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Post by Trilly (18426 words) on Jun 29, 2011 17:12:43 GMT -5
Okay. I'm not sure if I'm officially going for the 50k word count this month, but I AM aiming to finish a story. And it will likely be pretty long (maybe 50k even?) by the time it is finished. I currently have 6,654 words and I'm just beginning part three, since I started writing a bit over a month ago. I'm hoping to get at least 1600 words or more added to that count for every day of writing, just like a NaNo. ^^ Mostly I'm doing this because it's the only possible way I can see of EVER finishing this story. It is a Neopets story idea that I have had for at least four years and I've been really looking forward to writing it. So much that I've already had two false starts and given up on both of them. ^_^; Thing is, I REALLY like the idea behind it and I kind of decided to save it until a point where I'm actually happy enough with my writing that I'll feel like I'm doing it justice, but I've concluded this year that that point will probably never come, and if I keep putting it off it'll never be written at all. So I figure it's better to have a finished story that's maybe not quite as good as it could be rather than no story at all. It'll also be interesting seeing what comes out of an idea this old. ^__^ Kind of like a story time capsule. I think that covers the background. ^^ Now here's a bit about the actual story. The story is called World Shifter. In the interest of simplicity, it is about a Zafara from Meridell who can travel between parallel dimensions. It's actually kind of a fairy tale and kind of a science fiction and kind of a gothic romance and also kind of Beauty and the Beast.
At least, it will be if I write it properly. >< And keep it toned down enough for the Times.
So the main character is Aendelami, a Christmas Zafara from a tiny little farming community in Meridell that is nestled right at the edge of a dark, tangled forest that people don't tend to want to go very far into. Being the town oddball, Aendelami goes into it quite frequently, leaving the rest of the villagers to wonder what she gets up to in there. As it turns out, she is mostly trying to avoid said gossiping villagers, as she's a fairly solitary individual and would do almost anything to leave and have adventures. But she does have a secret as well.
In the forest there is an area of overgrown castle ruins that Aendelami has been visiting since she was little. She doesn't know what they're from but she likes them and considers it a break from a life where everything is familiar and easily explained and a place she can go to be alone.
So she's kind of displeased when she comes to her ruins one day to find someone there. And to make it worse, the intruder isn't even even an immediately recognizable species to her-- someone from Meridell could hardly be expected to know about Aliens and what they look like, after all.
Okay now I'm sick of writing this up. Suffice it to say there is technology in the ruins. Really, really old technology with a long story behind it. And for whatever reason, it turns out Aendelami can actually use it, although neither she nor her alien squatter know what it does. So when stuff happens, it takes them by surprise and they are both sucked away somewhere. This takes them to a parallel reality and us to the end of part two.
(The parallel reality is home to many shenanigans and fluff and a METRIC TONNE OF ANGST, BTW.)
