Tom Early's Blog, page 8

I have no idea how much interest there would be in this, but if you’d like to be a beta...

I have no idea how much interest there would be in this, but if you’d like to be a beta reader The Doorway God, Aspect of Winter’s sequel, I’m currently looking for volunteers.

Specifics: It would be reading the first drafts of chapters as I write them, which means that spelling and grammar may not be exactly up to par. Any opinion you have that you think should be shared, share. 

Obviously it’s a pledge of a small amount of time (hopefully on a semiweekly basis), so make sure you can do it. The only thing I can offer in return is the chance to see what I have planned before it happens. 

If you’re interested, send an email to tomearlythewriter@gmail.com. 

I have no idea how much interest there would be in this, but if you’d like to be a beta...

I have no idea how much interest there would be in this, but if you’d like to be a beta reader The Doorway God, Aspect of Winter’s sequel, I’m currently looking for volunteers.

Specifics: It would be reading the first drafts of chapters as I write them, which means that spelling and grammar may not be exactly up to par. Any opinion you have that you think should be shared, share. 

Obviously it’s a pledge of a small amount of time (hopefully on a semiweekly basis), so make sure you can do it. The only thing I can offer in return is the chance to see what I have planned before it happens. 

If you’re interested, send an email to tomearlythewriter@gmail.com. 

In the spirit of Groundhog Day, I wrote a little story. It might someday be transformed into a...

In the spirit of Groundhog Day, I wrote a little story. It might someday be transformed into a longer one, but not just yet. 

I didn’t notice it at first, but then it filled the horizon, and that, well, that just commanded my full attention. The sun was the first to disappear as a steel-gray clouds rolled in from every direction, at the same pace, seeming to go straight for me. The air was silent; the wind had disappeared utterly. I looked up to see the boundless blue slowly shrink into a circle directly above my head, and then into nothing at all.

Then came the sound. It started softly, the gentle crash building in volume until it filled the air. I looked in a circle, eyes wide, seeing the curtain begin to fall. The rain was coming for me, again from all sides, and when the first drops of it hit my brow, everything went dark.

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them I was back in my bed, my mind not even remotely clouded by sleep. I raised a hand to my head, already knowing what I would find. My hand came back damp. Those first few drops of rain had come with me.

I glanced around my bedroom. The drooping band posters on the wall, the soft green glow of my digital clock, even the messy pile of “I hope that’s not too dirty” laundry in the corner, all were as I left them. The sound of the coffee machine whirring downstairs and the drag of sleepy footsteps through the hall reached my ears as well.

I turned my alarm off before it added its annoying noise to the room. I didn’t need the reminder that I had school. I disentangled myself from my blankets and padded out of my room to the shower, trying to wash the feeling of the rain out of my skin. The soothing rush of the water calmed my nerves and set me at ease, nothing like the building tension that the rain had carried inside it. I got dressed and headed downstairs.

My brother Max was sitting at the island countertop making strange noises into his cereal, a normal routine for him. His blond hair had tufts sticking up in every direction, and his small limbs still moved with the sluggishness of sleep as he wiggled in his chair. Ever since he had started first grade, it was like someone had stuck a live wire in him. I couldn’t hope to keep up.

“Morning, Ryan!” he said happily, waving his hands wildly at me. “Wanna see what I made?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Two projects in one week, little guy? There’s no way you can top that awesome Lego fortress.”

Max pouted. “It was supposed to be a secret.”

“What are you talking about?” I said. “Didn’t you already show me? Wasn’t there a cool Lego dragon and everything?”

I winced as a spike of pain went through my head. It was comparable to the morning after that one time Erica had decided that getting me drunk was a good idea, like someone had driven a giant pin into my forehead. It was like I could remember Max showing me the castle, but I also couldn’t.

“You weren’t supposedta know about it!” Max said shrilly, his little body suddenly vibrating with tension.

“Whoa, okay, calm down,” I said, backpedaling, trying desperately to ignore the throbbing in my mind. It was accompanied by a gentle rushing sound that was strangely familiar. “It’s okay, Max. I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’d love to see your castle.”

