Music Monday #52 . . . Another One Forgotten

Heya, cool kids! You know what's cooler than you? That's right, Music Monday! You know what's not cooler than you? Posting it a week late again!

But you know what the coolest thing ever? The song we're listening to!

"History Maker" from the album History in the Making

Composed by Dean Fujioka

Okay, I'm not going to talk much for a couple reasons. First, it's super late, and I really need to hit the sack, so I'm keeping this all really brief. Secondly, the music video and the song more than speak for themselves, and I doubt my words would add much.

If you're familiar with anime, you might know that this is the theme song for Yuri on Ice, an anime show about figure skating. The lyrics don't really reference any of the show, which I'm fine with. It means that I can use it for my own stories!

Speaking of which, I actually have included this song in my Spotify playlist, "Inspiration for Chapters of Kythe." Honestly, this could work for any one of my six main protagonists in the trilogy of trilogies. Heck, it can work for all of 'em together! There's just something really hopeful and inspiring about the song. (Maybe it's the orchestral music.)

The music video itself is just fantastic. It seems that Asian singers and bands go all out with their music videos, and this one is a prime example. Plus, I love it that the music is all done by an orchestra and choir. It gives the song a different tone than if "regular" instruments had been used. I want to see and hear more of this kind of stuff!

Anyway, I'm done for now. I hope you guys enjoyed the song! Feel free to share all your thoughts in the comments, and let me know if you've got any songs/playlists that inspire your creative work.

Blogoversary Mashup, Part 3

Back to the action! (Fun fact: two years ago today, I shared my very first post.)

Karnu ran for the most obvious exit, the lobby’s doors. Samrid was already there, having found a shorter way to get there. That prompted Karnu to race up the stairs, Takeshi at his heels. The door to the third floor practically sprang out of its frame, and Ryder appeared with his plasma rifle in hand. He took a shot that struck Karnu in his free shoulder. As the ronin fell, Ryder zipped over and pulled Josiah from his grasp before ascending.

Karnu got to his feet and made as if to jump.

“Stop!” Takeshi yelled.

The shout made Karnu freeze. “Stop what?”

“Stop doing what you are about to do.”

“Why?”

“Because it involves spoilers.”

A look of understanding passed over Karnu’s face. “Right, I nearly forgot. You have my thanks. I suppose we shall have to carry on by foot, then.”

Takeshi shrugged. “It’s not ideal, but it’s for the good of our readers.”

With that, the two of them continued to run up the stairs.

In the meantime, Ryder entered the top floor. He looked around for an exit so that he could get a better handle on the situation. All of a sudden, a giant anchor crashed through the ceiling mere yards from he was. The Dark Master entered through the hole, twin swords eager for blood. “I believe you have something I want.”

Members of the Shadow Gang dropped down behind him until a small force was gathered. “These odds aren’t looking too good, big guy,” Selah said. When she didn’t get a response, she added, “That’s the part where you say, ‘Never tell me the odds.’”

“Now’s not the time for—”

Someone rammed into him from behind. It was Dauthi, who slid his claws back into his fingers until they resembled regular fingernails. Then he lifted Josiah. “Your time to lose is today, boy,” he growled.

The Dark Master gestured, and Dauthi joined him on the anchor. It lifted back into the sky, but the gang members stayed where they were. Ryder stood and readied his rifle, but he was severely outnumbered.

A giant metal claw rammed through the ceiling between him and the gang. Byron slid down via his own chain, and the Iron Crew followed suit. “Keep them busy, lads,” he ordered.

The pirates engaged the gang in combat. Byron turned to Ryder. “Your assistance is needed above the hotel.”

Ryder nodded his thanks and blasted into the open air, Byron right behind him. Things were crazier here. Two airships were firing cannons at each other, beams from energy guns flying alongside the cannonballs. Whereas it had been sunny earlier, it was now storming like mad. Maalen was responsible for that, standing at the bow of the Shadow Gang’s flagship.

As the claw from the Gauntlet, Byron’s warship, lifted, Ryder noticed that it now carried two extra passengers. Takeshi and Karnu were dueling with katanas. None of them could get the upper hand with the anchor blowing in the wind.

“Surrender now, Karnu!” Takeshi yelled.

Instead, Karnu closed his eyes for a moment. Seconds later, a trumpeting roar sounded. A serpentine, purple-black dragon rushed toward the anchor. Karnu leaped onto its back. “Excellent work, Thorn. Let’s rid ourselves of these pests.”

Thorn snorted in response.

Meanwhile, aboard the Gauntlet, many of the heroes were preparing fleet transport boats to combat the antagonists on their boat. Tyren and Bronx boarded one with Captain Brixton and his crew. “Greetings,” Brixton said. “I hope you two are ready for a fight.”

They shoved off and aimed for the flagship. “Most peculiar,” Tyren muttered. “In all my years as a Legend, I have never encountered anything like this.”

Brixton grinned. “Well, it just so happens that I’m a great legend myself.”

Tyren frowned at him. “You are not in our Book of Legends.”

“There’s a book for that? They must have forgotten about me.”

“He’s nothing more than a dirty, glory-seeking pirate,” Bronx said.

“Excuse me! If you want to be so rude, you can just get off my ship.”

Bronx clenched his fists, and Brixton paled a shade. “On second thought, feel free to stay.”

Suddenly, thick purple mist stalled their boat. Clouse was nearby, standing on one arm of Chen’s throne. He was whispering sorcerous words that kept the aircraft in place. Chen laughed like mad. “You won’t see the end of your stories. I am putting an end to them today!”

