- She/Her
DoB: 24, December
Orientation: Asexual / Voluntary Celibate
Beliefs: Folk Catholicism
Nationality: USA
Native Language: English
Other Languages: Japanese, Korean, Spanish (so far)....
Cuisine: Seafood, East Asian cuisine, Italian cuisine, Greek cuisine, Thai Cuisine, Filipino cuisine, Exotic meats, fruit (especially berries, pineapple and melons).
Likes: My spiritual faith, cooking, baking, customizing dolls and toys, reading, playing video games, swimming, studying foreign languages, house pets, drawing, writing, and going out to different places.
Dislikes: Hentai, Rule 34, Eroge, Bodice rippers, The Devil, political correctness gone insane, politics in general(I am apolitical and proud!), cottage cheese, loud noises, artist block, and foul odors.
Artistic inspirations: Yoshitaka Amano, Tomomi Kobayashi, Osamu Tezuka, Leiji Matsumoto, Russian animation (esp. Soyuzmultfilm's works), Hieronymus Bosch, Peter Bruegal the Elder, Matthias Grunewald, Francisco De Goya, Salvador Dali, and vintage Japanese Showa era manga art.
Tools of the Trade: Doll supplies mostly. Though I use whatever I am in the mood in.
Art Gallery
collections
Riff-Fiction: House on the River 03Chapter 3 Confrontation Mist Elmbarn: Ooooh....Ooooh....! I hope this will lead to an action scene. Marut, Harut: Oh we wish! The days had turned into weeks. With each passing day it grew clearer to Kira that she and Jen were headed nowhere. As they barely spoke at all nowadays, Kira decided she needed to do the right thing by Jen and let him go. Harut, Marut, Mist (singing): The cold never bothered me anyways! It was the only right thing to do, considering that she would not want to be with someone like herself in her confused and flustered state of mind, bordering on the edge of insanity. Though it was not passionate, she still did care for Jen and wanted only the best for him, even if it wasn't with her. She knew she would not be able to live up to the standards that he deserved. Marut (as Jen): Oh noes! I'm in the friend zone! Harut, Marut, Mist Elmbarn: WAH WAH WAAAAAAH! She called him by phone, wanting to meet in person. As painful, and as hard as it would be go through with, that was the only way. She owed him at least that. The two met at a local coffee shop, down the street from the high rise in which they resided. “Well Kira, it's not like I didn't see this coming,” Jen said, fighting back tears. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): Oh how cute Jen. You are getting weepy, like those bishie pretty boys in the Shoujo manga books I read. Marut (as Jen): That is exactly why I'm getting weepy! Because we are all trapped in a loose, fanfic adaptation, of a crappy Shoujo Manga book. Every...Single....One of us....!WAAAAAAAH! “You haven't been yourself as of late, and if this is what you want, I will give it to you. But know this, I know there is something wrong with you, and it's not just your lack of feelings for me. Something has happened to you. Harut (as Jen): It's like you've been mind raped with a love arrow or something. I really can't guess what it could be, and I know you do not want to tell me what it is. If you're not ready, that's okay. But when the time comes, and you need a friend, I am here.” Marut (as Jen): (grumble) (grumble) I've been friend zoned yet again....(rant) (rant) Harut (as Kira): Oh, it could be worse Jen. You could have been hit with a love arrow and lusted after Aughra instead. Marut, Mist Elmbarn: EWWWWWW! WE ARE SOOOOOOO GONNA GET SICK! This made Kira feel worse than she possibly could have already. Compared to her, Jen was a saint. He would have given her the world. Why in the world did she not feel the way she wanted to for him? Lady Agrat: Because Kira is made out of character in this fic. Mist Elmbarn: Isn't everyone out of character in this fic? Harut: True enough. You do have a good point there Mist. Better yet, why? No, she couldn't admit that part to herself out loud in her head. She mustn't think about it. SkekNa. Yes. That was his name. Mist Elmbarn (sarcasm mode): Noooo! We thought it was Jin Kazama the whole time! Marut: After Jin Kazama ended up living in The Wretched House, and got his devil genes castrated out of him. Harut: A castrated Jin Kazama? That would make for a very sad Ling Xiaoyu. “Damn the gods. Put him out of your head. This is mad!” Kira thought to herself. Marut (as Kira): So, I'm now sexually attracted to the members of the Mishima clan now? WTF? Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): I hope Ling Xiaoyu doesn't try to kill me over lusting after her precious Jin. “Kira?” “I'm sorry Jen. I am so very sorry. I wish it were different, I really do.” This time, she was not able to hold back her tears. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): WAAAAAAAAAAAH! GET ME OUT OF THIS MAD HOUSE OF A FANFIC! PLEASE JEN!? I BEG OF YOU! The gelfling had not gotten a good night's sleep in more than three weeks. All around her, the rose colored world in which she tried to build around herself seemed to be crumbling. Harut: As the harsh realities of living in such an oppressive place is taking a toll not only on Kira, but on all the other members of The Random House. Some days it was all she could do to not sit home and cry her eyes out. The one she was supposed to love was gone, and in her heart it was replaced by something else. Something unnatural. This was not how it was supposed to happen! What in the world would cause her to feel the way she did? It was down right impossible. Harut: No....Eros mind raped Kira into having Stockholm Syndrome! Mist Elmbarn: You know, I think Eros should be the villain of this story....NOT THE SKEKSIS THIS TIME! Marut: Or hell, the owners of The Random House, should be the big bad villains as well. Really manipulative villains who trick all canon characters, promising them paradise, only to end up in a fan fiction equivalent of North Korea. Mist Elmbarn: That would make story much more awesome and well written. Kudos to your great imagination dear Marut! Marut: Heh heh...No problem Mist my sweet. He and his clan, because of their irrational fear and hatred, had all but eradicated her entire race! She was only one of two that were left. So why was this particular Skeksis invading her thoughts the way he did? Harut: Because Eros is the “Designated Good Deity” of this fanfic. It was all she could do to block him of her head. Some days it worked, other days the harder she fought it, the more her feelings would come and punch her in the stomach. Harut (as Captain Falcon): FALCON PUNCH!!! It was getting more and more difficult to deny, especially on the days when she would catch glimpses of him walking by, whether it be in the hallway, in the communal room, or at the club. Was it that she was spotting him more often, or had she just never noticed him before? Whatever the case was, it was truly insanity. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): Oh boy. I oughta thank that jerk off Eros for having me pay the bills for therapy...Man...I want to kill that wretched reject Kewpie doll right now, but the owners of this place won't let me. HUMPH! They never spoke one word to each other, but there were darting glances here and there, which would be enough to cause her to lose 8 hours of sleep. Sleep was something came less frequent to them both. Both were terrified of dreams of each other. The truth was, Kira was absolutely miserable, and there was not a thing she could do about it. Marut: And everything in this story is all Eros' fault. Harut: Way to go author! Mist Elmbarn: And sadly, karma never bites that brat in the ass. Because it's against the rules of The Wretched House Weeks had turned into months since both had unknowingly been pricked by Eros's arrow. Eros, in his shame, had made himself scarce to Kira since his little folly. Marut: And there, Eros moved back into his mother's basement, and started sculpting Crayola air dry clay figurines of his Sonic the Hedgehog recolors. He happened to be walking outside the Random House's lower level, when he spotted her sitting in the local coffee shop, nursing a cappuccino, and hung his head in self-disgust. As he saw her sitting alone staring at the table in front of her, it was clear to him she was in agony, and he was the one responsible. Harut (as Eros): I have a confession Kira....I was the one that used a love arrow on you! Mist Elmbarn (as an angry Kira): WHAAAAAAAAAAT?! That is it! It's SPANKING TIME! He still didn't know if shooting SkekNa with his bow and arrow after he realized his mistake had been the right thing to do, but her misery would have been the same all in all if he hadn't. At least this way the Skeksis would be less like to do anything malicious towards her in the unlikely event she were to come forward with her feelings. Mist Elmbarn: But sadly, the owners of The Random House castrated the creepiness out of the Skeksis, and made them blend in with everyone else. Harut (as a movie trailer announcer): Coming soon! This year, in theaters! It is “The Stepford Skeksis”! He walked on by, not saying a word. Kira never looked up to notice him. Marut: Because Kira was too busy swooning over 50 Shades of Grey. Mist Elmbarn: EWWWWWWWS! Harut: No, just no no no! Once again, it was Saturday night, and after moping around her apartment all week trying to diagnose what was wrong with her, Kira decided to go out to the club. Harut: Because Kira's roommates threatened to send Kira to an insane asylum if she didn't stop moping around. Marut: Let's just hope that insane asylums don't allow their patients internet access, because that is a recipe for disaster. Harut: I'll say. Yes, that one particular Skeksis would probably be there, the one who was causing her so much stress, as he was there pretty much every other week, but she had to get out. If she had stayed alone by herself, she truly would lose her mind. