Still migraine-y but I Made it to my mother's so whatever. Here's a scene from... Two NaNoWriMos ago? In which an unexpected person is a guest star. I actually thought up a second scene for her on the drive down so she'll get another chance to shine and terrify everyone.

( You've stepped into something bigger than you thought )

Day two of pain from the weather, thanks it going nearly to 60 yesterday, then right back to maybe 40 max today. Leaving me bloody exhausted, so time for the broken brain icon (which cracks me up).

But that's not why you're here. Here's an excerpt from last NaNoWriMo. Part II of AG is supposed to start each chapter with a news article, and they are pure sensationalism. I'd tell you more, but honestly it hurts to type, so I'm just going to post it and go back to SPORE.

( TW for minor racism )

By the way: this man is Meander. I was creating him in Sims 4 and realized that I liked his look when he wasn't another pale man, and I need more diversity in my cast anyway.

Tschuess.

Taking a much-needed week-long vacation and I can feel my muse stirring after what feels like years of writer's block. I think playing the Wekesa family in The Sims 3 helped. And thus I bring you: Bakari and Batuuli having a cameo in Abandoned Gardens:

( 1800s photography and my attempts at traditional Swahili clothing, oh my! )

If anyone out there actually knows about East African traditional clothing and can let me know if what I gave Batuuli and Bakari makes sense, that would be great. Unfortunately yet unsurprisingly, the internet did not yield a lot of information, what with its European-centric views and all.

And as a fun bonus, one of Alden and Bakari's adopted children married a man who then used Joy for a magician trick:



She made exactly the face I'd expect. Also grr, my spreadsheet says Bakari has brown-red hair but in the Sims he still has the blonde-red hair he started with! Which one is it, me?!

Tschuess.

My circadian rhythm has decided to fuck everything again, and after a few weeks of waking up at 7AM, then a few more weeks waking up at 6AM, this morning I woke up at 5-fucking-AM. NP recommended upping the trazadone and I'll be leaving work early tomorrow (did so today as well, or tried) to try and convince the dumbassery to go away, thanks.

Been trying to get back into writing regularly, but seems I'm at a rough point in AG. Here you all are anyway:

( TW for spousal abuse )

Rose May is a one-track record and she ain't gonna skip because you're going to Frenton.

On that sleep-deprived note, will try to get a bit more writing tonight. We shall see.

Tschuess.

First, health update: my knee is better. Today I may have accidentally undone a lot of the healing by trying to do too much at once, but once my laundry is dry in about thirty minutes I'll be forcing myself to flop my ass permanently at my computer or on the couch.

Second, for those of you considering publishing work or just having fail organizational skills, I highly recommend Scrivener. This neat little program allows you to keep all of your writing for projects in one place. It comes with a full trial for 30 NONCONSECUTIVE (!) days. It took me over a year to get through the trial and I couldn't imagine going back to using just WordPad, so I got it for the $40 license. Now when I write AG, I can have previous revision chapters right alongside what I'm working on, or the previous chapters, etc, without having four or five WordPad documents open. Overall a win-win.

And now, writing excerpt:

( Really, all Rose May and Co. do is drink tea and contemplate shit )

Hopefully more writing today, but I've been addicted to Sims again so we'll see.

Tschuess.

Okay, it isn't really. But with how I write him, sometimes I wonder.

( Hafstra's role at the moment is BE UTTERLY CRAZY MAN )

I'm not too pleased with this scene, mostly because I don't like using my vampires as deus ex machinas (Mahli would probably make more sense here, but I imagined Nur doing it, so there it is). In the last draft, this scene happened upon Rose May's first meeting with Hafstra, where Rheanna was there to provide the translation for "my wife". But somehow I forgot to have Rose May ask why Hafstra was in Welen in the first place; instead they just talked about him being arrested and boring shit like that.

So yeah, may end up rewriting those scenes so this can go in its proper place. Let me know what you think, though.

