CD's Right Writes

[Cassette-Disk]

CD's Right Writes 6/8/15 - CISSALC [ecnarbmemeR]

Alt. Universe.

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​

...The girl had seen victory in the forest, though the animal could feel that she had also suffered at some point. Pressing the little paw against the wall, the creature began rearranging Emily's subconscious into a somewhat readable state. There was no reason for the its curiosity, though it still ran through the girl's mind, skipping past memories and dreams as she slept. When it had its fill, the animal pulled away its distorted limb, noting that the sun had risen, and that the girl was beginning to stir. Emily opened her eyes, squinting through the morning rays. Though groggy at first, her attention eventually fell to her window, and the animal that was resting against it. The two stared at each other, unblinking. Finally, Emily made a move to stand and at that instant, the creature hopped off the branch, vanishing.

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​

“Everything's gonna be okay.” I sobbed. “Stay with me, come on. Look we're almost there, just hang on alright?”
“Mmm.” The male voice answered.
“Keep your eyes open for me.” I could feel his weight on my back, almost smell the faint metallic scent that followed him everywhere.
“Emily.” He said weakly. “Hey, hey Emily.”
“Yeah?” The town was just ahead. If I could just get him in there, I could save him. Somehow, someway, I could get him through this.
“I love you.” I felt my eyes sting.
“D-don't say that. Not now.” His head was now weighing down on my shoulder.
“I love you so much.”
“Bryer--”
“Emily, please. I need to hear you say it.” The town gates were just a stone's throw away, and I could already see one of the front guards rushing towards us while the others went to get help. I stopped walking, my exhaustion suddenly catching up with me. I carefully placed Bryer on the floor and kneeled besides him. Oh gods, this is it, isn't it?
“I love you.” I breathed. “Don't leave me, Bryer. Stay with me. Please.” I shut my eyes as tears welled up before I felt his hand caress my cheek.
“Thank you, Emily. For everything.” As gentle as a slow tide, he pulled me closer to him as our lips connected for the very last time, then his arm fell limp besides me. No. No no no no. I had made it to the town! I was at the gate! I had saved him! I shut my eyes in saddened frustration.

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​

I woke up with a start. Tears had flowed down my cheeks and onto my pillow and I quickly wiped them away. It had been a long time since I had that dream and I couldn't help but sigh shakily as I slowly sat upright. My gaze quickly landed on my windowsill, and I froze for a second as a small fox like figure sat there, staring at me. I quickly noticed one of its paws looked shriveled and almost burnt, causing me to flinch. I was about to stand to let it inside but just before I did, the creature jumped away. I looked out the window, but the animal was nowhere to be seen.

After washing up and doing my best to put my dream and the fox incident behind me, I made my way out the door. I needed to formally report to Dyson about what had happened in the forest and thankfully, Alice had agreed to elaborate on some points for me. I expected her to be waiting for me at the Sword Guild but was surprised to find her waiting for me outside with two paper cups.
“Alice?!”
“Good morning, Emily,” she answered in that collected matter that I wished I could emulate. The mage pushed one of the cups towards me before taking a sip of her own. I removed the lid from my cup and inhaled deeply. The scent of coffee flooded me, causing a wary smile to spread across my face.
“Two sugar and a bit of milk.” I said absentmindedly.
“I wasn't sure how you took it. This seemed like a safe approach.” I didn't answer, instead taking another smell of the liquid. “Significance?” Alice asked simply. Nothing gets passed her, does it.
“I...used to make coffee for someone important to me every morning,” I explained as we walked to the Guild, “those days are long gone but I still miss them.”
“I see.”
“Thanks for the coffee. I needed this.”
“Why were you crying?” I stopped walking at the sudden question, thankful for the lack of pedestrians at this time of morning.
“Wh...is it that obvious?”
“No, not to others anyway. But I can tell something has happened. Your eyes are just a tad puffier than normal. What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“You're a bad liar, Emily.”
“No really. I just...had a really bad dream is all.” Instead of answering, Alice took another sip from her cup. “I didn't take you as a coffee person,” I told her, trying to change the subject.
“It's tea. Jasmine, if you're interested. Though I doubt you were. We need to work on your tact.” I sighed as the mage once again easily saw through my words. We walked in silence for a bit before she spoke up again. “If your dreams persist come find me. I have potions to help with that.”
“That's probably the nicest thing you've ever offered me.”
“You are my...you're important to me. I do not wish to have you suffer if I can--”
“Wait, what were you going to say?”
“Exactly what I said, you're important to me.”
“Nope! You were going to say something else!” I blocked the small staircase leading up to the Guild. “I'm not letting you in until you fess up!”
“Don't be a child.”
“'Dun be a mild,'” I mocked back, “come on, just tell me!” The mage sighed, tapping her forehead with her free hand.
“You are my friend,” she told me, “a very important friend. Most people have less real friends than they do fingers on their hands. You happen to be one of those fingers.” I smiled broadly at her as I opened the front door.
“You know something, Alice? You're good people.”

After a quick disheartening conversation with the secretary, we entered Dyson's office.
“Hey, sis,” came an unexpected voice as I entered the room.
“Mary!” I cried, jumping towards the armored girl. My chest hurt a bit from colliding with the steel, but I ignored it as I wrapped my arms around my sister. “You're back? I thought they needed you in the Lancers?” My younger sister smiled before answering.
“Yeah well, with all the craziness that's been going on the past few weeks, I asked for some time off. I think you're going to need me around more than ever.”
“Speaking of the Flying Lancers,” Alice said, walking passed us and into a chair, “have you found anything new regarding Timberpatch's men?”
“No, nothing yet. I'm surprised you don't know anything though.”
“They suspected I would desert them. I was only in charge of holding the single document I presented, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was all a fraud.”
“We'll keep up with our investigation. The Lancers have no intention of going to war with Blueshire.”
“Mmm.” The door suddenly swung open as my superior stumbled in.
“Oh hey, you three,” Dyson said, trying to juggle large folders while walking towards his desk. “Sorry I'm late. Lots of paper work.”
“You're always late though, so I guess that means you're actually on time, right?” I joked.
“I like the way you think, lady.” The man dropped his belongings on his desk, and I swear I felt the room shake a bit as he did so. “Oh, I didn't see you there, Maryanne. How's stuff going on in the Lancers?”
“Can't complain, I guess?”
“Good to hear. Alright Emily, let's just get started. What happened in that forest?”

I did my best to explain what had happened in the past two weeks, including my interactions with Samantha and the other elves of Eveholm.
“Sounds like you and that Sam girl have gotten to be good friends,” my sister told me.
“Maybe a little too friendly,” I whispered.
“What was that?”
“Ah, nothing!” I blurted, trying to stop my face from flushing, “It's just, I don't think I fully understand elven culture. It was a bit more of a shock than I expected.”
“Really? From what I understand, there is hardly much of a difference between our culture and theirs,” Alice told me.
“...Oh no.” I whispered, covering my face in my hands. I'll have to let her down easy. Can't let this escalate any further than it already has.
“What happened?” The mage asked, genuinely curious.
“I... I don't wanna talk about it...” Thankfully there was a knock at the door before I had to actually go into details, and the secretary zoomed in before Dyson could answer.
“Susan, come on! We were just getting to the best part!”
“Excuse me?!” I blurted out, face blaring red.
“I'm sorry sir!” Susan shouted She fidgeted so much I was surprised she was standing still. “It's just, sir she's back.”
“Who's 'she'?” I asked. Before the girl could answer, she was gently pushed aside by the newcomer. I heard the clanking of armor as the person walked into the room. Long red hair flowed behind her as I avoided looking into her fiery eyes. She was adorned with red armor and the sword that hung from her hips had seen more victories than I could ever imagine. I heard Mary let out a silent gasp as my mind pieced together who was standing in front of me. “The...The Scarlet Lightning Bolt.” I whispered.

“Mylene,” Dyson gasped, astounded.
“Good morning, Dyson.” She said. I didn't dare make eye contact. Just her being here made me nervous.
“I didn't realize you'd be here so soon.”
“I didn't either, but here I am.” The woman took a quick look around the room, nodding towards us. Instead of responding, I brought my gaze to the floor, unable to confront her directly. “Here is my report. It's quite a read, but I have a request.”
“A request?”
“Yes. Dyson, I'd like you to leave us for a minute."
“Wh...what?”
“I'd like you. To leave us. Just for a minute.” She repeated as my heart began to race. I didn't like where this was going.
“I...” I saw Dyson stare at us from the corner of my eye before sighing in defeat. “Alright. I need to sort out some paperwork anyway. Come on, Susan.” I heard the door close a few seconds later and shut my eyes, preparing myself for whatever was to come.
“So,” I heard Mylene say as her red chest plate fell to the ground, causing my eyes to shoot back open. Clanking footsteps got closer to me, and soon her feet where within my limited field of view. “You've grown, Emily.” She said kindly. I shot my face upwards to face her and was surprised to see her smiling at me.
“I...Mylene...I...I'm so sorry!” I cried, “I still can't apologize enough! Because of me, he's...” The woman pulled me into an embrace, her pinkish undershirt completely covering me.
“It's okay, it's okay. It's not your fault and I never blamed you. He knew what he was getting in to. Every day he put his life on the line and knew it could go poorly."
“But if I was just a little faster then maybe--”
“Shush now, don't think like that. Bryer wouldn't want you to blame yourself just like you wouldn't want him to blame himself if this was reversed...Can I tell you something?” I looked up at Mylene. “I always thought of you as a daughter. I'm glad Bryer got to meet you.”

 

[KingdomKey]

re: CD's Right Writes 6/8/15 - CLASSIC [Remembrance]

Oh my god. I felt my mouth hit the floor with a thud and can't even...

I loved this alternate universe. I actually laughed a little at the part about Emily talking about being a little too friendly with Samantha. I like how well Emily gets Alice to talk or mention they're friends on fingers. Probably a favorite part of mine right there. Then there's the fact Emily carried Bryer all the way back and said she loved him before he passed away... the feelz hit so hard. And it's still hilarious Dyson gets excited over drama, but I'm happy how this ended on a good note between Emily and Scarlet Lightning Bolt. I think that's the first time I've heard her real name. Also, does this Mary happen to be the Mary in the CLASSIC RP?

 

[Cassette-Disk]

CLASSIC : The Beastmaster Character Pack

CLASSIC: Beastmaster Saga

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​

I have a secret

The land surrounding me was grey. Though the ground I beneath me told my feet I was walking on dirt and rock, the lack of color and life was a large contradiction. Despite this, I walked forward and looked around: a few tents had been pitched up ahead but aside from those lonely settlements, there was nothing here. From every angle I could see the far off mountains echoing through the distance and nothing else. It was a long walk to get here and it'll be a long walk home but this was something I had to do...It was something I needed to do. I approached the small camp and was greeted by a slightly elderly man with a grey goatee.
“You're the lady who's going to help, eh?” He asked me as he extended his hand, which I shook.
“Yes. My name is Victoria.”
“Donny. Good to meet you. Come inside for minute and we'll talk.” I nodded and he quickly led me into the largest tent in the center. There were a few foldable chairs against the walls as well as two tables, one of which was in the center of the room and another against a corner across from the entrance. Donny motioned for me to sit on a chair near the center table, something I was a little grateful for. As I sat, he made his way to the other table.
“So where's the prison camp?” I asked as I examined the center table. There was a map of the area on it, held down by a few stones so it wouldn't fly off in case a renegade gust of wind entered the tent. There weren't many markings on the map though I figured the circle in the center was our current location and the small x was the destination I had just asked for.
“A few more miles north,” the man told me, “we had to camp out all the way out here and are just barely out of their line of sight. Thankfully there's a hill nearby that covers us, but even then we pushed back just to be safe.” I took another quick glance at the map and confirmed my suspicions. Donny approached the table with a small metal cup and placed it in front of me. I lifted it up and sniffed at the liquid. “It's just water,” he told me.
“Very pure water,” I corrected him, “too pure. How did you get it?”
“A gift from the person that hired us.”
“Hired you.”
“I plan to split the profit with you. People say you're good with this kind of thing so I figured I'd ask for your help.”
“I don't require a reward. In fact, I was already looking into this myself.”
“Yeah? Why is that? Most folks don't worry themselves over this kind of thing you know. The only reason I was hired for this was because one of them's special. What's your excuse?”
“My reasons aren't important, but merely the fact that they are caged simply for existing should be reason enough.”
“Lots of people don't agree with you on that front. They call them beasts, even monsters.”
“Yes, they do.” I quickly downed the pure water and placed the cup back down. To think I'd be served this pure water in a metal container. Presenting pearls before swine, as they would say. “However, I strongly disagree with that standpoint.” I rose before making my way towards the exit.
“You won't be needing any weapons, I take it? I have a few here that might catch your fancy.”
“No, that's not how I do things. Farther to the north, correct?” The man nodded at me in response. “Okay. If I don't come back by sunrise I most likely have failed, so have whatever men you have push in.” I gave Donny a quick nod which he returned and walked out.

