About Ephraim Chapter 13

Leave a Reply

Well, there’s a chapter of Ephraim’s Story. Four more to go? Hoping to get finished this week. Shouldn’t be too hard now that I’ve found a suitable source of writing music (AC2 OST, whoo). For some reason, in this chapter and the corresponding chapter of Eirika’s Story, Ephraim is the introspective one, and Eirika is the one who notices the battle. Although… in Eirika’s Story, it’s a pretty stupid battle, based on the fact that all my chars were wildly overpowered compared to the enemy grunt troops. I should rewrite that. But I like Ephraim’s introspection, so I’ll probably just leave it.

While going over this, I found two places in the corresponding chapter of Eirika’s Story where I used reflexives incorrectly. This is terribly embarrassing to me, as reflexives are currently a peeve of him when used incorrectly. To sum up: a reflexive pronoun (myself, itself, themselves) is a pronoun used as a direct object of a verb that is acted by and upon the subject. E.g. It cleaned itself. Any other use of a pronoun ending in ‘-self’ is incorrect, but many people don’t know that. That’s why you frequently hear people saying things like “If you have any questions, just ask (Joe or) myself”, unaware that this doesn’t make them sound more formal or intelligent. In fact, it just makes them sound grammatically ignorant. Equally unfortuantely, this doesn’t bother anyone except grammer nazis/paladins. (The correct form would be “…just ask (Joe or) me.” It sounds more informal, but it’s actually not, because it’s correct.)

So anyway, I fixed them. :3

Ephraim’s Story: Chapter 13: River of Regrets

Leave a Reply

Chapter 12: Ruled by Madness          Chapter 14: Two Faces of Evil

 

Chapter 13: River of Regrets

 

We packed up and left early in the morning, travelling more directly east so as to come around the mountains and then straight north into Rausten. It would be a week’s journey.

The townsfolk had been busy; we’d received several donations of food and even gold during the night. I was touched, and for several days the thought of my upcoming responsibilities weighed heavily on me.

The monsters steered clear of us for many days. I think Jehanna was too hot for them, even though we were more in the cooler, scrubby northern part of it. The Grado Army, too, was in disarray and scattered through the land. I was certain that Ly- the Demon King still commanded an organized part of the army, perhaps several parts. But I didn’t know where they were. I would trust in the scouts.

We found them – or perhaps they found us – by the banks of Jehanna’s Narube River. I was with Eirika, talking about the route for the day, when Innes butted in. Well, I guess he didn’t butt in. Since I had turned command of the Frelian Army back over to him, he’d been part of our tactical council, Seth, Innes, Syrene, and me. It actually felt pretty good, having several sharp minds on the same problem.

Anyway, we’d just been going along, when Innes finally informed us: “I sent the Frelian Army ahead to clear a path for us.” I glanced at Seth and he nodded; he’d known. Why hadn’t I known? I needed to know these things…

Before I could get mad, Tana squeaked from in the sky. “Innes! They’ve been routed! I can only see Syrene’s regiments left! They’ve got civilians with them. Enemy forces are approaching!” Continue reading →

About Ephraim Chapter 12

Leave a Reply

Okay, so I wrote another chapter. That’s all you’re getting for tonight… But that should be plenty? XD Anyway, if you like Ephraim, that snarky little badass prince (as opposed to Innes, the snarky big badass prince…? I think both of them are going to kill me for that XD), stay tuned, because we only have FIVE chapters left. Whoohoo. And most of the plot is done, so it will be slightly more combat in the combat-to-talking ratio.

…I’m gonna have to actually beat Scorched Sands in order to write good battles, aren’t I? XD Well, I can steal a bit from the new Frelia’s Finest, and a bit from Eirika’s Story, but not much because I wasn’t good at battles back then. I probably still am not, but I’m slightly better than I was then.

Okay. I better get some rest. Between the insomnia and the busy day tomorrow, I’m going to be completely wiped on Monday. G’night, folks.

Ephraim’s Story: Chapter 12: Ruled by Madness

Leave a Reply

Chapter 11: Scorched Sand          Chapter 13: River of Regrets

 

Chapter 12: Ruled by Madness

 

We had a three-day journey of hell, next. Our entire multi-national army packed up from Jehanna and trekked back to Renais. It had been so long since I’d seen my home. Not since the very beginning of the way, so long ago.

The change was horrifying. I had left green fields and orchards, neat clean villages, smooth roads, an air of contentment. I returned to desolate, bare, and burned wastelands, villages fallen into disrepair, and the roads half-washed out in some places.

Strange how only a few months could wreak such havoc in a place used to being well-kept.

And that made me value all the more how peace was a good thing. I hadn’t thought about it much before. War was death, but it was also glory and the thrill of skilled combat, the chess-game of tactics, the raw adrenaline of battle. And I kept a tight hold on my armies, never allowing them to loot, pillage, or burn.

But the world wasn’t as honourable as I was. Or maybe just insane-Lyon.

