Brainstorming help. Warning: looooooooooong

Hi Sis! Finally I get around to this part lol, but it's necessary because I feel like I can't write anymore without ironing out some details. Trouble is, these few issues are the same ones I've had since the very beginning, and so I need a different viewpoint I think.

I'm going to copy and paste a summary I sent someone. I tried to join a writer's group but there was only one other person in it, so she and I have decided to try and help each other out. She hasn't seen anything yet though, so I have no idea what kind of critique to expect.

If it sounds a little bit like the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, it basically is but with elementals. :p I need to find ways to help it NOT sound like that though.
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"So what’s my book about?

It’s about a brotherhood (not biological, but not quite a society?) of elemental warriors. Elemental as in fire, water, air, earth, yes, as well as others and interesting combinations. They are not really completely human, but have human forms and live in our world. They have a world (plane, dimension) of their own, but I have not worked out how they travel back and forth to it yet.

Being that elements are necessary and natural to life, their enemy, the ones they are fighting, are screwing with the natural order of things. They are basically chaos and entropy, going around causing disasters. They find “erratics”, humans with latent elemental powers, and cause them to basically spontaneously implode/explode and cause chaos and destruction. Our elemental warriors are soldiers of good, charged with keeping the earth and humans safe, and keeping the world from going out in mayhem and a mess of natural disasters. All anyone has to do is watch the news to see that they are losing the battle. Tsunamis, earthquakes, tornados, flooding etc all get worse every year, with larger loss of life.

I haven’t figured out how the warriors find the enemy first, or the erratics, but so far I just have the idea that they are looking for the humans with powers to protect and try to prevent disasters. I think to make it interesting the enemy must also have a form that can do physical combat, but I’ve not figured out that yet either, or how they battle. I want it to be more realistic and complicated than just hand to hand or opposite elements. No fire vs water for example, I think that’s too easy.

So anyways, we’ve got these warriors all physically and elementally strong, and attractive. Fire  and heat are often associated with passion, so that’s where I’ve chosen to start, with that guy. There’s some personal reasons behind that too, so I think that’’ll be the easiest story to write while I figure out all the details.

Yes, I want to write all their stories, all of the main elementals (some which will be women)….no pressure, right?? I’ve never written a book before at all, but I’m already planning on a series…..! Don’t worry, I know I’m ridiculous, and dreaming. :p

Our hero and heroine meet innocuously at first, then when he’s flexing his elemental muscles and saving her. There’s tension, because she knows she saw something impossible, and also because, hey, she almost died in a fire, which he can control! She’d be silly not to be a little wary. Not to mention, he’s super powerful but has less control than the other guys. However, you know, desire cannot be denied, and true love conquers all, so they will be thrown together again and again until they’re head over heels for each other, and then he will die.

……….

Just kidding, but only slightly. Something has to happen, because I’d like her to have to somehow go to the elemental plane to get him back, and there discover that she herself is an erratic, with slight water powers, and when they come back she’s gained them. This is also kind of setting up the vague and hazy ideas I have for future stories. It’s a little trope-ish I realize (opposites attract and all that) but since his lack of control is a factor, I wanted him to be paired with someone who could have some sway on that, calming him down, so that when his control counts, he is triumphant. Also, fire + water = steam, and a steamy love story is exactly what I’m going for!"

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So, yeah....These are the things I need help scrounging up ideas for.

1) How do human-form elementals fight human-ish forms representing chaos and mayhem?

Fire vs water style fighting is too easy. Should it just be the amount of power vs amount of power? The bad guys are bad partly because they ARE so powerful. It takes all the warriors to fight just one or two. Should it be like, fire damages skin or water drowns them, or lack of air suffocates them, etc? But wouldn't that be too easy? Hand to hand only? Maybe they cant use their powers at all for some reason, while fighting the bad guys? But what about guns? Is there some other way or form of combat between them that would be more interesting/logical? Should the bad guys be human-ish or corporeal at all? Any other ideas?

2) Under what circumstances do they go back to their own plane? Are they called back by higher forces? Do they go back when they die? Is some sort of ritual involved?

3) How would a human with latent elemental powers get to the elemental plane, and how would the get back?

4) How do the warriors identify the enemy, or know that they are nearby? Maybe an unnatural smell? But what is unnatural? Burning plastic maybe? But the bad guys in BDB smell like baby powder, so maybe that's too similar. They need some kind of "tell" that most humans wouldnt notice or wouldn't think was strange. Darkness? Something only the elementals would notice? Any other ideas?

