Caitlin has arrived at her new school. Her reaction is completely different from Laura's. Then again, Caitlin chose the danger.
While Chapter 1 flowed naturally as I wrote, I had problems getting Chapter 2 started. It wasn't so much writer's block as not having an idea of a start or end point. There was a lot I wanted to include in the chapter that I couldn't find the right approach. Emails with Gregory Taylor of Taylor's Polynomials, and Time & Tied*, and The Epsilon Project helped; he asked key questions that helped me work through the problems I was having. With his help, I figured out where to start and what the conflict would be in the chapter. The ending came about after the callback to Caitlin's reaction to being called "Ginger". She did lead a revolt as a wee Jennifer and calls back to the reason why she's at the Academy in the first place.
About halfway through writing the chapter, I realized that I needed to know who would be in the same bunk room as Caitlin. Some choices were obvious, others weren't. When I realized that I had Caitlin's future roomies and most of her neighbours, the decision on who to include became easier. There are twelve girls in the room, but not all twelve are named. I realized that I didn't need to name all of them, but knowing who was there became a detail I needed. There are three unnamed girls in the room, total. One is Vamsi, since her other roommates are already there. This does mean that Camille and Francesca are roomies, with either Claire or Felicia, thanks to "The Great Jennifer Round-Up" Chapter 2, so one of the latter two are there as well. That leaves one girl unrevealed. I have no idea who she is.
I played with expectations in this chapter. Skye wasn't friendly to Caitlin right away, and wound up sharing a bunk bed with Camille instead of either Caitlin or Autumn. Flora and Fawna look alike and haven't made an attempt to get their own looks. Autumn is surgically attached to her phone, the only computing device she was able to smuggle in. With everything I wanted to get in, somethings had to give, such as the idea of Autumn not yet boy crazy.
Alyssa makes her first full appearance after being mentioned many times. While it wasn't mentioned, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that her favourite Muppet is Crazy Harry. Alyssa loves explosions. I tossed in a subtle bit once again though I have no idea if it was picked up by readers. Notice Alyssa's eyebrows, or lack thereof. The implication is that they got burned off when she was too close to one of her explosions. Her giggle at the end, though, should cement the idea that she loves explosions a little too much.
Another bit that I have no idea if anyone noticed at the end is what Alyssa calls Caitlin. In the Unruly arcs already written, only one person calls Caitlin "Cait". Two, if you count Cassie's "Kitty-Cait". Skye is the one person in Caitlin's year that can talk with her and get the redhead to try being reasonable. Alyssa also fills that role with Caitlin.
Going back to "Kitty-Cait", I hadn't intended to make that connection when Cassie calls Alyssa "Alley-Cat". Looking back, it does work, especially when one considers that Caitlin and Alyssa become best friends over the next five years at the Academy. Of course Cassie is going to refer to them as "Kitty-Cait" and "Alley-Cat". Completely unintentional, but works beautifully in hindsight.
The four juniors - Cameron, Nadine, Star, and CiCi - make their first and possible only appearance here. Nadine makes the mistake of calling Caitlin "Ginger", the same mistake Phil Wheeler and Alexandra Fichetti made. This is the source of the conflict and the reason why Caitlin led the Great Jennifer Revolt. Sure, there are other issues, hinted at in the chapter, but Caitlin isn't one to let a grudge alone. If the juniors had been more attentive to their charges, Caitlin would have just focused on Nadine. They learned the hard way.
The Camille-Skye conflict evolved as I tried to work out the chapter. Different girls, including Caitlin and Autumn, were going to be in Camille's position and I hadn't worked out the resolution. Once I worked out that Camille was going to be in the room, reasons fell into place. Camille has a backstory, like most of the students at the Academy, one that makes her want a bed as far from the door as possible. Being above Skye is a bonus for her.
The coda provides an ending for the story. "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Caitlin" was meant to be just two chapters. Going into details of the juniors' negligence and Caitlin's plotting would take up many, many more words than I wanted. Showing the origin and result did what I wanted. The story is about Caitlin, and that was a very Caitlin thing to do.
