A man of ideas but no action

Several weeks ago when I went to see Avatar with Sandy, I recounted for him the numerous stories I had in my mind. It even scared me how many I had, how many of which were nearing some severely indepth plotting, and how little had been done with each of them. Thus I thought it might be prudent to document them here, since this the blog where I journal such things. Here goes, in no particular order.

Paintball
STATUS: Shelved until Strike Rapier's EVO's newest version is released, which has several features I need.
MEDIUM: A bot controlled game in Active Worlds.
PROJECT: A new age paintball bot that reinvents how paintball has been done before.
NOTES: 'nuff said. The ideas are still here, most of them on the SWC forums, some detailed others not. I'll push it once EVO is developed to a point where my ideas can be realised.

T-Shirt Business
STATUS: Awaiting a quote from printer.
MEDIUM: n/a
PROJECT: Starting a t-shirt business selling mostly online with designs from my friends.
NOTES: This is the most financially viable project, and the current one I am obsessing over, which was reinvigorated today. I'm eagerly waiting for some replies to numerous e-mails, the most important of which is the one from my potential printer.

The Spiral Project
STATUS: Traveling steadily and awaiting Colby to write his latest chapter.
MEDIUM: Novel. Maybe more than one, depending on where the story heads.
PROJECT: A novel that begins with two disparate storylines that end up spiralling together. It is written chapter by chapter, taking turns between Colby and myself. We're not allowed to discuss plans or ideas and must make predictions based on what the other has written (in turn guided but what the other wrote previous) without intentionally guiding the story themselves.
NOTES: This is perhaps my most successful project in that stuff is happening with it. I have a kickass chapter planned (but of course subject to change based on what Colby gives me). I've made a prediction for how I think his chapter will end (jut based on what I have up to Chapter 6.2, and if he ends it that way then there will be an awesome link in the stories ;)

The Spiral Project TV
STATUS: Pilot written. Considering 2nd eps and how to proceed with series. Possible wait until novel is written.
MEDIUM: TV series... obviously. A serial drama. Probably more like a mini-series. Several eps long.
PROJECT: a translation of the Spiral Project novel into a TV series type format.
NOTES: The pilot script is written. I've yet to properly edit it. Mostly dialogue lifted from the chapters but delicately woven together by my dainty hand with lil' extras peppered here and there to add to the dramatic tension.

Helix Project
STATUS: Shelved pending one or two years until Connor is ready. Looking for replacement in meantime.
MEDIUM: Novel.
PROJECT: The book is written where person A writes a section and person B must pick it up, without talking to person A and continue the story. Not necessarily the storyline, but continue with what the story requires. The integrity of the project is imperative. In this way we can write two novels simultaneously, swapping between the two of us together.
NOTES: Connor says he doesn't want to do it right now, given uni commitments and all that. I respect that. He really likes the idea and wishes to do it. Gave me blessing to find someone else to do it with in the meantime. I have a first 'section' idea roughly sketched out. No idea where it will head though.

Trio
STATUS: Idea is sitting in my cognitive limbo.
MEDIUM: TV series.
PROJECT: A Prison Break/Code Geass/Death Note type psychological thriller and mindfucks galore meet the decadent Skins. As a TV series it can potentially span 2-3 seasons, though, like LOST, I feel it would be best if it had an end date so I can arc the story properly.
NOTES: I did say I was going to do with this Jeanne, but that kinda fell through and the more I think about it the more attached I get to these characters and so will probably do it on my own. Designed to work  with a major television network type thing. How this will be achieved I have no idea. Currently coming up with character names and may start definitively plotting the story out sometime soon. I have copious notes detailing plot points and ideas and characterisations.

A Show about Heroes
STATUS: Idea is sitting in my cognitive limbo.
MEDIUM: TV series.
PROJECT: A Heroes meet D. Gray-man type thing. Story based around people who get powers (and though similar in premise to Heroes, the storytelling will be quite different and I actually came up with it before watching Heroes. The idea of people getting powers intrigued me and I wanted to put my own spin on it).
NOTES: In my mind I have it planned into three definitive seasons. I have a basic mythology planned. No characters as of yet.

Liberi ex Janus
STATUS: Shelved, but not forgotten.
MEDIUM: Manga/Graphic Novel.
PROJECT: An original story idea. There is a premise that could sustain a long term manga, but in my mind I do have a definite story planned out. So if it's fleshed out then it will expand on this story. Basic mythology laid out, most names planned and characterisations of the main characters devised.
NOTES: I've written a draft for the first graphic novel. Awaiting detailed feedback from Gordon, who is/was going to be my artist. Project shelved due to lack of interest on his part. I also need to rewrite the entire draft to give it better dialogue. Plenty of notes for how the story goes, separated into 5 arcs, though upon reflection could be expanded to 6-7.

Doppelganger
STATUS: Idea is in cognitive limbo.
MEDIUM: A play.
PROJECT: An original comedic play. I have a basic premise, an opening and an ending in mind. I know the ideas and themes I wish to play with, but no characterisations and virtually no plot.
NOTES: I only have scarce notes on this. I did have plenty of ideas at one point, but failed to document them, and I suspect for the best.

Sekrit project
STATUS: Discarded.
MEDIUM: A web startup.
PROJECT: top sekrit.
NOTES: I don't feel the idea was ever viable and definitely isn't at this point in our technological history.

AWTowns
STATUS: Shelved.
MEDIUM: A bot based game in Active Worlds.
PROJECT: A game that is a little bit like interactive building. Gives a social element to the game, a lil' bit like Hyper Anthony's new Goal-Oriented Building Game, but more involved.
NOTES: Failed interest on my part led me to shelve it. I feel kinda bad for Baro, as I'm like the 4th or 5th developer to give up on him.

Romantic Comedy
STATUS: Idea is in cognitive limbo.
MEDIUM: A screenplay or maybe a play.
PROJECT: A love story told from two perspectives. A bit of a farce. Love from a different perspective ;)
NOTES: I know the basic 'message' of the story and maybe one or two themes. I have one scene planned in my mind, I hope it's as funny as I think it is. But that's about it.

Graphic Novel with Alastair
STATUS: Idea is in cognitive limbo.
MEDIUM: Graphic novel.
PROJECT: Taking a basic premise from Alastair and expanding its story and characterising it. Alastair as artist.
NOTES: I have the first 2 acts planned. No idea how to end it though, and through talks with Alastair, neither does he. Basic characterisations planned and name of the name character. Basic ideas on themes.

Bathos
STATUS: Shelved.
MEDIUM: web-comic, kind of like a xkcd meet ... I dunno. Slightly serial.
PROJECT: Just a fun lil' project on the side. Art style I blatantly am using the Order of the Stick, but I mean it's only 3 comics, so whatever.
NOTES: Shelved because it was waaaay too much work to make each comic. I have basic ideas for several comics planned. Maybe one day I'll find an artist to realise them. Although I've lately been thinking about deploying them through a different, non-web comic medium.

