Wait, Christmas is HOW Close?

Goodness is it nice outside. Like, "I kinda want to go sit on the porch to write this post" nice. Well, it is a bit overcast and dreary, but temperature wise for December, it's nice. Actually, even though it's flurried almost daily for a week or so, which would normally TOTALLY put me in the Christmas mood, the actual temperature has been fairly mild. Probably why I still feel like I have a full month before Christmas, instead of just a handful of days.

Anyone ready for the holidays this year? Because I certainly am not.

The month kind of flew by for my writing as well. I went from writing daily to barely writing at all. It could still be NaNo Fatigue, or mild depression from my computer problems, or just generic Holiday Funk that's making me kind of apathetic this month.

Either way, the year is almost out, and I'm trying to prep myself to kick even more writing butt in 2018. I do think my writing productivity and focus increased this year, and I hope to increase both again next year. I may not have turned out quite as much this year as I did last, or even as much as I would have liked to have published. However, I think that's because I learned Quality over Quantity. I want to make sure my stories are more polished and complete. I was kind of happy with the September incarnation of "Peeping Tomcat" and could have posted as I wrote, as I used to do. But it grew, it expanded, it evolved, and it's evolving still. The story I want to tell in the mode I want to tell it isn't quite there yet, but it will be if I keep working it. Past Me wouldn't have given the story enough time. I think this decision shows my growth in a nutshell.

Speaking of evolving PT, I realized the reason why I'm stunted is because I'm writing a novella while thinking in show form. I could do what I did with "Hey, Arnold!" and just write my novel. I'll write everyone in-character and have the same basic feel and tone of the show; call it a day. Nearly every review I receive for my HA fanfictions say basically the same thing: "I feel like I just watched an unaired episode." For me, that's the highest praise for a fanfiction writer. If it feels like it could be canon - not that it's so good that the reader WANTS it to be canon, but the reader feels like the creator actually was involved - then I did my job perfectly.

I feel like I'm in that right spot for PT. I feel like I have the characters pretty spot-on, and I feel the over-arcing plot has the same tone as the show would. Still, for me it doesn't read like it's canon. It doesn't feel like it could be like an hour-long special or something. There are so many "Miraculous Ladybug" stories out there, especially since it's basically aired globally within weeks of each other. I have a LOT more competition for readers' attention. I want to make sure my story stands out somehow. Having it flow like the novelization of an unaired episode is how I want to put my stamp on the Miraculous fandom. I just can't get the rhythm down, and creating akumas is WAY harder than I gave it credit.

So, I'm trying a different tactic. This week I started sorta rewriting PT one more time. This time in Celtx. For those who don't recall or don't know, Celtx is mostly a script-writing program. One that I used back when Script Frenzy was still a thing.

I figured I could shift things around better in script form. I know that the general rule of thumb is that it takes a minute to act through a page of dialogue. It also takes nearly as long to read through the description of an action as it is to perform it, give or take. Which leads to the timing rule of roughly "one minute per page of script." This is basically how the industry figures out in the scripting process if they need to add on or cut in order to get the finished product within the desired run-time.

Anyway, using this rule, and knowing that the typical episode of Miraculous - minus the opening and end credits - is either twenty or twenty-one minutes long, I can try to get a better rhythm for my story.

True, I will never get my story to fit into the equivalent of a 20-min episode. In truth, it never should, given the in-depth problem I'm working on within it. However, as I mentioned, I could maybe get it to feel like it's an hour-long special or a multi-episode story arc. I have at least two akumas plotted to be in the story: one per "half hour" of the tale.

I know that my story should take longer than twenty-some pages per half in script form, but I know now what I'm aiming for. I want each half to feel like it's even pacing. I don't want to go overboard with the story either. If I only have two akumas but the script version of PT is over 100 pages long then I either need to cut or I should add in more akumas. This is an everyday - or nearly everyday - challenge that Ladybug and Chat Noir have to face, and I don't want that to be forgotten just because the focus is on the Will They; Won't They of their relationship. No offense to the beautiful and brilliant fanfics I've already read in this fandom that do skim over akumas - I believe it's because they really are SUPER hard to convincingly create - but, as I mentioned, I want my signature in this fandom to be how "true to form" I am. That means having the proper allotment of time dedicated to LB and CN fighting akumas.

I also realized, as to be expected with this story given how introspective the plot is, that there isn't that much actual action or dialogue. The majority of the story is "Marinette does a thing, Adrien secretly watches her do the thing, he reflects on how cute she is doing the thing and how she reminds him of Ladybug, and then Adrien freaks out about comparing Marinette to Ladybug."

That's it. That's the plot. Fun, right?


In script form I can physically see where the dialogue/action dips off. The beauty of film/TV/stage performances is that the audience typically can't get inside the head of the characters. They have to rely on communication clues. This character is huddled in the corner, arms crossed, foot resting against the wall, head turned to not look exactly at anyone, and grumbles anything he says. You don't really need me to dive into his head to let you know what he's thinking, right? Add in more info like the girl we saw him crushing on earlier chatting up another guy, and Corner Dude flinching every time he hears her giggling in her conversation. You've got a better picture, right?

Well, I need to remember that I don't need visual media for you to know what's going on inside a character's head simply from context clues. The more involved bits, like Adrien's confusion on his feelings for LB vs Mari, or even his realization of how similar Mari and LB are, can probably still be inner monologue, but his "OMG OMG OMG, do I like Marinette!?" freakouts can be shown instead of told. I'm usually really good at that, but I relied too much on inner monologue this go.

I think I was trying to sort out Adrien's feelings myself first, and so I need to reign myself back in now that I think I have it figured out.

So.... script form should help me out with remembering to Show not Tell so much. Once I have it all figured out it will be time to switch BACK into novel form, and filling it out more with descriptions. Script form, I can just add in the wryly for my own notation, and then fully express it within the prose of the novelled version.

For example:

PLAGG
      (whining)
My aching body. I can't move a muscle.

can then become

Plagg floated onto my bed and sprawled out on my pillow. "My aching body," he whined, "I can't move a muscle." I ignored the fact that he said it while dramatically resting a paw across his forehead and rocking side to side like a fainting Southern Bell.

Wrylies, or Parentheticals as they are technically called, are a bit frowned upon in professional scripts because it's a case of "tell; not show" in order to sort of "direct from the page" instead of having those wrylies implied by the surrounding content. However, as notations and cues to myself, I think they are the perfect move.

We'll see how this tactic works. In the meantime, I'm still going strong on my reading challenge. I finished off "The Ship of the Dead" yesterday, and I'm off to find a book set in the future for my next slot to check off.

Challenge by Reading Books Like a Boss

My dad used to be really into sci-fi, and since I now own most of his books, I figured it would be kind of easy to find something set in the future. Problem is, most of his sci-fi is from the '80s. In other words, they WERE set in the future, but we've passed the year the books were set in.

For example, I could skip over finally reading "2001: A Space Odyssey," and even the sequel "2010: Odyssey Two," in order to read the third in the series "2061: Odyssey Three." I'm sure it's fine to start with the third book in the series.... right?

Hubby has wanted me to read the Shadow series of the Ender's Game universe, but they focus on the character Bean, and I HATED that kid when I read "Ender's Game." Hubby assures me that his characterization is redeemed in the books focused on him because you learn his motivation and whatnot. Perhaps I'll cave and give it a try. I did end up loving "Speaker for the Dead" the most out of the Ender books thus far, and Hubby told me that one was his favorite too. I should probably trust the spouse, huh?

