Brrrrrrr.

It's cold outside. I don't approve of it, which means I've been staying inside a lot. And daydreaming of Ely, MN, of all places.

This was a ridiculously good day: White Iron Lake, 4th of July weekend, summer 2010

Actually, I should take that back. I've been staying inside and pining for the most part: except for that one time where I decided to go snowshoeing with my roommate, out in the -40 degree winter wonderland. That was fun. That experience will probably contribute to a scene in 'Immortals'.

Did you see that sweet segue coming?

So it's come to my attention that I have a lot of characters left to introduce. Fortunately, they get to be introduced in the same order as the last group. Mostly because they're like the evil side to the characters I introduced last time. 

That should be prefaced with another explanation, methinks. 

There used to be this one, all-powerful deity who had three aspects: the Creator, the Preserver, and the Destroyer (if you're thinking Hinduism you're on the right track). All the conflict in this story stems from the fact that one day, this deity separated into the three aspects. And since then, they've been fighting tooth claw and nail for supremacy over everything. But it's not a violent battle: it's one of those sneaky battles they fight with pawns and stealth and such. 

Enter the conflict in this story: there's a big anniversary of how long they've been fighting (let's say 10,000 years across various cosmos) and if they win a big battle now, they get to be king / queen of everything, everywhere. FOREVER.

That's where my sets of characters come in! The Creator (crazy old guy), the Preserver (middle-aged nice lady), and the Destroyer (bloodthirsty younger guy) have made seven 'children' to use as pawns, but they all had to be really similar. They've been around for a long time, so they know each other pretty well -- at least, the Creator and the Destroyer's kids know each other really well. The Preserver is way sneakier than her brothers, and she tends to stay our of their really intense fights -- which means she's been away from the Milky Way, since the boys have been brawling over Earth for some time. But, when it comes time for the smack-down that happens in this story, she brings in her pawns and lets them loose in a world that actually is suited to the kinds of powers they have. Preserver, 1, stupid brothers, 0. 

I've already introduced the Creator's kids, one of whom is the narrator Tara. But the batch I'll be introducing today is the Destroyer's kids, their 'evil' cousins. 

Christain's cousin is named Nicodemus, and he's equally hot but annoying. Exhibit A:

Thanks for being gorgeous, just like your cousin. Mmmmmm.

Next is Domenyque's cousin, Vrimson.

See, because she has fire!!! It makes sense, I swear!!! So the Destroyer and Creator have different tastes. And, like I've said before, I'm real lazy. Meh.

Kim's cousin, Isobel:

But she's cute, you might be thinking! She doesn't look like she could harm anyone!
Hah. Yeah right.

Tyrone's cousin, Kaseko:

 HE'S SO COOL. GAH. He's the crazy badass to Tyrone's understated awesomeosity.

Yes I make words up all the time. It's a problem.

Derek's cousin, Nero (one of my favorite names of all time):

 UMNUMNUMNUMNUMNUMNUM. NUM.

Liam's cousin, Chysander:

He's pretty now that he's old enough for me to admire without feeling pervy!!! Success!!!

And now, Tara's cousin, Reinhart. It's weird, because all the cousins so far have been the same sex, but there's a reason, I promise. I just don't feel like telling you about it yet.

Anywho, here he is:

 Ooh, what a beautiful man to be such an enigma.

So those are the Destroyer's kids. A few of them have some secrets to hide, but those will be revealed in due time. Or something like that.

I suppose it's time for a dream segment, to introduce the first cousin you meet in the story: Nicodemus, referred to mostly as Nico.

            I feel cold, cold to the point where I can't remember what warmth feels like. A pair of crystal blue eyes follows my every move, particularly the convulsive shivers that wrack my body from head to toe. Flecks of ice and snow pummel my bare skin and thoroughly increase the discomfort I'm already feeling.

            "What exactly do you want?" I demand.

            "Answers. Though I’m already beginning to doubt that you have them," Nicodemus drawls, leaning on an icy sword stuck fast into the cold ground. "Has the Creator been dropping any hints? The Destroyer certainly has been, but they’re maddeningly vague…"  

            "No he hasn't. What the hell are you even talking about? Why are you talking to me about this? Don’t you remember that Christain is the one who always has the answers?” Nico rolls his eyes, tapping a foot impatiently.

            "You’re mentioning him trying to push my buttons. It’s not working. You know very well that we can't stand each other. You’re the cousin I tolerate the most, which you also know very well.” He shoots me a knowing look. “Are you sure you haven’t heard of anything going on?” 

            I can’t help it; I squirm a little. “I haven’t heard anything from the Creator per se, but… I’ve had that weird feeling lately, where it feels like something is about to happen for us. What do you know, Nico??”

            The world buckles and shivers around me. Nico just smiles and says, "I hope you can figure it out." Before I can reply, everything disappears amongst a field of solid icy blue, and I'm suddenly home again.

In the next installment, I should remember to introduce the Preserver's kids: they're a lot of fun because they're so little and adorable and kind of stupid. In a cute, endearing way.

Thanks for reading again, I'll be with you again soon (I hope)!