His words haunted my mind. This was what he had planned since before he met us? Surely Grado had no need to be jealous of little Renais, peaceful and prosperous though it had been.

But now, my resolve was hardened, and my priorities straight. I wish it hadn’t taken the destruction of the home I loved to teach me the point, but Renais had been, with all its minor, niggling problems, the best place to live and grow up. Sure, there were bandits, and greedy merchants and corrupt councilmen, but the people had been mostly decent and happy. And it’s so hard to make a country happy, or so I vaguely understand from the histories Father MacGregor had tried to pound into me.

I would return her to that state again. Glancing at Eirika, I could tell that she felt the same. Continue reading →

About Ephraim Chapter 11

Leave a Reply

Okay… I’ve been sitting on this chapter for a while. It was almost done, but I wanted to check the dialogue with the game just to be sure.

And then Valter killed Neimi, and I was like “ehhhhhhhYOUTUBE”, so that’s what I’ll do until I feel like beating the crap out of Valter. Just gonna watch the dialogue on YouTube. I found a playthrough that seems to feature a British voice actress or something. At least, she sounds British, and she does good voices. Also snarky side comments. And apparently her brother is helping? Anyway, it’s entertaining and is research!

Next chapter shouldn’t take too long. Can’t promise you anything, though.

I should draw Ephraim. He’s kinda cool.

This chapter, and subsequent chapters, may suffer from “previously-written terrible dialogue syndrome”, because now it has to fit in with Eirika’s story that I wrote when I was a teenager or whatever. Still, I have decided I’m going to finish this story this December, so here you are. 😛

Ephraim’s Story: Chapter 11: Scorched Sand (the other side)

Leave a Reply

Chapter 10: Father and Son          Chapter 12: Ruled by Madness

 

Chapter 11: Scorched Sand

 

We rode a bare half-hour later. Syrene had dispatched Julia all the long way back to Frelia to bring news to King Hayden of Grado Keep’s capture.

Despite our haste, it was a long way from Grado to Jehanna. By the end of the first day, we were right in the middle of the high hills a short way north-east from Grado’s capital, hills large enough to cast a rain-shadow from the humid southern breezes. The ground was already dryer, and as we hurried on the next day, we saw more and more cacti and less grass. We turned north around midday, seeing few other than scattered nomads and herders.

Partway through the afternoon, we received another message, informing us that Rausten had indeed joined to Eirika’s group, but that it wouldn’t be enough to save her against both Grado generals. A Frelian army was en route, but they were even further away than we were. If we did not save Eirika, no one would.

The third day I rose early and, taking all who were not already exhausted by the march, came at last near to Jehanna Hall, an ancient stone structure set in a flaxen sea of sand, with an oasis and a few villages clustered nearby.

Jehanna Hall was burning. Continue reading →

2012 Collaborative Piano Recital uploaded

Leave a Reply

The playlist is here for your convenient viewing.

Unfortunately, the DVD recording is a DVD and cannot be turned into YouTube, not with my current knowledge and soft/hardware. But the video recording quality is not great, not at all, so you’re not missing much. In fact, I am enjoying the audio recording as much or more than watching my own self, which is awkward for me for some reason.

But next recital I will get my own video recording stuff. : P

Dragon Race

Leave a Reply

Tonight’s picture is a little miniature inspired by this awesome soundtrack. Basically, Tseo just met Hoarwilk for the first time, and she’s like “come on my back and we’ll go flying together, little elf!” So he gets on, and then they see Tseo’s buddy Hrulash and his new dragon friend Garekhen, and they’re like “LET’S RACE”. So they pick the top of that big impressive mountain that’s hard to distinguish from the clouds, I just realized, and they have to go through a stormy cloud layer. Garekhen flinches in the storm, but Hoarwilk doesn’t, and everybody bursts into the sunlight over the mountain and just whoops their heads off like sports fans and it’s all very glorious and everything.

So I drew a picture of it. : D Using my new favourite ‘messy’ brush, even for the dragons and people, just at a smaller size. And yes, Hoarwilk is smaller than Garekhen. Hard to tell? Maybe.

And yeah! That’s about it! : D

X and Y

Leave a Reply

So this is what happens when Xanda and Yoia run into each other at the bar… Instant friendship? Yoia hasn’t gotten her alcohol yet, but that was the first thing she was going to do.She just got distracted by this young lady with great fashion sense. (…and yes, Yoia really is that ripped. This is her drinking outfit. Easier to flip tables in this than her court robes, which are still made for buttkicking, really. …I wonder what her war armour looks like? Probably more fur.)

Laekna, Xanda’s potential romantic interest, is in the background on the left, doing some reading, but she can sense her healing services may be of use later in the evening when tables start flying. And she is not impressed by the idea. Nu, Yoia’s husband, is on the right, himself resigned to the inevitable.

This picture was a nice break from reality. I may not have a lot to do, but my brain is offering me energy ultimatums and holding my self-esteem hostage. So I draw and write.