Being the latest from the mind of Miss Luna Vespera

Oh look, a post! For the first time in, what, three years?

moony810 — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:45:54 GMT

Not sure anybody but ladyasul is even still watching my journal to see this, but welp, here goes!

So I rp at this neat little game called Aliunde, and what with the mass move over to Dreamwidth in the wake of R88, we're hurting for new players. So, I bring you this ad:

It's a regular day, and you're off doing your normal, daily routine-- nothing out of the ordinary. It's the last thing your remember before darkness takes over...

After some time, you start to regain consciousness. Clean, stale air fills you nostrils. Where are you? As you open your eyes, you take note of your surroundings. It's a hospital room, or what looks like a hospital room.

You realize that you're not alone. There's someone else in the room-- a doctor. At least, they look like a doctor with their white lab coat. Ignoring any questions you may have, the doctor hands you a small package and turns to leave. Right before he shuts the door he leaves you with three words:

"Welcome to Aliunde."
RESERVES & APPLICATIONS ARE ALWAYS OPEN!

The mod team is great and all the players are really friendly people, so anyone reading this- come take a look!

Child of the Shadows, chapter 2

moony810 — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 04:41:46 GMT

Chapter 2: Palais de la Lune

Dinah's savior set her down far out in the countryside, away from civilization of any kind, except for the house before them. Dinah gasped in awe as she took in the dimensions of the house and the details of its appearance.

It was built in the style of Southern plantations like Scarlett O' Hare's Tara, with a wide, wraparound pillared porch, and massive wooden double doors engraved with a symbol of the full moon in the center and an outward facing crescent moon kissing it on the left and right.

The other girl smiled. "Welcome to my master's home, the Palace of the Moon." She ascended the wide wooden steps ahead of Dinah and gently tugged the bell-pull. "Master, it's me, Saya!" she called out. "I've come back, and I've brought a guest."

The immense doors were opened by a tall, pale young man with curly, shoulder-length black hair and silvery eyes. "Saya, welcome back." He embraced her eagerly, and only then did he notice Dinah. His eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

Saya ducked out of his embrace and ushered Dinah forward. "Be nice, Haji. This is my guest...." she trailed off and looked at Dinah apologetically. "Um, I never got your name, I'm sorry."

"D-Dinah. Dinah Wherever." Dinah stammered. Haji's manner was cool and regal, and Saya seemed somehow queenly and untouchable, despite her friendly demeanor. She felt as if she should bow before them.

"Then welcome to my home, Dinah Wherever." A new voice cut in. The deep voice belonged to a tall, pale man with long golden hair and azure blue eyes. He smiled, an expression that utterly charmed her, until she saw the pearly white fangs nearly identical to the teeth of her attacker.

Dinah gasped and backed up a step.

The man held out his long white hands in a placating gesture. "Please, do not fear me. I mean you no harm." He gestured to Saya. "Haven't I already proven that by sending one of my children to aid you in your time of need?"

Dinah glanced at Saya, who shrugged and smiled just enough to reveal that she too had fangs.

The blonde man turned to her and Haji. "Thank you. You've been working hard all night. Go now and rest."

Saya curtsied and Haji bowed. "Thank you, Master. Goodnight." Saya murmured, placing a hand on Hai's arm and allowing him to escort her down one of the many ornate halls visible from the front room in which they all now stood.

Dinah stared after the pair in shock and also a bit of awe, until the master laid an elegant hand gently on her shoulder.

"Come," he said quietly. "Let us find you a room for the night. Tomorrow we shall discuss your situation."

Dinah nodded.

The master smiled at her, leading her down a different hall from the one Saya and Haji had gone down.

After showing her to a room fit for a princess or even a queen and seeing to it that she was comfortably settled for the night, he kneeled beside her and kissed her hand with his cool lips. "Goodnight, Miss Dinah."

"G-goodnight." She blinked once in her drowsiness, and he was gone, the lights extinguished, and the door left open only enough to let a crack of light in, since the room had no windows.

Despite herself. Dinah was asleep in moments.

Child of the Shadows

moony810 — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 04:02:26 GMT

A new fanfiction from me brought to life by reading excessive amounts of Bizenghast and Anne Rice, listening to Within Temptation, and playing Shadow of Destiny more than I should. Anyway...

Title: Child of the Shadows
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
Rating: Pg-13
Summary: A young orphan girl is plucked from her aunt's care into a world she never dreamed existed, where vampires hold court in palatial mansions where the light of day never shines. Living in the lap of luxury under the protection of the eccentric and insane vampire Cain, she knows happiness beyond anything she's ever experienced in her lifetime. But when a tragedy strikes, she is forced to choose between the dreary mortal life where her only destiny is to grow old and die, or becoming Cain's fledgling, free to eternally wander the night and do as she pleases, at the price of her sanity, and maybe even her human soul...

DISCLAIMER: If you recognize the characters, chances are I don't own them.

Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

Dinah lay awake until she was certain her aunt had gone to bed for the night. Then she slipped out of bed as quietly as possible, exchanging her nightgown for a daytime dress and slipping on her shoes and coat, quietly, quietly. Then she tiptoed over to her window, slid it up so quietly and smoothly that it made only the barest whisper against the wooden frame, and was out just as quickly and quietly as a mouse. She slid the window shut just as quietly as she had opened it, and then she was off.

Running, running, running down the main street of Bizenghast, until she came to stop below the sign that pointed to Watertown. She leaned over to catch her breath. and that's when she felt the rustling robes brush up behind her. She gasped and straightened immediately, turning to face the stranger. He was taller than anyone she'd ever seen or known, except perhaps the stiltwalkers. Pale as moonlight, and the little of his white skin that was actually exposed seemed to glimmer strangely in the wan light. His long waves of dark hair were brushed neatly back, a few curls falling to frame his intense face. His eyes glittered like polished onyx, but they still appeared gold and dead. Dinah gasped and stepped back from him.

His lips crawled away from his teeth and revealed yellowing fangs, larger and sharper than human teeth had any right to be, and Dinah knew the instant she saw them that he was no human. The man grinned down at her, and in a deep, calm voice meant to lull her and put her into a trance, he spoke. "What is a beautiful child like yourself doing, wandering the streets at such an hour? You could get hurt."

