BUT I GOT MY FIRST FULL REQUEST BACK.
Holy shit.
Holy shit.
Do you know what this means?
oh? I need to slow down? FUCK YOU. I GOT MY FIRST FULL REQUEST!
Okay, so I got some amazing feedback back from the writers of PitchWars. My number one pick even told me she was upset that she couldn't pick mine... that she loved my story but had better actual queries. OH WELL. I used her advise and got an email back from an Intern at an agency.
They only ever wanted the actual query so when he asked for my writing I sent him the typical first five pages. His response:
NO BITCH, I WANT YOUR WHOLE MANUSCRIPT.
What.
So yeah, I sent him the whole manuscript.
Hopefully he doesn't puke.
Urgh.
Seeing the Hobbit tonight.
I need to go cry or something.
BYE.
A blog about my attempts at getting myself published and the headaches along the way.
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Saturday, 14 December 2013
Tuesday, 10 December 2013
Anticipation is murdering me.
Okay so,
I've finished the second draft of Hybrid. I think I've become a better writer. Isn't that wonderful? Aren't you happy for me? Seriously, the amount I've improved is incredible. Also, I added a few more details into the story! I know you'll all like it.
That being said, Pitch Wars.
I know I made a good impression with my top pick, however I don't think I'm one of her picks. That being said, I'm a little sad. What about my other three picks? I didn't really pay attention. None of them were tweeting up a storm, so I couldn't exactly stalk them.
We find out tomorrow who moves on in Pitch Wars. That being said, I'm very excited for Janel, who I think will move on. SHE CAN DO IT FOR ME AND HER :D
I won't live vicariously through another person for long however!
Also, another pitch contest starts on Thursday... this one...you have to give a 45 word pitch. JESUS CHRIST.
Oh well, I'll keep you all updated.
Also, my Boss might finally give me a god damn raise. That would be lovely, I'm not fond of living with only food and shelter. I WANT MY SHIT TOO. Money is an odd thing, at the Insurance company I worked for... a year ago! My shithead boss kept promising me a raise, telling me that if I put up with shit I would eventually get there.
Urgh.
Toodles.
I've finished the second draft of Hybrid. I think I've become a better writer. Isn't that wonderful? Aren't you happy for me? Seriously, the amount I've improved is incredible. Also, I added a few more details into the story! I know you'll all like it.
That being said, Pitch Wars.
I know I made a good impression with my top pick, however I don't think I'm one of her picks. That being said, I'm a little sad. What about my other three picks? I didn't really pay attention. None of them were tweeting up a storm, so I couldn't exactly stalk them.
We find out tomorrow who moves on in Pitch Wars. That being said, I'm very excited for Janel, who I think will move on. SHE CAN DO IT FOR ME AND HER :D
I won't live vicariously through another person for long however!
Also, another pitch contest starts on Thursday... this one...you have to give a 45 word pitch. JESUS CHRIST.
Oh well, I'll keep you all updated.
Also, my Boss might finally give me a god damn raise. That would be lovely, I'm not fond of living with only food and shelter. I WANT MY SHIT TOO. Money is an odd thing, at the Insurance company I worked for... a year ago! My shithead boss kept promising me a raise, telling me that if I put up with shit I would eventually get there.
Urgh.
Toodles.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
All you get tonight.
Seriously, I've been really busy with Pitchwars!
I wrote a Synopsis for Hybrid in case my preferred Mentor wants one. She tweeted about my query, saying she liked it although it was heavy on the world building... makes me a bit nervous but excited at the same time. Apparently I should have come out of the gate with the fact that my main character is a socially retarded cripple who gets robot legs. Anyways, This was me at work yesterday. Suffice to say, it was pretty damn slow.
http://instagram.com/p/hbtJPtnI1m/
I wrote a Synopsis for Hybrid in case my preferred Mentor wants one. She tweeted about my query, saying she liked it although it was heavy on the world building... makes me a bit nervous but excited at the same time. Apparently I should have come out of the gate with the fact that my main character is a socially retarded cripple who gets robot legs. Anyways, This was me at work yesterday. Suffice to say, it was pretty damn slow.
http://instagram.com/p/hbtJPtnI1m/
Sunday, 1 December 2013
PREPARING FOR PITCHWARS.
Not to be mistaken with Foam wars...
ANYWAY.
This is a wonderful contest that involves finding an mentor and pitching them and shit. I'm worn out and can't really write now.
Anyway, I entered. Two Mentors really stood out to me and I will talk about them in great detail. The other two I like but I am not as enthusiastic about. That being said, most of the mentors were looking for Young Adult... not adult Fantasy/Science Fiction. So I'm a minority I guess.
I would like to thank Janel for introducing it to me earlier today...AND CONSUMING THE REST OF MY DAY.
I need to sleep. The contest opened twenty minutes ago, the second they opened I sent all four emails.
Anyway, I used Hybrid in case you were wondering. I published Ardent's Contract so it would be disqualified. Plus Hybrid is a little more salable.
Here is the premise I give in my Query: LOW EFFORT POST MUCH EH?
ANYWAY.
This is a wonderful contest that involves finding an mentor and pitching them and shit. I'm worn out and can't really write now.
Anyway, I entered. Two Mentors really stood out to me and I will talk about them in great detail. The other two I like but I am not as enthusiastic about. That being said, most of the mentors were looking for Young Adult... not adult Fantasy/Science Fiction. So I'm a minority I guess.
I would like to thank Janel for introducing it to me earlier today...AND CONSUMING THE REST OF MY DAY.
I need to sleep. The contest opened twenty minutes ago, the second they opened I sent all four emails.
Anyway, I used Hybrid in case you were wondering. I published Ardent's Contract so it would be disqualified. Plus Hybrid is a little more salable.
Here is the premise I give in my Query: LOW EFFORT POST MUCH EH?
Man may never rise, or else they be crushed completely. This is what
humans are told on a daily basis as they work within the capital as slaves for the
Subjectors. The metal monsters are calculating, ruthless and nearly invincible.
Using their unnatural abilities, the Subjectors are able to manipulate metal
and magnetize objects, powers which they’ve utilized for both killing and function.
Their incredible city is built into a canyon, with hundreds of skyscrapers connected
by monorails which the Subjectors ride. Man’s struggle has raged for
generations now, with fewer humans willing to take up arms against both the
monsters and the many humans willing to fight for them. By strapping on special
boots, humans known as Grinders ride the magnetic rails in order to fight the Subjectors
on their own monorails.
Barrack is the product of generations of selective breeding, he is both
physically and mentally superior except for one major flaw. He has a
degenerative disease that has rendered his legs nearly unusable. Normally such
an obvious blemish wouldn’t be tolerated, but he distinguished himself and was
the first cripple ever spared by the competitive system. Ignorant of the oppression
his fellow humans face, Barrack lives a quiet life repairing the monorails.
Everything changes when Barrack is critically wounded in an accident.
The Subjectors decide to save their investment, rebuilding him so that he becomes
both human and machine, making him the Hybrid. The incident opens his eyes to
the cruelty his kind faces, as well as awakening a power within him. With the
tools available to change the world, Barrack is faced with the most difficult decision
of his life. Will he continue serving masters that have favoured him? Or will
he decide to fight against man’s own makers.
Janel Comeau: Three Reasons I Need Brian Griffin Back on Family ...
Janel Comeau: Three Reasons I Need Brian Griffin Back on Family ...: If you are in any way connected to any form of social media whatsoever, you might have heard that long-standing sitcom and Simpsons clo...
Power rangers is the ultimate show for non distractions.
Legit.
I spent yesterday starting a new manuscript... watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Netflix. Suffice to say, it's amazing. I forgot HOW AMAZING this show is. That being said, it's the right mix of entertaining, nostalgic and not very distracting... Well because the other two shows I'm currently watching are the Shield and the Wire... they're kind of... oh never mind.
Anyway, my writer friend sent me an interesting article on queries as well as some good advise. Combined with the already stellar advise the ever fucking talented Janel has provided me with... I need to work on my query a bit... Seriously, do you know how hard it is to find another author living in a suburb that is actually as serious about writing as you are?
I'm shocked at twenty three that I still talk to people who describe themselves as authors as well... It was a little more common when I was eighteen or in high school.
Anyway! I wonder how people will react to my character Barrack, the socially retarded young man who hasn't talked to a girl in ten years AND smokes like a chimney.
Anyway, I have to take Charlotte to the University!
TOODLES.
I spent yesterday starting a new manuscript... watching Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Netflix. Suffice to say, it's amazing. I forgot HOW AMAZING this show is. That being said, it's the right mix of entertaining, nostalgic and not very distracting... Well because the other two shows I'm currently watching are the Shield and the Wire... they're kind of... oh never mind.
Anyway, my writer friend sent me an interesting article on queries as well as some good advise. Combined with the already stellar advise the ever fucking talented Janel has provided me with... I need to work on my query a bit... Seriously, do you know how hard it is to find another author living in a suburb that is actually as serious about writing as you are?
I'm shocked at twenty three that I still talk to people who describe themselves as authors as well... It was a little more common when I was eighteen or in high school.
Anyway! I wonder how people will react to my character Barrack, the socially retarded young man who hasn't talked to a girl in ten years AND smokes like a chimney.
Anyway, I have to take Charlotte to the University!
TOODLES.
Saturday, 30 November 2013
Chapter Four... and a new start!
Yes, I am starting a new manuscript today.
Fate Spinner. I hope it goes well. Pfft, that's a lie. I know it'll go well. THIS IS ME.
Anyway, here is chapter four. It might be the last one I post, we'll see. Mkay?
Chapter 4:
Fate Spinner. I hope it goes well. Pfft, that's a lie. I know it'll go well. THIS IS ME.
Anyway, here is chapter four. It might be the last one I post, we'll see. Mkay?
Chapter 4:
Barrack
had to struggle to keep his hand from shaking. He sat at his table, working on
the small turbine kept within Mira’s belt. It was a simple fix, he would repair
the wiring which had shorted out, likely due to a surge of power, and then
power it back up using a secondary power source. He didn’t quite understand why
he was doing what he was, he was betraying the trust of the Masters. He was
actively helping a member of the rebellion, the girl had taken part in an
operation to help the Heretics undermine the Masters.
