Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Bits o' Legionnaire Business The Writers' Discussion/Ideas Thread

And save the cat?

Always save the cat.

Save the cat, save the world? (that would make an interesting story)

Fanfie asked earlier about plans. I have been so busy with schoolwork and job-hunting that I haven't even been able to think of my plans! But I do have a very short break coming up, during which I hope to:

1) Write a couple of chapters for my Reboot Legion fic, including at least tying up the trip to Southeast Asia and the trip to Enwa subplots;

2) Catch up and comment on all of your stories (I have read bits and pieces of most of your work - Fanfie, Harbi, raz, Omni, thoth) but haven't been able to write my comments down

Fanfie also asked about previous fanfic attempts. I once tried to write a fanfic set in my high school, but only got a couple of chapters out. Our class had to put on a play for school, I made a script that was read to the class - it made a lot of people upset because it only included 12 people out of 40 other than that, everything I've done has been here on LW, either in the LMB-verse or in the Reboot reality

That's what I'm here for. (That and to over-analyze 40-year-old comic book stories.)

On a serious note, it's easy for the writer to fall in love with his or her story and not want to end it or drive it where it needs to go. This is where Stephen King's maxim comes to mind: "Murder your darlings." Be willing to break your own heart so you can break the reader's. Take it out and stomp it on the ground, and twist it into little pieces.

Thanks, Ibby. Looking forward to your comments.

He Who, I do believe I'll pretend that my story is the head of the office manager who railroaded me into quitting my last day job.

All kidding aside, He Who, your advice is much appreciated, and I am already putting it into practice.

Another thing I like to do is to loosen up by brainstorming a new fan fic just for the fun of it. Picture this -- "DCU Elseworlds: Reign of the Superwomen -- 'Who is the real Superwoman, out of the four contenders who emerged after the heart-wrenching death of Kate Carr/Superwoman? Is it (Don't-Call-Me) Supergirl, the feisty emo-androgyne? Is it Cyber-Queen, the icy, pragmatic post-human? Is it Iron Maiden, the armor-clad avenging angel? Is it Goddess-4000, the self-styled Woman of Tomorrow? Stay tuned.' "

I thought, for the sakes of both my fellow regular contributors to Bits, and the readers following my fics, that I would share the current status of my fic projects, starting, of course, with the ever-elusive resolution to the Legion/New Gods story arc -- I finally finished the penultimate chapter, only to find that the wrap-up persists even more stubbornly in refusing to come together. So, basically, I am setting it aside, along with all my other DCU fics, indefinitely. Now I'm trying to recharge my batteries by starting a Non-DCU fic. It's going well so far, and that's just about all I want to say for the moment, out of worries that I might jinx it if I give away too much. It will be hosted by a site run by a friend of mine, and I'm not going to submit any of it until the story is complete.

Some of you may have noticed the debut of my new Onevision today, "Time Leaves Its Scars". The basic idea has been percolating in me for a year or so, maybe longer. Last night, for whatever reason, I had trouble going to sleep because the ideas for it started just bubbling over. I didn't know that I would start it today. I think that somehow today's death of one of our beloved posters necessitated that I go ahead and start it, maybe as some sort of coping mechanism. He even made it into the story which wasn't intended. Anyhow, the story is not fully formed in my mind, but the ideas are coming hard and fast. I'm not sure how long it will be, when it will conclude or exactly how it will end, but it is what it is.

Anyhow, I just felt I had to say a little something about it.

I'm happy you are writing again, Lardy. I enjoy your writing style, and it also somehow seems fitting for today, if you know what I mean.

Looking forward to the next installments

I finally started writing again.

It's intended to be a three part story, starting with a storyline involving Mekt, called the Legion of Lightning, as he decides to create his own family, his birth family having 'betrayed him' (by his standards).

I'm taking a bit of a chance in starting out dealing with Mekt and some original characters, with minimal Legion presence. They'll show up eventually, and everybody will be kung-fu fighting. But with lightning.

Lardy, Set, way to go, guys!

Will read the opening installments of your stories this weekend.

What really seems weird is how my mind was racing about the story the night before, keeping me awake. I mean, in the moderator's forum, I was the first to express concerns over Abin about a week ago when some cryptic Facebook posts started popping up on his wall, vaguely hinting that something might be wrong. But there had been nothing concrete. So I woke up, feeling like I might have to start writing this thing, and suddenly I learn that Abin/Chuck has passed. It's almost as if he was passing away and leaving me with the drive or push to tell an LW story again for the first time in years. When I learned he had passed, I just knew I had to start writing it. It's a weird way for me to respond to the death of a beloved LWer, but it seemed wholly appropriate.

If it is from him, I'm grateful for the gift!



Thanks! There's SO much exposition that I hope it doesn't bog it down! It's hard to tell a story that flashes from one year to several to show what happens over decades without having to explain a lot!

Lardy, when I was writing "The Every-Boot Legion Volume 1: To Think Like a God" in 2015, it coincided with our dear Lash's first (and, sadly, not last) battle with cancer. One of the main plot points was curing Tenzil of the effects from having eaten the Miracle Machine. Tenzil, as we all know, was Lash's favorite male Legionnaire. I believe there was definitely some intertwining of fiction with reality going on there at the time. And I also think it may be one of my Top 3 best fan fic stories I've posted at Legion World. It's certainly a personal favorite among my own works. Unfortunately, what makes it bittersweet is that Tenzil got better and didn't have any more problems after that...and Lash was not so lucky. After typing this reply, I miss Lash more than ever.

It is nice to have new LMB/LW fiction. I have tried and struggled to write more myself, but I always find it difficult to finish a story.

