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OMG
She is still alive and pecking away at the keys. I don't know if she finished her other project and got back to we poor fans, or if she dug one out of the file to placate us while she is still busy with paying projects and real life. Either way, I'm gonna kick back and try to enjoy this one. Good to hear from you.
just finished reading the story. WOW! Talk about powerful. I don't know who to feel sorry for, or who to be angry at. The action never slows down and you don't know when to grab a breath, until the end.
Peck-Peck-Peck Yes, the
Peck-Peck-Peck
Yes, the lines are not so simple to ascertain in this story. It's just a big FUBAR by the end. ;)
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Oh Lilith, as to FUBAR...
Hi Lilith,
If memory serves me the character FUBAR - in the Whateley universe - lives in a pit in the sub-basement of Hawthorne Cottage.
with love,
Hope
with love,
HER
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
Is nothing sacred?! A
Is nothing sacred?! A perfectly good acronym gone. Sigh. AHA! Now I know who can come save her! It's just a big FUBAR in the end.
See, everything happens for a reason. ;)
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
FUBAR comes by his name quite honestly
Hey Lilith,
For more info you should read the first couple of combined-author stories of the Whateley universe about the beginnings of Team Kimba. Their first detention in Hawthorne Cottage introduces FUBAR.(I'm pretty sure that those stories are the origin of the character FUBAR. The acronym is MUCH older though, an old US military acronym if I'm not too mistaken - the US military is abolutely GAGA about/for acronyms.)
with love,
Hope
with love,
HER
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
F.U.B.A.R.
Fouled Up Beyond Any Repair/recovery
Enjoyed the story and hope to see more soon. The hair puns where running rampant in my head earlier but finally plucked them all out...
Huggles,
Winnie
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?id=12...
Huggles,
Winnie
Close... but no cigar!
Fubar is not quite that.... polite? As a former USArmy SGT, I am familiar with this statment.... I PO'ed quite a bit of the brass, But as I ran the communications dept at the time, and they needed me more than I needed them?... They just were not happy campers, as I had a brown BDU Tee with that written right acrossed the front of it in big black letters.... I thought it fit me quite well at the time! :-)
Language - particularly swear words
Hi All,
I've thought this a few times and it just now struck me again that we English speakers (Especially USA english speakers) are REALLY idiotic. We use as swear words; nouns, adjectives and verbs that have to do with the most beautiful and satisfyingly fulfilling act there is, namely the expression of physical love, whether between two (or more)people or practiced in solitary homage to one's ideal.
I propose, from this day on, we use as swear words the names of our most disgusting politicians. i.e. "This George W. Bushy pencil doesn't write worth a Ronald Reagan!" or for Canadians; "You can shove that Brian Mulronyish Ford Explorer right up your Steven Harper!"
In this way we would not profane one of our most sublime acts of pleasure, but aim our displeasure at not only the primary focus, but at George Bushish politicians, simulatiously.
Just a thought.
with love,
Hope
with love,
HER
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
Please no, politics. I don't
Please no, politics. I don't want my comments turned off. Thanks! :)
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
YAY!
Welcome back! I'm glad to see you left the door open for further chronicles of Braith and Sangria...
Plenty of room. There's lots
Plenty of room. There's lots that hasn't been said. Sangria's background most of all(We still don't know what the heck she is)
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Roomies!
now, Sara is about the safest person for a roomate for this one... remember, space is limited, and only few get solo bunk space. Now, Sara being a love... Humm... she could well introduce this new girl into the joys of sex as a girl!?
Once marked By Sara... nature ver. nurture... stand boy in front of her... Sara does lust boost... palvo-dog-treatment! Fix her right up?
Now, also consider, one bit of that hair gets near her... gets turned to dust, good way to umm... disapline, err dis-spline it?
They do share the fact that when woken as mutants, they took a few lives in the process... Sara didn't get the mutant-hunt-thing... And, as the gov bitch drew first? got hands/mind tricks slapped-down HARD... went crying to mommy...
Sounds like bringing a social worker was ass-cover for the two who attacked her. Umm... she kinda-shoulda left that one still standing though? ( see, I'm not blood thirsty, just protecting my ass here? ) The return was to take her out, when all she did was make her mentor pee herself!? She hadn't hurt anyone... umm.. yet? evil smile..
cooler heads need to be in the loop... she's a good canidate for opposing the evil forces building to attack Whatley, I should think... or would that be a tainted blood issue?
too many questions NEED ANSWERS!! GARRR!
