books (which are semi-officially called the Queen's Thief books. Remember that now)--most of it was drastically off-topic, inc--
OMG NEW RED/GOLD HEADBAND ON GAIA, must tektek now--
--luding playing tag and me having my ears-not-hand cut off. But in a chat room designed to talk about it, set up by that LJ community that Checkers--who is apparently a Big Name Fan--indicated to me.
Yes, I joined it. Meaning that I joined LJ.
WallofIllusion and (gah!) Anachron were both taken, so I'm Jindal. ...Jindal is a guy. It's rather odd. But I'm Jindal. I suppose if I get bored I can write in-character entries... About what, I don't know. He may be meeting Hieronymus if I can dance around indicating exactly where he's from, so he could talk about that...
Oh, you wanted to see it? Here. http://jindal.livejournal.com/
Seriously, I'm probably not going to write post anything to jindal. I mean I've posted an introduction to sounis and that fanfiction to queensthief-fic but I'm unlikely to post anything about me. Hontou yo.
Also last night I started drawing Attolia.
...They all call her Irene, and it's a little odd for me. I mean... I dunno. I've never really called her that... But by all means, to fit in...
All that aside. Last night I started to draw Attolia, and I'm just basically filling in details now... then I'll scan it in and color it with paint.NET.
(Regarding tektek: Attolia does not have wings. Not even for the sake of balance does she have wings.)
(Also regarding tektek: There are now more canary-suiting colors.)
(Also also regarding tektek: I love the Egyptian anklets/bracelets so much. Instant gold balance..)
Today I made a nanoism:
"According to the epicurean way of thought, a successful life is one that brings the liver as much pleasure as possible..."
...You know, a person who lives.
And I worked on the Attolia picture. And this morning we went to church. Oh, and I made two icons! Screenshots were from that same person.
Yesterday I chatted. :o About... well, not about the Attolia books (which are semi-officially called the Queen's Thief books. Remember that now)--most of it was drastically off-topic, inc--
OMG NEW RED/GOLD HEADBAND ON GAIA, must tektek now--
--luding playing tag and me having my ears-not-hand cut off. But in a chat room designed to talk about it, set up by that LJ community that Checkers--who is apparently a Big Name Fan--indicated to me.
Yes, I joined it. Meaning that I joined LJ.
WallofIllusion and (gah!) Anachron were both taken, so I'm Jindal. ...Jindal is a guy. It's rather odd. But I'm Jindal. I suppose if I get bored I can write in-character entries... About what, I don't know. He may be meeting Hieronymus if I can dance around indicating exactly where he's from, so he could talk about that...
Oh, you wanted to see it? Here. http://jindal.livejournal.com/
Seriously, I'm probably not going to write post anything to jindal. I mean I've posted an introduction to sounis and that fanfiction to queensthief-fic but I'm unlikely to post anything about me. Hontou yo.
Also last night I started drawing Attolia.
...They all call her Irene, and it's a little odd for me. I mean... I dunno. I've never really called her that... But by all means, to fit in...
All that aside. Last night I started to draw Attolia, and I'm just basically filling in details now... then I'll scan it in and color it with paint.NET.
(Regarding tektek: Attolia does not have wings. Not even for the sake of balance does she have wings.)
(Also regarding tektek: There are now more canary-suiting colors.)
(Also also regarding tektek: I love the Egyptian anklets/bracelets so much. Instant gold balance..)
Today I made a nanoism:
"According to the epicurean way of thought, a successful life is one that brings the liver as much pleasure as possible..."
...You know, a person who lives.
And I worked on the Attolia picture. And this morning we went to church. Oh, and I made two icons! Screenshots were from that same person.
10.12.2007
Cody says hi.
And then he walked right back out of the room. XD That silly puppy of ours. He got quite riled up tonight; we were watching Court Jester. Good movie, that, though I kept trying to connect things to court life in Attolia. *shakes head* Primarily for clothes issues, though if I want to write them I should have an idea of how things are set up anyway...
And anyway none of the clothes looked fitting. Though there's a coat on Gaia that seriously made me want to tektek Gen, an Elegent-set one... *runs off and does so*
THERE ARE INSUFFICIENT CANARY-SUITING ITEMS. >:C
Here.
Tis Gen.
I made Attolia earlier today, but I was unsatisfied with it. (Though I did like the combination of Golden Laurels with the Glamrock Ruby Headband for her headband, and the red/gold heart earrings. XDD)
...Oh, dang, I could have made the shades of yellow NOT MATCH! Hello! Oh well. That would defeat the purpose of tektekking...
Um, there are very possibly NaNo people reading this. And they are wondering what on Earth I am talking about. (But if they understood, that would be awesome! I brought Queen of Attolia to school today and there was a girl who had read it. <3)
I suppose it wouldn't really surprise a NaNoer that I'm insane, aren't we all?
It's odd having other people read this. xD Or even thinking aobut the possibility. It's a strange possibility, despite the fact that that's the point of putting it on the Internet.
Anyway... I'm trying to play with ideas to distance Hieronymus Bisby from Stranger than Fiction a little more. So far my main option is to have the psychic (twice I've named her Clara and twice she has rejected the name, so I need to find a different name for her, as well as a description etc etc) encouraging Bisby to do things as concisely as possible in order to fool the author and make her lose interest in this whole mad project. There is a point to this. I'm not sure I'm willing to reveal it quite yet... (Dare ni?) The author then responds by forcing him into inconvenient situations. ...Or something.