“You’re one to talk,” Gideon said. “You’re not even an original character.”

Chen spluttered. “How rude of you!” He slammed one of the buttons, and Gatling guns appeared on his throne. “You’ll make a fool of me no longer.”

It was at that moment that Selyth, a SkyRing racer, appeared. He zipped past the throne with a sword extended. The blade bit into the chair and spun it around, disrupting the Dark Magic and preventing Chen from shooting. Brixton saluted Selyth and zoomed away.

Chaos was dominating the flagship. Twilight faced off against the Magistrate. Her Enforcers, with their gray kill mode eyes, made a grab for the young girl. She summoned her Starstriker abilities and ran one through with a glowing green sword, but she couldn’t pull it out. Right before the second struck, Ceinwen showed up with Emiko. The android jumped and spun at the same time, kicking the Enforcer in the face. It staggered back, right into Emiko’s katana.

Darlinja gaped at the three girls. “How is that possible?”

“Quite simply,” Ceinwen said. “I have defensive and offensive measures programmed into my code, allowing me to perform some martial arts like I just did. Twilight is one of Starstrikers from your story world, which is why she could create a weapon out of thin air. The Imperial Princess Emiko has been trained with the sword because that is how her society operates.”

Darlinja cursed and whipped out a gun, but a swift punch from Ceinwen had her slumping to the deck.

Kayne, on the other hand, was trying to avoid the gang members. He had no weapon aside from his fists, and they were coming at him with cutlasses and energy pistols. So he ran, and he was ashamed of it. Adrian was a little braver and tackled some of the enemy troops. Then Jav appeared at the helm, with his eyes glowing a dangerous red. “I shall melt you fleshbags like the scum you are,” the android said. Laser beams scorched the deck, racing after Kayne.

“Somebody help!” Kayne screamed.

Takeshi and Bella arrived on the scene to witness what was taking place. “Boost me up!” Bella said.

Takeshi sheathed his katana and cupped his hands together. Bella stepped into the net his hands made, and he thrust up. She pounced into the air and stabbed the rogue android with her saber. His beams shut down, and he let loose a scream before tumbling down to the main deck. Bella let go of her saber just before she would’ve gone down with him.

Viper wrapped his arms around Takeshi and squeezed. “I don’t know about you, but I think suffocation is a great way to go. I’m excellent at administering it.”

Morbus crept up behind the snake-man and stabbed him with a dagger. Viper howled and let go, allowing Takeshi to punch him in the throat. The samurai prince nodded at Morbus. “Thank you for your assistance.”

Morbus tipped his head. “I try to help every now and then.” He casually threw the dagger behind him so that the hilt whacked Vortex, who had been sneaking up on them to use his powers and attack, right in the forehead. The man fell to the deck face-first, unconscious.

On the crow’s nest of the flagship, Jarek and Cronus watched what had started off as a great chase before turning into an epic fan service battle unfold. Byron and Karnu dueled on top of Thorn, who was attacking the Gauntlet, which had to stave off both it and the flagship. The rain continued to pour, and now two massive robot battlesuit things were attacking each other while flying up to join the fray. Both were incredibly fuzzy, showing the Author’s lack of thought on the matter.

Speaking of the Author, he was also with the two leaders. “Look, guys, let’s work this out. There’s gotta be a better way to solve whatever beef you have with me.”

Before either one of them could respond to him, Mark, David, and Warren showed up on their own skiff. “Well, well, well,” Warren said.

“That’s a deep subject,” Mark interjected.

Warren glared at him. “Seriously, bro?”

“Do you three seriously think you can beat us?” Jarek asked.

“We could tear you apart,” Cronus added.

“We’re not letting you big baddies get away with this,” David said. “Let us show you our inner power.”

Josiah frowned. “What’s all this about? I never gave you any—”

There was a flash of light, and suddenly the three teens had become adult soldiers. “Whoa, look at us!” Mark said. “I feel so much more immature, for some reason.”

Warren flexed. “At least I’ve got all my guns.”

Mark flexed as well, but nothing happened, which set them all off in a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

Cronus furrowed his brow. “Am I missing something? What are they so amused by?”

Jarek looked over at Josiah, who was cringing like you wouldn’t believe. “This isn’t canon, I assure you.”

“You want final forms?” Jarek asked. “Let us show you ours!”

Another flash of light, and Jarek and Cronus had become a massive dragon and ox, respectively. “I am Leviathan!” Jarek trumpeted.

“And I am Behemoth!” Cronus boomed—or at least he would’ve if he hadn’t broken the crow’s nest and fallen to the deck below, taking most of the mast with him and rending a huge hole in the deck. Jarek/Leviathan barely had enough time to grab Josiah and fly into the air.

“This ends now!” David shouted.

“Agreed,” Jarek/Leviathan said.

But before fire could spew or guns could be shot, a demonic whistle blasted the atmosphere around them. The Hellrider appeared, with Frayen and Jasper standing on the roof. “Now you have made us look foolish two times,” Jarek growled. “Do it a third time and I shall not hesitate to behead you.”

“I waited five minutes this time,” Frayen said, “and you’re still not satisfied.”

“Because that was longer than five minutes!” Jasper realized where they were aiming for. “Why is the conductor targeting the Gauntlet? He’ll kill us all!”

“In case you didn’t know, genius, conductors don’t control trains. That’s the engineer’s job. And considering we are on some supernatural locomotive that can fly, I suspect there is no engineer and that the train has a mind of its own.”

