Not Dead.
I'd always made a pact with myself that once I'd found my niche I'd never stop digging into it until I died. It was victory or death and that's the way I operate even today. Some people comment about my luck and that I'm fortunate but I consider it just to be a side-effect of my tenacity. A man is worth whatever the value of his actions to which I rephrased: a man is worth what he does between spring and fall. Summer holds an opportunity to explore new avenues and expand upon ideas hidden within. I've had many ideas that need hep getting off the ground and I'm tired of holding them inside waiting for the big bang that will have them come spilling forth like a deluge causing me to gather two of each of my ideas and make due with a large flotation device. Listed below are some of the things I'm preparing and do know that eventually I will get around to expressing all of them... in some fashion.
Azazel: Paradise Forgotten
This is actually the beginning of what could be a series of stories revolving around a young cherubim tasked with bringing America back to God. It's meant to be somewhat satirical but not offensive to religious debates worldwide. My idea was to tell the tale of a rather rude and borderline rebellious angel who was just in the wrong places at all the wrong times. Eventually he is called upon by the greater powers to leave heaven and hell and to find a body in the mortal world to complete the task of steering Americans in the right direction. Much to the chagrin of the angels (and demons), Azazel embarks upon a road of lessons in morality and what it is to be human. From tales of the past when he was stuck guarding the empty Garden of Eden to modern tales of his ambitions to become the President of the United States of America I want to display the lesson of being human to someone who's smarter than an infant but has never had the experience. Also: delightfully humorous.
The Wards
I had this idea a few years back where I'd write a tale about an orphan house made specifically for "specially lost children". Children who tend to see more closet monsters than the others or who can detect the supernatural without much effort at all. I wanted to tell the story of five of these children and their perspectives of what it is to be an orphan but also their various adventurers concerning their supernatural areas of expertise. I got this idea watching Ghostbusters and reading "Runaways" by Brian K. Vaughn. The idea really only spans one book in my head where these children gallivant around an orphanage saving themselves and each other from other worldly influences that seem curiously attracted to said orphanage. I had briefly considered this might make a better graphic novel and haven't looked into that as of yet.
Kings of the Hills
Less of a literary idea and more of an astonished role-playing eureka, Kings of the Hills was an idea I got after playing "Requiem for Rome" and watching HBO's Rome. Season 2 of that series deals a lot with the underbelly of Rome and the collegia, a pact of men who protected and vied for control over the less luxurious (but otherwise needed) parts of the city. If you've ever delved into "Requiem for Rome" you know the richness at which the story is layered and delves into the intrigue and debauchery of Rome. I had thought for a long time: "Why not werewolves?" And when I mused out loud last week my fiance chimed in about the seven hills of Rome and my blockage damn broke in my head. If you play "Werewolf: The Forsaken" you see where I'm going with this. Seven districts each with defined borders and the protection and glory of Rome as a city would have been a boon and a curse for werewolves of the time. Beings of power whose instinct it was to fight for territory and power would have similar problems not killing their brothers in such a delicate and crowded situation like Rome's collegia. These men (the collegia) existed for the good of the people once upon a time, making sure the grain dole was issued and that peace was maintained in the lesser parts of the Roman world. Add the fact that the fucking mythology of Rome's creation involves two humans suckled from a wolf and you get the same reaction I did: "Why hasn't this been done!?"
The Ever-Present Web-comic
I like the freedom of a webcomic and the ability to do pretty much whatever you want with it. I'd do one for free just to see a plot roll out and get real time reactions. I'm working ona writing degree with an art degree in my pocket so I'm sorely tempted to both write and do the art though I'm not confident 100% in both of those abilities. Either way my ideas have ranged from humor-filled social commentary involving zombies to a webcomic literally about the internet using the imagined avatars we all have when we go on it. I'm leaning towards the second but the first has some bite to it (no pun intended... actually yeah, yeah it is). It seems done over to write about my friends and my life (which is wholesomely boring) and I have to give props to Penny Arcade for their week-long trek into other possibilities (http://www.penny-arcade.com/2009/6/10/). The Looksouts logo has now replaced my long-standing Diablo 3 background and shall remain so until I am unimpressed with Gabe and Tycho (read: never).
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So yes.. my mind is still ticking. I am not dead and I plan to keep going until that status changes. Writing these things down has been somewhat liberating. I feel relieved that they will be etched in near internet immortality even if some of them are silly and fruitless. Cheers to you all and a good night's rest for al my friends.