lrdrandallslady

"Video Games Live" Video Spam!!!

2012-06-07T22:23:55Z

Last night I had the incredible privilege of participating in the Los Angeles performance of Video Games Live! It was an amazing opportunity to perform with some incredible talented musicians and to meet the musical geniuses behind the scores of some of the world's most popular games. My husband viewed much of the concert through his iPhone so that he could video this for me to remember the event and so that I could share it with you!

Enjoy!

Earthworm Jim

Journey

Space Invaders - Interactive! (a member of the audience was chosen to play a round of Space Invaders for the opportunity to win a laptop.

Zelda

Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross Medley

Skyrim (definitely my favorite of the night!)

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lrdrandallslady @ 2012-05-04T12:31:00

2012-05-04T19:35:25Z

So I had intended to have these posted a little more often than once a month, but life tends to run away with itself and leaves me in it's dust. Anywho, here's another drabble for you, a next installation in the universe from my previous drabble post (found here). Hope you like it. As always, feedback is appreciated ^_^.

Oh, and a warning I should have given on the last one, this is completely AU.

Malevolence

Sano let loose a string of expletives even as he lifted Kaoru into his arms, alarmed at how weightless she seemed. The girl had always been petite, but Sano really didn’t want to think about the sharp angle of bone he felt against his hands. And he really didn't want to think about the icy cold that seeped through her wet clothes.

“Meg!” He pushed through the back door, calling for the healer even as he took the stairs to the upper levels two at a time.

Megumi popped her head from around a corner just in time to see him disappearing up another flight of stairs. She was about to yell at him, a snide comeback on the tip of her tongue, when her brain caught up with what she was seeing and it registered two very important things at once – Sano was carrying someone upstairs and leaving a trail of splattered crimson in his wake.

Megumi cursed under her breath as she dashed back into her rooms to snatch her medical bag before racing up the stairs after Sanosuke. By the time she arrived, Sano had already laid the woman out on the rug in front of the hearth and was coaxing dormant embers back to life. She was lying on her side facing the fire, but even though Megumi couldn't see her face, the waist-length raven hair left little doubt in her mind as to who it was.

"Kaoru?" She hurried over, careful not to slip in the blood and rainwater puddled on the hardwood floor. Coming around so she faced the girl, Megumi's suspicions were confirmed.

“What happened to her?” she asked, brushing back the other woman’s bangs, fingers recoiling from the frozen skin that should have been burning hot.

“I don’t know,” Sano answered, feeding wood to the growing fire, the tightness in his voice betraying his worry.

“Get that fire going as high and as hot as you can,” Megumi ordered, as she quickly inspected Kaoru’s body looking for the source of all the blood. “Dehydrated… malnourished…” she murmured, tone analytical. “What have you done to yourself, Kaoru?”

Gently, Megumi turned her over. Lifting the hem of Kaoru’s ruined leather jacket, she gasped at the sight of the blood-soaked shirt clinging to Kaoru’s skin. As quickly but as gently as she could, the healer pulled Kaoru’s arms from the wet leather. The girl groaned in pain despite her unconsciousness as her bloodied t-shirt was revealed. Afraid to move the girl any more lest she aggravate the wounds further, Megumi grabbed the shears from her bag and carefully cut the back of the thin, cotton shirt from hem to neck. Slowly pealing fabric from where it stuck to the oozing blood, she exposed Kaoru’s back.

“Oh… oh gods…” she breathed, her voice catching on the tears that burned her throat. Sano turned away from the now-blazing fire to see what had caused Megumi’s cool exterior to crack. Sano's words colored the air blue at what he saw.

Deep, wicked slashes crisscrossed Kaoru’s pale skin. The flow of blood had slowed and Megumi could see the skin attempting to knit back together, but the lacerations glowed with an angry purple-black haze that seemed to be preventing the flesh from regenerating as quickly as should have. Fingers of the malevolent color reached out from the edges of the wounds, snaking their way across the undamaged flesh of Kaoru’s neck and arms even as Megumi and Sanosuke watched.

