Movie "Review": Les Miserables

Okay, so:

Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of viewing the movie based off of the hit musical, Les Miserables.  This is the first experience I have had with the Les Mis phenomenon, and thus wasn't sure what to expect walking into the theater.  However, I was most impressed - and I hope to present an accurate picture of the film through my perception in this review, touching on its cinematic, musical, and dramatic aspects.

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD THIS MOVIE WAS MADE OF AWESOME

FANTINE FEELS

JAVERT FEELS

EPONINE FEELS

BARRICADE BOYS FEELS

ALL OF THE FEELS

AND GAVROCHE

GAVROCHE WHY

DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING

I WISH I COULDN'T FEEL A DAMN THING

...

Anyhow.  Maybe I should continue this in lowercase.

Seriously, though, this movie broke my heart several times.  It almost felt like my emotions were being stabbed, allowed to partially heal, and then shanked again with a little twist of the knife thrown in.  A tragedy, a moment of hope, then another tragedy, in an endless cycle throughout the story, until it finally ended on an indescribably beautiful note.

The character that shredded my feels the most was probably Javert.  I felt so...sorry for him.  So many chances to learn mercy, understanding, and yet he couldn't escape the cage of his black-and-white, good-and-evil, law-and-chaos mindset.  And in the end, he chose death rather than to change his outlook.  His world had been ripped away with no mercy or explanation when ValJean spared his life in the barricade, and he was simply lost.

(I thought I would be crying at this point, but I think I have to hear the music too.  And I honestly don't think it would work for me with any other version than Russel Crowe's.  Seriously, what is wrong with his singing according to most of the comments I've seen?  I see no reasonable explanation, just "he was terrible".  His voice might not be flashy and operatic like the various musical versions, but it fits the character in my opinion.  Simple, cut-and-dry, yet still melodic and effective.)

The most memorable song for me was "Do You Hear The People Sing?"  The funeral procession scene where it was first sung was stunning.  You could've heard a pin drop in the theater.  Quiet, building little by little into a beautiful display of courage and resolve.  In a word, PERFECT.

I could go through the rest of the story and music and why it hit me right in the feels, but I don't think my fragile mindset could handle it at this point (made fragile, of course, BY THIS PAINFULLY AMAING STORY).  Thus, I will end my tirade here, with but one more comment:

GO SEE THIS MOVIE IF IT IS THE LAST THING YOU DO.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I feel the sudden urge to overthrow my government while performing an epic musical number.

Ramblings: Faith vs Doubt

I believe I said - wrote, actually - at one point that things like legends, stories, fiction echo truth in ways that nothing else can.  I've always believed that - heck, stories have taught me more about morals than most other sources.  But tonight, the meaning of that statement hit home for me right where it hurts - again.

I blame Supernatural - Season 4, Episode 16, entitled "On The Head Of A Pin".  Thanks for throwing me out of my comfort zone, Castiel.  This character, a character most likely based off of the Enochian angel Castael (an angelic soldier), is also an Angel of the Lord, and also part of a garrison of angelic warriors stationed on Earth.  He has never met God, his Father, and yet follows orders from his superiors without question, assuming they were channelled down the line directly from Heaven.  This episode is where his doubt in his orders' morality finally reaches its breaking point and is revealed out loud - doubt, the ultimate act of disobedience for an angel.

What if something is wrong in Heaven? I could see him wonder, simply from looking into his face.  What if these orders are coming from someone...else?  What if God really IS ordering these terrible things?  Is...is my Father even there?

Oh, I could go out on a tangent about how much I can relate.  In fact, I think I will.

Bible Literacy class effectively destroyed what was left of my faith in the Judeo-Christian concept of God.  Ironic, isn't it?  It was the only time I ever read the Bible and THOUGHT about it, actually.  And what I found disgusted me.  (Seriously, guys, read Leviticus.  Read it beginning to end and tell me that you don't want to throw up.)  A God who loves everyone, commanding that parents stone their children for petty offenses, killing priests daughters because she went a round with a man, forcing rape victims to marry their rapists, condoning - no, ordering - genocide.  Among other things, but I'll stop there.  I already feel kind of sick.

I can see why Castiel was having doubts - "God" ordering that Dean Winchester torture a demon, its innocent vessel and all, doesn't seem to deviate too much from the Old Testament God's history.  (It was later revealed that God did not order this act, but the same God is also not interested in stopping the Apocalypse, a.k.a. destruction of his own creation and billions of his "beloved children", so...)

The sad thing is that I'd been blissfully oblivious to the dark history of my faith for sixteen years.  I'd go to church every Sunday and youth group every Wednesday, lifting my hands and singing about my freedom in Jesus when I was actually a slave to blind faith.  Let me repeat that - a slave to blind faith.  When I first discovered this in the second semester of my Junior year, I nearly had a nervous breakdown, collapsing and crying and begging for God to show me what He was really like because He couldn't be like what I had just read in the book I had believed for so long, he just couldn't be!

My image of the Divine is so different now, and thank whatever Power That May Be for that.

Learning to doubt, to question, was scary.  Choosing my own path was terrifying.  And yet...

"For the first time in a long time...I am unafraid."

Just like Cas, I am no longer afraid to doubt.  I believe that the Divine wants what most of us believe ourselves to be:  children, not slaves.  Students, not soldiers.  If the Divine can sustain the universe, it can certainly handle humanity's doubt.

If there is a God, and he is just, He will not care how devout I have been, but rather welcome me by the virtues I have lived by in life, what He Is - Love.

If there is a God, and he is unjust, then I don't want to worship him.  If blind faith and obedience gets me to Heaven, while reasonable doubt and thinking for myself sends me in the other direction...

I'd rather face the flames.

Fanfiction: Never Again (Marvel's Thor)

To clarify: Marvel's Thor with smatterings of legit Norse mythology thrown in, hehehe >:3


"..."

"Aw, come now, brother, cheer up!  You have regained Mjolnir, have you not?"

"Even so, brother...the circumstances under which I did so are considerably less than desirable."

Loki had to fight to restrain his laughter, clapping Thor on the back as the brothers made their way back to the Bifrost site.  "Well, it was an adventure at the very least."

Thor grimaced as he looked down at the now-ripped and smudged wedding dress he wore.  "An adventure I do not ever care to repeat.  You should be the one to impersonate women from now on when the need arises."

"Perhaps I should," Loki chuckled.  "Tricking is what I do best, after all~"

Of course, Loki could have easily impersonated Freya - but was it really that bad to want to see his oh-so-manly big brother in a dress just once?

Fanfiction Poetry: Equivalent Exchange (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Father ran,
Mother dead,
Who’s left?

One mistake,
One failure,
Another loved one lost.

One is all,
All is one,
But I’m only half.

Life for life,
Blood for blood,
Debt repaid.

A bound soul,
His weak brother,
Mere humans.

My arm,
My leg,
My heart.

Nothing I won’t give.

My brother…

You’re all I have.

Original Poetry: Reflection

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,

Can you picture me at all?

Why is my reflection someone I don't know?

Fair hands sliding down silvered glass

Reveal a smiling face - but a mask.

This reflection is an imposter -

Its true form hides in the shadows,

Fearing exposure.

Beauty without or beauty within?

A pretty face can hide so much sin.

A soul that may think itself pure

Can't lie to its reflection.

Poetic Ramblings: Heart Song

Each heart sings a song, a quiet melody, barely audible.  Some may say that the human soul longs to find its other half, its partner for their heart's duet.

But we are all one - one in spirit, one in heart.

The world is not a series of duets.

At the touch of a kindred spirit - the sound of a pathmate's song - every heart rises to join it in chorus.

Everyone becomes a poet.

Gakuen Pokémon: Chapter Two - Prepare For Trouble

Sooooo, here we are - Chapter 2 >:D  I had a few more ideas for this installment, but they can be put off until Chapter 3.  Enjoy~!

PIA Term 1 Schedule - Aria Higure - Year 4
Period 1 - Pokémon Sociology 401 - Professor W. Jesse, General Classes Room 423
Period 2 - Advanced Contest Appeals - Professor J. Newton, Gymnasium Room 200a
Period 3 - Comparative Regional Mythologies - Professor S. Graves, Arts / Humanities Room 325
Period 4 - Advanced  Pokémon Battling 301 - Professor S. Jesse, Gymnasium Room 200b

"Well, whaddya know?" An amused voice drew Aria's attention away from her schedule just before a poke to her sensitive side sent her stumbling sideways with a loud squeal.  The Teddiursa that had been sleeping over her shoulder peacefully suddenly cried out as he sought purchase on his flailing Trainer's jacket with his claws.