Oh, right. I also have a great deal of art for this story already. Most of it is too vintage for me to look at for any amount of time, but here are a couple I like. One is new but the other I can't guarantee won't make your eyes bleed. And there's more where they came from. |
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Post by Birdy on Jun 29, 2011 18:32:51 GMT -5
... Questions. Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to read a NaKaranth story? And have been drooling over the shiny arts in your Deviant art account that are related to this? And how much I'm grinning right now? ... <3 *manages to regain composure, but not before giggling like a maniac* I cannot wait to see this in the Times. ^_^ Ancient ruins and alien tech and ALIEN AISHAS and yes. <3 ... Yes.*is making no sense but whatever*
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Post by Trilly (18426 words) on Jun 29, 2011 19:52:00 GMT -5
... Questions. Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to read a NaKaranth story? And have been drooling over the shiny arts in your Deviant art account that are related to this? And how much I'm grinning right now? ... <3 *manages to regain composure, but not before giggling like a maniac* I cannot wait to see this in the Times. ^_^ Ancient ruins and alien tech and ALIEN AISHAS and yes. <3 ... Yes.*is making no sense but whatever*
I'll confess, I've wanted to write a Neopets NaKaranth for a very long time. ^__^ This isn't the only story I've attempted with him, either. Actually I don't even think he was in the initial draft of this story at all (although it wasn't long before he was). And it'll be nice to finish this so that I'll actually have a reason for all of the inexplicable vintage art in my dA gallery. XD But anyhow, I'm glad you seem interested in this story. ^^ I'm a bit concerned that it might not be accepted into the times because of romantic undertones and the like, but if it isn't I'll just post it somewhere else. Probably dA. Thanks for the encouragement, though! =D |
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Post by Birdy on Jun 29, 2011 20:03:01 GMT -5
... Questions. Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to read a NaKaranth story? And have been drooling over the shiny arts in your Deviant art account that are related to this? And how much I'm grinning right now? ... <3 *manages to regain composure, but not before giggling like a maniac* I cannot wait to see this in the Times. ^_^ Ancient ruins and alien tech and ALIEN AISHAS and yes. <3 ... Yes.*is making no sense but whatever*
I'll confess, I've wanted to write a Neopets NaKaranth for a very long time. ^__^ This isn't the only story I've attempted with him, either. Actually I don't even think he was in the initial draft of this story at all (although it wasn't long before he was). And it'll be nice to finish this so that I'll actually have a reason for all of the inexplicable vintage art in my dA gallery. XD But anyhow, I'm glad you seem interested in this story. ^^ I'm a bit concerned that it might not be accepted into the times because of romantic undertones and the like, but if it isn't I'll just post it somewhere else. Probably dA. Thanks for the encouragement, though! =D Well, now's your chance. =D (Obviously. Sorry, stating the obvious again. xD; I tend to to that. =D; ) And yes. =D (And don't forget about the shiny trophies!) And I am. Alien Aisha are awesome. *loves them* And I'm hoping it'll be fine, as long as it's played right. =3 *worded that weirdly, butwhatever* ^^;And yay for Deviantart! ^_^ It's handy like that. xD; And you've very welcome! ^_^ *waves pompoms* |
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Post by Rikku on Jun 29, 2011 23:18:51 GMT -5
Oh gods finally.
... Er, that was rude. xD I mean. Just. Finally! World Shifter! Ha, I've been mildly curious about that for years now, such utter glee! And, I mean, I had no idea it even had such an interesting feel (I was just gonna say 'fairytalish feel' but that seemed to be over-simplifying >.>) or anything and ooh, castles and aliens and mysterious angst-generating paralllel dimensions (... filled with magic? Or fascinating creatures or anyway doubtless something fascinating) and. Basically.
Finally!
=D
*glees*
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Post by Kathleen on Jun 29, 2011 23:51:40 GMT -5
*makes excited noises*
I love parallel dimensions. They're just so cool. Who couldn't love a story with parallel dimensions? =D They have so much potential. For messing around, and, and cool things. And NaKaranth, yay - I cannot wait to see this. ^_^
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Post by Trilly (18426 words) on Jun 30, 2011 1:28:46 GMT -5