Tomorrow, the first of a two-part NaNo 2016 Backgrounder, featuring Tempest T. Pot.
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, ... and the Weird.
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game.
* For fun, try figuring out which characters in Time & Tied would get a similar invite as Caitlin's.
Showing posts with label Caitlin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Caitlin. Show all posts
26 Aug 2016
Unruly - How Do We Solve a Problem Like Caitlin Chapter 2
Previously:
"Overthrowing the school board. Just where did you get that idea?"
"After all, everyone here wants what's best for Miss Caitlin, even if that means a private school in Ontario."
"Right, let's send her to a school that will teach her how to succeed in overthrowing a government."
"I do look forward to seeing Caitlin in September."
Unruly
How Do We Solve a Problem Like Caitlin
Chapter 2 - Arrival
September, Six Years Ago
Caitlin paused for a moment as she entered her assigned bedroom. A large number of girls her age milled about, all carrying luggage of some sort. Half a dozen sets of bunk beds took up space along the walls. With a mental shrug, Caitlin continued into the room, weaving her way past the other girls. Several of her new roommates were already claiming beds, so Caitlin picked up her pace, heading to a back corner. She set her duffle bag on the lower bunk of her chosen bed, then felt a looming presence behind her.
"That's my bed," a voice growled behind her.
"Overthrowing the school board. Just where did you get that idea?"
"After all, everyone here wants what's best for Miss Caitlin, even if that means a private school in Ontario."
"Right, let's send her to a school that will teach her how to succeed in overthrowing a government."
"I do look forward to seeing Caitlin in September."
Unruly
How Do We Solve a Problem Like Caitlin
Chapter 2 - Arrival
September, Six Years Ago
Caitlin paused for a moment as she entered her assigned bedroom. A large number of girls her age milled about, all carrying luggage of some sort. Half a dozen sets of bunk beds took up space along the walls. With a mental shrug, Caitlin continued into the room, weaving her way past the other girls. Several of her new roommates were already claiming beds, so Caitlin picked up her pace, heading to a back corner. She set her duffle bag on the lower bunk of her chosen bed, then felt a looming presence behind her.
"That's my bed," a voice growled behind her.
25 Aug 2016
Unruly - How Do We Solve a Problem Like Caitlin Chapter 1 - Commentary
Unruly is back! "How Do We Solve a Problem Like Caitlin" takes a trip back in time to when Caitlin was a wee Jennifer at the Academy. However, this isn't her start of darkness.
Back in "The New Girl" Chapter 3, each of Laura's new roommates explained why they were were sent to the Academy. Caitlin humble-bragged about her reasons. She got into more trouble than she implied, mostly from her parents. I've always known that both of Caitlin's parents were in the Canadian Forces, Major Anna Kane-O'Shaughnessy and Lt. Commander John O'Shaughnessy. Anna is a pilot in the Air Command, based out of Greenwood, flying the CP-140 Aurora. John commands the fictional Halifax-class frigate, the HMCS Hamilton*. Caitlin played with toy soliders as a child; even her dolls enlisted.
Chapter 1 was written before the American election season went crazy. I might have avoided naming one of the school board members Bernie if I'd known what was coming. Bernie is one of those names that shows up in comedy, including that under-appreciated movie, Weekend at Bernie's. His idea on sending Caitlin to military school isn't exactly a punishment for her; all that regimentation is something she'd lap up and demand more of. She'd be running the school before she graduated.
Note that Elspeth Stone is the Assistant Headmistress of the Academy in the flashback. She'll get promoted over the next six years when her predecessor, the poor dear, takes a medical retirement. Ms Stone is an alumna of the Academy, as stated in "The New Girl" Chapter 1. I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to figure out what happened. The Academy does do personal recruitment. It's one of three most likely ways for a girl to enroll at the school. The typical way is for the parents to enroll their daughter at the school as a last resort. The next most popular method is for the school to actively recruit, as with Caitlin. The last is to take in the daughter of an alumna, like with Cassie. The Academy also does exchanges with other, foreign, schools, usually in countries that have limited journalism or severe language barriers. Laura is an outside case; she's the first girl to arrive as part of a witness protection program.
