Saturday, April 26, 2014

The quest for the peaceful liquor #1

Okay, whenever I get the chance, I'll post the first draft of the semi-collaboration work between me, and though, I'm probably the one who will do 90% of the writing as this is kind of a release for me (Getting too bound up in the urban fantasy world has got me tense, so I wanted to go back to writing epic fantasy.)

This story came about while me and Hanne (@craftyGolem) were talking about being 'blackout' drunk where you are basically a third party in your body while it does as the liquor commands. Thus the idea bout liquor which possess you. Be warned that this is only the first draft, thus there will probably be some inconsistencies, writing errors and other mistakes. If you see any and feel generous, please comment below so that I can fix them. Well then, without further delay, here is the prologue of THE QUEST FOR THE PEACEFUL LIQUOR. Enjoy.





Prologue (The Empty Bottle Club)

            Clack-clack-clack. A gavel pounded against a stone table.
            Hakrij started, but he didn’t take his eyes off the two shots of vodka in front of him. What if he were a Water Specialist, and Pride possessed him? But what if he weren’t? Would the other Club Members turn on him? A lump caught in his throat.
            Beside him, three girls, no older than he, licked their lips and stared at Vice-Chairman Kkai who sat behind the stone table. The long-barreled pistol hanging from a bandolier on his shoulder swayed with each of his lazy swings of the gavel. When the pounding stopped, silence fell on the camp between The Wasted-Lands and Vaken.
            After taking a deep breath, Hakrij grabbed the first shot glass and lifted it into the air in imitation of the others wishing to join the Empty Bottle Club. Father always said, ‘don’t think about it, just do it.’
            “Your honor,” Everyone, including Hakrij, said, “we are drinking Ffurronr.” The want-to-be members turned their shot glasses upside down and downed the clear liquid.
            A fire burned all the way down Hakrij’s throat, and his stomach twisted in a knot. Vomit rose to meet the high-quality vodka. What is this foul substance made of? The two hot liquids collided around his chest, and his brain felt like it would explode. With tears in his eyes, he choked it down then blinked.
            Everyone else had raised their second shot glass. Vice-Chairman Kkaj nodded.
            Moonshine! Hakrij scrambled to grab his second shot of vodka and lifted it to his nose. Thump! His heart moved as if to leap from his chest. “Huzar!” he said just in time to echo the others. Despite his reservations, he downed the second shot of vodka. A gust of dizziness whipped at his face, and he stumbled backwards. Smack! He crashed into the person behind him before regaining his balance. He turned. “Sor—”
            The short-haired young woman’s eyes glowed a deep brown as a wicked smile tugged at her full, red lips. Chunks of rock leaped from her hands and encased him in a rock prison. It contracted like a giant hand.
            His breath caught, and his lips quivered. “Stop! I —”
            A blazing inferno sprang up around him and blasted the stones into dust. A split second later, a prison of fire sprang up around the young woman.  
            Hakrij fell to his knees, coughing.
            Kkaj tisked as he approached. “I would have thought that one of the chosen would be able to hold their liquor better.” A sigh escaped his tight mouth. “Nonetheless, it is good to have the Earth Specialists out of the way.” He clapped his hands. “Bring out the tequila!”
            Two young women with matching faces stepped out of the far tent. Each carried a large bottle. The one holding the bottle of Ikej black tequila had large breasts and inviting smile. Though, the one marching forward with the bottle of Rifle had a slim figure and long, long legs. Her lithe steps made Hakrij’s heart beat faster and faster.
            A lump caught in his throat when he held his shot glasses out. “Miss?”
            “Roffor.” She rolled the Rs in her name but gave only the briefest attention to the other letters. Her voice was melodious. She winked then turned to the next man.
            For a long moment, his heart stopped. She’s … foreign. He gulped. And so beautiful. Totally my type and — He followed her eyes.
            Every so often, she glanced at Kkaj and his arsenal of weapons. Four long-barreled pistols. A three-shot rifle. Two long knives. A mini pistol. He even had a Breakdown. Being a part of the Jak family carried too many advantages.
            Hakrij spit then ground his foot in the dirt. Why is it the guys like him who are so lucky?
            The big-breasted woman, clearly Roffor’s sister, filled his second shot glass. After glancing at the ground where he spat, her smile turned into a frown. She leaned in close. “This is supposed to be a celebration,” she said in the same accent as her sister. “Be happy that you have been given this rare opportunity.”
            She’s right. He took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you.”
            “Don’t mention it.” A grin split her face, and the cutest dimples formed in her cheeks. “No, seriously, don’t mention it. Kkaj is not really the jealous type and the sky isn’t blue.”
            Hakrij blinked. “Wait —”
            She chuckled then walked off.
            But … but the sky is blu— Oh. His mouth dried.