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): Oh man, that insane asylum threat my roommates uses, works with me every time I get in a funk. It's like they say I'm becoming the next Bella Swan or something... Besides, dancing was the one thing she looked forward to, the one thing that seemed to be able to put her mind at ease, and help her forget everything that was causing her misery. If she were to catch him glancing her way, which she often did, she would put it out of her mind, she told herself. Marut (as the voices inside Kira's head): Kira....KIRAAAAAAA! Am I bugging you!? I'm not touching you! NYAAAAAAH! Yes, tonight would be different. Not only would she not notice him at all, she would pretend he did not ever exist. In truth, however, this would be next impossible. Harut: Because SkekNa was going around shirtless, wearing globs and globs of body glitter. Mist Elmbarn: NOOOOOOO! LORD NOOOOOO! She got herself dressed and ready, and arrived about 10pm. Since it was early, the dance floor was still pretty roomy, with plenty of room to stretch out. Sinead O�Conner�s Mandinka over the sound system, one of her favorite singers as well as one of her favorite songs, and she was able to let her mind go, and just feel the music. Harut: Sinead O'Connor? Since when was she relevant? Mist Elmbarn: It's like The Brady Bunch movie, only the author was trapped in the 1990's instead of the 1970's. Harut: Still a better fanfic than House on the River! Marut: Amen dear Mist. She danced to the next couple of songs after that as well. It felt so good to be able to just meditate on the music. Then the slow sets came on. Couples from all over the club flocked to the dance floor, arm and arm with each other. Marut, Harut, Mist Elmbarn (singing): MY HEART WILL GO ON AND ON! Kira did not have a partner, so she retired herself to a chair behind the dance floor. Across the club, she saw the entry door open and once again, she was snapped back to reality. Marut (as Kira): Now, it's time for me to pull out my crack pipe Princess Allura gave me. (smoke) (smoke) (puff) (puff) SkekNa entered the club with their former garthim master SkekUng. A girl named Vera, who lived on their same floor, who Kira actually knew rather well, accompanied them. In another life, 65 million years ago here on earth, Vera was a velociraptor from the Triassic era of the dinosaurs. Now, she looked just as human as the rest of them, but still with a craving for raw meat, adorned with long, meticulously manicured nails, and as strong and agile as an Olympic athlete. Harut: Now the author is humanizing dinosaurs? WTF? Marut: I bet Vera secretly wishes she went extinct with her dinosaur kin, instead of having her individuality stripped away from her. “Hey Na Na, why don't you go make a request for me? Marut, Harut, Mist Elmbarn: NA NA!? NAA NAA? WHAT THE BLOODY.....? Harut: Not only are the Skeksis being reduced to humanized anime bishies, now they are getting cutesy nicknames from fangirls! Mist Elmbarn: Kind of like how Final Fantasy VII fangirls call Sephiroth “Sephy Boo Boo”? Marut: BINGO! You win the free internet my dear! I want to hear some Nine Inch Nails. Get it in early so we might have a better chance of hearing it,� asked Vera to SkekNa, using his nickname that he most often went by. Mist Elmbarn (as Vera): Maybe we can make sweet, SWEEEEET love to the NIN song, “Closer”. Harut (as SkekNa): In your dreams Vera! Not after you called me Na Na! I HATE THAT NICKNAME! SkekNa, who was not accustomed to doing things for other people unless it involved something for him, even the most simple of tasks such as this, snapped back at her sharply. “Why in the hell don't you do it yourself? Why am I your bitch all of the sudden?” Mist Elmbarn (as Vera): BUT NANA!!! I WANNA HAVE SEX WITH YA! Oh, by the way, I ate all your Weenie Tots while you were gone with your Skeksis bros. Harut (as SkekNa): How about we go take a trip to Disney Fist in your Face Land! No one eats all my Weenie Tots and gets away with it. Combined with the added stress of his unwanted feelings towards that female gelfling, and Vera's incessant nagging, SkekNa was in no mood to be somebody else's servant tonight. Others served him - never the other way around. Marut (as SkekNa): WAAAAAAAAH! That's all I have left of my canon identity! STUPID DAMN AUTHOR AND HE BISHIE WISHIE GINJIKA FANTASIES! Harut: I'd hate to see the author add Kaiju, like Godzilla, or Gamera, to The Random House. Marut: That would all end in disaster if there was humanized Bishie Kaiju. Mist Elmbarn: The original creator of the Godzilla series is rolling in his grave over gijinka abominations becoming at thing. “Easy there, killer. I'm only asking because I think the deejay is afraid of me!” Vera said this with a chuckle in her voice. Marut (as SkekNa): NEWSFLASH VERA! Humanized anime bishounen and bishoujo versions of once monstrous characters, ARE NOT SCARY!!! Harut (as SkekUng): Now we are all as scary and menacing as Sesame Street monsters. Man, I want outta this dump! SkekUng laughed out loud. “Don't worry about it, Vera. Good ole Na Na here has been cranky as of late. We're not sure, but we think he has his period,” the former garthim master said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Harut (as SkekUng): Oh, did I forget to tell you Vera? SkekNa is really a Tumblr version of a transman. Marut (as SkekNa): SKEKUNG! I'M GONNA KILL YA! GAAAAAAAH! Harut (as SkekUng): GACK! Me and my big mouth. SkekNa shot a dirty glance towards Ung. He really was in no mood for jokes. “Fine,” he shot back. “I'll go request your damn song. Just don't expect this to be a regular thing. I have other shit to do tonight, and it doesn't involve you,” he shot back, unexpectedly catching Kira's eyes across the club. Mist Elmbarn (as SkekNa): Gack! SkekNa do this! SkekNa do that! It sucks I've been reduced to a pretty boy butt monkey. Life is hell! The former slave master had been pondering his little predicament for quite some time now. How long it had been going on, he just wasn't sure, nor could he remember. All he knew was that these dreams and thoughts about Kira were occurring more and more frequently, and he was losing more and more sleep. Mist Elmbarn: In his odd way of coping with stress in the human realm, SkekNa draws naughty fetish pics of Kira, and shares them on online fetish art sites. Harut: Where SkekNa has more page views than all the other Skeksis kin on that site. If he stayed awake, he thought of her. If he slept, he dreamed of her. While the thought eluded Kira that there may be some other force at play here, and only blamed it on her own insanity, the idea actually had occurred to SkekNa. Marut (as SkekNa): I hope to gods this was no love spell cast on me. If there was, I'm gonna kill that ass hole spell caster. He had no clue where it might be coming from, or where to begin to look, but what he did know was that Skeksis having romantic thoughts about gelflings was not something that ever occurred naturally. Maybe it was some sort of magic that the gelfling had fabricated her self. Then again, maybe not. Harut and Marut (as Johnny Cage and Liu Kang): Then again, MAYBE NOT! Perhaps the urRu were behind it, though for the life of him, he could not figure out why they would do such a thing. Was she having these thoughts as well? He didn't know. All in all, there was one place to begin, and he was dreading it with all his being. Mist Elmbarn: HA! Like the UrRu would have the willpower and motivation to do thing, instead of wallowing in depression, playing with sand art. Marut: I doubt the author is a true fan of Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal. Because she is getting The Dark Crystal lore ALL WRONG! Harut, Marut, Mist Elmbarn: FAKE FAN! FAKE FAN! FAKE FAN! Kira absent-mindedly watched him from 10 yards away as he approached the deejay booth to request the song Vera so badly wanted to hear. Not realizing how intensely she was staring, SkekNa turned, and gazed right back at her. Locking eyes for about five seonds, a sick feeling washed over Kira when she realized that she had been caught. Her heart jumped, and she looked away quickly. SkekNa shook his head to himself. Yes, something was definitely off kilter. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): AAAACK! Quit looking at me! Quit looking at me! WAAAAAAH! Nursing her drink ever so slowly, Kira tried to focus on the music, and pray silently to herself that he had not noticed the way she was looking at him. God, she was terrified. Nobody could ever know what was going through her head, let alone him. She did not even want to imagine the consequences, let alone even entertain the thought. Marut: Or else Kira might dragged down into Pee Wee Herman's fetish dungeon as a punishment. Mist Elmbarn (Breaking the fourth wall): Fanfic writers out there, write some fanfics about Pee Wee Herman's fetish dungeon! PRONTO! I'd love to read it when you are done. Just as she was about to get up and go back onto the dance floor, her friend Io approached her asking how she was doing, and why she hadn't seen her lately. Trying to maintain her composure and not think about problems at hand, she responded, “I'm okay. Just a lot going on lately. How about you?” She sounded so distant. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): I need to go home right now! They're playing a marathon of the Twilight movies on Starz tonight! “Awesome. Ganymede and Dionysus are over there by the pool table doing shots. Want to join us?” Marut: HA! They got nothing, compared to you Mist my dear. Mist Elmbarn: Oh you! (smiles and blushes) “You know Io, I think I'm going to pass on that. I have a headache as it is, and it's making it hard for me to think clearly. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): I have a huge brain tumor in my head, and this tumor, it's called “Badly executed, Out of Character Fan Fiction”! At this point, Kira knew any hard alcohol could potentially make her problem much worse than it already was. Harut, Marut, Mist Elmbarn (singing): Michelob....Sober days....Michelob....Sober days.....Michelob.....Sober days.....ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS! “Suit yourself, sweets! You're missing out!” Io grinned, flipping her long orangey blonde hair. Her friend's fun and fearless demeanor always had a way of helping her forget problems at hand. Harut: I think Io got her fashion sense from Ginger Spice of The Spice Girls. They sound like a spittin' image of one another. About an hour passed, and sipping on her bottle of Smirnoff, Kira found herself finally starting to relax a little bit. She was by herself, leaning up against the railing surrounding one side of the dance floor. The place was absolutely packed wall to wall, and everybody seemed involved within themselves, whether they were drinking, dancing, or something in between. Mist Elmbarn: And there, everyone in the nightclub hallucinates everybody around them having fish heads, and then, Hedorah, the Smog Monster, attacks the night club. Harut: Please Hedorah, we beg of you! Mercy kill all the characters, ending their suffering for good in this dive! PLEEEEEEEASE!?' Marut: Pretty please Hedorah? With sugar on top? Yes, life here couldn't be that bad, she thought. At least here she was amongst friends, living in one of the most exclusive places in the world, and even though her love life was in shambles, she still had so much to be thankful for. Contemplating going back out to the dance floor, she was about to move from her spot, when she saw out of the corner of her eye she was being approached by somebody from her left. She turned to see who it was, and when it registered, all the color drained from her face. Mist Elmbarn: And there, behind Kira, was a killer with a knife! THE END! Harut, Marut: OH WE WISH! (Groans) “Hello. Your name is Kira, correct?” It was really all the words SkekNa could force out of his mouth. Harut (as SkekNa): I break in to your house, and watch ya sleep. Isn't that romantic? Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): It would be even more romantic, if it was a sparkly fem-boy vampire, instead of a gijinka Skeksis. Marut: OOOOH! BUUUUUUURN! Stunned to the point of speechlessness, Kira's first instinct was to run, but her legs would not move. Her mouth agape, she just simply stared. Marut (as SkekNa): It's SNU SNU TIME! Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): No Mr. Skeksis.....NOOOOOOOOOO! “I don't know how to say this, but something is not right,” SkekNa said, raising his voice so he could be heard over the loud music. His tone was steady, but there was a long pause. Marut: He glared, then growled, and his skin was ice cold! A minute passed, the two of them just stood next to each other, staring out towards the dance floor, not knowing what to say next. Trying to stop herself from shaking, Kira finally was able to speak. “What in the hell do you want?” Harut (as SkekNa): I like gum! Marut (as Kira): That's great.... Dad....DAAAAAD! This otherkin weirdo won't leave me alone! It was the only words she could find that would remotely make any sense. Mist Elmbarn: Unlike the rest of this story. “I just know something is not right. There is something wrong in the air, and I don't know what it is. A bad chill, perhaps.” Harut (as a drunk SkekNa): GACK! Flying elves are back. (hic) (hic) Kira could not believe what she was hearing. No, she must not let her guard down, in spite of how much she wanted to get to the bottom of this. Blinking twice, she tried her best to maintain a confident stance. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): See! See! I'm no Bella Swan! I am Buffy Summers! Marut (as TV announcer): Next, on the WB! It's “Buffy: The Skeksis Slayer”! Mist Elmbarn: Still a better concept than this story. “What do you mean? I'm not sure I understand.” As coldly as the words came out, she was all too afraid she did understand. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): Are you speaking English? Or Weeaboo fanboy speak? “I think there's bad magic around us. I do not know if you yourself are the cause of this, and I hope for your sake you are not. I just want to find out what it is, and where it's coming from.” Harut (as Eros): Uh oh! I better hide that “Voodoo doll of love” from everyone! Kira wondered in amazement. Was it plausible he going through the same exact torment she was? Impossible. Still, his last statement sounded remotely like a threat, and she was not about to take kindly to that. Marut (as Cornholio from Beavis and Butthead): I AM THE GREAT CORNHOLIO! Are you threatening me? “I do not respond to threats. SkekNa. That is your name, correct?” Mist Elmbarn (as SkekNa): Yeah, that's right....I'm just going to smile and nod....Heh heh.....Oh, WHO AM I KIDDING? (sob) (sob) (whine) “Yes, that is correct. Most who know me call me Na Na,” he replied, trying to sound as pleasant as possible. Mist Elmbarn: And there, the last remnants of SkekNa's former Skeksis dignity, has gone flying out the window. He was well aware he would not get any answers out of her if he could not get her guard down. “I wasn't threatening you. I just want to get to the bottom of this. You have nothing to fear from me for now, unless I find out otherwise.” Harut: Tonight, on CBS! The is a new series premier, called “Skeksis PI”! Now playing on prime time. “SkekNa.” Kira said his name as coldly as she could muster. “Even if hypothetically I did know what you were talking about. Why would you think that someone such as me would have the answers?” Mist Elmbarn (as a villager from Zelda II: The Adventures of Link): I'm sorry, I know nothing. Harut: That is the perfect summary of this fanfic version of Kira. “I honestly don't know. But I need to start somewhere, and you are the most obvious source.” Marut (as Torgo from Manos: The Hands of Fate): There is no way out of here...it will be dark soon....There is no way out of here! Just as he said this, they both noticed people around them were beginning to look toward them, more than likely finding it odd that a Skeksis and a gelfling would find anything to converse over voluntarily. Harut: Then, the gossip spread like wildfire, and all the tabloids were focused on the gijinka couple. “Whatever the case may be, we shouldn't discuss it here. Too many eyes are watching,” SkekNa stated matter-of-factly. Harut: Matter of factly? That's not a word, nor a sentence! Mist Elmbarn: I spy, with my little eye, a grammar error, as well as a word that doesn't exist in the English language. Now Kira was really in a dilemma. She had two choices. She could walk away, never speak to him, never look at him again, and continue on her life the best she could with misery still looming over her, or she could get to the bottom of this herself. Whatever the situation was, she knew he was right. There was something wrong in the air. Something such as this does not occur naturally. Who would do this, or be the cause of this? Marut: Now I am really starting to hate the author's version of Eros. Harut: Eros should have been the villain instead of the Skeksis. Mist Elmbarn: That, my friends, is not a sign of good writing. Was this some sort of sick joke? Sure, here in the Random House, given all the diverse residents here, including ones who had greater powers than she did, anything was possible. Perhaps maybe he himself, or all of them were behind this, in some sort of sick Skeksis experiment. Mist Elmbarn: HA! The Random House has castrated all the scariness out of the Skeksis, let alone, every movie monster the author decided to fandom rape. Harut: What happened to the movie monsters we know and love. Marut (sighs): They have tragically, become fuel for the fangirl wild fires. Mist Elmbarn: Because Lord forbid that fangirls would write lemons about the monsters that are monstrous. Harut: It's like these fangirls think with their groins, and not their brains. Marut, Mist Elmbarn: BINGO! That was spot on! Yes, she had heard stories of the experiments they performed on living creatures including her own kind during their reign in the Crystal Castle. This thought frightened her in more ways than one. Yet, looking into his eyes, she knew this not to be true. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): Because now the Skeksis are hot, sexy, anime pretty boys, I can forgive their rotten behavior, and forget they were once evil. As much as he tried to hide it from her, she saw the desperation she herself was so familiar with. If he was indeed going through the same misery she was, perhaps they could be of assistance to each other. The idea seemed so ridiculous, any Skeksis was never to be trusted, but at this time it was the only lead she had. Marut: No thanks to Eros! All fingers of blame point to Eros! “Where would we go?” she heard herself ask. Harut (as SkekNa): I wanna get outta this fanfic, and go back to Thra! (breaks down crying his eyes out) “Somewhere that's not here. Do you have a car?” Harut (as SkekNa): Is that a plane ticket to Japan I see there? Can I please go there, and spend the last of my humiliating days on Earth, in the Aokigahara Forest? PLEASE?! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! “Yes.” She did not like where this conversation was headed, but he was right, people were beginning to take notice, and she did not want to end the discussion. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): Yes....YES! Go to Japan, and hang out in the Aokigahara Forest for all I care....! Whew, that would be one less pretty boy Skeksis otherkin to deal with. “I promise gelfling, at this time I mean you no harm. Harut (as SkekNa): Yeah, I'm such a nice guy. I am soooo not an incel. Nope nope nope! Marut: It's not like SkekNa has a choice, because, Random House rules and what not. I will let you drive, so you are at all times in control. I just want answers, as I'm sure you do as well. Tell me where you are parked, and I will meet you there five minutes after you leave. Otherwise, we need to end this discussion here.” Unable to look at her directly, he continued to point his gaze towards the dance floor. Mist Elmbarn (as Kira): AWWWW! How cute! You're blushing, Mr. Skeksis! “You really think I would get in a car with you.” “If you know of which I speak, yes.” Marut (as SkekNa): Now my gijinka Gelfling! Drive us to the nearest “Lover's Lane”, PRONTO! As much as Kira hated the idea of being a car alone with him, she too wanted answers, and knew her torment would not stop until she had them. Mist Elmbarn(as Kira): HUMPH! Fine...I'll drive us to the nearest “Lover's Lane”. There, HAPPY NOW!? “I am parked in deck 2 row A. I drive a white Honda Civic.” Kira was hoping this was a decision she would not come to regret. Harut: Three chapters down, eleven more to go...