And anyway none of the clothes looked fitting. Though there's a coat on Gaia that seriously made me want to tektek Gen, an Elegent-set one... *runs off and does so*
THERE ARE INSUFFICIENT CANARY-SUITING ITEMS. >:C
Here.
Tis Gen.
I made Attolia earlier today, but I was unsatisfied with it. (Though I did like the combination of Golden Laurels with the Glamrock Ruby Headband for her headband, and the red/gold heart earrings. XDD)
...Oh, dang, I could have made the shades of yellow NOT MATCH! Hello! Oh well. That would defeat the purpose of tektekking...
Um, there are very possibly NaNo people reading this. And they are wondering what on Earth I am talking about. (But if they understood, that would be awesome! I brought Queen of Attolia to school today and there was a girl who had read it. <3)
I suppose it wouldn't really surprise a NaNoer that I'm insane, aren't we all?
It's odd having other people read this. xD Or even thinking aobut the possibility. It's a strange possibility, despite the fact that that's the point of putting it on the Internet.
Anyway... I'm trying to play with ideas to distance Hieronymus Bisby from Stranger than Fiction a little more. So far my main option is to have the psychic (twice I've named her Clara and twice she has rejected the name, so I need to find a different name for her, as well as a description etc etc) encouraging Bisby to do things as concisely as possible in order to fool the author and make her lose interest in this whole mad project. There is a point to this. I'm not sure I'm willing to reveal it quite yet... (Dare ni?) The author then responds by forcing him into inconvenient situations. ...Or something.
10.11.2007
I think I have a plan.
I think I shall finish planning and start writing "Leak" (...Leak...?) (Have more confidence in yourself!) this month; Hieronymus Bisby's Abruptly Not-Ordinary Life, being more NaNo-specific, will be written next month.
This means I need random scenarios to put Hieronymus in. Poor man. He's going to suffer. Particularly on the fifth. Eyurgh, that's coming up.
I'm feeling slightly better now.
This means I need random scenarios to put Hieronymus in. Poor man. He's going to suffer. Particularly on the fifth. Eyurgh, that's coming up.
I'm feeling slightly better now.
10.10.2007
Darn that muse of mine.
She just gave me a new idea. A new, completely different idea. It involves the name I've wanted to use--Hieronymous Bisby, I mean, who can pass up an amazing name like that?--and it would be completely un-serious. He gets a call one day informing him that he's a character in a novel by an increasingly desperate author who needs to write 50k words by the end of the month. (Wait, this sounds familiar!) He then goes on a quest to find this author and convince her to stop throwing random things (like fifteen-chickens-in-every-chapter) into his life.
Anyway... I still have a cold, and THAT THING started today. What a miserable combination. Good night.
Anyway... I still have a cold, and THAT THING started today. What a miserable combination. Good night.
10.09.2007
-points accusingly- SHE FAILS!
She fails at this whole daily-blogging thing. u.u;
For a while she wasn't failing, but now she's failing at it.
I have a cold. It is an icky cold. Trying to sleep tonight will be irritating.
Last night, I... semi-wrote something... in my head...
Oh, would you like to see some planning for my novel-which-is-tentatively-called-Leak-just-like-Choking-was-
tentatively-called-Choking? I spend much of my freeps babbling into a Word file about it. Umm... I suppose this could contain spoilers, if you consider my novel-in-pre-progress something that can be spoiled.
Also, did you want to know what I was semi-writing last night?
It was a Twilight Princess thing... Sorta. Actually remember the whole prophecy thing, and I said that TP-Zelda is the one to write in that bit about the Twili?
Well, how do you think she found that little tidbit out?
You don't think it was pleasant, do you?
And if it's unpleasant, then WOI will write it! :D
...Except, it's not actually going to get me anywhere, and it's not like I need it... mmmrf.
Umm...
I should probably go to sleep early. >< Sorry.
For a while she wasn't failing, but now she's failing at it.
I have a cold. It is an icky cold. Trying to sleep tonight will be irritating.
Last night, I... semi-wrote something... in my head...
Oh, would you like to see some planning for my novel-which-is-tentatively-called-Leak-just-like-Choking-was-
tentatively-called-Choking? I spend much of my freeps babbling into a Word file about it. Umm... I suppose this could contain spoilers, if you consider my novel-in-pre-progress something that can be spoiled.
