Match with Kathy, Perspective Part IV, the Wrath of Sharron Miles

You got to be kidding me?

How can you be satisfied in any way with such utter disgrace?

Losing the first strike is terrible enough, but now hanging on to a thin thread of hope with such tenacity.

Unsightful,

Unsightful,

UNSIGHTFUL

Is barely surviving the match the best you can do? Is dodging without any attempts to pare or counter befitting a youngster from House Miles? Is accepting the punishment without even a clue for retaliation your idea of another step forward to catching up to your brother?

That cannot be--you cannot be happy because you have just won a bet with Morris that you did not fall flat on your face within the first three moves! Maybe that is a significant improvement from Advanced Hand-to-Hand Combat; however, standing in shambles thanks to all your wits, skills, reflexes, and mostly luck does not exactly fit anything that can be described as rejoice.

But she is not finished--I am still standing. To continue the match can only point out how inferior you are to her, a futile resistance to a hunting gambol.

Of course, you have the choice to forfeit the march. It will be  an estimable choice; at least, you spare yourself from any future embarrassment.

And what can you do? You have no schemes, no strategies, no experiences, and no procedures to occlude her advance.

Nothing, nothing at all. There is not even one single possible alternative you can suggest to reverse or alter your situation. Once she started full frontal assault, you would only have the strength to shield yourself, bowl your head under her feet, and crawl into a corner in fear.

Accept the inevitable defeat, Sharron Miles. There is nothing you can do. There were twenty-three moves you used to improve your stanza. You were hit directly twelve times, seven times on blocks. You were grazed by the halberd nine times, consciously aware of all nine of them. You are grounded four times, not yet locked for a loss. 

Not yet, as in a second ago, you are still flying. 

In the next second, you will hit the ground and realize that gravity only allows a limited time of airborne. 

"Ah, I am flying. Oh, never mind."

And you probably cannot escape grounding this time. 

Ah, crap. It hurts. Mind is going dark. Pain is not supposedly soporific, but my eyelids are so heavy.

Is that all? The extend of your talent, your ambition, and your perseverance only lasts you this far.

Well, at least take her down with you.

Be more than your craven self, and do not be afraid to show her the brutality of your wrath. 

Course Tracked

Aligning the sextant to some bright stars,

Midnight looked never so impressive yet far.

I let one sight down the telescope, 

opening vast ocean deluded with hope.

Over the calm surfaces of waves,

wreckage lays.

The lapidary expert builds graves 

to a head of clay.

Was that expected? Yes, it is. 

But no? All are not inside the expectation. 

Sorry, which I cannot yet understand.

And so, I should know with no doubts in heart. 


Let's try an analogy, 

The alumina itself is worthless, 

but doped with chromium,

and selectively cut,

it will shine with much brilliance.

Note, it is starting with alumina.

The artisan has replete methods,

but the transformation tries one by one,

finding land in the midst of sea?

Just that, if I say "Aye Aye."

Expectation is certainly wider than the span of this ocean,

but there is only one ship, one captain, and one sailor.

I will not yield to the incoming storm, 

"Through it, I say," mind obdurate.

If tides shall nest my home, let it settle.

Choice is one, the one that is made. 

Tightening the mast, 

and waiting for the silver to again spread across the sea.

11/27/2010

Older posts are being slowly placed in their respective categories. I hope this change will make the readings more uniform. The "Word" section in particular is being updated till mid of 2008. There is still quite a bit way to go, but the progress is encouraging.

On the other hand, I have re-discovered one of the first pieces I wrote under the "the Prince of Ednia" section. It was an entry I forgot almost completed about the background of the guardian, titled appropriately as "the Guardian." So a lot of memories flew back, which made me quite pleased. I was fond of the little piece, although the backdrop of "the Prince of Ednia" needs to expand a lot further. Otherwise, in the current "Perspective" series, I will have one perspective from Sharron and one from Kathy. However, one or two other perspectives are currently planned to proceed before the main characters of this short series. One will probably be Kaen, and another might be Sharmila/Karen (mother to Sharmila, Sharron, and Sharfenn; wife to Sharkra). On that note, I need to come up with more creative names not starting with S or K.

Hopefully I will be able to convey most of the character relationship from the tournament arc and move onto something else. How is everything going to be tied together? I have no clues at this point.

Well, graduate school has been keeping me busy so I don't know how much time I will have on hand to continue writing the section. I have been skipping transfer all the personal updates from the previous blog. Well, it was a bit embarrassing when I read an entry in the time of procrastination before my organic chemistry final. Since I did well in the class, I don't think there is any holding up. I wonder why I shied away from those entries. As said before, Ednia will be an on-going project, so I am eager to see what will come out of it in the end.

Anyways, I have been talking to a friend who had a "crush" on Parsee from Subterranean Animism (he liked the character setting, simply put), and I responded by posting an image of Hina from Mountain of Faith. Well, ribbons can do more than what you think. On the topic of Touhou, I still has not been able to beat PCB without a continue, nor just Kanoko under practice mode (I had three continues just against her), nor passing stage 2 of UFO (being very careless to item auto-collect on Kogasa's spell card). So I will be putting Touhou aside here and there, since practicing doesn't seem to have an effect on the level of instant stupidity (Oh a bullet, I guess I can run into it).

