Demonscape

demonscape @ 2004-03-22T00:47:00

2004-03-22T05:49:15Z

Having fun with Tsukino Namida. XD

Working on Ashi and Hana right now, those two are the first of the wolves that I introduce. Ashi and Hana are a lot alike, and very much different. They're similiar in stature and past, but Ashi is more trauma and angsty, whereas Hana was very pampered.

They're perfect for each other. XD

Oh god, I'm creating yaoi with my own characters. I have officially gone off the deep end, 'niisan, I give you permission to kill me now. x_x

demonscape @ 2004-03-16T23:54:00

2004-03-17T05:13:29Z

Ahh, Kitaku ramblings.

Was having lots of fun character moments with Akai yesterday. The more I spend time with his character, the more developed he gets. He's turning into a very tragic figure. I really shouldn't be having fun making his life miserable, but he's such a great character to work with.

He changes a lot and quickly. I like how he has this great, carefree and generally kickass attitude to start with. He's very confident in himself and his abilities, and given all that he's been through in the past ten years, that's expected. The first arc gives him very little difficulty, as Rocket isn't really expecting any resistance after being in power for so many years. It's all rote and routine for them. Then this rough-and-tumble guys comes in and shakes things up slightly, so they get serious very quickly. Akai doesn't expect that, and that's when things start to go to hell for him.

Adelia is one of the ones being held prisoner, although I haven't worked out why yet. They don't know Akai's identity, so they don't know to target her. I'll figure that out soon enough though, Adelia is a passive character, I could see her very easily offering herself in exchange for a kid getting out of those cells. Anyway.

When Akai's group storms the compound, all hell will break loose. They'll rescue the prisoners they are there to collect, Akai finds Adelia there but before he can do anything, she is shot before his eyes.

This really throws Akai into a spiral. He's never had cause to doubt himself before ... he's screwed up before and royally too, but this really rattles him. He loses all confidence in himself and his ability as a leader, and the slowly-gaining-steam rebellion starts to falter. It takes Gary stepping up to the plate to at least partially snap him out of it, but something now has changed. The fury is starting to build, and Rocket is going to pay dearly.

Akai is not the same person Kas once knew either, and it starts to scare her. She welcomed him back warmly, and at first it seemed almost like old times. But Akai is a lot different from all of his adventures ... He has learned to be a killer. He doesn't blink an eye at taking the life of a Rocket soldier. That isn't the person Kas knew, and it frightens her.

Akai's character is moving very quickly into a self-destructive spiral, and it's very interesting to watch. He's alienating his allies, his enemies are drawing closer ... the finale between him and Giovanni is going to be terrible, and very, very interesting.

Destiny also is an interesting character. She is actually Akai's sister, but he doesn't know that. She was born the year before he vanished, but Akai hadn't had contact with his mother and didn't know. I'm still working out the time flux between Akai and the real world ... the time frame has shifted slighty. More like twelve or thirteen years have passed.

Anyway, Destiny is fun. She has a lot of the same spirit as Akai, and when he reappears she is instantly at his side, learning. She was a scrapper to begin with, the abolishment of trainers gave her little else to do. However, Akai's very quick descent into vengance is a dark influence on her. In the end, it will be her who carries on into the darkness.

This is delicious. I enjoy taking characters apart, slowly driving them to the brink of madness. I think I'll work on the next page of the manga and perhaps storyboard out a few more. The first chapter is slow anyway, character introductions and development and all that jazz.

demonscape @ 2004-01-21T13:54:00

2004-01-21T18:54:33Z

The initial story is monstrous, but it takes place primarily in Acheron. It is the Eternity War, against the Demon High Lord who has been corrupted by his power and is trying to not only conquer the northern countries but destroy the world by merging it with Earth. To that end, he summons Tala to Acheron to be a catalyst. What is not expected that her arrival is already prophesied as one of the saviors of Acheron. Kyoga, an aged warrior, finds her and sets her on the path to Arzas, the capital of Salandra. Salandra is a country that has not yet been touched by the ravages of the Black Dragon Empire, and it is there that Tala finds her first ally in the young king, Rel Salandra. On the road to Arzas she encounters Caird, a Black Dragon Officer sent to bring her to Drogan. However, Caird is a sympathetic character with a powerful cowardly streak, and he ends up allying with Tala. She is unaware of his connections, and for the time Caird convinces the couriers that Tala is not the girl they're searching for. With Caird and Rel in tow, they go to the oracle at Vir Atis and learn that the Demon High Lord has command of the three Darken Objects; making him nigh invincible. It will take three legendary warriors wielding the three mystical blades to defeat him when he is this powerful. They learn the location of the first of the blades, and a mage named Mara follows them out of Vir Atis. Thus they are four.

Deciding that they need a guide, the four stop in Eran, a wayfarers town. There they enlist the aid of a dark ranger named Cavan, and an elf-like warrioress named Bellenia. They are attacked by demons as they try to leave the town, and those who were ignorant now learn the true nature of their quest. While this is going on, Black Dragon Clan high officers are searching for the final Darken object. While the rumors are that the High Lord already has all three objects, that is not quite true, they are missing the Dagger of Endless Night. The Lance of Eternal Suffering and the Chalice of Void are already in their possession. Besides that, there is the matter of the traitorous Caird to be dealt with, never mind the catalyst of the Earth-born girl. The six travelers head towards the Wain Mountains, where they will travel the Pass of Tarna. The first of the swords is supposed to be hidden within the mountain pass.

