Wow.
What a few days.
The Requiem Ball was beautiful chaos. People came in ballgowns and jeans and tuxedos and T-shirts, but everyone was wearing a mask, and everyone was equal. The Bleeding Heart Crypt was where the first book was launched, way back in 2007, and so it was a fitting venue to see off the final part of the series. I laughed, I chatted, I posed for selfies, and then I signed.
And it was a good day.
The signings in Ringwood and Bournemouth were great fun, and of course Bluewater was as manic as ever (five and half hours of signing books and chatting to people... yikes...). On Sunday I did my first event for this tour, and I read out a few bits that had been cut from the first book, all those years ago. And then I signed for a few more hours.
And the response has been exactly what I was hoping for. The one thing that was so vital to me was to give the series a fitting end — an ending it deserved. My mission was to both confirm and confound your expectations, and by what I've been reading online, it looks like I've succeeded.
And the most awesome thing? The lack of spoilers. Sure, there are spoilers out there, but most people have been really considerate of others. Even in the Spoiler Zone to this very blog, folks are content to talk AROUND the subject, rather than address it directly. This is HUGELY appreciated.
The book has been selling really well, from what I hear. I loved the excitement generated around the Black Edition — minions were waiting for stores to open and then rushing inside, trying to find those hidden tomes. It was, in a word, awesome.
And now I'm wrecked.
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«Oldest ‹Older 1201 – 1400 of 4608 Newer› Newest»(Night Blake!
Great Deathy. Just great.)
((Yeah goodnight, cya tomorrow.
*Poofs into Blakey Kitty and snuggles Rose, falling asleep on her with a huge tiny yawn*))
(Totes don't believe you, Chev. But thanks anyway.)
(*Cuudles against Blake Kitty and pats his head*)
(Ok, peep. I'm gonna go to bed. Even though it's only 9....)
(Hello.)
Hey Dragona.
That was actually some of the best timing to finish my counseling session.
(Hey Death! How are you?)
I'm in tears from my session. So, it can be inferred that I feel like a piece of shit.
You?
(Oh..
I'm fine, thanks. Pretty happy. This is the day where I only have one lesson so will be leaving college at 9:55. Be home by 11:30. Then after that I can play Mass Effect and be here all day. But I'll also be here when I'm on the bus (going both ways), so...)
Oh, that sounds like a whole heap of fun :) Well, school is sucky and it's almost over. Fifteen minutes of agony, an hour of yelling and screaming children on the bus, and then I'll be here.
(One hour and 20 mins of getting ready/doing nothing/being here, then I will continue to be here for an hour after that. Then an hour and ten minutes of Geology, and then I will be back for another hour. And then I will continue to be on, if not slightly distantly, as I kill Geth.)
Wow. We only get an hour to get ready of a morning... And I don't get wifi on the bus, thanks to not having any data...
And geography is great, when you're not learning about wellbeing...
GETH! THE NOT AS SCARY BUT STILL SCARY AS HELL THINGY!!
(Computer might die beforehand, though...)
(I get up earlier so I can come on here and do nothing (like staring into space) in a morning.
I do Geology. Which is different to Geography. Geology is about rocks and minerals and fossils and dinosaurs and stuff. :D
Well, they're one of the least scary enemies there are... :P)
(Unless you count them sticking people on spikes and turning them into Husks on Mass Effect and being under control of a Reaper... In ME2, they're not at all scary - in fact, you have one called Legion on your team. In Mass Effect 3 they're under Reaper control again (well, they have Reaper upgrades), and you can potentially allow them to be wiped out. Either them or Leri's species if you decide to allow them to keep the Reaper upgrades (so they'll destroy the Quarians) or not (so the Quarians will destroy them). You can get peace but it is very hard to do. It means doing the right things in ME2, then importing the character into ME3 and doing some right things there.)
(Hey Elleni! How are you? (sorry for late reply).)
(I will continue to be here now until I state otherwise, for the record.)
Well. I'm back.
(Wb, Rose.)
(I'm fine, thanks, you?)