Okay! Next chapter is when our buddy Dawdin shows up. Maybe not in the master bathroom? I’m thinking downstairs, possibly basement would be good. Ah, how’s this? Alex wants to make something. Clothes. She asks Milwaukee (I typed Myra; it’s official, I need to diversify the names) if her uncle had any old curtains or anything down in the basement. Curtains? Yeah, wanna make totally didn’t type that whole line out, what are you talking about? So Mil gives her a oO look and says maybe there might be So Alex goes down to look and as she’s going, Boo! There’s a person there Insert copious description :D Tis Dawdin. They of course don’t know his name yet. gray skin teal eyes clothes as drawn. He is… short. They have become shorter because of cramped quarters. They don’t live by evolution, they’re freaking magic! Halfling size. Hair… I haven’t decided yet. D: The YELLOWORANGE!!! of Twili might be a little… blatant. xD Though most of them (Zant included) do have rather faint hair… but sun bleaches hair, so maybe the color’s really strong… hrm. Nah, I want them to have a pale, sickly sort of look to them, so pale hair. AND SHE SCREAMS! and Mil and Michelle (who may wind up being Claire) run downstairs. Alex and Mil are both freakspazzing like WHO ARE YOU but Claire just points at him—just points. That’s all. Really simplistic. We’re not going for UBERFANTASY at all, so no incantations or crap. No offense to anyone who likes incantations, but why are you reading this anyway? You’re not. I’m starting to think I won’t get any nanoisms. I’m too quick to find my mistakes and I refuse to remove my backspace key. Some people do that. YOU ARE NOT ON TOPIC. Omoshiroku natteru no ni. Anyway she points and these smoky white cables shoot out of her not points, open hand shoot out of her fingers and bind Dawdin. And here’s the rub. Why does she leave Myra? Maybe… she’s a fighter? And if Mil or Alex try to do anything… ka na? It’s workable. So Claire runs off like taihentaihen nah doesn’t run off goes off in a controlled manner, telling Myra to take care of everything there, if they try to contact anyone or anything. (That sounds like “contact anything.” Ohhh spirits, there is a strange man in our house…) THERE’S ANOTHER GIRL CALLED R----- HERE. Douse once Claire is gone, Myra starts talking. :D First she kind of says out loud that maa mou michatta kara shou ga nai ne AHA! urawaza da!
Also, did you want to know what I was semi-writing last night?
It was a Twilight Princess thing... Sorta. Actually remember the whole prophecy thing, and I said that TP-Zelda is the one to write in that bit about the Twili?
Well, how do you think she found that little tidbit out?
You don't think it was pleasant, do you?
And if it's unpleasant, then WOI will write it! :D
...Except, it's not actually going to get me anywhere, and it's not like I need it... mmmrf.
Umm...
I should probably go to sleep early. >< Sorry.
10.05.2007
I come bearing writing!
Yes.
Nothing really interesting has happened in the day (days?) since I last posted. Today someone stuck a small piece of gum in my hair. Charming. Also, the team we played against in football tonight was called the Spuds.
Oh, hee hee. So have I mentioned that Mother has been reading the Attolia books? She's on Queen right now and a little while ago, I asked her where she was... "They just kidnapped the queen," she said.
I go o_O and say, "Either you were quite sleepy while you were reading, or they really just just kidnapped the queen."
So now today she looks at me and says, "I know now why you said that." XD <33333 Yes yes, there is writing to be had. I hadn't an eraser today for the pep band sketchbook, so instead of drawing I set down part of a TP fanfiction I've had in my head for a while. Spoilers for DA end. --
Two princesses sat at a corner table at the bar.
The were the only ones there. After Telma had recovered from the initial shock of having a beat-up Link, the royal princess, and another vaguely royal-looking woman of unknown race show up at her door, she'd cleared the bar so they could have some peace. And when Link nearly fell asleep in his mug, Telma bustled him off to her bed to rest; then, with a tactful smile, she'd gone out to "do some shopping." (Almost all the stores were closed by now.)
So there the princesses sat.
Over her mug, Midna kept stealing glances towards Telma's room.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Zelda said with a serene smile. "He just needs a little rest."
"I know that," Midna retorted, slightly miffed. She shot Zelda a reproachful look.
Zelda's face did not change in reply. Softly, she said, "You love him."
It wasn't a question; she didn't need to ask. Midna looked away sullenly. "It doesn't matter."
"Of course it does--"
"It doesn't." Flatly. "The Mirror needs to be broken and it doesn't matter that I love him."
Zelda was silent.
Midna stared into her mug. "It's not a surprise to you," she stated. "You felt all of that, didn't you?"
Gently, Zelda nodded. Their hearts had been intertwined as Midna realized what she felt for Link. As she saw the harm the Mirror could cause. As she slowly ackgnowledged what she would have to do.
Such suffering you've endured.
"Does he know?" Zelda asked quietly.
"That I love him?" Midna tilted her head in thought. "I don't know. Maybe."
"That you're going to break the Mirror."
"Oh." Midna closed her eyes and sighed. "I said once or twice that it needed to be done. I didn't say I'd do it."
"But you are going to break it."
Despair in her eyes, Midna looked at Zelda. "Princess, you're Wisdom, aren't you?"
Zelda nodded, not questioning the sudden turn in conversation.
"Tell me I don't need to do it. Tell me the Mirror is fine, that the goddesses wanted it to be there. Then I won't break it."
Zelda touched Midna's hand in sympathy. "I cannot tell you that; it would not be true."
"Then why is it there?" Midna demanded hopelessly.
"I don't know," Zelda confessed. "But in your heart, you know that it must be broken."
Midna said nothing. She pulled back her hand to take another sip of her mead. When she lowered her mug again, there were tears in her eyes.
Zelda knew what she was thinking.
Somehow I have to say goodbye to him.
So many times, the thought had flitted on the edges of Midna's mind, and she'd tried not to acknowledge it. She was still trying.
"I'm going to sit with him until he wakes up," Midna said, rising. "Good night, Princess."
"Good night," Zelda replied seriously. "Thank you for all of your efforts."
To her surprise, Midna gave a delicate snort. "That sounds so stuffy," she muttered.
Zelda smiled softly. "Sorry."
Nothing really interesting has happened in the day (days?) since I last posted. Today someone stuck a small piece of gum in my hair. Charming. Also, the team we played against in football tonight was called the Spuds.
Oh, hee hee. So have I mentioned that Mother has been reading the Attolia books? She's on Queen right now and a little while ago, I asked her where she was... "They just kidnapped the queen," she said.
