Shiva13

Notes on the Silent Invasion. This was one of the most difficult aspects in the three books to write. An invasion of earth masterminded by a superheroine. Definitely something shocking to be certain. And I wasn't sure how it would be accepted. I had trouble accepting it as I wrote it. It wewas definitely something not done before. The Silent Invasion didn't kill anybody. Nobody died as a result of it. It was like a lightning strike. There, done, and everybody had to deal with it. And it forever changed the world. The greatest aspiration of any character in heroic fiction is to make a real difference. And this was the realization of one person's dream. A huge step toward ending hunger, disease, and strife in the world. To truly make the world a better place. To be a world that no longer needed heroes.

Book 3: The Silent Invasion It happened quickly. In less than 24 hours, it struck worldwide. Organic seeming pods appeared and crashed into every power system, every region where toxic substances had been dumped, ever silow containing a radiological or biological weapon. The pods devoured those substances and power systems immediately, Causing a worldwide power outage. But before the panic could even begin, the power had flashed back on and a broadband transmission hit across every medium. "All people have basic rights and needs. Energy, power, food, medical aid should belong to the people. Unrestrained and unrestricted. You will never go without those basic needs again, or be slaves to profiteers who hold those things hostage. We are here to help. We are here to work with you and make a difference. We are The Hive." Hive representatives immediately submitted to United Nations aegis. Offered absolutely no resistance in allowing inspections of their facilities. Screams of infringement on national sovereignty came from virtually every country. But The Hive delivered everything they promised from the outset. While acting as the new caretakers of the planet's energy system. But there was also a price to be paid. The Hive demanded from the governments of the world equal education for everyone, so every individual could live up to their potential. That the governments cooperate, or The Hive would take matters into their own hands The UN agreed. And the Hive accepted it's outlined role in the society of Earth. As quiet caretakers of resources individual governments had show time and again incapable of caring for themselves. Starvation and disease found a new enemy in the Hive. As people worldwide were finding that the Hive's generousity was unparalleled. The Hive's belief that everyone could reach their potential if freed from the mundane concerns of chasing after basic necessities of existance was always in the forefront. The belief that every individual could shine if simply given the opportunity. But the biggest shock came in a Hive transmission. One originating from another world. Revealing that the Hive was the legacy of a heroine thought long dead. Someone who always put the needs of others before her own. And that she masterminded the Silent Invasion, to save the world once again. Not from any villain this time. But from the strangehold of basic human greed.

Book 3: Xenophage; Death and rebirth of a species. They were called The Phage. Designed as weapon by a forgotten race constantly embroiled in an endless state of war. But it all went horribly wrong. The Phage escaped and annihilated their creators. Living biological weapons, these creatures attacked and consumed everything in their path. Incorporating the DNA of their prey into their system to augment themselves. The Phage became a living self-evolving menace that became feared universally by the civilizations that survived contact with it. After an incalculable amount of time, the number of individual members of the Phage dwindled, as they ran out of new DNA keep them strong, The Phage invariably found itself dying from stagnation. The final member of the Phage crashed into a primordial world. One full of titanic lifeforms. And even in absorbing some of the DNA from lifeforms it found and ate, it seemed too far gone to handle absorption of the extraordinarily hardy genetic matter from the animals it encountered. The creature barely kept itself going. But had enough time to use the knowledge it had to grow a biotechnological shelter, using the mish-mash of scientific knowledge it carried. One day, while hunting not far off from its shelter, it detected something strange in the air. The sonic boom was enormous. There was no way to determine the direction it came from. But the smell of blood filled the air and something hit the ground, skipping like a stone at high velocity. The Phage-being chased down the fallen object to find that it was a lifeform, missing part of two limbs and bleeding massively. When it touched the fallen woman, the DNA rush as overwhelming. Compatible DNA flooded its system immediately, triggering rapid changes in the creatures very being. After recovering from the rapid shock of rejuvination, it felt instincts it never felt before. Concern, compassion. It knew it had to act quickly to save this woman.... Woman? It had never even considered this distinction or definition before. It acted quickly, sealing the woman's wounds. Then took the unconscious woman back to it's lair, it's hive. It left the woman a bio-lab and left the hive's systems to start repairing the woman's damage. Then stumbled into its own sleep chamber and passed out. Later that night, the Phage ended as a species. Even with the infusion of the woman's DNA, the creature's end had come. But before dying, it laid several eggs and infused the hive with the DNA it had absorbed. She woke up on what looked like a table. Her body aching. She looked down at the source of pain and saw a carapace over the limbs she was sure she lost. not knowing what to do, she tried to get up and was met with a soft voice. Out of the wall appared an alien looking woman who comforted her and told her she needed to be careful, that she needed time to heal. Weeks turned into months. And her strange companion was with her every step of the way. Teaching her what it knew about the strange world they were on, and the truth about the creature who saved her, and giving hope that she might be able to return home to Earth someday. Then they hatched. The eggs left by the Xenophage. They crawled their way out of what had become their nest and found the woman. And the woman was shocked to see what looked like over a dozen teenage girls. But the hiss coming out of their mouthes and the non-human extremeties betrayed their inhuman origin the moment they came into the light. They approached the woman and just stared at her. And even more of the creatures appeared in the door. One word came out of the mouth of the lead creature. "Queen".

