Wednesday, December 28, 2011

No Updates

Due to unforeseen circumstances, there will be substantially fewer updates today than yesterday. As in 100%, unless you want to be a pedant and consider this an update in which case there is no change in the number of updates.

That aside, tomorrow will have no updates either, in all likelihood.

If you've been reading along, now's your chance to provide some commentary :D Critique me!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Dancing Into Darkness, Part 5

Wednesday, February 29th

I found Rinna at the same landing we ate at on Monday. She was seated in the same position, as well; body sitting on the window ledge, legs facing the stairs, and torso swiveled to the window. Her hair delicately contrasted the white snow beyond, and splayed downwards, fading into wisps on her dark green shirt. I stood there for a moment before coughing to make myself known. "Hey."

Rinna didn't turn. Not even the slightest head tilt.

I stood there, ignored, until I noticed what I had mistaken for a headband in her hair. Oh. Music. I strode up to her and gently tapped her shoulder.

Her eyes opened wide for a moment as she turned, extracting one earpiece from her nestle of hair, placing it behind her ear. She quickly adopted her neutral expression. "Oh, it's you. Why are you here?"

"I figured you could use the company."

She shrugged, and moved the earpiece back in place. I slipped my backpack off, slid it next to hers, and reclined on the wall by the window. I shuddered and crossed my legs as they hit the cold stone floor. I had just begun to pull my lunch from my pack when Rinna spoke up.

"Here."

I turned to find her facing me, hand outstretched. I cupped my hands together to receive the blueberries she offered. "Thanks."

"It'd be cruel to eat these in front of you without sharing." She shrugged my thanks off.

As I slowly popped the berries into my mouth, my eyes traced the shadow of my arm, around Rinna's shadow, and to the other side of the window. "I can see why you might prefer to eat here." I reclined my head against the wall. "It's peaceful. Away from the commotion of the commons. I'm not sure if I could stand this every day though."

Rinna laughed lightly in response. We sat in silence amiably a little longer. I finished off the blueberries, and pulled out my sandwich.

"I have a silly question."

"Ask. I'll laugh at you after."

"Are you in a cult?" I was remembering Tony's warnings. Silly as they seemed, I was a little worried.

"What?" Rinna was shocked. "Are you trying to recruit me?"

"Just rumors....sorry."

"I wouldn't believe any rumors you hear about me."

"Yeah." I hung my head, shame overcoming me suddenly. I shouldn't have asked that. Of course she's not in a cult. Of course she's not a cutter. I'm letting my fears get the best of me. She's just a normal girl. Well, maybe a little different. But not in a bad way. A hand splayed itself in my hair, and ruffled it. I looked up to see Rinna peering down. She quickly withdrew her hand. Her cheeks were tinged with pink.

"It's alright. I'm not offended." She said. "It's a silly rumor." She half-smiled, then turned back to stare out the window. I wondered what she thought about, day in and day out, staring outside at the field.

Tomorrow, Tony would be bound to chew me out. Oh boy.

But it didn't matter. Not right now.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Dancing Into Darkness, Part 4

Monday, February 27th

A hand clamped down on my arm as I left Mr. Randell's class. I turned to my right, looking up, expecting to see Tony there. I was ready to joke about this being an unnatural move. But there was nobody there. I shifted my gaze down, and my eyes fell upon a swath of black hair, turned away from me. "Come on." Rinna started down the hall, pulling me with her. Turning my head back, I saw Tony just exiting the room. The question formed in his eyes before it reached his mouth - What is going on?


I shook my head at him, hoping he wouldn't intervene. It would only cause a needless scene. I mouthed "I'll explain." to him before allowing myself to be pulled down the hall. Rinna was stronger than her slim arms let on. This definitely wasn't about the project, since otherwise Ellie would have come. We had already worked everything out Saturday, already, and had plans to meet at Ellie's house to work the next weekend. So what was this about?

I kept silent, knowing there would be a more opportune time to ask. It couldn't hurt to follow. I'd be lying if I said my interest wasn't piqued.

It was only when we walked by a group of freshman girls talking about who-knows-what when I realized the potential consequence of following Rinna. I caught a few taking furtive glances as I passed by, and I definitely recognized one of them. This would not do any good for my reputation. I was known as a tennis player who kept to his studies and friends, not some kid to be dragged around the school. I shook my swath of brown hair, annoyed at myself for letting this happen. It was a bit late to turn around now without drawing more unwanted attention to myself, and I didn't want to offend Rinna, either.