Still the same. But I'm having a ton of sugar hoping it'll make me feel better...
(Sugar always works. :P)
I've had about half a cup of it so far.
(here! possibly distant! Draggie you fell asleep! Again! XD)
(Well I don't think it'll be healthy in that amount. :P)
I don't care... I want to feel better...
Hey Tetris.
(*hugs Deathy*)
*Hugs back*
(Silente - I know I did. It isn't my fault. I think, "Yeah, I feel a bit sleepy." Then in the morning I wake up and I wonder how it happened.)
(XD that's fine Draggie. It happens. Just remind me, Sophia didn't slap Manuel and say something along the lines of 'sorry I prefer my men respectful not touchy feely with drunk people' did she? Was that a dream?)
(*keeps hugging Deathy until it gets awkward then hugs a bit more*)
(Um, no, she didn't say that. I think that was a dream. :P)
(Oh okay! That's good. Manuel was heart broken when that happened in my head. I felt so sorry for him. Wanted to throttle Sophia. It's amazing the affect dreams can have on you isn't it?)
(You can totes stop hugging me he never you want, Tetris...)
(Never! You need the hugz! *keeps hugging*)
(I always know I'm dreaming whilst I'm dreaming so it's easy to differentiate.
Do you want to continue?)
(Yep sure!)
(No I don't...)
Sophia: *kisses Manuel passionately again* I'm starting to get tired. Are you staying or leaving?
(...you don't?)
(We were watching Doctor Who anx Clara slapped the doctor anx my mum sucked on a breath and said they shouldn't have put that in because they wouldn't show a man slapping a woman, would they?)
I HAVE IT
OH MY GOD I HAVE IT
IM LAUGHING AND SMILING LIKE A MANIAC.
I HAVE IT!!!!!!!!
*and
*and
*in
(Star - that's a good point and something I also noticed. But meh, society.)
Manuel: *kisses her back* I..I will stay. If only to help with the hang over in the water...
Sophia: Are you sure?
(morning. Not sure where water came from..)
Manuel: would you prefer otherwise?
Sophia: I'd prefer you to stay. As I've been saying all along. *loops her hands around the back of his neck, her arms glowing blue as she holds the duvet in place with her energy*
(I don't need hugs... I need painkillers. Lots of painkillers...)
(Sometimes hugs can work like painkillers. Just for a different type of pain.)
Manuel: *lifts her up gently, kissing her, and carries her to her bed, gently laying her down*
(*gives death puppies* puppies work as painkillers I think...)
(No. I need painkillers so I can take them all and then be happy.)
Sophia: *kisses him back* *extends the duvet so it covers the bed* *removes part of the dress she had on to show him her scars and moves it to the side*
(Nope. My dog knows something up. That's about all the painkiller-ing dogs do.)
(Rose - the easy way out isn't always best.)
*stares at tablet* to read or to watch youtube...
The eternal question.
(Snow - read. Reading opens your mind. YouTube turns it into mush.)
(No. *hugs her tightly again* stay.)
Manuel: *smiles and lays next to her on top of the covers, still kissing her*
Sophia: *continues to kiss him back* See? Politeness isn't good for all situations. *grins*
Manuel: *smiles back* no but you can be politely impolite.
(The easiest way out in re easiest and least painful...)
(*manifests as a ghost in Oz despite still being both alive and concious* *floats calmingly inside Deathy*)
(Rose, yes, but it isn't the right way out, or the best. Think long term rather than short. As I said before - give yourself time to forget this.)
Sophia: Maybe. *kisses him again* *pulls him closer with the hands around the back of his neck*
(Morning)
Manuel: *smiles and kisses her back* *moves closer to her, pressing against her with the duvet seperating them*
(gtg. Bbl.)
(Hey Chloe! How are you?)
(Bye Silente!)
(Byii Sil
Hey Dragon
I'm tired, but all is good. U?)
(Byii Sil
Hey Dragon
I'm tired, but all is good. U?)
(I get a day off today then college starts for real tomoz, I'm alone for my lectures ( *~*))
(I have one lesson then I'm going home so I'll be here most of the day, albeit distantly as I play Mass Effect.)
