I don’t think I ever posted this, but here’s a piece I made for the Gallery at the Guild’s Magical Girls show! Some sailor scouts hanging at the arcade 💖
Fun fact: cats don’t just wiggle their butts before they pounce out of excitement – they’re also making tiny adjustments to the position of their feet in order to more precisely aim the ensuing lunge.
since my last exalted post was so bad, let me atone by offering you: Dragon-Blooded using Wind Carried Words Technique to blow kisses to their friends, family, and partners
So… I’m new to this. And I wanted to start off by saying that I don’t post on things like this much. But… I want to work on my writing some more. So… once in a while… I’d like to be social and post some of my works. So… here’s something I wrote up today as a little test. Just a quick excerpt. Nothing fancy.
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His hands gave another violent tremor as more footsteps
marched past the far tree to his left. This world’s sky was unusually dark at
this time of night, and its people were relentless in their search for his
position. Even now, as he continued to press his back against a strangely
smooth, square stone, his senses continued to work overtime as his heart
pounded harder with each footstep that came within several steps of his poor
hiding place.
Another tremble erupted through his hands, this time moving
its way up to his shoulders, through his chest, and to his neck. He instantly
grabbed his left arm at his wrist and squeezed it for dear life. “Not now,” he thought to his arm as the tremble
faded again. He had been in this strange world too long. He needed to gather
enough power to summon a portal back. But obtaining that level of power
required a full amount of concentration in order to tap into his years of focus
at keeping his power in a state of tranquility and calmness. However, in the
state his body was in, he knew that should he summon his power at that very
instant… well… if his mistress could see him now. The only other word that came
to his mind at that moment was “Fool”, as she had grown quite fond of saying when
she referenced him in any way. “Fool this, fool that. Fool, can you take out
the garbage? Fool, can you control your own power? Fool, can you stop being as
weak as your parents for one second?”
He let out a chuckle as his body gave off a full tremor just
as one more footstep sounded ten steps to his left, followed by another set of
approaching footsteps. There were two of them that he could see from where he
was, each holding metallic weapons that held mechanical movements he had never
seen or heard before. However, he knew that they were weapons… and he had the
marks to prove it on his arms and a small gash on his left leg. Yet though they
were healing at their usual rate, he needed more time before he could counter
them with his full mindset still intact.
“Do you see it?” the first one said. Luckily, they spoke a
language quite old in his own world, yet their vocalized usage of the language
held a strange pep to it that felt almost… juvenile.
“No,” the other replied, a slight quiver in his voice. “Did
you see how it moved though?”
“Yeah.”
“I mean…,” the second one gulped before speaking again, “It
was like the night was swirling around us! I’ve never seen anything like that.
Should we even be out here?”
The first one knocked the second on their shoulder. “Control
yourself, man! The higher ups send us out here to do this kind of thing all the
time. A portal opens, we go. And our orders are always the same. Capture or
eliminate depending upon cooperation. We’ve done this a million times.”
“Yeah, I know… but…,” the second one took a second to look
about the woods. From the looks of it, his vision wasn’t the best. Then again,
none of these strange beings appeared to be that capable under the protection
of the night waves. Even with their strange mechanical devices attached all
about their bodies, they still seemed unsure of their surroundings, even unsure
of their own potential. It was a useful fact to know right now and perhaps for
the future as well.
“No buts!” the first one shouted. “HQ has a high priority
for this one and it’s our job to do whatever it takes to bring this Class 0
Otherworldly Being in.”
“But…”
“What did I just say?”
The second one sighed before hoisting his metallic weapon up
to his shoulder as he pointed it towards the Otherworldly Being’s hiding spot.
The being braced for what was to come, but strangely, the second one’s weapon
veered off slightly to the right as a third set of footsteps soon approached.
Soon, a thinner third individual stepped into view. This one held two smaller
weapons on their hips and had a white piece of stone on their right shoulder.
“Captain!” the second one stated.
“Soldiers,” the third individual stated. Their voice was a
much higher pitch than the first two, perhaps a female of their race. But the
strength the being sensed from her was… intense… and also “contained” in a
strange sort of way. But based on their common form of ranking that he had
encountered many times before, he assumed that this one held control that far
outweighed the power of the first two. “Status report.”