Re: A rundown on some material in some books I have been writing. That form of short summary I think is best made after completion.

Second book: Hidden civilization, rise of a species. During prehistory they largely kept out of the way of larger creatures and the Saurians. Sticking mainly to trees and hidden caves. They hunted and took from the land just what they needed. It was a quiet idyllic existance for most. But it ended when the massive objects started coming out of the sky. The fighting that ensued terrified them. And they did their best to avoid being seen at all. Taking refuge where they could. Staying out of sight of the strangers that were slaughtering animals left and right, and those fighting with them. Then most of the strangers left and the fighting stopped. After a long time of watching the remaining strangers, the peaceful people's curiousity overcame their fear. The technology and things these strangers had an irresistable pull. And an uneasy kinship soon developed between the strangers and the timid people. Then an upheaval happened. Some of the people from the sky returned and started slaughtering more animals. Seeiming like a scream of rage, the world seemed to lash out in anger. Leaving individuals of silent people and the strangers changed into something new, something very powerful. But this time, things were different. The silent people joined in to defend their home, alongside of those they developed kinship with. This War Of Magic, this War Of The Gods created massive upheaval. but finally ended in victory. Something that would cause everyone to make a brand new beginning. Early civilizations were formed. And in one of the greatest, Egypt, the silent people were given a role as custodians, protectors of the monuments left in to remind future generations of the sacrifices that had been made. It was decided early in the formation of Egypt that masks would be worn by the silent people to keep their eyes hidden from public view, to avoid causing public panic. These animal masks would soon become extremely popular with the general public. But things changed. The happy existance in Egpyt would change. New belief systems would take popularity and the Silent People would soon find their place in society no longer as stable as it once was. So the decision a bulk of them was to depart along the trade routes to the east and join their kinsmen there. Those who chose to remain withstood the rise of monothiesm, and then the conquest of Egypt by Rome. And for a time, the Romans accepted them and the old ways. But after Rome fell and the rise of the civilizations afterward, the silent people still left in Europe would be driven to extinction by the forces of intolerance. In Asia, deals were struck with the warlords there to allow the silent people to live in peace, without interference. But the price would be that they woulde never challenge the authority of those in power and to occasionally do their bidding. It was a hard thing to take. As much of the comforts of civilization they had come to enjoy would simply no longer be accessible. Living in villages along with those who retained kinship with them, they became used to a quiet existance. Their numbers dwindled simply because of lack of resources. And the kinsman would enact several severe policies that would both keep them out of sight and safe from any sort of acts of genocide by the whims of anyone new who came to power. And it stayed that way for centuries. But after WW2, because of the sheer amount of death caused in the pacific rim, these villages would decide it was time to come out of hiding to help the wounded and dying. This act of compasion would forever change how most of the governments in that area looked at them. Eventually, it was decided a period of slow introduction would be enacted. So as not to cause a mass panic or backlash. After the death of Cheetah, things changed radically. As a young woman with the very same strange eyes was seen running in the direction of fallen heroine. It would be later discovered that young woman was Cheetah's daughter. In a veritable public tidal wave, people in the media in those countries would reveal they also had the same strange eyes. In the streets, people who appeared absolutely normal would reveal those same eyes and stand up proud. Their time had come. Spealing in one voice, they would demand an equal role in their various societies. Felid Sapiens. Human beings born of a feline, instead of primate ancestory. All hell broke loose in the press worldwide as the true story had come out. That an entire species of people had been kept secret from general view by many of the world's most powerful governments. Overwhelmingly accepted by the general public in their native countries, they would finally gain the equality they craved after so long.

