Lure of the Fox: Month of Blood

Remember when I said that "Lure of the Fox" takes place in the colder months?

Well, as of now, I know exactly when it takes place.

Which is cool, considering what month it is right now...for the next five days anyway😛.

Ha ha.

Back in the Middle Ages, though, it wasn't called "November"--very much.  It was more commonly known as:

Blotmonað


Yeah, I have no clue how to say that, but that is how you spell it. 

And it means "blood month" or "the month of blood sacrifices".

See, back when the Anglo-Saxon calendar was a big deal, November was the time of year when it was likely that animal sacrifices were made so that the inhabitants could have a safe a relatively mild winter.

And stockpile for the winter as well.

Because, you know, food. 

These animal sacrifices were likely made when the leaves started to change color and fell off the trees, and it got stupidly cold.

But the sacrifices likely didn't begin until after the harvest was brought in, which was usually after All Saints Day.

Aka November 2.

Hence "month of blood".

November was also a time for bonfires and mischief, particularly because the previous holiday, Samhain, was when the veil between the living and the dead was thinnest, so it's also possible that the animal sacrifices were to appease any lingering spirits in addition to protection from the upcoming weather. 

Of course, Malbete would have his own twisted definition for "month of blood".

And he uses it. 

Especially when it concerns Jean-Luc. 

Because he's so very twisted like that. 

Lure of the Fox: Romani

I said last week that Sorcha and Tirzah can code switch right?

And that there's a reason behind that?

Well, the reason has to do with their genetic, ethnic and socio-economic makeup(a phrase that I absolutely love and will use at any given opportunity, and not just cause it's fun to say).

Sorcha and Tirzah are Romani.

The Romani Flag

(Also spelled "Romany"; also referred to as "Roma", "Rom" or  "gypsies"--which is actually regarded as a derogatory term among the Romani people because of the way this term was used--as a source of abuse and racial discrimination; though there is some evidence that this term came from a misunderstanding of the Romani's origin. This evidence suggests that the word "Gypsy" came from "Egyptian", since it was thought that they migrated from Egypt, rather than northwest India. But I digress...)

Actually, in France, they are referred to as "Gitans" but I'd rather not do an exposition dump in any of my plays, so I'm using "Romani".

Romani have intrigued me since I first read "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"--which has a highly glamorized (and some would say bastardized) interpretation of a Romani in the character of Esmeralda.

And researching the non-fictionalized Romani has been fascinating. For instance:

They are nomadic by necessity.
Romani were among the ethnic groups enslaved by noblemen of the regions they inhabited and were among those rounded up and sent to concentration camps in World War II.

Interested parties can find a little more info on this topic here.

Which explains why Sorcha and Tirzah are so capable of looking after themselves--not that non-Romani are less capable, but...you get the idea, I hope.

They adopt the predominant religion of the region they inhabit.
Romani have spiritual beliefs, and complex rules that govern respect, honor, purity and justice. But they don't follow a single faith. If they happen to be in a predominant Catholic area, then they practice Catholicism, for example. They also have thier own worldview, known as Rromanipé.

Which, while religion doesn't totally come into play, in "Fox", it helps back up a couple of plot points(like Jean-Luc and Tirzah's marriage...spoilers....)

Language
Romani speak a language known as Rromanës, which has roots in Sanskritic languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Bengali; and some words have been borrowed from English. 

And this is why Sorcha and Tirzah are able to code-switch. They speak three languages. 

Family is the strongest value held in Romani society.
According to the Rroma Foundation, "Rroma never had a country — neither a kingdom nor a republic — that is, never had an administration enforcing laws or edicts. For Rroma, the basic 'unit' is constituted by the family and the lineage." 
How cool is that?!

Also, lends stronger motivation to Tirzah's actions in the plot of "Fox".

They still face discrimination, persecution and racism today

Romani in Auschwitz

Because or the color of their skin, and/or their culture, and/or anything-else-sure-to-piss-off-anyone-who-fears-and/or-doesn't-understand-a-culture-or-people-different-from-their-own. See nomadic by necessity above.

Also, guess what one of the underlying themes of "Fox" is?

If I piqued your interest, there's more to find out by following this link here.

Also, there is an amazing TEDtalk about the Romani here.

Lure of the Fox: Reflection of Personality

It's NOVEMBER!!!!

Which means it's NANO!!!!

