Anime…basically

First post for the site a short story/ chapter I’ve been working on pulling lots from the Magical girl genre and… more obviously Power Rangers. It’s been through a lot of edits from still doing critiques on scribophile to put it through some peer reviews. So definitely not at its completed form but I’m ready to take a break from editing and go back to writing. Be leaving a general summery of my work process at the end for those who might be curious.

 

“Now back to LEGEND OF THE DARK HERO, Darkness Ranger!”

The screen flickers.

A solemn knight collapses to his feet, sparks scattering from the gashes that wrap over his armor, the pummel of his sword, Doomsday, lays across his open palm the blade broken in two.

A dark figure looms over him, “It looks like all hope is lost,” the Lying Magician says dark magic gathering in his outstretched hand, “Give into the power, the corruption, let it all out!” The black energy leaps from his hand exploding into a shower of sparks as it slashes into the Rangers armor.

Engulfing the screen in a flurry of sparks.

“No!” Stephan yells leaping out of the couch as the Darkness Ranger falls to his hands, the dark magician looming over him.

“It’s over,” the magician says gloating over the fallen hero.

“I…” the knight says gripping his sword.

“Come on,” Stephan says his breath in tune with the flicker of the screen.

“I…” the warrior repeats, tottering as he climbs to his feet “Fight for my friends, I fight for justice, I fight for earth and,” he brings his sword to ready, “Am not done yet!”

The Darkness Ranger braces his knees, crossing his sword in front of him, “Ultimate Technique!”

“No…” Stephan whispers hands clutching the cushion.

“Unlimited Sacrifice!” The Darkness Ranger yells bringing his broken sword down a golden aura of light flickering from its shattered blade.

“No, No, No!” the magician screams arms flailing as he disappears in a flash of golden light.

The victorious hero falls to his knees hanging onto his sword, “looks like I’m done,” he whispers eyes tracking to the camera, “looks like you’re up to bat,” he says eyes bearing into the heart of Stephan.

The end credits roll, a montage of the hero begins to play in loop.

Stephan sinks into the couch his mind melting as the Rangers words permeate his mind, “You’re up to bat,” he whispers turning the ring his brother gave him around his finger, its metal engraving of the Ranger almost popping out of the smoky steel, “It’s your turn to fight!” he yells pointing to the family portraits that hangs above the black table.

He drops back into the sofa, his heart racing as the credits wind down.

The camera flickers back to the ranger, his friends propping him up on either side, letting him rest on the newly restored Doomsday, a golden katana blade emerging from where it had broken. Resting on his restored blade the Darkness Ranger turns once more to the camera.

“It’s your turn to fight.”

“It’s your turn to fight.”

The voices of the battered hero and the young boy linger over each other. Stephan grips his ring, his childish dream taking on form, he walks amongst the rubble of a broken city offering a gloved hand to those who reached out from the rubble. The desire pulses through him echoing across his heart like waves on the shore.

 

He goes to sleep that night, the words of the ranger still ringing across his mind, “It’s your turn to fight,” he can see the ranger leaning on his sword calling  Stephan out from amongst the crowd, choosing him to be the next Ranger.

The speech the Ranger before fighting the Lying Magician began to unravel itself as Stephan sank further into sleep, “Everyone’s a hero, it’s not about size, or strength or looks it’s all in the heart,” the Darkness ranger said pressing his fingers into his chest, “that’s all that matters.”

Stephan falls to sleep his wish still lingering along his half-awake mind.

“I want…to be…a hero… ” Stephan whispers sub coming to the waves of drowsiness.

The ring begins to give off a red glow.

 

Wish processed, trial prepared, a hero has been chosen.

 

 

 

 

“HELLO MAGGOT!!!”

Stephan jumps up, eyes swirling from the bright light that suddenly surrounds him.

“You ready or what,” a gravelly voice calls, sounding like steel grinding against steel.

Stephan looks up, a giant looms over him. Steel chains hanging between the spikes that embroider its shoulder plates, it looks like Mordred arch nemesis to the Darkness Ranger, the shock of the sudden lighting fades reveling the intricate edges that point out along the armor, dozens of tiny blades seemingly scattered around the edges of the armor and a pair of red eyes peer down from its helmet, a medieval helm with its visor pulled up, revealing a steel skull, a dull red glow coming from behind the rolled steel of its eye sockets.

Stephan stares at this suite of armor that stood statute with a chipped black sword resting between its hands.

