Batman Takes on the Ultimate Evil

I finished Batman: The Ultimate Evil (Andrew Vachss) last night.  Though not the most well-written book I’ve ever read, and not the most exciting portrayal of Batman I’ve ever seen, the book focuses on a highly important, very sensitive topic: child sex slave industry.  Some reviews I glanced at say it’s about “kiddie porn” or “child molestation.”  Really, it’s about a much deeper, much more evil organization where children are bought and sold and rented for the sole purpose of an adult wanting underage sex.  This book opens your eyes on the whole thing, and while it takes a passionate and dramatic approach, I will say this:

It is damned frightening.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the book last night, even while sleeping, and woke up sweating a few times.

This book not only opens your eyes to that truth, but also this one: real-world superheroes are not just firefighters and police officers and soldiers who put their lives on the line daily for complete strangers.

Superheroes are also social workers, and teachers, and parole officers and all those other people who are trying to make a difference in someone’s life, who are trying to keep them from going off the edge, to give them a reason to live.  Because they’re saving lives, too.

None of these people do it for the glory, because there’s often more heartache than glory.  None of them do it for the money, because we know they sure don’t earn what they should. Most of these people will never become famous, or enter the history texts.

But even if they saved only one life, that’s a lifetime of a reason to keep on doing what they do.

I salute you.

I’m an Exalted gamer, so when I found this Exalted comic written similarly to Order of the Stick, I was…exuberant. I quickly went through the archives and read every comic. Now it has been added to my Monday and Friday webcomic routine.

Today’s comic is well written and emotional. Here is the dialogue.

I haven’t decided if I’m sharing this strip with my friends. If I run an Exalted game, I may rip some things directly from this comic.

It hurts…but it’s hurt for a long time. I can’t remember what it was like to be whole.

But I remember you, Misho. You feel…the same. Just…less. And you look very much the same. Is that…normal?

It’s becoming…more difficult. To think. I can’t feel my heart any more.

…I gave it to Misho. Didn’t I?

…Yes, I did. Then…if I can’t feel it… they’ve gotten away from me.

That is good. I have completed my…functions.

I am…good.

…Now I can stop.

Rest in peace, Mew Cai.

Zen Monkey says…

“The infinite sound in word of silent.” 

A little bit of work done at Nora’s today.  Met a hand spinner at the cafe-someone who actually spins wool into yarn for a living.  Thought that was pretty cool.

Anyway, more work to do.

New Book!

Got Gail Martin’s The Blood King (Book 2 in the Chronicles of the Necromancer series) today. Yay.   The first book was a tad cliche, and some of the characters not well developed, but I’m diggin’ the world and magic and there’s just enough to keep me satisfied.  Sometimes, I’m so easily pleased it astounds even myself.

Friday Snippet

Eventually, Friday Snippets will be posted on a separate page. For now, it’ll stay here.

This is SHORT. One paragraph. I’m writing right now what will be the very end of Demonbane. Why the end? Because I was thinking about it on the way home, and was inspired. I’m not telling the context of what this paragraph is written in. You’ll just have to wait till I finish Demonbane. But I really thought that this beautiful and perfect. Again, not telling why.

NOTICE: “This material is copyrighted, unedited raw first draft, probably buggy, possibly not even going to be in the final book. Do not quote or repost anywhere or in any format. Thanks.”

Burning Quietly on Feet of Doing

Work got done.  I did some scene sketching for “Mirror Mirror,” learning some new bits in the process.  Tonight, I plan to write that up.  Some maybe tomorrow, I’ll have a Snippet work posting.

Writing

Well, since this is a writing blog primarily, I suppose I should throw out an update on said writing progress.

I am still working on “Mirror Mirror,” but the writing goes slow. This isn’t due to lack of motivation, but lack of time. Working a lot lately, and there are other things that need doing during my limited downtime (like, cooking, laundry, etc.) I’m going to start trying to “schedule” my writing time, so that I have time to write something.

Plotting for Demonbane has begun. This takes second priority to “Mirror Mirror,” because there are elements in “Mirror Mirror” that will shape how I write Demonbane. Yes, Demonbane is the first story. But by seeing how Jules deals with things, I can trace it back, de-evolve it. At least, it makes sense in my head. Demonbane will also be slower going, because it’s a full-length novel, projected at 80,000 words minimum. That’s significantly more plotting involved.

Muchas gracias to Holly Lisle for her writing help, in the form of Create A Plot Clinic, Create A Character Clinic (both amazing workshops), and her email plotting course.

Tomorrow is my day off (only one for the week).  The plan is to stop by Nora’s Cafe after running a few errands, and spend an hour or so working on writing.  Yay.