Both soldiers reached their hands to their heads in a
strange motion before the first one answered first, “No sign of the subject
yet, Captain. But it couldn’t have gotten far with the number of constructs we
hit it with.”
“Yeah!” the second one piped with bizarrely renewed vigor. “I’ve
never seen anyone escape you like that though, Captain. Even with your accuracy
and ability, I guess a Class 0 really does outshine anything we have in this
world. I mean for starte—.” The second one gave the first a pop on the head,
silencing him immediately.
“Quiet! We aren’t here to gloat or to earn brownie points,
Johns. We are here with an important job. So stop wasting the Captain’s time.”
The second one, now identified as Johns, rubbed the metallic
covering on top of his head before speaking once again, “You didn’t have to hit
me so hard, ya know, Mack.”
“Hmph,” Mack bellowed as he repositioned his weapon closer
to his chest, “We both know that the only way to knock some sense into you is
literally. But I digress. Captain, there are no signs of the Class 0. But our
sensors tracked its movements to this part of the woods. Its powers are unlike
anything we’ve seen. Its movements and abilities are almost… monstrous.” The
being would have almost felt a tad bit of offense if Mack’s words hadn’t been…
well… okay… they were a bit true… but only in certain situations… like this
one for instance.
“Well keep your eyes open for anything. This one seems truly
extraordinary. If possible, I’d like to track it down before it causes any more
commotion for us. We don’t want the masses seeing anything like this. And we
definitely don’t want such a rare Class to get away like this. Not when we are
at such a crucial point in the HQ’s research.”
“Do you think we’ll be able to prepare for what’s to come if
we are able to capture the Class 0, ma’am? Mack asked.
“Of course not,” the Captain replied. “Thinking that we can
prepare for the worst is what caught us off guard like this in the first place.
No, the only way to prepare for the worst is to encounter the worst head on and
think about the consequences later. Waiting for the worst to come to us first
will only bring us to another massacre. And I don’t know about you, but I’ve
had enough of burying our own.”
“True words, Captain, “Mack proudly stated as Johns gave a
jubilant nod next to him.
“Now, stick together and head North. I’ll check the East
again. ETA to our next rendezvous is 20 minutes.”
Both men gave another strange salute before proceeding
North. But… strangely, the Captain did not move from her position. Instead, she
drew her left arm close to her face and removed her metallic cap from her face,
revealing a pale face with a heavy scar down the left side. Her hair was a
dirty red almost approaching brown, and her eyes were heavy, as though the
whole world were on her shoulders and no one else’s. It was a look the being
had seen on his mistress’ face for many years, a look he hoped to see once
again if he could one day… assuming that she… well…
His body reacted before he consciously thought about it as
he whirled behind just as the loud crunch of a footstep came but three steps
away from him. It was one of them, a new soldier he hadn’t seen before that had
slipped past his senses as they had been preoccupied with the reflection into
past memories in his mind. How he hated being in a flustered state like this.
But he had wanted to test his prowess in another world. He wanted to show off
just how powerful he had become and that no matter the place or time in space,
he could handle it. But obviously, he had bargained for more that he had
sought.
“Soldier 5.23 of the Divinity Unit calling headquarters, I
have found the suspect. Moving in for suppression and containment.” As the
soldier finished speaking to a person unseen by the being, the being put up his
hand and held it widely before himself, which caused the soldier to clasp its
weapon tighter, its center point aimed directly at the being’s hand.
“No— now see here,” the being stuttered. It had been so
long since it had spoken in a common dialect like this. So it took a while for
his brain to find the right words again. “I don’t want to do this. Please let
me be on my way. I mean you no harm.”
The soldier’s weapon made a loud click as the soldier
pressed the back end of it more into their shoulder. “Do not dare to speak to
me, Class 0. You are an otherworldly threat that has entered our world without
permission. Lay down any weapons you have and put your everything on the
ground, now!”
“Without permission?” The otherworldly being laughed,
despite the situation. “Does your kind control the borders between worlds?”
“What?” the soldier clumsily asked.
“I said… does your kind control the borders between worlds?”
“Who cares about the borders?” the soldier rudely stated. “All
I care about is protecting this world. And if you come here uninvited, then you
should be prepared for the consequences. Is that clear?”
