It should be noted that the characters Val Armorr and Queen Projectra, who appear in this story, are the LMBPverse equivalents of those DCU characters. These were never Legionnaires but, nonetheless, somehow found each other and married just as they did in the LSH's original continuity. LMBPverse is "Earth-1" and DCUverse is "Earth-2". And, as I kinda established in a short story I wrote, Earth-2's LSH is most like the original version than any other.
Also, it's important to some of the events to come in "Smoke" to know that the United Planets are currently embroiled in a war with a power called the Khanate of Sol Invictus as established in Cobalt's stories "The Psionic Spear" and "The Horn of Undoing" (links to come). I've tried to explain this throughout the story. Though the Khanate won't appear here, their conflict with the U.P. will certainly affect this story's outcome in a subtle way, as you will see.
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Lard Lad: Wow--I know I've got readers (thanks to the "Recent Visitors" function), but they sure are quiet! Even Cobalt!
Well, I wanted to wait until the whole thing was posted so I could read it in full, since I'm such a needy reader
But I did read the first 10 or so posts, and was waiting til you got farther into it before going back in.
I really liked the inclusion of Val and Projectra, and the way you've set them up 'to the side' in LMB lore, but at the same time giving them a very important role to their corner of the universe. I like the Val as mentor role with Lardy and it really lets us see too different characters interact in a way that really allows for Lardy to make some serious character progression, which he desperately needs after all the horrible things that have happened to him these last few years. Still...it doesn't look like it'll get any easier on him (I have a feeling Dru isn't getting out of this one without at least some serious scars, if she gets out at all), so it'll be really interesting to see how Lardy can use Val's training to help himself out.
I'm really intrigued by the Romatlus plot and where its going. I like the Cobie/Lardy connection and how it allows for their friendship to be played up.
Also, I can tell that Lardy, like myself, is fond of using Rockhopper Lad in his stories. I don't know what it is either, but he just works so well and effortlessly into LMB tales. I have about five or six LMBers that I *love* to use in stories and they just write themselves in, and Rocky has kind of become one of them. I like his role here, and I like the dynamic b/t him and Dedman. It took us eight years, but I think we've finally given the deputy leader position something viable to do, and its cool to see that communicated in the story. I hope all the LMB authors use this more often.
Of course, the part that I'm totally intrigued about the most is the Dark Oval and Kalla Hyrl. I didn't see her connection to the Hykros Clan coming, but it makes total sense! I really like her as a villain. When you (Lardy) first started using her, she seemed more like a character that was there specifically to move the plot forward in Invasion and Omnia, but once that visual of her in the wedding dress became prevalant, I really kind of got into the character and could understand her motivation. So when I had the large jailbreak in 'Horn', I knew I would have to free her, so you could have the chance to re-use her. Just more of one of us anticipating the other's story bits, which I think a bunch of us excel at.
I'm really incredibly pleased with the post-Invasion/Omnia LMB world that's become so strong in the last year+, starting with the election of Rocky and Kent, and then going through Omnia, Invasion, the 80 pager, the onevisions, etc.
I obviously have some catching up to do with 'Smoke' (as I said, I was waiting to really get a good bunch of posts to read at one time) and I'm looking forward to it. I have a big hunch about who the mysterious characters were in the beginning, but I have both insider knowledge via PMs and I know LMB lore, including the last year+ of it, like the back of my hand.
I'm glad you told this story next, Lardy, it was the one that most needed to be told, and the natural follow-up to Lardy's story in Omnia!
[ August 06, 2007, 02:48 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Also, I can tell that Lardy, like myself, is fond of using Rockhopper Lad in his stories. I don't know what it is either, but he just works so well and effortlessly into LMB tales. I have about five or six LMBers that I *love* to use in stories and they just write themselves in, and Rocky has kind of become one of them. I like his role here, and I like the dynamic b/t him and Dedman. It took us eight years, but I think we've finally given the deputy leader position something viable to do, and its cool to see that communicated in the story. I hope all the LMB authors use this more often.
Aw, gee. You're just saying that 'cuz it's true.
I'm glad other folks enjoy writing Rocky. Obviously, there's a lot of me in him (okay, so I don't actually have feathers ), but I love seeing how other people use him. And I have to say it made my day to see this on my Legion World anniversary!
