Revisiting Origins: Fizzle

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Cover by Alison Hunt

Fizzle is probably the most popular character of Legends of Windemere.  He isn’t a champion, but he might as well be in the eyes of some readers.  It reached a point where I was getting requests for a Fizzle book.  This is when I tried some ‘Fizzle only’ scenes and I realized that I couldn’t go for very long with him as the central character.  As popular as he is, the little dragon worked best as a supporting mascot and occasional timely rescue delivery service.  Now, who or what is Fizzle in more detail for those who haven’t read the series?

In the first book, Luke Callindor meets this small dragon (called a drite) with red dragonfly wings, a really long tail, hallucinogenic/sleeping gas breath, powerful magic, and the speech pattern of a small child.  That last trait is because he learned trade-speak from a child, so this improved a bit over the course of the adventure.  Fizzle is the guardian of Visindor Forest who decides to travel with his new friend because he wants to be of help.  He has never left his home before, so he is very curious, especially when it comes to his favorite food.  This would be apples and some comedy happens surrounding the fruit.  He acted as a secondary caster and a stealth operative when he could.  As cool as that sounds, his main role was to be used when I needed a non-champion agent to settle something.  This is because he was the main Non-Player Character of the DM in the original game, so he was really stuck in that roll.

That isn’t to say Fizzle is hardly used in the series because I slipped him into scenes as much as I could.  This became much more essential when I saw how popular he was.  I couldn’t give him his own book, but I did rewrite all of the outlines from Volume 5-15 to have more Fizzle.  In the game, he went into hibernation for what would be the 4th volume adventure, so I kept that to give myself time to rethink him.  Drites sleep for several weeks to come back stronger and the heroes were heading back to Visindor Forest anyway.  I had it that Fizzle was gifted with extra ‘strength’, which only appeared in two forms.  One was more obvious than the other:

  1. Obvious one is that he had some resistance to Stephen Kernaghan’s magic.  This wouldn’t last for the whole story, but it was enough to protect the champions when they were weaker.  Fizzle also kind of gained this ‘stealth’ ability where the villains would ignore him and he’d get a sucker punch.  Again, this would lose it’s usefulness once they realized that they had to pay attention to the little guy.  Still, he’d get some good shots in at times and his magic certainly increased.
  2. The less obvious upgrade given to him by Gabriel the Destiny God is that he was able to continue along a fate path that he wasn’t meant to be on.  Nearly everyone else who follows the champions meets bad luck because it isn’t their destiny to do more than support for a bit.  Fizzle goes with them to the very end.  He is able to be a strong factor in events instead of a spectator or innocent bystander.  A few readers were calling him a secret champion, which isn’t too far off.  (Though, another character might have a stronger claim to that title.)

Perhaps one of the best uses of Fizzle is that I used him to ask questions about the world I was building.  I began this tactic with Luke Callindor, but it switched to Fizzle since he was out of his forest for the first time.  Since I write in present tense, I can’t do flashbacks and info dumps of history are clunky.  Having characters ask questions is one of the best ways to do it, so I used Fizzle for this when I really wanted to share something.  That didn’t mean he understood either, but the information came about.  I did try to do some social commentary when he ran into a homeless child in the sewers, but I don’t think that worked as well as I planned.  It would make sense for a creature living in the wild to be confused about how the ‘civilized’ beings let a child suffer, especially when he’s seen beasts adopt abandoned children.  Sadly, I really couldn’t get beyond a conversation between him and Luke Callindor about it because it didn’t fit the tone of the book.  (I think I’ve gotten better at putting serious stuff into my books though.)

A side-note that isn’t much about his origins:  I really wish I knew of a way to make Fizzle plushies.  I’m sure those would sell or work great as swag.  Haven’t had any luck finding a way to do it.

