Prologue- Ascension

So, here goes the first entry that will (hopefully) go into a book and perhaps a series...fat chance, i know, but here goes nothing. it has kind of a sci-fi/fantasy setting (kind of a mix between James Cameron's Avatar and the Eragon/Eldest/Brisingr series) but I hope it works out well. anyways, here goes nothing:

*btw, lightning is a placeholder name, and the story is a very, very rough draft. I would really appreciate some pointers on how it could be better :)

Three figures stepped out from the shadows, their forms illuminated by the bio luminescent plant life around them and by the light of the two crescent moons hanging in the sky, though their faces were hidden in the shadow cast by the hooded cloaks wrapped around them. With a subtle look around itself, the leader threw back its hood, revealing the sharp- almost predatory –angles of its jaw, complemented by the blue-green tint of its skin and the rich black hair that shimmered shades of blue in the moonlight as the figure broke into a cool, determined stride. It was a creature of intense beauty, but also one of predatory mind and skill.
With an almost imperceptible gesture, Lightning signaled her companions to follow, and they matched their stride to hers, hands casually resting on the kiedral Gunswordes hidden beneath their robes. As they moved forward, more of her shadowed companions emerged from the darkness, until the numbers around her swelled into the dozens. A faint smile played on her beautiful features as she casually viewed the warriors positioned around her. They were ready for battle, and battle they would receive. Tonight, the war would truly begin.
Without breaking stride Lightning pulled out a simple staff, roughly a half long, and balanced it within her hand. With a flick of the wrist, two Kiedral blades folded out from each end, easily doubling the weapon’s size. The duel blades glinted in the moonlight, the Woodsteel they were made of allowing nearly unlimited control and finesse while simultaneously hard enough to puncture steel without fracturing. The Insetii, it was known as, a weapon crafted individually for the bearer, a weapon requiring great skill, concentration, and years of practice.
Fortunately, Lightning possessed all three, and something more: the wrathful vengeance of her people residing within the inky blackness of her soul, a darkness that suppressed any feelings of hope, guilt, mercy, or love, kindling the rage and passion in her heart until the moment she struck. It was this inner calmness at the face of death that made her a legend amongst her people and a feared myth to the Sìtral- the humans residing in their sanctuaries of glass and steel, decedents of an invading race who fled their dieing planet for this one, unknowingly triggering the seeds of war with their first steps onto the planets surface thousands of years prior. They were strangers, invaders, harbingers of war and destruction- at for that they had to die.
Raising a hand to halt the war party, Lightning sent telepathic link to the other war bands, some 2 dozen of them, each consisting of up to 40 warriors. Nearly a thousand warriors, an army with numbers hundreds above anything Lightning had commanded before. Still, even with their knowledge of the land and the ever prevalent rage in their hearts, they were vastly outmatched. Whereas the warriors around her consisted of a few hundred, the humans had thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, and no one could survive those odds for long. They would either succeed quickly, or die as another martyr to their cause. She nodded to the few warriors armed with pulse rifles, quickly signaling them to move into support position, then readied the rest of the war party to advance.
The sky had since changed from the black of night to the faded red of early morning, and a hazy mist had draped the plain before them. Lightning broke into a steady run, the rest of the 600-some other warriors fallowing suit. Within a matter of minutes they had broken through the veil, and with the distinct war cry of their people, they charged.
The first of the humans were struck down before they could ready their weapons, their combat exoskeletons made to withstand the pulse rifle blast of the warlike Arascole and were defenseless against the shape edges of the Kiedral blades that plunged through their kinetic barriers as if they were non existent. Unleashing the hidden fury and hatred that had been smoldering within her since for countless years, Lightning struck like an avenging ancestor on the battlefield, weaving in and out of the pulse rifle fire from the second wave, vanquishing two or three soldiers with each sweep of the double-edged Insetii. Every childhood horror, every long-held hatred and silent oaths of revenged were unleashed in a fury of blades, carving a way through the battlefield as her kin followed behind, striking down the human scourge with almost as much hatred and vengeance as she felt- they too, had lost much to the humans, too much to be ignored.
The inevitability of victory was short-lived, however, and with the element of surprise lost, Lightning and her fellow warriors were slowly loosing their momentum, allowing the humans to swell around them and attack them from all sides, an idiotic mistake Lightning had made while in her initial bloodlust. She cleared her head and regained her initial composure, but it was too late for her war band. The golden white of the human’s armor surrounded them, and one by one her fellow companions fell to the deadly burst of the human’s pulse rifles. They fought valiantly, extinguishing five human lives for every one of their deaths, but in the end their numbers proved too many. Lightning had been foolish to think that their initial strike would be powerful enough to cripple the human’s ability to retaliated, and now she –and all her people- would suffer do to her stupidity.
The bodies of her war band lay scattered around her, bodies of the kin she had fought so valiantly to protect, now reduced to lifeless husk to be trampled underfoot by the rapidly advancing human soldiers. Backed into a corner, and with no way out barring an inevitable death, she flung herself towards her sworn enemy with a last, defiant exclamation of “Akiera!”