I'm also looking forward to seeing more of the Legion of Former Deputies.
quote: I'm really incredibly pleased with the post-Invasion/Omnia LMB world that's become so strong in the last year+, starting with the election of Rocky and Kent, and then going through Omnia, Invasion, the 80 pager, the onevisions, etc.
I obviously have some catching up to do with 'Smoke' (as I said, I was waiting to really get a good bunch of posts to read at one time) and I'm looking forward to it. I have a big hunch about who the mysterious characters were in the beginning, but I have both insider knowledge via PMs and I know LMB lore, including the last year+ of it, like the back of my hand.
Actually, I was elected with Joeboy, but that's neither here nor there!
Lardy had PMed me a bit before writing this, so I also had a bit of a heads-up about the villains' identity, but it was great to see it played out!
-------------------- The only character in all of literature who has been described as "badnass" while using the phrase "vile miscreant."
From: The Pyngwyn Colonies of Planet Hyustyn | Registered: Aug 2005
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posted
Thanks for responding to my not-so-subtle hints for some feedback, guys!
I'm halfway tempted to post everything I've completed on Tuesday! But I do still have to write all three epilogue posts and fine-tune a few bits of some things from Act 3, so it doesn't seem the best course. Plus, I do want to extend the experience a bit, so all my hard work will feel all the more satisfying for it--rather than just shooting my load all at once! (Sorry...couldn't resist! )
So Des...I'm guessing you've read thru about the first three or four installments of Act 2 from the context of what you've mentioned. As usual, you've instinctively picked up from the little hints I gave you via PM and that are planted in the story itself. I can't effing WAIT for you to get further, man!
I'm glad you like my new direction for Kalla. (Did you realize that was her in the prologue?) She did actually just start off as a plot device in Omnia (didn't create her for Invasion, though I knew about Lardy's controversial actions--just created Kalla retroactively to be his connection), but she grew and grew as I thought about her more and more. Hell, I didn't even know she'd be a villain in her first appearance...she was just a red herring for the Bat-Fem identity mystery I had going!
As I turned Kalla into a villain, I began to explore her motivations. And, like you, when I had her try to destroy Legion World in a wedding dress, she really came alive for me!
So at the end of Omnia, I decided to leave her alive. I wasn't sure where or how she'd appear next, but I knew I'd have to bring her back. And as "Smoke" grew in my imagination, Kalla forced her way into the story! Further, it wasn't enough to make her a crazy psycho bitch any more, I had to give her a more significant role, and the idea as it is now appearing easily fell into place. Kalla's going places, and I think the second epilogue will blow your minds!
As for Rocky, I think it's a synthesis of the character and yourself, John, that makes him such an appealing character to write! As I've told you before, Rocky's mythology is totally fascinating, but underneath it all, it's your own personality infused into his that makes him so terrific and natural! I feel like I know you and Rocky, and you're both such friendly and understanding guys that if my characters need a sounding board or some friendly advice, Rocky's a natural! I see him as the go-to guy when LMBers need a word of encouragement or a confidant...and that's a valuable role for a character to have in any story!
Also, I think John's done the most of any of us to define the importance and role of the deputy leader in LMB lore, particularly thru his contributions in Omnia. I can't say enough how inspiring those contributions have been to me in constructing "Smoke"! That is a very important aspect of my story and one I hope will continue to be explored further in the future in other stories.
Thanks again, guys!
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Its funny, but there’s certain posters that (I feel at least) capture the ‘spirit of the LMB’ by year. What I mean, and this is hard to put into words, is that there is no such thing as ‘LMBers that most exemplify being an LMBer’, but there *are* some LMBers that kind of capture the spirit of the LMB as the years go on who are not founders or members of the first two years, but as times moves on, you really can’t see the LMB without them.
For instance, both Eryk and Kent have said many times over the years that they sometimes still feel like newbies. Which is funny, when you consider Eryk joined up circa year three/four and Kent circa year four/five, and I can’t see the LMB without them. I would say the same for Pov, who was a year earlier (year three), and I would now definitely say the same for Rocky. In fact, Rocky’s ‘class’ has a whole bunch of new blood LMBers that have kind of carved out a definitive role in the LMB, including Cali, Tamper, JoeBoy and Stealth. I see the five of them, and I’d include Frio as an alt, although her story appears to be going in a harsher direction, part of this. Its been two years now, so you obviously can’t say their rookies, or really even sophmores anymore. I like that trend
So from Stu, to Pov, to Eryk to Kent to now Rocky and the rest, there’s definitely a sense that certain posters join up and immerse themselves in LMB lore so that they too feel like a major creative force behind the group.
