Where chaos stops and more chaos ensues. Where Filia plays the electric keyboard.
Where anything goes.
-//o_O\\7 *Home of the Awful, Mediocre and Pathetic* -//u_u\\7
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Where chaos stops and more chaos ensues. Where Filia plays the electric keyboard. Where anything goes. -//o_O\\7 *Home of the Awful, Mediocre and Pathetic* -//u_u\\7 |
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Saturday, January 31, 2004 - The Wayward, Part III.i - 13. That's it, I'm out of here! Having a non-conversational snail-like creature dressed in a laboratory coat for a companion doesn't exactly constitute the most exciting adventure in the world, but the fact that it moved, like a snail, at a decrepit pace, and that it did not seem to value my companionship enough to even turn to see whether I was following was reason enough for me to decide to split. Even if, with its mystic senses, it did perceive my departure, unless it had been holding back some sprinting ability of some kind it was highly unlikely that it would catch up to me. So, while climbing a small hill, I chanced upon the opportune milestone which marked "2" of something to the end of the road, and promptly folded my arms, clicked my heels and halted my pace. It didn't stop, though by merely standing and observing I seemed to notice that it was travelling at the average teenager's walking pace, as compared to what I had previously perceived. Perhaps it didn't notice, or perhaps it didn't care. Even when the noisy trundle and the casual canter of something which didn't sound like my footsteps sounded from behind me, it didn't seem to pay attention. Right, so that's how it goes. It would probably be a better idea to head back to the farmhouse to get my bearings before making a move, rather than accompany a mute stranger which could either be guiding or beguiling me. I turned to head back, to see the horse carriage I had heard earlier rumble past me on well-oiled, squeakless wooden wheels. The man seated there was dressed casually in a shirt, jeans and a simple straw hat, the old nag that pulled it was nothing spectacular, and the cart it pulled was empty. Presumably, the farmer had just delivered his goods to the market and was heading home. Therefore, from this it could probably be concluded that in the reverse direction stood organised civilisation. The cart rolled past, and as I hummed a simple tune to celebrate my escape from my unknown suitor I heard a distinctively piercing yell of discontent from behind me. "Hey, you, you idiot! Get off the road!" roared the farmer, as, although I could not see him from where I was standing, he was the only one there who was capable of making such an exclamation. Naturally, there was no retort of any kind. How exciting. I stood back, and, arms still folded, watched the scene play out. "Damn it! Do you want me to run you over or something? Get off, I say! You imbecile!" No response, as expected. Then, to my surprise, the man did a most unexpected move. He glanced around the side of his cart, so that I could see his face ... and he could see me. "Hey kid, isn't this idiot here a friend of yours or something?" he called from not too far away in a most impatient and irritated tone. "Well, um, no ..." I lied rather shamelessly. I rarely ever tell untruths, unless they suit my purposes. "Don't lie to me!" he growled rather viciously, which sent a little chill up my spine. For starters, he had called my bluff, and, more importantly, it wasn't a good idea to get into trouble when you had exactly no idea where you were, and who you were talking to. "I saw you travelling with him! I could see the two of you walking up the hill together! I say you get your stupid stubborn boyfriend off the road right now before I send the constable after both of you!" B ... boyfriend? What the hell? I didn't even know whether that thing was a he or she! But, identity issues aside, despite the incredibility of the threat I decided that it wasn't a good idea to annoy a walking, talking person who could come after you any second, so I slowly and deliberately strode over in my most cross fashion to that troublemaking terror. "All right," I yelled in my meanest and most furious tone, which was not much considering that it was only mid-morning, right into what was presumably the ear of the wrapped-up twit, "I don't know who ... or what ... you are, but you're getting me into trouble! So, get off the road, right now!" That being done with, I stepped back, put my hands on my hips, and did my best to satisfy that rather unnerved farmer seeking some kind of justice. And, suddenly and strangely enough, it moved! As if it had abruptly sprouted obedience, it noiselessy shuffled to the grassy side of the road while still facing away and down the hill, leaving that odd trail of liquid on the ground as it moved. What, was the creature listening to me or was it a conscious choice, taken only to test my patience further? "Thank you oh so very much," huffed the man in a tone tinged with sarcasm as, with a flick of the reins, the horse broke into a slight gallop as the cart trundled down the hill. "Damn you ..." I grumbled resentfully as, without even turning back to glance at me, the coat-wrapped creature began to move forward again, "I hope you have a good explanation for that, because I am so totally, incredibly, utterly ..." Wait, shouldn't I have asked that farmer for a lift or at least some directions? My passion overtook my common sense in my moment of carelessness. But, enough thinking ... "W ... wait for me! Hey! Stop!" I yelled helplessly as I dashed like a fleeting wind down the side of the hill, one hand holding on to my hair to keep it from swatting me in my eyes, the other on to the back of my skirt to hold it down, but my chase was fruitless. The farmer and his cart had rolled on. "Damn ... damn damn damn ..." I cussed, rueing my miserable fate being lost, tired, sweaty and intensely irritated. I paused for a moment to catch my breath, wipe away the little beads of sweat, and to mutter a few obscenities on the side, where I knew they wouldn't be caught and carried into the air by the wind. And then, as I panted, I felt something brush past me ... That laboratory coat, still edging forward relentlessly like the dauntless tortoise it resembled ... not that I was much of a hare anyway. That creature was either being unnecessarily irritating and childish, or it seemed to sincerely want me to follow it. And since, I doubt the sentience of a creature which can neither speak nor react would allow it to exhibit such distinctly human traits, my guess fell on the latter. It was leading me, and it wanted me to follow, even at the expense of my physical health or my sanity. So, you get the better of me. Fine. I followed. And, if this abomination's actions constituted some kind of wicked plan, it had to be an extremely convoluted one indeed. - Despite all trials and tribulations, against all odds ... your adventure continues - Hmm ... Durham University's Van Mildert College offered me AAB to read History. That sounds like a more challenging ... and more expected offer. It must be the competition, methinks, and they didn't offer me the choice of campus I wanted either. But beggars can't be choosers. The worthless scoundrel that I am, I shall wait patiently for the final university, Warwick, to make me their choice of offers between Literature and Creative Writing (which, honestly, I don't think I want to pursue on a university level right now) and History. Que sera, Sara. Whatever will be will be? posted by Charlotte | 3:54 pm (0) comments Friday, January 30, 2004 - A Way with Words, Part III.ii - 12. What? No!! What are you talking about?! I was paralysed. I had to be. For how could I be expected to be reminded of anyone by my name except myself? What was this ridiculous fellow babbling on about? I'm not one to be unnecessarily rude to perfect strangers ... except to perfect strangers who find it (consciously or otherwise) in