I mentioned on Monday that ‘Spy x Family’ has a girl who is a telepath, but nobody knows it. Meet Anya Forger. She knows her adopted father is a spy and her adopted mother is an assassin. By the way, the dog they adopt is a precog. Again, only Anya knows, which means she could be considered the pivotal character. She is aware of everything and doing her best to help. Of course, she’s only 6 (but probably younger), so you know a lot is going to go wrong. Plenty goes right too. Hence, her popularity and why I want to write about the pros and cons of secret telepaths.
Pro– You have a character that can act as a narrator. They are part of the action and know what is going on, so they are able to tell the audience. This can reduce the amount of dialog and info dumps.
Con– There are very few, if any, secrets from the audience if you have the telepath be the POV character. They will act as a spoiler and mean that big reveals are only for the other characters. The audience will know whatever they know because you need to show when they’re using their power. You can’t always say ‘they read this person’s mind already’ whenever you want. So, the audience will have limited ‘shock events’ when compared to a story without a telepath.
Pro– An increased chance of comedy and disaster because telepath’s are still human on some level. Just because they read a mind, doesn’t mean they understand what is being thought of. So, a telepath might take action to help or stop a person’s plan only to realize it was something else. Maybe the target was thinking about ice cream, but the telepath only starting listening when they talked about a stash in the freezer. Next thing you know, the cops are at the target’s home looking for a body or drugs when there’s nothing more than a secret collection of sweets.
Con– For the author, they always have to remember this character exists and is listening to thoughts. Eventually, their telepathy can become part of the background for the author like breathing and blinking. So, they might have this character react in a way that they wouldn’t since they know what is coming. Keep in mind that they should be hard to surprise if they are constantly using their powers or can’t block thoughts. Slipping up can make the character come off as fickle and unpolished.
Pro– The telepath can help clarify the intentions and plans of other characters. With only a formless narrator or the author giving this information, there can be misunderstandings. That is because those entities are typically portrayed as limited in scope to maintain some secrecy. It can backfire if you’re being too elusive and careful. So, a telepath can clear this up by exposing the thoughts of the other characters to the audience. As stated, it sacrifices some secrecy, but you gain the ability to firmly establish facts. It also means you can do the ‘thought’ portrayal without having to make it the italic dialogue sections or whatever you use, which can throw some readers off.
Con– The author can end up using this character as a crutch. By having them know everything, an author might routinely use them to clear up plot holes. This makes the telepath too central and powerful in terms of storytelling. They are still characters, so they need limits and faults. If they are now there to save the author from their own mistakes then they’re now a literary safeguard instead of a three-dimensional being. It can also cause its own plot holes when the telepath is reacting to information from a character they rarely interacted with. The idea that the telepath is constantly deep-probing for information turns them into a villain. So, an author needs to limit the use of this power while making it active enough to be a factor in events.
This the book where things got tricky with the series. War of Nytefall: Rivalrywas going to be a big turning point in the relationship between Clyde and Mab. It would set up for some darker elements later on. That still happened, but an in-story shift and a real world event made this book one of the hardest ones for me to write and publish.
At this point, there wasn’t going to be a shock that Clyde and Mab rekindled their pre-series romance. The entire story is about an old rival of Mab’s showing up to kidnap Clyde and claim him for herself. Xavier Tempest and Titus Winthrop (Mab’s brother) are snagged too to try and throw people off. This story really pushes Mab and Clyde to admit their true feelings for each other. Not that they were hiding it well, but they are the types that need things to be more direct. It was all going to plan . . .
Then, my divorce kicked off just as I was finishing Rivalry. Keep in mind that Clyde was a character of mine and Mab was based around one that my wife played. They were actually the only characters we played who were in a relationship with each other. So, I was trying to make it solid and romantic and uncomplicated. Not easy to do when the inspiration for one character has just kicked off an emotionally messy situation. I had to really sit back and decide if the characters should suffer because of what was going on in the real world. Unfortunately for my emotional well-being, I realized that I had already planned too much around Clyde and Mab being together. So, I had to push forward and ignore my own inner turmoil.
While that was going on, I also found problems between bitter rivals Clyde and Xavier Tempest who now had to work together. I realized how often this was going to happen in the series. The two did hate each other, but there was this frustrating level of respect between them that I couldn’t break. Xavier’s actions were bad, but not enough that Clyde would be irrational towards him. I had made my old action-loving monster an actual leader and I couldn’t get him to be a maniac any more. So, Rivalry began the awkward shift where the vampire civil war got pushed more into the background and was more of a feud than a full-on clash. I would later have to come up with a really good reason for them to have a deathmatch. Thankfully, Nadia Sylvan (wife of Xavier Tempest) ended up having very little honor and I had already left a few hints that she could possibly be the true villain of the whole series. Given that she was another character based around my now ex-wife, I didn’t have much of a problem doing this. Let’s be honest, authors have a long history of taking anger towards a real person out on a fictional version then admitting to it. I still made sure the character was well-developed and had moments to shine.
