What began as a humble experiment in zapfic has evolved into The GHAWG Universe. Today is the 1st aniversary of GHAWG.
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Cover image was made using screen capture from LeoThreads. Content comes from @magnacarta. Edits made using MS Paint.
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TL;DR
- Introduction
- What Happened?
- STURGIS Came and Went. Now What?
- GHAWG Evolves into The GHAWG Universe
- GHAWG in Alternate Formats
- What's Next for GHAWG?
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Introduction
On 2023-March-06 I published this zapfic entry to LeoThreads:
It's past bedtime. Once again my father missed the ending of The Dark Knight Rises. "A Watchful Guardian" plays during the closing credits. That's what I am for my father these days. Then I find myself asking "Who is mine?"
Although I had a vague idea how it would end-- or not-- I had no idea how events would unfold to bring David Guardia to STURGIS. This is the reason I chose the zapfic format to tell this story. It was a story I wanted to tell, even if I had to do it 228 characters at a time (since 12 characters would be used for the hashtag and spacing).
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What Happened?
Some character development took place: a bit in one zapfic entry, a bit more in another. The initial phase of the story needed to be presented in order to provide contrast with what happens after David begins his long-deferred rise to STURGIS.
Once David began his ride, he would find himself meeting people who would help him along the way: the motorcycle mechanic in East Palestine, Ohio US; Jacob Angel in Cleveland, Ohio; the uncanny Manny Rey in Sandusky, Ohio.
Through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, David's ride was just a ride. It was special to him, but there wasn't anything noteworthy about it beyond the actual riding.
Once David crossed into Iowa from Illinois, that's when his ride had been transformed. Even then, it took a near-death experience for the transformation to take place. During the 10-day coma he went through at the hospital in Le Claire, Iowa, US, two things took place. As his body was being fully healed at an astounding rate, he was getting his marching orders (well, riding orders) from The Lord. Along the way, he was given certain abilities which would be used to manifest the power of The Lord, at least one of which would be seen before he was even discharged from the hospital.
For much of his ride from Bayonne, New Jersey, US Le Claire, Iowa, David Guardia was being watched over by Manny Rey. Almost as soon as he discharged himself from the hospital, he found the other person who would watch over him: Rhonda Bella, an independent trucker and native of Davenport, Iowa, US. She would be his co-pilot to STURGIS and beyond, for as long as he was on the road.
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STURGIS Came and Went. Now What?
It took a while, but David Guardia completed delivery of Manny Rey's message to Harry Hoqualogue of The Mongols. This meeting itself could have ended fatally, but it was the time for The Lord's power to be manifest to a large audience of hardened riders. The message from Manny Rey sealed the transformation of The Mongol's Mongol from hard-core tough guy to human among humans.
The annual motorcycle rally at Sturgis, South Dakota, US ended. Where was David Guardia going from there? He could have returned home to Bayonne, but it wouldn't have been much of a story then. So David continued his ride with Harry Hoqualogue and The Mongols as they rode back to their home base in San Diego, California, US. This is where GHAWG enters a new phase. For this phase, Rhonda Bella stayed by his side as co-pilot.
With his own mission to complete in Portland, Oregon, US, David ended up getting biblical as the combined group of Mongols and David's people rode through Seattle, Washington, US. With local government having failed the people of Seattle, David spoke as a prophet when he told warned them in essentially the format of logic: if P, then Q, else R.
With the detour in Seattle done, the riders I've been calling Our Heroes continued the ride to San Diego. David was charged with riding with his people through Portland at night while dressed in reflective riding gear. This was a key moment for GHAWG, even if it wasn't apparent at the time.
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GHAWG Evolves into The GHAWG Universe
Just as meeting Harry Hoqualogue at STURGIS was a critical moment for GHAWG-- it was the purpose of David's ride-- the night ride through Portland was another critical moment. However, this critical moment transformed the daily zapfic serial GHAWG into the beginning of The GHAWG Universe.
For a while, I was at a point where I was going to abandon GHAWG, to just give it up. I had no idea what to write about, and this wasn't a case of writer's block; I was nearly out of gas. Then I introduced the character Lindsay Etxeberria, the far-left activist who had paused the ride through Portland just as Our Heroes were about to leave town.
How important is Lindsay Etxeberria to GHAWG? One day I was going to stop GHAWG were it was to let it wither on the vine. The next day, I found enough content to continue for 2 sequel zapfic serials (not to mention prequels and a merchandising angle).
Even if none of these things happen and GHAWG stays limited to 1 zapfic serial, introducing Lindsay opened up the story for scenes to feature supporting characters. There were some scenes where it didn't make sense for the main characters to be present. Introducing Lindsay added new dimentions to GHAWG.
There's no GHAWG without David Guardia, but there's no GHAWG Universe without Lindsay Etxeberria.
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GHAWG in Alternate Formats
The main point is to tell a story. I chose the zapfic format to get the story from my mind and onto the Hive blockchain. The idea is to use the zapfic serial as the basis (or first draft) of a long form post or series of posts. It is the long form which will feature the story I wanted to tell but was unable to tell without first using the zapfic format.
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What's Next for GHAWG?
One year after GHAWG began, David Guardia and his remaining crew find themselves riding into Arizona on their way home first to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to drop off foreign exchange students Sanjay Rampersad from India and Lionel Odunsi from Nigeria. From there, they all return to Iowa where they have their respective home towns.
It's safe to say that David was never going to return to Bayonne, but it wasn't a given that he would find his new home in Iowa. Iowa-- specifically, Davenport, Iowa-- became his home when he married Rhonda Bella when they were in Riverside, California, US and Lindsay decided to continue riding with David instead of beginning her new life at Harvest Christian Fellowship.
Once they're all home, then the 2nd zapfic serial (code-named Blue Lion) begins. 10-12 years will be compressed to show what became of David and his Epic Ride. It will focus on David finally living the good life he had denied himself for many years before it all goes crashing into a burning heap.
The 3rd zapfic serial (code-named The Bronze) will take place over 10 years, also compressed for time. This will be the final mission for David, and it will feature elements of spiritual warfare. For this zapfic serial, David will be reunited with Harry Hoqualogue. The Bronze will also have a tighter storyline since it will bring The GHAWG Saga to a close.
While The GHAWG Saga comes to a close, The GHAWG Universe continues to expand. Prequel serials can be made featuring Rhonda Bella, Harry Hoqualogue, even Lindsay Etxeberria. These serials will feature their lives before metting with David Guardia, so they'll just be regular stories.
Whether characters get their own zapfic serials or not, they will all be included in a database along the lines of Wookieepedia.
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That's it for this special GHAWG Anniversary post. I'm
[!!]Thanks for your time and for reading #GHAWG, LeoThreads at InLeo's first daily zapfic serial. Give the post an upvote or a reblog if you liked it. Feedback is welcome.
[!!] -- signature graphic was made by @ahmadmanga