Hi.
A lot of you have praised me for the first chapter
of Pagliacci. In all honestly, I don't understand why, as
it was mostly written as a means of getting around my
writer's block with MVL. Just something to do while I
waited for the bloody thing to crack.
But as I received over 20 letters full of C&C,
along with requests to continue it, well, that's what I'm
going to do. It's going a little slower now, but it's still
being written. As a favor to the list, I'm going to include
a short teaser for chapter two, along with an explanation
of what's happening to Gosunkugi now that he's cursed.
First, Gos. Let's face it, folks.. he's cowardly,
petty, spiteful, and has a feeble sense of honor. His
prefered attacks (aside from the voodoo doll/nail combo)
all tend to be from ambush, or on hopefully helpless
targets.
He's about to get a view from the OTHER side
of the fence, friends. The Qiujiaoluomanshijunnanniquan,
(Yes, we HAVE a NAME! YEAH!) isn't just a body spring.
It's going to have slow mental effects on poor Gos.
I'm going to quote from a prereader or two here..
Sean Hayden.. "Heh. Now we see the subtle curse at work.
The Romance Hero must seek out new dangers, especially if
they involve women."
Think about it folks.. the Studly Hero from those
trashy romance novels IS a stereotype. And Gos is slowly
going to find that he's uncontrollably _drawn_ to behaving
in the ways such heroes do. Whether he wants to or not.
Think of the complications.
WEll, that's it for now. The teaser is next. But
I'd like to thank Gary Kleppe and Dot Warner for their
unflinching search through what must have been HUNDREDS
of Chinese dictionaries and phrasebooks to find the
Chinese translation of The Spring of the Drowned Harlequin
Romance Novel Stud. *grin* Thank you, both. You really
came through for me.
Now, here's the teaser..
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Pagliacci - A story of the world of Ranma 1/2
Chapter 2
***************************************************************
Dowel gritted her teeth and reminded herself that removing Tao's head
would be only a momentary pleasure, one that was BOUND to get her talked
about in the village, and not worth the price in the long run. She reigned
in her frustration and spoke to the other Amazon in what she hoped was a
rational tone of voice.
"That is NOT the way we get information from sailors, Tao."
Tao gave the sailor she was holding by the throat a blood-thirsty
grin, then looked back at Dowel. "Why not? It works. And they're just males."
Dowel sighed. "Tao, how good are you at swimming?"
"Uhh.. I know how to. Why?"
Dowel lost it then. "BECAUSE IF WE PISS OFF THE SAILORS, WE'LL HAVE
NO OTHER WAY TO FOLLOW THE OUTSIDER!"
Tao frowned like a child whose favorite toy had been taken away.
"Couldn't we just steal a boat and sail it ourselves?"
"Do YOU know how to sail?" asked Dowel.
"Don't you?" replied Tao, confused.
Dowel buried her face in the palms of her hands. "Why me? Why not
Shampoo? Why not HER?" she muttered.
Sash patted her on the back. "It'll get better. I think."
"Dear ancestors, I hope so," Dowel sighed. "If it gets any worse, we'll
end up going home in disgrace. And getting a bath at the Springs to wash away
our shame, just like Shampoo."
Sash nodded, then turned to Sugar and Spice. "Have a little 'talk' with
Tao, would you? I think it would make Dowel feel better."
The two grinned, and each grabbed Tao by a shoulder, forcing her to
drop the fisherman. "There's something over there behind the docks you should
see, Tao," said Sugar.
"And we'll make certain you don't get lost on the way," added
Spice.
The two younger Amazons led Tao behind the aforementioned dock,
and a few moments later, sounds of a struggle drifted back towards where
the others were standing. The three then emerged, Tao showing an incipient
black eye and several quickly developing bruises.
"She ran into a doorknob," explained Sugar.
Even the fisherman had a hard time believing that one.
* * *
Ed Becerra
"Dreamers may die, but the Dream is eternal.."