I appreciate the support, but between being sick the past few days and changes happening at my day job I just don’t have the energy to make any kind of epic push.
Well the reality of it all is sadly setting in. The Girl Who Blinked is just not going to make it to even the Quill goal here on Inkshares, and therefore won’t be getting published through them at this time. More than anything this experience has been a lesson for me in marketing and having things in place before I launch. With those lessons learned, it’s time for me to get back to my own revision process while I debate if and when I will relaunch here on Inkshares or pursue other options.
Thank you all for the support. I promise this is not the end of Adora’s story.
We have just about two weeks out from our pre-order deadline, and I’m not going to lie. Things are looking grim for our goal. I’m not saying that I think it is unattainable, but I am saying that unless something changes it looks highly unlikely. Either way I am going to keep send updates out to everyone as often as I can find my way to the keyboard and type them up.
Today I’ve got one of the three remaining crew write-ups from the Void Hawk, the relentless Captain Marterra Felist. I hope you enjoy it, despite the lack of artwork for the entry, and continue to spread the word.
Being a freelancer is all that Captain Marterra Felist of the Void Hawk has ever known. The Malkian spent most of her childhood crawling through the innards of whichever ship her mother had signed to, and has always felt more comfortable under the pull of a ship’s magical gravity than the planetary variety. . Each new ship brought new things for her to learn, from engineering, to navigation, to swordplay. There was nothing she wouldn’t try at least once.
She didn’t jump directly from childhood to the captain’s chair. Before she dared to take that step Marterra made a name for herself as a duelist and a first mate aboard the Crimson Wolf. By the time her career aboard the heavy cruiser was done, most captains in the system had learned it was better to surrender than face a boarding party lead by Marterra. As a reward for her loyalty, Captain Danaga gifted Materra a prize ship: the Void Hawk.
Aboard the Void Hawk, Captain Felist has carved out her own place in the stars. Content to leave the more high profile and noisier jobs to much larger crews, she focused on building a more elite team of specialists and leveraging the network of contacts from her years aboard the Wolf. With the battle hardened Corrs, intuitive Brachen, and raw power of Cassisus, Materra has little trouble keeping the Hawk’s coffer’s full - at least until the repair and fuel bills arrive.
As promised here is the first of the remaining four crew write ups. Allow me to introduce you to the resident mage, Cassius. I apologize if the formatting came out oddly, trying to do this from my phone.
Powerfull, respected, and sought after. These are the traits most often associated with a Ship Worthy Mage of the Corporate Council Academy. Despite his desires these are not how people think of Cassius, the human Worthy of the freelancer ship the Void Hawk. Instead they see a brash and frivolous youth that seems to be unaware of the power he wields. This is especially true for those with a well trained eye, since they can see that his tattoos aren’t quite complete. For someone to make it that far into the Academy’s worthy program and be expelled is a disturbing sign to these more disciplined Magi.
Cassius is a tempest of power despite his abriged stay at the Academy, able to outlast other Ignis Magi with much more experience even though he lacks in fine control of his art. This dynamic is also prevalent in his social graces, or lack thereof. Being young, brash, and cocky means that there is always a quip at the tip of his tongue even at the most inappropriate times. The only time this changes is when one of his fellow crew members, usually Corrs, sends him into a brooding fit.
Despite not being a true Worthy, Cassius has managed to find friends and a home as part of Captain Felist’s crew. Even though they don’t always get along, Corrs, Brachen, and Felist cannot deny that Cassius has more than pulled his weight as a freelancer. The camaraderie, however, has still not stopped Cassius’s desire to truly be declared a Worthy by the Academy.
Sadly this will not be the lengthy update I have been planning for some time. We have just over three weeks left, and although the odds of hitting the Quill goal seem to be quickly dwindling it is still possible to make it happen. It’s obvious that my own attempts at marketing and raising awareness have not been as effectual as they need to be, so I implore you to spread the word.
I’ve had to adjust my plans for promotional material as certain things have fallen through the cracks due to circumstances. The additional crew write-ups will be coming shortly, sadly without art, in an effort to make a final blitz of marketing as we go into this stretch.
