the deep moans round with many voices

I have an uncontrollable urge to go do actual research on Pompeii and Herculaneum and stuff before writing the next section of "Trollstuck." Damn this sudden need for vague gestures in the direction of accuracy!

...

Have a Narutostuck snippet instead:

( Narutostuck: Damaged Goods )

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True facts: in this AU, cherry candy red blood is a known mutation that pops up at least once every ten years or so, no matter how hard the Condesce tried to cull it out of the population. Current theory is that it's somehow caused by chakra use, even though nobody's figured out exactly why.

I took a rather lackadaisical approach to A History of Handcrafts (Because a Sweater Equals Love), otherwise known as "the unexpected remix." I had no outline and, initially, no plot or theme either -- just the knitting gimmick and some implied backstory about Amanda and Gaila from MelayneSeahawk's drabble. This resulted in several exploratory rough draft fragments that I cut and replaced for various reasons. Nonetheless, I think the unused fragments are often cute, and kind of interesting from a process-of-writing standpoint.

So here they are. (1,400 words, give or take)

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A History of Handcrafts: alternate scenes
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( first attempt at scene 1 )

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( alternate conclusion to scene 2 )

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( first attempt at scene 3, Spock POV )

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( alternate scene 3, unexpected Gaila cameo )

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( alternate conclusion to scene 3 )

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In other news, I've been writing at work the past few days, but it's been kind of useless, at least from a can-I-post-this perspective.

For example, on Monday I wrote half a scene from at least two chapters ahead of myself in "Ashes" -- when Riam, Zalir, and Morgalen are at least a week into their journey, out in the tainted lands beyond Zerlon. Yesterday I wrote most a scene that is best described as fanfic for an original novel I haven't written. It's a little transitional incident that would probably not be in the actual book, if the book existed, because it's tangential to the main plot. I am writing it for my own amusement because it's a nice bit of emotional connection between two characters. I have another scene from that world (with different characters, but also a tangential transitional incident that wouldn't make it into the actual story) that I have been plotting in my head but haven't yet committed to paper.

...

I dunno, I may post them anyway when I finish. I do like my trio from "Ashes," and while I will probably never get around to writing their real story, I am also quite fond of Tom Redding, ri-Lady Lourdés Rodelay of House Ié'carranze dh Thrae, Vek abakak in'Ifut, and Signy of Vigjal, as well as the remaining cast of thousands their story contains.

First day of RE tomorrow. Eep. I met two of my co-teachers in passing at the orientation session, but had to leave before I could meet them properly. Another was one of my co-teachers last year, which will be helpful. And the fourth I do not know at all -- he hasn't even been replying to our group email conversation (possibly because his wife is one of the first two co-teachers, but still).

In other news, nearly two years after promising her a story, I am still trying to write a romance for Cat. I decided a couple days ago that since it has utterly failed to catch fire as a realistic narrative, perhaps I should go back to my original inspiration and write the damned thing as a fairy-tale. So I am attempting to strip it down and write the bare bones.

It starts like this:

( The Fox and the Star: a fragment )

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I am not quite sure where the story thinks it's going -- this is not exactly in line with my muddled background notes, and I have no idea how and when Ran is going to meet Drinan'qar (the heroine, Seb Seqoura's foreshadowed daughter) -- but at least this version seems to be alive... for now. *sigh*

(You would never know from the style and the subject matter of this opening section, but "The Fox and the Star" is set in the same world as "Finding Marea." Seriously. If you read that story, you may recall the vague mentions of the Jenjani and the Symbolists? Well, you are now reading about them directly.)

Joining 15_minute_fic was clearly one of my better recent ideas, because look! I wrote something, and it's finished. I grant you, it's clearly part of a much longer story, but still. Writing is good.

( Harvest: Island Dreams )

This is an excerpt from "Harvest," my ever-growing story about Ekanu and Denifar's disastrous attempt at a romantic relationship. "Shaelin and the Rainbow" occurs several months after Ekanu arrived in Ileara to meet Denifar, and nearly two months after they began having sex. (Lya-Lya, who tells the folktale, is one of Ekanu's temporary students.)

A very rough draft of the first half of "Harvest" can be found here, and another snippet from the second half ("Harvest: Swarm") is here.

( Harvest: Shaelin and the Rainbow )

To be continued...