There and Back Again

Well here we are, back in Crazy Town. Some of you remember this blog from way back in the day, when the only people reading my stories were a handful of people I went to church with and select few faceless internet friends. So much has changed since 2009 with me, with my characters, and with my books. Two of them are published now and a third is being worked on. I've gotten more confident in my craft, and my characters have become more well-rounded and fleshed out. That's not to say I know exactly who each and every one of them are now; even just yesterday I wrote a scene where a character revealed something about herself that I had not know and it kind of blew my mind. Some faces have come, some faces have gone, but one thing still remains the same.

My characters are loud, obnoxious, and very different personalities in my head than they are on paper.

This blog will be a documentation of my mental breakdown conversations with them and their conversations with me. If you want to go back and read all the old entries, see how Ashlynn's name used to be spelled, you're more than welcome to. If not, you really won't be missing much. Trust me. Well, there is the issue of the Shack that has been reconstructed, but we'll get to that later.

Entries from here on out will likely contain spoilers from book one, so if you haven't read it yet...quite frankly, I don't know why or how you're here, but buy my book and look away until you've finished. Things you should know before any real entries are posted: all of these characters are chibis (three inch tall, animated versions of themselves), some of them have personalities that are wildly different from the ones they have in the books, I can see them, others cannot, and the sass is strong with some of them. I'll introduce you to the current cast and explain a bit about their roles here...in my head. Let's begin, shall we?

Little Miss Ashlynn has a bit of a temper. Okay, I'm being kind, she's usually downright grumpy and ready to throw things and/or people. She is ridiculously protective of her people, which sometimes includes Merrik and Laidley, depending on the situation, and has a bit of an evil side to her. She's pretty much a lit fuse that sometimes burns slowly, other times burns quickly. When she explodes, Lord help us all.

Badru is the cool, calm, and collected one of this crazy lot. If you've only read book one, I'm sure this feels like a stretch. Just go with it. He's a big fan of everything organic, likes to tell me when I'm being lazy or eating too much sugar, has blood made of tea (I swear he drinks so much, where the heck else would it go?), and can often be found singing. I blame him for the weird songs I get stuck in my head.

Cailin is my safe girl, my center, my only normal character among the lot. She's reasonable most of the time, logical, and easy to talk to. That being said, she can be a bit stubborn when she gets her mind on something. She's the one always making sure I'm reading and not just writing, mostly because she likes to read over my shoulder. She's also not shy in telling me my taste in books can sometimes can be questionable.

Ah, Cavalon. Perhaps more than any of them, he stays fairly true to character. He is the biggest trouble-maker of the group, though Jaryn runs a very close second. This guy likes to create problems because he thrives on discord, though most of it is harmless. He just hates when everything is all unicorns and rainbows. Pot-stirrer-man. He's the one I blame for my headaches. Every. Single. Time.

Elas had become a melding of two different characters and often rides along with me on my shoulder as something of a conscience. He's a good secret keeper and the one I often find myself in conversation with the most. Unlike his actual character, he's got a very level head and is always looking out for me.

Look at that face. That face says, "Hey, baby," in a really sexy Scottish accent, "if you're looking for trouble, I'm standing right here." Jaryn is the flirt, the one who can charm his way out of any situation. He and Cavalon often work together to irritate the girls, though where Cavalon takes his tomfoolery so far as to annoy Merrik and Laidley, Jaryn gets his kicks making the girls irritated enough to chase him around. They're all preschoolers, I swear.

Kenayde is my little sweetheart. She's the peace-keeper, but she's not as much of a doormat as she is in book one. She's just plain cute. The unicorns and rainbows Cavalon hates usually come from her. She finds particular glee in making everyone happy around him when he's exceptionally grumpy. When no one else will, she also looks after Merrik and Laidley. If they're unhappy (or unhappier than usual) she is very sensitive to it and tries to make things better.

Laidley is my emo kid. He's usually just standing around with his hands in his pockets, half his face hidden by hair. He's my eternal pessimist. Your glass half full? His is half empty and teeming with germs, bacteria, and a touch of salmonella left over from whoever drank the other half. Life will always suck. I will always suck. You will always suck. Everything will always suck. He's a real joy to have around.