Jasper growled. “Wonderful. We are going to die.”

Seconds later, the Hellrider struck. The timing was perfect, as the Gauntlet, Thorn, the flagship, the robot battlesuits, Jarek/Leviathan, and all of the transport boats happened to be in one straight line that the train careened into. A deafening explosion filled the air, and debris plummeted down, decimating the entire hotel in seconds.

Moments later, a third flash of light ignited, this one brighter than the other two. All of the characters, protagonists and antagonists alike, were crowded together outside the hotel—what remained of it, anyway. Josiah stood at the center with five of his oldest characters: Mark, David, Warren, Jarek, and Cronus.

“Okay, let’s go about this peacefully.” Josiah folded his arms after his hands stopped glowing from the use of his writerly power. “Why did you ruin the party?”

“It’s because you’ve abandoned us!” Jarek snarled.

“You start our stories, then abandon them for others,” Karnu said.

“You leave us unimagined,” Maalen growled, pointing at his vague form.

“And it’s all because you blog too much,” the Dark Master said.

“You even went so far as to promise a choose your own adventure series on your blog that hasn’t been started yet,” Viper pointed out.

Jasper folded his arms. “So we wanted to capture you and get you to stop this madness.”

“But why should he continue writing?” Kayne hollered. Every eye was instantly aimed at him. “I mean, he causes so much pain and trauma. Do we want him to keep doing so?”

Josiah lowered his gaze to the ground, and when he lifted it again, tears slid down his face. “I am sorry that you all feel that way. Allow me to explain some things.”

He turned to Jarek. “You’re absolutely right. There have been times where I give up writing so that I may blog, and it kills me inside. I’m torn between my blogging and my writing, and it is such a struggle sometimes. Especially when it feels like neither yields desirable results. So for that, I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

He looked at Kayne next. “As for the pain . . . well, I have also given you joy to combat that pain. I always want to reflect both reality and hope. Sometimes people don’t get happy endings, and other times everything works out. Know this, though: your pain is my pain. Kayne, your longing for your dreams to come to pass, your loneliness, your heartache . . . those are all mine.”

Josiah faced Ryder. “And Ryder, the lessons you had to learn about loving and letting go . . . those were very relevant to me. That was me working out my struggles on the pages of a story.”

He spun around. “You are all a piece of me: my lights, my shadows, my joy, my suffering, my dreams, my failures. Know that you are always important to me.”

There was a moment of near-quiet. Sniffling could be heard from both the protagonists’ and the antagonists’ sides. Mark stepped forward, this time not shrinking back as everyone stared at him. “I think I understand. You don’t do this just for us, or for yourself.” He pointed at you. “You do it for that reader too. You want them to be entertained, to experience that hunger for more after the story is over, and to ponder things once the book is closed. But most importantly, you want them to be changed for the better. Your desire is for God to touch them through your words and inspire them in whatever way they need.”

Josiah nodded. “You hit the nail right on the head, Mark.” He turned to you now. “You see, this blogoversary is about me. This is a celebration of us. Look how far we’ve all come together. There’re so many more miles to go on this journey, but if we go together, the trip will be that much richer. You have deeply touched me, and I hope and pray I do the same for you, through my posts and my stories. Thanks for two great years.” He smiled, the tears now truly flowing. “Happy blogoversary to us.”

Mark wrapped Josiah in a hug. David and Warren joined in, followed by—surprise!—Jarek and Cronus. Then came Byron and Bella, Takeshi and Emiko, Ryder with Selah and Ceinwen. Kayne and Adrian joined in, as did the Dark Master, Karnu, and Jasper. Soon, every single character present was hugging each other in the biggest group hug ever seen.

They were broken and dysfunctional. They each had their own hopes and fears. They had times where they felt like they were on a glorious mountaintop, and times when they crawled through torturous valleys. But they were all connected through their Author. They were one.

They were family.

And you are part of that family, too.

Thanks for reading, and for sticking with me for two years. You have blessed me more than you may know.

Here’s to what the future holds. Happy blogoversary to us, indeed!

Blogoversary Mashup, Part 2

When we last left off . . .

Over at the ballroom entrance, Byron and Bella opened the doors to admit the rest of the guests. The first two entered shortly thereafter. One wore sharp-looking, gold-trimmed clothes that were dyed a dark green and looked to have come from the Golden Age of Piracy; a dark cavalier hat completed the look. The second fellow had a simple outfit that consisted of a sleeveless white shirt and brown breeches, with a navy bandana tied around his head.

“Welcome to the Author’s party,” Bella said warmly. “Who might you two be?”

“I am Captain Brixton.” The first man bowed and flourished his hat. “This is my first mate, Gideon. We are representing the crew of the Runaway Rogue. The rest of them should be here shortly.”

“More pirates, hmm?” Byron rubbed his chin. “The Author seems to be fascinated by them.”

“I’m no pirate!” Brixton exclaimed. “I am a treasure hunter.”

Byron stared at him blankly. “Do you have an armed ship?”

“Ship would be an exaggeration. More like an armed . . . vessel.”

“You prey on government soldiers in their warships?”

“You’re making this sound a lot worse than it actually is.”

“Do you steal from people?”

“No! . . . Well, sometimes.”

“Then you’re a pirate.” Byron folded his arms.

“To be fair, I acquire more things than I steal.”

“If that allows you to sleep at night.”

Bella looked to Gideon. “Is your captain always like this?”

