[Holding Onto Her]

Nanowrimo a no-no.

2007-10-20T17:18:08Z

Guys, I know it's been an absolute age since my last entry, but this project is still being done. The storyline is pretty complicated, and there's two spin-offs that are being designed as well to supplement the Holding Onto Her world. Nanowrimo (aka all of November to write a novel) will /not/ be used for this project, as I have already stated to a few people that have suggested this. Nanowrimo would have the main HoH storyline done in a month, and there is no reason to ruin a great plot simply so I can have the project out of the way.

Nanowrimo will be used for a different project that has nothing to do with HoH. If you wish to view this as it is completed, please visit my main journal, albowsmit. All previews and excerpts will be posted up there, as well as a link to the finished version (if I ever pluck up the courage. x3)

Sorry to have kept this project on Hiatus; but it is being worked on. Just hang in there. Start date is expected to be Jan 2008.

[Userbar for myself.]

2006-06-07T05:37:19Z

Just made a userbar for myself, since I want to acquaint myself with Photoshop, rather than try doing stuffs on paint like I have been doing.

Good? No?

[Epilogue]

2006-06-05T15:42:22Z

When one imagines the concept of death, one thinks of a body; a coffin, encasing them before they're buried into the ground, burned, or sent out to see to rest in the deep. If only we had that sort of closure here. All we have are empty spaces.

There's no way that this world can return to the way it was. Right now, it reminds me of the realm of Valar; on the brink of collapse before finally giving in. I still go to Yuno in the vain hope that the Sage Castle has been returned to it's magnificence, only to still see nothing but a gaping gap in the skyline. The labrynth's warps are all over the place, and where there was lush meadow welcoming us along the path to another town, there is naught but scorched earth. The Church, despite it being the building that should have sustained the most damage, was for the most of it, completely untouched. All of us know what went on in there though.

It's been a month since all that commotion, and things are slowly getting back to normal. The grass is growing again, buildings are being restored from Prontera outward, and the GMs were finally able to set foot upon their world once again. Despite how I saw nothing but ugly destruction when I looked up at the first setting sun, now I see a romantic melancholy coarsing through the air as the Rockers make their chirps. Strange, really, that one can find beauty in ruins, and hope in desolation.

We're restoring all those that were shattered, one by one now. The GMs have kindly given us a town to ourselves to work how we have to, and gave us every shard of data that existed. We had to experiment on the Hydros that had turned the tables for us, and I spent night after restless night piecing the shattered creature together. Three weeks ago, we finally found how to work the pieces together, and now that Hydros is back with Detale and it's own kind in the Abyss. Of course, a human is ultimately many times harder to restore, and as such, we had our first success.

The tears that Lani cried when she saw myself and Rathe standing in the doorway to the Church were worth their weight in gold. No-one could've faked that joy that the atheist had plastered on her face as she bolted up from the place he had been lost. Her eyes just lit up like she was a child having five Christmas' in one moment, and it brought a tear to my eye to hear the 'thank you' she barely whispered. Although she might've cracked one of his ribs with how tight she hugged him.

Rhey can't come back, at least not for now. We're short of pieces of her data. Too much so that we can even attempt a restore. Daemion is holding onto grim hope as he keeps searching each gap in brick, and under each paving slab of the church floor. We find the odd one, but we're still a good half dozen short. I don't want to tell him, but I think he knows; he just doesn't want to believe it.

Our trio aren't the only ones missing in action, though. Kayin spent a good three days on creating a pillar to honour the ones that fell. Pure Oridecon it was too. He must've spent so much time on each name, because all he had with him was the spike at the end of his Two-Handed Axe. It's a glorious creation though, each name on there. The ones that will never come back. Trapped in limbo, between death and respawning. Those of us that were left stood in silence before it, and I realised how depleted the numbers were. Bar my Guildmates, there were only five dozen. We had at least double that, before this event.

I just pray that this never happens again. Such a thing would tear this world apart, and Thanatos has finally received the Death that he wanted. He shall never grace this world again with his Darkness, but I can't help but think that the Elders will steal the path of Life from another unsuspecting Monster or Player.

But now, we work to restore what we have left.

Because of the strength of those departed, we now have all the time we need.

[Relations Chart and Pictures of Characters]

2006-06-02T13:35:25Z

Name	Pronunciation	Nickname	Occupation (Job)
Kaecyus	Kay-see-us	Kae	Professor
Rhodesia	Rowe-deh-shuh	Dessy	Creator
Kayin	Kay-yin	Kay	Creator
Arlene	Are-leen	Lene	Gypsy
Asmodai	Az-moe-die	Asmo	Paladin (Atheist)
Anstice	Ann-st-iss	An (or) Shatter	Lord/Lady Knight
Roselani	Rowe-ss-lah-knee	Lani	Professor
Rathe	Ray-th	(none)	High Wizard
Aquadisia	Ah-kwah-dee-shuh	Aqua	Assassin Cross
Daemion	Dae-mee-yun	Dae	Stalker
Rheyenna	Ray-hee-nuh	Rhey	Stalker
Charmaine	Shar-mane	Char	High Wizard
Marneus	Mar-nee-us	Marn	Champion
Illume	Ihh-loom	Lume	Alchemist (V. Strong)
Macragge	Mah-Crag	Mac	Assassin Cross
Kimi	Kee-mee	(none)	Creator
Royce	Roy-ss	(none)	Whitesmith
Lunarisia	Loon-are-iss-ee-uh	Luna	High Priest
Liquorice	Lik-or-riss	Liq	Whitesmith