All of that behind-the-scenes drama aside, the highlight of this book was using Jewelz the Vampire Queen. She was a character I had bouncing around this series in most of its incarnations. Jewelz had been the main villain, Clyde’s love interest, a reborn vampire goddess, Clyde’s daughter, and a number of other roles. Nothing really worked for her until I came up with this story. Making her a confidant, powerful, and slightly petty rival to Mab turned her into a force of nature. She no longer had to match Clyde in power, so she could have other ways to keep him as a prisoner. I think this made Jewelz a much more enjoyable character to write, especially since I got to let her indulge in lording over two of the strongest Dawn Fangs.
Would I change anything? I know some people may expect me to say I would not have Clyde and Mab become a couple. Some would even say I should have killed her off, but she already appeared in Legends of Windemere. I think I would have been angry at myself for letting my characters suffer due to what I was going through. Once I would heal, I’d see that mess I made and regret a lot. No, I think the only change I would make is give Luther and Bob a bit more to do. Titus, their leader and friend, was captured too, so I feel like they should have been more active. They did things, but it was really more Mab and Xavier’s people. I might be overthinking this though.
Questions to enjoy:
How can a rivalry be healthy?
Do you think its healthy for a person to only speak their feelings under pressure?
Is it okay for authors to take anger for a real person out on a fictional character?
My son and I watch an anime called ‘Spy x Family’. It’s a spy comedy and that doesn’t really cover everything, but it’s enough for now. The general plot is the guy is a spy who needs to create a fake family to do his latest job. He gets his daughter from an orphanage and has no idea she’s really a telepath. For a wife, he meets Yor who needs a fake husband because the country thinks unmarried women of her age are suspicious. She’s really an assassin. All three are hiding their identities with only the daughter knowing the truth of their situation. Anyway, let’s talk about an aspect of Yor.
The part I want to touch on is that her training as an assassin has made her practically superhuman. Her physical and combat abilities are on par with Captain America if not more due to the comedic nature of the show. Yet, she has to portray herself a regular person to maintain her cover. She works in a government office as a secretary and is socially awkward due to being an assassin for most of her life. Her strength slips out when she reacts quickly, but she has to be ‘normal’ for most of her screen time. When she does demonstrate her abilities by accident, she passes it off as self-defense classes or something mundane. The comedy part here is that the cautious, attention-to-detail spy she’s fake married too believes her because he’s been a spy since childhood.
Now, we’ve all seen characters who have to hide their superhuman abilities. Comics are filled with secret identities where they have to pretend to be normal. Superman and Spider-Man are two of the biggest examples. This means there is a long-standing tradition of this kind of thing. You would think in the day of social media where nobody has secrets, it wouldn’t be common in fiction. It still is and I can think of a few reasons why.
There is an inherent tension when a character is trying to keep a secret. Verbal ones are fairly easy to hide because you simply don’t say them. It becomes more difficult when it’s a physical ability that is easy to activate and utilize. For example, a character with superhuman strength always has the risk of slipping and being too powerful in front of others. This would reveal their true identity and point their normal life in jeopardy. Superman, Spider-Man, and Yor are all noted as having to live holding themselves back. Still, all you need is one slip and a bad explanation.
As far as ‘Spy x Family’ goes, hiding a superhuman ability can create the opportunity for comedy. There will be accidents to remind readers they can do these things or situations where they have to act. Not to mention times when they get to cut loose, but that’s typically when they don’t have to pretend to be average. The comedy of the actual accidents stems from having to explain it or seeing the reactions of the witnesses as well as their rationalizations. You can get away with some ridiculous excuses too if you establish this is a comedy.
Similar to #1, you also have a future plot point in your pocket. This would be when they actually reveal their true nature. Whether it be on purpose or by accident, you can have them be exposed. Then, you get a new storyline with them living a new life out in the open. Be warned though that this is something that cannot easily be undone. One of the most infamous attempts in comic history was ‘One More Day’. Spider-Man’s secret identity had been revealed and Aunt May ended up getting shot. Mary Jane makes a deal with Mephisto to make everyone forget Peter is Spider-Man, but she sacrifices their marriage so that it never existed. Marvel wiped out decades of history and pissed fans off with this move. So, DO NOT have a reveal unless you’re willing to stick with it or have a simple, non-nuclear fix.
Personally, I like this plotline, but I grew up on comics during a time when secret identities were the norm. Even the X-Men would go out in civvies and blend in unless they were Beast or Nightcrawler. I liked the idea that a hero could have a normal life because it increased the sense of their danger. It was a physical thing, but they had so much to lose by either dying or being exposed. This meant, they had to act quickly while also thinking about consequences. Not a lot of people are able to do that these days. Maybe they couldn’t before and I’m just realizing it now. Hard to tell.