Psion civilization design notes. There are three main television influences that were considered in the design of the Psion civilization. Classic Flash Gordon serials, The 80's Buck Rogers series, and the original Battlestar Galactica. BSG having the largest influence of the three. I floundered a long time with actual direction on design of the Psions. But when I finally discovered that I was focused on Pulp elements, going heavily Pulp Sci-Fi in flavor with them just felt like the right thing to do.

Re: WWYCD: Foxbat The Mighty! Neutralize the imposter and then launch a rescue mission for the real Foxbat.

Lilith and the demon wars She was the first to come across the mysterious energy on earth and be transformed by it. It came about purely by accident. when the scientist was attacked by a rather large animal that she ended up killing in self defense. An act in performing, completely shocked and horrified her. She stumbled back to camp, flush with power that was still changing and enhancing her. She soon would pass out and enter a stage of incubation. Upon awakening, she discovered that the other expedition members, greedy for the power she possessed had started slaughtering any animal they could. Horrified, she denounced all of them and fled. In a short amount of time, she discovered that she didn't have to take life to access the power she had discovered. That she could drain it just effectively from the emotions of anything sophisticated enough to have them. And she came to the conclusion she could never go home again. That this new world would have to suffice. Throughout the ages, she has been pursued by Diabolus and his minions as a traitor. And there were a great number of times she had been almost caught or severely wounded. And she lost a great number of her offspring in those continued attacks, And in the final battle of these demon wars, she and her most powerful offspring were believed destroyed. But that was not the case. Rendered an immaterial soul, she would hop from body to body, to keep out of sight of her enemies. Constantly looking for a champion who would keep her and the soul of her last remaining child safe.

Re: Doktoberfest! I believe parody and satire are protected expressions in the United States. Even in regards to profit from such. And the Doktoberfest t-shirts and such definitely qualify as parody.

The Psion/Saurian War. From prehistory until the modern age, a covert war has been waged on the Psion civilization. One that cost countless lives and did serious damage to their infrastructure. The constant raids added seriously to the unstable conditions within the Psion Empire. Making those conditions go from bad to very much worse. It was a definite factor in that civilization's stagnation. Unknown to the Psions at the time, these marauders originally came from Earth. The Saurians had been driven from their home due to the Psion civil war that overwhelmed the Earth. And the constant raids on the Psion Empire since were in fact, part of a war of retribution. But in the final battle against Diabolus and his minions, both Psions and Saurians came together to aid Earth's heroes in that final battle. Fighting alongside each other laid the groundwork for a truce and shakey accord between them. The Saurians were granted outposts on the very few portions of Earth that were still suitable for habitation for them. Regions they would become the caretakers of. Many of Earth's heroes would become key in negociating the shakey peace that eventually came.

More author's notes on the first book. The first book covers the back history of the world and first modern generation of heroes. It is a generation that succeeded in, literally, saving the world from one of the greatest threats ever to befall it. They succeeded in what heroes truly aspire to. Making a difference and making the world a better place. That generatrion succeeded in saving the world, but forced the eyes of the public open to the existance of things beyond earth. Which of coarse caused severe social unrest for a time. But the revelations did not effect just Earth alone. The Psion civilization faced the revelation of the identity of an enemy that had been attacking them since the end of the prehistoric intragalactic war. A hereditary enemy who originated from and now who has a firm foothold on earth. The Saurians have come home.