I go o_O and say, "Either you were quite sleepy while you were reading, or they really just just kidnapped the queen."
So now today she looks at me and says, "I know now why you said that." XD <33333 Yes yes, there is writing to be had. I hadn't an eraser today for the pep band sketchbook, so instead of drawing I set down part of a TP fanfiction I've had in my head for a while. Spoilers for DA end. --
Two princesses sat at a corner table at the bar.
The were the only ones there. After Telma had recovered from the initial shock of having a beat-up Link, the royal princess, and another vaguely royal-looking woman of unknown race show up at her door, she'd cleared the bar so they could have some peace. And when Link nearly fell asleep in his mug, Telma bustled him off to her bed to rest; then, with a tactful smile, she'd gone out to "do some shopping." (Almost all the stores were closed by now.)
So there the princesses sat.
Over her mug, Midna kept stealing glances towards Telma's room.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Zelda said with a serene smile. "He just needs a little rest."
"I know that," Midna retorted, slightly miffed. She shot Zelda a reproachful look.
Zelda's face did not change in reply. Softly, she said, "You love him."
It wasn't a question; she didn't need to ask. Midna looked away sullenly. "It doesn't matter."
"Of course it does--"
"It doesn't." Flatly. "The Mirror needs to be broken and it doesn't matter that I love him."
Zelda was silent.
Midna stared into her mug. "It's not a surprise to you," she stated. "You felt all of that, didn't you?"
Gently, Zelda nodded. Their hearts had been intertwined as Midna realized what she felt for Link. As she saw the harm the Mirror could cause. As she slowly ackgnowledged what she would have to do.
Such suffering you've endured.
"Does he know?" Zelda asked quietly.
"That I love him?" Midna tilted her head in thought. "I don't know. Maybe."
"That you're going to break the Mirror."
"Oh." Midna closed her eyes and sighed. "I said once or twice that it needed to be done. I didn't say I'd do it."
"But you are going to break it."
Despair in her eyes, Midna looked at Zelda. "Princess, you're Wisdom, aren't you?"
Zelda nodded, not questioning the sudden turn in conversation.
"Tell me I don't need to do it. Tell me the Mirror is fine, that the goddesses wanted it to be there. Then I won't break it."
Zelda touched Midna's hand in sympathy. "I cannot tell you that; it would not be true."
"Then why is it there?" Midna demanded hopelessly.
"I don't know," Zelda confessed. "But in your heart, you know that it must be broken."
Midna said nothing. She pulled back her hand to take another sip of her mead. When she lowered her mug again, there were tears in her eyes.
Zelda knew what she was thinking.
Somehow I have to say goodbye to him.
So many times, the thought had flitted on the edges of Midna's mind, and she'd tried not to acknowledge it. She was still trying.
"I'm going to sit with him until he wakes up," Midna said, rising. "Good night, Princess."
"Good night," Zelda replied seriously. "Thank you for all of your efforts."
To her surprise, Midna gave a delicate snort. "That sounds so stuffy," she muttered.
Zelda smiled softly. "Sorry."
10.03.2007
Where did this ambition come from?
The Undergrounders from my story decided to overthrow the Wizards' government. What the heck? Where did that ambition COME from? They're supposed to be based on the Twili, for goodness' sake! Augh.
This morning after I finished my computer lab Econ work I went wandering. I visited the Japanese Death Note site and found that one of the DVD covers contained a scene from freakin' 58. *hatred* And it was the biggest one pictured! *hatredhatredhatredanddistress* Hatred. And then I went to the English one and there was still no "Extras" (they've been "Coming Soon" since the beginning of the summer!). And. I went to Right Stuf to see if there was any merch--there was, by the way, but only one L thing, I mean seriously, grr--and. The novel was there. Coming out in February. So now I'm dealing with a search for a new dream... again.
This, and the whole 58 thing, resulted in an awful mood. It evaporated by lunch, though.
...Yeah, it makes me unhappy, but dang it, I'd been hoping. Is a demon, is a demon, is a demon. Dang it, how many times are you going to tell yourself that before you'll stop relying on hope? How could you ever get the novel? You're seventeen, no experience, no idea how the translating industry works. There's no reason whatsoever you should have been embracing a dream like that. You translated it and that should be more than enough for you.
That's all.
This morning after I finished my computer lab Econ work I went wandering. I visited the Japanese Death Note site and found that one of the DVD covers contained a scene from freakin' 58. *hatred* And it was the biggest one pictured! *hatredhatredhatredanddistress* Hatred. And then I went to the English one and there was still no "Extras" (they've been "Coming Soon" since the beginning of the summer!). And. I went to Right Stuf to see if there was any merch--there was, by the way, but only one L thing, I mean seriously, grr--and. The novel was there. Coming out in February. So now I'm dealing with a search for a new dream... again.
This, and the whole 58 thing, resulted in an awful mood. It evaporated by lunch, though.
...Yeah, it makes me unhappy, but dang it, I'd been hoping. Is a demon, is a demon, is a demon. Dang it, how many times are you going to tell yourself that before you'll stop relying on hope? How could you ever get the novel? You're seventeen, no experience, no idea how the translating industry works. There's no reason whatsoever you should have been embracing a dream like that. You translated it and that should be more than enough for you.
That's all.
10.02.2007
I had a brilliant idea for a title earlier today.
It left.
