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Subject: [FFML] Dying ideas (and teaser) (Was [Status Report] Code Blue on
Some Stories of Mine)
From: Craig <tdrn-ffml@magister.apana.org.au>
Reply-To: Craig <fanfic@magister.apana.org.au>
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Date: Mon, 13 Nov 2000 12:17:30 GMT
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[Hmm; wonder if this still works. ^_^ ]
Well, I was going to comment at some length on Chris's post but
decided there was simply no point - he's not going to change his mind so why
waste time complaining about something that isn't going to change? Still, at
least this gives me a long-delayed excuse to lay some things of my own
ignominiously to rest.
1) Dark Chronicles (or DC):
Remember that old thing? ^_^ In mid '96 when first it was conceived,
I'd not seen anything similar and many of its ideas seemed (at least to me)
unique, interesting and worthy of exploration. Four years later, I look back
and laugh (although with very little amusement). Many of those same ideas
seem to me excruciatingly hackneyed and IMO not worth even a token effort, let
alone the time and patience I'd need to try to fix what seems now an absurd,
poorly executed joke in which I've lost all interest. There were *numerous*
faults, minor and major, but I see no point in listing them here. Suffice it
to say that, for all intents and purposes, DC as written is dead (without
*any* hope of recall in its present incarnation) and anyone who's bothered to
keep a copy might as well delete it forthwith; that version's gone forever.
Having said all that, I'm going to give the spirit of the story *one*
more chance, not because of DC, but because of _Thy Will be Done_ (a story set
in the Sailor Moon Expanded multiverse and dealing with the nightmare year of
the Youma Earth occupation in the SME SM-Beta alternate) which incorporates
soul-splinters (or echoes) of seven original DC characters who have developed
*far* beyond their genesis as I originally conceived them. Because their
inclusion in SME makes no sense without the background DC would have provided,
I'm going to try one (and only one) DC rewrite, more-or-less from scratch. If
it doesn't work, then that's it, DC's history and TWBD just get's a set of
notes explaining how splinters of my characters (the Exiles) got from DC to
SME - I'm simply not prepared to waste any more time trying to fix DC.
Other Projects:
BGC:
2) The BGC stand-alone telling the alternate story of the Bu-33DA-Elite
Buma without the events of DC is still a definite possibility - I always liked
the concept as I first imagined them and I'd still like to tell their story.
SM:
3) Sukeban Senshi has taken a good deal of impetus from the story I
intended to write dealing with a reality in which Beryl set a curse on
Serenity's daughter and the senshi at the time of her SiM banishment (a curse
that ensured their reincarnations would have nothing but misery in their
lives). I might still try, but it's going to take a *lot* of work to avoid it
being seen as an SS copy.
4) The story of Metallia's corruption and ascendancy is another story
I'd like to try. If it doesn't work in SME, I'll probably try this as a
stand-alone or set in the DC multiverse.
5) Thy Will be Done:
As it currently exists, it can be found on the SME WWW site, but *must
not* be read before reading all Mark Latus's Dark Kingdom Renegades stories up
to and including _Thy Kingdom Come_, what exists of Sam Ashley's _An American
Wizard in Queen Beryl's Court_, what exists of Frank Barr's _Trenchcoat Mask_
and all that exists of Craig A. Reed's _Windwalker Chronicles_, unless of
course you like being very confused. ^_^ Most definitely this one will be
continued and I'll be posting it periodically to the FFML as each chapter is
approved by the rest of the SME crew.
Ranma:
6) The various Ranma fic ideas I've posted are all non-starters. If
anyone can *really* be bothered looking back through the archives to find
them, ^_^ they're theirs.
----------
Right; now the TWBD/DC teaser.
This is the only part of DC to appear in TWBD. It's set near the
start of DC Part 2 (as planned) and at the start of TWBD Part 1 and defines
the divergence between the two. It might even make sense to anyone who
remembers DC: after all, anything is possible. :-)
Bye for now, :)
Craig
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Come on Jellyfish-brains! Kei knows what she's doing and I don't
intend to get spread across half the multiverse when that storm hits, even if
you do; so move it unless you want to get left behind!"
With another shove, Lina propelled a still-protesting Gourry ahead of
her towards the gate to the Mano home and the waiting company gathered just
beyond it while close at her side, Naga turned for a moment, glancing quickly
behind them at the sudden shouted: "It's alright! I've got her!"
A moment later Kei reappeared once more, half-carrying, half-dragging
a desperately-struggling C-ko behind her. "The little idiot was just about to
try getting herself taken, again!"
She half turned for a moment to freeze the smaller girl with a look
that promised dire consequences should she ever again do anything so stupid.
"But I heard them!" C-ko was shrieking at the very top of her lungs
while tears streamed from her eyes and she fought with uncharacteristic
savagery to escape. "Biko was screaming and I heard Eiko calling and--"
"Listen you stupid, pea-brained little idiot!" Kei half-snarled,
tightening her hold painfully while beginning to shake the Lepton princess
like a rag-doll. "They've been back for almost an hour; what does it take to
get something into that air-space you call a head? It was another projection,
their complements through their mistress. What the hell else do you expect
that ice-blooded bitch is going to do just before a reality-storm, post out
invitations? And you're still stupid enough to fall for it after everyone's
warned you at least a thousand times to be careful! Tell me, are all
Leptonians born so damn stupid or is it something they have to learn before
they get let loose on the rest of us? Lina, Naga for kami's sake one of you
make yourselves useful and..."