Musical
STATUS: Idea is in cognitive limbo.
MEDIUM: Musical.
PROJECT: Taking a story already written and turning it into a musical.
NOTES: Haven't formally asked permission from author yet. Probably won't until I have several songs written and if denied I'll adapt them for something else. I have several song themes planned, though no actual lyrics written.

NaNoWriWe
STATUS: Idea is in my cognitive limbo.
MEDIUM: A series of novels. Generally humourous. High fantasy.
PROJECT: Originally conceived as a story NaNoWriWe, but spiralled out into something else entirely. Still no name for it yet so I'll refer to it as NaNoWriWe.
NOTES: A full mythology and history planned. Character roles planned. Symbols and themes planned. Message and motifs planned. A lil' bit of characterisation, though no names. Begining fully planned. An ending fully planned. Only thing missing is an actual plot.

The Unremarkable Tale of a Boy and his Dog that Couldn't Talk
STATUS: Idea is in cognitive limbo.
MEDIUM: Rhyming poem. Dr Suess style.
PROJECT: A children's story with a pretty kickass moral.
NOTES: A rhyming meter determined, a few rhymes here and there. At one point I had several lines planned, but they are forgotten. I have a full plot planned. Just need to write it now.

Raffle House
STATUS: Just came up with a few days ago.
MEDIUM: Screenplay.
PROJECT: A comedy type drama film.
NOTES: Got the idea from Comit when he and I were having a discussion. A basic germ of an idea to set up the movie. Not sure where it goes.

The Phantom of the Opera
STATUS: Idea is in cognitive limbo.
MEDIUM: Mini-series.
PROJECT: A mini-series based on Phantom of the Opera. Based heavily on Leroux's original work.
NOTES: I have specific lines I wish to use. I think I would be quite good at this, especially when I'm in my Erikian mood.

Sketch Channel/Series
STATUS: Just an idea.
MEDIUM: An online youtube channel.
PROJECT: A series of character-based sketches, kind of like Little Britain, but done online.
NOTES: I have like a handful of sketches in my mind. Several characters I could play for it. But this is not much more than an idea.

Punk/Emo/Rock Band
STATUS: Awaiting the right people.
MEDIUM: A band.
PROJECT: The idea is to form a band around people I know IRL and taking to the online and building up a fan-base from scratch. I would be manager, of course.
NOTES: I have several plans. I know what I want the band to look like, but no actual people as of yet.

Duologue
STATUS: Awaiting the right people.
MEDIUM: Non-fiction.
PROJECT: A kind of back and forth exchange of philosophical discourse.
NOTES: Nawaaz did express interest at one point, but I think that was a one off.

Short Story Collection
STATUS: Idea is in cognitive limgo.
MEDIUM: Short story collection.
PROJECT: A short stories based around a real world event connecting these people together.
NOTES: I have a final story planned. I have the world-event premise. I have several stories planned. Just need to seriously plan it.

Documentary
STATUS: Awaiting the right idea.
MEDIUM: An amateur documentary released online. Maybe serially.
PROJECT: Just an idea for some kind of real world documentary. Just need the idea.
NOTES: I was thinking maybe using it as an excuse for an epic all-round Australia roadtrip. But dunno if I know the right people who would be up for like a month long roadtrip D:

Got AbMo?
STATUS: Back and coming along nicely.
MEDIUM: Online blog.
PROJECT: To keep a record of the thoughts that run through my head daily and the events that occur in my life daily. To be an effective "me on the internet". Destroying the notion of a professional image.
NOTES: This blog is a project, I nearly forgot. And is no doubt the most successful in front of Spiral.

Huh. 25 projects listed here. My God; how many of these are in cognitive limbo?! :P

Code Geass

I believe that I've found myself a 2nd favourite anime, possibly putting itself on top of my favourite anime list. That would be Code Geass. <3

It's hard to describe it, it's sort of like a Death Note, in that the main character is a bereft, irreverent and tactically endowed. The storyline plays much on the idea of psychological cat-and-mouse game, akin to the relationship of L and Light in Death Note. But here's the difference, Code Geass has a much larger mythos, the cast of characters is larger and each has their own motivations.

S'pose it's clear from the outset why I enjoy both animes. I do identify with both characters a lot, which is slightly disconcerting as both turn out to be homocidal sociopaths. Lelouch actually looks and acts the ideal-Shanan, right down to the purple eyes. I went through a period of my life where I wanted to get purple contacts to change my eye colour from their dark brown to vibrant violet. I still do want purple eyes, but I can't be bothered ordering some contacts via some Russian website anymore. If anyone out there has a solution for me, please do send your ideas my way.

Death Note really has a more Aristotelian Unity of Action: We watch as the consequences of Light getting a Death Note, following it through to the end. In Code Geass, Lelouch gets the geass, but our story isn't really about him getting the geass, it's about what getting the geass enables him to do. One could argue that both stories portray both elements, but I'm talking about the zeitgeist of each work.

What's really interesting for me, is that because Lelouch is essentially a terrorist, and in such turbulent times, one could argue that it makes him hard to be a good guy. What the producers have managed to do, however, is create a villain, Charles, king of Britannia, who is all the more despicable. He is the definition of despicable, even I loathe him, and I love pretty much any villain.

Charles epouses a kind of social Darwinism, hence his adherence to the power strata. A polygymous royalty, he collects himself wives, fucks them, then encourages the children, successors to the throne (and there are as many as 98 of them) to kill and harm each other to try to get the throne. A bleak, nihilistic and altogether horrifying idea.

It's funny, when we strive to create an evil that is even greater than that of a murderer, instead of trying to make the crime bigger and expanding our perspective, we look closer to home - in this instance, we aim at the lack of love between a father and his children.

Thought: Light is an anti-hero while Lelouch is a hero. Big difference. He becomes a hero because of Charles, and to a lessor extend Nunally.

Anyway, I didn't have much purpose in writing this post, other than musing on a few thoughts on this great anime which  I finished late last night in a flourish tears. There are ... four major deaths in the show, and each one is so sad and beautifully constructed. One cannot help but cry. One of them isn't even that sad of a death. It sort of happens ... and after the credits rolled for that episode, I just started weeping.

And the show leaves you in quite the predicament. Not plot-wise. It finishes off really nicely. But what the show manages to do is to make one simultaneously wish, dream and crave a sequel to tell us more and at the same time know that we could hate any sequel as it would only ruin it.

Unlike most stories I've come to know, either through reading, watching, listening, creating, all the (good) endings felt fitting and fulfilling. I'm very rarely left feeling there's more to tell in the story. Of course, in Hollywood, whether or not the story is told has no bearing on whether they will continue to tell it, but thankfully Japan hasn't been so obtusely affected by Hollywood's greed. It's touching how steadfast they are to the artistic integrity of their stories.