5) Similarly, how do they find the humans that are being targeted? 6th sense? Can they only find the enemy, and then try to figure out who is targeted? That would be problematic, but maybe that's why it's so hard? Any other ideas?

6) If it's difficult to travel back and forth to the elemental plane, when did they arrive here and how? Were they sent, or born? Were they already warriors, or did they have to grow into it?

If it's not too difficult, why do they have to have a life here then? Any other ideas?

I appreciate the help, and I'll go update the hiaku right now! If you cant think of any ideas all at once, you can just comment with any you do have, or you can make a new post if you have a lot!

They dont have to be answers to my problems, just ideas that I havent had yet that might work. I'm impatiently waiting to see what ideas you may have!

This week

*First off I think Haiku is fixed. When in doubt just continue as best you can. Sometimes mistakes are made when you are sleepy!!


*I like your montage of willow that is designer! I love your super sweet story about the clouds too. I love hearing those kinds of things.

Maybe you don't see it but I can see that your painting skills are improving and honestly I am so jealous I can't paint lol Maybe one day you visit and we paint together and I'll learn lots lol

Hey Canadian food also includes things like bacon, cream cheese logs :P

Alot of weight loss if it doesn't change measurements is good!!!!

It means it's not just water loss cause that will change measurements and what it actually means is that you probably lost internal fat, which is the most healthful to lose!!

I didn't make this armor set but there was one missing so I did make the chain set which is 2nd from left.

Same story hear. The horse armor icon set was missing the diamond so I made it.

Updated pack icon. My other wasn't pretty enough lol

This is the new coffee table. It's just plain but you can see it transforms into a  tv tray to eat and compute and drink while on sofa!

This is the new couch. It has power recliners so I don't have to have Steve recline me for me or hurt my knee cause I can't close it.

This is the new bed. Its a foam mattress no springs at all and does seem to already hurt my shoulders and knees less. We slept 10 hours last night!

Steve gave me a small allowance out of the check money so I went to whole foods and bought some orange oil on sale for only 3$ so i got some others and was able to make some perfume. He also bought me out of his own money a small bottle of everclear so I can have fake perfumers alcohol lol So far my new mix is getting rave reviews!! Still not sure how close it is to smelling like Elige lol I think I must have a stupid nose.

This is view of living room now.

Salmon and asparagus in pesto puff pastry and asparagus

Easter day I came over and he wasn't feeling well so I fed him Easter candy and messed with him :P People who appreciate my sassyness are loved lol

Stevie went finally went to a kinky class with me and funnily enough it was about DBT and mental health and being an authentic person. He said he enjoyed it and learned alot and said he would do the exercises with me and also because his work has free EAP if we can figure out how to do it I might be able to start therapy again.

Its weird how things are related. One time I was told I had borderline personality disorder and someone else said no you don't just features of. I know I have PTSD really bad. I've taken DBT before and it was good. Class last night discusses that most people do not have borderline but instead CPTSD. Complex ptsd. It's the same normal thing but complicated by the amount of mal-adaptive protective instincts and behaviors. Best cure is DBT. 

Also he said that CPTSD is caused by ACE's which I have been reading about. Which is Adverse Childhood Events. The main list they test on I have all 10 and most of the secondary list too. They say just having 2-4 ACE's makes someone suicidal and likely to abuse drugs. So now I think maybe I should try to give myself a bit more of a break. Even if it has been rough I am doing good for a 10 ACE. Now that I've been reading about all this I'm understanding more things.

I always though triggers were bullshit. But now I figure out that I must a lot of the time be being triggered and that is why I suffer. I guess trigger is just a fancy word for something that scares you and makes your PTSD act up. lol Like soldiers who hear firecrackers and fall down. I hear yelling and close up, people get in my face and I go catatonic, I feel like my family is threatened I become attacking, I think I am unloved because I am damaged and I cry for 72 hours straight. I feel empty and emotionless and I eat. If all the triggers I do and don't know aren't bad enough. The protective instinct is really getting the worst of me sometimes. Don't talk on the phone, don't go outside, don't exercise, don't talk to people, don't wear pretty clothes, hide whats going on etc. etc. So please cross your fingers I do get to start therapy again it is helpful.