(I actually have to get stuff or college today then I'm going out for lunch with my grandparents because I haven't celebrated my gcse results with them yet )
(Lol. I just have to do Geology then home and another hour and a bit bus journey!
May disappear in 10 minutes or so but I'll be back after an hour and twenty, I think.)
(Kk, I probs won't be back till this afternoon when I decide to disappear
And then I may have Tabata and will mostly be dead by then :P)
(It may be a little longer than that but yeah.)
(It may be a little longer than that but yeah.)
(*sighs* tbh I honestly don't wanna go to park trostre which is all the way in LLANELLI jut for stuff -_- but I suppose it's a must)
(*sighs* tbh I honestly don't wanna go to park trostre which is all the way in LLANELLI jut for stuff -_- but I suppose it's a must)
(I think I have to go now. Bye!)
(I'll be back now in a minute)
(Byii)
(I'm writing something again. Like, a story... But I don't know what I'm writing. I just let my fingers explore the keyboard to make sentences...)
(*sigh* and now my parents are calling me to get ready, be back soon)
Okay. Posted.
WHAT THE HELL?!
HOW DID YOU GET IN MY MOUTH, LITTLE SPICY BUG?!
YOU WERE THERE A FEW MOMENTS AGO!
AND IF YOU HAD WINGS, THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU FLY AWAY?!
Flower. I just read what you posted. I am impressed by your writing skills. I could imagine every single bit of what you wrote and this usually only happens with books that I really really love. I think I'll have the scenario in my head for at least a few days and I hope, you will post more soon!
*Stares in horror*
Holmes... No... No one was actually supposed to read that... Because that's just not how I roll...
Yeah, well... it's too late now. I have read it and I liked it even if it hurt.
If I could write like this... the only thing I ever write is Sherlock-Fanfiction. Stupid Mith.^^
Sherlock FF? Nice. I can't say I've read any, but if it works for you, then it works for you!
<3
Uh... I have something else, some other piece of writing that is uber detailed and everything if you want to read it...? Like, if you really want to...
Don't even ask, Flower! I'd love to! :)
5. I'm on chapter five.
I don't know if I should keep reading, or if I should take it slow as a precaution
The room was bright and the walls were dark. White paper littered the wooden floor. There was a large desk in front of a wide, open window, its curtains long torn off and destroyed. The view from the desk showed a lush green yard bordered by large, skeletal trees; their bare branches clawing at the sky like long, brown fingers.
On the desk sat a neat stack of white paper, clear of the scribbled words that were spewed on the sheets found on the floor. Beside this stack of paper sat an old fashioned ink pen and an ink well. On the far wall, the wall furthest from the door, sat a beautiful silver frame which held half a portrait of a black-haired child, the other half if the painting was strewn in the sea of paper.
The man in the doorway frowned and ran a thick hand through his dirty brown hair. His deep blue eyes darted around and took in the scene and a fierce expression clouded them. His lips curled down and a sigh escaped him.
He walked further into the room and extended an arm to the floor, snagging a piece of paper in front of him. He read through the neat calligraphy and sighed again. Nothing useful would be found on these sheets.
Of course she was too smart for that. She would have taken anything that had identified her or destroyed what she couldn't. She was thorough. He hated that.
His footsteps made crunching and crackling sounds as he walked towards the painting and a musty smell hit him, despite the open windows not ten meters away. He continued walking and the nearer he got to the painting, the stronger the scent became.
His fingers trailed over the frame, and his eyes automatically glanced at the child's eyes. They were dark, almost black, but something about them seemed off. The eyes sparkled differently to what was to be expected from the light in the painting. He blamed that error on the artist.
The man's hand retracted quickly as he heard a faint click. It came from the painting in front of him. Slowly, his fingers reached out to touch the frame again.
His eyes narrowed as he watched his fingers and saw the slight depression in the frame. He thought it might have been a trick if the light but as his fingers trailed over it again and the click was heard, he decided against it.