Max eyed me suspiciously. “Okay. Stay right there, don’t move even a little bit!”

I held up my hands, still wincing. “Sure thing, buddy. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

He huffed at me and slid off his chair, running into the living room to fetch the castle. I frowned at his retreating back, and then promptly moved on. I still hadn’t had my coffee, and trying to think properly before I was caffeinated was pointless. I grabbed my mug from the shelf and headed over to the machine, drawn by the smell. I let out a sigh of relief as the caffeine drove the pain away a little.

A few seconds later, Max came back in, struggling under the weight of his Lego monstrosity. He placed it in front of me triumphantly, blue eyes bright with pride. The amount of detail the he had put into it was insane, and not at all new to me.

Mom and Dad came into the kitchen soon after with the camera, Mom already dressed for work, and Dad in the fluffy blue bathrobe Mom had gotten him for his last birthday. Mom was carrying a small camera with her, and took several pictures of Max posing proudly by his creation.

“What do you think, Ryan?” Mom asked. “Max worked really hard on this.”

“Well, consider me impressed,” I said honestly. “That’s a really cool castle, man. I love all the details you put into it. And the dragon in the back is really cool.”

The resulting grin was wide enough to almost split Max’s little face in two. I glanced at the clock and remembered just in time not to swear. We had a swear jar for every time one of us swore in front of Max. I’d already lost five bucks to that stupid rule.

I ruffled Max’s hair and grinned at him. “I have to get going now, okay? Mr. Racine doesn’t let you into his class if you’re late.”

“Have a great day, sweetie,” Mom said, leaning against Dad, holding her own cup of coffee.

“Bye Ryan!” Max waved. “Say hi to Erica for me!”

I headed outside, pack and keys in hand. Our garage had room for two vehicles, but my crappy old minivan got a place of pride in the corner of the driveway. I hopped in, turned the keys, and headed off.

***

“All right, pop quiz time!” Mr. Racine called out cheerfully, the bastard. The glee in his brown eyes was magnified by the giant wire-rimmed glasses I’d never seen him without. He was an awesome teacher, but he could be put Satan to shame when the mood struck him.

The class groaned as a whole at the pronouncement - Emily actually buried her face in her hands - but I was more confused than anything. I thought I could remember taking a pop quiz already, but the moment I started to consider it, a gentle pattering filled my head. I glanced out at the window, half expecting it to be raining. It wasn’t.

I raised my hand anyway. “Um, Mr. Racine? I thought you said we’d never have more than one of these a week?”

“Correct! Which is why after this one, you guys are safe until next Monday.” He grinned. “And you all better be ready for that one. It makes this look like a cakewalk. Now get in your rows, everyone!”

I made a noise of protest, but it was drowned out by the scraping of desks as we all hurried to organize into the quiz grid, made so we couldn’t easily look at anyone else’s work without being seen doing so.

“Smile, Ryan. You’re frowning so hard it’s making my face hurt just looking at you.”

That came from Erica, my best friend and personal torturer, who looked as irritatingly perfect as always. I knew for a fact that she sometimes skipped sleeping, and yet there was never a lock of blond hair out of place on her.

“No talking, please,” Mr. Racine frowned at her. “You know the rules.”

Erica reddened and focused intently on her own quiz. Once I had a copy, I did the same.

And of course, because the day couldn’t get any weirder, the quiz was also eerily familiar. It looked exactly like a quiz I could almost remember taking, right up to the ink blot in the corner. The rushing noise filled my head again, sounding far more ominous than rain ever had a right to.

I glanced around the classroom to see if anyone else had noticed, but I was alone in thinking this was weird. Even Mark was focused on his paper, and if his mile-a-minute mind hadn’t noticed anything then this was definitely just me. I took a deep breath, and did my best to push it all aside. Maybe it was just deja-vu. Maybe I wasn’t losing my mind. I also tried desperately to ignore the rain that only I could hear..

