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More from UnstableBill
Are you game for a mystery? The stakes may be higher than you think.
TRICKSTER, a mystery. Originally published in ROAR 2 (January 2010). The theme was "games;" I went with a mystery. This is one of my favorite pieces I've ever written.
If you're kind of nerdy and a/or a college student this should be pretty entertaining.
DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS BELOW AS THIS IS A MYSTERY AND I'M SURE SOMEBODY IS GOING TO SPOIL IT. :p
Hope you enjoy!
Thumbnail is from the
CodyVFrost illustration. All rights reserved (C) 2009/2010 alias Shepherd J. Wolf.
TRICKSTER, a mystery. Originally published in ROAR 2 (January 2010). The theme was "games;" I went with a mystery. This is one of my favorite pieces I've ever written.
If you're kind of nerdy and a/or a college student this should be pretty entertaining.
DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS BELOW AS THIS IS A MYSTERY AND I'M SURE SOMEBODY IS GOING TO SPOIL IT. :p
Hope you enjoy!
Thumbnail is from the
CodyVFrost illustration. All rights reserved (C) 2009/2010 alias Shepherd J. Wolf.
Category Story / Miscellaneous
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 111 x 120px
File Size 97.5 kB
OHHH~ So THIS is the mystery you were talking about! xP
Of course I've read this already in my copy of ROAR and told you my opinions on it. I definitely agree this is one of the best out of a line of truly great pieces that you've written and definitely deserved the first story slot.
Decided to go with Cody's illustration, eh? ;P
Of course I've read this already in my copy of ROAR and told you my opinions on it. I definitely agree this is one of the best out of a line of truly great pieces that you've written and definitely deserved the first story slot.
Decided to go with Cody's illustration, eh? ;P
Astonishingly little, believe it or not.
Most of the clues were based on interests of mine (Centralia, 80's GM cars, Native American mythology, nerd stuff), so this required just basic fact-checking.
Compare that to something like Pas De Deux, with all its miserable references to pharmaceutical factories, and human trafficking, and FOUR DIFFERENT GUNS I DIDN'T EVEN END UP USING and this was cake. Hell even the new one, Night Drive, required me to get 12 different reference shots of semi-truck interiors and befriend a few truckers.
Honestly, the most work was the GPS system.................when I started writing I had never even seen one in person. O.O I didn't even know they showed a little car or spoke directions. >_<
Most of the clues were based on interests of mine (Centralia, 80's GM cars, Native American mythology, nerd stuff), so this required just basic fact-checking.
Compare that to something like Pas De Deux, with all its miserable references to pharmaceutical factories, and human trafficking, and FOUR DIFFERENT GUNS I DIDN'T EVEN END UP USING and this was cake. Hell even the new one, Night Drive, required me to get 12 different reference shots of semi-truck interiors and befriend a few truckers.
Honestly, the most work was the GPS system.................when I started writing I had never even seen one in person. O.O I didn't even know they showed a little car or spoke directions. >_<
OMG! I spent four days researching explosion injuries and the "white butterfly" lung-rupture effect only to conclude that I needed to move my characters back a half a block or so, LOL.
i have a really good research assistant tho so he tells me all the things i don't know i don't know :)
i have a really good research assistant tho so he tells me all the things i don't know i don't know :)
thanks! :) if i find another one ANYWHERE IN FURRY i'll let you know, lol ;)
SOMEBODY SHOULD REALLY PUBLISH AN ANTHOLOGY OF FURRY MYSTERIES
AND...LIKE...PUT ME IN IT
Did you ever read "The Westing Game?" that's one of my favs. I have a copy of "And Then There Were None" sitting on my desk at work just so nobody screws with me, lol ;)
SOMEBODY SHOULD REALLY PUBLISH AN ANTHOLOGY OF FURRY MYSTERIES
AND...LIKE...PUT ME IN IT
Did you ever read "The Westing Game?" that's one of my favs. I have a copy of "And Then There Were None" sitting on my desk at work just so nobody screws with me, lol ;)
OKAY, the asshole posting spoilers is me. LULZ.
As I've said, this is one of my favorite pieces. Here are some of the tidbits about the writing process and some interesting little factoids:
* My first published piece (now available for republication).
* Written between May and December 2009.