While at the entrance to the pass, the group is attacked by more demons, and two new characters join the fray. Shrike the bandit king and Inuai, his demon companion. They offer their services to the group, which Cavan is disapproving of but at the moment every ally with fighting skills is needed. They enter the pass, and almost immediately within Caird is set upon by a dragon. The dragon turns out to be a young draconius, the sapient dragons of legend. Apologizing for the mistake (Caird did look quite tasty); he takes them to the huge aerie inside the mountain, where they question the dragon elders, looking for the sword. The eldest dragon takes Cavan and Tala to the chamber, while the others are occupied. The first enchanted sword, the Sword of Dragon's Tears, is meant for Cavan's hands alone. This does not make him happy, because it means he is more involved in the war than any self-respecting ranger would want to be.

Once the sword is recovered, Dran, the young dragon, gives Tala a crystal that can call the dragons to her if they are ever in need. They continue through the pass, but near the exit there is an earth-moving quake and the group is separated. Shrike, Bellenia and Inuai are cut off from Cavan, Tala, Rel, Mara and Caird. Both groups emerge safely from the pass, but one group emerges about twenty miles to the south. Shrike, Bellenia and Inuai, unsure of what to do, continue on to the border of Eidos, where they are captured as Shrike is recognized as the Bandit King.

The other group is heading towards Pilan, the capital of Viridia. The elder dragon had told Cavan and Tala that the next clue to the location of another mystical blade was held by the King of Viridia's majordomo. However, political tensions are high in Viridia, especially since the King wants nothing more than to betroth one of his daughters to a very unwilling Rel. Thus, the group is not greeted very warmly. To make things even worse, demons such as Caird are very much looked down upon. There is another division of characters in Pilan, as Caird vanishes to save Tala from being captured by Black Dragon Clan members. He goes to the Forbidden Forest, which few return from. Tala, not knowing the reason behind Caird's flight, follows, and they promptly get lost together in the Forbidden Forest.

Cavan, Rel and Mara are busy trying to dig up the clue in Pilan, not knowing that their part in the quest for the enchanted blades has already completed. While trying to unearth information, they slowly but surely try to get an army together to march on Drogan. The Black Dragon Clan officers are organizing an attack on Arzas as this is going on, and Rel gets word quickly that his capital is about to fall under attack. Cavan, Mara and Rel ride to Arzas to lead the army in defense of the city.

Shrike, Inuai and Bellenia are hauled into Na Ulias, a large trading city in Eidos. There, while in gaol, Shrike hears rumors of a mystical sword named "The Sword of Demon's Fangs" and realizes this must be one of the blades. Between the three of them, they break out of the gaol and manage to track down the source of the rumors. The sword is apparently held by a powerful demon that lives in a cave between Na Ulias and the Lioan, the capital of Eidos. They head in that direction.

Tala and Caird are completely lost in the Forbidden Forest, being pursued by Black Dragon demons and are beginning to give up hope when they run across a boy by the name of Jack. Jack takes them to his village, and introduces them to the Forest People. The Forest People were once a nomadic band of humans who lived uneasily inside the borders of Drogan before being cursed by the current Demon High Lord. Immortal and unable to age, the Forest People are bored of life and care not for the events that happen outside of their village. Only a few express interest, and that is because of Jack, who is a scholar. There is a way to remove the curse, but they cannot do it alone. Tala learns that the final sword is kept in the village, but has been shattered. The blacksmith cannot reforge the sword without blood. Tala willingly gives her own blood to reforge the sword, knowing that it is the key to saving Acheron.

The Black Dragon Clan learns that the dagger they seek is held by Inuai and violently attacks the band on the way to the cave. They do not recover the dagger at that point, but Inuai is wounded and slows the band considerably. However, she realizes that the dagger is what they seek, so she is prepared to destroy the relic if it is needed. They make it to the cave and barricade themselves inside, only to find the great demon is dead and the sword missing. The Black Dragon Clan representatives claim that they have the sword and will exchange the dagger for it, but Inuai cautions Shrike not to pay any attention to them ... if they have the sword it is already destroyed, and giving the demons the dagger would seal the fate of Acheron. Bellenia discovers a back passage and they escape down into the hills and head towards Lioan.

The attack comes on Arzas. A large contingent of demons attack in the dead of night, and Rel leads the army into battle against them. Mara oversees the evacuation of women, children and elderly into the mountains while defending them against monstrous demon attacks. Cavan leads a mounted assault against the leaders of the attack, and eventually engages one of the four generals of the Black Dragon Clan, Takarus. Takarus falls to the Sword of Dragon's Tears, but not before revealing Cavan's demonic blood for the Salandrian army to see. One of the captains takes Cavan into custody without Rel's notice, since he was not present, and Cavan gets to cool his heels in the dungeon as the army chases the rest of the demons out. Rel tries to sort things out, but it turns out the captain answers to Rel's advisor, who had been running things in the king's absence and has a mind to take over the country one way or another. Exposing the king's close friend as a half-blood demon is the best he can muster at the moment, and it is causing enough panic as everyone believes Cavan is a turncoat traitor.

