Since my random writing-prompt snippet Invisible Barrier (that I’ve since decided is in some form going to make it into my as-of-yet-unstarted novel The Other Half of Everything) was received with such surprising enthusiasm, I thought I should share what I’ve written as a sort of follow-up.
I know the styles / “feels” of the two snippets feel kind of different, which I might have to work on, I don’t know… And some stuff clearly happened between the two but I don’t know what exactly yet because I don’t have plots figured out. But at least you can see that the guy wasn’t stuck in the invisible barrier forever! 😉
And you get a longer glimpse of Teague and Meridian. Because we all need some lighthearted humor in our lives.
I hope you’ll enjoy this snatch of The Other Half of Everything!
Excerpt from The Other Half of Everything
The invisible nothing vanished—I know that sounds odd but it’s what happened—and Teague flickered into sight. For an instant I could see how he must have been slumped half sitting, half leaning against the invisible side of the barrier. But now it was gone and was no longer holding him up.
Teague slumped sideways into the wet grass.
I ran to him and dropped to my knees beside his limp form, ignoring the damp.
“Teague!” I said.
His eyes were closed and I wasn’t sure if he was breathing, but at the sound of my voice he stirred. I sat and pulled his head into my lap, looking down into his face. His breath began to come evenly.
“Teague,” I whispered. “Wake up at once, do you hear? This is not the proper time for taking a nap.”
“Is it ever?” he murmured. His eyes opened and looked up at me. They focused. A slow smile appeared on his face like a sunbeam in clouds. “Hello, Meridian,” he said.
“Hello you annoying author.” I was happier than I had any right to be, considering I was sitting in a very damp patch of grass in another world with a very out-of-it Teague not showing any sign of getting up or moving his head from my lap.
“Mmm.” Teague closed his eyes and breathed for awhile.
“What happened?” I asked him, meaning “how did you end up locked in an invisible enchanted prison-thing?”
“I made a Wind Chaser angry.”
“And how on earth did you go about doing that?”
“Would you stop saying that—we’re not on Earth. And I don’t know, exactly.” Then he smiled a little. “It must have been my charming personality.” He coughed. And went on coughing for awhile until I became alarmed.
“Are you okay?”
“Of course. I’m just remembering how to breathe air again. There wasn’t any in there, you know.”
“Well I call that nasty! How did that happen?”
“There was air at first, naturally. I just used it up. Foolish of me, I know.” He coughed again. “Breathing is a bad habit of mine. It’s also impossible to break.”
“Believe me, its one of your few good habits.”
“Thank you. I didn’t know I had any.” He tried to get up. “The grass is wet,” he observed.
“Thanks for that, Mr. Obvious.”
He frowned a little. “Well. It is.”
“Did it work?” a voice called.
We both glanced over. Lulin was running across the field toward us, her short white hair flying up and down with the wind of her speed.
“Teague!” she said.
“I don’t know what ‘it’ is, but evidently it did,” Teague said as she came up. Then, “Hello, Lulin.”
Lulin looked down at him with a cheery smile. “Hello obnoxious descendant of the human race.”
“Same to you, sister of mine.” Teague sat up this time.
Lulin’s smile took a vacation. She dropped next to him and assaulted him with an enormous clinging hug. “Don’t you dare ever ever do that again,” her muffled voice said into his shoulder.
“Believe me, I have no intention of it.”
“Why do you never listen to my advice?” I said.
“I would if you had anything useful to offer,” Teague said.
“You mean if I said something you already planned to do,” I translated.
He smiled. “Exactly. By the way, Lulin, I was very much enjoying getting to breathe again and you’re kind of defeating that just now,” he added.
She let her tight hug go and pulled back.
“Thank you. Very considerate.”
“I learn from the best,” Lulin said with a mischievous grin, suddenly cheery again.
Teague laughed. “I know—I am.”
Me before reading the post: *sees name in title* Ooh, Teague! This’ll be good!