Luella is my special snowflake. She and Merrik are so different from their literary counterparts, it's comical. Notice those stars in her eyes? That's because she is the polar opposite of her brother. Where he sees no possibilities anywhere, that's all Luella sees. She's ditzy, flighty, air-headed, and...yeah, okay, I'll say it...she's kinda dumb. But she's a cute dumb.

My other oddball is Merrik, here. He looks fierce, but really he's a big softie. His job - one he adamantly claimed for himself no matter what he may try and tell you - is to look after the pigs and sheep. Did I mention those also take up brain space? Yeah. That's a thing. He's very protective of them and can often be found in their shared pen, just cuddling them. So far he hasn't had much more of a brain presence than that, but I'm sure that will change.

The female equivalent of Cavalon and Jaryn is Misuzu. In fact, they are my Three Amigos del Problema, if you will. She is not a fan of the days when nothing is happening and will dramatically fling herself in my path, across whatever project I am working on, ride my cat around exclaiming how bored she is. I've tried to give her chores to keep her busy but then she just plays the whole, "I'm only three inches tall!" card.

If you don't know who this is...again, how are you here? Nuala is the mom of the group. She knows how to reel things in when they get too wild, will suggest creative ways to discipline those who need it, and cleans up after everyone. While Elas is my conscience, she makes sure I'm emotionally stable and is the only one to not head for the hills when I'm going to lose it. She encourages my faith and spirituality, and loves quiet time the best.

Last but certainly not least is Tasarin. He likes to binge-watch Netflix and YouTube with me. Though he claims it's to "better understand your kind," I think he enjoys watching drama unfolding with people he doesn't have to live with day in and day out. He's also Luella's keeper. Not that she really needs one, she's not helpless or anything, but he's kind of her brain. He's also gotten Cavalon and Kenayde addicted to certain shows because he's obsessed with them and needs someone else to obsess with.



So that's it. Not that the list is all that short, but that is the current cast. I'll have little images of them next to their dialogue in future posts so it will be easy to tell who is talking. As I said, book one spoilers for sure but I will try my hardest to stay away from spoiling books two and three. More characters may appear, some may disappear. I know some are wondering where so and so are, and I wish I could tell you. Some muses, along with some characters, just...die. It's sad, but it's reality.

I'm excited to be doing this again and hope you all enjoy a peek inside this crazy nonsense that is my brain, and a behind the scenes look at characters who are otherwise always on point.

The Duel

It was a hot day with no wind. The sun was high in the sky and burning with an angry intensity. The dirt patch saw no movement but for an obnoxious blackbird. It stood there, looking around and clearly trying to figure out what the heck was going on. In the grass sat Aislyn, Kenayde, Luella, Merrik, and Laidley. Elas was helping Jaryn get ready, and Tasarin was helping Noah. The time had come to settle the score. But I am getting ahead of myself.

After the whole elastic episode, I had some serious damage control to do. I found the whole thing rather amusing, and something both Aislyn and Noah had set themselves up for. So quite frankly, I was looking forward to this little duel. Everyone else, however, did not share my point of view. Most everyone. Merrik and Laidley are always up for some violence, but were sorely disappointed when they found out what the weapons of choice would be.

"What the crap, man?" Aislyn was in my face the next morning before I even had a chance to open my eyes.

"Go away."

She grabbed an eyelid and yanked up, sending me into shrieks of pain and annoyance. "Did you encourage him?"

"I may have." I flicked at her and rubbed my now sore eye. "Don't go blaming this on me, okay? You're the one sitting all snuggly with Noah. What happened to hating him?"

"First of all, we were not all snuggly. Second, we were planning something for you and didn't want you to be a big fat eavesdropper. Third...I'm over it."

"Clearly. Wait, what? Planning something for me?"

"Yeah, but now I don't want to even tell you about it, let alone give it to you." She stalked off on a huff. Later Noah approached me and I prepared myself for another tongue lashing.

"Listen, sorry about the whole getting shot thing. I didn't think Jaryn would take anything that far."

Noah held up his hand. "Please, I can understand and appreciate his jealousy. I'm certain I would have reacted in the same manner were our roles reversed." I looked at him and he smirked. "Perhaps not in the exact same way. But really, I cannot begrudge him his feelings."

"I get that you and Ace were working on something, but dude, really? You have to know how that looked."

"I honestly didn't think anything of it. I was enjoying sending the time with Aislyn, getting to know her, and really just thankful she was becoming a friend instead of an enemy."