Which means I will use this as an excuse to finish this draft of "Fox" by November 30th, so help me!!!!!

Meantime, here's another tidbit.

One of my favorite authors--Lauren Willig(who I talk about so much both on an off this blog I'm surprised people aren't sick of hearing it yet) said something somewhere about how the atmosphere and plot of a story/plot line can reflect the personality(ies) of the protagonist of said story/plot line.

(Lauren says it a lot more eloquently than I just did and I rooted around on her website for like an hour trying to find that exact quote but to no avail. Grrrr. But I got the gist, soooooo)

You guys, I'm finding that this is absolutely true.

Confession: when I started out writing what is fondly becoming known(to me, at least) as the Sherwood Cycle, I didn't intend it to be more than one show.

But, as it usually the case, I fell in love with so many of the characters(as is my wont) that I had to write more of their stories(and I'm repeating myself, I know).

Wolves of Sherwood took place in the summer.

Wolves of Sherwood was super swashbuckling.

There were 11 fights

(more in the Utah production, because we had three fight choreographers--one main choreographer and two fight captains/assistants--rather than one. Which was cool.)

 And, while there were some dark things that happened in the plot,

for the most part in Wolves of Sherwood, everything was light and frothy and gave you warm fuzzies.

However.

Lure of the Fox is not Wolves of Sherwood.  And not just because the title is different(ha ha).

It's darker.

Fox takes place in the autumn/early winter(the most important part is that there is no snow, cause I hate snow).

It's not frothy and whimsical and dappled sunlight and all of that.

There's shadows and cold and broodiness and darkness--both atmosphere and people-wise.

 It's grittier.

Fox's events occur in a war-torn country,

complete with mercenary thugs and the like,

and, it's me,

so of course there will be combat.

Just not as much--

and those fights are shorter, harsher, bloodier...

because why not(ok, fine, there is a legitimate reason, but still)....

It's heavier.

Stakes are higher.

Consequences are more dire.

Themes are more mature.

Get the picture?

It's sexier.

We get to see what happens when a tiger and a fox-bear get together.

Because yes.

'Nuff said.

It's more cerebral.

There's plenty of emotion and sword fights and the like,

but it's less swashbuckling,

and a lot more internal

 with a heist type plot line, rather than straight up action/adventure.

 Also, it's becoming a lot more character driven,

which is interesting,

as WOS was mostly plot-driven.

Also, also, there's more French.

A lot more French.

All of which actually fits Jean-Luc's personality to a T.

He's cerebral(an emotional cerebral, but still),

he's dark and broody,

he's gritty,

he's incredibly sexy (in my mind anyway, because y'all know how I feel about Dark Horses and their personalities, and it doesn't help my romantic heart that he still looks like Harry Richardson--who is Drake from Poldark--in my head:)

And he's like a dormant volcano,

with thoughts and emotions bubbling beneath the surface

that will explode if not released sooner or later.

But explosions always have consequences.

And it's always really fun to watch those play out!

Lure of the Fox: Writing "Backwards"

Oh, look at that, concept trailer shoot is over,

and I'm still alive,

and my life is not as insane as I thought.

Which means I get to go back to the Writing Cave.

YES!!!!!

So y'all know by now that I tend to write characters and plots with a ton of history

 because I'm weird like that

 and it's fine

because it leads to the potential of sequels and prequels and things(this has happened more than once and I'll chat about that sometime later).

Way back in July, when I was still in the "development" phase of "Lure of the Fox", I hadn't really thought much about the characters beyond "oh, yeah, Cassian and Jean-Luc, and Ravenna and Tirzah, and Tarquin, DeClaire and Malbete are in this; and I already know their "Animal Parallels"; and there are only three additional characters(Declan, Sorcha, and Reynaud) which means this cast is smaller which means this will be easier to write. Cool."

HA.

Now that I'm in the "writing" phase, it just got....interesting...and (especially for someone like me who overthinks E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G) complicated...

"Fox" Tarquin is easy to write.

"Fox" Jean-Luc, Cassian, Ravenna, Tirzah, DeClaire and Malbete are not.

Why?

Because these particular "Fox" characters are different from the way they are portrayed in "Wolves"(because prequel)--especially when it comes to certain personalities.

These particular "Fox" characters are being written "backwards".

Allow me to illustrate:

Jean-Luc
"Lure of the Fox" is Jean-Luc's story.

