651 (edited by Dirk B. 2020-01-09 02:21:37)

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

What a great question. I've been told that angels and demons in Catholicism can't reproduce, although some church fathers thought Satan could father the Antichrist. That, of course, was before knowledge of DNA, which I have now bumped up against. I need a Y chromosome. Perhaps the demon should sample a dead human (e.g., in a morgue or cemetery), which would give it the ability to assume that human's form, including its DNA. The problem then comes back to where in the child is the demonic essence and power? Perhaps a half-soul and a half-demon essence? Meh.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

In the Omen, Damien's blood cells matched those of a jackal, which was his mother. I assume the father was Satan.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

What if there is a chromosome pair in demon-spawns that is different from normal humans? Have it code for the demonic powers. The satanic equivalent of midichlorians. :-)

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Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Way too much science in this. You could simply have her pop a child from hand-to-hand contact

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

I may never use the demon-science in the books, but I'd like to have my own explanation beyond hand waving. Basic elements: a female human, a demon father, a tussle under the sheets, and a fetus that develops normally, but harbors something from the father that gives it demonic powers. Chromosomes and genes seem like the ideal solution. So much is unknown about our genes, it's a reasonable place to encode for superpowers.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Minor correction to the above. Since one half of all chromosomes come from the mother, the demon encoding would come from only a male chromosome, not from both parents. So, if you have one demon chromosome, you're a demon-spawn with great powers. But what if you have two demon-spawns mate and the chromosomes handed down are both the demonic ones?  I wonder if I can use that somewhere.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Dirk:

Why try to explain the unexplainable? Nobody wants to get lost in a biology lesson.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

I think you missed one of my posts above. It's unlikely to appear in the books, but I want an explanation for myself so that I have a set of rules to follow for consistency throughout the trilogy. My proposed rules also led to the discovery that one could have two demon-spawns each pass their demon chromosome to an offspring, probably making their child even more powerful than the parents. I don't see a use for that in the trilogy as envisioned, but it's within the rules should I care to explore it.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Ignoring it is a rule, too, Dirk.   Just like being drunk every day is a regular life, too.   :o)

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

I prefer Diet Pepsi or chocolate soy milk. You know, health food. tongue

661 (edited by Dirk B. 2020-01-10 07:31:50)

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Gravedigger chase is up. I had a little fun with it. Makes the scene about a page longer.

Thanks for the suggestion, Kdot.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Oops. Totally forgot that two exorcists are supposed to be shadowing Connor to protect him. I figured one on duty and another off duty. I managed to slip one in without adding to the character count (e.g., the soccer game referee is also the exorcist). In the Holy Land, the tour guide can double as an exorcist, so I don't have to add yet another priest to Connor's SUV.

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Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Maybe they got killed off camera, hence the disappearance

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

No, just me not using a chapter checklist yet. If I don't write it down and read it every chapter, I forget to do it. Same goes for Antonio Beneventi haunting Romano for the rest of the book. I once forgot to put God in one of the Galaxy Tales chapters. :-)

The haunting may grow old very quickly, like De Rosa's constant itching/scratching.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Weather forecast for Calgary calls for a high of -27 degrees later this week. I remember now why I hate the Prairies.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Someone built an igloo in Calgary and listed it on Airbnb. :-)

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Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Is that F or C?  -27 C is 'only' -22 F.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Celsius. Edmonton, about three hours north of Calgary, is forecast to be the coldest place on Earth this coming week. :-)

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Nuts. Several folks on my Catholic forum tell me that demons possess only the body of a person and that the soul is freed when the body dies, unless the possessed person willingly accepts the devil. That screws up my scene where Connor saves the reverend mother's soul just before her deathbed warning and physical death. Not sure how to fix that. I suppose she could be possessed to keep her from giving Connor her warning before she dies. Perhaps she learns of the warning through prayer and tells her fellow nuns that she needs to find Connor (or Constantino), whoever he is, then becomes possessed.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Dirk:

I don't understand you at all, my man. Why worry about something that's totally unrealistic to begin with? Do you think Stephen King worries about details like that?

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

I'm following the rules of Catholicism as closely as I can. They take this stuff very seriously, so I don't want to stray from their rules unless I really have to. I can fix the issue with Connor and the reverend mother easily enough, so I don't need to make stuff up. I'm also trying to create a realistic picture of Rome, the Vatican, and the Holy Land. I spent a year doing research for this trilogy so that I can get it right. No sense stopping now
.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Dirk:

Is this a novel for Catholics or a broader audience?

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

The primary target audience is Catholics. If I can entice other Christians or thrillers readers, so much the better. If it was for a general audience, there'd be far less praying and probably more violence (like Angels & Demons by Dan Brown). As it is, I'll be killing four cardinals, which is bad, but is necessary for the story. Besides the dead gravedigger, I'm hoping to have few other deaths, but I'm not sure yet.

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

Everything I have read on this thread thus far indicates you are educated in theology Dirk B. are you in fact a priest or is this just a passing fancy or yours? In any event, I may like to have a discussion with you on this topic and read a bit of this book you're working on.
Do you like debates on various forms of religion, both Abrahamic, Eastern or Pagan?

675 (edited by Dirk B. 2020-01-17 16:20:26)

Re: The Gathering Darkness (the Connor series) - Dirk B.

My education in theology is limited but growing, especially Catholicism. I'm definitely not a priest, although I'm delighted that you might think so. My last book was a space opera that focused on mental illness and a religion called the Christian Heresy. My current book includes elements inspired by Star Wars (the Force) and, oddly enough, the old Angel vampire TV series (I have characters named Connor and Michael(Angelo)). No actual vampires in my book but plenty of Catholic demons. It's set in Rome, the Vatican, and the Holy Land.