"Well...I guess all I can suggest is that you try and talk to Jaryn and put the kibosh on this whole duel thing. I'll mediate if you want me to."

But Noah shook his head. "No. This is a matter of honor. I'll go through with it."

"Noah...you're amazing. Why can't you be real and a heck of a lot taller?"

He winked at me. "Married, remember?"

"Yeah, but she ain't here." I shook my head. "I can't believe I am hitting on an imaginary six-inch-tall winged man. Have I no scruples?"

So the time of the duel came, and it was the talk of the town. Aislyn tried to talk some sense into Jaryn, but he was having none of it. Sitting as spectators, everyone appeared to be holding their breath. Elas and Tasarin eventually joined the crowd, telling that the competitors were ready. They stepped onto the dirt patch. The blackbird looked at one and then the other. It squacked and felw into the sky, and Luella burst into tears.

"Isn't there another way?"

The boys looked at each other with silent determination. Jaryn's fingers wiggled at his side. Noah's eyes narrowed. They stared hard, and they stared long. Noah flinched and Jaryn wheeled around to reach behind him. Noah did the same, pulling out a pink rubber duckie but it was too late. Jaryn already had his yellow rubber duckie in hand and had squeezed. The stream of water shot across the dirt, shot from the duckie's plastic bills to hit Noah straight in the chest. He stumbled, dropped the pink duckie, and sank to his knees, shock on his face.

"You...you shot me." And then he collapsed.

Jaryn looked on the fallen angel coldly. "Sorry, mate. Just the way it has to be."

Merrik and Laidley looked at each other, bored. They were the first to leave. Luella and Tasarin went to help Noah up while Kenayde gathered his duckie. Aislyn, however, stayed behind. Her expression was one of impatience.

"You're an idiot."

Jaryn balked. "What? I was fighting for you!"

"Which is what makes you an idiot! There's nothing to fight for! I don't want Noah! IDIOT!"

And then Jaryn did something really stupid. His knee jerk reaction was to squeeze his duckie and shoot Aislyn. All of us froze when she was hit, and stood dripping with water. Her green eyes narrowed with anger. She pushed sopping hair from her face. Jaryn looked scared. "Oh! Uh...bad duckie!" But Aislyn wasn't having it.

Grabbing Noah's duckie from Kenayde, she shot back at hit Jaryn in the face. He yelped and covered his eyes as another squirt came. Before he could properly defend himself, Aislyn knocked his feet out from under him and had the bill of the pink duckie pressed to his jugular. "Let's get one thing straight right now. I belong to no one. Got it?"

"Got it," he wibbled.

"But I choose to be with you." She pulled the duckie back a bit. "So stop being an idiot."

"But...I'm only an idiot for you."

And I knew he had her. As much as she hated this very public show of his affection for her, Aislyn couldn't help but melt a little at that. She sighed, knowing she was defeated, and stepped back to drop the duckie completely.

"Get up." She held out a hand and helped Jaryn to his feet. "Come on, let's go find you some dry clothes."

As they walked away, arm in arm, I saw Jaryn glance at Noah behind Aislyn's back. I was expecting a glare, or a victorious snarl at least. What I saw was a thumbs up and a goofy grin. Noah nodded between Luella and Tasarin, then shrugged at me. "You little pain! That was all a setup?"

He watched the couple disappearing inside and grinned. "Aislyn was feeling a little bit like old news with all of us coming back as we did. Jaryn wanted to show her she really meant something to him."

"So you two worked this whole thing out? I don't know whether to be shocked or impressed."

"Don't worry. Jaryn and I get along quite well. In fact, this isn't the only thing we've recently collaborated on."


Oh dear. This does not sound promising.

Jealousy

I gotta say, I am very much enjoying the new faces around here. Not that they are new characters, but sort of reincarnations of the ones I love. It's almost like they have more confidence in themselves. Although, to every good, there has to be a little bad. Life would be too perfect if things were always roses and champagne. Which leads me to me little conversation with Jaryn last night. We've finished "The Shack" and are now reading "Windhaven." They all seem to like this one better because it's sci-fi/fantasy and makes them think a little less. Heaven forbid a character that has to question their belief system. As everyone scattered, Jaryn lingered behind. I set the book aside and pulled out my homework for small group. Noticing him sitting on my lamp, I gave him a second glance. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah, fine. Just thought I might read ahead if you don't mind. I'm curious to see if she steals the wings or not."