Must be noted when I say "fitting and fulfilling" I don't mean such base and superficial notions of 'ending the story'. Like I once told to Colby, I wouldn't be completely destroyed if Lost ended up answering nothing and just ending, as long as the ending was fitting and fulfilling. In A Series of Unfortunate Events, that is exactly what happens. And yet, I felt content with the ending that ended nothing (incidentally, that's also something that made me tear up...).

T'is why I'm craving so much to get 'Liberi ex Janus' up and running. Because we've got a kickass story, and I want to begin telling it to people. Gordon's yet to read my scripts (big duh) and he's busy doing .. er... his own nothing. I was doing some reading around wikipedia, I think it'd be pretty neat to start up one's own manga production company.

They have them in Japan (well duh), but I mean specific production companies that simultaneously pump out quality mangas. A lot of them just have the one or two writers who then serve as directors, then several high class artists who do character designs and then do the actual drawings. Too bad I only know of Gordon as a person who fits that bill. Perhaps when he starts going to UC this year, in his course, which I believe to have graphics or something like that, he might meet a few more people.

Might just be the thing we're both looking for.

Volume 1 COMPLETED

I just finished Volume 1 of Liberi ex Janus. If all goes according to plan, this will be the first of five separate volumes or books. This basically means I've completed my first 'book'. Well, the writing aspect of it. The ball is most definitely in Gordon's court now.

The plan is that sometime this week I'll run down to the ANU and print out a full copy of this using my paper allowance. I do hope that I'm still on my Semester 2 allowance. I haven't printed anything at all this whole year. I don't want to waste 800 pages D: It's sitting at 78 A4 pages now. Though because I've written it in movie script style, the pacing is plenty generous. This is basically to give Gordon room to write notes and draw sketches.

It's sitting at 15 000 words. Pretty much where we're up to with the Spiral Project. So that's two of my '4 novels' being at the same place. Mind you, a ton of those works are actually descriptions and long names. Though I strongly suspect the dialogue is waaaaay off whack and I've written far too much.

But that's what the editting and refinement process is for.

Speaking of which. I stumbled across the most obvious realisation today. Gordon and I have been going about this the wrong way completely. For some reason I thought in my mind that the first priority here was to get the whole script written out and then have Gordon draw the whole thing. Then we collate it together and then pass it on to some publisher.

That's beyond stupid.

Our focus now is to refine the story enough to be able to pitch it to some actual publishers. They don't expect to receive full on stories. They want samples, a few pages, and then will make suggestions and give feedback regarding the story outlines given. And if they do that we can hardly have had the whole thing done, now can we?

No no no! So right now our focus is this. We'll carefully comb through the script and find a section (most likely the intro) that displays both dialogue and action and possibly humour. We will then produce 5-6 sequential pages of this exactly as we want it published. We will find all the relevent publishers (in Australia) who would be willing to not only print this, but distribute it and advertise it and what not. That would be fucking amazing.

On top of that we'll need character sheets, showing the full designs as well as a brief bio sheet. Then it'll be up to me to pitch together a proposal.

So our focus is completely shifted now. It's where it should've been. Get a publisher's approval, use their feedback, then produce it to their specifications. Right now we're looking for someone to actually publish the whole volume as its own book, rather than part of a serial, so  that discounts manga magazines.

Luke suggested we look at Mad Media, and they seem promising. I'll fire off a letter seeing if they handle publishing and distribution of independent, uncolicited works.

Alternatively, I could try and scour my way into a normal publishing firm. Either self-publish or let them do it, depending on who they are. But that depends on whether I have contacts to get me in. Most likely I'll have to find a literary agent... Time to call my english teachers, ha :D

I also intend to take our initial character designs and sequentials and stick them on Facebook for feedback.

Renaming children

First and foremost. Gordon and I have decided to rename the 'Children of Janus' project to its Latin name, 'Liberi Ex Janus' (Children from Janus). There were several reasons for this. Chiefly, 'Children of Janus' just sounded too much like 'Children of Mana', which has been sitting on my desk for the past few weeks. I feel as if it's unconsciously influenced me, even though the name was coined long before I acquired the game. Still, I can't help but make the connection, lord knows how others will take it.

I do have fears that 'Liberi ex Janus' will sound a bit pretentious. But that's the name we're sticking with now. I'll slowly convert my tags over to the right name sooner or later. Note I'm not totally committing myself to 'Liberi ex Janus' just yet. It's very possible that we may change it again. I was playing with 'The Janus Heir' or 'The Janus Remnant' or something. Gordon and I continue to have meetings about the name.

I love the latin 'Liberi ex Janus', so if it's not used as a name, then I will use it somewhere in the manga.

***

The past few days have been a bit of a drag for me. Without my internet and without any new shows to binge on, life gets a bit redundant. Several nights I've gone to bed at 11pm. Me?! 11pm?! This would involve me waking up at 7am, but I just lay in bed trying to pass time by sleeping.

I so need a life. *sigh*

Pretty much just busying myself with projects isn't enough. Purely because no one else has my time nor my pacing.

Then of course, I realised a few things. I have a book, Sophie's World, to finish reading. I've got Chris' copy of Children of Mana to play. I've got 'Liberi ex Janus' to work on. I've also got the Helix Project. I have Rome to watch. And Deadwood. Though I'm not sure I'd enjoy either :P

I was actually considering hitting the ANU and lying on the grass with a notepad and just doodling or writing or something today. But then Colby was on MSN a lot of the time, and our chats are becomming rather pleasant.

Whatever. Today, I resolved myself to finish off Chapter 4 of Liberi ex Janus. And I know I say this every night I write a chapter, I'll finish the next one tomorrow. But right now I have no plans yet for tomorrow. I get the feeling that's what I'll do. Plus, it's a much easier one to write, because it's going to be pretty much lacking in jokes or action. It's the explanatory chapter. I finished off the main fight in Chapter 4. Which is great :D

Action scenes are so goddamn hard to choreograph. I pretty much just substituted a lot of the minor fighting with 'Gordon-will-in-here', just because they weren't crucial. Chapters 1-2 were choca-block full of minute details.

Gordon's still yet to read Chapter 3. And not Chapter 4. I'm hoping he does. But Chapter 5 tomorrow! I gotta do it! 'cause Colby will finish Chapter 3.1 of the Spiral Project on Sunday (with any luck), which means I need to be done and refreshed and prepared to write 3.2 :D

Lyrical Penchant

The loverly muse Calliope has been so saintly as to bestow upon me quite the musical vernacular. Two days ago I managed to write a humourous little song about sex scenes, simple entitled so far, "Sex Scenes." Last night AJ graced the MSN scene and I was able to send him over my lyrics. He seemed to find them quite hilarious (as did Gordon, to whom I sent the night before).

