Feeling significantly less than overwhelmed this morning, which perhaps just makes me whelmed. Slept like the dead, which was a great relief.

An easily-accomplished list of tasks for the day:
- get dressed (yes, this is a goal)
- wash sheets
- dry sheets
- tidy room
- tidy desk
- tidy bathroom
- vacuum downstairs
- scene the rest of the first section of AtM
- chair hunt on the interwebs
- clean the shower
- train to Oxley by 5pm

After that, any and all hope of completing goals will be obliterated by the presence of children, so you know, I'm not even going to bother. I do want to try to write things this weekend, though.

In slightly different news, I am out of milk for my tea, and I think I need to complicate the fae side of the plot in AtM so Hiru doesn't show up at the beginning and then just... vanish for a few chapters. This could just involve little snapshots of his mother, hearing that Auberon has a new pet, working in the wards, but I'm not sure how to make that exciting and important other than, well, HIRU IS ON THE PAGE, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS VITAL STUFF. Well, I mean, it is important and exciting. But. Oh, I don't know what I mean. XD; Fail.

Just finishing the third box set of the Granada series, and I have to say, there may actually be nothing better than Watson pistol-whipping folk.

Unless it is Mrs Hudson. Because that woman. She is so much love.



I just want to say: until the mood crash, today was really pretty excellent. Afterward, it all skidded pretty rapidly downhill, but I'm feeling in much better spirits after a bath and a long night on my own, in my own space.

I bought far too many things today. But now that I reflect on my purchases with a little more sanity, I think they will all be worth it.

(Particularly the Holmes soundtrack that will be in the post to me by the end of August.)

[EDIT] And also, just so we're clear on the kind of sdfjah today held: it was fabulous, it really was, I was soaring, I was watching Chira draw commissions, and then she started on Sanga and I lost all coherence, which was fine.

Then I accidentally copy-pasted an explanation of Sanga into the work social channel.

AHAHAHAHA. HAHA. HA. orz

[EDIT] So that everyone can see: Chira drew me Sanga looking MANLY FINE.

Hiru spent the entire time this was being drawn bitching and moaning that it wasn't right, he wasn't right, what the hell did I think I was doing having him commissioned anyway--

Which culminated in this.

I don't know what the hell is so wrong about the first one, but okay, honey. Whatever you say.

So because it was Tuesday, I was a zombie for the first half of the day. XD I just don't deal with them, even when they can be misconstrued as Fridays. One day I'll work out why that is. Got a fair bit done today despite obvious handicap of Tuesdayitis, and came home this evening inspired to draw like a demon because Chira was on Ustream all day. (Seriously, the woman is a MACHINE. ♥)

So I came home and figured out Ustream properly, and my 'show' such as it will be will be here. You just missed about three hours of me drawing the base composition for a massive fuckoff huge wallpaper for my work monitors, since their powers combined make it kind of hard to wallpaper with my normal video game/anime fare.

Tomorrow I'm either visiting the grandparents again (because Oopee can leave hospital soon!) or sitting around drawing, writing, and watching Sherlock Holmes. I could kind of keep going right now, but it's probably not a good idea to set myself up for staying awake working on stuff all night. XD My hands need a rest, if nothing else.

Okay so I am holding off on the Holmes for a little while. Because I was on the bus, reading Kushiel's Mercy and, well, I got to a significant bit and Hiru regressed about 230 years in a heartbeat and started screaming and, uh, hasn't stopped yet. This icon is the sparkling pretty version. What is going on in my head is not.

So I think I oughta spend some time pulling my baby back into this century before he tries to introduce himself to a firepit.

Dear Tina,

Because I love you.

Dear Everyone Else,

Eyeball warning.

Love,
Rave.

P.S. - Yes, Sanga means it when he says he loves your eyes. Yes, this is the other way Sanga could have chosen to express his love for Hiru. And yes, there is a reason that eye is green. ;) We're ignoring the fact that actually it would be a multi-faceted eye so it'd probably actually end up segmented goop all over Sanga's hand.

---

And no, Hiru is not sure whether that is hot or alarming. XD

(And no, I'm probably not finishing this.)

I had no option but to make this icon. I wanted to make an icon of Richard's kidney hat today, too, but I'm lazy, and I probably love Thief and Red Mage more. :'D

[EDIT] Holy shi--

Two things.

1) Apparently Liquor's eyes are just crusted over with blood, which is not surprising.
2) Apparently Liquor tries to give Hiru motherly cuddles because he qualifies as a lost child or something, which... is. And that sounds lovely and sweet until you realise that this is a woman made of blood who cries and cares and steals all the unloved unborn unsaved children of the world.

Suffice to say, Hiru just bolted the fuck out the side of my skull and he may not be back for a while. At least until he finds a safe corner to huddle in.

