I thought it might be rather helpful to have a masterlist giving some indication of where and when everything fits, especially as my WIPs are going up here, but individual pieces are still gathered on Elfwood. I've taken 2009 (the year of Tiger's birth) as Year 0, as more than one universe is involved, and date conversion makes my brain hurt. So, just for reference:

( Chronicles of the Light )

Phew.

Imagine, for a moment, that it is 1993. Our scene is the centre of Reading, a large town in the Thames Valley. The town centre has been partially pedestrianised, but redevelopment has not yet started in earnest. The shops along the central road, Broad Street, are all chain shops - shoes, clothes, two branches of Boots the Chemist, a WHSmith. Just off Broad Street, things are tattier, awaiting the start of work on the new shopping centre which finally opened in 1999. It is mid-afternoon, not yet three, and the first wave of school children are making their way back to the bus stops and the station. This first wave is all female, from the local grammar school which has a compressed timetable and so finishes early. They're trailing into town, some straight along the road to head up to the station, others peeling off to take a shortcut over the canal and up the sidestreets towards their bus stops. They stop at shops along the way to buy sweets and magazines. A few of the older girls are digging cigarettes out of their bags, planning to hang around and wait for the boys' school to finish.

In amongst this crowd are two very earnest twelve year girls. Their rucksacks are stuffed with books and homework, heavy enough that they have both shoulder straps on, rather than carrying them casually over one shoulder. One of these girls is very neat, the other scruffy, but both have skirts which fall down past their knees (a terrible fashion faux pas - normal girls asked their mums to take their hems up as many inches as they could get away with).

( There is a point in here, I promise )

It's amazing how fast it gets dark. I've been sitting out here on my patio for a while. Five minutes ago I decided to go back inside because I was getting cold. It was so warm inside that I came back out, this time with my poor, overheating laptop for company. In those five minutes, late dusk has become full night.

It's been another still, sweltering day. Tucked away up here, it's not too bad, but I ventured out in search of fresh fruit and vegetables this afternoon. Down in the town centre, the streets smelt of traffic and dirt as if the pavements were sweating. Only the discovery of nice, plump peppers and sweet plums made it worth while (and, of course, two big plastic jugs to make iced tea in).

Later, I decided to venture out into the cool of the evening with my after-dinner glass of wine. I was planning to use the last of the light to read more about the Persian Wars. It was a beautiful evening, with the sky half-filled with soft, watermark blue clouds and half golden with the sunset. It was the sort of sky you half-think you could reach out and smudge with your hand.

As I was reading, I realised that the flicker I could see in the corner of my eye wasn't the security lamp on the side of the Conservative Club. It was lightning, so far away that I couldn't hear thunder.

Even after it was too dark to read, I kept watching it. No one else seemed aware of it. I could hear laughter and the clatter of plates from one of the neighbouring flats. A woman in high heels walked across the empty car park below. The man two doors down came out onto his patio and started pruning his hanging baskets.

I was the only one watching patches of the sky silently turn gold and silver.

The lightning has faded now, and I really am going inside, because there are suddenly specks of rain on my screen.

Edit: Hurrah for dancing in torrential rain! In the dark! *goes to find a towel*

I've been working on the Chronicles of the Light masterlist today - it's now fully up to date and includes links to drabbles and snippets too. Doing that made me realise that I had quite a bit of writing which didn't fit into that list. So here, for the first time, is...

( The Great Big Masterlist of Everything Else )

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

Final part, so you're safe from spam for a while ;)

Title: Dandelion and Thistledown (4/4)
Words: 4471

( Do not fear for me, featherling. If I should meet my death, it should be upon the wing, carried on the glory of the wind. It is nothing more than flying free at last. )

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

And the third part, which mostly concerns Aylili's past. Also, to all feral children, a bath must come. ^_^

Title: Dandelion and Thistledown (3/4)
Words: 5675

( The moon was full and bright and she could see the shadows on its skin. Dimly, she wondered how something so scarred could shine so brightly. )

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

And the second part. In which Nimbus proves an excellent fishmonger, the bombardment starts again, and we hear of the fates of the Saisorhi of Isola...

Title: Dandelion and Thistledown
Words: 4973
Warnings: Again, alcohol abuse, anguish

( Across the dying fire Nimbus sat shaking. His arms were locked around his legs and his wings were quivering, every feather shivering. )

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

I still feel that this is my signature piece. It was one of the few I still had up on my Elfy shelf, and now that's gone, I wanted to put it up here. Apologies for spamming those who are already familiar with it. I'm doing a quick tidying job on it, mostly to fix continuity errors which have arisen since I wrote it. I didn't know very much about the Saisorhi back in 2004 (oh, blissful days!), so I got a few things wrong in the original version of this.