AJ's spent the past few days working on an album, which is great. I've heard him play and him improvising, and that kid has some serious musical talent. So glad he's on my side :D As we were talking, he was still semi-working on some songs. Lucky timing for me, I guess, he pretty much immediately started to write some music to the lyrics.

I think it's the first time he's written music to a set of lyrics without any given inspiration. But that's okay, I'm a virgin to having my lyrics be put to rhythm. So the whole process is still exciting. "Fleeting Horizons" has been untouched since I first debuted it. I really don't think it's that long, and even if it is, who cares, really? Just get me a melody to work with then I can cut the lyrics! But I'm still grateful to AJ for having a squizz and trying his best.

He wasn't able to let me hear what he's got, which is disappointing. But he says as soon as he figures out how to convert his file times to something I can listen to, he'll let me. I look forward to it.

Then last night, I was trying to come up with another concept for a song. My mind was bare, so I turned to Children of Janus. I thought about the storyline and tried to think if any scenes in particular could serve as a nice inspiration. And I found it. I can't spoil here what that scene is, 'cause it's right near the very end. But it gave me enough inspiration to form a totally separate image in my mind that would then be represented in song.

I've called it "Tomorrows Footprints", and I gotta say, the lyrics are quite beautiful. I worked really hard on this ... spent all this afternoon just sitting here trying to get the meter just right and still be able to completely serve the scene. The way it's written, I see it as a song that's just played in the background to the scene in the anime. Sort of like you'd find in House. The song isn't written about the scene, just for the scene. It's not like it represents how any of my characters' thoughts or anything. Just the general motif.

I'm hoping AJ comes on tonight. Because I definitely think this song is more congruent with his style of music. I picture it as a lone acoustic guitar. In fact, I see it more that the guitar is carrying the song and the voice is secondary - a trait I suspect AJ will appreciate as well. It's also because I'm in love with the song and the image in my mind.

I'd like to eventually take the song and work together with Gordon to make a short flash music video to go with it. Or film my own music video. In fact, the latter would be pretty cool. Oooh, Robbie does music vidoes make I could work with him. Perhaps even be able to get Babbington to film it with his camera. He'd probably cost though. The bastard. :P

High Holidays ahead

It's the first 'official' night of the start of my holidays. My last exam was yesterday (it was computing, and it went great, thank you. I was really looking forward to it and it did not disappoint. Great level of challenge without diluting the fun and had a great pacing on it), after which I saw Quantum of Solace. I was thinking of writing a review, but I'm not in the mood right now, which almost guarantees that I won't write one if I don't write it right after. I promised you lot a Saw V review and that's yet to come :P

Mid-November to mid-February ... That's three months. It's like the break between the HSC and Uni all over again. What was it that I wanted to do in that break last year? That's right! Write my novel. What did I do with that? Nothing. No, rather, I moved to Goulburn and then bummed around there for several weeks, coming up to Canberra to see Will and Nawaaz and the general Grammar kids. It was also a time of busying myself with scholarship applications anf trying to find a place to live. I manage to secure my current apartment three days before Uni, so in that regard I was ridiculously lucky.

How quickly things change. In one rather short year, my life hasn't moved one iota. I'm still the charming, suave and witty character I always was, except with first year university 'education' under my belt. I use the word education quite wrongly because I didn't learn very much. Almost everything taught was either common sense or that I had already come across the problem and dismissed it earlier in my youth. The aonly thing afforded to me via this whole year has really been the technical proofs and names and dates of dead people that informs my knowledge on the subjects.

But the change hasn't been in worldly things like that. I'd like to think a huge part of what's changed is that rather than trying to embark upon all my lil' projects by myself, I've enlisted collaborations with people. Which, in itself is ridiculous, if I told the Shanan of last year, he would've scoffed at it! I'm writing a manga with Gordon - Children of Janus.. I'm writing two novels with Connor in the Helix project. I'm writing a novel with Colby in the Spiral project.

That's four novels now. That I'm writing simultaneously. And I have every faith in the people I'm working with to not only be supportive but also to play crucial roles in the completion of these projects. It's not that they're working 'for' me or on 'my' project. No, these collaborations are completely mutual. The work load is spread 50-50. Each collaboration will nurture a child, one that we will care for deeply and wish for its greatest success.

Children of Janus: Gordon's yet to read Chapter 3, Volume 1. So I'm waiting for that before I approach Chapter 4. I really should get Chapter 4 and 5 done 'cause then we'll have the whole volume complete. Last night over dinner Gordon and  I talked for a lil' bit about the project. He's going to be working on some more formal character and setting designs, with colour, which will go into his portfolio that he still needs to submit for his education next year. I just realised that sounded like he is making stuff last minute for his portfolio, that's not the case. He has plenty of stuff, he just needs to collate it all together, But he wants to add our work because he's really proud of it (and so he should be!).

Spiral Project: I didn't officially mention in the blog that I finished Chapter 1.2 and sent it off to Colby. He seemed to be rather impressed and rated it fairly decently. We're number the chapters as 1.1, 1.2,  2.1, 2.2 etc ... and my chapters will always be the .2 and his the .1. Not sure if it's gonna stay that way, but for administration purposes, it becomes a lot easier. He's already got an "awesome" idea for Chapter 2.1, so I eagerly await that. He said by the weekend. Which is good, as that means I can immediately go ahead with Chapter 2.2, which I've got a rather transparent idea for. Obviously I'll have to wait for Colby's work, so I can play off that, which is the nature of this project. It's not two people writing two novels and just happening to stick them together. It's two storylines that will be moulded and shaped by the other in such a way that they are instrinsically linked to one another. That's the plan anyway. So I wait with baited breath.

Helix Project: last night I sent a text message to Connor officially restarting the Spiral Project. We put it on hold as Connor did not feel comfortable working on it whilst he was going through Uni assessments, which is fair enough. Not everyone is as perfect as me when it comes to these things. His priorities list Uni first, understandably. Just 'cause mine don't doesn't mean everyone else shares that worldview. Anyway, I'n gonna stick with my idea I'm choosing to develop from Gurren Lagann. I have no idea what his idea will be, but I wait it eagerly. I suggested a early next week swap, but he declined, suggesting late next week. Not much I can do :P I'll get to writing when I can.

So there's a summary of my four novels that are happening right now. And surely, can that be my future plans for the holidays? Surely I can't plan to work exclusively on four novels? Fortunately, I can't even if I wanted to. I happen to be collaborating, which means waiting on other people. These other people will not be able to work fulltime on these things like I can. All three of them are working and earning money. I, on the other non-existant limb, do not work, which gives me lucrative amounts of free time.

