A Hunter's Story

I’m sorry for my long silence. It’s been quite a chore getting settled here in North Carolina. I’m happy to report I’m fully settled and have started working at a job that enjoy. I’m working at a privately own botanic garden and nursery. I work in the gardens. I’ve had a blast despite the ups and downs with the job. Thankfully my body has started adjusting to the environment here. I’ve lived in Utah for three years and lost the ability to handle humidity. I did grow up in Maryland which has some humidity but not as much as North Carolina. I truly love it here and could never imagine leaving it.

However, during my time after work and on the weekends I’ve been busily playing Destiny on my Xbox One. For those who don’t know Destiny is an online game that was made by both Bungie (the makers of Halo) and Activision (the makers of Call of Duty). The game takes place in the far future where humanity has been able to grow thanks to the help of an alien entity called the Traveler. With its help humanity expanded into other planets and this created a Golden Age. However, a few centuries later the Traveler’s enemy the Darkness attacked us and ended our Golden Age. When the game begins humanity is all gathered into a haven here on Earth to hide from the different alien races that hunt us. Guardians are those brought back to life by the Traveler’s Light and can wield the Light as a weapon against these enemies.

  With the advent of the second game in the series coming out in September the game has an event going called the Age of Triumph. As you complete objectives you gain rewards for your guardian. When I started in year One (or Vanilla Destiny to my fellow guardians) I began as a Warlock. However, as life closed in I wasn’t able to play as much and this year in order to help gain some of the class based awards I created a hunter and a titan. I found while playing out of the three classes I identified heavily with the hunter class.

Just like the hunters in Destiny, I enjoyed exploring new places and preferred a very free following life style. I also have an interesting sense of humor and often am found on my own. I may have friends that I care for deeply but I’m mostly found by myself. I’m curious and adventurous by nature. As I’m forging my own path by changing the course of my life now mirrors a hunter’s mastery of the wilds beyond the City.

So, to honor this and my love of Destiny before the next game comes out I’ve decided to work on the story of my hunter. The actual story will be set just before and during the Taken King expansion. With the help of the lore I’ve learned plus some experiences from my own life I’ll bring Krya Masters tale to life. I can’t wait to post it to wattpad for you to read. Also, I may put up some experts from various chapters here on the blog for you guys to preview.

Until next time!

~ChildofCourage~   

Finding the Words

            I often find that it isn’t easy to find the right words when I’m working on a story. I’m left struggling to come up with the right phrasing to convey my intentions for the scene. The effort to come up with the right combination can either flow easily like water from a faucet or, as it happens most of the time, feels like I’m bashing my head against a brick wall. I know what I want to happen in my writing but left stalled by the inability to write a single word.

            It is puzzling to know that you have an idea of what you want to happen but struggle to find the right way in which to say it. After all, the best writers show what’s going on rather than tell the audience. That is a hard balance to find, especially for an amateur writer trying to practice their craft before taking it to the professional scene. Perhaps, that’s often what stops me from finding my way even through my first draft of my novel. I worry so much about how bad it is currently that I forget that it’s a first draft.

            However, help has been found online. Trolling pinterest and other parts of the net has turned up several aids for writers looking for help on how to do certain things in their work. I found these sources very helpful even if I’m working on side projects like the occasional fan fictions that I work on. It is all practice no matter what form the writing takes. So with these aids at my fingertips I’ve begun working once more. If any of you want to find these helps for yourself I’ll leave a link to my creative writing pin board below.

            I hope to see you all again next week with more from either of my stories for you to read over.

~ChildofCourage~    

Creative Writing pin board

New Story and Characters in development

            Since setting up shop at home I’ve begun work on a D&D based story. The full story and major characters are still in development. I’ve also decided to do the same with my Lunar Revelations book as well. Some of the characters felt a little under developed and as the main vehicles of showing the worlds that I’m working on I wanted them to be a little more flushed out. I wanted them to feel more real to you as readers of my stories. However, some major edits will be underway with Lunar Revelations to cut out some of the backstory I placed in. I don’t want to hit my readers over the head with a ton of backstory from the beginning. The stories I aim to tell should focus less on the characters' backgrounds and more on the world they find themselves in and how the learn about it and learn to survive in it. 

            However, I wanted to give my readers a chance to meet my two newest characters. These two adventurers will be the main stars of my D&D story. First, there’s Leslie Williams. A 25 year old college student who finds herself pulled into an amazing but dangerous fantasy world and fights to return back to the modern world from which she came. As some of you may note, her first name is my own. It’s for three reasons I gave this character my name. One, I like the meaning of my first name. Boiled down it means strength and that’s the trait I want this character to have. Two, I identify with this character. To be honest on some level all my characters come from some part of my own personality. So, this is an acknowledgement of such a connection. Three, it’s also a little vanity. My first name is very rarely used and I love it. So, I at least wanted one character to bear that name even if nobody really gets to see my work.

