Paper Waste

Elliot Teza is a tired old man.

He saw the City transform from its chaotic maze-like roads, built haphazardly over centuries, into the efficient network, populated not by self contained polluting bombs but by clean, autonomous driven vehicles. He saw derelict buildings give way to heave’s defying towers, he saw the same towers, dark and ugly, transform into a spectacle of light and colour, tailored to each singular inhabitant of the City. Over the years, he saw many and more.

But he also saw the love of his life die young, the worry and fear in her eyes in the final years, the resignation and sadness in the final weeks. Together they fought against decease and malady. Together they transformed the world, giving all they had, so everyone could have a second chance in life when the end was sudden. And he saw that same freedom become fenced by those of means. For he saw, when the child of his love by another grew into a fine woman herself, a woman that found happiness in life, a life that ended in one of the last accidents to ever occur. And Elliot Teza, the man who freely give his knowledge so others could prospect, was unable to use it, to restore the daughter of his love back to live.

He was powerless then. But Elliot Teza is powerless no more. He saw to it that the hoarded knowledge bleed back into society, so all could benefit of it. Just old age remains, but even that, is nearly in his grasp. He knows it, he can feel it. And he knows, when death is finally beaten, so to will be the riddle to stops him from bring the daughter of his love back to life, restore her as she was before the accident.

And restore his love as she was, before she gave up.

#SciencePunk

The Three Beats – a concept.

Here is a fun fact, a couple of weeks ago, I was dreaming, during those minutes just before the alarm goes off, I was dreaming… … I was dreaming about Brandon Sanderson… … yeah, I know.

In particular, I was dreaming as if I was attending one of his many lessons, you know the one, the BYU – there are plenty freely available on youtube, I do recommend.

So just picture, Brandon in his best Brandon impersonation: one hand in his trouser’s pocket, the other holding a pencil/white board marker, talking about character development.

And he talks about the Three Beats concept: - The Heart Beat: What drives your character. What your character wants most of all. - The Drum Beat: Like in a ship, you must row at the sound of the drum. What is that your character must do, in order to survive, to keep going, to maybe one day, fullfil that desire which makes their Heart Beat. - The … bloody alarm went off…

I know, really. Bloody good time for the alarm to rang.

So I hastly picked it up, silenced it, and open the notes app, and wrote down the two first beats, there was a third missing. With I mind half asleep I managed to get hold of his last words: What gets in the way of your character?

Great, I know what the third beat signifies, I just don’t have a name. I wrote down: The Rain Beat. Imagining the character wanting to get somewhere but rain pours against them, making their path difficult.

I imagine, I heard some simillar concepts before, possibly even from his classes, I did watched them more than a couple of times if I am to be honest.

So I don’t claim this to be in any form original. But I reckon it is an okay-ish way to flesh out your character a bit. And I do wonder what would Brandon comment if he was to ever come across this.

#Character #Writing

Miryan stopped under one of the archers on the western high-passageway. The wind has softened by the floor was still soaked with the water and the rain continued to pour over the gardens. She smiled. Rain on this magnitude seldom fell over Mynx and not a week ago the groundskeeper and those under their guard were working hard to water the flowerbeds. But a week ago no one in sound mind would expect rain clouds to rise this far as Manx crossed the warm equatorial winds. Yet, here it was, rain, pouring relentless, seeming endless, over the fields.

The forested hills barely visible beyond the low wall, each rising up in the distant dimmer than the one before, until all was white. Had the rain drops stopped for just a second, the scene Miryan watched would be no different than a painting.

Resting her spear on the wall she took two steps into the open balcony, not quite getting under the rain, just enough so she could extend her hand and catch the falling water on her palm. It was colder than she expected, and a shiver run her spine when the first drop hit her skin.

‘I envy you my friend,’ she brought her hand back, closing around a crystal necklace that had somewhat escaped from under her hard leather shirt, closing her eyes and trying to see him in the foreign lands he spoke off, imagining him exploring rain soaked hills from the lands bellow, finding rest under the cover of trees.

‘Maybe one day I too will see this wild and fantastic world of yours,’ Miryan let got off the necklace, picking back her spear and walking returning to her round, ‘for now, I have my own world to care fore.’

Her boots fell heavy on the stone floor, splashing water with each steps as she walked away from the faint day light into the darkness of the inner halls. That too, if Myrian had stopped on her tracks for just a brief moment, could be mistaken for a painting.

During the Three Memories, the ultimate attack the hero unlocks, comes from three protectors. And this power that was taugh to the hero by their most difficult enemy, was not the hero’s to yield, so the Enemy had it as well.

But in all three memories, three times, the hero sees the ultimate of each of the Three Friends, and unlocks it during his journey to regroup the protectors.

