Ha!
I cannot BELIEVE they've let me use that title!
Ladies and gentlemen, the collection I've been promising you, the book that scoops up all those little short stories and provides you with some brand new ones, has been unleashed. There won't be a Spoiler Zone post because it's not one of the "book" books, but even so, try to limit the amount you give away about the endings.
Of the new stories included, I'm finding it hard to pick a favourite. The Horror Writers' Halloween Ball is the most out-and-out comedy of the lot, but Across A Dark Plain is a WESTERN, for god's sake, and it was SO much fun changing my writing style slightly to convey that mood.
But I think Get Thee Behind Me, Bubba Moon is probably my favourite. Much like The End of the World (which is also collected here), it's told from the point of view of an outsider, in this case a middle-aged American man. I didn't mean it to be quite so long, but it grew from a short story to a novella before I knew what was happening. The tone of this one is different, too — until a certain pair of intrepid detectives wander in with their bickering and their jokes...
Anyway, I hope you like it. I hope you ALSO like the sample chapter from The Dying of the Light. It is VERY well written, if I do say so myself.
Oh, and speaking of TDOTL, tomorrow I shall be revealing an awesomely cool limited edition alternative cover.
And it ROCKS.
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«Oldest ‹Older 2601 – 2800 of 4344 Newer› Newest»(I've been ghosting for awhile and Alastiar, that was NOT ok. Loki completely had you. Give it to him.)
*looks over at Adra, a small smile forming* You fear me, Adra, you are right to. I will be your king, and you are the first to realize I am to be feared.
((I can hear him appearing and disappearing. It's not difficult to know when he's behind me, or what he's doing.))
*quickly gives Viv the antidote*
Swallow that and hold still. It's quite a simple poison. Give it a minute the effects will start to wear off.
*turns to the woman*
You. Made a VERY big mistake.
*drags her off by her extensions*
*splits into two, one of him staying with Adra, the other getting up to face Loki* Shall we go at it again, god of mischief? I'll admit you nearly had me last night, but then again, nearly wasn't quite your goal, was it?
(( That, my friend, is complete and utter bull shot. There is no SOUND when he dose that. Beside, he is from ASGARD, I dare say he has better stealth training then the best ninjas on earth. If you saw the Avenger's he caught an arrow in midair speeding at him. I DARE say he is more agile than you.)
My "realm" is more worthy of existence than you are, Loki. We are clearly more advanced than you. We don't use violence to show off or prove a point. We do not consider ourselves above anyone. We do not target the weak.
Take away your Tesseract. Take away your stick with a light on the end and what are you exactly? You're just an arrogant bosh'tet who wants more power to prove to himself that he's worth something after his father abandoned him.
No, it was not my goal. If you wish death upon yourself, I will accept your challenge, Alastair of Midgard. You will kneel before me, as will of you in this meager palace of Midgard, and you Alastair, will be the first.
Zanida: A threat on Loki, is a threat to me. Come on, Alastair, let us see if you can beat two gods.
*Shuffles a little closer to Alastair*
*all of you
(Hey El. Wanna help me beat a bitch to a bloody pulp?)
*starts by pulling out the woman nails, one by one, laughing at her screams*
(The soon-to-be-not-so-beautiful-beautiful-woman who tried to kill Viv.)
*punches her hard across the face and yanks out a handful of her hair*
Woman: *screams and thrashes*
((I can hear heartbeats, Vinette. I can hear the constant churning of organs that aren't meant to leave the body. I can hear muscles moving and stretching as they move a weapon. It's hardly a matter of agility.))
*holds Adra slightly closer* Love, are you breathing?
Zanida, my quarrel is not with you. But I'll fight you as well if I have to. Let's go someplace more open than a cave, shall we?
Alastair... I'm not much of a fighter but I'd kind of like to help, if you need it that is. If not, it's fine.
(( Then maybe you should go move to Asgard. You are acting like a god not a mage with 50 names. Beside, he is the god of mischief, that is not beyond him to have a simple ability to be able to sneak up on other. Play nice for once. ))
Very well, I will fight you, Alastair. Let us go to the forest in Blogland.
Zanida: By the volcano, it is less likely to hurt any of the Bloglandians.
((Alice, I will have to eat during this, so if I go, I'll come back to continue asap, my parents don't let me eat on the computer.-Zaffy))
No idea. But she made a mistake.
