The title speaks for itself. Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates. Congratulations on surviving the onslaught of music, lights, and jolly specials to all of us who just want to make it to December 26th. Seriously, it seems to get more extreme every year. Anyway, enjoy this holiday about a magical immortal who brings joy to others by reading a book about a magical immortal who . . . gets into violent brawls. Check out War of Nytefall: Loyalty!
Can’t say I’m surprised that Christmas Eve is also ‘Last Minute Shopping Day’. Well, I hope everyone hasn’t fallen into that category. That way, you can just relax at home and rest up for whatever happens at night. I assume the tree covered in lights comes to life and you have to survive its wrath until Santa Claus comes down the chimney with a milk-and-cookie-powered flamethrower to save you. I’m guessing the wreath creates a protected room you can hide in and the presents act as tripping hazards for the enraged tree? Anyway, enjoy the funnies.
Made it through the last week of work and now I get a week of Holiday Break. It was a little touch and go halfway through in terms of health. Don’t know why, but the final push towards this break always comes with a chorus of coughs and sneezes. I probably caught a small cold near the end, but I’m already feeling better. Mostly, I needed more sleep and fluids. We’ll see if it stays away.
The week wasn’t that exciting because it was before the break. My son had a bunch of schoolwork, so I did that and Pokemon Go with him. The first part of the break he’s with his mom, which meant spending as much relaxing time with him as possible. Last weekend was tons of Pokemon Go, including a brave trip to the mall during the holiday season. Yeah, that game was the key event since we couldn’t do much else with the remaining time after homework. The ‘life event’ got worked on too, which resulted in a lot of painful inner analysis. I’d love to talk about that, but I can’t because it’s too personal and could cause trouble. At least I have 5 days to think and get other stuff done.
Writing didn’t happen. I tried, but the outline for Darwin & the Joy Path has collected some dust. I’ll try to finish that this weekend. I want to dig into ‘Phi Beta Files’ and try to get through at least the supporting cast and the first book. Still leaning towards short stories that connect to create a whole tale. Would episodic be the way to describe this type of book? Either way, I’m going to try my best to work on that since January already has some projects waiting. The writing of Darwin & the Joy Path and the editing of Darwin & the Fate Bracelet. 2024 should be productive even if other areas of my life are going to be painful.
As usual, my life has been fairly boring in terms of writing. Didn’t play any video games or do any February blog posts. When your goal is mostly to make it to the end of the week in good health, you don’t do much. Sleeping with the CPAP machine is going really well. I had one rough night due to stomach issues, but not enough that my score went lower than a 97. Looking at this as a video game helps me keep it going. I’m hoping to ween myself off the Zzzquil I’ve been using since January too. Last night was a full dose, but I’m going to try a half or 3/4 dose tonight. Wonder if I could just not use it and see how long it takes for exhaustion to reset my system. Probably not a good idea, so I’ll be happy to get it to a half dose by the end of the break.
Today, I’m not going to be doing any outlining until later. It really depends on how long it takes for me to build this:
This is a headboard that has LED lights and a phone charging station. For over 13 years, I’ve been using an old headboard my dad made when I was in high school. It’s good, but untreated wood and doesn’t span the whole bed. The height on that one isn’t good because my head goes into the shelf unless I stuff pillows into it. So, I found this one on sale and it’s been sitting in a box in my room all week. A nice building project should be a nice way to start the break. I’ll tinker with the outline once I’m done. Mostly, I’m happy to have lights, so I no longer have to get out of bed to turn off the ceiling light when I’m already comfortable. Small things in life.
Beyond the headboard and outline, I’ve got very little planned. My friends are either far away or with their families. I don’t get time with my son until Wednesday night, so we’ll have some plans for after that. Local museum has their ‘Video Games through the Decades’ arcade set up, so we can go play there for a few hours. Mostly, I just want to relax and enjoy myself. January is going to be busy and brutal with a lot of things already planned out, especially in regards to the ‘life event’. To be honest, I’m already dreading 2024 and hoping for 2025 to be better. Doesn’t say much, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s not going to be a pleasant 2024.
