Snake Eyes

“Snake Eyes”

Chapter One: Samuel Lea

                I scraped my nails down the cheap dish in my hand. The crusty grime collected under my short nails. I frowned and quickly ducked my hand under the water; attempting to rid the old food stuck on my fingers.

                “Best you keep scrubbin’, Samuel.” Barnella, the housekeeper, said. “You can wash up afterwards. Won’t be the las’ time you got grum under them nails.”

                “Yeah, ‘cause this is a dirty job.” I muttered.

                “Never said it wasn’t. You got yourself into it, you get yourself outta it.” That was true, this was my punishment. Whenever I talked back to Mother and Father, I was elbow-deep in cold, brown water, scraping dishes. I had quite a mouth when I was a kid, but I usually behaved. It wasn’t often I was doing the dirty jobs.

                I looked over my shoulder at Barnella. She was folding our fancy handkerchiefs. I knew what that meant. “Party tonight?” I asked.

                She nodded. “Yep. ‘Fraid we’re not invited.” Typical. I turned back to my work and continued. There was nothing to say. It wasn’t like I really wanted to attend my parents party, I just hated being left out. I always hated being left out. Who did like it? It makes you feel like you’re not good enough.

                Of course, that led to me thinking in my room that I wasn’t good enough. That was an often thing. Countless times Barnella has gone into my room just to sit and hug me. I hated it when she did it, but she did it anyways. It did help sometimes, though.

                I ran my fingernails over the last dish in the giant sink. I put it in the large pile. “Done.” I quickly grabbed a towel and started picking at my dirty nails.

                “It’ll take some time ‘fore you’ll get them clean.” Barnella said. I heard the agitation in her voice. She looked over and rolled her eyes. “You’re doin’ it wrong.” She walked over and threw the towel on the ground. She used her long nails and picked the grime.

                I scowled. “Ew?”

                She sighed. “This is how I used t’ do it. Remember?” She gave me the look. The look that implied many things at once. This time it implied, “well you should remember, Samuel.”

                Yes, I did remember. It had probably been a year or two since the last time she picked crust from under my nails. “I remember, Nella. Still gross.” She examined my nails.

                “Alright. Go play ‘fore the party.” I nodded and took off. I left the washroom; entering the large, black-and-white kitchen. The backdoor was there. I ran to it and entered the patio. The newest addition to Saydan Manor. It was closed off with special netting and had fancy outdoor furniture. Nothing incredibly exciting.

                The patio door swung open and I cleared the few steps leading down to the yard, and then I was gone. I sprinted out to the woods that separated Saydan Manor and Hearthrome.

                Hearthrome was an okay-sized town. Compared to nearby Solaceon, which was a small farmland, it was a good sized. But compared to Sunyshore, a place I’ve heard great tales about, it’s not much. Sunyshore was the biggest city in Sinnoh. The champion before the current champion came from Sunyshore, and it sort of became a big draw. I didn’t understand it. He was a Water Type trainer, and carried the ‘proud’ name of Wally. Everyone adored him. And then when the current champion came into the picture, Wally just stepped down and became the Gym Leader of Sunyshore.

                Rocky is what they call the champion. There are rumors that he beat all the gyms in both Johto and Kanto. And of course, all the gyms here. How he, a Rock Type trainer, beat a Water Type is a mystery. Most say that he just let Rocky have the title. That blows my mind to no end. Why on Earth would you let someone just take your hard-earned title?!

                Of course, since he came over from either Kanto or Johto, he’s all about letting people come over no-problem from other regions. There’s nothing wrong with that, but that’s the only thing he does. Both he and Wally were all about being neutral.  So, they don’t do anything spectacular for our region. They just are adored by the commoners.

                Except for me. I couldn’t care less about them. They don’t try to make me do anything, so I leave them be. Besides, who was I to care about politics? If you could even call it that. My father cared about it all, not I.

                I dropped my thoughts once I reached the wagon nearby. That wagon was constantly filled with fresh hay, but never left and never had anyone around it. It was nicknamed The Phantom Wagon. And that was the meeting-place for my group of friends.

                There was Haystack, Tails, and Cloud. Haystack was a gangly little guy, but he lived on a farm in-between Hearthrome and Solaceon. One day he was doing work in the top of the barn, and we all went over to get him, and Tails yelled “Hey!” and he fell out of the barn and into a large haystack. We fell on the ground laughing, and that’s how he got that name. Tails was a tomboy. She grew up with all brothers, and a mom who passed away while she was a baby. But, she always wore her hair in two Ponyta-tails, so she was dubbed Tails. I think she’s very proud of her nickname, unlike Haystack, but after a while it grew on him. Cloud never officially got a nickname. No one really knows if that’s his real name or not.

                The thing was, the three of us, Haystack, Tails and myself were all outcasts, and one day the older kids were picking on us, and Cloud stepped up and protected us. He then became an outcast himself, and he started hanging around with us. He told us to call him Cloud, and we did.

                “Hey, it’s Richie!” …Yes, that was my nickname. Because I lived in Saydan Manor and my parents were Endell and Annette Saydan, the most respected people on this side of Sinnoh. It was either Richie or Sammy, both I wasn’t happy about, but it was better than being called Samuel all day.

                My friends welcomed me to The Phantom. Haystack popped his head out of the hay on the wagon. “It is. ‘Bout time you showed up, Richie.”

                “Yeah, we thought of a game.” Cloud smirked, “it’s called snag some food, because I’m hungry.” Cloud was a loner. He didn’t have family, he lived in a shack. He ‘snagged’ his food when he was hungry. Haystack and Tails had ‘snagged’ food for him before, but the most I’ve ever done is bring him bread from Nella’s pantry. I wasn’t “gutsy” enough, as Cloud had said.

                “Get your own food, we’re not your slaves.” Tails said. She put her hands on her hips. “You better not think that.”

                Cloud chuckled. “Don’t be so offended.”

                “I have a right to be offended.” She raised her eyebrows.

                “Stop making it a big deal.” Cloud waved her off and looked at me. “So Rich Stuff, word on the street is that there’s a big party at your place tonight.”