So Black Friday has been kind to me or just tempting enough that I have brought a television on Amazon. It will be good to pick up where I was in Person 3 FES, or just hacking around in .Hack//GU vol 3. The problem will be time, which makes me always envy Sakuya's Lunar Dial.

Well, I have to get some progress on my project. So I probably will not have a lot of time for this place. But eventually.

Here is some service before I take off. I want to post the delicious Hina image, but I don't think this blog will be at the safe level I was going for then. So something cool instead.

Good luck.

The End of the Live Spaces

A long, long time ago, my blog lived in Windows Live Space. It was a secret garden of thoughts and stories, where photos and pictures thrived. The Halo 3 theme was my favorite especially, which made everything uniform and mysterious at the same time.

But, it is no longer the home where thoughts belong. I know that one day, it will perish in the waves of innovation and popularity. My wish was in a state of ambivalence:  though I wish it will prosper, it shall remain hidden.

So, what has been done is done. Migration to Wordpress. The original twilight has lost its brilliance; all it left is an hollowed shadow.

As this serves as the face of the moon, the duty of the sun will be thus passed down. Deference to irresistible fate, I shall raise my flag again. In the storm wind of a constantly changing world, my voice shall remain as it is.

Faith to the new-found land.

Match with Kathy, Perspective Part II & III, Epillion Rimond and Sharfenn Miles

"So what is your bet, Sharfenn? I am in a difficult position here, one side she is my adorable little cousin, and the other side is my best friend’s brother." 

(You know well yourself that is a rhetorical question. House Ahnmes has its reputation on the line. Sharron has little hope.)

"Ohh? That is rather cold of you to your own brother."

(It is a matter of pre-destined decision. Sharron himself knows well that his victory will bring House Miles to a difficult position. Plus, from the early rounds, he is quite a bit margin away from Kathy. I doubt he will last fifteen minutes.)

"Would that not be a shame for the Miles? The second prince gets blown away against the lady from Ahnmes. Although I see your father would not mind such … let’s call sacrifice … to please his enemy, the patriarch of Ahnmes might be pleased to see his granddaughter taking the Soren Cup."

(No, Epillion. On the contrary, Kathy’s victory could only make the the patriarch more obstinate. I will hardly call it pleasing the enemy, though it will likely proceed as such.)

“Why do you believe so? I see much potential in your brother, even though his techniques are far from refined. He definitely has the brain to turn the tide.”

(You think so? From a pure range viewpoint, he has to get close for his sabers to be effective. The style from Ahnmes will punish him severely if he does make a mistake in charging too soon. However, Kathy has been keeping distance in the previous matches. I doubt she will go all-out offense to leave any openings. Actually, I am curious. How would you go against Kathy, Epillion?)

“Mid size halberd can bash, stab, and slice. She is fairly skilled making use of her body as the pivot points to seal any attack angles. Even though she does not hit often, the blows come crushing down. I would keep my distance and face her with some type of ranged weapon. Shields will be rather difficult since her style focuses on mobility of the staff and the spear. Buckler and long sword would be my pick at close range.”

(She does hit hard for the few offense stances, huh…)

“Those are no girly hits. Her second opponent went out cold in eighteen moves.”

(Oh? I thought you were flirting with the juniors, quite observant while keeping the ladies entertained.)

“You know, she is quite a beauty that I cannot pass on. Though watching afar is fine, any closer association will be rather intimidating. Kathy is quite the icy type, just in case you get to know her better.”

(I doubt the Ahnmes patriarch will submit so lower for an alliance, but I will keep that in mind.)

The bell was struck twice, signaling the beginning of the next round. Two figures entered the center of the arena slowly and shook hands. The girl armed with halberd proceeded to the eastern side, slinging the blade across her back calmly. The boy seemed tense and stern, quietly with each hand on hilts.

“Well, well, so I hope your brother will put on an interesting match, but drawing stance of twin sabers against a halberdier is asking for a beating.”

(He never stroke first in the previous matches. He calls it a lack of motivation. I call it stupidity.)

The signaling bell was struck again, but no one moved for fifteen seconds. Then the halberdier started to build up momentum of her swings and approached the western corner slowly.

“Ah~ah, he just lost the golden opportunity to win the match. Standing still is truly foolish. Look at the smirk on the old man’s face, and I couldn’t agree more with you now. Your brother doesn’t stand a chance.”

(Haha, not quite, Epillion. I didn’t expect him to stand still. This matching might get a bit more interesting.)

“Is it? He must be suicidal to react for a counterattack, or is he provoking her to go all-out?”

(That would be my wishful thinking, but Cathy will go all-out.)

“And he is then going to counter, pretty bold move.”

(Nah, Epillion, you are giving him too much credit. Because at the moment, he…)

Clash, and dust, and crescent light waves of halberd radiated from the center of the battlefield

(just doesn’t have a plan about what to do, and seeing our Lady Silverstone going all-out on a clueless opponent, … )

The boy dashed out from the cloud of dust, one hand drawn while the other still on the hilt of his other saber. He gained some distance, caught his breath, and managed to take a stand. Of course, his opponent seemed to have given him quite a beating, with his left shoulder guard gone and a large portion of his left leather forearm guard shaved off.

