Beautiful Death

The Plot Thickens

2006-09-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm going along merrily in Kleopatra's POV, adding all sorts of new layers and ideas and such. I'm just about finished with her sections, but I've still got a lot of play in word count yet. Plenty of room to expand the worldbuilding of New Olympia.

In particular, Wanda asked "Why don't they drive cars?"

Now Hades did mention in a discussion to Isabella on the road to Delphi that he's working with inventors to convert our cars into something that runs on his power like Erebus. I thought I'd expand that idea, especially since I've been thinking more like a Macedonian lately (as Kleopatra). Why not go ahead and have a tweaked car? Why not let them drive to Delphi instead of walk?

I don't lose any action scene there. It's all conversation. Oh, there is an emotional power play between Hades and Isabella, so maybe he shouldn't be driving this super car himself. He's Lord of the Underworld anyway, so someone should drive him.

Hmmmm. Who could drive him? It can't be Charon -- he's busy betraying. How about Cerberus? He was in the original draft as a triwolf but I lost him in the major rewrite. That would be cool. Not a normal everyday werewolf, but one with three heads. *g* So who should I base him on? What's his story? Even though he only plays a minor part right now, who knows what the future holds?

So I thought some more. I had a feeling, suddenly, that Cerberus was *big.* He's a main player, hiding out, biding his time. Why? How did he come to House Aegae on Macedon? Why would he follow Philip to Earth? He's not exactly a betrayer, at least I don't think so. Not like Charon. But he needed to be something big, special, unique to justify just "throwing" him in.

I also realized that the ending of BD eliminates my main antagonist. Actually, both of them. Xerxes is still going to be a threat, but historically, Alexander conquered Persia, so who cares. Expanding Cerberus could give me the big piece I needed to suddenly have a very major player, a major antagonist who could drive the following books in the series (assuming I have reason to write them).

So take all this together. Big bad enemy. Someone who has a reason to hide out, loosely based on mythology/history/legend. Wolves. Contemporary or at least close to Philip II of Macedonia and Alexander the Great.

The name Cerberus was known as before he ever came to Earth? REMUS.

Macedon Houses

2006-09-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

As I indicated the other day, the Vergina Sun gave me the idea to define 16 Houses to play out the political war on Macedon. Note--many of these names won't be used at all, if ever. Some of the names are odd, hard to pronounce, etc. It would get horribly confusing to infodump all this garbage in the story, but in my geekdom, I felt I needed to know everything, and it never ceases to amaze me how certain little things can dictate remarkably wonderful worldbuilding. IMO.

The capital of Macedon is obviously Vergina, then, the center of the sun, ruled by the Megaskyr. The Megaskyr sits on the Sun Throne, and a 16-point star is embossed on the throne, as well as inlaid in the marble floors. Oh, did I mention that although there are certain elements of a "normal" palace, Vergina is actually built inside a massive choka tree and maintained with the current Megaskyr's power? Sometimes the walls are stone, sometimes they're the living, breathing walls of the choka, which must be coaxed into supporting the palace. If the Megaskyr's power were to fail..... Hmmm. *g*

Now the historical Kleopatra was from Macedonia, but she had a brother named Attalus who mouthed off in front of Prince Alexander (insulting him and his mother, the Queen) and almost caused a war. So appropriately, Kleopatra's original House is Attalus.

The more ancient name for the capital of Macedonia was Aegae. That's the name of Philip's House, ruled by his father, Amyntas.

Xerxes, historically, was a king of Persia, also called the Achaemenid Empire. Hence, his House's name is Achaemenid, ruled by his father, Mnemom. Why be difficult and stupid? While I like the name, I can't pronounce it. So Persia is Xerxes's house.

The other minor Houses:

Rhodes
Pydna
Caria
Molossis
Illyria
Larissa
Chios
Phocis
Strymon (actually a river, but I really liked the name)
Thessaly
Olynthus
Methone
Pherae

News and Work

2006-09-13T04:20:00.000-07:00

The Butterfly is still soaring. It's weird, this certainty I had about BD and this contest. I told Sis that it was like taking a college exam and having people ask me later how I thought I did. I either ACED it or FAILED it utterly. Either I absolutely nailed BD or I have no stinking clue about anything. Which is absolutely possible. I once took an exam on Algebraic Theory and thought I did okay. I got a 26/100. I was dumbfounded.

So I was afraid when it looked like BD didn't final. I was afraid it was like Alegbra all over again. What a relief and great joy to find that BD did final as I hoped. As I dreamed.

I swear, before I heard the news, I'd already committed to a new butt crack of dawn schedule to get the second draft finished as quickly as possible. Watch the Dreaming in Rhyme blog for the nitty gritty details if you're interested. The biggest developments are as follows:

1). I think I'm going to change Cleopatra's name to Kleopatra. I saw it spelled this way while researching the ancient capital of Macedonia, and I like it. I also think it might help with the Egyptian Cleopatra confusion. Philip II of Macedonia DID marry a Cleopatra (not Alexander's mother though) and she was assassinated shortly after him.

2). Writing in Kleopatra's POV means I need more worldbuilding on Macedon. I never needed much beyond snippets in Hades' POV. Placing scenes IN Macedon requires a whole nother level of detail, though. While looking for the historical capitals and cities of Macedonia, I found an interesting tidbit about the Vergina Sun. What a cool coincidence. That gave me so much it's not even funny. Now I have 16 Houses on Macedon, all in constant conflict to vie for the throne.

3). Xerxes is coming to life too, a necessity as he is the primary conflict that Kleopatra is facing. I need urgency on her part. After 5 years, why would she dare try to take Philip again? Ah. I know now.

I'm hoping to add about 10K words in this draft. I don't know that this is even possible by the end of the month, or with my list of revision ideas. Adding Kleopatra's POV will help, obviously, as well as enrich the story with new worldbuilding details. Cool stuff.

Rip off the wings of the Butterfly.

Charon

2006-08-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

There's only one thing I want, one thing I need. It's something I can't find here on this damned hunk of rock. I can only find it at home on Thrace.

What I need is a mate. A woman. Someone who can be my anchor.

Why would a powerful drakon like me need some delicate little female? It's very, very simple. When a Thracian reaches full maturity, the clock starts ticking. Each time I transform to my beast, there's a risk I won't be able to come back.

Don't get me wrong. I love being a drakon. I love flying, fighting, tearing shit up. I love keeping Hades' peace. I could even love this planet. All I need is her. The one who can bring me back. Who can tame my drakon. Who can fly with me. Who can love me despite the blood on my hands.

Hades doesn't know the risk. I owe him, you see. He saved my life while my father held him as hostage on Thrace. Back to back, surrounded by enemies, we learned by accident what we could do together. It required just one little thing. Blood. My blood, to be precise.

Now Hades has a bond with me. He hears my thoughts, uses me, even feeds on me. And for the most part, I never really minded. He's a decent enough skyr. Together, we ended the endless war between Thrace and Macedon. He's arrogant, but they all are. Besides, younger sons don't get much real duty and honor on Thrace. Hades is damned powerful with his own Megaskyr pissed at him. He needed me, and I liked feeling useful.

Until we came here to Earth. I lost my middle brother and his mate here. It's my fault they were assigned to Erebus, so I claim full responsibility for their deaths. Now we're exiled here with these pitiful humans. Weak, spineless, sniveling little creatures with no understanding of real power.

Worse, the virus wrecked my control. Each time I transform, it's a gamble. Will I come back, or will I fly the night skys forever? Not to mention the hunger inside me. Hades bitches about his dependency on blood, but he has no idea what it's like to crave bleeding, kicking, screaming meat. He takes a little nibble and goes on his way. Me, I tear the fucker apart.

I guess that's still not enough to excuse my betrayal. He'll never understand why I took the Megaskyr up on her offer. When my brother died, when our hungers changed, and we were chained to this planet with no hope of ever going home, I accepted Cleopatra's power. She has a trapdoor inside my head, and she knows everything I know. Everything Hades tells me. Everything I see and think and know, she possesses.

My price? A mate. Cleopatra promised me a Gate home so I could find my woman, my anchor. Someone who can embrace my drakon, tolerate my need for flesh, and pull me back from the madness and murder the virus condemns me to. I tell myself every night when I open my eyes, and every day when I lay down alone that she's out there. Waiting for me. A mate for my beast.

