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| Cover by Steven Savage. |
Showing posts with label Unruly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unruly. Show all posts
27 Sept 2017
Unruly Bonus
Unruly now has a book cover! Steven Savage, who graciously allows me to post over at The Seventh Sanctum, has been creating fake book covers as a way to learn how to create real ones. He provided me with one for Unruly. Please leave a comment here or on his page if you have suggestions for him.
11 Jul 2017
NaNo 2017 - Four Months to Go!
With under four months until November, it's time to review the possible projects. I listed a few back in April, but I've had time to think about what to do. Some ideas have changed, some ideas have been added to the list.
The Shadowrun serial may be the front runner right now. I have the first two arcs of the series in mind, and the cast is more or less stable. Ultimately, I want to take the serial and adapt it as an audio script, to see how that process would turn out. Why audio? The special effects are easier; no need to use extensive CGI for trolls and dwarves and no need for makeup effects for elves.
The time-travelling kaiju invasion is also shaping up, though it will need a portion written before NaNo starts, just to set up what happens in the first chapter. Because of time travel, it's not a prologue. Temporal mechanics flip cause and effect, but the bit written before NaNo won't count towards the 50k words needed. I probably won't reach the events for some time in the story. I'm also working out the rules the defense team uses when time travelling. Since they are still trying to figure out temporal physics, they're doing everything possible to avoid paradox. Their method of travelling uses a variation of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, where they can know where a team is going or when a team is going, but not both. It's easier to plan for a known time than a known location, so the team uses the former when planning. Going to the late 19th Century? These are the typical clothes, this is a typical weapon, and tell not!Burt to hide his rifle better.
The Terran Commonwealth stories - the new colony and the courier crew - are on hold. The ideas are sound, but plots are thin. They're on the back burner while I work out just what the casts are supposed to do. Not a problem, really. Other ideas are going to take their place.
Finishing The Devil You Know is also off the table. Posting The Soul Blade created a push to finish it, so why not try that again with The Devil You Know? That means that once "Boomers Like Me" is complete, you can expect to see TDYK appearing on Fridays.
An older project, though, wants attention. Mecha Academy, an older work that hasn't seen much light, could use a rewrite of the beginning to properly set up the characters. When I was working on it, I was trying to turn it into a novel. The story isn't working out that way, though. It is a serial at its heart, and would work best in that format. The chapters need changing to reflect the new approach, and I do need to work out what all the characters' arcs are, not just two in particular. Fortunately, the setting is mostly built, and can be easily expanded as necessary. I even worked out rank structures, since the academy is for military cadets.
I also have an old Final Fantasy VIII fanfic that could get the numbers filed off without losing much from the story. As I mentioned in the first "Boomers Like Me" commentary, this was one of three fanfics I worked on that had me wondering why I didn't just do original fiction. There are going to be questions, such as why is there a military academy taking in young teenagers and sending them out as elite soldiers before they turn eighteen, to be worked out, but rebuilding the world may help. I'll also have to make sure that it doesn't look too much like RWBY, which has a similar premise. However, the characters are solid enough and can be moved to the new setting without too much effort.
Unruly and Subject 13 both need more love. I've posted some ideas about Unruly already, and there are some outstanding plot points that need development and wrappage. Subject 13, though, was left just before what would be a massive crossover event in a major comics line and is a major headache for a serial with just one title. I may want to skip to the aftermath of the battle against the Four Horsement of the Apocalypse to get Nasty back on her own arc so she can finally return home.
At some point, I'll have to narrow down the selection. Right now, though, I do want the wider range, to let me see what intrigues me enough to delve into the idea further. I don't want a replay of 2015, where The Elf's Prisoner was the last minute choice with next to no preparation and world building done on the fly. Made for an interesting November, one where I wasn't sure what direction I was going in. With the above, I do have an idea of where I'm going, though without a path set.
The Shadowrun serial may be the front runner right now. I have the first two arcs of the series in mind, and the cast is more or less stable. Ultimately, I want to take the serial and adapt it as an audio script, to see how that process would turn out. Why audio? The special effects are easier; no need to use extensive CGI for trolls and dwarves and no need for makeup effects for elves.
The time-travelling kaiju invasion is also shaping up, though it will need a portion written before NaNo starts, just to set up what happens in the first chapter. Because of time travel, it's not a prologue. Temporal mechanics flip cause and effect, but the bit written before NaNo won't count towards the 50k words needed. I probably won't reach the events for some time in the story. I'm also working out the rules the defense team uses when time travelling. Since they are still trying to figure out temporal physics, they're doing everything possible to avoid paradox. Their method of travelling uses a variation of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, where they can know where a team is going or when a team is going, but not both. It's easier to plan for a known time than a known location, so the team uses the former when planning. Going to the late 19th Century? These are the typical clothes, this is a typical weapon, and tell not!Burt to hide his rifle better.
The Terran Commonwealth stories - the new colony and the courier crew - are on hold. The ideas are sound, but plots are thin. They're on the back burner while I work out just what the casts are supposed to do. Not a problem, really. Other ideas are going to take their place.
Finishing The Devil You Know is also off the table. Posting The Soul Blade created a push to finish it, so why not try that again with The Devil You Know? That means that once "Boomers Like Me" is complete, you can expect to see TDYK appearing on Fridays.
An older project, though, wants attention. Mecha Academy, an older work that hasn't seen much light, could use a rewrite of the beginning to properly set up the characters. When I was working on it, I was trying to turn it into a novel. The story isn't working out that way, though. It is a serial at its heart, and would work best in that format. The chapters need changing to reflect the new approach, and I do need to work out what all the characters' arcs are, not just two in particular. Fortunately, the setting is mostly built, and can be easily expanded as necessary. I even worked out rank structures, since the academy is for military cadets.
I also have an old Final Fantasy VIII fanfic that could get the numbers filed off without losing much from the story. As I mentioned in the first "Boomers Like Me" commentary, this was one of three fanfics I worked on that had me wondering why I didn't just do original fiction. There are going to be questions, such as why is there a military academy taking in young teenagers and sending them out as elite soldiers before they turn eighteen, to be worked out, but rebuilding the world may help. I'll also have to make sure that it doesn't look too much like RWBY, which has a similar premise. However, the characters are solid enough and can be moved to the new setting without too much effort.
Unruly and Subject 13 both need more love. I've posted some ideas about Unruly already, and there are some outstanding plot points that need development and wrappage. Subject 13, though, was left just before what would be a massive crossover event in a major comics line and is a major headache for a serial with just one title. I may want to skip to the aftermath of the battle against the Four Horsement of the Apocalypse to get Nasty back on her own arc so she can finally return home.
At some point, I'll have to narrow down the selection. Right now, though, I do want the wider range, to let me see what intrigues me enough to delve into the idea further. I don't want a replay of 2015, where The Elf's Prisoner was the last minute choice with next to no preparation and world building done on the fly. Made for an interesting November, one where I wasn't sure what direction I was going in. With the above, I do have an idea of where I'm going, though without a path set.
