I had such incredible writers block for "The Final Great Ones" and I heard that writing something else can help, so I started writing my dragon story (that still doesn't have a title). This is a different and longer version of those three paragraphs from so long ago.
The night was dark and quiet, most people having already gone to sleep. If one were to listen closely they would hear the soft footsteps of a young man walking slowly through the town. At random intervals, the young man again became visible as the moon stole away from the clouds covering it, but that was always brief. The young man didn’t stop until he came by a list posted on the wall of a building that he was going by. This list was posted all over the city, the young man reasoned; it was happenstance that I should pass by this one.
He couldn’t help but smile as he saw his name at the top of the list.
Jason Claudius
He had already known that his name was there, but it felt good to see it just the same. There had been a crowd of people at each of these lists earlier in the day after they had been posted, hundreds of young men and women trying to see the list, wanting to see if they had been chosen. Jason had been watching them with scorn, how could they expect to succeed with such poor patience. He had heard many of them shouting when they found their names on the list, and Jason had taken special note of each who had made it, scrutinizing them, weighing them. None that he had seen would present any challenge for him, he was sure of it. Jason had to smile when the people in the crowd had read aloud his name and asked if anyone knew who he was. Of course they would recognize his last name, but none would know of him. Even if his parents were known by all, it didn’t mean he was. He wasn’t foolhardy enough to show himself to those who were likely to make it on the list, possibly exposing a weakness that could be taken advantage of in a dire situation. He could see that he needn’t have worried.
Jason was about to leave the list and head home when he saw who was directly below his name on the list. It wasn’t surprising really, that she had made it so high up on the list with her skill, what was surprising was that she had even attempted to make it on the list in the first place. He hadn’t expected that. She was probably the only person who knew of his weaknesses, probably better than he did. If she wanted to, she could be a great threat to him, but that wouldn’t be a problem. Jason knew her as well as she knew him, or he thought that he did. He never would have expected her to sign up for this. He sighed to himself. She had the skill, but he felt like she wasn’t cut out for it. She would be a problem only because he would have to look out for her.
Jason continued his silent walk through the town, satisfied with what he saw. He had been waiting for this his whole life. It felt surreal to finally see his name on the list. His training would start in just a few weeks. The wait would be agonizing, but worth it. Nothing was going to stop him now.
~
Serena dreaded her walk, because she knew where she was headed. Yesterday, the list had been posted on just about every willing wall in town. She couldn’t bear to check it. She had made every excuse to stay inside. She hadn’t told her parents that she had tried out for the list. If she had, they would have insisted on checking it the moment it was known to be out. Instead she had waited until all of the clamor had died down. Nobody would be checking the lists anymore a day after they had been posted, so she would be able to do it with no one around.
It wasn’t that she was afraid that she wasn’t going to be on the list, she hoped that somehow she hadn’t made it really, she was afraid of how high on the list she would be. She had heard stories of how dangerous it was to take part in this training. Many don’t make it, and some have even died. The whole thing is taken so seriously by the participants that some will do anything to make the final cut. Serena did not want to make the final cut, but that would disgrace her family for generations. She didn’t have to worry if she wasn’t on the list, but she knew that she probably was. She didn’t thing that she could handle all of the horrible things she was likely to face. The training wouldn’t be a problem; it would be those training with her. They would be cruel and unforgiving, and she didn’t want to put herself in that kind of environment.
She finally stopped walking and looked at the list that was on the wall.
The following individuals have been tested and found worthy to be trained as a Royal Knight under the Order of Dragons.
Jason Claudius
Serena Lucetta
She was second! Serena felt her heart drop and her stomach fill with butterflies. A normal person would love being second. The list goes in order of skill shown with the tests. But it also meant that she would be a target for all those hoping to make it to the top. She would have to defend herself from all sorts of people aiming to hurt her in all kinds of ways. Serena wasn’t sure she would be able to.
The only hope she felt upon seeing the list was that Jason was just above her. Jason was one of her best friends, and she was pretty sure that she was his only friend. She knew that he would be surprised to see her on the list, but maybe he could help her. There would be many people who would try and deceive or hurt her, and she felt like Jason would try and protect her, though he would deny it outright. Maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as she thought.
