Episode 1: Exiled

And so it begins… The alternate universe in which A) (*SPOILERS*) Ceniro lived (*END SPOILERS*) and B) Pent and Louise didn’t get away as cleanly as they did in the game. Funtimes ensue!

This prologue sort of assumes that you’ve already read the entire Tactician and the series, since basically in the final battle the same stuff happens but with Ceniro. I may add detail but I didn’t want to bog down in things that people presumably already knew. Also I have a new title for the story, huh? I suppose that since this is set in Elibe, that technically makes the Tactician series a quintology, but… I decided I wanted to go with a different formula for a different type of story. (A blatant actual anime series in text, lol.) So. This chapter will get you caught up on things you already knew. Working on Episode 1 and Episode 2, if all goes well it will be done in a couple hours. Although my cat is demanding attention today so we’ll see. I’d like to write two episodes a day until the end of NaNo, that should get me finished this, but of course I can’t promise anything.

Let’s go! Continue reading →

Chapter 11: Light

Well, it’s finally done. Not necessarily well, but it’s done. I had to take a break for various things (Trigun! <3) and now it’s occurred to me that Sinterklaas is coming up, so I should probably devote some attention to that. Also my brother and his friends are diverting with their multiplayer games. Also it’s freakin’ snowing now.

…Expect the AU sequel to start coming out soon.

Epilogue

Eliwood stood in the little cemetery of Dorborough, the tiny village where Ceniro’s family lived. Behind him stood the rest of the group, including Eliwood’s mother Eleanora, the pirate captain Fargus, and Ceniro’s Ostian friend Renee. Lyndis, Hector, and Ninian stood at Eliwood’s left, and Ceniro’s family, his father, mother, sister, and brother stood to his right. All around him was the sound of muffled sniffles. Hector’s face was like stone, and Lyndis’s face was white but composed. Continue reading →

Chapter 10: Victory or Death          Epilogue

Today’s soundtracks: Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2, 2nd movement for Ceniro’s… brief… memorial thingy, Aldnoah/FE7/FF7 for the morph/Nergal fight, and Archangel by Two Steps from Hell for the dragon fight. (Shout-out to my friend Tricia for introducing that one to me.)

This chapter gave me more trouble than the others… I basically had to write the Nergal fight twice. Again. 😛

ONLY THE EPILOGUE LEFT COME LET US PRE-CELEBRATE THE COMPLETION OF A DECADE-LONG PROJECT

I hope not too many of my other projects take this long. : P

…I’m already starting the AU sequel and I haven’t started the epilogue yet. : P Continue reading →

Chapter 9: Sands of Time         Chapter 11: Light

~*SPOILERS*~ So, just to get you up to speed here… I drew this in May 2004. It’s now 2014 and I’m putting a version of it into print. How unbelievable is that!?!? XD This is actually really, REALLY satisfying. Although maybe that’s just the badass music I’m listening to (see below).

Also… Chekov makes an appearance. The literary device, not the Star Trek character. ~*END SPOILERS*~

This chapter owes a lot to Aldnoah’s No Differences and other bits – AZPV, A-0pictures, MKAlieZ, AZ-Kat, and R0B0T. Also I should point out that I do listen a lot to the FE7 (and bits of 8 and 9) OST(s) to get the right tone, but when it comes to getting pumped for drama and/or fighting, I need other resources to fully unlock my abilities. : P

These chapters are getting longer again. The last chapter will probably be long. I don’t know how long the epilogue will be, but I hope not too long. ONE MORE CHAPTER AND EPILOGUE. I’m so close to victory I can taste it. …Although maybe that’s the butterscotch chips I’ve been eating. But I’m ON. I want to talk more about my excitement but it must be getting dull by now and you probably just want to read the dang story, no? GO READ IT it’s not terrible!

Anyone looking at my NNWM wordcount today and wondering why it’s so high, it’s because I included a bunch of in-character roleplaying that I did with a friend on Skype the other day. Hey, it’s fiction writing, ja? : P Continue reading →

Chapter 8: The Berserker and Valourous Roland           Chapter 10: Victory or Death

This chapter should be a bit shorter. Whoops. Anyway, Renee decided to make an appearance, even though I was saving her for the AU sequel. And I would like to draw a picture of her and Ceniro sometimes, looking tactically badass if such a thing is possible. Again for this chapter I really have to thank You Will Know Our Names, because I was meandering around the battlefield for a long time until I had to take a break to drive somewhere and I put that song on repeat for like 10 times and by the time I got home again I KNEW HOW TO WRITE THE BATTLE it was great. So it doesn’t totally suck. A lot of the things in it, I came up with the first time, just they weren’t connected in any sort of way. Continue reading →

