Purple Monster

The Elves have three ocean ’empires’ but they never really went independent and so when they came to develope high tech and computer networks they didn’t think of making it resilient to attack becuase who was going to be attacking them? They had subjegated the other higher primate races and reinged supreme upon the Earth.

So they built three ‘cores’ in the three empires and each organisation/person/home had terminals that where really just the edge of this great big centralised system. The cores would have been connected to each other in a way I was thinking off as Peer to Peer but could this work? Was it viable.

So I asked my husband…

And….

It turns out that back in the day there where two basic concepts that could have worked to produce a global network – one was designed to be able to withstand attack and therefore had no centralised point and was a military project the other was designed by the poeple who basically did the phones!

The phone people where all nearly state owned monopolies at the time and even the US had a state ‘allowed’ monopoly for its phones. And they bascially designed what I’m talking about and some of it even got implimented in the 90’s and stuff. They were used to the concept of having central exchanges and were working on complex structures with simple machines in each persons house with all the functionality running through the central (core) system.

So I’m going to delve a bit deeper into what the actual archetecture was like and stuff which is great becuase its exactly what I need!

Needless to say the other model became the internet.

The Elves or Aquatic Apes have to be running human endevours from the sidelines – this takes us straight into the realm of Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies! Eeek this means more research as these societies have to stretch out through the generations meaning that things like the Knights Templar and their rivals have to be brought into play and they existed so I have to research them to make it all fit nicely!

Research wise this is starting to be a very heavy set of stories – what with Elizabethan England, human origins, genetics, super computers, the genre of cyber punk and now secret societies :/ And the thing is I’m also looking at things like the tower of Babel and other early civilisations!

The other thing is that obviously as I write the story new things come into play anyway just adding to the complexity!

The Elves are Aquatic Apes but why did these higher primates go back into the water? The answer is that they lives on unstable volcanic islands and periodically found their world sinking into the sea. They would move onto the next island maybe living for long periods actually in the water.

The volcanos though provided a source of energy and raw materials to base industry upon!

Early on the Elves learnt that they could form the clay-ash of the volcanoes under water to form moulds – when the lava bubbled up sometimes it would fill these moulds. This would probably have started just as a game or maybe art and from it tools developed and industry begain.

A wealth of resources, unstable ground that would destroy evidence of them being there and an alternative path for tool and industrial development giving rise to different technology.

Perfect!

Being near such quech sites for the volcanic material would mean that glass would be a natural medium to use – this is good as it is what is needed for me to make the electronics last for the Punk to find! It also means that I can have the Elves jump straight to optical electronics rather than rehash what we have – this is good as it is the type that could actually last and the sort of thing you would embed in stone to protect it as it would be extremely fragile!

I also like this as Hephistas or Volcan was the Romano-Greek good of industry and was based in a volcano – the temperatures for metal working, smelting etc… would all be there provided for by nature 🙂

I am very excited as this fall straight into the pattern I wanted for the series as a whole!

I realise today with the forum saying its officially over just how much I’m going to miss NaNoWriMo – for the past month and for a while before that it has been my reason to get up.

Now its over but the stories not but I want to do some more research and read what I’ve already written before I go any further. I also missed reading fiction whilst I was beavering away at the story and plan to read quiet abit.

I have copious research notes to write up about the Punk and many other little bits like that – my other blogs suffered from my sojourn into the challenge of writing 50k in a month and I have no Christmas presents bought – but never mind.

Mainly I came on here today becuase I actually still want to write about the Punk, she is an interesting character and I have learnt alot about her – I think it might be interesting to do some more short stories about her, what she’s thinking and bits form her past.

I have a feeling this story as big as it is is going to be part of my life for a good while yet and part of me can’t wait for NaNoWriMo next year as I think that will probably be the finishing sprint and then all I have to do is all the 2nd, 3rd, 4th drafts, get it edited into shape and sorted into e-book form.

This does mean I’m looking at a two year turn around at the minimium – I’m trying not to think of it like that other wise it seems a little duanting.

So basically I am both elated and sad about nano being over and prepare youselves for lots more gunk on the general theme on here.

With November drawing to a close and well over 50 K words of the novel written what are my plans? Will I keep going at a rate of 2-3 k a day?