9 Jul 2017
The Unruly Gap
A recent Lost in Translation review gave me a reason to watch a couple of the St. Trinian's films. For those not aware of St. Trinian's, it's a cartoon gag comic strip created by Ronald Searle that had been adapted as a series of movies first in the Fifties and then again in 2007. The girls of the school are, well, delinquents, the type who see field hockey as an excuse to turn their violent instincts against another school instead of one another. St. Trinian's is also the grandmother to Unruly by way of the tabletop RPG, Hellcats & Hockeysticks, itself essentially being the unofficial St. Trinian's RPG. After viewing both the 1954 The Belles of St. Trinian's and the 2007 reboot St. Trinian's, I realized one thing about Unruly.
I have to step up the Unrulies' activities.
While Caitlin could easily deal with the sixth form girls from the '54 film, the fourth form girls would give her fits. Most of that is on Caitlin - she's a Bond villain-in-training, not a criminal mastermind. She wouldn't be able to handle the raw chaos that the fourth formers provide. Most of my work so far has been with Laura and Caitlin, and the redhead is conservative, which rubbed off on her roomies.
The 2007 film, though, well, they would eat the Unrulies for lunch and ask for seconds. Just listen to their school song. The best the Unrulies have is "Tubthumping"; it's even where the school's motto, "Concidimur sed resurgimus"* comes from, thanks to my University of Alberta Classics faculty cousin and her husband. Even the '54 movie had "In flagrante delecto", or "Caught in the act". The difference is mottos and school songs reflects the difference in schools. The Gephardt Academy is there for girls who are trouble and have nowhere else to go. St. Trinian's is for budding and blooming criminals. Still, there are lessons to use.
The big one is that there isn't an Unruly version of the posh totties of the reboot movie, the girls who are getting by more on their beauty than their brains. Cassie was originally meant to be this type of girl, but she went in a different direction, and the rest of the Unrulies don't really give her the respect or credit for being able to do anything with walking her through step by step. Autumn thinks she's in that group, but she's easily distracted. Oddly, Skye may turn out to be better for the role, but she doesn't advertise the fact.
Again, putting Laura in with Caitlin means that using beauty for gains is off the table. It's just below Caitlin, and she's the mastermind of the dorm room. However, there are more girls than just that one room. I haven't fleshed out the full senior class. There's about twenty or so girls in the one class, English, they all have in common, and I've only named eleven publicly and one more in a work in progress. That gives me at least two more dorm rooms to fill, and Cassie does run the Fashion Club. There's room.
What can I do to close the gap and make the Unrulies the threat that they're supposed to be. I do have two characters who have ties to the criminal element. Vamsi fills the Flash Harry role, the go-between and fixer between the Unrulies and the Oshawa criminal element. Laura is more familiar with parts of the Toronto underground, though she's more supply side than thief. That does leave a huge gap that could be filled by a yet-unnamed Unruly. And the Academy does look for girls who are creative at breaking the law. There's always room for a Bay Street insider and a budding young cat burglar.
* "Concidimur sed resurgimus/Subjectos nos non retinebitis" for the full chorus. It does scan with the music.
I have to step up the Unrulies' activities.
While Caitlin could easily deal with the sixth form girls from the '54 film, the fourth form girls would give her fits. Most of that is on Caitlin - she's a Bond villain-in-training, not a criminal mastermind. She wouldn't be able to handle the raw chaos that the fourth formers provide. Most of my work so far has been with Laura and Caitlin, and the redhead is conservative, which rubbed off on her roomies.
The 2007 film, though, well, they would eat the Unrulies for lunch and ask for seconds. Just listen to their school song. The best the Unrulies have is "Tubthumping"; it's even where the school's motto, "Concidimur sed resurgimus"* comes from, thanks to my University of Alberta Classics faculty cousin and her husband. Even the '54 movie had "In flagrante delecto", or "Caught in the act". The difference is mottos and school songs reflects the difference in schools. The Gephardt Academy is there for girls who are trouble and have nowhere else to go. St. Trinian's is for budding and blooming criminals. Still, there are lessons to use.
The big one is that there isn't an Unruly version of the posh totties of the reboot movie, the girls who are getting by more on their beauty than their brains. Cassie was originally meant to be this type of girl, but she went in a different direction, and the rest of the Unrulies don't really give her the respect or credit for being able to do anything with walking her through step by step. Autumn thinks she's in that group, but she's easily distracted. Oddly, Skye may turn out to be better for the role, but she doesn't advertise the fact.
Again, putting Laura in with Caitlin means that using beauty for gains is off the table. It's just below Caitlin, and she's the mastermind of the dorm room. However, there are more girls than just that one room. I haven't fleshed out the full senior class. There's about twenty or so girls in the one class, English, they all have in common, and I've only named eleven publicly and one more in a work in progress. That gives me at least two more dorm rooms to fill, and Cassie does run the Fashion Club. There's room.
What can I do to close the gap and make the Unrulies the threat that they're supposed to be. I do have two characters who have ties to the criminal element. Vamsi fills the Flash Harry role, the go-between and fixer between the Unrulies and the Oshawa criminal element. Laura is more familiar with parts of the Toronto underground, though she's more supply side than thief. That does leave a huge gap that could be filled by a yet-unnamed Unruly. And the Academy does look for girls who are creative at breaking the law. There's always room for a Bay Street insider and a budding young cat burglar.
* "Concidimur sed resurgimus/Subjectos nos non retinebitis" for the full chorus. It does scan with the music.
19 Apr 2017
Unruly - Genesis of an Idea
An idea occurred to me for a potential Unruly arc. Since there may be people looking for information on how writers, amateur or otherwise, get ideas and since writing down the thought process may help me figure out what I'm doing, here is how the concept is forming.
The idea came to me after watching the Jem and the Holograms episode, "Alone Again". The episode turned into the series' anti-drug public service announcement, which every cartoon at the time was doing, in part to get the money available. The beginning of "Alone Again" had me hoping for a different direction. A new Starlight girl, Laura, who lost her parents in a car crash, arrived at the mansion because the other foster homes were full. Laura is shy and withdrawn, and I was hoping that the ep would go into the other girls learning how to work with her while not forcing her to open up before she was ready.
Since the episode didn't deliver there, that left the idea sitting in my head. Turns out, I do have a means already to explore that idea. Unruly already provides the setting, the Ulrich F. Gephardt Academy for Unruly Girls, which will separate my Laura-analogue from her family without having to drop a meteor on them while also dropping the girl into a strange new environment. And, let's face it, the Academy isn't for girls who can't stand up for themselves.
Next step is figuring out what I need for this story. I have the girl and her basic personality - shy, withdrawn, uncomfortable around others. She'll need a new name just to avoid confusion in the audience's mind with the Laura who already exists. The new girl will also need a reason for being at the Academy. The school is for girls who aren't so much in trouble but who are trouble. Whatever the reason is, it has to be believable with her desire to be alone.
Speaking of wanting to be alone, it's hard to do that when you bunk with three other girls. The new girl's roommates will also have to be developed. That's not really a problem, at least for the setting. Each girl will also need a background, including why they're at the school. I could use the opportunity to add a few more magical students to go along with Fawna and Kristi, plus add some diversity* to the cast.