"DJ!" she wailed, wrapping an arm around herself to block any further assaults and then resettling her Pokémon.  "What was that for?!  You nearly sent Dolce flying!"

"For the fun of it!" the sophomore laughed, then addressed Dolce.  "Sorry, little guy.  So, you and Duce have fourth period together, it looks like.  Why are they even putting Junior Trainers and Senior Coordinators together, anyway?"

Aria shrugged, folding the paper neatly and slipping it into the outer pocket of her field bag.  "I guess the staff figured it would be good for maintaining relations between study programs.  It's a requirement for both, so why not?"

"Speaking of awesome, did someone say my name?"

"And who stepped on that Lillipup?"

Duce and Les had wandered over to join the two, making a square of sorts amidst the mass of other teenagers leaving the Student Center.  The start-of-term assembly had just let out, and most students would at this point either depart for their dorms on Trinity Island or continue to hang about Central Island and see how much mischief they could get away with on the first day.

"Speaking of awesome," DJ replied to Duce's comment, "guess what's not?  Narcissism!"

With a shrug, Duce said, "What can I say?  I am awesome."

"No you're not, dude, don't lie!"

"And guess what I'm not?" Aria glared at Les.  "A tiny brown-and-purple puppy!"

"Ursa!" Dolce seemed to agree.

"You sure sounded like one!" Les laughed.

"Oh, shut it!"

By now, the whole square was laughing, but collected themselves quickly in favor of more important matters.

"SCHEDULE COMPARISON!"  Les glanced around at the schedules of the others, then studied his own with dismay.  "Crap!  I don't have any classes with you guys!"

"What did you expect?" DJ asked as he glanced over Duce's paper.  "You're in all basic classes this semester except for your first elective - pretty much standard for freshmen.  Whoa, awesome, Duce, we've got a practice battle period together!"  The two boys high-fived while Les looked on, crestfallen.

"Basics?!  Why?  Aren't we already supposed to know all the basic crap?"

A slight change of tone accented Aria's voice as she answered.  "Well, yes, but more advanced classes later on are probably going to be more effective if you reinforce fundamentals in a formal setting - "

"Alright, alright, I get it!"

Aria was quick to drop the subject, instead turning to Duce as she matched her classes against his, just to be sure of the period they shared.  "Hey, Duce, I saw you talking to Headmistress Keck a few minutes ago.  What was that about?"

"Yeah..." Duce took a deep breath, suddenly seeming a bit distressed.  "You guys should probably know about - "

"DUCE KAZUHIRA!"

"Oh, great," he sighed as the rest of the square jumped in surprise and spun around in the direction of the approaching voice.  A curly-haired sandy blonde was flouncing down the Student Center hallway towards them, a blue-ringed Umbreon following close behind.  Her uniform was identical to Aria's, aside from her deep golden yellow shirt, matching accents on her blazer, and the crest over her heart depicting a bolt of golden lightning surrounded by pale blue clouds in an endless knot.

"Georgia!" Aria squealed, Dolce hopping off of her shoulder as she ran towards the girl, seeming much more interested in playing with the newcomer's Umbreon.  "Hey!"

"Hey, girl!" Georgia responded with an enthusiastic hug.  "I'll talk to you in a sec.  I've got to deal with these two first."  Duce and DJ winced almost simultaneously as her suddenly steely eyes locked on them.

"Wait, what'd they - "  Aria blinked owlishly as she was left standing, Georgia's attention diverted.

"ANYWAY," she barked, hugging a bewildered Les quite fiercely in a way reminiscent of an overprotective mother.  "I hear you and you practically assaulted this poor little rookie earlier!  WHAT do you have to say for yourselves?"

"Um, Umbreon!" her Umbreon punctuated confidently, looking up from its game of tag with Dolce for a moment.

"Why does everyone keep flipping this situation around?" Duce facepalmed.

"HE started it!" DJ asserted.

"Wrong answer!"  Now released, Les stumbled over to join a now equally bewildered Aria as Georgia planted a strong smack on the back of DJ's head.

"OW!"

Now smiling, Georgia skipped back over to Aria.  "My work here is done!  C'mon, I have a ton to catch you up on and you HAVE to meet my new Pokémon!"

"Okay!" Aria complied, sending an apologetic look back towards the boys.  "See you guys later?"

As the two girls disappeared into the stream of students still leaving the Center, DJ groaned and rubbed the back of his head.  "Gah!  Why did I get the smack and not you, bro?!"

"Well, she and I are cousins."

"And I thought Raikous were supposed to be nurturing, not violent!"

"She seemed pretty nurturing to me," Les said with an awkward laugh.

Duce laughed with him, but beneath the surface his mind was churning.  Aria was the only other one among them who would understand the full seriousness of his encounter earlier - DJ and Les, both from Unova, had encountered at worst a crazed Pokémon liberation movement, not a full-on crime syndicate.  Sure, the headmistress had said that she would take precautions...and yet...

___________________________________________________________________________


"Team...what now?"

Duce had spilled the whole story to DJ on the way back to their dorm room.  As darkness was fast approaching, the best place to be was inside rather than risk getting in trouble for breaking curfew.

"Team Rocket," Duce sighed.  "They had complete control over Kanto at one point, and when their empire was crumbled by a freaking 16-year-old, they went into hiding for three years and when managed to get Johto into their clutches...and were brought down by another teenager.  Surely you've heard about that?"

DJ shook his head.  "Only in passing - Unova's kind of detached from the other regions.  Our biggest problem was Team Plasma - they did kind of freeze over my home city.  We barely had time to pay attention to the rest of the nation's crime problems."

 "True.  The point is, the Rockets are back, and they're here - at least one of their spies is, or was.  Headmistress Keck said she would do everything she could to protect the school, but the higher-ups of two entire regions couldn't keep them out.  And think about it - who brought down Team Plasma in your region?"

"Two teenagers...so you're saying that this is up to us, huh?"

"Not just yet.  They haven't made any significant moves...but something tells me that if they do, only us students will be able to retaliate.  Almost everyone here has been plagued by one organized crime syndicate or another, no matter where they're from...come to think of it, if they came out in the open, they'd be wasted within one day!  Why here?"

DJ shook his head.  "I don't know - but if they ever do show themselves at full strength, I'll sure be ready."

The two were so busy with their discussion that they didn't notice a rustling in the bushes, a tiny blue and white form waddling out and following them with innocent curiosity.  In fact, DJ only noticed when he felt two tiny limbs wrap around his calf.

"Osha?"

Suddenly freezing up, DJ slowly looked down to see a small Oshawott clinging to his leg, blinking up at him with wide eyes.  "Oshawott!"

"OH MY SWEET FREAKING ARCEUS, GET IT OFF ME!"

A few desperate flails later, the tiny otter Pokémon had been sent flying and nearly crashed into a nearby tree, but managed to land on its feet, albeit seeming disoriented.  "Osha?"

"Alright, you little pest!"  DJ flung an Ultra Ball at the ground, and it snapped open to release a colossal Garchomp.  "Do you WANT to get Dragon Pulsed?!"

"O-Oshawott!" The Water-type quaked in fear, quickly turning on its tiny feet and dashing back into the woods and presumably towards the shore.

With a sign of relief, DJ raised the Ball to return his partner.  "Thanks, buddy."

"Gar," Garchomp replied, happily returning.

Duce blinked.  "Bro...I know you have issues with Water types, but wasn't that a bit much?"

"What?  Those things are flipping creepy!"

Gakuen Pokémon: Chapter One - When the Newbies Come Marching In

Alright, this story has been in the works since the second semester of my Junior year and I have only recently revamped it, as relationships between me and the friends I'm basing characters off of have changed and new friendships have been forged.  This is a Pokémon "real-life-insert" fic, somewhat canon and somewhat alternate universe, with characters based off of myself, my friends from school, and teachers at my school, all flung in to the Pokémon universe.  Although I am mainly posting this for the enjoyment of the aforementioned parties, anyone should feel free to follow and enjoy our adventures! ^_^ 

“Gah – this thing is so confining!”

A swift tug of the young teenage boy’s hand had most of the buttons of his black Nehru jacket undone in one go.  Sighing, he ran a hand through his already-messy ginger hair as he surveyed his new surroundings, still a bit overwhelmed.