***

“I’m telling you, something really weird is going on,” I complained to Erica as we headed off to break.

“What? Because today’s math quiz seemed similar to you?” She replied, tossing her hair dismissively. “That’s hardly a reason to freak out. Maybe your mind’s just finally started to fail you, like I always said it would.”

“Very funny,” I said as we rounded a corner and headed out the door, “but I’m not just talking about the math quiz. Everything feels familiar to me. But every time I try to think about why, I hear rain falling.”

Erica stopped and looked at me curiously, head tilted to one side. “Ryan, have you been drinking without me? I didn’t think you had it in you. Literally.”

“What? No, I’m sober. There’s no way I’m drinking again after last weekend, at least for a while.”

Erica shrugged. “Then I’m not sure why you feel like that.” She pushed open the cafeteria door and gestured to the slowly-forming line. “Maybe some actual food will help?”

I frowned. “That… actually might help. I don’t think I had anything other than coffee this morning.”

“Frankly,” Erica said dryly, “I’m amazed you were able to survive before we became friends.”

“Shut up.” I stepped in line while she waited at our customary table in the corner along with Rick and Jake.

As I was waiting in line, I heard the rain again, somehow less threatening this time. I glanced up on instinct, and zeroed in on someone looking right back at me from across the cafeteria. I caught a glimpse of dark hair and sharp eyes, and then whoever it was looked away and was instantly lost in the crowd. The rain stopped, and I shook my head and dismissed it as nothing. I bought myself a bagel and headed back to the table, exiting the line just in time to see a freshman wipe out in the middle of the cafeteria, his backpack spilling books and papers everywhere.

The rain came roaring back into my head with a vengeance, and I crumpled to the floor. I was seeing the boy fall onto the floor, but I was also watching from the table next to Erica, not from the cafeteria line. The two disjointed images continued to overlap in my mind, and I couldn’t do anything but groan in pain.

I saw Erica’s face hovering over me, her bored expression replaced with a look of actual concern. Then I blacked out.

***

I was greeted by the charmingly bland interior of the school nurse’s office when I next opened my eyes. The “don’t forget to wash your hands” poster almost seemed to glare accusingly at me from the wall, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes at it.

I tested my body’s responses cautiously. I raised my hand slightly, and when there was no onset of pain, sat up fully. Nothing happened, and I let out a sigh of relief. I checked my phone and found a text from Erica telling me to text her as soon as I woke up. The lack of an emoticon meant she was actually worried. I was touched.

“Ryan?” A voice cut me out of my reverie.

I glanced up to find the school nurse standing a few feet away. She was a broad-shouldered woman with grey hair, probably in her fifties. I couldn’t remember her name for the life of me. Fortunately, she seemed to gather as much, because she smiled and began to speak.

“I’m Ms. Speak,” the nurse said. “You gave your friends quite a scare when you collapsed like that.”

I frowned. “How long was I out for?”

She glanced down at her clipboard. “A little under an hour. If you’re feeling alright, could you please tell me what happened.”

“I… can’t remember,” I replied. “I was standing in line for food, and then I fell.”

“Are you sure you can’t remember anything?” The nurse asked. “No feelings of dizziness, or a rush of blood to the head?”

“I don’t think so.” I didn’t think telling her I heard rain would do anything beyond convincing her I needed psychiatric help.

“Hm. Well, how are you feeling? Would you like to go back to class now?” She asked.

I nodded. There was no point in staying here. The nurse told me to take it easy, and I was on my way. I was lucky enough to have a double study hall, so I had two hours to kill anywhere I chose on campus. I decided to go to the library.

On the way, I heard the rain again, once more not in a way that was painful. I glanced to my left on instinct, only to see a dark-haired boy duck just out of sight. This time, I didn’t just feel like letting it go. I’d done enough of that for now.

I walked over to where I’d seen him, and looked around the corner to the stairwell. I was met by the same sharp grey-eyed gaze I’d seen in the cafeteria. I recognized his face vaguely from around school, but I didn’t have any classes with him. My school had well over a thousand people attending, however, so that wasn’t a rare occurrence. He was slim, dressed in solid, dark colors, and staring at me with unabashed curiosity written on his angular face.