“Hello,” he whispers waiting for it to move.

“So your awake,” it says in a groaning voice, “WELL THAT’S GOOD AND DANDY!” it screams, causing Stephan to retreat across the bed.

“What?” Stephan asks backing away as his hands look for a wall that no longer exists, “Where am I?” Steph whispers a chain of news reports running through his head as he notices the pink walls that square him in.

He steps off the bed. Feet patting across tile floors that could not be his, “Who are you?” he asks, the word pervert screaming across his mind, as he walks back the pink walls crushing him into a corner. The figure moves forward with a clash of steel on stone.

“I…” the thing says, “AM THE LORD OF POWER AND DARKNESS.”

Insane pervert runs through Stephan’s mind, kidnapping, found dead, found dead. His mind scrambles.

“AND YOU,” it says hefting its sword toward Stephan, “ARE A HERO OF JUSTICE!”

“Huh,” Stephan replies pausing as the blade hovers before him. The suite of armor removes its blade, gesturing towards a large standing mirror embroidered with pink and gold.

Stephan stands up slinking around the suite armor.

He comes to the mirror, and standing in front of the steel giant that reminded him of Mordred, of the Darkness ranger, was… a girl.

A blue ribbon was tucked into his hair, a suite coat with blue and white rested on top of him its dovetails falling just behind his thighs and a bright pair of blue short shorts wrap around his legs.

The giant rests its hand on Stephan’s shoulder.

“AND YOU ARE STEPHAN JAYBALL, HERO OF JUSTICE AND MAGICAL BOY!”

“Magical…boy?” Stephan says, “I look like a girl,” he says the shorts wrapping around his thighs curving up toward his waist. The coat cut off just at his shoulders making his arms seem to shrink and curve to the tight fit of the blue under shirt that peeks out from his shoulders.  His baby face melting into the rest of the outfit the blue ribbon holding down a cord of braided hair that falls just past his right eye, the remaining hair scatters across his forehead creating a line of thin bangs that barely make it across his recently pruned eyelashes.

“A girl,” he says shaking as his previous thoughts stormed back, he steps away from the suit of armor the chill of the tile seeping into him. “Please,” he says the steady weight of the news casters voice’s dropping into his stomach, “Please,” he repeats his back knocking against the wall, its steel boots slap against the tile its sword held perfectly still between its hands, tip to the ground.

“HOLD YOUR HEAD HIGH!” it screams turning its sword to Stephan, “AND HAVE SOME PRIDE!”

Stephan nods, his throat cracking as he holds his chin up, tears boiling over. Feeling as if his throat would jump onto the outstretched sword.

“FOR PETE”S SAKE!” the air cracks with its metallic voice.

A snivel escapes Stephan.

“Hah,” its sword comes back to the ground, the creature walks back to the bed, turning its head back to him, glaring from beside the bed.

Stephan slinks to the floor. The beat of his heart fading from his thoughts, the whispers of his friends sinking into his heart.

“Did you hear,” their voices echo, “I heard,” they said whispering into his ear, his heart sinking further than when he first heard it, “I heard he’s dead.”

It scoops up the pillow, letting it dangle from its steel claws as it walks back, its shadow smothering Stephane as it creeps across him.

The pillow comes down.

Flopping across Stephan’s lap.

“A real man cries only tears of sorrow and joy, he…”

“…Strives for bravery and courage,” Stephan whispers finishing the familiar words of the Darkness Ranger.

“Dry your tears,” it says motioning with its claw, “You look like a new born, I’ll clarify your calling when your… stable,” the thing says leaving the room.

The door slams shut.

The lumps of lead roll off Stephan’s chest. The pillow, pink like the rest of the room, lays at his feet.

The room spreads out before him, the size of almost ten of the cubby holes that he and his brother shared, a master bed sitting in the middle of the room. Pink curtains tuck into the four posts that rise up from its frame, climbing along the pillars like a rose bush, ribbons of silk sprouting along the edge of each post, supporting a canopy of pink silk that hangs over the top of the bed.

The bed, the whole room, felt like a set. This sort of room shouldn’t be in Mordred’s castle, that sort of bed existed in girl shows like Love Doctor or Pretty Hero’s Stephan liked those shows ,but,  the room his clothes they felt… weird.

Stephan climbs to his feet, keeping the pillow close to his chest. Scanning the length of the room. Spirals of gold paint run along the walls spreading like vines from one corner to the next, weaving their way across the columns that dot the walls.  A double door stands across from the bed the golden lines curving up toward the door, a golden tree laying across the carved panels of the door.