A large wooden gate stood in front of me, guarded by two knights. Both of them wore shining armor along with wielding a spear and shield. They were standing in attention and completely unmoving. The gate itself stood between large pikes that blocked any kind of entrance from a different angle, forcing me to use a head on approach. I wished I could have had an alternate route, as night had begun to fall and the asset of darkness could have been useful.
“Business?” one of the guards asked as I approached.
“Liberation,” I said. This caused them to look at me with confusion before I kicked the one on the right with enough force to knock him backwards. His partner quickly stabbed at me with his weapon, but I side stepped it before grabbing the wooden handle of the spear and pulled. This caused the man to lose his balance and fumble forward before I kneed the shield he was holding on to which struck his face, knocking him unconscious. I quickly placed my foot on the throat of the first guard who was starting to stir. “How do I open the gate?” I gave his throat a quick squeeze before letting up slightly.
“The...the lever,” he gasped, pointing upwards. “It unlocks it, then just push...”
“Thanks. You should run. Very far. That is, unless you want to face all those who are trapped in here once they're set free.” I removed my foot and watched him stand, readying myself for a sucker punch, though it never came. Instead the man sprinted away from the gate and towards the direction I just came from. Not very brave for a guard. I pulled the lever the man had pointed to, which caused a small amount of clicking from the inner mechanisms as they sprung to life. Very gently, I pressed my hands against the right door and gave myself just enough room to peer inwards. A large circular courtyard greeted me, and at the far end of it was a building with a few lights visible in the windows. The courtyard's floor was the same dirt as outside and the walls were wooden with a few torches, lowering the visibility. The most important part of all this was that there were large square metal cages against the walls, some of them stacked on top of others. Thankfully there weren't any other guards around so I made my way to the cages. There wasn't any movement from the cages, but as I got closer I saw how crowded each one was. Inside of each one were various different creatures, many of which humans normally feared or where weary of it. The compactness of it all made me sick to my stomach, and I found myself relieved that most of theme were asleep.

“Vicky!”I heard someone whisper. Following the voice led me to a cage on the other end of the courtyard. It belonged to a woman with a spider's body: from her torso up, she looked just like any other woman, albeit with slightly blue skin, but below that was the thorax of a spider, complete with eight legs and her web producing abdominal. “Vicky, I knew you'd come!”
“Suzy.” I reached through the bars and held on to my friend's arms. ”I'm so glad to see you. Are you alright? Did they hurt you?”
“Nah, I'm fine. They were saying they were going to use me to make clothing and armor for them. I don't think they really understands what that would mean for them,” she told me with a wink. I smiled in return.
“No. Somehow I doubt they know what they'd be offering. Do you know where they're keeping the princess?”
“Yeah. Actually, the idiots put her in with the rest of us. I don't think they really know what she can do, they seem kind of dumb.”
“Of course they are.”
“She's resting in the back of this cage. I told everyone to wait for you to arrive before making a move. They almost didn't listen to me but I'm glad you showed up. If you didn't we might have gotten a little too stir crazy and who knows what would have happened.” A new voice emerged from behind my friend, causing me to jump slightly in surprise.
“Something awful, I'm afraid.” From the dimly lit corner of the cage came a young bird with the face of a girl. Though still in infancy, this particular harpy already had great strength and would grow to appear more humanoid until she appeared to just be a human with wings. Until then, most would find her appearance repulsing despite the beauty she would eventually achieve.
“Ah! Princess!” I gasped before giving a quick bow, “I'm glad to see you're alright.”
“Did you have any problems making it this far?” The young harpy asked.
“No. A small group of mercenaries took the job and are waiting to the south. I came alone knowing they wouldn't be trusted by those locked away.”
“But you thought we would trust you...? Although you don't seem like the other humans...no, you seem off. There's something...not right about you...”

I won't reveal my secret.

I felt something fly passed my shoulder and hit one of the iron bars. The crossbow bolt shattered into two pieces as it collided with the cage: a warning shot. The metallic clash reverberated throughout the courtyard, arousing many of the creatures from their slumber and I turned to face the source of the shot in time to see a few men running out of the building wielding weapons.
“Arms up!” One of them shouted as they surrounded me, cornering me against the cage as the awakened creatures grew restless.
“Calm down!” I told the caged ones, “Please! I can handle this, just remain calm!”
“I told you to put your arms up! If you don't cooperate we'll use force to subdue you!” I looked at the man as he pointed his crossbow at me.
“Who are you working for? What does he want with these creatures?” Instead of answering, he fired once more at me. I was about to move out of the way, but that would mean letting one of the creatures behind me take the shot, and they had already suffered enough. Instead I placed my left arm in the way of the bolt, and another metallic sound rang through the area as it ricocheted into the air.
“What the hell?!”

My secret is mine, and mine alone

I inhaled deeply and placed a loosely opened fist against my mouth before expelling a white flame toward my foes. I panned it around their feet to give me more options on how to approach while still managing to avoiding killing them with the flames.
“She's a mage!” One of them incorrectly yelled out.
“Th—that's fine! Miss Reyes is the best mage in Fayfield. If all else fails, she won't!” Jumping over my flames, I sent a quick volley of punches at the soldier who had just spoken before striking him sideways with both hands. This caused him to slam into one of the cages, which only riled up the creatures even more. I watched on as hands and claws reached from the cell, attempting to grapple the man.
“No!” I ran towards the man in order to correct my careless mistake just as a claw grabbed his arm. “Let go, please!” I pleaded, “I understand your pain, but--” A sudden stabbing pain shot through my back, causing me to gasp in surprise. I turned to find another soldier holding a bloodied sword facing me. “And you call them the monsters,” I growled at him in anger. The man stabbed at me again, but I was ready for it and easily stepped aside before headbutting him with a bit too much force, knocking him to the ground. From my left I saw a spear flying towards me, and I just managed to duck out of the way causing it to jam itself into the ground. I held on to one end of the spear as I kicked at the pointed steel edge, breaking it apart from the wooden staff. Just as I did so, two more soldiers ran at me, ready to strike. Dodging the first sword swing, I fell to my knees and brought my hands upwards as my stab wound screamed out in pain, spinning the staff as quickly as I could, knocking the sword out of one of their hands while striking the other against his cheek, tossing him to the floor. Standing quickly, I stabbed at the disarmed soldier, taking the wind out of him before kicking him down. All the while the caged creatures banged loudly against the cages and I worried this could turn into a worst case scenario. Taking a quick glance at Suzy, I saw her with an annoyed look on her face as she crossed her arms while the harpy princess stood next to her, sharing the same expression at the chaos that surrounded them. Still, at this point I didn't have a choice but to fight in hopes I could bring an eventual peace to this confusion. Thankfully only the crossbow soldier was left, and despite the quick bolt his sent my way, I easily rolled away and rushed to his side before he could reload another shot. I grabbed the crossbow and threw it aside. “Open the cages!” I screamed at him.
“I—I can't! Only Miss Reyes can—“ A sudden crashing sound interrupted the man as one of the cages burst open, unleashing a tidal wave of creatures.
“Crap. Please wait!” Before I had the chance to at least attempt to reason with them, the halted, frozen in place. I stood in confusion before realizing it was the work of magic.
“Who are you?” Asked a female voice. I turned towards the building the courtyard outlined and saw a young woman outstretching her hand towards the broken cage. She wore a dark robe that covered the majority of her face, but her dark eyes still shone through, causing me a great deal of distress.
“Victoria.”
“Alice Reyes. You're to blame for this, I take it?”
“No, that would be on you. What do you want with these creatures? Why do you imprison them?”
“Research for my lord,” The mage said before raising her free hand. “You, however, are not human. I can sense it.”
“Neither are you. Not entirely. I can feel it...your power isn't natural. Are you a spirit charmer?”
“Very astute. Now tell me, what might you be, exactly?”

No one can know my secret.

“Let the creatures go. As powerful as you are, you cannot fight me and hold them back at the same time.”
“Indeed I can.” Alice closed her free hand, and a large purple translucent fist appeared in the sky. She swung her hand down and the apparition followed suit. I just managed to dive out of the way, but as I hit the ground I threw the staff at her like a javelin. The throw barely hit its mark, but did no apparent damage as it shattered against her.
“Damn magic.” I hissed as the large hand extended it's index and middle finger towards the ground. It quickly 'walked' towards me, kicking me as I stood up. It continued pushing me forward with its kicks until the index finger pulled itself back into a fist and flicked at me harshly, throwing me against another cage.
“There is no shame in running,” Alice said as I bounced off onto the floor, thankful the creatures inside were too surprised by my crash to grab me, “I won't even take you in, even though you would make an interesting subject.” I slowly got myself to a standing position, doing my best to look more worn down than I really was.
“I'd...rather die than let you take them back.” I gasped, holding my pained chest while trying my best to ignore my previous wound to the back.
“If that's your wish...” The large hand pointed its index finger at me while it's thumb pointed to the sky. “...then farewell.” The thumb quick bended back into the fist as the hand as a whole shot upwards. A quick ball of light shot at me, but I had expected it and jumped up as high as I could, avoiding the blast. It instead struck at the cage, creating a hole for which the creatures inside to escape from. I heard the mage click her tongue in annoyance as she extended her magic towards the newly opened cage. I took the free moment to rush towards Alice and swung at her with a closed fist as she concentrated on stopping the loose captives. She manged to duck out of the way, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the follow up kick I sent to her. Unfortunately, my weak secondary attack was all I managed to connect with as I was lifted off the ground and tossed back to my previous position.
“Your love for these creatures far outweigh my desire to conduct research on them,” She said calmly as she walked towards me. “I won't fight you. You win.”
“What?”
“You called my bluff. I can hold back these creatures and still fight you but it limits me, and if you were to free another cage—which you would—then I would be defenseless. I would much rather cut my losses here, take my men, and go.”
“I...see.”
“I know you do not think much of me at the moment, but perhaps one day I will be free from my own chains and we will meet under better circumstances.”
“Your own chains?”
“I am indirectly under Lord Timberpatch's control, biding my time until I am freed. Until that day comes I can do nothing but follow his orders.”
“I can—”
“No. This is my problem. Besides, you have your own mission to fulfill,” The mage nodded at the cage housing Suzy and the princess. “I hope to meet you again. Perhaps then we can be working together instead of quarreling.” She held her arm out to me and though I hesitated at first, I reached out and shook it.
“Farewell, spirit charmer.”
“Just as you have your secret, I have my own. I ask that you keep them both close to your heart as I will with yours.”
“What?! I thought you couldn't—”
“Misdirection is a powerful tool, Victoria. Remember that.” The mage once again lifted her free hand as a white light surrounded her and her downed men. “Farewell. May we meet again.” I nodded once, and just like that they were gone.