Then what else can I work on? Well AJ last night made a nice proposal to me. He wants to write an album these holidays. Good on him! But he also has trouble with lyrics. He proposed something like this: if I write any lyrics, I'll port them over to him for him to musicise. If he writes any music and can't think of words, he'll port it to me for me to lyricise. I'm considering shortening my song I wrote ages ago. Decrease the meter? Remove some lines? Basically split it in half. And try to get him to write some music for it. My lyrics, I should think, would go great with an acoustic guitar, so here's hoping, eh?

Another huge change from last year is that I have now officially discovered a 'purpose'. Clowning in the Cirque du Soleil. That's definitely what I want to do with my life and now I can slowly work towards that. This involves some meticulous planning of physical comedy. I'm thinking rather than just making a demo tape, I actually build up a bank of stuff. Perhaps even showcasing some stuff on the youtubes to get some feedback. Finally start youtubing like I've been wanting to for agggges :P

Alternatively, if there are good people out there willing to do stuff, I thought maybe we should try to write a comedy ... er... show? I dunno. Like a stage show, just like a public workshop. Either exclusively just me doing... comedy stuff (!??!!?) or putting together a series of verbal and physical skits with some other people. Like a revue. Or we could try to write a full on play. Perhaps even, with AJ's music, write a musical :P That'd be rather nice. If only I had the comedy lyrics within me, which I'm sure I do somewhere. It's just a matter of getting some good song ideas. I suspect I'm already good at writing humour couplets and one liners, just no overarching song idea with which to write under.

But these are the things I'll be working on. I'm sure more and more projects will crop up as the sands pass. And I gladly welcome them :)

Chapter 3, Volume 1

Totally completed. This took awhile because due to assignments and other things I had to postpone the writing of it and then I had to get back into the mood and the swing of thing. The summary I'm working off of does not have Moogie and Toogie in it, so I had to carefully plan and think how exactly it was going to work.

Compounded upon this, this is a scene with like 20 different, distinct characters in it. All of whom I had to keep track of and make sure were doing the right things at the right time to the right people. I had to choreograph fight scenes pretty much, just so I didn't get 100% lost.

But it's done now. There's a few bits of really horrible dialogue that I couldn't substitute just yet. They're dummy lines. It's all PDF'd and sent to Gordon, and I await his feedback. I'll most likely move onto Chapter 4 tomorrow. It's another really actionpacked chapter, so I'm going to have to work really hard. Chapter 5 is more a discussion one, so it'll be much easier.

AND IT'S GO GO GO

Soo much news to talk about regarding Children of Janus, the manga Gordon and I are working on.

Gordon finally got around to reading the draft scripts for chapters 1 + 2 of volume one. He thought they were awesome and the pacing was perfect with good length. So that sets my heart at easy. Plus, with my now D Gray Man manga knowledge, I sorta knew the pacing was right.

So that's given me the confidence I need to go forth with chapter 3 and subsequently 4 + 5. I think once I draft the scripts for the first volume, we can seriously consider working on it hardcore.

This also got me thinking. Somnus, the song on Yoko's (the FF composer.. dunno her last name :P) Drammatia album which I absolutely adore <3, is the song for the trailer for FF13 Versus. I totally didn't put the two and two together until a while back. The lyrics are in latin. But the music isn't the One Winged Angel / Fithos Lusec type music - ie classical. Rather, it works more like a ... I dunno, more soulful, less operatic but just as dramatic. In fact, so much so, that I want to replicate that as a theme for the whole project.

What I think would be cool, as promotion and stuff, is to have a full pro 'opening theme song video' type thing to the song. Sort of a trailer ... but more really about the thematic concerns and such. Just a nice piece to tie the whole thing together. I want to try and write the lyrics in that latin .. in the same style of the FF songs .. sort of not really full sentences, just keywords and phrases that are turned lyrical. That should be fun. The song would be called "Liberi ex Janus" which is just the latinisation of the manga name :P

So I approached Luke with this idea, to get his opinion on its cheese-factor. Not only did he like the idea, but he informed me that he's 25% done on the first song. The "memory and past" which could refer to several themes. But I'll know for sure once he finishes. w00t w00t w00t. I'm so over the moon right now. Once Luke gets some of these done, he'll pretty much be like a junior member of the dynamic duo. I won't tell him everything, but he'll be informed and briefed with drafts.

I'll have Luke compose midis for me now. But once he gets that done... The idea is that we'll orchestrate it (or whatever the correct term is, to take a simple melody and creating a full, independent song around it) and then we'll see what can come from that. I'd have to talk to Hannah to see if she can put me into contact with someone at the ANU school of music that could help me. That could put together a small group of musicians to record some stuff. Wouldn't that be fucking fantastic?

And once we all get set up, Ms Dee, my high school teacher who I've recently become back into contact with, will be contacted again. She knows people. She knows several authors and their agents well. We'd need to find a publishing company who'd be willing to print and distribute this manga.

It's premature to say it's all coming together. But it's not premature to say that in my mind I'm starting to collate everything together and once I get my determination, these things will happen.

Podcasting + Project housekeeping.

I've always wanted to do a podcast. Still have little to no idea about what, but technologically, setting one up is now easier than ever. I see podcasting as possibly an easier way to convey some of my thoughts and stuff about particular issues rather than in blog form. Meh, who knows. I'll probably just end up doing it here.

Speaking of projects left to rot. Project Helix is going to officially start up after our exams. Connor is way too busy to start before then and I respect that. This isn't meant to be a chore for him so to add to his burden is the last thing I want to do.

I finally convinced Gordon that he has to read my scripts this morning. He never got back to me though :P He's at Kendo now, so I won't be able to talk to him until tonight. Even though, a part of my thinks he won't have read it. Which is annoying. Not that he won't read it, but that I feel the need to keep nagging him. That goes against EVERYTHING this project is about. It's meant to be our baby together, so to speak (an allusion to his quote on creation :P).

It's not meant to be me just nagging, nagging, nagging and him refusing to listen. That makes me no different to anyone in his life. Which isn't a good situation to be in.

I've also just realised that one quater of my screen is completely fucked. And has been for a VERY long time now. I just assumed that it was the angle of the light and whatever. But like I can't remember when I first noticed it. A long, long time now. But I saw it in my wardrobe mirror. It's like a strip of red. It's clearer in the mirror than it is in real life ... what's up with that?

Ha, clearer in the mirror than in real life. Sounds like a lyric or a poem or a line I would use in a price of prose.

Hm.

brb writing.

Manga: A Name

All of yesterday and the day before I was trying to name stuff. There are still several characters in the manga, some of the crucial, who remain nameless. So far Gordon and I have been referring to them by lame code names I've come up with, but have ensured them all consistent so that I may just search & replace when the time comes.

But in Philosophy today, we were covering Heidegger. There are a few things here and there I hear and I just think, 'would be awesome' but nothing really fits. I want to incorporate the word Dasein into it, an intertextual allusion to Heidegger in the manga. But that got me thinking about names.