A faint set of giggles followed me as Rinna led me up a set of stairs, to the second floor. Where the hell was I being led?

I almost ran into Rinna when she halted at the intermediate landing, between the first and second floors. "So, uh, what's this about?" Rinna let go of my arm, and turned to stare at me.

"What?" She sounded as confused as I felt.

"Why did you drag me from history, through the halls, to here, without saying a word?" My arms flew up from my sides into the air.

"I thought I was making things easy for you..." Rinna trailed off. She grabbed her left arm at the elbow, and shifted her gaze down. "You can leave now."

My arms dropped down. "Oh." Shit shit shit. How did she even get that vibe from me?


"Umm..." No words came to me. It probably would hurt my rep more if I just left now.....Rinna would probably feel bad too. "I'll stay." I put on my best fake smile, shrugged my backpack off, and took a seat on the steps. "That is, as long as you promise not to go silent on me." I joked as I pulled my lunch out. I might as well make the best of this.


Rinna sat down on the windowsill. The landing overlooked the field, a vast expanse of white. It had snowed that morning - not much, but enough to make the world a pure, white slate. She stared out the window for a moment before speaking up. "Silence isn't always bad, you know."

"I guess." I looked up from my sandwich; Rinna still had her head turned from me. It...irritated me. I could not put a finger on quite why, however. Rinna seemed so calm here, and it was clear that her seat was a familiar one. "You don't...." I spoke without thinking.

Rinna's gaze turned to me, searching my face as I grabbed for words. "You don't...eat here every day, do you?"

"Mostly. Yeah. What's wrong?" Rinna fluttered her eyes, not understanding. I'm not sure if shock or concern was more apparent on my face.

"Alone?"

"Yes."

Silence.

Rinna opened her eyes with understanding. "Oh! You feel bad for me, don't you? Don't. I prefer it this way. People are stupid."

"Oh." Why did I say that? I searched for some way to undo the depressing turn this conversation had taken. After a few moments' pause, I spoke again. "Hey, do you think Ellie's a vampire?"

"What?" I was taken aback by the surprise in Rinna's tone. She sounded genuinely shocked.

"You know, avoiding Olive Garden and all. She kept dodging my questions as to why she didn't want to go."

"How does that connect with being a vampire at all?" Rinna's tone was flat. Does she not see that I'm joking? I wouldn't put it past her. She doesn't know me well, either.


"Vampires don't like garlic, right? And Olive Garden has a lot of garlic in its dishes. Why are you being so defensive? Are you a vampire too? Gah! I'm surrounded!" I continued to joke. Rinna finally seemed to get it; she laughed.

I swear that the world stopped that moment. Then, it was gone, the sound fading away like chimes on the wind.

"You should lighten up a little. Laugh a little more."

"I don't have much reason to."

"Do you need a reason?"

"Yes."

"Fine." What was it with this girl? "So there was this one time..."

---

Tuesday, February 28th

"What happened yesterday man?" Tony had gone into overprotective mode again.

"Uhh, what? Nothing. I'm fine." I held my arms up, palms open. I gave him a skeptical look.

"She didn't do anything to you?"

"What? Rinna? No!"

"She looked pissed."

"That was your imagination run wild."

"Then what did she want you for? You were gone all lunch."

"She just wanted to talk. It was enjoyable."

"Watch out, she's moving in..."

"So?"

"Watch out for her."

"She's not as weird or dangerous as you think she is."

"What has she done to you?" He gasped in mock horror. I chuckled, glad that, as always, he realized when his efforts were unappreciated, if only a little late.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Dancing Into Darkness, Part 3

A shorter piece today. I promise I'll get around to making Bryan into more than just a name tomorrow!
I still dislike the name of this series.

---

Saturday, February 25th

I found Rinna already seated at a table for three at Olive Garden. Her stark black hair blended into - surprise - a black shirt which hugged at her slim figure. She was bowed over a writing pad, one arm placed around it protectively, shielding her writing from onlookers. I took the seat opposite her. "Hey."

"Hello." Her pencil kept moving, and her head remained down.

"By the way, Ellie's not coming. She said she'd meet us afterwards at the Barnes and Noble."

"Oh. Why isn't she coming?"

"Something about the food not being to her taste."

That got Rinna to look up. "Hmph. There's nothing wrong with Olive Garden." Her hair half-formed a veil around her face for a moment; she quickly tucked it behind one ear. "Well, I'm staying here for lunch. Leave if you like." She paused for a moment, furrowing her brow as if trying to recall something, before turning her attention back to her writing. That last statement normally might have offended me, but...it didn't. It was said with such a lack of tone, as opposed to indifference, that it caught me off-guard.