*kicks the woman in the ribs, hearing a crack*
*it won't be enough to kill her, or even put her out*
Hey, thanks for the antidote but I'm still tied down!
And don't kill her...yet.
*Barely, she is- her puplils are wide with the fear*
*looks at Viv*
Give me two reasons as to why i can't kill her.
((I've been demonstrating that ability for over a year, Vinette, and no one has yet complained except you.))
Whatever you like, Leri'Hessa. Just don't expect me to endanger myself on your behalf if it comes to that.
I can teleport us all, if that's easier.
I will return Alastair, perhaps a corpse, but he will be returned, Adra.
Thanks Elleni. She took every ounce of my metal away. Even the bits under my skin. And my shirt. She took my shirt. I'd better get a new one before Silente gets distracted from what's she's doing.
I don't really know you, so I didn't really expect you to put yourself in harm's way for me... And a teleport would be appreciated... I don't have any magic, so yeah...
*Whimpers, clutching tightly to her Alastair*
Very well, you will not attack us until we are away from you then. This will be fun. *the two Asgardians gear changes to their battle gear*
(( I'm the only one defend the true nature of the character. Have you actually seen the Avengers or one of the two Thor movies? He should be able to.))
((I dedicate the page to Adra.))
I don't have any metal to use. If I had some I could use it.
Two reasons:
One, I want to slap her first
Two: She's my sister-in-law
((Vinette and I are on Skype, she just said: I bet he will ded to Adra, we read your mind Alice-Zaffy))
*glares at Viv*
Just because you are not wearing a shirt does not mean I'll get distracted.
Woman: *stares at Viv*
*looks at her* *smashes her head back*
((I believe the rest of us have moved on now, Vinette.))
Alright. *one of him teleports the four of them to the forest by the volcano, while the other stays with Adra*
*is dizzy for a few seconds after the teleport but draws shotgun*
(( I happen to be quite stubborn. ))
Oh.
*looks at his sister in law*
Hello Lady. Nice to meet you. I'm Silente. Vivs girlfriend. Your worst nightmare.
*Zanida and Loki move towards the volcano, and Zanida's lance catches on fire*
Zanida: Do take care to not kill me, Alastair.
*quietly* Use your training Zan.
((ugh I gtg eat be back asap!-Zaffy))
Yep, Sister-in-law. I haven't seen my brother since they married. And she is definitely not above a little incest.
*Cuddles her Alastair* thank you, babe.
-
*Worriedly clutches at his coat, her fingernails and fists tightening and clenching up on him, her convulsions continuing*
Come slap her then Viv.
*is juggling a knife, its glowing with red energy*
*walks up and takes a ring off of his sister-in-laws' hand and makes it into metal fingernails on his hand*
*slaps her, shredding her cheek*
She isn't trying to kill me yet. She hadn't used me up. That's when she would have killed me.
*looks at Alastair* ... Shall I take Zanida? I probably wouldn't last long against Loki... Whereas I've fought Zanida before and I didn't die...
*kisses Adra's hair* I'm alright, love. Please just keep breathing.
I was attractive and she wanted me. I said no. She needed no other reason.
*smiles*
*stabs the glowing red knife into her....feminine parts*
*it'll cause immense agony*
*gets up*
Okay. She's not going any where. Care to explain?
Sure. One at a time ought to be easier for both of us, and I hardly find Loki intimidating.
(( Alastiar, not to pry but ... How exactly did you fall in love with Adra? I'm just curious since i'm not as familiar with that story.
And I apologize for the fight. It just seemed unfair by 12 million miles.))
*stares at Silente with new respect*
Um...I...um
(@Elleni: There might have been more of a story, I didn't pay attention to her)
*raises an eyebrow*
Something wrong?
I've had glimpses of it earlier but this...this is something else.
Well... I find Zanida's weapon intimidating... But I guess I have a blade of my own so that should be alright...
I do have a combat drone, though... It fires missiles. It could help us both...
No, believe me...NOTHING is wrong!
*smiles*
Pretty scary is an understatement. Imagine if she had killed him. She's be getting something a lot worst than that.
You okay Viv?
*She can't stop shaking, and rips herself from Alastair's arms, screaming*
*winks at El a creepy grin on her face*
*focuses and pulls herself together a bit*
*the creepy grin mellows out*
((She became unbalanced as a result of her pregnancy, and began to fluctuate between what most consider dramatically good and dramatically evil. Her darker side caught my attention, as I'd always known her to be ruled by kindness, and we started to go off on killing sprees together. After a while of that, we were mutually attracted to each other, so the relationship grew accordingly. And over time I fell for every part of her, balanced just as well as unbalanced.))