The path connecting his dormitory to the main path of Trinity Island was surrounded by deciduous trees, their leaves muting the bright sunlight that fell from above.  The trickle of a stream called Aurora flowed beside two different dorm buildings – the Raikou dorms – that sat on the bluff of a cliff, over which the stream flowed in a thin, short waterfall of sorts.  Cries and chirps of wild Pokémon could be heard in the distance.  New students like himself nervously came and went from their dorms, some seeming lost and others already tag-teaming to explore, while older-looking returning students gathered in groups and caught up with their friends from the previous year.  The students were of all different ages, varied widely in appearance, and encompassed both genders – the only feature they all seemed to share was the school’s uniform, standard black aside from accenting colors and crests that designation each student’s dormitory.  He was somewhat relieved and encouraged to see that most of the students in his immediate line of sight wore the deep red and red-and-gold flame insignia of his own dorm, Entei.

He nearly laughed in sheer excitement as he continued down the path, leaving the thicker part of the crowd of students behind.  He had made it!  That long and grueling exam process had been more than worth it to get into the most prestigious academy in the Pokémon nation.  Somehow, he already knew that this would be an amazing year.  From the occasional excited shakes of the six Poké Balls at his waist, his Pokémon were in agreement and couldn’t wait to show the school what they were made of.

“You guys want to come out already?” he laughed as his Serperior’s capsule gave a particularly violent quiver.  He had just reached the base of the aforementioned cliffs, the faint white noise of Aurora Falls coming into better earshot.

“Were you talking to your Pokémon or did you really know we were here?” a faint voice from above replied to his question.  He whirled around in surprise just in time to see two more boys vault down from a nearby tree.

Both were obviously taller and seemed older than himself, and it showed clearly in their demeanor as well as in their appearance.  One, who seemed the older of the two, was tan with short inky black hair and eyes so dark brown they almost appeared onyx as well.  The other was more fair-skinned, with somewhat floppy dark chestnut hair and brown eyes that more closely mirrored the color of the freshman’s own.  Both were from the Entei dorm as well, judging by the flame crests appliquéd over the hearts of their Nehru jackets.

“Talking to my Pokémon, duh!” the ginger laughed.  “You guys scared the crap out of me!  What were you doing up there?!”

“I surprised him,” the black-haired boy jerked his thumb towards his companion with a slight smile, “the same way last year.  You must be new.  Duce Kazuhira, junior – Celadon City, Kanto.”

The brunette chimed in with a short wave.  “DJ Sensou, sophomore.  Opelucid City, Unova.  Nice to meet ya!”

Okay, so standard greeting – name, grade, hometown and region.  I’ve got this!

“Awesome!  I’m from Unova too – Verbank City!  Les Honda, freshman!”

Les held up a hand for a high-five, and DJ would have responded had he not frozen in surprise at the mention of Les’s surname.  “Whoa, wait!  Honda?  As in former Unova champion Honda?!”

“That’s right,” Les replied proudly – he had expected such a reaction.  “I’m Alder’s nephew.”

Something seemed to spark in Duce’s eyes at the mention of a champion’s relative – whether it was envy or sudden determination, Les couldn’t tell.

“That sure is interesting,” Duce half-smirked.  “You up for a battle?  I’d like to see if you live up to that lineage.”

Les’s brown eyes nearly lit up with indignation.  “Are you trying to imply that I got into this school on name alone?”

“Whoa, I’m not implying anything,” Duce shrugged.  “I just want to know how good you are.”

“If that’s all, then how about I take both of you on at the same time and show you?!”

DJ seemed excited at this development.  “Why not?”  He elbowed Duce in the side playfully.  “I think we can set our differences aside long enough to teach this freshman the ropes, don’t you?”

“I’m game if you are, bro.”  Duce’s excitement was starting to show as he turned back to Les.  “Two of your Pokémon against one of each of ours.  First side to lose both Pokémon wins.  Sound good?”

“Let’s do this!” Les smirked as he grabbed two Poké Balls and let them fly.  “Serperior, Lucario, I choose you!”

The upperclassmen glanced at each other knowingly, then nodded.

“You’re in charge, Alakazam!”

“Ninetales, let’s go!”

The capsules opened in midair at their hinges, and with a warping crack released their occupants who materialized from fizzing red energy.

Les gulped – his Grass and Fighting Pokémon were at a definite disadvantage against the Fire and Psychic types opposing them.  However, it was too late to back out now.

“Serperior, use Frenzy Plant against Alakazam!  Lucario, hit Ninetales with Aura Sphere!”

“Hit ‘em both with Psychic!”

“End this now with Fire Spin!”

“Allegro, quick!  Use Whirlwind and break it up!”

“Huh?!”  All three students gasped but quickly had to brace themselves against the sudden gust of wind that deflected the released attacks into the air – and sent all four Pokémon back into their Balls!

“What the heck was that?!” Les cried, his eyes finally landing on the source of the unwanted interruption – a Togekiss, circling above them a few times before gracefully landing before a girl advancing towards their battle site from one of the two dorm buildings beside the base of the falls.  Only one of her blue eyes were visible – the other was covered by a sweeping shock of golden blonde hair streaked with ash blonde, the rest of which was cut above her shoulders to be longer in front and shorter in back.  She wore the same black pleated skirt as all of the female students, but the collar of her uniform shirt was deep blue, peeking out from her black blazer accented in the same color, and the emblem over her heart was a mellow blue raindrop accented with tendrils of royal purple.  A dark blue armband circling her upper left sleeve was marked with “prefect” in lighter blue hiragana script.

A different dorm…Suicune? Les thought.

“Way to be a buzz kill, Aria!”  DJ rolled his eyes, dusting some blown dirt from his jacket but not seeming too upset.  Duce, on the other hand, seemed genuinely disturbed at the lack of battle happenning, but quickly shook it off and said nothing.

“Guys, if I’m not mistaken,” Aria said, petting “Allegro” behind its head plumage, “Pokémon battles aren’t allowed on campus until after the headmistress explains the rules of out-of-class battling at the welcome assembly.  Sorry.”  She seemed a bit sheepish, as if she didn’t want to offend the boys.  They listened, but didn’t seem distraught at her warning in the least bit – Les deduced that they knew each other.

“You know,” Duce teased, “just because you’re a senior prefect now doesn’t mean you can randomly break up battles between students from different dorms.”

“And,” Aria retorted, “just because you two are at the top of your classes in the Battle Training program doesn’t mean you can gang up on freshman who don’t even know the rules of battling here~!”

“Aw, that’s cute – of course the rich kid sides with the famous kid!”  Duce wasn’t relenting at all.

“Oh, shut up!” she huffed.  “I’ve only been hearing that from you for the past three years!”

“Come on, Aria, you know I’m only kidding.”

“Mm-hm, sure you are.  Honestly, it’s kind of hard to tell with you.”

“Wait,” DJ cut in, pointing to Les, “what did you mean ‘gang up on freshmen’?  He’s the one who said he’d take on both of us at once!”

Aria went from glaring at Duce to glancing at the fourteen-year-old – and then blushed with embarrassment.  “Whoops…um, it might not be a good idea to take on upperclassmen until you’ve been in classes for a while.  Just trust me, ‘kay?”

Les pouted, but acquiesced, nodding.  “Okay…”

The senior smiled.  “Okay, good.  Allegro, could you return?”  She held up a Premier Ball and the speckled bird Pokémon gladly returned to it in a stream of red energy.  Beginning to turn on her heel, she bid them farewell.  “I’d better meet Hayley back in our room to finish unpacking – see you guys later!  And no more battling until after the assembly, ‘kay?”

“Hey, wait up!” Les cried.  “I didn’t even meet you yet!”

“Huh?  Oh, yeah!”  She whirled around again with a sheepish laugh, holding out a hand.  “Aria Higure, senior, as you know.  Violet City, Johto.”

“Les Honda, freshman, like you said.  Verbank City, Unova.”

“Nice to meet you, Les!  You’ve probably already heard this, but congratulations!  Only the best of the best get into Pokémon Interregional Academy.  What are you studying?”

“Uh – law enforcement training.  I want to be a Ranger.”

“Huh?”  DJ blinked.  “You come from a League champion’s family and you’re not studying battling?!”

Les shook his head.  “I love battling, but going pro isn’t really my thing.  Excitement and exploring is where it’s at!”

“That’s cool!” Aria commented.  “Most prospective Rangers go to actual Ranger academies, so our program is kind of small.  Definitely in-depth, though, from what I’ve heard – you’ll love it!”

DJ rolled his eyes.  “Don’t let her fool you, Les, it’s part of her job to make the school sound good.  She’s in Coordinating and Performing Arts – she doesn’t know anything about the law enforcement program.”

“Well, for goodness sake, don’t tell him that!” Aria giggled.  “See you all around!”