Let’s just dive into goals of the week:
Google Image Search
This is another one of those topics that I had on my list and totally forgot what inspired it or where to go. Yet, I do feel compelled to write about it. Not because I have a lot to say, but I’m curious as to what people think.
We all know that intimidation is when a person threatens another person into submission or some kind of activity. This is typically done without using physical force, but that isn’t a standard. In fiction, it’s more common for a character to do this through words, facial expressions, posture, or their reputation. Intimidating another character is a sign of strength and general toughness. They get what they want because they know how to push people the right way.
Then there are times when a character is intimidating by accident. Most times this is done for comedic effect. The intimidating character is there to do something benign or unrelated to what the others are up to. Yet, their presence makes a villain think twice about acting or even blurt out a secret. There might some actions being taken that are threatening when taken out of context. For example, the intimidating character picking up a knife at a store could make a villain think they are about to attack, but they’re really out shopping for a birthday present. Again, this is for comedy.
I’ve seen a few scenes where the physical intimidation is mixed with verbal, which takes a lot of skill. The character will talk either directly to the unintentional target or to someone else in a vague way, which can be taken as threatening. You need to get very good at writing sentences that can have two meanings depending on the situation. I’m still trying to get the hang of that, which is why I’ve never attempted this. I think adding a verbal effect helps in selling the accidental intimidation too because it touches on more than the target’s sense of sight. Now, they’re hearing things that make them scared.
Another aspect of this type of thing could be the character’s physical appearance. I noticed that they tend to be big, muscular, angry face and sometimes scars. They don’t always look intimidating, but they happen to be in a mood during the scene. I think I remember this happening in ‘Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple’ when at least one of his teachers showed up and accidentally scared Kenichi’s opponents. The guy was big, muscular, scarred, etc. and was giving off an angry aura without meaning to. I think that’s how it went. All I really remember is that he was confused on why people were afraid of him, which tends to be a big part of the punchline.
Does anyone else have any thoughts or examples of this type of minor plot twist? Any that aren’t done for comedy?
Google Image Search
(Today and next Thursday are collections. I forgot that I put all of my haiku into one file, which reached 13 pages. So, I split the collection in half. Also, I know haiku are supposed to be about nature, so not all of these fall under the category. Just don’t remember what you call a non-nature poem that goes 5-7-5 like a haiku. Sure somebody in the comments will answer that. Enjoy.)
Skeletal Hands in the Sky
Boney hands stretch out
Across the velvet night sky
Bringing lethal light
Creepy When You’re Nice
You try to cheer me
When you are the cause of pain
Do you think me dumb?
An Honest Question
What is your excuse
When you are asked at the end
If you lived your life
Another Honest Question
Do you have a friend
A compadre by your side
To help your life go by
False Survival
Eat the servant’s pill
And give up your very soul
To the greed machine
Secret Level
All gamers seek you
But only the best will reach
Without a walkthrough
Mountains of Shadow and Light
Mirror of my soul
As I gaze at the mountains
Half dark and half light
Fucking Bring It!
This shit ends today
I will no longer sit still
Freedom will be mine
R.B.M.L.
Read between my lines
See the story behind words
It may make you think
New Smell
My deodorant
Smells of cherries and vodka
I bought the wrong type
The Rabbit to Your Fox
I feel like your prey
A helpless jackrabbit trapped
Toyed with at your whim
We Have a House, so Why Are You Here?
My pen is in hand
Yet you sit within my reach
There are other rooms
Traffic Clot
The cars go nowhere
But I see the open space
We are traffic clot
Bumper Bitch
I see you back there
Nostrils flaring and eyes bulged
Hit my car and pay
The People That I Meet
My identity
Is forged by all the people
I meet on my path
A Sense of Something Broken
Something has broken
Leaving me drained and dying
I need time to heal
Drowning on Land
My body is soaked
With no shower to take blame
I pray for cool breeze
Endless Question of My Life
How do I succeed?
When all my time is taken
By those around me
Oddly Soothing
I watch the fan spin
Mesmerized by whirring blades
As I drift to sleep
Bad Timing
Inspiration hits
A fresh idea to work on
But I have no pen
Take a Step
Wander far from home
With no destination known
See where you end up
Were You Actually Listening?
