Another god or human performing a ceremony
2008/12/04
2008/12/03
2008/11/17
Quick Sketch - Chapter 1
This is just a rough idea--I'm finding it hard to work out an entire story arc without some details, so I think I'd like to press through in a chapter form and then look at the whole, then dive back into it. Macro to micro, micro to macro, back and forth.
I also think that we can still use the dovinities to a degree. In these, I see the Healer (Hannah), The Apprentice/Assimilator (Colin), the Trammeller (Aseem) and the Prophet (Beth). Names are up for grabs--well, everything is, of course. But let's keep revision focus on grand ideas, not little details, at this point.
====================
Hannah is nine, sick and simple. Her mother, as with most of the world, is about to have a breakdown, just barely keeping it together. Hannah has turned the city into her playground, frequently going where she shouldn’t and coming home with cuts and bruises from debris. On one of her excursions, she finds a hurt pigeon and brings it home. Certain her mother will flip out, she hides it in a box in her room. The bird is a mess, but Hannah feeds it as best she can and talks and sings to it. At times, she feels the bird can understand her, and other times, she feels the presence of other things, other beings.
Colin is a sullen, twenty-something college dropout who didn’t have a life before this event, much less now. He’s smart, but directionless. He’s bitter, sarcastic, introverted, and seems to dislike everyone, feeling no one has ever given him a fair shot, so he blames other people for his problems. He works at a bookstore that has remained open, the old, cheerful man that owns it believing it best for the people to go about business as usual. While making busy work, he finds a book that has been filled with handwriting over the text, appearing to be the ravings of a lunatic, but describing in detail what has been happening. Unsure if he wants to do anything or tell anyone, he simply pockets the book and decides to decide later.
Aseem is a builder from a poor town in India who has lost his children to tragedy. His wife is only a shell and he tries to maintain his strength for appearances but breaks down in private. He was a devout Hindu, but sees no point now, doubting all he ever believed. In an attempt to find some peace, however, he sheepishly performs a ritual with meditation, more for the comfort of the familiar than anything. He suddenly enters into a trance, receiving visions, voices, warnings and pleadings to help. He doesn’t know what or why, but he is rejuvenated, believing God is not dead and all is not lost. Eager for something to do besides watch his wife wither away, he sets out to the wilderness for an extended meditation.
Beth is homeless, an old black woman who lived through more than her share of horrors. She is quiet, always smiling, and most passersby figure she has a few screws loose. Ever since a traumatic incident in her childhood, she’s had future sight, though never on command and never much help. After the big event, she is plagued by painful, strong images of even greater destruction and more suffering. She also sees a little girl and a pigeon.
I also think that we can still use the dovinities to a degree. In these, I see the Healer (Hannah), The Apprentice/Assimilator (Colin), the Trammeller (Aseem) and the Prophet (Beth). Names are up for grabs--well, everything is, of course. But let's keep revision focus on grand ideas, not little details, at this point.
====================
Hannah is nine, sick and simple. Her mother, as with most of the world, is about to have a breakdown, just barely keeping it together. Hannah has turned the city into her playground, frequently going where she shouldn’t and coming home with cuts and bruises from debris. On one of her excursions, she finds a hurt pigeon and brings it home. Certain her mother will flip out, she hides it in a box in her room. The bird is a mess, but Hannah feeds it as best she can and talks and sings to it. At times, she feels the bird can understand her, and other times, she feels the presence of other things, other beings.
Colin is a sullen, twenty-something college dropout who didn’t have a life before this event, much less now. He’s smart, but directionless. He’s bitter, sarcastic, introverted, and seems to dislike everyone, feeling no one has ever given him a fair shot, so he blames other people for his problems. He works at a bookstore that has remained open, the old, cheerful man that owns it believing it best for the people to go about business as usual. While making busy work, he finds a book that has been filled with handwriting over the text, appearing to be the ravings of a lunatic, but describing in detail what has been happening. Unsure if he wants to do anything or tell anyone, he simply pockets the book and decides to decide later.
Aseem is a builder from a poor town in India who has lost his children to tragedy. His wife is only a shell and he tries to maintain his strength for appearances but breaks down in private. He was a devout Hindu, but sees no point now, doubting all he ever believed. In an attempt to find some peace, however, he sheepishly performs a ritual with meditation, more for the comfort of the familiar than anything. He suddenly enters into a trance, receiving visions, voices, warnings and pleadings to help. He doesn’t know what or why, but he is rejuvenated, believing God is not dead and all is not lost. Eager for something to do besides watch his wife wither away, he sets out to the wilderness for an extended meditation.
Beth is homeless, an old black woman who lived through more than her share of horrors. She is quiet, always smiling, and most passersby figure she has a few screws loose. Ever since a traumatic incident in her childhood, she’s had future sight, though never on command and never much help. After the big event, she is plagued by painful, strong images of even greater destruction and more suffering. She also sees a little girl and a pigeon.
Quick Sketch - Prologue
The Second Coming and the deaths of God and Lucifer. Not sure which order, not sure if it’s shown, or simply the aftermath indicates the event. In any case, the energy from the fight rocks the universe. A third of the planet dies from fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. Images of people choking on ash, bodies floating in water, people under rubble. A father holding his dead daughter. All around the world, people are confronted with a reality no one expected. Religious people cannot understand how God could be dead. Agnostics feel a sense of loss that they never committed to something. Monks and yogis try to connect with some sort of divinity but feel rudderless. Atheists realize they were wrong. All is askew and the earth itself reels from the shockwaves, as if in mourning. From all of humanity, the questions are too big to ask, the answers too alien to comprehend. The world is in shock and quiet, as economies, governments, schools and churches all close down, wondering what happens next.
2008/11/12
Character Design Sketch 1
Another first of many character sketches to come. Playing around with what a god might look like.