(sighs) Harut, Marut, and Mist (as Charlie Brown): AAARGH! GOOD GRIEF!The Mysterious Backstory behind Treasure of the Rudras + opinionThe Mysterious Backstory behind Treasure of the Rudras (and what I think of the game) WARNING: There will be SPOILERS for the Super Famicom/SNES JRPG, Treasure of the Rudras (Rudra no Hihou). If you don't want anything here spoiled for you, please press the back button. If you want to know more about this obscure Japan exclusive JRPG, go read. Ah yes, Treasure of the Rudras.... An obscure JRPG with a very divisive fanbase, even in Japan. It could also be considered an“acquired taste” type of video game to many who have played it. Some love Treasure of the Rudras, others loathe it, and a few have mixed feelings about it. I, myself, have mixed feelings about Treasure of the Rudras, as I do with Final Fantasy VI. Where to start here? Hmmm.... Let's start with the good, shall we? The Good things about Treasure of the Rudras: I love the set up and concept of the story line. It is very unique and different from the elemental crystal stories and evil empire stories that Square was famous for back in the days. It starts out with the Majestic Four divine heroes, Mitra, Meifa, Saizou, and Hauzen, fighting the creatures of the void, and being successful at temporarily banishing the foul beings. But knowing the void beings will come back one day, the Majestic four are tasked with restoring life to the world the destroyers demolished in the battle, and set up a cycle of rise and downfall for the beings inhabiting the world. The cycle is put into use every 4,000 years. It starts out with four mortal beings: The Danan Mystics, The Merfolk, The Reptilians, and The Giants. After those 4,000 years between the beings, the creatures have all run their course, leaving Humans in charge of the world. But alas, with the environmental disasters and warfare that took place over the years, it isn't just the end of the world that concerns humanity this time around. Now it is up to four heroes, The Knight Sion, The Sorcerer Surlent, The Cleric Riza, and the Thief Dune, to finish the job of the Majestic Four. On their way, they inherit a sacred stone, known as a Jade, to bring them closer to divinity. I love the storyline of the first two scenarios, led by Sion, the brash, but well meaning Knight, and Surlent, the polite, yet naive, Sorcerer. Sion's party members, Foxy, Ture, and Ramyleth/Ramirez, as well as Surlent's party members, Legin, Sork, and Lolo, are pretty fun and endearing characters overall. The antagonists, Gomorrah, Lord of Evolution, and Mitra, the leader of the Majestic Four divinity, are also pretty interesting, likable, and somewhat sympathetic antagonists. I say Rudra made the trope of sympathetic antagonists done right for once (Bahamut Lagoon is another example of dark gray vs. light gray morality done right, but that is another story). The only major complete monster villains in the game are Mayor Culgan of Babel city, and Hauzen, the rogue member of the Majestic Four. Other than that, Rudra follows the dark gray vs. light gray morality with its characters, and pulls that trope off with great success. With Surlent's scenario, I feel quite a bit of pathos for this guy. Where to start with Surlent's character? Well.... SPOILERS FOR SURLENT'S SCENARIO! His mentor, Dr. Munich, gets killed by the Rudra of the Reptilians, known as Lazm, while researching the Lago Stone that the creature sleeps from within it. As Surlent tries to talk peace with this aggressive being, the Rudra kills Surlent, leaving the sorcerer to inherit the “Rebirth Jade” that lodged itself in his chest. But that is not the end of Surlent's story. Oh no. He gets put through the ringer big time. Surlent gets killed and revived, over and over again, with two of those bodies kept safe by Gomorrah. Surlent inherits one body, the knight Rostam, and loses his life the first try. Then the other body, Huey the court mage, is inherited by Surlent, to give him a second chance at restoring his default body, which is possessed by the evil Mayor Culgan. Over time, after losing the people Surlent cares about, the harried mage and his friends defeat Culgan, helping Surlent return back to normal again. There, Surlent goes through yet more trials, and depending on what weapon he gives to Sion's party near the end of his scenario, there are two endings. One involving Surlent getting possessed by the fallen hero Hauzen, as he is forced to reawaken the foul being against Surlent's will. With this ending, it is up to Sion's party to rescue the hapless mage from the Rudra's clutches. END OF SPOILERS! With the spoiler and best parts of the story out of the way, now it is time to talk about the graphics, artwork, and character designs. Rudra shines brightly with its graphics, artwork, and character designs. The artwork is done by one of the masters of Tokusatsu media, Keita Amemiya, and his company, CROWD inc. Amemiya is the talent behind the movies Zeiram, Zeiram 2, and Moon over Tao: Makaraga. He also worked on various Super Sentai shows and Kamen Riders shows, as well as the movies based off of these same properties. Those properties were childhood favorites of mine growing up. Also, did I mention that Keita Amemiya, alongside Yoshitaka Amano, and Tomomi Kobayashi, are three of my artistic inspirations growing up, influencing my art style in the process, over the years. Oh, FUN FACT: The Super Sentai series, starting with Kyoryu Sentai Ju-urenja (Dinosaur Squadron Beast Rangers) was edited into a show for the Western English speaking audiences, known as the wildly famous Power Ranger series. Also, the graphics are very lovely, with highly detailed sprites, complete with fluid animation in their movements. Both in battle, and in cut scenes. Like with many Squaresoft games at the time, the enemy monsters and bosses are quite detailed, with the player character sprites being portrayed in a cute, “chibi-style” graphics. The soundtrack also has a lot of catchy tunes as well. The soundtrack is composed by Ryuji Sasai, most notable for his works in the infamous Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest, and the lesser known Bushido Blade series. The music fits the tone of most of the scenes, and doesn't feel out of place, that's for sure. The Bad things about Treasure of the Rudras: Sadly, just like with Final Fantasy VI, the game's major downfall, is the second half of the game (Just like with Final Fantasy VI's infamous “World of Ruin”), Treasure of the Rudras falls apart at the seams with both Riza's scenario, and Dune's scenario. Also, just like with Final Fantasy VI, the ending to Rudra is also very anti-climatic, and disappointing, but for different reasons. First off, with Riza's scenario, it felt like a cheap discount “Mockbuster” version of Hayao Miyazaki's “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind” manga series (or, at least a loose fanfic adaptation of “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind”, as written by a Japanese adolescent on Pixiv). But unlike with Nausicaa herself, Riza herself is just a very unlikable, and boring main character, who is somewhat a borderline canon Mary Sue to boot. Riza is up there with Terra Branford from Final Fantasy VI for being a cute character design with poorly executed writing (Is it me, or does Riza look like she could be a long lost Valkyrie sister from the Valkyrie Profile series?). Say what you may about Yoyo from Bahamut Lagoon, at least she is not a boring character. Yoyo is an interesting character, in a love to hate her sort of way. At least Yoyo faces repercussions to her foul behavior. And at least Yoyo made me feel things other than boredom and apathy, unlike with Riza and Terra. With Riza's party members, they are meh at best. Garlyle is a simp that drools over Riza, while Riza herself just merely tolerates him in return (Bro, you can do so much better!). Pippin, while having a cute character design, is quite a hyperactive chatterbox that never stops blabbering (he is also friends with Lolo in Surlent's party). Marina is the most likable character in Riza's scenario (plus, she is a very cute mermaid), but Marina herself is not enough to save Riza's story for being a total slog to get through. SPOILERS FOR DUNE'S SCENARIO! With getting through all three scenarios, Dune is the next in line to the heroes. Dune himself is an okay character, but little is done with him in the game, which is a crying shame. I do like the parts in his scenario, where the Danan Brasnir gets mercy killed, and Ramirez takes his place as being one with the Danan flying ark. That was a rewarding payoff to Ramirez's character. And I also like the part when the main characters face off against Hauzen yet again, and Surlent is like, “Oh good Lordy, just die already Hauzen! I had it with you!” It shows that Surlent has gone through some form of character growth in a way, unlike with Riza. That is also why Surlent is one of my favorite JRPG lead characters ever. I also liked the final boss battle with Mitra at the end. Sure, her final boss theme may not be as epic as “Dancing Mad” from Final Fantasy VI, but it is memorable in its own right. I also like how Mitra explains her motivations and why she does all these things in the 4,000 year cycle of rise and downfall. But the ending, man, the ending, it is very disappointing. If I tell you the ending to the the very first “The Legend of Zelda” game, was much better than Treasure of the Rudras' ending, then, I would be right. Because Treasure of the Rudra ends on an ambiguous cliff hanger note. And unlike with the first “Legend of Zelda” game's ending, there is no sequel, prequel, nor spin off title to follow up with it, which is a crying shame. I DESPISE unresolved cliffhanger endings so much. It is just as bad as Final Fantasy VI's cop out sudden twist ending, if not a bit worse. But at least it did not end with everything all being a dream, without there being foreshadowing the dream world to begin with (The Rosemary's Baby sequel novel comes to mind). END OF SPOILERS! The “Meh” of Treasure of the Rudras: The game play is rather interesting, but a bit convoluted and rather unfair at times, given the enemy monsters are infamous for having cheap AI in battles. The game play uses a magic system known as mantras/kotodama. You spell the name out yourself, creating a spell in the process. It is a very interesting system, but you definitely need a walk through with this magic system, or else, you are going to get easily lost in the game. There are the main four magical elements in the game: Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. But there is also the Lightning, Dark, Light, and Void elemental magic to go alongside the main four elements. You can also create healing mantra, buff mantra, and de-buff mantra alongside attack mantra. You can also equip elemental weapons as well, making certain boss fight more tolerable. But the flaw with this game play system, is, similarly with Final Fantasy VI, everybody can use the same magic, which makes the characters blend in with one another game play wise. Yeah, yeah, I know in Final Fantasy VI, there are abilities like Steal, Mug, Tools, Runic, etc., but the magic system in that game makes those characters unique abilities obsolete over the course of the game play. And sometimes, the monster fights can be a bit unfair at times, whether they are boss enemies or not. Enemy monsters have their own unique abilities in battle, but the playable characters do not, which makes the game play somewhat uneven. But it could be worse... It could be Unlimited SaGa style gameplay, but thankfully, it's not. The game play is passable, but lop sided. The Mysterious back story behind Treasure of the