their mind to be similarly rude to me. Only something as utterly provoking as this could trigger in me the necessary reactions to overcome my natural timorosity. "Well, excuse me!" I retorted, hands instinctively thrust upon my hips to strike an imposing figure ... or at least the most imposing I could, being rather pathetic and all, "That isn't a very nice thing to say! For starters, it's an extremely rude question to put to people, and furthermore, I don't even know who you are, yet you ask me such a personal question! I must say that I am feeling very offended indeed!" Aei and her mother gaped at me, as anyone would at somebody who had just spotaneously combusted, "Er, Charlotte ..." stammered Aei rather timidly in a fashion not too dissimilar from mine just minutes before, "That's my father ..." Really? He looks kind of old to be the father of such a young girl ... "Oh, er, um ..." It probably wasn't particularly pleasant of me to tell him off, either. Maybe he was a bit senile, or was asking the question in all genuinity. Perhaps I ought to say something to mediate my harshness ... "I guess that I ..." "Oh, forgive me!" the old codger bawled out as he suddenly fell to his knees, "Forgive me, Princess! I ... I'm not worthy, no, no I ain't! Have mercy on me poor soul!" The old man's words seemed to drive a cleft across my stream of thought. This time, I did not have the slightest idea of what he was babbling about. Had he just been struck by a divine bolt of weirdness or something? And what's this nonsense about a Princess? "Princess? You?" Aei gazed at me in wonderment, the curiosity of her eyes piercing me to my heart, "Really?" "W ... what ..." I stuttered as I backed away uneasily, "I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talking about! Honestly! I don't even know how or when I got here! You're scaring me!" "Ay, lass, don't punish me! I'm but a farmer making his life on da land," cried the freakishly deranged bloke as he stumbled toward me on his knees, trying to grasp my hands which I stuck out to ward him off as I backed away, "Ah have been paying me taxes and supporting da King your father, aye, don't hurt me now your majesty!" Help ... "So ... that's why he's been thinking about the Princess," his wife called out from the dinner table in a voice more sensible than that of anyone else, "She's on the front page of the news paper!" "The news paper?" I murmured a little more thoughtfully as I glanced while she brought it over, the door being the obstacle preventing me from escaping the old man's mercy-seeking clutches. He caught my hands in his wrinkled, weatherbeaten ones and caressed them with his tear-stricken fingers while he cooed in an infantile fashion. For a moment, I felt that I was glancing into a mirror as I saw a familiar silver-haired girl adorning the front page of the news paper, which was oddly titled the 'Ouaiie Eie'. Before I could get a closer glance, however, Aei skipped over and gleefully wafted the paper out of her mother's hands to read it herself. "Unbelievable! Impossible! Unnaturally absurd!" she read as I carefully tried to bring my hands out of the old man's wringing grasp, as his wife tried to coax him away with a gentle massage to his back, "Royal Princess Uaeouue Missing! Can't be you, though," Aei lowered the paper and gave me a sharp glance as my attention turned to her, "The girl here looks and dresses quite a bit more sexy, you know ..." Well, gee. Thanks a lot. Maybe I should have played along with the mistaken identity thing instead. "My dear husband is particularly fond of the Princess," explained the lady she fervently attempted to calm the old man down while I toweled my hands off with a convenient dishrag she had handed me, "He met her a number of years ago and, bless my soul, he couldn't bear the poor lass leaving his sight. It was just the two of us back then, so that's why ..." "Mmm ... what an interesting story," exclaimed Aei in her inscrutably cheerful fashion as she tossed the paper to the side and ambled over to me, "So, how are you this fine morning, your royal highness?" "That's enough ..." I muttered helplessly, which was all I could say, "I already have enough problems on my hands and I don't want to be any more confused." "Ah, exactly," laughed Aei in an unnervingly soaring tone, "That's why you should solve some of them so that we can have more fun!" "Good idea," interrupted her mother in a more serious tone, after she had escorted the old man, who was breathing so heavily he looked hyperventilated, to a comfortable chair, "Dear, why don't you bring Charlotte to town so that she can find her way back home from here?" "Alright mammy," smiled Aei, before she opened the door and grasped my sleeve to yank me out, "Do step this way, your most honourable majesty!" "Oh stop it ..." Groan. - End (n.) 1. conclusion. 2. terminus. 3. something that's not here - posted by Charlotte | 3:36 pm (0) comments Thursday, January 29, 2004 - A Way with Words, Part III.i - 11. I don't know ... but I guess so ... "Um ... well ... I don't know ..." The old codger gave me a sideways glance that looked like he was either checking the amount of dirt in my ears or preparing to pounce on and devour me in a gory fashion. Basically, I didn't know what he was looking at or what he was thinking, but I knew it was something unpleasant. Anything to avoid an unpleasant fate, even ... "But, come to think of it ..." I stammered as he advanced another step, brown eyes and yellow teeth gleaming while his wife and daughter simply stood and stared, "I guess you must be right ..." "Oh, ya do know somebody?" the bloke suddenly shot upright as the words I barely eked out of me seemed to strike him, "Ah, aye, I guess I do be brighter than I thought!" He stood there and scratched his head dumbly while the other two shifted their curious gaze to him. For me, I felt like crouching to the floor and beating my head against the dusty wooden floorboards. What a joke. "Don't harm the child, dearie," the old lady chided soothingly as she sidled over to the geezer, still cackling obnoxiously to himself, and gave him a warm rub on his back, "We ought to welcome people who don't mean us any harm, rather than scare them out onto the open road where they'll meet all kinds of worser strangers." "Come to think of it, pappy," mentioned Ayie as she surveyed my startled expression, "She does look a little familiar (so do you, my dear ...) ... I have a funny feeling I saw her somewhere else ... today!" Today? How could I have been somewhere else, today? It's only the middle of the morning ... or have I been sleepwalking during the waking hours? But then again, according to the old lady, she did see me ... "Today? Oh!" she suddenly realised something as she left off rubbing the oddly smiling farmer's back and went off to the dinner table to fetch something, "Doesn't she look like what's on today's front page?" Front page? I appeared in the news papers? Now what in heaven's name have I been doing? She grabbed the news paper, folded on the dinner table, and tossed it lightly to Aei who caught it easily. Aei unfurled it, to reveal the front page of a news paper titled, 'Ouaiie Eie', and below it, a picture, in colour, of ... me? Or so it seemed at first glance, before Aei snatched it away to read it herself. And though I was curious as to just what appeared to be a likeness of myself was doing in the news paper I was far too stunned to even change my facial expression. "Shock! Horror! Unnecessary exclamations!" Aei read, as I gapingly glared forward at the old couple who were attentively listening to their daughter, "Royal Princess Uaeouue Missing! Missing?" Aei lowered the paper a little, glared at me in a fashion probably similar to the face that I was pulling at her, before turning back to it. Then she turned to me, and then back to the paper again, and again to me like a pendulum on a short string quickly alternating between two points. "No ..." Aei finally announced, much to my, er, relief, I