                I nodded. “Apparently.”

                Haystack jumped out of the wagon excitedly. “Want us to come crash it?!”

                I thought. “Tempting, but no. I’d spend the rest of my life scraping dishes with my nails.”

                Haystack sighed. “Yeah, I’d be rakin’ Miltank dung ‘til the day I die if my parents ever found out.”

                “Well, I wouldn’t be caught, but if I was…I’d be locked in my room for an eternity. My dad already worries about me too much.” Tails said.

                “That’s the problem with having parents and people looking after you. I could do it, I wouldn’t pay a consequence.” Cloud smiled proudly.

                “Except if that little thing called the police came to find you.” Tails reminded.      

                Cloud shook his head. “Nah, I would get out of whatever cell I was put into. Done it before.”

                “Yeah right.” Tails rolled her eyes.

                “You know you could come over to my house.” Haystack said to me. “We could terrorize Miltank while your parents do their thing.”

                “Sounds fun, but I think I have to be home for this one. Nella told me to get home.”

                “Aren’t you supposed to tell the housekeeper what to do?” Haystack gave me a look.

                “Well, my parents do, but…”

                “But, Richie has to listen to her until he inherits all of his daddy’s money.” Cloud smirked and messed up my hair. “Let’s do something. I’m bored.”

                “Tag?” Haystack loved tag.

                “Nah.”

                “Hide an seek?” Tails suggested.

                “Nope.”

                “We could have a battle.” That was one of my favorite things to do. I was in trainer school, along with Tails and Haystack, but it was summertime; no school. But we still had our rookie Pokémon. A Staravia and a Magikarp. The Magikarp to use so our Staravia would have something to battle, since we weren’t allowed to go find wild Pokémon or partake in battling others.

                “C’mon, watching you guys battle is so stupid. We should watch a real battle.” Cloud looked behind him and towards the gym. “Here’s a deal, next time Ramona is battling, we go and watch her. We’ll meet behind the gym. Got it?” The three of us nodded. “Alright, I’m gonna go snag some dinner from the market before everyone leaves. Catch you kids later.” He took off towards the marketplace.

                Tails sighed. “It’s starting to get dark…I have to go too. Good luck at home tonight, Sammy. See ya Haystack.” She waved and sprinted towards the other side of town. Me and Haystack looked at each other.

                “Just me and you.” I said.

                “Hey, we should go see if Mom’s got some Moo Moo Milk to spare.” Haystack grinned, and I nodded. We started for Wormsley Plantation, the smallest “plantation” ever. But Haystack’s family was proud of their farm, so you had to respect it.  

                Rather soon we were walking through the field behind their old house. We got to the backdoor and entered the living room. “Jefferson Wormsley!” Haystack’s mom bellowed.  “You did not finish your work in the field today, and I had to send your sister out to finish the job.” She shook her head in disappointment. “You better not let it happen again, Jefferson.” She really wasn’t a harsh mom, she was just loud. She was actually a really nice lady.

                “Don’t worry Mom, I won’t.” Haystack smiled sheepishly. “Can Sammy and I have some milk?”

                Mrs. Wormsley lightened up. “Of course you two can! I’ll bring you some right away.” She walked into the next room and quickly returned with three bottles. She handed one to Haystack and the other two to me. “Here you are. Take some now and save some for later.” She winked.

                “Thank you.” I smiled. She patted my head and left the room. “I better get home. Stay out of trouble, Haystack.”