Deep down, though, I know the truth.

Ain't no way anybody's gonna save me. I'm never leaving this planet. It's too late for me. I'm too corrupted by the virus. My own father would shoot me down like a rabid beast, and he'd be perfectly within his right to do so.

Madness crawls inside my head, fed by desperation and all the blood on my hands. It's a monster gnawing at me day after day after day. Trapped. I'm trapped, and I'm losing my mind, and I'm running out of time.

And despite all his power, all his knowledge, the only thing Hades senses is a big black hole in his bond. He has no idea what price I'm willing to pay for even a glimmer of hope.

Wings of a Butterfly

2006-07-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

This song by H.I.M. has proven to be a powerful theme song for the final quarter of the story. I loved it even before I knew the background about the lyrics. First, the lyrics themselves:

Heaven ablaze in our eyes
We're standing still in time
The blood on our hands is the wine
We offer as sacrifice

[Chorus]
Come on, and show them your love
Rip out the wings of a butterfly
For your soul, my love
Rip out the wings of a butterfly
For your soul

This endless mercy mile
We're crawling side by side
With hell freezing over in our eyes
Gods kneel before our crime

In mythology, butterflies can often be symbols of immortality and/or innocence because of their beauty. Sometimes, ripping out the wings of a butterfly gives eternal life. Some believe that immortal souls have the wings of a butterfly. According to Ville in an interview, he says:

So I was thinking, for me, it was more about "rip out the wings of a butterfly for your soul". I was thinking: 'Are you willing to destroy your past and burn some bridges down to be able to step up to the next level, in a relationship or even spiritually?'

Wow. I love this song. I love how this story is coming together.

Disgusted

2006-07-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

I had to stop and look to see when I started this blog and this project. July 2005. A whole year. Without a single draft finished.

I wasted too much time and energy on doubts. On other people's opinions. What I should or should not be writing. How many flaws my characters have; my story; my premise; my writing in general.

I'm sick of it. It's MY damned dream! If I don't fight for it, who will?

I meekly stood passive and silent, letting people rip out the butterfly's wings. I believed it necessary and good so I could grow as a writer, while in reality it crippled me. I crammed my wide, flat, size 9 feet into dainty glass slippers so I could go to the ball. They laughed at me anyway and tore off my fake wings, just as the stepmother did in Ever After.

And the saddest part? I truly believed the butterfly was a fat ugly slug, and the dream was just a costume anyway.

No more. I borrowed Sis's kick-ass boots and I'm marching toward the finish line. Leading the way, the butterfly soars ahead of me on stained-glass wings that no one will ever shred again.

Isabella has taught me that some things are worth killing for. I will kill to keep the butterfly's wings safe this time. The silver sword is in my hand and I won't hesitate to use it.

Nothing's going to stop me now.

Butterfly

2006-06-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

[Brainstorming notes to consider while making revisions in the next draft. Some themes and elements need more work to cement them into story.]

Why a butterfly? From the beginning, the blue-black butterflies have been powerful images for this story. I knew butterflies from the very beginning. Why, though?

It goes back to her father. The years in his research lab, when she was his princess and he was the brilliant genius who could save anybody. Save the world. Did he collect them? Did he tell her a story about them? Something. It became HERS though, over time. Her signature. Perhaps something tied to her mother's death. I've often seen butterflies about dead animals, a beautiful yet gruesome picture. She could consider it some kind of sign, though. She feels guilty about her mother's death, but her strength at that time defined her. She became BEAUTIFUL DEATH because of that first mercy killing.

So I think the butterfly is tied to her mother, not her father. I think that makes it more powerful. The royal-blue color was from her father -- it matches their eyes. But the symbol itself is tied to her mother's death.

It needs to carry through the story, though. At another dark moment or moment of death, she needs to see the butterfly, or recognize it in some way.

Also, there's something about Icarus. How did he know about the butterfly? It's likely something she told him, and he latched onto it as a trademark for her personality in the Cities. I've long been playing with the idea that he's betraying her somehow. That he gave or continues to give Zeus information about her. Then when Zeus began his manipulation via the virus, he created her trademark wings in her power. But why would he do this if the butterfly sign came from her mother? Not really sure yet. Keep thinking. The pieces will fall into place eventually.

From dream interpretation:

A dream of a butterfly could be telling you to settle down and not to flit from person to person or it could have to do with social situations.. The bigger and more beautiful the butterfly, the more of an impression you will make on society, or at a special function that you must attend. Use the other symbols in your dream to get you on the right track. Link

More: (emphasis mine)
A butterfly within a dream often symbolizes the onset of a period of transformation
Symbolic of a life cycle
Learning to release the past and embrace the new
Living in the present
A need to slow down and reflect on your growth thus far
Beauty, lightness, freedom, sensitivity
A disfigured butterfly may symbolize having outgrown your present situation or cycle
Failure to commit or invest time in something, flitting around
Someone who is unable to stick to one interest, place or occupation for a reasonable period of time
Butterflies in the tummy are indicative of nervousness, anxiety, worry or stress
A person who never settles with one interest or in one place for long
The colour of the butterfly may provide further interpretational clues.
Link

More (ignoring the stuff on infidelity)
butterfly is a symbol of changeability. It may imply that you are going through an inner change like caterpillar transforms into a butterfly! And this change is going to be positive. Link

Eerie

2006-06-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

I don't even remember where I got the Archetypes Storytelling Cards link. Perhaps from Paperback Writer's Monday ten? Anyway, I updated my site today and added a few new links. I decided to check this one out. Something had snagged my attention about it, but I'd never spent time going over it.

Now I love web tarot. Some funky things have happened the few times I've played with it. The Archetypes site is sort of like standard tarot, but it's specific to character. Since I've been in a bit of a funk with Isabella and BD in general, I thought about her. Where is the story going? What do I need to accomplish? Am I on the right track?

Here's what I got from the 3-character spread.

The Past: The Noble.

Injustice, reward without merit, nepotism

Basic Interpretation:The Noble sits upon a throne, basking in his riches and blind to the suffering of those who hold him where he is. He is unaware (or possibly unconcerned) with the price paid by others to maintain his unearned position and wealth. He simply feels entitled to his lofty lifestyle.

This is totally Isabella at the beginning of the story. She's living in Athens, which she believes to be a paradise, while people die outside. Locked outside for many reasons, not just the virus, all for Zeus's grand scheme of the perfect human race. By her blood tests alone, she would have been excluded from Athens in the first place. But because she's Zeus's daughter, she was accepted without question.

The Present: The Judge

Justice, consequence, judgment, seriousness, lack of humor, absolute definitions of Right and Wrong, dogma

Basic Interpretation:Seated between icons of life and death, the Judge peers sternly and disapprovingly upon the convicted. He is the protector of the status quo and uninterested in new ideas. He passes judgment conservatively and dispassionately; no humor is allowed in his court.

Again, this is spot on. When the story opens, Isabella is First Marshal, executioner for the Pantheon. She believes she's executing justice. She hates the monsters without question. There is no room for middle ground -- anyone who's contaminated should be exterminated. Then, of course, her own contamination drives her out of her paradise, out of her comfort zone into the real world, where she begins to see the dark, ugly truth. She begins to see the monster she was all along.

The Future: The Knight

Structure, service, loyalty, fidelity, follows rules, responsibility

Basic Interpretation:Dedicated to his superiors and the oaths he has taken, the Knight stands ready to joyously serve. The Knight's loyalty and fidelity are beyond question. He has earned the honor other bestow on him by his skill and loyal service.

So this one I need to think about and work on some more. She's to the dark moment, the realization that she has killed many innocent people. That many innocent people suffered and died because of her grand Cities' exclusion policy. She starts to believe she's no better than Hera's Keres. Her loyalty to Athens is broken, but she hasn't established loyalty to anyone else yet. She still doesn't believe in Hades. But loyalty and trust in him is what will pull her through, help her defeat Zeus in the end. I need to make her worthy through loyalty and fidelity.

Someday I need to buy me a set of these cards.....

