Tag America

Season 1 Wrap-Up

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While the show went through many twists and turns in the writing process, fans might be surprised to learn that some of those twists had a lot to do with variables in the real world. For example, many of the cast members are public school teachers in Baltimore City. We (meaning myself as the writer and main actor and my colleagues) have tried very hard to make our schedules flexible so we could record after a long day of dealing with middle school students. Sometimes, these schedules wouldn’t work and the availability (or lack thereof) of some of the actors forced me to re-write parts of the storyline all together -sometimes midway in the production of an episode. But, of course, I’m a well seasoned writer and these bumps actually made me think of more creative ways to make the story stay in rhythm.

But now that Season 1 is complete, I can honestly say much was learned from both the writing aspect and the production. Season 1 was way over budget and I blame my lack of experience in the production side of things for this. Next season, there will be less of a need to spend so much money on things I can do myself. Plus the publishing company that finances this show has put a cap on the budget for next season. Anyway, as the season progressed, there was more of a conscientious effort to streamline the production for a finer quality sound. The equipment wasn’t any different; the finesse in the production improved.

I’m certain Season 2 will be much more action packed and intense because there is so much conflict that needs to be resolved. Plus, I will spend a great deal of time over the summer planning the next two seasons and get a jump start on the production long before the next school year begins. You see, we can’t do Season 2 right now because the school year is about to end and we (meaning most of the cast) won’t have access to everything needed to produce the show. We want to preserve the environment as much as possible so when September rolls around, it’ll be like Season 1 -only we’ll be better prepared and more experienced. But like every school year, teachers move around and I am praying everyone stays at the same school when the fall session begins. If not, that would present a little problem in accessibility to some of the characters and thus I’ll have to work around that. Not to mention there will be more students who will want to be part of the show (as many have expressed great interest) and that will also be something to consider. The more staff and students participate, the cheaper the production because it’s essentially an after school project and there’s less money involved -just what’s spent on pizza and sound effects.

I don’t want fans to think I’m being cheap. On the contrary, the less money spent on actors, the more can be spent on the production -and that’s really what’s at the heart of this project. But that doesn’t mean there won’t be paid actors in the show -of course there will be. In spite of having a company finance the show, the truth is it isn’t a very large company and money is tight. Professionals and semi-professionals will likely join our cast because let’s face it -when you pay for an actor, you generally get good stuff. I literally had to shelve characters on the show because the (free) actors were so bad. Anyway, the storyline for Season 2 is quite ambitious, so there will be many late nights editing and fine-tuning every second and every sound effect. That’s really where my focus will be on. Oh yeah, and I’ll be finishing the novel while all of this is going on.

~JV Torres

Nabal: Wanted Dead or Alive

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It tingled warm and strange, causing a sudden, faint shock down his spine which made the Spartan open his eyes and gasp. He realized a finger had been probing his brain and his body jerked to the pulse of his heart as a bloody hand pulled away and into view. It was King Asilas and he was looking closely at something. The Spartan slowed his rhythmic convulsions to a still.

Holding the small, pebble-like object between his index finger and thumb, the king asked the Spartan, “Do you know what this is?”

“I-I’m not sure.” He replied.

He held the tiny object up to the lights overhead and examined it closer as streams of blood ran down the backside of the king’s forearm. “It’s a bullet.” Asilas lowered it close to the Spartan’s face. “Do you see that it’s a bullet?”

“Yes. I see now, my king. It is indeed a bullet.” The Spartan spoke lucidly to the king’s delight. He was still breathing heavily, but otherwise appeared to be aware of everything around him. The Spartan moved his eyes throughout the room and back towards the king’s drilling stare.

“And do you know your name, Spartan?” The king leaned to the side of the Spartan’s head, evidently studying his wound.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I am Nabal…”

What is The Monster Group?

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From the moment Asilas sat in the oval office with President Jackson awaiting to be sworn in as America’s first king, there was a sense this political transformation was sanctioned by the ubiquitous “men behind the curtain.” The president alluded to them right before Asilas assumes the role of king. He says, “You will have to deal with them; the monster. When they call, you will answer. And when they tell you to act, you will act.” It was rather subtle, but substantial enough to make Asilas uneasy. It was our first glimpse in this story that there was a shadowy group that pulls the strings of those in positions of great influence. In Asilas’s uneasiness with this arrangement, there is an obvious friction that surfaces and sets the threshold of defiance and boldness which puts the king at odds with the very people who put him in power.

