Hey guys. This is my first post in a while haha xD Have you missed your favorite panda? -.- Well, anywho, I was nominated by my pal Riv from Fantasies of a Pocket Human (like months ago...) to do this award, so... here goes. (Riv, sorry for taking so long! We're still friends, right?)
Now I'll have to answer 15 questions posted by my good friend, then nominate some of my own personal buddies and ask them 15 questions! What fun.
1. Summer or winter?
Hmm... Summer has no school but there are bees... winter has snow and possible snow days... I'll have to say summer.
2. Favorite candy?
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups... I think...
3. Travel to Australia or France?
Australia. It's near New Zealand, which is where The Lord of the Rings was filmed :D :D :D
4. Favorite subject?
English
5. Favorite Disney movie? (Yes, of course I asked that question! XD)
Tangled... or The Lion King... or Bolt... I don't know D:
6. Harry Potter or Hunger Games?
Hands down Hunger Games. No contest :D
7. What is your favorite book in the series you chose above?
Probably book #2, Catching Fire.
8. Ice cream or cookies?
Depends on the cookies and ice cream... Warm peanut butter cookies or warm chocolate chip cookies, then definitely cookies. Mint chocolate chip ice cream, then definitely ice cream...
9. Favorite type of food?
Blueberries! :D
10. Biology or chemistry?
-.- Neither! But if I had to pick... chemistry.
11. Chocolate or vanilla?
Vanilla.
12. Dog or cat?
Uh... probably dog... but we have good cats and a good dog so... I don't know haha.
13. Skydiving or paragliding?
Again, neither! But... paragliding if I had to pick.
14. Rock climbing or ziplining?
Rock climbing.
15. Morning person or night owl?
More likely night owl...
Now, I nominate... uhh... Andrew from The Blog of Andrew! Now for my 15 questions...
1. What's your favorite book/movie genre?
2. PS4 or Xbox One?
3. What's your favorite movie/movie series?
4. What's your favorite color?
5. Who's your favorite actor?
6. How many pets do you have?
7. What exotic animal that is usually not considered to be a pet animal (ex. gorilla, giraffe, elephant...) would you like as a pet?
8. What do you do for fun?
9. What's your favorite number?
10. What's your favorite vegetable?
11. Do you have a favorite character from a book/movie/video game?
12. Why do you like the character you said for the above question?
13. How did you hear about NaNoWriMo?
14. What's the longest thing you've written?
15. Which author would you say inspired you most to write?
And voila! I'm done with my first post in like... eons. >.> Hopefully I'll be able to get more consistent from now on ... xD School gets in the way sometimes though... :P
For now, that's all from me!
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
Monday, December 1, 2014
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Short Story Part 6 *drumroll*
It's been a while, hasn't it? Eh. Better late than never, I like to think. Well, I've been in school for like one and a half weeks, though it feels like much longer (thanks to chemistry no doubt). xD Anywho, without much further ado, we'll end this six-part-long journey. (And maybe the main character will actually finally get hit in the head with a boulder...)
The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part Six
With boulders flying everywhere, Marius had to, understandably, dodge and weave as he flew. The stone giants were ripping portions off of the stone wall surrounding the emperor's castle (which, the emperor had claimed, was now unassailable. But that comment was made before he realized that stone giants existed, so...).
A giant boulder whistled by Marius's head, so close he could feel the breeze as the rock passed him by. Turning to his left, Marius saw a smaller stone giant hurling more boulders right at him. Veering, Marius changed his direction so that he was heading toward the stone giant.
As he dodged the giant flying boulders, Marius wondered how he could break the stone giant's stone covering. His claws would likely have no effect (he'd tried scratching through stone in his alone time when he was bored before) and his fire couldn't melt rock (yes, he had been so alone one time that he even tried that).
But as a boulder came right for him, he had a sudden idea. He grabbed hold of the boulder as it flew past, then swung it around and hurled it back at the stone giant. Something like that would likely have pulled a human's arms out of their sockets, but for dragons, who have arm socket things that are incredibly strong, such a feat was easy.
The stone giant looked shocked as the boulder came flying back, but it was far too massive to nimbly dodge the projectile. As the boulder smashed into the giant, the stone exoskeleton crumbled and fell to the ground in pieces.
And on top of the wreckage lay three armored, very dizzy looking dwarves. They stood, gained their balance, shook their hands at Marius, and cried out in their own dwarvish language which Marius understood none of.
He had no idea how three dwarves were able to control such a massive suit of stone armor, but he figured the humans capable of dispatching the dwarves. He called out to the dragons and told them about his tactic of throwing the boulders back at the giants. Hesitant at first, the dragons complied when they saw the crumbled stone giant.
The stone giants saw this too, and as the first few began crumbling and falling to the ground, the rest began to try to run. But none made it far.
Since the boulders were no longer getting thrown at the dragons, they had to pick up their own and throw them, but even that hindrance didn't slow them down much as they vengefully dispatching the giants one by one.
After all had fallen, the dragons made their way back to the castle's courtyard where the human army was just finishing off the last of the dwarves. The dragons landed and looked at the humans as Emperor Vaidd stubbornly stared back, refusing to sheath his sword.
"Both humans and dragons have felt the sting of death today," Marius growled. "Let that be enough. If you will not challenge us, Emperor, we will take our leave."
Vaidd scowled, but lowered his weapon. Just as Marius was about to take off, however, he had second thoughts. He raised his weapon and charged.
Roaring, Marius surged forward, caught Vaidd in his grasp, and lifted off into the air quickly. Right as they were above the castle, Vaidd cut his sword through Marius's foot, and the dragon, howling in pain, dropped the emperor.
Vaidd fell and tumbled through the air, landing heavily on the top of the castle. He looked up and saw Marius circling back, so he quickly took refuge behind one of his castle's towers just as hot flames spewed forth and engulfed the tower and shot from either side of him.
As the flames stopped, he pulled a dagger from its sheath, jumped out from his hiding place, and hurled it at Marius. The dragon reared in pain as he smashed into the castle, shooting shingles everywhere. Vaidd cautiously moved forward, wary that Marius could spring up at anytime. But as he neared the dragon, he threw all caution to the wind as he cried out and raised his sword the sky, intending to deliver the final blow.
But he never did.
With a quick sweep of his tail, Marius knocked the emperor from the roof of the castle. The emperor would have fallen to his death, but Marius swooped down and caught him. Flying toward the ground, the dragon dropped the emperor from a more reasonable height, swooping down to pin him to the ground. "This is for my imprisonment," Marius growled, willing fire to spew forth from his mouth.
"No, please!" a trembling voice behind him cried.
Marius turned back, swallowing the fire (which tasted horrible, in case you were wondering). He saw Junior standing there.
"Don't kill him," the boy pleaded. "Just please go. Leave him alive."
Marius looked back at the emperor on the ground, and instead of seeing defiance on his eyes, Marius saw fear. Fear of death perhaps?
Or was it fear that Marius would fly into a death rage and kill Vaidd's son?
Looking back at Junior, Marius said, "Fine. He won't die at my claws today." He released the emperor and flew back to the rest of the dragons. "Let's fly."
It was at that moment that a random boulder came flying through the air and hit Marius in the head. (Ah, there it is!) Looking around, Marius saw nothing that could have thrown it. Growling in frustration, he and the rest of the dragons lifted off into the air and flew away.
---
And as they were flying away, a red dragon flew close to Marius. "So, did you ever tell him what we were really scared of?"
Marius chuckled. "No, of course not."
"He might suspect it, you know, when there are a surplus of rabbits in the forest instead of deer."
Marius paled. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"It's funny how we dragons, who are so large, could be afraid of something so small..." the red dragon mused quietly.
"Do not underestimate the power of rabbits," Marius warned. "They're tiny little monsters waiting to be unleashed. Cute, I'll give you. But I've heard stories of dragons that have gotten too close..."