For those who've not encountered this before, this is Nimbus' debut. Aylili is a semi-feral child living on the rooftops of the besieged city of Isola, but when a mysterious and extraordinary stranger appears on her roofs, she begins to face her past. Featuring creepy nursery rhymes, roof-running and drunken antics on washing lines.

Title: Dandelion and Thistledown (1/4)
Words: 6010
Warnings: Um, drunkeness? Verbosity?

( Witness the incomparable Nimbus, terroriser of children, scourge of the starving, harasser of the harmless! O, who will sing of the glorious deed! )

Yup, I just went for an amble through fandom again, and found another pretty meme for us all :)

Give me the names of two characters and I will tell you what character A thinks of character B. I might answer with a drabble, a quick bit of meta, or a list, just to make things that tiny bit more fun!

So, a book review, which I don't do very often, but I've got a lot to say about this one, especially as some of my reactions to it have kickstarted my muse in unexpected ways. I shall also warn you that parts of this review may sound unfair, because I found this book fairly amiable. My problems with it lay with all other things the author could have done with such promising source material. Spoilers within.

Title: Daughter of the Forest
Author: Juliet Marillier
Genre: Celtic Romantic Fantasy / Fairytale retelling

( The Power of Silence )

Happy Birthday to annarti and wispywillow! Hope you both had wonderful days and have a smashing year ahead :)

Title: Calculations
Words: 3144
Challenge: The revisionist challenge!
Notes: Done! Total length 15673 words! Haven't managed anything that long for a while :)

Part One Part Two Part Three

( They had to duck under the flags to climb onto the stage, and when the wind blew the ends of the banners flicked out to smack their backs and shoulders )

Title: Calculations
Words: 3686
Challenge: The revisionist challenge!
Notes: And more! I decided that I wouldn't go to bed until I'd finished this. Unfortunately I didn't actually get going on it again until midnight, so I'll probably have to renege on that promise (although, to be honest, how much point is there in going to bed now? It's past dawn)

Part 1 Part 2

( As she gazed out of a window high in the palace, she caught a glimpse of auburn hair and a blue shield in the courtyard below )

I'm trying to settle on a profession for a character, and I'm beginning to suspect that the one I've chosen may mean different things in different parts of the world, which could create confusion.

So, to check, in your part of the world, what items would you expect a haberdasher to sell?

(I would expect buttons, ribbons and trimmings for dressmaking)

Addendum: Oh, and to make this useful for others, here are some of the mottos of the Livery Companies of London. I rather like the Makers of Playing Cards'.

Happy birthday to three fine people, two of who I've known for for twenty-one years and the other of whom I've only known a month.

Happy birthday to my sister liquorice_eyes, my brother Will and to Jon (jamidget)!

I hope you all have a great day and a fabulous year to come!

Title: Calculations
Words: 4418
Challenge: The revisionist challenge!
Notes: And it keeps on growing. Most of the original cast have decided to come and play. More ex-Mary Sues to come in part three...

Part One

( There was no fear in his face, but she was sure they schooled them in stoicism at the academies. )

Title: Calculations
Words: 4422
Challenge: The revisionist challenge!
Notes: Yes, this is my original world, polished up significantly. Angeline and Zaniel were the cousins of one of my Mary Sue main characters. Robert is the brother of another. Zaniel is responsible for the original demise of this story - he kept strolling in unannounced, stealing every scene he was in and presenting my heroes with awkward ethical dilemmas. He hasn't changed much - this story wasn't even supposed to be about him ;)
There will probably be two or three parts to this - it keeps growing!
Be warned - clichés and romance!

( We cannot all serve our country with sword and shield )

( Rec: Gunnerkrigg Court )

( Regret )

( Challenge: 25 Expressions )

Happy Saturday ^_^

Happy Birthday, my dear! I hope you've had a lovely day!

I went to a lot of very dull lectures this week. As sleeping in lectures is frightfully rude, I wrote this to keep myself awake (it entertained the people reading over my shoulder too ^_^).

Title: Hostilities
Words: 1462
Prompt: hostile
Notes: Caria and Jerrioh are Tad and Istellon's siblings. Caria is second oldest, after Tad, and Jerrioh is the fourth.

( This is the only place the plant grows. How was I supposed to know it was infested with undead? )