2023 Addition–  Clearly, Fizzle is still going strong in my mind.  After all, he’s the Do I Need to Use a Dragon? mascot.  I will probably have him return in cameos whenever I get a chance.  It won’t be easy though since he isn’t traveling any more.  I have to admit that I don’t think I would really change much about Fizzle if I had to write my first series again.  Sure, I would love to have given him more scenes and stuff to do, but that might have resulted in oversaturation.  The scenes where he was alone were difficult since he was typically alone and it was mostly action.  Those were good for what they were and helped give him times to shine, but I think they worked out so well because they didn’t happen all of the time.  He wasn’t a warrior either, so I don’t think I could have had him in the action any more than he was.  Yeah, I probably hit the perfect level of Fizzle, which is satisfying since I tended to forget about him in the initial outlines.

Posted in Character Origins, do I need to use a dragon, Legends of Windemere | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

I’m Just a Hero for Fun

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Saitama

So, I was showing my son the anime called ‘One Punch Man’.  This is about a guy named Saitama who became so strong that he defeats every enemy with one punch.  He lives in a world of monsters, villains, and heroes.  Since he couldn’t get a job, he decided to train and become a ‘Hero for Fun’.  Then the series and comedy begins.  Anyway, his motivation got me thinking about hero types.  Let’s start with Saitama.

I don’t think there are a lot of heroes who fall into this category.  They certainly don’t stay there for very long.  Even Saitama is clearly doing heroics at times to keep people safe and help them out.  So, this could be a fairly common newbie motivation.  It makes sense in a world of heroes or one where hero stories are popular.  A person could focus on the excitement of hero life while ignoring any of the challenges.  This would prompt them to start the path because they want that type of life.  Any monetary or justice factors don’t come into play for them until they get older.

Now, that excitement and adrenaline rush is really what draws them in.  It could also be a desire for a challenge too.  The funny thing is that we tend to see this motivations in villains more often than heroes.  Even if a hero does amazing things to grasp victory, the excitement and challenge aren’t the focus of their desires.  They are by-products that the hero either doesn’t fully acknowledge or wishes to avoid because they tend to come with complications.  Some villains, on the other hand, turn to crime for the challenge and thrill of not getting caught.  This is probably why a ‘Hero for Fun’ eventually shifts their motivation to something more noble.  In the end, the desire simply to have fun and be challenged is fairly selfish.

Does that make this hero a bad person?  No because they are still doing good.  They might be less likely to consider property damage, but you can still rationalize them making sure people don’t get hurt.  There is still a level of empathy and concern in their hearts, which is why they aren’t villains. A hero for fun will take some joy out of saving people because they will get praise and a rush from the ensuing attention.  They would also know that letting people die could get them in trouble and stop their fun.  Property damage might not factor into this because they’ve probably seen many heroes cause destruction, but they never get the blame.  In these kinds of stories, authors just ignore that part of the scenario to allow for heroes to continue having big fights.  The hero for fun can thrive in this situation due to there being no penalty for destruction.

As I said before, these types of heroes tend to evolve into doing it for another reason.  That doesn’t mean they stop having fun though.  Simply put, they mature and put on a different persona.  They might still joke around, take risks, or do whatever else made them stand out as a challenge-seeking hero.  Yet, they temper this with statements and actions that show a newer sense of responsibility.  Maybe they start thinking more carefully before jumping into a fight or try to talk villains out of battles.  They no longer come off as a selfish, prideful adrenaline junkie, but a sensible, noble hero.

Another factor that can change them is boredom.  Using Saitama as an example, he became a hero for fun and now he defeats everyone with a single punch.  A part of the story is that he’s bored and no longer getting a thrill from being a hero.  He even feels like he is losing all emotions because nothing is a threat.  This mentality reduces their motivation to a shadow of its former self, which means they have to either find a new reason to be a hero or rekindle the fun.  The latter would probably be difficult for someone who feels no sense of danger when they are in action, so they are more likely to continue for money or justice.  Sometimes, they may even quit and only come out of retirement if they think a challenge has appeared.

I guess this all means that the ‘Hero for Fun’ type is temporary and kind of ephemeral.  A character usually can’t stay that way for forever.  They eventually have to evolve into a different type or they become stale.  Not only for the author or the audience, but for themselves too.  They would need to find increasingly exciting challenges in order to continue, but there’s certainly a limit.  Inevitably, they will take on a challenge that is so difficult and massive that nothing can top it.  After that, they won’t be having the same level of fun, which is the situation Saitama is in.