And I don't... really feel like blogging right now. I'll try to muster something.
Here, see what I wrote this morning. The NaNo forums are open!
~
Anachron furrowed his brow. A thought was flitting on the edge of his mind; if he could just hold onto it for a second--
Oh.
"Jindal," he said abruptly, turning to the Twilight god, who tweaked an eyebrow in reply. Slowly, Anachron asked, "How much of this did you plan?"
Jindal's face took on an inquisitive air. "Plan? How much of what? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, my Beast."
Anachron shook his head. "I think you do, though," he said. "Your intention in granting that higher potential was to restore the Twili to their former potential, wasn't it?"
"Of course."
"How could one person in a generation help that?"
~
When I started thinking about this part of the scene more, Anachron abruptly informed me that he was the one to realize this. (Or at least, to point it out. Din and probably Farore and Nayru already noticed, but they haven't said anything. Well, Din said a little.) I was surprised.
And I don't... really feel like blogging right now. I'll try to muster something.
Here, see what I wrote this morning. The NaNo forums are open!
Dear Michelle,
Look, I'm sorry I never drew you, and I'm sorry I've been focusing on the other characters' characterization more, but really. That was no reason to turn evil. Seriously. I thought you and Myra got along, and now this.
Sincerely,
WallofIllusion
Dear Muse,
I'm going to take a leap of faith here and assume you exist, because ideas are appearing in my head with charming regularity. However, I would like to be able to speak directly to you, so if you could appear and possibly name yourself, that'd be lovely.
If naming yourself is too much trouble, could you at least please HELP ME NAME MY NOVEL?!
Sincerely,
WallofIllusion
~
Anachron furrowed his brow. A thought was flitting on the edge of his mind; if he could just hold onto it for a second--
Oh.
"Jindal," he said abruptly, turning to the Twilight god, who tweaked an eyebrow in reply. Slowly, Anachron asked, "How much of this did you plan?"
Jindal's face took on an inquisitive air. "Plan? How much of what? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, my Beast."
Anachron shook his head. "I think you do, though," he said. "Your intention in granting that higher potential was to restore the Twili to their former potential, wasn't it?"
"Of course."
"How could one person in a generation help that?"
~
When I started thinking about this part of the scene more, Anachron abruptly informed me that he was the one to realize this. (Or at least, to point it out. Din and probably Farore and Nayru already noticed, but they haven't said anything. Well, Din said a little.) I was surprised.
9.29.2007
Look how blank that is.
That's probably because I don't have anything to say. Spent an inordinate amount of time on the interwebz. (On one of the computers at school, someone has changed the caption of the Internet Explorer icon to read "Interwebz." It made me laugh. I was tempted to change the Firefox caption to "Better Interwebz" but decided against it.)
Really. I did nothing today. Nothing to see here; move right along.
(Two Yanda entries in a row, geez.)
Really. I did nothing today. Nothing to see here; move right along.
(Two Yanda entries in a row, geez.)
9.28.2007
So I have pep band tonight and I won't feel like writing anything at eleven.
True fact. Facts, I suppose.
Econ was yawn-inducing, English was the Handmaid's Tale test--not too hard--and then free time, freep I'll talk about in a moment, and in band we didn't have to do anything for the first half, and then we played patriotic music. And then there was a Homecoming assembly and the band played, and the entire school fits on ONE site of the gymnasium, though only the band really had breathing room. HA! -pokes you menacingly with a flute-
During freep today, I wrote 1683 words. Yes. I did! They were all (okay... mostly) about Gateaux de Lacet, the first scene where Umeko is at her uncle's funeral.
It's for NaNoWriMo practice. As such, it has padding and nonsense included. You get to see it in its unedited form! Perhaps later I shall edit it.
~
Under a gray sky like wrinkled silk, a sea of black rested, quivering with tears. [NAME Inoue], quite possibly the second greatest Shakespearean actor Japan had ever known, had died last month in a tragic accident of falling scenery, and his friends, relatives, and admirers were here to mourn.
Well, mostly his relatives and admirers; for an actor, Inoue had been quite reclusive and unwilling to deal with strangers any more than necessary. He had few lasting relationships in the acting world (though his acquaintances in the drinking world were, by his own estimate, plentiful) and the only people he would readily speak to outside of work were his family. They sat in the front row of his funeral—his mother and father, both in funeral kimonos, provided such things exist, his stoic-faced father clutching his mother’s shoulders tightly as the woman held a handkerchief to her mouth and sobbed. No don’t stop keep writing His brother, [NAME2] Inoue, sat with his own wife and daughter. [NAME2] was dressed in a simple suite, I mean suit of course, and his wife in a plain black dress.
His daughter, Umeko Inoue, was another matter all together.
Umeko was into the Lolita street fashion—very into it. At the moment, she was clad in an Elegant Gothic Aristocrat dress, made of pure black whatever material Elegant Gothic Aristocrat outfits are made of. Silver grommets, laced with shiny black ribbon decorated the front for a corseted effect. Her collar rose around her neck with scalloped, ruffled edges. Similarly, the ends of her sleeves were ruffled, and where the sleeves joined the dress, they puffed neatly. Her skirt was long and black, and it reached her feet, almost but not quite concealing her elegant, patent leather platform boots, also black. She had done her hair in a bun with ringlets hanging in front of her ears, and clipped into her hair was a flower barrette with a lacy black veil half-obscuring her face. She wore lacy black gloves and clutched a petite handbag. Her face was solemn, as befitting Elegant Gothic Aristocrats.