And I came up with it.

"Children of Janus"

It makes no to little sense without explanation. But I think it's a great name. And that it works for the whole thing. It is thematically linked to everything and explains the characters in a nice, succinct way.

You may read that and try to postulate what the manga is about, but I suspect it may be very difficult for you to get it.

I'm going to go back and re-label all the manga related posts with "Children of Janus".

I've yet to get Gordon's approval on this, but I really suspect he'll take to it. And I'll explain the whole thing to him too, because I think it aesthetically sounds great and thematically is even fucking better.

*ecstatic*

EDIT: "Children of Janus" vs "Liberi ex Janus" oooooooooooooooooooooooh, I can't decide :(

Discovering Manga

I had a revelation today. After which, I banged my head against a wall.

I'm on the internet and I was whining how I had no proper mangas to go and read and study. *facepalm* Well, needless to say, I discovered a way to read D Gray Man online. Which is great, because the anime just ended on 103 episodes (some people say it's not going to continue due to declining ratings in Japan, others say it's taking a break for the manga to get ahead, either way I can't be bothered waiting) so I can move forward with the story. Which is great :D 'cause I think the story is really interesting.

Added to this, I have spent all day reading (taking a break from writing) the manga and studying it for pacing and the way dialogue is written. I'm happy to report that the one I'm writing conforms quite nicely into this format and I had very little to worry about. It's not length I am concerned with now. But that all depends on Gordon (who has yet to read my script, *sigh*).

Gordon and I had a nice lil' chat about the project as well. He didn't know whether he was going to draw the comics per page or per panel. I suggested he have a plan in his mind about the layout of the page and then he should digital stick them together. This way, he can do fancy overlaps and stuff onto the computer, which I imagine would be hard to do on paper. Plus, it allows room for changes and modifications who I really disagree with a panel or the way a shot as been made or if I need to change a line. Also, it means we can more easily add new scenes in if we feel it's necessary once we get further down the line.

Gordon also had planned to just do it in black an' white, which was another revelation I made today, typical mangas are black and white. I was picturing full blown colour. And I'm hoping we can still go through with that. And then it hit me. I could do the colour. As long as I played around and tried to learn how Gordon does it for a few of his other stuff, or I could self-teach myself a way.

As this isn't going to look completely pro, I think w emight as well revel in it. There'll be an amateur quality to it and I think we can harness that. Colour by computer is just another way. It will establish us as not wannabes but as having a distinct aesthetic style. It also means the work load is more evenly spread. Although the past week has completely made my life ALL writing, it'll be nothing compared to Gordon ahving to draw everything.

If I can take the burden of that off him by scanning and colouring stuff myself, then I think I should take that opportunity. Furthermore, I can then collate the panels together per page. It could then have an amazing time with experimenting with the different styles.

Also means I have to put the speech bubbles and other stuff in. Which is fine by me :D

Volume 1, Chapter 2

Done :D

It took me all of yesterday, but I had to write it. I think I've got a very nice balance between action and dialog. In the sense that there is tons of room for Gordon to add aesthetic humour to the story WITHOUT me going out of my way to explain it to him, like I had with the first chapter.

Only problem is that this whole chapter is now longer in page length than the first chapter AND it's almost all dialogue. I'm certain this is too long. Which is good. Because I chopped off the end of the first chapter and stuck it to the beginning of the second chapter. I guess Gordon and I will have a read and rearrange it a bit.

But the third, fourth and fifth chapters are pretty well planned out. They have definite beginnings and ends. And they are more actiony than just pure talk. Except the fifth, which is almost all talk ... But it's super important :D

These first two chapters I was pretty free to rewrite and add as much as I wanted. Not too sure about the next three. My summary is VERY indepth and even a few lines planned. So I'll pretty much just be writing to that, converting from my summary to full blown script.

But I'm really enjoying myself writing this. Even if Gordon has yet to even read the first chapter :P I decided to keep going, without his feedback. I'm hoping he can read the first and second today or something. I'm hopeful!

re: A Letter to Me

Dear Shanan of This Morning,

You'll be a very happy Shanan when you read this. Though of course ... you are stuck as perpetually being in this morning, so you'll never actually read this letter...

I managed to finish writing my first chapter of the first volume. That was 14 pages of solid writing. *sweat* Took me about 6 hours and a bit to really get a lot of it done. I had to rewrite my plan a little put, shifted a lot of the secondary stuff onto the second chapter. The second chapter itself was rather lacking, but now I can make it more substantially.

The first chapter, what can I say, it's a brief introduction to the world and sets up a few of the mysteries of the world. It's a bit of a gag-filler type episode, but you have to get over it. There's boobs. Lots of boobs. Three sets, even. THREE SETS OF PENDULOUS BREASTS, rejoice, ye horny people and praise me, for I am the lord of the boobs.

*cough*

Moving on. The jokes are sort of a poke at the over reliance of japanese anime on pervert related jokes, but also pays homage to them as a useful and hilarious joke. It's going to be come a running gag for our characters, so that's sweet :D

Pacing is a bitch. I've mentioend before how I was completely unsure as to the pacing for this thing. As I was telling my parents (over a KFC dinner), in a novel, I can write to whatever length I think is appropriate and end it there. That's not the same with a manga, because I have to confrom with specific lengths. Not only do I need to write to a given framework, but I have no idea how my writing on the page translates into comic form. Especially as I have a few but not many visual aspects to concern myself with, I'm trying to keep that all as Gordon's department. Not only does he know better, but it events the creative work load. I am aware that Gordon drawing is waaaayy more work than I have to do as a writer, BUT the creative work load is the same, that's all that matters.

So yeah, I've not for 14 pages of almost all jokes. Now I wonder how that translates to about 20 pages of manga. There's a lot of room for Gordon to get creative, and I encourage it. Right now he has a copy of the script, though he hasn't read it. His Ragnarok comes first :P It's cool. He says he'll read it in the morning, so I'll just have to wait.

I'm alraady planning my 2nd chapter on roughly that length. I'm most interested in feedback from Gordon regarding length, pacing and balance of visuals and dialogue. So I hope he does that, rather than just critique my content and characterisations. Which can arguable change once he's drawn the panels, as long as I just rewrite the lines to the right length.

On the other hand, if I have to completely rewrite the script, it's going to be way more work for him.

But I hope your day will be swell too, Shanan of This Morning. I'll see you tomorrow, Shanan of Tomorrow.

Love,

Shanan of Tonight.

A Letter to Me

Dear Shanan of Tonight,

I hope that when you read this letter that you are filled up with a ridiculous sense of pride. Pride that you've done a decent amount of scripting today, because both you and Gordon are depending on it. Nevermind Gordon hasn't done much work as of late, he will, and you have that belief in him.

But you need to properly get the script underway. Hopefully you will finish the whole first volume today!