Thief: Unyielding Blade –> Massive Damage Captain: Unwavering Shield –> Perfect Mitigation Mage: Unlit Fire –> Extreme Buff

Woman: Answering/Aspected Blade –> Debuff Attack, causes bleeding(+paralasys?) Jovial Man: Ambiguous Strike –> Debuff Attack, nulls defense Third Friend: Astral Flame –> Debuff Attack, nulls magic defense

*bleeding: damage + lowers max hp

The Enemy flees to the island where the hero lived in the three Memories.

The island is fully prepared to withstand frontal assault. But the hero “knows” of the path of the secluded beach, from where a small group could attack.

The Trio of Friends held steadfast the island against the Enemy. But eventually succumbed.

The hero goes and build a group, following the Mementos order.

The Captain will comment on how much freedom the hero has. ”I thought they would be stricter when father passed away, but somehow, they relaxed the leash.” ”Maybe because of some rather good ideas I heard came from you.” ”Nothing great, but what about you, being demoted this much.” ”It is funny, when I was captain, I missed the freedom of the low posts, now I miss the perks of being a captain. ”Talking about the past, do you remember much, of-” ”Not really. ”I mean, I remember you figthing to save me, I remember the Mage staying behind and the thief wishing me luck while she held the mob by herself. I also remember facing the Enemy, and you three fighting in perfect harmony in front of me. But not much else.” ”I see, maybe it is a good thing. But I have to confess, as confused as I am now as I was then, one thing struck me more than anything else, when we fought, I was so much stronger than I ever dreamed to be.” ”It is about that I came searching for you, ”I want to enter the island, I want you to join me. I want the three of you to join me.”

Three times you raised my home and detroyed my family Three times I was force o track and kill my protectors Three times I faced you and and three times I lost No more

before battle: If the power I had, was yours. The power you have, is mine.

in battle: Captain, shield us from the attack. Mage, support the thief. Theif, ya know.

For as long as I live, you cannot harm me.

After this, the enemy flees, the rebellion still proceeds, with those that became the warring factions in the three futures, arriving at the king and placing their demands. The king will abdicate. The hero will be their collateral.

Years of regency will pass, the hero being tutored not in one art but three. The level of competency High, Medium, Low, as the three Memories were played. (The order in which the shield, the book and the knife were chosen.)

The Enemy is known and it has caused troubles trhoughout the regency. And this time, when the hero faces him, he will not be alone, but with the three guardians.

By not developting the enemy’s powers but the guardian’s, the hero is able to best the enemy.

front the three confrontations: Enemy: You die, You lose. I die? I Win!

The Return

Here, you will need this knife more than I do.

I would rather learn from a teacher than from a book.

The shield is too heavy for me to yield it yet.

The Captain ”I don’t understand…

“But I’m not required to understand, I’m required to follow.”

The Memory Seal needs at least three parts to be performed.

• The Performer, who will work the magic.
• The Sacrifice, who will lose as many years of memory as the Victim.
• The Key, who will be able to undo the Seal.

It is not uncommon for the Key condition to be life. Many Keys can exist as well as many Performers, but the number of sacrifice must be able to give as much years of memories as the it will be taken from the victim.

The life of the sacrifice is irrelevant for the maintenance of the Seal.

These three roles must be composed by different people.

The Woman brings the boy to her home and summons the Jovial Man, who says the boy can’t stay. How would the Woman explain. The Woman says she will find a way, she will write her son if need be, and ask the Jovial Man to cooperate.

With her son’s help, she creates a ruse where he came to the island with ‘his’ son to leave in her care and depart a few days later.

Together with Jovial Man and Third Friend, they create a spell that will seal the memories of the hero and when she turns to the Woman, whom they previous agreed to be the sacrifice, the Jovial Man interrupts and takes place, he can’t be dissuaded.

The seal blocks the memory of both the hero and Jovial Man. The Third Friend soon has to return to the main land, the College is in disarray after the rebellion, and though she wasn’t there to help, the Third Friend fully supported the upraising, only not their methods.

With the Third Friend gone and the memories blocked, a rift forms in the friendship between the Jovial Man and the Woman.

When at some point, the Woman passes away, she beying the Key, the seal is undone and the Jovial Man remembers it all. Just as the hero recovers the memories of his childhood days.

Starts with the Captain surveiling the rebellion advancement from the battlements.

The wind blows from the city bringing the heat and smell of smoke.

The captain wishes he was at the front, even though he had full confidence the rebllion wouldn’t breach the barrier, he still misses the time where he was stationed at the frontal posts.

A messanger arrives soon, saying the bridge has been taken and the rebellion marches on. That meant the barrier was taken down.

The messanger says the College (of Mages) had sided with the rebellion, not fully, but the vast majority of students and enough of the teachers to aid the rebellion in breaking the barrier.

A second messenger arrives, fron the castle, recalling the Captin to the king’s presence.