As she turned and jogged back to her dorm, the three boys turned back to each other.  “I guess that battle will just have to wait,” Duce said.

“I guess so,” Les agreed.  “That sucks that we have to wait!  But I’m not going to lose when we do finally get to do this!”

“We’ll just have to see about that,” DJ smiled.  “You may be related to a champion, but that doesn’t mean anything.  We all start off on an equal playing field at this academy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind – but I’m still gonna beat you!”

___________________________________________________________________________________

There’s certainly an interesting mix-up of new students this year, Duce pondered as the shore of Trinity Island came into view along with the suspension bridge connecting it to Central Island.  The start-of-term assembly was starting soon, and as DJ had forgotten something in their shared dorm room, he had insisted that Duce go on ahead without him.  This is going to be an interesting term, no doubt about that…

The sharp-minded Trainer had already made several observations from his and DJ’s encounter with the new kid and the senior and determined likely turns of events.  One, DJ had no intention of ending their rivalry but genuinely desired a deeper friendship with him – something he wouldn’t even think about denying, as he knew the consequences of putting rivalry above all else.  Two, Aria was still attempting to keep up her typical people-pleasing “hide-everything-with-a-smile” attitude that she had kept in place for the past three years, which would lead to consequences that weren’t his to decide.  Three, that Les kid was definitely still a rookie – a big talker with an impressive family and a lot of confidence in himself, but a rookie.  Should they ever finish their battle, he would become both enraged and distracted easily, and thus easily defeated.

The thought was enough to make him a bit disappointed he had been denied a good challenge.  Once again, he should have no trouble in keeping up his status as the best Trainer in his year, one of the best in the school.  His intelligence and easygoing self-confidence gave him qualities of the archetypal Suicune, but in battle, he was Entei through and through – fiery and inexorable, and for good reason.  He had to become the strongest, and stay that way.

His fist clenched at his side unconsciously.  Yes, someday he would show everyone what true strength looked like.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to notice the rustling in the bushes beside him – following him – until he felt a vicious shake at his belt.  Looking down, he saw that it was his Persian’s Luxury Ball – it was almost a silent plea screaming “Let me out!”

“What’s wrong, girl?” he inquired, releasing the Classy Cat Pokémon.  Immediately, Persian reared up on its hind legs as if preparing to pounce, growling at the bushes.  With a ferocious mrow! the Pokémon leapt into the greenery bordering the path, sending a figure in black scrambling out of the bushes with a howl of pain, fresh scratch marks seeming to crisscross its face.

“Great,” Duce muttered – his Persian would never attack anything that wasn’t its opponent or a potential threat – then raised his voice. “Hey! Who are you?”

“Gracious!”  The figure leapt to its feet, revealing a short teenage male with long dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes – and with a red R emblazoned across his shirt.  He seemed to have a slightly crazed, or maybe simply apathetic, look about him.  “You need to learn to control your Pokémon better, sir!”

That logo spoke for itself – no more mercy.

“How about this?!” he yelled angrily.  “You learn to stay out of my way!  You have a lot of nerve showing up here, after all you’ve done and how many times you’ve been brought down!  Will your gang ever stay dead?!”

The Rocket laughed, confirming the crazed vibes Duce had picked up from him.  “Stay dead?  Team Rocket never dies!  In fact, I’m here to do a little recruiting.  How about it?  A kid like you could become pretty powerful rather quickly in our operation!”

He had heard enough.

“CLEFABLE!”  Another Poké Ball was snapped open, and another of his trusted partners appeared at his side.  “MEGA PUNCH!”

The Fairy Pokémon seemed more than happy to obey, drawing back its glowing fist menacingly before charging forward with a cry and sending the Rocket flying with one powerful blow.  Faintly, Duce thought he heard a scream of “I’m blasting off aga…I mean for the first tiiiiime!” echoing through the sky, before a faint splash sounded in the distance.

Returning his Pokémon without a word, Duce continued his march to Central Island.

The headmistress would most definitely be hearing about this incident.

Original Poetry: Love

Eros is the moon,

At first appearing bright,

But waning as the ages wear on

Until its light is gone.

Philos is a star,

A constant guide,

A comfort through trial,

Best seen in the darkest times.

Agape is the sun,

Remaining constant and fixed,

An ever-shining hope and light

Though night may hide it from your sight.

The first cannot exist without the latter,

The second cannot exist without the third,

And the third is the source of all.

Daily Happennings: An Unlikely Return to the Twilight Fandom

Okay.  For the past two years, I've been on the "Twilight is stupid" bandwagon.  And in all honesty, it is kind of ridiculous as far as the probability of Edward and Bella's romance actually happening and writing style goes.  I've always loved the concept of the series, however - a new, interesting take on vampires and wolf shapeshifters, their biology, the construction of this secret supernatural world coexisting with humans, the supporting characters' history and how they meshed together - but I've been too afraid to voice it for so long, for fear of getting blasted by fans of "real" vampires.

(Speaking of "real" vampires, reality check - VAMPIRES AREN'T REAL.  There is no magic formula for a "real" fictional vampire - the Twilight vampires aren't real, the Vampire Knight vampires aren't real, neither are Tru Blood, Hellsing, or Anne Rice vampires, not even the Dracula concept of vampires.  The possibilities are endless.  Just because an author's take on vampires is a little different than YOUR take on vampires doesn't make their concept less credible than any other.)

Anyhow, I just saw Breaking Dawn Part 2 today - it was an amazingly made film, by the way - and suddenly, my fondness for the Twilight Saga returned.  The series that brought me through my adolescence is over.  The first Twilight film came out when I was in eighth grade, and I still remember being so excited and going to see it numerous times with a very good friend.  New Moon came out my freshman year, and defined my Thanksgiving plans for that year and is associated with rather fond memories.  I saw Eclipse no less than five times the summer before my sophomore year began with (in this order) my best friend, my dad, my mom and aunt, my old crush, and by myself!  By the time Breaking Dawn Part 1 came out, the Twi-naysayers had left their mark on my psyche, and I grudgingly went to see it with my mother and aunt, and haven't touched the DVD they bought me of it until a few days ago.

I have so many memories of the Twilight Saga - my contracting of "Obsessive Cullen Disorder", flip-flopping between Team Edward and Team Jacob before finally settling on Team Jasper, imagining what it would be like to be powerful and beautiful like Alice or Rosalie, even cosplaying as Jane for Halloween my freshman year.  Though I may not revere it as the fandom to end all fandoms now, it will always hold a special place in my heart, and Breaking Dawn Part 2 reminded me of that.

I pulled out my old Cullen crest locket for the first time in two years today - from now on I'll wear it with pride! :)

Ramblings: A Slight Tirade of Exasperation With Myself

The one talent I do seem to have (playing music), I don't even enjoy that much any longer for a reason - a living one, and a very overbearing and critical one at that.

The one talent that I have AND enjoy (writing), I'm losing my inspiration for.

The talents that I don't have (a lot of things), I'm told I should have or feel like I should have.

The one thing I want to do with my life (communications), I don't feel like I have much talent for.

Well...thank God I'm pretty, I suppose.

Fanfiction: "In ThE eNd" (Hetalia - HetaOni)

“YoU wIlL nOt eScApE.”

Italy Veneziano froze in his tracks, a cold sweat of fear beginning to seep through his pores. Clutching the journal, his lifeline, to his uniform-clad chest, he could only manage one thought.

It’s over. I lost! I’ll have to leave everyone alone again, and this time England can’t…!

Not resigning himself to fate just yet, the nation slowly turned to face his adversary. He had seen and faced the Thing so many times now that the mere sight of it was not enough to frighten him any longer. Its hulking grey body filled nearly the entire hallway, making the stuffy annex about him seem small and un-daunting.

A shaky laugh tore past Italy’s throat – he knew he had to laugh or he would cry again, and the last thing he wanted to do was show weakness.

“Y-you found me,” he stated simply. The monster’s normally stoic face slowly curled up into a grotesquely calm smile-like expression.

“HeLlO, ItAlY. HoW aRe YoU dOiNg?”

Italy struggled to keep himself under control as he responded to the creature’s almost bizarre question.
“W-why…why do you c-care? N-no matter what answer I give, I-I’ll end up d-dead!”

The pseudo-smile stayed plastered on the Thing’s face as it answered, its voice reverberating through the room without it so much as opening its mouth. “NoT NeCeSsArIlY. I HaVe To KeEp TaBs On My PrEy…It HeLpS eAsE mY bOrEdOm.” 

