Development Notebook

Scratch Pad

navy will perform air cavalry and troop transport role with gunships. I need to flesh out the marine recon role.

Increase the length of the prologue, to have more fleeing, near death experiences, etc.,
Here is a list of characters

Here is a list of warships

Here are the Races and Professions.

http://robertplewis.com/index.php/Category:Naval_Weapons

• need a page to promote artists.

http://robertplewis.com/index.php/System_Titles

The Blessed Son Outline

Act 1 – Setup / Descent (≈ 0–25%)

Ordinary World → Inciting Incident → Plot Point 1 (Forced withdrawal into isolation/risk)

Descent Phase – Broken Network & Abdication

• Familial/Social Network Breaks / Pleas Ignored, Power Abdicated

 ** Open with core community, then a shattering of that network via crisis. Protagonist desperately tries to salvage the situation but the efforts fail.

• • Prologue: Conor witnesses the beginning of the apocalypse while riding a bus. Katy, Kaylee, and McKenna follow him into a sporting goods store, then accompany him as they flee outside of cities in an attempt to stay away from the monsters. They're eventually surrounded and killed.
    • Bus Ride
    • Portals open, tentacles and smaller beings pour from the sky
    • Abandon the bus, get supplies, begin heading North
    • fights, wolves, near-drowning and hypothermia
    • heroic last stand

• Plot Point 1 (End of Act 1):
  • Conor and his found family find themselves in a deity's lobby where they're introduced to their new lives.

Act 1 Summary

The act establishes the protagonist's familiar world, then shatters it through a network break. Emotional arc: From superficial security to forced vulnerability and loss of agency. Key shift: Involuntary isolation launches the journey.

Act 2 – Confrontation / Search (≈ 25–75%)

Rising action, gathering allies, trials → Midpoint shift → Dark Night low

Search Phase – Isolation, Risk, Rebuilding Attempts

• Isolation, Danger, Risk

 ** Immediate and ongoing threats, dodging dangers, reacting to the environment, dealing with consequences of a new life. Fear, disorientation, and grief over broken network and a growing realization that going it alone isn't sustainable.

• Search & Disguise/Subversion

 ** Chapter/Scene ideas here
 ** Midpoint (~50%): Key ally or realization shifts focus from solo struggle to networked progress.

• Attempt to Rebuild Community

 ** Chapter/Scene ideas here

Plot Point 2 / Dark Night (End of Act 2): Lowest point. The new network falters, old wounds reopen, or a major compromise appears impossible. The protagonist faces the threat of total isolation or collective failure.

Act 2 Summary

The act centers on searching and fragile alliance-building amid escalating stakes. Emotional arc: From reactive isolation to proactive connection-building, peaking at hope then crashing into despair. Key shift: The dark night tests trust and reliance on others.

Act 3 – Resolution / Ascent (≈ 75–100%)

Climax → Negotiated Victory → New Equilibrium

Ascent Phase – Success, Negotiation, New Network

• Success in the Search

 ** Chapter/Scene ideas here

• Negotiations & Compromises That Benefit All

 ** Chapter/Scene ideas here

• New Network Re-Established (Altered Form)

 ** Chapter/Scene ideas here

Final Image / Return: The protagonist exists within a renewed, thriving network, viewing the world through the lens of connection. Peace is achieved through unity.

Act 3 Summary

The act delivers collective triumph and restoration. Emotional arc: From despair to empowered unity and hope. Key shift: Victory reinforces that true strength lies in interdependence; the community is transformed.

Quick 3-Act Beat Summary

Act	Key Beat
Act 1	Hook
Act 1	Inciting Incident (Network Break)
Act 1	End Act 1 (Isolation Begins)
Act 2	Midpoint (Network Building Shifts)
Act 2	End Act 2 (Dark Night of Network Threat)
Act 3	Climax (Collective Victory)
Act 3	Resolution (New Network)