Arshira, Hatched (Censored)

Just a matter of  a few well placed shell fragments, I didn’t want to overdo it. Plus I must admit, the shell fragments drive home that’s a giant green egg there in the background.

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Javelin: Guardian of Future City – My Superhero Project

 

Chapter 1. City Of The Future

 

Very nearly lost in the wake of Earth’s destruction, while overthrowing alien overlords who had for generations enslaved Earth, the remnants of humanity at last had been provided an opportunity to remake itself. A project was launched by the three great powers: The Falcanian Khanate, Terran Triumvirate, and provided oversight by the newly minted, neutral Commonwealth of Allied Worlds to unite fractured mankind, and that of their fellow sapients under a common goal, and in galactic brotherhood. Chosen for this great experiment: FOUNTAINHEAD, a lush planet filled with resources, located beyond any of the three great powers dominion. For its Capital, an ideal city was to be constructed by a genius industrialist, who installed into its workings every luxury, and current technology. He hoped that with the populace’s creature comforts provided for, that this future city, ATLAS should become a Utopia…

— Atlas’s Stumble

 

[Atlas City, Fountainhead. 2130]

Contrails of distorted, shimmering space were left in his backwash, as if they were some kind of wispy silver wings that thrust him across the clear blue sky of Fountainhead, into the heart, and bustle of Atlas City during rush hour.

Skycars nearly rammed into the crimson vested flying man as he casually dodged the oncoming traffic that seemed to transverse in every direction. Carried aloft by what the press neatly termed a ‘wing-pack’, which in truth was a one of a kind anti-gravity flyer, righted himself among the vehicles, to get a bearing on his prey. Hovering on his flyer, the man known to Atlas City as Javelin scanned with his wedged golden mask-helmet’s singular roving eye, affixed in the blacked out visor. The bluish probe moved back and forth, peeled back the cars, and buildings until it discovered its target.

There, among the art deco buildings hid the gangster, huddled alone, flayer gun clutched close, ready to fire and in a corner, warily searching the sky for his pursuer that crimson annoyance, all concealed in his military style gear. The mob referred to him as ‘Captain Javelin’ on account of his vests eye-catching epaulettes. To be sure, he preferred simply Javelin. He plunged downward in free fall, aerodynamic armor conformed to his body, studded with metallic ornaments and Khaki jodhpurs decorated by a red racing stripe only added to his military flare.

The gangster opened fire, but the flayer gun’s rounds only bounced off Javelin’s armor.

“Surrender!” Ordered Javelin, his voice boomed, distorted by a vocator in the mask. Like so many before him, the mobster did not heed Javelin. Instead he kept firing until his weapon was spent. Once out of ammo, he broke into a run. A nearly calamitous mistake, as he charged right in the direction of a sky truck about to lurch upward. Luckily for him, Javelin was there to snatch him out of danger. “Now, we can talk about your boss, Dashscare Ran.”

==============================================

My latest project, as you can see it fits into my overlapping universe. I finally came up with my superhero. As you can see this is meant to invoke the golden age of comics. I hope this will be fun for everyone!

 

 

 

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The Final Scene – Poll

Who wants to see the final planned scene in The Falcanian Legacy Series?

I should clarify and say that not only is it the final scene, it is a major character‘s final moments. Keep it mind what you’ll see will be somewhat out of context, without the second block of books the whys, and hows probably won’t give too much away. So what you’ll basically have is an intriguing glimpse, knowing it might also add new layers to how you view this character.

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An Unfolding Title

The current incarnation of the novels which became The Falcanian Legacy Series  began with the working title Vanguard Chronicles: The Sundering. A bit of a mouthful to be sure. The “Vanguard” in this instance had been meant to highlight the Falcanian’s artificial island homeland. I soon asked myself, why am I highlighting the island? Sure it was interesting in and of itself, a man-made construct and when I first began writing the novellas my intent was to explore every nook and cranny of Vorkrur as a character itself.

As it happens, ideas mutate and become different things as we mediate upon them, go back and revise and add or take away bits of writing. I soon grew dissatisfied with the title Vanguard Chronicles: The Sundering, which not only put the focus on the wrong thing, the island, but was just too much work to say.

I then got the idea that the title should have a double meaning, and that I should both highlight a character with it, in this case Frederika would be that character. As well as a thing, a space ship to be exact, the Falcanians new battlecruisers, the FX-24 Arshira-class Destroyers. I changed the title to Starblade: The Sundering, which was the English word for “Arshira” literally Starblade. Brilliant!  What could go wrong?