(And I'm not gonna lie, this made me do a mini happy dance cause I've been more or less in love with this Dark Horse since I created him three years ago)

Which means we get to see the Fox/Bear show his teeth!
 

He's reckless.

Jean-Luc decides he's going to to go play hero and damn the consequences.

I know!

And he has a rage problem.

Jean-Luc has a temper, and that temper gets him in over his head.

I know!!

And he's impulsive.

Jean-Luc leaps before he looks(sometimes literally), and ends up screwing himself and everyone else over.

I KNOW!!!

Cassian
Since Cassian takes the spotlight in "Wolves", he's been relegated to a supporting character in "Fox"(see Jean-Luc above).

But this time, Cassian is the cautious one.

This time, Cassian follows the rules.

This time, Cassian's the innocent. A little boy who has yet to grow up.  Someone who actually listens when Jean-Luc tells him to do something, which is new. 

And kind of endearing.

And a fun 180 to give him--a cute untested little wolf pup.


Tirzah
Since Jean-Luc is the Male Lead in "Fox" it stands to reason that Tirzah is Leading Lady, right?

(cue inner squealings cause I love this girl so much I can't even)

Which also means that we get to dig into Tirzah's backstory.

And it's all sorts of interesting.

She's still sassy, and feisty; she can absolutely look out for herself; but there's also a darker aspect to her that we don't really see much of in "Wolves".

Tirzah's on her own, and she has trust issues.

So don't mess with this Tiger.

Unless you're Jean-Luc.

He can handle her just fine 😛

Malbete
Malbete's devious.

He's sadistic.

He's manipulative.

And you get to see all of that in "Fox."

This is a Malbete who doesn't have someone holding his leash.

The weasel bares his fangs.

 He's given carte blanche to do whatever he wants to any of his prisoners.

And to one prisoner in particular.

And it's glorious.

Ravenna
Just as Cassian's role in "Fox" is smaller, so is Ravenna's.

Just as Cassian is an innocent rather than a cocky show-off, so is Ravenna.

An innocent brat.

She knows her rank and expects to be waited on;

she expects to be looked after rather than looking after herself.

She's a bratty little girl, who's still an adorable little raven chick, if that's possible.

But it also means that Cassian isn't going to fall for her crap.

Which is awesome!

DeClaire
Oh DeClaire.

The loose cannon.

When I was writing "Wolves" I was always curious why DeClaire was so power-hungry and why he went off the deep end when he did.

It's because of who he was in Normandy.

And what he was allowed to do in Normandy.

A loose cannon is scary enough.

But a loose cannon sans leash is worse.

This is one snake you don't want to piss off.

*Shudder*

My Conclusion?

This is actually a lot more fun and a little bit more complicated than I thought it would be.

Writing characters "backwards" is hard.

Fun, but so effing hard.

Lure of the Fox: Animal Parallels

Right, so now that my life has calmed down for a Hot Minute(I have a concept trailer shoot this weekend, so we'll see how long that lasts...) I'm glad to able to go back to "Lure of the Fox"!

People who have read this little blog(and also who know me outside of this) are aware that in "Wolves of Sherwood", each character had a "spirit animal" in my head.

That was a cool little quirk to have

 A) Because it was fun, so why not;

and

B) Because a couple of animal references were in the dialogue so why not give all the characters an "animal parallel" which would mostly stay in my head since it was just for fun.

Except it didn't stay in my head.

All of them eventually made their way into the script.

Which is what happened this time.

So here, for your pleasure, is yours truly's animal parallel list for "Lure of the Fox". Enjoy!

Jean-Luc:

Bears are symbols of power, courage, confidence and introspection(yes, that is a line right out of WOS)and it suites Jean-Luc cause he thinks waaaaay  too much. Foxes are clever, and cunning and that gets them into trouble. A lot. If I told you why Jean-Luc has two Animal Parallels, that would fall under Spoilers, so...yeah, he has two; moving on...

Tirzah: 

Tigers are used as symbols of protection and healing, which is exactly what Tirzah is--a healer, I mean. Other things tigers represent is raw feeling and instincts--the ability to trust oneself and  follow your intuition. Which is what Tirzah does. Also, if you piss her off, she will claw you to death.

Declan: 

This one is kind of interesting. Scorpions are symbolic of defensiveness, protection, treachery, and passion, among other things. Declan is always on the defensive, and closes himself off from everyone and everything, but has a protective connection with Jean-Luc, so...yes, he's a scorpion.