----------------------------
And so we reached the end of Marius's story. Long, perhaps confusing, and completely unnecessary! I wonder what happened to the humans after that... did father and son have a tender moment of reconciliation? Mayhaps. But that's for you to figure out. Fanfiction moment, people! xD
Anyway, that was a pretty fun journey. I thought at least. Well, I have no idea what else I should say. This is a first draft. Maybe I'll revise it, make it better, and stuff. Maybe I won't. Who knows?
Anyway, comment below and stuff. It's been a while since my last post, but since this monumental thing is over, hopefully I can get back to more consistent stuff... xD
See you soon!
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
When Summer Ends
It's always on the last day of summer when you think "Goodness, where did all that time go?" and when you realize that, yet again, the school year is approaching. It is then that you realize that all your free time will get zapped up during schooling hours and even beyond while one is working on homework.
It is in the face of such depressing odds that a humble panda such as myself recognizes the true worth of two things: study halls and an hour-and-a-half long bus ride.
Study halls. These help tremendously if you don't want to spend hours upon end late at night doing homework (because who does it right when they get home?) that is really boring and makes you want to sleep. Unless, of course, you're an imaginative panda like me and prefer to spend study halls writing little stories and drawing comic strips. Then, you're stuck doing homework late at night. But then of course it takes way too long, and you have to wake up early, so you have to go to sleep, so you rush the homework...
Or you just sleep a little less than usual! This brings up my second point. A bus ride that is one and a half hours long roughly. A good time for catching a wink or two on the way to school. Unless you snore... which is then kind of embarrassing. But nevertheless! An exhausted panda will do what an exhausted panda must do. Another problem to take into account is when the bus jolts and a certain little panda face is jostled into the hard window...
It's always really funny when the end of summer comes. Because I vaguely recall, sometime during the middle of summer, thinking "Wow, a lot of time has gone by. It seems like months since we were in school!" and now I'm all like "Did I just get out of school yesterday!?" -.-
It's very depressing.
I have developed a certain theory. I think that the heat from summer fries your brain. Then when it starts getting cooler in the final days of summer (though the past few days where I am have been anything but cool) your brain starts thinking clearly again.
It's a simple theory that's still in the works, but I firmly believe that it's true.
Anyway, I just had to apologize for the long long long wait for an update from your favorite panda. Especially since I left you in a huge cliffhanger at the end of the second-to-last part of the short story ;)
But I have been mulling over and working on the final part, and I wished to share my thoughts about when summer ends with you as I told you that the final installment in the short story is coming up. (Where, finally, our favorite dragon Marius will in fact get hit in the head with a boulder.)
Also, I got my permit today, and I just want to memorialize this momentous occasion.
...
...
Well, someone needs to bake a cake! :D
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
It is in the face of such depressing odds that a humble panda such as myself recognizes the true worth of two things: study halls and an hour-and-a-half long bus ride.
Study halls. These help tremendously if you don't want to spend hours upon end late at night doing homework (because who does it right when they get home?) that is really boring and makes you want to sleep. Unless, of course, you're an imaginative panda like me and prefer to spend study halls writing little stories and drawing comic strips. Then, you're stuck doing homework late at night. But then of course it takes way too long, and you have to wake up early, so you have to go to sleep, so you rush the homework...
Or you just sleep a little less than usual! This brings up my second point. A bus ride that is one and a half hours long roughly. A good time for catching a wink or two on the way to school. Unless you snore... which is then kind of embarrassing. But nevertheless! An exhausted panda will do what an exhausted panda must do. Another problem to take into account is when the bus jolts and a certain little panda face is jostled into the hard window...
It's always really funny when the end of summer comes. Because I vaguely recall, sometime during the middle of summer, thinking "Wow, a lot of time has gone by. It seems like months since we were in school!" and now I'm all like "Did I just get out of school yesterday!?" -.-
It's very depressing.
I have developed a certain theory. I think that the heat from summer fries your brain. Then when it starts getting cooler in the final days of summer (though the past few days where I am have been anything but cool) your brain starts thinking clearly again.
It's a simple theory that's still in the works, but I firmly believe that it's true.
Anyway, I just had to apologize for the long long long wait for an update from your favorite panda. Especially since I left you in a huge cliffhanger at the end of the second-to-last part of the short story ;)
But I have been mulling over and working on the final part, and I wished to share my thoughts about when summer ends with you as I told you that the final installment in the short story is coming up. (Where, finally, our favorite dragon Marius will in fact get hit in the head with a boulder.)
Also, I got my permit today, and I just want to memorialize this momentous occasion.
...
...
Well, someone needs to bake a cake! :D
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Short Story Part 5
Ah, we come now to part five of this epic tale. It will, most definitely, be one of the most intense parts. It will, without a doubt, be the most exciting part. It will, without a shadow of unclearnness (yes that's a word I made up just now) one of the best things you've ever read. In your whole life.
Well, if you believe such things. It might be your least favorite bit of writing ever. Who knows? I personally hope that you opinion falls into one of the first few options, rather than the last, but that's totally up to you. Kind of at least...
Hmm.
Anyway, here we go.
The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part Five
The dragons arrived at the castle on time, as expected. They issued their final demands to Vaidd so that the whole castle could hear and went on to say that they had intercepted and killed Thezin and the rest of the men sent out to retrieve certain valuable information.
Vaidd assembled his army within the walls of the castle and ordered that no one should leave the castle grounds. He entered the armory and equipped himself with a sword, shield, and full suit of armor. As he was putting his gleaming helmet on, his son walked in.
"Father," Junior said. "What are you doing? Just release Marius! Why keep the dragon?"
"We have several days before the dragons attack us, son," Vaidd responded coldly. "My armies and I will attack before they're ready. We'll take them by surprise and destroy them."
"At what cost?" Junior asked. "How many men will you lose? How can you be sure that you'll destroy all the dragons?"
"I can't be sure," Vaidd whispered. "But it's the only chance I have."
"Just let Marius go!" Junior pleaded, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Don't throw your life away!"
Vaidd glanced quickly at his son as he put his helmet on. "No. If I release the dragon then I will have given up. The dragons will have already beaten me. I would rather that, in my defeat, I take a number of them with me."
"So you will force me to go through what you went through?" Junior asked. "You will have me live life without a father?"
Vaidd brushed past his son. "If you do not believe that I am strong enough to win, then yes, that is what I'm asking you to do."
---
Vaidd led his massive army out of his massive castle (which was really really massive, in case you're still confused). The dragons were right outside of the gate and glared at him. "What are you doing? Emperor Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII?" the golden dragon asked, a growl forming on his tongue.
Vaidd unsheathed his sword. "I'm going to destroy you."
Multiple things happened in that single moment. Vaidd called his armies to charge. The golden dragon unleashed an ear-splitting roar that brought all the dragons into the air and flying towards the assembled human army.
And then several massive rocks came flying right into the courtyard.
The first rock smashed into Vaidd's army and rolled until it hit the broad stone wall marking the castle's borders. The second rock hit the golden dragon and smashed him into the ground. The third rock flew over both armies and shattered a portion of the exterior wall.
The two armies looked to where the rocks had come from, and they saw at least twenty stone giants (giants made of stone) lumbering towards them.
"Of all the misfortunes we could have encountered," Vaidd breathed. Looking to the rest of his army, he cried, "Back to the fortress! Back to the castle!"
But just as the army was heading back to the safety of the castle, a boulder thrown by one of the giants smashed into the doorway of the castle and chunks of the wall fell, blocking their only entrance.
The army now turned to face the dragons again. The dragons were facing the giants, who were lifting up sections of the wall to throw. Stepping into the courtyard, the giants hurled what boulders they had, smashing into the armies of men and dragons and into the walls of the castle.
The dragons charged at the giants. Determined not to die bowing in cowardice, Vaidd lifted his sword and charged at the giants as well.
