Well, its been a few months since my last post. There are some things I wanted to address and update where things are.
First thing is the Parkland shooting. I didn’t address this until now because I was waiting until everything played out. Unfortunately, this turned into a very avoidable situation that looks filled with bad actors, an ignored mentally ill individual with known violent tendancies, goverment interference among other things. I am loathe to remove events as I said previously. However, I am even more unwilling to keep things that need not existed because people want to evil for misguided reasons. So in the Assembly reason, Parkland doesn’t happen. Here is why.
As I was writing Route 91, I got to a point where I needed to show how much Chelsey and Tom were different than Lorelei remembers. At the time of the story, she’s only been ressurected six months most of which she spent in their old castle on Kerguelen. There would be no human contact there (the french base is on the other side of the island and the mountain is considered restricted to them because of its danger and the fact their isnt enough of them to effect a rescue) so she is still out of contact while reintegrating into society.
So when Gwen challenges an Atlantic News Reporter about the dome seeming to stop the bullets and her time on the stage, the reporter goes off to get permission. Gwen assumes he will fail and brushes it off without a thought. She is powerful now. Respected and not challenged. When Jacob comes to do exactly that, challenge her by not according her any honorifics, she leaves for Ondine without a second thought.
The reporter returns Chelsey expecting the interview of the year. It is to be broadcasted live on the final news hour of the night. Lorelei covers for Gwen and when the reporter returns with crew, she has masked herself as Gwen, acting like her when she was a teen Yet, its imposible to explain why bullets didnt penetrate the concert area if there was only light there. So to make this act believable, she changes the subject to the future Parkland shooting informing the reporter and the millions listening about Nicolas Cruz and why he isn’t currently in jail or institutionalized. Using the information publically availabe the night of the LV shooting, she insists this is part of the problem rather than ‘a 3d printer problem’
After the interview, Tom informs Loerlei that Gwen is now the face of Gun control and will not only have prevented Cruz from carrying out the shooting but others as well.
To be clear, I support the second amendment right to bear arms. I support the NRA and believe that additional laws solve nothing but keeping guns out of the hands of non criminals.
Yet, Lorelei wouldn’t know any of this and was deeking to prevent another shooting like she lived through. Tie this into the fact that Song of Route 91 is most likely now the 8th book in the series (I always seem to write out of order).
This leads to a problem I though I cured but didn’t. Like with ‘Summon the heroes’ I have too much story. STM should have been 3 books not 1 652 page tome (this is 9’x 6′) If STH were paperback it would be 1153, which is as large as a Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series novel or a George RR Martin Song of Ice and Fire novel.
I honestly don’t know when I quit until I do. Right now there isn’t much more forward after the fulfillment of the ‘restorer of the breach’ prophecy. Raising the fallen assembly isn’t it. Ressurrecting Lorelei isn’t it. Its much bigger than that. That WILL be the final book right now. Song of Route 91 I am hoping to end with these scenes between Tom, Lorelei and Jacob but I might have one more with Reagan and Gwen.
This brings me to Siren, the CW show I looked forward too. To say I am disappointed is an understatement. When the season premiere came out, I watched it and accepted it was a more violent version of H2O just add water. You have Merfolk with only instinct and no real intellect (they are a human subspecies who can learn rapidly but dont in the deep blue). They simply swim, hunt and reproduce. That’s it. No society outside of primitate warrior bands. No speech. Yes, Ryn (the main mermaid character) exudes a balance of innocence and naivety with dangerous animalistic instinct.
On the flip side, in the first book, I introduce Lorelei as a Human teen who is smart, cute and just so happens to a mermaid. Not a dangerous beast who could captured, speared like a shark but fully human and fully in tune with her home enviorment of the ocean.
Then we have the government coverup of a mermaid capture. A washington town thats founded on mermaid lore and the Main character caught up in discovering another mermaid coming ashore to find the captured one. We get violent Splash and H2O analogies. There is little story and little character development for the mermaid.
The story is really centered around MC and his life as the aquatic center etc. Tampabay.com complements the show on its diversity. “There are numerous people of color in leading roles, and characters with disabilities are defined by other traits beyond their disability.” Seriously, its about mermaids. Why does the race or ability of character matter.
I could do the same. In all the stories so far I have numerous people of color in leading roles. The King of the Assembly is dark skinned. Tom is half latino. Shae is mixed. The villians are asian but not limited to asian. This matters? No. Story does. Then, “As the series progresses, there are more hints that mermaid sexuality doesn’t adhere to any human-created gender norm.”
They aren’t human. They are a human sub species who obviously can’t reproduce in the same matter that human women can because those organs arent available underwater. That is very obvious. Yes, we draw this conclusion because Ryn’s sister is African skinned and they hold hands?
Finally, the “There’s also underlying commentary on the environmental impacts of overfishing on our place in the natural world.”
This is utterly meaningless if you dont explain how they breath underwater or survive at a depth that applies a quarter ton per square inch. The fact they surfaced for food means nothing if they can go down that far. Also the fact they can tear the head of off a shark also means that enviromental impacts are meaningless.
Why am I being this critical? Because I am just as guilty. When I started and somewhat still do, I focus on the land because thats easier to write and constant water scenes. However, the heart of the Assembly IS the underwater ancient civilization that controls the surface. So I spent time reading about how to make compelling and believable merfolk.
From figuring out how to breath underwater realistically, to how ocean pressure works to supercavitation to wormhole travel and crystal power, I did my best to make it as real as possible. Certain things require bending of current physics, like the fact there simply isnt enough oxygen in the water to support humans always under water like the myth shows. Or using wormholes to travel rapidly across the planet because even at the fastest swim it takes weeks to cross.
Siren didnt do anything. No explanation of how they can breath in low oxygen enviroment or handle the quarter ton pressure of 150 fathoms. The CGI is beautiful and helpful but thats it.
I am on the fence about it. I want it to survive simply so I can get coverage about my own work. However, I have no interest in the son of the founding family of a town know for mermaids and how he lives his life or what happens when he and his mixed race gf (she’s aa and indian mix, Her father is indian) discover the mermaids are real.
Finally, this takes me to the darkness. Have you noticed this world is getting darker and more evil as we move forward. Its a syptom of a greater event brewing. I dont want to preach here so I wont but you beleive in Christianity, its time to get ready.
If you dont, then don’t worry nothing will happen to you that you don’t want. The world isnt ending. Society has changed and continues to do so. The change is already here People need to embrace it if you dont believe. My fiction will be here for you. At least until I vanish. At that point all bets are off.
Finally, I would like to say good-bye to Harry Anderson and R Lee Ermy who both left the mortal plane this week. I enjoying watching both of you as actors and will miss you. You both taught me lots. Thanks.