guess. Anything for a bit of certainty, "They don't look the same. The royal Princess looks a bit older, her hair is parted in a different way, her chest is a bit bigger ..." Hey! Not that I really care, but ... honestly! "Princess?" the old man stammered, before breaking out before me in a distraught fashion, "Princess! Oh, my princess! Missing! This is darned awful!" Uh, my princess? Having regained a bit of control over my senses, no longer being the centre of attention, I shot the old lady a rather puzzled look. "Oh, you see ... well ..." she crossed over to me, giving a glance to both her husband and Aei, before whispering in my ear, "Quite some years ago, my husband met the princess and thought she was the most beautiful thing in the world. That is why Aei is here, you know. She's brought so much happiness to me and my dear husband." She ... wait ... no ... how many years ago was this? I was racking my brain with mathematics when Aei, having perused the article throughly, tossed the paper onto a side table and stepped up to me. "Mammy, what is it you are whispering about?" "Nothing, dear ..." she replied tactfully as she sidled back (my, she is dextrous on that pair of slippers ...) to her old man to comfort him and prevent him from tearing up floorboards in his angst, "Why don't you help out Charlotte over there?" "Yeah, good idea!" Aei exclaimed before gazing back up at me with that inscrutable grin of hers, "Haha ... it looks like you really need help! Unless you really want to be mistaken for the princess ... not that I'd mind *giggle* ... I guess I'd better hurry and help you get home from here. Why don't I take you to town, and maybe you can find something there?" I nodded timorously as I watched the old man clutching his head in his hands, his eyeballs on the verge of exploding, while his wife attempted to soothe him with some massage therapy. I needed all the help I could get to find my way home before I forgot what little I already knew about myself. And help, any help at all, would be appreciated, even coming from someone I found as difficult to thank as a girl several years my junior. And what was that she said about ... - Adventure? End? What's that? I haven't heard of it! - Oh, just a little update about real life ... York just offered me a BBB to read History there! And from my point of view, I find that fantastic because I haven't got anything so far beyond being kicked out by Cambridge and an unanswered letter by East Anglia which just happened to arrive during the A levels requesting work samples. Furthermore, York is one of the best for History (top 5 in most guides), and the average offer as given in the previous prospectus is AAB. And, if I get AACC or worse for my A levels I think I really need to go top myself for wasting 12 years of education. So, the question is just whether I should seriously consider it or try for Cambridge again ... No, I'm a loser who just doesn't know when to give up, in life or the lack thereof. posted by Charlotte | 3:59 pm (0) comments Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - War of Words, Part III.ii - 10. This is easier than I thought! First, I simply stared at the seemingly nonsensical scribbles scratched all over the scroll. They didn't look readable ... they merely felt as if they meant something. As I fervently attempted to delve into the hidden mysteries of the scroll, I thought I saw the scrawls swim before my eyes, and to change and distort and merge. I felt my lips tremble as I sensed a mystical transformation before me. Did it really change at all? I blinked, and suddenly all seemed to be as it was, the writings on the scroll remained indecipherable, my mind seemed relaxed again. And I kind of felt good about the experience of it all. "Well, how do you feel, dear Xkwyr?" Pwyns Xjrmynq asked inquisitively as I stood there dumbfounded, holding the scroll while the heavy sword I carried was lodged between my arm and my chest, "Can you channel the incredible magical energies of my homeland?" "I don't know about channeling energy of whatever, but ..." I stammered as I tried to rationalise the mysterious experience, "I just feel good about it." Then, almost instinctively, I flashed him a wincing smile which, upon hindsight, I never would have under any circumstances. What was I doing? "Ah, then you have got it!" he exclaimed, and raised both hands to the sky as if he was receiving from the heavens a most holy and divine message or an extremely great boulder, "Indeed, you must be a prodigy of the mystical arts, dear Charlotte, for magic must seem to come so naturally to you while students and scholars must practice and experiment to produce even the slightest of effects. I am indeed most blessed and honoured to have encountered such a skillful and talented spellcaster as yourself, and I congratulate you most wholeheartedly on your astounding achievement!" "What?" Um, what did I do? I just felt a little happy, that's all ... then with an uncharacteristic grin and shrug of the shoulders, I humbly accepted my fate, "But hey, who cares! Thanks a lot! I'm so happy, you've made my day!" And then momentarily, my sensibility caught up to me again, "What the heck am I saying? What did I just do to myself?" "Er, well ..." Pwyns stammered as he attempted to explain, "I think you've cast a spell of curing on yourself. But since you're probably not injured, such a spell of positive energy repaired not your damaged body but your negative emotions so you feel much happier. I think, if the court sorceror told me correctly ..." "What? So I just made myself act happy?" I cried out in horror as the scroll just about fell from my hands, "This is so stupid! It is like taking an overdose of anti-depression drugs! It is like deluding yourself into a false sense of contentment! It is like ... like the most happy and joyful and wonderful thing I have ever felt! I'm so ..." Was this a magical version of laughing gas or something? "Argh, stop it!" "Do not fret, good Xkwyr," he attempted to reassure me with another waggle of his finger, obviously oblivious to the immense mental torment I was going through, "I assure you that this sensation will wear off in a short time, since the spell you cast was not a very strong one. Furthermore, this feeling you are experiencing is certainly not an intended efect ... should you injure yourself then use this spell you will definitely not encounter this scenario again. I think ..." he concluded rather uncertainly. "What, you're saying that I should hurt myself to see if this thing works?" I protested, before I felt that sensation overcome me again as I involuntarily slipped into an unnaturally coquettish position, glancing up at his sun-lit face, "But ... you wouldn't dream of hurting a poor little girl like me, would you?" "Well, I do have a dagger ..." he pointed out rather suddenly as he reached into his robe again to flick out an elaborate yet functional blade from within, "You may use this for a moment, if you wish ..." "Uwaa!!" That last comment froze me in mid-pose as all of that unnatural happiness was swiftly purged out of me, "Er, no ... thank ... you ... very much. I guess I'll be fine with these ..." I rolled up the scroll, and, with its counterparts, I stuffed it in a convenient pocket at the side of my dress. They were rather large, such that they could not fit totally into the small compartment, but at least they were light enough that they did not encumber my movement too badly, unlike that massive, hideously oversized ... "Hey, if I'm going to learn to use magic, I don't really need this ... stupid ... damn ... heavy sword any more, do I?" I muttered as I painfully slipped the monstrosity from under my arm, which had already gone numb from blood deprivation caused by holding the ridiculous thing for so long, "Besides, you do need your ... bloody ... confounded ... royal sword back, don't you?" "Oh, not for now ... no, I don't," he remarked rather nonchalantly as, in shock, my grip on the abomination loosened and it fell to