(I Also Write Children's Books!)

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Still Trudgin'

Things got rather... uh, interrupted there, for a bit.  I haven't been able to do more than glance over your previous thread.  Goodness, you people love discussing Penny's power.  I don't mind that at all!

But I really thought you should have the sample of chapter two.

15 comments:

  1. "You want to be a villain. You just think you should be a hero.”

    Truer words had yet to be said in this series. Penelope Justice Akk; thy name is villain!

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  2. I'm looking forward to the next book!

    Some feedback about the series:
    *I like to read e-books as white text on black background - it's easy on the eyes AND the cellphone battery. Your chapter header images in previous books look kind of wonky in that mode, though, especially in book 3, where there are some artifacts; I'm guessing the artist whited things out rather than erasing them.
    *When a chapter starts with someone talking, I get confused when you omit the quotation marks; please put them in, even if they'll have to be super-sized ones...
    *Oh yeah, and a plot-related question: What happened with Penny's suit helmet/face mask? I thought she just forgot it in the lab on Earth - along with the teleport bands - when she went into space in book 2, but in book 3 she thinks of it as gone...

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    2. I believe that is was left on the Red Herring, with Juliet. She is on a voyage to outer space, which is why the say her helmet is "orbiting Pluto."

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  3. Oh yes, many of us are deeply interested in what is going on with our favorite Mad Genius.

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  4. This book is off to a great start.

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  5. Talk about potential for pain.

    I see a few possibilities:
    -The statue's a bird. Maybe a dove, as in Mourning Dove? Could be tied to her powers.
    -The statue was not stolen, but rather teleported into her bag. Or transmuted and flew.
    -She violated the sanctuary of her one major ally in the Hero community. Mourning Dove will not forget - or forgive.

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  6. I have been thinking about Penny's power for awhile now and feel the need to post my theories.

    In book one her power normally manifests by manifesting a connection between a scientific concept and the mechanism for inventing it. I think that it is sort of a mix of her parents power (her dad connecting science concepts and math with inventing them, her mother's intuitive ability to predict calculate and act). After she is exposed to the Conquerer Orb at the science fair she is able to make Vera. I didn't really think about this much more until book three when she starts combining inventions (like Remy). I think her power has some ability to replicate other super science / mental powers / and devices she has been exposed to. There are obviously some details that don't totally fit or are as of yet obfuscated (the possession mechanic that keeps getting hinted at). But I think her power is quite a bit different than she thinks it is.

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    1. There has been a lot of discussion of the years on Penny's Powers. See the long post where I summarized the previous even longer post(s), and the discussion that followed.
      The most recent was started by FoxPlaysComputer on October 17, 2016 at 6:13 AM and more was added by J Southard of October 18, 2016 at 8:28 PM. http://frankensteinbeck.blogspot.com/2016/10/why-you-actually-come-here-previews.html

      Additionally, you transposed something - Penny was not exposed to the Conqueror Orb at the science fair, it was in the Library for several years.

      And also, her first invention, the Machine, was about 'recycling' which I do not think qualifies as a 'scientific concept' as such.

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    2. Penny actually reminds me of Agatha Herterodyne, Girl Genius! Except, where Penny blacks out, Agatha goes to the 'madness place.'

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    3. I'd argue that Penny does go to 'madness place.', that's what the blackouts are.
      We're just seeing it from her point of view, so we miss the rants and orders, and she mostly does not have memory of the time she is in the mad place.

      Agatha also had "blackouts" earlier in the series, that became less and less as she got more used to handling her spark.

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    4. Yes! It has been so long since I had gone back to see the early adventures, that I had forgotten the similarities.

      However, there are 2 things.
      1. Agatha would create things in her sleep. She did not blackout when she was awake – at least not any time that I remember.
      2. It is a different story.

      They have somewhat similar behavior – but the authors are different. So, unless he is a fan, it make sense that the characters would be different.

      For one thing, Agatha is awake and aware during her “times of madness,” and Penny is not.

      What I can say for sure is that I can not wait to find out what is going on!

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    5. Penny is getting more lucid during her episodes.
      And as she gains more control, and learns more science, she will probably keep getting more aware of what she is doing.

      The similarities between Penny Akk and Agatha Heterodyne can easily be explained by genre conventions (mad scientists are, mad, and usually go on rants).

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