Alternatively, I still have all of Zebey's books from when she moved and attempted to donate them to the library. There are TONS of books based on the game series Halo. Hubby suggested I try grabbing one of those. My thing there, though, is that I never got into the fandom outside of watching Red vs. Blue, and so I don't know how lost I'd be. I also don't know what order I should read them in, or if that matters.

I'll give it today to find something to bring into work with me tomorrow to start my home stretch. I'll let you know what I picked.

In the meantime, for those of you who are just finishing up your celebrations:

For those of you who will be celebrating in a couple of days:

I apologize, I couldn't find anything nice that wished a happy Saturnalia.

And for those, like me, who will be celebrating on Monday:

I'm sorry if I missed your holiday. These are the main ones I know of. Please let me know what you celebrate in the comments below so I can include it next year.

Happy holidays, everyone! May your season be bright and joyful!

Productively Writing Nothing

Ever had one of those weeks where you worked your butt off and still managed to accomplish nothing? Yup. That was me.

I told you last week how I was working fairly diligently on populating Ashitar for the Sunday D&D session, as well as building more of its history. Well, Friday I spent the better part of TEN. FLIPPIN'. HOURS. working on this project. I did some research before work. I did some more during my lunch break. Some more while waiting for Hubby to get out of work. And I kept going from the moment I got home until I nearly passed out on the couch. I didn't even realize I wasn't getting anywhere or missing out on more productive things, such as actual writing or at least cleaning the apartment.

I had stumbled upon the D&D Wiki page on town-building - which I would have gone to first if I had thought about it existing - and just set up camp. I went through all the charts and percentages and algorithms on this insanely-long page. I set up spreadsheet charts with their own algorithms built so all I have to do is input the population next time. And what did I accomplish with all of this?

I know how much of the population is male vs female. How many are able-bodied adults vs children, elderly, and infirm. I know how many are elderly, and how many of THEM are male vs female. I know how many are infirm, and again the sex-split within that category. I know how many children are boys, and how many are girls. I know how many are teens, which is only 13-15 in the D&D world since you reach adulthood at fifteen. I know how many children are 3-13, and how many are toddlers or infants. I know how many are any given race between human, elf, half-elf, halfling, dwarf, gnome, and half-orc. I also know the professions found in Ashitar, and the breakdown of how many of each profession there are.

Do I know anything of any significance? Like the names of the important players in the town? The layout of Ashitar? The names of the Assassin's Guild or Thieve's Den? The names of the pubs they hang out in? Any "quest givers" for the party? Nope. Not a clue. At least, not when I was done "working" on Friday.

A whole lot of studying, planning, and work focusing on entirely the wrong things. That's me!

I don't recall why, but Saturday was also a bust. So here it is, Sunday. Everyone was coming over to play, and I have nothing to work with. I got done with yet another overnight shift close to two hours before my husband would be done, and so I sat in the break room and just worked. I doodled out a VERY rough city map. I scribbled down every possible Quest Thread that I could think of. I came up with rumors that would be going throughout the place. I was on fire! I felt accomplished when Hubby showed up in the break room to let me know he was done.

I was even more amazed when I found out that he got his work done about an hour early, and I had accomplished all of that in around 45minutes! Whoo! I guess first thing in the morning IS my prime creativity time. I miss having my Sunday Insomnia writing sessions.

Unfortunately, it ended up being all for naught. My main quest giver felt her world crumbling around her and acted with emotion instead of thought. She meant no harm, but it put a couple player-characters on the defensive. Which lead them to irritate her since she interpreted their defensiveness as disrespect. So now Hubby and Quarthix's characters believe the human baroness racist against all non-humans - Hubby's an elf and Quarthix is a dwarf - and wish to have little to nothing to do with her. Meanwhile, she doesn't want to be in the same room with these disrespecting people. The likelihood that I can get the three of them together for her to offer a paid quest seems difficult, and so that has been my challenge this week: find a way to get them to all play nice.

Well, on top of that challenge already, Hubby's character convinced another to be a bit naughty, to say the least. See, our friend Goob has a bard for a character, which means he has a lot of Charisma that he can use for, say... bluffing someone. Hubby's character reminded Goob's character that the Baroness said that she wanted them out of her sight, and that she "didn't care where they went, as long as it wasn't in the same room as her." He used this wording to convince the bard that this would mean she wouldn't mind them checking out the mansion's coffer.

Goob's character used his bluff to convince the simple town guard sent to escort them that he should give them a tour of the mansion first; starting at the mansion's coffer.

In reality, I should have just said, "The guard knows better. You cannot bluff him about this." However, I'm new to DMing, I was tired from working the overnight and not napping before game started, and so I just rolled to see if the guard believed the bard. Alas, he not only believed him, he thought it was an order from the Baroness. He faithfully lead the party down to the coffer, where Hubby's character skillfully thieved two out of the three jewels resting in the safe. Again, I should have been like "NO!" but....

So, not only do I have to smooth things over between the Baroness and the party so they can get their main quest-line from her, but I have to make everyone too stupid to realize that the jewels magically disappeared from the coffer about the same time these strange people - who were already disrespectful, in the Baroness' eyes - were in the mansion. Oh yeah, and Hubby cleaved one of his stolen goods, a black pearl, in half in order to set them into the eye sockets of the black dragon skull he is turning into a helm for Quarthix's dwarf. So, naturally, either the dwarf never sets foot in Ashitar again - which sucks since I was planning on having it be the party's home-base for at least another six quests or so - or he can't wear his helm anywhere near town for fear of someone recognizing the black pearl. Hubby claims it will be fine because it will look like TWO black pearls, when only one was stolen. Still..... It's bad enough Quarthix kept some of the Baron's rings when they found him dead in a dungeon. He was smart enough to take those off before seeing the man's widow, but to hide those AND the black pearl dragon helm? I don't know how to convince Quarthix to have his character stay at Ashitar; aside from going "I'm the DM and I say you have to stay here!"

Hacker Girl Facebook sticker
by Birdman, Inc.

So, yeah, it's been a fun week trying to figure all of THAT out. So it didn't really leave me much extra time to, ya know, WRITE.

Which was interesting come this past Tuesday when I went to my writing group. Not really anyone had anything to read, which was even more awkward. When I joined the group back at the end of October, I met a woman who had managed to not only finish writing a 50,000 word book during NaNo, but she polished and published it as well. She and her husband both had medical issues that kept them from working, and so they were both "retired". Apparently, when I met her in October they were in the final stages of selling their house and moving into an RV instead. I then didn't see her again until this past Tuesday because she and her husband were spending the winter traveling the US; visiting family across the country and taking in historical sights.

Since she had made her triumphant return the previous Saturday, not many of us had seen her yet. We spent most of the evening asking her about her trip, and how she's coming along with her next story. Seems the "next story" that she was trying to get published back in October was now "three stories ago". Well then.

To be fair, she IS retired and had really nothing better to do while on the road for hours on end, so I guess I really shouldn't compare. Plus, if she was able to keep that NaNo pace of write for a month, and then spend the next month polishing, it's believable that she was able to crank out three more over the winter. Still. It's hard for me to not compare. To not be dumbfounded by her productivity. To not be proud of her, but still a bit envious that she's so successful while I can't even figure out what ONE story I want to make into a manuscript.

Anyway, we all gushed over her, which apparently was making her a bit uncomfortable, and so she kept trying to redirect us back to why we were there: writing. What were WE up to while she was gone? Well, DFL and Keaton confirmed that they were very slowly chugging along on their respective stories; the same ones that this woman already knew about. Red then informed the woman about the story she's been working on since our one writing prompt in November: the woman off her meds and planning a homicidal bender. She then read the latest section to us. It had a really nice twist. We talked about her story for a bit; her concerns versus what we thought was really good about it. Once we all seemed to have said what we wanted to, we moved on to a relatively new member.