the ground, nearly smashing the bones in my feet and smacking me rather painfully in the stomach, "I, having been trained in the swift and graceful techniques of the Assassin, in truth find myself more comfortable with the humble dagger. Bearing a full-length sword would only be an encumberance should we encounter enemies or opposition of some sort. Furthermore, while you may focus your energies in the magical arts it is also important to have some sort of defense against physical attacks, and that is why I believe you ought to be thankful that I so graciously loan my royal sword to you to assist you in our endeavours." W ... what? Be thankful? Well, excuse me! Lugging this imbecilic thing around would practically assure that anyone who wanted to kill me would be able to cut me down in seconds ... before I could even lift it. Why did he even bring this piece of rubbish around with him anyway, if he wasn't going to use it? "Make haste, good my Xkwyr," he called out, ambling along without paying attention to either my plight or my mounting resentment against him for burdening me so, "It is imperative that I find my good Princess as soon as possible so that we may be fast married, and peace and unity may once again reign over our divided lands. Onward!" With scrolls in my pockets and a dirty great sword between my hands, I stumbled forward as the royal twit gambolled along in a deranged happiness that reminded me of my own just moments before. Charlotte became a Level 1 Priestess! Yippee! *revelry* *street parade* *marching band* - Will your adventure continue? Flip a one-sided coin. - posted by Charlotte | 3:56 pm (0) comments Tuesday, January 27, 2004 - War of Words, Part III.i - 9. Just what is this gibberish? I couldn't do it. That's because I couldn't understand it. And that is because I couldn't even read the damn thing! It was as if its author had written it while sitting outside during a wintry day, just after having downed several mugs of coffee. It wasn't even words, or symbols, it was just scrawls. I guess, if one had a vivid imagination, those scrawls did look a little like articles from the alphabet, but even if they were they didn't look pronounceable. "What is this nonsense?" I bawled as Xjrmynq gazed at me in an almsot teasing fashion, "I can't read this stuff! It looks like ... like just a stream of consonants. Are you sure you're not just trying to make a fool out of me?" "No, no, my dear Xkwyr," he chuckled, waggling a finger as he watched from his pedestal of greatness with me wallowing in the ignorance beneath, "If I wanted a fool, there are many at my disposal already present at the palace and they'll do a far better job of it than you can. But you are right, on both counts." His face suddenly grew serious as he sighed, and his haughty shoulders sank a little. Breaking off from my little tantrum, I wondered just what it was that was so profound as to impress someone with his attitude. "These words are the pure expression of the stream of Consonance. It is the energy that fuels our mystical land, that empowers our scholars and soldiers with incredible powers that defy science and logic. And it is utterly incomprehensible to those who cannot find affinity with it." He paused a little at this, and covered his face with his palms in a powerful expression of dismay. I stood aback, suspicion of any trick of his having dissipated. "One of which I profess myself to be," he confessed solemnly, before raising a fist to rail at the sky, "That is why, good Xkwyr, my parents wish me to find a noble and honourable maiden to be my wife, such that my life will be complete, and I may finally find true peace and harmony with this great stream of Consonance, and, as one with this awesome power, lead my nation to greater advancement." Um, okay. Quite a speech, I must say, and I almost subconsciously wiped away a tear at the declaration of his laudable intentions. But I still couldn't understand the stupid scroll. "There should be no worries, then," Pwyns exclaimed as he snatched the illegible scrolls out of my hand, and almost reflexively fell back into his mischievously lackadasiacal mood, "You still have that sword, right (oh, how could I forget ...)? On your path to becoming a member of the honourable Knyghts Y Frry, you may train as a powerful swords-girl with my ceremonial weapon! Onward, brave warrior!" 'Brave warrior?' Didn't I just say I couldn't lift that ridiculous thing? And now he wants me to fight with it? I simply have got to find a way out of this. "Er, but, good Sir," I stammered, trying to fake uneasiness as much as possible while I was bursting with passion in a desire to tell him off, "What would you use in battle, then?" "I?" repeated Pwyns with a shake of his hair, "Why, I have my own weapon, then!" He reached into his robe to pull out another blade which gleamed with the reflection of the morning sun ... and in comparison to the nonsensically huge sword I was carrying looked more like a kitchen knife. Hey, w ... wait a minute! "Um, isn't that ..." "Never fear, my faithful young follower," he proclaimed while waving that pathetic article of cutlery in the air like a deranged chef, "Being of royal blood, I was not trained in the rough and unbecoming art of heavy combat but instead in the skillful and graceful techniques of bringing swift death to one's enemies with the dancing dagger of the Assassin. That sword I bear is merely one that designates my rank and status to my countrymen and my opponents, and, I assure you, despite its ceremonial role it is every bit as fearsome and deadly as the blade of any common soldier. Fret not for I will find you an appropriate replacement as soon as I possibly can, but feel free to train yourself in swordsmanship with the aid of the blessings borne by this royal sword you bear!" All right. That was a bit convoluted, but at the very end of it I knew that I had once again been degraded in the eyes of the oh-so-high and mighty Pwyns Xjrmynq of Consonance. And I was stuck with a sword that was so utterly royal I felt it was better left in the stone where it was found. "But, my good lord ..." "And now, that you have been given the blessing of the royal house of Consonance, we should tarry no longer," he announced once again without paying attention to a word that a lowly grunt such as I uttered, "We should make haste for the capital of Va World, whereupon I may meet the princess who is destined to be my bride! Onward, most courageous and gallant Xkwyr!" And he marched on, leaving me standing there clutching that damnable sword to my chest, and feeling thoroughly miserable indeed. I guess I had better start liking this thing if I wanted any reward that a windbag like him could have promised. Charlotte became a Level 1 Swords-girl! Hooray! *fanfare* *confetti scatter* *handshakes all around* - Can you believe it? Your adventure is likely to continue even after so long! - posted by Charlotte | 3:32 pm (0) comments Monday, January 26, 2004 Yay! Yeah! All right! I won FFIX! And ... you know what that means? I've completed my own FF marathon as far as I could possibly take it. And though I do have a copy of FFX on me, I feel that this is the best occasion to draw my own little fantasy to a close. FFIV-IX, six games, three months, uncountable enjoyment. I used to avoid Final Fantasy, I remember, because I thought that blending science and magic kind of corrupted the essence of fantasy but upon actually sampling it for myself, I realise that it's not something that's really critical to the game. Themes and premises are important, but there's only so far you can go before things start repeating themselves. What's more important is the story of the events and characters that make things happen. It is when you start seeing things in terms of plot and characters, rather than themes, that you are actually able to appreciate each different story for what it is. Sure, placing the emphasis on themes will certainly merit you as a great literary conossieur, but I only have so much