azaya: a stick figure of a person with a big smile holding a book and saying, "this shit is crazy!" (Default)
R. ([personal profile] azaya) wrote2009-02-05 05:03 am

(no subject)

It's been brought to my attention that some of my creations, particularly my conversions, are being shared on DLMulsow's forum.

Naturally I'm not happy about this. But, as all I can do is state my policy and request that people honor it, there isn't really anything I can do unless I want to start shitflinging, which I don't particularly. So, once again, please don't use any of my creations on sims uploaded to DLMulsow's, in houses, whatever. I don't like how things are run over there, consequently I don't want my things being used there.
In interests of not being a twat, do not much care anymore.

In other news, the computer continues to be a hot mess. Going to try repairing Windows on the C drive, and if that doesn't work, I'm calling MSI to find out what this bullshit is about needing a floppy drive. Aside from all that, things are going all right. I'm getting a decent amount of writing done, and remembering how much fun it can be. TSA, so far, hasn't been very fun. Which is disappointing. It has all the elements I like in a story (or will, when I get to them), but it's not doing it for me yet. I'm sure it will find its voice eventually, but at present I'm not enjoying writing it.

I've been working on an older story instead, which has been quite fun.

These were his grand plans, and they would have gone off flawlessly if not for the rain.

It had begun simply– a few drops here and there. And it had progressed insidiously from drips to the torrential downpour he was now sheltering from under the apple tree. Actually ‘sheltering’ was too kind a word, as the tree deflected very little of the rain. He was more shielded, in fact, by a net of grapevines that had grown from beneath him and woven overhead into a crude roof. It was times like this that his plants were useful; the rest of the time they were an annoyance and occasionally a danger.

Roland had felt drawn to gardens, fields, and all other patches of fertile ground since infancy. He couldn’t remember a time when he hadn’t caused wild and spontaneous growth when standing on unpaved ground. As a result, one of his greatest and perhaps not so unlikely fears was that, one day, he might stay still too long and simply be swallowed up by the riotous jungles he accidentally created. On one memorable occasion this had nearly happened. Hiding from a fencing teacher behind a hedgerow, the hedge roots had actually reached out of the ground and grabbed his ankles, holding him still while the branches of a nearby willow wrapped around his arms and attempted to pull him up into its boughs. Roland had been lifted out of his boots, escaping the roots, but had been held fast by the willow. Eventually his screams had summoned help and he had been cut down.

He hadn’t left the stone halls of Castle Grace for two weeks after that.

Several large drops of water splashed down the grapevines and directly into his face. He sputtered and wiped them away. One of the grapevines caught his wrist playfully, but withdrew when he jerked it savagely free. Roland scowled out into the rain and stomped his feet, freeing them from the light film of moss growing over the tops of his boots.

He didn’t want to be out in the rain. In fact, that was the last thing he wanted. Rain fed his plants, made them grow faster. As if they didn’t already develop at an obscene rate. However, all his attempts to find his way out of the garden had failed. The hedges had shifted around whenever he wasn’t looking, forcing him down the same paths over and over again. And of course he couldn’t watch all the hedges at once. At last he had given up; as usual, he would have to wait for someone to find him and rescue him from the over-friendly flora.

The grapevine lowered a bunch of ripe, tasty-looking purple grapes into his view by way of apology. Roland’s scowl deepened, but he ate the grapes. They were delicious.

As he ate, something seemed to shift in the air around him. He couldn’t put his finger on it at first, but after a moment he had it. The rain was moving. Horizontally, that was, as if some force was displacing it so violently that it had actually begun to move perpendicularly to the direction it should be going. Or perhaps it wasn’t, as it stopped doing so as soon as he tried paying attention to it.

“That’s not right,” Roland muttered to the grapevine. It swayed and dipped, nodding as well as its plant anatomy allowed. In the process it dumped more water onto Roland. He cursed it and all of its grape ancestors. A moment later another bunch of grapes appeared near his face. He found some strawberries between his boots, and ate them too.

As he munched, he became gradually aware of a strange noise behind him. After his initial surprise, he was unconcerned, as it sounded quite a ways away. Minutes passed and it grew steadily louder; simultaneously the rain began to move horizontally again, ceasing to fall on Roland. He squinted up at it. At fourteen, he acknowledged that there was plenty about the world that he didn’t know, but he was pretty sure rain was supposed to fall down, not sideways. He could only conclude that some sort of magic was involved, though what sort of magic could make rain fall sideways, and why anyone would want to do so, he couldn’t imagine.

The noise grew still louder. It was almost like singing, but it was only one note, and it didn’t sound like any normal kind of singing. For some reason it reminded Roland of the way he felt when the plants were tugging particularly hard at his mind.

He was sure, suddenly, that it was a girl making the sound. There was no reason to suppose that, and if he thought about it, it didn’t make much sense. It was a much lower note than any girl could sing; and yet he was certain. Heedless of the rain, he stepped out of his vine shelter and peered into the rain behind it. He could just make out a balcony and a dark shape that could, with some imagination, be taken for a girl.

