Slow in updating we have been
We have just been posting now and again
I hope to bring something back to this corner
...Anybody a fan of Kristina Horner?
Fang: Having trouble rhyming, Saint?
Me: Can you think of anything else to put there that rhymes with 'corner'?
Fang: Mourner...Errrr...Forlorner...
Me: Is that even a word?
Fang: No idea.
Me: Well, anyway, November is over, NaNoWriMo has been won again, and I'm trying to get back in business.
Fang: She's been epic failing at updating for Project: PULL.
Me: I've been epic failing at updating period. I'm just not the updater I used to be. I have work, school, life in general...Gah. But I haven't stopped, people. Just slowed down a bit.
Fang: So, let's give some updates while we're here.
Me: Grand idea, Fangles! To start off, Fang fell in the driveway today.
Fang: That's not the kind of update I meant.
Me: It was so funny!
Fang: Funny? That hurt...
Me: Let me renact...
'I beat you, Saint! Wanna know why I beat you? 'Cause I can fly, mere human! I can-' -falls on ground-
'But you don't walk much, do ya?'
Fang: Shut up.
Me: Win.
Fang: Moving on...Who saw Harry Potter 7 Part 1? We did.
Me: Wonderful movie. Sure, there were things left out and things done slightly differently in some parts, but I think they did wonderfully. I mean, if they put in every little thing, it would have had to be in four parts. I think it was a great portrayal of the book.
Fang: And the story-telling? Epic. Win.
Me: We won't say too much for those who haven't seen it yet.
Fang: More news?
Me: Uhh...Oh...
Fang: Oh...Yeah, we have sad news.
Me: We will be having a couple moments of silence here.
Fang: First off...I lost my pet mouse, Attalia.
Me: That mouse lived a long time. We buried her out in the field. I was worried about Fang there for a while. He just sat in front of the mouse's tank and stared.
Fang: That sucked...
Me; Yeah...
Fang: Then, we lost our guinea pigs.
Me: All three, Minkle, Mousse, and Wonton. We had already had to give them away. Amanda took Minkle and Mousse, and a friend of hers took Wonton. We're not sure why they all died. Amanda thinks it was either their food or something genetic. I tend to think Minkle actually got sick and died, then Wonton and Mousse just died of lonliness.
I could have dealt with all that...But no...
Fang: Then, we suffered the worst loss of all the day before Thanksgiving. We lost Skye, Saint's 12 year old Shetland Sheepdog to a stroke.
Me: That had to be the hardest thing I've gone through since I lost Mom. I had Skye forever, since I was around seven years old. I'm not used to being dogless, Skyeless...
Fang: So it's been a bit depressing around here...
Me: So let's get on a happier note. NaNoWriMo.
Fang: This needs a poem.
Me: Sounds good.
Another month of NaNo done
Another month of stress and fun
Will this year's novel be the one?
The one whose 50,000 won?
Me: Wrote my first ever completely whacked-out sci-fi this year. Not finished yet, but getting there.
Fang: And this one, I hear, is a bit more flawless than last years.
Me: -nods- Not that Wolf Eyes is completely hopeless or anything, but it started to drive me nuts. There were so many places I went wrong with that one. Plotholes, blah blah blahing...For that story to be anywhere near successful, I'd have to write the entire thing over again, starting at square one. To say the least, I wasn't in the mood. So I'm taking a break from Wolf Eyes until I'm motivated to attack it again.
But this year...
I wish I could explain this story to you, but I wouldn't know where to begin. It's...Wild. Alternate dimension, strange new species, magic, demons, and ghosts.
Fang: Saint was writing the scene with the ghost, and she actually scared herself.
Me: Had to turn my lights back on. (Had turned them off since I wasn't using them.)
Fang: Woke me up.
Me: Sorry... -eyeroll-
Fang: So...Aren't you going to say something about your novel?
Me: I could give a quick summary. A boy gets dragged across dimensions because he supposedly has these powers that will help him protect the dimensions from evil.
Fang; That was a crappy summary.
Me: Well, I'm not sure how much I want to reveal yet.
Fang: -eyeroll- Whatever...
Me: Anyway, I'm much more proud of Double-Edged Sword than last year's story...
Fang: Ok, well we've got fics to work on updating. Anything else we should mention?
Me: Yes! About Saint's Sequels Contest. No, I have not forgotten it. I should be posting something on the forum about it shortly. Please, if you are, in any way associated with the Contest, please follow the forum for it here on Fanfiction. I can't be posting every little thing for the contest on my fics.
Fang: Ok, so, if we're done...
Me: Let's get to writing, shall we?
-Saint and Fang
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The OCs cannot be locked away
They, too, must always have their day
Last year they leaked a story's piece
I doubt this year the tradition will cease.