We are over halfway through the pre-order window but still have a long way to go if The Girl Who Blinked has any chance to meet even the Quill goal. Despite this and the difficulties I’ve had in marketing I still have faith we can meet our goals through your support. Keep spreading the word, and if you have any ideas on how I can attract more readers, please don’t hesitate to share.
While I wait for some more promotional art to come through I thought I might share with you another glimpse into the The Girl Who Blinked’s universe. This time you get to see part of what it takes to be a mage studying at the Academy, and Although Lwoj Janus won’t make a direct appearance in this part of Adora’s story he is definitely someone you should pay attention to in the future.
A Test of Blades
The class of Council Academy mage hopefuls marched through the metal sliding door into the stark room students called the Crash Room. The massive metal walls, floor, and ceiling were dark and cold except for the sigils and runes carved with no visible pattern aside from the gouges that formed a grid on all visible surfaces. The dull light pulsing from the carvings cast waves of color on the adepts and the traditional red training robes of their discipline. Each student carried a translucent practice weapon in a variety of styles; mostly swords, but there was an occasional crystalline axe or spear.
Waiting for the the students to file in was the small wisened man who served as the Void Stepper, the academy’s master of arms. Unlike most of the other instructors, the Void Stepper’s skin was devoid of any magical markings. When they first arrived and met the black clothed man students would scoff at the idea of learning from the ungifted. That attitude quickly diminished once they attended a sparring session.
“Adepts, you are here today because the Academy has identified you as possible Ship Worthies. You have a rare talent they hope to mold into one of the most elite and sought after order of magi to come out of this esteemed institute. Today you will face the first of many obstacles that could bar you from those ranks.”
The old man paused for a moment, shifting his weight. A wave of muttering briefly flowed through the students. No one had told them that there would be a test. He silenced them with a swift motion of his head.
“Up to this point your sessions with me have been more about being able to utilize your gifts under duress than they have been about your actual prowess. Today, however, you will be called upon to defend yourself without magic.
“The Void is a dangerous place. One stray bullet from a gun can be disastrous on even the larger ships you may serve on. Imagine what a bolt of plasma could do by comparison. The black depths would gladly swallow anyone foolish enough to make such mistakes. To progress further you must prove that you have mastered that which is most difficult to tame, your own instincts. Step forward, Adept Lwoj!”
The sound of the Void Stepper’s voice calling his name forced Janus from the nightmare of spiraling into the depths of space back to the somehow colder reality of the training hall. Lwoj Janus stepped forward, pausing for a moment to brush his black bangs from his eyes and gripping the short straight polycarbonate sparring blade in his sweat soaked hand. The metal floor chilled his feet as he fought in vain the impulse to adjust his training robes.
The other Academy students stepped back. Janus did need to look to know the eagerness in their eyes to see the young prodigy fail. They were hungry for the beating he was about to receive at the hands of their teacher. Once he was directly across from Void Stepper Rinaldi, Janus assumed a ready stance. The clear material of the blade refracted the light from the floor into a spectrum of colors across his crimson robes.
“The test is simple. You must bring me down with only the blade you have brought with you or your own hands. Do you understand, adept?”
“Yes, Void Stepper,” Janus replied with a quick nod that did little to convey his doubts about success.
The old man didn’t wait a moment longer before lunging forward at the boy with the thin wicked weapon in his hands. Janus thanked the stars he had held his stance but had no choice other than to fall back on the defensive. Three quick exchanges happened in a matter of moments, and it was all Janus could do to keep himself from being skewered by his instructor.
Janus attempted to go on the offensive with a feint and a lunge. The Void Stepper didn’t fall for the misdirection and leapt away toward the nearby wall. Janus was already in motion to kick out his teacher’s legs, but the swordsman failed to oblige. Instead, he landed on the wall thanks to the magic gravity of the sigils. With a flourish he beckoned Janus to try again. The adept cursed under his breath before leaping up to join him on the wall.