“What the hell is that?”

Megumi didn’t answer, but quickly went to work weaving the spell that she hoped would slow the poisonous magic eating its way through the unconscious woman. When her hands began to glow with healing purity, she reached out toward Kaoru. The moment the light touched shadow, sparks flashed and Megumi was thrown backward. Her head cracked against the exposed brick, staining them an even deeper red with her blood as she slumped sideways

“Shit! Meg!” Sano was at her side in an instant.

“Sano, find Kenshin. I can’t break it,” she whispered staring up at him with eyes that didn’t want to focus.

Exploring carefully, he found the quickly-growing knot at the base of the healer’s skull. “Meg, what is going on?”

Blinking to clear her vision, Megumi watched as a misty shape formed over Kaoru’s wounded flesh – a translucent black rose, thorny and weeping blood – the sign of the one who’d attacked her.

“Shadow’s mark… it’s killing her.”

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RK Drabbles

2012-04-06T23:05:21Z

Sometime last year, I pulled a prompt chart from some community without joining, hoping to kick start the muse. It worked... mostly. I've had this, and several other things, sitting on my hard drive for a while, so I thought I'd pull it out, poke at it some more, and post it to see if I could get some feedback on it. I may just begin a repository on FFN for these kind of random drabbles; haven't quite decided yet.

Let me know what you think. Thanks!( Read more... )

Part One: Pain (003)

‘There it is…’ She could have cried.

Through dripping bangs, Kaoru stared at the nondescript building from her hiding place in the alley. She took in the plain façade of rough cinder block and dingy windows covered by iron bars. A heavily-rusted door guarded the entrance. Over it hung a neon sign that simply said “The Nest,” the “s” flickering pathetically in the night.

It didn’t look like much – it wasn’t supposed to – but inside dwelt the promise of sanctuary, a safe haven… and the one who could protect her. Kaoru just prayed he was there. Not that she really wanted to see him again, not after all this time – and she very much doubted that he would want to see her after the way she'd left things between them – but she’d exhausted all other options. So as much as she hated turning to him, she had no choice.

“Enough, Kaoru,” she grumbled to herself wiping the water from her eyes with a hasty brush of her hand. “Stalling will only get you killed sooner.”

With eyes closed, Kaoru reached out, drawing on what little she had left to feel her way in and around the surrounding buildings with her magic, marking marked each of the souls that glimmered in her mind. With the exception of the building in front of her, she felt only the presence of scattered humans.

“Thank you,’ she murmured to no one in particular. None of the Other had found her… yet.

Teeth clenched against the pain burning across her back and limbs, Kaoru eased off the brick wall that had been holding her up and stumbled out of the alley. Crossing the near-deserted street, she managed to dodge the few cars that braved the downpour and until she reached that rusty door. Leaning heavily against the metal, she fought for breath and the strength to pull it open.

Even with the torrential rain outside, inside the club was packed. The leather booths scattered around the room’s periphery were filled with people, their faces obscured where the club’s light didn’t quite penetrate the most shadowed corners. The dance floor was a writhing mass of bodies moving to the heavy beat pulsing from the speakers. But all movement stopped and every head turned when she entered, sensing the presence of someone not their kind.

“So much for sneaking in,” she muttered. Not that she’d really thought she could. There was not enough left in her to mask what she was. The tension in the air was palpable cut only by the music that continued to pound through the room. She could feel their eyes boring into her back as she staggered toward the bar, but she ignored them. She wasn't there to see them anyway. Thankfully, those as the bar were wary enough to back away as she approached, opening enough space for her to get through. Yeah, she’d want to get away from her if she was in their shoes. The stench of tainted magic tended to have that affect on people.