Raynaud: 

Spiders represent shrewdness, resourcefulness, determination and patience--all qualities that Raynaud has. They are also really creepy to look at(especially the ones that seem to scoot over surfaces rather than crawl--that's both creepy and gross!). And this fits because Raynaud is also creepy as all get out.

Cassian:

There is a reason this is one of my favorite animals. Courage, strength, unyielding loyalty, uncanny instincts. All of these are present in a wolf; and all of these are present in Cassian. He just hasn't figured out how to use some of them yet.

Ravenna:

Another interesting one. Ravens can represent loss, sadness and death. However, they are also a symbol of freedom--the "don't tell me what to do" type of freedom. Which Ravenna has in spades.

Tarquin:

Apparently, both of the Gisbourne kids have bird symbols, which is cool.  Hawks stand for vision, intensity, strategy, and power. Tarquin posses all of these qualities.

Sorcha: 

And just as the Gisbourne siblings are both birds, the Massimo girls are both cats. Panthers represent courage, intelligence, valor and tact. Sorcha absolutely has more tact than Tirzah, but if you piss her off she will also claw you to death.

DeClaire: 

Snakes are connected to life changes(like life and death), duality and transformation. DeClaire certainly brings about those life changes, and he is absolutely two-faced. Also, snakes bite or attack when threatened, which, again, is what DeClaire does the little...jackass....

Malbete: 

Ok, first, don't make a weasel mad. They will tear your face off, no joke, the aggressive little suckers. Weasels are symbols of stealth and the cycle of life and death. Huh. No wonder this suits him so well.....

Lure of the Fox: Carmine Reynaud

 Since this is a sequel to "Wolves of Sherwood", some of the characters you already know--if not, just can find out about Tarquin, Declaire, and Malbete here; Jean-Luc here; Cassian here; and Ravenna and Tirzah here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know I keep bringing up Aladdin, but its the easiest way to describe some things(have you see it yet?!).

Like Carmine Reynaud's personality.

Reynaud is like Jafar from Aladdin. The new one(aka Marwan Kenzari. Google him, cause WOW!!!!).

Yes, I know there are people who didn't like the interpretation of this Jafar, but I loved it! He's subtle; he doesn't explode in public(often); he knows how to manipulate; he can threaten people without even raising his voice.

That's scary.

That is the Reynaud type of scary.

Which is great, because Reynaud is the villain of this piece.

Unfortunately, Reynaud's physical model is not from Aladdin. He's from the films "Alpha," "Atomic Blonde", "Game of Thrones", "The Last Kingdom", and the upcoming "Where'd You Go, Bernadette".

Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson. You know what's great about this actor? He can say things in a single look than some actors can say in a paragraph. Watch "Alpha" if you don't believe me. Or just watch "Alpha" cause it's that good.

This is a guy you don't want to mess with. He's dangerous, but he never lets it be known in public--all his threats come in private.

You guys, Reynaud scares me.

And his soundtrack is perfect for the kind of human being that Reynaud is. It's dark and gritty and...well here, give the highlights a listen:

Feed the Wolf, by Breaking Benjamin

Inside, by Sting

I'm Alive, by Disturbed

New Divide, by Linkin Park

This Pain, by Kamelot

Lure of the Fox: Theme Soundtrack

Last post was soundtrack-centered and currently I'm deep in the research cave for "Fox"--plus rehearsals--so we'll go with easy this time and do more music. Sound good?

So "Wolves" was dark, gritty, and political.

"Lure of the Fox" is darker, grittier, and more political.

And I guess--in a way--it's Jean-Luc's fault.

I've always seen Jean-Luc as a harder, harsher, darker character, even before I finished writing "Wolves"(I mean, he's got a serious case of PTSD); and Declan is Mr Dark Horse; and the baddies are all really bad(this is DeClaire and Malbete before they had no control--if they ever had any--and before they got tangled up with Gisbourne--who is calculating, sly and too proud for his own good--which makes both of them...T-E-R-R-I-F-Y-I-N-G). So, because the central character this time around is a harder-hitting type of person, it makes sense to me that the soundtrack for this project is going to be harder-hitting(as you've probably seen by now).

This includes the themes.

