Okay, just by the way everybody, Noria is AWESOME once again, and I am not going to reveal any more about Oua and the alligator for now. :) ("It's a crocodile," Noria exasperatedly adds).
Anyway, in case any of you were wondering, I can clear up a little more about the awesome awesome map without giving away too many spoilers.
Number one, deer-horses are not like mammoth-elephants. Mammoth-elephants are not used for transportation in the forests, just as deer-horses aren't used in the mountains. So, remember that.
Number two, the temples are the monarch in the HK. Of course they're just in the central area, but the other places are a bit more "savage" and govern more by "every man for himself" than with a permanent system of leadership. No King, no Princess, no Handsome Prince, no Democratic-Republican Senators. Just the temples - for the priests and priestesses (beginning at age 15) who have Jiaii talent. These people are very good with poisons and medicines and stuff.
Number three, the Rainforest region people are tricky, intuitive, unhesitant scammers, and live by an evolving system where law is contraband, but they are still very loyal, although they will still scam you. The second main area is the North, where it's cold and dry, distrustful and selfish. The third and last main area (these are the people areas, by the way, not the geographical areas, which are outlined in the map) is the Central area, which is the most civilized, lighthearted, educated, wealthy, and religious, and the most complex, although also the easiest to understand. The North and the Rainforest are both smaller and more obscure, and they have that sense where you don't even bother trying to understand them. So we focus on the Central area, which is where Oua was born, and where the Priestess girl will grow up.
Number four, tsibirds are awesome. Is there any more I have to explain?
Number five, the tree alligator - okay, CROCODILE - eggs are found in the hearts of the mangrove trees. I'm not going to specify what I have in mind about that yet, but it's true, and it will be important. By the way, tree crocodiles are awesome too.
And number six - EVERYONE IN HK SPEAKS THE SAME LANGUAGE AND USES THE SAME CURRENCY!!!! This may or may not be true, but by the time you read it, whatever it says will be the truth, so just read it, because good old Noria will edit it before anyone new stumbles across our blog. And hopefully, she will specify what that language and currency is, because I will need it now. Hint, hint.
All right, that's all for now! Wait for the next chapter...coming up soon!
No promises though. :D
25 October 2009
Map of the Hourgalss Kingdom
My very first post! Alright, here is a basic map of the Hourglass Kingdom (we haven't come up with a name for it yet, so the HK works until we either change it, or of course we might decide to keep it). The Firelands is ALL of the red area, the Forests is ALL the green place, etc. The white part's the Mountain, and is the fifth country. It is impossible to reach by ordinary means (hint hint). The regions that cross the fat borders are still one region, are very alike socially and economically, and can be considered a mini-country. No more details for you!
11 October 2009
Chapter...what is it? 5? Of the Prequel (duh!) If you do not know all this already, remember you have to start reading at the bottom.
The water was murky and dark as Oua evaporated and became one with the overshadowing clouds constantly ripe with rain. She found it much too difficult to collect her thoughts when harbored in a body as vast as the swamps.
Slithering down the trunk of one of the protruding treetops to look out over the water, Oua wished fervently that Whisp was still himself. If only...
Then she was saliva making a guttural quacking noise. It took Oua a while to get used to this. Then she realized that she must have somehow been swallowed. Whisking herself out of another opening, Oua discovered that this accident had been due to the frantic perambulating of one of the tsibirds.
Or at least, that was the best name she could give them. With slightly ruffled feathers, hyena-like backs, curious puffin beaks and big shiny eyes, the creature's call of "TCEE!!! TCEE!!!" might not actually have been its name, but more likely something that meant "WATCH OUT THERE'S A TREE ALLIGATOR COMING AFTER ME AND I HOPE YOU STAY STILL SO IT'LL STOP TO MAKE MINCEMEAT OUT OF YOU BEFORE IT HAS TIME TO CATCH ME!!!"
The tree alligator itself, indeed, was of no harm to Oua, but the sight of the swim-paddle-gliding tsibird being chased by the maniacal alligator was the first laugh she'd had in days. With a slightly rueful, slightly goodnatured, maybe-a-bit-clownish feeling, she spurted herself into the gleaming red eyes of the tree alligator just to see the reaction. After all, if it wasn't a magical creature, it couldn't hurt her.
If.
What she hadn't expected was a magic-tipped spear, lethal to her and any other spirits, to come hurtling out of the air and bury itself in the stomach of the tree alligator.
Slithering down the trunk of one of the protruding treetops to look out over the water, Oua wished fervently that Whisp was still himself. If only...
Then she was saliva making a guttural quacking noise. It took Oua a while to get used to this. Then she realized that she must have somehow been swallowed. Whisking herself out of another opening, Oua discovered that this accident had been due to the frantic perambulating of one of the tsibirds.
Or at least, that was the best name she could give them. With slightly ruffled feathers, hyena-like backs, curious puffin beaks and big shiny eyes, the creature's call of "TCEE!!! TCEE!!!" might not actually have been its name, but more likely something that meant "WATCH OUT THERE'S A TREE ALLIGATOR COMING AFTER ME AND I HOPE YOU STAY STILL SO IT'LL STOP TO MAKE MINCEMEAT OUT OF YOU BEFORE IT HAS TIME TO CATCH ME!!!"
The tree alligator itself, indeed, was of no harm to Oua, but the sight of the swim-paddle-gliding tsibird being chased by the maniacal alligator was the first laugh she'd had in days. With a slightly rueful, slightly goodnatured, maybe-a-bit-clownish feeling, she spurted herself into the gleaming red eyes of the tree alligator just to see the reaction. After all, if it wasn't a magical creature, it couldn't hurt her.
If.
What she hadn't expected was a magic-tipped spear, lethal to her and any other spirits, to come hurtling out of the air and bury itself in the stomach of the tree alligator.
02 October 2009
Before the Sands Trickled: Chapter 4
The wetlands. Yes, that had to be it. The wetlands. Where else could she go? The creatures back at the castle would think she'd flee to the wetlands, water being her element, but Whisp, at the very least, would be smart enough to convince them that she wouldn't possible choose the wetlands, because she would expect them to expect that, so of course she'd choose elsewhere. So they would look somewhere else. The firelands, maybe. The forests? Probably not the plains. Unless Whisp knew her too well by now.