2008/11/11
Environment Design: Sketch 1
Digital environment design sketch. A kind of Muslimesque Petra. Still under construction the people go to pray in the cavernous halls. The holiest and highest priest pray in the catacombs further up the mountains.
First Page Layout Concpet
This is the first of many to come visual concepts for a page layout. It's done digitally. I'm exploring how precise or abstract I'd like to go. The more abstract I can get away with the better.
Visual Concept: Notes on the sidebar image
I thought I'd let you know the purpose for the sidebar image. It's a collection of images I culled from the web to begin creating a visual map of what our story might look and feel like. I want to create something otherworldly yet grounded in reality. You'll notice that light is a major concept. As we attempt to show the celestial, light will be an important element. As well as asymmetrical environment and character design. Asymmetrical elements are harder to feel comfortable with and I think a realm of uncomfortable design will bode well toward giving the celestial a more primal feel.
Some of the other elements that can be found that interest me are:
Some of the other elements that can be found that interest me are:
- lights on clothing
- mist
- blurred imagery
- amorphous cityscapes
- splotchy textures
- antique/low-tech technology
- isolated elements (people, rock formations)
- reflections
- veiled moon and sun
- a sense of global culture (architecture/clothing)
- desaturated color
2008/11/07
Layout Thoughts
==========H==========
Dave McKean really pushed the envelope with what was "reasonable" in terms of graphic storytelling, and I can see this much that way. You know, something that might be representative of this entire work is approaching in terms of a "found" sort of thing. Like found objects, found art, etc., this is sort of a found storytelling. Yeah, we work hard at it, but the ideas come from the ether, so to speak, so one might argue that the best stories are not created, but, well, found. Like Tolkien saying he didn't invent Middle Earth, but rather discovered it. A lot of what you've been creating has that sort of look. Like you know that feeling of driving by something really fast and you only get a glimpse of it, and you think you know what you saw, but you're not sure. Or you're looking through a keyhole and you can only see the person's back, but you can imagine his face. Like the example you just sent earlier. The business card you can't read, the face you can't make out, etc. Your brain wants to decipher them, but your eyes won't resolve it. Something about the intentional obscurity of the thing makes it almost more true to life by hiding the detail. Basically, it becomes about what the reader THINKS they're reading, rather than what they actually ARE reading. Which is true of anything we perceive, I suppose, but I think that by intentionally playing on that, we create a very post-modern work. Does any of this make sense? It's late and I've been reading Virginia Woolf.
Dave McKean really pushed the envelope with what was "reasonable" in terms of graphic storytelling, and I can see this much that way. You know, something that might be representative of this entire work is approaching in terms of a "found" sort of thing. Like found objects, found art, etc., this is sort of a found storytelling. Yeah, we work hard at it, but the ideas come from the ether, so to speak, so one might argue that the best stories are not created, but, well, found. Like Tolkien saying he didn't invent Middle Earth, but rather discovered it. A lot of what you've been creating has that sort of look. Like you know that feeling of driving by something really fast and you only get a glimpse of it, and you think you know what you saw, but you're not sure. Or you're looking through a keyhole and you can only see the person's back, but you can imagine his face. Like the example you just sent earlier. The business card you can't read, the face you can't make out, etc. Your brain wants to decipher them, but your eyes won't resolve it. Something about the intentional obscurity of the thing makes it almost more true to life by hiding the detail. Basically, it becomes about what the reader THINKS they're reading, rather than what they actually ARE reading. Which is true of anything we perceive, I suppose, but I think that by intentionally playing on that, we create a very post-modern work. Does any of this make sense? It's late and I've been reading Virginia Woolf.
Even Still More Early Brainstorming
==========H==========
I'm think the idea sort of comes full circle, so the deal becomes that each human interacting with the dovinities becomes that dovinity. So the Healer affects a human, and that human serves as the Healer for humanity. But playing on that infinity idea, I think the Healer begins affecting other humans, turning them in to Healers as well, sort of like a cosmic pay it forward. Reinforces the humans saving humans idea.
==========H==========
All are finally gathered together – the dovinities and their human counterparts. The little girl lifts the dove to her face and looks into its eyes. The dove speaks without a voice, but all can hear. "May I heal, little one?" The girl's eyes widen. "Please, yes!" The room brightens, the dove swells, and the girl's eyes start to close. She trembles and loses her balance. One of the humans catches her. "What's happening?" he shouts. One of the dovinities says, "The dove is healing. She has granted permission, offered her life to the dove. It is a great honor." "No!" another cries. "There has to be another—" "There is no other way." The dovinities are confused. "If the dove does not heal, everything ends. The girl is a hero."
She is cradled in the arms of a large man who has protected her all this time. He looks into her eyes, which open briefly, barely, and he sees her fear. "No," he says quietly, a tear dropping onto her forehead. "Not like this." He looks up at the room. "I'm sorry." He grabs the dove and crushes it in his hands. Instantly, the dovinities vanish, and the room is dark. Suddenly, a loud rushing fills their ears, and a dark flickering surrounds them. Running to the window, a woman pushes it open and gasps. Millions of birds circle the building. "What are they?" someone whispers. "Doves," says another. "Millions of them."
The little girl groans, and everyone rushes to her. "Wh-what happened?" She rubs her eyes and someone helps her sit up. "Are we all still here?" The people in the room exchange glances, and then smiles. The large man puts his arm around her little shoulders. "Yes, sweetie. Very much so."
I'm think the idea sort of comes full circle, so the deal becomes that each human interacting with the dovinities becomes that dovinity. So the Healer affects a human, and that human serves as the Healer for humanity. But playing on that infinity idea, I think the Healer begins affecting other humans, turning them in to Healers as well, sort of like a cosmic pay it forward. Reinforces the humans saving humans idea.