Don't believe in yourself! Believe in me, Shanan of This Morning, who believes in you, The Shanan of Tonight!

Love,

Shanan of This Morning

Reintroducing Moogie and Toogie

This manga is very quickly evolving both in scope and breadth. As I last stated, I got Gordon's approval on my basic story summary. I've spent the past two days not working on my script, unfortunately, been a-resting my mind. HOWEVER, we have been able to flesh out some more character for our main characters as well as increase the scope of the story.

For instance, we're going to be something similar to the FFXII Ivalice Alliance and the Compillation of FFVII, which is a series of games/stories all relating to a similar world. In that way, I want to create a vast, vibrant world within the story. Sure, the story involves two nations, but they aren't the only nations around. The whole world has a mythos and a history and this is but one thread of its tapestry.

One aspect of this I want to focus on are the peoples of this world. There are more than just human in the world - I picture an array of species, all with their own past. Most of these inspirations I draw from Gordon's past works. Anthropomorphic sharks, frogs, moles and pigs are what we've got so far. I sort of go into more creative areas by creating animal parts that don't necessarily belong to any particular animal we have on Earth, but not sure about that just yet. But the design for the frogs and sharks are kickass.

The moles, pigs and monkies are all drawn from our past. There are toy monkies that I owned, a white one, named Moogie and a brown one, named Toogie. Of all my childhood toys, these are the most memorable, there is a whole family. Two cool uncles, Uncle Boogie and Uncle Zoogie and one weird uncle called Uncle Loogie (who we suspect may be a nudist).

It was during our conversation on what animals we could turn into people, when I thought "OMG WE COULD HAVE A MOOGIE AND TOOGIE" and thus two characters were born. They're pretty much comic relief, but they also allowed me to come up with some rather nice characterisation for a few of the main characters, which was important. At the moment, Gordon and I are fleshing out the backstory of these two and what their future will be.

Ideally, once we finish off the manga, the world is still there for us to work with. I want to make a whole series of stories around the mythos of the world. I even have a very nice thematic link for all of them, something we inadvertantly added into the world during our character design stage. But can't talk about it. It's going to be a subtle and super secret link that only diehard fans can notice.

Other than that, Gordon and I have spent a few hours just brainstorming on MSN. A lot of this involved Gordon just doing his pictures in MSN, quickly chibi-fying the characters.

I really want to feel that inspiration I need to start writing the script. The sooner I get it done, the sooner Gordon has concrete things to work off of and we can get this baby on the road :D

Chapter 1-5, Volume 1 summary drafted

Today I did something I haven't done in a long time. Totally and completely focussed on getting one task done, that is, writing up a detailed summary of the whole volume one. I wrote chapters 1 and 2 yesterday, finishing off 2 through 5 today. By detailed summary I just mean dot points of specific lines, actions, jokes.

It started out very general and loose. As I continued writing, I became more and more specific, so it's almost a mini-script now. It means writing the script won't be at all hard now I've worked out all the plot kinks. It was actually really, really hard coming up with decent fighting scenes as well as the capacity for making them aesthetically pleasing, but also able to help push the story forward.

A nice lil' narrative is whole throughout the first volume, and I intend to make each volume an episode of its own and can be read independently. This is the forming of the main group of characters in the face of adversity. A bit stereotypical, but I think in a few ways I've changed things around a bit. At first I was going to make Volumes 1, 2 & 4 sort of fillery. But I've been able to reduce and refine that so that each volume tells vital parts to the whole story. The events fit into an integrated whole and plan.

I've also introduced a recurring gag. And yes, it involves breasts. In typical Japanese anime style, where boob jokes are abundant.

I'm so glad we decided to make this into a manga. I've got to experience how to properly pace things out and trying to come up with enough content to fill a proper chapter. In many ways, when I write novels or whatever, the writing is of a variable length. I've tried to base each chapter with enough content to fill an anime episode, so about 20 minutes screen time, jokes, dialog and action sequences. If I plan to work on that tv series script as another viable project, I'm going to need to be able to write for about 40minutes. And thanks to this experience, I have a general idea how that works.

Moreso, I learnt that I shouldn't try to make each chapter completely and totally isolated. Because truth be told, people aren't going to be reading it like anime episodes. So yeah, some chapters are all dialog (but super important!!!) while some are almost all action (without much exposition, there'll be dialog, obviously).

Having finished, all that had to be done was to show Gordon and gain his approval. Lucky me, 20 minutes after I finish, he decides to show up. I let him read it, and he really seems to like it :D I also managed to get him to send me all the scans of the concept designs he made the other week.

sorry to leave you hanging there. I just went to chat to parents and got an apple. I can eat apples now whole.. Haven't done it in ages ^,^ ("Did you know that Shinigami only eat red apples?" - listening to Death Note right now, thought it only fitting)

ANYWAY.

Gordon seems to be motivated to work now. So I'm hoping I can pump some really good stuff outta him over the coming week. I'm going to start on the script tomorrow! Hopefully get first chapter done :D :D :D And preferably more :P

Graphic Novel is evolving!

w000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000t :D

I had quite teh epic chat this afternoon. After a bout of showing me AudioSurf (which, btw, is awesome ... It's a game that analyses any song file you give it then creates a stage for you to play on. It's fun because it's taking songs you like and making games out of them. Too bad you gotta pay :- \), I managed to coax him outside to his living room, where we sat down and had a meeting that lasted until ... well until I left, 6pm. It started a bit after noon.

Turns out, I hadn't sent Gordon my crappily typed up text file detailing my initial thoughts on the story for our greatest colalboration ever (the graphic novel). So all this time, he ONLY had a hastily put together explanation I gave to him at the bus stop to work off of. No wonder he hasn't done anything, it's ridiculous for me to expect him to do that :P So I had to give him the file, but as well as spend a good hour explaining the whole thing to him again. In detail.

I actually think I went overboard with the detail - but then again, he will need to know all that stuff eventually. I told him I was thinking of splitting the novel into five episodes (major chapters, essentially) and we worked out a basic skeletal structure for how the story progressed. We filled in a few plot holes, introduced a few theme like things we had to consider.

I've got two pages full of handwritten notes, scrawled in almost illegible words is the greatest story ever :D I'm so happy he's on board with the idea, and not only that, but he's contributed.

AND AND AND AND! He did concept art! For 5 of the 6 main characters. And they're fucking GORGEOUS! I cannot believe he was able to create these characters in such a short amount of time. Great thing is that I have nothing to go off of when it comes to their looks, so anything he comes up with will mould the character as I write it. Do I think what he's done is absolutely perfect? Maybe not, I mean none of them made me go STOP! THAT'S THEM! But then again, I'm not sure it's possible I would've felt that way about any character he drew.

This is a development process, we each know just about as much as the other. But it's evolving... and I'm excited. Really excited. It's going somewhere, so I'm going to have to get writing on my script!