While the Sword of Earthan Blood is reforged, Tala and Caird enjoy a break. Those of the Forest People who aren't disillusioned pricks are genuinely nice people with tales of times long past. Once the reforging is completed, Tala is awarded the sword, although she has no idea what help she can be. She is a fighter but not nearly as talented or useful as the others. However, the blacksmith notes that her spirit is that of a true warrior, and she should be as strong as her weapon. Jack decides to accompany them to the outside, for in the conflict lies the answers to their curse. They travel through the forest and meet the queen of the unicorns. Tala's reputation is growing among the beasts of legend. She walks with her enemy unafraid, carries a sword of legend and hails from a world that is mythical to those of myth. The queen of unicorns also gives Tala a trinket and tells her that in the final battle if she calls, unicorns will come to be the steeds of the warriors of legend.

Shrike, Inuai and Bellenia stagger into Lioan, and are very promptly set upon by some of Bellenia's allies. They hustle the bedraggled and weary band to shelter, where Inuai is properly treated, and Bellenia chooses to explain exactly who she is and why this is a dangerous place for her. It turns out that Bellenia is the eldest of the duchesses of Eidos, and is the rightful successor to the throne. However, when her grandfather took ill her younger brother, the next oldest of the family, was taken by a demon and slew their weakened grandfather, as well as the rest of the family. Bellenia was able to escape by sheer luck. She had spent time recuperating with revolutionaries that were opposed to her brother's rule, and then years wandering to hone her skills as a fighter, to prepare for the fight she would one day face for her throne. Shrike is very displeased at this, for one thing he's naught but a bandit now completely embroiled in something he had no business being involved with in the first place, for the other thing, they have a sword to seek and, oh, hey, a world to save? The revolutionary brings them food and tells them that the attacks against Bellenia's brother have been fruitless for he holds an object of great power. Shrike facevaults.

Tala, Caird and Jack emerge from the forest and right into the waiting maw of another Black Dragon Clan general, Jystin the dark elf. Elves are very rare in Acheron, and dark elves even more so. Jystin reveals Caird for what he is, a lower-ranked Black Dragon officer and this shocks Tala completely. She had come to count on the cat demon as a friend and ally, and this revelation that he is her enemy is almost too much for her to bear. This does precisely what Jystin wants and throws Tala off balance, making her easy to apprehend. Jack and Tala are bound together and Caird, in cat-form, is made to draw their wagon. The captured band is now headed towards Drogan, and the Demon High Lord.

Rel is backed into a corner by his advisor. Unless he orders Cavan's execution, the advisor will seize power and likely have Rel executed as well. What's worse is that the advisor is spreading lies left and right, lies that even though Rel and Mara try to discount, the people are listening to the advisor. After all, the advisor was here through the growing unease to the east, and where was the reverend king? Off gallivanting with some rogues and ruffians. While Rel plays the political field, Mara enchants the guards and goes to break Cavan out of his cell. He completely refuses to budge, still unnerved with how violently his demonic side came out in the battle. He has spent his entire life keeping it in check and for it to so easily break free undermines a lot of things that he had believed strongly in. Rel comes down to visit him and they have a long serious discussion about everything that is going on. Rel's advisor attacks Mara in her room, thinking Mara just a ditzy novice sorceress. He has no idea that Mara was the apprentice to the most powerful sorceress on the planet, and is ridiculously powerful in her own right. She promptly thrashes him and discovers the tattoo of the Black Dragon Clan on his back. Using this, she exposes him to the council and the advisor is immediately discredited. All charges are dropped against Cavan, although everyone treats him oddly. He expects this and keeps to himself anyway, but now things are straightened out Rel gets down to the politics of getting Eidos and Viridia's armies to work together and march on Drogan before Drogan decides to attack them.

Using the actives of the revolutionaries as a shield, Shrike infiltrates the palace in Lioan. Unknown to him, Bellenia follows, intent on finishing what had been started by a foul demon four years prior. Shrike's intent is to discover what, exactly this object of great power is, if it's the Sword of Demon's Fangs steal it and get the hell out, if it isn't then they pass up Lioan and come back when the Demon High Lord is dead. However, Shrike is discovered and captured. Beaten, he is drug in to see the Duke, who is wearing no sword but a strange jewel around his neck. Bellenia, who knows the hidden passages of the palace inside and out observes from a secret passage what is going on inside. The jewel is the mysterious Philosopher’s Stone sought by many an alchemist. The council is using it to control both the demon and Bellenia's brother to their own ends. Shrike is thrown in the brig to await execution as a thief, and Bellenia barely escapes the castle. She is wounded in her escape and found by twin brothers. They take her back to their store and treat her. She tells them the abridged version of what was going on, since she can't exactly go around telling people she's the rightful duchess of Eidos. It turns out that the brothers are alchemists and decide to help her out. They know a little of the stone and figure they can be of use, even if only to destroy it. Once of the two is versed in combat alchemy, and the other in healer's alchemy. Nicholas is the healer and helps Bellenia get out of their shop within a day. She takes him back to the revolutionaries’ base so he can heal Inuai, as well as any wounded revolutionaries. Tyler, meanwhile, keeps an eye on the palace, as well as Shrike.