 

[KingdomKey]

Re: CLASSIC : The Beastmaster Character Pack

Damn. Why do you do this to me, CD? How am I suppose to root for Victoria if you're pitting her against Alice? xD I imagine Victoria might be part dragon? I got that impression upon reading one battle scene in particular, but I could be wrong. Anyhow, those battle scenes were freaking badass and amazing! I'm not joking because this felt like something you'd read inside of a novel! I call it as I see it, Bro. Furthermore, I really like the chemistry and mystery to this as well. Between the elderly man at the beginning and princess and friend at the end. I really can't wait to read more and see how this all connects. I still can't believe we got a fighter atop of a mage. And best of all, Alice!

 

[Cassette-Disk]

CD's Right Writes 8/2/15 - Sweet Lil' Nothings

Just a few things I did that don't have any real place anywhere else. First is another preview for CLASSIC since I like thinking up ideas more than I like bringing them to life.

Spoiler Show

An ordinary day in the Sword Guild takes a strange turn. As the Lionheart and the Elf train one another in the courtyard, a large shadow looms over them. Looking upwards, they see a large circular structure flying above them, propelled by blue flames from below. The structure itself is incredibly big, almost as big as the town housing the Guild itself. The structure suddenly stops and hangs in the air for a few tense seconds as the Lionheart prepares for the worst. What he gets instead is surprising: a rope ladder from above. Not soon long after he hears his name form the ladder as a young man with blonde hair climbs down. He wears a three piece suit along with a top hat, though goggles dangle from his neck.

“How do you do?” He asks as he jumps down the last few steps, “Might your name be sir Bryer Alma of the Sword Guild? I have a bit of a problem I think you can help with.” The Gentleman introduces himself and invites both the Lionheart and the Elf up the ladder he had just came from. Though the climb appears long at first, it is hastened when the ladder pulls itself up through geared mechanisms that are being operated from the topside.

As the Couple reach the top, they are stunned to see an entire city waiting for them. “Welcome to the town of Exil, the City Floating Above the Clouds,” the Gentleman tells them as he spreads his arms out. After a small conversation, the trio head to the Gentleman's house and his explains the problem at hand. A group of unruly men has begun operating in a shockingly large rate, and thus the Gentleman has decided to seek outside help.

Later that day, the trio come up against a small group of the men, and a scuffle quickly breaks out. Though the Lionheart worries for the Gentleman, he easily brushes those fears away. “Worry not, friend,” he tells him, “for I am an excellent fencer.” After a bit of a melee, one of the men pulls out a weapon that's unfamiliar to the Lionheart. “Gun!” the Gentleman cries as he pushes the Lionheart out of the way of the tiny, yet deadly, projectile. The Elf's quick firing arm proves to be superior to this technology as she easily jams the barrel of the gun with an arrow, destroying a second gun outright, and finally simply knocking the weapon out of a third henchman's hand with a well placed arrow. “She's quite the catch, eh old chum?” The Lionheart agrees.

Eventually the group of men proves to be nothing but a distraction, and the Gentleman is shot by an unexpected person. The Lionheart is quick to respond and avenges his new friend, but his last words are puzzling ones. “The Blue Light in my room will save us.” Unsure of what to expect, the Couple enter the diseased Gentleman's room. A secret lever is found, and a Blue Light is discovered. When the Elf takes a hold of it, the Couple are blinded by light.

An ordinary day in the Sword Guild takes a strange turn. As the Lionheart and the elf train one another in the courtyard, a large shadow looms over them. Looking upwards, they see a large circular structure flying above them, propelled by blue flames from below. The structure itself is incredibly big, almost as big as the town housing the Guild itself. The Couple blink at one another as the Lionheart easily catches the ladder that nearly struck him the first time as a familiar face calls out to them.
“How do you do?” the Gentleman asks as he jumps down the last few steps, “Might your name be sir Bryer Alma of the Sword Guild?”

Here's a short dumb idea I had a while ago.

Spoiler Show

“Okay human. It's time to teach you how to talk.”
“Xx, xx xxxxx!”
“Repeat after me: I am a human.”
“Xxxx xxxxx xxxx x xxxxx?”
“No, try again.”
“Xxxx xx?”
“Make an effort.”
“Xxx xx xxxx!”
“This is hopeless.”
“Xx xxxx. Xxx, xxxxx!”

-

“Meow, Meeeoow.”
“Aw, hi kitty!”
“Mrraoow. Mroow meow.”
“Does kitty want a snack?”
“Mrrrrrroww.”
“Does he?”
“Mroaw.”
“Yes he does!”
“Maow.”
“Aw okay. Bye, kitty!”

Whoops, this one's actually important, how'd that happen? I've had an idea for a particular story for a while now revolving around the characters of Appreciate (reboot, maybe?) in a completely different setting. I'm not sure if this will ever play out, but here's a short excerpt from that idea that I just had to write down. After reading over it again, it definitely doesn't doesn't feel as powerful as I had hoped, but it's all a work in progress. I had to borrow Saito for this (had to look over Frozen posts as well as InnerPeace's writings to make sure I could get the character down. Sorry for any inconsistencies!) and I've been thinking of bringing him in to Appreciate's cast for Crystal. We'll see what happens later on, though!

Spoiler Show

Dim lights hung from the ceiling as a young Irishman sat in a corner, staring at one of them. He held on to a pair of towels as he idly played with an ear bud, the brother of whom was lodged in his ear, playing music that was far too loud for most people to endure. Still, the boy nodded his head in time with the song as he waited. The room itself wasn't anything special: concrete floor and walls with a few support pillars holding the place together, along with a single hammock connected by a two very long extension cords the pair had found somewhere. There was also a cheap wooden table that housed a laptop, along with two cardboard boxes they used as chairs while it was in use. Finally there was the hanging punching bag. An old relic the duo had unearthed at a garage sale had seen more punches that Saito had, which was saying a lot. The boy smiled as he remembered the mountain of a man that sold it to them for cheap, saying he was incredibly happy to see there were still men among teens who weren't afraid to get battered every now and then. They had swapped stories for a while and he offered the bag for around ten dollars. Considering they usually cost around fifty brand new, they jumped on the deal and set it up down here.

The sound of footsteps coming down the concrete steps broke the waiter away from his daydreams and he instinctively pressed the pause button on his MP3 player.
“Saito?” came the female voice.
“Over here,” he called back while waving the music player in the air to catch her attention. The Irishman stood as the purple-eyed girl approached him. “Thanks for showin' up.”
“Yeah sure. What's up? Today's not a training day.”
“Nah, it sure ain't,” Saito held up the two towels so Crystal could see them, though this only confused the pianist.
“I'm...not following. I hope you aren't suggesting we wear nothing but towels while we're down here. First off we aren't really 'there' yet, and second it's freezing down here.” The boy sighed at her misplaced assumptions.
“Jumpin' the gun without thinkin', as always.”
“Yeah yeah yeah. I was joking. So what are the towels for, then?”
“Well we don't use gloves, as I'm sure you know,” he answered before nodding towards the hanging punching bag. “Hell, I don't even own gloves.”
“Right. Hands hurt like hell afterwords but I'm dealing with it. You aren't going to soften up on me now, right?”
“No. Thing is, we might not use gloves on the bag, but I've got enough scars and bruises to last me a life time.”
“We don't use gloves when we spar either though.”
“Lemme finish, yeah? We don't use gloves when we fight but I didn't bring you down here tonight for a brawl,” Saito lightly tossed the towels at Crystal, who caught them with both hands, “but you need to let some anger out and sometimes a bag ain't gonna cut it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You keep tryin' to hide it from everyone, but I'm your...I'm your boyfriend, Crystal. Ain't no hidin' nothin' from me, even if you tried.” The boy began wrapping a towel around one of Crystal's closed fists. “And I've been there. Hell, I've practically lived there. You wanna let it all out but a bag just doesn't make the cut.”

“What are you saying?” The girl asked as Saito carefully wrapped up her second fist.
“Like a sock fulla oranges. I'm sayin' I want you to hit me. Hard as you can.”
“I'm not going to hit you, Saito.”
“Yeah you are. I don't know what's goin' on with you and it's fine if you aren't gonna tell me, but I ain't gonna stand around and do nothing while this eats you up from the inside. Now come on, hit me. I can take it.”
“Saito, this is stupid. I'd rather watch that dumb anime with you than do this.”
“You're gettin' punished for dissin' Jojo later. But for now, hit me.”
“I'm not gonna hit you, dude.”
“No more talk, take the swing.” Crystal let out a loud sigh.
“No. I'm leaving.”
“You can't take the towels off by yourself. I'm your only way out, now quit stallin' and hit me.” The girl sighed a second time and shrugged her shoulders. After a few seconds of standing still, the pianist brought up her right arm and tapped Saito's chest. “I did say to hit me hard, right? 'Cause that wasn't even a real punch. Swing.” The girl bit her lip before throwing her left hand at his chest. “Good. Arms straight, keep goin'.” Again, Crystal swung at her boyfriend, this time with more force. “Again,” She swung once more, “Don't stop, keep dishing 'em out. Right at the chest,” Crystal threw punch after punch at the boy, who stood his ground against the miniature assault, “Don't pull your punches. If you're holdin' back then this won't help.”
“Violence doesn't help with suppressed anger,” Crystal answered as she did her best to hold back a sob, “if anything it hurts because it trains your brain to—”
“Doesn't matter. Swing with everythin' you've got.” Crystal growled before swinging fiercely at the waiter, who said nothing as the blow connected. She swung again as tears began to form in her eyes. Soon she was swinging blindly as tears rolled down her cheeks. Eventually the punching slowed and the girl fell forward into her boyfriend's chest. As much as he wanted to say 'I told you so,' he held the snark comment back and instead wrapped his arms around her. His chest ached, but that didn't matter as his girlfriend cried her eyes out. “You never have to tell me anythin' if you don't want,” he whispered, “but I'm always gonna be here for you.”

 

[KingdomKey]

One Way Conversation

I felt amused on so many levels. I might've had too much sugar today. I like the cat one the best.

CLASSIC Steampunk Preview

... D-Did the light reverse time? I'm simply stunned right now. I really enjoyed the part where Sam puts an arrow through a gun and kicks butt without a fuss. <3 And the mysterious gentleman is something else. I kind of feel bad he went down so easily by a gunman. I really can't wait for more of this and hope we see this edition more elaborated on someday!

UnderAppreciated Excerpt

Apart of me laughs because, I never in my wildest dreams would imagine Saito asking Crystal to hit him square on without holding back. Then there's the way Crystal wouldn't let him get a word in and mentions going there in their relationship and not being ready quite yet. And my insides melted at the end with Saito being sweet on Crystal. Again, one of my otp of all time. <3

 

[Cassette-Disk]

CD's Right Writes 9/1/15 - Crossing Delux: Sleep Deprived Bullcrap

Based on somewhat true events! Written in under half an hour! More spelling and grammar mistakes than the average bear! I should probably be asleep! Whoooo!

---
​

It's been almost a year now. Over a year, according to the penguin I just talked to. Her name was Slurpie, I think. Or Flurry? Snow...ie? Whatever, the point is it's been a year since I've played this game. Oh sure, this is how it starts, hey wouldn't it be fun to revist your town? Hahaha. That's what you first think, then BAM, you're swimming in fossils and want to pay off the rest of your house debt before Nook remembers you and sends the his two little hit men after you...again. So anyway, there I am minding my own business with my stupid 'bedhead' style hair and a light blue shirt with little baby chicks plastered all over it along with some green cargo shorts and sandals. Needless to say, I was (not) looking damn good! So much so, I (really wasn't) beating the babes off with my net! Yeah, life was good for the guy who just came back from a year-long break. It was half passed nine in the gleaming summer night when I decided to bust out the ol' silver shovel and start stabbing at rocks to earn some quick and impossible bells. I knew the old song and dance: dig one hole behind you and one to your side so the knockback of hitting the rock doesn't push you too far away from the rock, maximizing your loot output.