An instant later C-ko went limp against her.
"You only had to ask." Naga felt it necessary to point out somewhat
smugly as Kei hefted the now-sleeping girl in her arms and moved quickly to
Lina's farther side.
"Yuri? Shasti?" She demanded as Lina shoved Gourry again to hurry him
up as they reached the gate.
"It's alright, they got back just after Priss and Ami, about two
minutes ago." Viko called from where she stood waiting with Amelia and
Zelgadis just inside. "Come on;" She continued urgently. "there isn't much
time! We've only been waiting for you, and Joanna can't risk an exit being
open again when the storm hits; Kami knows what that thing will be able to do
then!
"They've got her!" She shouted to those waiting anxiously beyond the
gate. "Eiko, can you--"
She had barely started when the tall redhead was by Kei and lifting
the still form from her arms.
"What happened!" She demanded urgently. "Is she--"
"She's fine." Kei answered quickly. "Naga had to send her sleepy-byes
to stop her trying to get herself caught, that's all. Now come on, let's get
the hell out of here."
Quickly they moved to take their places, Naga, Lina and Gourry with
Viko this time, Kei and Zelgadis with Amelia.
"Alright everyone, we're on our way!" Joanna's voice rose above the
chatter and immediately several conversations and almost as many arguments
ceased and the various groups gathered close to their respective guides while,
after making certain no one had been missed, Joanna and the DAs moved quickly
to the rear, the six gathering in a fiercely protective circle about the tall,
flame-haired girl as she summoned the gate. "Remember, keep close together and
for heaven's sake don't move this time if you get separated! Just stay still
and we'll find you. Priss, you're group's taking point. Cryolite's next.
Straight on until we reach the palace, then I'll find the path to MegaTokyo.
Alright, let's move!"
As always, Usagi and Serena gasped and stumbled for a moment as the
gate leapt to full coherence and the Ginzuishou and Silver Crystal flared
angrily for a fleeting instant at the disturbing of reality while at Lina's
side, Viko lurched and the sorceress steadied the Senshi archetype, glancing
quickly to her with concern. Being a product of such a disturbance, Joanna's
tearing of the fabric of existence on the verge of the coming storm was
particularly unpleasant for her and Lina waited uneasily until she drew
herself up once more.
"V-chan, are you--" She began.
"I'm fine." Viko assured her quickly with her usual easy confidence as
Amelia moved forwards with the others just ahead of them. "Come on."
Lina nodded, finding herself as always tightening her grip a little on
her guide's hand and tensing involuntarily in anticipation of the sudden,
momentary lurch of transition as they drew nearer the mouth of the portal,
last but for Joanna and the six buma.
"It doesn't matter how many times we do this, it still makes me feel
as though I'm being chewed up and swallowed by something really horrible mixed
with the worst of Yuri's driving!" She heard Kei mutter to the Sailoon
princess followed by Amelia's giggle, as she turned for a moment to glare
threateningly at Gourry at her side.
"Don't get distracted this time." She warned him, the now-familiar
half-threatening, half-exasperated tone not fooling her companions for a
moment. "If you get yourself lost I'm not coming looking for you again, so
hold on."
Gourry simply nodded in return, choosing not to upset her by
acknowledging overtly the sudden quick tightening of her hand in his or the
brief flash of warmth and concern in her eyes before she turned quickly away
and Viko led them swiftly forwards towards the flaring portal into which most
of the company had already disappeared.
As always, Lina found herself holding her breath as the blackness
gaped wide before her like a hungry maw into the depths of some particularly
nasty Mazoku hell. Then suddenly Naga screamed and in the next instant a deep,
tearing agony as if for a fractional moment a splinter of her very being were
being ripped viciously away crashed over her and Viko was crying out and
leaping wildly forwards with them into the abyss, the gate reeling with a
sudden nauseous lurch about them even as Yohko's reality tumbled away and they
plunged down into the moment that was always eternity.
Behind them, Joanna cursed savagely in her native Irish Gaelic, while
around her the DAs held on, their senses a sudden shrieking cacophony of
confusion as the reality-storm struck the Mamono Hunter universe with
terrifying intensity and the still-open portal writhed and screamed as though
itself in agonised torment.
For one desperate moment as she teetered with them upon the knife-edge
of transition, Joanna thought she heard the two Sailor Moons joined by the
Sailoon princess in a combined scream that waxed even above the sudden shouts
and cries of the rest of the company. Then, even as she plunged with them into
the abyss, searing agony crashed over her and she felt herself break and
splinter, the gate torn savagely from her control as for a sickening,
incomprehensible moment that was forever she seemed to perceive fleeting
myriad sensations of the writhing reality about her as though from a giddying
multitude of perspectives.
Then with a last sheering crack she was plunging down, down into an
oblivion that she knew suddenly was the nothingness beyond pain and torment
and the uttermost end of damnation and a blackness, absolute beyond
comprehension swept with a terrible swiftness to engulf her, the dying, broken
screams of her companions a fleeting, failing flicker in her shattering
awareness before all fled into the nothingness and the hungry, midnight
emptiness took her. And it devoured her soul and the very essence of her
being. And she knew and was no more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~