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Post by Shadaras on Nov 4, 2008 0:07:50 GMT -5
Mercury was all that I had expected it to be. It was red and dry, with cracks and craters everywhere. There was little to show that it was colonized, unless you could see the sparkling spaceships that crowded around the craters like flies. Even then, however, it was hard to tell if it was colonized or if we were just mining until you got inside. When we landed, however, it was fascinating. We landed on an Ian platform, of course, and as soon as the platform had connected, we made our way down to the stairway.
Nobody brought much with them. We weren’t planning on staying very long, after all. Just long enough to lose Rhianne, and then we’d take off and fly to Phoenicia. It didn’t sound like a very good plan, but once inside, I truly appreciated why Kaz had called the tunnels of Mercury warrens. It was crowded. There was barely space to move, even in the largest areas. The scent of sweat and blood filled the air, along with ruddy dust. Kaz didn’t seem to notice it, probably because he was from Venus, and things were likely just as bad there.
But Tuan and Rhianne were both coughing. I guessed that I was doing better than they were only because Dad had come from here, and his lungs had adapted to the constant dust, so mine did fairly well. I couldn’t ignore the noise or the smells, however. I stuck close to Kaz, and so did Tuan. Rhianne was following us, and I realized just how easy, and how hard, this would be. “How’re we going to get back?” I asked, shouting over the noisy crowd.
“I’ll remember the way,” Kaz said. “Trust me.”
I had no choice but to trust him, so I followed, trying to take in as much of the feel of Mercury as I could. It wasn’t anything like Ganymede, where we had plenty of space, and it was only crowded when we wanted it to be, like in theatres or restaurants or parties. Here, I had to actively avoid contact with anyone else, and I was truly glad we hadn’t brought anything of value with us. We likely would’ve been robbed within seconds if we had. Instead, we were just jostled around.
Kaz guided us to the market, though I have no idea how he managed it. I think he just followed the loudest shouts until we got there, but I’m not sure. He could’ve had some sort of innate guide that I didn’t know about, or some weird magic, for all I knew. Or the Angels had just modified him like that. I didn’t really care. It did seem like he was taking the most twisted route possible, though, probably in an effort to lose Rhianne. I approved of that, if of nothing else. It did succeed in getting me completely lost, though, and I suspected it did the same to Tuan. Ah, Mercury. The den of sorrow in this world. No wonder the Angels chose you as the main breeding ground for their project. End Day III – 16,193 words |
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Post by ♥ Rain on Nov 4, 2008 8:32:20 GMT -5
And you're saying you won't get 10k ahead. You're so silly, Shade. XD If you keep up this rate for another four days, at least, you shall. ^__^~ Good for you. Curious, though. You aiming for 50k this year or higher?
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Post by Shadaras on Nov 4, 2008 9:39:16 GMT -5
And you're saying you won't get 10k ahead. You're so silly, Shade. XD If you keep up this rate for another four days, at least, you shall. ^__^~ Good for you. Curious, though. You aiming for 50k this year or higher? When did I say that? And I get busier over the week, so it's a bit harder to keep up this crazy pace. But I'm going to try. And I'm aiming for higher. Having discovered that to hit 100k by the 25th (which is when I need to stop), I need 4k per day, I've decided that sounds like a fun goal. So I'm doing that. And figuring that my story'll keep stretching and will be long enough for that. ^_^ ..that means I'm staying ahead of everyone, doesn't it? Whatever. |
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Post by ♥ Rain on Nov 4, 2008 13:18:26 GMT -5
And you're saying you won't get 10k ahead. You're so silly, Shade. XD If you keep up this rate for another four days, at least, you shall. ^__^~ Good for you. Curious, though. You aiming for 50k this year or higher? When did I say that? And I get busier over the week, so it's a bit harder to keep up this crazy pace. But I'm going to try. And I'm aiming for higher. Having discovered that to hit 100k by the 25th (which is when I need to stop), I need 4k per day, I've decided that sounds like a fun goal. So I'm doing that. And figuring that my story'll keep stretching and will be long enough for that. ^_^ ..that means I'm staying ahead of everyone, doesn't it? Whatever. "Well, I think I'm ahead right now, so yeah. I'll do my best to stay ahead until the final week. Around then I might slow down or stop. I'll definitely stop on Thanksgiving, though. And I doubt I'll get a 10k gap. I really do." 22nd post on this very board. And yeup. That does mean you'll stay ahead. I'm only aiming for 80k, so of course you'll pull ahead. Xivvy's trying for 100k, but I can't say how much she has right now. She's having a rough November, what with her play. |