Yet he
couldn’t help himself. Mira wasn’t a bad girl, she was kind to him, very caring
in fact. Barrack hadn’t interacted with anyone quite like her before, she
seemed genuine. It wasn’t like he was helping her blow something up, he was
just helping her escape, and the damage of her operations were already done. Barrack
had lived his life using logic, and this time it checked out, although he would
admit that emotion was playing a small part.
“How’s
it going?” Mira asked, her voice curious. She stepped close, looking over his
shoulder, bending over and moving her long hair to the side so that it would
stay out of her face as she watched his hands work. She was lovely, her scent
wonderful, even when covered in perspiration like she was. Still hating the
heat, Mira had chosen to strip off her cloak and jacket, now she just wore a
simple shirt, it had no sleeves and it was held on her shoulder by thin straps.
Her arms were muscular, although very lean, her chest was caved inward, her
ribs visible among pale skin, freckles, and minimal breasts. What surprised
Barrack the most was her hair, it was long and red. Mira had taken the clip out
of her hair, letting the full length of it fall down to almost her hips, it was
messy and wavy, although straighter in other places.
“I’m
almost done,” Barrack stammered. He hid his embarrassment as best he could,
despite the fact that she was the first woman he had seen in so long, he should
still respect her. Barrack just wished he wasn’t so awkward, did he come off as
pretentious when he talked about science? “I just have to power it up now.”
Barrack
reached under his table and produced a portable turbine he used for his other
creations. It sat on the table, no bigger than his own fist, cone shaped and
spinning on its own. The Revius belt contained within would constantly spin,
using the magnetic field to generate electricity. The turbine had an especially
ingenious design because it would create an independent circuit when it wasn’t
powering something, so that it would keep spinning on its own. Barrack did keep
a steam engine in the back, just in case he ever needed it. However it was very
unlikely that he would ever need to use such a primitive method of getting one
of the power sources going again.
“Watch
this,” Barrack said as he unwound the cord that tied neatly around the
turbine’s base. He connected it to the belt’s small turbine and the small
device roared to life.
“That’s
why it’s so loud when I turn it on!” Mira exclaimed, examining it closer.
“Indeed,”
Barrack replied. “Actually it is always running, but when it’s powered off it
spins so slowly that it can’t be heard normally. The belt has four settings:
Mild, positive, negative, and concussive setting that allows you to survive
falls. It truly is incredible, it creates a magnetic field dense enough that it
will brace your fall and spread the energy into the ground instead of through
your body.”
“Is
that so?” Mira said, giggling slightly. “I had trouble believing them when they
said it would brace my fall and not break my legs. They have to do it front of
us first so we’ll believe them. I always wondered how it worked, I figured it
was just magic.”
“There
is no such thing,” Barrack snorted. “Only science, everything can be
explained.”
“What
about those strange powers the Subjectors have?”
“That
is no different. It’s just beyond our understanding, I’m sure it has a logical
basis.”
“Could
a human use it? That would be useful for…you know, fighting them.”
“No,”
Barrack said simply. “Only the Master’s with their superior souls and metal
bodies have displayed the ability, humans are exempt from such gifts.”
“Could
we learn?”
“I
don’t think you understand,” Barrack sighed. “Breaking the Hermetic laws is
something that only the Masters can do, it is physically impossible for us to
do.”
“Oh
well,” Mira said while shrugging. “It was worth trying.” She gave Barrack a
wink and laughed to herself. Despite her laughter, she looked so ragged, like
she had been through the worst time of her life recently. It was no wonder that
before he could start on her equipment, he had to feed her first. Of course,
everything Mira was given to eat, she devoured like a starving beggar. Barrack
found it funny, especially since he always watched how much he ate and took
good care of his body.
Barrack
handed her the belt, Mira took it and put it on. She ducked down reattached the
wires down to both boots. She practiced with all three switches and grinned
widely.
“They
work!” Mira exclaimed. “You’re a genius, Barrack.”
“It was
really a simple fix,” Barrack muttered. “Not even close to my best work.” He
reached out and grabbed his walker, he pulled himself up, the easiest part.
“Now
what?” Mira asked, face curious.
“We go
back down into the tunnels.”
Barrack carried Mira
the whole way this time. She had been resting for a few hours before, but it
was still important that she save her energy for the actual trip. As Barrack
understood it, the grinding process was incredibly exhausting, Mira might also
have to evade the Masters.
“Are
you okay?” Barrack asked. He was moderately sure that his speech patterns had
become less awkward as it went on, he had adapted.
“Yeah,
thanks,” Mira muttered, clutching his neck. This particular stretch was
especially dangerous, they were underground, a deep and endless chasm below
them. Barrack crossed using the suspended bars that had been placed there. A
normal human would likely have to use their legs to go across carefully, he
only needed to swing with his arms.
They
passed through, this part may have been dangerous, but it was also the quickest
path to the edge of Barrack’s territory. Beyond that, he wouldn’t be able to
help her, other sectors of the repair tunnels would be blocked off from him. They
eventually made it to the spot, a single ladder that descended straight
upwards, blocked off by a manhole cover. It would emerge at the top of a pillar
protruding from a building that was fairly high up the cliff edge, as high as
his territory would allow him to take Mira. The tower served as an
observational deck, so that Barrack could watch his work in action and see all
the rails work properly.
“This
is it,” Barrack said. He let go of the walls and placed himself gently on his
butt.
“Oh,”
Mira said, she climbed off and looked up the ladder. “Well.”
“Yes?”
Barrack said, he studied her for a moment. She seemed like she had more to say.
“No,
that is quite all,” Mira finished quickly. Her eyes darted away for a moment
but then locked back onto his. “Can you come up, please? See me on my way, so I
can look back and let you know I made it.”
“Okay,”
Barrack replied. He happily returned her smile.
Mira
went up first, Barrack followed closely. She reached the top, banged her fist
against the door until she found the handle, then she proceeded to open the
hatch. Mira climbed out, Barrack dragged himself up, he had to reach down and
pull his legs up. The sun was beginning to set as early evening consumed the
night. Barrack wasn’t fond of watching the city at this time, it seemed too
busy.
“The
capital city is kind of pretty for something built into a bowl,” Mira said. She
was now standing up and watching as trains went by and people scurried home
from their jobs.
“The
textbooks refer to it as a crater actually,” Barrack replied, fishing out his
pipe. He proceeded to stuff some Tabaco in it and light it.
“What
is that stuff?” Mira asked, curious.
“Some
plant,” Barrack responded smoothly. He lifted the pipe to his lips and took a
puff.
“So
this is it?” Mira asked. “I can just go, grind away into the sunset?”
“Literally
yes, if you leave right now.”
“Oh,”
Mira said, turning away for a moment. She suddenly lifted up her hand to him,
her eyes were slightly watery. “It has been a hard day, and you have no idea
how much this means to me and others. I made a promise, I will keep it.”
“Thank
you…” Barrack stammered trying to think of the words to say. “For the company.”
“Will
we see each other again?”
“Likely
not,” Barrack said, shrugging.
“It’s
a shame really, I think I could have come to like you.” Mira replied, she held
up a hand to her mouth and let out a small laugh. It was adorable and full of
relief, she looked younger like this.
“I
agree,” Barrack said. He took her other hand in his own, it was so small. “I
think I’ll miss you.”
“You
know where I’ll be, idiot.” Mira added. She shook his hand gently. They held
their hands together for another heartbeat before she turned away, triggered
her device and jumped off the edge.
Barrack
watched her go as she grinded off, his chest hurt. For the first time in years,
he felt the pain of loneliness again. She would make it back to her friends, she
would be happy, she would keep her promise, she would…
Three
Masters jumped off rooftops and began their pursuit. Two of them were light
units, designed for grinding and combat, while the third was a heavy unit with
thick armour. They likely didn’t know who she was, but the fact that she had
the boots was enough to warrant suspicion. How had they known? Normally they
wouldn’t just hang out in a sector like this…
Unless
they were waiting for her. Mira had escaped the night before, they had noticed,
and they had taken precautions. These three units were likely just the pursuit
team, there would be more to chase her down within minutes. They would catch
her, they would interrogate her and then after she was broken they would kill
her. This wasn’t someone in the distance, this wasn’t somebody Barrack didn’t
know nor care about, this was Mira. The first person in years whom he had
interacted with and enjoyed the company of. He couldn’t watch.
So
he would act. Barrack within seconds was already climbing down the hole, pipe
left on the ledge. The units pursuing Mira were heavier than most, they needed
to use the thicker rails in order to get around, it would be difficult but he
did have an idea.
Another
twenty seconds later, Barrack had found his way to a nearby panel underground,
it was of a rare variety, a master panel that carried all the circuits for the
turbines in the area. From here, he could feasibly work on every rail. There
was even a small hole carved into the side of the pillar so that he could view
his work. More Masters were already in pursuit, they had massive bodies and a
lot of fire power. The initial three units had backed off slightly, Mira had
likely gone low, through the lower rails in order to lose them, they could
easily get lost if they went directly after her in that labyrinth of paths.
Perhaps the girl wasn’t as strong or intelligent as him, but Barrack now
realized that Mira had excellent instincts. She was doing what was needed to
survive, despite the fact that she might not have understood why.
Barrack
worked hastily on the panel, he had pinned his legs and was using both hands, and
he kept the light bulb between his teeth as he worked. He pulled wires out,
reconnecting them in other places, all while doing the necessary calculations in
his head. One of the larger units was within view, perched on a building,
watching where was going, so that it could advise the others where she went. As
Barrack understood it, the Masters could communicate without actually speaking
out loud. He began to sweat, his hands were twitching but he kept working. It
was messy, but hopefully it would be enough.
With
one last wire to connect, Barrack’s hand suddenly stopped, centimetres away
from its destination, his initial goal. If he did this, there was no turning
back, Mira would live but he would die. He would betray the Masters, they would
know, and he wasn’t fast enough to get away on his own. By the grace of
everything, if he did this, he would undermine everything he had worked on in
the last ten years.
“So
what,” Barrack heard himself say out loud. “What would be the point if nobody
lived to remember me. I might die, but she’ll remember.” With that, Barrack
stuffed the wire home.