Rudras' creation: There is one thing that Treasure of the Rudras is known for in Japan, and it is not just the small, but loud minority, of the rule 34 hentai fanbrats of the game. I am talking about the mysterious story behind the games conception, complete with rumors of cut content and things that are rumored to not to make it in the development of the final product. (NOTE: I get a lot of this information on a lot of old time Japanese websites, which are now, sadly defunct. But on the Japanese internet, the legends and rumors live on.) First Legend (and the most well known legend): Squaresoft executives hated Treasure of the Rudras, and would not let Keita Amemiya, nor CROWD inc, work for Square ever again. This one was proven to be debunked, since Square-Enix now, had Keita Amemiya work on character designs for the various side stories to the MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV. The real story is, that Rudra's release was due to bad timing, coming out in the shadows of Super Mario RPG, and Bahamut Lagoon, which were the far more successful Super Famicom games Square RPG video games released in Japan in 1996. You know, if Square waited for the Sony Playstation One to come out, they could have made Treasure of the Rudras on that system, so the game could possibly reach its full potential, but alas. It was not meant to be. Second Legend: Dune was going to get a full blown character scenario, alongside Sion, Surlent, and Riza. Yes, this one was true actually true. Dune was to get a full blown story scenario, with Cid/Kidd being a playable, among side other unused characters. But due to the limited technology of the Super Famicom, it never came into full tuition. This is why I think Rudra would have made a better Playstation One game. Third Legend: The minor character, Miemyl/Mimir was originally going to be given a bigger role (as well as being a possible love interest for Surlent). I'm not sure if this is true or not, but it does make sense to me. I guess Square wanted to do the whole ship-tease thing with Surlent's character, leaving it up to shippers to use their imagination, and fill in the blanks. Normally, I am not a fanatic about shipping (Shipping wars, IMO, are so stupid, immature, and petty), but since I write both original stories and fanfiction stories (as well as writing crossovers of my original stories with various pre-existing canon intellectual properties as well.), I prefer to ship Surlent and Mimir as a romantic couple in my fanon universes, based off of this rumor. Fourth Legend (Not well known outside of Japan): There was going to be a subplot hinting at Gomorrah and Surlent having a mysterious connection with each other (as well as explaining Hauzen's grudge against both characters). I don't know what they meant with Gomorrah having a mysterious connection to Surlent. I dunno if Gomorrah and Surlent were to be related, or Surlent being the personal servant of Gomorrah, or if Gomorrah is the patron guardian that both Surlent and his father figure Solon look up to. But it is still in interesting rumor none the less. It could also possibly explain why Gomorrah is kind and helpful to Surlent in his quest, as well as Hauzen carrying a grudge against those two. Without spoiling anything in my fanfiction, I will explore this mysterious plot point in my Rudra fanon universe. Fifth Legend (Possibly true): There is lost media of prototype character designs for Treasure of the Rudra, before the final draft designs were created. I can actually believe this is true. Keita Amemiya was said to have prototype character designs for Treasure of Rudras. It was even explained in a Japanese magazine article dealing with video game artwork. But sadly, no one, not even Japanese fans, have seen Keita Amemiya's rough draft concept art, as it is said to be lost to time. My Final Thoughts: Overall, I think Treasure of the Rudras is a mixed bag of a video game. It has both satisfying ups, and dissatisfying downs. To me, I agree with some Japanese fans that Treasures of the Rudras is not for everyone, and is definitely an “acquired taste” type of video game. Yeah, despite its low points, I have some nostalgic attachment to Treasure of the Rudras. Though It is a game I don't play too often, I at least play it for Sion's scenarios, and Surlent's scenarios. Sort of like how I play Final Fantasy VI for the wonderful first half of the game, and leave everything else past that point up to my imagination. Though the great thing about this game, is that it is major fanfiction fuel. But alas, most of the fanfiction of Treasure of the Rudras I've come across, are either incomplete, or “Plot? What Plot?” type of lemons. I know, I know, a lot of my fanfiction has some form of mature audience themes and situations, but I try to have these mature themes fit in with the story, characters, conflict, and world building. The highest rating that I will be putting on some of these stories, is a M for Mature Audiences rating. After all, I write for fun, pleasure, and self expression. So Do I recommend this game? Well, I recommend you play Treasure of the Rudras at least once, to form your own opinion on it. It has been fan translated, and available in ROM form and fan made cartridge form (NO, I AM NOT GIVING LINKS! I don't wanna get in trouble.) The available language options of Rudra's fan translations, are in English, Spanish, and French (though I heard rumors that there might be a Korean fan translation out there. Who knows?). Treasure of the Rudras, the game itself, I give it overall, a 3 out of 5 score, or a 5 out of 10 score even. And that is also the same score I give Final Fantasy VI. Yeah yeah, I know, I know. I have an unpopular opinion here. But if we all have the same opinions on everything, the world would be a lame, boring place. To me, Treasure of the Rudras has a lot in common with Final Fantasy VI, in both a good way, and in a bad way. This is my 0.02 cents worth. Have a great day everyone!Awakening of the Rudras 03Chapter 02: Trial of Avarice Once entering the room on the far left of the trial room, Surlent ended up finding himself within an ancient ruin castle from many eons ago. But what kind of castle? Surlent himself did not recognize this place. Either way, the first test was to begin. “W....Where am I?” Surlent thought to himself as he clutched his head after feeling a brief bout of pain. “This is the Trial of Avarice, Child of Rudra.” Gomorrah's voice replied to the mage telepathically. “Trial of Avarice?” Surlent pondered. “Remember dear Surlent, only pick the treasures that you can only open with the power of your Jade.” Amrita said to Surlent telepathically. “Avoid the non-marked treasure. Got it my dear?” “And don't take treasure from monsters.” Gomorrah added. “Yep, I got it.” Surlent replied back as the telepathic communication ended. Now it was time for Surlent to explore this new area. Surlent started to explore this castle. So far so good. Surlent still kept his guard up in case enemy monsters challenged him to a fight. It is better to be safe than sorry after all. Once entering the castle library, the first fight with enemy monsters began. The monsters appeared to be books with illustrations that came to life before the young mage's eyes. The images that popped out, were that of three creatures that looked like living wheels with monstrous, almost demonic faces attached to them. The faces seem to breathe like normal living beings would, as if they were an uncanny hybrid of flesh and metal. One wheel smashed into the young mage, making him slightly yelp in pain. Surlent casts a faerie light spell to damage the group of wheels back. The spell seemed to be an element the fiends were weak against, much to Surlent's dumb luck.Another wheel came rolling at Surlent, lightly, but painfully, nipping at his legs. “Ow....Oww...Curse you all!” Now, Surlent retaliated against the fiendish wheels, casting a holy ball on them. One wheel vaporized out of pain sight, with two more to fight off. “One down, two to go!” One wheel tried to ram into Surlent to damage him, but the mage grabbed out his “Blue Swallow” chakram blade to throw back at the creature, making it crash into one of the bookshelves. As it did so, it appeared to be hiding a secret room or two behind it. But first, Surlent had to finish these monsters off before exploring that secret area. Surlent now summons a couple angels, as they make the sign of the cross on the two wheels. One died, and the other severely weakened, much to Surlent's relief. “Skree....SKREEE!” The weakened wheel cried out as it fled from battle, like the coward that it was. Now with the fiendish wheels out of the way, Surlent decided to travel the secret corridor hidden behind the fallen book shelf. “I wonder where this leads to...?” Surlent now found himself in a secret castle chamber, which was filled to the brim with treasure chests and treasure bags. Six of the treasures were marked blue by the rebirth jade, while the other eight were not. “I am so glad Dune and Kidd are not with me now. Who knows how much of this treasure they would hoard to themselves.” “If you have the urge to open treasure boxes, only open the azure blue treasure boxes. Those are the treasures blessed by the Rebirth Jade. Avoid regular treasure boxes.” Amrita's words rung back to Surlent, as he remembers to take only the treasure marked with the Rebirth Jade. “Very well...I shall follow that rule.” Surlent thought to himself as he made his way to a blue treasure chest on the right side of the room. In it was a magic scepter, known as the “Angel Guard”. This weapon help enhanced the mystical and intellectual abilities of the one who wields it. “This will come in handy.” Right before Surlent's eyes, the opened chest vanished. Next to a regular treasure chest, was a blue treasure bag. Surlent opens the bag up. “Oh nice! There is 50,000 Ragu notes in here. This might be very useful in the future.” Surlent started to open up the other three blue treasures bags. In them, were a life leaf, a magic leaf, and a small bottle of Amrita elixir. “Nice...I'll keep these just in cast.” There was now one more blue treasure chest that was waiting to be opened up. Inside, was a peculiar looking, white ceramic flask of what was called “Mantra Water”. This flask piqued Surlent's curiosity. “Mantra water? What could that possible be?” “Read me Jade Bearer.” The chest spoke to Surlent. “Read what is at the bottom of this chest.” Surlent looks inside and reads the inscription. Thankfully, the writing was in the human language. “This sacred water shall expose the truth to