I think actually no – I really do need to do a lot of research for these novels, there are things I have already put in that I am concerned about and before they end up so integral to the plot that I cna’t remove them – I need to check them out.

Of course this does mean I run the risk of derailing myself just 20, 000 words later than I normally do. I don’t think this will actually happen though – why not? The simple answer is NaNoWriMo next year. It wont official count as it wont be a new project but I will finish this novel next November.

A year seems like a long time but I have an awful lot of stuff to research plus there are other things I need to be doing. Also I’m not going to stop writing the novel I’m just going to slow the pace somewhat – 500 words a day so that I retain the taste of it in my mind – this will probably not be everyday and I’ll still release around 2000 words at a time.

I also haven’t yet read what I’ve done this year – it could be utterly awful but I love the overall story arch so there is at least something salvagable there. I also need to sort the wiki so I can keep track of things that occur and reduce my continuety errors. I also didn’t get time to do my character sketches – as in drawings of the characters – I still really want to do this.

I have lots of reviews of the films and books I have watched/read as research.

My chapter outlines need sorting too as I have diviated so heavily it is unbelievable! I am also still really excited about my story, about the Punk and her worlds, her history and her emotional development.

The story is also blantently not going to 150 k either – I think its going to be alot longer but am trying not to think of that as it would scare me and make the project just too big to contemplate!

So basically I am definatly going to continue blogging through December and hopefully the eight of you whop are following this will continue to do so 🙂

Thanks for sticking with me!

What I have learned from this month is that it was not as hard as I thought it was going to be and that the key to success has been – selfishness.

I have had to be militant about writing time reguardless of how much my family tried to intrude – I feel guilty over my little girl but tried to write during the time she was in school anyway. I thought I would have to write each day to successed but this turned out to be impossible and infact the breaks I took actually increased my productivity and so I think were probably actually a good thing.

Bizarlly having a medical emergancy at the end of the first week helped in the nano challenge as it ment I was band from housework!

Discoverys I have made during the nano have ranged from insights into self, the cyclic nature of history and a renewal of my interest to find things out. My novel appears to be something bigger and more serious than I thought it would be and immersing myself into the world of writing again has been alot of fun.

I think I might well have to go on a caffine detox and start panicking over Christmas!

It has helped me to structure my life again after a year of set backs and has resulted in a far more positive out look than when I began – I have actually completed something – not the project but at least the challenge and that was external so gave me a deadline.

I have met many local writers at the write-ins and becuase I was on Twitter more moaning or boasting about progress I have discovered such things as #writechat #litchat and #scifichat. I may also have got myself roped into more wrimo type stuff but am glad of it.

Therefore there was great wisdom in me doing the NaNoWriMo and I have a huge chunk of The Punk in Pink written. This can, will and must be done – the world is getting my historical cyberpunk novel and they are going to be glade about it and after that they will get the rest of the series and it may well take the rest of my life but they are never the less getting it!

The only down side is I realised that if I didn’t have my other obligations and two chronic illnesses I might be able churn the novels out at a pace that would be comercialy viable -however this is not that much of a set back as I have my own publishing plan already set up!

I am tempted to finish these last two days off with more writing – we will have to see!

‘How did….’ They with drew from each other rapidly, Henry and Luke stood in the door, Henry appeared to be going redder and Luke whiter.

The scene seemed to hang for a moment and then Henry was crashing into the room and grabbing Matthew by the rough hessen habbit, ‘What the hell do you think you are doing!’ he growled. Luke in apparent slow motion tried to pull Henry away but Matthew was already flaring.

‘None of your business, get your hands off of me.’ He forced Henry’s arms away from him but Henry though younger was far more stocky and solidly built, he lashed out with a fist. She cuaght the punch without thinking feeling the force of it judder up her arm. Henrys eyes went wide and he glared at her.

‘I can look after myself,’ she said in a low voice.

‘You let him… let him… it’s not natural!’ Henry sagged slightly. ‘They could burn you.’ he said quietly.

She smiled sadly, ‘I know.’ she said.

‘Be more careful,’ he hissed.

She nodded and looked side ways at Matthew he was still seething. Luke was now with stranding him.