I also have to figure out what year they are in and when the new girl arrived. I'm hesitant to have her be new along with Laura, simply because it starts looking odd to have so many new students coming in at odd times. A natural time for the new girl to arrive would be Grade 7, like Caitlin, or Grade 9. In the latter case, the new girl is missing two years of socialization with the other inmates, which may help with her not wanting to join the rest of the girls.
Even setting her in Grade 9, I still have to figure out if I want her story to be concurrent with the main plot featuring the seniors that's ongoing-ish or set the story back a couple of years so that the new gril is a year behind Caitlin. This ties into the problem with having the new girl show up the same time as Laura. I'm tempted to place the story two years prior; that way, the new girl and her roomies become the seniors once Caitlin's cohort graduates. The benefit to this approach is that there will be a character in place for the audience when the new seniors debut.
Once I can get the above worked out, I'll still need a plot. Laura's first weekend as an Unruly still had her thrown into the thick of things. Even starting the new girl on the proper first day of class in September, events still have to happen. She may not be prepared for life at the Academy, but her roomies will be ready to show the world, Oshawa, and their classmates that they haven't been beaten down.
* Diversity with Unruly is touchy. On one hand, I do want the Academy to reflect the reality of high school populations today. One the other, these are students who have had run-ins with the law, so adding, say, a Carribean Canadian who ran a ring cornering a third of Hamilton's illegal market is problematic, to put it mildly. I don't want to perpetuate stereotypes.
The idea came to me after watching the Jem and the Holograms episode, "Alone Again". The episode turned into the series' anti-drug public service announcement, which every cartoon at the time was doing, in part to get the money available. The beginning of "Alone Again" had me hoping for a different direction. A new Starlight girl, Laura, who lost her parents in a car crash, arrived at the mansion because the other foster homes were full. Laura is shy and withdrawn, and I was hoping that the ep would go into the other girls learning how to work with her while not forcing her to open up before she was ready.
Since the episode didn't deliver there, that left the idea sitting in my head. Turns out, I do have a means already to explore that idea. Unruly already provides the setting, the Ulrich F. Gephardt Academy for Unruly Girls, which will separate my Laura-analogue from her family without having to drop a meteor on them while also dropping the girl into a strange new environment. And, let's face it, the Academy isn't for girls who can't stand up for themselves.
Next step is figuring out what I need for this story. I have the girl and her basic personality - shy, withdrawn, uncomfortable around others. She'll need a new name just to avoid confusion in the audience's mind with the Laura who already exists. The new girl will also need a reason for being at the Academy. The school is for girls who aren't so much in trouble but who are trouble. Whatever the reason is, it has to be believable with her desire to be alone.
Speaking of wanting to be alone, it's hard to do that when you bunk with three other girls. The new girl's roommates will also have to be developed. That's not really a problem, at least for the setting. Each girl will also need a background, including why they're at the school. I could use the opportunity to add a few more magical students to go along with Fawna and Kristi, plus add some diversity* to the cast.
I also have to figure out what year they are in and when the new girl arrived. I'm hesitant to have her be new along with Laura, simply because it starts looking odd to have so many new students coming in at odd times. A natural time for the new girl to arrive would be Grade 7, like Caitlin, or Grade 9. In the latter case, the new girl is missing two years of socialization with the other inmates, which may help with her not wanting to join the rest of the girls.
Even setting her in Grade 9, I still have to figure out if I want her story to be concurrent with the main plot featuring the seniors that's ongoing-ish or set the story back a couple of years so that the new gril is a year behind Caitlin. This ties into the problem with having the new girl show up the same time as Laura. I'm tempted to place the story two years prior; that way, the new girl and her roomies become the seniors once Caitlin's cohort graduates. The benefit to this approach is that there will be a character in place for the audience when the new seniors debut.
Once I can get the above worked out, I'll still need a plot. Laura's first weekend as an Unruly still had her thrown into the thick of things. Even starting the new girl on the proper first day of class in September, events still have to happen. She may not be prepared for life at the Academy, but her roomies will be ready to show the world, Oshawa, and their classmates that they haven't been beaten down.
* Diversity with Unruly is touchy. On one hand, I do want the Academy to reflect the reality of high school populations today. One the other, these are students who have had run-ins with the law, so adding, say, a Carribean Canadian who ran a ring cornering a third of Hamilton's illegal market is problematic, to put it mildly. I don't want to perpetuate stereotypes.
19 Feb 2017
Unruly: Conversion to Audio
After listening to a number of fan audio works for Lost in Translation and working on a Star Trek audio play to see how the mechanics work, I decided to see if I could adapt Unruly to the format. I started with A New Girl Chapter 1, seeing that it is the first chapter of the series and wound up adapting the entire arc.
The first thing I had to deal with was the narrator. Audio books use one to read the story. Audio plays are native to the medium, so having a narrator read the stage directions would break the feel. But the nature of the school needs to get out there. Elspeth Stone is the perfect character to set things up; she's the headmistress and the first person Laura deals with. Laura's arrival had to change; instead of following her in from the road in the back seat of a car, I started in Ms Stone's office, cutting to the chase.
Introducing the rest of the cast got awkward. Something that could be dealt with in a paragraph now has each girl speaking up when her name is mentioned. The editing of the dialogue will have to make the scene flow smooth. All the action has to be conveyed by sound, even minor details like walking. The bit at the beginning where the car Laura came in gets destroyed by a flock of Jennifers, while easy to slip in with prose, now becomes a series of sound effects that can't overshadow the dialogue.
There are still details to work out, like music, but I do have a few ideas. The main idea is something original, to avoid dealing with clearances. However, I did run into a song by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, "I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby" which could work for the closing music. The closing credits are based on what I've heard in other audio plays; Starship Excelsior has each actor announce him/herself at the beginning. I've moved the the actor list to the end, in case there are spoilers just by announcing who is in an episode.
After the break, the script for "Arrival". This link to the original chapter should open in a new tab if you want to compare. Enjoy!
The first thing I had to deal with was the narrator. Audio books use one to read the story. Audio plays are native to the medium, so having a narrator read the stage directions would break the feel. But the nature of the school needs to get out there. Elspeth Stone is the perfect character to set things up; she's the headmistress and the first person Laura deals with. Laura's arrival had to change; instead of following her in from the road in the back seat of a car, I started in Ms Stone's office, cutting to the chase.
Introducing the rest of the cast got awkward. Something that could be dealt with in a paragraph now has each girl speaking up when her name is mentioned. The editing of the dialogue will have to make the scene flow smooth. All the action has to be conveyed by sound, even minor details like walking. The bit at the beginning where the car Laura came in gets destroyed by a flock of Jennifers, while easy to slip in with prose, now becomes a series of sound effects that can't overshadow the dialogue.
There are still details to work out, like music, but I do have a few ideas. The main idea is something original, to avoid dealing with clearances. However, I did run into a song by Kid Creole and the Coconuts, "I'm a Wonderful Thing, Baby" which could work for the closing music. The closing credits are based on what I've heard in other audio plays; Starship Excelsior has each actor announce him/herself at the beginning. I've moved the the actor list to the end, in case there are spoilers just by announcing who is in an episode.