It
wasn’t noticeable at first, it started out as a quiet kind of gentle humming.
Yet it got progressively louder and louder, soon it was a hiss, then a screech,
finally the obvious scream of metal scrapping against metal. The Masters didn’t
seem to notice immediately, yet as they continued to grind after Mira, it
became obvious. At first their trajectory became pretty unstable. Yet as the
turbines continued to scream, pick up more speed and progressively move more
and more towards overloading, the magnetic fields were affected as a result.
Many of the smaller Masters were launched straight up, a sudden but powerful
push as they were catapulted to the sky. Most were smart enough to adjust as it
was happening, but even that was too late, instead of getting launched up, they
were shot on an angle, usually in the direction of a building.
The
Behemoth parked on top of the building’s gaze fell upon the pillar, had it
registered what happened? The rest of them were in chaos, attempting to recover
but failing as a system they had always known failed. Only one clear path had
been left, one rail untouched. The one that Mira had chosen, the smallest of
them all. In the chaos, it would be easy for her to slip away. In times like
this, Master procedure was to condense damage as much as possible. The damage that Barrack had caused.
The
massive Master’s arm was now pointed at the pillar. It was quite funny, Barrack
had always taken pride in his work. Yet now he felt true happiness for
unraveling it all, destroying it and letting a rebel escape. A rebel who had
gone against everything that had always supported him. There was a glow as the
Master broke the first of the Hermetic laws, the blades extended from its hand
and launched his way.
Barrack
felt as the pillar shook, he lost his hand hold, his legs slipped and he fell.
He remained suspended only for a bit before he tumbled down the narrow tunnel.
His head was bashed back and forth, he hit his arms even. Barrack did finally
hit the ground below, except he landed on his feet, he heard the horrible
snapping of his feeble legs. The scream, painful and primal filled the entire
corridor.
Yet
the scream turned into laughter.
“Stupid
legs!” He hissed between fits of mad laughter. “You’re already useless, how is
this supposed to be worse?” He barely grabbed hold of a bar and dragged himself
away as rubble fell down around him. The tunnels would collapse, the Maker had
caught onto what he was doing and was bombarding him with those spears. Despite
accepting his fate earlier, Barrack still swung from bar to bar, using his
hands to gain as much distance as he could, but he was still too slow.
Everything fell around him, massive pieces of concrete, now just boulders.
Light
poured into the tunnel, the sky now clear, yet the path in front collapsed
completely, boxing him in. Suddenly, the
hissing consumed his ears. Turning his head, Barrack looked directly at one of
the numerous and massive turbines that he had overloaded, it hung suspended
upside down by wires. He knew what was about to happen, he had planned it this
way.
The
turbine spun faster and faster as Barrack held himself up using only his arms,
he banged against each wall that was boxing him in, he was trapped, except for
upwards. So he gripped a rock, he was already cut up from his tumble, his hands
covered in blood. Yet still he fought, he gripped each hand hold, not crafted
for that purpose but it would still do the effort. He climbed towards the sky,
open and magnificent. The light of twilight was bathing his escape, the sun
setting above. Mira was leaving into that sunset, she would live…
Barrack’s
hand slipped, he fell backwards. He stared at it as he fell, the sky, the light
that was not quite darkness yet. He thought about the time they spent together,
not long in the grand scheme of things, but still, enough to make an impact on
his life, an exciting climax at the end of a boring twenty-four year old song.
Barrack
hit the ground, he was winded, he heard his ribs snap, he felt the pain. Yet he
still had the will to live, he pulled himself up, grabbed hold of two hand bars
as what remained of the tunnel began to collapse, rocks falling all around him.
Staring at his work, his masterpiece, Barrack laughed in the face of the
turbine, now spinning so quickly and so violently it was shaking. It would happen, and there was nothing he
could do.
The
turbine burst apart. Although many would have said it exploded, that
technically wasn’t correct, it didn’t combust and there was no fire. However it
was understandable how it could have been mistaken for that, its pieces all
blew apart in all directions at speed that no eye could catch. Metal pieces of
shrapnel cut into the concrete above, penetrating at least a metre before
finally being stopped. So the pieces that dug into Barrack’s legs and chest
tore straight through him, leaving lumps of meat for legs and a body that no
longer resembled him.
Still,
Barrack sucked in breaths. It was difficult, likely one of his lungs had been
pierced, the pain was so excruciating that his mind could no longer register
it. His left arm was broken and twisted, it was now laying out directly to the
side, as if on soft grass. However, Barrack’s right arm still seemed to work,
he reached upward, his eye swollen, blood pouring into it, blinding him. Yet
still he reached for the sky, his freedom, it was right above him. His fingers
clutched into a fist and he remembered shaking her hand.
The
rocks fell all around him now, a particularly large one had just crushed his
left arm, likely severing it completely. In his mind, Barrack comforted himself
with the knowledge that he had accumulated in the past. He had learned so much,
he had been so smart, he was capable of so much, even now. Had it been a good
life? He had never truly created anything of his own, just replicated using the
technology of others, did that make him an Innovator like the Makers claimed?
Or was he just another fake. It didn’t matter anymore, although it did to him.
Given another chance, he would probably have invented something.
Barrack
faded away.
Failed Queries and stress.
Holla plaaaayers!
Couple of depressing things!
First off, I don't make that much money. I was supposed to get a raise, all the Store managers are in agreement that I should get the three dollar raise... right now Charlotte and I have enough money to pay for rent... pay most of our bills (but not all! ) and pay for food.
So yeah, not a starving artist by any means. I eat better than most (not more, just healthier mind you) but that being said... I'm glad I don't have any expensive habits.
Anyways, come Monday I have to convince my direct manager... the one guy dodging my raise... that I deserve that raise. I run an entire department (the highest producing department in our store mind you... yeah people take copy and print that seriously yo) while the regular manager is on mat leave till March. That being said, the guy I have to convince isn't an older, cool manager. It's a guy who is only a year older than me, and while all the other managers are laid back and describe our store as: "The fun store"
Which I agree with. My job is a blast, customers freak out at us and we're like "MKAY YOU GET A DISCOUNT" Hell, one of the first things I did upon getting there was to stop all the part timers from constantly yelling YOLO.
Urgh.
That being said, I hate complaining, which it seems like I'm doing. Nah, I'm just filling you in on my life Why? Because we're tight and I want you to understand everything that is at stake in my life. This is a writer's blog and I'm sure future critics of my success will want to hear about this sort of thing. Right?
Even though our money situation isn't ideal. i mean, we're surviving, but we're not suffering at least... Charlotte and I couldn't be happier. Yeah we can't afford that new couch, or fancy shit. But hey, I don't have to work in insurance, which I was making 12 dollars more an hour than I am right now before...but I was unhappy. The fact that she's going to school, in her last year, working hard, getting good grades... I'm working a job I actually enjoy and I'm able to finish a book... the fact that we're able to get by quite nicely is enough for both of us.
So yeah, I hope to make a little more money. Call me greedy, but I rather not pay rent, buy food and then be able to buy NOTHING ELSE for two weeks until my mid month paycheck comes in.
Anyway, the one query I sent out got rejected. I also got a ultra generic rejection letter. LIKE SURIOULY BROUGH DUD U KNOT UVN REED ME 5 PUGES?
I love getting generic rejections... okay so The count is at:
Three queries sent out:
1 rejection!
yayyyy!
This is the best part of being a writer. Either way, I contacted my Canadian writer friend, Billie... hopefully she has advise about queries or any agents I could send to... God forbid I get a Canadian agents... because those exist... apparently.
Anyways, thanks for listening to my bichthing! Another chapter goes up later!
TOODLES.
Couple of depressing things!
First off, I don't make that much money. I was supposed to get a raise, all the Store managers are in agreement that I should get the three dollar raise... right now Charlotte and I have enough money to pay for rent... pay most of our bills (but not all! ) and pay for food.
So yeah, not a starving artist by any means. I eat better than most (not more, just healthier mind you) but that being said... I'm glad I don't have any expensive habits.
Anyways, come Monday I have to convince my direct manager... the one guy dodging my raise... that I deserve that raise. I run an entire department (the highest producing department in our store mind you... yeah people take copy and print that seriously yo) while the regular manager is on mat leave till March. That being said, the guy I have to convince isn't an older, cool manager. It's a guy who is only a year older than me, and while all the other managers are laid back and describe our store as: "The fun store"
Which I agree with. My job is a blast, customers freak out at us and we're like "MKAY YOU GET A DISCOUNT" Hell, one of the first things I did upon getting there was to stop all the part timers from constantly yelling YOLO.
Urgh.
That being said, I hate complaining, which it seems like I'm doing. Nah, I'm just filling you in on my life Why? Because we're tight and I want you to understand everything that is at stake in my life. This is a writer's blog and I'm sure future critics of my success will want to hear about this sort of thing. Right?
Even though our money situation isn't ideal. i mean, we're surviving, but we're not suffering at least... Charlotte and I couldn't be happier. Yeah we can't afford that new couch, or fancy shit. But hey, I don't have to work in insurance, which I was making 12 dollars more an hour than I am right now before...but I was unhappy. The fact that she's going to school, in her last year, working hard, getting good grades... I'm working a job I actually enjoy and I'm able to finish a book... the fact that we're able to get by quite nicely is enough for both of us.
So yeah, I hope to make a little more money. Call me greedy, but I rather not pay rent, buy food and then be able to buy NOTHING ELSE for two weeks until my mid month paycheck comes in.
Anyway, the one query I sent out got rejected. I also got a ultra generic rejection letter. LIKE SURIOULY BROUGH DUD U KNOT UVN REED ME 5 PUGES?
I love getting generic rejections... okay so The count is at:
Three queries sent out:
1 rejection!
yayyyy!
This is the best part of being a writer. Either way, I contacted my Canadian writer friend, Billie... hopefully she has advise about queries or any agents I could send to... God forbid I get a Canadian agents... because those exist... apparently.
Anyways, thanks for listening to my bichthing! Another chapter goes up later!
TOODLES.
Friday, 29 November 2013
Black.Friday.
Pretty sure everyone hates Black Friday.
That being said, I do live in Canada... where Black Friday isn't very severe... at all.