"Ah...um...well..." No excuse Dinah could think of would possibly good enough to convince this magnificent, deadly creature to leave her be. His grin grew wider, his teeth seemed impossibly large.

"Come on, little one. Let us get you in out of the cold night air before you catch your death, little beauty." He made to put his arm around her, and for an instant his arm seem disproportioately long for his body. Apelike.

"No! Don't touch me!" Dinah dodged away and ran around the fountain, seeking to put some distance between herself and the creature. It didn't work. In but a few seconds, he once again stood in front of her, smirking down at her ferally.

"Now now, little doll. If you keep carrying on so, I'll have to get rough." He lunged. His large, pale hands had just closed around her upper arms when something scraped past his face and made him drop her and recoil.

A woman now stood between him and Dinah. She was tall, though not as tall as he was, with a sheet of straight black hair longer than Dinah's. The man hissed, dropping his mannered facade.

"Bitch! Damn you!"

The woman tossed her hair ands raised her chin. Dinah got a glimpse of her facial features: full lips and slightly slanted red-brown eyes. "Well? Do you still intend to fight me over the girl? Even though it's clear that I am infinitely more powerful than you?" Her voice was like a young girl's high and silvery, and with the haughty, condescending tone one might expect from royalty.

The man scowled and vanished, and the woman turned to Dinah. Dinah was shocked to see that her savior was barely older than she, at least sixteen, and at the most, eighteen.

The woman/girl smiled and extended a slender, delicate-looking hand to Dinah. "Come on. The fool was right about one thing: a beautiful child like you shouldn't be out sol ate at night. There other, more powerful ones who would be as unable to resist your beauty as he was."

Once Dinah was standing, the other hoisted her up into her arms so that Dinah was being carried like an infant. "Wait, where are we going?" Dinah cried when the girl began to run away from Dinah's house, in the entirely opposite direction, in fact.

"We are going to my master's house. You'll be plenty safe there. And you can return to your mortal home tomorrow night if you wish."

Dinah only nodded, to shocked to respond.

The pair vanished from the streets of Bizenghast in a blur of swirling skirts.

What Do You Have To Say? - Arts & Crafts: My Inspiration

moony810 — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:30:37 GMT

I get my inspiration from the world around me, and from the anime I watch, the books I read, and the videogames my friends play, as i don't own a gaming platform other than the Gameboy Advance SP. Most of what I do involves drawing fanart and fan-comics, but I recently came into some fabric which I hope to make into a doll size Suiseiseki dress.

my first orginal fantasy story...dies of happiness

moony810 — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 06:04:16 GMT

Welcome to my first ever original fantasy story, A Dragon's Duel! Please comment, and be gentle with the rotten fruit, though concrit is welcome. Oh, and, here's a quick pronunciation guide for the characters' names:

Mir'n: Me-REHN
Tar'k: TEAR-ik
Pyro'k: PIE-rock
Blizro'k: bliz-ROCK
Ileia: ill-LAY-uh

And here's the story, enjoy!

A Dragon's Duel

“Come on, Tar'k! You're such a slowpoke!” Mir'n, teased her friend, running up the hills toward the crumbling castle.

“Mir'n! No fair! Just because you're the fastest kid in town!” Tar'k panted, struggling to catch up. The lanky boy should have been the better runner of the two, but he was awkward on his long legs, like a colt learning to walk.

Mir'n finally paused by the gates of the castle, the wood of which had long since rotted away. When Tar'k caught up with her, they walked into the cool, dim entrance hall of the castle together. The stone floor and walls echoed the sounds of their footsteps, throwing it up to the high ceiling before bouncing it around on the walls.

“Woah,” both children breathed.

“This is amazing...” Tar'k breathed.

“Yeah...” Mir'n agreed, walking slowly towards the single door on the far end of the antechamber.

“Hey, Mir'n?” Tar'k sounded nervous.

Mir'n turned to her friend and grinned, obsidian eyes shining. “Don't you want to see if the rumors about the dragons sleeping below the castle are true?” she pulled open the door, revealing a set of weathered stone stairs, the corridor they led through lit by bracketed candles.

Tar'k gulped upon seeing that. “How can those candles still be burning? No one has lived in this castle for hundreds of years...”

Mir'n giggled. “Maybe the fire dragon found out we were coming.” and she ducked down the stairs.

Tar'k gave a strangled yelp, following. “Hey, Mir'n, wait for me!”

The stairs led to a long, narrow chamber where the torches again burned brightly, illuminating the large, wooden chandelier on the ceiling, as well as the frozen knight and mounted knight who were chained to it.

Tar'k swore at the sight, and Mir'n gave a short shriek.

“Well, that was a scare...” she breathed after she had recovered from the shock.

“Sure was...” Tar'k agreed. “Hey, look! Another door!”

When opened, the door revealed a small, dimly lit room where the ceiling had crashed down from above at one end, nearly to Mir'n's head. Catty corner to the door they'd entered was another door.

Mir'n opened it, revealing a wide, downward sloping tunnel with skulls and other various bones protruding from the walls.

“How creepy...” Tar'k whispered, stepping in and beginning to walk down the tunnel. Mir'n followed quickly, nodding in agreement to his statement. After she bumped into him for about the tenth time, Tar'k turned. “Mir'n, what's wrong with you!?”

“I don't like skeletons...” she whispered pitifully, clutching onto his sleeve.

Tar'k sighed, putting an arm around her slim shoulders. “I forgot. Sorry about that. But I still don't understand
what scares you so much about bones. They're just the remains of dead people.”

“I know, but...the sightless stare and mindless grin of a skull...it's just so creepy.” Mir'n said, squeezing her eyes shut.

They walked in silence for awhile, until they reached another stone room, this one with a pair of dragons with entwined tails painted on the far wall. One dragon was red, with flames coming from it's mouth, directed at the other dragon, a cerulean creature that was firing ice from it's mouth at the fire dragon. There was a door on the wall to the side of each dragon.

“So which door are we taking?” Tar'k asked.

“I don't know...” Mir'n said, still staring at the fire dragon in awe.

“How about this: we'll split up, explore a bit, and meet back up in twenty minutes.” Tar'k suggested.