Usually when I list specific names I get yelled at, but hopefully in Bits less people will notice . I at least try to pretend its part of historical analysis of trends in the LMB (I kid, I stopped caring about those concerns years ago )
Back to the story: well, I caught up a little more to the big reveal of the big bad, which I predicted to Lardy in a PM, and I’m very pleased with this development. I especially like, though, the group of villains plotting behind the scenes. With so much standing against the LMB and the UP that they don’t even realize yet, I’m kind of inspired to get back to writing another LMB story…
I’ll definitely have more comments but will wait for the finale. I’ll be traveling until Friday anyway, so I won’t be online until then.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Alright, bastard that I am, I leave you with a cliffhanger until Monday! However, Act 3 will conclude that day, and the rest of the story (epilogues) will be presented before that week is over. So we'll soon be finito!
Hope you guys enjoy reading it half as much as I'm enjoying the writing!
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Okay, so the conclusion of Act 3 is up now, and the story I set out to tell is effectively over. All that's left are three (or possibly four) epilogues that will appear throughout this week. The epis will do what they're supposed to do: warm you up for what's happening next! And, in case you're wondering about one particular loose end...he'll be covered in the last epi!
I'm very satisfied with my story and hope you all will share your comments. I know it isn't exactly a happy story, but it's a crucial chapter in the LMB's, and particularly Lard Lad's, overall saga.
posted
Ah-ight! "Smoke"'s officially overly over! Please feel free to share your thoughts, feelings, criticisms and whatever about it! I'm eager to hear what you think!
And Cobalt...read the damn thing, already--it's done! I want to hear what you thought, as well, when you do...here and via PM, if you'd like.
And yes, there will be more to come, folks! The next project I'll work on is tentatively titled "The Covenant". It'll take place before, during and after "Smoke". A lot of what it's about is alluded to in that last epilogue.
When will it appear? Really depends on how well the creative muse sparks, but I hope it won't be long. I'll probably need a break to recharge, but a lot of feedback on this one would go a long way to stoking it into a flame, I suspect...(yeah, that's a hint! )
Hope y'all enjoyed it!
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
OK, after getting some time, and reading some hounding , I’ve finally caught up and read all of ‘Smoke & Mirrors’. Like I’ve said before, I thought it was very nicely written and it was really cool to see a continuation of this ‘era’ of the LMB mythos, beginning with Invasion and working itself through a variety of chapters (with differing formats). So many of those themes were still present and it was cool to see the LMB continue to grow in that aspect. In regards to story-telling, it worked very well that it started off as such a small story and grew into something so much larger. It really came down to pacing and I thought that you pulled that off very well, Lardy—especially with the entrance of Mordru and the way the interludes and flashbacks paid off in the end so much.
It had a good mixture of action and character sequences, with the sense of mystery never leaving the story. Generally, magic is one of those things that I find very hard to get into if its not done by Tolkein or Gaiman, or even J.K. Rowling, where you have tons and tons of pages to understand the restrictions of its use. In fact, Levitz’s own use of the White Witch, and all of the things working against her, was probably what I would say the best time we ever saw her because she would constantly explain what she was doing. That being said, I think you pulled it off pretty well, given the fact that you had a specific story to tell and the use of magic couldn’t be the focus with every post. There’s a tendency among many LMB writers to have magic-users go the way of the dead since the general dues ex machina-ness of magic muddles the use of the users, so I’m interested in your future plans for Zerox.
Mordru himself, my favorite of all Legion villains, I knew was coming, and I felt him arriving in one of your stories months ago, as I told you . I wasn’t let down—I liked his use here.
Like I said, it was cool to see Val and Jeckie. I think a limited use of Legion characters in the LMB could make for some really cool scenes, and that’s what happened here with Val and Lardy, two very different characters. The epilogue with Val was the definite ‘wow’ moment—I’ve known for awhile you had intended to use some of the Omnia stars, but having Val join up with them is pretty kick-ass! I definitely like it.