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Post by Kathleen on Nov 4, 2008 14:33:39 GMT -5
Wow. 16k is a lot for three days. xD I like the excerpt - your characters all sound so fun and interesting. ^_^ *wants to read the whole thing when it's finished*
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Post by Shadaras on Nov 4, 2008 20:08:22 GMT -5
When did I say that? And I get busier over the week, so it's a bit harder to keep up this crazy pace. But I'm going to try. And I'm aiming for higher. Having discovered that to hit 100k by the 25th (which is when I need to stop), I need 4k per day, I've decided that sounds like a fun goal. So I'm doing that. And figuring that my story'll keep stretching and will be long enough for that. ^_^ ..that means I'm staying ahead of everyone, doesn't it? Whatever. "Well, I think I'm ahead right now, so yeah. I'll do my best to stay ahead until the final week. Around then I might slow down or stop. I'll definitely stop on Thanksgiving, though. And I doubt I'll get a 10k gap. I really do." 22nd post on this very board. And yeup. That does mean you'll stay ahead. I'm only aiming for 80k, so of course you'll pull ahead. Xivvy's trying for 100k, but I can't say how much she has right now. She's having a rough November, what with her play. I'd forgotten about that. That was before I set myself a crazy goal, I suspect. So yeah. Aw. Tell Xivvy I wish her good luck, then. I want someone else to be crazy enough to get to 100k. Kathleen -- Remind me when November's over, and I'll send it to you. That may not mean it's done, but still. And I love my characters too. *hugs Ri* ..though I pity Ri right now, because he's trapped in a nightmare world. I'll let him out soon, though. And because I happen to hate this part, you simply get two paragraphs of the weirdness I wrote this morning. ^_^ I felt a hand on my face and I saw those eyes and that smile and I touched that body and I knew I was safe and the wings wouldn’t get me and the fire and darkness would leave me and I would be safe and I wouldn’t be called my un-name and I would be myself and then the face and the eyes started sucking at me started turning into wings started become fire and darkness and fear and I screamed and I ran and I feared and they were calling me my un-name and I ran and the wings chased me.
I was being eaten by fire I burned I needed water I couldn’t survive and the rain fell and the storm swamped me and I was drowning drowning drowning and I needed land I needed somewhere to stand I couldn’t stay here and I was encased in earth I couldn’t move couldn’t breathe and the wings were going to get me and I screamed and I died and I was reborn and the wings were chasing me chasing me down through the tunnels and the old lady saw me and was a spider and wove a web of quartz to catch the wings and I was safe and free and then the spider turned on me and webbed me with amethyst and trapped me but I was safe and she was good and I wouldn’t be eaten by the wings. |
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Post by Rikku on Nov 4, 2008 22:26:22 GMT -5
You must send it to me as well. You really must. ^_^ 'therwise I shall die of intrigue, if that's possible.
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Post by Shadaras on Nov 4, 2008 22:28:51 GMT -5
You must send it to me as well. You really must. ^_^ 'therwise I shall die of intrigue, if that's possible. Sure. Again, remind me after this is all over. And yay, I'm in the Phoenicia part now. ^_^ ..which means that I'll be introducing Lucifer and Thadd and Esther (who might get her name changed) and it'll be fun and Tuan will go away sadly but whatever this is going to be fun! |
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Post by Shadaras on Nov 5, 2008 0:21:36 GMT -5
When I opened my eyes, I saw Lucifer standing in front of me. He wore dark robes with red edging, but his wings were his most striking part. They were black, yes, but the ends were tipped with fire. Not just fire colors, but true, living fire. And it burned downwards, not up. “Hi,” I said. “Sorry I can’t bow or anything.”
He laughed. I scowled. He grinned at me, looking for a moment like a kid. “Don’t worry. I didn’t expect you to. I’ve been looking forward to you waking up, though. Kazimir has been tending you so faithfully since the day you arrived, and I wouldn’t want to see his hard work wasted.”
I glared at him, but didn’t reply.