Gideon nodded vigorously, tugging at his thin, curled mustache. “I have had similar discussions with him, to no avail.”

“Come along, Gids.” Brixton waved a hand. “We are holding up the line, and I don’t see a need to suffer any more accusations. It’s an honest work we do.”

“Of course,” Byron rumbled.

Up next was a young man wearing some sort of fantasy adventurer getup. It wasn’t terribly clear, indicating that the Author hadn’t fully imagined it yet. “Morbus,” he said, “treasure hunter.”

Byron shared a look with Bella and said, “So one might call you a pirate?”

Morbus spluttered for a moment. “I beg your pardon?! Do I look like a pirate to you?”

“Well, to be quite honest, it’s hard to identify.” Bella gestured at his wavering clothes.

“I am clearly a legitimate treasure hunter.” He pushed past them, grumbling under his breath about the greeters needing decent social skills.

Then came a girl in her twenties. She seemed a little jittery, glancing this way and that. She wore a simple outfit that consisted of lace-up boots, black jeans, a buttoned lavender shirt, and—lo and behold—a black leather jacket.

“Welcome here,” Bella greeted warmly. “I’m Bella, and this is Captain Byron. Who are you?”

“I’m, uh, Twilight Grendell. I’ve never really been to any parties, so you’ll have to excuse my behavior.” She never cast her eyes directly at either one of them.

Byron folded his arms. It seemed a little suspicious, but who was he to judge? “I hope you will enjoy the festivities.”

“Thanks.” Twilight walked into the ballroom without another word.

Other people streamed through the doorway. Grace—friends with David, Warren, and especially Mark—joined the celebration with Alyssa, Kayne’s girlfriend. There was a guy named Tyren, who was a special warrior known as a Legend; a humanoid alien called Bronx from the race of Feargens; an unnamed young lady who wielded ice powers and who actually has a name that the Author is certain he wrote down somewhere but can’t find it now which really, really bugs him though he thinks it might be Zaria (also no, she is not Elsa); Callum and Brody, the main characters in a spooky flash fiction; the remainder of the Runaway Rogue’s crew; and many others, both protagonists and side characters. Some were scrapped ideas, and some were barely thought out. They were all united by one thing: they wished to show their appreciation for the Author’s two years of blogging.

Characters grabbed desserts, appetizers, and drinks, then mingled with others. The ballroom was a buzz of conversation. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves—well, truth be told, Kayne wasn’t really having a good time, and Brixton was still a bit miffed about being called a pirate. Other than that, everything was going splendidly.

If only they knew what you and I know. Wait, you don’t know? Allow me to show you. Just turn your attention outside . . .

***

“Celebrations are underway,” Jasper said into his radio.

“Copy that,” Vortex replied. “Do you have eyes on the Author?”

The metallic cyborg scanned the streets for the Author’s specific signatures. “Negative. He should be arriving shortly, though.”

“Keep us informed.”

Frayen—the theater-masked, treasuring-hunting rival to Morbus—folded his arms. “What makes you believe that he’ll show up?” His tone was anything but pleasant.

Jasper narrowed his eyes. “You may find this a bit hard to believe, but the longer a character is with his author, and the more he’s written about, the more he understands his creator. You come from an incomplete flash fiction that wasn’t even a page long. I’ve been in two completed novellas.”

“You hardly did anything in Of Beauties and Beasts.”

“Be that as it may, I’ve been written longer than you have. I know more about the Author, which means that I know he’ll keep his promises. He said he would come here, so he will.”

Frayen snorted. “All right then, Mr. High and Mighty Possessed Suit of Armor.”

“I am a cyborg.”

“I have no idea what that even means! For all I know, you are pulling these words and ideas out of the air to make yourself look better.”

Someone on the street caught Jasper’s attention. He zoomed in and saw the familiar glasses, that intense “on a mission” walking style, the smirk at some funny thought. The signatures all matched up too. Jasper touched his radio. “The Author is in my sights.”

Vortex was silent for a moment. “Jarek and Cronus agree that we wait five minutes before we move in.”

“We await your signal.” Jasper looked to Frayen. “Tell the conductor to fire up the Hellrider. We’ve got a writer to kidnap.”

***

As you can see, things aren’t looking too good at the moment. The protagonists and side characters are blissfully unaware at this point. Whether that’s a good thing or not remains to be seen.

Mark threw a glance at the clock before grabbing the mic. He tapped it gently, but no sound was heard. “Hello? Is this thing on?”

Still nothing. He shrugged and practically yelled, “FOOOOOOLS!” He had no idea why he chose that quote (it might have something to do with me listening to the soundtrack for A Hat in Time whilst writing this and thinking of Snatcher). Unfortunately for Mark, Ryder had noticed he was trying to use the mic and turned on the speakers just as Mark insulted everyone in the room.

Weapons were unholstered or unsheathed, and people looked around for the source of the evil-ish voice. Mark gave a sheepish wave. “Uh, sorry about that. That was just me.”

Now dozens of eyes locked onto him. He froze, feeling that familiar sense of panic. Warren and David caught on to what was about to happen and stepped in. Warren led him to a chair, and David took the mic. “Welcome here, everyone! It’s so great to see your lovely faces.”

“I can’t even see my own face!” Maggie, part of the Runaway Rogue crew, pointed to her blurry face. At least, it was in the general area of a face. It was pretty hard to tell.

