Thinking Ahead (Patreon)

Pictured: Ruins of Terra-Nova, 1372 Post-Human Era, Colorized, Gal-Net News

I was laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, when it dawned on me.

First Contact is just that. The FIRST part of what is stuck in my head. That's why more and more characters that don't fit seem to be coalescing in my head. That's why even though we're at the end of Act II or Act III (depending on which structure you prefer) I'm not worried.

Second Contact is in there. Nova Wars.

The Confederacy doesn't vanish with the loss of a huge percentage of humanity. The member races and allies just don't roll over and vanish. They'll still be there, heavily influenced by the humanity who freed them from their chains. Yes, even the Lanaktallans.

Terran Descent Humanity are going to be the ones to finish the Precursor War.

There's still stories stuck in my head. Still things in there, that weren't making sense and were blocking really writing well. Now I can tell the difference. I kept wondering why I kept seeing in my head things that wouldn't fit. Humans are gone in First Contact. There's no mantid crouched down in the shifting sands of a desert where the sky is lit up by howling isotopes, pointing out to a Telkan researcher that the debris is part of a PacificRim Class Jaegermech, which means this is actually a Terran battlefield.

But it's been stuck in my head.

Now I know why.

Future events depend on what I write in First Contact.

Because a series itself follows a structure.

Still, there's a TON I have left to do.

But at least I can put the things for Second Contact on the back burner while we finish making and enjoying First Contact.

Just some 1AM thoughts that got me out of bed.