Oh gods finally. ... Er, that was rude. xD I mean. Just. Finally! World Shifter! Ha, I've been mildly curious about that for years now, such utter glee! And, I mean, I had no idea it even had such an interesting feel (I was just gonna say 'fairytalish feel' but that seemed to be over-simplifying >.>) or anything and ooh, castles and aliens and mysterious angst-generating paralllel dimensions (... filled with magic? Or fascinating creatures or anyway doubtless something fascinating) and. Basically. Finally!=D *glees* Oh, it's okay! XD I'm actually floored (and maybe kind of bouncingly happy) that there is some manner of anticipation for this story already. It's been such a long time since I've made any references to it! ^^ There will be something fascinating in this parallel universe!  Tamia actually complained about my description in the first post since I don't even get anywhere near the important parts of the story, but it'll just be a surprise. ^__^ Hopefully that won't be mean since I'm hoping the story will be done in a month. I really hope it'll have an interesting feel in the end! ^^ *makes excited noises* I love parallel dimensions. They're just so cool. Who couldn't love a story with parallel dimensions? =D They have so much potential. For messing around, and, and cool things. And NaKaranth, yay - I cannot wait to see this. ^_^ I'm really looking forward to messing around with parallel dimensions. ^^ It's too bad I'll only really deal with one in this story-- I have ideas for others, too. Maybe someday. XD Yes, NaKaranth. *huggles* I'm glad you're looking forward to it, and I hope not to disappoint! |
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Post by Trilly (18426 words) on Jul 2, 2011 12:56:32 GMT -5
Okay. I didn't write anything yesterday. Which is a fail. So I'm going to motivate myself in the form of posting an excerpt from a part of the story I've already written. This is a bit from the beginning of Part Two, and it's even been read once over by Tamia. ^^ It's really short but I don't have much so far that seems excerpt-worthy. Aendelami’s first emotion upon seeing the mysterious six-eared Aisha was bafflement. It was a logical reaction, given the pet’s appearance combined with his presence in a part of the forest that she’d never seen anyone else in before. Following almost immediately on its tail, however, was anger. She didn’t really have any say who came and went in the forest, but the ruin was her place and this newcomer seemed to be under the false impression that he could barge into her life however he pleased.
Now if only he would stop smiling at her.
“Greetings, Neopian,” he said cheerfully, approaching her with absolutely no fear or acknowledgment of personal boundaries. He shook her hand enthusiastically. “Lovely day, isn’t it? Lovelier now that you’re here, of course, but that should go without saying. You must be a... it starts with a “z”... a Zafara, that’s right! Fantastic, I love Zafaras. What are you doing here exactly?”
Aendelami blinked, for a moment confused by the stream of words that came tumbling out of the strange Aisha’s mouth. She quickly regained her composure, remembering that she was justifiably angry at the moment. “What am I doing here? What are you doing here? I live here, which I’m sure is more than you can say, because I’ve been here my entire life and I swear I’ve never seen anyone with as strange ears as you!”
Frowning, he reached up and pulled the two middle stalks down so he could examine them at eye level. After pondering at great length, he let them go with a shrug. “It’s a birth defect.”
“A birth defect.”
“Yes. I’m terribly scarred emotionally by it. It’s better if you don’t bring it up.”
“You expect me to believe--” she started.
“Don’t, you’ll just force me to relive a traumatic time,” he said in a melancholic tone. “I might not recover from it. The trauma, I mean.”
He had to be the worst liar in the history of Neopia. Even if she had been inclined to believe that the two extra antennae were the result of a birth defect, his sighs and overdramatic arm sweeps would probably have made her at least a little skeptical. But beyond that, there was another reason why she suspected there was more to his story than what he was saying.
If only she could remember what it was. I HAVE to get through this current part of the story since when I'm finally finished with it, all of the awesome stuff can start happening. >> But this part (Part Three) is also really important because we meet an important character-- one of the main three, actually! But first there's minor characters and plot details and exposition, blah. I'll try to write extra today. ^^; |
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Post by Rikku on Jul 2, 2011 17:48:30 GMT -5
NaKaranth is lovely! <3 All alien and ... cheerful and alien and stuff. Gah. xD He's so much fun.
Write more! =D And then you can post more excerpts and I can read them! NaKaranth!
