A Plain-covered Journal

[danielmn]

[randomrper]

Damn... I now feel a need to make a trip to TSM so I can RP with this character and get a cool pic and insightful journal entry too!

[Uniskorne]

It's the joke in chat. Everyone knows it. What would so-and-so look like in a bikini. Mostly Alyra. Well, here it is. Another picture that wouldn't leave me alone. What if there was a slight 'wardrobe mix-up' in the barracks one day? What if the dream of dreams came true? What if the two most recognizable Knights of Silver were suddenly *gasp* sans garde robe (ok, not entirely. I don't want to be banned ).
Unfortunately, knowing the girls like I do, I couldn't be serious. Sorry.

[CloudDancing]

Ahahahaha! I had no idea you could draw comic styles too! The facial expressions are great.

[Uniskorne]

Attended a Leaffall festival in the hills outside of Silverymoon. Felt kind of bad, just showing up, but I'd been told by several of the merchants in the Market that it'd be ok. Even if I hadn't done any farming, I'd still worked hard this year. So, I went.

Felt kind of awkward in my dress. Felt even weirder that the last person to wear it was Cassandra. So much mystery and doubt surrounding her, but I'd come to forget all of this for a little while. The band was still tuning up when I arrived and the drinks were still largely untapped. People were milling about, building the bonfire up higher, and, generally, doing all the things people do at the beginning of a party. I drifted through the crowd, surprised that some people recognized me right away while it only took me saying 'I'm a Knight in Silver' for others to nod firmly and smile. Others would do three to four degrees of separation before knowing me, but it made me smile. Matrons of all ages hustled me towards the long tables laden with food, and a tankard was pushed into my hand and filled to overflowing. After thanking everyone at least twice, I found a place off to the side to eat.

The first wails of the fiddles started about then and a few people moved from the ring around the bonfire to dance. Others were watching me. Part of me felt like a chaperone. Were they expecting me to arrest folk for having fun? I was farm-folk like them despite the suit of shiny armor. I finished eating, swallowed my cider, and joined in somewhat awkwardly. I haven't danced in a year. You'd be surprised how the steps change in a year and how new-foal wobbly you are if you haven't danced. I'm used to barndoor-slamming fighting steps, not the deft turn-and-spin of line-dancing. Did I trip myself up? Yes. Did I look like a person stricken with shakes? Yes. Did I have fun? Yes.

After two dances, I sat back down with another tankard. Water this time. I had duty in the morning. Halfway through this tankard, a hand grabbed mine and yanked me into another dance. More people had joined, the band was picking up, and there was that feeling of giddiness that comes with the booze kicking in. Couples paired and parted. Folk moved in patterns more ancient than the dance itself.

And, all through it, I realized I was on the edge at all times.

I was part of the dance, but not part of them. I wasn't above them. Hells, no. I was just...different. Their struggle was at an end for one year. Winter would come and all would be, mostly, good for them. My struggles-- Silverymoon's struggles--aren't over. Malmsy told me of a new trouble I hadn't heard of when talking to the Legion. The Pope is still in Baldur's Gate. And a billion tiny, personal struggles buzz in my ears.

For four hours, I forgot, though. I was Marigold Martingale, farmgirl. And it was very nice. I told everyone honestly that I had the most fun I'd had in a long while. As I walked back in the night-haze, cool air embracing me and the moon my only companion, I wondered if this is how Alyra feels--part but not. I realized I have come to view the city as both my Mother and my child or sibling--something that deserves respect, and, at the same time, something that needs protecting and guidance.

Back at the dance by now, couples would be cuddling in their cloaks and blankets. Children would be fighting sleep on blankets laid on the grass or haybales. The band would be playing a slow whirl of somesort (I could hear the faint notes as I neared the city's walls). Matrons would be packing the food up for anyone leaving. No one would go home without something and that something would be eaten for a few days.

As for me, I trudged back to my room, built the fire up to a decent height, and crawled into bed and fell asleep wondering how everyone was doing in Baldur's Gate.

[Uniskorne]

Once again, Ladies and Gentlemen, I prove that I cannot resist a dare. So, here you go, Alyra if she were a normal girl chowing down on sweets on a daily basis and not walking any further than the Market. (I say this from experience. No hate).
Now, I give to you...

Chubby Alyra!




Please hold your applause until the end of the performance. Thank you!

[CloudDancing]

lol where are the rainbows shooting out her a**? Adorable

[Uniskorne]

Who am I?

When I first arrived in Silverymoon, I thought I was so sure of the answer only to find, as time passed, that I knew nothing. There's no such things as mistakes as long as you learn something from it. Momma's wise words follow me with every step. If that is true--and I firmly hope it is--then I've learned so much about myself.

Love hurts. It hurts so much, but, I've learned, that nothing truly worth it comes without pain. Gramma used to say, "I'm sure the ground weeps a little when the flower grows, but, oh, how beautiful the result!"

What's good isn't necessarilly right, and what's right isn't necessarilly good. Such a hard lesson to learn. As a Knight, I'm supposed to be a champion of what's right. As a paladin, I'm a champion of what's good. The two don't always mesh nicely, and, sometimes, they don't agree with me at all. In the end, though, I hope I do what is best.