==========H==========
All are finally gathered together – the dovinities and their human counterparts. The little girl lifts the dove to her face and looks into its eyes. The dove speaks without a voice, but all can hear. "May I heal, little one?" The girl's eyes widen. "Please, yes!" The room brightens, the dove swells, and the girl's eyes start to close. She trembles and loses her balance. One of the humans catches her. "What's happening?" he shouts. One of the dovinities says, "The dove is healing. She has granted permission, offered her life to the dove. It is a great honor." "No!" another cries. "There has to be another—" "There is no other way." The dovinities are confused. "If the dove does not heal, everything ends. The girl is a hero."
She is cradled in the arms of a large man who has protected her all this time. He looks into her eyes, which open briefly, barely, and he sees her fear. "No," he says quietly, a tear dropping onto her forehead. "Not like this." He looks up at the room. "I'm sorry." He grabs the dove and crushes it in his hands. Instantly, the dovinities vanish, and the room is dark. Suddenly, a loud rushing fills their ears, and a dark flickering surrounds them. Running to the window, a woman pushes it open and gasps. Millions of birds circle the building. "What are they?" someone whispers. "Doves," says another. "Millions of them."
The little girl groans, and everyone rushes to her. "Wh-what happened?" She rubs her eyes and someone helps her sit up. "Are we all still here?" The people in the room exchange glances, and then smiles. The large man puts his arm around her little shoulders. "Yes, sweetie. Very much so."
Original Dovinities Descriptions
The Healer
Toward the outer core of the dove's life force existed the Healer. It discovered brokenness, cracks, and whirlpools and then meditated with, sometimes touched, any phenomenon that sought to destroy or threaten the dove. Driven by the fear of destruction the demigod created the illusion around itself of a shadow puppet with childlike inhibition. The child god would never rest its playing, healing.
The Trammeller
A threat to the Healer, the Trammeller roamed celestial prairies seeking the ancient shadows of the dove. The shadows traversed the skies only revealing themselves in the light of the dove. Hunting the light side of the shadow with traps, she could give herself sustenance, returning to the dove what would otherwise be lost to that which lies beyond the reach of the dove.
The Beckoner
At will, this god, a conduit of energy the Trammeller releases, can call the dove into existence.
The Prophet
Feeling the ever-changing tides of the doves energy, the androgynous prophet could see the fractal like patterns of order within the chaos.
The Bearer
More a compliant vessel of creation and nourishment than an autonomous god, her fate may be irrevocable.
The Skeptic
Maybe you can do something with this, maybe not. Looking back this character feels trite to me. A god always second guessing
The Apprentice and Assimilator
These two gods are really the same, the Apprentice being the better visual form. This is the god that learns from the dove, even taking on parts of the dove's form for itself. It wants to be something it can never be. Could be a pre-Lucifer god. I don't know.
The Teacher
Somehow the dove learns from this one. The Prophet and Teacher are related somehow, I'm not sure how. The Teacher looks to the past and present, the Prophet has no linear restrictions other than recognizing the present as it's natural state of being.
The Masquerader
A joker. Or a god that denies it's self the godlike qualities she posses. I love the idea that as she's talking the unrecognizable face and torso reacts as well. One voice. Two body languages. I don't know what would happen if the two were to become one, taking on the full capacity of herself.
Toward the outer core of the dove's life force existed the Healer. It discovered brokenness, cracks, and whirlpools and then meditated with, sometimes touched, any phenomenon that sought to destroy or threaten the dove. Driven by the fear of destruction the demigod created the illusion around itself of a shadow puppet with childlike inhibition. The child god would never rest its playing, healing.
The Trammeller
A threat to the Healer, the Trammeller roamed celestial prairies seeking the ancient shadows of the dove. The shadows traversed the skies only revealing themselves in the light of the dove. Hunting the light side of the shadow with traps, she could give herself sustenance, returning to the dove what would otherwise be lost to that which lies beyond the reach of the dove.
The Beckoner
At will, this god, a conduit of energy the Trammeller releases, can call the dove into existence.
The Prophet
Feeling the ever-changing tides of the doves energy, the androgynous prophet could see the fractal like patterns of order within the chaos.
The Bearer
More a compliant vessel of creation and nourishment than an autonomous god, her fate may be irrevocable.
The Skeptic
Maybe you can do something with this, maybe not. Looking back this character feels trite to me. A god always second guessing
The Apprentice and Assimilator
These two gods are really the same, the Apprentice being the better visual form. This is the god that learns from the dove, even taking on parts of the dove's form for itself. It wants to be something it can never be. Could be a pre-Lucifer god. I don't know.
The Teacher
Somehow the dove learns from this one. The Prophet and Teacher are related somehow, I'm not sure how. The Teacher looks to the past and present, the Prophet has no linear restrictions other than recognizing the present as it's natural state of being.
The Masquerader
A joker. Or a god that denies it's self the godlike qualities she posses. I love the idea that as she's talking the unrecognizable face and torso reacts as well. One voice. Two body languages. I don't know what would happen if the two were to become one, taking on the full capacity of herself.
The Second Coming
The Second Coming
-- William Butler Yeats
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
-- William Butler Yeats
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Still More Early Brainstorming
==========H==========
I think it's not so much that humans have to resist angels, so much as it is the angels are like the henchman vying for their dead mob boss' position, if that makes sense. Still fleshing that one out. I figure if God dies and the humans don't, the angels wouldn't either, and they'd finally have autonomy to pick a path. I don't know - I'm open to ideas there.
==========R==========
Interesting. I like the path thing. Suddenly humanity experiences an influx of supernatural phenomena as spiritual beings struggle to find a new way of balanced existence. In addition to dealing with their own spiritual realm, they're no longer alone (at least from the way I understand the story so far. Correct me if I'm wrong). They must respond to a new set of deities.