Because apparently I paint when I'm watching Supernatural.

Also, I would give people money to convince Hiru to wear pants at this point. :| WHAT IS UP, PRETTYWINGS.

[EDIT] Okay, so watching the Bloody Mary episode of SPN when I am home alone and sleep in a room with a wall to wall mirror was maybe not the BEST of plans. XD Fail, Rave. Fail.

- waited forever (and I mean forever) at the cultural center to get a bus out to Bellbowrie
- played FFVII on the bus and accidentally dropped a correct barrel, as usual. BLOODY AERIS, WHY ARE YOU SO HARD TO NOT-SAVE. D:
- got off at the wrong STOP dslkjfas
- spent like five hours doing a puzzle with Kyla and telling the children to go away and play quietly mummy and Laura were busy DON'TTOUCHTHAT
- became addicted to new game called Dynamic Systems on King.com T_T damn you, physics, why must you lure me?
- read very little of HBP because of aforementioned puzzle and game. :(
- argued with Dad over Gneil's (and fantasy's) literary merit
- wrote: NOTHINGGGG

[EDIT] Also, Hiru has been walking around naked in my head for several hours now, possibly in an attempt to remedy that last point. He should not do this while I am trying to read HBP, because holy god, what the HELL, mixed messages.

I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome Israel Folau is. :'D

[EDIT] Not worth devARTing, so here's the spoils of the game: first half yielded Kir and Landre; second half, Rook, Balfour and Adamo... but Kir and Adamo looked like crap! So, here: ( Have the other three. )

(paraphrased)

ME: I understand why I can't draw Dee.
ME: I have been drawing Xolotl too much and they have very similar hairstyles.
KATY: Huh. Xolotl cosplaying Dee would be epic.
ME: ...YES.

This can only end in tears. (Xolotl's.)

Typically, Dee actually looks more like himself when reverse-cosplaying Xolotl. XD Bastard.

[EDIT]

And then, three seconds after it occurred to me that both Tetsu and Auberon had horns, Aundin pounced on fluffy!Tetsu and refused to let go.

.......... *leaves her head to its own devices*

Today's theme seems to be racism; I sort of woke up with it in my head, and have encountered it several times this morning in my travails of the intertubes. And what it is making me think is, I have so much work to do on AtM. AtM has so much work to do on itself. I mean, just about every race in my novel despises or discounts others entirely whether out of fear or the extremely simple belief that the other race is meant to be food. I need to do more about working that into the novel and working that into the structure of the world. I have all these places with people that interact with each other in certain ways, but don't really have a set way that these places interact with each other yet, and I should.

Or I could find out as I go along.

But I think five drafts into the novel is probably too late for that. XD

Less woozy this morning, but not much - using on-screen keyboard not helping much. Pretty sure it is having to watch the one-handed typing dance that is making me so dizzy here, so may go off and read awhile.

So far today I have slept, and read. Apparently it was raining this morning. I had no idea because I was sleeping. But I was still awake when it started to rain this morning, so I feel that I have an excuse. James is still sleeping, anyway, and he went to bed long before I did.

Today I have to:
- read all my surgery info, and then
- call Medibank before 12pm,
- call the Ruddbucks hotline to work out what the shit is going on, <-- Curses, I didn't pay tax last year... but I paid tax the year before, typically, and I'll pay this year. You would pick the year I cut my work hours to give free money to taxpayers, Rudd. Oh, well. I guess I got more than the Ruddbucks back, anyway, but... mrrrr.
- see if my anaesthetist is available on a Saturday, which she probably won't be,
- work out how to pay for all of this,
- clean my room,
- wash my sheets,
- dry my sheets,
- clean the bathroom,
- decide what to wear to the engagement party,
- pack bag for Rage's place,
- go to the bloody engagement party,
- go back to Rage's place,
- read more Kushiel's Scion, and
- write more AtM

I keep thinking I need to sit down and define Hiru's voice more, but Hiru's voice while he lolls in agony (and shortly horror) should probably not be counted as indicative. Also, shit can be added and rearranged and made more suspenseful later. I need someone sitting behind me and telling me this. Possibly by belting me with things every time I stop typing for too long. (Maybe I should get that Write or Die program after all...)

[EDIT] Basically I am fucked at both ends as far as paying for things goes. Thank all gods I've been saving.

Also, will not be allowed tea the morning of the surgery. Cue tears.

Hiru has decided the first line of AtM is now, His thighs were sticky with blood.

ME: Are you sure you want to get into this so early?
HIRU: Yes.
ME: It'll save me setup later, but are you sure? Really? You're okay with this?
HIRU: *eyeroll*
HIRU: It Is What Must Be Done.
ME: ... ♥ ♥ Can you write the story all the time?
HIRU: Don't be stupid. I'm doing my nails.

