Ally of the light, not of the darkness

Sometimes, you have step back and wonder where we are heading. The same is true for the novel universe. Only, I know the end. The end of this narrative arc at least. Its going to be wild ride that will fit our times at least. The trick is making sure you are all there at the end understanding how everything came together.

Back when I first finished Song of Betrayal, when it still called Collide, I had these basic ideas: Gwen the cheerleader siren, the loss of her sister, and Tom the boy she knew who became a merman. As the story grew these things grew with it. So did the cast of characters around it. Everything got so much bigger as I fleshed out the world of the Assembly.

Tom changed first. From the basic surface teen who bribed his uncle to stay and got caught into the world of the assembly, to this son of a famous musician who met a girl online who turned out to be famous in her own right: grandniece of the biggest names in the music industry as well as a member of the assembly. He fell hard enough for her that he got shot saving her life.

Now 20 he is shepherding her sister in this massive scheme to save the assembly from destruction. Not something I expected.

Gwen changed as well. I always expected her to be light and kind. Her and Tom’s love story to be beautiful. Sadly, all this migrated to Lorelei. Gwen became who she really was: a smarter but darker person, who understands people but will still put her own wants and needs above them.

What does this have to do with the current book? Well, its where the narrative is at. As I edit ‘Song of Reconciliation’ (its final name) those pieces of Collide are indeed slamming into the new story. A lot are collapsing into a pile of rocks. The police pool scene where Tom transfigures the first time; gone. He did that in Melbourne, 3 years before.

This also brings several other things into force. I finally removed Jen the traveler from the novel. Of the four scenes she was in, the first Reagan replaced her. The final three she is replaced with Valiere the cat person. Yes, cat people.

This book I explain how the assembly came about, how the Archive came into existence and elaborate on the Hall of Remembrance scene. You see Atlan society with a little taste to why all the Assembly seems to be christian. Along with it is a more elaborate linking of the cat people, Gellicles, to the Assembly.

Here is the fun thing about copyright: Jellicle cats are a fictional^[1] type of feline from T. S. Eliot‘s 1939 light poetry book Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Jellicle cats were first mentioned in Eliot’s 1933 poem “Five-Finger Exercises” and later developed in Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. They were given further characterization in Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s 1981 stage musical Cats, which was based on Eliot’s book. The large cast of diverse cats is an important part of the worldbuilding of Cats. Many of these characters originated from Eliot’s book, while others are named after characters from other works by Eliot or were invented for the musical.

To be clear, the Eliot estate owns the rights to Jellicle cats, the names and the Cats broadway musical imagry. It doesn’t own the idea of anthropomorphic cats having their own society, singing or dancing to achieve a better life. There is even a prevailing theory that jellicles are dead and the place they live is their purgatory.

So I grabbed the idea and ran with it. My cats are outcast members of Atlan society genetically engineered for a purpose that got freed when the assembly did. They escaped the wrath the assembly did and spent the last 6000 years exploring and growing in anticipating of the return of the assembly to live with them.

Then there is Taylor the character. I have a solution in the event there is an issue. However, I would perfer there isn’t. She fits better as herself. This will be the only book where you will see her tail thought. There is a lot of work in the discretion as well as fitting it into the available time.

Lastly, there is the focus of editing history. In addition to the removal of the UN which I explained, I also inverted the CDC, renaming it, Red Hash. I’ll explain more in a different post. Its not detrimental, as the NIH has always done most heavy lifting.

There is no real way to remove Mao without functionally changing the entire course of the twentieth century beyond what I wanted. So as much as it saddens me, he continues to do what he did. However, I can mitigate certain events. The Rape of Nanjing is one of those. Also, Reagan is deeply involved in those changes. She became much more than the girl who simply was a cheerleader in Homecoming Song.

In fact, the editing changes lead to the point that the only young people are Gwen, Lorelei, Tom and Chelsey. Everyone else looks young. Reagan, whose real first name is Aja, is almost 200.