“Boredom…?” Italy slowly took a step backward without thinking, but his back hit the locked door behind him. His breathing hitched in his chest, but he continued to speak. “So…y-you wait for people to come h-here…a-and you kill them for e-entertainment?!”

The once-timid nation could almost hear the rumble of a laugh in the Thing’s hollow chest. “SeEiNg AlL oF yOu In DeSpAiR aNd HoPeLeSsNeSs DaY aFtEr DaY iS eXtReMeLy EnTeRtAiNiNg.”

Italy thought of America, standing vigil over his brothers’ bodies – Scotland and Ireland, dying hand-in-hand in a swan’s song attack to defend their fallen brother – Japan, smiling even as his life ebbed away and stained the pure white room red – Prussia and Germany, his beloved Germany, drawing their final breaths together right before his waking eyes –

ENTERTAINING.

“All of this is a g-game to you…our fear and pain is y-your idea of good fun…!” Italy managed to choke out. He was still waiting for the creature’s deathblow to come at any time. Would it be slow and painful? Quick? Would the others be able to find him afterwards? How long would Germany and Romano and the other worry about him before…?

“YoU aRe So HiLaRiOuS aNd YoU dOn’T eVeN kNoW iT.”

 “Oh y-yeah? Then tell me how I’m so funny!”

The Thing took a slow stride forward and Italy instinctively pressed further into the door.

“YoU hAvE aLwAyS bEeN sO cHeErFuL, fUlL oF hOpE aNd OpTiMiSm…BeInG aBlE tO cRuSh ThAt HaPpY sPiRiT WiThIn YoU, sLoWlY, rEaLlY aMuSeS mE…!”

No! Italy didn’t want to be reminded of those feelings. He wasn’t alone anymore, he wasn’t alone…

I’m not alone!

“I…I-I’m sure you’ll be happy to know that you succeeded b-before…but not n-now!” Italy cried out with a new strength. “E-everyone’s behind me now, and I w-won’t give up until…we’re all s-safe and happy again…and away from h-here!”

As the Thing took another step forward, Italy couldn’t help but admit to himself that he was afraid now.

“ThAt’S sO aDmIrAbLe. YoU rEaLlY aRe HiLaRiOuS.”

The copper-haired Italian was shaking now; it was yet another step closer to him.

“BuT I’M nOt SpArInG yOuR lIfE fOr IdLe CoNvErSaTiOn. I hAvE tHrEe QuEsTiOnS fOr YoU, ItAlIa VeNeZiAnO, mY mOsT mEmOrAbLe ViCtIm…”

What the hell does it want to know from you…g-gah, Feliciano, get ahold of yourself, it’s a trick, it has to be!

“T-then go ahead…ask!” was what came out of his mouth before he could stop it. Some part deep within him was simply too curious to let the monster’s questions go unasked.

“WhAt ExAcTlY dRiVeS yOu? I tHoUgHt SuReLy YoU wOuLd HaVe GiVeN uP bY nOw, AnD yEt YoU, tHe CoWaRd Of ThE pAcK, pReSs On…WhO iS tHe PeRsOn Or PeOpLe WhO mOtIVaTeS yOu…?”

The question seemed to ignite a time bomb in the young Venetian, prompting an answer that had always been in his heart but was just now escaping his lips.

“A-all my friends…all of them!” he almost yelled. “B-being here has taught me t-that…even though we used to be enemies…w-we’re all nations! One world, standing together!”

“…ThAt’S vErY tOuChInG. aNd NoW fOr ThE sEcOnD qUeStIoN…”

With all the painful memories the first question had brought, Italy was beginning to regret giving the monster the go-ahead to ask.

“HoW wOuLd YoU rEaCt If I kIlLeD tHeM?”

Italy jerked, his breath stilling in his lungs once again. As he turned to look up at the Thing’s crystalline black eyes with a calm sort of rage, he intoned, “You already know! You’ve done it before! I-I’d be sad, and alone, and I’d cry for them…b-but I’d keep going back! N-no matter how many times it took to g-get everyone out alive…I-I’d do it!”

“Hm…InTeReStInG…I wOnDeR…”

Caro Dio, will this Thing ever STOP wondering?

“If It AfFeCtEd YoUr BrOtHeR sO bAdLy WhEn I kIlLeD yOu…HoW wOuLd YoU rEaCt To ThE bReAkInG oF sUcH a CoNnEcTiOn?”

A horrible truth seemed to come crashing directly into Italy’s chest, and he could have sworn his heard stopped for a split second. He panicked for a moment, but then calmed enough to stay in control of himself. Shaking even more violently, he gasped.

O-oh…I forgot…Romano…he wasn’t here any other time loop but now…!

“Don’t you dare touch my fratello!” Italy screamed at the monster. There was no doubt of the Thing’s evil intentions now. It seemed unfazed by Italy’s rage, the twisted grin on its face climbing higher.

“I’lL tHiNk AbOuT iT. bUt HoNeStLy, I’m CuRiOuS. cOmE nOw, ItAlY, iNdUlGe YoUr FeLlOw PlAyEr In ThIs GaMe ThIs OnE tImE.”

“I-I don’t know…!” Italy shook his head slowly, looking down at his neatly tied bootlaces. “I-I only remember…in a war one t-time…when fratello was h-hurt, I hurt too…”

“ThAt SoUnDs QuItE iNtErEsTiNg. HoWeVeR, yOuR bRoThEr Is TrApPeD iN tHe PaSt, So ThErE iS nOtHiNg YoU cAn Do To StOp Me FrOm DoInG wHaTeVeR I WiSh WiTh HiM.”

PANG. Another blow of hard truth to Italy’s chest nearly knocked his breath away.

“W-what?!” he cried. “Romano…i-in another loop?! B-but he…he wasn’t supposed to…!”

The Thing slowly lifted a monstrous hand to point towards the journal clutched against Italy’s chest, which he unconsciously held even tighter.

“ThAt JoUrNaL oF yOuRs SpReAd MoNsTeRs ThRoUgHoUt ThE tImE lOoPs – He WeNt BaCk WiTh SpAiN tO dEsTrOy ThEm.”

Italy sighed shakily, a sudden wave of relief washing over his panicking mind. “O-oh…he’s with big brother Spain, then…” Silently, Italy was thanking God and all the saints and angels, known and unknown, for his brother’s apparent safety. “Grazie, Dio! S-so there IS someone there to stop you after all!”

The creature remained eerily silent.

Too silent.

“Y-you were so talkative a moment ago,” Italy almost taunted shakily, beginning to worry. “W-what happened, ve?”

“NoT aNyMoRe.”

It took Italy a full ten seconds to process exactly what the Thing meant by the simple two words.

“A-antonio…?” The name came out as a whisper. “L-lovino…?”

The Thing made no response, and in that moment, Italy knew that his worst fear at the moment had come true.

“W-what did you do to them…?!” Italy wanted to scream the words, but all his voice would put out was a choking whisper.

“SpAiN iS bLeEdInG oUt EvEn As We SpEaK. yOur bRoThEr sEeMs QuItE aNgRy.”

Now trembling with both rage and disbelief, Italy managed a humorless laugh. “O-of course…my fratello a-always seems to be a-angry, ve…”

“AnGrY aT yOu, PeRhApS. AfTeR aLl, It’S uLtImAtElY yOuR fAuLt FoR tHiS wHolE sItUaTiOn, IsN’t It? No MaTtEr. YoU wOn’T hAvE tO dEaL wItH iT mUcH lOnGeR.”

“A-angry…at me…” The Venetian’s voice broke, a choked sob of anguish tearing from his throat. “O-of course…it was always me…e-even from the first time loop, i-it was always me…!”

Finally, he snapped. Italy fell forward from the sturdy shield of the heavy wooden door and sank to his knees, blindly crying out the only name he could process.

“R…ROMANO!”

‘Veneziano…Spagna…d-damn it, I-I can’t…die here…’

A brief strain of thought that wasn’t his own, a sense of familiarity, of wholeness, a voice he recognized all too well, was enough to pull Italy into the current of his own thought with a brief gasp, knowing who he would find there.

Connected by the bond of one nation, not even their thoughts were separable from the other’s.

Romano! R-Romano, a-are you safe?! What’s happening?!

‘H-huh…? Vene…Veneziano…? You’re…okay…’

Yes, fratellone, I'm alright! B-but...you're not...are you? And S-Spain…is...how...?

Somehow knowing his answer, Italy felt silent tears begin to stream down his cheeks in thin, hot lines.

‘…he’s…d-dead…a-and I…I’m sorry, fratellino…I can’t feel e-either of my legs…I’m sorry…’

N-no…NO! R-Romano, you can’t just…p-please…!