Oua sat down and cried herself dry. It was impossible, the whole affair. Whisp wouldn't kill Terri! It should have been a dream. But Oua was much too practical for that.
No, it had all been real. But it surely hadn't been Whisp's will. The humans must have manipulated him in some way. Tricked him. Decieved him. Whisp wouldn't have accepted a bribe or threat for anything, certainly not to murder Terri. They must have used force of numbers to subdue him and then...and then what?
With terror Oua shuddered and found that her magic was wearing thin. Best to make haste to the wetlands then. Slithering from the crisp white snow into the murky green marshes past the border, Oua marveled at how quickly frosty bare branches transformed into dark swamp vegetation full of obscure life. She'd have to do as best she could here. Then maybe she'd come up with a plan.
And she would, she would come up with a plan. Whisp wasn't a traitor; he'd been betrayed. And even though she had been framed, Oua planned to save him.
Oua sat down and cried herself dry. It was impossible, the whole affair. Whisp wouldn't kill Terri! It should have been a dream. But Oua was much too practical for that.
No, it had all been real. But it surely hadn't been Whisp's will. The humans must have manipulated him in some way. Tricked him. Decieved him. Whisp wouldn't have accepted a bribe or threat for anything, certainly not to murder Terri. They must have used force of numbers to subdue him and then...and then what?
With terror Oua shuddered and found that her magic was wearing thin. Best to make haste to the wetlands then. Slithering from the crisp white snow into the murky green marshes past the border, Oua marveled at how quickly frosty bare branches transformed into dark swamp vegetation full of obscure life. She'd have to do as best she could here. Then maybe she'd come up with a plan.
And she would, she would come up with a plan. Whisp wasn't a traitor; he'd been betrayed. And even though she had been framed, Oua planned to save him.
19 September 2009
"Before the Sands Trickled" (Prequel): This is the real Chapter 3. I swear.
I knew I couldn't just leave. Not like that. Not without...revenge for what Whisp had done.
And it would be easy. So easy. Even their spirit probes wouldn't dare to look around Master's own quarters. And there are flaws with voice-deactivated drones for guards. They can't die, they're innumerable, they're really difficult to vanquish...unless you are still a trusted servant of their Master's.
And ohh...there isn't even a struggle. The guards salute me as I drift past, a trusted familiar with all of them. Nobody takes any notice as I slither through the gates as a fugitive and give a sad little smile, knowing that I'll never have any need to enter them again.
I will find Whisp. I will regain the soul that he gave to the humans. I will not let him destroy himself like this. Surely he still has a self, somewhere, elsewhere - that self that I loved so much. I would go to the ends of the worlds to find it.
But the ends of the world do not require me to come back to this castle. No, I have done my job here...a job that surely no one will forgive me for.
Farewell.
"She killed Master?" the Jiraf ejaculated, in aghast disbelief.
The sobbing spirits only moaned more, wailing their anguish to the skies. "We didn't think she would go even further! She expressed human rage by murdering Terri...we didn't expect her to be strong enough to oppose Master!"
"And you left him virtually unguarded?" exclaimed the Jiraf, too outraged to let the grief sink in.
It was the Master who had rescued them all from starvation, or abandonment, or loss of magic, or other evils. It was the Master who had been so strong over the years, treating all his spirits as his equals and protecting them with his life, standing up to even powerful mages who were only targeting his lessers. It was the Master who would halt his entire company to stop and rescue hurt dragonfly from getting crushed, and yet could win the Sun and the Earth in a duel to the death. It was the Master had risked himself over and over for them, and never once had he implied that they should feel indebted to him; never once had he forced them to do a single thing. It was the Master who had been so chivalrous and absolutely undefeatable in the old days, but had found his powers dwindling as the humans manifested the kingdom and had eventually fallen to relying heavily on his spirits to sustain him - which, of course, they'd done with eager gratitude. But it had only taken one young JiiaÏ to slay him. He was not immortal like them; now he was dead and there was nothing they could do. Oua had killed him and each and every one of them would not rest until they'd hunted her down and given her what she deserved.
"Is - is he really?" the Jiraf said finally in a lame voice, rendered weak by the very thought of her Master dead. "Can no healer save him?"
"We've tried everything!" bemoaned the spirits. "Oh, Master, Master, Master..."
"Then I guess we've just got to be devoted servants still and avenge his spirit," the Jiraf said finally, unable to hold back the tears.
"Yes! I will kill that JiiaÏ!" shouted one spirit, and raucous agreements burst out from the entire queue of creatures sobbing at the gate.
An unbeatable search party was organized, the clever water JiiaÏ was on her way, and the hunt began.
And it would be easy. So easy. Even their spirit probes wouldn't dare to look around Master's own quarters. And there are flaws with voice-deactivated drones for guards. They can't die, they're innumerable, they're really difficult to vanquish...unless you are still a trusted servant of their Master's.
And ohh...there isn't even a struggle. The guards salute me as I drift past, a trusted familiar with all of them. Nobody takes any notice as I slither through the gates as a fugitive and give a sad little smile, knowing that I'll never have any need to enter them again.
I will find Whisp. I will regain the soul that he gave to the humans. I will not let him destroy himself like this. Surely he still has a self, somewhere, elsewhere - that self that I loved so much. I would go to the ends of the worlds to find it.
But the ends of the world do not require me to come back to this castle. No, I have done my job here...a job that surely no one will forgive me for.
Farewell.
* * *
"She killed Master?" the Jiraf ejaculated, in aghast disbelief.
The sobbing spirits only moaned more, wailing their anguish to the skies. "We didn't think she would go even further! She expressed human rage by murdering Terri...we didn't expect her to be strong enough to oppose Master!"
"And you left him virtually unguarded?" exclaimed the Jiraf, too outraged to let the grief sink in.