“But, what if there's another skeleton-filled tunnel beyond this door? I'll freak out without you there, Tar'k!”

Tar'k eased open the door on the fire dragon's side. “There. It's normal stone. You can take that one.”

He crossed over to the door on the ice dragon's side, opened it, and disappeared into the tunnel beyond. Mir'n gulped, looking in the direction Tar'k had gone for a minute before heading through the tunnel beyond the fire dragon's door, sighing in relief that the stone walls and tunnels were indeed stone all throughout.

The tunnel ended at a wooden door that appeared to have been battered viciously from the inside. Mir'n gulped nervously and grasped one of the metal rings that served as a “doorknob”, pulling with all her strength until she could slip through the doors. The sight that met her eyes brought her to her knees in awe.

In the center of the room lay the fire dragon from the picture in the room where she and Tar'k had split up, pinned to the floor by the ice pillars that had plunged through its wings. Mir'n couldn't help but to walk forward and kneel before the mighty beast. “How magnificent...” she breathed.

The eyes of the fire dragon opened, and a piercing, burning golden gaze met Mir'n's own. Aren't you going to free me? A deep, silky baritone voice asked in her head.

“Huh? F-free you?”

Yes. Only someone who is related to Princess Ileia has the power to do so, and since you are descended from her...

“But who are you, anyway?” Mir'n asked, the tone of her voice equal parts awe and fear.

The dragon lowered it's head in the best bow he could manage. I am the great fire dragon, Pyro'k, personal dragon of Princess Ileia.

Mir'n gulped and nodded, removing first one ice pillar, then the other. Pyro'k stood, flapping his wings and released a column of fire towards the ice covered ceiling. At last, I'm free! He turned to Mir'n and swept a proper bow. Thank you. I am in your debt.

Mir'n blushed slightly. “Don't mention it. Really, it's nothing...”

They were interrupted by the sound of a fierce, joyful roar echoing throughout the castle. Pyro'k growled. Blizro'k...

“Blizro'k?” Mir'n echoed in confusion. “Who's that?”

The evil ice dragon who imprisoned me here. Ileia had managed to seal her with the last of her strength, but now that she's been released...

Mir'n gasped. “My friend Tar'k came to the castle with me and went through the ice dragon door. He must have freed her by mistake!”

Pyro'k growled. Your friend is in grave danger then. Blizro'k is evil and manipulative. He may already be under her control. Here, get on. He crouched on all fours, allowing Mir'n to climb up onto his neck. Then, he took off running, down the wide halls to the room where Mir'n and Tar'k had split up, then blasted Blizro'k's door off it's hinges and ran down that hall, till they came to an open door and an empty room.

“It's...empty?” Mir'n said, making to get down from Pyro'k.

Stay where you are. Pyro'k said, looking around. Blizro'k is very good at hiding.

“I'm glad to hear you remember me so well, Pyro'k.” came a coldly amused woman's voice. It's owner was tall and looked like a faerie tale elf, with pale skin and long, deep blue hair, wearing a bluish-white dress that sparkled in the dim the light.

“I thought you said Blizro'k was a dragon.” Mir'n whispered to Pyro'k.

She is. That form is an illusion, probably to trick your friend.

Blizro'k chuckled. “One thousand years of imprisonment, and still so clever, Pyro'k.”

Pyro'k growled, opening his mouth to shoot a column of fire at Blizro'k, when a smaller figure with paler hair than Mir'n dove in front of her with open arms, acting as a living shield. “Don't touch her!” Tar'k growled.
Mir'n gasped. “T...Tar'k...why...?”

Blizro'k smiled at Tar'k. “Oh, thank you so much for saving me from that evil dragon, Tar'k!” she threw her arms around him from behind.

Mir'n slid down off Pyro'k's neck and ran over to Tar'k, shaking him by the shoulders. “Tar'k, snap out of it! Blizro'k is...I don't know, manipulating you somehow, but the point is, she's evil!”

Tar'k shook his head. “Pyro'k is the evil one. Fire destroys everything it touches, and keeps consuming until there's nothing left. Fire is a gluttonous monster, and Pyro'k is the master of fire, the master of the monster. Blizro'k told me about all the villages and fields Pyro'k has burned. That's why he was sealed away!”
Mir'n shook his head. “No, that's a lie! Princess Ileia wouldn't have kept an evil dragon by her side!”

“She didn't. Blizro'k was the princess's personal dragon, not Pyro'k.” Tar'k answered.

That's a lie! Pyro'k roared. How dare you belittle Ileia by suggesting that she would have allied herself with a creature as evil as you, Blizro'k! He shot a jet of fire at her, and Mir'n pushed Tar'k to the floor so he couldn't take the blow for her.

Blizro'k went flying across the room and slammed into the opposite wall. “Blizro'k!” Tar'k cried, rushing over and kneeling by her side.

Mir'n sat up from where Tar'k had pushed her down, trembling. “Tar'k...I can't believe you...I thought you were better than this...what did she offer you if you freed her?”

“The chance to help people.” Tar'k said. “And the power to make sure no other children share my fate. And all I have to do is help her defeat the evil Pyro'k. Why can't you understand that, Mir'n? I thought you, at least, would understand!”

“Tar'k,” Mir'n began, but Pyro'k scooped her up and flew towards the ceiling. Where Mir'n had just been standing, a stalagmite made of ice had pierced the floor, obviously thrown by Blizro'k. “There!” she cried. “Why would Pyro'k have saved my life just now if he weren't good? If he was as evil as Blizro'k has told you, why would he care if an ordinary little human girl like me died?”

“You are a sadly illusioned child.” Blizro'k said coldly. “He only saved you because as a descendant of Ileia, you are the only one who can restore him to full power. It would be foolish of him to let you die before then, no matter how meaningless you are to him.”

“I don't want to hear it, Blizro'k!” Mir'n cried. “If you're as good as you claim, why try to kill me, a defenseless girl, even if I can to restore him to full power! Surely there are other methods to keep me from doing it, especially for someone as powerful as you!”

Tar'k's hypnotized eyes began to clear slightly as he heard this. “Mir'n...” he murmured.

