Hello again. If you're wondering where the first part of this went, go here. I imagine a lot of people will have to click the link since I only got eighty some odd hits. :( (Half a dozen blogs were posted within an hour of part 1 so it got pushed off the page before hardly anyone could see it.)

Done reading? Okay. So, I haven't gotten a lot of writing done this week but that's mostly because I spent so much time working on the Wyld logo. I tried several different approaches on the computer but wasn't satisfied with the results. So I drew it. Just so you all know, I'm lousy at drawing. I tend to get frustrated easily with how lousy I am and give up, but somehow this time I was able to be patient and it came out pretty well (for me at least). I still need to scan it and clean it up some, though. And figure out how to make the background transparent. I never did get that right with the Venus Cursed! logo.

I'm hoping some other authors (or at least one!) will be interested in the The Wyld. Reading over it I realized I didn't say much in the first part, so I'll add a little. But I don't want to spoil it, so don't expect too much! ;)

Although my first stories will take place in the years between 2000 and 2023, it's 2023 that I consider 'present day' for the purposes of The Wyld Universe. My first story takes place in 2008 and mostly takes place in Hawaii, now part of Japan. Yeah, that's right, part of Japan. The United States of America is very different in the Wyld Universe. See map below:

The country names aren't all final yet, but the borders pretty much are. As you can see, there have been some changes. ;) One of the biggest differences in each country is how they handled the 'Wyld Problem'. Some are extremely hostile to Wyld individuals, while others try to be accepting and some even succeed fairly often. I don't want to go into too much detail on that part yet, since it's important in some of the stories I'm working on.

Another important factor in the formation of these countries is religion. The religious framework of each country is quite different. That, in turn, affects how the Wyld are treated. Most of the general attitudes are probably fairly predictable, but there are some surprises!

The Wyld take many forms, since the Wyld transformations can be physical as well as simply granting powers. Pretty much anything you can imagine is represented somewhere. There are certain trends, though, which I've broken down into ten basic groups. Each group has plenty of variation and sub-groups within them (Except one, but that's a definite spoiler!).

One of the advantages of working in different time frames like I am is that the Wyld phenomenon is understood differently at different times. In 2000 it was just beginning and a total mystery. In 2008 it was fairly stable but still poorly understood and there was a lot of speculation. In 2023 it's almost a normal part of life. Changes in society reflect this, so the biggest changes happen in the first few years when things are the least understood and change slowly after that. Thus the changed borders are stable in 2008 and don't really change after that.

Naturally the US isn't the only one affected by this. Each country handles things differently. And the US isn't the only one that falls apart. Mostly smaller, poorer countries fare the worst. Religion is, once again, a major factor. The last thing you want is to be Wyld in Iran!

Well, I think that's enough rambling from me for now. Once again, if you're interested in writing in the Wyld Universe, please let me know! It won't be officially open until I've posted a rules page and the first part of A Wyld World, but that doesn't mean you can't get started on your own story early! ;)

I hope some of you see as much potential in this universe as I do!

Saless