And above, from his eagle's eye vantage point, Marius snarled as he watched the frenzied fight. Agitated, he flew around in his tiny cage, bouncing off the bars. He needed to go down their and help the dragons.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Junior standing there, looking remorseful. "I'm sorry I couldn't have prevented this," the boy said, reaching up and pulling a lever. The bars surrounding Marius lifted and retracted into the stone above him.
Nodding gratefully toward the boy, Marius leaped into action and flew down into the frenzied battle.
First, he would help dispatch the stone giants.
Then, Emperor Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII would be his.
---------
We're almost at the end now! Probably just one more part. Six parts is a nice round number to finish at. The ending will be strong, emotionally satisfying, and will leave you begging for more.
Probably, at least. ;)
Anyway, you'll have to wait and see if the ending is as I promised until next time.
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Short Story Part 4
"Remember -- true courage is knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one."
-- Gandalf; The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Pretty awesome advice, I'd say. Relevant to the fourth part of my famously awesome short story? Not really. But awesome nonetheless.
The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part Four
It had been days since Marius had had a dream where he was flying instead of falling. When the dream came again, he found that he was once again surrounded by the same dragons as before. The one flying right beside him, a red one, looked at Marius and said, "War is coming."
"What do you mean?" Marius asked.
"The dragons are moving against Emperor Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII. If he does not release you in one week, that is when we will strike. All shall perish who remain in the castle, and we shall free you."
"He came to me a few days ago," Marius replied. "He said that he sent out a man named Thezin to find some way to keep me from remaining silent, and that when he was sent out, Thezin swore to return within a fortnight. If you give Vaidd a week, Thezin may return before then and force me to give them a massive advantage."
The red dragon growled. "We will do our best to arrive before Vaidd can use anything against you."
Thinking quickly, Marius said, "The boy. The emperor's son. He's not a bad sort. Will you still kill him?"
A golden dragon swooped down beside Marius and grunted. "We had mercy on Vaidd when he was a child and this is how he turned out. We leave none alive this time. No mistakes."
"But Vaidd didn't know that his father and captured a dragon," Marius pleaded. "Give me a chance to talk to him."
The golden dragon looked confused. "And what do you hope to accomplish?"
"My freedom," Marius replied.
"You have a week," the golden dragon said. "We will arrive at the castle then. If you have not been freed, we will assume that the emperor won't free you by means of peaceful negotiations and we will attack."
"But will you leave his son alive?" Marius pressed.
"So that he can grow old and follow in his father's footsteps?" the red dragon asked. "If we spare him, he will likely view that as ridicule rather than mercy. He will view us as monsters who killed his father and he will react like his father did."
"But if we slaughter everyone needlessly," Marius said, "maybe we really are monsters. I would guess that many who reside in the castle have no idea that I am captured. Many are oblivious to what's going on in the emperor's mind. Will you kill the innocent?"
"We do not kill wantonly," the golden dragon conceded. "In a week, if the emperor does not release you, we will appear in the castle grounds so that none can not know of our presence, and we will issue an ultimatum."
"What ultimatum?" Marius asked.
"If you are not released in three days, we will destroy the castle and those inside," the golden dragon replied. "In those three days, we will allow those who had no idea of your incarceration to leave. But those who are left in the castle after three days, if you have not been released, we will destroy."
"Do that," Marius agreed. "But be wary of when Thezin returns."
"I will send scouts to waylay him," the red dragon said, "and I will personally lead them."
"Very well," the golden dragon said. "Marius, you will be released soon. By one way or another, your imprisonment will not last long. I swear it."
Marius nodded, then awoke.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Short Story Part 3
You know what all of my favorite trilogies have in common? They all have three books, or three parts, whatever you want to call them. And usually, the third part is the most intense part, because that's when the hour will be darkest. That's when the heroes will have their victory over the evil baddies. That's when all that's been set up in the two previous books will finally be resolved.
That's when the story ends. If you're like a certain character from a TV show, you tear out the final pages of a book/story because you don't like endings. You don't want the story to end. But endings are, in their own way, good. Maybe you love the story. Maybe you don't want to end the trilogy and leave those characters behind.
But the thing about endings is that you have a chance to begin again. Maybe you'll begin a new series and get attached to totally new characters. Or maybe you'll reread the same series and get attached to the same characters all over again.
Except this time while you're reading the series, you'll know how it ends. You'll know that no matter how dark the tunnel gets, no matter how dark the night seems, the light will come again.
(Unless it's an utterly depressing story where evil wins... that would be weird.)
Now, after all that, we'll move on with the short story part three. WHOOOO.
The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part Three
(I actually didn't look back at previous posts to see if I got that title right, soooo... hopefully I did XD)
Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII was not a happy camper.
He usually wasn't, but this was one of his bad days. As in he was throwing things as soon as he woke up, screaming at the top of his lungs. It had been two days since Thezin had left to search for some way to get the dragon to talk. Two whole days!
"That should be enough," Vaidd roared, veins in his neck bulging. "Where is he?"
A servant opened the door to his chambers, carrying breakfast. The platter was rattling because the man's hands were shaking uncontrollably. None of the servants wished to be near Vaidd when he was having a good day, so, naturally, a bad day was far worse.
"I would bet," the servant stammered, "that Thezin has found a way to do just that and is returning even as we speak."
Vaudd grunted, straightening his pajamas. "He's a slow brute. I should have sent someone more efficient."
"He promised he'd be back within a fortnight," the servant said. "We shouldn't rush him, milord. Mayhaps he's taking his time to find just the right--"
"Don't take his side unless you want to take his place," Vaidd growled. "And pour me something to drink."
As the emperor crunched on some toast, the servant cautiously poured some creamy milk from a jug into an elegant goblet and handed the cup to Vaidd. "As you requested, milord."
Vaidd grunted as he snatched the goblet from the servant and drank it in one go. Looking at the rest of the platter, which the servant was still required to hold, he waved his hand dismissively and said, "See to my son."
Relieved, the servant bowed and exited the bedroom, heading down the hall and into the room of the emperor's son. The boy was awake and sitting up in bed and jumped slightly as the servant entered, carrying the food tray.
The servant bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, young master," he stammered. "I did not mean to startle you."
"What's Father going on about?" Junior asked as the servant respectfully approached.
"Thezin has taken more than a day, master," the servant replied, "and so milord is upset. I tried to tell him that Thezin is just--" The servant paused for a moment, and then said, "I'm sorry. It's not my place."
As Junior ate, he gestured for the servant to put the platter down on the side table next to the bed. Glancing around cautiously, as if afraid of getting caught being lazy, the servant did so.
"What's your name?" Junior asked.
"You needn't know my name, young master," the servant replied. "It is of little value."
"Your name," Junior insisted kindly.
Looking at the emperor's son, the servant saw only kindness and said, "As you wish, master. Ges."
"Now now," Junior chided, chuckling. "I'm no good at guessing games."
"No," the servant hastily replied. "My name is Ges."
Junior's eyes widened. "Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize to me, master," Ges said, raising his hands. "I'm sorry for confusing you."
"Ges," Junior said slowly. "Can I ... tell you a secret?"
Ges looked shocked. No one had ever made a request like this. He had been asked to deliver meals, clean the stables, train the horses, clean the toilets... but never to keep a secret. Hesitantly, he said, "I can, sir."
Junior nodded slightly, licking his dry lips. "Could you pour me some milk, please?"
As Ges did so, Junior continued, saying, "I think holding Marius here is a mistake."
Handing Junior a goblet (smaller than the one the emperor received but no less intricate), Ges looked shocked. "The ... the dragon, sir?"
Junior nodded. "The other dragons will come for him, I'm sure. Father said that the dragon attacked long ago was unprovoked, but I have reason to believe otherwise."
"I am sure that milord wouldn't lie to you," Ges said. "The dragons must have attacked unprovoked."
"Marius the dragon believes that my father isn't lying. At least that he thinks he isn't."
"How can that be so?" Ges asked.
As Junior explained what Marius the dragon had told him, neither he nor Ges realized that Emperor Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII was listening just outside Junior's door.