“Listen to me, Tar'k! Someone as noble as Blizro'k claims to be would never kill a defenseless child like me, no matter what kind of powers that child had! And anyway, just because I have that power, it doesn't mean I'll use it! If I don't unlock Pyro'k's full powers, what motive, what right does she have to kill me!?”

Tar'k' eyes became fully clear and widened. “Mir'n...” then his eyes clouded over again, and he looked sad. “I thought you of all people would understand...” he looked over to Blizro'k. “I'm ready now, to help you defeat Pyro'k.”

“And Mir'n?” Blizro'k asked, stroking his hair.

“I had hoped she could be saved...” Tar'k said, resting his hands on her shoulders.

Blizro'k shook her head. “I'm sorry. Pyro'k's evil controls her much too deeply. She can't be saved.”

“Alright, then.” Tar'k whispered, looking pained. “If you're sure she can't be saved...”

Blizro'k transformed into a pale blue dragon the same size as Pyro'k, and Tar'k climbed onto her neck.

“Pyro'k...” Mir'n whispered, clutching onto the fire dragon's horns. “Do we have to fight them? I...don't want Tar'k
to get hurt because of that evil dragon...”

I'm afraid it's unavoidable. However, I will take care not to catch Tar'k in my flame attacks. Pyro'k promised.

“Thank you, Pyro'k. That's all I ask.” Mir'n whispered, laying her head down below his “crown” of horns. 'But are you the one who's telling the truth, or...is it Blizro'k?'

She held onto Pyro'k's horns tightly as he swooped, arched, dove, and barrel-rolled in midair to dodge the ice attacks Blizro'k threw relentlessly. She couldn't help but notice the look of fear on Tar'k's face as Blizro'k's flight became more and more wild, about a hundred times more so than Pyro'k's. But he didn't duck or avert his hypnotized eyes. 'She must not be letting him move...poor Tar'k is terrified of heights, and he gets motion-sick so easily...'

Eventually, Pyro'k shot a column of flames that hit Blizro'k's wing and forced her to land. Pyro'k roared in victory and flew out of the castle with Mir'n still clutching his neck. He landed a distance behind it, and she climbed off.

“Pyro'k...” she began.

Which of us was telling the truth? He finished. Who do you think?

“I'm...still not entirely sure, but...I'm more inclined to believe you, right now, Pyro'k.

Why's that? The fire dragon asked.

“Tar'k...is smart, and a good judge of character. She wouldn't have had to hypnotize him into trusting her if she was really good. And, well, you haven't hypnotized me, so...”

Ah, but how do you know that? I could've given you a post-hypnotic suggestion that made you think you weren't hypnotized. Pyro'k sounded amused.

“But...don't you have to make someone clear their minds and follow a certain object with their eyes to hypnotize them?” Mir'n questioned.

A rich, deep laugh echoed through Mir'n's head. True enough. True enough.

“Hey, Pyro'k...” Mir'n said, totally serious now.

Yes?

“Do you think...it's too late to save Tar'k?” the question came out as a fearful whisper.

He does seem to have been completely overwhelmed by Blizro'k's magic...Pyro'k began, then, seeing the look of grief on Mir'n's face, continued quickly. But there is a way to free him from the spell.

“How!? How!?” Mir'n demanded. “Tell me!”

You are a descendant of Ileia. She was very gifted in magic, and since that gift has been passed down through the women of her family, you are gifted as well. Blizro'k left something out about your powers: not only can you unlock my full powers if you choose, you can also break the spell your friend is caught in.

“How?”

There's an artifact hidden in the castle catacombs that will help you. Something that once belonged to Ileia that will help you focus your magic towards breaking Blizro'k's spell.

“The...catacombs? That creepy place with all the bones in the walls?” Mir'n squeaked. “I can't go back there alone!”

Who said anything about being alone? I'm coming with you, since I know what it looks like.

“But...it's a teeny-tiny little tunnel...how will you fit, Pyro'k?”

Pyro'k laughed again, then transformed into a human form like the one Blizro'k had taken earlier. It was male, with piercing golden eyes, tanned skin, and a mane of shaggy red hair, dressed all in in brown. “So,” he said, putting an arm around Mir'n's shoulders, “shall we go?”

Mir'n nodded, and they set off, creeping through the antechamber, then the hall with the frozen knights, the small, caved in room, then the entrance to the catacombs. Mir'n shuddered, and Pyro'k's arm tightened around her shoulder.

“How, um, how deep in this artifact, Pyro'k?” Mir'n asked nervously.

“Fairly deep, towards my chamber so that Blizro'k can't get to it.”

“But what if she sent Tar'k?” Mir'n questioned.

“He couldn't do it either. The heat around my chamber...is so intense that nothing even associated with Blizro'k can come close without being burned.”

“I see...and...what about me?” Mir'n squeaked.

“No, you won't get burned. Your blood-ties to Ileia keep you safe from the heat that surrounds my chamber.”
Mir'n gave a sigh of relief. “Well, that's good to know.”

Just as Pyro'k had said, the heat became more and more intense as they went deeper and deeper into the catacombs. Finally, they turned a corner and saw a steel door further down in the tunnel. Pyro'k pointed to it.

“That's the entrance to my chamber. So, it should be right around here...”

“Remind me again what we're looking for...” Mir'n said, clinging onto Pyro'k's arm.

“A necklace.” replied Pyro'k. “A ruby teardrop on a gold ribbon.”

“To symbolize your partnership?” Mir'n asked, glancing around to try and notice a flash of gold and red amongst all the gray-white bones and the dimness of the tunnel. Her eyes came to rest on a skeletal torso sticking out from the wall. Around it's neck was the necklace Pyro'k had just described to her.

“Pyro'k!” she whispered, pointing.

“Excellent.” Pyro'k swept over and seized the necklace, then went back to Mir'n and secured it around her neck. The ribbon felt cool against her skin, as she had expected, but the stone...it felt warm, as if it had lain in the sun for a few hours, rather than in the darkness for a thousand years. She gasped. “The stone...it's warm...”

“Yes. That ruby...is a crystallized spark of my fire.” Pyro'k said.

“Oh, wow...” Mir'n whispered. They headed up again, away from Pyro'k's chamber, until the heat was just a memory. But as soon as they reached the cooler upper catacombs, the frozen knight from the long room above came towards them, sword drawn.

