In Idyll, there is a place that appears different to all who encounter it. It is best described as a river, but whether it is a clear-glass stream or a lake of blood-thick ink, whether the building in the centre is a new cottage or a skyscraper ruin--or whether this structure exists at all--depends on the individual. This is The River Windrose, named for the petals that drift with the wind to the spaces of the unconscious.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Writing plans

Hi!

Homework sucks. I didn't get as much done this weekend as I hoped :(

Writing Plans: 
I have so much to get to and so little time, but I think I finally have a list of projects I will be working on. Below I'm releasing what I figure are the working titles of all the projects I'll be working on in the next few months:
  1. Trains: A cute idea I got from a friend and am adapting to some of my characters. 
  2. (fanfiction for a friend's story) (unposted)
  3. Drive By: A story I got from the song (ironically by a band called Train, but these two stories aren't connected).
  4. Edge (unposted)--probably NaNoWriMo again XD
  5. Sun Dagger--will be back! I love writing bits and pieces of this, but I don't have anything chronologically postable XD
Next quarter will be better.
I hope :(

For now, read Earthsong! Or Amya!
Both are amazing fantasy webcomics that I follow. They're amazingly drawn, and have a great stories.

And thank you for continuing to read even when I suck at posting weekly.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Fall or Fly

Hi!

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day last Friday and a refreshing three-day weekend (or, those who had three-day weekends).

I'm disappointed to say that despite the late update (D: AHHH D: )I don't have the scene I wanted to have up today ready. It was going to be a clippet of Enlaika/Eileen and Alan a few months after the events of Spring Ball Trouble. I had an idea for a scene on Friday, but that turned out to be just this:

         We sat in relative quiet, one of us occasionally humming something off tune or entirely made up. His fingers danced over the keyboard, typing away at the second book of his series, while mine guided a needle and thread through cloth. We had so little time together now that we attended different colleges, but there was still always so much work to be done. So we treasured the few hours we could be within physical distance of each other, and relied on phone or video conversations the other times.  We didn’t say much, instead just savoring the peaceful time we had together.  
        Behind us, the sunset was counting the minutes left of our time together. His fingers stopped for a moment, and I curled my head in the crook of his neck, relaxing at his touch. Even if it was just a moment, we knew we had each other. 
I imagined that they would end up with a long-distance relationship of sorts, and just to complicate it a bit, Norbert would end up going to the same college as Eileen or somewhere near. And the would hang out a lot and become good friends. Y'know, just to add to the drama a bit.

Anyways, I did write something else earlier this week that I wanted to share: Fall or Fly. 

         I might be a little masochistic. 

         I’m out of time. I’ve still got too much to do. I’m tired. There’s too much to do. I’m still not doing anything. Time is just tick-ticking by, and I’m just die-dying, not able to motivate my body and brain to focus and get anything done. I want to drown in happy thoughts. I want to run away. I’m paralyzed, honestly. But instead of being panicked, I’m startlingly tranquil.  
         A wave of calm floods through me, inundating all the interneurons in my body. Just the interneurons, mind you. The sensory neurons are tingling, as though there was something just a few nuances from their receptive fields. It creates a feeling like a force field, shivering nervously in existence an inch from the surface of my skin. I’m trembling not quite a nervous wreck, but on my toes, excited, anxious. 
        I want to jump, and pounce on something. Fly and soar and shoot magic from my fingertips and cause storms with my thoughts. Do something powerful and amazing.  
        But I can’t. There’s nothing but an endless sea of work to drown in .  
        I don’t want to drown. I’m afraidis that the right word?of the bottomless ocean, of not being able to swim, or even swimming poorly. I’m already floundering as time pushes me towards the edge. 

        It’s time to fall, or fly. 

I only have a few notes on this one. I wrote this while waiting for a friend on the bridge overlooking a courtyard at school. I thought it would be a short wait, and was didn't have any work on me that I could actually work on. So I pulled out my commonplace notebook and was just flipping through it when a sudden inspiration to write just hit me. I wrote it mostly just stream of thought, which kinda explains the nerdy neuron bit there in the third paragraph/ chuck/ whatever-you-call-one-liners-of-text-blobs.