One item about the Academy that doesn't get noted often is that the girls are smart. Caitlin's reading books that are part of university courses. Most public schools aren't equipped to deal with a student who progresses far faster than the rest of the class, especially now with the almost exclusive focus on extreme testing over teaching imposed from above. Bored students, like Caitlin, will find a way to amuse themselves, though not to Caitlin's extreme. Ms Stone is embellishing a bit on the Academy's curriculum, though. She's not just selling the school to Caitlin but also to her parents. Outside the room with the officials, she used lines like, "And if you agree, Miss Caitlin will not only be the Academy's problem, she'll be several provinces away and unable to return to seek vengeance."
Clubs at the Academy haven't really come up much. I've been treating them as something that happens off-stage. The cast list shows what clubs and teams the girls are on, but with the point-of-view following Laura, not much has been shown. The Unrulies are expected to join a club starting in Grade 8; Jennifers aren't because they're left to be feral, though they can join one if they want. If a club doesn't exist, an Unruly can create it if she can get a teacher to supervise. Methods to get a teacher include blackmail, extortion, and sometimes just asking.
Teachers can chime in on Caitlin's punishment. Technically, Caitlin didn't do anything to her school, just to the school board. She's smart enough to do her recruiting where teachers can't overhear. The restraining order might be a little over the top, but the board really hates it when a student tries a coup d'etat. They also hate it when one is successful, but they wouldn't be in a position to complain then. Caitlin should be able to keep up even with the two week suspension.
The title is a riff of the The Sound of Music song, "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" except that Caitlin isn't a nun. The idea struck me and the first chapter came naturally. It's unlikely that I'll do something similar with the rest of the cast. Caitlin's flashback has some elements I felt needed to come out. Which elements? That would be spoilers, sweeties.
Tomorrow, "How Do You Solve a Problem like Caitlin" Chapter 2.
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, ... The Bad ...
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, ... and the Weird.
* I went with the Hamilton because the HMCS Ottawa is a real ship of the class.
Back in "The New Girl" Chapter 3, each of Laura's new roommates explained why they were were sent to the Academy. Caitlin humble-bragged about her reasons. She got into more trouble than she implied, mostly from her parents. I've always known that both of Caitlin's parents were in the Canadian Forces, Major Anna Kane-O'Shaughnessy and Lt. Commander John O'Shaughnessy. Anna is a pilot in the Air Command, based out of Greenwood, flying the CP-140 Aurora. John commands the fictional Halifax-class frigate, the HMCS Hamilton*. Caitlin played with toy soliders as a child; even her dolls enlisted.
Chapter 1 was written before the American election season went crazy. I might have avoided naming one of the school board members Bernie if I'd known what was coming. Bernie is one of those names that shows up in comedy, including that under-appreciated movie, Weekend at Bernie's. His idea on sending Caitlin to military school isn't exactly a punishment for her; all that regimentation is something she'd lap up and demand more of. She'd be running the school before she graduated.
Note that Elspeth Stone is the Assistant Headmistress of the Academy in the flashback. She'll get promoted over the next six years when her predecessor, the poor dear, takes a medical retirement. Ms Stone is an alumna of the Academy, as stated in "The New Girl" Chapter 1. I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to figure out what happened. The Academy does do personal recruitment. It's one of three most likely ways for a girl to enroll at the school. The typical way is for the parents to enroll their daughter at the school as a last resort. The next most popular method is for the school to actively recruit, as with Caitlin. The last is to take in the daughter of an alumna, like with Cassie. The Academy also does exchanges with other, foreign, schools, usually in countries that have limited journalism or severe language barriers. Laura is an outside case; she's the first girl to arrive as part of a witness protection program.