After the break, the script for "Arrival". This link to the original chapter should open in a new tab if you want to compare. Enjoy!
9 Oct 2016
Unruly Update
The table of contents and the cast page have been updated to the end of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Caitlin. There are more parts in the works, but nothing that can be announced yet.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
1 Sept 2016
How Do We Solve a Problem Like Caitlin Chapter 2 - Commentary
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.
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.
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."
27 Aug 2015
Unruly Update
The Unruly main page has been updated to point to the last three chapters of Basketball Night in Canada. As an added bonus, the cast page is up, though could still change over time.
20 Aug 2015
Unruly - Basketball Night in Canada Final Comments
I still have a few unanswered issues to clear up before heading on to a new serial. Time to take care of them.
First, diversity. Diversity, to me, means making sure that the cast represents society. The cast shouldn't be all the same shade of blinding pale that I am. With today's works, it feels that creators have taken giant step backwards from the 80s, particularly with movies and television. There is a turnaround happening, but there should never have been the backwards steps to begin with. That said, I'm may not be much better. Caitlin may be paler than I am. I've left descriptions of Skye and Laura mostly to the readers, but that's not the same as stating that they're black, Asian, or Antarctican.
One of the problems I had in working out heritage was that the Unrulies aren't typical schoolgirls. The school exists to help girls who are trouble* to redirect their energies in a more profitable direction. My mantra during the early writing was that these girls would be the villains in another story. Because of that, I wanted to avoid stereotypes if I could help it. Sure, Caitlin is an redhead of Irish decent, but her goals avoid Irish stereotypes. Autumn is Vietnamese, descended from refugees fleeing the country, and can be best described as a boy-crazy hacker, but she owns that. But Skye and Laura?
With Skye, I have the same quibbles that Greg Taylor ran into with Time & Tied. Skye's athletic, good at basketball, and capable of great violence. I am hesitant to make her black; I don't want to play into any stereotypes. As for Laura, her father's a drug dealer and her hands aren't that clean. In Laura's case, I can argue that she'd work better as being white, mainly because of a former mayor of Toronto and his brother.
Caitlin and her roomies were the main characters for two episodes, but they weren't the only students. Vamsi can trace her roots back to India, though she isn't particularly religious. If she was, she probably wouldn't be at the Academy or be the budding fence that she is. I do recognize that I need to work on diversifying my casts. While I work on it, don't assume a nondescript girl is white. Blanks are meant to be filled in by readers.
Speaking of religion, another area lacking. St. Dymphna is a private Catholic school, so surely someone there must be faithful. I have spoken to people who have gone to Catholic schools**, though. Some grew in their faith; others became atheists; still more found a middle ground and ignore the Church except on holidays, weddings, and funerals. Verity is the latter, at least for now, though I haven't had to get into the nature of her beliefs yet. Mackenzie is the former. It's the faithful that I need to work in at some point, both the quiet and the loud. It's all in the nuance.
Second, the mystery of who is trying to shut down the school. The mystery started with The Great Jennifer Round-Up and continued into Basketball Night in Canada. The problem I ran into was that Caitlin really doesn't have a means to discover the person or persons behind the plot. With The Great Jennifer Round-Up, I had an inkling of who was responsible and worked out at least one of the conspirators. It was during Camp NaNo that I figured out the other conspirators. Knowing who it is, though, doesn't help getting Caitlin to make that discovery. I do have ideas on how to make the reveal to the audience.
Third, the lack of new Unruly episode. That's all on me. I have been working on the next episode, but I'm not making great headway. I have a rough idea of what's happening, but no real details. The next episode. Making the Rounds, features Vamsi and her roommates as a change of pace. Laura's plight with her English class will be set aside. The change of cast lets me expand the setting more, feature side characters in a broader role, and show new aspects of the school and how the students get along with the rest of the community.
Fourth, and this relates a bit to diversity, sexuality. I have a school full of teenaged girls dealing with hormones, puberty, and budding sexuality. Would an entire class go ga-ga over a teacher? Laura hasn't, but she can't be the only girl. Indeed, she isn't, and I tried to correct things, first by Flora saying that Laura should conform then having Camille tell Laura she wasn't the only one not interested in Mr. Baker. That still leaves the question of who is and isn't homosexual or bisexual, but there hasn't been a reason to reveal anything like that. Only six girls have demonstrated their sexual preferences so far - Laura, Mackenzie, Caitlin, Autumn, Caroline, and Jennie Carpenter.
If I've missed anything, ask away below. I can answer questions, though I will avoid spoilers.
Tomorrow, the start of a new serial, Crossover with Chapter 1.
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, the August news round-up.
* As opposed to girls who are in trouble, though that can happen.
** In Ontario, there is are separate Catholic school boards funded by the province as required by the province's constitution. The boards and their schools still must follow provincial guidelines when it comes to what must be taught, but they can add religious (read: Catholic) studies to their curriculum.
*** Other than Mackenzie, who made it clear on her first appearance.
First, diversity. Diversity, to me, means making sure that the cast represents society. The cast shouldn't be all the same shade of blinding pale that I am. With today's works, it feels that creators have taken giant step backwards from the 80s, particularly with movies and television. There is a turnaround happening, but there should never have been the backwards steps to begin with. That said, I'm may not be much better. Caitlin may be paler than I am. I've left descriptions of Skye and Laura mostly to the readers, but that's not the same as stating that they're black, Asian, or Antarctican.
One of the problems I had in working out heritage was that the Unrulies aren't typical schoolgirls. The school exists to help girls who are trouble* to redirect their energies in a more profitable direction. My mantra during the early writing was that these girls would be the villains in another story. Because of that, I wanted to avoid stereotypes if I could help it. Sure, Caitlin is an redhead of Irish decent, but her goals avoid Irish stereotypes. Autumn is Vietnamese, descended from refugees fleeing the country, and can be best described as a boy-crazy hacker, but she owns that. But Skye and Laura?
With Skye, I have the same quibbles that Greg Taylor ran into with Time & Tied. Skye's athletic, good at basketball, and capable of great violence. I am hesitant to make her black; I don't want to play into any stereotypes. As for Laura, her father's a drug dealer and her hands aren't that clean. In Laura's case, I can argue that she'd work better as being white, mainly because of a former mayor of Toronto and his brother.
Caitlin and her roomies were the main characters for two episodes, but they weren't the only students. Vamsi can trace her roots back to India, though she isn't particularly religious. If she was, she probably wouldn't be at the Academy or be the budding fence that she is. I do recognize that I need to work on diversifying my casts. While I work on it, don't assume a nondescript girl is white. Blanks are meant to be filled in by readers.
Speaking of religion, another area lacking. St. Dymphna is a private Catholic school, so surely someone there must be faithful. I have spoken to people who have gone to Catholic schools**, though. Some grew in their faith; others became atheists; still more found a middle ground and ignore the Church except on holidays, weddings, and funerals. Verity is the latter, at least for now, though I haven't had to get into the nature of her beliefs yet. Mackenzie is the former. It's the faithful that I need to work in at some point, both the quiet and the loud. It's all in the nuance.
