The Swords of the Ancients

I’m writing this in my old bedroom at my parents’ house, sipping on a glass of Glen Livet at 1 AM, thinking about how much has changed since the last time I was home. In the last three weeks, my cat has died, leaving my parents’ house considerably more empty feeling. In addition to this, my bedroom no longer has a bed in it. Granted, this was the case when I was home at Christmas as well, but it’s more obvious now. My bedroom is now officially my dad’s office. It has been repainted for the first time in roughly 15 years, and the carpet that had been in here since I was an infant has been replaced by a hardwood floor. The couch I slept on last time I was home is still in here, but my dad has added a desk, file cabinets, and some more bookshelves. It doesn’t feel like home anymore. It’s a weirdly alienating feeling. I’m trying to convince myself to go to sleep, and to rest up for the big day ahead of me, but quite frankly, I’m not that convincing.

No, I’m not that convincing at all. I’ve already written in my journal for the day, and I don’t feel like reading. Even turning the light off hasn’t really done anything, other than emphasizing how cold it is in here right now. Since I can’t sleep, I should consider how cold it is in the desert at night. Yeah, during the day it is unbearably hot, but once the sun sets and the moons rise (yeah, two moons aren’t quite as iconic as the binary sunset on Tattooine, but they’re also a lot more likely to occur in a system that’s remotely capable of supporting human life), the temperature drops fast. It’s something that my characters are going to have to deal with in their crossing of the Sand Sea. Rime will be prepared. Arsus, however, will be caught quite by surprise. Lots of things will be surprises for Arsus, who has never really taken a good long look at the world until now. This is part of what lands him in the situation which will form most of the plot of the novel. Rime, entertainingly enough if that remains his name, will serve as the voice of reason. He will be an incredible foil to Arsus, and this interaction will be quite entertaining to write. Already their relationship has allowed me to write a couple of fantastic lines of dialogue that will likely make it unedited into the final draft of the book.

I think it’s high time I give credit to my many influences. It really helps to know who has helped to formulate thoughts within my head. Obviously, many of my favorite authors have contributed to my writing style and setting. Chief among these are men and women like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Frank Herbert, Douglas Adams, Arthur C. Clarke, Brian Jacques, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Geoffrey Chaucer, etc. Musicians have always served as motivation to write as well. My Chemical Romance released a new album not long before I began to write this. They’re always in my head. So are bands like Led Zeppelin, Rush, Styx, Muse (fuck off, Twi-tards, they were a good band long before Stephanie Meyer told you to listen to them), Lifehouse (when I’m trying to write something almost romantic), etc.

Speaking of romance, there’s still a question of how much of that will be in the book. Many of the characters will be male. That’s not to say there won’t be at least one strong female lead role to help round out the roster. It’s just that the two main characters are both male, and there may or may not be some chemistry between them as the story develops. It’s not yet clear in my own head to what extent this relationship will be taken. Arsus and Rime are already closer than anyone might suspect, but not in a way that many readers would predict. To take their link in that direction might upset some, but it might please others. I’m still not certain how I feel about it. I think that by the end of the novel, they will be willing to openly say “I love you,” but the circumstances surrounding this are still in development.

As are many secondary characters. Chaucer had LOTS of pilgrims on his journey in the Canterbury tales. I only have two protagonists at this point (really one hero and one sort of anti-hero, depending on how readers view the goals and aspirations of both Rime and Arsus, respectively). I’m working on some details regarding other people who will join them on their journey across the great desert. Some of these people may start on the journey with them but not make it all the way. Others may join partway across the burning ocean. Oooo, that could be a good description of a massive body of sand… Regardless, there will be characters of varying alignments and goals. This will add a great bit of flavor to the story, but they will, again, not be pointless. Almost nothing in this will be pointless, or so I hope. I want every major character to serve some purpose.

As some of you may or not have guessed, I’m quite fond of the new My Chemical Romance album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. That’s where today’s title come from. “Bulletproof Heart” is an incredible track on a phenomenal album. It’s been on my mind a lot lately. Listen to it if you haven’t yet. If you’re an MCR fan, it’s a great new direction of them. If you’re not, now’s the time to start listening.

Additionally, I’m back from my great uncle Phil’s funeral. It went well.