One of the Salandrian army scouts reports that a convoy of Black Dragon Clan officers went through the Wain Mountains and had a girl, a cat demon and a boy in their custody. This immediately brings Cavan to life, and he wants to mount a rescue mission before they cross the border into Drogan. Rel cautions Cavan that it could be a trap, but Cavan will hear none of it. He wants to rescue them, and now, and Mara agrees. If they had found one of the swords, they couldn't afford to let it fall into the hands of the enemy, because they won't hesitate to destroy it. Rel reluctantly agrees, so with a half-score of mounted soldiers to back them up, Cavan, Rel and Mara ride off to intercept the convoy.

The guards are suspicious of Ty, so he decides to be hotheaded and take them out, break in and grab Shrike. Bellenia, Nic and some soldiers show up as this madness is going on, so Bellenia and Nic use the confusion to get to her brother's chamber. A fight ensues therein where Nic has to use alchemy to defend against her possessed brother's attacks. However, they will prevail and Nic manages to transmute the stone into something harmless. Immediately the demon cuts its losses and runs, it had originally possessed the boy for shits and giggles and was then trapped and controlled. Her brother collapses and Bellenia leaves him with Nic while she goes to confront the council. They, of course, deny what she knows to be true and welcome her back but whisper of conspiracy. Shrike and Ty are causing havoc in the dungeon and courtyard with Ty's combative alchemy. The fighting dies down when Bellenia announces herself. The revolutionaries are freed and allowed access to the castle, and both the alchemist twins as well as Shrike are cleared of all charges. Shrike goes with Ty to get some materials from their store and finds an old, gorgeous long sword on the wall. Ty tells him that he and Nic were trapped by a huge demon in a cave wielding the sword, that they slew the demon and took the sword as a trophy. Shrike nearly slams his head against something, that is the Sword of Demon's Fangs! Sword in hand, he returns to the castle. Bellenia cannot leave now, she is bound by so much duty it isn't even funny, so Shrike, Inuai and the two alchemist brothers head off to Salandra. Bellenia busily tries to roust the army to join them.

Cavan's band finds the convoy spending the night not one day's travel away from the border into Drogan. Leaving a trail of slain demons they ride in the middle of the night, catching the caravan by surprise. Caird is cut free, injured, and bolts into the darkness where neither the Demon High Lord nor a demon-possessed Cavan can follow. Tala, once freed, grabs her sword and joins in the fray, heading straight towards an increasingly terrified Jystin. To Cavan and Rel's complete surprise Tala engages the Dark Elf, and completely takes her apart. Once the band is defeated and the General slain, Tala presents Rel the second sword, who refuses to take it. It is Tala's sword and Tala's duty, which makes Rel shake his head in amusement. Cavan, however, is not amused at all by the fact that one of the three swordsmen who have to work together is the bubble-headed novice fighter Tala. He is discrediting what he saw in the night's battle because it was just that, night, and he wasn't sure what he saw. Jack is introduced to everyone, and he tells them of Caird's non-betrayal. Cavan is justifiably upset and wants to find and kill the cat, but Tala pointed out that he did not do a thing to make him suspect and in fact could have turned her in at several points and didn't. Cavan yells that he ran away, but Mara then points out that Cavan would have killed him if he had stayed. The surviving soldiers and the band turn back towards Salandra. That night, Cavan disappears off and in the morning he hauls in a bedraggled, terrified Caird babbling about a flock of wolves descending upon him in the dark. The soldiers know what this means, but Tala and Jack are mystified. Cavan explains that he is a half-demon hybrid, his mother was raped and he is the result. Tala doesn't quite believe him, until he turns into a wolf before her eyes. Cavan was lucky; most half-demons look the part. Rel makes the quiet observation to Tala and Jack that the more powerful the parent, the less like a demon the child looks.

Upon returning to Salandra, the band is reunited with Shrike and Inuai. The three swords and the sword-carriers are all at last together. Inuai still holds the dagger that the Black Dragon Clan seeks, but the one who knew that, Jystin, has been slain. With the realization that they not only hold the three enchanted swords but the key to the Demon High Lord's invulnerability, they decide to march to Drogan when Viridia and Eidos' armies show up. They are due to arrive over the next five days, so the characters enjoy a high-tension break.

Tala trains vigilantly, and under the disapproving eye of Cavan. Even though he is very much against her fighting, he knows that ultimately he has no say in it and would rather her know how to take care of herself. Shrike entertains himself in a similar fashion, learning how to wield the sword he has been burdened with. Nic and Ty brush up on their alchemy with Mara, and exchange interesting debates about the nature of alchemy versus the nature of magic. Alchemy is ultimately the process of manipulating what already exists, whereas magic is the process of creating something from nothing. Rel wrestles with the political agendas he is threatening to drown under, while Jack pours over volume after volume in the massive royal library. Caird is often hiding from the others, fighting with his own humiliation and shame. However, he has irrevocably cast his lot as an ally to Salandra, so he knows there is no where else for him to go. Every day, more and more warriors from the countryside, as well as the army of Viridia stream in. From Eidos, there is no sign. Eventually, they all gird and mount up for the trip, and as they go to set off, Eidos's army finally shows, with Bellenia at the head. All together at last, they ride for Drogan.