Henry glared at him and then stuck his head out of the door, looked up and down the corridor and shut it and put the bolt across. He turned back to MAtthew ‘what the hell have you been doing with my brohter?’ he hissed. She held her breath, homosexuality Henry could swallow but finding his new found brother was a girl would probably seal her death warrent.

Matthew was glaring,’what do you think?’ he hissed.

‘Wasn’t that girl in the village enough,’ Henry replied waspishly.

‘Henry, don’t’ Luke said.

‘Well, I mean, he’s supposed to be training to be a priest and he took the chastity oath when he became a novice and he just seems to spend his time dipping his wick.’ Matthew punched him. Blood splattered the stone, and the red haired prince reeled. His nose was an angry rose. He jumped on Matthew and they crashed into the furnature. They were on the floor rolling around in scary silence trying to seriously injure each other.

‘Stop it!’ she ordered they ignored her, panic began to fill her belly.

And then there was a pounding on the door, the fight had been quiet but not quiet enough and they had been placed somewhere where they’re well being was being monitored.

Luke looked at her for a clue as to what to do, voices were accompanying the banging. ‘They’ll kill each other at this rate’ she said – she would normally have wadded in but the fight was in a bizar way over her and she was none plussed as to what to do.

Luke shrugged and unbolted the door, the Abbot and 2 others poured into the room looking murderous, they saw the two boys fighting and dragged them apart. The Abbot was furious. ‘What is going on here?’ he snarled. Matthew was panting hard and looking the worse for wear, after all he’d already had one major scrap that day. Henry wasn’t looking too good either. With what looked like a thick lip and two black eyes looming.

The two of them crazed with fighting slowely came to realise that it was infact the Abbot standing there and demanding to know what had happened. ‘I..’ Matthew started.

‘This idiot,’ Henry spat, She froze, he was waving a hand furiously at MAtthew, ‘This.. IDIOT broke my vile of Saint Peters blood!’ MAtthew groaned and Luke looked scandalised – she realised her own eyebrows where raised rather high and her mouth was hanging open like a half cutted fish.

She risked a look at the Abbot – he looked dark and very angry the other men with him however looked amused. ‘Relics are a hang over to the old religon Carey,’ he said cooly and then turned to the other monks, ‘You may leave us brothers thankyou for your quick response.’ The others left bearly supressing laughter – they obviously believed Henry the Abbot however didn’t so it would not be put down to misplaced Princely arogance.

He waited a few minutes and then ordered Luke to shut the door. ‘Now I think some honesty is needed,’ he said glaring around the room.

She looked at Matthew he was either glaring or avoiding eye contact completely, she groaned inwardly if the Abbot was any good at reading people at all he would see the guilt right there.

‘Henry I take it you were defending your brother in some way?’ The older man asked and Henrys eyes went larger giving him away. He then turned to her, ‘I think I need to talk to you and Matthew, Edmond has already mentioned concern about the unnatural closeness you two are developing.’ She swallowed.

Matthew was starting to fizz again she needed to defuse the situation.

‘Please your Grace this is all my fualt,’ she said in as miserable and small voice as she could manage. ‘I got something in my eye and Matthew was trying to get it out when Henry came in and got the wrong idea.’

His eyes saw the lie but he wasn’t interested in what they were actually upto. ‘I see’ he said, ‘And the closeness you too are exhibating?’ he asked with patience she miss trusted. She looked at Matthew for some help.

‘I… ‘ he begain, ‘I wasn’t doing well with the LAtin,’ he said. She saw the cover and half smiled before she remebered herself.

The Abbot ignored it, ‘I see so you have been coaching him?’ She nodded.

He looked sternly round the room, ‘I will accept this as a pitiful excuess but just remember that the sin of sex not to beget children or even outside of matromony is considered a grave occurence by many and these are dangerous days. Discretion on everything is needed, including harmless comments about religous relics Mr Carey.’ Herneys eyes went wide again.

‘Matthew I wish to have a private word in the other cell,’ And he swept magically out of the room MAtthew stared at her his expression was full of pain and tears were pushing at her eyes as she watched him follow. The Abbot was bound to change the sleeping arrangements, she would be lucky to see Matthew at all if he had his way.