It was around the third or fourth rock when it happened. I swung my shovel and, following the silliest 'bwoop'-ing sound I've ever heard, a large line segment with a billion giant legs popped out of the rock and scuttled away, scaring the shit out of me. I literally let out a small yelp as I threw my shovel at the demon-bug, but I missed and it frantically ran towards some flowers. Once I calmed down I realized how un-manly I must have looked, but give me a break, it's pitch black out here and a huge bug that looked like it was spawned from hell itself just APPEARED out of no where. It was like the rock itself was a portal to the other realm. I shook off the hysteria and trailed the bug, not catching it because I was sure I had already done so in the past. It was pretty gross looking: each of its legs wrangled at the ground as the segmented body looked as if it served only as a place to hold the appendages together. I shrugged as it vanished into the underbrush, noting how fast the not-so-little guy moved.

As I made my way home, I decided to check my handy-dandy pocket encyclopedia to see what kind of bug it was...Except I wasn't able to find it. I froze as I reached the door to my house, flipping threw pages in a fluster as I kept coming to the same terrible conclusion. I made a note in this thing of every bug I ever caught, so why wasn't it showing up?! I must have been making a lot of noise because the front door opened, and my lady's face met my own.
“Casper? What's up? You look terrible.”
“I screwed up, Ashley,” I told her, my face dropping with every second.
“What are you talking about?”
“The bug. The bug! THE BUG!” Without giving her a proper explanation, I dashed away, leaving behind a faint trail of dirt behind me. I quickly retraced my steps to where I had found the colossal insect and once again pulled out my shovel. I slammed it against the same rock in a hopeful attempt at resurrecting the lost insect, but I turned up empty handed. Instead, I ran to the large amount of flowers and threw my shovel recklessly against them, hoping to flush out the millipede.
“Casper, what are you doing?!” I heard Ashley's voice call out from behind me.
“Come out, you hellspawn! I need to catch you!” I raised my shovel above my head but as I swung my arm downwards, it was missing from my hand. I turned to face the Protector, who was now in possession of my tool.
“Seriously, you're acting weird. You're usually so chill, what's gotten into you?”
“There was a big ugly millipede thing! It looked like it belonged in a zombie or parasite movie and I let it go, and now I need to find it so I can donate it and scare the shit out of that owl, and and and—“
“Shhh. Shh, shh. Casper?”
“Yeah?”
“Tone it down, babydoll.”
“But...But the hellspawn!”
“It can wait.” The orange-eyed girl handed me back the shovel before giving me a wink. “Come home soon, okay? I'll be in bed.” She gave me another wink before walking home. I looked down at my shovel. This was it. My ultimate choice. Go home and be a family man or stay out in the cold dark wilderness to look for a bug bigger than my face. I looked up at Ashley's darkened silhouette. Sorry, babe. Smooches will have to wait; I've got a demon to catch.

Three hours. Three. Damn. Hours. I've been out here for three hours looking for an insect I'm not even sure exists anymore. I had curled up into a ball at a bright yellow bench under a lamp post by the original rock I found the bug in, trying to stop myself from jumping into the river.
“Okay, what the hell, dude?!” I heard the familiar voice say above me. I slowly turned my head to face Ashley, then quickly removed my thumb from my mouth. “When I told you to come home 'soon,' I meant 'now.' It didn't mean spend the night freezing yourself to look for a bug.”
“It's out there, Ashley! Mocking me!”
“Casper, come home,” she said, placing a tender hand on my shoulder, “I don't want to lose you. Not like this.”
“I'm already dead,” I replied jadedly, “It's out there. Somewhere, someplace, that millipede is cackling!”
“Insects don't have voice-boxes; they can't make any vocal noises.”
“Demon centipedes can.”
“I thought it was a millipede?”
“What's the difference?” I asked defeatedly
“A few hundred legs or so. What if the bug doesn't exist? Maybe you mistook it for a regular millipede.”
“That thought's been going through my mind for the passed forty minutes.”
“Let's go home, it's one AM.” I slowly uncurled myself from the fetal position and held her outstretched hand, interlocking our fingers together as she led my drained body home. As we passed a tree, I paused, noting a sudden shadow that I just barely managed to see. “Oh god damn it, what now? I'd like to go to sleep tonight.”
“El Diablo,” I whispered to her, pulling out my net. Ever so slowly, I shuffled down the path and glanced behind the tree. Sure enough, there it was. A big black line segment attached to at least a trillion giant legs. Without hesitation, I viciously swung my net towards it, trapping it in the weaved tool. I produced a jar from my bag (or something, diddlying video games, man) and scooped the insect inside, closing the lid. I walked back to Ashley, who had one hand on her hip and a very annoyed look on her face. When I reached her, I felt tears fill my eyes as I fell to my knees. I presented the little ugly-as-sin-hellspawn-son-of-a-bitch to my girlfriend with a sad smile. “It's been 180 days since I've started my search...” I told her, my voice cracking and hand shaking as the House Centipede rolled around inside its prison, oblivious to my trail.
“Try 180 minutes.”
“Aren't you going to say anything about Bushy?”
“You named the bug?”
“I'm keeping the ugly bastard. It's staying in our room.”
“Great, how romantic. That's exactly what I want to see right before going to bed: the devil's cat. Get rid of it, Capser. give it to the museum.” I rose to my feet, dropping the jar into my bag as I did so. I gripped my net as we started to head home, but a soft rustling noise froze me in my tracks.
“Ash...Ashley?”
“Do not move,” She warned me. She was standing a few steps ahead of me but that was all she needed to see what was ahead of us.”
“Please,” I sobbed, “please Ashley. Please don't tell me that's one of those tarantulas that freak out when they see a net.”
“It's not.”
“Oh, thank--”
“It's one of those scorpions that freak out when they see a net.”
“Ashley. Ashley, whyyy.”
“Casper, if anything happens to one of us, I want you to know something.”
“I love you too.”
“No, not that. I've been reading your journal behind your back.”
“I KNEW IT.”

My outburst was apparently the last straw needed to set off the scorpion, and it suddenly burst into my range of vision, its red body dashing angrily towards us. The large stinger on its tail wavered dangerously as it quickly gained ground and we wasted no time in turning around and running like our lives depended on it.
“What do we do?!” Ashley cried as we ran passed various trees.
“Can scorpions climb trees?”
“I think so, I'm pretty sure they can stick to walls and stuff,” she puffed. This wasn't good: neither of us were good runners, but I was probably going to run out of steam before her. I mean, I could always trip her, but-- “don't you dare think about tripping me Capser Donn, or I swear to every god that's ever existed I will burn you!”
“Wha--?! How could you even think I would do something like that?!” Damn, guess that's out of the question. “Wait, there's the river! How dumb is it? If we cross the bridge then position ourselves so that its direct line of sight of us in the path of the water, it might fall in!”
“There's no way that'll work!”
“It's either that or we split up and pray it doesn't go for you.” The girl sighed as we crossed the small cobble bridge. Before we cleared the rest of it, we jumped diagonally towards the river's end, just barely clearing the jump. The scorpion, unable to jump, fell into the water with a satisfying splashing sound as it sank to the bottom of the river.
“I can't believe that worked.”
“Yeah. Say, aren't there piranhas in there too? That scorpion's screwed.”
“Are there really?”
“Supposedly. I'm never swimming in there, anyway. Especially now that the scorpion lives there.”
“I don't think scorpions can breathe underwater...”
“Let's get out of here before it resurfaces, terminator style.” Ashley nodded and we wasted no time getting home. Once we got into our room, I threw the bag with the bug into a secured fire-proof safe (don't ask), and turned to face Ashley, who was standing at the foot of our bed.
“Say, Casper...now that we're home alone...”
“Ooh, I recognize that look.” She let out a giggle as I approached her and once I did, we both collapsed into the bed, falling asleep before our heads even hit the pillow.

 

[KingdomKey]

I MISSED THIS! XD This was sooo good and awesome! I love seeing Casper freaking out over a centipede or millipede. Ashley coming to get him was my next favorite part, because I can't believe Casper passed up smooches for bug hunting. Then proceeded to name it Bushy of all things. And of my gosh, the end of this was hysterical because, how quickly the situation changes.

Were you playing Animal Crossing last night, CD?

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Were you playing Animal Crossing last night, CD?

omg how did u no?!?!?
The real story: I was looking for the money rock and the giant House Centipede popped out, spooking me. I didn't catch it because I thought I already had done so in the past. After looking through my collection history, I was shocked to see that I never caught it! So I spent around two or three hours banging on rocks to respawn it. I wasn't even sure if it was a different bug or not at the time and thought I might have just mistaken it. Eventually I called it quits and looked it up online. Thus, I wrote this before going to sleep.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

CD's Right Writes 9/23/15 - UnderAppreciated Excerpt #2

So I can't change the thread title for this thread anymore either. Waaa. Oh well. I'd deeply appreciate it if it could be just changed to "CD's Right Writes."

SPEAKING OF APPRECIATE. Here's another small excerpt from some of my plans of the story "UnderAppreciated," assuming I ever actually write it out. This time it focus on Casper and is in first person! Whooo.

---
UnderAppreciated Excerpt #2

​

“It's sprinkling out.”
“Sprinkling?”
“Yeah. Light rain.”
“Why don't you just say 'it's raining' instead?”
“Because it's not raining, it's sprinkling.”
“Whatever. Now that you're here I can clock out.”
“Have fun in the rain.”
“I thought it was sprinkling?”
“Have fun in the sprinkles.” My coworker gave me a wave before walking out the back door. The shop I worked in was part of a shopping center, just between a Chinese restaurant and a dollar store. Our store was a little more 'sophisticated' than that, though: we were a candy store. The walls were lined up with various different kinds of sweets ranging from candies that melted in your mouth, sour powders, marshmallows, sweet liquids, chocolates, and even other kinds of snacks lined our aisles like beef jerky and pretzels. Aside from all the brand named treats, there were also a few plastic containers with lids that customers could open to mix together different candies in plastic bags provided. Those were always popular, though sometimes people got carried away and don't realize how much they take, and since we charge by weight the price tends to surprise them. I clipped my silly little name badge to my damp shirt before leaning on the counter, letting my mind wander to when I first applied here. It felt pretty silly to think I had a shot at working here, to be honest. It's a candy store; everyone wants to work here, right? So I was naturally pretty amazed when the store called me back the following day to schedule an interview, then called again to tell me I got the job. I wasn't sure if it was luck or not, but either way I was happy with how things turned out. A drop of water silently fell from my hair and landed on the counter, snapping me away from my daydreams. Grabbing a clean towel from under the counter, I quickly did my best to dry my head before giving the counter a quick wipe.

It was a fairly slow day. Not that I was surprised: most weekdays are like this. There were a few customers here and there that entered to buy a quick pack of gum or chips, but I spent the majority of my shift making sure the items were fully stocked and recovered any misplaced items. Management looked down on us standing behind the counter all day doing nothing, but on slow days like this we tend to run out of things to do quickly, and I found myself reading an e-book on my phone. The rain outside had started to pour harder than it did when I first arrived and the sound of raindrops and puddles softly lulled its way inside, as did the cooler temperature. Every time someone opened the door, a whimsical breeze wafted in, giving me goosebumps. As the day went on, I decided to pull on my hoodie, which I had discarded when I first entered. It wasn't exactly dress-code, but we were pretty laid back with the rules anyway. My finger slid upwards on the smart phone's screen, bringing me to the next page though the longer sleeves covered my knuckles and made it a little bit harder for me to keep the same position I was in and still read the book easily. But still, what a problem to have during work, right? The front door opened briefly as I smiled to myself, causing the little bell attached to it to ring out. I looked up at the glass and saw a girl standing just outside, holding the door open. She didn't move for a few seconds and only peered inside, letting in the fresh breeze and smell of wet concrete. Finally, the girl closed the door and walked away. I shrugged before returning to my story only to hear the door open again about a minute later. I looked up and, once again, found the same girl standing just outside the store. This time she walked in quickly, wasting no time. She was wearing a light blue fleece jacket and jeans, and her straight red hair that only reached a little passed her ears was covered by a black beanie.
“Hi there,” I told her as she entered.
“Hi. Sorry about that. I'm having...an off day,” she told me as I noted her accent. I couldn't really place it, but I ball-parked it as Scottish. Maybe even Irish.
“No worries. Let me know if you need help with anything.” The girl nodded before browsing the candy packages lined up against the wall. She made her way to the standing refrigeration unit where we keep drinks and stared at it for around a minute, bobbing her head side to side.
“Sorry, Do you guys have root beer?”
“Hm? Yeah, it should be on the top right corner, next to the cream soda.” The girl brought her head up to where I indicated and sighed.
“You might right in front of me...?”
“Yep, exactly.” She slid open the container, grabbed her drink, and defeatedly made her way towards me.
“It's a weird day,” she explained to me.
“It's cool. Drink'll be a dollar and 25 cents.”
“Really? Other places charge 1.75.” She pulled out her wallet from pockets and handed me two bills.
“Yeah, we're pretty awesome like that,” I told her as I rung up the soft drink. The cash register opened and, after placing the two bills in the upper right sections, I grabbed three quarters to the girl in front of the counter. “Here you go.”
“Thanks, I love you.”