She had made an appearance once before at the start of the year. Since she knew the new gentleman that had joined in March, I assumed she too had shown up at least once in those two meetings I missed. Making this her third or fourth group meeting.

When she first attended a few months back, she commented about how she wrote clinical papers for a living, and so writing anything creative was a challenge for her. Well, this week she talked about this great 6hr retreat she went on last Saturday, and how she was planning on doing the same thing every Saturday for the near-future. Whatever it was that went on in that zen-like retreat atmosphere must have worked its charms, because what this woman read was beautiful. She had such great imagery, and such a simple but powerful tale. We went on for a little bit about her work. How she was improving, what phrases really struck us, how the story made us feel, so on and so forth.

Then came my turn. I confessed that I was world-building this past month. I then explained to the woman who went before me what I meant by world-building. Once the mini-lesson was concluded, I brought up Welcome to Ashitar to read to them. While there were many discussions with the other works read, the only reactions I received when I was done were "Wow, that was very detailed" from the woman who wasn't sure what world-building was, and "Ashitar and Boar's Tusk Inn remind me of Bree and The Prancing Pony from Lord of the Rings, and that's a good thing." I took both as encouraging remarks, but not really much to build off of, and not the "keep going" energy that the other two writers got.

Not really sure what my take-away will be from this week's meeting.

Finally, it is April, which would normally mean:

Originally an event sponsored by the Office of Letters and Light
The people who run National Novel Writing Month

I've contacted ChibiSunnie. She's going through her notes, and I'm going through the script we have so far for our fan interpretation of the "Hey, Arnold! Jungle Movie". Boy, is it rough.

I've been lamenting lately that for me practice never seems to make perfect. The more I try to make a dish, the more often I seem to burn it. I play video games and strategy games more and more, and seem to get worse at them. As if "beginner's luck" is the only chance I have at winning, or at least not dying endlessly. I've been crocheting for over a decade, and yet my crafts seem to be looking worse instead of better. And then there's my writing. I never seem to see an improvement.

Then I look back at this script, and think that maybe everything in that last paragraph is just in my head!

Kind of makes me scared, though, to know that about four years ago I thought this was good writing. That I showed skills. That I could really go places with my writing. Only to look back on it now and go "Holy Hand Grenades! Did *I* write this!?" No wonder I never won contests, or get much of a fan-base.

It's encouraging to know that I AM improving, but at the same time, it's discouraging to realize that I really am not as good as I think I am. What about now? Am I still crap now, but just don't realize it yet? Is this why everyone else in our group gets a full discussion going about her work, but I just get a couple quick comments before moving on?

I'm in my head again, I know, but it would be nice to know if either I do have a future in writing, or if I still have a LOOOOOONG way to go before I'm good enough to get a decent reader fanbase.

I look at some writings my friends post. They fancy themselves fantastic writers, and I just sort of facepalm. Then I wonder if it's the same for me. Do I make others facepalm when they read my works? Do they silently go "Oh, honey, no. Just, no..." as well? Or am I being too hard on myself? Getting too far into my own head? Do I really have the potential I always thought I had?

I guess those are the things all authors ponder at some point. The real challenge, is either finding the answers, or not caring what those answers are.

World-building Counts as Writing, Right?

Well, here I am at the end of the first week of April. Seven days down, twenty-three to go. Want to know how much script-writing I've done? None. I haven't even unburied my external hard-drive that has the script on it. Haven't talked to ChibiSunnie yet. Haven't even rewatched episodes of "Hey, Arnold!" in order to get back into character. I forgot how crazed April has become.

It's not so bad this year since I don't have to worry about Easter - thanks to it coming stupid-early this year - but the month still starts off with my niece's birthday.

I wanted to have Disney's Rapunzel in this image since that was the party she had,
but apparently all other 3yr old girls are having Disney's Frozen parties still...

It was a chaotic weekend. Between work, the party, yet another unexpected Overnight shift, and Hubby and I getting sick, there was no time really to do anything. I even had to cancel my D&D session for the weekend. Worked out for me though, because I had nothing planned.

Still don't, really. That's the writing I've been doing this week instead of working on actual productive things like my Script Frenzy fanscript with Chibi, or just generic fictional prose. I mean, it serves a purpose, and I'll eventually use it for Gyateara, and I need to know this stuff for my game, and it's still being creative. Still, I wish I had advanced some story somewhere.

Instead, the best I have is further development of my original D&D merchant town of Ashitar. Although, I have to admit - while some facts were already established in my posting last week - I like how much of the background, particularly between Baron Gringroso and his lord Count Keenhale, I was able to come up with:

The Gringroso family were faithful bannermen for Count Keenhale and his family for generations. Due to duty, obligation, as a reward, or a way to keep the Gringrosos fealty - I haven't decided yet - Count Jarvine Keenhale gave Greggor Gringroso a bit of land in his county. It was deemed a bit of a slighting at first because the land wasn't previously populated due to how dangerous the surrounding terrain was. The treacherous Neergreve forest choked the west and south sides of the land. The deadly Razor Beast mountain range loomed along the east and north ends of the property. The plain in between was very nice, but the likelihood of survival was slim.

Still, the Gringroso prevailed. They were tough as nails, and set up their keep with a few faithful servants. They survived a few winters before the first brave travelers happened upon them. Merchants trying to get to and from the Outaka Sea had to cross the Razor Beast. Greggor Gringroso gave them shelter as they either prepared for the long journey, or recovered from it. As thanks, they not only sold the Gringroso's their wares as a discount, but also made sure to spread word of this way station.

Soon a few brave merchants - escorted by adventurers - traveled over the Razor Beast instead of around it; in order to cut their journey from sixteen days to a mere three. Greggor then commissioned for a travel route to be cut through Razor Beast in order to help more merchants brave the mountain with a straight path to the port town of Golden Shell.

Years past, and merchants crossed paths, sold their wares to each other, and soon realized how many truly stopped at the Gringroso estate for shelter. A thorp sprung up around the keep as merchants stayed in order to earn coin from the other travelers. The hamlet rapidly grew into a thriving merchant town, spiraling ever further outward as it expanded. Eventually, it ran smack into the Razor Beast along two sides.

Marauders and monsters threatened the town, as well as some of the more wealthy merchant houses. The six main houses thought themselves the true founders of Ashitar since it was their parents and grandparents settling below Gringroso's keep that allowed the town to form in the first place. They each wished to be the mayor of Ashitar, but the rightful landowners - the Gringrosos - were in the way. Each family - both separately, and as a pooled effort - attempted to assassinate Greggor's sons and grandsons, and this tradition continues to this day.

While trying to crush assassination attempts, Mikhail Gringroso - Greggor's eldest grandson and then-current mayoral baron of Ashitar - also had to deal with the town expanding so far out that it was enticing monsters to leave Neergreve and attack. He had a wall built around the forest boarder; using the natural expansion into Razor Beast as the other half of the wall. It didn't help much. Ashitar became too large, and too dangerous. The economy crumbled when travelers reverted back to their sixteen-day paths in order to avoid the dangerous Neergreve, Razor Beast, and Ashitar.