The ideas for this one are still coming furiously, and I'm anticipating writing more chapters tonight.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Time War, it is a story that both Ex and Cobie were building toward a few years ago. During the interim, it seems all of the creatives, myself included, of the LMBverse have kind of unilaterally pulled away from those sorts of activities. Hard to say exactly why, but if one or two kind of pull away, it can have kind of a ripple effect with the rest. What I'm telling is not the Time war itself; I really have little idea where the story was going, and I still feel that some day the story will be told in one form or another.

Call mine an offshoot of the Time War, I guess. Maybe it's the real future; maybe it's not. If you've read the existing chapters, you know how Lardy himself feels about the subject, at least.

I apologize if my last post in this thread offended or upset anyone. That was the farthest thing from my intention. But I am concerned I might have worded it badly, probably because I'm working through both the recent loss of Abin and the lingering pain of the loss of Lash.

What I was trying to say was that I think there was an exchange of positive energies between me and Lash while I was writing that story, not unlike what Lardy described as Abin giving him the catalytic energy to write his new story as Abin was leaving us.

I hope that makes sense.

I don't see anything offensive or upsetting about what you wrote at all, Ficque. I'm sure many creative people deal with grief in similar ways.

I sometimes think someone may read what I shared about Abin and think I'm just trying to promote my story, but that's far from my reason. I just felt like sharing something that I find virtually unexplainable. My story's there for anyone to read, but ultimately, I'm writing it for myself as I always do.

So I just happened to notice this (like a year later...), and if you are willing to go outside of Greek mythology, would recommend Erishkigal (for beauty) and Izanami-no-Mikoto or Maman Birgitte (a voodoo 'lwa' of death, along with Baron Samedi, Baron Cimitiere, etc.) or something for agility (less 'agility' as in the ability to dash forward in startling bursts of speed, from a statue-like state of stillness, more creepy movie-monster 'agility' than would be traditional, but better suited to a death-goddess). I like Maman Birgitte best for that, since the priest 'ridden' by her moves in fantastic and inhumanly flexible ways, a sign of being possessed by the loa.

Obviously Wiki is great for finding death gods with attributes that fit what you are looking for. Keres seems somewhat suitable for 'agility,' if you want to stick to Greek goddesses.

I had, some time ago, imagined what a female version of Captain Marvel, empowered by the six main Olympian goddesses would look like. Her 'Shazam' word would be Ahadah, after Athena, Hera, Aphrodite, Demter, Artemis and Hestia. But I never really went anywhere with it.

That is amazing timing as I have been thinking of writing that particular story again. I will definitely take your suggestions to heart, Set.

She would be a main character of Huntress fanfic with all the different versions of the Huntress. I know there are a few fans around here so maybe I would be able to finish the story.

I think part of it is that our shared universe is so intertwined. It doesn't feel right for me to write an LMB story without at least referencing elements that all of you have created. It feels less rich somehow. And of course there is the momentum factor.

Much appreciated, Lardy. And I'm sorry I haven't gotten to yours and Set's stories yet. I'd meant to have read them by now, but it's been a...shall we say, "interesting" last few days, and finding out first thing this morning about the death of one of my greatest inspirations (see the Anywhere Machine) has just kept me in a weird funk of a state all day and night.

Hey, I can't complain. I haven't read your fics like I'd hoped to. I sure can't expect you to read mine when I've been lax with yours.

While it's nice to see my story getting some views, it's even nicer to feel those creative juices flowing again! I've really missed lardy, so it's good to take a longterm look at how his life turns out...if the timeline holds!

Ah, yes, my notorious Story Which Refuses To Let Itself End.

Seriously, though, I'm hoping to have it finally done by the end of this month, just in time for the Kirby Centennial. But I've learned it's best I not put any pressure on myself -- especially with stories as complicated as that one -- and just let it happen when it's meant to happen.



I know exactly what you're talking about. Yes, there's nothing quite like that feeling. It's downright transcendental.

I surrender!

Real Life, not so much my personal life as just the world in general, has gotten so unpleasant in the past few weeks, that I just can't go any further with the Legion/New Gods story, or, really, anything that involves continuity (be it canon or my own) or shades of gray or pseudo-realism or intense violence.

To everybody who has been following that story, whether you have commented or not, I thank you and I ask you now to please forgive me for not being able to go any further with that story until an indefinite amount of time has passed.

I do take cold comfort in the knowledge that Jack Kirby himself didn't get to complete his New Gods/4th World saga until more than 10 years after its unintentional anti-climax. The last time I re-read Kirby's complete saga, I came away feeling that, for whatever reasons, the final installment -- the graphic novel "Hunger Dogs" -- was actually better-written and more cohesive than the earlier installments.

Hopefully history will repeat itself for my humble (*cough* slightly pretentious *cough*) little fan fiction.

I have a couple other fan fiction projects in the works, but they are of a lighter, brighter, simpler, and (hopefully) more accessible nature than the majority of my Bits contributions to date. And I'm sure you'll understand that I'm in no hurry to get them finished and ready for posting. And FTR, one of them is Ayla Ranzz's biography -- I still think that the scene in the Legion/New Gods story where she opens up to Salu about a past trauma is the best fiction writing I've done to date.

At least now I'll have lots of time freed up so I can catch up on everybody else's fan fictions.

Go where the spirit moves you Annfie!

As for "Time Leaves Its Scars", guys, it is NOT done! The reality of returning from a staycation has delayed the next chapter to this point. Plus, though I knew the main thing that would happen in the next chapter, there was an aspect of the chapter that I had to think through somewhat. I've pretty much worked that out, but I just have to fond time to actually write it. I hope to do so in the next week-ish!

All I will say about the next chapter is that Lardy experiences a major life event and receives a special visit from a relative!

I find Klar-Ken's recent writing to be very intriguing. I'm planning on trying to start a RPG here in the near future, and your ideas seem similar to my own.