Log: Day 7 – Progress blip.

Edit 02.27.11: Fixed the formatting on this post because it was looking …really strange. Also added tags (’cause I forgot them LOL).

A few quick updates.

I intended to post this earlier, it’s nearly 11:00pm right now but I thought it’d be better to get this out of the way now.

Right now I’m having a “progress blip” in this project. Two reasons:

One, I still don’t have a scanner. However, I have been writing the chapters for the storyline, and in fact, will leave a nifty excerpt from the draft at the end of this post for chapter one. I still haven’t thought up a cool title for it yet… but that’s no matter at this moment.

Two. Probably the more important/in depth reason for why I’ve slowed in progress. Despite the fact that I’m back in New York, there’s a couple pressing issues right now that I have to deal with, mainly family related. I won’t go into detail (because well, this is a project blog and not a personal one), but I’m probably going to have to put a hold on the project for at least a week.

…In other news, I published the website. The url is “wix.com/nullryuu/thedarksideproject” (and it’s in the description on this blog!). Which is annoying. Haha. I’ll try to get a personalized url soon. Hopefully before spring break begins. There’s a neat description of how Dark Side began (which I might x-post here), as well as an about page. I haven’t put up anything “progress” related yet (mostly because of a lack of scanner/the fact that now most of my progress work is IN Barbados).

Next up… I made a progress Twitter so I can quickly work and post progress up without having to go through writing a long blog post! Then when I have enough pictures and things, I’ll compile it and make a blog post. Currently the account name is @ganonderp (not in any way related to Ganondorf… nope. The username just stuck. I’ll switch it to “thedarksideproject” eventually. I swear. I just… really like ganonderp. LOL.)

Now…

Here’s a little snippet of Chapter One. To give you a bit of summary, Hideto, our main character, is about to head off to his first day of class in an advanced training course. He’s talking to his mother Mei, who hands him a good luck pendant and a letter from his father, and then sends him off to school. This is about three paragraphs into the first chapter, and it’s only a draft, so things are likely to change. Definitely. Tell me what you think~!

“Hideto.” Mei’s stern, soft voice slipped through Hideto’s concentrated, churning thoughts. “You’ve been standing at the doorway for nearly ten minutes.” Her voice was sprinkled with worry, despite the generally cheerful demeanor she exhibited as she stood distant from the open doorway. Hideto, shaken from his mindless ranting, turned his head slightly and peeked over his shoulder. His wide, leaf green eyes glanced at the woman standing a few feet away from him. She stood with her hands clung to her arm muscles, standing upright. Her plain, peach colored dress draped over her body and flowed back and forth as she shifted her weight, waiting for a response. “Sorry.” Hideto muttered, reaching down to grab a small, tan colored, tied up sack that leaned against the opposite side of the wooden door frame with one hand. Letting his opposite hand drop to his side, he lifted the rope strap of the bag over his right shoulder and shuffled over to Mai stiffly, his head down. “Don’t look like that,” Mei pouted, picking the young boy’s head up with one hand. “You’re going to do great today.” Hideto exhaled heavily, his tightened shoulders loosening. “I doubt it. I can’t even pick up a wooden sword correctly. What makes them think I can swing it around?” Hideto glanced to the side, his eyes narrow. Mai laughed, placing her hand on Hideto’s head. “You got into the class, didn’t you?” At that, Hideto looked down, grumbling to himself. Mei was right about that. Through mere fortune, the instructors at Hideto’s elementary school thought it’d be fitting to advance him to the advanced courses. In part, this was because of his father’s status. But his efforts to pass all preliminary courses proved substantial enough as well. Hideto didn’t believe that, though, although he bit his lip and silently agreed.

When he looked up, Mei had her hands behind her neck, unclasping a piece of metal with her petite fingers. “Hold your hands out, dear,” she said, and Hideto complied meekly. A silver necklace with green trim was placed into his palms. A jagged jade stone was housed in the center of a ring of metal, and a twisted spiral of metal and jade extended itself from that ring. Decorated with a vine pattern, it curved off like a trail of smoke. Hideto looked up at Mei, perplexed, to which Mei responded with one of her typical cheery smiles. “Think of it as a good luck present.” Before Hideto could process the gift she had placed in his hands, Mei had already had her hands out again, holding a envelope. It was dented on both ends, and slightly worn, but there was no mistaking the seal that clasped the flap of the letter shut. Adorned with the symbol of the Silativ region–a silhouette of a dragon with two wreaths neatly garnishing the edges–Hideto hardly blinked at the three words that ran across the edge before grabbing the letter with joyous exclamation. Speechless, he held the letter in front of him, doubtful that the thin paper he had in his hands was even real. “So that means father is coming back, right?” Hideto’s sudden ecstatic question caught Mei by surprise, and although her smile remained, something in her voice sounded solemn and almost lamentful. She knelt down to Hideto’s level and looked into the child’s eyes, keeping her composure. “Dai will return. I’m sure of it.” Hideto could feel Mei’s melancholy aura seeping through the happy façade she presented, and was on the verge of questioning it before Mei instantaneously stood up straight and spun the young boy around to face the doorway in a manner that made Hideto lose his balance and nearly fall over. “Well then,” she began, her tone of voice suddenly changing. “You don’t want to miss your first day of training, do you?” With one arm wrapped around the boy’s shoulder, she let out a soft giggle as she continued. “Because you’re going to be late.”

Hideto sprung out of Mei’s grasp and found his sandals hitting the worn cobblestone pathway. He remembered letting out a shocked gasp and a quick “bye!”, but all he could hear was Mei’s laughter fading with the wind that rushed passed his ears, the bump of his small bag hitting his hip, and the crumple of fallen leaves beneath his feet.

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