-------------
So, it's not quite a trilogy. It'll be a little longer than that. As always, I hope you enjoy and that you'll continue reading when the next installment comes out.
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
That's when the story ends. If you're like a certain character from a TV show, you tear out the final pages of a book/story because you don't like endings. You don't want the story to end. But endings are, in their own way, good. Maybe you love the story. Maybe you don't want to end the trilogy and leave those characters behind.
But the thing about endings is that you have a chance to begin again. Maybe you'll begin a new series and get attached to totally new characters. Or maybe you'll reread the same series and get attached to the same characters all over again.
Except this time while you're reading the series, you'll know how it ends. You'll know that no matter how dark the tunnel gets, no matter how dark the night seems, the light will come again.
(Unless it's an utterly depressing story where evil wins... that would be weird.)
Now, after all that, we'll move on with the short story part three. WHOOOO.
The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part Three
(I actually didn't look back at previous posts to see if I got that title right, soooo... hopefully I did XD)
Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII was not a happy camper.
He usually wasn't, but this was one of his bad days. As in he was throwing things as soon as he woke up, screaming at the top of his lungs. It had been two days since Thezin had left to search for some way to get the dragon to talk. Two whole days!
"That should be enough," Vaidd roared, veins in his neck bulging. "Where is he?"
A servant opened the door to his chambers, carrying breakfast. The platter was rattling because the man's hands were shaking uncontrollably. None of the servants wished to be near Vaidd when he was having a good day, so, naturally, a bad day was far worse.
"I would bet," the servant stammered, "that Thezin has found a way to do just that and is returning even as we speak."
Vaudd grunted, straightening his pajamas. "He's a slow brute. I should have sent someone more efficient."
"He promised he'd be back within a fortnight," the servant said. "We shouldn't rush him, milord. Mayhaps he's taking his time to find just the right--"
"Don't take his side unless you want to take his place," Vaidd growled. "And pour me something to drink."
As the emperor crunched on some toast, the servant cautiously poured some creamy milk from a jug into an elegant goblet and handed the cup to Vaidd. "As you requested, milord."
Vaidd grunted as he snatched the goblet from the servant and drank it in one go. Looking at the rest of the platter, which the servant was still required to hold, he waved his hand dismissively and said, "See to my son."
Relieved, the servant bowed and exited the bedroom, heading down the hall and into the room of the emperor's son. The boy was awake and sitting up in bed and jumped slightly as the servant entered, carrying the food tray.
The servant bowed apologetically. "I'm sorry, young master," he stammered. "I did not mean to startle you."
"What's Father going on about?" Junior asked as the servant respectfully approached.
"Thezin has taken more than a day, master," the servant replied, "and so milord is upset. I tried to tell him that Thezin is just--" The servant paused for a moment, and then said, "I'm sorry. It's not my place."
As Junior ate, he gestured for the servant to put the platter down on the side table next to the bed. Glancing around cautiously, as if afraid of getting caught being lazy, the servant did so.
"What's your name?" Junior asked.
"You needn't know my name, young master," the servant replied. "It is of little value."
"Your name," Junior insisted kindly.
Looking at the emperor's son, the servant saw only kindness and said, "As you wish, master. Ges."
"Now now," Junior chided, chuckling. "I'm no good at guessing games."
"No," the servant hastily replied. "My name is Ges."
Junior's eyes widened. "Oh. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize to me, master," Ges said, raising his hands. "I'm sorry for confusing you."
"Ges," Junior said slowly. "Can I ... tell you a secret?"
Ges looked shocked. No one had ever made a request like this. He had been asked to deliver meals, clean the stables, train the horses, clean the toilets... but never to keep a secret. Hesitantly, he said, "I can, sir."
Junior nodded slightly, licking his dry lips. "Could you pour me some milk, please?"
As Ges did so, Junior continued, saying, "I think holding Marius here is a mistake."
Handing Junior a goblet (smaller than the one the emperor received but no less intricate), Ges looked shocked. "The ... the dragon, sir?"
Junior nodded. "The other dragons will come for him, I'm sure. Father said that the dragon attacked long ago was unprovoked, but I have reason to believe otherwise."
"I am sure that milord wouldn't lie to you," Ges said. "The dragons must have attacked unprovoked."
"Marius the dragon believes that my father isn't lying. At least that he thinks he isn't."
"How can that be so?" Ges asked.
As Junior explained what Marius the dragon had told him, neither he nor Ges realized that Emperor Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII was listening just outside Junior's door.
-------------
So, it's not quite a trilogy. It'll be a little longer than that. As always, I hope you enjoy and that you'll continue reading when the next installment comes out.
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
Top Ten Animated Movies
We all knew something like this would have to come out eventually. After my thorough, thought-provoking post earlier concerning the pros and cons of two major animation companies, a top tens list was perfectly inevitable.
Alas, this top tens list isn't exactly a "top tens" list. Which means that these ten movies aren't exactly my favorite animated movies out there, but they're really really really close. They're on this list because if you asked me if I wanted to watch one of them, I'd likely say yes. (Unless I'm doing something of massive importance. ;P)
Anyway, here we go. Maybe these are actually my top ten favorite... My opinion changes, though. All I know is that, as I said a couple posts ago, Kung Fu Panda 2 is my all time favorite animated movie. So with that, we'll start off the list with:
1.
Kung Fu Panda 2! Betcha didn't see that coming ;D I loved this movie a lot. Pushing aside my tendencies to love all things involved with pandas, this movie had nearly everything going for it. Great plot, likable characters, wonderful storytelling, awesome visuals... I can't really think of much negative stuff. It's even family friendly! Awesome action, great music... Okay, I'm done XD
2.
Disney's Bolt takes number two on my list. This is another great movie. Bolt is a dog on a TV show who thinks everything is real. But can I trust you with a secret? Everything Bolt knows is not real. Cats are not evil (actually, that's debatable...), there is no "green-eyed man" and ... *gasp* could Penny only pretend to love him? But Bolt is the great story of a "super" dog who realizes that even without super powers he can be heroic. Awesome.
3.
Kung Fu Panda. The first one takes third here. It has basically all the awesome stuff the second has (though not in the same ways... that would just be repetitive, an adjective which most certainly should never be used to describe Kung Fu Panda 2. Ever XD) This first film is about a panda named Po who must become the Dragon Warrior to fight Tai Lung and save all of China. SPOILER WARNING He must use the Dragon Scroll to become the all-powerful warrior, and when he finally does, he sees that the scroll is empty. This is perhaps the film's strongest feature in my sight, because it shows that in order to be special, you have to "believe your special." (Mr. Ping, Kung Fu Panda.) END SPOILER WARNING
4.
Tangled. Yeah, whatever, I like certain "princess" movies XD What can you expect? With Tangled you find likable characters, fun, witty dialogue and songs, Pascal, and a white horse. (Pascal and the horse, whose name is Maximus, don't talk at all during the film and still remain heavily likable. Just ... just wow XD) And also Flynn/Eugene is just amazing. XD "All the things we've seen and it's only eight in the morning. Gentlemen, this is a very big day!"
5.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The villain in this movie is the darkest, creepiest villain out of any Disney animated movie, in my opinion. Yes, even darker than Maleficent. (And I haven't even seen that new movie yet...) But his darkness doesn't quite pull down the lofty funness of Quasimodo and his gargoyle pals. Quasi is a hunchback who has never been outside of the sanctuary he abides in, and when he finally leaves, he is ridiculed endlessly by the people for his "ugly" looks, when he is rescued by the Gypsy woman Esmerelda. When Frollo reveals to Quasi that he intends to hunt her and the Gypsies down, Quasi must then choose between his safe, sheltered life and protecting the one woman who ever seemed to care for him. Sounds like they get together at the end, doesn't it? SPOILER WARNING They don't. END SPOILER WARNING
6.
