Update, sorta, and an idea

Hey, at least it's only been a month or so.

My 'big changes' are behind me now, well not entirely but they're mostly dealt with, so slowly I'm starting to try and write a bit more often. I'm nowhere near the output level that will yield new stuff any time soon though, so don't get over-excited.

One thing I have been kicking around in my head - in truth, for months now - is the possibility of a different superheroine series. I may have even mentioned it on here before actually, but to be honest I can't be bothered to go back and check my own archives. I'd like your thoughts on it.

Anyway my thinking is potentially it would be something involving a male-to-female transformation at the heart of the story; a man who turns into a woman to be a superheroine. (This, I should point out, would be a disguise, not a magic transformation. I think you know me well enough by now to realise that's not what I write, but I want to be clear.)

This actually isn't that original an idea - Holly Fairfa, if I remember right, did a short story with exactly that idea waaay back on the original MaskFiction.com.

My thinking on why I'd do this is several-fold as my thinking usually is:

1. It would, obviously, be massively kinky. Man disguised as woman disguised as superheroine? I think you can imagine all the kinds of fun I'd have.
   
2. It could be an original character, but still a superheroine. That means more potential for me - in all sorts of ways.
3. I'm getting just a teeny bit bored with Betty... but still want to write super-stuff. (What can I say, it's the spandex lover in me.)

I've also had a few thoughts on how this can roll out. The idea has been in my brain for a bit, after all:

1. An original story/series with all-new characters. I have the 'origin' plotted out, roughly. It makes some sort of sense, to me anyway...!
   
2. A spin-off series (or mini-series) featuring Batgirl, set after the Spider-Girl 'Crossover' arc... in other words (SPOILER!) with Dick Grayson under the mask(s).
3. My 'Project AC' concept, which... well alright, might as well spill, can be neatly summarised as 'Catwoman is actually a guy'. (There's more to it than that; a lot more in fact... but you get the idea.)

I'll be honest, on different days I think each idea is the best thing ever, but then I haven't sat down and tried any of them on paper. So which would you prefer? And here's the rub: why?

(Your answer would preferably run to more detail than 'Catwoman is the sexiest'.)

I will admit, if pressed, to having something of a preference for the first idea (the original series). Mostly because while I know it'd be easy for me to write Option 2, and fun to write Option 3, I keep telling myself that if I'm going to commit the inevitable amount of huge effort required to produce something, I should really do that for my own original creation, right?

Hmm. Oh by the way, I know a lot of you will shrug and say "Whatever, just write something, please God I need a fix" the more feedback I get in any particular direction, the more likely I am to... errr... do something.

Maybe...

Chameleon returning to comics

In case you don't follow comics like I tend to do, you might have missed this. This week's issue of Amazing Spider-Man, number 602, will feature the return of the Chameleon - and it looks like he's up to his old tricks:
That image, by the way, is part of a five-page preview you can see over at Newsarama.

What's really interesting (well, to me anyway) is that as you can see, he's back to using masks for his disguises. The Chameleon's appearances in comics are infrequent enough that I'm not 100 percent sure of this, but I'm pretty certain the last time he was seen, he was using 'face changing tech'. Or maybe I'm confused with the Spider-Man cartoons.

Anyway, for those of you, myself included, who are fans of this master of disguise... might be a good idea to get along to your local comic store. (This issue is the first in an arc to feature him, by the way. If we're really lucky, perhaps he'll try on a few of those female masks behind him, hmmm?)

Oh and fans of the Black Cat might be pleased to see this cover image for issue 607, which is coming in about five weeks or so (now that Amazing Spider-Man comes out three times a month):


... especially because if your mind works like mine does, it probably sparked a few Spider-Girl ideas...!

A search related addendum: By far, this is the highest traffic post on this blog. I can only assume it's some magic combination of 'Chameleon' and 'Marvel' going by the search terms, but then again, I find myself on page 10 of the Google results... so I have no idea what you're looking for.

On the off-chance that you, like me, find the Chameleon an intriguing and in fact exciting character; if the phrase 'master of disguise' does special things for you... then you might like my fan fiction series which features him heavily, especially in the first four issues. Read the first issue right here.

Whoops

Ah, sorry about that little three month break there. Nothing you're not used to, I figure, but I also figure it's worth popping up here and saying something now and again.

Here's where I stand; my life is about to change in a very big way, but I don't want to elaborate on just how. (Although I will shoot down a couple of obvious things: no, I'm not having a kid; no, I'm not getting divorced; and no, I'm not having sex change. Alright, the last one's not so obvious.) That's partially led to my invisibility over the last few months.