There is a strange change coming over Cavan. He is very attentive to Tala, and starts snapping at people left and right. The ever-seasoned Rel spots it right off the bat. Cavan might have a strong rein on his demon side but even so, that demon side is part canine. He's marked Tala as his and doesn't even realize it. This amuses Rel to no end, but Tala is getting irritated at Cavan and doesn't know why he's doing it. They reach the last place they'll make camp before they attack when Cavan himself realizes that he loves Tala. He doesn't have much time to do anything at all about it, and before he can even tell her they are attack by the third of the four generals, Riaal. This one is Shrike's to claim, it is the first time he actually has fought with his sword. However, in the mess, their horses get cut free and bolt. This is a problem, for there aren't any extra. Soldiers offer to give up their mounts, but Tala has the solution. She summons unicorns to serve as mounts in the conflict.

The unicorns proudly bear the band into battle with no need of tack. As they prepare to ride on Kialitan, the capital of Drogan and the Demon High Lord's stronghold, Cavan finally corners Tala and confesses his love to her. Tala is flustered by this, but swallows it. Now is not the time, she tells him firmly. Tala summons the dragons to come and help, and they charge Kialitan. After a long and involved battle, they finally break through into the city itself. Tala, Cavan, Rel, Shrike, Inuai and Ty make it into the main castle and hunt for the Demon High Lord. They find him in the grand throne room of his castle, where shit really starts hitting the fan. First off, Kadar reveals that it is his blood Cavan carries in his veins, which doesn't make our little wolf-ranger very happy. Then he tells Tala that she was brought to Acheron to destroy it with the sword she carried in her hands. This is not sitting very well with either of them, but Shrike can tell that Kadar is baiting them both and warns them. Kadar then turns to him, and tells Shrike his real name, which stuns Tala all the more. Shrike was her classmate in middle school who disappeared the summer between that and high school. Small world, neh? Ty charges Kadar, ignoring all the angst-trauma and deciding to go straight to the ass-kicking. However, Kadar was a powerful demon to begin with, and transforms into a huge black dragon, throwing Ty to the ground, and very nearly stomping on him. He is large enough to fill the throne room and it is daunting, but Tala charges right in, screaming her head off and wielding the Sword of Earthan Blood. Shrike leaps at the dragon from behind, but their efforts are doing no good. What happened to the enchanted swords being the key to destroying the Demon High Lord?

In Arzas, Jack is still reading in the library. He decided not to join the battle, he might be a scholar hundreds of years old but he still only had the physical strength of a 12-year-old. There he finds the legend of the three swords, and how they must be used to defeat the Demon High Lord.

It's not working, at all. None of their strikes seem to land. Even Cavan is having difficulties. Shrike is beginning to despair, and Tala finally understands something, which is the secret of the swords. It is about belief, and willpower. If they do not believe that the enchanted swords will save them, then they will not. The dragon roars in pain as the first hit finally scores. Faith renewed, the three warriors attack the dragon for all its worth. It is Cavan who fells the beast, driving the Sword of Dragon's tears into the top of its skull. The Demon High Lord falls, and about half the demons vanish instantly. They were powered by the Demon Lord's willpower, and with him gone, they just vanished. The only problem is a new Demon High Lord must rise, and if one of demonic blood slays the previous one, the position automatically falls to them. Cavan wants nothing to do with it, and Caird starts to slink off. They catch him, though, and Cavan transfers the power to Caird. Inuai, Nic and Bellenia destroy the other two Darken relics, rendering the dagger powerless and making it near impossible for the Demon High Lord to become invincible ... at least until more ancient texts are decoded. The warriors are victorious and somehow managed to not die in the conflict. Tala finally accepts Cavan's affection and to his complete surprise kisses him right there.

Thus ends the first Tale of Acheron.

demonscape @ 2004-01-21T12:55:00

2004-01-21T17:56:01Z

The temptation to name one of the stupid alchemist characters Edward is overwhelming. Esp. since in the time period I was picking names from, Edward was the seventh most popular male name. *resists, resists*

Oh, hell. He's gonna be a background character. Graugh.

demonscape @ 2003-12-26T00:34:00

2003-12-26T05:53:38Z

Been doing a lot of work on Demonscape again, damn it LoTR and its music. Always gets me in the mood to write and morph things even more.

Slowly but surely revamping it more. Concentrating more on building the world of Acheron, its connections to Mu and how it is connected to Earth. Maturing the characters slightly. Tala's role is ever-changing, she isn't quite the protagonist anymore.

I've ended the story, at least in my head. I know how it ends, and how it begins. Well, Tala, Cavan and Rel's story at least. Shrike and Bellenia too, now that I think about it. But theirs are not the only stories in the vast fabric of Acheron. I've turned my eye to the Knights of the Pentacle, working their story into the contiunity earlier so that Ken and the others are present for the onset of the Eternity War.