Another series of exchanges brought Janus and the Void Stepper further up the wall, with little success coming from the Adept’s efforts to attack. Rinaldi rushed forward again, parrying Janus’s poor attempts at a counter. He slid in under the boy’s guard as he pushed their blades up and away. A bony shoulder crashed into Janus’s sternum like a battering ram, launching him from his feet. Janus waited for his head to crash back to the metal floor.
The crash never came. Rinaldi pressed a button hidden in the pommel of his sword, and the glow of the runes faded. The magical gravity field that had kept them confined to the floor vanished. The other students gasped at the sudden darkness before floodlights at the eight corners of the Crash Room replaced the arcane light. In that moment of darkness segments of the floor, walls, and ceiling had floated out free from gravity. A small field of cubes spun before Janus’s eyes.
“I was sincerely hoping for a better showing from you.”
The floating cubes of metal reflected the Void Stepper’s voice in odd directions. Janus couldn’t tell from what direction his teacher’s next attack would come, but he knew he couldn’t float around waiting for that to happen. The adept pushed off of the nearest block and rocketed toward what he hoped was the sword master’s hiding spot. The sudden sight of Renaldi coming in at an angle down and to the left quickly dashed those hopes.
Janus lashed out with his hand at a nearby cube to change his course, barely dodging a swipe from the old man’s blade. Janus kicked out at his hoping to knock the sword from his grasp but instead was almost grabbed for his troubles. Rinaldi used the momentum from his failed swing to corkscrew and twist into a position where he could push off in pursuit of his prey.
The two fighters were comets ricocheting from cube to cube. Janus twisted and dodged more than a few of his pursuer’s strokes through a combination of blind luck and some prompting from his classmates’ gasps. Rinaldi had also managed to deliver more than a small number of stinging blows through. There was no way Janus could keep the evasion up for much longer.
In desperation, Janus tumbled forward toward an approaching chunk of metal and pushed himself back directly at the Void Stepper in the hope of surprising him. There was a brief moment of satisfaction at the look of surprise in the instructor’s eyes. Unfortunately it lasted only for a second before his shifted his body and caught Janus’ blade between his arm and his side. A fleeting triumph turned to despair as Rinaldi’s blade flew home.
The urge to call up the magic he could feel around him was staggering. Reflexes trained into him by the Academy up to this point started the fingers on his left hand through the forms that would wrap him in a shield of shimmering light. Before the spellwork could bear fruit Janus came to his senses, shifting his arm to catch the blow.
The pain was excruciating as bone shattered under the force of the strike. Janus let go of his own sword still trapped by Rinaldi to grab at the clear blade that had just broken his arm. His fingers wrapped around it just above where the Void Stepper gripped it. There was a click, and the runes flared with light again. As the two plummeted back to the ground, Janus pulled the surprised instructor into a visious headbut that filled the room with a dull thud.
The magic woven into the floor that provided gravity also cushioned their fall. Janus landed on his back with the dazed Void Stepper landing on his feet just above him. With the weight of gravity pressing on his again the adept’s shattered wrist throbbed in pain again. A few snickers comments came from the class.
“I knew he was going to finally screw something up.”
Janus didn’t see which girl had said it, but Rinaldi came to his senses and whirled on the class, point with his blade at the speaker as he did so.
“I suspect that will not be the first time you are wrong today. The task was to bring me down without magic, and here I am back on the ground without a spell being worked. He showed more than a small amount of control when he elected to take the blow from my strike instead of shielding himself. While Adept Wjol heads to the infirmary, I think it’s time we see how well you fare, Adept Tanzer.”
Janus tried not to smile when he heard the girl who had spoken out gasp in surprise. The pulsing pain helped with his efforts.
Well it looks like the Nerdist contest has come to a close. I would like to congratulate the top three and look forward to reading their books once the publishing process is complete. Although I had started the Inkshares process in the hopes of being one of those three, I quickly realized that it wasn’t meant to be this time.
Looking forward we still have a way to go to make the publishing goals, but we have plenty of time left. I’m confident that with your help and recommendations that we will easily pass our goal.
I know I’ve been a little quieter on here that I would have liked this past week, but I wanted to wait for some more character sketches to come in before I made this next post. This time in addition to the text we have two character sketches. One is once again by Alexis Braud. The other is provided by Amanda Rome, the artist responsible for the wonderful cover. Thanks again guys for all that you are both doing.