Serena read the instructions on the bottom of the list.
The above named shall report to the castle of His Royal Majesty, King Ignatius, two weeks after the posting of this list.
Serena was not looking forward to this in the least, but at least Jason would be there. Jason wasn’t always easy to be around, but Serena felt like he genuinely cared for her. He wouldn’t stand by and let someone hurt her or cheat her. She needed a friend more than anything with what she was about to go through.
It wouldn't let me center just a part of it without centering the whole thing, so pretend that the list is centered. I would have written more, but I was tired.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
The History of the Dragons.
I just finished Brisingr and I felt compelled to write. You may recall the post where I wrote three paragraphs about some young man who was checking a list. Well, I have given it a lot of thought, and I have some characters and some of the history of the world it takes place in. After finishing Brisingr, I wrote this.
Jason sighed at sat down on the table again. “The history of dragons is a long one, as is any history, so please don’t interrupt. I don’t care if you have any questions, save them for later. It is said that near the beginning of time, Dragons were the first species to have any intelligent thought. Of course, that is contended far and wide, but it doesn’t matter. The dragons started out savage, the most of any race. They would have destroyed themselves if it weren’t for Bahamut.
“Bahamut was the greatest of dragons. He was one of the first, and was very old, and very wise. He saw that the dragons would end up killing themselves if something wasn’t done, so he set up laws for the dragons to follow. Many dragons didn’t like that he had proclaimed himself their lawmaker, but none could contest with Bahamut, for he was the most powerful of any dragon, even at his age. It took time, but Bahamut eventually was able to calm the dragons. They were still fierce beings not to be trifled with, but they had stopped killing one another and other intelligent beings. You wouldn’t be able to say that they were civilized, they still loved to fight, but they were much better than they were.
“Bahamut ruled as the king of the dragons for a long time. Some say that because of his wisdom, he was blessed with a substantially long life, others think that his tales of greatness are exaggerated in dragon history, but every person who has successfully become a dragon knows, or so my parents have told me, that he was the greatest dragon who ever lived, and that he lived a long time. I could go on and on about his great exploits, but I won’t. There are too many things to say, and I would not be able to do him justice. When he realized that he was soon going to die, he needed to find a dragon to take his place. He held a great tournament among the dragons to find one who was worthy to rule the dragons in his stead, but he found none. He had many children, and they all went to their father asking for him to give the thrown to them, but he refused. He realized that he had spoiled his children, and that none of them would be able to rule honestly.
“Bahamut was beginning to lose hope. He needed to find a replacement before he died, or he feared that there would be a great war among the dragons as they all sought to take the throne, and that the dragons would return to their savage ways.
“Travelling all across the land, he searched for a Dragon worthy of the title of king. Back then, there were many creatures and races, some more mysterious than others. Bahamut went to all intelligent races, hoping that they would be able to help him. Most just cowered at the sight of him, others chased him away, for they remembered the way dragons had once been. Others tried to share with them their wisdom. The phoenixes tried to teach him how to stay alive forever, as they could, but Bahamut was a dragon, and not a phoenix. The centaurs told him to find a group of wise dragons and have them all share the throne. The leviathans mocked him for trying to find one who could control such a species. The few humans who were brave enough to speak with Bahamut, such as King Odin, tried to give him advice, but back then, humans were not as wise as they are now. There were several species that we have lost record of that tried to help Bahamut, but Bahamut never found an answer that satisfied him.
“One species that Bahamut visited, the name of which has been lost to history, had the ability to see into the future. They told Bahamut that dragons were doomed to die out. Bahamut didn’t believe them; he thought them insane, as they seemed to tell that to every species that came to seek advice from them except humans.
“Bahamut gave up his search. He found no one and he was nearing his grave. He feared that the ones who could see into the future had been right, that his race was doomed, but then on his journey back to his home, Bahamut met a strange creature.
“Again, we do not know what species the creature was. Many of the old races have been lost. Some believe that this creature was the only one of his kind, because there isn’t any other mention of any other creature like this in all the histories we know of. This creature saw Bahamut and saw his incredible sorrow for all dragons and had a desire to help Bahamut. The powers of this creature must have been great, for the blessings it gave to Bahamut.
