The Cliffs of Insanity

Too bad I wasn't awake this morning to enjoy it. I took my jacked-up meds like a good little brain patient last night around 9 PM. Midnight came and I was still wide awake, just working away like a happy little minion, sweeping through the forums like a harpy on a mop (that one was for you, filmkitty), working on a drawing for paisleydaze, and rereading what I have so far of The Blood Crown. Y'know, hey lolly lolly just-a doin' my thang. Add to the mix an insane brainstorming chat-session about a viral campaign and Nerf management with luvthyjoker and Fox, the Clown's Updater over on You Tube, and you have the makings of a long and happy evening.

I was, that is, until right around 3 am, while I was online with rancid_rainbow discussing the need for a Town Hall Meeting, now that Little Bro has such a large and scattered team helping him out. Well, we were talking about that and music. And that's the last thing I remember until around 5 this morning when Aunt Tudi asked me to get up and give her her insulin shot. I woke up starved to death so I got a wee bowl of grits and couldn't even finish those. Aunt Tudi woke me a few minutes later, telling me to get my hair out of my food. I went and cleaned up, got rid of the grits, and wibbled my way back to the love seat to finish one more thing online before I turned in.

I woke up on the love seat at 2 PM.

So I've had over 9 hours of deep, uninterrupted, dreamless sleep, just at the wrong time of day. I expect I'll be up all night tonight. I'm not taking the meds tonight. I'll just stay awake until around 6 PM tomorrow evening. Then I'll take the meds and maybe I'll fall out at the correct time. What I really think my problem is, is that I'm by nature a night person. All of my creative efforts and thoughts kick my spirit up a notch when the sun goes down. Maybe forcing myself to sleep at night isn't the best idea in the world. I'm gonna try it for a while, but I may instead reverse myself completely and take my meds for a daytime sleep schedule, interrupting it only long enough to perform diurnal duties before crawling back into my coffin.

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In other news, I am officially retired from writing The Date Series. I know I've said that before, but this time is different. Yesterday, I deleted my j-Tunes from my i-Tunes playlists and from Son of iGor. If nothing else bespeaks finality, that does to anyone who truly knows me. The tale is in the music. If the music is dispersed, the tale is over. I have achieved Zen Oneness with my Joker. All the Js that were crowding my head merged into one happy, reconciled, shiny new Head Joker who can now reside in the brain pan and give advice on chaos, anarchy, and dealing with difficult people as needed.

There was one other J-fic I was considering writing, and I actually started it. Its working title was "One Pretty Bad Day," and it was to follow a day in the life of J, who has apparently fallen victim to Murphy's Law. Yes, it was a comedy. No, there was no violence or sex involved. I may still do it, I don't know. Right now, the only J-related thing I have the time or sanity to focus on is The Joker Blogs and making sure Little Bro gets to do his thing in the way he wants to do it, with no or close to no distraction or bother. Where my mind is right now, any J-related writing will be in that vein, for the maintenance and furtherance of Little Bro's growing empire. My new Head J, who sits next to Maul on the Council of We'll Kick Your Ass and Laugh while We Do It, will be very useful to my psyche as I keep on keeping on in this capacity. The characters that inhabit my head are my archetypes, whom I tap when the need arises. There's never a dull moment when a Sith Lord and a sociopathic Clown with self-image issues are on the job. There's some other stuff I want to write regarding TJB, but that'll have to wait until later when my thoughts are gathered.

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I'd also like to get back into HG World Zombie Drama podcast, but I'll be needing a new mic before I can do that. Mine is knackered. I may as well string a tin can to one of my USB ports. I thought I'd be able to get one this month, but it's not gonna happen 'til September now. I'm hoping I can still be a part of it in some way by then. I had a hella good time doing what I did with 'In the Flesh.'

There's that, and I've gotten the bug to start drawing again, thanks to my interp of one of paisleydaze's characters. After I finish that, I may try my hand at a new Cadmus picture. It's been years since I drew him, so I'm sure he's changed in subtle ways that will only come out on paper. Heck, for that matter, I may as well draw him and Orphaeus together, since The Blood Crown is as much about the dynamics of their relationship as it is about anything else. Now that I have new artist friends who can give me good advice and beat me about the head with easels if need be, I feel much better about drawing and being able to improve myself.

And, for the first time in quite a long time, I have The Blood Crown open and looking at me from the computer monitor. I feel rejuvenated from my fan fiction vacation, even though that holiday took a right turn at Albuquerque when it should have taken a left. All in all, it was a scream, as opposed to The Vampire Relics being a Shriek. Totally different vibe. And now I'm getting back into the dreadful poetry of Cadmus Pariah and company. Once more into the Abyss...

J-fans might like this. All others will probably not be interested. I was led to this by a fellow aficionado. Kinda put me in mind of some of the Date Nights. Of course, it doesn't inspire me to start writing them again, but it's grooveh all the same. Enjoy!

Aunt Tudi went through one of our two closets in this wee hut we call a home. She came across some stuff, as folks tend to do when going through a closet.

