I've really got to stop looking at movie trailers. Today I stumbled across the trailer for 300. It looks amazing. It's an adaptation of a graphic novel by Frank Miller about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. The visual style of the film looks gorgeous and I could see Caliban's End being done in a similar way (but not so violent).
Anyway, if you've read any of my earlier posts, you'd know one of my favourite characters is Pylos - see the blog entry entitled Return of the Hero somewhere below. Pylos is a Helyan, a race of people modelled on the Greek heroes of legend. Now the heroes of 300 (the Spartans) are bound to bring up similarities with the Helyans of my novel (e.g. big muscles, not much in the way of clothing, bloodlust etc.) but look at the picture below! What's the deal with that. I have a classical character with a scar - the movie has a character (King Leonidas) with a scar. Also Pylos is the type to lead the charge in a battle - just like this guy does in the trailer! If I were paranoid, I'd think there was a sophisticated conspiracy by Hollywood to undermine my book .
Well, I'm not going to buckle under such pressure. I have given Pylos a new scar and it's bigger than King Leonidas'. Much bigger. Leonidas would have scar envy - Pylos' scar now runs the entire length of his face. I'll put a new picture of him up in the sidebar. I am going to make the scar more significant it terms of Pylos' character. Pylos is usually shy around women, but now I'm going to make the scar a contributing factor in his lack of confidence with the gals. See the extract below but be warned - it's a medium-sized spoiler!
Pylos stared at the bloodied ground as he toyed with a rock at his feet. "Why? I'm surprised you asked," he said quietly. "Look at me. I'm a monster."
She took his face in her hand and smiled. "I know what a monster looks like, General. I married one, remember, and you don't look anything like him."
Furthermore, I'm halfway through rewriting Chapter Two, the first chapter that features the Worldpool. Now instead of being a swirling vortex of water where important things take place, it's now a swirling vortex of frozen water, under a blazing sun, a place where time folds in on itself and important things still take place. I went out of my way not to make it look like Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End. I can't dump it and I love the Worldpool, both as set piece, as a narrative device and as a metaphor (which I will explain in a blog entry on literary devices in Caliban's End).
Anyway, it 12:30 am. Effects of the third cup of coffee are beginning to fade. Time to hit the sack.
Separated at birth? General Pylos Castalia of Heylasand King Leonidas of Sparta
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