Whatever you think would be most effective, Leri'Hessa.
-
Adra? *enters her mind again, trying to calm her as best he can* Love, please, what's wrong?
*looks back at the woman*
*she appears to have passed out*
*shrugs*
She won't die.
Maybe if I put my shirt back on she'll go back to normal.
Don't ask me about what's effective... I'm new to the fighting thing... Ask me to fix the drive core of an Everest-class Dreadnought and I can do that with some spare pieces of metal... Ask me to kill someone and I haven't got a clue...
*The memories are assaulting her consciousness, and she's beginning a downward spiral as her subconsciousness begins to crack, after not being able to process her memories correctly through her dreams*
Can I have some metal please? Anyone?
You seriously think you not having your shirt on has THAT much of an effect? Get over yourself.
*grins at Viv*
You sure your okay? Did she....incest.
(( Thank you for clearing that up. When Zafira mentioned you at first, you seemed to me like satan himself. A man whose gaze itself would drive a person insane due to the pure evil. Then she tells me that you fall for her and I was confused. From what I know about most villians and "the two paths" (psyco and socio)that any genuine emotions where not at all possible. I wanted to know for myself how this came to be. I also appreciate your work,There are not enough good villians in this world anymore.))
You haven't taken your eyes off me...
No, only kisses. Her plan was to do it tomorrow in front of you. She didn't know about the ring.
*smiles*
I'd have liked to see her try do that and only have me watching...
Actually no I wouldn't. That's weird.
(Actually she was going to do it in front of Elleni because she got you two confused....it was a bit of amusement for me amidst the torture)
(Oh. Poor Elleni. That wouldn't have been nice for her...)
(I think Sil corrected her quite well.)
(@El she mistook me for you. She was going to make you watch her and Viv have sex.)
(What about poor ME?)
(9I am back...if you guys are still here.))
(@Viv oh yeah...poor you.)
(@El ikr. I look so much younger!)
(Actually it was her belief that I couldn't be in love with a vampire, not looks. And she has bad informants)
(She's still there for you to slap...)
(Viv...Silente is already hell bent on killing her. You don't need to make it any worse.)
Seek out individual weaknesses, and exploit them. Try to avoid falling prey to your opponent's strengths, and utilize your own as much as possible. Attack vital areas as often as possible. Surprise always gives you an advantage. It's all rather generic, really.
-
*moves to hold her again, pouring energy into sorting through her memories for her*
N-n-no plea- *She screams again, terrified, and unaware of Alastair's presence- that her mind has conjured up of the person being is one with far more sinister intentions*
Are you ready, sister?
Zanida: I am. I don't want to die.
I'll protect you. Come. *a dagger flies at Alastair, unnaturally fast for a human being*
*watches his sister-in-law limp away*
You'd better catch her.
(Im afraid I have to leave for the....well i'd say night but its kind of not yesterday anymore....)
(You sure?)
(How the frock is she even MOVING)
*throws 2 glowing red knives at her intimate area*
*both hit their marks*
(How about you surprise me this time for the goodbye)
(Keep her here. Those red knives will cause agony with one touch. Silente is not done with her yet.)
(Well? Viv is too exhausted to come up with a creative goodbye.)
*smiles*
That's gotta hurt.
*turns*
*stalks forwards and wraps and arm around Viv's neck, pulling him in for a kiss and lending him some daggers so her can use their metal*
**her arms *he can
Thanks.
Stay safe.
*kisses her back*
Safe? Me? *laughs*
No promises.
*saunters off waving at Elleni*
Elleni, are you going to stay?
Elleni, are you going to stay?
*mutters*
She never promises...
Do you know where I can get a shirt?
*frowns*
You mean she isn't dazzled already?
I might cause a commotion...be prepared to rub for your life.
*run
The girls you know...I'm kidding
So, where are we going?
Are you paying?
*gulps*
That's not shopping.
So basically, i have to be a good doggie in order to get a new collar...
Oh yes, that. I didn't want to say it in front of Silente. She was mad enough. My house was burned down.
Guess who did it.
(And now I get a treat for rolling over and doing tricks)
Yep.
See, Silente wouldn't have guessed that. You are a good guesser.