He pressed down harder on the depression and a small section of the frame gave way under the pressure. He frowned, puzzled, and pressed further.
His finger was almost all hidden in the silver frame before he heard a louder click and the button stayed where it was, deep in the wood.
Slowly, the border began to sink into the wall and he stepped back. When the picture was several inches deep, it swung inwards to reveal a small passage, lit by small torches that hung in brackets in irregular intervals along either side of the tunnel. The brackets of iron were mounted haphazardly upon the grey stone wall and it reminded him of a secret tunnel that one might find in a castle or a dungeon. The fire danced along the walls and tried to lick their way up to the high, arched ceiling of the secret passage.
He started to walk along, his footsteps changing from the crackle of paper to the light tap of shoe against stone. The air in the passage was cool and stagnant and musty; the source if the smell in the room behind him.
There was a slight creak behind him and he whirled, spinning to face to closing door behind him. He lunged forward but he was too late. The flames trembled as the closed door sent a small gust of air whistling down the long tunnel. Grimacing, he turned around and walked back down the corridor.
His footsteps echoed off the close walls either side of him and several times he had to peek over his broad shoulder to check no one was following close behind him. The sensation of being followed, being watched, stalked him as he walked but he did his best to ignore it. It would have only been paranoia.
The tunnel opened up suddenly into a large, spacious room. The walls here high and golden in colour, a welcome relief from the grey passage. The off white roof had to be two storeys above his head and towards the centre, a bare light bulb flickered. This room held another desk, this one made if metal unlike the wooden one he'd seen minutes ago. Atop this desk was a single sheet of white paper, black ink scrawled across the parchment.
He walked over to the table to
inspect what seemed to be three symbols sketched onto the paper. The first was a large 'x' with a small line between the two top limbs. The second was a circle with three lines intersecting its centre. The lines joined on the inside and formed a spiral. The third seemed to be half-finished. It was a straight line with two triangles along it's left side. On the right was another line, roughly the size of an a man's thumb nail. It jutted out half way down the first line and curled around its own base.
His fingers clasped the paper and raised it from its position in the table. He was about to inspect the sheet in better detail when something carved into the metal table caught his eye. He sat the paper back down, away from this carving.
Look up, sweetie.
He glanced up towards the far wall and noticed it. A small white camera set high in the golden wall. It's gaze was directed at the table and a soft whir told him someone was, indeed, watching him.
He straightened and walked towards the camera, a smile playing on his lips. "Hello there." He announced, his voice like melted chocolate. "Can you hear me?"
The camera whirred.
"Good. I need to know where I can find the lovely young lady who used to work in this house."
The camera zoomed in again and he frowned. He didn't like that camera. It made him worry - if they had a camera and was watching him right now, what other toys did they have at their disposal?
He turned his back on the camera, walked to the desk and grabbed the chair that was placed behind it. He swung it over the table and strode back towards the camera, placing the chair underneath. He placed a foot on it and then his other, reached up to the camera and pulled it from its mount on the wall. A dozen or so wires came along with it, trailing out the end like heavy streamers.
He looked down at the camera, a normal, everyday security camera, and stepped off the chair. White metal encased the inner wires, gears and gadgets. The screw holes had been covered by a type of plastic or silicon.
He placed the camera on the desk and turned it upside-down, looking for a maker's mark, a brand name, a signature of some sort. His fingers traced the metal, feeling for any indentations and his eyes scanning. He found a name on one of the red wire casings; Steven Batchelouer Security.
Steven Batchelouer was a middle-aged man with little silver hair left atop his shiny head. He tended to wear bright orange denim jackets into meeting because there was no one to tell him not to. Steven liked to think that running his own booming business meant that he was a king and no one told him otherwise; the ones that did were thrown onto the streets from his eighty-three storey building. What a security company needed eighty-two storeys for? No one knew. No one dared to question him, in fear of public humiliation.
He nodded quickly and prised off the lens cap. Underneath were several more gadgets, all coated in the symbols that were written on the sheet of paper, inches away. He picked up the paper, folded it in half and placed it in his pocket. Out of another pocket he produced a clear plastic bag which he proceeded to open and place the camera in.