Plotting out the backstory of the Forest People is fun. They're like elves, only more detached. They were mortal once and strive to be so again, but hold such bitterness ... ooh, fun angsty characters.

I need to work out the ranks of demons. There need to be ranks. I have for the most part figured out how the half-blood demons work, but the full-bloods and variants all need to be put down ... for later reference.

And how I'm going to friggen start this thing. Everytime I go to "start" it I hit a roadblock the size of Manhatten. It's insane. Starting from Acheron didn't help, starting from Earth got me to chapter 3. I might start from the legends and work my way into weaving the newest players into the legends. That requires a lot of backstory writing though, because the Rose Wars were a very large part of it, as were Kae and Diantha. DAMMIT, more things to plot out. I need to take a weekend, take some good writing music and a laptop that only has word on it and write. Just see how far I get, be it backstory or the full story itself.

That reminds me, I have to plan out the bandit groups, as well as the King of Bandits. Shrike's a fun character to work with, he reminds me of Fox a bit. Lots of writing I want to do, but somehow cannot achieve on my computers. Go flippin' figure. I think I'll bring the typewriter back with me, every now and then I hammer out something good. There's something about not being able to correct yourself that makes typewriters so appealing to me. It's like drawing in pen ... it's hard to cover up your mistakes, so you make more of an effort. With computers ... it all just flows. I'll find a happy medium sometime.

demonscape @ 2003-09-08T01:17:00

2003-09-08T05:27:06Z

Whee, having some fun with Kage's character design.

Kage is Higurashi Kageyasha, aka Kagome and Inuyasha's son. His nick is Kage, he almost never goes by "Kageyasha". (Kage means shade or shadow.)

I'm going to RP him as well as possibly Sango for our Inuyasha RP. Kage is fifteen years old and a hanyou. He's more of a quarter-demon than half, but he's pretty powerful. He IS Inuyasha's son, after all.

Kage has more of Kagome's temperment ... he's generally a nice guy. He doesn't pick fights usually, but once in the Sengoku Jidai he gets used to it.

He has Inuyasha's look to him, but his hair is short and black. His ears are black-tipped and his eyes are gold as well.

As not even a full hanyou, Kage spends three days a month in his human form. He doesn't mind it because when he's at home that means he can be out with friends and not get picked on. However, in the Sengoku Jidai he is antsy and ill-tempered in his human form and comes to appreciate his demon heritage more. Also, Kage smokes, but rarely in hanyou form because his sense of smell is so powerful; he mainly smokes when he's human.

Kage is partially blind in his left eye, but doesn't really tell anyone about it. He's so acclimated to it that it's not a handicap, and only once in a while will he misjudge things. In his human form his eyesight is perfect, so it's another reason why he hates (and likes) being fully human.

demonscape @ 2003-09-06T03:18:00

2003-09-06T07:18:49Z

I may not have written it, but chiiii...

In the end, Tamahome ended up having to carry the stink factory that would later be known as Amiboshi. They were originally going to throw him onto one of the mounts and lead that horse by a lengthy piece of rope, but all of the horses ran away the moment they scented skunk boy. Kenshin still had his reverse blade sword and no one in their right mind was going to try to make him do anything he didn’t want to. Hotohori had calmly issued a royal decree stating that menial labor such as that was below him and it would be a short drop and a southern stop for anyone who defied that order. Tasuki still had the Fan of Doom and no one was willing to challenge him. Chichiri had, in all seriousness, threatened to turn everyone else into newts if he had to carry stink boy. When it came down to Nuriko and Tamahome, the purple-haired crossdresser simply had to pop a tree out of the ground with his bare hands and threaten to clobber Tamahome with it.

Faced with those options, Tamahome stuffed moss up his nose and grudgingly carried the unconscious boy.

demonscape @ 2003-08-31T15:14:00

2003-08-31T19:23:49Z

Lemuria.

The continent of Mu.

Oh, this is dangerous, utterly utterly dangerous. ^_^x;

I've been formulating the history of Acheron lately ... the continents, the countries and other fun stuff so I can fit my world together all the better. But the problem of how to connect it to Earth remained. Atlantis was out, everyone and their brother uses Atlantis as a scapegoat these days (they actually found where Atlantis was, I came across that news article... o.o).

Lemuria. The lost continent of Mu. I don't care if it was originated by a crackpot scientist who wanted fame, it's perfect. It supposedly sunk beneath the ocean 600,000 years ago ... that's great and perfect. I can use it as a bridge to span the gap between worlds and explain the ways in and out of Acheron (has to do with ley lines, yay magic).

Whee. ^_^x;

demonscape @ 2003-08-04T23:23:00

2003-08-05T03:29:07Z

Man, I almost never update other journals unless I'm really in a writing mood. And I'm really in a writing mood without actually wantint to write anything of substance, because I'm crazy like that.

Crazy like a FOX!

...