Slump

2006-05-06T19:58:00.000-07:00

Toward the end of March and throughout April, I wrote on this project like gangbusters. May has been dismail. I'm stuck. Why? I'm in another sex scene!

That's a serious problem with me, perhaps a flaw. Once I get the characters in bed, I always seem to have a hard time moving on with the story. All they want to do is stay in bed.

This is it, Isabella. Finish this already and start the trip to Delphi. Apollo has something very important to tell you.

Megaskyr Cleopatra

2006-04-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

As the Megaskyr of Macedon, she has reason to fear Hades. Wild beasts turn on their handlers the moment they're freed from their cages, and Hades was certainly hers to control many years ago. Exiled on the distant planet of Earth, he is caged if not exactly leashed for her power. He must not be allowed to return. Ever.

She is the supreme weakness.

Icarus

2006-04-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

You ask me how I can smuggle contraband into Athens, use my contacts to sneak people out, and publicly take part in demonstrations against the Pantheon and MedCorp policies yet still call Beautiful Death, the Marshal with over a thousand kills, my best friend. It’s easy, I say. I owe her my life.

In the early days of the pandemic outbreak, I tried to protect my wife and teenaged daughter by entering our names in the vaccine lottery. Only the ultra rich could actually afford to purchase the vaccination directly from MedCorp. As a lowly school teacher, I didn’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars required to purchase even one vaccination, let alone three. I’ve never won a single lottery in my life, not even to save my family.

I watched my daughter die first. Oh, the suffering she went through before the virus claimed her life! While caring for her, my wife contracted the virus, too. Terrified, I watched her endure horrendous convulsions and skyrocketing fevers. I fell to my knees and thanked God when she survived.

Then she started murdering other people.

I learned, then, that the lucky ones die. Isn’t that a twisted sort of irony? I wasn’t lucky enough to win the lottery; my wife wasn’t lucky enough to simply die.

Survivors of the virus are twisted beyond recognition. Craving blood and flesh, they ravage the innocent and kill without mercy or grief. Until later, that is, when the monstrous beast slips back beneath the surface of their skins.

Sarah remembered everything she’d done. In horror, she looked at her lovely hands and remembered claws rending a child. She looked in the mirror and saw the muzzle of a monster buried in bloody entrails.

Locked up like a wild animal in the basement of our house, she begged me to kill her before it could happen again.

I tried. I swear I tried! With a butcher knife in my hand, I looked down into her beloved face, her hazel eyes glistening with tears, and I couldn’t do it. Even knowing what she was, what would happen in a few weeks when the monster walked in her body again, I couldn’t kill my wife. Even when she cursed me. Even when the love in her eyes died and turned to hatred.

I fled her condemnation and roamed the streets. What was I going to do? I couldn’t leave Sarah. I couldn’t kill her. All I could do was wait for her to transform again and become her first meal.

I met Isabella at the food drop off set up by the government. She was just a scrawny, starving little thing, yet the meanest street hoods backed off to let her pass. Older than my daughter by a few years, she had big, dark eyes that spoke of torment and horrors beyond human endurance. Yet she endured, somehow, alone and friendless.

Food was scarce, and more often than not, the starving people fought over the meager supplies. Rumors abounded of trucks attacked before they even arrived. Even those of us not yet contaminated by the virus were turning into animals. It sickened me. The lawlessness of desperation became utter chaos. People killed each other for a slice of bread or a blanket. The helpers were slaughtered along with the weak, the sick and the old. Only the strong were going to survive the chaos.

I already knew I wasn’t strong enough. Hell, I wasn’t strong enough to end my wife’s torment, so how could I survive the madness on the streets? I could perhaps save this one young woman, though. I could give her a place to hide from whatever tormented her. I could share the food supplies we managed to squirrel away in the basement. It took several days of coaxing to win her trust, but finally I brought Isabella home with me.

Looking back, I wonder if I sought her deliberately. If I saw the merciless strength in her gaze and latched onto her, already planning, hoping, praying that she might be able to help me.

Because Isabella took one look at my wife and whipped out a long, wickedly sharp knife. Sarah thrashed in the chains she demanded I use in an effort to keep her beast contained. The monster in her screamed in rage, but I saw the truth in her eyes. My wife wanted to die. She wanted the monster killed, immediately, before any more blood could be shed.

Isabella hesitated, though, and I’ll always love her for that one moment of compassion. She looked at me and asked if I was sure. I couldn’t speak, but I nodded. I didn’t stop her.

One deep gash in my wife’s throat and it was over. Rather peaceful, actually. Sarah took my hand before she died and whispered that she loved me. I saw forgiveness in her eyes for my failure. She gazed at the young woman who killed her and smiled with gratitude.

And when Isabella turned away to leave, I saw pain and fear and regret in her eyes. Not for killing my poor wife, but for the loss of a friend. She thought I would be angry with her. Instead, I threw my arms around her and swore to always be her friend. I would never turn away from her in horror. I would always be grateful that she was strong enough to give my wife a merciful death.

She saved me that day. She saved my sanity, redeemed my cowardice, and blessed my wife with peace. I owe Isabella everything. And maybe, just maybe, I can save her from the killing hatred she carries in her heart.

Because if she can’t let go of that hatred someday, she’ll become a monster, virus or not.

Blocking

2006-03-30T20:29:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I worked through the block of BD using the romance template I created in FreeMind. (Have I said lately that I love that software???)

Yes, romance. I never envisioned this as a "inside the lines" sort of romance, but I really believe this story is stronger, better than the other. Tighter. Focused. Hades is more the hero now and isn't able to use Charon and Bryan as crutches. Charon will be the hero of the next book.

My character cast is tighter (I still need to update the links and entries here). Bryan and Persephone are gone entirely. Neither was needed any longer.

I did a little scrapbook work on Hades tonight. I still need more character traits for him, and his oxymoron isn't quite right any longer. But I came up with an interesting trait tonight that I really like. I'm not sure if it'll be his static trait yet --if it can affect plot -- but it's a start.

So I'm going to try and write a little yet tonight, but I'm more than pleased with the work tonight. The basic hero's journey/structure is in place, although each section isn't completely plotted out. I seem to do better with the high points cemented into place and looser notes for the intermediate sections. I'll update the block as I go. Usually I figure out about a chapter ahead of where I am (so I have Chapter 3 blocked pretty well tonight, but 4 is looser with notes instead of planned sections).

Heh. And to think I used to believe I would never ever be able to plot. Now I have BD pretty well blocked out with a solid map to follow. Yay! I'm feeling much better about this story!

Cheating

2006-03-29T07:18:00.000-08:00

As I reviewed Isabella's scrapbook in preparation for writing this morning, I realized something. Finally. Sometimes I'm really slow on the uptake.

I know Isabella's character arc, how she must move from hatred to love, distrust to trust, control to surrender. What I didn't realize was that I've been cheating. Yes, cheating. I gave myself 3 characters to guide her through this growth.

See, each lover had a purpose.

Bryan was her softer gentler side who represented her humanity. His unfailing trust and love led her to the Dark Moment.
Charon represented her beast, the darker side, the killer. He would teach her that not all monsters are evil, that she could still find beauty in the world despite the monster she carries inside her.
Hades was the main hero, but he wasn't *enough*. As constructed, he only had to be in control. Yeah, he had to give up a few things along the way, but he was relatively two-dimensional. Not flat, exactly, but not enough to stand on his own. Because he didn't have to.

Plus, I was cheating myself out of a darned good sequel to this story. Charon deserves his own book, don't you think?

So I'm going through my characters in my mind and rebuilding Hades. He has to do all three things above. He has to teach her the softer gentler side of love. He has to teach her to embrace her monster, too. And he has to be willing to take Bryan's place in the Dark Moment. Does he love Isabella enough to pay the price?

I believe he does.

So no more cheating. Hades is the hero -- the only hero -- of this book, and he'd better start acting like it. Charon, old buddy, be patient. Your own book is coming. In the meantime, please enjoy acting as the anti-hero in this story.

Dry Spell

2006-03-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

I'm ashamed to look back over my goals for this year, because one of them was a completed first draft of BD by 3/31. I haven't worked on this ms for months.

Why?

I'm stuck. Not plot wise, at least as far as the ending is concerned. The setup is wrong.