So, what do you think of the ‘Hero for Fun’ type?

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Tragedy and Real Events in Fiction

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Hey, SE Readers. Joan with you. Today is the twenty-second anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on America. Most everyone who was alive …

Tragedy and Real Events in Fiction
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Apple Picking Day

Posted on September 10, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

My family tries to do this every year, but it’s not always successful.  Much of it depends on me having my son on a weekend that everyone else is free.  Well, it worked out this year, so off we go.  Might add some apples to my chopped salad lunches too.  Enjoy some funnies while I’m toiling in the sun. (Wow.  I didn’t realize most memes were making fun of or flat out insulting people who went apple picking.  Seeing this a lot when I search for topics, so are people just more hateful?)

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Goal Post: A Whole New Schedule

Posted on September 9, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Well, I didn’t get the writing done that I wanted to last weekend.  It was a 3-day weekend, so I thought I could get two chapters done in Darwin & the Beast Collector.  I only managed one on Saturday and that was me pulling off three sections in one day.  That might have been my downfall.  On Sunday, I was exhausted and couldn’t really focus.  This has been an issue since last summer where I would do a heavy writing day and then be out of sorts the next day.  No idea why this happens since I’m not running around and I’m staying hydrated.  Sadly, this means my progress is going to be slower than expected.

Another factor might have been that I didn’t sleep well on Saturday night.  My sleep apnea reared its head pretty harshly alongside stress giving me messed up dreams.  This brought some fatigue carrying over from Sunday into Monday, which I used more for errands and chores.  Maybe my whole issue is time management since I have less to work with than my old, high productivity heydays.  We’ll see what I can pull off next weekend, which might only be one chapter.  It’s a big one though, so I’ll be happy to get it done.

Okay, a third factor might be that I downloaded ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge’ on the Nintendo Switch.  With the big life event going on, I thought I could use some video game distraction when I was feeling stressed.  It worked a little too well and I kept playing it for hours at a time.  Was it good for my overall productivity?  No.  Did it help with my mental state?  Probably.

The biggest thing going on this week was my son starting high school.  This took a lot of attention away from writing since I had to coordinate things with the ex-wife to get everything ready.  So much to figure out and juggle, especially since he’s always anxious about school years.  It’s tripled when it’s a new school.  Needless to say, we had some rough mornings made worse by him having to wake up much earlier than he’s used to.  It means less time to relax with cartoons and get ready for the day.  Hoping he gets the hang of it soon, but I barely function at 5:30 wake-ups.  Plus side, he aced his first quiz and his classes don’t seem that daunting.  Scariest one I’ve seen is Algebra 1, which is going to be bumpy at best.  Kids have to memorize perfect squares now?

My fight to improve my health is still going strong.  I think.  I’ve decided to have homemade chopped salads for lunches.  I make a big one Sunday night to cover 2-3 days and then make another Wednesday night to cover the rest of the week.  These were more filling than I expected, which might be why I was dozing off soon after.  This week, I had arugula, baby spinach, almond slivers, cashews, corn, chick peas, heart of palms, tomatoes, grilled chicken, black olives, and banana peppers.  Ended up doing a big shopping trip on Wednesday to stockpile a bunch of canned vegetables and other possible ingredients.  It all tastes good, which is a positive.  Really not sure about the overall healthiness of these, but it’s better than fast food and sandwiches.  More filling than only fruit too.

Nothing else really occurred here.  I get my home sleep apnea test next weekend, which means I’ll be one step closer to solving that issue.  Cardiologist said my heart was fine, but cholesterol is a problem as usual.  That should be changing with the dietary shift to more fruits and vegetables.  If not then I no longer have any clue how the human body works and assume all dietary advice is bunk.

This coming week should be more of the same, but with fewer appointments.  It does end with Rosh Hashana, which means I won’t be writing Friday night.  This is why I assume I’ll only get one chapter done.  I’ll use the other nights of the week to get November blog posts taken care of.  Not going to get ambitious and try for a chapter section when I should be focusing more on sleep.