You had two choices
Yet you answered yes or no
Need I ask again?
Ignorant Fool
Surrounded by fools
Never using common sense
Am I the real fool?
Lingering Burns upon My Spirit
Invisible scars
I still feel upon my mind
Making me hold back
Like the Moon and Tide
Rain changes our mood
The sound and smell takes our heart
Which way do you turn?
Dripping Blood into the Drain
Daily bloodletting
Flowing from the leg or chin
In the name of smooth
Giving With a Motive
You give to others
To get something in return
How dark is your soul?
Wisdom of the Jester
He speaks what he sees
Passing off the truth as jokes
Sage disguised as fool
Students for Life
Learning all the time
In the classroom and the world
We stop when we die
Bully
Predators of school
Drawn to the scent of weakness
Pain is all they know
Respect Where You Came From
We grow from our past
While the fools mock history
Proving their short sight
The Nameless
Ever watch a film
Wondering about the life
Of those with no name
Why Do I Even Try?
I plan for future
And every time I fail
When should I give up?
You Can Only Be One
Winners and losers
Two sides to every life
Do you know your side?
Finicky Feaster
You scoff at the meal
Picky mouth before manners
I pity your tongue
No True Master
Claim to know it all
You call yourself a master
You just stopped learning
Running on E
It’s a scary trip
Never knowing when it ends
Pray you do not crash
Lost Time
Those hours are gone
You will never regain them
Move on with your day
Red Light
I see the red light
Blocking all forward motion
Life at a stand still
Wednesday
Half my week is gone
The other half looms ahead
Already I yawn
Stumbling Toward the Weaker Years
As the years pile on
I feel my body rusting
Why do we waste youth?
Nature’s Alarm Clock
Tiny bird on sill
Singing at the rising sun
Why at my window?
Master of Mistakes
Each step a mistake
He keeps stumbling forward
Last fall coming soon
The Chill Begins
I can see my breath
The air striking like a lash
Summer is no more
Learning Curve
Learn from each mistake
Growing wiser with each year
No one is perfect
Bravery of Fools
A challenge to one
Is another’s foolish task
How brave do you feel?
Imagination Cataract
Once my dreams were bright
Then one day they fell to fog
Now my thoughts are gray
Spider-Man and Venom
The temptation to turn a popular villain into a hero can be pretty strong. To do this, you need to make the two enemies stop wanting to kill each other. Might not be an easy task because just saying ‘they get along now’ doesn’t work. You have to put effort into the change. So, what can help with this?
Ichabod Brooks
Would you believe he first appeared on this blog in April of 2013? Well he did and here’s the post.
Originally Ichabod Jones, he started as a name that I couldn’t get out of my head. I decided to peek down the rabbit hole after a few weeks of wondering why I liked that name. Not much happened for several months, but one day a story evolved around Ichabod. He was a loner in a world where people lived above a toxic cloud. He was one of the few who could ‘dive’ into the old world and not be poisoned by the pollution. So he would take assignments to recover items for people. This was going to be a book where Ichabod got involved in rebels, survivors on the surface, and the truth behind the fate of the world. It never made it beyond a brief explanation in one of my many notebooks. So our apathetic hero remained in slumber until I wrote the poem in April and forgot him again.
Bring us to earlier this year and I found myself in the darker parts of Legends of Windemere. Heroic spirits were being battered, Stephen was having sadistic fun, hearts were being stomped, and I really needed something more simple and upbeat to write. I saw my son playing and got the idea of a short story where the hero was a father. At first, he was going to travel with the kid like ‘Lone Wolf & Cub‘. I’d never read that, but I knew of the basic concept. Then everything changed by having the hero become a family man that is simply trying to earn a living. At this point I wanted to make the man before I settled on the adventure and life details.
I remembered Ichabod Jones and changed him into the middle-aged father/husband with a reputation for taking on dangerous jobs. The personality came about as writing, but I started with the idea that he was dedicated to his family. He talks and thinks about them quite often. Even a part of his contract involves allowing him to claim a souvenir for his son. This was the new hero of Windemere, who wasn’t going to have epic struggles like Luke Callindor. He was only out to make a living and sometimes his assignments went a little out of whack.
