Tag: elias dawn

Error 50

Neon BrightLeave a comment

My first foray into a cyberpunk AU featuring Elias Dawn and their first encounter with a little assistant robot buddy.

The scrapyards at the bottom of the city, far below the walking levels and lower residences, formed a landscape of sharp hills and flickering lights. Without protective gear or a good map, one could get lost in the piles. Only so many work elevators came down this far, and even then only a scrapyard droid had the passcodes to operate them. On the occasion someone did wind up down there, flagging one of the scrapyard droids for rescue was one of the only hopes of getting back to the walking levels via the elevators.

If one wanted a rescue, anyway. A few lurkers could be seen slinking among the scraps most nights, for their own reasons. Some risked the yards for a chance at supplies. Some sought things to sell, things that should never have been thrown away. And some lurked because they knew it was a good place to hide until the drones stopped looking for them up above.

El found themself down in the piles most days for the latter reason. They didn’t mind taking the long way back up on the old service ladders, and the jump down, well … their uncanny abilities were the whole reason they needed to hide in the first place. Magic had not left the world in the wake of the machines, but anyone who had it had a knack for disappearing.

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Tiny Pixie Hands

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A note for anyone confused after seeing previous snippets with Elias using he/him pronouns. Elias is genderfluid and a shapeshifter, so she’s presenting very femme in this story. Just a heads up to avoid confusion!

The chill in the air was sharp and solid, each breeze like sandpaper on Elias’ cheeks. She didn’t wander through the perpetually wintery regions so far north very often, and every visit reminded her of why. That cold found a way to seep into her bones and stay there, a slow takeover until the involuntary shivers came like clockwork.

At least she was better prepared for it since the last quest that took her into the tundra. She’d chosen a shape that stood shorter than her usual, stockier. She’d opted for plenty of natural padding – thick curves and plenty of tummy to protect her core. Her hair was longer and darker red than she usually kept it – something to help absorb whatever warmth from the sun she could.

She’d bought some hard-weather clothes from a group of traders that frequented the area, so she knew the gear would last and it would work. She was well insulated in hides lined with downy fur, and boots that had a hardy grip on the frozen ground. They’d even given her a pair of sungoggles for when she eventually reached the snowy areas. The coat had a lovely collar of soft rabbit down that occasionally tickled under her jaw, and similar tufts stuck out of the thick gloves she wore over her hands.

She was an adorable bundle, and it put a certain spring in her step.

Eral, by contrast, was not so cheerful for the climate they’d wandered into. It came as no surprise; he stood only six inches tall, and his little leafy wings were paper thin after all. They’d managed to get a few tiny scraps of hide for him to haphazardly tie to himself, but the traders had nothing to offer that was made for pixie size.

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NaNoWriMo Day 23

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I spent the later half of today traveling – so it’s a wonder I managed to get some words! But words were indeed gotten. I couldn’t help making a small reference to a certain demigod of mischief, though he is not the focus of this story by any means.

Word Count: 1699

Excerpt:

Autumnus had read accounts of known halfgods in other corners of Muunfel. They were not easy.

There was the child of the Oracle in Meraev. Even at only a few years old, a number of records had already reached beyond the Moondrop Sea of his penchant for mischief. The Oracle could handle such a child, of course, and he was far outside of any Synkan bloodline anyway.

There were the twin maidens born to an elf village not too far north of the Dragonrest mountains, decades ago. No one had heard of them in years, but during their formative years, lengthened by their elven blood, they vexed and confused an entire region.

Children of the elements had been recorded throughout history here and there. They often quietly disappeared from the records eventually, but in the meantime they were exemplary as the forces of nature they were.

NaNoWriMo Day 21

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Today was a quick one, because I decided to edit an older story and update it. Sometimes that’s not a quick process at all … today it worked. The story is A Song of Awakening, which I’ve already posted in its original form. Still counts!

Word Count: 2607

Excerpt:

Elias rubbed his hands together, creating arcs of blue electricity between his fingers. With a flourish, he aimed his palms at the ancient glasswork roof, and struck the tower with lightning.

The roof tiles crumbled and Elias plummeted into the room below.