Dave and Busters was fun last night. The last time we went I only had enough money to do one thing and I hated it the whole time. But now DB made it cheaper and we went with Devon and Melissa. They paid for alot of things and had tons of tickets. So I got to play packman, trivia, air hockey, 4d haunted house, 4d arctic thunder, and skee ball. Actually had a good time! At the end i didn't win any tickets because I suck at arcades. So they bought me a dip and stick package. How nostalgic!

Tomorrow I'm going to yoga class with a new friend. I super love my new lifestyle. What a difference it makes to find the people who are just like you!

I love you sis and I can't wait to hear from you let me know if you want to talk on phone.

The book stuff will have to wait....

Cuz it's complicated and would take a lot of typing!! But as soon as I feel like it I will get it up here.

So, news! Saturday we find out if we have to move AGAIN....ugh. But it's for a slightly better position, so it's probably worth it right?? I dunno.

Willow is much better emotionally, so for that I am super thankful.

Maggie can actually do like, real (but short) conversations now. Knows all her colors animals and shapes, is learning alphabet & numbers. I have some smart girls.

I have not really taken any pictures in weeks which is not normal for me lol, so it will be a picture-light post today.

 Willow glasses montage!

Sticker face!

These clouds! Maggie was walking with me, looking up at them in awe. She said, "Mama the clouds are talkin to me." I said, "Oh really, what are they saying?" "They're singing." Me: "Awww." She said "Yeah, they're singing with their eyes closed."

The clouds, lol.

No idea what that means, but it melted me and was a sweet moment.

Worked on my other painting a little more. Some things are better, some are not. There is one cloud that needs work, and there is canvas texture in some of the big cloud because it was too dry. Honestly, I think I'm done messing with it. The paint is dry now and anything else I do will have those same hatch-marks.

 My most recent painting. I think it needs a boat, or a lighthouse, or a lightning bolt, or something, but, same thing, the paint is drying too fast (because of the heater on all the time.)

So that's all for now I guess? Things have been pretty boring, but hopefully when I get my license next week and the weather warms up more, things will be a bit more interesting. We're planning a trip to Canada! But we were going to go to buy Canadian food, like ketchup chips, but now that we're on keto and it's going so well, we're going to have to find something else to do. :p


Speaking of the diet, I have lost all this weight without my measurements changing AT ALL. So where did it all come from?? My boobs, I guess, and my butt. But today I measured, and even though it did it a few days ago, alllll my measurements had gone down a bit. Waist down 1", hip down almost 2", neck down 1", wrist fractions of an inch. It was nice to see, because I really needed motivation today. (Need to grocery shop, not much good for me around to eat.)

How's the new bed?!

Love you!

Update

In dropbox is the vampire serial! I hope you like it.

Also I updated Haiku

Sorry and more news lol

I read Keto but forgot to come back and comment it as I was looking on phone. So I will do that ok!!

Here is the silencer app I was talking about. Great if you know how long you want it to be silent for. Part of the reason I got it is because I needed to do things where phone needed to be silent but I wanted it to always be back on in case Steve called or I lost phone and needed to call it!!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.peterbaldwin.silencer

Thanks for compliments your the only one I know that appreciates a lot of the silly things I do!

I am trying to reskin the entire minecraft just randomly as I go lol

Yes haiku is using my last line as your first and well do in the same post and yes i will help you brainstorm lol

In the screenshots you saw what would you say is the worst texture? IE the next one I need to work on lol Also is there a texture you'd like to work on for pure fun? They are just 256, it's like the image tile quilts we used to do online. I'd love to have a bit of sissy in pack if you felt like it lol

I'm so glad willow and rest of family are doing good!!!

New stuff for minecraft

Iron shovel

Sea Lantern

 Enchanting table top and side

Clay ball

New fancy door

New sugar and in cube format instead of pile of dust

New dispenser

News

A dinner I cooked at Wills with cheese sauce

On the way to a dinner at Wills house and I put on makeup for once lol

I live in another dimension but I have a summer home in reality. Red light pic lol

I made the lapis and iron

new blue orchids I made

 new stone slab 

My new avatar I made.

The listing for my class!! They say I did good!

Getting a new bed today because Steve check came in, overjoyed I get to sleep comfy. I went to the swingset last night with steve and did some basic silk stuff. How is Willow? 

Still there?

Just missing you. Hope everything is better than the last time we talked. Im waiting impatiently for an update! I hope you got to see your nutritionist and got the meds you needed. Maybe you're just busy, but you didn't make any comments on my last post so that makes me feel like maybe you didn't see it.

I hope all is well, talk to you soon?