How to Train Your Dragon has to nab this spot. Hiccup is a pretty likable shrimp of a Viking who meets up with Toothless, a dragon, to forever change the island of Berk. It's a fun fantasy adventure filled with adventure and bold heroics as Hiccup tries to convince his dragon-slaying father Stoic the Vast that perhaps the dragons aren't as bad as the Vikings think. It has great dialogue, witty banter and a fun soundtrack (which earned composer John Powell his first Academy Award nomination. Congratulations, Mr. Powell! :D)
7.
Frozen. Yes, another princess movie makes its way onto my top ten list XD But it's Disney, so what do you expect? But perhaps you shouldn't grow to expect that from Disney anymore, since with two twists Disney throws its original princess movie formula out of the window and does something surprisingly fresh and welcome. It pokes fun at the "love at first sight without knowing who that random prince is" concept. It has great animation and some great songs. And a surprising choice at the end that had me left surprised, because it was most un-Disney-like. (Instead of un-princess-like... haha, get it, get it? Whatever XD)
8.
Eight is a pretty good number. It's an even number, it's divisible by four to get two, and it's divisible by two to get four. That doesn't happen with any number but eight. Eight is unique. Speaking of unique, I'm reminded of a certain movie called Up. How often do you see a film about an old dude floating away in a house shadowed by colorful balloons? How often do you meet adventurers who have built collars for dogs that enable the dogs to speak? How often do you journey with a Junior Wilderness Explorer in the heart of the jungle? How often do you meet large tropical birds named Kevin? Not too often. Very unique.
9.
Megamind. This movie was great. Great story, great animation, fun characters and witty dialogue. Great casting choices too. Will Ferrell as Megamind and Brad Pitt and Metroman are the best. This film didn't need the extra help to earn my approval, but it also doesn't hurt it in my eyes that the main character is blue. (Pumbaa pops in. "I'd say he's brownish gold!") Not like down in the dumps, but he's actually the color blue. Nice, right?
10.
I hate top tens lists. I mean, there's always an end to it. I could just go up and change the title to top animated movies... But no. I'll stick it to ten. Torn between two choices, I'll have to go with The Lion King. The Croods was very very close, but I'll go with The Lion King. Again, great acting, great animation, beautiful songs and a wonderful story. Not to mention a very emotional and beautifully sweeping soundtrack by Academy Award winning musical genius Hans Zimmer. *sighs*
So, there's my top tens list. Not only did I give the list, but I also gave some little pieces of the films that made me enjoy them so much. Now I feel like a very critical reviewer...or not.
Anyway, thanks for coming and thanks for waiting so long for this post XD I had a busy weekend ;P
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
Alas, this top tens list isn't exactly a "top tens" list. Which means that these ten movies aren't exactly my favorite animated movies out there, but they're really really really close. They're on this list because if you asked me if I wanted to watch one of them, I'd likely say yes. (Unless I'm doing something of massive importance. ;P)
Anyway, here we go. Maybe these are actually my top ten favorite... My opinion changes, though. All I know is that, as I said a couple posts ago, Kung Fu Panda 2 is my all time favorite animated movie. So with that, we'll start off the list with:
1.
Kung Fu Panda 2! Betcha didn't see that coming ;D I loved this movie a lot. Pushing aside my tendencies to love all things involved with pandas, this movie had nearly everything going for it. Great plot, likable characters, wonderful storytelling, awesome visuals... I can't really think of much negative stuff. It's even family friendly! Awesome action, great music... Okay, I'm done XD
2.
Disney's Bolt takes number two on my list. This is another great movie. Bolt is a dog on a TV show who thinks everything is real. But can I trust you with a secret? Everything Bolt knows is not real. Cats are not evil (actually, that's debatable...), there is no "green-eyed man" and ... *gasp* could Penny only pretend to love him? But Bolt is the great story of a "super" dog who realizes that even without super powers he can be heroic. Awesome.
3.
Kung Fu Panda. The first one takes third here. It has basically all the awesome stuff the second has (though not in the same ways... that would just be repetitive, an adjective which most certainly should never be used to describe Kung Fu Panda 2. Ever XD) This first film is about a panda named Po who must become the Dragon Warrior to fight Tai Lung and save all of China. SPOILER WARNING He must use the Dragon Scroll to become the all-powerful warrior, and when he finally does, he sees that the scroll is empty. This is perhaps the film's strongest feature in my sight, because it shows that in order to be special, you have to "believe your special." (Mr. Ping, Kung Fu Panda.) END SPOILER WARNING
4.
Tangled. Yeah, whatever, I like certain "princess" movies XD What can you expect? With Tangled you find likable characters, fun, witty dialogue and songs, Pascal, and a white horse. (Pascal and the horse, whose name is Maximus, don't talk at all during the film and still remain heavily likable. Just ... just wow XD) And also Flynn/Eugene is just amazing. XD "All the things we've seen and it's only eight in the morning. Gentlemen, this is a very big day!"
5.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The villain in this movie is the darkest, creepiest villain out of any Disney animated movie, in my opinion. Yes, even darker than Maleficent. (And I haven't even seen that new movie yet...) But his darkness doesn't quite pull down the lofty funness of Quasimodo and his gargoyle pals. Quasi is a hunchback who has never been outside of the sanctuary he abides in, and when he finally leaves, he is ridiculed endlessly by the people for his "ugly" looks, when he is rescued by the Gypsy woman Esmerelda. When Frollo reveals to Quasi that he intends to hunt her and the Gypsies down, Quasi must then choose between his safe, sheltered life and protecting the one woman who ever seemed to care for him. Sounds like they get together at the end, doesn't it? SPOILER WARNING They don't. END SPOILER WARNING
6.
How to Train Your Dragon has to nab this spot. Hiccup is a pretty likable shrimp of a Viking who meets up with Toothless, a dragon, to forever change the island of Berk. It's a fun fantasy adventure filled with adventure and bold heroics as Hiccup tries to convince his dragon-slaying father Stoic the Vast that perhaps the dragons aren't as bad as the Vikings think. It has great dialogue, witty banter and a fun soundtrack (which earned composer John Powell his first Academy Award nomination. Congratulations, Mr. Powell! :D)
7.
Frozen. Yes, another princess movie makes its way onto my top ten list XD But it's Disney, so what do you expect? But perhaps you shouldn't grow to expect that from Disney anymore, since with two twists Disney throws its original princess movie formula out of the window and does something surprisingly fresh and welcome. It pokes fun at the "love at first sight without knowing who that random prince is" concept. It has great animation and some great songs. And a surprising choice at the end that had me left surprised, because it was most un-Disney-like. (Instead of un-princess-like... haha, get it, get it? Whatever XD)
8.
Eight is a pretty good number. It's an even number, it's divisible by four to get two, and it's divisible by two to get four. That doesn't happen with any number but eight. Eight is unique. Speaking of unique, I'm reminded of a certain movie called Up. How often do you see a film about an old dude floating away in a house shadowed by colorful balloons? How often do you meet adventurers who have built collars for dogs that enable the dogs to speak? How often do you journey with a Junior Wilderness Explorer in the heart of the jungle? How often do you meet large tropical birds named Kevin? Not too often. Very unique.
9.
Megamind. This movie was great. Great story, great animation, fun characters and witty dialogue. Great casting choices too. Will Ferrell as Megamind and Brad Pitt and Metroman are the best. This film didn't need the extra help to earn my approval, but it also doesn't hurt it in my eyes that the main character is blue. (Pumbaa pops in. "I'd say he's brownish gold!") Not like down in the dumps, but he's actually the color blue. Nice, right?
10.
I hate top tens lists. I mean, there's always an end to it. I could just go up and change the title to top animated movies... But no. I'll stick it to ten. Torn between two choices, I'll have to go with The Lion King. The Croods was very very close, but I'll go with The Lion King. Again, great acting, great animation, beautiful songs and a wonderful story. Not to mention a very emotional and beautifully sweeping soundtrack by Academy Award winning musical genius Hans Zimmer. *sighs*
So, there's my top tens list. Not only did I give the list, but I also gave some little pieces of the films that made me enjoy them so much. Now I feel like a very critical reviewer...or not.