Second, the mystery of who is trying to shut down the school. The mystery started with The Great Jennifer Round-Up and continued into Basketball Night in Canada. The problem I ran into was that Caitlin really doesn't have a means to discover the person or persons behind the plot. With The Great Jennifer Round-Up, I had an inkling of who was responsible and worked out at least one of the conspirators. It was during Camp NaNo that I figured out the other conspirators. Knowing who it is, though, doesn't help getting Caitlin to make that discovery. I do have ideas on how to make the reveal to the audience.
Third, the lack of new Unruly episode. That's all on me. I have been working on the next episode, but I'm not making great headway. I have a rough idea of what's happening, but no real details. The next episode. Making the Rounds, features Vamsi and her roommates as a change of pace. Laura's plight with her English class will be set aside. The change of cast lets me expand the setting more, feature side characters in a broader role, and show new aspects of the school and how the students get along with the rest of the community.
Fourth, and this relates a bit to diversity, sexuality. I have a school full of teenaged girls dealing with hormones, puberty, and budding sexuality. Would an entire class go ga-ga over a teacher? Laura hasn't, but she can't be the only girl. Indeed, she isn't, and I tried to correct things, first by Flora saying that Laura should conform then having Camille tell Laura she wasn't the only one not interested in Mr. Baker. That still leaves the question of who is and isn't homosexual or bisexual, but there hasn't been a reason to reveal anything like that. Only six girls have demonstrated their sexual preferences so far - Laura, Mackenzie, Caitlin, Autumn, Caroline, and Jennie Carpenter.
If I've missed anything, ask away below. I can answer questions, though I will avoid spoilers.
Tomorrow, the start of a new serial, Crossover with Chapter 1.
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, the August news round-up.
* As opposed to girls who are in trouble, though that can happen.
** In Ontario, there is are separate Catholic school boards funded by the province as required by the province's constitution. The boards and their schools still must follow provincial guidelines when it comes to what must be taught, but they can add religious (read: Catholic) studies to their curriculum.
*** Other than Mackenzie, who made it clear on her first appearance.
13 Aug 2015
Unruly - Basketball Night in Canada Chapter 13 - Commentary
Autumn feels Caitlin's wrath and the mystery comes to a temporary close. Welcome to the commentary for "Home Opener". Please read the chapter first before continuing.
Caitlin doesn't like it when her troops ignore her orders. Autumn doesn't care if Caitlin doesn't like what she did. Character friction leads to conflict! Skye gets to be the mediator, which is something she's done before with Caitlin and Autumn. Laura gets to be the one making comments from the side.
The search for Alexandra Fichetti's identity wasn't important or exciting enough to show. Autumn had a picture of her and did an image search, leading to the information she reveals. Moving during a school year is a pain. Having done it myself, there are ways to avoid the paperwork and headache of a mid-semester move. One is to just not mention the move at all, which isn't ideal. The other is to delay moving until after the school year, allowing for a proper transfer to happen. Alexandra used the latter method.
Laura's seedy background returns. The name-dropping is more to set up a few details for later, but does go to show where Laura comes from. This cred let me set up Laura's next few lines about where Alexandra got the St. Dymphna uniform. There is a demand for used uniforms, mostly from families with younger students at the same school. There is also a non-academic demand for uniforms, one that Laura is more aware of than Caitlin and Skye. Autumn just needed the reminder.
The mystery of who fixed the basketball game evolved into something bigger than I expected. Caitlin discovered the intermediary, but not the puppet master. At this point, there's not much for the Unrulies to work with. However, they did make sure that the next game would be clean. That just left wrapping up a few loose ends that appeared. Laura's envelope from Mr. Baker, the result of the Friday basketball game, and Laura learning how to poem. The big mystery will have to wait for a later episode, but I do know who is responsible here.
Once again, I had to figure out both a school name and a team name. Well, two school names, one in Whitby. Alexandra's old school came from a nearby town, Port Perry. Oshawa Western Collegiate was based on the naming convention for other schools in Oshawa. The Owls came from the the initials of Oshawa Western, which took a few minutes to realize.
Caitlin is going to be disappointed about her new war movie. Casablanca isn't the war movie the redhead thinks it is. She's expecting Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day. Vamsi's definition is a lot more loose; to her, a war movie is one set during a war, adding works like Casablanca to the set. The copy Vamsi will provide is legal. All she'll do is go to a store to buy the DVD. Not everything Vamsi deals with is illegal.
Tomorrow, the background information needed for the new serial.
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, the effect of the increasing length of novels on adaptations.
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of Lost in Translation.
Caitlin doesn't like it when her troops ignore her orders. Autumn doesn't care if Caitlin doesn't like what she did. Character friction leads to conflict! Skye gets to be the mediator, which is something she's done before with Caitlin and Autumn. Laura gets to be the one making comments from the side.
The search for Alexandra Fichetti's identity wasn't important or exciting enough to show. Autumn had a picture of her and did an image search, leading to the information she reveals. Moving during a school year is a pain. Having done it myself, there are ways to avoid the paperwork and headache of a mid-semester move. One is to just not mention the move at all, which isn't ideal. The other is to delay moving until after the school year, allowing for a proper transfer to happen. Alexandra used the latter method.
Laura's seedy background returns. The name-dropping is more to set up a few details for later, but does go to show where Laura comes from. This cred let me set up Laura's next few lines about where Alexandra got the St. Dymphna uniform. There is a demand for used uniforms, mostly from families with younger students at the same school. There is also a non-academic demand for uniforms, one that Laura is more aware of than Caitlin and Skye. Autumn just needed the reminder.
The mystery of who fixed the basketball game evolved into something bigger than I expected. Caitlin discovered the intermediary, but not the puppet master. At this point, there's not much for the Unrulies to work with. However, they did make sure that the next game would be clean. That just left wrapping up a few loose ends that appeared. Laura's envelope from Mr. Baker, the result of the Friday basketball game, and Laura learning how to poem. The big mystery will have to wait for a later episode, but I do know who is responsible here.
Once again, I had to figure out both a school name and a team name. Well, two school names, one in Whitby. Alexandra's old school came from a nearby town, Port Perry. Oshawa Western Collegiate was based on the naming convention for other schools in Oshawa. The Owls came from the the initials of Oshawa Western, which took a few minutes to realize.
Caitlin is going to be disappointed about her new war movie. Casablanca isn't the war movie the redhead thinks it is. She's expecting Saving Private Ryan or The Longest Day. Vamsi's definition is a lot more loose; to her, a war movie is one set during a war, adding works like Casablanca to the set. The copy Vamsi will provide is legal. All she'll do is go to a store to buy the DVD. Not everything Vamsi deals with is illegal.
Tomorrow, the background information needed for the new serial.
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, the effect of the increasing length of novels on adaptations.
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of Lost in Translation.
7 Aug 2015
Unruly - Basketball Night In Canada - Chapter 13
Previously:
"Is there a problem, ladies?"
"Carly is a St. Dymphna problem."