The being sighed before speaking again. “You are not
listening at all. If your kind does not control the borders between worlds,
what gives you the right to tell another world’s beings what to do and not to
do? Who gave your kind the permission to dominate a full world to yourself?”
A hard, shell-like mass whizzed out of the soldier’s weapon
and hit the stone structure just above the being’s right shoulder. The being’s
body began to tremble all over, only this time, he knew he wouldn’t be able to
stop it. It was a feeling he had thought he had grown to have full control
over. But… he didn’t think another world would throw his emotions so out of his
control… nor his own power. And so… if he didn’t use all of his concentration here
and now to halt his body… well…
The being grunted once at the spot where the shell had hit
before looking back at the soldier. “Please don’t do that again. I have grown
quite tired of those devices.”
“I give the commands here, Class 0. Now, as I said before,
everything on the ground!” The soldier tightened his grip upon the weapon once
again. “Or this time… the next one is going in your head.”
The tremble in the being’s arm was at a point he knew he
couldn’t stop. But if he could just escape this one soldier, then maybe… just
maybe… he wouldn’t have to hurt him in any way. After all, it had been years
since he had last had an outbreak. And if he ever did lose control again… well…
he didn’t dare think of what his mistress would say if he did.
“Hey, who is over there? Identify yourself this instant!”
The being had forgotten that the Captain had still been quite close to his
current position.
“Captain!” the soldier began, “This is soldier 5.23. I have
the subject over here!”
“Do not engage!” the Captain began to yell as the being
heard her footsteps begin to close in, “I repeat… do not engage!”
“But, Captain! The subject is cornered and… huh? Where is…?”
The soldier looked down at his weapon, then grew a sense of confusion upon
himself as he realized that his weapon was now in the snow before him, along
with one of his arms. “Wha… what? WHAT?!” Though the being couldn’t visually
see the soldier’s face due to the metallic cap the soldier had covering his
whole face, the being’s senses were still easily able to sense the fear
beginning to disseminate about the soldier’s entire body.
But it was far too late for the soldier before the being,
and the soldiers about the woods as well. The being gave a sniff of the soldier’s
second arm in his hands before throwing away in disgust. The trembling had
stopped… but that was only because his body had finally moved completely into a
state of fight or flight unique to him and him alone. The shadows began to wrap
around him, their cold touch permeating his body down to his very cells… their
embrace beginning to warp his mind into a state of kill or be killed. In this
state, all he could do was sit back like a passenger in his own body as
instinct took over, the instinct to live. And though the soldier before him was
helpless now, the being knew that his instincts did not distinguish between
defenseless and a threat in this state.
No, the only thing his body cried out to his mind right now
was the will to survive, the will to live, and the will to kill anything that
stood in his way. Another footstep sounded two steps away from the being. But
the Captain was far too late for the being was already five steps away from
her, then ten steps away, then… well… he could barely hear her heartbeat from
where he now stood. But, as he looked at the head clutched between his fingers,
a sense of intrigue flooded its way into his instincts. It felt almost as if…
yes… he knew without a doubt. This world… perhaps this world held more for him
than he thought. He threw the head away as another heartbeat came within
several steps of him. And… without another thought… the shadows wrapped
themselves around him again as the night became his once again.
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Once again, nothing fancy. Just… a quick thing I thought of. I should end this first post with something nice. Let’s see… dank memes make the world a better place!
Back in middle school before I knew what a ‘furry’ was I went about writing a story about a planet called Lareana where animals were combinations of animals we know on Earth and People were either anthropomorphic animals or humans with animal traits. It really depended on the person.
The original peoples of Lareana were residents of a colony space shuttle from Earth that crash landed. The inherent magic or whatever of the planet changed them and, eventually, they were led by a young black girl (who became an owl lady) and began to create a new civilization.
This girl discovered that the lands held a great magic and that the magic and thus the world were held together by nine ‘Hearts’ (magical heart shaped stones). Outside of the hearts, only birds proved adept with magic (in a traditional sense). The Hearts each contained within them a particular force: Spirit, Blood, Growth, Shadow, Light, Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. And so long as eight of those forces could hold together, the world could be safe. Furthermore, control of eight of the Hearts meant the world of Lareana could be shaped to the holder’s whim.