The Legion of Deputy Leaders, especially the use of Dedman and Rockhopper Lad was very welcome. Two things about those two in particular I liked: (1) Deddy’s use of his power to see who had ‘passed on’—very cool! You can bet this will be a standard thing for Dedman to do in all my future stories with him (2) Rocky’s empathy to Lardy following Dru’s death, given his own recent loss. That was a very strong scene and I think it worked on a bunch of different levels. Great, great stuff! As for the Deputy Leaders themselves, it was cool to see them all in action. I can give you two minor corrections to their line-up (forget what you might have seen in other lists, I know the real line-up and I know there are some mistakes in Encyclopedia Galactica and the MMB): (1) Outdoor Miner was actually the leader and Reboot was the Deputy Leader during that term – we didn’t know that until nearly the end of the term via a problem in voting and (2) Harbinger was never deputy leader, but was co-leader with Yellow Kid. Of course, this is only a minor point, and really didn’t take anything away from the posts. But I know you’re a stickler for detail, so I thought I’d let you know. Forgetting that very small tidbit, it was cool to see them all in action. Like I said recently, deputy leader has been an office that has literally limped along for years and years, with only brief times where it was important (Eryk’s term being the only one I can think of), until you and Rocky have come along and given it a shot in the arm. Awesome.
The ‘betrayal’ was actually pretty damn cool. I saw Arella coming, as I’m sure you intended us to, and new she had to be Mordru’s wife. So when Arun and Romaltus revealed their betrayal, that was a pretty ‘whoa!’ moment, that worked extremely well. Cool use of baiting us with one and then revealing the full extent. But the particularly cool moment was when Arun reveals he knows they’re going to kill him via his Naltorian powers—that was a great, great use of an established aspect of Legion lore but to full story-telling potential. The revelation of the fifth power of the Oval then really comes as a major ‘wow!’ moment and rounds out the Dark Oval nicely. It also really gives some more mystery to the ‘God of the Oval’ as an over-arcing more major thing that will one day bear fruit. But it sets up so well the alignment of the Dark Oval elite and their hierarchy, with our already established alliance of Wyandotte and Evil Emperor Penguin (with Blaine Fey and now Kalla), and now the final part. With the three UP planets under their control, I’m awaiting to get into the next arc!
As for Romaltus, I found the character highly interesting. I’ve always wanted to do something with Cobalt in regards to my own longterm plans with Elagabolus and another one or two of ‘my characters’ and you’ve kind of given me an extra push to go forward with it—you’ll see that one day (not too far off) in a story. I just *knew* there wasn’t something right about Romaltus. I’ve kind of made it clear that Ggrrggians are the most politically subversive and vicsious beings they can be, and was wondering if you would show Romaltus as having those qualities (qualities, of course, that I’ve gone at lengths to establish that Cobalt Kid has, despite himself trying to say he does not). So at first, I have to admit, I was wondering if Romaltus would pan out in a way that I would like. With those final posts—he definitely did. One thing I especially loved: Romaltus does not want to kill the LMB and Cobalt, but would prefer they join him and the Dark Oval in worship of the God of the Oval. Right there, in that one aspect, you kind of nail the motivation for the fifth power in a way that separates them from the rest, and really gives them some extra character ‘oomph’ that is just ripe for new stories. Romaltus and Mala don’t see themselves as villainous, and Romaltus blood relation to Cobalt means he’s not ready to kill him.