Clementine
Clementine has spent her entire life as the foundation of something greater. From her time at the Council Academy of the Artes, through serving with Adora’s parents, and into her tenure as the resident mage for the Equinox farms, she has always viewed herself as the roots nurturing those who depend on her.Considering her talent with plant based magic, the analogy seems particularly appropriate.
When Clementine arrived on Equinox she was accompanied by her best friend’s husband and daughter with an offer for the Larisha Combine. Few people know all of the details, but after everything was said and done Adora’s father and Clementine were both granted their own tracts of land, and she was hired as the colony’s resident mage. They were never exactly welcomed by the other colonists, but it was an existence that she could accept.
One day Adora’s father didn’t return from a job out in the void, and Clementine’s life changed once again. Without hesitation, the mage took the young girl into her home instead of seeing her shoved into the corporate system. She shouldered through the silent pain of another friend gone, and made sure that Adora had a home.
Over time Clementine and Adora have fallen into the rhythm of their life. Clementine strives to provide sage advice to Adora while not letting the girl see how much she reminds her of her lost friends. Adora continues to keep Clementine on alert through her shenanigans. It has all become comfortable and familiar. Clementine is always worried when things become comfortable and familiar.
Well we are about a month in, and support continues to be great for The Girl Who Blinked. With only a week or so left in the Nerdist contest we are sitting about 15 or so readers outside of the top ten. Let’s keep spreading the word and see how far we can go.
Today I’m going to share with you guys the first of a series of "Meet the crew" updates, where you guys will become a little more acquainted with the denizens of the galaxy. It seems only appropriate that we start with the girl herself. Art is provided courtesy of my excellent older sister Alexis Braud.
When most people from Equinox think of Adora, the first thing they dwell on is that she is an orphan. They look at the young, almost impish girl with eyes full of pity. Most orphans end up as corporate wards confined to company-provided dorms. They go to school until they are old enough to work off the cost of raising them in some corporate sponsored trade. This is not Adora’s lot.
Although she goes to the corporate school, Adora spends most of her time on the farm she shares with Clementine, her legal guardian. "Clem" , as Adora calls her, isn’t shy about putting the young girl to work while loudly claiming the physical labor will help her grow. It hasn’t. It has only encouraged Adora’s independent streak, which put the girl at odds with her fellow students and the faculty.
When she’s not hiding the latest issue of "Ronald Raygun, Action President" from her teachers or helping Clem with the orchards, Adora can be found reading up as much as she can on space. Both of her parents may have been lost to the stars, but that won’t quell her wanderlust. She knows in her bones that one day she is going to be a spacer just like her parents, even if the only thing she can remember of them is her father’s laugh.
Well the reality of it all is sadly setting in. The Girl Who Blinked is just not going to make it to even the Quill goal here on Inkshares, and therefore won’t be getting published through them at this time. More than anything this experience has been a lesson for me in marketing and having things in place before I launch. With those lessons learned, it’s time for me to get back to my own revision process while I debate if and when I will relaunch here on Inkshares or pursue other options.
We have just about two weeks out from our pre-order deadline, and I’m not going to lie. Things are looking grim for our goal. I’m not saying that I think it is unattainable, but I am saying that unless something changes it looks highly unlikely. Either way I am going to keep send updates out to everyone as often as I can find my way to the keyboard and type them up.
Today I’ve got one of the three remaining crew write-ups from the Void Hawk, the relentless Captain Marterra Felist. I hope you enjoy it, despite the lack of artwork for the entry, and continue to spread the word.
Being a freelancer is all that Captain Marterra Felist of the Void Hawk has ever known. The Malkian spent most of her childhood crawling through the innards of whichever ship her mother had signed to, and has always felt more comfortable under the pull of a ship’s magical gravity than the planetary variety. . Each new ship brought new things for her to learn, from engineering, to navigation, to swordplay. There was nothing she wouldn’t try at least once.