There was a pause as my brain tried to understand whether or not I misheard what she just said as I raised an eyebrow. At the same time, the girl's face slowly dropped and turned a shade of red and I found myself thankful for the lack of any other customers.
“No, wait! That's not--! I mean, I don't really--”
“I--”
“Oh god, I'm so sorry! I'm such a mess right now.”
“I don't really think you're allowed to say that unless I paid for your drink,” I joked. Thankfully, the girl laughed and calmed down enough to speak in complete sentences.
“Aw man, how embarrassing. I'm just...having one of those days, you know?”
“I thought I did, but your 'off days' are apparently way worse than mine.” She let out another small fit of laughter.
“Sorry again, Captain.”
“Captain?”
“That's your name, right? Or at least your nickname?” The redhead pointed at my chest where my name tag was and I realized my unzipped sweater had covered up more than half of my name so only 'Casp' was showing and I smiled as I revealed my whole name to her. “Casper. That makes more—wait, did I seriously not see that 's'? Casptain. Great.”
“You really are off today, aren't you?” The girl let out a long sigh before answering.
“Worse than I thought. I'm just gonna go home.”
“Right. Thanks for stopping by. Hope your day gets better.” She smiled at me as she made her way towards the door.
“Yeah. Thanks, Casptain. And sorry for, you know.” I returned her smile as she walked out, the small bells ringing once more.
“Love you too,” I chuckled to myself in the now empty store.

I had the next day off of work but found myself restless. Normally I like to spend my days off at home, watching TV or just relaxing on the internet but as I stared at my monitor, I realized I was listless and bored. I went to the window of my studio apartment before opening it. It was still raining outside, though it had calmed down significantly when compared to yesterday afternoon's downpour. The fresh breeze danced around me as I stuck my head out of the fourth floor room, letting droplets of water trickle onto my hair. I inhaled deeply, enjoying the rare damp atmosphere before pulling myself back in. My hands softly brought down the splattered window and without thinking, I grabbed a coat and walked out. I didn't have any kind of plan, but food sounded like a good place to start and despite eating there regularly, the Chinese place next to work was calling my name. The walk was only around ten minutes from my apartment and unlike most other people, I lacked an umbrella. The small amount of droplets weren't worth the effort of bringing mine out, and I actually liked walking through the rain. I kept my eyes low, admiring the darkened sidewalk the weather provided before looking up at the sky. The cloudy skies looked so strangely comforting with the way the grey round fluff encompassed the city. Small slivers of white clouds popped up every now and then, but for the most part, the chilly flurries hovered above us, controlling the skies. It didn't take long for me to reach the shopping center and as I passed under the alcove I saw my reflection in the glass of one of the stores. I wasn't as wet as I thought I would be, thankfully. Hell, I would probably be able to sit down without leaving any traces of rain at all. Just as I reached the Chinese restaurant, I paused. I was about to reach for the handle but held myself back. Instead, I walked into my candy shop with the intention of saying hello to whoever was at the register and buying myself a drink, since ours where cheaper than the ones provided inside the restaurant. I entered the candy shop and saw my co-worker, Joe, standing behind the counter. To my surprise, there was also a redheaded girl standing in front of him, about to pay for a soft drink.
“That'll be $1.25,” Joe told her.
“Put my employee discount on that, would you?” I said out loud as I pulled out my card from my wallet. The redhead looked at me with a disbelieved smile on her face.
“Wow, I think I really do love you,” She whispered. I laughed in response as I gave Joe my card.
“Charge another drink on it too, yeah? I need to get one for myself.”
“Right on, Casp,” Joe told me as he slid my card on the register's panel.

A bowl of noodles was placed on the table in front of me before being followed up by a second bowl for the girl sitting across from me.
“Kinda lucky running into you again, huh Captain?” She said as she grabbed a pair of chopsticks.
“Really? Cuz, uh,” I pulled out my phone and pressed the button on the top, “I'm pretty sure this was around the same time I saw you yesterday.” The girl smiled before giving me a very short breathless laugh.
“I was just...thirsty.”
“If you say so. By the way, I never got your name.”
“Oh, I guess you didn't. I wasn't wearing a name tag, after all, huh? I'm Lucy.”
“Probably a good thing you weren't. I might have misread it as 'Lucky' or something.” She let out another small laugh.
“You're stuck with 'Captain,' by the way.”
“Great. Now I have to buy a boat.” Lucy easily grabbed a few noodles from her bowl with the chopsticks as I watched in wonder.
“Wow, these are good.”
“I told you they were to die for. Man, I'm kinda jealous. I never learned how to eat with chopsticks.”
“Really?"
“Really. I come here all the time, but I always just used a fork.”
“Why don't you try it right now?”
“Naw, I couldn't--”
“Aw come on! Why not?”
“Well I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in front of the girl who loves me now, would I?”
“Oh my god, stop!” She laughed, “I can't believe you brought that up!”
“Would it help if I changed the subject?”
“Yes!”
“Okay. What's your accent from? I wanna say Scotland but I'm not familiar with accents.”
“Oh, yeh like me accent, do ya? Aye, Izza Scottish accent dere, laddie.”
“Alright calm down, Merida.”
“Sorry, Hiccup.” I rose an eyebrow at the newest nickname. “From the Dragon movie?”
“Yeah, but I thought I was Captain?”
“Captain Hiccup.”
“On the S.S. Toothless.”
“Yeah, exactly.”

I hadn't realized how much time we spent talking in the restaurant, but the weather had worsened and the downpour was as if angels were dumping large buckets of water above the clouds.
“Man, I really don't want to walk home in that,” I told Lucy as she finished up her bowl.
“How far do you live?”
“Not too far. Just a little passed 12th street.”
“Really? I live a little further than that. And look, I came prepared,” The girl reached into her bag and pulled out a small compact umbrella. “After the rain yesterday, I figured I might need this.”
“Well lucky you. Guess I'm the one with the off day, huh?”
“Not at all! I'd say you're lucky.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah! I'll be your escort this afternoon. I'll do my best to ward off the incoming water attacks. Come on.” After clearing the table we made our way out of the restaurant and Lucy popped open her umbrella, beckoning me underneath. “Ladies first,” she told me with a bow.
“What a gentleman,” I replied with a short curtsy. “...Please don't ever let me do that again,” I told her as she laughed for the umpteenth time. We walked in mostly silence as the raindrops splashed mercilessly against Lucy's black umbrella. It wasn't as large as I had first thought, so we had to huddle together close to avoid getting wet. “You didn't have to do this, you know,” I told her as we rounded the corner leading to my apartment complex.
“Sure I did. Wanna know why?” She bumped her shoulder against my own before I was able to answer.
“Why?”
“Because I love you,” she told me as she held back another fit of laughter. This time I was the one that burst out, though she followed suit quickly after. All too soon we stood in front of the large building I called home. “Swanky digs, yo.”
“It's nothing special, really.”
“Well, I can't really judge that, now can I? I haven't seen it from the inside.”
“Subtle.”
“I thought so.”
“It's really small. It's just a studio apartment, but you can come in if you want. I've got Netflix and we can just chill for a while.” Lucy gave me the biggest smile of the day.
“I'd love to.”

 

[KingdomKey]

Boy, do I really want some chinese food right now. In all seriousness, I loved this. The comedy in it was spectacular. I never would've expected Lucy to say I love you to Casper out of the blue. Which is why its perfect, cause it's hilarious and well done. Also, I feel like that was slightly sarcasm with the sprinkles versus the rain. Furthermore, I like how Casper caught her in time to buy her a drink. xD Ah, this was a good laugh and an enjoyable read.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Help, I'm becoming a hopeless romantic!!

---
Underappreciated Excerpt #3
​

I knocked on the door three times while adjusting the large bag I had slung over my shoulder. It was pretty heavy and climbing up a flight of stairs had strained me more than I thought it would. Instead of putting the bag down, I held on to it in some show of macho-ism even though I wouldn't be able to bear the weight for much longer. Thankfully the door opened only a few seconds later and a very familiar face greeted me.
“Hey, Casper!” My sister told me with a bright smile as her ever purple eyes gleamed at me. If there was one thing in the world I envied from her it was her eyes. In some kind of rare one in a million shot, genetics had granted her natural purple irises. Being her twin brother you would expect the same for me, but I was instead born with much more common brown eyes. Doctors told us it was a lucky mutation of some kind and that we should be glad it didn't negatively effect her, but I still couldn't help but feel just a bit jealous at my sibling. Both for the eyes, and for her extraordinary piano playing ability.
“Hi, Crystal. Thanks for letting me crash for a few days.”
“Yeah of course, come on in.” She stepped aside and I walked through the doorway and into her apartment. I placed my bag down with a small thud next to the green couch as I heard a second voice call out.
“Caspy! Did you bring me any treats?” Sitting at the dining room table to the side of the couch was my sister's best friend and roommate, and she always reminded me of a kid looking for a new toy to play with.
“Hey, Zoey. Catch.” I opened up a small pocket from my bag and reached inside before throwing a colorful plastic bag at the table. The girl caught it happily before examining the contents.
“There's so much stuff in here! Has anyone told you how awesome it is you work at the candy store?”
“They could mention it more. Here Crystal, this one's for you.” I handed my sister a second bag. “That one has hard candies too, but there are a few of those plastic spoons with peanut butter and stuff too.”
“Peanut butter? You know me too well.”
“Well, I damn better!” I let out a small chuckle as the pair smiled back at me. “So I'm sleeping on the couch, right? I know it's last second but since my whole apartment is getting sprayed for bugs everyone's scrambling for a place to stay. The hotels and stuff were booked pretty quick.”
“Actually, something's kinda come up,” Crystal mumbled while keeping her eyes away from me, “I actually need to spend the next few days with my boyfriend. He had something planned and needs my help for it.”
“She's joining a kickboxing competition!” Zoey blurted out between bites of candy bars.
“Huh? Really?”
“Zoey!”
“What's the big deal? It's not like there's any harm in him knowing.”
“Yeah. If I had known I would have gone to cheer you on or something.”
“I thought you said he's a bad influence on me?”
“Well yeah, when he was out in the streets fighting bare fist. But from what you've been telling me you guys aren't up to anything like that. Just as long as you're safe, then I'm good.”
“Told you he'd be fine with it, Crys. You're such a worry-wart.”
“Right...Anyway I'm going to be gone so it'll just be you and Zoey. I changed the sheets on my bed so you can sleep there if you want. But I gotta go.”
“What? Now?”
“Yep, I was just waiting for you to show up. Good thing you did too, I was almost going to run late.”