PS... I haven't added chapters to my current ones, as I've been mired in whole new story... and it's not chapterized, my muse does as it pleases, I have no control over it, sorry! ;-)
Definitely an interesting
Definitely an interesting twist on the Whateleyverse. Can't say that I like the very end 'feeding', however. That implies that he's not just a killer, but now a murderer. They'd hunt him/her anyway, for the deaths of the first two, but whacking her takes it up a level.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
I had a feeling not everyone
I had a feeling not everyone would be pleased with the end. Very unsatisfying from a lot of angles, but then again it was a anti-hero/villain story. There was a third person that died before Tammy did. But Braith was wrapped up in Sangria at the time, so you didn't get to see the social-worker-puree made of him.
Lets say, for argument's sake, that something were to happen where Braith and Sangria wound up at Whateley, in Poe (which I already have a storyline in my head that could go that direction.) Then all of the sudden... Hmmm, a murderer in Poe. Hmm. Who would be her roomie? Would she be in Team Kimba? I kind of see her as not wanting to be involved at first. What would Chou Lee's Tao have to say with having her under the same roof?
Then again she may just wind up keeping the wildlife in the Kentucky mountain range in check.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Sorry
Braith wouldn't be in Poe, Lilith. Mrs. Carson would take a look at Sangria, and know she's lethal, so they'd be in I believe it's Hawthorne, the cottage Carson tried to put Wraith in -- the one for the most dangerous students.
Perhaps. I haven't seen Mrs.
Perhaps. I haven't seen Mrs. Carson's powers explained. Is she psychic or something that she can tell? Because there are a number of VERY lethal people in Poe at the moment. Something about someone's blood having anti-matter in it, another that carries a sword around, etc. Can she tell if someone is a murderer? If so then Chou is in deep crap.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Which cottage for which student?
First, let me tell you that I greatly enjoyed this story. A bit darker than Whateley canon, but I like it that way.
Now, to the cottages:
Students are usually assigned to cottages according to gender and appearance (serious GSD cases are "hidden" in cottages deeper in the school area). Special cases are
1) Poe, the cottage for the cases with complicated sexuality. Including those who got a gender change from their mutation. Happens to be the home of Team Kimba, so it gets a large amount of attention in the stories. If no one knew about the massacre, that's where Braith/Sapphire would end up.
2) Hawthorne, the cottage for students who have uncontrolled, dangerous powers or need special life support. It is, however, not meant to be a prison. Attempted murder gets you handed over to the MCO. For precedent, see Ayla 7 where the guys who rigged the sims end up in MCO cells.
Edit:
If the officially verdict was that Braith/Sapphire acted in self defense, she might still end up at Whateley. Probably Hawthorne.
Hawthorne is for the people
Hawthorne is for the people that can't control their powers and/or pose a significant danger to others, etc. If Braith were to be "innocent" she'd be no more dangerous than a large number of students there. I can't see placing her there simply because she 'might' be dangerous.
Contrary to what some people have assumed, it has not been proven that Sangria is "Evil". She has only acted aggressively toward those that are threatening her host. Even Tammy was a threat at the end. Just because she has gross dietary habits doesn't make her evil... poor Sangria. (sniff) She's so misunderstood. ;)
Is there a reason she can't go to Whitman? I'll have to read up some more and see.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
And that...
...is what pushes this story, in my opinion, over the line into tragedy. Sangria has appeared so far not to be evil re the perspective of a wider social morality (or, at least, not too evil), just amoral. Sangria's focus, so far, has been on preservation of and further integration with her host, and while there are hints and implications of something darker, they haven't been as fully established as people have made them out to be. Maybe in future stories... *looks hopeful*
Thanks, Lili! This was a wonderful, ugly, beautiful, sad, scary story. Braith is a wonderful anti-hero, and gets an interesting anti-happy anti-ending. ^__^ Very well done.
-Liz
-Liz
Successor to the LToC
Not GLaDOS
Housing shortage
You have to remember there is a shortage of available room in Poe, at least on the freshman level (Freshman not necessarily the grade they are in), so it would likely be one of the cottages. As she isn't necessarily a threat to herself or other, it is unlikely she would be in Hawthorn (the cottage FUBAR resides in, in a pool in the basement). I would also think that Carson would recognized Sangria as she has been to the school before, so she would be aware of her needs and limitations.
Huggles,
Winnie
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?id=12...
Huggles,
Winnie
From what I've read, there
From what I've read, there is a canon discrepancy on this point. One says 60% full (this is probably the entire cottage) the other says that it's pushing its limits already. For as big as this universe is, I'm kind of surprised that there aren't more discrepancies with so many canon writers. They've kept it pretty darn tight. Kudos to them.