He also didn’t stop staring at me, despite the fact that I had clearly seen him doing so. I was only dimly aware of the rain.

Finally, he opened his mouth. “You don’t go this way,” he said in a surprisingly deep voice, and pointed to our right, towards the stairwell on the other side of the hall. “The library is over there.”

I frowned. “And how, exactly, is it that a random person has come to memorize my schedule?”

He didn’t get flustered at all, or stop staring at me. If anything, his gaze got even more intense. I felt a wave of heat prickle over my skin at the attention, followed swiftly by extreme irritation.

“Well, if you’re just going to stand there staring, I’m done,” I snapped. “I have enough weird shit going on today without adding you to it.” I turned to walk away.

“Wait,” he said, his voice suddenly shaky, and I turned back to face him. “My name is Sam. Can you remember that for me?” His entire posture changed at that. It was like watching a person start to collapse. His shoulders sagged and his face shifted just so, in a way that made him seem almost painfully vulnerable and hopeful at the same time.

That was my cue to leave if I’d ever seen one. This was way too weird. I nodded my head slowly, and then fled. Whatever Sam was apparently dealing with, it wasn’t my problem.

***

After my time at the library, I only had one more class left. English. I was going to take my usual seat in the corner, but after that encounter with Sam, I felt some stupid need to prove to myself that I didn’t have a routine. I moved to a seat in the middle of the classroom, sat down, and waited patiently for the ever-late Mr. Ryder to show up. For some reason, I decided this would be one of his worse days, and that we’d be waiting a solid eleven minutes for him to arrive.

I watched the minute hand tick slowly by. At around the tenth minute, I heard the first drop. Then another. And another. And when Mr. Ryder made his way into the room after exactly eleven minutes, the sound of rainfall - and my pounding headache - had returned.

He began his lecture almost immediately to make up for lost time, but I couldn’t hear what he was saying at all. The rain drowned out the words almost completely, and I could almost feel the waves of it hitting me. My headache was also getting much worse. Every time I closed my eyes, I could still see the classroom, but from a different angle, from where I usually sat. I forced my eyes to stay open to avoid feeling so dizzy that I feared I’d fall out of my seat, or worse, faint again.

It was an hour of pure torture, and I was the first one out the door when it ended. I headed straight for the parking lot, sending Erica a quick text telling her I wasn’t feeling up for our usual hangout. I climbed gracelessly into the seat of my parent’s minivan, and headed where I always went when I needed to be alone; Hale Fields, a now almost-forgotten walking place at the edge of town. I tore my way out of the parking lot, my headache only getting worse as this time images of me and Erica laughing and fooling around at her house started to fill my mind.

I didn’t even make it halfway before I had to pull over, the sound of rain now so intense that it filled my mind entirely with pain. I collapsed into the fall leaves, trying to scream but only managing to produce a whimper. I closed my eyes and saw Erica sitting next to me on the couch as we played video games, as I promised to meet her in the field later at night for stargazing. I saw myself driving on the very same road I had just been on, and I saw myself enter the field.

I saw the rain begin to fall, and then I opened my eyes just in time to see the sky shroud itself in clouds somewhere entirely different. I felt the first drops hit my forehead and my eyelids closed on reflex.

When I opened them I was back in my bed, my mind not even remotely clouded by sleep. I raised a hand to my head, already knowing what I would find. My hand came back damp. Those first few drops of rain had come with me.