Eventually, Mikhail sent out a call for new adventurers to come to Ashitar to protect the city and the travelers, but first he needed to beg Javine's grandson Ronan for a loan in order to pay for the adventurers' fees. Over the years the Keenhale family grew bitter of their bannermen and baron. While they required the Gringrosos to pay taxes to them, the Keenhales wished they were the ones who were able to develop the bustling Ashitar. Part of Ronan wanted Ashitar and the Gringrosos to fall so he could have a kinsmen revive the city as their own. However, he knew how it would look to his other bannermen, and if no one were as successful as the Gringrosos the revenue from Ashitar would be lost. Begrudgingly, Ronan gave Mikhail the life-giving loan.

Mikhail was able to revive Ashitar to its once-before glory days. It swelled inside its walls again, and began to spill outside the protection of its barriers. Now it is Mikhail's son Edvard who is mayoral baron. And Edvard who has to now deal with the assassination attempts, the monster invasions, and the anger of Count Marcus Keenhale - Ronan's eldest - about his family's loan not being paid back yet. Edvard is trying to teach his young son about what makes a good baron, but the boy is only twelve and is quick to lose focus. Young Brianan can't imagine being in charge of over 3500 people, but he may have to figure it out sooner than he thought.

I've come up with some other stats about Ashitar, although I'm still tweaking them....

• Ashitar is about 3.3 square miles within the walls, with some of the newer businesses spilling out onto the sparse clearing between Ashitar and Neergreve.
• Ashitar is about to celebrate its 70th anniversary of its founding; although the Gringrosos owned it for another five years previous.
• The tight swelling of the large town created an insanely-tight population density, for medieval-style development, of about 1000 people per square mile, including elderly and children.
• The whole town population is 3,544 people including 2,356 able-bodied adults, about 154 elderly, and average of 50 sick.
• Men make up 53% of the adult population with 1249 able-bodied.
• There are also 983 children.
• The town is protected by a capable Captain of the Guard, his three lieutenants, 60 city guards, and a ready-militia of 177 additional men, making up 241 of the able-bodied adults.
• The Assassin's Guild - either named Shadow Knives, Nightwalkers, or TBD - has 27 members.
• The Thieve's Guild has 119 members. Name still TBD
• While still subject to change, the six main merchant houses are in charge of the following trade: Silks and other fine "orient" products, fur and game, grain, lumber, gemstones and ore, and the brothel manager who secretly does slave trading as well.
• The brothel has a few assassins within it's doors; black widow lovers. I'm still deciding if the brothel itself or just this sisterhood of assassins should be called Seducers of Purity.

So, as you can see, I have been doing a lot of research and world building. I just wish I had more actual writing to show for it. I also still have a long way to go before I'm ready for these sandbox-players to run around Ashitar on Sunday.

The largest bit of writing I've done this week was on the X-Future board. I finally got back to my Brotherhood character Trish, whom I hadn't played in about a year. Hubby set her up with an abandoned propane tanker left on an equally abandoned dock. She had fun spending an hour destroying the truck before exploding the tank. I'd share it, but Trish is a pyrophile, and so it definitely boarders soft-core as she.... er.... enjoys herself during the destruction. That, plus that woman's sailor-mouth gives her a firm Mature - and NSFW - rating. Either way, it was fun for me to write, and others seemed entertained in reading.... I mean, I'm no E.L. James, but still. I'm hoping the part of her destroying the truck, and not just the end paragraphs, were amusing as well. I'll have to ask for further feedback from the other players.

Well, it's creeping ever closer to noon, so I should probably wrap up. I might have some NPC character creation and other such D&D-related things to share next week. I'm hoping to also have added at least SOME pages to the fanscript Chibi and I started about four years ago.

Finally, Some Writing!

Wow, I never went back and wrote a blog post last week. Sorry about that. Not intended. It was just a crazy week, and Wednesday proved too full a day for me to write my post ahead of time, and Thursday I was at work all day. I had all intentions to write the post when I got home on Thursday, or while Hubby was out on Friday. As per usual, things didn't go as planned.

I guess it was for the best, though. I really would have hated to write "I didn't write anything" in yet ANOTHER long-winded, excuse-filled post. Which was one of the reasons I didn't go back to write a post last week. I ended up using that time to actually write some fiction! Egads!

Before my first game as the DM, I had created a bit of a backstory for the tavern the party met at, as well as the town it was associated with, even though it was on the outskirts. It kept me nearly a month to go back to it, but last weekend I finally took the time to sit my butt down and finish the darn thing. Due to the nature of how the story evolved - first tavern, then town, then surrounding area, etc - there is an unproportional amount of time spent talking about this one establishment. I still need more info on the other businesses, the people, the Assassin's Guild, the Thieve's Den, the baron and his family as well as their relationship to the count, etc. In the meantime, though, I feel it's a good start, without it being as overwhelming as my Sandikir culture write up last year.

Also, last year someone commented that not all the Sandikir words seemed to connect to each other in order to make a coherent language. I get that. I'm far from a linguist. I can barely master my native tongue, I can't seem to figure out any other languages - even though they are all comparatively much easier than English - and so knowing language enough to create a believable one is a bit out of my wheelhouse. At some point I'll have to figure out how people were able to come up with their own languages so that I can do the same. That's probably decades from now, though.

The reason I bring this up is that I'm sure I'm going to have a similar issue with this story. I took a variety of approaches to name multiple different things - from landscapes to gods to familial names to business names, etc - and it might seem a bit disjointed from each other. My defense? I took the American approach to things. We're a melting-pot of cultures and languages, and we steal from those cultures and languages all the time to create a diverse environment. You might drive down King's Street, turn left on Rodero Drive, pass Lopatcong Road, and finally park on Lafayette Boulevard. That's four different cultures smooshed together on one simple road trip. They may seem so disconnected, but it works for a diverse culture like America. So, I'm just going to assume the majority of the countries and cultures in Gyateara will be built "melting pot" style.

"Welcome to Ashitar"

On DeviantArt          On FictionPress

I had made sure to finish up this little story, edit it, and post it on DeviantArt as well as FictionPress all by Easter Sunday. Which reminds me. I missed last week's post, and so I also missed this:

I would normally also wish people a happy Passover at this time, but apparently that's still about a month away. Strange that the two celebrations can be so separate from each other when The Last Supper was a Passover meal.... Anyway....

After a bunch of confusion, it was brought to my attention that I unintentionally missed the last local writing group meeting. I had missed the one due to being sick. Then, the Tuesday after visiting my sister was supposed to be the next meeting. I thought that were the case, but I was so - is there a term for "jetlag" when you were just driving four hours away in the same timezone? - that I lost track as to whether it was one or two Tuesdays previous I was sick. Hubby was just as confused, I guess, because he also thought it was still an "off" week. So, last Tuesday I was all set to go to the meeting - although I didn't have anything to really read aside from the incomplete form of "Welcome to Ashitar" - only to get an email stating it wasn't the right day.

The local paper was apparently just as confused as I was, because they had also printed that the 22nd was the next meeting; exactly what I had thought. There was a big email debate as to whether or not the journalist was correct, how we all go the schedule confused, and whether or not we should have meetings three weeks in a row - in case some newbies showed up. Eventually it was decided that the librarians would inform any newcomers of the mix-up, but the meeting would still just wait until this past Tuesday.

The confusion did give us all a great writing prompt, though. So, after a month of no writing group - due to accidentally skipping a second one - I came back a bit triumphant. Not only did I have "Welcome to Ashitar" finished for a read-through, but I also had the writing prompt completed as well:

A newcomer to a writing group gets the dates wrong, and is invited to "another group" that is meeting that night at the library.