The world erupted into fire


*If I really get this going (i'm into this story more than any others) I may put up another blog just to archive it..no promises though, we'll see how it turns out.

*Edit #2: This is two pages on word, but, as a prologue, it seems like it should be longer. suggestions?

Christmas Pictures, Movies, New Year's Resolution, And A Whole New Blog On Its Way

That was my Christmas. No water, heat, electricity, internet, ect. It was nasty. Didn't get everything back until a few days ago and even then..been busy cleaning up the mess. Plus, the fog stayed around 'till new years, which means we didn't see the fireworks go off or see the blue moon that would have happened that night. *sigh* what a way to end the year.

Hopefully though, 2010 will be better. My new years resolutions thus far are:

- Get A's and B's throughout the next semester

-stop the god-awful nail chewing habit

-Deal with the blog. Because, seriously, this things been dieing off until summer.
So to bring it back on its feet, I have to do one of three things: find something to write about, change the blog into an entirely new direction (what direction, I have no clue) or delete it. And I'm not too thrilled on the last one. More on that later.

Just finished seeing three epic sci-fie movies within a week of each other: Star Trek, District Nine, and Avatar. Short reviews on each below.

- Fist off, Star Trek. being a sci-fie nerd myself (I'm not ashamed to admit it) IT was amazing...but it may be a different for non star-trek geeks out there. basically,its star trek, which means it has a horrible plot line, and the characters aren't the best (though their not bad at all) either. However, the special effect are just stunning, and the movie has plenty of epic scenes to complement that. Even if you can't tell a Vulcan form a Romulan, its defiantly worth seeing, just don't mistake it for being the next Lord of the Rings of Movies.

-District 9 was...intense. Its rated R, but its just for (a lot) of cussing and a few sexual references, though nothing too bad. And it has plenty of gore. basically, its a kind of documentary in film about slums in Africa/Asia, but its places aliens in the role of humans in poverty. The beginning 30 minutes are kind of strange (its like a long news cast)but the rest is intense, has some shocking moments, and basically makes you feel bad for being human. If you don't mind movies such as The 300, its worth seeing...but its defiantly made for a "mature' audience.