It was the Master who had rescued them all from starvation, or abandonment, or loss of magic, or other evils. It was the Master who had been so strong over the years, treating all his spirits as his equals and protecting them with his life, standing up to even powerful mages who were only targeting his lessers. It was the Master who would halt his entire company to stop and rescue hurt dragonfly from getting crushed, and yet could win the Sun and the Earth in a duel to the death. It was the Master had risked himself over and over for them, and never once had he implied that they should feel indebted to him; never once had he forced them to do a single thing. It was the Master who had been so chivalrous and absolutely undefeatable in the old days, but had found his powers dwindling as the humans manifested the kingdom and had eventually fallen to relying heavily on his spirits to sustain him - which, of course, they'd done with eager gratitude. But it had only taken one young JiiaÏ to slay him. He was not immortal like them; now he was dead and there was nothing they could do. Oua had killed him and each and every one of them would not rest until they'd hunted her down and given her what she deserved.
"Is - is he really?" the Jiraf said finally in a lame voice, rendered weak by the very thought of her Master dead. "Can no healer save him?"
"We've tried everything!" bemoaned the spirits. "Oh, Master, Master, Master..."
"Then I guess we've just got to be devoted servants still and avenge his spirit," the Jiraf said finally, unable to hold back the tears.
"Yes! I will kill that JiiaÏ!" shouted one spirit, and raucous agreements burst out from the entire queue of creatures sobbing at the gate.
An unbeatable search party was organized, the clever water JiiaÏ was on her way, and the hunt began.
"Before the Sands Trickled" (Prequel): The REAL Chapter 3
Just kidding. There is no Eveline.
Ha ha. Gave you a scare, didn't I? And a little preview as to what's coming next. But no, not even the Jar of Subconscious can do something as wild as connect the Hourglass Kingdom to our world. You see, our world doesn't exist. Not to this story. Not to this reality.
So, now I'll brainwash you and force you to forget everything in the last two posts, because personally I think those two weren't half bad, and so I'm not going to bother erasing them. Just wait for the next one to get the next chapter of the story. I know, it's mean. But I like dragging things out.
So anyway...
I'll post the next one soon. So stay on the edge of your seats.
Ha ha. Gave you a scare, didn't I? And a little preview as to what's coming next. But no, not even the Jar of Subconscious can do something as wild as connect the Hourglass Kingdom to our world. You see, our world doesn't exist. Not to this story. Not to this reality.
So, now I'll brainwash you and force you to forget everything in the last two posts, because personally I think those two weren't half bad, and so I'm not going to bother erasing them. Just wait for the next one to get the next chapter of the story. I know, it's mean. But I like dragging things out.
So anyway...
I'll post the next one soon. So stay on the edge of your seats.
18 September 2009
"Before the Sands Trickled" Chapter 4
"It's a human! A human! A human!" they cried, all in a chorus as if they were singing "Boom-dee-ada". The fire ones tore their eyes off the completely shattered mirror (Eveline was ducking from the falling glass) and zoomed at her.
"NO!" shouted one of the giraffes, and a bolt of light stopped the magical fire that would have incinerated Eveline in a second. "NO EXPOSING OUR MAGIC TO HER!"
A creature with such gentle eyes wasn't expected to scream in such a loud voice. Eveline covered her ears as the giraffe continued, "The traitor isn't here. What say your search spheres, Speckle?"
"No spirits are near here," the second giraffe agreed, as Eveline stumbled backward and "accidentally" re-pressed the flush button just as the toilet was starting to finish its gargle. "We should report to Master. He still doesn't know what's going on."
And then, one by one, the creatures left single-file, leaving Eveline's bathroom demolished. She didn't know if they took the stairs or somehow magically disappeared in the hallway. She just knew that Oua had a lot of explaining to do.
"Can I come out now?" the JiiaÏ asked muffledly from the churning voice of the water, and Eveline, peeering into the toilet bowl, gave a nod. Immediately water spurted into her face and, as she coughed and sputtered, Oua materialized.
"How could you?" was the first thing Oua said. "How could you?"
Eveline, who had been expecting a shame-faced thanks, was caught rather unprepared, and, for once in her life, without a retort.
"At this point, when the humans have already captured the Jar of Subconscious, you should know that you can't get attached to what you make up anymore. If you're some visionary who aspires to make your dreams come true, then you should probably get rid of those and become an unintelligent drudgery worker until your obscure leader masters the stupid Jar. Don't you know what you can let loose? And you a human!" Oua seemed beyond mad, which was preposterous. "Nightmares. Dreams. Stories. Lies. There - are - so - many - things - your - stupid - master is - putting - at - risk - with - that - jar -"
"Hold it," said Eveline confusedly, still too surprised to be angry. "You're Oua, aren't you?"
"Well, duh," said Oua. "And whatever world I'm in, I don't like it. Send me back to the Hourglass Kingdom. NOW."
"Um, well...can't you get back on your own?" Eveline asked lamely. "With magic?"
"Of course not. I was sucked into the jar from your mind, when I opened my magic to call Master for help. Now, since you've made up some stupid thing about me - don't you know better than to mess with elementals? We're one of the most powerful magics around - except for maybe subconscious - how could you? - and so I'm yours to command until either you or the Jar releases me, neither of which is very likely. So LET ME GO!"
"Wait a second. So you mean...the human leader in your world has a Jar?"
"The Jar of Subconscious."
Eveline eyed Oua suspiciously. "I never wrote about that."
"And I suppose you wrote everything in the world? Come on, send me back."
"Okay, so anyway, you're my slave now, right?" Eveline replied bluntly.
Oua kind of squirmed. "Erm...not...exactl..."
"Well, guess what? I'll let you go. But until then, you have to do everything I say, right?" Eveline commanded. Without waiting for an answer, she went on. "So before I release you, I want you to do two things for me. First of all, repair my bathroom."
"Easy -" Oua began, looking relieved, but Eveline cut her off.
"And second, take me to the Hourglass Kingdom. I am going to stop the man with the Jar of Whatever for good."
"NO!" shouted one of the giraffes, and a bolt of light stopped the magical fire that would have incinerated Eveline in a second. "NO EXPOSING OUR MAGIC TO HER!"
A creature with such gentle eyes wasn't expected to scream in such a loud voice. Eveline covered her ears as the giraffe continued, "The traitor isn't here. What say your search spheres, Speckle?"
"No spirits are near here," the second giraffe agreed, as Eveline stumbled backward and "accidentally" re-pressed the flush button just as the toilet was starting to finish its gargle. "We should report to Master. He still doesn't know what's going on."
