::heaves a sigh::

I know, I know, it's been a helluva long time. Work is still sapping all of my energy and creative ideas, and a couple of nights ago, I was sick as a dog and unable to really get to the computer over the weekend. So, let's see what I can't do right now. Rhia yawned as she headed up onto the deck of the Obsidian Seas. Three weeks onboard her cousin's ship, and she was already getting used to the sea-faring life. She gave a bright smile to the men working that morning and waved to them. They had come to see her as a bit of a mascot, a good luck charm, something rather backwards from the usual 'women are a curse on a ship' notion. Of course, Jason pretty much dashed that thought from their minds anyway, as his and their wives lived on the ship as well, along with their children. They were rarely in the port of any of their hometown's for more than a couple of days a year, and Jason believed too strongly in family to let the crew be seperated from them. Rhia knew in her heart what that was about, but the actual reason wasn't important to the men, or their families. She made her way to the bow of the ship, looking up into the sky as a shadow passed over her. Her smile softened as she gazed up at the angel that glided on the wind overhead. Being as safe as she was, Guardian felt it unnecessary to stay at her side at all times, and so he was rarely at the ship, only returning for about half an hour for sunrise, and half an hour for sunset. The sun was about to rise now, the moon's light becoming weak as the horizon to the east began to glow with twilight. She saw him glance down to the deck and she gave a little wave. As he descended, she stepped away from the rail, where he made a perch, crouched down before her. She smiled up at him, saying softly, "Good morning." He reached down and gently patted her head. "Yes, it is." Her smile grew to see him happy. She dug into her pocket and pulled from it a comb, the teeth shaped and spaced differently from any other comb. A hint of a smile found the angel's face and he stepped off the rail, sinking to the deck. His arms opened, and Rhia quickly lowered to his lap, getting comfortable. He arched one of his wings around and into her reach, and with the greatest care, she took it into her hands, and began to use the comb, gently preening the day's dirt and dust from his feathers. A thoughtful, pleasured smile found Guardian's face, it obviously feeling pretty good. After a few minutes, his hands lifted to run through her hair, untangling the night's work. With careful attention, he righted each strand so it lay perfectly flat. Then, when he was satisfied it was all in order, he began to carefully divide the hair into even sections, then each section into thirds, and began to braid it. Every morning she would preen his wings, and he would braid her hair, then each evening she would preen them again, and he would take the braids out. They had been doing it for months now, and it had helped them grow much closer to each other. Jason watched from the door of his map room, one arm resting on the doorjam, the other hand perched on his hip. "Adorable, aren't they?" Jason turned to look back, smiling to see his wife, jacket pulled around her thin dress as the morning was chilly. "Yes, I suppose they are." He looked back down at her, eyes thoughtful. "You aren't jealous, are you, dear?" "Me? Of course I am." They both chuckled, Jason's arm wrapping around her waist. "But I am also glad to see her so happy. It is good to know she has not been completely alone all these years."

Schizophrenia

Where is it you wish to go today?
Everyday you ask, you do,
"Where is it you wish to go?" you do.
And everyday I tell you, I do,
"I don't know where to go."

Why don't you know where you wish to go?
Everyday you ask, you do,
"Why don't you know where to go?" you do.
And everyday I tell you, I do,
"There's no where left to go."

Then is there something you want to do?
Everyday you ask, you do,
"Then is there something to do?" you do.
And everyday I tell you, I do,
"I don't know what to do."

Why don't you know what you want to do?
Everyday you ask, you do,
"Why don't you know what to do?" you do.
And everyday I tell you, I do,
"There's nothing left to do."

Ah but there is something left to do.
Everyday you tell me, you do,
"There is something left to do," you do.
And everyday I say, I do,
"I'm not allowed to die."

As promised: Songs.