- I'm saving the best for last. Avatar was one of the best sci-fie movies I've ever seen, and that's an understatement. Basically, its the cow boy and Indian story in space: Human corp from earth is trying to expand past earth, and is settling the "wild frontier" of the jungle planet Pandora. The air has too high of an oxygen count for humans to breath, and that leads too some pretty big (and amazingly real-looking) indigenous wildlife, but the coperations can deal with that if it means getting this certain mineral, something that worth 40 times as much as gold on earth. However, theirs a race of giant (10-12 feet tall) blue-skinned aliens called the Na'vi resting on top of the largest deposit, and their not too happy about the corps barging in. So the crops make these sleeper agents called "avatars" which function as living Na'vi bodies that can "infiltrate" Na'vi settlements. The scientist want to use these for diplomacy, but the military wants to use them to drive the Na'vi off the military reserves.
So there's this guy, Jake, who lost the ability to use his legs in some war on earth. He comes to Pandora and enters the Avatar of his twin brother, who died before he could got there. When lost in the jungle (as his avatar), he meets a beautiful Na'vi woman, who brings him to her camp after witnessing some spiritual "sign" (it makes sense int he movie, but is too hard to explain here). So Jake gets a crush on her right away but, wallah! She happens to be the chiefs daughter, and he's not too happy to bring on of the "dream walkers" into his lands. But he agrees to show Jake their waves, and the Na'vi girl is instructed to teach him..which she isn't happy about, because she thinks that he's a moron. Ah, Love. Problem is, Jake's suppose to drive the natives off their home for the corporations, but he finds that hard to do after the Na'vi girl falls in love with him and he is accepted as a true member of the tribe. I'm not going to spoil in story any further, but lets just say that theirs some pretty epic moments and some of the best special effects that I've ever seen. And its long, like, three hours long.
But its worth it just for the way that the characters are made. Ever grown so attached to a character (Harry Potter, Rue in The Hunger Games, ect)that you feel a kind of sadness (best word I can use) when the character dies of the series ends, because you grew so attached to their personality and feelings? That what happened at the end of this movie for me, the characters were THAT good. And that the major reason why no-one should bother to miss this movie...and If you can find a theater with enough tech to show it in 3D, then go for it...even if its 45 minutes away. its worth it.
And one more thing: Blue aliens are hot. had to be said, sorry ;)

Okay...enough with the super-long review, on to other stuff (this is probably the longest post I've written yet). First off, I need to get this blog back on its feet. I've come up with several story Ideas, and I want to see which one you like the best (poll on the side). Here it goes:

-The Last Days. Small "fallen angle" child (looks 6 years old) comes to earth, and though she's innocent, she's bringing on the Apocalypse. Main Character finds his way to (reluctantly) become her protector, and they set off to end the end of all days before the world comes to ruin.

-Ultimatum. haven't thought much on this one, but here's the idea. World War III breaks out due to some major terrorist activity across the globe. Story divided into three arcs, which weave through each other throughout the chapters. One story focuses on a SAS special forces soldier dealing with a rush of terrorist attacks throughout Europe. Second campaign focuses on an American soldier who's fighting a guerrilla war in America after it is overrun by a Chinese Invasion. Third arc focuses on a Russian commander whose dealing with a massive civil war in his home country.

-Subject Zero. story of a girl who is the root of a massive pandemic sweeping across the globe due to some (illegal) biochemical studies to her and her fellow "experiments", plague that is now turning humans into mindless, feral husk. She joins her fellow "experiments' and seek to destroy the ones who did this to her. Finding a cure is second on the list.

-Origami Killer. Ex-FBI agent is just settling down when one of his 8 year-old sons is killed and the other kidnapped before his eyes by an illusive serial killer known as the "Origami Killer". After emerging from a coma caused by said incident, the FBI brings him back in because he's the only one who's seen the murderer's face. Starts on a quest to find his son before the origami killer kills the kid. Kinda stolen off of another source, so needs to be tweaked for it to be unique