"I'll eat here."

I was met with silence.

Did she catch that? Maybe she just doesn't care. She certainly didn't seem to.

Why is she so quiet? I glanced around the room, trying to find something to occupy myself with. Maybe I should just leave. It would be less awkward that way.


"May I take your orders?"

Too late.


Click. Rinna's notebook snapped shut, and it disappeared in a flash. She looked to the waiter. "I'll have the Fettucine Alfredo."

"Would you like extra garlic sauce on that?"

"Just the normal amount is fine."

The waiter scribbled Rinna's order down, and I gave him my order when prompted. As he headed back to the kitchens, Rinna spoke up. "Do you have any thoughts on this project, so far?" I breathed an inward sigh of relief. She wouldn't be writing the entire time.

I also hadn't given the project a second thought since it was assigned. "Let's discuss that later. It wouldn't be fair if Ellie didn't do any work today. I'm sure she'd complain." I remarked a tad sarcastically. "So what were you writing, just then?" I wasn't actually interested.

"Nothing you would care about."

"I wonder what you've got to hide..." I mused aloud jokingly.

"Why are you so persistent?" She snapped back.

"I'm just trying to keep the conversation going."

"Then stop prying and tell me something about yourself. I hardly know you."

"It seems that you hardly know anyone." I blurted. There was a pause. "Sorry. I didn't-"

"It's alright. I don't seek out other people." Rinna fell silent. That was the most I'd ever heard her say in one go.

After a long pause, Rinna spoke again. "I-"

"Your order is ready." Two plates of pasta slid onto the table. "Enjoy."

"What were you going to say?" Rinna shook her head.

I ate in uncomfortable silence.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Dancing Into Darkness, Part 2

Well, Rinna's name will stay the same, but I changed the title a little bit (I'm still not satisfied with it). Also I promise this isn't some rule 63'd Twilight. Or, hopefully it isn't. I haven't read the series, soooo...

Also yes, this is based in Seattle. Because referring to "the mall" would get on my nerves so much.

---

Friday, February 24th

"Class, the paper I am handing out right now is your project, due two weeks from now. That's March 9th. Write that date down. There's always that one group that gets a zero because they misheard the deadline. Don't be that group." Mr. Randell chuckled with part of the class. "You laugh now, but there will be that group. It is always this project, every year."

"Go ahead and read along with me." Mr. Randell returned to the front of the room. "You'll be working in groups of three to advocate for one government and its actions, as a representative of that government."

"Yes, you will be required to act in character. Except please," He put extra emphasis on these words. "Please, speak English." The class snickered. "If I can't understand what you are saying, you get a zero. Now then, let's look at the specifics of this project, and then I'll assign you groups and governments."

My world exploded with sound. My head jolted up from its comfortable seat in the crook of my arm, and the room came into focus. "Shit!" I shouted. Mr. Randell stood before me, smiling as the rest of the class held back laughter. I glanced around the room. Textbooks were strewn about the floor. It took a moment to piece everything together. I must have dozed off, and the class gave me a wake-up call by dropping their textbooks to the floor. "Err, ignore what I just said." Heat rose to my face. "Sorry about that. It won't happen again."

"I'm glad to hear that, Bryan. You've been paired with Rinna and Eleanor. They can fill you in on what you missed." Mr. Randell turned to the rest of the class. "You have the rest of the period to meet with your partners and get started." He turned his back to the class to clean off the whiteboard.

Phew. Lucky for me, Mr. Randell was a laid-back teacher. Swearing wouldn't get you detention in his class - that policy was stupid, anyway. I had also gotten lucky with my group members. Both Rinna and Ellie (Mr. Randell called everyone by their full names) were intelligent, and Ellie was a spirited actor. It would be an easy project....whatever it was. I rose and headed to the back of the room, where Rinna and Ellie were already seated around a table.

"So what did I miss?"

"You mean while you were snoozing?" Ellie responded, grinning mischievously. She brushed a wisp of blond hair behind her ear while waiting for a reply.

"I was taking a well-deserved break!" I protested with false indignation. I took a seat. "Well? Are you going to tell me or not?"

"Well..." She stretched her reply out, leaning back and crossing one long leg over the other. "Later. We're probably not going to get anything done in ten minutes. But let's meet sometime this weekend to figure things out. How about over lunch?"

"I still have no clue what we're doing."

"You're smart, you'll figure it out. Figure out where we're eating, and let me know, alright? Somewhere around Northgate would be great. Ciao." Ellie launched herself out of her chair, across the room, and into her friends, easily slipping into the conversation.