“I need to see Sano,” she rasped, knowing that it was easier to gain access to the fighter rather than the one she was really here to see. Any protest the young bartender might have made died on his lips the moment he looked up at her. Pale eyes widened slowly as recognition dawned. The kid – what was his name again? – disappeared quickly through the swinging door marked “Private.”

Kaoru rested elbows against the bar's polished surface, clamping down on the impulse to snarl at the club’s patrons who continued to stare. Instead, she pressed the heels of her hands against her closed eyes and willed herself to hold on until Sano came. Drawing on the last bit of magic left in her, she pushed it toward the DJ, begging for a reprieve from the throbbing beat that hammered against the inside of her skull.

Lifting her head, Kaoru’s lips turned up in a small smile of thanks as the club filled with sultry lyrics and exotic instrumentation that spoke of deserts and sand and heat… of home. All she wanted – all she needed – was a hot bath and a soft bed. After that, she would think about the consequences of coming to this place for help.

“Kaoru? Oh my god… what the hell happened to you?!”

Kaoru turned at the sound of the fighter’s deep voice. She offered him a wane smile as she attempted to get off her stool, but the weeks of pushing past exhaustion and hunger and pain crashed over her. Sano was at her side in an instant, catching her before she could hit the floor. Her grip on consciousness was quickly slipping, but Kaoru knew she needed to speak the words she never thought she’d say.

“Sanctu… Sano… I need…”

“Shit! Kaoru! C’mon, Missy. Stay with me.” Kaoru heard Sano’s voice through the fog of her pain, but she no longer had the strength to respond and succumbed to the darkness.

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Do you really want me to answer this?

2012-03-12T19:42:41Z

Tired, if I want to be polite about it; Shitty... if I don't. With the energy savings really being relatively marginal, I fail to see why DST is necessary any more. All it does is make me tired and grumpy which in turn makes it harder to deal with my tired and grumpy kids.

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Art Commission

2012-01-09T18:44:24Z

Way back before Christmas, I commissioned melitotpd melitot_pd to illustrate part of Tales of Kenji for me. This collection was originally started in answer to a challenge laid down by her, so when she opened up her commissions, I thought it would be particularly appropriate for her to be able to illustrate it. The collection has become near and dear to my heart as most of Kenji's antics are based on the antics of my own two minions, so it was tough to choose just which part I wanted to see brought to life. We finally settle on Chapter 8, "Love You Always", in which Kenji proposes to his mother.

Today, I finally received the fruits of all melitotpd melitot_pd's labor and, as usual, she has really outdone herself. There really aren't enough words to tell her just how much I love what she's done. Thank you so much, my friend!

I Love You Best by Melitot

(Click on the thumbnail to see the full image and don't forget to commend her on her marvelous work)

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Cross Post Test

2012-01-02T20:55:46Z

I've opened a DreamWidth account in anticipation of the impending apocalyptic mayhem over at LiveJournal. My account has already been imported here just in case everything at LJ goes to hell in a hand basket. If you're reading this on LJ and you're part of my f-list, or even if you aren't yet, feel free to come find me so I can add you. :)

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Ensnared - Full Smut Version

2012-01-02T07:42:51Z

She needed air…and water. Someplace generally less crowded would be nice too, Kaoru thought. She felt a line of sweat trace its way down her backbone, disappearing beneath the edge of her corset top. The club was packed tonight and dancing close to so many hot, sweaty bodies… well, she needed a break. She may have lived in a city full of wolves for nearly year now and befriended many in the local pack, but that didn’t mean she was comfortable with the crowds. Their need for pack – the constant companionship and lack of privacy – grated on her instincts.( Ensnared )

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New Story - Ensnared

2012-01-02T07:26:08Z

And here we have a long, long overdue birthday fic for LC Rose. I'm so sorry this is late, my friend!

Ensnared
Rated T
Genre: Romance, AU
Summary: Running from a past she can barely remember, Kaoru hides in a city full of wolves only to find herself hunted once more.

(The full smut version of this fic is available here for those over 18.)

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