Which brings me to the Cobalt/Romaltus relationship. I like how you portrayed that. Generally, I’ve tried to establish that Cobalt doesn’t really trust anyone anymore, except a handful of LMBers (note: not all LMBers). This is because of his brutal torture by Dr. Hoffman, the Red Bee shooting him in the back when he betrayed the LMB, and really the main reason is because his own mother stabbed him when he was a pre-teen (it all comes down to parent issues). So I would wonder if he trusts Romaltus. On first thought, I would assume no, given what I just mentioned, though the real kicker is that he still trusts Lardy implicitly, which is the one fatal flaw of his judgment. As I prepared to comment on that, I read your final posts and I can see that you have Cobalt come out and wonder, but then put those thoughts aside, as he obviously has so much going on (and you’re right: he’s really knee-deep in the Khanate of Sol Invictus war, that he would truly be focused there). But interestingly, he suspects something might be off, but wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. Given that Cobalt has the ‘spiritual powers’, I wonder: perhaps he senses that Romaltus doesn’t wish him any ill will and would Cobalt to join him, and its that notion and feeling that makes Cobalt trust him more than he would some others? I like examining these issues (you’ll have to forgive me, of course, for focusing on Cobalt so much )
Which brings me to the final point: Lardy. I think you accomplished your main goal of this onevision perfectly: to bring Lardy to the next point of his progression. And it worked. He started out slightly complacent and very flawed, and by the end of the story, he’s regained enough confidence and direction to pull himself together. But really, he’s done it in a way that will only bring him disaster. You captured his sense of loss very well, but even better than that, you really captured his transition from the Lard Lad of the last five years to an all-new Lard Lad. He destruction of Mordru was incredibly large-scale and I could visualize it, but the most striking visual is really his new look with white hair and no pigment in his eyes. Once I read that, I could really see what Lardy looks like now and what that means for his character. And that’s where the story worked on its best level. The final part with him, with his visit to Kalla Hyrl, opens up the door for the next phase of his life, which bodes ill for him. Given that I know you love Kalla (as an author) and I do too (as a reader), I’m really interested in this.
Looking forward to the next onevision! Be ready for a follow-up PM eventually on what’s next for the LMB You may have inspired me to start planning the final leg of the Khanate of Sol Invictus War…(as soon as I make some headway on that timeline )
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Which brings me to the Cobalt/Romaltus relationship. I like how you portrayed that. Generally, I’ve tried to establish that Cobalt doesn’t really trust anyone anymore, except a handful of LMBers (note: not all LMBers). This is because of his brutal torture by Dr. Hoffman, the Red Bee shooting him in the back when he betrayed the LMB, and really the main reason is because his own mother stabbed him when he was a pre-teen (it all comes down to parent issues). So I would wonder if he trusts Romaltus. On first thought, I would assume no, given what I just mentioned, though the real kicker is that he still trusts Lardy implicitly, which is the one fatal flaw of his judgment. As I prepared to comment on that, I read your final posts and I can see that you have Cobalt come out and wonder, but then put those thoughts aside, as he obviously has so much going on (and you’re right: he’s really knee-deep in the Khanate of Sol Invictus war, that he would truly be focused there). But interestingly, he suspects something might be off, but wants to give him the benefit of the doubt. Given that Cobalt has the ‘spiritual powers’, I wonder: perhaps he senses that Romaltus doesn’t wish him any ill will and would Cobalt to join him, and its that notion and feeling that makes Cobalt trust him more than he would some others? I like examining these issues (you’ll have to forgive me, of course, for focusing on Cobalt so much )
Wow! Thanks for the lengthy, unsolicited respose, Des! I'm gonna respond to a lot of your points throughout the day, but I wanted to address this one paragraph first.
I really wanted to leave a little bit of Cobalt's reaction to Romaltus to your (and the reader's) interpretation by not spelling out everything Cobalt was feeling, but here's the basic idea I had:
I felt that as this story opened, Cobalt is, at least somewhat, reeling from from recent traumas in his life, particularly the destruction of Ggrrgg. I mean, how could he not be? That's a lot to lose even if there was a lot of resentment and disconnect from Ggrrgg before it met its fate. Hell, that probably made it worse!You dealt with this a great deal in "The Horn of Undoing", but we both know from "5 Years Later" that it will haunt him the rest of his life.
So when Romaltus enters the picture out of the blue, Cobalt is caught at a vulnerable time. Suddenly, he's gotten an uncle when he thought his whole family had been wiped out. Moreover, this uncle was an outcast from Ggrrggian society, just like Cobalt was. Plus, they both share the gift of healing on top of everything.
As stoic and unflappable as he is, I can't help but feel Cobalt would want to believe this was a positive development in his life. And with all the chaos and tragedy surrounding him on this trip to Zerox, Cobalt didn't exactly have time to make some of the observations that Val managed to intuit.
But in the end, I knew Cobalt was too smart and savvy not to ever have the thought cross his mind. So I addressed that in Cobalt's epilogue, but left it up in the air somewhat. As you've said, Cobalt has a lot going on. I've no doubt he will investigate the situation more closely in the future...it's just his nature. For the moment, though, I felt it was more comforting for him to push the suspicions back a little and hold on to the positive.