Well, I must say just about every Evanescence song seems to have been written just for Rhia. Including the not-so-common ones, including Missing:

Please, please forgive me
But I won't be home again
Maybe someday you'll look up
And barely conscious, you'll say to no one
Isn't something missing

You won't cry for my absence I know
You forgot me long ago
Am I that unimportant
Am I so insignificant
Isn't something missing
Isn't someone missing me

Even though I'm the sacrifice
You won't try for me, not now
Though I'd die to know you love me
I'm all alone
Isn't someone missing me

Please, please forgive me
But I won't be home again
I know what you do to yourself
I breathe deep and cry out
Isn't something missing

Even though I'm the sacrifice
You won't try for me, not now
Though I'd die to know you love me
I'm all alone
Isn't someone missing me

And if I bleed
I'll bleed
Knowing you don't care
And if I sleep just to dream of you
I'll wake without you there
Isn't something missing
Isn't something

Even though I'm the sacrifice
You won't try for me, not now
Though I'd die to know you love me
I'm all alone
Isn't something missing
Isn't someone missing me

Sad, I know. There's one other around here somewhere. Ah, there it is.
Before the Dawn:

Meet me after dark again and I'll hold you
I want nothing more than to see you there
And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away
We'll be lost before the dawn

If only night can hold you where I can see you, my love
Then let me never ever wake again
And maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away
We'll be lost before the dawn

Somehow I know that we cant wake again from this dream
It's not real, but it's ours

Maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away
We'll be lost before the dawn

Maybe tonight, we'll fly so far away
We'll be lost before the dawn

Maybe I just really like those songs >> Bah, what does it matter. What else. ::sighs:: I can never think of the songs while I'm sitting here trying to do this. Perhaps I'll finish this post a little later.

::stretch::

Sorry it's been so long. My current job has really got me zapped of energy. It's not like it's hard, it's just demanding. Never have a free moment to just chill out except the scheduled breaks. At least the atmosphere is nice.

Okay, so, something I've been thinking about. I realized when a friend of mine asked me to say it, that not everyone knows how to pronounce Kolareny. At least, not the way I would prefer. So, let me spell it out phonetically.
Koh-lahr-ni.
The middle could also be pronounced 'lair'.
I made up the name myself back when I first made Rhia. I made up names quite often. Normally I would have changed a made-up name to one that actually exists for the story, but since Rhia isn't Rhia without that last name, as it's been with her for so long, and it seems only fitting that she have a last name not shared by any living person, I've decided to keep it.
There is one other name I believe is made-up, though I'm not entirely sure. I was not the person to come up with the name. It came up in one of my rps when I was young, and I loved the name so much, it stuck with me. That's Eryx. If someone knows that it is an actual name, could you let me know? That way when he finally makes his rather infamous appearance, I won't have to credit his name to someone else.

Before I go.. On my way home from work, I heard yet another song that reminded me of Rhia, though this one was pretty fun. It's an old one, too, so a good number of you should recognize it.
Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down".

Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You could stand me up at the gates of Hell
But I won't back down

No I'll stand my ground
Won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down
Gonna stand my ground
And I won't back down.

Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I will stand my ground.
And I won't back down.

Well I know what's right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around
But I'll stand my ground
And I won't back down.

Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I will stand my ground.
And I won't back down.

Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I won't back down
Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out.
Hey yeah, I will stand my ground
And I won't back down.

Definitely a fun song to sing, and easy to picture some montage of training Rhia's doing before some major battle.
I think I might end up making a list of songs that remind me of Rhia. I've tried doing it in the past, but I never kept up with it. We'll see how it goes this time.

Another Kolareny Boy.