I had the idea afterwards to write it in context of an OC, but I don't quite have it worked out.

I don't know what I'm posting next week either, but I'll have something up! Unfortunately I still don't know what the next major project I'll be posting is. I'm still running through a lot of side projects, finishing up and adding a little in the spare pockets of time I get.

Until next week then, good luck and have fun, everyone!
~Minerva ^_^

Friday, February 7, 2014

ECA Bonus posts

Hi all!
Sorry I missed last week's post. There was a midterm in physics and I was drilling practice problems all weekend (with a few games of League in between).

Lulu from League of Legends.
Honestly I think I'm obsessed with League haha. I main Lulu support. Lulu is a yordle, which I've already mentioned is the definition of adorable. The little demon butterfly at her side is Pix, who is also her passive ability. I have played her AP (mage) as well, but usually prefer to build support roles as I don't seem to do very well in damaging roles. And today I played AD Lulu (fighter version).

Enough on my little spiel on Lulu and League.
Onto ECA! This is the final ECA post! :D There also might not be another post next week, but I hope I write something post-worthy. Maybe another one of the River Windrose description scenes? Something short, probably. I don't want to disappoint again.

For this post, the comment blurbs are put after each individual post. Please enjoy!


11 deleted: 33%
“We don’t have to do everything as a group,” Elysia unlaced the hairdryer-rod. “And we don’t have to make a decision yet, do we?”
“I guess not,” Arlin lied back on her bed, her hair leaving watermarks on the sheets. “But it’d be more fun if we did!”
“Either way, 33% doesn’t make a majority.”
“Well…” Celestine wrung out her hair nervously.
“Celestine hasn’t decided,” Arlin piped up. “Celestine, please….”
“I-um-but…You could just go alone, Arlin…” 
Arlin’s expression was thoughtful as she began braiding her hair. “I could, but it’s not so fun with only 33%”
Changed to this, with a switch to RFA instead of ECA. ECA debates whether to join the Campus Beautification Project. This one was a little trivial, given that the CBP didn't end up playing that big a role anyways. Yay the various methods of drying hair!

19 deleted: Tears
“…You’re that thief guy.”
“Huh. Yes.”
Arlin concentrated on her sphere. She wanted to use the new spell from Elements to water the plants. “Aldis Maur, was it? You stole from some campus stores.”
“Yes.” He was quicker: his spell cried fertilizer and water that soaked into neglected soil. “What’re these?”
“…Carnations.”
“…Admiration?”
“What?”
“Symbolism. My step-sister’s a flower fanatic; I should know this.”
“….sister?” 
“Fiana..” 
Arlin remembered the crying girl.
Aldis turned to the ferns. “Fascination, right?”
“I don’t know,” She turned away from the thief almost arrogantly. Stealing was evil. She should not associate herself with evil.
This was the original version of the theme, where Arlin and Aldis meet for the first time. I enjoy symbolism, so I stuck this in there, but upon rereading, it was just so awkward and random that and changed it. I really like the Celestine version a lot better.

 Arlin's lines are: "You're that..."/ "Aldis Maur, was it?..."/ "Carnations."/ "What?"/ "sister?"/ "I don't know."

53 deleted: Future
“Need something?”
“I”m delivering these to Professor Krahn Ecline? From the tech classes?” Elysia scrutinized the unfamiliar boy. “You his aide?”
“Oh—uh, no. I’m a…future student.”
“Future?”
“Studying abroad this year.”
“You’re…?”
“Uine Efaram Enelaizon Hazun” The name jarred her memory—where?
“No, I meant…year?”
“Sophomore, you?”
“Freshman.”
“No, I meant…name.”
“Elysia Intana Kieran.” 
“Nice to meet you.” They shook hands. 
“You’re a musician? What do you play?” Elysia finished unloading the boxes with Uine’s help.
“Just about anything. You?”
“Music’s not my forte”
“Funny.” They swapped grins. “Hey, so if I need a tour…”
When I wrote this I realized it was wayyyy too random and removed from the story proper. Elysia goes to deliver something to the music professor and runs into a “future student”: sophomore student Uine (YOU-eyne) Efaram Enelaizon Hazun. He sounds familiar….bonus points if you can figure out why. ^.^