Anyway, thanks for coming and thanks for waiting so long for this post XD I had a busy weekend ;P
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
Friday, August 1, 2014
The Esteemed Sunshine Award
Okay, I was nominated for this stunningly beautiful award by Riv (Katheline) from Fantasies of a Pocket Human and so I'll just follow the form she followed. To do this, I'll give five facts about myself (on top of the thirteen well organized facts I gave in my post A Thorough Introduction :P), and then answer Riv's five questions. She also nominated five bloggers and asked questions, but since I don't really know anyone to nominate, I'll just break centuries of tradition and skip those last steps.
(If the world crumbles into ruin because of my impudence, worry not, I will somehow make amends!)
Okay, here we go.
MY FIVE NEW UBER-COOL FACTS:
1) I use Wikipedia a lot (which is why I listed it as a cool site over to the right a bit.)
2) My favorite ancient culture is the Persians. I love the design of their buildings. Plus, they're really good in Age of Empires XD Go war elephants!
3) I don't like speaking by myself in front of a lot of people. If I'm with other people (who also have a speaking role) then it's not too bad, but me by myself in front of a lot of people... no good XD
4) This is going to be the coolest fact you've ever heard about anybo-- SQUIRREL!!!!
5) I love bacon. :D
RIV'S QUESTIONS
Q. Beach or mountains?
A. Mountains. No contest XD The beach is cool sometimes, but the mountains are cooler.
Q. What's your favorite book? (Yes I'm evil like that XD)
A. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien. I know it's popularly known as a trilogy, but Tolkien intended it to be one book. ;)
Q. Which book character do you think you're most like?
A. Jason from Brandon Mull's Beyonders. Sarcastically funny, some girls think he's cute... I don't think there's anything BUT similarities! :D
Q. What animal do you think you're most like?
A. A panda!
Q. What places do you most want to visit, or would you want to travel at all?
A. I don't want to travel too much.... at least not now XD
Cool! We're finished, yay! Two posts in one day... O-o I'm on a roll XD
Short Story Part 2 (and Bob too!)
You know what a good story called "The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part One" needs? A little something I like to call "The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part Two".
But before we begin, I have a little thing that I'd like to share. We all have a certain time that's our favorite time, right? Maybe it's noon, when the sun is exactly at its zenith, maybe its midnight when all the world is asleep except the nocturnal crickets who constantly fill the night with their melodic chirping. Maybe it's 2:24 (because 2 + 2 = 4, get it? XD), or maybe it's just 11:54 for no reason.
What's Myth's favorite number? you may be asking. Oh, what's the Panda With a Pencil gonna say that'll make us all laugh? I can't wait!
Well, the wait is over. My favorite time is 8:08 am. Why? Because with our clock (which has military time, so it can only be 8:08 am and not pm, which would then read 20:08) makes the 8's look like B's, which makes 8:08 look like Bob.
'Nuff said.
Anywho, onto the continuation of the fantastical epic I began with yesterday. And now without any more commentary, we shall begin.
3...
2...
1...
The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part Two
Marius snorted and snored really loud when he dreamed. When he snorted, puffs of smoke left his nostrils and wafted up through the bars and into the world beyond. Sometimes when he dreamed, his wings would flutter slightly, revealing that in his dreams he was flying.
Or at least, that's what Vaidd assumed.
In Marius's dreams, though, he was usually falling.
But not in this one. In this one, he was actually flying. He was flying among a whole gaggle of dragons, all of which he recognized. He greeted them in their deep, rumbling, sonorous tongue and they were greet him back, apparently elated. When he asked why they were surprised to see him, they replied that they had heard General Vaidd had captured him.
He really wished that this was more than just a dream, and that it was the actual reality.
When he told them that he was still in captivity and that this was merely a dream, the other dragons looked troubled. "Let dreaming become your reality," one said.
"But in my dreams I'm usually falling," Marius replied. "I'd rather them not become my reality."
The other dragon looked puzzled. "We'll try to free you though."
"You can't," Marius replied sorrowfully. "The bars surrounding my prison are made of [untranslatable growls and snarls], the metal that dragons can't break?"
"How'd Vaidd get his hands on that?" another dragon lamented. "We will make him rue the day that he ever captured one of us. Why has he apprehended you?"
"He wishes to know what we dragons fear most," Marius replied. "I unfortunately have been cursed, and cannot tell a lie. I can remain silent, for silence is not an untruth, but he may send some men to find someone who can curse me against silence. I saw men riding from the castle just this morning, so maybe he already has."
"And when he finds out what we fear most," an older dragon snarled, "he'll be able to bring war against us. A war that we may not be able to win."
"I will keep him from this knowledge as long as I can," Marius pledged.
Before the other dragons could reply, Marius suddenly started falling again. He violently whipped around, flailing his wings to try and recover lost altitude, all to no avail. He drew closer and closer to the ground before finally ...
As he woke up, his eyes tore open and his nostrils flared. He brought his head up fast and growled menacingly as he tried to overcome the horrors of falling. Looking around the room outside his cage, he saw a young boy standing there, unattended and looking at him.
Marius eyed him for a second before saying, "Who are you?"
"I am Vaidd Marius Verinicus VIII," the boy replied, "though most call me Junior."
"You're the general's son?" Marius growled. "Why are you here alone?"
"I'm looking at you," the boy replied casually, "because I want a closer look at the monsters who killed my grandfather."
Marius studied the boy closely. He wore garments that made him resemble some sort of human scholar. "Monsters?" the dragon asked. "We are no monsters."
"You attacked the kingdom unprovoked," Junior accused. "Why would you do that?"
"Unprovoked?" Marius spat. "Who told you this tale? We were freeing one of our own from a situation similar to my own. Capturing a dragon is a crime that we deal with severely."
"You know of the battle of which I speak?"
"Of course I do!" Marius laughed. "I was there. I saw your grandfather die. I say this not to enrage you, but to console you. He fought and died bravely, despite the crimes he committed against us. That much I can give him."
"You say he had captured a dragon?"
Marius nodded. "Much like your father has captured me. Your father was just a boy, as I recall. Perhaps he didn't know. Did he tell you that our attack was unprovoked?"
Junior nodded.
"He may be telling the truth as he sees it. Perhaps for all he knew the attack was unprovoked. But I assure you, boy, we would never kill wantonly."
"How do I know that you're telling me the truth?"
Marius glanced at the boy. "Do you forget that I can tell nothing but the truth?"
------------------
We're getting deeper now! Intense, epic, and it's only part two! XD Anyhow, tell me your thoughts and your comments down below in the comment section. Again, you can follow me by email somewhere on the side over the right, and you can check previous posts there as well. (Or just scroll down. Or however this works XD)
Once again,
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
But before we begin, I have a little thing that I'd like to share. We all have a certain time that's our favorite time, right? Maybe it's noon, when the sun is exactly at its zenith, maybe its midnight when all the world is asleep except the nocturnal crickets who constantly fill the night with their melodic chirping. Maybe it's 2:24 (because 2 + 2 = 4, get it? XD), or maybe it's just 11:54 for no reason.
What's Myth's favorite number? you may be asking. Oh, what's the Panda With a Pencil gonna say that'll make us all laugh? I can't wait!
Well, the wait is over. My favorite time is 8:08 am. Why? Because with our clock (which has military time, so it can only be 8:08 am and not pm, which would then read 20:08) makes the 8's look like B's, which makes 8:08 look like Bob.
'Nuff said.
Anywho, onto the continuation of the fantastical epic I began with yesterday. And now without any more commentary, we shall begin.
3...
2...
1...
The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part Two
Marius snorted and snored really loud when he dreamed. When he snorted, puffs of smoke left his nostrils and wafted up through the bars and into the world beyond. Sometimes when he dreamed, his wings would flutter slightly, revealing that in his dreams he was flying.