*discreetly pushes the fourth can of Pepsi under the desk with her foot*

Anyway. Got all ... eight arcs of Twilight of Arcadia mapped out. Oh, it starts out simple enough, but by the end of the story the werewolves have joined forces with the Templar Knights, the Vampyre clan has been split into thirds by an epic civil war and an army of Fallen Angels is sweeping across the land.

I am having way too much fun here. I need to plot out the first arc in greater detail so I can get to working on pages and badgering keenspace to give me an account, spammit.

Also working on a new community project on DA ... *sighs and shakes head* Suffice it to say I'm combining things that shouldn't be, and I have people out for my hide because of it. *waves enthusastically*

Hm. Creative streaks are fun.

Annani isshou datta no ni!

demonscape @ 2003-07-13T21:57:00

2003-07-14T02:09:24Z

Graugh. *kicks things* So creative lately, but no time to write. I've rebooted two stories and retconned a third. x.x Demonscape's in the process of total revision ... and I mean total. I've gone back and changed 30+ years of contiunity. And that affects the present story in so many ways it's making me dizzy. *points at Cavan* It's all the hanyou's fault! Blame HIM!!!

Ah, been working more on Fusoku no Jiko than Demonscape anyway. Decided I liked the assassins idea and I'm working it into two seperate stories... the fanfiction one and an original one that I can squirrel away and perhaps use later. The fanfiction version is the brunt of my focus... I'm having way too much fun with it. Pokemon and assassins an interesting mix makes. Oh, and can't forget the random element-powers a couple of the characters develop as well. Wheeeee. Akai and Aoi are getting the most focus right now, with Midori and Richard coming up second... I've decided that most of the assassins work in pairs and do not know of each other, it makes the inital betrayal even more fun.

Been doing more design art for it as well... I'm making the characters older. It works better if most of the characters are in their mid-twenties, besides, I need to practice writing/drawing older characters. I need to be versatile, spammit!

Twilight of Arcadia's getting a lot of backstory done as well. I've got five very different characters from very different "worlds" thrown together, and each have their own intricate backstories. A vampyre prince, a werewolf/demon-hunter, a medium who gets possessed by ghosts way too often, a fallen angel and of course the magic-user. What's even more amusing is that I'm trying to plan this in a manga/doujinshi format, so let's see how long this lasts.

On the fanfiction front, been working on and off on my character-journals (the Kenshin one from RK02 is funny as ever). My Immortal is running smoothly, at least in my head. I need to finish chapter 4.

Have an itch to write a HP fanfic, I think I'll do a Marauder's one if I do. Much more fun and easier to play with contiunity-wise, because after book five the story can go in a million directions. Besides, that means I can write Sirrus and Lupin stories. Heeheehee. (Not like that you dirty otaku people... yaoi has its place, like in Gundam Wing. Mmmmm 1x2 ... heeheeheeheeheehee)

Well, off to be creative ... dun't know if I'll write or draw but I'll do one or the other. Ja.

demonscape @ 2003-04-15T16:11:00

2003-04-15T20:24:38Z

Got some new things for Demonscape rolling. ^_^x; It's been a bit, so that's a really good thing. Firstly, I'm in the process of editting and writing a scene that's been playing through my head since some point yesterday... it's an important scene, to, character development and major plot points moving forth. Yay! Maybe I'm finally breaking through this huge chunk of writer's block!

Also, I'm working on fleshing out the rest of the Demonscape timeline. 90% of the stuff I've done thus far deals with only the first third of the story. Most of the characters in the first third will still be major characters in the second third, for that only takes place 5-7 years later. However, the final part of the story takes place 50-70 years after that. o_Ox; Understandably, I need to develop those characters, since I don't think any of mine have developed immortality.

So, I've been working out basics without worrying about the plot of it all ... after all, once I decide what exactly concludes the first and second arcs, I can map out the plot for the third and final. I do know that the "three swords" ... the Sword of Dragon's Tears, Clawfang, and the Fifth Knight of the Pentacle's sword will all be involved intimately with the plot. Enchanted weapons last a long time. ^_____^x;;

Also, the two main characters that the story starts out with live in the Forbidden Forest, at the head of a band of rogues and mercanaries. Tavin and Caern are twins, and the leaders of the group. The current Knights of the Pentacle (the focus of the second story) are AWOL, there is no champion and the current demon high lord is being a royal pain in the rear. It seems that the things Kadar started to unlock generations before are starting to manifest now, and there are very odd flucations in the transit system of gates.

Heh. I'm having too much fun with this. I should concentrate on the first story, get it done and get on to the second ... but I'm building bridges between all the stories, and the connections that lie in them.

Like poor ol' Cavan. He's my favorite character out of the bunch, and the kid has it tough. I'm still messing with his hair ... I've turned it red on him before, and likely will again. Also a great fun thing to concentrate on is how hard it is for him to keep his "demon side" in check.