Now for anybody who remembers a few months ago, Ichabod Jones was revealed to already exist in a comic book. Entirely different character and world, but why take the risk? So I took suggestions and votes where ‘Brooks’ took the gold medal. I’ve gotten used to calling him Ichabod Brooks and I like what he’s become. How many adventures will he have? I don’t know. It really depends on the reception, but he might become a summer release and, if he gets enough traction, I’ll try to make the next one a compilation of short stories. So fingers are crossed that Ichabod is greeted with positivity and can be a recurring hero for me to work with.
2023 Thoughts– I made the above post long ago before his short story came out. It would be a year later that I published The Life & Times of Ichabod Brooks. People really enjoyed the character and I loved writing him. He stood out from my other heroes due to him showing his age and being focused on providing for family. Ichabod wasn’t trying to save the world or defeat a great evil. He took jobs for money because his family had to eat and bills don’t pay themselves. Will I ever write the rest of the Ichabod Brooks stories? I don’t know. The books never sold even though people enjoyed his adventures when I posted excerpts. Maybe I’ll get the last 11 that I have notes on finished one day and give him some closure. Only time will tell.
Vegeta, Goku, and Piccolo
For those who don’t know the Dragon Ball franchise, I will explain. Goku is the guy in the middle who has been the main hero since the beginning. Piccolo (green guy on right) was the final villain of the original Dragon Ball series. When Dragon Ball Z began, Piccolo slowly began turning into a good guy and eventually befriended Goku. Vegeta (angry guy on left) was one of the early main villains of DBZ. He eventually became an ally of Goku even though he really hated him. Not sure I can go with friends, but I haven’t seen the newest series. Anyway, these two were enemies of Goku and then they became allies.
The ‘enemy turned ally’ trope is fairly common though. I remember it in comics like whenever Magento joined the X-Men. There have been video games where you get to play a long-standing villain such as when Bowser teamed up with Mario in ‘Super Mario RPG’. Plenty of novels have this trope too. One could even call it cliche, but it’s one that I never seem to see get any pushback. Not on a grand scale, at least. The turn is usually accepted at some point as long as things are done well. I guess an author who wouldn’t do it well might not keep an audience long enough to do the turn too. Then again, I might just be lucky and not found many terrible ones.
I’ve always found this character twist to be fun. You have this villain, who is typically defeated and replaced by a stronger one. Since they aren’t dead, they can still be active in the story. The choices tend to be join the new baddie as a henchman or decide to join the hero. This ties into redemption arcs, which I think appeal to people because it gives us hope for forgiveness in our own lives. It can also create some interesting friction and comedic sparring since you can’t have the former enemies be friendly right away. Well, you can, but it might seem forced. The angles you can go at this subplot are fairly numerous because you can take it in a variety of ways.
Now, you might wonder why an author would do this too. I know I have. I think it can usually come down to two things:
I’m sure people can think of why this shouldn’t be done. A villain who has crossed certain lines really can’t become close friends with a true hero. They might work together if forced, but there isn’t a solid relationship there. I’m not talking about villains who are routinely trying to betray their new side here, but ones that genuinely try to change their ways. There’s a limit to what people will forgive for though, which is understandable. It isn’t the same for every person too, so you need to prepare for some backlash. This should be why you don’t see this trope very often, but you do see it a lot. Maybe most modern villains aren’t as evil as the ones in the past?
Anyway, what do you think of heroes and former villains becoming friends? Any favorite examples?
When you hear the word ‘lynx’, you probably think of a single type of animal. Those of us in the USA probably pictured a bobcat. Well, there are actually 4 species of lynx and one of them is the bobcat. They all look fairly similar with the smallest being the bobcat and Canadian lynx and the biggest being the Eurasian lynx. What else can we say about these small cats?
While these cats can differ in color and slightly in size, they share many physical similarities. All of them have tufts of hair on their ears and long whiskers. Their paws are large and padded to allow for walking on the snow. As you go further north, the lynx species get thicker fur and wider paws to handle more snow. They have ruffs under their neck and white fur on their bellies, chests, and inner legs. Like all cats, they are carnivores and feed on a variety of animals.