"Help Carly, or, at least, stay out of her way and see you sent to, well, I have my dreams; or, help you to prevent Carly from being a right pain."
"She's not from St. Dymphna."
Unruly
Basketball Night in Canada
Chapter 13 - Home Opener
"You did what?" Caitlin paced around the seated Autumn. She stopped mid-stride to focus her ire on Skye. "And you let her? Do either of you know what could have happened? Wheeler or his girl could have seen you and called the police."
"Autumn needed me there, Cait," Skye said. "We weren't seen."
"We also got info for you."
Caitlin whirled back to Autumn. "If I wanted information, I'd tell you to get it."
Anger clouded Autumn's expression. "You've been on our backs to look for who is trying to shut us down, a task not made any easier seeing that everyone in Oshawa wants to see us gone."
"By going back to a place that we know is a trap. Good thinking, Autumn."
Over on her bed, Laura lowered her poetry text. "That's how you use sarcasm."
"Is there a problem, ladies?"
"Carly is a St. Dymphna problem."
"Help Carly, or, at least, stay out of her way and see you sent to, well, I have my dreams; or, help you to prevent Carly from being a right pain."
"She's not from St. Dymphna."
Unruly
Basketball Night in Canada
Chapter 13 - Home Opener
"You did what?" Caitlin paced around the seated Autumn. She stopped mid-stride to focus her ire on Skye. "And you let her? Do either of you know what could have happened? Wheeler or his girl could have seen you and called the police."
"Autumn needed me there, Cait," Skye said. "We weren't seen."
"We also got info for you."
Caitlin whirled back to Autumn. "If I wanted information, I'd tell you to get it."
Anger clouded Autumn's expression. "You've been on our backs to look for who is trying to shut us down, a task not made any easier seeing that everyone in Oshawa wants to see us gone."
"By going back to a place that we know is a trap. Good thinking, Autumn."
Over on her bed, Laura lowered her poetry text. "That's how you use sarcasm."
6 Aug 2015
Unruly - Basketball Night in Canada Chapter 12 - Commentary
Caitlin and Verity agree on a common enemy and the world fails to implode. Welcome to the commentary for "Scorpions". Please read the chapter first before continuing.
The scorpion theme became a central idea once it appeared in Chapter 10. However, instead of Carly, it became Caitlin and Verity sizing each other up. After twenty-five chapters over three arcs, the two girls meet face to face. I got to show their rivalry instead of just hint at it. Both Caitlin and Verity love to talk at the other. Their dialogue alone propelled me well past my goal for Camp NaNo. They know each other well enough to tempt the other. Caitlin's counting on Verity's need to be the one to defeat her Unruly counterpart. Carly may be in trouble. If she was counting on the rivalry between Caitlin and Verity preventing them from making a move on her, the idea has backfired. Of course, Carly may have help who can plan for an unlikely alliance.
The reference to Laura and her lack of uniform goes back to The New Girl Chapter 2, when Caitlin used her to spy on Verity. Caitlin knows how to game the rules, interpreting them in a way that works to her benefit. While Laura might have issue being nude, other girls wouldn't see her nakedness as a problem. Mackenzie will need a cold shower.
Laura's idea of a museum uses the idea that museums aren't as heavily trafficked as a coffee shop, mall, or park. A school girl in a museum is there for research, and museums are quiet with enough corners for a quick conversation. If she gets to meet with Mackenzie, there might be more than talking involved. Laura is starting to get the game Caitlin plays and use it for her own benefit.
Verity's last line is an oblique reference to the hostilities between Autumn and Caroline. Nothing has been shown, mainly because Caitlin and Verity know better than to have those two in the same room at the same time. Hints have been dropped, though. Poor Jay. He must be feeling like Archie, except Betty and Veronica are reaching Spy vs Spy levels of rivalry for his affection.
Speaking of Autumn, she's off on her own investigation with Skye along in case something goes wrong. I still had a loose end flitting about, thinking that she was getting one over Caitlin; she needed to be reminded of her place in the narrative. Autumn was hoping to find the mastermind. Instead, she saw the mystery girl, whose name still hasn't been properly revealed. However, Skye did provide one key clue.
Tomorrow, the new Unruly episode, Chapter 13, "Home Opener".
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, Lost in.Translation returns with the history of adaptations and the Eighties!
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, a look at changes in publishing and how they affect making an adaptation.
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of /Lost in Translation/.
The scorpion theme became a central idea once it appeared in Chapter 10. However, instead of Carly, it became Caitlin and Verity sizing each other up. After twenty-five chapters over three arcs, the two girls meet face to face. I got to show their rivalry instead of just hint at it. Both Caitlin and Verity love to talk at the other. Their dialogue alone propelled me well past my goal for Camp NaNo. They know each other well enough to tempt the other. Caitlin's counting on Verity's need to be the one to defeat her Unruly counterpart. Carly may be in trouble. If she was counting on the rivalry between Caitlin and Verity preventing them from making a move on her, the idea has backfired. Of course, Carly may have help who can plan for an unlikely alliance.
The reference to Laura and her lack of uniform goes back to The New Girl Chapter 2, when Caitlin used her to spy on Verity. Caitlin knows how to game the rules, interpreting them in a way that works to her benefit. While Laura might have issue being nude, other girls wouldn't see her nakedness as a problem. Mackenzie will need a cold shower.
Laura's idea of a museum uses the idea that museums aren't as heavily trafficked as a coffee shop, mall, or park. A school girl in a museum is there for research, and museums are quiet with enough corners for a quick conversation. If she gets to meet with Mackenzie, there might be more than talking involved. Laura is starting to get the game Caitlin plays and use it for her own benefit.
Verity's last line is an oblique reference to the hostilities between Autumn and Caroline. Nothing has been shown, mainly because Caitlin and Verity know better than to have those two in the same room at the same time. Hints have been dropped, though. Poor Jay. He must be feeling like Archie, except Betty and Veronica are reaching Spy vs Spy levels of rivalry for his affection.
Speaking of Autumn, she's off on her own investigation with Skye along in case something goes wrong. I still had a loose end flitting about, thinking that she was getting one over Caitlin; she needed to be reminded of her place in the narrative. Autumn was hoping to find the mastermind. Instead, she saw the mystery girl, whose name still hasn't been properly revealed. However, Skye did provide one key clue.
Tomorrow, the new Unruly episode, Chapter 13, "Home Opener".
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, Lost in.Translation returns with the history of adaptations and the Eighties!
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, a look at changes in publishing and how they affect making an adaptation.
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of /Lost in Translation/.
31 Jul 2015
Unruly - Basketball Night In Canada - Chapter 12
Previously:
"Tell Verity exactly what we're doing?"
"Laura, we're going to Neutral Grounds tonight."
"Just because it was my idea doesn't mean I need to go."
"Verity's here."
Unruly
Basketball Night In Canada
Chapter 12 - Scorpions
"Parlay?"
Caitlin paid no mind to her new roommate. Instead, she kept her focus on her rival. "Verity."
"Caitlin." Verity returned the redhead's gaze with an equal intensity.
The barista stepped forward. "Is there a problem, ladies?"