Whenever I write, the one thing I never do is sit down and plan out what the heck the theme of the story I want to tell actually is. Characters are what pop into my head first--characters and images.

Because I don't ever start a writing project by thinking "I'm going to write about Subject ABC", theme of the story evolves for me. When it eventually become clear, I'm the last person to realize that. The first time I ever heard one of my plays read aloud and I got great feedback on the themes I had no clue what that even meant.

Not so with this project.

Most likely it's cause "Lure of the Fox" is a prequel, so I have a pretty good idea who these people are and where they end up, so it's easier to figure out where they've come from.

Below are the two songs that embody the theme of "Fox".

RISE(feat. The Word Alive), by The Glitch Mob

When Legends Rise, by Godsmack

  

You know what my favorite thing about these songs is? They both have the word "rise" in them.

Which is what all of these characters have to learn to do, anyway. They all lose(physically, mentally, emotionally), and they all have to rise to the occasion.

Lure of the Fox: Additional Soundtrack

Because rehearsals for the second production of "Wolves of Sherwood" are in full swing(YAY!!!!), I have done a tiny bit a time travelling for this post. 

Several characters from "Wolves" also make an appearance in "Fox", they also are part of my soundtrack. However, as most of these people are vastly different(in some cases) from the types of people they are in "Wolves", their music is slightly different too--and in some cases, their playlist is shorter--and they all come with music videos! Rather than deluge y'all with info you already know, I'll just say this: if you want more deets on these characters, just go here.

Jean-Luc
Demons, by Imagine Dragons

Under Your Scars, by Godsmack

Passionate, by the Backstreet Boys

Survivor, by Olivier Dion

What Ifs(feat. Lauren Alaina), by Kane Brown

Dangerous Night, by Thirty Seconds to Mars

A Bird Without Wings, by Celtic Thunder

Heaven, by Kane Brown

Figure It Out, by Royal Blood

Bleeding Out, by Imagine Dragons

Home(from "Bright" Soundtrack), by Machine Gun Kelly, X-Ambassadors, and Bebe Rexha

Broken Hallelujah, by The Afters

Tirzah 
Creature, by BONES UK

Beltane, by Ron Allen

Lost in the Middle of Nowhere, by Kane Brown

Huron ‘Beltane’ Fire Dance, by Loreena McKennitt

Warrior, by Avril Lavigne

Break the Fall, by Laura Welsh

Tirzah and Jean-Luc

My Angel(from "Furious 7" soundtrack), by Prince Royce

One Thing Right, by Marshmellow & Kane Brown

Him & I, by G-Easy & Halsey

Cassian  Young Volcanoes, by Fallout Boy

Bury It, by CHVRCHES

The Wolves(Acoustic Version), by Ben Howard

Rise(feat. Jack&Jack), by Jonas Blue

The way you dance for me, by Sebastien Agius

Never Say Die, by CHVRCHES

Shattered (Turn the Car Around), by O.A.R.

Younger, by French Wives

Ravenna 
Never Ending Circles, by CHVRCHES

Blackbird(Mocean Worker Re-Mix), by Nina Simone

Here With Me(feat. CHVRCHES), by Marshmellow

There's No Way(feat. Julia Michaels), by Lauv

You Set Me Free, by Michelle Branch

C’est Bientot La Fin(from "Mozart: L'Opera Rock" soundtrack), by Mikelangelo Laconte, Dianne Disigny, Maeva Meline, Florent Mothe, and Melissa Mars

Technicolor Beat, by Oh Wonder 

But I Do Love You, by LeAnne Rimes

DeClaire Indestructible, by Disturbed

Coconut, by Fever Ray

Inertia Creeps, by Massive Attack

Malbete Don’t You, by Candlebox

Blood//Water, by grandson

Cursum Perficio, by Enya 

Tarquin Like A Recall, by Sebastien Aguis 

Crystal Visions, by The Big Pink

Way To Break My Heart(feat. Skrillix), by Ed Sheeran

Nowhere/Bloodlines Pt 1, by Sir Sly

Cross Me(feat. Chance the Rapper & PnB Rock), by Ed Sheeran

Ready to Run, by One Direction

Helpless/Bloodlines Pt 2, by Sir Sly

Last soundtrack had a lot of Blackamore's Night and Peter Crowley. 

This one's got Loreena McKennitt, Kane Brown, and CHVRCHES, for some reason.

And is also seven and a half hours long.