I've also read somewhere that Whitman is for the brainy girls, and confirmed that there are a boat load of gender changed students all over the place. So, I've narrowed it down between the two (Poe and Whitman) if she goes there at all, that is.
I'll have to check and see exactly who was there (staff wise) at the time, before committing on who knows whom. I can't assume that all the staff has been there from the beginning, but don't know if their resumes are in any of the stories. Again, more reading must be done.
Regardless, there's bound to be records of some type, so they'll know her.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Room availability
It was mentioned in one of the Ayla stories that there are rooms available in Poe, but everyone keeps quiet about them.
After all, if the wider campus knew there were spare rooms available in Poe, it could compromise the cottage's secret (although it is the LGBT cottage, to protect the occupants it is heavily guarded by wards, and there's an official rumour it's for the headcases)
As for new students, they like to keep to the two students per room rule, which means that singles are only allocated if the new student cannot be housed elsewhere.
Ayla got away with a single for several weeks because Chou was expected at the start of term, but due to her unconventional travel methods, arrived late. Sara was given the Lovecraft Room (a single, with extra warding, in the basement) due to special circumstances (when she first arrived, she was sensitive to light. Since Halloween, the room itself has been discovered to be sentient and located in a different dimension - hence the door sometimes appears in Poe, sometimes in Hawthorne, and has even appeared in the tunnel between the two).
Changelings can be found in cottages other than Poe - Sandra (Diamondback) over in Whitman is a prime example - and has GSD to boot.
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Sangria.
I wonder about how many of her hosts were considered bad guys (girls). This one has no compunctions about protecting her host by any means required. Hopefully there will be more of this one and some answers to a few questions raised in this story so far.
Well...
Seeing how devoted Sangria is keeping her hosts in one piece and the blood thing I would hazard a guess that she wouldn't be a hero! Someone was asking what if Sarah had a roomie. Here's a candidate!
Hugs!
Grover
Isn't there someone who eats
Isn't there someone who eats live animals at Whateley, in Poe. I thought I read that somewhere. The blood wouldn't be an issue, unless Sangria had to have a late night snack... and Sarah was looking tasty... who's Sarah.. God I have a boatload of reading to do if she winds up at the Academy.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Sara
Sara is the entity who eats the life force of other creatures. She is a young GOO. Like her dad, Gothmog, she is a lust demon. Some cultists worship her as the Kellith. Sara is blood sister to Fey, an extremely powerful Sidhe Mage.
While obviously powerful, Sangria would have a snowball's chance in Hell against Sara.
G/R
More white chicks?!
Hold on (checking the Whateley Wiki)... Sara has Alabaster White skin and Blood red hair. (facapalm) Well, Braith is whiter... They could be sisters. (groan) (Sara has tentacles and Braith has tentacle-like hair, okay maybe half sisters... distant cousins... passing acquaintances?) I obviously need to go read more. OH! I've already inadvertently set this up! When Tammy told Braith that there would be others like her at school. Am I psychic or what!!?!
Can you just see that scene? Them meeting, I mean. Ah, good times.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Convergent Evolution
Lili,
Very different origins, a GOO and an avatar + spirit, that lead to highly similar appearances and behaviors.
G/R
Good question.... and also
Good question.... and also one I can't answer. ;) There's still lots of different ways to take this. She could be totally evil and bloodthirsty, but why would one of her hosts be teaching at Whateley in the '70's and not cause an uproar? So there would have to be a balance of some type, good, evil, indifferent.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Balance is Chou's schtick
Chou Li is the handmaid of the Tao and is the agent of Balance between good and evil. So if Braith/Sangria is one or the other then something will need to balance her in the scheme of things. If she is both, then she could possibly be her own balance.
Chris in CA
Chris
And that's not even the half of it
So we have an emotionally disturbed kid who just lost his only family that has bonded with a powerful spirit. SHE over reacted but tried to apologize but mentor decide to follow the book instead knowing what was going to happen. Can we say bad call? Sure the MCO can drop a couple of Dropship loads of Power Armor on the mountain but like Johnny Rambo they better bring a lot of body bags. SHE knows the area intimately and the terrain will keep them from massing to overwhelm her with numbers. Oh and I wouldn't count on their armor as being resistant to that hair. Worse, the spirit has several lifetimes of military experience to call on. If the Dragon Slayers were still about this would be a mission for them and one I dare say they would be making very sour faces about.