It's been bugging me for a long, long time. How can I fix it? How can I go onward to the ending, no matter how exciting, when I know the first most crucial setup is wrong? Which makes everything else shaky at best?

After the long trip to MN last week, we slept in this morning. We were supposed to go to church, but I was just pooped. The monsters were all up but playing nicely. I lay in bed half awake, half asleep, drifting, and the characters from BD came to visit me.

Charon was first. He was pissed. "You've made me into Hade's sidekick. Sidekick! Me! I *should* be an anti-hero. I should be the great question mark. Will I betray him or not? So why the hell would I want to share my woman with him?"

Then Isabella came, and she wasn't happy either. "What, do you think I'm stupid or something? How would I not know who Hades is? Of course I know who he is. You have to make me fall in love with him anyway."

Even Bryan made an appearance. Sweet, submissive Bryan. Can you believe he's been talking to Persephone? I about died.

So the good news is I think I have a few ways I can tackle this wip. A few key shifts and adjustments early on. Some cool scenes will have to go, which is painful. But, well, I really want this to be something I can send to Dorchester. To do that, I need to murder a few beloved darlings.

Athens

2006-01-25T15:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the diamond of the Olympian Cities!

A complex circular system of skyways and towers beneath a biodome housing nearly ten thousand Citizens, Athens is the heart of modern culture. Sleek, sparkling clean skyways connecting the residential towers and shopping areas are busy 24 hours a day and completely impervious to outside weather, infections and disease.

Founded by Perikles as part of the new Pantheon Order, Athens was one of nine incredible technologically-advanced Cities built to protect the best and brightest of the human race before whole-scale contamination. With unlimited resources, Perikles himself lured the most talented artisans, musicians and actors to make Athens a sanctuary for the arts. The Dionysus Theatre and Megaron Concert Hall draw massive crowds of Citizens year around from all over Olympia. Athens also boasts one of the finest Stadiums, and the Academy accepts only top students each year.

Don't miss the Omonia Square at the heart of Athens for rare finds unmatched in any other City. The Attika Zoo houses animals and botanicals that have long since been killed in Earth's devastation, and the Butterfly House is a particular favorite. At the base of the Panthenon, Athens’s magnificent MedCorp division, rest your weary feet at the Athena Cafe and enjoy a delicious drink while looking out over the meticulously maintained groves which supply Athens’s food sources. Then continue shopping at only the finest, most exclusive shops in all of Olympia. A particular favorite is On Death's Wings, a designer original and must-have for this year's fashion setters.

Connected to Calydon, Sparta and Mycenae by the speedy Odyssey trains, Athenians are whisked to various jobs in the surrounding Cities while living with the finest amenities. Although most Athenians are employed by MedCorp, there are many opportunities for private shop owners, providing cutting edge artistry, fashion, furnishing and even antiquities.

Crime is virtually nonexistent in Athens thanks to our skilled and efficient Marshals. Roaming the skyways constantly, they deliver justice instantaneously to best protect our Citizens from theft, physical harm or infection. Despite the recent Pantheon decision opening the Gates of all Cities to the outside world, Athenians have no fear of infection--not while our famous First Marshal, Isabella Thanatos, is on duty. After over one thousand terminations in the call of duty, she’s rightly known as “Beautiful Death” in all of Olympia. Elite weaponry and her superb leadership combine to make Athens the safest--and purest--City of all.

So come to Athens and immerse yourself in our luxurious paradise!

Evaluation

2006-01-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

I've read through all the completed pages; sorted notes and scribbles; tried to decipher some hints provided by the Witch; reviewed the scoring from FF&P contest; finished "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy"; re-read the Emotional Toolbox site; and examined my character sheets.

Some things I like about Beautiful Death--personal wows, if you will:

I like the way Isabella will transform, how she starts as an "Edward-like" killer and then comes to understand what a "monster" really is.
I like the monster vs. human ideas. Who's the "real" monster if a human is planning widespread genocide?
I like the emotion between Isabella and Bryan, how she's always running away and he's always clinging. The one scene on the road to Delphi is especially emotional.
I like the way Isabella "completes" both Hades and Charon. She was supposed to be deliberately engineered to lead the Erinyes, a "safe monster" so to speak, but the accident years ago infected her with Hades' form of the virus, causing unexpected mutations. Nature found a way. I like the way these three interact, sometimes pitting one against the other deliberately, but in the end everyone is needed and necessary for a reason. Therefore, I really can't see through to minimizing Charon's role.
I like the little bits of mythology that have trickled into the story.
I like the "idea" of an Alien inspired Underworld. The viruses, aliens, futuristic elements. Fun stuff!

However, I did discover some problems and issues that need to be addressed:

I need to document the alien culture better and decide how they arrived on Earth, and how they would leave if allowed. Crucial: this gives me many ideas for Hades' continued plotting against the Megaskyr and hopefully up the stakes.
The beginning needs to be focused more on the central characters. While Hades and Charon are in early scenes, there's no interaction with Isabella until much later in the story. I think I can increase conflict by bringing Hades on immediately. Instead of her "discovering" his true identity, their personal conflict should be front and center. i.e. Which costs her more: to run to a Master she doesn't know but hopes can help her, or to knowingly go to the most hated Master of all who once fed on her?
Similiar thinking with Zeus and Persephone. Instead of them being unknown identities that are only revealed near the end, I think the conflict all around will be greater if Isabella knows Zeus is her father and she's deliberately defying him all along because of her hatred and hurt.
More individual development given to Hades with clear, concrete Goals and Motivations.
More individual development given to Charon with clear, concrete Goals and Motivations. Right now, he's only Hades' hit man. Remember his oxymoron: trustworthy rogue. Why would he be considered a rogue? (Dark Secret)
Clearer setting, tone and atmosphere needed. Write up some paragraphs on Athens, Erebus, etc. with descriptions and such, just so I have a better feel of place.
Re-examine the entire block. I'm still wavering on the ending--it's a little too foggy. I should probably keep pressing through the first draft and explore some options before digging into full scale revisions, so I'm sure that I know where I'm going.

I began this work in answer to what I thought was a "failed" triumvirate in LKH's Anita Blake series. I got tired of the petty endless arguing between Anita and Richard; I wearied of Anita's stupidity; Jean Claude's continued tolerance (Anita has never let him feed unless he or she or Richard was dying!) annoyed me. I can't cut Charon out of the relationship without losing one of the tripod legs for which I began this work. Is there sex between all three? Yes. Lots of sex? Yeah, I guess so.

But there's a whole lot more to the story than what happens between the sheets. This is the kind of story I wish LKH would write, where she combined the sex with a really good story. A story in which all the threads hold together, characters change for the better, and some really weird vampire/shapeshifter/alien (in my case) shit happens at the same time.

I can't pretty it up and make it romance. I can't axe the emotional and sexual turmoil and make it straight science fiction. Well, I could, but then it would be a different story, and I really do like the emotional twists and turns of such a relationship (see list above). So, it is what it is. It doesn't fit on a nice safe shelf. Even if I'm a lousy interior decorator, I can still bring it up to my personal wow.

Besides, I really REALLY want to finish something this year!

Butterfly

2006-01-16T04:09:00.000-08:00

I've been asked how I feel about this work. If I have passion for it. I thought that was apparent, but perhaps I kept my emotions veiled from eyes deliberately--because I've been told I'm too sentimental anyway. So I protected myself to keep my island afloat in the cold, dark sea.

How do I feel about Beautiful Death, you ask? Well, where do you think the butterfly came from? (You did notice the indigo butterflies flitting around these pages, didn't you?) After this, the crippled, maimed little bug dragged her broken wings over here and became Isabella's motif. Instead of giving up and dying all over again.

While trapped in that tight, constrictive cocoon, I imagine the little caterpillar must have thought she died when she finally lost consciousness. Tired of being an ugly, awkward, stupid slug, maybe she thought death was a blessing. She died to give birth to stained-glass wings.

Sometimes death must happen to allow for rebirth.

The butterfly still can't fly, but she's trying. In the meantime, she learned how to kill.