( clickie for piccies )

It's still hard to believe he's dead.

brujah's daughter, mdevans, has drawn a picture of Cadmus Pariah and it's breathtaking! This kid has massive talent. I mean talent that will take over the world and destroy us all. Yeah, Godzilla talent. I'm so impressed and honoured. Damn, and a little jealous. She's lots better than I was at that age. Ignore my slack jaw of awe and go look at her work. I sent a link to Barry, since he's responsible for this.

Go now, go now, I mean it! Go! GO!!!!

Well, I need money, so I've decided to offer up my art for sale. Here's how it's going to work. A lot of the art scanned and uploaded to my art page on Photobucket is available for you to purchase. Each drawing will be $25. If you want a Tarmian freshly drawn with ink and pencil (in Technicolour), that will be $50.

If you're wanting one of the drawings seen on Photobucket, please email me and let me know what picture you're interested in so I can check on availability. If it's available, you can then transfer the money to my PayPal account and I'll mail the drawing to you.

If you're wanting an original Tarmian drawing, please transfer the money to my PayPal account along with any important animals, plants, religious symbols, colours, etc that I may or may not incorporate into your piece of art. I will get to work on your drawing immediately and mail it out as soon as I'm finished with it.

All new art will be on 11"x14" Strathmore 400 Series drawing paper. The older pieces are on a hodge-podge of media and I'll do my best to inform you prior to your paying for something you may not want as to what the drawing is on.

So here are the relevant links to set this in motion:

My Art Page: Please be aware that not all art here is mine. This is the page where I collect other art as well. That's why it's imperative that you write to me prior to any transfer of monies.
My E-mail Address: In the subject line, please put "LJ Art Offer," so I won't delete your email to me in the belief that it's spam.

Remember to include any relevant information that I can use in the creation of your art in the space afforded you on the PayPal payment page (say that really fast 6 times in a row) if you choose to have me draw a new piece for you. Also remember to email me prior to paying for a piece shown on Photobucket.

Okay. Let's get this party started. Please feel free to refer this sale to your friends, relatives, and hostages. The more the merrier, as they say, whoever they are.

I found a buttload of old drawings, dating to as far back as 1983. Most of it's crap, but I did scan the vampire pics, one of Kelat and Dmitri, the other of Orphaeus and Genevieve.

( cut for pics )</lj-cut. The best sketch of Kelat and Dmitri (Thaddeus) has yet to be found. I'm sure it's packed back somewhere in the bedroom closet, gathering mold and other horrid vermin.

Who wants to draw Cadmus Pariah for me? I've drawn him several times over the years, but I want new interpretations. Whoever wins the contest will get a special Vampire Mix CD from yours truly. I'll give you a passage of The Chalice in addition to a couple of pictures that that really bespeak Cadmus to me. The deadline for submissions is 28th April. I'll more than likely print the winner out and take it to show to Barry Andrews, too, just so's you know.

Send all submissions to angelina@barryandrews.net with the subject line "Cadmus Contest" so I know it's not spam and delete it. I can't wait to see what y'all come up with!

( help in getting a feel for Cadmus )

Just for the record, I've tried my hand at drawing Cadmus myself. ( Cadmus with the Dragon clasp and Chalice )

Please, whatever you do, don't let the photos or (especially) my art influence your own vision. I'm doing this to see how Cadmus affects others, how they (YOU!) see him. Thanks for participating and for your interest!

Cadmus refuses to shut up tonight. He's unhappy with the amount of attention given to him in the story. Sorry, but the story existed long before Cadmus ever slithered into existence. What's really odd is that, in the story, Cadmus can't find it within him to feel or express emotion but, when he's rattling around in my brainpan, he's always quite passionate and seems to relish the fact that he disturbs me so.

There's nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night hearing his dry-leaf chuckle echoing in my ears.

In other news, I found a few of my art books from long ago, one of which features my Nude Maul drawing. Perhaps I should scan that and post it here for to horrify the masses. Just imagining the look of shock on folks' faces is enough of a motivator for me to do it. Buahahahah!

Also found a pencil sketch of Thiyennen doing the stigmata dealio. I should scan that too. I still haven't found the picture of Thaddeus and Kelat, but I have an idea of where it may be. Tomorrow is another day.

Speaking of tomorrow, Todd's in town and Aunt Tudi and I are having lunch with him tomorrow. Pictures will be forthcoming.

No Boston Legal tonight, but SVU comes on, so that's good. And to think, this time last week I was being abused by Northwest Airlines.

**EDIT**

From "Waterbaby" by Barry Andrews

It bespeaks of Cadmus on a subatomic level, I swear to the Mighties!

"stacked urges; novel vices
(night of the soul etc.)
these dubious devices
are now his raison d'etre"

WERD.

Granny was an excellent painter. She had a thing for oils and could work all manner of magick on a canvas. In 1966, she painted a picture of Jesus and, from then on, the picture has hung in the Evans living room. Being a hippie kid and a child of hippies, I assumed that painting was of a hippie giving the peace sign so, every time I walked by the picture, I'd make the peace sign and say "Peace, brother!" Yeah, I think that's not far from the truth. The Jesus I imagine was a hippie in his time, bucking the system, spreading love and the idea of freedom to the people! I think Granny really caught that vibe in her painting.

( the painting )