‘I-I’m sorry…! I always…let you down…d-don’t I…?’

Italy was suddenly aware of a few sudden shocks of nerves that were not his own body’s. A sensation of hot wetness rolling down his cheeks that weren’t his tears…was Romano crying…?

Italy, letting a heart-wrenching sob escape his throat, sent every ounce of love in his body towards his brother, his other half, his twin spirit. Anything to let him know the truth…

N-no...R-Romano, you d-don't! Y-you're...my precious fratellone...you c-could never!

‘Hehe…y-you finally…praised me…I guess that means…I did something right…f-for once…’

R-Romano...i-if anyone should be sorry, it's me! Y-you've never...R-Romano, p-please just d-don't leave me alone...I-I love you so much…!

‘I-I know…I didn’t t-tell you enough, but…significhi tutto per me, Veneziano…’

‘You mean everything to me, Veneziano.’

Romano…! Senza di te non sono niente, Romano!

Without you I am nothing, Romano!

‘T-that’s not true…ah-AAGH…! V-Vene, I d-don’t…want to l-leave you…!’

A sudden pain racked Italy’s body. R-Romano, NO! RESTA CON ME!

STAY WITH ME!

‘V-Veneziano…I…a-aah…can’t…b-but…per favore ricordati di me, fratellino…’

‘Please remember me, little brother…’

Italy was weeping openly now, not caring if Romano heard or the Thing saw.

O-Ora e sempre…mio p-preziosa fratellone…!

A-Always and forever…my p-precious big brother…!

‘T-ti…ti amo…Vene…ziano...’

‘I-I…I love you…Vene…ziano...’

And then nothing.

R-Roma…Romano…?!

Again, all that resounded in the depths of Italy’s thoughts was silence.

And then the pain began.

A sudden pang in his heart was all it took for Italy to be jerked back into the physical plane once again.

“A-AAAH!”

Clutching his chest, he doubled over onto one hand, still kneeling. A terrible burning, ripping sensation pulsed from his heart throughout his whole being, threatening to split him, shatter him…!

“I-IT HURTS…!”

But what followed made the previous pain seemed like nothing.

Half of his being, half of his soul, his heart, something that had been part of his integral being since time began was suddenly ripped from him, and was sent plummeting into an unreachable abyss. It didn’t take long at all for the truth of what had happened to permeate his mind.

“ROMANO!”

The shriek of anguish tore from Italy’s voice like a banshee’s mournful wail. He collapsed to the cold wooden floor, trembling in agony and searching his heart in vain for the second half of his being that would never return. Even in his pathetic state, Italy managed to find the strength to glare up at the Thing, standing stoically and patiently.

“W-why didn’t you just k-kill me…?!”

“YoUr ReAcTiOn WaS jUsT tOo GoOd To MiSs.”

He had tried so hard. Gotten so far. Fought for so long.

In the end, it hadn’t mattered, not one little bit. He had lost himself – how could he hope to save anyone else?

He was alone.

Alone!

“R-Romano…ROMANO!” he cried out again, tears openly spilling from his eyes and staining his uniform, darkening the page edges of his journal.

I-I  can’t handle this…!

Heavy footsteps advanced forward, each one adding more finality to his impending doom.

“BrOtHeRlY lOvE iS iNdEeD a BeAuTiFuL bOnD, bUt OnE sO eAsIlY sEvErEd…”

With a resounding thud, the Thing stopped directly over Italy’s quaking figure, helpless to fight to defend himself.

“ItAlIA RoMaNo AnD ItAlIA VeNeZiAnO wIlL sOoN bOtH bE bOuNd iN eTeRnAl SlEeP…wItH nO oThEr JoUrNaL mAsTeR tO tAkE tHeIr PlAcE. AlL hOpE iS lOsT.”

Italy closed his eyes.

He was so...tired.

It’s over.

“DeSpAiR aNd DiE!”

GaMe OvEr
Restart?
>Yes
>No

Original Fiction: "Faydragon"

Pale fingers gripped the silver hilt of the sword sheathed at her waist, head held high and black eyes staring unafraid into the entrance of the labyrinth before her.

“Kilian of the Noble House of Chandestroy,” a voice from the palace wall above roared, belonging to the captain of the Royal Guard, “and Teryn of the Noble House of Iladrin! You have been chosen as the final candidates to compete for the title of Dragon Rider!”

She gave a proud toss of her thick onyx black braid and snorted. Why did they not simply give her the title and save Kilian the embarrassment of defeat? Hm. On second thought, she would rather that her rival was shown his place – perhaps it would stomp his ego down to the proper size.

“The challenges you must overcome to prove yourselves to your potential partner will be great,” the captain continued so loudly that Teryn was almost certain he could be heard across the entire capital, “but your reward will far outweigh any danger and obstacle you will strike down! Honor! Eternal glory! Power beyond your wildest dreams! And of course, the great privilege of serving this great land of Raikera as an elite warrior!”

Teryn already knew all of this – she had spent her entire life training for this moment, and so had that son-of-a-shrew Kilian. Her free hand twitched at her side and her other tightened around her sword-hilt. She was itching to go charging into this challenge and slash down a few things; preferably the teenage boy she knew was situated at the opposite entrance of the maze.

“Your strength will be pushed to its limit during this test! However, the Faydragon you fight for will ultimately decide which of you is the stronger! Now, young warriors, go forward to victory!”

A canon was fired, and Teryn’s feet were off so quickly, they hardly touched the ground. With a shing, her blade was drawn and readied as she rounded corner after corner of the enchanted labyrinth. The current Dragon Rider force of the kingdom – those who commanded the six Faydragons of Earth, Wind, Water, Thunder, Darkness and Light – had raised this maze in the palace courtyard and woven it with enchantments of elemental traps and creatures that spawned at random. The purpose was to test Teryn and Kilian’s strength and also to slow them in their search for the Faydragon that, somewhere within the earthen walls, was hidden from their sight, gauging their abilities, choosing its future Rider. Neither Teryn nor her rival knew the name or commanding element of this Faydragon, but it wasn’t like they had any desire to pick and choose.

Another corner was rounded, and Teryn came face to face with a deafening roar belonging to some gruesome Darkness elemental that nearly knocked her back into the nearest wall.

“OUT OF MY WAY!” she yelled, and with a single slash of her gleaming steel blade, the creature released an unearthly shriek of pain and dissolved into nothingness. Her first kill of the challenge. Teryn shivered with adrenaline and anticipation and resumed her advance forward – there was still more, much more, to come.

Combat was not new at all to this girl, coming from a knighting family with no male children; she had been expected to carry on the warrior legacy of her house and had been trained in the art of war since she was old enough to hold a dagger. Every elemental unfortunate enough to be in her path fell. The rush of battle was spreading through her body and sharpening her senses – her surroundings felt brighter and her nerves hyper-sensitive. In this state, she was confident she could stand up to anything and take anything down, and yet failed to notice the tendrils of frigid air creeping around her limbs until it was too late.

“Gah!” she cried, suddenly jerked to the ground and quickly realizing that she was unable to move. Upon looking down, she saw what was holding her down – thin trails of unnaturally strong ice, simply ice, anchored her to the dry grass. “What in the Great One’s name…” she growled, beginning to struggle against her strange bonds, but froze as still as a statue as she heard footsteps pattering in the distance. Not the footsteps of a monster…it was the sound of the soles of boots against the ground and a clear human stride.

A voice rang out as clear as day from her memory: “Please, twerp. What makes you think you’ll be able to make it as a knight – or even catch up with me? You’re a girl – you’ll never be stronger than the rest of us no matter how much you try.”

The sudden wave of rage at the very person running up the path towards her was all it took for her to muster the strength to break free and spring to her feet, but a moment too late. She was still in mid-crouch when a flash of olive skin and black hair nearly ran by her but skidded to a stop.

Kilian was a well-built sixteen-year-old boy and incredibly handsome, but however nice he may have looked, his contemptuous attitude ruined his entire being for Teryn. Even now, as he stood over her, barely worn out from the exertion of his own battles, that self-righteous smirk was plastered on his face.

“Need a lift, twerp?” he teased.

“Leave me be unless you want a blade in your gut,” she grumbled, her face beginning to burn.

With a presumptuous shrug, he turned away and set off down the path again. “Suit yourself. Best of luck, Teryn – you’re going to need it.”

As soon as she was sure Kilian was out of earshot, she pushed herself to her feet and let out a strangled scream of frustration. She took off in the direction opposite the path Kilian had taken, rabid anger almost making the world take on a red tint. How could she have allowed that dullard to make a fool of her like that?!