love to divide and I opt not to place it so much on a particular genre as on specifics that I know and remember. And I can honestly say that playing Final Fantasy, heck, as many as you can get your hands on, is something that you have to do at least once in your life. Then again, you probably don't want to take me too seriously there, since among that list I also add watching the Star Wars trilogy as well as Monty Python and the Holy Grail. A taste of fantastic humour past, present and future, I guess. Still, as I said, I only have so much love to give, and so in my own sardonic yet irrationally confused fashion, and also to take an opportunity from cracking my head over continuing the story, I shall attempt to pass some sort of evaluation over the games I've played so far. Many people consider FFIV to be the "real" start of popular Final Fantasy, since that's where Square first put in active time battles, and again many consider FFIX to be the "end" of a generation of Final Fantasy, because it contains so many references to previous FFs (besides Kingdom Hearts which featured, ugh, Disney?), and also since FFX is for PS2, and is thus in a class of its own, and thus merits its own sequel and so on. Therefore, that's what I'll blather about in a vain attempt to incite some heated and discontented response. I'll avoid spoilers as far as I can, probably just about as much as you can find in the average FF FF (read, Final Fantasy Fan Fiction =P), so that I avoid unnecessarily offending people and bruising my conscience. So here we go, first in a decade of blabbering. Let's start with the main players in every RPG. The characters! All opinions here are totally my own. If you disagree, well you have your rights and I have mine. Heck, you have the right to state your opinion so if you disagree go ahead and do it! All of Final Fantasy and other aspects thereof are the property of Square, now Square Enix, so don't sue me for anything other than having bad opinions (I'll jump bail...). Favourite Hero Character: 6. FFV : Bartz/Butz "Well, he's just a wanderer who gets thrown into the plot by a twist of the scriptwriter's pen, and even so doesn't really do anything special/have any special abilities to distinguish himself. He doesn't even have much of an attitude, besides a sense of humour that's synchronious with the other FFV characters and a sense of honour which, heck, every FF character has. A pretty nondescript guy." 5. FFVI : Tina/Terra Branford, or Celes Chere, or Locke Cole, or whomever "I guess this decision comes about mainly because there isn't really a hero character in the first place. It is not that I despise each of their individual stories (heck, I love their individual stories more than any other FF) but there isn't really a dominant personality along the lines of the other games. At least each of the remotely-defined heroes has spunk and style and attitude of their own, unlike poor Butz." 4. FFVIII : Squall Leonhart "Honestly, this guy was my favourite hero character. Until he became Squall Heartilly. His quotes of 'Whatever', 'I'll do it myself', 'You're all so childish' and others really make him appeal to me and he appears much older and more mature than his age. So much that he looks really silly (or feels silly to conceive him) riding a chocobo. But Rinoa spoilt everything, and he's exposed as a helpless child hungering for real affection. Great character development, unfortunately, it's into a frame of mind I dislike. A double-or-nothing character in terms of appreciation." 3. FFIX : Zidane Tribal "Yay! Everyone's favourite monkey boy. Well, like (almost) everyone in FFIX, the cuteness factor helps a lot, plus his love/hate relationship with Garnet makes everything a lot funnier. As the story progresses you see a lot more of him besides comic relief, not to mention that he's not very funny at all in battle. For the enemies. He has a pretty well-rounded personality and has lots of potential. The only major let down is the plot of FFIX itself which really messes up one's appreciation of him." 2. FFIV : Cecil, the Dark Knight "Hey, how did someone from the earliest game I've played make it this high? Wasn't Square supposed to do better with each new game? The real truth is that he has a lot of old-school charm for people who enjoy fantasy-fantasy and not techno-fusion like FFVI and beyond. The story of evil-turned-good and the understanding of one's role as a person as well as as a hero makes him more endearing than many (well, several) others. Or maybe it's because there isn't really a love story since all pairings are given at the beginning. Hmm ..." 1. FFVII : Cloud Strife "Right. The guy with the oversized sword and the attitude problem. I don't really care. As with probably the most hero-centric plot of all the FFs, it probably makes sense to say that Cloudy is the most well-developed hero character-wise. As he should be. Go play the game, and go play the other FFs, to see why he most befits the title of "hero" (since it's not possible to explain why without throwing spoilers left right and centre). Plus, he also has immense humour value, not in himself, but when around others, like the girls snuggling up to him or everyone teasing him about his big sword and stupid hair. And he said the exact words which I really wanted him to say to Sephiroth. Shut up." Favourite Non-Hero Character(s) : 6. FFV : Faris and Galuf "Just as FFV was intended to be, none of the characters really have anything special about them, so this is not so much as picking the good from the bad but picking what little you can out of not very much at all. Character-wise, of course. Faris is interesting by virtue of having a mysterious past, inciting several not-too-unexpected but sufficiently endearing plot twists, and ... being your most powerful character, I guess. Galuf is both the joker and the emotional centre of FFV, with him losing his memory than rediscovering it leading to both comedy and tragedy, so he's someone you remember. Raina/Lenna is, well, pretty weak, character-wise, and Krile/Cara doesn't do enough for you to know much about her. As I said, it's finding what little good you can." 5. FFIV : Kain, the Dragoon "Again, FFIV characters are also pretty weak character-wise (beyond Cecil) not because they are the same, but because you don't have them for very long and not much is gone into about the other "main" characters such as Rosa, Rydia or Edge. The only character whose development you can really trace is Kain's, whom you meet at the beginning and at the end, and you see him develop in the same way as Cecil except ... with more extreme consequences. Anyway, he's also one of the few whose emotions and motivations are explained, and he has his own scene at the end. And he has beautiful hair." 4. FFVIII : Irvine Kinneas and Quistis Trepe "For me, the decision here is pretty clear-cut. I thoroughly, thoroughly dislike Rinoa and Selphie because they both behave like twats. The source of Rinoa's endless, insatiable love for Squall is never really explained but screws up the plot utterly (because I made Squall treat her pretty bad before Disc 3) and Selphie is only shows real emotion a few times and is more often comic relief that is too annoying for my taste. Zell is Zell, and that's fine with me. I kind of like Laguna, especially at the end when I felt his story was (much) more moving than Squall's, but his retarded behaviour for most of the game counters that, and Kiros and Ward don't leave much (or in Ward's case, say much) to get to know them better. I guess I prefer laughing at Irvine's silly attitude around the girls while separately I appreciate his ability to divine the realities of life (such as about being a sniper). A biased decision on Quistis, since she isn't a really well developed character beyond a short exchange with Squall, but she is immensely preferable considering the distasteful nature of the other girls in the story, playable or not." 3. FFVII : Aerith/Aeris Gainsborough, Red XIII and Cid Highwind "Besides being centred around the life and experiences of Cloud, another major player is Aeris so it would be good to start there. One would argue her silly behaviour around Cloud to make him uneasy is a lot like Rinoa's or Selphie's, but the difference is that Aeris has maturity in the time that she's not dragging Cloud out on a date. She is able to recognise and reconcile a variety of emotions (play the game...) and that's better than anything Rinoa and Selphie can do. And she doesn't whine. What happens to her isn't the reason why I remember her, but what makes me feel even more strongly about how she behaves before that. Red XIII is a voice of sensibility amidst a flurry of resentments against life, swear words, and the squeals of girls trying to pick up Cloud and so he's significant. Plus, everyone bullies him, the poor little doggy. While Barret sometimes acts like a jerk, Cid is a jerk, and he's @%^*$ proud of it! In truth, he kind of replaces Barret as the violent, swearing, smoking drunkard of the party once you get him, so I'm a little sorry for Barret because there isn't enough room for two of such people and Cid's the better at it. Barret and Cid also have different emotional centres, and I suppose the one you sympathise with more would affect which one you like more, and for me, I preferred Cid's rather rabid mix of individualistic personality traits. For (two) obvious reasons I am not a Tifa fan, and Cait Sith has a lot of potential considering who's behind him, but it isn't exploited enough in the plot and he comes off as alternately comic relief and untrustworthy ally. I kind of like Yuffie and Vincent too, especially their character concepts, but since they are "secret" characters there isn't enough information about them for me to like them that much." 2. FFIX : Vivi Orunitia and Freya Crescent. Well, probably the whole cast besides Garnet "Okay, this is an extremely biased rating because the cuteness factor plays a big role, especially for Vivi and Eiko. Steiner, Quina and Eiko get big points for having probably the funniest dialogues in the whole game as well as having rather severe personality disorders (watch out, Zidane!). Quina is probably the weirdest and most original character ever created by Square and is the defining point of the class of misfits that is the cast of FFIX, and the s/he reference cracks me up every time (what about Quale and Quan? They're he). Vivi and Amarant have the best character development other than the two lovebirds, with kudos to Amarant in this regard especially since he's not one of the starting characters. Garnet is, well, the odd one out because she's both human and not afflicted with a freaky personality or obsession with cuteness, and, well, makes her fairly ordinary. Freya isn't psychotic or deliriously cute like any of the other characters, but that is to her advantage because it really allows you to appreciate her story, of a warrior and a lover, more than anything else, and she's the only one who behaves decently And, in my opinion, Vivi's journey of self-discovery is probably the most touching character development story of all this and the above. I think I nearly cried just 1/4 way into the first disc during the Black Waltz movies on the cargo ship. Rest well." 1. FFVI : Locke and Celes, Edgar Roni and Mash/Sabin Rene Figaro, Cayenne/Cyan Garamonde. Probably everyone "I said FFVI wasn't exactly the best at hero development. That's because FFVI doesn't really have a hero, it just has characters, and FFVI is by far the best at the depiction of individual characters. Each (non-secret) character has their own story, for some more moving than others, and because the story isn't dominated by a single overriding personality (beyond Kefka, I guess) there is room for you to appreciate each and every one on their on merits. Admittedly, there is little character development in FFVI beyond Terra's, but the sheer emotiveness of each individual story is enough to move me more than any other. The dysfunctional relationship between Locke and Celes, each seeking for lost love and comfort. The story of the brothers, whose different choices in life have yet led them to the same understanding. The samurai Cyan who cannot live with himself, not because he is a man without honour but one too full of it. Of course, the others like Gau's incomplete understanding, and Shadow and Relm distorted interaction, even Strago with his deranged quest. Even slam-dancing Mog is always fun to have around. It is too bad that not much is said about Gogo and Umaro, but then it would only be gilding the lily on the FF which has the best ratio of character elaboration to the total number of characters. Looking at the other FFs after having played FFVI only makes you feel why Square couldn't do more for the fewer characters that they have." Best Dressed Character : 6. FFIV : Kain the Dragoon "Okay, this isn't really a fair evaluation since improved graphics later on make characters look a whole lot nicer, so you can probably consider this a ranking within the game, rather than between games. The characters in FFIV as a whole are drawn pretty silly (another FF spring to mind?) such as Edward, Tellah or Cid. Palom and Porom are cute, too, but its more in behaviour than in dressing. The other three "main characters", in my opinion, don't look that great. I thought that Rosa was wearing a hat, Edge needed a shave, and Rydia got up on the wrong side of the bed, until I looked at the picture a bit more carefully. But Rydia still got up on the wrong side of the bed. It's between Kain and Cecil for the "evil dark knight" look, and Kain wins because Cecil's menu picture looks like a cow (moo...). And, no! Yang's only wearing shorts! He doesn't count!" 5. FFV : Faris "This is a tough decision, I think. Butz is definitely out, since too many of his outfits look like ripoffs from previous Final Fantasies. Lenna has some pretty colourful outfits, but her hat-like purple hair, like Rosa's, annoys me. Cara's nice too, but too bad Square didn't see fit to give her basic organs like a mouth and nose. Again, between Faris and Galuf and this time I pick Faris because the outfits worn are more colourful than Galuf's without being annoying as the other two girls'. Well, for a reason, that you can find out if you play." 4. FFVI : Edgar Roni Figaro, maybe Setzer Gabbiani or Locke Cole "Firstly, Mog and Umaro are out for obvious reasons. Square did a pretty bad job in designing the menu pictures (in my opinion FFIV's look better) so this evaluation is mostly based on their walkabout look. Relm and Strago look similar, so that's a slight minus, but then again both of them look pretty nice so that's all right. Strago especially fits the "Kefka Fanatics" look so well that I was tempted to leave him there and let him walk around ... Cyan looks nice and tough in the game but he looks really distorted in the menu. If the "swaddled up in identity-concealing clothes" look is for you you'll like Shadow and Gogo, but even I'm not that excessive on piling on the layers. What's Gau wearing? A singlet and shorts? But since I can't see carefully, I'll consider him to look a bit like Zell in FFVIII. Sabin has great muscles ... a bit too great (FFVII girls spring to mind), but he looks good both in the game and in the menu. Locke looks like a great adventurer but he could do with a shampoo, and what's that red thing on his head? His hat? His handkerchief? The great toss up was between Edgar, Setzer, Celes and Terra, but the girls were out immediately after I saw what an obscene outfit they were wearing in the "official" chibi pictures by Square (what, swimsuits?). Edgar and Setzer both look great, and of course I can't resist long white hair, and I guess Edgar edges out because Setzer kind of looks better in Zombie status, which is creepy. Oh well, I guess Edgar was wearing the most expensive outfit anyway." 