And one thing I tried to get across is that Romaltus does love his nephew very much! He wants him to be a part of what he's doing but knows Cobalt's not ready to accept it, and may never be. It's not spelled out, but if not for Romaltus, the Dark Oval elite would have had Cobalt and Lardy (because of their past crimes against the Oval), and likely all the other LMBers present, killed. It was his influence that allowed them to leave in peace.
It's certainly gratifying to know you feel I did a good job on your character. It's the biggest role I ever wrote for Cobalt and you gave me a free hand in what I did with him. I thank you for that!
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Which brings me to the final point: Lardy. I think you accomplished your main goal of this onevision perfectly: to bring Lardy to the next point of his progression. And it worked. He started out slightly complacent and very flawed, and by the end of the story, he’s regained enough confidence and direction to pull himself together. But really, he’s done it in a way that will only bring him disaster. You captured his sense of loss very well, but even better than that, you really captured his transition from the Lard Lad of the last five years to an all-new Lard Lad. He destruction of Mordru was incredibly large-scale and I could visualize it, but the most striking visual is really his new look with white hair and no pigment in his eyes. Once I read that, I could really see what Lardy looks like now and what that means for his character. And that’s where the story worked on its best level. The final part with him, with his visit to Kalla Hyrl, opens up the door for the next phase of his life, which bodes ill for him. Given that I know you love Kalla (as an author) and I do too (as a reader), I’m really interested in this.
Obviously, bringing Lardy further along on his dark path was a big part of my agenda in this story. But it's not very compelling if you can't see why he's going there, and that was and is challenging to bring across.
To me, the touchstones for this are the two kind of bookend journies into Lardy's mindscape I wrote that have a sort of Zen philosophy behind them. I write with kind of a loose plot outline in mind and then dive right into writing it. I had firm ideas on how the story would begin and end, most of the plot details and character beats and some very specific scenes I knew would appear. But there are many, many inspirations that just pop into my head as I'm writing. These scenes were prime examples of that.
I knew Lardy would have Val as a sensei early on, but I didn't know they'd explore Lardy's psyche the way they did. And my first draft of Act 3 did not contain the follow-up to that scene that occurs as Lardy hovers near death in the midst of his battle with Mordru.
But as I polished and revisited Act 3 before posting it (having the lead time was so valuable), I realized I needed a resolution to that concept, and that it would set up Lardy's next phase better than any exposition could.
My hope is that those two sequences made sense and didn't come off as corny or anything. To me, it seemed kind of a cool concept that instead of rejecting his dark side, the key to Lardy's salvation would actually have been to embrace it instead. I'm sure it's not a new idea, but I'm proud of it because it's not how that concept's usually shown in popular form. I show, in essence, that by denying the darkness within himself, Lardy's letting it control him.
But it's not an easy choice Lardy made. Not at all. I mean choosing to die and let your friends die would have gone against Lardy's every instinct. But at the same time, when Lardy chose to live and save everyone, he pretty much assures that he'll one day prove a bigger threat than Mordru. I wrote Mordru as the nastiest, most fearsome Big Bad imaginable, and Mordru died terrified of Lard Lad! Now, that was saying something about our hero!
Interestingly, the change in Lardy's appearance was also a very late addition and didn't occur to me until I got pretty deep into Act 3. The idea just jumped out at me, so we would always have a visual reminder of the significance of this story on Lardy's larger arc. He looks kinda scary now...and this reflects the turn for the worse his character has taken.
So we end with Lardy and Kalla beginning their unholy alliance. Des, Kalla's gonna be around for a while, and I'm going to write her as the most complex villain (well, next to Lardy ) I've ever crafted. When I wrote that epilogue, I showed a certain vulnerability to her, but make no mistake, she's not going to be Lardy's, or anyone else's, patsy. Lardy has entered dangerous territory (no pun intended ) here, and she sees the full potential in having him as an ally.
And this shows for Lardy how far offcourse he's heading. He's working to achieve his personal goals by crossing a line he never has before. And he may never cross back.
Worst of all, this is an overt betrayal of the LMB. I mean, how many deaths is Kalla responsible for on Legion World? A lot! And Lard Lad's conspiring with her? That should have disturbed anyone who read it way beyond how the sexual act with Kalla so soon after his beloved wife's death did.
Get the idea I put some thought into Lardy's character?
