Holy Flip, Rift

Rift has been updated recently for their new expansion, and since I just re-installed it on my computer, I figured I'd take a look at what all they'd done. Liking the new soul trees, but what really flipped my mind was the new skins for the animal companions.

It's probably worth noting that most of my old screenies were likely taken on my old laptop, so quality isn't the best. Plus low-res, cause you know, laptop. But still, take at look at these guys now!

First up, the beastmaster's pet.

Old model

New model!

And scratching, because it's cute.

I didn't have a screenshot of the old model for the ranger's dire wolf because I fail, but here's the new one!

Handsome, isn't he?

And here's the ranger's Razorbeast, old and new.

Old model.

And new model!

I am liking these guys a lot, might even start tinkering on Rift some more if I can pull myself away from WoW. Only problem is, my sub's cancelled, so I can only play with my lvl 20-or-lower toons (which is why there's no screenies of the druid pets, can't log on Shaurria to see them :P), so any playing I do do will be severely limited. Free acounts ftl.

Adventures in Space

See that? That is my Imperial Agent. Yep, I let myself get sucked into Star Wars.

He's not my only character there, but the Agent is definitely my favorite storyline so far... and he's only level 11! I have a Jedi Consular that I'm also enjoying, and a smuggler that's more of an alt-alt. And I'll be making more, I'm sure...

I'm giving the game a try because it's supposedly going free-to-play in the fall, plus they had a free trial account thing, so I figured why not? And it's something to do when I don't feel up to playing WoW.

I haven't been feeling the Tera itch since coming back from Feathermeet, so I may wind up cancelling my sub until I actually want to play again. I have been regaining some interest in Lord of the Rings Online, so maybe that and SWTOR will keep me happy in my non-WoW playtime.

Now I just need to figure what I'm going to do with my agent, since the trial account only goes to level 15. I suppose I could just reroll him and do the storyline all over again if I have to. XD

*Blows off the dust*

So... it's been almost a year since my last post here. I suppose I ought to do something about that, right?

I have to admit it's a bit confusing trying to run 2 blogs, what with trying to think of stuff to write, deciding which blog it goes on, and all that. Since my other blog is supposed to be about WoW, and I've been playing a lot of other games lately, I guess I should start putting those posts over here. Plus, I may actually start on that rambling I've always meant to do.

Blogging anything has been hard lately... or maybe rather, harder. I am definitely someone that does best on a set, predictable schedule, and things have been crazy around here, mostly with work and stuff. I generally have enough brain power to get through my shift, but by the time I get home I'm usually ready to drop.

I am also a "night owl." I like early work shifts because it means I get home sooner, but getting up early in the morning makes for a cranky-person. And then my brain refuses to settle down and let me sleep until midnight or so..... so yea, hopefully you get the picture.

So anyway, when I'm not working or sleeping, I'm still usually gaming. I've just found this game (sort of) recently, and it's kind of amazing. Those are all my characters in the picture (lolaltoholic), ranging in levels from Dharius at 35, to little Tamsin at 12. It's a big change from WoW, or every other game I've tried so far for that matter. The playstyle is... kinda hard to explain, but it does tend to keep you on your toes (unless you like being dead alot). And my characters are all developing their own personalities and quirks, so I will be writing about them as their stories develop. I've actually made a start on writing already, just little bits and pieces, and if I can get those sorted and cleaned up I will post them here.

I've still been writing/drawing for my horses, too. I'm not sure how much I want to put up here, especially if I do wind up writing out a whole book's worth (do not want anyone to try and steal my idea and stuff), but I may toss up some snippets. And pictures, once I have them finished.

I was having other thoughts but now I can't remember them, so this is as good a place as any to stop. And hey, if I do remember them, it's a good excuse for another post, right? So, gonna take my overtired little brain off and try to sleep. See ya!

Vacations Mean Forgetting Your Age

Soooo yea, gone to the beach with the family. It's been fun so far despite the inevitable sunburn (ouch). And beaches of course mean..... sand castles!






The middle one was built by my cousin. I take full credit for the other two. >.>

Been getting some computer time in the afternoons/evenings, but haven't been doing much. I'm trying to catch up with my writing, but 3 young nieces are pretty distracting.