“It asked Bahamut, ‘What troubles you great dragon?’ Bahamut replied, ‘I fear that my race is doomed to extinction, and there is nothing I can do about it.’ “I shall help you then, for I do not wish to see the dragons die.’
“The creature blessed the dragons to be an immortal race. That doesn’t mean that that a dragon cannot die, but that they would never die out. He blessed that there would always be dragons on the earth. Bahamut thanked the creature and asked how he could repay him. The creature said that he was not finished. ‘I have one more blessing for you, great Bahamut.’ He blessed Bahamut with enough life to raise another son. He warned him that he would need to raise him right this time, because this would be his last chance. If his new son wasn’t worthy to be a king, then the dragons would still become savage, and his blessing would have become a curse to all species, for the dragons would destroy everything.
“Bahamut knew that he needed to this right. He raised his new son away from other dragons. He raised him and loved him. He named him after himself, Bahamut. The day he died, Bahamut named his son, Bahamut the Second to be his successor. Some say that Bahamut the Second was even greater than his father.
“Most history after that is incredibly boring and not very important. Dragons were a proud and great race and helped shape the ancient world, but then something happened. We have no record of exactly what happened, but it must have been great and terrible. Somehow, every race but the humans were wiped out. The immortal race of the Dragons died. The Phoenixes, who were individually immortal, died. All races that had intelligence died, except for us. Humans somehow survived. Whatever catastrophe that happened wiped out so all the races on the earth, but somehow passed over the humans. No history that the humans kept tell of what happened. Most don’t even mention that something happened. The only one that tells that something happened says that for some reason, the other races that have traded with humans stopped showing up. Later it says that they were gone, and that they don’t know why.
“For a long time, humans lived alone. After a time, most forgot about the other races. The ones that did remember them say that they were myths. But they weren’t myths. They had existed. After a time, some humans started showing odd behavior. Some would breathe fire. Others started flying. One day, a man named Stephen came across a mountain lion and had no means to protect himself. As the lion jumped at him, he transformed into a dragon. Dragons were blessed to always be on the earth. Something tried to wipe them out, but they were unsuccessful. The spirits of the long gone dragons couldn’t leave the earth and go into the afterlife, they had to stay, and that was painful for them, so they saw the humans and saw that they were the only ones left and decided to join their spirits with the humans. A body cannot handle two spirits inside it at one time, especially if one is a dragon, without dramatic changes. People who have had the dragons spirits reside in them became the first Dragon Knights. Their children didn’t have dragon spirits go into them, but they could still transform. The ability to turn into a dragon is passed down from the generations. The dragons live on through humans, as was their only choice. The history of the dragons that we know we learned from the first Dragon Knights. They gained all the memories of the dragons that joined with them, except for the memories of how they all died out. We are the descendants of the first Dragon Knights.”
So, what I still don't know is what this great and terrible catastrophe was. I'll come up with something though.
Jason sighed at sat down on the table again. “The history of dragons is a long one, as is any history, so please don’t interrupt. I don’t care if you have any questions, save them for later. It is said that near the beginning of time, Dragons were the first species to have any intelligent thought. Of course, that is contended far and wide, but it doesn’t matter. The dragons started out savage, the most of any race. They would have destroyed themselves if it weren’t for Bahamut.
“Bahamut was the greatest of dragons. He was one of the first, and was very old, and very wise. He saw that the dragons would end up killing themselves if something wasn’t done, so he set up laws for the dragons to follow. Many dragons didn’t like that he had proclaimed himself their lawmaker, but none could contest with Bahamut, for he was the most powerful of any dragon, even at his age. It took time, but Bahamut eventually was able to calm the dragons. They were still fierce beings not to be trifled with, but they had stopped killing one another and other intelligent beings. You wouldn’t be able to say that they were civilized, they still loved to fight, but they were much better than they were.
