1. The original purpose was to experiment with different characters and builds. As of now, it's officially proven as something undoable. And it doesn't help that I can't multitask like a Singaporean. No choice, my brain isn't born this way.
2. Too many distractions based on the numbers. As a result, I lost count on how long it took me to get Arylos (my main) up to the state of optimal prime.
3. Out of the current 7, only Arylos, Cyrea Durothil, and Myrreas will remain in active mode.
I may have accidentally made Myrreas look a wee bit like Leonardo DiCaprio...
Idealistic Dany, idealistic Rhaegar... not to mention idealistic Cyrea as well.
Oh, I just discovered the actual Khaleesi is shorter than me at 1.57m.
Just don't ask me how I got the info.
It's official right from the beginning, Arylos is inspired by Archer and Emiya Kiritsugu.
Note: Above statement was written a few days ago by my guess.
So what am I going to do here?
I find that it's far better for me to start writing stuff concerning the world of Crucible via an informal manner more than like doing stuff the normal way. At the same time, I'm down with too much gaming and too little writing. Despite my annual resolution to rouse myself from a writer's slumber, I realised I've failed terribly.
Currently, I'm starting the first paragraph of a new chapter. Problem is, progress is stalled for the most obvious reason. On the flip side, however, procrastination has resulted in random inspirations, ideas which are actually implementable. Ironically, I may not end up thinking of using them if procrastination on my side is a myth.
Before I start...
Let me just say that the cynical bastard in me has been proven right once again. In a global culture where political correctness means idiocracy more oft than not, two news articles popped up today. While the first article sounds like a comforting tale of heroes and heroines rescuing a bevy of helpless damsels in distress, I ended up asking myself whether it's a must to have beauty pageants educating people on what real beauty is. By right, this should be the role of education. When you required beauty pageants to educate people on the most simple things, it means your educational culture is a failure. The school has failed all of us, ditto for our fathers, mothers, and grandfathers (plus every ah-ma as well).
As for the second article, this comes to mind something I heard 17 years ago. Namely, my country of Singapore banned Berserk. While I have nothing against the ruling (even unto now), I find it quite surreal that a nation founded upon Puritan values and freedom is now a reflection of a world portrayed below.
Plot twist: Guts is actually a device created by the Idea of Evil in order to test humanity.
So in this post, I'll be talking about...
...the Vánagandr, no less. Originally known as the True Apostles, I decided to do away with the senseless pomp. In fact, I was actually forcing myself to endorse this dumb idea because I was too much of a Nasu fanboy (that plus the term True Ancestors sounds too badass to ignore). If I am to choose between plagiarising Norse mythology and forcing a dumb idea down my own throat, I should have chosen the former far earlier.
When it comes to both the Real McCoy and Original Sanders, Vánagandr refers to the monstrous wolf Fenrir, son of Loki.
Definitely not that one above...
Also known as Fenrisúlfr (Old Norse/Icelandic: "Fenrir's wolf") and Hróðvitnir (Old Norse/Icelandic: "fame-wolf") unless Wikipedia is telling a big fat lie (read: you'll never know whether the ones who do the articles of their choice are liars). Fenrir would sound a tad too mundane, so imagine my joy when I realised it's possible to use Old Norse even though I'm no A-star scholar.
Also, there's a far more logical reason why I chose Vánagandr instead of the other names. The name means "the monster of the river Ván". When googling for river Ván, I came across this interesting article. Mockery and hatred, the two words commonly associated with Aeravor. If you still think my protagonist is a good guy in disguise, you're definitely dumber than you look. If I'm out to create a world where God doesn't exist, you can be very sure it's gloves off and knuckledusters on.
"We're merely wolves with an insatiable hunger, our thirst never slaked."