And this time, the memories came as well.

malusdraco:commission for bossman in exchange for a badly...

malusdraco:

commission for bossman in exchange for a badly needed shiny gene on FR (and for the record we are missing only iridescent now!! if you want to do a commission/trade thing it’d be VERY APPRECIATED)

of his character Fay as he’s being possessed by winter, a scary, evil force in his book aspect of winter! (please read AoW btw it’s so good, plus none of the main characters are straight, none of them)

my thoughts here were kinda.. different than he originally described the scene/idea. i wanted to convey the invasiveness of it all, so frostbite and runic scarification reacting, and the scary dark icicles coming out of his back. plus a crown of ice to symbolize the royalty of winter (or at least as i’d imagine winter would be, he seems like the kind of being to be extremely into the power play kind of thing)

find out more about aspect of winter at tom-early-author 

character belongs to mnemosius

THIS IS AMAZING. Everyone, this is the work of malusdraco, a friend of mine and an amazingly talented artist. Everyone should go check out her work!

mnemosius:malusdraco:i doodled some more aria!!another...

mnemosius:

malusdraco:

i doodled some more aria!!

another headcanon: she has a bird tail

also figuring out bird legs is HARD like wooooahh it took so long

aria is part of mnemosius's story WHICH YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT go on right there in the header of his page is a link, click on it, it compels you doooo it (you won't regret it I promise)

The poncho… works somehow. And her face is amazing! It’s really warm. 

You got Aria’s smile perfectly. She’s just always so happy. 

malusdraco:there was something in the way that fay transformed...

malusdraco:

there was something in the way that fay transformed that was so cool, i like to picture his hair as a gradual thing that starts at the roots then goes out

also there is something very sinister w/ this main character bossman i can feel it in meh guts

note this is fay from mnemosius's story (he's got a nifty link now so you all can read it too, i've been reblogging them as they come but really you guys should give it a shot, all of the main characters are not straight and it's got cute romance too, mixed in with crazy magic shit and lore from many places, and now it's REALLY starting to kick it up a notch)

Oooh, creepy…

mnemosius:malusdraco:FINIIIIISHEDmy half of a trade with...

mnemosius:

malusdraco:

FINIIIIISHED

my half of a trade with mnemosius of tyler and fay from his story!

i admit there are some WEIRD colors here (some that i did not expect to be using on skin tbh) but i hope they’re at least canon! 

hope you like it bossman!

(ps you guys should all read bossman’s story it’s kick-ASS)

YEEEEEAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! This is AWESOME! Thanks so much, Malus! My story should be up this afternoon sometime, don’t worry!

This remains one of my favorite art pieces to ever receive. Thanks again, malus!

mnemosius:malusdraco:so mnemosius bought me a some food...

mnemosius:

malusdraco:

so mnemosius bought me a some food today and said he’d prefer art to payment (thank you bossman

idk but really thinking, sam would definitely have long styled hair and awesome bangs but then i was like ‘i’m gonna put her in a jacket’ which turned into this fantasy type jacket

sam just seems like the kinda girl who’d spend her extra money on really nice jackets and boots (one of the things about sam is her combat boots, gotta have those, i bet she has a supplier or something ahaa)

(also y’all should go check out fay’s tale, give it a read! it’s really awesome and has some kickass characters! also did i mention none of them are straight? yep. give it a try.)

I feel like this personifies Sam’s aura of “Yes, I know you want to sleep with me. But wouldn’t you rather spar a little? I haven’t punched anything today, and I’m getting antsy” perfectly. Like, seriously. This is amazing. Sam has a sense of fashion pretty much exactly like this. Practical, cool, but not showoffy. And the combat boots. Yessssssss! THANKS MALUS!!!!

Excellent. Sam looks amazing here.

malusdraco:merry christmas mnemosius i’m fairly certain that...

malusdraco:

merry christmas mnemosius 

i’m fairly certain that mornings at the college were EXACTLY like this

fay going “keep ruffling my hair that feels good”

This is awesome! Fay would totally act like that, he’s a sucker for scratches.

malusdraco:and so the bossman chapter of this palette escapade...

malusdraco:

and so the bossman chapter of this palette escapade ends

this is pretty much the most finished thing i’ve done in a while hmm

this guy is aiden from tom’s book Aspect of Winter. Basically he’s an italian hottie and well…

using palette number 13!

Wow. I love the look of disdain on Aiden’s face you captured here. Thanks so much!