“Oh, so you don’t care, then?” Lucifer slowly shook his head. “Such a pity. Should I kill you, then, Adrian? Since you don’t care that Kazimir has kept you alive this whole time?” He stalked forward, fiery eyes fixed on my face. “What say you, Adrian Carstien?”
I stared right back at him, challenging him wordlessly. I didn’t move as his pale hand touched my face, or as he drew closer, so close that I could feel the heat of his body against me.
“Do you want to die?” Lucifer asked, his breath caressing my face. “Do you want to enter the nightmare world and never leave?”
Slowly, my eyes never leaving his, I shook my head. “That isn’t the same as death,” I said quietly. “Death is oblivion. Nightmares are nothing but dreams.”
“Do you believe in hell?” Drawing back, Lucifer studied me. “You don’t look like you would. There isn’t enough fear in you,” he said in contempt. “For all your dreams, you don’t fear.”
“Why should I fear?” I said raggedly, trying to ignore his pull on me as the hand that used to be on my face trailed down my throat, coming to rest on my shoulder. “Why should I believe?”
“What is hell, but the realm of eternal nightmare?” He smiled, shaking his head. “What should you fear but an eternity in that realm?”
“I just had an eternity there.” I closed my eyes. “I don’t need to fear what I know.”
“Eternity means nothing to save you. Eternity means never coming back.” Lucifer leaned back in, his hair tickling my eyelids. “Would you survive that, Adrian?”
“I would have no choice but to do so.”
“So do you believe in hell?”
“Never,” I said simply. “I don’t believe in there being a god watching over us all. Life sucks too much for that to be true.” I like these two. xD ..Adrian's just come out of a nightmare that lasted for about half a year, and almost immediately gets sucked into a philosophical debate with Lucifer. 20,000th word: Phoenicia. ((“It’s because you had to adjust your body to Phoenicia.”)) Final word count: 20,000. xD ..I stopped writing after that, for various reasons. |
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Post by Shadaras on Nov 5, 2008 11:53:44 GMT -5
“Because you’re like me,” Lucifer murmured. “I’ve been waiting for someone like you ever since I learned what I had become. Tuan came close, but in the end, he failed, like so many before him. Kazimir doesn’t even notice us. That’s why he was my target all through his schooling here. And your father Aaron? He was between their extremes, and yet he, not Tuan, was the one that fathered you!” Lucifer gave a delighted laugh.
“I don’t look anything like him!” I yelled, frustrated. “All you have to go by is genetics!”
“We’re very good at that,” Lucifer said calmly. “All the records agree that your genetics are correct for Aaron being your father.” Well, the records aren't right. Tuan's Adrian's dad. It's the only way things add up, now that I think about it. Tuan and Kaz changed all the records. Everyone else who knew of it (Aaron, Lilianne) died. So yeah. ..yeah. Leaps of logic while writing are good. |
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Post by Shadaras on Nov 5, 2008 21:46:43 GMT -5
Twenty-five thousand words. Hit the midway point of the NaNo goal. And I seriously pity Ri in the scene I'm writing now. At least Lucifer isn't torturing him directly this time. Kaz finally came to visit. When I saw him at the door, I practically jumped on him, hugging him. He laughed, pushing me off as he stepped inside. “Sorry,” he said. “Lucas wouldn’t let me come here.”
“I know,” I said, leading him to my bedroom. “He told me he had you working on some sort of special project.”
“That’s not too far from the truth,” Kaz said, sighing. He sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. “He asked me to research your genetics. Something you said set him off, and because he doesn’t like me too much, he decided I could do it.”
“So what did you find out?” I asked, sitting down beside the bed and leaning forward.
“He forbid me to tell you.” Kaz rubbed his face. “I’m not sure if I would, even if I could.”
“Please.” I would’ve reached forward and touched him, if I was close enough. “I want to know.”
“He told me... he told me that if I told you, he’d kill me.” Kaz smiled bitterly. “Not you. Me. You, he said he wouldn’t touch for any reason other than love.”
“As if that’s any better than getting beaten,” I muttered.