==========H==========
I wonder... if the dove dies, the dovinity incarnations cease to exist, but then there are more and more incarnations, sort of like a fractal turned inside out, constantly growing and expanding. Isn't that what they say about the universe? Why not consciousness? Divinity? So if the dove dies, and everyone, including the dovinities (if that's the word), thinks all life will perish, but they don't... it's sort of like peeling back yet another layer. And ultimately, the layers would finally fold back in on themselves. People exist because people exist. There are a million jumps in between, but it's sort of the cycle of spirit, I guess. Hey, this is great: take the idea of Brahman and turn it around. Instead of saying we're tapped into Brahman, we could say that Brahman is tapped into us. In that way, it's not that God lives in us, but we live in God--God "existed" because WE existed. It's still hazy, but I think I like this idea.
==========R==========
Exactly. We're to God as the demigods are to the Dove - kind of.
==========H==========
It's not even the dove that gives us life. Hmm... there's got to be a succint way to phrase this. ... ... ... Thinking. ... ... ... Maybe like this. When all things are weighed, we are not subservient to anything but ourselves. And we ARE subservient to ourselves. That's where the whole salvation lies... in ourselves.
==========R==========
Salvation. A human concept to instill fear. A spiritual brain washer. There is no heaven, hell or final judgment. There is only a book, a spirit within, and those with the mysterious power to pervert our relationship with that spirit.
==========H==========
Human existence becomes threatened if we give up on ourselves. And when God dies, the human race comes very close to doing just that. The dove and dovinities come to earth, not for them to save us, nor for us to save them, but for us to save us.
I picture a near-closing scene where the dove dies, and after several minutes of global quiet, the sky begins filling with doves. It leaves us with the whole impression of "this thing is bigger still."
==========R==========
Yeah, that's way better than pulling back to another dimension. Bring the dimension to humanity. Magical goodness.
==========H==========
Kind of like how we make the idea of God so small because the church and the Bible have it all figured out, so to speak. Therefore, we think we understand God. Then we learn that it's bigger than Jehovah (or Yahweh or Allah or Brahma.) In our tale, we learn that the dove is bigger than God. A typical danger would be to replace God with the dove (or in reality, whatever comes after God.) The flock of doves at the end would be the reminder that no matter what we think, we will always be wrong. As Ayn Rand said, there is no object worthy of worship but man. So we must place humanity at the center of our lives and hearts. Not in egotistical, self-serving idolatry, but in holding the most prominent place of our focus. All our love and devotion goes to each other and ourselves. And through that, we finally know peace.
==========R==========
Rand is smart. Humanity is all we know for sure. Most posses the ability to experience something that feels larger than themselves. And though whatever it is we feel outside of ourselves, we can't believe that it's only us. But it's us, not God. Brahman. What if Xians poured out their hearts to the person next to them on the pew, excuse me, office chair, rather than a "heavenly" deity. What if we went to church to worship one another. What would that service look like?
==========H==========
One last thought. I suppose it's possible that when it's all over, the conflict may be seen as less than real if it turns out that the dove is not saved and it didn't matter anyway. Maybe the way to handle that is to have the death of the dove a result of a choice. Like the little girl who saved it... maybe she's in danger. Our hero(es) know they must save the dove or the dovinities perish (I think the dovinities may need to be in the dark about the whole humanity thing).
==========R==========
Ah. The dove knows but the parts of the whole don't. I like it.
==========H==========
Anyway, the protagonist(s) know they need to save the dove, but the little girl is in peril, and in spite of the potential for everything unexisting, they choose to save the girl. And that means they save themselves. If they had chosen the dove, it would represent giving up on humanity for a concept--as so many Christians do, and probably other religions, too. That would have meant the end of all humanity. Instead, they decide that humans are more important than intangible notions.
==========R==========
Love it. Everyone lives happily ever after. Sort of. At least we're not killing a dog.
I think it's not so much that humans have to resist angels, so much as it is the angels are like the henchman vying for their dead mob boss' position, if that makes sense. Still fleshing that one out. I figure if God dies and the humans don't, the angels wouldn't either, and they'd finally have autonomy to pick a path. I don't know - I'm open to ideas there.
==========R==========
Interesting. I like the path thing. Suddenly humanity experiences an influx of supernatural phenomena as spiritual beings struggle to find a new way of balanced existence. In addition to dealing with their own spiritual realm, they're no longer alone (at least from the way I understand the story so far. Correct me if I'm wrong). They must respond to a new set of deities.
==========H==========
I wonder... if the dove dies, the dovinity incarnations cease to exist, but then there are more and more incarnations, sort of like a fractal turned inside out, constantly growing and expanding. Isn't that what they say about the universe? Why not consciousness? Divinity? So if the dove dies, and everyone, including the dovinities (if that's the word), thinks all life will perish, but they don't... it's sort of like peeling back yet another layer. And ultimately, the layers would finally fold back in on themselves. People exist because people exist. There are a million jumps in between, but it's sort of the cycle of spirit, I guess. Hey, this is great: take the idea of Brahman and turn it around. Instead of saying we're tapped into Brahman, we could say that Brahman is tapped into us. In that way, it's not that God lives in us, but we live in God--God "existed" because WE existed. It's still hazy, but I think I like this idea.
==========R==========
Exactly. We're to God as the demigods are to the Dove - kind of.
==========H==========
It's not even the dove that gives us life. Hmm... there's got to be a succint way to phrase this. ... ... ... Thinking. ... ... ... Maybe like this. When all things are weighed, we are not subservient to anything but ourselves. And we ARE subservient to ourselves. That's where the whole salvation lies... in ourselves.
==========R==========
Salvation. A human concept to instill fear. A spiritual brain washer. There is no heaven, hell or final judgment. There is only a book, a spirit within, and those with the mysterious power to pervert our relationship with that spirit.