David coughed. “Be that as it may, I’m glad you all made it. Today we are celebrating the Author’s second anniversary of blogging. He should be showing up any minute now, and he has no idea that you’re all here. So be ready to—”

He never got a chance to finish his sentence, for it was at that moment that the ballroom doors swung open. In walked the Author himself, Josiah. He looked around the room, and his jaw dropped. “Wha—what are you all doing here?”

“Surprise!” most everyone hollered.

A few people hadn’t caught on to what the occasion was and instead shouted things like, “Happy birthday!”

“Congrats on the baby!”

“Happy Hanukkah!”

“What’s this about?” Josiah asked. His eyes darted across the crowd gathered there.

“Why, it’s your blogoversary!” David said. “Didn’t you remember?”

“Truth be told, not exactly. I’ve been really busy over the last several weeks. I haven’t had much time to think about it.”

Warren snatched the mic. “Well, now you do. So think about it for a little, then come on up here.”

Josiah walked to the miniature stage that Mark, David, and Warren were on. The three grad students spoke into the mic at the same time. “From all of us to you, happy blogoversary!”

That’s when calamity ensued.

The far wall of the ballroom exploded, and a locomotive as black as midnight burst into the room. The wheels screeched over the tiled floor, gouging deep scratches into it. Miraculously, the train missed the food tables, and everyone managed to jump out of the way. The brakes screeched, and the mechanical monster stopped just before it would’ve collided with the stage.

Mark chose that moment to pass out.

One of the coach doors slid open, and the conductor and Frayen stepped out. The conductor wielded chains strapped to clock hands, and Frayen reached for something underneath his navy cloak. “Well, well, well,” he said, voice muffled by the mask he wore. “What a surprise. The Author shows up to a little party. How quaint.”

Jasper leaped out of the train and knocked the two antagonists upside their heads. “What are you two doing? It hasn’t been five minutes yet!”

“Is there something wrong with showing initiative by showing up early?” the conductor asked, a question at odds with his unsettling voice.

“When it comes to a plan that needs to be carefully executed, yes, that is wrong.”

“Hey, big guy!” Selah piped up. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but that sounds like our ol’ friend, Jasper Ward.”

“It would seem so.” Ryder strapped on his reinforced gloves. “Stay back, Ceinwen. I’m not letting him take you again.”

“It can only happen if the Author wills it,” Ceinwen said. “And I have already been captured in our story, so the chances of him wanting to repeat the scenario are approximately 3.8205 percent.”

Jasper waved a hand. “That isn’t how it works, but I cannot afford to waste any time explaining that.”

“Step away from the Author,” Byron growled. “I have fought Jasper before, and I will do it again.”

Bella pointed her saber in Jasper’s direction. “New body or not, you will not be leaving here with the Author.”

Jasper looked all around the room and noticed just how many attendees there actually were. He frowned. “Yes, we are too early.” He grabbed his companions by the scruff of their necks and hauled them into the Hellrider. “Don’t run too far off; we will return in a couple of minutes. Or do run, and make things more interesting.” He shut the door, and the train zipped out in reverse.

Silence reigned for several seconds. Mark broke it by saying, “Sooo are we letting them come back to take Josiah, or what’s the deal here?”

“Not while I still stand to fight,” Takeshi said.

Josiah shook his head. “I should’ve known it would come to this. I’d heard rumblings and rumors, but I didn’t actually think that they would try it.”

“Try it?” Adrian asked. “Try what?”

Josiah opened his mouth to answer, but it was too late. Antagonists flooded the ballroom, swarming everyone. Evidently the five minutes had gone by.

Karnu, clad in his dark samurai armor and a cape, entered alongside the hooded and cloaked Dark Master. Both held swords at the ready. Master Chen made a spectacular entrance by flying in with his throne (which is filled with many other surprises); Clouse, his right-hand man and a wielder of Dark Magic, followed closely behind. The unclear form of Captain Maalen strode in, swinging his cutlass as he did. Darlinja the Magistrate had two robot Enforcers walk in front of her. Their eyes glowed purple, indicating they were in their menace mode.

There were others, too: Viper, the man-snake with a muscular frame; Jav-08 of the Taloid race; Dauthi, a gigantic warrior with skin that looked like he’d been dipped into the blackest of darkness and came out with a slight sheen; Vortex, with his blonde hair that had one black streak down the middle; a brute who controlled corrupted elements and definitely doesn’t have a name yet; the King of the Cursed and his wife; Queen Consumptia with her boydguards and their dark matter weapons; and plenty of others. As with the protagonists, some were tossed out ideas, and some had barely any form to them.

Leading them all were Jarek and Cronus. The two of them, though not physically taller than a handful of the other villains, seemed to have a presence about them that made them tower above the rest.

There was an awkward silence. Josiah cleared his throat. “Hey, guys . . . How’s it shaking?”

“That’s it?” Jarek asked. “That’s how you respond to us after all you’ve done?”

Josiah frowned. “All I’ve done to you? What in the world are you talking about?”

“How convenient that you forget so quickly,” Karnu rumbled.

“Your behavior is inexcusable!” Chen screeched. “Even talking to you makes me feel ill!”

“Master, that would be the seven heaping helpings of noodle dishes you had for supper,” Clouse droned.

“Don’t ruin the drama, Clousey-Clouse!”

“So we can add vague statements to all of your lists of qualities,” Warren said. “Why are you crashing our party?”

Jarek pointed at Josiah. “We want him.”

Cronus revved his saw, located where his left hand used to be, for good measure.

Ryder whipped out his electroshock pistol. “Well, you won’t be getting him. So move along.”