those who possess it. Use little at a time, for a little goes a long way.” “Interesting.” Surlent said to himself as he kept the Mantra Water near him. Right there, the chest finally disappeared. Right before his very eyes, Surlent's surroundings were starting to change around him. The room turned a fuchsia color, before disappearing from sight. What came in its place, was now what appeared to be the castle throne room. In the throne room, there was a royal purple throne, with red and gold trim carpet leading up to the throne. The walls were pale gray, with no cracks in sight. There were painted portraits of the alleged rulers and nobility decorating these spotless walls. But one thing in particular stood out to Surlent. Behind the throne, there appeared to be a huge mirror that was covered up with a strange black substance that can only be removed with a water mantra. Nothing seem to reflect from this blackened mirror. “Hmmm... I wonder why the mirror is all smudged up?” Surlent started to eye the royal purple throne in the front of the room. His curiosity is starting to get the best of him. “I wonder what I will happen when I sit on this throne?” Surlent made his way down the halls, leading up to the throne. Surlent started to gently sit himself on the seat, being surprised with how comfortable it felt. “Man, this feels great. I can now....” “Your highness! Can we enter your chamber?” A deep, gruff male voice asked. Surlent obviously did not recognized who it belongs to. “We have special gifts to offer to you royal sire.” A couple calmer male voices said out loud. “Huh? Sire? What is this?” Surlent thought to himself, feeling a little bit suspicious of the whole situation. He now wonders what would happen if he let these men in. “At my command, you may enter!” The doors to the throne room opened up once more. To greet Surlent, there were three men who happen to be merchants, carrying a huge amount of offerings to what they believe is their king. The man in the middle is a heavy set leader of the merchants, with a tan colored turban, with his white beard standing out against his mostly covered up face. He wore a tan scarf, a mustard yellow robe with white trim, and tan sandals. The two other merchants looks quite identical to one another, as if they were twin brothers. They wore the same dull green pointed turbans, their faces were covered with matching dull green scarves, ruddy red mantles, and tan-beige robes that fell at their feet. They carried bags, jars, and boxes full of valuables, from precious gems, to the finest of cloth made in far away lands. Not knowing these men, Surlent felt a little iffy about the situation, especially knowing that they are carrying what appears to be normal goods, not goods blessed by the Rebirth Jade. But for now, Surlent decided to humor these strange men for a bit. “Okay, show me your good oh dear merchants.” The merchants showed off their valuables to Surlent. The merchant leader started to brandish the precious gems, saying enthusiastically. “Look at these gems! There are diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and even, Alexandrite!” Surlent found the gems very beautiful, but was still feeling rather uneasy. “Ummm...Well....” “We also have the finest of weapons!” One of the twin merchant exclaimed. “And the finest of liquors and elixir.” The other twin merchant shouts in excitement. Surlent felt much more wary of these men, than amused by his goods. “Hmmmm....” Two voices started to ring out loudly in the room. Surlent recognize those voices belonging to Lord Gomorrah and Amrita. “The mirror....THE MIRROR!” Surlent gets off of the throne, and checks out the blacken mirror behind him. “The mirror? What about the mirror?” “Use the mantra water on the mirror.” Gomorrah commanded. “It will reveal the truth to you Surlent.” Amrita added as Surlent faced the blackened mirror. “Very well, I shall do as told.” Surlent said as he gotten himself ready to pour the Mantra water all over the mirror. With a splash of the water, the liquid words spelled “Purify”, as the filth started to clear up, restoring the mirror to pristine condition. With the mirror restored, a beam of divine light shot out of it, making the merchants scream in terror, but was totally harmless to Surlent. The screams started to get less human and more monstrous, as the divine beam worked its cleansing magic. The beam has died down, and Surlent has broken the wicked spell around him. Surlent puts back the Mantra Water, as he starts to observe the true surroundings. The castle was now in a dilapidated state. The walls were crumbling and growing vegetation and fungus on them. A musty foul smell emanated for the ruined palace, with the throne now destroyed, as if a demon of wrath tore it to shreds. The royal rug was torn and frayed to pieces,With the painted portraits being in shoddy condition, with the eyes of the subjects torn out. In front of Surlent, there were no longer merchants, but three hideous monstrosities, alongside snakes, insect swarms, and toads. The middle creature was an obese demon, looking across between a toad, a snake, and a man. This creature still wore his merchant garb, but his true form has been revealed, much to his dismay. The other two merchants were just as monstrous as their leader. They were still wearing their merchant garb, only they transform into an uncomfortable hybrid of human and insect. “You rotten.... Now you know who we are!” “Time to send you back to the filth from which you came!” The toad demon roared in rage. Surlent did get alarmed at first, but then regained his senses, getting ready to fight these foul fiends off. “No! It is time you guys met your maker!” The fat demon summoned a black mist over Surlent, causing black rain to sprinkle on the mage. It did a little damage, but at least Surlent didn't get sick from it. The two insectoid entities clawed, nipped and stung him, but Surlent counterattacked with his Angel Guard. While striking down the two demons, Surlent noticed that they were weak against this weapon, much to the mage's relief. “Oh wow! Looks like this weedy little thing can fight back!” The fat demon taunted. But his gloating turned to pain, as Surlent started to bluntly jab the demon in his stomach with his staff, making the creature feel great pain. “OWWWWWWWWW! AAAAAAACK! You... You...” Surlent wasn't going to just attack the demons with his ultimate staff. He was planning to use holy and fire elemental spells as well, knowing that demons hate those elements. Three birds made of pure fire started to fly at the three fiends, pecking and burning the enemies' eyes out in the process, blinding them for good. Just as Surlent was ready to cast more spells, the fat blind demon grabbed the mage's ankle, making him fall to the ground. “Oh ho ho, here you are! Here you are!” Surlent still held onto the Angel Guard, as it started to glow with pure light. Out of the staff, mystical crosses started to ambush the blind demons, making them shed foul smelling blood in the process. “No! No! You're too strong for us!” The fat demon cried out his death cry. “No...No! GRAAAAH!” The two insect demons wailed as their joined the leaden in the abyss. Much the Surlent's relief, the demons were dead for good. But he was left exhausted from the scratches, insect bites and stings. The mage felt so dazed, he felt like he was seeing mirages, when his environment changed from a spooky, dilapidated castle, to a room within the Gaph fortress. Surlent then started to feel drowsy, as his glasses slid off his face, and his eyes starting to slowly close. “Surlent....Surlent!” Amrita's voice whispered to Surlent, as she gently patted his face with her right crystal hand. “Surlent! Wake up! You done great my dear!” With a few gentle pats to his face, Surlent Started to slowly open his eyes. Amrita aid the mage with helping him get his glasses on. Surlent smiled, as he got on his knees to greet Amrita. The glass crystal woman was filled to the brim with an elixir in a rather gorgeous shade of blue, matching his Rebirth Jade. “Did....I.... Pass the test?” “Yes Surlent. You passed this first test.” Amrita said gently to him. “Take it easy so I can nurse you back to health.” Amrita started to brush her glass strands of hair away from her breasts, as she begins to undo one of the tiny lids on them. Surlent was caught off guard. “Ummmm... Eh heh....” “It's okay Surlent. It's not what you think it is.” Amrita said calmly, almost in a loving manner. “This is the Jade Restoration tincture. It will heal you completely, as well as help your Rebirth Jade reach it's full potential. Now, lay down on my lap and relax.” Amrita sits in an “Indian style” position having lay down on her lap, his head facing her right breast. Amrita puts her right head behind Surlent's head, with his mouth up to her “nipple”, sucking in the elixir greedily. He wraps his arms around Amrita's crystal waist, letting himself get healed by the bottle woman. To Surlent, it was not loving in an intimate way, but more loving in a familial, maternal way, like being with the mother he never had. Surlent mind was getting more at ease now. His body was being slowly restored back to health, with the Rebirth give a dull, faint glow in the process. Now, all of a sudden, melancholic memories started to flood Amrita's mind, making her shed medicinal tears in the process. “Surlent....Surlent....(sob)....