The next best thing would be a superteam, but after finding out the details I say they wouldn't be happy either. Sure let's push someone who has been though what she has against the wall and see what happens. It also occurs to me that no one searched out Sangria's history or they would know not to push her in the middle of integration. Another note about Morphine. While she might be able to work with new mutants, she was completely clueless about someone dealing with the tragic loss of their family.
Wow! Lilith you have my attention with this one!
Hugs!
Grover
(facepalm) I had to create a
(facepalm) I had to create a character that is the mutant equivalent of Rambo. Can't you just see Braith and Sangria camouflaged in mud sticking to the side of the mountain and here sneaks a Power Suit guy.
Braith screams out the window of his chopper and half of Vietnam falls down and dies. Hold on getting in the chopper might be problematic with all of that hair flapping about.
I'm kidding. You are exactly right though. She would rule the mountain for a while.
Morphine was a bureaucrat deep down. All bureaucrats dies horrible deaths in my stories... along with the politicians as well. I'm glad you noticed that nobody looked Sangria up. That would make a fine beginning to a second story. I'm sure she might of had friends that are still around the Academy, maybe? A certain head of security that maybe had an affair with the previous host, maybe? That would be telling.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Morphine
Morphine was a bureaucrat deep down. All bureaucrats dies horrible deaths in my stories...
Where have you been all of my life???? ;-)
Love the story.
Thanks sweetie! ~Lili Blog:
Thanks sweetie!
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
I hated being a bureaucrat.
I wanted to be a car mechanic when I was in high school. Ended up as an electronics technician in the Air Farce, er, Force. Worked in factories as a tech for awhile and ended up the last 25 years of my working career as a government bureaucrat. But I'm retired, can I live please? Maybe I could have an origin or late life mutation and become a anti-bureaucrat?
Chris in CA
Chris
Clever mix of humor, sarcasim, mind/body posession & vampirism?
Hum, this one has my Whateley gears a-spinning.
Avatars are not uncommon at Whateley what with Maggie's own Fey, all those Greek gods avatars like Feral, and The Champion Force not to mention fan fic and Itinerant's Ma'at with Dani the chosen representative of the great Egyptian goddess of order.
I suspect Sangria is not a nice character or is at best amoral. For one she keeps calling him, well her now, her *love* or whatever and that they don't need anyone else. It's like she's trying to seduce her host. Note she said her host can near always recover from an injury UNLESS she chooses not to. Given that Whateley goes back to aprox 1969 and Sangria seemed to admit she'd been at Whateley at least twice, her hosts don't seem to live very long. Mind you an early Whateley story said most mutants had a life expectancy of only thirty until recently, thus the need for Whateley.
Does Sangria trick/manipulate her host into becoming like a vampire, note she seems to have little appetite but Sangria sure pigged out on wildlife and the hit squad. Did her previous hosts get captured or injured so severely Sangria bailed on them? Did they commit suicide to rid themselves of Sangria and her isolating and murderous ways? Letting Sangria desiccate Morphine, which I assume is what will happen, is a BIG mistake. Sangria has manipulated her host into trusting no one, note she was already a person with few friends beforehand. Seems she was the *perfect* host, easy to isolate and manipulate. Also note when Morphine mentioned some Avatars can hold multiple sprits Sangria said she did not share?
How much is truth and how much is lies/half truths Sangria is feeding her host?
Maybe I am wrong but Sangria seems predatory and a domina.
Poor child.
Great tale.
John in Wauwatosa
P.S. Liked your hint in comments that no one bothered to look up Sangria or contact Whateley about her. We know little about her. For all we know she is as much a victim as her hosts. If she is not lieing about fully integrating with her hosts mind, what if one previous host was a psychopath? Think the Trill symbiot on DS9 and the unstable host that stole it and commited murder to do so in it's past. If it is the eventual sum of it and it's host's memories then a evil host would taint it while a good host might get overwhelemed by the bad inflences ... or not. Clever this.
John in Wauwatosa
Regarding Avatars- I've
Regarding Avatars- I've noticed that a lot of Avatars at Whateley are pretty powerful, or their spirits are anyway. I wanted to make one that wasn't so much mystically powerful as she was physically, if that makes sense. There won't be any magic coming from Sangria.
As shown so far, I think amoral describes her the best. She has very few priorities: Protect and nurture her host, and to feed. She could be leading Braith down the path of evil, but there's just not enough to judge by at this point. I do like how you have picked up on all the little clues I've left: Braith's lack of eating, the injury thing, the parallels to vampirism, the lack of knowing how or why her hosts died.