And just for laughs:

Kae: Stop staring at her ass!
Dessy: Stop exploiting his love of said ass!
Kayin: Lost in the Woods they say, eh?
Arlene: Naughty girl. o:
Asmo: I applaud thee for bedding the best Gypsy in Rune Midgard. Now stick to Anstice or die. :x
Anstice: Don't whack him with a Sidewinder. You know what I mean.
Roselani: Legs eleven. >.>
Rathe: Stop stroking her legs. D<
Aqua: Playboy-girl. </insidejoke>
Dae: Next time, take a girl on a date /without/ threatening them with killing.
Rhey: Who the fuck is Alice?!
Char: You were just too hot for Ronald /MAC/Donald.
Marn: Marriage /isn't/ everything.
Lume: Has he gone down yet? NOT LIKE THAT, BUT LIKE THAT! : DDD
Mac: You're a slave to your libido. xD
Kimi: Your kids shall save the world. Watch them and giggle incessantly.
Royce: Rest in pieces, lad. Oh, and Kay broke your Axe. *ducks*
Luna: Beware the black and red and white, the sweet and more-ish male. o:
Liq: You go, dude!

Many thanks to tsukiyashi for creating the Diagram for me. She's my partner in crime in Holding Onto Her, and the characters that are female belong to her.

EDIT: Edited to include the name tables and such, on 11/06/2005

[Official Preview]

2006-06-02T13:30:35Z

The usual hustle and bustle of the streets of Prontera had left that same town, replaced with the conversation of nearly every transcendant in Midguard. Stalkers, Snipers, Assassin Cross'; even the High Wizards, the most arrogant of the classes (in general, of course) had turned up. They fell silent as a dull glow covered roughly fifteen of those that had gathered. A muted gold, before fading to black, returning those it had affected to their previous magnificence.

Minus their Guild affiliation.

"Another Emperium destroyed." A burly Lord Knight remarked, one of those that had been affected. Probably the Leader of the guild. The conversations soon spawned yet again, as there was nothing else to do. No Vending, no Quests, and the War of the Emperium was out of the question for obvious reasons. They all seemed to be questioning why they had been called here, the colours of their armours, their skills, even their intentions were different.

They were about to get their answer, however, as a black and red clad Professor walked past them, having spent the night North of the gathering. Standing on an Earth Spike he had created, the sound of it all but silent before he tried to get everyone's attention. Black Cat Ears and Mini Glasses donned the player's face, a sole Wedding Ring on his finger. A loud whistle ensued, and the entire group fell silent.

"I see another Emperium has been shattered." He said, the solemn Guild Leader, the LK from before, nodded slowly. "The MvPs are on the move again!" He declared, to keep those around him quiet. "They have already taken over Payon and Yuno, and are moving to sieze the airships to drop their mobs into Prontera. We have little time to plan, and even less time to act."

"Why should we listen to you!" Of course, that voice came from a High Wizard, a rather strong one that had made a name for herself by somehow overcoming the effects of the Golden Thief Bug's card.

"Because I am the Leader of the only official Guild that is still standing." He retorted. "Just look at us, standing now. Transcendants from all over Midguard. The only ones that are left..." His mind casted back to when the GM went on a rampage, believing that all the problems were being caused by a player. At least, before his own account's demise. "We are here now to take back what is rightfully ours, and we have less than a week to prepare ourselves for the fight that will either restore our lives to what it was, or go down trying." He said, looking across them all, to the group that had just arrived and walked through to him. "My Guildmembers share my sentiment, and are willing to lay down everything they have for one chance to live the way we did." His Guild was two members short, and he knew why. One member had passed away of old age. Tears begged to fall as he thought of the other absentee, but refused to give into emotion for now.

"We need to clear out the Monsters in several locations. All the castles need to be clear so we have a chance of getting everything we need to fit as many people as we can with God items, to even up the score. We need to decimate the labrynth north of Prontera to give ourselves a second chance, and a place to fall back to. The Monsters don't know the layout of it. We do." He took a breath, his voice gaining charisma with each word. "We need sets of items and as much zeny as we can muster. Pick up all items, set autoloot to full, and come back only when your storage is full. You all have lists of the items that we need especially, and what monsters drop them. I don't care if it's a Poring or a Doppelganger. If it moves, kill it. Kill it, get the items, and move on. Each Guild group is it's own group, but the Leaders will have to report to members of my Guild, who in turn will report to me."