“Gods dammit, Elias!” Eral cried, his wings fluttering to life. He stuck close to the demigod as many shards of colorful glass fell with them. It would only take a few to slice him to ribbons, and for whatever reason (he highly doubted it was coincidence), the glass was avoiding Elias.

NaNoWriMo Day 7

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Yet again I started kinda late, so I dunno if I’m actually done writing yet! However, I figured I’d give an excerpt anyway. Today’s focus is a story called Elias and the Titan.

Word Count: 1830

Excerpt:

He passed by a few magical traps laid right into the trunks of trees or hidden among the foliage. He had to generate a constant, steady breeze around himself in order to disturb the leaves and notice them all, and with that careful navigating wove his way past several designed to incapacitate something as large and bulky as an elephant. A run of the mill human would be quite violently discouraged from continuing on.

So much for a calm stroll in the woods, Elias thought, wishing he had someone around to appreciate his joke. He’d gotten used to having an audience. He had to imagine the rolled eyes, which just wasn’t the same.

NaNoWriMo Day 1

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Here we go! Today I worked on a short story called “Talismans” featuring none other than Elias Dawn, adventurer extraordinaire and self proclaimed badass.

Word Count: 2052

Excerpt:

“You, are, uh,” he stammered, appraising a man who looked like he’d been built with stone towers in mind. He stood something like six and three quarters of a foot tall, broad shouldered and heavily muscled. His hands were callused and scarred from a lot of work in the fields.

“A real big boy,” Elias finished as the man clenched his fists and stomped towards him. “What are you doing up here?”

NaNoWriMo Announcement

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I’m … Alive?

More or less! This year is not like other years, that’s for sure, and thus my writing productivity has not been like it has been in other years.

However! I’d still like to give NaNo a try. I’ll be doing updates for my word count daily, as much as I can, and I will give excerpts as well! As for the project…

Muunfel Tales!

The Muunfel project encompasses the histories and epics of many characters and places. The aim of this year’s NaNoWriMo endeavor is to flesh out some of these histories, from the antics of Elias Dawn and Eral the Arbor Pixie, to the history-altering adventures of Aaron Stride, to smaller-scale revolutions like Finnraal’s. Some familiar characters will make an appearance, as well as some new ones.

I hope for your support!

Awry

Neon BrightLeave a comment

( A short flash fiction written as a prize for a contest held over on DeviantArt )

Eral came to after the fight had concluded. By the pained groans throughout the courtyard, he hadn’t been out for more than a few minutes. That, at least, was a good sign. He also noted that Elias stood at the center of the courtyard, surveying the damage and looking mostly unharmed. Another good thing.

“Eral? Buddy?” Elias called. Genuine concern colored his voice.

Eral waved his arms but didn’t move to stand. “Here, dummy. Look for the only green here!”

Elias zeroed in on him, and if Eral wasn’t hazy from pain, he’d relish the shock on that face. Not much could throw Elias off like that.

Heavy footsteps shook the stone ground as Elias rushed towards Eral. His shadow barely engulfed the fallen pixie before he dropped into a kneel. Eral leaned back in time with Elias leaning over him, though he couldn’t hope to keep his personal space at this point.

As usual when met with any level of fussing over him, Eral rolled his eyes. “You look awful, Elias. Maybe you oughta kick back a bit. Rein in the storm tricks for a day or two.”

Elias blinked. “Eral, your wings… doesn’t that hurt?”

The question brought with it a new aching wave of pain as if spoken into being. Eral winced, ever aware of the bent and crumpled wings at his back. “Yes, Elias, it hurts. Next dumb question, please.”

Instead, Elias reached down to scoop Eral into his cupped palms, moving slowly and with an unusual amount of restraint. “I thought. Well, damn. I thought I’d waited to set off the blast. Eral, I’m sorry.”

Seeing Elias so subdued and remorseful, Eral sighed. He couldn’t have kept up the teasing much longer, anyway. His wings did hurt. Badly. “You probably did. I didn’t count on someone throwing things at me.” One wing twitched and he grimaced. “I spun. The wind went off. I hit the wall.”

Elias winced in sympathy. “Can they be fixed?”

“Well yeah. Just gotta find a healer. You’ll be doing all the footwork, though. I’m not navigating for you today.”