“What are you doing?” Zoey asked as I lay on the couch with my laptop/tablet hybrid. I had folded the keyboard back and utilized the touch screen with a stylus to draw out what I needed.
“Working on my comic.”
“Oh yeah, Crystal mentioned you were trying to get into something like that.”
“Mm-hm.”
“But then why are you using a tablet?”
“What do you mean? Tablets are how a lot of people draw nowadays.”
“What?! You can draw on that thing?”
“Sure. Get with the times, Zoey.”
“But what about drawing on paper and stuff like that?”
“Well I mean, yeah people still do that but this is how I plan on working. It's not as great with this thing though. The set up I've got at home is more helpful. Once I get back I'm probably going to have to redo a lot of this.”
“What's wrong with what you're using now?”
“The screen isn't as a good a quality as the tablet I use on my PC, so it's harder to get the lines down the way I need them to be. Plus adding details with this is a pain.”
“So wait, you mean you don't use this thing at home? Why do you have two of the same thing? A laptop and another computer?”
“Well the desktop is like my main...thing.”
“Main weapon?” I let out a small chuckle at her suggestion.
“Yeah, my main weapon. It's the heavy hitter while the laptop is my--”
“Sub weapon.”
“Exactly. It's almost like a back up when I can't get to my rig. For situations like this one.” Zoey stepped next to the couch and I pulled my legs up to give her sitting room before settling myself into a sitting position.
“So what's your comic about?”
“Ah, well you wouldn't be interested and I don't wanna bore you...”
“Oh come on! How many times have Crystal and I bored you with our music stuff? I can take the hit if it isn't interesting.”
“No, you don't have to--”
“Casper, tell me! What's the point of making all that if you don't share it?” I looked the violinist over. She was very loud, and not just in an audio sense: her choice of clothing was a strikingly green summer dress that would make a blind man cover his eyes.
“Alright, alright. Just...don't laugh, okay?”
“Why would I laugh?”
“It's...silly.”
“My favorite song to play on the violin is a stupid song called “Hot Canary” that debuted on a really old TV show. Try me.”
“Okay, so it's about this guy, right? And he moves into a new town.”
“Right, not so silly so far,” she said as I turned the hand held computer towards her to show her my older work. The screen had an image of a large penguin wearing a pair of aviator goggles next to a human.
“Yeah, but the town is full of giant talking animals.”
“Talking? You mean in English?”
“Yeah, what else?”
“I don't know... I just always thought animals spoke their own language.”
“Well if they did, they don't here. Otherwise I'd need to have an entire chapter where Charles learns how to speak with him. Charles is the human, by the way.”
“What's the name of the little penguin?”
“Fuzz.”
“Cute.”
“Ha, you think so?”

So I spent a good amount of time telling Zoey about my comic but didn't realize how late it had gotten. I arrived at around eight to begin with, so the passing of time really slipped right by me.
“I'm going to bed, Casp,” the violinist told me as she stood, stretching her arms in the air.
“Alright.”
“Are you going to crash on the couch, or take Crys' bed?”
“The bed, yeah. But I'm gonna chill here for a bit,” I told her as I once again laid down on the couch.
“Right on. Good night, yo.”
“G'night.” And with that, the freckled girl went off down the small hall and into her room while I got back to work on my comic. I wasn't sure how long I had been at it before I heard her bedroom door open once again. I was a bit groggy at that point, but still made out Zoey's outline walking in the dark.
“Casper?” She whispered.
“Hm,” I placed the tablet on my stomach so the light of it dimly lit up the room and I watched as Zoey walked towards the armrest near my feet. “What's up, Zo?” I didn't get an answer. Instead she climbed over the arm rest and crawled upward, her arms pressing against the sofa's cushion next to my legs. I only watched as she continued to crawl closer, her freckled face lit brightly by the tablet's screen for a brief moment before she moved passed it, revealing that she was still wearing the same summer dress as before.
“Hi,” she murmured when she finally got face to face with me, her brown hair tickling my neck.
“Uh,” was all I could mutter as she pressed her forehead against my own. “Z-Zoey, Crystal is--”
“Not here,” she whispered as I saw the left strap of her dress slide down shoulder, “...but I am.” I looked back toward her and saw her eyes looking into my own. With a sudden motion they got even closer as she moved toward me.

I woke with a start, nearly catapulting my still powered on tablet across the room, sending a square of light dancing all around the room. Thankfully it only clipped the opposite armrest, though it dangled dangerously near the edge. I made a grab for it in my half-awake mind while thinking—for whatever reason—that if it broke, so would reality. Thankfully the world was saved by my fumbling fingers and I clutched the computer against my chest like a stuffed bear. What the hell kind of dream was that?! I slapped two open palms against my cheeks. Steady on boy, come on.
“I need a cold shower,” I told the darkness. I stood from the couch, half expecting to find a summer dress laying around on the floor as I made my way to the bathroom. When I reached it and opened the door, I paused and looked at the door leading to Zoey's room. Swallowing hard, I quietly made my way towards it and, as softly as I possibly could, pressed against the frame. The door slowly opened, haven't not been completely closed. Though it was pitch black inside I managed to see her figure sleeping soundly in her bed and I just barely made out the collar of her sleeping shirt. So she wasn't still in the dress. Good, so it really was just a dream. Ever so lightly, I closed the bedroom door before heading back into the bathroom and turning on the shower. Once I was totally rinsed off and dried, I went into Crystal's room and did my best to fall asleep... But it felt as though I had just dozed off when my alarm went off. Damn it, I didn't even have to go in to work today! Why did I leave my alarm on? I groaned as I rolled off the bed and onto the ground, knowing full well I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep before changing out of my sleepwear and into a brown T-shirt and sweat pants. Making my way into the kitchen, I went through the cabinets until I found the bowls and poured myself some sugary cereal. Probably Zoey's, I'll admit. It wasn't long after I sat down at the nearby dining table that Zoey emerged from her room. She was wearing the same damn dress as yesterday, but her face was still very much bed-ridden.
“Morning...” she mumbled as I avoided eye contact. She was still too out of it to notice, thank god, and instead she retraced my steps and poured herself a bowl of the same cereal.

“Hey sunshine,” Damn, that was awkward. Zoey didn't seem to notice or care as she opened the fridge. “Uh, did...did you sleep in that dress?”
“Pfft, no. 'Course not.” Her voice was a little hoarse and it reminded me of Crystal when she would first wake up. I imagined them having a conversation together in the morning, both their voices cracking as they spoke. “Why, does it bother you? Do you want me to take it off?”
“Nooo. No, no, you're fine. Good, I mean you're good. You look good. You always look good, not that—I mean, it's just. It's good. It's all good. Everything...everything is good,” I fumbled from word to word and felt like I was walking on a thin steel-beam miles off the ground and as I tried to adjust myself in one direction, I overshot it and would have to lean the other way only to lose my balance in that direction instead. What I'm getting at is that I'm probably going to die. Zoey looked at me for a good three painfully long seconds but was apparently lost.
“Okay,” she finally said. Thank Christ. I took a spoonful of sugar as she sat at the table on the opposite chair from me.
“So, the comic you're working on? If you're doing that, why are you still working at the candy store?”
“It's not like I'm a bonafide artist or anything. You and Crystal found your niche quick, but I've only been at mine for about a year or so. I'm still learning and don't really have a backing or anything yet.”
“So the candy store is just, what you getting your bills paid?”
“That's the short of it, yeah.”
“Can I ask you something?” I kept my face low, concentrating on the milky substance in my bowl. Why am I so flustered? It was just some dumb dream, snap out of it!
“Hm?”
“What do you think of me?” Whhhhhhhy?
“Wh—what do you mean?”
“Crystal's always the main attraction while I'm runner up. Or at least, that's how I always feel. What do you think?”
“I...don't think that's true. Whenever you two play together it's always as a team. She might be strong but she wouldn't be able to get the same reaction from a crowd without you there. Besides, you shouldn't compare yourself to other people. You gotta look out for you. If I compared myself to my sister growing up, I would never have gotten anything done. Instead look at yourself and see what you really are.”
“And what's that?” She asked slowly.
“A very talented woman whom my sister is very lucky to have met.” That I also had a dirty dream about last night. Well, half-dirty. It's not like we actually did anyth--
“You're sweet, Casp,” she whispered. I felt myself burn up and once again avoided eye contact. “I'm gonna take a shower, alright? Maybe that'll wake me up.” I nodded as she stood, somehow finishing her bowl quicker than myself even though I had a head start. I idly watched as she went into the bathroom and heard the shower turn on.

Once I finished eating, I made my way back into Crystal's room. Zoey was still showering and I saw Crystal's electric keyboard sitting against the wall. I walked up to it and pressed the small rubber power button, causing the small LED screen to flash black for a second. I pressed my index finger against the white key to the left of the first black key that only had two black keys near one another. That was the Middle C. It was named that way because, aside from being a C note, was also near the middle of most pianos and was a good place for beginners to start off learning. Although I don't think my index finger should be on the C. Instead it should be my thumb, right? I adjusted my fingers to reflect my remembrance and tapped the C key once again before pressing down with my middle finger: that was the E note. Then I pressed my pinky against the G note. Together they made a chord. I pressed the three notes in different secessions. Ba...Da...Dum. Ba. Da. Dum. Ba, Da, Dum. Ba-Da-Dum. BaDaDum. That was only my right hand, though. My left hand would need to work differently...ah, to hell with it, I won't bother with the left hand. Instead I once again played the first note but used my index finger to play the second note instead and moved my thumb down to the third note. Now that my fingers were in a different position, I could complete the arpeggio, that is the sequence of notes that follow the same chords and--
“You can play?” I jumped, completely caught off guard before turning around. Zoey was standing against the door frame wearing a loose yellow blouse and blue pleaded skirt, her hair still wet from the shower.
“Z-Zoey! No, I wasn't—I mean, I, uh,”
“That was C Major, right?”
“I, I dunno. I was just hitting random notes,” I bluffed.
“That sounds like a super fat lie.”
“No really. I mean, Crystal's the piano person. I don't know anything about this stuff...”
“Uh-huh.”
“Hey Zo?”
“Yeesss?”
“You asked first, so now it's my turn. What do you think about me?”
“Huh?”
“My sister's a prodigy. She basically mastered the piano before she learned to drive and here I am just barely learning how to draw and make a story. I always felt like... Well, I always felt a bit like a loser when compared to her.”
“No! I don't think you're a loser! What was it you said to me? You can't compare yourself to other people. Gotta focus on yourself.” I nodded once, having had my own advice thrown back at me. Though I gotta admit, it did make me feel better.
“Thanks. You're alright, Zoey.”
“Damn right I am. I gotta dry my hair before it turns to crap.”
“Really? I think it looks pretty.”
“Shut the hell up, Casper,” she laughed before she walked away.
“Wait, Zoey!” I ran to the door frame and peered toward the bathroom just in time to see her standing just outside the steam cloud her hot shower had left behind.
“Yeah?”
“Do me a solid? Don't...don't tell Crystal?” The violinist looked at me for a second before smiling and gave me a wink. Then she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