Worldbuilding

2005-11-25T20:32:00.000-08:00

This week, I've been working on character sheets. To be honest, I hadn't done much work on Hades; even less on Charon. BD is Isabella's story and I spent the most time understanding her. But I sat down this holiday and began filling in some of the blanks for Hades. Immediately, I realized I needed to know more about where he came from prior to the story.

I also decided this week to concentrate more on the non-romance, non-erotic elements of my stories. I like the way the relationships are unfolding in this story so far, so I'm not monkeying with that. But I do want to strengthen the plot and worldbuilding of BD to make this more than a simple erotic story.

Since I'm using Greek mythology as the basis for BD, I wanted something focused and related strongly to my existing framework. I decided to use an enemy of Greece. I googled ancient Athens, read about the rise and fall of the City State, and found--

Macedon. Hade's world.
Thrace. Macedon's enemy, Charon's world. Known as barbarians, fierce fighters who preferred rural settings in the forests of their land, the Thracians were conquered by Philip II of Macedon. Later Philip took over Greece, too.

So guess what Hades' name was before he came to Earth? Philip. [Most people took new "Greek" names when the Olympian Cities were formed. e.g. Isabella Zeller became Isabella Thanatos. Dr. Richard Zeller became Zeus. Amelia Zeller became Persephone.]

I knew I wanted the leader of Macedon to be a woman. Now Philip had many wives, but one of his "worst mistakes" according to one site was marriage to a fellow Macedonian, Cleopatra. She became my Megaskyr, a term meaning "Great Lord." I also knew I wanted a rival for Hades, someone who conspired to get him sent to Earth, and later exiled him there to keep him out of the political picture of Macedon. Enter Pausanias, the man who assassinated Philip II.

Cool, huh? Or maybe I'm just a geek.

Most of this is stuff that is important but not immediately in BD. I need to know where he came from, why he left, why he might have wanted to go back, why he's with Charon, how their bond formed, etc. so I can flesh out the conflicts in BD in second+ draft(s). This is still Isabella's story, but now I can add more depth with Hades and Charon.

Dr. Richard Zeller

2005-11-23T18:55:00.000-08:00

[Isabella's Father describing her 6th birthday]

I found the most adorable dress for Isabella. The vibrant blue matches her eyes perfectly (the same deep blue as my own). I’ve always felt a special bond to this child of mine, the child only I could save. Susan and Amelia are close. They take little interest in Isabella. Quite honestly, they don’t understand her. They’re afraid of the solemn knowledge in her brilliant eyes.

Isabella might only be six, but she shows an avid interest in my work. In many ways, I feel like she is my creation, my perfect child. Literally, my very own blood flows in her veins after the transfusions she required at birth.

She is mine in a way no other child could ever be. She is my beautiful creation.

Critiques

2005-10-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

I received the three contest critiques yesterday from FF&P On the Far Side. Overall, the comments were extremely helpful. I was relieved to see that two judges scored me very high: 147/150 and 148/150. So BD doesn't entirely suck like a Hoover. The third judge scored me much lower, 116/150, but made some very good comments. The biggest thing: unsympathetic heroine.

Ding, ding, ding!

Yep, I'm already on that. There were a few other problems that I picked up on between the three judges. The low judge was confused about the setting. I already made some notes to myself about fleshing out futuristic Athens in more detail (I gave myself a homework exercise on this). I tried really, really hard to cut backstory and heavy description, and I think I succeeded a little too well.

Also, some comments written in the ms pages pointed out some "overwriting" on my part. Where the words and phrases were more important than what happened. E.g. I was trying too hard. I think if I read those passages out loud, I'd probably wince and get all tongue-tied, a sure way to tell when I'm getting carried away.

The best comment of all that really made me smile:

"I would probably recognize this author's voice if I read it again."

Happy smiles!

My number one goal for the remaining days of 2005 is to finish the first draft of BD. I'm not going to stop and fix anything right now, although I'm making extensive notes and thinking of homework things to work on later. I must finish this first draft and work through some of my growing pains.

Meanwhile, I'll continue to work with the Witch and hopefully gain some better skills with MRUs, scene/sequel, etc. I still don't know where in Hades I'll send this thing once it's polished, but the more I play in this world, the more I love it.

Emotion

2005-10-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

I've been running through several assignments with The Witch to improve my skills and Beautiful Death specifically. I really thought something wasn't quite right with the opening pages of BD, but I wasn't sure what. It reads a little stiff, a little flat, but I wasn't sure exactly what I needed to do. When BD didn't final in the FF&P contest, I had another confirmation that something wasn't quite right. But what? (I haven't received the critiques back yet.)

With the latest assignment, some lightbulbs are starting to go off. The first five pages are flat because there's no real emotion or feeling invoked in the reader via the lead. Isabella is a stone cold killer. She's not sympathetic, and most people probably wouldn't like her, either. I accomplished what I wanted on one hand (a female assassin like Edward in LKH's Anita Blake series) and shot myself in the foot with the other because my lead has all the appeal of a murderer.

So I'm working on this next assignment, and thinking, and something clicked. In the opening five pages, Isabella is faced with two killings: the human rebel and the shapeshifter who interferes. Thinking hard about this, and how I could add emotion, I thought specifically about how she might feel killing Sybil vs. the monster. HINT. Think about the premise. Think about her character arc and where she starts out.

People are good. Monsters are evil.

Would it really be so easy for her to kill a human, even if the Oracle told her Sybil was a criminal?

Wouldn't Isabella much rather fight the monster than the human? Why? Because she doesn't believe the monster has any human qualities. So how could she coldly and efficiently kill the human rebel? Hmm?

Gotcha. I think I just figured out how to a). add emotion and b). add angst and internal conflict while remaining true to the character (actually truer than I'm currently depicting her) and premise.

No Good News

2005-09-23T15:54:00.000-07:00

Well, BD did not final in the OTFS FF&P contest. Bummer. I guess I'll wait for the score sheets and see what the judges had to say.

OTFS Delayed

2005-09-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

No news yet on the FF&P contest. Expect finalists to be announced Friday, September 23.

*crossing fingers*

Finally hit a bit of a stride tonight. I felt like I wrote much more than only 250 words tonight while the Chiefs played, but that's where I ended up. I finished the section and fixed some things that were bugging me. Charon is getting ready for some important work. *snicker*

The storyline has deviated slightly from where I expected to be. The changes were slight, but this next section isn't exactly planned. Before writing forward, I need to re-evaluate my block. But of course, DH's computer doesn't have SuperNoteCards.....

I guess I could download a trial copy on his computer. Surely in a month I'll get my cord situation figured out!

FF&P Contest a Go

2005-08-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

I received e-mails today from the coordinator that my entry made it and the erotic category is a go. (They were low on entries.) Now the last time a call for entries came out (The Fab 5 contest), they ended up with truckloads of mss! So we'll see how it goes.

I re-read the entire ms yesterday to get back into the flow. I need to go to bed at a decent hour tonight since I'm back to work tomorrow, so I don't know that I'll get much written on it tonight. Soon, though. I'm anxious to get those next few scenes down!

It's Off!

2005-08-15T12:18:00.000-07:00

I hope the entry makes it on time. Because it's going to a PO Box, they wouldn't guarantee overnight delivery. Still, though, as long as it's there on the 17th I should be fine. I spent the weekend tweaking the synopsis and finally settled on a third version.

The first version didn't show enough of the plot elements nor the character arc. The second version was all about the political plot Isabella unravels. While interesting, it really wasn't what I wanted. The third draft combined the best of the first two versions and really explained the darker side that Isabella teeters toward. She's becoming the the thing she fears the most. That was important to include.

So no new words to show for this project, but some progress of a different sort. I'm trying to figure out a way to work steadily on my many various projects so all of them move forward. Balance is not my forte. Sigh.

Contest

2005-08-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Last year's Molly contest was the last novel-length contest I entered, with good results obviously (although I still haven't heard anything on the full). I got the Specromonline newsletter yesterday and saw that the FF&P On the Far Side contest is still open (extended to Aug 17), and they have an erotic FF&P category. Hmmm.

Yes, I'm seriously thinking about entering. The finalist judge is Kate Duffy at Kensington. I really don't think Kensington buys much FF&P erotic romance (historical and contemporary, yes). The last I heard about the new non-Brava erotic line was "humorous." But some generic feedback would be nice. A final--even though contests are a total crapshoot--would give me a little confidence. I could use a shot of confidence right now. It's been a dismal few months.

