That's it. No other writing. Not even really pondering of writing. Yet, for some reason, while sitting outside on the porch, listening to the wind chimes Hubby got me, I was inspired. I wrote another writing prompt out of "A Writer's Book of Days" until my wrist hurt and my fingers cramped up. Kept me only about forty minutes and three journal pages.
Still, it was something. I should praise that for all its worth. Especially considering how long this slump has been. I don't know what caused my love of writing to recede, but I still don't even have the drive to think about writing. I don't get my normal pain of guilt or itch of inactivity if I go without writing. On the plus side, I also haven't gotten cranky and agitated due to my lack of writing. I'd much rather sit on my porch, people watch, read my book, listen to my chimes, and enjoy the warmth. I'm just soaking it all in. Maybe I'll wring it all out of my head later, but right now, my brain is just sponging everything; hopefully.
In the meantime, Hubby did sort of decide on a new surname for Chayse. He narrowed it down to five names. He also feels that Neo-Gambit - Ryder - won't go by a last name. He'll simply be Ryder. Considering the fact that I kept Gambit's criminal background, I could see Ryder dropping his last name to avoid being tracked. So, Hubby's thinking that the couple just agreed to give Chayse his mother's surname. Right now we're really focused on Foster. However, even though Emily Foster sounds awesome and is really calling out to us, I feel it's a bit too on the money. A woman named Foster opened an orphanage?
Then again, names have meaning in literature, so maybe the nod to the connection between the name and the calling isn't so bad?
Anyway, that's the extent of my writing this week. I did read Hello to my writing group last week. Fantasy is definitely my wheel-house, because even my psuedo-supernatural, slice-of-life, slightly-exaggerated anecdote got sort of lack-luster reviews aside from "nice twist at the end." And then we talked about the paranormal for a little bit before moving on to the next person.
I never seem to get much of a reaction out of that group unless I'm writing something set in a fantasy world. Although, oddly enough, about six months ago they asked me why I only wrote fantasy and fanfiction when I could "write like that" - in reference to my heartbreaking story of a man realizing his ailing wife was slipping from him.
On the flipside of my frozen state, it seems Ronoxym is on a writing frenzy. Nearly every time I talk to him he has something new he's working on. Granted,
he only gets a couple paragraphs to a couple pages in before the next shiny story idea catches his attention, but at least he's writing. More than what I'm doing. Maybe we share a Muse, which is why we work so well together. However, sharing her means that only one of us could be in the mood to write at a time. Lame.
Anyway, he even asked if I was still into reworking/finishing Please, Let Me Explain. I was kind of like "doi" so maybe that means he's going back through my edits to try to figure the rework out too. It would be cool if I could continue reading that at group.
In the meantime, I have my writing practices. And since the next two practices I have combined are still less than 1000 words, I figured I would type them both up for your reading pleasure.
This first one is largely inspired by a friend and former coworker of mine. I took some creative liberties to follow where the character was taking me, but my friend is definitely the core inspiration.
This second one is beyond quick: about 250 words. I was stuck on another writing prompt that is a really cool phrase, but too abstract for me to come up with a story concept. I might have this issue a lot with Judy Reeves' prompts. In the end, I just wrote whatever came to mind until I had filled the page. It's more of a thought experiment than an actual tale, but it's something down on paper.
So, if I wasn't writing, what was I doing for the majority of the week? Well, as I mentioned, I've been on my porch enjoying the weather. I've also been reading like a boss. Appropriate, considering the reading challenge I'm currently undertaking.
"Half Bad" by Sally Green was definitely a slow go for me. The fact that the entire story was broken down into six parts was the first oddity. They aren't even parts. They don't seem to coincide with the typical Three-Act storyline. They were basically six giant chapters that were then broken down into smaller chapters. And the fact that some of those chapters weren't even a page long was the other oddity that threw me off. The final thing that made me wonder if I could make it through was her use of second-person narrative to make the reader Nathan. There were just too many things that seemed different about this story. Makes Green a unique author, though.
Well, I powered through because the synopsis was intriguing enough. Plus, I don't like quitting on books. I'm glad, too. Part Two is about a third of the book, and it's all Nathan's flashback on how he ended up in a cage. It's also, thankfully, in first person. I was able to really connect with Nathan then. Again, my empathy allows me to connect more with a character when THEY are telling me their story, as opposed to the reader trying to tell me this is my story.
The first chapter - and ONLY the first chapter - of Part Three was back in second, and I groaned. I didn't know if I could handle the past being in first person and the present in second. I wasn't sure I could handle jumping back and forth between "you are Nathan" and "Nathan is telling you his story." Thankfully, since that one last chapter, the rest of the story is both first-person, and present. I mean that literally, it's written in present tense. It's also written in sort of short, choppy sentences: "I don't sleep well. It's not cold. There's no wind, not a breath. The clouds are still. There's no rain."
Nathan admits that he's not intelligent at all, and he's illiterate. So his sentences are simplistic. Life is what it is. He realizes that - for the most part - he has to live in the present. He can't dwell on the past because he can't change it. He can't focus too much on the future, because he might not have one. Sally Green takes that character trait and translates it to how Nathan talks. How he tells his story. He's direct. He's to the point. He doesn't have much time to explain something with long, flowery words. He tells you what's happening while it still is.
I really, REALLY got into this story once I was in first-person narrative. A week into reading this story, and I only have 41 pages left to go. If I didn't have chores and errands to do last night, I might have finished off the book. I'm basically reading a part a day, a few chapters at a time.
When I read the first part I wondered how the heck could anyone read two more books written like this. Now that I'm almost done, I know I have to find the other two. The writing is still odd to me, but now I'm invested in Nathan. I'm even invested in his jailer. I'm loving the wizarding world that Green created. It doesn't hurt that I could try to use some of it to help me get re-inspired for "Glitches" purposes.
In fact, sorry guys, but I gotta jet. I have a couple more chapters left. I need to finish them. Then I need to find another story to finish June with. Since I have such a head-start, I think I might pick up "Atlas Shrugged" next. I think that will be my "outside comfort level" book.... Still not sure where to put "Half Bad"on the list, though....
Alright, so, even for a few weeks, and only for a scheduled hour, I still can't manage to write every day. Not even for something as puny as 500 words. It's a bit pathetic, actually. Even when I'm done with work later in the day, you'd think being out of the store by 3 would give me enough time to do everything else that I need done with an hour to spare to write.
You'd be surprised, apparently.
I keep letting Life get in the way, and it's annoying me. Really annoying me. But of course, once I set my mind to something as simplistic as "No one talk to me between 4 and 5pm because I'm writing," that's when I'm not even in my house during that hour. I guess it makes sense. As soon as I went "I'm moving my updates to Thursdays since I have them off all the time," that's when I started consistently working them.
Once again I'm debating switching my writing updates. Perhaps Mondays since I have them off. Maybe I'll even change my availability so that I never again work Mondays. Then again.... I need money, and that would be a dumb move if they need me on Mondays in the future. Which will most likely happen as soon as I move my blog update days to them.
I did manage to hit my 3500 words a week goal, though. Barely. I wrote about 1200 words on Monday in order to finish up the previous chapter - which I believe I already commented on last week - and then I finished up this week's chapter at about 2000 words. In one sitting. It was a semi-long sitting.
I was so mad that it kept me until Friday to write anything - besides this blog - and so I just sat in silence, and wrote. Next thing I know, I have the chapter done. It's short, compared to my other writings, but it seemed to have a natural stopping point that I listened to.
Saturday I edited, polished, and added a few more words to both improve the chapter, and get me the remaining 300 words I needed for my weekly goal.
I haven't had any sort of comments on really any of the chapters in The Second Generation Begins, and so I'm a bit nervous about how this chapter is/will be received. It's basically a retelling of the earlier chapter "Rescues and Robots," but through Lia's Point of View. I was debating breezing over this solo-role play that I did on the board, but I feel like it really showcases Lia's character, and the bond growing between her and Chayse. So, I rolled with it. It's tiny, and so I hope it works and isn't too boring.