“True. Tuan knows that pain better than I do, though.” Sighing, Kaz looked at his hands. “I swore to both of them, you know, when Lilianne found she was pregnant. I swore to Aaron and to Tuan what I’ve now sworn to Lucifer. Does that tell you something about what I found? Do you know why I can’t tell you? Tuan... if he were here, this’d all be different. But he’s not. He ran from you, now that you’ve come of age. Aaron... even he would be better for this than I am.”
“What of Lucifer?”
“He’ll never tell you something like this. He didn’t even know until I told him.”
“Why did you tell him?” I asked, frustrated. “Why couldn’t you hide from him as you’re doing with me?”
“Because he’s our lord. Because he thinks he’s king.” Kaz looked at me, his dark eyes glittering with tears. “Ri, I can’t do anything to him that he can’t counter. And he had the right to know.”
“I don’t?” I stood, glaring at him. “Kaz, you’re a father to me. Stop lying. Tell me now, or I’ll leave you here and let Lucifer find me in the snow.”
“Ri...” Kaz stood, stepping towards me and reaching out a hand. “I don’t want to lie to you. I don’t want to tell you something you’ll destroy yourself over. I don’t want to see you die inside.”
“Then tell me now. I promise not to kill myself,” I said bitterly. “Not that Lucifer would let me do that, anyway.”
“To him, you can do no wrong,” Kaz said softly. “With him, you could get away with anything.” |
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Post by Shadaras on Nov 5, 2008 23:28:33 GMT -5
End of Day Five: 26,068 words.
I could've written more today, but I don't need to and I feel like taking a break. I mean, I wrote six thousand words today. That's enough. Tomorrow I can write a similar amount, I'm sure. Even if my personal minimun per day is only 5k. Yeah. Only. xD
Anyway, next chapter begins Angel training, which forces me to develop Thadd's character some. And I get to introduce Yuri. Whose name I really want to spell Eury, but there's not much point in that, other than making the spellchecker complain more. Heh. He'll be fun. I know what he's like, sadly. He'd be one of Lucifer's favorites if Ri weren't around, I think. Judging by the craziness he's shown me sometimes.
..and eventually I'll get to Dies Irae. I had Lucifer quote a part of that already, actually. “O day of mourning. See fulfilled the prophets warning; heaven and earth in ashes burning.” He lifted his eyes from me and up to the sky, and his tone changed. It wasn’t monotone anymore, but instead, it was full of fury, and the hand on my chest clenched. “Death is struck, and nature quaking, all creation is awaking, to its judge an answer making.” He laughed. “Verse eight suits this best, however,” he said, looking back down at me. “King of Majesty tremendous, who dost free salvation send us, fount of pity, then befriend us.” Verses I, III, and VIII are in there, I think. And of course, at the end, Adrian quotes that thing back at Lucifer. Not those verses, though. He uses VII, XIV, XVI, and XVII.
And yes, my characters are crazy. ^_^ ..I love Lucifer, though. I want to draw him. I should, since I have extra time today. I'll do that. It's a good thing to do.
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Post by Kathleen on Nov 6, 2008 0:41:09 GMT -5
Very interesting. =D As usual. But I feel bad for Ri. Mmm..
An impressive wordcount, to be sure. ^_^
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Post by Shadaras on Nov 6, 2008 9:12:26 GMT -5
Hopefully Yuri will replace Lucifer as my source of amusement for a while, and then we won't need to feel bad for Ri quite as much. Hopefully.
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Post by Shadaras on Nov 6, 2008 18:32:36 GMT -5
So, I mention a child's rhyme. That means, of course, that I need to write it. And thus spend far too much trying to get it to rhyme right.
Criminals creep and warriors fight,
Mercury’s warrens, Venus’s might.
Plotting high above the world below,
Luna gives Terra things to show.
Scientists and miners many,
Mars has minions and Ceres is tinny.
Dreamers, dancers, spoken words,
Callisto and Ganymede have those nerds.
Carving out everything, metal and bone,
Europa’s the sculptor, but it’s an Ian throne.
Music and artistry, things hidden from sight,
Titan and Titania, sisters in the night.
Spacers many soar in the sky,
Triton’s the home to which they fly.
Prideful post of scientists,
Pluto and Charon of the mists.
My favorite part is the Mars and Ceres one, I think. I can't help but laugh. And I'm not happy with the Titan/Titania one or the Callisto/Ganymede one. Or the Europa/Io one. I'll end up editing this later, I'm sure.
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