On the bus we decided that maybe a graphic novel, however, was not the right medium. What we had planned was a bit too long for one novel. In fact the five sections could be split into those five episodes VERY distinctly. So we're gonna go a manga series now, with 5 volumes :D Gordon tells me each volume ha sabout 5 chapters, each chapter 28 pages in length, roughly.

I did some quick calculation. I'm thinking a volume will be about 100 pages, instead of the 140 this would project, meaning about 20 pages per chapter. We talked a bit, decided each A4 page would contain about 6-8 panels. Each panel would roughly have 1.5 sentences (considering all the action panels too) and each sentence would be roughly 10 words. So that's roughly 10 words x 1.5 sentences x 7 panels x 20 pages x 5 chapters. That's 10500 words.

By and large, for a 100-140 page volume, I think that's about right. I'm going to aim for a standard somewhere around there. Now I just gotta consider the content of what I'm saying AND the pacing at which I am saying it.

Really gonna be a hard job to get it right. But I'm considering starting very, very soon. It's going to be a goddamn challenge, which I think will be what makes this so goddamn fun.

Luuuuuuuuke's back :D

Just got off MSN with Luke, who says he's now officially out of doing music. Meaning I resent him my characterisation specifications, which he printed off. He says the rough timeframe for getting some stuff together will be a month.

Now I'm excited. And keen. A month is a long time away, but if he sends me any music then I can get cracking straight away. And I know it seems dumb of me to be putting it off for some music for what would arguable be a Graphic Novel where music is irrelevant ... but I believe music to be intrisically very powerful to do with the creation and the experiencing process.

I told him to focus on getting my song working, and that was purely selfish. I wrote the lyrics. If it gets turned into a song, I'll be one happy Shanan.

Talking to Gordon now, who seems to have been slacking off. He's only go a few months of freedom left, I really hope we can do something together. I don't want our unique dynamic wasted. I might go meet up with him this weekend so we can (finally) talk almost man-to-man about it.

I ought to take a notepad and paper over to transcribe our discussion too. That would be awesome ... Yeah, I'll suggest that to him now.

Renewing past times

Over the past day I've done things that I used to do many months ago, but for one reason or another, had to drop.

I talked about my Friday morning coffees with Gobi, which we did against yesterday. Hopefully a returning tradition - in case I haven't made it clear, I really, really enjoy my Friday coffees.

Another tradition would be clowning on AW. I had to stop that 'cause everyone decided to go on AW-hiatus, it was a pretty long spell of nothingness. Of course, now the reunion is over, there's a huge influx of interest in AW again. Comit's started building a labyrinth underneath his cemetary. I think this is the first environment he's done where things are in completely black light. He's also made the light switch global, causing epic amounts of grief :D

Finally, I had a 3 hour talk with Gordon on the phone last night. He's definitely not a bad kid. I initially called to convince him to go with Mother to Sydney. He didn't seem to warm to it much at first, but when I explained the whole situation (that is with Mum's eye + my academic plight) he said he'd do it. A small part of my was scared he would refuse. But my faith in him as a person pulled through in the end.

Definitely in his debt forever. Luckily (for both of us), Mother's going to go with Uncle Danny, which is good. 'cause he lives in Sydney and is able to drive her around and help her navigate between places. And if she has to go straight into surgery, he's family she can cling to (he is her younger brother, after all). Just gotta tell Gordon now so he doesn't have to worry.

Except he told me that he got up at 4pm on Thursday. I can only expect him to be in bed right now. Meaning I need to call him later. I'll try his house after Drama, he's either there or he'd be working.

Our phone conversation .... ah.... soo many good memories. He and I used to talk on the phone almost daily for many, many hours. We're just like both our mothers, who talk to each other even more frequently and for much longer. Difference lies in the quality of what we have to say. They gossip and give advice. We just... We talk. We role play. We joke and we laugh.

One thing that transpired over the conversation is that he's a fan of my idea for the graphic novel! That means it *did* get Gordon approval, and my own self-consciousness about my ideas got in the way.

This means I'll have to really develop my ideas, especially seeing as how he has a ton of free time (and needs direction and guidance). I've been thinking of how to structure it, and I suspect it's going to be done in parts ... one part of each of the main trio, with the main character's storyline being fully resolved in the last one.

Maybe, or I can do it in four parts ... The first being the meeting and "team" building ... Definitely need to work out the structure and arcs of the story. I'd like it all to be part of the one graphic novel, rather than split up into separate books, 'cause then it feels more like a manga.

I've also got to clear my head about how to write the script. I cannot be as elaborate as I am with a stage script/screenplay, nor even as arduous as in novels. This is a different format. The speech needs to be short and distinct and yet meaningful.

This is going to be hard to do. I'm pretty sure I'll figure something out, though. I might have to go purchase/acquire a copy of V for Vendetta - the graphic novel not the movie - and read that to get an idea for the script and how to depict action sequences.

This is also going to be different becuase I'm collaborating. Which means Gordon doesn't have access to my brain, I need to write out "character" bios for each of the characters, so that he can do a character design. So the task ahead of me now is to fully sketch out the story, sequences of actions and the information explicated, and therefore get a better rounding of my characters. Then write up the bios and Gordon and I can then refine the characters and their personalities. I will then be able to more fully flesh out and decorate that story scaffold to include really individual character instances.

THEN I write the script.

Sounds good. So hard. And sounds long. But it sounds good.

Why does a graphic novel need music?

Your guess is as good as mine, but I still nonetheless asked Luke to see if he could compose some character leimotiffs for me. I guess I'm still thinking of the story as part of a video game and as an anime. For me the most powerful, emotionally, aesthetically and stylistically, stories have been in these forms, and I'm modelling the story in this format.

Plus, I've always written with musical accompaniment. I wrote Norlisk (or at least the villain scenes) with a piece of music I found to be endlessly inspiring, much to Comit's disagreement. I felt the wrong embodied everything I wanted for the character. Same with my HSC final scene, I wrote it to "Reqiem to a Dream", how else should a bloody murder scene be written?

Take for instance, first season of Naruto with Haku and "Sadness and Sorrow"; it was beautiful. That song now is embued (for me at least) an emotional attachment. There is something really powerful in that, something about how the psyche associates characters and abstract concepts with music. Every time I hear the song I tear up, it's why it remains one of my favourite songs to date.

I guess for the purposes of creation, it's important for me to have the music. Considering I don't know the characters much yet, only the circumstances in which they find themselves, the music will help shape them. For character design, I'm going to be basing it on Gordon's stylistic design and the music and my own character. If all three of these match and Gordon agrees, then it'll be fucking awesome.

Mind you, we haven't agreed to this yet. Even if Gordon doesn't, that's cool, I can always take this as my own little project. He and I can always collab on other stuff.