==========H==========
Human existence becomes threatened if we give up on ourselves. And when God dies, the human race comes very close to doing just that. The dove and dovinities come to earth, not for them to save us, nor for us to save them, but for us to save us.
I picture a near-closing scene where the dove dies, and after several minutes of global quiet, the sky begins filling with doves. It leaves us with the whole impression of "this thing is bigger still."
==========R==========
Yeah, that's way better than pulling back to another dimension. Bring the dimension to humanity. Magical goodness.
==========H==========
Kind of like how we make the idea of God so small because the church and the Bible have it all figured out, so to speak. Therefore, we think we understand God. Then we learn that it's bigger than Jehovah (or Yahweh or Allah or Brahma.) In our tale, we learn that the dove is bigger than God. A typical danger would be to replace God with the dove (or in reality, whatever comes after God.) The flock of doves at the end would be the reminder that no matter what we think, we will always be wrong. As Ayn Rand said, there is no object worthy of worship but man. So we must place humanity at the center of our lives and hearts. Not in egotistical, self-serving idolatry, but in holding the most prominent place of our focus. All our love and devotion goes to each other and ourselves. And through that, we finally know peace.
==========R==========
Rand is smart. Humanity is all we know for sure. Most posses the ability to experience something that feels larger than themselves. And though whatever it is we feel outside of ourselves, we can't believe that it's only us. But it's us, not God. Brahman. What if Xians poured out their hearts to the person next to them on the pew, excuse me, office chair, rather than a "heavenly" deity. What if we went to church to worship one another. What would that service look like?
==========H==========
One last thought. I suppose it's possible that when it's all over, the conflict may be seen as less than real if it turns out that the dove is not saved and it didn't matter anyway. Maybe the way to handle that is to have the death of the dove a result of a choice. Like the little girl who saved it... maybe she's in danger. Our hero(es) know they must save the dove or the dovinities perish (I think the dovinities may need to be in the dark about the whole humanity thing).
==========R==========
Ah. The dove knows but the parts of the whole don't. I like it.
==========H==========
Anyway, the protagonist(s) know they need to save the dove, but the little girl is in peril, and in spite of the potential for everything unexisting, they choose to save the girl. And that means they save themselves. If they had chosen the dove, it would represent giving up on humanity for a concept--as so many Christians do, and probably other religions, too. That would have meant the end of all humanity. Instead, they decide that humans are more important than intangible notions.
==========R==========
Love it. Everyone lives happily ever after. Sort of. At least we're not killing a dog.
More Early Brainstorming
==========R==========
Once upon a time there was a god.
This god, neither good nor evil, chose to appear as a dove. Everywhere. Above. Looking down. Watching from afar. This dove was powerful but not alone. Smaller gods that lived in balance with one another created the nucleus that allowed the dove god to exist. Some were unaware of each others' existence. All lived their own existences in the ether of their collective energy.
The Healer
Toward the outer core of the dove's life force existed the Healer. It discovered brokenness, cracks, and whirlpools and then meditated with, sometimes touched, any phenomenon that sought to destroy or threaten the dove. Driven by the fear of destruction the demigod created the illusion around itself of a shadow puppet with childlike inhibition. The child god would never rest its playing, healing.
The Trammeller
A threat to the Healer, the Trammeller roamed celestial prairies seeking the ancient shadows of the dove. The shadows traversed the skies only revealing themselves in the light of the dove. Hunting the light side of the shadow with traps, she could give herself sustenance, returning to the dove what would otherwise be lost to that which lies beyond the reach of the dove.
The Beckoner
At will, this god, a conduit of energy the Trammeller releases, can call the dove into existence.
The Prophet
Feeling the ever-changing tides of the doves energy, the androgynous prophet could see the fractal like patterns of order within the chaos.
==========H==========
So here's what I'm thinking. In our story, God was basically the Lucifer character in Paradise Lost. God challenged the dove, saying he would not be held down or subject to any other being. He is cast aside, ignored. He creates his own batch of things, angels, earth, etc. Tries to rule well, but demands the allegiance he himself would not give. Lucifer rises against him out of principle, knowing full well God's defiance of the dove, and hoping to teach God a lesson. Instead, God banishes him from heaven, unwittingly elevating Lucifer to equality with himself. Hence the yin-yang. The dove encompasses light and dark, good and evil. God and Lucifer are now the separate entities of the two sides, and must coexist (or simultaneously "unexist") because of the nature of the dove.
God amasses his army, as does Lucifer, over millennia, preparing for the final conflict. Both are destroyed, leaving angels without leaders and humans without deities. The enormous "explosion" that resulted (literally and metaphorically) from this conflict has scattered the demigods, leaving the dove near extinction. (I picture a wounded, barely-alive pigeon, found by a little girl and kept hidden and safe in a shoebox in a ghetto somewhere.) Meanwhile, the demigods must use their natures to influence humans to resist angels (which are warring to fill the vacuum left by God and Lucifer—more like gang/guerrilla war than organized) and ultimately restore the dove to its place.
There must be some consequence for humans if the dove is not restored—I'm still not sure what that would be. Maybe something like the Hindu idea of Brahman. Yeah! That would totally work. When a Hindu is fully aware, he realizes that he is not a creation of God, but he actually IS God. A part of God, which encompasses all. Brahman. What about that? Or is the dove simply a Watcher? I could see a conversation at the end where people ask, "Well, if we are all the dove, how did God create us?" And the reply could be, "Who do you think gave God the power to do that?"
==========R==========
I like the parallel gods thing - the dove and God. It can give us a chance to compare and contrast ideas we're exploring. Also, what if the dove were one in a flock of infinity? Or would that cheapen the struggle the dove and God experience?
The image of the broken dove is sweet. That a human has power (I don't like the word power) to restore the dove to some level of well being.