                He laughed. “Yeah right. Bye, Richie.” I rolled my eyes at my nickname and started home.

~~~~~~

                “Samuel Lea!” Nella whispered hastily at me. I closed the backdoor quietly behind me. I heard slow music playing and a bunch of voices, the party had already started. She put her hands on her hips. She was wearing her actual housekeeper uniform; she only wore it during parties. “Where have you been? I told you t’ be home by the party!”

                “I’m sorry, I went out to Wormsley Plantation.” I whispered.

                “O’ course you did. The one time yer parents say they want you t’ attend supper!” She led me towards the back staircase. She looked over her shoulder. “Marcy, take over.” I didn’t even notice the extra hands were working in the kitchen.

                We walked up the steps and in my room quickly. My suit was laid on my bed. She ran into the bathroom and I heard her start the water. “Scrub up then get yourself ready, you hear, Samuel Lea?” She gave me the look. I nodded and quickly got into the bath while she went back to the kitchen.

                I dressed in my suit and walked over to the mirror. My hair was sticking up everywhere. I quickly combed the brown locks into place, then headed back down to the kitchen. Nella examined me. She frowned. “Samuel, you need t’ learn how t’ put them bowties on correctly.” She undid the bowtie then quickly got it into place. “There, now you’re the handsome kiddo your mama and daddy will love t’ see.” She smiled. “Now wait in the living room ‘til you get called in for supper.”

                I nodded and walked into the next room over. The living room was the only room with a television. It was one of the largest rooms in the whole house, but it wasn’t a room my parents entertained in. They stuck to the dining room and sitting room. Two rooms which I was only allowed in for dinner.

                My hands were shaking. I was quite nervous. This was, really, the first time I had ever gone to one of my parent’s parties. I didn’t know who, or what, to expect.

                The door opened. My dad stepped in. “Samuel, come here.” I approached my father. He was quite an intimidating man. He dressed in only formal apparel, suit and tie only, and stood nearly six feet tall. He loved his height; he always stood proudly. That added on to the intimidation. But the main thing was the four or five partners he had always accompanying him. They were a powerful bunch, and if you saw five or six suits coming your way, you’d be scared to death.

                “Son, be on your best behavior. I expect nothing but the absolute best.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “That’s a good rule to live by. Trust me.” He winked, but there wasn’t a sense of playfulness ever. My father was nothing if not serious.

                “I will. I’ll be good, I promise.” I slightly smiled and he led me into the foyer. A mass of people stood around, holding glasses oh-so elegantly and laughing politely. A man, probably my father’s age, strolled over. He held the seriousness my dad had; I could see it in his eyes. His blonde hair was combed fashionably, and his suit was wrinkleless.

                “Maroon, this is my son, Samuel Lea. Son, this is Maroon, my new advisor.”

                Maroon bowed and held his hand out. “How do you do, Samuel Lea?” His voice was light, but his grip on my hand was strong. “I quite admire your name. My grandfather worked for the first Samuel Lea, and I appreciated him so.”

                “Yes, Maroon’s family has been corresponding with ours for generations. Once I heard he was in the area I had to get him here and offer him this position.”

                “And I gratefully accepted.” Maroon smiled. “You’ll be seeing a lot of me, I’m afraid. That is why your father wanted us acquainted.” Maroon stepped next to Dad. He was probably only five feet tall. Dad towered over him; that’s why he liked him so much, I bet.

                We stood around for a few more moments, then Nella announced dinner. We walked into the formal dining room. My table was extra-long as everyone sat down. I sat in-between my dad, who sat at the head, and my mom. Nella and the other hands sat the large bird and all of the sides on the table. She made up mine, my moms and my dad’s plate first. 

                “So Endell, have you heard that the champion is thinking about making hunting illegal?” One of the men asked.

                Dad shook his head. “I have, and it’s absolutely ridiculous. Hunting is recreation, practically a sport, and he just wants to take it away?”

                “Well, I think it’s because they don’t want you hunting and killing Pokémon, Mister Saydan.” Someone else said.

                “Of course that’s what it’s about. I know they have banned such things in other regions, but Sinnoh is one of the oldest regions in the world. Hunting and eating Pokémon is an old practice, because we’re old and historical. Am I right?” Most of the people nodded or grunted their agreement. Dad grabbed his Staravia leg and took a large bite. “And, it’s also quite delicious.” We laughed. I took a bite of my meat. Staravia wasn’t my favorite by far, it was much too dry for my liking, but when it came to Goldeen and Magikarp, I did eat my fair-share of meat. It was really good and filling. Nella was a vegetarian; I couldn’t be one if someone forced me. I tried going for a long time without meat, and it was awful.

                The dinner continued. I ate my plate, and then a slice of Nella’s best berry pie. Then I was sent up to my room.

                Barnella escorted me upstairs, as my mom suggested. We sat on my bed. “Did you have a nice time, Samuel?”

                I nodded. “It was fun…I hope I can get to go again.” I did hope that that wouldn’t be my last formal dinner party. I felt incredibly important going.

                “Good. An’ don’t you be worrying ‘bout that. You’ll be goin’ again. You’re gettin’ older now. More mature.” She patted my head then kissed my forehead. “I’ll be up late cleanin’ up your mama and daddy’s mess, so you better go to sleep when you’re s’pose to.” She gave me the look and I nodded. “Night, Samuel. Sweet dreamin’.”

                “Goodnight Nella.” She left the room and closed the door behind her. I laid back in the bed. Now that was fun. I smiled. And I’ll be going to more. I scooted off my bed and walked over to my balcony. I looked out into the starry night sky. It was a beautiful sight. The stars were extra sparkly tonight, as if they knew I was admiring them.

                That was the first time I heard the words echo around my head.

                “You are of great importance, Samuel Lea.”

Full Story: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9112314/1/Snake-Eyes

Summery: "Just roll the dice. What's the worst that could happen?" Lea knew better. He didn't believe in luck and chance. That wasn't the way his dad taught him. You make your own luck. But when something unnatural starts telling him differently, he doesn't know what he believes. Rated T for dark themes. Pre-Diamond and Pearl.

Follow Lea throughout his twisted life as a trainer as he vies for the top of the food chain. The only way he's going to get there is if he listens to the Pokémon directing him to the edge of his sanity.

PG: Me

Welcome to another exciting blog post! How are you lovely people doing on this fine day? I do hope you all are well.

Obnoxiousness over with, I've decided to update you all on my life. Not a writing update as I did not too long ago, but just things in the long-run. If you're scared of a "personal" (if you could even call it that) post, you better just leave now. I'm more of in a typing mood at the moment, and in the middle of writers block. What else is new?