And then, one by one, the creatures left single-file, leaving Eveline's bathroom demolished. She didn't know if they took the stairs or somehow magically disappeared in the hallway. She just knew that Oua had a lot of explaining to do.
"Can I come out now?" the JiiaÏ asked muffledly from the churning voice of the water, and Eveline, peeering into the toilet bowl, gave a nod. Immediately water spurted into her face and, as she coughed and sputtered, Oua materialized.
"How could you?" was the first thing Oua said. "How could you?"
Eveline, who had been expecting a shame-faced thanks, was caught rather unprepared, and, for once in her life, without a retort.
"At this point, when the humans have already captured the Jar of Subconscious, you should know that you can't get attached to what you make up anymore. If you're some visionary who aspires to make your dreams come true, then you should probably get rid of those and become an unintelligent drudgery worker until your obscure leader masters the stupid Jar. Don't you know what you can let loose? And you a human!" Oua seemed beyond mad, which was preposterous. "Nightmares. Dreams. Stories. Lies. There - are - so - many - things - your - stupid - master is - putting - at - risk - with - that - jar -"
"Hold it," said Eveline confusedly, still too surprised to be angry. "You're Oua, aren't you?"
"Well, duh," said Oua. "And whatever world I'm in, I don't like it. Send me back to the Hourglass Kingdom. NOW."
"Um, well...can't you get back on your own?" Eveline asked lamely. "With magic?"
"Of course not. I was sucked into the jar from your mind, when I opened my magic to call Master for help. Now, since you've made up some stupid thing about me - don't you know better than to mess with elementals? We're one of the most powerful magics around - except for maybe subconscious - how could you? - and so I'm yours to command until either you or the Jar releases me, neither of which is very likely. So LET ME GO!"
"Wait a second. So you mean...the human leader in your world has a Jar?"
"The Jar of Subconscious."
Eveline eyed Oua suspiciously. "I never wrote about that."
"And I suppose you wrote everything in the world? Come on, send me back."
"Okay, so anyway, you're my slave now, right?" Eveline replied bluntly.
Oua kind of squirmed. "Erm...not...exactl..."
"Well, guess what? I'll let you go. But until then, you have to do everything I say, right?" Eveline commanded. Without waiting for an answer, she went on. "So before I release you, I want you to do two things for me. First of all, repair my bathroom."
"Easy -" Oua began, looking relieved, but Eveline cut her off.
"And second, take me to the Hourglass Kingdom. I am going to stop the man with the Jar of Whatever for good."
"Before the Sands Trickled" (Prequel) Chapter 3
"There," said the girl triumphantly, typing the last few words into the blog. She paused a moment to savor her own work, eyes flickering across the lines, cheeks flushed with pleasure. Finally, dramatically, she clicked the orange button titled "PUBLISH POST" and spun her chair around once, a victory dance somewhat tampered by her knee crashing into the computer desk.
Eyes watering, Eveline managed a last smile at the brand-new chapter of her story before substitute-swearing at her knee. Sure it was a story only two chapters long, but very few of the other girls in her class had blogs, and plus she actually liked this story. For once it was a story she actually planned to finish.
She had it pretty much all dreamed out in her head. Oua, Oua the amazing water JiiaÏ, would rescue her traitor friend Whisp from losing his soul and end up saving the world from endless evil and the antagonists who would try to manipulate the elemental spirits. Everyone said Eveline was an awesome writer; even if she didn't think so herself, she knew it was fun. She knew she had talent. And now she had an awesome blog and people would read her story!
"Hide me," hissed a voice from behind her.
Eveline stopped swiveling her chair and looked around frantically. Her parents weren't supposed to be home yet - they were still picking up Aaron - right? Her knee crashed into the desk again, and this time Eveline substitute-swore at the desk.
"Hurry," the voice added, more urgently.
Thoroughly energized with shock, Eveline calmed herself enough to make out the speaker. Or at least, a bit of it. The computer screen was moving. Water dripped from the screen onto the keyboard, then reemerged from between the cracks of the keys in miniature geisers. Within seconds, hovering before her was -
Oua.
Eveline drew in a big, big breath that she forgot to let out again. She didn't scream. She just kept staring and staring and staring at the thing in front of her.
Then she beckoned and dashed up the stairs two at a time, flinging open the door to the bathroom and pointing wordlessly to the toilet.
"It won't work," whispered the water JiiaÏ, about the size of Eveline's fist, surface tension wobbling above the tap of the sink. "They have spirit probes. Water won't hide me. I've got too much energy - it'll be like a sunflower trying to hide in a field of buttercups."
"Trust me," Eveline mouthed hastily, "I worked this out long ago."
Oua looked at her doubtfully - surely it was Oua, for she was exactly as Eveline had imagined - and shook her head slowly. "But my magic absolutely radiates energ -"
She barely had time to dive into the toilet, as Eveline muttered quickly, "Just hold on and don't let the current take you with it!" before the door slammed open and the strangest assortment of creatures popped in; the head of what looked like two giraffes with fangs bared and horns outstretched; three fireballs a little larger than Oua who seemed obsessed with staring at their reflection in the mirror, which was starting to crack; lots of wind that was blowing Eveline's shoulder-length brown hair into her face from what seemed like every direction; a sleek black cat that looked normal until it closed its eyes, because its eyelids were -
But Eveline didn't have time to take it all in, she didn't have time to question whether or not to believe it. She had good instincts and quick wit; and an abundant plethora of nighttime dreams, from which many of her inspirations sprang, had gotten her into the habit of acting before she rubbed her eyes and yawned in disbelief while people tried to kill each other.
Eveline flushed the toilet.
Eyes watering, Eveline managed a last smile at the brand-new chapter of her story before substitute-swearing at her knee. Sure it was a story only two chapters long, but very few of the other girls in her class had blogs, and plus she actually liked this story. For once it was a story she actually planned to finish.
She had it pretty much all dreamed out in her head. Oua, Oua the amazing water JiiaÏ, would rescue her traitor friend Whisp from losing his soul and end up saving the world from endless evil and the antagonists who would try to manipulate the elemental spirits. Everyone said Eveline was an awesome writer; even if she didn't think so herself, she knew it was fun. She knew she had talent. And now she had an awesome blog and people would read her story!
"Hide me," hissed a voice from behind her.