We could take the last paragraph even further with: "Oh my god, we can't lose the...." the dove dies. We back away from humanity's reality to find the flock of infinity. Reminding us of how blind our minds can be, how powerless power is and how far our hearts need to open.
Unless I'm just not getting it, why are the humans encouraged to resist the angels?
What if we could create a believable shift in the heart or meme of humanity as a result of God's death? I'm not sure what humankind's next step would be, but it'd cool to see the beginning of it. A new hope of some kind maybe.
Once upon a time there was a god.
This god, neither good nor evil, chose to appear as a dove. Everywhere. Above. Looking down. Watching from afar. This dove was powerful but not alone. Smaller gods that lived in balance with one another created the nucleus that allowed the dove god to exist. Some were unaware of each others' existence. All lived their own existences in the ether of their collective energy.
The Healer
Toward the outer core of the dove's life force existed the Healer. It discovered brokenness, cracks, and whirlpools and then meditated with, sometimes touched, any phenomenon that sought to destroy or threaten the dove. Driven by the fear of destruction the demigod created the illusion around itself of a shadow puppet with childlike inhibition. The child god would never rest its playing, healing.
The Trammeller
A threat to the Healer, the Trammeller roamed celestial prairies seeking the ancient shadows of the dove. The shadows traversed the skies only revealing themselves in the light of the dove. Hunting the light side of the shadow with traps, she could give herself sustenance, returning to the dove what would otherwise be lost to that which lies beyond the reach of the dove.
The Beckoner
At will, this god, a conduit of energy the Trammeller releases, can call the dove into existence.
The Prophet
Feeling the ever-changing tides of the doves energy, the androgynous prophet could see the fractal like patterns of order within the chaos.
==========H==========
So here's what I'm thinking. In our story, God was basically the Lucifer character in Paradise Lost. God challenged the dove, saying he would not be held down or subject to any other being. He is cast aside, ignored. He creates his own batch of things, angels, earth, etc. Tries to rule well, but demands the allegiance he himself would not give. Lucifer rises against him out of principle, knowing full well God's defiance of the dove, and hoping to teach God a lesson. Instead, God banishes him from heaven, unwittingly elevating Lucifer to equality with himself. Hence the yin-yang. The dove encompasses light and dark, good and evil. God and Lucifer are now the separate entities of the two sides, and must coexist (or simultaneously "unexist") because of the nature of the dove.
God amasses his army, as does Lucifer, over millennia, preparing for the final conflict. Both are destroyed, leaving angels without leaders and humans without deities. The enormous "explosion" that resulted (literally and metaphorically) from this conflict has scattered the demigods, leaving the dove near extinction. (I picture a wounded, barely-alive pigeon, found by a little girl and kept hidden and safe in a shoebox in a ghetto somewhere.) Meanwhile, the demigods must use their natures to influence humans to resist angels (which are warring to fill the vacuum left by God and Lucifer—more like gang/guerrilla war than organized) and ultimately restore the dove to its place.
There must be some consequence for humans if the dove is not restored—I'm still not sure what that would be. Maybe something like the Hindu idea of Brahman. Yeah! That would totally work. When a Hindu is fully aware, he realizes that he is not a creation of God, but he actually IS God. A part of God, which encompasses all. Brahman. What about that? Or is the dove simply a Watcher? I could see a conversation at the end where people ask, "Well, if we are all the dove, how did God create us?" And the reply could be, "Who do you think gave God the power to do that?"
==========R==========
I like the parallel gods thing - the dove and God. It can give us a chance to compare and contrast ideas we're exploring. Also, what if the dove were one in a flock of infinity? Or would that cheapen the struggle the dove and God experience?
The image of the broken dove is sweet. That a human has power (I don't like the word power) to restore the dove to some level of well being.
We could take the last paragraph even further with: "Oh my god, we can't lose the...." the dove dies. We back away from humanity's reality to find the flock of infinity. Reminding us of how blind our minds can be, how powerless power is and how far our hearts need to open.
Unless I'm just not getting it, why are the humans encouraged to resist the angels?
What if we could create a believable shift in the heart or meme of humanity as a result of God's death? I'm not sure what humankind's next step would be, but it'd cool to see the beginning of it. A new hope of some kind maybe.
Early Brainstorms
I'm sure this is one of many similar posts, using ideas we've thrown back and forth. This may get long, but I want to keep the thread of conversation together.
==========H==========
I was thinking about all the people that choose a particular way of life, at least for a period of time, because they think it's cool. Like skinheads who think they're being tough, but don't really understand what they're appearing to stand for. Or even southerners who fly the rebel flag. Or particularly Christians who believe what they want to believe, regardless of what the Bible says. Or goth kids. Or whatever. I don't like it when people don't think.
So I want to use this to really push people - make them angry - find out why. So it bothers you that we killed God? Why?
==========R==========
The question: if God exists why does s/he allow so much pain, has always been a moot question for me. Freewill is a cop out. God may as well be dead.
God is a means to an end. At least in our society. A means to be elected. A means for happiness and joy. A wall to cry to. But that's something I suppose. To me God is the invisible thread that binds the elements together. A meme. I'm creating my own spirituality. Embracing primal pagan impulses. Light and dark. Highlight and Shadow.
The urge to love is the urge to love. Imagine what our society would be like if we didn't have laws or socially accepted forms of love. Freely able to express genuine love however we pleased. Off subject a bit, but Xianity censors love.
Xianity presupposes a natural social and physical order of the world. Men have dominion over women, humans have dominion over animal. What if that was turned upside down. Aliens don't exist blah blah blah. Nothing new to think out but it's such a part of our world view we forget it's there. We're hardwired that way.
And we can't forget about Lucifer. If God is dead, we should, as you suggested, have them kill each other off. I love that. Where does that leave us? And how, if at some level a large majority of people in the world don' t feel that God or Satan are real entities or forces at work in their lives or the world around them, do we set a stage to feel their loss without being gratuitously manipulative.
