I'd been working on this entry for a
while, and DC's shenanigans with Superman and Wonder Woman, plus
tonight's episode of Doctor Who (which I will leave unspoiled)
finally upset me enough to finish the post.
The main character of the Aloden
stories is a young man, James Twindragon, the Paladin of the Last
Page. He's the chosen champion of a demigod-level wizard, and he was
given some pretty impressive superpowers to help him in his tasks.
James has been trained from childhood to be genre savvy, and one of
his abilities is medium awareness. He doesn't consciously break the
fourth wall, but he leans on it pretty heavily. He can look at
people and determine if they're romantically compatible, and one of
his duties is to help give them a chance to live happily ever after
(hence the “Last Page” part of his title).
For the record, while I'm happy with
the title “Paladin of the Last Page,” I'm still a bit worried
that it sounds dumb to other people. I know I'm not so great at
naming things, but my other option, the Paladin of Endings, seemed
kinda dark.
Anyway, because his boss thinks ironic
hypocrisy is stupid, James recognizes his love interest and convinces
her to marry him within about thirty hours of their first meeting.
They both realize they're moving quickly, but he's supernaturally
honest, and she's an adrenaline junkie who realizes that life with
him will be the most dangerously exciting thing, ever. Plus (and I'm
a bit embarrassed to write this) she's intrigued by the possibilities
inherent in his supernatural stamina.
Oh, and I liked Dharma and Greg.
I'd planned this scene for a while,
even though it doesn't properly fit in the flow of what will
eventually be the novel. James explaining to Donni just who and what
he is takes away a bit of the mythic aspect I was going for,
especially since, chronologically, this would be chapter one.
I didn't realize 'til late in the
summer why I wanted to work on this scene so much. I'm envious of
James, I guess, and I wish my life could be as straightforward. I'll
just have to do without superhuman genre savviness, I guess.
