Hi gang. I just joined this site last night but I have thought about writing a story for years. One of my ideas is a Urban Fantasy- Spy Thriller. The main plot would follow Ed Ortiz, a man who can transform into cryptids. He would start out the story imprisoned at a government research facility where their are doing experiments on his abilities. Ed, would eventually be offered a chance to released. But, under one condition. That condition being that he track down a cyberterrorist nicknamed Methuselah. I need some developing Ortiz and Methuselah. Also, I would like some help figuring out how Ortiz got his powers.
Is there a reason you nicknamed your baddie Methuselah? Perhaps you can further develop him by giving him some attributes of his namesake....like, is he really old (thinking naturally old, like in his 80s or 90s...that would make an interesting twist)? Or an immortal/exceptionally long-lived being who looks young? Also, I had to Google "cryptids" lol. Could he have been bitten by Bigfoot? Drank water from Loch Ness? Saved a chupacabra from certain death and was rewarded with powers? Maybe he was a cryptozoologist before getting his powers and there was some lab accident involving DNA.
Making Methuselah a old man makes sense. Also, I like the idea of my main character being exposed to cryptid DNA, thus giving him his powers. I can picture that transforming into a mythical creature could have some drawbacks like not being able to speak and being forced to walk on four legs. Any other drawbacks you guys can think of?
Methuselah is also a biblical name. Methuselah is the oldest living man in the bible (900 and some years) and the name translates to 'man of the spear' or 'man whose death causes judgement.'
I might be dating myself here, but have you ever read the series Animorphs? It's about these kids who get the ability to transform into animals. The reason why I'm mentioning it is because, like your MC, they have a variety of species to choose from, and in the series, it's interesting to see their reasoning about which animal they pick for which situation. Your MC would have the same choices, I imagine, only with cryptids. So there would be a variety of advantages/disadvantages depending on the shape he chose and the situation he was in. For example, Bigfoot would have a lot of trouble in a situation where he had to handle delicate objects or blend in to a crowd, but he would have the advantage in a situation where brute force would be required. Also, I found this: http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Cryptids which might come in handy. I too am writing a novel that involves mythological beasts, and I'm finding that list useful, so thanks for inadvertently pointing the way, lol. Found it when I had to google "cryptids"
Thanks for the list Storm. I will definitely have to take a look at it. I have heard of the Animorphs, I guess my idea is kind of like it, only it involves cryptids instead of animals. I should also determine why the Government chose my MC to track down a Cyberterrorist.
Here is a list of possible cryptids I may use. Bigfoot Beast of Bray Road: http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/The_Beast_of_Bray_Road Chupacabra: http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/Chupacabra Loch Ness Monster Ahool: http://cryptidz.wikia.com/wiki/Ahool Any other cryptids that would be interesting to use?
You might need to ask a more specific question. What is the difficulty you are having developing the characters?
I need help determining how Ortiz's powers work and how he got them. With Methuselah, I need to determine what his evil plan is and how he intends on doing it. Also, I need help figuring out why the Government is having Ortiz track Methuselah down.