Honestly, I've been busy. I probably haven't been so busy not to update my Fanfic, but even so I've got THREE that I'm currently writing, so when I start to write I bounce from story to story...I'm sure you can see how productive that is. Anyone else have that problem? Do tell.

As I've complained about time and time again, Snake Eyes, my current Fic, has a really weird timeline and tone that I can't seem to nail. Errrgh. There is so much awesomeness I want to portray but I can't because I need to even out the tone, which is stupid. Also, I have the next chapter sitting on my computer as it has been for the past month that I'm just gonna go edit and upload now since I've made so many people wait. Let me go jump over and do that... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Here's a snippet, just for you:

“Back into the cold and wetness again, are we?” Giratina said telepathically. I just shook my head and walked towards the nearest streetlight. Stopping underneath it, I examined the paper. Three days to pay the fee, or else other actions will be taken. I thought. I growled and crumbled the paper up in my hand. Anger welled up in me like smoke quickly escaping from a chimney, I threw the paper into a puddle and grabbed my long hair and pulled.

“Why are you angry?” It questioned.

“Because,” the words slipped through my clenched teeth, “I gambled all my money away, have nowhere to live, and the only thing I relied on failed me!” The Pokémon formed as a shadow beside me, I looked at it. “You, fiend. You were the only thing I relied on. You told me that you would get me fame, fortune and love. I don’t have any of those things! In fact, look where I am!” I gestured with my arms widely. Rain pounded down even harder now. The drops rolled down my face harshly.

 “You haven’t fully trusted in me, Samuel Lea. Put your trust wholly in me, and I will take you the right way.”

Also, check out this paragraph of description I'm super proud of:

Ace and I were left, and we went up the last flight of stairs. On this hallway there were only two doors across from each other; presumably the two biggest apartments. We entered the left door and stepped inside to a huge living room. Thankfully, the ugly carpet was replaced with perfect marble with gold lines running through it; turning into a large, more elegant version of the reappearing diamond design of The Game Corner. Inside each diamond was a flowery heart, elegant and graceful yet not girlish. I lifted my head from the floor and noticed the rest of the room. The walls were off-white, matching the floor, and the frame around each set of doors (There were many sets of doors) was about a foot wide with vines and diamond designs expertly carved in them. Red velvet covered the matching sofa set that sat in the center of the room in front of a large bay window. You could see Veilstone City lit up softly, and even The Corners fluorescent sign.

Tah duh! If that peaked your interest it is now posted on Fanficition. Click on the picture of myself in Chibi form right next to this blog post to be transported there on a magical penguin!

Here's the thing with this story...I can't seem to nail this tone, and it feels all wrong. Any advice for anything would be greatly appreciated. I almost want to bail out on this story because I can't seem to get it right, and I barely have inspiration. How do you get inspiration for writing? Any tips? Anybody? Huh? You got tips? Some tippy tips? Them tips? Tipperoos? Huh? You got some?

(Whoops, I was supposed to not be obnoxious.)

Should I get a Beta? Would that help? Erf. Just leave a really lengthy comment about your feelings on the story so I can see from a readers point of view. That would help a whole lot, actually!

Hmmm...Yup that's about it. Just whineyness over my story. In other news, holidays are coming up. Wow. ON TOP OF THAT,

PlayStation 4 was just released ftw! Xbox One being released this weekend! I'm still all for PS4, but Xbone is exciting nonetheless. Ah, it's so awesome.

Anyway, have a great day/week/holiday season/second/year! Thanks for reading.

Markiplier's "The Future" MUST WATCH

http://www.youtube.com/v/E-9Dt0GKOZ4?autohide=1&version=3&attribution_tag=Lt2qxXgXzcnQ3B1IhlA9fQ&showinfo=1&autohide=1&feature=share&autoplay=1


I love this guy so much, some day I would really love to start my own Let's Play YouTube channel, once I really am able to, and I hope to be as good as he is. He honestly inspires me to be a better person. Take a few minutes of your time and check it out.

Re: Static: Prologue

Prologue

Welcome To The Shadows

                 What defines life? Is it the people you meet? The choices you make, aka the way you live it? How do you know how you’re supposed to live your life? Because I know a lot of people who want to tell me how to do it. But how do they know? Did they seek for the answer? Look for the wizard who could tell you? Or did they conjure up their own ideas and attempt to force it upon others? The latter, I’m sure. Not because I don’t believe in that wizard, but because I know people.

                Of course, I’m not claiming to be better. But heaven forbid if I did, the world would implode. That is, at least, the way most people think. Everyone thinks they’re better than everyone else, but if you say it then…I’m sure you can imagine. If you don’t think you’re better than everybody, then I bet you can name at least one person you know you’re better than. If you still don’t, then I hate to break it to you…You think you’re better than the people who think they’re better than other people.

                That was deep.

                Well, that’s a taste of what occupies my mind when I’m sitting in class. I can’t help the fact my mind wanders when I’m in boring situations. If I’m not thinking about something that isn’t schoolwork, then I’m probably dozing off. It’s not as though I don’t care about Pokémon, I do; very much so. It’s just I don’t do the whole class, homework, test thing. That’s way too tedious for my liking.

                Looking towards my left and out the large window, I noticed it was raining. The drops rolled down the window, some of them rolling past into unknown realms. Looking farther I saw the ocean; the dark blue waves splashing harshly on the boulders lining the far side of Sunyshore. They looked like they were trying to devour them.

                Even further sat a fishing boat caught in the storm. Luckily, unlike some Sunyshore rainstorms, it wasn’t that big of a deal; the boat was safe. Around the boat, the waves looked much calmer. Not like big mouths eating a giant rock. They looked completely free. Free of any responsibility or…Anything, really. Considering I’m talking about water.

 

                “Volkner, are you even paying attention?” Birdbrain asked.

                Trying my best appalled person impression, I looked at her and said:  “Why, yes, Miss Karp.” 

                Birdbrain pursed her lips and gave me her famous death glare. “You better be. Exams are coming up.” She turned back to the chalkboard and continued her squawking.

                Someone elbowed my side, and I looked to my right. My brother, Fyn, leaned closer to me. “Do you have to make Miss Karp mad every day?”