"War is well underway, mother. The capital is under constant attack by both shogun and the royal family. I have to go help them."
Rhia frowned some as she looked down at her son. "Yukio, you're only fifteen; war is no place for you. That's why we're leaving. You understand?"
"But father-!"
"Your father was lost in this war, boy! Let those blasted humans fight their own damn wars!"
"Momma..?" came a little voice from the doorway.
Rhia looked over quickly, wincing as she saw Yukio's little sister. "Oh, Kimi... I'm sorry, dear. Are you all packed?"
"Mother! I have to go!"
"No, you don't!" She looked back over at him, grabbing him by the shoulders and giving him a good shake. "They'll fight it all out, they always do, and peace will reign again for a little while. There's no one worth protecting in this war except yourself and your sister, you hear? Protect the people around you. We'll protect the women and children coming with us. You just forget about the capital. You may have been born here, son, but this is not your country. You have no obligation to it."
His face fell, seeming to lose all interest in arguing with her. "Yes, mother..."
Just then, there came the sound of heavy hoofbeats outside, coming to an abrupt halt outside the door of their small house. Rhia turned towards the window, sharp ears at attention. "A war horse?" She hurried to the door, the two children close behind her. She opened the door before the young man standing on their doorstep could knock. Her brows lifted when she recognized the face. "Kazuko? What is it, what's happened?"
He was out of breath, and Rhia reached out for him, holding him up so he could rest. "Urgent news from Kyoto..."
"The capital?" Yukio perked up, hands curling into fists with his excitement.
"Hush, boy." Rhia looked back at him crossly, knowing what he was thinking. Once Yukio backed up a step, Rhia looked to Kazuko again. "And?"
"That crazy Kiyimori placed his one-year-old grandson on the throne."
She went stiff, look of shock crossing her face. "Antoku? You have to be kidding me... The boy will die on the throne!"
"It is most certain... Takakura has enlisted the aid of the Genji and is planning a civil war."
Rhia deflated a bit, Kazuko taking his turn to hold her up.
"Please...Rhia... Japan needs you. Antoku needs you."
"Oh, but I can't, Kazuko. I have the people of this village to look after. All of the villagers. Someone has to keep the people of this country safe from its rulers."
"I'll go!"
Kazuko and Rhia both would straighten up, gazes turned on Yukio.
"I can do it, mother. You know I can. I'll protect the emperor."

((The events listed here are, in fact, history. They always said reality is far more thrilling than fantasy.))

A little something.

"Like this?" The boy held up the mortar he was grounding herbs in.
The old man would peer over the boy's shoulder into the mortar, letting out an exhasperated sigh. "No, no, no. Seth, how will you ever learn this stuff if you do not pay attention?" He took the mortar and began to vigorously ground the remaining specks of herbs into a fine dust. When he finished, he handed it back to Seth. "You see? No lumps. There can't be any lumps for this spell."
Seth would sigh. "Yes, sir..." He was only nearing a thousand years, so still looked like a teenager, as a wizard's paige should. He already had quite a temper on him, though his master's temper was a tad bit more intimidating, so he rarely stepped out of line.
He set the mortar on the table and bent over the book the spell was scribbled in. It was one of his journals, in which he took notes on the wizard's lectures. Witchcraft was proving a bit more difficult to master than he'd thought. Far more difficult than just using his own magick. But he hated using it... Every time he tapped into his magick, he was reminded of what he was, and where he'd come from. So, Rhia suggested he learn the magick of humans as she had. Granted, she still preferred to use his father rather than bother with the preperation of spells. They took too much concentration and time, and were much too unpredictable as far as results if one wasn't paying enough attention.
After reading what came next for the spell, he'd hop off his stool and make his way through the many bookcases lining the laboratory, on which countless ingredients for every spell within the wizard's knowledge was kept. Needless to say, it was the largest library of its sort in the world. He knew his mother sure would love to spend days playing around with the things on those shelves. He found what he needed and pulled it down, heading back to his seat. Just a drop... Good. He was ready for the second step.
"Master?"
"Why don't you go up to the shop, Seth. Clean up, then make dinner. That will need to sit over night before you're ready.
"Yes, sir."

((A few of you will know the wizard. Isn't really a good sample to portray Seth's character in his first millenium, but it does give a bit of a look into why he rarely uses his magick. Oh, and in response to the comment on the last post, these aren't scripts for a comic, but I'm an artist as well, and those that made comments about wanting to see pictures knew that. I am hoping to do a comic later on down the road for this storyline, dealing with Rhia's early life in the Colony, but it will be geared towards the much younger crowd. We'll just have to see where my drawing talent goes later on to decide whether or not to make a comic geared for the rest of us.))