-Enslaved. Main character Cole (either 19 or late 20's)is living on his own in a world consisting of only a few million humans after war and famine lead to a massive population crash 500 years before (only around 100,00 left in the U.S).This puts humankind at a sort of backwater stage as the race scavenges to survive of what little was left. His home village was abducted by these massive robotic slaver ships (the remnants of a long-past war)that are gradually picking off the last of the human population and dragging them off the who knows where. He's lives the rest of his life on the run, never straying to close to other human settlements, as they are the prime targets for the machines. However, he does get caught eventually by New York, but he escapes with he help of a girl known as *insert name here*. He is knocked out in the escape, and when he wakes up he finds that *placeholder* has places a headband on his forehead that will make his brain explode if he tries to attack her. She uses him to help her get to her home town in present-day California, as she is pretty much screwed on her own. Reluctantly, Cole agrees (he has to, or she kills him) and together they begin the long trek west, their relationship growing stronger as the months past. Huge-tragic ending that ends up (somewhat) victorious. Stole it form another source, again,s o it needs to be majorly changed, but I think its by best shot so far.

thoughts? Ideas? ways to tweak the last two entries? any help would be appreciated.

Here ends the longest post I've written yet. Im going to get a glass of water :P

Fall Photography

Here's the promised post on fall pictures that I've been hinting at..most were taken in October (I'm a bit late on this), and I'll try to get some more stuff in once the HW situation dies down a bit.

Random Post

Just because I'm bored and I havn't posted for a while, here's a link to Santa singing *I'm dreaming of a white Christmas* in flash. Just to get you into the Christmas spirit.

http://www.toilette-humor.com/christmas/santa_sings.shtml

I promise that I'll get some writing in soon...working on a few short stories atm. also looking to put some fall photos once I find the cable for my camera...

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Happy Thanksgiving! even though its officially today (Thursday), my family had thanksgiving yesterday because we're going to the beach. On the upside, that means warm weather, sun, and surfing (or attempted surfing, in my case), but on the down side we got a six hour drive...ugh

Was going to post some fall pictures, but I still can't find my stupid camera! *Sigh*

Wax Museum

Okay, so in LA we're doing this "Wax Museum" book report, where we basically read a biography on someone born before 1940 then memorize some long speech that we write and and present it within 2 weeks notice. Combined with basketball, I don't have a lotof free time, so that "post every weekend" thing is kinda out the window atm, srry :( This also prevents me from doing anything really fun with my spare time, including my Xbox gathering dust int he corner for 2 weeks (sad face). Anyways, here is the speech, and I would gladly appreciate some outside editing (that's not my teachers :/ )

Hello, I'm Walt Disney, and you probably know me best for creating Mickey Mouse, Disneyland, and Disney World. I was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 5th, 1901, though I spent most of my childhood on a small farm in Marceline, Missouri. As one of five children, I grew up in a relatively large family, occupying my spare time (what little there was living as a farm boy) drawing and writing, beginning to sell my first drawings and the age of seven.
I eventually made my way into McKinley High School in Chicago; where I divided my interest between photography and drawing. I was sixteen when World War I broke out and I joined the Red Cross to travel oversees, tending the wounds of soldiers fighting in Eastern Europe. Instead of the traditional camouflage found on most army ambulances, my vehicle was covered head to toe in colorful, lively cartoons.
After finishing my year-long tour of duty in Europe I returned to the U.S and began my career in animation in Kansas City. I created my first animated cartoon in 1920, later perfecting a new method for combining live-action and animation. After three years I left Kansas City for Hollywood with “nothing but a few drawing materials, $40 in my pocket, and a complete animation and live-action film”.
In California, I combined money with my brother, Roy O. Disney, and together we began animation with a camera in our uncle’s garage. We soon received notice from New York, and received an order to create a new “Alice Comedy”. We started production in the back room of a Hollywood real-estate office only two blocks away from our house, yet we still were successful in creating a lively tale with Alice in the upcoming years.
On July 13th, 1925, I married Lillian Bounds, one of my first employees, and began a long a successful marriage. Lillian was often credited for giving Mickey Mouse the name we know and love, saying that my “Mortimer Mouse” sounded too formal. In the upcoming years, we would have to daughters: Diane and Sharon.
Mickey Mouse, one of my most loved and recognized characters, first appeared in a silent cartoon in 1928, but sound was introduced to movies before it could be released. Mickey first appeared to the public in “Steamboat Willie”, the world’s first synchronized sound cartoon, which premiered in 1928 in New York. Along with Mickey Mouse I created a series of short subjects, known as ‘Silly Symphonies”. Many of Mickey’s friends got their start here, such as Donald Duck and Pluto.
In 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered in Los Angelus, becoming the first full-length cell-animated feature film in history, as well as the first animated “and fully colored” feature film in America. Throughout the next five years, I would create several of these animated films such as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi.
With the beginning of World War II, 94% of my staff began to be involved with special government work, such as propaganda and training films, with the rest of my company’s efforts being put toward certain comedy shorts.
As World War II came to a close, my staff and I returned to animated with 1945’s The Three Callabaros, a musical that combined both live action and animation. My award-winning True-Life Adventures, along with The Mickey Mouse Club and Zorro, were also favorites during the late 40’s and 50’s.
Disneyland launched in 1955 as the $17 million Magic Kingdom. Throughout the next three decades, it would receive nearly 250 million visitors, including Kings, Queens, Presidents, and Royalty from around the globe.
However, my dream for the perfect “Disney Theme-Park” was not satisfied. Purchasing 43 square miles of land in central Florida, at the time being little more than swampland, I began to oversee construction of “Disney World”, a resort that included new theme parks, motel centers, and the Brand-Knew EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) Center. Walt Disney World opened in 1971, while EPCOT opened exactly 11 years later.
I died on in 1966, after living a long life of creativity and imagination. Throughout my life, I received 48 academy awards, 7 Emmys, and nearly 950 honors and citations from every nation in the world. I only hope that we don’t loose sight of one thing- that it was all started by a mouse.