            Soon, everyone had tequila in their glasses save for the imprisoned Earth Specialist. Those four would have more tests later to see if they were a Penta — someone who could manipulate the power of all five liquors.
            Despite every member of my family being a Drunkzard, none of us have been lucky enough to be Pentas. He opened his mouth.
            Clack-clack-clack. Kkaj beat the gavel again. “Swallow the darkness within! Then take a shot into the night!”
            Inkej down.
            Rifle down.
            The cool burn in his chest didn’t hurt as bad as the vodka, but the twisting in his stomach intensified. A slimy chill rolled down to his toes, and he shivered.
            Something cold rested on his shoulder.
            A second shiver raced down his spine, and he turned.
            A tree of ice grew out of the ground and scratched at his back. Two stumps down, the tree had impaled three of the chosen.
            His flesh parted, and the icy branches reached deeper into his body. His blood went cold, and his teeth chattered. Where is —
            Boom! A bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky and shattered the tree.
            The two men with glowing teal eyes started then stumbled backwards. Sneers pulled at their plump lips and blocks of ice wrapped around their hands.
            Jumping energy danced across the ground and spun around Hakrij. Buzz. It touched the feet of both men and climbed up their bodies, cocooning them like some sort of insect.
            The two screamed until their bodies thumped to the ground. Neither moved when the lightning dissipated.
            Kkaj sighed. “And here I was hoping for more than two Water Specialist this time. Kokibrak’s recent population boom could have used the healers.” He squeezed the bridge of his nose. Was he getting a Possession-Hangover? Did Penta’s even get Possession-Hangovers and lose their ability to use magic?
            Hakrij wobbled to his stump and sat down. I need a breather. No matter how much wine or beer one consumes to prepare for this —
            “Bring out the rum!” Kkaj’s voice squeaked, so he coughed. “We don’t have all night!”
            Kkaj's two women brought out a bottle of Rabbi and Puzer, filling everyone's shot glasses.
            Hakrij's knees trembled when the beautiful women turned away from him, and he licked his lips. What I wouldn't give — He shook his head. Must focus. I can't let the spirits of the spirits possess me.
            Around him, the other initiates trembled. Excitement. If they were Fire Specialists, they would be given a place in the king's court. That would be the life. Never having to worry about money.
            A smile split his face. Here goes nothing. He grabbed the first shot and downed it.
            Kkaj blinked, and a jumble of words clambered from his mouth.
            Hakrij kicked back the second shot. His chest burned, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
            The other initiates followed his lead and swallowed their shots of rum. Fire wrapped around six of them and spiraled into the sky.
            He was not one of them. A fit of hiccups blurred his vision. This isn't fair. "I'm tired of waiting!"
            "Yeah!" a group behind him shouted.
            "What kind of nonsense is this?" Kkaj pulled a blue flask from his pocket and flipped the cap off. "Six Fire Specialists this year?" He placed the flask to his lips and began to gulp down the tequila.
            {His two women} pulled out flasks of their own — one red and the other yellow — and took a swig.
            Hakrij pulled the tent flaps back and stumbled inside.
            His group joined him in the tent filled with liquor bottles.
            He pointed to the two — maybe three or four — crates on his left. "There's the gin." He scanned the other crates that came in pairs of three. "I think … ." He staggered forward. Thunk. His shin caught on stray crate, and a bellowing scream burst from his lips.
            His group cracked open the Gin and began to pass the bottle of Onkej around.
            Hakrij reached the whiskey crate and pulled out a bottle of Tataj — probably. The letters blurred together too much to tell. He wrapped his fingers around the top and twisted with all his might. Nothing. "Moonshine! Open you stupid —"
            The largest member of his group, a woman at least two heads taller than himself, strode over to him and snatched the bottle from his grasp. "Let me help you, little man."
            Blood crashed into his brain like a runaway river barge. "Hey —"
            Boom! An array of explosions shook the tent. The supports gave in, and the center of the tent collapsed. Blue lightning sparked from the other members of his group before the tent hit the ground.
            Now. Hakrij took the bottle of Tataj from the overly large woman and chugged it. The whiskey turned his blood to fire and his eyes glazed over.
            Metal objects around him — the tent spikes, belt buckles, crate fastenings and other things — lifted into the air, spinning like a tornado.
            A monstrous laugh escaped his mouth, but it was not his own. Inside his head, a voice said, "I will destroy everything! Kill everyone! Rip the souls from my enemies!" The voice laughed again, and Hakrij watched his body storm out of the tent. "And every living human is my enemy." His entourage of metal objects grew, and blood filled the air around him.