Still, working in a copy centre is always nuts, it doesn't help when they give me TVs to sell. Not just TVs but IRicohs... cheep ass tvs made by a company I've never heard of. A google search revealed that they're made by a Chinese company that is the world's largest tube TV manufacturer... at least their three sentence Wikipedia page told me that much.
Toodles.
That being said, I do live in Canada... where Black Friday isn't very severe... at all.
Still, working in a copy centre is always nuts, it doesn't help when they give me TVs to sell. Not just TVs but IRicohs... cheep ass tvs made by a company I've never heard of. A google search revealed that they're made by a Chinese company that is the world's largest tube TV manufacturer... at least their three sentence Wikipedia page told me that much.
Toodles.
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Low effort post... AND CHAPTER 3!!!!!
Okay,
I promised this a while ago.
SO I'M DOING IT NOW!
okay, no more caps (or sugar.) I overslept so that is why I'm not actually writing something right now... hmm. Please enjoy.
Chapter 3:
I promised this a while ago.
SO I'M DOING IT NOW!
okay, no more caps (or sugar.) I overslept so that is why I'm not actually writing something right now... hmm. Please enjoy.
Chapter 3:
Mira
struggled to find her grip with her wet palms. She didn’t understand how it
could be so dark, yet so unbearably warm at the same time. The young girl was
tired, sore, sweaty and slightly delirious, the events of the night before not
quite sinking in. Yet despite it all, she still climbed.
“Are
you…okay?” The man above her asked. His name was Barrack and he had the
strangest speech pattern Mira had ever heard. His voice was deep and masculine
but it cracked often, also he seemed to struggle to find what to say. Yet, what
shocked Mira the most was his sheer size. He was a good head and a half taller
than her, his shoulders were incredibly broad and he was pure bulky muscle.
Despite that, he moved gracefully in the cramped corridors, letting his legs
hang while he only used his upper body to climb. Barrack was obviously used to
doing this, he knew to wear little clothing, unlike Mira who was still wearing
all her pieces, he instead just wore a shirt and baggy pants.
“I’m
okay,” Mira muttered, a little more rudely than she had intended. They had been
climbing for several minutes now and she couldn’t even feel her arms anymore.
“What were you doing here anyway?”
“I
work…I work here. In the tunnels.” Barrack answered.
“Doing
what?”
“I
fix things, mostly the rails.”
“You
fix the rails? You know how they work?” Mira asked, honestly astonished.
“When
they break…sometimes they don’t, but I still fix them,” Barrack paused, as if
something suddenly occurred to him. “I was trained to do it, because I am of
the First Stratum.”
“The
first?” Mira gasped. She never met anyone from above the fourth, they were
enigmas, people treated better by the Subjectors because of their superior
intelligence and physicality.
“Yes,”
Barrack said simply. “Is that strange?”
“Yes!”
Mira exclaimed.
“I’m
sorry…” Barrack muttered, his voice full of sudden guilt.
“Don’t
apologize!” Mira hissed, horrified by his overreaction.
“Sorry…”
Barrack repeated again.
“No…”
Mira shook her head in frustration. “You shouldn’t apologize for apologizing. I
didn’t mean you were weird in a bad way, just different than what I’m used to.”
“What
are you used to?” Barrack asked quietly. The thought occurred to Mira suddenly,
this man was loyal to the Subjectors, why wouldn’t he be? They took good care
of him.
“Just
normal folk, nobody so important.”
“I’m
important?” Barrack asked, slightly confused. “I know I’m useful, but I
wouldn’t say I’m important.”
“So
humble!” Mira joked, giggling slightly. She was cut off when her hand slipped
slightly, it was hard to explain, it was like her grip just lost all strength.
She cried out, falling backwards, the sense of dread kicking in. Yet Mira felt
something grip her arm and the resulting force as she was whipped slightly.
Barrack
hung above her, she could barely see him in the darkness, only a shape. He was
hanging from his left arm while forcing his back against the wall so that he
would remain steady, the right arm held her wrist. Mira gawked at him as she
remained suspended, how was he so strong? Was this what the First Stratum was capable
of? Such great feats of ability while at the same time being intelligent enough
to understand Subjector technology? There was no way he would relate to her
plight.
The
young man grunted audibly, he lifted Mira up like she was nothing and placed her
on a solid ledge.
“Here
is a fire escape, we’ve been at this for an hour so you’re tired.” Barrack said
swiftly. He reached past her and opened the door, letting the light and fresh
air pour in. Mira sat there stunned, huffing while he adjusted his position so
that he was across from her, keeping his arms pinned so that he remained
upright.
“That
was incredible, you saved my life,” Mira whispered, slightly ashamed that she
couldn’t help herself in the situation. Then suddenly something occurred to her.
“We’ve been climbing for an hour?”
“Over
an hour now, I’m shocked you’re doing so well. We’ve crawled a bit too but you
seem to get really quiet once in a while…”
Mira
felt her head, it was wet with sweat and perhaps blood. She was sure she had
taken a blow to the head at some point, was she slipping out of consciousness?
Was she in danger and didn’t even realize it?
“That’s
amazing that you know how long we’ve been here. You are pretty smart,” Mira
admitted.
“I
wouldn’t…” Barrack began but suddenly cut off, his eyes falling upon her metal
boots. Before Mira could protest, Barrack had pulled up his legs, pinned them
against the wall and was already studying her metal boots. “They’re broken.”
“I
know,” Mira grunted. If they worked, she would have jumped out the fire escape
earlier and grinded away. Right now, her only chance of escape was to follow
this mysterious young man and hope he didn’t report her.
“Strange,”
Barrack said, as if talking to himself. He gingerly lifted up her legs and
examined the boots and the wire. “It is all intact, even the wiring.”
“I
know, they’re broken for some reason.”
Barrack reached over and bent Mira forward, she protested audibly but he
examined her backside. “What are you doing?!”
“The
belt,” Barrack said simply. “The small turbine the boots use is placed within,
it creates a current which powers the boots. Revius always has a magnetic
field, but the mineral in the boots is designed to have a weak field unless the
current is switched on.”
“So
I don’t stick to the floor right?”
“Exactly.
The connection between the switch and the turbine has been severed. As a
result, the loop of energy the turbine creates to keep itself turning was
broken. I can fix this easily back at my workshop.”
“You
would do that?!” Mira exclaimed. To her own surprise, she sat back up and
seized his massive hands and shook them. Barrack’s face turned red, his eyes
wide. He reeled back, visibly uncomfortable. “Sorry about that!” Mira added,
barely able to contain her excitement. “Subjectors damn these things for
breaking in the first place though…” She cut off.
“What
did you say?” Barrack asked, his expression shocked.
“I
said nothing, don’t worry about it.” Mira was frustrated with herself, normal
docile citizens referred to the monsters as the Masters, not the Subjectors
like those right of mind did.
“Okay,”
Barrack said simply. He smiled awkwardly, obviously unsure of what to say next.
“So
we should get moving again,” Mira said. She went to move, but her body screamed
in pain, she winced as a result.
“You’re
in no condition to climb anymore,” Barrack said, suddenly in control of his
tone.
“But
my boots and…” Mira was interrupted as her stomach growled, she hadn’t realized
how hungry she was.
“Here,”
Barrack said, he turned around and hung off the wall, his back to her. “Climb
on.”
“Are
you sure?”
“You’re
small, it should be no issue,” Barrack replied. Reluctantly, Mira reached out,
putting one hand on his shoulder, with the other still holding the edge. Next
she wrapped her legs around his chest as best she could, but his chest was
massive and she couldn’t even hook her feet. Barrack seemed stable so slowly
she let go of the ledge and let him support her completely.
Barrack
took off at an incredible pace, climbing so fast that Mira cried out and
grabbed around his neck. She was close to him, he was so large, she felt like a
child when this close, completely dwarfed. This is what a life of eating enough
food to grow at a healthy rate had caused, people of the higher Stratums were
truly giants. Had Mira been slowing him down this entire time? He could have
easily doubled the distance if he had gone off alone. It was all so
embarrassing, she put her head down on his back, trying to relax, and hopefully
her head would stop spinning. Barrack smelt good, a little heavy of smoke, but
he was clean and different than what Mira was used to.
They
traveled like this for several minutes in silence. Every so often Barrack would
stop to rest for a few seconds, and each time he would take off again and
climbing again. Eventually they reached narrow tunnels that required them to
crawl, Mira could do this on her own. After even more climbing and crawling,
they finally came to what felt like a dead end. Barrack reached upwards, and
grabbed a wheel, turning it till it opened, he pushed it open and the door
flipped over, slamming as it hit the ground in the room. Barrack moved aside so
that Mira could crawl over him and through the trap door. She stood up for the
first time in a small eternity. Her legs hurt so much, but it felt good to move
back and forth slightly. Mira was stunned by what lay in front of her.
Mira
had never seen quarters so large. The ceiling itself was at least three metres
high, while the room was massive and open, twenty, no thirty people could live
in this at least. Yet the entire space was taken up with things: shelves,
tables, couches and even a bed in the far corner. The windows were massive,
however they’re view was ground level, and capable of being covered with metal
blinds. Mira had never been in a place that was so large yet could be so
private!
Despite herself,
Mira found herself delving deeper into the room. One section was a work
station, covered in tables, plans and tools! Small devices lay sprawled
everywhere. In another corner, there was an entire wall of bookshelves,
consumed by hundreds of massive tomes. Stepping closer, Mira read that most of
them had strange titles, revolving around sciences she had never heard of.
“This is
incredible,” Mira exclaimed happily. Her eyes fell upon the furthest wall and
she was completely caught off guard. An entire wing was filled with carvings
and statues that could be called art. She stepped closer, seeing the incredible
detail that had gone into everything. There were little toy men carved from
wood, little dolls of pretty girls made of clay and even strange abstract
shapes that were made from twisted metal. Mira couldn’t help herself, she
reached out and picked up a small figurine. The girl it depicted was beautiful,
wearing a strange dress that seemed to flow in one spot, it was amazing.
“Barrack, this
is all so…” Mira’s eyes widened and she dropped the figurine, it hit the ground
and shattered.
Barrack was
making his way towards her slowly, but it couldn’t even be called walking.