The door flapped shut behind them in a pathetic forlorn way, she slumped to the bed. Henry sat next too her, she was angry with him and glad he was there. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said through his thick lip. ‘Sometimes the older monks… ‘ he said lamely, she supposed it was an explaination. She shrugged and curled up on herself. Luke sat down opposite.

‘The Abbot is going to cover for you guys though I think he might split you up,’ he said, she could see he really was revolted by the thought but MAtthew had been his friend for years and he loved him in his own way. No hate was eminating form him. She was destroying everything that Matthew had worked his whole life to build up. She would be gone in the morning she decided, she could take the toff clothing and the food and head out into the snow.

Time was definatly dragging and the temperature was plummeting, ‘I know you were kissing,’ Henry said defiently as Luke lit more candles. She shrugged and looked away from him.

‘Anyway I was going to tell you that the Queens had a boy so we’re off the hook – hopefully that will put a stop to all these stupid plots anyway.’ She nodded feeling numb. What was the Abbot saying to MAtthew? Would he be sent to another monestry? ‘He’s called Edward’ he said, blantently just to fill the air with nose.

Finially an agitated Matthew appeared in the room, the Abbot was close on his heels ordering the other two back to their own room. He followed them out. Matthew bolted the door and sat on the edge of the bunk, looked at her and burst into tears.

She stood dumbfounded, for a moment before she sat next to him and cradled him against her – these were racking sobs, this was grief, and his intensity had guarded it well, the dam he’d built had a lot of tears stacked behind it. Why they had been left together she didn’t know but even if it was only this one night she was glad of it.

His tears socked through her habbit and the candles guttered around them. She shushed him and stroked him and then he was just weeping exhorsted.

‘We get to stay together,’ he said hoarsly. She stared into the distnace, wondering what had passed between him and the Abbot. ‘But we must be careful, and he thinks we are…’ he swallowed, ‘unconcemated though I think he doesn’t really believe that .’ She locked the door and they crawled into bed. She left the candles all burning and continued to cradle his poor battered head.

‘I’m destroying you career aren’t I’ she said, he shock his head and said something muffled she didn’t catch, then he sobbed himself to sleep. She spent an age staring at the cieling wondering if she would ever find out what the Abbot had actually said to him.

I was stuck with certain aspects of The Punk in Pink and as basically this involved the tech side of things I had to inlist the help of my husband.

‘Is it possible… and what I need is…. ‘ and lo! He provided instant solutions and better than that suggested stuff that I didn’t even realise I needed – like the fact that ‘our normal’ type of electronics is no good for the Elves supercomputer as the components would break down and stop working!

I also needed reasons why their large industrial endevours would not have been found in the modern day – volcanic islands it seems are the answer to many of my problems – I am so excited by the conversation and solutions it has provided but I think I am going to have to break it all down to chunks to be usable and rememberable!

But this is the thing people tell me I shouldn’t share my ideas with people but I find when I do I get such good feed back and expansion of ideas and what ever I’ve shared becomes worth more than when I gave it out!

I’ve Done IT!!!!

I’ve won NaNoWriMo – I have 50 k + words and I have fed them into the validator!

I will hopefully get round to adding my winners badge 🙂 and print my certificate and even donating!

I am driving my family made by humming an Ooo O O Yeah song and sounding like I belong to some old skool computer game!

I think everybody will be relieve as I might start being normal again and not obsessed with the Punk – although this is remote as I am only 1/3 of the way through the novel! And only at the very beginning of the series!

But more on that later for now I am bouncing with delight and shall go and inform all my friends I still exist and maybe do the house work I’ve neglected all month 😉 Or I might just write a few thousand more words just beuase I can!

They left the Abbot in somber silence, they didn’t go straight to their cells instead they stopped by the dogs, they all seemed fine. ‘We’ll have to wait a bit longer though as some posions take a while to work,’ she said. The others nodded – of course somethings are more toxic to humans than dogs – but they couldn’t really afford to be thinking like that. Also they may just of given the creatures too small a dose or the posions could work by building up in your system over a time. All these things were posibilities and thye should have thrown the food away but they could face starvation without it.