Following the finish of Song of Reconciliation, I still plan on a book addressing the MTV video music awards 2009 which will reveal the career transition of Gwen. It will also establish Reagan as a warrior in her own right, explaining why 20th century history is as different as it is. Once I finish that, all that is left is the final series book where the concert that moves the world, described in Song of Hope, takes place.

Eventually, I will publish the archive of everything I am compiling about the assembly reality. I named it Mythic Notes. It will have detailed timelines of the main characters, historical figures and several altered events as well as maps of the areas in question. Hopefully, you all will discover there is more than the climb.

So with all that, I leave you with this: “It’s just a dream until you believe.“

No matter where you go, there you are.

Well, as I am typing this, the entire world is suffering from an virus that is forcing us to hide. Not to socialize or travel. It forces us to focus necessities. This is a double edged sword for me. My job (the one that pays my rent) is considered essential according to the US department of Homeland Security. So work in the amongst the public dealing with deadly contagion.

This is the perfect time to craft my stories, promote them and have you read them. Only, I am one of the lucky few who doesn’t have a quarantine. So no spare free time. Today is in fact the first time in two weeks I have got enough spare time to do this. So what have I been doing with my time. Finishing Passion Song and setting up the rest of the series. So Passion Song is now published as both Ebook and print. Here is the ebook Link to Passion Song. Other links will be available soon.

With the completion of Passion Song, I achieved the goal I set when I finished Homecoming song. I finished the beginning. From introducing Lorelei, to fleshing out who the Assembly is to actually revealing how different their world is from ours (its not just them), in those four books I weaved a rich history to work in.

To give a taste of what is actually different, here is a top ten differences.

1. Two totally different US Presidents. No Clinton or Wilson. Champ Clark is president in his place (he was Wilson’s speaker of the House) and Johnathan Graefs (pronounced Graves) former governor of Arizona is in Clinton’s place. (Clinton didn’t run because he was only governor of Arkansas once.)
2. No United Nations. The St. James Meeting that the UN points to as its founding, happened but then the building was bombed by the Assembly as certain members were Piscine.
3. What we call Pedophile island owned by Epstein, instead was colonized by Tyrion Cetus in the 17th century while he was functioning as a Japanese imperial citizen. In fact that Virgin Island was a part of the Japanese Shogunate until the end of 1863. The smaller of the two islands called Lesser St. James, has a Replica Himeji now used as a private hospital for the Assembly.
4. Port Royal the pirate city is now the capital of Jamaica instead of Kingston.
5. In environmental work Greenpeace competes with Thalassa: spirit of the sea.
6. Archeologists know where Atlantis is, just like we know where Troy is. Its in Mauritania, Africa. We call it the Eye of the Sahara.
7. What they don’t know is that it was called Atlan and rivaled Rome and America for scope and breath of its technological prowess. They figured out of to travel to other realities as well as across the planet. In fact its how the assembly survived the commentary impact that flooded the entire planet in 5304 BC (what we call the creation event)
8. The movie and music landscape is different with far less rap, hip hop and ethnic music. Much more rock, 80s style pop and jazz exist.
9. Post World War II divided up a bit differently allowing for a couple of different countries to exist that don’t here. The same is said for Africa. Somalia doesn’t exist as its capital was wiped out by Super Typhoon Gwarosa in April 2007 and the tribes roam in bands along the border of Ethiopia. Without a UN, no real help came outside of NGOs that quickly discovered they were unwelcome. One year later most of the tribes vanished as well, from starvation or escape.
10. Did I mention that largest archive of human history rested under Mount Ross of Kerguelen. Its also where the youngest of the Atlan gates is (or the oldest usable gate is)

This is just minor plot points and other things mentioned.  The order of books is now:

• Midnight Train Song
• Song of the Gyre
• Heartbeat Song
• Passion Song
• Song of Betrayal
• Homecoming Song
• View from the street (short story)
• Christmas circle
• Song of Route 91
• Song of Hope

Passion song is the tenth formally published story of this arc, not including the ‘Faking it!’ fan fiction. Also, the entire beginning is now available. It makes Song of Betrayal more powerful now as you know who Lorelei is, and why she is suffering.