I like the idea you mentioned of a supernatural humanoid visiting someone in our plane of existence and falling in love.
What might an antagonist be?
The idea of an atheist getting scientific proof that God exists only to have God's ashes fall on his/her forehead is great.
==========H==========
Christianity does more than censor love, in my opinion. It does limit it, but it also displaces it. Love your wife as Christ loved the church? Love each other as I have loved you? And my personal favorite, anyone that loves is of God, and anyone who is not of God does not love. Give me a break. I want to love my wife as I love my wife. And we should love each other, not because some cosmic being loves us, but because we are all connected, and loving ourselves is loving each other is loving ourselves. The Net of Indra.
I think that a large population do believe in God, whether or not they act like it. So to hear that God – their God, whatever – is definitely gone, there would be a sense of loss. And I think it would settle on the population like a film, rather than the few Baptist churches that would burst into flames. That green image you sent that I turned to orange... that's the idea for me. The whole world would feel the repercussions, like the ash from a volcano, affecting everything with its microdust. The effect of their deaths is as much reflected in people's attitudes as anything, though I think there should be some natural effects. Maybe the ash thing is appropriate. Might be a starting place, anyway.
As far as antagonists, I think that The Order fits that bill. But we'll also need a contagonist. Think of it from a Star Wars point of view. The Order is The Empire. Darth Vader is the contagonist. The antagonist is diametrically opposed to the protagonist, but the contagonist tries to thwart the attempts of the protagonist. So I'd like to see a large, faceless organization with an attack dog. Our hero needs to be human, I think, but have an Obi Wan – that could be the former angel. Falling in love would be a cool angle, because it confuses him and makes him wonder if being an angel and loving none but God... idea... say that God does "absorb" love. Maybe the whole thing about censored and displaced love isn't just a man-invention as part of the religion, but that it's actually true? What if God diverts love for himself? Sheesh, what if we find out after God is dead just how selfish he really was? Really, is it possible for God to be a jerk, and Lucifer to simply be misunderstood? I don't want to get too sympathetic here, but when you consider the history between the two, Lucifer's motives aren't exactly hard to relate to. Maybe herein lies the yin-yang. God and Lucifer are truly counterparts. OH SHIT – what if they both die because they both HAVE to die? When God banished Lucifer, he didn't realize that he was making Lucifer his equal, actually bringing the whole universe into balance? Before time existed, there was God. God begins to create. If Adam and Eve were created without sin, there was no evil, and really, no free will yet. There was nothing bad to choose. So what made Adam and Eve any different from the angels? So God knows that he'll never have autonomous creations, and it's really bugging him. Getting love from the angels is sort of like cosmic rape – they have no choice. He wants some "honest" love. So... get this – he SETS LUCIFER UP to come against him in front of all creation. He makes Lucifer look like the bad guy and casts him off, thereby imposing a celestial yin-yang scenario. God is light, Lucifer is dark. They're intertwined. Consider: the entire religion of Christianity is solely to defeat Lucifer. Why does Lucifer have that much power? Why is God willing to sacrifice so many people (non-Christians) in his all-loving, all-knowing plan, his will that "none should perish"? What if it's to cover his tracks? Or what if Lucifer really is equal to God? In short, when God "ensures" Lucifer's defeat at Armageddon, he also destroys himself. The balance is gone, and the volitale "atom" breaks apart, causing a sort of nuclear explosion felt round the galaxy.
One other thing to consider – what if God isn't THE God. Like the idea of The Watcher in the Marvel comics. He can do everything we expect God can do, but he's just one of many. If you didn't know anything about gods and mythology and then met a demigod, wouldn't you think of that demigod as a god? You wouldn't stop to think: "wait, what if there's some kind of being even MORE powerful that this guy?"
==========R==========
God's/Satan's death - minutiae I know, but here it is. The "blood" of God fall's around the world like the sparks from a sparkler but with the weight of snow and actually fall far enough to catch in the hand without burning. At the same time hail falls to symbolize the death of Satan. There needs to be something magical about the hail but i'm not sure what. Adding to the nuclear explosion, it'd be cool to see glass, a car windshield maybe, freeze/frost over and melt in repeated flickering waves . And instead of shadows branding buildings light could "doge" buildings and glow at night.
==========H==========
Remember the hail in the exodus story? Hail with burning fire inside. There's this phenomena when the right sort of volcanic explosion happens where the lava goes so high it actually moisturizes the air, freezes, and then falls to earth with fire INSIDE THE ICE. Crazy. But it not only is reported in the Bible, it's been documented in Africa in the 1980s. We should steal that.
==========H==========
I was thinking about all the people that choose a particular way of life, at least for a period of time, because they think it's cool. Like skinheads who think they're being tough, but don't really understand what they're appearing to stand for. Or even southerners who fly the rebel flag. Or particularly Christians who believe what they want to believe, regardless of what the Bible says. Or goth kids. Or whatever. I don't like it when people don't think.
So I want to use this to really push people - make them angry - find out why. So it bothers you that we killed God? Why?
==========R==========
The question: if God exists why does s/he allow so much pain, has always been a moot question for me. Freewill is a cop out. God may as well be dead.
God is a means to an end. At least in our society. A means to be elected. A means for happiness and joy. A wall to cry to. But that's something I suppose. To me God is the invisible thread that binds the elements together. A meme. I'm creating my own spirituality. Embracing primal pagan impulses. Light and dark. Highlight and Shadow.
The urge to love is the urge to love. Imagine what our society would be like if we didn't have laws or socially accepted forms of love. Freely able to express genuine love however we pleased. Off subject a bit, but Xianity censors love.
Xianity presupposes a natural social and physical order of the world. Men have dominion over women, humans have dominion over animal. What if that was turned upside down. Aliens don't exist blah blah blah. Nothing new to think out but it's such a part of our world view we forget it's there. We're hardwired that way.