The good news for you is that I am, occasionally, still writing, but Other Stuff has gotten in the way. I'm still interested in continuing/finishing things I have going, though, with The Babysitter (working title) and quite possibly Teya (also a working title) being the most important ones.

For the handful of Betty Brant/Spider-Girl fans out there, well, that's not going anywhere fast. I have ideas of where I want to go with her, but honestly, right now it's not appealing. That could change.

I know it's a bit crappy of me to write another "Oh I'm writing stuff, but there's nothing to see here - yet" post but personally, I prefer to hear something from people in our little 'circle' instead of nothing at all. Hope you feel the same.

That's it. I'll try and make sure next time I post, I've got something to share, too. In the meantime feel free to sound off below, or send me an email just to say 'hi'.

Oh, and happy July 4th, for those who care about these things!

Going around and around in circles

For those keeping track, I'm trying to write. And it's proving tough.

At the moment I've got a few things on the go. I've actually started writing The Babysitter, which is now very much a working title, after I was inspired randomly one day to put down the thoughts of the main character. That turned into a sort-of prologue which will probably never be used, but established what I wanted to do in the story early on, which has led to a productive streak... that's now hit a bit of a wall, as I've come to A Big Scene and seem a bit scared to write it. What a wuss, eh? For those who like to dig around, I talked about the origins of this (gulp) over a year ago.

Second, I'm trying to move Betty Brant's adventures onwards, but man oh man, that's proving tough. I have been plotting and re-plotting and re-plotting the next issue forever; I have almost 6,000 words of it written, but have probably thrown away half of that. It's driving me kind of nuts. I can't even tell you why it's driving me nuts - half because it'll spoil it, and half because I don't know why!! Still, I think the destination I have in mind is worth getting to, so, I continue to slam my head against this particular wall.

Your opinion wanted

Hello there.

Well, it's fair to say that there's been a fair amount of thinking and perhaps not as much writing as I might like here in the past month or so. I've been tapping away at something new, which may or may not pan out, but has kept me interested. I've stalled on a couple of other things.

What I'm here for now, though, is a bit of research. Call it professional curiosity. On the right you should see a poll (unless you're looking at this post over a week from now; greetings, time traveller). Can you do me a favour and answer it? And leave any additional thoughts or comments you have under this post.

Oh, and just for the time travellers, here's the question: "In mask fiction, what sort of transformation do you prefer to read about?" Options being 'male to female', 'male to male', 'female to female', 'female to male', 'any, if it's right for the story' or 'all if at all possible'. So now even you can answer.

Let me know... vote today!

UPDATE: I moved the poll up top, as that way, you can see the results properly.

Thanks to those who voted so far!

2009 and all that

Hello and Happy New Year to those of you who, no doubt, still drop by occasionally hoping to see new stuff.

Here's the good news: there is new stuff coming.

Here's the bad: I've got no idea when it might turn up.

Due to a combination of factors, mostly personal, I haven't had many solid periods of writing since last August or so. I'm trying to get back into it.

Ideas are not the issue (in fact, extracting those ideas into one, coherent plot is often the issue) so don't worry about that. It's just the usual stuff: time and effort.

I took a look back at 2008's resolutions which I wrote about just over a year ago (neatly summarised as 'Finish more stuff') and it made me smile, wryly. Naturally, stating that I would finish more stuff ensured I didn't.

Maybe I should try some reverse psychology on myself: don't write.

Let's see how that one works out...

The Robin inspiration

So I'm actually writing this on the 4th, when I said I wanted to reference some inspiration I'd had - but if I did, it'd give away a major plot point.

Hopefully by the time you read this, you'll know all about the resolution of issue 20 and the Crossover arc (Hey, you're ahead of me, I haven't written it yet! Ah, the joys of projecting into the future) so now I can talk about my inspiration.

When it comes to impersonating Robin, well, there's probably been more than a few occasions over the years... but one that sticks in my head particularly because it was in the 1960s (the spiritual home of my SG series) and also because it featured a woman doing the impersonating, is Jill St. John as Molly, in only the second episode of the Batman TV show.

In case you haven't seen the episode in question, naturally it's illegally available on YouTube (here's Part One, in which the impersonation takes place; here's Part Two, in which you sort-of see Molly unmask). What makes the episode so fun for me is actually (believe it or not) Burt Ward's performance. When he's playing 'Molly as Robin' he really does camp it up in a few places, and boy if that ain't kinky.