Despite how large and imposing he was, he was hunched over, grasping onto
something. It was made of metal with four legs and a handle, a walker. He
lifted it up and placed it down gingerly, proceeding to slowly drag his legs
forward one at a time. In the tunnels he had moved so quickly, so naturally,
climbing with just his upper body and letting his legs dangle. Now Mira
understood why.
“You’re
crippled,” Mira gasped. She moved over in an attempt to help him move, but he
was so slow and so large she didn’t know what to do. Barrack simply lifted his
head, he smiled at her but his eyes were full of shame.
“Yeah.
I am,” He said simply. “More than that, it wasn’t an accident that did this to
me, I am sick.”
“I
don’t understand,” Mira said shaking her head in confusion. Barrack shuffled
over to a nearby couch in the time it would have taken her to do it a dozen
times over. He used his upper body to do most of the work, but his legs slowed
him down severely, dragging against the ground, the sides of his feet often
touching the ground instead of his soles. Barrack did this with little concern,
every so often his feet wouldn’t go forward, and he was forced to reach down
and pull his foot to where he needed it.
Barrack
angled himself towards the seat, instead of sitting down normally he simply
fell backward, hitting the cushions hard. Mira walked over carefully, her eyes
not leaving him as she sat beside him hesitantly, hands on her lap. The large
man proceeded to pull up the baggy pant leg of his right leg, then his left.
Mira
gasped as she got a look at both his legs. They were both sunken in, only as
big as the bones made them. The muscle wasn’t just lean, it was hardly there,
in fact the right leg was visibly more muscular, although that did not mean
much.
“When
I was eleven, my legs started to fail me.” Barrack said solemnly, a distant
look in his eyes. “I had already been selected for the First Stratum by that
point and it was an incredible opportunity. Yet, shortly after, my legs stopped
working, the muscle deteriorated and I eventually could barely walk. It’s only
gotten worse the older I’ve gotten, some days I can’t even move my arms.”
“My
ancestors…” Mira whispered, trying to fully project the sympathy she felt.
Barrack was First Stratum, he was massive, in good shape and very muscular, how
could he suffer from something so… so horrible.
“I’m
sorry you had to see that,” Barrack muttered, guilt crossing his face. “I
shouldn’t have.”
“No!”
Mira interrupted, she placed a hand on his. “You’re incredible! You are
crippled yet you climb so much every day! And you’re so fast at doing it, I
wish I was half as strong willed as you.”
“Thanks,”
He responded quickly. Why did Mira feel guilty? She was a criminal, hunted by
the Subjectors. The night before she had watched as people she knew and cared
about died horribly. She had promised to survive, and until a few moments ago,
that was all that had been on her mind.
“About
those boots…” Mira said awkwardly.
“Who
are you?” Barrack asked suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he did not break eye
contact.
“What
are you talking about Barrack?” Mira asked innocently.
“Don’t,”
Barrack hissed. “You’re small, obviously malnourished, wearing grinding boots,
covered in bruises and scrapes, and you referred to the Masters as the
Subjectors. There was heavy damage dealt to the rails last night, are you
connected?”
“Barrack,”
Mira said, looking away for a moment before sighing. It was obvious now that he
was no fool, she could lie but it would likely get her nowhere. Mira wasn’t in
a position to run or beg, she would ultimately do what it took to keep her
promise and survive. “You’ve saved my life, I should be honest with you. I
don’t have a Stratum, I am a criminal, part of the rebellion, helping the
Allies fight the Subjectors so that we can free humanity from their slavers.”
“I
see,” Barrack said, looking down for a moment. Yet his expression changed to
interest. “So I’ve always wondered about that. Why do you do that? Why would
you fight the Masters when they treat us so well and take such good care of
us.”
“They
don’t,” Mira hissed, a little more aggressively than she had intended. “The
Subjectors are monsters, killers that abuse us and keep us from taking care of
ourselves, they separate us from our parents and force us to mine that rock for
them. Some people like you, people who they deem useful are treated well, but
the rest of us live horrible lives of filth and neglect. Forced into small
homes together, forced to live without privacy, assigned jobs, assigned whom we
have our children with. Not even given the chance to raise our own children.”
“Is
that so?” Barrack said, clutching his chin, looking to be deep in thought.
“You
don’t believe me?! I know you live a comfortable life here with everything you
could possibly need, but out there your people suffer while you help the
Subjectors oppress us! We’re all cattle! You just happen to be better fed than
us.”
“Why
fight?”
“How
else do we free ourselves?”
“You
could ask,” Barrack muttered. “I’m sure they don’t understand…”
“They
do. And they will never let us go willingly, we have to fight our way out of
their city.”
“I
still don’t…”
“Don’t
be so naïve, Barrack. Step outside your beautiful home, climb out of your dark
caverns and watch the city that you help rebuild, you’ll quickly realize that
no human is actually happy. It’s made worse that the Subjectors use a good man
like you to help keep your own people down.”
“I’m
sorry.” Barrack whispered.
“I
told you! Don’t apologize. Just do! Help me Barrack, come with me, we can
escape together. There are people I could introduce you to, they would value
your intelligence much more than the monsters.”
“They
wouldn’t.” Barrack replied quickly. “They would see me the same as every other
human would, just a cripple who happens to be smart and strong. I repair the
rails because I myself am on a rail, I can only move as far as this walker
would let me in this room, or in the narrow corridors below the rails. Outside
the city where would I be able to move? Would I even be useful as a cripple to
anyone?”
“You
could be…” Mira said weakly. “You’re incredible, you really are. I like you and
want to see you survive.”
“You’re
the first human I’ve talked to in three years,” Barrack said suddenly, Mira
couldn’t hide her surprise. “The first girl in ten. My orders are brought to be
via courier, automated. I don’t talk to anyone and this has been something I
will never forget. But I can never leave my rails, never stop my duty. I will
help you escape, but that is all, I will remain here, forgotten. It is all I am
good for.”
“Barrack…”
“I
won’t tell anyone about you. There is nobody to tell. I’ll fix your boots and
get you as close to the outside of the city as I can, you can manage from
there. I don’t understand why you hate the Masters, but I can’t blame you for
it either.”
“Thank
you.” it was all Mira could manage to say.
“Don’t
thank me,” Barrack said as he reached up for his walker. “I’m not helping you,
just giving you the tools to help yourself.”
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
I'm not yet dead...again.
Okay.
Hi.
Oh.
I did it again.
What is my excuse?
WELL?
I finished Hybrid. 134,000 words! as planned. Turned out pretty awesome. Charlotte is already halfway done it! So I finished about two weeks ago... so what have I been doing since then? Well there was my trip to Toronto... I finished the new Sanderson book: "Steel Heart" I'm halfway through Name of the Wind's sequel called Wise Man's Fear... And I'm planning my next book.
I promised Charlotte and all my friends that I wouldn't go back to editing or writing for at least a few weeks, that I would take a break... writing an entire manuscript that is massive in less than two months is impressive but it consumes my life and thoughts... also I did it while working full time and running an entire goddamn department none the less.
That being said, I decided to take it slow. My current docket for future writing plans is as follows:
Ardent's Contract is the first in a series yes, it is no longer a trilogy... there will be four books. But I've said that before. The second book will be called Shadow's Gaze. or something. I don't know. The final one will be called World's Gate... the third? I unno, maybe Blade's Edge or something cheesy, it's a nickname for something that will happen in the third book SO WE'LL SEE.
That being said, with Ardent's Contract, the first book is 300,000 words. I want to wait to write the sequel when I actually have traction with it.
-So that is why I wrote Hybrid first. It is a good size, most fantasy authors debut with under 140,000 word novels.
-Next Project was called Fletcheon, a Roman era fantasy featuring a magic system that involves spirits and summoning and stuff. Combine Digimon and Rome (tv series) and you might get the right idea. This is what I was originally planning to write but I was all like...hmm...I need to know more history and more about life back in the Classical/bronze era. My friend Logan slammed some books on Roman history on my lap so that has been fun. Also I've been reading up on Germanic folklore in the Internets... (well that and Gaul, but that is beside the point) Anyways, this will be the first story I write that will have the MAIN protagonist as a female, I am super duper excited.
-Maiden, my eventual magnum opus. I plan on writing the freaken bible of this universe BEFORE the actual story. It'll be an age of sailing/colonial era epic fantasy that will be HUUUUGE. like I've drawn the world map... IT'S THE WHOLE WORLD AND IT IS HUGE. That being said, it'll draw a lot of inspiration from the real world... so the most level fantasy setting I've made... that being said, the history will make up for the fact that I blatantly have a Not-England and Not-North America... My protagonist will be a soldier, it'll be interesting, the magic system is fucking amazing but kind of dark so I don't want to spoil anything about it... This will be the project I partake only when I know I'm ready... because this will be my Way of Kings...
-Desert Mech fantasy. Not much to say on this one. I came up with the original idea in high school. That being said, a lot of the original premise can be salvaged. I will probably write this one before Maiden despite the fact that I've clearly put not as much thought into it (lately) and I'm not SUPER DUPER enthusiastic about it... yet...speaking of which...urgh.
You know how I said I was going to take a break from writing so I could edit, do research, get better at my job and...enjoy life? well...Ha. FUCK THAT.
Saturday night, I was sitting in my chair... just reading a book... a thought crossed my mind... (not exactly inspired by the book...well...not completely at least.) I had a character I did in a DnD campaign... his name is Edgar, he's an asshole. I love his concept. He's an archaeologist, no he's not Indiana Jones, go fuck yourself. Anyway, the character in DND had a build that allowed him to be all lucky and shit (he was a bard alternate build who didn't have his musical class abilities) Anyway, the concept is that he's lucky and can do a bit of magic.
So I came up with a magic system that fits into this.
So I'm going to ask the DM of that campaign tomorrow if I can use some of his characters for a novel... It'll be 95% different than his vision. I also want the other two players in the campaign to be support characters. Yes Josh, I want Milo. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, let's hang out some time, text me when you read this. Ian has already told me I can use his character. Yes I'll respect your character, although I'm still going to have him and Edgar bitch at each other.
So yeah, That happened Saturday night, since then I pretty much have half an outline done.
So fuck it. I'm going to write it as soon as possible so I can eventually move onto Fletcheon. I hope to edit and query Hybrid in the meantime. My father in law is currently editing Ardent's Contract for me...and he's liking it.. OH GOD.