The Widowmaker, Herald of Diabolus. Winged death, the Fourth Horseman, it has been called an uncountable amount of names by cultures throughout prehistory and beyond. So frightening is this beast, that it mere rumor of it's existance has spawned countless myths. It is destruction incarnate. Diabolus decided during the War Of Magic to create a much more direct means of achieving his goals. A weapon of mass destruction that would serve with unquestioning loyalty and not challenge him as he gathered power. Something he could use when subtlety was no longer an option. The rise of the Widowmaker and its master in the modern age resulted in the greatest assemblage of heroes since the War Of Magic. A victory that would make that generation legend.

Re: Is a Jedi reasonable in a Marvel Avengers campaign? In a Mage: The Ascension game I participated in, the Storyteller allowed a player to play a Marauder that was a Jedi. The Storyteller was new to the game. But that and several other aspects threw the whole campaign off-kilter. It and those other elements utterly ruined the flavor of a campaign that had quite a bit of promise to it. That being said. I have a character of my own that has what could be considered a lightsabre. Bit it is more of a very powerful laser cutter. But there was not a single Star Wars motivated consideration in that character's creation.

Re: A rundown on some material in some books I have been writing. I used to game with Scott at one time. Even have an early manuscript of the Hero version of Gestalt. But we didn't speak much on general design or what we wanted to achieve with our individual settings. Admittedly, there is quite a bit I like about Gestalt. But that's about it. There are a few similar basic concepts. But that is really where the similarity ends.

Discussion of some of the inspirations for this trilogy. Back in the early days of the design of some of the major storylines in this series, I had floundered a bit for direction. Especially in collecting together the origin of supers and some of the mythology. But I eventually found a big piece of inspiration from a pretty non-standard source. You see, since childhood I have been a huge Kaiju fan. Godzilla, Gamera, and even Ultraman. Well in an Ultraman series I found the inspiration I was looking for. Ultraman: Toward the Future, also known as Ultraman Great. At the end of that series, they finally found out what the source of the monsters that had been appearing was. What the central motivator was. It was the one monster that even Ultraman couldn't and wouldn't want to even try to defeat. The Earth itself. And the whole reason for the monsters appearing throughout that series was that the Earth itself was angry at humanity for polluting and defiling it. Since then, I also became a rather large fan of H.P. Lovecraft and his Elder Gods. And things just started to click. Ideas started to form. And the Lovecraft inspired elements really appear at their greatest in Book 3 of the trilogy. I'm trying to give a sense that even though this is primarily a superhero genre centered trilogy, that supers really aren't the apex of what is out there. That there are things that even dwarf them in both magnitude and ability to comprehend. In the end, I am trying to portray supers as people doing the best they can iwith what they have. But also that anyone can rise up and be a hero. That when it comes right down to it, it's the heart really makes a hero what they are.

Re: The Death Note and How To Stop It Death Note is really a great psychodrama. It's pretty enjoyable to see how Light Yagami's mind works and how he copes with opponants that have the ability to outmanuever him. But still, Light is a megalomanic in the classic sense. Believing he is the only one who knows what is right in the world. And that everyone else is to be used or herded around like sheep. He's dangerous to the extreme because he uses his power to kill based on pure whim. There really is no logical reason to that maniac's methodology. He's beyond the realm of vigilantism and deep into classical supervillain style insane plotting. And his arrogance is beyond any possible concept of reason. On Cartoon Network, I'm expecting that this episode airing tonight will be the ender for the series. That one of his people is finally just going to blow him away. We will see.