I sat on the couch and turned on the television, grateful for the fact my sister had Netflix. I turned on a movie and watched though it wasn't long until Zoey joined me.
“Oh dude, I love this flick!” She said excitedly before sitting next to me. We watched it near silence, though I felt myself get groggy once again, having not gotten enough sleep the night before. I closed my eyes though quickly opened them as I felt a warmth reach my side. I looked and saw Zoey pressing herself against me, her eyes still focused on the screen. I didn't move at first, more than a little terrified. After what felt like eternity, I moved my arm that was being squeezed between her and myself upwards.
“Sorry,” she mumbled as I rose my hand, separating us, “I didn't--” My hand instead lightly held on to her shoulder as I cautiously pressed her closer, my heart beating a mile a minute. We stayed silent as the movie went on though eventually, Zoey nuzzled against my chest. Then it all clicked in my mind.
“Oh! I get it. This is another dream,” I said aloud, breaking the tension.
“Wha—dream?”
“Yeah sure. I'm gonna wake up with a start and scare the hell out of the real you who's still sitting far away.”
“Real me?”
“The not-dream you, yeah.”
“Um. Okay?”
“You don't believe me? Here, watch.” I pinched my cheek, expecting the experience to end. ...Except that it didn't. I pinched myself again, harder. The pain raced through my face, but my surroundings stayed the same and I felt myself start to sweat. “Oh crap, this is real, isn't it?”
“I mean, yeah,”
“...Oh Christ,” I stood from the sofa as a strong rush of embarrassment flooded over me. I was going to head back into Crystal's room but Zoey's hand caught me and pulled me back, causing me to crash backwards into the couch.
“Wait! Did you say 'another' dream? What was that about?” She was kneeling against the sofa, pressing both her hands against my chest.
“It was... a lot like this, actually. Just--! Not as creepy. Or, I mean...”
“So I was on top?”
“Zoey!”
“Not what I meant!” I struggled to stand but her tiny frame managed to hold me down. “What's your deal, man?” She asked.
“Zoey, this is dangerous.”
“Dangerous how?”
“It's dangerous because Crystal is--”
“--Not here!” Zoey ended, causing me to whimper. Why did she have to say that? “Who cares about Crystal! What do you want? Right now?”
“I...I want, damn it, you know very well what I want!” This wasn't a moment of 'hide your feelings' anymore. It had become a sort of game for her.
“Reaaally?” I didn't answer. I kept struggling against her, but ultimately ran out of breath. Damn. She seriously knew how to focus her center of gravity to stay in charge. “Are you done?”
“I'm done. Just kill me.” She propped me up into a sitting position, sitting on my lap.
“Death would be mercy,” she said darkly, imitating the villain from the movie we had forgotten about. She pressed her forehead against my own as my heart continued to pound against my chest. Zoey gripped the neck of my shirt as she leaned closer to me and I closed my eyes, but she quickly backed out. “Nope! Not until you say it.”
“This is cruel,” I groaned.
“Just admit to your desires. It's not like I don't already know by this point, you adorable idiot.” Did she say adorable? I wasn't sure if I should be offended by that or not.
“If I say it, then it becomes real,” I told her, trying to work out why I was having trouble with this. “If it's real, I can screw it all up.”
“Don't think like that. I mean hey, I can be the one to screw it up instead. Ever think of that? And here I am, sitting on your lap.” Once again, she pressed her forehead against my own and got so close enough I could nearly count the freckles that dotted her face. “Now, what do you want?”
“I...I want... I want to kiss you,” I said before closing the gap between us, catching her off guard.
The next day, Zoey and I stood in front of the door as we heard Crystal's key enter the lock. Zoey leaned heavily against me and had her fingers slipped between my own. The door opened wide and Crystal walked in, looking tired.
“Hey, I'm ho-- oh, hi.” Obviously she didn't expect to see us waiting for her like a pair of puppies. Her purple eyes immediately went down to our hands as I felt heat rise to my face.
“So, hey!” Zoey said happily while I again avoided eye contact, “Guess what finally happened?”

 

[Roxie1563]

*chuckles at this* this is just too adorable!!

CD, I believe this is to be a masterpiece and I'd like to see this more.

 

[KingdomKey]

I love how you briefly mentioned Animal Crossing Deluxe in this story as a comic book. And I'm still geeking out over how perfect and hilarious this was. I mean, Casper dreaming about Zoey, then waking up and fumbling over his words during breakfast brought tears to my eyes. And damn girl, you go get him and be a boss all about it! Casper is so cute when in denial until proven it's real. Also that ending was so good. XD This hands down made my night right here. Love, love, loved it! You out did yourself, CD.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Time to spoil some stuff. First up, Persona Frozen. An RP that introduced one of my fav characters. I had a ton of stuff planned out but since the RP fell through, none of it came to be. Still this is a quick mock-up of what would probably have happened if the RP continued.

---
Frozen Crystal

​

Shadow Crystal quickly walked in front of the group and blocked the way forward.
“We don't really need to go in here, do we? I bet there's nothing even in there!” As if to prove her wrong, the soft sound of a piano playing swept its way through the cracks. Regrettably the Shadow stood aside as the group filed inside. The room was dark though there was enough light to allow the companions to see the marble floor was a black and white checkered tile. Every so often they would see circular tables with white cloth and fine wooden chairs. The tables were empty besides lit candles in the center and as they moved forward, the sounds of the piano grew louder. Crystal lagged behind everyone though Saito was close by, just in front. She had told him she was ready to return to the Shadows and allow the real Crystal to escape but now that they were actually here she felt herself tremble with nerves. Eventually the piano was on them, sitting on a circular stage elevated above the tables. The grand ivory instrument gleamed against the dim candle light but only the silhouette of the person playing was visible. In an instant two bright spotlights sprung to life, illuminating the stage. On the stool sat none other than Crystal, wearing an elegant black dress with a small slit on the side, revealing just a tease of her legs and her hair was tied in a short tail. Crystal's eyes were closed but after the two spotlights turned on, she blinked confusingly, revealing her purple eyes. There was no mistake: this was the real Crystal and the yellow eyed double standing behind the crowd was her Shadow. Crystal peered down the stage, squinting against the bright lights.
“Oh! Finally!” She stood from the stool and attempted to walk towards them but stumbled before catching herself on the piano. “Stupid high heels,” she cursed before kicking the dark shoes off. The girl walked toward the edge of the stage, looking over the crowd: “I've been watching. Kinda. It's like, I was in her head but couldn't communicate. It was a bit frustrating, but that's okay. Where is Shadow-Me anyway?” Ever so slowly the yellow-eyed Shadow walked toward the stage. Wordlessly she climbed the edge of the stage and stood besides her mirrored image.
“Hi,” the shadow finally said, “I'm...sorry. Sorry for everything.”
“As long as I can have my body back and nothing bad happens...” Crystal held out her hand for her Shadow to shake. Ever so slowly, the yellow-eyed counterpart lifted up her hand.

“No,” The Shadow slapped away Crystal's hand.
“Wh-what? But you're the one who wanted me to accept you in the first place! You broke into my mind to do so and then took over my body when I couldn't! This is what you wanted!” Crystal saw tears form in her Shadow's eyes as she trembled.
“I'm not going back,” the Shadow whispered, “Never again.”
“B-but I'm you! You're me!”
“No...no, I'm... I'm not you!” Without warning Crystal was tackled as the two flew behind the piano, away from the eyes of the others. As the group began running toward the stage, a body flew over the piano, landing just in front of the group. A casually-clothed Crystal groaned as she withered on the floor.
“Totally not how I wanted to get my body back,” she moaned. Back on stage Crystal's Shadow had climbed on top of the piano, now dressed with the black dress. She undid her ponytail and her hair fell carelessly against her shoulders. As the real Crystal slowly got to her feet, the Shadow stomped on the piano, sending a chilling strike of disjointed chords throughout the room. Almost instantly, the tables and chairs around them began floating in mid air as silhouettes of tuxedo-ed waiters appeared. The tuxes were half white and half black, stripped diagonally.
“I can change it,” The shadow shouted dangerously, “change it all!” One of the chairs flung itself at the group, just missing their heads as a table crashed besides them. The waiters grew closer, wielding knives. Two sudden chairs blew passed the group, snatching both Crystal and Saito in the seats. They were carried swiftly onto the stage where they were dumped in front of the piano. “I can change it,” the shadow repeated, gripping her head with both hands, “If I can just, just kill you, then I'll be the only one left. I'll be the real Crystal by default and I can take your life! I can... I can erase everyone's memories! Yeah, and make it so your eyes were always unnaturally yellow instead of purple! I can prove I'm superior! Fix all the mistakes you've caused! Be a better musician! A better friend! A better daughter! Then it'll all be okay! I'm not going back! Ever!”

After the fight...

The Shadow flew backwards, the final blow being too much for it to handle. It skidded against the cold floor before colliding with the black piano which let out an impossible set of chords.
“No...” The shadow whispered as it attempted to stand, though it lacked the energy to do so. All I could do was wiggle its fingers in a vain attempt to gather strength. Crystal panted deeply before calling back the Persona that had been locked away for so long. Neko Shogun, the large cat wielding a fan of war, vanished in a blue light as the pianist made her way to the Shadow. “I don't want to disappear,” the shadow sobbed, tears streaming from its eyes, “to forget, to not exist.” Crystal knelled besides her shadow and rubbed its cheek.
“You won't disappear. Look at me! I've been here the entire time and I'm still here. But you were right. I...We need to be better. To take the future more seriously. Not take Zoey for granted.” The shadow smiled as the dark haze that had surrounded it began to deteriorate.
“He's a good catch too,” it whispered so only Crystal could hear, “a little rough around the edges but worth it.”
“Oh girl, I know! Don't gotta tell me twice!” The two laughed shortly and the Shadow held the hand Crystal had placed on its cheek.
“I can see the future, you know,” it smiled
“Yeah? What do you see?”
“Something amazing. Nothing to be afraid of.” The Shadow's body was consumed with a sudden light as it began to vanish into small bright particles that flew into Crystal's body. It was over in a matter of seconds and soon only Crystal remained. She stood and walked back to the rest of the group.
“I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused,” she told them before turning to face Saito before grabbing the open flaps of his jacket, “and, I'm sure you're probably used to yellow, but I hope you like purple.” Before he could respond she moved forward and pressed her lips against his, completely forgetting the room full of onlookers.

---
​

It was important to have the phrase change from "You're not me" to "I'm not you" since this would be the Shadow saying it and rejecting her other half instead of the real person rejecting the Shadow. Also, we all know Crystal/Saito is endgame, right?
Next time I'm gonna spoil some Appreciate, and probably even UnderAppreciated!

Also that ending was so good. XD This hands down made my night right here. Love, love, loved it! You out did yourself, CD.

Haha thank you. It's always fun to write romance stuff and it's even more fun when it's done in a silly way!

*chuckles at this* this is just too adorable!!

CD, I believe this is to be a masterpiece and I'd like to see this more.

Thanks! I had a lot of fun writing it up and honestly loved how it turned out!

 

[KingdomKey]

That ending was the best. I cracked up so much, because it was unexpected and extremely bold. Crystal/Saito are my OTP in Persona Frozen. The fight between the two Crystals was outstanding. It felt like I was there, because it felt like something you'd literally see in one of the Persona games. And seeing Shadow Crystal fight back and lose control was flipping awesome. Also, I liked how the real Crystal kept calm during some of this as she waited for her shadow to return and let her take back her body too. I wish what we wrote turned into a Persona game, because it'd be awesome. Also, this was a pretty cool idea to finish what was started in Persona Frozen (RIP).

 

[Peace]

Appreciate: Nocturne op.9 No.2
I can totally relate to the guy in this. Mainly due to the fact that I suck when it comes to keeping in contact with people. I really felt for the guy when he was shot down before he could try. But that's life sometimes. But it was a good story.

Crossing Deluxe
I liked how with this (and your other first person stories) that you describe things from their perspective. Like how a simple centi/millipede became a hellspawn. And Ashley seeing right through Casper's plan on tripping her and the ending were funny.

UnderAppreciated Excerpts in general
Thanks a lot dude. You gave me cavities. And Diabetes. Multiple times. I didn't even think that was possible.

UnderAppreciated Excerpt
Saito would totally ask for Crystal to hit him if she wouldn't tell him what's wrong. Especially, like he said in your story, he's immersed himself in that kind of outlook. I can also see him struggling with calling Crystal his girlfriend near the beginning of the relationship. If you want to use Saito for your Appreciate reboot, go for it. Which is kind of a funny coincidence since I'm kinda rebooting Saito for a story I've been wanting to do.

UnderAppreciated Excerpt #3
I liked that Casper is making a comic based on Deluxe. I love it when creators reference previous works. I'm also glad that Zoey and Casper got together at the end. It's about damn time something went good for her. And I also liked how the former asked Crystal what [i]finally[/i] happened. Like she's wanted to get together with Casper for a while. Though I kinda wonder whether or not UnderAppreciated #3 takes place before or after #2.

Frozen Crystal
Ugh. This makes me want Persona: Frozen to get back up. Despite the fact looking at my own writing from back then makes me want to go back in time and slap, then shake and yell at, and finally punching past me.