Above quote may sound awesome to you, but trust me when I say you won't find it anywhere in Google search. Which means if the above quote is awesome, that's because I came up with it. Otherwise, I'll still claim credit for it. When it comes to duty and a pack of wolves, House Stark and Lyanna Stark's bastard come into mind. Thing is, not every wolf is a Stark.
At the same time, I also devised the role of demon hunters for them. While this is not an exclusive role for the Vánagandr (in fact, the concept of demon hunter was originally only for Lars Alterfate), it must be stated that an idea conceived at the eleventh hour plus one does have its own merit. Basically, it gave me something to work on and branch off.
There's a reason why I upped the Witcher 3 trailer here (and no, it has got nothing to do with whether Emhyr var Emreis is related to anybody with the surname Lee). When we talk about witchers, it's not just one Geralt of Rivia. You have Eskel whose looks defied everything the (South) Koreans believe in. Then you have Lambert who is arguably more vulgar than the infamous MTV stunt pulled off years ago. Of course, we also have Vesemir who taught Geralt how to kill Imlerith posthumous.
Okay, enough about fan rambling. Let's get back to topic. Like the witchers, the Vánagandr hunt monsters (or in the world of Crucible, demons). The problem is... well, they're actually much more problematic than the Original Sanders both individually and collectively wise. I'm not going to spoil anything else apart from what is written beyond the canon. The reason why being that as a former Vánagandr, it's only right to expect Aeravor's character somehow tied to this bunch of guano loco hunters of monsters. Interestingly enough, it seems that any fear directed towards the witchers lies in a combination of the unwillingness to understand and self-righteousness. Apparently, the first ones were actually much more heroic than Letho the snake (quite obviously an understatement if you're to ask me).
"Monsters, one and all. There is no one righteous, not even one."
Again, if above quote sounds awesome to you, that's because I came up with it myself. Otherwise, I'll still claim the rightful credit. Interestingly enough, the latter sentence is derived from the Bible (more specifically Romans 3:10). This is not accidental. Rather, this is intentional.
As I've said already, Vánagandr means "monster of the river Ván". Quite obviously, there's more than one meaning behind this. On one hand, we have hunters of monsters who are no different from their prey. Then we have Aeravor. The best part? The possibility that everyone, Vánagandr or no Vánagandr, is a monster of the river Ván.
If I want to tell the cold hard truth, I have to admit that I'm going to have plenty of fun with this. In other words, playing with the darkness looming over humanity since day one.
Are they elves or are they not?
This is also another thing I'll be having fun with. Identity can be interpreted in ways more than one. Say for example you live in Singapore. Does that make you a Singaporean? If you're either a permanent resident or legal citizen, then quite obviously the answer is yes. If you're an expatriate, whether or not you're a foreign miscreant instead of being a foreign talent, then quite obviously the answer is no. The problem lies in another question: What if you're actually a Stark living amongst the Lannisters?
I'm not going to say whether the Vánagandr are truly not part of the Homm'Nua or whether their exclusion is down to the Stark-Lannister logic. However, I have to say that the killing scene here was inspired by the Suntec brawl. Or at least that's how I remember things since the first draft was actually done as early as... 2011 or so?
Okay, have to sign/log off for the day (or more specifically, night)
So is there anything else for me to say? Actually, the answer is yes. Firstly, I'm pretty sure someone has been sneaking into my home occasionally. When I asked my parents, their answer affirmed one thing: They know who is my legal housebreaker. I asked my sis, her reply basically betrayed the same answer. As for me... well, I think I know who she is. And why I use "she" instead of "he" is very simple. Because I think I know who my super mignonne legal housebreaker is. Also, I'm pretty sure she will be sitting beside me during my sis' wedding dinner.
P.S: More weird stuff going on where my blog is concerned. Whenever I upped a post, I'm guaranteed a view from someone with a Linux OS and Chrome browser. Daily guaranteed. 😱
Add P.S: Nearly forgot to share this piece of awesome music.
Add P.S: Nearly forgot to share this piece of awesome music.
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