She didn’t jump directly from childhood to the captain’s chair. Before she dared to take that step Marterra made a name for herself as a duelist and a first mate aboard the Crimson Wolf. By the time her career aboard the heavy cruiser was done, most captains in the system had learned it was better to surrender than face a boarding party lead by Marterra. As a reward for her loyalty, Captain Danaga gifted Materra a prize ship: the Void Hawk.
Aboard the Void Hawk, Captain Felist has carved out her own place in the stars. Content to leave the more high profile and noisier jobs to much larger crews, she focused on building a more elite team of specialists and leveraging the network of contacts from her years aboard the Wolf. With the battle hardened Corrs, intuitive Brachen, and raw power of Cassisus, Materra has little trouble keeping the Hawk’s coffer’s full - at least until the repair and fuel bills arrive.
As promised here is the first of the remaining four crew write ups. Allow me to introduce you to the resident mage, Cassius. I apologize if the formatting came out oddly, trying to do this from my phone.
Powerfull, respected, and sought after. These are the traits most often associated with a Ship Worthy Mage of the Corporate Council Academy. Despite his desires these are not how people think of Cassius, the human Worthy of the freelancer ship the Void Hawk. Instead they see a brash and frivolous youth that seems to be unaware of the power he wields. This is especially true for those with a well trained eye, since they can see that his tattoos aren’t quite complete. For someone to make it that far into the Academy’s worthy program and be expelled is a disturbing sign to these more disciplined Magi.
Cassius is a tempest of power despite his abriged stay at the Academy, able to outlast other Ignis Magi with much more experience even though he lacks in fine control of his art. This dynamic is also prevalent in his social graces, or lack thereof. Being young, brash, and cocky means that there is always a quip at the tip of his tongue even at the most inappropriate times. The only time this changes is when one of his fellow crew members, usually Corrs, sends him into a brooding fit.
Despite not being a true Worthy, Cassius has managed to find friends and a home as part of Captain Felist’s crew. Even though they don’t always get along, Corrs, Brachen, and Felist cannot deny that Cassius has more than pulled his weight as a freelancer. The camaraderie, however, has still not stopped Cassius’s desire to truly be declared a Worthy by the Academy.
Sadly this will not be the lengthy update I have been planning for some time. We have just over three weeks left, and although the odds of hitting the Quill goal seem to be quickly dwindling it is still possible to make it happen. It’s obvious that my own attempts at marketing and raising awareness have not been as effectual as they need to be, so I implore you to spread the word.
I’ve had to adjust my plans for promotional material as certain things have fallen through the cracks due to circumstances. The additional crew write-ups will be coming shortly, sadly without art, in an effort to make a final blitz of marketing as we go into this stretch.
We are over halfway through the pre-order window but still have a long way to go if The Girl Who Blinked has any chance to meet even the Quill goal. Despite this and the difficulties I’ve had in marketing I still have faith we can meet our goals through your support. Keep spreading the word, and if you have any ideas on how I can attract more readers, please don’t hesitate to share.
While I wait for some more promotional art to come through I thought I might share with you another glimpse into the The Girl Who Blinked’s universe. This time you get to see part of what it takes to be a mage studying at the Academy, and Although Lwoj Janus won’t make a direct appearance in this part of Adora’s story he is definitely someone you should pay attention to in the future.
A Test of Blades
The class of Council Academy mage hopefuls marched through the metal sliding door into the stark room students called the Crash Room. The massive metal walls, floor, and ceiling were dark and cold except for the sigils and runes carved with no visible pattern aside from the gouges that formed a grid on all visible surfaces. The dull light pulsing from the carvings cast waves of color on the adepts and the traditional red training robes of their discipline. Each student carried a translucent practice weapon in a variety of styles; mostly swords, but there was an occasional crystalline axe or spear.
Waiting for the the students to file in was the small wisened man who served as the Void Stepper, the academy’s master of arms. Unlike most of the other instructors, the Void Stepper’s skin was devoid of any magical markings. When they first arrived and met the black clothed man students would scoff at the idea of learning from the ungifted. That attitude quickly diminished once they attended a sparring session.
“Adepts, you are here today because the Academy has identified you as possible Ship Worthies. You have a rare talent they hope to mold into one of the most elite and sought after order of magi to come out of this esteemed institute. Today you will face the first of many obstacles that could bar you from those ranks.”