* The “Denny’s tab” story is completely true. It happened to my sister, who is a special education teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. I liked it so much I had to use it.
* The opening scene was rewritten – from scratch – four times. Only one of these times was at the behest of my editor.
* My only story to feature real people from my actual life. RL Gabe and Sarah are now married (I was the best man) and expecting their first child. Louie and I visited them last winter.
* The basic plot of this story was inspired when *I* found a little carved figurine, on the sidewalk outside my apartment building. I still have it…it’s a little dog. I swear.
* The only story I’ve written thus far to feature a Scion xB.
* The entire point of the first 28 pages is to create the feeling of “Oh fuck ME, this CANNOT be going where I think it’s going OH FUCK IT IS AHHH.”
* The basic character of Louie was born entirely from the RASPUTINA song “The New Zero,” specifically the lines:
It’s there that no one will stare
At your jaws and your long fur
The claws on your fingers
It’s in the past when the passers-by laughed
At your strange way of speaking
I heard this song on a long-forgotten mix tape, and Louie was born.
* There is no such thing as a “Dark Trickster.” His cruel nature is actually part of the basic source mythology. I made up a special “evil” version because I didn’t think enough people would be familiar with the true folklore.
* Following publication, my mother refused to read past the first paragraph of the “boathouse” scene. She skipped to the end.
* I consider the most implausible element of this story to be the Scion refusing to start.
As I've said, this is one of my favorite pieces. Here are some of the tidbits about the writing process and some interesting little factoids:
* My first published piece (now available for republication).
* Written between May and December 2009.
* The “Denny’s tab” story is completely true. It happened to my sister, who is a special education teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. I liked it so much I had to use it.
* The opening scene was rewritten – from scratch – four times. Only one of these times was at the behest of my editor.
* My only story to feature real people from my actual life. RL Gabe and Sarah are now married (I was the best man) and expecting their first child. Louie and I visited them last winter.
* The basic plot of this story was inspired when *I* found a little carved figurine, on the sidewalk outside my apartment building. I still have it…it’s a little dog. I swear.
* The only story I’ve written thus far to feature a Scion xB.
* The entire point of the first 28 pages is to create the feeling of “Oh fuck ME, this CANNOT be going where I think it’s going OH FUCK IT IS AHHH.”
* The basic character of Louie was born entirely from the RASPUTINA song “The New Zero,” specifically the lines:
It’s there that no one will stare
At your jaws and your long fur
The claws on your fingers
It’s in the past when the passers-by laughed
At your strange way of speaking
I heard this song on a long-forgotten mix tape, and Louie was born.
* There is no such thing as a “Dark Trickster.” His cruel nature is actually part of the basic source mythology. I made up a special “evil” version because I didn’t think enough people would be familiar with the true folklore.
* Following publication, my mother refused to read past the first paragraph of the “boathouse” scene. She skipped to the end.
* I consider the most implausible element of this story to be the Scion refusing to start.
No problem, I love when people ask. all writers do. ;)
Gregan Disorder isn't real; it's <i>loosely</i> based on Downs Syndrome. DS has some physical characteristics that go with it, which I heavily modified for its furry version. I gave GD a more animalistic set of physical expressions, which is why Louie looks more like a werewolf than anything else. I like DS folks a lot, they're always unbelievably sweet and engaging, and here in this furry universe I figured folks would gravitate toward a more "feral" lupine character the same way.
more on my reasoning 2 (or so) comments below...
Gregan Disorder isn't real; it's <i>loosely</i> based on Downs Syndrome. DS has some physical characteristics that go with it, which I heavily modified for its furry version. I gave GD a more animalistic set of physical expressions, which is why Louie looks more like a werewolf than anything else. I like DS folks a lot, they're always unbelievably sweet and engaging, and here in this furry universe I figured folks would gravitate toward a more "feral" lupine character the same way.
more on my reasoning 2 (or so) comments below...
I KNOW RIGHT, if you wanted to object to the presence of Not-Porn I WROTE A JOURNAL ON IT AND YOU SHOULD HAVE COMMENTED lulz.
thanks :3 the last one was a MOTHERFUCKING BITCH to come up with. I needed a plausible clue where most folks would know enough about it to be able to solve it....except it also needed TWO solutions: one plausible red herring and one real solution. it was fucking impossible, lol. the clues on this took me MONTHS...I thank the fact that I have an hour-each-way commute for the fact that I was able to come up with them at all.