"Yeah, sure. But wouldn't that kind of defeat the purpose of storytime? I have plenty of other books you can read."

"Oh, okay. That's cool." He nodded, but didn't really move to check out my book shelves.

"Jaryn, what's up? You're acting kinda weird."

"What? No, I'm good."

"Really?" I put my study book down and looked fully at him. There was a certain look of depression about him that I had never seen before in his entire life. All six months of it. "What's going on with you? Are you rethinking your look? Goatee not all it's cracked up to be? The itching driving you crazy?"

"No, nothing. It's fine. I'm just looking for something to read."

I pursed my lips, studying him for a moment. When he apparently had nothing else to say, I shrugged and went back to my work. "Okay. Have a good night."

Still he just sat there. I would probably have been a little creeped out if he were watching me, but he was just staring. At nothing. When I thought he might fall asleep there, his dam finally burst. "Why did you have to bring him here?"

I sighed, inwardly of course, realizing it was potentially going to be a long night. "Who?"

"Noah."

I'm sure my expression gave away my confusion. "What are you talking about? I thought you guys were cool. You and Kenayde were the first to befriend him when he was with The Others."

He jumped up, pointing at me. "Ah ha! See? There it is! You say that like he isn't still part of them."

"Well, he's kinda not. I mean...he went away and came back like most of you did. And now he fits in with you guys. He's in the book now."

"I know!" His eyebrows were practically disappearing into his hairline. "You made him one of us!"

"Whoa, whoa whoa! So now we're back at them and us? Dude! What is going on."

He glared at me, saying nothing. After a moment, he looked pointedly away. I followed his gaze and saw what else he was glaring over. Over by the far wall, under a picture of a starry sky full of magical faeries, sat Aislyn and Noah in rather close proximity. Now I understood. "See?" he asked darkly.

"They're just...talking." Though even from where I was sitting, they looked like they were sitting a little too close for comfort. "So why don't you go over there and squeeze between them?"

"Because that's all they've been doing since he came back. They're like best friends or something."

Or something. "Jaryn, she's your woman! Are you really just going to sit idly by and watch another man steal her away?"

"It's the wings," he lamented. "What girl wouldn't love wings?"

"Get a hold of yourself, man!" I pointed the squirt bottle I use for the cats at him. He cowered for a moment before dissolving into tears. He practically curled himself into the fetal position. "You're a Scotsman, are you not?"

"Yes," he wept.

"Then get your kilted butt over there and fight for her!"

"Do you really think I should do that?"

"How would something like this be settled in the book?"

The dismay gave way to a light of hope in his expression. "Bloodshed."

"Okay, how about we take it down a notch?"

"A duel?" he asked.

"There ya go."

"With a fight to the death?"

"Okay, no. No one is going to die or...bleed. That's all I need is blood on my nice leopard print rug. How about..." My mind was scrambling for a good and definitive competition. "A water war!"

He looked at me doubtfully. "A water war?"

"Yeah, you leave the details up to me. You just go let Noah know he's peeing on the wrong tree. Except...leave the tree peeing thing out. Aislyn might get really offended and that's not a battle I'm prepared for tonight."

Jaryn got up, straightened himself out, and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Are you using this?" he asked, picking up a little plastic "Ouchless" elastic.

"Uh, no. Knock yourself out." He hopped down, and I was happy to go back to my homework. It was late, I was tired, and would likely have an early morning. All was peaceful until I heard a distinct rushing of air by my ear, and then an "Owwww!" I sat up, looking around in confusion. I saw Aislyn on her feet and Noah doubled over in pain. A quick look around had me finding Jaryn standing triumphantly on my headboard. "Jaryn!"

He ignored me completely, chest all puffed out and everything. "Tomorrow, bird. We will have a duel. At sunset!" And with a maniacal little laugh, he was gone from the room.

"What the heck was that?" Aislyn bent over Noah who was mumbling "Am I bleeding? I think I'm bleeding!"

All I could do was try my hardest not to laugh, and go back to my homework. It was about loving thy neighbor as thyself. Hmm. Maybe I should be reading to them from my bible study instead of a fantasy novel.