Well..

I've gotten another short-term job. Supposed to last around three weeks. So either I'll have a rush of inspiration since there will be little else to think about, or it's going to be a very boring three weeks up here. We'll just have to see.
The good news is that I've started doing some serious research for the series, and am pulling together a pretty solid time line. Once I'm comfortable with the general line of events, and am pretty sure I haven't forgotten anything, and have made room for new ideas down the road, I'll be a lot more willing to push onward with the book I'm writing now. And no, this job is not enough to make me get a website of my own. I need a semi-permanent one, at least, so I know I'll have the money coming in for it.

Finally have the net again.

She supposed it was only fitting that this would happen. She was becoming the world's scapegoat, she knew that much. It was what she wanted to do. Better for her to take on the world's problems than let these people fight them out themselves. In a way, she was assuming the sins of the world. That alone was weight enough, but now; now she'd been handed her cross to bear. The pain was ever present, a constant pressure. She had a tiny hope in her heart that perhaps she would get used to it; that the pain would dull over time. But Seth told her that it was all too possible that the pain would last for as long as it was there. So she knew she would have to learn to overcome the pain. To 'grin and bear it' as some say. Though that was precisely what she was learning to do. Despite the, at times, seering pain, she would have to maintain her smile. For as it had always been with her worries for the world, she would have to hold the pain, too, in her heart. No one could see that she was suffering. There would always have to be a look of hope, of comfort, of pride, and often of happiness on her face, no matter how little she felt that way inside. She was to suffer, but it was her cross to bear, and no one else's. Should she need a Simon of Cyrene, she knew in her heart and soul that one would step forward, but until then, she would continue to get up on her own.


If you couldn't tell, this character - I'll leave you to figure out who it is, though for some it will be obvious - is going to be a parallel to Jesus in as many ways as I can pull off. She's going to represent, in some ways, Christ's Second Coming. I may go over that more here, though I must admit, I haven't fully figured out all of the parallels just yet.

Something cool (I think).

Parkin was a very mysterious kid, the others thought. Very little was known about him, and even the teachers seemed wary of him. There wasn't anything wrong with the boy. He wasn't deformed, or too short, or too tall. He wasn't buff, though he wasn't exactly scrawny. He didn't look as though he was going hungry, or was dirt poor, though something about him seemed to give off a 'lower class' impression. No one had ever seen his parents, and he didn't have any brothers or sisters at the school, but apparently there was someone for him to be able to go to the school. He wasn't a bully, nor was he really picked on, though that was more because of what was whispered about him.
He didn't take the bus, and no one ever came to pick him up, yet when people tried to follow him to see where he lived, they could never find him after school. He seemed to melt away into the background, especially when someone was trying to find him. He didn't have any friends; he rarely spoke at all to anyone at the school, in class or otherwise. But, he always had his homework, scored alright on tests, and was fairly impressive when it came to sports. He would smile a sincere and warm smile when someone said hello to him, but would never say hello back, and never went out of his way to say hello on his own.
As for what was said about him, it was never anything one would really want to believe. Some people said he was a murderer, a criminal, that he had killed his parents, but kept coming to school to throw the police off. That was one of the worst. But a lot of other people were a bit kinder. Some thought that maybe he was orphaned. Others thought that his parents couldn't work, or were sick, and he had to work for them, that was why no one could ever find him after school. Still others had suspicions, crazy ones some said, that he wasn't human. Whatever happened to be true about him, he was still one of the most talked-about kids in the school. Girls had crushes on him, and boys weren't sure whether to be frightened or envious of him. One thing was for sure, no one really wanted to cross his path or get him angry, as so little was known about his temperament or what he was capable of.