            Leaving the modern lead and going to the second, Kalandorl Rilynana is a drow warrior that risks his life to flee the life he’s been leading in the Underdark. For those who don’t know much about Drow or D&D, the Underdark is an underground realm that exists in Dungeons and Dragons where many evil, banished races live. The Drow are also known as dark elves. Their culture is cutthroat and violent. Most drow tend to live only a few hundred years or so due to the chaotic nature of their culture which is led by a tyrantical matriarchy that sees the males of the race as a step above slaves. Kalandorl wishes to leave this world of betrayal and bloodshed behind him.

            Both characters find themselves thrown together in an evil fey King’s dungeon and must try to escape but more dangers await them outside of the castle. However, to give you a taste of what these two characters are like here’s a little information on both of them.

Leslie Williams

• Age: 25 
• Race: Human 
• Height: 5’ 1”
• Build: Petite 
• Skin tone: ivory white 
• gender: female 
• ethnicity: White
• identifying features: pixie-cut dark brown hair and pixie-like features with extremely dark eyes 
• Profession: College student/Medical Assistant (her other world profession ends up a being a ranger)
• hobbies: writing, reading, gardening, video games, watching anime and tv, and art
• Habits: sleeps in late (isn’t a morning person), keeps clean and organized room, quiet person unless around the right person (ambivert tendencies)
• Faults: shy, pessimistic, often fights depression, has trust issues (especially with men)
• Clothes: At work: medical scrubs and tennis shoes; At school: jeans, graphic t-shirt, and converses; At home: loose t-shirts and shorts
• Body language: eye contact level: eyes constantly scanning or focused forward on her path or glued to her phone or writing journal; gait: smooth; carriage: slightly nervous; posture: upright with head held straight and often moving; hand movements: often flourishes hands when passionate, movements can be jerky or smooth depending on mood; nervous ticks: bites lower lip, often has a nervous laugh or messes with her hair when nervous

Kalandorl Rilynana

• Age: 126
• Race: Drow
• Height: 6’ 1”
• Build: slender but well-muscled
• Skin tone: Obsidian black
• Gender: Male
• Ethnicity: dark elf
• Identifying features: piercing lilac eyes that almost seem to glow in the dark and a scar on his right cheek from an old duel
• Profession: Drow warrior
• Hobbies: gambling, playing cards, training physically, and music
• Habits: Sleeps little (due to elven heritage), practices his fighting skills on a regular basis to keep them sharp for battles with enemies (often other Drow), often likes to gamble with fellows in his patrol to trick them out of treasure he wants, only does anything musical when he’s alone but enjoys what music he can find, constantly on the lookout for threats to him
• Faults: Distrustful of others due to the culture he grew up in, Defensive about his hobbies that aren’t in line with the life of a warrior, has deep rooted prejudices against other races from his upbringing
• Clothes: at “work”: black leather armor, belts, and weapons with all tools he needs; At home: a simple red tunic with leather belt and black cloth pants and leather boots
• Body language: Eye contact: Holds the gaze of anyone he sees as an equal except when it comes to women were he looks away or down to show respect; gait: long strides that are smooth and precise; Carriage: confident and proud; Posture: stands up straight with shoulders squared as if in formation, Proximity: keeps a fair distance between him and those around him; Hand movements: deft and flowing but almost minimal when not fighting; nervous ticks: glances around the room when nervous and often will mess with the hilt of his sword

Hope you guys enjoyed learning about these two! See you next week with another post!

~ChildofCourage~

Pardon My Dust

Sorry I’ve been away for so long. I’ve been going through a bit of an adjustment over the last year and now have made a permanent move back to my home state. I will soon be posting regularly again about my current writing projects and cosplays. I thank you for your patience and hope to post something more substantial soon for you all to read. Until next week on Thursday! Have a good weekend!  

Lunar Revelation Chapter Six Excerpt

It’s been a while since I posted any of my original writing. Live has just been so crazy. However, I wanted to give you a look at what I’m working on right now. This is still a first draft but it’s starting to take more shape the further I go with it. Please feel free to leave a comment on my work. Any little suggestion helps. Enjoy!

(Taken From Chapter Six)

I curled into a ball on top of the soft quilt and relaxed. It had been a rough day but the soothing silk of the blankets helped to comfort me. After a moment or two happy snuggling, I sat up and looked down at the spell book. The flutter of wings filled the air and Serafin swooped over to the night stand beside my bed.

            He cocked his head to the right in an almost comical manner. A tiny chuckle escaped my lips. He was just so cute that way. Most hawks did when they made that classic expression. However, he didn’t take it so well. He puffed up in indignation at my giggle fit which only made things worse. He looked even cuter with his feathers all ruffled up. He looked like a soft stuffed animal not an intimidating hawk.

            “What is so funny?” he demanded.

            After settling down from laughter that shook my body, I replied, “You just look so cute.”

            “Cute!” he exclaimed, his feathers ruffling more. “I am not cute!”

            I laughed even harder at the sight of how puffy Serafin had become. My stomach was starting to hurt from the pain of laughing so hard. It took a while for my laughter to subside. Laying on my back, I stared up at the canopy that hung over my bed. The sheer fabric sparkled in the candle light.