Today is ‘Shark Awareness Day’, so I had to make a post about them. So many species with their own unique traits that I can cover them in a single post. Instead, I’m going to show you some of the rarest sharks. Enjoy. (Started having trouble finding fun facts about species, so I tried my best.)
Frilled Shark (Two members of this family of primitive deep sea sharks.)
Megamouth Shark (Only seen alive 3 times and usually washes up on shore.)
Speartooth shark (Can enter freshwater rivers and is rarely seen.)
All I managed to do in terms of writing was tinker with a new idea, start the short story ideas for the first ‘Phi Beta Files’ book, and typing in one chapter worth of edits into Darwin & the Avenging Elf. I’m sure next week will be slightly better, but the summer isn’t going to be the way I thought. Plenty of reasons why and I should have seen them coming.
First, a bunch of appointments are scattered about the next two months. I was hoping it wouldn’t be this clogged, but it happened. So, I won’t always get time after work on the days I don’t have my son to type in edits. I have my son next weekend and we have early birthday plans, so no editing then. Guess I won’t be getting through Darwin & the Avenging Elf until the end of July or early August. That means I’ll have the next book to edit when I go to Oswego. On the fence about doing that or just going up with notebooks for a lower impact author weekend. Going to be tired from the driving and trying to destress, so we’ll see what happens.
The second reason I didn’t get a lot of editing done was that summer school started. I know this only takes up 5 hours of my day (6-6.5 if you can’t showing up early), but it’s rather draining. We don’t lounge around the air conditioned room. We have lessons, work sites, specials, field trips, cooking, and whatever random stuff turns up since you can’t predict everything. Hopefully, this week was the toughest since we were all getting used to the a different location and schedule. Things weren’t what I expected, so a few of us had to adjust our lunch plans. I’ll be attempting wraps instead of rice bowls since I can eat the former on the move . . . Well, I will be able to do that once I figure out how to not overstuff the wrap. Current recipe is vegetable medley slaw, grilled chicken, water chestnuts, Yum Yum sauce, and a honey wheat tortilla. So far, so good.
The final reason I got no editing, writing, or much of anything done is that this is ‘Pokemon Go-Fest’ week. I started playing 3 months ago to help my son with raids, which are when trainers can take on powerful Pokemon that they can try to catch after winning. This current event is their big yearly thing, so every weeknight leading up to today had a special raid challenge from 6-7. My son and I were in the park all that time, which included his mother who plays too. Today and tomorrow are the big days with events happening from 10am-6pm. Being a new player, this is my first chance at catching some rare Pokemon that only appear in other places around the world. So, I’ll be out there until I catch everything I need. Probably meet up with my son and his mother to increase all of our chances at catching the powerful ones. Tomorrow won’t be as crazy as today, so I’ll get a chapter or two typed in when I need to get out of the heat.
All of that being said, I’m starting to wonder if I’ve become a washed up or failed author since I don’t do it every chance I get. Pokemon Go helps me exercise outside when the weather is good, but it takes me away from writing longer than biking indoors did. I still think up ideas and try to jot them down, but I don’t really know what I’m doing as an author any more. Been sliding this way since I learned how many people didn’t really have faith in me back in the day. Maybe Pokemon Go, Lego sets, and jigsaw puzzles fill that void where a sense of accomplishment used to be. I claim clear victories when I finish or gain things there. With writing, I’m no longer confident about my abilities and I’m back to what I was through my 20’s. I tinkered and worked with my ideas, but I only dreamed about having them go any further than myself. Not doing the latter these days, but I do plan on writing at least the whole Darwin series and Sin series before I get yoinked off this mortal coil. I’d like to think this is just because I have so much on my plate with work, parenting, and struggling to improve my health. Could change course again in another few years. Though, I don’t know how I could do that since I no longer have any clue on how to get attention to my books.
So, I will continue getting my serotonin from catching fictional creatures and cursing at the ones that get away. I’ll do the October posts when I have my son and he’s doing his own thing. I’ll type in edits of Darwin & the Avenging Elf after today when I don’t have my son or appointments. Tonight, I have a friend’s block party I plan on going to after Go-Fest. No editing until the morning, which shouldn’t be too hard because I’m not in a drinking mood. Life really doesn’t leave much space for hobbies whether they be relaxing or artistic. Really sucks.
Goals of the week:
Enjoy Go-Fest and catch a bunch of shiny Pokemon.
Type in a few chapters of edits.
Time with son when I get it.
Work more on the ‘Phi Beta Files’ stories.
Continue building Lego Gotham City.
Remember sunscreen and hat since I’ll be outdoors a lot.
A year ago, I bought my son a shirt that said ‘Ramen Life’. He loved it and wore it whenever he could. This led to me getting him a ‘Ramen Life’ long-sleeve shirt and a sweater. All are popular with him and it got me thinking about the declaration. I mean, don’t most people have that food they hold above all others? The guilty pleasure they will use as rewards and indulge in whenever they can?
Legends of Windemere 