(sob)” Memories of Amrita's human life started to flash back to her. She remembers having a baby of her own. It was such a beautiful baby in her eyes. She would do anything in her power to keep her baby safe. But alas, she sacrificed herself to bring her infant to safety, in the arms of a benevolent Mantra Maiden. The Mantra Maiden promised to keep Amrita's infant safe and sound. Knowing that her baby will be in safe hands, Amrita peacefully passed away knowing that her infant child was in good hands. Amrita still wonders to this day what became of her child, and if he even survived long enough to reach adulthood. Once Surlent drank up the Jade Tincture and absorbed Amrita's medicinal tears, Surlent gotten back up to sitting position, making eye contact with the sitting bottle woman. Surlent noticed that Amrita was crying, as there were blue tear stains on her translucent face. “Hey, have you been crying Lady Amrita? Is there something wrong?” Amrita shook her head and let out a forced laugh. “Me? Crying? Ummm... Don't worry about me my dear, I'll be okay.” “If you insist.” Surlent said as they help each get back up on their feet and stand, turning towards the doorway out of this chamber. “Come on dear Surlent. Lord Gomorrah awaits us.” Amrita calmly said to Surlent, as she holds onto his left hand, and escorts the mage back into the main chamber, where Gomorrah awaited them.Redeemer Angels vs. The Bride of the Skeksis 03Chapter 02: The Swamp of Sog (Part One) Author's Note: Some of this chapter is re-used from a long dead fanfic from a long dead account of mine. Only, there is nothing too graphic about it this time, unlike the old fanfic. In the Swamp of Sog, flitting around so care free, is a Culicida Faerie named Brassica. Like with her clan of fair folk, Brassica had periwinkle hued skin, a humanoid, yet insectoid like face that resembled a mosquito with large humanoid eyes. Grown males range from 25-30 centimeters, while grown females range from 21-23 centimeters. Since Brassica has come of age, and can travel the swamps on her own, she is in Earth years reckoning, 18 years old, making her 22 centimeters in height. They have humanoid arms, a pair of mosquito wings, and smooth, hairless, insectoid feet. Brassica herself has long mint green hair crowned with a halo braid, with a pair of long periwinkle antennae on top. Her eyes are amber colored, and she wore an outfit consisting of a pressed pink flower petal dress, a pair of copper anklets, a pink ribbon choker that matches her petal dress, a copper bracelet on her right hand, and a copper armlet around her upper left arm. Since Brassica is a female Culicida Faerie, only the females of her clan can feed off life energy, such as vliya from a Gelfling, or even a vliya vein ridden tree in the middle of the Sog for that matter. Male Culicida feed off sweet things, such as honey, nectar, and so forth. The Culicida Faerie clan are one of the many types of foreign creatures making their place at home in Thra. They originally made their home in the Alvar and Fair Folk world of Alfheimur, but through the gaping huge portal where the crystal castle once stood, these odd creatures made their homes in the many swamps of Thra. The swamps and marshes of the Culicidae's new world reminded them of their old home regions in Alfheimur. So it was the perfect place for them to settle. “Finally, I can travel the swamp lands on my own.” Brassica thought to herself as she flits around the swamp freely, appreciating her new found freedom. While exploring the forest, she found the trio of humanoid Yatagarasu harvesting the remains of a strange animal they killed. They seem to be harvesting every bit of this strange animal, which is a good thing, since nothing will be wasted. Marut grabs out a portable stove, ingredients, and dishes from the holy pouch that was given to them by Lord Iyesu, so that at least a little bit of the edge is taken off of their journey. The holy pouch can store many amounts of items without taking up too much space. Such a handy item indeed, especially on such larger than life quests the trio are taking on. “Oh wow! This Curry Nebrie tastes delicious.” Mist said, as everyone ate the Curry Nebrie around the stove fire. “It really goes well with this wild swamp rice we found in this region.” “Thank you Mist.” Marut said as he started to dig into his meal he cooked for everyone. “I'm glad you two like my cooking.” “Anytime brother.” Harut said cheerfully as everyone started to sit around and eat.“I wonder how far we are from this vein y dead tree found within the Sog?” Marut asked as he took a spoonful of swamp rice coated in leftover curry sauce. “Hopefully, we aren't too far.” Mist responds hopefully. “I mean, that ol' log sticks out like a sore thumb in the middle of this swamp.” Harut looks around the swamp, hiding how uneasy he feels. Then he turns to face both Marut and Mist, saying, “We still need to be careful here. How knows what other wretched beasts makes its home here.” “True enough.” Mist and Marut said together. “Even though we are Yatagarasu angels, we still need to assert caution, no matter what.” Mist told everyone. Brassica just watches from a nearby downed log she is sitting on, watching and listening She seemed to be very intrigued by the trio, thinking to herself, “Once they are done eating, I'll guide them to that dead tree covered in vliya veins. I can go for some nice yummy vliya right now.” A group of angels of various races, led by Mikael the Archangel, have just done using their powers to resurrect an ancient ark style fortress that was left behind on the ghost planet of Xibalba . The golden haired angel who wore his serpent skin shawl wherever her went, heard about how technologically advanced this once prosperous civilization was in middle to later ages. Yes, yes! Good, good!” Mikael said in relief as this ark style fortress was mystically being put together with the abandoned technology found in the abandoned kingdom of Yahannam. The whole kingdom on Xibalba is quite a spectacular sight. There were hovering cars, flying castles, buildings made from pure aurichalcum metal that is thought to be the thing of legend in human folklore, and a power source driven by magic energy, which has died out ages ago after the great cataclysm. “Hey, need anymore materials?” A young female yatagarasu angel of the Rose Jay clan asked Mikael. “Or are we all good?” “I think we are almost done dear Eir.” Mikael replied in confidence. “But thank you for your help young lady. You did a lot these days.” Once the Ark fortress became the Cosmic Ark, dubbed “The Cheollima”, Eir was excited to see her friends once more, and aid them on their recent journey. “Oh boy, I cannot wait to see Mist and her friends again! Woo! I hope we make more friends on the way.” Just as the Cheollima was being finalized and ready for anyone to pilot it, Eir turned herself around a little, and was greeted with a hideous figure in the middle of the abandoned town square. “Ewww, what is up with that statue?” The huge, ugly, horribly damaged statue in the middle of town square, was that of King Heylel, the all father of Hades, sitting on an oven like throne. The side part of the head has been broken off over time, as well as one of his wings, and the tip of his scepter. In the alabaster statue's left hand, was a miniature figure of Heylel, back when he was a Seraphim Angel. Eir sighed as she looked at the statue. “What a waste of beautiful material to make such a horrid figure. That statue is making me uneasy.” “Hey hey, dear Eir. Relax.” Mikael said to the Yatagarasu, as he gives her more comforting words. “We'll soon leave this wretched planet, and then, you can see your friends once more.” “Yay!” Eir cheered in joy, as everyone gotten their hard work on the Cheollima wrapped up. Now, it is time to go to Thra, where Harut, Marut, Mist, and a potential new ally are waiting for them. After the Yatagarasu trio cleaned up and packed their belongings, they were ready to go find this tree that allegedly holds a new ally. Harut got up, beckoning everyone to follow him. “Okay everyone, let's go!” “Okay.” Marut and Mist said in a somewhat fatigued tone. The Yatagarasu couple got up, getting ready to follow Harut's lead, but suddenly, the trio heard a small female voice calling to them. “Yoo hoo! I think I can help lead you to the vliya vein tree.” The trio looked around the swamp, wondering where this small voice was coming from. Harut asked, “Where did that voice come from?” “It wasn't me.” Mist replied, being just as confused as the twin brothers. “Over here! Over here!” The small voice rang out, as a speck of pink, periwinkle, and green flashed before them, then, slowing down, revealing a Culicida faerie. “Hello there. It is I, Brassica.” Marut and Mist eyed the faerie, ogling over her appearance, with huge grins on their faces, as well as their hands out, as if ready to catch her. Mist spoke first...”Ah, So CUUUUUUUTE!” “Yes, she is quite cute indeed. Heh heh.” Marut said, smiling at the sight of the faerie. “Uh oh!” Brassica thought to herself as she flew from the couple's grasps, perching on Harut's shoulder, clinging to him. “MARUT! MIST!” Harut shouted sternly. The couple stopped in their tracks, looking more serious now, saying together, “We are so sorry.” “Oh, forgive them dear Miss Brassica.” Harut said softly to the faerie. “Whenever those two see something cute, they have to go chasing after it.” “I can tell.” Brassica replied. “I didn't catch all your names. Who are you guys?” “Well, I am Harut of the Yatagarasu Angel race.” Harut said. “And the twin brother of mine is Marut, and this here, is our friend Mist Elmarn.” “Hi there Lady Brassica.” Marut and Mist said back, smiling and waving hello. “I can lead all three of you to that tree covered in vliya vines.” Brassica said, as she flew from Harut's left shoulder, beckoning the trio to come follow her. “After all, I am kind of hungry. That vliya tree also looks very tasty. Come, let's go!” Finally, at last, the Cheollima cosmic ark was ready to take off from the desolate ruins of Xibalba. All the angels, especially Eir Gullmannen, were more than happy to leave the place, since they have harvested all the materials then needed. “I am so, sooooooo happy to leave this wretched world behind!” Eir said in relief. “Those ruins were creeping me out.” “I understand how you feel Miss Eir.” Mikael said as he commanded the angelic crew members to take off from Xibalba. “Okay everyone, are we ready to take off.” “Yes Sir Lord Mikael!” The crew members cheered down below the depths of the ark. “Ready to take off in 5...4....3...2....1!” Mikael commands. The Cheollima started to slowly rise off the grounds of Yahannam, leaving a big cloud of dust and debris in its wake. As it was now hovering off the ground, the Cheollima started to give off a soft humming noise, making a vertical column of dust following behind it. The ruined planet beneath started to get more and more distant as the ark is taking off. The ark is making its way to the clouds, leaving wisps swirling around it the ark's wake. Once the sky was becoming deep space, all the angels on board started ti rejoice at Cheollima's successful take off. The next goal: Make their way to Thra, where Harut, Marut and Mist were waiting. While following Brassica's lead through the Swamp of Sog. The Yatagarasu trio finally found the vliya tree that they were looking for. But there was a catch: There were three shadowy entities circling the tree, waiting for whatever, or whoever was inside, to come out. They made horrific hissing and gurgling noise, as they circled the tree like buzzards circling a dead animal. “Oh no! Look over there!” Brassica cried out in fear. “Dark Mist monstrosities!” “Quick, we got to fight them off!” Marut yelled, as