But hey, at least they're cute!

Future updates will probably wait til we're home again. For now, ta!

"Close"- Pitch and Lark

Posting this thing here because my brain keeps telling me it's too "adult" for my WoW blog. So, yea... adult content warning. :P

I recently finished a picture of my 2 main characters, and today I came up with a brief fic to go with it.
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Clicky for bigger

Lark couldn't remember most of the men she had been with over the years. There had been too many- their faces and names blurred together, along with half-remembered snippets of conversations, and made a royal muddle in her mind. A bare handful stood out clearly, that was all.

Pitch was one of those, by virtue of being her current partner. Lark couldn't complain; he didn't have Brenn's gentle shyness or Jacob's mad passion, Lath's experience or Rillian's attention to detail, but that actually made things easier. She was free to love him for himself, without any unnecessary (and unfair) comparisons. He was simply Pitch.

Not that he was a bad lover by any means. And not that she had any room in her mind for such thoughts when they lay together in a sweaty tangle like this, all her attention focusing on him and on what he was doing to her, as she raked her fingers down his back and he was growling low in her ear, in that way that meant that he was so close. And she's urging him on, and then he finds that one thing that sends her over the edge right before he follows, and they collapse together, he wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her back close against him as they catch their breath.

And then thought returns, and she feels like she ought to apologize to him. I'm sorry, she wants to say. Sorry that I can't give you everything you deserve, that I have all these ghosts in my mind and my past that I can't let go, and they're holding me back from being the mate you should have. And before she can speak, he finds the energy to open his eyes and turn to look into her face, and then he says, "I love you."

And somehow, it's always enough.

"Horse of Mist"

So my last story idea kind of fizzled out. I want to try to get back to it, but no idea when that will happen. But in the meanwhile... I've had a new idea, one that promises to be maybe a little easier to stick with, because it involves one of my favorite things- horses!

I've been mostly doing character pictures in Painter, but I've finally gotten around to writing some of it. This is a history intro to the world it's set in, just to give folks an idea of the background. And those pictures I did- I couldn't mention them and not show them off, right?

So, have a story about god-horses, people, and a world that exists only in my head- now that's a scary thought! Enjoy!

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At the beginning of all things the Higher Power called Artoes into being, having grown bored with the universe that was. He grew the mountains and the forests, then placed the animals and people on it, to do what they willed. He was happy with what he had made, until he looked closer and saw the people all milling around in confusion, not knowing how to care for themselves or the world they were given. The Higher Power was at a loss, so at last he turned to his brothers and sisters- the Lesser Powers, strong and wise, lesser in name only.

He put his request to them, and after conferring among themselves for a bit they accepted. The Higher Power sent them to Artoes, then gave them a choice of shape to take. After further debate, they chose the shapes of great horses, and after receiving their mortal forms, they went among the people to teach them how to live. The people accepted them happily and learned all they had to teach, and for centuries there was peace and prosperity.

Amadar

But not everything went according to the Higher Power's plan. From someplace outside the world, a Darkness came- one that had never been seen by the Powers Higher or Lesser. It came to live among the people, feeding off them and subverting them to its own twisted ends. The Lesser Powers in their horse-shapes gathered themselves and the people into a great army, and after a battle that lasted for years, they managed to drive the Darkness away. It was not destroyed- they didn't know how they might do that- but it would be a long, long time before it would be able to return, if at all.

But the Darkness left something of itself behind, in the hearts and minds of the surviving people. They remembered and feared the Darkness, and they remembered that it was the Horses that brought them together to fight it. After several generations- for human lives were short- the people's stories got mixed together so much, they began to believe that the Horses had brought the Darkness on them. And so they began to hate and fear the Horses as well.

The Horses, for all their wisdom, didn't see what was happening until it was too late. The people they had nurtured and taught began to drive them away, and it wasn't long before the first Horse was killed. Now, the Powers were immortal and couldn't be destroyed, but their mortal bodies could, and it took time to prepare a new body to replace each one that was killed. And so the Horses found their numbers dwindling alarmingly, and finally decided they had to do something about it.