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Post by Trilly (18426 words) on Jul 5, 2011 2:03:43 GMT -5
YES, people. I've finally finished part three, which has been a TORMENT on my mind and a BURDEN on my soul. And it's only 1000 words longer than it was supposed to be. But now we have the set-up. We have all three main characters. Now we can have CHARACTER DYNAMICS. It will be fun. The story is 9,709 words long so far. ^^ And next part I get to give the "how do parallel universes work?" spiel, which is good because I've been making vague references to it and being all technical and everything and confusing myself and I'll likely be confusing future readers as well. XO And soon my characters in the PRESENT will be able to talk about the PAST, instead of the past always talking about themselves. And then later (probably quite a bit later), we hear about Good Neighbors. Or nor so good ones.  I'm so excited! (I wasn't going to post an excerpt, but Rikku mentioned she might like to read another, and I kinda like this bit, so... why not? XD Please ignore the typos--I've fixed a couple but there are probably more.) (Oh, and "The Master" is the master of the castle/manor. XD Sorry Whovians. It's still a Neopets story. XD )
The Yurble-- Flora, Aendelami assumed-- huffed and rolled her eyes extravagantly, “I don’t especially care about the roses, Hendrick. Yes, I know. I must be the only person in the entire castle who thinks they’re a waste of time, but that’s my opinion and I’m not going to change for anyone. Not even the Master.”
“Okay, okay,” he held up his paws placatingly about as successfully as could be expected considering his arms were still full of the red flowers. “I’m not looking for a fight, I was just wondering. Hey, who’re our guests? The Zafara looks nice--like a real lady.”
“Please, Hendrick, just keep your muzzle shut and use your eyes for once. She is not a lady-- she’s practically in rags for Skarl’s sake! They’re obviously just some would-be vandals who snuck in to raise a little havoc and fell in the pond instead.”
“Flora, have you even talked to them? I’m sure they have an explanation--”
“Ah--ow-- we do happen to have an explanation for our presence here,” NaKaranth said, jumping at the chance and wincing as his ear was pinched just a little bit harder. “You see, me and my associate here are trained in the noble art of....” he trailed off, eying Aendelami desperately.
“Um, stone inspection,” Aendelami blurted out, mentally berating herself not even a full second after speaking. Stone inspection. “We were just... examining the cobbles by the pond when my friend unfortunately slipped and fell into the water, dragging me in with him.”
NaKaranth gave her a nasty look, which she easily brushed off.
“Stone inspection is a very serious matter,” Aendelami said, grateful, for once, for her ability to say things in a perfect deadpan voice. Usually it would only serve to alienate whoever she happened to be talking to at the time, but it did come in handy for covering up a lie as well. “If the stone has been cut or treated with processes that are...”
“Substandard,” the Alien put in from the other side of Flora the Yurble.
“Yes, that’s it. As my assistant indicated, if substandard methods have been used then anything the stone is used to build is liable to collapse with very little warning. So we’re here to make sure that this isn’t the case with your castle.”
Flora and Hendrick looked at each other, the former with a dubious look and the latter with a careless shrug. “Let them see the Master,” Hendrick suggested. “Personally I’d believe it, but maybe we’d best be letting him decide then?”
It took awhile, but finally Flora nodded her consent. Aendelami wasn’t entirely sure whether to be happy about seeing the Master or not, but at least they might not be presented as trespassing vandals now.
“But, I’m afraid I must insist we do something about their dreadful attire before they see the Master. I won’t have them tracking mud all over the manor.”
Well, that didn’t sound too bad.
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Post by Rikku on Jul 5, 2011 2:33:02 GMT -5
Stone inspection. xD That is hilarious. And, and, there are eventual fae-beings? =D I suppose I should've figured that from the fairytale part, but. Fae! <3
And drat. No Master. *heaves a dramatic sigh* He'd make stories interesting, that's for certain. Running out of plot? Throw in a psyhopathic alien overlord!
... And now I keep on wanting to refer to things in CAPITAL LETTERS. Because it is FUN.
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Post by Tam on Jul 5, 2011 2:41:49 GMT -5
DRAMATIC Trilly is DRAMATIC. =D *enjoys this* *almost enough to stop abusing italics and switch to capitals instead*
Um, anyway, yes, this is wonderful and I love it quite a lot so I'm going to go bug you about it now. =D See you in ten seconds.