This leads into where the arc is going. I decided awhile ago to that I wanted to finish the other half of Song of Betrayal. Then I wanted to write book on Gwen’s balancing her music career with being a mermaid and one on Taiji.

More or less this is what I will be doing. The editing of the other half to get it to match what I have revealed (alot of things changed but not so much that I can’t edit it into something usable) will be first.

Then there is this idea I got that I don’t want to lose. Another fanfiction story involving the cast of Unreal. You know that lifetime show that mocked Bachelor by showing you the behind the scenes. Well, I got the idea to use characters similar to two minor characters. So why not use Tom to solve the one problem Unreal refuses to address; consequences for is main characters.

The story will take place across 2017-2018 revealing exactly how powerful Tom has gotten but in being a circlemaker and as a broker. If you watched the problem it will be a fun piece that rolls my characters into Unreal (or Unreal into my world). And the only deviation is Quinn never finds the camera. It won’t be draft2digital published, just posted on Archive of our own and here in pdf.

Then I will do a story that will fit right after Homecoming Song involving MTV VMA 2009. Since I gutted most of the winners from that, (no Katy Perry, no Kayne, no Beyonce nominated) I will do one around the show itself.

Then there is the Taiji story.  I don’t know if I actually plan on finishing it. If I do I will let you all know. This should take me all the way to 2022.

In reality, I don’t think this age has much more past that. This is why I really am not marketing it. The story matters, whether I make money on it doesn’t. The internet will survive and so will the books.

Draft2digital finally allowed me to use my own fonts in my pdf. Yes the print size is 8 1/2 by 11 but I will figure out how to make it smaller later. 8 1/2 by 11 is coffee table sized but its got the correct fonts and you can finally see the assembly characters.

Finally, on Covid-19, to those of us who actually read this, its going to end sooner rather than later. This month will the last we need of social distancing for most of the US outside of NYC. It wont be as bad as they say in the press conferences. As for the economic fall out. Well, that I can’t say. Anyway, Nothing changes until everything changes. So until then, I bid you good journey. For every destination is but a doorway to another.

 

Why the Assembly is at war with Taiji

One of the things I have to deal with in creating my series, is a level of whys. One of those is why is ‘Why are the Warriors of Dagon based in Taiji, Japan?’ Isn’t Dagon a Greek entity? Yes, He is. However over the centuries, Greek fell out of favor. AS the first of the AD millennium (or their sixth) headed into its fifth century the tide had changed in the Mediterranean so the Piscene (they call themselves. Think of it as the differences between Arabs and Europeans calling the terrorists ISIL and the US media calling them ISIS. Both are accurate. They call themselves themselves both. The french call them Daesh which is an Arabic insult meaning a bigot. They hate that. They will cut out the tongues of those who use the term)  needed to move elsewhere. At one point, Han China and the Roman empire were within a weeks journey from each other, so the Piscene knew about China.  They moved there to the area that would be Hong Kong. It wasn’t until the 1800s that they moved to Taiji.

They moved there because they discovered this.

The larger boats equipped with massive metallic drums sat on the deeper water an played their beat. The harsh tones of the percussion instruments hurt those poor creatures forcing them away from the large boats, like this they were herded to the shallows. Once caught in the shallow water, unable to dive to safety the men upon the smaller boats struck out with their spears. With their harpoons they lanced at the human half.

Females were prized more highly, their scales appeared dark green through water but once in the dry air they showed up pale jade but with a sparkle and glisten which jade had never held. The skin was always dusky to tar and only used to bind books. Though males were killed all the same, their scales sold cheaply but their meat was more palatable and fed the boat crews.

The Assembly elite always stayed away from certain areas where it required en masse fighting to travel. Yet the mindless slaughter that Japan habitually wrought led to great losses of the lower houses as well as sharpened their hatred and their skill set. One of the raids that almost failed caught the attention of the visiting Piscene dignitary in 1895. And so for the last 120 years they they have remained.

Thought I would share that.

