Short Fiction: One Hundred Minus One,

The following is a writing assignment I had for school way back in 2008. It's a means of showing the nature of one of the creatures of my fantasy novel that I've been working on off and on for the past...wow, almost seven years. I think these little things are important in fantasy world-building. I love all the poems and songs and little tidbits of culture that permeate Tolkien's work. Half the reason I have been working on the novel for so long is because I am really shooting for that depth of creation that Tolkien had. I want my world, the peoples and places and creatures, to feel real to the reader.

One Hundred Minus One

The full moon shone brightly over the earth, filling the sky with its ethereal light. The stars glinted in the sky, little pinpricks of light, forming the constellations of the heavens. All was peace and tranquility under that heavenly beacon. Below the moon, a hundred throats lifted their voices in song, weaving a melody of beauty and wonder. The Elorí watched the moon as they sang their song, wondering at its light and majesty; reveling in the touch of its glow.

Thoughts on Star Wars

I grew up on Star Wars. I reveled in the epic thrills of laser shootouts, lightsaber combat, space dogfights, and the struggle of a small rebellion against one of the most awesome villains brought to cinema. I emulated them in my playtime. LEGO, "House" (which was really a catch all for any sort of improv acting we kids partook in), books, and the occasional video game at a friend's house; all were permeated by the incredible variety of adventures offered by the limitless galaxy far far away...

...Then I got older...

...And the prequels happened...

Episode I: Phantom Menace, came out when I was 8 years old. By then I was old enough to recognize bad acting and poorly-written dialogue when I saw it. But the incredible finale between Jedi and Sith warriors made up for it. But then the second one happened, and I knew Lucas was overreaching. (Episode III wasn't that bad...compared to the previous one at least. Don't even get me started on that lame excuse for a TV show they have going)

So I turned to books for my Star Wars fix. Timothy Zahn, Michael Stackpole, Kevin J. Anderson, and others I have by now forgotten; they were what kept me up late into the night, reading. I read almost every novel our library contained that was stamped with the iconic logo before I got tired of them. The plots became generic. Every novel with a Jedi character became a slugfest of trying to one-up any previous author on creative and bizarre ways to use the Force. When Jacen Solo survived falling from the top of a spacescraper (like a skyscraper, but much taller), my eyes were opened to just how lame the novels had become.

I moved on. I was still a great Star Wars fan, but it did not occupy much of my time as it used to. I had hopes for the Clone Wars show (oh great, I got started), but the writing and acting is even worse than Attack of the Clones. I think I'll leave it at that.

But then come trailers for this new MMORPG that Lucas has coming out. The Old Republic? For those of you who have seen, you know what I'm talking about. For those who haven't...well...I've got one thing to say:

This is how Star Wars should have been...





Enjoy?

~Tommy

P.S. It's about time someone dropped me a comment...kthanx :)

Larger Than Life Figures (con't from Master Puppeteer)

So I think I figured it out. What is it about the Muppets that inspired my childhood? Two words: Personality and Diversity.

PERSONALITY


Let's face it. The Muppets have wild personalities. From Kermit to Gonzo to Beaker to Bert to Oscar to Animal to the Fraggles, such incredibly wild personalities exist inside each one of them. They're not cookie cutter characters like we get in most fiction these days. I could name any number of rather flat, unimaginative character archetypes that have been used and are still being used in most fiction these days. Especially in Disney movies, with their never-ending catering to children with the same stories told again and again and again. Seriously, how many variations on a princess theme can you have? A wizard theme? Seriously. No, the Muppets certainly weren't flat characters. And I think that more than anything has influenced my creative enterprises.


DIVERSITY


A second point about the Muppets is the incredible variation amongst them. They are an incredibly eclectic group. Not one of them is like any other. We have talking animals, aliens, "people" with impossible skin tones, monsters, random furry creatures with bugles on their heads that can make noise by squeezing their noses (?), et cetera. How many movies are there where the protagonists are all of a kind, except for the token minority or alien--if even that? No, there is beauty in diversity. I appreciate this about the Muppets, and the shows they are featured on.

So that is my final analysis, which I had not even planned on making really. I hope you have enjoyed this random walk through the mind of a rather odd college student.


By the way, which title would make you more likely to read: "Master Puppeteer"? Or "Puppet Master"?


~ Tommy