AC_D7: An old HPxSupernatural Story

Welcome to the seventh day of the Advent Calendar. I hope you've had a good weekend. 

Today, I thought I'd put up bits of one of my older stories. A Harry Potter and Supernatural crossover story that I started ages ago. I had a good 12,000 + words written for it. But I lost interest in Supernatual after the fifth season- I just couldn't get into the sixth season's plot- and I abandoned the show and the story.

Even so, I re-read it every once in a while because I have a soft spot for it. And after one such re-reading, I was inspired with my Uchihas' Gods plotbunny.

So here's some of the less sappy bits of the story.

Warnings: Very fragmented bits and pieces from initial draft. Might not make a whole lot of sense.

 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 
The old wizard looked between the three of them with a worried expression. “About that... it's the year 2010. It's been thirteen years since you defeated Voldemort for the second time.”

Harry felt like he just been punched in the gut. 

"Thirteen...” Hermione gasped out in shock.

Ron made an oddly horrified sound in the back of his throat as his grip on Harry's arm tightened.

"But we haven't aged,” Harry said, trying to keep calm even as horrified thoughts buzzed around his mind. 

The wizard nodded. “You three haven't aged since the time you were found unconscious on the day of Voldemort's defeat.”

-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times, frowning at the odd feeling in his mouth. “What is that?”

The old wizard in front of them looked confused. 

"Feels like... something in the air?” Hermione said hesitantly. 

"Something in the air?” Flamel repeated. 

 

Harry nodded in agreement with Hermione's assessment. 

 

"Feels ashy and slimy at the same time,” Ron said with a grimace. “Very disgusting.”

"It's not supposed to be here,” Harry said absently.

"Here?”

Harry bit his lip and tried to put the sensation into words. “Here... on earth?”

Hermione made an agreeing sound even though she too look confused. 

Flamel frowned as he said, “Some of the seers have been feeling the same thing over the past two years.” 

"So there's something going on?” Harry asked.

AC_D6: Editing Resources

It's the sixth day of Advent Calendar series and it's been 'editing day' for me ever since I got home.

I'm not going to lie, it's been tedious.

I had to stop myself from writing various plotbunnies, because that would make me procrastinate and not go back to editing.

Thankfully, there are a few helpful things that I've found that makes editing easier.

1. Grammar Girl's Editing Checklist.

It's a long checklist and I like it for being so thorough and educational. It's easy to forget the basic rules of grammar sometimes.

2. ProWritingAid

An online editor. Just copy bits of your writing (it only allows 1000 words at a time) and be astounded by the amount of stuff (especially the little errors) this thing picks up. It's good for catching things you'd otherwise miss.

3. NaturalReader

I may or may not have mentioned this bit of software before. But this is a text to speech software and it's been a real help for me. Having your work read out to you, helps you pick up errors or odd sounding bits that you would have missed with plain old reading.

Also, the way the voices mess up non-english words will make you giggle. And that's a good way to deal with the monotony of editing.

Okay, I'm going to go back to editing now. Wish me luck in staying focussed.

Polar

AC_D5: Anime Recs

As the fifth day of the Advent Calender, but mostly since it's a Friday night, I'm going to be posting some anime recommendations.

Or just two actually, because I haven't had a chance to watch too much anime over the past few months. And I generally prefer reading manga.

But these two anime were wonderful. They're a few years old, but if you haven't seen them yet and you've got some time to spare over the weekend, then I highly recommend watching them.

1. Seriei no Moribito (Guardian of the Sacred Spirit) 26 episodes

Genre:Adventure, Fantasy

The basic premise of this anime is a prince get possessed by a spirit, the king feels like he should be killed but the queen wishes to keep him alive and hires a bodyguard. In comes Balsa, a female spear-wielding bodyguard. She sensible, fights expertly with a spear and saves everyone.

It's not a super innovative plot, but I think what makes this anime worthwhile is the characters and their back stories. All of them have a good amount of development. Personally, I just like seeing a strong lead female character- especially when she's physically and mentally strong.

2. Hanasaku Iroha (Blossoms for Tomorrow) 26 episodes
Genre: Slice of Life, Drama

In this anime, the main character Ohana, has to live with her grandmother after her mother runs away due to debt collectors. The grandmother is a strict owner of a hot springs inn and makes Ohana work. There's a bit of generation clash for a bit, but there are many other sub-plots to enjoy.

Again, it's the characters that make this anime interesting for me. They're all rather lovable. I also liked seeing the inner workings and the cultural aspects of a hot springs inn.

So, yeah, that's all for tonight. Do tell me your thoughts if you watch or have already watched these anime.

Polar