So I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. last night to edit the paper copy of chapter one and write the synopsis. It's amazing how easy a synopsis is to crank out when I have the story blocked.... EXACTLY what I was hoping for when I first began plotting! A few more tweaks and such, and then I'll get my entry overnighted, hopefully tomorrow.

I'm off today thru next Wednesday, but I doubt I'll get any real serious writing done. The kids are home during the day until Jim switches back to days, so a page crammed in between catastrophes will be great.

Progress

2005-08-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Isabella and Hades met for the first time in fifteen years. She remembers him as the monster who almost killed her. He remembers her as the only human he has fed upon. Charon nearly violates his oath and bond to his Master through no fault of his own. This next scene is going to be interesting. *wink*

Up a thousand new words tonight.

Abandon Hope

2005-08-04T21:21:00.000-07:00

I've always liked that line from Dante's The Divine Comedy. "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here." That's the impression I'm going for Isabella's first trip to Hades' ship. Yeah, Erebus--the inner sanctum of Hell--is actually an alien spaceship. I know, bizarre.

I didn't make huge inroads tonight because I worked a little more on the other new story idea, but I made a goal of adding 500 words tonight. Nothing to write home about, but slow and steady win the race. Sometimes.

Not Much to Show

2005-08-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

After a whole weekend, I think I added a whopping 1,000 words to Beautiful Death. Sigh. Perhaps that's why you shouldn't edit the first draft, hmmmm? I don't know that the editing I did late last week sidetracked me at all, really. It was a busy weekend and I just got too tired. I read a book and watched a couple of movies. Some refueling, I guess.

I got back on track tonight and continued the next scene. I'm not exactly sure how this scene goes, so I'm taking it slow. All of the other scenes (mostly), I've had a clear DVD scene play in my head so I knew exactly what needed to happen. I'm getting into lightly chartered waters, now. I still know where I'm going, but the elements need to be developed more as I go.

I had this really cool thought about Erebus last night after I went to bed. I might've even dreamed it. I'm not sure. Thankfully, I remembered it! This scene is important because it provides the first glimpse of the Underworld in my world. So yeah, it needs to be done well, although I can certainly go back later and add depth.

Progress

2005-07-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

Very few new words tonight. I actually lost a page or so because I went through the whole draft so far and edited. I know, I'm not supposed to do that much, but I needed to check some consistency through the sections before I forgot. I'm trying to build suspense through all the other characters knowing that Isabella and Hades met before, but Isabella herself doesn't know that the monster who fed on her ten years ago is Hades himself. I had to go back through and eliminate a few things to make sure it made sense.

Same with exactly who Zeus and Persephone are. Originally, I had Persephone spill the beans in her first section, but I've eliminated that for now. Yeah, Persephone hates Isabella, you totally get that. But not why, exactly, or at least not completely.

So I'm still sitting at 20,500 tonight, but I made some good choices.

Oh, I also succumbed and posted a pitch for this piece on Deidre Knight's blog for the contest she's running. *nervous*

Other Marshals of Athens

2005-07-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

I've trained and worked with these people for years. Will they turn on me once they find out I've been contaminated? Friendship won't prevent me from killing them if I must.

Atalanta, Jason, and Hercules

Dr. Malcolm

2005-07-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

This is the little prick who calls the Erinyes after confirming I've been contaminated. He'd better hope I'm never called upon to save his ass from one of the monsters. I'd take pleasure in watching him get torn apart.

Blocks

2005-07-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

DVD Sleeve:

Block	Description	Pages
1	Contamination	27
2	Refuge	23
3	Friends and Lovers	18
4	The Dark Side	0
5	The Monster Awakens	0
6	The Pirate Enforcer	0
7	Monsters Collide in Death	0
8	On Wings of Death	0
9	Delphi's Oracle	0
10	Father of the Gods	0

Sections:

Block	Section	Description	Progress
1	001	A Simple Termination	first draft
1	001a	Troubling Questions	first draft
1	002	Death Goes Shopping	first draft
1	003	Icarus's Flight	first draft
1	004	Diagnosis	first draft
2	006	The Hunter Becomes the Hunted	first draft
2	007	Cornering the Prey	first draft
2	008	Loyal Friends	first draft
2	008a	Dodging Zeus's Thunderbolts	first draft
2	008b	Allies and Enemies	first draft
2	009	Nowhere to Go	first draft
3	011	First Feeding	first draft
3	012	Monstrous Reflections	first draft
3	012a	Death Awakens the Master	first draft
3	013	Let Me Help	first draft
3	014	Out of Control	first draft
3	015	Release the Keres	first draft
4	016	On Death's Wings	first draft
4	016a	Meeting a Fellow Monster	first draft
4	016b	Goodbye, Icarus	first draft
4	016c	Abandon Hope	first draft
4	017	Hell's Master	in progress
4	018	At Hell's Door	not started
4	019	Critical Contamination	not started
4	020	Persephone's Deployment	not started
5	021	Sex, Blood and Flesh	not started
5	022	Crysalis	not started
5	023	Mutations of Death	not started
5	024	Fear's Flavor	not started
6	026	Icarus Knows Everybody	not started
6	027	Into Tartarus	not started
6	028	Beast Against Beast	not started
7	031	Fragile Meat	not started
7	032	The Monsters Inside	not started
7	033	Demons of Violent Death	not started
8	036	Final Transformation	not started
8	037	A Friend's Love	not started
8	038	Crossing Over	not started
9	041	Paradise Realized	not started
9	042	Apollo's Confession	not started
9	043	Return to Hell	not started
9	044	For Love of Death	not started
10	046	Too Close to the Sun	not started
10	047	Mount Olympus	not started
10	048	Death's Enforcer	not started

Hades's Letter

2005-07-10T21:21:00.000-07:00

The desecration of this planet's culture is one of my greatest sorrows. We did not come to conquer or destroy, but to learn. To share. Human science was on the verge of great work, work we wished to explore with them. Virology had never been studied on our planets. We had never even suffered Earth's common cold.

We thought we had taken every precaution. We met with only the top scientists, we limited our exposure to the common races, and we took the human immunizations as their doctors suggested. But it was not enough.

Ironically, they blame us for the resulting plague. The general populace believes we infected them with some alien virus from which they were incapable of defending themselves. That it was a deliberate act of terrorism on their planet. They do not understand that it is we who were infected. Slow, insidious as first, the virus entered our bodies, mutated, absorbed our DNA, and released hell on Earth. The resulting plague struck alien and human alike with equal ferocity.

We can never go home. Even those of us who never suffered the full effects of the virus are now carriers of the plague. Do you comprehend what levels of destruction this virus would work on our home planet? Our galaxy? At least here we have the benefit of trained virologists to study our blood and the humans' to counteract the effects as much as possible.

I was a leader on my planet, a trusted ambassador to this planet, and so I have tried to unite the remnants as much as possible. So few, so very few remain.

I have been changed by the virus, although not as badly as most of my people. Yes, my people have always drawn energy from other lifeforms. We never killed, though. Our preferred way of feeding is through sexual release with enthusiastic partners, although a simple bonding to unite master and dedicated servant is more common for long voyages such as this one. We brought our own "food" to this planet deliberately, so we would not expose Earthlings to our truly alien nature.

Violence and blood are repulsive to us. Rather, they were repulsive to us before the virus.

It's as if the very worst corruption possible has happened to us. We can no longer control our urges to feed. Energy gained from our loyal and willing servants is not sufficient for most of my kind any longer. We need blood. We feed off violence. The incredible rush of fear in our victims is so much more than the pleasure we once enjoyed. The more violent the claiming of our victims, the more power we gain in the feeding.

It is no wonder the humans call us monsters.

My nature has been corrupted, although I struggle to maintain the old ways. I have never killed to feed. In fact, I have only fed off a human once, and that experience torments me more than the horrors we accidentally wrought on this planet with our very presence.

She was the one I had sworn to find and protect, the daughter of my trusted friend. Such a fierce, strong little thing, she nigh burned up in my arms with her rage and thirst for my demise. Her lifeforce brushed against mine, melded, melted, sealing me to her in a way that has never happened before.