                “Yes, Little Bro, I do. I think of it as my personal daily mission, and now it’s completed.” I grinned at him as he shook his head and held back a smile. Yeah, I was in Trainer School with my younger brother. Like I said, the class, homework, test thing wasn’t my style…Tests just made me nervous and I bombed. Although, you don’t even need schooling to be a trainer. That’s a lie parents convince you of. Really, I could become a trainer. Thus, under circumstances I couldn’t control and didn’t like; I was stuck with ten-through-thirteen-year-olds every day until I can pass the exams. And I, being the mature age of fifteen, was forced to deal with it. But this time around, I wasn’t going to bomb. Nope. Fyn wouldn’t graduate from TS before me. It’s not going to happen. I thought over and over.

 

                Getting a surge of confidence, I focused on the chalkboard ahead. “…That’s compatible with most Flying Types, but not all.” Birdbrain wrote ‘Flying’ under ‘Egg Type.’ “Tangled Feet is a rare Ability, however. This was originally found with a Pidgey and then found in a Chatot.” She wrote ‘Tangled Feet’ under ‘Ability.’ “Keen Eye is a common Ability, it’s found in large hunting Flying Types as well as a few very smart small hunters. Hoothoot, for example.”

                Okay, that was enough of that. I turned my gaze back to the window and to the ocean. The rain had stopped and the ocean turned back to its clear teal color.

                The dismissal bell rang, and I sprang up out of my desk. Miss Karp taught two classes, the first class and the last class. Thankfully, this was the last class of the day and I was free from the prison called school. Ignoring Birdbrain as best I could, I grabbed my mostly empty backpack and scurried for the door. She was still giving out the homework assignment, and her voice went up to a yell as I passed her. Her mistake was that she wasn’t yelling a threat to me, only the homework. Why would I listen to that?

                Barging through the classroom door, sprinting down the hallway, and opening the double-doors the lead to the happy sunbeams welcoming me back outside was my semi-daily routine. And, despite what it may seem like, it was rewarding. Beach weather, even though it’s all I’ve ever known, made me happy. Since I lived in Sinnoh’s biggest and most popular beach town; that was a good thing.

                One of the downsides of living in Sunyshore was the tourists. What made that even worse was the fact tourist season was all year round. Wintertime for us was nothing. The only difference being that natives didn’t go swimming during winter; even then the beaches are full with tourists soaking up the sun. Busy city life, what are you gonna do? 

                An upside, however, is that there are plenty of things to do. Almost always you can bet someone you know is at the beach, and if not there’s a whole city worth of shops and restaurants. That was all First Level, of course.

                Sunyshore is made up of two levels: First Level, being…On the ground, where the beaches, schools, marketplace, things of the like are located. Second Level was made of glass pathways that were first constructed for easy access to the rocky mountain that stood on one side of town. The mountain is where most of the houses in town are, including mine. The pathways consist of the lighthouse, more homes, and a few random things like Mom and Pop stores.

                That made home. I’ve been causing trouble around here my entire life. Only ever been to Pastoria twice before, mainly for a family getaway. Otherwise, I’ve been stuck to Sunyshore. Not as though I’m complaining, apparently everyone wants to live in Sunyshore. Unless you live in Sunyshore, then you couldn’t care less. Funny how that works. The same goes with the beaches; apparently they’re the most beautiful beaches in Sinnoh—because the sand is perfectly creamy, the seashells don’t break easily, the ocean is actually blue as opposed to green—but I don’t care. People describe them as the most breathtaking thing in the world, but if you look at the same thing forever, it loses its luster. And these beaches don’t have any more luster in them for me.

                As I wandered down Main Street towards Long Beach, or otherwise known as Main Beach, a gust of wind blew by. It reminded everyone that a nasty storm had just happened, even though you couldn’t see the remains anywhere in the sky. It was a mystery how that happened so quickly. I made it to the beach, and I walked to about the middle. There was a Volball net and a group of people playing a game. Volball was a sport that involved a net and a Voltorb. The Voltorb would be the ball. Your object is to get the Voltorb on the other side of the net, hoping it would hit the ground. Sometimes the opposing team would hit the Pokémon back over to your side, and your goal was to make sure it didn’t touch the ground and to get it back over the net. It sounds a bit repetitive, I know, and it is…But what makes it exciting is that sometimes Voltorb will use Spark and shock the crap out of you. Yes, it’s just as hilarious as it sounds.           

                “Volkner!” My friend Trifler waved at me from the other side of the net. I returned the wave and grinned. Calling a timeout he ran off the court and up to me. “Hey, joining the game?”

                “Of course, give me a second.” He nodded and went back to the net. I shed my t-shirt and kicked off my old sneakers along with my socks. Sighing, I looked towards the group of Volball players. A few saw me looking and waved me over, so I jogged on the ‘court.’

                “Volk will serve,” said Sheila. She smiled at me whimsically and I took the Pokémon from her. The Pokémon, appropriately nicknamed Spike, made an excited noise. My heart started to pick up speed and I bounced on my toes. I looked at my teammates: Sheila, Kaman, Marine, Darly, and Mace. I knew them quite well, this whole dozen (Including myself) would meet up a lot to hang out and play. They were a good team, but the best one was definitely Trifler, and he was my opponent.

                “Let’s do this!” I yelled, and served Spike.

 

                Afterwards, we sat on the beach. The sun had just started to set on us as we sat where the waves rolled in and out hastily. We all laughed and made small group talk until it got silent, then one person said he had to leave and everyone else decided to, too. I grabbed my stuff and started back into town. Trifler ran up beside me and elbowed me in the ribs.

                “Going to see Rayne?” He questioned. I looked at him, he grinned and raised his eyebrows.

                “First of all, you look stupid. Second of all, I see Rayne every day. Why’s it always a surprise to you?”

                “It’s not a surprise, in fact it’s the opposite of that. She’s your best friend, I get it. Give her a kiss for me, will you?”

                I matched his grin and pushed him over, “and you’re eating sand, I get it.” I smirked at him for a moment and then quickly helped him up. At first he glared at me, then we started laughing.

                “Whatever, man.” He chuckled. “Just tell Rayne I said hi, okay? And that she should come hang out. She’s been such a loner.”

                “Well her dad died, what do you expect?” I asked, getting mildly agitated.

                “Yeah, a year ago. She’s had her time to grieve and whatever, now she needs to get back to normal.”

                Nodding, I said: “I agree, but I’ll let her do that on her own. She needs to do what she needs to do. Especially with the stress her mom’s giving her about contests and everything.”

                “Definitely. Alright well, I’ll catch you later.” Trifler waved and continued down Main, I hung a left and went straight down the center of town towards Back Beach, the small beach that sat at the back of town. No one ever went there. So it was nicknamed Dirty Beach, Black Beach, No Man’s Beach, or simply, and most popularly, Rock Beach. Since that beach met Sunyshore’s mountain and boulders filled the shore.

