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.“

Thoughts on the Bowling Green Massacre…

Well, I must first thank Kellyanne Connelly for the fictional massacre to motivate me to be creative. I needed a small push because things got away from me. This happened to be that push. Truth is you enver know what it takes to get you over the hump. Nevertheless, this will actually be an update on the stories and background.

So what is happening? Alot actually. First, I will actually have a ‘Bowling Green Massacre in 2011 just like she said but also with Fredrick Douglass (not the historical figure one though) . It fits the direction I am going and considering its a college town, there is ample opportunity. I however will use the mining pits outside the town for the brutal horror. Its better imagery.

Second, I have adjusted another location in Lafayette. While never actually revealing the physical location of Gwen and Aria’s houses yet in published works, I do have a Google earth map of the city that did have their actual locations on it. When I went to actually use this for a scene in Heartbeat song I realized that the area Aria was in was River Ranch, a newer subdivision.

This is fine for Gwen and the Bretons as they moved from Australia in the 1990s. Its not good for the Natals as the gate is supposed to be in a fixed location since 1780. There are no buildings in that area from that period and no reason for such as its the same Vermillion river just down stream. So I moved the Natal House to across the street from Cafe Vermillion which has been in existance since at least 1812.

The quick and dirty is that both buildings were built at the same time by Vann’s Grandfather who was a Laurents. In all the stories I have included Shelly, Aria’s mother in, I have never revealed her actual last name only her house name. Laurents is a french name and blends into the fabric of the city better. Also a quick explanation of the house etc is in the story as well.

This brings me to the fact that as I am working on Heartbeat song I ran headlong into another issue. If there is an school shooting that envolves IEDs and massive causalities the hospitals in Lafayette can’t handle it. Without Charity and the other LSU hospitals ion New Orleans, the Primary trauma 1 hospital was in Sherveport or Houston. (Yes I am aware they did assign one post Katrina but it was ill-equiped to actually handle the load)

So I was left with solving that problem. First I figured I would upgrade the hospital, Lafayette general. Yet it would not be capable as the population wouldnt justify it. (I squeaked by with Forest Hills because of LSU and the CajunDome and making Booker Field old. This would be handwaving the solution away)

That left New Orleans. While Baton Rouge is closer. New Orleans is larger and up until Katrina had one of the Best hospitals in the country there: Charity Hospital. When I discovered why Charity was permanently closed (I won’t elaborate here other than to say LSU greed, however that overlooks alot of side issues) I decided to save the hospital. Doing so allows you all to actually meet Tyrion Cetus so when he dies in Song of Redemption, it will have meaning (like how Lorelei’s does now). Haven’t worked out all the plans yet but it envolves preventing the hospital from flooding during the MR-GO, Industrial canal, and London Avenue canal breechs. Something involving hard light constructs.

Most people were unaware (outside of the residents who were very much aware) that almost the entire city flooded from the canal breachs except the French quarter. Charity was in the CBD near the Superdome. Yet its basement and some of the first floor flooded.

Keeping the hospital fully operational (by revealing exactly how the Assembly handles Natural disasters) will allow it to remain into 2007 and on into my 2017. I will use the upgraded plans for the Hospital for my now timeline. It also means I will have a crap load of lifeflights from the attack as the criticals will be handled there. Thats the idea.

Finally, the Faking It! connection is gone as it will take too long to fully integrate into my world. I am keeping what I worked on in Heartbeat song but the fan fiction will be just that. Amy’s existential crisis of looking like Lorelei when she feels the exact opposite was in a fun challenge yet it detracted from where I am going with the story.So no Amy or Karma in my world anymore. Sorry.

I view Heartbeat Song be the connection to Song of Betrayal without actually tying into it. It will end the first series (which had Lorelei as the main character and Gwen as a minor character) yet open the path for Gwen to become the woman she is in Song of Betrayal.

Finally after this and finishing the editing of Song of Redemption, I will beack to open creation as that will finish the second series. (Song of Betrayal, Song of Redemption, Homecoming Song). Christmas circle is a follow up on A view from the street and not tied to the main story even though it has Tom in it.

The final 3 books (or next three depending on if I have more story) will take place in 2016 with the ressurrection of Lorelei, Gwen being queen and a musician like Becky, who at the time of this post, just finished singing at Club Nomatic in Houston.

That’s all for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spirit day and dark night

Happy #spiritday. Thats Hester High the fictional nearly Bully high school that alot of us miss. Nevertheless, Its been a while since I posted last. Sorry about that. Things got away from me. So an update on where everything is.

So in order with a nice numbered list:

1. Center cannot hold became Song of the Gyre. It now directly connects to Midnight Train Song. Only a month has past in time so its October 2006.
2. Other than leaving the orginal football play opening, the rest of the story is new. You get a deeper explanation on who the Warriors of Dagon are. You get a taste who Dagon was. You get a scene of Posideon Celano and how the assembly began.
3. You learn who Coach Sylvan is and why she is important. Also why the resurrection vial would be in her desk drawer.
4. You met those who actually cause the Taft High massacre and some victims.
5. You get cute scenes with Lorelei and Tom at Coupe de monde.

Its almost done. its 24000 words and I will post it here. I will also post Song of Betrayal as well. The problem with it is I can only do that in pdf. Sorry but amazon charges too much for bound books not backed by the big five. Its annoying.

1. After I post Song of the Gyre, I will finish Heartbeat song. Hopefully I can actually publish and market the three books so everyone can see them not just the smattering her that do. If I can, I can. if not then meh.
2. There will be a Christmas story. Its going to be Faking it and will involve them at college and Tom and Gwen. It should be short like Christmas circle.
3. As for Faking it! unless Netflix picks it up its gone. The actors have moved on and the sets etc are gone. One of my goals is still rights for it so I will know about that 2017
4. The Assembly reality does not have the chaos we have for a presidental election because even House of Cards is better that what we got. So if i feel a need to mention the sitting president it will be neither of the four running.
5. I might use Jack & Bobby history (cw show dealing with a president in 2050 when he was a teen. It was when cw was WB) I might not.
6. After those and my life settles then I will get Song of Restotation. I have it setting on my hard drive waiting but it still has the old plot, jen and the old way tom and gwne handle each other. It would not make sense with the new info.

That’s all there is now.

A quick peek:  the founding island of the Assembly was Kerguelen Island in the Southern Ocean. At the time of the assembly, they had figured out Gate travel and massed in the thousands exploring in viking like long boats that were large enough to sail across oceans.

So remember yesterday (because I am posting this on Friday at midnight cst) was #spiritday and go vote. Vote for Frank underwood if you have to (and can write in someone) or veyron supreme or that guy John oliver mentions on his show recently.