Eveline stopped swiveling her chair and looked around frantically. Her parents weren't supposed to be home yet - they were still picking up Aaron - right? Her knee crashed into the desk again, and this time Eveline substitute-swore at the desk.
"Hurry," the voice added, more urgently.
Thoroughly energized with shock, Eveline calmed herself enough to make out the speaker. Or at least, a bit of it. The computer screen was moving. Water dripped from the screen onto the keyboard, then reemerged from between the cracks of the keys in miniature geisers. Within seconds, hovering before her was -
Oua.
Eveline drew in a big, big breath that she forgot to let out again. She didn't scream. She just kept staring and staring and staring at the thing in front of her.
Then she beckoned and dashed up the stairs two at a time, flinging open the door to the bathroom and pointing wordlessly to the toilet.
"It won't work," whispered the water JiiaÏ, about the size of Eveline's fist, surface tension wobbling above the tap of the sink. "They have spirit probes. Water won't hide me. I've got too much energy - it'll be like a sunflower trying to hide in a field of buttercups."
"Trust me," Eveline mouthed hastily, "I worked this out long ago."
Oua looked at her doubtfully - surely it was Oua, for she was exactly as Eveline had imagined - and shook her head slowly. "But my magic absolutely radiates energ -"
She barely had time to dive into the toilet, as Eveline muttered quickly, "Just hold on and don't let the current take you with it!" before the door slammed open and the strangest assortment of creatures popped in; the head of what looked like two giraffes with fangs bared and horns outstretched; three fireballs a little larger than Oua who seemed obsessed with staring at their reflection in the mirror, which was starting to crack; lots of wind that was blowing Eveline's shoulder-length brown hair into her face from what seemed like every direction; a sleek black cat that looked normal until it closed its eyes, because its eyelids were -
But Eveline didn't have time to take it all in, she didn't have time to question whether or not to believe it. She had good instincts and quick wit; and an abundant plethora of nighttime dreams, from which many of her inspirations sprang, had gotten her into the habit of acting before she rubbed her eyes and yawned in disbelief while people tried to kill each other.
Eveline flushed the toilet.
17 September 2009
"Before the Sands Trickled" (Prequel) Chapter 2
"You killed him! You killed him! You killed him!" shrieked Oua, because her brain had gone into overdrive and she honestly could not think of anything more important to shriek, except for maybe "You killed Terri!", which she tacked in, too. The idea of not shrieking was absolutely unthinkable. After all, both of her very best friends - more than best friends - were in this room, and one of them was Slain and one of them was a Slayer.
"Oua - Oua, listen," pleaded Whisp, his curls outstretching to cushion the moisture around her. "I - "
"You did!" said Oua, eyes widening. "You did kill him!" She hadn't been able to believe it - she didn't even know how she had managed to think of it - not when he was Whisp, her very own Whisp, Whisp who had been with her forever.
But the evidence was there, right there in his hands.
A blow dryer.
Everyone knew blow dryers were exclusively human. Not even someone as exuberant as Whisp would have picked it up before Master was called onto the murder scene. Besides, the blow dryer wasn't plugged in. Everyone knew humans had to "plug" blow dryers "in", because they couldn't control wind magic themselves. Only a wind elemental spirit - Whisp - could work a blow dryer when the black cord was dragging so limply and uselessly in the darkness.
Blow dryers weren't technically supposed to exist yet. Few people knew that; Master had discovered the Time Machine, and only Oua and Terri and two of the female Jirafs had been there to witness it. The Time Machine, claimed Master, was something called an elevator - which also wasn't supposed to exist - that had unfortunately contained four different elemental...things...at the time of a strong explosion in their proximity. The four elementals, to their surprise, hadn't been spirits - they had almost been - almost felt like - but no, humans couldn't possibly gain control of magic, no matter how many strange plug-in objects were invented. Master would ensure that.
"Why, Whisp? Why did you kill him?" whispered Oua through the deadly silence, fragile as the seed of Terri, so easily blown away.
To Whisp's credit, he didn't immediately lunge for Oua and kill her. Instead he whipped through the breeze around her, faster than even Oua's tendril of liquid could swivel, and tried to blow her away from the other side, just as she released the full potential magic of her kinetic energy. Whisp somersaulted as she did so, and, spurting magic, Oua stepped back with a cry onto the body of Terri, just like Whisp had anticipated, and water power splashed all over him. Dead bodies put up no elemental magic shields. Terri's seed gave way like an extremely quick erosion, and a puddle of mud lay dead on the ground.
Stopping himself mid-somersault, Whisp began to shout in his familiar siren pitch, "MURDER! MURDER IN THE CHAMBERS!"
The wild look of frenzied bloodlust in his eyes, the way his gases curled so familiarly and yet like such a stranger's, the way he was so Whisp and yet such a traitor - Oua screamed and scrambled to get away from him as fast as she could, freezing herself through the wall and escaping through the night.
Only when she was outside in the cold winter night did she realize what she had done.
Footsteps pounded down the stone stairs; voices shouted and hollered; torches were lit. Spirits thundered into the room, almost everyone except Master himself. Through the wall, Oua heard Whisp's tremulous voice relating the story that he'd heard a scream from Terri's room and had come to investigate. When he'd entered, he'd seen Oua standing over Terri, holding the human blow dryer, having doused poor sleeping Terri with her stronger water magics.
The evidence was examined; it was proven that Oua's magical essence had been the force to wash away Terri's body. Spirits' voices clapped Whisp on the back, muttering things like "He's in shock" and "poor guy" and "the baby and the girl in one day...who could expect..." and "Who would have believed it of her?" or "I always thought she was a sly one." They assured Whisp that they would send out spirit probes, that they would catch Oua and avenge Terri's helpless death. They told him that she was a traitor, that she wasn't worth worrying about, that they had all trusted her, that none of them had been able to foresee these things. Whisp cut in shaken comments to these reassurances at just the right moments.
"We all trusted her..."
"She was so nice to me, just the other day..."
"It's these horrible humans, how they corrupt all..."
"Why Terri? How could she have done that to Terri? And her always sticking up for him like a big sister, too! I swear, when I find her I will torture her beyond the Realms of the Slain...."
It was exactly how Oua was feeling about Whisp. Exactly. Except...they were accusing her.