Several around him were skeptical, and he quickly caught this. "Look. If we do nothing now, we're dead. Humans will cease to exist in Rune Midguard!" The whispers quickly dulled. "If we do nothing, we're Lambs to the slaughter, and nothing more!" Sighing, he looked over the groups and cliques that littered Prontera's centre. "We need castles, the Labrynth, and a clear, guarded path to Payon, Yuno, and Izlude. If you wish to help, stand up and be counted. If not, just don't impede our efforts." Three Guilds immediately stood up. Nicolas' Guild, from when Arlene was a member, was eager to help. As was the Merchants' Guild. After all, they had an underlying base that could sell items to NPCs for higher prices than any of those sat, or stood, before him. The final Guild to stand, was Strip-n-Sin, a cult guild but lethal nonetheless.

An uneasy silence passed, before one by one, each and every Guild stood up, pledging their support to thesmelves and each other. Even the Wizards had raised their stature to be counted. "I'm glad you all care about this as much as I do." One person had spurred him to do this, and one person only. "Any kind of Alchemy items need to be kept, as do herbs, cobwebs, elemental stones and the rest. The list you have been given will help in deciding what we need. And for the love of Freya, spend only what you need. Whitesmiths'll repair and refine your weapons, Professors'll put elements on your weapons, and keep the monsters pinned down while you attack them. We all need to work together on this." Stepping down from the makeshift 'soapbox', he walked along the valley between them that had formed.

"I'm not here to act as an inspirational leader. I'm not cut out for that. But I'm standing here before you now with my knowledge of Rune Midguard at our disposal. I'm not here to take all the glory. There is no glory in salvation. Only the contentment that we can capture once again if we take back our old forms of life and stop being scared and scattering like rats. We need one group to storm the Orcs Dungeon. We need Emperiums so we can create Guilds that can hold castles, so we can get God items and use them appropriately. We need three Guild groups to clear out the Labrynth from top to bottom. One per floor. Leave the Baphomet until last, and take it out together. Five groups each to make it to Payon, Izlude and Yuno respectively. I want at least one Priest in those five Guilds, and at least two Yggdrasil leaves per person to keep that Priest alive. After you have secured the towns, send someone back to retrieve five Emperiums, create your Guilds, and level them up for the stats bonuses. We're going to need them."

He had reached the end of the populated stretch at the North end of Prontera. "As I said before, I'm not here as a Leader or Great Commander. You all report to your Guild Leaders as before, and they share the information with me. I'm a logistics manager for this, nothing more. Decide upon who is going where amongst yourselves. If we have any extra people left over, you're coming with us to push on up to Yuno to allow other players to Transcend and join us in our fight. We are the only ones that can stand and make a difference. Everyone is relying on us, and I say we don't let them, or ourselves down." Turning to face away from them all, his head tilted to them.

"Good luck to you all. And Godspeed."

The raucous cheering from the Leaders, followed by the Guildmembers were drowned out by his thoughts, and before he could think, he was stood outside Prontera Church. Walking into the building, and through the corridor, he met with the Father, immediately requesting that his save point be moved to the Sanctuary. After receiving the affirmative, he nodded his thanks, before being guided by an Acolyte, ready to become a Priest and join the Transcendants, to a small room before being left to open it by himself.

Opening the door, he sighed and passed through it, closing it behind him before he walked up to the large bed. This would've been the Mother Superior's room if they had one left. Now, however, it was the resting place of one of the strongest non-believers of the Gods. In a bed of white satin, there she lay, completely at peace, unconscious and sleeping. Her white Creator's clothes lay undisturbed, her green hair in that loose ponytail, that was so easy to use remove and let her hair move about free. She had been like this for five days, since the first Guild's Emperium was shattered in Geffen. He had seen it as a curse to begin with, but now had understood. It was a method to force his support, and protect the kingdom of Rune-Midguard. He understood that, but didn't like it one bit. If he wanted his lover, he had to buckle to the God's wishes. "The twilight of this age shall soon be over, Dessy. You'll be awake and at my side, I pray." This was the safest place she could be, where the Gods were praised, and would hopefully return the goodwill.

"We've made our choices." A sole voice spoke from behind him.
"What choice, Kayin?" The professor didn't move or turn around, continuing to gaze longingly at his lover, before stroking her cheek tenderly.
"Four of us are staying here to protect this Church; to protect her."
This decision sparked interest in the now thirty-something year old Professor, and he turned around.

"Who has decided to stay?" He queried, looking the Creator in the eyes, their hairstyle and Mini Glasses the only similarities; apart from that, they could be no more different.
"Roselani, Rathe, Macragge and... her sister, Illume."
This shocked the experienced scholar, but was soon settled back into his calm but controlled composure. "Blood is thicker than water." The creator stated simply.

Kaecyus sighed, pulling his Hardcover Book of Berserk from behind the bed, and walking past the Creator, he spoke.
"Let's hope so... Otherwise there'll be a new river forming."