There are answers to all of these questions. But that will have to be answered next time. I still haven't come to a decision as to her moral standing at the moment. I remember reading in the Whateley Forums that there didn't seem to be a true Anti-Hero in the 'verse. I might go that way. Or, I might make her a Villain. I think it might be interesting to have true bad guy amongst those of high moral fiber in Poe.
Then again maybe an Anti-Hero out there taking on the Villains or the MCO when needed would be the ticket.
I guess the main problem I'd have with having her at the Academy would be, what the heck would they teach her? it would be a while before Braith and Sangria can act in concert with each other, but Sangria is way deadly enough on her own, with years, decades, or even centuries of experience (we just don't know... well, I do.) ;)
I'm thinking a serious Achilles heel is needed. Perhaps something that makes her Frizz. that would explain why she's in the mountains! It's the humidity of the coastal areas that she's staying away from. It leaves her frizzy, limp, and lifeless.
Lastly, I like your parallels to DS9. I remember the episodes. I think it's safe to assume that she's come across some not-so-sane people in the past.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
what would they teach her at Whately?
That's easy. They'd teach her how to live with a powerful symbiont in her head, without going completely nuts.
If she doesn't get that help, I'm concerned that it would increasingly be the Sangria show, with Braith along for the ride, increasingly unable to assert herself. Sangria's got the experience of many prior lives, and I'm sure would have no problem manipulating 16-year old Braith as required.
Whether the pair become good or bad, I'd think the balance has to be kept. Maybe Braith finds the inner resources to cope on her own, but hey, Braith at Whately would make a great story :)
I could easily see somebody finally doing their homework on Sangria and realizing Braith is just a victim. Certainly, up until the death of Morphine, it could be argued the pair had been acting in self-defense.
Also, I suspect it will be very hard to be an interesting villain (or hero) if you leave them huddled alone in a backwoods Kentucky mountain cave :)
Avatars learn to deal with
Avatars learn to deal with their spirit. Fair enough.
It's real easy to be a Anti-Hero in the mountains. That's where some of the American Folk Heroes came from. Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, to name a couple. It's all in the way you present the conflict. I've learned early on not to discount ideas that sound invariably stupid at first.
Editor: They sparkle?
Stephine Meyer: Yeah, is that cool or what?
Editor: No, it's not cool. It's stupid.
Stephine Meyer: Really?
Editor: Really. Emo vampires that sparkle? Who would read that?
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Achilles Heel?
There are many possible, and you have already made a groundwork for one of them. Foreign substances. It is a plot point in many vampire tales that by drinking from a contaminated source (drunkard, drug user...) the vampire becomes contaminated.
I also wonder - indeed it is not known how Sangria's former hosts died, but if they commited suicide she was unable to stop them. Perhaps ultimately Sangria has only as much true power over host as they are willing to give her. After all, Sangria does follow mental commands from Braith. That slap on the Morphine's cheek was all Braith. I gather she may act 'on assumptions' but can't directly oppose the host.
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
For future plot revelations
For future plot revelations I cannot comment on the above. But you aren't too far off. ;)
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
You're a very shrewd mammal.
Please note, that the non-answer our highly esteemed authoress has given can relate to either one or to both musings in my own comment. And, since 'for future plot revelations' she 'cannot comment on the above'... ^_~
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
I cannot confirm or deny any
I cannot confirm or deny any statements on this topic. But I can say, "Go musings!"
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
An Achilles heel?
I thought you'd already given away her weakness:
"You must wear your eye protection, my love, all of the time."
If a Regen-3 gets continual pain from sunlight, then it's got to be a weakness of some form. Ok, it hurts Braith's eyes, but how does it affect Sangria? Does sunlight weaken her directly, or only indirectly, like maybe causing her to go through blood faster? Did previous hosts eject her by lying out in the sun, starving her until she released her hold on them?
Too many options! I can't wait to see how it turns out.
Ooooh, I agree, a Regen 3 but sun sesntive eyes?
Sounds like Sangria has some of the legendary weaknesses of a vampire.
I wonder, did any of her prior hosts survive casting her off ... is it enevitably fatal? The key I suspect is to do it soon before the minds are too interconected. That and don't let your body get too dependent on Sangria's blood sucking for food. May be if you deny her the time to hunt and spend a lot of time under strong lights and the sun the host might wield more influence. But how do you keep Sangria from listening in? For that matter what is she, a space allien? Anchient Earth creature? A cursed former mutant? What? And can Sangria be influenced to be more moral and not the intellgent amoral *animal* she seems to be so far.