In my weakness, I fed. I feasted despite her struggles. She brought my blood with her teeth, raked my face with her nails and screamed her hate at me. And Zeus forgive me, I loved it.

I would sell what remains of my soul to have her in my arms again. I have, in fact. I gave her the keys to my soul when she howled and raged in my arms that day. When I tasted the sheer essence of her soul. She will be mine.

My Death. Our very salvation.

She just does not know it yet.

Isabella's Letter

2005-07-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

I'm Isabella Thanatos, Marshal for the City of Athens. I execute criminals on sight.

Killing is easy. Facing what I've become, impossible.

I barely remember a time when the aliens weren't here. I was just a kid when their ships first arrived. They promised peace and sharing of knowledge to improve our lives. Instead, we began dying. A plague thousands of times worse than the Black Death swept through Earth. The lucky ones died in convulsions of blood and raging fevers.

Most of the others...became monsters. Twisted by the viruses that mutated faster than anything we'd ever seen before and corrupted by alien DNA, they murdered and feasted on blood and flesh. If their victims survived the attack, they turned into monsters, too. Werewolves and vampires of legend, I suppose, only twisted worse than any horror movie we've ever seen.

The shapeshifters aren't any beast we can recognize from Earth's natural species. With scales and fur and wings, they resemble vultures crossed with dragons instead of plain old wolves. The vampires certainly don't wear cloaks or turn into bats, although unfortunately, many of them do ooze sex appeal. The better to lure their victims in for the kill, my dear.

They are monsters, real live monsters. And we died by the billions. We're still dying.

The aliens did this. There were two kinds of aliens who came bearing palms leaves of friendship and peace. One kind fed off human lifeforce, non-violently, of course, or so they professed. Their soldiers were shapeshifters called Enforcers. We stupidly believed the Enforcers were simply bodyguards. We stupidly believed the aliens would uphold their promises and not feed off us like sheep. But sheep we were, and we went peacefully to the slaughter.

Only a few thousand humans survived the plague of mutating monstrosity. Our greatest scientists and doctors worked tirelessly to develop an immunization, but as soon as one was developed, the virus mutated again, worsening the epidemic. In desperation, they consulted with the alien researchers, for by then, even the aliens were infected with the virus. Barred from ever returning to their own home planets as carriers of this virus, they were marooned with us, forever.

Unless I kill them all first.

I will never forgive the aliens for what they've done to mankind. What they've done to my family. I've lost everyone I ever loved, although I can't blame the aliens entirely. The one I hold personally responsible is my own father.

A famous hematologist for his research into AIDS and virology, my father left us to join the central laboratories in search of a cure. He left us. My mother, me, and my older sister. I was twelve when I held my mother's head in my lap and wiped the blood from her eyes, nose and mouth as she suffered. We were all sick despite the last-minute shot my father gave us before he left. Despite his promise it would protect us. That he would return and take us to safety. Amelia and I recovered, although we were never the same again. The virus claimed our mother.

Amelia and I roamed the streets for two years. We slept in boxes, gutters, abandoned buildings, graves. She might have been 18 months older than me, but she was delicate, ethereal, and, yes, weak. I protected us. I stole food. I fought off the monsters to keep her safe.

I learned how to tell how dangerous a stranger was at a glance. Later, I realized that I can see people's energy, or aura, and I can tell what they intend. It's like every bad deed the person ever did or intends to commit is painted in bold full color for me to read. This sight told me when to hide with my sister beneath me in the mud and rubbish of the ditch. When to fight. When to run like the wind. When to beg for help.

This gift has failed me, though, so I've learned the hard way not to depend solely on my sight. Blinded by my own special sight, I lost my sister.

I was barely fifteen when we stumbled into a whole flock of aliens. At a glance, I knew they were the real thing. The virus hadn't infected them yet, but they had been touched by it. Their auras were dark and tortured, but they hadn't lost the battle. Not yet.

One of them crouched down before me, his black eyes glittering with a rainbow of stars. His silver hair was so bright I blinked, overcome with the simple, stark beauty in the grimness of my young life. And his aura. Gleaming ivory, pure, sparkling black and vibrant scarlet glowed and swirled, taking my breath away. I had never seen anything like it.

I remember that I actually touched him. I put my hand in his hair, and it was incredibly soft and silky. He picked me up like I was a child, his hands gentle and strong. He cradled me in his arms. He told me he'd been looking for me. That my father had sent him.

My father. The coward who had left us behind to die. The traitor who had gone to help the aliens. He was one of them, now. A monster.

I screamed and fought, using every street trick I had learned over the years. I bit him in the throat, the most vulnerable spot I could reach. I shredded his face with my fingernails. I tore at him with my human teeth and pitiful, ineffectual claws, rage and hate burning up in me, and the alien would not let me go. He held me closer, whispering something to me in his language. His energy roared higher, bathing me in a glorious blaze of scarlet.

Hot. My skin burned, sizzling against his coolness. The more energy he dumped on me, the hotter I burned. I could feel him sucking down my lifeforce, draining my strength, my will to live. He squeezed me tighter, sucking me dry, and I surrendered. In that moment, I died. I gave myself up to him. I was so tired, tired of the constant ache of hunger in my stomach, the filth of the street, the strain of protecting my sister when she could not protect herself.

Something struck him, jarring me free from his grasp. I fell to the ground, too weak to lift my head. He was so beautiful my heart hurt, and so deadly. His own blood stained his throat and shirt, startling against the pale perfection of his skin. His aura had bled almost completely red, clouded now by darker shadow. His silver hair glowed like the moon, and his eyes, a midnight kaleidoscope of dancing stars. Beautiful. He had tried to kill me, and I would have let him.

Someone shouted for the monsters to back off. A man appeared, standing over me with some kind of weapon. The other aliens actually seemed afraid of it and backed away.

The one that had fed off me stared at me. I saw the hunger in his eyes, immense and dark. Desperation warred with his sense of self preservation, and he almost flew at my human rescuer. I could see the tension radiating in his tall, slender frame. Fury radiated like flames in his aura. I struggled to look beyond the beauty to read his intentions.

He would find me again or die trying.

I licked my lips, tasted his blood, and remembered the hatred blazing in my veins when I bit him. And I smiled. I would be more than happy to oblige him in his death.

Isabella died that day, ravaged by the vampiric monster with silver hair and rainbow eyes. He haunts my dreams when I allow myself to sleep. He is the only thing left that can make me fear. Not my death, but my surrender. I don't ever want to give up again.

Now, I am Death. I never stop. I kill because someone needs to protect the weak from the monsters. The weak, like my sister who was carried away by the aliens that day. My father, who crossed over into Hell itself. My mother. Her last words were "I wish to die." She smiled when she found peace after three days of agony.

I give the tortured their dearest wish, as I did for my suffering mother. Some kill with hate, with rage, with fear. I kill with merciless mercy.

They call me Beautiful Death.

Charon According to Myth

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So even among the dead, greed enjoys its life; even that great god Charon, who gathers taxes for Dis [Haides], does not do anything for nothing. A poor man on the point of death must find his fare, and no one will let him breathe his last until he has his copper ready.) You must allow this squalid elder to take for your fare one of the coins you are to carry, but he must remove it form your mouth with his own hand. Apuleius 6.18

Charon, in Greek mythology, is the ferryman of the dead. The souls of the deceased are brought to him by Hermes, and Charon ferries them across the river Acheron. He only accepts the dead which are buried or burned with the proper rites, and if they pay him an obolus (coin) for their passage. For that reason a corpse had always an obolus 1 placed under the tongue.

Those who cannot afford the passage, or are not admitted by Charon, are doomed to wander on the banks of the Styx for a hundred years. Living persons who wish to go to the underworld need a golden bough obtained from the Cumaean Sibyl.