Ultimatum- Entry 1

Okay, finally got around to writing a bit, but don't expect much for quite a while. Basketball starts Monday, and we got a practice time from 4:30-6:00 Monday-Friday. Seeing that by bus rise takes an hour and a half from the 3:00 exit from school (ugh), I have to hang out around school grounds from 3:00-4:00..than have basketball till 6:00. So, in other words, I'm not going to have much time to write. i will, however put forward an effort to post every weekend, whether it be a writing, photography, or a brief summery on how my week went. anyways, here's my opening to Ultimatum:

1st Lieutenant John Ashford
X57 Special Forces Detachment
Imperial Legion
Warship Firedancer

You never enter war without the will to win it. Never will you place you hand on the hilt of a gun intent to end a man’s life until you come to the conclusion that with the victory over war brings about the emotions of hope and love and joy that the society of mankind is precariously based upon. And if you can give your life for those same virtues as easily as you can end another, than you’ve fulfilled your duty as a soldier, and may the maker guide your soul.
It doesn’t always work like that.
At 35 years of age, Lieutenant John Ashford remembered little of the years before the war. Enlisting at the age of 16, just two years after the first Arascole bombardment of Amos, Ashford was a 19 year veteran of a conflict that had raged Imperial space for over 2 decades, and his impressive service record showed that. With over a dozen special commendations, top-of the line special forces training, and a service record that stretched back to the invasion of Everest and the victories over Meigar, it was no wonder that he was serving with 60 of the sharpest, deadliest, and most ***-kicking marines on the face of the planet, the impressive X-Class Infiltration Regiment. Too bad that only five of these warriors were left standing…most of those deaths occurring only within twelve hours.
No one expected New Eden, a mega-world that served as the heart of the Federation’s massive economic empire, to be attacked. Fifty orbital cannons guarded the surrounding system, and if invaders managed to beat through both that and the 300 ships, they would still have to contend with the EMP-repulsing security field hovering around the metropolis and the thousands of men stationed on the planet ready to react to a major assault within an hours notice. Then again, no one expected that the Arascole still had 1500 warships at their disposal this far in the war…and no one expected the destruction that much firepower would bring upon the world below.