On a cold spring morning they gathered together, discussing what they might do. The talks lasted all through the day and into the night. Finally, after much debate, they made their decision to withdraw from the humans' world.

Rhisovan

The very next night a mist came up from the ground. It seemed like an ordinary mist, except that it covered every inch of ground over the whole of Artoes. It grew thicker and colder, driving the people into their homes, where they huddled by fires and muttered among themselves of witchcraft and Darkness returning. When morning's light finally broke over the world, the mist- and every trace of the Horses- was gone.

But not completely. In the northeastern region, the mist had condensed itself, shutting off an area encompassing several hundred square miles. Those that discovered the mist refused to enter it, saying that unearthly voices echoed in the mist, and it swirled and roiled in a most unnatural, unfriendly way. The nearest people packed up and moved their villages to a more comfortable distance, and their lives resumed as normal.

Vardigen

But the mist had done more than remove the Horses. It also removed all memory of the Horses' previous history with the humans, so that all they remembered was the fear and hatred. And so the Horses stayed in the sanctuary they had created for themselves and watched the humans from afar, and the humans went about their lives unhindered. All in all, it was not a bad arrangement, although many of the Horses missed the close companionship they had once had.

Things stayed that way for two thousand years. Then a whisper came to the Horses in their secluded home; a whisper of returning evil, of Darkness. Fearing the return of Darkness more than anything the people might bring, the Horses began sending out probes to the villages and towns, searching for humans that might take up their cause, and return things to the balance that had been. It was slow, careful work, but they were rewarded by the discovery of humans that would accept them, work with them, and live among them as before. These people were few in number at first, but they increased steadily. And they all had one thing in common- something that their fellow humans called "Magegift."

The Horses trained these budding Mages, then sent them back into the world to watch over the people, to teach them of the Darkness of old and try to warn of its return. And they continued to search for more humans that would accept the old ways, for among them would be one that could be the key to success, to survival, and- perhaps- the way to destroy the Darkness for good.

Vardigen and Karee

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I made this a bit... "formal-sounding" I guess? on purpose (I was actually thinking of how older Bible versions were written. >.>). The rest of the story won't be written like this, I promise.

I do plan on posting more of this once it's written, though probably not the whole thing, since I may be trying to make it into an actual book. Stay tuned in for more!

Ohai! and a little extra!

Oh hey, I found my blog!!!

Besides RP writing for WoW and occasionally for LOTRO, I've semi-recently started dinking around with a story idea of my own. This will eventually be turned into a book of some sort. Someday. When I, you know, finish it. Eventually.

... It's just going slow, okay?

I have no interest at this point of actually getting it published, but while I whack away at it, I thought I might put up some tidbits here now and then. Constructive criticism and comments are much appreciated, since I have no clue what I'm doing.

So anyways, here's an introduction of 2 of the main characters, who are elves. Yes, I have elves in my book. And humans, orcs, goblins, and dwarves. And a mad necromancer to top it all off, because mad necromancers are fun. Right?

..... Okay, enough of this. Here it is.

* * * * * * *

The first time Bracchus laid eyes on his mate Dymera, she was less than a day old.

An old comrade from the Orc Wars was expecting his first babe, and Bracchus happened to be staying only an hour's ride when the happy event occurred. When he heard the news he had no objections to going and seeing his old friend's offspring. He arrived at the house and entered, to find that the infant was not happy at all about being out in the world; in fact she was squalling at the top of her already-considerable lungs, showing a hint of the temper she would have later in her life.

Bracchus felt a pull when he heard her cry, and followed it to the nursery, where the new father and her appointed nurse were frantically trying to hush her. The elven warrior drew close to the baby Dymera, brushing off his friend's apologies for the noise. He stared at the infant for several minutes, then gently took her from the nurse. The female elf started to object, but subsided at a word from her master, who was watching Bracchus intently.

Bracchus had lifted the baby to his face and was studying her curiously when abruptly she stopped her wailing completely, opening eyes of crystalline gold and meeting his gaze boldly. And Bracchus, the most dour elf in the whole elven army, who had never cracked a smile- or so it was said- during the entire War, suddenly found himself grinning like a fool.