One afternoon, one of the underclassmen caught sight of him leaving the school. As rare as this was, and being rather interested in the stories surrounding the boy, he could hardly pass up the amazing chance to find out the truth. He excused himself from his friends without looking away, and hurried after Parkin. When he saw him slip around a corner, he would pick up a run. This was how people lost him. And sure enough, when he reached that street, the boy was no where to be seen. He furrowed his brow and started walking forward, keeping his eyes peeled. He glanced down an alley as he passed it, and caught sight of a manhole cover sliding back into place. His eyes widened when he saw that, starting to wonder if he was getting in over his head.
"The sewer?" He gulped, but decided quickly that he just couldn't give up this chance. He hurried into the alley and carefully pulled the manhole cover up and to the side. It took him a bit, as it was very heavy and he wasn't the strongest fifteen-year-old around. Once he got it out of the way, he carefully lowered himself down the ladder, stopping long enough to pull the cover back into place.
He slid the rest of the way down the ladder, cringing at the slosh his shoes made when he touched the bottom.
"This is so gross..." He took a few seconds to let his eyes adjust some, the tunnel lit up only by the few rays of light every twenty or thirty feet from the manholes. He took a deep breath and reached a hand out to the wall, picking a direction and walking. After a few minutes, he knew he'd picked the right way when he could hear Parkin's footsteps. Or, someone's footsteps. He suddenly realized he had no guarantee this was really Parkin, and not some sewer rat or homeless guy he was following. He shook his head, jaw tightening as he renewed his resolve. This had to be Parkin. It had to be.
Almost twenty minutes of chasing the ghosts of footsteps, he finally heard the unmistakable sound of sneakers on metal. Whoever it was was finally going up. He hurried forward and peeked around the corner, able to see a figure on the stairs, only obscured by the tiny beams of light that shined down. However, when the manhole cover was pushed away, he was overjoyed to see the form of Parkin climbing out onto the street. He waited a minute or two, then hurried over and climbed up the ladder. Slowly, just in case Parkin wasn't very far away, he lifted up the cover, just enough to peek out and try and see where he was and where Parkin was. It wasn't a road, he was glad to see. Turning his head, he caught sight of Parkin's shoes going through a door. He pushed the cover aside and hoisted himself out, grumbling something as he wasted a few precious seconds returning the cover to its place. He then jogged over to the door, slowing up and stopping so he wouldn't make a lot of noise. He tilted to the side to glance through one of the dirty windows into the old building. It was a warehouse, he knew, and a condemned one. What could Parkin be doing here? Was he really orphaned after all? He saw the boy set his backpack down beside a pile of crummy-looking blankets, his jacket laid on top of them. When Parkin passed through another ominous doorway, he would slip inside. He was breathing a bit quicker now, adrenaline pumping through his veins. What if this kid was a murderer? A criminal? What if he was from the Mafia, or some other criminal organization? They hung out in places like this right? No. He had to learn the truth, no matter what the risk. He had to.
He moved slowly, so his feet wouldn't make too much noise, trying to keep his breathing quiet as well, though that was a chore all its own. His heartbeat sounded to him like it was echoing through the old, decrepit building. But something else filled his ears that was a lot louder, and rather startled him. He wasn't used to hearing the boy's voice, let alone echoing through an empty warehouse.
"I'm home, mother."
So, the boy wasn't an orphan. Or maybe he kept the bodies of his parents in the building. He'd heard stories like that before. He shivered, creeping up to the doorway Parkin had passed through. He carefully looked into the next room, and at once had to lift his hands up over his mouth to keep from gasping, or screaming. He wasn't sure which he wanted to do.
There was a body, alright, but it wasn't anything he'd expected. At the far end of the warehouse, a wall of rock seemed to rise out of the floor. Or perhaps the warehouse had been built around it. Nearly fifteen feet off the ground, was a woman. A woman, though he had a sick feeling that this woman wasn't human. She was trapped in the rock, legs up to her shins, her lower back, and her forearms were all encased in the rock. The story the Sword in the Stone came to his mind when he saw her like that. Though, there was something else stuck in the rock. Something else attatched to her. Wings. They came clearly out of her shoulders, as she was leaned forward nearly ninety degrees, and about two feet of each of them could be seen before they disappeared into the wall. Some sort of contraption was hooked around her stomach. They looked metallic, like long fingers coiled around her, holding her in place. She was hardly dressed at all, though what was there was enough to be breathtaking. Her hair was long, some of it dangling in her face, while the rest was pulled back to the base of her neck and allowed to cascade down over her shoulders, the tips resting lightly on the rock below her. It was as though it had kept growing after she'd been imprisoned. For that's what he realized it must be. She was being held captive, or perhaps she was a prisoner, or was she the criminal, and not Parkin?
Speaking of, he dropped his gaze down a few feet and saw Parkin slowly climbing up the rocky slope that led up to her. Was she the "mother" he'd spoke to? But she looked, from there, that she couldn't be more than twenty. Were those kids right to think he wasn't human after all? He quieted his thoughts as he watched in awe. Parkin climbed up to just below the woman, and slowly reached his hand up towards her face.
Just before his fingers touched her cheek, the woman's eyes snapped open. A chill ran down the underclassman's spine, as he realized instantly the woman was looking at him.
"You were followed."