Ain't no such thing as a white horse. That's a saying from back home. Most 'white' horses are really grey. We use that saying pretty much like people here say 'don't be fooled by a pretty face'. I've allowed beauty to cloud my judgement, and, conversely, I let my judgement cloud beauty. Another way that saying is used is, basically, to say that no Prince Charming is going to ride up and rescue you. Or, if he does, take a good look at his horse. Might be a bandit on a good dye job.

Honesty is the best policy. Even if that means admitting you messed up or were wrong. I will never get the chance to admit to one man that I messed up, and a part of me hopes that I never get the chance to admit to another that I was wrong. Another lesson learned the hard way.

Sometimes, never saying 'good-bye' is the best thing to ever happen. I'll never find my Brother's body, and he'll never get physically buried. He was given a place in the crypt as a Knight as 'buried' with full trimmings and honors although there's no bones there. I never got to say good-bye, but, as this year has passed, it has become a nice, comforting thing instead of something that haunts me. There are no good-byes, honestly. They're with us constantly, guiding and comforting when we need it most.

Who am I?

I may never know. Each lesson learned reveals another part of me or changes something that I thought was fixed within me. There are some truths that may never change--I love horses, grass, trees, a good beer, and good friends. In a choice between passion or honesty in a lover, I'd, of course, hope for both, but I'd choose honesty. My word is my bond, and I try never to break a promise. I'll always be a little insecure about my height and how I speak Common, but, if no one points it out, I'm fine. I can get hopelessly lost in the wilderness, but I never forget people. I have a soft spot for small animals, children, and old folks--because they can't help themselves.

I will always be Jon and Moonbeam's little girl.

You know me as Mari.

Here's to the coming year!

[kid]

Dayum

[Mizbiz]

Wonderful Uni.

[Blindhamsterman]

lovely writing and awesome drawing!

[Heero]

1.

[Uniskorne]

Morning.

And every breath is smoke. Every movement is punctuated by several little shivers. It's cold. Really cold. Why do troubles never happen during good weather? It's always burning summer or freezing winter. I guess it's a small mercy--at least we can look forward to the Fall and Spring with hope that the conflicts will be over.

I wanted this, I keep reminding myself. Strap on the armor. Tell yourself that, once you get moving, you'll get warmer. Remind yourself that there's people freezing and starving out there. All I have to do is keep the peace, help sort rations, be ready to be deployed to the Front.

Swallow dry toast, leftover meat from--one? Two?--meals ago, and water. Beat my hair into some semblance of agreement. I haven't seen friends in weeks. Haven't rested in weeks. Small price to pay. Others are out there pushing the hordes back, hitting them where it hurts, losing their lives in the process. I just have to get up and go to work.

So cold.

I got to see my family over the holidays. Everyone so proud of me. So happy I'm still alive. Everyone looked so small. Even my Dad. I didn't stay long. Couldn't. I felt in the way. Chaunna's taken my place in the house, helping Momma. She's only seven summers, but, already, she knows how to set a table and wash dishes. Azure's zooming around the place, too. Could barely walk when I left. My little sisters are growing up.

I've grown up.

Tuck the scarf Momma knitted into my breastplate. Wrap my cloak about me. Heft the sword and shield. Jam the helmet onto my head. It's a gods-awful thing, but it keeps my ears warm. Grit my teeth at the first icy wind off the river. So cold. Cobbles still slick with ice and my legs still not sure they belong to me or that they want to go where I'm going--fun. Focus on the clouds that puff with each breath. Lock your jaw so you don't chatter your teeth down to nubs.

Nod to people because 'g-g-g-g-g' mmm-morn-n-n-nn' takes too long.

Get to the Fort. Get orders for the day. Exchange knowing nods with Alyra. She's dog-tired, too, but she's an old pro at putting on a face. She'll glitter like those gems in her hair until she falls down exhausted.

I wish I had half her fortitude.

The day speeds by now. Is it lunch already? People forcing me to take a break, eat something--yes, we can afford to have at least one decent meal. We don't need our troops passing out, eat something, Red--breathe for a few seconds, return to work. Watch the shadows creep across the floor alarmingly fast, it seems. Suddenly, a hand on my shoulder, Alyra urging me to go home. It'll all be here tomorrow morning. I'm falling asleep, she says, smiling kindly. Everyone is, I argue weakly. But, I look around, and most everyone is gone.

She walks me home. We talk in that half-sentence, tired way we've adopted recently. Olaf and Brenna? Still researching behind the scenes for magical ways to assist the effort--we don't say 'War Effort'. It's not officially war yet. Yet. May never be. Any news from Balder's Gate? Bits and pieces of news. Nothing I catch solidly. Only thing keeping me upright is the sword on my back. We share tea at my place by the fire. Sitting in silence for what seems like forever. Cloaks doubling as blankets since I donated my bedfurs to the needy. I have a patchy quilt...

I wake up wrapped up in it. The fire's died. Is it morning already? I strain for those audio clues that I've grown used to. No. Not yet. Not for another few hours. Drift back to sleep.

In my dreams, everything is covered in white flowers...it's so beautiful...

Morning.

[Burt]

Need a thumbs up icon - very nice.

[Lucifer]

TY Beautifully written