Behind the family sat the admirers. He had quite a few, and the number who had managed to make it to the funeral was not small. He had been an exceptionally talented theatre actor; he was best known for his role of Hamlet, though in his lifetime (tragically ended as it was), he had performed all of Shakespeare’s best well-known male characters, and, in a few more traditional performances, several of his female characters as well. His range of emotional expression was incredible; in a single moment, he could change from lamentably lachrymose to exuberantly ecstatic, portraying both emotions and even the abrupt switch between them flawlessly and with breathtaking conviction.
He had, though, as stated, almost no friends.
The person he was closest to in life was, to many people’s surprise, Umeko. For several reasons, they had gotten along very well. Perhaps it was because neither of them was an exceedingly traditional Japanese person; in fact, both harbored intense love for England, especially some of its historic eras. Inoue, naturally, adored Renaissance and Tudor England, which fueled his love of Shakespeare. He despised modern adaptation, much preferring period costuming and set effects. (Ironic that a primitive set then killed him.) Umeko, on the other hand, had a deep fascination with Victorian England, especially the clothes. It is on Victorian dolls that Lolita styles are based, and in fact, Elegant Gothic Aristocrat is based on Victorian Funerary wear, so it made perfect sense for Umeko to wear Elegant Gothic Aristocrat to her uncle’s funeral.
There was another bond that they shared, and it laid in food. Inoue loved sweet baked goods like cakes, pastries, Danishes, brownies, and funnel cakes, but he was an absolutely abysmal cook. He could not bake a brownie to save his life and occasionally managed to even burn Rice Krispie treats, provided they have Rice Krispie treats in Japan. Umeko, on the other hand, adored baking. She had recently graduated from one of Japan’s most prestigious cooking academies with full honors, and the treats she baked were heavenly and delicious. She had won several cooking contests when she was younger, though more recently a young man named Naoki whatever had entered the cooking scene and was beating the pants off of even the most experienced bakers, often while singing a little nonsense song in English: “Milk in the batter, milk in the batter! We make cake, and nothing’s the matter!” So, whenever Inoue got a chance to take a break from his illustrious acting career and visit Umeko, she would make him a plate of delicious Snickerdoodle cookies or a whole strawberry cheesecake. This, too, brought them much closer together.
His favorite treat had always been double-layer strawberry and chocolate cheesecake, so for his funeral, Umeko had made one, pouring her heart and soul into it, as well as a few tears that had slipped in. She really had been very fond of her uncle.
As the funerary service finished, Umeko took a small embroidered handkerchief out of her petite clutch purse and wiped her eyes. Yikes um not focused. Then she and her parents stood and went to speak to some of the other guests. Her father slowly went to speak to his parents. Her mother graciously went to speak to some of the admirers, most of whom were bawling much harder than even poor Inoue’s mother. Umeko decided that she, too, had better do her part, and she wandered over to the refreshment table. There was her double-layer strawberry and chocolate cheesecake, just as her uncle would have loved. She sniffed, and then she was surprised to hear a cough from her left, roughly at the height of her elbow.
“Ms. Umeko Inoue, isn’t that right?” said an old man’s voice (speaking with such Japanese-old-manisms like “ja” and all that stuff the Kino characters use), and Umeko turned to look at the speaker. The old man was wringing his hands and looking up at her, because he was quite short, really only about as tall as to reach up to her elbow.
“Yes, I’m Umeko Inoue,” Umeko Inoue answered politely. “May I ask your name?”
“I am [NAME NAME], your uncle’s financial advisor.”
Umeko nodded understandingly. Her uncle had been as awful with finances as he had been with cooking. In fact, the man had had no practical skills whatsoever—but what an actor he had been!
“I’m deeply sorry for your loss,” the wizened financial advisor sympathized. “I like to think that perhaps your uncle considered me a friend as well, but the love he expressed for you was greater than any other he ever talked about.”
He squinted at her, and Umeko wasn’t sure whether this was because he was having trouble seeing, or because he was holding back tears, or because he was scrutinizing her. In any case, he nodded inexplicably, and continued, “Yes, your uncle was quite fond of you—I don’t mean that in a strange way, of course, but in the sweetest way possible. He loved you and he loved acting, and perhaps nothing else in the world, so all the love that he had was concentrated in those two things. He loved the cakes and cookies you’d make for him—he shared pieces of your cake with me sometimes, you know. It was delicious. Your love for him was like a tangible ingredient in it.”
Umeko bit her lip with the effort of holding back tears.
“Oh, I’m sorry, my dear Ms. Umeko,” the old financial advisor exclaimed, seeing her distress. “I realize that this must be so painful for you. It is never easy to lose a family member, or anyone who is precious to you, but to lose your uncle… Tragic, yes, how tragic… I just wanted to make sure you understood how deeply your uncle felt about you.” He gave a slow nod. “Of course, it will be clear soon. Very soon. You’ll see, when it is read…”
“When what is read, Mr. NAME?” Umeko questioned the old man.
“You’ll see,” the old man said again. “You’ll see. It is quite remarkable… incredible… completely unbelievable. I never would have believed it. Quite irregular, but he never was a regular man, was he?”