The old man paused for a moment, shifting his weight. A wave of muttering briefly flowed through the students. No one had told them that there would be a test. He silenced them with a swift motion of his head.
“Up to this point your sessions with me have been more about being able to utilize your gifts under duress than they have been about your actual prowess. Today, however, you will be called upon to defend yourself without magic.
“The Void is a dangerous place. One stray bullet from a gun can be disastrous on even the larger ships you may serve on. Imagine what a bolt of plasma could do by comparison. The black depths would gladly swallow anyone foolish enough to make such mistakes. To progress further you must prove that you have mastered that which is most difficult to tame, your own instincts. Step forward, Adept Lwoj!”
The sound of the Void Stepper’s voice calling his name forced Janus from the nightmare of spiraling into the depths of space back to the somehow colder reality of the training hall. Lwoj Janus stepped forward, pausing for a moment to brush his black bangs from his eyes and gripping the short straight polycarbonate sparring blade in his sweat soaked hand. The metal floor chilled his feet as he fought in vain the impulse to adjust his training robes.
The other Academy students stepped back. Janus did need to look to know the eagerness in their eyes to see the young prodigy fail. They were hungry for the beating he was about to receive at the hands of their teacher. Once he was directly across from Void Stepper Rinaldi, Janus assumed a ready stance. The clear material of the blade refracted the light from the floor into a spectrum of colors across his crimson robes.
“The test is simple. You must bring me down with only the blade you have brought with you or your own hands. Do you understand, adept?”
“Yes, Void Stepper,” Janus replied with a quick nod that did little to convey his doubts about success.
The old man didn’t wait a moment longer before lunging forward at the boy with the thin wicked weapon in his hands. Janus thanked the stars he had held his stance but had no choice other than to fall back on the defensive. Three quick exchanges happened in a matter of moments, and it was all Janus could do to keep himself from being skewered by his instructor.
Janus attempted to go on the offensive with a feint and a lunge. The Void Stepper didn’t fall for the misdirection and leapt away toward the nearby wall. Janus was already in motion to kick out his teacher’s legs, but the swordsman failed to oblige. Instead, he landed on the wall thanks to the magic gravity of the sigils. With a flourish he beckoned Janus to try again. The adept cursed under his breath before leaping up to join him on the wall.
Another series of exchanges brought Janus and the Void Stepper further up the wall, with little success coming from the Adept’s efforts to attack. Rinaldi rushed forward again, parrying Janus’s poor attempts at a counter. He slid in under the boy’s guard as he pushed their blades up and away. A bony shoulder crashed into Janus’s sternum like a battering ram, launching him from his feet. Janus waited for his head to crash back to the metal floor.
The crash never came. Rinaldi pressed a button hidden in the pommel of his sword, and the glow of the runes faded. The magical gravity field that had kept them confined to the floor vanished. The other students gasped at the sudden darkness before floodlights at the eight corners of the Crash Room replaced the arcane light. In that moment of darkness segments of the floor, walls, and ceiling had floated out free from gravity. A small field of cubes spun before Janus’s eyes.
“I was sincerely hoping for a better showing from you.”
The floating cubes of metal reflected the Void Stepper’s voice in odd directions. Janus couldn’t tell from what direction his teacher’s next attack would come, but he knew he couldn’t float around waiting for that to happen. The adept pushed off of the nearest block and rocketed toward what he hoped was the sword master’s hiding spot. The sudden sight of Renaldi coming in at an angle down and to the left quickly dashed those hopes.
Janus lashed out with his hand at a nearby cube to change his course, barely dodging a swipe from the old man’s blade. Janus kicked out at his hoping to knock the sword from his grasp but instead was almost grabbed for his troubles. Rinaldi used the momentum from his failed swing to corkscrew and twist into a position where he could push off in pursuit of his prey.
The two fighters were comets ricocheting from cube to cube. Janus twisted and dodged more than a few of his pursuer’s strokes through a combination of blind luck and some prompting from his classmates’ gasps. Rinaldi had also managed to deliver more than a small number of stinging blows through. There was no way Janus could keep the evasion up for much longer.
