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| Design by Ali |
It is the time of year that thoughts most often turn to good will, generosity, sugar plums, what you're gonna get from under the tree, and just how many sales you can hit. But for a pulp writer, especially one like me who sniffles and comes up with an idea, it's a time ripe for thinkin', creatin', and reimaginin'. Christmas provides a lot of fodder for that.
And who am I to turn down free fodder??
Let me state that this is one of those ideas that I am only posting on here because I do not have time to do it right now. If someone comes along and wants to pitch a story within the universe I'm going to briefly touch on here or wants to write this story or this in this version (you'll see why I specify in a minute), then I will want to at least plot and probably co write with them, simply cuz, this is one I want to give some attention to when time allows. So, having said that, this idea is copyright me today and thereforth and hencewhen. This is my intellectual property, but wouldn't mind someone hollerin' at me for permission to play with it.
THE ADVENTURES OF NICHOLAS SAINT
That's right...I did it....I went and turned the fat guy in the red suit and rosy cheeks into a Doc Savage pastiche. Yup, you heard me...I mean, come one, he practically IS Doc if you look at him just right and besides, I'm not the first to go this particular direction.... Let's review the key points.
First, in this version of the world, as in any other I've ever read, there is an eternal struggle going on between good and evil. As this struggle has been eternal, members of both sides of the fight have come into being that are representative of legends, myths, and stories passed from generation to generation, people to people. By the 1930s, these heroes and villains, though largely considered story and fable, are alive and well and still fighting. The most vigilant and diligent of the heroes in this massive war, the one who stands on guard 365 days a year even though he is associated most notably with one particular day, the one who, even though the world doesn't know it, gives the gift of justice and security every minute of every day. That's right...Nicholas Saint, The Man up North.
Nicholas Saint is the world's foremost inventor, engineer, explorer, scientist, you name it, this guy standing just over six feet tall and weighing in at a muscular 300 pounds can do it. He also has so much mental and physical control of his body that he can actually shrink himself a few inches, reposition his muscles to give him the appearance of a bigger belly, and even will his cheeks to be rosy and his normally close trimmed white beard to grow a bit if given a few minutes. That's right, kids, if he's ever caught out in public, he just converts to look like jolly old St. Nick...or another disguise if that's more appropriate.
Hailing from nowhere in particular, Saint makes his headquarters up near the North Pole. Using technology of his own design, he conceals a vast complex of workshops, research facilities, and other structures almost in plain sight on the snowy terrain. Lending him assistance are his 'elves', actually members of the Pantunuik tribe, a long lost Eskimo people believed to be legends themselves, largely because they are all diminuitive, no more than four feet tall.
Saint also has a bestiary up there at the Pole, one containing long thought extinct and even mythical creatures and then some of his own experiments into genetic engineering. Yes, this includes most notably a herd of reindeer with many abilities, including flying. He even has one reindeer that gives off a phosphorescent light, although all everyone seems to see is his muzzle.
He is married to Eva, a woman of human origins who found herself drawn to investigate cases of a strange hero coming and going and finally finding herself both in love with and taking on a part of his essence and mission, therefore being as long lived as he is.
As far as how long they live, they are not immortal. They can be harmed by extraordinary means, such as magic, massive explosions, lightning...or they can be harmed very easily at the hands of another like them, another legend taken life that represents good or evil.
The first story in my head is directly related to Christmas, although all of them will not be. Nick can be saving the world on a daily basis, even when it's not Christmas. He often just hides in plain sight and people say, 'Mom, look, he could be Santa if he were fatter.'
The first story in my head is entitled 'The Adventure of the Children Christmas Forgot' and would involve a small midwestern town, the one case Nick Saint considers his failure, and a clash with an evil seducer of children who calls himself Mr. Hamlin.
There ya have it, a brightly decorated red and green idea shot once again like a bullet from Yours Truly! Have a Pulpy Christmas!!