Oh okay, so that is all for now. I would like to thank my little fire cracker Janel for telling me to blog. I kept putting it off because I felt guilty. or something. Also, I work with her brother now and I was like "HEY JANEL AND I ARE SUFFERING TOGETHER WITH QUERIES HA HA HA"
His response:
"Oh yeah, she likes to write or something."
Writing is equal parts oxygen AND DEADLY ARSENIC GAS for us writers... it isn't exactly always fun, but we do it for some reason.
Anyways, stay tuned kids.
I think there was something I do at the end of these...
urgh...
hmm...
Too?
Tomorrow?
HA JUST KIDDING
TOODLES BITCHES!
Sorry for all the caps.
Hi.
Oh.
I did it again.
What is my excuse?
WELL?
I finished Hybrid. 134,000 words! as planned. Turned out pretty awesome. Charlotte is already halfway done it! So I finished about two weeks ago... so what have I been doing since then? Well there was my trip to Toronto... I finished the new Sanderson book: "Steel Heart" I'm halfway through Name of the Wind's sequel called Wise Man's Fear... And I'm planning my next book.
I promised Charlotte and all my friends that I wouldn't go back to editing or writing for at least a few weeks, that I would take a break... writing an entire manuscript that is massive in less than two months is impressive but it consumes my life and thoughts... also I did it while working full time and running an entire goddamn department none the less.
That being said, I decided to take it slow. My current docket for future writing plans is as follows:
Ardent's Contract is the first in a series yes, it is no longer a trilogy... there will be four books. But I've said that before. The second book will be called Shadow's Gaze. or something. I don't know. The final one will be called World's Gate... the third? I unno, maybe Blade's Edge or something cheesy, it's a nickname for something that will happen in the third book SO WE'LL SEE.
That being said, with Ardent's Contract, the first book is 300,000 words. I want to wait to write the sequel when I actually have traction with it.
-So that is why I wrote Hybrid first. It is a good size, most fantasy authors debut with under 140,000 word novels.
-Next Project was called Fletcheon, a Roman era fantasy featuring a magic system that involves spirits and summoning and stuff. Combine Digimon and Rome (tv series) and you might get the right idea. This is what I was originally planning to write but I was all like...hmm...I need to know more history and more about life back in the Classical/bronze era. My friend Logan slammed some books on Roman history on my lap so that has been fun. Also I've been reading up on Germanic folklore in the Internets... (well that and Gaul, but that is beside the point) Anyways, this will be the first story I write that will have the MAIN protagonist as a female, I am super duper excited.
-Maiden, my eventual magnum opus. I plan on writing the freaken bible of this universe BEFORE the actual story. It'll be an age of sailing/colonial era epic fantasy that will be HUUUUGE. like I've drawn the world map... IT'S THE WHOLE WORLD AND IT IS HUGE. That being said, it'll draw a lot of inspiration from the real world... so the most level fantasy setting I've made... that being said, the history will make up for the fact that I blatantly have a Not-England and Not-North America... My protagonist will be a soldier, it'll be interesting, the magic system is fucking amazing but kind of dark so I don't want to spoil anything about it... This will be the project I partake only when I know I'm ready... because this will be my Way of Kings...
-Desert Mech fantasy. Not much to say on this one. I came up with the original idea in high school. That being said, a lot of the original premise can be salvaged. I will probably write this one before Maiden despite the fact that I've clearly put not as much thought into it (lately) and I'm not SUPER DUPER enthusiastic about it... yet...speaking of which...urgh.
You know how I said I was going to take a break from writing so I could edit, do research, get better at my job and...enjoy life? well...Ha. FUCK THAT.
Saturday night, I was sitting in my chair... just reading a book... a thought crossed my mind... (not exactly inspired by the book...well...not completely at least.) I had a character I did in a DnD campaign... his name is Edgar, he's an asshole. I love his concept. He's an archaeologist, no he's not Indiana Jones, go fuck yourself. Anyway, the character in DND had a build that allowed him to be all lucky and shit (he was a bard alternate build who didn't have his musical class abilities) Anyway, the concept is that he's lucky and can do a bit of magic.
So I came up with a magic system that fits into this.
So I'm going to ask the DM of that campaign tomorrow if I can use some of his characters for a novel... It'll be 95% different than his vision. I also want the other two players in the campaign to be support characters. Yes Josh, I want Milo. I'm sorry you had to find out this way, let's hang out some time, text me when you read this. Ian has already told me I can use his character. Yes I'll respect your character, although I'm still going to have him and Edgar bitch at each other.
So yeah, That happened Saturday night, since then I pretty much have half an outline done.
So fuck it. I'm going to write it as soon as possible so I can eventually move onto Fletcheon. I hope to edit and query Hybrid in the meantime. My father in law is currently editing Ardent's Contract for me...and he's liking it.. OH GOD.
Oh okay, so that is all for now. I would like to thank my little fire cracker Janel for telling me to blog. I kept putting it off because I felt guilty. or something. Also, I work with her brother now and I was like "HEY JANEL AND I ARE SUFFERING TOGETHER WITH QUERIES HA HA HA"
His response:
"Oh yeah, she likes to write or something."
Writing is equal parts oxygen AND DEADLY ARSENIC GAS for us writers... it isn't exactly always fun, but we do it for some reason.
Anyways, stay tuned kids.
I think there was something I do at the end of these...
urgh...
hmm...
Too?
Tomorrow?
HA JUST KIDDING
TOODLES BITCHES!
Sorry for all the caps.
Thursday, 24 October 2013
Okay, I need to get better at this.
Okay, so I've got a few minutes before I go to work.
Shall we talk for a moment?
Okay.
So yeah, I've been working really hard lately! like super hard at work... I'm actually starting to get good at it. After a shitty week last week too! Also, I'm even more stressed because of responsibility blah blah.
BUT ultimately. this is a writing blog (arent they all?) and I usually like to focus on my writing.
Which had been going marvelously.
like seriously.
70 000 words now. 132 pages. I am a machine, and this is with me working full time and always being busy.
Anyways, I think I'll post more writing for realsies this time.
Okay, I'll check back in at lunch. I miss when I blogged eight times a day.
Urgh
Toodles.
Oh and that manga about the sister and her band "Incest" She kissed her brother... urgh. HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS COMING?
Shall we talk for a moment?
Okay.
So yeah, I've been working really hard lately! like super hard at work... I'm actually starting to get good at it. After a shitty week last week too! Also, I'm even more stressed because of responsibility blah blah.
BUT ultimately. this is a writing blog (arent they all?) and I usually like to focus on my writing.
Which had been going marvelously.
like seriously.
70 000 words now. 132 pages. I am a machine, and this is with me working full time and always being busy.
Anyways, I think I'll post more writing for realsies this time.
Okay, I'll check back in at lunch. I miss when I blogged eight times a day.
Urgh
Toodles.
Oh and that manga about the sister and her band "Incest" She kissed her brother... urgh. HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS COMING?
Saturday, 12 October 2013
Shameful plugging.
This is Janel, she is smart and witty.
http://janelcomeau.blogspot.ca/
She is my good friend who is also an inspiring writer. Seriously she's hilarious.
Please read her stuff.
Anyway, Charlotte and I will be watching the conjuring and i will not be sleeping tonight. Mostly because I slept seven hours during the day in an attempt to get over my sickness... I also got no writing done... urgh, I sometimes miss my time of unemployment when I could pound out 12000 words a day.
Now I end up working thirteen hour days when my coworkers call in sick.
Oh well, money is nice and I want to keep this lovely house we have.
Err... Also at work we got a new wide format colour printer... So I printed out a shirtless picture of Ryan Gosling to have on the wall of our copy centre... by wall I mean inside the door of a cabinet. I did this to show my younger coworkers how to use the machine... They are happy and moral is up.
I also wanted to show one of the female managers who often hops over to help, she's more into George Cloony so I printed out a classy black and white photo of him.
OH YEAH.
Oh and that manga I was reading a few weeks ago with the brother and the sister... they kissed... URGH FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW.
Toodles
http://janelcomeau.blogspot.ca/
She is my good friend who is also an inspiring writer. Seriously she's hilarious.
Please read her stuff.
Anyway, Charlotte and I will be watching the conjuring and i will not be sleeping tonight. Mostly because I slept seven hours during the day in an attempt to get over my sickness... I also got no writing done... urgh, I sometimes miss my time of unemployment when I could pound out 12000 words a day.
Now I end up working thirteen hour days when my coworkers call in sick.
Oh well, money is nice and I want to keep this lovely house we have.
Err... Also at work we got a new wide format colour printer... So I printed out a shirtless picture of Ryan Gosling to have on the wall of our copy centre... by wall I mean inside the door of a cabinet. I did this to show my younger coworkers how to use the machine... They are happy and moral is up.
I also wanted to show one of the female managers who often hops over to help, she's more into George Cloony so I printed out a classy black and white photo of him.
OH YEAH.
Oh and that manga I was reading a few weeks ago with the brother and the sister... they kissed... URGH FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW.
Toodles
Not yet dead.
Okay so I've been a bad blogger.
I've been pretty busy with being lazy lately.
By that, I mean either writing or working or laying around being sick in a state to do nothing.
Urgh, What has happened? well I'm reading Sanderson's newest book, Steelheart... I am past the point in Attack on Titan where the anime ends and the manga gets REALLY addictive... I am watching bar rescue on netflix... oh and Hybrid is about 48 000 words long meow. and that is with a really bad week of not being able to write much because of being sick.
Anyway, today will be different.
I will sit here and write...and write...and write for about five hours till Charlotte is off work...then we will go to Thanksgiving meal with her brother... oh yes, for those NON Canadians... this weekend is true thanksgiving.
Err... I am really anxious to get writing but I feel I must add more... how bout the fact that Charlotte and I are watching United States of Tara... which I really enjoyed initially... however the writing seems to get WORSE with each season... Which shouldn't surprise me, It is written by Diablo Cody, easily the most overrated of Hollywood writers... like seriously. I'm not fucking with you, I hate her guts.