In desperation, Janus tumbled forward toward an approaching chunk of metal and pushed himself back directly at the Void Stepper in the hope of surprising him. There was a brief moment of satisfaction at the look of surprise in the instructor’s eyes. Unfortunately it lasted only for a second before his shifted his body and caught Janus’ blade between his arm and his side. A fleeting triumph turned to despair as Rinaldi’s blade flew home.
The urge to call up the magic he could feel around him was staggering. Reflexes trained into him by the Academy up to this point started the fingers on his left hand through the forms that would wrap him in a shield of shimmering light. Before the spellwork could bear fruit Janus came to his senses, shifting his arm to catch the blow.
The pain was excruciating as bone shattered under the force of the strike. Janus let go of his own sword still trapped by Rinaldi to grab at the clear blade that had just broken his arm. His fingers wrapped around it just above where the Void Stepper gripped it. There was a click, and the runes flared with light again. As the two plummeted back to the ground, Janus pulled the surprised instructor into a visious headbut that filled the room with a dull thud.
The magic woven into the floor that provided gravity also cushioned their fall. Janus landed on his back with the dazed Void Stepper landing on his feet just above him. With the weight of gravity pressing on his again the adept’s shattered wrist throbbed in pain again. A few snickers comments came from the class.
“I knew he was going to finally screw something up.”
Janus didn’t see which girl had said it, but Rinaldi came to his senses and whirled on the class, point with his blade at the speaker as he did so.
“I suspect that will not be the first time you are wrong today. The task was to bring me down without magic, and here I am back on the ground without a spell being worked. He showed more than a small amount of control when he elected to take the blow from my strike instead of shielding himself. While Adept Wjol heads to the infirmary, I think it’s time we see how well you fare, Adept Tanzer.”
Janus tried not to smile when he heard the girl who had spoken out gasp in surprise. The pulsing pain helped with his efforts.
Well it looks like the Nerdist contest has come to a close. I would like to congratulate the top three and look forward to reading their books once the publishing process is complete. Although I had started the Inkshares process in the hopes of being one of those three, I quickly realized that it wasn’t meant to be this time.
Looking forward we still have a way to go to make the publishing goals, but we have plenty of time left. I’m confident that with your help and recommendations that we will easily pass our goal.
I know I’ve been a little quieter on here that I would have liked this past week, but I wanted to wait for some more character sketches to come in before I made this next post. This time in addition to the text we have two character sketches. One is once again by Alexis Braud. The other is provided by Amanda Rome, the artist responsible for the wonderful cover. Thanks again guys for all that you are both doing.
Clementine
Well we are about a month in, and support continues to be great for The Girl Who Blinked. With only a week or so left in the Nerdist contest we are sitting about 15 or so readers outside of the top ten. Let’s keep spreading the word and see how far we can go.
Today I’m going to share with you guys the first of a series of "Meet the crew" updates, where you guys will become a little more acquainted with the denizens of the galaxy. It seems only appropriate that we start with the girl herself. Art is provided courtesy of my excellent older sister Alexis Braud.
When most people from Equinox think of Adora, the first thing they dwell on is that she is an orphan. They look at the young, almost impish girl with eyes full of pity. Most orphans end up as corporate wards confined to company-provided dorms. They go to school until they are old enough to work off the cost of raising them in some corporate sponsored trade. This is not Adora’s lot.
Although she goes to the corporate school, Adora spends most of her time on the farm she shares with Clementine, her legal guardian. "Clem" , as Adora calls her, isn’t shy about putting the young girl to work while loudly claiming the physical labor will help her grow. It hasn’t. It has only encouraged Adora’s independent streak, which put the girl at odds with her fellow students and the faculty.
When she’s not hiding the latest issue of "Ronald Raygun, Action President" from her teachers or helping Clem with the orchards, Adora can be found reading up as much as she can on space. Both of her parents may have been lost to the stars, but that won’t quell her wanderlust. She knows in her bones that one day she is going to be a spacer just like her parents, even if the only thing she can remember of them is her father’s laugh.