I understood the struggle the Shadow had. She spent all that time living in the real world. Dealing with family, friends, and love interests. From that, she developed a sense of self. Her slip into insanity made it all the more sad.

I loved the Crystals' conversation near the end. I can only imagine the reactions out of everyone at the end.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

I'm sorry, my friend. I wish I could say it wasn't real and that I could rewrite it all for you but sometimes bad things happen. Please be well, because I know you can push through this.

---
UnderAppreciated Excerpt #4 (Heart Throbs)
​

“Lucy, wait!”
“I can't believe this,” the redhead puffed as she stormed out of the lobby and into the dark outdoors. I had asked her to meet up with me and she had insisted on meeting me at my apartment building. I knew it would have been a bad idea but I had to go through with it.
“Lucy!” She had reached a set of stairs leading up to a higher section of the sidewalk but turned back to face me after the first step, her eyes filled with the sting of what I imagined was betrayal.
“Do you know why I wanted to meet at your apartment?” I stayed silent, aside from the light panting I let out. “It was to give you this!” She reached into her pocket and threw something small at me. The night's darkness stopped me from seeing it well enough to catch but after it landed, the streetlamp's light illuminated the object. A long thin metal chain gleamed in the light, and connected to it was a small heart, made of the same material.
“This is--”
“Captain! I thought we could be more! I wanted to...wanted us to be real.” I scooped up the heart pendant before looking at her face. Already her eyes were filled with tears and I felt my innards twist painfully as I looked at her.
“You have to understand. I didn't plan for this. This isn't what I wanted to happen, I--”
“But you let it happen! You led me into thinking you wanted to be with me for a week and then you hook up with some random person?!”
“She isn't a random person, she's--!” My sister's best friend. Our childhood friend. Someone who has known me for nearly my whole life. A relationship with her made more sense than a relationship with someone I had known for less than a month and just randomly told me she loved me at work during our first meeting. Even with all these facts, I felt stabs of pain as I gazed at her.
“I hate this,” Lucy cried, her voice cracking,“I hate that I ever fell for you! I hate that I ever went into your stupid store! I hate myself for thinking I could get close to anyone! I hate you, Captain! How...how could you do this?!” She turned away from me, tears streaming for her eyes.
“Lu--”

Hearts Broken: x01
​

The words echoed through my mind as a sudden jolt of pressure pressed down on my body, forcing me to my knees. My stomach dropped as pain—physical pain—stabbed at my heart and gut. Lucy's pendant had fallen and as I dropped down to all fours, my face fell to a mere few inches away from it. Sweat dripped from my forehead as I fought the urge to cry out in anguish.
“'Captain,' huh? Kind of a cute nickname, though it doesn't look like it matters much now, bucko.” Brown penny loafers entered my field of view, and as the right foot stepped on the pendant, I made out the grey slacks of whoever they belonged to. The leg dragged away the pendant before the man picked it up. “You're off to a bad start, you know. I could kill you right now and be done with it. Easily too. It'd save us a bit of trouble, anyway.”
“Who--” Just talking proved too much for me and I ended up coughing violently, expelling a dark liquid I didn't want to recognize.
“Cupid's lackey, I guess you could say. I'm not as forgiving as the big guy but we need results, Casper. Ooh wait! You probably have no idea what I'm talking about, huh? Here, lemme jog your—” Another stab of pain rang through my head though this one only lasted for a second. Sudden memories raced back to me like a stampede: A snapped wire caused a heavy set of pipes to fall on top of us as we walked by a construction site. What should have killed us left us only with a few scrapes. This was a miracle, but it wasn't an accident. We had been saved by Cupid, that angel of love who now had me find lost lovers and give them happiness. We would peacefully breakup once I solved their issues, but there was a catch.
“Ash...Where's Ashley?”
“She's fine, bucko. Still doesn't remember a thing, though maybe I should let you keep your memories? Nah! They'll only get in the way with other lovers, ya know!” I had gotten enough strength to stand and finally met the man who had been towering over me. He wore a suit jacket matching his slacks along with a rimmed hat and sunglasses. Very noir, if I had to put a name to it. The only thing that betrayed his appearance was a pink heart pin attached to his lapel, marking him as a servant of Cupid. He tossed the pendant at me and I managed to easily catch it this time.
“I can't bear to look at this thing,” I admitted.
“That's exactly why you're going to hold on to it, kid. Consider this a lesson for you. Break a heart, get broken. I'm taking back those old memories but whenever you look at that pendant you'll be reminded to not mess around when you can't afford it.”
“My memories?! Wait, Ashley--”
“Is just fine. Get us results while we try to get you two back together. Two deaths isn't something we can just fix overnight, you know.” The suit snapped his fingers and I instantly felt my consciousness slip away from me. The last thing I saw was him looking in a different direction before falling to the ground. “Lets see,” he mumbled, his voice never reaching my ears, “well Ashley’s doing better than her boyfriend is, at least. Already Served one heart and is mending a second. Better pick up the pace, bucko.”

I wasn't sure what had happened. The last thing I could remember was Lucy running off and the extreme guilt it had brought on me. I clutched her pendant as I walked down the sidewalk, my thoughts bouncing between her and Zoey. I had to tell Zoey; despite how terrible I felt right now it would be nothing compared to how she would feel if she found out about Lucy some other way. Without realizing it, I had made my way to their apartment as I finished the thought, almost as if something had guided me there. I inhaled deeply before knocking on their door.
“I got it!” my girlfriend's voice rang out. It didn't take long for her to open the door and I just barely had the presence of mind to stuff Lucy's pendant into my back pocket. “Oh Casper! What's...are you okay? You look terrible.” Her elated face quickly fell as she saw my own. I must have looked like a mess to cause that reaction and I ran a quick hand around my face to wipe away anything I could.
“Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Listen, can we talk?” The freckled girl nodded before closing the door behind her, leading me by the hand to the backyard.
“No one should be here around this time, she said as she sat down on a swing. The backyard had a bit of a play pen for children and Zoey had brought me to the sand pit where four swings hung side by side. “What's up?”
“There's something I need to tell you, Zoey. Before... we happened, I met this girl named Lucy. Nothing happened between us, but it was getting close. I wanted to tell you because I didn't want to hide it from you and I'm really worried about screwing this up.”
“Nothing happened between you?” I had be clear and careful with my words. For some reason, I felt as though I wouldn't be able to survive if her heart was broken.
“No. We met a week ago and she was giving me some signs, but I never really acted on them. I was--”
“Then it doesn't matter, Casp!”
“Uh?” I took a step back, more than a little surprised.
“I don't care what you did before us, it's what you're doing now that matters,” she stood from her swing and walked towards me, easily gripping the collar of my jacket, “and what you're doing now is being honest.” Without a care in the world, Zoey kissed me under the eye of the moon.

---

​

I never really explained what UnderAppreciated is, so I'm gonna spoil it instead. Or something. Though it's a reboot of Appreciate, it's also a super hero story. No, seriously. The main idea isn't to focus on one single hero, but rather a cast of heroes. Crystal/Saito would be powerless street fighters who often get in way over their heads, Chase would be a speedster (R.E.M. [...oh crap I still need to post in that.]), Two new characters would be introduced, a third new character, a superhero who's real identity wouldn't be revealed and would be a mystery through most of the story would also be introduced, Richard would be even more of a genius and help in the background, Alex would have "Cosmic magic" (an idea I had toyed with waaaay back in Simple Stuff), and Ashley would be a Protector, fighting crime in a Zap Suit like Iron Man or something.

But then I became a romantic. And then Casper started getting attention by the ladies even though past stories had him ending with Ashley. So I decided that instead of all the heroes fighting physical crime with secret identities, there could be a few who would do so in another way. Heart Throbs is the story of Casper and Ashley helping as many people as they can through love while trying to reconnect with one another. Though right now we only see Casper's point of view (might also change to third person instead of first person. This is all just a rough draft.), Ashley is also under the same contract of Cupid and must find broken and weak hearts and Mend or Serve/Save them, respectively. It all seems like it's way too much to keep up with for me though. Super heroes on top of every day life on top of romantic supernatural crap on top of whatever else I'll probably think up of? On top of a wide cast of characters?! I don't know if I'll ever actually get started at this rate! Either way, it's fun to think all these ideas up and just wonder "what if?"

That ending was the best. I cracked up so much, because it was unexpected and extremely bold. Crystal/Saito are my OTP in Persona Frozen. The fight between the two Crystals was outstanding. It felt like I was there, because it felt like something you'd literally see in one of the Persona games. And seeing Shadow Crystal fight back and lose control was flipping awesome. Also, I liked how the real Crystal kept calm during some of this as she waited for her shadow to return and let her take back her body too. I wish what we wrote turned into a Persona game, because it'd be awesome. Also, this was a pretty cool idea to finish what was started in Persona Frozen (RIP).

Yeah I really wish Persona Frozen would pick back up again. I'd love to put these plans into action.

Appreciate: Nocturne op.9 No.2
I can totally relate to the guy in this. Mainly due to the fact that I suck when it comes to keeping in contact with people. I really felt for the guy when he was shot down before he could try. But that's life sometimes. But it was a good story.

Crossing Deluxe
I liked how with this (and your other first person stories) that you describe things from their perspective. Like how a simple centi/millipede became a hellspawn. And Ashley seeing right through Casper's plan on tripping her and the ending were funny.

UnderAppreciated Excerpts in general
Thanks a lot dude. You gave me cavities. And Diabetes. Multiple times. I didn't even think that was possible.

UnderAppreciated Excerpt
Saito would totally ask for Crystal to hit him if she wouldn't tell him what's wrong. Especially, like he said in your story, he's immersed himself in that kind of outlook. I can also see him struggling with calling Crystal his girlfriend near the beginning of the relationship. If you want to use Saito for your Appreciate reboot, go for it. Which is kind of a funny coincidence since I'm kinda rebooting Saito for a story I've been wanting to do.

UnderAppreciated Excerpt #3
I liked that Casper is making a comic based on Deluxe. I love it when creators reference previous works. I'm also glad that Zoey and Casper got together at the end. It's about damn time something went good for her. And I also liked how the former asked Crystal what [i]finally[/i] happened. Like she's wanted to get together with Casper for a while. Though I kinda wonder whether or not UnderAppreciated #3 takes place before or after #2.

Frozen Crystal
Ugh. This makes me want Persona: Frozen to get back up. Despite the fact looking at my own writing from back then makes me want to go back in time and slap, then shake and yell at, and finally punching past me.

I understood the struggle the Shadow had. She spent all that time living in the real world. Dealing with family, friends, and love interests. From that, she developed a sense of self. Her slip into insanity made it all the more sad.

I loved the Crystals' conversation near the end. I can only imagine the reactions out of everyone at the end.

Thanks for reading along, man. I know the struggle of rereading old writings and hating it, don't even worry about it lol. Like I said earlier, I'd love it if Frozen somehow picked back up and I've half-considered starting another new RP just to get the chance to have these ideas work out somehow... but at the same time I'm not sure if I'd want it to happen exactly the same way in a different setting.

I THINK I HAVE A COLD GUYS YAAAAAYY

 

[KingdomKey]

Oh boy, this whole contract with cupid is scary. I do absolutely love the kiss at the end with Zoey tho. <3 Honestly, I got a bit confused when Ashley was mentioned, because I forgot she uh, existed. Whoops. Anyways, I like how you explained it more in the end about there being a contract for Casper and Ashely to fulfill. In that case, do Casper and Ashley get to fall in love, or do they have to move on after a set of time? That's the only thing I'm dying to know most, because this is a genius idea. Also, the beginning with Lucy was gut punching to say the least.

 

[Peace]

Well... That answered my question. The beginning was really a kick in the chest. But the ending was really sweet with Zoey being understanding.

I like your idea for UnderAppreciated. I love superhero stories! Especially since one of my recent addictions is rewatching Teen Titans. I hope you go with it. The only advice I can give is take your time.