A blast of fire from Pyro'k destroyed it, only to reveal the mounted knight behind him. He charged, guiding his horse around Pyro'k and towards Mir'n. “No...STAY AWAY!” she shouted, and a jewel-like shield appeared before her and repelled him. Pyro'k blasted it with fire, destroying it. “Come on, we have to hurry! She's found us out!” he scooped Mir'n onto his back, using one hand to hold onto her, and the other to blast fire at the animate skeletons that continued to come at them till they charged out of the catacombs and slammed the door in the caved in room shut behind them.

A roar echoed up from below, as well as the sounds of crashing and crunching. Pyro'k picked Mir'n up again and ran with all his might out the front doors and down to the lawn, where he set Mir'n before returning to his true, draconian form.

Only seconds later, Blizro'k appeared in the sky above the castle, Tar'k as motionless as ever on her back, and for some reason, he seemed paler, thinner.

“What's she doing to him?” Mir'n asked Pyro'k fearfully.
Probably draining his life energy to augment her own powers. Pyro'k said, dodging an attack in the form of a
gigantic ice spear headed toward his wing.

“Will she kill him?” Mir'n asked the fire dragon, clinging to his horns for dear life as he performed more aerial acrobatics to dodge Blizro'k's attacks.

If she believes it will help her gain more power...there is nothing Blizro'k won't do. Pyro'k replied grimly, shooting a spiral of fire at the ice dragon's nearest wing. It hit the lower edge of her wing, causing her to hiss in pain. On her neck, Tar'k grew nearly white as the wing began to regenerate.

“Stop it! Don't kill him! Don't hurt Tar'k anymore!” Mir'n cried, standing up on Pyro'k's neck.

Something gleamed behind Blizro'k's ice-blue eyes, and she shot a wall of ice at the now exposed Mir'n.
Pyro'k roared, lowering his head so that his horns shielded Mir'n. Mir'n, stay down! Blizro'k's already proven she won't hesitate to try and kill you!

“But...Tar'k...”

It's not too late for Tar'k yet. When Blizro'k falls, the energy she took from him will be returned.

“But how do we beat her...she seems so strong...”

Pyro'k hissed, deflecting another ice attack with a wall of flames. That's only because she managed to seal some of my power away during our duel one thousand years ago...if not for that, we would be evenly matched!

“Then I'll unseal it! Blizro'k herself said I had the power to do it if I wanted, and I want to now, to save Tar'k. Just tell me how.”

Before Pyro'k could answer, Blizro'k shot another wave of ice at them. Pyro'k flew higher in an attempt to dodge it, but it followed, striking him in the chest, right over his heart. Pyro'k hissed in pain, falling to the ground.

He reverted into his “human form” a safe distance from the ground and curled himself around Mir'n, protecting her from the impact that made him let out another draconian roar.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Good luck trying to give power to a corpse, girl! Blizro'k crowed triumphantly, flying back to the castle.

“Pyro'k! Pyro'k, please! You can't be dead, you can't!” Mir'n cried, shaking the prone dragon-turned-man with all her strength. When he still didn't move, she buried her face in her hands, weeping soundlessly. A single tear escaped, rolling down her chin, then falling and striking the crystallized spark on the necklace.

The spark began to burn against Mir'n's throat, also glowing brightly. She undid the removed the necklace from around her neck and studied it. “A crystallized spark from Pyro'k...but would good will that do?”

“That's no mere spark, child.” a regal, yet maternal woman's voice whispered in her ear. “Pyro'k's heart is an
eternal flame, from which he produces all his fire attacks. Blizro'k's ice has frozen that flame, but not extinguished it. Between you, him, and myself, the spark in this necklace has the power to melt Blizro'k's ice.”

“Like this?” Mir'n asked, laying the spark on Pyro'k's ice-covered chest.

“That's the way, child. When the ice melts, he will awaken. Take good care of my dragon, Mir'n, and farewell.”

“Yes, Princess Ileia.” Mir'n whispered, finally realizing who's voice had been guiding her. She watched in awe as the ice around the spark melted away, allowing a small fire to surround the spark and expand as the ice melted, until the only remaining trace of the ice was a scar in the shape the ice had hit him in.

Pyro'k stirred and opened his eyes. “Mir'n?”

“Pyro'k! Thank goodness you're okay!” Mir'n hugged him. “I was so worried! I didn't know if the spark thing would really work or not, and-”

“How did you know how to use the spark?” Pyro'k interrupted.

“I'll tell you later, for now, tell me what I need to do to restore you to full power.” Mir'n said. “I have to save Tar'k, and you're the only one who can help me. I don't care if you're the evil one or Blizro'k is, I just want my friend back!”

Pyro'k's eyes widened briefly, then softened as he grinned. He took the hand she held the spark in in both of his own, then said, “Just repeat after me.”

In the name of the kingdom...he prompted in her head.

“In the name of the kingdom,” Mir'n repeated.

And by the power of Ileia...

“And by the power of Ileia,”

I summon the power of the fire dragon...

“I summon the power power of the fire dragon,”

For the flames to come forth...

“For the flames to come forth,”

With limits removed.

“With limits removed.” Mir'n finished, and a sun-bright golden glow surrounded Pyro'k.

He returned to his true form, a large, deep red dragon with golden scales inside his wings and all along his belly, and golden spikes down his back. The only change was in the color of his eyes, which had gone from golden to a strange, reddish gold color.

“Did it work, Pyro'k? Do you...feel any different?” Mir'n asked, reaching out to tentatively touch the tip of his wing.

It worked, Mir'n. Don't worry about that. Pyro'k looked at her warmly, then looked toward the castle. But now we have more important business to attend to. You have to save your friend, and I have to destroy the creature who ended Ileia's life. Are you ready? He asked.

“As ready as I'll ever be, I guess.” Mir'n whispered, climbing onto Pyro'k's neck.

Pyro'k took off into the sky, flying towards the castle.

Meanwhile, within the castle, Tar'k lay on the makeshift bed Blizro'k had made up for him. He moaned weakly and clutched his chest, looking feverish. “It hurts...too hot...Blizro'k...help...” he whispered, unable to talk louder due to his dry throat.