I sat there in silence for a moment before someone spoke softly from behind me. "Victorian England." I swiveled my head toward the voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"We're covering Victorian England. The main concern will be legitimizing maintaining the English colonies." I had nearly forgotten that Rinna was in my group. Hopefully it my face did not show it.

"Ah, thanks. So, what else did Mr. Randell cover while I was out?" I turned towards her.

"Not very much." Rinna spoke slowly. "He went over the rubric, and assigned groups and governments."

"Err, what rubric?"

Rinna grabbed the paper I held with the project details, and flipped it over. "Check the other side."

"So what's a good place for a group to eat in Northgate?"

"Is Olive Garden alright with you?"

"Sure. Let's meet at noon. I'll pass the word on to Ellie."

The lunch bell rang as I picked myself up to fetch my backpack, and I started out of the room. A hand fell on my shoulder, the pressure familiar. "What's up, Tony?"

"Not much man, not much." Tony was one of my closest friends. He had a tendency to be overprotective, something which had gotten me out of more than a few potential disasters in the past. However, on a day-to-day basis, it could be a hassle to deal with.

"What's on your mind? Did you get paired with a bad group?" The crowd of students on their way to the Commons pushed us along, steering us in the direction of our lunch haunt.

"Be careful with Rinna."

"What?" I glanced over my shoulder, to make sure she wasn't behind us to overhear. "Why?"

"I know it's just rumors, but don't get swept up into any cult or any other weird stuff, alright?"

"Uhhh...this is a group project. It's not exactly the same as prying into her private life. There's a slight difference, you see. Would you like me to explain it to you?" I joked.

"You can never be too careful."

"Ellie will be there too. If Rinna tries anything funny, the two of us can take her, easy. She looks pretty frail. Hey look, there's Rami!" I made my way through the crowd to the familiar Indian face, glad for an excuse to change the conversation topic.

Dancing Into Darkness, Part 1

I'm trying something new in terms of writing, both style and content. I have no clue how it will turn out. Critiques are appreciated! I've only written a short introduction today since today was more about plotting things out. The rest of the posts will definitely lean more on the 1k - 1.5k word side than today's paltry 150.

Let's see, what else is there to say? Well, both the title and Rinna's name are subject to change. I'm terrible at names of all sorts, and wonderful with cliched titles. I'll see if I can fix both...

---

vampire [văm'pīr'] - Undead which drink the blood of the living for sustenance. Vampires appear just as they did in life, and do not age. However, vampires are easily recognized, for they do not appear in photos, and throw no reflections in mirrors. It is common knowledge that they cast no shadows and shirk the stench of garlic, among other apotropaics.

---

So there's this girl, Rinna. She's the quiet, reserved type, who could go through a school day without saying anything at all. The type who could disappear off the face of the earth, without anyone noticing for weeks or months. Nobody really knows her, though there are some old rumors that everyone knows. That she's a cutter. That she's a cultist. It doesn't help that she always comes to school in dark colors and long-sleeved shirts. But nobody actually knows the truth. It's a bit of a shame, really. She seems like a sweet girl. She's not unattractive either; there's something entrancing about her green eyes. I think I might have a crush on her. Just a little one. Maybe.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

No Post Today!

This post is paradoxical, pay it no mind.

I spent my day sitting in front a computer hitting F5 to get into a class I want to get into instead of writing blog posts and participating in winter break debauchery. I imagine your day was a tad more interesting than mine. Now go read something else. There is no more post to read.



None.

Zero.

Stop reading.

What do you not understand about "there is no more post to read"?

Perhaps you thought by post, I meant your mail. No. That's a misconception. I meant this blog post. There is no further blog post to read, so go check your mail.

Or perhaps you thought that I was using a dialectical form of English in which "there is no more post to read" is slang for "there is lots more post to read keep on going and enrich yourself with this stimulating material". Incorrect. I am using proper English.

Go away. I am busy refreshing pages.

Monday, December 19, 2011

In Which Pedantry and Intolerance Abound

....or should that be "In which pedantry and intolerance abound"?

Anyways, over the past few days, I've been looking over old posts and cringing. A lot. I suppose that's a sign of improvement. Among those posts was the "Dead Phrases" post...I cringed at that one too. But I do have a few additions...

"Needless to say..."
No. Stop. I agree with you, you don't need to say it, so skip it.