First the excerpt. Then I'll explain the subject.

( In which we learn about Mahli )

And now, the explanation! It's like behind-the-scenes, except Inception behind-the-scenes since this isn't published yet and... Yeah.

My issue ever since writing modern Mahli has been convincing the reader that, considering his attitude and power, that he still can't take over the world. THis is very difficult considering modern fantasy and just media in general. People who are super powerful compared to others invariably try to take over the world, pose a major safety hazard, whatever.

But the thing is, even with the ability to mind-control twelve people? That still leaves hundreds of thousands of people who could use that opportunity to go after Mahli. Twelve people also is assuming he is not using his telepathy to make up for his severe physical disabilities, which Mahli implies he does with the "manage eight" comment. Mahli's arrogance, stemmed from his special treatment and just growing up with mountain faeries, results in him tending to spy on people's thoughts freely, trying to get an advantage, impress people, etc. This uses up yet more of his power.

If Mahli wanted to get into a fight? He'd most likely pour a lot of energy into removing more of his physical disabilities than he does normally (he still uses a cane). This would be taxing enough that he'd be reduced to likely an average vampire in terms of telepathy, and human officials know how to deal with that kind of power. And as shown in this scene, any magic users would quickly sense shit going down and go in to subdue him.

So in conclusion: Mahli is extremely powerful, but still a human, and a significantly crippled human at that. He is also smart enough to know that even with his awesomeness, an attempt to truly skirt the law would end up with him severely injured or dead.

And so he deals with society and being regarded as a freak due to his physical deformities as best he can. For those who don't know:

( Severe physical deformities )

So yes. That's him using telepathy so he can walk more easily, and he still needs the cane. Multiple times in the story he gets sick of it and just floats around, freaking people out XD But to reserve power and not exhaust himself mentally, he usually just sticks with the cane and walking.

I should stop babbling and go to bed but yes. Mahli is one of my favourites for whatever reason. He's just interesting.

Tschuess.

Chapter Two finished; it was way easier since there weren't that many changes to make from the second revision.

( Except for Greta's attitude, which is now MUCH more snooty upper-class woman )

Also it's shedding season for Thalia. I can tell because my allergies are PISSED. Dusting the coffee table probably wasn't the smartest idea either. HOpefully OTCs get rid of the tight feeling in my chest.

1) ( Some AG rewrite under here )

2) ( And some of the Sheep Universe novel here )

Should be asleep. Have words that are floating in my head instead. As if I'd write FORMALLY out of sequence.

---

"We did our best to get the stable dark and quiet. I still don't understand why she isn't in a hospital, though. She speaks Ubiquitous." The veterinarian frowned as he wiped his hands on a towel that likely would just leave them even dirtier. The horse he had just been treating did not look at him with much sympathy.

"Welcome to Welen. If you have fur, you're clearly just an animal." Gareth looked past the veterinarian; Rose May tried to follow his gaze, and noticed that one of the stables down the row had blankets and towels hanging from any space that was usually open, all but sealing it off. "She's in the one way at the end, I imagine?"

"Horses are a bit unsettled by her, and she seems to just HATE them. Says something about them smelling awful." The man shrugged, smiling softly. "I could relate to that. But why are you here to see her?"

"Legal business. No not about her, last I checked demons don't need immigration papers." Gareth sighed at the veterinarian's baffled stare, doing what Rose May could tell was his absolute best not to sneer and snarl. "About a case of ours. Hafstra Dagrun, you may have--"

"The demi doctor? What does she have to do with-- You know what, never mind. I'm too busy to be dragged into a court case." The doctor hung the towel up on an aging rack. "She's likely awake by now. You can see her."

He led them down the barn corridor, past various horses who only showed interest once they realized the doctor was not looking for them. Upon reaching the covered stable, Rose May noticed that light could still filter through. The veterinarian took his ring of keys, unlocked the stable door, and pulled it open with a creek. Carefully the two lawyers stepped underneath the blankets.