And we can't forget about Lucifer. If God is dead, we should, as you suggested, have them kill each other off. I love that. Where does that leave us? And how, if at some level a large majority of people in the world don' t feel that God or Satan are real entities or forces at work in their lives or the world around them, do we set a stage to feel their loss without being gratuitously manipulative.
I like the idea you mentioned of a supernatural humanoid visiting someone in our plane of existence and falling in love.
What might an antagonist be?
The idea of an atheist getting scientific proof that God exists only to have God's ashes fall on his/her forehead is great.
==========H==========
Christianity does more than censor love, in my opinion. It does limit it, but it also displaces it. Love your wife as Christ loved the church? Love each other as I have loved you? And my personal favorite, anyone that loves is of God, and anyone who is not of God does not love. Give me a break. I want to love my wife as I love my wife. And we should love each other, not because some cosmic being loves us, but because we are all connected, and loving ourselves is loving each other is loving ourselves. The Net of Indra.
I think that a large population do believe in God, whether or not they act like it. So to hear that God – their God, whatever – is definitely gone, there would be a sense of loss. And I think it would settle on the population like a film, rather than the few Baptist churches that would burst into flames. That green image you sent that I turned to orange... that's the idea for me. The whole world would feel the repercussions, like the ash from a volcano, affecting everything with its microdust. The effect of their deaths is as much reflected in people's attitudes as anything, though I think there should be some natural effects. Maybe the ash thing is appropriate. Might be a starting place, anyway.
As far as antagonists, I think that The Order fits that bill. But we'll also need a contagonist. Think of it from a Star Wars point of view. The Order is The Empire. Darth Vader is the contagonist. The antagonist is diametrically opposed to the protagonist, but the contagonist tries to thwart the attempts of the protagonist. So I'd like to see a large, faceless organization with an attack dog. Our hero needs to be human, I think, but have an Obi Wan – that could be the former angel. Falling in love would be a cool angle, because it confuses him and makes him wonder if being an angel and loving none but God... idea... say that God does "absorb" love. Maybe the whole thing about censored and displaced love isn't just a man-invention as part of the religion, but that it's actually true? What if God diverts love for himself? Sheesh, what if we find out after God is dead just how selfish he really was? Really, is it possible for God to be a jerk, and Lucifer to simply be misunderstood? I don't want to get too sympathetic here, but when you consider the history between the two, Lucifer's motives aren't exactly hard to relate to. Maybe herein lies the yin-yang. God and Lucifer are truly counterparts. OH SHIT – what if they both die because they both HAVE to die? When God banished Lucifer, he didn't realize that he was making Lucifer his equal, actually bringing the whole universe into balance? Before time existed, there was God. God begins to create. If Adam and Eve were created without sin, there was no evil, and really, no free will yet. There was nothing bad to choose. So what made Adam and Eve any different from the angels? So God knows that he'll never have autonomous creations, and it's really bugging him. Getting love from the angels is sort of like cosmic rape – they have no choice. He wants some "honest" love. So... get this – he SETS LUCIFER UP to come against him in front of all creation. He makes Lucifer look like the bad guy and casts him off, thereby imposing a celestial yin-yang scenario. God is light, Lucifer is dark. They're intertwined. Consider: the entire religion of Christianity is solely to defeat Lucifer. Why does Lucifer have that much power? Why is God willing to sacrifice so many people (non-Christians) in his all-loving, all-knowing plan, his will that "none should perish"? What if it's to cover his tracks? Or what if Lucifer really is equal to God? In short, when God "ensures" Lucifer's defeat at Armageddon, he also destroys himself. The balance is gone, and the volitale "atom" breaks apart, causing a sort of nuclear explosion felt round the galaxy.
One other thing to consider – what if God isn't THE God. Like the idea of The Watcher in the Marvel comics. He can do everything we expect God can do, but he's just one of many. If you didn't know anything about gods and mythology and then met a demigod, wouldn't you think of that demigod as a god? You wouldn't stop to think: "wait, what if there's some kind of being even MORE powerful that this guy?"
==========R==========
God's/Satan's death - minutiae I know, but here it is. The "blood" of God fall's around the world like the sparks from a sparkler but with the weight of snow and actually fall far enough to catch in the hand without burning. At the same time hail falls to symbolize the death of Satan. There needs to be something magical about the hail but i'm not sure what. Adding to the nuclear explosion, it'd be cool to see glass, a car windshield maybe, freeze/frost over and melt in repeated flickering waves . And instead of shadows branding buildings light could "doge" buildings and glow at night.
==========H==========
Remember the hail in the exodus story? Hail with burning fire inside. There's this phenomena when the right sort of volcanic explosion happens where the lava goes so high it actually moisturizes the air, freezes, and then falls to earth with fire INSIDE THE ICE. Crazy. But it not only is reported in the Bible, it's been documented in Africa in the 1980s. We should steal that.
It's Time
So this is the blog. It's long overdue, and this is just a first stab at a look, so feel free to toss some designs at me. You're the artist.
I think we'll make this private once you join, and then keep it so until we feel there is something worth turning to the outside. I'm going to work on an simplified outline for the entire story arc over the weekend, and then move into a more detailed rough of the first installment.
Also, I think we ought to start posting some of the items here that we've traded back and forth (i.e. images and story ideas). I'll get started on that later today if I have time.
Glad we're moving forward.
I think we'll make this private once you join, and then keep it so until we feel there is something worth turning to the outside. I'm going to work on an simplified outline for the entire story arc over the weekend, and then move into a more detailed rough of the first installment.
Also, I think we ought to start posting some of the items here that we've traded back and forth (i.e. images and story ideas). I'll get started on that later today if I have time.
Glad we're moving forward.
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