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Post by Trilly (18426 words) on Jul 5, 2011 19:30:18 GMT -5
Stone inspection. xD That is hilarious. And, and, there are eventual fae-beings? =D I suppose I should've figured that from the fairytale part, but. Fae! <3 And drat. No Master. *heaves a dramatic sigh* He'd make stories interesting, that's for certain. Running out of plot? Throw in a psyhopathic alien overlord! ... And now I keep on wanting to refer to things in CAPITAL LETTERS. Because it is FUN. I won't deny there will be a character/a group of characters who are somewhat fae-ish (that was definitely part of the inspiration behind it!) appearing later on in the story, but that's only part of the reason why this'll be a fairytale if I manage to write it properly. ^^ There is a reason I said it was like Beauty and the Beast, which I kind of consider a fairytale even though there aren't any fae in it. But yes. I'm really looking forward to the fae-ish part, even though it'll probably not be lengthy by any means. =D And it's kind of an intro to a big idea me and Tamia have that we've been talking about for quite awhile without using. Well, I have ALIENS. not necessarily overlords, but everyone's gotta start somewhere. XD I read Homestuck, then all of a sudden I can't type without wanting to capitalize random words or phrases. >> It's problematic. DRAMATIC Trilly is DRAMATIC. =D *enjoys this* * almost enough to stop abusing italics and switch to capitals instead* Um, anyway, yes, this is wonderful and I love it quite a lot so I'm going to go bug you about it now. =D See you in ten seconds. Yes, drama. I get dramatic when I am excited. XD And capslock-happy. Good to know. ^^ I totally did not read this before you came to see me, either. |
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Post by Trilly (18426 words) on Jul 8, 2011 22:34:51 GMT -5
Since Tamia's and my headcannon for Alien Aishas is extensive to say the least, I have NaKaranth here giving a quick summary of the major points and such. ^___^ (I won't lie, this is mostly for me. XD It's useful to have all of this typed up for later reference.) *INCOMING TRANSMISSION*
AISHAS: A HISTORY
Okay, what in Kreludor’s name are they teaching you people in Neopian Schools if you don’t know this stuff already?
Fine, then-- we’ll just have to start from the very beginning, I guess. Well, not the very beginning, but close enough that it might as well be.
Anyways, if you go back in time far enough, we Aishas used to have a planet of our own, but for various reasons which are not of much consequence at the moment, it died. Which is sad, I guess, but we fortuitously had enough warning ahead of time that we were able to stockpile all the supplies and technology we’d need to be able to make our escape and survive in space for the next foreseeable future. Which, let me tell you, ended up being a LONG time. We built ships to carry us through space in search of a new world to inhabit, and we ended up spending hundreds of years looking, with no success.
I think I should mention now that we Aishas are an OLD species. We’re ridiculously old. We were perfecting our grasp of nanotechnology before Neopians got the hang of fire. And we’re all extremely smart, but that goes without saying. And, well, in the past we had a whole different approach to things. So when we finally did find a nice little planet that looked suitable for our needs, a fairly large number of us wanted to ignore the fact that it was already inhabited by a number of primitive species and just go right on in and take it for ourselves. We had been planetless for a really long time, remember. That idea was shot down by the high council pretty quickly, but there were (and still are, thousands of years later) those of us who don’t agree with the ‘hands off’ approach. So the Aishas ended up breaking up into a number of different factions, of sorts. All because of this one little blue planet.
I hope you’ve been listening, because this is where it gets a little bit complicated.
When we first came to Neopia, we Aishas were quite a bit different than we are now. Our council was pretty much dominated by the military, and we had a tendency to sometimes fly off the handle and get involved in things that didn’t involve us. I’ll admit-- we were worse during our little jaunt around the galaxies than we were once we reached Neopia. We were a bit settled down by that point and beginning to demilitarize ourselves a bit, which explained why we didn’t go in and take the planet out from under the noses of the primitives. At the time, there was no such thing as a Neopian Aisha-- there was only us. We did start colonizing, though. A bit.