As I posted one comment up, Gregan Disorder is completely fictional. It's based loosely on Downs Syndrome but not 100%.
There are special kids in my family and my little sister is a special education teacher, so this is a subject near and dear to me. To my knowledge I'm the first to broach the topic within the furry circles (can that really be true?), and even in the larger category of SciFi the topic is rarely explored.
That speaks only to my treatment of the subject matter, however - when the character of Louie popped into my head, he was fully-formed just as you see him in the story. he was born just the way he is, and i love him dearly and he just happened to be in this story. it wasn't planned but i wouldn't have it any other way.
just like real life. :3
as far as the canon: gregan disorder is an x-linked chromosomal mutation that seems to favor brawn over brains; overactive hormone centers lead to large stature, substantive musculature, thick fur and overdeveloped claws, and an overall "feral" appearance at the apparent expense of mental development. thought to be caused by an incorrectly-activated long-dormant chemical switch that would have created strong, virile offspring for greatest chance of pack survival and development.
Most common in lupines of Native American descent; most individuals lead long and healthy lives despite slightly-below-average intelligence.
WALL OF TEXT that answer your question? :3
thanks :3 the last one was a MOTHERFUCKING BITCH to come up with. I needed a plausible clue where most folks would know enough about it to be able to solve it....except it also needed TWO solutions: one plausible red herring and one real solution. it was fucking impossible, lol. the clues on this took me MONTHS...I thank the fact that I have an hour-each-way commute for the fact that I was able to come up with them at all.
As I posted one comment up, Gregan Disorder is completely fictional. It's based loosely on Downs Syndrome but not 100%.
There are special kids in my family and my little sister is a special education teacher, so this is a subject near and dear to me. To my knowledge I'm the first to broach the topic within the furry circles (can that really be true?), and even in the larger category of SciFi the topic is rarely explored.
That speaks only to my treatment of the subject matter, however - when the character of Louie popped into my head, he was fully-formed just as you see him in the story. he was born just the way he is, and i love him dearly and he just happened to be in this story. it wasn't planned but i wouldn't have it any other way.
just like real life. :3
as far as the canon: gregan disorder is an x-linked chromosomal mutation that seems to favor brawn over brains; overactive hormone centers lead to large stature, substantive musculature, thick fur and overdeveloped claws, and an overall "feral" appearance at the apparent expense of mental development. thought to be caused by an incorrectly-activated long-dormant chemical switch that would have created strong, virile offspring for greatest chance of pack survival and development.
Most common in lupines of Native American descent; most individuals lead long and healthy lives despite slightly-below-average intelligence.
WALL OF TEXT that answer your question? :3
WTF I COMMENTED! Srsly, check ;D
A "NO IT ISN'T REAL" WOULD'VE SUFFICED Y'KNOW! :P
It seems you really gave a lot of thought to this part of the story, to which I applaud ;) That explains wikipedia's failure though... I THOUGHT THE WORLD WAS COMING TO AN END! D=
A comment regarding the "red herring"... after some thought I realized what was it that felt odd about the "red herring" clue, and (spoilers) is that the Iron Curtain doesn't really belong into the WW2 proper, more like an aftermath (I believe the "official" year is something around 1949? I might be wrong). In hindsight I'm a little surprised that Gabe didn't get it :P
BTW I love how you're hyper one moment and serious the next one LOL! That's cute ^_~
A "NO IT ISN'T REAL" WOULD'VE SUFFICED Y'KNOW! :P
It seems you really gave a lot of thought to this part of the story, to which I applaud ;) That explains wikipedia's failure though... I THOUGHT THE WORLD WAS COMING TO AN END! D=
A comment regarding the "red herring"... after some thought I realized what was it that felt odd about the "red herring" clue, and (spoilers) is that the Iron Curtain doesn't really belong into the WW2 proper, more like an aftermath (I believe the "official" year is something around 1949? I might be wrong). In hindsight I'm a little surprised that Gabe didn't get it :P
BTW I love how you're hyper one moment and serious the next one LOL! That's cute ^_~
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