The translucent cloth almost seemed to twinkle with little stars that had been woven inside of it. Closing my eyes, I let out a sigh. My body now felt more relaxed than before. The laughter had relieved the tension from everything that had happened. Perhaps I laughed a little too hard, I pondered, looking over at Serafin. He still looked very perturbed by my sudden outburst of laughter. Sitting up from the soft blankets, my hand brushed across the soft leather of the spell book.

Wrapping my hand around the binding, I picked up the book and set it down in my lap. I played with the latch a little before looking up at Serafin. He had unruffled his feathers a bit but still looked upset. I stretched out my hand to pat the top of his head.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He pushed his head up against my hand and nuzzled it softly, “It is alright. You needed it.”

His feathers were extraordinarily soft. They felt almost like my favorite fuzzy blanket, fluffy and smooth to the touch. The feeling of touching animal was a comforting sensation. The last of my worries left as I continued to stroke Serafin’s head. Pulling my hand back, I glanced back down at the book in my lap. The soft leather that bound the pages of the book reminded me of a simple journal.

My fingers flicked the latch open and pulled the cover open. The scent of paper and leather filled my nostrils again. Inhaling deeply, I grinned and relaxed. That smell always made me happy. It was better than the smell of my mom’s chocolate, butterscotch chip cookies and was twice as addictive. How anyone could just read on a kindle was beyond me.

Haunted Mansion Fan Fiction Cast

 I've been doing a lot of introspection lately. So, it was time to shake it up. In an effort to do that I'm showing you some of what I've worked on with my newest Fan Fiction, Lost in the Mansion. Mostly the things that have been going on is figuring out the cast of my little story. Currently, the main cast has started to take shape. Below is the list of my current cast of  main characters. I still have some kinks to work out. Here's the list!

·         James

Age: 22

gender: male

Star sign: Leo

DoB: August 11, 1988

Appearance

Height: 5’ 10”

Hair:  Dakr sandy Blonde

Eyes: Light blue

Build: Well-muscled but not excessive and a fair weight for his muscle

Face: gentle, well defined jawline, and athletic in appearance

Nature:

Brave, adventurous, stubborn, passionate, kind, vibrant, jock/closet geek

·         Jack

Age: 21

Gender: male

Star sign: Aries

DoB: March 2, 1989

Appearance

Height: 5’ 10”

Hair: Black/brown

Eyes: Dark Brown

Skin: Fair (white)

Build: Bean pole, but has hidden muscle

Nature:

Thoughtful, jock/geek, prankster, reckless at times, funny

·         Karen

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Star Sign: Taurus

DoB: May 13, 1992

Appearance

Height: 5’ 2”

Hair: Very Dark Brown

Eyes: Brown

Face: Rounded, large eyes and mouth but gentle and intellectual by appearance

Build: Very skinny with large chest but no real other types of curve

Nature

Kind, can be apathetic at times, smart but has low self-esteem, artsy, bookish, geek, gamer

·         Velein

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Star Sign: Aquarius

DoB: January 24, 1992

Appearance

Height: 5’ 1”

Hair: Dark Brown

Eyes: Blue-green

Face: Pixie-like with small, delicate features

Build: Hourglass figure with a fair sized chest

Nature

Curious, kind, restless, intelligent, creative, inventive, artsy, playful, rebellious, geek, gamer, has some self-esteem issues

I'll get in last names soon and start working on art of the characters as well. Hurry back for the next update!

The March of Time

I can’t believe how fast time is moving. It seems like it was just yesterday when I first got to Salt Lake and started in my college program here. Now, I’m graduating from my program and have started my internship. I’ve currently gotten Sixty-three hours and 70 minutes under my belt. Hopefully that will be finished by the end of this semester.

This is how it feels right now with my graduation looming over me

It’s feels like time is moving at a blinding speed now that the end of my time here is approaching. At the beginning of this final semester I felt like time wasn’t moving fast enough. Now I’m constantly looking for a break to slow time down. It feels like I’m in a speeding car heading on a straight course for my next destination.

In a way I’m happy for that but at the same time I wish things were taking a much slower pace. It’s definitely bittersweet leaving this place behind me in five weeks. There are people and places I’m going to miss. Yet, I’m ready to start something new. I can’t wait to see what Rexburg has in store for me.

The prospect of seeing new sights, meeting new people, and finding more exciting places to frequent does often have my imagination running wild. I look forward just as much to the major that I will be doing. Biology with a Zoology emphasis is going to be a fun challenge. My mind is ready for it. I know that I can do it and my dream is to one day earn a doctorate in that field. Wither it be Zoology or Marine Biology is a hard choice for me. Either one has its merits and gives me different career paths to choose from.

However, that’s a ways down the road from here. I’m just getting started and I know it’s a long road but as long as it one day leads me to my goal destinations to live I’ll be happy. I refuse to let my dreams be dreams. I will follow this path until I reach the end. I know it certainly will be an adventure and hopefully my chosen career will be just as adventurous as I hope.

See you all in the next post!

~ChildofCourage~