I'm now working on the chapter I originally thought I was going to write when I started "Giant Robots of Death," but with the natural stopping point I had at the end there, I just couldn't continue on to the next scene.
So, now we have Lia tracking down Chayse. It was weird trying to figure out whose POV I was going to use for this chapter. Whose chapter was it? In the end I went with Chayse. I had two Lia chapters in a row already, and the lead-in to the chapter included a conversation between Chayse and Gambit that Lia wouldn't have been around to hear anyway. I could have had her hear it when she found Chayse, but it would have been hard to stop her from interrupting it.
Also, my husband isn't nearly as descriptive as I am. He writes enough that you know what's going on, but he doesn't add in things to showcase personal ticks a character would have. For instance: Lia, when nervous, bites her lip and plays with orange streaks she keeps dyed in her hair; Willow, when feeling particularly mischievous gives herself a Cheshire Cat illusion of ears, twitching cat tail, and large grin; Trish, when bored, plays with fire the way that someone might play with a lighter: snaps her fingers to create a flame, snuffs it, snaps to create another one, snuffs it, etc.
Does the reader need to know these ticks? Not really, no. Especially when the reader is simply another player on the board. Hubby's lack of elaboration keeps play moving. We know enough to set the scene and interact. That's all that matters.
For novelization, however, we need a touch more. Otherwise Chayse is this blank canvas that allows every individual reader the ability to paint him completely unique to their own imagination. It's not a bad tactic; a lot of books are starting to purposely be vague in character description specifically for that point.
It's not me, though. I have a set image in my head, and I feel it's my job to try to portray it so that everyone can see the same image I do. Again, personal preference.
Which is another reason why I try to get into Chayse's head whenever possible. I've talked with Hubby enough to more-or-less know what goes on in there - same with Devon - and so, if I can't at least figure out exterior ticks that will showcase his state of mind, I can literally go into it to show the reader what's up.
I can have another character note Lia's lip biting while playing with her hair, and the readers should know that she's nervous or self-conscious. Chayse hides this feeling - for the most part - because he feels he needs to be the rock for the other students. In which case, if he's nervous or unsure about something, I have to dive into that cranium to let the readers know that.
Anyway, those are all my reasons behind the POV switch to Chayse in the upcoming chapter.
It's going moderately well in the writing schedule front. I wrote about 1600 words on Monday; a good start. I'm about half-way through the scene. I also just picked up on how much Lia used to tease and call Chayse nicknames. When I originally wrote Lia, I was definitely channeling Annabeth from the Percy Jackson series. The way she picked on him, and called him things like Seaweed Brain. Lia did the same exact thing to Chayse.
Picking on people and giving them nicknames has evolved into an exclusively Willow thing, and no one calls Chayse "Cajun" anymore either. I like the change up. It definitely fits Willow's personality more. It will be interesting to explain that transition, though. Also, maybe it's about time Lia starts calling Chayse "Swamp Brain" again whenever he's being particularly stupid.
Tuesday got away from me, but I did read off what I wrote so far for the chapter while I was at my writing group. There wasn't really much by way of comments on the story itself - not that I would really alter anything since this is all just conversion from the roleplay - but we did get into a semi-long discussion about X-Men in general once I was done.
Yesterday also got away from me. By the time I was done with work, and dinner, I was back out the door to drive about 45minutes to a movie theater - because I live in nowheresville with a one-screen theater that isn't showing Deadpool - in order for me, Hubby, and two of our friends to FINALLY do our Valentine's Day double-date. I wasn't feeling well at ALL on V'day, Hubby was exhausted from the overnight shift, and one member of the other couple also wanted to just stay in, due to how insanely cold it got randomly over the weekend.
Anyway, my point is that between work, dinner, drive down to the mall, watching the movie, and the drive home from the mall, I had maybe an hour total to just sit at home and chill. I SHOULD have used it to write, but I needed a mental wind-down, and so it was spent catching up on Facebook, emails, and DeviantArt uploads by artists I follow.
Sadly, I also have no hope for getting any fiction writing done today. Due to my slacking yesterday, my "first thing in the morning writing" that I COULD be using for fiction is instead being utilized to write this post. Then it's work. Then it's come home, change, grab something to eat real quick while clipping coupons that I've been avoiding all week. Then back out to the store with Hubby to grocery shop for the week, then over to the fabric store to FINALLY get more to maybe ACTUALLY finish that darn blanket for my nephew, then off to Walmart to pick up a small array of things we need, and then FINALLY back home again. Grab some more grub, unwind for a bit, and then MAYBE get writing done. It's possible, but doubtful.
Maybe if we also include a run to the laundromat today. I could bring my headphones - which I always seem to forget - and write while doing laundry. If not, that's what I'll be doing tomorrow, and I'll get a lot of writing done again. Between laundry and Hubby being away for his weekly Magic thing, I'll have plenty of downtime to utilize.
I have high hopes of completing this chapter on schedule. I might even get the 3500 words a week yet again. I have no hopes of ever writing 500 words daily again until I can get the world to follow me with getting on schedule.
Silly, Life, just work with me, here!
One last fun little note to shout out. I don't recall if I mentioned this last year, due to me trying to keep my private life out of this blog if it didn't directly affect my writing one way or another, but my mother-in-law was diagnosed with a very aggressive strain of cancer. It was a rough go, but the woman is.... is there a word for "Scrappy" on steroids? Anyway, she'd a fighter that's too stubborn to die before she gets more time with her grandbabies - and sees the ones that I'll produce, I'm sure - and managed to do what apparently only 11% can.
This Tuesday she found out that she is officially cancer free! She also discovered that she somehow fractured a rib on each side.... but she's cancer free!
Facebook sticker Hacker Girl by Birdman Inc
Alright, now that I have that out of my system, I should probably get ready for work. I'll catch you next week, with hopefully a better daily writing record....
It's been a little while since I last talked about MY writing. I don't mind if you don't. I personally liked taking a two-week time-out in order to discuss the two articles I read about procrastination. However, that time-out did cause me to completely forget what I last talked about in regards to my own writing.
In case you're like me and forgot where I last was in my own writing - and you're too lazy/pressed for time to go back and actually re-read Shadowcat and Wolverine Take Center Stage, here's a quick recap:
I discussed how, whenever I'm stuck, I just let a nameless/faceless narrator talk about the world of Glitches, and that usually gives me the background I need to get through the issue I'm having.
I discovered through letting my narrator just talk that homeless Glitches - mostly teens - were being snatched up by the government. This act simultaneously drove "Kitty" to start up the orphanage, and "Logan" to create The Orb and The Building Room as training rooms - disguised as arcade games - to teach self-defense to Glitches.
"Kitty" can't stand the idea of The Orb or The Building Room, and thinks that the government will see both as "terrorist training" and will use it as an excuse to attack. Therefore, not only does she deny "Logan's" request to build them at her orphanage, but she also forbids her students from using them.
Phfylburt's one character Lucas Kinney would most likely be one of the Glitches snatched and experimented on by the government. The reason "Logan" adopted him was that he was one of the few surviving children once "Logan" was done with his raid on the facility. The two have a weird part-fatherly/part-older-brotherly relationship similar to what Batman's Bruce Wayne has with his first Robin: Dick Grayson.
After saving Kinney from the facility, "Logan" is even more determined to try to train Glitches to protect themselves. After a few years of covert training of some adult Glitches - via The Orb and The Building Room - "Logan" creates a sort of X-Men-Like task force whose duty is to protect "Kitty's" orphanage and other helpless Glitches in the area; while simultaneously trying to recruit more powerful Glitches to help train self-defense against "Norms" and the government.
Some of the children at the orphanage catch wind of what "Logan" is doing and sneak over to his arcade for some training as well. "Kitty's" son Chayse is essentially the head of this student brigade; much to "Kitty's" dismay.