(That is interesting.)

Slowly, the halberdier strolled out of the dust cloud as if the last few minutes have not even existed. She paced herself like descending angel of vengeance.

(I have a lot of work to do in the near future, Ah~Ah.)

The boy readied himself against the charging fury, and

he managed to dodge the first few swings, but was eventually caught and blown backwards, like a miss-fired cannon shell.

Match with Kathy, Perspective Part I, Claudio Ahnmes

To think that incompetent affiliate of House Miles has made so far into the quarterfinals, maybe I have underestimate his ability. I have to admit that these Miles do have some talents. Sharkra Miles, though you rise to the rank of Chancellor, the more vehement you push for reforms, the greater it will be for your house’s downfall. But to think that my own son would befriend that wicked bookworm and betrayed by his own foolishness, ahhh, I will live to see the day of your ruin, your filthy commoners!

But Karel, too young … you didn’t even have a chance to see your daughter’s graduation

We should have had a few more cups if I knew it would end like this.

(The halberdier closed in and connected a flashy but powerful combo which knocked the boy backwards, barely maintaining his balance to roll away from the next strike.)

Eagle’s Sweep, very nicely executed, Kathy.

Just seeing that Miles brat being pushed like a fly on swatter makes me quite pleased.

Kathy will for certain bring her indignation into judgments, and I doubt that Miles brat stand a chance in this match. Let’s see, oho, there they are. Tchk, I would love to watch their disappointment but seems like the head of the house is absent. Only women of the house, ha, they sure have no confidence in that little guy, do they?

Although there is the heir on the other side, whom I have to say is quite a genius. It will benefit me greatly if I can recruit him to our side. Those useless branch families, they still call themselves Anmes? Not a single successor came into the league with a wrenched Miles—all those fools only think about wines, games, and women. I would not give up the lines of Anmes to the dirty Miles, but maybe in the end, Kathy, or her sister, can be the only piece reviving the household.

Well, well, my granddaughter is surely making that brat sweat. She has grown so much. I remembered the time when she could barely hold up the halberd, but look at that stance, the power of domination. Kathy, you have done well for the House Ahnmes. If Karel has only left a son or that you are not a woman, the head of the house will not be a decayed old man like me. Still, I am proud of you, who will lead the house that I have managed for so long.

Yeah, yes, just like that, crush him like tidal waves of the coming storms, continuous and unwavering offense. Bring him despair with range and strength, and choke him to his knees by denying him any slight chances of counterattack.

(The boy dual wielding slim sabers was sent flying with an upper swipe and dropped face down like a rock hitting a bottom of a dried well.)

That is the end for that Miles brat. There is nothing more worth watching, and I shall attend to other more important matters.Well done, Kathy. It is rather a shame that I cannot witness the dismay on their faces. HA!

(And the crowd gasped, as the body on the ground magically jumped to a lightning fast counterattack. So aggressive in intensity as if there was a different person. The halberdier was surprised by the sudden charge and forced to fight in her disadvantageous range.)

Oho? The tide has turned. Impossible.

(The boy dropped his sabers and he disarmed his opponent, but as he reached for a strike, he suddenly stopped. In that moment, he was blocked and knocked back with an elbow blow to his chest. The halberdier picked up her weapon and forced a surrender.)

Maybe I have underestimated the Miles…

Ha, right.

Link to the original post: here

Perfect Cherry Blossom

When snows still seethe
after the vernal equinox,
To the maiden's dismay
first petal of spring
comes not from the shrine of flower viewing,
but far far into the heaven.

Of duty and annoyance,
the red white sets aside her tea and broom;
Of desire and adventure,
the black white takes up her hat and broom;

And one more,
maiden of the scarlet nights,

follows her master's bidding.

First comes the lingering winter,
the coldness too spirited to sleep.
Then shows the straying cat,
the bristling confusion against intrusion.

The rainbow colored puppeteer
jubilantly exhibits her masquerade of dolls;
The trumpet, violin, and keyboard
trio symphony that invites into the netherworld.

Alas, the culprit of the lost spring,
the gardener gathering the essence of warmth,
the treachery of a ghost, or the love of a human?
one ancient sword of faith
amid thousands of falling blossoms
to guard the princess,
who gives a toying answer,
let me show this spring
to whom resting under the blossom
of that one
refusing the flowing time.

Through dances of death's invitation,
wings guiding to the next realm,
Over the border of life,
she rises and she rests.
All the spring,
for the few seconds of blossom.
The truth sounds disheartening,
The ultimate truth even more so,
yet and yet,
the friendship that has transcended
the boundary of life and death,
the courage that has sealed
the darkness and its resurrection.

To the end,
though the cherry blossom was not perfect
it was far more splendid
than anything he has ever seen.

Images from Variant Youyoumu from FLIPFLOPs and Two by this Side, Three by the Other Side from Personal Color. See original post here