3. FFVII : Aeris Gainsborough and Vincent Valentine "Again, Red is out (poor Nanaki...) as is Cait Sith. Cloud's spiky armour, to match his spiky hair, should make him a real standout in any place, but a real downer on close physical encounters. Cid (again) beats out Barret for the nasty, swearing, smoking, drunkard with an attitude problem, and though he looks cool smoking during a battle, it's just a game. We don't condone smoking or swearing here! Vincent looks great in his swaddled look (this time showing the top of his head, at least) and the gun fits the image perfectly, but I can't envisage him in the same bishounen fashion that lots of other Vincent fans do. Aeris is, by far, the best dressed girl and in my opinion about the best dressed character with Vincent and maybe Cid. The overalls make her much cuter than any other girl in Final Fantasy who plays the same role (hero's love interest or almost there) like Rinoa(ugh...) or Garnet, and the ribbon is a nice touch, and she retains that same docile yet resolute look in battle mode. While I can commend Tifa and Yuffie on their nice hair (Yuffie's looks a bit like an Afro Rastafarian, don't you think) their dressing is far too distasteful for me." 2. FFVIII : Irvine Kinneas and Fuujin "First off ... all the playable girls are out. Rinoa ... ugh ... nice hair, but whatever she's wearing that isn't indecent is unnecessary, and what isn't ridiculous is obscene. You know, just know that Irvine is trying to get Selphie to sit down, and she only sits down twice in the game in the classroom and onboard the Ragnarok. Quistis and Edea look, um, kinky, especially on the occasions Quistis appears to Squall in the middle of the night, so ... no comment there. I'm not into Kiros' Rastafarian look and Ward looks much better in Galbadian armour because his singlet and shorts show just how bloated he is. Zell looks lively and active in his casual shirts and shorts, but while other boys sport scars on their faces Zell has a ... what's that thing? Not good there. I lump Squall, Seifer and Laguna together because they kind of wear the same thing, coat, inshirt and pants, but none of them really have an edge because while Laguna has the better looking hair and an unscarred face, Seifer has the best looking coat in the best colour (white!) and Squall has a balance between them. It is Irvine who has the best of every world with his beautiful hair, flawless complexion, great long coat, and maybe even his silly cowboy hat and big nasty gun. No wonder he gets thrown into Yaoi fics with Squall, poor Irvine. Fuujin also gets a special mention as probably the best-dressed girl in the whole game, with the military uniform, eyepatch and pinwheel she looks like a pirate. And talks like one. RAGE!" 1. FFIX : Freya Crescent "Did I say how much I like the way all the characters look? Monkey-boy and his love interest do wear clothes, but when they're in Trance they don't so if that doesn't disqualify them, I'd like to add by saying that it must be hell for poor Zidane to put on his pants every morning, and Garnet doesn't really have the same spunk and style as other hero's-love-interests (heck, she's outplayed at that by a six-year-old). But Zidane gets a bonus for looking like he's in berserk every time he fights using a dagger weapon. And what's that on Amarant's head, his hair or his hat (Rosa springs to mind...)? Steiner is the klutz in rusty armour who suddenly transforms into a shining knight, what a Trance! Vivi, Quina and Eiko look pretty funny at never being able to keep still on their feet, though it can get annoying when you're not having the easiest time in battle. But when they're in Trance, ah, everything becomes more serious when a pointy-hat kid throws a meteor at them, or a little angel sends a big monster at them, or they are cooked up for lunch by the craziest chef this side of Uaho Island. I vote for Freya, as the most serious character in the game, not just because I like her abilities but also her outfit with the Hermes helmet and coat of arms and red skirt. And big pointy stick. In Trance, she doesn't look weird or different or anything, she just shines. I just like Dragoons, I guess. Just be a bit careful when jumping if you want to avoid doing a Selphie Tilmitt." Most "Powerful" Non-hero Character : 6. FFV : Faris ... again ... "Basically this last ranking is about which character I would most like to have in my team. Whether that character is really the most powerful or not is something else altogether, but my favoured playing style always includes, besides the hero, a red mage, a monk, and if possible a thief and a dragoon. Obviously, you can't have all in your team at once, and sometimes the roles can or do overlap, so I'm just stating which character I really want to get and keep in my team as soon as possible. Since FFV, as I already said, doesn't go very far as characters are concerned I shall just make it quick and pick Faris, since the best overall stats are available and any Job/Ability at all is suitable." 5. FFIV : Kain the Dragoon and FuSoYa the Lunarian "Yup, I love red mages and dragoons so there you go. If it wasn't for the fact I dislike the concept of summoning (although I do use summons all the time) because I feel it is overpowered compared to regular spells, Rydia would be there too, but Edge isn't a fantastic thief, fighter, black mage or ninja in trying to straddle them all. I also like Tellah, but unfortunately his mana value is permanently stuck at 90 so that ruined his usefulness. And Rosa is only necessary because you can't have FuSoYa all the time. Palom and Porom are weak versions of their more powerful counterparts, Yang isn't a very powerful monk until just before you lose him, and Cid is just a tank, and Edward is just a joke. My favourite four-man team would be Kain, FuSoYa, Rydia and Edge, all in the back row, but that isn't possible, unfortunately." 4. FFVII : Cid Highwind and Yuffie Kisaragi "The materia is such that each character can fulfill any role, so it's just looking at their base stats and limit breaks. Cid is a semi-dragoon and he has the most powerful non-hero limit breaks, so that's his place confirmed, while Yuffie has the best ultimate weapon and well-rounded stats for a back row character. After that would probably be Red, I guess, since he has well-rounded stats for either a fighter or a mage. I dislike using magic in FFVII, since there's little way of getting your mana back because spells like Osmose or Aspire don't exist, but if I used it more Aeris would be there since she has the best magic user stats. Barret can't do much other than blast away or cover your team, so his usefulness fluctuates depending on whether he has a front or back row weapon. Tifa is far too weak for a front row character. Cait Sith is a tank, but not much else ... even Barret gets to be in the back row part of the time. And Vincent, ah, dear Vincent, whom you can't control if you want to use his most powerful commands! My favourite three-man team would be Cloud, Cid and Yuffie, Cid in front and Cloud carrying the Cover and Counter materia." 