At some point, Willow will either bring Devon to the arcade to introduce him to The Orb, or when hearing that Devon's loyalty is in question, "Logan" will bring him himself. Either way, Devon is going to end up using The Orb as the "Danger Room Catalyst" scene from X-Future; shattering people's trust in the poor kid.
I also determined that "Kitty" was more of the "bleeding heart" that wanted to peacefully do whatever was necessary to co-exist with Norms. She'd do peaceful protests, give speeches to the government and public in attempts to change their minds, and take care of the "lost children". "Logan", on the other hand, was more of a realist. He too wanted to simply co-exist, but he also knew that Glitches would need to fight for their rights; sometimes literally. He feared that being peaceful like "Kitty" would take too long and too many Glitches' lives would be lost since they wouldn't fight back in self-defense.
Basically, "Kitty" would be this world's Martin Luther King, Jr. while "Logan" is Malcolm X; except he wants integration as well....
Lastly, I tried to determine the relationship between "Kitty" and "Logan" since they're no longer co-headmasters of the Institute. I first thought they were siblings, and then I really focused on them being former lovers.
Some other possible connections that I debated between were "complete strangers" and "friends" and "former classmates".
Well, I didn't really get much feedback from Hubby or Phfyl about any of the other stuff I talked about for the world build, but I did get feedback on the whole "Kitty and Logan being an item" thing.
Although they have to get completely different character redesigns to become originals, Phfyl and Hubby both still see "Kitty" as a woman in her mid-twenties and "Logan" looking about 35, but is actually closer to 200+yrs old. So the idea of them being an item kind of grossed them out.
They suggested just going with "They were former students of this world's equivalent of Charles Xavier." Perhaps they weren't literally former students of "Xavier," but instead he wrote a series of essays, books, articles, or gave speeches on the idea of co-existence between Glitches and Norms. Maybe both "Kitty" and "Logan" admire this "Xavier" via his published/broadcast work, but took away two different concepts from these "teachings."
"Kitty" would pick up "Xavier's" compassion, and desire for there to be just as much peace between Glitches and Norms as there are between races in the United States. Sure, there is still racism, and it's sickening. However, for the most part, someone's race isn't an issue any longer. No one really notices it. That was what "Xavier" envisioned for the future, and "Kitty" wants to take his peaceful approach to get there: publications, speeches, public service, peaceful protests, etc.
"Logan", on the other hand, also welcomes "Xavier's" dream for mutations to matter just as little as race does, but he focuses on "Xavier's" admittance that there is still racism and violent hate crimes. He follows the teachings that "we still need to learn how to defend ourselves against such ignorance and hate."
This puts the two at odds with each other, but they still realize that they're working towards the same end-goal. While they don't approve of how the other is getting to that end, they are willing to cooperate in order to combine their efforts and reach that equality faster.
Meanwhile, you have the extremist group Challengers of Heaven. This is more akin to Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants from the actual comics. The Challengers see no need to try to co-exist with Norms. They feel that Glitches are actually the next wave of evolution in humanity. Much like Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals. So incredibly similar, but there's just something about the former that is superior to the later, and that will eventually mean the former will win Darwin's "Survival of the Fittest." However, unlike Homo Sapiens and Neanderthals, the Challengers of Heaven are making sure Glitches have a heavy hand in the extinction of Norms; allowing their "species" the ability to reign supreme - at least, until the next great evolution roughly 70,000 years from now.
In the grand scheme of villainous factions, the reboot equivalent to "The Brotherhood" is just a punk street gang comprised of Glitches. They may be the most dangerous set of mo-fos, but they have no true goal of world domination or Norm extinction. They also hire out their members as Glitch mercenaries; resulting in a lot of laying in bed with Challengers of Heaven.
While I haven't figured out too much more about "Logan" beyond what I have above, I did a little more work on "Kitty" as well as started the reworking of both "Gambit" and "Multiple-Man." I just need to finish those reworks and figure out the other Marvel Canon characters that we're bringing over to the reboot.
Regardless of all that, I still feel like I accomplished a great deal in making "Kitty" and "Gambit" more original, while still retaining enough of their canon powers for Chayse to inherit. I haven't really heard back yet from Phfyl or Hubby as to what they think about all of this - another TL; DR issue - but for right now, here's what I'm thinking.
Chayse will still have phasing due to his mother's powers, but he'll actually be the one to figure out that he can use them that way. "Kitty" will essentially have Gambit's main power of Molecular Acceleration - as the Marvel Wikia classifies it. So, the ability to make cards go bang? "Kitty's" instead of Gambit's. Considering her maternal nature, I'll have to figure out how she mostly uses such a destructive power.
The easiest way to do both that and give Chayse his advancement in to phasing is to reclassify Gambit's powers. It's now Kinetic Manipulation. Not only can it be used the way Gambit does in the comics - which is him accelerating molecules until their kinetic energy builds up; hence the power name - but classifying the power as Kinetic Manipulation means it can be manipulated the other way: reverting kinetic energy back to potential energy. I'm not entirely sure if scientifically I can make this power plausible, so it's still in the works. However, essentially this would mean "Kitty" could do things like make a speeding car decelerate faster than it normally would, have a thrown object's trajectory be cut short as it falls to the ground, or simply removing the agitated energy she had previously put in to an object; "decharging" it. Like, if Gambit in the comics starts charging up a card to become an explosive, changes his mind, and removes the kinetic energy he originally stored up in it; reverting the card in to a simple, nonexplosive piece of cardboard.
Anyway, this classification of Kinetic Manipulation would rework Gambit's powers enough that they could be hinted at - with things like making average objects explosives - but not entirely recognizable. Especially if "Kitty" mostly uses it defensively by converting kinetic energy. Chayse doesn't really make things go "boom" either when he uses his powers; aside from a box of toothpicks he keeps with him, similar to Gambit's deck of cards. He uses it mostly to charge up his own body or his whip-like belt; adding kinetic energy so that the output is greater when used.
Chayse could then discover that he can build up enough kinetic energy in himself to make his own molecules vibrate fast enough to move between the empty spaces between molecules of the item he's phasing through. Obviously, the denser the object the smaller - or fewer - the empty spaces are and the harder it is for him to phase. However, this density problem already came up in-canon with Kitty's phasing power. In theory - I don't read comics enough to know if it's stated fact in them - Kitty's power DOES work by her moving her molecules within the empty spaces of the item she's phasing through. I just gave it a new reason as to how. Also, this would mean that Chayse's power isn't really a combination of phasing and making things explode. The phasing is just a new trick he learned to do using his natural gifts.
What are the powers he inherited from "Gambit" then, if it wasn't Molecular Acceleration? Well, seems Gambit has a few other powers that are derived from that one. Much like how Chayse's phasing is now derived from his Kinetic Manipulation. See, Gambit has heightened agility and dexterity due to his ability to tap in to the kinetic energy within himself. I already stated that Chayse essentially does the same; even more so once he Ascends. Gambit also uses this Molecular Acceleration to constantly keep charged potential energy around his body that he can then harness as kinetic energy whenever needed. This is more of a reflex thing that he doesn't consciously think about, but it causes static that makes it hard for telepaths to invade his mind, and near impossible for telepaths to even detect him. Finally - and one I didn't realize was a derived power; I thought it was a secondary one - Gambit has hypnotic charm due to his ability to "charge" kinetic energy in someone's brain; activating parts needed for Gambit to manipulate the person. It's a small manipulation, but it's enough for that person to find Gambit trustworthy. Because of this hypnotic charm, Gambit can convince people to believe what he says and/or agree to whatever he suggests.