“As you wish.” Jarek turned to the rest of the antagonists. “You heard the man. Let’s make our move.”

He sprang forward faster and farther than humanly possible, Cronus right behind him. They slammed into the line of heroes that formed on the stage, knocking them over like so many bowling pins. Jarek nabbed Josiah and jumped away. As his feet hit the ground, a blast from Ryder brought him crashing to the floor. Ryder flew closer, but Chen collided into him with his throne.

Karnu took the opportunity to knock Josiah unconscious and threw him over his shoulder. “We have the Author in our possession,” he roared. “Fall back!”

As quickly as they’d come, the villains headed out. Shocked at first, the guests watched them go. “Don’t just stand there like blank-eyed fools!” Byron bellowed. “We must recover the Author.”

And thus, the greatest chase ever chased in the history of chasing . . . was chased.

To be concluded tomorrow . . .

Blogoversary Mashup, Part 1

Author's Note: I give credit where credit is due, so my thanks go to Deborah O'Carroll for inspiring me to do this. She had her own blogoversary character mashup a few years ago--coincidentally for her second year of blogging as well--which gave me the idea to do my own. Thanks, Deb!

Also, in case you missed them, read "???" and then "Not Much Longer Now . . ." before you read this one.

It all started innocently enough, as many stories do. A celebration was being prepared for the Author, and his characters couldn’t wait until the special event commenced. They had rented a fancy ballroom at an even fancier hotel for the occasion. Decorating was currently underway, and it was going well . . . for the most part.

Two grad students were in the process of hanging up streamers around the room. “A little to your left,” Mark said as he stabilized the ladder.

Warren leaned over and made as if to adjust the streamers. “No, sorry,” Mark amended. “I meant your right.”

With a sigh, Warren tilted the other way. “On second thought,” Mark said, “maybe another color would look better here.”

Warren glared at his friend. “I’ve come too far to change the color, dude. We’re sticking with the pink and green streamers, and that’s final.”

“Buuuuut he’d like orange and green more, don’t ya think?”

“He’s the one who gave me a bad leg, so he can change the streamers himself if he’s too darn fussy.” Warren raised an eyebrow. “Or you can, if you’d like.”

“I’d, uh . . . rather not. I would hate to have a panic attack while up there.”

“Then why the heck are you the one steadying my ladder?!”

The two of them stared at each other for a while before Mark said, “You make a good point.”

“Finally, my genius is acknowledged instead of simply my brawn.”

“Throwing a word like ‘brawn’ around doesn’t do you any favors.”

“Oh, shut up.” Warren winked at Mark. “Now let’s quickly finish up before something bad happens.”

If only he knew . . . Oh, sorry! Didn’t mean to foreshadow. Where were we? Ah, yes, we were about to go check in on the other guests. David—best friend to Mark and Warren as well as a grad student—was currently fiddling with his cello—before you ask, the pun was intentional. Kayne eyed him skeptically. “Do you actually know how to play that thing?”

“I should hope so, considering I’m in charge of providing some music for tonight.” David chuckled, choosing not to take offense over the young man’s comment.

Kayne nodded once and headed back to the food tables. Adrian was already there, setting everything up and wearing an apron over his standard leather jacket. He cast a glance at Kayne, who was running a hand through his spikey black hair with blue streaks. “Something the matter?”

“I guess I’m a little nervous. Can you blame me, though? The Author has put me through so much hardship and trauma. It’s putting me on edge, and I honestly don’t know how I’m supposed to celebrate when I’m feeling like I’m on an emotional rollercoaster.”

Adrian nodded sagely. “I hear ya. But at the end of the day, the Author’s a pretty good guy. I think that once the party gets going, you’ll be able to join in the festivities.”

“I hope so,” Kayne murmured.

Meanwhile, the prince characters—a steampunk pirate, a samurai prince, and a sci-fi superhero—set up the table while the princesses—a merchant’s daughter, a royal princess, and a sentient android—watched and offered their moral support. “How peculiar,” Prince Takeshi said as he unfolded one table’s legs. “In Yashan, our tables are not nearly as convenient.”

“Really?” Ryder asked, rolling out another round table. “I imagine a lot of things about your historical era are inconvenient. Like that getup you’re wearing.”

Takeshi looked down at his green ceremonial armor. “Perhaps one from an age such as yours might think so, but I am accustomed to it. It doesn’t bother me much. Byron’s metallic additions seem to be more inhibiting.”

“In that regard, I am the same as you.” Byron placed chairs around the tables and raised his right arm, which was all a mechanical contraption. “This—” he pointed at the left side of his face and neck, where a steel mask of sorts covered bad burns “—and this are not an issue to me. And even the Victorian Era has folding tables, so we are superior to your era.” He smirked.

“Folding tables aren’t really bragging rights when you guys had airships and freaking laser cannons,” Ryder said.

“Energy cannons, not laser.”

“An issue of semantics.”

“But the twenty-second century has advanced to the point where androids such as myself exist,” Ceinwen said. She looked nothing like a robot, but rather what was deemed a “perfect woman” by society’s standards, complete with flowing red hair. “If we are debating about which temporal period is the best in terms of technology, that would be ours.”

“In the end, technological advancements do not matter,” Bella mused, fiddling with her sheathed saber attached to her belt. Scandalous for her timeline, she was comfortable wearing breeches with her bodice. “They strengthen the good man in his quest for justice and aid the corrupt man in his lust for power. Love is timeless, and that is most important.”