Chibi Trouble

Three weeks of looking after Zelda and Haru, and Seth already wanted to pull his hair out. It wasn't twenty-four seven. It was eight hours at school. Not even that. Just during class changes and during lunch. Not even three hours during the day. But it was three straight hours of those two getting into one mess after another. Looking after them wasn't really the worst of it, he admitted to himself. Posing as a high-schooler had its own package of head-aches. He did his best to keep quiet and ignore the dreamy stares of the girls. All of them, he had soon realized. He was definitely Rhia's son when it came to attracting too much of that kind of attention. The teachers kept their distance, though a couple seemed rather fond of him. He was smart, did his work, and for all they knew, stayed out of trouble. When he had to find a club after school, as it was a requirement, he decided to join the soccer club, and after only the first couple of meetings, he'd been hailed their star player. All of this attention, good attention, was driving him mad. So why did he keep coming back? He wondered the same thing after each day, walking home with Zelda and Haru's hands clutched in his own.
That afternoon during lunch, he picked out some place quiet to eat, finding a spot up against the side of the school. Before sitting down, he made sure he could see both of them on the playground, then made himself comfortable. They rarely spent too much time during school with him, and he was glad for it. They were making friends and learning to stick together. A part of him was glad he was there to watch them growing up. He kept an eye on them over his sandwich, always wary of them getting into trouble. It happened almost every day, though none of them would ever say that to Rhia or Rhayvin.
And, after about twenty minutes, it would seem that day was no different. Neither of them ever picked a fight, but Zelda's innocence and Haru's height just seemed to make them desirable targets for bullies. And, if one of them got into a scrap, the other wasn't far behind to try and help, only to get into just as much trouble. Seth sighed when he saw a middle schooler shove Zelda off of her swing. She landed in the sand, so Seth wasn't too worried about her getting hurt, but just getting shoved was enough to make her whimper and start to cry. That would get Haru's attention and he'd hurry to her 'rescue'. It was always the same.
Seth got to his feet and started to walk over, doing so slowly, hands resting in his pockets. A few that saw the scrap start would notice Seth starting to walk over and they'd get the attention of a few others. By the time Seth was ten feet away, just about everyone nearby was watching in silence.
"Lemme go! Put me down, right now!" Haru struggled against the kid's grip, being held up off the ground by the back of his shirt.
The older boy would laugh. "Or what?"
Zelda, still crying, would run over to the boy, gripping his shirt and tugging it as hard as she could, which wasn't saying much. "Let him go! Oh, please let him go!"
"Do as she says."
The boy would stiffen, slowly turning around to look towards the voice behind him.
Seth stood with his arms folded over his chest, looking rather menacing, a talent of his. "Put him down. Gently."
The boy gulped and slowly set Haru back on his feet, backing away. When Seth didn't go after him, he'd turn tail and run as fast as he could away from there.
Seth sighed faintly as Haru and Zelda ran to him. They just never learned. The bullies, or these two. He shook his head as he sank to one knee and hugged them close. "When will you two learn to stay out of trouble? At least put up a fight. I can't be here forever to bail you out all the time. You need to learn to look after yourselves and each other."