Mostly because she writes pretentious bullshit that she thinks is feminist but instead pushes the movement back a few decades. She is the worst kind of feminist, she is not subtle, she is not clever, she is a disease in the form of a person holding an HB pencil and writing whatever shit comes to her mind. However, unlike someone like an angst ridden twelve year old boy who has just discovered the feminist article on Wikipedia, she actually gets paid for the excrement she pushes out of her pencil.
Anyway! What I was getting at is Tara had a lot of potential, a great (abeit overdone concept) that she has somehow managed to run into the ground. It's like she realized that the heart of her show, what made it great was the connection between the family so SHE HAD TO DESTROY IT.
She introduces a Male character who is handsome, successful and really nice and I was shocked. Most writers would be trying to make this alternate love interest an ASSHOLE so that the proper love interest (ugly short guy Neal) would look like a superstar in comparison. Because, hey we love an underdog and the underdog must ALWAYS win to the point where it is so overdone. God forbid if an alternate love interest has anything going for him and isn't a total loser we have to depict him as a douche and watch him fail.
So yeah, I was shocked she was going this route, even after the sister character drags this nice guy through ABSOLUTE SHIT... and depicts the underdog as a huge uncaring asshole... he still stuck with her....
UNTIL RANDOMLY THE GUY MAKES A 180 TURN IN PERSONALITY AND BECOMES AN ASSHOLE AND NEAL THE SHORT UGLY GUY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE WE WERE CHEERING FOR THE ENTIRE TIME?
It is so jarring how characters are handled in Tara... The characters are such huge assholes. Everyone refuses to accept responsibility for their actions and they randomly make 180 personality changes.
So yeah, the show starts going to shit... we'll see how it ends, we just started the third and final season.
Anyway, I hate Diablo Cody... She can't write, but she can overwrite very well...
Yes, I hated Juno. It is a terrible mess of a film.
Jenifer's Body... Everyone hated that movie.
Young Adult, I have not seen, but I've heard good things. I pass judgement.
Evil Dead, the remake. I fucking hated this movie, it deserves it's own post.
Her directorial debut is coming out soon, Paradise. Can't wait to destroy it.
Oh, under personal life in her wikipedia page it says this:
"Cody is a feminist.[28][29]"
Like it is self explanatory. Bullshit.
I've been pretty busy with being lazy lately.
By that, I mean either writing or working or laying around being sick in a state to do nothing.
Urgh, What has happened? well I'm reading Sanderson's newest book, Steelheart... I am past the point in Attack on Titan where the anime ends and the manga gets REALLY addictive... I am watching bar rescue on netflix... oh and Hybrid is about 48 000 words long meow. and that is with a really bad week of not being able to write much because of being sick.
Anyway, today will be different.
I will sit here and write...and write...and write for about five hours till Charlotte is off work...then we will go to Thanksgiving meal with her brother... oh yes, for those NON Canadians... this weekend is true thanksgiving.
Err... I am really anxious to get writing but I feel I must add more... how bout the fact that Charlotte and I are watching United States of Tara... which I really enjoyed initially... however the writing seems to get WORSE with each season... Which shouldn't surprise me, It is written by Diablo Cody, easily the most overrated of Hollywood writers... like seriously. I'm not fucking with you, I hate her guts.
Mostly because she writes pretentious bullshit that she thinks is feminist but instead pushes the movement back a few decades. She is the worst kind of feminist, she is not subtle, she is not clever, she is a disease in the form of a person holding an HB pencil and writing whatever shit comes to her mind. However, unlike someone like an angst ridden twelve year old boy who has just discovered the feminist article on Wikipedia, she actually gets paid for the excrement she pushes out of her pencil.
Anyway! What I was getting at is Tara had a lot of potential, a great (abeit overdone concept) that she has somehow managed to run into the ground. It's like she realized that the heart of her show, what made it great was the connection between the family so SHE HAD TO DESTROY IT.
She introduces a Male character who is handsome, successful and really nice and I was shocked. Most writers would be trying to make this alternate love interest an ASSHOLE so that the proper love interest (ugly short guy Neal) would look like a superstar in comparison. Because, hey we love an underdog and the underdog must ALWAYS win to the point where it is so overdone. God forbid if an alternate love interest has anything going for him and isn't a total loser we have to depict him as a douche and watch him fail.
So yeah, I was shocked she was going this route, even after the sister character drags this nice guy through ABSOLUTE SHIT... and depicts the underdog as a huge uncaring asshole... he still stuck with her....
UNTIL RANDOMLY THE GUY MAKES A 180 TURN IN PERSONALITY AND BECOMES AN ASSHOLE AND NEAL THE SHORT UGLY GUY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE ONE WE WERE CHEERING FOR THE ENTIRE TIME?
It is so jarring how characters are handled in Tara... The characters are such huge assholes. Everyone refuses to accept responsibility for their actions and they randomly make 180 personality changes.
So yeah, the show starts going to shit... we'll see how it ends, we just started the third and final season.
Anyway, I hate Diablo Cody... She can't write, but she can overwrite very well...
Yes, I hated Juno. It is a terrible mess of a film.
Jenifer's Body... Everyone hated that movie.
Young Adult, I have not seen, but I've heard good things. I pass judgement.
Evil Dead, the remake. I fucking hated this movie, it deserves it's own post.
Her directorial debut is coming out soon, Paradise. Can't wait to destroy it.
Oh, under personal life in her wikipedia page it says this:
"Cody is a feminist.[28][29]"
Like it is self explanatory. Bullshit.
Thursday, 3 October 2013
Still got it!
Sorry boys and girls! I have been distracted lately.
By that I mean I closed the tab on blogger. Never doing that again.
Also, I've been writing an insane amount. Hybrid is now over 40 000 words. part 1 is finished. sadly enough it is longer than I had expected with less content. Oh well, it's better this way don't worry folks.
The sad thing is though, my dream of completing a manuscript that is around 100 000 words seems to be going up in smoke... I don't know if I can do it. I really...really...really...like writing...lots. also details it seems too.
That is quite okay, so what has happened... well Attack on Titan finished, very sad. now I am reading the manga, where the art is very sketchy. I don't mean bad, I mean it looks like he drew it really fast. like it was sketched. Also, the first colour pages of the giant Titan are laughable.. he looks like he's made of liqorish.
Okay, so I'm just editing right meow, I may post more of the story! I really hope so.
Will blog later.
This tab stays open.
Toodles.
By that I mean I closed the tab on blogger. Never doing that again.
Also, I've been writing an insane amount. Hybrid is now over 40 000 words. part 1 is finished. sadly enough it is longer than I had expected with less content. Oh well, it's better this way don't worry folks.
The sad thing is though, my dream of completing a manuscript that is around 100 000 words seems to be going up in smoke... I don't know if I can do it. I really...really...really...like writing...lots. also details it seems too.
That is quite okay, so what has happened... well Attack on Titan finished, very sad. now I am reading the manga, where the art is very sketchy. I don't mean bad, I mean it looks like he drew it really fast. like it was sketched. Also, the first colour pages of the giant Titan are laughable.. he looks like he's made of liqorish.
Okay, so I'm just editing right meow, I may post more of the story! I really hope so.
Will blog later.
This tab stays open.
Toodles.
Friday, 27 September 2013
Red flags and incest.
So when you start a new manga. And the main character likes a band called Incest... and it turns out his long lost sister comes back into his life and she is the lead singer... we call that a red flag boys.
It's called Seishun pop! really good art, but I'm not sure if it is incesty yet... the main character has a love interest who isn't his sister and so far (so far oh god) there hasn't been any intentional sexual tension... between them... thank god. will report on that later.
Anyway, going to the Edmonton Expo tomorrow.
Perhaps I'll put up the third chapter.
Toodles!
It's called Seishun pop! really good art, but I'm not sure if it is incesty yet... the main character has a love interest who isn't his sister and so far (so far oh god) there hasn't been any intentional sexual tension... between them... thank god. will report on that later.
Anyway, going to the Edmonton Expo tomorrow.
Perhaps I'll put up the third chapter.
Toodles!
Thursday, 26 September 2013
Chapter 2!
So here is Chapter 2 of Hybrid! I will be talking about chapter one and the main character hopefully later today.
Please enjoy! Or don't As always, feel free to email me your thoughts.
Chapter 2:
Please enjoy! Or don't As always, feel free to email me your thoughts.
Chapter 2:
“Well
hurry up then,” The elderly woman snapped. Yuri tried his hardest to keep pace
with her as she hustled down the hallway.
“I’m
really sorry, I still don’t fully understand the situation,” He muttered,
adjusting his glasses. “In fact, I don’t know anything! This is really
unexpected.”
“I’ve
known about my retirement for five years now,” The woman hissed. “And we’ve had
our eyes on you to replace me for quite some time, so this isn’t unexpected at
all.”
“I
guess I’m completely wrong then.” Yuri said, shaking his head. However the
statement seemed to go over her head. That was the problem with other members
of the Second Stratum, they never seemed to understand sarcasm. Just forty-five
minutes prior, the twenty-eight year old man had been working his usual
position. A completely non-descript bureaucratic position. It was an awful job
that required giving compensation to humans who had been injured and couldn’t
support themselves. Yuri was expected to pry through their lives and make sure
that they were really injured or if they were faking. He was expected to turn
down the majority of cases, any loophole he could find he was to use. Under
Master law, humans were entitled to compensation so that they could get back to
working condition, yet many humans had taken advantage of this system in the
past. The entire job was horrible, he wished he had never been assigned to it.
Yuri
had been shocked to find his desk cleared of all his belongings, everything
thrown in the trash. He had to sit across from his shit eating superior as he
talked about how he was not a good fit for the occupation and that the Masters
had finally noticed how incompetent he was. Yuri’s boss was a miserable man,
like everyone else who worked in their industry, it was probably made worse by
the fact that he was balding and generally an unpleasant person. In fact, many
at the office didn’t like the fact that Yuri tried to find joy in the dead end
job he had been assigned by the Masters. Most of them knew that they would
never have their own residence, they would be trapped living with other people
their whole lives and that they would never get to pick their own marriage
partner from the litter of attractive people.