As a failsafe against this magic falling into the wrong hands, our intrepid leader used their magic to secretly assign each Heart a guardian at birth. The guardian would be tied to the stone and only together would the guardians be able to manipulate their power. Additionally, she had the stones sealed away into thematic temples (because she was a little girl who liked silly fantasy and because it would pose an appropriate challenge to each heart’s guardian).
The guardians would be born with an identifying mark, like a tattoo, that would tie them to their heart. They would also be gifted in the magic of their element.
Years passed, society moved on, and save for the birds the Legends of the Hearts and the great magic of Lareana faded into myth and story. Our fearless leader, the young black girl, lived on and became something of a legend herself; an immortal owl woman out in the southern Isle.
And one day she could feel Lareana dying. Something was wrong, and the guardians were needed to fix it.
But she did not know where to find them; until she found a baby cat girl abandoned in the woods. There, on her hand, was the mark of spirit; and she knew this girl would be her key to linking the guardians back together.
Of course, that’s easier said than done. The Guardian of Shadows knows very well the legends and believes them to be true. He’s a Raven in a city of scavengers, tired of society casting them into roles of darkness; tired of being feared and mistrusted. Tired of not having a real place. With the scavengers behind him, he too is tracking down the guardians to retrieve the hearts and remake Lareana into a place where those who have so often been cast aside can rise up and live in the light.
….And now I guess I’m going to look into rebooting that.
Lareana was beautiful in the setting sun. Golden light shone from the ocean; spreading out east for as far as the eye could see. The northern peaks of Mistmount scratched at the clouds like claws against the sky. And the small southern Isle of Apoeko shone like a green jewel; growing steadily larger as Marlow continued to fall.
“Oh, come on,” she muttered against the wind. Her words were lost to the steady roar of her descent. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. The tattoo on her forearm shimmered against the light of the sun. “Come on,” she repeated, over and over with increasing desperation. Her tails curled up against her back. Her ears folded down on her head.
A deep gasp.
The wind quieted. Marlow opened her eyes slowly, the world around her obscured by a violet film. She looked down. Apoeko’s treetops no longer an oncoming demise, but a still green blanket over the island. Marlow cheered and punched at the sky. “I did it!” She laughed and pushed her legs down as if to jump. Her ears perked and she shot up into the sky again. “I did it!”
The violet film faded and the world came back into clear view. Marlow, with some sense of control, lowered herself gently to the trees below while staring out at the sunset against the ocean. It was breathtaking.
And then Marlow felt one of her bare feet touch the trees, and she felt herself lose control again. She let out a string of curses as limbs of trees smacked against her own and leaves slapped at her face. She closed her eyes again. She let herself scream.
A soft oomph.
Marlow felt something soft beneath her body. She wrapped her arms around it. “Yeah, not helping,” sputtered her savior. She opened her eyes, ears twitching, tails raised. “Azizi!” She beamed. The bird man wasn’t much bigger than herself, but that didn’t seem to affect carrying her too much. He flapped his brown and black feathered wings to slow their descent. Marlow loosened her grip, opting to latch onto his brightly colored tunic. They landed by an old stone road, otherwise empty in the coming evening.
“Are you mad?” Azizi asked. He clicked his beak. “Your mom’s gonna kill you when she finds out.”
Marlow wasn’t paying any attention. She got her bearings, then ran past him to an old oak tree. She circled it twice before turning back to him, her face full of dread. “Where is it?”
Azizi sighed. He waved at her to follow. She pouted, ears back and tails flitting back and forth, but followed anyway. He led her down the road to a clearing long overgrown. Propped on a mushroom covered stump was a long staff, curled at the end and set with gold rings. Asleep beside it was a small orange owlat whose ears swiveled in their direction as they approached.
“Oh thank goodness!” Marlow breathed, dashing to the staff and snatching it from the stump. The owlat growled, stretched out it’s body and wings, and swiveled its head to look at her. “Oh hush, Nuru.” Marlow chided. She turned back to Azizi, whose winged arms were crossed in front of him.
Marlow opened her mouth, but Azizi shook his head. “Do not thank me. I’m just trying to make sure you don’t end up dead,” he explained. She blushed and looked down at her feet. Her tails curled around her legs.
“Your mother’s looking for you. It sounded urgent.”
A Quiet Respite 