Me after reading post: Ooooh, that was awesome. Though I still want to know what “it” was, and also what a Wind Chaser is, and I want to read more about Teague because he’s hilarious. (And now he and Meridian are reminding me slightly of Jackaby and Abigail, come to think of it . . . except Teague is a writer and not a detective.)
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Eeee, yay! 🙂 And actually, I’d very much like to know what a Wind Chaser is myself. XD I JUST LOVE TEAGUE AAAHH I CAN’T. ❤ …Ahem. Is it bad to fangirl over your own characters? <.< *cough* (Oh, really? Interesting! Gaahh, I want to read Jackaby so bad! *flail*) Thank you! 🙂
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You don’t know?
And no, it’s not bad to fangirl over your own characters. I do it too. 😀 (You’re welcome, and you should read Jackaby!)
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I tell ya, my characters always know more than I do. 😛 I have suspicions, but… yeah. XD (And that’s good to know. 😉 I TOTALLY WANT TO. I JUST HAVE TO FIND IT.)
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I’m liking this Teague character. 😉 It’s never a problem to fangirl over one’s own characters!!!!
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Yay! Thank you! And that’s good to know! 😉
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I loved this, it was really intriguing and funny! And I just have to say that The Other Half Of Everything is an amazing title!
I wanted to let you know that I tagged you for the Infinity Blog Award over at my blog, http://oyescribes.blogspot.com/ if you’re interested!
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I’m so glad you like it! Thanks and thanks again! I shall have to check that out. 🙂
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Hey! I’ve been sort of stalking your blog for a while (wait, no, that sounds creepy, sorry), and I just love it so much! I kind of want to read like everything you’ve ever written. Ever. Ahem. Anyway, you write so amazingly well! This was so fun to read!
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Gaaaahhh this made my day!!! ^___^ THANK YOU SO MUCH! ❤
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Love those two, their banter is simply delicious and Teague is a character I could read about all day. Breathing is a bad habit of mine. *chokes, and laughs spastically*
Can I keep him. I swap you for William ( My Beasty)
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Yayyy, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you! ^_^
Oh my word did you just offer to trade your William for Teague?? O_O YOU MUST REALLY LIKE HIM. Day = made. I’m contemplating this because I do love William. XD But I think on the whole Teague is less scary than William so I think I still want to keep him. Heehee! (Now I want Teague and William to meet and interact with each other. XD *diiiies*)
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I love this so much! It made me laugh out loud. 🙂
“Hello obnoxious descendant of the human race.”- at this point I was laughing so hard that I was no longer audible. Which sounds contradictory, but somehow it’s not.
I like Teague. 😀 So much.
Also I love how you say, “Lulin’s smile took a vacation.” I’ve never heard it said that way. And it fits the style. I also like her name. I like all their names.
Okay, Meridian called him “author.” At this point I became very, very excited and thought. “So is Teague a writer, and is Meridian one of his characters? And is he trapped in one of his fantasy worlds? And did he, like, write something terrible about the Wind Chaser? So that when he entered his fantasy world and the Wind Chaser realized it, he thought he should exact his revenge against the author?” I am probably completely and totally off here. But I was very curious and none of my questions were answered because:
Teague decided to refer to his habit of breathing air as if it were the habit of smoking. And it was so hilarious! XD Because it’s just the opposite.
So is he really an author? Anyways, whatever it is about, it sounds fantastic! I already love the characters. 🙂
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Eeep, this makes me so happy!! Thank you. ^_^
I am very glad you like Teague and Lulin’s smile-vacation and the names and things.