Especially as the King appeared to be thinking of closing down all Monastic education. They could well find themselves wondering as vagabonds in a country where such a drifiting life was illegal and could well lead to death. They started packing their belongings, Matthew and Luke had relatively little were as Henry had a ton of stuff. This was a good thing however as it made food concelement easier. They stuffed it all in amoungst the ‘princes’s’ belongings and took some of the lugagged each. Apart from what she had concealed on her person, ie her ‘religous relic’ she had the nice set of cloths the old priest had given her and very little else.

They were moved up to a set of cells, still doubles but with no adjourning annex. They were all sad about that from a sneaking in to talk to each other after nightly confinment but Matthew actually looked very relieved to her. Everytime she turned his eyes were bright and dark and boring into her. She felt him cleaving away the lies to the essence of who she was, it was disconcerting and she was sure she kept blushing. The Abbot had already given them a disapproving look, her gender would be relieved if they descided to punish a pair of young men who they belived to be being inappropraite with each other.

Matthew had been stealing his dark glances at her giving them away as lovers even if her gender was concealed. That could be just as dangerous as being denounced as a witch – she would have to have words with him. Although weather he could be counted on to keep her secret was something else. The darkness she saw was hate mixed and confussed, not just the adoration he had shown her the night before.

They set the new cells up and the Abbot summond them back to his chambers. ‘The cells are surrounded by other inhabited rooms, and it is too high up – I have told only a few trusted people that you have been moved. Novice Matthew I must reprimand you for the use of your teeth on the Secretary.’ The man looked stern but she could see he was trying not to laugh at Matthews horrified and worried look.

‘I.. I didn’t mean too but he was was pinning me down and saying that he would burn them as herratical devil worshoping witches spawn your Grace.’ Anger had crept back into the young mans voice even as he tried to sound humble and chastised.

‘The Secretary is of an old school of thought and one that will pervade our world for a while yet young man. Feverent passion will always seek to supress and anger will only drive the beast to knew atrocities.’ The old man inclined his head to Matthew. Matthew blushed a deep colour she hadn’t thouhgt his pallid skin could achive.

‘You will have to do a stint in here as the Secretarial aid I am afriad.’ The Abbot said solomly.

‘But thats a privaliaged position!’ Matthew squeeked.

The Abbot nodded slightly reprovingly, ‘You have shown great skill at research and number keeping especially since your Latin has so drastically improved,’ the Abbots eyes lingered briefly on her and she blushed, ‘I think you must have been teaching yourself as you tutored your young friend here.’ She felt a shudder, the Abbot was looking at her as if he knew all about her and she felt a strange tug inside of herself, she wanted to confess here and now to being a girl and to being unnatural and of all the things that boiled up in her gut. She put a lid on the pot knwoing a confined explossion would take longer but would ultimately be worse.

He smiled benignly at her gave MAtthew a few instructions on when and where he was to start and then dimissed them all. The confussion was palatable in the group as they trudged back up to thier rooms. ‘Why’d he do that?’ Henry asked.

Secretarial aid was an important job and not one you would give to a novice – especially when said novice had had a physical argument with the actual Secretary. ‘He already has two aids,’ said Luke suddenly they all stared at him. He shrigged under their curious looks. ‘The Secretary picked them out himself – I think at least one of them come from his old Abby.’ A worm of suspicioun tickled coldly in her mind.

‘That… is… interesting…’ Henry said frowning slightly – obviously she wasn’t the only person to think so. Their chores were cold and concentration was hard, they just wanted to hack some theories into existance. Finailly they were released from their tasks, cold and miserable – they checked on the dogs – all of whom where still fine and headed back up to their rooms.

An age was spent trying to get life back into their hands before they could start the scribing of the day. Matthew had to head off for an induction that evening, she sat alone and cold in the dimely lit cell – it was bigger than the one they’d had previously, it was not a novice cell and probably if things had been different the Abbot would have put them all in one room but she had an unnerving feeling that he could tell when people where involved with each other. MAtthews stares were enough to give it away to even the most emotionaly retarded person. When she thought about it that had been the case for weeks, he alwasy knew where she was in a room, alwasy postioned himself so part of him was touching her.