The Bishops, dawn of a nightmare. During the Congressional hearings on the superhuman question, a munitions company called Bishop Industries proposed deploying a set of giant robots intended to put down out of control superbeings. But they were absolutely rejected because congress opposed any idea of deploying such weapons of mass destruction on American soil. Bishop Industries had invested everything into the hunter-killer robot project. And the rejection by Congress caused the company to collapse. Leaving their laboratories abandoned, a few full scale working models intact. But the remains of Bishop Industries was not let die. And the hunter-killer robot project was quickly absorbed into what one day become Absolution. A considerable amount of development went into the hunter-killer project along the way. Finally adopting a more modular design, the costs of the Bishop units could be reduced considerably. As weapons and armor compliments could quickly be changed to meet different circumstances on each unit. This is what the modern Bishop units have become. An effective and ever-adapting threat to everyone but their masters.

Comments on the mythology used above. The whole ancient astronauts/satan and his followers being cast out of heaven angle seemed to be a very good fit as development of it evolved. It gave a nod subtle nod to Judeo-Christian, Jewish, and Islamic mythologies without really presenting any bias toward any of those faiths being pushed as correct. In the context of this trilogy and the graphic novels following it, all past and present religious faiths are being shown as having a their own fragments of the story of how humans came to be on Earth. Their own little pieces of the truth of what happened. But none of those faiths really have the whole story. And most really wouldn't really want it. They are quite happy believing as they do. The polytheistic gods of all faiths that had them were the first and many of the following generations of the world's original superbeings. Something that has always been the source of mythic stories and inspiration to many around them. Throughout the ages, only the names and definitions have changed. But the phenomenon is the same. Superbeings are a literally expression of the planet's antibodies. So yes, there was an actual intelligence behind the birth and subsequent continued manifestation of superbeings on the planet Earth. Another manifestation of those same antibodies are expressed by the existance of many of the Kaiju present on Earth. Gorudon and a few others specifically represent planetary antibodies without a human perspective. And in Gorudon's case, human beings, more often than not, get treated like an infection to be stomped out. Yes, there is a genetic link between superbeings and Kaiju at the basic level. A recessive trait present in all earth-born lifeforms that acts as a adaptive trigger that helps elevate a lifeform from being ordinary to being an active antibody.

Genesis Worlds and the Sphere Champions. Genesis Worlds are the mythic founts of life in the universe. The worlds where life in its miriad forms can originate truly from. And most galactic civilizations have myths regarding them. They are regarded as the most holy of holy places by those who hold such things in reverence. But Genesis Worlds hold an even greater secret. The fact that they in their totality are, living, sentient beings. Some of the oldest intelligent lifeforms in the universe. A congress of connected Genesis Worlds came to an agreement in millenia past that occasionally champions would be needed to protect their interests. They would choose a number of lifeforms, and through their representatives, give them a spheroid object that would grant them great power. So that these individuals could act occasionally as galactic troubleshooters.

Diabolus. Sometimes the worst nightmare in the world springs from one person. That person in this case grew through the ages to be called Diabolus. The corruptor, tormentor, lord of misery. He was originally the commander of the first exploratory mission to earth. Lust for the power that magic provided caused them to go into a kill frenzy on the wildlife they encountered. Flush with power, they went home. Authorities at home saw the power they wielded as horrifying. And were even more disgusted at the methods used to gain it. Believing that was discovered and defiled was a Genesis World (one of the rare planets that life originated from), they forbade any concept of a return there. And declared that the expedition, as a whole were criminals. Defilers of the highest orders. The expedition team as a whole had been speaking publically about the wonders of the power they gained. And others greedy for it soon joined. And when the verdict came down, declaring them criminals, there was a massive revolt that turned into civil war. A war that would rage through the empire and back to that world. One that would leave the empire damaged, stagnant, and in disarray for thousands of years. Defeated, the followers of the expedition team were left on Earth. Their sentence was to clean up the damage that was done to that world and to try and restore as much of its natural order as possible. Then they came back. After being thought long dead, that expedition team returned and launched a new orgy of slaughter on earth's native lifeforms. But something unexpected happened. Incredibly power entities, spawned from natural sources, as well as humans that seemed drastically altered, arose to fight back to protect the planet from them. This second war would become known as the primal battle that the first gods appeared to fight. The War Of Magic. Defeated and thought destroyed again, Diabolus and his followers chose a different tactic. To secrete themselves within the normal population and act covertly to satisfy their lusts. Instead of engaging in yet another orgy of gluttony. Which is where they remained throughout human history. Devil, corruptor, defiler. He has been called all of these things. And to a large extent, it all contains an element of truth. The power he absorbed transformed him into something beyond human, beyond mortality. Something with an ever-present hunger for the power released by death and misery. And where-ever there has been great human misery on Earth, he and his remaining followers have not been far away.