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than did another trap spawn – this time, tendrils of ice were weaving together and creating a blockade down her intended path. Another cry of frustration tore past her throat as she tried to slash through the frozen gate, but apparently the enchanted frost couldn’t be cut by sharpened steel. She quickly whirled about to try and find another path. Since when had the Water Faydragon and her Rider been able to conjure up ice? This was certainly an inconvenient time to reveal the ability, Teryn thought.

The monsters seemed to be spawning at a much faster rate, this time bringing with them strange Ice elementals that somehow didn’t seem to be fully alive. Every other corner brought with it a new frigid trap or roadblock. Never before had Teryn fought this hard or this long – fighting that had once been simple for her now seemed more draining and complex as her frustration and hopelessness grew. Was Kilian facing the same trials she was right now? Surely he couldn’t be feeling the same fatigue she was – she had seen him fight off more than this before with no repercussions to speak of. Her chance was slipping away – he was winning.

And with that passing thought, the ice was back, this time tripping her off her feet and planting her sprawled across the hard ground and pinning her there. And that was the last straw – she was at her limit. No matter how hard she tried, how much she yelled at her muscles to move, she couldn’t muster up the will to break free. Desperation swallowed up her pride at last.

“You win!” Teryn screamed to the sky. “I give up! YOU’RE STRONGER!” He was stronger.

The blatantly true confession seemed to break something inside her, as if a great load was being lifted. It was over. She had given up and the Faydragon would choose Kilian. Not her. Being defeated by her rival was awful enough, but now it seemed to dim in comparison to everything else. What would her family say of her failure? Her noble peers would be able to put her down with reason now. And she thought of the other Riders and their Faydragons – how they spoke of their bond as the greatest friendship one could have – and realized that bond was now something that she would never possess. Tears of both anger and despair stung her eyes.

A strange chill crept into the air, bringing with it a comforting presence foreign to her throughout the previous ordeal. The air around her seemed to be darkening. She turned her head to look up and what she saw nearly made her gasp in wonder had she not been so fatigued.

A twinkling sphere of pale blue hung suspended in the air, seeming to draw all the light in the area to it – or perhaps it was simply the surrounding landscape darkening in comparison to its brilliance.

“You have gone through much to find me, little one.”

The ethereal voice was that of a young man’s, but reflected wisdom far beyond mere mortal comprehension.

“You’re the Faydragon,” she managed to whisper weakly.

“I am Azuré, the Faydragon of Ice.”

Teryn could do little more than stare in wonder. She felt her bonds melting away bit by bit, and soon she was pushing herself up onto her knees, but still continued to stare into the Faydragon’s spirit form.

“The Faydragon of Ice,” she whispered, understanding finally striking her. “It was you who kept slowing me down.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Kilian’s cruelty made him blind to my presence. It was your pride that hid me from you. Only through my humbling you into defeat could you be made worthy to become my Rider.”

Teryn barely even noticed that she was still staring like a dumbstruck fool at the immortal being. “Become…your Rider? Why me? I’m…weak.”

“We are all weak in at least one way, even I. While you may be weaker in body than your young adversary, weakness of the spirit is far more deadly. I see honor and bravery beneath your pride – if you choose to embrace that honor, I will accept you as my Bonded Rider.”

Teryn nodded, closing her eyes and bowing her head, a bit afraid and yet longing for what was to come.

All at once, the warm light delved into her chest and seemed to illuminate up her entire body, which felt as light as air – a surge of great power opening her mind to a presence that felt so foreign and yet so perfect. Years – no, centuries of wisdom, memories and emotions poured through her expanded awareness but she could not latch onto any of them. The power reached a peak which she could barely contain, and it was at that moment the warmth faded, although a remnant of the presence remained, an eternal part of her inner self.

“Rise, Lady Teryn, my Rider. May the Great One give us strength as we serve this kingdom.”

Teryn opened her eyes and rose to her feet, steady and stately, and cast her eyes upward. The labyrinth had vanished into mist, leaving her standing in the open palace courtyard, and there towering at least a story above her was a lanky and elegant dragon, gleaming with scales of ice blue and snow white in the deepening twilight. Slowly, with reverence and a strange air of companionship, the great beast spread his wings and lowered his head down to Teryn, where a large ice-blue gem shimmered upon his forehead. Teryn, now smiling genuinely for the first time in this ordeal, placed her hand upon Azuré’s head. It was then that she noticed the delicate ice-blue marks that now swirled up and about her wrist and arm from a gem similar to Azuré’s that rested on her right hand, one of the many marks that now adorned her as a symbol of one touched by the Faydragons. Azuré blinked his great blue eyes and gently pushed against Teryn’s palm in a sign of affection.

“You’re beautiful,” Teryn said.

“As are you,” Azuré responded in kind with a deep rumbling sound that almost resembled a feline’s purr.

The cheers of the royal court, the knights and the Riders, and the celebratory roars of the other six Faydragons now broke through Teryn and Azuré’s own little world, and they at last took notice of their surroundings. As Azuré roared to his Faydragon kin in return, Teryn looked around in bewilderment to see none other than Kilian Chandestroy approaching her and her new partner.

Contrary to her earlier belief, he appeared to be quite worn out, his black hair tangled and matted with sweat, and his body covered in scratch marks. The look in his eyes could be described as a few things – humiliation, defeat, disbelief – but in spite of that, his lips twitched up into a ghost of a genuine smile as he stood before her.

“Nice job, twerp,” he offered his congratulations in his own way, extending his hand.

Teryn gave him only a tiny smile, lightly vaulting up to take her place on Azuré’s back at the hollow between his shoulders. Now having to look down to see her former adversary, and with a soft laugh that clearly said, ‘I cannot believe what I’m about to do,’ she reached a hand downward to him.

“Need a lift?”

Fanfiction: "One Nation Under Anarchy" (Hetalia / Hunger Games)

(After seeing the Hunger Games movie effectively crushed my faith in humanity's innate morality, I wrote this on a whim...I would say I hope you enjoy, but it got me pretty darn depressed.)

He was America.

Rather, he had been America – before it happened.

Everything they had always taught – the earthquakes, floods, storms, fires, everything that had torn the world apart – all of it had happened. It truly had torn the world apart – torn all of them apart – torn the nations themselves apart. He had seen former enemies, allies, even his own brothers suffer and die in the primal chaos of apocalypse.

In the end, only his former citizens had survived and risen up again.

However, in the process, they had cast him aside – forgotten him completely – and, instead, had hailed a new nation. A nation that, in all honesty, reminded him more of his World War II enemy Italy's Roma Antiqua, Ancient Rome, another nation that had been lost in the vast abyss of forgotten history.

This nation was Rome now, but not Rome in his golden age – this nation was the savage Roman Empire.

He had seen the “saviors of civilization” come to power, seen them establish this nation “Panem”, seen them live like gods while their citizens slaved and starved – for their leisure. It made him sick.

How could his people have forgotten and abandoned him for this?

His hopes of one day being restored were crushed time and time again, one harder than ever after a terrible rebellion. He could feel the life of every fighting citizen being snuffed out as if they were still his own people – he almost couldn’t move for weeks after that, he remembered. Every chance he had to return, they ruined it. They knew how to keep a spark of hope contained, let it flare, and then snuff it out to start the vicious cycle all over again all too well.

He remembered the exact year, month, day, and hour when they had issued their “punishment” on the rebellious nation. Each year, twenty-four of their children would slaughter each other in a bloodbath treated as mere entertainment to them and their citizens.

The Games had begun. Really, it had all been a game from the beginning – a game of power, oppression, and death – and he could do nothing to stop it. His former people had enough hope to keep him alive – but not enough to bring him back.

No. He could only watch…watch as the ice of fear kept the sparks of hope from flaring once again.

Fanfiction - "Fly Me Away" (DNAngel)

(I've been absolutely in LOVE with Dark for awhile now and just had to write this story! It's not expressly about anyone with Dark - only a "she" is mentioned and is nameless. So who's with him? Rika? Riku? Your OC? You? The only limit is your imagination! :3 Enjoy teh smexy fluff!)




The cool night breeze created by gliding motion through the sky kissed against the teenage girl’s tender skin and brought on a slight sense of insecurity, but it did not last long; she flew not alone.