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: It had a good mixture of action and character sequences, with the sense of mystery never leaving the story. Generally, magic is one of those things that I find very hard to get into if its not done by Tolkein or Gaiman, or even J.K. Rowling, where you have tons and tons of pages to understand the restrictions of its use. In fact, Levitz’s own use of the White Witch, and all of the things working against her, was probably what I would say the best time we ever saw her because she would constantly explain what she was doing. That being said, I think you pulled it off pretty well, given the fact that you had a specific story to tell and the use of magic couldn’t be the focus with every post. There’s a tendency among many LMB writers to have magic-users go the way of the dead since the general dues ex machina-ness of magic muddles the use of the users, so I’m interested in your future plans for Zerox.
What you touch on here, Des, is that the story wasn't really about magic. Magic was a plot device and setting in the story, but it wasn't the story's focus by any stretch. I spent very little time trying to explain how magic works on Zerox or how the characters access it. To me, it was enough to present Zerox as a planet where magic is the rule, rather than the exception. And once the reader accepted that, I hoped it wasn't necessary to explain it to death.
So "Smoke and Mirrors" was the perfect title for my story. While the title acknowledges the story's setting, it also focuses on the reputation of magic really being all about deception. This notion was something I decided to underline and punctuate with that last chapter of Act 3 showing the gathering of the Oval Elite.
The real magic going on in "Smoke" is not the sorcery of Mordru or that of the citizens of Zerox, but the sleight of hand, the trickery being orchestrated by the forces manipulating events. Beyond the actions of the Oval elite here, maybe the cruelest deceiver in the story is...Fate itself?
And of course, Act 3's title "Prestige" is significant itself and plays to the deception theme that ties to stage magic, in case that confused anybody. Think of the recent film "The Prestige" and its novel source if it's not totally clear.
All that said, I did endeavor to strike a balance and respect the actual magic going on in the story. Unspoken spells were what I primarily used, and I emphasized gestures as being their catalyst. The notable exception was Zataka and my homage to DC's Zatanna character with his backward spellspeak.
In my portrayal magic is more like a power than a learned skill (though it's obviously sharpened by learning). I even alluded to Lard Lad's (and even Cobalt's in a roundabout way) powers as possibly being magic-based. So I wasn't looking to ape J.K. Rowling's (no wands or broomsticks), Stan Lee's (no Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth) or anybody's elses's conception too much. I just kinda saw the sorcerers in the story more as superheroes and supervillains than as Dumbledore or Voldemort types.
If anything, I felt my portrayal of sorcery was based largely on how I've seen Mordru himself use his powers in various stories, mostly gestures and blasts with very little in the way of incantations. Make sense?
But, yeah, I didn't exactly buck the trend of killing off magical characters in the LMBverse! We'll see if the future gets any brighter for Epsilon Sector...
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You know...one thing I'm particularly proud of about "Smoke" is that it's a little hard to classify genre-wise. I mean, it's part mystery, part tragedy, part political thriller, part sci-fi epic, part philosophical character exploration, part comic book adventure and part fantasy all in one story.
I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, but the main person I write for is myself (as all writers should, I think)--and I felt I pushed myself and grew with this story.
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Lard Lad: And a shout-out to Joss Whedon, by the way. Something he's done was a big inspiration for an element of this story.
Just realized that I never explained this...in case anyone scratched their head after reading it and rereading this post:
Basically, I stole (and added my own twists to) what happened to Dru from the episode of Angel (the companion TV series to Buffy) entitled "A Hole in the World", which was written and directed by series creator Joss Whedon.
In that episode the character of Fred comes into contact with a mysterious sarcophogus and is infected with the lifeforce of an otherdimensional entity named Illyria. Hard as they try, her friends fail to prevent Fred from being completely consumed and replaced by Illyria. Fred dies, and her soul is sacrificed.
Afterward, it plays out a lot differently than my story did. At first it looks like Illyria will become a Big Bad (like Mordru in my story), but she becomes the Angel team's uneasy ally instead.
So, hopefully, we're all clear, now!
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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Aw, gee. You're just saying that 'cuz it's true. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
), but I love seeing how other people use him. And I have to say it made my day to see this on my Legion World anniversary! ![[Bouncing Boy]](graemlins/BouncingBoy.gif)
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. I at least try to pretend its part of historical analysis of trends in the LMB ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