Sangria is rational, very intellegent. There must be a way to convince her to take a less bloodthirsty path through life. If only she can be convinced a less ruthless life would be ultimately better for her and her host(s). And why did she say her avatar hosts only host her, they don't share? Is that a way to get free from her, find another spirit to kick Sangria out?
If she gets to Whateley, either Hawthorn as a potential ultraviolent or Poe's basement with Sara and Hippolita and other ultra powerful genderchangers.
I still say letting Sangria kill Morphine is a BIG mistake. Then does Sangria always kill her prey or can she stop part way as a warning? Morphine was stupid but I believe her when she said she didn't mean to hurt her, just reported Sangria and her hosts dangerous actions.
Hum, in consuming/killing or partially kiling an intelegent creature, IE a hunan mutant can Sangria pick up any new knowledge or powers? Or are they just food?
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
I have to agree
This eye sensitivity is not a usual trait, but it can be explained by eyes inherently geared for low vision situations. For example, I have read one of the more recent Pern stories where the sight of the watch-whers is described as mostly in the infrared spectrum, and the sunlight is very painful to them. And don't forget, Regens are not unaffected, it's that they recover quicklier and more completely.
Convincing Sangria? I think it is very much possible, even if it may require an object lesson. Sangria attempts to make its host self-sufficient, relying only on oneself and (mostly) Sangria. One of the more convincing ways is to disable Sangria's powers for a duration, another is to simultaneously spike the blood intake requirements. Or (more vile one) make the latter so that Sangria is forced in one of two extremes - complete passiveness or continual bloodfrenzy.
While we know very little about Sangria, her intense desire to rely only on oneself may be dictated by being burned more than once.
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Nothing against Twilight, but...
I'm not saying that any of this would work or anything, but being out in the wilderness kind of guarantees Sangria with an pretty wide supply of untainted food in the wildlife. So unless the MCO wanted to poison all of the creatures in the area...
But I do think that you have the right idea about Regen 3's They just heal quicker, it doesn't mean they are harder to injure. And just because there has been so much talk about it and I have received a lot of emails overnight, I'll steer you away from the undead vampire thing. Braith is quite alive, and not a vampire with Sangria in lue of pointy teeth.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Again ...
Well, Lilith, you've done it again. You've started something extra ordinary, and you've left us all hanging on, desperate for your next chapter. So, what will it cost me to have any one of the four or five stories you've got me hooked on actually progress to a finish? The Center? Ares Bane? What Transpires at Night? Um ... name a price; I'll see if I can find a way to pay it.
Seriously, thanks for the entertainment, and I'm glad to see that you're not dead (or undead).
See the blog for progress
See the blog for progress updates on future chapters of ongoing stories. Link below.
I'm glad I'm not dead too. Thanks! Undead might not be so bad depending on the method.
Now, as to prices... I'm always up for some freshly baked bread or maybe a new outfit. My fuzzy pink rabbit slippers are looking a little worn. ;)
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Unfinished symphonies
Hi Lilith,
I too have been very saddened by the number of unfinished works of art you have shown us. If freshly baked bread will do the trick, I'm afraid you would need to visit me here in Winnipeg. I LOVE to bake bread but sending it to you would firstly require your address and secondly some form of "Star Trek" matter transporter, otherwise it couldn't possibly be freshly baked any more.(Though I do have a bread maker - I prefer to do it all by hand - I like to experiment and the machine is WAY too fussy about proportions to allow experimentation.)
Thanks for this and all your other works.
with love,
Hope
with love,
HER
Once in a while I bare my soul, more often my soles bear me.
And yet I've written so many
And yet I've written so many finished stories as well, that nobody ever mentions. However, it's a 'what have you done for me lately' world, so I shouldn't take this personally. As to the bread... I heard that there was a transporter being made in Europe somewhere. Maybe they'll let me use it. I have some fresh local honey that I can bring along, nothing better. Sigh.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Nightmares
Well, that's an interesting story, but I must admit you almost gave me nightmares, or something very difficult to try to sleep on. I didn't expect the last action, and you have certainly surprised me here, but I'd still rather I didn't read this part. It kind of makes me sick. How can Braith can let her hair do that to someone who helped her?
Sure, she perhaps was a bureaucrat, but last time I checked, that wasn't a crime, or even immoral. I'd say this is a plot of Sangria to cut Braith from any external help, and be her sole companion, and the only person to influence her.
