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If you need to read the introduction to this story, go here.

She could hear a woman’s heartbeat on the wind. Far too loud, beating far too fast. Likewise, the melody of her laughter was a pitch too high. From her perch at the top of the buildings, Janiya groaned. There were only a few hours left until daybreak, and someone just had to wreck a nearly perfect shift. She turned her dark brown eyes to gaze down the rows and rows of houses, toward the gates; Pryor stood guard, looking in the opposite direction. He had just returned from walking a round west around the town.

Another flutter of heartbeats sounded on the wind. She frowned. From what it sounded, she could handle this alone, so she would. Hopefully, she wouldn’t need to do much.

She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. The lantern she held in her right hand jangled slightly, and she felt it an the will-o-wisps dissipate back into the wind. She pulled her goggles down over her eyes, then grasped at the heart-shaped pendant hanging from her necklace. She held her breath feeling it grow cold as she started to listen inward. The uncomfortable feeling of nothingness overtook her. The wind blew from the north; she could follow along it to get to where the heartbeats were coming from. She felt her body lighten, and she opened her eyes slowly.

<<Let’s roll.>>
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The prickles of goosebumps rising through my skin woke me from what felt like a long, deep sleep. My limbs felt heavy, weighted. I rolled over onto my side, clutching the pillow closer to my head. I was covered up to my shoulders in sheets and heavy blankets, with soft, downy pillows surrounding me. As I inhaled, the scent of lavender washed over me.

I opened my eyes, wide. Save for a lonely little nightlight plugged into the wall opposite my bed and a soft light peering from under the door, the room was shrouded in a cold, empty darkness. There was no sound — just darkness. I looked around my bed. The blankets were heavy, gray. There were far too many pillows, and the bed was somewhere between a twin and full size.

This was not my bed. This was not my room.Continue reading

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Decided it was about time for an update as to what I’ve been doing. This summer I’m working on some of my last few classes for my bachelor’s degree (comm tech/arts coursework), my web development skills, my Python coding skills, and both The Pirate King’s Daughter and The Lonely. The Lonely actually has a lot more prose that’s been written out for it, so I’m glad for that. I’ve already got a programmer for PKD – one of my dear friends from college. He’s interested in the project so far. I’ll need to find an artist for both projects.

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Hi.

I know it’s been awhile. I’m pretty sure there’s no one that reads what’s posted here, but I need to update anyway, if only for myself. I’ve been working on The Lonely. I’ve gotten a bit of the writing done, and I’ve read some other visual novels for research.

I hadn’t updated between November, December, and January, because my mother died five days before Christmas. So I’ve been dealing with that.

I hope to have something to show in the next couple weeks.

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She’s about to start crying.

This is always the awkward part. I’m never quite sure what to do. She’s sitting at the edge of the bed, still in her nightgown. She’s picking at the cuticles of her nails, but she’s looking dead at me. Tears have brimmed up on the bottom lid of her eyes. They’re a soft brown color, like when autumn has just broken into its full bloom, but long before it starts to die out. Her dark brown hair is disheveled around her shoulders, and she has her toes scrunched up in the rug.

It’s just past one in the morning. She woke up because she heard the door creak.

Her name is Isabella.

She’s just realized that she’s about to become a one night stand.

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  • Ability to form my own schedule
  • I want time to spend with a dog
  • I want to be able to go home more than once a year for a weekend or for someone’s funeral
  • I want to be responsible for my own failure and success
  • I want to control my own life
  • I want to eat at home because I fucking love my own cooking
  • I want to go to the gym more often
  • I want to travel and continue my job even if I live in a foreign country
  • I want to be with my boyfriend more

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I’ve been up for a few hours now. I can’t really get back to sleep. To pass the time I’ve been catching up with a dear friend on Facebook, made tea and coffee, and I have been playing Chuck the Sheep on Kongregate. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what an online friend and quasi mentor of mine, Lauryn, said to me when I asked her how she stays focused on her motives and ambitions as someone who works for herself. She said it’s about developing and following your systems. She said that once you get your systems down, and you just go with them, then everything should be good after that. However, if there are any flaws in your system, then it will be hard to keep things going smoothly.

I have been trying this last week or so to look at my routines, seeing where there are systems for getting things done and where there are not. It’s been a bit jarring at times. I worked one night on my system for dedicating time to my writing and transcription work. I had to stay up all night (while simultaneously making mini sweet potato pies for a competition I entered), but I got it done. I felt really great and accomplished. I’ll be honest: there are probably a lot of capitalization errors in the transcript. However, I got it done, and I spell checked it and everything.

Next go round, it will be more flawless. If I decide to go back that route, that is. I mean, to be honest, completely? That was 6 or 7 hours work for 22 dollars. Maybe I just have to get better at it, but damn. I’m not sure that that was worth that kind of dinero. Who knows.

Another thing I’ve been dealing with lately is being scared to spend money on anything. I need to spend money on things likes clothes and shoes, but then I rationalize that what I have is good enough. Then I think that my desire to wear clothes that befit my new station in an office is me being a bit over indulgent, and then I put things back, even when I’ve caught a good sale. I talked to my boyfriend about this last night, and he helped put my head on straight (one of the many reasons I adore him). If I need something to progress, I shouldn’t be worried about purchasing it. It is a need, just like food and gas for the car.

He’s really helped me to grow and develop.

I’m trying to get more connected to my online friends and resources like I was before. I miss them a lot. I’ve also connected back with some friends back home. There’s other things that have worried me, but I think having my e-support network has been really beneficial. I am desperately trying to move closer to Dallas (Irving is my target right now) so that I can get in more with other people who will share and fuel my love of games and game development, but I have several more months left on this lease. For now going to the anime club meetings has been nice. I really like the people that I met there.

Sorry. This blog is rambling, but I need to get these things out there. Hopefully there’ll be more, other things to come.

And randomly, I need to get a laptop. This thing is pro. 🙂

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There was rain today.

I saw it on the way in to the tents as I was ushered in, with people trying to hold umbrellas over my head to keep the moisture out; it wouldn’t do much good. The entire world seemed muggy and hazy this afternoon. Was would not be the correct word, though, because it is still raining, even now. I cannot see it falling, from my position in the backstage area, but I can hear it, and I can still smell it. The smell of sweets and spices from the surrounding marketplaces have been drowned out by that of warm, wet earth and fresh water as it falls from the sky. I can still hear people’s reaction to it as well. Workers are running in and out of the area outside of my door, yelling directions and orders at one another. Grab the line, don’t let the costumes get wet. Move this over a few feet, what in the Goddess’ name are you doing? On and on bark the calls, echoing down the halls to where I am now. Cast and crew alike are left wondering when the rain will let up.

Wondering if the rain will ever let up.

There is supposed to be a show today, but I’m not entirely certain that people will come now that the weather has gotten bad. No one is.

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