Now, while Marvel did a great job at figuring out how Gambit can use his Molecular Acceleration power in order to have a nice loaded arsenal of other powers, they all don't have to derive from that parent power. We could make our version of Gambit be a "Mind" Glitch whose primary power is Charmspeak. Now, Rick Riordan already used the exact phrase "Charmspeak" for a power a daughter of Aphrodite has. Her mother's charm and seduction flows through her, allowing people to believe anything she says if she puts enough effort behind her words. I also have a sneaking suspicion that D&D also used either that phrase or a similar one in regards to boosting a bluff score or something. So I'll have to think of an alternative classification for the power other than "Charmspeak" or "Hypnotic Charm". Although, I guess "Hypnotic Charm" would still really work.
The idea is that "Gambit" has the ability to hypnotize people through speech. His words would be so compelling that the target(s) can be easily convinced they're true, or that he's right. Now, just like normal hypnosis, the Charmspeak cannot convince anyone to do something they are morally opposed. It is also a lot harder for it to work when the target knows it's a blatant lie, or if they are also a Mind Glitch; since the heightened mental ability naturally counteracts his powers. Basically, think of this as "Bluff: The Mutant Power."
Now, a side-effect of being a Mind Glitch with the ability to convince others so easily is that his own mind is constantly on alert for such manipulation towards him. I'm not sure if this makes him completely immune to mental manipulation, or if he just has a strong resistance. Given this side-effect, Hubby and I were thinking that this might be a fun way for him and Willow's dad to have met up before the kids were born. Willow's dad Jacob tried to use his Prop Illusions power to convince "Gambit" of something. I'm still figuring out what, exactly. Maybe it was something as simple as Monopoly money being legit currency. Well, "Gambit's" resistance/immunity towards mental manipulation sees through the illusion. He decides to try to swindle the swindler, but - since Jacob is a Mind Glitch too - the Charmspeak doesn't work on Jacob. The two con-artists chat over a beer and become fast friends. Perhaps even team up for a little while before "Kitty" and Meryl tame the Cons in to going straight.
Anyway, having the Charmspeak main power also semi-explains the "Mental Firewall" - as we've been calling it in-game - but what about the agility? Switching gears from Gambit being a thief mastering in breaking and entering to "Gambit" being a swindler via hypnosis, we don't necessarily need him to be as good of a fighter any longer. So we're still debating if Chayse's agility and dexterity are still derived from the Kinetic Manipulation - like it is with Canon Gambit - or if it's a secondary power for both "Gambit" and Chayse.
We also discussed the possibility of Chayse having the odd eye coloring from "Kitty" as a side-effect of the Kinetic Manipulation. If Chayse is going to have a physical mutation from "Kitty" anyway, it might be best to keep the agility/dexterity physical mutation inherited from her as well.
Regardless, I want to avoid the "black sclera with unnatural iris color" concept since that's blatantly a Gambit design. I thought that the iris would still be a vivid, unnatural color that reflects the shade of the aura emitted when "charging" something. So Chayse would still have the neon limegreen, and "Kitty" would have a purplish red color - the color Gambit has when charging. The only trick there is that in the cyberpunk world I picture the comic to be in, wouldn't colored contacts be just an average thing? That would mean that even with his physical mutation, Chayse can pass for human. Still, Hubby wanted that subtle mutation to still be noticeable. A way for him to ALMOST pass for human, but gives him away.
Since I JUST finished watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, I want to use that as an example. Dark skin, white hair, and specifically eyes with red irises were the tell-tale signs that you were a decedent of the Ishvalan race. So, maybe in this CyberPunk future it's a common thing for unnatural-colored eyes to be a sign of being a Glitch. Therefore, people wouldn't HAVE colored contacts for fear of being thought of as a Glitch? Either that, or it's a novelty thing, like people wearing red contacts to cosplay as a vampire or animal contacts to pretend they're a humanoid cat... Then again, those things aren't real which is why we cosplay as them. Would the same be true if Glitches were real? I dunno. I'm still figuring out that eye thing.
In the meantime, Hubby thought more about the issue and suggested that perhaps Chayse and "Kitty" could have their eyes completely fill with that unnatural color - lime green for Chayse; magenta for "Kitty" - when using their powers; similar to how Storm's eyes go completely white when using hers.
Things I should have been thinking about over the past few weeks, I guess....
Anyway, as I mentioned, I did manage to figure out a little bit about Lia's father Jamie as well. Again, I'm waiting for either Phfyl or Hubby to give me some sort of feedback. My biggest fear is that while I did tweak the powers, they are still essentially the same. However, I didn't really have much choice in the matter since Jamie's power to make clones of himself is fairly crucial in Lia's upbringing and subsequent personality development. I was debating having him make "clones" via astral projections so that he can always be around Lia in order to look over her. Yet, we seem to have a surplus of "Mind" Glitches in this tale, and so I wanted to branch out from that.
I thought that perhaps - and I'll have to figure out what "category" of glitch this would put him in - "Jamie" is what is known as a "Soul Splitter." He can send a part of his consciousness - or "soul" in this case, I guess - in to fresh drops of his blood, and use said soul-infused drops to create clones of himself. I'm still mentally working out the imagery of that since it's not a spontaneous blink into existence like Multiple Man's Dupes.
Just like Multiple Man, a Soul Splitter's clones are completely autonomous. However, the more clones he makes, the more of himself he "loses." If too many are out in the world it may change his very personality and/or affect his memory. It could also physically drain him since there is always a minor tug for his soul to return as one. Said "tug" is so minor that he can go years with one clone lose out in the world without it physically affecting either of them. So it's almost like the gravitational pull humans have on each other... it's there, but not noticeable. I figured if we still wanted that weird "Tyler is but isn't Jamie's son/Lia's brother" thing in the reboot we could still do so this way.
Now, while Jamie is considered "Prime" in the comics - so that one can distinguish which "Jamie" is the main one the clones came from - in our tale perhaps he's "Alpha"? I'll have to think more about that, but it seems fitting.
Anyway, perhaps Alpha's constant need for his soul to re-fuse gives him the same issue as Jamie: clones are absorbed upon skin-to-skin contact; even if he doesn't want to absorb it yet. To add to that, since they are all one soul, they have an almost telepathic/hive-mind that they can activate. This also allows "Jamie" to be just as badass as his canon form: literally do multiple things at the same time, and be able to retain the knowledge once the clone is absorbed. I might want to rethink this aspect though, since it's bringing him back too much with Marvel's version. Maybe - unless the clone physically tells Alpha - the knowledge is there due to the shared soul, but it's "locked" away. Said "locked" memories can then only be recalled/retrieved with the help of hypnosis or telepathic involvement which brings subconscious thought to the surface in order to be actively remembered. This is getting complicated!
Let's go back to the less complicated idea of how the clones "spawn". The clones can each duplicate again, just like Alpha does. They do so by splitting up the soul-piece they have, and then placing the smaller fragment in to their own fresh blood droplets. However, they can only make a limited number - say no more than 3 - and if the parent clone itself is one of a multiple amount, its ability to create more than one clone and/or the secondary clone's ability to be autonomous is reduced. For instance, if Alpha only creates up to four clones than each clone could create another three. However, if Alpha creates between 5 and 10 clones each can only create another two, or if he creates 10 to 15 clones each can only duplicate themselves once.... something like that.
Also, since the clones all draw their power from their soul-piece's connection to Alpha's Parent Soul, they are greatly affected by their proximity to him. In other words, the farther away from Alpha the clone is, the less likely he is to be able to use his powers or tap in to knowledge that wasn't stored in the "soul piece" he was birthed from. Likewise, whatever knowledge/personality Alpha used to create a clone will be hindered or even lost to him if said clone travels too far from him. By "too far" I'm talking hundreds of miles.
So, if we do keep that Tyler's father is a run-away clone of "Jamie" then the knowledge and bit of personality he used to create that clone is "locked away" from him; altering his personality slightly, causing blackouts in his memory, and making him forget the knowledge "stored" in that bit of soul.