Blizro'k kneeled beside him in her human form, sitting him up and pouring cold water down his throat. “Try and sleep now. You'll need all your strength soon. Pyro'k hasn't fallen quite yet, so we need to battle both him and Mir'n once more.”

Tar'k nodded slightly, then arched his back as a bolt of pain made it's way down his spine. “Blizro'k...why does it...hurt so?”

Blizro'k's only response was to lay a cool cloth on his forehead and tell him once again to gather all the strength he could for the final battle with Pyro'k. His last thought before slipping into unconsciousness was that she hadn't answered his question.

Pyro'k landed in the entrance hall of the castle with care, transforming into his human self as soon as Mir'n climbed down from his neck. They went down the stairs, and when they reached the entrance to the catacombs, he put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, and also to guide her in the places where no candles burned. When they reached the enormous room with the picture of Pyro'k and Blizro'k on the wall, they went through Blizro'k's door and followed the winding, sometimes ice-encrusted path to her chamber.
Blizro'k looked up in shock and outrage as the door was busted down by a serpent made of flames.

“Pyro'k...how dare you-”

“I dare because I don't want Ileia's sacrifice to be in vain.” Pyro'k stated calmly, melting the ice on the ceiling and letting it fall to the ground as heated rain.

Tar'k woke to the feel of warm rain on his face. He opened his eyes, and saw a woman who looked similar to

Mir'n kneeling over him. The only differences were that she had long hair, which was bound back in two pigtails, and her cheeks were devoid of freckles. She wore an old-fashioned purple gown with gold trim, as well as a green, velvety looking cloak that pinned to her shoulders with gold pins. She also wore a gold band around her head and a gold ribbon necklace with a single teardrop ruby on it.

He opened his mouth to speak, but she placed a slim finger to his lips to silence him. “Listen closely to what Blizro'k says now that she thinks you're unconscious.” then, she slowly vanished, and he could see Pyro'k and Blizro'k battling in their human forms, with Mir'n slightly behind Pyro'k, clutching something in her hands and looking determined.

“I'm impressed, Blizro'k. The human boy's life energy seems to be doing wonders for your power.” Pyro'k said, throwing a ball of fire at Blizro'k. She dodged, and it swooped around behind her, hitting her in the back. She hissed and fell to her knees momentarily, then rose, smirking.

“Yes, it is a truly amazing healing agent. I had forgotten how useful it could be...” she swept her hand toward Tar'k, and more of his life energy flowed into her. He screamed in fear at the sudden feeling of something draining him.

Blizro'k laughed. “You see, Pyro'k? I'm back at full power, and you're still sealed.” she threw an ice spear at him, which he fell over backwards trying to dodge.

“How do you know that?” Pyro'k asked, shooting twin columns of fire at her. Both only grazed her. “He's so weak by now from you soaking up his energy, he'd probably be dead from giving you a power boost like that. And if not, his life energy certainly won't restore you fully the next time around.”

Blizro'k glanced over at Tar'k's still form. “As much as I hate to say it, you're right. I've drained him so much already that he's of more use to me dead.” She said calmly, aiming an ice spear at him.

“No!” Mir'n shouted, tackling Blizro'k suddenly and causing her to drop the ice spear. “You can't! I won't let you hurt Tar'k anymore!”

Blizro'k pushed Mir'n away and seized her ice spear once again. “Meddlesome girl!” she made to throw the spear, but was stopped by an unexpected weight on the lower shaft.

She turned, to see Tar'k clutching it from a kneeled position on the floor. “Don't...hurt...my friend...” he panted, using the spear to help himself stand.

Blizro'k rounded on Tar'k with a snarl and grabbed his shirt collar, distracted long enough for Pyro'k to blast a large wave of fire at her back.

The ice dragon snarled in pain, one-handedly shooting ice at the fire dragon. Pyro'k dodged skillfully, only getting grazed a few times on one arm. Blizro'k's attention was drawn back to the two teens by Mir'n, who had picked up a nice, sharp chunk of ice and stabbed into Blizro'k's hand to get her to release Tar'k.

Blizro'k turned back to Mir'n, giving Pyro'k an opening to blast more fire at her. When Blizro'k's attention was once again diverted, Mir'n set to work freeing Tar'k from the bond Blizro'k had trapped him in with herself. As soon as he was freed, A noticeable change came over both himself and Blizro'k.

Tar'k began to seem stronger and healthier, and his eyes lost their glazed look, while Blizro'k began to slow up and even apparently age.

Blizro'k looked at Tar'k pleadingly. “Why...” it came out a weak whisper.

“I was conscious for your fight with Pyro'k long enough to hear you tell him that after your most recent drain of my energy, I had so little left that I was of more use to you dead.” he whispered, leaning on Mir'n for support.

Blizro'k took a tentative step towards him, opened her mouth to speak, then let out a scream as a steaming, red-golden blade burst through her chest. Her body melted around the sword, until only a dead, blackened dragon's heart encased in ice remained.

Pyro'k allowed the ice to melt away, before taking the heart off his sword and storing it in his cloak.

“Pyro'k...was that...” Mir'n began.

“Blizro'k's heart? Yes.” he turned toward the door. “Let's go. We have no reason to linger here anymore.”
The trio made their way up through the catacombs, and then out of the castle proper, into the warm summer twilight. Mir'n tilted her head up towards the sunlight. “It feels good to be back in the real world. It must be especially nice for you, Tar'k!” she smiled at her friend, obsidian eyes glowing.

“Definitely. I'd nearly forgotten what sunlight even was!” he stretched deeply, then glanced over at Pyro'k, who'd transformed back into a dragon. “Hey, Pyro'k...about that heart...you said it's Blizro'k's, but...”

“Yeah...why does it look like that?” Mir'n questioned, remembering her own curiosity about it.

Pyro'k sighed. Blizro'k was...created from the dead body of a water dragon from the same brood as me, my little sister, you could say. She was killed in an accident, and her unbeating heart was stolen from her corpse by a dark wizard, who coated it in ice and used it as the final ingredient for his instrument of evil: Blizro'k. He returned her to the castle, claiming he had returned my sister to life as good as new, but it soon became obvious that she wasn't the same as she had been. Because of the way she had been conditioned by the wizard before he returned her to us, she now only understood and responded to hatred. And eventually, on the wizard's orders, she even attacked Ileia, he former mistress. That's when our fight began.