Whisp...Whisp!!!!! The agony was unendurable.
Oua turned her back on Master's castle forever and fled.
"Oua - Oua, listen," pleaded Whisp, his curls outstretching to cushion the moisture around her. "I - "
"You did!" said Oua, eyes widening. "You did kill him!" She hadn't been able to believe it - she didn't even know how she had managed to think of it - not when he was Whisp, her very own Whisp, Whisp who had been with her forever.
But the evidence was there, right there in his hands.
A blow dryer.
Everyone knew blow dryers were exclusively human. Not even someone as exuberant as Whisp would have picked it up before Master was called onto the murder scene. Besides, the blow dryer wasn't plugged in. Everyone knew humans had to "plug" blow dryers "in", because they couldn't control wind magic themselves. Only a wind elemental spirit - Whisp - could work a blow dryer when the black cord was dragging so limply and uselessly in the darkness.
Blow dryers weren't technically supposed to exist yet. Few people knew that; Master had discovered the Time Machine, and only Oua and Terri and two of the female Jirafs had been there to witness it. The Time Machine, claimed Master, was something called an elevator - which also wasn't supposed to exist - that had unfortunately contained four different elemental...things...at the time of a strong explosion in their proximity. The four elementals, to their surprise, hadn't been spirits - they had almost been - almost felt like - but no, humans couldn't possibly gain control of magic, no matter how many strange plug-in objects were invented. Master would ensure that.
"Why, Whisp? Why did you kill him?" whispered Oua through the deadly silence, fragile as the seed of Terri, so easily blown away.
To Whisp's credit, he didn't immediately lunge for Oua and kill her. Instead he whipped through the breeze around her, faster than even Oua's tendril of liquid could swivel, and tried to blow her away from the other side, just as she released the full potential magic of her kinetic energy. Whisp somersaulted as she did so, and, spurting magic, Oua stepped back with a cry onto the body of Terri, just like Whisp had anticipated, and water power splashed all over him. Dead bodies put up no elemental magic shields. Terri's seed gave way like an extremely quick erosion, and a puddle of mud lay dead on the ground.
Stopping himself mid-somersault, Whisp began to shout in his familiar siren pitch, "MURDER! MURDER IN THE CHAMBERS!"
The wild look of frenzied bloodlust in his eyes, the way his gases curled so familiarly and yet like such a stranger's, the way he was so Whisp and yet such a traitor - Oua screamed and scrambled to get away from him as fast as she could, freezing herself through the wall and escaping through the night.
Only when she was outside in the cold winter night did she realize what she had done.
Footsteps pounded down the stone stairs; voices shouted and hollered; torches were lit. Spirits thundered into the room, almost everyone except Master himself. Through the wall, Oua heard Whisp's tremulous voice relating the story that he'd heard a scream from Terri's room and had come to investigate. When he'd entered, he'd seen Oua standing over Terri, holding the human blow dryer, having doused poor sleeping Terri with her stronger water magics.
The evidence was examined; it was proven that Oua's magical essence had been the force to wash away Terri's body. Spirits' voices clapped Whisp on the back, muttering things like "He's in shock" and "poor guy" and "the baby and the girl in one day...who could expect..." and "Who would have believed it of her?" or "I always thought she was a sly one." They assured Whisp that they would send out spirit probes, that they would catch Oua and avenge Terri's helpless death. They told him that she was a traitor, that she wasn't worth worrying about, that they had all trusted her, that none of them had been able to foresee these things. Whisp cut in shaken comments to these reassurances at just the right moments.
"We all trusted her..."
"She was so nice to me, just the other day..."
"It's these horrible humans, how they corrupt all..."
"Why Terri? How could she have done that to Terri? And her always sticking up for him like a big sister, too! I swear, when I find her I will torture her beyond the Realms of the Slain...."
It was exactly how Oua was feeling about Whisp. Exactly. Except...they were accusing her.
Whisp...Whisp!!!!! The agony was unendurable.
Oua turned her back on Master's castle forever and fled.
16 September 2009
"Before the Sands Trickled" (Prequel to "The Last Sand of the Hourglass Kingdom"; Chapter One
A bead of water dripped stealthily off of the icicle, but, unlike the drops before it, it made no resounding plop as it hit the ground. As a matter of fact, it didn't hit the ground at all. In the fraction of the second during which it was falling, the water evaporated, then drew the moisture from the air and condensed in a heavy cloud around the only light source present; a single easily quenchable candle. The icicle glistened for just a fraction of a moment before the flame flickered and died out, leaving the room in impenetrable blackness.
Wary despite the knowledge that no eyes could now see her in the darkness, the water slithered down through a crack in the floor and traveled fluidly and rapidly up through a labyrinth of insulated pipes. She reformed in a snakelike sliver of a teardrop whipping through the air, only to pause, big anxious eyes and a small trickle of a nose now visible, in front of a small door in the wall labeled TERRI. To human eyes, it would have looked like an arrangement of brickwork. But of course the water wasn't human.
No, Oua was JiiaÏ, the elemental soulspirits branched off from the Five Originals; the Fire, the Water, the Earth, the Air, and the Other. There were no JiiaÏ with the power of the Other. There were no existing entities who had ever seen the Other.
For that matter, there was no longer any proof that the other Originals were still alive, either. Ever since the humans had invaded the Hourglass with their silly notions of good and evil, life and death, truth and lies - well, bigger, more important soulspirits had come, and nearly all JiiaÏ had found their powers dwindling. If only the Originals had taken a stand - they could have regained their beloved world, the Hourglass, the four united nations of the Mountains, the Plains, the Firelands, and the Forests. But no, the Originals had hidden themselves somewhere far away - perhaps they were planning a strategic retaliation, but after all these years, there was really no hope of that - as soon as the first humans had asserted their power. Of course, humans couldn't harness magic in any form, the silly beings - but if they ever learned how...
Oua gave a shudder, which appeared as a ripple. Then she became one with the wetness scattered deep within the wood of the door, and emerged on the other side.