Chapter 7: Cog of Destiny           Chapter 9: Sands of Time

This chapter is incredibly long. I blame NaNoWriMo. I would like to thank the Aldnoah.Zero OST for helping with the Karel vs. Lloyd duel which took way too many days to resolve, Dark Pit for helping with Eliwood’s passage of the maze, and You Will Know Our Names for helping with Eliwood’s battle with Georg. I have nearly two other chapters ready as well; in fact, if you’re reading this the same day I publish it, you’ve probably already clicked back to here from those new chapters. : P

Did I mention this chapter is INCREDIBLY LONG? Continue reading →

Chapter 6: Battle Before Dawn          Chapter 8: The Berserker and Valourous Roland

Holy crap, a chapter. When was the last time I updated this blog? It’s definitely time for a design overhaul. And to upload all the stuff that’s only been on DA for the last year. But first, NaNoWriMo! First goal this year – finish this dang story! Second goal this year – write the alternate ending sequel! Third goal – more Rifted Riders stuff. Release the dramallamas!

This chapter is pretty long, but looking ahead, the next chapters shouldn’t be TOO bad. The last couple chapters will probably be pretty long again, though. Continue reading →

Chapter 5: Pale Flower of Darkness         Chapter 7: Cog of Destiny

Okay, so this chapter took longer than I thought it would… I don’t know, the beginnings of chapters are super easy to write! And then the second halves are always really hard. Anyway, it’s up, and we only have five left and an epilogue. Which is not bad. I wrote a little over 100,000 words, which is quite good, considering how busy with other things I’ve been. *checks to-do list* Hmm. Lots of things left to do. *restrains self from searching DA for more Cry fanart* This story will be done by Christmas. And then… I have many other ideas to set to words, so I’m sure I’ll keep going after that. Writing’s been a bit of an addiction this year, hasn’t it? : o

Also, I’m looking for more work! And if that includes artwork, that’s fine with me. But I’m most happy with music work, so if you live in the London, ON area, look me up if you need someone.

P.S. Harken has depression. I hope I didn’t botch the representation of that. Please forgive me if you feel that I did, and let me know how I can make it better. Continue reading →

Chapter 4: Unfulfilled Heart         Chapter 6: Battle Before Dawn

I’m not finishing this story before November 30th unless I really move on it, which is not likely to happen. XD But it will be finished soon after, don’t worry. I’m not going to let it languish! Just the last couple of days I’ve been busy with actual work and been too tired to write decent stuff. But here is another chapter.

Chapter 5: Pale Flower of Darkness

Hyperion nose-dived into the rocky soil, screaming and clawing the whole way down. Heath was flung off and lay unmoving. Priscilla was rapidly moving out of position, no longer screaming Heath’s name, urging her mare to a gallop.

“Pegasus knights, give Priscilla some cover!” Ceniro called. The rest of the battlefield was fortunately more or less taking care of itself, and right now he just cared about saving Heath and luring Vaida into a trap that would at least force her to withdraw, if not kill her.

Priscilla got to Heath’s side, dropped off her horse, and knelt beside him. Vaida was swinging around, when a trio of lightening-fast white flashes got in her way. Her wyvern snapped at them, but they were too quick and dodged away. Continue reading →

Chapter 3: Four-Fanged Offense         Chapter 5: Pale Flower of Darkness

It SNOWED last night. Couldn’t make it to church this morning, man. There was like two feet of snow on Mandy (my car) and very few people made it out of my apartment’s parking lot.

Still, I have been writing a great deal, and especially after last night’s creativity bomb, I can’t wait to write more and more and more. And I have a The Tactician AU, which is pretty cool! (As mentioned last chapter.) I will write it someday, but right now Tolly is really enthusiastic about it which is exceedingly heartwarming.

Chapter 4: Unfulfilled Heart

“Eliwood!” Hector shouted.

“All right,” Eliwood said, his voice deliberately calm. “If you must.”

“What?” Linus asked Eliwood, his choking grip loosening slightly. “Are you crazy?”

Eliwood still wasn’t struggling. “I noticed something during the battle. You drew us out of the village, and made every effort to make no trouble for the villagers.”

“Well, of course! You’re our target, not them.”

“The Black Fang isn’t evil,” Eliwood said. “You fight with honour. So why are we on different sides?” Continue reading →