Speaking of blogging, I’m not really sure what to do on Sundays.  It’s always been a hodgepodge day where I had memes, random thoughts, and animal posts.  Tomorrow is about apple picking even though the trip triggering the post is canceled.  I’m too lazy to change the post to that too.  Anyway, I’m looking at animals, but I don’t know if I can do enough research on them to make it worthwhile.  Thought about doing national days, but the next couple Sundays don’t have anything exciting.  Wish I had a new blog post idea to tinker with, but nothing is coming to mind.  Still trying to maintain my blogging streak, which is at 2,647.  Kind of a sad victory, but it’s all I have some days.

Goals of the week?

  1. Rest up for work.
  2. Spend time with son when not resting.
  3. Help son with high school.
  4. Write one chapter of Darwin & the Beast Collector.
  5. Work on November blog posts.
  6. Exercise and eat salads.
  7. Sleep apnea test.
  8. Puzzle time to relax.
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Benny’s Bountiful Bed Boutique

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Simpsons

Good morning and welcome to our store.  I can see by the bags under your eyes that you’re in need of restful sleep.  Then, you have come to the right place.  All of our beds are designed for your needs.  From the frame to the mattress to the linens, we will not rest until you are satisfied.

Now, let’s start with one of the most important parts.  That is the frame, which is what stops you from sleeping on a mattress alone.  We have simple rails with wheels and extravagant multi-posters.  Our maximum for posts is ten because things get rather silly when you go higher than that.  There are bunk beds in double and triple varieties.  Our frames can be made from metal, wood, plastic, stone, and enchanted paper from the Snoring Forest.  Don’t go there without ear protection.  We do have a sale on metal frames that have ornamental animal headboards.  The beasts act as protectors when you sleep, but they might not recognize pets and children for a week or two.  You will have to train them to avoid any accidents.  Besides that, all of our frames are enchanted to be sturdy, silent when moved, and not scratch the floors.  You can also install various dimensional pockets underneath for storage, but this means nobody should be hiding there or they could be lost to the ethereal nothingness.

Next we have our customers’ favorite part of the process, which is the mattress.  Yes, we do have box springs if you want, but they are all the same with silence spells.  You can turn those off if you wish to have it squeak, which young couples and small children seem to prefer.  Anyway, the mattress comes in all sizes and varieties that include pillow top, memory foam, adjustable, and whatever else is on the market.  The real fun is in the additions.  One of our top sellers is the self-flipping mattress, which does so every time you change the sheets.  This prevents sagging.  I would recommend the self-cleaning enchantment too because it can handle any mess.  Here is a list of fragrances that it will release upon completion.  Other options are a gentle massaging spell, a built-in oil diffuser if you wish, small wound repair system, health monitoring system, and several others that will enhance the quality of your sleep.

To get your sleep to the next level, we need to get you matching linens.  Our pillows are soft and moldable with the ability to keep your head at the perfect temperature.  We can install specific dreams that they will grant you as well.  If you don’t want anything specific, you can get a general effect such as an excitement dream, vacation dream, or even a nightmare one if you wish.  While it is expensive, our top pillow can be connected to the Internet and be set up with around 50 dreams.  You can choose the one you want before you put your head down or let it be a random generation.  There is also an enchantment that sets up a psychic alarm, which will gently wake you up at a determined time.  It will jolt you awake if you ignore it for thirty minutes.

Sheets come in all colors and the fitted ones are self-folding because nobody really has the desire to waste time with that battle.  We have a variety of scents if you want to go that route.  Softness can be checked on this wall where we have all of our options set up for touching.  My favorite addition to our sheets is this one that captures and analyzes germs while you sleep.  It can release a mild medication to handle things such as a cold, but it really shines in notifying your doctor if there is a problem.  Combine it with the health monitoring system and we can create a bed that will run you to a hospital in case of emergencies.  Other sheet options are tent configurations, allergen nullification, boogeyman repellant, and soothing, talking images.

Finally, we come to our blankets . . . Nothing much to tell you about this other than you choose the colors.  Well, we do have weighted blankets, which adjust to whoever is underneath.  If you have two people then they will change whatever section is being touched by each person.  All of our blankets come with anxiety erasing spells, anti-dry air magic, automatic temperature adjustment, bathroom sense and escort system, and fabric regeneration.  You can always bring these in to trade for another color and style.  That is the least we can do to make sure you have the best sleep possible.  Enjoy.