We had some very interesting responses to this prompt. Keaton wrote about two boys in a post-zombie-apocalypse traveling twelve miles to a neighboring community in order to join a writing group. They come across a cult-like community of segregation between the sexes. Men and women are never in the same room - aside from a mother caring for her son, or the process that leads to a woman becoming a mother in the first place.... - and the boys happened to have shown up on the WOMEN'S writing group night. Keaton didn't get to the point where the boys were officially invited to join another group, but the men of the village welcomed them into the community messhall for dinner.

DFL was having some computer frustrations over the past couple of weeks - after her computer was forced to upgrade to Windows 10 - and so her character had the same frustrations, only to have her day punctuated with the news that her group was cancelled for that night. She was then offered a knitting or computing group to join for the night since she was already at the library. The character opted for the computing group in hopes of learning how to better deal with her own computer. She discovers that the room was filled with middle-aged, blue-collar or retired citizens all just as frustrated with the Windows 10 upgrade, and so they were plotting to build a bomb in order to threaten Microsoft. The story was actually so amusing to picture. I almost wish this was in some sort of visual format for me to watch.

Red had continued a prompt from when I was sick: three randomly selected elements worked together. We had done similar prompts in the past. Her three elements were a parrot, Hurricane Irene, and "Something in the pocket". She hadn't made it to the pocket bit, but the rest of the story was intriguing. A young Au Pair is trying to persuade her young ward to make two large changes in his life. The first is to visit either his mother or father; both in different prisons after being caught as drug-runners during the chaos of Hurricane Irene's clean-up. The second would be to switch from homeschooling - which he had done his whole life - to joining the public high school now that his education surpassed what the Au Pair was qualified to teach him. The parrot element had the family pet mimic important background conversations in order to give both the audience and Au Pair the insight into the kid needed to help him with these transitions.

The final member of the group this past week was apparently a new member as of the meeting I accidentally skipped - if not the one I was sick for. The first "regular" man in our group. It's nice to have the new perspective, especially with us women trying to write males. It would be good for us to have an actual male opinion on whether or not we're writing men "correctly".

I'm under the assumption that he was the one that offered up the "writer on the wrong day" prompt, and he used it beautifully. The lead-in to the mix-up seemed a bit unnecessarily long, but his depiction of the main character was fantastic and humorous. He then gets to the miscommunication, and has his character come across an eccentrically gaudy woman of questionable sexual morality. I pictured the woman perfectly, and every line of description had me actually laughing out loud. Most of us were, actually. It must have really reassured him to hear the laughs he wrote in.

Me? Well, I got a couple of chuckles, but not nearly as many as I thought I wrote in. I don't know if it was a matter of my verbal delivery, the way I delivered it on paper, if it's only amusing to people of my demographic, if it was amusing but not laugh-out-loud so, or if it just wasn't as funny as I thought. Either way, the new gentleman in our group stated that he could picture everything well, and it got his attention. I guess that's something, right?

I think everyone was more focused on trying to learn alongside my main character. I had him stumble upon a group of people using the library as a staging location for their Boff group. For those who don't know, Boffing is Live-Action Role Play using foam weapons to act out fight scenes, and usually set in a High Fantasy setting; so people are generally in Medieval or Renaissance style clothing. No one in the room knew what Boffing was, and so as my secondary character Jenn quickly explained to my main character Ian, the room seemed just as interested to know. Keaton even asked a few follow-up questions on Boffing in general.

All-in-all, everyone seemed to want me to continue the story, which was also reassuring. I stopped it where it could be a nice one-off, but it was also open ended enough to lead into more chapters. I'm probably going to focus more on Gyateara for the near future; build up more of Ashitar so that my players have something semi-substantial to run around in. However, I will give continuing the Boff Group story some serious thought.

Until I get to the point of continuing the story, it will wait patiently in my Anthology. Although, I'll probably have to remove it as a chapter once I decide to make it a story of it's own. Oh well, crossing bridges once I get to them and all.

Like I said, in the meantime, you can find it here:

"Everything for a Reason"

On DeviantArt           On FictionPress

I also managed to finish "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish" yesterday, giving me my second or third - depending on how you're counting - book completed for the reading challenge. Let's check out that list again, shall we?

Challenge created by Modern Mrs. Darcy

Alright, so I have a few "Schrodinger Books" right now, in which they are simultaneously two different categories until future information leads me to which category they're actually falling into.

Both "Life, the Universe, and Everything" and "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish" can fill the "published before you were born" category. LU&E can also fill the "already read at least once" category while SL&TfAtF could also fill the "previously abandoned" category. If I read one more story that can fill the "published before you were born" category, and only that one, I'll shift the other two into the other categories. Otherwise, I'll have to shift either of those Hitchhiker's Guide sequels into that publication category if I read something else for a second time, or another book I gave up on; such as books I should have read in school. ALL THE SCHRODINGER BOOKS!!!!

Now to figure out what I'm going to read next. Also, tomorrow is April First. Not only does that make it April Fool's Day, but it also makes it the first day of the now disbanded Script Frenzy month. Considering Nickelodeon announced a few months back that they were FINALLY greenlighting The Jungle Movie - after the fans fought for it for nearly a decade - I feel like perhaps I should reach out to ChibiSunnie, and we should finally finish our own version of the movie plot before Nickelodeon releases the official one.

So, I must make a few decisions: what to read, what to write, and whether or not to try out Script Frenzy on top of my other fiction writing.

A Surprisingly Successful, Non-Writing Script Frenzy

Well, this year's Script Frenzy ended up being equal parts successful and complete fail. I know I still have today and tomorrow, but I haven't touched the script in weeks now, so I think we can assume I'm done for the month. Done and with only about 10 pages of script written. The worse that I've ever done with Script Frenzy.

To be fair, I did try a format I've never attempted before. A format I was never taught how to write in. Thank God for Celtx having a sample comic book in its archives so I had a base to go off of. It definitely helped, and so I feel accomplished in that regard.

Actually, even though this month was sort of fail, I don't feel like a failure at all; especially compared to past years. I am taking a lot of pride in the fact that I pushed myself to try comic book writing. Pride in the fact that I'm teaching myself how to write in that format. Pride in the fact that I was able to get ten pages done in one month. Granted, I could have done a lot more if I had all my ducks in a row first, but it's still something.

Also, I can take pride in the fact that I was working on the story - in some shape or form - nearly every day. Well, if I'm being honest, I didn't really work on the comic this past week, but I'll get to that in a bit. Point is, I pushed myself this month, and I call that a great success.

Script Frenzy isn't an official program any longer. Sure, I could participate in a Script-Frenzy-Like writing experience in November instead of writing a novel during NaNo, but still doing so in April is big. I don't have the support group of other Frenziers. I don't have the website keeping track of my progress: the countdown to the end of the month and the progress bar as I crept towards 100 pgs. While I petitioned members of both my own writing group and Writers’ Huddle, I think only one person said he'd participate with me. And we didn't get a chance to really talk this month in order to encourage each other and push each other to continue.

So I didn't really have a support group writing along side me and pushing me forward - not to say I didn't have supporters throughout the month, but it's different when they're going through the experience with you.

As I already emphasized, I also pushed myself by writing a comic book instead of a stage or screen play like I normally would; like I was taught how. Writing something I didn't know how to and with no one guiding me. That's big for me.

I also pushed myself to finally write my X-Future reboot. It was a project I've been working on for a year now, but I never really put anything official down on paper. Yeah, it's because I was world building, but I could have had a lot more figured out by now. Just about everything I stalled on during this month could have been decided back around Thanksgiving. I had been slacking. I kept telling myself "I'll get to it when I'm inspired to" or "It will be written eventually, there's no real rush". Well, now there was a rush. I couldn't procrastinate any longer. I needed to finish world building and I needed to have it done NOW.