he, Harut and Mist prepared to take down the Dark Mists. Brassica watches everyone at a short distance, knowing that she is no match for these foul beings. With Marut being the first to attack, he charged at one of the Dark Mists circling the tree. He slashes at the monster frantically with his twin daggers, only to find out that he is only hurting the creature a little bit, but not by much. “Man, come on! Hurry up and die!” “Wait you two!” Mist commanded. “I know these beasts. Dark Mists, like any being of the shadows, are weak against holy magic.” Right there, Mist started to chant a mantra, as a aura of pure light started to surround her. The energy became a pillar of light, as the tip of Mists hammer started to give off a glow, with her chanting, “Holy Downpour!” Clouds of divine light started to form over the Dark Mists, with a downpour of holy water sprinkling on them, making the creatures screech in agony. While the holy water rain continued to pour, it was now Harut's turn to chant his mantra. As Harut's chanting started to slow down, everyone's weapons started to glow, as he yells, “Saint's Blade!” All the trio's weapons started to give off a bright incandescent glow, blessing them with the holy element. “Thank you Harut!” Everyone started to take down the Dark Mists with their blessed weapons. Marut nimbly slashes away at one with his blessed twin daggers, Harut beating another one with his tonfas, and Mist started to bash the final one with her hammer. “AAAAGH! YAAAAK!” The creatures cried out, as they started to fade way back to Hades. Marut wipes the sweat from his brow in relief, saying, “Wow, what a relief. I didn't know that those creatures were easy to kill.” Brassica comes back to greet the trio, feeling greatly relieved from the Dark Mists being destroyed. “I'm back! Now it's my turn to suck away the vliya veins from the tree. But don't worry, I can do it without harming who, or whatever is inside of it. It is your duty to free the thing after all.” Brassica glides right over to the vliya tree, embraces a vein, and digs her mosquito like proboscis deeply into it. “Slurp... Sluuuurp! Mmm!” The little Culicida Faerie didn't realized how hungry she was before feeding off the vliya veins surrounding this dead looking tree. But now, little Brassica was hungry, and going into a massive feeding frenzy like never before. Harut, Marut, and Mist just stand there, being both impressed and dumb founded with observing the faerie's immense appetite for the vliya flowing through the veins of this tree. “That little lady has quite the big appetite.” Marut thought to himself. “Thankfully, she is not a mosquito that you find in the human world.” Harut thought to himself, feeling impressed with witnessing Brassica greedily suck down the vliya. “If she were a regular ol' mosquito, she'd burst into a bloody mess.” “The fair folk are quite amazing creatures indeed.” Mist was thinking to herself, witnessing the veins outside the tree growing dull, and shriveling up. As the veins shriveled up, and crumbled from the tree, Brassica stops glowing, lets out a small, dainty burp, sighing in relief, “Man, that was delicious. This will help stave off my appetite for a while.” While the dead veins crumble from the tree, Brassica releases herself from them, turns over to the angelic trio, waving farewell to them. “Thank you for letting me have this vliya. I have to go now. The elders of my clan must be worried about me right now. Toodles!” “Farewell Little Brassica!” The trio waved good bye, as Brassica started to fly her way home. “Thank you for helping us!” Mist cheered out, waving farewell to the little Culicida Faerie. After Brassica left to her settlement, the Yatagarasu trio noticed the tree moving from inside, with huge slivers of it coming apart. The trio ran up to the tree, expecting to meet whoever was trapped in it for all these years. Right before them, a huge, azure blue arm, clad in rags, punched itself out the front of the tree. A deep, feminine voice started to come from the being within the tree, crying out in desperation, “Somebody....Anybody....Please! Free me from this wretched wooden prison! I beg of you!” Right there, the trio got the incentive to take apart the creature's wooden prison. Mist lightly tapped parts of the tree with her hammer, loosing the weak parts of the wood. While Mist did that, Harut uses his bladed parts of his tonfas, and Marut was using his twin daggers to cut away at the dead tree. While they were destroying the tree, without harming whoever was inside of there for who knows how long, two other blue, ragged covered fists burst out of the tree. “Yes...Yes! Keep it up. I am almost free!” “Hang in there.” The trio shouted out, giving words of encouragement to this being. Finally, when the tree was rendered to just flimsy bark, a tall, peculiar looking creature came bursting out of it, cheering out loudly in relief, her booming voice exclaiming, “Yay! Hooray! Freedom at last....! (cough) (cought) (hack)” The she-creature almost collapsed to the ground, only to be caught by the trio, so this rag clad entity wouldn't collapse on the Sog's ground. As the Angelic trio got a closer look at the being they freed, they could not believe their eyes. The creature itself left the trio shocked and bemused, with Mist saying in surprise, “No, is this what I think it is? It can't be! Could it possibly be....”Original Character Profiles (WoA): King HeylelCharacter Profiles Name: King Heylel Age: 32 (Earth reckoning) Height: Varies Weight: Varies Race: Seraphim angel (formerly), Grand High Devil (currently) Origin: Old Paradiso Gender: Male Hair: Silver blue (former), None (current) Eyes: Green (former) Orange (current) Likes: Dominating Hades, toying with souls, getting his way, corrupting souls, alcohol, charming and seducing women (mortal, angelic, or demonic). Dislikes: Paradiso, Lord Iyesu, Blessed mother Ame-Maria, redeemed angels, redeemed souls, Failure of those who follow him. Role: Main Villain. (Other Alerfa stories) The All Father of Hades. The Devil himself. Goals: To make Hades reign supreme, to get even at Lord Iyesu and his followers, convince mortal beings to follow him, sending his legions to abduct the souls of the innocent and hold them hostage. King Heylel Personality traits: Positive traits: IntelligentCharismaticTalented Negative Traits: CunningManipulativeControllingEmotionally unpredictableSeductiveLustfulVainMalicious TricksterPetty King Heylel was once upon a time, one of the beautiful, if not the most beautiful, of all Seraphim angels. Many of the elder deities, as well as many other angels, could not resist his splendor. Beneath his gorgeous exterior, lied a cunning, manipulative and maliciously tricky entity. He is good friends and allies with the angel/demon hybrid, named Loki Hrimthung. Together, they cause unspeakable chaos and disorder around them. But after the first Twilight of the Divine, many elder deities and angels have fallen from grace in battle, leaving Iyesu the one true God being. Those elder deities who were redeemed, were given new life as angels and holy ones. The fallen, like Heylel, have become monsters of Hades. Now Heylel is reduced to a monstrous abomination, that looks across between a man, a toad, a viper, and a wyvern dragon. Over time, Heylel gotten used to his hideous new form and his new place of the All Father of Hell. But petty as he is, Heylel seeks vengeance against Iyesu, his creations, and those who give themselves willingly to him.Original Character Profiles: Princess MayarieCharacter Profiles Name: Princess Mayarie Age: 25 (Mortal reckoning) Height: 5'8” (default) Weight: 131 lbs. (default) Race: Half Hell Dragon, Half Storm Demon Origin: Hades (Nastrond Empire) Gender: Female Hair: Blonde Eyes: Violet Likes: Her homeland, humiliating her prey, playing around with her prey, rough intimacy. Dislikes: Having her powers sealed away, Paradiso, Fallen Angels who choose redemption, losing power and control over her prey. Role: Villain character (Other Alerfa stories) Princess of Hell, Illusionist. Uses Oriental style fans as a weapon. Goals: To further spread the Nastrond Empire outside of Hades. Princess Mayarie's Personality traits: Positive traits: BeautifulWiseHealthyEnergetic Negative Traits: CunningManipulativeSadisticMasochisticSeductiveControlling Princess Mayarie is the daughter of the Hell Dragon, Emperor Nidhogg, and the Storm Demoness, Empress Kulshedra. This evil princess will do whatever she can to spread the Nastrond Empire outside of Hades, mercilessly bowling over those that oppose the Nastrond Imperial Family. Her Empire are one of the main allies to King Heylel, the all father of Hades, and his kingdom, Sheol. But there were times that wicked Princess Mayarie bit off more than she could chew, and she had to pay the harsh price of her pride.view_list
Hey there everyone. Long time no see.posted 4 weeks agorestaurantEatingShake n Bake Alligator nuggetslocal_cafeDrinkingIce Watertheater_comedyFeelingBusy (but in a good way)headsetListening ToVarious video game soundtrackslive_tvWatchingThe Flying House anime seriessports_esportsPlayingVarious old Famicom/NES video gamesMy custom Kawaii Disney Dollsposted 2 months agorestaurantEatingHam and Cheese sandwichlocal_cafeDrinkingChocolate MilkschoolStudyingOfficial art of characters for custom doll referencestheater_comedyFeelingJoyheadsetListening ToMalice Mizerlive_tvWatchingSailor Moon 1990s series (in Japanese w/subtitles)sports_esportsPlayingThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomhandymanCreatingCustom dolls and doll outfitsMy custom doll progress so far....posted 3 months ago, edited 3 months agorestaurantEatingHam and Cheese sandwichlocal_cafeDrinking100% Mango Orange juicetheater_comedyFeelingHyped upheadsetListening ToNightwishlive_tvWatchingRifftraxsports_esportsPlayingThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomhandymanCreatingCustom dolls galoreSo much to do...But not feeling wellposted 5 months agolocal_cafeDrinkingOvaltine Chocolate Malt MilkrestaurantEatingYogurttheater_comedyFeelingVery sickheadsetListening ToMalice Mizerlive_tvWatchingCustom doll tutorials on YTsports_esportsPlayingSoulcalibur VIMore things to do sooner or laterposted 5 months agorestaurantEatingPepperoni Pizzalocal_cafeDrinkingApple JuiceschoolStudyingForeign Languages and story tellingheadsetListening ToAlbion (Russian metal band)live_tvWatchingPonyo on the Cliff of the Seasports_esportsPlayingBahamut Lagoonhistory_eduWritingA retelling of The Soildier and Death folktale
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