This below is what appears to be a typical day out on the shallows from the perspective of the fisherman, only its not typical at all.

The wind died and the waves calmed. For the first time in weeks the weather seemed placid enough to head out on our scow. Dad determined this day as the perfect time. I shall learn fishing since my coming of age this year. We sat out on  our back patio to wave watch getting ready. Dad said this was required. We had to watch the weather and if we went out at the wrong time, we would never return home. The ocean was something to fear, yet love. It prospered our village but also took the lives of many. My hope remained high.

“Aoki, did you get the nets untangled like I asked,” my father said.

“Yes, father.”

“Good boy.  Go untie the boat from the dock. We will leave soon.”

“Okay, father,” I said, reaching down and touching the tops of his feet. Touching someones feet was a sign of respect in our culture. My father is the best fisherman here in the village. Everyone loved him. If other fisherman were unable to provide for their families; dad would give part of his haul to make sure no one went hungry. He is my idol and I want to be just like him .

As I headed out to the docks, my sandaled feet shuffled through the moist sand. Waves languished, tickling my feet. The cooling water clashed with the intense heat.of the noon sun bearing down on my tender shoulders. I was parched and we hadn’t even left yet. There was no saliva in my mouth. It felt like fishing for days, or weeks. Yet the smell of the sea salt gave me pride as well as nausea for my task ahead.

The boards of the dock creaked under me and bowed into the water as I stepped forth. Each step made a slight ripple into the  water below. If I stepped hard enough, or jumped with full force, the board would snap and send me into the deep. It frightened me that I couldn’t see anything below, or if anything was under the dock, but I followed through with my fathers orders by untying our boat.

I could see my father in the distance. He treaded the sand with the nets over his shoulders. When he arrived at the dock, he gingerly crossed in a wavy pattern sue to not break the boards. Yet with his massive size the boards still bowed deeply, wetting the entire dock dark grey. My heart raced as I watched my father cross and dump the nets onto out scow..

“Aoki,” my father said. “Hand me the rope.”

Yet as I reached down into the cool water I saw a gigantic, dark shadow swim approach the dock. It was larger than anything I had ever seen before and froze me still.

“Aoki!” my father yelled. “The rope! The time is now, son.”

My body wouldn’t move. I wanted to hand my father the rope, but I couldn’t find it. I wanted to scream out and warn him, but I couldn’t. I was trapped staring into the black eyes of a black skinned monster. Its webbed hand held still beneath the wave held the rope as it smirked .

“Aoki?”

She broke through the surface of the water and began to sing music unlike I had ever heard. Abject pleasure and silence washed over me. My father rocked side to side, smiling from ear to ear. This creature looked like one of us, only had skin of charcoal. Yet beyond her waist slimy scales and thin line down the center that vanished beneath the tide  Fish like gills closed as water dripped of her naked petite chest. Then suddenly I snapped out of my trance. She shrieked , spearing my father off the scow with a jade looking trident and pulling him into the sea. My whole body shook in fear and I turned to run only I couldn’t. I was adrift. She swam up next to me, furious with her coal eyes burrowing through my soul. She stroked her wet jet hair and said perfectly, “He received the due reward for his actions against our people. I chose to give you knowledge before you make your choice. Hunt us and meet his fate. Hunt others and meet his fate. Fish and you might starve but you will by your own hand. Leave the ocean alone and live. Choose wisely.”  She swam away, dragging my father down beneath her never to be seen again.

I mourned alone for awhile. Then after my tears dried, I chose. I became Koga ninja, and to this day, though I have much blood on my hands, I have no mermaid blood. I set here in my home in Ido, an old man now. I was one of the few who escaped Nobunaga’s rage. My sons and grandsons have too. Sadly they missed out on the open sea, the smell of salt and sand and storm. Yet, they haven’t missed the song of that monster who killed my father. The one who I could never kill. The one who I spoke of whenever I killed. The reason I pen this before I draw my last breath.