Then came the day...Blizro'k went on a rampage in the castle, freezing or killing everyone. She had trapped me in the chamber you found me in, and Ileia sacrificed herself to seal Blizro'k away. You know the rest from there.

“So...that heart belongs to your sister dragon?” Mir'n asked.

Pyro'k nodded. That's right.

“So why don't we give her a proper burial then?” Tar'k suggested.

So Pyro'k clawed out a small “grave” just big enough to hold the heart. Mir'n laid it in the ground, and Pyro'k moved the dirt back into place, placing his claws over the fresh dirt, then tilted his head up and let out a thunderous roar in mourning.
“So I guess...the adventure's over then?” Mir'n asked after a few minutes of respectful silence.
Pyro'k shook his head lightly, chuckling. Now that the danger to our land has been eliminated, the people need solid, strong rulers. Preferably those descended from the last royals from one thousand years ago.
Mir'n looked clueless for a moment, then the expression changed to shocked and incredulous.
Tar'k laughed. “Looks like your adventure is just beginning, Mir'n!”

So, there's that, Tell me what you thought please.</div>

none, really

moony810 — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:08:52 GMT

Well, this creepy little would be horror crptup on me at insane hours last night after I read a Chrno Crusade fanfiction similar to this entitled "Doll". But you don't care about my questionable mental state, so here's the story stats:

Title: The Doll
Rating: PG
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Status: Complete
Summary: ...she is inescapable...her terrifying beauty...her awesome curse...

The Doll

A beautful doll in a pristine white kimono stands in the window of an antique shop with no name. The shopkeep takes great pride in the doll's appearance: the silky oil-black wig that just touches her chin, the wide, luminous eyes of black glass, and of course the fine, ivory-colored bisque porcelain her delicate body is crafted of.

The doll stands always in the display window, outshining her peers as the sun would an oil-lamp, making the people exclaim over her as they pass by, or go in for a closer look. "How lovely!"
"Look at those eyes! They look so real!" and they fawn over the petulant pout her rosy lips have been crafted into.

The shopkeep is immensely proud of her doll. Every day she goes through her private ritual with the doll just for the huddled masses beyond the window. She picks the doll up as tenderly as she would a child, runs a lint-roller over every inch of the white kimono, then sits down with the doll and carefully brushes through her wig with a tiny brush made specifically for that wig and that doll. The last step before she sets the doll back in her place before the admiring bog outside is to carefully, carefully brush the dust off her lovely face and the tiny bisque hands no bigger than her own thumb. Then he puts her doll back and smiles, because she(the doll) is better than a sing or name to advertise the store. Everyone who passes talks of the store, and the beautiful doll in the white kimono who is the star of the window display.

She goes through the ritual daily, cleaning and holding the doll to show her ownership, her exclusive right to do so. She(shopkeep) is the only one who can touch her, the kimono maiden, as some have call her doll. And every day she begins to hate the doll more for that. Those sparkling black eyes seem to constantly be entreating her to play, to protect the helpless kimono maiden from those scary people outsideher window. She wishes she could throw the doll through the window with all her strength, shout to the people that they can have the damn thing, but she never does. She sets the doll gently back in the window and politely but firmly tells potential buyers that she isn't for sale.

The next day, entering the store, the doll sits on the counter, waiting for her. Always waiting, damnit! "You won't leave me again, right?" those glistening eyes seem to ask. "You'll stay and care for me forever, won't you?" And she's under the spell like everyone else, or she wouldn't say "Yes," and pick the doll up and cradle it like an infant. The doll's hold strengthens.

"Stay with me."
"Play with me."
"Love me."
"Never leave me, Nee-chan!"

And she doesn't, if only because she can't.

The sun rises early the next morning, and people wanting to see the lovely kimono maiden follow it. They stare into the window and are as enchanted as usual by her childlike loveliness. They are captivated by her luminous obsidian eyes.
But something seems to be missing. Shouldn't there be something behind her? Another display, a store employee? Was there ever one there? There's a vague, collective memory of a pair of hands tending to the doll, but beyond that, nothing.

It doesn't matter, anyway. Their kimono maiden is so lovely in her white kimono with the red patterns down the front, and the sweet smile her rosy lips have been crafted into makes her face so much the lovelier.

Ummm...yeah. I have no excuse, other than I saw a ChrnoxRosette fanfic like this and, having been wanting to write something creepy involving Fatal Frame and dolls forever now, came up with this creepy little ficlet at about midnight last night. The doll was Sae(I think either the white kimono or the white kimono with red patterns down the front probably gave that one away), and the shopkeep is a bit ambiguous, even to me. I was originally trying to go for one of the Amakura twins, but the with the part about the dollie-Sae waiting for her and the "you won't leave me again, right?" it came out seeming more like the shopkeep would be Yae. So you get to choose who the shopkeep is for your own self: Mio, Mayu, or Yae.

what-if challenge

moony810 — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 07:30:33 GMT

Response to the 'Seto was not adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba' what if at ygo-what-if

Title: Paths Not Traveled
Pairings: YamixOC, YugixOC
Rating: PG-13
Summary: What if Seto had not been adopted by Gozaburo Kaiba?
Warnings: slight violence on the part of the coughinsanecough yamis
Notes: Seto also lost the chess game, so...

Chapter 1

Seto stared down at the chess board numbly. He'd lost. He'd -lost-. He couldn't believe it. He knew all of Gozaburo's strategies and had set up his own to counter them. There was no way he could have lost. Not in a fair game, anyway. Gozabura had to have cheated. He must have. That was the only way he could have won with Seto pulling out all the stops.

"You cheated." He accused softly, almost inaudibly.

Gozaburo raised an eyeborw. "You cheated." Seto said a little louder. "You cheated! You cheated! YOU CHEATED!" he cried. The matron clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Please, Kaiba-san," she said in a poisoned-honey voice. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. We don't think he understands half of what comes out of his mouth most of the time."