Please, next time you tell us about Braith and Sangria, give us good news.
Mildred
Sorry about the nightmares.
Sorry about the nightmares. I thought of putting a violence tag on the story, but declined in lue of a PG-15 rating. If I had gone into more detail about the bodies or blood I would have included it.
Bureaucrat=immoral it's the way things are. At least in my head. The same with politicians. I'm sure there are exceptions, but they would be the exception and not the rule. Did Tammy deserved to be sucked dry for the role she played in the end? Probably not, but then it wouldn't have as dramatic or horrifying either.
Good news in the future? Maybe.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
I'm not sure...
...that bureaucrat = immoral is quite the way things are. It seems to be more of a case of bureaucrat = amoral, becoming more and more so the longer they are in their position, the more their schema of morality deviates and isolates from a perspective shared by the rest of their community, and comes to focus on the needs and maintenance of that position. To be immoral, one must violate a moral framework while sharing or existing within it. Thus, a tiger that kills and consumes a human is not immoral, despite the moral value that killing and eating humans is wrong, as the tiger is not communicant to that value. Rather, the tiger is amoral, at least from the perspective of the community of humans which holds that value, as the tiger exists within its own framework of morality (primarily "eat, mate, avoid being damaged"). Likewise the bureaucrat. As I say, the longer they remain in a post, any post, the more their moral framework accommodates thereto, and deviates from that of the community from which they have become isolated.
In short, bureaucrats aren't inherently evil, just man-eating tiger dangerously amoral. :-P
-Liz, who's half joking, though the definitions are mostly valid. A lot of her friends are bureaucrats of some form or another.
-Liz
Successor to the LToC
Not GLaDOS
In short, bureaucrats aren't inherently evil
Having been one for the greater part of 25 years, I feel that it's not the front line bureaucrat who is immoral, it's the ones who make the rules we are obliged to follow that are the true evil of the system. I am just so glad that I don't have to make people follow STUPID RULES any more. I had to feed my family and pay my bills. If that makes me evil then evil I am.
Chris in CA
Chris
In short, bureaucrats aren't inherently evil
Sorry duplicate post.
Chris
An obsrevation
If the comments take up no less place than the original story, you are certainly doing it right! ^_^
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Either that or there's a
Either that or there's a flame war going on. LOL.
I've had comments in the past, and experienced the (looking over at the sliding bar and grinning that there is so much story left only to find out that half of it is comments) effect. As long as the story is sufficient length, I don't mind.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Lilith = chocolate
Lilith, I think your stories are akin to chocolate. And I'm not talking about any old chocolate, I'm talking about those bite-sized ones with the whole cherry in the middle and with sugary filling ^_^ Your stories are enjoyable anywhere, anytime, over and over again. And sadly, even upon completion, they leave us asking for more.
I devoured that story...and "devouring" sounds oddly appropriate, given the ending. I guess I kind of got used to how many comments you usually generate, because I steeled myself against the idea that that LYING slider bar would cut off my story anywhere between 75% to 50% of it length. Regretable, but it's a sign that the story's a success. So many plot points to analyze, so much speculation!
I missed you, I hope to see more of your work soon! :-)
-Christelle
"Fun-loving geek-chick looking for someone who doesn't give a damn about her past"
-Christelle
"Fun-loving geek-chick who's addicted to sunlight!"
Thank you, sweetness. While
Thank you, sweetness.
While it is very nice to hear any comment, no matter how small, it is a treat to see how the readers interpret what they've read. There are times when I go, "Well I totally shot that one in the foot. That wasn't what I was trying to say." but thankfully those are getting fewer and farther in-between. And I would not have gotten this far without those comments, either.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Patching Up The Ending
Things got a bit nasty at the end there, not Braith's fault. But, the story isn't over, and the end isn't definitive until you walk away from it.
All that has to happen next to change the ending and direction of the story is that Braith stops Sangria from finishing feeding on the treacherous, just-following-orders Tammy. Besides, Sangria can't be that hungry after having to slurp a few quarts of blood off the floor. A few sips of Tammy, to leave her a bit anemic, okay, but finishing the job, not cool.
If Braith spares her life, the path to negotiation is open again. Besides, it would be nice if someone from the powers-what-be would be around to call off the dogs, and Tammy is Braith's best hope of that. Besides, if you want to write Whateley fanfic, you should stick to the misunderstood hero ethos.