Roland watched as best he could for a while, though why he did so he couldn’t say. There was nothing to see really, just that dark form swaying back and forth as the sound continued to emanate from the balcony. It wavered occasionally, and finally stopped completely. When it did so, the rain began to fall normally again.

A second later, the sound returned, and now he was sure it was magical, there was no mistaking it, because it was a veritable blast this time. The rain spewed out in a radius, pushed so hard it actually stopped falling on the garden entirely. Tree limbs cracked and broke off, vegetation was ripped out by its roots. Roland himself was knocked over, driving his head into a lilac bush. Mud swirled up to splatter on the wall opposite the balcony; when the storm passed it looked like a crazed vandal had hurled balls of it.

After a few seconds the rain returned. The lilac bush caressed Roland’s face affectionately with a delicate branch.

“Holy shit,” he said to the bush. “What the hell was that?”

The bush declined to guess.


...that section actually being from high school, but.

Been listening to 'Birthright' pretty much nonstop for the last few days. My excuse is that the theme applies to the theme of the story I'm working on. Which is true, but the rest of the truth is that F minor makes me metaphorically wet myself with glee.

[identity profile] 13066301.livejournal.com 2009-02-05 10:27 am (UTC)(link)
Really nice story. I love the amount of detail that's in it. Hope you can get your PC fixed without getting something horribly wrong.

[identity profile] rage-rage.livejournal.com 2009-02-05 02:07 pm (UTC)(link)
It looks like it's drpixelfan/drpf/danny who's doing all the sharing. He's pretty active at SimsCave, I think, so if you PMed him there you're probably less likely to be ignored/deleted.

Your story is awesome. I particularly like the apologetic grapevine and the affectionate lilac bush.

[identity profile] mytwilightlove.livejournal.com 2009-02-05 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, I Like your story! It sounds like fun to write.

And that is seriously crappy about your stuff being shared like that. I hope that someone can contact whoever is doing the sharing and they'll stop.

And I hope you can get your PC fixed soon!!

[identity profile] alleliua.livejournal.com 2009-02-05 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Ergh. Ren did manage to get stuff that broke her policy removed from the site by politely requesting it in-thread multiple times, but I don't know if you're willing to go to the trouble or if they'll consider a "don't upload to DL's" policy in the same light as a "don't edit my shit, anyone" policy.

I like the story. Would love to read more.

[identity profile] sixtylilies.livejournal.com 2009-02-06 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you.

[identity profile] sixtylilies.livejournal.com 2009-02-06 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, thanks. I may try messaging him, though I really doubt it'll do any good.

Thank you! The idea of plants with emotions and motor control terrifies me, frankly.

[identity profile] sixtylilies.livejournal.com 2009-02-06 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you, it has been so far. :)

It is, but I doubt contacting anyone will do any good. They kind of do what they want at DL's. Oh well. I've made my feelings known, and if they don't respect them, then they don't respect them.

Man, me too.

[identity profile] sixtylilies.livejournal.com 2009-02-06 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, Ren's much more aggressive about people 'misusing' her things than I care to be, so I don't think I'll make a stink. It just confirms why I didn't want my things there in the first place, though.

Thank you. You're welcome to, if you like.

[identity profile] mytwilightlove.livejournal.com 2009-02-06 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
Oh wow, that sucks. I'm not sure what they do over at DL's, but from what I've read, some Goslings don't like them. That's pretty ridiculous to not respect someone's wishes.

[identity profile] sixtylilies.livejournal.com 2009-02-06 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
There's just a long, long, long history of DL and her buddies doing whatever they please with no regard to anyone's TOU. They've had trouble with Nouk and Helga, among others.

[identity profile] mytwilightlove.livejournal.com 2009-02-06 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, I figured it was something long and complicated. :) Well, best of luck!!

[identity profile] pixiealchemist.livejournal.com 2009-02-06 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I loved the story azaya, very detailed.

Cant you just lay the law down at DL-Muslow and write a thread entitled '' Policy'' and then you can bugger off and not make a big deal out of it except that they respect your wishes. No fight nothing just a simple neutral way.

[identity profile] sixtylilies.livejournal.com 2009-02-06 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Possibly. I have no illusions that they would listen, though.

(Anonymous) 2009-02-07 04:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Damn those DM-Muslow Followers i tell you :( Oh btw tell your computer that it better repair itself or it will get help from Mr.Reaper himself.

[identity profile] 6akalaka1.livejournal.com 2009-02-14 06:05 pm (UTC)(link)
DRPF just posted a new sim there yesterday,i think,with one of your conversions.

http://www.dlmulsowssim-antics.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8960

From what i've seen from him on GoS he is trying to get along with you guys and is kinda nice,so maybe if you ask him personaly,maybe PM him at GoS,i think he might listen.I have no illusions that DL will,but he seems kinda nice.

[identity profile] sixtylilies.livejournal.com 2009-02-14 09:58 pm (UTC)(link)
To be honest, I'm really not all that worried about it anymore. As long as it's not on a paysite, I can't bring myself to care much. But thank you, it was most kind of you to look into it. :)