Book two: social trends A rather disturbing social trend appeared in the United States. Following the lead of the Goth subculture, the popularization of a nihilist movement followed. One that encouraged the glorifacation of actions and individuals regarded by and large as villainous. Fan movements appeared following major villains that shocked, confused and confounded even quite a few of those supervillains. A side effect of this movement has spawned a growing number of wannabes. Who seek to be evil simply for the sake of evil. These twisted individuals are extremely dangerous on a public safety level, because they really have no other agenda than living up to an imagined archetypical vision that it is the ultimate in cool to be the ultimate in evil.

Re: Suggestion to the company and Steve for a book. To be quite honest, I believe that Eurostar are worthy of being classified as master villains. Their machinations are far beyond those of the bankrobbing clique. They are really the enforcement arm of a political movement started by Eurostar's leader. And that political idealism would make Eurostar villains to some, and heroes to others. Which makes them extraordinarily difficult to defeat. In their way, they are patriots of their cause. An individual villain is easy to defeat. But an ideal never dies.

Prehistoric magic. The ancestors of the Psions made an expedition to a new planet. It was teeming with life. But the star system it was in was extraordinarily hazardous to navigate. Prone to gravitational bubbles and shifts, as well as sensory anomolies. And they became worse on approach to the planet. As one may guess, this backwater world was Earth. The expedition that got through to Earth found a primieval place. Wildlife seemed to be the dominant force. And sensors started picking up an intense field of unknown energy. It seemed to pulse out of every living thing on the planet. Naturally, this newe discovery got quite a bit of attention. But that was nothing until there was an accidental death of a large animal and one member of the expedition absorbed the burst of energy that was given off as a result. This energy, this power seemed to interact very well with the mind. Changing, altering in response to a well disciplined mind. This power, beyond anything any of these people had ever seen. And those hungry for it started wholesale slaughtering lifeforms in order to gather as much as they could. This power is what would become known in the modern age as magic. And discovery is what led to intragalactic war. As those greedy for this power faced off against the supporters of those who believed that the power and that backwater world should be left to its own devices.

Re: A rundown on some material in some books I have been writing. A major character in the first book is Homo Sapiens Psion. She operates in her role on earth with daily medical supplements. Earth is the only place with known supers. It is one of the reasons Homo Sapiens Psion have modified their plans for a full species reunifacation. It was simply something they were not prepared to confront. The main Psion civilization looks at Earth with serious trepidation. Most supers possess abilities that are only represented in their technology by military armaments. So the bulk attitude of the Psion government is to observe but keep very hands off. The "mutants hysteria" issue is a homosapien issue. It's mostly present in the United States. Absolution is the most extreme expression of it. But there are plenty of outspoken anti-super voices in public and private sectors.\ The other species revealed in the second book suffered pretty massively under segregationist policies. The revelation of them to the international public really is the apex of their gaining social freedom. But there certainly is a level of international backlash. Being Psi-Active is simply, mechanically, possessing Mental Awareness. But however they gain that awareness is another thing altogether. Wild Talents certainly happen. That is actually the prime source of super psi's and massively powerful innate magicians. Only as a personal focusing method. Magic doesn't exist on their world. It's an entirely terrestrial phenomenon. Extreme shocks to the system are the primary source. ANything really capable of forcing open the door of mental awareness. Yes, they can and they do.

Financial plans linked to this project. One of the bigger plans for the proceeds to come from this trilogy of books will be a rather generous donation to the Cheetah Conservation Fund. An organization that is on the front lines in the fight against the extinction of that species. They help wild cheetahs in their environment, and take in and support those who cannot survive in the wild on their own. It's just what I think is the right thing to do.