Plus, when I hit my first brick wall I could have just stopped completely. Granted, I DID stop completely; I haven't really written anything else since I hit that wall, but it's different. Different because last year I probably would have focused on anything else. I would grumble at the blank pages and whine about how I wasn't making progress. I would get down on myself for being so far behind on my goal. I would have failed in my resolve to keep writing, and then I would doubt that I actually was a writer.

NOT THIS YEAR!

This year I pushed through. I used the fact that I was stonewalled by my lack of world building as the drive to keep world building. I pushed myself to get things sorted out so I could continue writing. I mean, it didn't work that way. I never did go back to writing, but that doesn't matter.

I have a lot of new stuff figured out now. Stuff I probably would still be stalling on figuring out if I hadn't attempted Script Frenzy this year. Between that and the fact that I WAS working on this story - in some shape or form - for the vast majority of the month... I consider that a success!

Now, back to that earlier disclaimer about not working on the X-Future reboot this past week. I was stuck. Plus, I needed something to keep me entertained while I waited for Hubby to get out of work on Sunday. See, more often than not our work keeps him past his scheduled time in order to finish the job he does on the overnights. I go to pick him up when he's scheduled to be done, and sometimes I'm waiting around for two hours. Well, I don't have Celtx on my smartphone, but I DO have Google Docs. So, Sundays - while waiting for Hubby - is usually my days to work on Please, Let Me Explain.

I don't know if it's because I got in to a groove, or if it was sparked by finally talking to the elusive Ronoxym again, but I just couldn't let go of this story. I couldn't wait until Sunday to continue working on it.

Starting at the very first word once more, I read through the whole story up until the POV switch. See, most of the story is in Devon's POV, but right around the section that Ron stopped writing it switches over to Willow's. I stopped my edits at the POV switch. Once I have the latest chapter up I'll work on that next bit.

Anyway, the point is that I tore the story apart. I took notes - literal notes, on a legal pad and everything - of what Devon and Willow said to each other. This way I don't lose track of what was said, and I could keep reminding myself what was going on in each of their heads.

Man, my handwriting sucks...

I'm equal parts super glad and kinda bummed that I decided to critically analyze the story like this.

On the one hand, I found a few typos and sentences I needed to rework. So that's great; except some of them are in the earlier sections that I already published. Whoops. I'm also glad because the story got so long, and with so many different times that Devon and Willow talked, that we actually DID lose track of what was already said. Once or twice Devon repeated himself while explaining his side of the story. Once or twice Willow did the same while yelling at Devon. It's fine to repeat one's self; it's not alright to do so while making it seem like it was the first time it was said. I'm sure my readers would have picked up on that a lot faster than we did.... Whoops again.

I'm also glad I was so meticulous this go because I found a semi-major plot hole in our story while going back through the dialogue. So, yay that I caught it before publishing that part! Also, boooo, because now we have to figure out how to rework a huge chunk of the story. It would be the second half of the latest chapter, so pretty much the entire third-quarter of the story Ron wrote so far. Super duper whoops.

See, I never noticed before that Willow changes her tune in that third-quarter of the story. It only JUST occurred to me that everything that happened in that part of the story more-or-less ignored the huge scene of Willow talking to Devon in his cell. Aside from being caught up in the current dialogue, I'm not entirely sure how we missed this opinion switch before. I've also noticed that she was acting a bit more "Lia-like" in this part of the story as well. So, now I have even MORE work to do. *sigh*

I've also become acutely aware of the fact that I was head-hopping. Not sure what head-hopping is? Check out this article Ali Luke wrote about it:
Do You Head-Hop? Getting Third Person Point of View Right

I want to stress that I am the one with the head-hopping problem. Mainly because I'm used to writing Third Person Omniscient. Those who have read my "Hey, Arnold!" fanfiction know I love delving deep in to the thoughts of my characters. Especially during arguments, so that the reader knows where everyone is coming from. It helps keep everyone relatable and sympathetic. So - if it were up to me - I probably would have stayed Omniscient in PLME.

Thing is, the story was Ron's baby. He was writing the story through Devon's POV; obviously, since Devon is his character. I interjected Willow in to the story. Because of that collaborating set-up, the story was mostly writen in Devon's POV. Which means the times that I imputted Willow's would be considered head-hopping. It's not an even split.

I was able to go through and weed out most of the Willow head hops. However, there are a LOT of sentences still where I have no clue. Am I head hopping in to Willow? Is Devon just observant enough that he can tell? How do I know for sure? How do I fix it without messing with the intensity of the moment?

I submitted these questions - in a manner of speaking - to the fine folks over at Writers' Huddle. It kept a few days, but two Huddlers responded to me on Monday. I have some work to do, but at least I now know where I went wrong, and I have a direction on how to fix it.

So, I'm going to be busy. Between fixing my head hops and then figuring out how to rewrite the plot-hole-oops problem.... Yup. Busy. On the plus side, I think I have a good start on the later.

This story will truly be the death of me, but I love it all the same. It's really driving me, and it's a great learning experience. I'm figuring out how to work with a collaborator. I'm doing some major editing. Probably the most hard-core, tear-it-to-shreds, complete-rework editing I have ever done in my life. It's a practice I really needed to work on. I'm also learning to rein in my adverb usage and honing in on my Third Person Limited skills; e.g. preventing myself from head hopping.

So, I'm super glad Ron let me in on his project last year. I'm just sorry if in hijacking it I ended up killing his motivation. He was so excited about it and had it more-or-less finished in his head. Then I derailed him.... I should have let him finish the story first, I think.

SORRY, BRO!

OH! Before I forget, I said in my blog last week that I'd let you know what the organization name was that Phfylburt came up with. So, after we had a conversation about the whole thing, we agreed that GPS is the perfect accronym. First of all, it's sorta-techy, which really works in a cyberpunk story setting. Second, they are in charge of locating Glitches. Third, I could have fun using GPS brands as street nicknames for them. For instance, instead of Popo, they would be called TomToms. It's corny, but I like it.

We struggled a little trying to figure out exactly what the P and the S stood for; it was a given G was for Glitch. Eventually Phfyl landed on Glitch Placement Services. It's a non-threatening government-agency-sounding name. It explains what they do: round up Glitches and move them in to ghettos to control and "protect" them. I like it.

Alright, well, I have a bit more free time this week, so I guess I have some writing to do. Farewell, Script Frenzy. We didn't go as far as I would have liked - I never even finished the pages I plotted out - but you still helped me accomplish much this month. Here's to high productivity continuing on throughout the year!

Categorizing My Glitches

Well, here we are at the half-way point of this year's Script Frenzy. I am both happy and not with my progress. On the one hand, I'm back to writing relatively regularly, and I've been really forcing myself to work through some major world building in order to write this script. On the other hand, this figuring out, researching, and comic scripting learning curve has almost halted my actual writing. Here it is, day 15, a week after my last update, and I'm only up to nine pages.

NINE

For those not keeping track, I was up to six last week. In one week I've only added three pages. Go. Me.

It's been tricky, especially when trying to figure out quick visuals to explain a relatively broad and intangible concept. For me it would have been easier with actual video to capture more essence while a voice over was talking. As opposed to one snapshot of the visual I want with a toneless caption attached.

This is one of the reasons I gave up my idea of becoming a director. I'm much better as an editor. If you give me a variety of shots I can easily pick out which one is the best option. I can watch movies and comment on the angles and camera position and how the shot is either perfect, or how I'd be able to change it to something more impactful. Yet, I can't come up with the visual on my own off the top of my head. To me, without any outside help, everything in my head more-or-less plays out like a stage play with a few reaction shots thrown in. It's all sort of one-note. So, it's hard for me to work on this comic.