Umeko was flummoxed; she was bewildered. She had no idea what the old financial advisor could possibly be talking about. However, she knew that it is best to always be polite, so she simply answered the part of the old financial advisor’s statements that she had understood. “No, he wasn’t a regular man. He despised being normal, in fact, and he encouraged me to be as abnormal as possible. An unusual sentiment in a Japanese man, but actors are known for being strange. I suspect he was delighted when I adopted the Lolita style of dress.”
“Yes, yes,” the wizened Mr. NAME said again. “And by the way, you do look quite beautiful, Ms. Inoue. Old-fashioned and… kurashii, in a way. Classy. I like it.”
“Thank you,” Umeko said with a smile. Now she was back on solid ground; gracefully receiving compliments on her style of dress was something that she was quite used to doing. “It is from Moi Dix Mois. In fact, it’s one of Moi Dix Mois’s newest styles. When I heard about my poor uncle, I decided to buy it.”
The old man smiled and nodded, though Umeko doubted that he’d ever heard of the company Moi Dix Mois. But he, like she, and like any other Japanese person, was trained in the art of pleasing the other person.
“Well, I shall see you later, Ms. Umeko Inoue,” said Mr. [NAME]. “It was a pleasure to meet you at long last. Very interesting. I can see why your uncle loved you so much; you are rather similar to him. I’m beginning to understand why he did what he did.”
And without explaining what he meant by “why he did what he did,” the old financial advisor gave a little bow and walked away.
~
I made these comments to myself after finishing:
Interesting ideas that came out of it: Love concentrated in one or two things. Strange and a little romantic in a weird way.
Econ was yawn-inducing, English was the Handmaid's Tale test--not too hard--and then free time, freep I'll talk about in a moment, and in band we didn't have to do anything for the first half, and then we played patriotic music. And then there was a Homecoming assembly and the band played, and the entire school fits on ONE site of the gymnasium, though only the band really had breathing room. HA! -pokes you menacingly with a flute-
During freep today, I wrote 1683 words. Yes. I did! They were all (okay... mostly) about Gateaux de Lacet, the first scene where Umeko is at her uncle's funeral.
It's for NaNoWriMo practice. As such, it has padding and nonsense included. You get to see it in its unedited form! Perhaps later I shall edit it.
~
Under a gray sky like wrinkled silk, a sea of black rested, quivering with tears. [NAME Inoue], quite possibly the second greatest Shakespearean actor Japan had ever known, had died last month in a tragic accident of falling scenery, and his friends, relatives, and admirers were here to mourn.
Well, mostly his relatives and admirers; for an actor, Inoue had been quite reclusive and unwilling to deal with strangers any more than necessary. He had few lasting relationships in the acting world (though his acquaintances in the drinking world were, by his own estimate, plentiful) and the only people he would readily speak to outside of work were his family. They sat in the front row of his funeral—his mother and father, both in funeral kimonos, provided such things exist, his stoic-faced father clutching his mother’s shoulders tightly as the woman held a handkerchief to her mouth and sobbed. No don’t stop keep writing His brother, [NAME2] Inoue, sat with his own wife and daughter. [NAME2] was dressed in a simple suite, I mean suit of course, and his wife in a plain black dress.
His daughter, Umeko Inoue, was another matter all together.
Umeko was into the Lolita street fashion—very into it. At the moment, she was clad in an Elegant Gothic Aristocrat dress, made of pure black whatever material Elegant Gothic Aristocrat outfits are made of. Silver grommets, laced with shiny black ribbon decorated the front for a corseted effect. Her collar rose around her neck with scalloped, ruffled edges. Similarly, the ends of her sleeves were ruffled, and where the sleeves joined the dress, they puffed neatly. Her skirt was long and black, and it reached her feet, almost but not quite concealing her elegant, patent leather platform boots, also black. She had done her hair in a bun with ringlets hanging in front of her ears, and clipped into her hair was a flower barrette with a lacy black veil half-obscuring her face. She wore lacy black gloves and clutched a petite handbag. Her face was solemn, as befitting Elegant Gothic Aristocrats.
Behind the family sat the admirers. He had quite a few, and the number who had managed to make it to the funeral was not small. He had been an exceptionally talented theatre actor; he was best known for his role of Hamlet, though in his lifetime (tragically ended as it was), he had performed all of Shakespeare’s best well-known male characters, and, in a few more traditional performances, several of his female characters as well. His range of emotional expression was incredible; in a single moment, he could change from lamentably lachrymose to exuberantly ecstatic, portraying both emotions and even the abrupt switch between them flawlessly and with breathtaking conviction.
He had, though, as stated, almost no friends.
The person he was closest to in life was, to many people’s surprise, Umeko. For several reasons, they had gotten along very well. Perhaps it was because neither of them was an exceedingly traditional Japanese person; in fact, both harbored intense love for England, especially some of its historic eras. Inoue, naturally, adored Renaissance and Tudor England, which fueled his love of Shakespeare. He despised modern adaptation, much preferring period costuming and set effects. (Ironic that a primitive set then killed him.) Umeko, on the other hand, had a deep fascination with Victorian England, especially the clothes. It is on Victorian dolls that Lolita styles are based, and in fact, Elegant Gothic Aristocrat is based on Victorian Funerary wear, so it made perfect sense for Umeko to wear Elegant Gothic Aristocrat to her uncle’s funeral.