(I'm back.)
The ending really lets it down... But the start is alright.
(Hey Rose! How are you?)
(Hey, I'm alright. Had icky dinner, but I'm alright.
You?)
(I'm fine thank you. Currently sat in a bus station bored, but yeah. :P)
(Haha, sounds like fun?)
Hi Dragona! *waves*
And Flower! I envy you so much! I want your skills!! Seriously, I loved this! So many details and just WOW!
(Well, no, it isn't. I had a can of Ka or something similar which tasted like crap but meh it was only 49p. :P)
(Hey Mithria! How are you?)
I'm fine, thanks Dragona! You?
Hehe, thanks Holmes.
*Cuddles*
Yeah, definitely sounds like a lot of fun.
Okay, got to do the dishes.
Bbs..
(I'm fine, thank you.
Okay Rose.
14 mins.)
*cuddles Flower back*
Okay! :)
(Switching is so horizontal.)
(Graphic. Autoduck. Sorry I didn't mean to say that. I meant cactus is boring.)
(My snail keeps cloaking. :( )
(Stop this, autofocus!)
(Is it better now?)
(If you only knew how much I'm laughing right now... :D)
(Yay! Sorry about that. Just ignore it.)
(Your autocorrect really doesn't like you, does it? And why am I talking in () again??)
(Oh come on... *goes to figure out a ded*)
(It hates me. :P And I have no idea. :P I suppose I am talking in them because if I didn't it would be Leri talking. :P)
(In Geology today we did about massive sex stations.)
(No we didn't. We did MASS EXTINCTIONS.)
(Ohh... Sex stations!)
(It wasn't Ned it was autocondom!)
(YOU ARE MAKING THINGS WORSE. Stop this. *stabs autocorrect with a knitwear*)
(Dragona. I'm crying...)
(-_-)
(I think hotmail might be stable... Maybe...)
(I've never laughed this hard in my entire life...)
(It's not funny! I was trying to talk. :( )
(But first with the 'sex stations' and then the 'autocondom'.
I don't even know why/how it corrected to that...
XD)
(Normal people's autocorrect: Oh, you spelt something wrong. Let me help you whilst you're typing.
My autocorrect: Do you know that sentence you just wrote with no spelling mistakes? NOPE. As soon as you hit post comment, I'm going to screw that up.)
I dedicate this page to...
... all of you wonderful people because I always do. I love you all and I am so glad that I met you guys!
... Derek because he finished the Skulduggery series. I think we are all proud and sad and happy and confused by this mixture of feelings. Well, I certainly am... Anyway, thank you Derek! You created a new world, a new universe. I got my first Skulduggery book when I was twelve and Skulduggery, Vally, Ghastly, China, Tanith Fletcher, Billy-Ray Sanguin, Scapegrace (who is the most ridiculous killer I ever heard of) and all the other wonderful characters have been with me when I grew up. Thank you for that. You did a wonderful job at making us minions happy and then ripping our souls apart.
... The Walking Dead because it's an amazing show! I guess it's the only show about zombies where the word 'Zombie' is never actually said...
... holidays. Mine will be over in a little more than a week and I guess most of you guys are already back at school. But holidays are wonderful. I was so lazy during the last four weeks, I didn't do anything except reading, writing a little and sleeping. I loved it. May the next holidays come very soon.
The end.
(Oh my god, I'm crying! Dragona, I officially adore your autocorrect! :D)
(I love your auto-correct...)
(HEAR HEAR!!!)
(Nice ded, Mithria. :) )
(Thanks a lot^^)
OH MY GOD! LAST STAND OF DEAD MEN WILL BE OUT ON 14 OCTOBER AND I AM SO EXCITED FOR IT!!!
(hehe, sorry, just realised this...)
(Mothman: It isn't fair... :(
And the Samsung to you, crabstick. No one should love autopsy. It's so annihilating.)
(Uhhh....)
(... O... K... Autocorrect decided to give you nipple space?)