She gazed up through tousled bangs into the beautiful face of the young man who cradled her in strong arms, the one who had swept her away from her bedroom as his entirely willing captive and taken her with him on his flight across the star-dusted field of night. Windswept dark purple hair and long parted bangs framed his face and fell before his forehead, but not so much as to obscure the deep violet orbs that had just moved from the air ahead to gaze back down at her. Adorning his chiseled back and keeping them aloft were two graceful black wings, reminiscent of those of a dark angel.

He smiled as he looked down into her eyes; the look in those amethyst orbs was mischievous and slightly seductive, yet loving, as the girl could easily discern. The soft material of his black jacket brushed against her cheek when he pulled her closer into his chest. The gentle, steady thump of his heartbeat soothed her, and she closed her eyes and nestled in to listen more closely. She almost didn’t notice the soft, moist pressure at her hairline that lingered for a brief moment, and only opened her eyes again when the sound of him whispering her name wrapped itself around her ears.

Suddenly pulled back into reality, she was also pulled flush against the young man’s chest, his warm breath washed over her skin, drawing a faint blush to her cheeks as a hand gently moved to cradle the back of her neck. Any and all thoughts that happened to have been going through her psyche at the time were instantly sent running for cover as her dark angel moved in and captured her lips with his.

Once she had scoffed at the girls in her high school class who swooned over this eighteen-year-old “delinquent”, calling their constant fantasies of him silly and unrealistic. Seeing her now, one could hardly believe that this was the same girl. From the moment the phantom thief had touched down on her bedroom balcony, enfolding her in an embrace of warm arms and sheltering wings, and proclaiming he was there to steal her heart, his job was done.

There was no need to steal her heart. It had been his from the beginning.

Fanfiction Poetry: "The Dirge of Holy Rome" (Hetalia: Axis Powers)

(This was a Shakespearean sonnet I wrote for a Creative Writing assignment - we were supposed to write about love, and my current anime love at the moment was Hetalia, so I decided to write mine about the cutest shonen-ai couple in history - lol, history. It really is history ^^ Chibitalia x HRE. Enjoy the sad fluff!)

A powerful warrior, pride of the land,

And a pitiful servant, cowardly.

Two brought together by fate’s guiding hand,

Holy Rome and Italy were meant to be.

The empire admired the nation from afar,

His love remained hidden, innocent, pure.

But even he could not escape fame uncharred;

Love could not stay the cold clutches of war.

But Holy Rome had a confession to make:

“Since the Nine Hundreds, I’ve loved you,” he said.

When he was begged to stay, his heart did break,

But he offered a promise: “You’ll see me again.”

Despite the how long for him Italy yearned,

From that long battle, his love never returned.

Fanfiction: "I'm Here" - Pokemon Platinum

(Hey, guys! ^^ I wrote this fanfic a while back after I first started playing Pokemon Platinum. The player character and rival's names are replaced with the ones I used in-game, so that's why their names aren't Dawn and Barry. This story certainly isn't my best work, but it's rather dear to me nonetheless. Enjoy the female player x male player fluffiness! :3)

Xandra was absolutely torn. In more ways than one.

The thirteen-year-old Pokemon Trainer was so overcome with conflicting emotions that it clouded her thinking as she made her way down the quiet hilly path to the Valor Lakefront from Sandgem Town. She had been eager to get out of Sandgem, not even stopping to chat with her best friend Hileriarai. Her Piplup, Bubbles, and baby Riolu, Ever, cheerfully skipped along beside her as Stella the Staravia flew overhead. It soothed Xandra a little to know that there were at least a few living beings in the world who were happy with life, unlike her.

At last she and her Pokemon reached Lake Valor. She sat down near the shore of the lake, wrapping her arms around her knees and looking out over the water. It was late afternoon, and the sun was much lower in the sky than when she had started out. Almost sunset, she thought. She had always liked coming to the lake this time of day whenever she had wanted to get away and just think for awhile. And she certainly had a lot to think about at this moment in time.

Why does this have to be so hard? When I started out on my journey, all I thought I had to do was to meet new Pokemon, battle Trainers, get stronger, defeat Gym Leaders, challenge the Elite Four, and maybe become Champion. It sounds so simple...but I guess I didn't really factor boy trouble into the mix.

She laughed weakly at the irony. She had started out from Twinleaf Town and gotten her first Pokemon with a boy, after all; it should have been the first thing to expect. Her thoughts drifted to that same over-energetic boy: Dalton, her childhood friend and current rival.

But then the image in her mind shifted to someone else: the blue-haired, dusky-eyed Trainer that had helped her out of so many binds over the course of her travels.

Lucas...

The sun was even lower in the sky now, and was beginning to dye the once blue veil that covered the Pokemon World brilliant orange and pink.

Why is it so hard to choose...?!

Bubbles, Ever, and Stella chased each other up and down the shore of the lake.

Xandra thought of Dalton. I mean, Dalton and I have been friends since we were little, and he knows me so well...

She thought of Lucas. But Lucas...he's helped me through so much...he's always been there for me.

Memories came rushing back to her.




"So, what of it?" Mars sneered. "Are you some lovey-dovey couple to the rescue?"

"Come on, Xandra, let's take 'em out!" Lucas said.

"Right!" Xandra agreed, fiercely determined.




"Oh, Xandra, wait up!" Lucas cried as he ran up to the blue-haired girl. He handed her five Poke` Balls. "Here. I want you to have these. Now you can start catching Pokemon right away!"

"Thank you, Lucas," Xandra smiled, Bubbles jumping into her arms.




"Hey, Xandra?" Lucas asked. "Is it maybe your birthday today?"

"Gee, I'm not sure," Xandra replied cheerfully. "It might be!"

"I thought so! Congratulations, Xandra! You know, I'm glad we're friends!"



Xandra felt tears sting her eyes, though she wasn't exactly sure which of the flashbacks were causing them. Perhaps it was just the overall emotional overload she was feeling right now. She wanted someone to think of her as more than a friend...she just didn't know who!

A sudden flash of red light appeared as her Espeon, Psilight, came out of its Poke` Ball of its own accord, having felt its Trainer's mental distress.

"Es?" the Espeon asked, looking up into Xandra's blue eyes with its light purple ones.

"Oh, Psilight!" Xandra sobbed, letting her tears go. "I don't know what I should do!" She buried her head into her knees and continued crying her heart out."I'm so confused..."

Psilight rubbed up against Xandra's side, trying to soothe the weeping girl. Bubbles and Ever had now abandoned their game of tag to join Psilight in attempting to comfort their Trainer. Very soon, Sparky, Xandra's Luxio, was woken from its evening nap in its Poke` Ball and also came out to see what all the commotion was.

Eventually, the four Pokemon managed to console Xandra a little, enough to reduce her heartbroken sobs to quiet hiccuping sighs. For a while, all was quiet.

Until the company of five heard approaching footsteps. The footsteps of a person that Xandra was longing and dreading to see.

"Xandra!" Lucas exclaimed as he burst through the trees to the lakefront. "I thought I'd find you here."

For a moment, Xandra couldn't say anything for fear that she would start crying again.

"Xandra? You okay?" Lucas' voice had taken on a much more concerned tone. Xandra heard him come up behind her.

"W-why are you here?" she whispered shakily.

"Hileriarai and I saw you back in Sandgem Town, but didn't get to talk to you. You seemed upset about something...I was worried. I wanted to make sure that you were alright..."

He followed me all the way from Sandgem town...because he was worried about me?

Xandra wasn't sure if this was enough to go by...

She felt Lucas place his hand on her shoulder, saying nothing.

Oh my...I really, really want to hold his hand...even if just for a second...

She didn't know where the thought came from, but suddenly, she thought of Dalton. A pang of guilt hit her--almost hard enough to cause physical pain. And definitely enough to get her tears flowing again.

Lucas noticed. He pulled Xandra up onto her feet, wrapping his arms around her waist in a gentle embrace. Xandra pressed her face into Lucas' shoulder, sobbing quietly.

"Shhh," Lucas attempted to comfort her, rubbing his hand up and down her back. "It's okay...I'm here..."

Bubbles, Ever, Stella, Psilight, and Sparky all stood to the side, watching the scene silently.

If before wasn't enough for Xandra to go by, then this was. Being with Lucas...it filled her with a sense of completion, fulfillment...something that she could never have felt with Dalton.

As Xandra's tears subsided, Lucas looked into her eyes for a minute, then softly kissed her forehead.When he pulled back, Xandra flung her arms around him.

I am definitely not confused anymore.

"Thank you, Lucas," she whispered.

"For what?"

"Everything."

The sun had almost vanished beyond the horizon, turning the sky from orange to deep purple and blue. But it didn’t feel like nightfall for Xandra and Lucas.

It was more like sunrise for them.