Emiko nodded and smoothed out her ocean-colored dress. “Indeed. The Life-Breather’s love is abundant throughout history. We would do well to remember that.”

There was a short silence before Ryder said, “You guys really know how to bring up those heavy topics out of the discussion of folding tables.”

“Ah, so that’s why no one ever invites me to their parties.” Bella grinned.

“You were invited to this one, were you not?” Ceinwen asked.

“It was a joke, Ceinwen,” Ryder said.

“Re-examining Miss Mason’s statement . . . I have found traces of humor in her sentence. Very amusing, Miss Mason.”

“Call me Bella, please. I’m not one for formalities.”

Byron chuckled. “No, she definitely is not.”

Bella put her hands on her hips. “And what is that supposed to mean, Mr. Griffith?”

After he stabilized the last table, Takeshi turned to Byron with a stoic expression. “It is never a good idea to anger your soulmate, Captain.” The twinkle in his eyes gave away the humor behind his words.

“That’s a good one, Yashanese Samurai Prince Dude!” a chipper voice piped up from the tablet at Ryder’s side. “I always appreciate an excellent pun.”

“Puns are just the worst, Selah,” Ryder grumbled. “And there wasn’t any.” Then he froze, and a scowl overtook his face. “Really? You’re making a boat pun by connecting ‘soulmate’ with him calling Byron a captain?”

“You’re always so quick on your feet, big guy. Except when you aren’t, but we don’t talk about that.”

“I do not follow,” Ceinwen said. “We have performed many tests of speed on Ryder, and he has always been both fast and agile. You seem to be mistaken, Selah.” She paused. “Or do you happen to be referring to the figure of speech?”

“That would be it, Robo Chick.”

“Forget what I said about puns being the worst,” Ryder said. “That title belongs to you.”

Out of the blue, Emiko suddenly gasped. “Oh, Life-Breather save him!”

On the opposite end of the room, Warren had leaned a bit too far and seemed to be losing his balance. In his panic, Mark let go of the ladder, which began to tip over. Ryder ignited his rocket boots and shot over to them, catching Warren and placing him on the floor.

Warren looked up at him in disbelief. “Why in the world am I putting up streamers when you’re clearly more than capable?”

“You seem to be doing a decent enough job.”

“Says the guy who could simply fly around to string them up.”

“Touché. Whatever the case, it looks fine to me.”

“I wouldn’t exactly call you an expert in party décor,” Selah said.

“Shut up.”

Mark raced over to Warren, followed by David. “I’m sorry, Warren,” Mark said a bit breathlessly. “I didn’t realize what was going on until it was too late.”

“It’s all good, man. This superhero guy saved me.”

“It’s Ryder.”

David frowned. “Well, so much for a secret identity. You’re just going around announcing who you are to everybody?”

Selah laughed at that. “Good one, Dave! Can I call you Dave? Thanks.”

“Your tablet doesn’t sound like Siri or Cortana or anything,” Mark said.

“You get it off the black market?” Warren asked.

“First, her name is Selah, a highly advanced personal assistant program. Secondly, no, she is not available on the black market. She was invented at Titanium Laboratories.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Selah,” David said. “You seem like you’d get along quite well with me and my friends.”

“If you can stand anime, then you’re automatically one of my favorite people.”

David paused for a second. “Nani?!”

That set Selah off in another fit of laughter. “That’s awesome! It’s official: we are now besties.”

Ryder, Mark, and Warren simply groaned.

Meanwhile, Kayne and Adrian received more help with the food preparations. Samrid, also a member of Yashanese nobility, set out glamorous and exotic desserts and appetizers from his home country. His face was flushed with excitement, similar to his dull orange ceremonial armor and not nearly as bright as his flaming red hair.

“What a selection we have today!” He gazed over the two tables laden with food. “What are your thoughts?”

“I think it looks fantastic,” Adrian said. “The Author should be pleased.”

Kayne folded his arms. “I think we’re overdoing things here. Is he really worth it?”

Samrid raised an eyebrow quizzically. Adrian leaned over and whispered, “We may not be in Master Chen’s tournament right now, but that doesn’t mean you should be singling yourself out. Try to blend in a little better.”

“Fine, fine.” Kayne stuffed his hands in his pockets and shut his mouth.

Takeshi and Emiko walked hand-in-hand to the food tables. “This looks absolutely wonderful!” Emiko smiled at Samrid, Adrian, and Kayne. “Thank you all for your contributions.”

Samrid bowed magnanimously, and Adrian tipped his head, saying, “But of course, Your Imperial Highness.” Kayne just managed to give a small smile.

Takeshi glanced at Adrian, then turned to Ryder, before looking in Byron’s direction. “Now that I am seeing us together in the same room, I’m noticing certain affinities the Author has. You may notice one shared between three of you.”

A moment later, Adrian chuckled. “Ah, I see. I have a leather jacket, Ryder has a leather trench coat, and Byron has a tailcoat, albeit not a leather one.”

“Indeed. I wonder what some of the Author’s other favorite elements are.”

“How about pain and suffering?” Kayne muttered.

Adrian shot him a glance, but Takeshi nodded slowly. “I can see your point. Everyone in this room has suffered or will suffer horrible trauma.”

“I hear that most Authors are sadistic in that way,” Samrid said. “They enjoy making their readers feel emotional over their characters.”

“How will the readers connect to us if not emotionally attached?” Emiko countered.

Adrian shrugged. “You’re not wrong there.”