Or at least, that's what Vaidd assumed.
In Marius's dreams, though, he was usually falling.
But not in this one. In this one, he was actually flying. He was flying among a whole gaggle of dragons, all of which he recognized. He greeted them in their deep, rumbling, sonorous tongue and they were greet him back, apparently elated. When he asked why they were surprised to see him, they replied that they had heard General Vaidd had captured him.
He really wished that this was more than just a dream, and that it was the actual reality.
When he told them that he was still in captivity and that this was merely a dream, the other dragons looked troubled. "Let dreaming become your reality," one said.
"But in my dreams I'm usually falling," Marius replied. "I'd rather them not become my reality."
The other dragon looked puzzled. "We'll try to free you though."
"You can't," Marius replied sorrowfully. "The bars surrounding my prison are made of [untranslatable growls and snarls], the metal that dragons can't break?"
"How'd Vaidd get his hands on that?" another dragon lamented. "We will make him rue the day that he ever captured one of us. Why has he apprehended you?"
"He wishes to know what we dragons fear most," Marius replied. "I unfortunately have been cursed, and cannot tell a lie. I can remain silent, for silence is not an untruth, but he may send some men to find someone who can curse me against silence. I saw men riding from the castle just this morning, so maybe he already has."
"And when he finds out what we fear most," an older dragon snarled, "he'll be able to bring war against us. A war that we may not be able to win."
"I will keep him from this knowledge as long as I can," Marius pledged.
Before the other dragons could reply, Marius suddenly started falling again. He violently whipped around, flailing his wings to try and recover lost altitude, all to no avail. He drew closer and closer to the ground before finally ...
As he woke up, his eyes tore open and his nostrils flared. He brought his head up fast and growled menacingly as he tried to overcome the horrors of falling. Looking around the room outside his cage, he saw a young boy standing there, unattended and looking at him.
Marius eyed him for a second before saying, "Who are you?"
"I am Vaidd Marius Verinicus VIII," the boy replied, "though most call me Junior."
"You're the general's son?" Marius growled. "Why are you here alone?"
"I'm looking at you," the boy replied casually, "because I want a closer look at the monsters who killed my grandfather."
Marius studied the boy closely. He wore garments that made him resemble some sort of human scholar. "Monsters?" the dragon asked. "We are no monsters."
"You attacked the kingdom unprovoked," Junior accused. "Why would you do that?"
"Unprovoked?" Marius spat. "Who told you this tale? We were freeing one of our own from a situation similar to my own. Capturing a dragon is a crime that we deal with severely."
"You know of the battle of which I speak?"
"Of course I do!" Marius laughed. "I was there. I saw your grandfather die. I say this not to enrage you, but to console you. He fought and died bravely, despite the crimes he committed against us. That much I can give him."
"You say he had captured a dragon?"
Marius nodded. "Much like your father has captured me. Your father was just a boy, as I recall. Perhaps he didn't know. Did he tell you that our attack was unprovoked?"
Junior nodded.
"He may be telling the truth as he sees it. Perhaps for all he knew the attack was unprovoked. But I assure you, boy, we would never kill wantonly."
"How do I know that you're telling me the truth?"
Marius glanced at the boy. "Do you forget that I can tell nothing but the truth?"
------------------
We're getting deeper now! Intense, epic, and it's only part two! XD Anyhow, tell me your thoughts and your comments down below in the comment section. Again, you can follow me by email somewhere on the side over the right, and you can check previous posts there as well. (Or just scroll down. Or however this works XD)
Once again,
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Short Story Part 1
Okay, so recently my mom told me about this cool little writing challenge that I committed myself to trying. It's where you get a couple people to tell you things that need to be included in a short story (of any length), and then you include those elements, no matter how different or crazy they may seem. Sound fun? It is. My mom and my sister each gave me one thing that I needed to include. Here they are *drumroll*
Quick unrelated fact before we get started: I just added a new "Follow by Email" gadget thing to the side over there >>>>> that you should be able to reach and follow my posts, no email required! Or wait... maybe you need an email... Whatever the case is, you now can follow me and get all my new posts via email! And for no cost O.o I really should charge for people getting the privilege of reading my thoughts and ruminations... No matter. Here we go --...
Wait, no, I just found out another cool little tidbit of useless trivia: I was intrigued by the word blog (say it ten times fast and it starts to sound like something I'd say when I just woke up in the middle of the night and I'm starving and need to get something to drink because my throat is raspy). I searched it up on Wikipedia (the most reliable Internet resource out there ^.^) and found out that it's just the shortened version of web log. Interesting.
Without further ado, here we go on this incredible story, which I have decided to call: "The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder". (It took me literally seconds to think of that one. I'm so proud :D) This is the first part out of who knows how many parts, so be sure to tell me what you think! :D I'll keep this all serial-like so you'll be intrigued and want to come back for more ;P Which is why I introduced that little Follow by Email thing. Oh the cleverness of me! XD
The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part One
Having to tell the truth all the time was hard. Marius would know. Everyone has little secrets that they keep hiding in the darkest, deepest crevices of their mind, but with a curse like Marius's, access to those dark, deep places was as easy as merely opening a book, or perhaps counting from one to three. (Marius didn't like that simile, as he has always had some degree of difficulty in counting from one to three.)
When his enemies got hold of him and opened past the cover page of his figurative book, they started learning all sorts of secrets that Marius would've preferred stayed with him and him alone. Soon, he found out that the best response was no response. True, his curse urged him to spit out the truthful response, and he could never overcome that desire and tell a lie, but keeping silent wasn't the same as lying, so keeping silent he could pull off.
When he started this, his enemies were frustrated, because they were sure that they had yet to get to the best chapters. "What are dragons afraid of?" they'd keep asking, all to no avail. Marius would never answer that one. (Unless his enemies found some sort of curse that could keep him from remaining silent. That would prove problematic.) Marius would never betray his own kind.
Marius, as you might have guessed, was a dragon.
But Marius is, of course, only a human-given name because his actual name is in the ancient language of dragons which has no written form and contains sounds that is impossible for humans to reproduce.
But a certain General Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII (son of Vaidd Marius Verinicues VI, and so on) had discovered the dragon while the creature was sleeping, so upon capture of the beast, he had the dragon named after him.
Marius. The sound of that name disgusted the dragon. His name in his language was regal, royal. It was majestic; it was a name that could not be matched in any name humans could give him.
And because of his truthful tendencies, he failed not to mention that fact to his human captors on several occasions.
After weeks of incarceration, General Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII grew agitated and irascible with the dragon's contemptible silence, and decided to resort to more drastic measures.
"Find me someone who can curse this stupid dragon so that he cannot remain silent anymore," he said to his second-in-command, a muscular brute named Thezin. "This is a mission of the utmost importance. Succeed, and I promise you that you will count among the richest men in the whole land. Fail, and you will wish that you had never been born."
Thezin nodded and grunted. "I will find someone, milord. And I will return ere a fortnight has passed."
Vaidd nodded. "Very well. Now leave me and return when you have succeeded. Do not return should you fail. Should you fail, try and escape. But I warn you with this: you will never escape my wrath, no matter how far you run or how high you climb or how deep you dig. There is nowhere you can go that is out of my reach."
Thezin bowed and left Vaidd's chambers.
A boy who sat in a throne beside Vaidd's said in a quiet voice, "Why does knowing this secret, this... what the dragons fear... why does know this mean so much to you, Father?"
"Know you nothing of the world, boy?" Vaidd questioned softly. "Have I truly neglected being your father to the extent that I haven't told you about what the dragons did to me... what the dragons did to us?"
The young boy shook his head. "No, Father. You haven't told me this story."
"The world is full of darkness, son," Vaidd said. "Some darkness forms in the shape of men. Some darkness forms in the shapes of creatures that dwell deep beneath the surface of the earth. And some darkness forms in the shapes of dragons. When I was a young boy, I lived in a palace with my father as king over the realm. One day we were celebrating someone's birthday (perhaps it was my great-great aunt Broomhilda's birthday... I can't remember) when the dragons attacked, spewing fire all over the kingdom. My father sent my mother and me into the back halls, where we ran from the dragons while he and his soldiers fought back.