“Bahamut ruled as the king of the dragons for a long time. Some say that because of his wisdom, he was blessed with a substantially long life, others think that his tales of greatness are exaggerated in dragon history, but every person who has successfully become a dragon knows, or so my parents have told me, that he was the greatest dragon who ever lived, and that he lived a long time. I could go on and on about his great exploits, but I won’t. There are too many things to say, and I would not be able to do him justice. When he realized that he was soon going to die, he needed to find a dragon to take his place. He held a great tournament among the dragons to find one who was worthy to rule the dragons in his stead, but he found none. He had many children, and they all went to their father asking for him to give the thrown to them, but he refused. He realized that he had spoiled his children, and that none of them would be able to rule honestly.
“Bahamut was beginning to lose hope. He needed to find a replacement before he died, or he feared that there would be a great war among the dragons as they all sought to take the throne, and that the dragons would return to their savage ways.
“Travelling all across the land, he searched for a Dragon worthy of the title of king. Back then, there were many creatures and races, some more mysterious than others. Bahamut went to all intelligent races, hoping that they would be able to help him. Most just cowered at the sight of him, others chased him away, for they remembered the way dragons had once been. Others tried to share with them their wisdom. The phoenixes tried to teach him how to stay alive forever, as they could, but Bahamut was a dragon, and not a phoenix. The centaurs told him to find a group of wise dragons and have them all share the throne. The leviathans mocked him for trying to find one who could control such a species. The few humans who were brave enough to speak with Bahamut, such as King Odin, tried to give him advice, but back then, humans were not as wise as they are now. There were several species that we have lost record of that tried to help Bahamut, but Bahamut never found an answer that satisfied him.
“One species that Bahamut visited, the name of which has been lost to history, had the ability to see into the future. They told Bahamut that dragons were doomed to die out. Bahamut didn’t believe them; he thought them insane, as they seemed to tell that to every species that came to seek advice from them except humans.
“Bahamut gave up his search. He found no one and he was nearing his grave. He feared that the ones who could see into the future had been right, that his race was doomed, but then on his journey back to his home, Bahamut met a strange creature.
“Again, we do not know what species the creature was. Many of the old races have been lost. Some believe that this creature was the only one of his kind, because there isn’t any other mention of any other creature like this in all the histories we know of. This creature saw Bahamut and saw his incredible sorrow for all dragons and had a desire to help Bahamut. The powers of this creature must have been great, for the blessings it gave to Bahamut.
“It asked Bahamut, ‘What troubles you great dragon?’ Bahamut replied, ‘I fear that my race is doomed to extinction, and there is nothing I can do about it.’ “I shall help you then, for I do not wish to see the dragons die.’
“The creature blessed the dragons to be an immortal race. That doesn’t mean that that a dragon cannot die, but that they would never die out. He blessed that there would always be dragons on the earth. Bahamut thanked the creature and asked how he could repay him. The creature said that he was not finished. ‘I have one more blessing for you, great Bahamut.’ He blessed Bahamut with enough life to raise another son. He warned him that he would need to raise him right this time, because this would be his last chance. If his new son wasn’t worthy to be a king, then the dragons would still become savage, and his blessing would have become a curse to all species, for the dragons would destroy everything.
“Bahamut knew that he needed to this right. He raised his new son away from other dragons. He raised him and loved him. He named him after himself, Bahamut. The day he died, Bahamut named his son, Bahamut the Second to be his successor. Some say that Bahamut the Second was even greater than his father.
“Most history after that is incredibly boring and not very important. Dragons were a proud and great race and helped shape the ancient world, but then something happened. We have no record of exactly what happened, but it must have been great and terrible. Somehow, every race but the humans were wiped out. The immortal race of the Dragons died. The Phoenixes, who were individually immortal, died. All races that had intelligence died, except for us. Humans somehow survived. Whatever catastrophe that happened wiped out so all the races on the earth, but somehow passed over the humans. No history that the humans kept tell of what happened. Most don’t even mention that something happened. The only one that tells that something happened says that for some reason, the other races that have traded with humans stopped showing up. Later it says that they were gone, and that they don’t know why.