Elias smirked. “I’ll try not to get lost without your scouting,” he quipped as he turned for the exit of the courtyard.

“Big ask, I know,” Eral shot back. He was tired enough to lie back on the hands supporting him, but his wings never let him rest. “Just don’t get held up by any authorities. No stalling.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Elias murmured as he fled the courtyard, leaving the unconscious others to be caught with all the evidence of their crimes. Once he ducked into a side street, he glanced down at Eral again. “I’ll getcha taken care of in no time, pal.” A thumb curled inward to nudge at Eral’s side.

Eral scoffed, but it was more of an amused sound. Rather than push the thumb away, he hooked an arm over it to steady himself. Every giant step Elias took swayed in his hands, but all the same Eral appreciated the effort. “I know, buddy. Then we’ll hit the pub.”

“It’s a date,” Elias quipped, his familiar grin appearing at last.

Ask Game Part 3

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Ooof. I kind of let this blog go silent for a bit. Here’s another batch from the ask game, and if you have questions of your own, feel free to send them in!

Anonymous asked: Hey! Hey! From one ace aro to another, Jacob, big teddy bear, I love you and wish you the best. May I request a hug?

“Hell yeah, dude. C’mere!”

enby-phoenix asked: Eral, what would you do if you turned human for a day?

“Probably kick Elias’ ass first of all, because the gods know he’s earned it. Then I’d probably go to a pub and order something for myself without the barkeep giving me weird looks about it. That’d be nice.”

enby-phoenix asked: Bowman, please tell us about a time Jacob did something deserving of bops!

“It’s easier to list the times he didn’t earn a bop some days! There was that time the nestlings played hide and seek and he let one fall asleep in his pocket, and I somehow took the blame! Then once he brought this stuff called ‘peanut butter’ and the sprites that tried it couldn’t even speak for a few minutes! Oh, and there was the time …”

(He really can go on forever like this)

enby-phoenix asked: Jacob, would you give me a piggyback ride?

“Sure, why not? Try not to fall off though, I dunno if I could catch ya in time!”

enby-phoenix asked: Bowman! What’s the WEIRDEST human thing Jacob’s shown you / told you about?

“Humans do so many weird things. I really don’t know if I could actually figure out the weirdest one. I don’t get why they have paper money when the little metal ones are so much easier … for that matter, why do they even do money?”

nightmarejasmine asked: Hey Jacob, how does it feel to be a super giant

“Ha. Pretty good, I guess? The sprites are warming up to me a bit more by the day, so I feel pretty accomplished.”

Random Facts about Elias Dawn

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Elias has many middle names, and listing them all off gets tedious for him. The city/culture he’s from tends to have a tradition of adding more middle names based on titles earned and accomplishments won. He was already born with a few: Elias Orson Phineas Kingspeaker* Dawn. Since his mother is the Oracle of a temple, he assumed the role of a temple speaker just by being born. Very few people can make sense of what Cira Dawn says due to her difficulties communicating, but Elias always had a knack for it.

He takes after his mother in looks. Since his father is a deity with no set physical form, his natural physical traits were all inherited from Cira (deep red hair, sapphire eyes, sienna skin, strong nose). He’s met his dad a few times, and while there’s no animosity between them, a part of him does blame the guy for the way Cira’s mind was broken.

Elias is pansexual and genderfluid. Since he’s a shapeshifter, he can play around a bit with his presentation. Usually, he will give the people close to him an easy visual cue so they know which pronouns to use, but not always. He sometimes enjoys dating and develops crushes fast, but the thought of anything like marriage or any implication of “forever” sort of freaks him out for reasons he keeps quiet (he has a set “destiny” and he already has a hard enough time with that).

Elias as a character is fun to write because he’s what most people would call “overpowered”. He’s a demigod with a lot of abilities, including storm manipulation, shapeshifting, summoning items out of thin air, and making copies of himself. He also sort of combines his storm and mischief aspects into something he calls “electrickery,” in which he manipulates the electric impulses in someone’s brain. He saves that for dire circumstances since it’s hard to do.

* ”Kingspeaker” is the most convenient translation from what the word is in his first language, since it doesn’t have a distinction between a male and female sovereign.