(NICKNAMES. God damn this sjajakfjakfjakdhakdhakdhakfhakfhaj.)
(*Has officially died of laughter*)
(Oh. My. God. This is... I can't even say what it is xD)
(*breathes* ... Okay... Will remain calm... I'll just do what I did with Taia and give her the nickname autocorrect gave her (Raisin).
So Mithria, you are now Mothman.
Rose, you are Crabstick.)
(I'm not sure which one is better xD)
(YES!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM CRABSTICK!!!!!!! I GET TO BE FRIENDS WILL DAN AND PHIL AND PJ!!!!!!!!!!)
(Mothman - at least yours starts with the right letter... And makes you sound like a superhero.)
(Who are Dan and Phil and PJ?)
(Your own Wikipedia article!)
(Danisnotonfire, AmazingPhil, KickThePJ.
They're YouTubers.
<3)
(Ahh^^ Never heard of them...
And Dragona, this is hilarious! I am laughing so much right now! Thank you so much!! :D
And I gotta go now... see you soon!!
*Mothman out*)
(Crabstick - so how does crabstick have anything to do with them? :P)
(Bye Mothman Holmes!!)
(Bye Mothman!)
(I keep emailing Star to try and get hotmail to become stable. :P)
(Because he's part of the FantasicFoursome!!!)
(Aha.
Msd for a few minutes in a few minutes.)
(I'm nearly home. Yay.)
(Okay!)
*hugs Rose* Wbd/msd...
No sign of the iPad in school, I promise as soon as I get it I shall be able to come on for a bit during my morning hours.
(Im here ^^)
*Hugs back*
It's okay!
(Hey Penguin!)
Sigh. Good morning.
(Heya Death ^^)
I shall miss you today. *kisses her gently* Make sure Leif and Kari sleep...Zanida and Thor had a Leif visit at 3am last night, scared them to death.
(Why hello there.)
What's up with you and sighing? It's always -
*She tried to be as tall as she could and put on her best Loki voice*
Sigh... Midgardians.
(Heya Raven)
*shakes head* You'll never get it right. *pokes her*
*She laughed quietly and kissed him back*
Poor Leif... I really wish I could have seen Thor's face. Just absolutely petrified. I will, love. Do not worry. There is something else you should worry about, though...
(Hey Rave!)
*She poked her tongue out at him and continued to imitate him*
Please accept my most sincere apologies, my love. I wish no disrespect if I caused such an emotion.
(I'm alright, I guess...
You?)
((Im listening to your favourite marian, so im tickety boo)
(Right on...)
(*sighs*
its martian )
(Back.)
(I'm sorry, but I don't know who that is...)
(WB Dragona!)
(Hey Dragon
It was a project on youtube but it retired, they have awesome songs)
(Oh my Dutch potatoes the interest keeps dropping out because you know, my brother dropped a glass of water on the internet box and now the internet sometimes works and sometimes doesn't and just..if I poof, blame my brother and his butter fingers.)
(kk Raven)
(Thanks Crabstick and Chloe.)
(Hakuna matata)
(What does that mean, Rose?)
(what a wonderful phrase)
(It means no worries, for the rest of your days!!
It's our problem free...
Philosophy...
HAKUNA MATATA!)
(That is my favourite phrase, next to brevity is the soul of wit)
(I might get some dinner, msd.)
Okay. I have 45 minutes before bed. I have to work kut if I want to read, and risk reading untill midnight, or if I want to come on here and go to bed on time so I'm not tired tomorrow at school.
(Ill be off now anyways, Ill be back this afternoon )
Ah
*whistles* well, if anyone wants to chat, I'm here for the next...
*looks at clock* roughly 30 minutes
(I'm here - eating.)
Hia Drag. How goes it?
(It goes good. How are you?)
I'm good. Delaying reading because I don't want it to end.
(Oh my god.
A YouTuber just followed me of twitter.
*Dies*
And he's British and awesome...)
(What don't you want to end, Snow?
Lol Crabstick.)
I have multiple people I don't know following me. A few youtubers
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