                The boulders were a plus, though. Or at least I thought so. The girl perched on one, drawing away on her notepad—sketchpad, as she would correct me—agreed. Boulders were, in fact, a plus. That girl was Rayne, one of the only brunettes in Sunyshore; and my best friend. And by best friend, I mean the only person who keeps me sane.

                “Hey.” I hopped up on the boulder next to her.

                “Hey,” she replied quickly; too transfixed on her sketchpad and piece of charcoal to speak to me, apparently. She was sketching the sunset.

                “Another sunset? Don’t you think you’ve got enough of those?” I smirked.

                “It’s different every day, Volkner.” Annoyance filled her tone, and it made me smirk larger as I stared at her face. Her dark eyes took everything in carefully as she drew and her lips meshed together in-thought. Freckles dotted her cheeks, she hated them but I loved them. It made her different from every other blonde-haired, blue-eyed, wannabe girl in this town. “You’re staring again.” She muttered.

                “I just can’t help it.”

                “Shut up.” She rolled her eyes dramatically then cut them at me. She picked her sketchpad up and cocked her head at it, examining her work. Drawing was Rayne’s thing, to say the least. Sometimes she’d even paint something, but drawing was what she was into. She had sketchpads upon sketchpads scattered about her room, and filled every margin of every book she owned with doodles. She explained it as a tick. She had to do it, or she’d go crazy. And I believed her, especially because I’ve hardly ever seen her not drawing. 

                “You like it?” She asked, holding up her drawing proudly. Whenever she spoke about her work, a new, refining tone came about her. It was a different her; the real her.

                “Eh, it’s alright.” I grimaced, then she shoved me so hard I fell off the boulder. Jumping up, I grinned, “hey! I’m kidding!” She laughed, and I copied. Then I grabbed her arm and pulled her off the rock, both of us falling on the sand.

                “Volkner Parley!” She exclaimed, holding back a laugh, “treating a lady in such ways? What would your mother think?”

                “You’re right, malady,” I bowed and gave her my hand, she took it and I yanked her up. “Better?” She nodded, and we laughed again. She collected her things that had fallen, then perched back on the rock.

                “I wish I could draw a moving picture.” She stated randomly.

                “Why?” I chuckled.

                “Because, when I finish drawing the sunset…It keeps moving. I want my drawings to keep moving, I want to continually capture life.”

                “Well you better get on that, huh?”

                She slightly smiled and gave me a look. “You’re just so encouraging, how’d I ever end up with a friend as great as you?”

                “I ask myself that every day. How did you get so darn lucky?”

                “Says Mister I-Don’t-Brush-My-Hair.” Rayne muttered.

                “Ouch. Someone is sassy today.” I touched my messy yellow hair, “and it’s a style!”

                “Lazy Pokémon style, maybe.”

                Gasping, I shouted, “just crush my hopes and dreams, it’s all good! And even worse…My style. What’s with the insults?!” 

                Rayne laughed and leaned her head on my shoulder. “Whatever, Boulder Brain.”

                “Yeah…Can we forget the nickname I acquired when I was a young, handsome lad?” I pleaded.

                “Not a chance, young, handsome lad.”

                Having gotten that name quite a few years earlier, it was hard for me to shake it. When Rayne and I met, she was sitting on a boulder in Rock Beach, drawing, as usual, and I approached the rock. She said hello, and I got so nervous talking to a girl, that I tripped and slammed my forehead on the boulder and had a concussion and headache for the next four days. But during that time Rayne and her mom brought over cookies, and I gained a great friend.

                “Hilarious.”

                “I know,” Rayne looked up at me and I grinned at her, then we just sat there for a while, completely silent as we watched the sunset.

*******

                They had just told me the news. The news. How did this happen? Why did this happen? It didn’t make any logical sense. Suddenly, my life all came crashing into my skull. You could probably say I was ignorant to think I could go my entire life without bad things creeping in like an evil, demonic bug. But I never thought that way. Now…I felt hopeless. It seemed like there was nowhere to look; nowhere to turn to. I felt like a zombie.

                What was life? Not being able to help it, those unwanted thoughts rolled into my mind. However, I was glad they came, because I realized: Life was a moving picture, a perfectly captured moment, a perfectly drawn and put together piece of art. That was life.

                And like the waves to the boulders on shore, it was trying to devour me.

 

That, ladies and gentlemen, was the newly rewritten prologue for my Pokémon Fanfic Static, which tells the tale of how Volkner became a gym leader and stuff. Hope you all enjoyed. I REALLY put a lot of effort into this prologue...I challenged myself by really trying to nail Volk's character and how I think young him should be portrayed. Give me your honest opinion and any advice you have. Thanks for reading!

 

Writing Update!

Greetings! Happy October, everybody. I hope fall is treating you well.


Cause it's been pretty great for me! Particularly in the writing department.

This past weekend (Oct. 12-13) I started rewriting the little I had written of Static, my Volkner story/The Champion's Beginning prequel. I'm surprisingly happy with how it's turning out, and I feel deeply that this is the way Volkner should be portrayed. I will post the prologue here once it's done, and if you haven't seen the original prologue it'll still be on my blog. The new will be called "Re: Static: Prologue"

In other news, I looked at my story stats and was sincerely blown away that TCB is still getting multiple views, daily. And...I've been avoiding this like the plague...But I'm going to start my hardcore editing/rewriting on it today. It'll be a LENGHY process, but it'll happen eventually.

Also: Snake Eyes chapter ten was completed this weekend, and after I work on some Static and TCB I'll start the next chapter. Expect it somewhere in the next two weeks.

Have a great week.

Outlast Reaction Compilation

Hey guys! This is a HILARIOUS reaction compilation from dear ol' Markiplier, if you like to laugh and giggle (and frolic in flowers) this is a video for you!

Review: Assassins Creed

Ah, Assassins Creed. The ever-so popular series about murder. And don't we all love a good murder game?

The answer is yes, but the real question here is: IS this a good murder game?

Weeeellll...I'll tell you.

A few months ago I got this game in preparation for AC3, which I thought would be an awesome game. I mean, did you see those trailers? HOLY CRAP! They looked amazing. And me being me, I wanted to play the first one to see if I liked it. So I got it and was anxious to play.

If any of you read "GameLog: Assassins Creed, I" then you know I wasn't very successful at first. Not at all. I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do and couldn't get anywhere. The map was very difficult for me to read. (In games, I'm awful with maps. Go figure.) The world is HUGE back in this medieval land, and getting to Damascus is hard work! Especially when it's super easy to tick off guards...Oh...My...Word...You can't run without being attacked. Do you know how hard it is not to run in a video game where you can run? DO YOU KNOW?