Next: Chapter 1




Sunday, April 13, 2014

My writing process blog tour

Hi, this is Travis from Tokyo surrenders to a hamster, and today, I'd like to talk about my writing process!




Please check out http://weirdvision2001.blogspot.jp/ as he is the one who passed the torch to me. She has a lot of really cool stories, and English isn't even her first language. She is just awesome, and I enjoy her urban fantasy worlds and stories. Please check out her stuff.




1) What am I working on?







-I'm currently working on a lot of editing. At the moment, I'm focused on this semi-final draft of PAINTING and its query letter to resubmit to agents.











2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?



-As an urban fantasy set in Tokyo, Japan with strict magic costs and rules, my story steps away from others in the urban fantasy genre by making foreign, cultural differences one of the key character conflicts and twisting major political events to give a rich secret history to the world. The blend of a hard magic system with action-packed fight scenes and a romantic tragedy pulls the reader through the "Moon-like" world of Japan in order to make it feel natural.



3) Why do I write what I do?


-I started writing urban fantasy because I wanted to talk more about my experiences in Japan. I use hard magic systems because I'm a big fan of epic fantasy and wanted to give an urban fantasy world the feel of an epic fantasy. And for most people, Japan might as well be a made up place, far far away. Beyond that, I just love to write about the things around me.




4) How does my writing process work?
-I am more of a Gardener than an Architect, but my current process is as follows:
  -Come up with an idea/magic system.
  -Write a scene using the magic system to give me a better feel for the world.
  -Come up with characters in the world and how the magic makes the world different.
  -Create a chapter by chapter one paragraph outline
  -Do sample scenes through the outline with each character to get a better feel for them and the world.
  -Write a one-page synopsis.
  -Revise the chapter by chapter outline.
  -Write the first draft. I generally try to get this done within a month NaNo WriMo style. (I type the first draft on my ipod touch)
  -Do the second draft without pause. (Each draft after the first is done printed out with a red pen then clean it up with Edit Minion, Grammarly and text-to-speech in that order)
  -Have people read the first few chapters of the second draft then do a third draft.
  -Wait a few months, work on a different project, clear my thoughts and come back.
  -Do a fourth draft and post the entire thing on Critique Circle for beta readers.
  -Then I just clean it up and prepare to ship it out.




Thanks for reading. Sorry that the train stops with me, but I had no fellow blogger responses lol. 

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Cody meowing

Went home for a week and took a video of my parents' dog, Cody. He is meowing like a cat until my dad makes him do tricks for treats.