On the one hand, I am very particular and protective of my mental imaging of what's going on. I need to be meticulous with how the environment is laid out, the costuming of the characters, and exactly what the characters look like - right down to the exact placement of each hair. But angles? Where the mental cameras are set up in comparison to the scene? From what direction and how close the audience is while they are looking in? I'm terrible at figuring that out.

Probably why I'm better at prose. I can just dump the scene on the reader's lap and THEY can mentally picture all the intricate angles that would make up the movie adaptation.

So, you can sort of see my dilemma when it comes to storyboarding a comic book. I want to micromanage how everything works; resulting in the poor illustrator being no more than my extended hand since my own isn't talented enough to execute the visualization I want. At the same time, I have no clue what I'm doing when it comes to dramatic angles and the like, and I would want to give the illustrator all the creative freedom he or she desired in order to figure that stuff out without me.

An annoying paradox, and one I'm glad I don't have to deal with quite yet. I mean, I don't even have the first book written yet, and I'm no where near finding an illustrator. Heck, I'm no where near inquiring for an illustrator. So I guess I can iron out those details some time in the future.

How about the parts that I did manage to iron out already?

Do you recall once upon a time when I showed you fine folks this gloriously jumbled mind map?

Well, one of the main things I did this week was go through and reorganize this mental ramblings in to a bulleted list. AH! The glorious bulleted list to help categorizing my Glitches all the easier.

Originally, the point of organizing the above mess was so I could easily create a simple chart while continuing to explain what Glitches are to the reader. With more thought, I think it should be presented more as a lesson to one of the new Glitch recruits who has no clue what he is. Similar to the categorizing presented in the movie "Push" - which is where the category concept first came from anyway.

In "Push" the character Chris Evans plays knows he's "different" with his telekinetic abilities, but it's Dakota Fanning's character who informs him of the multiple different categories of superhumans; categorized by the villainous Division organization. Generic clairvoyants are "Watchers". Psychometrics - people who can gather the history of an object via touch - are "Sniffs" since they can "sniff" out a person they're looking for. "Shadows" are people that can block clairvoyancy - such as Watchers and Sniffs - by "hiding" the presence of themself or those they are protecting. Telekinetics are "Movers". Psychic healers - capable of completely healing any injury with only their hands - are "Stitches". A person who can cause amnesia - either erasing just a small memory or someone's entire life - is a "Wiper". "Bleeders" emit high-frequency sonic blasts that can rupture blood vessels; hence the category name. The name of the movie comes from the most powerful category of superhumans: Pushers. They are powerful telepaths that can implant false memories/feelings/loyalties in to someone's brain and force them to bend to the Pusher's will; even go so far as to kill a loved one or commit suicide.

There's one last category of superhuman from Push, and one Hubby and I enjoyed so much we gave the power to Willow's father Jacob: Shifter. A Shifter is more of a minor telepathic ability. They can take an object and make it temporarily appear to be something completely different as long as the basic structure is the same; essentially tricking the eyes as long as the other senses - mainly touch - don't interfere. For instance, the Shifter in the movie took Monopoly money and made a waitress believe it was actual currency. He couldn't, on the other hand, make her believe it was a diamond necklace because the weight and shape wouldn't match the illusion.

Funny side story, this is how Willow's and Chayse's fathers - Jacob and Gambit - met each other. They tried to swindle each other, but found each other out and became fast friends instead. I'm still not entirely sure what Gambit did to try to manipulate Jacob with his hypnotic charm speak, but I know that Jacob tried to con Gambit with a Shifting illusion.

Kind of makes me wonder about Shawn though. If Jacob can create illusions on a small scale, and Willow can make them on a grand scale - obviously inheriting her father's powers - than how did Shawn's mutation manifest  as electricity? Maybe Jacob's wife Meryl has a secret of her own?

Sorry, I went WAY off track there....

Point is, Hubby and I loved the idea of classifications of superhumans - who are basically mutants, let's face it - that he helped me categorize my Glitches too, but I only have five categories as of right now.

I have them called "Species" of Glitch. Then each species has the differing types of powers within it categorized further in to "Classes". Yes, in true Scientific Classification the terms are reversed and have Order, Family, and Genus in between. I debated using the true Scientific Classification method; categorizing all Glitches in to one Family - and possibly find the word Glitch derived from for the family classification - and then break the main power sets in to Genus, and then break the powers down further in to species.

Perhaps I'll have a few scientist characters argue that point. However, the classification is both militaristic and media-based, and so it needs to fit more with what SOUNDS better. It's easier and rolls off the tongue better to ask what species and class someone is, instead of which genus and species.

Another reason for the smallest category being "class" instead of "species" probably has something to do with me being a D&D nerd. I have a lot of characters whose powers are all subsets of one main category. Willow, for instance, can create illusions - which is one subset - and she has telepathy - which is another subset - and she is telekinetic - a third subset. There are Glitches that can only fit in to one of those categories; having one doesn't automatically mean you can do the other two. Because of this, Willow "cross-classes" in her powers. Like I said, I'm a D&D nerd.

Then you have someone like Chayse whose main power is his ability to manipulate kinetic energy - which is a power within one main category - but he also has the physical mutation in regards to his eye color - which technically puts him in to another main category as well. Since he's a mix of two different species of Glitch, he's considered a Hybrid. Now, I COULD switch Species and Class around to the more Scientific Classification formula, but I like the idea of multiple Glitches being able to Cross-Class - otherwise known as "Multi" - but only a few are actual Hybrids. If I were to switch the categories the percentages go the other way.

Speaking of titles for people within categories, let's lay out on the table what I figured out. Keep in mind, long-time readers probably already know this since I came up with these titles over a year ago when I created the above mind-map. I haven't really altered much of anything since then.

Okay, so there are five main Species of Glitch:

1. Beasts are those with physical mutations. Those that can still pass as human are "Norms", whereas those that are more animalistic or otherwise can't hide their mutation are "True Beasts" or "Were-Creatures"; depending on the severity of the mutation and how cruel the person is who's throwing around the term. Chayse's eyes make him a "Norm Beast".
2. Minds are the other main category that sprang up at first. They are the psychics; mostly telepaths or telekinetics. Illusions also fall under this category, and so Willow and her father Jacob are Minds.
3. Evokers can manipulate the four elements as well as light, darkness, and energy itself. Shawn's ability to use electricity, Chayse's kinetic manipulation, Penumbra's shadow fighting, Trish and Devon's pyromancy, and Ripley's water-crafting are all Evoker powers. In fact, as you can see, the majority of the X-Future casting are Evokers; which is one of the reasons I briefly toyed with the idea of converting the story in to High Fantasy and have them all elemental-specific mages. Lia is one of the most powerful Evokers by being a cross-classed Multi with both fire and earth to create her lava powers.
4. Tweakers manipulate DNA. This has a WIDE array of applications and has probably the largest listing of classes; although Evokers are close given the multitude of elements they manipulate. Lia is a Tweak Evoker Hybrid due to her ability to convert her blood and organs in to lava, and the rest of her body in to obsidian. Her father Jamie is also a Tweaker - which is why Lia's a hybrid - due to his ability to create clones of himself. Devon's shapeshifting also makes him a Tweak Evoker Hybrid.
5. Finally, there are the Mages. They manipulate physics and the fabric of space/time itself. They are probably the most powerful Glitches, although most of their abilities are only basic in nature. Teleportation, clairvoyance, and probability alteration - based on the Marvel canon characters Nightcrawler, Destiny, and Domino, respectively - are all Mage abilities since they alter reality itself. Someone like Scarlet Witch, Pixie, Magik, and the X-Future character Lincoln are all a special class of Mages known as Sorcerers since they can effectively force themselves to both cross-class AND cross-species by saying spells to focus their Mage abilities.