...Yeah...

Moving on. The controls. Ergh. Those aren't good. Even before Assassins Creed 3, they were bad. You had to hold five million buttons to sprint. And climbing buildings (A key thing in these games) was just difficult. I give them a strong grade of D. They would be F, except that after you FINALLY get used to them, they're decent.

But I didn't get to that point. Nope, I bailed after playing it two times. TWO. I wasn't impressed. I couldn't bring myself to enjoy the confusing pain. I'm sorry. But the graphics, although crappy compared to this-gen games, were okay and good for their time. And the storyline? AWESOME! I'm really appreciative of the fact each game has two storylines, basically. The storyline of the ancestor which is fully played out in the game, and then the main storyline of Desmond and his fiascos outside of the Animus which connect all the games together. I love storylines, and this storyline is great. It's depthy enough, but isn't confusing. So that's swell.

I couldn't get into this game, I just couldn't. The controls were the main issue here. If you want to read of my first time playing the game, here's the link to GameLog: Assassins Creed, I: http://ablogforgamers.blogspot.com/2012/12/gamelog-assassins-creed-i.html

Do I dislike the Assassins Creed franchise? HECK to the NO! (Lame, I know) The characters are truly well-done and lovable, the worlds are AMAZING and extremely detailed, the extras (Such as assassination contracts) are really fun, and it's somehow rewarding to kill someone with a knife and watch blood spew out of them. Heh.

My next review will be of Assassins Creed II, where I have some nicer things to say. So stay tuned.

Gauntlet: Dark Legacy (Throwback Thursday)

This week, I threw it back with my dad. Yup, Dad Gamer and I decided to conquer the realms and defeat Skorne the demon by collecting runestones together; all while throwing axes, shooting arrows and running away from Death. Such great bonding.

In the beginning of the game you're faced with the challenge of who you're going to be. Luckily, they give you the stats of each character. They rank speed, strength, armor and magic. Dark Legacy is an expansion form of Gauntlet: Legends, so they give you better character types. In this addition you get Sorceress, Knight, Dwarf and Jester. Of course, in Round One me and my father weren't any of those new characters. Apparently we kept it boring because I was an Archer and Dad was a Warrior. Archers have superior speed and above-average magic. Warriors have superior strength...And not much else. At least I was able to run faster and use magic better; take that, Dad. 

But I must admit that Warriors have impressive HP, and Archers do not. Of course with the enhancing in levels your HP escalates, but if you have awful HP (*cough* Archers *cough*) and cherries, meat, and other various fruits that lay around the levels WHICH ARE THERE TO GIVE YOU LIFE only give you, I don't know, five health points, you're pretty much put in a hard place. So, you die. And you have to go to the stupid TOWER and WAIT until the level is COMPLETED and you have to watch your better-at-video-games-than-you father throw his axes, go up in levels, and beat the level while you go back to level one IN THE TOWER.

Yes, I'm just the slightest bit bitter. And did I mention that this totally fair game only refills your HP less than a fourth of the way? So every time I died, I came back not only weaker, but with not enough HP to get me through the level...Note to self: Don't play as an Archer.

Even though playing as an Archer makes the fighting and battling really fun. Well, battling in this game is really fun no matter what. The Atari version of Gauntlet was described as a hack-and-slash arcade game, and that description still stands for Dark Legacy. While playing, me and Dad were trying to figure out a way to describe it, and things like "arcade rpg" came to mind.

The battling is fun, yeah, but I would say that if you can't throw or shoot things the game would get a whole lot harder. Multiple times Dad (who could throw axes) and I (who can shoot arrows) would just stand still and take-out the dozens of on-coming enemies by throwing our weapons of choice at them. But considering there are so many things, like targets you have to hit/shoot at, which you need to hit to progress, probably everyone can throw something. Therefore, I'm not too worried.

Another element of the game is magic. You get potions you can use to kill enemies in different ways, but usually you hoard them in case Death comes alive. (Think about it) Of course Wizards are the best with magic, so unless you're a Wizard, you never use it. (Unless, like I said, for Death.)

In Round Two I played as a Jester and Dad played as a Minotaur. Minotaur's are pretty awesome, I must say. They look just as you'd expect them to and they're tough. They have similar stats to the Warrior, being that they have sweet strength and not-so-sweet magic and speed. And the Jester is very similar to the Archer, except has better armor. Wow, we picked almost the exact same characters. Way to go, us. The Jester is way better than the Archer, however. I really enjoyed this character. Of course throughout the game you collect crystals and treasure that allow you to buy things that increase armor, speed, and strength, so as you go on you can increase whatever you lack. Which is a definite plus.

The storyline isn't really there during this game. You get the point of going through the levels, collecting crystals and runestones and killing people, but all that stuff about Skorne escaping from the evil mage Garm is only mentioned in the beginning scene, otherwise it's nonexistent. Plus the whole  thing with the evil president of the eight realms I didn't know of until I visited Wiki. So if you're looking for a storyline, maybe this game isn't for you.

I had a good time playing this game. It's not too easy, yet it's not too hard. (Although it all depends on the character you choose, apparently. Or else you'll spend way too much in the tower, weeping in the corner, slipping into insanity and depression, all because your dad is a meat and fruit hogger. Thanks, Dad.)

This game is somewhat relaxing, too. And very enjoyable. It's an arcade hack-and-slash, what's not to like?! This game gets a good four out of five towers of insanity and depression, because even though it's not as depthy and lengthy as one might like, it's a good arcade game. It wasn't made to be over-the-top amazing, and that's exactly why it's very close.

Jak 3 (Throwback Thursday)

Today I played some Jak 3, the conclusion of the Jak and Daxter trilogy. We join our favorite spunky pair once again, this time in the Wastelands.

Much like the sequel you're thrown into a new atmosphere, this time desert. The first one was more jungly beach and then some, the second one was in the city, and this one is just banishment lands. I think that's cool, that they give you a new atmosphere every time.

So you guessed it, Jak and Daxter were finally banned from Haven City. I mean come on, all the ruckus they caused on their own was enough; stealing and crashing hovering vehicles, getting into multiple, multiple fights, and doing a ton of illegal things. Not to mention being a part of the underground rebels...They were quite the troublemakers. Anyways, they were left out there to die, when they were found by a secret organization that survives out there in their own city. Pretty cool little setup there. Naughty Dog never disappoints.