Posted in Olde Shoppe Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Writing through the generations

Posted on September 8, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Hello, SE friends! Over these last months, I’ve focused on personality traits that might be useful in developing characters. Today I’m launching a …

Writing through the generations
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Poetry Day: First Snow

Posted on September 7, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Yahoo Image Search

(This is pretty obvious.  One stanza is how kids look at snow and the other is for adults.  Funny how our perception of snow changes as we age.)

Children cheer for it.
The sign it’s time to play.
A coating of white
Across the graying world.
The children get up early
And race to play outside.
Knowing school is cancelled
For at least a single day.

 

Adults shiver in its wake.
The sign of work and cold.
A heavy blanket of white
Upon the cars and paths
The adults stumble out early
With shovel clenched in hand.
Knowing work will still go on
Unless they lose a payday.

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7 Tips to Sleeping . . . As If I Should Talk

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Comfy Homer

Contrary to what some people think, sleep is very important.  It also isn’t the same for everyone.  Some people need the suggested 8 hours.  Others need more and others can function on less.  It’s about finding what works for you.  Unfortunately, broken sleep can be caused by outside influence and lead to a lot of health problems.  Weight gain, fatigue, unhealthy eating for energy, heart problems, brain problems, and the list can keep going as to what can happen.  As for the causes, you have stress, sleep apnea, noises, uncomfortable beds, room temperature, restless partners, and that list goes on as well.  So, what are some unscientific tips to sleep?

  1. Don’t compare your sleep habits to others.  This can result in you trying to copy someone when your body needs a different system.  For example, a friend might nap a lot and this allows them to sleep less at night.  You might be able to mimic that, but your body might have different needs.  This is compounded by your schedule and life possibly being different enough that naps aren’t going to help.
  2. If you snore, don’t feel shame.  Yes, this could be a sign of sleep apnea and other physical issues.  Note that I said physical.  You’re already possibly getting less sleep than you realize, but stressing about snoring can cause you to make things worse.  It isn’t like you do this on purpose even though fiction and certain members of society act like snoring is a conscious act.  Talk to a doctor about it if it becomes a major problem and see what can be done.
  3. If you have a night job and need to sleep during the day, you may want to create a more peaceful atmosphere.  Silence all phones, get sun-blocking curtains to go over windows, and maybe noise-cancelling headphones.  Unfortunately, night jobs are common, but society operates as if everyone is awake during the day.  So, you need to find ways to increase your chances of an undisturbed sleep.
  4. Try not to go to bed excited or stressed.  These emotions will not dissolve the moment your eyes close.  In fact, they may mean that you are not going to get enough deep sleep to fully recover your energy.  The human body wakes up through cortisol, which comes from the adrenal gland and is increased under stress.  If you already have a lot in your system, you could wake up with a panic attack and/or very early.
  5. Constantly having a bad night’s sleep could have something to do with your bed.  It’s expensive to get a new mattress, but you might be able to get a pad to put under the sheets.  There are also cool pillows, cooling pillowcases, cooling sheets, and other linens designed to give you a more comfortable sleep.  Can’t go wrong with a weighted blanket too, but these work best if you don’t share the bed.
  6. Try to give yourself 30-60 minutes of non-screen time before bed.  This way, your mind and senses aren’t still overly stimulated from what you were watching.  Meditation, reading, and other non-electronic activities can help your body come down enough for sleep to be easier.
  7. Pick an alarm that isn’t going to jolt you out of bed.  This can undo a lot of the progress you made while sleeping.  It means you start the day stressed, startled, and pumping adrenaline.  Better alarms are softer ones, especially those that begin low and gradually get louder.
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A BIRD’S NEST AND THE WRITING PROCESS

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Charles Yallowitz

Hi SEers! Denise here to talk about the process of writing through an experience I had at home. When my husband and I returned home from Lake Tahoe, …

A BIRD’S NEST AND THE WRITING PROCESS
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