Like I said, someone who has multiple power sets within the same Glitch Species is considered "Cross-class" or a "Multi". Therefore, Lia would be militaristically classified as a Coating Tweak Fire-Earth Multi Evoker Hybrid. Bit of a mouthful, but it sends the basic message of what her abilities are. Lia herself may introduce her powers by stating "I'm a Tweak Evoker hybrid. I'm a coater and fire-earth multi." Others, like Chayse, may focus on the main power of being an Energy Evoker, maybe going so far as stating Kinetic Energy Evoker. He's technically a Beast Evoker Hybrid due to his physical mutation of neon-lime green eyes with black sclera, but he focuses on trying to pass for human. So he'd most likely ignore the Beast classification.

Now, in my reboot, Chayse's ability to phase is similar to DC comic's superhero The Flash - he moves fast enough to pass through the microscopic air pockets in between the cells of a solid object. Chayse does so by manipulating the kinetic energy within his own body until it speeds up enough to phase. I may change this, though, because it seems to be a LOT of effort for something Hubby tends to have Chayse do a lot.... If I do convert it back to Hubby's X-Future version of Chayse, than Phasing is a Tweaker ability. This means Chayse is a Tweak Evoker Beast hybrid - again, because of the eyes. I haven't decided on a term yet, but being a hybrid of 3 or 4 different species feels like it needs its own name since it doesn't happen that frequently. A super powerful mutant in the Marvel world is considered "Omega Class". So, I think a multi-hybrid needs similar treatment.

Right now, though, I only have the terms "Transcendent", "Ultimate", and "Supreme" Glitch. All seem a bit over-the-top in classification. Especially when the person is like Chayse and would be a typical Hybrid if it weren't for that dip in to Beast territory.

Now, there is a "mythical" or "theoretical" classification of Glitch; think of it as Super Sayian or my version of Beyond Omega Level. It is equally idolized and feared by both humanity and Glitches. Basically, it's a person who is born as a hybrid of all five categories. The terms I have so far for this classification are: "Godling", "Demigod", or simply "Demi". This breed of Glitches is feared due to how massively powerful they could become; a possible uncontrollable force that could enslave the rest of the world - human and Glitch alike.

For those who have kept up-to-date with Marvel comics, my 5-species hybrid Godlings would be at about the same power level as Hope Summers; and is equally thought of as either savior or oppressor.

Because of this, Godlings - if ever discovered - would be fought over as the greatest weapon/driving force of any given extremist group.

• My X-Men equivalent would want the Godling to demonstrate that even the most powerful Glitch could cohabitate peacefully with humanity.
• Brotherhood equivalent would want the Godling as a way to cement Glitch superiority over humanity; taking on the new term Preternaturals - similar to Magneto's Homo Superior - for the mutants.
• Hubby's created extremist group Challengers of Heaven would want to use the Godling as a weapon to ethnically cleanse the world of all normal humans so that Glitches/Preternaturals were the only humanoids left on Earth. Much like how Homo Sapiens survived while Neanderthals became extinct.
• Purifiers equivalent would want to utilize the Godling as proof that Glitches are dangerous, and that the only way for humanity to survive is to exterminate all mutants.

At one point we had a subplot on X-Future - that never really played out - with similar stakes in regards to Crystal's ability to nullify mutant powers.

• The Brotherhood wanted her as a way to suppress opposition from the X-Men.
• Military wanted her for the same reason as The Brotherhood, but on a grander scale. They wanted to recreate her powers so that all law enforcement/soldiers could subdue mutants.
• Shamed mutants wanted to experiment on her in order to find a way to "cure" themselves.
• Human scientists wanted her for a similar reason, but this "mutant cure" would be a way to eradicate them, even the ones that enjoyed being mutants.
• The X-Men wanted to squirrel her away; essentially imprison her - in not so many words - in order to keep her safe from the others that wished to weaponize her. At the same time, she felt they were using her as The Brotherhood would; to suppress attacks from other mutants. The justification being that she was keeping the other students safe.

Anyway, I got a little off topic again.

I made a few other decisions in regards to the character rewrites. I don't recall if I said so, but Amara "Magma" Aquilla - whose name I still have to rework - is now a Hawaiian Fire-Earth Multi Evoker. She still has her lava powers - which is where Lia gets hers - but she won't be able to take on lava/fire form like she does in the comics. Instead, she will have heatproof skin - which explains her ability to SWIM in lava without it harming her - as well as specialized lungs that allows her to filter out the damaging poisonous gases and ash that coincide with volcanic eruptions. She'll probably be similar to Storm's canon backstory: a girl capable of manipulating the elements in order to bring safety to her small village, and she's idolized for it. Might not go as primitive as Storm's African tribe that actually worshiped her as a minor goddess, but same basic principal after Amara stops a volcanic eruption from destroying the town.

Basically recreating the one Amara-centric episode of "X-Men: Evolution", but having Amara live on the island instead of just visiting while on a cruise.

I'm sure I've mentioned months ago that Jamie's new name is Cody. Still haven't figured out too much more about him; like a new last name.

As for Chayse's family, Remy "Gambit" LeBeau - still needs a name change - is going to be Australian, and only has his Hypnotic Charmspeak power along with heightened agility. Chayse's kinetic manipulation is now inherited from his mother Kitty "Shadowcat" Pryde, whose new name is Margaret [Insert Last Name Here]. It's a start....

Since Gambit is going to be Australian, and I don't want too many foreigners from the same place - plus, I wanted to switch it out for the rewrite anyway - Pyro will no longer be the resident Aussie. Flame-red hair and a fiery temper? Seems Irish to me! I was hesitant at first since we already have Tyler and Crystal from the Emerald Isle, but seeing as neither of them will probably make the Reboot cut, I figured shifting St. John Allerdyce to the opposite hemisphere would be a good choice. I'm a bit weary of the fact that I'm keeping the character really close to the original, though. Anyway, I still need to give him both a new name - one a bit easier to pronounce if you're not born in Australia and see it all the time - and a new codename. There in lies the biggest problem, one I faced when creating Trish and one I equally faced when I tried to have Willow come up with a good codename for Devon.

THERE ARE SO MANY FIRE USERS IN MARVEL CANON! Just about all the good fire-based codenames are already being used. The three mildly good ones were scooped up by Trish and Devon. Yes, I said THREE. Trish is Lighter. Then Devon has 2 - his Brotherhood and street name was Arson, but his X-Men codename was Scorch. So far all I could think of for Pyro's new name is Dragon, Salamander, and Flame.

James "Logan" Howlett, AKA Wolverine, is still going through a few rewrites as well. I was thinking of making him Native American, but I think I'm now really leaning towards Latino. I have also been fixated on the name Rafael - Spanish for "God has Healed" which is fantastic since he's keeping his rapid healing power. My only concern is the possible mental connection to a certain Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle with a similar name. Especially since both wield 3-pronged metal weapons - Wolverine's three adamantium-covered claws and Raph's sai - and have notoriously bad attitudes. It's a work in progress, but maybe the TMNT connection is WHY Rafael feels right for the character.

It's all still just a work in progress. One I really should get back to now that I finally have a day off again, and Hubby and I finished off the Netflix Daredevil series.

Now, if my laptop would just stop MASSIVELY lagging, I would be in business...