OK, there is nothing like a early 17th century piece to help explain things, For those who are confused about my mermaid, its simple. Whales are dark skinned. dolphins are dark or grey skinned so. 90% of all mermaids would look like this.

This is what they look like. Gwen is unusual. Aria with her olive skin is almost too light herself.

Its not Ariel’s world but then again it’s not your world either

I decided that as I continue to edit ‘Song of Betrayal’ I would share a few insights into the world at large that the Assembly exist in.

1. Its similar to deep impact only without the impact scenario. Basically, the presidents congressmen and news anchors aren’t like ours. This is sadly more because of safely (anyone real can sue if I disparage them) but it allows more freedom. I always loved that movie anyway.
2. The ocean is 4 times more oxygenated than ours is.  The one reality I can’t get around is that there simply isn’t enough oxygen in the ocean for a mermaid to breath via gills. So i had to alter that. I opted to go with the firmament concept that is in KJV Bible. http://ift.tt/1KURVRo. This solves that problem and actually makes it easier to breathe at sea level.
3. Certain other movies and shows are apart of the Song of the Assembly reality. I can’t tell you which ones but if you read all the stories you can guess. Some hints are obvious. Others not so much.
4. Finally for now, Hitler didn’t die. He still shot himself in the head, but managed to live on (Yes, that is actually possible ). However, he suffered brain damage, impairing his memory and causing agonizing pain whenever he tried to access those memories, somewhat similar to the case of Clive Wearing .

The pain subsided, the confusion abated. I could see. I tried to move. I could do so but only in small steps as rusted cuffs tied my wrists together. The bore a symbol that flashed in my mind and excruciating wave of throbbing followed.
I was clean shaved There was something over my right eye, and the right side of my head was very warm. All I could do was look forward at a white wall. Cloth as I brushed the right side. No hair, just soft cloth.

I tried to remember where I was, what I was doing. Then, I tried to remember my own name.

The side of my head burned. I screamed curses in German before they faded to moans.

Six armed men stormed into the room, weapons raised. A doctor came and looked me in the eyes. The pain abated. The doctor put a light directly in front of my eyes. He smiled and nodded.

I was ordered to rise, and pushed forward. When I stopped to catch my breath, I was dragged out of the grey room.

All I could see were the armed men in front of me, and the wooden ceiling. I could still hear yelling. Such noise, I hadn’t heard it since…

Trench.

Gas.

Mask.

Bunker

Pistol click.

My head was on fire. I screamed, screamed for mercy, screamed for release, screamed for death. Screamed for anything to make the pain stop. I was punched and it all went black.

Something poked my arm.

The side of my head grew numb. As things cleared, I was facing two tables, one raised behind the other, with a dozen men glaring down at me. One of them spoke, reading off from a long list. It was spoken in English, I could barely understand a word. Someone to my right was repeating what was said in German, Something about Belsen, death, Jews, and an American bunker raid. They kept repeating a name, a name that sounded familiar but I couldn’t quite place.

They stopped talking and turned to me. The person infront of me said something, the German repeated it as clearly as he could, “Adolf Hitler, how do you plead?”

The memories returned. I knew who I was. Then, the fire in my head returned, and all I knew was scorching agony.

I said as clear I could. “I do not deny it. I, for my part, acknowledge another precept which says that man must deal the final blow to those whose downfall is destined by God. If this is my fate so be it.”

Silence reigned until the judge spoke. The man on my repeated it in German and I nodded. Let the pain be my cross to bear. I was walked out of the room and the pain dimmed until I saw what was left of the Fatherland. Again, scorching agony consumed me.

Hitler would live past the October 1, 1946 execution date of his comrades because of his hospital incarceration. In fact he lived until Sept 17, 1949 when he died alone of a cerebral hemorrhage. The Assembly claims that a effegy of Hitler was hung in his place but the Piscine in Taiji have his remains in their mausoleum

As for ‘Song of Betrayal’ itself, I am inside of the chapters that I wrote as fanfic. I have solved most of the problems that cropped up from the removal of Jen, having replaced her in the early scenes with Reagan. Still shooting for 70 k words.