The last thing I thought about in regards to reworking Jamie was a name change for him. While I still despirately need to come up with new names for all of the canon characters we're re-working, for some reason Jamie was the easiest one to think of alternate names for. Out of a list of nine names, my top two are Cody and Charles - shortened to either Charlie or Buck. Phfyl seems to like Cody best too, and so I'm about 99% certain that Lia's father's name will now be Cody instead of Jamie. We'll see.
To finish up today's post about X-Future, I'd like to state that after some debate I FINALLY got around to posting something new in X-Future: Snippets. I wrote this back in the end of August or beginning of September; I can't really remember. It was more-or-less a writing exercise to help me with more character development for Lia. Since it dealt with a conversation between Lia and Sasha, I sent a copy of it to Sasha's player: 2-feathers-and-a-stone.
She never sent me back any notes on how to correct Sasha, and so I'm just assuming that means I kept her well-enough in-character. Still, I wasn't sure if it was worthy to be an official Snippet. I debated just posting a link to the shared Google.Docs file as a Blog Exclusive sort of thing, but this morning I officially decided to just pull the trigger.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you my quick brainchild to help me figure out how best to play Lia in the upcoming months of game:
Next week I'll talk to you more about what I've been doing throughout September and the first portion of October. I meant to tell you now, but the recap of what I came up with after the "Shadowcat and Wolverine Take Center Stage" post went WAY longer than I anticipated!
Five hours of off-and-on writing, longer than anticipated.... Hey, at least with this sort of pacing I'll ALWAYS have something to talk about; given that I am ALWAYS behind on my updates of what I've been doing. Guess that means I can't slow down with my writing.
This - and any subsequent - blog post is going to be a bit interesting to write. My "E" key on my netbook decided it doesn't like working that well anymore. So I have to consciously press on that key while I only need to barely tap the rest of them. YAY!
Not sure if my father-in-law can fix the key when he eventually fixes the computer's internal battery, but I would feel so bad if he put all this effort in to reviving this thing only for me to have to buy a tablet or something anyway because one of the most crucial keys stopped working. Thus is my life...
So this is an open warning that - while I'll try REALLY hard to pay extra special attention while editing - my posts may have an increased amount of missed-E typos. Also, I may rage a bit in them, depending on how annoying this issue becomes to me.
On a happier note, I've done some writing. It's not the half-hour or 250 words a day I talked about last week, but it's still a major advancement for me.
As you may recall, I'm working on the painfully slow process of converting Hubby's X-Men forum roleplaying game - which I discovered is called a Play-By-Post game - in to an original comic. The trick was to figure out how to keep the essence of the mostly-original story the game created, while also erasing any connection to X-Men and Marvel Comics. This meant that I wanted to not have "straight conversions" of things like Xavier's school for the mutants; which also houses the mutant combat team The X-Men.
It was a struggle to think of another place to house all of our characters. I wanted them to remain teenagers, and to still be together in one central location. However, having mutants - or "Glitches" in my tale - all going to a school designed just for them was essentially just me re-naming the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters and pretending it was original. I thought about having it be a segregation issue; it wasn't a school these kids could opt to go to, it was one they HAD to go to since they weren't allowed in public schools any longer. I'm honestly still playing around with this idea since a large portion of the created characters were from the East Coast anyway.
It's also not terribly crucial that Willow be Californian, or that Ripley be a surfer. Hubby almost never really touches upon the surfing all that much, and so he could be really in to some sort of East Coast water sport; like kayaking or something. The other characters that would have some sort of regional significance could have a personal tie-in with the school principal, and that would explain the idea of them moving/sending their kid to that school instead of the "Glitch-Only" school in their area.
The only real curious thing would be why international students would come to the school. It's not essential that these students stay international; they could be first-generation Americans with the character's original home country be where their immigrant parents are from. I just don't want to mess with the character builds too much, though.
Anyway, a few months ago Ali Luke suggested that the school is actually an orphanage with an attached school. I feel like this might still be the winning concept. This would explain why kids would come from all over; the headmistress travels to try to find kids abandoned after their families realize they're Glitches. This half-way house is their home, but it is also their school; teaching both the same education as regular schooling, but also teaching the kids how to master their power and not despair at the hatred they currently have to face.
This concept allows so much conflict to naturally occur in the environment alone: segregation, hatred, fear, bigotry, abandonment, human inequality, etc. It's essentially the next step when it comes to fighting for equality. First it was abolishing slavery, then equal rights for women, and then racial equality. While we're still struggling with the racial equality thing, the biggest issue is for gay rights. Fast forward about 10yrs and it could be this near-future tale of mutants being the outcasts and second-class citizens of society.
There's also another fantastic dynamic and conflict embedded in the half-way house idea. Not every character in the comic will be an orphan. Some are there as if it were a boarding house; there is no other place where Glitches can train their powers and learn how to change how humans see them. No other place fighting for equality for these outsiders. So you have teens dealing with abandonment issues - or grieving their Glitch parents being killed through hate crimes - and intermixed with them are kids who are well-loved, safe, and doted upon by their parents.
All of this isn't really important to talk about right now, though. I already figured this out around the beginning of summer. After struggling with the hurdle of "where does this story take place so it's not a blatant X-Men rip-off," I had another roadblock: the Danger Room. For those that don't really know too much about X-Men, the Danger Room is a training facility on the Xavier grounds. It was originally a giant room with actual obstacles built in; things like motorized walls that slam closed or rings that catch fire or guns that fire stunning lasers. After the X-Men helped an alien race, the elder species gifted their Earthling allies with some of their advanced technology. Professor Charles Xavier used some of this technology to renovate the Danger Room. That way it had both the physical elements as well as holographic additions to help simulate any imaginable scenario - even ones that could occur on another planet.
It is this suped-up Danger Room that most fans know, and the type we use in the X-Future game. In order to avoid my orphanage feeling like Xavier's school again, I debated ignoring the Danger Room. However, the room has proven a pivotal setting for some of the key plot points in X-Future; plot points I want to try to recreate in the comic reboot.
So the battle I was facing over the summer was me trying to figure out alternate ways to have those scenes still occur in the comic reboot, but without actually using the Danger Room. Most of them I was able to figure out, but two were still too entangled in the holographic aspect of the Danger Room to really have it be any other setting. So, to my dismay, I had to figure out how to re-do the Danger Room for my story so that it wasn't blatantly the same training facility from X-Men.
Well, Friday night I finally figured it out. Break the room back down in to its two components: holograms and physical obstacles. Two different training settings instead of one that uses both environments married together. The one room - the one that is a throw back to the original Danger Room - has millions of tiny tiles across the ceiling and floor that can extend in order to build nearly any physical environment the Glitches wish to train on. Yes, this would essentially mean the floor and ceiling each need to be about 10ft thick to house the tiles when they're flush against the surfaces, and there are still some structural elements that can't be built this way, but it's a start. I'll figure out the rest later.
As for the two scenes dependent on holograms? I actually thought about an episode of Batman Beyond entitled "Hooked Up". In the episode they introduce a new virtual reality experience where you float in a giant orb; fully immersing you in to the fantasy.
So I thought, "Why not do something like that?"
Now the issue would be avoiding blatant thievery from Batman Beyond. So I tapped in to a writing article I stumbled upon about five years ago. One written by the great Holly Lisle: How to (Legally and Ethically) Steal Ideas. Honestly, I had forgotten where I had found the article when I tried to use it as advice for the writers I beta-read for, because of this I was sort of paraphrasing it over the last three years or so. It's not entirely accurate, but it still has the essence of Holly's article: "All writers are thieves; stealing from each other by way of inspiration. The trick is to be a smart thief. Don't steal the full crown, just your favorite gem from it. It will be easier to pass it off as a new item then."
My point is, I decided to make my own "crown" - the holographic device crucial for at least Devon's plot line - by "stealing gems" from a bunch of other "jewelry". The base was the VR orb from Batman Beyond. Then I added in the training aspect of the Danger Room. I also threw in the connectivity of the device from an episode of American Dad. In "The Vacation Goo" the family finds out that all of their vacations were staged. They were drugged and then placed inside goo-tanks that allowed them to all share the same virtual reality simulation; also allowing each other to interact.