The storyline flows right, which is nice. It eases my previous fear of the storyline not continuing. Like Jak II you get gnarly weapons and vehicles. And dinosaurs! In the wasteland there are Leapers, who are the cutest and my personal favorite mode of transportation. It makes me feel like I'm in The Land Before Time (Throwback) whenever I ride one, and it's awesome. Oh the nostalgia.

One of the biggest parts of the game is the vehicles, as briefly mentioned earlier. As you improve your driving skills, mostly by racing and things of the like, you unlock more of these four-wheeler type cars you can have the best time in. Whether you're chasing down metalheads or simply racing, it's fun. Quite hard, but fun nonetheless.

I don't want to spoil much considering it's the conclusion, so I'll end with the one-word summarization: Spunky. The humor, which I love, still holds the same spunkiness. Apart from that, the missions are very upbeat and keeps you on your toes. It's just very...Spunky. The second one, somehow, is still the best of the three. I can't put my finger on exactly why, but they just hit a home-run with that one. The gameplay, storyline, characterization...All great. The gameplay in this one was almost exactly the same, so I can't complain there, but the storyline was off. Barely, but it made a difference. Characters were lacking, too. They weren't the best. It just had a lot to stand up to, I guess. Even from my childhood I remember playing Jak II the most. In fact, I have hardly any memories of this game. There isn't as much of a draw.

I could be wrong. It might be because I didn't play enough of it, who knows? But as of now, I'm giving it a two and a half star out of five stars. Worth a look if you played the other games, because it is the finale, but if not...Just pass this one up.

Stay excellent.

PG: Fanfiction Update!

Hey guys!

So I wanted to let you cool people know that my Fanfiction hasn't died! Believe it or not I'm a very busy and lazy lady, those two traits don't go well together so you can imagine the pure chaos of my life. I do have chapter eight of Snake Eyes written, I'm just waiting to get nine done. I'm trying!

Link to Snake Eyes: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9112314/1/Snake-Eyes

Also, for those of you who like awesome Pokémon and Zelda fics, here's a link to Espeonage Espeon profile: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2321095/Espeonage-Espeon His fics are the only ones I'm currently reading, so he deserves a shout-out. What are you waiting for? CLICK

Jak II (Throwback Thursday)

I'm very sorry for the late Throwback, I actually wrote one on Thursday, not one I was going to post this week, so I completely forgot that I needed to write one to post...I'm stupid. This whole blog thing can get stressful sometimes, okay?! Okay.

Anyways, this week I decided to follow-up last weeks (Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy) Throwback and play the awesome sequel, Jak II. I know you're all wondering "Where's Daxter?" Well, never fear, because Daxter is in this sequel and he is still just as witty. But why has the title changed so drastically?

Not only is Daxter left out, but there's just a wimpy II, not something epic like The Precursor Legacy. Well, I have a theory. The game is so different than the original that they might have just wanted people to be able to distinguish it better. Does that make sense? I hope so.

On the back of the case they sure sound a bit humble as they explain the game...

"Something BIG is about to unfold in a ground-breaking action-packed adventure from Naughty Dog, creators of the multi-million seller, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy." "A deep and involving storyline with fully integrated gameplay." And other self-compliments that slap you in the face while glancing at this cover.

That's a lot to live up to, in my opinion. If you're going to hype like that, I'm expecting everything to be true and possibly better than you make it seem. So I was ready to beat on this game. Not only for that, but I was also expecting it to be completely different than J&D and not to even possess the qualities of a sequel.

So let's get to it.

My main fear, being that this sequel doesn't connect with the first one, was washed away in the beginning cut-scene. You're back in your home village with Kiera and Uncle, trying to go into a portal (Not really sure what for, though.) and they accidently release this eco monster thing, so while trying to get it back in the portal, Jak and Daxter get sucked in with it. They end up in a fancy pants city, and they get thrown in jail. Daxter escapes, but Jak gets caught. Two years later, Daxter finds Jak, after two years of Jak getting eco pumped into his system, (Eco being the somewhat bad substance of the game, since most monsters are made up of the stuff) So, Jak can Go Hulk and turn into Dark Jak (See picture of disk) when he collects enough eco. So that's new.

Also, arguably the most awesome part of the whole game is when Daxter first finds Jak on some kind of table, and he grabs Daxter by the neck, pulls him close, and yells "I'm gonna kill Praxis!" Did I mention that's the first time Jak has ever talked? Yeah, he was mute beforehand. That gave me chills. EPIC.

One thing that bothers me is this: If Daxter was in the jail looking for Jak the whole time, how the heck did it take two years for him to find Jak? And, if he left the jail to, I dunno, eat, wouldn't it be the smart thing to find a home? Of course, he does borderline rodent, so he could have just lived in the dumpster outside the jail. But still, it bugs me.

After that epic moment, we get to play the game and escape the jail. With no help from Daxter. In fact, Dax hasn't helped at all so far...But whatever. He's comic relief.

The gameplay is pretty well-done, the movement is fluid and just plain nice. A good addition is the giant jump and the tuck-and-roll jump. It's cool and very helpful. Since you're in the city and not in the country, there are hover cars you can steal and ride around. That's such a good addition. It's awful walking everywhere, and driving is super fun. I'm not that good at driving, though, so I wreak them pretty bad and just steal another one. The trick is not to hit a cop or accidently steal a cop car...That causes unneeded trouble.

So yes, the gameplay does live up to the hype in the box.

As for the storyline...It's pretty awesome. Deep and involving? Kinda. It is deeper than you'd think, impressively so, but it's not that involving. I didn't get too sucked in, honestly. It's no Kingdom Hearts, but the storyline is better than most and it actually makes sense. And yes, it connects with J&D: The Precursor Legacy.

But it is so different than the first one. The city atmosphere is a huge change from the "country" atmosphere. Seriously, very different. I can't stress that enough. And the biggest addition is you get guns. Yep, it got all Black Ops up in here real quick. Also, you get to join this secret underground organization whose against Praxis, and that's just super cool.

One word to describe this game: Cool.

The new additions and atmospheres just make it cool. Not to mention fun and awesome.

Naughty Dog is at it again with a good sequel and an even better game. I would recommend this game no question to anyone who likes shooting people, joining underground rebellious organizations, riding around being awesome on a hover board, and being and angry jail-breaker on a mission to murder the guy who got him in jail and turned him into a dark werewolf-like Hulky thing. Yeah, it's worth a second look.

See you guys next week when I play the finale of this awesome trilogy, Jak 3.