3. FFVIII : Quistis Trepe and Irvine Kinneas "Again, the system makes it such that only limit breaks and base stats matter. Selphie is pretty useless beyond having FullCure or The End, and a 255% hit rate isn't either necessary nor impossible to achieve so I don't bother with her. Rinoa is powerful as a limit breaker, I guess, with Invincible Moon, but she's weak otherwise. They're both magic users, which I dislike since I can't be bothered to draw magic to replace what I've used, and they are both indecent dressers. Get out! Zell is fun to play and powerful, in the absence of magic using, but unfortunately I can't type in the Duel commands fast enough so I immensely prefer Sabin to Zell. Presumably, minor characters like Laguna, Kiros, Ward, Seifer and Edea don't count since you can't upgrade their weapons or have them around for very long, so that leaves Quistis and Irvine. Both of them have the most customisable limit breaks, since Zell does only damage, Rinoa's are random and Selphie's are mostly those than can be done with regular spells, though I wonder why Irvine can't just shoot all he wants since he's got both the gun and the bullets. My favourite three-man team would be Squall, Quistis and Irvine, with Squall and Irvine being forced into limit-breaking under the merciless whip of Quistis. *evil laughter*" 2. FFIX : Amarant Coral "Yeah, finally, back to old-school characters and junking those far too customisable anything-goes systems. Amarant is a monk and ... he can do anything! Restore HP and MP, deal 9999 damage to enemies, revive dead people, and he can even throw status effects or instant death onto enemies with his claws. No one else in FFIX is this multifaceted. The only thing Amarant really can't do is cast Esuna and Dispel, but then again only Eiko can do that. Your party is going to be incomplete without Amarant. Or rather, you can get away with having an incomplete party if you have Amarant. Garnet and Eiko are basically the same, except Garnet is the summoner and Eiko the white mage and their spell selection and Trances reflect this. Freya is a weaker version of a well-rounded character like Amarant with the advantages of jumping and Chemist, if you use many potions, and Quina too but without those advantages and cursed with an irregular damage rating. Steiner and Vivi just dish out damage in massive proportions. Ergo, my favourite party should have one person from each category, well-rounded character, healer and damage dealer, and my choice would be Zidane, Amarant, Vivi and Garnet, all in the back row with Amarant throwing or using No Mercy, and Garnet throwing the necessary potions or curative items." 1. FFVI : Sabin Rene Figaro and Edgar Roni Figaro "Hmm, doesn't this sound familiar? These two aren't necessarily my favourite characters in the whole of FFVI but they are the must-haves in any party I create in the game! Basically, after a while, assuming you're not fulfilling some kind of absurd challenge, everyone can use magic so evaluation of characters depends on their natural abilities and their base stats. The reason why the old-school character types of FFIX doesn't triumph over this is because each character's abilities in FFVI are so diverse that it is actually worth using any of them. Well, almost. Gogo doesn't count at all since he can have any ability you wish ... except having his own spell selection, the most critical one. Throwing away hard-earned cash and items isn't my favourite hobby so Shadow and Setzer depart here. I also like to have control over my characters at all times so while Gau's Rage and Mog's Dance can produce rather powerful effects, the inability to bring them out of that state without killing them is a major setback, together with Umaro whom you can't control at all. Relm's Sketch can be powerful, but often enemies use abilities favourable to themselves so sketching them would often be to their benefit, while Control is useful in helping Strago learn Lore but often fails, and needs Relm and Strago together. I like Cyan very much, in fact, I would use Cyan more, but his SwordTech simply takes too long to charge up. Terra and Celes are about the same, being magic users, but I prefer Celes' more interesting ability to absorb magic rather than Terra's which just powers her up. Locke steals, and that's something I want in my team, and of course our two brothers have the most diverse range of physical and magic attacks. They never have to press the "Fight" command! Sabin has all kinds of blitzes to make you happy, like AuraCannon/AuraBolt, MeteoStrike/Suplex, Fire Dance, Air Blade and Bum Rush, while Edgar has all his fun tools like NoiseBlaster, BioBlaster, Sunbeam/Flash, Chainsaw, Debilitator and Air Anchor! Hooray! It's a difficult choice picking my favourite team from such a diverse cast, especially in the times when your party splits up, but it's Edgar, Sabin, Celes and Locke, with Edgar Tooling, Sabin Blitzing, Locke Mugging and Celes being the general handy girl with X-magic to heal up, cure status, Quick, Aspire/Osmose and Ultima, or Runic to save your life against dangerous spells. I love them so much I refer to them as the "Blondie Team", plus "Heroine's Love Interest" if you want to specially accommodate Locke in the bunch. My favourite team, my favourite characters." EDIT : Right, I got Vivi's surname wrong. Then again, he has a pretty weird surname compared to many, many other characters, besides, maybe, Quistis Trepe. I keep thinking of "crepe" ... posted by Charlotte | 3:38 pm (0) comments Sunday, January 25, 2004 - The Wayward, Part II - So, here I was following a strange unknown creature in a scientist's coat, who did not say a word or even eke out the slightest noise beyond those caused by its interaction with nature, the wind in its clothing or its coattails brushing against the grass. Mysteriously enough was its seemingly unflinching confidence that I was following it, because not for a moment did it turn back the hood of its robe to gaze at me and hopefully afford me a better glimpse of just what was under it. Even worse, however, was the possibility it had no need to do that. That it was already sensing me and my presence. I fondled the ring the creature had dropped in my hands as I followed it, heading up the road and away from the cliff and the farm, with might just be my last encounter with civilisation before I met a gruesome and untimely end. By the size of the gem it probably wasn't particularly valuable, however, it was pretty enough to merit a favourable appraisal. It had fallen so effortlessly from, what, the hood of the creature, such that it didn't look like a gift, nor did it seem deliberately discarded. It was almost as if its former bearer had not been aware of its presence. What creature was this that was so non-covetous as to carelessly disregard such an item? On and on it travelled, not speaking or looking back. As it encountered the tarred road, however, it seemed to hesitate, as if unsure of whether to cross it, but without too much consideration it merely passed over it, awkwardly travelling half on the road and half off it. And, in the morning light, it became increasingly obvious that the creature seemed to be leaving a trail of wetness on the blackness of the tar, like some massive snail. I felt sorely tempted to rip its clothes off its being, or to dip a finger onto the moisture to examine it, but not-too-quickly forgotten memories of the rude shock the creature had first given me quickly discouraged me from doing so. The potentially threatening barbed-wire fences of the farmland gave way to the bleakness of scattered grass, as my puzzlement gave way to sheer curiosity.Was it leading me back to its lair, where it could leap upon me and devour me at its own leisure? Not likely, since considering its mediocre speed I could probably outrun it if I wished. Was it leading me into an ambush, whereupon I would be set upon by bounty hunters to claim whatever riches out of me they could? Possibly, but that explains neither the irregular nature of the creature, its seemingly liquiform and unnatural non-desirious behaviour, nor the use of so unreliable a bait as curiosity alone. If anything, what kept me going was the encounterance of a creature stranger than myself, of whose mystery I found more intriguing than as to the cause of my own presence at that mysterious precipice. But now, that curiosity was beginning to weaken, to be supplanted by another, similarly powerful curiosity as to just what extent of power that creature held over me. I had walked far enough being fed only mysteries and not answers. Am I going to test it? Close your eyes and pick one : 13. That's it, I'm out of here! 14. Umm ... maybe that's not a good idea. posted by Charlotte | 3:37 pm (0) comments Disclaimer : The Slayers and Filia Ul Copt and all images thereof are the property of Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I don't own any of them, although if I had a choice I would want Filia ... ~//n_n\\7 |
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