(Can we go for a walk? Maybe we'll find a squirrel)
Ok, sounds like a plan.
So...if we're shopping....and a girl starts flirting with me...do I immediately tell I have a girlfriend, or...
(UP)
(The movie)
(Dug, the dog)
Did I scare him off?
You still haven't answered. What do I do?
Cleaver girls are so much simpler...
Ok, I get the point. How offended should I be if someone asks if you and I are dating? I'm thinking about a "Mah, not her" comment.
*nah
Are we at your house yet?
Yes ma'am.
*gives her an impeccable salute*
*takes one of the knives Silente gave him and begins bending it into an ornate pattern*
But I didn't go to Harvard.
*puts the shirt on*
What if I give people a false impression ov my intelligence.
Fine,
Where are we going shopping? The surplus store?
(That's personal info, but I'm acquainted with the stores there...so yes)
Use any one you want. Go with what you know.
Viv goes to the surplus store...I order online...you're thd one with fashion sense...you decide
(Old Navy might be less of a surprise for Viv)
Oh, a navy store. I'm usually an army but if you say so.
Bae?
I was thinking the same thing, I feel like perhaps his author became distracted.
*gets in the car*
((Are you still here, Zafira?))
*physically recoils, but figures it out rather quickly, and tries to identify himself to her*
((Ah, apparently you are. Never mind, then.))
*gets out slowly*
Uh oh. This looks like trouble.
(I got to go, get Viv some good clothes)
(*Gasps* Bae! *Leaps at, and cuddles*)
*She can hardly hear over the sound of her heart or her screams, and crawls away, backing against the wall and curling up, rocking herself gently*
((pfft yeah I am I was just ghosting until you came back, I would state if I left, I am ready to get my butt kicked as 2 Asgardians-Zaffy
*darts out of the way, though it still grazes his shoulder* *several of him appear in the area* *throws a ball of fire at Loki*
Zanida: *makes a flame catch the fireball, and runs, then sending twin streams of fire directly at Alastair*
*makes several of himself appear, and sends a dagger through the crowd of himself, again aimed this time at Alastair's heart*
*dematerializes to avoid the fire and dagger, running to meet Zanida and then past her, so he's just facing Loki* *sends another ball of fire at him*
-
*closes his eyes- they're starting to sting- and tries to clear out some of the noise in her head*
*vanishes just before the fireball hits, and appears to the left of Alastair, sending a blast at Alastair with the scepter*
((Has your author seen The Avengers, Alastair?-Loki))
*Her fingernails have been scraping into the floor as she rocks, and the tips of her hands, and along the palm are all bloody as a result of scratching and wear*
*Falls to her side, tightening into a small ball*
*moonwalks in*
((She has.))
*dematerializes again, lunging closer, and rematerialuzes to stab towards Loki's ribs with his glowing black knife*
-
*retreats from her mind, resigned to the fact that it's done more harm than good* *moves closer to her, pulling her into his lap, and trying to loosen her up* Adra, my love, please come back to me...
*Her head falls on his shoulder, trying to stop herself from making sounds, shivering from a strong chill* Ala.... *She can't finish*
*moves quickly enough so that the knife grazes his arm* *punches at Alastair's face with enough force to hopefully break his nose or shatter it*
Zanida: *focuses on the volcano and tries to draw the lava from it*
(*sits and watches rp*)
(( Snow, I feel the same way. It's like a free movie! ))
*lets the strike hit him and slashes at Loki's neck in response, healing himself quickly*
-
*pulls his coat off and drapes it over her, holding her closer to try to warm her* *kisses her forehead* Just breathe for me, please, alright, love?
*vanishes before he can strike, and appears several feet away from Alastair, lost in the midst of the other versions of himself*
Zanida: *sends the lava straight at Alastair, like a bullet*
((How much lava, exactly?))
*Burrows into the jacket, shaking gently, but with a less intensity* *Her fingers grip at his arms*
I'll just sit back and watch this one.
*sits down, wearing the clothes Elleni bought him*
((Enough to encase your entire body and burn you to ashes.-Loki))
(( Any one want popcorn? One dollar for regular Dollar fifty for extra butter.))
(( I'm also selling T-Shirts. Team Loki, Team Alastair, and Team Getting the Hell Out. Five Bucks each! *is wearing a team loki shirt.* ))
((Good god, are we taking sides who is going to win? I am a good, Midgardians.-Loki))
((Are you really incapable of standard measurements, or at least, approximations?))