Anyway, when I was writing the (SPOILER!) Betty-as-Robin scenes in issue 20, I needed reference to remember what the heck the 'classic Robin' costume looked like. So I went looking for visuals, and then I remembered that episode. One quick YouTube search later and I was delighting in that scene again. That gave me all the visual reference I needed, and also Molly's delicious play acting as Robin ("Riddler, you fiend!" she says when she first turns up, Robin mask in hand) really inspired me to ensure that Betty-as-Robin took the 'role' seriously.

Here's a few gratuitous pics of the scene when Molly turns up dressed as Robin. Sorry about the quality, but they're just screen-grabbed from YouTube:

Molly confronts the Riddler, costume ready, mask in hand...

A knowing glance to her partner in crime... time to transform...

Ta-da... out goes Jill, in comes Burt, and he's happy to 'play the girl'.

Great stuff. If you haven't seen it, be sure to check it out.

2012 Update: As this post still gets hits - most likely people looking for the same memories I had - here's a couple of bonuses. One, this entire episode is on YouTube now, who knows how long for:

Second, here's another screengrab - the moment after Molly unmasks herself (which frankly, is a terrible, terrible piece of fakery, but at least she's pictured here, mask in hand):

"Maybe you could put that back on and we'll have a little fun..."

New release: Spider-Girl, issue #20

The Chameleon has finally been caught; Betty's mission is at an end. Unfortunately for her, growing feelings for Barbara mean that leaving this dimension may not be as easy as she had hoped....

Issue #20: Legends of the Dark Knight

Download from Maskingwriter (Yahoo! Group)
Get the latest issue immediately at steekr

The Chameleon's locked up. Betty's done what she came to do. So what could delay her? What could possibly keep her in Gotham? Perhaps the love of a good woman... or a man who looks like a woman...? There's still a few twists in this tale yet.

Every single plot line from this arc (that I could think of... I certainly hope I didn't miss any) is wrapped up in this issue, which does mean there's a fair bit of exposition, but also plenty of sexy stuff too. If you really want to immerse yourself in the entire arc, I'd recommend re-reading everything (yep, everything - from issue #14) and I'm pretty sure you'll start to see the connections. It was, believe it or not, pretty much all planned.

Issue #20 marks the end of the road for Betty Brant's 'crossover' into another dimension, and the end of this arc. It's also time for me to pause in the tale of Spider-Girl, but that doesn't mean the series is done - far from it, I hope. For now though, I expect I'll be working on something else for a while. What will that be? I'm not entirely sure myself. Things are cookin'. We'll see what comes to the boil first.

I'm afraid of course that does mean, you won't be getting served up 13-20K words a week of new material! I'll still be around though, so if you want to get in touch, leave a comment or drop me an email.

There may be a couple of posts exploring this arc, by the way; I found the process of writing this quite fascinating, as well as taxing, exciting and trying at times. So if you're interested, I'll waffle at some point.

Remember if you haven't read all the issues of this arc yet everything's available, both at Maskingwriter (membership required) and now via steekr (just click and get the issues). If you enjoy, please do leave a comment below, and click on an ad for me.

Update on 20

... so work came down "like an anvil" this week, as they say, so hard that I'm actually going to be in work this weekend, probably both days, probably most of each day. Don't cry for me, I don't mind doing it, but it means I won't have time to edit 20 (and haven't had much time this week, either).

So right now, don't expect 20 to be out this weekend. Sorry 'bout that. I will get it out as soon as I can.

As I've said before, the post-issue-20 future of the series (and my writing) is a little unclear. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next. I do have a variety of arcs, plotlines etc that I want to pursue with Betty. I also have ideas for non-SG stuff, including some unfinished M2F masking stories that I might go back to, or entirely new ideas.

I'd appreciate any thoughts you might have. While I know nearly all of you will just be thinking "I don't care, just write more stuff" it does influence my thinking if people really, really want to see 'X' or 'Y'.

Issue 20... is done!

About five minutes ago. Maybe not even that.

Right now - before editing, which could expand or contract this figure - 20,735 words, which I can barely believe, especially considering as far as I can tell, 13K of those words were written in the last week.

See what you can accomplish when the muse is with ya??

I've got a mix of feelings right now. It's been a big issue, but it's been a much bigger arc - I've been writing it for six or so months. Writing the last few scenes was kinda emotional. Don't worry though folks, I've left it on a suitable cliffhanger...!

All will be revealed... this weekend. Barring accident, injury, etc. Editing that many words will take some time, too!