Then the vet closed the door just as Rose May spotted the being inside, and she wished she had an easier way out than pushing away blankets and clambering over wood.

She noticed the demon's claws first -- the front ones were thick and long, but blunt at the ends, with a few damaged at the tips. The back ones were not quite as long, but sharp, as were the demon's teeth with she yawned upon their arrival. Her head was vaguely cat-like, but the snout was too wide, the nose fleshy and twitching in their direction. Her legs looked stocky even when she was curled up, though she made up for it with length and weight. Long tufts of fur were raised and stiff near her ears, shoulders, and on her feet. Her eyes were small, focused vaguely in their direction -- Rose May was not sure she could see them that well, but suspected their scents gave the demon everything she needed to know.

Then there were the wounds -- gashes and cuts seemed to cover the demon's legs and upper body, with a towel tossed over one on her neck stained red and possibly still leaking. It looked like she had been hacked at with a sword, but Rose May could not imagine how that would have possibly happened. Swords had fallen out of fashion ages ago, and besides she was not sure even especially drunk idiots would go after a demon with them.

The demon's tail tossed to the other side, long tuft at the end mixing with the dirt of the stall. She had been provided a blanket that somehow was still not long enough, even though it was made for horses.

"'Legal business.'" Her voice was gravely, deep, and thick with a strange accent; Rose May could barely make out the words, but they were definitely in a human language. "Ground walkers and your odd habits, yes?"

"I apologize for our poor manners. We should have spoken to you directly right away but he was concerned for your health." Gareth took a step forward and knelt down to the demon's level. "I would greet you in your ways but I am not versed in them. I am Gareth Haeden."

"You would not like our greetings." The demon stretched then, and rose suddenly; though her shoulder was barely higher than two feet, her bulk made her seem far larger. She extended her head toward Gareth and sniffed at him cautiously, keeping weight off the more mauled of her front legs. "Anca, Gareth Haeden. Why are you here?"

"I am a lawyer representing a man who has been attacked, and I believe you were witness to this fight." At Anca's blank look, Gareth sighed. "A man was attacked by someone else. I am trying to help him. To do this I need to know what happened."

"You could help him more by banishing who attacked him and leaving me to my sleep." The demon then yawned in Gareth's face, but the lawyer seemed nonplussed; Rose May imagined this was not the worst thing that had happened to him, or even close to the most frightening.

"While I whole-heartedly agree, our system is not so sensible, and so I need to gather proof he was attacked by this man." Gareth paused. "The man I am representing is... Kind of half-bird. Does that sound familiar?"

"Bird?" Anca looked blankly at him once more. "I do recall an odd ground dweller, who did not smell anything like most of the ones I have met. But I do not know anything about these 'birds'."

Gareth waved her confusion away with a quick gesture that Anca watched intently. "It's probably him. Would you be willing to talk with us?"

"I thought I already was." Rose May swore that the demon smiled as she sat down awkwardly, tail curling around her feet. "Or at least to you. Your companion is too busy being frightened, though she has calmed some from the initial surprise."

"What?" Gareth turned around and stared at Rose May; she would have returned the look, but she was too busy being impressed by Anca. The man sighed. "Rose, get over here and introduce yourself at least."

She would have been encouraged by Gareth if she did not suspect that talking to things that may seriously maul him was more of a hobby for him than an avoided occurrence; yet she still walked over and sat down beside him, spreading her skirt as best she could to avoid the dirt. From what little anyone knew, demons had no interest in harming humans, and seemed to mostly prefer to avoid them. How Anca had ended up in a stable, then, was anyone's guess.

That had to wait until later, however, when it no doubt became Gareth's next project.

"Rose May Pursa. Pardon my rudeness."

"Rudeness? No. Sensibility." And then the demon grinned at them, baring two rows of sharp teeth. "So then. Let us continue our talk. Which of the many fights I saw do you claim to want your 'help' for?"


---

Bed now .