As for Sangria... She's bad news, with a nasty, amoral temperament. Unless Braith gets some strong control over her, she's doomed for a shortish life of villany. Despite Sangria's boasts of power and protection, she somehow managed to lose at least two hosts we know of. Braith needs to subjugate her, something which should be possible now that they're integrated.
Not much seems to harm Sangria, but she did seem a little anxious to keep Braith from grabbing any aspirins. A possible Achilles heel that Braith could use to help her weaken and conquer her parasitic "patron"? Aspirin is a blood-thinner, maybe it's a Sangria-stunner, too.
The next story is planned
The next story is planned out after a small jump forward in time. A couple of weeks or a month where a lot of these questions will be explained.
Is Sangria a parasitic hair demon from hell?
Will aspirin or maybe some ginseng thin out her blood and make her weak? Are energy drinks off the menu?
Are her hosts offing themselves just to get away?
Are carrying tampons even necessary? (sorry, eww)
Will PETA come and put an end to her animal abuse?
What about the Stensons cat?
Is Tammy a dessicated husk laying on Braith's lawn?
Can Sangria even get full after drinking lots-o-blood?
What else can that hair do?
Stay tuned for more hair-raising tales!
(you may now commence with your favorite hair puns or jokes.)
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
The ending
It wouldn't be too difficult to patch the ending so that Tammy doesn't get killed. Braith just said "go ahead and feed", that could also mean fead on the others which had been killed before.
M
Martina
Nice!
I really liked this story. The main character is interesting, and I liked how you depicted how she dealt with her grief and the changes in her life. Sangria is a fascinating character in her own right, and her relationshp with Braith is a marvel of ambivalence.
The ending was a complete surprise, but the sudden violence didn't feel gratuitous thanks to the insight it gave about the main characters' personalities and abilitites.
Sangria Gu Braith
I wonder if the name choice of Braith is deliberate ? It is a silly name, one that no self respecting Hillbilly would give their daughter, let alone their son, and yet it is somewhat apt - I assume it is from the Gaelic word Braith, which rhymes with Bra, although I suspect that here it is said so as to rhyme with Wraith.
This word means Eternity - the phrase Gu Braith means - "To Eternity" or "Eternally".
The social worker's actions were wholly unacceptable - one does not force a recently sex changed person into conforming to gender stereotypes the day after she buries the last living relative - it's unprofessional, nor should she have responded in such a childish and spiteful way to Braith's entirely reasonable reaction - in short I seriously doubt she was what she said she was - I suspect she was a recruiter for a shadow organisation and that once the real social workers and the staff of Whately's get wind of this the poor new girl will get the care and training she needs.
The nature of Monkey is - Irrepressible!!!
The nature of Monkey is - Irrepressible!!!
Sangria: This is Where Everything Goes Wrong
I can't help but think that she'd make an excellent Retcon Hero, or Center student with a bit of revisioning.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine
This is too dark for me.
I told you that I can not take some kinds of stories. She killed her mentor?
You are a really good writer; above this.
Gwendolyn
Above this?
Looking around... where exactly does it say that she was killed?
And writing a dark story does not denote someone's talent in writing. If that were the case then a whole slew of Horror genre authors would be out of a job, not to mention the whole concept of the Anti-Hero would never have been successful. If you don't like something or find things too distasteful, I get that. We all have things that squick us. It's the author that has explored a number of facets of the human condition that I respect. Anyone can pick a single genre and bore us to tears with repetition.
For example: Stephen King. I used to love his books, all the way up until Tommyknockers. Then it just became the same old crap with different character names and slight alterations on the plot. To me, he isn't scary anymore, in the least. I would respect him a lot more if he occasionally went off the grid and wrote something Sci-Fi or Romantic without the slavering two-dimensional ultimate evil in the universe trying to take over a small town in Maine.
So if by creating a character that is a touch amoral I avoid doing this, then a job well done. You'll find an eclectic library within my story list, to the side. Everything from the Submissive shy girl, to the powerful, Dominant superhero; from the fantasy to the stark reality that we face every day. Why can't there be a dark story as well, and why would I be above writing it? I'm a writer, it's what I do.
By the way, yes, Sangria will be a very dark story, Lovecraftian in fact, which you find out about in the fourth story. This is something that Whateley readers found out about long ago. I'm just exploring that aspect more, instead of the school-life.
~Lili
Blog: http://lilithlangtree.tglibrary.com/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lilith_langtree
~Lili
Write the story that you most desperately want to read.
Wal-mart sucks big squirrel penises.
All I could think of when I read that line was that poor Aquerna is going to be so upset... LOL
Chris in CA
Chris