Such
was the burden of the Second Stratum, it was such rubbish. Yuri knew for a fact
because of his job that they lived much better than most. In fact, most humans
were condemned to share an apartment with at least fifteen other people! The
fact that their windows had blinds and could be blocked off for privacy was a
huge privilege, and that was only the beginning. They were all selfish, they
didn’t know better because they chose not to. They acted entitled because all
they had ever known was excellent living. From the time Yuri was ten and had
graduated from homecare, the system in place for certified parents to raise a
dozen or more children at once, he had known he was in a position to at least
be happy.
So when
the boss who hated Yuri smiled and exclaimed that he was to be terminated,
things seemed to slow down. Strangely enough, he couldn’t stop staring at the
bastard’s bald head. The entire situation did not make sense, nobody was ever
fired from the jobs they were given by the Masters. The Masters made no
mistakes! If they felt you were suited to a position, you were damn well
suited, and you would do it until the day you died. There were punishments for
low productivity, they would take away privileges, demote you, or even worse:
not let you get married. Yet Yuri had
never heard of anyone ever being completely removed from a job.
He may
have overreacted a little.
By the
time the Peace Keepers had arrived he had already flipped the desk onto the
bastard and kicked him a few times. Even after they grabbed him, Yuri had still
made a valiant effort to knock all his things over. The look on the man’s face
was priceless, too bad Yuri would take it to his grave. The young men had not
so politely thrown him on an empty train and sent him this way.
Yuri
was shocked to find this elderly woman waiting for him outside when he arrived
at the unknown destination.
“Where
am I?” Yuri grunted, carefully observing his surroundings, trying to get his
feet grounded again. “Am I to be executed or something?”
“Not
yet,” The woman muttered, barely giving him a glance.
“Not
yet? Then what?” Yuri choked.
“You
are to be my replacement is all.”
“What?”
“I am
retiring, the young woman who was supposed to replace me has met an unfortunate
fate. As such, there were no other available trainees so we had to do something
that hasn’t been done before. Yuri, you will be retrained for my position.”
“I’m
twenty-eight!” Yuri protested. “It is eighteen years too late! I trained for
years for my terrible bureaucratic position!”
“Yes,
and according to our data you were ill-suited for it. The Masters do not like
making mistakes, yet there is a belief that you are the most qualified.” The
woman kept waltzing down the hall at her quick pace, Yuri was shocked that she
could move so fast.
“So now
what? Where am I?”
“You
will shadow me for a year at least, or until I deem you ready to take over my
position. I am disappointed that I have to delay my retirement, but such is
life.” The woman stopped suddenly, looked down her nose at Yuri and added: “Oh,
and you are at the Master’s imperium.”
“The government?” Yuri hissed,
almost thrown off his feet by the shock. If this old woman worked for the
imperium, which meant that she was part ofthe human branch of the government!
As all men and women of the Second Stratum knew, the humans didn’t so much as
run things, they were just glorified advisors at best.
“Yes,
the human branch of the government. My position is of high advisor, a very
important job that involves a great deal of work. I am positive that the raise
in prestige and living conditions will not bother you.”
“Important?!”
Yuri gasped. “I’ve always been anything, but!”
“I
would say the same for all our kind.” The woman responded with a matter of fact
tone. “I take my job very seriously, I will be merciless in training you, how
you perform ultimately reflects my own career so I expect great things for you.”
“I
see,” Yuri said solemnly, catching up with her for the first time since getting
off the train. “You have to understand this is a little much, until a few
minutes ago…”
“What
you thought before getting off that train no longer matters. I highly recommend
you forget all that.” The woman came to another abrupt stop, she studied Yuri
closely through spectacled eyes. He felt almost naked in front of her
inspection. Yuri was a tall man, although not as thin as he would like. His
graying hair was long and kept in a ponytail and his posture tended to be
terrible. “I almost forgot to add. My name is Kalin.”
“Nice
to meet you, I’m Yuri,” He responded awkwardly.
“Well,
you will have to lose a lot of those bad habits if you are to live up to your
reputation.”
“Reputation?”
“Yes.”
Before
Yuri could ask anything else, they finally exited the long hallway. The emerged
into a massive room of concrete and glass, the sure majesty of the room almost
knocked him off his feet. Dozens of humans scurried about, working on
clipboards, keeping their hoods up and their faces down. In the massive chamber
there were dozens of floors, it was the largest building of the capital after
all. Yuri had wasn’t sure what to expect, but he wasn’t surprised that the room
was completely utilitarian, plain as everything designed by the Masters.
Speaking of which, several of the
metal skinned creatures walked the halls. None were combat ready like lesser
humans seemed to think all Masters were. Instead they were humanoid, with simple
bodies, small heads and intricate hands that were capable of doing small tasks
quite easily. Most were the size of humans, although a few were over two metres
tall. Yuri’s advanced education had explained that Masters were capable of
taking over any metal body, but it was very important to consider size. The
larger a body they possessed, the less intelligent they would become as a
result. It was an interesting fact, something that Yuri had been told through
word of mouth, not through the provided texts
“So The Emperor lives here?” Yuri
asked, voice amazed by the sight.
“Yes, now bow.” Kalin grunted,
she smacked the back of his head as a Master passed by. Out of reflex, Yuri
lowered his face and lifted up his arms for the traditional human bow. It
involved lifting your forearms upward, closing your fists, turning your palms
towards your body, touching your pinkies together and bowing the head in
subservience.
The
master passed by, turning its red eyes towards Yuri, steam hissing from its
joints. It was closely followed by a small creature, only about forty
centimetres tall, it had six legs and three arms. Most strangely of all, it
wasn’t made of metal but clay, its features were all carved simply. It was a Doll, a partner that Masters were
capable of making by fragmenting their soul into the clay husk. It would come
to life and have a personality of its own.
“Don’t
stare,” Kalin hissed.
“I’m
sorry,” Yuri whispered back. “I’m just unused to seeing Dolls in person,
they’re incredible.”
“Get
used to it. Many Masters only speak to humans through their fragments.”
The
woman began to walk towards another hallway, weaving through the traffic of the
massive room. Yuri followed closely, still trying to grasp his situation fully.
“What
do you know of the Masters and the way they are?”
“I know
the usual information,” Yuri responded quickly, they were alone again. “And a
few things that I shouldn’t know, the teachers always had their own
observations about them that they would note when educating us.”
“Please,
go on.”
“Okay,”
Yuri shifted uncomfortably but kept talking. “I know about their hierarchy. The
Exarchs are the greatest of their kind, the smartest and the strongest, capable
of making the most fragments and possessing more complex bodies without reducing
their intelligence too much. Due to this, they form the main leadership of the
Masters, often leading the discussions on how to govern and their votes count
the most towards the consensus.”
“Excellent,
please go on.”
“The
Exarchs are the original souls, but when they become too smart, in their own
words, absorb too much information, they reproduce, budding and creating a new
soul from the excess. Often the newly created soul takes too much from the
original, and make them dumber as a result. After the Exarchs come the Ultras, they
are still exceptional while a lot more numerous than the Exarchs. According to
one of my teachers, they can become experts of two or three fields easily. The
next level are the Standards, which make up the majority of the Mater’s
population. They are average in comparison to the Ultras and almost never
exceptionally skilled. Finally there are the Dulls, which are Masters that have
been watered down over several generations. They are stupid in comparison,
unable to speak or understand human languages, they are also sterile. Other
Masters consider the incompetent in comparison and they are the lowest of their
society, usually only given the most menial of tasks to perform.”
“Not
bad,” Kalin muttered to herself. “This is just a personal opinion and does not
reflect the official stance of our department, however I think that it’s sad
that humans become wiser and more competent with age and the Masters are born
perfect and degrade over time.”
“Never
thought of that,” Yuri admitted.
“Few
ever do. It is worth noting that you have forgotten an entire caste of the
Masters.”
“I
have?”
“Yes,
the Masters feel a certain kinship for machines and devices made of metal. In
fact, any machine that performs a task, but is not sentient like they are, they
refer to as The Burdened. They will refer to them regularly, it is important to
understand what they are.”
“Machines?”
Yuri asked confused. “Why would the Masters care about trains and such?”
“Not
just trains, conveyer belts, engines, and such devices. Perhaps it is because
machines are constructed and made out of metal. The Masters do make their own
bodies, depending on their preferences.”
“Odd,”
Yuri said to himself. “The Burdened, I’ll have to remember that.”
“You
will memorize all such information I provide you with.”
“Great,”
Yuri sighed. “You still haven’t told me
what I am doing or why you chose me.”
“It is
quite a simple position,” Kalin said, stopping briefly to look him dead in the
eyes. “Your job is to act as a representative of humanity, giving the Masters
advice based on what you feel is best for your fellow man.”
“What
kind of advice?” Yuri asked, shocked.
“How to
run their government,” Kalin added flatly. “They are our rulers, but they still
need to ask humans their opinions on how they should proceed. Your job is to
watch out for humans while giving the Masters the best advice possible on how
to deal with human matters.”
“Why do
they even care? They rule us, they are called the Masters for a reason.”
“You
have obviously not dealt with Masters in person much have you? They are
different than us, both culturally and how they think. They have a strong
problem understanding us and our ways, they need people like us to advise them,
to tell them why humans act the way they do and predict their patterns. Not
only do you serve the Masters but you are also obligated to your own kind.”
“You’re
kidding me!” Yuri protested. “You’re saying I’m responsible for helping to rule
my own kind! Why me? I worked a dead end bureaucratic position, every day I
robbed people of funds they were entitled to, I just hit my last boss!”
“We’ve
been watching you for quite some time,” Kalin scoffed. “You were terrible at
your job. You went out of your way to help people and you gave away too much
money to those who needed it. You care too much for your fellow man, you are
empathetic, and for this reason you have been selected.”
“I’m
what?”
“You
care. Too much in fact, why do you think your boss hated you? Well he has no
need for you anymore, but we do.”
“I’m
needed?” Yuri choked, he still couldn’t believe it. “I still have no idea why
you want me, less than an hour ago my world was shattered, life as I know it.”
“Get
used to it, it is a common occurrence around here.”
“I…”
Yuri tried to find words to say but he was at a loss.
“Shut
up already, we have a lot of work that needs to be done, and very little time
to train you. My retirement is on the line, I won’t waste time training another
hopeless louse.”
Yuri
gawked openly at her, shrugged, and followed his new superior.
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