Kayne rolled his eyes and left the group. This conversation wasn’t helping his already-poor mood. As far as he was concerned, his Author could shove it. Not like I’m gonna say that out loud. I already look bad enough.

To be continued tomorrow . . .

Monthly HapPENings: May + Music Monday #51

Well, what do you know? It's time for more music! Can I get some hype?!

*awkward silence*

Yes, I know I haven't posted anything on a Friday for a while, but I've been busy with some other stuff. So before I move on to the music side of things, I'll quickly sum up a few of my happenings in May.

In terms of life stuff, not much happened, aside from celebrating Mother's Day. It was mostly the same old, same old. I didn't finish any books this month, unfortunately. I did, however, watched two movies last month.

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I watched Detective Pikachu on its opening night at the theater in my city with some of my coworkers. It was a lot of fun seeing it with them and getting ice cream afterward. But I enjoyed this so much that I just had to watch it again at the theater, this time with my sisters. And lemme tell you, I've never done that before. Whether you're a Pokemon fan or not, it's such a great film, from Ryan Reynolds's and Justice Smith's performances to Henry Jackman's epic score to the perfect character designs. I didn't even see the plot twists coming, which is another positive. Honestly, this is one of the best--if the not the best--video game movie ever made. You've gotta see it.

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So this was the . . . third (?) time that I've watched Thor. I've gotta give credit where credit is due and say that it's better than what I remembered it being. Still think that Ragnarok is the best of the three, but this one does a good job of setting up all the important characters. The worst part of it was honestly Hemsworth's horrible hair color and style. He's definitely improved with his locks.

My dad hadn't seen Endgame with me and Tracey when we first watched it, so we waited until it came to our city's theater . . . and OH MAH GOSH. That was the absolute worst experience I've had in a movie theater. There were six or seven young boys sitting next to us, who happened to be at the annoying stage of boyhood. No matter how many times they were told to shush, they kept talking loudly and laughing obnoxiously. I'm so glad it wasn't my first time watching the movie, because then I would've been enraged. This is the second time I've seen a Marvel movie at this particular theater and had a bad experience. Next time, I'm definitely getting the staff involved if necessary.

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I'll quickly detail some funny stuff that happened one of the last times I played Breath of the Wild. I had seen a Guardian atop a hill in Central Hyrule, so I decided to take it on. As I snuck up the slope, I noticed there were some horse-mounted Bokoblins there as well. One noticed me and charged; he was quickly felled with a single arrow. I got on his horse, whipped out the Master Sword, and charged up the hill straight at the Guardian. It didn't have time to react. I started hacking at its legs and sent it rolling halfway down the other side of the hill before I swiftly dispatched it and the other Bokoblins.

I then traveled to the ruins of Lon Lon Ranch, where I destroyed the Guardian there with an Ancient Arrow and nab the rare Stalhorse. This is where things get interesting. I needed to head over to a stable to do . . . whatever it was that I wanted to do at the time. I'm riding along, minding my own business, when that dreaded piano melody kicks and a red laser beam targets me. I had wanted to ride the Stalhorse until morning when it disappeared, so I decided to avoid confrontation.

I galloped away from the Guardian, and an epic pursuit began. I weaved this way and that, while the Guardian let off a couple shots. One hit a tree that nearly fell on top of me; another started a grass fire. Then I made the fatal mistake: I got too close to a large bush--or maybe it was a small tree--and my horse didn't like that. It reared up, just as the Guardian fired again. I survived, but my horse blew up. As revenge, I attacked the Guardian with all ferocity. However, the Stalhorse's buddies, the Stalkoblins, seemed to think they needed to avenge the horse as well. A bunch of them showed up and tried to kill me while I was fighting the Guardian. I won in the end, but needless to say, it was a crazy fight.

As for my writing, I didn't really do any of that in May either. Like I said, I've been busy with some other things, so hopefully I'll be able to do some more soon. On to the music!

Today, we'll be listening to . . .

"Venice Rooftops" from Assassin's Creed II

Composed by Jesper Kyd

If you've never listened to a soundtrack from the Assassin's Creed franchise . . . honestly, what're you waiting for? An invitation? Well, I suppose today counts as one, so there ya go. No more excuses.

Jesper Kyd composed the soundtracks for the first three Assassin's Creed titles and co-composed the fourth with Lorne Balfe. I don't remember much from the first one, but the next two (Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood) both have very distinctive and memorable soundtracks. This particular song is one of my favorites, not just from this soundtrack, but from the whole series.

I think one of my favorite aspects about it is the instrument choices as a whole. It feels really unique, especially using the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar. Not only that, it also inserts one of the main themes from the series, "Ezio's Family." It's just all so gorgeous to my ears! (Yeah, I know that's a really weird thing to say, but it's the truth.)

Listening to this song, I can just imagine the camera sweeping across the Venice cityscape, lit by the morning sun, as Ezio runs across the rooftops. Heck, if I ever go to Venice, I'm gonna play this song at some point while I'm traveling around.

Honestly, I don't know what else to say. I've got some other stuff that needs to get taken care of, and this post has taken long enough as it is. At the same time, I don't feel like I'm doing the track justice. It really is a masterpiece, and it helped me transition from Brian Tyler's and Lorne Balfe's Assassin's Creed scores to Jesper Kyd's. Just a great piece of music all around.

That's it, that's all! Did you do anything special last month? What is the worst theater experience you've ever had? Do you listen to any Assassin's Creed music, and if not, HOW COME YOU HAVEN'T YET? (Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to get carried away there.)