"Charon was receiving passengers of all kinds into his boat. Magnanimous heroes, boys and unmarried girls, as numerous as the leaves that fall at autumn, or the flocks that fly southward at the approach of winter. They stood pressing for a passage and longing to touch the opposite shore. But the stern ferryman took in only such as he chose, driving the rest back. Aeneas, wondering at the sight, asked the Sibyl, 'Why this discrimination?' She answered, 'Those who are taken on board the bark are the souls of those who have received due burial rites; the host of others who have remained unburied are not permitted to pass the flood, but wander for hundreds of years, and flit to and fro about the shore, till at last they are taken over.' Aeneas, displaying the sacred golden bough given him by the Sibyl, persuades Charon to make an exception and allow him, one of the living, to cross into the realm of the dead in order to bury a fallen comrade and see his father." (from Dante's Inferno, 1300AD).

The Cumaean Sibyl wrote her prophecies on leaves, which she then placed at the mouth of her cave. If no one came to collect them, they were scattered by winds and never read. Written in complex, often enigmatic verses, these "Sibylline Leaves" were sometimes bound into books. It was said that the Sibyl herself brought nine volumes of these prophecies to Tarquin II of Rome, offering them to him at an outrageous price. He scoffed, and she immediately burned three volumes, offering the remaining six at the same high price. Again-rather less casually--he refused. Again she burned three volumes, again asking the original price. This time the king's curiosity was high, his resistance low, and he purchased the Sibylline prophecies.

The Sibyl of Cumae gained her powers by attracting the attention of the sun god Apollo, depicted as doing so in the painting by Salvator Rosa (cir. 1650s) above. Apollo offered her anything if she would spend a single night with him. She asked for as many years of life as grains of sand she could squeeze into her hand. Granted, the sun god said; and Sibyl, glad to win her boon, refused his advances. Thereafter she was cursed with the furfillment of her wish--eternal life without eternal youth. She slowly shriveled into a frail undying body, so tiny that she fit into a jar. Her container was hung from a tree; Sibyl needed, of course, no food or drink, for she could neither starve nor die of thirst. And there she hung, croaking occasional oracles, while children would stand beneath her urn and tease, "Sibyl, Sibyl, what do you wish?" To which she would faintly reply, "I wish to die."

Thanatos According to Myth

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Thanatos resides in the Underworld with Hades. He is associated with bone chilling darkness and said to have a heart of pitiless iron. The Sun never casts his light on Death.

He is often pictured with a butterfly.

Thanatos represents the death instinct--the desire to give up the struggle of life and return to the grave. He is directly opposed to Eros, the life instinct, the desire to create life.

Thanatos embodies Death.

Icarus Gallery

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Icarus

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Devilish smile, sharp intellect, with more "contacts" than any fashion designer should ever know, Icarus is my friend, designer, and informant. He has a fabulous eye for clothes, and an even more vicious marketing sense. He used my reputation and love for his clothes to create the most famous shop in Athens. I don't mind; he gives me the best stock at cost.

His material is unbelievable, one of a kind soft natural fabric that is unlike any other materials we can manufacture. It's his fault that these blasted butterflies are everywhere. He has a thing for wings, you see.

He is the luckless chance.

Gallery
Letter

Luck is a four-letter word.

Erinyes According to Myth

2005-07-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

Birthed from Uranus's blood, the Erinyes are the punishers of sinners, also called "those who walk in darkness." The heads of the Erinyes were wreathed with serpents, their eyes dripped with blood, and their whole appearance was terrific and appalling. Sometimes they had the wings of a bat or bird, or the body of a dog.

As long as there was sin in the world, they could not be banished. According to Virgil, there were three sisters: Alecto ("unceasing"), Megaera ("grudging"), and Tisiphone ("avenging murder"). Vengeance personified.

"Not even the sun will transgress his orbit but the Erinyes, the ministers of justice, overtake him."

The Erinyes

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Marshals keep the peace of the Cities. We act as detective, judge and executioner, terminating anyone not keeping the peace. In the early days, we executed contaminants on sight. Still, the viruses continued to spread, mutating faster than the vaccinations, and some Marshals succumbed to the virus. Who kills the killers? Who executes the executioners?

The Erinyes.

Mythology
Gallery

The Keres

2005-07-06T19:42:00.000-07:00

According to mythology, the Keres are demons of violent death. They craved blood and feasted upon it after ripping free the souls of mortally-wounded humans. They were also personifications of epidemic diseases, haunting areas riven by plague. They were usually pictured as fanged and taloned women, although for this story they are both men and women.

Keres Gallery

Hera According to Myth

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In traditional mythology, Hera and Zeus were married. Zeus had numerous infidelities, and Hera was portrayed as a vengeful and jealous wife. She often withdrew from Olympia and once even conceived a child on her own. Unfortunately, Hephaestus was deformed (lame in the legs), although he became known as the God of the Forge.

Her symbols were the peacock and the cow. She was often considered the Goddess of Marriage.

There is also a reference from Dionysiaca where Hera obtained treacherous flowers from the demon, Achlys, and used them to curse some women who had angered her. She shed a sleep of enchantment over their heads; distilled poisoned drugs over their hair, smeared a subtle magical ointment over their faces and changed their earlier human shape.

Erinyes Gallery

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Keres Gallery

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Introduction

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My name is Isabella Thanatos. This is my story.

Apollo Gallery

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Hera Gallery

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Apollo

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Apollo helped found MedOps, the medical corporation in charge of developing continued vaccinations for the mutating viruses. Brilliant scientist, somewhat of a heretic, he shocked the Pantheon when he left his chair and pulled Delphi out of the Pantheon. Now, he seeks knowledge most of all.

He is the unifying heretic.

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Character Sheet

Hera

2005-07-04T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hera has reason to hate Zeus as much as I do. For her revenge, she counters Zeus's technology and research, fouling his improvements, corrupting more humans with mutations she herself created. She's always been fascinated by the bizarre and the monstrous, especially how humans can become so perfectly monstrous.

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According to Mythology

Her symbol is the pomegranate, and her favorite color is red. She especially loves Argos, the City shunned by the others because of their refusal to implement vaccinations.

Related Themes

2005-07-04T13:04:00.000-07:00

Who are the real monsters?
Greed, ultimate power, and hate combine to make a monstrous brew.
The search for knowledge brings redemption of humanity, peace and understanding.
Hate is ugly and monstrous.
Hate causes people to lose their humanity.
Hell on earth.

Zeus Gallery

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Zeus

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The most powerful member of the Counsel Pantheon, few have spoken to him. Few have seen his face. I wish to Hades I'd never found out the truth.

He is the flawed perfection.

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Character Basics

Persephone Gallery

2005-07-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

Persephone

2005-07-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

My older sister was taken by the monsters when I was fourteen. For most of my adult life, I feared Amelia was dead. Someone terrifyingly familiar now calls herself "She who destroys the light." Persephone.

She is my bright shadow.

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Character Basics

Charon Gallery

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Hades Gallery

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Bryan Philokrates Gallery

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Isabella Gallery

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Premise

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Premise: Love and knowledge lead to a beautiful paradise.

Opposite: Blind hate and ignorance lead to a monstrous hell.

Charon

2005-07-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

Another of the aliens, Charon is an Enforcer, a shapeshifting soldier turned pirate now that he's stuck on Earth. He'd sell his own mother's hide for the right price. I need him, though. He's the only one that can guide me between the Lost Cities and Hades itself. After all, no one knows hell like those who live in it.

He is my trustworthy betrayer.

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Mythology
Character Basics
Letter

Hades

2005-07-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

Lord of the Underworld, he is the worst monster I know. I hate his kind. I would kill him if I could. Now, I need his help more than anything. Unfortunately, he has only one desire in this world -- to overcome his exile on Earth and return to Macedon -- and he'll use anything and anybody to achieve it. Especially me.

He is the homeward exile.

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Character Letter
Character Basics

Dr. Bryan Philokrates

2005-07-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

He is the one person I would trust with my life. I love him as my dearest friend. I wish I could love him more. I wish I could love him as much as I know he loves me. But he's one of the weak. He's someone I must protect, even from myself. As much as I love him and value his friendship, I cannot give him my heart, no matter how much I wish I could.

He is my fragile fortress.

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Character Basics

Isabella Thanatos

2005-07-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Who am I? Human or monster? Marshal or Executioner? Avenger or Murderer?

The only part of my name I claimed from my past is Isabella. When the Cities were founded, I claimed a new name. Thanatos. It suits me, don't you think?

I am the merciless mercy.

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Mythology
Character Basics
Character Letter