He steps towards the double doors, his feet padding across the pink and white tiles that ripple from the bed, intervals of pink and white lapping across the floor. His feet crossing from one set of colors to the next.

THUMP, THUMP something solid knocks against the door.

 

 

“Coming in,” a female voice says, the doors gliding open, a slight breeze waffling across Stephan, the sweet smell of warm pancakes floating in behind it.

A women stands where the doors had been, a white apron covering a black gown. Her brown hair bound in a pony tail that hangs above her neck.

A steel tray laden with pancakes and syrup rests between her hands.

“Hungry,” she asks looking to him than the rest of the room, “They give you a desk?” she asks looking across the room as she walks forward, “Big guy didn’t scare you did he?”

Stephan steps back.

“Guess he did, huh,” she says continuing forward, “Names Larry” she says reaching a white glove from under the tray, “You’d sure look cute with a smile,” she says shaking the top of the pillow.

She sits down crossing her legs, the long dress, forming a tent across her lap. The ends drooping down to the floor.

She places the tray onto the floor, “Foods on,” she says pushing it forward.  The scent of caramelized sugar waffling through the air.

Stephan steps back, edging toward the bed.

The woman sighs smiling as she looks up at him, “A true hero,” she says crossing her fingers, “Leads,” she says holding onto the L as she rolls the word across her tongue. She waits.

“Leads by,”

“Leads by example,” Stephan says finishing the line. The Ranger’s words bring Stephan a step closer to her. The woman picks up the silverware cutting herself a piece of the pancakes and plops the warm morsel into her mouth wiping the amber liquid that dribbles down the side of her lips. She cuts off a larger piece, holding a smattering of syrup and hot cake in the air, the amber liquid glistening as it drops back to the cake.

“Your turn,” she says twirling it like a ladle of baby food.

Stephan edges forward, crawling down to the floor, still holding the pillow to his chest.

“Aaa” the women says twirling the food, a blush runs across Stephan’s cheeks as he tries to keep his eyes anywhere but toward her as he opens his mouth the warm piece of cake and syrup engulfing his tongue in a raw sugary sweetness.

He swallows it his face beat red as the woman smiles.  A warm glow seeming to encompass her smile as she leans against her hand. Which gave a further depth of red to Stephan’s blush as he began to cut into the pile of cakes.

She swipes her finger across her lips.

“An indirect kiss,” she says snapping her fingers toward Stephan, “You’re a real, player aren’t ya?”  Stephan looks up from the plate a wild fire of red raging across his cheeks. The watery glow of tears bubbling up to his eyes.

Snap. A gloved finger flicks off his suite coat.

“Just messing with you,” the women says rustling his hair, the warm glow from her wrapping around him, the tears silently falling down his cheeks.

“Your weird,” he says the warm glow from her hand passes through his hair spreading the warm glow across his body, patting away the fire in his cheeks, as she brushes the linen gloves along the tear stains.

“Sure am,” she says fingers giving their last tickle as she pulls them away, “Rest up,” she says dusting off her gown as she gets up.

“Is the monster coming back?” Stephan asks.

“I’ll keep grumpy of your back for a bit,” she says waving her fingers goodbye as she closes the door.

 

 

Well hope you enjoyed the read, (really couldn’t help myself with the pancake scene, big fan of messing with the protagonist ),  maybe found some of it leaning toward the cheesy and Moe side of things hmm? Anyway you have my thanks and appreciation for reading this far.

Onto the writing process. I’m normally pretty much a planned and ready writer planning with pre-planning and pages of notes.

This was no such project.

Actually it started as a piece for a writing club I’m with, a bit different from the theme that week but where a pretty loose bunch so no problems there. But I tend to leave my writing projects till the day or week off so I just do all the planning and writing then, hence the lack of planning and pre-planning. So in general I had this lay out of the story, boy transforms, big skeleton armor thing, that can turn chibi and a big bad monster to finish it all (that and just a bit of rambling in a separate  word file). So with that in mind I set of and made it to big skeletal armor and decided to polish up and then move on to the next scene.

As for finger to keyboard writing process I tend to think one scene/action at a time write that up and then plan and figure out the next scene and write that up. Well that summarizes my process (I think) always enjoyed the author notes at the end of manga so might as well create my own, peace out and good writing, life, day, year…etc.