I loved this idea, that way the Glitches can still train together in these VR spheres by having it be essentially a Co-Op online game.
Then there was the scene where Chayse pushes himself in the Danger Room; the other reason I really wanted a holographic element for the comic. For this part I tapped in to Ender's Game. There was a plot device known as the Mind Game. This was a game the psychologists in Battle School gave to the students as a way of secretly monitoring and analyzing the thinking and emotions of the children. The game had a very advanced, learning AI that was borderline sentient; much like the Danger Room's actual sentient, alien-technology AI that became the villain Danger. My version of this VR simulator would be just like the learning AI from both X-Men and Ender's Game; it would customize games and training scenarios based on the person playing them: their power-set, their intelligence, their current mental state, etc.
I just needed to throw in one last gemstone; one from another book-turned-movie: Divergent.
I have to admit that I have yet to read the series, but after watching the movie I had to steal its VR simulator as well. For those who don't know, citizens in this dystopia all go through a simulation that presents them with a problem. The way they solve the problem showcases what element of society they value most; and therefore helps them determine which faction they wish to put themselves in for the rest of their lives. Do they value strength and saving the weak; are they brave? Do they use intelligence and science to solve the problem? Is helping others and living altruistically most important? Are they peace-loving and prefer to work the land? Is the most important thing to be honest?
Well, at least the one faction uses the same technology to determine what you are most afraid of in order to help you conquer your fears. This is the part I want inserted in to my "crown". Along with the learning AI from Ender's Game - building scenarios based on your mental state when you log in - it will also purposely tap in to the player's greatest fears and - at least, perceived - weaknesses. So, not only would Chayse be pushing himself harder than the computer program would already be doing so given his mental state, it would also present him with a scenario based on his greatest fear: Failing to the point where Glitches are now being hunted to extinction.
Alright! So I have my "crown" all built. There's so many components from other sources that it's not a full thieving, but it will also still feel "familiar" to the readers; drawing them in from these other fandoms.
Now, to figure out why an orphanage for Glitches would find the need for these advanced training facilities - let alone how they pay for, house, or power them - if not to train an elite "X-Men-like" combat team. I need to stay away from that, because it will throw me right back in to the "this is just the poor-man's X-Men" problem.
On the plus side, though, not only is another major roadblock out of my way, but in the process of figuring out my version of the Danger Room I also came up with an original background character credited with building both rooms; as well as tasked to maintain them. Geoffrey Wilkins, AKA "Fidget". We all know how fantastic I am at naming things, so his codename might be reworked. Right now though, it feels fitting. He fidgets with electronics and technology, plus he himself is a bit of a fidgeter; never able to stay still for too long. He follows the typical techie-trope of finding computers easier to communicate with than humans, and so he's a bit reclusive as well. He only really has true human interaction with one of the faculty members. I'm not sure who said member is quite yet, but I'm possibly leaning towards my rework of Kitty Pryde, due to her maternal nature that drove her to build the half-way house in the first place. Maybe Fidget was the first orphan she took in?
I'm also struggling on his actual physical appearance. I know how he stands, moves, dresses, and even a bit of how he talks. Yet, I don't know what his hair, eye, or even skin color is. I feel like the cast of both X-Future and my comic reboot is mostly Caucasian; understandable since the players are White, and it's almost natural for us to all create characters of similar race as ourselves. However, I want a bit more diversity in the comic, and so I kind of want to switch it up a little bit at least with the background characters.
That, in and of itself, is a bit of a snag. I feel like having an Asian that is great with technology would sound stereotypical, but at the same time I don't want to avoid him being Asian for that reason either. When I first thought up Fidget I saw him as a lanky, freckled redhead. The problem there is that the "awkward redhead nerd" seems a bit Trope-y too, so I'm again on the fence. Don't want to fall in to a trope, but don't want to avoid that look JUST to avoid the trope. Then again, having him be a freckled redhead would also keep him Caucasian, and therefore screw up my initial thought of trying to diversify.... Originally - before even coming up with Fidget himself - I was going to just rework the X-Men character Forge, so maybe I should keep him Native American? That will have to be figured out more.
So, as per usual, one roadblock passed, only to discover there are now about a dozen more I have to swerve around. Fantastic.
Well, thus is the way of progress, I guess.
What about you guys? Did you have any writing progress this week? Let me know in the comments.
I really should just never go near forums. They are most certainly my drug. Especially forums where I'm telling a story.
Just about every bit of my free time this week was spent on the X-Men RPG yet again. Maybe celestialTyrant is right. I have an illness and I need an intervention.....
Granted, with me working in a grocery store and Memorial Day coming up tomorrow, there aren't too many hours of free time this week. So it isn't as bad as The Week of Feels the forum had at the end of March. Still, there have been BOOKS written as of late.
As I mentioned last week, after the month time jump in the game occurred multiple characters started up journals to sort of capture what happened over that month.
Lincoln's journal is about four pages long as he deals with the chaos of not really knowing what he is, why he's at the Xavier institute, who his mother is, the awkwardness of being a teen, and the possibility of being gay.
Whoops, there goes all the Lia/Lincoln shipping!
Funny side comment about that. Aside from commenting here about the possibility of shipping the two of them together - or at least having the love triangle between Lia, Lincoln, and Ripley - there is nothing posted ANYWHERE about the possibility of Lia liking Lincoln or the other way around. Yet, Tyler's player seems to have read the same "signs" as I did when it came to how Lia and Lincoln interacts. He asked me in a private message "So, uh, Lincoln wants to date Lia?" I responded that I had no clue what Lincoln's player had in mind; the two of us don't talk, we just let the characters interact on the boards. Lo and Behold, not even 12hrs later Lincoln's player posted a very confused Lincoln contemplating the possibility of him having a crush on his male professor. HAHA! Timing! Whoo!
Still, I find it amusing that Lincoln's player never even thought of him and Lia being together, and yet at least Tyler's player and I thought there was groundwork there. HAHA. I guess it's the same thing as Devon's player not realizing he was setting up Devon and Nys for a relationship.
Anyway, back to the journals. Tyler went on for a little over six pages about his training at the institute and recording his first solo album - since the character was originally a member of an Irish boyband. One of the pages was dedicated to a song he wrote for the NPC I control Crystal. The two of them are so adorable together! I really like Crystal, which is unfortunate. More on that in a little bit.
First, I want to say that I used Tyler's entries to figure out what Crystal was doing over the month jump, especially since as this huge fangirl she'd be following Tyler around campus like a lost puppy. I of course put my own 14yr-old fangirl spin on the events and rambled on a bit. Her journal is a whopping eight full pages of gushing over Tyler. It worked out well, actually. Tyler's player would read Crystal's journal and create his next entry based off of her and I'd do the same. It was fun feeding off each other like that. I also discovered that Crystal is VERY frank and finds Lia to be a wonderful older-sister figure, but also a bit of a moron.
I then did the same with Lia. In her attempt to try to get over Chayse I had her hanging out with mostly Tyler and Crystal, and so I used their journals to figure out what she had been doing. I also through in some "I'll never find love again" angst and added in some scenes with Lincoln and Ripley. The last two was mostly to lay the groundwork in case Lincoln did end up growing a crush on Lia, plus explaining where Ripley's came from. With the added characters to interact with and all the emo-angsty-lovesickness, Lia tops the charts with a wonderful nine full pages.
I didn't write one out for Willow, and I'm still debating if I even want to. However, I am excited to convert Lia's and Crystal's journals in to prose for my anthology. I swear to god I am working on that... sorta....
Anyway, I've started up a new writing tactic a few weeks ago. For the life of me, while I'm at the desktop I just cannot focus on writing with Hubby talking to his friends or watching TV. In other words, if I'm not in complete silence, which never happens while he's home.