For the longest time I was pleased with the title “Starblade”, umm, until I Googled it and learned it was a name of an arcade game. I wanted my title to have a zing, and standout in a Google search! Even one of my friends told me “Avoid ‘star’ anything, its so typically sci-fi, a cliche.” Though  oddly he was against the latest name change.

Anyway, I set out to build an “official website”. I really like building websites… and tried to find a cool title, so I settled on the “scientific classification” that Falcanians list themselves as: Falco Ornis-Sapien Invictus. There’s a whole big moment when this classification is revealed to the reader, which is meant to shed some idea on how the Falcanians think about themselves as a species.

While building the site I started thinking about my book and what its actual focus was all about. Sure Frederika is a pretty important character, and it’s basically her journey which lets us explore who and what the Falcanians are, though as you go through the next two novellas the story does shift to other characters, it’s really an ensemble cast and Frederika is simply the spark which lit the fire.

As I started to become aware of that, I realized that the story is really about, what its always been about. THE FALCANIANS. A word which I also wanted to “take ownership of” and try to fit into the marketing aspects of this whole writing thing. Though “Falcanian” alone didn’t work as a title. Every version of the story, since I began my first attempts to tell it as a young kid was the history of the Falcanians. Sure it’s also about the humans, at least via the Morningstar Children, but really the future history which I’m laying out is about Falcanians and their place in the universe.

I found myself often rereading the moment in the first novella where the scientific classification of Falcanians is revealed. Everything came to a pinpoint for me there. The proper title for this book was right on that page and encompasses exactly the point I had been trying to get across. Its Falco Invictus, “The Unconquered Falcon”.

 

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Voltron Force

Voltron Force: The Black Lion

Like many of my generation, I grew up with those imported, and cobbled together Japanese anime series, such as Robotech, and Voltron – I liked the Lion Series far better than the other robot made from vehicles.

I know I’m a little late on this, but I’ve only just gotten the chance to watch Voltron Force, which airs on Nicktoons.  There are some things I like about it: The lions have more curves, as does Voltron himself, he’s no longer blocky when the team forms Voltron. In fact the overall designs of this show are good.

But one thing which bugs me, sometimes the humans look flat, and not to choose an ironic word, ‘cartoon-y’ , the stories are good, but I wish the animation of the people didn’t make me think of kids TV (even though I know it is…) the old show could be filled with choppy animation at times, yet its slightly darker color palette added a bit of depth, which I think would provide a far less kiddy feel to this series, which in general is pretty good.

Queen Allura

One of the things which is good about this series is that they’re advancing the plot, that is, the whole thing is about passing the torch onto a new generation to command Voltron. Allura even becomes a full-time queen of Arus to let her niece pilot the blue lion. Though I do wish Allura and Keith Kogane would confess their love for one another already! That would truly alter the scheme of the whole Voltron ‘verse by having them marry.

 

 

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Zero?

I like this look for Cobra Commander.

File this under, future story ideas…

Musing new ways to go about expanding, and adding layers to my overlapping universe, which includes The Falcanian Legacy Series, Imogen Drake, and Caliburn Cycle, I thought up a character who would simply be called ‘Zero’.

Zero would be a mystery, and a linchpin, and more importantly a time traveler.

 Is Zero male, or female? I am not sure, nor would the reader know for sure either - because when Zero first appears – likely within the body of a book which at first blush would seem to be about established characters,  he, she, or it, would be wearing an outfit similar to Cobra Commander’s in the photo.  The difference is, it would be white – perhaps with blue technological highlights – a silver face mask very close to the Commander’s which would conceal their identity, and Falcanian tri-claws – though, one should not jump to assume that Zero is Falcanian, Imogen Drake uses claw boots as well and, though she’s Sharr Khan‘s twin sister – she’s also human.

I have a few candidates for who Zero actually is. They could very well be a character who already appeared in a published book, perhaps someone who is seeking redemption for themselves… or a descendant of a character who already appeared. Though it’s just as possible Zero turns out to be an entirely new character, whose link to the overlapping universe simply came about by a chance encounter with godlike technology which allows them to jump about time/space to do good, but also leaving a bit of chaos in their wake.

We’ll have to see where this goes.

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