Otto: Ok, Eliza said that we'd find the new PC chapter here...
Lane: She seemed a bit miffed at us. Can't imagine why...
Jacy: Easy. We're from Saint's new novel. Her novel took a back seat to ours, nimwit. Of course she's moody.
Ichor: Jacy, one should halt from referencing one's wit as nim.
Jacy: ...Lane?
Lane: Ichor says to stop calling me a nimwit.
Jacy: -eyeroll-
Otto: Ok, guys, focus. We're here to post an excerpt from our story, remember?
Jacy: I am not a guy.
Otto: It's a figure of speech, jeez...
Lane: Ok, here's the excerpt, I'll-
Ayaitha: You'll what, Lanedon?
Lane: ...Ayaitha?
Ayaitha: What, exactly, are you all doing?
Otto: Errr...Having a Bible Study?
Lane: Amen.
Ayaitha: Well, you all better start praying, because you're gonna need all the help you can get.
Kleon: Ayaitha! Now, you're not going to be too hard on them, are you?
Ayaitha: For breeching Lady Saint's security? This deserves punishment. Kleon, don't be trying to override me here. It's not your place.
Kleon; -bows- -smirks- As you wish.
Ayaitha: -eyeroll- Out of here, you meddling monsters.
Group: -grumbles- -leaves-
Ayaitha: -escorts out-
Kleon: -laughs- Ah, Ayaitha. She's really not as bad as she lets on. But she can be a real stick in the mud at times.
Hmmm...Well, I can't certainly let this excerpt sit here and rot. Wouldn't be right of me. I'll just stick it up here and you can all figure out what to do with it. -wink-
I had a dream I was back on Hatchet Point Road, running for my life. Behind me, I had Koronden's hot breath on my heels and his thundering footsteps pounding in my ears.
"We could use you, Otto." Koronden called from behind me. "Join the winning side, boy. With your powers, we could rule Lilentia."
"No!" I yelled back at him, trying to run faster. It seemed, no matter how fast I ran, I never got far enough.
"Stop fighting this, Otto!" He yelled from behind. "This is the destiny of your powers!"
"No way!" I yelled back. "No. Freaking. WAY!"
Just as I thought I could feel Koronden's claws reaching out to touch my ankle as I ran, a bright light exploded into my eyes ahead of us. I skidded to a halt and Koronden let out a screech and dove away from the blinding light.
"You need to wake up." The voice was distinctly female, coming straight out of the brightness. "We don't have all day for you to go screaming through nightmares."
Before I was able to react, or even think about reacting, my eyes shot open like my lids had been forced apart by some invisible force. I found myself staring face to face with a pair of blue eyes, a peachy colored face, and a long, blonde braid. I almost didn't recognize her out of her fancy council clothes.
"Ayaitha." I said. "You want to back up? You're kinda in my danger zone right now."
Her eyes narrowed into a small glare, but she backed away to sit on the edge of my bed.
"You shouldn't intrude on people's dreams." I told her. "It's kinda rude."
"Did you want to keep having a nightmare?" she asked me.
"I just enjoy my privacy when I'm having one." I shot back.
She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her. "No matter. In any case, you needed to get yourself up, boy. If I'm going to be forced to drag along some little greenhorn on this mission, then you're at least going to get a crash course basic training before we depart. Now, come on." She gave my leg a shove and got up, walking towards the door. "Get dressed and meet me out in the hall in twenty minutes."
As soon as she was out my door and out of sight, I got out of bed and started to get dressed, grumbling all the way. I thought about just not going out there, but I had a feeling Ayaitha would drag me out by force if I didn't make an appearance on time.
I exited my room to find Ayaitha leaning up against the wall opposite my door, arms crossed in front of her, staring my way with a look of intense boredom.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"Early." was her response. "Welcome to the Alutari, get used to it."
"Don't I get some kind of trial period?" I asked her.
She just rolled her eyes at me again and turned, starting down the hall and motioning, at the last second, for me to follow. "Come on, Mr. Waidley. We've got a lot to go over and little to no time to go over it. Hope you're good at paying attention."
I shrugged. "I've always been an average student."
She turned back to me as we walked. "Otto, there is not such thing as average around here."
Kleon: Not much of an excerpt, if you ask me. So what if Otto is the main character, don't I get some face time? Ah, well, such is life. I hope you all enjoyed this little tidbit and please, take into account that this is a first draft, not to mention I believe the Lady Saint tends to get very wordy during NaNo. She's been editing bits and pieces in her spare time, but vows not to really edit until the whole story is finished. I doubt she needs an excerpt from an unfinished, unedited novel plastered to the internet, but...
We OCs have to have our fun, too, right?
-Kleon Nuetyen
Order of the Alutari, First Class
Alutarin Master of Death