The only reason she was sneaking through Master's JiiaÏ chambers in the dead of the night was because of the meddlesome humans. Just that afternoon, Oua had heard word as part of the cold, crisp snow that there was a traitor among Master's ranks. Master was fiercely defiant of all humans and protective of the magical spirits under his bidding - as far as Masters went, Oua decided, hers was definitely one of the best. He was especially partial to her, having rescued her when she'd been a new branchling powerless and spiritless in a drought. How many decades ago had that been? Most JiiaÏ counted in eras; Oua, to them, was still only a child.
But if humans somehow defeated Master - if they got ahold of his secrets, his possessions, his spirits - what would they do? Oua had found herself unable to deal with the deadly gossip on her own. So now she was here to confide in a completely trusted friend.
The first choice obviously should have been Whisp. Whisp, the cute curly cloud who had started to seem less cute and more handsome as the years passed, had been her best friend ever since she could remember; he had defended her with his life during the drought, stuck up for her ever since, played pranks with her and shared secrets with her and marveled at her side when they'd proudly been the first to discover little Terri, baby Terri, the innocent tagalong dependable Earth JiiaÏ. But Whisp was perhaps...too close to her. If Oua told a spirit like Whisp of her worries about a human traitor, Whisp would have laughed at her and teased her and dismissed it as the customary "Well, yeah, and the buttercups could be puke-green when you wake up tomorrow morning!" Whisp was so relaxed, so worry-free, and yet so...down-to-earth. In the darkness, Terri felt more comforting, more understanding.
Oua entered little Terri's room and gasped.
The small seed of Terri lay Slain on the floor. It took a lot to Slay a JiiaÏ.
That "a lot" was standing over him, curls of air flying in every direction, curls that Oua herself had once added part of her soul to, so they could look more like clouds and less like currents.
Whisp.
Wary despite the knowledge that no eyes could now see her in the darkness, the water slithered down through a crack in the floor and traveled fluidly and rapidly up through a labyrinth of insulated pipes. She reformed in a snakelike sliver of a teardrop whipping through the air, only to pause, big anxious eyes and a small trickle of a nose now visible, in front of a small door in the wall labeled TERRI. To human eyes, it would have looked like an arrangement of brickwork. But of course the water wasn't human.
No, Oua was JiiaÏ, the elemental soulspirits branched off from the Five Originals; the Fire, the Water, the Earth, the Air, and the Other. There were no JiiaÏ with the power of the Other. There were no existing entities who had ever seen the Other.
For that matter, there was no longer any proof that the other Originals were still alive, either. Ever since the humans had invaded the Hourglass with their silly notions of good and evil, life and death, truth and lies - well, bigger, more important soulspirits had come, and nearly all JiiaÏ had found their powers dwindling. If only the Originals had taken a stand - they could have regained their beloved world, the Hourglass, the four united nations of the Mountains, the Plains, the Firelands, and the Forests. But no, the Originals had hidden themselves somewhere far away - perhaps they were planning a strategic retaliation, but after all these years, there was really no hope of that - as soon as the first humans had asserted their power. Of course, humans couldn't harness magic in any form, the silly beings - but if they ever learned how...
Oua gave a shudder, which appeared as a ripple. Then she became one with the wetness scattered deep within the wood of the door, and emerged on the other side.
The only reason she was sneaking through Master's JiiaÏ chambers in the dead of the night was because of the meddlesome humans. Just that afternoon, Oua had heard word as part of the cold, crisp snow that there was a traitor among Master's ranks. Master was fiercely defiant of all humans and protective of the magical spirits under his bidding - as far as Masters went, Oua decided, hers was definitely one of the best. He was especially partial to her, having rescued her when she'd been a new branchling powerless and spiritless in a drought. How many decades ago had that been? Most JiiaÏ counted in eras; Oua, to them, was still only a child.
But if humans somehow defeated Master - if they got ahold of his secrets, his possessions, his spirits - what would they do? Oua had found herself unable to deal with the deadly gossip on her own. So now she was here to confide in a completely trusted friend.
The first choice obviously should have been Whisp. Whisp, the cute curly cloud who had started to seem less cute and more handsome as the years passed, had been her best friend ever since she could remember; he had defended her with his life during the drought, stuck up for her ever since, played pranks with her and shared secrets with her and marveled at her side when they'd proudly been the first to discover little Terri, baby Terri, the innocent tagalong dependable Earth JiiaÏ. But Whisp was perhaps...too close to her. If Oua told a spirit like Whisp of her worries about a human traitor, Whisp would have laughed at her and teased her and dismissed it as the customary "Well, yeah, and the buttercups could be puke-green when you wake up tomorrow morning!" Whisp was so relaxed, so worry-free, and yet so...down-to-earth. In the darkness, Terri felt more comforting, more understanding.
Oua entered little Terri's room and gasped.
The small seed of Terri lay Slain on the floor. It took a lot to Slay a JiiaÏ.
That "a lot" was standing over him, curls of air flying in every direction, curls that Oua herself had once added part of her soul to, so they could look more like clouds and less like currents.
Whisp.
15 September 2009
Welcome! This should get our brains going...
So. *H.E.You clears throat.* *Noria Gray elbows her just for the sake of it.* *Both smile at the camera.*
Welcome to this blog of Noria Gray and H.E.You, the co-graphic nearly-teenage novelists who are often cheesily lame and hopefully more often astonishingly brilliant. It's up to you to determine which is which. You see, it's the perception that matters.
I am H.E.You, twelve years old, a bubbly novelist, and if you are reading this you are either Noria-who-has-amazing-art-skills - Noria, you already read this, plus you edited it, as I see - or you are an avid reader who has found one of our published books years after this blog and has either read the entire graphic novel or has gotten bored and skipped to the end to see if there's a blog or a website or something actually interesting. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I doubt this will be much more interesting than that book. If you are neither of these people, then you are either one of our friends or a random hacker who has found their way here. Okay then.
In all of our books, you will find both elements of magic and fantasy, plot twists that seem highly unlikely, laughably weak descriptions - and those heartrending, blunt paragraphs that sum up the extent of what a true artist can do, the hardcore down-to-earth undiluted losses our characters suffer, pictures that we've actually put our heart into and reveals the heart in them. Here's a first introduction. We hope you enjoy them.