So I've gone in the opposite direction. I drown everything else out by blasting music through headphones. Poor guy has to communicate with me through tossing things in my line of view to signal he wants to talk; either that, or send me Facebook messages. But he also seems to understand, so I'm thankful for that.
The reason I bring this up is that lately all these songs I've been listening to have been connecting to different aspects of the game, much like how it used to happen with the Hey Arnold story I was working on. Geez, anyone even remember I have that story?
Anyway, one of the songs I was really focusing on was "What Have You Done" by Within Temptation.
The first time I heard the song and I thought of the forum I originally thought it was a song Willow was singing with Devon. Sort of an anguished star-crossed lovers thing. Willow upset about the supposed betrayal, Devon following Brotherhood orders so he could get in deeper and find out more about his past, both having to attack each other even though they don't wish to battle.
Then, when the whole Willow and Chayse coupling came up, and the Devon x Nys ship, the song didn't seem to fit. Even to this day I feel Willow telling me that deep down there is STILL some sort of something for Devon that would prevent her from seriously injuring him. She still finds him a kindred spirit. But the song still doesn't really fit as star-crossed lovers anymore.
A few weeks ago I saw a fan video to the song using siblings that were forced to attack each other; sibling rivalry at it's most raw. The song fit wonderfully! Change the paradigm so the line "hurt the one I love" means familial love and not romantic love and there's so much there! That's when I realized that it is still Willow singing, but it's now her and **SPOILER**.
I get so excited whenever I hear this song now. I know that eventually the game will have Devon somehow return to the X-Men and then there'd be that confrontation between Willow and that spoiler character. I'm anxiously awaiting that story arc scene.
Aside from minor plot and character development elements, why am I telling you guys all of this? Well, because of what I said above about sadly really liking Crystal.
The more I listened to this song on Thursday the more and more I truly heard the anger in the line "What have you done now!?" This isn't just Willow wondering why a family member is now one of the villains. Willow is beyond PISSED at this character. This family member did something unthinkable and Willow loses all hope that redemption is possible. She's forced to face the inevitable; the family member has to be taken out. No matter what.
So, what is this "beyond the point of saving" act? Sadly, I think it might be killing off Crystal.
The villains were re-introduced after the 2yr time skip by having them attack Crystal and Chayse had to come to the rescue. I now fear that the story may have to have them succeed.
Originally, I thought the Brotherhood was attacking as an attempt to force Crystal to come with them. However, before Hubby gave her over to me to control, he had Crystal state that the Brotherhood was "afraid" of her powers. Plus they mostly fight The Purifiers - an organization of humans bent on eradicating mutants - so Crystal's ability to turn off mutant powers would only be of limited use as part of their roster.
On the other hand, much like the X-Men canon character Leech, Crystal's powers to negate other mutations could be of GREAT use to the Purifiers and other anti-mutant groups. They could try to dissect her and figure out what part of her code "turns off" the x-gene; using it as a weapon to finally remove the gene completely.
Therefore, I think the Brotherhood's goal was to kill Crystal and have Nys or Pyro dispose of the body before she could be "weaponized"; either that or before the Institute was able to train her enough that she could singlehandedly stop the entirety of the Brotherhood.
So, in other words, poor Crystal is at the Institute for the basic "to learn to train your powers", but she's also being hidden away from society there. Hidden from the Purifiers that might weaponize her, hidden from the Brotherhood that might try to kill her to prevent that from happening, and hidden from mutants that want a "cure".
As much as I'm enjoying playing Crystal, the writer in me cannot deny the great plot potential in killing her. The "weaponizing her powers" is a great story arc opportunity. We're having a few characters coming back from the future soon, and THEY could even attempt to kill off Crystal after discovering that the Purifiers were able to do just that. I mean, Marvel is either just finishing or just finished a similar saga in their comics surrounding the character Hope Summers and her impact on the future. So, it fits Marvel's writing style. Plus, we ignored anything involving Hope in our continuity, so it would be a cool twist to have our own version. Parallel events in a parallel timeline.
On top of the plot potential, there is also so much character development that could erupt from this. Lia, who is already protective of Crystal regardless of how much of a bitch the girl is to her, would most likely go all Mama Bear against the Brotherhood; becoming blood thirsty and craving revenge. She'd probably also become all emo again from not being able to save yet another of her friends from dying.
Tyler, who is meek and has no faith in his strength, would be right beside Lia in getting tunnel vision of taking out the Brotherhood after losing someone so close to him.
Devon would have a major conflict between realizing how "evil" his **SPOILER** is. Can he stay with the person responsible for Crystal's death? Or is this the straw that breaks his back and finally brings him back in to the X-Men fold as he also tries to hunt down Crystal's killer?
And then you have poor Willow finally giving up all hope in "rescuing" her family member as they become mortal enemies.
SOOOOO much can come from one simple death. So now I fear for Crystal as much as I fear for Nys with Trish around and desperate to hurt Devon.
But, I've rambled on about the forum for EVER at this point.
I haven't really done anything with it. I've been on the forum instead.
I may just delay actively participating in the course until such time as I'm not inspired. This way I don't really take away from all the writing I've been doing anyway for the forum. Plus, I'm still not really on the boards to talk with my "classmates".
The technical issue I had last week was finally figured out. It seems the website goofed up when I signed up, and so I was somehow not registered to be able to use the forum that came with the class. Holly's tech support is amazing and walked me through everything to get set up again! So thanks to her team! Whoot!
Unfortunately, now the entire forum has been having issues, so Holly had to start tearing the board down piece by piece to figure out what's wrong, and then slowly but it all back together. Although this didn't result in the entire forum to go down for a week, it did make me shrug and figure it wasn't worth hitting the boards. Why bother if the first few days I would just be reading other people's posts to try to get aquainted; just for things to be shifted and taken down and the like while I'm trying to do this.
Since next week is the last week of the class I'm not sure if I'll really bother utilizing the forum to help me along. I still have you guys and Writer's Huddle. Plus, I'm sure I will still have access to Holly's boards even after the course is complete, so I could always jump in there after the fact; once I've taken the time to actually work on the flash fiction.
Anyway, this week's "assignment" was to find two ways to escalate the problem we presented in our 150-words-or-less opening. An easy way to do this is to write out the problem sentence of your story again, and then write out two "Complication Sentences". These complication sentences are where you make the character's problem worse, and then worse again in an increasing manner.
Holly accomplished this in an amusing way in her second flash fiction she wrote for the course, and a truly heart-stopping one for the first. I legit want it to be Tuesday so I can read the ending of the first flash fiction she's using as an example.
The main thing I discovered is to not just look at "How can I make this problem worse" but to truly focus on the one word in your problem sentence that is the true issue. For Holly's amusing flash fiction the true problem is "unsatisfied". The character starts off unsatisfied, and after the first event he is still unsatisfied, but after the second event he realizes how truly unsatisfied he is. For Holly's emotional story the issue is the "inability to save". The character is worried about not being able to save something important to him, and after the first event he discovers that he truly couldn't save it, and after the second event not only did he yet again discover that he couldn't save something even more important, but his mother also discovers the pain of not being able to save something important to her.
Holly also pointed out a very important element of flash fiction: "Flash fiction does NOT mean you write it in a flash. It means the reader reads it in a flash." So, whenever you write, always remember that it isn't some sort of timed event. Take your time. Don't worry about getting it right the first time. Just focus on your story, your problem, and your character(s).
Speaking of which, I want to add in that you shouldn't try to force your characters or story to go in a certain direction. I've found on many occasions that if you just let the story flow in the direction it wants to go it's more entertaining to both write and read. For me, stories are like rivers. If you try to force the story to go in a certain direction instead of letting it continue to flow in it's natural course you'll end up with a lot of rough passages. Not to say it's not doable, I mean humanity rechannels rivers all the time, but it takes a whole lot of effort to complete.