We eventually started having some... issues with the inhabitants, though, so it became clear that attempting to have us Aishas and primitive Neopians in close quarters was a very poorly thought out idea. What’s more, some of the Aishas who had been living on the planet for a while began showing negative health impacts-- seems that those hundreds of years in space had changed us in ways we hadn’t expected. Learning that the planet was toxic to us in large doses was pretty much the final straw, and the council’s decision was to leave Neopia entirely. So the Aishas went back into space, where we used our considerable intellect to build the Biospheres, the sort of artificial planets that we live in to this day.
Some Aishas loved the planet so much, though, that they couldn’t bear to leave it. They were so determined to to stay, they underwent genetic manipulation to alter their physiology enough that they could remain on the planet for the rest of their lives without ill effects. Their memory of sensitive information was removed and they were banished entirely from Aisha society, never to return. Interestingly, this off-shoot race still exists today. Physically, they still greatly resemble normal Aishas, but they have only two antennae instead of the standard four. They even appear to have retained a fair amount of intellectual potential and they often have a strong magic reserves, undoubtedly residual abilities left over from their regular Aisha ancestors. But for some reason, they have the gall to call us “aliens.”
Today, the main bulk of the Aisha race remains in the Biospheres and never leaves under any circumstance. We’re a perfectly self-contained society and have no need of anything from the outside, and we have a very strict non-interference policy when it comes to other races. It is a centralized society, with every individual simply being a part of the whole and doing their job so that the rest of the race can do theirs as well. There is no form of currency-- if you have need of something, it will be provided. The clothing is nearly identical, with minor differences. Your profession is determined by what you’re good at. When a young Aisha comes of age, they are given a red triangle tattoo on their forehead that signifies they are an adult who is ready to take their place in the collective. It is the most perfectly planned and organized society ever.
So I probably don’t have to explain why it drives some Aishas up the wall.
We have a Rogue problem, and by extension, so does the rest of the galaxy. Sometimes an Aisha will become unable to take the routine of collective life after awhile and may begin to resent their position in society. Then they’ll find a way to escape the biosphere, which isn’t really as hard as it sounds, and fly off in a stolen ship. It’s usually the younger ones (pre-tattoo), but it occasionally happens to the older ones, too. These Aishas are Rogues, and they usually end up at the Virtupets Space Station or on Neopia eventually. They are usually recognizable by having either no tattoo or an inverted triangle, which represents their rejection of Aisha society. There are good Rogues and bad ones, the good ones just looking for more independence and whatnot, and the bad ones who believe that their advanced knowledge has the potential to get them the fame and fortune unavailable to them in the Biospheres. That’s why you see a number of Aishas who support Sloth-- they are Rogue Aishas, and they are some of the most dangerous types. They are information dealers who steal plans and technology from the Biospheres and sell them to Virtupets for replication. Leaks like this are a big problem for the council.
The final faction of Aishas is undoubtedly the most mysterious, and poses much more of a threat than conventional Rogues. In a technical sense they are actually Rogues, but they have central organization and are very far removed from what is thought of as conventional Aisha society. They’ve infiltrated every corner of Neopian society and Aisha society alike, and the worst part is that Neopians don’t even seem to notice. They are terrifyingly powerful. The faction I’m talking about is--
*END TRANSMISSION* |
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Post by Rikku on Jul 9, 2011 1:56:28 GMT -5
Menacing society is menacing.
... Also, yes, that is a lovely complex history. =D And interesting. Definitely interesting. I figured you guys had something worked out between you, and ha, now I vaguely know what it is. Ha.
And the phrase 'headcannon' makes for more amusing mental images than it really ought to.
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Tamia actually complained about my description in the first post since I don't even get anywhere near the important parts of the story, but it'll just be a surprise. ^__^ Hopefully that won't be mean since I'm hoping the story will be done in a month.
I'm so excited!