A few things.

Well, I'll be cliche and wish you all a Happy New Year. There are just a few things I'd like to say before I go on with any more writing samples. And, yes, there shall be more. A lot more, I'm sure.
First of all, I wanted to bring up something that I'm not sure I covered at all on here. Like a lot of people, I really hate it when authors don't release things in chronological order. I want to read the story in the order that it happened. However, now that I'm on the other side, that is, I'm the author rather than the reader, I've come to realize that it isn't always as effective writing the story chronologically. So, this first book will not in fact contain the beginning of Rhia's life, but rather will start from a place where I can much more easily introduce the characaters that will show up in nearly all of the books. During the main storyline, there won't really be any events that drastically effect the story. Rather, I will use this first book to introduce Rhia to the world, give her early attitude some life. Interlaced with the main storyline will be a few flashbacks, nothing major that would confuse anyone, only a paragraph or less at a time, to give the readers a teasing look into her past. It will be through those flashbacks that part of her character will be developed, and people will get an idea of just why her life has become how it has, and why she is the way she is. I want to introduce people to my writing style, to the characters, and this vast storyline that will span all of human civilization and beyond. I want people to be able to decide by this first book whether or not they want to spend the years growing old with Rhia, or if they'd rather just pass over it, and let someone else tell them all about it. This first book probably won't fit in to any sort of category. People will probably lump it into fantasy due to all of the main characters being something other than human, as this takes place before Mesopotamia, and thus before human civilization as I see it. But I hope that the way I write it will give people an idea of just how broad a specturm this series will cover. Should they like the way it's written, or fall in love with some or one of the characters along the way, perhaps they'll continue picking up the books in the series. If that's the case, then I've done my job well.
Er, anyway, I'm just ranting now. Back on topic. The book about the beginning of Rhia's life will most likely end up being one of the last I publish, though the story itself will be broken into pieces and slipped into the other novels, either as some kind of flashback, or, something I've been pondering, as prologues. Mind you, if it's done as prologues, it will not run fluently together. You wouldn't be able to read the prologue in the first book, then pick up where you left off in the second book. Rather, it will either jump around, or it will take just the key moments of the beginning, so as not to fill one prologue with filler and dialogue. That means when the book containing the beginning of her life is released, you would be buying the story in its entirity.
I do still think the very last book I release will be of the toil Rhia faces during her last few months alone on Gaia, as it will probably contain many flashbacks and reflections, my reflections on the series and her reflections on what she has seen and who she has come to be.
As I go, I will put in a preface what time period the story is to take place, and hopefully through that, those who would like to read the story chronilogically will be able to. I will do my best to write the story in such a way that one could pick up any of the books and be able to know who each character is enough for each individual story told. Of course, to know the characters fully, you would have to keep up with the series. Some characters, the supporting cast, will probably each be contained in their own seperate novel or novel set, meaning you could buy the books about them and learn all you need to know about them that way, including how they mixed with Rhia and the other main characters.
I think I should stop myself now, before I go on forever about all of this. The computer's being a bit buggy anyway, and it's beginning to tick me off.
So, the last thing I wanted to say was that I've been reminded of an idea I had, that I want to try and use my characters to explain or give life to different folk tales or wives tales. If you can think of any sort of lure or myth, or anything of that sort that you would love to have twisted around in the storyline, post it anywhere here as a comment, or email it to me. Perhaps I'll even come out with my own storybook, explaining things according to Kolareny. Bah, who knows. I've other things to think about. So don't hesitate to put them up here. I'll get to them all eventually. And if I don't think I'd use it in the books, I'll probably still write something up and post it here.