"Tell Verity exactly what we're doing?"
"Laura, we're going to Neutral Grounds tonight."
"Just because it was my idea doesn't mean I need to go."
"Verity's here."
Unruly
Basketball Night In Canada
Chapter 12 - Scorpions
"Parlay?"
Caitlin paid no mind to her new roommate. Instead, she kept her focus on her rival. "Verity."
"Caitlin." Verity returned the redhead's gaze with an equal intensity.
The barista stepped forward. "Is there a problem, ladies?"
30 Jul 2015
Unruly - Basketball Night in Canada Chapter 11 - Commentary
A meeting of bitter rivals and a standoff. Welcome to the commentary for "Common Ground". Please read the chapter first before continuing.
The opening scene with Laura and Camille is meant to work out the issue of the class swooning over Mr. Baker. Not all girls there are interested in him. Camille isn't, for reasons of her own that she chooses not to reveal. Probably still not enough, but Laura's limited point of view won't see any of the others just yet.
The making of lunch let me get the girls to try to set Caitlin straight on Laura and show that Caitlin isn't that great with people. Autumn and Skye act as the redhead's conscience and social skills. Sometimes, Caitlin needs to be told to be friendly. Hurricane Caitlin tends to ignore niceties when she's on a mission.
With no solution to finding whoever is behind the fixing of the Simcoe game, the Unrulies are prepping for something similar during their game against Oshawa Western Collegiate, a team that has been district champions over the past few years. Caitlin is going to have to get specific when she tells Laura to work out a distraction. Laura's fixated on the gas grenades, and if she can put in her gigglesmoke, the people affected get very distracted and giggly.
The idea to enmesh Verity into the plot came late. Caitlin would never have thought of it; why give good intelligence to her enemy? It took her a moment to think the idea through and realize that Verity could be of use. Autumn makes a very good point, though Caitlin is already thinking about how the Unrilies could turn on Verity's people.
Over at St. Dymphna, Verity and Mackenzie had the very same conversation. Mackenzie, like Laura, has other plans that were steamrollered. Verity's assumption of a boyfriend comes from being in a Catholic school. It's very unlikely any girl there would come out of the closet while there, though secret trysts and the confessional afterwards would happen. Laura could admit to having a girlfriend over at the Academy; Autumn might have issues, but Camille wouldn't. Laura would still have to be circumspect about who her girlfriend is, since Mackenzie is at the rival school. Mackenzie has to keep everything a secret, at least for now; no having a girlfriend over at the Academy made public for her.
When I first worked out the uniforms for both the Academy and St. Dymphna, I forgot about coats. I did the same in Subject 13 when Nasty started at Fieldson, and she had an overcoat then. However, with fall comes cooler weather, and out comes the cold weather gear like trenchcoats. The grey trenchcoat lets Caitlin feel like a spy, an added benefit for her.
I wanted the ending to start building up to what would be the prelude to a gunfight in a Western. The two gunmen, starting at each other while everyone else in the bar goes silent, waiting for the inevitable gunshot to ring out. Laura doesn't watch Westerns, allowing me to complete the Rule of Three.
Tomorrow, the new Unruly chapter, Chapter 12, "Scorpions".
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, still on hiatus.
Saturday, over atMuseHackSeventh Sanctum, Lost in.Translation returns with the history of adaptations and the Eighties!
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of Lost in Translation.
The opening scene with Laura and Camille is meant to work out the issue of the class swooning over Mr. Baker. Not all girls there are interested in him. Camille isn't, for reasons of her own that she chooses not to reveal. Probably still not enough, but Laura's limited point of view won't see any of the others just yet.
The making of lunch let me get the girls to try to set Caitlin straight on Laura and show that Caitlin isn't that great with people. Autumn and Skye act as the redhead's conscience and social skills. Sometimes, Caitlin needs to be told to be friendly. Hurricane Caitlin tends to ignore niceties when she's on a mission.
With no solution to finding whoever is behind the fixing of the Simcoe game, the Unrulies are prepping for something similar during their game against Oshawa Western Collegiate, a team that has been district champions over the past few years. Caitlin is going to have to get specific when she tells Laura to work out a distraction. Laura's fixated on the gas grenades, and if she can put in her gigglesmoke, the people affected get very distracted and giggly.
The idea to enmesh Verity into the plot came late. Caitlin would never have thought of it; why give good intelligence to her enemy? It took her a moment to think the idea through and realize that Verity could be of use. Autumn makes a very good point, though Caitlin is already thinking about how the Unrilies could turn on Verity's people.
Over at St. Dymphna, Verity and Mackenzie had the very same conversation. Mackenzie, like Laura, has other plans that were steamrollered. Verity's assumption of a boyfriend comes from being in a Catholic school. It's very unlikely any girl there would come out of the closet while there, though secret trysts and the confessional afterwards would happen. Laura could admit to having a girlfriend over at the Academy; Autumn might have issues, but Camille wouldn't. Laura would still have to be circumspect about who her girlfriend is, since Mackenzie is at the rival school. Mackenzie has to keep everything a secret, at least for now; no having a girlfriend over at the Academy made public for her.
When I first worked out the uniforms for both the Academy and St. Dymphna, I forgot about coats. I did the same in Subject 13 when Nasty started at Fieldson, and she had an overcoat then. However, with fall comes cooler weather, and out comes the cold weather gear like trenchcoats. The grey trenchcoat lets Caitlin feel like a spy, an added benefit for her.
I wanted the ending to start building up to what would be the prelude to a gunfight in a Western. The two gunmen, starting at each other while everyone else in the bar goes silent, waiting for the inevitable gunshot to ring out. Laura doesn't watch Westerns, allowing me to complete the Rule of Three.
Tomorrow, the new Unruly chapter, Chapter 12, "Scorpions".
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, still on hiatus.
Saturday, over at
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of Lost in Translation.
24 Jul 2015
Unruly - Basketball Night In Canada - Chapter 11
Previously:
"Carly's never been this effective."
"As in, the Carly who Verity wanted to cause problems for but we interfered?"
"Time to let us in on the good stuff."
"A computer system filled with life-threatening medical information? Autumn will enjoy the challenge."
Unruly
Basketball Night In Canada
Chapter 11 - Common Ground
The morning dragged for Laura. English class was filled with too many girls swooning over what appeared to be gibberish at a far too early hour for Laura's comfort. She did make an effort to follow along, but after the first fifteen minutes, she was so thoroughly lost that she just started flipping through her textbook. Her roommates didn't appear to have any problems. Caitlin was the model student, listening to Mr. Baker in rapt attention. Autumn scribbled in her notebook. Skye paid attention to what the teacher said. Laura bit back a sigh. It would not do if she brought the attention of the class to herself and thus to Caitlin. The redhead would never let her hear the end of it.
"Carly's never been this effective."
"As in, the Carly who Verity wanted to cause problems for but we interfered?"
"Time to let us in on the good stuff."
"A computer system filled with life-threatening medical information? Autumn will enjoy the challenge."