"I was filled with so much fear that day as my mother and I ran for our lives, and Father and his soldiers gave theirs to buy us time. Mother and I survived, as did many of peasants in the kingdom. But all the soldiers who defended themselves against the dragons' unprovoked attack perished. All including my father.
"Ever since that day, son, I have sworn to discover what it is that the dragons fear most. I have sworn to use that against them, as they used my greatest fear against me."
"What was your greatest fear, Father?" the boy asked in a trembling voice.
Vaidd looked at his son, tears in his eyes. "My greatest fear was that my father, when he rode to war with his soldiers, wouldn't come back. My greatest fear was that he would die in battle."
----
Marius's cell lay at the top of the highest tower, where he could see the sky and the ground around him, making him long for the free feeling of flying. But the bars surrounding him were forged of a metal that dragons couldn't bend or break, no matter how hard they rammed into the bars. And Marius was a small dragon to begin with, so he was doubly inadequate.
He didn't want to give up his honor by revealing the dragons' greatest secret, but what choice did he have? What if he never gave up the secret and Vaidd would just let him die in this cell?
He curled up on the floor and surrendered himself to the world of dreams, which was his only escape. He could fly in his dreams. But the terrifying thing was that in all his dreams, he knew that soon he would have to wake up.
-------------------------
The end of part one! So, what did you think? Hopefully not too long-winded XD I literally wrote this just now, so I hope it's good.
So, yeah! Tell me what you think. What you liked/what you didn't like. What you'd like to see more of, that sort of thing.
As always,
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
- A stone falling on a dragon's head (my mom's suggestion)
- A character who can't say anything but the truth (my sister's contribution)
Quick unrelated fact before we get started: I just added a new "Follow by Email" gadget thing to the side over there >>>>> that you should be able to reach and follow my posts, no email required! Or wait... maybe you need an email... Whatever the case is, you now can follow me and get all my new posts via email! And for no cost O.o I really should charge for people getting the privilege of reading my thoughts and ruminations... No matter. Here we go --...
Wait, no, I just found out another cool little tidbit of useless trivia: I was intrigued by the word blog (say it ten times fast and it starts to sound like something I'd say when I just woke up in the middle of the night and I'm starving and need to get something to drink because my throat is raspy). I searched it up on Wikipedia (the most reliable Internet resource out there ^.^) and found out that it's just the shortened version of web log. Interesting.
Without further ado, here we go on this incredible story, which I have decided to call: "The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder". (It took me literally seconds to think of that one. I'm so proud :D) This is the first part out of who knows how many parts, so be sure to tell me what you think! :D I'll keep this all serial-like so you'll be intrigued and want to come back for more ;P Which is why I introduced that little Follow by Email thing. Oh the cleverness of me! XD
The Short Story Consisting of Words in Which a Dragon Who Cannot Tell a Single Lie Gets Hit in the Head With a Boulder Part One
Having to tell the truth all the time was hard. Marius would know. Everyone has little secrets that they keep hiding in the darkest, deepest crevices of their mind, but with a curse like Marius's, access to those dark, deep places was as easy as merely opening a book, or perhaps counting from one to three. (Marius didn't like that simile, as he has always had some degree of difficulty in counting from one to three.)
When his enemies got hold of him and opened past the cover page of his figurative book, they started learning all sorts of secrets that Marius would've preferred stayed with him and him alone. Soon, he found out that the best response was no response. True, his curse urged him to spit out the truthful response, and he could never overcome that desire and tell a lie, but keeping silent wasn't the same as lying, so keeping silent he could pull off.
When he started this, his enemies were frustrated, because they were sure that they had yet to get to the best chapters. "What are dragons afraid of?" they'd keep asking, all to no avail. Marius would never answer that one. (Unless his enemies found some sort of curse that could keep him from remaining silent. That would prove problematic.) Marius would never betray his own kind.
Marius, as you might have guessed, was a dragon.
But Marius is, of course, only a human-given name because his actual name is in the ancient language of dragons which has no written form and contains sounds that is impossible for humans to reproduce.
But a certain General Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII (son of Vaidd Marius Verinicues VI, and so on) had discovered the dragon while the creature was sleeping, so upon capture of the beast, he had the dragon named after him.
Marius. The sound of that name disgusted the dragon. His name in his language was regal, royal. It was majestic; it was a name that could not be matched in any name humans could give him.
And because of his truthful tendencies, he failed not to mention that fact to his human captors on several occasions.
After weeks of incarceration, General Vaidd Marius Verinicus VII grew agitated and irascible with the dragon's contemptible silence, and decided to resort to more drastic measures.
"Find me someone who can curse this stupid dragon so that he cannot remain silent anymore," he said to his second-in-command, a muscular brute named Thezin. "This is a mission of the utmost importance. Succeed, and I promise you that you will count among the richest men in the whole land. Fail, and you will wish that you had never been born."
Thezin nodded and grunted. "I will find someone, milord. And I will return ere a fortnight has passed."
Vaidd nodded. "Very well. Now leave me and return when you have succeeded. Do not return should you fail. Should you fail, try and escape. But I warn you with this: you will never escape my wrath, no matter how far you run or how high you climb or how deep you dig. There is nowhere you can go that is out of my reach."
Thezin bowed and left Vaidd's chambers.
A boy who sat in a throne beside Vaidd's said in a quiet voice, "Why does knowing this secret, this... what the dragons fear... why does know this mean so much to you, Father?"
"Know you nothing of the world, boy?" Vaidd questioned softly. "Have I truly neglected being your father to the extent that I haven't told you about what the dragons did to me... what the dragons did to us?"
The young boy shook his head. "No, Father. You haven't told me this story."
"The world is full of darkness, son," Vaidd said. "Some darkness forms in the shape of men. Some darkness forms in the shapes of creatures that dwell deep beneath the surface of the earth. And some darkness forms in the shapes of dragons. When I was a young boy, I lived in a palace with my father as king over the realm. One day we were celebrating someone's birthday (perhaps it was my great-great aunt Broomhilda's birthday... I can't remember) when the dragons attacked, spewing fire all over the kingdom. My father sent my mother and me into the back halls, where we ran from the dragons while he and his soldiers fought back.
"I was filled with so much fear that day as my mother and I ran for our lives, and Father and his soldiers gave theirs to buy us time. Mother and I survived, as did many of peasants in the kingdom. But all the soldiers who defended themselves against the dragons' unprovoked attack perished. All including my father.
"Ever since that day, son, I have sworn to discover what it is that the dragons fear most. I have sworn to use that against them, as they used my greatest fear against me."
"What was your greatest fear, Father?" the boy asked in a trembling voice.
Vaidd looked at his son, tears in his eyes. "My greatest fear was that my father, when he rode to war with his soldiers, wouldn't come back. My greatest fear was that he would die in battle."
----
Marius's cell lay at the top of the highest tower, where he could see the sky and the ground around him, making him long for the free feeling of flying. But the bars surrounding him were forged of a metal that dragons couldn't bend or break, no matter how hard they rammed into the bars. And Marius was a small dragon to begin with, so he was doubly inadequate.
He didn't want to give up his honor by revealing the dragons' greatest secret, but what choice did he have? What if he never gave up the secret and Vaidd would just let him die in this cell?
He curled up on the floor and surrendered himself to the world of dreams, which was his only escape. He could fly in his dreams. But the terrifying thing was that in all his dreams, he knew that soon he would have to wake up.
-------------------------
The end of part one! So, what did you think? Hopefully not too long-winded XD I literally wrote this just now, so I hope it's good.
So, yeah! Tell me what you think. What you liked/what you didn't like. What you'd like to see more of, that sort of thing.
As always,
Myth: the "Panda With a Pencil"
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