Three of the four species are considered ‘not threatened’, but the Iberian lynx is critically endangered. It has begun to recover in some areas, but still has a long way to go until it is out of danger of extinction. There are several reasons for the Iberian lynx populations shrinking. One is that their main prey are rabbits and various epidemics have reduced their food source. High speed roads were put through the Iberian lynx territory, so they got hit by cars a lot until preventive measures were begun. Then, you have the usual habitat destruction and illegal hunting because OF COURSE those are causes.
Let’s get to the pictures and videos.
Bobcat
Canadian Lynx
Eurasian Lynx
Iberian Lynx
All I managed to outline for Darwin & the Joy Path was the first 8 chapters. That’s good, but it’s looking like it’ll be 17-18 chapters. It took me most of Saturday to do this, so I’m a little bummed that I didn’t get further. Haircut, shopping, and biking didn’t cause much of a delay. I just had trouble figuring things out and focusing. Guess this means I won’t be writing the book until after New Years. I’ll use the break to finish the outline, work on ‘Phi Beta Files’, and do February blog posts. This is what happens when most of my friends are far away or have family stuff. I get ‘me time’, but there’s a twinge of loneliness after the first day or two.
Anyway, this week was as busy as I expected. Monday may have been the only ‘normal’ day. Last Sunday was potato latkes with the family, but half of them couldn’t make it due to illness. They showed up Tuesday after work/school, which meant we did the big Hanukkah meal that day. Wednesday was my son’s Winter Concert, which was amazing and he did great in the chorus. Thursday had appointments including one that revolved around the ‘life event’. Friday was a field trip at school, which went fairly well. Then, it was home to do laundry since the weekend is going to be crazy.
I usually go into detail with a lot of what I just blurted out, but I’m so exhausted. It was all I could do to get to bed at a decent hour. Surprised I managed to finish a puzzle and a single February post. It wasn’t the sleep apnea type of fatigue, but one born from not being able to rest. My mind and body could only handle so much. I can feel them wearing away at the edges, which is why I didn’t push myself when I was done with work, parenting, and appointments. Next week should be less insane, which means I can tinker with the outline for Darwin & the Joy Path.
Speaking of Darwin, I wrote up the blurb for his first book. Been sitting on it for a month and looking at it again. Decided to schedule it for a test post in January, which gives me time to tinker some more. I’m trying something different than what I did with my previous series. Part of it is born from me deciding that I have nothing to lose by taking a risk and unleashing my impulses. Basically, Darwin is going to be doing the blurbs instead of this stuffy author. Will it be tight and on point? Not as much as serious one would be, but you’ll get the plot and a sense of what our new hero is like. Worrying that I’m having him shed some of his habits in the later books, but I guess it’s a sign that he’s maturing and getting a handle on things. We’ll see if this plays out in the blurbs.
This weekend is booked solid. My son has an evaluation for his services today and then we’re off to a 3 hour Pokemon Go event. If we complete everything quickly, we’ll be back home for hot cocoa and television. Sunday is ‘Godzilla Minus One’ matinee and then Part II of the Pokemon Go event. It’s raining, so we’re going to be heading to a mall, which will be insane. Not the smartest idea, but we can’t go wandering through the rain. Don’t want to get sick right before break. The rest of the week is going to be low key with only a few appointments. Looking forward to that.
As far as free time, I’m not doing a lot when I try to relax. Watching a show on Amazon called ‘Almost Paradise’, which I’ve had on my list for a while. It’s an action crime show that’s pretty good. Stories feel standard, but I always feel these shows are more about the characters. Main one suffers from high blood pressure, so I can relate on that level. Nice to take a break from animated shows too. I say this knowing I’m going to jump to ‘Vox Machina’ and ‘Invincible’ once I finish this show. At least, I think I will, but it depends on what I feel will be the best to have running while I pondering ‘Phi Beta Files’. Be nice to finish that series foundation before the end of the year.
Let’s jump to the goals of the week:
Legends of Windemere 