Unruly
Basketball Night In Canada
Chapter 11 - Common Ground
The morning dragged for Laura. English class was filled with too many girls swooning over what appeared to be gibberish at a far too early hour for Laura's comfort. She did make an effort to follow along, but after the first fifteen minutes, she was so thoroughly lost that she just started flipping through her textbook. Her roommates didn't appear to have any problems. Caitlin was the model student, listening to Mr. Baker in rapt attention. Autumn scribbled in her notebook. Skye paid attention to what the teacher said. Laura bit back a sigh. It would not do if she brought the attention of the class to herself and thus to Caitlin. The redhead would never let her hear the end of it.
23 Jul 2015
Unruly - Basketball Night in Canada Chapter 10 - Commentary
A visit to the lair of the Jennifers and Verity returns. Welcome to the commentary for "Carly Thinks This Chapter's About Her". Please read the chapter first before continuing.
The chapter title is a reference to the Carly Simon song, "You're So Vain". I wasn't expecting that sort of confluence to occur when I first named Carly, really, but it worked out here. Carly first appeared back in The New Girl Chapter 7, during the Diet Coke and Mentos plot. Her importance in Unruly has increased since then.
When I started the chapter, I had no idea where to begin. Caitlin's investigation was grinding to a middle, but I had pumped all I could from it without further information she didn't have the means to acquire yet. Then it dawned on me - Verity. Verity needed a bit of attention, and I'd been heading towards a St. Dymphna connection anyway. One of the more interesting bits, at least from my view, is that Verity's roommates don't get along as well as Caitlin's. There are some underlying currents of mistrust there. Only when they have a mutual enemy can they work together. Good thing Caitlin exists. The discussion let me slip in the information that Carly may have new help, and I know who it is. At some point, there may even be a reveal.
Caroline's little pony was one I looked up. I knew the name - Lyra Heartstrings - but I had to confirm her colour and cutie mark. There is no official plush of Lyra, though finding someone who will take commissions for unique ponies isn't a problem. Mackenzie's poetry is another callback, this time to The New Girl Chapter 7 and Chapter 4 of this arc.
Caitlin's name-dropping might be confusing. Joel Powell is related to Bree Powell, the girl the Unrulies first talked to and was spotted at the mall by Skye and Laura. Richard Sullivan was the first indication of Carly's last name. Having names come up naturally is an issue at times. Just dropping a full name can be awkward, especially when the point-of-view character wouldn't know it. At the same time, it'd be nice to get the name out there. The plot does require the last name, so Autumn blanking was a good enough way to get the info out.
More callbacks with the Jennifers. Laura suggesting Caitlin open the door refers back to the trap Autumn set off in The Great Jennifer Round-Up Chapter 3. Laura's first use of "Parlay?" also appeared in that chapter and comes from Pirates of the Caribbean. Caitlin's Aero bar bribe first appeared in The New Girl Chapter 5. Yay, continuity!
For a group of girls that were supposed to be nameless, the Jennifers got fleshed out. The Great Jennifer Round-Up helped there. While the rest of the school just refers to the first year girls by the collective name, Laura has made a point of remembering each one. Jenn was the only planned named Jennifer, the Jennifer of Jennifers, but there's a nice little community building up in the basement.
Tomorrow, the new Unruly episode, Chapter 11, "Common Ground".
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, on hiatus.
Saturday, over at MuseHack, still on hiatus.
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of Lost in Translation.
The chapter title is a reference to the Carly Simon song, "You're So Vain". I wasn't expecting that sort of confluence to occur when I first named Carly, really, but it worked out here. Carly first appeared back in The New Girl Chapter 7, during the Diet Coke and Mentos plot. Her importance in Unruly has increased since then.
When I started the chapter, I had no idea where to begin. Caitlin's investigation was grinding to a middle, but I had pumped all I could from it without further information she didn't have the means to acquire yet. Then it dawned on me - Verity. Verity needed a bit of attention, and I'd been heading towards a St. Dymphna connection anyway. One of the more interesting bits, at least from my view, is that Verity's roommates don't get along as well as Caitlin's. There are some underlying currents of mistrust there. Only when they have a mutual enemy can they work together. Good thing Caitlin exists. The discussion let me slip in the information that Carly may have new help, and I know who it is. At some point, there may even be a reveal.
Caroline's little pony was one I looked up. I knew the name - Lyra Heartstrings - but I had to confirm her colour and cutie mark. There is no official plush of Lyra, though finding someone who will take commissions for unique ponies isn't a problem. Mackenzie's poetry is another callback, this time to The New Girl Chapter 7 and Chapter 4 of this arc.
Caitlin's name-dropping might be confusing. Joel Powell is related to Bree Powell, the girl the Unrulies first talked to and was spotted at the mall by Skye and Laura. Richard Sullivan was the first indication of Carly's last name. Having names come up naturally is an issue at times. Just dropping a full name can be awkward, especially when the point-of-view character wouldn't know it. At the same time, it'd be nice to get the name out there. The plot does require the last name, so Autumn blanking was a good enough way to get the info out.
More callbacks with the Jennifers. Laura suggesting Caitlin open the door refers back to the trap Autumn set off in The Great Jennifer Round-Up Chapter 3. Laura's first use of "Parlay?" also appeared in that chapter and comes from Pirates of the Caribbean. Caitlin's Aero bar bribe first appeared in The New Girl Chapter 5. Yay, continuity!
For a group of girls that were supposed to be nameless, the Jennifers got fleshed out. The Great Jennifer Round-Up helped there. While the rest of the school just refers to the first year girls by the collective name, Laura has made a point of remembering each one. Jenn was the only planned named Jennifer, the Jennifer of Jennifers, but there's a nice little community building up in the basement.
Tomorrow, the new Unruly episode, Chapter 11, "Common Ground".
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, on hiatus.
Saturday, over at MuseHack, still on hiatus.
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of Lost in Translation.
17 Jul 2015
Unruly - Basketball Night In Canada - Chapter 10
Previously:
"I don't want any of Verity's crew warned."
"Everyone here saw Mr. Baker giving you the envelope, Laura."
"It's like we're being set up."
"Skye, she had a friend."
Unruly
Basketball Night In Canada
Chapter 10 - Carly Thinks This Chapter's About Her
Verity lounged on the couch in the dorm suite she shared with her girls, her black Mary Janes on the floor beside her. She stretched her stockinged legs, working out the kinks. The main door burst open as Sarah ran inside. Verity sat up, brushing one of her pony tails back over her shoulder. "I trust you have something to report?"
Sarah dropped into an overstuffed chair. "Caitlin's up to something."
"I don't want any of Verity's crew warned."
"Everyone here saw Mr. Baker giving you the envelope, Laura."
"It's like we're being set up."
"Skye, she had a friend."
Unruly
Basketball Night In Canada
Chapter 10 - Carly Thinks This Chapter's About Her
Verity lounged on the couch in the dorm suite she shared with her girls, her black Mary Janes on the floor beside her. She stretched her stockinged legs, working out the kinks. The main door burst open as Sarah ran inside. Verity sat up, brushing one of her pony tails back over her shoulder. "I trust you have something to report?"
Sarah dropped into an overstuffed chair. "Caitlin's up to something."
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