I’m still working out the author thing, but Teague’s an author from our world who is visiting a fantasy world… but I don’t think he WROTE it… He just visits it and sets his novels there. I think. Like I said, I’m working on it. XD Meridian is not his character (oh my, that WOULD be a twist. XD) but only his new housekeeper who he took along on an adventure for a bit. She just calls him annoying author because she knows he’s a writer and it annoys her. 😛
Haha, he did act like it was like smoking! I didn’t think of that. XD
Anyways thanks for your thoughts and curiosity! I know I haven’t put up much about their story (partly because I don’t have it all figured out… *cough*) but I love hearing thoughts, so thanks! 🙂 Your interest means a lot to me! ^_^
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Okay, so like, he didn’t write the world of the story. He went to the world and thought, “This would be the perfect place to set my stories in!” Something like that? I kind of relate. Like as a writer (this might sound weird). I never feel like I’m making up the world of the novel, or even the story. The story already exists. It just is. But as I write I discover it. I’m uncover the story and learning about the characters, who are who they are. I don’t change them or make them.
Perhaps that sounds strange and is not completely related. . .
He takes his housekeeper on an adventure with him! That sounds kind of Doctor Who like. 😀
Of course! If/when you want a beta reader, I sign up! 🙂 I mean, if that’s okay.
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…Something like that, yes. XD I’m still messing with the ideas. But YES!!! EXACTLY! The story is already there and I’m just discovering it!!! I’m soooo glad you understand because that’s exactly how I’ve always felt. 😀 Awesome. ^_^
Yes, it does sound Doctor Who like. XD
And sure! I’m not remotely close to starting it yet, I have sooo many other things going, but when I do, I’d be delighted to have you as a beta-reader if I get to that poin! ^_^ *makes note*
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Aaaaah, I love this!!!! 😀 Definitely has a different tone than the first part, but I like it. 🙂
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Yay! Thanks. 🙂 And I’m glad you still like it despite that. 😉 I dunno… A lot of my writing is contradictory to itself. XD (It’s what happens when you let characters take over… >.>)
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Oh yes, I know how that is. The contradictory part, not the characters take over part. XD
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AHHH, TEAGUE, YOU’RE SO FULL OF YOURSELF. And lovable, so. *shrugs* I won’t complain. XD Their banter is hilarious, and I wouldn’t expect anything else from mah Celti. Lulin’s adorable too, btw. And al this intriguing stuff about Wind Chasers and how they made the glass (or nothingness) disappear and askfhskdjf allll the questions. ^_^
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Teeheehee. XD He is, isn’t he? 😉 Aaah, thank you! ^_^ I’m glad you like Lulin and are intrigued! 😀
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AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!! When I saw the title of this post I almost had a heart attack. As in I got so excited my flailing heart felt like it was attacking me. But but but the writer dare you did was just like lsdjflsj;lkjf and you KNOW how I feel about OHE so this THIS!!!! *FLAILS*
TEAGUE OH MY WORD I CAN’T BREATHE. His “bad habit of breathing” made me STOP breathing because I was laughing so hard. Seriously, I’m so glad I’m alone right now because I was laughing so hard and loud through this whole thing!
AND LULIN IS HERE TOO.
“Hello obnoxious descendant of the human race.”
*CHOKES*
“Lulin’s smile took a vacation.” <– THIS LINE. How do you come up with these things???
“You mean if I said something you already planned to do,” I translated.
Meridian kills me. xD
THIS WHOLE THING.
DAY. MADE.
I am grinning so wide now. Just oh my word TEAGUE. And Meridian and Lulin and all the cool things! I know you have so many other projects but but but…I REALLY WANT THIS STORY!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING. I could literally just happily read about Teague and the gang forever and ever.
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EEEP YOUR REACTIONS MADE MY DAY. ❤ Thank you!! 😀
Ah, Teague, yes. XD Mah Lulin bby is so sweeet. ^_^ (I don't know how the lines happen. o.o)
MERIDIAN CAN HAVE SNARK TOO HAHA. 😀
YOU'RE WELCOME AND THANK YOU FOR READING! ^_^ I'm sooo glad you like them and gaaaahh thank you! Sooo many projects but I wanna write it so bad…
YOU ARE THE BEST.
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Hee. I love that sass. I like this! I like it a lot! Post more, please? And I also love that title.
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Yay, thank you so much! 🙂 I unfortunately don’t have more to post right now, but at some point hopefully I will! ^_^ Thanks!
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