When you try to force your story in a certain direction more often than not you end up fighting with the natural flow of your story and the struggle becomes exhausting. Cyhyr knows exactly what I'm talking about. She had massive Writers Block a little while ago when she decreed that her one character needed such-and-such development in order for the story to progress. She tried writing all of these scenes that would sort of force her character to finally achieve a certain maturity point. Her problem was that the sole purpose of these scenes was not to push the story forward, but simply to develop her character. The scenes were essentially pointless, her character fought her, and the whole thing became boring and a headache to write; which ticked her off because "If it's boring for you to write, it will be boring for others to read". She had all but given up on the story because she couldn't seem to get around this roadblock.
As soon as I suggested NOT having the character development the gears seemed to start turning again. I suggested just telling the plot of the story and let her characters develop at their own pace. If the story doesn't end up where she wants it to be because the characters haven't grown as much as she needed she could always go back through the second draft and fix that. Once she has the plot down she can better see where she can plug in character growth scenes. Or she could find out after the fact that the characters will grow and mature on their own and she won't need to plug in those "this is purely for character development" scenes. Because, let's all face it, as great as those scenes are - the moments when the reader truly feels connected to the character(s) - they are essentially the same thing as "filler episodes" of a show.
Another "writer" that has been having a problem with pigeon-holing is Hubby's BFF The Bard Shadow. He's one of the players in the X-Men game. He also hasn't really done anything with his character when he completed him. Because his character didn't turn out the way he wanted, given the intricate backstory Shadow thought of for the character. So, instead of letting the character grow, develop, and alter bits of the backstory that don't fit anymore - because no one really knows the backstory aside from the two of us - he decided that the character isn't "workable" and is sort of giving up. If he just gave up control and thought of characters as living entities instead of just puppets whose sole purpose is to propel the story, well, I'm sure he'd finally have some fun.
Before I go, I want to send you guys off with a reminder that tomorrow is Memorial Day. No, this is not "National Barbecue Day". Please, remember why we have this day. Take at least five minutes to just sit in respectful silence as you reflect about how thankful you are for every man and woman who went in to military service to help protect you.
Well, I somehow managed to fail worsethan usual at Script Frenzy. This year I didn't even bother attempting to write anything remotely close to a script!
So, so sorry, ChibiSunnie! She put all this time and effort in to gathering up all the materials again. She was excited about getting back to working on our Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie fanscript. I didn't even read any of the notes she sent me - let alone attempt to write anything.
I'M AN AUNT! <3 My sister-in-law had her baby girl on April 5th! Hubby and I didn't have any money to get her or the baby girl anything for the shower, and so I offered to make her a baby blanket using any pattern of her choosing. It kept her a little bit for her and her husband to decide on a pattern. Then I just could not get the pattern to work for the life of me. I don't know, something about how the pattern is written.... So thankfully she had a second pattern marked off and I've been working on that more-or-less non-stop since the kid was born. Nearly a full month of working and I'm STILL not done with the thing!
So that's why I haven't updated here and why I didn't do Script Frenzy after all. My free-time, much like it was in December when I was making everyone's Christmas gifts, has been overtaken by constant crocheting.
Well, that and more role-playing.
Once again it has taken us about three weeks to finally role-play through a full day. This time it was the aftermath of the one character's death, the arrival of his player's new character, Chayse breaking up with Lia and hooking up with Willow, Lia talking to Hubby's one other character Ripley about the break-up, Willow trying to track Lia down to talk to her about the whole situation, Lia and Lincoln interacting some more, Lia interacting with the one NPC Crystal, and finally introducing Crystal to her idol Tyler - another player's character who was formally a lead in a boy band. It was a busy day!
The boards have been a touch halted for the past few days as we all try to figure out what the new day will bring - or if we just want to do like a week time jump or something.
In the meantime, Devon's player FINALLY finished off his solo role play session and has Devon with The Brotherhood of Mutants. So Hubby started up a new section specifically for The Brotherhood. This means my most talkative character can FINALLY be introduced and played! She's excited. I've been listening to angry alternative rock for the past week or so to help get in to her head.
Although I haven't quite figured out what "the next step" is in role playing any of my girls, that doesn't mean I haven't thought about their future. I recently sent DarkAngel1326 a few scene snippets that I keep having flash in my head. Three of them are for the new chick - one of which is a super fun scene between her and Devon's traveling companion Nys - and one semi-long dialogue between Lia and Ripley. Hubby wants to set things up so that Lia ends up with Ripley now that she's single. However, with the interaction Lia's been naturally having with Lincoln, I almost feel like there's something there. The scene I have between Lia and Ripley is one where she tells him that she chose to be with Lincoln instead, and Ripley calling bullshit because he knows she loves him more than Lincoln.
Although I haven't finished working on the prologue for my Willow story, I still want to get around to posting these snippets. Perhaps I'll start up an anthology of "scraps" - short scenes the characters show me that may or may not actually happen in the role play. I already pseudo started up the file for it over on Fanfiction.net. My issue is trying to figure out how much info my readers will need to know in order to understand the snippets - as well as presenting that info in an entertaining way as a bit of a "Prologue" for the anthology. I'll be sure to post the link when I do eventually set that anthology up.
SPEAKING OF PROLOGUES! Omnibladestrike redid his prologue YET AGAIN. He doesn't have it published anywhere online - that I know of - but I will say that he's certainly improving! Best re-write yet. Hopefully now he'll find the motivation to just keep writing instead of stopping and re-writing. He does seem re-energized and excited this time around! If he posts anything online I'll be sure to link that too.
Also, Delaroux posted on her Facebook page her own little heart-wrenching oneshot about an unrequited love between two of her original characters. It was wonderful, but she still wanted me to beta the story. I don't know where she might be with the rewrite. Anyway, since Cyhyr was visiting I had her also look over the story to see if there's anything I missed.
THE GIRL TORE THE THING APART!
Someone is super hard core when it comes to what she reads! I both would love to have her read my stuff so I know how to best improve, and I'm also terrified to show her my work EVER out of fear of every sentence being shredded apart! I know she's only as harsh as a professional editor would be, and it would be best for my professional writing to have someone so strict critique my work. However, I'm still so unsure if I'm "cut out" for professional writing that I'm kinda scared to have her tell me how crappy my stuff is!
Cyhyr is both my greatest motivator and greatest demoralizer! On the one hand, she's seriously working hard on her first manuscript. She's doing all the things she should: read, read, read, and read some more; writing at least every other day if not daily; writing out her plot so she knows where she's going to avoid Writer's Block; researching a ton; not restarting the story once she realized she was in the wrong POV - she'll instead finish the manuscript and fix the POV problem in the second draft. She's certainly on track to get this manuscript actually completed - quite a task for anyone. So she's certainly motivating me to work right beside her. Seeing her work so diligently and passionately - plus her talking to me about writing - just gets my juices going as I crave to do the same.
All of the above traits also are my biggest source of writing depression. She's younger than me. I watch this younger person working so hard on a manuscript and sticking to it so fully. I know in my heart of hearts that she'll be published before me - if I ever get published at all. Her discipline, motivation, and passion for her story just reminds me that I'm the exact opposite. I don't have an original idea - not really; although there is the Gyateara story. I don't write even close to daily - unless you count the role play. I haven't read a single book since I read Lycopolis back in like October or something. I haven't really taken advantage of The Writer's Huddle; only going on the forum once every few months. I haven't even kept up with this blog. I haven't really shown any true commitment to writing, and if it's what I want to do for the rest of my life I really should have most of my focus on writing. Watching Cyhyr just seems to point out this massive lack of commitment to something I claim is my passion, and that just adds salt to the wound.
We'll just have to see if finishing the blanket and being able to use my free-time to write instead of crochet will help. Perhaps all the anthology of RP scenes will also help me at least write daily. We'll see.
Hopefully, this post will bring me back to my regular updating schedule. Cross your fingers.
OH! One last thing before I go.... in case she's reading....