He had been so ungainly about it that she hadn’t even noticed it. It had started shortly after the marrage of the village girl had been announced.

She stared at the oolitic stone, the walls were made off, like lots of little honey coloured beads she had some vague memory of being wowed by the mysterys of such stones, now she looked at it and saw a vague warm sea, shallow and calcium rich. She srugged the recollection away. Few people where interested in the bones of monsters and the like found in the Earth. Remnants they said from the Flood. She smiled sadly at that.

She felt she almost knew the trueth but it evaded her grasp.

Henry and Luke had hovered around her, until her mood had driven them away, Henry had wanted to leap about pretending he was running the culprit through with a sword until she had snapped at him. He had no idea of the brute force needed to hack into a body – he’d never even butured an animal. He didn’t know how the blade would stick of how you would have to twist and break the bone that had bit the blade. Broad swords were out of fighting fashion now but she remebered wealing them and the strain on her muscles even using them two handed.

New weapons were appearing but agaiin the nagging fear – she had seen these things before, seen the smoking muzzels and smelt the coldness in the air. She also sensed deep inside that the cannon, the flint locks were somehow primative. She would never tell of these things, she remebered the result of showing how leavers worked.

Her mind was dangerous and it had already cost lives and yet she couldn’t seem to help it, the world was full of things that could be improved so easily and machines, machanical solutions just appeared in her head. It was so easy, she watched them all toiling away and she just wanted to improve the plough but feared the concequences. Better farming would mean more food but it would also mean less jobs and things were a bit percarious as it was.

Often she felt nothing but a loathing for those around her, the sheep following blindly, the sheep who like her were doing the best they knew to survived. Her gut flipped at the thought of how she had been in her time the opresser – always the self interest, always the urg for survivial, she was no noble creature her survial was paramount to her.

Well most of the time…

Matthew returned looking agitated and tired. He threw a suede pouch onto the wooden bunk – they were a luxury compared to the heat sucking stone slabs they had had in the old room.

‘The Secretary is a complete idiot, he is a marked traitor and he doesn’t even know the Bible he preaches so from,’ Matthew was ridged and jurky with the anger. ‘He is partitioning the Abbot too have you struck out of the Monestry can you believe that and Henry too.’ his eyes were liquid pools as he looked at her, ‘I can’t… I wont lose you. If I have to live as a hermit it the woods I’ll protect you!’ she almost chocked on that, he was going to protect her? He was full of venhem and angry strength but he was a gangly reedy underfed man. He hadn’t even filled out, he had no shoulders yet.

‘Carm down!’ she hissed, he slumped down next to her, ‘I’m sorry, but what are we going to do?’

‘What do you mean?’ she asked quietly, he had skipped all the normal romance stuff it seemed, not that she minded but his reaction really was abit over the top.

‘Well if I keep… touching you,’ he said lamely, ‘you’ll get pregnant wont you!’ his voice was tinged with panic.

She crumpled to the seat herself. ‘No I wont Matthew, I’m sorry,’ she’d gone small.

He looked at her with bright intense eyes, ‘What do you mean – do you have some of those herbs becuase thats what Elizabeth was using.’ She shock her head.

‘Matthew I’ve been married… more than once nad I’ve never had a baby, They say I can’t have them… I don’t bleed.’ she looked away from him, feeling the familiar sting in her eyes. She was used to this conversation, used to the ringing and telling silence used to being cast aside.

‘You’ve been married?’ he asked quietly. She nodded.

‘Where’s your husband?’ he asked a slight edge of panic in his voice.

‘Their dead MAtthew.’ Sorrow filled her, but she felt a relaxing in his tension.

He put his arm around her jingerly like he thought she would hit him. ‘I love you.’ he whispered. She gave up resistance and slumped into him. To her disgrace tears oozed out of her eyes, they were so warm and he was so warm. She buried her face into him.

‘How old are you?’ he asked gently.

‘I… don’t… know…’ she answered, he collected her too him, needful energy corsed through him, it was painful. He kissed her tears away, the sweatness of him, coursed through her and she responded with hunger. Then he was groping and they were being drawn into each other. Kissing on the edge of the bed when the door swung inward.