“For a long time, humans lived alone. After a time, most forgot about the other races. The ones that did remember them say that they were myths. But they weren’t myths. They had existed. After a time, some humans started showing odd behavior. Some would breathe fire. Others started flying. One day, a man named Stephen came across a mountain lion and had no means to protect himself. As the lion jumped at him, he transformed into a dragon. Dragons were blessed to always be on the earth. Something tried to wipe them out, but they were unsuccessful. The spirits of the long gone dragons couldn’t leave the earth and go into the afterlife, they had to stay, and that was painful for them, so they saw the humans and saw that they were the only ones left and decided to join their spirits with the humans. A body cannot handle two spirits inside it at one time, especially if one is a dragon, without dramatic changes. People who have had the dragons spirits reside in them became the first Dragon Knights. Their children didn’t have dragon spirits go into them, but they could still transform. The ability to turn into a dragon is passed down from the generations. The dragons live on through humans, as was their only choice. The history of the dragons that we know we learned from the first Dragon Knights. They gained all the memories of the dragons that joined with them, except for the memories of how they all died out. We are the descendants of the first Dragon Knights.”
So, what I still don't know is what this great and terrible catastrophe was. I'll come up with something though.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Letting My Mind Run Free
I wanted to post this in Everything Awesome, but I couldn't really see it having a title with the word awesome in it. I'm just going to let my mind wander as I write stuff down.
Time and I have never really gone at the same pace. Time is going at a constant jog and likes to sprint at the most unexpected times, while I like to walk at a slow and leisure pace. As such I often get left behind in a lot of things. Heavens! John is going to be a daddy in a few months! Its seems like it was only a few days ago that the two of us were in "A Fiddler on the Roof" together. Already people who graduated with me are married (I can actually only think of one, but that is still a O_O moment). And yet I haven't really done anything because I always assume I'll have time later. While I was in high school, I thought that I still had plently of time to do college stuff, yet here I sit, no closer to entering a college than the day I graduated. Actually, I was closer the day I graduated than I am now. ;_; It seems like six months is a long time before I turn 19 and subsequently go on a mission, but the way things go for me, I'm going to blink and miss it. There are tons of things that I want to do before then. More on that later.
I'm not a social person. Anyone who knows me is likely to say "Duh" at that. Its a wonder how I turned out to be such a recluse when both of my parests aren't. My dad can just talk to a person he meets for hours upon hours, and yet I am never one to even consider trying to start a conversation. This is why I like the internet so much. Its a lot easier to be myself when I don't actually have to look at the person I'm talking to or respond immediatly. I know a lot of people think that talking on the internet is destroying people's social skills, but that's okay for me, I didn't have any to destroy in the first place.
I didn't really have a problem so much with being unable to speak with other people face to face until recently. It's always kind of nagged at me in the back of my mind, but I usually ignore that. Remember how I said that there are things I wish to do before my mission? I have a certain friend that I usually talk to through the internet. I have her phone number (attained through email) and I wish to call her, but heavens I can't! How could picking up a phone and dialing a few numbers be so incredibly difficult!? I can face up to doctors who wish to cut into my insides and pull stuff out, a daunting 50,000 word undertaking, and I can even face leaving my home, state, and possibly even country for two years to preach the gospel, but I can't pick up the phone! The very idea terrifies me. How in the world have I become so pathetic? The only reason that I'm okay with writing this is that she doesn't really know how to use computers very well and there is a slim to none chance that she'll see this. The fact that she doesn't do well with computers makes it hard to communicate with her over the internet, so the best way to speak with her is to actually speak with her. This is most I've ever regretted being unable to effectivly commminucate with others! ;_;
...This post is kind of depressing. Lets end on a happy note.
Christmas is in only a few weeks! :D The town has pulled out all the stops with the Christmas decorations! I love looking at all the lights around town!
Time and I have never really gone at the same pace. Time is going at a constant jog and likes to sprint at the most unexpected times, while I like to walk at a slow and leisure pace. As such I often get left behind in a lot of things. Heavens! John is going to be a daddy in a few months! Its seems like it was only a few days ago that the two of us were in "A Fiddler on the Roof" together. Already people who graduated with me are married (I can actually only think of one, but that is still a O_O moment). And yet I haven't really done anything because I always assume I'll have time later. While I was in high school, I thought that I still had plently of time to do college stuff, yet here I sit, no closer to entering a college than the day I graduated. Actually, I was closer the day I graduated than I am now. ;_; It seems like six months is a long time before I turn 19 and subsequently go on a mission, but the way things go for me, I'm going to blink and miss it. There are tons of things that I want to do before then. More on that later.
