BoM/TWS Message Forum

"In the Halls of the Mountain King"  --> "A Confirmation" 

With this, I start the long string of chapters detailing what happened to Will between "Leavin’ on a (Commuter) Jet Plane"  and "Hunting the Most Dangerous Game" , and how he became Jeff Harrison. It's a long and winded project, which also serves as a deep view on how the Stellae train their own. While I could do this as a string of vignettes, at some point I was convinced by Seuzz to allow for alternatives which could change things a bit - branches where Will could simply choose to leave and do something else, or train in something very different than what he'll become in "Hunting the Most Dangerous Game" , or even take a much darker turn. Thus, more than just an interquel, it's also a whole new story branch - one that, as someone commented through an e-mail, adds to the Stellae and specifically (as you'll see later on) to its lore.

This selection, so to speak, is divided into two arcs (the way in which the flashbacks are divided) as well as a prologue setting the cliffhanger, which will be used sparingly. Arcs can be as short as 3 chapters or as long as 7, but they're not very long. This selection happens days after "Leavin’ on a (Commuter) Jet Plane" , making it the direct continuation to the BoM branch, and deals specifically with Will's trauma after being taken away from Saratoga Falls.

Charles

Here, I wanted to show a bit more of Charles in his everyday life while trying to help Will (and Robert) deal with the shock of the events by providing them with familial affection. I know Charles's house has been detailed somewhere, but I focused on the design a bit more - a goal of this set of chapters, as well as many others, is to expand on the stories that have been already written from them by showing them in a new lens, letting the reader know of existing (and at times unseen) members of the group.

I also wanted to show a warmer side to Charles and let Joe manifest a bit more, knowing that he's quite unpopular as a party pooper. Here, though he's keeping an eye on Will, he's also helping Charles show Will's talents and also sharing with them, even though he blatantly cheats. I also wanted to showcase Laverne a bit more, as I feel she's too much of a background character.

The key part of this arc is to reveal to Will that he's a Stellae. The paintball games were designed to show his well-known proclivities with Sulva, while the puzzle is meant to showcase his proclivities with Kenandandra. I always felt that in most TWS stories, Will depends too much on Sulva, and his prodigies related to Kenandandra were too passive. As you'll see later, while Sulva is still around, you'll see Will interacting more with his other ousiarch and what he can do with it.

You'll also notice why Will keeps his status as a Stellae hidden for so long - it's a request from Charles, as it'd be a shock for Robert to know that, while he'll never have the prodigies of a Stellae (which he'd love to have), his brother does (and doesn't know what to do with them - at first). "The Hunter's Lessons, Part 4"  shows what happens when the truth is revealed, but there's also an option to reveal it much earlier, and what it can do to them and their relationship. I found this suggestion very interesting, though whether I'll work on it or not depends on whether I find interest.

This also serves as a good introduction into what is a Stellae, in the broadest sense. Many of the topics that comprise Stellae lore will be dealt later, but this is mostly the preface to all of that. And, of course, there's a reference to The Space Trilogy hidden within.

(And yeah, I had Charles make a joke at the expense of Catilindria. I thought the best way to humanize Charles is to show he's not above it all.)

Margaret

Of course, Will still has his trauma to deal with, and that's the reason why he has to make a trip to Margaret. Once again, I embellish the description of her cottage, though in this one Seuzz helped a lot. While it may be an echo to previous interactions with Margaret in other branches, I wanted to show the process a bit more intimately.

Yet, though I would say otherwise, Margaret isn't easy to deal with. In exchange, I got to play a lot with Fyodor and flesh him out, considering he's one of those characters that almost always remains in the background. Something that flourished is his penchant for treating everything as a story, but also how he can shake Will into reason. Part of it is because, as you can see, Will's experiences with Margaret leave him completely dejected, and it takes Fyodor to lift his spirits up. I also wanted to pepper his speech with some Russian terms and establish a sense of familiarity with him, which is why Will calls him "uncle" and why Fyodor refers to Margaret as the "malens'kaya Babushka" (the little grandmother). His exaggerated reactions also serve to make him more likeable, and he shows he has a great depth of simple wisdom.

Also - I discussed this with Seuzz, and I essentially "outed" Nikola Tesla as a Stellae. Thomas Alva Edison isn't, though, and that serves as a wonderful contrast - just because you're not born with powers doesn't make you exceptional. To have that lesson given to one of the Stellae may sound weird, but it was what he needed.

The last chapter was to run a lot different than presented, and I think that I should properly credit Seuzz for that flight of fancy he took. While it has a surprising twist, to have Will see Blackwell as his reflection and to have him realize he can't hold a grudge against him turns the tables on what I feel most people would think about his story. It's also telling that Will learns that when essentially driven to despair. Would something be different if he accepted he was to take Blackwell to "justice"? That's another branch that could stir things up.

This arc serves as a series of contrasts regarding guilt and support. Even though he's receiving support from a lot of people, Will still feels things deep within, and someone has to let them flow to the surface. Fyodor serves as the one that deals with them directly, helping Will in his process to heal. This, I feel, is the process by which she works, and a good allegory to how therapy should work - draw out those issues that burden you and then - with the help of someone - resolve them.

The end of the prologue

The last chapter is one of the few "connecting chapters" I've worked, which serve to show major shifts in the story. The next big arc is Will's training, and here we'll see an old teacher of his making an appearance. That said, things will be very different, and she won't be as hands-down with him as in other stories. It also updates on what Joe's doing by then, giving a sense of continuity to the tale.



So, what are your thoughts? I'll pause here as, while there's more to detail, there's a few things I want to iron out before showing at least two of the next tutors. There's a lot of background details to work with (the arc I'm currently working on requires a lot of details to uncover), as it will be more hands-on training rather than scholastic.(And also, to let someone else take the spotlight while Seuzz returns.)

Finally, thanks to those who tipped off - as little or as much - out of appreciation to the chapters. Even a small amount motivates not just me, but anyone, to keep working on and keep this interactive up and running.