WHY DID I NOT HEAR ABOUT THIS. ...I mean, obviously there are several things to go um over but uh I don't care enough about that because RDJ is Holmes? Even though I now see Holmes as Felix with a wig on, which I blame entirely upon Sarah Monette?

Damn movies, forcing me to rearrange my reading schedule around them...!

[EDIT] Things discovered in the shower:
1) The crocodile fae is a goddess of commerce in modern Azra, to whom Youta cleaves as much as Youta cleaves to anything. There are temples filled with crocodiles, the business moral of which is 'Choose your risks'. I wish I could see Youta with an actual plotline, sdhjfsh.
2) CHAZ: At least you have the opportunity to make something of yourself. I am whatever people believe me to be.
ASH: Bollocks. You only kiss me because I believe you want to? Bollocks.
ASH: *bright red and sullen*
CHAZ: *sputter spaz flail cannot deny*
ASH: *leaves*
ME: GUYS GUYS WHAT THE FUCK I DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY PAPER ARGH

And now Chaz seems to be sitting by himself trying to stop himself pulling out his hair and Ash is... no, wait, there he is, he's gone home and he's glaring at things.

WHAT THE HELL SHOWER IS NOT THE PLACE FOR SUDDEN PLOT

YOU HEARD ME BITCHES

No photos tonight but the plot snake is done and I am TIRED so I'm going to BED. That is a WHOLE NOVEL PLANNED PROPERLY. FUCK YEAH.

Good night, I love you all. <3 <3 <3

These are the first two images of Xolotl that ever there were: the one that makes my icon, and the fullbody I sketched to get the idea down, which later morphed to something altogether more froggeraptor.

This is the colour study I just did for him, probably no more than a year later. And admittedly the first two were more concept sketches than anything, but, well, so is this. And I can't shake a feeling of smug satisfaction.

Or the urge to pet Xolotl's inner thighs.

But that is neither here nor there. >_>;

Frat house of love. XD Take that, WBC picketers! What an awesome fraternity.

...now that I've finished off that meme, Auberon is sitting around miserably in the back of my head, wanting attention. And now that Hiru's post!AtM, he's just going, "Well, it's your fault in the first place, so fix it," and completely refusing to offer sympathy. XD Jerk.

Also on the subject of faerie kings, here is a truly hilarious snippet of a book that Shadra pointed to. IT IS HILARIOUS.

---

ALSO HILARIOUS: THE NEW LJ 404 PAGE.

Narrator: In A.D. 2006, Web was beginning.
Captain: What happen ?
Mechanic: Somebody set up us the journal.
Operator: We get signal.
Captain: What !
Operator: Main browser turn on.
Captain: It's you !!
CATS: How are you users !!
CATS: All your base are belong to Frank.
CATS: You are on the way to 404.
Captain: What you say !!
CATS: You have no chance to reach your page. Make your spelling correct.
CATS: Ha Ha Ha Ha ....

......now I have to go find the remixes again. XD

Watchmen was... amazing. But not the kind of movie everyone would enjoy, I think. For myself... I could have done without some stuff, but only to make it into a different kind of movie, and only to alter its purpose significantly. I think they did well. It was heartbreaking.

It was so good to see Emma again. ^^ We chatted over dinner about loads of things. I think after the movie I was probably a little space-age and awkward because ...well, it was thought-provoking. Also, I realised about halfway through that ...well, my fae aren't sociopathic enough. And I was trying to work out a way to make them less human and still human enough to relate to.

(Sanga is so much easier to do this with.)

[EDIT] ...and although I know this is tonally inappropriate for the film, I did keep expecting Rorschach's mask to make emoticon faces at humourously opportune moments. There were several moments which called for a wry D:.

Just because I know what is wrong with you is no reason to hurt me more, arm, just saying.

I woke up about fifteen times last night to write down things about Kara-with-umlauts-over-K and Azra and vampires and sluagh and the relation between them, and now I have to spend the day going over wtf they might mean for the rest of the story. So far, that Ban's temples were part of the initial battle against vampires, and that they made their way across most of the continent to kill vampires with SHAR'S HOLY FIRE about 75497324 million years ago, when the fae were warring. EXCITING TIMES.

Which is why when I actually got up this morning (as opposed to going "nnnnnnghdfhgsg thankyou connor have gud daydhfakj" at like five-thirty) it was half past ten.

WHOOPS.

[EDIT] it is probably a mark of how much I have been living with my mother for the last few years that I come over here, have nothing to do, and immediately go WHERE IN HELL IS THEIR VACUUM AND I WONDER WHERE THEY USUALLY KEEP THIS and spend the whole day metaphorically sitting on my hands because I know Kyla hates it when Grandma cleans and surely I am no better. XD;;;



......but no, seriously, I am fighting the compulsion to pick up the paper. Deep breaths, Rave, deep breaths.