"5evr" or any variation thereof
Yes, you made a funny, oh yes you did. Aren't you proud of yourself? Oh yes you are. Oh you're so funny. I just laugh so much whenever I see that. You can stop now. This horse died far before you started beating it. Stop flailing at it! The chunks of rotting flesh flying off are staining the base of my ivory tower.

"like dis if u cry everytiem"


-ass appended to adjectives (e.g. "That's a sweet-ass ride you've got there.")
I do not understand the rationale behind this. Please, expand your vocabulary beyond vulgarities, and then we'll talk. XKCD has a little to say on this matter as well.

"No offense, but..."
Nice try, person trying to get away with an insult. Learn to create constructive criticism.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but..."
No, no, go ahead. I usually wear this intense look of concentration on my face when I'm thinking of unimportant things that you can disturb with your inane babble.

"X, but....Y" (Where Y is contradictory to or mutually exclusive with X)
Stop dancing around the message and say it. Mincing your words won't mince the meaning. Mince mince mince mince semantic satiation mince.




That's all the condescension and snobbishness I have for today. I think I've gotten worse at it. Oh dear.

About page updated.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Most Glorious Leader....Dead?

Many news sources have reported the death of Kim Jong Il, the Most Glorious Leader of Best Korea. Truly, the world has lost someone unlike any other. His death will be mourned by the masses, and a space shuttle will be launched into the sun in his honor. (Well, probably not, but one can always hope.) Kim Jong Il leaves a wake behind him that will rock the world. While the honorable course of action would be to mourn, we must also look to the future, to what lays in store for the rest of us.

First, US politics are about to be shocked to the core. With Kim Jong Il dead, the US has lost its main source of crazy imports, meaning politicians everywhere will have to be more rational in order to conserve a rapidly dwindling supply of crazy. With Palin and Cain out of politics, our crazy supplies will last a lot longer, but an era of crazy conservatism is ahead of us. Perhaps the logic sector could use this as a chance to jump the market void and increase informed voter decisions.

Second, we now know that Kim Jong Il, in his dying moments, has managed to create a time machine to report his death from the future. It is clear that such technology now exists since, Kim Jong Il died on Monday, December 19th, 2011. It even says so here! Look at the publishing date....that's Sunday, December 18th, 2011. The only way we can account for this discrepancy is that North Korean officials came back to the past to report Kim Jong Il's death a day early, in order to prevent catastrophe. Clearly, sending this information into the past cleared the 1% divergence barrier, preventing a big brother dystopia in the future! Our Savior saves us even from beyond the shroud of death. The world will have to handle this new technology with care.

Third, the world will reel from losing such a talented person. In losing Kim Jong Il, we have lost a self-proclaimed internet expert, something there is a clear shortage of.  We have lost his impeccable fashion sense, and now lobsters all over the world ready to be air-shipped to him no longer have a stomach to call home! In addition, the world will suffer from amazing love deficits. All the love the world has sent him no longer has anywhere to go, and the love economy will suffer accordingly!

It is with great sadness that I bid you goodbye, oh His Excellency the Highest Incarnation of the Revolutionary Comradely Love, Mastermind of the Revolution, Savior and Great Defender, oh Beloved and Respected Father of the People and of the Nation, Fate of the Nation, World Leader, Great Marshal, Amazing Politician, Guiding Shining Star of the 21st Century and Paektu Mountain, Guiding Sun Ray, Guarantee and Symbol of the Fatherland's Unification, Ever-Victorious, Iron-Willed Commander-in-Chief, Bright Great Sun of Juche Life the Nation Socialism and of the Communist Future, Great Man, Who Is a Man of Deeds, Beloved Ever-triumphant Glorious Great Invincible Respected General who descended from Heaven, Party Center, Beloved Brilliant Dear Great Peerless Respected Supreme Unique Wise Leader of our Party the Country the Army and of our Nation who is a perfect incarnation of the appearance that a leader should have of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and all around Superior Person. Farewell.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Back With A Pseduo-vengeance

Winter break is here, and with it, more amateur writing! I can hear your gasps of delight from here, and I can tell you that you're doing it wrong. Gasps of delight are not supposed to resemble screams of agony. It's a good thing my ear is well-tuned to these subtleties.

Anyways, since I have nothing better to do to revive this blog, I'll make a quick detour into pedantry. Apparently, "anyways" is both the informal and dialectical form of correct "anyway". That is not to say anyway, that any way anyways is used is wrong.

....it is completely unimaginable that that paragraph was leadup in any way for "anyway that any way anyways". I'll stop now, I promise. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

It's a little late now, so I'll end this here. Longer post incoming tomorrow.