One item about the Academy that doesn't get noted often is that the girls are smart. Caitlin's reading books that are part of university courses. Most public schools aren't equipped to deal with a student who progresses far faster than the rest of the class, especially now with the almost exclusive focus on extreme testing over teaching imposed from above. Bored students, like Caitlin, will find a way to amuse themselves, though not to Caitlin's extreme. Ms Stone is embellishing a bit on the Academy's curriculum, though. She's not just selling the school to Caitlin but also to her parents. Outside the room with the officials, she used lines like, "And if you agree, Miss Caitlin will not only be the Academy's problem, she'll be several provinces away and unable to return to seek vengeance."
Clubs at the Academy haven't really come up much. I've been treating them as something that happens off-stage. The cast list shows what clubs and teams the girls are on, but with the point-of-view following Laura, not much has been shown. The Unrulies are expected to join a club starting in Grade 8; Jennifers aren't because they're left to be feral, though they can join one if they want. If a club doesn't exist, an Unruly can create it if she can get a teacher to supervise. Methods to get a teacher include blackmail, extortion, and sometimes just asking.
Teachers can chime in on Caitlin's punishment. Technically, Caitlin didn't do anything to her school, just to the school board. She's smart enough to do her recruiting where teachers can't overhear. The restraining order might be a little over the top, but the board really hates it when a student tries a coup d'etat. They also hate it when one is successful, but they wouldn't be in a position to complain then. Caitlin should be able to keep up even with the two week suspension.
The title is a riff of the The Sound of Music song, "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" except that Caitlin isn't a nun. The idea struck me and the first chapter came naturally. It's unlikely that I'll do something similar with the rest of the cast. Caitlin's flashback has some elements I felt needed to come out. Which elements? That would be spoilers, sweeties.
Tomorrow, "How Do You Solve a Problem like Caitlin" Chapter 2.
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, ... The Bad ...
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, ... and the Weird.
* I went with the Hamilton because the HMCS Ottawa is a real ship of the class.
19 Aug 2016
Unruly - How Do We Solve a Problem Like Caitlin - Chapter 1
Unruly
The Ulrich F. Gephardt Academy for Unruly Girls was founded outside Oshawa in 1886 to help young, troubled women turn their lives around. In 1889, U. F. Gephardt changed the mission, refining the girls to become his personal army. Gephardt retired to the Century Manor Asylum in Hamilton after suffering a nervous breakdown. The Academy, however, still continues, helping troubled and troublesome girls get an education and a good start in life, whatever their ambitions are.
How Do We Solve a Problem Like Caitlin
Chapter 1 - Recruitment
March, Six Years Ago
Caitlin felt the various pairs of eyes all staring at her. The long table in the school board's conference room fit everyone in attendance - her parents, her teacher, her principal, the head of the board, the board members who weren't still in hospital, even the chief of police. All kept a wary eye on the young red haired girl. Caitlin didn't bother to feign innocence.
"Well, young lady?" the head of the school board prompted. "Answer the question."
The Ulrich F. Gephardt Academy for Unruly Girls was founded outside Oshawa in 1886 to help young, troubled women turn their lives around. In 1889, U. F. Gephardt changed the mission, refining the girls to become his personal army. Gephardt retired to the Century Manor Asylum in Hamilton after suffering a nervous breakdown. The Academy, however, still continues, helping troubled and troublesome girls get an education and a good start in life, whatever their ambitions are.
How Do We Solve a Problem Like Caitlin
Chapter 1 - Recruitment
March, Six Years Ago
Caitlin felt the various pairs of eyes all staring at her. The long table in the school board's conference room fit everyone in attendance - her parents, her teacher, her principal, the head of the board, the board members who weren't still in hospital, even the chief of police. All kept a wary eye on the young red haired girl. Caitlin didn't bother to feign innocence.
"Well, young lady?" the head of the school board prompted. "Answer the question."
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