Wai~. I should write, but I dun't feel like it now... forgot my disk, anyway. Well, off to photoshop more pics. And a pic of the newest-named characters? Well, Tavin doesn't have one yet (he came *this* close to being named Tarin ... it still might change...), but Caern's design can be found here.

demonscape @ 2003-03-27T01:22:00

2003-03-27T06:29:59Z

So, haven't been doing much on the Demonscape front lately... so I guess I'll comment on just what the hell I have been up to lately. ^_^x;;

Projects (of ALL sorts):

Contingency: Fanfiction.
A Pokémon fanfic of the oddest origins. It takes place in the Pokémon world but hardly uses the creatures, the only one you see really is Inazuma, a pikachu, and she drops out of the storyline eventually. Basically, the core of the story is ten former (some current) assassins, all trained by Rocket to do things no kids should be doing, finally start to take their revenge. Fun stuff.

RK03: Fanfiction
My massive, on-again, off-again Rurouni Kenshin thing set in current times. Oro. Kennichi and crew are trying to be normal teenagers. No one wants to let them be...

Nomads: Original manga/story
Hell, it's got a website ... check that.

Practical Insanity: Webcomic
Following the exploits and misadventures of interdimensional peacekeepers. In its third revision.

So, that's stuff I'm working on currently, not counting any older stuff. ORO! I'm insane.

Got some fun stuff done on PI tonight. Got a new storyline starting out ... it introduces Shrike to the gang in a most (amusingly) painful manner... Page 3 is my favorite right now. Go here if this image doesn't show up...

*crosses fingers*

Anyway, that's about all. Now I'm tired and gotta split, ja.

demonscape @ 2003-01-27T20:58:00

2003-01-28T02:03:27Z

Uuugh. I am so behind on this I don't even know where to begin. So much stuff to do...no time at all to do it in.

I've been concentrating on character design lately, which is decidedly unusual for me and is pointing out that I'm no where near secure enough with my own characters to write them. I'm paranoid as hell that I'll end up writing them wrong, or they'll turn into walking cliches or other such babble...I need to take some deep breaths and just write.

Another thing that I've been doing is concentrating mainly on the cluster of characters in Arzan. Yeah, it's all well and good that I've got Cavan, Rel, Caird, Mara, Tala, and everyone characterized to a T...what about Lorel and everyone trapped in Eidos? What happened to them? Or...even better...where the hell did my villains galavant off to?

I'm thinking I need to sit down and just write. Forget all this plotting crap, forget all this 'must stick to characterization' shit, and write, before I lose focus on what I'm writing about. Besides, I'd really like having a few pages done and written when Demonscape's second anniversy rolls around. -_-x;

Yeah, I know exactly when I started writing this story...a real rarity for me. I know because I posted it in LiveJournal the day after I had the dream that spurred all this madness. So...I think I'm wandering off to Powell and writing for a few hours...let's see if *that* helps any...

demonscape @ 2002-12-03T00:24:00

2002-12-03T05:30:51Z

Hm. Website still isn't up yet. Oh, well. I'll hopefully have it up and running before my Christmas break, but then again not end-of-the-world type of news.

Working on something...new...for the website. Heh, more information on that later. Janess!

demonscape @ 2002-11-22T00:38:00

2002-11-23T05:46:31Z

Spammit, I need some nice, Cavan and/or Rel icons for this journal. Must...make...icons. Anywhoo, got some good, unexpected plot thing-ys going on. Tala having to disguise herself as a boy was an original plot point that got scripted out but is now back. However I have no clue who Tahan or Lantar are ... but with luck they'll stay minor characters. I'm not going to let character who were supposed to be minor take over countries any more. *pointed glare at Rel*

Rel: What?

Or not die because I like them too much!

Caird: I'm getting nervous.

BAH! I need to write. Urge to write...rising. Library closed. Spammit. No inspiration on these computers. Or maybe it's anxiety. Or hunger.

I want an Aston Martin.

demonscape @ 2002-11-21T23:05:00

2002-11-22T04:06:44Z

My muse doesn't entirely hate me! I got some good writing done on chapter 12... apparently he just didn't feel like working on the beginning of the story. Ah, well. I'll just feed my muse s'more Tolkien tonight and let him digest that... I've got a battle scene to work out with Rel and Tala and some Inarfel throught the streets of a small village. Mm, big strange youkai=much fun.

demonscape @ 2002-11-21T21:39:00

2002-11-22T02:39:50Z

AUGH! *starts laying traps* Here, muse muse muse muse ... heeeere, muse muse muse muse...

demonscape @ 2002-11-21T00:31:00

2002-11-21T05:36:56Z

Well, I've gotten a start on the newest revision of the story. Why do I have so many ideas and inspirations to write when I don't have the time to do a damn thing about it? It's annoying as hell. Oh well.

Chapter one's off to a good start. New direction for the characters. Instead of a new transfer student stirring up trouble the week he shows up, he's been at the school all semester. And he and Lorel are at each other's throats. Muhahaha.

Character of the moment: Cavan DeMarko
Classification: Main character
Allignment: Salandra
Weapon of choice: broadsword

demonscape @ 2002-11-20T02:42:00

2002-11-20T07:43:26Z

I'm going to start to keep a journal about my progress in writing Demonscape. That's what this journal is about. That and other original/fanfic stories. Not stories themselves, that's what this journal is for. This is for accomplishments, ideas, webpage gripes and whatnot. Everything else is staying in my normal journal.

All right, I'm sleepy now. Oyasumi nasai.