There was another bond that they shared, and it laid in food. Inoue loved sweet baked goods like cakes, pastries, Danishes, brownies, and funnel cakes, but he was an absolutely abysmal cook. He could not bake a brownie to save his life and occasionally managed to even burn Rice Krispie treats, provided they have Rice Krispie treats in Japan. Umeko, on the other hand, adored baking. She had recently graduated from one of Japan’s most prestigious cooking academies with full honors, and the treats she baked were heavenly and delicious. She had won several cooking contests when she was younger, though more recently a young man named Naoki whatever had entered the cooking scene and was beating the pants off of even the most experienced bakers, often while singing a little nonsense song in English: “Milk in the batter, milk in the batter! We make cake, and nothing’s the matter!” So, whenever Inoue got a chance to take a break from his illustrious acting career and visit Umeko, she would make him a plate of delicious Snickerdoodle cookies or a whole strawberry cheesecake. This, too, brought them much closer together.
His favorite treat had always been double-layer strawberry and chocolate cheesecake, so for his funeral, Umeko had made one, pouring her heart and soul into it, as well as a few tears that had slipped in. She really had been very fond of her uncle.
As the funerary service finished, Umeko took a small embroidered handkerchief out of her petite clutch purse and wiped her eyes. Yikes um not focused. Then she and her parents stood and went to speak to some of the other guests. Her father slowly went to speak to his parents. Her mother graciously went to speak to some of the admirers, most of whom were bawling much harder than even poor Inoue’s mother. Umeko decided that she, too, had better do her part, and she wandered over to the refreshment table. There was her double-layer strawberry and chocolate cheesecake, just as her uncle would have loved. She sniffed, and then she was surprised to hear a cough from her left, roughly at the height of her elbow.
“Ms. Umeko Inoue, isn’t that right?” said an old man’s voice (speaking with such Japanese-old-manisms like “ja” and all that stuff the Kino characters use), and Umeko turned to look at the speaker. The old man was wringing his hands and looking up at her, because he was quite short, really only about as tall as to reach up to her elbow.
“Yes, I’m Umeko Inoue,” Umeko Inoue answered politely. “May I ask your name?”
“I am [NAME NAME], your uncle’s financial advisor.”
Umeko nodded understandingly. Her uncle had been as awful with finances as he had been with cooking. In fact, the man had had no practical skills whatsoever—but what an actor he had been!
“I’m deeply sorry for your loss,” the wizened financial advisor sympathized. “I like to think that perhaps your uncle considered me a friend as well, but the love he expressed for you was greater than any other he ever talked about.”
He squinted at her, and Umeko wasn’t sure whether this was because he was having trouble seeing, or because he was holding back tears, or because he was scrutinizing her. In any case, he nodded inexplicably, and continued, “Yes, your uncle was quite fond of you—I don’t mean that in a strange way, of course, but in the sweetest way possible. He loved you and he loved acting, and perhaps nothing else in the world, so all the love that he had was concentrated in those two things. He loved the cakes and cookies you’d make for him—he shared pieces of your cake with me sometimes, you know. It was delicious. Your love for him was like a tangible ingredient in it.”
Umeko bit her lip with the effort of holding back tears.
“Oh, I’m sorry, my dear Ms. Umeko,” the old financial advisor exclaimed, seeing her distress. “I realize that this must be so painful for you. It is never easy to lose a family member, or anyone who is precious to you, but to lose your uncle… Tragic, yes, how tragic… I just wanted to make sure you understood how deeply your uncle felt about you.” He gave a slow nod. “Of course, it will be clear soon. Very soon. You’ll see, when it is read…”
“When what is read, Mr. NAME?” Umeko questioned the old man.
“You’ll see,” the old man said again. “You’ll see. It is quite remarkable… incredible… completely unbelievable. I never would have believed it. Quite irregular, but he never was a regular man, was he?”
Umeko was flummoxed; she was bewildered. She had no idea what the old financial advisor could possibly be talking about. However, she knew that it is best to always be polite, so she simply answered the part of the old financial advisor’s statements that she had understood. “No, he wasn’t a regular man. He despised being normal, in fact, and he encouraged me to be as abnormal as possible. An unusual sentiment in a Japanese man, but actors are known for being strange. I suspect he was delighted when I adopted the Lolita style of dress.”
“Yes, yes,” the wizened Mr. NAME said again. “And by the way, you do look quite beautiful, Ms. Inoue. Old-fashioned and… kurashii, in a way. Classy. I like it.”
“Thank you,” Umeko said with a smile. Now she was back on solid ground; gracefully receiving compliments on her style of dress was something that she was quite used to doing. “It is from Moi Dix Mois. In fact, it’s one of Moi Dix Mois’s newest styles. When I heard about my poor uncle, I decided to buy it.”
The old man smiled and nodded, though Umeko doubted that he’d ever heard of the company Moi Dix Mois. But he, like she, and like any other Japanese person, was trained in the art of pleasing the other person.
“Well, I shall see you later, Ms. Umeko Inoue,” said Mr. [NAME]. “It was a pleasure to meet you at long last. Very interesting. I can see why your uncle loved you so much; you are rather similar to him. I’m beginning to understand why he did what he did.”
And without explaining what he meant by “why he did what he did,” the old financial advisor gave a little bow and walked away.
~
I made these comments to myself after finishing:
9/28. First attempt. Count: 1683 words. Padding utilized: babbling when the next sentence wouldn’t come to mind. Some over-explanation. Character who repeats himself. Phrases like “provided that exists.” Quality of writing: inconsistent; poorer than normal. Time: efficient.
Interesting ideas that came out of it: Love concentrated in one or two things. Strange and a little romantic in a weird way.
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