 

But just exactly who are these monsters? And why did they elevate Asilas to the level of an absolute monarch in the first place? Asilas gives some clues. It becomes apparent early on in the series that treachery took place between Asilas and this mysterious syndicate. Asilas was supposed to be the consolidation of state affairs; the “go to guy.” He was meant to eliminate the need to racket politicians in every district throughout the union. With one man making all the decisions, there would be no need to place their bets on scores of lobbyists and campaigns. However, once Asilas became an absolute ruler, he turned on those who entrusted him with more power than any American before him. The king declares his posture is more than a stance against malfeasance, but is, in fact, a purging of the evil people behind America’s corruption. On more than one occasion, in fact, Asilas asserts members of the elusive group are a mix of humans and non-humans. In a conversation with Queen Rebekah before going to meet with England’s King George, Asilas even refers to George and his royal family as “an army of reptiles.” It seems whoever (or whatever) Asilas is waging war with is quite terrifying and exists on the fringes of our reality.

 

The monsters are assuredly creepy and, evidently, have haunting abilities to enter the king’s sleep. During Asilas’s “night terrors” and in apparent confrontations with demons, Asilas has conversations with their supposed leader, Beals. It can be surmised “Beals” is a play on Beelzebub, who is the Devil himself. In one of Asilas’s night terrors, Beals outright tells Asilas he needs to do what he is told and bluntly states, “This is the deal we made.” But Asilas defies him, proclaiming he must “free his people,” which is another indication Asilas was put in his position with strings attached. So, at the onset, what we learn in Season 1, the monster group is comprised of politicians, government officials, obviously some very rich people, reptilians, demons and apparently led by the Devil himself. At least, through statements made by the king, this is insinuated. However, judging by Asilas’s own words, the monster group appears to be more than simply a group of Satan worshippers in a secret society. The dynamics of the group become more puzzling with each new detail revealed.

 

The structure of the group is very ambiguous and often contradictory. This is probably by design to avoid detection and perpetuate confusion among even those within the group. The whole point of the group is to control the world using manipulation of governments through its officials. It is in this manipulation that Asilas gives one vital clue as to how he came to power. He revealed that he was once a member of the monster group and one of the architects of the plan that ultimately led to the dismantling of the United States. Why Asilas would be a part of the undoing of his country, something that could be classified as the antithesis of patriotic, and ascend as its absolute ruler becomes clearer with every episode. He asserts the only way to rid the world of the corruption that enslaves all people is to destroy the monster group itself. Handing him a throne to rule over the most powerful country in the world was perhaps the most monumental mistake the monster group ever made. However, this only furthers the assertion Asilas is more than brilliant; he is evidently the greatest opportunist and actor the group had ever faced. He makes his intentions to destroy the enemy of mankind, and sets out to do this under the guise of toppling countries and assimilating them into the New Kingdom of America to increase his power and set the stage for the ultimate battle for humanity. Asilas is able to “conquer” countries in the western hemisphere using a secret weapon named the “poison filter.” This machine is modified to do a multitude of things, including what Asilas calls “lifting the fog” and allowing humans to use the full capacity of their brains. Evidently, the monster group had benefited from inhibiting humans at the consciousness level, thus keeping them blind to their true powers and exploiting them for an unspecified duration of years.

 

The monster group becomes apprehensive of Asilas’s poison filter. Perhaps they recognize its true threat a little late in the game. Since Asilas made sure only members of his trusted High Council know the sensitive details about it, the monsters are virtually blind to the potency of this weapon. But they are cautious, and thus use their enigmatic network to slow Asilas’s advancements because he is equally cautious. They never encountered nor anticipated the fight Asilas presents in modern times, and resort to strategies from centuries ago to learn Asilas’s weaknesses. Employing sorcery, witchcraft, hauntings, and dream manipulations, the monster group torments Asilas in an effort to break down his mental stability. However, Asilas’s dexterity never diminishes. On the contrary, their voodoo tactics only appear to encourage the king to advance on foreign lands, push politics to the brink of a world war, and pressure the human flank of the monster group to call on their reptilian masters to assist them in dealing with America. Asilas attempts to lure the true monsters out into the open. With each move, another one of their pawns gets taken, and the ultimate confrontation between Asilas and the monsters draws ever nearer.