Our first series, which has been recently woven out of a web of potential ideas coined by the two of us along with numerous other inspirations, currently has no title but many preliminary sketches to make up for it. It is about a land where, like an awful lot of "land" in fantasy novels, magical creatures have been forgotten and humans have overruled all. But that is where the connection ends, for we have embarked upon a story unlike any one before. Instead, it is like every one before. But it is interesting, to be sure, and we hope you will enjoy it anyway.
Anyway, there are creatures named Jiiai - Water, Fire, Earth, and Air soulspirits, sprouted from the Originals - who each have a Oneself and an Other, a sort of consciously subconscious mind. In the series, humans have forgotten them, and a young priestess with a deadly enemy called the Bone Woman, who is trying to slay every Jiiai-capable human in order to gain all the power of the Jiiai for herself, finds herself in a dynamic battle as she tries again and again to defeat the Bone Woman, salvage the land, and find her own heart (the stuff on the back of every book cover). There will be six volumes to this series. We expect.
There will also be a prequel, a slightly shorter volume of the Jiiai Oua, a Water (Gloai), whose best friend Whisp betrays her and kills their "little bro" best friend Terri as the rise of humans and harnessing of Jiiai magic peaks. The Jar of Subconscious cracks from the Original Fire, causing the purposes, dreams, and realities of the world to fall into disprogressed disarray. A certain human boy was struck with a shard from the Jar of Subconscious, and he becomes the Man with the Shard, the first human to make the breakthrough of being able to control magic without being killed by the aftershock. Oua was the only other creature to have a shard inside her, because her ice shield reflexively absorbs glass to become stronger. And so, Oua becomes the only entity in existence capable of defeating the Man and his legacy of death and freedom.
A different series entirely is that of Chickadee Taylor, a nine-year-old supergenius in an oligarchy world run entirely by separate money-revolving businesses. It is up to her to bring the world back into the Golden Age. Sure she survives - we all know there has to be some sort of happy ending - but what, and who, will have to be sacrificed in the process?
And finally, for now: This is random, but a post called "Forms of Government" may also appear from time to time, just as a kind of sketching drill and a way to prepare for the Social Studies test that we may have to endure.
So please, please comment! We are NOT desperate Fanfiction writers. We are just...desperate graphic novel writers. Anyway, we like comments, so, if you have the time...any of our series is always open to criticism and compliments, as long as you don't use profane words, because you never know when my mom's looking over my shoulder. *sigh*
All these from one twelve-year-old and one thirteen-year-old, bored in line during badminton practice and united in the power of imagination.
Plus one of them has a super-large ego. Need I specify which?
Well, goodbye, fans. We need you - it's really hot today.
~H. E. You and Noria Gray
Welcome to this blog of Noria Gray and H.E.You, the co-graphic nearly-teenage novelists who are often cheesily lame and hopefully more often astonishingly brilliant. It's up to you to determine which is which. You see, it's the perception that matters.
I am H.E.You, twelve years old, a bubbly novelist, and if you are reading this you are either Noria-who-has-amazing-art-skills - Noria, you already read this, plus you edited it, as I see - or you are an avid reader who has found one of our published books years after this blog and has either read the entire graphic novel or has gotten bored and skipped to the end to see if there's a blog or a website or something actually interesting. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I doubt this will be much more interesting than that book. If you are neither of these people, then you are either one of our friends or a random hacker who has found their way here. Okay then.
In all of our books, you will find both elements of magic and fantasy, plot twists that seem highly unlikely, laughably weak descriptions - and those heartrending, blunt paragraphs that sum up the extent of what a true artist can do, the hardcore down-to-earth undiluted losses our characters suffer, pictures that we've actually put our heart into and reveals the heart in them. Here's a first introduction. We hope you enjoy them.
Our first series, which has been recently woven out of a web of potential ideas coined by the two of us along with numerous other inspirations, currently has no title but many preliminary sketches to make up for it. It is about a land where, like an awful lot of "land" in fantasy novels, magical creatures have been forgotten and humans have overruled all. But that is where the connection ends, for we have embarked upon a story unlike any one before. Instead, it is like every one before. But it is interesting, to be sure, and we hope you will enjoy it anyway.
Anyway, there are creatures named Jiiai - Water, Fire, Earth, and Air soulspirits, sprouted from the Originals - who each have a Oneself and an Other, a sort of consciously subconscious mind. In the series, humans have forgotten them, and a young priestess with a deadly enemy called the Bone Woman, who is trying to slay every Jiiai-capable human in order to gain all the power of the Jiiai for herself, finds herself in a dynamic battle as she tries again and again to defeat the Bone Woman, salvage the land, and find her own heart (the stuff on the back of every book cover). There will be six volumes to this series. We expect.
There will also be a prequel, a slightly shorter volume of the Jiiai Oua, a Water (Gloai), whose best friend Whisp betrays her and kills their "little bro" best friend Terri as the rise of humans and harnessing of Jiiai magic peaks. The Jar of Subconscious cracks from the Original Fire, causing the purposes, dreams, and realities of the world to fall into disprogressed disarray. A certain human boy was struck with a shard from the Jar of Subconscious, and he becomes the Man with the Shard, the first human to make the breakthrough of being able to control magic without being killed by the aftershock. Oua was the only other creature to have a shard inside her, because her ice shield reflexively absorbs glass to become stronger. And so, Oua becomes the only entity in existence capable of defeating the Man and his legacy of death and freedom.
A different series entirely is that of Chickadee Taylor, a nine-year-old supergenius in an oligarchy world run entirely by separate money-revolving businesses. It is up to her to bring the world back into the Golden Age. Sure she survives - we all know there has to be some sort of happy ending - but what, and who, will have to be sacrificed in the process?
And finally, for now: This is random, but a post called "Forms of Government" may also appear from time to time, just as a kind of sketching drill and a way to prepare for the Social Studies test that we may have to endure.
So please, please comment! We are NOT desperate Fanfiction writers. We are just...desperate graphic novel writers. Anyway, we like comments, so, if you have the time...any of our series is always open to criticism and compliments, as long as you don't use profane words, because you never know when my mom's looking over my shoulder. *sigh*
All these from one twelve-year-old and one thirteen-year-old, bored in line during badminton practice and united in the power of imagination.
Plus one of them has a super-large ego. Need I specify which?
Well, goodbye, fans. We need you - it's really hot today.
~H. E. You and Noria Gray
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