UEEH: Need something?
EIK: I’m delivering…. You his aide?
UEEH: Oh, uh, no. I’m a future student
EIK: Future?
UEEH: Studying abroad.
EIK: You’re…?
UEEH: Uine
EIK: No…year?
UEEH: Sophomore, you?
EIK: Freshman.
UEEH: No, I meant name.
EIK: Elysia.
UEEH: Nice to meet you.
*Shake hands*
EIK: You’re a musician? What do you play?
UEEH: Anything. You?
EIK: Music’s not my forte
UEEH: Funny. *Grin* Hey, so if I need a tour…(you got me covered, right?)

57 alternate: Versus
Elysia didn’t care much about anyone else’s grades and she didn’t like other people knowing hers. That said, she enjoyed her rivalry with Vesper. But when her roommates asked, she handed over straight S’s (which came with a redemption certificate for an Athwart 6237 Inkspool laptop) and helped herself to some celebratory cake. 
Aside from math, Celestine just wanted to maintain her A average. She cut a slice and retreated to her bed. 
Eagerly comparing anything with anyone, Arlin thrived on friendly competition and the spirit of teamwork. She enjoyed winning herself, but she loved celebrating everyone’s success even more. 
Versus was an alternate theme for the Slow Down prompt. The scene itself was originally written to another prompt . I can’t remember for certain which one, but I think it was A Moment in Time (post 65). 

Of the trio, Elysia consistently holds the best grades, getting our equivalent of straight A/ A+ grades. (“I got an A- once…unforgivable.”) Arlin is next, though it really depends what subject. She wavers around the A-/B+ range, with the occasional B- if she really just messed up somewhere. (“I’m doing ok enough. The important thing is to learn and have fun with life, anyways.”) Celestine usually gets just flat Bs, with the occasional B- or B+ (“As long as I keep trying…I know someday I’ll get my A.”)

Elysia and Celestine aren’t really competitive (except Elysia does take her rivalry with Vesper very seriously). Arlin on the other hand, enjoys friendly competition and comparing grades with friends. She motivates herself through the competition, but the bottom line of it is the teamwork, not the end result. 

97 alternate: Lesson
As laser and clock collided, a second portal blazed into existence, revealing Aldis and Vesper, with reinforcement in tow: “Lyciar,” Vesper Aurigae Nox said cooly, his own staff brimming with months of stored magic. “Do you need another lesson since that one in our own undergraduate days?”Already slightly weakened from his fight with ECA, Lyciar—even in this possessed state— posed no match for Dr. Nox’s infamous knockout jinx. As he crumpled, a twisted smoke escaped him, hissing revenge. “We will pursue him later,” Dr. Nox consoled the students. “For now…the Ceremony of Rebirth is about to begin.”

I thought of the posted version literally the week before I posted it. This was the original, quite lame version with the deus-ex machina coming from Dr. Nox and the boys instead of the girls themselves. I wanted to make them realize they couldn't beat everyone, but having a minor character step in and clean up the match was just anticlimactic and completely underwhelming. I know that the current version isn't the strongest ending, but compared to this? You cannot imagine how pleased I am with the change.

Epilogue: Thief
Arlin sat on her bed, remembering when ECA had first cast the spell to levitate it. Boxes of belongings were already packed. Elysia had left that morning. Celestine was out with the pixies. Arlin was lonely. 
A knock at the door. Arlin opened it, wondering who was still here. It was the thief-boy, Aldis. 
“Hullo.”
“Hi,” she greeted. 
“I was wondering…do you want to go out tonight? Just…the two of us. See a play or something?”
She blinked. “Don’t you have anything else to do? Anything you want to steal?”
He shrugged. “Not really. Just your heart.”

This represents one of the cuter scenes I had in mind, and one that I really managed to illustrate in 100 words. (Hopefully?) I was going to use it for the final endings post, but I decided the end really had to be focused on the three girls from ECA and their bond. 

That's the conclusion of the ECA story! Hope you enjoyed it!
Comments very much appreciated! <3