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I’m still alive and am still here! Just been busy writing. Have submitted one story to Women Destroy Science Fiction and am now working on the one for Lost in Putrajaya. Aiep.

Original entry as appearing at Ink to Screen.

Before I forget:

- Review of Ghost Trick, Golden Sun and Rockmelt
- Life updates
- Get new clothes for CNY
- Complete writing meme
- Write more, or at least work on TGP more. I like the middle but I’m not very happy with the beginning

Original entry as appearing at Ink to Screen.

Sorry Celeste, but I think this was worth it.

The skies had opened up.

When the first drops of rain began falling, she could ignore them. Soon though, they seeped into her skin, and she could not ignore them any longer. Opening her eyes and looking feebly up, she could see a long road ahead of her, from her vantage point above the road. She thought she might be in some sort of fortification, for her view was partially obstructed by a stone wall.

She tried to get her hands in front of her so she could push herself up from the surface that held her, but she could not move her arms. Turning, she saw that her arms were bound to the wall, spread wide, one arm against each side. She could feel the ache of her legs, begging her to sit. It was then that she thought to look down to see what she was bending over for.

Beneath her, she saw that she had been laid over a wheel. The wheel had wicked spikes, and as the rain washed over her, she became aware that her blood was running down through the hole in her stomach. There must have been pain, but her mind would have blocked it out, she supposed, which was why she was bent over the wheel, probably stabbed through the other side, and her blood was still flowing after she had been here hours.

Or at least it felt like hours.

The rain stopped for a while, or rather, it stopped falling over her face. She blinked, and a creature in a dress was standing in front of her. The creature soon lowered itself so that she could stand face to face with her, and she saw it was a young woman who looked very familiar.

“So, you’re awake now, eh?” the girl smiled. She took in details of the girl; white hair, purple eyes, fair skin, and a demeanor that suggested she was probably in her early teens. Her clothes, the woman thought, was unsuited to this weather; she was wearing a poofy striped dress with ribbons on the hem and a pair of short, lady’s gloves.

“Who…?” the woman asked.

“Why why, Celeste! Have you forgotten me already? It’s Deb!” the young girl laughed maliciously.

The name Celeste was the trigger. Almost immediately, a flood of memories washed over Celeste’s mind, bringing back everything. Including the memories of what had happened during her captivity by Apollo. There was no other way to describe it; it was a forced capture, the Goddess though, for she had not wished to remain there and Apollo had made her a concoction that then kept her sleeping for hours.

Or by the reckoning of her children, years.

“You…!” Celeste tried to lunge at the construct, but NOW the pain had decided to make an appearance. Try as she might, she could not help but let out a scream of pain, one that lasted a long while. The scream was not just to express the physical pain she felt, but the emotional loss she felt from all those years.

“Scream all you want, Godling, but know that no one else can hear you,” Deb laughed again and began walking away.

With the fog finally lifted from her mind, Celeste could now look around her and discover just where she was. The knowledge both chilled her and terrified her.

She was on the fortress overlooking the Gates to Tartarus. With her blood dripping down, she could only surmise that the Locks were opened. No one though, could know the real truth behind the Locks unless they were Divine Beings; the blood of a Divine Being was both lubricant and hinder to a single Lock. To open the three Locks, you would need at least six different Divine Beings from different worlds to completely open the Locks. Looking around her, Celeste did not see any other on the ramparts but her own. It was small relief though. Her blood would drip as long as she was alive, and she would be alive as long as she had at least a single worshipper. As she was the personification of a concept, she could, conceivably, be here for quite some time.

Celeste did not relish the thought.

Original entry as appearing at Reach Into Your Soul.

Quick excerpt from this morning’s 12k bracket. :3 Also, sorry for spamming your FList.

“In your absence, death has become something easier to avoid. People are living longer. Life expectancy is up,” Naoko spoke as though in a wooden voice. Celeste did not interrupt her, knowing that they would come to the point, and soon.

“Medical care, a better and healthier lifestyle, across all three worlds this revolution has been occurring,” Sukina continued. Celeste suspected the sisters were mind-sharing, as those were not the words the child would have ordinarily used. “It’s made Death… no so random. And not something that needs to be feared.”

“Daughters, to the point,” Celeste was short with them.

“Lady, they no longer appreciate the fullness of life. For many, living has become a hollow shell, with nothing to look forward to. Activities that once could be undertaken by all to their betterment are now the purview of the rich and powerful. Those left outside live their lives with nothing to guide them,” Naoko hung her head in shame.

“In other words, the world tethers on the brink of despair and collapse,” Celeste summarised. She put a fond hand on Naoko’s head.

“It’s not society collapsing that has you worried, is it, dear child?” Celeste spoke gently to her. “It’s the despair that overwhelms, like a miasma you cannot escape,” she opened her arms to Sukina, who came to her and laid her head on Celeste’s lap, like a child seeking a mother’s embrace.

“But this is not natural, is it, Lady Celeste?” Kishan’s voice revealed that he was possibly the only one in the room who understood the full ramifications of what was happening.

Celeste nodded. The balance of emotions between Worlds were delicate, mainly because it was not the physical trappings like weapons, clothes or even thought that guided these worlds. Rather, it was the one thing that all mortals had in common, even if their ability to feel it was broken.

Emotions.

Original entry as appearing at Reach Into Your Soul.

Why, Hallo Thar, Lang! You’re late, but perfect timing! Heheheheheeeeee~

Also, I realise I need to change the year. I wrote the Script Frenzy challenge as 2009 instead of 2010. Whoops!

Original entry as appearing at Reach Into Your Soul.