I'm not a social person. Anyone who knows me is likely to say "Duh" at that. Its a wonder how I turned out to be such a recluse when both of my parests aren't. My dad can just talk to a person he meets for hours upon hours, and yet I am never one to even consider trying to start a conversation. This is why I like the internet so much. Its a lot easier to be myself when I don't actually have to look at the person I'm talking to or respond immediatly. I know a lot of people think that talking on the internet is destroying people's social skills, but that's okay for me, I didn't have any to destroy in the first place.
I didn't really have a problem so much with being unable to speak with other people face to face until recently. It's always kind of nagged at me in the back of my mind, but I usually ignore that. Remember how I said that there are things I wish to do before my mission? I have a certain friend that I usually talk to through the internet. I have her phone number (attained through email) and I wish to call her, but heavens I can't! How could picking up a phone and dialing a few numbers be so incredibly difficult!? I can face up to doctors who wish to cut into my insides and pull stuff out, a daunting 50,000 word undertaking, and I can even face leaving my home, state, and possibly even country for two years to preach the gospel, but I can't pick up the phone! The very idea terrifies me. How in the world have I become so pathetic? The only reason that I'm okay with writing this is that she doesn't really know how to use computers very well and there is a slim to none chance that she'll see this. The fact that she doesn't do well with computers makes it hard to communicate with her over the internet, so the best way to speak with her is to actually speak with her. This is most I've ever regretted being unable to effectivly commminucate with others! ;_;
...This post is kind of depressing. Lets end on a happy note.
Christmas is in only a few weeks! :D The town has pulled out all the stops with the Christmas decorations! I love looking at all the lights around town!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
I'M A WINNER!
I just crossed the 50,000 word finish line for NaNoWriMo and I couldn't be happier. This is about how I feel.
If anyone feels any desire to read my novel, please comment or email me and I will send it to you if you are deemed trustworthy. Keep in mind that this is a very rough first draft and there are going to be many mistakes and that it isn't finshed yet. When I finish it, I will post again and express my further happy.
If anyone feels any desire to read my novel, please comment or email me and I will send it to you if you are deemed trustworthy. Keep in mind that this is a very rough first draft and there are going to be many mistakes and that it isn't finshed yet. When I finish it, I will post again and express my further happy.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
40,000 Words Left
I finally hit 40,000 words, which means I only have 10,000 left. If I write 5,000 more today and 5,000 tomorrow, I'll finish. I plan on writing as many as I can today so I'm not scrambling to finish tomorrow. Sundays are always hard days for my word count, so I need to write as much as I can today. Who knows, if I push myself, I may just finish tonight. Here's hoping :)
Monday, November 24, 2008
Halfway Point
I just crossed the halfway point for my Novel. That's right, I'm at 25,000 words. I have a week left to get my word count to 50,000 and I WILL DO IT! I've been sick almost all of november, and that has made my word count suffer. The internet hasn't been much help either, as every time I procrastinate, its been there with open arms.
No more procrastination. I must forsake the internet for the next week until I get my word count to where its supposed to be. After this post, the only reason that I go on the internet will be to listen to my playlist which helps me write. When I make it to 40K (and I will) I'll make another post.
No more procrastination. I must forsake the internet for the next week until I get my word count to where its supposed to be. After this post, the only reason that I go on the internet will be to listen to my playlist which helps me write. When I make it to 40K (and I will) I'll make another post.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Yikes
I'm falling dangerously behind on my NaNoWriMo novel. Uh oh. By the end of today, I should be around 20,000 words, yet I am only just above 15,000. I need to get my rear end in gear and write more. Personally, I blame facebook. Its the first and last site on the internet that I go to, and sucks up a lot of my time. My excuse is that's its week two, which is always the hardest week, according to everyone who does this. I'll do my best to write as much as I can to close the gap between my word count and the 20,000 word goal for today, wish me luck.
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