Second Draft Update, More Sub-Hive Thoughts, and Cadmus as Virus

[tinhuvielartanis]

I'm almost 11,000 words into the second draft of The Chalice. It's been slower going than I had expected or hoped, but I understand why I'm crawling through it. Reading and thinking about each line before retyping it. Although I know it's unrealistic, I'd like to think what I'm doing will help me avoid having to do a third draft. I doubt that will happen, though, 'cos I'll be working on finishing Sui Generis as a chapter in the book, which will essentially make it a first draft chapter in the second draft book. After careful consideration, I've decided to leave out The Embrace of Cadmus. It stands nicely on its own and, to be honest, the transformation of Maria into Eve isn't relevant at all to the arch story that makes up The Chalice.

falkenna asked me to extrapolate on what differentiates the sub-hives from each other, why they exist at all really. The Hive of Purity sprung out of the Tarmian bloodlines and is defined solely by this blood affiliation. Made up of the Original Ten vampires (all Tarmi), and their first human vampire offspring, this hive is essentially only 19 vampires large (one of the Original Ten is dead). The Darkblood Hive and Hive of Redemption are pretty much religious-based. Darkbloods believe in magic and mysticism, and they embrace their vampiric nature. Redemptors are typically monotheistic and often punish themselves for surrendering to the bloodlust. The Hive of the Beast is a psychological hive in that these vampires have no choice but to behave in the way that they do, engaging in the eating of flesh and the Bloodbath. It's also physical because there are a number of Beasts who can shapeshift, giving rise to werewolf legends. The last sub-hive, the Tribe of the Tomb, is also physical and psychological. These are most often mentally disabled vampires. Their mortality rate is higher than the other hives put together, simply because they're more easily found by human hunters.

Finally, I'm just really thrilled at another offer of fanfiction for Cadmus Pariah. This makes two people who've written Cadmus because of how he made them feel. I've even had some folks dream of him and one special soul create art for him and his Mask (::bows to xanadumalion). I'm wondering what would happen if Cadmus ever got attention on a very wide scale. If any character could have a viral effect on people, I think that Cadmus could. It's not because I'm touting this super-duper character that I created, because I didn't create him by myself. He's the bastard child of some frightening music and a psychic hand print (out of the Dream Time?) that was left when Barry Andrews bitch-slapped me from afar. If these things could have such an effect on me, then the character produced out of such effects could influence others. At least that's what I've come to believe. This is really the only thing driving me to try to get the book published, so I can see what effect Cadmus will have on others.

Comments

[falkenna.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that's helpful. From this, it sounds as though there could easily be lots of non-affiliated vampires as well. Wouldn't this avoid the main problems Chardarkminion discussed?

[tinhuviel.livejournal.com]

I'd never addressed non-affiliation because the sub-hives have never carried much importance in the first place, except for the drama within the Hive of the Beast between Orphaeus and Cadmus Pariah. It's something to perhaps delve into later on, perhaps with a sequel or something.

[falkenna.livejournal.com]

Yes, thinking about it, it may be our own conditioned expectations of vampire clans that makes us think they are somehow all-pervasive in Chalice.