Gozaburo merely sniffed and left. The matron waved after him, flashing a sickeningly sweet smile. Then, once the limo was out of sight, she glared down at Seto. "You stupid boy! Do you want us to lose our primary source of funding!?" She gave him a sharp spanking right then and there and sent Seto to his room.

"Big brother?" Mokuba asked, sitting down next to Seto.

"I'm sorry Mokuba. I blew it. He was our ticket out of this dump, and I couldn't beat him."Seto said guiltily

"it's okay, Seto. He probably wouldn't have made a good dad anyway. We wouldn't be allowed to sit on the furniture or touch stuff because he thought we'd break it." Mokuba said, pouting cutely at the thought.

"And none of his books would have pictures, an we wouldn't be allowed to have even a little pet like a hamster because it could get loose and wreck his fancy stuff." Seto agreed, wrinkling his nose. "No, that's not the kind of home we want at all."

Mokuba shook his head. "No way. We'll find nice parents who'll play wth us and let us get a pet. And a not a hamster, either. A puppy or a kitten."

Seto smiled. "Yeah, that's right. Goodnight, Mokie."

"Goodnight, Seto." Mokuba returned, going back to his room. Seto rolled over on his cot and tried to fall asleep.

Some Old Fic

moony810 — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 04:18:10 GMT

I got bored so I felt like sharing a few of the things I've written. First is an untitled little piece of Harry Potter crack I wrote. Here you go:

The three yearmates lookd up at the large words daubed on the wall.
HARY POTTER AND THE HUFFLEPUFF ORGY

"Harry, how could you!" Draco Malfoy cried. "I thought we had something special!"

"I wasn't a participant i swear!" Harry cried in self-defense. "They just wanted somebody to do record it for them!"

"Oh shit, you know about that!? Don't tell Viktor! I'm begging you, please, please, by all that is merciful and good, DO NOT tell Viktor!" Cedric Diggory cried, bowing the knee to Harry and his boyfriend.

Draco looked at Cedric strangely. "Viktor? You mean as in Viktor Krum? What does he have to do with it?"

Cedric blushed darkly.

Suddenly the aforementioned Bulgarian Seeker popped out of nowhere. "Cedric is my bitch." he explained to Harry and Draco. "You bend over for me anytime I vant, don't you, Cedric?" Viktor asked the Hufflepuff.

Cedric nodded.

Viktor led the Hufflepuff off to do naughty things to him, and Harry and Draco decided they wanted to do nbaughty things too and snuck into the Potions classroom to have wild jungle sex on Snape's desk.

And in a cave somewhere, Lord Voldemort cried because the only Death Eater willing to give him head was Wormtail.

THE END MAN!

And, a little bit of vampire romance/angst based on my story Children of the Night called You'll Love Till You Remember. Here 'tis:

Atemu looked down at Kiorae's sleeping face and smiled. If he didn't focus on heir surroundings, on the fact that in this day and age, she would have never let him this close in her waking hours, he could pretend the Kiorae he knew had never left. That the clever, witty, beautlful love of his life, the woman he had planned to make his queen, was sill right beside him, and that if she woke up, she would smile sleepily and snuggle closer for warmth. It wouldn't happen like that of course.

If Kiorae woke now and he was this close, she would put distance beween them. Because she was uncomfortable letting any man so close to her, even if it was her beloved and deeply trusted Tem. Not that he blamed her. After what he'd allowed to happen to her. He reached out to stroke her cheek. She nuzzled into his hand and murmured words in a language long since lost to time.

"Tem...ana bahebek..."

Yes, Atemu thought bitterly. You love me. You trust me unconditionally. But only because you don't remember. You don't remember how cruelly those thieves who transformed us broke you. Nor do you remember how I did nothing to stop it. How there was nothing I could do stop it.

"Yes there was." he hissed, suddenly hating himself. "There was plenty I could have done to stop those bastards from breaking you like they did. I could have fought that harlot off, could have pulled those damn thieves off you, because they weren't really that much bigger than me, were they? I could have spared you all the pain. I should have. Any man worthy of your love would have done his best to spare you from the pain.

"But what did I do? I let my lust cloud my judgement. I let that whore do as she dman well pleased with me. And you saw that. You saw her fucking me, and me getting pleasure from it, and that, more than anything those bandits did to you, broke you. There was always a light behind your eyes, you know, because you were happy and in love. Your light went out that day when you saw me enjoying her body. And I know I'll never see it again. Even this eternity we've both been damned to can never be enough for me to gain your trust enough that the light will come back to your eyes."

A wave of need washed over Atemu then. He scooped Kiorae into his arms and started to plant kiised on her cheeks, her eylids, her lips.

Kiorae woke up in the midst of his show of affection. She cried out in fear and tried to get out of his arms. Kicking, biting, clawing like a tormented animal. Finally, she gave up and went limp in his arms, tears streaminbg down her cheeks. Atemu could have cried himself.

"Kiorae-love, please. Please don't cry. I won't hurt you, you know that." At this point, he felt the now-familiar stinging behind his eyes. "I love you too much to hurt you." He rubbed her back and petted her hair. Anything to get her to stop crying. To stop reminding him how even eternity couldn't fix what he'd done to her heart. "Kiorae, love, please. I would never do to you what they did, I promise you." He wasn't even aware he'd started crying himself.

"Please, please." he sobbed out. "Please. I miss holding you and kissing you. I miss being able to be close to you. Please, let me be close. I'd never hurt you like they did, my sweet, sweet Kiorae. Never."

She looked up. "D-do you promise, Tem?"

"Of course." he kissed the tears away. She flinched at the feel of his lips on her cheek.

He pulled away like he'd been burned. Laid her back down on her side of the bed and tucked her in. "Gods, Kiorae. I'm so sorry. Goodnight." He turned away from her.

'I just miss you more than you could ever know sometimes.'

Well, here you go. Jeez, and I was intending for the vampire thing to be a drabble. Well, nighty night. I must sleep now or I'll get freaked at. TTFN

hi

moony810 — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:48:28 GMT

So how do you like my pretty padded cell? It isn't very homey yet because the attendants in this place won't give me furniture...but I'm working on them...

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself. So, hi to all the LJ users that came before me.

Sorry if this makes no sense...I'm new at this. =^_____^=