*dematerializes before it can hit him, but not before the heat if simply being near it burns him significantly* *moves towards the Lokis again, forming a dark sphere of energy around them and himself* Nothing gets in, or out, until I break the sphere by choice, or until I'm dead.
-
*laces his fingers with hers, trying to decrease the tension she feels*
((I'd like a Team Alastair shirt kthx))
(( I believe in you Loki ... Always have, always will. Although, Alastair IS really good. ))
*Squeezes his hand once, twice, then again, before relaxing her hand in his* *Leans heavily against him, trying to warm her face up*
(( That will be five bucks, pay up Adra. Aslo, want some popcorn for the fight?))
*Also
Great. *fires the sceptre at Alastair's chest, looking for Zanida, hoping she's still alive*
Zanida: *sends a few car lengths of lava at Alastair*
Wait up, Rose! I'm coming too.
*Takes a shirt without paying* Thanks.
*Leaves*
(( HEY! ))
((Ladies, we can all get t-shirts.-Zaffy))
((Ladies, we can all get t-shirts.-Zaffy))
(( She stole from me! The penalty is a lost of a finger! ))
I dedicate this page to, my throne, the golden jewl of my throne, well be Alastair's skull.
((Zanida wouldn't be able to reach us. Shall I give an explanation of the energy sphere before I write anything further?))
*kisses Adra's hair* Just breathe, love. You've no need to think about anything else.
(( Play fair Alastair. ))
((I guess, I was assuming she was with me since Zanida usually is always beside me in a fight.-Loki))
""((Good god, are we taking sides who is going to win? I am a good, Midgardians.-Loki))""
(Hey everyone, Loki's a good)
*god-Loki ((hey look I was half blind when typing my glasses got all screwy-Zaf))
(*hugs the zaffy* it just made me smile)
((*laughs* See as i'm blind it makes people laugh-Zaffy))
((I asked mainly for your benefit, Vinette. But bear in mind that I don't pay much mind to the opinions of others.
The way I wrote it was meant specifically to imply that only Loki was there- I made it because I didn't want to fight both of them at once. But even if she had made it in, she wouldn't have access to the volcano outside the sphere any longer.))
(( Then you won't have a fight. They are like twins. Seperation in almost never an options.))
*is
((You should just let Zanida be inside, you won't have much of a fight with just me inside of a sphere.-Loki))
((Are you attempting to declare that they are physically incapable of fighting without each other, or that simply because of their emotional attachments to each other, any attempt to separate them is unfair and therefore oughtn't be allowed?))
(( Because of their training so closely together they won't fight with out the other. It's pointless because Loki will just vanish to her. ))
((Uhm Rose...what did anyone even do? We're in the middle of a fight between the gods and Alastair, you can easily jump in, you don't need Loki's permission.-Zaf))
Rose, what's going on?
Rose, are you okay? :-(
(Also, I'm back)
~Iggy
((If you'd let me explain, I would've mentioned that it can't be teleported in or out of. And supposing he would have just left to be with her, why would you see fit to attempt to chide me for doing something that didn't matter?))
((I did say to explain..I remember you using the sphere once, but I do not remember much of it.-Zaffy))
(( You never said who was with who and I was also reminding you that if you don't play fair, Loki will be even worse. ))
((So now Loki is arguing that it won't be interesting if Zanida isn't there? Have you not bragged incessantly about your prowess as a god? Apparently he's nothing without his sister.
I'll likely be back later.))
(( DONT YOU DARE LEAVE ALASTAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!))
((You didn't jump in...? I didn't read a comment of you jumping into the fight at all, maybe I missed something but...I mean nobody said you couldn't, and if you didn't know if you could, you could have asked...Loki never said you couldn't jump into this fight.-Zaf))
(Rose, come on. It looks like you misread something. Let's all just forget what did or didn't happen and continue. Yeah?)
...
I think I'm gonna go now.
~Iggy
((I simply stated what I thought you have a right to be aware of, certainly I can fight, but what fun is it to fight one god, when in reality, you can fight two at once, I never said I wouldn't go along with it, I do not care either way. I simply wanted clarification if she was with me or not.-Loki))
(( Damn you Alice. I thought you had a pair! Nothing more than an foolish love sick weakling! And I thought I admired you! You are a pathetic villian.))
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